John Biggs - blog
Lazy, Crazy, Hazy Days of Summer? ...Mostly Just Soggy So Far.
It's been SO long since I've posted here. Crazy schedule changes, filling in on the morning show for Jason when he went on vacation, followed by taking time off because my baby boy had pneumonia, and then Jason getting sick - so, having to fill in on the morning show again - and currently filling in for my friend Aiko on our sister station, K-Lite, for afternoon drive from 2pm to 7pm. Just a nutty summer so far.
Summer 2008 is just lousy, weather-wise, eh? Still hoping for SOME relief from the 'whatever-percent-chance-of-showers-and-thundershowers' almost every day, but August 7th marks the mid-point of summer, so there's now just under half of it left to get some enjoyment from the summer sun. We can always hope for a great fall, I guess. September's always been my favourite month, anyway, so I hope it's a good one.
A Canada Day Haircut
Whatever you do on Canada Day, I hope you have fun, and I hope you feel about this country the way I do. There's not another one like it on the planet. It's one great place to live.
I want to thank Lynda for coming by our home on the weekend to cut the twins' hair!
Pictures here.
Again - Happy Canada Day. Be safe.
Cool Father's Day Stuff!
Hope your Father's Day was great.
Mine definitely was, even though I had to work.
Follow the link below to see what I got from my 2.5 year old twins!
Cool Gifts!
Kung Fu Panda!
The #1 movie in North America last weekend gets a promotional boost from my 2.5 year old twins.
Chat Tuesdays - and a Celebration Link
Hey - I'm on the schedule for chatting on here Tuesday morning at 11am, if you're around.
Just click on the Chat tab up there ^ on the right hand side...just before the horoscope listings.
Also, I was lucky enough to be asked to take part in Celebration for Mac Kids on CHCH again this year.
A little something about what that means to me right here: Mac Kids Celebration
Cheers!
Hockey Talk
I love hockey. Absolutely. Great game....but for me there's more fun in the playing of the game than the watching. I used to love watching NHL hockey, and as many of you already know, if Montreal is playing, it's still pretty tough to drag me away from it.
But this Cup Final? Maybe it's just me, but I find it boring. Seems (so far) that Detroit is playing the same game New Jersey used to play, only they play it faster. The Devils used to slow the game down to play their trap. The Red Wings still have four guys through the middle, keeping the younger - and very talented - Penguins from being able to get anything started through the neutral zone. For me, the trap played at any speed is a boring game to watch. The one component the Red Wings possess that makes me believe they're playing the same system, only faster than the Devils did?
Go, Diego Go!
Well, the twins had a ball at the first theatre show of their young two-and-a-half year old lives. Both of them - in their own unique ways - thoroughly enjoyed the 'live' Diego show which came to Hamilton Place on Tuesday night. Morgan was dancing, jumping and interacting on cue with whichever character on stage was prompting the jam-packed audience of excited kids, and Liam (being maybe too much like his daddy) sat very still on my lap - which is a bit of a miracle, considering the show was a 30 minute first set, a 20 minute break, and a 40 minute conclusion - through both the first and second sets, and took in every moment of it. Not a lot of emotion from the boy (playin' it cool, 'n' everything), but neither of them wanted to leave when the show was over.
Just a thrill for my wife and I to see them have so much fun.
What A Day
Crazy, challenging day for me - and my family - yesterday.
The story is here: Talk About A Bad Day!
What it may mean for me is that I'll miss my chat this coming Tuesday.
If so, I'll re-schedule it for another day for this week only. Had a great conversation with a sports editor from the National Post last Tuesday, so I'm looking forward to the next one. Hopefully, if you have some time, you can join in this coming week's chat. I'll let you know if the time changes from the usual Tuesday at 11am, because I'll have to take Liam to the fracture clinic that morning.
For Moms Everywhere
I was 13 when my Mom died of a heart attack, at home. It was a horrible and frightening time for a 13-year-old boy. My Mom and I were very close. My Mom doted on me. I was very lucky to have such a wondeful Mom, and very unlucky to lose her as early in my life as I did. She was only 48.
Conversely, I was 48 when I first became a father. Two and a half years later, I see my wife becoming a such wonderful Mom to our twin boy and girl, and can't imagine my life without any of them, and can't begin to fathom the twins ever being without their Mom.
My Mom was born in Scotland, but her family emigrated to Canada when she was five years old, and she grew up in Quebec. Her early years were spent in Levis and Lauzon, Near Quebec City, on the St. Lawrence River, because my maternal Grandfather built ships at Davy Shipyards for a living. Then, when he retired, the family moved to Montreal. My Mom's growing up there, and her love of that city, is why I'll always be a Montreal Canadiens. Sorry, Leaf fans. My Mom trumps any other reason I'd ever have to root for a hockey team.
I've always had a soft spot for all my friend's Moms, and have even chastised a couple of my closer friends when they've been ...less than ideal - toward their Moms. Knowing what it's like to not have a Mom for so long gave me a greater appreciation for how important having a Mother is, and I tried to instill that in any of my friends who would listen.
The Cat House On The Kings
Guys usually don't like cats. Guys are usually dog people. So sue me. I love cats. Grew up with about 20 cats through my childhood. My Mom loved 'em. Our cats were 'outdoor' cats, for the most part, because we lived rurally. Not that I don't like dogs. Just made friends with cats first, and I just happen to think they're cooler. Smarter. Not as 'needy' as dogs. But, like any 'housepet', they do need love, attention, and a safe place to live. Which brings me to this. Check out this video on You Tube about an incredible cat sanctuary. The woman who runs this place is not your stereotypical 'cat lady'. Just a concerened human being and animal lover with some space and a lot of common sense and good will.
Terry Sumsion's Benefit On Youtube!
If you couldn't be there this past Sunday (and I was lucky enough), the videographer at Terry Sumsion's benefit in Paris at the Fairgrounds was good enough to put up a clip of the show - with a little bit from each of the day's performers - on youtube.
To save you the time of finding it, here's a direct link to the clip:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=L1tfGmbFS98
It's about 22 minutes long, and Terry is performing at the end of it, which - considering everything he's going through with esophageal cancer - daily treatments through the week, and a paralyzed vocal cord - it's pretty darn amazing.
Don't Forget! Tuesday Is Chat Day!
If you're around at 11am or so, log into our chat page. I'll be there - as I am every Tuesday at 11am - to just talk about ...whatever, really. Just click on the 'chat' tab (it's on the far right), click "I agree" and sign in. See you there!Almost Over It
Completely astounded by how long this particular virus has been hanging around my family.
Our kids (although partially due to being repeatedly misdiagnosed at a walk-in clinic to which we'll never return) were sick for a month, and it caught up with both my wife and I. At one point, I thought
I was over it, but then it turned into a sinus infection - which turned into a double lung infection!
I was having trouble catching my breath just walking up stairs, and decided (finally) I'd better go see my family doctor, having at this point given up on getting a correct diagnosis from any walk-in clinic. After examining me, my doc almost immediately handed me TWO pieces of paper. One for a very powerful prescription, the other a note to take a couple of days off! Not JUST for my OWN sake, but because I was also highly infectious. I didn't have to cough to spread germs at that point. Since both my lungs were infected, just breathing on someone could make them ill...so I dropped into the boss' office on the way back from my doctor's, explained the situation, and went straight home.
The Top Floor
We work on the TOP FLOOR of our building, here at 880 Upper Wentworth St.
Quite often, we complain about how slow - in this little 4-story building - the elevator tends to be
- but, honestly - if it were THAT bad...
...four stories up or down? Not that much trouble to take the stairs...
HOWEVER - in an effort to spin this top floor existence in an even more positive light
(he said, with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek) -
Here are THE PERKS of Working on the Top Floor of Your Building...
Trying It Again
Tuesdays at 11am is "my time" for chatting on here somewhere, and although it wasn't what you'd call "busy" in here last week, I'm going to try it again tomorrow morning at 11...
Come on by, we'll talk...about (almost) whatever you want.
See you then!
CHAM CHAT on Tuesday!
Hey! See you here (somewhere around here, anyway) tomorrow (Tuesday 15th April) for a chat between 11am and Noon. We're just getting things up and running, and this will be Chat #1 on the 820 CHAM website for me.
If you can join me, I look forward to 'seeing' you here.
Cheers!
Back In The Swim
Hi!
With the weather improving by the day, I thought I'd try put an even bigger smile on your face with a little polar bear swim.
Literally.
A little polar bear, going for the first swim of his young life. It's pretty cool.
It's amazing how the creature known as the most violent on Earth can start off so sweet and cuddly.
Enjoy!
http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/04/baby-flocke-tak.html
Tipping Toward the Weekend
Something to mull over while you're thinking about heading out to a restaurant on your Friday night.YOUR TIP REVEALS YOUR PERSONALITY
(According to Dr. Judith Meyerowitz)
Small tipper (Under 15 percent) - You have good business sense and you're good with figures.
You're also an excellent planner - you always look before you leap.
Average tipper (15-to-18 percent) - You know what you want. You have strong opinions about how to behave in different situations. You don't go overboard on anything, or let your heart rule your head.
Big tipper (19-to-20 percent) - You give freely of yourself and don't ask for anything in return.
You go out of your way to be nice to people, even total strangers. Because you're so generous, people think well of you.
Desktop Personality
Here's a little fun for you.Maybe you'll look at everyone's desk in your office in a slightly different way after reading this...
WHAT YOUR OFFICE SAYS ABOUT YOU
Your desk isn't just a place for pictures of your family. It's a public relations tool, saying as much about your work ethic as your work does. Thomas Becker, Ph.D., A university management professor, helps evaluate your office as follows:
Your office: Trophies, letters of praise, pictures of you with celebs.
Your personality: You want to excel, and everyone can tell.
You're probably a: Salesman, trial lawyer, stockbroker.
"Normal"
So, there's normal, and then there's 'radio normal'.
Today, I'm back to my 'radio normal' schedule.
For the last week-and-a-half, I've been filling in on the morning show for Jason Farr, and also busy catching a nasty cold from my son, Liam. There's really nothing like the feeling of being able to comfort your two-year-old baby (or, in my case - one of our twin two-year-old babies) when they're scared in the middle of the night because they can't breathe through their nose, or their head hurts, or they ache (the way I'm aching while I write this). It really does feel good to make them feel better in some small way. Unfortunately, both Liam and Morgan decided to come down with something during the same period when I needed every extra ounce of sleep I could get, trying to quickly switch my body clock around to make it easier to get up at 3:30am and slog in from Brantford. Oh, well.
Worth Every Penny
I always come away from our Radiothon for McMaster Children's Hospital wishing that we could have done more. We got past our total from last year - but we would have actually been pretty close to the same number, had it not been for Taylor DeCoste - a young boy on a mission to help the hospital which has helped him so much over the years. Taylor went out and got the backing of Wal-Mart for a project he headed up called Change Bandits, and - together with the Retail Giant - managed to add $41,438 to our Radiothon totals. Amazing kid, Taylor. I was privileged to meet him last Friday. If you take away Taylor's efforts, we would only have been about 5,000 dollars above our total raised from last year, so we owe Taylor and Wal-Mart a deep debt of gratitude for making us look so good.Because of the great care and expertise McMaster hospital's staff used to take care of my wife when she arrived there in October of 2005, at risk of giving birth at 28 weeks, and even more incredible care and expertise to help bring our twins, Liam and Morgan, into the world, our Radiothon for Mac Kids will always hold a strong personal meaning to me, and I consider Dr. Peter Steer, his wife Glenys, and Foundation employees Pati, Marg, Colleen and Angel - my friends. We hug when see each other. I also couldn't possibly have stronger feelings for the woman who was our primary care nurse, LouAnn Elliott. She looked after our babies when they arrived in the best Level 3 NICU in the world at MacKids. I saw her Wednesday, and we can't help but shed a couple of happy tears at the sight of each other. It's like seeing a member of your family after a long time away. She's a wonderful person - but also wonderful at her job.
Worth Every Penny
I always come away from our Radiothon for McMaster Children's Hospital wishing that we could have done more. We got past our total from last year - but we would have actually been pretty close to the same number, had it not been for Taylor DeCoste - a young boy on a mission to help the hospital which has helped him so much over the years. Taylor went out and got the backing of Wal-Mart for a project he headed up called Change Bandits, and - together with the Retail Giant - managed to add $41,438 to our Radiothon totals. Amazing kid, Taylor. I was privileged to meet him last Friday. If you take away Taylor's efforts, we would only have been about 5,000 dollars above our total raised from last year, so we owe Taylor and Wal-Mart a deep debt of gratitude for making us look so good.
My Gretchen Story
Everyone should be lucky enough to have a 'Gretchen Story'.
It was a few years ago. This powerfully-voiced woman with a ton of attitude in her music arrived on the scene to rave reviews, stayed at #1 with her first single for a loooong time, and turned out to be a really level-headed woman who had struggled for ten years or more, waiting tables and trying to get her voice heard. I thought she was fantastic then, and I still do.
I remember the first time I had attended a concert where the singer was obviously so vocally powerful, they probably could have filled the room (Hamilton Place) with their voice even withOUT a microphone. That was Amanda Marshall. I don't know where Amanda is now, or what she's doing, but she has an incredibly powerful singing voice, so I hope she's still using it.
A Hockey Post - But Not About The Trade Deadline
For years - back in my hometown of Halifax, I had the privilege of playing hockey every Thursday afternoon with some of the best players in the city - a group of "black aces", most of whom had a history of some level of hockey fame (or in a couple of cases, infamy). Without dropping too many names, the group often had 'special guest stars' - guys who'd visit the city on business from time to time - and subsequently show up for our Thursday 4:30-6pm skate. Murray Wilson was one of my favourites (Murray is still involved with The Habs - who've always been my favourite team - as a colour commentator with our sister station, CJAD in Montreal) to play against. Incredibly smooth skater. and a great shot - very fast, and along the ice, which, when placed expertly as NHL'ers tend to do, are very hard to stop. (I played nets in those games, by the way, just in case I hadn't mentioned that.)
One thing Murray Wilson CAN'T do? He can't comfortably wear all his Stanley Cup rings at the same time, which is pretty cool.
After the game, in the downtown core, at Halifax's Metro Centre, we'd throw our gear into our respective cars, and head for a post-game get-together at one of Halifax's many bars in the area. There's a lot of camaraderie between guys who like playing hockey together, and who respect each other's game, and these guys were the most fun to play with than anyone I've had the pleasure of being on the ice with...and I miss that.
It's one of the reasons I like to volunteer my time as in-house announcer at Copps Coliseum for the Oldtimers Hockey Challenge every year. This year was another fun game, with a great bunch of very talented guys - Bryan Trottier, Billy Smith, Gary Leeman, Dave Ellett, Tom Fergus, Craig Muni, Glenn Anderson, Steve Shutt (one of my Hab heroes), Dale Hawerchuk, Bob Probert, Chris Nilan - and a couple of guys who are ALWAYS there - Gaston Gingras and Jimmy Mann. I think Mr. Mann must have a heart as big as a house. He'll be a part of this touring team until he can't move his legs anymore, I think. I've got a ton of admiration for all of these guys, but especially men like Jimmy who make a point of keeping it going.
I would be making a huge mistake if I didn't mention a couple of the best female players in the world, who played this year. In years past, Geraldine Heaney was part of the game, but I was alittle sad she wasn't there at the Hamilton game this year. However, a couple of her teammates from the many World Championship and Gold and Silver Medal-winning Canadian Women's teams did participate.
...none other than Vicky Sunohara and Hayley Wickenheiser! Awesome players - and I think Hayley scored the two nicest goals of the game. I'd love to get a chance to face shots from Hayley...or any of these players. Not just because they're great players, but because they're great people, doing their best to help raise the awareness of Ontario Special Olympics with their game here in Hamilton, and to raise as much money as they can in the process.
This year, David Sauve of the Ti-Cats provided some local flavour to the game, by scoring a touchdown on a penalty shot in one of the game's many stunts.
Speaking of stunts - the man with the microphone at ice level, who co-ordinates all of it - is former NHL referee Ron Hoggarth - a friendly spirit with just the right line for the occasion every time he turns on his mic. He has fun with the crowd, and with the players of both teams, taking 'shots' at anyone in a good-natured way, and moving the game along with both precision and professionalism.
Speaking of 'BOTH TEAMS' - the Law Enforcement Team, with lots of members of the Hamilton Police Service on their bench, would be a force to reckon with against any team you might think to throw together with your best mates. They're very good, with great goaltending (something I have a tendency to always notice, being an 'old goalie'), but are basically the Washington Generals to the Hockey Legends' Harlem Globetrotters. They may go into the game knowing they are probably going to lose to a team deep in Hockey-Hall-Of-Fame-level talent, but they also know that the big win is for Ontario Special Olympics. I'm also pretty sure that they - like me, when I had the chance to play regularly against some of the best talent around - were just happy to be on the ice, and be a part of it.
My thanks again to Cathy Sproule - and the rest of the team at Xentel DM Inc - for having me be a part of the game again this year. I'm already looking forward to the next one.
Blew It Up Reeel Good
I'm sure you heard the story, but just in case you missed what it (supposedly) looked like while you were gazing at the total eclipse of the moon, here's a link to a graphic representation of it:Cool, huh?
...and here's a good version of the story:
Have You "Heard" This Yet?
I've included a link to a video on YouTube today.
The video is silent, but it's worth watching - at least, it was worth it when it first came out as a song on the radio, because it raised money for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It was released in New Zealand - and it went to NUMBER ONE - ON THE RADIO. I'm making a big deal of this, you're thinking? Okay, I haven't made my point about it yet.
Humans CAN'T HEAR IT!
Only dogs can hear it, and dog owners all over New Zealand reported their dogs reacting to it when it came on their radios. The dogs would either wag their tails, or bark, or 'dance around' a bit...and other dogs DIDN'T like it, and would attack their radios!
Back To Work!
How's it goin', eh?
Nothing fancy for you today.
It's Tuesday - and you're back at work.
Hopefully, you had an awesome long weekend, and did something
family-oriented, as our new provincial holiday's name would suggest,
but if you didn't - if you just hung out at home, and watched movies
on DVD (or even VHS - remember VHS?), or just checked out something
on TV - or caught up on your sleep - as long as you got a little extra
'battery charge' for having the extra day, that's what counts.
I mentioned Friday on here that maybe people who couldn't find something
to do would go to the mall... but, of course, Johnny wasn't thinking.
Lottery results for Fri, Aug 08
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