And the winner is....

It's finally come to pass. I've gotten a NEW car. I emphasize the NEW part of things because the car is actually NEW.

I decided on a 2010 VW Golf Hatchback. I got the 5 door model, 4 passenger doors and 1 cargo, with the regular gas engine. I had spent about 6 months doing a bit of research on what vehicles would make the list of those I was to take for a test drive. After giving some thought to what type of vehicle would suit my purposes I determined that a small, fuel efficient car would be the best choice for me. I soon realized that in order to get a car in that category I would have to forgo the traditional Big 3. I was okay with that. Those auto makers simply don't offer a vehicle in that class worth my consideration; save the Ford Fiesta which at the time of my research and purchasing timeline was not yet available on North American shores.

I narrowed my choices to the following vehicles: the Honda Fit and Civic; the Mazda 3; and the VW Golf and Jetta. The Mazda didn't hold up for me once I sat in the car and I took note of how uncomfortable the drivers area was, I felt as though I was wrapped very tightly in a blanket. The Civic was a very comfortable ride and had a well designed interior yet it lacked the creature comforts in the lower end trim lines. Thinking that if I'm gonna spend the money to get those features I may as well check in at VW. I wasn't yet done with Honda however, the Fit still remained. The Fit is an amazingly well designed car. It's interior is spacious and at no time did I feel that I was driving a car that's as small as it really is. There's a great deal of thought put into the Fit and I felt that I was driving the car I would purchase. Then I took it on the highway. The car has almost no acceleration. I must admit that I felt genuinely nervous about merging in the car, fearing that I would be run over at any moment. So long Fit.

This all brought me to VW. I've loved VW's since well before I could drive and I don't know why. There was just something about the brand that spoke to me. So I drove a couple. The ride on both the Jetta and the Golf was supple and smooth. I felt that the car was begging to be driven. The interiors offer no wasted space and I felt as though I was in a luxury car. Bringing me to the price. The VW's are more expensive to purchase, there's no way around that point. However, to get all the features that the baseline VW has in a Honda, you'd have to get into the top of the line Civic or Accord. Once you do that your spending the same money, so then why do that if I enjoyed driving the VW's more?

Ultimately while I thoroughly enjoyed driving all the vehicles I did test drive, the VW won out if for no other reason then that I loved driving it. I felt at one with the car right from the get go. I chose the Golf over the Jetta because it's a cheaper vehicle to purchase and a cheaper vehicle for me to insure.

I've had it for a week and it has more bells and whistles then I can count and it's fuel economy is not too shabby. No, not as good as the Fit and not as good as the diesel version of the same car, but to purchase the diesel would've cost me more and I wouldn't have gotten the benefits out of it; I simply don't drive enough.

I'm by no means a car expert, I just know what I like and what my experiences were. I whole-heatedly recommend at least checking out VW if you're in the market for a car.

PS. My father has never owned a vehicle from a foreign automaker and I think after being in my car a few times he's beginning to regret that decision.

He's not the "Great One" yet.

Sidney Crosby is not yet able to be called Canada's next great hockey player.

Wow, did that feel good. I suppose I could just stop talking there and I'd feel better, but I think I'll site some evidence first.

I'll start by focusing on the now complete Olympics. Crosby was not the leading goal scoring for team Canada. Seriously, check the site, all the individual team stats are on http://www.vancouver2010.com/. It seems to show that Jarome Iginla was the leading goal getter. Beyond that, despite the call by the TV play-by-play announcer during the shootout victory against Switzerland, "with the game on the line, who else could it be?" I don't know how about any of the other amazing goal scorers? Like Jonathan Toews, last I checked he put in 3 goals in a Canadian World Jr. shootout victory.

Crosby, is a great player, and while I admit that part of my distaste for him comes from the fact that he's on the Pittsburgh Penguins, that doesn't change the fact that he hasn't yet earned every accolade that is being bestowed upon him. There were 2 players on team Canada that were younger than him and every bit as impactful, Jonathan Toews and Drew Doughty. Toews had the most assists on the team with 7, the most points with 8 and the best +/- with a +9. Doughty was tied for the best +/- among defensemen with a +6 and proved amazingly effective when stopping Ovechkin. Crosby had the most ice time amongst the forwards and he had the most shots on net and his +/- was a +2. Perhaps the offensive minded Crosby could've learned something from the gritty and durable Iginla who finished +5 with the same 7 points.

I acknowledge that Crosby is the youngest player to captain a NHL team to a Stanley Cup victory, but unlike a tremendous predecessor in Steve Yzerman, he was almost instantly surrounded by great players to aid in elevating the young phenom to super-human status. Yzerman didn't get much help until much later in his career; not his fault I may add, he just didn't have an owner like Mario Lemieux to invest that much money into the team.

Sidney Crosby seems to play a fairly reserved, opportunistic style. His chief rival, Alexander Ovechkin, plays an aggressive, passionate style; and to that point, Ovechkin beat out Crosby for the Rookie of the Year. Crosby doesn't seem to be able to take a hard hit, let alone dish one out. Ovechking flattened Jaromir Jagr in a way that left the long-time hockey star shaking his head. Now that was good watchin'.

I know that I may be nit-picking. But the sense I get from watching Crosby play is one of entitlement. He seems to expect that the seas will part so that he can be the hero while more proven players know better.

Oh, and as a final parting blow: that penalty shot against Germany should've been taken by Rick Nash. He's every bit as talented a goal scorer and he does it with a lot less help in Columbus then Crosby does in Pittsburgh.

One IS the loneliest number.

I'm truly beginning to hate weekends.

Until very recently I was unemployed, it made all the days blend together, and it made no difference whether it was Monday or Saturday. I've now had a full-time job for 2 weeks and I'm officially part of those who's "working for the weekend." (Let the song references flow!) I'm pretty happy at my job, it keeps me very busy while I'm there and I have a whole new group of people with whom to interact. The problem comes in that once the weekend shows up I'm in the exact same place I was before.

Living where I do has dramatically reduced my social circle. All but 2 of my really good friends live a minimum of 4 hours away. And now that I'm single I don't even have a girlfriend that I can lavish untold amounts of attention on.

I'm beginning to remember why I hate being single.

I'm not going to rush out and date the first person I meet that seems willing, but this situation is grating on my nerves. I miss all the great things about being in a relationship, and I've grown quite tired of having no one to share my time with. I have, what I feel to be, great ideas on how to spend my now free weekends, and I even have some money coming in that I could spend on said weekends. But I'm not in a position where I want to take off for a weekend retreat by myself. Go figure.

At the risk of sounding childish: This sucks... hardcore.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I'm in a position where I can make a big change in my life. It's both a exciting and frightening prospect.

I'm contemplating going back to school. Given this economic climate I'm having a very difficult time finding work, and going back to school may allow me to gain a marketable skill. It's a good option except for the debt that I will have to incur in order to go about this. Then of course, if I decide to go to school where do I go? My friends are somewhat split on that, so their input is difficult to interpret.

I suppose that ultimately whichever school I decide upon would be a successful venture, there are just so many choices. Do I stay local? Move within the province? Move out of province? Move out of country?

I've never really left this area for more then a week long vacation, so perhaps its time to make that kind of move, it is only a year anyway. But the debt that I would incur would be much greater.

Welcome to the circular thought paradox I get into... keep your hands and arms inside at all times and enjoy the ride.

The victory of safety over ecology.

I live in a very well established neighbourhood of a beautiful small town. In my area there are several dozen large old trees, two of which were in my backyard; note the past tense. It was decided at the beginning of this past winter to remove the trees because they were becoming dangerous. It's unfortunately true.

One evening, I returned home to find that there was a very large branch laying on the ground. It had fallen out of the tree and thankfully missed the neighbours shed. Seeing the rotten end on the fallen branch made the point all too clear, the two 70 foot tall Silver Maples would have to be removed. They were taken down with the greatest of ease. 50 some-odd years of growth erased in only 3 days.

RIP to two beautiful trees. I hope the world won't frown too heavily on our household.

Christmas... really?

'Tis the season. Or so we are being told by everything that currently surrounds us.

I'm one of those people who doesn't think about the Christmas season until the calender rolls over to December. The whole of media and the retailers that package and distribute our media seem to begin the holiday season earlier and earlier. My first sighting of this was at the local dollar-store. Halloween had not yet showed its face and I was starting to see images of the "jolly old elf" all around me. I'd like to say how much this surprised me but it really didn't; the thought that crossed my mind could be more likened to disgust.

It has now been close to a month since the first signs of the impending season came into my view. All I can say to the forthcoming season is that I'm looking forward to January. I'll be glad to see friends and family for the annual visit, but the holiday itself, it can hurry itself along.

So Santa if your listening, I'll gladly welcome you to my home on your regularly scheduled time, but forgive my curt nature as I then rush you out the door.

Shame on CBC

It's too bad that CBC doesn't see the ramifications of its inaction.

Recently the contract that CBC's Hockey Night in Canada had with the composer of its iconic theme song had run out. We as Canadian hockey fans have associated that song with Hockey, and in turn the CBC, for 40 years. The song has been known in Canada as the unofficial 2nd national anthem. It's as important here as the theme to Monday Night Football is in the U.S., probably more so. I can remember hearing that song and I'd know that I was going to be in for a great Saturday night.

After CBC negotiated with the song's composer, Dolores Claman, no agreement could be reached. The song however will not be sitting on the shelf collecting dust, CTV, the owner of TSN, the Canadian ESPN, swooped into the mix and bought the rights to the song "in perpetuity". This means that TSN's hockey broadcasts will now be lead into by the famous song. In my opinion, this is a great move for TSN, they've now put themselves in a position where they have the premiere broadcast rights to almost all the major sports, including the NHL, NFL and NBA, as well as the heart of the nation. And what does CBC have? Well, they still have Hockey Night in Canada, but will it be the same?

The CBC is going to be banking on the fact that the H.N.I.C. brand will be enough to keep viewers and sponsers linked to their network for the upcoming NHL seasons. And in an attempt to keep brand loyalty, the CBC is having a contest where people can create the new H.N.I.C. theme song. A good idea in theory, but it makes me wonder how many songs will be submitted that have that same rythm and cadance as the original.

I believe that many people will be making moves toward TSN for their tv hockey viewing. The song is seen as a symbol for all hockey in Canada and CBC just lost the right to have it. It's easy enough to say that they should have payed any price to keep the song on their network, but their tax-payer funded budget is nowhere near the private budget of CTV, if the negotiating came down to money than CBC never had a chance. That being said, they still should've done more. Generations of people have watched the CBC for their hockey coverage, and from now on that broadcast has lost something special, and I don't think that Don Cherry and Ron MacLean will be able to hold it together on their own.