tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152162032011-04-21T22:56:42.341+02:00Random neural firings, yet somehow still contrivedThe Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-73480474515286071102007-05-15T13:49:00.000+02:002007-12-17T03:47:15.762+01:00

No commentary required, except to say that most of the "private" things mentioned below will become public once I do them. (That's less intriguing than it sounds.)These are mostly off the top of my head, so they get fairly simple toward the bottom.Anyway, hopefully this will provide a little focus to the next few years. There's lots to do.Cheers,JohnDEADLINE: Feb. 9, 2010101 things in 1001

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1159437249797232262006-09-28T11:53:00.000+02:002006-09-28T11:54:09.796+02:00

Brilliant, depressing, and terrifying editorial in the NYT today.

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1158424265844832212006-09-16T17:49:00.000+02:002006-09-22T18:28:05.103+02:00

Happy anniversary to us . . .

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1158330407877276162006-09-15T16:23:00.000+02:002006-09-22T18:28:52.203+02:00

Sabine and her friend Regula in their new middle-age dresses . . .

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1158078339769754902006-09-12T18:16:00.000+02:002006-09-28T15:25:57.000+02:00

Unfortunately, I have no deep thoughts for you. Age has always meant zilch to me, except that I like the ego boost from presents.The only age I can remember being excited about was age 10, which was thrilling to me because I had been playing Trivial Pursuit and learned that 10 years old was the age when a human is least likely to die.This year - as a mature, grown-up man beginning his fourth

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1157309437802335882006-09-03T20:36:00.000+02:002006-09-03T20:50:37.813+02:00

So, after an August where I just sort of drifted - what's a summer for? - I have what a brochure might describe as a "full and exciting" September ahead of me.On the agenda:- Get my last look (for a couple of years) at this tremendous city, including a look at the catacombs, and a few other things I've missed.- Find a job somewhere in the Maritimes. Keep your eyes peeled (seriously) for anything

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1154703820400593902006-08-04T16:45:00.000+02:002006-08-11T03:13:22.570+02:00

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1154702558886051502006-08-04T16:34:00.000+02:002006-08-04T16:42:38.886+02:00

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1154702000603951782006-08-04T16:25:00.000+02:002006-08-04T16:33:20.603+02:00

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1154701421958698852006-08-04T16:08:00.000+02:002006-08-04T16:23:42.070+02:00

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1154700468035058422006-08-04T15:55:00.000+02:002006-08-08T15:38:17.066+02:00

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1153235668557858502006-07-18T16:52:00.000+02:002006-08-01T16:22:33.350+02:00

Well, let's see.I've passed 40,000 words in the book, 50 posts on The Beaver Examiner, I have my first feedburner subscriber, and I started my marathon training Sunday with the world's slowest 10 k (which is okay, as it was an edurance run). On the downside, I've only written about a page of my play idea and only seem to be able to attract about 20 readers to The Beaver Examiner (basically you

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1151418336839318342006-06-27T16:16:00.000+02:002006-06-27T16:27:41.546+02:00

Have you ever... The only instruction for this meme is BOLD those that you've done:01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink02. Swam with wild dolphins03. Climbed a mountain04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive05. Been inside the Great Pyramid06. Held a tarantula07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone08. Said 'I love you' and meant it09. Hugged a tree10. Bungee jumped11. Visited Paris12. Watched a

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1151146593254921092006-06-24T12:54:00.000+02:002006-06-24T12:56:33.266+02:00

Following in the footsteps of Lisa, Andrea et al, my wife took the time to create heself in doll form. Pretty accurate, I must say. Except for the army tags.

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1150801827909801352006-06-20T13:05:00.000+02:002006-06-20T13:10:27.930+02:00

When I was a kid I always wondered where I'd end up in the world if I walked out my front door in Saint John and didn't turn once, just walking in a perfectly straight line around the globe.Thanks to Google Earth, now I can. I started my little trek last night, with the most interesting bit being that I ended up within two city blocks of Ground Zero in Hiroshima. Now I've been trying to figure

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1150304526618907112006-06-14T19:00:00.000+02:002006-06-14T19:03:03.850+02:00

I just got an honourable mention from the Radio-Television News Directors Association. My first national recognition. Now if I could just get somebody to pay me more than 10 cents a word, I'll be all set.Cheers,John

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1150122347485261512006-06-12T16:17:00.000+02:002006-06-12T16:25:47.546+02:00

I can't believe nobody has pointed out the key stat if this survey is to be taken seriously.19 per cent of Canadians do not think pedophilia is immoral.I've read three different versions of this story and they've all glossed over that, presumably because nobody takes it seriously. And if nobody takes it seriously, then your weekend story that you were counting on eating up 15 inches is gone.If I

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1149060764611156392006-05-31T09:19:00.000+02:002006-05-31T09:32:44.626+02:00

First of all, there is new Tragically Hip music to be heard, which is exciting news for me, if no one else. You'll be shocked to know that the new song is about hockey ("The Lonely End of the Rink").It can be found at msn.com, if you go to music and look around the Sasquatch festival. It's also worth watching the Day 2 highlights so you can see the Neko Case set get hailed out, with people

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1148466088551330982006-05-24T11:59:00.000+02:002006-05-24T12:21:28.566+02:00

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1147950167470657172006-05-18T12:56:00.000+02:002006-05-18T13:02:47.483+02:00

The proud history of The Beaver Examiner begins today (though the three people who still read 'here' may catch a few repeats).Check out new posts from Monday to Friday. You'd also be doing me a big favour if you set up a Beaver Examiner link on your blog (separate from any "John M" link, which should continue to send surfers to Artificial Intelligence). I trust a lot of people couldn't help but

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1147851811813248052006-05-17T09:33:00.000+02:002006-05-17T09:43:31.826+02:00

So, my four-week sojourn to Canadian soil is over, and now I'm nestled back into Vienna's 19th district. I came back for enough time to perform (sloppily) for Improv Corp.; do my taxes (about $2000 owing, normal for me); go to the Atlantic Journalism Awards (those things are rigged); and watch Lisa and Anthony shrink before my eyes.Now I have four-and-a-half months to finish the first draft of

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1143704066659213542006-03-30T09:22:00.000+02:002006-03-30T09:34:26.676+02:00

Here is this year's nominated commentary. Last year's winner is below. March 17, 2005: So did you catch that interview with Kenneth Irving on the front page of the paper yesterday? In light of the millions of dollars that Irving Oil will be saving thanks to tax breaks, this hard-hitting piece of investigative journalism revealed that Kenneth is both genuine AND disarming. He’ll fetch you a

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1143571864338758782006-03-28T20:44:00.000+02:002006-03-28T20:51:04.353+02:00

Since no one else is likely to tell you, I'd like to say that I've been nominated for an Atlantic Journalism Award for the second year in a row - this time for my commentary mocking Kenneth Irving and Norm McFarlane over the LNG deal.(I have that awkward feeling like when you have to mention your own birthday.)This is more gratifying than last year, because a one-time nomination could be a fluke.

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1142960053222517452006-03-21T17:47:00.000+01:002006-03-21T17:54:13.243+01:00

Spring has sprung in the Old World. Song birds, ice cream parlours, the whole nine yards. It's not T-shirt weather, but the time of year when standing in the sunbeams warms your face and makes you think of enjoying beer on a sunlit patio at 8 p.m. I've actually had the windows open for the last couple of days, when the sun was hitting the building. Ah, Vienna. Membership does have its

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1142269261357936212006-03-13T17:21:00.000+01:002006-03-13T18:01:01.406+01:00

I never write about my life in this thing like most people, so let's remedy that:FAMILY LIFE: Everything's good on the homefront, though I've never expected otherwise. She's working evenings at the moment, which I don't like much. Evenings feel like together-time. Other than that, no complaints. (At least, I have no complaints about her.)VIENNA LIFE: I'm now to the point where - I almost wrote '

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1141980989265040702006-03-10T09:41:00.000+01:002006-03-10T09:56:29.326+01:00

AppetizerOn a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how intuitive do you think you are?Intuition is a favourite compliment of psychics and fraudulent personality tests. ("It's clear that you're very intuitive.") Naturally, told by an "expert" or an empathetic person holding your hand that you're intuitive, it would take a major and painful brain shift to say, "No, I'm not." Almost everybody thinks

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1141369272287728612006-03-03T07:46:00.000+01:002006-03-03T08:01:12.310+01:00

AppetizerHow many pillows and blankets do you sleep with?Generally only one blanket and one pillow, but they're put to good use. I sleep in a sort of part-fetal, part cowering-from-nuclear-war kind of way, with the pillow clamped tightly over my head.SoupWhat are you currently "addicted" to?What am I not addicted to? Pastry, the Internet, meat, television . . . My compulsiveness is my least

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1140789119126140692006-02-24T14:33:00.000+01:002006-02-24T14:51:59.373+01:00

AppetizerChoose one: moving to another state, having triplets, or never being able to eat chocolate again.Assuming that I can change "state" to "province," then obviously the first one. I'd be happy to move to any of Canada's provinces. If I had to move to the States, I'd probably opt not to eat chocolate. There's plenty of other sweet stuff.SoupName a news story that truly shocked you.9/11,

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1140366685251325302006-02-19T17:27:00.000+01:002006-02-19T17:35:31.786+01:00

Be sure to check out my brother in the lead of St. Mac's production of Grease.St. Malachy's Musical production of Grease will be performed @ 8pm from the 22nd to the 25th of February 2006 with a matinee Saturday the 25th @ 2pm. It will be strange to see the high-school kids played by high-school kids, but I'm sure you'll adjust.Cheers,John

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1140201632336532912006-02-17T19:20:00.000+01:002006-02-17T19:40:32.350+01:00

AppetizerIf you were a color, which color would you be, and why?Black, probably, for my general distrust of humans. I hope no one would say gray.SoupWhen was the last time you went to the doctor, and what was your reason for going?About a year ago, to get my documents filled out for Austria. He had to vouch that I didn't have leprosy or cholera, among other things.SaladWhat do you collect?Guilt.

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1139570196142201602006-02-10T12:08:00.000+01:002006-02-10T12:16:36.156+01:00

Feast Eighty AppetizerWhat was a class or course you took while in school that you realize now was a total waste of time?I realized it was a waste of time then: Grade 11 Computer Science.10: Print "Computer science is a waste of time"20: Go to 10SoupWho is the tallest person you know?Hmmm. . . My friend Paul, I guess. He must be 6 foot 4, though I may be adding inches in my mind

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1139040797448876222006-02-04T08:56:00.000+01:002006-02-04T09:13:17.470+01:00

Which is why I've decided to begin filling out the Friday Feast. Also, it will remind me that this blog thingy is here. Incidentally, where does one find the Two for Tuesday? When I Google it, all I get are religious sites.Friday FeastAppetizer:On a scale of 1 to 10 (10=highest), how sociable are you?Probably a 5. I like being the centre of attention, but I'm not very patient with people and am

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1138569599254170512006-01-29T22:14:00.000+01:002006-01-29T22:20:02.073+01:00

Now that the excitement and fun of Saint John have given way to the boredom and dreariness of Vienna, I can get back to blogging again. To start, check out this kick-ass couple and some of their wedding pictures.Go here then click the box with the trees on the bottom row.Cheers,John

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1125653200394817342005-09-02T11:11:00.000+02:002005-09-02T11:26:40.400+02:00

There's been some talk about the Tragically Hip song New Orleans is Sinking because of the catastrophe. Some Canadian stations pulled it from their rotations - a fact that was mentioned on CNN - while at least one station in the States has been using clips from the song as lead-in to their flood coverage.I thought about the song before Katrina hit, but now that the damage has been done, it's

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1125042977289751112005-08-26T09:33:00.000+02:002005-08-26T09:56:17.306+02:00

Most leading linguistic experts agree that the best way to gauge your progress in a new language is by watching Star Wars.Okay, I just made that up, but several people have been asking me how my German is going, and I'm not sure how to measure that sort of thing. (I'm sure they just want a polite, "Fine, thanks" but that's not the point.) I just finished my fourth month of German, which makes me

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1124367485417218122005-08-18T13:43:00.000+02:002005-08-18T14:23:49.000+02:00

Whenever I get hate mail, I open it with great trepidation. I'm always afraid that one of my detractors will hit me with a well-reasoned argument that will force me to say "You know what, you're absolutely right. I apologize, and a retraction will run next week." Fortunately, that's never happened.Here are some of the best hate mails I've received over the past year or so. I've removed the names

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1124138137470546162005-08-15T21:44:00.000+02:002005-08-15T22:39:07.420+02:00

In honour of the Second Stagers and their most recent performances, here's my list of the best productions from the troupe.10) Our Town by Thornton WilderDirected by Jay RawdingI'm not a fan of the script. It's the definition of dated. But it was worth it to see Lisa Flower step inside the stockings of Emily Webb. Natural and theatrical simultaneously. Nice.9)The Creative Process by Jay

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1123835142857373132005-08-12T10:25:00.000+02:002005-08-12T10:25:42.860+02:00

From today's Times and Transcript:Party ends in arson, assault, bog chaseBurnt Church man arrested, faces arson, aggravated assault chargesA Burnt Church man left a trail of destruction behind him Tuesday afternoon that included broken teeth, a burned-down house and a police officer stuck in a bog.--------------In honour of those brave Second Stagers who will be taking to the Second Stage for the

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1123769878554165112005-08-11T16:12:00.000+02:002005-08-11T16:17:58.560+02:00

Because the web layout people at Brunswick News seem incapable of laying out my column with bold, italics, and the proper paragraph breaks, no matter how many times I complain, here is this week's humour column.Plane talking Air France Flight 358: Best plane crash ever? The crash of Air France flight 358 was great, wasn't it? The brisk, refreshing taste of catastrophe, but with

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1123707694855453112005-08-10T22:04:00.000+02:002005-08-10T23:01:34.863+02:00

Liking a movie that other people hated can be fun.You can feel as if you've understood a clever joke or deciphered a complex formula that left others scratching their heads. Sometimes it can even help define your personality. I am somehow pleased that I loved A.I. while other people despised it. And consider yourself judged if you thought Groundhog Day was repetitive.But disliking (or simply

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1123605908438952252005-08-09T15:40:00.000+02:002005-08-09T18:45:09.056+02:00

It's customary to start travel pieces with the following formula:"At first glance, INSERT PLACE HERE may appear to be little more than INSERT PRECONCEPTIONS HERE. But, once you've been here for just a few days, you'll begin to realize that INSERT THE WONDER OF THE LOCATION AND ITS "TRUE" PERSONA HERE."Alas, Vienna ('Wien' to the locals) does not fit very well into this tidy little blueprint. Most

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15216203.post-1123525611194058372005-08-08T19:57:00.000+02:002005-08-08T20:26:51.200+02:00

I figure I might as well get a typical PG-rated post up as well."Quote Bomb." My very first meme. Isn't it cute?The Hip have a box set coming out Nov. 1, with the atrocious-but-growing-on-me name "Hipeponymous." It's two discs, two DVDs, and a 48-page book. I love the Hip, mostly because of Gord Downie's lyrics. So here are 10 of my favourites, in ascending order toward the best. Enjoy.10)

The Beaver Examinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249603315156213644noreply@blogger.com2