Knight Ride

Okay, here's another of the coolest t-shirts ever made. This one is clearly paying homage to the Knight Rider himself, Mr. The Hoff.


Thanks again, Threadless.

Circumcision and HIV

Recent reports suggest that circumcision has some effect on the spread of HIV:

"The evidence is really now quite conclusive that male circumcision is effective at preventing HIV among men," said Kevin De Cock, the top HIV-AIDS official for the World Health Organization, speaking in a conference call from Paris.

Apparently the data suggests that males who have been circumcised have a lower likelihood of contracting the virus.

Okay, two things here.

What this particular article doesn't mention (it's from the Washington Post) is that women have a HIGHER likelihood of contracting HIV from an infected circumsised male than from an infected uncircumcised one.

Get all that? Men who are kosher down there have a harder time catching it, but an easier time passing it on, and intact men can catch it more easily but aren't quite as big a risk to pass it on.

Only telling one side of the story seems pretty irresponsible. I expect this from the Moonie Times (who I originally thought published this story), but the WaPo should do better.

And the other thing? The top HIV official at the WHO is named Kevin De Cock. Heh heh heh.

Milo's holiday on the island

Here's the kind of beach we're used to in British Columbia. Not bad for Christmas in the back yard.


And what would Christmas be without a little tippling?


Sigh, Poppa couldn't wait to give Milo a Christmas present. I think we were there for about an hour (if that) and he broke out the new rocking chair. Here's Milo, watching its current occupant rock.


Poppa shows him the RIGHT way to do it... con gusto!

Bum Rush the Charts

What? You can buy a Black Lab song on iTunes for 99 cents and say "Screw You!" to the RIAA at the same time?



Oh, I'm so in.

Find out more at http://bumrushthecharts.blogspot.com

Toothpaste for Dinner

Okay, I get the picture.

Costa Rica, Last post.

Milo in the square, running like a maniac. See any pigeons in the picture? That's because he chased them all away.


Brace yourself, it's Milo's first clown.


Not too sure, but he didn't freak out. I consider it a successful first contact.


Once again, stupid Lonely Planet. No, the Museo de los Ninos (Children's Museum) does NOT open at 8:00 a.m., it opens at 10:00 a.m. We killed some time and went anyway. Turns out there was too much for Milo to see in one trip, with or without a nap.

It's actually an old prison painted yellow. Inviting, no?

And that's it! We headed to the airport that afternoon and made it back to Canada safe and sound.

Now I just have to get some Christmas photos up here before Easter.

Costa Rica Last Full Day

Wow, I'm done. Had to cut a ton of photos, but at least it's finished. That's kind of how we felt after the vacation too. Exhausting, but oh-so-worth it. I just hope Milo remembers, and if he doesn't, we'll just show him a thousand photos. (Or go again!)


We walked around San Jose, and played in the park. Stupid Lonely Planet said the Museum of Shapes, Sounds, and Spaces (very kid-friendly) was open on Sundays. Not. The park was awesome. And Milo loved saying "statue" -- I don't think I've seen a park with more statues and monuments so close together.


Right behind the plants is the door to our room, where Milo is sleeping. And right under the bar is the fridge filled with beer. We met the bar owner who told us that if no one was around, just take the beer and pay him later. What a great place. And Costa Rica has some of the best beer outside of Canada.


This is morning just outside our room. Milo's a little milk-drunk and happy as can be.


And oh yeah, it's Christmas time! The tree in the city square was a nice reminder. It's easy to forget when the weather is this nice!

Costa Rica Day Twelve -- More Zoo

Look, Milo, the monkeys!


Oh yes, there were capuchins, squirrel monkeys, and spider monkeys. Cute, active, and totally worth the visit to the zoo. They almost made me forget about the big cats in little cages.


Not a bad idea, having a zoo in the jungle. It bordered on the river and was a pretty big chunk of land. I just wish they'd make it more animal-friendly.

Monkeys playing on the tire swing!


Walking and eating, just like little furry people.


And that's a good belly. Full of mango, having a stretch.


And going back for seconds.

Costa Rica Day Twelve, I think

Over at the lion cage, Milo learned what a REAL lion looks and sounds like. The first roar made him cry for a couple seconds, but after we roared back he really got into it.


Shortly after we took these pics, the lion stood up, had a good stretch, and proceeded to get it on with his lady lion friend. No photos will be posted here, you perverts.


Stand back, he looks hungry.


These guys, on the other hand, just had their lunch and were pigging out. Milo sure liked watching that.

Costa Rica Day Eleven (?)

Back on the plane, and back to San Jose. This time, we stayed right downtown in an old plantation house about five blocks to the zoo.


Parrots are that colourful, and not in cages.


However, everything else was. Poor kitty.


And toucans DO look cooler in real life than they do on cereal boxes.

The Superhero Quiz

Oh yeah, first try, no cheating... but how come I was almost Robin? I hope they meant the Robin from the Teen Titans cartoon... that wouldn't have been TOO bad.

You are Spider-Man



You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Your results:

Spider-Man 90%
Robin 90%
Superman 75%
The Flash 65%
Hulk 60%
Iron Man 55%
Supergirl 55%
Green Lantern 45%
Catwoman 45%
Batman 45%
Wonder Woman 40%


Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test


Man, I'm still 55% Supergirl. It must have been that question about the thong.

Why Milo is awesome, today

Milo picks up the remote control, brings it to his mommy and daddy, points at the TV and says "hockey!"

Milo can point to his eyebrows.

Today in the bathtub he learned The Tick's battle cry, "Spoon!"

As mommy was teaching him numbers and repeating "one, two, three" he said "four!"

When his pajamas were zipped up, he said "bye bye belly."

Superfoods for the pessimist

It's been a long time since I reprinted something from McSweeney's on my blog.

Because I have no pre-existing relationship with the editors, I'm not sure of the legality of reprinting their copyrighted property.

So in the interest of fairness, I'll just urge you to buy the books, subscribe to the quarterly, and read the articles aloud to everyone in your vicinity. Especially if they're drinking milk because it looks funny coming out of their noses.

SUPERFOODS FOR THE PESSIMIST
By Chris Hicks


Blueberries

Contain massive doses of a number of antioxidants, including anthocyanins and other polyphenols, and carotenoids. They are also high in fiber, folic acid, and vitamins C and E, none of which can help you now.

Tomatoes

An excellent source of lycopene. This antioxidant chemical neutralizes free radicals in the body, reducing the rate of oxidation in your cells and slowing the aging process. Slowing, not stopping: you will never be 18 again.

Apricots

This über-food has been proven to boost serotonin levels, giving fleeting feelings of contentment, which cast the despair into sharper relief. Use them as a snack or to brighten up a salad.

Walnuts

Walnuts contain massive amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which fight heart disease, and plant sterols, which lower cholesterol, as well as lots of antioxidants. You can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by 15 percent to 50 percent if you eat a few five times a week. You will still rot in the nursing home, but more slowly and at greater cost to your kids.

Apples

All have tons of antioxidants, including flavonoids and other polyphenols, and fiber. Protect against strokes and diseases such as Alzheimer's. Do not protect against drug-related violence, vehicular homicide, or the spirit-crushing grayness of this tawdry existence.

Broccoli

A good source of vitamin E, which is otherwise hard to get into the diet. Especially if the "diet" is microwave dinners for one, seasoned with tears.

Watercress

As well as being stuffed full of antioxidants and fiber, and containing virtually no calories, this wonder salad is probably the only organism on earth more truly impotent than you. Add to salads and sandwiches for peppery flavor and laughable feelings of superiority.

Dark Chocolate

An excellent source of flavenoids, which lower cholesterol and prevent fatty deposits from building up in your arteries. Will keep your broken heart beating—as a second-to-second reminder that you are alone—long after you want it to stop.

Whiskey

Still the only friend you've ever had and the only home you'll ever know. A new you? That's priceless. Drink up.

My Canflix Flixlist

Why are people searching for "Canflix Flixlist" coming to my blog?

I just learned how to track my keyword referrals in Google Analytics (the one area where I thought Statcounter was better) and found that I regularly get visitors looking for that topic.

I joined Canflix a while ago, and still subscribe, although with Milo, we don't watch nearly as many movies as we used to. Sleep is more important.

That said, does anyone have any movies to recommend? We just saw Slither and Little Miss Sunshine (both are highly recommended by both of us) and it looks like Canflix just sent us Monster House. Oops.

I like watching animation, but I think I just forgot to get rid of this one. Oh well, I don't expect much and sometimes those kind of movies surprise you.

I just updated my Canflix Flixlist (takes about five minutes over a lunch hour or a coffee) and now have For Your Consideration, Equilibrium, and the Trailer Park Boys movies on there. And Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny. It's gonna rock.

Costa Rica Days are numbered...

It's the morning after the wedding, and we're all hanging out in front of the house. Some are waiting for cabs, others are just drinking coffee and enjoying the weather. But for some reason, everyone is looking up...


Wow, a big sloth, in the biggest tree in the driveway, and the furry guy is really moving!

Every other sloth we saw just looked like a big lump of fur atttached to the tree, but this one must have found some coffee beans somewhere.


When we got back to our place, they still hadn't fixed the air conditioner. Milo found his own answer to that problem.


And on the day we left, Milo made some friends! They all swam and laughed together in the pool, and the cutie on the right shared her birthday cake with Milo! Muchas gracias!


Okay, the vacation is winding down here. We headed back to San Jose that day, and the cooler weather was perfect.

Only a few photos to go, then we're back to the real world! (Speaking of which, riding my bike to work in the snow on the first of March in Vancouver seems pretty surreal...)

Are You a Dumb American?

Okay, I haven't posted one of these in a while, and I've just done a bunch of them. To avoid any buildup, here's the first one, the "Are you a dumb American?" quiz.

Hah. Shows what you know, stupid survey. I'm Canadian.

You Are a Smart American

You know a lot about US history, and you're opinions are probably well informed. Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be.

Are You a Dumb American?

And because I can't resist, do you see the egregious errors in the answer?

Unnecessary use of a comma, mistaking "you're" for "your," and no hyphen in "well-informed." Tsk tsk.