The Brown Knowser

It's just today and tomorrow, and then you can kiss my moustache goodbye. And then I can kiss my family again. It's not too late to donate to Movember . At last count, I was in fourth place in my team's standings: I'd like to be in the top three. Think you can help? I know I can count on you! Together, let's change the face of men's health. And remember: I'm giving away a PDF copy of my book, Songsaengnim: A Korea Diary , to three of my sponsors (I'd love to include my anonymous sponsors, but I don't know how to reach you!). Thanks to all who have helped out so far. Let's not lose the momentum!

A few years ago, Coca-Cola introduced a vanilla-flavoured Coke, and it was delicious. And when I drank it, I was reminded of rum. Drinking this soda was like drinking a Rum & Coke, without the alcohol. I was really disappointed when they discontinued it in Canada. Whether Coca-Cola knew that this soft drink had hints of a hard drink, I may never know. But it was brilliant, whether intended or not. I love the flavour of rum. Which brings me to this week's beer review. Innis & Gunn Rum Cask Oak Aged Beer Edinburgh, Scotland LCBO : $3.30/330mL 7.4% alc/vol I have tried the traditional Innis & Gunn ale, which is aged in whisky barrels, offers delicious toffee and herb flavours. The Rum Cask version is equally delicious, but offers different flavours. The colour is distinct from the original ale: the Rum Cask version shows a burnt reddish-caramel colour. On the nose, I first thought that the bottle was off. The aroma was strong and a little skunky....

This is an actual conversation that Lori and I had on Friday. It all made sense to me today. Lori: Is it Superbowl Sunday this weekend? Me: No, I don't think so. I think that's in January, sometime after New Year's. Lori, remarking at the colossal tower of potato chips and cola, prominently displayed at the entrance to our local Loblaws: There's some football game going on this weekend. Look at that display. Me, noticing the football theme in the support columns of the tower: Well, it's the American Thanksgiving weekend. You know how the Yanks love their football. We seem to be following them in their holidays. We got sucked into their stupid Black Friday. I bet there are college games going on. Lori: Yeah, maybe. Me: Aren't you glad you married a guy who doesn't spend his whole weekend watching sports, having his buddies over, screaming at the TV, filling our mouths with junk food and swilling cheap beer? Lori: Yeah, I suppose. I swear, I di...

Late last Friday, up in the starry sky, I gazed up and witnessed a phenomenon that happens maybe only once in a thousand lifetimes. Out amongst the neighbouring stars, a spacial rift opened, tore a hole in the fabric of the cosmos. And from it emerged an alien world, like a child exiting the womb. A new planet, a new world, was born. Or maybe, just maybe, I shot a photo through a paper towel roll with my iPhone and applied some special effects. We may never know.

There's only one week left in Movember, and my 'stache is pretty much complete. All that's left is for it to thicken up. But it won't go that long. No, come December 1 st , I'm shaving this puppy off. Because it looks cheesy, it's itchy, and my girls don't like it. Not one of them. In fact, they are reluctant to get kisses. They certainly won't take a kiss without complaining, saying that I'm scratching them like a Brillo pad. And so I've gone to great sacrifices in growing my mo'. It's also been a while since I've received a donation, and so I'm making another plea. And, to sweeten the deal, I'm going to try and make it worth your while. Everyone who makes a donation to my Movember page will be entered in a draw for a PDF copy of my book, Songsaengnim: A Korea Diary . On December 1 st , with a clean-shaven face, I will randomly pick three of you. It'll be my way of saying thanks for changing the face of men...

If they offered CPR courses like this in my neighbourhood, I'd sign up. Again, and again, and again. Super Sexy CPR from Super Sexy CPR on Vimeo . I also think it's important to learn how to save someone from choking: Super Sexy Abdominal Thrust from Super Sexy CPR on Vimeo . Why don't we have ads like this in Canada? Just thought I'd share. You're welcome.

I wrote parts of Songsaengnim: A Korea Diary while I was in a pub or at home, enjoying a few drinks. I know that some of you who have read my novel will think, yeah, I can see that. It all makes sense now. That explains a lot . Well, screw you! Today, I'm going to give you a review of a beer that I was actually drinking—am actually drinking—while writing this post. And, halfway through this beer, I'm feeling it. * Mill St. Brewery Barley Wine Extra Strong Beer 500 mL; 11.5% alc/vol Available at LCBO : $11.95  This Toronto-based brewery is one of my favourites. I almost always keep some of their Tankhouse Ale in my refrigerator, I've sampled almost every beer they've put out, and I can't wait for them to open their brew pub in Ottawa, sometime in the new year. So when I saw this limited-edition ale in my local LCBO, I had to try it. I'll admit it: the 11.5% alcohol content made me a bit nervous (the LCBO Web site claims it...

Really, I haven't abandoned my D-SLR. But my smart phone camera is so much better than the one-megapixel camera in my old phone. Using Camera+ , I've been able to apply layer upon layer to get all kinds of cool effects. Like this. Lori has ordered an iPhone 4S, which has an even better camera than this one. I think I foresee a competition. Happy Friday!

I miss my great aunt, Mae. My Aunt Mae, or Auntie Mae, or—as we affectionately called her—Annie Mae. Annie Mae was my mother's mother's sister. For most of her life, she lived in Montreal, but she never missed an opportunity to come to Ottawa to visit her nieces, my mom and my Aunt Joyce. And, of course, she visited with her great nieces and nephews—my sisters, my brother, and my cousins. And me. One of the things we loved the most about Annie Mae, apart from the amazing fudge she'd bring or make during her stay, was her twisted sense of humour (no jokes were censored) and her quirky expressions: budado for potato ; bunker for kitchen counters ; affie-gans for afghan sweaters . Whenever she said any of these, it was all we could do to surpress our snickers. I'll also never forget a conversation she and I had, once, when I was in my teens. It was winter, and I was heading out, either to head to school or to meet with a friend. I put my boots on, zipped up my jac...

The cool photo apps for my iPhone never cease to amaze me. In September, I told you about ColorSplash , a photo app that allows you to quickly change a photo to black and white, and then return selected portions of that photo back to colour. It's a great app to have when you want to draw the focus of your photo to specific subjects. For example, I visited the National War Memorial, downtown, on Friday, for Remembrance Day. And I wanted to focus on the poppies that adorned the wreathes that were laid to honour and remember our fallen soldiers. It made the image more powerful to be in black and white, but to have the poppies still red. A couple of weekends ago, I was introduced to another photo app, but this one does amazing things to your photos. It's called Tiny Planet Photos . This app wraps images into a circle that gives the impression that the world in which your subject is located is very small. The subjects are distorted, but depending on your composition you can ge...

Now that November is approaching the halfway mark, it's time that we start thinking about preparing for the cold weather. Actually, it's beyond that time, but with the unusually warm weather we've enjoyed in Ottawa this month, sometimes it's hard to think about snow, even though we can be under a foot or so of it at this time of the year. When it comes to beer, we sometimes think of one with a good full body. Something that will give us comfort in this cooler climate. And that's why this weekend, I tried a winter ale. St. Peter's Winter Ale.  Only, I screwed it up. I'll tell you why in a second, but here are my initial tasting notes. St. Peter's Winter Ale (Strong Ale): $3.95 for a 500 ml bottle at the LCBO ; 6.5% alcohol/volume. Colour: cola brown; slight highlights of red Nose: light herbs and yeast; not much to pick up Taste: slight tones of rye bread; not much spice Body: light; not what I'd expect from a winter ale, but ea...

Last week, I reviewed a luscious beer made by a friend of mine when he owned a microbrewery in the Ottawa area. I enjoyed sharing my impressions of his Imperial Stout with you, but there was just one small problem. It's no longer available in stores. What was the point in enticing you to a beer that you won't be able to get your hands on? Well, this time I'm going to review a beer that is currently available at the LCBO ; whether you want to get it after this review is entirely up to you, but at least you'll have that option. With Hallowe'en just behind us, it's no surprise that the label of this beer caught my attention. Two cat-like eyes peering through blackness. An eerie green glow on the lower half of the label. And its name: Ghosttown Stout. Brewed by Brasseur de Montréal , which started in 2008 by Denise Mérineau and Marc-André Gauvreau in the Griffintown district of Montréal—a name that is carried on another of their labels—Ghostt...

Update: With record-breaking speed, the photo has been identified. Congratulations to Jakkii Musgrave, who posted her comment only 4 minutes after the contest was officially announced. The photo is of the statue that sits (literally) outside St. Andrew's church, at Wellington and Kent. Because the contest was brought to an end so suddenly, I don't have my photos of the full statue or the church on hand to post them. Instead, I'll use them for this week's Wordless Wednesday. Where In Ottawa returns next month (first Monday in December). It's that time once again. Think you know Ottawa? Prove it! Here is this month's photo. If you think you know where this photo was shot, leave your answer as a comment in this blog post—tweeting me may get a "yes" or "no," but you don't win if you don't leave your answer in this post. The first person who correctly identifies this location will win a PDF copy of the final ve...

I've been working on my moustache for only three days. So far it's looking pretty much as I expected. Awful! Unbearable to look at? You can always go to last week's Photo Friday . I agree: it's prettier! Luckily, I'm growing it for a good cause. November is Male Health Awareness Month, and I'm participating in Movember, growing a moustache and raising money towards prostate cancer research. So far, I've had a few generous supporters; but I need more. Many more. If you haven't done so already, please go to My Mo Page and give what you can. And I'll keep providing updates. As many as you can bear to look at!

I won't grow a moustache for just anyone, you know. I look absolutely hideous in a moustache, so I'm only growing it for a very good cause. And you can help. Movember is an event to raise awareness of men's health issues; in particular, prostate cancer. So, like many Canadians and other men from around the world, I'm growing a 'stache to raise money to fight this disease. Will you help me? Please show your support by clicking this link and making a donation to my Mo Space. In exchange, I'll give you weekly updates on my progress—that is, all the cheesy photos you can handle. And I warn you: I don't look pretty with a moustache! We're talking Grade A cheesy! Thanks so much!