Pool Shots and Maru the ultimate cat from Japan

The "pool" doesn't refer to swimming pools although you might be inclined to think so during this hottest stretch ever in Vancouver (we Vancouverites are weak when it comes to weather). No the pool I am talking about is shooting stick sort of pool.

Whenever I come across the World Cup Trick Shots competition or the Trick Shot tournaments I cannot resist and I have to sit and watch. It is sad to think I can recognize any of these amazing pool artists ("There goes Mike Massey!") but I dare you not to be at least impressed by what these guys can do. Anyways there are a ton of YouTube clips out there but click on the links to see a trio of ones by a German player, Ralph Eckert who has the best accent:

1) Crazy Eight Ball finish shot

2) Sinking fifteen balls with five shots
3) Trickshot montage from 2006. Pros: See Canadian Nick Nikolaidis win it all. Cons: The clip is long and you have to listen to Creed the entire time.

#1 is my favourite. Quite the impressive shot.

To continue with some more random clips, you have to check out these clips of Maru, a cat that lives in Japan. If the box-jumping clip or sliding into boxes doesn't get you laughing then you have a cold cold heart. I want to fly to Japan and kidnap Maru for myself.

1) Maru, Box jumper!
2) Maru, Paper bag head!
3) Maru, Box slider!

How many more exclamation marks can I write?! Thanks to Entertainment Weekly for the Maru find.

Ciao and meow.

Bonus! I hate really cute clips but this begging kitten (wait for the 18 sec mark) needs to be shown.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Random Thoughts

I thought the movie was well-done, even though it may have dragged at places. As well, the tone of the movie is grim and I found it almost weighed on me after awhile. I think it is interesting to note that you really do feel connected with all the actors/actresses because they have been doing these movies for so long. I have always respected how the writers have tried to put the best possible story up on the screen, but this was one time that the story felt incomplete in comparison to the book. The ending didn't feel right and the story felt incomplete and rushed. The entire title of the movie, an important plot in the book, is glossed over in this movie, which makes me wonder, if they should have just given this installment a different name. Harry Potter and the Empire Strikes Back? Finally, I am not sure how the last book (broken up into two movies) will translate on the big screen. The last book is not very strong, since most of the time it feels like the characters are on big camping trip. I am intrigued to see how the last book will be made into two films.

Some random observations/musings:

- When was the last time Helena Bonham Carter looked "normal" in a movie? Howard's End? When hanging out with Tim Burton on the weekends are they dressed in all black attire? I also find that I feel uneasy when she is on the screen. Fight Club included.
- I think I mentioned this before, but if I was Hermoine, I would have dumped Harry and Ron ages ago. Those two are pretty useless if you think about it. Harry lucks into one thing after another. In this movie, Harry is competent because of an illegal textbook. Ron just stands around. Hermoine does everything. She deserves more accolades. If they were a rock band, they would have broken up long ago due to egos and petty arguments.
- I used to think Quidditch was interesting on paper. Now it is seems like kind of a bore. Plus, not to be sexist or anything, but men shouldn't ride brooms. Witches ride brooms. Men wizards walk, hobble around with a cane, or ride a fast horse. Also, how come Harry Potter movies never have a cat riding shotgun on the back of a broom?
- If the movie had an "R" rating, what would that mean Harry's Felix Felicis (also called "liquid luck," is a potion that grants whoever drinks it unusually good luck source: Wikipedia), would do? Harry gets "lucky" with women? Wins a ton of money in a cash game of poker against Malfoy and some random kids in Ravenclaw? And if such a potion did exist, wouldn't you as a wizard be taking small quantities with your cereal in the morning everyday?
- Why wouldn't more students drop out of Hogwart's after seeing the success of Ron's brothers (the twins) magic shop? Couldn't you make tons of items to sell to humans as well? It is a no-brainer to get the rock out of Hogwart's and make some good coin selling magical products instead of having to hang out in a dank dungeon while be berated by Snape's sarcastic putdowns. Come to think of it, I would band together with some other nerdy wizards and create a better operating system than Windows. Oh the irony! A bunch of high school drop out wizards trumping Bill Gates the high school human drop out. One more point against the Muggles.
- Do you think the Sorting Hat ever gets down on itself? After all it is a sentinent being, can read people's minds, can sense people's personalities, but even with all these wonderful traits, at the end of the day, it is still a hat.

In closing, I leave you with my favourite Harry Potter clip, the Harry Potter Puppet pals. Ciao.

My favourite current summer album: Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus

I find that it is very difficult for me to come around on a band after trying out their first records. I think it is human nature that it is hard to overcome our first impressions and our preconceived notions.

The extreme example I can think of? Radiohead. When they came out with their first album "Pablo Honey" they had one significant single "Creep" that was played way too much on the radio. I got annoyed by the song and I thought they were a typical 90s guitar band that was trying to swim along with the grunge movement. I was not that big of a fan, which prevented me from giving their next album "The Bends" a proper listening to when it first came out. I was a full year late to realize that the album was tremendous. I also blame my lingering negative first impression for costing me to see Radiohead live at the Rage (which that club by the Plaza of Nations for you young uns... the club has changed its name at least 10 times in the last decade). "The Bends" is one of my all-time favs and then to see how the band continued to evolve and progress leading to their magnum opus "OK Computer" is a reminder how people/bands/restaurants/authors can improve over time.

Wilco, until their last two albums (which aren't that bad) were very similar. I finally felt with "Yankee Foxtrot Hotel" that they were a completely different band.

Which brings me to Phoenix. My friends (Kavie? Little Buddy?) introduced me to their first album awhile back. It was good but wasn't burning up my ears. With such little time these days, an album better be worth my time and worth repeat listens. Again, they were not a bad band at all.

But their newest album, "Wolfgang Amadeus"... this is an album I did not expect from this French group. The leap that they have made as a band makes me happy. Radiohead happy.

I hope you give them a listen to. Their single "1901"... I dare you not to tap your feet while you listen. One of many excellent tracks on a standout album. Isn't that what summer is all about? Listening to great songs.

Enjoy.

This Roy Halladay thing? I have seen it before. From Pedro to Twilight to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

My favourite baseball player for the last while has been Roy Halladay, pitcher of the Toronto Blue Jays. He is old school gunslinger, never completely overpowering people with heat, yet he can fool hitters in so many ways. He has an excellent nickname (Doc) and he just exudes cool on the mound. He is tough and you hardly get the sense that he gets easily rattled.

Now Doc is on the trading block and it is a shame that we probably won't get to see him enjoy a playoff run with the Blue Jays, one that he has been with for his entire career.

And if he does get traded, some other block of fans will get to enjoy his brilliant pitching and their eyes will be opened to the fact of how good he is. Of course, with him playing in Canada he doesn't always get the media attention that he should. To see him get the nod to start for the baseball All-Star game is pretty neat.

But this entire scenario reminds me of my other favourite pitcher from way back. Pedro Martinez. He played in obscurity for the Montreal Expos. I knew he was awesome, but the rest of North America was not completely aware of how great he was. I still remember seeing him pitch one inning during the All Star game when he was with the Expos and the announcers barely gave him a mention after he shut everyone down for the inning.

When he got signed by the Boston Red Sox and he went on through a dominating stretch and everyone started waxing poetic about him, I thought that it was no big surprise. He was that awesome with the Expos and he just continued to improve and dominate.

Now Halladay is older than when Pedro moved on, but I will be jealous to see whatever team that he moves on to and think of the fans that will enjoy at least a great three year stretch from the Doc.

(As you can see I am obsessed with good pitchers. There is just something weird about a person able to control a ball in such an unnatural and violent manner. Someone like Doc and Pedro who have at least four different pitches are amazing to watch. Someone cerebral and completely in control like Greg Maddux interests me as well. Currently the pitchers that you have to see? Felix "The King" Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners, Zach Grienke of the Kansas City Royals, and the stellar Tim Linecum of the San Fran Giants (who happens to be the starter opposite of Halladay for the All-Star game. Pitchers are my favourite positional player by far.**An aside: my wife is currently watching "Twilight" a silly movie that is submarined by the terrible vampire baseball scene... the girl pitching in slow motion can't really throw a ball and I don't care if you are superstar vampires, you can't play baseball with essentially only three people in the outfield playing defense. Actually just a totally superfluous scene. But that is just but one of many in Twilight. I hope that this little jab at Twilight incites the rage of all those Twilighters out there thus bringing me national exposure and media. Go see a better fantasy movie, a series that did it right from the beginning... Harry Potter. The new one looks good by the way.

Oh yeah, if I was Josh Whedon, I would try to sue Twilight for pretty much ripping of the premise of forbidden vampire/human love. Buffy the Vampire Slayer did this theme years ago and did it with grace, humour, solid dialogue, and true heartbreak. Get through the very shaky season one and you will be hooked. With TV repeats, my wife and I are finally going through the seasons and we have blown through them... working on season 3. At the season 2 point, my wife (a Twilight fan) said, "Isn't this Twilight?"

I said, "You mean isn't Twilight ripping off Buffy."

By the way, it took me over a year to convince my wife to sit and watch Buffy. After much skepticism and reluctance along with an initial struggle with season 1, she is now a Buffy addict.

Get over the terrible name of the series and give it a chance if you already haven't.

OK, somehow from pitching to Buffy, I end this rambling diatribe. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Cat Deeley and a certain Sesame Street character

Saw the very beautiful and charming Cat Deeley on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Cat Deeley is the host of So You Think You Can Dance.

While watching her, I couldn't shake who she reminded me of.

Then it hit me! I figured it out. Her eyes reminded me of a certain Sesame Street character.

Grover!

Bonjour! We can learn from bad movies.

Well, the wife and I went on a fabulous trip to Paris for a week with a side trip to the beaches of Normandy. I could wax poetic of the trip but instead let's keep the comments to trivial things.

So last night I was watching "Confessions of a Shopaholic". Not my choice. Honestly. Before falling asleep halfway, I was struck by the interesting fact that the main actress, Isla Fisher (you may know her as the redhead from Wedding Crashers) is actually Australian. And oh yes, she is with Sascha Baren Cohen (Borat and Bruno)... I know they have a kid with each other and may actually be married.

I often get Isla Fisher a bit confused with Amy Adams, who then I get confused with Amy Ryan... the two Amys don't look alike, it is just a name confusion deal.

Anyways, I was shopping today at Young Bros. (the best produce place in Vancouver) and I realized I needed some cash before I went. I needed a BMO and I went to the nearest Safeway, which for some random reason, was the only Safeway that didn't have a BMO affiliation. Great. So in my depression of knowing that I would have to drive further to the nearest BMO, because I was too cheap to pay the $3 ATM service charge (a charge by the way that I think is only surpassed by Ticketmaster's service charges), I bought a bag of chips.

Enter Confessions of a Shopaholic.

I remembered in the movie that Isla Fisher's character tried to do a cashback at a hot dog stand. I asked the Safeway lady if they do cash back with bank debit cards and le voila! They did. I got my money and I didn't have to go to the nearest BMO bank. I felt very satisfied. And the sad thing was (other than the fact my day was made by this really boring story) I owe it all to a terrible movie.

Moral of the story?

You never know where your learning opportunities will come from.