Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader is glad to be back in the dark foreboding confines of the Villainschloss. After a week away it is a relief to be back with the lovely Mrs. Villain, the Villainettes, and the wee Villain. It is a relief in so many ways, not the least of which is how much better he is sleeping. Your Maximum Leader doesn’t sleep well in most hotels. The mattresses are soft and the pillows inconsequential. At the Villainschloss the mattresses are firm, the pillows firm, and the water pressure in the showers resemble that of a power-washer.
But your Maximum Leader digresses…
Indeed, if you are looking for reasonable accommodation in Toronto, Canada you may choose to stay at the Delta Chelsea Hotel. It is nicer than most hotels, but not as nice as others. In point of fact your Maximum Leader has always taken a shine to Hiltons. Hiltons are ubiquitous enough to be everywhere your Maximum Leader needs to go. They are accommodating enough to meet his needs. And Hiltons generally are at an acceptable price-point for travel.
The Delta Chelsea in Toronto didn’t strike your Maximum Leader as being quite as nice as the better Hiltons, but surely as good as your better Sheratons. Indeed, before going to Toronto some of the more “jet-set” people with whom your Maximum Leader is acquainted informed him that he needed to stay at the Ritz-Carlton in the Yorkville District of Toronto. Your Maximum Leader had to turn tables on them and inform them that the last time he was in Toronto he stayed at the Royal York. The consensus among the “jet-set” was that the Royal York was the better hotel, but that the Ritz was nearer to the best shopping and dining.
But your Maximum Leader digresses again…
It had been a long while since your Maximum Leader had visited Toronto. He had forgotten how much he actually likes Toronto. All the big city attractions and culture you need, with fewer homeless people, less trash, and minimal crime. Indeed, on the list of great North American cities, Toronto is rather highly rated by your Maximum Leader.
Your Maximum Leader will not bore you all with the details of why he was in Toronto. It should suffice to say that he was there to further his ever expanding plots that will culminae in the establishment of the Mike World Order.
But your Maximum Leader will share with you all a few highlights of his trip.
First, his anger towards the National Hockey League has abated. He watched a lot of hockey in the evenings before retiring; and he was able to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame. The love of Canadians for hockey (their national sport) did much to rekindle the love of hockey that your Maximum Leader has had since his youth. So that is a good thing. The Hockey Hall of Fame is great. But it was somewhat smaller than he remembered. And once the expansion of the Baseball Hall of Fame is completed, Cooperstown will once again reign supreme in the Halls of Fame category of tourist attraction.
Secondly, the shopping in Toronto is actually quite good. With the strong US dollar he was able to make a few nice purchases for Mrs. Villain and the Villainettes while away.
Third, your Maximum Leader’s animosity towards the US airline industry has grown. Never before in the history of the service sector was so much extorted from so many for so little tangible comfort. Your Maximum Leader has made a note to himself to bring his own liquor and fine food on the flight with him.
Fourth, your Maximum Leader was able to pick up the latest Cowboy Junkies album. It is entitled “21st Century Blues.” Unfortunately, most of the album consists of covers of anti-war Bruce Springsteen and John Lennon songs. Not the sorrowful, yet compelling, stories of humanity that are the songs written by Michael Timmins. All the songs are well produced and movingly performed. Margo Timmins is still on the list of the sexiest women in the universe as far as your Maximum Leader is concerned. And your Maximum Leader must admit that the cover of “One” by U2 is very very good.
But the real highlight of the trip was meeting Skippy…
Your Maximum Leader feared, for reasons that need not be discussed here, that he might not get to meet Skippy at all. Skippy is a busy man. Your Maximum Leader is a busy man. Schedules didn’t coincide… It was a touch and go thing.
But once your Maximum Leader determines he is going to do something, he does it. So in anticipation of meeting with Skippy your Maximum Leader thought it might be a propos if he bought a little gift of greetings for Skippy. Afterall, your Maximum Leader was a guest in Skippy’s nation.
So, the first component of the gift was hardly a gift at all. Your Maximum Leader had fallen a little behind on his reading of National Review. So he brought the two most recent editions with him on the trip. Normally, your Maximum Leader, when he travels, brings along old National Reviews and leaves them conspicuously in public places. He does this in the hopes that some fellow traveler will be wanting reading material, pick up the National Review, and be converted to the Dark Side. In a way this is something of a public service in your Maximum Leader’s opinion.
On this trip it seemed appropriate to give these two copies of National Review to Skippy (given his love of American politics).
But two old (and pre-read) copies of National Review were hardly a gift. So something else had to be added to the mix. Something that Skippy would like and would actually use (in some way).
Being the avid reader of Skippy’s page that he is, your Maximum Leader knew that only one gift would do the trick. That gift is the gift that keeps on giving over and over again. Namely pornography.
To read the tale click through below the fold… Otherwise…
Carry on.
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