Bush and Benny Pound It Out.

Props for Peace or Paper Beats Rock?

Peter shines for the Camera

                (despite his best effort to keep a lid on things).


Please note this post was the only way I could exact revenge upon the feds for making its 'streamlined' passport renewal process [read: still making you pay full price] effective about one month too late for me to benefit. That being said....seriously, Petey. At least try the sweeping combover.

You too can now rewrite the story of Canada.

Assuming you even knew the official narrative in the first place...

Seriously though...how is this a good idea?

Anyone?!

World Water Day

While I truly believe it's important, I can't help but feel that writing History is tangential to things that really matter. Today is no different...

Photograph: Rolex Dela Pena/EPA

Quench your thirst: http://worldchanging.com/

I too am Just Sayin'.

Solidarity Forever.

My Separate Peace

I don't know if John Knowles would be okay with this, but I sure am.

As long as we can rework the set-up of traditional family dwellings to accommodate my need for personal space without constructing larger homes and more urban sprawl, I am on board.

Let's face it: I have no desire to breathe in someone else's recycled air, share in their cold sweats or deal with their snoring (or other inappropriately loud breathing patterns). It's not that I'm averse to cuddling (yaddayadda), but there comes a point when people just need to separate, get some z's, and keep body heat to themselves.

If my future someone is reading this and has a problem with it, we can talk about it over breakfast. Preferably, in the common space known as our kitchen.

'Blog My Cares Away, Worries for Another Day'

Should the abnormally large muscle in Serena Williams' arm be doing whatever it is it's doing in this picture?


Back to work...

I’m a Superstar

For several reasons

1) Mike didn’t cut me from his links section. That’s sort of like winning the lottery.

2) I survived the wrath of Lindsay’s rage that was prompted by my reply-posts. That’s just plain ol' divine intervention.

3) I learned how to stop on skates today. Like…HOCKEY stop. This is huge, people. It’s been a winter of baby-steps (and stops), and today I spent an hour skating and stopping my way home from the Ottawa Humane Society. A girl even giggled at me and we chatted for 20 minutes while I practiced and she twirled. As I no longer look like a giant ball of awkward on skates anymore, this experience was like reliving adolescence; I’m finally able to predict the way my body moves, and still afraid to ask a girl for her phone number.

Focus on the skating, people – and skate with me someday to witness Newton’s Third Law in action.

Radicalized by Chess

Sigh. I love The Economist because they occasionally write business articles that I understand.

In other enjoyable news, this picture brings me back to the glory days of chess club.


And that, ladies and gentlemen, also explains why I participated in band, choir, debating, and yearbook. I feared what social contact the free lunch period held, and thus became an (arguably) better man because I learned early on that Kings could never topple Queens. I also had a bitchin' haircut just like this guy, whom I like to call Johnny.

So go.

Go, Johnny. Go- Go-GO.

Confessions of the Heart

FINE. I admit that I’m a terrible blogger.

I’ve known this about myself for quite some time, but I always thought my past indiscretions were innocent. Then I lied to my dear and loyal reader/friend Mike.

Mike: I’m sorry I swore on our friendship that I’d update – and then swore on it six more times when you called me out for not taking action. I know that I’m a self-absorbed schmuck, and I apologize for devaluing those precious months we spent squatting somewhat illegally in the Brosha household back in the day (Remember Thor? Creepy.). I also apologize for making a mockery of what should potentially be a genuine apology.

Nonetheless, I think I’m okay with it.

SO…..

As it’s a little late for holiday updates (even though Hallmark defines Valentine’s Day as one), I’m simply going to share my new favourite popular European expression with you…

“A nation is a group of people united by a common error about their ancestry and a common dislike of their neighbours.”

- Quoted in Karl Deutsch, Nationalism and Its Alternatives.

In a related story – the identification of this quote as ‘European’ didn’t seem to concern my homeboy Deutsch all that much. I was gonna give him double props – but now he just gets one prop….s (?).

[Could someone PLEASE tell me what these ‘props’ are that I keep giving people? Seriously. If the drama of life isn’t providing me with any directorial cues, it should at least provide me with a furniture list.

Too far?

Perhaps.]

Alright. I’m heading over to Loeb to assess their stockpile of Valentine’s Day chocolate and plan my strategy for tomorrow’s MAD discounts. Who cares where the love is when you can have TOBLERONE?!

Shock 'a Khan

More to follow...

[SO I LIED.]

May I Have Your Attention Please?!

They're finally making a movie about Fraggle Rock!

http://www.vh1.com/movies/news/articles/1547428/12062006/story.jhtml

Iggy goes back to Harvard.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Stéphane DION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(One day, I hope to meet Kyoto.)

Diversions Made for ME!

For more of these delightful snippets, visit: www.phdcomics.com

From the Archival Fond of Yours Truly

Random thought of the day:

I'd like to share that I'm eating baby carrots as I type this. And it strikes me as somewhat repulsive that I'm eating a baby vegetable. In some respects, it's like eating a baby lamb, and people who eat baby anything are usually portrayed as fairly barbaric by the opposing camp. I think that perhaps these stereotypes need to be carried over to the vegetable family; I think vegetarians need to be implicated in the barbarity and cruelty of the human food chain.

Thoughts? For some reason I feel that this was a Seinfeld skit back in the day...and if it wasn't, then it sure as hell should've been.

Hammer-and-Sickle Gingersnaps.

My illustrious roommate Erin brightened my life today when she provided me with a link to "Selections from the Notebooks of Max Roosevelt, 15-Year-Old Socialist."

I immediately thought to 'pay it forward' (slash awkwardly make a comeback to the bloggersphere).

Please. Do yourself a favour:

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2006/11/28dwertman.html

Boo. Urns.

It snowed today.

This is not a positive development.

SERIOUSLY?

"The values that our countries are based on are the values that should inform globalization." - Tony Blair

Well, there you have it. I blame Tony Blair for ruining this entire day.

I'll spare you the boring details as I have to meet my parents for dinner shortly, but I think you should all know that this post is coming to you live from the archives. It's late...and there are no real historians in the room...so I don't have to worry about getting dirty looks for using a program other than Word. But keep this on the D-L; if you tell anyone, I'm afraid they'll revoke my privileges.

(In case you're wondering, that was a veiled plea for one of my readers to tell someone, and for that someone to ban me from the archives for life. That, friends, would be nirvana.)

Random thoughts: Yesterday, I swallowed a fly while I was biking to the archives. I have since developed a twitch in my right eye. I'm unsure if these two phenomena are related, but I'm seriously considering swallowing a spider.

There was a man wearing plaid pants yesterday. They were rather similar to these puppies:


He came back today...wearing the same pants. He also monopolized the photocopier for about an hour, taunting me with his photocopiable materials. Reason 9,567,221 why I hate studying History: You can't photocopy historical documents.

And now, it's time for me to hit the locker room. True story. Archives Canada provides even the geekiest of historians the space in which we can pat ourselves on the back and pretend to be jocks.

What happens in the historian's locker room, you ask?

'Good research today, kid. I really liked that point on your HB.'

Ahem.

Sweet Comforts.

I made cranberry-apple chutney today. And some plain scones.

Initially, the scones were supposed to be of the raisin variety – but I found myself in a state of advisor-induced stress last night and decided to delve into them rapaciously. So now I sit here. Eating my scones with chutney on top of them.

Deeeeee-licious.

I also remembered to send pictures to Kim today! For her last flight with Martin Air she flew to Toronto at the beginning of September, and it was the first time I’ve seen her since the summer of 2004. Considering it happened over a month ago, I feel it's unnecessary to regurgitate the details, but we did make it to Niagara Falls for a short trip.


Despite how tired I look (and am) in this photo, it was absolutely incredible to see her again! Her visit also marked my fourth trip to the Falls this year with a visitor from abroad. Thus, I would like to share with you some selections from the Brad Clark Seasonal Collection at the Falls.





Because I was 'iced' after the winter shoot, I can now say that I've sacrificed my body for the sake of art.

(How's that for a thought to make you want to chuck your chutney?)

And...because I promised to post it on my blog...here is the sign that greeted me on the door of her hotel room when I showed up! Oh Josef. "Mellah, Mellah!"

Yes, yes. These are my sweet comforts for the day. Pastries, People, and Pictures. And perhaps Potassium. I feel a banana craving comin' on.