Kevin Lamo

Kevin Lamoureux is the Liberal Party candidate in my riding of Winnipeg North. One of my neighbors is a supporter, and his sign got bent in the wind yesterday, shortening the candidates' name to "Kevin Lamo".

And no disrespect meant to Mr. Lamoureux. I just had a good chuckle at "Kevin Lam-o".

Currently playing: Max Webster - Let Go The Line Currently colouring: Silver Bullet #8 by Lonely Robot Comics! Proudly in my sixth Cola free year!

The Donovan Yaciuk Story, starring Ralph Macchio

"We think of you every night when we watch the karate kid on dancing with the stars…"

I've gotten a few comments in emails from friends ever since the most recent season of Dancing With The Stars series hit the airwaves.

Ralph Macchio, probably best known for his roles in films like the Karate Kid, the Outsiders, and My Cousin Vinny, is currently a contestant on the show. And I guess if I were to pick someone to play me in "Handsome Devil, the Donovan Yaciuk story", Ralph Macchio would be a pretty good choice!

We're not twins, but I have to admit there is a resemblance there!


Anyway, it's flattering to be compared to a guy who once appeared on the cover of Teen Beat magazine! It's better than being told you look like Rick Moranis!

Anyway, forget the Dancing With The Stars stuff. Here`s the best thing Macchio has done this year!

Wax On, F*ck Off with Ralph Macchio from Ralph Macchio

Currently playing: NHL Playoffs - Detroit Red Wings at Phoenix Coyotes
Currently colouring: Silver Bullet #8 by Lonely Robot Comics!
Proudly in my sixth Cola free year!

Beating my addiction.

Five years ago today, I had my last drink of cola.

You may laugh when you I call it an addiction. I don't mean to belittle real addictions that ruin people's lives, so perhaps "habit" is a better word for it. But at my peak I was drinking around 3 litres of pop per day, starting with breakfast.

Disgusting, I know.

I'd tried many times in the past to cut it out of my life, and I was only met with migraines, nausea, and moodiness.

I'll tell you what helped me beat it, and hopefully if there is something in your own life that you want to change, it can help you too!

My tradition was to have a 7-11 Double Gulp. Every day. Two litres of Coke. I'd get it first thing in the morning, and it would last me until lunch.

In April of 2006, my wife and I took a trip to Vancouver for almost a week to stay with relatives. There were no 7-11's within walking distance, and I wasn't going to make our gracious hosts drive me to one every morning. So, not wanting to be a glutton, I only snuck maybe a can a day out of their fridge. I was FORCED to limit my consumption.

I was in town to see my favourite band, Queen, performing with Paul Rodgers. So in addition to having reduced access to my drug of choice, I also had something big that I was really looking forward to that helped keep my mind from begging for it's fix.

In short, eliminate the supply of your habit, occupy your mind with something else you're really excited about, and hold yourself accountable to friends and family!

For me, accountability was posting the number of cola free days I'd experienced at the end of every blog post. I still keep that tradition as I enter my sixth cola free year, just scroll down to the bottom of this post! During the first year, if I was craving cola, I just remembered I'd have to reset the count on my blog and start from zero.

These tactics also worked for my wife when she quit smoking. Thanks to a terrible flu that ravaged her for over week, she had not smoked in 4 or 5 days. She couldn't get out of bed for a cigarette, let alone go buy any. Realizing this was one of her longest smoke-free streaks, she capitalized on this and rode it out. She's been riding that wave for almost 15 months now.

I'm incredibly proud of her, and her path was similar to mine. Forced elimination of supply, mind occupied with something else (in her case, getting rid of her flu!), and the support of friends and co-workers.

My advice? Quit trying to give up cold turkey just because it's Thursday. Find an event, a vacation, illness, or distracting life event that's happening soon, and piggy back your efforts to quit around this!

Currently playing: Queen - We Are The Champions
Currently colouring: Silver Bullet #8 by Lonely Robot Comics!
Proudly in my sixth Cola free year!

Coyotes Done In Phoenix?

The Phoenix Coyotes are set to take on the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and are trying to carry on the franchise tradition of the White-Out, which originated when they were the Jets here in Winnipeg. With the lack of fans coming to the games in Arizona, there's going to be a glut of Red Wings fans making the trip to snatch up the thousands of seats typically open at Jobing.com arena.

So much for a home team White-Out.

To make matters worse, AZCentral columnist Dan Bickley has completely embarrassed the team with today's opinion piece titled, "Detroit fans: If you can't stay away, please wear white".

In short, the piece is nothing but BEGGING Red Wings fans to wear white.

"If you must go to the games in Arizona, please wear white. We don't want outsiders thinking we can't sell out playoff games. After all we've been through - from bankruptcy hearings to relocation threats - the last thing we need is more national embarrassment."

"A sea of red at Jobing.com Arena would do just that."

That a piece like this needs to be written in the first place is pathetic.

Here in Winnipeg, we had no troubles with our White-Outs. And this is a city that felt like a Montreal home game when the Habs were in town! But we never needed to be begged to support this team and atmosphere in the playoffs.The rumours of a Coyotes relocation to Winnipeg for the 2010/2011 season are picking up steam. Nick Kypreos and Doug MacLean of the Fan 590 are quoting sources saying the deal to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in the desert is essentially done. I know what it's like to lose a team, and I wouldn't wish that one anyone. Not even the fans in Phoenix who truly love the Coyotes.

That being said, there really isn't a lot of those fans to have to feel bad for, if they can't fill an arena with their own fans during a playoff run.

Bring them home.

Currently playing: David Lee Roth - Just Like Paradise
Currently colouring: Silver Bullet #8 by Lonely Robot Comics!
Proudly in my fifth Cola free year!

You're in my grandma....

I came across this statue while window shopping the other day.

Would it have been so hard to make the heart stand out a little bit more so you actually include it in the sentence? When I walked past, I thought the statue read as "You're in my Grandma".

Seniors are more active than ever, so I guess there's occasions where a statue like this would come in handy, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't the original intent!


Currently playing: Faith No More - Epic
Currently colouring: Silver Bullet #8 by Lonely Robot Comics!
Proudly in my fifth Cola free year!

Kinsmen Jackpot Bingo

Don't laugh. I've got fond memories of Kinsmen Jackpot Bingo!

My Baba and I used to play when I was just a wee lad. Hearing the familiar whir of the bingo balls getting thrown around can take me back to my youth!

Cat and I always try to get a couple of games in every year for fun. We played in today's game, and I came so very close to winning $2000!

Do you have any idea how frustrating the card below is for me?Anyhow, it was still a fun game!

In closing, I'd like to say that Kathy Kennedy has perhaps the greatest nails in the city of Winnipeg! If you want to see them, tune in to next week's Kinsmen Jackpot Bingo - they're on the screen for the whole half hour holding bingo balls!

Currently playing: Elton John - I'm Still Standin'
Currently colouring: Silver Bullet #8 by Lonely Robot Comics!
Proudly in my fifth Cola free year!