Volunteer sandbaggers are needed these days. That much you know. Besides the obvious need and reasons to sandbag, I will offer you more incentive to get out there. Things that are for your benefit, while your good deed benefits someone else.
Reasons, if you are looking them, to sandbag:
1) Great food. Seriously. When homeowners or residents of a building see people volunteering their time and energy to do them a favour... they instinctively react with food. Over the past 72 hours I've eaten great chili, a dozen different brilliant cookies, hot dogs from the Salvation Army truck, and much more. I don't expect anything in return for time, nor do most people. But it's there, it's awesome, and it's ample.
2) People. You won't find any complainers or bad attitudes while sandbagging. What you will find are kids as young 10, a man in his 70's who has been ...
I must be missing something here. Going sandbagging has never been this confusing. I sandbag every year. As much as I possibly can. Whenever I have a break in my schedule around this time, I throw on the rubber boots and get to work. I've always found it painfully easy to know where to go and what to do. This year is different. Very different. Never in my life have I registered to go sandbag, as I am now apparently required to do. You just find out where to go the moment you know you've got some free time, and off you go. Before you do of course, you spread the word to as many people as you can using whatever means at your disposal. Seriously easy. At the same time, never have I been getting so many e-mails from people who have been waiting for help to arrive but ...
You name it, it's being remade. Whatever your favourite movie was growing up is about to get a fresh new cast and an updated script, and will once again grace the big and or small screen. Footloose, Teen Wolf, and Red Dawn? All being remade. Top Gun, Porky's and Teen Witch? All in the works. Police Academy, Weird Science, and on and on it goes. The 80's are the new Hollywood. Your favourites of all-time are not sacred, and their remake is now inevitable. For the record... here are ten 80's films that should not be touched.
1) Sixteen Candles. This 1984 John Hughes classic is just that: A classic. It's perfect. Please don't touch it. I still love Samantha Baker in a way Jake Ryan never could. Plus, you are not going to coax a better performance out of anyone better than the one Gedde Watanabe turned in as Long Duk...
Maria Aragon, 10 years of age, has now performed a duet with the biggest pop star in the world in Lady Gaga, and now the Prime Minister of Canada. In the same year. I don't know you, but I can say with certainty that you have not done that. Regardless of your musical tastes or political views, it's a pretty big deal. Harper is the Prime Minister; fact, and Lady Gaga's Born This Way is the biggest song on the planet; also fact. Let's say you had performed a duet with both the biggest pop star in the world AND the Prime Minister in the same year when you were 10. This is how that would have gone...
If you were 10 in 1968, you would have performed a duet with Pierre Trudeau, and likely would have done "Hey Jude" with the Beatles. You'd still be telling that story.
If you were ...
It was today in 2001 that the artist/mogul known at the time as Puffy or Puff Daddy declared in an interview that he would now be referred to as P. Diddy. Over the weekend I read that Lindsay Lohan has decided to drop the "Lohan" and is now officially just Lindsay. As in, Cher, Madonna, Prince... and Lindsay. Whatever you think of the former Lindsay Lohan, it will probably work. When you hear the name Lindsay, she's probably the first person that pops into your head. So who in Manitoba, if anyone, could get by with just a first name. Let's examine...
Sam. It could work.
Gary. Wouldn't work. Two former premiers with the first name Gary means that Mr. Filmon and Mr. Doer would cancel each other out, especially since they both still make the news. Plus, Gary Bachman from Century 21 Real Estate has more signs up than ...