well I am alive after all... I had a very long drive and of course there were a few highlights of the trip... before I get into that ... first I will begin by saying I've been up to some strange things I've never done before and since I dont have regular access to internet I"m going to try to date my information accordingly (since I'm quite forgetfull this could be quite a task) on the beginning of my trip I was flagged off by a Bald Eagle.... it actually swooped down in front of the car.. I was in so much awe that I nearly went off the road..... well probably not but I did slow down to check it out... sadly no pictures but I did think to stop to take them... I figured by the time I get the camera set up it would be gone by my cars calculations I drove 4334 km (I think I missed three stops milage though) I know this is wrong because the actual distance listed on the maps from where I am and the cape is at least 5000 km's and I dont think I took any shortcuts (perhaps) ... I put 531 liters of fuel in the car... now this statistic probably wont be interesting to anyone but me but from coast to nearly other coast I was only passed aprox 18 times... I lost count in Montreal but that place doesn't count because they drive like nutz there.... and I was trying to locate the turnoff for a new route I wanted to try... needless to say I didn't find it .. but I know where it is now for next time... anyway the most important stats are of course how many cops I saw.... this would include 18... 3 of which had flashing lights... boring isn't it... no.. actually it's not... one of these wonderful police officers with flashing lights decided it would be time to pull me over.... yes I got pulled over in th emiddle of buttfuck nowhere....

the story goes like this: I was driving along behind a transport truck... I have a new love for driving behind them because at night it is safer and as long as there aren't any hills you tend to motor on at a constant rate of speed... if you get behind the right one you motor along above the speed limit just enough so you dont get pulled over ... and of course if they are passing people you know it's gonna be safe to pass too.... anyway this truck I"m following is doing 100 in a 90 zone so this suits me fine because the roads are twisty.. anyway we are going along just fine and I'm getting the time to pull over feeling.. (sleepy) I nearly pulled over into a truck stop but was going to fast and missed it because all the lights were out so I decided to keep going to the next one.... mistake ... we motor along until we come to another town..... we slow down to the speed limit through towns of course and there hasn't been anyone behind us for ages when all of a sudden there is a car behind me and real close too.... I think to myself it's a cop..... but keep going..... we are about to pick up speed again on the other side of town when all of a sudden the flashing lights come on confirming yep.. it's a damned cop.... I pull over to let him go by.. because I"m not doing anything wrong... he pulls over behind me.. fuck.. what the hell does this dick want???... perhaps he was lonely and needed some company... meanwhile my driving companion is speeding away... not cool.... I roll down the window and nearly forget to turn down the music.... (I dun think he would appretiate trying to speak to me over the music... might arrest me) he says good evening sir.... what a fuckn opening ... I refrain from saying it certainly was and just agree with him... he asks me for my paperwork... I conveniently have it ready for him of course (I know how these things work because I've been in the car with other people being pulled over many times) he asks me the usual questions like where am I headed and where coming from.... then he asks have I been pulled over before.. I say never in my life.. (this isn't true but he doesn't need to know that) he replies with so I popped your cherry.... geez I refrain from making an idiotic sexual comment and say I guess so.... the guy then tells me why he pulled me over.... it was because a bulb that shines on my license plate was burned out.... WHAT????? this dickhead was pulling random people over to fuck with them trying to locate bad people.... yew fukn dick!!!! anyway all my shit was in order and I was obeying the law so he goes back to his car and checks it out... legit... he comes back and tells me so and ends with have a safe trip... there's a tim hortons ahead if you want to pull over for a bit...... ok so not only is he a dick but he lied to me too.... after I pulled away and drove off I did not pass a tim nortons anywhere near there... but that was my big scare of the entire trip
perhaps this isn't exactly true... there were a couple other scary moments but I dont concider them really scary because I"m a competant driver and wasn't in any real danger.... but cops pulling me over scare the crap out of me... but only because I could potentially lose my license if they want to be a prick about it... anyway the other moments consist of mostly bad drivers... I was driving along at a good clip of speed in the praries.. yes of course I was doing above the limit but all of a sudden some dick decided to pull out in front of me ... this wouldn't bother me except as soon as he pulled out he hit the breaks.... what??????? so I slow down.. maybe he has some sort of perception that a cop is ahead and figures he'd be kind and let me know the only way he could.... course not he was being a dick... he pulled back into the slow lane seconds after he did this and proceeded along... I had slowed down so I didn't plow into him (not slamming the breaks on of course cause I"m a competant driver) anyway after a few moments of caution and checking out the area to verify the possability of cops presense.. nope none... I pick up speed again... as I"m passing the asshole he's got his hands over the side of his face to sheild the embarasement of what he just did.. he either didn't see me until it was too late or he did it to be a dick... I"m voting for the second option... he's lucky I was not in the mood for retaliation.. I realy wanted to pull in front of him and hit the breaks ... but I had places to be and didn't want to ruin the trip......

another moment is one of the reasons that I like following transport trucks at night... you see there is a danger of wildlife wandering onto the road and nobody wants that to happen because they make very big messes with vehicles... well I should say ordinary cars and trucks... transport trucks are different... unless we are talking bear or moose... well as I am driving along behind one of the trucks I see the truck kind of swerve all of a sudden and then the trailer kinda jumps in the air a bit... next thing I see is an animal flying out the back end.... I safely divert my car around the carcass being ejected by the truck... and found a new appretiation for driving behindn them... they plow down the animals and I dont hurt my car

sadly there may be one more scary adventure for some... I think if I had been closer to home this may have had a different outcome but I shall explain that after.. I'm not sure if anyone reading this has ever seen them wide load trucks before but for those that haven't it's a truck that is carrying stuff on the trailer that is abnormally large and takes up more than the actual lane they are driving in.... these perticular trucks normally have another smaller truck ahead or behind them to let other drivers know that there is a large load behind or ahead and you are being warned to take caution.... I came accross a number of these on my trip but one in perticular sticks out because the warning truck that was in front of it was coming around the turn ..... in the wrong fuking lane.... yes my lane.. he was driving straight at me... luckily we were in a town at the time and I am very aware of my surroundings so I slowed down.... I look at the moron driving the truck he's waving his hands furriously for me to pull over or something... I dont actualy know what's going on till I get around the corner.... oh by the way the guy swerved back into his lane after I slowed down and pulled off to the shoulder... but he freaked me out.... anyway around the corner I saw the reason for his maniacle escapade.... a transport truck was carrying a house... yes a house... not a trailer house a huge ass fukn house... but it's worse than that... he's driving over a small bridge that narrows the road so there is no room for anyone to get by... I'm no longer cursing the stupid moron that was driving head on in my lane.... I could have been a new doormat or something (probably not since the speed limit was 50 anyway) ... but needless to say those were the scary moments.....

the alternate side to the last part of the story was that since I"m driving an extravagant Kcar I would have plowed into the dickhead and claimed emotional damages as well as all kinds of other things... the stupid fuck would have had to give me a new car as compensation... but I didn't want to be stuck in buttfuck nowhere for days....

other possible events would include sightseeing ... I came accross a 30 foot statue of a snowman.... another town had a depiction of two mooose being stalked by wolves... it was pretty cool.. I wish I had pulled over to take a picture.. another thing of interest to me was yards full of logs... now I dont mean peoples home yards.... these yards are huge lots for processing plants .. the logs were being processed into something else... I took a picture of this because it was facinating... the picture only shows a portion of the logs... the logs could probably fill a football field entirely.. yes tall ways as well..
I dont recall anything else of any importance except it was fucking cold waking up in the morning in the car.... yes I slept in the car on the way.. it was cheaper and since I did the trip alone I didn't have to worry about comfort that much... I probably could have done the trip in 3 days as well but I spent the night at my buddy georges in new brunswick which cost me at least 9 hours of driving.. but it was well worth it....

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my first day in alberta found me driving a standard for the first time in canada... I've driven one before but I didn't go above second gear... it was quite the adventre.... the first time was in england and I was driving in a parking lot to get used to using the clutch... I stalled it a couple times of course... but quickly got the hang of it... I was driving a saab of all things lol... nice fancy car and very easy clutch... the second was a beater clio.... (yew can look this up it's kinda like a chevette but nicer) I drove it from the auto shop to my g/f's place of employment because there wasn't anyone else to drive .... it was exciting at the time cause I had never done it before.... oh and I didn't stall it once along the way lol..... anyway back to the story at hand... my new car is a mustang... what I wasn't told about it was that it has a standard transmission... joy... I had not had any real practice driving one and was expected to drive this around town..... yes it is a really nice fancy car but driving a standard?? not sure I can do this... I get in the car and try to start it... I"m doing this all by myself.... nobody is showing me anything because dad is gone somewhere.... it wont start... I rememmber I have to push in the clutch... ok so the car starts... cool.. I put it in reverse.. it backs up.. rather it rolls back... I give it some gas.. it revs the engine. it's not in gear... as you may know I'm a short fella... the seat is as far forward as it goes... my feet reach the peddles but not enough to comfortably put the clutch far enough to switch gears.... loverly.... the car backs up far enough and I push the clutch in again and put it in first... finally a successful gear change... as I'm letting off the clutch and giving it gas the car stalls.... shit!!... I take it out of gear again and start it up.... put in gear and try to pull away ... stall... this is gonna be fun... I repeat the proceedure again... this time I start moving forward with a shaky shift.... I get to the end of the drivway in first... break check both ways and pull out onto the gravel road... the moment comes for me to shift gears... amazingly I get into second just fine (except for the car shaking violently) an example would be if you have seen the movie twins when arnold is trying to drive a car for the first time.... anyway I drive along and make some more shifts.. I"m in 4th heading down the gravel road... I'm geatting the hang of it.... I smile as I make the turn onto the main road to town .. this is awesome.. I pick up speed again and all of a sudden the car starts swaying back and forth in the back end.. it's a bit difficult to control but I manage... I am a professional after all... the rear tire is low in air pressure .. this is causing most of the swaying... (one of my directions for taking the car was to put air in the tires) I no longer am smiling as it's not as comfortable a ride as I'm used to.... I get to the gas station and pull close to the air thingamajig... but as I'm slowing down the car stalls... I coast up to where I need to be and stop the car... I fill up the tire that is needed and decide to put some air in the rest of the tires... the hose wont reach them... shit.... I start the car and try to manover it to a convenient location for all the tires to be filled... after stalling a number of times I finally get into a position suitable... I fill the tires to an appropriate level and while doing the last one I test it but notice the car is rolling... oh fuk it's not in gear while it's off... neutral will allow the car to roll anywhere of course... luckily I'm not on any incline so it doesn't roll much... I put the hose away and get back in the car... start it up and get the hell out of the gas station before anyone has a chance to notice my lack of knowledge of driving a standard... I contemplate takingn the car for a drive to town for shopping (my original reason for going in the first place) well I make a wrong turn and end up in a dead end..... in my attempt to slow down and turn around some idiot.. I mean impatiant person behind me whips around me and I nearly hit him as I turn left into a parking lot to turn around.... (the car had stalled as I'm doing this) I'm no longer having fun with the car..... but I am determined... I drive to the town and turn around because I'm still getting used to the car... I park it and then go through the motions of turning off and on then backing out and such... I'm getting used to the machine.... I"m beginning to feel more comfortable when again I make a wrong turn ... the whole fiasco goes again as I"m tring to recover from my mistaken turn... this time I dont have an idiot behind me passing me or whatever... but I do stall the car as I try to turn around lol... I finally get back to the main road and head back to the farm... (yes I live on a farm people) I get on the highway and motor on... I switch through the gears and pick up speed to the limit... the limit is 110 here.... once I'm through the gears I can drive the beast properly.. it's when I slow down or am getting up to spead that I have a problem.... since I am up to speed I am actually gaining on people... I pass someone for the first time in a standard.... I'm smiling wide again... then the wipers come on by themselves... what the hell??? this car needs some work.... when I get back to the farm my father decides to let me in on a few aspects of the car... all of which I figured out but could have enjoyed the warning beforhand.. thanks... but at least I am able to drive a standard now.... not well but I'll learn... the car goes up for sale very soon (thankfully lol)

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march 18th
so I have a job of sorts... I'll be hauling cars to a junk lot so they can be crushed... in order to pepair for this job I had to get a trailer fixed.. by this I mean the lights in the back needed to be hooked up so they can be used properly.. you know signal lights and such... the wires have been severed and will not connect to the back of the truck perperly... we have to redo the connections... this turns into an annoying task because we have to rebuild the connectors and have the wires put in the correct locations... the connectors being used are makeshift though so they dont fit in properly... anyway after a while of confusion we discover that the signals work but the rest of it doesn't work when connected up... for some odd reason the lights were screwing up when everything was connected in together.... luckily I'm on a scrap yard so we locate another trailer and rip the connectors off it to use on the trailer we are about to use.... after connecting the wires up everything seems to start working properly magic.. now I can start driving the truck with the trailer....

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march 19th
day one of the tow trucking was actually quite interesting... I learned how to use a tow truck and use it to rig up cars onto the back of the trailer... we picked up a number of cars and dragged them back to where they needed to be... it's not glorious work but with every trip I'm learning a few things at a time... sadly the trip is an hour an half each way so most of the time is just driving around.... even worse on the last trip of the day the truck broke down... fuel pump blew.... luckily I'm working for mechanics and of course everything is all taken care of relatively quickly.... but at least I learned how to use a tow truck ...

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march 20th
I nearly died today (supposedly) in southern alberta there is a lot of wind... and I mean lots of it... there is so much wind that people complain about it like people complain about rain or snow.... they complain about the wind because it is almost as frequent as rain or snow in other areas.... (snow and rain dont happen often here) anyway getting off topic... I almost died today...... driving truck you can feel the wind blowing against the truck as you drive around.... add a trailer..... it's not nice... especially the strong ass winds that blow through here.... so I am driving along the highway and I feel the back of my truck start to swing back and forth... it's only subtle but enough to creep me out... I get the truck back under control and keep going on.... a while later I'm suddenly feeling the same thing the trailer is whipping back and forth but with each swing it's getting more violent.... never being in this situation before I am not completely sure what to do so I let off the gas and try to steer back into control... it's not happening... the trailer whips more violently.... I'm not freaking out but am concerned..... I try breaks.... wrong fukn idea.... the trailer responds with pushing my truck the other way while the trailer keeps going.. I jackknife of sorts and come off the road..... thankfully I'm in farm country so the ditches are quite large.... somehow the truck starts going the right way and I am once again in a straight line.... I pound on the breaks.... oh hell there is a fence in front of me.... too late it's wrapped around my truck.... I plow through the fence post and come to a stop finally... the damage is done... I'm alive.... but the guy I'm driving behind (who happens to be my dad) is motoring away.... I'm not sure if he saw what happened or not but he needed to find a place to turn around I spose.... I get out of the truck... mostly embarassed and pissed off about what happened... I'm in a farm field plowed through a barb wire fence and people are gawking at me from their cars and trucks.... I scream out...."FUCK!!!!!"

perhaps this was uncalled for but it's what happened.... I inspect the damage... one broken fence post... no big deal... the truck is fine.... the car I'm towing is still on the trailer.... the trailer... damn.... the tires are screwed up on one side... it's not going anywhere anytime soon... loverly.... but I'm alive... for now.... my dad ends up getting back to inspect things.... just before he gets there the owner of the land comes by.... great just what I need.... thankfully all he says is are you gonna replace the fence? well I spose so bud I kinda went through it .... and again I'm alive.... so we call the owner of the trucks and inform him of what's goin on and come up with a plan of action.... we disconnect the trailer... the truck starts ... good.. we then get the hell out of there.... tomorrow we will clean up the mess of the trailer..... and yet I'm alive ... more pissed off than anything... oddly enough not even shaking or anything (I've been in worse accidents but never actually driving in one haha)

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March 21st
the trek out to clean up my mess from the day before begins with filling the front tire with air... the tire must have gotten a small leak from the barb wire that was used in the fence... anyway we get out to the scene of the great wreck and count the tire tracks.. they add up to more than what I was driving.. .it's incredible.... well we hooked onto the car on the trailer and dragged the damned thing off then got to work on the trailer... I took the wheels off the back end and we found that the rotor for the wheel had blown up but the axle seemed fine... I replaced the flat wheel with a full one and left the back axle empty.... we dragged the trailer out of the mud and hooked back up to the truck.... and all that was left was fixing the fence.... well the fence post was destroyed so we rigged the barb wire together so it would hold together... I noticed in the field that there were two horses wandering around..... (they weren't there the day before) I wonder if the owner had put them in there so that he might be able to charge me.... anyway it doesn't matter everything is all taken care of now ... all I have to do is stay on the road from now on....

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march 22nd
it never ends.... I dare say that I may be in a world of trouble... it's weeks before my actual job building houses starts and my temporary fake employment is causing more grief than it's worth... I went with the tow truck (since the trailer is dead) on my own for the first time today ... it's a standard so I was a bit worried that I might not be able to handle it.... it was easy... the clutch is smooth.. it's just a matter of holding it in while breaking (something I"ve gotten used to) I made it all the way out to the lot.. hooked up to a big van and dragged it back to where I needed to be... I got to about 5 minutes or less away from the salvage yard when all of a sudden a cop stops me... what the hell!!!!
the cop wants to write me up on something.... he tells me that it might not be safe for me to be driving this thing... well umm ok maybe I did something wrong hooking it up... well I only did what I was shown (actually I wasn't really shown specifically but he doesn't need to know that) the guy gives me a demonstration on second layer safety (yew know just in case the first layer fails) and we go over some other things... the guy lets me off with a warning... I'm a sob story after all... umm no .. I didn't cry.. geez... well after this I get the truck back to the yard and all of a sudden the damned thing stalls... I can't start it... apparently there is a trick to it but the owner is gone.... after lunch I'll go back and try again... maybe even go get another car.. of coursre if I"m not fired...

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March 27th
I've been driving the tow truck for a week by myself and haven't had any issues until yesterday... I went to get one of the salvage cars but nothing was ready for towing... what a pain in the ass so I wasted a trip ... but that doesn't matter I believe after todays events I will not be doing this anymore..... today me and my dad went out to get a vehicle and after half an hour of hooking up dragging and then disconnecting then reconnecting properly (this was a flatbed truck and did not have any rear wheel anything so it was a pain to try to drag out of the lot it was on) we get on the road.... we get to the bottom of the hill and some dood drives up to us saying the truck was his and that he was calling the police..... great just what I need.... we drag the piece of shit truck back to the top of the hill and put it back on the lot we took it from and the police arrive.... the officer asks the guy if he has paperwork for the truck and the man says no..... what a prick... he couldn't prove it was his and wasted our time.... but I dont want to get mixed up in any more legalities over cars that are potentially stolen.... it's time to find a new profession

I'm in my new surroundings.... have to paint and redo some walls but settling in... I have a few stories but not enough time to write them out just now... I'll be in touch soon with an update within the next few days... look forward to it... enjoy for now...

I'll try to start from the beginning.... the entire day I was fretting about how I was going to make it to everything..... I was invited to two house parties and two jack and jill events on the same night... one was last minute (I only found out about it yesterday) but I made it.. it's all good... oh and I was supposed to have dinner with my mom.... busy me

during the day I did laundry and arranged stuff around the house.. started packing.... the usual trying to keep myself busy so I didn't feel alone and confused.... it sorta worked... I watched the last of my tv shows for a while ... (wont have cable or internet for quite some time) till the time came for me to head out on my last cape mission for a while....

I headed for westmount to visit Lisa one last time... for some odd reason I didn't get any pictures.... very odd... but since they were in pajamas and reading tarrot cards I dont think any of them will mind lol

next stop was my buddy Gina's place.... she was getting ready for the first weeding thing(hopefully yew remember what this means if not it's in the archives) .... 3 hours later (or at least it seemed like it) we were heading to pick up rochelle then to the legion... saw a lot of faces I haven't seen in a long time.. it was good to catch up.. but sadly I didn't have much time to spare as I was late for my scheduled appointment at another jack n jill.... sadly it was still early so the party animals hadn't taken over the dance floor yet (it was quite boring at the time) I felt kinda bad leaving but I had to...

the second Jack n Jill was already bumpin when I got there... the table with all the people I knew (and was meeting) was right at the door..... it was also the most busiest and entertaining.. everyone else looked like stiffs and were only there to watch us carry on..... (maybe this was a bit harsh but I call it as I see it lol) anyway I got to see work friends one last time and we all got up and danced ... I bit my tongue so I wouldn't cause hassles with queen bitch of the east that happened to be at the table as well.... she even tried to smile in my direction..... I scowled back instead.... but I was there to have a good time and good time I did have.... at one point when we got everyone up to dance we created a dance circle and took turns dancing in the center.... I may have stolen the show... I dont remember lol... after this most of us headed to hermans.....

I dont really have any stories to tell about hermans except there was more dancing and laughing and more pictures than I care to remember.... one highlight was me wearing my stupid hat (for some odd reason I dont have a picture of this) and gay paul had a turn wearing the silly hat... he even tried a little ghetto I spose by stealing my other hat and wearing it sideways lol... quite funny... anyway it was gettin late and people started to head home.. I said my good byes and all that then went off to slobway for my normal after bar experience....

now for the last few weeks when I have been goin to slobway after the bar nothing extrodinary has happened.... that changed back to normal this week.... while in line awaiting my precious food to be formulated by a sandwitch artist.... this lady starts freakin out ..... she got her finger caught in the doorway because some dood was screwin another woman in the bathroom and slammed the door on her.... the lady demanded the cops be called... sayin she was in the industry for 20 years... I wonder in all her 20 years did she ever show up for them days drunk out of her damned mind and think it was ok to rave like a lunatic ... then she had the gall to wonder why people are staring at her or laughing about her silly situation... (dood behind the counter asked her what she was trying to do going into the mens room anyway lmao)

anyway in all the confusion the lady ahead of me in line stole my sub but brought it back thankfully.... I'd hate to go hungry for foolishness....

but all in all it was a fantastic way to end my career at stream and my visit to the cape.... someday I'll come back but people will not forget me any time soon... the pictures are not posted here as they have been uploaded to the webshots link on the left side... enjoy them.. they are in the jacknjill2 section......

this will be my last post till I get access to internet out west... I hope everything is well with all of you in my absence.... I'll be back... you have been warned

for my last day at stream I am special... I'm doing my job like a good agent.... 2 days ago I received a verbal warning (all documented and everything) for not doing case notes.... so being on probation I have to accomodate work ethic so that I have a chance at coming back (if I need to) but since it's special .... me and everyone around have our tin foil hats on.... it's quite the occasion... I'm sure there will be lots of happy laughing and carrying on in my honor.....

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a few hours into my shift and the fun has spread.... my trip to the crapeteria has everyone turning their heads and pointing... sadly everyone seems to think the aliens are coming... maybe I'm spreading panic instead..... but at least some of them are smiling

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so the tin foil hats are catching on.... people have been coming down from all floors to take a look at the phenomenon..... (even caught some people taking pictures... how they got cameras in the building I dont know lol)

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later on while enjoying the fun on my last day I was told by our Tech Lead George (man in yellow hat) "shut up and get out of wrap" (for those on other contracts it's idle none) perhaps there is still a chance I might get fired after all lmao

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so it's winding down and I shall post a link to my goodbye message that I posted weeks ago when I really didn't think I would come back.... but this time it's official.... enjoy all... it's been real... I'll be back someday I'm sure to start up the I love my job fan club but for now you'll just have to deal without me... try not to bang on yewr desks and kick your chairs to much.. even if it is in my memmory ... I'd hate for anyone to be fired because of me lol

http://jeestuff.blogspot.com/2006/11/as-i-count-down-my-last-hour-at-stream.html

I woke up early today without the help of an alarm clock... for some reason I was raring to go.... I got in the shower and did business...... hopped in the car and was off.... I inched forward out of the driveway but couldn't go anywhere.... something I"m not really used to happened.... traffic.... it being monday morning around 8am (I'm normally assleep) people are on their way to school or work or somewhere.... I just want to drive... I finally get an opening and almost hit the car in front of me .... the traffic had slowed down because of a schoolbus ... it's way to early for this....

I continue down the road and take a side street I'm sick of going 30kmph... finally I get to the highway... 100kmph here I come... yeah right.... mr slow ahead again.... joy a passing lane... the fuker speeds up.... what is about people when they are driving along like sunday drivers and a passing lane opens up they speed up like they are in the indy 500.... and then slow back down to drivin miss daisy after the lane closes.... no matter I"m a proffesional... leaving mr. fake indy in the dust I continue to my first site.... a gas station.... after I fill up I noice a nice scene accross the street and a bird in the middle of the ice patch... strange (the pic isn't really that good)

my second site was the seal island bridge... now I have some fantastic shots of this bridge from all angles except one.... today this got rectified.... after the bridge I turned onto the gravel road by the campground and puttered a ways down till I found a decent opening to take a picture from..... well it was the best I could find without falling down the dliff..... sadly the best shots I've taken are from about 2 years ago... the dirt road brings back memories of family road trips... many years ago we were going to badeck but it was decided to take the scenic route... well let me tell you this dirt road is not very safe looking further down... there are times that when looking out the window all you can see is a 60 foot plus drop to nothingness

anyway up the mountain I go..... I stop at the lookoff point and of course like any decent tourist take some pics.... then I drive down to the Englishtown ferry and waste 20 minutes of my day because I didn't think to bring any money with me... the ferry is cash only and there are no stores anywhere close.... well this isn't a problem since I'm out for a drive I will take the long way around.... this is where my story becomes scary.... the roads are cape breton roads which means they are twisty turny and full of the cape breton pothole.... for those that are not from around here these are either mounds of pavement that shift depending on the time of year ... sometimes flat.. sometimes sunk down and even sprouting out like volcanos (without the eruption of course) craters and all.... my poor car hates me for driving down that road today and let me know by almost killing me... I was driving a bit fast and the turn was very sharp... combine this with the salt and dirt on the road... and of course the cape breton pothole.... needless to say I nearly ended up driving through the wooden guard rail of a tiny bridge because the car launched off the cape breton pothole and slid through the salt gravel but figured the scratched fender might hurt so it turned in time.... I mentioned I am a proffesional and I prove it here

along the twisty roads there are many frozen over lakes and every once in a while you can see some fool sitting in the middle of it ice fishing.... man do they ever look cold... there was one spot that had a hut constructed and outside of it to make it appear homely was a carefully constructed snowman.... the picture doesn't do it justice lol.... I almost drove around to the other side just to get a closer picture.... but my original reason for the trip was more important so I kept driving....

the next site was cape smokey.... now for those people that cringe while driving up kelly's mountain should steer clear of this one... the twisty road all the way up the 700 foot climb are enough to make most any driver freak out at least once... not to mention the steep drop down... I'm more frightened of the idiot drivers that take the turns to fast and end up in the opposing lane... yes some moron nearly took me out because he couldn't control the car... lucky for me he got it under control before I got creamed.....

there really isn't much else of importance to describe except the real reason for my trip in the first place.... now the last time I went to ingonish was probably about 9 or so years ago... it was a camping trip and the highlight (other than the whiskey drunk) was a place called Mary Anne Falls... the falls are set up in the mountain and fall into a pool at the bottom that ranges from 6 to 9 feet deep depending on how much water is flowing at the time of year.... the reason it is so nice is because of the sorta cliff you can climb and jump off of at different heights.... it was a lot of fun.... but I haven't seen it in the winter..... so now you know why I went.... I remember that there was a road that went to the top but it was closed because of dangers of forest fire so we had to hike up the mountain to get to it.... being full of whiskey it was no easy task.... let me tell you ... it's not any better in snow.... the road is blocked off this time of year and turned into a cross contry ski trail.... which is thankful to me because it was packed down and not too difficult to walk on..... (it would have been better if it was plowed off and my car was allowed to go up) well I took a look and decided I came all this way I'm going.... forgetting to take a look at the signs at the bottom that tell me how far it is I begin my journey

5 minutes into the hike I am exhausted.... but I am deturmined and keep going after a small rest... after a while I come to a lookoff point... the view was fantastic.... after another break I keep going.... I come across a couple of nut ski people.... the guy was far ahead waiting for the woman.... a few minutes behind him... she's coming down the hill but she's using the poles to slow herself down.... I felt like knocking her off the skis and taking them so I could go up the hill easier... (or at least coast down the hill) I got in a rythum and motored on... my body finally over the shock of physical activity and is responding to the fresh air.... I stopped occasionally to listen to the breeze flow through the trees... it was very peacefull .... every once in a while I pass some animal tracks... I saw lots of rabbit tracks.. even some moose tracks ... and of course droppings... yuk..... an hour and a half later of trudging and resting I finally arrive at my destination..... I want to die... but I must complete my mission....

I walk closer to the bridge and of course the place is full of snow and not cleared out... nobody ventures close to it so I have to climb through the snow to get my pictures... I notice there is a lone set of tracks leading to where I must go... I piggy back the tracks so I dont sink out of sight... what I dont realize is the tracks are from an animal probably a moose.... I know this because I nearly fell in the fukers dropings.... well I climbed down the snow filled stairs and tried to get close enough to take some pictures.... I snap away and then I get the dredded low battery sign... great just fukn great.... I take out my spare pair and put them in the camera.... they are even more dead.... of course... but at least I got a picture of the moose droppings I nearly fell in.... geez

so with my mission complete it is time for the long ass walk back to the car... I found out from the signs that the walk was just about 7 km... it took me an hour and half to get back to the car... I dont really know how long it took to get to the falls because I wasn't paying attention.. but I timed it on the way back.... given that it was a long walk and I was tired on the way back it's possible that it took less time to get to the top... but I'll never know.... on the way back I did come accross a pheasant but by the time I got the camera ready it had fled into the woods... they are very quick ... after getting back to the car and driving away I did come accross a moose... it was in someone's backyard but by the time I turned around and got back it was gone..... such a shame lol... but nothing else of any importance happened... but perhaps I shall mention that I stopped at a store to get out some money for the ferry.... being tired I was not in the mood to drive anymore so I opted for the quick way.... but it was a decent day just the same

It started off great.. I was chillin at home bored when I get a message come out with me tonight (well ok so it was me that said go out but well that doesn't matter) I get washed up and drive over to Lee's place..... drinks commence... met fella named Troy.. me and new guy tie one on... in teh midst of all this Troy tells us that he was gonna go out with us dressed in a mooo mooo... for those that dont know it's a man dress.... he exclaims it is like a cape but closed in the front... ummm ok.... so we all head to the bar in a cab.... we go to the crapi club... I haven't been here in a while..... I love going here ... the music is good (usually when the stupid DJ either goes for a smoke or whatever and leaves someone else in charge) .. I hit on the girl with the pink hearts on her white shirt... (previous post of claustrophobic girl long time ago) I can't help myself.... anyway she smiles it's nice... we have a good time and then we get outside.. it's fukn snowing... out come the mitts and fuzzy hats... Lee wears troy's canadians hat (nice hat by the way) and we motor down the road to slobway.... we all order and stuff... something happens here but sadly I forget what... maybe I"ll be reminded tomorrow..... oh perhaps it was the dudes that came in after us saying Patrick Roy was at Hermans.... Troy freaks out... man it could have been us there ... I could have gotten an autograph... I know better than this.... we get outside afterwards and I begin to tell the story of the dood that was passed out accross the street from the library and Hurricane hitting the dood with her sub..... My failed attempts to recreate the story end up with my sub flying across the way ripping through the bag (which stays in my hand) and landing on the ground out of the wrapping.............

fuk....

I am in disbelief..... I have lost my sub... it is on the ground... Troy says... umm if that were mine I would be picking it up and eating it... yew know the 5 second rule..... it's a fukn blizzard out and I"m gonna pick up a sub off the ground and devour it..... sorry no... I"m not... I proceed to pick up the sub and throw it all over charollette street.... I hate wasting food... I was severely pissed off.... we end up walking through the snow storm to the gas station .... after a long ass fukn wait we get in a cab and go back to Lee's place where I left my car..... getting out of the cab I discover I left my mitts at the gas station...... and upon further investigation I realize my fukn mp3 player is also missing....... this just isn't my night.... I really need to stop misplacing things...

wings and beer is a wonderful combination... add in the mix a few friends and it makes for an interesting night..... I played hookey from work for my last time ever today to share in the enjoyment of the strange event wings night....

the night starts off with a few drinks at tasha's place while her daughter colors in the book... all of a suddent I'm being shown how to rock out properly (I will have to ask permission for displaying the picture of what I mean)

after the coloring fest and telling stories (I sadly cannot remember them but do remember they were funny) we make our way to the car for the drive to the event... I hook up my mp3 player and belt out some tunes.... the backseat driver shouts change it..... at the moment I have a pile of techno music on the player so of course not everyone likes it lol... so Jo Duo takes the controls of the player and all of a sudden shouts out umm it says erase.... somehow she ended up in the menu system of the player instead of hitting skip and was all of a sudden afraid that she was erasing my precious music lol... so I fix it and we finally agree on a tune... it was a remix of whitney Houston (of all things sheesh).... I proceed to drive us down the road with the three whitneys singing away

We place our orders for wings and beer and the ladies proceed to the back to do some gambling.... the only one that won was Jo Duo lol.... we eat some wings, gamble, drink, laugh n carry on.... after a bit we get a table in the main bar.... Jo Duo couldn't resist bringing a pack of Nibs with her (gotta love cravings) but things become more interesting when it's wondered what the combination of Nibs n Beer might taste like.... so begins the war of who can get the most nibs in each others glasses lol... the pitcher ended up with the most I think lol

I ended up takin off to pick up a friend but when I got back tasha, angel (not to be confuzzled with angle this time) and Jo Duo had dissapeared.... the party continues ... the DJ had began playing music so we danced around and drank up... near the end of the night I got attacked by some old lady who was severly drunk... I'm not sure how I handled it but I got rescued by Gina after some laughter from the peanut gallary....

there has been some concern shown over whether or not I will continue writing about my semi adventures after I leave the island.... I assure you I will do my very best to keep somewhat up to date.... I actually enjoy writing when I have a topic to share... so be warned.. yes I will continue.... yes I'll have more silly things happen around me (there are just too many idiots out there not to) the only trouble will be having an internet access to accomplish this.... can you picture me driving around the big city in my awesome car with a laptop lookin for hotspots to post my latest adventure?? I spose if I can't get high speed internet where I am I'll have to make it my mission to do just that.... look out people here comes that guy in the red kcar again... yep he's stealin internet... (not to mention what else he's stealing while connected to stolen wireless... sheesh) I'll probably get arrested for looking suspicious parked on the side of the road.... I shall make sure I'm not parked near any schools and hopefully I wont be so engrossed in my internet dealings that I wont notice the dood comin for me with a bat or tire iron... yeah I'm not even surfing for porn man.. leave me alone... well anyway in about a week there will be a delay in posts for a while... but I promise I'll make it back as soon as I can..... a new idea has popped up... perhaps if you want to be notified when I post you can send me a note ... I'll create a mailing list and send out a notification to that list when I update.... but if you would rather just come back here every couple days/weeks to check back that's fine by me too.... perhaps yew'll just have to review the archives for a bit haha.... anyway enjoy for now.... it's time for beer n wings... might have a new story to tell tomorrow lol (the last day I played hookey from work)