I’m going to be in Ottawa all next week, from the late morning on Monday, April 16th through to the early evening of Friday, April 20th. I’m there to touch base with the folks at Shopify HQ, and if you’d like to catch up, drop me a line!
In response to former child star Kirk Cameron’s (he played Mike Seaver on the eighties sitcom Growing Pains) recent statement on Piers Morgan Tonight that “homosexuality is unnatural, detrimental and ultimately destructive to foundations of civilization”, other former child stars from the same era have banded together to form Child Celebrities Opposing Kirk Cameron, or CCOKC (pronounced “cock”, natch) for short. It probably won’t convince Kirk that he’s dead wrong, but at the very least, it does a high-larious job of explaining why that’s the case. In light of the creepy social conservative backlash that’s happening everywhere as part of the Republican bid to win the presidency this November, we need more messages like this. Watch, enjoy and share with your friends!
The videos a bit racy and some of the audio might not be suitable for your workplace. I’d suggest you switch jobs, or failing that, don’t watch it at work.
If you’ve got $3,100 burning a hole in your pocket and love the old Super NES game console, you might want to get your paws on this: a coffee table that’s not only done up like a wooden Super NES controller, but also functions as one.
Here’s a high-larious but not-safe-for-work public service message for all boys, no matter what their sexual orientation: It Gets Bigger.
At Gabe Mansour’s farewell party on Tuesday night, Sacha Chua reminded me that the cherry blossoms were blooming in High Park this week, a little bit ahead of schedule. Since Anitra was in town, I took her for a walk through the park late yesterday afternoon, and while we were at it, we snapped these pics.
If you get the chance, head down to the park and check them out! Be warned: cherry blossoms come and go really quickly. They’re expected to fall to the ground by next week. If you want to see them in bloom while they’re still on the trees, see them as soon as possible.
The park was filled with many Japanese visitors. In Japanese culture, cherry blossoms — sakura — figure very prominently. The big clumps in which they bloom are said to resemble clouds, which in turn symbolize to the Japanese mind the transitory, non-permanent, ever-changing nature of life.
They also symbolize impermanence — one of the themes in Buddhism — in the way in which they come and go: all at once, and but for a brief, beautiful moment, after which they disappear. They often appear in Japanese art, from paintings to manga to anime to tattoos.
The photo above is my attempt at an “art” shot: looking at the park from under a cherry three, through its blossoms.
We found this little fella perched on a low branch on a nearby tree and couldn’t resist getting a shot.
The path leading south of the Grenadier restaurant is lined with cherry trees, and the blossoms form a sort of canopy over it. It’s gorgeous and worth the walk.
I always take one pick of Anitra walking ahead of me and looking back to see if I’m there.
Here’s the obligatory arm’s-length self-portrait:
The trees line the path all the way down to Grenadier Pond:
If you get a chance today or tomorrow — and possibly this weekend, should they last so long — head down to High Park and take in the cherry blossoms!
Nyan Waits takes the Nyan Cat concept and switches out the cat and music for Tom Waits. It’s oddly soothing.