Read, Mark, Learn and Inwardly Digest

Photo Credit: Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

As a man, I like fire. I also like meat, vegetables, poultry, fish and fruit. The algorithm is so simple, it's math even Jim Flaherty could follow; I like to eat + I like fire = I like to grill. Thank heavens therefore, for the arrival of Canada Day (Dominion Day to anyone over 30) and Mark Bittman's - 101 Fast Recipes for Grilling.

Thank you, Sir. Your book, "How to Cook Everything" (or whatever; remember, I am Man, which unfortunately means when it comes to reading I'm running on a small cylinder engine) has been a source of inspiration to me, and thank you, New York Times for this timely article on all things to grill. The sumptuous photography only adds to my desire to kick off the oppressive shackles of work, hop on my bike and fill mine saddle baggery to the brim with all imaginable grillables, not to mention liquors, spirits, ales and refreshments.

Let the tofu-dog-eaters fend for themselves (though I will save yee a small reserve of grill space somewhere in the back corner of the top-side).

I believe it was Chaucer who said, "I don't wanna work, I want to play in de sun all day, mahn", or someone — keeping in mind what I said previously about my remembrances of literary things. This weekend I will absorb my Vitamin D from above and my protein shall be kissed by 50,000 BTUs of propane-fueled heat from below.

Secret City, NYC

I'm sure there are plenty of lost or secret places in a city like New York, but none quite like this one.

Visit Scouting New York to see more photos of this incredible abandoned building full of stunning details next door to City Hall. It's amazing to consider a building like this survived without being razed for something new years ago, never mind thinking that it has been abandoned for a decade. Incredibly, much of the building's original details are salvageable and there are plans to renovate it to be a hotel.

Hold me a spot at the hotel bar.

I'm Comic Sans, Asshole.

Timothy McSweeney's Internet Tendency: I'm Comic Sans, Asshole.

B.C. Footie

Soccer by Shelah Reljic - NFB

From 1974, this NFB film shows the popularity of soccer in British Columbia. Shockingly, some games appear to have been played on asphalt or tennis courts? Check out some of the vintage soccer kits and warm-ups. Otherwise, it has a pretty provincial feel about it.

Man is as Man Does

Man is as Man does. Man cut down tree. Good-bye pesky Manitoba Maple. I'm sure Gordon Lightfoot has already written you a soliloquy. Is it just me, or is referring to a tree as a weed seem like kind of a "Mainlander" thing?



To be honest, I thought this necessary tree removal would be my opportunity to buy an axe or even a hatchet, but I'd brought the thing down with a few saw cuts and a couple of tugs. Maybe I don't need a "reason" to buy an axe – I should just have one, because I am Man!

Seen in May

Wendell Pierce as Antoine Batiste in HBO's Treme. Image via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

More and more lately, this has not been a month for watching movies, though serial television is alive and well. We've been catching up with Breaking Bad Season 3 and keeping up with HBO's Treme, both of which are engrossing and affecting shows. I've said it before and I'll say it again, these kind of smartly written cable shows are not just about television finally fulfilling its promise, but seem to have us rethinking long form narratives. Visual storytelling fully realized as a collaboration of location, story, writers, directors, musicians and actors all working together to pull us in, using techniques and time the way no other medium can. Having said that, here's the list of what was seen in May.

The Great Dictator
Chaplin's classic, long on my list of must-see movies. Doesn't disappoint. I think I understand Mel Brooks better now.

Breaking Bad Season 3
Walt White is in an ever complicating spiral from high school chem teacher to the leading producer of Meth in the South West.

Treme
David Simon's latest opus for HBO delivers compelling stories from Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. The music, though wonderful, sometimes threatens to over power the stories.

Big River Man
A mess of a film, but still pretty fascinating stuff as we watch an overweight and aging long distance swimmer will himself along the Amazon.

Cutting edge : the magic of movie editing
If the film editor is little thought of by the movie going public, fear not, they think highly enough of themselves. Though much of what these editors say is true, there's more than a little hubris in statements such as "Human flight and film editing. Invented in the same year. Equally important."

Iron Man 2
Like Iron Man but with too many characters. Robert Downey Jr. is still fun to watch.