ARCHIVED BLOG: AUGUST 2004

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08/24/04...5:04 pm

Today is a happy day for several reasons:

1) Nationals and Worlds are complete, so I do not have to fly to another Ultimate tournament for a long time, nor do I have to play in another tournament for almost a month.

2) I received my birthday present (albeit a tad late) from Ian today, a mini ipod!

3) I now have a gmail account (aliofish AT gmail DOT com)

4) Tomorrow I fly to NYC for a week to work (ie: get paid) and catch up with all things city-like

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08/17/04...11:52 pm

In stamp news, the US postal service is going to be producing Muppet Stamps for 2005. Why do I post these things?

Apparently the Canadian baseball team is doing very well at the Olympics. They have been dominating every game they play. Unfortunately I can't help but think the following: Who cares. As much as I am eager to support the Canadian Olympic dreams...do I have to support baseball? The All-American Pastime? In truth, I'd rather we excel at trampoline, or something that requires athletic ability. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers, at this point in the Canadian medal contention, I suppose.

Off to Vancouver for Canadian Nationals tomorrow am. I have no idea how well STORM is going to do. We could be brilliant. In truth I would just like us to place higher than we are seeded.

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08/16/04...11:57 pm

Sometimes I think the niche magazine concept has gone too far. I realise that there may be 20 million dogs in the New York area, but do we really need a New York Dog magazine? According to the Times, "following the lead of other magazines, The New York Dog will feature dog horoscopes and obituaries, dog dieting tips and pop psychology advice for dogs."

Sounds like a winner to me.

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08/15/04...12:43 pm

This most apt quote by Irving Stone describes my feelings exactly: "A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessities of life."

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08/14/04...4:22 pm

The Olympics are addictive, even though Canada keeps losing.

While Darjeeling--"The most romantic and interesting tea district in all India, Darjeeling lies wedged between Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan - three forbidden kingdoms"--remains my favourite tea, I have recently been enjoying Lady Grey. Alternately, in New York I prefer to drink Mighty Leaf (although they are beginning to serve it in Montreal too). Every flavour I have tried is delicious.

Some of the most intelligent people I know drink tea on a regular basis. I wonder if there is a correlation. I know that there have been studies indicating that those who drink tea are less stressed than those who drink coffee. And there are many reports tying tea to health.

And interesting quote from the the 12th century:

Tea has the blessings of all the deities,
promotes filial piety,
drives away the devil,
banishes drowsiness,
keeps the five viscera in harmony,
wards off disease,
strengthens friendships,
disciplines body and mind,
destroys the passions,
gives peaceful death.

I haven't seen evidence of this in Montreal, but in New York bubble tea is the big craze. I have to admit I am not really a fan. On the best of days, tapioca makes me want to gag.

But, hey, in the spirit of silly things you can waste your time doing on the Internet, want to find out what type of bubble tea you are?

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08/13/04...3:00 pm

In case you've ever dreamed of being a orthopedic surgeon (and who hasn't, really) conduct your own knee surgery here: www.edheads.org.

I don't know why everyone seems so keen on grammar and usage these days. Here is another article from mediabistro. Sounds like this guy is beating a dead horse. It is one thing to have a problem with the lack of language skills in today's youth. As much as I am a stickler for proper writing, there is just something in this author's tone that rubs me the wrong way.

So, I finished At Swim, Two Boys while I was on vacation, and then left it in the hotel for some poor sucker to read. On the way home, I bought a book at the Helsinki airport (junky trashy novel-type that I won't even admit to reading) and finished it on the flight to Frankfurt. Then, of course, I had to buy a new book at the Frankfurt aiport for my flight to Montreal. I decided to buy the paperback version of Namesake, and it was a good read (although I did not enjoy it as much as her short story collection). Once I finished that, Magnum lent me his WWII spy novel that I also read and finished. I guess I needed to quench my thirst for reading since I did not read at all during the week in Finland.

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08/11/04...12:49 pm

At long last I return to the land of blogging. I can't believe it has been almost a month, but then again, I have been in several different time zones since mid-July.

Well, Team Canada Mixed came in 2nd at the World Ultimate Championships in Finland. So, I have a very cheaply made silver medal that I do not presently know what to do with. In a brief summary, Canada and the USA were well represented in 5 out of 6 finals. In each division except women's, the final 1 vs 2 matchup was USA vs Canada. Canada prevailed 3 times (Junior Women, Women, Open) and lost three times (Masters, Junior Men, Mixed) for a grand total of 3 silver and 3 gold medals. The USA women failed to make it to the finals, so they took bronze, bringing the USA tally to 3 golds, 2 silvers and a bronze. Canada, therefore, wins the World Ultimate Championships!

What was blatently obvious at this WUGC was how much more advanced North America is when it comes to skill level, strategy and overall Ultimate development. Through pool play, no team scored more than 8 points on us (in games to 17) and most teams scored less than 3 points. Although some teams did have individual skilled athletes, few had the ability to adapt and adjust on offense and defense to compete. France, England and Japan all gave us some challenge, but even through semis there did not ever seem to be a point at which we were rattled enough to start feeling uncomfortable about the point spread.

Although I could go on at length critiquing the tournament organization, structure and implementation, I do have to say the volunteers, the town of Turku, and the fields (for the most part) were great.

Top 10 highlights:

• Over/Under Foul bet of 37.5 in the pool play USA/Canada Masters game. Final foul count? 54.
• Reading the Daily Scoober headline "Oh, Canada!" after all Canadian teams go undefeated on Day 1.
• The Maple Leaf Lounge
• Recruiting our own private bus for Day 2
• Buffet Breakfast/Lunch
• Leslie Calder in the women's finals
• Giving Dobber a run for his money at Blackjack/Gin on Day 2 bus ride
• Getting a layout D block in the endzone against Japan
• Kiersten & Carrie's layout scores in the finals
• Feeling the Canada Love.

I did not take too many pictures this trip, as I did not bring the real camera and somehow the digital just isn't the same. But, luckily my mom flew over for the elimination rounds, and took a bunch of pictures and video that I should be able to post shortly.

Here are a few:

Room 335, representing out on the pitch.

Thanks to DJ's brilliant planning, here's a shot of all of TEAM CANADA

Team Canada (wet from walking in the parade in a downpour) watching opening ceremonies.

The riverboat bars in Turku, 9 pm.

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