Stage West Calgary “Glorious” Cast Interview

The inherent problem with trying to figure stuff out on your own (and as a card-carrying male – without reading instructions or manuals) is that sometimes the learning curve can be steep. Alps steep.

However, when the light finally comes on, the rewards are manifold – and you realize – this must have been how Galileo felt when he discovered electricity. Or maybe it even rivals the rush that Columbus must have experienced, when he had that apple hit him on the head and invented gravity.

Regardless - after months of posting podcasts, I have now figured out how to resize the pics that load with those broadcasts, and now you can actually see the menu of choices, instead of that obscenely oversized picture of myself with actress Joyce DeWitt. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s getting closer.

All this is just to say that I’ve loaded a new show as of yesterday – which you should be able to link to if you convert today’s posting to an RSS feed – just click on the little orange symbol somewhere on your web browser, or the letters “RSS”.

You can also find it here:

http://thatdanguy.libsyn.com/

Or you can subscribe for free on i-Tunes by searching the store for “thatdanguy’s podcast”.

Moving forward, ever so slowly…

Chow for now!!

Chicken Scratch

(Posted by Hen Rietta, before weekend guest blogger Charlie got out of bed…)

“There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are chickens dying
To be part of this blog - for poultry,
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
It’s been all about Charlie
For months and months
And for truth, even just a short bit on us is all we need

[Chorus]
We are the chickens
We are the chickens
We are the ones who don’t get in this feature anymore
So let's start giving
Forgotten chickens a chance to shine
We just want to be in
It's true we'll make a better day
Just Corny, the little cluckers and me…

Look at Corny's curly hair.

Can’t someone joke about that style?

And those little cluckers
When was the last time they got to shine?
never mind me – a chicken in a bee-kee-nee!!

[Chorus]
We are the chickens
We are the chickens
We are the ones who really make a brighter day
Not that miserable Charlie
Drinkin’, smokin’, cursin’ - he ain’t no good…
We're saving our own lives – if you make them write about us more…
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and we”

POWER TO THE FORGOTTEN CHICKENS!!!

Cluck for now!!

I have to say, these Olympics are getting downright interesting, the past few days.

Sure, you could say it’s because Canada is finally starting to win some medals, and you’d probably be right. Considering the lofty goals before the Games started, we’re actually not coming out too bad, as the competitions draw to a close.

The one event I have yet to figure out is the curling – not the game itself, just why they have to play so many rounds to make it to the medals. I think all the countries started fielding their teams back in January, and they have yet to determine who will compete for the medals in August. I think I’ve seen the Canadian men’s team play five matches in one day! Before lunch!!

If the organizers think this will get more viewers interested, I’m afraid they’d likely have more success if they added things like wrestling cheerleaders, exploding stones, and Flava Flav as a commentator…

Chow for now!!

I keep forgetting to post links to my national real estate column, now that it runs online as well as in print:

http://www.remonline.com/home/?p=4681

I suppose I won’t post links all the time, but this one is pretty “general interest”, not just of appeal to Realtors. It’s my interview last year with author, columnist, screenwriter W. Bruce Cameron, who’s body of work so far has yielded “8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter”, which of course was adapted into the hit TV show starring the late John Ritter. Plus his hilarious follow-up “How To Remodel A Man”, which led him to an appearance on Oprah.

On her show, people, on her show…

He’s also written a sequel to 8 Simple Rules, and has a new book coming out this year.

At any rate, feel free to check out the link for that interview, and if you missed my earlier post a month or so ago, you can listen to the entire interview at:

http://thatdanguy.libsyn.com/

Chow for now!!

Once again, despite exhibiting minimal interest in the recurring varieties of Olympic Games, the sofa in the Such Is Life household is getting warmed night after night as we take to the TV, to get caught up in programming we’d never usually watch on a dare. Downhill skiing? What’s next – eggs hatching???

However, add in patriotism, and you get spell-binding TV – although even patriotism can’t make a pummeling like the Canada/Germany hockey game watchable last night – there should be a point where they stop the bleeding – especially for the poor goaltender that has to stay in, while the rest of his team has clearly checked out.

Over the past few days, we’ve watched men’s and women’s curling, hockey, ice dancing, and I think there was even one point that we saw boxing kangaroos compete – and the Games aren’t even in full swing yet!

Speaking of swing, how come there isn’t any Snow Baseball in the winter version of The Olympics? Or Snow Wrestling? That could be fun. We may have even tuned in for the start of all this hoopla if the organizers offered some sort of nod to reality TV, like Full Contact Survivor Speed Skiing – with host Jeff Probst encouraging contestants to compete a little more “vigorously”, for rewards.

Could be something for future consideration…

At any rate, here’s some warm and fuzzy wishes for Team Canada tonight, as they play Russia – GO CANADA GO!!!!

Chow for now!

Had trouble getting to sleep last night. After a good stretch of tossin’ and turnin’, I got up, and watched some Texas Hold “Em on Game TV. That blasted televised poker is like catnip for me – once I get started, I just can’t stop watching it.

Now that I think about it, I should have been:

-programming the PVR for today and tomorrow.

-reading Chapter XVI in my “Greatest Whodunits Of William Shakespeare”.

-carefully etching out the Van Halen logo with lipstick on Mrs. That Dan Guy’s forehead, while she slept. Again...

-counting the feathers in my pillow, to verify the manufacturer’s claims…

-playing air guitar to Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”, from memory…

-examining the clams in our fridge for signs of freckling.

-trying to find a broadcast of Jeopardy, which is like a free adult continuing education course.

-tying MTDG’s toes together with Kleenex.

-counting sheep to the tune of that old Elvis song, “I’m Counting On Ewe”…

That’s all, folks!

Chow for now!

Did they ever find out who let the dogs out? Who? Who, who, who??

Was I the only one that missed Mambo’s #1-4?

I really wish this was going somewhere…

Ah, the heck with it....

Chow for now.

We’ve finally started to tune into the Olympics.

Hey, that reminds me – what’s the difference between a piano, and a fish?

You can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish!!!

Sorry – sometimes these things just make their way out…

At any rate – what with most every show being off the air right now due to the Olympics, we have ended up watching a few of the competitions. Canada could be doing better, for sure (eh?), but all-in-all, they are holding their own. Maybe they should quit doing that – I was always told I’d go blind…

Ba-Doom Boom!!! Here all week folks – try the veal!!

Where was I? Oh yeah, Canada and the Olympics…

Many of our highly- considered Canadian medal contenders have flattened like that aforementioned tuna, under the pressure of the spotlight. Only a few have gone on to win, so I guess our “Own The Podium” motto this year will go down as a bit of a bust.

We could always make a bust of a podium, which we could then own?

Oh-oh…

I hear rustling upstairs…Mrs. That Dan Guy must be arising!!

I better wrap this up, and make some coffee – PRONTO!!

Chow…for now.

Chicken Scratch

(posted by weekend guest blogger Charlie Chicken…)

BREAKIN’ SCIENCE NEWZZ!!

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

Check out the headline there, if ya can – ya squinny-eyed human bean!

Turns out us poultry gots better peepers than youze do – how many chicken fingers am I holdin’ up???

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

Not only do we gots better vishun, we can also see through clothes, an walls. That’s right – we’re like Superman, without tha lazer beam eyes…

As a matter a fact – I can see yer underwheres right now! Didn’t yer mama ever tell ya NOT to wear dirty gitchyzz??

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

Oh, pardon me – I was readin’ a billboard…IN EUROPE!!

Yeah, my eyes can spot the freckles on a flea’s wing, from acrossa province. If I wuzza inna wild west, I’d be a regular Wild Bill Hiccup as a sharpshooter. Even with tha hiccups…

Hey, need me ta read tha ingredients on that canna soup?

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP!!!!! Them’s fightin’ words, bucko!!!!

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

Where’d I put my glasses……uh – I mean – where’d I put my boxin’ gloves???

Cluck fer now!!!

Hopefully our friends across the ocean have a better grasp of preserving history than we often do here in Canada:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/let-it-be-a-growing-chorus-to-save-abbey-road/article1473387/

So many historic buildings get bulldozed across Canada, although I will admit not that many with the grand history of an institution like Abbey Road Studios. I do remember amazing old buildings in Winnipeg that fell to the wrecker’s ball – I’m not even sure some of those had a chance at surviving – the space was needed for generic office buildings.

I just read a story yesterday about historic prairie grain elevators that are being demolished, even though there’s not that many left.

Even the U.S. can let a few gems slide through the cracks – although they generally revere their historic buildings. Not so much in Las Vegas though, where some of the most legendary hotels & casinos have been imploded to build mega-joints. The Sands, The Dunes – smaller showrooms than we’re used to seeing now, but some of them at one time housed The Rat Pack – they couldn’t build the new facilities around those??

Aaargh…

Chow for now!!

Hey! When did the Olympics start?

We must have missed the memo – because while we were out for a meal yesterday, we noticed people snowboarding on all the television sets. Using our deducing skills, we determined that it could likely be an Olympics broadcast. Our server confirmed that when we asked her – but to be honest, the five interlinked rings on the bottom of the screen should have gone a long way to confirming that as well…

Now we’ll have to consult the TV guide, and see if there’s any competitions we may be interested in. Like tumbling, synchronized break-dancing, or dodge ball.

Beer, popcorn, Olympic viewing – does life get any better than that??

Chow for now!!

These are the days – days that I wish I still kept a list of topics to write about here in the morning.

Maybe something about the age-old apple cure that keeps doctors away – or the fact that Jack Spratt never could eat any fat.

It would be helpful, as I stare at the blank computer screen, to have a note about soldier ants handy – were they deployed in any of these current conflicts around the world?

If I had a printout on how much wood a woodchuck could chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood, I could share that with you this morning. Right now, I’m not even sure that woodchucks CAN chuck wood. Maybe they just chuck lawn darts…

Yes, I’ve got nothing – my mind is blank. Someone has shaken my internal Etch-A-Sketch, and I have yet to start drawing again.

The sea of my mind is beyond calm – it’s downright still.

Oh well – can’t come up with brilliance here every morning.

What’s that? Once would be nice??

I’m going back to bed…

Chow for now!!

I’m confused.

Not that that’s breaking news to anyone reading this space semi-regularly – but being confused today is the result of something I see on the Word processing sheet before me, right now.

I’m using a type or font that proclaims to be “Times New Roman”, which sounds to me to be a contradiction in terms, or at least a bit of a mathematical conundrum.

First off, how many new Romans have there been, since their heyday back in olden times, when Caesar salads were as common as wrinkle-free togas. You could probably argue that every newborn in Rome today is a new Roman, but I don’t think it holds the same cachet as it did back when Julius was picking out new sandals for conquering Macedonia.

As if the “New Roman” oxymoron didn’t sound bad enough, the Word processing program wants to suggest that we “multiply” the error – by adding “times” to the two-word phrase. Like, "add 3 Europeans, divide by 1 North American, times New Roman." I'm back in that cursed junior high school Algebra class, and I'm sitting in the front row!!

Does this font actually mean to say “New Roman Times”? Maybe that was a font they used in newspapers in ancient Rome? “The New Roman Times announced today that the Spartan Dribblers beat the Carthage Travelers 111-99, advancing to the finals.”

Some additional research is clearly in order, to resolve this matter.

Or, I could just switch to The Little Mermaid font, Arial.

Chow for now!!

OK, that disturbing photo is actually just an i-phone picture of my tongue – which I accidentally bit so hard during dinner last night, that I drew blood.

I guess I didn’t actually “draw” blood, but I certainly “withdrew” some. I’ve bitten my tongue accidentally in the past (I may have been a dog at an open car window in a past life), but have never drawn blood before – best as I can recollect.

Of course, I could have played this up a bit, and maybe elicited a bit of sympathy. I could have said that:

-I was defending my UFC Middleweight title, and my opponent pulled a Mike Tyson on me..

-Mrs. That Dan Guy was overly aggressive in our last frisky canoodles…

-I was feeding my baby bird, and it overly-aggressively went for the worm in my mouth.

-I was lifting weights with my tongue, and got a dumbbell skid-mark.

-I licked a chocolate-flavoured metal pole in the winter, and had to tear my tongue off…

-I tried to stop a fan that was threatening our pet gerbil – with my tongue.

Oh well, at least it’s a holiday here today, so I’ll have some time to reflect and recover.

And nurse myself back to health with ice cream…

Chow for now!!

Happy V.D., online amigos!!

Aah…Valentine’s Day – that one special day of the year that:

- I get to eat chocolate,

- For some strange reason I feel like I should have bought flowers today, and

- I exchange greeting cards with all my fellow classmates.

Hmmm….maybe that last one was just when I was still back in elementary school…

At any rate, Love is in the air – I sprayed it in the living room earlier – and yes – it’s Glade!

Hey – if you should happen to get a visit from Cupid yourself today, tell him to give me a call – he owes me twenty bucks for a Super Bowl bet that’s still outstanding.

We’ve got big plans for a romantic dinner tonight, here in the Such Is Life household. Bison Dog tacos, maybe some pork n beans – and leftover chocolate cake. La vida loca, I’m telling you…

We may even watch a bit of the Olympics – so far not much interest or inclination. Of course, we’re still playing catch-up from being away for a few days. Who knew Two & A Half Men ran so many times a day, every day of the week?

Well, better get at it – the day is beckoning!

Chow for now….

Chicken Scratch

(posted by weekend guest blogger Charlie Chicken…)

Bonjoor, maize ameeze!!

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

Chef Charles here theeze morneen – to ayd-uh you in pree-parring zee tastiest brunch eh-vair!!

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

(Eef I could only ree-membar whar I put my hare-nat…)

So, to bee-gan, wee must furst find a deep bowul, and a fine, stur-dee splatula. Zen, we add zee secret ingredients, as discreetly pictured in zee background. Varry impourtant to follow dee-rekshuns…

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

Once you have comb-ined zee ingredients wiz zee eau (what-err), roll zee leetle dee-lites into small bee-squits, and place zem unto zee oven tray. Zen…well, zen you put zat into zee oh-van!!

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

(Keep a fiy-ure axe-tingusher handee…)

Once zee timer ring-a-ding-dings, zee bisquicks arrr red-ee. Eat, mange! Enjoy!

Until next time….

Cluck fer now!!

Nothing ever seems as exciting as Las Vegas, after you return home from a stay there, and get back into your normal day-to-day routine. I hear no clanging of slot machines. There’s not nearly enough neon signage here around the homestead. And, I’ve been waiting almost 16 hours for a cocktail waitress to stop by and ask me if I want a drink.

Mrs. That Dan Guy has a long, hound-dog look on her face – and she keeps barking out “Hit” at random intervals. I think she might actually see a Blackjack dealer – but it is still early – her eyes are barely even open…

We took a pedometer with us this time, and one day discovered that we walked over 10 miles!! It may actually be urgent for our health and well-being, to get back there as soon as humanly possible!! Vegas is like a gym membership for us…

Bet red!! All in!! Transaction declined???

Viva Las Vegas!!!!

Chow for now.

Stage West delivers a gloriously off-key production

Hey!

My official Calgary Herald review of Stage West Calgary's new production "Glorious" hit newstands today - literally and digitally. Check it out at:

Stage West delivers a gloriously off-key production

Oh yeah, we're back home, arriving at approx. 1AM - going back to bed till noon, I think.

Where's that blogging chicken when you need him???

Chow for now!!

Viva Elvis

Cirque du Soleil

Elvis Theater, Aria Resort & Casino

The Wednesday Morning “Nobody-Asked-Me-to, But-Here-I-Go-Anyway” Review: Cirque du Soleil: Viva Elvis.

(or, Why I Will Never Be A Professional Concert Reviewer…)

What an incredible time we live in. To have the technology in this digital age to re-master and reinvent some of the best-known music in the universe, and then present it along with an inventive, breath-taking Cirque cast – well, you just have to shake your head at your good fortune.

Breath-taking.

Stunning.

Blow-your-mind…

Take any well-worn cliché, and you won’t come close to what “Viva Elvis” pulls off in this brand-new Cirque du Soleil production, sold out completely even for these preview performances. By the end of just the second song in the production, you’ve gotten more than your money’s worth – but as spectacular as the troupe is, the real star of this show is the remixed versions of Presley’s catalogue, and they had better get their ass in gear – there was no cast album available when we saw this show last night. The re-imagined versions of “Return To Sender”, and “Burning Love” alone have a good chance of hitting the pop charts again – they’re that good.

I won’t lie to you – we LOVED this show. Like “LOVE”, the Cirque production we saw last year celebrating The Beatles, “Viva Elvis” works elements of the artist’s entire career and even aspects of his life into something that literally explodes off of the stage. Hosted intermittently throughout by “Col. Tom Parker” (go figure…), the dancers, musicians, and acrobats take us from the beginning of Presley’s career, and lead us through his stint with the army, the movies, and eventually – Las Vegas. Giant guitars, giant blue suede shoes, and even a trio of giant Elvii – there’s nothing spared in this spectacle. With rare archival footage streaming at the same time, you just don’t know where to look at any given time.

But it’s the music – as it always has been, that steals the show. If you’re an Elvis fan, you have to hear what Cirque du Soleil has done, for this production. “Viva Elvis”, indeed…

Chow for now!!

Reflections From The Road

Well, despite our clever attempts at concealment, we are obviously in Las Vegas at this very moment. This is somewhat reminiscent of how last year began. In many ways, 2009 was “The Year Of The Beatles” for us. This year, it might well be “The Year Of Elvis”, if the stars align as we hope. More on that tomorrow.

First off – a few observations.

This is the first time ever that we’ve been in the U.S., for Super Bowl weekend. What a friggin’ blast, feeling the added buzz of THAT energy (booze-fueled as it may have been) here in Vegas. The place was totally nuts with events. Plus, we got to watch the American commercials, as opposed to suffering through Zeller’s and Tim Hortons’ spots. Our runaway favourite – David Letterman, Oprah and Leno - what a shocker that one was! Kudos, Mr. Letterman!

This is the SECOND time that we’ve been here in Sin City for a major UFC event – this time 109. Absolutely amazing, if you’re into that sort of thing. Typically, the only difference you notice is that many of the tattoos are wearing ball caps – and piercings are as subtle as freckles on a redhead.

We did have a day or two of stone-cold panic. Our airline somehow managed to misplace a piece of our luggage on a direct flight from home, and couldn’t find it by the morning after we arrived. We were filling out forms to make a claim (and wondering if our gamey undergarments would at least last until we hoofed over to the mall). Happily, the luggage was found, and Mrs. That Dan Guy was reunited with her shoes. It brought a tear to even the hardest of hardened hearts.

Finally, as you can see by the pic attached above, our freaky number thing is rampant this trip. 11, 111, 1111 – and more are freakin’ everywhere. And we didn’t even pack that when we left…

Chow for now!!

Drew Carey, & The Improv All-Stars

Hollywood Theater, MGM Grand

The Monday Morning “Nobody-Asked-Me-to, But-Here-I-Go-Anyway” Review: Drew Carey & The Improv All-Stars.

(or, Why I Will Never Be A Professional Concert Reviewer…)

I think I know now what Jack Nicholson’s Joker character felt like in the first Batman movie. My mouth is still frozen in a smile that won’t go away – and my cheeks are throbbing from laughing so hard!

I’ve been a fan of improv comedy for decades. About a hundred years ago, I used to be a groupie of the Theatre X comedy troupe that ran for years in Winnipeg. Many of those members went on to much more success, and continue to do so.

But as for the improv gold standard, you’d be hard-pressed to find more amazing performers than the former cast of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” – along with ringmaster (and The Price Is Right host) Drew Carey. These guys continue to massacre audiences with unscripted comedy that cracks even themselves up – it really seems like half a dozen Tim Conways, trying to crack up hapless Harvey Kormans…

In addition to Drew, this ever-changing cast last night included…well, just scroll back up and read the poster – I shouldn’t have to do ALL the work here!

The show opened with a stand-up set from Mr. Carey, unshackled by the need to censor himself for TV, and reveling in that freedom. If I say here that he was free to cuss, I’d be sugar-coating even the mildest parts of last evening. But what a gas, as he giddily lampooned his current TV hosting duties, dumb people and training a dog - but plenty of the gags were directed right back at himself.

From then on, the gloves were off, as the Improv All-Stars went into sets familiar to anyone that watched “Whose Line Is It Anyway” – although you may have to have been watching it on HBO to recognize it last night.

Highlights to say the least were workouts on a Celebrity Jeopardy broadcast, the infamous late-nite record collection infomercial where the actors make up songs from the host’s banter,and so much more.

What is amazing about this troupe of artist is the depth of the talent pool. I mean, many of these people sing better than professional recording artists. And something as simple as an unexpected slap to the face becomes a thread that runs throughout the rest of the show. I won’t even get into the hapless couple that were in town for a grocer’s conference – and didn’t happen to be married to each other. Neither one of them will forget the evening, I’m sure…

Exceptional evening of first-class entertainment!!

Chow for now!!

Chicken Scratch

(posted by weekend guest blogger Charlie Chicken)

I got no idea what this picture is supposed ta be. I think I’m flyin’ around the foyer uvda Such Is Life household. Or, I’m posin’ fer a portrait. Who the cluck knows??

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

All I DO know is that the joint seems a little devoida human beans taday. All quiet on the western front.

So, I’m officially callin’ dibsies on tha big screen TV, fer the Souper Bowl later. I’ll get my beak on in style this year!!

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

Sure is quiet aroun here…

Too quiet…

If I had fingers, I could pop an AC-DC cd inna player – but these measly little wings a mine present numerous challenges – no opposable thumbs being atta top a tha list…

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

Wallopin’ Web-Snappers – I think this is wut boredom feels like!!!

How did it come ta this – Sunday mornin’, sober as a Judje, and bored outta my tree?????

Where does Banjo Boy keep tha Tylonol?? I could mebbe zap up the buzz on my coffee with some creative mixin’…

BAH! BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

I better wander, and see if I can figure out what ta do with misself…

Cluck fer now!!

Stage West Calgary

“Glorious” review

(NOTE: Due to circumstances within our control, weekend guest blogger Charlie Chicken is unavailable this morning…)

Saturday Morning Theatre Review: “Glorious”, at Stage West Calgary.

From a general observational standpoint, the average human tends to relish watching train wrecks. Or should I say “debacles”, especially with respect to “reality” TV talent competitions. The interest in watching a talentless wretch earnestly launch into a display of horrific proportions allows us, from the comfort of our sofas, to snicker at such a delusional, talentless individual. The ultimate winner…the one with real “talent”, often falls off of the face of the earth as fast as the rest of the contestants, even if they do taste brief success after the competition.

Over half a century BEFORE the Idol franchises, a woman in New York City had her own real-life experience with that sort of derisive admiration, yet won fans beyond anyone's wildest imagination, even among some of the brightest luminaries of the era – including the legendary Cole Porter.

“Glorious”, just opened at Stage West Calgary, tells the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins, the “worst singer in the world”, whose zeal for operatic singing was unmatched by gifts of pitch and tune, is a terrific glance into how someone better compared with William Hung than Renee Fleming eventually rose through the NYC music scene, straight to a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall – with the scalpers of the era charging ten times the ticket price to hopeful attendees.

Played with great relish (and several dollops of mustard) by Elizabeth Stepkowski Tarhan, Jenkins stalks the stage, eager to mangle any note that drifts along the breeze. There are just too many highlights to single out, but at one point there is a brilliant switcheroo regarding a death in the cast – you sure didn’t see THAT coming.

With a lengthy background in musical theatre, it had to be liberating for Stepkowski Tarhan to sing so horribly – entirely over the top. But she was also effective in conveying the humanity of the character – even her horrified musical director/pianist is won over by play’s end.

As is the audience…

Check it out, if you’re in the Calgary area!

Official Calgary Herald review link to follow, later next week.

Chow for now!!

The gentlemen pictured above are Ron & Brian Boychuk, better known for their syndicated cartoon “Chuckle Bros.” If you convert today’s post to an RSS feed, you can listen to Part Two of my interview with Brian, regarding their careers. Be prepared, it runs well over 40 minutes long.

This interview has been a blast, and Part Two gets into more detail about the process of being funny, and while still being enjoyable simply as a profile, this portion may be of further interest to aspiring (or struggling) writers and cartoonists.

A condensed interview will run in the Calgary Herald, and in Kelowna (so far – may be more papers across Canada – I’ll keep you posted).

Remember, convert this page to an RSS feed – it is the online equivalent of sorcery!

Chow for now!!

I’m not saying that we’re lacking for entertainment options in the Such Is Life household, but Thursday mornings here get pretty rambunctious.

Thursdays, in our area of the city, are garbage/recycling day. The day the starter pistol fires, to see who can gather said garbage/recycling first, and prepare it for the curb, where it will eventually get picked up.

This morning, Mrs. That Dan Guy awoke earlier than I, and went downstairs to have a cup of coffee, plus pray that her bed-swollen eyes would open.

I tried to quietly sneak around the upstairs, gathering various small garbage bags (bathroom, office, etc). Somehow, Ole Bat Ears picked up something on her radar, and she stampeded upstairs, just as I was headed for the final bag, in the TV room. I had to settle for the bathroom trophies.

However (and how this is even possible defies modern science) while trying to get past one tiny garbage can, to the one in my office, a slipper flew off, and my foot inserted itself COMPLETELY into the little plastic garbage pail we keep in the bathroom. Causing me to fall flat on my face, whilst adorned by a plastic, heel-less pump.

That moment of awe-struck wonder (MTDG, mouth wide open in disbelief) allowed my singular moment to gather myself up, and dash downstairs to place the garbages I had collected, into the bag for outside.

Never a dull moment here…

Chow for now!!

I’ve always wished I had learned how to perform magic tricks. That way I could write off the expenses for the rabbits I keep in my top hat. Who knew my carrot bill would be so freakin’ high?

But alas, I never disciplined myself to take the time (or effort) required to master prestidigitation. I did buy a few gag items over the years, like a magic dribble cap for pop bottles, and flash paper, which appears to create a burst of flames before safely extinguishing itself. When the flash paper set my fingertips on fire, the magic dribble cap failed to dribble water onto my hands, but it did quench my desire to pursue magic on a far more serious basis.

I do know how to make cookies disappear though, so all was not lost…

Chow for now!!

They say confession is good for the sole. Maybe they meant a hint of lemon.

At any rate, I feel that it’s time I come clean here, with something Mrs. That Dan Guy and I have been quietly keeping secretive about, for months now.

Just have to put it out there…the truth will set us free…

We…we haven’t seen “Avatar”. Yet. We probably will, but I just don’t feel a burning desire to see a movie about 6-foot smurfs that speak in clicks and clacks – we get enough of that driving our Chevy Malibu.

I know, I know – the special effects, big screen, 3-D, blah blah blah.

The unanimous verdict has been Plot-0, Special Effects 10. That’s a whole lot of movie to sit through for razzle dazzle.

However, now that we’ve come out of the closet, maybe we’ll try to see the damn thing over the next few weeks.

Let us know if it will change our lives, if you recommend we hasten ourselves out sooner…

Chow for now!!

Back in November of 2006, I came across an article in my morning paper noting the launch of a new cartoon, in 7 newspapers across Canada. I checked it out, and I’ve been a fan of “Chuckle Bros.” ever since.

Brothers Brian & Ron Boychuk (minus original artist Ronnie Martin) are now syndicated across North America, and have poked fun daily in their wacky “Chuckle Bros.” panel cartoon at everything from the absurd sayings we’ve come to use in everyday life, to the semi-normal things they see around them.

I had the pleasure towards the end of January to chat with half of the team, and Part One of that interview has just been loaded for your listening pleasure. Either convert this page to an RSS feed, or click the link below:

http://thatdanguy.libsyn.com/rss

You can always download it from i-Tunes as well, from thatdanguy’s podcast.

Look for Part Two towards the end of the week….

Chow for now!!