Blogger Buffet - Remembrance Day, Gainer the Gopher and Butt Coffee

I have a few little snippets today that wouldn't survive on their own as blog entries so I decided to have a little safety in numbers since I couldn't wait to talk about them. I hope you enjoy, and feel free to help yourself to some of this candy too (points at the big pile on the counter, as wrappers lay about his feet).

IKEA Refuses Legionnaire - Every year the friendly members of various branches of the Royal Canadian Legion set up in public places to sell poppies. Most people are very respectful and donate money for the poppies but one IKEA store in Montreal lost their minds briefly. When the local legion branch called about setting up by the front door an idiot with the company said "No, sorry but we don't have enough room in the store this year." Are you kidding me?! As you can imagine the public outcry was massive and quick with people across the country seeing red over the incident. IKEA, obviously seeing the potential disaster quickly did an about face and took the opportunity to point out their usual excellent track record for community support and were able to do a little damage control. My problem here is that I find society as a whole, for the most part has lost sight of what Remembrance Day is about and it sickens me. People think of it as a 'day off' and increasingly fail to understand what sacrifices were made, (and are being made again in Afghanistan) and even use the opportunity to protest. I am so thankful that we are able to protest things in this great country of ours but Remembrance Day isn't necessarily about why we fought. It is about remembering who fought (and died) and paying our respects to those brave souls and their families. Lest we Forget....

Another Reason Not To Drink Coffee - There is apparently a particular type of coffee known as Kopi Luwak, (English translation - 'Civet Coffee') that is the stuff of legend. Allegedly in China and Indonesia there is a feral cat called a Civet that eats the coffee plants and after digesting certain parts, it, ummm, 'expels' the beans. At this point the beans are collected and washed, then roasted at which point they can be brewed to produce a coffee that has been described as having a strong taste and an even stronger aroma...I think I've smelled that 'aroma' before but only after eating chili...yuck! How could you eat or drink something that already passed through another living thing? I'd rather eat mushrooms!...ok maybe not. I have my own explanation for the coffee;

Served Hot, Interesting Taste....

Gainer the Gopher, CFL Outlaw - So the poor little Calgary Stampeders don't want to let the big bad gopher in their stadium for this Sunday's CFL playoff game huh? What are they afraid of? I'll tell you what they are afraid of, tens of thousands of Rider fans being whipped into enough of a frenzy that McMahon Stadium becomes defacto home turf for the green and white. Don't be fooled. Rider pride is a big deal (though how anyone can be that devoted to a team that has lost so often is beyond me) and is indeed, nationwide. I have seen it first hand on my trips through Saskatchewan. For those of you unfamiliar with Canadian Geography Saskatchewan is the large void space/flat land that separates Alberta from Manitoba. Rider fans are crazy and devout! With Gainer in attendance they most certainly would rule the stadium of that I'm sure. Frankly I think it may be a moot point as it may happen anyway. In the whole scheme of things though it is a bit of a moot point since the winner just goes on to get slaughtered in the (B.C.) Lion's Den the following weekend. Here Gainer, Gainer, Gainer...

I-Pod Man Discovered on Google Earth - In case you missed it, a strange phenomenon occurred on Google Earth recently when an Alberta woman noticed the image of what looked to be a profile of a native wearing a feathered head-dress and earphones. It was a strange trick of lighting and naturally formed ridges, combined with a dirt road that led to a well head, that looked like earphones, but the effect was striking. Since then people on internet forums (let's call them 'geeks') have been debating it's validity and now another image has been spotted to the Northwest of 'I-Pod man'. This one purportedly showing a norseman wearing a hat that looks like a dog...Are you kidding me? Some people have waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on their hands. If you want to see something truly rare, how about an image of a politician working hard, or maybe an image of Paris Hilton doing something intelligent.

I leave you with an anecdote about a recent halloween party I was at. I saw a fat guy in a baby costume, he was pretending to have a tantrum and was annoying everyone. He made eye contact with me and so after a brief uncomfortable pause I said "Nice baby costume." to which he stopped and responded; "Baby? I'm not a baby, I'm Jack Layton." Good times.

Until next time remember, no Payne, no gain!