My Favorite Quebecer

I have recently (since moving back to Canada) discovered an affinity for mixed martial arts. Not doing it, so much (and you... you know who you are... can stop laughing, now...), but watching it. I used to not be a fan... pure kickboxing or K1 just seemed to move so much quicker, have so much more action.

Well, it turns out that there is a bit of a learning curve in appreciating some aspects of the sport, and for me, that was the wrestling/grappling side. Now that I understand the submissions, I can appreciate what's going on in that part of the match, and it's made a huge difference.

I like: great creme brulee, the Flemish primitives, and UFC. And yes, they can all go together just fine.

It's caused another major shift in my world view... I have a new favorite Quebecer.

It used to be Ivan, a colleague in Switzerland. It was so, so fun working on projects with him: he allowed me to fully indulge my Albertan-ness by refusing to call himself a Canadian (he was Quebecois), and freely throwing separatist idealogy and language laws into casual conversation to get something going. Of course, we were both living in Geneva, so our national/cultural ties could easily have fallen under question, but we both had a ton of fun playing around with it.

But Ivan has slipped to second place, and Georges St Pierre (GSP) has taken over the top spot. The man is articulate, professional, has great fashion sense, and man... can he fight! Fast, powerful, aggressive... so much fun to watch. I don't know if he's anywhere near as fun to talk to as Ivan, but for now, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Compliment of the Week

Actual compliment: "You wear pants well"

Likely translation: "thanks, despite your infrequent but ominous threats, for not streaking".

The Set List

For Troy.

Set 1

1. Kiss Me (Sixpence None The Richer) - good tune, maybe a bit slow for a starter in retrospect
2. Somewhere Only We Know (Keane) - it rocks
3. Everybody's Gone To War (some Australian chick) - it really, really rocks. Love this song
4. Who Knew (Pink) - solid tune, maybe not the best fit for us, but fun to play
5. King of Pain (Alanis Morrisette acoustic version) - nice backup part for me to sing in this
6. Shiver (Natalie Imbrouglia) - kind of mellow, but it's a nice one
7. Life For Rent (Dido) - not my favorite tune, but I do get to sing in it
8. Torn (Natalie Imbrouglia) - nice, and people know it
9. What Took You So Long (Emma Bunton) - yes, former Spice Girl. But it's a hauling song
10. Radio (The Corrs) - nice guitar in this one

Set 2

1. I Don't Want A Lover (Texas) - good, straight-ahead rocker
2. Since You've Been Gone (Kelly Clarkson) - decent tune, I LOVE singing the "yeah, yeah" in the chorus
3. Sk8r Boi (Avril Lavine) - moves along pretty good, but makes my arms tired
4. Bend and Break (Keane) - another fun one to play, even if there aren't any BGV's
5. Starting Today (Natalie Immbrouglia) - why is it that I want to describe all of hers as "nice"?
6. Sand In My Shoes (Dido) - rocks pretty good, for Dido
7. Ironic (Alanis Morrisette) - people seemed to like this one - easy to sing along, I guess
8. Hunter (Dido) - not my favorite, but it has a nice grooving drum part
9. She Will Be Loved (Maroon 5) - love this tune, plus there's lot's of singing for me
10. Satellite (Natalie Imbouglia) - well... yeah, it's nice, too
11. So Young (The Corrs) - love the ending... nice harmonies on "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah"
12. Leave Me Alone (P!ink) - another rocker

Set 3

1. Behind These Hazel Eyes (Kelly Clarkson) - pretty fun to play, the drums are all over the place
2. Breathless (The Corrs) - hard not to love this tune
3. Wishing I Was There (Natalie Imbrouglia) - very groovy, with a fun gang backup in the chorus
4. Adia (Sarah Maclaughlin) - great drums in this one, plus lots of singing. Hooray!
5. White Flag (Dido) - okay tune, but I get to sing in the chorus
6. Counting Down The Days (Natalie Imbrouglia) - fun, but feels like I'm trying to hold back a team of wild horses to keep the tempo steady
7. Thank You (Dido) - not bad, but I think my BGV needs a bit of polishing in this one
8. Only When I Sleep (The Corrs) - slow, but it rocks. We skipped it, I think to move on to something quicker
9. Black-Eyed Boy (Texas) - motown-ish rocking kind of tune, not bad...
10. Steve McQueen (Sheryl Crow) - love this one... the drums haul, and I get to sing my heart out in the chorus... it's just right for my range - low enough that I can hit all the notes without having to worry about it, but high enough to make it feel like I'm working for it. I could play this all night...

So there you have it. There were a bunch of people taking pictures and video, so I'll see if I can get some of that up for your viewing pleasure...