Let's Chat: Summer Beers

The long weekend is here, for many of you that means spending time with family and friends. If you are anything like me, a beer is in hand when I am socializing. Whether you are on a boat fishing, on the deck barbecuing or on the front steps breathing in some fresh air, a cold one can make that experience even better. Even as I write this post I have a Bud Light and Clam in my hand. It's a refreshing beverage and helps you loosen up from a long week of whatever you have been doing! Everyone has their favourite and everyone is always open to trying something new. I will share my top three favourite Summer beers.

1. Corona 
My all time favourite is a bottle of Corona with lime. Sharing a 12 pack with the family or guys (who enjoy it as much as I do) makes every bottle even more enjoyable. It's a great way to end a week or start up a weekend.

2. Miller Genuine Draft
MGD is great year around actually. I love having bottles when I am barbecuing, eating burgers or sitting around the fire. The point is, I find that it goes great with all food.

3. Original 16
Is it cliche that I selected and stand behind my city's brewery? I don't think so, it is a real competitor in the beer industry. Pitchers of Original 16 after a soccer game with my team when we're celebrating or crying about our loss makes it an essential for Summer.

Now I'm interested to hear about your favourite Summer time beverage, I wouldn't mind trying something new.

Yours Truly

Let's Chat: Video Game Magazines

Today it was announced that Nintendo Power would cease publication sometime later this year. Prior to Nintendo Power, another video game magazine closed its doors after a 22 year run, GamePro.

Video game magazines have been steadily declining in sales, there’s no lie there, but how long will it be before magazines in general become completely obsolete?

The first telltale sign to me that video game magazines were becoming a thing of a past was when EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly) ceased publication for the first time. This was the magazine. I bought every issue, every month for as long as I can remember.

When I heard that they were shutting down, I was kinda bummed out. I’m not sure what it is about magazines that I like so much. I rather read my gaming news from a magazine rather than online.

But online is just so much more instantaneous. This is essentially the reason why these video game magazines are shutting down.

Before the big internet boom, the only way to figure out anything about video games was through magazines. It’d be a little blurb, some screenshots, some quotes. And that was just a slight taste that would get you hyped.

Today, it’s bloody information overload. Kinda defeats the mysticism of a video game.

Not that it even matters since 70% of video games are copies of each other, but that’s something for another time.

You can watch trailers for games, gameplay demos, watch fan made analyses of gameplay trailer one, interviews, conferences, everything, all online.

And since everybody has the internet, information is easier to get out there. Fans can get updated by their favourite companies whenever the company wants to release info as opposed to having to wait a month to figure out more info on so and so game.

Call me old fashion, but video game magazines gave me something to look forward to every month. Now if I wanna find something out, I can just Google it.

Now that I think about it, I guess this is something of a first world problem huh?

I guess I’m just going to have to cave and buy a tablet or something. Gotta kill time in the bathroom somehow.

But, what do you think? Should magazines go or stay?

Get at us below. Or you can e-mail us at hellosaskatoon@gmail.com

Let's Chat: Food Trucks

It kills me to know that there are cities with the exact same weather as us who have food trucks. By food trucks I simply mean restaurants on wheels, sort of like the Bus Stop downtown but mobile. I realize that there are such things that exist in the city but are only used during special events such as the Fringe (which begins today). I'm not sure if there is some sort of law that prevents it or if entrepreneurs do not see this being feasible but I am writing as a consumer. I want to experience food trucks, I watch Eat St. often and it covers a lot of restaurants around the United States and British Columbia. The food they produce can really give indoor restaurants a run for their money. My friend Pat blogged a couple months back of an event in Edmonton called "What the Truck", he also took this photo below.

If other places in Canada such as Edmonton are able to do this, I would like to see it in Saskatoon too. I really feel like we are missing out.

Love the North

Let's Chat: Tattoos

This form of art is a great way of expressing yourself. You can get tattoos done to share memories and experiences or just because you think it looks neat (forget stupid tattoos like "DRAKE" across your forehead). In my opinion both are good reasons to have them done. People sometimes say "that's unprofessional", but does that matter when you have clothing to cover it? I have taken a great interest over the past couple of years to get a tattoo, but I promised myself (future self) that I would think about it rather than getting it done on impulse. That, and I am honestly a bit scared. I have a couple of serious ideas and hopefully I will have a piece by next Summer.

I am genuinely interested in tattoos that you have gotten and if you can recommend me any artists/parlours in the city.

Love the North

Let's Chat: Breaking Bad

I love Breaking Bad. Before Game of Thrones, this show was my favourite.

Today was the season 5 premier and I totally forgot about it up until Twitter reminded me.

See? Twitter is useful for something.

For those who do not know of Breaking Bad, it's about Walter White (Bryan Cranston, yes that is Hal from Malcolm in the Middle), a chemistry teacher who gets diagnosed with cancer.

Before he passes on he wants to make enough money to leave behind for his son and pregnant wife. In order to do this he begins making meth with one of his ex-students, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).

As the seasons pass, you see Walter White's transition from a caring family man to something of an anti-hero. This is so he can adapt with the issues he faces, because more or less, this becomes a story of "biting off more than you can chew".

The reason why I love this show so much is because it's minimalistic. There's only ever one plot and that one plot has everybody's stories connected to it and one way or another.

Also there aren't many characters that you have to keep tabs on. Unlike Game of Thrones where there are one gajillion characters who all name drop other characters that aren't even in the show yet, Breaking Bad has only, like, 7 characters max.

The mood of the show is strange, it's hella dark, but in a way it seems light.

Honestly if you added silly music in the background, it'd almost be a comedy.

Definitely watch this show. If you have Netflix, it's on there. It's probably the only good thing on Canadian Netflix to be honest. Well, that, and Sherlock, but that's a whole different post.

Breaking Bad is on AMC, which is channel 40 for you cool Shaw people, and whatever other channel for you strange Sasktel Max folks. It's on at 8:00 pm, Saskatchewan time, because we have a weird time zone.

Let's Chat: Game of Thrones

First off, if you haven't heard of Game of Thrones or have heard of Game of Thrones but haven't watched it, you oughta start.

1. Because you probably have friends that are likely to let something slip and ruin it for you. Like a friend of mine. Spoiling a big part in season 1. Bastard.
2. Because, in my unhumble opinion, it's the best show that's ever been on TV.

I absolutely swear by this show. Not once since the first season of Lost have I been so blown away by television.

"But Johnny, swords and dragons are stupid."

I agree. I'm not too keen on medieval fantasy. Hell it took me a year to actually sit down and watch the first season. Even after watching the first season, I was still kinda on the fence about it. But as the days went by, I gradually wanted to watch season 2 more and more. Suffice to say, season 2 did not disappoint whatsoever.

It's gotten to the point where I've picked up the books and started reading them. And by picked up the books, I mean, bought them, gave up reading the physical books and found a PDF of it online. I know that the TV show has changed a few things, but I'm treating the reads separate from the TV show.

This is a great show, but it does take a bit to wrap your head around all the characters. They tend to name drop left, right and center, even people that aren't even in the show yet. It's a lot to take in, but I have faith you. If I can deal with it, so can you. And I'm pretty slow.

I won't tell you what the show's about. I just want you to watch it so we can chat about it over dinner.

Now I'm gonna go eat something.

Let's Chat: Summer Footwear

Summer is your chance to wear colour and lower profile shoes on a regular basis. By that time you can put your Hunter's or Timberlands in the closet until another season. The footwear you choose for Summer can really make your outfit pop, I think we should be our neutrals (white/grey/black) away and have some fun. Colour screams fun.

On a regular summer I generally still wear denim with a pair of Nike SB's, but hopefully this season I can mix it up a bit. I want to wear shorts more often and find myself some Nike Lunar Flows to wear often. I love that athletic and comfortable look.

Finding yourself a pair of shoes doesn't even have to be expensive either. You can find yourself a couple of pairs of Converse or Vans for under $100. It's Saskatoon, we have yearly Summer sales. Just make sure to take advantage of them.

Last year I saw that many people wore flats, Toms, Sanuks and Vans. Styles come and go, one day it will be a Sperry Top-Sider and the next it will be back to your favourite pair of sandals. What's your plans for this year?

Love the North

Let's Chat: In General

I hope your finals are coming along nicely.

Just one more week and you're free. And by free I mean, find a job. At least you won't have to worry about studying or term papers for another four months right?

And if your finals aren't coming along swimmingly, then there's always next year. I don't mean that in a condescending way at all. During when I was in SIAST I failed a programming course setting me back a year. At first it sucked, but I got over it, and you will too. Now I'm done and life is dandy.

Now that it's actually warm out, once you're outta finals mode, you can enjoy summer. Patio beer, barbecued foods, pools, whatever it is that people do during summer. The extent my summer activities is wearing a t-shirt outside and maybe the odd game of golf. But please don't talk to me about golf. I'm not avid about it.

That being said, have a summer house mix I made a few weeks ago.



Chill vibes.

You're almost outta there and for those who are done, welcome to summer.

Let's Chat: Energy Drinks

This one is a little ranty.

You've had one, I've had one, your dog has had one, my unborn self has had one, everybody's had one.

You can't go to a convenience store without seeing an entire fridge filled with energy drinks. Be it your regular Red Bull, Rock Star or Monster with Vitamin 0x10c to replenish the white blood cells lost from doing too many tail whips on your ski-doo or whatever.

It almost seems like the energy drink take over happened over night. It's everywhere. Freakin' everywhere. I remember my dad used to drink the OG Thai Red Bull or Krating Daeng when he played soccer and I always used to sneak a sip because the taste reminded me of banana medicine. If he caught me he'd give me crap because I was too young for it. He'd always say "you will never need these until you're an old man like me."

True, I guess.

Even to this day he still frowns upon me when he sees me drinking a Rock Star with Triumphant Sun Vitamin Milk from the Omega Volta Fruit Berry.

"Don't drink that, you're young and it will give you nose bleeds," he would say.

He's right in a sense (both the age factor and the nose bleed thing). I'm 21 and from what I'm told, we're in the prime of our lives. Do we really need to shove this stuff down our gullet because we yawned once today? I wouldn't think so.

I almost think it's out of control when I see elementary school kids drinking it. Like, what do you need that for? Times tables making you sleepy? Don't be daft, go get some water dude.

Just from observing, the majority of people who do drink energy drinks, drink it for the taste. You can't really find carbonated pineapple juice out there, the only way to get that tasty flavour bang is from a can of *insert energy drink brand here*.

That being said, would it change anything if, say for example, PepsiCo made Pineapple Soda? Who knows. Maybe not. So as long as energy drinks are an option, it's likely that people will choose the energy drink for whatever reason it may be.

But I'm a hypocrite. I find myself drinking energy drinks once in a while when I'm yawning out of control on a gloomy overcast skied Saturday afternoon. I don't need it really, it hardly even works on me. All it makes me do is become jittery; can't focus on anything. Some days I don't want to drink coffee, I want a different flavour of energy.

Absolutely do not let me stop you from doing what you want to do, I just wanna raise that point that we don't need to become reliant on things we don't need. But it happens. I like coffee in the morning and I'm a smoker so frankly you can tell me to can it.

What do you think boss?

Let's Chat: Guitars

You know that age old question "If your house was burning down, what would be the first thing you'd grab"? Since I don't have any photo albums in my house, next up would be my guitars.

If I had maximum wage, I'd splurge on guitars all day, real talk.

Not to say I'm king shred master John Petrucci, I just play as a hobby and frankly I haven't improved at all in the past four years.

Here's my collection.


Epiphone Les Paul: this was my first guitar ever. My parents bought it for me as a birthday present when I was in grade 10. So it holds some sentimental value.


Fender Telecaster: this is the first guitar I ever bought with my own money. My Les Paul has a fat sound while this has a "brighter" sound comparatively.



Yamaha RBX-170: got this bass when I was hitting the whole "I NEED TO BE DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979" phase. That has passed, but what I got out of that phase was the ability to play all Death From Above 1979 songs. Useful skill, never. It's too bad I don't play this as much, but I'm sure it'll get its use one day.


Hondo... something: my dear friend gave me this guitar, so I treat it with tender love and care. I love the worn look of it, and despite its age, it sounds wonderful.

Do you have any instruments? Let's chat about them.

Let's Chat: Ip Man

(Y)Ip Man was a martial arts movie that released in 2008. Kung-fu legend Donnie Yen takes the role of Ip Man. Historically, Ip Man is known for being a grandmaster of the kung-fu style Wing Chun and training Bruce Lee. This film can be enjoyed by almost anybody. There is an American version but I prefer reading Cantonese subtitles.

Story
The film is set in the 1930's in Foshan. Foshan is filled with many martial arts schools. Ip Man keeps to himself even though he is known as the most skilled fighter. Like many kung-fu movies, the Chinese are being invaded by the Japanese (I love the idea of kung-fu versus karate). The Japanese successfully invade Foshan and many Chinese families are left with nothing, including Ip Man. He reunites with old masters and friends and learns about private fights that are between the karate students and the challenger. By defeating the karate student, they are gifted with food. Ip Man makes a name for himself throughout Foshan once again and with the Japanese and is given the chance to fight the Japanese general.

Fighting
I really enjoyed the fight scenes, especially when Donnie Yen fights the 10 black belts. At times the fights could be quite humorous and others left you at the edge of your seat. I was very impressed with Donnie Yen's performance, his age has not stopped him. Wing Chun is not my favourite style, but it sure was entertaining this time around.

Conclusion
This was a great movie to watch. You don't have to love watching fight scenes to enjoy the movie. Dallas seemed to really enjoy it and he is not usually one to view movies of this genre. The story line was good, and what made it even better was that it was based on a true story (not completely accurate). I felt attached to the characters and plot, I kept saying how impressed I was with everything after the movie was completed as well. I later watched the Ip Man 2, but was not nearly as satisfied. Hopefully I find this movie so I can purchase it on Blu-Ray one day.



Let me know your thoughts on Ip Man and feel free to recommend more martial arts flicks!

Love the North

Let's Chat: Air Jordan vs Nike SB

I remember spending my high school days on forums and with friends always talking about the upcoming releases of Jordan's and Nike SB. Actually I still do. Most of us didn't use our Jordan's for more than street ball and our SB's for more than cruising around. It was more of a fashion statement than practicality. The discussion was always between which Nike line was better than the other.

Air Jordan

I can say that Jordan was always part of my life, whether it be owning some Jordan VII's as a child or watching Bulls' games with my cousin. Jordan's have been making sneaker heads crazy since 1985. The shoe that got me back into Jordan's was the Air Jordan Spiz'ike "True Blues", so I entered the game a bit late. Many of the Jordan silhouettes and colour ways have been influential to many footwear companies. I am still impressed with the "Grape", "Laser" and "Aqua". I can say that I like all of the first 12 models and the Spiz'ike. They look good with almost anything. I wore mine with everything, from a pair of skinny jeans to a pair of cargo shorts.

Nike SB

Nike in general has always been my athletic choice. I have preferred them for runners and soccer footwear. Being a big Paul Rodriguez fan, I was introduced to the brand after his first model. Originally, I just bought the shoes to rock and not to skate. I dabbled in high Dunks, low Dunks, Blazers and P-Rod's, Janoski's and Koston's. They are quite casual and they too have had wild models being influenced by almost anything. For example, there have been shoes designed to portray television characters and bands. Nike SB is also known for collaborating with prestigious and successful street wear companies and artists. This brand has been worn by almost everyone, fashionistas and skaters alike.

My Pick

I think my friends are going to disagree with me when I make my decision, but I am going to have to give the crown to Nike SB. I have always found their line to be more versatile in wear and useful, for both comfort and style. Their models and colour ways have been more creative in my opinion. A lot of the time, they not only use their ideas but outsource too. I feel like they fit my wardrobe much better than Jordan, but now I want to know what you guys like more between the two.

Love the North