Domed Catholic Church in Oia

Santorini is a group of islands in the south Aegean Sea. Known for its dramatic natural beauty, traditional architecture and exquisite cuisine, Santorini is one of the most popular cruise destinations in the world. The astounding geological and rich mythological history of Santorini has shaped the land, it’s people and their culture.

Santorini is comprised of the islands of Thera, Thirassia, Aspronisi, the Christiana Islands, Palia Kameni and Nea Kameni. Santorini’s largest villages Fira, Oia, Imerovigli, Kamari and Perissa are all located on Thera. Its coastline features dramatic cliffs that extend for miles, a geological phenomenon known as a caldera, the result of ancient volcanic activity.  The caldera houses traditional Cycladic ‘cave houses’ and Catholic churches that rest precariously on its edge.

Fira overlooking the caldera

Archaeological excavations on Thera prove the existence of the Minoan civilization from as far back as 3000 BC. A massive volcanic eruption and the resulting tsunami tidal wave in the 2nd millennium BC devastated the islands and destroyed the Minoan civilization in Santorini and nearby Crete. Because of its geological likeliness and the advanced technology of the Minoan civilization, many scholars and historians have theorized that Santorini is the basis for Plato’s mythological lost city of Atlantis.

Cave houses on the caldera in Oia

Santorini is a place to indulge in life’s simple pleasures. Sun, sand, fine wine and good food are all in great abundance. Black sand beaches in Kamari, Perissa, Perivolas and the Red Beach in Akrotiri draw large crowds during the tourist season and are the perfect for working on your tan.

The sunsets in Santorini are considered among the most spectacular on Earth. Hundreds of people flock to vantage points along the Caldera every evening just to take it in and literally applaud as it recedes into the distance.

Sunset from the caldera

Santorini cuisine is similar to traditional Greek cuisine with some unique and distinctive dishes. Santorini’s volcanic soil, abundant sunshine and mild Mediterranean climate make it an ideal place for agriculture. Native ingredients like cherry tomatoes, fava peas, white eggplants and capers and locally caught fish, shrimp, squid, octopus are used to create dishes full of flavor, color and texture. Also, be sure to sample the local vinsanto wine with your meal.

Santorini Salad

Many cruise lines offer sailings to Santorini and the other Greek islands of Corfu, Mykonos, Rhodes and Crete year-round. To find the best cruise at the best price, visit Cruise-Connections.

Typically an idea will occur to me, either as a result of something I’ve read or a conversation I’ve had, and I’ll think, ‘hmmm…that could be interesting’ and I jot it down for when I’ll have the requisite time for research, writing and editing. In a lot of cases I’ll do some light research during my regular daily web surfing, but it mostly serves to stoke a creative fire.

So now, with the day off, I have some time to complete some of these stubs and maybe offer an original thought to the world. Instead, I’d rather take the easy way out and share some of these stubs. Research involves reading and filtering information. Writing involves taking a position on a subject and sticking your neck out. I feel like doing neither of these things today. I’m not sure whether this should be classified as ‘creatively lazy’ or ‘lazily creative’, but here’s a few of my more interesting stubs from the past two months:

Athletes who could’ve played other sports professionally. Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan did it. Hell, even Jose Canseco took a chance on MMA. They say Gretzky could’ve been a pro pitcher and Bure an Olympic diver.

Commonalities in Canadian and American consumer products and the subtle differences between them. Forget political and sociological differences, I’m a product of products and therefore I’m interested in products. An observation of the subtle differences in packaging, branding and marketing in common products between the two countries.

John Fahey being used to sell Vaseline. There’s a new Vaseline commercial that features ‘In Christ There is No East or West’ by fingerpicking wizard John Fahey, how in the Hell did this happen?

The Toronto hardcore scene is effin’ burgeoning. Bands like Fucked Up, Career Suicide and Terminal State are taking hardcore back from the the melodramatic metal heads that turned it into emo-mosh music and taking it back to its angry, sweaty punk rock roots. Awesome.

So there you have it, the choice nuggets from a man unwilling to stick his neck out any further. There are four or five other stubs that I could share, but honestly they’ll likely never  become fully realized, so they’re destined for a stub life sentence.

Well, visitors never really came to the site. But not because the stories weren’t interesting or engaging, there just wasn’t much else there. So Neighbour Knowledge went under and I had to move on to something else.

While working on other projects I’d often think back to how fun it was working for Neighbour Knowledge. While there, I made an effort to interview people who were excited about their lives because I found their enthusiasm infectious. Artists, activists and niche entrepreneurs, these were the people I’d look most forward to meeting and writing about.

But sometimes I’d manage to book some time with someone who you wouldn’t think would be terribly interesting: a dentist, a barista, a restaurant owner, etc. and they would captivate me with their story. To a brash young college graduate like myself the idea that most people, as bland as they may outwardly appear, are in fact really interesting, was a revelation.

In conversation I’ve always been interested in the particularities of people’s lives. In what really makes them tick. To my delight, most people, the interesting ones at least, were willing to share their thoughts with me and, in most cases, did so quite eloquently.

This line of thinking led me to the idea of interviewing and profiling my friends and family in the hopes of learning some interesting things about them. Of course, a short interview and one-thousand words isn’t going to capture a person’s entire past, or their intended future. It won’t describe all of their hopes or fears. Hell, most people could talk to me for hours about their first car.

But I’m not looking to tell anyone’s life story. Rather, what I’m hoping to do is uncover something new, something interesting that I didn’t know about that person before. I’m looking for the interesting stories of seemingly uninteresting people.

Choosing which people I’d like to take part in this project could pose a problem. A problem that I’ll admit, I haven’t really developed a solution for yet. I could wait for people to volunteer their time and story to me or I could actively seek out people and their stories. It’s something that I’ll have to figure out, but first I’d like to get your thoughts on this project. Please comment and let me know whether or not you’d find these stories interesting, what sort of questions you’d like to see asked, which people you’d like to read about.

Basically, I’m looking for spark and I’m hoping you can provide it. So, whaddya think?

If you’ve never been stuck playing the bass parts on the time suck known as Rock Band or Guitar Hero, let me break it down for you. It’s not fun. Your friends, whom you will soon grow to hate, either get to shred through guitar solos, pound out drum fills, or wail out vocals while you have to play the same dumbass (get it?) bass line the entire song.

Bass is not cool, whether in real life or in video games. In fact a quick look at some of the world’s most ‘famous’ bassists reveals just how lame the bass actually is. Flea, bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Les Claypool, bassist for Primus, are usually considered the best known and most accomplished bassists in the world and I can’t take either one of them seriously. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, despite having John Frusciante as their guitarist, stink and Primus’ biggest accomplishment is having written the theme to South Park. In fact the only cool bassists in history have been the ones who aren’t especially known for their ability to play the bass. Guys like Geddy Lee of Rush, Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy and, you betcha, Sir Paul McCartney.

Last week the entire Beatles discography was re-released after having been digitally remastered. I’ve yet to hear any of the releases, but I’m sure that they’ll only put a bigger spotlight on Paul McCartney’s bass playing and show just how intricate it was to the Beatles. Obvious examples like ‘Taxman’ and ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ demonstrate how Paul’s bass can lay the foundation for an entire song, while tracks like ‘Something’, ‘Dear Prudence’ and ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’ show how he has the ability to add something extra, yet absolutely necessary, to a song.

It’s these ‘something extra’ moments in each song that will have me reaching for the bass when I finally pick up a copy of the Beatles Rock Band game. That is, unless the drums and guitar are available. I mean after all, as cool as those bass lines may be, it’s still the bass.

I kind of knew that I’d love this movie before I’d read any reviews are seen any of the previews. Although I’m not really an Adam Sandler fan, I have, for the most part, enjoyed Seth Rogen’s recent ascension into fame and I’m also a fan of most anything that Judd Apatow has his name attached to. Still, the real reason why I knew I’d love Funny People is because it gives a glimpse, albeit a fictionalized version, of the backstage of professional comedy.

Since I was a teenager, fueled by Pepsi and Doritos, I’ve held a romanticized vision of what I believed to be the ‘Best Job in the World’.

NHL star? No.

Rock star? No.

Porn star? No, no no.

The occupation that I held above all others was comedy writer. To me, the idea of getting paid to think of funny shit was the highest thing I could aspire to be.

My friends and I, like most suburban teenagers with lots of time and no money, spent countless nights watching movies, playing video games and thinking we were the funniest people on Earth. If we weren’t so apathetic and had any sense, basically if were weren’t teenagers, we would have found some way to document all of the brilliant ideas that we had. Of course we didn’t, so all we’re left with is stories and anecdotes that we’ve managed to piece together in fragments from person to person.

Somewhere along the line, probably in college where I did most of my growing up, I realized that I’m not really that funny. Sure, I may be able to make myself and my friends laugh, but my entire repertoire is lifted. The amount of times I’ve borrowed, parodied, or explicitly plagiarized Woody Allen, Mitch Hedberg, The Simpsons, Will Ferrell, Conan O’Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, SNL, Bill Cosby, Dumb and Dumber, Bill Hicks, David Letterman, etc. is staggering. Like most people, my sense of humour has been cultivated from people that are much funnier than me.

I’ve also realized that becoming a comedy writer isn’t something that even comedy writers aspire to. Most comedy writers aspire to be stand up comedians, actors, or improv artists, but get stuck writing comedy while waiting for their big break. They work hard for little money and little credit, all the while knowing that they have the talent to become successful.

I don’t have that talent. Nor that kind of drive, at least not when it comes to comedy. So my teenage dream of becoming a successful comedy writer, like my childhood dream of becoming the starting goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs, has probably passed me by. It’s not like I’m upset, or even disappointed because it’s not anything I really had a shot at in the first place. Besides, it’s probably for the best, now I can begin coming up with an grown-up dream for my future.

Although the NHL had always been popular to us in Canada, it hadn’t really cracked the lucrative American market the way that the NFL, NBA and MLBA had. But in the 90′s things started to change in the its favour; Wayne Gretzky was traded to Los Angeles and started hanging with movie stars, the New York Rangers won their first Stanley Cup in 54 years, Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar introduced middle America to the phrase ‘Game Ooooooon!’ and Sports Illustrated went as far as championing the league on its front cover.

With hockey fever building among the great unwashed, the NHL had two options:

1. To promote their brand, teams and superstars strongly and foster excitement in the game by ensuring a quality on-ice product.

OR

2. To make a quick buck by putting teams in untested markets and risk ruining any interest in those markets by giving them a mediocre on-ice product.

Anyone who’s ever uttered the words ‘hockey puck’ knows that the NHL, led by former NBA golden boy and new NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, chose the latter. Now, this isn’t meant to read like an anti-Gary Bettman tirade because there are more than enough of those out there. What I’m more interested in is examining the missed opportunities that caused the NHL to fall into sporting oblivion.

Most of these have been well documented; the 1994 lockout, the increase in obstruction (hooking, holding, interference) the relocation of franchises and massive expansion into undeveloped markets. Of these, the one that has always intrigued me is the expansion of the league into markets that weren’t ready to support an NHL franchise. Clearly, we can now look back at the expansion of the 90′s and agree that if it can’t be considered a monumental disaster , it was at least a terrible misjudgment. Arbitrarily plunking teams into America’s sunbelt and expecting them to succeed has to be considered one of the biggest blunders in professional sports management history.

Now, what should have the NHL done? How could they have cashed in on the hockey craze of the 90′s without exploiting themselves and diluting the game beyond the point of recognition? Well, one way would have been to cash in on another craze of the extreme-sport-friendly 90′s, rollerblading. More specifically roller hockey and the RHI (Roller Hockey International).

The RHI was a pro roller hockey league, the only at the time, that was mostly comprised of minor leaguers who were looking to stay in shape and make a few bucks during the NHL, AHL and IHL offseason. It came and went quickly, rolling in on the scene in 1993 and rolling back out in 1999. The RHI had some teams in traditional hockey markets like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Detroit and Minneapolis but what’s more interesting to me is its inclusion of teams in non-traditional markets like Anaheim, Atlanta, Phoenix and Tampa Bay, all of which have NHL teams now. NHL teams that don’t make any money.

The average league attendance during the RHI’s peak (1997 season) was 4,872, pretty decent considering it was a second tier, even third tier professional sport. In fact if you exclude 1999, a season that followed a year off, average attendance never dipped below 3,800.  Perhaps surprisingly the attendance leader in each season was the Anaheim Bullfrogs, a team that was by all accounts the most successful in the league’s history. They won two RHI championships and put together an impressive record in the league’s five year run. Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised that Anaheim was the league’s attendance leader, after all they were wildly successful on the ice (floor?) and southern California was, at the time, ground zero for inline sports.

Although figures are not available online, we can assume that the operating costs for an RHI team were very low compared to that of an NHL team. There were no guaranteed contracts in the RHI, players were paid by splitting prize money that was based on their final standings and playoff performance.

There were some significant rule differences between NHL hockey and RHI hockey that are worth noting. They played 4 on 4, had shorter penalties,  no offsides and used shootouts to resolve ties. The average number of goals scored per game in the RHI was 16.7 compared to the NHL’s 7. During a period when the NHL was struggling to score and fight through the neutral zone trap, the RHI placed an emphasis on playmaking and scoring.

When the RHI ceased operations in 1999, only to try and revive themselves a year later unsuccessfully, the NHL surely saw this as good news. To them, the RHI were stealing a share of the NHL market with a bastardized version of one of the fastest, toughest, most beautiful games in the world. Instead, what should have happened is that the NHL should have recognized the value of the RHI and used it to help grow the game in the untested expansion markets of America’s south.

Had the NHL stepped in to help the RHI, I’m certain that it would have benefited both leagues in the long run. Grassroots participation, it has been said, is the best way to grow a sport in an undeveloped market. But consider the obstacles in place for growing the game of hockey in places like Florida, Texas and California. Firstly, there’s no ice, which is kind of necessary for playing ice hockey. Secondly, it’s expensive. Thirdly, there’s no culture of hockey in these places.

Here’s where I think the NHL missed out on the enormous opportunity that the RHI presented: Had they supported it properly the NHL could have taken the sport of roller hockey and introduced it into these markets and grown the sport from the grassroots up. Surely there would be more kids playing roller hockey, because there’s concrete everywhere and rollerblades are relatively cheap. Eventually, a culture of hockey would be created and a valuable roller hockey market might grow into a valuable hockey market. Instead, the NHL chose the balls-out approach and decided to force upon these markets a sport that they didn’t understand, couldn’t afford and, due to a lack of facilities, couldn’t even play if they wanted. Why not start a pro curling league in the Middle East?

I often bring up my idea of an RHI/NHL partnership with friends or family and invariably someone new to the conversation will say something like ‘Hey, I remember going to that with my Dad. What ever happened to it?’ And that’s really all that’s left of the RHI, anecdotal evidence of another hockey league that failed. But considering that the RHI could have been cheap to operate, that it showcased hockey’s most exciting plays(playmaking and scoring), and most importantly that it could have been used as a tool to grow the sport of hockey in new markets, it makes me wonder how such an oversight was made. Then, of course, I remind myself that this is, after all, the NHL and Gary Bettman; oversights and mistakes are what they do best.

Stats and figures taken from http://rhistats.tripod.com/

So there I sat, feeling sorry for myself. I rarely get to write interesting stuff and each day I’m getting further and further away from becoming a great writer. Woe is me.

The answer to this should have been obvious all along; write more. With blogs there are no rules, so why am I restricting myself to commenting only on the digital world in my own blog? Why can’t I write about hockey, German psyche-rock, Wanderlei Silva, camping etiquette  and anything else I feel like in addition to writing about XHTML and modular documentation? Well the answer is ‘you can, stupid’.

Still, I’ve always been hesitant to publish personal thoughts or opinions on a blog because I’m not the kind of person that needs to have these things validated by a group of readers. It also doesn’t pay me squat.  What I’ve now come to realize is that I can benefit enormously as a writer by using the medium to improve my writing rather than just showcase my writing. So from now on, I will make full effort to do that.

For better or for worse, I’ll be posting to this blog a lot more often than before, whenever the mood should strike me, on any number of topics. Hopefully it will have the desired effect.

Recently I was talking with a colleague about the lack of personality in good web writing. He argued that not enough companies use humour in their web copy. I’m not so sure that I agree with him. Humour is a tricky thing to convey over the web. Different people have different senses of humour and its a narrow tight-rope that a writer has to walk when trying to appeal to the sense of humour of so many different people.

I do however, agree with him that a lot of writing on the web lacks personality. Many companies or products are backed by powerful brands. In a lot of cases, its the branding that sells, not necessarily the product. In these instances, there’s a golden opportunity for these companies to use the voice, style and tone of their brands in their web copy. Most companies now realize that their web sites are a legitimate extension of their brand, but every once in a while I’ll stumble upon a website that is clearly not conviced of this.

A smart company knows their voice and makes sure that it’s used consistently throughout all of their operations. Its an easy thing to do and its come a long way since the early days of the web, but there are still some companies stuck in the Stone Ages.

My longest tenured writing position was with the local social networking site neighbourknowledge.com. My job was to network with small businesses and conduct interviews, which would be published online and in print.

It was a fun job, a job that required me to meet interesting people and find out what makes them tick. I met a number of characters and learned a lot about the city that I live in.

The site launched in Toronto and Vancouver and although we had the support of users, we never found the corporate support to keep it afloat. It’s a shame, because I look back at this project often and think of what could have been.

Here are some of my favourite interviews that I did for neighbourknowledge.com:

Hilary Morris – Artist, owner or Beaver Pond Creative Productions

Blake Hanacek – Enviromentalist, owner of Agro Cafe

Shanda Jerrett – Owner of Gumdrops

Keith Bickford – Owner of The Comic Shop

Andy Cook – Restauranteur, owner of The Davie Village Cafe

Allegra

Generic Name: Fexofenadine (fex oh FEN a deen)
Brand Names: Allegra

What is Allegra?

Allegra is an antihistamine. Antihistamines work against the naturally occurring chemical histamine and prevent sneezing, runny nose, itching and watering of the eyes, and other allergic symptoms.

In addition to the antihistamine in Allegra, it also contains the nasal decongestant pseudoephedrine.

Important Information

· Allegra belongs to the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether this medication will harm an unborn baby. Do not take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant.

· It is also not known whether Allegra passes into breast milk. Do not take without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

· Allegra is not approved for use by children younger than 6 years of age.

Things to Discuss Before Using

Before taking Allegra tell your doctor if you:

· Have heart disease.

· Have liver disease.

· Have kidney disease.

You may not be able to take this medication, or you may require a special dosage or monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listed above.

Dosage Method

Use Allegra exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not understand these directions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain them to you.

It is also necessary to follow these dosage directions:

· Take each dose of Allegra with a full glass of water.

· Usually taken twice a day, in the morning and the evening. Follow your doctor’s instructions.

· Do not take an antacid that contains aluminum or magnesium such as Rolaids, Maalox, Mylanta, Milk of Magnesia, Pepcid Complete, and others. These antacids may decrease the effects of this medication.

· Never take more of Allegra than is directed by your doctor. If your symptoms are not being adequately treated, talk to your doctor.

· Allegra should be stored at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

Missed a Dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take only the next regularly scheduled dose. Do not take a double dose of Allegra.

Overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention if an overdose is suspected. Symptoms of an overdose are not well known.

Things to Avoid During Treatment

Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are taking an antacid that contains aluminum or magnesium such as Rolaids, Maalox, Mylanta, Milk of Magnesia, Pepcid Complete, and others.

You may not be able to take this medication, or you may require a special dosage or monitoring during treatment if you are taking any of the medicines listed above. Drugs other than those listed here may also interact or affect your condition. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines.

Side Effects

If you experience an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives) stop taking this medication and contact your doctor immediately or seek emergency medical treatment.

Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take this medication and talk to your doctor if you experience:

· Nausea or an upset stomach.

· Drowsiness or sleepiness.

Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effects that seem unusual.