Thomas Steen - A View from Inside the Locker Room

I had the fortune of being stationed at Thomas Steen's headquarters on election night. It was exciting, nerve-racking, and jubilant. Above all, however, it was strange.

Strange to think that this man...



Is now the new councillor for the Elmwood-East Kildonan ward.

I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but sometime between him talking about the pressures of professional sports vs politics and his comparison of the win to having his jersey raised by the Jets, everything became a little surreal.

How could this 50-year-old former Winnipeg Jet be the new captain of Elmwood? Oh - he got the most votes? Fair enough.

Nonetheless, hearing chants of "Thomas, Thomas, Thomas!" in the hockey arena is one thing, but in a campaign office it feels odd.

He told us that running his campaign felt like the NHL playoffs - two months of hard work and pressure trying to beat out your rivals. But who thought he'd win the Stanley Cup?

Mark Zuckerberg = the fictional town of Twin Peaks, Washington

Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg reminds me of the small towns in David Lynch films (e.g. Twin Peaks/Lumberton, PA) - he appears nice enough at first, but upon closer inspection you find a dark, seedy underbelly. Real seedy.

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See the resemblance!?

At least that’s how David Fincher’s latest film, The Social Network, portrays him. I’d like to be able to say that the co-creator of a website that I spend hundreds of mindless, face-melting hours on is a nice boy, but Fincher’s film simply doesn’t provide this image.

I can safely say that Zuckerberg, or at least the film’s version of Zuckerberg, is not the kind of guy I would have a couple of beers with. He is narcissistic, disloyal, dishonest, and a mega-dillweed (one who has few redeeming qualities and is generally off-putting).

Zuckerberg’s (strategically?) understated reaction to the film tells me that there may be some truth to The Social Network’s portrayal. According to The PR Post blog, Zuckerberg has suggested that the movie is fictitious and fun. This response is fine. It labels the movie as unimportant – something that the public should enjoy, but not take seriously.

My problem with the response: it lacks ultra-poisonous-venom. The film’s characterization of Zuckerberg is ultimately harsh. The only two personal relationships he has in the film – his ex-girlfriend Erica, and Eduardo – are destroyed through his own greed and selfishness. Was this the reality of the situation? Maybe. But if it’s not, Zuckerberg should be Viking-furious. His cold reaction when Eduardo confronts him about being cut out of the company, his late-night beer-fuelled blog (although I certainly have nothing against those) about his ex-girlfriend – these scenes are very critical of Zuckerberg. They make him seem heartless. So, why hasn’t Zuckerberg defended himself? I understand the advantages of keeping cool in the eye of the public, but these are strong accusations man! At least the film version of Zuckerberg has some balls.

However, even though the movie may hurt Zuckerberg, it won’t hurt the website. Too many people rely on the website (or are addicted to it) to stop using it just because its founder is an asshole. It’s like if a heroin junkie found out his or her dealer was really mean to his dog. It sucks, but it’s not going to stop them from buying the opiate.

Strange analogy.

Buyer Beware: Working it all out

As I sit hunched over the keyboard, out of breath from typing too quickly, stuffing ripple chips with onion dip down my throat, I ask myself one question: am I out of shape?

My slowly clotting heart screams yes.

Luckily, a few of my classmates and I analyzed local gyms for our Buyer Beware project. That means I can make an informed decision about what facility would be best suited to me and my struggling cardiovascular system! Yippee!

I shall sum up our research in a few words:

GoodLife Fitness – Beautiful, expensive, pushy/friendly staff (is that possible?), evasive, and somewhat sinister. The clients smell of polo, caviar, and fine leather. Not for me.

Anytime Fitness – It’s called Anytime for two reasons: It’s open 24 hours and there are no staff there at anytime. In reality it is staffed from 11a.m.-7p.m. most days during the week, but not at all on weekends. Notime fitness? It also only has one location – on Ness. Not for me.

Shapes Fitness Centres – locally based, universally rude. Not for me.

YMCA – cheap, warm and fuzzy, a ton of extra services provided in membership (pool, classes), friendly staff, website that is so politically correct it is funny. For me.

In short, if you are rich enough to throw money around carelessly, go to GoodLife. If you live on Ness, have an erratic sleep cycle where you want to work out at 3:32a.m, but can also be up during the day to go and buy a membership when the place is staffed, go to Anytime. If you’re anything else, go to YMCA-YWCA. Don’t go to Shapes.

Other facts worth noting:

-         YMCA is the only chain gym we looked at where you can cancel your membership without a fee. GoodLife charges you $99, while Anytime and Shapes lock you into a contract in which you can’t cancel (unless you move far away/die).

-         Shapes and GoodLife do not provide prices online or over the phone (at least in our experience). YMCA lists prices over the phone, but not online. Only Anytime provides prices online and over the phone.

-         YMCA had the cutest girls working (I assure you this in no way influenced our decision to rate it highest).

-         GoodLife’s downtown location makes you feel like Tony Montana. The sprawling windows overlooking Portage and Main – the world is yours.

Katz and Judy let the (verbal) fists fly

I don't mean to steal the thunder of the Fight Blog, but the Mayoral debate Wednesday morning seemed more like two boxers trash-talking one another than two respectful, professional candidates discussing election issues. In fact, I wouldn't have been surprised had the whole thing bubbled over into a battle reminiscent of the 2002 press conference brawl between Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis.

Warning: offensive language and bountiful stupidity...



It was just like that!

Well...maybe not quite. But for two reasonably intelligent individuals who are extremely passionate about Winnipeg, Katz and Wasylycia-Leis sure don't get along. However, I'm still not entirely sure why...


Katz believes crime is a problem in the city. So does Wasylycia-Leis.


Wasylycia-Leis says green initiatives such as composting, recycling, and rapid-transit are of great importance. So does Katz.


Actually, the only area that the two seem to really diverge on is property taxes. Wasylycia-Leis says raise em' two percent to eliminate the infrastructure deficits and more. Katz says that will hurt the most vulnerable and that a property tax freeze creates business, jobs, and promotes future economic prosperity.


And so the tactics continue. But I suppose that is to be expected. After all, boxing is the sweet science.

Raising Musical Awareness: I Am What I Am

Does modern country music make you want to vomit? Do songs like Brad Paisley’s Water (a #1 country hit) make you question the sanity of all mankind? Do you long for a time when country music addressed the important issues, like, say, hard-liquor abuse and endless lonely torment?

If so, apply George Jones’ I Am What I Am directly to the forehead…

George Jones is a clear-voiced, booze-guzzling legend and this 1980 record is considered by many to be his comeback after years of heavy alcoholism (I think it still sounds pretty wet). It is a well-known and revered record among lovers of classic country, but hey, I’m a 19-year-old Winnipegger living 2177 kilometres from Austin, Texas – this stuff is foreign to me.

Country music has never been a big part of my aural diet. It just doesn’t suit my palette. I have to be in a certain mood to listen to it, and that mood doesn’t overwhelm me very often.

I Am What I Am, however, has somehow found its way into my CD collection and, from there, into my musical awareness. It straddles the line between sappy and sentimental as perfectly as any album I’ve heard.

The album’s most famous single (and perhaps Jones’ most beloved song), “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” epitomizes this delicate harmony.

He kept her picture on his wall
Went half crazy now and then
He still loved her through it all
Hoping she'd come back again

Kept some letters by his bed
Dated nineteen-sixty-two
He had underlined in red
Every single I love you

I won’t ruin the pay-off in the chorus; you should just hear it yourself. Unforgettably melancholy. The songwriters, Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman, push the tune to the edge of saccharinity, yet Jones brings it back to reality. His voice is pure and full of truth. In the hands of a less capable singer this song could have been corny. Instead, it’s the greatest country song of all-time.

Tracks like “I’ve Aged Twenty Years in Five,” “If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will),” and “I’m Not Ready Yet” also fall into the category of the heavyhearted, drunken ballad.  Along with “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” these three songs form the sorrowful backbone of this gloomy album.

As pieces of music these songs are impressive, yet it is their miserable honesty and semi-confessional nature that makes them memorable. I’m not a world-weary drunkard. Nor am I an abandoned, lonely lover. For whatever reason, however, I have a visceral response to these songs. Jones captures a feeling in his voice that music listeners, of any age or level of sobriety, can engage with.

The album’s final track, “Bone Dry,” is an upbeat number that addresses the horrors of alcohol withdrawal. It’s a weird song. The lyrics are dark and humorous and it seems like George is trying to make light of his dangerous past and move on. Well, at 79 old George Jones is still singing. He must have done alright.

Listening Recommendations: Autumn, through a stereo on the porch with a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red pressed to your lips.