10 years later and I'm thinking of trying again.  Pretty sure I wont be as committed to writing stories as I once was, but I do have a few I could post for you strangers out there.  I took a stroll down memory lane reading a few archived posts and maybe a bit of nostalgia has taken hold.  I'm not quite as adventurous as I once was but I do partake in some excitement now and then.  perhaps with a new chapter in life I can bring some enthusiasm into these pages once again.  I'm a firm believer of starting off slow however. 

With that in mind which story should I start with first.

I was enjoying a beverage or two yesterday. My neighbour shows up and is also enjoying a beverage or four. I decide to stay outside for a bit because it is still nice. I figure that my staying outside and talking to him will possibly prevent him from singing this afternoon. (see previous post for more information) My dog is outside playing with the other neighbours dog. Actually I dont think it was playing as the other dog is chained up and he's barking his head off at her. She occasionally moves away from him then lays down. This draws him into a false sence of security and he moves closer to her still barking. She pounces at him but he's still to quick for her and gets away in time. She gets close to strangling herself in the process as this is repeated quite frequently. I begin to feel sorry for the other dog because she can't teach my dog a lesson unless she gets off her chain. After a while my dog calms down a bit and goes away from her. Me and my neighbour are having a conversation of sorts. What I mean by this is I'm talking and he's drunkenly slurring his words. I'm about to go in the house because I'm no longer entertained by this point when two guys stroll into the yard. My dog amazingly doesn't bark at them. I then realize they are officers of the law.

Officer1: Is your name John?
Me: No
Officer1: Do you have any I.D. (both Officers looking at my beverage then back at me)
Me: I spose I could get it if I have to.
Officer2: Where do you live?
Me: Here. (pointing behind me as I'm sitting on the step)
Officer1: What's the address?
Me: (I spit out the address)
Officer2: What's your name? (speaking to my neighbour)
Neighbour: mm mmfm fmfmmf ffmfm fmmm (drunken incoherant slurring)
Officer2: Is your name John?
Neighbour: yeah
Officer1: So your who we are looking for.
Officer2: Were you in battle park tonight? (speaking to my neighbour)
Neighbour: No.

Officer1 asks John a few more questions but gets more of the drunken slurring garbage. Nothing John says really makes any sense. I'm finding it difficult to keep laughter down so I begin to pet my dog. I'm contemplating going inside to get another beverage and get away from the officers. I decide not to because I dont really want to miss what's going on. Nore do I wish to give them a reason to start questioning me any further.

Apperantly Neighbour John (or someone driving his car) had been spotted in Battle park driving around seemingly impaired and a concerned citizen had called the police with the license plate. They showed up at the house looking for him but couldn't do anything because he was sitting in a chair in his backyard seemingly talking to me for the last little while. They issued him a verbal warning not to be driving impaired for his own safety and of course the safety of others. Then the nice officers left without wishing me a good day. They did however tell him to drive safely. Thanks for the visit officers. A few minutes later my other neighbours that share the building with John come out. John offers them a beverage. They refuse and he opens a fresh one for himself. We talk for a bit mostly talking about our dogs and their sort of playing earlier. John is sort of still remaining in the conversation with occasional grunts and groans. A few minutes pass and the two neighbours go back into their house. I look over at john. He's passed out in the chair. Luckily he's put the beverage on the table. It appears that the nice officers gave out a warning to deaf ears. If he's lucky he'll wake up and take his sorry ass to bed. It was around 7ish at the time. I went back in the house and watched a George Carlin show to comemorate his death. After the movie I checked outside as I let the dog do his last business for the night. I laugh as I see that John was still in his chair passed out. Looks like he'll be sleeping in the yard for the night. Thankfully it wasn't in a car. Spose me and John are gonna have to have a serious talk next time I see him sober.

I wish I had something to write about here but I really dont. I've been so wrapped up in work that I dont feel like doing anything else these days. That is except for caring for my new friend Pause (Paws). I have a few stories I could tell about him but I will only share them in person. Unless there is a anyone still checking on this site and wants to hear them. My writing days are probably over till I get some fans, desire, topics or something dramatically interesting happens that I feel the need to share. We shall see.

Neighbours make the world sometimes. Good or bad. Then there are some that have their moments of both. I have one such neighbour. He's a nice older gentleman with a well taught ancient dog. He's friendly and has many repetative stories as older men tend to have. He does not have a talent for singing however much he may try. I was in my living room watching a movie when all of a sudden I could hear loud (and I mean extremely loud) moaning outside. The hiddeous sound was accompanied by the occasional mumbled word or two. The moaning became more frequent as the afternoon went on. This evening I can hear what appears to be records playing from his upstairs appartment. The moaning has increased and I believe his dog has joined in. Course it may have been some idiot accross the street making fun. (the second moan sounded like it came from behind my house and the appartment is in front of my house) Regardless of where it is coming from, I hope the moaning will cease before I fall assleep tonight. Even though I have already passed out this afternoon while the bellowing was starting. It still amazes me that I can sleep through nearly anything.

I'm afraid that it's going to be quite less frequent that I post a story from now on as the summer progresses. I've switched aspects of my job for a while and because of this I no longer work chosen hours. I'm learning all aspects of my job instead of just paper and wire. This probably means nothing to most people but it means that I'm extremely exhausted at the end of my shift. I'm not used to spreading stucco on the wall. It's tough work and depending on the type of mud we are working with quite heavy. Sadly the tools I have to work with are causing my hands to be severely sore at the end of a shift. The muscles in my hands are super sore from clenching the handles of the tools hours on end. It will all be worth it in the end though as I'm becoming used to the job and the more I learn the better off I'll be.

In other news my puppy is growing quite fast. He's starting to bark at people. Something I'm probably gonna have to train him to do at certain times only. I now have to keep him on a leash when we go to certain places. I took him to one of the popular local parks today to see how he'd fit in. Like always we started off without the leash. Sadly not ten minutes into a walk he started barking at some old lady. She got startled so much she nearly keeled over. I had to call him back but before I could get his leash on him, (he's only been on it twice now) he started barking at some old guy's stupid yappy dog. The old guy muttered in anger at me to use a leash. Spose that's what the laws are for. However he's still just a puppy and training is going well. He's not a fan of the leash but it's only because I dont normally use it. I haven't had to because I dont take him to public places. That will change soon enough.

It's a bit odd as he's still small but he's started to challenge larger dogs. Funny thing is he doesn't back down but the bigger dogs do. We were in my boss's yard and the neighbours dog came over. Pause (paws) started barking. The other dog is twice the size of him but the poor dog peed and wimpered off. Just a week before I took him to a local dog track (place where you can let your dog loose without the leash) and he cowered before a couple of huge dogs. I'm beginning to wonder if its a good idea to take him places. At least he's no longer pooping in the house. Sign of progress.

It's been a while. Two things have completely consumed my life. The first is work. Nice weather has brought out the workaholic in me. So much so that I've put in a few ten hour shifts and I continue to put them in even though I'm exhausted when I get home each day. It is worth it however as I'll be able to catch up quicker than I had anticipated. The task to get back on track with life continues but the addition of some new friends has helped. Last week I had my first real night out since leaving the cape. It started off with watching some hockey at the bar over dinner then pretty much a mess of a night for the rest. Two bars and a house gathering later and I decided to leave early. Two people had guided me to the house but unfortunately for me I still dont know some areas of town and I left the house without them. Because of this I ended up lost on the west side of town. This made for some funny discussions the next day at work.

The second thing consuming my life is a new puppy pal. I've mentioned him previously and now I have some stories to tell. I'm lucky that he's really smart. I take him to work with me and he just sits at my feet while I do my work. Sadly if I move, he moves with me. Even if I only move two feet over, he will still get up and move because he still feels he needs to be touching someone to feel safe. This makes work a little fun and not so much fun. Fun because he'll lay next to pretty much anyone on the jobsite. Not so much because he makes working difficult by being in the way alot. I haven't really named him still but I think dad's name is sticking to him. Paws. Paws and I were out for a walk the other day around the block when we passed a young ladies house. She exclaimed how cute he was and this caused him to bolt for her. He just loves attention. He started playing with her puppy (which is a few inches larger than him) She asked me what his name was. I told her that I hadn't really named him but that he was going by paws. She suggested I could name him something cooler. Perhaps I should have told her to give me some suggestions.

At work the other day I was working on a balcony and as usual Paws was really close by. I climbed down to get something from the truck but I didn't take Paws with me. Since he's still a puppy, he has trouble seeing and couldn't really tell how high up he was. He doesn't have the concept of stay down yet either but it is something we are working on. Yes you guessed it he jumped off the balcony. Dont worry he is fine even though it was a 6 foot drop. I tested him later in the day by going to the truck again. He stayed on the balcony after that fall.

In the first two days that I had him he learned how to climb up and down stairs on his own. Every now and then he gets a little excited on his way down and sort of slides down them on his tummy. One perticular instance I was a few steps ahead of him and I heard him start sliding so I jumped out of the way. He got to the bottom and did a forward somersault. Talanted dog I have I must say.

I purchased a vacume last week for my fully carpeted home. Paws doesn't like this new addition. He watched as I took it out of the packaging and hooked it up. I proceeded to turn it on. He stood back as I started to clean up. After a few seconds he bolted up the stairs. I found him under the blankets in the bed. Quite amusing. I will be entertained for the rest of his life I bet. Speaking of which my neighbour found a tennis ball at the park. Hid dog is too old to play with it so he dropped it on my step. We are trying to learn how to play fetch. He has chew down pat but the seeing issue is affecting our ability to play properly. Wrestling however is not a problem. Little bugger has some sharp teeth.

I wanted to write a full story but I dont have one just yet. I'm sure one will happen very soon but for now enjoy pics of my new puppy. I have yet to name him but my dad was calling him paws. I may stick with that but we shall see. ....

I was going to wait till I got some pics before I told this story but I doubt I'll have them for a while so here goes.

Before I took my vacation to the cape my dad discovered that his dog Alice was about to have pups. Alice gave him a suprise with ten pups. They have really grown in the last few weeks and as a result have lots of feces. This small factor is going to almost, I stress almost, deter me from taking one of them. Before this weeks snow storm (I'll come back to this) I was in the yard with the puppies trying to decide which one I wanted. I began to play around the yard with Alice and one of the pups followed us around. I soon forgot about Alice and concentrated on the pup. I decided that this pup will be the one I take home.

Later in the day, I was watching a movie while waiting for the hockey game to come on. Two of the pups were clowning around in the hallway. Puppy wrestling is funny to watch but sadly noisy. One of the pups looked like my new pup. The other was snapping at my pup then running away. The running pup kept coming back. As it ran away the final time it wasn't looking where it was going and ran right into the full mop bucket. Yeah I think I chose the right pup.

Now back to the snow storm. I've always had fun in the snow. I'm one of the rare people that actually like snow. Of course this does not include shovelling driveways and such. Then there are exceptions. There have been times where I would go out and shovel snow into piles and build forts or hills. This weekend had one of them occasions. Maybe I have mentioned that my dad lives on a farm. Recently he has moved to a farm that has a natural hill within it's borders. I decided to make my way out to the farm with my snowboard to enjoy some of the snowy weather since I knew I would not be working. Unfortunately upon my arrival to the farm I discover there was not nearly as much snow as there was at my home. Dissapointed but not deterred, I found a sled and a shovel. I began to move the snow around the farm to make paths for my snowboard. The paths were alright but the hill was not steep enough to fully enjoy the snowboarding.

I went inside to rest up and wait for others to return. One thing led to another and time passed till it was dark outside. A few drinks were consumed and a hockey game watched. I could not go home by this point so I did the only thing I could think of. Dressed up warm with beer in hand. Venturing out into the blizzard (the storm had followed me to the farm from my place) I grabbed the sled and proceeded to my paths. Because of the blizzard my paths were now covered over and there was lots of snow now. I set my beverage on one of the lawn chairs then set the sled in an appropriate place on one of the paths. I set it so there would be running room to benefit a slide down the not so steep hill. I ran towards the sled in the hopes of bobsledding down the path. At the last second I dove onto the sled and proceeded down the hill at seemingly breakneck speed. I am quite certain I wasn't going very fast at all but with the wind and my consumption of beverages decided it didnt' matter. I was having quite the good time and in a blizzard. I should probably mention that the path goes through a barb wire fence. Oh stop worrying, I tied it up so I had lots of space to pass safely through.

My dad had ventured outside as well to see if he could start his truck and of course to watch his crazy son play in the snow. I had decided that the sled was too much work. I retrieved my beverage and then my snowboard. The snowboard was a little more tricky because when you get to the fence you have to duck down as to not get hooked in the barb wire. After a few turns down the lousy hill I went to find the others. Apparently my antics weren't as entertaining as I had imagined they would be. Upon finding them I shouted over the wind:

Hi! My name is Johnny Knoxville, welcome to Jackass!!!!

It's not every day that you see a fire but today was one of those days for me. I drove the work truck to the shop and picked up my car to drive home. Along the way I had to stop for a train but I did not see anything else of importance. I picked up my car and began the journey back to my house when I noticed some smoke up ahead. The smoke was quite thick and close to the highway. The closer I got the thicker the smoke so the fire was just starting. It seems that someones motorcycle had burst into flames. I didn't see anyone around, other than the obvious traffic driving by. It could have been possible that the bike was parked along the side for some strange reason. But then how did it become set on fire? Hopefully I'll find out tomorrow but I must say it was quite cool to see. (the picture here is not the actual bike but a quick google image)

The rusty trombone. In all honesty I really do not want to tell the story because it is absolutely disgusting but I also must admit it is hillarious.

Working on a jobsite with a bunch of other guys tends to have its sick adult humor. I am not above this type of humor as I can be as sick as anyone if I really try. The other factor is the amount of swearing that is done. I dont just mean when we hit our thumbs with hammers or other crazy things. Just in general. Sailors do not swear as much as construction people do. Course there is always the exception. My boss is one of them. I dont think I have ever heard him swear in the year that I've known him. It will be interesting to work directly with him tomorrow with my worse than sailor tongue.

Perhaps I'll get back to the story. My first week back to work has been quite entertaining. I have two new people working on my crew. One of them is an older fella that worked with concrete for a long time. The other is a younger fella that has a bad mouth like I do. His stories are much worse though. It seems that in my absence the crew has been taking stabs at each other. Mostly it is the younger fella picking at the concrete dude. I keep hearing about a rusty trombone during my first day back. Sadly curiosity gets the better of me. By the way the conversation keeps flying back and forth I must be in on the joke because everyone is laughing but me.

What is a rusty trombone? This invention is explained to me. My semi virgin ears (and probably yours as well) almost can't handle it. I burst out laughing because of who it's directed to. You may not get the humor but picture a young fella telling an older man that he's perfected the art of a trombone, no matter the partner. (even though the younger fella has no idea what the older fella does at home) Oh alright I'll stop stalling. The trombone is a sexual maneuver for licking an ass and pulling on the male gender part at the same time. Wikipedia has a definition. Yes I know you really didn't want to know (if you didn't know already...... pervert) but for the story to be told it has to be said. Regardless I keep hearing this "joke" on a daily basis now. It gets funny in a different manor.

We were working on a home last week. (I've worked on 4 since I have been back to work, this feat is extrordinary concidering the crew I'm working with) The owner of the house has a tiny dog called chicken. Of course the trombone joke is multiplied with the addition of the dog called chicken. Yes you can imagine the choke the chicken jokes and playing with chicken. It goes on and on mixed with the occasional trombone act. I think I am working with freaks. Now I have to find out how the gerbils fit into the story. Beastiality is nothing compared to this.

It's quite strange having to pick up all new things for a house again. Especially since I bought most of these things two or three years ago. Unfortunately I couldnt' fit a lot of my house "posessions" in the car. I've had to cheap out on some things as well but it's only my first week. After I get settled I can upgrade as needed. The addition of food today was supremely welcome. I for one do not like shopping. I find myself rushing to get out of the store. There are occasions however that I don't mind it. Today was one of those days. I wandered around the stores just browsing. Not really looking for anything in perticular but noticing the people around me. Most were just going about daily business without acknowledging anyone around them. Once I reached the checkout I found myself looking around again. The checkout lady was taking her time bagging things. She had to tilt her head in order to see things. Her glasses were either the wrong prescription or she just couldn't see anything at all.

The front doors have an alarm system and I watched as a girl walked through them carrying a guitar for the PS2. No alarm sounded and the "greeter" scurried for the door to check the alarm system to make sure it was working. The greeter then passed something through the door and the alarm went off. She went back to her post to assume her duties. The next 3 people that went through the door set off the alarm. The greeter then ran to check the bags and such.

Meanwhile near the front is the customer service department. An elderly gentleman was walking along. He had dark shades on and carried one of the blind walking sticks. The man wasn't totally blind, yet. I could tell this because as he passed the customer service department he decided to go in. There is a roped off gate held up by adjustable posts. The man tried to walk through the roped off gate. As the man walked through he felt the tug at his waist of the gate and looked down. At first he didn't see anything so he kept walking. The two posts were dragged behind him for a few feet. He stopped again and finally noticed that he had walked into the gate. I chuckled as the elderly cashier greeted me and began to ring in my items.

After I had gotten my items paid for and bagged I began to walk out of the store. It seems that the alarm system has gone haywire at this point. The woman in front of me and myself set off the alarm. As well as the three or four people behind me. They will either need to fix it or get another three "greeters" to check everyones bags. The poor elderly woman will be run ragged today. Who says that the Walmart greeter has the best job in the world.

My first couple of days in Alberta found us going on an adventure to Writing on Stone. I love this place because of the mounds of deformed and weathered rocks. The added feature that you can carve stuff into the rocks is also quite fun. I scampered off to find the rock I had carved my name into to see if it was still there and untouched. I climbed up and down the hills and cliffs to the place I recall my name being. Before I could look up at the High spot to where my name was carved all by itself, I noticed that I was totally out of breathe. Three months of inactivity had taken its toll on me. All of a sudden I was a bit worried about returning to work the next day. I looked up at the rocks and couldn't see much of anything other than rocks and dust. I had to climb higher to get a better look. I climbed up to the rock accross from mine and got caught with a gust. I nearly fell off the 9 foot cliff like rock. This was the very reason I wouldn't climb up "my" rock. I managed to catch my balance and discover that my name was still firmly embedded into the rock and very much noticable. Even more than when I had first implanted it into the rock. I thought back to the time I had carved my name into a desk at school. The teacher that yelled at me for it didn't think my name carving would be very usefull skill in the future. I know different now.

I returned to work the following day and discovered that it is almost second nature to me now. Even though I'm out of shape now I dont think it will take to long to get back into the groove. I'm already starting to settle in. The only thing that I'm lacking right now is my snips grip. This is still the only part of my job that I have trouble with. I have to use tin snips to cut the wire to fit on the walls of the home I'm working on. Because of the constant squeezing motion, it is very hard on the hands. It gets better after a while but doing this repetatively for an entire week takes its toll on the hands. Then again it sure does beat talking to idiots on the phone for a call center.

I have my own place in town as well. It's a quaint little one bedroom place that is actually quite perfect for my needs. It's close to the places I visited last year (library and coffee shop) as well as a number of other places that I would use I'm sure. This is a turn for the better I spose because I may even get my lazy ass outside this summer to meet people and do fun things. I hope to obtain a bicycle for the bike path in the park. I may even break down and get a new pair of roller blades. This may be a bit extreme however. Especially since my work makes me very tired most days. I think that the relaxation of the beach will be my saviour again this year. We shall see.

I have become a travelling maniac. It seems that I am moving around a lot more frequently as I get older. Even more so, I am enjoying it more. Last year I found myself in a hole that I crawled out of. I am looking forward to this year being my rebuilding year. To start this off I have packed up my car with all of my possessions and moved back to Alberta to resume my new line of work. The trip was suprisingly eventful. Costly, but eventful.

My first day finds me driving through the Cape on the St Peters highway at breakneck speeds. The one thing that didn't change was the Eagle that flew over my car to send me on my way. I'm beginning to think that there could be such a thing as luck or omens because this happened the last time I made this journey. It was beautiful outside as well the weather couldn't have been better. I made excellent time and found myself in New Brunswick before long. It was sunny outside and there wasn't much traffic. This changed as I entered Quebec.

I saw the storm cloud as I neared the Quebec boarder. It was on the other side of the river. It was dark and menacing. I felt it taunting me with an evil smile, wanting to bite into my car and spit pieces out over the highway. I dropped the hammer to try to escape it's snarling bite. This didn't help. It started to snow. My wonderfully fantastic car had some worn summer tires, which made driving more difficult. I found myself behind a slow moving car that was dragging a trailer of snowmobiles behind it. The speed limit is 110kmh but because of the snow the car is doing 80kmh. I begin to become impatient. I've passed before without difficulties in this weather but something wasn't quite right this time.

I drifted out into the passing lane and was imediately held back by some unseen force. It felt like I was running away but someone was holding my belt from behind laughing at me as my feet did nothing to progress my escape. The transport truck behind me crept closer from the safety of the lane I had just left. It was too late to go back now so I attempted to go faster to pass the stupid trailer car. If only I could have been driving one of the snowmobiles instead. The storm cloud laughed at me from behind as I lost control of my fantasticly awesome car. I was headed for the ditch. Luckily I didn't panic as I tried to steer back into the lane but the summer tires wouldn't co-operate. The car kept its course into the ditch.

Something stopped the car from going into the ditch. A 4 foot snowbank reached out for the car like a giant hand. As the car slammed into the guardrail like snowbank it lurched the backend into the air. Pieces of clothing flew through the car landing in the front seat from the back. It took a moment for what had just happend to register. Cars and trucks whizzed by as mine just sat in the snowbank going nowhere. Amazingly the car was still running. My expert driving skills had prevented a supremely terrifying experience from occuring. I could have been on the news as the cause of a 10 car pileup. Instead I was a single car in a snowbank cursing at my impatience and lack of winter tires. Then an amazing thing happened. A minivan pulled in front of me. As I rolled down the window to get out of my car (dukes of hazzard style) A man jumped out of the mini van and started rambling on in French. I sat on my door half hanging out of the window. I hadn't actually spoken since what seemed an eternity. The man rambling in french had me muster only one word: Shit!! The man continued in his French rambling and I suggested he try English. The man said are you ok? I answered yes I'm fine and I looked at my situation.

I jumped onto the snowbank and walked around the car. Amazingly there appeared to be no damage. The car was resting against the snowbank so I couldn't open the drivers side door but other than that it was clear. I mentioned to the French man that if I had a puch I could probably get out. He ran back to his van and produced a shovel and began digging me out. I was impressed all of a sudden by the generosity of this stranger. I couldn't help feeling releived that I was alive to witness this act of kindness. He told me to get back in the car and try to move it as he pushed. After a few minutes and some tire roasting I was out and able to get back on my way. I hopped out of the car to thank the man. As I began to reach for my wallet to hand him something for his troubles (after all he did all the work) He just shook it off and wouldn't hear any of it. I profusely thanked him and he reached out his hand in friendship. I shook his hand and in parting he remarked 'tit was noting, we ar qubekers' (my best french accent)

I got back on the highway and drove till I found a turnoff. Ahead of me was a snowplow. I saw lights in the distance and hoped it was a garage that I could pull over for the night. The snowplow turned in the opposite direction as I continued towards the light. The lights turned out to be nothing more than a lot of some sort. I really dont recall what it was as I just wanted to get off the road and get some real tires so I wouldn't have this misshap ever again. I pulled into the driveway to turn around. Making a U-turn I tried to stop and back into a spot I could park. I could not back up. Fearing that I was stuck in the middle of butfuk nowhere I tried to get back in the road. Like the car knew better it let me get back on the road. The snowplow had turned around by this point and was heading back onto the highway. I almost reluctantly followed it at 50kmh. Not knowing where I was I began to get impatient again. I ventured into the passing lane to pass the plow thinking if I got stuck the plow would be able to help me out. I found out quickly that the plow was plowing the side of the highway not the actual road. Some lunatic passed me passing the plow. (I spose I was the lunatic passing the car/trailer earlier) I got back into the grooves and was back to 80kmh leading a pack of vehicles into the next town. Freakishly transport trucks that had much better tires flew by us slow cars spraying us with slush making it impossible to see for a few seconds as the whipers tried in desparation to remove the crap from the windshield.

The thankful sign ahead welcomed me to a town called Laval. Never have I been so greatful to pull into a Quebec city. I got off the highway and slowly proceeded into town pulling over to the very first hotel/motel I came to. The place looked lavish and expensive but I didn't care. I would have pulled over to anything at this point. I made the turn into the driveway but the car didn't respond. It may have been afraid of the price. The tires locked up and I slid into the curb (and possibly a small tree) I backed the car up and managed to finally get into the parking lot of the hotel. I walked into the lavish looking place and must have looked like a vagabond but the highly trained (and very attractive) night lady welcomed me. I requested a room and after small talk I dragged my semi exhausted carcass to my room where I passed out with news of a tire shop next door.

The next morning I left the very nice hotel and went to the car. I started it up and began cleaning the foot of snow from it. After I was able to see outside of the car I tried to back out of the parking spot. The car slid sideways nearly into the truck beside me. I got out and began to move snow around with my feet. Finally I was able to get my car safely out of the parking lot and onto the road that thankfully did not have any snow on it at all. I drove through the town of Laval looking for Canadian tire with the directions of the hotel's night lady. I spoke with the man at Canadian tire (he had to call some young kid from the other side of the store to interpret for us as his English wasn't so good and my French was worse) After our conversation the man said I he couldn't put on two tires in the front because it wasn't safe to leave two summer tires on the back. The total of the bill was going to be $500 plus taxes. I refrained from cursing the man out and asked if there was somewhere else I could go in town. I had passed a Goodyear tire shop that looked closed on my way to Canadian tire so I went back there.

The guys at the shop were super friendly. The gentleman I spoke with asked where I was going and we engaged in small talk. He suggested I could just change the front tires to match the tires he was taking off but I didn't want to chance it in case of another freak snowstorm. Our conversation mentioned the roads I was taking and we came to a mutual agreement that he would put on winter tires for the front for me just in case. (northern ontario is bad for snow usually) I asked him where a good place to eat would be and he suggested I try the place accross the street. 'Good food and excellent girls.' He was right. I walked into the restaurant and was greeted by the hostess. She seated me by the window and said the waitress would be along shortly. I noticed two of the waitresses speaking together. They were both attractive but one was slightly nicer looking than the other. The nicer looking one looked like she was trying to get the other one to take my table. (especially since later she was waiting on the two tables behind me) The other lady came to my table and was very nice. We had a somewhat akward conversation as her English wasn't as good as mine and likewise with my French. She got my order and brought it out and all that. After I ate I gave her a very large tip (even though she deserved it) in the hopes that if the other lady actually had pawned off the table to her that she would feel like an idiot for not waiting on me.

With my new tires on the car I started on my delayed journey again. The weather had returned to fantastic. The maniacle storm cloud had finished with me. I travelled along till I reached Montreal. Montreal is usually my dark horse of the journey. I always end up taking a wrong turn somewhere. This journey would be no different. Everything was going great till I got confused with a split in the highway. I was looking for the number 15 highway going north but for some stupid reason I was following the 25 north. It worked out in the end but I lost another hour of travel time. Along the way I stopped in a small diner to take a dump. (I'm sorry. I meant use the facilities) I ended up staying for dinner. The lunch lady was super friendly and my attempts to find out where I was with my map sitting in front of me she asked the other patrons for directions. She had one of the truckers draw me a map (even though I already knew where I was and where I was going just by her telling me the name of the town I was in.) I'll keep the map as a reminder of where I had that delicious meal.

I drove all day and finally reached my halfway point. Cochrane Ontario. I've tried a number of different motels in this town. Most are over priced, especially since I only stay for a couple hours at best. Until this trip I preffer the roach motel for 50 bux even though they dont have internet. I decided to try the place accross the street that the guy running the roach motel recommended last time. I walked into the office at something close to 2am and the lady informed me that she didn't have any rooms left (but it was still the second cheapest in town) My dejected look made her take a second look at her books. She discovered a last room was available afterall. I parked the car and crashed on the bed. I made myself some peanut butter sandwiches (my mom packed me some things. My mom is the greatest) and quickly checked my email. After turning on the T.V. I woke up in the morning. Between pressing power on the remote and putting the remote beside me I passed out.

I woke up in the morning took a shower and began packing the car again. Upon reaching the car I couldn't find my keys. There were a couple of men coming out of their room starting up their snowmobiles. I got in the car to discover that the keys were still in the ignition. (a nasty habit I must break very soon) Who says you can't trust people anymore. I warmed up the car and got on my way again. I decided to fill up the car even though it still had a half tank of gas. I made this decision after passing the last gas station in town. I pulled into a parking lot and began to turn around. The back end of the car slid around on the icy parking lot causing me to do a couple of really fun donuts with the car. I guess this is what the French Canadian Tire guy was reffering to.

After filling up the car I got underway. Not 10 minutes out of town I noticed a police car coming towards me. Sadly I looked down to find I was doing 130kmh in a posted 90kmh zone. I slowed down in the hopes that he wasn't looking for speeders. As I passed the cop doing 90kmh the lights flared up. Busted!! The Officer came up to the car and took my info and informed me that I was doing 115kmh. My first ticket ever was in the process. I noticed myself being extra polite for some reason. I wonder how many other people are extra polite to the members of the police force. Probably because we dont want unnessessary tickets for stupidity. The officer gave me my stupid ticket and informed me to keep my speed down because of moose. I refrained from asking him if he had ever seen a moose in the daytime. In my slightly over 30 years of life I have seen one moose outside of captivity. Course if I had asked the man, my luck would have a moose walk out at that very moment. After this unfortunate event I found that there was a cop on the outskirts of every damned town from that point forward till I got out of Ontario. Do you think they were looking for me? Sneaky bastards.

Nothing else of interest happend for the remainder of my trip except for one thing. After passing the Ontario border there is a rest area along the highway. I like to stop here to get a nap before driving through the praries. I was all set to pull over when the fragrance of Pepe Le Peu overcame the entire area. There was no way in hell I could sleep with that aroma. I decided to keep going till the next stop or gas station. This came and went with as luck would have it, more Pepe Le Peu pungent aroma.

All in all it was a great trip story wise but I hope I dont have as much adventure on future trips. At least while I'm driving anyway. I really am not looking forward to paying my first (and hopefully last) speeding ticket.

oh my god. This is sooooo damned funny.

Important news has arrived. I am now an uncle. My sister gave birth to a son and named him Gavin Thomas. I hope I spelled it correctly and maybe I'll even post pictures when I receive them. If he's lucky I'll get to teach him some things his parents probably wont hehe. What kind of uncle would I be if I didn't.

Regular sleep has come over me. I wish I knew what was causing my fluctuating sleep pattern but I am glad it is over. (for now anyway) The countdown has begun for my return to work. I'm not looking forward to the trip but I am looking forward to the destination. I do believe I will call Alberta my home for a while. My trial year is over and now I must get down to business. I intend to learn every single aspect of the stucco industry this year. (or at least more than a better half of it) The hopes of my own business will strengthen my resolve to accomplish this goal. Perhaps this business will even be a stucco company. For now I will just concentrate on work, for it is the only thing I have desired for the past two months of nothing.

It was good to be home to visit mom and see my little brother growing up, even if he is spoiled. I'm also glad I was able to catch up with some very good friends. I will miss them once I'm gone but I will be back someday. Perhaps one last hurrah this weekend will be in order. Much like the last time I left. Good memories is what life is about after all.

The life of an insomniac is very strange. I've not had to deal with it for a very long time except for the last few weeks. I've been putting up with it for far to long now. The last month or so has found me awake at very odd hours and never anything regular. Every couple days my sleep pattern changes. Because of this I am beginning to worry about well being. Lately I've been trying to occupy myself by doing things to keep myself busy till I'm totally exhausted and inevitably pass out. This isn't working for me because it just makes me more tired.

I believe I have found the reason for my lack of nightly slumber. I'm a lazy ass but my lack of a regular bed is most certainly to blame. I've been staying at a few different homes during my long vacation and because of this I've either been sleeping on a couch, air matress, or at times on the floor. Luckily I shall return to a normal life in a few short weeks. Trouble is I have no idea where I'm going to live yet. I have my job waiting impatiently for me but I may have to sleep in my car for the first week or so. This will be unfortunate because I'll probably get arrested. Then again I'll probably end up using the family camper instead. Perhaps I'll see if I can get a long term discount at one of the roach motels.

In all seriousness I'll be moving into a rental unit when I get back. I just have to work out details with the rental agency first. I'm not looking forward to my first and probably last rental unit. I value my loud music and free space to do what ever the hell I please. Renting is just not for me. I get pissy if I can hear people outside or next door. Even worse, I'll be really pissy if someone has to inform me to turn down my music or movie theatre. Then there is the summer issues. I like to have BBQ and beer. I like to play music outside when I'm doing this. I like to be able to come and go without the neighbourhood spying on what I'm doing. Within a rental unit I doubt I'll be able to accomplish much of this. Especially if I end up in an apartment building rather than a single home or duplex type of dwelling.

Tomorrow I call my boss and inform him I'll be arriving soon and to check if preperations for my new home are underway. I hope all is well out there so there aren't any complications. Something I dont need right now. It will be hard enough getting back to work after 3 months of inactivity. Thankfully the only thing I'm really worried about, is finding a decent bed to sleep in. The rest will just fall into place. One things for sure, it's gonna be a long hard work year. Then again the time will probably fly by. I can't wait.

So you would like to have your own rock. Well I can help you out with that. It just so happens that there are many types and are found almost everywhere. I bet I can even find one in your yard. But you want a special one from me. Of course you do. There wouldn't be any meaning behind a rock if it wasn't given to you in a special manor. Then again, would you really keep a rock given to you by someone? I bet most of you are saying no. Alright, so do you wear any jewelry? That's right people, a lot of you already have a rock given to you from someone or maybe you bought it yourself. It's so pretty and shiny you want to look at it all the time. Unless you have one of them special rocks. Myself I dont wear jewelry. I cannot stand any of it. No, not even a watch. However I do like rocks. I wrote about a trip to the coolies in Alberta a while ago. We were in search of special rocks. Maybe I even mentioned that I found some. Personally I like rocks with colors in them and now I may even like finding rocks with mineral deposits in them. The ones I found are rich with quartz. Eventually I will find a mineral base that will be worth something someday. I just hope I own the land haha. Anyone want a pretty rock?

I've been a member of the latest internet craze for a while but every once in a while something odd catches my eye. This odd thing usually makes me wonder why I'm a member. The internet craze being none other than Facebook. The odd thing you ask? The bits and pieces of junk that are embedded inside it's depths. Before I get to that I want to mention that I hate the little applications within the site. There are a couple that I have added and I like them very much but I hate that you have to invite people (usually on a daily basis) in order to use them. Why the hell do I have to hassle my friends in order to use a feature of the site. It's enough to make me not want to use the feature any further most of the time. (At this time I must appologize to all the people I keep sending an invite for scratch n win. Ha ha) I have noticed that with some of the applications there is small print for you to bypass the invite feature but most people dont look for that. These people just send off the invite because they dont want to uncheck the option or are in too much of a hurry to read what they are actually doing.

However I must get back to the original point of the story. Every once in a while on the homepage there is a feature that has the strangest things. Yes, this feature is the gifts option. I check it out because the items are very strange. Todays gift? A rock! A damned stupid rock. But that's not the best part. You actually have to pay a dollar in order to send this wonderful gift. I dont get it at all. Yet I do see that people keep sending these gifts all the time. Baffeling isn't it?

I was going to wait till I took a picture of the sign to talk about this but I just cannot wait any longer. I found it interesting that I came accross a sign in Cape Breton that says:

Left Turning Traffic In Left Lane

Now I would expect this to be common driving practice for a double lane "Highway" anywhere in Canada. I really dont think there should be need for a sign of this type. Nor should this sign be a huge yellow one at least five feet wide. Perhaps there are some people that think they can do whatever whenever. Well ok, I'm sure that I felt that I could do whatever whenever but even I must admit there needs to be some rules that are followed. Especially driving rules.

My poor little brother was traumatized today. It's raining out and some people slow down when they are driving. Ok I do sometimes as well but not as bad as most around here because I still feel I'm in control. Regardless, we are travelling on a double lane bi-directional road. I'm passing a bus. In front of the bus is a car with the left signal light on. It slows down but stays in the right lane. I begin to slow to let the car in because I figure it's going to get in my lane regardless if I speed up or not. It doesn't. The car is still going really slow in the right lane and I'm becoming impatient.

I gather speed to pass the car because the bus is now passing me on the right lane but also slowing because of the stupid car in front of it. A car is coming toward us in the opposite direction, of course it's in the closest lane to me because it's passing a car on it's right. To recap, the four lanes of traffic now have a car in it thankfully not totally lined up. I'm passing the car on my right just after passing the bus. A car is coming towards me that is passing a car on it's right. The moronic slow car begins to turn left onto a different street just as I get beside the fuckn idiot. That's right, the moron made a left through four lanes of traffic.

Thankfully I'm well aware of the idiots intentions and am just by him/her when he/she makes the turn but my poor brothers life flashed before his eyes. I swerved just enough to miss the oncoming car and the moronic idiot that nearly rammed into all of us. I have no idea why that idiot was trying to turn when cars were coming toward him/her anyway. Perhaps he/she just wanted to be creamed by me or the bus. Yes by this time the bus was following behind me now.

I just hope the moron had to go home to change his/her shorts after that. The reminder of crap in his/her pants might make him/her stay off the road for a while.

This may be a dreary post for some but it will depend on how you interpret the information. That is not my intention as I am mearly spouting from the lip a point of view.

Life, oh precious life. Why do some people take life for granted? This past week I've heard much nonsence about the age thing again. Some people just can't deal with the increase in age each year. I've written about this before so I'm not gonna go into it again but there is a reason I bring it up again. I enjoyed a kick ass birthday party on the weekend. I heard a number of people complain about how old they were getting this past week (and further back I'm sure). I lost a family member.

Before you start giving your sympathies to me, I dont really need them. I'm cruel and unusual when it comes to death because I am a person that lives. I can't explain this to people either because they never really understand what I'm describing. The only reason I mention it at all, is so that you might understand how precious life really is from my point of view. I'm the type of person that lives life day to day. Very rare do I make a plan to stride for. This doesn't mean that I dont have a direction in life, rather it means that I understand that I might be gone tomorrow without any warning. With this in mind I just go about my business for the day rather than worry what I might look like in 20 years or how old my wrinkles and grey hair make me look. Yes people, since the age of 16, I have had grey hair.

Another problem I have with people is the grudges they keep. I am sadly one of these people unfortunately, for I am holding a grudge against someone that I really dont want to but it's just the way it goes sometimes. Perhaps in time I will let it go and then again perhaps not. More often than not something happens to the life of parties involved and the grudge is never resolved. Usually this something is death. Hence the point of my topic. Try to resolve your differences before it is too late. You may never get the chance to do it and regret that decision for the rest of your life. It may be difficult for the moment but it also might make you live an easier day in the future.

Then again what is life as a human without complication. I am certain I will hold my grudge till death in ways but I will always wonder how it would have gone if some kind word was spoken resolving the matter. Much worse, too much time has gone by for me to even care if it ever gets resolved which I find more disturbing. It makes me realize how precious life really is. Without the grudge it could be possible to have interaction from that person. This interaction could have meant a change in the way I would live one perticular day. It could affect a decision I would make. These are the things that are overlooked by most people. Yes myself included.

Perhaps something to think about as you start your day in the future.

Of all the things to ask on an anonnymous comment I really wouldn't expect a top 10 list of dance songs but I will accomodate. (mostly because I have nothing else to write about) This is a list that I find extremely difficult to come up with because I love a wide range of music. Unfortunately some of my choices will be biased because I tend to forget some of the older songs. (songs over two years old) This being said I know that I have forgotten a couple of really important dance songs from all time so perhaps I'll edit this upon remembering. Without further adieu here is my current list:

1. Rhythm is a Dancer - Snap
Reason: Without a doubt this is my personal all time favourite song to dance too. From the days of the Parish Center dances, this was one of the first songs I just went crazy on the dance floor. Sadly I cannot keep up with my old self to this song anymore.

2. Keep Bouncing - Snoop Dogg
Reason: I'm a huge fan of Snoop Dogg because of the many fantastic beats behind his music but this one just takes it over the top for me. Before it I would still choose a song by Snoop Dogg for number two because there are many of them to choose from.

3. A tie between:
The Way I Are - Timbaland feat Keri Hilson
Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake (Crooklyn Clan Remix)
Reason: Last years best dance tracks. Timberland is one of my musical idles because of the excellent remixes he creates. I would love to do what he does musicaly professionally.

4. Bartender - T-Pain (manny faces remix)
Reason: I dont really care for the actual song (original version) to be honest. What I love about this song is the beat that is remixed into this song. I just wish I could remember the name of the original song. (note: thanks to Manny Faces himself the background song is Give me the Night - George Benson. You can check out more of his stuff at: http://www.mannyfaces.com/)

5. Its Like That - Jason Nevins vs Run DMC (special remix with train sound)
Reason: I thank my best dance partner Clare for this one. This will forever be our song lol.

5b. Techno/Trance/House/Electronica/Drum&Bass - Different songs
Reason: First I will explain that there are different variations of this type of music and to name just one song out of the entire genre would be difficult. I like different mixes of these types because of the way the music carries you on the dance floor. This should be combined with number 5 because it's in the same catagory. Some examples of this would be:
The Bomb - The Bucketheads
Cassius 2000 - Cassius
My My My - Armand Van Helden
anything by Daft Punk
I must stress that some of the songs in this genre have a bunch of nonsense within them that make it very unappealing. Because of this I like to mix them with other songs as a compilation removing the garbage to make a decent dance mix.

6. Wouldn't ya know another tie.
Phenomenon - LL Cool J
Baby I got Your Money - ODB
Reason: I'm a huge fan of songs with a loud background bass beat. These two are prime examples of feeling the beat while your dancing. You find yourself lost in it while grinding along.

7. Shyne - Jadakiss feat Snoop Dogg
Reason: One that has quickly grown on me but it probably has more to do with the Snoop Dogg flavour behind the song.

8. You Should Be Dancing - Bee Gees
Reason: I dont care what you think of me. Every top 10 dance tune of all time list should include something from the disco era. That song for me has to be by the Bee Gees and the only one to pick would be this one. The staying alive people can just shut up right now because Travolta was correct in choosing this song over the main song for his dance solo.

9. Tease Me - Shaka Demus & the Pliers
Reason: Every list needs to have an old time song. I have fond memories of learning how to do the butterfly in George & Gina's back yard to this song.

10. The Floor - Johnny Gil
Reason:This is another song I take from the Parish Center days. I remember learning how to do some intricate dance steps to this. Maybe they weren't that intricate but it was fun to be in the circle trading moves with everyone else.

So there you have it my top 10. Perhaps the comments section could be used for you all to list your own top 10 and why. Remember just because I've listed these doesn't make it the official list. My top 10 list changes quite frequently because there is always a new song that is phenomenal. Enjoy the dancing people.

Therapy. Some people would say I might need it. Then again, who doesn't these days . I'm not going to but I feel like ranting. Boredom has come over me with a vengance. I haven't been this bored in a long time. The part that bothers me, I have things I could be doing, but I dont do them. Procrastination continues to be my bothersome flaw. It doesn't help that I'm not working. The days are long and I stay up all night. I haven't been sleeping properly lately and it may be catching up with me. I had a strange dream last night. The strange being that I actually remember that I did dream. Sadly like most people I dont recall what it was about but I am impressed that I slept long enough to know that I did dream.

As for the therapy. Mine is my writing. I need to be inspired again. I wont call it writers block but in some small way it could be. Perhaps I'll just throw the floor to my readers. Please throw me a comment for a topic. If there aren't any I'll be forced to copy other blogs for a while or worse, fill out stupid surveys. Course I'll only do this till something interesting happens that I can write about. The weekend should bring some decent stories but that is a while away.

I concider myself to be a very good driver. I believe that I may have proven that last night. There was quite the storm in Nova Scotia yesterday resulting in flooding and miserable driving conditions. I took on the adventure of driving from Halifax to Sydney in such conditions. Perhaps I shouldn't have but I am very confident in my abilities, as well as I am quite nutz. Or so I'm told. My poor car doesn't have the best tires on it for snow conditions but amazingly enough they hold the road for water. Well as much as to be expected when your not hydroplaning. I've discovered that hydroplaning is quite fun and exhilarating. This is of course as long as you stay on the road. The radio reported quite a few people not being able to make it up hills or going in the ditch. I didn't see any of them thankfully. I was not the only brave soul on the road however. By far I wasn't the craziest either. There were two frantic drivers that passed me doing in excess of 120kmh. Granted they were driving trucks but that is still a bit crazy, even for me. My excitement was greeted in the early leaving of Halifax. It was extremely dark and I come accross what appeared to be a very large wolf/coyote. Luckily there weren't any other cars near me or one of us would most likely have hit the poor creature.

Crisis averted fortunately. Without any further troubles I reach Cape Breton to find that Townsend Street in Sydney is flooded. Unfortunately I didn't think it was very deep so I drove through the 3 feet deep water. As I get halfway through the river my car starts to slow down and I fear that I will be stuck in the lake. Quickly I gear down and luckily the car keeps going. I notice on the left accross the street from the Steele City (bar/grill) a tow truck is waiting for the poor sucker that gets stuck in the middle. Smart fella I say.

I was fortunate enough to go on a small trip to Halifax this weekend. The trip started off with a 4 hour drive. I decided to take it easy because of my recent altercation with a traffic cop. The trip itself was uneventful but I must inform everyone that it was the first time I drove there without a storm in progress. When I mentioned that to Koley, she exclaimed to 'shut up!!' for fear that I just delayed the storms arrival. The trip itself wasn't really planned much, though it never really is, so we started off with the usual. A mission.

Missions for us normally mean that we are going for a specific purpose but that purpose, more often than not, is never fully completed. I forget the reason for the first mission but liquer was high on the list. Mission accomplished very easily. I dont rightly remember much else other than driving around Halifax was much easier than last time. Koley has learned her way about haha.

Back at the house we delved into the awaiting meal and proceeded to get our party faces on. Mine is always on but Koley was still swirling from the prior night. Koley's cousin shows me how she plays dress up the Monkey. This may sound quite dirty but I assure you it's innocent. Well as innocent as it can be. Apparently this happens quite frequently. I wont describe it other than displaying a picture.

Afterwards we manage to get our asses to town with a suprisingly uneventful cab ride. First stop, Cheers (also known as the dome) where we went through the costomary pat down security check. I had also forgotten that I could not wear my hat in the building resulting in a comedic exit from the building. (I'll get to that later) Inside we get drinks and find people Koley knows. Sadly these people had been there since early hours and are already tanked. It's a thursday and the place is otherwise dead. The tanked people leave shortly after we get there so we decide to take a gander to the rest of the bar. Nothing eventful anywhere. We shoot a few comedic comments to the remaining drivel of people in the bar and decide to leave.

It is absolutely freezing outside so we are both bundled up. I have recently shaved my head so I think to myself that I should have brought my touque. When I reach inside my coat to put on my regular hat, I discover that it is missing. This itself isn't really funny but it results in comedy at the next bar. I'm wearing my hoodie thankfully so I put up the hood and we continue on our way to the palace. I have never been here before so I'm looking forward to being in a new place. My first experience? The bouncer at the front tells me that I must take off my hoodie. Koley in front of my has on a rather large coat with a huge ass hood. My jacket has a hood on it as well but it's not offensive to this bouncer. My plain black hoodie however, is. I start to question the bouncer with stuff like:

Me: what? I have to take off my hoodie but I'm alowed to wear my jacket around that has a larger hood?

Bouncer: yes.

Me: I have to take my coat off then my hoodie but I can put my coat back on and enter the bar?

Bouncer: yes.

Me: does this make sence to you?

Bouncer: I dont make the rules.

Me: I bet not

Bouncer: you can put your coat with your hoodie in the coat check

Me: This is just a way for you to get more money out of me isn't it?

Bouncer: (gives me a dirty look)

Since I dont really want to be kicked out of the bar, I comply without making a scene. But I make my complaint to the coat check lady as well. I wont repeat the conversation because it was severely similar to the bouncer, except she didn't bive me the dirty look, she actually laughed. I figure to myself that I was in actuality correct in my assumption.

The bar itself was quite cool except for the horribly huge first step going upstairs. It wasn't a problem going up them but later on when I was searching for the toilet, I nearly fell on my face because of the extra height when I was stepping down.

I cannot remember anything else of excitement from the night other than when we got back to the house. Koley decided to put on a movie. Two minutes into the movie she said something about it but discovered my response was a bunch of snoring. Gee I'm exciting!!

Friday we were supposed to go out again but it seems that all the ladies involved fell assleep. I spent the day and night watching movies. Again I'm very exciting!! We did go on a Walmart mission. I had to get a hat to replace the one I lost in the bar the prior night. The Superstore mission was unsuccessful. Their meat was too small.

Saturday I was meeting up with Katrina. I hadn't seen her in over a year and she wanted to take me dancing. It seems that the bar of choice is the best dance bar in Halifax by reputation. That is correct, this night I did the unthinkable, yes, I went to a gay bar.

The night started off with a drive accross town to her friends place. This trip was rather exciting as we pulled U-turns, went in circles and took some detours. It was much like the first time I drove around Halifax with Koley in the navigators seat. It was very comical but I now have a basic understanding of downtown Halifax. When we got to her friends place, we were met by two very friendly, super excited dogs. We ordered pizza and sat around chatting till it was time to go to the bar.

We get to Reflections and I take a look around while I'm waiting for my turn for the coat check. The bar is set out very nicely. There is a full stage and huge dance floor with bars on every side to make it easy to get a drink. We are early so there aren't to many people there yet. I'm expecting to see many hillarious things and I am not dissapointed.

The first is while I am getting my coat checked some guy tells the lady behind the counter he has lost his coat tag. She greets him with a middle finger. Remind me not to piss her off.

After, we are standing around chatting when a few people begin to dance. The first of many is a tall guy. This tall guy is seemingly pretending he is on a Dance Dance Revolution game pad. He's jumping up and down turning and spinning just as if he were actually playing the game, except without the mat and game.

There was another fella walking around with light up pants. The pants were super baggy but had strips of either glow stick material or actual lights hanging from his pants. I wish I had stopped him to take a picture.

Then comes the part I was dredding because I have an overly uncontrollable mouth sometimes. The super drag queen walks into the bar. I probably would have missed it except Katrina gets excited and does the pointing thing for me to gander. Luckily I maintain my composure this time as it's not the first time I've seen a drag queen. I called her/him a disco ball because of the super red flashy sweater he/she was wearing. Later in the night however I saw the worst drag queen ever. Yes even worse than Kurt russell dressed up as a fake woman as an undercover policeman in one of his movies. The fella was just a kid though. He/she may grow into the part someday.

All in all I have to admit the bar was quite fun but would have been even more fun if Koley had been able to come along. The music was overly fantastic. I was quite impressed with the mixing and general new feel to it. Except they did play some of the stereotypical "gay" music. Course I spose it is by popular demand for the most part.

I must admit I was quite impressed with some of the women acting like men. One in perticular was leaning against a wall checking out the various people walking by. She was eying them up and down as if she were one of the guys doing it. Very comical.

Not much else happened other than the 20 minute walk through the freezing -30 or so weather to the car. I just wish I could get the song out of my head as I type this post. (Dancing Queen - Abba)


After I got back from my adventure to Reflections, I curled up to sleep with the monkey. Lucky Me.

Recently I put it to someone to create an animal much like the creation Napoleon Dynamite did in the movie. She created a Uni-Sea-Corn. Nice job Princess. In the process, I mentioned that I would create one myself.

Because I've been busy this week with other projects I've had some time to think about it. The mixtures I've come up with, on the whole, freaky. I know that my creation must be part Lemur of course so rather than have a bug eyed freak on my hands, my creation will have a Lemur striped tail and be able to hop in comparison. It would be cool for my creation to fly as well. I imagine that it should have wings like the hippogrif from Harry Potter. (so much for my creature not being mystical) So with these two cool features, I figure we could put them on a Humans body. (not that I'm really looking forward to having a tail on my backside)

Now I just need to have a head on its shoulders. I cannot choose something that would look odd but I also wouldn't want it to be labled a freak. Well not any more than it already is of course but who wouldn't want to be able to fly or hop like a Lemur. Ha ha. So with this being said I will put it out there for you to help me with my animal creation. Help me choose a head. (I have an idea already but I figure user interaction is more fun)

So what do ya think of my Leemangriff-stir:

I have forgotten how boring it is when I'm not working. Well ok I didn't forget but I was hoping that it wouldn't be so bad when I got home. It seems that things around here are horribly worse than before because most of the interesting people have moved away. The bars are full of either really old people or really young people. Sadly very few of which I would mind being around. I went around to a few bars tonight but there just weren't any interesting people around so I ended up going home. A night out in cape breton seems to have dwindled to babysitting young people or chilling with a movie. That is of course if it isn't a holiday. For some reason the bars are super packed during a holiday as people come from all over to be here. Then they scamper out of here the first chance they get. Makes ya wonder, well ok it makes me wonder.

Since I really dont have anything interesting I figure I will just make something up as usual. The topic? Stamps! I dont mean the kind ya stick on a letter to send to someone. I mean the ink kind that you get branded with when you go to the bar. I understand why they do this but there should be an easier thing to use. Like no cover charge lol. The reason I bring this up? That's right, no matter how much you wash the damned thing it never comes off till about 3 days later. I think all the bars got together to ensure that they all use a type of ink that doesn't wash off so that when their patrons go to work the next day (or wherever they go) everyone can see that they were out partying last night. Upon closer inspection they can see exactly where they were too.

That's just what most of us need, especially if they happened to get a little beyond their limit. It's kinda hard to hide the unweatherly conditions of sick when you have been branded by the bar stamp. You also can't hide the fact that you were out instead of that meeting you were supposed to attend. You know you made that really bad excuse that you had to babysit your dog and couldn't cover for someone, but you have that stamp on your wrist because the dog wanted to play stamp fever.

I figure that the bars that use the stamp method of branding should quit that and take up the method I've recently seen in a bar. The super bracelet that you can't get off unless you either burn it off or have really, really sharp scissors. I recommend the scissors because if you try to burn it off you will most likely receive a very nasty plastic burn scar. If you use a knife (depending on how much you've had to drink) you could be looking at the same thing. Then again you would have a new story to tell wouldnt' you. Just dont go around blaming me because I came up with the brilliant idea. Have fun people and remember..... I didn't tell you to.

I wish I could say I had a decent story but nothing interesting is going on with life at the moment. I haven't been able to get out to do anything because of lack of constant cash flow. I'm not used to not knowing when my next paycheck will come. This coupled with my car breaking down is not a good combination.

I was out for a drive because of how bored I am, when I tried to shift to 5th something strange happened. The gear wouldn't take and for some reason I was put into 3rd instead. Because of the speed I was travelling my car did not like that at all. I figured I just missed the shift so I tried again. Sadly my poor car shouted at me not to do that again with an over revving engine. I pulled over to the nearest place I could park and tested things out. I had lost 5th and reverse gears. Luckily everything else was ok. I travelled home, but because I couldn't back up, I parked in the neighbours yard.

After making an appointment for my car to be fixed the following day, I had plans that required my car. I was still able to drive I just couldn't use reverse. This is a problem for most people, well ok even me, but I managed just the same. I was able to get around and get stuff done, I even got gas. This is where the story becomes funny.

I pulled into the gas station, parked behind a car ahead of me. This was ok because it was facing the same direction and would most likely be leaving before I was done. This was true but just as I was starting to put gas in, another car pulled in front of me. This guy was facing towards me. Nice one. I finished pumping the gas then headed towards the building to pay. I noticed another car pulling in behind me. Great now what the hell do I do?

After paying for the gas I went out to my seemingly boxed in car. I figured I'd have to wait for bozo ahead of me to back out then I would be able to move. Well at least I would have some music to listen to. Upon walking back to my car I notice that the car behind me is back at least a car length and there are no cars in the lane next to me. Yes the lightbulb goes on. Behind me the parking lot has a decline so it would be easy to back up with a little push. I hopped in the car, took it out of gear and hopped out again. The door is open I begin pushing the car backwards. The station attendant, the guy pumping gas in front of me and the girl in the car behind me all have puzzled looks as my car begins rolling backwards with me outside of it pushing. The car picks up speed as the decline starts so I jump in the car and quickly apply the break. The car behind me still hasn't moved an inch. You'd think that a car rolling backwards towards your car would give a person an idea that they should probably get out of the way. Not that girl. I'm not even sure if she freaked/panic or anything. I started up the car and pulled away ignoring all the strange looks I recieved.

It gets better.

Later in the evening I decided to go to a friends place. Being lazy I took the car. Her place doesn't have much of a spot for me to park (without backing up) because of all the snow from the past week or so. However there is an incline on the road that leads to her place. Again the lightbulb goes on in my head. This is starting to seem like I shouldn't listen to the little voice anymore. I drive around the block facing up the hill, take the car out of gear and let it roll down the hill gradually picking up spead. I blow through the stop sign and start rolling into the driveway. There is a huge puddle at the top of the driveway full of slush and ice. This puddle sadly slows the car down and I am now in the middle of the driveway. Knowing I can't leave the car here I put the car in gear and pull out. Luckily I am not stuck on the ice in the puddle and park the car on the road.

I go inside to say hello and see if there is anyone there to help me get the car into the driveway. luckily a couple of the kids are home. We all go out to play in the snow. My friend ends up being in the drivers seat and I rhyme off instructions for everyone. Me and the kids push the car but sadly not enough. The car is once again in the puddle. I tell my friend to get out of the car so I can pull it forward to try again. She says she'll do it. At first I think it's not a good idea but think it will be kinda funny so I let her go. My friend looks for the gear shift and becomes suddenly alarmed because the car is a standard instead of automatic. After the slight panic is over, I describe how to put the car into gear an stuff. (foot on clutch, put in gear, ease on gas while easing off clutch) Her first attempt rusulted as follows: (in writing it may not come out as funny as it should)

Me: Ok ease on the gas as you ease off the clutch
Her: Ok....
Car: vvvvrrrroooooooooooommmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMM (not moving anywhere)
Me: STTTTOOOOOPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!
Her: what??
Me: you have to ease on the gas .... not floor it

Me: Ok lets try again
Her: Ok....
Car: vvvvrrrrrooooooommmmmmmMMMMMMMMMM (again not moving anywhere)
Me: OMFG GET OUT OF THE CAR!!!!! (OMFG = oh my fucking god)

The car is still in gear when she takes her foot off the gas and then she takes her foot off the clutch. She does this slowly so the car begins to move forward. I begin to laugh as she moves ahead she begins to squeal. The car doesn't like the lack of gas and stalls. After this maybe she figures out how to do it now. If it weren't so cold I'd have her try again but all I want to do is go inside. I get in and pull out of the puddle. She gets back in the car and we push it back into the driveway, this time past the puddle and nearly into the house. Luckily I was right there to ensure we didn't and everything was good. The outcome: a half decent story to tell people and maybe a little education for my friend. I doubt she'll be attempting a standard any time soon lol.

Out with the old and in with the new. Or so they say.. but who is they? I say: Who cares!!!

This has been a great year for me and I look forward to a better one with the coming year. For the past two I have made it a mission to meet new people and help friends when I could. This has turned into, some would say, good karma. I'm not one to really believe in such things but life for me seems to go with the flow of karma. Perhaps someday I will be convinced in something but for now, my way of life will most likely be all I ever believe in. Good things come to good people. For me to say this, I will have to explain. When I say good people it doesn't mean perfectly good. Nobody is after all and we all know this. (no joking from you clowns) Good is people living their lives for themselves but including others within their lives as well. In other words we do have to take care of ourselves but we cannot do it totally alone.

I wish to extend my greetings to the people in my life this past year. Most especially the new people I met, you helped me get through a strange time in my life, even if you dont realize how much. I look forward to many more years like this one. Full of fun and interesting new people and adventures. You never know when something is going to happen so take a second look once in a while. You may have overlooked a small thing that could change your life forever. This of course does not mean to second guess everything you do. Just go with the flow of things.

Happy New Year to everyone, most especially the new people I will meet this coming year. I will most likely be blessed that I met you.

There are a couple of things I really should write about, but I must start off by saying I haven't had a decent night out in a very long time. Tonight that changed as I went out with my old roomie Koley. Let me tell you it was something else, as it usually is. I can't really begin with much as there isn't much to say other than someone slept in. (yeah past 11pm) No it was not me, however that is another story. I stepped out tonight to the bar as I haven't done in a very long time with a good friend of mine. We had a very good time (well at least I did lol) we caught up from old times, told stories and such but then it was time to go home. On the way home we had to stop for something to eat. This is of course what other people needed to do as well. My car, like some others, a standard transmission and without a working parking break, will roll back on an incline when out of gear did that tonight. I was in a deep conversation with my passenger so I was not really paying attention, so without my knowledge the car did just that. I happened to look in the rear view mirror, the lady in the passenger seat of the car behind us was freaking out. The guy in the drivers seat got out of his car and came up to me. I rolled down the window to hear him as he stated:

Could you get off my bumper?

I almost choked on nothing with laughter. So did my passenger. This will be forever the best joke I will ever tell for years to come. If for some odd reason the guy happens to read this, I am extremely sorry for not really paying attention as my car was sitting for a minute when I took my foot off the break and did not move anywhere. Because of this I just went on with the conversation resting my feet. If I had known I rolled back I would have done something about it other than laugh. There couldn't have been much damage (other than the screaming woman in your passenger seat) but I am very sorry just the same (I dont say that to just anyone)

No damage done and best of all we both get a story out of it (I bet I tell it better than you)

I should mention that I received the second greatest gift I have ever recieved this christmas. Yes ladies and gentleman, it was a cowbell. You may reffer to a prior story on this blog for more information regarding the story it originates from. If you dont want to look back (or forget) then you can do a youtube.com search for: SNL Blue Oyster cult and watch the hillarious clip.

This year is remarkably strange for me because I normally set aside a few hours to create a christmas greeting page for my friends. (and anyone else that wants to view it) I just dont feel like doing anything of the sort. Even more strange for me, I dont feel like it's christmas. Then again I dont really feel much of anything recently except for maybe boredom. I've been spending a lot of time roaming from house to house to pass the time but there is something missing. I'm not used to having this much time on my hands and I think it's starting to catch up with me.

On the bright side I was able to catch up with friends last night that were away from home as well. It was good to get out for a night on the town. (even if it was to the sandbar) I'm sad to find that the bar scene hasn't changed here at all. Same ole, same ole, as the saying goes. However there are some good things about it when a group of old friends get together to catch up. This may be even more so when family does it. Tonight I get to share an evening with my family.

I hope that you find yourself enjoying the company of friends and family tonight as well for that is what Christmas is really about.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

so happy is me to still not have any comments.... makes me feel ..... loved.... but then again not everyone enjoys the spotlight as I do perhaps.... although I have been hearing rumors that my writing style is annoying.... perhaps I shall change it and start typing in an appropriate manor.

You know with punctuation, spell checks and proper words to explain myself accordingly. I feel that I must explain myself for the manor I use. The extra periods are meant for you to see when I pause as I tell my story. More often than not I have witnessed a number of people skip over important parts of my stories because they are just reading along but not really paying attention. This is not only irritating but I have to tell the story all over using a different method so the missing parts are understood. Or does this mean I am underestimating my audience? Ok so I will give it a shot and change my style for a while to see how it goes.

This weekend I found myself helping a friend exploit a PS2 (PlayStation 2) so that it can play burned games. Illegal of me (yes I know) but you must understand that I very rarely play video games anymore so I refuse to pay the outrageous prices for these silly things. Much more for my amusement, I helped exploit it to see if it could be done. Remarkably it is and I'm happy to say that I will now have a new found addiction to the PS2. However, this will most likely be only for a short time as my movie addiction far outreaches any other addiction I have. (with the exception of possibly beer)

You know something, This seems kinda strange typing like this. I just dont feel the rythum I am accustomed to. Perhaps this is why the story is boring but at least you checked out my boring ass. Hope you enjoyed the view. (p.s. - I forgot to run a spell check :P )