Rick Mercer – an Autobiography

On December 7, 2022December 10, 2022 By Rick McIn books, gymnastics, humour, TV1 Comment

Talking to Canadians: A Memoir was published Nov 2021.

It’s recommended. Very funny.

One of the best lines (by Greg Thomey) …

Heavy is the head that wears the lampshade.

I’d rank Rick Mercer the funniest Canadian of my lifetime.

He is best known for his work on the CBC Television comedy shows This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer Report … which ended 2018 after 15 seasons.

Mercer’s two-minute “rants”, in which he would speak directly to the camera about a current political issue are what I remember best.

Like many of Canada’s best comedians, Rick is from Newfoundland. Understand?

I downloaded the audio book from the library — ideal, as Rick is the narrator.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Rick interviewed Kyle Shewfelt. Funny.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

This Hour Has 22 Minutes

On December 7, 2022December 3, 2022 By Rick McIn uncategorizedLeave a comment

The legendary Canadian comedy has been on TV for 28 seasons.

But it launched with not much budget. No real plan.

It was to be a Mary Walsh project, but at launch she was in bed with terrible back pain.

The first episode was 1993 during Canada’s 35th general election.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. Episode 1, season 1.

It includes the first Rick Mercer rant.

Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths

On December 6, 2022 By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Book #2 in the series featuring DS Harbinder Kaur, a badass murder detective.

Harbinder is in her 30s; still lives with her parents; and hasn’t come out to them that she’s Gay.

An interesting premise.

That said, I felt the second book was not nearly as good as the first.

Solving the Postscript murders was not Agatha Christie ingenious.

Peggy Smith had been a ‘murder consultant’ who plotted deaths for authors. When Smith died unexpectedly, Harbinder felt obliged to investigate.

Help Help Me Ronda, Spain

On December 6, 2022December 6, 2022 By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

Have you heard of Ronda?

Intensely scenic.

The oldest bullfighting ring in Spain is here.

Hemingway in his short story Death in the Afternoon:

“There is one town that would be better than Aranjuez to see your first bullfight in if you are only going to see one and that is Ronda.

That is where you should go if you ever go to Spain on a honeymoon or if you ever bolt with anyone. The entire town and as far as you can see in any direction is romantic background.”

Ronda, Spain 1834 David Roberts 1796-1864

Today there’s a population of about 35,000 living in a cliffside town.

The Guadalevín River runs through the city, dividing it in two and carving out the steep, 100-plus-meter-deep El Tajo canyon …

I did get a bit of drone footage for myself. But it’s not nearly as good as this montage.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Olive-oil Mill in Spain

On December 5, 2022 By Rick McIn food, travelLeave a comment

For the second time ever I toured an Olive-oil factory. And it was just as interesting the second time.

They are still making oil the way it was done hundreds or thousands of years ago. The traditional “First cold-pressed” system.

The olives are knocked out of the tree into a net. And physically “pressed”.

Strained through these cloths.

Then purified in a number of steps.

I’m not sure when glass containers were introduced. That must have been controversial! 😀

The leftovers come out looking like these chips. They are reused in many ways, including as fertilizer for the Olive trees.

Molino El Vínculo in Cadiz Province has been in the same family since at least 1755. And the family grew olives here since at least 1640.

It’s a colourful place with many old pieces of equipment displayed for tourists.

I did try the oil. But couldn’t tell the difference between it and every other olive oil I’ve eaten.

A Taste for Vengeance by Martin Walker

On December 5, 2022December 5, 2022 By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

I’m addicted to the series of books with police chief Bruno Courrèges, in Périgord, France.

Everyone’s favourite cop is promoted in this book to chief of police of the entire Vézère Valley. And he’s not enjoying the greater responsibility.

In the middle of the mess an Englishwoman is found dead in Lalinde. Murdered. Perhaps killed by a stranger who seems to have committed suicide.

AND Bruno finds out that Paulette, a star of his rugby team with a decent shot at making the national squad, is unexpectedly pregnant.

Did I mention the love of his life drops in to town unexpectedly?

Amazon

Canada Fitness Award Program

On December 4, 2022December 4, 2022 By Rick McIn books, health & fitness, humour1 Comment

The Canada Fitness Award Program was subjected to Canadian school kids from 1970 to 1992.

I remember the annual challenge fondly, being something of a jock.

50 yard run, the 300 yard run, flexed arm hangs, the shuttle run, speed situps, and the standing long jump.

I can’t recall getting the highest Excellence rating — but always got Gold, the second highest.

Worst was the … PARTICIPATION ribbon. 😀

Unsurprisingly, it was finally cancelled due to being “discouraging to those who needed the most encouragement“. And sometimes resulted in “destructive eating and exercise practices” by the least fit.

I’m always leery of awards programs for kids. At many Gymnastics Clubs I tried to discontinue the annual “awards” night.

These memories came back after listening to Canada’s greatest comedian talking about how traumatized he was by the annual humiliation. Rick Mercer couldn’t do the flex arm hang.

As an adult Rick become surprisingly fit, trying many different sports for his TV shows.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

It was related to another government program called ParticipACTION. We blamed the Swedes. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

ParticipACTION included a TV show, started 1988, with interracial couple Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod. Every Canadian of my age remembers BodyBreak.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Long Way Home by Louise Penny

On December 3, 2022November 30, 2022 By Rick McIn uncategorizedLeave a comment

Recovering from injuries in the village of Three Pines, Armand Gamache, former Chief Inspector of Homicide with the Sûreté du Québec, has found a peace he’d only imagined possible.

Until his friend Clara seeks him out, when her artist husband fails to come home.

Together with his former second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, a group of the regulars goes on the road to solve the mystery of the disappearance.

There’s far less action than usual. More philosophy.

Though different than the usual Gamache fare, I still enjoyed the book.

Visiting Cádiz, Spain

On December 3, 2022December 14, 2022 By Rick McIn food, travelLeave a comment

Of the places in Andalusia I visited November 2022, Cádiz is the least popular tourist destination.

I was still pleased to have seen it.

Cádiz is a rocky, long, narrow peninsula, popular with sailors and fishermen for thousands of years. In fact, that Italian (Columbus) set sail from here on his second voyage to “India”. He was financed by the Spanish Crown.

By far my highlight was the Castle of San Sebastián, the fortress in the sea. That connecting levee was built 1860.

At dusk I’d take my wine to enjoy sunset.

There are good beaches, deserted in November.

Cádiz Cathedral was decorated for Christmas

Clearly they don’t have the budget of the BIG European cities.

The central food market is a highlight for sure. I’ve never seen so many varieties of fish and seafood. PHOTOS.

Most days I simply wandered the old town. Snapping photos non-stop. Here are a few samples.

I love the look of the simple fishing boats at low tide.

I got lucky having one day of overcast. Rare here. But it makes for more interesting skies.

I would recommend you visit Cádiz.

P.S.

The longest bridge in Spain is here. La Pepa, opened 2015. But I didn’t cross it nor could I even get close enough for a good photo. This pic is from Wikipedia.