That’s not a stain, it’s their sponsor.

I did a double take the other day.

I thought i saw that Toronto FC have a new sponsor on their shirt.
It turns out, they do.

BMO is at it again, this time sponsoring the team and getting its name on the jersey.

I actually don’t have that much of a problem with corporate sponsorship of teams. I have a couple of Liverpool shirts with Carlsberg written across the front.

And, in terms of bad team moves, this is nothing like the NY/NJ Metrostars changing their name to the Red Bulls after the energy drink.

No, what Toronto FC have done isn’t the worst thing in soccer.

But i was looking forward to a clean Toronto FC shirt this year with just the team patch over the left breast.

One year of purity is what I was hoping for.

That they did this with about two weeks to go before the MLS season begins means that I won’t be able to get a jersey without the BMO logo on it.

And now, i’m not sure if i’m gonna buy one.

Chocolate Factory!

They’re diverting the 505 streetcar to do track repairs, so today, after dropping off a movie, i walked up to College Street to catch the streetcar.

I walked by the Cadbury Chocolate factory – it’s on Gladstone i think. Why did i capitalize chocolate? I don’t know – perhaps because chocolate is so delicious.

It was early in the morning and i saw two giant milk trucks at the plant. Now, i’m not sure if this factory make Creme eggs there or not – but the air smelled good – and good smelling air is rare in Toronto.

What’s the point of this post? Nothing really.

Sweet Jesus!

I’ve officially gone three days without eating a Cadbury Easter Creme Egg.

And i’m craving one like crazy.

My best Creme Egg Story™ of all time was when i was living in British Columbia and i went grocery shopping the day after Easter. (So it was a Tuesday.)

Anyhow they had Creme Eggs on sale for 10 cents each.

I threw 50 into the shopping cart.

My roommate said to me “Hey i could take some to work to share.”

I said, “No way, if you’re going to take some to work i’m going to buy another 20.”

So there we were, i ended up buying 70 eggs that day… for $7.00.

For the next two weeks (maybe it was longer – i can’t remember in the egg haze) i’d take three eggs to work with me every day.

I also wrote a song around this time that was inspired by my roommate’s desire to take Creme Eggs to her workplace to share.

It was called “No eggs for Tango”.

Man Well Lee.

Two winters ago I went to a card store that sold you three Mario Lemieux cards for 25 cents from a gumball type machine. I got my brother about 20 of them.

I dropped by there today and bought 50 cents worth (FIDDY CENT?) of “Classic” Toronto Blue Jays cards.

Yeah, i’m getting ready for another season up in the 500 level in Skydome.

Gibby and the boys will be back from Florida soon, and playing in the cement bowl by the lake.

Word is, the team is going to make a run for the wild card this year.

Go Jays go.

So what’s the best card I got today? A Dave Stieb.  You should see his ’stash.

The worst? Manny Lee.

CBC proves Canada is not as smart as “Christie”

Today I took the national IQ test, “Test the Nation” on the CBC website.

I have an IQ of 111.

 Tonight I watched the show, hosted by Wendy Mesley and Brent Bambury at 8 pm. They had 6 groups competing against eachother.

The highest score of anyone was a millionaire who got 137.

The average of the “mayors” group was 110.

Fitness instructors were at 112.

Millionaires scored 118 on average, and the team with the highest IQ were surgeons with 119.

So if i think i’m going to be a fitness instructor I’d better start working out my brain and my body.

 There’s something interesting on the CBC website.

You can take warm-up/practice (practise? i’m not sure which one to use - it’s proof i’m not an IQ of 140)  tests in the Mental Gym.

After you take the Mental Gym test you get a score, and a time in which you completed it.

Someone named “Christie” not only took all the quizzes a number of times, scoring 100% each time, “Christie” also managed to get all the questions right in under 1 second.

Huh?

Some people managed to score 100% in seemingly less than a second.

That’s the mark of genius – time travel!!! Or people taking the same test over and over and over until they get it 100% right – and then trying to shave of milliseconds from their completion time.

Anyhow, i also “took” the test while it was on tv. Not knowing the correct answers, but having been exposed to the questions. This second time i took the test i scored 139. (Another reason why my IQ isn’t 140.)

Which brings me to my point.

Any “DATA” or “STORY” that the CBC releases regarding “Test the Nation” from the information they’ve gathered from the internet will be terribly skewed.

Why?

Because the very existence of “Christie”.

“Christie” or various people putting in their names as “Christie” made the mental gym results useless.

So even with the show was over and the hosts had given out the answers, Brent said “You can take the test online!”

So what is Test the Nation good for?

It’s good for getting an idea of your IQ very quickly if you do it once, and it’s a good way to see a bunch of people in a studio audience get tested.

However, Test the Nation is going to be a terrible way to actually see the IQ of the nation if they use the data they’ve gathered in any way. 

One eleven. I’m pretty happy with that. I’ll do better next time. Well, as long as I can figure out what “reticent” means.

Poland’s Top Three Candies

3. Sesame Snaps

Are these candy? Or just sugar that suspends sesame seeds in a state of edibility? KJ Jansen of Chixdiggit! said once: “the GNP of Poland doubles everytime I buy a box.”

That’s what I’m talking about.

2. Cow Candy.

I don’t even know the name of these candies, but when we were growing up my Grandpa would have them in his coat and give them to us. They have a yellow wrapper and a picture of a cow on them. We assumed they’re made from milk, but they could be made from cow for all i know.

They were good.

“Puts the Krak in Krakow!”

1.  Anything made of Cabbage.

Polish people love cabbage. It sort of goes without saying that anything made of cabbage could be considered “good”. Even candy made of cabbage. To my knowledge there isn’t any such thing,  but who knows?

La Guerre des Tuques

Just stumbled on the French title for the movie The Dog Who Stopped the War. It’s La Guerre des Tuques (Touques?) and in my best broken French (English) – the war of the touques (or toques or winter wool-knit caps).

Stop me if you know the story: Kids in Quebec, 1980s, all decked out in Quebec Nordiques jerseys, hockey sticks, and toques (touques?) have a series of giant snow battles until tragically, one kid’s dog gets killed when a giant snowfort (not unlike stuff from the Quebec Winter Carnival) collapses. That ends the war.

I’d like to see it again. I’m sure it’s playing on Bravo right now.

Toronto FC: Feast or Famine

Just looking over the Toronto FC schedule again. It’s like soccer crazy… then soccer nothing. For example of what i’m talking about:

FEAST: They play at home on May 12, 16, and 19…. three games in 7 days.

FAMINE: But in June/July There’s a game at home on June 16  – but then the team doesn’t play again at home until July 29.

FEAST: David Beckham will supposidly make his MLS debut against the FC on August 5 with the LA Galaxy.
FAMINE: Adrian Serioux may not be healed up enough to play for Dallas FC when that team comes through town to play Toronto on June 17.

FEAST: Getting to Boo Nate Jaqua till our throats hurt for not sticking it out with the FC when he shows his mug in Toronto during the August 5 game.

FAMINE: Jaqua gettting benched and leaving us to boo Alexi Lalas as he sits up in the press box gloating over his precious Beckham.  (Lalas actually looked pretty good on a recent episode of Pros vs. Joes).

No Tickets Left

Have you heard? Toronto FC have officially sold-out of season’s tickets.

(I’m so happy to have my little seat. Not to jump ahead or anything, but I’m eventually  going to give it to my children.)

dis: miroir noir

After a few days of waiting (well it came out on the 5th of March) i bought Neon Bible – the new arcade fire album.

L and I were listening to it in the car – and after hearing Black Mirror we got to the second song.

Holy smoke ! I thought i was listening to Bruce Springsteen.

I suppose i should have the album in front of me to reference the song i’m referencing here, but it very well had the sound of the Boss.

It was like 1984 all over again. I suppose i should check the album for a bandana in the back pocket of some well worn jeans.

It was good. It was what i desire. (Whoa, oh, oh, i’m on fire.) I’m looking forward to hearing more of Neon Bible.