Currently Playing Garden State By Various Artists see related

In a very small, microscopic way, I've finally made it.

Years ahead of schedule, guess who made it to the top of google news?

I realize nobody cares, and I realize it's a small student newspaper, but all the same I think this is pretty cool.

Currently Playing Franz Ferdinand By Franz Ferdinand see related

My morning smile

Tim Hortons' - ubiquitous source of my twice-daily caffeine IV-drip - made me laugh this morning. Or rather, I laughed at myself while in Timmy Ho-Hos this morning.

All the staff this week are wearing these T-shirts that say "HELPING KIDS SOAR HIGH" (I think it's Camp Day or something)

So anyway, I was staring at one of them this morning (before I'd had my double-double, obviously) and I could have sworn it said "HELPING KIDS' SUGAR HIGH" which made me giggle to myself for about the next 20 minutes.

Not sure if anyone else finds that funny but I do and it's my blog, dammit!

Currently Reading Maus : A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History/Here My Troubles Began/Boxed By ART SPIEGELMAN see related

You know you're wasting your life when...

You get to level 9 of this game in one sitting, while ostensibly "at work." I guarantee you, it is the most pointless computer game since Pong.

It makes playing Solitaire look like multitasking.

And then there's this. If you've ever played Halo on Xbox and are looking for a mindless Halo-inspired online flash game, then brother, your ship has come in.

And what a dorky ship it is!

Currently Playing Edith Piaf: Her Greatest Recordings 1935-1943 By Edith Piaf see related

Science = Awesome

Except when I try it, of course.

Check out this cool story about a guy who needed a new jaw, and the interesting way in which doctors got him one.

Still no cure for cancer, but with stories like this, I think we're getting close.

Currently Reading A History of Mistresses By Elizabeth Abbott see related

Just when I think they've hit bottom...

I am very much aware of the Toronto Maple Leafs' front office's all-encompassing thirst for profit, so typically, a story about them pinching every penny wouldn't warrant my batting an eyelash - much less a blog entry.

But this time, they've gone too far.

I read today, that the Leafs' in-house TV network, LEAFS TV, has gobbled up the rights to broadcast the World Cup of Hockey exhibition matches.

With anyone else, this wouldn't be a news item - the games don't mean anything, it's a hockey-only network, and they were looking for some filler material for the dog days of summer.

But this isn't just any other network. It's LEAFS TV, and the very fact that it's related to the Toronto Maple Leafs send off warning bells to me.

I don't like this. This is not just a one-off deal. It's phase one of a much bigger plan. This fits in to LEAFS TV's long-term plans to eventually own everything associated with the Toronto Maple Leafs - and hockey in general, if they can get away with it.

My views on Maple Leafs' management are well known. From my 1051am piece on their screw-job of the St. Mike's Majors in Maple Leaf Gardens, to them getting the city to pick up the tab to move the farm team to the Ricoh (and then P.R. spinning it to look like the Leafs were doing the city a favour), I don't trust these people.

But when you try to fuck with my Hockey Night in Canada, that's where I draw the line.

Last year, they announced their intentions to broadcast 20% of Leaf Games exclusively on LEAFS TV. That mean no watching at home, or in bars, or anywhere else unless you sign up for the inane sports banter that is LEAFS TV.

This is madness - they have to be stopped. Apparently, 38 straight years of failure yet having some of the highest ticket prices in the league is not enough for these people - they want more.

This may seem like a bit of an over-reaction. After all, it's just an exhibition game. But I'm telling you, I've seen it all before from these guys: they will buy up everything that isn't nailed down if we let them.

And I for one don't think that something as important to our country as Hockey Night in Canada should be up for grabs. It may sound crackpot right now but mark my words: My guess is, by the 2006 or 2007 season, we could be looking at Leaf games exclusively on LEAFS TV all season long.