We went to the Jays game on the weekend. I was curious to see how the supposed hundreds of millions in upgrades to the Skydome are playing out. One thing I did notice is that the scoreboard has been embiggened significantly.

Take a look at this visual onslaught, viewed from our seats in the 500 level. Suppose this is your first baseball game, or you’re only a casual fan.

I have a question for you.

What’s the score?

It sure is buried on the screen. here it is - of course it’s 9-5 for Baltimore, not the Jays best start to the season.

There sure is a lot of other information on all these screens that’s larger than the score. I’m glad I know enough about baseball to know to look to the right of the inning-by-inning box score for the “R” column, but … wow, is it ever overwhelmed by everything else.

Here, by contrast, is an Argos scoreboard. A little easier to see the score, you’d probably agree. But maybe baseball statheads need more.

OK, this commercial for the VW Buzz

and this one for DoorDash

are both in such heavy rotation on TV these days that I cannot get these stupid songs out of my head. I like the VW Buzz one and I cannot stand the DoorDash one.

So, naturally, the thing to do is to research what songs they’re using.

Are You Having Any Fun?

VW is using Elaine Stritch’s cover of Are You Having Any Fun?,

which - amazingly - was originally a Tommy Dorsey number. Here’s a sliiiightly different version.

I like this one. It’s from the 1939 edition of the Broadway revue series George White’s Scandals; later that year the great trombonist Tommy Dorsey recorded it.

The Hamburger Song

I cannot STAND the DoorDash commercial above. What the heck is going on in that house? DoorDash tries to explain it’s about the anticipation and joy behind every delivery.

I’m not buying it. What is going on with that family? Why are they apparently destroying their house?

Anyway, the song is The Hamburger Song by Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces from 1966. Here’s the original.

This is such an odd song that I can’t actually find the lyrics written down anyhere. Why are they saying Liberace?

I hope that by blogging about this, the songs will LEAVE MY HEAD. Although Are You Having Any Fun can stay, it’s kinda catchy.

scene: Hamilton’s Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair, check-in last night. Students are setting up their displays and then visiting us at the Safety Desk for a followup consult.

The following is actual dialogue. Only the names have been changed but you can probably guess who one of them is.

Student: “Hi, I’m ready for a safety check.”
Safety Check In Desk Guy: “OK! You’ve come to the right place! What is your project number, please?”
Student: B-17

brief pause

Safety Check In Desk Guy: B-17…. 🎶 Please Mister Please … Don’t play B-17…
Additional Old Volunteers Near The Check Desk Join In: 🎶 It was our song, it was his song, but it’s ooooooover….

Student: ????
Safety Check In Desk Guy: “What? That’s a classic. Olivia Newton-John sang Please Mr. Please on her 1975 album Have You Never Been Mellow. Look!

Student: probably thinking ‘no, i have never been mellow, i was not born in 1975 and neither were my parents’: attempts to back away quietly

Safety Check In Desk Guy: “She’s singing about a jukebox. Somebody is about to play song B-17 and she doesn’t want to hear it because it’s triggering bad memories”
Student: accelerates backup manouver

Additional Old Volunteers Near The Check Desk: also begin to back away

Safety Check In Desk Guy: “OK, look, a jukebox was a coin operated machine that played 45s.”
Student: ????

Safety Check In Desk Guy: “OK, 45s were ‘records’, they were made out of vinyl and …. ok never mind, you can go back to your project and an inspector will be right over.”

Safety Check In Desk Guy: “Also are we sure project K-9 isn’t about dogs? It should be. Could somebody check?”
Mrs Safety Check In Desk Who Has Been Doing this for Thirty Years and who is Already Annoyed that Safety Desk Check In Guy Is Referring to Her as His ‘Assistant’: “cut it out.”

Safety Desk Check In Guy notes in conclusion that he and Mrs. Safety Etc were watching ‘Canada’s Got Talent’ the other night and remarking that it seemed like Canada did not in fact have any talent (if all you ever watched was THAT show), and how grateful we both are to be among these amazing young people who will change the world, and they are all not only brilliant but also very polite.

alao can we double check project K-9 because if I was running things that would definitely be a dog project.

I signed up for a paid Wired subscription - because they’re doing some good reporting lately - and to my surprise, they sent me a sheet of laptop stickers.

I cannot personally imagine any circumstance where I’d put one of these stickers on my laptop, but the thought was nice.

I remember watching the funeral of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 2000, and seeing his son Justin, aged 28, speak an eloquent eulogy. At the time we didn’t know a whole lot about him. He was teaching secondary school in Vancouver, and this eulogy seemed like our first chance to get to know this guy.

I’m sure I was not the only person who thought - this guy is good, he might have a career in politics.

I particularly like the story he tells at the 6:00 mark, of his dad taking him to the Parliamentary cafeteria, when Justin was in grade 3. Justin remembers telling a childish joke about one of the other politicians that was there, and his dad insisted that that was inappropriate and took him to meet this other politician, and explained that differing opinions don’t mean a lack of respect for the others, that mere tolerance is not enough, and we need genuine respect for each human being. (He doesn’t say who it was, but I suspect it was former Prime Minister Joe Clark.)

And he did have a good career in politics. With challenges at the end, with a lot of angry Canadians making unwarranted personal attacks, but I think history will look kindly on his career as Prime Minister. It might take a few years for some to calm down, though.

And he may have hung on too long.

But … he’s been particularly good the past few weeks, responding to US trade sabre-rattling. It seems that once you announce you aren’t running again, once you don’t need to worry about re-election, you’re empowered to say what we all need to hear.

Yesterday, Mark Carney was elected as the new Liberal leader to succeed Justin Trudeau. I wish him well. I hope he can embody the dignity, compassion and toughness that both Prime Ministers Trudeau showed Canada when we needed it.

We went to a fun CFL Fans Fight Cancer gathering at the Left Field Brewery in Toronto’s Liberty Village last night, and joined CFL fans across the country in raising money a great cause and generally counting down the days until the season kicks off (note: home opener, Saturday June 14, Argos vs. Calgary!)

There was a lot I liked - a great cause, great friends, great food, and the pub’s QR-code-based ordering and payment system actually worked promptly - but I was really happy to see these signs on the rest rooms.

This is how it should be, everywhere, and it’s a shame there need to be signs.

Everyone Who Identifies As A Man And/Or Non-Binary Person May Use This Space

(Of course there was a corresponding sign on the W room door too.)

This Is An All Inclusive Restroom

This sign was inside.

The sign says -

Please trust that everyone knows which restroom is appropriate for them.

Choosing to use a restroom that is the most comfortable and appropriate for you is not a privilege, it is a right. Harassment and gender policing (scrutinizing, assuming, judging or categorizing another person's gender) of any kind will not be tolerated.

At Left Field, we are proud to offer a space where community, family and friends can gather to responsibly enjoy fresh, locally made craft beer and food together and be free from discrimination or harassment of any kind. Harassment includes offensive comments or attitudes related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, differing abilities, physical appearances, body size, race, religion; deliberate intimidation, following and unwanted sexual attention.

At any point during your visit, if you are made to feel unsafe, uncomfortable or in danger or if you witness someone else who may be in need of assistance, please discreetly alert one of our team members and we will make it our top priority to help without question or judgement.

We welcome you to inform us of any past instances of feeling unsafe in the brewery and to provide us with any suggestions of how we can become a more inclusive space by emailing mandie@leftfieldbrewery.ca. All communication of this nature will be treated confidentially.

Nothing is more important to us than the safety and comfort of our team members and valued guests. We believe that beer is a space that is for everyone and we will take all necessary actions to uphold this policy.

Cheers!

Team Left Field

SAFE AT HOME.

Well done, Left Field Brewery. We’ll be back!