Labour Day Sep 4th 2017

Reading the Washington Post, I often receive more insight reading through the comments then the actual article. This morning young man set a new record for "speed-hiking" Appalachian Trails in 45 days. Roughly 2100 miles from Georgia to Maine normal setting takes 4-5 months. Although there were accolades for his achievement, many were somewhat critical that the Appalachian Trail had been turned into a race course.

In Case you're in the wrong venue by mistake, we are MOTORHEAD.

Why death? "I don't want to live for ever,.. but apparently i am" a lyric in the "ace of spades" that Lemmy added a slight twist to in the back half of Motorhead's 40 year life span.
Up to two years ago it was quite conceivable that Lemmy might just live forever. His life was taken at the age of 70 last month. David Bowie has past just this past week. Lou Reed is gone as well as Frank Zappa. Iggy Pop is still vertical.
I began following Motorhead in 1981. Saw my first Motorhead concert on May 12th 1982 in Toronto.
Lost track but I believe I saw them live a total of 10-12 times.
I only wish I had actually met him, shook his hand. Extraordinary person, well read, and always had a fascinating perspective on different aspects of life & politics. Many of my favourite tracks are seldom  mentioned like Broken, Desperado, Keep Your Powder Dry, Keep Us on the Road, Dance.
Laugh. Watching the documentary on Lemmy, I found it hilarious that they had to put sub-titles in when Lemmy spoke for the non-familiar Motorhead fan to understand.
Niles, Michigan. Have you been there? I have. That's where Hawkwind left Lemmy behind.
Larry Wallis, Brian Robertson, Pete Gils, Wurzel, along with Phil Taylor, Phil Campbell, Eddie Clarke, and Mikkey Dee all had the privilege of belonging to Motorhead.
You didn't have to be a photo-type metal head to like Motorhead. There were businessmen, and all sorts of surprising life sorts that listen to Motorhead. The day Lemmy died, I was walking through Georgian Mall in Barrie, Ontario and notice fathers with respected haircuts wearing with pride their moorhead t-shirts. Inside the retailer "Spencers Gifts" the house music was,... yes Motorhead.
Thank you Lemmy.

In the Heart of the Sea [review] Ron Howard does it again.

100 foot long Moby Dick aka "The White Whale"

"Hast you seen the white whale?", bellows Captain Ahab from Herman Melville's "Moby Dick".
I re-read Moby Dick six months ago in preparation of Ron Howard's "In the Heart of the Sea".
Cleverly, a movie about Herman Melville obtaining the story from the last survivor of the Essex Whaling Ship, that inspired Melville to write Moby Dick. If you are a Herman Melville fan, if you read Moby Dick, if you saw the original movie with Gregory Peck, if your grade 12 English Teacher coerced you into writing a 10,000 word essay on Moby Dick, go, and see "In the Heart of the Sea".

Ron Howard, you're great. Love your work. You have done it again with this movie, but the title?
It sounds like Joseph Conrad's "In the Heart of Darkness" ? Why not just the "Essex" or "The White Whale" or "Melville's Dick". Ok, maybe not the last suggestion.

In the Heart of Sea is a 3D format, and once your local cinema photographer puts the correct version of the movie in the reel, the imagery is wonderful. Thanks to an individual who picked up on this several minutes before the rest of us and knocked on the door of the cinema photographer and said, "hey buddy, you got the wrong friggin format going and i'm pretty sure Ron wouldn't be too friggin happy". This isn't a direct quote but this what i believe the guy said. My wife turned to me about 45 seconds into the movie and said, "i don't think my 3D glasses are working".

There is several appropriate moments where symbolism takes place. When Moby Dick's eye makes visual contact with the First Mate. In Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" the tale is of conflict amongst Captain Ahab, Ismail, and the mighty White Whale. In the Heart of the Sea, the struggles are more between the Captain and the First Mate with the White Whale entering as an equalizer ore prevailing with truth.

"Hast you seen the White Whale?" Go see the movie.

NHL in 2030 how things will look.

Fifteen years from now imagine how the NHL might appear.
Advertising on team uniforms. The NHL Summer League that overlaps the Stanley Cup finals in June. Perhaps a All Canadian Professional Women's league known as the WNHL with six teams across the country, Quebec City, Kingston, Hamilton, Markham, Regina, and Calgary.

However, the most incredible change that fans in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) have been waiting for is a second NHL franchise. Babcock will have reached the quarter finals as the Leafs Coach in 2021. Timing, density, infringement rights will have been addressed and like other major league sports Cities : Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto will have a second NHL club. Like Paul Brown was to the Cleveland Browns, this new Toronto NHL Club will be named after an iconic Toronto business man. They could be playing from a 45,000 seat arena in Downsview. Alternatively since the Argos are now defunct, this new Toronto NHL franchise adopts the double blue as their colours and is nicknamed the "Argonauts". The runner up name for the franchise is the Toronto "Finncups". The Maple Leaf Organization is not effected at all. Consultants had originally predicted a 10to 15 % roll back in lost revenue in years one and two but quickly bouncing back stronger. Fans in Hamilton are simply demoralized.  It could happen.

11 Social Media fishing lines that crack us up

the following are fictitious, but are based from fishing lines we have read on different social media, that pleasantly keep us entertained.

1. ..that was close,..at least i got the bleeding to stop
2. doctor says i have to come back every six hours until the swelling is manageable
3. i sprayed his underwear with Lysol i was so MAD
4. my mechanic says that rattle is normal, what the fudge?
5. that bastard! he didn't water my plants once.
6. someone changed the locks on my house ; not funny.
7. the lady at the shoe store said to go a size smaller
8. my back is getting sore from being on the couch ; any ideas what i can do today? serious responses only 
9. are Cat ate the dog food now its shittin in the sink
10. thinkin bout taking up a hobby ; any suggestions? (don't say breast feeding)
11. mom forgot the blender was plugged in ; what a mess ; now i have to take the day off work.

the art of retailing

I'm in the shopping centre business and am very intrigue with the art of retailing. what i mean about this specifically is the leading edge tools that relevant retailers use to help sell their products. i work with thousand of retailers from national chains to moms and pops. too many people get into retailer and shouldn't. Retailing is selling. Probably the number one criteria after a solid product is a selling staff that is gregarious, honest, knowledgeable and sincerely takes an interest in you the customer.
Yesterday to my disbelief i walked through the entrance doors of Canadian Tire in Barrie and an automated voice welcomed me to Canadian Tire. I stopped in my tracks and my wife stopped as well and asked if i was ok. i told her, no i wasn't. i had a tear in my eye and was a little choked up my the heartfelt message.
the next immediate thought was somewhere along the line a person or persons or quite possibly an executive team sat around a marketing table and determine they could make a difference by having a computed voice welcoming you to Canadian Tire as you crossed the threshold.

LEAF Nation, WAIT! We could win!

Phaneuf needs 130  penalty minutes to catapult from 11th overall to first to pass Steve Downie of the Penquins as Overall Penalty Minute Leader. Steve Downie is in first place with 236 minutes while Phaneuf is in 11th with 106 minutes.

Dion Phaneuf with 3 games remaining, averaging 27 minutes playing time per game,  or 30 shifts a game would need to pull off a miracle. CAN IT BE DONE? Let's examine.

Assuming Phaneuf draws a fighting major at the drop of the puck tonight against the Sens & spears the ref on his way to the penalty box, now he needs just 121 minutes to surpass Steve Downie. For argument sake we're assuming Steve Downie plays good samaritan  hockey for the balance of the season. It could happen. 
Mathematically Phaneuf would need to draw double majors misconducts without getting himself thrown out of any games. If he is tossed from a game ; first place is virtually impossible.  If Phaneuf could volunteer serve team mates penalty minutes this would help. I see a sequel to "A Miracle on Ice" in the works. Who should play Dion Phaneuf in the movie ? Jim Parsons or Johnny Galecki ? Phaneuf vs Downie the race is on for King of the penalty Minutes.

3 Man Relay @ ATB told by Sting Like a B-Fly

[not their real names for reasons we just cannot disclose]
Left to Right. Leaping Lou, Kentucky Karla, and Oldman Spaceboy made up the Team "Sting Like a B-Fly". Our total age is 104, our total weight is 465 lbs, but enough stats.
Its the Around the Bay [3man Relay], in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
You might assume each team participant runs an equal distance, but that's where you're wrong. Leaping Lou ran 10.4 km while Kentucky Karla ran 10.5 km and Oldman Spaceboy got the short distance.
If you have competed as an individual in triathlons or running races do yourself a huge favour and enter as a relay. It is  a BLAST.
The bus camaraderie is worth the entry fee alone. Things like a our bus driver saying, "i'm the first bus to leave because  i need to get home" or "Sir can you sit down, i'm trying to back this bus up".
Kentucky Karla was beside herself when she entered the First Ontario Coliseum (formerly Copps Coliseum), pushing people out her way as she repeated, "out of my way i need to get to section 113". Our Team pulled off a beautiful 27th finish from a field of 521 teams in just under 2 hours and 35 minutes. Leaping Lou had this to say at the end of the day, "we'll be back".
Great job to all the bus drivers, volunteers, water stations, the ATB organization, Police, fans, a spectacular event and over the top FUN day.! Lastly, Sting Like a B-Fly would like to thank our Team Coach Sally Safety Boots.

Dear Gary Bettman, My Million dollar idea.

Dear Gary,
"Tanking" has become a NHL buzz word. There is as much attention taking place for the race to the bottom as the top. In some twisted way, it's exciting. It so "Canadian" rewarding poor performance with a prize.
I was at the Arizona Coyotes / Buffalo Sabre game on Thursday night when this novel idea jumped into my head.  As I watched the Coyotes & Sabres dig, battle & claw like there lives depended on it, this idea evolved. McGinn #20 for the Coyotes was giving it 200% . It was, reassuring.
Gary, here's my idea.
Simultaneously, as the NHL playoffs are in full swing, there is another play down occurring. Take your bottom 4 or as many as bottom 8 teams in the standings. Play a round robin and the winner earns the number draft pick overall. This resolves to some degree the "tanking" epidemic.  More importantly, incremental revenue by playing additional games. Quite possibly assisting weaker NHL franchises where revenue isn't "Maple Leaf like".  It would increase fan involvement. To be true & effective the mini play-down should be kept short in length not to take away from the regular NHL playoffs.

This idea has merit. Thanks Gary for listening. Jamie

The Oscars - the first forty-five minutes in case you missed it.

I'm pretty sure I've seen Lady GaGa's dress before. It might have been on the original Star Trek TV episode where Kirk & Spock are beamed onto an alien planet. Or perhaps that is where the designer got the inspiration from.
Doogie Howser was entertaining and who knew he could sing?
Michael Strahan was exceptional good last night. He might have saved the night. He was that good.
What was with the pre-Oscar red carpet interviewers. You know that one in particular. Trying extra hard to be enthusiastic and putting her arm around her subject when it was clearly not welcomed. Or, was this scripted. Clever.
There appeared to be a four second awkwardness when Doogie made a remark about Clint Eastwood in his opening dialogue and when the camera swung to capture the moment Clint looked, unimpressed, like he may kill Doogie's career anyway possible, or he might have been caught on camera just day dreaming.

Interstellar [review]

The end of civilization ? Time & Gravity. Gargantua, the name given to the "back hole" that is uncovered enabling space travel to enter into another galaxy whereby the quest for a planet similar to earth can be found. 
Interstellar is 3 hours long, but for me fascinating. It's today's "2001 Space Odyssey". Matthew McConnaughy is Emmy good. Had the Producers used Motorhead on the soundtrack the picture would have been classic for millenniums to come. 
Cooper & Mirth (Cooper's daughter) farmers with brilliant minds uncover NASA's "Area 51" .  After learning the earth is doomed ; Cooper is now  selected to pilot a voyage not far from planet Saturn, a small gate into another galaxy to uncover 12 possible life containing planets known as "plan A". What is Plan "B" ? Go buy a ticket and find out. 
Cooper is brought up to speed by NASA that earlier exploration was sent to these 12 mystery planets. Cooper, robot, and crew will eventually land on two of them. One of the planet's has equivalence of aging them 7 years for every hour spent on the planet. Struggle & conflict occurs and it begins to look like they will never return home to mother earth. 
If you enjoy science, and the concepts of relativity plus time, you will love this movie. Better yet if you get your kicks out of watching the expressions on the easily confused, bring them to Interstellar with you.

Guys, remove your Hats when you eat.

Its not that hard. We don't care if you're bald. Good social upbringing, etiquette, respect. If you're at home, in your own house, eating by yourself, knock yourself out and eat with your cap on. However, in a restaurant, show some courtesy. At dinner Saturday evening, the table of four next to us, two of three men were wearing ball caps. For some reason, this particular act and lack of respect just sets me  off. Fortunately they didn't order dessert, paid their bill and left and I could enjoy my meal with my wife. The removing of a hat is a sign of respect. Removing your hat for the national anthem or in church, a funeral and while eating a meal especially inside should be common sense. Besides the attribute of respect, traditionally the cap or hat was worn by men to keep sun & debris from landing on their heads. Most caps would become dirty over time, hence another important purpose to remove during meal time. Removing your dirty cap is the same as washing your dirty hands before eating.
Other common sense etiquette I quite often witness :

1. men using profanity in company of women
2. talking with your mouth full
3. smacking your food while you eat
4. construction workers with debris on their boots walking across an administration carpet
5. the person who interrupts someone else in mid sentence
6. but mostly guys who don't remove their caps from their heads.

The Art of Kayaking

 My recent expedition down the Madawaska River.

Ottawa Marathon

44,000 races participate in the "Ottawa Race Weekend". 7,000 for the Marathon, 12,000 for Hal Marathon, 11,000 for 10 km and the balance in the 5km, 2km & Kids Marathon (1.2km).

Today I finished a very respectable 42 out of 456 men in my age bracket (50-55) with a time of 3 hrs 21 mins. Officially 657th overall. Quite satisfied. Stuck to my strategy and went out safe and easy tempo. Was feeling really good until about 38km and the quads began to burn. Next race Detroit Marathon.

life & purpose (something to think about this morning before your second cup of coffee)

life & purpose. pretty profound material to digest on a thursday morning, am i right? have you come across anyone in the last year who  truly has a five year plan. i mean pick any number three, four, seventeen, doesn't matter. but a genuine plan. and i'm not necessarily talking business plan but a personal plan. more than likely your answer is a four letter word that starts with "Z" (zero).
Zero to Hero.
lets start with personal plan. this could be in part a bucket list. usually bucket list is the end product or the stated goal. i want to visit Roskidle Denmark before i'm 61 years old. your personal plan then becomes the steps and procedures between now & then to master & accomplish your goal. by way of example i know i will need $10,000 for my trip so in the next four months my sub goal is to save $1,000 and i'm going to do that by selling off everything that my kids have left in my house. [just kidding guys].
other examples could be i want to have my welding ticket in three years or i want to learn to speak fluent spanish in 36 months. a plan best if it is written down. how i'm going to accomplish my goal, and finally execution.
Jamie you're boring us with the speech. i know.
life & purpose. how many of us, have personal goals written done? less than .01%
now let's turn from personal to business. i'm in the shopping centre business. i meet with retailer owners everyday all over Canada. part of my job is to renew leases with existing businesses.
don't ask me why i'm shocked, but i am. when i sit down with small business folks to discuss a renewal i eventually get around to asking them , "where do you see yourself in 5 ,7, 10 years"?
nine out of ten times there is a long pause. i swear to god, by the blank stares on their faces, it is the very first time they have even contemplated the question. many answer, "i don't know". some answer, "doing this ; i guess".
i remember a CEO by the name of Bruce Duncan who spoke passionately about accomplishments. he said something along the lines of, "if your purpose is to wake up, eat breakfast go to work, enjoy your existing hobbies, go to bed (repeat) - then that is absolutely fine. you're permitted to live your life this way".
i suppose 80% of the population which i will call the mainstream lives like this.
i'm a strong advocate of if you really want something in life. perseverance, a good plan, will get you there. start by turning off the TV. TV is a huge time sucking drug. i'm not suggesting to stop watching tv all together, but cut back in half the time you sit in front your bluray. add up the number of hours you watch tv daily, weekly and then convert that to a yearly number.
start with something simple. a smaller goal with a relatively short time span. write it down & post it on your fridge so you see it daily. be true. make it happen.
life & purpose.

MEC Barrie Half May 10 2014

I had forgotten how undulating Memorial & Line 15 were. Truth, I hadn't forgotten, I just didn't know. MEC has a series of races for an incredible price of $15. Purely grass roots with times being all recorded manually. Small & tucked away place, just south of Orillia but north of Carthew Bay is where this roadway exists.
My finish time was 1 hr 38 minutes, not great but considering the hills, I'll take it.
Just when you think all the training you're doing is going to enable you to set a new PB, boom, the running gods bring you back.
KMF, keep moving forward next on my list Ottawa Marathon.

Lady Lada ; test drive one today.

It happens. Don't kid yourself. You wake up, brew some Folgers and decide to test drive a Lada. On your way to your local Lada dealership, you might be whistling "Making Plans for Nigel". It was during my adolescent days of owning my fathers 1977 Blue Chev Malibu that I first came across a modified pimped up Lada. It was beyond smart looking. Spoilers, fat wheels, shiny rims. The Russian Lada. Cool.
Often at Airports I'll request a Lada from the Budget Rental Lady. As I patiently wait for her response like a giddy school kid, i anticipate she will say, Sir, you're in luck we have two left. Would you like a blue or orange Lada today ?".

Test drive a LADA

ATB 2014

gun about to go off

2 hrs 32 min coming in under race clock

Am I worried? Hell No! Having run five times since the Hamilton Marathon in November 13 ; i'm over the moon, with my result today. In fact, pretty pumped. The 500 plus km Nordic Skiing this past season was a bonus. Now its time to get serious about Marathon running. Ottawa, Detroit & Hamilton here I come.
Just outside the lift bridge I ran into my good friend Keith Lascelle. Keith and I ran a couple of Ultras together. 63Km at Ghost Town , New Mexico was a treat. Yesterday, Keith and I ran probably 5 km together and it always astounds me how fast time goes when you're just chatting. Keith thank you. I saw quite a few Barrie runners today including Terry McFarlene, Frank Astri, Oliver Owens, and Allan Johnson. I also met some interesting Hamilton people after the race including a lady who ask my wife "is that your husband?"
Hobbling around James Street, post race with my Princess and Starbucks, a 12 year old kid on a BMX comes to a squeeling halt, blurts out, "hey mister what place did you come in?" without hestiating i said "second".
Kid "WOW!" and he peals off on his BMX. 1164th just didn't have the same pizazz.

I Love Peterborough Racing

 My Wife and Daughter are planning their time in Peterborough while I'm running the race. Tasha, "Dad will you be done in an hour & a half?" Me, "HELL NO!"
Last time I ran was the Hamilton Marathon first week in November. 
I started running the Peterborough Half in 2004, when the race home base was the old YMCA building. Today, the new YMCA facility makes this winter run a treat & pleasant experience. Not suggesting for a minute that I compete in races whereby we physically change our undergarments in frozen snow banks.
 This year I ran slower than in the past, mainly because I ran slower that I have in the past. It wasn't my age. It wasn't the wind in my face. It wasn't my socks. It wasn't that I overdressed. It wasn't because 9 out the 10 aid stations refused to give me a drink. I was slower than prior races. I've done this particular course in 1 hr 32 mins which for me is good. Today's time was 1 hr 41 mins.
What can be learned from this? In order to get better you need to practice.
Overheard in the locker room prior to the race. First Man not from Peterborough area doing the race for the first time, "Is this course hilly?" Second Man from Peterborough, "Well, ,.. yes,  i would say its hilly, (pauses) and reflects and then decides to be a little more forthright. Yes it is hilly especially kilometer #5.
I'm thinking to myself, buddy are you in for a surprise.

Gillette made the Mach 3 ; Under Armour has the Mach 39

I'm a strong proponent for science, engineering & making the world a safer place to eat peanut butter. I love my Lazer Aerodynamic Time Trial Race Helmet. In the words of Frank Zappa "in order to make progress, you sometimes have to deviate from the norm".
On January 1st,  in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, Under Armour released the "Mach 39" to the U.S. Speed Skating Team. Already heavily favoured to gather a bouquet of medals this lightening fast, aerodynamic "Mach 39" racing suit would ensure pure success. On Feb 16th the U.S. has achieved "nyet".
The venting in the upper back portion of the Mach 39 suits was to release body heat. The venting was taking in air,  thus acting like the Goodyear Blimp. Imagine the Athletes. Imagine the Stakeholders back in the boardroom.
A multitude of strings are at play here. You're Shani Davis, you have been training your callouses off for the last four years and you want one of those honking magnificent Sochi Gold medals. You'll skate naked if it means getting gold with 5 days to go. Meanwhile back in the U.A. Boardroom its damage control. Friday at close,  Under Armour stock fell - 2.38% to $ 106.10 /share. Today it will be interesting to watch what happens to the price.
I truly feel for Under Armour and Shani Davis and the U.S. Speed skating team. Trying to get an skate edge but somehow not quite pulling off the American Dream.Not unlike our beloved Canadian Cross Country Skiers with their "wax experiments?".  You gotta love Science.