Just finished

Slaughterhouse-five
by Kurt Vonnegut

Billy Pilgrim is the son of an American barber. He serves as a chaplain's assistant in World War II, is captured by the Germans, and he survives the largest massacre in European history the fire bombing of Dresden. After the war Billy makes a great deal of money as an optometrist, and on his wedding night he is kidnapped by a flying saucer from the planet Tralfamadore.

More info.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

This past weekend was spent in Welland for the funeral of the father of my soon to be brother-in-law. As the funeral procession drove from the funeral home to the church and then later on to the cemetary, I noticed a very cool thing. Everyone who was driving pulled over to the side of the road and stopped until we all drove by. Everyone who was walking on the sidewalk stopped and waited until we all drove by. They were paying their respects to the deceased and to the family.

In all my years of living in Toronto, I've never noticed anyone stopping while the procession drives by. We may slow down but we never stop. I thought that was a great gesture on behalf of all the people living in Welland. One woman stopped walking and put down her Tim Horton's bag on the sidewalk and bowed her head!

I guess things like this happen more often in small towns where interactions with the same people create a feeling of closeness and respect. Life is slower and the little things are appreciated more. This is lost in the fast-paced, big cities where people stay to themselves and interact with others only when necessary.

Good on you, Welland!

Just finished

Lord Vishnu's Love Handles
by Will Clarke

You'll never know what you'll find when you judge a book by it's cover. Off the wall and original is how I would describe both the story and cover.

Travis Anderson has a psychic gift. Or so he thinks. So far he's milked his premonitions only to acquire an upper-middle-class lifestyle -- pretty wife, big house, and a shiny Range Rover -- without having to make any real effort. But recent visions threaten his yuppie contentment. Haunted by omens of impending cancers, stillborn babies, and personal train wrecks, he is compelled to make a series of inaccurate and horrifying prophecies that humiliate him in front of his fellow country club members. The IRS gets Travis's number, too, demanding an audit of his sloppy bookkeeping.

Drowning in mounting financial problems and apparent mental illness, Travis tries booze, pills, even golf to stay afloat, but nothing works. His wife and friends are forced to stage an intervention. Travis is in danger of losing his family, his career, and ultimately, his sanity. That is, until he meets a Hindu holy man in rehab who claims to be the final incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Suddenly, the tragically shallow Travis is saddled with the responsibility of bettering mankind and saving the world.

Favourite word of the day

Magma
mag-muh : noun

1. molten material beneath or within the earth's crust, from which igneous rock is formed.
2. any crude mixture of finely divided mineral or organic matter.
3. a paste composed of solid and liquid matter.

2007 NHL Playoffs

The 2007 NHL playoffs begin tonight and here is my prediction: Buffalo will play San Jose for the Cup. Even though the Leafs are out -- again, I do enjoy watching playoff action. For this reason, I'm hoping that Minnesota and Detroit go far into the playoffs because their games will be played at a reasonable hour compared to the teams further West.

Let's have some fresh teams vying for hockey's Holy Grail. I'm tired of seeing Detroit, New Jersey and Dallas.

You know the playoffs are here when the newspapers start to publish images of the Leafs clearing out their lockers for the year!