Saturday, March 15, 2008

DicksnJanes #143: timeoff

The Scarborough Dude decides March Break is a holiday, and visits his hometown of Valleyfield, Quebec.

Music:
Anyone Else But You - The Moldy Peaches - Juno
And Your Bird Can Sing - Beatles - Anthology 2 [Disc 1]
Elvis Ate America - Passengers - Original Soundtracks 1

3 comments:

Sylvain Grand'Maison said...

Hey Dude,
it's great to hear that you came back to your hometown Valleyfield. Next time, go just a little further so we can have a beer (or two) in Montreal.

Unfortunately, St-Urbain beer is released under Oland Breweries (Keith's) by Labatt to compete with microbrewed beers such St-Ambroise in Québec. They try to fool the customer with the branding/packaging. You know, marketing people...

Scarborough Dude said...

Hey Sylvain! I was thinking of you when I had that lousy beer- I was sure you'd know the story. It seems my judgment on this one right- slick marketing but same old shitty beer. But I should have known that before I bought it - I think I gave in to he cheap price ($6.99!), but in the end I only wasted my money because I didn't enjoy it at all.

Yes, next time I'll try to plan a little in advance, and meet up with you in Montreal.

Anonymous said...

Hey Dude,

Thanks for the wonderful podcasts. I'm on vacation for a few weeks, and I've just listened to the last two, so my comments are a mingling of those.

There is an easy solution to visiting your old school ... go into the office and identify yourself. Yes, I know ... but schools are very bureaucratic and are more comfortable with that sort of behaviour rather than hanging around the fence during recess.

Having said that, how sad it is that a fraction of a percentage of our society causes these restraints on our humanity. Who doesn't want to watch some kids playing marbles, flipping baseball cards, or pounding a tether ball into a gazillion loops around the old pole? Of course, you'll probably see more PSP's than marbles, and, if they do have baseball cards, they're probably safe at home stuffed in sheets of acetate for future sale on Ebay.
Ah well, you still have the tether ball ... and the collective onomatopoeias of unbridled emotion that remain unchanged in old and new schools.

And the wallet ... hey, Toronto, Ontario, TO, is a tough place. I was raised in the suburbs of Vancouver, but my Dad comes from Cabbagetown, and he is still as tough and ornery and scary as they come. I should tell you some time about how he got his warranty-expired, five-year-old refrigerator replaced with a new one cost-free, delivered to his door, and without having to pay for the shipping. You need to have him the next time you go into Canadian Tire to get an oil change: you might end up with a new car. Of course, knowing my Dad, as I do, it will probably be a Cadillac convertible in "cherry" condition, but that's the price of my father's point of view.

I don't think that kids have changed very much since 'back in the day.' What is different is the way that journalism has changed (a fault of our generation, I think). My boss, who has a BA in history, brings this to my attention once and awhile. We sit down with the newspaper and he points out the amount of opinion, as opposed to fact, that is infused in almost every news story: "When I worked on our 'school' newspaper, old man Shepard would never have allowed this." If the newspaper is the rough draft of history then this is how we will be known: rampaging teenagers, savage pit bulls, a grow-op on every block, and the sad person who needs your handout after setting the Christmas tree on fire. Oh, and Air India, too. Newspapers and the TV news are about fear, shock and degradation. That is what sells newspapers, and keeps some from watching that rerun of "Friends."

Again, don't let the media get you down. Yes, when kids are bad, they might be a grade worse than we were, but when they are good, they are a grade better than we were. I wouldn't let the few affect my belief in the latter. And I also believe that an overwhelming majority of them are on the best side of the scale. Why don't we hear about them? The Daily Gossip doesn't think we'll pay for it.

Best wishes,
the West Coast