as many of those that know me ... know this is my favourite time of year.... though I haven't been away from home for halloween in a long time I am finding that things aren't out of the ordinary.... so far......

I have been looking forward to partying with the locals but I didn't quite know the days that the parties were taking place.... sadly I found out I missed one of them... but I didn't miss the biggest one.... the local community center holds a party every year and I found out about it the day of the party..... while I was at work.... my halloween stash of costumes and such is back home in cape breton so I am without a costume and my real idea I wont want to waste until I can spend halloween at home .. or at least with a bunch of real friends

after I finished work I scrambled to the local stores to come up with an idea other than a scarecrow (which I have never been but always wanted to try it) but the local stores were just tooooo busy and I didn't want to compete with the savagery in the middle of a store..... I quickly found a hat and shirt and dissapeared to work on the rest of the costume... by the time I got home I had two hours to get ready.... and I realized that I didn't get any makeup.... but I think the makeshift mask I made from scratch worked out pretty good.... you'll notice that it appears wet around the mouth.... I found that beer goes through the mask quite well

I get to the party to discover that they have a $10 cover charge.... but I must admit it was worth it... the band was fantastic... the only thing that was missing was my halloween buddy.... and she better send me pics of her night out too lol.... so being in a new place and not knowing anyone I began the halloween stagger.... I took up posts at different parts of the hall and every now and then people would turn around and point at me... a mixture of "Oh my god" to silly laughter.... pretty much the whole reason I love halloween....

then I pulled out my camera.... I started taking pictures of some decent costumes when all of a sudden some guy comes running out of the crowd.... he's got a storebought costume of an Egg riding a chicken.... he starts dancing or jigging out in front of me so I take a picture... he freaks out and wants to see the picture..... I show him and then he starts exclaiming it's awesome and how cool I am... I want to leave but this over excited weirdo has his arm around me ... eventually he loses interest and runs off to bother other people.. but it was quite funny to see

after the hall party gave out the prizes the crowd started to leave and we made our way over to a different bar.... at this point I had the mask off and some woman came up to me (she was dressed in a doctor suit) and told me that she liked my costume but it creeped her out.... isn't that the whole idea???? but now that I've been unmasked I am gonna have to come up with a different costume for wednesday's "skaraoke" at least I should know a few people this time ... and perhaps I'll even make some people scream..... it's happened before lol

I wonder what it is about people that makes them do weird or inapropriate things to other people.... perhaps it's just subconsious behavior but maybe like I've said before.... people just want to see what the reaction will be....

last night after work I ventured to the bar as usual and found that my dad and his lady were already there (they dont go very often) and a mish mash of other regulars that I'm becoming to know.... the night rolls on and dad gets the idea to order pizza.... when it finally arrives the people at our table take some and there is still some left... so pizza is passed around the bar.... gotta love small towns for things like this.... the pizza would never make it into a bar back home (as far as I know) but then comes the lady with the roses.....

almost every evening (that regularly has a crowd) this lady comes around to the local bars to sell roses.... some of them have animals attached to them (usually a monkey) ... depending on how drunk the patrons are she doesn't sell many.... I am still wondering why she insists on asking me every time she comes in... it's futile lol..... anyway my dad ends up buying one for his lady and it gets left on the table.... a discussion about rose petals comes up.... I mention that they are edible and that they make a neat sound when you crack them with your hands (I'd have to show you what I mean) after a while dad and his lady got up from the table for some reason and I'm not really paying attention..... I hear a loud crack like something being blasted on the table..... I look over and I see the rose... or whats left of it.... the man holding it is a good freind of ours but the poor flower is just a stem and leaves now.... the petals are missing...... the man is now trying to find out what the hell the rose is.... and why it was sold looking like that..... 'what a rip off' he says.... and then he suggests that it looks like a kerosene wick

dad and his lady come back to the table and sadly the first thing that is seen is the deflowered flower (yes I actually called it that in the bar) my dad's lady starts freaking out.... some lady sitting next to the guy that did it is narcing on him by pointing his way behind his back..... next thing that happens is the man and dad's lady start arguing over the stupid waste of money flower... I mention that perhaps someone ate the flower..... (that didn't go over to well) and she starts to think that I did it...... then finally the petals are found.... they must have flown out of the plastic wrapper and landed on the floor behind the table.... in my infinate wisdom I get up from the table and pick them up as a joke I put them on the mans head.... he wasn't impressed and thinks I was the one that narced on him.... and then I start cracking the petals with my hands... it makes loud sounds and people aren't really impressed.... it amuses me so I keep doing it... the petals are eventually put back in the plastic wrapper and the man exclaims that it is the best looking flower in the joint.... at this point I have to leave the table because I cannot stop laughing...

I'm almost afraid to mention the flower again.... but because I am me.... and of course reactions... I know that I will at some point....

what a gas.... no I dont mean the seemingly disgusting smelly kind.... I am refferring to karaoke.... resently I have been attending the karaoke scene on wednesdays but only because there is usually a crowd in the bar that day... I normally play pool and laugh at the various craziness that happens .... but this week was different....

I was at the bar talking to the bartender when a lady came over to order a drink... I had met her a few weeks ago and we started talking after which she went back to her table with her friends.... a while later while I was just chilling with a beverage the bartender asked me why I didn't sing.... I dont really have an answer for this.... one of my silly phobias is speaches or as it turns out .. singing in public.... it's actually quite strange because I love to be the center of attention.... but for some reason I get all hot n blushed when I am in that type of situation.... but I must add that this goes away quickly as I get quite comfortable with being in the spotlight......

anyway the lady I had mentioned earlier came back to me to let me know that she had signed me up to sing a duet with her..... I began my poor attempt to talk her out of it but she would not take no for an answer.... so short of leaving the bar I was forced to overcome this silly phobia .......

a few weeks ago the first time I had talked to this lady she had challenged me to a game of pool (because I was playing alone) and since I was just shooting I welcomed the game.... sadly I had creamed the table and she refused to play another.... I mention this because she wanted to get me back for this embarrassement and figured that I would make a fool of myself singing....

she was wrong...

I spose it helped that I really didn't want to get up and sing and kinda mentioned that I probably wouldn't be very good..... luckily for me... she picked a song that I knew ... sorta.... my first couple of notes were sung off key and out of time... but then I recognised the song and shook off the hot red faced feeling then started to actually sing.... it still amazes me how much I can actually do if I try.... there really isn't to much that I cannot do... eventually...

sadly with that being said I may now have to be a karaoke singer with my new found friend... unless of course she is mad that I didn't do terribly lol

I witnessed one of the most funniest things in a supremely long time yesterday..... but first (as usual) some back story first.... a while ago I was shown a clip from Saturday Night Live featuring an actor that I cannot stand (Will Ferrell) and one that is great (Christopher Walken) about none other than Cow Bell.... for those that have never seen it...



(hopefully the link is still good for you if not I could email a copy to you I'm sure upon request) I watch this once in a while because it is so funny I cannot help laughing every time.... recently I have told my dad about it and even showed him the clip so he could understand what the local radio anouncer was talking about when he often mentioned his fixation with the beloved cowbell..... and now the radio station(Lethbridge Rock 106) sometimes happens to play the Blue Oyster cult Cowbell song I can't help thinking of the clip and imediatly start laughing

yesterday while working on a jobsite the song came on and I of course start laughing..... I walked around the house to get something from the trailer and when I came back I could hear this banging sound that was seemingly to the beat of the Cowbell in the song..... I thought it must be coincidence from the carpenters building the house next to the one we were working on ..... as I turned the corner the most strangest sight caught my attention and I doubled over in complete laughter

my dad was imitating the Will Ferrell dance while banging his hammer on a peice of board to simulate the Cowbell.....

sadly I may have to do this myself one day..... and I hope I get a similar response

I came accross a new bar game on the weekend... I was bored and sick of staying in on the weekend so I went in search of a place to hang out.... I drove past a new place in town but there was a huge lineup and there was no way I was waiting anyway I ended up at a pool hall that was seemingly packed and half the bar crowd was involved in a game.... it's called name that tune.... and well just as it says... there are different teams and they take turns naming the tune.... the music ranges from different genres and eras but it was lots of fun watching them compete..... one of the teams was a bachelorette party.... some of them were taking turns with the huge plastic dick.... apperantly it was a spring loaded gun of sorts... but they were not just shooting people with it.. they were pretending the nasty with it as well.... (I'll leave this up for imagination) I think I may have found a new fun place to go.... but we shall see after next week... I'll just have to get a team of my own now ... all for good fun of course because I highly doubt I can name the country tunes lol

I enjoy swimming .... it might even be one of my favourite things to do ..... however throw rides or excitement with it and I'm overwhelmed with pleasure.....

as I previously posted... I went on a small road trip over the turkey weekend.... I was invited for thanksgiving dinner with my cousins in Edmonton... the dinner was delicious of course so I may even go again someday ..... but lets get on with the story.....

after dinner I was expecting to just sit back and relax but it turns out plans for the West Edmonton Mall were in effect.... me and my cousin took off leaving everyone behind because they were either too young... tired... or hung over (I'm not really part of that story so I'll just leave it out) well at first I thought it was gonna be for the amusement park but we changed plans at the end and decided on the waterpark.... so I was expecting slides and wave pool ... but not the monstrosity that stood before me.... when I walked out of the change rooms I could see the pool.... then some slides.... then looking up .... I mean way up... there was another set of slides that go from the ceiling to the floor.... this is no small feat...... they are well over 50 feet in the air.... but the one that stands out is the red one.... it's a straight down drop.... luckily we didn't go to that one first....

We start off with one that is described as being flushed down the toilet.... of course I cannot wait to try it.... it's a slide that dumps you into a huge plastic hollowed out top with the bottom cut out so you can be dumped into a pool below.... quite neat.... so you slide then spin around the top thing simulating the spinning of the toilet... then fall through the hole in the center .... flushing you into the pool below...... but after I get flushed.... I get the crap scared out of me with the red slide you see in the picture.... I'm not really scared of heights but there are some things that just plain old bother me..... this was one of them... but I wasn't gonna let my fear get the best of me... especially since we passed a few people as we were climbing up (the millions of stairs) that were climbing down because it was just too scary..... I can't really blame them but there was no way I was doing the walk of shame... my cousin would have beat me up or something haha... anyway I sit on the edge of the slide... there is only about a foot or so of slide to sit on before the edge or abyss as I like to say.... basicly it would be equivalent of walking over the edge of the 50+ drop to nothingness... (ok my description is meant to describe how terrified I was of being that close to the edge.... but not as terrified as other people I know) so I am sitting on the edge with water gushing behind me for the slide... I'm inching forward and I have my hands on the sides of the slide when all of a sudden I start going... sadly my hands are still on the outside edge of the slide when my mind instantly tells me to wake the hell up and grope my shoulders in a huge self bear hug... I'm being flung with g forces plumeting to my death.. water splashing all over me.... I cannot breath because I fear I will fill my mouth with blood curdling screams like the girl that went before me (yes I laughed at her screams even though I knew my skin was crawling at the prospect of going over myself) after about a second of feeling like the coyote falling forever from the cliff to the ground the g forces start to change.... instead of falling downwards I am sliding sideways and I can feel the water splashing everywhere and I am not dead.... I start to breathe again but sadly I get a mouthful of water then the plunge into the pool at the end.... but the feeling of relief is not there....... only adrenaline..... gotta do it again..... yes people conquering fears is the ultimate excitement... and I did it at least 6 times that day....

the slide beside it is a purple one.... it's similar to the red one but instead of straight down it has humps.... kinda like the super slide at the fair/amusements/circus.... only with water..... I get on the slide and push ahead this time I do not grab the side I just tuck and go.... the first hump comes and I actually catch air.... I freeze even though I was warned about it.... I didn't expect it... my hands shot out as to help brace my fall... I do nothing but slap my elbows into the side of the slide.... so now I have sore elbows and I continue down the slide... there are two more humps.. but I make it through without further incident and suprisingly without a sore butt from the landings

the other slides were fairly straight forward for slides.. twisty turny kind that proceed to the ground... very calm and relaxing .... no plummeting.... then there is the wave pool... for anyone that has never heard of a wave pool... it's basicly a pool that simulates a beach on the ocean... minus the sand.... this one has most of the people in tubes just floating around wile the 4 foot waves splash them around ... if your fortunate enough to be in the center of the big wave you get to go for a ride.... when I got to the wave pool I set myself up so I was the furthest one out and first in line for the big wave..... I was on my belly on the tube facing away from the wave but towards the crowd... I leaned into the wave to get the most force possible and as it caught my tube I began to spring forward into the crowd... a few overly suprised people ducked out of the way or into their tubes so they wouldn't get hit.... it was amusing..... on the next wave I managed to seemingly play ring toss...... a man was clutching onto three tubes with kids in them.... I couldn't stop in time but managed to hop off the tube thus launching it into the air.... the tube landed around the man and we all had a good laugh over it....

but alas my trip was over and it was time to head home.... I managed to drive from (near) Edmonton to Lethbridge in 4 hours passing two speed traps along the way.... spose my luck continues... hopefully it will continue for the next year to accommodate a few more trips.. one of them being to the cape in the not so distant future..... yes yew have been warned

weekend adventures bring me to Edmonton for thanksgiving.... on the drive up I came accross a pile of wood in the middle of the highway... luckily for me someone had already run the pile over so there was a space for my tires to fit through without wrecking my car...... another interesting thing that happened along the way was the fast driving lunatics... oh ... perhaps myself was included in that.... well some dood was doing 150 or so and luckily he sped ahead of me ..... he got pulled over though so unlucky for him...... but it was quite kewl that I didn't get busted for it....

something else that happened while I am in Edmonton.... I travel all this way to lay sod with my cousin's husband lol..... and then we spent the day at the junk yard.... the junk yard is set up with all the cars are on platforms so that you can take them apart for the parts you need... it is a neat setup...

I'll be heading to the legendary West Edmonton Mall sometime today after thanksgiving dinner so that should be interesting.... perhaps I'll even have some new stories after this

remember playing in leaves? I haven't done it in a super long time and yes I do miss it... course I dont like the raking up part but the diving into them was well worth raking up... but then again there were times that I got hurt.... I remember one time that I had raked a very large pile and ran back to a distance I could get a good leap from ..... after a couple turns I decided to do it head first... yes.. full on superman dive.... it was great till I got a stick in the face..... and of course other times when ya get leaves in the mouth... sometimes ya just can't help but leave the mouth open because your sooooo excited.... I know I'm not the only one that has done this......

by the way I didn't take this picture... but I recently worked at a home that had a driveway through trees similar to this.. it was very nice...

well it's that time of year again and this will be the first year in a long time that I dont see the spectacular colour changes.... it seems that the leaves are just falling off fast here... add the wind to the equation and you have self piling leaves..... and not small piles either.... I left the coffee shop the other day and by my car was a pile of leaves.... somehow I resisted the temptation of jumping into them..... but today..... I noticed someone that couldn't resist it.... I dont know if the kid was showing off or not but outside the coffee shop was a kid gathering up the leaves and throwing them up in the air.... he did look like he was having a bit of fun.... course he also was over come with excitement that he ended up eating some leaves as well.... quite funny if you ask me.... but not quite as much fun as the kid was having.... maybe I'll have to act like a child later this week.... who am I kidding... when do I ever stop...

what is the deal with fluffy boots?? and they are mostly on oriental women.... but I'd put money on other women wearing them if they could 1. find them and/or 2. afford them.... perhaps you dont know the type I'm talking about.... they are actually kinda neat looking with the right attire.... skirt or short dress.. but I've actually seen some people wear sweats with them.... it's strange looking.... by the way the posted picture is just an example.. there are many different styles of them... these ones are not really the fashionable ones I'm talking about but it doesn't really matter

what's worse is that I am reminded of a time back when I went to school and wore my swamp marchers because I walked to school in rain or snow... people used to make fun of me but my feet were dry and warm ... meanwhile the people that usually made the fun were standing outside shivering their asses off and more often than not puffing a smoke ...... maybe I shouldn't mention this but my swamp marchers weren't much different than these type of boots.... the only difference is mine weren't really fashionable lol..... but then not much of what I wear is.... I'm more into affordable and comfortable than looking like a star or being broke...... anyway I wonder if the women that wear these boots still wear them in the winter time..... I bet they bring out the high heel shoes instead