Not your Father's Dinghy

Now's the Time on the Kraut when we SAIL!

Torchwood

There's a mild spoiler in here, so if you're gonna be a big baby about it, don't read this entry...

I was going to bitch and moan about the CBC not showing season 2 of Doctor Who, when I saw that they're actually on episode 3 of season 2. So much for paying attention to the network that will save us from all things American. Hey Tories, where's that privatization bill?

Considering that I just saw episode 1 of the Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood (through nefarious means) and in the end credits I believe I saw a CBC production credit - we should get it here in Canada in, oh, about 2 years...

How's the show? The problem I've always found with pilots is that they have to spend way too much time setting up characters, places, technology etc. and they do that here, too. If you've seen the second season of Doctor Who, you already know about Torchwood, if you've seen the first season, you already know about Captain Jack. Trying to keep them in the shadows as everyday normal non-alien hunting policewoman Eve Myles [love the Policewoman's hat! damn that's sexy!] tries to delve into the mystery took way too long for my taste - then again, my attention-span lasts about 20 minutes and this episode started to challenge it.

There are flashes of what this show could be- there's gore, same-sexiness (here's the spoiler! - rather than fight the behemoth whose girlfriend he just stole in a bar using Alien pheromones one intrepid Torchwood scientist simply doses himself again to make himself attractive to the girl's boyfriend as well and heads off with both of them - don't think we'll see that happen on Doctor Who) and a surprising bit of violence at the end that made me jump when it happened, even though I kinda expected it.

Next episode supposedly features alien sex gas.

Yes you read that correctly and yes that's enough to make me watch it.

So all in all, a good, if not original, start. Captain Jack will have to be more roguish in the next few episodes though - that whole "ooo, look at me, don't I look tragic and thoughtful" schtick won't work for very long and treads on Doctor Who's territory - there's only room for one tragic and thoughtful hero and Captain Jack better ditch that before he rejoins the Doctor in season 3 of Doctor Who.

Red Ensign Standard #45

is at West Coast Chaos

From Wish to Reality

Well, it was in just the last post that I was catching myself wishing for a sailboat...and holy crap I've got one.

The Canadian Thanksgiving weekend was a mad dashing rush to temporarily acquire a trailer, pack everyone (me, Rue, 2 girls + Dog) drive for 5 hours through rain and blowing snow on the Coquihalla connector, deal with a drunken Rugby team in Abbotsford pounding on my hotel door at 2, 3, 4 and finally 5AM, head out in the morning to meet up with the donor (did I mention that the boat was FREE? Alright DAMAGED, too - but nothing a little E-glass, elbow-grease and gelcoat couldn't fix) and get the boat on a maybe too short trailer with dodgy 1970's wiring...

Did I mention that the trailer was probably too short?

Then the mad dash back up the Coquihalla, eyes staring into the rearview mirror as the trailer bounced on every bump, waiting for the sickening crash that would mean that the boat had torn itself free of restraint and had slipped off the trailer into the path of unsuspecting travellers on the darkest part of an already darkened highway...

Then the welcoming sight of my driveway and home...

I am the proud owner of a very much used, very much in need of TLC almost-40-year-old Flying Dutchman...

What have I gotten myself into?

Want That One

The boat's an International 505 and I want one...

Some Guys Have All the Luck

No, not a link to the Rod Stewart whinefest...(Okay THAT was. And I apologize for doing that to you)

This guy buys a scratch and win.
Guy wins a car
Guy is asked to re-enact for the local television news

Guy buys another scratch and win.
Guy wins 250,000.

I hate Guy.

Spot of Tea?

You scored as British and the Commonwealth. Your army is the British and the Commonwealth (Canada, ANZAC, India). You want to serve under good generals and use good equipment in defense of the western form of life. British and the Commonwealth 88% Italy 88% Poland 88% Japan 63% Finland 56% Soviet Union 56% France, Free French and the Resistance 56% United States 44% Germany 38% In which World War 2 army you should have fought? created with QuizFarm.com

via Ghost of a Flea, who'll undoubtedly be upset that a sausauge-eating German bastard would score closer to Her Majesty's ideal trooper.

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman!

...or for those of you who watched the bastardized translated version in 1978 on American television like I did: Battle of the Planets!

It looks like we'll be seeing a redo-ing


I remember thinking this show was so cool at the time (I was eight) - but I couldn't figure out why the enemies, who were obviously mortally wounded by bladed weapons (Mark's razor boomerang was the primary culprit here) always were said by that stupid robot 7-Zark-7 to be "recovering in the hospital" offscreen. I found out later that that damned robot was added after the fact to the Americanized version to kidify the show.



I HATED THAT DAMN ROBOT!



Will I be disappointed, as I have been by so many attempts to cash in on the memories of my youth? Or can you never go back without feeling let down?

This is Not a Rebel Song...

...this is Sunday, Bloody Sunday!

Beer and Popcorn

We just got our first cheque from the government for procreating (ie. the universal child care benefit)

Time for some beer and popcorn!

(I know I've been neglecting this space and am coming very close to having an abandoned site...I will do better I promise.)

In the meantime check out Red Ensign Standard #44 at Nicholas' Quotulatiousness. This is a stripped-down guitar-band version for those of you that find link-fests too time consuming. Yours truly had nothing at all worthy this time around...