Future Governor General Vote

Yes, I know our Governor General is appointed by the Prime Minister, but what if we WERE able to vote for the next GG? And what if I was the one in charge of determining who would be on that GG shortlist?

Well, you'd end up with something like this blog post -- only, it would be on the Canadian government's website and I'd be earning myself a kick-ass public servant's salary (with a similarly kick-ass pension).

As things stand, though, I'm doing this for the hell of it. And because I need to clean out some of my excess brain sludge. Now, let's get to the voting -- which you can do via comment below.

We'll be doing this ranked ballot style, so be sure to have your top choice first and least-favourite last, obviously.

Voting ends April 30th.


1. Nathan Fillion

2. William Shatner

3. Ricky Gervais

4. Sarah Polley

5. Ellen Page

6. Sandra Oh

7. Russel Peters

8. Christopher Plummer

9. Tara Strong

10. Jennifer Tilly

Barbara Amiel and Her Steubenville Blunder

It's been ages since I've actually read an issue of Maclean's -- this, despite the fact I've had a subscription to the Canadian magazine for months, now. My lack of interest stems mostly from the publication's unexpected veering into Crazy Conservative country sometime in the last couple of years.

No better example of this can be found than that in the stream-of-consciousness ramblings of Barbara Amiel. The Maclean's writer is often off her rocker, but not more so than in today's Opinion piece, "Land Mines In Our Sexual Landscape".

Hey, it's just a little bit of rape, yo. S'all good

In it, Ms Amiel gives us a rather warped -- and, luckily, brief -- summary of the Steubenvillle rape case. With lines like "...a bunch of high school teenagers got drunk at house parties and one of the girls ended up sans her clothes, of which there were not many to begin with," we get the feeling Ms Amiel, at least in part, blames the victim for making herself so rape-ready.

She goes on to describe the boys', and the victims', behaviour as appalling. Because, we all know that raping a girl and videotaping it is on par with a girl who's had too much to drink. Then Ms Amiel throws in this little gem: "In a normal society, the girl's mother would have locked her up for a week and all boys present would have been suspended from school and their beloved football team."

"Normal society," in this case, must be based on her own days at U of T's Whitney Hall back in the 60s. You know, when it was perfectly normal and acceptable for teen boys to go around raping unconscious underage girls.

Barbara Amiel: Back in the day when rape was okay

"This girl," she continues, "could do with an alcohol abuse program....", while, if indirectly, towing the MSM line that the boys', Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond, should have gotten away with a slap on the wrist. There's a bit where she bemoans the invention of the term "sexual harrasment", back in the 70s. A term, she suggests, "that ought to have been strangled at birth".

That's only roughly half the article. There's other bullshit about Toronto's Mayor Rob Ford's bum-grabbing incident on the eve of International Women's Day (with an unkind portrayal of grabbee, former mayoral candidate, Ms Sarah Thomson). She ends her diatribe on a high note: Reprimanding North American culture for being so ready to murder our unborn children, but wanting to defend those addicted to child pornography.

Yes. I know.

That Maclean's would publish this bullshit is astounding. That we should hold both them and Ms Amiel accountable for this bullshit is obvious.

Homeschooling: The Final Frontier

Not being overly impressed with the public education system (lack of excellent teachers, a curriculum that tends to encourage mediocrity, my own bad experiences), we've decided to try our hands at homeschooling Tempest (our daughter, whom most of you have heard about).

Seriously thinking about getting this book

Between the two of us, we have most subjects covered -- with the exception of anything beyond basic math. Should Tempest desire to explore beyond the boundaries of BEDMAS, we'll definitely be hiring a tutor.

Her home-based education will, to no surprise to anyone who knows me, be framed within the context of Speculative Fiction -- particularly, that of Star Trek (TNG & DS9) & more than a little Tolkien. As such, I thought it appropriate to name our humble unschooling project. Something that would help us all get a little more into the swing of things.

After mulling it over for a few days, I came to the only logical conclusion: Tempest would attend the greatest place of learning in all of Science Fiction, the Starfleet Academy.

Still waiting for a series that revolves solely around Starfleet Academy

Slowly, I'll be transforming our living room into a little slice of the San Franciso-based landmark. I've already made the school's sign (see below). Thinking I'll add a few console panels, replicator, and so forth. Heck, if she really gets into it, I'll makeover Tempest's room ST quarters style. And, of course, we'll be taking her on plenty of away missions to places like the ROM, Science Centre and the Hockey Hall of Fame.

No, I can't really draw. Luckily, Tempest can't tell that, yet.

All in all, this should be a fun project. We've already watched a few TNG/DS9 episodes together, and she seems to be into the Star Trek universe. And something tells me her TNG-loving Grandfather (Papa) just might approve.

Personally, I just want an excuse to watch Brent Spiner and Avery Brooks all the time. Oh, and Seven of Nine. Rawr.

King's Kosplay

I had no idea what cosplay was until some friends introduced me to the concept back in 2009. We were all heading to that year's (now defunct) Polaris convention -- only my second, after briefly attending 2007's Fan Expo.

Having no idea what to go as, and little time to prepare (we'd only decided to go at the last minute), one of my friends lent me a spare 10th Doctor cosplay she had lying around. The whole thing consisted of Value Village-esque finds: Second-hand striped shirt & vest, tie, pants and shoes. Oh, and the 10th's Sonic Screwdriver, of course.

Not me, but a reasonable facsimile

As none of us drove, we all took the TTC and VIVA transit up to the hotel that was hosting Polaris. Taking the subway & bus dressed as my second-favourite Doctor was strangely liberating. And the modest amount of attention I got as people recognized my cosplay was, well let's be honest, it was freaking awesome.

From that day on, I was hooked on cosplaying. Unfortunately, life has a nasty habit of getting in the way of my having fun, and my cosplay future was put on the back burner until early last year after meeting Jen of All Trades. For various reasons, I was looking to commission a Batman By Gaslight cosplay. As Jen and I are separated by a border and a handful of states, we commiserated via emails and tweets over a 2-3 month period. At the end of it all, I came away with a pretty nifty Steampunk Dark Knight cape & cowl.

Not me, nor a reasonable facsimile

Once again, through many factors (of which I won't get into here), I was unable to utilize my newly-minted cosplay. I was, however, able to use part of Jen's work to fashion myself a rather impressive Steampunk Harry Dresden cosplay for a small Hallowe'en gathering at my house last October.

Me, as Harry Dresden. No facsimile required

But, that wasn't enough for me. I wanted to see if I could tackle every aspect of a single cosplay project. And so, I began working out the logistics of turning my Knerd King persona into a full-fledged costume. I decided it would all hinge on how well I could revamp my old wooden practice sword into the mighty Geexcalibur -- Sword of the Knerd King. After a couple of starts, I think I've finally found my groove.

Geexcalibur, so far

Through paper maché, silver spray paint (for blade, cross guard & pommel) and black hockey tape for the grip, I think I'll be able to forge something most cosplayers will be impressed with.

I'll keep you all up to date on my progress, of course. I'm not sure how long the entire process will take, as there are at least three other components to complete (the Knerd Paladin Helmet, shoulder armour and chest piece). But, I am looking forward to the challenge of bringing the Knerd King to life.