#this is so awesome of you cfl i love this

[tentacledwizard]

apologies for my awful mousewriting

THIS IS AMAZING!!! you have no idea how happy this makes me cfl :D THANK YOU

[kittydragondraws]

HUII HIII I LOVE KIPO (the show, but the character is really awesome sauce too 😋) can we get aaaan infodump about yuor au??? /sinister (i am going to draw it) 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

So it's basically the same as kipo but with md characters... obvi

Y'know how in the show there's that one hole city trying to develop a mute cure? Well that's what this version of CFL is gonna be.

Uzi and Doll are both half mutes, with Uzi being a crow and... idk about Doll yet. One part of me wants to make her a moth but another part wants her to be a bird of prey like her aunt and cousin.

Also plot twist Nori and Yeva are alive! Nori is missing but most everyone, including Uzi and Khan, have assumed she's dead. Yeva is still fine tho. She's a half mute too.

I think I wanna make Doll bsically this au's version of Dr. Emilia, she's sees being a half mute as a curse and is trying to find the research the CFL hole city had done too see if she could finish what they started.

Also N, V, and J are mutes! I know V is gonna be a Timbercat (if i had a nickel for every time v was a cat i'd have two nickels-), I think J is gonna be a Newton Wolf (she gives that "I'm better than you l + ratio" vibe), and I am stuck on what to make N. Logic dictates he'd be a dog but the only domestic dogs are non-sapient mega mutes, and I really want to avoid using any fan-mutes as much as possible. Who knows he may end up becoming a Treasure Squirrel haha-

And since N, V, and J are mutes that unfortunately means we can have no Nuzi or Vizzy, cause, ya know-

Tessa is a surface-dwelling human who came across N, V, and J when they were young and raised them. Even now they all travel and live together and she sees them as basically their mom.

[chelsmcd]

10 Years... 10 freakin years...

The end of a decade has come... Where does time go? How does it seemingly go by so quickly?  

How many of us can clearly remember 2010? Or, more accurately, the end of 2009 and getting ready to ring in the new year?  I can tell you, my life now, is definitely not where I thought it would be at this time 10 years ago.  To be honest, it took some serious thought to try and figure out all the things that have happened in the last 10 years, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look to Facebook for some help (thank you young Chelsea... for documenting almost EVERYTHING you did).

10 years ago... I was living in Pickering at my mom’s place, I think this was for “financial” reasons, but also, it was just easier.  I had only lived away for 4ish years, but was back under her roof, her rules (luckily I had very few rules... I still like to brag I was never given a curfew as a kid, there were only a couple of “Chelsea... this is too late to be coming home” run ins).  

10 years ago... I had no worries, no responsibilities, nothing tying me to anyone or anywhere.  I was, for all intents and purposes... very free, and a very free spirit.

9 years ago, I was working for a Trampoline company.  Insert all the bad dad jokes here: it was really up and down, we had bad days but we’d always rebound, yadda yadda yada.  I was also running my side hustle of working with a race car team (scroll through some old posts on here to find the videos I used to make... man... we had some good times! Some great friends have been made).

9 years ago, I was getting by, living life, earning a salary, hanging with friends and just doing whatever I wanted.  Life wasn’t challenging, but it also wasn’t overly fulfilling. I’m 3 years out of University, I’m doing OK, having fun.  But I wasn’t... genuinely happy.  Not with what I was doing anyway. I was young, I was, perhaps naive to what the world ahead of me held, but hey, these are my glory years... what does it matter anyway?  My biggest issue was paying my car insurance and having the right outfit for my next night out. 

8 years ago, I feel like I finally started my life.  Like I started, as an adult, and started making decisions based on what was right for me, and not necessarily cool and fun right now.  8 years ago, in 2011, I took a chance on me (at the encouragement of one unwaveringly supportive mom) - I moved to Cornwall to start in the radio world.  The fear in that move was rivaled by the excitement of what could be.  It wasn’t my first time living away (although this was the furthest), it wasn’t the first time being responsible for paying rent (and thankfully, this was the cheapest), it wasn’t the first time for a lot of things - but it was the first time I felt like I was finally choosing me and my path over what was convenient.  It turned out to be where my life, and I’d say my career path really began.  This was the first dive into media - where I would get a chance to be ‘on air’ - those words still hold weight for me.  Being... ON... AIR.  Someone saw something in me, and while it was maybe 3 times per hour over 3 hours x 2 days a week... it was SOMETHING!  

While I didn’t know it... that decision 8 years ago, led to some major moves 7 years ago.  When I moved again, to a place that would steal my heart.

7 years ago, I moved to Kingston and started co-hosting the morning show there. Whoda thunk I’d be a morning show host? Buzz and I had an amazing couple of years together. While we were in very different spots in our career paths, I felt like any road bump I hit, he was there to offer support, guidance, and in some instances ride on through with me.  Buzz - I don’t know if you’ll read this, but thank you, thank you for being an ally, a friend, a mentor and all around great human.  I know this decade has had its ups and definitely its hardest moments no one would ever wish upon someone.  We don’t keep in touch as much as I thought we would, but I have so much respect for you and how you’ve handled the past few years specifically.  Your strength is inspiring.

6 years ago I started in sports “officially”.  Who knew how much this would impact my future? Who knew that would bring my back to Toronto (but that’s  a story for another year)?  As an in-arena host for a Junior Hockey Team... life was fun! I was on air doing the morning show during the week, napping, and hosting hockey games on the weekends.  Wahoo.  2013 - you were a good year.  You were also the year, and I’m sure anyone reading this that has been around for a while will remember, the #BTheFace contest?   2013 was the year I was one of 4 winners of the Mercedes.  The year we held an awesome party in a dealership in Vaughn where the roof literally caught fire, where I got to go behind the Scenes at Cats, where I got to check out Fashion Week and interview Jeanne Beker.. so many fun memories in 2013.  Maybe the best year of the decade?  May. Be.

5 years ago, I left morning radio, and took a risk on a start up gig, but now... on air ON CAMERA!! People would get to SEE ME!?! I’ve always kind of owned I love the spotlight... and this was no different.  This was a great year, from rapelling off buildings, to driving a poker boat, to joining the police at the shooting range (apparently I’m not too bad with a shotgun FYI), to baking cookies in a fire training facility - I experienced SO many fun things.  And let’s not forget skydiving?!  While I have some wonderful friends who I just hit it off with when I arrived in Kingston (ahem.. looking at you Andi), I think this was the year I also made some valuable friendships that have transcended some time.  Keenan... Andrew - you two are gems.  Absolute gems, and I’m so thankful we still keep in touch.  Heck, Keenan, I think for you, Skydiving changed your life path!!  Andrew - you got a mover out of it years later!  Guys - I am so grateful for your friendship and the memories we’ve had along the way.  Keen, I won’t go into any of the jokes or the memories.... because there truly are WAY to many (but.. like... jam jams).

4 years ago was a big one  - it’s when I admitted I no longer needed the spotlight and accepted the biggest change in the career, leaving media and stepping fulltime into sports.  I know some of my friends from elementary/high school still look at me and think “What are YOU doing in sports?”  - this is not me.  I was not athletic, I was not into sports, but hey... my passion for entertainment (as I later learned) is what brings me fulfillment each and every day. Also... ummm bought a house.  So there’s that (hello highwaisted, stretchy big girl pants).

3 years ago was probably my toughest year of the decade.  Both personally and professionally a lot of challenges, a lot of lessons learned and a year I believe I was happy to close the books on.  While I look back now and can find the silver lining of the person it helped shaped me to be, it was a tough year to live through, and it was a year that forced me to make some decisions and start making some changes so that...

2 years ago... I came back to Toronto.  To start full time in Football.  FOOTBALL!? Now, my dear grandma and great uncle were always Argos & Pinball fans, but for me, it wasn’t something I was passionate about.  Entertainment was the passion, and with a background in sales and game entertainment - I snagged a really neat role with the CFL.  A role that allowed me to travel across the country, a role that expanded my knowledge of sports, a role that helped me feel more fulfilled, more satisfied and see my own opportunity for growth.

While 2018 and 2019 have been busy with a few more nights spent in hotels, a few more pounds on the ol’ bod, a few new friends, a few new hobbies and a heck of a lot of growth, I’m looking forward to the new year.

As I flip the calendar - There are a few things I’m living this year, maybe this decade by... they include lessons I’ve learned on my own, some are advice from others - but all are, in my opinion, worth a moment of reflection.

1. Stay Humble, Hustle Hard : I always have a side hustle it seems.  This past summer I was working in Basketball to expand my skill set.  I don’t know that I will ever need to call upon it, but it’s another sport, another role, another area for growth.  It’s also opportunity for networking, building that professional base.  Not all hustling will be for financial reasons.  Sometimes - the hustle is going to be hard, challenging and require sacrifices... but sometimes, those big sacrifices have the biggest payoff (and sometimes, let’s just be honest, they don’t... but that’s OK too).

2. You have 2 ears and 1 mouth, use them in proportion : I’m a loud mouth, I talk a lot, we all know this, it is not a surprise.  A big lesson the past couple of years was to learn to sit down and listen.  I don’t need to be the first to speak, in fact, sometimes, just listening means you get to learn so much more.You get to hear everyone’s opinions, positions, points of view - and that may lend itself to inform your own position.  Nothing is wrong with not having all the answers right away.  For anyone a little younger, starting out in their career - I urge you to take this one to heart.  Do not confuse this with me suggesting you should not speak up in meetings - but I encourage you to listen a little longer before you do.

3. You’ll never regret the things you do, as much as the things you don’t : in other words, be glad you did something, don’t wish you had done it.  You can not go back and gain an experience once it’s gone.  This is the year for all the 20-20 vision jokes - but we all have 20/20 hindsight.. we all have those moments we wished we had seized, those moments we look back and say “ugh... if only...” I had said yes, I had more time, I knew then what I know now.  Carpe that diem.  Don’t let the world, your moments, your life pass you by. 

4. Settle for nothing less than you are worth : You get to choose what you bring into your life.  You choose your job (I assume you applied for it didn’t you?), you choose where you live, you choose who you are friends with.  YOU.  You are in control of what you bring into your life, how you are treated and how you treat others.  In the professional realm, the company will look out for their bottom line, you need to look out for yours. Be your own advocate. In the personal world, this could be a boyfriend/girlfriend, this could be friends, this could be where you spend your spare time, but you deserve nothing less than what you want to work for.  Don’t be a victim of your life.  Be the champion of it. 

Wake up. Choose to live your most fulfilling life, your most challenging life, your most rewarding life. Choose yourself. But remember - these are your choices, your responsibility to own, your effort to put forth. No one is lucky in life.  There are just those who work, and those who work harder.  I try to choose to be the latter.  It’s led to some great opportunities in life so far, and I hope for many more.

Happy New Year friends.  Cheers to 2020, cheers to a new decade - and cheers to the best self, we each get to choose.

[topazgirlygirl]

How we can effect our environment positively: A paragraph for anyone who wants to listen.

Last year, the average American used 167 disposable water bottles, but only recycled 38, that's only 23% of the 167 water bottles. That's not good. One of the easiest actions most people preform is turning off the lights before they leave a room, and that's fantastic! But there's so much more we can do to help! 

First, buy a reusable water bottle, it's cost effective and you can really personalize them. I have girl power stickers on mine! You can get a reusable bottle at anyone from 5 Below to TJ Maxx. They’re cheap, pretty, and render those 167 water bottles unused instead of in a landfill or the ocean!

Another fantastic way to be more sustainable is simply line-drying your clothes instead of using a dryer! We keep one in our basement where we do our laundry and it's super helpful for keeping clothes wrinkle free (also you don't forget you can't put your favorite sweater in there and accidentally shrink it). Rope and clothespins are pretty easy to find! You can even use command strips to hook the line to either side of the wall if you’re bound inside for 6 months of the year like me. 

If you live in a populated area carpool, take a bike, skateboard, use public transport! The metro, bus, or a secondhand bike are super cheap alternatives, especially with rising gas prices. I love carpooling with my friends to the mall or school in the morning. 

One of the biggest problems with sustainable living is the price barrier, which is understandable! But little actions can leave big footprints, so any way to make your carbon footprint a little smaller is an awesome act! I know I pitch in a few dollars for gas when I carpool. Buying a hybrid isn’t always feasible, especially if you live somewhere like NYC. Don't feel pressured to change your lifestyle completely! Baby steps! Next time a light bulb goes out opt for the more efficient LED or CFL instead of florescent.

Remember: if we all take a moment to carry that disposable bottle a little farther and make sure it gets to the recycling bin then we can make a huge step with each small one!

[glassleaks-blog]

MR VOORHEES Q&A PART 3: The Past, Present, and Future of Voorhees Glass.

The glass industry has grown exponentially over the last 5 years, with new artists, new techniques, and new colors. We felt it was necessary for the glass community to have some insight on the artists, and what drives their creative engines. It was always in my interest to learn more about an artist that has always had my attention, respect, and admiration. Mr. Voorhees has developed some of the most aesthetically pleasing, and incredibly functioning glass to date. He has never remained static, always pushing the boundaries of his work, and exploring multiple mediums to express his art. We were delighted to have the chance to ask him some questions about the past, present, and what we can expect from his future!

I feel like a good place to start would be simply how did you get into glassblowing, was it a window for your street art and paintings or did you start with a different medium such as graffiti, sketching, etc?

VRHS: I started making glass in 2004 with the help of Adam G who gave me the opportunity to try it out.. since I was a little kid, my dad was always drawing and painting and naturally I wanted to be like him.. that’s where my drive to be an artist came from.

That’s awesome! So where were you born n raised, where did you start and where are you currently blowing glass?

VRHS: I was born and raised in Michigan, that’s where I started.. now I’m in Southern California, been here for the last few years.

So how did you begin the heads? were they originally modeled after anyone in particular?

VRHS: I always drew and painted faces of different types and when I started gathering the skills to sculpt glass it just started happening.. I was super inspired by the pieces I was seeing from Bearclaw and the faces he was making at the time also.. I give a lot of credit to him for the direction my glass went in the beginning. I was also very inspired by the work I saw from Martin Janeky and Ross Richmond, two amazing dog glass sculptors.

That’s an excellent insight! My next question then would be how did you develop function and your line of pieces? The HIB function is iconic.

VRHS: Honestly the function was something that I didn’t even consider.. I was in Philly working at Krushmore and saw Slinger insert a perc through the bottom.. I always wanted to see the head inside the glass, watching Slinger opened that door.

Slinger and you do a lot of work together, who are some of your other favorite artists to work with?

VRHS: Pretty much every one of the people I’ve done collaborations with have been a blast to work with, I’m definitely looking forward to working with Peter Muller again for our show at Piece Of Mind OC in September.

I have to ask for all the vrhs collectors, will the classic HIB series end at 100?

VRHS: That is correct. The solo HIBs will be done at 100. I’ll still do a couple variations (recycler, doublestack) and will make collaboration HIBs for now.

Besides the development of HIB1 What do you think was the most challenging solo HIB to complete, and among all variations of the HIB do you have a favorite? (submitted by IG: @namastay_heady)

VRHS: Oh man, I don’t really know.. learning how to now break the first few was a challenge. It seemed like I was breaking three to get one finished without any problems, after I got my timing down with my moves and the heat they became much easier. My favorites change so often, right now I’m excited to make these last few as nice as I can and end the series with a bang.

You have made the head iconic in your work and yet have reached in so many directions with astounding work such as the abstracts, full bodys, bags, painted techs, and now the new murini stack style. Do you plan on moving forward with all these styles, or do you like to retire some?

VRHS: I get bored really easily, I enjoy the process of making glass and the infinite things you can do with it.. the murini stack pieces are something I’m having the most fun with at the moment, the things you can do with this style of work never ends. It’s making me think about glass in a different way than I ever have before.. I’m definitely planning on moving forward with all styles, combining some and refining them.

Thats really an honest an inspiring approach! I can tell you after speaking with Bump, Chef and from my personal experience with other VRHS collectors, the blend of old and new is something really exciting. It’s not often you see an artist also span multiple mediums so fluidly, I know I myself am dying for the next drop of paintings! Can we expect to see more paintings, clothes, and accessories?

VRHS: Absolutely, I’m always working on paintings here and there, I’ll probably release some this summer along with some new shirts and a hat hopefully, a couple other items too.

Thats exciting news! Are there any artists you havent collabed with yet that you would specifically like to?

VRHS: Too many to name.. There’s artists I’ve been friends with for most of my career that I haven’t worked with yet, and there’s a lot of people that are of the “newer generation” that are making such beautiful and unique work.. the list of people I’d like to collaborate with seems never ending.

I feel that! As a collector myself I’ve noticed how detail oriented you are. I often search VRHS rigs that I meet for UV glazed eyes, or small CFL pieces. I think that its a very dynamic part of your work.

Your work is definitely one of a kind, and regarded as both aesthetically pleasing and of the highest quality function, I just want to say thank you for giving us some insight on your work and Im sure the entire VRHS community thanks you keeping it so real. I know the community is excited as hell for the Muller show and for whats in store for the future of your art! You’re definitely appreciated!

VRHS: I just want to make nice work, nice glass that is sturdy, functions well and looks good.. There are so many boro colors out there, the possibilities are endless. I want to say thank you to my collectors, shops/gallery’s and fellow artists for all the love over the years.. I really appreciate you giving me the chance to speak on my work.. and all the kind words.

Voorhees was such a pleasure to talk to, and I know we are ecstatic to see what he brings to us in the future. At the top pictured is a very early head sculpt, HIB #0, an abstract owned by IG: jahfyahson, the first VRHS I saw in person owned by IG: gucciglob, the blue dream recycler “Doug” owned by IG: heady_bj, his new style “murini stack”, a blend of two new styles “Painted tech” and the new “MIB in a bottle”, some of his paintings, and my personally owned, Head in a Bag #2! Thank you again for all readers! Let us know who you would like to learn about next @glassleaks on Instagram!!

[gokinjeespot]

Monday, November 26, 2018

 Of well, no Grey Cup for Ottawa. The Calgary Stampeders trounced the CFL team from our nation's capital 27 to 16 in yesterday's championship game. I feel sad for all the Redblacks fans. We'll get them next year eh.

 I was so excited to meet Steve Leialoha in 1985 that I asked him how he kept his long hair out of the way when he was drawing. He smiled and said he tied it back in a pony tail. Probably the dumbest fanboy question he's ever heard. I am still embarrassed to this day. He still drew this for me in my diary.

   Archie #700 - Nick Spencer (writer) Marguerite Sauvage (art) Jack Morelli (letters). This issue might as well be a reboot because it's a great place to start reading a more sophisticated Archie Comic than the ones I read as a kid. Jughead's got a job (gasp) writing for the Riverdale Gazette and he narrates this introduction to all things Riverdale. I like how all the main characters are presented and I really like the art. I have been recommending this book since Mark Waid revamped it and even though Nick Spencer wrote his heart out here, none of it seemed like padding.

 Batman #59 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). The Tyrant Wing part 2. Batman, Penguin and Bane. I read this issue with glee because it is awesome sauce. The big bad super villain could be perpetrating the biggest con on Batman since the Riddler. I can't wait to see where this goes.

 Cover #3 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Mack (art) Bill Sienkiewicz (art pages 21 to 24) Zu Orzu (colours) Carlos M. Mangual (letters). It's Fields, Max Fields, comic book creator and international spy. He's no James Bond or Austin Powers just a fish way out of the water. I'm still enjoying this very much. If it wasn't for the credits page I would have thought that Bill Sienkiewicz's pages were drawn by Walt Simonson.

 Lucifer #2 - Dan Watters (writer) Max & Sebastian Fiumara (art) Dave McCaig (colours) Steve Wands (letters). "Of Red Deaths and Ginger Tomcats". This story takes place in four different dimensions. It's a challenge to keep track of everything that's going on and no connections have been made as yet. Lucifer appears in three planes and is portrayed quite differently in each. This new Vertigo book is atypical of what the imprint embraces but I prefer a more linear story. I hope this has a hell of a run.

 Marvel Knights #2 - Matthew Rosenberg & Donny Cates (writers) Niko Henrichon (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Elektra Natchios joins the cast of this Marvel mystery. So now we have Bruce Banner, Frank Castle, Elektra and Matt Murdock teaming up. Matt is the only one who remembers that he's Daredevil and we get a glimpse of Bruce's alter ego but nothing monstrous yet. This book is keeping me guessing.

 Hulk #9/LGY #726 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils Hulk pages) Ruy Jose (inks Hulk pages) Paul Mounts (colours Hulk pages) Martin Simmonds (art Crusher Creel pages) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I liked the synergy of the Hulk's and Crusher Creel's stories alternating throughout this issue. The surprise at the end will give you a good idea about how different this new Hulk book is from what you've read before.

 Doctor Strange #8/LGY #398 - Mark Waid (writer) Andres Guinaldo & Javier Pina (pencils) Javier Pina & Andy Owens (inks) Carlos Lopez (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Stephen's betrayal of Kanna comes to light which changes their relationship status. The high stakes fight with Baron Mordo ends with the Doc's friend coming to her senses. Still, all is not well with the good Doctor.

 West Coast Avengers #4 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Yay, B.R.O.D.O.K./M.O.D.O.K. is defeated and Los Angeles is saved. I love this team. They're so much fun.

 Iron Man #6/LGY #606 - Dan Slott & Jeremy Whitley (writers) Valerio Schiti (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Stark Realities part 1. A new story starts here and it's a doozy. I remember the last relaunch and Tony trying to make the world a better place with Stark Tech. Dan tries doing that again with a new Stark virtual reality game. Suffice it to say that things don't end well. I like the old school villain who shows up on the last page. Dan sure upgraded this baddie.

 Middlewest #1 - Skottie Young (writer) Jorge Corona (art) Jean Francois Beaulieu (colours) Nate Piekos (letters). This is not like the fun, whimsical and irreverent "I Hate Fairyland" unless you count the talking fox. It's the story of Abel, a kid living in the mid-west with a tough love single dad. Pretty heavy stuff but there are some signature Skottie Young touches like the fox and pink energy sources in the background. The story starts with Abel getting into trouble and progresses to him running away by issue's end. I'd like to follow along and see what happens to the lad.

 Fantastic Four #2/LGY #647 - Dan Slott (writer) Sara Pichelli (pencils) Sara Pichelli with Elisabetta D'Amico (inks) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I lucked out and found one copy left on the racks for me to read. This is where the Griever first appears to threaten the multiverse and we see how Reed, Sue and the rest of the Future Foundation reunites with Ben and Johnny plus all the heroes that have ever been associated with the Fantastic Four. I like how the kids have grown up a little and I hope they are involved in future stories.

 Uncanny X-Men #2/LGY #621 - Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg & Kelly Thompson (writers) R. B. Silva (pencils) Adriano Di Benedetto (inks) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I said I wasn't going to read the rest of this story after the first issue but then I flipped through this issue and the art really impressed me so I grabbed it off the rack. The highlight of this issue plot-wise is who shows up on the last panel to help the mutant heroes.

[wiersema1]

Summer 2018 Travelblog

When I was a kid our parents took us on a driving trip every summer for two to three weeks. Mom and Dad looked forward to it immensely. Dad saved all his money from his middle-class salary from Kemper Insurance, and saved up all his sick days and vacation days earned throughout the calendar year and blew them all on our annual trip. He loved the freedom, the driving on the open road through our nation’s interstate system. He wanted to see the world, have some nice expensive dinners, and visit America. He also dug jamming that trunk with all the suitcases, just making it barely fit each and every day. Dad also loved pounding martinis the minute we checked into the hotel. Who could blame him? Having to listen to me talk all day in a small car? Good grief.

So now I continue the Wiersema family tradition by taking our family on the same vacations (more or less). However, I’m not a martini guy. I’m a beer guy and we have a Honda Odyssey van rather than a two-door Buick Regal. Anyways, the luggage fits nicely rather than snugly (vans > two-door cars) but the arguing and fighting increases with each and every bozo driver that doesn’t have their headlights on in the dark. I know! Another difference is the texting and driving has become so rampant that it’s a modern epidemic. Black plague anyone? No thank you, I’ll have some texting and driving instead…… something needs to be done. (*PS This sounds like a future rant column.)

This year we drove from our home in Mundelein, Illinois to Boston, Massachusetts by way of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We also stopped at Niagara Falls and Cooperstown, New York as well as several other stops. Here’s a rundown of our trip(s) along with photos.

2014 : Texas; via Route 66

2015 : St. Louis and Hannibal, Missouri; via the Mississippi River Valley

2016 : Upper Peninsula Michigan; we drove all the way around Lake Michigan

2017 : Tennessee & the Smoky Mountains

2018 : Toronto, Niagara Falls, Boston, & Cooperstown

Day 1 (Friday, July 6, 2018) : Mundelein, IL > Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

The first day of a driving trip is always very exciting. You rush around packing the car and making sure nobody forgets anything. “Do we have the contact solution, the sunglasses, the hats, the pillows, my extra pair of underpants?” Once you get rolling, the excitement settles into a dull, melodic rhythm of “Are we there yet?” noises heard from the backseat. Then you realize it’s already time to get out the extra underpants. The first day is always a long drive. This year we ended up just over the Canadian border. Deborah (my beautiful wife) booked us a hotel in Sarnia. We went out to eat at a restaurant on the water called Stoke’s Bay Grill & Bar. It was really Canadian right away. I loved it! CFL (Canadian Football League) was on the TV’s, some weird items on the menu like fried clams (I just totally invented that, like a fiction writer would do), and a really friendly waiter who loved hockey and the Toronto MapleLeaves (inside joke) and Chicago Blackhawks. Then confusion! He asked us a really strange question. Oh no! Cultural differences. How will we ever survive? When we asked for the bill, he replied with “You need the machine?” While my wife stared at him, my mind wandered into “Rage Against the Machine” territory. As I was jamming out in my brain to some hard-core metal, my wife politely asked, “Wait, what?” He exclaimed that if we were going to use a credit card that we would need to scan our card on a credit card machine at our table. Oh, right! We told him we don’t do that in America. Rather, we give the card to them so that they can steal our credit card number behind our backs. No worries. We were full-fledged Canadians on our first night. I dug it the most!

Natalie and Dad at Amsterdam BrewHouse on Lake Ontario in Toronto.

Day 2 (Saturday, July 7) : Sarnia, Ontario, Canada > Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The second day of a trip is really exciting too, except you start running into little problems getting adjusted. For instance, you have four people in one hotel room trying to use one bathroom and one shower. So while you’re trying to get your body adjusted to sitting in a car, sometimes all day, you also have to deal with everybody’s unique sleep schedule. As most of you know, I’m a late riser. This can cause problems. Oh well, I’m in charge as the man of the house, er the hotel room, right? Right guys? Is anybody listening? Sometimes I get the feeling that everybody is talking but nobody is really listening. Do I need to repeat it?

Hotel rooms……. they inspire kids to goof around. This is the Residence Inn in downtown Toronto.

Anyway, we drove from Sarnia to Toronto. We stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott in downtown Toronto. It was pretty sweet! The only problems we had were minor. A strange skater dude skateboarded into our van at an intersection as we waited for pedestrians to cross. The weird part was he seemed to infer that it was our fault. It was confusing. I was kind of mad and then lost it with just a tinge of road rage, but don’t tell anyone. The guy skated into our van, then threw me double fingers (I think.) It was all very confusing because it was a Saturday around 4 pm and there were a ton of people on the streets. Our kids are screwing around in the back seat and I’m driving this monster soccer-mom van. Then boom! So I looked in the rearview and saw this guy giving me double “buzz-off” signs. I’m ready to get out of the car but luckily he zoomed off into the abyss. I was ready to fight…..and I would’ve won let me tell ya.

Casa Loma

The first thing we saw in Toronto was a mansion called Casa Loma. It was pretty cool. The place is gigantic and there were a ton of visitors. It’s not as big as Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina but it’s similar. Many movies have been filmed in the rooms of Casa Loma including “Cocktail”, “Extreme Measures”, and “Maximum Risk”.

Moving on, we loved Toronto! We went out to eat at Amsterdam BrewHouse on the shores of Lake Ontario. It was awesome. Great food, atmosphere, and beer. I would highly recommend Amsterdam to anyone in Toronto. If I lived near this place, I’d be there nearly everyday.

Does this look like a princess that needs a knight in shining armor?

  My beautiful wife and I at the top of the castle at Casa Loma in Toronto. Good thing I saved her from the evil lair where she was being held against her will, a la “Sleeping Beauty”. To borrow a phrase from Chipper Jones, “Deborah is the queen of my castle.”

Day 3 (Sunday, July 8) : Toronto

My son and I went to Rogers Centre, formerly known as SkyDome, for a Blue Jays game. The New York Yankees were in town and it was a Sunday afternoon ballgame. The weather was fantastic.

Trev and I hung out by the Blue Jays bullpen before the game so that we could cheer on Mundelein’s own Ryan Borucki, who made his 3rd career start for the Blue Jays.

As luck would have it, the first big-leaguer from our hometown high school (Mundelein High School) was scheduled to start for the Blue Jays. His name is Ryan Borucki and he made his 3rd career start. He pitched fantastic but unfortunately he didn’t bag his first major league win because Toronto’s offense couldn’t support him…… “No sticks man”.

After seven excellent innings allowing only one run, he left the game at the 7th inning stretch. The Jays had men on in the bottom of the 7th but couldn’t push it across so Borucki was saddled with another no-decision, leaving a 1-1 game that the Yankees eventually won in extras, 2-1 in 10 innings. Nonetheless, it was an amazing stadium and beautiful day for a ballgame. I highly recommend SkyDome!

Toronto’s CN Tower right next to SkyDome on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the ol’ ballyard.

Day 4 (Monday, July 9) : Toronto > Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Trev and I went to the Hockey Hall of Fame! It was awesome, even better than I imagined. It’s an underrated Hall. It’s very interactive which is great for kids of all ages. Trev loved playing video games (EA Sports NHL ’18) and shooting pucks with a real-life stick at a video board goalie. He beat me. Boo for Dad.

Trev next to a cool Chris Chelios’ Chicago Blackhawks jersey. Sweet action bro!

The greatest part of the Hockey Hall was definitely the collection of famous trophies including the Stanley Cup, the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Hart Trophy, the Vezina Trophy, and the Art Ross Trophy. They have a vault where they store the original Stanley Cup which is obviously irreplaceable. Wow, the history in this Hall was incredible. A special place for all hockey fans. Go there!

This is the “Original” Stanley Cup Championship Trophy. Since it is irreplaceable, the Hockey Hall of Fame locks it up in a vault. I know…….. really awesome!

Trev beat me with 2 goals to my one. Way to go T-Magic!

Possibly my favorite trophy in sports is the Conn Smythe Trophy awarded to the NHL’s Playoff MVP. It’s just so cool, right? The design has the old Maple Leaf Gardens mounted on top of a base with silver maple leafs where they engrave the winner’s name. Way, way outstanding. I especially love the Blackhawks triumvirate of Jonathan Toews (2010), Patrick Kane (’13), and Duncan Keith (’15). This version on display is Sidney Crosby’s 2017 Trophy. Alex Ovechkin just won it in June for the 2018 edition. Overall, it’s a fantastic Trophy Room which really is the highlight of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

After the Hockey Hall we were on our way to Niagara Falls. What can we say about this fantastic part of God’s creation? I’m speechless, which is hard for me. We went on the boat ride which was more than amazing. Great memories for our family. Let’s let the pictures do the talking.

Day 5 (Tuesday, July 10) : Niagara Falls > Lake Placid, NY, U.S.A

Who loves a sports town with a Hall of Fame? I do! I do! Sign me up! Lake Placid is a hidden gem of a town in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. Lake Placid is the site of two Winter Olympic Games, 1932 and 1980. In case you forgot, the 1980 Winter Olympics is one of the most famous Olympics ever because of the miraculous upset of the Soviet Union’s men’s hockey team, consisted mostly of professional players, by the teenage and college kids that made up the United States men’s team. It’s known as the “Miracle on Ice”. There’s even a movie called “Miracle” which I can’t believe I haven’t seen yet. I know. What am I waiting for? Nothing. Sign me up for that too.

Day 6 (Wednesday, July 11) : Lake Placid, NY > White River Junction, Vermont

On Wednesday we left Lake Placid and drove to Vermont. We stopped and saw Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York in the afternoon. Fort Ticonderoga has a unique history, having been a part of several wars while being in possession of many different countries. There’s some cool things to check out, especially for people who like learning about different types of cannons and guns. Trev really enjoyed it. Check him out pretending to shoot the cannon! He loves this stuff. They also have some excellent monuments to fallen heroes of yesteryear.

Day 7 (Thursday, July 12) : White River Junction, VT > Boston, Massachusetts

On Thursday we left Vermont and headed further east to our final destination, Boston Massachusetts. What a city! Boston is really cool. If it wasn’t for all the people, I’d love living there. Haha! We stayed at a Homewood Suites in Needham, MA which is a suburb of Boston. It was a new hotel and our suite had two rooms and a kitchen which was nice for us so that we could make ourselves at home. We were nervous about our decision to stay outside of downtown because we knew that we’d need to drive into the busy downtown bustle all three days and we had heard about the awful Boston traffic. Truth was, the traffic wasn’t bad at all. At least not nearly as bad as Chicago and the Chicago suburbs. Boston was a breeze compared to what we’ve been living with for decades.

On this first day in Boston, we drove to Lexington and Concord. This is where the Revolutionary War started in 1775. In a way, this was a microcosm of what our trip was all about. We wanted to learn and teach our kids about the important history of the United States of America. How did it start? What happened? What were the important events? Where did they happen and who made them happen? As we learned, it all started in Boston and the surrounding areas. Lexington and Concord does a great job with their bus tours. They had a narrator on the tour bus that explained it all and told interesting stories. Then we would get off the bus and view the sacred grounds of these events. It was fascinating. I had been on the same trip, more or less, in the 1980s and I still remembered many things. The Minuteman statue? I recall standing there 30 years ago. The Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere, Bunker Hill, etc. I remembered most of it. It’s amazing what the brain can recall.

The Minuteman Statue in Lexington, MA.

The lobby in the Homewood Suites in Needham, MA.

Day 8 (Friday, July 13) : Boston

Adversity struck on Friday the 13th. The plan was to go downtown and get on another tour bus that would drive us around all the main sites along the Freedom Trail. We had paid about $120 for four tickets. You’re supposed to be able to hop on and off the bus all day. The problem was the tour bus was always too crowded to board. There were no empty seats on any of the buses all day long! We actually never got on a bus. It was ridiculous. Needless to say, we were all hot, tired, and exhausted after walking everywhere instead of riding. We even took a few cabs but it was disastrous in a sense. On the other hand, it was awesome anyway. Don’t worry, we ended up getting a refund. Surprisingly, we even received a personalized letter from the CEO of the bus company too, apologizing for their mistakes and our trouble. He included free passes for any bus another time. They are set up in several American cities. Not bad.

Despite the change of plans, we saw several amazing places: the Mapparium, Old North Church, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere’s house, the Swan Boats in Boston Common, and Cheers! We even sat at the famous bench where Robin Williams counsels Matt Damon in “Good Will Hunting”. It was spectacular. A great day filled with sweat, ice cream, history, and an annoying old man who told me to take my hat off in Old North Church…..”Son, remove your hat. This is a church for Godsakes!” I’m kidding about the “Godsakes” part but the rest is a true story. I quickly removed my hat thinking I was a bad person. Then I looked around at about a dozen others wearing hats of all sorts. Hey old man, this one’s for you. Buzz off!

The famous park bench where Robin Williams counsels Matt Damon in “Good Will Hunting”. Look up the scene if you don’t remember. In this case, I guess I’m Robin’s character Sean the counselor and Trev is the rascally obnoxious smart kid who needs therapy, otherwise known as Will Hunting. Sounds about right.

At the top is the Old State House, near the spot of the Boston Massacre. The bottom two were taken at the Old North Church. Natalie did a great job posing as a worshiper a la Teddy Roosevelt. 

Day 9 (Saturday, July 14) : Boston

I finally saw Fenway Park. All these years I’ve wanted to go there to see the Red Sox and their historic park. This was a definite “bucket list” item for me. The ballpark, and the game, didn’t disappoint. I absolutely loved it. Fenway Park is now #1 on my list of favorite ballparks I’ve attended a game at in person. It ousts my previous #1 Giants Park/AT&T Park/SBC Park/Pac-Bell Park in San Francisco. We went to San Fran in 2001 so that ranking held for 17 years! Sorry San Fran, you’ve fallen to #2. Beautiful weather, a spectacular crowd with friendly BoSox fans, the hot dogs!, and a finish unrivaled in my entire 100+ baseball games I’ve ever seen! That’s right. How do you see the best game ever? When it goes extra innings and the home team wins on a walk off grand slam!!! Xander Bogaerts hit it just barely over the Center Field wall to earn the victory. What a day! Unforgettable.

Look at this goofball out on Jersey Street (used to be called “Yawkey Way”). Also, check out the man on stilts!

We met great BoSox fans. Check out this woman who’s clapping behind Deb. She worshiped J.D. Martinez. She always shouted in a thick Boston accent, “Hey J.D., you can have my lucky charms any time.” Therefore, we’ve nicknamed J.D. “Lucky Charms” henceforth.

Trev wanted a “Green Mawnstah” shirt so we bought him one and then took a pic in front of the Green Monster. 

Panoramic shot of the view from our seats. I actually loved the obstructed view because it reminded me of Old Comiskey Park. I’ve never been in a stadium that felt close to Old Comiskey at all until Fenway. This stadium is easily the best ballpark I’ve ever seen. It’s not even that close.

Day 10 (Sunday, July 15) : Boston

Because of the disastrous trolley situation on Friday, we decided to try it again on Sunday except with a different trolley bus company. It turned out well. This time we were able to hop on and off the trolley all day. We saw most of the Freedom Trail, especially the parts we hadn’t already seen on Friday. On this day, we saw Bunker Hill, “Old Ironsides” (the U.S.S. Constitution), the Tea Party Museum, Boston’s “Little Italy” neighborhood, Harvard, and MIT.

The kids with Sam Adams while drinking…..Sam Adams. What! Above that is a pic of them dumping tea into Boston Harbor. I remember doing this over 30 years ago! The museum is better now but the dumping of the tea remains the same.

  My beautiful daughter Natalie and me while I strangely hold a lemonade cup.

This photo summarizes our family well: Mom & Dad are happy and fun and not afraid to get goofy. Trev is a hot dog. Natalie remains calm and wonders what our problem is. Above this is the Lampoon Castle Building at Harvard. Many famous writers including George Plimpton, John Updike, Doug Kenney, and Conan O’Brien have worked here since the inception of the comedic Harvard Lampoon publication was founded in 1876. (I saw a feature story on 60 Minutes recently.) Above that are a couple of photos of the Bunker Hill Monument. 

Day 11 (Monday, July 16) : Boston, MA > Warwick, Rhode Island

On our way out of Boston, we hit Plymouth Rock and drove out on Cape Cod. We created a song that the whole family enjoyed immensely (Must be sung with a Boston accent, i.e. “Cape Cawd”): “Cape Cape Cod, together we will see, Cape Cape Cod, fun for you and me, Cape Cape Cod, surrounded by the sea, Cape Cape Cod, lobsters we will eat”. Sometimes these little things become great memories. A super fun family day that ended with mini-golf and then dinner at the “Lobster Boat”. Yeah you guessed it….one must pronounce it with a Boston accent, i.e. “Lawbstuh Boat”.

Day 12 (Tuesday, July 17) : Warwick, RI > Cooperstown, New York

Driving from Warwick, Rhode Island to Cooperstown, New York was outstanding. The scenery was breath-taking. It’s kind of like going back in time to a world long since left behind. It’s all small country roads to get to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It’s quite an experience just getting there. And then when you do……wow. We did almost the exact same drive thirty years ago and it was memorable. It remained so three decades later.

Day 13 (Wednesday, July 18) : Cooperstown, NY

Is there anything more fun in the world than going into a sports Hall of Fame? I think not. The Baseball Hall was easily the greatest Hall of Fame I’ve ever seen. Did it seem familiar to what I remembered as a 10-year-old boy? No, not really. Not at all. Memories from thirty-three years ago can be hazy. This is one of them. I’m actually shocked that I have little memory of the Hall. I think my dad was in a hurry to get out-of-town that day. I don’t know for sure. I remember the Babe Ruth statue. I remember a gift shop that I was rushed to make decisions. As a kid I got a “I (heart) baseball” button, a mini pennant, and a mini wood baseball bat. That’s all. I always regretted that. This time, I left no room for regrets.

I went crazy! I spent everything my wife had on pennants, banners, a Chipper Jones HOF jersey, a snow globe (I started a small collection a couple of years ago), magazines, two t-shirts, etc. My wife says I can’t buy anything for a long time. That’s fine. I agree. I’m not sure I’ve had more fun in years!

As for the Hall itself, it is outstanding. There is so much to look at you would need to go back several times just to get a full view of everything. If you wanted to study a particular era, you could spend hours doing just that.

Since we were there about a week before the 2018 Inductions, there were displays of all the new inductees. That made it very special for me because I love this year’s class. The six inductees this year were Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, Trevor Hoffman, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero, and Chipper Jones. You could argue that Thome, Vlad, and Chipper are three of my all-time favorite players. For sure, Vlad and Chipper are two of my faves while Chipper is definitely in my top five favorite players ever along with Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Lenny Dykstra, Frank Thomas, and Ichiro. Well, that’s six. OK. Let’s throw in Pedro Martinez, Mark Buehrle, Mike Trout, and Bryce Harper for our Top Ten.

At the end of our big day in Cooperstown, we headed over to the famous Otesaga Resort Hotel on Otsego Lake. It is truly magnificent. All the Hall of Famers hang out here on Induction Weekend each and every year. I can see why they like it. You can sit on the veranda in a rocking chair and take in the beautiful sights of God’s green Earth. Peace abounds. We ate on the porch and heard some stories from the waiter. He said Frank Thomas is one of the nicest guys and best tippers he’s met in his couple years working there. Next time I visit Cooperstown I plan on staying at the Otesaga. It is truly a special place.

Day 14 (Thursday, July 19) : Cooperstown, NY > Elyria, Ohio

Two weeks in a car and hotels can really get you thinking. During this year’s trip, I had plenty of time to reminisce, think about life, and best of all hang out with my family. I am beyond blessed. God has shown his grace and mercy to me in abundance. I shall never forget this year’s vacation. The memories are endless. I shall remember our experiences in Toronto, Niagara Falls, Lake Placid, Boston, Cape Cod, and Cooperstown with great joy and humility. A fantastic vacation that I would obviously highly recommend.

Day 15 (Friday, July 20) : Elyria, OH > Wiersema’s Maplewood Estate, Mundelein, IL

After another super long day of driving, we made it back home to Maplewood. Thank God we made it home safely. It was a magnificent trip that we’ll all remember forever. Two weeks of driving, eating, drinking beers, seeing Halls of Fame, going to baseball games, visiting historic National Parks including America’s Freedom Trail…..it doesn’t get much better. An outstanding trip.

Next year…….Yellowstone Park, Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, Montana, Wyoming, the Rocky Mountains, and Custer’s National Monument, site of Custer’s Last Stand. I already can’t wait! Pack the car. Let’s go right now. Why wait for 2019? Oh yeah, we better save up the money and the vacation days. Get your tour books, your cowboy boots, and your National Park Passport books ready. July ’19 is right around the corner!

Summer 2018 Travelblog Summer 2018 Travelblog When I was a kid our parents took us on a driving trip every summer for two to three weeks.

[mfmagazine]

Travis Milne

Article by Jack Oughton

Photo by Traver Rains

Travis Milne is a Canadian actor from Lac La Biche, Alberta, who may be better known as Chris Diaz in the police drama series Rookie Blue. Though enchanted by cinema from a very young age, he only began acting in earnest in his teens, after some significant encouragement by his high school drama teacher. Travis found fame in 2007 when he became a co-host on My Green House- an ecological reality show. Since then he's built a profile on a number of TV series such as Bionic Woman and on indie and short films like Hope For The Broken Contender.

One of your earlier jobs was as a co-host on My Green House. Would you say you are an environmentalist?

Absolutely! In fact one of my biggest hobbies is doing carpentry projects from refurbished items. Nothing makes me more happy then taking something used-up and forgotten, and making it new again.

You voice act as well, in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. What's it like being in anime? Lots of shouting and grunting?

I love voice acting. It?s a blast, and yes there was tons of yelling going on during my work on Gundam, maybe even too much. I could only do about four hours of voice work a day because it was so intense and straining on my throat...but it was still awesome.

How does the Canadian entertainment industry compare to the US entertainment business?

Nothing, they are both unorthodox, risky, and totally captivating all at the same time.

I heard that you where an athlete considering going pro when you were younger. Did you always want to be a professional sportsman?

Yes, I wanted to be either a track pro (1500 M sprint), or a CFL football player.

Do you get to play many sports these days, are they still as much fun as they used to be? What's your favorite?

I still play a lot of pick-up b-ball and I’ve also takin? up wall climbing recently which is a total riot. I try as many sports as I can, when I can.

If you where an animal what would you be?

A wolf, and yes... I?d have a wolf-pack. Except mine wouldn’t get into some many mishaps like the bunch from “The Hangover”.

What do you do for fun and relaxation?

I love listening to records (Dean Martin and Supertramp) and cooking (cleaning?s the only set back), and building stuff around the house. Patience is a virtue I still haven?t received, so I try to keep my hands and mind occupied with positive things.

When was your 'big break'? What did you do to get it?

I did a film called “Leslie, My Name is Evil” which lead me to getting my big break on “Rookie Blue”.

Got a secret talent?

I know it?s implied that I can shoot a gun because I?m on Rookie Blue, but I actually can, really well. I can also juggle, not guns though... apples.

Rookie Blue seems to be doing very well, how do you find your role as Chris? It describes him as a 'by the book' character - are you a 'by the book' kinda guy in reality?

No, not at all. There?s a scene in 108 of Rookie Blue where I say “screw the manual”... I?m more like that guy. Rules and me get along for a bit, and then I either find a way to bend them, or I just say screw it and break them.

What actor would you most like to work with?

Definitely Brad Pitt, after seeing Tree of Life it?s pretty much sealed the deal on the fact that I look up to him as an actor.

If you could visit any planet as a tourist (and not die - obviously) - which would you go to and why?

Saturn for sure, to see all the moons. I did a study of Saturn once when I was a kid for a grade 8 science project and since then it?s always been really interested in that particular planet.

What do you find deeply hilarious?

How families never seem to get along during Christmas...well at least mine anyways.

Of all your work so far, which is most important to you?

All of it.

Finish these sentences "The most boring thing I've ever endured was..."

I?ve never been bored, if something is boring I will just leave it before it becomes something I have to endure.

and "When someone gives me a spraycan I..."

I throw it up in the air and try to shoot it.

If you could go forward in time 40 years and talk to your future self what question would you ask him?

First off I say- “Shit! You're still here!?” and second I?d ask “What stocks should I invest in?”

What would be more useful to you, 3 arms or 3 eyes?

3 arms for sure, one more capable hand for working on things. Plus, it?d be way less awkward trying to explain it at dinner parties what happened instead I?d just hand them another drink.

What's your advice to anyone starting out in the entertainment industry on how to 'make it'?

Make sure you never take yourself for granted. Just because you?re not working doesn’t make you worthless. Never be afraid to try new healthy things and always take a good opportunity, big or small.

Someone gives you a coupon that can be used to purchase a full tank of gas and any vehicle you want (thats anything - cars, fighter jets, cruise liners, etc) what would you get, what would you do with it and why?

I?d get a fighter-jet for sure, the reason is simple, because flying it would be bad ass and life changing all at the same time, plus dangerous because I don?t have my pilot license.

What's the next big project for you?

Right now I?m all about Rookie Blue, the next big project will come, but I?m focusing on the one at hand right now.

[top100of2018]

The Top 100 Songs of 2018

Hey guys, if you aren’t familiar with what this is, it’s my favourite 100 songs of the past year. For every song, I mix in some kind of personal story or anecdote. I do this every year - just change the year in the URL line for 2017, 2016, 2015 or 2014. 

The Spotify playlist for this year can be found here: 

Note: If you’re favourite song didn’t make it, we can talk about it in person but I really don’t care about your Facebook comment about it. 

Oh, and there’s no Drake this year. I look forward to your complaints. 

Note 2: Patrick Turnbull messaged me on Instagram to remind me I’ve been doing these lists since we were in junior high playing Halo 3 in his basement. Holy shit. Time is passing by so fast. 

100. Charcoal Baby - Blood Orange

My year started at Aaron’s place after a confusing New Years Eve night. I woke up and Flem’s mom made us an amazing breakfast and asked us who certain people from the party in funny ways like “Who was that short little thing?” We ended up playing hockey with a bunch of cool people at the SACHS ODR like Mike, Sam, Braydon, Mitch & Aaron in net, but sadly, Aaron got super sick right before our Banff trip because of it. 

RIP Flem’s Trip. 

99. My Boy (Twin Fantasy) - Car Seat Headrest

My boy Mike Reilly, AKA the QB BOAT in the CFL for the Edmonton Eskimos, knocked on the door of the Virgin Radio studio at 6 a.m. I was shocked to see him at that time, and helped him find the TSN 1260 studio quickly. When I came back, Ian & Chelsea promptly asked me: “Who was that guy?” 

Please re-sign Mike. Please don’t go to BC. 

98. Doesn’t Matter - Christine & The Queens

Can I go on the Ferris Wheel even though I’m in the Bear suit? Apparently it doesn’t matter! Sometimes I rep the mascot and I did so at K-Days with Josh Park & Cooper Riehl. It was awesome because the kids were extra happy to see the bear mascot that day for whatever reason! They let me go to the top and wave - which did confuse a ton of people down below waiting forever for their cheap thrill ride. 

Does it get hot in there? HELL YES. 

97. The Good Side - Troye Sivan

The good side of YouTube was definitely Kelsey Bodnar’s YouTube page, which was a common pastime in our friends group this year. Kelsey, you haven’t posted for TEN MONTHS! GET ON IT! YOUR SUBSCRIBERS HAVE BEEN WAITING AGES! Kelsey graduated NAIT this year and has a cool job in marketing now - we actually sometimes connect in our careers thanks to Liquor Depot. 

Thanks to KBod, I know things about the club that my mother NEVER told me!

96. Look Back - Diplo & DRAM

Looking back on 2018, two songs seemed to get played at EVERY party or EVERY night out - Mr. Brightside by The Killers & Your Love by The Outfield. Two bangers, I don’t see anything wrong with this. 

I don’t want to USE YOUR LOVE, TONIIIIGGGHHHTTT!!!

95. Tints - Anderson .Paak ft. Kendrick Lamar

A lot of people will need tints over their eyes because MARIJUANA IS NOW LEGAL - crazy! A lot of you reading smoked it or ate a version of it WAY before this point, but here in Canada we made history this year. I went out with Pam Kirby from The Bear to get audio for the station on day one of legalization and the line downtown in Edmonton was three hours long! Even in St. Albert, the lines sucked. I see a lot of potential in this - more in the CBD side than anything else - and I hope it goes smoothly as the country moves to legalize edibles next year. 

Yes, I have smoked it since it was legalized with someone very helpful (because I honestly had zero clue how to do it) - you know who you are and thanks a ton, it was SO COLD that night! I would love to move away from smoking it though - legal brownies with CBD oil could be a great way in the future to combat anxiety! 

94. Severed - The Decemberists 

In August, my hairdresser almost completely severed all of my hair off - it was an honest mistake, she thought I wanted to go REALLY short and basically buzzed it all off. Drew, thinking he was hilarious, wanted to call me Flik from A Bug’s Life due to my new look. 

Unfortunately, Drew has no idea what A Bug’s Life is actually called, so instead he just said this for a month. 

“Oh look it’s Klak, how’s it going ANT LIFE!”

Taylor Thompson and Ronan had to immediately remind Drew that there was no such movie as Ant Life - he decided to combine Antz & A Bug’s Life for no reason. Idiot. 

93. Sunlight On Your Skin - Lil Peep ft. iLoveMakkonen

My birthday was full of sun - it was nice & low-key! Christi & I went to a place on the south side of Edmonton called Vaticano Cucina that made fantastic pizza, capped off by a night at OJs with a cool small group. Note for the future: I HATE muff dives - especially when you on purpose make the shotglass too big so I have no chance. 

Reggie gave me a few free shots - thanks man! He couldn’t have enough of Birthday Brennan! 

92. Human - Kimbra

A couple of weeks ago, a bunch of really good humans met up in a big reunion at The Moose Factory for a nice dinner. My Uncle Marcel gathered all of the Normandeau folk together for the first time in what seemed like ages - Alex + Polina got to listen to my awkward jokes & it was nice to see Ben again as well as Aleah! I caved Alex - I’m going with the PS4 as my console option. My dad & Lorelei were there as was my sister Kaitlin and her boyfriend Mike. It was one of the best buffets I’ve ever had! 

My dad also taught me about boxing day and frankly, there was a record set of elder adults going “WOW YOU’VE GROWN” - there has to be more icebreakers than just that one right? 

Speaking of a long time and family, EVE AND NICO WE HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING IN A WHILE! SAME UNCLE MIKE AND AUNTIE LINDA! Maybe something can be done about that! 

91. Venice Bitch - Lana del Ray 

Shout out to Lana - just because! LAAAANNNNAAA!!!!

It ain’t Venice - but we had some great times with both locations of The Canadian Brewhouse opening in St. Albert. I got to watch some football, saw a very notable Caps-Lightning game 7 showdown & a banger of an opening night when Adam Hutlet was super disappointed I didn’t hit the dance floor. Jordan, Flem, Beach and I came out after I almost bought my first car. 

The best Canadian Brewhouse moment though was when Colin, Drew and I met up with some of Colin’s Concordia friends in downtown Edmonton. I don’t remember much about it other than a good Denny’s run, a couple of high fives with members of the Bell Media sales team & “Oh what school did he go to, the University of DUHHH???”

90. Uproar - Lil Wayne ft. Swizz Beatz

I caused a huge uproar at one party at Christi’s house. A heated beer pong game went down to one cup vs one cup - Drew had the AUDACITY to walk right in front of Ronan and start saying dumb things to his face mid-game. 

Of course, Erik shot the ball and it went off of Drew’s back and into the cup. No redemption, game over. I wasn’t pleased. Uproar? More like Up Yours Drew.

89. Suspirium - Thom Yorke

I was taking deep breaths after eating some of the crap I tried during my food challenges on Instagram. I had some GROSS stuff. Let’s see some examples: 

That one in the middle is a KFC Waffle Triple Down - it’s so bad for you, when I ordered it the lady at the front till said “Are you serious?” “You don’t really want that do you?” 

That’s three chicken patties with two waffles nestled inside. It was disgusting. I also had a drink called Liquid Cocaine from Starbucks - four shots of espresso and four shots of white mocha. I pulled an all-nighter, then had a one hour sleep and was still energized for the next 12 hours after.  Not recommended for your heart. Thanks to Raphy, Ronan, Kelsey, Rachel, Amber and my mom for helping me with my Instagram experiment! 

This would be a good time to thank future nurses Amy, Lindsay and Andy for helping me when I’m in the ER from eating this shit. 

88. Feels Like Summer - Childish Gambino

There were a few great nights at Amy Mildenberger’s house - including a kickoff to summer which featured a few fun moments. Drew got pelted with marshmallows, including Dylan Brown pegging him with one in the face. That was great. Drew also threw a chair in the air. There was another Drew moment at a different night at her house when my favourite Snapchat of all-time was created - he was spinning with the bat during Beersby and right before the snap ends, Drew hits the ground hard. It was a tribute to the good ol’ days of Vine. 

Erik hit his own girlfriend Taylor in the face with a marshmallow. Instant doghouse. 

87. If You Really Love Nothing - Interpol

I usually really don’t love my draft performance for fantasy hockey. I haven’t won my family points pool since I was in grade seven (I’m not kidding) - but I love my 24-team OSHL pool, a deep auction hockey pool that is likely the most in-depth pool in Edmonton. It’s a great group of guys from Commissioner Cam to auctioneer Brian Waddell and his son Dave to my uncle Blaine. The entry fee is $300 - so you know we mean business. I’m currently in first as of the posting of this blog, but knowing my luck it can’t last long. 

Nikita Kucherov can be on my team anytime. Check out this photo of our league where my eyes are closed because I can’t handle sun. 

86. Cry Alone - Lil Peep

I wanted to cry after watching overtime live at Rogers Place between the Edmonton Oilers & Colorado Avalanche. Matt Mosewich took me to see it in a nice lower bowl viewing area, where I got to watch a team with an injured Nathan MacKinnon still win the game somehow. 

Maybe it’s not smart to put Ryan Strome and Drake Caggiula out there for three-on-three. Will the Oilers ever get it? Probably not until they hire me. Don’t get me started or you’ll sit there for a while. 

85. Nobody - Mitski

Nobody can stop Drew and I when we get going in the ESPN News Desk chat. We’ll fight on there about sports forever - we’ll keep beating that dead horse over and over again. Raphael chimes in with the golden quotes and Ronan laughs at Drew’s insults just to both annoy me and because he knows Drew’s making zero sense. Drew hates that I love Connor McDavid because I don’t say enough good things about Drake Caggiula. 

When you least expect it, Matt Lewandoski updates you on the Columbus Blue Jackets, the NHL’s only existing franchise to never make round two of the playoffs. He also will chime in on other topics - his most famous being THAT’S OB!!!

Ronan thinks Patrick Mahomes must really like ketchup. Raphy met Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson in person. 

84. Pristine - Snail Mail 

The ice in Morinville is quite pristine - I missed out when writing this point as the boys went out for a skate thanks to Aaron Fleming’s ability to get us on the rink. There was an amazing Monday when Dylan, Drew, Braydon, Flem and I went out and played for hours. Aaron kept bringing the heart & physicality while Dylan deked us all out of our jockstraps. On another more packed night, Matty Lew couldn’t hit a slapper to save his life & Aaron wallpapered his friend behind the net with a body check. His friend after that said on the bench. “I need to go get baked after this.” 

Braydon is incredibly hard to beat in the shootout. 

83. Roll (Burbank Funk) - The Internet

Mike, Mitch, Will, Aaron and I were on a serious roll when we played Rock Band one night until two in the morning - WILL COME ON MAN SING A SONG FOR US PLEASE! 

Mitch was definitely the most talented singer of us all - his new lyrics to songs were a revelation. I really hope we didn’t wake you up Andrea (or Mike’s family)! 

I need to improve my vocals - maybe I need to watch some real singing - I still have to make it out for one of your shows Kaylin! This is my reminder! 

82. Space Cowboy - Kacey Musgraves

I don’t think I’ll ever see a space cowboy in real life - but I also thought I’d never see Santa Christian either so who knows? After I added an option to a Facebook poll for Movie Club at 3 a.m. and forgot about it, the people voted it in: 

“Christian has to dress up as Santa and hand out candy canes” 

I didn’t think he’d do it but the man delivered, dressed as sexy Santa. He let people sit on his lap and handed out presents - Evan got Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Samantha got an avocado, Kelly almost got a Christmas smooch & I got a Crazy Frog CD that is going to be a fixture in my car for years to come. I couldn’t stop smiling! I hope Kelsey or Rachel kept the footage because I want to see some pictures! 

81. Fire - KIDS SEE GHOSTS 

The two LAN parties this year were straight fire - Christian hosted a solid one that I tried to enjoy the best I could despite fighting a really annoying illness - it was so bad that when I went back to work Monday, I passed out in the stairwell and Chelsea let me know I’d been out for a while. That sucked. 

Back to the LAN parties though, Mike Serra upped the ante and created a set-up that kind of looked like a telemarketing work floor. Computers lined the tables & Erik brought his comfy gaming chair. James’ laugh filled the room every couple of minutes. It was a solid late night of gaming, Modern Warfare & Fortnite, despite me bringing the team SO far down. 

Thanks again Mike, that was sick! 

80. Fallingwater - Maggie Rogers

Beers were falling like water during a banger for Alex Matias held at Jordan’s old house. I specifically remember us in the garage yelling Oh Ellin! by Gob and Beverly Hills by Weezer at the top of our lungs. I remember we asked Sarah Peacock a lot of random questions (she seemed THRILLED) and then Shannon came in clutch and drove us home.  

We had a few solid party nights there Jordan, it will be missed but thanks for hosting! Aaron also had a really savage line there - that was great. 

79. Just A Stranger- Kali Uchis (Feat. Steve Lacy) 

You’re never just a stranger at Original Joe’s - it seems like the entire staff now knows me as “The Kona Guy” - I’m going to be honest, I see a lot less Kona’s in my life in 2019 just because I feel like I’ve eaten too many pineapples at this point. 

Reggie is always down for music conversation and Christie is down to chill and tell you about Gilbert’s recent destruction of her house. We have so many solid times out at the bar and this one continues to be our go-to. It was our place every Monday at one point after a solid night of Balls Deep. 

Beercade is usually the bar where the most action happens. Drew says he hates it, but I beg to differ. The bar also brought me out for Kayla Ivicak’s birthday (thanks for finding a way to get my phone back!) and Isabelle Lumsden’s birthday too (Why did that drink taste so bad? That was a memorably bad drink). 

RIP Knoxville’s. The Ranch sucks. Brandon Davidson is thirsty. “KLAK get out of my way, I’m looking for units!” 

78. Come On To Me - Paul McCartney

I was saying COME ON a lot this year - Ronan & Raphy probably hear me say it the most - but also at the bowling alley BEFORE the drinks started flowing. I’m a super inconsistent bowler - I’m not Rachel accurate nor do I have KBod’s stride. 

There were a couple of nights where it didn’t matter anymore because everyone in the alley got too lost in the sauce. The most memorable (or not memorable, in a way) was during a solid Vegas-LA game 3 OT matchup where Erik Haula scored the game-winner - Dylan hosted Colin, Matt, Amy, Pam and I after for about 20 minutes and it spiraled quickly from there. 

Dylan & Pam, thanks for driving me to McDonald’s. I needed it that night. 

77. Lemon Glow - Beach House

Family floor hockey is still going strong - I’m a great player sometimes but when I’m in net I’m a real lemon. Desmond is a good goalie even though he doesn’t always enjoy it but I don’t miss taking the brunt of his slashes. Damien is always a pleasure to talk to but not easy to beat either. Marshall is a dad and brings the wise jokes to Boston Pizza post-game. Can you guys please explain to me what’s going on in Braeden’s Facebook profile photo? 

Aiden is actually a pretty solid goalie - you were WAY better than me man! Uncle Calvin & Darcy still have the best shots and Rob is still the best defender out there. Uncle Lorne and Auntie Patty continue coming in clutch for us, thanks for all of your hard work! 

76. Need A Little Time - Courtney Barnett

When March Madness comes around, I need more than a little time to not only formulate my perfect bracket, but also watch every NCAA tournament game to witness that bracket come crumbling down. Christian suffered the worst tournament loss of all-time when all four of his final four lost IN A ROW - he was in first before that! Duke screwed me over - thanks Grayson Allen you selfish shooter. Drew almost won, but lost in the final with Christian, Samantha and I watching his epic collapse. Nick Onyschuk & Amy ended up tying and split the pot - although Nick won the tiebreaker and his name will go on any future trophies. Great job Nick & Amy, Villanova was a smart choice! 

Drew still got his Premium Choice beer with his $20 at least. A member of the Bragg family has finished last for five of the last six tournaments - the only time it didn’t happen was because Matt Lewandoski had a stinker one year - he won the next go-around. 

75. Make Me Feel - Janelle Monae

I won the NFL pool! It was my first time winning since 2013 but I defeated Raphy thanks to Jamaal + Damien Williams, as well as Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon & Davante Adams over the season. Raphy’s team was dynamite and he had an unfortunate injury to Philip Lindsay in the 4th quarter at the end. I wish it didn’t end that way, would have been heat. Ronan had a rough year and finished last thanks to Le’Veon Bell but at least he won his 12-team league. Reeve had a solid showing as a first year owner. Matt crapped the bed and his best player kicked a woman. The two words that sum up why I’m happy: 

Drew lost. 

The draft at Drew’s house though was awesome - our first ever in-person draft. Matt brought his Olympia while we all laughed (except for me) at his Kareem Hunt pick at 2nd overall. Raphy brought his spreadsheet of stats. Drew took LeSean McCoy really early and had a tough time with his first pick. The night ended as it should have - Drew getting punched by his cousin. 

Of course, my win doesn’t count because Drew says I’m the luckiest of all-time and all of my pickups off the waiver wire were easy, so oh well, maybe next year. 

74. 4th Dimension - KIDS SEE GHOSTS

We definitely had to think in 4D when Rachel, Christian, Larissa, Mike, Samantha and I went to an escape room for Sam’s birthday. After a solid lunch at Earl’s, we tested our knowledge and I was really impressed at everyone’s puzzle-solving skills. There was one point where I was absolutely useless and just staring at the books on the wall hoping that it looked like I was helping the team. Mike and I were laughing constantly because we were thinking “WTF IS GOING ON?” I honestly thought Larissa would just solve it for us. I ended up getting really lucky and finding a clue in an encyclopedia that helped us move along, so I wasn’t as useless as I thought. 

This was one of multiple trips I had this year in someone’s trunk. 

73. What’s The Use? - Mac Miller

The most shocking celebrity death of the year was easily Mac Miller - this was a tough one. You’re going to see a ton of him on the list, I wasn’t a fan of his earlier work but this album was his tour de force, showing a real maturity in his sound and a change in his style to something I really appreciated. One of Ronan and Matt’s favourite rappers and overall artists, this truly sucks. He was only 26 years old. 

Don’t do hard drugs.  

72. Now or Never Now - Metric

I never thought a day at the range would make the list, but it does now. Aaron, Ronan and I on what looked to be a boring day ended up having a blast at the Sandpiper just firing balls into the sun. We would tell each other that if we made a putt, the other had to make some plays at future parties, and if I’m being honest, I never really delivered on the one I promised I’d do. 

I mean, I don’t want to get live murdered Ronan so cut me some slack, that one is really hard to do! 

71. Psycho - Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign

When Drew gets drunk, sometimes he goes full psycho and starts making pterodactyl noises. This means he’s had enough. 

Here are some Drew quotes all from the same night when he was straight gooned: 

1. “Best 3 football players of all-time were Lawrence Taylor, Tom Brady & O.J. Mayo”

2. “No it’s Sleeman bro” 

3. “This is a good song Klak” “plays Knock Knock for the third time in 15 minutes” 

4. Some stuff I can’t directly quote about Kim. 

5. Something grocery-related, also really can’t directly quote that one. 

70. Heat Wave - Snail Mail 

Places I want to go to in 2019: I’d love to go to Banff on a weekend hiking trip and finally get the Lake Louise teahouse hike & the Bow Glacier Falls hikes done, as well as some other cool sights. I want to finally go to the Dancing Sasquatch in the townsite too. If Waterton ever re-opens fully, we’ll be there. I’d love to take a week or so in Tofino and visit the Pacific Rim National Park, as well as Whistler to go on the bobsled track. If I start branching into the USA, Washington (not DC) is probably where I’m starting. 

Of course, Disneyland near the end of the year would be sublime. 

69. Toy - Young Fathers. 

Nice. 

Josh had the Hoe Squad over for a sick night one Saturday. We re-made Balls Deep on NHL 18 and then played as ourselves while chowing down on pizza until 3 a.m. It was a solid JNight. The boys let me be the GM during Franchise Mode for the St. Albert Beached Whales and I basically rebuilt the Vegas Golden Knights while other GMs fired me just terrible offers. 

Unsurprisingly, Mitch had the highest overall rating on the team and scored most of the goals, although we didn’t make Colin in the game and he would have been high as well. Every time Christian had the puck, Doc would say “the pass taken by Brown.” 

68. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino - Arctic Monkeys

The Full House Lottery usually has tons of trips and prizes you can win - one prize was a bit unexpected though. A girl put her phone number in one of the signature books when I went with Mitch to go check out the homes - we texted for a few hours until she ended the conversation with “Well, gotta blast!” I always enjoy going through those homes with Mitch’s architecture eye. 

I think the Stollery usually has the best home, just based on practicality. The Full House Lottery homes always have a major gimmick attached in the house - one year it was a wooden slide that was beside the stairs and another year it was a full basement bar with multiple tables and a stage. When are you going to host concerts in your basement? Every night? Aren’t the neighbours going to complain? What’s next, a house in the shape of a shark? 

67. 1999 Wildfire - Brockhampton

I’m really glad that we got to hang out more with Samantha’s brother Mike this year - you’re an awesome nice guy and you always have a positive attitude! We could be in a wildfire and Mike would find a way to keep the situation chill. He was a beauty driving Christian and I to Mount Robson and it was great to have him in Revelstoke down by the river. 

I can’t wait to party with you in Banff man! 

Robson story: Mike had to go to the bathroom before we went to our campsite, so we pulled onto the side of the road at the start of a hiking trail where a bathroom was present. Samantha, who was in the car in front of us, thought we just decided to drive off the highway over a cliff and unfortunately had a dream about that the night before. Sorry for the panic attack! 

66. Ultimatum - Disclosure

I keep presenting everyone who wants Balls Deep to come back with an ultimatum - I’ll plan it if we get one more girl to play. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find that one girl we’d need to start play back up. We did get to play for the first half of the year and had some amazing moments. KBod and Amy even played some games for us and they were pretty solid. Dylan joined in and so did Colin, both scoring a ton of goals. Raphy’s van still brought the heat. Aaron was an energizer bunny out there and Jordan had the best shootout attempt in hockey history. We really missed Dana’s defense once we switched to 5v5 but Raphy put in quality minutes. We beat Fear the D but lost to the Ducks when Drew got deked out of his shorts. I shot a wild ball and broke a guy’s glasses sadly but he came back with a backup. 

Andrew likes lego. We never made a final. Poor Taylor was a victim of the dome’s revolving door. 

65. Humility - Gorillaz 

This song always plays in Christi’s car because it’s on Maria’s playlist. It plays literally every time. 

Speaking of other people’s cars, I want to thank all of you that have given me rides over the last few years. I really appreciate it, it’s allowed me to be a part of many opportunities when I didn’t have transportation. Thanks for dealing with my BS, especially if I’m a few minutes late once you arrive!

64.  Without Me - Halsey

I don’t think I could go without the Riverbank Bistro pasta ever again. I’m very glad it’s back in the city. I also don’t think I could go without Cafe Amore, the best Italian restaurant in Edmonton and my future go-to for dates I want to make sure go swimmingly. 

I’m very grateful for all of the solid dinners I get to do with my dad, sister & Mike - sometimes it’s brunch too! It’s always nice to catch up while chowing down on the best caesar salad I can think of and the perfect chicken parmigiana. 

Padmanadi is SO good as well! I went there with Brenna too for a scrumptious ginger beef bowl and would endorse that place anytime. 

63. Small Worlds - Mac Miller

When Matt Mosewich and I learned we were both on HFBoards back at NAIT, it was like meeting a new cousin you didn’t know you had from Dubai or something. We’ve been talking hockey ever since practically every day, and we also created a giant three-hour podcast about the 2018 NHL Draft that you can find here.

We would have done more, but Matt got a job with CTV Regina and had to move. I guess we won’t get to hear more about how Ryan Merkley reminds Matt of a psychopath but I have a feeling we’ll do this again at a later date.

62. Black Balloons - Denzel Curry

The sky went black quickly one night as we stayed up SUPER late for a party at Christian’s house to celebrate Ronan’s birthday. Drew, this was the night when you made Lauren really, really impressed with your language. I ended up staying up long enough to pull an all-nighter, which wasn’t smart at all because I had a remote with Scott McCord at Lowe’s the next morning, followed by watching the Super Bowl. 

My team, the Patriots, lost. I should have got more sleep. Tom Brady should have caught that ball. 

61. Moon River - Frank Ocean

I was over the moon when I got to be on air at TSN 1260 for the first time ever in January - Connor Halley stepped in to host Sports Night and gave me a lot of chances to talk. I was in love the minute I turned on the mic. This was an opportunity that I never really believed would come for a long time, and I’m incredibly lucky that it has come this early in my career. 

I was pretty useless on the board at that point, so thank you Connor (and Matt Iwanyk, who is always answering my questions) for getting me through early on. 

60. Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand - Leon Bridges

Aaron Fleming has a basement that can hold about thirty people - bet he’s going to try to cram in way more for his New Year’s Eve party coming up, although his upstairs opens sometimes too. We didn’t have a games night this year, but there was a memorable party he hosted that featured a couple of amazing lines from Matty Lew - I can’t repeat one of them, but I’ll repeat a good quote: 

“The Lions would be better off with Selena Gomez at quarterback over Matt Stafford.” 

Any time I can get on Aaron’s pool table is a good time. 

59. Numb - Meg Myers

The tragedy of Humboldt left a lot of us numb and was absolutely devastating for the community of St. Albert. I personally never met the other St. Albert boys, Logan Hunter or Jaxon Joseph but heard they were solid guys. I did meet Stephen Wack, who was one of the nicest people in the city. Stephen would help his brother, who is blind, get into VJM every day before getting himself into school. Stephen also loved making videos, something we can share a passion for. Words can’t describe how devastating this was and still is for the families and I can only give the deepest of sympathies to everyone involved. 

Head coach Nathan Oystrick has Humboldt at a 21-13-2-1 record as of this writing, which is absolutely incredible. Darcy would be proud. #HumboldtStrong

58. Mariners Apartment Complex - Lana del Ray

My grandparents as of when I’m writing this are preparing an amazing Christmas Eve dinner as they do every year - my grandma makes the best holiday food and then Kaitlin and I laugh because even if we’re full, my grandma still says EAT! EAT! KEEP GOING! It’s not complex, you just keep filling your plate until you go into a food coma. 

We also had a funny dinner at the Atlantic Kitchen when my grandpa said “Brennan, if it has tits or tires, you’re going to have problems.” - in front of my mom, sister and grandma. Ballsy statement grandpa! Haha. We also continued our tradition of eating at Tony Roma’s on the NHL Draft weekend. 

I wouldn’t be anywhere without my grandparents, who are awesome role models and also taught my sister and I how to game it on Super Nintendo from an early age. Thanks grandma & grandpa for everything, sorry I ate all of the perogies and sorry grandma, I haven’t bought winter tires yet. 

My Uncle Greg & Kim are also awesome! My uncle Greg helped me with looking around for cars and teaching me what to look for. Thanks so much for the gifts, lunch is on me next time! 

57. Pray For Me - Kendrick Lamar & The Weeknd

When a weekend in August had two parties scheduled back-to-back, my liver was asking my brain to pray for it. Rachel hosted a party for her birthday at her place that was so much fun - drunk Jenga, a fantastic long game of Sociables (maybe the best of the year) and Rachel’s dog Tucker being a good boy. I thought it was really funny that siblings Samantha + Mike learned a lot about each other during that one! I also laughed when Dayn tried to re-create Michael Scott’s “Catch you on the flippedy flip” during pong. Thanks for the awesome night Rachel! 

The next night, I was off to Josh’s house for a shindig for Nat’s birthday. I skinned my elbow trying to recover a loose ball from beer pong. Aaron was so hammered that he tried to sleep under the bridge on the way home outside. 

Everyone still tries to interpret the Hoe Squad table - good luck with that. 

56. Batshit - Sofi Tukker

Usually any party at Samantha’s house is batshit crazy - she always has one in May for her birthday and also hosted one for Halloween this year. It was nice catching up with Dayn & Brooklynn, plus James almost won costume of the year dressing up as James Cariou. The winner went to Brian Anda & Nick Cusack for dressing up as grapes - CUUUUSSSSSS!!! Nick’s On It. 

Mike Serra and I lost horribly at pong to Brett + Lana - Mike we need to work on our game for next time! Drew also thought Jordan’s girlfriend was Hayley Hoffman - that’s a ways off dude. Larissa usually gets her best buddy Drew at parties beside her like this one later in the night - Larissa is it more entertaining or annoying when Drew finds his way over to you? It’s entertaining for us, even though he’s probably shit talking my hair style.

Aaron fell down Samantha’s stairs. 

55. Over and Over and Over - Jack White

Drew’s house usually leads to Drew having a few brews over and over and over. We had some great nights there including Amy’s birthday as well as watching the UFC shenanigans between Conor McGregor and Khabib. Carter watched his bracket burst into flames & monster cup dominated the first half of the year. Rachel usually had to take care of Drew by the end of the night. One night, a ton of the boys like Eamon + Josh came over for some late night NHL on XBOX. 

Drew paid for pizza one night, with his credit card. That was very nice. 

I also love talking to Drew’s dad Bob about the Oilers and also get his POV on why Drew needs to lose fantasy so that his ego doesn’t get too large. 

54. Boys - Lizzo

When the NAIT boys get together, it’s usually a riot. One night at Matt’s place, with Matt, Kyle, Connor and I, went until 5:30 a.m. We started playing Cards Against Humanity and for some reason couldn’t stop. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Ghosts was too good to not howl at. We also played lots of Scattergories, which I missed witnessing Tom put in an MVP performance. 

I educated Matt & Kyle for some reason on amusement park deaths, a very lively topic. We also watched a lot of karma/justice videos where secret cameras film someone trying to steal a bike and then the bike is attached to a chain as they try to ride it away. It’s great. 

Kyle, your movie choice is stupid - Matt. 

53. The Rover - Interpol

It was really nice to meet Jamie Cole this year and we had some great parties at her place - she’s cool, fun to party with & down to earth (plus likes hiking, which is a rarity among my other friends apparently). 

One party was really cool because I learned that Raphy can play guitar - and not just that, but can play Coldplay on guitar. Line up accordingly ladies, this is your man. 

Raphy and I one night also stupidly roved home walking - a good hour from our places in Erin Ridge. Oops. We also debated who are the best NBA centres of all-time and watched the gold medal final between Russia & Germany. Thanks Jamie for hosting us! 

52. Lift Yourself 2 - Charles Goose

I got a major lift when I got to produce Lowetide’s weekly show for a week in June when Tyler Yaremchuk went on vacation. It was neat to be part of something big at the station and work with the nicest guy in radio at the same time. 

I got to recap the Washington Capitals winning the Stanley Cup (would have never imagined that ever happening) and contact some really cool reporters and insiders. 

Of course, when I first phoned Pierre LeBrun, I didn’t say I was calling from Edmonton - rookie mistake but oh well. He was confused for a second. 

51. Supercut (EL Remix) - Lorde, Run the Jewels

 A super day was when a group of us went to Lake Wabamun for a day of throwing around the NERF ball and hitting the beach. Mike, Andrea, Anna, Keirra, Larissa, Jordan, Aaron and I all kicked it on the beach and the boys played an impromptu game of soccer with some random cut dudes as well. Even though I usually go WAY off base, Anna is someone I really click with and enjoy a good chat with - including here. Thanks Anna! 

We ended off a fantastic day with ice cream in town and later that night, some more boys joined in for Avengers: Infinity War at the new Landmark Cinemas in St. Albert. We even had a group Canadian Brewhouse boys supper as well! 

Of course, I was an idiot and my sunscreen wore off. I got a massive burn on my chest and it was so bad, I couldn’t go to work the next day. When I came back, Ian & Chelsea made their morning show topic “Is a sunburn a viable reason to miss work?” Hilarious, you guys must have been headlining at the comedy club that night! 

The best response came from CTV’s Jordan Hertner who said “Absolutely is a good reason” which got my hopes up before saying “I mean, you’d have to be a HUGE idiot though to get burned that bad.” Thanks. 

50. Nica Libres at Dusk - Ben Howard

Shout out to Ben - this beauty drove my bike home in the back of his truck once. BEN! 

When dusk hits downtown Edmonton, it’s time for hockey. The Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August was awesome to watch live. Matt Mosewich and I went to the Canada vs USA game when Dylan Cozens tied it up with one second on the clock and the place went bananas - technically it shouldn’t have counted but whatever - before Josh Williams sealed the victory. We also went to the gold medal game, where Canada won, and I also got to be around NHL scouts during the daytime for other games. Keep in mind the names Alexis Lafreniere, Alexander Holtz and Lucas Raymond - these three will be top draft picks not in 2019, but in the future. 

I stood beside Kevin Cheveldayoff (Winnipeg Jets GM) and watched a game as well with a TSN jacket, which was very surreal. I felt like I finally was where I belonged. 

49. This is America - Childish Gambino

Easily the best music video in years, one that will be talked about for years as a masterpiece.

When James, Kelly, Evan and I have a games night, it’s straight up old style America. Every man for himself, Smash Bros royale and Jackbox TV to the death. We are ruthless, and we use shields and dodging. 

We didn’t really get to do it down the stretch due to us being busy, which sucked, but I’m sure we’ll do it again soon.  We haven’t had one yet where none of you guys have to drive me home! Remember when you had to do rock, paper, scissors to decide that? That’s over! 

48. The Dark Sentencer - Coheed and Cambria

Shout out to Nash, who loves this band more than anyone else I know. 

When it’s dark, it’s time for Sports Night with Dean Millard, a show I got to guest produce for two weeks in December. What a ride! It was much more complicated than anything I’ve done before - I booked some big name guests (the WHL commissioner, former Oiler Steve Staios and good NHL writers) and got to comment on the Oilers Post-Game Show. Getting to analyze the Oilers and getting paid for it is one of the best jobs I could ask for. It was also great to talk to someone passionate about sports like Dean  is - he really loves what he does and has the knowledge necessary to be fairly critical about the team. A true professional. 

I also got to talk to TSN’s Craig Button a few times, he’s one of the nicest guys. I love his work on NHL prospects, he’s a smart hockey mind. 

47. I Like That - Janelle Monae

One of the craziest nights I liked was when I had two parties back-to-back. I started at Chelsea’s loft for an “adult party” (Chris and I kept calling it that even though we are also, in fact, adults) with a lot of the Virgin Radio crew past and present. I shotgunned off her balcony with Chris, Hannah and Amy and got to see Nate + Brayden again. I met Ian’s BF Brad, who is super nice, and also basically chugged a full cup of Sambuca. Never again. 

After that, I was off to James’ house. Raphy yelled a lot of funny things (haha that was so risky) and Hutlet unbuttoned everyone’s shirt. James had a big wang on his head. 

The next morning, Cooper met me in the worst way possible, Christyne wasn’t pumped about it and Jen was laughing at my stupidity. Just a stupendous summer night. 

46. New Light - John Mayer

I remember going to Taylor Thompson’s house last year and admittedly it was awkward - I had rarely talked to Taylor so it felt kind of weird to just be a guest in her house. That changed this year. We had a lot of great hangs, pool games, movie nights, fires and opportunities to party. Adrienne’s birthday was held there, with Braydon as chief bartender on staff. There’s always beer in her fridge. Her bathroom upstairs is nice too.

Taylor is such a chill person, it’s really easy to talk to someone like that. She’s quite often the voice of reason, the person that we need especially when Drew is being irrational. Thanks for being awesome Taylor, not bad for a Dolphins fan. That Colin guy isn’t a bad fella either. 

The other Taylor showed here many times that she can ball in pong - I think I’d take her over Erik as a partner. 

45. Butterflies - Kacey Musgraves

I had butterflies when I went with Matt to the Edmonton Oilers season ticket holder autograph session. I got to meet Jesse Puljujarvi, who signed my jersey and is NOT a bust yet Drew. I also got to meet Oscar Klefbom, who also signed my jersey. I told him his goal against the Sharks in game five in 2017 was super sick. Klefbom was a super down-to-earth guy and laughed when I said it was a rocket. I guess he CAN hit the net Drew. Klefbom also had a conversation with basically everyone in line that waited for his autograph, which was quite classy. Not all players do that. 

I also got Anton Slepyshev’s autograph on a puck (yikes) and waved to Kris Russell when I was supposed to go up to him and get his autograph. (Double yikes) This time, it was me who blocked that shot. 

44. Talia - King Princess

Shout out to Natalia - mainly because he name is the only way I can use the title of the song! Hope things are swell! 

I got to see Chris’ band twice this year - Alleviate is on the up-and-up and actually just got to open for One Bad Son, who played at our Halloween Howler in 2017. Their style is more along the classic rock variety, mixing a bit of a 90s sound in there. I’m a fan, go check them out on Spotify. They released a new EP this year called Glass Habits. Chris plays bass and slaps the shit out of it. 

I saw them with Kelsey Shapka, Mariah, Keeton, Jen and Christyne in St. Albert (thanks for driving me home Kelsey!) and saw them with Amber and her friend Danny once again at Shakers Roadhouse in Edmonton. 

43. Buttons - Mac Miller

I had buttons on my shirt when it was pub golf night - honestly this was probably the most fun I had all year long. Our squad of Drew, Landon, Levi, Rocky + Anthony, Kris, Eddie, Brady, Dante and Nolan took our scorecards and went nuts. OJs, BPs, Central, Crown were all easy hole-in-ones. Montana’s was when the trouble started. The man mug is massive - I got it down in 2, but it sucked because it was Molson Canadian. After this, the night got crazy. 

Levi + Rocky fought a tree because I ran into it with my arm and cut myself. Thera met up with us at O’Maille’s and we added a JagrBomb to the mix. By the time we met up at Celtic for Dylan’s birthday, everybody was trashed. We all ended up at The Blind Pig in one of those nights where you have no idea how you got there or how any of your friends did either. 

A large thanks to Sarah Dagenais, who drove Drew and I home when we had no idea what was happening anymore. The Borrellis won the day with straight 1s. 

42. Wide Awake - Parquet Courts

Sometimes when I’m wide awake at three a.m., my go-to text is Scott Hayward. For whatever reason, our clocks are usually synced. Even if he had to get up early and head to Urban Outfitters, I’d be up early heading to the Virgin studio. Scott and I have really good talks about life and the hardships and puzzles surrounding it. Whenever I’m directionless at West Edmonton Mall, it’s always nice to head on over and chat him up. He continues to be one of the most skilled photographers I know. 

His whip also makes one of the most annoying sounds when unlocking it. 

41. Better Now - Post Malone

One of two jams that played in Mike Serra’s car on the way to Robson at least five times. There was a bit of confusion over where the June camping trip would be at for me, but everything got better once I ended up back at Mount Robson in the most beautiful campsite in the country. Here are some moments: 

Drew got live murdered by Dylan Brown at center field while also putting up the worst football performance in human history. Respect Women. The Smirnoff Ice in the hot dog, followed by Ronan getting double Iced. Saucer King (I was surprisingly good at that). I CAN SEE YOUR TITS! Teagate. “I just wish he apologized” Pour one out for the homies. The first five minutes when my prediction came true (remember that Ronan?). YA KELS! The boys talking in Josh’s tent. Books (lol Brian, the other one). Prison. 

40. Everyday - Logic, Marshmello

This is the second jam that played in Mike Serra’s car on the way to Robson at least five times. 

I loved showing some people the waterfalls around the area and getting to check one out up close (even though Larissa did not approve haha). It was cool seeing how excited Dehn was to see nature. I also loved the feeling of peace when I was at the spot on the river at night with Matt, James and Erik shooting the shit, that was pretty cool. The Hot Springs and BPs turned out to be cherries on top of the sundae. BEN MADE A CUTE CAMEO! 

Thanks for planning it Rachel, that trip couldn’t have been more enjoyable. It was better than the last one even. 

39. If You Know You Know - Pusha T

Sometimes you just get a feeling you need to do something. You just know. My dog passed away in March and I knew I needed to do something to honour my best friend. Thanks to Emy Noemie, I got a tattoo replica of his paw on my lower left leg. She did a great job - I’m proud to carry him with me for the rest of my life. 

The tattoo also didn’t hurt as much as I thought it might - maybe a 5.5/10 on the pain scale. 

38. Crashing Into You - Vance Joy

The two Rogers Place concerts I attended this year were both with Raphy - Vance Joy & Foo Fighters. Both were fantastic. 

Vance Joy told us a story about his teeth glowing in the dark once. He also is a superb live performer. Scott Helman opened for him, covering Bobcaygeon from the late Gord Downie. Amber and I texted each other really bad Scott Helman puns, but they were really funny of the dad variety. 

Foo Fighters was awesome because Dave Grohl is an absolute boss. At one point he yelled “Is that one section sitting down? Get the F*** UP!” - everybody stood up. That was our section - absolute clowns apparently. We wanted to stand because we aren’t concert rookies. Why do people ever leave before the encore? Anyways, thanks for the great birthday gift Raphy, that was well worth it. 

37. In My View - Young Fathers

In my view, I have the cutest five-year-old little sister on the planet. Lilly is so energetic and loves to share what she’s up to. Her excitement when opening up Christmas gifts could light up the sky. She loves making crafts and she’s getting smarter every day. She’s incredibly kind to me and that’s all a big brother can ask for. 

Go Lilly Go! BOO! 

36. OKRA - Tyler, The Creator

Jordan is an easy choice of mine to drive somewhere far with. He’ll get you there the fastest and put on really good tunes or Spittin’ Chiclets on the way. He also manages to find the most random funny material to send your way that always puts a smile on my face (like Drake, or Drake Caggiula, or I keep laughing at that stupid Jim Carrey quote). Jordan also has a good understanding of why the Oilers continue to disappoint. 

Whenever you have a story, I know it’s going to have a funny or straight F’d ending. You’re going to love your Christmas present. I miss the pink stripe car. YOU’RE F****** BRAVE! 

35. Sundress - ASAP Rocky

Despite some patches of rain, Aaron and I got a lot of sun on our trip to Calgary & Canmore in July. We got to stay in Aaron’s sister’s apartment, which had a nice window view and Netflix so that we could watch Big Mouth. On our first day, we did a couple of premium hikes. We checked out Troll Falls, a hidden gem in Kananaskis, and then Alvina recommended to us Grotto Canyon, a rocky path that led to a cool waterfall and a really slippery rock patch. I slipped and fell. 

After that, we tackled the hardest hike in my life I ever will do. Ha Ling Peak was walking (and for me, running) up a steep mountain cliff for an hour plus constantly. It’s never NOT uphill, it’s just switchback after switchback. Someone actually died there in August when they tried to climb it during the smoky season and fell off. 

I was the second most fit guy on the hill - I was dying but passing everyone except Aaron. Aaron was RIPPING through this hike, never needing a break. Ladies, line up accordingly. 

We got up to the top and it was WINDY - like, windy as in I felt like I could have been carried if I stood up for too long. A helpful guy, just one, was able to take our picture. It was rewarding, but I don’t think my body could handle that again. At least the downhill was really easy - we flew down basically. It was super neat to see the town of Canmore from way up high. #WeUpHigh

I also ate a big lunch right before it. Sick move bro. 

That’s me going OH SHIT!

34. I Dreamt We Spoke Again - Death Cab for Cutie

Later that night, Aaron and I visited Andrea Durocher’s cabin in Canmore and caught up. Andrea was doing her practicum there, leading hiking tours & repping the Shoppers Drug Mart life. Boy that place is nice. Thanks for the frozen pizza Andrea and also for the life lesson that if someone holds up a sign at me in their car, I should maybe get to know them. Hope you & Isabelle are having a Merry Durocher Christmas! 

Aaron and I also visited the Calgary Zoo and most notably got to see the pandas and the penguins. One penguin literally waved to us, which is super cute (you can see it on my Instagram). The pandas were cool, but the exhibit itself was a gongshow and way too crowded. 

Oh mountains, I dreamt we spoke again. The next hiking trip can’t come soon enough. 

33. High Horse - Kacey Musgraves

I started 2018 on my high horse - immediately driving off to Banff for a riot of a winter trip that we’re repeating to start 2019. Raphy, Christian and I pulled out the bangers in the car and Drew and I met some friendly Australians early on and didn’t capitalize whatsoever. Here are some moments from Banff: 

EVERYBODY SHUT THE F*** UP!, Canada winning the gold medal thanks to Conor Timmins and Tyler Steenbergen, Flem sick as a dog not standing up for it, Flem’s series of unfortunate events, Dancing Sasquatch (I’ll go next time I swear), Raphy’s Wild Night, BLEEDING ASS, Two noise complaints, Jeans Mean Business, MATTY ICE SUCKS, Intelligence, Skiing is more dangerous after 2 p.m., Christian’s streaking, Christian calling it Monsters Inc 2, the amazing KD, Drew wins the bet, Colin sets off the fire alarm, “There he is just being a hero” Matty Lew’s love of The Simpsons. 

32. My Blood - Twenty One Pilots

Banff was so beautiful in the winter - my blood might have been cold but it the ice was so crisp. Skating on Lake Louise was simply serene - getting to play hockey on that surface was icing on the cake. Aaron, Raphy, Pam and I also went up in the gondola. Everything in those moments was bliss. 

Lauren Kyle was there, but I wasn’t convinced. Raphy knew, but he was too nice to say. I had a great roommate in Hank to talk to me at night as well as provide the jokes when I woke up. 

Thanks Aaron for planning a wonderful rendezvous. 

31. 1998 Truman - Brockhampton

Revelstoke sometimes felt like it was straight out of 1998 - maybe even earlier. It’s a quaint little town, rustic, and despite the smoky skies, it was still a great place to visit in August. Here are some moments: 

Christian’s struggle with VROOM SKRRT, Running around on the beach at 3 a.m., mosquitoes, the Brewery, breathing oxygen in the forest, Matty Lew and I’s terrible white rap battles, the waterfall in the campsite, Hoot River, Wapta Falls, Me dragging Matt + Jordan out to Takkakaw Falls, Natural Bridge. 

Pretty, pretty good. 

30. Dressed to Suppress - Metric

The best part of Revelstoke didn’t seem like much at the start - it’s suppressed for sure by the trees. The Mountain Coaster is a wild animal of a ride - I thought it might be a bit dinky but once the first drop hits, it’s insane. You feel like you’re going to fly off the entire time and it goes as fast as Space Mountain does in Disneyland. I was yelling the entire time in fear, love and just because it felt right. Mike Serra was going so fast, he flew beyond the barrier and stopped only at the last minute. Kelly’s picture was stoic like it was routine for him to go down. 

I’d do it again in a heartbeat. 

29. Night Time - Superorganism

One of the things I love doing at night now is blasting music while I drive my Honda Fit - that’s right, I HAVE A CAR! IT FINALLY HAPPENED! Much thanks to my dad for making it happen, I’m so grateful to finally have transportation! It’s the right car for me too - I love whipping around in it and you can park anywhere. This was my No.1 goal to fulfill in 2018 and it got done. 

Uber, I’m sorry but I have to break up with you. It just isn’t going to work anymore. I’ll call you when I’m drunk? 

28. Hunnybee - Unknown Mortal Orchestra

A lot of us form the beehive at Bell Media - whether it’s street team or producers or on-air hosts, we’re working hard to deliver entertainment and also trying to have the most fun possible as we do it. I’ll start with the street team, who deal with stuff breaking, miscommunication, weird people interactions and overall BS that seems to be new on a shift-by-shift basis. The street team has had amazing people both past and present that I’d love to acknowledge. 

Shane has been with me since the beginning, and now gets to produce The Basketball Show on TSN 1260. We really need to have a beer man and discuss those Steelers. Meggan and I still catch up - I can tell you miss it a little. Nikita is now my boss again and also has a great giggle - let’s make sure headless Bear mascot is at every event now (JK). Tesla, my old boss, is managing JVCEDEnt and is always super chill - keep nailing those DJ interviews and hit me up to hang! I love the texts knowing you’re listening Teagan! Good luck in St. Paul Sarah, Ukrainian perogies are OBVIOUSLY better and I have to visit Two Hills one day to match the stories to a picture lol. Thanks for your patience on that first shift Coop, also thanks for also loving Sometime Around Midnight and I’m sorry that girl thought Gold Digger was an Outkast song. Boris, the Flames are good (congrats) and take it easy on the guy who trained you now that you have charge! 

Levi, we survived Fringe and you survived my random jokes that were super inappropriate, thanks for being chill. Tora, I’m sorry you got punched, Pantera doesn’t suck I was kidding. Stacey thanks for your positive energy! Declan, thanks for also being an NFL fanatic on our team and being super easy to talk to - I’m always hungry now for BBQ chicken though, weird flex but okay. Josh, you’re nailing the Oil Kings gig, you’ve got a bright future ahead! Garrett, the Seahawks made the playoffs, congrats! Evan & Glenn, your costumes at the Howler were fire (Josh you too), the skinsuit tiger was a ladykiller. 

Wyatt, the Ducks can suck it but thanks for listening to me rant about hockey, would love to party with you in 2019. Nash, we’ve been through the ringer man, cheers to another year of good stories and remember, there’s a song written about you. 

Tony, it was great seeing you the other day, you’re an absolute gem with Oilers TV, keep up the good work and good questions, you were born for that role man. Brenden, I’ve heard you on-air on Oilers Now, you’re a fantastic fit. You’re fill-in host spots sounded clean and professional, you and Bob will make a good team going forward! Isabelle, I think the sky’s the limit for your potential and I definitely miss your laugh, your sense of humour aligns with mine quite well. Janessa, keep preaching the good word about our Patriots and I hope we cross paths at future events, always a pleasure to work with you! Kelsey, Hannah raved about your work, I’m still down to go bowling lol. Matt, love seeing your tweets from Canadian Brewhouse, see you there for a pint sometime! Carlos, I hope you’re keeping the tacos and the tunes flowing! 

27. In My Mind - Dynoro, Gigi D’Agostino

Next, it’s the hosts and promo team and other staff around the building. Lots of you have a smiling face and are always friendly or willing to lend a hand. 

Our hard-working promo team is great to chat with, both past members and present. Scott is down to discuss Leafs, The Office and will give you the scoop on who is actually a dick. Liz was a joy to work with as a teamer and super easy to get along with (and getting married soon!). Terry is the heart of the building and easily the friendliest guy around. Zac’s likely had an emotional roller coaster having to watch the 2018 Steelers and Big Ben’s countless interceptions. Jen is the most likely person to tell you things straight and honest - which is refreshing (You’re not annoying anymore, she told me). Christyne is super nice but seems to have some of the most unfortunate life problems, hope 2019 is nicer to you at your new job! Bug free! Hope your new job is also treating you well Jordanna! 

As for the hosts and producers, Jason is a real human being and great to have an honest conversation with about anything. Hannah hates bees and still hates that I order Skip but she’s always bubbly and fun to work with! Lieutenant Eric and Dusty can always be counted on to finger gun me on their way in the hallway with the odd middle finger thrown in - Eric and I had some solid Brewhouse times as well. Connor’s Chargers actually look pretty good this year and is always sociable with me when our shows interchange. Matthew Iwanyk taught me everything I need to know despite my constant cheering for the Browns to pass the Ravens in the standings. Matt is also easily the most knowledgeable in the building about anything, thanks for answering my hundreds of texts. He walked out of The Dark Knight though. JMo + Tyler both love the “Clear the track, here comes Klak” line although Tyler adds an F bomb to it. Thanks for all the kind words and wisdom Dave, and Tyler thanks for driving me home a few times and the texts to make my shitty on-air quotes feel a bit better. Hernan, you better have brought tequila home from your trip man, that looked like a wicked time! Krush, thanks for being the most positive man on Earth! 

Thanks for making my SMR shifts easier CK, Brayden and Shannon - it’s always easier to be in a major market studio for the first time when you deal with people as friendly as you guys. Mariah, I hope no one crosses that line in studio ;) and also I look forward to getting our NAIT gang back together more often. Amy, we only really had the one remote at West 49 but I feel we easily related to each other in the first few minutes. Gillian is a true pro and treats everyone kindly with respect. 

Toby was the first person to offer his sympathies about my dog passing away - that meant a lot, thanks for being a wicked dude. Warren is the definition of chill and I love his opinions on things past and present at our station. Pam’s stories are the bomb and Yukon’s jokes coming into the Virgin studio were always welcome. It’s always great seeing McCord, RyMy and the boys cracking jokes and being sick beauties. 

Zoe, you’re positive spirit and energy will be missed. Thanks for the wonderful opportunity you gave me with CTV and for the good chats in the building since I arrived! 

To everyone else in the building, past and present, thanks for your help and support, I can’t wait to make further memories. 

Shout out as well to Bernard - he’s not in the building, but he’s a guy I talk to lots about the industry and his station over in Saskatchewan. There’s always some WEIRD stuff going on over there! 

Another shout out to you NAIT folk - Josh Ryan, Lorenz, Jesse who I always see around at every concert, Denaya who is ENGAGED, Stacie who worked on a BIG movie, Tyson, Craig, both Sams, Emilee, Austin, Kathy, Brittney, Tom - you guys are all doing good stuff! 

26. American Guilt - Unknown Mortal Orchestra

I still feel a bit guilty if I kind of cut a corner doing a street team shift because I watched the master street teamer for years put so much care into his job. Darren is the masterclass of what it means to be a street teamer - I’ve never had a better boss. One of the truly nicest human beings you’ll ever meet - and he can drum like the mother f’n jones. His band A Gentleman’s Pact is on Spotify. Our final send-off to the Hearse in the rain with Chris will never be forgotten. Gone, but not forgotten. 

25. Jumpsuit - Twenty One Pilots

Whenever I hear about Disneyland, I want to jump around, and I went on a MAJOR phase this year where all I did was watch Disneyland videos on YouTube. I know all of the little useless facts about it, from what chemical they use to clean the water to why there’s a railroad track leading into a cave by Big Thunder Mountain. 

Thanks for sharing my Disney passion Brooke, you actually understand the magic as to why this place holds a special place in people’s hearts. 

I’m excited for Star Wars. Those rides are going to be sick. 

24. 6 Summers - Anderson .Paak

Six summers ago, I’d have never imagined being on air at TSN 1260, but thanks to Matthew Iwanyk, I got that opportunity to produce a show on the station called Saturday Sports Extra, with host Allan Mitchell. I couldn’t ask for a better host to work with - Lowetide was my favourite media member in Edmonton before I got hired, I always read his blogs and loved his approach to covering and analyzing the team. 

Small world, but Lowetide actually visited Richard S. Fowler during Career Day when I was in grade 7. His daughter Chelsea went to school with me. I didn’t get into the cooking seminar, so I rushed to find a room with a job that wouldn’t bore me. I stumbled into the radio room and listened to a lecture from Allan. I would have never imagined working with him years later. What a great guy, he’s such a dad in the best way possible AND his Eagles finally won a Super Bowl! 

Much thanks to Matt Iwanyk, Dave Jamieson, Rob Vavrek, Lowetide and Paul Almeida for their wonderful work and patience with me and for the opportunity. You can listen to me on Saturdays, usually from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and my past shows can be found here. 

23. Where Angels Fear to Tread - Disclosure

When I first entered the Virgin studio to be a social media producer, I was really unsure how it’d work. I basically got zero preparation because it was an experiment, and I had no clue how Ian & Chelsea and I would interact. 

Turns out it would work really well because Ian & Chelsea are two fantastic individuals that made me feel as comfortable as possible. Sometimes our industry is funny - people try to get ahead and act weird, or sometimes there’s an overall aura of fake with some. Not with these two. They had real problems, real emotions and weren’t afraid to show it or talk about it. They actually understood me and gave me a real chance. 

Ian & Chelsea helped me feel like an important part of Bell Media for the first time in my career. From big laughs to hilarious Thousand Dollar Minutes to just listening to what was going on in my life, I couldn’t have enjoyed my time in the Virgin studio more. Baby Brennan appreciated you guys a lot and misses you! 

22. All the Stars - Kendrick Lamar, SZA

It was too cloudy for the stars and meteors to come out this year, but Alex Matias continues to be quite simply, a bro. Our 1on1 talks are amusing and never fail to be interesting. You’re one of the people who I can always trust on a perspective - you just get it man. 

Damn. 

21. Talking Straight - Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

I mention Drew a lot in this article because I talk to the guy every day. We bicker back and forth, argue about everything and give each other shit. 

At the same time, it’s well appreciated. Drew tells it as it is, he talks straight. He’ll call you out on your bullshit, and I truly appreciate that. You always need a guy to do that. Our Skype sessions are both zany and lead us to find we’re on the same page on many different topics. 

Is he wrong often? Sure. So am I. That’s the beauty of it. When all is said and done, Drew and I are best buds and trying our best to not be bodies.

There’s no one better to get IN ONE with. 

20. Hunger - Florence + The Machine 

If I’m ever hungry and needing to go on a McDonalds run, I can trust Kelly to go with me. He’s always down to hang. Kelly is now working for Paladin Security and the army is in his sights. His LA Kings might be sucking ass, but the Oilers bandnaught always has room for more! Kelly, did you see that new Kevin Spacey video on YouTube? Isn’t that insane? WTF? 

Meanwhile, James is working as a parks guy/pesticide applicator for the city of St. Albert. He is the first guy who got me into Fortnite during the summer and the guy’s been lifting hard - you look great man! Nobody has a better laugh than James Cariou. He also went back to RockRidge with Hutlet, Brady, Iona & Ally to name a few.  

Hopefully we can all hang more in the new year - did someone say New Smash? 

19. Til It’s Over - Anderson .Paak

My sister Kaitlin is working successfully at an insurance company until it’s over - she’s following in the footsteps of her mom, dad and brother and becoming a NAIT Ook in graphic design. Welcome to OokNation Kaitlin and thanks for all of the food gift cards! 

Mike’s favourite pokemon are Greninja and Gengar - I get Gengar but why Greninja? I don’t get that one, you’ll have to explain it. 

Best of wishes to the two of you in 2019! 

18. When We Drive - Death Cab for Cutie

I still love when Mitch and I go for a drive - Mitch is working his way up the architectural ladder and even went to Northern Alberta to work on a project. I have no doubt that Mitch is going to be extremely successful in that field as he gains experience. 

Mitch’s band Valyria is still a great listen, but he also has two other things he wants to get out there. His Instagram account really shows off his talent on the drums and his new band project Sunscapes also released new music in the progressive metalcore genre - you can give that a listen here, it’s really good. Mitch is doing a lot of the design work for the band’s overall look and feel - it’s all looking pretty dead-on so far. 

I liked the last few OJs runs but I hope we can hang more in 2019 - I definitely owe you a rip-around in the Fit (even though I feel cooler when I’m lower in your car.) 

17. Yikes - Kanye West

Speaking of drives, I did give you a Kanye West song Braydon. Enjoy. 

Huge shout out to Braydon for being a consistent designated driver - you know how many people’s nights you’ve been the unsung hero for? Jesus Christ. Thanks for being the true MVP on countless occasions. 

Braydon, Amy, Rachel, Matias - boy we hang with a lot of great future teachers. 

16. Caterpillar - Royce Da 5′9 ft. Eminem & King Green

Christian has blossomed into a mature butterfly ready to see the world - this is an example of something Drew would say sarcastically about Christian to make fun of him. 

In all seriousness, Christian remains one of my good friends and a guy you can talk to about anything - he’s our Dark Knight. Movie Club is still going strong and has been a great way to keep seeing people in our group - even if I didn’t attend a lot this year, it’s well appreciated. Christian is always willing to help you through your latest problem - no matter how dumb it is, and I’ve had a lot of dumb problems. With the new dog Boomer running around being a happy pup, I always enjoy a trip to Christian’s basement. 

He’s dating one of my better friends as well - For a long, long time, Rachel and Samantha have been there to lend an ear and I’m extremely lucky to have met them in Pennycook’s class eons ago. I couldn’t have picked two better girls and friends to grow up with. 

15. Fall - Eminem

Here you go Shaye - you at least know who Eminem is right? Don’t fall on your faith man - keep applying for jobs and keep going for the dream, someone is going to see that enthusiasm and hire you. 

You could always play Facebook basketball with me in the meantime, Or just talk hockey with me, even though you thought Jeff Petry sucked. Wrong. 

You should have put your $$ on Todd Gurley this year, you would have won it all. At least you can finally say you’ve had more than just water. Welcome to the wiserhood Shaye, things are going to work out soon. 

14. Like Gold - Vance Joy

I’m really excited to see what the future holds for Miss Dugan. She’ll be a wonderful teacher - she has the patience, kindness and perfect personality to ace it. I always really look forward to our hangouts because I know I’ll come home smiling. Shannon can make me laugh without even saying anything - her face is full of emotion. It’s unique. 

You seem to always find ways to surprise me Dugs. 

13. Programs - Mac Miller

Brian Anda is with the program - the guy has his head on straight and is heading for a prosperous future. I never have any doubts about the success of the big 4 and Brian might end up as the most successful of us all. A good friend and hard worker, the CanANDA arm is running smoothly. 

Hope your shoulder doesn’t hurt anymore. Let’s swim in a lake this summer, maybe something cold? Bring your ID. 

12. You Worry Me - Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

Of course this is your song Brenna - couldn’t be anything else, except one thing: You DON’T worry me. Brenna is the proud new owner of a store in St. Albert called Glazing Pot Studio & Gifts, which is across the street from Richard S. Fowler. You can paint your own pottery, which frankly sounds like an amazing date night idea. Not only is this up Brenna’s alley, but she’s also definitely the right person for the challenge. 

Brenna and I are always honest with each other and say exactly what’s on our minds - our late night chats are very enlightening. Brenna is easily the most creative friend I have and wish her the best of success for her newest business endeavor! 

11. 1950 - King Princess

It’s very possible that Mike and I have been friends since 1950 - there’s pictures of us as kids together that are turning black and white. Mike continues to be possibly the most well-rounded person I know - is there anything the guy can’t do? I guess he can’t throw a knife at a tree. 

Andrea, his girlfriend, really enjoyed her role as a leader of the Economics English Conversation Club at the U of A. I’ve always viewed Andrea as a role model and a leader, so no surprise she’s very involved already in a multitude of things. Andrea also works as a youth support worker at Transitions, which suits her well too. She’s exactly the girl I’d trust with my kids because she’s patient but strong too. 

Power couple? I’d say so. Enjoy Hawaii guys. 

10. Saturday Sun - Vance Joy

When the sun rises, it means it’s breakfast time with Evan. It’s a tradition we’ve kept up for years, and why not? Evan and I have the perfect balance of talking and listening with each other - it’s sublime. There’s never a time with Evan I don’t enjoy. Evan and I both had weird years with lots of events in between to turn the tides. I think both you and I could use a more steady 2019 - although, I think we’d both admit it’s one hell of a ride. 

Cheers to Evan - a thoughtful listener and a true confidant. I foresee more good than bittersweet this time around. 

9. Let’s Go (The Royal We) - Run the Jewels

CTV Regina is getting super crowded with NAIT friends - Matt Mosewich, Kyle Matz & Katherine Hill all work there now. Moss’ twitter account is also taking flight - you can follow him for everything Oilers prospect related at @EDMFutureWatch on Twitter. All three seem successful and that makes sense since all 3 were quality individuals back at school and after. 

Remember, if you ever want to join CTV Edmonton, I’ll be holding the fort over here in the building for the time being. That goes for you too Connor. 

Matt, as they say in this song, if you end back up in Edmonton, we should find ways to work together again. LET’S GO! 

8. Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts) - The Smashing Pumpkins

Seems like there’s a lot of ghosts of Bell Media past - yet Chris and I have lived through it all. Chris got promoted to commercial producer at Bell, so now he’s the guy mixing all of that shit you have to hear in between breaks. We spent a LOT of time talking at reception this year - there were people in our building that were legit wondering if I even had a job there. Hell, sometimes I’d get called in to work EXTRA just because our conversation was running long. 

Why wouldn’t I want to talk to Chris though? He’s a stand-up guy, absolutely hilarious and gives a fresh and honest take on different problems of mine every time. We need to get drunk together more often. 

NIGHTMARE! NIGHTMARE! NIGHTMARE! 

7. Ladders - Mac Miller

If I had to pick someone to play a game of giant snakes and ladders with, it’d be Amber. Probably because no matter how the game went, Amber would find a way to laugh about it. Amber’s laugh is contagious - if she’s giggling, chances are I’ll start too. She’s easily one of the most pleasant people to be around - I’m really glad we kept our Christmas shopping tradition alive! Amber may one day be the spiritual mayor of Portland and has a bright future ahead - hopefully in computer science! I’d also argue that Amber probably tolerates my humor the best, no matter what path the joke travels on. 

2019, starting with Portland, sounds like it’s going to be very YEET. “Insert horse GIF” 

6. Ghost Town - Kanye West ft. PARTYNEXTDOOR

It was a big year for Christi Czyz - she embarked on a two-year German journey for the next step in her schooling. After applying for multiple internships and programs, someone finally made a good decision and accepted this really intelligent girl. She’s kind of becoming Carmen Sandiego - I know she’s somewhere in Europe usually, but can’t always pinpoint where. 

She survived a sign falling onto her, nailing her in the head. She also survives my REALLY bad jokes that I toss her way every once in a while (more like every chat we have lol). I’m proud to say that Christi and I have a strong friendship and I have no doubt that she’ll be at the top of her field wherever in the world she is. 

I’m also going to sneak this in here - because Christi knows this point in a previous top 100 was once directed at her - that I will use this time to apologize to everyone I’ve wronged this year. Especially you, you know who you are and why I’m adding this in here. 

5. Dark Saturday - Metric

If there was someone I’m positive I talked to EVERY day this year, it may be Aaron Fleming. Hell, we’ll message each other constantly even if we have nothing. It’ll just be a chorus of whatever emoticon is in the chat combined with one word answers. 

There were countless times in the Virgin studio where I was crying laughing because of really bad shit in the chat where I’d turn to Chelsea and be like “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you!” 

Aaron and I did a lot of things in-person too though. We went rock climbing, we skated, we shopped at a garage sale, we drove down to Canmore. Flem and I don’t always agree, but we usually have a ballin’ time wherever we go. Aaron is back with the city of St. Albert in 2019, so we’ll have plenty of time to cruise around blasting All-Star by Smash Mouth. 

Vij’s? OH NO I HAVE ANTS! The FB discussion on the best way to quit your job was also fantastic. There’s a 100% chance Aaron and I do another assortment of good shit again in 2019. Think you’ll enjoy this year a little better. #ForTheBoys

4. Lost in Japan - Shawn Mendes

According to Ronan, I’m more lost in Vietnam than Japan, but my response to that is COME ON. This is the sixth year I’ve done this top songs list, so it’s six years old. My favourite season to look at is summer. It’s definitely a seasonal thing. I still love small dogs, probably too much. She’s not Robin, so shut up. Just another item to cross off the list. 

I usually just fill this section up with inside jokes and call it a day, but it’s time I actually acknowledge my two best friends for what they do for me. 

Ronan listens to all of my bullshit complaints daily without complaining, and he brightens my day quite easily. One shit-eating grin and I’m crying laughing. He’s wrapping up his business courses at NAIT soon and I’m very proud of the guy. In a year full of turmoil, we still managed to have fun and handled it extremely well. 

Raphy is a teacher in grade one at Bertha Kennedy, a school he probably picked because it shared my initials and he couldn’t leave my side of course. He’s incredibly humble but it’s so impressive for him to be at this point in his career at such a young age. Only the most quality of people start off like that, but that’s exactly what Raphy is. An absolute quality individual. 

I have no idea where I’d be without either of these two. They are my rocks. I’d probably be Steven Glansberg sitting at lunch eating by myself. We’ve come a long way boys - I was right, we had an emergency meeting in 2018. I predict another in 2019.

3. Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi

Shout out to Isabelle, found this song because of her. 

I’d like to thank my wonderful mom & dad for everything they’ve done for me. I couldn’t ask for better role models. I love you. 

Merry Christmas Mom, JD & Lilly! 

Merry Christmas Dad, Lorelei, Caitlyn & Kylie! 

2. Bubblin’ - Anderson .Paak

Let’s make 2019 a good one guys. Let’s get things bubblin’!

1. Northern Lights - Death Cab for Cutie

This year’s list is dedicated to my dog Kosmo, who passed away in March. My best friend, I miss him greatly. This one’s for you pup. Lick, lick. 

[bncglass]

As promised! 🔥🔥AUCTION🔥🔥 Happy Monday my friends! Not as awesome as Friday, but maybe this will cheer you up 😉 . Up for auction today we have a Serum/Abe's Serum/ Illuminati drip pendant with a beautiful chipstack/basket weave mili by the one and only Ryan @teurfs! Color shifting from pink to yellow, illuminati light refraction gives it a greenish tint in natural light😲 stripe of illuminati in the drip and behind the mili makes it pop in uv light! . Auction starts now and ends when I call it. Starts at $0 with no reserve and no BIN. Minimum increments of $10. Add $7 for shipping. Must be PayPal ready and pay within 24 hours from the end of the auction. Bid in comments. . I have a limited amount of the cfl colors so don't snooze on this one 😜 . Thank you friends for all your love, all the help and continued support! Today is the day! #glassofig #auction #glassauction #qualityforqualityssake #glassart #glass #supportlocalartists #supportlocal #supportyourlocalglassblower #bnc_glass #art #pendantsofig #420 #710 #707 Song: Apashe - Fire Inside (at City Of Vacaville)

[thereviewsarein]

,Toronto’s The Beaches have been on a bit of a whirlwind of late.

I caught up with Jordan Miller, Kylie Miller, Eliza Enman McDaniel, and Leandra Earl before their set at Parkjam in the Forest City, London, ON.

We talked about their freshly released EP The Professional, opening for and meeting The Rolling Stones, touring, new music, and more.

The period of 2018 to 2019 has been huge for The Beaches, building on an already successful journey. They won a Juno Award for Breakthrough Group in 2018. The band received a SOCAN Songwriting Prize nomination for their song Money. They made their CFL TV debut playing the halftime show. And, they were chosen as the opening act for the only Canadian stop on the Rolling Stones’ 2019 No Filter Tour.

They’ve also played Osheaga, Riverfest Elora, Download Festival in the UK, WTFest, The KEE to Bala, and of course, Parkjam. They’ve also been playing in the US with Passion Pit, and they’re hoping, as Canadian bands do, that they’ll get that US bump.

They’ll be hitting Riot Fest next, and then heading out on the road with Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes.

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First, let me start with, if you follow the band on Twitter, you’ll know that after the Shawn Mendes Tim Horton‘s coffee cups were announced, The Beaches, reached out to local coffee chain, Coffee Time, asking if they’d be in for a collaboration. I had to ask, but sadly there is no deal in the works to put The Beaches on Coffee Time coffee cups. I think Coffee Time is missing the boat on this one.

Switching things over to music I asked about The Professional. Jordan responded with “it’s a bit of music that we’ve released since Late Show. And It was really cool, because we wrote it, and then released it. I mean, with the exception of Lame, all of the music that’s on The Professional was written in the last 10 months. So that was a really unique and awesome experience. To just write music, and then immediately put it out there.”

When I asked the band about highlights in the last year, I could have guessed their answers. Across the board, it was getting to meet and play with The Rolling Stones at Burl’s Creek this summer. AEG Presents (who work with The Stones) got to know the band while they were touring with The Glorious Sons, and they were instrumental in making this show happen. Although, Facetiming with Sir Elton John, was also mentioned.

“I’ve never been more nervous for a show before. Obviously. That was, it was just, it was insane. To be able to meet them, and to learn that they actually watched part of our set was incredible. So yeah, that was probably the one thing I can really think of as the big highlight of the year.” – The Beaches

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With a brand new EP out, I wouldn’t have expected that there would be talk about new music yet. I was wrong! New songs are written, and everything for the next release is already recorded. We couldn’t get a release date but it’s coming.

The Beaches were gracious, friendly, kind, and funny during my time with them. I hope to do this again, soon, and to be honest, I would love to just hang with them, They were so easy to talk to!

5 Quick Questions with The Beaches

Q1: If you’re on a road trip, what’s the one album you can listen to on repeat?

TB: Rumours, by Fleetwood Mac.

Q2: What can fans expect from a live performance?

TB: Lots of the best music you’ve ever heard!

Q3: Is there a band or artist you think people should be paying more attention to?

TB: Goodbye Honolulu, and Fade Awaays.

Q4: Tell us something about you, that even your fans wouldn’t know.

TB: Jordan pretends to be allergic to fruit, but she’s actually not. She just hates it. TB: Jordan’s the funniest member. TB: Honestly, we’re kind of like nerds when it comes to like we have fun doing like nerdy, nerdy things.

Q5: Is there anything else you want to share with our readers?

TB: Stay updated! Join the mailing list.

Thanks to Jordan, Kylie, Eliza, and Leandra, for taking the time to meet with me. It was truly a pleasure.

Links: Web / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Spotify / Apple / YouTube

The Beaches Backstage at Parkjam [Interview + 5 Quick Questions] ,Toronto's The Beaches have been on a bit of a whirlwind of late. I caught up with Jordan Miller, Kylie Miller, Eliza Enman McDaniel, and Leandra Earl before their set at…

[toxsoup]

Detox from just about everything with Advanced TRS by Coseva

Today is officially 4 weeks for our entire family using this product to detox!   I’d learned so much about this product from a Facebook group a friend of mine added me to, back in early April, and decided to give it a try for my boys and for my husband and I.  We started on Tuesday, May 1, 2018, in the hopes that managing some toxins and eliminating some heavy metals would help us all to feel better and to function better day to day.  

My two older children (10 and 7), as I’ve noted, have high functioning Autism (ASD), ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and PANS/PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Syndrome, and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder as the result of Streptococcal infection).  My youngest child (3) is allergic to eggs and milk and has Reactive Airway Disease. It became apparent that we needed to detox my children some time ago, and we’ve been working to do so.  We started with detox baths, and have continued on down the line, researching anything and everything I could find to support their bodies’ natural ability to detox.  With that said, I’d love to share what I’ve learned about heavy metal detoxification!

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS

Since investing a ton of time into researching toxins and issues associated with them, I’ve uncovered just how extensive the environmental toxins are in within the US. Just when you think you might be safer living far away from a major city, it becomes apparent that you really are not sheltered from toxins in your environment, no matter where you live.  

The food we eat, the water we drink, vaccine additives, the air we breathe, the personal body products and cosmetics we use (aluminum in anti-perspirants, for example), the household cleaners we use, transportation exhaust, etc. all contribute to our toxic load.  Heavy metals lurk in all of these, and cause destruction within our bodies if not properly detoxed.

Aluminum has been found in the brains of those who have died with Alzheimer’s Disease.  Aluminum is said to be found in the brains of those with Autism.  

In a 2004 study spearheaded by EWG found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in the umbilical cord blood from 10 newborn babies.

Study after study has been done connecting the rise in Autism to environmental toxins, but those commissioning those studies tend to be ostracized from their communities once the studies are published. These people lose their jobs, their esteemed status, or are called “quacks’ for pointing out links between toxins, or vaccines and Autism, which is absurd… especially given their touted knowledge and credentials prior to participation in such studies.  

Many in the Autism world already know about the link between environmental toxins and Autism behaviors.  Many already know about or use Advanced TRS to help their children to eliminate heavy metals and other toxins.  Many without this knowledge do not recognize the symptoms of heavy metal toxicity, and would be helped by performing a heavy metal detox like Advanced TRS.

  HEAVY METAL TOXICITY

Here are some of the most common heavy metals found in our environment today, and their very common sources:

·         LEAD: root canals, building materials, water, jewelry, paint (even on children’s toys!!!), auto exhaust

·         MERCURY: dental fillings (amalgams), seafood, vaccines, contact solution, broken CFL light bulbs

·         ALUMINUM: deodorant, vaccines, cookware, canned foods, aluminum foil, cosmetics

·         CADMIUM: batteries, coffee, cigarettes, hydrogenated oils

·         BISMUTH: makeup, medic

·         COPPER: cookware, copper water pipes

·         ARSENIC: conventional poultry and eggs, water, soil, air

Symptoms of heavy metal toxicity are eerily similar to those associated with some autoimmune diseases. Some examples are as follows:

·         Chronic fatigue, illness or discomfort

·         Migraines/headaches

·         Acne

·         Digestive issues

·         Brain fog

·         Dizziness

·         Depression or anxiety

·         Nervous system disorders, including numbness, tingling, burning

·         Female reproductive issues (hormonal imbalance, miscarriage, menstrual problems, infertility, preeclampsia)

·         Excess sweating

·         Weight gain around the waist

·         Intense food cravings

·         Insomnia in the middle of the night

·         Speech problems

·         Joint pain

·         Mood swings.

Once within your body, you cannot easily detox heavy metals from your body, so it’s necessary to complete a detoxification protocol regularly or following a particularly high level of heavy metal intake (such as after vaccination), to avoid heavy metal toxicity.  

According to a 2014 article in the journal Interdisciplinary Toxicology:  

Heavy metal toxicity can lower energy levels and damage the functioning of the brain, lungs, kidney, liver, blood composition and other important organs. Long-term exposure can lead to gradually progressing physical, muscular, and neurological degenerative processes that imitate diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and muscular dystrophy. Repeated long-term exposure of some metals and their compounds may even cause cancer (Jarup, 2003). CHELATION

Are you familiar with the term “Chelation?”  Chelation therapy is used in conventional medicine for removing heavy metals from the blood – most commonly for lead poisoning, but also including others, such as mercury. It involves IV injections of a chelating agent called EDTA, ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid), a synthetic amino acid.  Typical chelation strips vitamins and vital nutrients… it takes out everything, and does not discriminate between “good” and “bad.”  As a result, extra supplementation is required regularly, and the process taxes the kidneys and the liver.  In addition, I understand that the chelating agents can lose their negative charges, and therefore “drop” any toxins they have attracted, into another part of the body, causing other issues – this is known as “metal redistribution.”  I’ve looked into other chelation protocols - particularly the Andy Cutler Chelation protocol (ACC) that several have administered at home, but have been hesitant to ever head down that path with my children, due to the risks involved, as well as the required consistency to manage the dosage every 3 hours around the clock.  Thankfully, metal redistribution does not occur with Advanced TRS, and this three-hour dosing is not required.    

WHAT IS ADVANCED TRS?

Advanced TRS is a colloidal clinoptilolite zeolite that can be used at home as a safe Chelation agent, in place of more risky chelation protocols.  

Zeolite is a volcanic ash mineral.  TRS is created using a manufactured zeolite within a water molecule, created in a lab, so as to control purity.  Purity cannot be controlled within a naturally occurring zeolite.

The zeolite within TRS is a nano-sized particle suspended within a water molecule, which means that the zeolite can get anywhere within a cell where water can go.  This means that TRS can easily pass through the blood brain barrier to collect any heavy metals within brain matter.

Advanced TRS, like natural zeolite, carries a negative charge.  Most beneficial things within your body carry a negative charge (including DNA, most cell surfaces, amino acids, white blood cells, etc).  As a negatively charged mineral, zeolite attracts positively charged toxins, heavy metals, and any other impurities within the body that carry a positive charge, traps them in it’s “cage” and excretes them out with the urine within 6 hours.

Toxins, heavy metals, impurities, viruses, and pollutants generally carry a positive charge.

So, what can Advanced TRS help you to remove from your body?  

·            Heavy metals, and toxic elements including mercury (and not a problem to use if you have amalgams/fillings in your mouth), lead, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, fluoride, barium, uranium, copper

·            Pesticides, insecticides, including glyphosate

·            Toxins from mold and yeast

·            Plastic residues

·            Carcinogens from smoke and haze

·            Radioactive materials

The company cannot make medical claims or assure you that TRS can cure or heal any health issues, or that it will help your child to speak or help your child with Autism, improve behavior, etc., but it’s clear that the body would function a whole lot better without any environmental toxins or heavy metals in it. Consistent use will ensure a lot less suffering!

We are most impressed by the fact that TRS is administered as a spray into the mouth, which tastes exactly like water!  What is glorious about this, for a mom of three children who do not/will not/cannot swallow pills, have intense anxiety around needles, and who argue over any medication being dispensed, is that my children ASK for their spray. They love to get it, and since there is no taste, they don’t ever complain about it or ask for their water bottle to wash it down. We have never given them anything at all with so little resistance, including food! Haha

Advanced TRS is biologically inert, and so there is no possibility for damage to kidneys on the way out of the body.  

Advanced TRS is safe for just about anyone to use, including pregnant and nursing women, newborn babies, and up to any age. It holds GRAS (”Generally Recognized As Safe”) status from the FDA. 

Advanced TRS is recommended for daily use for at least 6 months to detox, and then a maintenance dose is suggested to deal with recurring environmental toxins, which is dependent upon lifestyle.

MORE INFORMATION:

I look forward to sharing a day by day report of our first month on Advanced TRS, and I plan to do that very soon!  Stay tuned for my updates!  Overall, we have seen awesome changes in our boys, especially, but also in the way we feel!

Would you like to learn more?  Feel free to request to be added to this Facebook group for testimonials, to get questions answered, and to learn much more about what it does and how it does it.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthyandfreeTRS/

Be sure to mention that you found the group through my blog!

Ready to order now?  Please visit: 

http://www.406140.mycoseva.com/shopline_category.html (be sure to set up an autoship to save $27 on a single bottle, or purchase the 3 pack on autoship for $150, to get the best deal on Advanced TRS!)

Had you heard of Advanced TRS before reading this? Have you ever tried to do a heavy metal detox before? Have you used Advanced TRS?  Please feel free to comment below with your experience so far, of if there is some additional information you’d like to share!

[dianeanddean]

Rustic Pendant Lighting To Swoon For

Where do you begin when you have finally decided on pendant lighting for over your bar, dining table or entry way? We have done some online shopping for you to narrow your search and help you get started. Here are 9 rustic pendant lighting to swoon for.

  Indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures are an important piece to help define your home decor style whether your style is  farmhouse, mid century modern or rustic industrial. Adding the perfect lighting that matches the look you are trying to achieve can add that element of completion to your decorating.

We love pendant lighting and have a rustic industrial fixture above our metal and wood dining table.  We also installed 3 separate pendants with Edison bulbs above the snack bar in the kitchen at our rental property which is a 1935 bungalow. It truly does add character to a room when you have statement lighting.

We have plenty of areas in our home now that we would love to replace the light fixtures we have now for that more rustic industrial look. That’s what got us on a search for rustic pendant lighting so we thought we would  share with you some of our favorites.

Even if you are just dreaming about new lighting right now and not in the place of purchasing, you can pin the images below to your Pinterest boards for future reference.

All the rustic pendant lighting below is from Amazon and to help narrow things down further for you, we included the features, descriptions and what customers said about their purchases. Most were good reviews but some were disappointed, mostly with packaging or parts.

          Rustic Industrial Pendant Lighting

Features and Description:

STYLISH – Our farmhouse lighting features a cool twisted galvanized metal frame for a look all their own. Not your run of the mill pendant lights. 

VERSATILE – Hardwire to the ceiling, over your island, sink, bar or dining room table for an industrial chic appeal. Use a regular light bulb for task lighting or an Edison bulb (not included) for ambiance

SPECIFICATIONS – Uses one regular based light bulb, 60 watts maximum – bulb not included in sale, includes silver ceiling canopy and necessary hardware for wiring to ceiling

What Customers Say:

“Quick shipping and easy to install. Seems to be well built.”

” love the design and shape of the light”

“the light is exactly as described”

“absolutely love!”

“Looks awesome however please be aware this product is galvanized metal and does not look like the color in the picture. If you leave it the original finish its bare metal and very silver”

Vintage Industrial Glass Pendant Ceiling Hanging Light

  Features and Description:

Classic Design: Concise look, attractive and always in fashion,well suited for any decoration,perfect for your home.

Fixture Dimensions : pendant height (18.11″) x pendant width (5.91″) x Cord Length (39.37),COLOR:copper red

Bulb Requirements: 1x 40W max E26/27 bulb（Note：Bulb NOT Included）– uses a E26 / E27 light bulb of your choic(LED,CFL,Incandescent or halogen),looks great with antique edison bulbs

Easy To Install: includes all mounting hardware for quick and easy installation.

100% Brand New, 100% Refund/Replacement for quality problem.When you have any problem or query about the light,please don’t hesitate to contact us,we will reply you within 24 hours and get it resolved as soon as we can.

DURABLE PENDANT LIGHTING: steel construction

ADJUSTABLE: the cable can be shortened to adjust the height

EASY INSTALL: pendant light has all mounting hardware for quick and easy installation

Hardwired ceiling light for use in dry locations

BULB REQUIREMENTS: 1 x E26/medium base max 60W Bulb(Not Included)

What Customers Say:

“I was able to install myself but these are not do it yourself instructions.”

“We ordered these lights…yes the glass is difficult to put in, but once you get the trick it’s good. They are beautiful! We had an issue but the company took care of it right away…..great customer service.”

“Got 3 of these for over my kitchen island. They look AWESOME! Hint: unscrew the part where the light bulb screws in in order to get the glass in the frame. ”

  Rustic Pendant Lighting Indoor Pendant 

Features and Description:

A vintage and practical island fixture lighting,adding an industrial touch to your kitchen, dining room

Fixture Dimensions : 31.5″ L x 8“ W x 47.24″ H,Cord Adjustable

Bulb Requirements: 5x 40W max E26/27 bulb（Note：Bulb NOT Included）– uses a E26 / E27 light bulb of your choic(LED,CFL,Incandescent or halogen),looks great with antique edison bulbs

Easy To Install: includes all mounting hardware for quick and easy installation.

100% Brand New, 100% Refund/Replacement for quality problem.When you have any problem or query about the light,please don’t hesitate to contact us,we will reply you within 24 hours and get it resolved as soon as we can.

What Customers Say:

“Fabulous! Love the look. Easy to install”

“Bought these for my garage wife ended up keeping for the kitchen island”

“Love this light. Easy to install, gives off good light and goes perfect with our rustic decor.”

“Loving these in my new house! We have a copper sink and these go so well with it. We have been getting lots of compliments on them as well.”

“Beautiful light fixtures and look exactly as pictured. Easy to install. Gotten a lot of compliments on them. Plenty of cord length and packaged securely. I used Edison style bulbs with them and looked even better.”

“Just what I wanted for that industrial look!”

Linear Island Pendant Lighting

Features and Description:

A vintage and practical island fixture lighting,adding an industrial touch to your kitchen, dining room

Fixture Dimensions : 31.5″ L x 8“ W x 47.24″ H,Cord Adjustable

Bulb Requirements: 5x 40W max E26/27 bulb（Note：Bulb NOT Included）– uses a E26 / E27 light bulb of your choic(LED,CFL,Incandescent or halogen),looks great with antique edison bulbs

Easy To Install: includes all mounting hardware for quick and easy installation.

100% Brand New, 100% Refund/Replacement for quality problem.When you have any problem or query about the light,please don’t hesitate to contact us,we will reply you within 24 hours and get it resolved as soon as we can.

What Customers Say:

“This light is gorgeous, takes some time to install”

“You can adjust the length of the cord according to your need,the overall length of the cord is 6.56 feet,if you think it’s too long,you can cut it shorter.”

“The base of this light is a little over 30 inches long by 2 inches wide. This will not cover a typical electric box in the ceiling. ”

  Rustic Antique Ceiling Pendant Light

  Features and Description:

INDOOR LIGHTING APPLICATION- Cinema, School, Garage, Shopping Mall, Hotel, Meeting Room, Office, Bedroom, Restaurant. It is not only a lighting,but also a beautiful decoration for space.gives a fashion and romantic atmosphere.

ANTIQUE WOODEN AND METAL STYLE- This pendant lighting fixtures is made of high quality wood and metal,the vintage style can make your room a American rustic feeling.

VERSATILE CEILING LIGHTING FIXTURE- Can be applied in commercial and exhibition locations like restaurants and galleries. Good choice for kitchen, dining room, bar, office, schools to show vintage industrial style.

FAST SHIPPING TIME- Ship from The United State, 3 to 7 working days arrive on normal weather. Dont Need Long Shipping Time. We remove the risk to ensure your.

100% BACK GUARANTEE- If you’re not completely satisfied with our pendant light, we are always welcome to contact us by e-mail,we will answer you within 24 hours

What Customers Say:

“Great addition to my daughters room. I will get a fancier bulb to make it look even nicer.”

    Metal Wood and Glass Chandelier Pendant Light 

Features and Description:

MATERIAL: Wood, Iron and Glass with Strong Wires

STYLE: Traditional, Art Deco, Cottage, Rustic, Retro

SPEC: Fits E26 Edison Vintage bulbs (Bulbs not included), Hard Wired Corded Electric,110-220v, 60-watt Maximum Power

SUGGESTED SPACE: For House, Bedroom, Living Room, Dining Room, Foyers,Bar, Restaurants, Coffee Shop, Club Decoration

HIGH QUALITY: UL Listed, 2 Years Warranty

What Customers Say:

” I love the color of the wood, its a little more reddish than pictured so its a beautiful rich shade.”

“Absolutely beautiful, well designed. Match well with country wood table.”

“This light fixture is beautiful, we love the modern look. It makes a statement without overpowering our dining room”

“Exactly as described, very pleased.”

   Metal and Wood Circular Chandelier Pendant

Features and Description:

HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE CORD MOUNTED: Includes Rubber insulated adjustable cord with a 63 inch max height.

18 INCH BIG WOOD FRAME: 18″ diameter x 11″ high, fashional Circular Wood. Perfect for kitchens, over counters and islands, Bar, Cafe and in hallways.

CANOPY: 5 ” round canopy with a 39″ rubber insulated cord gives maximum flexibility in hanging heights. Perfect for sloped ceilings and compatible with most junction boxes.

MEDIUM BASE SOCKET: Features an E26 socket that is compatible with a variety of incandescent, LED, CFL and halogen bulbs (60W max, not included).

UL LISTED: This Anmytek product is UL listed, and is backed by a 2 years limited manufacturer’s warranty.

What Customers Say:

“Really really beautiful.”

“Beautiful, well designed and better actually than it look on photo”

“Easy to put together”

“Love it and so does everyone who walks through our front door!”

“Had difficulty with parts, but was promptly shipped new parts that worked. Customer services was amazing!”

    Rectangle Wood and Metal Chandelier Pendant

Features and Description:

HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE CORD MOUNTED: Includes Rubber insulated adjustable cord with a 53 inch max height.

25.5 INCH BIG METAL CAGE: 25.5″ length * 9.25″ width * 11.5″ highth, strong iron wire cage. Perfect for kitchens, over counters and islands, Bar, Cafe and in hallways.

CANOPY: 10.25 ” * 4.75 ” square canopy with a 42″ rubber insulated cord gives maximum flexibility in hanging heights. Perfect for sloped ceilings and compatible with most junction boxes.

MEDIUM BASE SOCKET: Features an E26 socket that is compatible with a variety of incandescent, LED, CFL and halogen bulbs (60W max, not included).

UL LISTED: This Anmytek product is UL listed, and is backed by a 2 years limited manufacturer’s warranty.

What Customers Say:

“A good price for this light.”

“I get more compliments on it than anything else in the house I’ve recently made over”

“I love this light!”

  Industrial Metal Spherical Pendant

Features and Description:

Vintage style metal globe pendant lighting;shade dimension: 11.81” in diameter,11.81” in height

Its open-air design showcases the illumination from the bulb, adding its trendy appeal

ETL listed, E26 based, bulb not included, oil rubbed bronze finish

Hardwired installation, this unique merging of both vintage craftsmanship and industrial design makes this piece a stunning addition to any room in your home

A special “feature” to this light: all the 4 rings an be spined around screws, so it can be showed multi displays according to your desired lighting look

What Customers Say:

“It was easy to install”

“Exceptional quality for an extraordinary price”

“This light looks amazing and we are receiving so many compliments”

“The functionality is exactly what you would expect it to be, which is wonderful. It puts out just enough light with the vintage style Edison bulb that we ordered separately.”

” I love the new, updated and modern look it gives my small foyer. I also like the shadows it casts on my walls.”

Hopefully this gave you some ideas to add a piece of rustic industrial element to your home decor. If you like this post, you may enjoy our Modern Farmhouse Lighting post as well.

          The post Rustic Pendant Lighting To Swoon For appeared first on Diane and Dean.

from Diane and Dean https://www.dianeanddean.com/rustic-pendant-lighting-to-swoon-for/

[yahoo-the-turnstile-blog]

Q&A: Sasha Banks on her historic Abu Dhabi match, an all-female Royal Rumble and Ronda Rousey

Sasha Banks competed against Alexa Bliss as part of the first ever female match in Abu Dhabi. (Photo courtesy of WWE)

Last week, for the first time ever, female WWE superstars competed in a match in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The match between Sasha Banks and WWE Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss required the women to alter their ring attire and featured a certain degree of uncertainty as to how the crowd would receive them. The moment not only had a profound impact on the fans in attendance, who chanted “this is hope” as the women wrestled, but it also left its mark on the competitors themselves.

Yahoo Sports spoke with Banks about the occasion, the chances of another history-making moment next month, and the possibility of Ronda Rousey stepping into the squared circle.

Yahoo Sports: How did the match come about? When did the significance and importance of the moment hit you?

Sasha Banks: It was a week or two before going to Abu Dhabi that we found out we were going to be able to wrestle there. I knew I was going to be on the India tour and WWE Head of Talent Relations Mark Carrano told us there’s a potential chance we were going to get to wrestle in Abu Dhabi, but they weren’t sure what the procedures were or if we were going to get cleared to wrestle, so just in case, we needed to get full body suits made.

I asked my husband “can you make me look the best you can in two weeks?” I didn’t really understand what the full importance was because I wasn’t even sure if we were going to wrestle or not. Then, Carrano told us we were going to do it but we were keeping it hush-hush. We only did a little bit of social media saying we were going to have the championship match, but we avoided saying it was the first ever women’s match over there because we didn’t know how they were going to perceive us over there.

Before we went to the ring, I had such goosebumps and I started crying. It felt like I was about to have a [NXT] TakeOver match because legit every time I did a TakeOver, I would get so much nerves the morning of and get this weird feeling of anxiety because I wanted to do the best I could and I knew the importance of it. I always want people to remember my performance and I knew going into this we were going to be making history and a difference in Abu Dhabi for women and sports. Like I said, I didn’t know how fans were going to perceive us because they don’t really get to see us on television over there because they aren’t allowed to show women [not covered up]. It was crazy.

What was the reaction from the WWE locker room and roster? Was there a congratulatory moment, did everyone recognize what had happened?

They more laughed at our bodysuits before we went out. They said we looked like Power Rangers. They told me I looked like [WWE Superstar] Goldust or Purpledust so they asked me to do some of his stuff in the match and I did.

Right before I went out, Triple H showed up and that was so special to see him come. He gave us big hugs and told us how important that was and how we’re making a difference in the world, not just wrestling, for women.  I started crying before. When I came back I started crying again. I was crying so much that Sheamus and Cesaro, who were in the main event, stopped me and asked if I was OK. I’m such a crybaby and emotional about things like that. Right before I went out, I peeked through the curtain and I didn’t see women, but once I walked down that stage I saw a bunch of little girls and I just started breaking down because it was incredible.

You’re a four-time WWE Women’s Champion. You’re one of the faces of the company and have competed on huge stages. Where does the Abu Dhabi match rank on Sasha Banks’ list of accomplishments?

It’s up there. I don’t want to rank it, but it’s up there. For me, No. 1 is my NXT match with Bayley at TakeOver and this is totally tied with my first ever “WrestleMania” match and everything tied to it. Knowing the importance of this match and that it can change a nation, it can help little girls be inspired to know they can have a dream and accomplish anything, it’s up there. It’s something I’m going to remember the rest of my life. The feeling I had before I went out there is the reason I love wrestling show much. It is making a difference. It is spreading love around the world. It is inspiring people across the country. Hopefully we inspired and made a difference.

You’ve made plenty of history during your time with WWE, but now there are new faces on both “WWE Raw” and “Smackdown.” Could we see another first come January with an all-female “Royal Rumble?”

Absolutely. I’m so excited for the call-ups. We needed it. We were pretty much just going around in a circle with who we were going to face. When they brought back Paige along with the two new girls Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, I was like “hell yeah dude.” Now we’ll have more storylines that aren’t just driven by the title. It’s been the main focus on “Raw” for the past couple of weeks and it’s been incredibly cool to see. The same goes for “Smackdown Live” with the three new girls [Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan]. Those are three girls you didn’t really get to see in NXT and now they come up to the main roster and get that spotlight.

The more women we have the more chance we have to have a women’s “Royal Rumble” in January. I pray that we do, it’s such a dream for me and I would love to have not only our roster but past women show up and the women of NXT compete as well.

Banks and Bliss were required to wear full-body suits in order to compete in the match in Abu Dhabi. (Photo courtesy of WWE)

This year Raw falls on both Christmas and New Year’s Day. How are you working your schedule to be with your family and relax during the holidays?

Because of that I decided to go to Boston early to celebrate with my family. I have interviews every single day so I’m just trying to get [the holidays] in with my family before the Christmas loop.

I just wanted to reflect on my journey. I’m going to head to my old wrestling school and I told my trainer I just want to sit in the ring and reflect on everything that I’ve done because I don’t ever get the chance to do that and realize everything that has happened over the past five years.

It’s amazing to think about how I started out so bland, just nothing as a wrestler, to the star you see every week on Raw, the Legit Boss who is larger than life. I see my face on posters, I’m on magazines, video games, we’re creating history every single month. I don’t want to just be awesome for a woman. I want to be awesome for a WWE superstar. I want to be the face like John Cena or Roman Reigns.

Speaking of being the face of a company. If you could be in the main event in “WrestleMania” this year, what is your dream match?

My dream match for “WrestleMania” is either me versus Bayley or a Fatal Four-Way with the Four Horsewomen (Banks, Bayley, Lynch, Charlotte). We killed it in NXT and that match really helped people notice us and the women down there. I would love, love, love that to happen. If not this year, then the year after or the year after that. That’s the goal. We’re breaking down all of these doors and barriers but I feel that women main eventing “WrestleMania” is the ultimate goal for us.

There have been a lot of rumors about Ronda Rousey joining WWE. She was at the Mae Young Classic earlier this year and there has been a lot of discussion recently. What would she bring to the WWE? How big of a difference would it be to face athletes like you, Becky Lynch or Bayley?

I think she would add a lot to the division because legit in every interview there’s a question about her, isn’t this interview about me? Hello?

The name would add a lot because of what she brings to the table across social media platforms and her star power would also be big, but this is way different than MMA. There’s a lot that goes into it and there’s a lot of training. If she is serious about it and she does love it, then I expect her to train like any other NXT superstar. I hate for people to come in and think that they can just go straight to the top because of their name. We have a ton of women down there and men too who work their butts off day-in and day-out and I would hate to see them get stepped on just because of her name.

That said, bring it. I’m all for it. She’s not better than me. I’m the best in the world and if she wants to step up to the best, I’m all for it.

By now, wrestling fans are familiar with your story and how you’ve loved the business since being a kid. Would that Sasha be proud of where you are now?

Oh hell yeah! Honestly, anytime I think about what I’ve done it’s been something I could’ve dreamed of. I put it out in the universe, but did I ever know that I would get these opportunities and these first-time ever moments to make a difference? I wrote down in my notebook when I was 10 that I wanted to be the greatest women’s wrestler and I wanted to change the definition of what it was to be a diva. Three years ago, we changed that. It’s so crazy to think that dreams really do come true. I’m proud of myself now at 25!

More from Yahoo Sports: • NHL star’s wife: Trump aggressively approached me • Manziel undergoing intense process to play in CFL • Report: Lakers asked LaVar Ball to tone down criticism • Powerful MLB agent slams Marlins as a ‘pawn shop’

[yesborg9]

Toronto, Labour Day 2017

Having been to Canada 3 times already (2003 fishing trip in Nestor Falls, Vancouver, and Niagara Falls), for many years I’ve also wanted to visit Toronto. It doesn’t take much convincing to talk the wife into getting out her passport, so we booked a flight out of Milwaukee and a hotel downtown for the Labor Day weekend. Or in Canada, Labour Day.

When flying in, it was amazing seeing the landscape go from miles and miles of farmland to urban sprawl as if a line were drawn on a map. The airport was far from downtown, so we had to take public transit to our hotel. It wasn’t ideal, as the subway was a little busy and transferring trains was not fun when lugging around a 50 lbs suitcase up and down non-working escalators, but it was cheap.

Downtown Toronto was quite beautiful. There are many similarities to New York City, but more in a way that Toronto is trying too hard to be like NYC.

Much like when I found that it’s a misconception that New Yorkers are very rude, I found it’s also misconception that all Canadians are polite. Aside from the service workers in the restaurants and stores, whom were all awesome, the majority of people on the street were borderline rude to us. Not stepping out of the way when there’s little room on the sidewalk, not holding doors for us when following them into a building, and they’re not apologetic at all when they bump into you. I assumed this is just the way people are in the city, however the people in downtown Vancouver were much more polite.

I talked to a few sports fans as I was donning my Badgers and Brewers hats all weekend. I was surprised at how much they love their Blue Jays. This is something I tend to notice when we travel: how many sports fans I see and which teams they back. I saw far more Blue Jays hats downtown than I usually see of any one team’s apparel in any other city. It was not yet hockey season, so I will excuse the lack of NHL apparel seen, however it still surprised me as from what I understand the Maple Leafs’ fan base is pretty rabid. One person told me that Toronto really wants their own NFL team. I asked about the CFL, and he said it’s fun but even Canadians consider it the minor leagues of the NFL. The last night we were there, a CFL game was on every TV in the bar (Toronto vs Hamilton), but it didn’t really seem like a lot of people at the bar were into the game; no one cheered when Toronto scored [side note: Toronto won the Grey Cup this season]. We did want to go to a baseball game when we were there but the Jays were out of town.

Our first eating/drinking destination was a place downtown called the Beerbistro. Prices were a little high, but they had a fairly impressive beer menu. I started with a very good hefeweizen by Side Launch Brewing, several other random Canadian beers (including a rye called “Beer Snob”), and a La Trappe Quad from the Netherlands.

That night we went to the lakefront and ate at Amsterdam Brewing Company. I sampled 8 of their beers while enjoying the spiciest Thai green curry I’ve had in my life. Interestingly, one of their beers was called “Spotted Cow.” It’s a Belgian wit, and it was decent. I really enjoyed the “Downtown Brown” and surprisingly the “Boneshaker” 80 IBU IPA. I bought a few more to go and really liked their raspberry beer.

The next day we had lunch downtown at 3 Brasseurs (3 Brewers) and I did some early sampling. They had a new “Milkshake IPA” and it was fine. I wasn’t overly impressed with many of their beers; I thought their brown and wit beers were decent, the amber wasn’t that good, but the “Bear Street Stout” was quite good. We came back to this place a few more times because the food and service were excellent and I enjoyed that stout every time.

Later we went to Goose Island Brewing. I expected to see most of GI’s regulars on tap and was surprised to see they had so much more. Also the brewery is right next to a restaurant called Bier Markt and they have an extensive tap/bottle list. We were allowed to order food and beer from there when sitting in the Goose Island beer garden. The wife decided to try “Prodromus” by Omnipollo, a deep fried graham cracker chocolate chunk caramel bar stout. She thought it was too boozy (she was right, it is 11.1%) but I loved it. I tried a “Steam Whistle Pilsner” which is the only beer Steam Whistle Brewing makes. I’m not much of a fan of pilsners, but this one was good. My favorite Goose Island beer was the “Cult Classic,” a dunkel.

For dinner, I was able to talk the wife into going to Mascot Brewery because I was determined to go to a rooftop bar. But after climbing all of the stairs, we found out they wouldn’t serve me a flight of samples up there, so we had to come back down to the restaurant. I tried 3 of their beers as well as a number of guest taps. All were good. My favorites were Mascot’s “Peach Sour,” and Nickel Brook’s “Inquiry Brett Farmhouse Saison.” Nickel Brook also had an interesting sour stout. In all I sampled 27 different beers Saturday.

On Sunday, we got on a train to Casa Loma, a beautiful castle north of downtown. When we arrived, it was closed due to a power outage. We were pretty disappointed, so I thought we’d head back down to the waterfront. On our way there, my Samsung Galaxy S6 went into a reboot loop. I spent a long time trying to get it to recover, but in the end it was dead. Now VERY disappointed, we stopped at a sports bar called Shoeless Joe’s and I had a few “Rickard’s Red” Irish ales made by Molson. I didn’t expect it to taste good considering it’s a Canadian domestic (probably on par with Samuel Adams) but I liked it; maybe it was just that I was in such a bad mood that any beer would taste good.

We took up the advice of another couple we talked to earlier and went to the Distillery Historic District. This didn’t cheer me up as it was more of an arts & crafts market than anything else. We stopped at Mill Street Brewery to sample a few beers. The “Tankhouse Ale” and “Belgian Wit” were both good, but the two others I tried were awful. A screaming kid in the beer garden hastened our departure. We went back to the Bier Markt to try to cheer me up. I had another Prodromus but I was still too annoyed to enjoy myself. Also the service there was very slow so we decided to go somewhere else for dinner. Back to the Beerbistro! A chocolate porter by Collective Arts called “Stranger Than Fiction” raised my spirits. “Captivator Doppelbock” by Tree Brewing Co also pleased me.

On Labor Day, after lunch at 3 Brasseurs, we went back to Casa Loma and were granted entrance. We climbed one of the towers, toured the castle (it is set up like a Canadian military museum), and walked the 800ft tunnel to the castle’s stables. Many movies were filmed in the castle, including X-Men, Strange Brew, and Chicago.

That night, being the last night in Toronto, we treated ourselves to a nice dinner at The Keg Steakhouse & Bar. For a place called “The Keg” I was pretty disappointed with their beer menu. I tried an IPA, then just had a few Rickard’s Reds. The food was amazing.

Tuesday I was finally able to do what I’ve always wanted to do in Toronto: visit the Hockey Hall of Fame. It’s mostly game-used hockey gear from NHL and Olympic teams, and then the Great Hall where every NHL trophy resides, including an exact replica of the Stanley Cup.

Although my hopes may have been too high for the city leading me to a slight sense of disappointment, not to mention having to buy a new phone upon arriving back in Wisconsin, I was impressed with most of the food we were able to enjoy, and I was able to sample around 50 new beers.