SATURDAY...
— Hockey Day in Canada. But I must work. It’s a weird work day. Very quiet until around 2:00 PM and then, from there to 5:45, it’s constant go.
— Go home, get a bite to eat, and watch the Vancouver vs. Toronto hockey game.
SUNDAY...
— Work is generally slow. A weird stretch at the start of the morning... but by 8:00, it was fairly quiet.
MONDAY...
— Up a bit earlier than I planned. A little TV before the work nap.
— Post nap, it’s off to Grace O’Malley’s to meet Laura for drinks and a bite. Cara Lea joins us there after about an hour and, after another hour or so, we’re off. Good hanging out with Laura... lots of interesting stories and just some good catching up.
— Work from there. It’s a pretty steady night. I have something to be doing straight through from 5:45 to 4:00 AM. After that it finally gets quiet. Busy for a night but not so busy to make your head hurt.
TUESDAY...
— Laze about the house for a while... a little TV and a little computer time, the nap, and then in to work for the night.
— Work goes alright. Pretty quiet tonight but I’m busy going through stuff until about 3:00 AM.
WEDNESDAY...
— 12:10 AM, Feb 25. Almost five months to the day since I moved to CPSIC. And I've gotten to listen to way too much radio over that time frame. See, the thing is, radio is awful. Stupid DJs who feel like they must sit around laughing at themselves. Every station, three DJs blathering on and laughing. Then silly 'music' like Nickleback or some dance stuff. Anyway, listening to the radio tonight, I have to flip from classic rock (too much April Wine) to Virgin radio... which should be much better than it is... they just play more ‘angry’ music like Nickleback and bad Metallica. And I'm wishing I could listen to my own music. I haven't done this yet because you can't have headphones on while working this job. But today, at 12:10 AM, it dawns on me... the radio that spews out the drivel... it's a CD player as well! Stupid me. Being this stupid is a sure sign of too much listening to the radio. Next shift, bring on the CDs!
— Up at noon today. Lazy around the house after that. Recoup time from night shift.
THURSDAY...
— Brunch with Karen today. Pretty good... nice to catch up.
— Groceries after that and a nap to round out the afternoon.
— An evening nap to go with some Survivor on TV and a movie. Juno is a really good movie, by the way.
FRIDAY...
— Crazy weather day. Rain most of the day and, at 3:00, it’s 6 degrees. At 4:00, it’s -2 with a windchill of -10. So the temperature drops 16 degrees in about an hour.
Man vs. Canadian Suburb
Let’s see those survival shows deal with this!
I’ve been watching a fair bit of survival shows lately. Survivorman... and Man vs. Wild mostly. They’re interesting. Seeing how one can eat and drink water for a week with nothing but a utility tool (and in the case of Survivorman’s Les Strout, a harmonica). I will admit, often times I want that harmonica to attract bears and be done with the man. But when he’s not getting all musical, or harping on about how close to death you are in each given situation, it’s a good show.
After all, I now know how to go about eating a scorpion. Or how to drink my pee in the desert. I could even go fishing in a river with my bare hands now... eating the nice little fishes like Gollum from Lord of the Rings... all fresh and wriggling.
Man vs. Wild’s Bear (that’s the survivor’s name) is a little more hardcore than Les. Of course, if one is named Bear and the other is Les, you’d assume that to be so. Bear runs along, grabs a bug, and gags it down without hesitation. Les looks to create a fire and cook his food first. Although, truth be told, whether cooked or raw, Les seems to enjoy every morsel.
While Bear makes faces and occasionally gags his food down, Les moans in ecstasy with ever chew. Be it blueberry or grasshopper, Les loves the food. Of course, I’d like to see Les try some of the more hardcore meals of Bear. How about a few pieces of apple, quickly rinsed off after plucking them from bear poop. Or a thirst quenching drink squeezed from a mound of elephant dung. Les may like his food, but I haven’t seen him trying to eat that crap (pun most definitely intended).
The other day, I watched Bear climb into a cave in Transylvania. He claimed these caves will go right under the mountains which he’s trying to go around. And going under may cut off miles and be the difference between living and dying!
The fact that the cave is filled with water and he’s just got a few makeshift torches for light seems to be irrelevant. So off he goes, camera man in tow, hoping that each tunnel they traverse will lead them to freedom rather than a dead end. And when the water completely fills a section, he’s diving under and hoping to find an air pocket on the other side. Camera man is left there alone, under a mountain, filming his entombing.
But sure enough, out pops Bear again saying there’s an air bubble ahead and off he goes, dragging camera man under with him... leaving the torches to burn eternally... within the depths of rock.
These guys are hard core. The build shelters at the drop of a hat or simply prop up against a tree for the night, gaining a few minutes of sleep while snakes slither over a leg and giant flies begin nesting in an ear.
For all these survivors can do and endure, my thought is that yesterday, here in the suburbs of Ottawa, they would have both perished.
For most of the day, life was tolerable. Rain is falling throughout the day but the temperature is around seven degrees and I figure either Les or Bear would have made an overhang shelter and bunked down for a slightly shivering but liveable time. They may have been able to sneak up on a rabbit... Les skinning it and reacting to each bite as if it was a gourmet dinner while Bear sits all hunched over with fur encircling his lips and drops of blood trickling down his chin as his eyes are those of a wild man.
But when 3:00 hit, it would have been game over for the survivor boys. Within about a half hour, the temperature dropped from that seven degrees to a not so nice minus two. The wind picked up and windchills came into play. By 4:00 the wind was making it minus thirteen, and within two or three hours, windchill brought things into the minus twenties. With nighttime temperatures bottoming out at minus thirty-two in the wind.
Even if their shelters could keep the wind away, nighttime temperatures made it into the minus eighteen to minus twenty range. And with a day of rain prior to this, I don’t see how either of these men would have been able to muster a fire.
That’s how dependent we are on shelter and heat you can increase with the touch of a button or turn of a knob.
You have a better chance of survival in a river under the mountains of Transylvania than you do five feet outside my front door in February.
God help us all.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Making It Up As I Go Along #358
FRIDAY...
— Should be at work but I’m taking a couple of extra days off before Phil hits Florida.
— Off to the movies with Melissa. Got to drive all the way to Kanata to see The Wrestler. Good movie though, I liked it.
— Went to the mall before the movie. I buy a few things. The Grindhouse double bill is on sale. That’s Planet Terror and Death Proof on DVD... too really good movies done in the style of 1970s drive ins. Also get the Who’s Greatest Hits. So it’ll be like CSI opening credits whenever I put that CD in.
— Still on DVD news. Got Gangs of New York in the mail from Columbia House. Only about eight weeks after the order... but cool to have.
SATURDAY...
— Feel pretty grosse today. I don’t know if it was the popcorn at the movies yesterday or the stew for supper that night, but I woke up at 5:30 this morning feeling pretty horrid. The stomach stayed touchy pretty much right through to 8:00 tonight.
— So watched some movies and snoozed some today trying to feel better.
— Called Bell and made a decision to keep the home phone at a reduced rate. I still want to use the cell as the main phone now and it will be my only phone for long distance, but for now, I’ll also keep the home phone for local calling options. Maybe it’ll go altogether in the coming months, but at the reduced rate, I decide to try keeping both for a while.
SUNDAY...
— Don’t get a very good afternoon nap today. Hope it doesn’t hurt work.
— We lose in softball again. 14-12. Blah.
— Get a pizza at work and I’m all alone as partner Phil is off to Florida. Not a bad night... pretty quiet most of the way through with a few busy times. I’m struggling from about 9:30 to 11:30 but then perk up and get through to the morning alright.
MONDAY...
— Not much other than work and sleep today. I’m in bed shortly after 7:00 AM... up around noon... back in bed for the afternoon nap at 2:00... up at 3:30... to work for 5:30... work is steady tonight. A few down times but mostly, there was always something to do. I’m zonked by the end of it and am zombie like going home Tuesday morning.
TUESDAY...
— Sleep until noon and could have kept going. Felt drugged on getting up.
— Wake a bit as I get going in the day... but don’t do much beyond a trip to the grocery store.
— Up late thanks to finding my yahoo baseball team picked just before bed. Tinkering with the lineup, even months before the start of the season, is a must.
WEDNESDAY...
— Obama-mania in Ottawa. Manhole covers welded down, mail boxes removed, promises of no driving downtown after 7:30 tomorrow... traffic web cameras in the downtown area to be shut down... air traffic to be delayed for most of the day (as if air travel isn’t frustrating enough with regular daily activity). And CBC Newsworld promises fourteen hours of coverage. The guy will be here for six hours and we’re getting fourteen hours of coverage? COME ON!
— Supper with Karl at Patty’s Pub. Nice lasagna and a good walk to and from the place from Karl’s.
THURSDAY...
— More info on the Obama visit... they’re on the news telling people who may live along the route he takes going from the airport to Parliament... “don’t go on your balcony or open your windows, Secret Service snipers won’t be pleased.” This is supposed to be some great event? People are told to remain barred in their homes or risk getting shot? This with the visit of the leader of the free world? Yet the irony appears to be lost on the news media who seem all to giddy with the visit.
— Tourism advertising is picking up on the TV. And the most advertised province is Newfoundland. They get it right too. They make the place seem like a mystical land where you would find experiences like no other place on earth. It’s the land at the edge of the world where even a simple house comes across as a tourist trap. The worst of the bunch, is Ontario. For a Province that offers so much diversity of things, their advertising comes off more as a commercial for the Keg Steak House and Bar.
Free World Leader Lockdown
Barack Obama was here. It was less the arrival of a politician and more a return from the dead of Elvis. It went crazy!
I like Barack Obama. I think he’ll be good for America and a world stage leader that’s sorely needed at this point in history. But I’m nervous of the mania surrounding him. Even those that are supposed to remain impartial (the news media) are fawning over the man. They swoon. They giggle like school girls when he looks at them and smiles.
Fact is, if Barack Obama doesn’t stay grounded. If he’s like many in this world and prone to getting a swelled head as a result of excessive love, than the legacy of greatness is in jeopardy. Barack Obama could become the political equivalent of Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, or John Lennon. Getting to a point where he believes his own hype. Could the White House become Neverland II? Could Obama’s Beatle’s be cast aside for more experimental “music”.
Hopefully Obama remains strong and grounded. And hopefully the world just lets this guy become a great leader rather than worship him endlessly.
This week, Barack Obama came to Ottawa. And it was ironic that the leader of the free world came to visit a free country... and the freedom was torn from our grasp.
Main roads... six lane divided roads... are closed for hours at a time in order for Obama’s crew to drive the streets alone. Okay, this is a hindrance but it’s understandable.
This procession of tank like cars have a cell phone jammer included in the entourage. So for those business people in the middle of big business calls... hopefully you weren’t too close to Obama or your Blackberry would go on the fritz.
Air travel grinds to a halt. Air Canada is bad enough at delaying flights for no apparent reason. The arrival of the President shouldn’t force a flight to Halifax to sit on the tarmac for an extra two hours. How many travelers missed connections simply because Obama came? And what was with the Secret Service driving SUVs after Air Force One when it lands? Do they really think a jumbo jet is in danger as soon as it hits Canadian soil? And if so, do they think a couple of supped up Yukons speeding down the runway is going to protect said jumbo jet?
Traffic cameras are an aid for the commuter. You can check the internet before heading out on your trip and see what’s blocked up and what’s free wheeling. Not on Obama Day though. The downtown Ottawa traffic cams are all disabled in order to keep his route to parliament a secret. In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t all that big a deal. But it’s still overboard in it’s planning.
Why was the traffic cam disruption not too big a deal? Well because you weren’t going to be driving downtown anyway. Most, if not all of the downtown roads were closed to traffic after 7:30 on the morning of Obama’s arrival. The leader of the most capitalistic society on earth causes the business district of a city to basically shut down.
Manhole covers are welded down and mail boxes are dragged away. Not rain nor snow will disrupt the mail, but a visit from a nation’s leader will.
The most popular part of Obama’s visit was his impromptu visit to the Byward Market. And although this does come off as good, how much more headache did it cause others? Did Bronson Avenue remain closed for an extra half hour while we all waited for Barack to get maple leaf cookies? How many trips were stalled at the airport while Air Force One sat getting de-iced while waiting for it’s passenger to get back?
But the worst part of it all was the warnings given to residents who happen to live along the route Obama’s motorcade took between the airport and downtown. “Don’t open your window or step out onto balconies... sharp shooters will not appreciate it.”
So not only are freedoms within the city put on hold while Obama comes, but for those living in a particular area, freedoms are taken away within your own home?
The most disturbing part of this is how matter of factly the media announced these things. Threat of being shot if you go out onto your balcony was announced with a smile just before throwing to the weather.
No, there were no complaints or concerns at all from a media point of view. Fourteen hours of coverage for a seven hour trip bombarded us with giddy street reporters proclaiming that they spotted him as his car speed by (we got several replays of that moment to help fill out the fourteen hours). Replays were also needed for Obama’s joke regarding his left handedness. Analysis of snippets made nothing into stories. Michaelle Jean is overheard talking about “the new Prime Minister.” Does she know something? No... a half hour later the media inform us that she was talking about the Prime Minister of Haiti.
And then there were the public interviews. Obama is inspirational because “He’s black, and I’m black, and now I believe I can do anything.” But he’s also “Mixed race, and I’m mixed race, so now I believe I can do anything.” A German man who was in the country visiting friends is said to be here from Germany to see Obama! And a couple that are originally from Chicago but now living in Ottawa... when asked by Heather Hiscocks “what brought you here?” She didn’t get the answer she was hopping for. Surly she wanted something along the lines of “he’s black...” or “we both came from Chicago, so he’s like us...” Instead, the answer she got to “what brought you here?”... “We drove”.
Yes Obama is a special type of leader. He brings excitement with him and inspires those around him. But my wish is that we can get a hold of ourselves. Look beyond the idea that because he’s black, or mixed race, he’s special. Our society will never be inspired to be anything more than we are if we remain focused on such superficial issues. And, for the love of God, let’s stop accepting locking residents in their own homes the next time the leader of the free world comes for a friendly visit.
— Should be at work but I’m taking a couple of extra days off before Phil hits Florida.
— Off to the movies with Melissa. Got to drive all the way to Kanata to see The Wrestler. Good movie though, I liked it.
— Went to the mall before the movie. I buy a few things. The Grindhouse double bill is on sale. That’s Planet Terror and Death Proof on DVD... too really good movies done in the style of 1970s drive ins. Also get the Who’s Greatest Hits. So it’ll be like CSI opening credits whenever I put that CD in.
— Still on DVD news. Got Gangs of New York in the mail from Columbia House. Only about eight weeks after the order... but cool to have.
SATURDAY...
— Feel pretty grosse today. I don’t know if it was the popcorn at the movies yesterday or the stew for supper that night, but I woke up at 5:30 this morning feeling pretty horrid. The stomach stayed touchy pretty much right through to 8:00 tonight.
— So watched some movies and snoozed some today trying to feel better.
— Called Bell and made a decision to keep the home phone at a reduced rate. I still want to use the cell as the main phone now and it will be my only phone for long distance, but for now, I’ll also keep the home phone for local calling options. Maybe it’ll go altogether in the coming months, but at the reduced rate, I decide to try keeping both for a while.
SUNDAY...
— Don’t get a very good afternoon nap today. Hope it doesn’t hurt work.
— We lose in softball again. 14-12. Blah.
— Get a pizza at work and I’m all alone as partner Phil is off to Florida. Not a bad night... pretty quiet most of the way through with a few busy times. I’m struggling from about 9:30 to 11:30 but then perk up and get through to the morning alright.
MONDAY...
— Not much other than work and sleep today. I’m in bed shortly after 7:00 AM... up around noon... back in bed for the afternoon nap at 2:00... up at 3:30... to work for 5:30... work is steady tonight. A few down times but mostly, there was always something to do. I’m zonked by the end of it and am zombie like going home Tuesday morning.
TUESDAY...
— Sleep until noon and could have kept going. Felt drugged on getting up.
— Wake a bit as I get going in the day... but don’t do much beyond a trip to the grocery store.
— Up late thanks to finding my yahoo baseball team picked just before bed. Tinkering with the lineup, even months before the start of the season, is a must.
WEDNESDAY...
— Obama-mania in Ottawa. Manhole covers welded down, mail boxes removed, promises of no driving downtown after 7:30 tomorrow... traffic web cameras in the downtown area to be shut down... air traffic to be delayed for most of the day (as if air travel isn’t frustrating enough with regular daily activity). And CBC Newsworld promises fourteen hours of coverage. The guy will be here for six hours and we’re getting fourteen hours of coverage? COME ON!
— Supper with Karl at Patty’s Pub. Nice lasagna and a good walk to and from the place from Karl’s.
THURSDAY...
— More info on the Obama visit... they’re on the news telling people who may live along the route he takes going from the airport to Parliament... “don’t go on your balcony or open your windows, Secret Service snipers won’t be pleased.” This is supposed to be some great event? People are told to remain barred in their homes or risk getting shot? This with the visit of the leader of the free world? Yet the irony appears to be lost on the news media who seem all to giddy with the visit.
— Tourism advertising is picking up on the TV. And the most advertised province is Newfoundland. They get it right too. They make the place seem like a mystical land where you would find experiences like no other place on earth. It’s the land at the edge of the world where even a simple house comes across as a tourist trap. The worst of the bunch, is Ontario. For a Province that offers so much diversity of things, their advertising comes off more as a commercial for the Keg Steak House and Bar.
Free World Leader Lockdown
Barack Obama was here. It was less the arrival of a politician and more a return from the dead of Elvis. It went crazy!
I like Barack Obama. I think he’ll be good for America and a world stage leader that’s sorely needed at this point in history. But I’m nervous of the mania surrounding him. Even those that are supposed to remain impartial (the news media) are fawning over the man. They swoon. They giggle like school girls when he looks at them and smiles.
Fact is, if Barack Obama doesn’t stay grounded. If he’s like many in this world and prone to getting a swelled head as a result of excessive love, than the legacy of greatness is in jeopardy. Barack Obama could become the political equivalent of Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, or John Lennon. Getting to a point where he believes his own hype. Could the White House become Neverland II? Could Obama’s Beatle’s be cast aside for more experimental “music”.
Hopefully Obama remains strong and grounded. And hopefully the world just lets this guy become a great leader rather than worship him endlessly.
This week, Barack Obama came to Ottawa. And it was ironic that the leader of the free world came to visit a free country... and the freedom was torn from our grasp.
Main roads... six lane divided roads... are closed for hours at a time in order for Obama’s crew to drive the streets alone. Okay, this is a hindrance but it’s understandable.
This procession of tank like cars have a cell phone jammer included in the entourage. So for those business people in the middle of big business calls... hopefully you weren’t too close to Obama or your Blackberry would go on the fritz.
Air travel grinds to a halt. Air Canada is bad enough at delaying flights for no apparent reason. The arrival of the President shouldn’t force a flight to Halifax to sit on the tarmac for an extra two hours. How many travelers missed connections simply because Obama came? And what was with the Secret Service driving SUVs after Air Force One when it lands? Do they really think a jumbo jet is in danger as soon as it hits Canadian soil? And if so, do they think a couple of supped up Yukons speeding down the runway is going to protect said jumbo jet?
Traffic cameras are an aid for the commuter. You can check the internet before heading out on your trip and see what’s blocked up and what’s free wheeling. Not on Obama Day though. The downtown Ottawa traffic cams are all disabled in order to keep his route to parliament a secret. In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t all that big a deal. But it’s still overboard in it’s planning.
Why was the traffic cam disruption not too big a deal? Well because you weren’t going to be driving downtown anyway. Most, if not all of the downtown roads were closed to traffic after 7:30 on the morning of Obama’s arrival. The leader of the most capitalistic society on earth causes the business district of a city to basically shut down.
Manhole covers are welded down and mail boxes are dragged away. Not rain nor snow will disrupt the mail, but a visit from a nation’s leader will.
The most popular part of Obama’s visit was his impromptu visit to the Byward Market. And although this does come off as good, how much more headache did it cause others? Did Bronson Avenue remain closed for an extra half hour while we all waited for Barack to get maple leaf cookies? How many trips were stalled at the airport while Air Force One sat getting de-iced while waiting for it’s passenger to get back?
But the worst part of it all was the warnings given to residents who happen to live along the route Obama’s motorcade took between the airport and downtown. “Don’t open your window or step out onto balconies... sharp shooters will not appreciate it.”
So not only are freedoms within the city put on hold while Obama comes, but for those living in a particular area, freedoms are taken away within your own home?
The most disturbing part of this is how matter of factly the media announced these things. Threat of being shot if you go out onto your balcony was announced with a smile just before throwing to the weather.
No, there were no complaints or concerns at all from a media point of view. Fourteen hours of coverage for a seven hour trip bombarded us with giddy street reporters proclaiming that they spotted him as his car speed by (we got several replays of that moment to help fill out the fourteen hours). Replays were also needed for Obama’s joke regarding his left handedness. Analysis of snippets made nothing into stories. Michaelle Jean is overheard talking about “the new Prime Minister.” Does she know something? No... a half hour later the media inform us that she was talking about the Prime Minister of Haiti.
And then there were the public interviews. Obama is inspirational because “He’s black, and I’m black, and now I believe I can do anything.” But he’s also “Mixed race, and I’m mixed race, so now I believe I can do anything.” A German man who was in the country visiting friends is said to be here from Germany to see Obama! And a couple that are originally from Chicago but now living in Ottawa... when asked by Heather Hiscocks “what brought you here?” She didn’t get the answer she was hopping for. Surly she wanted something along the lines of “he’s black...” or “we both came from Chicago, so he’s like us...” Instead, the answer she got to “what brought you here?”... “We drove”.
Yes Obama is a special type of leader. He brings excitement with him and inspires those around him. But my wish is that we can get a hold of ourselves. Look beyond the idea that because he’s black, or mixed race, he’s special. Our society will never be inspired to be anything more than we are if we remain focused on such superficial issues. And, for the love of God, let’s stop accepting locking residents in their own homes the next time the leader of the free world comes for a friendly visit.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Making It Up As I Go Along #357
THURSDAY...
— Busy day at work. Lots of computer troubles and plenty of work coming in. Oh well, we make it through. It’s too cold again. -20s is getting to be too much.
FRIDAY...
— Work is alright as far as day shift goes. It helps that I slept better than normal for days.
— Got a brunch treat today. Tom went to the caf and brought me back a baggle stacker. I mention this because when I got half way through, I drop what’s left on the floor. Brunch suddenly halted... a pause to mourn, then the day goes on.
— A few groceries on the way home from work.
SATURDAY...
— A quiet time around the house and then in to work. It warms up tonight... getting to about 6 degrees at one point.
SUNDAY...
— Long day. I sleep until 11:30... watch a little TV... back to bed at 2:30... up again at 3:30... ball game at 5:00 (we lose a close one). Then work until 5:45 AM Monday. Work goes alright but I’m quite tired by the end of shift... even more than normal.
— Showdown! Skunk vs. Brown. That is to say, when I left the gym at HQ, I’m greeted at the door by a skunk. It’s no more than six feet away from me when I go outside. It runs, I stop.
— Showdown! Skunk vs. Brown II. We seem to be deciding to go in the same direction, I take a different path (the snow is a foot or so deep so there are set paths around the complex) but the skunk looks to double back and turns at a junction, meeting me in a Western like showdown. At high noon, I whistle and skunky goes running again.
MONDAY...
— Quiet day. Less than 5 hours sleep so I’m tired. Hang around the house, watch a little TV, nap a bit, and talk on the phone with mom and dad some.
TUESDAY...
— Laundry and some groceries. Really tired until about 1:30 today... then okay.
— Got a package from mom and dad. Some Florida clothes and Barack Obama inauguration mints!
WEDNESDAY...
— Another really tired day. Not sure if I’m fighting something off or what’s going on. But I find I’m fighting heavy eyes and nods every hour or so.
— Rainy night. The sound of the rain is actually nice. I’m glad to have some warm temperatures. I even had windows open for part of the day... getting some new air in the house. I only wish this meant the end of winter. A return to -20 will likely happen before it’s all said and done.
The Signs
A sign that democracy just doesn’t work...
Israel has a minority government to figure out with twelve political parties involved! I thought Canada had it rough with three “real” parties and those other two. But twelve!?! It hurts the head to think about it.
A sign that licences should be needed for parenthood...
That woman in California who just had octuplets. This to go with her six kids already under her roof. Fourteen children yet there is no father involved, she’s currently unemployed, and her plan is to go back to university? Studies show it’ll cost between $1.3 million and $2.7 million for these kids to reach the age of 17 and she’s planning to raise them on student loans?
A sign that twenty-four hour news stations should not exist...
Today’s top story on CBC Newsworld... we have one year to go before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The top story is a one year pre-anniversary? Not that we haven’t been bombarded enough with Olympic advertising and talk on the sports channels, now we need to have real news stations covering it a year before it starts?
A sign that 98% of sports reporters are idiots...
Now that Brett Favre has retired for good, each reporter that mentions it does so with a little smirk and a snide comment like “Is it going to stick this time?” Too much commentary from too many wannabe athletes.
A sign that life ain’t that bad...
When you’re eating an orange that’s all full of seeds and you start to get annoyed, and then an e-mail comes informing you of a child getting leukemia... that orange isn’t so bad after all.
A sign that cell phones cause tumours...
A week after getting one, I’ve had a headache for the last two days!
A sign that you’re sick of winter...
When you see the long range forecast and get excited over upcoming rainy days.
A sign that the above noted orange really did have a lot of seeds...
You step on one hours afterwards even though you thought you had already picked up the seed that fell on the floor.
A sign that Ontario is the most politically correct, vanilla, most uninventive province of Canada...
The holiday called Family Day.
A sign that magazine discount deals aren’t worth it, no matter how good they may look at the time...
Four years later, a single guy is still getting a copy of Chatelaine. (Thank goodness for Melissa!).
A sign that you may in fact be gay...
You’re a single guy, in your mid thirties, and you get Chatelaine delivered to your house! (Oh please make it stop!).
A sign that you’ll always be single...
You have the least amount of hair atop your head that you’ve ever had in your entire life... and it’s decreasing by the day... while TV commercials proclaim how important a good head of hair is on a man.
A sign that the world has gone Obama crazy...
One hundred days in after winning the election, CNN has a program called “The First 100 Days”. Also that, one hundred days in, he still gets talked about in the same breath as Abraham Lincoln.
A sign that we’re in real trouble from an environmental point of view...
There are soon to be two billion cars on the face of the earth. And they’re still making more!
A sign that those against alternative energy are absolutely hopeless...
They complain about windmill farms, claiming they are unsightly. Yet they support nuclear power? Have they not seen nuclear power plants? The only good looking nuclear plant is the one where Homer Simpson works... and that’s good looking because it’s a cartoon!
A sign that you have writer’s block...
You write a post about signs rather than some real story.
— Busy day at work. Lots of computer troubles and plenty of work coming in. Oh well, we make it through. It’s too cold again. -20s is getting to be too much.
FRIDAY...
— Work is alright as far as day shift goes. It helps that I slept better than normal for days.
— Got a brunch treat today. Tom went to the caf and brought me back a baggle stacker. I mention this because when I got half way through, I drop what’s left on the floor. Brunch suddenly halted... a pause to mourn, then the day goes on.
— A few groceries on the way home from work.
SATURDAY...
— A quiet time around the house and then in to work. It warms up tonight... getting to about 6 degrees at one point.
SUNDAY...
— Long day. I sleep until 11:30... watch a little TV... back to bed at 2:30... up again at 3:30... ball game at 5:00 (we lose a close one). Then work until 5:45 AM Monday. Work goes alright but I’m quite tired by the end of shift... even more than normal.
— Showdown! Skunk vs. Brown. That is to say, when I left the gym at HQ, I’m greeted at the door by a skunk. It’s no more than six feet away from me when I go outside. It runs, I stop.
— Showdown! Skunk vs. Brown II. We seem to be deciding to go in the same direction, I take a different path (the snow is a foot or so deep so there are set paths around the complex) but the skunk looks to double back and turns at a junction, meeting me in a Western like showdown. At high noon, I whistle and skunky goes running again.
MONDAY...
— Quiet day. Less than 5 hours sleep so I’m tired. Hang around the house, watch a little TV, nap a bit, and talk on the phone with mom and dad some.
TUESDAY...
— Laundry and some groceries. Really tired until about 1:30 today... then okay.
— Got a package from mom and dad. Some Florida clothes and Barack Obama inauguration mints!
WEDNESDAY...
— Another really tired day. Not sure if I’m fighting something off or what’s going on. But I find I’m fighting heavy eyes and nods every hour or so.
— Rainy night. The sound of the rain is actually nice. I’m glad to have some warm temperatures. I even had windows open for part of the day... getting some new air in the house. I only wish this meant the end of winter. A return to -20 will likely happen before it’s all said and done.
The Signs
A sign that democracy just doesn’t work...
Israel has a minority government to figure out with twelve political parties involved! I thought Canada had it rough with three “real” parties and those other two. But twelve!?! It hurts the head to think about it.
A sign that licences should be needed for parenthood...
That woman in California who just had octuplets. This to go with her six kids already under her roof. Fourteen children yet there is no father involved, she’s currently unemployed, and her plan is to go back to university? Studies show it’ll cost between $1.3 million and $2.7 million for these kids to reach the age of 17 and she’s planning to raise them on student loans?
A sign that twenty-four hour news stations should not exist...
Today’s top story on CBC Newsworld... we have one year to go before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The top story is a one year pre-anniversary? Not that we haven’t been bombarded enough with Olympic advertising and talk on the sports channels, now we need to have real news stations covering it a year before it starts?
A sign that 98% of sports reporters are idiots...
Now that Brett Favre has retired for good, each reporter that mentions it does so with a little smirk and a snide comment like “Is it going to stick this time?” Too much commentary from too many wannabe athletes.
A sign that life ain’t that bad...
When you’re eating an orange that’s all full of seeds and you start to get annoyed, and then an e-mail comes informing you of a child getting leukemia... that orange isn’t so bad after all.
A sign that cell phones cause tumours...
A week after getting one, I’ve had a headache for the last two days!
A sign that you’re sick of winter...
When you see the long range forecast and get excited over upcoming rainy days.
A sign that the above noted orange really did have a lot of seeds...
You step on one hours afterwards even though you thought you had already picked up the seed that fell on the floor.
A sign that Ontario is the most politically correct, vanilla, most uninventive province of Canada...
The holiday called Family Day.
A sign that magazine discount deals aren’t worth it, no matter how good they may look at the time...
Four years later, a single guy is still getting a copy of Chatelaine. (Thank goodness for Melissa!).
A sign that you may in fact be gay...
You’re a single guy, in your mid thirties, and you get Chatelaine delivered to your house! (Oh please make it stop!).
A sign that you’ll always be single...
You have the least amount of hair atop your head that you’ve ever had in your entire life... and it’s decreasing by the day... while TV commercials proclaim how important a good head of hair is on a man.
A sign that the world has gone Obama crazy...
One hundred days in after winning the election, CNN has a program called “The First 100 Days”. Also that, one hundred days in, he still gets talked about in the same breath as Abraham Lincoln.
A sign that we’re in real trouble from an environmental point of view...
There are soon to be two billion cars on the face of the earth. And they’re still making more!
A sign that those against alternative energy are absolutely hopeless...
They complain about windmill farms, claiming they are unsightly. Yet they support nuclear power? Have they not seen nuclear power plants? The only good looking nuclear plant is the one where Homer Simpson works... and that’s good looking because it’s a cartoon!
A sign that you have writer’s block...
You write a post about signs rather than some real story.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Making It Up As I Go Along #356
WEDNESDAY...
— Barely slept last night. Somewhere around 3 hours give or take... it wasn’t real deep sleep even when I was out. The badness of getting back on day shift.
— Work goes better than I expect. I don’t get too foggy in the head with lack of rest.
— Snowy day. It’s fine going to work but probably 20 cm falls while there and the drive home is an hour long with traffic and poor road conditions.
— Supper around 7:30 and a bit of TV before bed by 10:30. Hopefully sleep is better tonight.
THURSDAY...
— Slept better last night than the night before. Still, it’s sad when 5.5 hours of sleep is considered a good night.
— Work is alright. And the drive home doesn’t take an hour this time... thank goodness.
— Little nap but needing to stay up late tonight to get back to my more natural sleeping patterns and night shift.
FRIDAY...
— Regular pre-night day. Up around 10:00. Watch some DVDs. Nap around 2:00. Work... it goes pretty good. Hit the gym and tweak my knee a bit... it’s sore the rest of the night.
SATURDAY...
— Watch some afternoon hockey on TV. Montreal beats LA by the skin of their teeth. Good stuff.
— Work is busier than expected. Most Saturday nights are fairly quiet but we kept going pretty steady until around 2:30... then it started to slack off.
— Tim Horton’s killed me today. Went to get two chilli’s for Melissa and me. The cashier barely understood English, and I had to tell her twice. The person at the food dispensing line seemed more understanding... and this caused me to accept the bag of food without inspection. I get to work finding only one chilli instead of two. I paid for two... but got one. An e-mail will be going to Tim Horton’s on Sunday, let me tell you!
SUNDAY...
— Bed by 7:00 AM... sleep until almost 1:00 PM. Get Steve and we go to softball. We lose again... but play pretty short handed with spares so 11-8 seems like a small victory. Although it wasn’t a good team we played. Oh well.
— Groceries on the way home and watch the Super Bowl with a grocery store pizza.
— Good football game but I tire of the players acts. Back when I was a kid watching, if a player made a good play, he was joined by team mates and they patted him on the back or showed their support for him... and he accepted it happily. Now, players seem to want to get into open space after a big play... so they can do a pose or punch their own chests or flex muscles... it’s all about the individual now. Blah!
MONDAY...
— Hang with Melissa a bit today. Get her at the garage and go cell phone shopping... for me. I know, it’s weird. I’d have gotten one today too except their computers were down and they couldn’t process. But I should get it tomorrow.
— Lunch with Nick and Melissa after that then home for the evening.
TUESDAY...
— Out getting the cell phone. Got a Blackberry. It’s pretty neat.
— To the hockey game with the boys. LA beats Ottawa 1-0. Not a great game but some good fun and a fine meal before it.
— Up late figuring out the new phone.
You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out? I Think Not.
It has happened. The freezing of hell has commenced... I have a cell phone. Not even a cell phone... a Smart Phone!... not even smart... a Blackberry! I’ll soon be making my pitch to buy a hockey team and move them to Hamilton. It’s the only next logical step. For pete’s sake... I even have a Bluetooth thingy sticking in my ear! So now I’ll be able to wander the streets looking like a mad man talking to myself. I’ll be self conscious and point to my ear whenever I pass a stranger... “I’m not mad... I’m talking on a Bluetooth.” I’ll say as I make my turn into a Starbuck’s for some $12 coffee based beverage.
Why get the phone? Well the reason that put me over the top was the new job. 12 hour shifts... driving the highways at 5:30 in the morning... and the amount of dependance we have with our co-workers in CPSIC all added up. Stuck in traffic and leaving someone who’s just worked 12 hours to sit and wait an extra 20 minutes... the least you can do is give them a call.
Plus I’ve come across too many annoying moments over the last year or two. The thing in a little city is that if you miss someone, you can go home in ten minutes and reconnect with them ten minutes after that. In Ottawa, you can drive for a half hour... miss the person... and then drive another half hour back. An hour of driving for nothing.
I have stewed and hated while standing around the airport. Either I’ve missed a connection and the people I’m flying to don’t know it. Or I’m waiting near the baggage pick up as friends or family have never shown up.
It’s an awful thing standing in the massive foyer where loved ones wave from the floor to other loved ones as they swoop down the escalator... standing there is the greeting goes on... and the crowds dwindle down to near nothing. Finally, they diminish to the level of a few airport employees striding by me as I watch pilots and flight attendants drifting down towards me.
You don’t know how much of a loser you feel like until you stand there alone while pilots come by just as that baggage carousel grinds to a halt with some 1980s style baggage left abandoned for the rest of time. Sometimes I’ve felt like taking the bag so together we can fend off loneliness. I could take it home and sort through the oddly smelling socks with holes in the toes and take some little trinket that was bought in Deer Lake Airport some fifteen years ago. A snow globe perhaps. I’d lay it on my shelf and, whenever I’d look at it, I’d remember that time at the airport when my company didn’t show up and I had no phone to get the message with.
So instead of buying $3.00 gum in order to break a five and get on the payphone to see what happened... I got a Blackberry. Where it all comes to me quick as can be. Calls... texts... e-mails... I’m all powerful now.
And now when I go pick someone up for the movies or supper, I can call when I reach their home. No need to park and ring bells or push buzzers while I act as a doorman for the apartment building’s tenants. Now I can stay in my car, tap a few buttons on ol’ Blackie... and beckon my friends downstairs where I await them in comfort.
Hmm, perhaps, upon a re-read, I should not call my Blackberry “ol’ Blackie.” It may get me into all sorts of trouble. I could name it after the inventor... Jim Balsillie ... yes, my Balsie... umm... no, I think not.
I will have to follow Sam’s lead and call it my BB. It will bring all sort of memories of childhood. With BB guns being shot into tree stumps as we sat wishing said stumps were really birds or squirrels. Each time I speak of my BB I shall thing of Ralphie in A Christmas Story... as all he wants for Christmas is an “Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!”
You see the joy a BB can bring? Some may want them for the convenience. Some for the looks. Some to communicate with friends and co-workers. But how many can say that they got their BB to remember the joy of a Christmas movie. And with a Smart phone BB rather than a toy gun, there’s no fear of shooting my eye out!
— Barely slept last night. Somewhere around 3 hours give or take... it wasn’t real deep sleep even when I was out. The badness of getting back on day shift.
— Work goes better than I expect. I don’t get too foggy in the head with lack of rest.
— Snowy day. It’s fine going to work but probably 20 cm falls while there and the drive home is an hour long with traffic and poor road conditions.
— Supper around 7:30 and a bit of TV before bed by 10:30. Hopefully sleep is better tonight.
THURSDAY...
— Slept better last night than the night before. Still, it’s sad when 5.5 hours of sleep is considered a good night.
— Work is alright. And the drive home doesn’t take an hour this time... thank goodness.
— Little nap but needing to stay up late tonight to get back to my more natural sleeping patterns and night shift.
FRIDAY...
— Regular pre-night day. Up around 10:00. Watch some DVDs. Nap around 2:00. Work... it goes pretty good. Hit the gym and tweak my knee a bit... it’s sore the rest of the night.
SATURDAY...
— Watch some afternoon hockey on TV. Montreal beats LA by the skin of their teeth. Good stuff.
— Work is busier than expected. Most Saturday nights are fairly quiet but we kept going pretty steady until around 2:30... then it started to slack off.
— Tim Horton’s killed me today. Went to get two chilli’s for Melissa and me. The cashier barely understood English, and I had to tell her twice. The person at the food dispensing line seemed more understanding... and this caused me to accept the bag of food without inspection. I get to work finding only one chilli instead of two. I paid for two... but got one. An e-mail will be going to Tim Horton’s on Sunday, let me tell you!
SUNDAY...
— Bed by 7:00 AM... sleep until almost 1:00 PM. Get Steve and we go to softball. We lose again... but play pretty short handed with spares so 11-8 seems like a small victory. Although it wasn’t a good team we played. Oh well.
— Groceries on the way home and watch the Super Bowl with a grocery store pizza.
— Good football game but I tire of the players acts. Back when I was a kid watching, if a player made a good play, he was joined by team mates and they patted him on the back or showed their support for him... and he accepted it happily. Now, players seem to want to get into open space after a big play... so they can do a pose or punch their own chests or flex muscles... it’s all about the individual now. Blah!
MONDAY...
— Hang with Melissa a bit today. Get her at the garage and go cell phone shopping... for me. I know, it’s weird. I’d have gotten one today too except their computers were down and they couldn’t process. But I should get it tomorrow.
— Lunch with Nick and Melissa after that then home for the evening.
TUESDAY...
— Out getting the cell phone. Got a Blackberry. It’s pretty neat.
— To the hockey game with the boys. LA beats Ottawa 1-0. Not a great game but some good fun and a fine meal before it.
— Up late figuring out the new phone.
You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out? I Think Not.
It has happened. The freezing of hell has commenced... I have a cell phone. Not even a cell phone... a Smart Phone!... not even smart... a Blackberry! I’ll soon be making my pitch to buy a hockey team and move them to Hamilton. It’s the only next logical step. For pete’s sake... I even have a Bluetooth thingy sticking in my ear! So now I’ll be able to wander the streets looking like a mad man talking to myself. I’ll be self conscious and point to my ear whenever I pass a stranger... “I’m not mad... I’m talking on a Bluetooth.” I’ll say as I make my turn into a Starbuck’s for some $12 coffee based beverage.
Why get the phone? Well the reason that put me over the top was the new job. 12 hour shifts... driving the highways at 5:30 in the morning... and the amount of dependance we have with our co-workers in CPSIC all added up. Stuck in traffic and leaving someone who’s just worked 12 hours to sit and wait an extra 20 minutes... the least you can do is give them a call.
Plus I’ve come across too many annoying moments over the last year or two. The thing in a little city is that if you miss someone, you can go home in ten minutes and reconnect with them ten minutes after that. In Ottawa, you can drive for a half hour... miss the person... and then drive another half hour back. An hour of driving for nothing.
I have stewed and hated while standing around the airport. Either I’ve missed a connection and the people I’m flying to don’t know it. Or I’m waiting near the baggage pick up as friends or family have never shown up.
It’s an awful thing standing in the massive foyer where loved ones wave from the floor to other loved ones as they swoop down the escalator... standing there is the greeting goes on... and the crowds dwindle down to near nothing. Finally, they diminish to the level of a few airport employees striding by me as I watch pilots and flight attendants drifting down towards me.
You don’t know how much of a loser you feel like until you stand there alone while pilots come by just as that baggage carousel grinds to a halt with some 1980s style baggage left abandoned for the rest of time. Sometimes I’ve felt like taking the bag so together we can fend off loneliness. I could take it home and sort through the oddly smelling socks with holes in the toes and take some little trinket that was bought in Deer Lake Airport some fifteen years ago. A snow globe perhaps. I’d lay it on my shelf and, whenever I’d look at it, I’d remember that time at the airport when my company didn’t show up and I had no phone to get the message with.
So instead of buying $3.00 gum in order to break a five and get on the payphone to see what happened... I got a Blackberry. Where it all comes to me quick as can be. Calls... texts... e-mails... I’m all powerful now.
And now when I go pick someone up for the movies or supper, I can call when I reach their home. No need to park and ring bells or push buzzers while I act as a doorman for the apartment building’s tenants. Now I can stay in my car, tap a few buttons on ol’ Blackie... and beckon my friends downstairs where I await them in comfort.
Hmm, perhaps, upon a re-read, I should not call my Blackberry “ol’ Blackie.” It may get me into all sorts of trouble. I could name it after the inventor... Jim Balsillie ... yes, my Balsie... umm... no, I think not.
I will have to follow Sam’s lead and call it my BB. It will bring all sort of memories of childhood. With BB guns being shot into tree stumps as we sat wishing said stumps were really birds or squirrels. Each time I speak of my BB I shall thing of Ralphie in A Christmas Story... as all he wants for Christmas is an “Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!”
You see the joy a BB can bring? Some may want them for the convenience. Some for the looks. Some to communicate with friends and co-workers. But how many can say that they got their BB to remember the joy of a Christmas movie. And with a Smart phone BB rather than a toy gun, there’s no fear of shooting my eye out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
