Fair Is Fair.

Since I posted a Stones cover last night I should be fair and post a Beatles cover, shouldn't I?  And here it is, Yellow Magic Orchestra's version of "Day Tripper." 

"Miss You."

Not much to say about this other than that I doubt the |Stones have done a version as good as this in years, and it probably wasn't as funky.

Bernard Fowler has done quite a bit of work with the Stones and on Stones member solo projects, while Doug Wimbush toured with Mick Jagger.

Smartass Or Serious?

I came across this hit, which isn't mine, over at Where's Willy?  I suspect the person who entered it was just being silly given the location, but you never know.

For Cash Or Trade.

One authentic set of frigid Canadian weather.  Will trade for warmer set of weather, preferably tropical.

Please note his is a limited time offer, so the linked information may not reflect current offerings.  Void were prohibited, please obey your country's customs and weather regulations.

Gas In Saskatoon, December 2, 2013.

After several attempts at raising the price, the price of gas finally went up over the last week.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 117.9 cents a litre at most locations.

When I Rule The World 18.

North Dakota and South Dakota will be renamed Top Dakota and Bottom Dakota.  There are probably lots of other places that could do with similar name changes, but that's a start.

Most Appropriate.

I got a 2012 series 20 dollar bill out of an ATM today.  The prefix on the bill serial number is BIZ.  I can't think of a more appropriate bill prefix on money.

Productivity Is Up.

Specifically my productivity as a blogger.  I haven't had a month with 21 or more posts since October of 2010, when I made 24.  Things still aren't up to the level of the early days of this blog though, my peak being 59 posts in December of 2004, followed by 58 in March of 2006.

Another Missing Option.

Tonight's Questionable Content strip got me thinking.  I'm surprised I haven't seen someone offering wooden PC cases.  Given some of the other electronics related products I've seen offered wooden PC cases don't seem all that weird.

Not Just For Fido?

If you have a dog or cat in Saskatoon, you are supposed to have it vaccinated against rabies.  But a member of Saskatoon's animal control committee, Ed Hudson, says pet owners should also be vaccinated.  The number of animal bites has been going up in Saskatoon, 404 reported cases versus 361 in 2012, and 21 people were treated with some form of rabies vaccine this year after being bitten.  Hudson argues mandatory vaccination will reduce the chance of people catching rabies.

However it would seem to me that you'd need to vaccinate far more people than the official owner of a dog or cat.  My cousin, her husband, and their daughter live with several dogs.  I don't know who the registered owner is, but if one member of the family is at risk, they all are.  Then there's my aunt, who has regular dealings with those dogs when the family is working and at school.  So there is a case where four people would seem to require vaccination.  You can extrapolate that to all the households in town that have pets that require vaccination.  And it probably would need to be extended to others who don't have pets of their own, but work regularly around them, such as pet shop employees.

Hmmm, maybe I need to be more careful around the friendly cat who's been visiting my place lately....

Beware!

Twix are addictive.  Do not eat them.

Poor Marigold.

Sometimes having friends who are a bit clueless about social interactions and shyness can be really annoying.  Or embarrassing.  Or something.

A Cultural Tip.

I was busy listening to the Roughriders game, and haphazardly playing poker online.  I don't watch awards shows these days anyway.  But I still got a bit of a chuckle out of Katy Perry's performance at the American Music Awards.  The AP piece on the awards described Perry's outfit as "a traditional Japanese dress."  It's not.  It's your typical vaguely kimono looking outfit, created by a Western costume or fashion designer.  It's not hard to find images of actual kimonos online to compare, but is that necessary if you're writing a simple article about an awards show? Well, you might want to consider doing so if you're going to claim it's authentic.

Weird Sounds.

If you're in Regina, that really weird sound you heard a few minutes ago was a bunch of happy Roughrider fans.

If you're in Hamilton that weird noise you heard was a bunch of unhappy Tiger Cats fans.

There can be few more appropriate ways to end the history of Taylor Field than the Roughriders winning the Grey Cup at home.  And they did it convincingly. 

The big surprise of the game was probably Tom Hanks being there, apparently a guest of Martin Short.   Not that I saw them, since I listened to the game on the radio.  That's what I've done most of the year, so why stop now?

Some day I really have to go to Regina and see a game.  Just not in November.

Congratulations, guys.  Hopefully you can do it again next year.

My Latest TV Show Concept.

If you're a producer looking for your next reality show concept, get in touch with me after you read this.  It's got hit written all over it.

The title says it all:  Mayor Rescue.  North America is full of crappy mayors, as can be seen via the Rob Ford mess, and Mayor Rescue will help fix them.  Each week our retired highly successful mayor and his team of experts will visit mayors in need of help, teaching them how to go from failure to fabulous. 

Doesn't that just scream hit?  Just look at all the press Rob Ford is getting.  So get in touch, now.  And don't steal my idea, or I'll be really unhappy.

Couldn't Even Get That Right.

"Psychic" Sylvia Browne has died at 77.  But her death is a good indication of the effectiveness of her supposed psychic powers.  Browne told Larry King years ago she would die at 88.  Of course I've seen more than one psychic claim they can't directly benefit from their powers, such as making predictions about themselves.  Funny that she didn't know that.

What We're Watching.

Alex Strachan of Postmedia has written an article on the state of the current TV season.  This includes what Canadians are watching, and the current winners are all veterans.  For example The Big Bang Theory is pulling 3.5 million viewers an episode.  Strachan notes those are Stanley Cup finals viewing numbers, and given that Canada has a market roughly one tenth of the US would be like a show on a US network getting 35 million viewers an episode.  Any US network or show runner would kill for numbers like that.  And The Amazing Race is more popular in Canada than the US, drawing the equivalent of 20 million viewers per episode, while in the US it draws 10 million or less per episode.  (Presumably that's why CTV aired The Amazing Race Canada over the Summer, and it will be back for a second season.)

I doubt anyone will be surprised that NHL hockey is a major ratings winner in Canada.  But some Americans will be surprised that Arrow is a top 25 show in Canada.  That's because Arrow is on CTV, one of the main broadcast networks in Canada, versus its originating US network The CW, which doesn't reach all US viewers. 

Of new shows Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Blacklist made the top 30 in Canada.  I haven't watched Agents, despite being a comic book fan as a kid.  I watched the first couple of episodes of The Blacklist, and should go watch a couple more online.  But frankly my initial impression is that it's trying to be too clever for its own good, and some of the dialogue was cliché and predictable.  At least James Spader seems to be having fun.

One thing that has changed for Saskatchewan viewers this year was the provincial educational TV network becoming an outlet of Toronto based City.  As a result some shows acquired by City now have a chance at higher Canadian ratings.  Interestingly one of City's 2013 acquisitions, Super Fun Night, has surprised me by being granted a full season.  I haven't seen it, but the promo ad City aired pre-season looked awful.

I personally don't watch much scripted TV anymore.  At the moment the only scripted show  I'm sure I'll watch is Total Drama All Stars, which Teletoon has stupidly not aired yet, even though Cartoon Network has been.  As a result it's been partly spoiled for me, as no doubt it has been for other Canadian viewers.

Gas In Saskatoon, November 18, 2013.

For a while it looked like the price of gas might be going up.  Ultimately it went down over the last week.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 110.9 cents a litre at most locations. 

Wanna Do My Work Today?

Nah, didn't think so.

Who Loves Rob Ford?

I suspect right now it's a trio named Duffy, Wallin, and Brazeau.  While what James Nicoll has dubbed "Crackatoa" is getting more and more press their problems have largely dropped off the news over the last few days.  Of course mere financial shenanigans aren't as titillating as talk of crack and hookers.