I've bent to peer pressure...

Wow. Don't post for four months and some people REALLY notice! I guess my inactivity has shunned my legion of faithful readers, save one. But really, I've been in a flux recently as to what I want my blog to really be about.

I mean, is it my online diary? If so, that's pretty lame.

Should it be a music blog? I mean, I've been discovering and listening to a lot of great artists, signed and unsigned acts that first hit the indie airwaves, then slowly move into the mainstream where I tend to distance myself from.

It could be a blog about funny things I find on the internet - headlines that make me laugh till I cry.
Exhibit A

American woman obsessed with rabbits sent back to jail after she's found in hotel with bunnies

Quite easily, this blog could centre around my life as a father of two gorgeous children, Aiden and Marissa, who both make Lisa and I laugh, cry, well-up with uncontrollable pride, frustrate, and basically thank god everyday for being blessed with such an amazing family. But then, do I limit myself? And really, I think Lisa's blog does a much better job at it than I could ever do.

My job takes up at least 37.5 hours of my life...I mean, week. Surely there are tales of whimsy that I could share? Possibly, but blogging about work has got to be somewhat of a gamble? I mean, say the wrong thing and *poof*, C.E.M (Career-Ending Move).

What this really does is it forces me to focus on a theme - to which I haven't come up with yet. So until I do, I leave you with this, and this, with a promise to return before four months!

The coolest birthday party/rock concert ever!

No, this isn't me being lazy - well, in a way, I guess it is.
Let me preface by saying I don't watch music videos like I used to anymore. Hell, even video channels rarely play music videos anymore, but I digress. There is this little band, you may have heard of them, called Coldplay. Lisa and I share a very fond memory of seeing them just before they hit it big internationally when we saw them at the Irving Plaza in New York City. That was magic. Since then, they are one of the most popular bands in the world.
I had fallen out of favour with the band, as I felt their last album was a bit too self-indulgent and grandiose. Their new disc, Viva La Vida Or Death and All His Friends, is a return to what they do best - upbeat, uplifting, joyous music. Here is a video for their latest single, Life in Technicolour. Now I am not into puppets/marionettes, but who is? Why don't people make videos like this anymore? Not only is it a great song, but the vid is first-rate. Nice to see they don't take themselves so seriously. It also gives me a great idea for the kid's next birthday!
Enjoy

All is well. Nothing to report. Instead, enjoy this little clip.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Hockey, and the memory of a lifetime

I volunteer - a lot. It drives my wife mad sometimes, wondering why I give so much of my time (for free) to organizations (who don't pay), when I could be spending all of that extra time at home. One of things I am donating my time for is the IIHF World Junior Hockey Tournament, happening right here in my home town of Ottawa. It's, as I described to my lovely wife, a chance of a lifetime. I'll be working (for free) on the media communications team, a great opportunity to enhance my skills, build my network of contacts, and be part of a holiday tradition that starts on Dec. 26 every year. Ask most, if not all, hockey enthusiasts in Canada, and they all have fond memories of the World Juniors.

The kids on the ice, afterall, are the stars of tomorrow.

And so, that is my long segue into last night. As an incentive for being a volunteer, you receive certain freebies. On this occasion, it was two tickets to the Team Canada intrasquad game, played at Scotiabank Place. My son, Aiden, who is five, is really beginning to appreciate the game of hockey, and so I saw this as my opportunity to spend some real quality time with him, and to see some of the best teenagers in the country hammer it out for a chance to represent their country on an international stage.

We started off like most boys do - go to Marshy's Restaurant for a beer (and chocolate milk) and some pub grub before the game. Then, it was off to our seats.

Since it was Team Red vs. Team White, it was unclear who the 'good guys' and 'bad guys' were, so Aiden came up with a brilliant plan - whoever scores first, that's who we'll cheer for. And so it was Team White for the rest of the game, and god love 'em, they won both the game and the shootout.

But all of that is not what's really important.

The look on his face when the players took to the ice, the unabashed dancing in the aisle when the music blared during the stoppage of play (dance like no one is watching, right?), the unsolicited hugs and 'I love you's' throughout the evening. As I switched between looking at my little boy and the game, I realized how special this moment in time was. I had become my father, watching me take my first steps, skiing on my own for the first time, staying up late watching the Habs on CBC - all of those precious moments that form the bond between father and son.

Of course, I felt compelled to take Aiden to the Sens store after the game, and so it was there that I became fully aware that his favourite player is Dany Heatley, and that Aiden wants to be a goalie. Hey, you can't have enough famous Plante goalies!

And as we drove home on a very cold December night, with the full moon closer to Earth than at any other time, a tired, sleeping boy dozing in the back seat, and me replaying the evening in my head, I know that Aiden will come away remembering the sights and sounds of the rink, and that I was right there with him. I will come away with the memory that I was right there, with him.