Lust

I want these boots. Actually, I want the entire Burberry Fall/Winter 2010 collection, especially these boots and the multitude of over-size collared, military-inspired jackets.
Too bad I don't have thousands of GBPs lying around to shop their pre-order selections, yes, that's right you can (for a limited time only) get Burberry Fall/Winter 2010 pieces straight off the runway.

Team Canada 2010

I watched last night and though I was bitterly disappointed with the result I maintain that Team Canada 2010 is a great team, well thought out and despite the ability to debate team selection I maintain that every player on the squad deserved a position. Last night's game was exciting and Canada was by far the better team (last half of the 1st period, most of the second period-up until the last few minutes and for bursts in the 3rd). Three consecutive penalties to end the 2nd and start the third, face-off tanning, two puck mis-handlings by Brodeur in the opening half of the game and the stellar play of Ryan Miller (which was to be expected and could have been overcome had it not been for the three things mentioned above) were the differences.

The expectation heaped on all of the Canadian athletes at this Olympics is silly and stupid. The viewing public and media should concentrate on the task ahead not just the gold medal-we are distracting our own athletes. This is a great team that Stevie Y put together but so are all the rest of the teams. This tournament is not the NHL and the media and our collective hockey obsession has raised our expectations such that we can't even face reality. Having said this though, the performance by the team has been spotty-they don't seem to be able to keep sustained pressure, Crosby/Nash have yet to get on a roll (I mean one shootout goal after he failed on the first and one regular goal aren't going to cut it Crosby), Martin has looked a little shaky (still good but not hot and we need a hot goaltender to win).

I've loved the way Toews has played this whole tournament. He's so plucky and has been creating a bevy of chances-I look to him to get rewarded soon for his play. I like him on every line Babcock puts him on. I also like the Staal/Getzlaf/Perry line though all three of them took dumbass penalties last night (how terrible do you think Perry felt after Kessler out-hustled him on the empty netter) they're intensity is great but they have to play a far more disciplined game. Scott Niedermayer really stepped up last night and Drew Doughty played well after a lackluster first two games (Weber has been good too but needs to shoot the puck more). Also, enough with the complaining about Babcock's line juggling-you knew this was going to happen-it's his style and some of our best offensive chances came from his unorthodox line pairings-it also happens that the 3rd American goal seemed to come at the expense of a sloppy line change due to siad juggling but I digress.

The men's hockey team has quite the hill to climb. Good luck against Germany I (and just about the entire nation) fully expect you to go through to the quarter-finals where Russia awaits you. Adversity is good-it will make the gold taste that much sweeter. Play 60 minutes of smart, solid hockey like we all know you are capable of and nothing and no one will stop you.

Competition

At Torino I saw this kid and was like, who the hell does this ginger think he is. The answer? Shaun White. After watching him ride and hearing him speak all that skepticism melted away and I couldn't help but love him. Watching him win gold yesterday was something special. He didn't need to even do his 2nd run-he'd already won but instead he lay down a double McTwist (you could hear him telling the guys at the top he wanted to do it) and some giant airs-much to the delight of the crowd and scored a 48.4. It's crazy to watching someone so dominant. He isn't competing against the other boarders, he's competing against himself. The only way he'll loose in the pipe is if he fails himself and falls and even then that doesn't guarantee someone else victory.

Super bowl Musings

I am so happy for the New Orleans Saints and the city of New Orleans. They played an incredible game, made some really ballsy calls, kept the ball out of Peyton Manning's hands for 3/4 of the game and came up huge on Sunday night. Congratulations!

Also, for a man who has been considered a lock on the Hall of Fame pretty much since his introduction into the NFL Peyton Manning is 9-9 in the playoffs with the same percentage in Super bowls (1 for 2). This may be kicking a man when he's down (and not to down play his truly incredible regular season stats) but where is he when it counts? Also, suck it Caldwell-this game doesn't reward those who don't play with guts.

Thanks for the picture!

I've mused on this topic before but hearing this on the French channel was perfectly acceptable. Boy, licensing is a funny thing.

Disgust Day

"I think every day should be a day of romance. Then, on Valentine's Day, you should get to tell whoever you hate that you cannot stand them. There would be one day of hating, and 364 days of love."

– Valentine's Day star Ashton Kutcher, on how he'd rework the holiday, to Parade magazine

(I can't believe I'm quoting Ashton freaking Kutcher, but there you go-I can't help but agree with him on this). Thanks mediabistro.com for the pic!

Sushi!

I love sushi. I mean I really, really, really love sushi. I would go as far as to call myself a sushi snob-a label I wear with a certain amount of pride. So, it was with gusto that I consumed the creamy, fresh, local uni (left) before savoring a seasonal delicacy and personal favorite ankimo (salt-rubbed, sake-rinsed, steamed then chilled monk fish liver served with chili-dyed grated daikon, green onions and ponzu sauce-delicious!) at my favorite Japanese spot in Vancouver, Fuji Sushi. I had a second helping of ankimo later on-while it's around it's far too good to pass up!! nom nom nom!

If you can't make it out to Burquitlam to eat at Fuji then try Sushimart on Robson (it is owned by the same family and has a lower price point). If you go to Fuji be sure to eat at the counter and ask the chef about the daily specials (they're only written out on a small white board in Japanese).