Bluesfest Update!

Since my last posting, new bands have been added to the Bluesfest lineup, such as Hole, so check out the official website for an updated roster.

Karen and I will be going to see Great Big Sea on July 16 and Weezer on July 18. You're welcome to join us!

May long weekend recap

Karen and I spent Friday evening on Elgin Street. First, we stopped in at Pure Gelato for some decadence. I had a cup of dark chocolate gelato, with bits of Skor mixed in, and Karen had a cup of Toblerone chocolate gelato, infused with orange. Next, we walked up and down the street for a while before going into The Standard, where Karen had a glass of wine, and I had a pint of Steamwhistle. Next, we were off to our main destination which was Karen Fong's surprise birthday party at Woody's Pub, expertly organized and executed by her nearest and dearest friends. Many pictures were taken and lots of laughs were had.

Saturday. I went to the get some groceries after our pancake breakfast, while Karen stayed at the apartment to tackle the mountain of dishes we had built up. Upon my return, I was amazed at how much she had gotten done, and we continued together to finish them up. That afternoon, we set out to Clayton for the day to visit our friend Dew at her place for her birthday; she had no idea that we were coming to see her. We played a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit, took a trip out on the canoe, and feasted on what seemed to be an endless supply of food. The evening was topped off with a well executed fireworks display and two delectable birthday cakes.

Sunday. We cleaned up a bit around the apartment in the morning and then we went to see a couple of open houses in the early afternoon. Karen dropped me off at my mom's afterwards and she went to her parents' place. I went with my mom to Lowe's to pick up a patio table and a couple of chairs and we set it up when we got back. Karen and I stayed in for the evening, catching up on our TV shows courtesy of Rogers on Demand.

Monday. Karen and I went for a picnic in the morning, where we drank memosas and played Bocce. We installed the air conditioner in our bedroom window, which took a little more effort than last year's installation. We spent the afternoon at Mandy and Nick's lounging on their back patio, drinking, playing Euchre, eating BBQ'ed delicacies, and playing Bocce.

William Shatner for Governor General

Michaëlle Jean’s impending departure from Rideau Hall is generating a lot of talk (ie. buzz) as to who might replace her. The Mark, an on-line political publication, developed a poll suited to this purpose, asking readers to vote for who they thought would fit the bill.


Here are the top 5 candidates at present:

William Shatner     47%
Leonard Cohen     11%
Rick Hansen          10%
Preston Manning     5%
Phil Fontaine           4%

The remaining candidates, including Wayne Gretsky, Bobby Orr, and Kim Campbell, account for the rest.

Clearly, the readers of The Mark know who they want to fill Michaëlle Jean’s shoes (not literally, of course). In my opinion, they've made a fine choice.

William Shatner is an actor, recording artist, and author. He has played some of the most iconic characters on stage and screen: Captain James Tiberius Kirk, T.J Hooker, Denny Crane, and the Priceline guy. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and on the Canadian Walk of Fame. He has a page on Wikipedia, IMDB, and Twitter, an official website, and a channel on YouTube.

Need more convincing. Watch his 'I am Canadian' speech from the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Games.

Sirloin Oscar

Take sirloin steak.

Add some sauteed mushrooms, boiled asparagus, fried shrimp and scallops.

Smother it all in Hollandaise sauce.

Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man

You have all no doubt heard the song. A timeless classic by ZZ Top, circa 1983. It's as true today as it was back then. Sure, fashion may have changed, but looking good will never be out of style.

Clean shirt, new shoes
And I don't know where I am going to
Silk suit, black tie
I don't need a reason why

You don't need a special occasion to dress up. I wear a shirt and tie to work every now and then and I've had people come up to me and say that I look 'dapper' and 'posh'. Even though the people are all guys, it's still nice to hear.

Gold watch, diamond ring
I ain't missin' not a single thing
Cuff-links, stick pin

When I step out I'm gonna do you in

I'm not sure if many people still rock the gold watch, aside from Donald Trump and cartel drug lords. I've got a silver coloured Eddie Bauer watch that suits me just fine. I've never been a fan of cuff-links, but maybe I'll see the appeal when I get older. For now, I'm going with the buttons that are already on the dress shirt.

Top coat, top hat
And I don't worry cause my wallets fat
Black shades, white gloves
Lookin' sharp, lookin' for love

I've never worn a top coat or a top hat. I suppose that I've never had the occassion to, such as at a polo match, a $2,000 a plate charity dinner, or a Governor's ball. Shades are nice. I've got a pair of Oakley's that I bought several years ago that I hardly ever wear now since they're not prescription. White gloves? I am not a butler and my name is not Jeeves.

Bœuf Bourguignon

For supper, Karen decided to make this recipe, taken from the most famous of all cookbooks, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Karen was definitely up for the challenge, after all, she did train at the most prestigious of all cooking schools, the Cordon Bleue in France.

With the list of ingredients in hand, we went out to Loblaws and picked up what was needed: bacon, stewing beef, red wine, mushrooms, small white onions, bay leaves, beef stock, and tomato paste.

Our next stop was the Dornan family homestead to pick up a casserole dish, and then back home to get started on the recipe.

The process went something like this:

1. Cook up 4 pieces of bacon in frying pan

2. Take bacon out of the pan

3. Brown stewing beef in frying pan with bacon fat

4. Put in casserole dish with the bacon, add flour and toss mixture

5. Put mixture in oven at 450 degrees for 4 minutes

6. Toss mixture and return to oven for another 4 minutes

7. Stir fry chopped carrots and onions

8. Take mixture out of oven

9. Add carrots, onions, beef broth, and red wine

10. Add tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme

11. Put mixture in oven at 325 degrees for 3 hours

12. Brown whole baby onions in butter

13. Add beef stock, and let simmer for 40 minutes

14. Brown mushrooms in butter for 5 minutes

15. Take casserole out of oven

16. Separate liquid from mixture and skim excess fat off liquid

17. Mix everything back together and let simmer for 5 minutes

Bluesfest

Bluesfest in Ottawa has been happening since 1994. The first act to take the stage was Clarence Clemons (saxophonist for the E Street Band). Ever since then, Bluesfest has welcomed thousands of bands and musicians, from blues to rock, soul to pop, rap to country, and everything else in between.

My first time at Bluesfest was in 2001, and I've been going almost every year since. Here's a list of who I have seen at Bluesfest so far, by year:

2001 - James Brown, Matthew Good Band
2002 - The Tragically Hip
2004 - Bryan Adams, Blue Rodeo
2007 - The Steve Miller Band
2009 - The Yardbirds, Sam Roberts, Our Lady Peace

This year, a whole mess of good bands are coming to town: Arcade Fire, The B-52s, The Flaming Lips, Foghat, Gord Downie, Great Big Sea, The Gypsy Kings, The Lost Fingers, Iron Maiden, Joan Jett, Matthew Good, The Moody Blues, Roger Hodgson, RUSH, Santana, Weezer and many, many, many more. Even Kevin Costner put a band together and is coming to Bluesfest!

It's all happening July 6-18 at Lebreton Flats. Tickets go on sale tomorrow!