Soon-to-be crazy person

UK frets over Susan Boyle's talent-show finale

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER

LONDON (AP) — Britain and the YouTube-watching world is fretting over the pressure being piled on a Scottish songstress as her final test approaches.

Susan Boyle's big finale in a TV talent show contest won't come until Saturday. But the country is buzzing with concern over whether the 48-year-old church volunteer's nerves will rob her of the victory many feel she deserves.

"Britain's Got Talent," the venue for Boyle's unlikely success, did nothing to dampen the hysteria, with one judge going on national television to say Boyle was so upset by the superheated media coverage she had packed her bags and threatened to quit.

But on Friday her spokeswoman confirmed the final would go ahead as planned.

Boyle became a favorite to win the competition almost immediately after her first appearance, early last month. Her frumpy appearance drew looks of disbelief from the television audience, but her voice silenced the doubters — and turned her into an Internet star.

Her life story — she cared for her widowed mother for years and said she'd never been kissed — also helped win over the world's media.

Boyle has not performed since Sunday, when she made it through to the finals. But that hasn't kept her off Britain's front pages: "Boyling Point," was the Daily Mirror's headline Friday. "Susan Axe Threat," claimed The Sun. "Fears For TV Talent Star Susan," the Daily Express warned.

Concerns have been sparked by reports of erratic behavior. Boyle lost her cool after being harassed by a pair of journalists outside her London hotel Wednesday, her spokeswoman said, speaking on condition of anonymity because she represents all the contestants.

Earlier, a media report claimed that witnesses saw Boyle make an obscene gesture at a hotel television set when judge Piers Morgan lavished praise on fellow contestant Shaheen Jafargholi, 12, during another semifinal broadcast.

Morgan, himself a former tabloid editor, took to the airwaves and the Internet to defend the singer.

"Susan Boyle has never experienced anything like this and is like a frightened rabbit in headlights," Morgan wrote on his blog Thursday. "I am calling today for everyone to just give her a break."

Others in the media raised concerns that Boyle, who had learning difficulties when she was younger and was bullied by other children, was in for a ride too rough for her to handle.

David Wilson, who served as a psychologist on "Big Brother" — a British reality television series routinely accused of being exploitative and crass — said "Britain's Got Talent" made the other show look saintly by comparison.

Boyle was "a psychological lamb to the slaughter," he wrote in The Daily Mail.

Boyle's spokeswoman said the newly minted star was getting the support she needed from the show's producers.

And Morgan, writing on his blog Friday, assured readers that Boyle was "one tough lady who has had to fight since the day she was born, and there is no way she's going to quit now as some of the papers seem to be suggesting, trust me."

Happy Birthday Kylie!!!

Today is Kylie Minogue's birthday.

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

What I meant to say was...how can we possibly express our profound gratitiude to the person who was the first to hold us, the first to feed us, and the first to make us feel loved?

From a distance we watch you move about, doing the mundane tasks that to everyone else seem so routine.  But for us, the tasks you lovingly completed year after year built and reinforced the foundation, the structure that made our world a safe and comfortable place to grow.

All that we are and all that we have can be traced back to you.  Whatever accomplishments we have made along the way would not have occurred without you first believing in us.  And you, you were the person who always believed in us.

Now with our family, we are amazed at the number of times we hear your words flow form our mouths.  This ventriloquistic phenomenon was at first most irritating, but now warms us as we have come to understand that there is a part of you that will live on in us forever.

When time parts us, we pray that you will reach across from the other side to again touch our face and whisper into our ears.

For your warms and gentle presence in our lives...for this, we will alwasy be most thankful.

Yes, Mother, you inspire us!

This is a letter I got a copy of from Murad that I wanted to pass on to my mother and all the mothers out there.  Happy Mother's Day, mom!  I love you very much.

OMG OMG OMG OMG

KYLIE ANNOUNCES HER FIRST EVER NORTH AMERICAN TOUR!!!
06.05.2009

Kylie's North American fans will finally get a chance to experience the pop superstar live in concert when her 6-city tour kicks off in Oakland (San Francisco Bay Area) on September 30th!

Over the course of her extraordinary 20-year-career, Kylie has undertaken 8 sold-out world tours including last year's KylieX2008 tour which traveled to 21 countries throughout Europe, South America, Dubai, Asia, New Zealand and Australia, generating an estimated $70,000,000 in ticket sales. Kylie
couldn't be more excited about her first ever tour through North America.

"I've wanted to tour in America and Canada for years," admits Kylie, "I know that fans have been waiting a long time for this and I'm thrilled that the opportunity has finally arrived."

Kylie's eagerly-awaited North American concert debut is being produced by Los Angeles-based concert promotion firm Bill Silva Presents (BSP).

"Kylie has such a successful career outside of North America that it has taken quite a while to find a window in her schedule for the U.S. and Canada," said Silva. "Her amazing fans in North America will be well rewarded for their patience when they experience her show and its entire spectacle. We are confident in the tour's success, and hope that Kylie will make this the first of many tours to our shores."

Tickets will go on sale in each market on the weekend of May 15, however early access to tickets in the U.S. will be available to American Express Cardmembers beginning this Thursday, May 7, through Ticketmaster. Members of Kylie's mailing list via her official website www.Kylie.com will receive an
exclusive email that contains information of special ticket pre-sale offers.

Kylie Minogue North American Tour

Thu 30th Sep Fox Theatre - Oakland (San Francisco Bay Area)

Sat 3rd Oct The Pearl 'Palms Resort & Casino' - Las Vegas, NV

Sun 4th Oct Hollywood Bowl - Los Angeles, CA

Wed 7th Oct The Congress Theater - Chicago, IL

Fri 9th Oct Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON

Sun 11th Oct Hammerstein Ballroom - NYC, NY

Eek! I have to find a way to get tickets, flight and accoms somewhere to see her. One of my 'must-do-before-I-die' things to do is see Kylie live before she's too old.

Arrival

I made it into Vancouver around 5:30pm on Saturday. I left Calgary around 6:30 PDT so I made decent time. I can't thank my Calgary friends that helped me load up the van enough. The way Myles, Tim and Craig layered everything in the cube allowed for me to pull things out like layers of an onion. While Greg, Ryan and I brought stuff down from the apartment on Friday night the guys got that put together. 1.5 hours to load, 3 hours to unload.

Once everything was in the 600 sq. ft. apartment I realized that I had brought a lot of extra shit I wish I could rid myself of, however as I've been unpacking the amount of stuff really isn't too bad. There's a lot of stuff like photo albums, pictures, music and special books that you just can't easily part with.

Today was shopping day: new TV, new wall unit (for all the CDs, DVDs, cassettes, etc. etc. that I was obliged to bring even though I didn't really want to). The Visa was burning through charges so quickly today the Fraud Detection group gave me a call in the middle of the day!

I figure I'll take the rest of the week to complete the transformation enough that I will no longer need to be obsessive-compulsive about everything. I can't wait until next weekend when I'll finally be able to debut! LOL

I'm looking forward to the Frontrunners run on Wednesday night. It looks like it's supposed to rain all week off and on, so that will be a good initiation to the southern coast climate.

...Almost back to regular posting; it's that close.

Reality

Well, the final inspection of the penthouse was completed yesterday and we passed with flying colors. Three solid days of cleaning really do pay off! It's pretty surreal to see the old apartment completely emptied and no longer ours. It was a great pad, and I'll miss it dearly.

But with that behind us, the attention is now focused on getting everything of Joe's unpacked in his new apartment and me getting everything properly packed for the trip on Saturday. I've been living out of towers of boxes in his spare room while sleeping on the couch. Telus finally transferred the phone line service to the new place this morning so I'm back on the Internet and don't have to go into the office today! Woo hoo!

I got my kitchen stuff packed last night plus the remainder of the clothes. Now there is the matter of errant open boxes of crap that were thrown together plus looking for things that I know exist but I'm not sure are packed. A few of those things might have to wait until I'm back in Calgary in November for Christmas and can drop by Joe's place to pick up or drop off whatever (that includes you, Xmas decorations).

One more day of honest packing, tracking down people to take a few remaining donatable things, and that should be it. I hope to be free Thursday night to have one last evening at the Ship & Anchor and then pack the U-Haul truck on Friday. Right now, it's only me so if anyone wants to help...

Next report - most likely from Vancouver!

...my thoughts these days are with my friends Jerome and Bruce in Montreal who had a condo fire on Monday morning. Jer just happened to be getting up for work early in the morning and noticed the fire in the back of the condo. Within five minutes the entire back wall was in flames. Had Jerome not been awake, it's quite possible neither of them would be with us today. A lot of Jerome's art collection was destroyed, but fortunately all of Bruce's snakes survived. Terrible, terrible news, but luckily the boys are okay.

Happy Birthday Sheena!

The big 5-0 on April 27th. Happy birthday Sheena! You're still looking great!

This live video from maybe ~1995 (only guessing by the hairstyle...I'm so gay)

Special 2008 concert in Santiago, Chile, 2008

10 Reasons

10 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is "Wrong" (This is floating around Facebook)

1) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

2) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

3) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

4) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

5) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Newt Gingrich’s many marriages would be destroyed.

6) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

7) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

8) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

9) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

Go, America, Go! Don't spin your wheels in one spot (that's religion's job). Leave the old paradigms behind and move ahead with the rest of the socially progressive nations of the world.

Leaving

My move date has moved up another two weeks for complex reasons I won't get into here. Now the planned move date is May 2nd. I have two weeks to collect my life and my stuff and get it packed and moved to Vancouver! Yipe!

Lots to do...I probably won't post here again until I get settled in my new rockin' apartment in the West End. Wish me luck. I'll post as soon as I can.

Brüno

The trailer for the new movie came out this week. It looks like its going to be just as hilarious as Borat.
Bruno goes to Alabama (Ali G)

Trailer is here. Embed doesn't seem to be working correctly.

Living the Dream

Here is an exerpt from Liz Reap Carlson's blog, lizreapcarlson.wordpress.com. There are so many gems of information and inspiration in here, I just had to post it.


Ok, so it’s not technically a photo. It’s a GPS file my coach captured while racing at the 7-Eleven Velodrome in Colorado Springs. He superimposed it over a Google Earth map. If you look closely, you can see where he rode on and off the track, burned laps around the warm-up circle and covered every inch of the track throughout his night of racing.

According to Ben’s notes, after warm-up he raced the Scratch race, Match Sprint and motor-paced points race with his Garmin Forerunner in his jersey, tracking a typical day at the velodrome.

It cracks me up every time I look at it.

Why? Because in my past life I was an editor at Backpacker magazine. My peers and former colleagues swap GPS maps of their treks through tropical rainforests and up mountain peaks like personal trading cards. I’ve gone on such adventures and even photographed a few for Backpacker, Mountain Bike and Runner’s World magazines. Long before GPS became a training tool and I became a track racer, my bike took me to places I’d never been. I’ve spent vacation time riding and even racing through tropical rainforests.

But never in a million years did I think a neon blue oval would so aptly capture how I spend my time and the route I cover weekly, often daily, by bike.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’ve found myself in warm-up a few times, staring at the wheel in front of me, watching my speed tick from 32 to 36 to 40kph, around turns one, two, three, then four, again, wondering “How did it come to this?”

One day, I gave riding a bike with no brakes on a banked cement oval a try. Ten years later, here I am . . . still riding in circles, trying to perfect the chemistry that equates to performance and keeps me coming back for more.

There’s a saying in velodrome circles (no pun intended) that there’s no hiding on the track. That goes beyond fitness and race preparation to how you carry yourself both on and off the bike. My sports doc calls the track ‘racing in a fishbowl,’ which isn’t far from the truth.

Unlike the road, where you can wander aimlessly, anonymously for hours—track training is a discipline of accountability. There’s structure to the time you spend there. A session typically starts with warm-up before moving on to big gear starts, 2K repeats, a 20-minute tempo effort behind the motor or reaction drills on the whistle. There’s both an art and science to what you do any given day. The outcome depends largely on that mix, how it’s applied and how much you commit in the process.

I love the track because I like the discipline. I always learn something new and it’s a challenge. Like the racing—the lessons come at you fast and furious. One minute, you’re exhilarated, the next, humbled to the core. There’s no hiding on the track.

And as with all sports, the magic is buried within the madness. To take stock of my circular route the past two years, I wanted to recap a few things I’ve learned. Feel free to share your own. Some of these may not be new, but at this time of year, it’s good to be reminded. Here goes:

You’re never too old to learn a new discipline or take sport to another level. You can always get better and improve; there are that many variables.

If you train with a group, get to practice early, make sure your equipment is tuned up and ready to go. If you’re always late, get comfortable with training alone.

Training alone isn’t so bad. Sometimes it’s better than training with a group. It helps you focus on what you’re doing, and teaches you to rely on yourself.

Good training partners can make you. Bad ones can break you.

That said, chasing people who are better than you is the best way to improve.

You can always go harder than you think you can.

The best way to prepare for racing is to race. Following wheels will teach you how to follow wheels.

Winning is a cultivated skill.

Self-belief and self-doubt are equally powerful.

Injuries happen. The best thing you can do is work at recovery as hard as you commit to training. Rest, stretch, and cross-train. The worst thing you can do is get frustrated and give up. Be patient, bodies heal.

If you want to improve, read a lot or hire a coach. There are always people who know more than you.

A good coach will invest as much in you as you are willing to invest in yourself. They can make the difference between sitting in, being a factor and setting personal bests.

But don’t be naïve. There are also coaches who are just as happy to take your money, so ask your questions.

A coach won’t shoot the hole for you. You have to do that one yourself.

Money will not make you a better bike racer. But, money can open up opportunities that can lead to your becoming a better bike racer.

If you keep making the same move, you’re asking to be passed at the line.

Training and racing is about applied stress, recovery and adaptation. Nothing happens overnight. You have to allow time to adapt both mentally and physically.

It’s harder to heal from a mental injury than a physical one.

Most people give up before they reach their potential.

If you do something in training, you’ll do it in racing. This applies to both good and bad habits.

You put together a successful season one thought, one workout, one meal and one night's sleep at a time.

I know my strengths and weaknesses better than anyone.

Simple is better. Think less. Do more.

The human body is an amazing thing. The more you know about it and how it works, the better you’ll be at sport and at life.

Keep good notes.

There are a million reasons to ride or race bikes, all of which are right.

There’s a fine line between passion and crazy and it takes both to succeed in this sport.

Liz Reap Carlson is a nationally ranked track sprinter and member of the Verducci-Breakaway UCI Track Trade team. Follow along on her personal blog at lizreapcarlson.wordpress.com.

Changes

I just had a conversation today with my deployment manager at my company and it looks like there should be no barriers to making a hasty departure from Calgary and setting up shop in Vancouver. It is so preferable to move out there while still working and getting a paycheck than having my contract date expire while still here trying to find work out there remotely. Everyone seems to be in agreement.

How exciting! My head is still spinning; this is happening way more quickly than I had anticipated and now it looks like as soon as I get back from Vancouver after Easter I will have an apartment secured for May 1 and can begin packing in earnest immediately. I still have a LOT of work to do; particularly what to take with me, what to give to Joe, what to store, what to throw away. My intent is only to have enough stuff with me to pack into a minivan.

Holy cow, does this bring back memories of my move to Alberta 15 years ago. I reduced my entire life up to that point into what I could pack into my car. I headed west from Manitoba not really knowing what I was going to end up doing or where I was going to be living. 15 years later, I look back with great appreciation on all the experiences I've gained during my existence in Alberta. I can't believe some of the things I've done and accomplished nor can I emote strongly enough the bonds I feel to the friends I've made and the communities I've belonged to. It's all going to be sorely missed. Then again, I think Vancouver is a natural choice for me; I'm not too far away from friends and family, and a destination for many heading West. Everyone out there is excited for me and already welcoming me with open arms! I can only hope that all my friends and family in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta will continue to come out to the coast and stop by for a visit. You're always welcome!

It's time for me to move on; time to get some new inspiration, direction, and energy in my life. Once again, I'm not completely sure what experiences I will find or what I may end up doing out there, but I look at it as the continuation of a journey. I wish I knew what I was looking for, but I don't, so I must continue to search for it. I need to leave some things behind, take the best things with me and apply this over a new location and lifestyle. The adventures that await thrill me!

Wish me luck on the apartment hunt....

Supernews!

Here is a great take on Twitter...hilarious!

Eeeek!

Friday, April 3 at Snatch!

Sten 'Stonebridge' Hallstrom

Tomorrow night at the Tangerine Supper Club!