Warmer temps, longer days, even UFC

When I first sat down to write this rant, I eagerly tried to round up all the reasons why we, at Chill, are so thrilled that spring is finally upon us.  We can toss that shovel back in the shed, bolt on our regular tires, peel off the layers of excess insulation and finally – and I do mean finally – crack open a cold one outside by the BBQ. I was so preoccupied by thoughts of longer, warmer, cottage filled days to come when it hit me: you all know spring is coming. You’re all dusting off the flip flops and awaiting the outdoor living just like I am. No matter how exciting it is, it’s nothing new. So, this spring I’m asking all of you in Chill Nation to join me in trying something fresh, something new, something out of the typical spring behaviour we practice every year. That’s right, all together now, it’s time for a change.
That’s exactly what we’ve done in this spring issue. We’ve embraced those that have embraced change and we’re urging you to do the same. The seasons are changing and it’s time for us to follow suit. Ontario certainly has in finally welcoming UFC to the province (page 12). And look at the result – an economic impact on the Toronto region that will bring in between $30 and $50 million in that one UFC weekend. A perfect example of the positive effect that change can have if we embrace it. Now if only our Canadian NHL teams could initiate the same kind of change on the ice and bring the Cup home to Canada where it belongs (Page 26).
We’ve also accepted the fact that, as this NHL season begins to wrap up and it will be months before our weekends are once again filled with hockey and football, we’ll have to look elsewhere for our fill of sports. As we began noting all the other sports that fly under the radar, we realized we’ve really been missing out. Sure, hockey and football players are remarkable athletes, but so are water polo and ping pong players. In keeping with this theme of change and opening our minds to new ways of thinking about sports – we thought – why not find out what type of sport produces the world’s best athlete. With our panel of expert judges, we’re seeking out the answer in the first segment of an ongoing Chill-exclusive feature: The Best Athlete in the World (page 22).
But I also encourage you to change yourself for the better this spring. After a winter full of hibernation, rich foods and not enough exercise, even the best of us have an extra layer or two we’d like to shed before beach season. We’ve taken the liberty of giving you a push in the right direction by providing you with a brand new 30-minute workout from our Fitness Chillosopher (Page 50) as well as an exclusive food guide in our Food 101 department (Page 48). We’ve broken down all of the food jargon that we assume is beneficial to our health and uncovered what these terms really mean.
And finally, it’s time to change the environment that we live in. Not only is Earth Day on the horizon, but ‘tis the season for DIY projects. And, as always, we’re making things as efficient as possible for our busy readers. We’ve combined an Earth Day mindset with our Handyman or Candyman department this issue. We bring you: environomics (Page 64). This is Chill’s way of merging environmentalism, economics and DIY projects. Check out the changes that you can make around your home to turn it into a green machine.
So, go ahead. Get excited about spring. We sure are. But, don’t forget to take full advantage of the season and everything happening in the next few months – warmer temps, longer days, even UFC – as inspiration to change your life for the better. Then, at the end of it all, remember to kickback, crack a smile and you know the drill – Chill!

Your friendly neighbourhood Chillosopher,
Scott Stevenson

Chillosopher’s Rant

First and foremost, I’d like to nation a very happy 2011. Ah, a new year. When opportunities seem endless and all the things we’ve been putting off seem easier and more possible. That’s why we have resolutions folks, to recognize and resolve issues we’ve had with our lives or ourselves in the past. But, here’s a thought: instead of looking at these things we want to change as resolutions, why not look at them as goals? By seeing them as goals rather than resolutions we remove the pressure on ourselves to change something immediately. Let’s be honest, 90 percent of the time we can only bear the pressure until February anyways. In fact according to proactivechange.com, only 46 percent of us keep our resolutions passed six months. Goals, on the other hand are something that, by definition, we realize take time to attain and are an important part of living a more fulfilling life. Already feeling more motivated? Good, we are too.
What better place to start then fitness goals? Once holiday season comes to a close and the only memory of the baked goods and yams we devoured over the holidays sits directly on our waistline, the urge to improve our bodies is at an all time high. According to a recent poll conducted by 43things.com, more than one in five resolution makers say losing weight is their number one goal for 2011. Well, ask and you shall receive because our new 30-minute workouts starting in this issue (page 42) will give you all the tips and tools you need to transform your body.
Not a gym kind of guy? Prefer to stay fit with sports and activity? Well we’ve got you covered too. We’re taking a look at two of Ontario’s most popular outdoor winter activities (page 64) that every good Canadian should master. Remember, it’s never too late to learn.
And we certainly didn’t stop the resolutions at fitness. Another common resolution according to the same online poll is falling in love. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner there’s no time like the present to reach out and grab cupid’s arrow. Whether you’re single and want to find that special someone or married and want to rekindle that spark, our Valentine’s Playbook on page 32 will show you how.
What’s our suggestion for a positive change to make in 2011? Commit to more chill time and enlist yourself as a more dedicated Chillosopher. Whether chilling to you means spending more time with your family, grilling up an immaculate meal or catching some rays on your dock, it’s important to consciously make time for what makes you happy this year. That means plan ahead. Sure the summer seems far off, but as your resident Chillosopher, it’s my duty to point out, although the snow is up to our knees right now, sunny skies and cottage trips are just around the corner. Start your summer plans now so when summer rolls in you’ll be ahead of the game. We certainly have with our Chill Gets Wet Preview (page 48). If buying a boat is in the cards for you this year check it out, and even if you’re not planning on buying a boat, use this section as inspiration to start preparing for the summer months.
And don’t think we forgot about all the big events that come with every new year. What kind of show edition would this be if we didn’t include Toronto International AutoShow? Check out our 4th annual AutoShow preview section. Super Bowl? We’ve got everything from Canadian Contributions to the big game (page 14) to a look inside host city Dallas, TX (page 24). And last, but certainly not least, it’s also show time for the entertainment industry. The Oscars and Grammys are two of the entertainment world’s most anticipated events. Who do we think deserves the coveted golden statues? Turn to page 72 to find out and be sure to visit ichill.ca and let us know who you think will win.
Whew, Special Edition indeed. From the spotlight on ourselves with resolutions, ahem, goals, of all shapes and sizes, to the spotlight on our vehicles, our athletes and our entertainers … it really is show season. So, without further ado, lights camera action. It’s show time Chill Nation!

Your friendly neighbourhood Chillosopher,
Scott Stevenson

Chillosopher’s Rant!

Alright Canada, it’s that time of year again. Time to look back at the passing of 2010 and raise a glass in honour of the amazing country we live in. And what a year it was for us Canucks: an Olympic masterpiece, economic turnarounds, political progression, philanthropic bragging rights, taking the entertainment world by surprise and dominating in hockey, the sport we hold near and dear. So say it loud and say it proud: Oh Canada, what a year we’ve had!

But, before we break out the noisemakers to ring in Canada’s next 365 days of glory, we have a little something called Christmas to take care of.  Save the grunting and groaning fellow Canadians, just remember Christmas is what you make it.

Too often it’s the little things that get in the way of Christmas being a magical time, the way it was when we were younger. In fact, we could probably learn a thing or two from our kids this time of year. The way they proclaim “Merry Christmas,” without worrying if they offended anyone; the way they get excited to give their last nickel to the Salvation Army; and the way they proudly present Grandma with a $2.00 Santa ornament from The Dollar Store because they know it’s about the thought that went into the gift. So this holiday season I challenge you to reclaim Christmas and get back to the basics as we have at Chill in this holiday issue.

We figured the first step in helping all of you reclaim your holidays is by tackling some of the most common Christmas stressors – the things that even us Chillosophers admit to losing our chill over. Holiday shopping shakes us to the core, those long lost family dinners have us at a loss for words, and the road rage that takes over our normally calm selves is mind-boggling. So, here at the Chill lounge we came up with ways to kiss these holiday stress-makers goodbye. Making more time for watching the World Juniors (page 14), getting into tip top holiday shape with a quick 15-minute workout (page 78), grillin’ up the perfect holiday feast (page 74) and even getting more ice time with your shinny or beer league hockey team … depending on which one you prefer (page 20).

But getting back to the holiday basics means getting in touch with the charitable, generous attitude that can fall victim to the hustle and bustle of the season. And what better way to get in the giving spirit than with some inspiration from some charitable celebs. Our third annual Naughty or Nice list (page 36) highlights some of the philanthropic acts from Hollywood north and south.

From all of us here at Chill Media Inc., we wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year.

So grab a pint, slow it down, you know the drill, chill.

All the best, your friendly neighbourhood Chillosopher,

Scott Stevenson

Back to SCHOOL for some, back to REALITY for all…

Have you ever heard, or seen, something that gives you a jolt, gives you the proverbial “aha?” Or maybe it simply speaks to you in a certain way at a particular time that makes you think it was designed specifically for you; to the point where it evolves into an epiphany?

The other day I heard a story that did just that and it prompted me to lead off this issue’s rant with it. The story went something like this:

A 40-year-old casual, commercial European fisherman was living in a quaint, friendly little village. Each year he made his annual visit to the local bank manager to review his financial needs. Looking over his past results and comparing them to other local fishermen, the bank manager apprised his client that his results – compared to the others in the village – were superior. The banker suggested that the fisherman think bigger.

The fisherman sat tall in his chair, proud of his success and was curious as to what the bank manager was suggesting. “Think bigger,” he replied. “How?”

“Well, you seem to be very efficient. Why don’t you buy a bigger boat so you can catch more fish? Then, with your new found growth, you can finance more boats, catch more fish, make more profit and expand even further. You can then set up a cannery and a production plant to take control of the entire assembly from the catching to the packaging and distribution of the fish.”

The fisherman sat even taller and asked,“Then what? This sounds interesting.”

The bank manager expounded and laid out plans to go international and open up fishing plants in Los Angeles and Mexico.

Eyes growing wider, the fisherman asked, “Then what do I do?”

“Then you take all your success, package it and go to New York. Once in New York you float your company and its success on the stock market and you’ll make millions,” replied the banker.

Inquisitive, mildly confused and apprehensive the fisherman asked, “How long will this take me?”

“About 20 years,” said the bank manager.

Pausing, and then reflecting, the fisherman recoiled back into his chair and asked, “If I succeed in doing this, what do I next?”

“Well that’s the easy part; the fun part! You can retire as a casual, commercial fisherman and set up shop in a quaint, friendly European village and enjoy life,” exclaimed the banker.

“Thank you for your consideration,” said the fisherman, “But that is what I do right now, and I’m very happy.”

It’s a great little story to help us take life in stride, ease back into reality, and reflect on how much is enough?

Sometimes we have to learn to be content with what we have and take inventory of everything we should be thankful for. That, should alleviate 90 per cent of the self-imposed pressure in our lives. In the end, folks, watch what you wish for, as you might already have everything you need!

This month, we want you to enjoy all of what life has to offer, from extending your summer beyond the traditional boundaries, to jumping right back into the competitive spirit with Chill’s Guy’d to Fantasy Sports.

We’re even going to help you refocus on yourself, your career and your life as our Back to School feature puts a few new ideas on the chalkboard.

We want to make sure you keep the spirit of this season alive as long as possible, so grab a cold one, take life outside and enjoy the moment. You know the drill … CHILL! Your friendly neighbourhood Chillosopher, Scott Stevenson

The MMA Exhibition is Where The Weekend is…

When is the weekend? This weekend might sting a bit more than usual this time around.

This weekend is the Toronto Mixed Martial Arts Expo at the International Centre. The event that is being held this Saturday and Sunday – and is an exciting, unique, and interactive event for anyone who loves MMA or full contact sports.

This is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and this event is now into its fifth year – and its growing fast.

The entire weekend features plenty of demonstrations, tournaments, and interactive exhibits where fans can meet fighters from across North America.

If you are in to this sort of thing, then you can’t miss out. Don’t forget to bring some extra cash to pick up a wide variety of MMA gear and equipment at great prices.

And if you are really excited, bring that autograph book of yours, maybe your camera too – your favourite fighters will be there.

Also – you didn’t hear it from me, but there might be a few girls there too. Get going!

Vodka and Lobster

So it looks as though we’ve come to the end of the road back in Toronto.  The last day was almost bittersweet, and not just because I happened to do the multi-coloured yawn, the chunky rainbow, the stomach spit.  Yes, your intrepid writer is but a human that is prone to fits of weak stomach.  Aside from that one horrid pit-stop though, it was pretty smooth sailing.  This was our last meal before leaving Nova Scotia.

Our last meal before a 22 hour drive back to Ontario. Delicious.

After traversing the expanse known as New Brunswick, we once again happened upon the Acorn Restaurant just before hitting Quebec.  So what do three ravenous travelers consume at 6 am when a 16 hour drive looms in front of them?  Observe:

Don’t forget everyone, those condiments are caloric gold, grab them as a snack later!  Outside of one almost dangerous incident outside of Montreal (who allowed the French to drive anyway?), we made our way back to The Big Smoke mostly intact.  It was weird realizing the tour was actually over.  It seemed like just yesterday we were at Huxley’s in Renfrew, trying to get the locals to love us.  It was time for a harsh farewell though, here’s how we did it:

Tomorrow you’ll find out what Nathan and I are up to this Summer and then we’re outta here, talk to ya later Chill crew.

-Aaron

www.twitter.com/wordbirdbinder

Pissing off PETA

One more update to go after this one Chillverse!  Yesterday I left you with the promise of finding out what Nathan Down looks like playing Country music, why we didn’t get any sleep on the weekend and how much it costs to get warm in Nova Scotia, so here we go.

One of the most important activities you can do on a tour is grab a cat-nap, even 30 minutes can be a stellar improvement for your life later in the day.  For example, after being woken up by a few rowdy Nova Scotians fighting in the living room I was trying to sleep in, I was able to snag a few z’s on the way out to the Robichaud family lobster boil, yes, it’s true, Down isn’t his real last name.

This is right before Mikey devoured five lobsters. Not bad for a bassist.

Not only does he strum a guitar, for 20 bucks he'll cut your lawn.

Speaking of fighting Nova Scotians, they are a raucous bunch and I highly recommend keeping your distance.  While these are some of the most friendly people on earth, if they’ve been drinking for 3 days straight without any sleep, they can be a dangerous lot.  Flipped couches, smashed bottles, markered faces, you will experience it all when you try to fall asleep at a party house, try being the key word.

Anyway, we made our way out to the lobster boil.  What is that?  It’s a bunch of Nova Scotians getting together and boiling 350 pounds of lobster in an afternoon and then devouring it.  You know what PETA says about killing and eating lobster?  It’s delicious.  If PETA said it, you know it’s good.

Five minutes later and they'd all be taking a very warm bath.

So we devoured and stuffed and slammed our mouths full of delicious lobster until the early evening, at which point this happened:

I am not a good Blackberry photographer.

Not only is this guy a swell songwriter, he can also play classics.  After checking that out for a bit, the licks of a young fire caught my eye out the kitchen window.  Walking toward the fire brought on the following conversation:

Aaron: It’s cold as heck out here, it’s good there’s a fire going.

Guy by fire: Yeah, hold up a sec though, you wanna stand by the fire it’s 5 dollars a warm.

Aaron: A warm?  Is that even an accepted unit of measurement?

Guy by fire: It is in Nova Scotia.  You know you’re done your warm when your testicles drop.

So there you have it folks, it costs 5 bucks a warm in Nova Scotia.  Tomorrow we’re going to talk about the trip back to Ontario, tell you what vodka and lobster tastes like together and say farewell to all you beautiful people.

-Aaron

Red Alert, Dirty Dancing and the art of the after-party

Hey everyone, it’s time for another update.  Yes, the tour is over, but I’ve still got some really fun stories to tell you that happened over the weekend.  After stopping at the Acorn Restaurant on Thursday afternoon for some poutine (you’ll hear even more about this later), we finally landed in Amherst, Nova Scotia in the evening and everything started to get pretty hazy.

This is pretty early...at 3 am.

This is the Amherst crew…actually, this is about one quarter of the Amherst crew.  From the second we landed in town, Down-fever was running rampant.  We stayed at Nathan’s brothers place for most of the weekend, he’s that guy below.  The thing you need to understand about Nathan’s brother is that he knows everyone in Amherst, meaning we sure as hell didn’t get any sleep on Thursday night.

Nathan's little brother also has 'skills', they are also way cooler than computer hacking skills.

As Friday rolled around, we finally had a chance to take a 2 hour nap in the early afternoon as the rest of the Nathan Down band rolled into town.  After waking up it was time for the band to get ready…so I slept some more, which would turn out to be short-lived for one reason – Command and Conquer: Red Alert.  Yes, I will admit my addiction to this best-selling late 90’s strategy game.  Call me a nerd and I will gladly accept the title.

One of my first loves.

After a quick tryst in nerd-heaven, Kitt and I went over to the venue to get ready for the Nathan Down homecoming show.  I know I’ve said it before and you’ll hear it again, the East coast knows how to party.  This show was off the hook; women dirty-dancing, guys dirty-dancing, Nathan dirty dancing with his guitar, and people being general nutcases.

East coasters love a great concert, but when 2 AM rolls around and the venue is closing, there’s only one reasonable place to go, the after-party, but not before some chow.  A couple days ago I mentioned the best panzerotti on the east coast, well, it happens to come from the same place you can get the best pizza too, Bambino’s.  While I can’t verify that claim, I can certainly tell you it was damn good and totally worth the 2 bucks I spent on it.

Bambino's Pizza at 2:30 am = the best meal of the day.

Finally we were off to Ben and Kristi’s, they’ve been huge Nathan Down fans for years and years so it only made sense to have the homecoming show after-party at their place.  Not only are East-coasters great people, they have great names.  Example, one Kricket Hunter:

Yes, it's her real name!

Congratulations Kricket, you’re slightly more popular than you were last week.  Here are some of the other people we met at the after-party.

Trevor and Nathan with the ladies, Kitt and Jeannine.

I like to yell at inanimate objects.

When you’re ready to head home around 6 am (notice a trend yet?), it is always prudent to call a cab.  In this case, we happened to find a cab driver that kept the party going by cranking Shots by LMFAO and turning the interior lights of his van on and off to the music.  I’d show you the picture of this, but it would blow your mind.  Picture a scruffy guy in his late 40’s dancing in the driver’s seat and you’ve met Billy the cab driver.

We finally crashed around 7 am…for about two hours.  Stay tuned tomorrow to find out why we got so little sleep, how much it costs to to get warm in Nova Scotia, and what Nathan Down looks like playing country music.

-Aaron

Lobster-face

Hey all,

We finally found some internet out here in Nova Scotia!  I’m going to post a few pictures right now since we’re getting ready to head back to Toronto right now, but you’ll be able to read a big update tomorrow with a bunch of new pictures too, so stay tuned!

This is about where Nathan started speaking with an East coast accent.

From Tweed, this is the lead-singer of The Mudmen. From Emily Sheff

A pretty common sight and a really cool shot from Emily.

The scenery was great, so was the hat.

Yes, it really was halfway in his mouth.

That’s it for now, talk to you guys tomorrow when we’re back in Toronto, I’ve got a really cool update coming!

-Aaron

Mud-pits, Poutine and Eating Condiments

It’s time for another update Chill readers, we’ve got bush parties, how to stop yourself from becoming a skeleton on tour, and where to eat if you ever find yourself driving across the country to the East coast.

We returned back to Toronto on Monday morning around 7:30 after leaving the train-wreck that was the Tweed campground.  Remember that fire from the photo update yesterday?  As I mentioned in the caption, that really was one of the smaller ones.  People were riding around on ATV’s through the mud-hole hell and tearing up what was once walk-able terrain, lighting fires and handing out free beers to me because they thought I was Nathan.

Some of the Tweed crowd watching The Mudmen before Nathan Down.

While it was fun hanging out there til’ 5:30 am, we had to hit the road and get ourselves back to Toronto for work a few hours later, sometimes you can’t say no to the day job pay-cheque.  Thus began two days of grueling work and once more about as much sleep as we’d all been experiencing while on tour, once you get used to staying up til’ 6-7 am everyday, it’s tough to break out of that.

After two days back in the city, we took off again around 10 pm on Wednesday to head out to Amherst, Nova Scotia, Nathan’s hometown.  To say that the ride out there was exciting is an understatement.  We saw a lot of really cool stuff on our way out, ate at some great restaurants and managed to ensure that we’re all going to die young.

If you also feel like dying young, it becomes 20 times easier when you eat at the Acorn Restaurant in King’s Landing, New Brunswick.  This place looks like a run of the mill highway diner, but the difference is definitely in the food.  It was tempting not to delve into the “Smothered Chicken” but we were there with one goal on our mind, this heaping mound of poutine:

That's the biggest mound of poutine I've ever seen. Also the most ketchup on one dish.

The thing you need to realize is that Nathan is a big guy with a big face.  That’s a big plate of poutine.  On tour, you are going to run into situations where you’ll need calories to keep going but you won’t have the cash to buy a full meal, what’s the best thing to do?  This:

So that’s what we did today on our drive out east over the last couple days.  Tomorrow you’re going to meet the Amherst crew, learn where to get the best Panzerotti on the East coast and see exactly where Nathan Down comes from.  Don’t forget to check out www.nathandown.ca for his blog as well!

-Aaron