Evan Baran, the man who blogged.

I guess it really depends on what you consider excitement, it varies on many different levels for many different people.

 But if you have nothing going on this weekend, well let me fill in on what’s going on. I’m always here for you aren’t I!!!!!

It’s night number 2 of The Man Show going on at the Credit Union Event Plex. If you’re man, or wish you were one and happened to be born a female, there is something for you. Ladies, I’m sure you will enjoy it too!!! Cars, Trucks, Riders, Tv’s and all things guys like. Plus a plethora of goodies to be won including A 2008 Outlook form Saturn of Regina, A Vegas getaway and your chance to meet the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. SHWING!!!! It goes tonight (Friday) from 4-10 and doors open again Saturday at 1 and it goes until 9.

Finally, Regina has an industry night again, this time it goes each and every Sunday night at the Distrikt Nightclub hosted by yours truly, we’re calling it The Sunday Night Staff Party!!!! Think Barts on Broad meets Checkers, two bars this city misses a lot!!!  But we’re making up for it by having a kick ass time each and every Sunday night. Live Music, cheap drinks, prizes, and best of all CHICKEN BONGS!!!! Don’t know what one is??? Then I guess I will see you Sunday night when you find out what one is!!

 ETB

I can’t believe people are complaining that the Habs lost out of the playoffs. I mean I guess they were tops in the east, but they are a bunch of Nancy boys. They got man handled to say the very least. Any time they got the puck and saw one of the Flyers come near them, it was as if they were a female that was trying to avoid doing any sort of work that involves her hand after she just got a manicure. Or maybe in fact before each game, the Habs went for a team Manicure and they were scared one of the big mean Flayers were going to ruin the fresh paint. Or maybe I’m writing so many mean things and carving the Habs so hard because like many other people, I picked them to win and they got embarrassed.

At least I picked Pittsburgh to win. I didn’t think it would only take them 5 games to win their series with the Rangers though. I figured at least 6, but I was right in the end either way. Remember I’m not picking how many games in my predictions.

 Detroit sweeping Colorado??? Never would have thunk it. If you actually take the time to read my last blog, I picked Colorado for the reasons Detroit won the series. That and the Av’s had a lot of injuries and were totally out played.

At least I got the Dallas pick right. What a way to end the series too. In to the 4th overtime before the game was decided. Makes you feel for the players having to play that much, to an extent, I mean they are getting paid millions. I felt really bad for the fans. 4 overtimes, no booze, and one can only assume that you couldn’t even pick up a foot long and a bottle of water. Poor poor fans. Oh, and the Sharks stunk up that series. Looked like they didn’t even want to be playing hockey for most of the series.

So with my picks, I’m sitting at 8 and 4 in the 2008 playoffs.

So here’s who I’m picking to be in the Cup Finals. Detroit will come out on top in the West, and Pittsburgh in the east.

ETB

I came across what I thought were some interesting questions. Kind of funny and make you think. give me some answers and i’ll give you a high five even though I think it’s a low form of human contact.

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?

Why do pedestrians push the button more than once when wanting the lights to change?

Why doesn’t glue stick to the bottle?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Whose idea was it to put an ‘S’ in the word ‘lisp’?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

I mean come on, all you had to do was make some picks and if you had the most correct picks come the end of playoffs you would have won yourself a nice little jar of Gherkins. Mini pickles are like dip, they make everyone happy.

Well the first round of the 2008 NHL playoffs wrapped up last night and I went 6-2. I really think Washington should have beat Philly, was a pretty cheap goal for the Flyers to win, but a goal is a goal. As for my other wrong pick, something told me to go with the Stars but instead I went with the defending cup champions.

Now it’s time for my second round picks. And yes the Gherkins are still up for grabs, if no one makes any picks then I will keep the jar for myself.

Like last time, I will pick the teams in the west.

Red Wings are old, but then again so are the AV’s, but the Av’s have more heart and I think are the better team, and the biggest factor in this series will be goal-tending. Both of the Red Wings goalies were around when Chelios invented the Wheel, Jose Theodore played pretty exceptional against the Wild. If he keeps it up, it will be all AV’s in what will most likely end up being a heated Series.

San Jose should have beat Calgary in5, at most 6 games. Like the other series in the west in will come down to heart and that’s why I like Dallas in this series. If San Jose plays like they did in Game 7 against the Flames, I could see this one going to 7 again but in the end Dallas will be the winner in this series.

As for the west, well who would have thought Boston would have made a 7 game series happen against the Habs. The Habs were the winners of game 7, by a long shot and the way they played in that game makes me think they are going to have a fairly easy time with the Flyers. Montreal will be the first team to wrap up a series in the Conference semi-finals.

I can’t wait for the Pittsburgh and New York series. Both teams are really on their game right now and it will come down to their star players and goal-tending. One other thing to watch for will be the way Ruutu and Laraque go after Avery. If you see Laraque on the ice when Avery is out there, you can almost guarantee a fight or at least Avery to intimidated to play the game he is use to playing. This series will get really heated, lots of penalties and great hockey. I’m not sure I can pick a definite winner, but since I’m cheering for the Penguins, that’s who I’m going with.

ETB

I have an extreme addiction to coffee. I need one everyday, whether that means I make a pot or I go pick one up, I just plain old need one.

Like most of you, I roll up the rim quite often, but unlike most of you, I keep track of my odds. I am 2 for 31 this year. Break that down, kind of like they taught you in school with fractions, that means 1 for 15. The cups say 1 in 9. So with that being said, I am more than one free something or other off the pace. I should have at least 3 wins now and one coming up within my next 5 purchases.

To be honest I have never known anyone to win more than some sort of food or beverage. I bet all the big winnings happen in the east, or at a store in Florida opened by some old person who has migrated there from Canada. Either way, like the name of blog says, I’m not happy. So it has me thinking the odds are some kind of conspiracy and are actually 1 in 15, or more and I’m actually fairing quite well. Or there is someone out there sitting with odds that are 1 in 6. If that’s you, we were friends before, but we just had our falling out!

ETB 

Kind of like the song, yes but my version would have Slayer singing it!

NHL playoffs are here!!! Even though I have a long wait to watch my Oilers play next season, I’m all about my second favorite team, The Pittsburgh Penguins!!

So here we go, time make your picks! I will make mine, you can tell me if I’m right or wrong and make your own picks at the same time. Who ever has the most right when the Stanley Cup is awarded will win… A delicious jar of Gherkins!!

All you have to do is pick a team, no need to say how many games you think they will win in because if you’re wrong, it won’t count as a correct answer. Example: you pick Montreal in 5 Games and they win in 6, sure you picked the right team, but you made the bold statement of saying 5 games, so technically you’re wrong.

So with that being said, here go. We will start with the West.

 I don’t think Nashville will be a cake walk for the Red Wings, but in the end I reckon the Red Wings will move on to the second round.

If you watched any of the games between San Jose and Calgary this season, or even if you saw highlights from the games, there were a lot of fights. So it will be an exciting series all around. If there is an upset in the first round I can see it being in this series, but I’m still going with San Jose.

Pretty tough one to pick with The Av’s and Wild. But I’m a Smyth and Sakic fan so I’m going with Colorado for that reason alone.

The Ducks and Stars will be a great series I think. Both have a really strong line up, but I think last years defending Stanley Cup Champions will come out on top.

Time for the East!

Good to see Boston make the playoffs, but Montreal is too tough of a team for the I think. They won the season series 8-0, and I think that is going to weigh pretty heavily on the minds of all the Bruins. Montreal hands down.

Too much going on with Ottawa, injuries, and their lack of goal-tending is really going to damper their chances of another Stanley Cup run. And if you read who my second favorite team is earlier in this blog you would know I’d be picking the Penguins.

I can’t wait to see Washington in the playoffs. This is easily the most exciting team to watch in the NHL right now. The moves the made at trade deadline will take them past the first round for sure. With that, Philadelphia isn’t going to make it easy for them though.

The one round I really have no idea about, The Rangers and Devils. I have no idea who to pick here. So with that I tossed a coin, Heads is The Rangers, Tails is The Devils…and it landed Heads. So Rangers it is I guess.

ETB

For most anyways, especially those though of Generation X and after. I know a few people that really dislike both of the guys that I’m about to talk about and the bands they fronted because with their rise to the top and the new era of music, they brought to the attention of the world, came the end of hair metal. Hey another reason to to celebrate Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley!!!!

Today marks the 14th anniversary of the tragic suicide of Kurt Cobain in his Seattle home. Yesterday his mother had filed a missing person’s report with The Seattle Police Service. Obviously we all know they didn’t find him because we all know of his tragic ending.

It wasn’t until April 8th that his body was found in the room above his garage by electrician Gary Smith who was there to install a security system . At first  Smith though he was sleeping until he got a closer look and found the suicide note. Not that anything could have been done to save him, but instead of calling the police or ambulance, Smith decided to call a Seattle radio station and say “You are going to owe me front row tickets to Pink Floyd for this.”

Cobain was 27 and joined that “stupid club” of other musicians that had died of suicide or drugs at the same age.

There are countless books out on Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, some saying it was suicide, some saying it was murder because there was too much Heroin in his body for him to pull the trigger on the gun. Many people still to this day believe Courtney Love hired someone to kill him. We’ll never know exactly what happened, but some things are better left unknown.

It’s one of those things you will remember where you were when you heard the news I’m sure. I was only 12 at the time, and didn’t really know a lot about music then. I knew I liked everything grunge, but I still remember when my brother called to tell me about it. I though it was the end of the world.

Let’s jump 8 years ahead to 2002. Layne Staley had all but basically disappeared from the public eye and had his career side lined because of his heroin addiction. Now they don’t know for sure because his body wasn’t found for 2 weeks, but the coroners office, which by coincidence was the same coroners office that estimated Cobain’s death, estimated Staley’s death as today.

911 had an anonymous call from a femals saying she hadn’t heard from Staley in a couple of weeks. His body was found on the couch of his condo after his parents went there to look for him with police. As suspected, there was drugs laid out all over, and eventually the cause of death was a lethal injection of cocaine and heroin, or what’s known as a speedball. I’ve read also another reason why his body was found was because he had a $10,000 a day heroin addiction, and after his accountant/manager saw that there had been no activity with his bank account, got suspicious and called the police. It’s a sad story either way, Staley, like Cobain went far before his time, he was 34.

Most bands now a days give credit to both Nirvana and AIC as being very influential, and rightfully so, being two of the most dominant bands of the 90’s and still today. Every so often there is a band that will change music and the direction it is going. The last band to do so was Nirvana. Even though they were not the pioneers of grunge music, they were the band that broke through to the mainstream and introduced the genre to the world. They made plaid shirts, ripped jeans and Doc Martins a trend. Once Nirvana broke the mold, AIC, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, just to name a few and the most popular, soon followed.

I don’t know if we will ever see another one of these bands that will influence an entire generation like Nirvana, AIC and the rest of the big grunge bands did. I guess it depends on your musical flavour, some would say Eminem, Justin Timberlake, and Kanye West are the new artists to do so. To an extent I can agree with that, but when it comes down to it, they are far from influential in my life. So all we (I) can do is sit back and wait for the next band to come along and start a new musical revolution that will be remembered for saving the direction in which Rock N’ Roll is headed.

 “It’s better to burn out than fade away.”

ETB

For all the Evan Thomas Baran faithful’s, you 2 should be happy to know that I’m back. Yes I missed you as well.

Before I get in to what I was up to, I just realized that is the first time in my life I have taken an entire week off. Normally I take a friday to sunday off sort of thing. I also just realized how sad that is. I never go anywhere, well anywhere warm or another country of some sort.

So here’s what happened. Against Me last wednesday, great show. Thursday, Foo Fighters in Saskatoon. Top 4 Best shows ever for myself. The only ones I would say that would be in the top 4 as well would be David Bowie, Pearl Jam and System of a Down. If I remember, tomorrow I will post some pictures and a video of the show. Now are you ready for my big trip!!!! Oh boy this is going to be exciting!!! I went to….are you sure you can handle this… I went to Cold Lake, Alberta!!!! I didn’t just randomly pick a place to go, but rather suggested to my girlfriend that we go visit her brother and his family there. I know, I’m a great boyfriend!! One thing I learned while I was there, or I guess, something that was solidified for myself. I’m not a big fan of cat’s. I, like most people I know, am a dog person. The cat that I encountered on my trip was, and can only assume is, possesed and has forever changed my life.

When we got there, it was a nice little kitty. Liked both my GF and I, or so we thought!!! First sign, we grabbed a toy it was playing with to play with it too. Well that was the first mistake. That’s when it decieded it hated our lives. It started chasing GF around. Her name is Joc, not Jock, Joc. Not only chasing but making weird noises like it’s head was about to start spinning while spweing green ooze from it’s mouth. Bizarre kitty, or shall we say SATAN. So Joc’s brother went to bed, which is the only person the cat likes, and once that happened, it was a whole new cat. Hissing and biting and just not being a nice kitty that would be sleeping with mommy tonight. Sorry for the bad South Park Reference.

We went to bed and started watching Ratatoullie, I had to get up 45 minutes in to it to make a pee. I opened the door only to find who but SATAN in cat form sitting there looking at me. I was a little weirded out. I went pee, and the cat was still there. I got up in the morning and yes the cat was still there.

It’s wrong of me to say don’t ever get a cat because I have met many nice kitties before. But I know it’s one thing I will never get in my life. This cat has made it quite clear to me why I am a dog person. What an amazing holiday hey, Trapper blogs about his trip to Jamaica, I blog about why I will  never get a cat in my life because of the holiday I took. (Insert Higher Power you believe in here) I’m Lame!!

 ETB

I’m out of here for over a week, taking some holidays, checking out some live music and visiting some old friends.

Sorry you are going to have to do without the Evan Thomas Baran Radio Program for that long, but do not fret my pet there is good news. It will be back in full force come April 2.

I’d like to remind you of a few things before I go.

The Wolfs presentation of Against! Me is Wednesday night at the Conexus Arts Centre Convention Hall, get your tickets at all CBO’s or here or even here

Foo Fighters is Thursday night, tickets are here. I will tell Dave you say hi and that you enjoy his music very much.

The Wolf is bringing Iron Maiden to town June 8, tickets go on sale Friday Morning at 10am and you can them here. Or at least I think there.

And finally, wrap it up kids!!

 ETB

Before I rant on here, I want you to click here and read the article in today’s Letter section of the Leader Post.

What this all comes down to ignorance. Perhaps a form of discrimination?? I don’t know. Either way this guy is a douche bag

Does he ask to be seated in a section that has someone without “hardware” in their face serving said section? What happens when he walks in to the restaurant and the hostess has her nose pierced, does he turn around and walk out. I wonder how many times he has complained to management about having employees with some sort of facial piercing? Wow, so many questions.

What happens when this fellow needs medical attention and he see’s the nurse that is about to give him his meds or change his catheter bag has her tongue and nose pierced. Will he refuse to take his meds and rather wallow in his own feces?

It is the 21st century and people need to have an open mind, then again we are in Saskatchewan where change is feared and ignorance is bliss.

I’m sticking up for all the beautiful pierced and tattooed freaks out there, myself included. I can’t wait for the coming days too see how people react to this. I think the best way it can be described is HATE.

ETB