Tim Stapleton, or "The One That Waved To Me"

Although a win in regulation would have been ideal, there is still a bit of "joy in Joyland" here in Winnipeg tonight, after Jets forward Tim Stapleton scored in overtime to win a critical game against the Washington Capitals.

I noticed Tim Stapleton's speed and skill early on in the season, and I liked that he seemed to be a very down to earth, likeable human being.  But it wasn't until I attended the Jets game verses the St. Louis Blues on February 25th that he became one of my favourites.

It was Madelyn's first Winnipeg Jets game.  A moment of pride for any father. We got there as early as we could, and went down to ice level to get as close to the players as we could during their pre-game skate.  She was a little bit awestruck as she caught a glimpse of her favourite player, Dustin Byfuglien.  

While she stood at the edge of the glass watching the players go round and round (including Pavelec, or to her, "That Guy With Pillows On His Feet"), a blue shadow zipped up to her on the other side of the glass.  It didn't even phase her, as she was focused on the players at centre ice.

Her concentration was interrupted by the 'tap-tap-tap' of a stick on the glass.  Slightly startled, she looked up to see #14 Tim Stapleton standing right in front of her.  He put is hand up and waved at her.

She was stunned!  She quickly composed herself, and waved back.  A big smile played across his face, and she responded with a nervous, but excited giggle, and a huge smile herself!

And like that, he was gone, leaving Madelyn still waving at him.

She had found a new favourite player for the game.

Tim Stapleton.

Or as she referred to him, "The One That Waved To Me".

The entire interaction took all of 10 seconds, far too quick to get a photo, but I did get this shot of her about 5 seconds after Stapleton skated away. She was glowing.

I'm sure Tim Stapleton will never read this. In the unlikely event he does, thank you. You made my daughter's first Jets game memorable.

Currently playing: Run DMC - Rock Box

Currently colouring: An as yet unsolicited Marvel Masterwork! 

Proudly in my sixth Cola free year!

Home Sweet Home - by Anja Studer

I just passed by the incredible Cre8ery Gallery today, and saw one of the most beautiful art exhibit posters I've ever come across.

This photo doesn't do the artwork justice. I found myself in the middle of a busy sidewalk, captivated in front of a sandwich board advertisement, absolutely focused on the powerful white mountain peaks running through the center of the image.  It's hard to not feel like your balancing atop that white precipice while looking at this piece, unsure of whether I want to fall into the cool blackness of shadows to the left, or into the warmer valley of reflected light to the right.

I can't afford to buy any real paintings right now, but if there's a print of this for sale, I want it.

Anja Studer's exhibit runs through April 3, 2012 at the Cre8ery Gallery.  It looks like I missed the opening night, but I'll have to make it down at some point in the next week and a half.

Currently playing: The Poppy Family - Which Way You Goin' Billy?
Currently colouring: An as yet unsolicited Marvel Masterwork! 
Proudly in my sixth Cola free year!

The Dauphin Herald

Even though I haven't spent more than a long weekend in Dauphin, Manitoba in over a decade, I still identify very much with my old hometown. I recently got a subscription to the town paper, The Dauphin Herald, which I used to deliver when I was a young boy in elementary school (along with the now defunct Daily Bulletin!).

It's been almost half my life since I've called Dauphin home, so I don't recognize as many names and faces making the news there as I once would have. But recently, I was treated to two articles by former teachers of mine.

My high school career lasted from 1990-91 to 1992-93, and during that time I had Mr. Bill Walley for Science, and Mr. Ed Stozek for Language Arts. Both were fantastic teachers. In a recent edition of the Dauphin Herald, Mr. Walley wrote about bird counts in Riding Mountain National Park. Meanwhile, Mr. Stozek has a fascinating weekly article that looks back into the history of Dauphin and the Parkland.

Nearly 20 years after I graduate, and these guys are still teaching me things...

Fellow former Dauphinites, you too can subscribe to the Dauphin Herald!

Currently playing: The Swiftys - Miss Those Days
Currently colouring: An as yet unsolicited Marvel Masterwork! 
Proudly in my sixth Cola free year!

That's a big snowman

Well, judging from the 5-day forecast, I think winter is over.

I actually find myself missing the snow.  We didn't really get all that much of it this year.  That didn't stop this guy on Hartford Avenue from building the most awesome snowman I'd ever seen!

Currently playing: Stan Meissner - It's No Secret
Currently colouring: An as yet unsolicited Marvel Masterwork! 
Proudly in my sixth Cola free year!

I put the "Me" in "Awesome"!

Last week, Jimmy Fallon posted a poster of a non-existent movie starring himself and Paul Rudd titled "Aww Hail No!".  He then asked for people to tweet or Facebook a tagline for the film.

Today they released their favourite submissions.  I found this one particularly funny. "They put the 'Ow' in 'Snowstorm'".

Granted, I'm a bit biased, because THAT WAS MY SUBMISSION!

Pretty excited to have made the cut, even if they misspelled the word "the".  Guess it's time to quit my day job and write taglines for a living!

I'd like to thank the Academy...

The other submissions can be found on The Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Show website.

Currently playing: Queen - We Are The Champions
Currently colouring: An as yet unsolicited Marvel Masterwork! 
Proudly in my sixth Cola free year!

Ralph McQuarrie

Ralph McQuarrie passed away over the weekend.

I loved Star Wars as a kid. I was absolutely obsessed.

Then, like a cola drinker who suddenly discovered coffee, I discovered the work of Ralph McQuarrie, and my brain hasn't been the same since.

I don't remember where I was, or how I came to see my first Ralph McQuarrie painting.  Maybe it was in a bookstore, in the basement of a friends house, or at school. I was so hypnotized by and absorbed in what I saw, I tuned out everything else around me. Those details are lost forever.

My mind was completely blown, as I studied the art. Some, done before a single frame of the film had been shot, featured different designs and concepts for otherwise familiar characters and vehicles. Other paintings ended up being reproduced verbatim on the big screen, like a McQuarrie painting come to life.

One of the hooks that sucked me in immediately was some concept art that depicted a Stormtrooper holding a lightsaber, which wasn't seen in the movies. What other secrets to my obsession could I find hidden in these paintings, some created before the movie was even filmed? Perhaps if I pored over the images enough, I'd catch a clue about the (then mysterious) Clone Wars, or the Journal of the Whills, or other bits of Star Wars material that didn't make it into the film, but were spoken about in hushed whispers by kids in dark corners of the school playground who knew more about the movies than I did.

Like I said, I was obsessed. And these beautiful paintings added fuel to the fire.

Even seeing the images today makes me feel like a kid again.

Sad to hear of the passing of this legend.

An Entertainment Weekly article on his passing summed up his artwork the best. "A McQuarrie Star Wars design looks like what would have resulted if Salvador Dali had sketched concepts for Universals 1936 Flash Gordon serial by way of Sergio Leones Old West".

Here are a few of my favourite paintings. The first one below, of Luke Skywalker stepping out of his snowspeeder in front of an AT-AT is probably my favourite.

Currently playing: David Bowie - Life on Mars
Proudly in my sixth Cola free year!