Wing Wednesday
I know the weather outside is stupidawfulterriblecold, but Wednesday is wing day, and you’ve got to respect that, Edmonton.
“But where do I go for wings?” you ask.
Well, I’m not the boss of you, but Sally did stumble upon this chicken wings website in her Internet travels, and I think HotWings.ca is a pretty good place to start. It’s a website all about chicken wings. Umm…awesome.
Right now The Gas Pump (!), Sawmill, and Dadeo are the top three in Edmonton wing-rankings. I bet you wing aficionados will have something to say about that.
There’s also a nifty little tool to let you find the places with the cheapest wings any day of the week. But we all know Wednesday is wings.
Nathan could be the Coldest Canadian
This pretty much sums up most people's attitude to biking in the winter. Forget about it!
A proud, bicycling Edmontonian thinks he’s the Coldest Canadian.
And after watching the icicles build-up on Nathan Smith’s beard, it’s hard to argue with him.
I mean, this time of year you’re going to find most bikes tucked away in garages, buried in snow, or just plain abandoned.
Nathan, however, is one of the growing number of Edmontonians who are outfitting their bikes, and themselves, to ride just about 365 days. The video you see above is Nathan’s entry to a contest from Air New Zealand called “Coldest Canadian.” Those wacky Kiwis are giving away airfare, accommodations, and island adventure to a chilly Canadian.
So, go vote for Nathan, so he can enjoy a little beard-defrosting fun in New Zealand.
Your favourite place = train ride
You love Edmonton. And you think there are some pretty sweet places to visit in this city. So tell the world (or, at least Canada) about your favourite places and get into a draw for some Via train action.
Great Places in Canada is a contest put on by the Canadian Institute of Planners (which sounds pretty legit), which aims to find all the most-loved cities, towns, landmarks, and public spaces (like parks) in this great country.
Edmonton’s already well-represented with the University of Alberta, 
Candy Cane Lane, our 1-year-old Art Gallery of Alberta, Ada Boulevard (often used in TV movies), Old Strathcona, the Muttart Conservatory, and Whyte Avenue. Anyone who nominates a place is entered into the draw.
Oh, and there will be judging of the favourite places, so get voting.
I’m also curious as to your favourite places, Edmonton or otherwise. So drop me a comment and tell me what’s cool.
Mostly Water Theatre goes Viral
Man alive! A shout out to our friends at Mostly Water Theatre, who are getting a plenty of attention this afternoon, after a video featured in their awesome Christmas Show turned up on a whole bunch of popular U.S. culture blogs, including Gawker, The Huffington Post, and the Daily What. (If you guys see it anywhere else, please let us know!)
Nicely done, Mostly Water folks! A big hats off to you guys!
(You will, of course, remember Mostly Water’s Trent Wilkie from our election show back in October).
Deals, discounts, crepes
You like deals, you’re only human.
In the jumble of group discount sites that have popped up (most of them with crazy two-syllable names), there’s a new deal in town. Good News Edmonton is a deal with a difference. They give a charity or worthy organization some of the money they earn from coupon-savvy folks.
The site’s first big deal in Edmonton (since they are also in other cities) is a $1 crepe from Whyte Avenue’s location of Crepeworks. That’s a big savings on a crepe that could cost you $7. Plus, the Edmonton Food Bank is reaping all the rewards. (In this case the food bank is getting all of the money.)
Good News Edmonton has done their homework though. They know we love giving you guys stuff. So…hows about a $25 credit for this new deal site? Yeah, we knew you’d be all about that. To get yourself in the draw for the $25* GoodNews.com credit, leave a comment with a business you’d like a deal from and a charity you think could use a few extra dollars. (This is just for conversation/contest purposes and GoodNews.com doesn’t have to use any of our suggestions.)
*One note, you’ll only be able to use the credit on items that cost more than $10. (A deal that costs $10, for example, or buying two $5 deals.
Update: We’ll draw a winner Thursday morning.
Update 2: Michael has claimed the $25 credit. Thanks for all your great suggestions!
Are You Tired of Hearing People Complain About Snow?
So, I’m lucky enough to live next to an empty lot. I know that’s sort of a non-sequitur, but bear with me, I’m going somewhere with this.
Year-round, the lot is home to what I call “bunnies,” and Jeff calls Snowshoe Hare, but could be killer rabbits for all I know. There are nights when I’m completely bundled up, like crystals-forming-on-my-eyelashes, breathing-my-own-sweaty-scarf-breath, peripheral-vision-compromised-by-hood bundled up, and yet, through my snow blindness, I can make out the shape of a fat white rabbit sitting in the middle of the sidewalk outside my apartment building, staring at me like I owe him money. And suddenly, my blood-lust for old man winter just sort of dissipates as I chase after the bunny, Elmyra-style.
That is why I liked the video posted below. While it does not feature the tiny animals typically needed to capture my attention (though maybe you could consider doing that in your next one, Adam), it certainly did give me the kind of warm fuzzies I associate with a good bunny-spotting.
This is part of a poetic response assignment our new friend Adam (@theleanover on twitter) completed for a creative writing class. I found it on youtube while searching videos of Edmonton – specifically, videos where peoples’ cars were stuck in snow so I could make a cutting-edge “what’s the deal with snow removal” joke – and after watching this sweet little love letter to the City, I kind of feel ashamed of myself.*
*But not so ashamed that I won’t put a pin in the “what’s the deal with snow removal” joke for use another day.
Wear your seatbelt. Take a picture.
I bet Alberta political junkies wish they had been wearing a seatbelt today! (So timely.)
This is an example of a photo that you could send in. I don't want to lose Scott's moustache to a car crash. (Interesting to note that Scott's Unknown Studio co-host, Adam, put me on to this contest.) Photo: Brittney Le Blanc
But, more seriously, there’s a new seatbelt campaign that’s asking for your help. It wants you to send in a photo of you and a loved one (or loved ones, if you have more than one).
You can read about the campaign here. You have until Friday to send in a shot of you and somebody you love/like/don’t want to see smashed up for not wearing a seatbelt. E-mail your photo, and remember to wear your seatbelt.
Speaking of seatbelts, wearing one really helped out the main character in the TV movie Intimate Stranger. What? You don’t watch terrible movies too?
*****
Also, this being Tuesday, you can check out Troubadour Tuesday at Brixx. You get free tacos with Big Rock pints!
So you think you can $4000
If there’s one thing the new century has taught us, it’s that people love dancing.
Not just actually dancing, but watching people dance. And watching people who think they can dance. That’s not one that I would have called back in the 90s.
But, the dancing train isn’t slowing down, so let’s all hop aboard and boogie. (Kids say “boogie,” right?)
Also jumping aboard is Servus Credit Union’s Young & Free Alberta crew, with a dance contest. If you are between the ages of 17 and 25, like to dance, and want a chance at $4,000, then Servus wants you to submit a video of you dancing. You have until February 7 to enter. You can go solo or get together your crew.
Based on the age-range stated in the rules, I can only infer that the long-rumoured shift to “submitting videos of yourself dancing mortgage applications” has begun. I wonder if CMHC insures those yet.
Get dancing, young Edmonton!
Oh, and get filming/uploading so you can win money. It ain’t dancing unless there’s voting and money at stake.
DOG VIDEO!
Before I begin, allow me to assure you that no, I am not a monster, and yes, I ABSOLUTELY realize that there are countless deserving animals currently awaiting adoption who do not cost $500 dollars (a current favorite of mine is Mr. Waggs, whose picture I often I often gaze longingly upon through the window of the Mill Creek Animal Hospital). But not for nothing, Mr. Waggs isn’t on youtube, and this little dude is.
My friend Sarah sent me this ad yesterday for a local French Bulldog puppy who is deaf and who needs a family. And because I am only human (If you give me internet access, will I not watch videos of animals falling asleep?), I seriously considered making him the edmontonian office dog, before Jeff intervened (I believe his exact words were “Only if you can teach him to do Headlines.”)
But no matter. Whether you are a dog person or not, I think we can all agree that none of us want to live in a world where a tiny, hard of hearing bulldog can’t become an Internet celebrity. So pass it on.
It’s time to play Sally’s new favourite gameshow…
BARF…OR…SALE?!
I think I’d choose sale. Just saying.
The Bike Heist
I got an e-mail from The Bike Heist crew this week. At first I was all “What’s a The Bike Heist?” then I clicked the link they generously provided in that e-mail and my crush on Edmonton’s bike scene grew a little deeper.
Here’s how Heister Janine Merkl laid it out to me:
It’s a full feature all about bikes and comedy. We shot the whole thing in Edmonton, highlighting the bicycle community and the landscape. We shot in classic local spots including, an epic bike chase in the river valley, the New York Bagel Cafe, Fava (Film and Video Association of Alberta building), the classic Berkley Apartment building behind the garneau theatre, the roxy theater and much more! We are in the midst of post production right now and things are going along swimmingly. We are planning to screen all over the place in June 2011, suitable for bike month!
I’m intrigued by The Bike Heist and hope to hear more from them before next June. I mean, any movie that’s shot in Edmonton, put together by Edmonton people, and includes the Bike Polo Club and Christian Hansen & The Autistics is going to be alright.
It’s a Stache-off!
It's Moustache vs. Moustache for your votes!
Before this year’s Movember festivities began I had never worn a moustache longer than a day, and only as a gag. When I first shaved at the start of November, my eyes filled with dread as I looked at the comically foreign face staring back in the mirror.
I’m going to look like this for a gods damn month?
But a strange thing happened in the weeks that followed, my moustache started receiving compliments. Real and genuine compliments from complete strangers.
It seemed Movember had turned the public’s ironic love of moustaches for into an honest appreciation for the art. I began to wonder if the ‘stache suited me; maybe my lip rug had fashionable merit? I flirted with the idea of keeping the cookie duster beyond Movember.
That is, until this week, when my moustache’s girth turned problematic. The month-old ‘stache became a prickly nuisance, curling into my lips and mouth. It also managed to soak up and retain any liquid I attempted to drink like a sponge. But the last straw came last night when I discovered my moustache had caught a booger and left it dangling in plain sight for hours; causing me to misinterpret why the cute girl at the grocery store was checking me out.
However, before my moustache meets its end, there is some business to attend to. Loyal edmontonian readers will recall a challenge I presented to Mr. Adam Rozenhart, a bitter duel of moustaches and a fight for Mo’supremacy. A Stache-Off, if you will.
What’s at stake? A $50 Movember donation to the winner (me) from the loser (Adam).
The Movember Stache-Off victor (surely me) will be determined by you (you) the reader! Place your vote in the comments below and help us decide who has the richer, fuller, most badass moustache in E-town!
But before you vote, I’d like to take a second to thank everyone who spared a few dollars to The Burt Reynolds Express, our team managed to raise $800 this Movember! Even more stunning, Adam reached his goal and pulled down $1000 in donations all on his own!
Thanks to everyone, whoever you donated to. Now get voting (for Gregg)!
Alberta Health Services’ Doctor of Cookies
Look, we didn’t want to make comparisons of Alberta Health Services CEO Stephen Duckett and Cookie Monster. But when you’re on the Internet, you’re forced to adhere to certain rules.
One of which being, hilarious and/or callous behaviour gets mashed up with silly things.
Now, if everyone at the top of Alberta Health Services, and politicians, could just stop jerking around and work on fixing healthcare, it would be a good Tuesday.
I can’t do Headlines. I’m eating my cookie.
Look, the daily Edmonton Headlines will be available later.
I can’t be ready to talk news with you when I have all these delicious cookies to eat.
What the heck is rehab?
If you’re expecting me to sing an Amy Winehouse song you are in the wrong place.
No, this is about the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine over at the University of Alberta and a video contest they’re holding.
We tweeted about one of the contest’s music videos, and above you’ll find a stop-motion entry. There’s also a flash mob.
Watch the video you like most to help those students win some money. Oh, and learn about all the different types of rehab while you’re at it. This may be the first time YouTube actually teaches us something.
Little Miss Curious’ day off
Hey gang, Jeff here.
Little Miss Curious is taking today off, probably learning about freaky stuff the rest of us will never even hear about.
So I searched “edmonton” and “sexy” on YouTube.
Check above for a video that I include because on first read of its title I thought it was going to be a video of me doing really dumb stuff on Whyte. Thankfully, that is yet to turn up. Also, a lot of people use the tag “sexy” on YouTube.
I also Googled "edmonton"+"sexy"
Yeah…I’ll be sure to leave the sexiness to the experts from now on.
To catch up on Little Miss’ antics and advice, start here.
I could call this post “VIDEOS OF MAKIN’ WHOOPEE,” but it would not accurately represent the content
You guys know we make no secret of the fact that we love Colin & Chad over at CJSR’s not-to-be-missed Tuesday morning show, Makin’ Whoopee.
But did you know (you probably knew) that we teamed up with Chad and Colin to create a series of web videos called “12 Months of Stephen Harper,” where they review a 2010 Conservative Party calendar that Colin lifted from a co-worker? We’ve been posting the videos every Tuesday for the last eleven weeks, and they feature nothing but the very best calendar humour the internet can buy (I don’t even know what that means).
So now, as the series finale draws nigh, we invite you to get all caught up on “12 Months of Stephen Harper,” Lost-style, before the thrilling conclusion is posted next week.
EAVB_QFREJPBMST
EAVB_QFREJPBMST
Soooo, apparently, some of you superfans saw my jibba jabba this morning. Sorry about that!
For those of you who didn’t recognize what it was, it’s an embed code for social networking site Empire Avenue, which I have finally signed up for. Because I am always on the cutting edge. The cutting edge of people who pick up things like 4 years after everyone else.
Anyway, this was the embed code I had to include, in order to get credit for my contributions here at the edmontonian (because I’m really only in it for the glory).
If you’re not yet on EA, today is the day that they’ve finally opened their doors to everybody, so you no longer need an invite! Sign up and buy stock in me – SALLY – (I promise I’ll return the favour once I figure it all out.)
Edmonton, did you see the sun rise this morning?
Where does Sally come up with this stuff?
I mean, she can’t remember where she puts her keys but she has link after link of Magnum P.I. at the ready.
Good morning, Edmonton.
Nachos!
You love nachos.
We all do.
It’s OK for you to admit it. This is a safe place.
Everyone likes nachos, because you can load them up with meat, veggies, cheese, soy-cheese, whatever. It’s a food that can bring together foodies of all walks. And don’t even get me started on the possibilities of sides and dips.
Thank goodness, Edmonton now has its own official nacho blog. Tell Katie what you think of nachos, how to make super-kick-ass nachos, where to go for nachos, what you think of what she thinks of nachos from around Edmonton, and other nacho-related information.
Katie, we are going to make you our Nacho Bureau Chief, once our Bureau Chief money comes in.
Buy! Sell! People!
What’s a tweet worth?
Well, sometimes it’s not much. But other times it could involve some valuable information.
Here's a shot of the screen used to demonstrate Empire Avenue.
And sometimes you’ve got a great Facebook profile or page, perhaps a sweet Flickr account, neat podcast, an amazing blog, and so on and so on in the social media world.
Now, Empire Avenue is trying to monetize your online value.
Hey, why not?
If the traditional media is suffering at all due to people turning to bloggers or other online sources of information, especially locally, then there has to be some value in what these online “influencers” are saying.
Certainly there are photographers who’ve landed jobs from Flickr postings, bloggers who have written for newspapers and magazines, as that online presence carries into traditional media realms. And if you notice a cute little dog to the upper right of these very words you can see there’s an advertising value in online media.
Empire Avenue wants to help you, yes you, squeeze some value out of your tweets, your Facebook, Flickr and YouTube accounts, your blog, by having other people investing in you, as if you were a stock on the open market.
Right now the people’s market is in beta, being tested by lucky nerds like me. Soon they’ll open things up to a larger audience. Then, they’ll open things up to the money.
Basically here’s what it could do, using this website as an example. (more…)
Lotsa Edmonton
We got a note a few weeks back about a new video made for local rapper The Joe‘s “You’re Cool.”
Check it out and dig all that Edmonton in there.
Also, have a great weekend why don’t you.
The Joe's new album is Ut Oh.
Cowboy Poker
Edmonton, it’s been a wonky day.
So, enjoy some Cowboy Poker from the recent Canadian Finals Rodeo, and have a great weekend.
Eating entire turkeys in one sitting since 2009
This short was shown at the Edmonton International Film Festival‘s 24/One last week, since it was the first winner of the contest.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend, Edmonton!
