Now don’t get me wrong, while I’m not much of a sports fan in general, I do watch hockey, or at least Habs games in the playoffs, I am a Montrealer after all. But to date, it’s only been in one of two situations: either game’s on TV and there’s nothing else on (or I’m at someone else’s house) or I’m out at a bar.

Quite a good evening for him: Halak

I’ll go out to a bar specifically to watch the game, but only if I’m invited. I do enjoy the competition and cheer for the home team, but I never think of going out to catch the game myself. I’ve also watched a bunch of games this season because Forget The Box was involved with the Joe Two-Four show, but again, that was with a reason.

Last night, things changed and I actually found myself searching for the Habs/Capitals game (I don’t have cable and it’s not on CBC). I found it and was glad that I did.

There’s something about the underdog coming back and last night they did. It’s also nice that I decided to tune in for goalie Jaroslav Halak’s best performance and what is now the Habs’ franchise record for blocked shots.

While I’m not usually a bandwagon jumper, this particular bandwagon feels real comfy.

A beard doesn't mean I've been in the woods

You see, Forget The Box, the site whose online magazine I edit and contribute to has undergone a major revamp in terms of its backend (what you don’t see). A new look is also coming very soon.

There are new columnists and writers, such as a correspondent from Salt Spring Island, BC and a playoff hockey blogger. I’m also writing a political column now. As more people are coming on board, I’ve been busy setting things up for them.

I’ve also been working on and acting in the last two episodes of season 3 of JC Sunshine’s Fireside Chat (also produced by the Forget The Box Media Collective) and preparing for this June’s Montreal infringement Festival.

While things haven’t quieted down by a longshot, I’m now finding (or force-finding) a bit of time to contribute here as well. So fear not, dear readers, I’m back!

I’m not sure exactly where I may end up today after the parade, but it’ll most likely be some place downtown after the cops stop us from drinking in the streets (usually happens a couple of hours after the parade ends).

I’ve already reported on Forget The Box that legendary Montreal drinkery (yes, spellcheck, I know that’s not actually a word – yet) the Cock n’ Bull is reopening a block from it’s previous location under the name of Le Bull, so I may very well end up there. If, for some reason I don’t, I will make a point of paying a visit some time in the near future.

I may start the celebration as early as 9am and take a friend up on his offer of Irish Coffee, but it all depends on when I wake up. In fact, where I end up is by no means certain. The one thing that is certain is that I will be searching out music like this:

Happy St-Patty’s Day!

Rest assured, dear readers, this site only started in 2009 and this introductory post, dated September 2nd, remains the first post. That doesn’t mean that the new posts aren’t part of this site, though.

The header of my old blog

You see, I used to have another blog and updated it sporadically for a few years. When time came to step up my writing , I temporarily moved those old posts to the newly created Forget The Box to serve as extra reading material until the amount of the site’s own content increased.

Now, less than a year later, Forget The Box Magazine has seven columns, a bunch of articles, almost daily updates and well over 200 posts on its own. So, the time has come where the old posts I had transferred are no longer needed as filler on FTB.

They are interesting, though. In them I offer my opinion on culture jams I participated in, my take on the Obama election victory, a way we can raise money for the arts in Canada, a report from the Guelph, Ontario performance of Sinking Neptune and a few funny images.

Seeing as they fill roughly the same purpose as this site is intended to, I moved them over here to their new permanent home on the web. I didn’t take all of them, though, leaving behind the ones that were merely time-specific callouts or housekeeping posts for a blog that no longer exists.

I think the ones I preserved will fit in nicely on jasoncmclean.com and integrate well into the site. I did spruce them up a bit in terms of photo layout and video player size, but the writing is the same, except for a few edits to remove ultra time-sensitive stuff.

You can get a list of all of them here or start with this post and make your way back.

Welcome to the site, new posts! Hope you readers enjoy them and check back soon for more new content.

Current Montreal Metro map: hiding the numbers for a reason?

All metro maps used to have the lines numbered, now they don’t.  The numbers haven’t changed, though – just click on the station info for any stop on the official STM website or listen to any service interruption announcement and you’ll know that the same numbering system is in place.  So what is the STM hiding?

Where’s line 3?  What happened to it?  Is there some secret train that only military and government officials are allowed to use?  Is it an escape shuttle for the elites of Montreal in the time of catastrophe?  Does skipping line 3 have something to do with numerology?

For years I have speculated and offered opinion, as have many others around me.  Then, one fateful day a few weeks ago, I was doing research for an article that involved the Montreal transit system and I stumbled upon the truth.

Turns out line 3, or the red line, was planned to have 15 stops beginning at the westernmost part of Cartierville and running east, using the tunnel under Mount Royal.  The plan was scrapped because most of the line would have the trains traveling outside, which would require steel wheels instead of the rubber ones used in the rest of the metro system.  Also, with Expo 67 on the way, the yellow line was seen as more important.

Now, the tracks that would have been line 3 are used by the Deux-Montagnes commuter train service instead.  So there you have it, one of the great mysteries of my life solved through a random Wikipedia search.  Or is it?

Solving this mystery has only brought out three new unanswered questions:

Why don’t they just rename line five as line 3 and stop the mystery right then and there?

If the maps have been changed to eliminate all numbers, why not just change the numbers officially?

There’s a tunnel under Mount Royal?! (apparently there is and it’s construction was instrumental in the formation of TMR, but I digress)

Until these new mysteries are solved, though…

I’m going to use it to write about stuff that interests me that doesn’t really fit in other places I write like Forget The Box Magazine, my Sunday Theatrics column, OTL Blog and The Talking Stick.  I’m also going to post links to stuff I write there, like this one to the article I wrote today on The Pirate Party of Canada.

I’m also going to let you know about what I’m up to in the world of acting, like with Car Stories or Sinking Neptune.  I’ll also report on some of the behind-the-scenes stuff I do with the infringement Festival and Optative Theatrical Laboratories.

This is a good place to follow me for those who don’t get Twitter or Facebook.  It also functions as a CV site for my acting, writing and the other things I do, plus I have a list of some of the press I’ve been featured in over the years.

So why did I create this site?   Why not!  Enjoy…

When we got closer, we noticed what all the fuss was about. A small plane was parked in the middle of Avenue du Parc. Apparently, it had experienced engine trouble and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Luckily, most traffic going north on du Parc was held at Rachel by a red light, so no one was injured. Also lucky the pilot didn’t try going the other way down du Parc, right into the construction work.

I guess the best way to sum this experience up is that it’s something you don’t see every day and an interesting, unexpected way to spend a Sunday afternoon.