Easter Long Weekend

So here we are, heading into the Easter long weekend. (It seems early this year) At some point this weekend I would encourage you to take some time and reflect on the Easter story.

I remember as a kid walking into Mitchell's Christian Book Store and seeing this video playing. (Minus the subtitles) What I saw in this video hit me hard. I knew the Easter story, but this video made it come to life. Much like the Passion Of The Christ did for some people. Watch the video and thank God for going the distance to have a relationship with you.

Have a great Easter weekend and I'll catch you again on Monday!

Too Cool For Family

Teenagers are interesting people. They are moody, overly emotional, people who are going through a lot of big changes. It's a tough time for just about everyone. I remember when my brother was a teen, and he did not like going out with his family. Out to dinner with the 'rents? No way! Spend a day at the cottage with the fam? Fat chance! He's outgrown that now, but for a couple years, he did not want to be seen with his uncool family. It's not just him either... it seems most teenagers go through this phase. Why do I bring this up? Well, I was watching "Life Of Ryan" and I noticed he's not like that. Ryan Sheckler [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Sheckler], who has every reason to ignore his family, doesn't. He's all over tv kissing his little brothers, hanging out with pops and being a model brother/son. I've got to admit, it was nice to see. Now I know he's not perfect, but when it comes to his family, Ryan Sheckler holds it down.

Quality Goaltending

An interesting thing happened in tonight's Leaf game. Rob Davison (an Islander defenseman) scored his first NHL goal on Vesa Toskala. That wasn't the weird part. It was how he scored... Watch the video.

Crazy huh? The puck just bounced sideways and right past the Leaf netminder. The buds still won, but I think Toskala is going to be seeing that replay for the next couple months.

The Annual Hockey Road Trip

This past weekend was the hockey road trip that I plan every year. In the past we had visited cities like Columbus, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. This year we planned on going to Ottawa, but the Senators were sold out. So we had to make other plans. I decided an OHL trip could be fun, (and cheap!) So this past weekend we hit London on Friday, Plymouth on Saturday and Saginaw on Sunday.

We began in London, at the very swanky John Labatt Centre. The Knights are super popular so we ended up with standing room seats. I was amazed at the support these guys got from London. Growing up in the GTA, OHL hockey doesn't draw very well. But London sells out every game! The arena was NHL calibre, seating 10,000 with a big league feel to it. The concourse was similar to an NHL arena. As for the game, it was a fight filled blowout for the home town London Knights. It was a great start to the weekend.

Next we travelled to Plymouth, (just outside of Detroit) to see the Whalers face Steven Stamkos and the Sarnia Sting. Stamkos is the consensus #1 pick in this summer's NHL draft, and it was easy to see why. He took over the game, and every time he touched the puck the arena would be on the edge of their seat. He sniped a couple nifty goals, and set-up a couple more. Our seats were directly behind the bench, which was a cool experience. A little hadr to see at times, but it was fun.

Next our travels took us to the Dow Event Center in Saginaw. We watched a tight game between the Saginaw Spirit and Plymouth Whalers. After regulation the game was tied so off to overtime, and eventually a shootout. Saginaw potted the only shootout goal and when they did the fans went bananas! Another great game, and a great way to cap off the weekend.

One thing I noticed at all 3 of the games we went to was just how excited the fans got. Fans in Barrie tend to be reserved and very polite, and fans in Mississauga and Brampton... well they just don't exist. Most nights it was a half-empty building when I'd go to those games. Considering tickets run about $15, I'd say an OHL road trip is a pretty sweet option. Maybe next year we head east and check out Oshawa, Kingston and Peterborough?

New Hawk Nelson Music Video!

I appologize for the link below, but I couldn't find the video on YouTube. Check it out! Brand new music vid for "Friend Like That."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m16XZRXEWZLPMY:m1RQPMUX82FWHM

New Hawk Nelson Music Video!

I'm sorry for this gaudy looking link below, but I couldn't find the video on YouTube to share, so I had to post the link. But check it out! It's the fresh new music vid for "Friend Like That."

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0011Z6926?tag=tonare-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B0011Z6926&adid=00R1YBHJJ1ETX01757N4&%20

A Real-Life Musical

Have you ever watched a Disney movie (or any musical for that matter) and said to yourself; "That is so cheesy. They'd be punched before the got to the second verse." Well you're wrong. Check out this video. These guys planned this entire scenario, and using the in mall PA system and some well disguised actors, they turned this ordinary day in the food court to something unbelievable. Check it out!

The Beauty Of Live TV

I actually stole this video of my buddy's website, (http://www.patdryburgh.net/), but it's too funny to pass up. Watch what happens at the end. The comedy comes from an unexpected place.

http://view.break.com/467869 - Watch more free videos

You expected the tenant and landlord to go at it right? Not so my friends! Not so.

Tips For March Break

I realizeit may be too late for this year, but if you're going on vacation, specifically flying, you NEED to watch this video. It may make your trip that much more enjoyable.

The Animus

If you've read my bio on the website you probably know I want to open a club/music venue/coffee bar in downtown Barrie. It's still very much in its infancy, but I know what I want the overall feel of the place to be... it's a mission statement of sorts. I'm taking it from David Crowder's song "Can You Feel It"
Check out these lyrics:
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
The love in this place
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
The grace in this place
Can you feel it?
Yeah
Life makes it so hard sometimes
To know what’s real
When I can’t feel You there
When I can’t see You there
When I can’t comprehend that
You are thereYou are there
You’re everywhere
You are everywhere
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
The hope in this place
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
The peace in this place
Can you feel it?
Yeah
When we can’t feel You there
When we can’t see You there
When we can’t comprehend that You are there
You are there
You’re everywhere
You are everywhere
Our God is here
We believe You’re here
We can feel You here
We can see You here
We believe You’re here
You are here
You are here

Listen to the song at:http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=12506536

I want this place to be a place where people come and experience God. Where they can feel his presence. Where they feel peace, hope, love and grace. I don't have a name for it yet... I am calling it "The Animus" right now, but I don't think it'll stick. It means "Spirit" in latin, and I like the idea of God's spirit inhabiting the place. But who knows?

It would be wrong to call it my dream... I am a co-owner along with God and my good buddy Patrick Voo. Look for Patrick and I to be making some ground in the future, and maybe even getting this wild and crazy idea off the ground.

Google

3 or 4 years ago I had the chance to go to Mountain View, California and visit my best friend who was (at the time) working for Google. I cannot express in words what the experience was like. It was surreal. It was like an all-inclusive resort as a place of employment. From bulk candy stands, to games rooms, to massage rooms, to napping pods, it did not look or feel like a place that you would go to work. The toilet seats were heated and cleaned themselves (and you if you were brave enough to have water squirted at you), they had bands play on Fridays over the lunch hour (small bands... like Maroon 5), and the cafeteria was more like an expensive restaurant (that you ate at for free). I'd go tour radio stations for the day, come back at 5 o'clock and ask my buddy "What did you do today?" His reply? A simple: "Well I didn't feel like working so me and a couple guys went and played beach volleyball. Then some of the guys from downstairs wanted to have a ping-pong tournament so I went and played in that." Apparently as long as you completed your work, they didn't care what you did during the work day. CRAZY! The Google campus (it's so big they need to call it a campus) has everything you'd need. Laundry (plus they give you free shirts every week), food, showers, etc. Maybe that's the idea. If they never have to leave, then they are always at work!

I left Mountain View with a new vision for business. If I ever ran a business, it'd try to run it like Google. Make it a fun environment, one that people don't dread going to every day. Maybe if you did that then you'd get more out of your employees than if you work them like crazy. Now all I need to do is start a business.

One Of The "Napping Pods" At Google

That Was Mean!

I gotta tell ya... I'm a little upset with what has transpired over the past couple days. Yesterday was such a perfect day! Temps around 10 degrees, the sun was out, the snow was melting, people were driving with their windows down! It seemed like spring had sprung... Really it was just a cruel trick! Today we get a winter storm warning. Up to 30cm of snow in the next 24 hours! It's just not right. This winter just will not go away, and it's starting to bum me out.

Need A Barf Bag?

I would imagine the barf bag usage would be high in this situation. If you have a fear of flying, you might not want to click this link.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/03/03/pleitgen.germany.near.crash.cnn