CANOE FOR CANCER- A trek of a lifetime!

This Friday (May 8) I got to meet Jack Clarkson,

Jack is going to do something unique, in a way to raise awareness and funds for Cancer Research in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.  Jack is travelling by canoe from Lumsden on the Qu'Appelle River, through Katepwa, St. Lazare, Virden, Brandon, Portage La Prairie to his destination of the Forks of Assiniboine River & Red River at Winnipeg. 

The Qu'Appelle River system was home old forts of the Hudson Bay Company and Northwest Company, Jack's voyage will replicate travel of the time period of the early 1800's, before the railroads and present day settlements their were trading posts and forts along the river system.  Jack's voyage will commemorate over 20 locations along the route, and to this end, Jack will dress and eat in the fashion that Voyaguers did.

Jack and his paddlemate begins the journey this weekend.

Please show your support for CANOE FOR CANCER by making a donation to the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency at:

204 - 3775 PASQUA STREET
REGINA, SK
S4S 6W8

Saskatchewan Country Music Awards Winners!

The 20th Annual SCMA's were held in Nipawin over the weekend!

If you missed who won what... here is the list!

Congrats to ALL in our talented music industry!

Paul




 

2009 20th ANNUAL SCMA

WINNERS LIST!!!

FANS CHOICE ENTERTAINER:

CODIE PREVOST

FEMALE VOCALIST OF YEAR

DARLENE TULETA

GROUP OF YEAR

WYATT

SONG OF THE YEAR

SPIN - CODIE PREVOST/WILLIE MACK

ALL STAR BAND (BASS)

BRIAN KELLY

ALL STAR BAND(DRUMS)

CHARLES DUMONT

ALL STAR BAND(KEYS)

LORENA KELLY

ALL STAR BAND(SPECIALTY)

ANTHONY KELLY

ABORIGINAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR

DONNY PARENTEAU

MALE VOCALIST OF YEAR

CODIE PREVOST

RISING STAR AWARD

ASHLEY ST. DENIS

SINGLE OF YEAR

SPIN - CODIE PREVOST

ALL STAR BAND(STEEL)

ON HIATUS

ALL STAR BAND(FIDDLE)

ALLISON TYMIAK

ALL STAR BAND(GUITAR)

RICH McFARLANE

BACK UP BAND

CODIE PREVOST BAND

ON AIR PERSONALITY

DAVE BAKER - CJVR FM/MELFORT

MUSIC DIRECTOR

DAVE BAKER - CJVR FM - MELFORT

RECORD PRODUCER(S)

RICH McFARLANE

COUNTRY MUSIC PERSON

JOHN QUINN

TV OR RADIO SHOW OF YEAR

CANADIAN COAST TO COAST - CJVR FM

COUNTRY GOSPEL ALBUM

SOMEHOW IT ALWAYS DOES - JENNIFER JADE KERR

FANS CHOICE RADIO STATION

CJVR-FM - MELFORT

MANAGER

ALAIN LEBLANC

RECORDING STUDIO

MOSAIC RECORDING STUDIO - PRINCE ALBERT

B-RAD STUDIO - REGINA

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

SPIN - CODIE PREVOST

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

WHEN PINK IS JUST A COLOUR AGAIN - KAL HOURD

LEGENDS AND LEGACY AWARD

BARRY SCAIFE

NIGHTCLUB OF MERIT

STARLIGHT LOUNGE - PRINCE ALBERT

Don't You Hate It

I hate when I'm watching a movie and theeeeeen it happens.....you know.....IT HAPPENS.  You have to decide between missing a great part of a movie or going to the bathroom.  Well the bathroom tends to win with me but there's always that tug of war....when's a good time to leave?  Now?  Later?

You don't have to worry anymore....

Check this out...a website that tells you what parts of movies you can afford to miss and for how long....appropriately titled "runpee.com."  Click here.

Video of the Week XVII

You might not have a bunch of time to cruise the internet for cool videos...but I do.

Call me a treasure hunter. I thought I'd share my treasures and gems with you here, every Friday. It's my Video of the Week!

This week...it's from a special contest "World's Ugliest Dog" - They do this every year at a fair in California.

I swear the winning dog isn't ugly! I think it's really cute! Check it out for yourself.

Regina's Canada Day Videos!

Want to see the fireworks again (or for the 1st time)?!  How about the RCMP Sunset Ceremonies?  Well, the first thing I did this morning was search YouTube for things like "Regina Canada Day 2009" and "Regina Fireworks 2009," and I've found videos of both!

The RCMP Sunset Ceremonies began on Canada Day and will be held at 6:45 every Tuesday all summer long at the RCMP Depot.  If you're wondering what a sunset ceremony actually is, here's a peak:



Also, here's the first part of last night's fireworks at Wascana Lake!  The user who posted this video has vowed to add part 2 tomorrow, so I'll be sure to update this blog for the next time you come back - cool?  And honestly, I thought this year's display was MUCH better than last year's, agreed?  I heard they spent $10,000 more this time 'round, and I do believe it showed!  What did you think?



HERE'S PART 2!

Smile!...You're on Cops Candid Camera!

Heather said in the 'Big Dog News Bite' today that the Regina city police are going to have cameras installed in their cruisers this fall.

Awesome!!!

Here comes our 15 minutes of fame everybody! Woohoo!

Imagine...now we can look FORWARD to seeing the flashing lights in our rear view mirrors!...knowing that we're seconds away from lights, camera, ACTION!!!...I'm ready for my close up Mr. DeMille!

If we're lucky, our moment infront of the lens might look something like THIS!!!

Gypsy Songs

When you think about it...every song ever written is unique, but sometimes, it's easy to find similarities in songs...

...And these are the types of things that run through my head when I'm trying to get to sleep at night! ;)

One similarity you'll find in country songs the use of the term "Gypsy" Which means:

"Persons of nomadic habit of life, whatever their race or origin, but does not include members of an organized group of travelling showmen, or persons engaged in travelling circuses, travelling together as such."

Terri Clarke even has a brand new song called Gypsy Boots!

Gypsy used in songs

A Dose of Reality

 

The week of Relay for Life was a tough one for me.  As I got ready to emcee part of Relay for Life with Brad on Friday I also received bad news leading up to it.

My cousin Jordan, who had been battling leukemia for 15 months and was  found to be in remission in April died Monday night at the childrens' hospital in winnipeg.  The leukemia had moved to his central nervous system. 

Jordan had just graduated from highschool.  Had his first car and his first girlfriend.  Through his fight he's the guy you never heard complain.  NEVER. 

He carried a wicked sense of humour, even when he was hooked up to tubes in the hospital room.  He had a bet going on with the nurses  during the Stanley Cup....up for grabs...a free slurpee.

Jordan's last visit to the hospital was supposed to be a quick trip.  The doctor planned to run a few tests to make sure the lukemia was officially gone, instead Jordan was admitted.  What was supposed to be an overnight stay turned into a few weeks before Jordan eventually lost his battle...a 17 year old with more wisdom and strength than most men.   He never wavered from his positive thinking.  One of the comments I can clearly remember him saying...."whatever happens either way I'm a winner.  I walk away from this or I go to Heaven."    Strong words coming from a teenager.

After the funeral,  I had a press release on my desk...saying how much was raised for Relay for Life. 

On behalf of Jordan...thank you.  Over $437 thousand dollars was raised...

1 Number for ALL Your Phones

For free, even!

Now I don't want to sound like a Google advertisement, but they do have something really cool coming out called Google Voice.  Basically, you get a single "Google number" that acts like a regular old phone number, and that's the only number anyone ever has to call you at.  You can set up certain people to call certain phones like your home, office, cell, etc and all that cool stuff!

This video lays it out pretty simply, actually:

Disease Sniffing Dogs: The Video Report

We've all heard that there's dogs out there that can detect people with cancer or diabetes, or some other serious disease or condition, right?  Well now, you can see the dog's who are training for this in action! 

In this video from Reuters, you'll see dog's that can detect cancer cells in human urine, and one man's dog that alerts him every time he's about to have a hypoglycemic attack.  The goal of this research is to be able to produce some kind of machine or device that will act like a dog's nose in detecting these things.

In the meantime, my own dog Ralph can only alert me when a car drives by the big front window of the house... or when a person walks by... or if there's a cat, bird, someone cutting their grass, or someone gardening.  He's a genius.

Goodbye Michael.

Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, aged 50. The specific cause of death is yet to be determined. Before his death, Jackson had announced a 50 date sell-out 'This is it' comeback tour, in London England. Sadly, his last words on stage were eerily prophetic...

Listen.

It was a shock to most of us, but to those who were close to him, it was expected.

He was the living definition of the candle burning at both ends, his life was a life of extremes...extreme work ethic, extreme success, extreme scandal, extremely loved.

I watched as Kenny Rogers, a dear friend of Michael, broke up on CNN over the news...

Listen.


A true testament to Michael...he influenced us all...hey, I still have the thin red leather tie, silver jacket and mirrored sunglasses in my closet from 1982!

He was the seventh of nine children in the Jackson family, made his professional music debut at the age of 11 and never looked back...his accomplishments were truly impressive...

- He was one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame twice, he's had multiple Guiness World Records, including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"
-13 Grammy's
13 number one singles in his solo career-more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 music format.
- He's sold 750 million records worldwide.
^- Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career made him a part of a part of pop culture for almost four decades.
-His 'Thriller' album was the highest grossing album of all time.

...and we can thank Michael for his vision...in the early 80's, music videos were little more than promotional tools used to showcase new music, until Michael did 'Thriller', 'Beat it' and 'Billie Jean', transporting the genre into less of a vehilce and more of an art form.

He single handidly saved the music industry in the 80's...a time when they were suffering one of the worst recessions ever, he came out with 'Thriller'...which was also the first release of an album on CD...groundbreaking stuff.

Sure, there's controversy, yes there are legal woes, massive debt, lawsuits, divorce and now the question of his kids and their future...but let's focus, just for today, on all the great things that he accomplished in his far too short a time with us.

Here now is a tribute to one of the greatest musical icons of all time.

A Tribute to Michael Jackson.

Adam Gregory ... The Hunt

I think Adam Gregory is the bee's knees, so naturally when I heard he was coming to town I may or may not have done one of those high pitched girly "I Love the Jonas Brothers" sort of squeals. Tia also knows I quite enjoy singing to Horseshoes on a regular basis so we decided to go on the hunt and see if we could find him at this years Farm Progress.

 

I'll let you watch the video for yourself to find out whether or not our hunt was successful, and while you're watching.. please judge my laugh. Yes I did ask that. I ask this because I have decided I have the worst laugh in the world... it's a mixture between Fran Drescher and a goat, true story! So please take a listen and give me any advice on how to change a laugh!

PS-- Adam did not say I was beautiful.. but he did say hi.... and I blushed...

Video of the Week XVI

You might not have a bunch of time to cruise the internet for cool videos...but I do.

Call me a treasure hunter. I thought I'd share my treasures and gems with you here, every Friday. It's my Video of the Week!

This week...it's CLASSIC George Strait...here he is singing You Look So Good In Love back in 1984!

Rider Fashion Show

Want to know what the new Riders' Retro clothing looks like on actual people... or players for that matter?!  Here's a cool video I found on the Leader-Post's website of their fashion show yesterday afternoon at Northgate Mall:

If You Design Cars...Please Read!!

I'll start off by saying...I'm guilty of trying to use fancy words sometimes...cause they can sound pretty cool. If you can pull off using words like "existential" or "plebiscite" in a sentence and not come off as a total dork...good on ya!

But there's one that bothers me...and I'd like to explain to you why.

The WORST ONE out there flashes at you in the console of your car: "Door Ajar"

...So...car making people...whatta ya think!?

Dreaming about 'Stanley'!!!

Love this shot! By tradition, every player on the Stanley cup winning team gets one full day with the cup...and this is how Sidney Crosby spent his!

Pictures leaked on the internet this morning with shots of Sid the Kid literally 'dreaming' about the Stanley cup!

Imagine, you dream your whole life, as a kid growing up and into your adult life, of one day hoisting the cup over your head....and then one day your actually cuddling up next to it in bed!!!!!!

Life is good for the youngest Captain to ever recieve this honour! Sleep well Sid!

I Drive Her Crazy: Chapter 10

I dedicate this series to my wife, Kelly. I love you dear.

I'm doing this to point out some of the ways I annoy her. Yet somehow, she sticks with me!?

For Chapter 10, she's asked me to point out how I constantly remind her of every single minuscule house-hold chore I ever do.

Goin' on vacation? Bring your camera!

Amy and I just got back from a 5 day trek in BC, we flew to Kamloops and rented a car... after we picked up our car we noticed some scratches on it-we thought..oh crap, their gonna think WE caused these scratches; so here are some Good Reasons to take photos of stuff that has NOTHING TO do with your vacation...that COULD SAVE you grief and lots of money:


Renting a car, take a picture!

Take pictures of your rental car from every angle before you drive it off the lot. 
Also check the paper damage report to check that it all makes sense.. sign when you check out the vehicle, those images can serve as proof of its condition should your rental company try to pull a fast one and charge you for damage that wasn't there, or to claim you came back with a dent that was worse than what you left with. And get a shot of the licence plate too!

Going to West Edmonton Mall... or Disneyland..heck even your campsite at Craven... snap a picture... trust me, it's easier to find where your supposed to be after a long day shopping or taking in the sights!
"Remember, Dad, we're in Goofy 58. Goofy 58, Dad." You could try to keep track. Or you could just take a photo of the sign that says "Goofy 58" and be done with it. (Aren't you glad you took a photo of your rental car earlier so that you know what you're looking for?)

Sir... Your passport please...

Take a shot of the informational page. It won't get you across a border, but it will make it easier to replace your passport if it's lost or stolen.  And remember to REPORT your passport to the POLICE if your passport is lost or stolen, immediately! 

Happy trails!

Paul

Now "American Saturday Night" Makes Sense!

When you first heard Brad Paisley's new album was going to be called "American Saturday Night" were you like me in thinking, "C'mon man!  Why so American?!"

Well, good news!  Itunes has made a couple of the new songs from this album available before it's actually released on Tuesday, and in that title song, Brad makes mention of pretty much every other country in the world as being "American!"  So, instead of being all "AMERICA!!!" the song is all about how the US is made up of all the cultures of the world.  Smart, eh?  Not sure yet if Canada made it, but we'll find out Tuesday I suppose!  Below is a clip of that song, and another!  Plus, if you have ITunes and want to actually buy the songs and the album, go to itunes.com/americansaturdaynight.

Brad Paisley - American Saturday Night

Brad Paisley - Water


(P.S. after posting this and reading it over I realize how lame it looks at the amount of exclamation marks I've used.  Please excuse me for being a glutton... I swear it'll never happen again!

...

Darn it all.)

A dog is a diabetics best friend???

Came across this story this morning,

Dogs are being trained in Britain to warn diabetics when their blood sugar levels fall to dangerously low levels!!!
 
Are you kidding me???

I thought it was pretty freakin' amazing when I read that they were sniffing out certain cancer cells, and they've long been put to work in the hunt for illegal drugs and explosives, but now they're warning diabetics of potential hypoglycemic attacks?!

I guess they start to whine and bark and stuff...wow....dog's just got even cooler!

This...Is...Cool? Fuel Tribe.

So I randomly got this email/press release yesterday;

I'm not really sure what to think about it...but, I figured it was interesting, so I'd pass it along. Seems like a "stick it to the man" type of movement with the gas industry.

One of those "brothers and sisters...are you with me!?" things. It's a fight against gas prices. You can go on the website and sign up...if you wanted to. I didn't, but you could...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 22, 2009

 

 

 

Canadian Consumers Fed Up With Prices at the Pump are Fighting Back With FuelTribe

 

June 15 - FuelTribe launches Canada's first and only gasoline buyers group, enabling consumers to join forces to battle unfair gas prices.

www.FuelTribe.ca is the product of ordinary working people, who grew frustrated by their lack of buying power with fuel vendors.  They realized that as long as they are treated individually by fuel vendors, they have little or no influence over the price of gasoline.

 

They believe that, if they were to approach a gasoline vendor as a group, their influence could not be ignored.  "FuelTribe.ca allows consumers to use their collective buying power to negotiate a price reduction in their gasoline purchase" said Morgan Archer, FuelTribe's Membership Director.  "The initial response has been overwhelming.  After launching earlier this month, we have surpassed $5.2 Million Dollars in annual buying power."

 

Using annual buying power as leverage, FuelTribe will represent members interests by negotiating a reasonable discount at the pump.  There is no cost to register.

ABOUT FUELTRIBE INC.

FuelTribe.ca is Canada's first and only online gasoline buyers group formed by people frustrated by the volatility and unreasonableness of fuel prices.  It is not affiliated with any gasoline vendors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Johnny & Terri with MC Hammer

This year at Buffalo Days... Johnny Reid AND Terri Clark!  For the full schedule of concerts you can click here, and by doing so, you'll notice someone else that's also performing... MC Hammer! 

Yes, the final night of Buffalo Days is officially HAMMERTIME, and I have a thought.  You know how last Tuesday Taylor Swift rapped with T-Pain for the opening of the CMT Awards?  Well, what if it was Hammertime with Johnny Reid... or even Terri Clark?  Could Johnny & MC or Terri & MC be the next Taylor & T-Pain?  This is what it might sound like:

Taylor Swift & T-Pain

Terri Clark & MC Hammer

(and the best for last...)

Johnny Reid & MC Hammer!

Joke of the Week!!!

Monday's are hard enough, so I've decided I'm going to help ease us into the work-week with.....

THE BIG DOG JOKE OF THE WEEK!!!

Start your week with a chuckle......hopefully.....more than likely a groan.....regardless, here's the first one!

TODAY'S JOKE OF THE WEEK!

A young nun who worked for a local home health care agency was out making her rounds when she ran out of gas. As luck would have it, there was a gas station just one block away. She walked to the station to borrow a can with enough gas to start the car and drive to the station for a fill up. The attendant regretfully told her that the only gas can he owned had just been loaned out, but if she would care to wait he was sure it would be back shortly. Since the nun was on the way to see a patient, she decided not to wait and walked back to her car. After looking through her car for something to carry to the station to fill with gas, she spotted a bedpan she was taking to the patient. Always resourceful, she carried it to the station, filled it with gasoline, and carried it back to her car. As she was pouring the gas into the tank of her car, two men watched her from across the street. One of them turned to the other and said: "I know that it is said that Jesus turned water into wine, but if that car starts, I'll go to church every Sunday for the rest of my life."

The Age Of...(this is kind of a rant)

I'm kind of a weird dude...I get aggravated about things that I probably shouldn't...but I think enough is enough, I can't go on anymore without saying this. 

Click to play "The Age Of...Terrible Baby Name Rant"

I also really dislike when people chew their popcorn too loud in movie theatres, but we'll save that rant for another day ;)

Video of the Week XV

You might not have a bunch of time to cruise the internet for cool videos...but I do.

Call me a treasure hunter. I thought I'd share my treasures and gems with you here, every Friday. It's my Video of the Week!

This week...it's Kenny Chesney and Gretchen Wilson in a HUGE stadium show, singing "Hurts So Good" by John Mellencamp





Looking for more cool country music videos? Check out the Treasure Chest (Video of the Week Archives)

Sooo much to do at Farm Progress

Farm Progress Show is here....and I'm a fan. 

I know what you're thinking...what are you talking about Heather.  You don't live on a farm, didn't grow up in a farming family and probably have only been on a combine a handful of times in your life..... or was it a swather.  (I'm kidding)  Even though I may not be the most farming literate.  I have found ways to have fun at the Farm Progress Show.

Food - it's like a sample of what you'll get at the fair...and who doesn' t like fair food?  
Mini Donuts....I rest my case.

Keeping with the theme of food - the farmers market.  Still new but it's already three times as big as last year.  I could spend hours looking around - definitely a stop to make.

Okay so you may be like me and live in the city but if you at least stop at the new inventions area you're probably going to learn something new and it makes for a fun guessing game.

"What do you mean that's a portable watering system for livestock?  I stand corrected, but my guess was funnier"  (you get the idea)

Where else can you hear seminars on tools and strategies for successful farming to a jewellery designer who's creations have been on the Oscar red carpet.  I know, right....I've  grabbed your attention.

Annnnnd finally, the concerts - Aaron Pritchett and Adam Gregory....enough said. 

Thank-you!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe what Craig and Dean and Sammy and Randy and Holly and the gang have been able to accomplish in just two short years.....last night was the 2nd annual JDRF 'Chipping for a Cure' golf tourney at the Long Creek Golf club in Avonlea, Big Dog is very proud to help support JDRF in any and every way we can...they raised $10,000 more than last year, a total of $30,250!!!!!! Holy freakin' hybrid!!!!!

...and SOLD OUT!!!....ya wanna know what a room full of JDRF supporters sounds like? Click below to listen!

Click here!


Thanks to everyone for all your support, with successful events like this, it won't be long until insulin pumps and injections are just a thing of the past!

Passing The Torch - Summer Nights

It's as if John Travolta has symbolically passed the torch to Rascal Flatts...let me explain how.

I was thinkin' the other day...for years and years...in music "Summer Nights" was all about one song...

This one

UNTIL NOW! ;)

I Drive Her Crazy: Chapter 9

I dedicate this series to my wife, Kelly. I love you dear.

I'm doing this to point out some of the ways I annoy her. Yet somehow, she sticks with me!?

For Chapter 9...It's all about my lack of respect for her slumber.

Taylor 'Rappin' with T-Pain!

If you missed it last night on the CMT Country music awards, here it is for you now!!!

BEST MUSIC VIDEO EVER!!!!!!!

Heather and I agree, Taylor totally stole the show with this!!!! She's the whole package, talented, beautiful, and a wicked sense of humour! LOVE IT!
 
Hilarious!!!!

Here's the link....
 
CLICK HERE

.....enjoy!