Just finished

Armageddon's Children
by Terry Brooks

(Book one of trilogy)
Being a huge fan of Brooks' work, I was pleasantly surprised to come across his latest book at the library.

Logan Tom is doomed to remember the past and determined to rescue the future. Far behind him lies a boyhood cut violently short by his family''s slaughter, when the forces of madness and hate swept our world after decadent excesses led to civilization''s downfall. Somewhere ahead of him rests the only chance to beat back the minions of evil that are systematically killing and enslaving the last remnants of humanity. Navigating the scarred and poisoned landscape that once was America and guided by a powerful talisman, Logan has sworn an oath to seek out a remarkable being born of magic, possessed of untold abilities, and destined to lead the final fight against darkness.

Across the country, Angel Perez, herself a survivor of the malevolent, death-dealing forces combing the land, has also been chosen for an uncanny mission in the name of her ruined world''s salvation. From the devastated streets of Los Angeles, she will journey to find a place-and a people-shrouded in mystery, celebrated in legend, and vital to the cause of humankind . . . even as a relentless foe follows close behind, bent on herextermination. While in the nearly forsaken city of Seattle, a makeshift family of refugees has carved out a tenuous existence among the street gangs, mutants, and marauders fighting to stay alive against mounting odds-and something unspeakable that has come from the shadows in search of prey.

In time, all their paths will cross. Their common purpose will draw them together. Their courage and convictions will be tested and their fates will be decided, as their singular crusade begins: to take back, or lose forever, the only world they have.

Oh deer!

On my way to work this morning I was behind a car which slammed on it's brakes. Just before the driver hit the brake lights, I saw a shadow to my right. I waited a few seconds to see why the car slowed down and then saw a deer bound across the road. It was quite tall (5 feet) as far as Markham deer go (?) and I've now seen a few along this stretch of road (Elgin Mills between Kennedy and Woodbine).

Although driving down this road feels like you are in cottage country, it's only seconds away from the subdivisions which are slowing making their way north, devouring everything in their path. I wonder how deer can live so close to the city before I realize how close the city has come to the country.

It's a "wow, that was cool!" moment.

I finally won!

It took a while but I finally won a three-team pro-line ticket. I haven't been playing much this year but in the last month or two, I play when the Leafs are on the tube; it makes watching the game a little more interesting.

This ticket was a mixed bag with all three games as tight as a tourniquet. I selected one football game to tie (outcome within three points), one hockey team to win and one player to out-point another.

New England and San Diego tied, 24-21. Minnesota beat Chicago 4-3 in a shootout win. Lecavalier had 2 points to Yashin's 1 ... Paul wins!

Now, the payout was only $21 but that's on a $2 bet. That's a tank of gas for the Echo!

Winter driving tips

It looks like winter has finally arrived in Toronto. Freezing rain and snow greeted us this morning and should be with us for the next few days. Along with the bad weather comes bad traffic. Everyone, rightly so, takes extra precaution and the 30-minute commute becomes an hour or even longer. With snow and ice on the ground, bad/lazy drivers become potentially deadly obstacles you must manoeuver around in order to get home in one piece. Here are some tips that can make driving a lot less stressful during the next few months of winter.

• Leave home earlier. This way, you don't have to rush to get to work. You know traffic will be bad so get a head start. Weaving in and out of the lanes so you can get to work 3 minutes earlier is just plain idiotic. You also cause stress for the 78 people you will cut-off in the process.



• Don't be lazy. Scrape off all the snow and ice from your windshields and windows. How the hell do you expect to change lanes or turn when you can't see out of your car? You are the ones who usually end up in front of me while the two-foot snowbank on your hood continually blows off onto my windshield causing my nerves to fray.



• Eliminate the condensation on your windows. For decades now, all cars come equipped with fans which produce heat and cold. Use the heat to help rid the car of condensation produced from the heat coming off your head while your brain overexerts itself allowing you to breath and blink at the same time. Also, see point above.



• Slow down Mario Andretti! We're all late for work! (Unless you obeyed point number one.) Unclench yourself, listen to some tunes on the radio, and arrive in one piece. We're going to pass you anyway as you will either slide into a ditch, slam into a guardrail, or spin-out and cause an accident. Now, by slowing down I don't mean going 5 clicks per hour. This just causes you to be gently nudged from behind into said ditch, guardrail or oncoming traffic. How about a nice cruising speed while leaving plently of room between you and the car in front.

That's all I have for now. If any more tips come to mind, I'll be sure to add them. Drive smart!

World's Densest Cities

An article in Forbes magazine lists the world's densest cities. By dense, they mean population, not stupidity.

The capital of the Philippines, Manila boasts the highest population density in the world. It has a population of 1,581,000 with a density of 41,014 persons per square kilometre. The metropolitan area consists of some 10 million people. The roads are filled with buses, pedicabs (bicycles with sidecars) and cars. The traffic is consistently described as horrendous. Fixing this situation has to be put into the context of serious water problem and other infrastructure calamities. I should probably stop complaining about my 15-minute drive to work!

Other cities mentioned were Cairo (Egypt), Lagos (Nigeria), Macau (China), Seoul (South Korea), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Jakarta (Indonesia), Kaohsiung/Taipei (Taiwan), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic).

By comparison, in 2001, Toronto's population density was 3,939 persons per square kilometre and New York's was 10,316.

iPhone = iNcredible

There's no way I can do describe and do justice to what this device can do. It is an amazing creation that let's you do everything with the touch of your finger. If you thought the iPod's scroll-wheel was cool, wait until you see what this phone can do.

Have a look!

Just finished

Knights of the Black and White
by Jack Whyte

(Book one of trilogy)
It is 1088. While many French nobles continue their occupation of a violently hostile England, one young knight, Hugh de Payens, is inducted into a powerful secret society in his father’s castle in Anjou. The Order of Rebirth in Sion draws its membership from the ranks of some of France’s most powerful families, with only one son from each generation eligible to be selected, and its members’ loyalty to the ancient brotherhood transcends loyalty to both Church and state. When the new Pope calls for knights to join his Crusade to redeem the Holy Land, Hugh is commanded by the Order to go along and finds himself in hellish battle in Jerusalem.

Sickened by the slaughter of innocents and civilians and appalled by the savagery of his fellow Christians, Hugh appeals to the Order to allow him and a few of the brotherhood to follow a different path. Determined to remain true to their own beliefs, they become the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ, a unique order of fighting monks, and use the skills honed in battle to defend and protect pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem. But the Order has a different plan, and soon the brethren are charged with an outlandish and dangerous task—a seemingly impossible mission to uncover a treasure hidden in the very center of Jerusalem, a treasure that might not only destroy the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem but also threaten the fabric of the Church itself.

Jack Whyte's insight, descriptions of events and people, and explanations of historical facts set the perfect mood for this time period.

I've read all of Jack Whyte's books and they are written in a similar fashion. All are recommended!

I love broadband!

Thank God for TSN's broadband option which enabled me to watch the World Junior Hockey Championships on my computer from the comfort of my office. Canada beat USA 2-1 in a highly entertaining, seven-round shootout. In my opinion, the States outplayed Canada and had better scoring chances but Canada's goalie, Carey Price, played a solid game. The Canadian hero was Jonathan Toews who scored three times in the shootout; all of them highlight-reel goals.

Canada will play the winner of the Sweden-Russia semi-final for the championship on Friday afternoon at 1:30.

Thank you TSN!

Just finished

Here's a list of some books that I've recently read.

• David Wells: Perfect I'm not
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves
• *The World is Flat
• *The Know-it-all
• Glory Road
• A Long Way Down
• London
• Wake Up, Sir!
• *A Cook's Tour
• CSS Web Design for Dummies
• Yzerman: The Making of a Champion
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
• *JPod

* recommend

I'm currently reading book one of the trilogy titled Knights of the Black & White. Review to follow once I'm done.

Who's better? Lefties or righties?

I did some research to compare who are better hockey players; left-handed or right-handed shooters. I myself shoot left. This is what I came up with.

top 20 point leaders of all time:
• 12 shoot left -- 8 shoot right

top 20 goal scorers of all time:
• 8 shoot left -- 12 shoot right

top 20 assist leaders of all time:
• 11 shoot left -- 9 shoot right

top 20 playoff point leaders of all time:
• 12 shoot left -- 8 shoot right

top 15 penalty leaders of all time:
• 8 shoot left -- 7 shoot right

So, what does this tell you? I don't know either but it can sure start a great debate over a few pints!

Cramps!

I'm totally dejected! Today was the first time that I couldn't finish my 25-minute run since I started this past June. Ten minutes into my run, I was attacked by severe cramps in my right side. I tried running and then walking through the pain but to no avail. I had to stop halfway through.

I'm hoping that it was the week and a half of debauchery ... the holidays are a fantastic time to eat, drink and be lazy. I'm back at the gym Thursday and hope the cramps that attacked me are on permanent vacation.