Photo of the Day - November 29, 2009

Retro Labatt Blue beer bottle, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

Today's photo of the day is of a retro bottle of Labatt Blue from the mid to late 1980s. About three years ago my landlord was doing renovation in the building, and it's obvious they haven't done any spring cleaning in twenty years, so it was time they did. I found a small box full of old beer bottles, and one of the bottles was this oldschool Labatt's Blue bottle. The shape of the bottle has changed since to a more uniform industry standard with a longer neck.

Why I hate contests like iCoke

Roll up the rim to uh.. lose?, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

Back in 2005 Coca-Cola changed how they did contests in Canada. Back when I was growing up (and for many years after), their contests consisted of looking under the liner of a Coke product, and the liner would tell you if you won something or not. Sometimes you would win another Coke, sometimes a bag of chips, sometimes a prize much larger than that.. but usually.. nothing.

Now, Coke wants you to do everything online. Now you can no longer randomly get a free Coke anymore. Many Coke products have a PIN number that you have to enter through their website at iCoke.ca. Through that, you can enter contests, buy "products" and if you submit enough pins, it will give you the option to use your POINTS to buy a "free" 591 Coca Cola product.

I think iCoke is just a stupid promotion. I've used it for 4 and a half years, I've submitted easily hundreds (if not thousands) of PINs, and the only thing I've got to show for it is an email from the iCoke customer service regarding a point disagreement I have. Well a month back I bought a Coke at Burger King. If you buy a large Coke, you get 1000 points, however I only got 500 (well not really a big difference), but they refused to give me the points I was guaranteed.

I haven't won a single item on iCoke in the 4.5 years I've been on the site. I doubt most of the general iCoke population will ever win anything, also anything you do buy is heavily inflated. You would have to purchase up to 84 bottles/cases of Coca Cola to get THIS ugly Olympic hat, which would probably retail for $15/tops. Points wise, you would have to spend many many more dollars just for a cheap hat.

Also, iCoke gives you the option to "win a Coke", but the only way you can WIN a Coke it seems is if you submit a bunch of PIN codes, and after 8 or 10 PINs, you can use the 8-10 PINS to get a "free" Coke. Um.. it's not free. 8 pins? Seriously?

I'm no longer going to enter the iCoke contest, it's a waste of time, especially after 4.5 years of entering codes. I would have expected to win something by now, atleast a pair of tickets to a movie. But nope, nothing. iCoke is a waste of time, and a poor promotion.

Pepsi Access is just as bad. I wish soda companies would bring back the traditional liner promotions, but I guess they're saving hundreds of thousands of dollars by not letting any random person winning a product. Atleast we still have Roll up the Rim to Win.

Photo of the day - November 27, 2009

Timmies murder.. oh noez!, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

Isn't it a crime to murder a Timmies? If it isn't, it should be!

One of my favourite tropical memories..

Cerveza por favor!, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

One of my favourite tropical memories in Mexico wasn't consuming more beer than I could handle, all you can eat buffets, 38C weather when it was -40C in Manitoba.. hell all of those were awesome but it was..

Canadian culture in Mexico! I was overwhelmed (well I get overwhelmed easily) to see so much Canadian culture in Mexico. Well one day, while resting from a long day of being in the ocean, I was flipping through the TV channels. I see this Hugo Boss ad, the song that's being used for the commercial was Shakin' All Over by Chad Allen and the Expressions, or better known as The Guess Who (LINK). I was in awe! Well that wasn't all, as soon as the show came back from commercial, it was a CANADIAN television show, I can't remember the name of it, but I think a drama/crime show. During one scene, they play DJ Champion's "The Plow". It just couldn't get better than that!

While going into the town to go buy souvenirs, I discovered a Scotia Bank. Wow.. just wow. Part of me wanted to visit just to see if I would get Canadian money out of the ATM ;)

Not long later, I go into a small shop, and in the corner of the shop they have a box that they use for garbage like pieces of paper, plastic, tape, etc. The box was a McCain French Fries box from Canada. Seriously?

Lastly, in the same afternoon, I was continuing my walk in town, and I see a vehicle with a retro Ontario licence plate.. why would an Ontario licence plate be doing in Mexico, thousands of kilometres from Ontario? Wow

Seeing so much Canadiana in a country so far from home had me in awe, if anything will ever beat that, I think it'll be time to annex a tropical island!

Photo of the day - November 22, 2009

Sad man in the rock, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

Sad man in the rocks

My concert year of 2009

The Sheepdogs at the 2009 Rock the Block, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

2010 is only many many days away, and I cannot see myself going to another concert in this year, so I'm going to list (almost) every concert I went to in 2009. I know I'll be missing some, but I'll try my best.

February:

• Hawksley Workman. He performed here in the Wheat City on February 24. I was a fan of his music for a while (When you gonna flower?!). I was surprised to hear that he was coming to the Wheat City for his only Manitoban concert. Most of the crowd that I talked to were from outside of Brandon, and assumed I was too. He put on a very very entertaining show. Personally, I wasn't a big fan of his music, but he really knows how to entertain a crowd live. Very funny guy and likes to communicate with the audience

March:

• United Steelworkers of Montreal. While working in Quebec City, the United Steelworkers of Montreal were one of the many bands I saw live. I was blown away by the music ranging from sweet lullaby love songs to gruff trucker tunes. I was excited to see them perform in Brandon. They performed in Brandon on March 26. I was shocked by the attendance, including barstaff there was probably only 10 people there. I felt bad for the band. However, even with just the 10 of us, they still gave their all, and they were telling us how much they enjoyed playing there, they loved the acoustics and the atmosphere.

April:

• The Perms. This band is originally from Brandon, and I was communicating with the bassist of the band for quite a while. I learned that his mom grew up in my hometown. They were a very entertaining band, definitely a great pub rock type of band. They had their CD release party here on April 4th in Brandon, they'll be playing another show in a few months from now, I know I'll be going as it was a very very enjoyable time, plus you got to support your local music scene as much as you can! I hope CBC Radio 3 starts to play more of their music on the radio again, it's been pretty rare as of lately
• The Constantines. The Constantines opened up for the Weakerthans in Winnipeg at the Burton Cummings theatre on April 17th. They were much better than I expected, another band that's much better live. They had a treat for the audience.. they had John K Samson of the Weakerthans perform with them for a few songs.. wow, that really got the crowd moving!
• The Weakerthans. The Weakerthans were the main act at the Burton Cummings Theatre on April 17th. I saw them 9 months earlier in Quebec City, and personally.. I preferred the Quebec performance more. Perhaps it was because at the Quebec performance I was so homesick that the Weakerthans were the one thing to cheer me up, as well as I was surrounded by Manitobans at the concert, us Manitobans will travel in packs just to support our own! I was pleased to see Rusty Matyas accompanying the band as Jim Bryson was touring with The Tragically Hip at that time. He's a cool guy, he was the original bassist for Novillero, and is also the guitarist for the rock band The Waking Eyes, that guy is going far!

July:

• The Constantines. When I heard the Constantines were coming to the Wheat City on July 25, I was shocked. Why in the world would a great rock band from Toronto come to a small farm town in the middle of the prairies? They performed at the Folk Fest here in town. This concert was not a concert for me.. I didn't get to see the band perform as I was doing security backstage (I was pissed off, let me tell you). The concert sounded good, but I was in so much emotional pain that I couldn't enjoy the music. I did get to chat with the drummer of the band for a few minutes, he was very intrigued with some of the old buildings in Brandon.
• Volcanoless in Canada. I had heard of this band through friends before, but either than that.. nothing at all. This day was worse than the day of the Constantines show. Only a few hours prior to the show on July 26, I was physically assaulted on the street, so I was contemplating not showing up at the concert. I didn't know what to expect with Volcanoless in Canada, I knew they were an acoustic group but thats all. I was blown away by Volcanoless in Canada. They are an acoustic rock group from Saskatoon, and don't be fooled by that.. they rock the acoustic guitar as if they are playing electric guitars. They have found a way to successfully rock out (big time) with only acoustic guitars. Everyone at the concert appeared to be enjoying the band just as much as I was, and almost everyone was dancing! That's a band I'll check out again one day. I'm surprised they haven't received much attention yet, they deserve alot of success for the future!

September:

Western Canadian Music Awards. September 17 to 20th in Brandon, MB. I was very very pleased with how the Western Canadian Music Awards turned out. Not only did industry folk from all across the nation come to town, but also big musicians and general music fans came to town just for the heck of it! It's the first volunteer experience I signed up for where I actually enjoyed my entire time!

• The Sheepdogs. The Sheepdogs helped start off the WCMA festivities by performing the 2009 Brandon University Rock the Block concert in downtown Brandon, other performers included (but I couldn't watch as I was working merch from 8:30 to 2:30AM) Library Voices, Default, Mariana's Trench and State of Shock. The guys seemed like a very cool and mellow band when they were hanging around town, and their music is just as good! Their music is a mixture of hard indie rock meets The Allman Brothers/Southern Rock, I really enjoyed it as I always have time for a classic rock style show. They really rocked the show. I hope to see them again one day if they ever perform in Brandon again. They played in Brandon that weekend atleast 3 or 4 times, I hope they had a great time. However, after that performance, I had to work merch booth. It was an excruciating experience. I will never volunteer for merch ever again. I never knew what a merch booth person has to put up with. I was told that my shift was 4 hours or so, but it ended up going from 8:30 to 2:30. I felt unappreciated the entire time working there. I never got a single break while working there. When we were finished selling the merch, we got in shit from a band for short changing them for merch sales. However, they had sold an item of their merch for three different price points throughout the night, so the price changes were not accounted into the lack of funds. Then again, that band made very few sales as well. I will never volunteer as merch guy ever again. Phew.. now onto the next one!
• Adaline. Wow, I really enjoyed myself for this show. A few weeks prior a few people I knew recommended for me to check out this amazing musician from Vancouver named Adaline. Close to the concert date she was having problems to find a piano for the Brandon show, so a friend asked me if I could helped, so I tried. I saw her perform at the Double Decker, not knowing what to expect. She is an amazing girl, such a sweetie too. I was really blown away by her performance, her song Whiter/Straighter really caught my attention. She is a very belle femme who dresses up in a very nice 1930sesque style of clothing (I think?). This girl is going to go far! I chatted with her quite a bit that weekend (or probably annoyed her, ha! I kid). She's a genuinely nice girl, very funny, and she appeared to be enjoying her short stay in the city!
• Dan Mangan. Immediately following Adaline, Dan Mangan came onto the very small step of a stage that the pub had. I knew that Mangan was well loved on CBC Radio 3, but I wasn't entirely familiar with his music either than Robots. The pub was entirely packed for his performance, and I could see that a large chunk of Brandon came out just to see him (wow!). He put on a very solid acoustic set. Performed his great tunes such as The Indie Queens are Coming and Robots. For his song Robots, he had these group of guys he referred as those roudy bunch of farmers in the back join him on stage and sing with him, and he made sure everyone would sing along with the chorus. I didn't realize that these roudy farmers were actually the Edmonton rock/country band The Wheat Pool! I later realized that afterwards.
• The Wheat Pool. After a few years of loving their song The Geographic Centre of Canada, which I know is actually about Brandon, Manitoba, the Wheat City, the town they were visiting (no matter what you say!), I finally got to see them. There was a nice attendance for that show. They delivered a very entertaining set performing mostly new songs off their brand new album Hauntario (which hadn't been released yet at that time, but they sold it at that show!), but they also performed a few of the fan favourites like Geographic Centre. I was loving it! Throughout the show the band was giving shoutouts to CBC Radio 3.. this was actually the first time I have ever seen a band give a shoutout to Radio 3 before! A bunch of us Radio 3 fans roared! After the show was done I chatted with the band for a bit, got some merch and took some pics. They were great guys, really seemed to enjoy their time in Brandon, as much as I annoyed them over the weekend, ha ha!
• Quinzy. Another band I never heard of until that weekend. This band is from Winnipeg, and first thing I thought of them when I heard of them was a cross between Novillero and a few other Winnipeg bands, they have some really catchy songs. They will be getting more well known in the Winnipeg music scene soon enough. How can they not?
• Delhi 2 Dublin. We started off the September 19th concert experience by checking out this band from BC. I had never heard of them until the day before. Delhi 2 Dublin was possibly the most-wowing show for the audience at the WCMAs. Delhi 2 Dublin has a fusion of techno, music from Delhi, and some classic Irish fiddlin'. After the concert finished, there was a very long line just for people to buy the CD! I know many people want to see them booked for future events (ie Folk Fests and whatnot). Definitely an eye opener of a band
• Ali Milner. Ali is another musician that a friend recommended to me. I bumped into this girl while finishing up a panelist discussion session I was looking after. She was looking for her mom, she introduced herself and she was very very friendly the second I met her. I decided to check her out as I was recommended to in the first place. Like many other musicians, I didn't know what to expect. Ali has an amazing voice, very mature and very powerful, that plus the piano equal wow! Let's just say that Ali is the first musician I have ever seen that not only I enjoyed, but also MY SISTER enjoyed. Me and my sister hate each others musical tastes, but we both agreed that Miss Ali Milner put on a great show! I just wish she had CDs to sell at the show! 
• Library Voices. Thanks to CBC Radio 3, I've heard Library Voices more than a few times in my life, so when I heard they were coming to Brandon, I had to go. The choice of the venue for the band was kind of weird.. a sketchy nightclub. However, they performed a very energetic show that everyone enjoyed.. minus a few sketchy drunks who were only there to get drunk on a Saturday night. The band consisted of what appeared to be something like an 11 piece ensemble. I loved it! But on the downside, the band looked fatigued by the time the concert began since they arrived to Brandon earlier than most people and they performed at the Rock the Block concert a few days earlier. Even if they were fatigued, they were still great live. It's just awesome to think that there's so much great live music just in your own back yard.

October:

• Trooper! Raise a little hell! They performed a concert at the Westman Place arena in the late evening on October 24. They were performing as part of the Wheat City Rodeo. Most years the Rodeo gets a country band (ie Corb Lund) to perform, but this year for the Saturday show they got the kings of Canadian party rock, Trooper to perform. This was the second time I have seen Trooper live, and I was more amazed this time than the last time I saw them! They played all the hits like We're Here for a Good Time, Boys in a Bright White Sports Car and of course.. Raise a little Hell! Trooper is a band that is guaranteed to satisfy the music tastes of the population of South West Manitoba, from the young to the old! I had a brief chat with the lead singer Ra McGuire after the show. As usual I got star struck when I met him, but that was eased quickly as he is a very friendly guy. We discussed current music trends in Canadian music, he really likes The Weakerthans and Wintersleep, and wishes for one day to collaborate with the Weakerthans on something, now that'd be the day!

Now for the future, as I have no job right now.. I don't know what my concert-going future will be like, I may travel to Winnipeg once every few months as I have done for many many years, or I may just refrain from concert-going until further notice.. who knows! I hope 2010 will be another enjoyable year of music, live and not live.

Photo of the day - November 19, 2009

Atleast the Tractors are still there, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

This picture still brings back bad memories.

The ups and downs of 2009

Who you looking at?, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

This year is only weeks away, this has been a very very crazy year, it has had some ups and some downs, so here's my ups and downs for 2009.

UPs:

• In June, I graduated from Brandon University with a double major Arts degree in Politics and French. It took many years, many sleepless days, but finally got it done!
• I volunteered my share of events throughout the year. I volunteered for the Folk Festival here in the city, with that I got to see some live shows. I also volunteered for the Western Canadian Music Awards. That was a huge blast as it was not in any way any work. It was a fun time since while working I got to chat with some of my favourite musicians and watch panel discussions from industry insiders. I also made a few new friends at that event!
• I was asked around February to do an intro for the CBC Radio 3 program the R3-30. The episode was entitled Salute to Facial Hair. I was very proud of that, and also my idea of user-submitted show ideas has brought in a new feature to the R3-30.
• Just this week I was featured in a blog entry on the CBC Radio 3 website: Link
• I am now on the board of directors for a provincial political party for my constituency. I really never expected it.

DOWNs:

• My post-university job search officially began in February, and I have yet to find a job. I have contemplated to move to Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec and Moncton for a job. NOW I'm willing to move to anywhere and everywhere if I have to. The only job offer I actually got this year was to work on a farm.
• Due to program issues, I was supposed to graduate with a double 4 year degree, but I ended up with double 3 year degree.
• Volunteering for the Folk event here was one of the worst things I ever have done. I got a vibe that the volunteers didn't feel appreciated. I certainly wasn't appreciated. They screwed over my hours, especially since I could not work evenings. I ended up with only evening shifts. I also missed the only bands I wanted to SEE LIVE. I will never volunteer for that organization ever again.
• Since I don't have a job, I get 10-15 emails from my mom each and every day like clock work with jobs to McDonalds and whatnot. Mom, stop it.
• Many times I don't know when to stop drinking, and it has hurt the one I love. But thankfully.. I'm doing better now.
• I'm still living in Brandon. I've never thought I would still be living here. I always imagined I'd be moved out of Brandon immediately after graduation. Sadly that hasn't happened. Also, people from Brandon are so.. je ne sais quoi. Not a very welcoming community. I've only made a few friends in the 6 years I've lived here. Also, each and every time I walk on the main drags of the city, people drive by and give me the finger, honk their horn (people who I don't know), and people yelling obscenities at me. Even one time, these 100lb wannabe gangsters drove by, swore at me. I gave them the finger and they turned onto the next intersection, jumped out of their car and pushed me, yelled at me, punched me. Of course, nobody even dared to slow down or stop as this was happening. That's Brandon hospitality for you!

Photo of the day - November 17, 2009

Pipestone Manitoba Tornado - June 23, 2007, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

This photo still scares me, two and a half years later. Just looking at it makes me twitch.

Sometimes.. it's the little things that matter most!

Library Voices at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards in Brandon, Manitoba, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

As most of you may know, I've been out of work/out of school for a while, so it has taken a toll on me. I've been applying for jobs quite a bit, online, offline, local, national. Nothing hurts more when you are ambitious to get a great job in a great city then you get an email back saying "We're sorry to inform you that your application does not meet our criteria.

I've been feeling sick lately (not H1N1) and the feeling of rejection has only made it worse, but sometimes it's the little things that matter most.

I turned off my cellphone and computer a few hours ago so I could nap. I wake up and see a message from my friend Pat going "Wake up! There is a blog post in your honour!" I was thinking what in the world? as I didn't know what she was talking about.

So I head over the CBC Radio 3 website, and there was a blog entry just about me. I was in awe. It was a pretty aweful day to begin with, but it gave me a big smile.

Sometimes it's just the little things that matter. Great friends, which I'm lucky to have, are very important.

There was a quote from Adaline, a musician from Vancouver that made me even happier:
I met Cody during the Western Canadian Music Awards after one of my showcases. His love for music is infectious! I only wish more people were as passionate and positive as him! Thanks for supporting us Cody!

Sometimes, you just don't realize how great some things are, I'm lucky to have friends who like good music, who actually like the music you like, who will come all the way from Winnipeg just for a weekend of gigs! (Winnipeggers don't like travelling elsewhere as it is!)

While I've had my ups and downs with music sites, CBC Radio 3 has rocked, I won two Sirius satellites from them back in 2007, I was on the live edition of the R3-30 on this final Radio Two broadcast, and they had me introduce the R3-30 for the Salute to Facial Hair. All that gives me a smirk

Check out the article at CBC Radio 3, it made me laugh too!

Photo of the day - November 15, 2009

Legislature of Manitoba, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

Photo of the day - November 14, 2009

Retro Labatt Blue beer bottle, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

Beer labels were cooler back in the 80s

Photo of the Day - November 13, 2009

Waste 8( Recycling, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

My 10 goals for 2010

Vieux Quebec mural, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

I graduated university in June, and since then, I haven't done anything or gone anywhere. I need a new outlook and direction in life for 2010, so here's 10 goals I have for 2010.

1. GET a job. This is a no-brainer. I've been unemployed since my job in Quebec finished 14 months ago. I've applied to hundreds of jobs already, not a single call back. I need to focus on actually getting one.
2. Move. I know Brandon is not a prime location for future opportunities, so I need to find something that is outside of the city. If it means moving to Winnipeg, so be it. I am open to moving to Winnipeg, Ottawa, almost anywhere in Quebec and even the Maritimes.. if it means employment.
3. Lose weight. Every year is different, sometimes I lose weight without noticing, or gain weight without noticing, but I need to lose it.
4. Cut down on the beer. I'm hungover as usual
5. On the other hand.. I want to start a 52 week Beer project, where I try one different beer a week, whether it is something new or something I've had before. It would be interesting. Go from Kokanee to Red Stripe to Hoegaarden to who knows what.
6. Travel more. I need to discover more of this country, I need to learn more about my own backyard. Also, I need to travel to new places. Road trip anyone?
7. Cook healthier. I need to stop relying on frozen tv dinners and other frozen foods. This also goes with moving, as it's impossible to cook healthy food in this building as people steal your cookware. I want to make homemade stuff like cookies, bread, and steak in a dark beer marinade.
8. Be more confident, open up more, evaluate who my friends are. This is a big one I need to work on. I know I'm not confident and I need to work on that. I need to open up more since I usually keep everything to myself. Lastly, I need to evaluate who is/is not a friend as I need to stop getting screwed over time and time again. I would prefer it if they would just already delete me from facebook instead of keeping nights at the bar a secret to me, and if they think I'm whiney or a fat loser, TELL ME, instead of saying it on someone else's god damned Facebook wall where everyone can see.
9. Improve my French and learn more Spanish. People think I'm fully bilingual in English and French, it's not true. I've been learning French all my life, but I still can't write an essay without looking at my Bescherelle or my French/English dictionary.
10. Get my finances on track. I'm sick of being broke, sick of not being able to save money for the future. I need to start saving money, put money into the future. Also, stay away from buying stuff I don't need (ie a brand new computer when the newest Apple product comes out.. seriously).

Political manure

Mon héro!, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

As many of you know, I recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science back in the spring. During the past 6 years, I was fairly involved with the political scene locally and at times federally. I've seen wheelin' dealin' going on in politics, lots of "WTF JUST HAPPENED?!" and whatnot.

At one time, I was a big fan of the PC Party... while the party near its demise was no longer a very right of centre party it used to be, by its end it was just an alternative to the Liberals. Like many supporters, I just couldn't support the party when the merger with Harper's Alliance occured.

So what did I do? For six months I started to think what party I was aligned with most. I was confused.. I even signed up for "more information" from the NDP, but I never joined the party. I ended up getting coerced into joining the federal Liberals.

You see.. for most of my life when I was interested in politics, I hated the Liberals as most of their policies were anti-West, pro-Ontario/Quebec. I've seen alot of bullshit go on because of these policies, but I had to swallow my ego and just move on with life.

For 5 years, I had a membership with the Liberals. I even met Stéphane Dion only weeks after he announced his intention to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party. I had known at that time that he would be the next leader of the Liberals. While he was indeed nerdy, he was able to relate his 5-step plan for the environment for the farmer-based audience he was speaking to. The farmers were convinced, as the policies would increase interest on the prairies (ie production of ethanol). 6 months later he was crowned leader of the Liberals.. but he was a weak leader at best.

So look what happened.. the Liberals tanked in the polls because Stephen Harper and Mike Duffy were able to make Dion look bad, so he was pushed to resign as leader. Ignatieff was now the leader of the Liberals.

For four and a half years, all I ever heard was this man named Michael Ignatieff was poised to win the leadership of the Liberals. His supporters said how Iggy was the outsider messiah for the Liberals, who will return the Liberal to the majority style governments of the early 90s.

Well.. that will never happen. Just looking back at the four by-elections this week. The Liberals did aweful in each of the four ridings. Sure it's just a by-election, but still, it's bad on Ignatieff. What's the Liberal Party going to do? Their support is not going to go up, it is only going to go down. Ignatieff will never be Prime Minister of Canada. Plus it's too late to "form a coalition" as we now realize that the West hates the idea of a coalition, unless if the Conservatives back it ;) 

So when the next election happens, whenever Harper or Iggy pushes it, Harper will still be leader, the Liberals may LOSE seats in Quebec, lose its only seat in Manitoba (which is inevitable) and the Liberal Party will be scratching their head wondering where they went wrong.

They will be looking for another leader to replace Iggy. By then, the NDP will be much more stable of a political party than the Liberals will be. The Liberals need to get a leader/team who can make HARPER look bad instead of Harper making THEM look bad. The party needs to refrain from becoming a revolving door of leaders going from having Chrétien stepping down as leader in 2003, Martin in 2006, Dion in 2008, and Iggy sometime within the next year or two.

I will not be renewing my membership with the federal Liberal Party at the end of the month. I have no need to as all I ever get is letters asking for donations, and letters from the provincial wing of the Liberal Party (sorry but I just don't support you, I'm involved with another party). The party does not deserve my money. Plus Ignatieff trying to force an election in September was poor politics. That plus the lack of actual leadership in the Liberal Party, and a lack of direction is why I will never be a member again, until the party can get its metaphorical head out of its metaphorical ass! Get a leader who IS competent, one who can relate to the Canadian population, who is someone who you would like to have a beer with. Until that happens, the NDP is more likely to become the official opposition in the near future.

Photo of the day - November 12, 2009

Lookout the Bobcat with no eyes, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

Lookout the Bobcat

Photo of the day - November 10, 2009

Lone prairie camel, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

Photo of the day for November 10, 2009.

Lone Prairie Camel. Her name is Sara, she is one of the only "camels" on the Canadian prairies. According to her plaque:
"This camel is emblematic of Manitoba's only desert* 10km North on PTH #5"


Sara can be found in Glenboro, Manitoba along the #2 highway.



*Kind of bit of a lie. There's a bit of a desert/sandhills near Lauder, MB, although it's pretty small

My life according to the Weakerthans

The Weakerthans - festival d'été (Quebec City, Quebec) - July 4, 2008, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

Pick Your Artist: The Weakerthans

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Tag 15 people. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)"

Are you a male or female?:
None of the above (LOL!)

Describe yourself?:
Anchorless

You feel like?:
Greatest Hits Collection

Describe where you live:
One Great City

If you could go anywhere,where would you go?:
Sun in an Empty Room

Your favorite form of tranportation?:
Left and Leaning

Your best friend?:
Plea from a cat named Virtute

You and your best friends are?:
Aside

What's the weather like?:
Slips and tangles

Favorite time of day?:
Night Windows

If your life was a TV show,what would it be called?:
Civil Twilight

What is life to you?:
Tournament of Hearts

Your fear?:
Hymn of the Medical Oddity

What is the best advise you have to give?:
This is a Fire Door You never Leave Open

Thought for the day:
Sounds Familiar

How i would like to die:
Bigfoot!

My soul's present condition:
Pamphleteer

My motto:
Confessions of a Futon-Revolutionist

Dix chansons que j'aime!

la nuit à Québec, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

French music from Quebec is very underrated outside Quebec. While many fans of Canadian music know of Cœur de Pirate and Malajube, there's many musicians that get overlooked. Here's 10 songs from Francophone Quebec that I love!

1. Les Cowboys Fringants - Les Étoiles Filantes. A nice mixture of traditional French folk music mixed with a bit of pop to it. Great band, very catchy songs!
2. Damien Robitaille - Homme autonome. Well Damien is actually a Franco-Ontarien, but I just had to include a song by him in the list. His songs are always very catchy. This guy is going to go FAR in the French Canadian music scene!
3. Les Trois Accords - Dans mon corps. Honestly, the first Francophone band I have ever been interested in was this band back in 2005. Their song Saskatchewan is a fricken classic. But they're back with a brand new album.
4. Pépé et sa guitare - La solution. One of my favourite joual speaking musicians. He's a blast live, and his songs are so catchy that I saw 200k drunk-as-fuck people on the plains of Abraham at 3AM slurring his songs word for word. It was a great time (minus getting trampled on).
5. Mononc'Serge - Saskatchewan. Who doesn't love to make fun of the Gap province? As a Manitoban, I had to include this song. So true
6. Robert Charlebois - Entre Deux Joints. Robert Charlebois is a legend in Quebec. EVERYONE in Quebec knows who he is, what songs he sings, etc. It's like Burton Cummings in Manitoba. He would even look a bit like Burt if he grew a stache. He had major influence on the Quebec music scene, and at one time he co-owned the greatest brewery in Canada, Unibroue!
7. Jean Leloup - Tangerine. Like Charlebois, Jean Leloup was very influential on the Quebec music scene. I discovered Leloup's music back in 2006 when he went back to his real name for an album, Jean Leclerc. For some reason I suspected that they were the same person, but never realized it. That was one of the only concerts I missed while in Quebec City that I really wish I never missed.. he's a freaking legend in Quebec.
8. Omnikrom - Danse la poutine. This song makes me laugh each and every time. Only in Quebec would there be someone rapping about poutine!
9. Les Vulgaires machins - Être un comme. One of my absolute favourite rock bands from Quebec, always rocking, all the time!
10. Les Prostiputes - Je veux danser avec toi. This bands name is a play on words, so each time I read it, I get a chuckle from it. You can easily guess why. Les Prostiputes, likes Les Vulgaires machins are a great rock band.

These 10 songs, along with many many many other songs have influenced my tastes today, and I have been able to accept Franco-Canadien music into my life regularly. Heck.. most of the albums I buy now days are by French musicians. A band doesn't have to sing in English to sound "good", because a language doesn't define the greatness of a band. Listen to music that makes you happy, makes you try to sing the words, even if you can't speak the language!

Stuff Cody Likes - November 2, 2009

Ra and the Weakerthans, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

I can't believe how old this blog is.. but time for Stuff I Like!

• Live Music, this includes classic rock bands such as Trooper to indie rockers like Dan Mangan or The Weakerthans
• Chocolate Danishes from Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons here in Brandon, MB now stocks the delicious treat at one of their locations, it's the greatest! Previously, I had to stop in Portage la Prairie or Winnipeg if I wanted a chocolate danish, but no longer!
• Les Trois Accords. Check out their new music video for Dans mon corps. LINKY
• Halloween treats on sale! I just bought a package of 125 mini chocolates (Kit Kats, Coffee Crisp, Smarties and Aero) for $7.30, when it was being sold for Halloween double that price. MMMMMMM!!
• Bande à part. I love the site, and personally, I like it more than CBC Radio 3 for choice of music. But I had a rift with one of the employees/interns for me running a Bap fan group a year back.
• Blanche de Chambly. I had my first Blanche de Chambly in many many weeks for Halloween, that is liquid wheat gold!
• My Burton Cummings costume. The costume was very popular, people LOVED it, people recognized exactly who I was without even looking at my tshirt. I guess it helped being from Brandon, Manitoba where the Guess Who's 2000 reunion concert is still talked about. Edit: Now don't go asking me to grow a stache for Movember, I'm not going to do it as I've many people say they'd pay me not to grow a mustache!