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Random questions at the end of a long week

By: Dan Lett

Posted: 07/25/2008 3:49 PM | Comments: 0

After a mind-bending, laborious week of Taman inquiry, a few random questions were allowed to creep into my addled mind.1/Should we come up with some sort of unspoken signal to tell people we are not in fact crazy, paranoid schizophrenic meth addicts, we are actually using a Bluetooth device to talk on the phone? Sitting at a downtown coffee shop, I have seen what I thought were two crazy people who were actually carrying on wireless conversations. I'm a mobile phone junkie, but that experience alone will keep me from getting an earpiece. At least until we come up with a hand signal, a purple ribbon to tie on our belts or a little yellow flag we could attach to the earpiece. I'm just saying.2/Shouldn't the CBC remove the charming pre-movie segment now in rotation in Cineplex Odeon theatres featuring Barenaked Ladies front man Stephen Page making two kinds of home-made flavoured popcorn? Last weekend, I went to see The Dark Knight and was stunned to see a small pre-screening promo for the Steven and Chris show featuring everyone's favourite new cocaine spokesman, Steven Page. As soon as the affable Mr. Page showed up on the screen, there were howls in the audience. He went on to make both “sweet” and ”savoury" home-made flavoured popcorn. He took special pride in showing off his dishes of powdered spices. Seriously.3/Why is it that on nights when the Blue Jays and Bombers both win, and Mike Weir is leading the Canadian Open, I can go to bed with the feeling that I ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING that day? Even worse, with the knowledge that the Jays are playing tonight, and the Canadian Open continues, I run the very real risk of going to be tonight feeling like a complete failure.4/Why, after promising myself that I would never judge Republican Presidential candidate John McCain solely on the basis of his advanced age (72 later this year) would I find myself returning repeatedly to THIS website and promoting it on my own blog? I nearly peed my pants when I read about Alaska and Hawaii. I won't reveal more, but you should also know that the fellow responsible for my weak bladder is publishing a book as well.Good night and have a good weekend.-30-

Dan Lett, Winnipeg Free Press

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About Dan Lett

Dan Lett came to Winnipeg in 1986, less than a year out of journalism school.

Despite the fact that he’s originally from Toronto and has a fatal attraction to the Maple Leafs, Winnipeggers let him stay.

In the following years, he has worked at bureaus covering every level of government – from city hall to the national bureau in Ottawa.

He has had bricks thrown at him in riots following the 1995 Quebec referendum, wrote stories that helped in part to free three wrongly convicted men, met Fidel Castro, interviewed three Philippine presidents, crossed several borders in Africa illegally, chased Somali pirates in a Canadian warship and had several guns pointed at him.

In other words, he’s had every experience a journalist could even hope for. He has also been fortunate enough to be a two-time nominee for a National Newspaper Award, winning in 2003 for investigations.

Other awards include the B’Nai Brith National Human Rights Media Award and nominee for the Michener Award for Meritorious Public Service in Journalism.

Now firmly rooted in Winnipeg, Dan visits Toronto often but no longer pines to live there.

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