Grey Cup Champs

This sort of says it all. Pictured is my buddy and Grey Cup travelling partner, Govind, soaking in the Riders' championship win on Sunday. Gov is the most dedicated and knowledgable fan I know and I am sure he shed a few tears in the aftermath of the game.

As for me, I enjoyed watching the game by internet (through my slingbox ...the most amazing gadget). Game time was 2am and finished just a few minutes before I headed off to work with a massive grin. It ended up being quite a unique experience that I will carry forever (just like I'll never forget watching the Riders' last win at Craig Verner's place in Yarbo, Saskatchewan). However, I decided that my rightful place on Grey Cup weekend is at the festivities with the rest of the "Grey Cup Guys" (the term for our troop popularized by a fellow Grey Cup Guy, Terry McEvoy, in his book 'Rider Pride on the American Side'). As such, I've already altered my 2008 schedule and have made sure that I will be home for next year's championship game. Jeff, my Grey Cup tentmate, has already booked the hotel in Montreal. I better get on with a flight. Can you book a year in advance?

On Roughriders

It's been long overdue, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders are headed back to the Grey Cup, aiming for the third championship in their storied history. The Riders will face their prairie rivals, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, on Sunday afternoon in Toronto. The Riders are heavy favourites going into the game as a result of Winnipeg's starting QB breaking his arm in their last game and being unable to play in the Grey Cup. This is either a gift from above or the cruelest, most ironic jinx ever put on a Riders (and there have been a few). We will have to wait until Sunday to find out.

As you can see from the countdown timer above, I am not slated back in Canada until December, long after the game has been decided. As such, I will be watching the game via the internet from my cabin in the middle of the night. This is a real change from the way I'm used to spending Grey Cup Sunday...sitting in the stands. I've attended the Grey Cup for the last 5 years, but decided against it this year, opting to spend Christmas at home instead (with a 5 week rotation, it is impossible to have both Grey Cup weekend and Christmas off in the same year - they are 'mutually exclusive' if I recall from Statisics 110).

As the Riders' momentum has been building over the last month, it has crossed my mind many times that there was a realistic shot that they would play for the Grey Cup and I would be stuck at work. The thought pained me immensely. Now that it is happening though, I am way too excited that the Riders are in the friggin' Grey Cup and am not even close to feeling sorry for myself. This is a great relief. The only regret that I have is that I am isolated from the excitement that is no doubt sweeping Rider Nation. I am following as close as possible by the internet, but I really wish I could feel it.

In any event, I will wake up at 1am Monday morning in Yemen and watch the game via my laptop in the middle of the desert. Hopefully, I will wake the neighbours in celebration.

Obscure Movie Recommendations

I think it must be quite well known to this blog's readership that I spend a lot of time on airplanes. Probably around 20 hrs per month. Thankfully, most of this is flown in business class. Aside from the fancy food and comfy seats, the biggest perk of sitting at the front of the plane is the on-demand entertainment system. On Air Canada, they usually show 15 movies. Usually 4 or 5 of these are new Hollywood movies and the rest fall under the categories of classics, oldies, little known Canadian movies, documentaries and low budget indie films. I usually find myself watching some of the more obscure movies as I don't think I would ever get the chance to see them otherwise. I'd like to share a couple of great mockumentary movies that I saw on a recent flight that I really enjoyed.

First up is an Australian movie called 'Kenny'. I quite enjoy Australian humour and this one is fantastic. It follows the daily story of Kenny, a portable toilet installer who takes great pride in his job. Classic potty humour with the sophistication of being a foreign film.

The second is a movie that Melissa saw recently and was raving about. It's called 'Radiant City' and is a Canadian movie (shot in Calgary) about the blandness of the typical North American suburban lifestyle. Although, Melissa and I never lived in the suburbs while we were in Calgary, I can really relate to some of the big city themes that are discussed in the movie. It is entertaining in quite an odd way. It was a bit of a tragic comedy for me as I am happy to not be living in that city anymore, but I fear that I will be back there in the rat race one day.

Lest we forget

They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

 

Below is a video montage I created from my pictures from Belgium one month ago. Being to the battlefields and cemetaries of Flanders has given me a much stonger appreciation of the sacrifices of war. Take a moment today to honour those who fought and continue to fight for the freedoms that we enjoy.

Istanbul (not Constantinople)

Finally getting around to posting some pictures from our quick 4 day trip to Istanbul, Turkey.

The reason for visiting Istanbul was to see the Blue Mosque. I've wanted to see it for a few years now and finally got the chance. In fact, we visited twice at different times in the day to get different lighting. I hope you enjoy the pictures.