Blight on Society

This is disgusting...

2011-01-31T14:27:00.000-06:00

Seriously Eff'd

100 healthy sled dogs slaughtered as tour business slows in Whistler, B.C. - Winnipeg Free Press: "'I know I've said in the past that I've seen horrific things involving animal cruelty, but reading this, this blew my mind,' said Moriarty."

Did China Try To Pass Off Top Gun As Air Force Footage?

2011-01-30T07:49:00.000-06:00

Did China Try To Pass Off Top Gun As Air Force Footage?

God Help Us...

2011-01-29T09:18:00.000-06:00

Debbie Gibson and Tiffany Use Their Teen-Pop-Idol Powers to Take on 'Mega Python vs. Gatoroid'

Dare to Gream!

2011-01-19T11:17:00.002-06:00

Jesus Blog?

2010-11-27T12:47:00.002-06:00

Um? I think this may be tongue-in-cheek... either way, it's hilarious.
Jesus Blog

Um?

2010-05-29T09:54:00.002-05:00

Delicious?

2010-05-14T12:28:00.004-05:00

I have a pretty good idea of what this will taste like...

REHAB

2009-11-04T21:37:00.001-06:00

Your guess is as good as mine...

Pink Pants & Public Pisser

2009-10-28T19:23:00.007-05:00

I was recently treated to two wonderful characters in Winnipeg both in the same week.

Earlier in the week, I had a trip to make to Sutherland avenue in Downtown Winnipeg.

For those who aren't sure where this may be, or aren't familiar with Winnipeg at all, let me enlighten you. It's out version of Skid Row, and no, not the amazing hair metal band from the 80's.

Rife with addicts and drunks, it makes for a cheery drive no mater what time of day.

I was taking Jen to a wholesale supply store there. She hasn't seen a lot of Winnipeg before so it's fun to show off different areas. This one didn't disappoint. Once we had our full of colorful characters, we headed west for more errands. A few moments later while stopped at a light, Jen asked me what this area was like and if it was just as shitty as the one we left. I explained that it wasn't 'bad' exactly, but not the 'best' either. At that moment I glanced out my drivers window and noticed across the street but directly in sight, a man, probably my age...taking a big piss for everyone to enjoy. It was a perfect example to prove my point.

A few days later we attended the Ballet. (yes.) We were leaving the downtown area again heading home and once again stopped at a light, when I noticed to my right on the sidewalk a very interesting fella.

Young guy wearing a grey hoodie, badly stained of course, and donning some bright pink (obviously women's) sweat pants. Not noticeably women's due to the color, but more the size and the short legs exposing the knee-high-pulled-up sports socks.

Pink Pants was trying to make a sale though, he was hard at work. He was carrying what appeared to be a VCR, (popular item these days) with cable and extension cords trailing behind him and offering a quick and easy sale to any passerby in sight. Immediate reaction to this was laughter of course.

It was impossible to get photos, due to lack of suitable cameras, and quick hands, but hopefully I will get another view of these two another time.

Peopleofwalmart.com

2009-09-20T11:57:00.005-05:00

Yes!!! What we have all thought about, but never put into Blog-form...until now: Peopleofwalmart.com

Thanks to my new friends Liz and Leighton for this one.

Lets try this again...

2009-09-17T22:53:00.008-05:00

Ok, so I was trying to post more often...that didn't really happen I guess. Sorry.

I did go away on vacation for a while, so that is a good excuse. Anyway here is a brief update.

As stated I am now back home from a vacation in Western Canada. Here is just a quick taste of what occurred. More to follow later...

One Month Later...

2009-08-08T11:40:00.004-05:00

It's been one month since my last post...

Time has obviously been an issue, however I will do my best to update this more often.

After the deer incident, I was lucky enough to have a set of wheels from my friend Trudy to help cart my ass around town. This was during an exceptionally rainy week in Winnipeg and I wasn't too excited to be biking everywhere in it, so thanks again Trudy. A few days later I managed to brake her breaks. Lots of grinding later I ended up giving her the car back, and finally received a loaner from the body shop a couple days later.

This was a pretty sweet loaner. No, not a PT cruiser, or a Sebring, but an '08 Elantra. I had driven an Elantra in the past and wasn't super excited about driving another one. But I have to say this one was pretty sweet. In fact...I will admit I may have liked it a little more than my current car. Nothing says cool, like a silver 4 door Hyundai sedan, I know this. But still, it was a pretty sweet ride.

During the 16 days I had this car, Jan and I decided to take a trip to Minneapolis. I still had the loaner car, but the Auto body guy did say to treat it like it was my own for the period I have it...so, what's another 2500km or so?

Originally the plan was to go to the warped tour, as I have done for the past 5 years or so...but it just wasn't in the cards this year.

We decided to still go South but make it more of a shopping / giant bizarre attraction trip instead. I have linked some pictures here of the various sights. More pictures to be posted yet, but I'll get to that another time.

It's been a good month though, and I am looking forward to the next get-a-way in about 3 weeks.

A few up and coming concerts sprinkled in will help replace the warped tour craving, and as of today I now have my car back.

Things are coming up Milhouse.

Doh, A Deer!

2009-07-11T11:33:00.003-05:00

Friday was going to be a nice start to a great weekend.

I had decided to take this upcoming Monday off, and create a Long Weekend for myself.
There were a variety of events planned to keep me busy this weekend, starting off with a Birthday BBQ for my friend Brad Friday night.

Before heading out to the BBQ I had some preparations I had to do for a Pasta Party (yeah, you read that right) on Saturday night. I was making a couple sauces and had the 'ol Food Processor out in action. After I made a Feta-Pesto, and a simple Marinara sauce, I started on the dishes just before I had to head out. On my last round of dishes I managed to slice a nice chunk out of my index finger managing to spread my DNA all over my kitchen frantically trying to get it to stop bleeding.

This happened mere minutes before I had to leave to make the BBQ (which was out of town) and after some time I realized that the bleeding wasn't going to stop anytime soon, and I may even need some stitches.
I called my friends and told then the situation, and decided not to attend the party - still gushing deep black/red all over the place. I had to focus on the finger and whether or not I should go to a walk-in or not. After about an hour, I realized I had to go get bandages and some supplies for it anyway. The half roll of paper towel I used already wasn't really working.
I got back home from the First Aid run, and finally the wound was starting to clot.

A little later in the evening, I was talking with my friend Jen in Steinbach, where the Pasta Party was going to be held. After some discussions, it seemed like a good idea to come out there Friday night instead of Sat.

I re bandaged the finger, grabbed my sauces out of the fridge and headed out.
After about 45 minutes south of the city, I was about to take the turn for the last 15 minute stretch, suddenly I heard a loud crash and all I remember is seeing a small Deer's face peering at me through my front window with very large and frightened eyes. Time slowed down for a moment, and then I realized what had just happened as I regained control of the car and managed to pull over.

My first reaction was to get out of the car to go and check on this poor Deer that thought it would be a good idea to run full steam into the front/side of my car. Still in a state of disbelief I struggled at opening the drivers side door and after a while my brain finally registered that it was smashed in, and wasn't about to open anytime soon. I climbed over to the passenger side, got out, and ran down the highway to where I could see glass everywhere and the obvious sign that something alive got in the way of a moving vehicle. It wasn't anywhere to be found. He ran off into the dark, and I hoped that he would be ok...Obviously this is probably wishful thinking.

I walked back to the car, and called Jen. She deciphered where I was and headed out to meet me. In the meantime I called my "roadside assistance", which I would later find out is completely useless.

Back before I left my apartment, I noticed my phone battery was getting low and thought, 'Better bring my charger'. Not a car charger mind you, just the regular wall one, this would haunt me later as well.

Sure enough while arguing with the Roadside assistance lady about the nature of my call, my cell phone battery died. This was probably a good thing as I was getting pretty frustrated prior, when I was told that this service didn't cover any Manitoba accidents. I was told everything has to be dealt with MPI (this is our government vehicle insurance company for those who don't know) and we are the only province that has this issue. Well that's nice, and very handy I thought.

Now I had to wait for Jen to arrive so I could figure out the next step. While I waited, a few drivers stopped to see if I was alright. A very nice Manitoban thing to do. Funny though that the car that was directly behind me when I took out Bambi, decided to drive on by not even braking as I veered off onto the gravel shoulder... Douchebag!

Jen arrived a few minutes later, and I used her cell to call a tow truck. What was enjoyable is the roadside assistance gave me the "Out of Winnipeg MPI Number" to arrange this tow. That was 9.1.1. Really?! I obviously didn't call that, and had a phone book in my car (safety first!) to obtain a towing service. After speaking with Holly, she assured me a driver would be there shortly. It was now 11.30pm.

About 12.45am I started to wonder if he was going to show. I decided to call Holly back at the towing company. She informed me that, that particular driver got lost and could not find me. This I find hard to believe as I am on a major highway next to a giant road sign at an highway intersection. She told me another driver would be there very soon, and apologized for the problem. Ok.

While waiting, I found it humorous that 2 RCMP cars passed by not even braking to check on us.

About 1.30 am I called again. "He should have been there by now!" Holly assures me. Yah, well, he wasn't. She claimed he would be there in 20-25 minutes for sure.

A third RCMP car actually stops, and checks to see if everything is ok. They got to use their flashlights, and make fun of wildlife and then they left.

Jen told me she believes things happen in pairs. When something super shitty happens, it should be followed by something good. I asked her if my finger would count as something bad too therefore I could expect two good things to come my way. She didn't think the finger would count. Boo.

2.00am, I call again. This time I get Steve, who gives me the Drivers cell number. Steve is just as frustrated as I am apparently (sure ya are Steve). I call this number, and as expected...no answer. I call back, I get Holly, I tell her I am the Deer Guy...
She stumbles around and finally reveals that this guy stopped to help out two other Trucks get out of mud (wtf?!) still back in Winnipeg...

I calmly freak out in my head, and tell Holly to cancel the call. Jen had to work in the morning and we were now severely affecting her sleep cycle. After waiting for 3 hours we decide to go back to Steinbach, leave the car, and get some sleep.

This morning I call MPI during their regular work hours, so 9.1.1. wasn't necessary in this case...
They inform me that I need to arrange it to be towed to Steinbach to where they will 'assess' it in 5 - 7 days. At which time I will have to arrange for it to get repaired. Looking at about two weeks (at least?) without a car.

Via a facebook status update, my friends realize what has happened to me, and give me a call to check in. Trudy then offers me a spare car that she isn't using that I can use while mine gets fixed! So nice of her, and I would think this is probably the good thing that I was due that Jen told me about.

So after a kind of crappy start to the weekend, I am ready for my Pasta Party, and the other fun things planned out for the next few days. I still feel bad for the Deer, but am very thankful for some very patient and kind friends.

Best Friends

2009-06-24T20:18:00.014-05:00

This post is somewhat stolen from an idea in another friend of mines blog. Thanks Kelly!
I'll try to stop stealing ideas from other peoples Blogs at some point...

Anyway, I am very fortunate to have some very close friends in my circle.
I have mentioned Mariver in a few previous posts. She is someone I can talk to about anything beyond any boundary, be completely upfront with each other, and call each other on our shit. Unless it's to the point where she gets mad at me and then doesn't talk to me for a few days.

The following is some insight into our email conversations we have with one another. This more or less outlines what we talk about and how we amuse each other when we get bored.

I do warn you: I have not censored any of this.
Some people may find this extremely offensive, (Mom, again, this is probably a side you don't want to see - I strongly encourage you to stop here.) and not funny or interesting at all.
Feel free to close your browser now.

Email 1: The Dating Scene
Tyler> Where did you go play pool with that 'Pierre'?
Mariver> are you on crack. i met 'pierre' for coffee. it was 'tapered pants' that i played pool with. and that was at that flea whiskys place on portage. why? you want to play pool fool?
Tyler> Sorry, I can't keep all your fuck buddies straight. Yah I was thinking it might be a fun date idea.
Mariver> BUT WONT YOU BREAK YOUR ARMS IF YOU TRY TO PLAY POOL BEING AS THEY ARE SO SENSITIVE? HOW BOUT I FUCK BUDDIES YOUR FUCKING FACE ASSHOLE.

Email 2: Birthday Gift Exchange
Tyler> Whats the plan for tomorrow?
Mariver> the plan is that you're balls. i'm just gonna give you all your shiz on Saturday. who cares if you have more than everyone else. also, tell 'JF' that i said HAPPY BIRTHDAY. late obviously.
Tyler> So you are dissing me? Ok 'Jf' isn’t here, so you will have to pass it along. He seemed upset that you forgot. What are you assigned temp duties?
Mariver> filing shit. WIPING DUST OFF PLANTS (i'm not joking) more filing. making BOXES wtf. i just wish my clearance would go through already. CHRIST. and i'm dissing because i am on my damn feet all day and hella tired. GOD.

Email 3: Purity
Tyler> So what club are you taking kelly too?
Mariver> some place called 'republic'. used to be the old mezzo. or alive. my cousin hasn't decided yet. it's her birthday celebration this weekend.
Tyler> oh i see, i heard about the place. well have fun.
Mariver> yeah. i do well around lots of asians. you know this. and kelly won't stand out at all. you should go. it's a girls night out but i'll just tell my cousin you're gay.
Tyler> haha it would be pretty funny. is there any asians you don't know? any news with jennifer?
Mariver> there are a lot of asians i don't know. be serious. seriously you should come. i plan to get blasted at kelly's house beforehand so we probably need a designated driver. JUST COME AS IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO. 'he' was at the gym yesterday, but he came a little late and she was already doing a class. boo-urns. i have to admit, he has a nice body.
Tyler> well she needs to make a move already shiiiiiit. when is this taco fest exactly?
Mariver> saturday. are you gonna come or what???
Tyler> well, keep me in the loop, and i will probably come by for an appearance. i would like to see you drunk. i gotta work the whole weekend, so my lateness will be limited though.
Mariver> i'm not drinking retardo. well...maybe. as if you're gonna go by yourself. you should just come with us and leave whenever.
Tyler> i thought you said you were going to get wasted. geez.
Mariver> blasted wasted same difference. JESUS.
Tyler> well, unless you guys are going to get hiiiiiggggggghhhhh.
Mariver> well that's what i meant. just shutup pls.
Tyler> you're such a bad girl now, eh?

Mariver> what are you even talking about.
Tyler> haha ok, you are so pure. my mistake.

Mariver> thanks a lot.

Email 4: Lunch
Tyler> when you late lunch?
Mariver> how is this even english?
Tyler> jesus. when do you take lunch today
Mariver> i just finished. i'm on early shift 730-330, so my lunch is from 1115-12 why?
Tyler> i was going to see if you wanted to have some with me. but forget you then.
Mariver> god. get with the program.

Email 5: Twitter
Tyler> So get this, while i was away at lunch, Kelly (in cuts) just walked out and quit, no idea why. hahahaha. also, don't fuck 'the plumber' OK!
Mariver> fuck. she hasn't quit in a minute! that's hilarious. i didn't email him. but he replied to one of my tweets. fucker!
Tyler> still don't do it. stop tweeting you're not 17 ;)
Mariver> i'll tweet on your face. ew.
Tyler> that's what i like
Mariver> you're so fucked.

Next friend post will be about the 'Excersise Bike King'.

Is this for real?

2009-06-19T20:41:00.002-05:00

So, I came across this news article today about a missing person.

Now...I don't mean to be an asshole here, and I truly hope that if this guy is missing, that he is found unharmed and all that...but come on people, is this seriously the photo you chose?! No other photos to choose from?!

I also love the part about his current appearance being clean shaven.

Random...

2009-06-12T19:59:00.003-05:00

I am sure I will have many entries in the future like this. This really isn't about anything, but I have a few things to jot down.

First I managed to decide on a pair of new glasses today. very exciting stuff, well at least for me. It's a painstaking experience as my prescription isn't exactly a normal one and really limits my options. But I think I found a good deal, and hopefully when they are finally ready I will still be satisfied with the expensive update. I'll post some pictures of myself looking ridiculous (not because of the glasses, mind you) when I get them.

Let's see, in other news I spent my entire last weekend watching 5 Stanley Kubrick movies and all the special features. This is because I am a huge dork and having nothing better to do in my spare time. These 5, although I have always liked them, seemed to resonate even more and further deepened my fascination of this filmmaker. Truly sad that he is gone now, and even sadder that no one is doing the same kind of work he did. I do suppose that could be considered a good thing.

In case you are wondering, they were...Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, and 2001. It blows my mind that there were no digital effects in 2001 (as they didn't exist yet for those that aren't aware). It truly is amazing. I believe Eyes Wide Shut had the most digital effects out of those movies listed, solely due to ratings bored requests to 'hide' certain scenes. The man truly was a genius. A freaking nutbar by all accounts, but still a genius. I will assume that anyone reading this has probably scene these films already, but if for some reason you haven't, I strongly encourage a viewing of them. Not for the faint of heart though, that means you Mom.

Finally, I am stealing something from a podcast I enjoy listening to. You can see the link over in my 'links' area. Stop Podcasting Yourself is a swell podcast hosted by a couple Vancouver fellas, that are particularly hilarious. They feature a weekly segment called 'Overheard' where they recount things they have overheard in their week that they find mildly amusing or interesting. Today I too 'overheard' something that I thought was pretty funny...

Today at work a co-worker recently went to watch 'The Hangover'. He was telling another co-worker about the film, and how he thought it was 'alright'. His main issue with it was the following;

"The Hangover would have been much funnier, if it had some comedians in it".

To those reading this that don't understand why that might be funny to me, you probably shouldn't watch 'The Hangover' either.

Did that just happen?

2009-05-30T14:58:00.008-05:00

I got about 4 hours sleep last night, due to a late night. I may or may not blog about this later. When I woke up I desperately needed some coffee and decided to meet up with my BFF Mariver and her son Ethan at the forks.

Getting out of the house to work off my mild hangover and get some caffeine seemed like the perfect combination.

I arrived at the forks, and after meeting up with Mariver, I filled her in on the events that had transpired over the weekend thus far. Wacky, wacky stuff, that only I seem to stumble into. But anyway that's not what this is about... we were out strolling along, and she was taking some photos, when we came across the following.

There were some symphonic / big band type of events going on outside and this is one of the patrons that was grooving to the tunes.

In case you can't quite see in the photo, this fan was wearing a nice cowboy hat, a shiny metallic silver jacket, short denim shorts, with a fanny pack, plus possibly another fanny pack (?) and some sweet gold medallion type earrings.

As if that guy wasn't enough, it was chilly today...sunny...but 10 degrees celsius sunny. That didn't stop this dude though from deciding to get his tan on. Keep in mind it's 11am too. So you know...get up, eat breakfast, head down to the forks, remove clothes, read a book. Really?!

Since I was mildly hungover and not feeling 100%, and these guys certainly weren't helping my situation, we headed inside to get some delicious fish and chips. After we ate, I was feeling a little more human and we decided to look at various ridiculous items for sale. We were on the second level where there are a few jewelery type stands and some tiny shops. After entering one of the shops, I kind of hung back to eavesdrop on one of the employees having a telephone conversation. Because I do these things. While Mariver and Ethan were browsing, I overheard the following from the employee's conversation..."I will have to get a doctors note If I am going to miss tomorrow...I am really not feeling that well...No I'll have to go to the doctor after work today..." Stuff like that. I didn't really think anything of it until about three minutes later. I had walked away from her at this point, and was also browsing at stuff, when I heard this God-awful choking/coughing sound. I then turned around to see what it was and here was that same employee kneeling on her hands and knees outside of the storefront next to one of the jewelry stands...retching. She was unbelievably loud and making the worst noises possible, but I couldn't turn away.

And then that's when it happened. Yes, she vomited...a lot. Right next to the crap jewellery in front of like 20 shoppers. I think it was oatmeal. I turned back around to go find Mariver and Ethan who were now paying for something back inside the store. Then the guy taking Mariver's money informed us that this girl had just been in a car accident this morning and totalled her car. Uh...yah I don't know if she will need the doctor's note to prove her illness.

Next time I am hungover (which I don't plan to repeat anytime soon) I don't think I'll leave the house. It took everything in my power not to lose my Fish and Chips at that moment.

Rock the House

2009-05-24T07:54:00.005-05:00

Saturday night I went to a friend of a friend's place for a 'House Show'.

The Hosts were extremely cool, and are one of those couples where you can't help but want them as part of your circle immediately. The idea of the evening was to have a great dinner, some live music, followed by fire-pit hang-outs.

After mingling around with the guests and the band, it was time to eat! They prepared this amazing dinner of pulled pork, baked potatoes, salads, and 'death by chocolate'. After everyone was full, the band hit the stage, or in this case, living room.

The band Quinzy from Winnipeg, is on their 3rd ep. I like to think of myself as a music enthusiast, so obviously I was surprised when I hadn't heard of these guys before.

All the living room furniture had been replaced with a few rows of folding chairs and the bands gear. I ended up sitting right in front of the lead singer, uncomfortably close...

I then realized that when you are less then an arms length away from the band's frontman, where does one look exactly? Creepily at his crotch (my current eye level), or stare emphatically into his eyes? Normally when you see a band perform you are several feet away so you can take in the entire band as a whole. In this case, it was much more personal.

This was a unique experience indeed.

When the band started playing, it didn't matter. Instantly engaging with some very well written lyrics. I was very impressed. Way more then I thought I would be to be honest, but this band was good live. Great actually.

At one point, Quinzy stopped to thank their Hosts, and play a special Birthday song for the Missus. Turns out she was turning 30 this weekend, and was a bit surprised when they cake and candles came out. A very touching and sweet surprise.

I will definitely see them again, but probably never as intimately as last night.

Ugh.

2009-05-19T18:01:00.002-05:00

If I wasn't depressed before, I am now.

Normally Keyboard Cat makes me laugh until my insides hurt, but today, he delivered a very clear message.

Damn you mortality!

Long Weekend Fun...

2009-05-17T20:18:00.008-05:00

This long weekend has been a nice one.

Here is a quick post to outline some of the fun so far.

Yesterday I went to take in the 'Skate 4 Cancer' fundraiser at The Forks. I met up with my friends JF and T, watched a few crappy bands, and some decent ones. There was supposed to be some sweet skating competitions as well, but it seemed rather unorganized and mainly kids just falling off their boards.

We decided to head to the market section of the Forks and make fun of all the expired produce.

Here is a nice photo of some moldy cauliflower that they were selling. Nasty.

Here is a photo of a 30 pound squash. Who would buy this?

Today, I decided to take the bike out for the first ride of the year. I rode to work just to time myself, and get a feel for how long / difficult it would be for future rides. Little did I realize that our forecast today was for wind gusts up to 40 km/hr.

Basically once I got to work I was exhausted. I could barely breathe, and realized that I probably couldn't make it back home. I called my BFF, who only lives 3 minutes away from there, and begged her to come pick me up. She agreed to help me out as she was heading out to shop anyway. We hung out for a bit, checked out some books, and went to the mall, all the while listening to her 7 year old son teach me about the Illuminati, & the first Pope. (St. Peter BTW)

I bid farewell to them and then walked over to meet up with my friend K at the movies. We had planned to see Star Trek. (her second time = obsessed) I have never been a fan of the series, but K assured me I would dig it. And How! Not going into nerdy details here, but the film definitely delivered and then some.

Now back at home, and my bike still in my office, I am going to end the day by watching some TLC (Survival of the Half-Ton Teen is on), and going to bed before 10p.m.

Drunk Chicks

2009-05-16T02:41:00.002-05:00

I was about to go to bed, when I heard this loud crash followed by some screaming outside. I ran out onto my balcony to find out that some drunk chick ran into another drunk chick, which ran into 2 parked cars?!

Nice job Ladies, nice job.

2.35 am, Portage Ave.

15 Minutes

2009-05-16T01:02:00.009-05:00

A while back I was put on a call list for 'Extra' work on film production in Winnipeg.

Back then I had auditioned for an extra role in the film 'Chilled in Miami' which title changed to 'New in Town' starring Renée Zellweger & Harry Connick Jr. The movie looks pretty crappy, and I think it only lasted a week in the theatre, but regardless I didn't get the gig. However, today I received a call for some extra work in a television show they are filming in Winnipeg. They are looking for 'young professionals' to sit in an Earl's type bar. She asked if I was still clean cut so I lied and said yes. I didn't think the month long beard would be what they are looking for, so I suppose I will get rid of that this weekend.

Anyway...if all goes well, I may be in the background of some scene in this TV show.

After the work day, I decided to finally get myself a new camera. I've been meaning to get a slim one so I can carry it around for all the funny crap I tend to see on a day-to-day basis. I've been pretty broke lately due to some 'Legal issues' I have been dealing with (that makes me sound like I am out on parole), but I decided to screw it, and get myself one anyway.

I chose a nice simple Purple (yah, that's right, purple) Nikon, and took it out on the town to test it out.

Tonight, I picked up my friend K and we headed out to my BFF's place for a Filipino BBQ. No actual Filipino's were BBQ'd I assure you, they were just hosting it. It was a swell time. We had some awesome food, laughed our asses off, and I learned what a 'Slambook' was. I am still confused by it. After watching many ridiculous videos on the Internet, and talking about failed relationships we decided to go for some coffee. We went to the ghetto Second Cup downtown, and hung out until we were kicked out.

All and all, a good day.

Here are some of the stupid pictures that were taken.

Fun with Google

2009-05-06T19:04:00.005-05:00

You need to do this...

The people at Google are amazing.

Check it

2009-05-02T21:13:00.008-05:00

This weekend sucked balls, but there was one highlight.

There was a great surprise for me that arrived within our flower load from Miami this weekend. My friend John (who works with me) was in Miami for part of our Mothers Day routine, and happened to send me back one of my favorite brands of soda. You can’t find it anywhere in Canada that I know of, and even in the US it is rare. All the US cities I have been too, I’ve only ever seen it in Miami.

Diet Check Cream Soda is the brand of choice, which happens to be like a budget soft drink down there, but I assure you it is one of the best tasting cream sodas around. On further inspection though, it wasn’t actually the Cream Soda that I usually request. What he sent was Diet Check Strawberry!

I immediately cracked the case and gulped one down. It too is amazing!

He and I decided that we are going to try and arrange a pallet of Diet Check to be shipped up on our flower truck sometime in the next month. We calculated it out to be about 72 cases roughly. As stated in previous posts...I have problems, and this is clearly one of them.

Getting old...continued

2009-05-01T15:15:00.008-05:00

Yesterday I posted about getting older and how much it sucks.

Today, I was looking at myself in the bathroom mirror, and discovered grey within the beard.

Not cool.

Here is the monstrosity in all its glory that I snapped at work.

Day 12. You cannot see the grey hairs in the picture, but I assure you they are there. I had a coworker verify. You can, however, see my droopy eye lids.

I forgot to post yesterday along with the Physiotherapy experience what I brought in to work today.

It’s a lumbar support thingy that I have attached to my desk chair. The therapist was quite insistent on it, partially blaming the lack of support within my chair and the fact I sit in it for 40 hours a week, for my issues explained in the previous post.

It actually feels quite pleasant resting between my lower back and the back of the seat. What I enjoy the most about it though, is the sweet instructional card that came with it.

Check out these graphics.

I don’t think they have changed the design since the 1950’s, despite the 2006 copyright, and website indicated.

My favorite part is, 'This roll has been perfected though years of research and development...'.

Alternatively, I could suffer through life wearing it as shown here.

Getting Old...

2009-04-30T19:57:00.002-05:00

I have problems.

One of these problems is a back /neck issue I have been struggling with for a couple years now. It seems every few weeks or so I am clutching my side or trying to crack my neck to give me some sort of relief. Lying on the floor with tears in my eyes happened more the once...not the best.

It's a really great time at work when I am forced to stare straight ahead at my computer, and painfully have to turn around to say 'hi' to a passerby or answer a question. I end up looking like a robot, more so then I usually do.

I used to see a Chiropractor for some time. Swell guy, swell routine, but I am not sure if it was really 'fixing' the problem or more just keeping it line. I suppose that's not terrible, but I felt there could be a better solution.

The solution I chose was to do nothing. Probably not the best choice in hindsight.

So this past week, I did something (you know, like get off the couch) and sure enough...back pain. Really terrible back pain. I do know what actually brought it on this time. It wasn't getting up of the couch per se. It was moving about 300 boxes on Tuesday evening in preparation for Mothers Day.

But work shouldn't be blamed. I mean I work with this 50+ year old dude, that is a maniac and can out work me any day when it comes to this physical labour junk. So if he can do it, I should be able to do it... right?

Anyway, after complaining all day on Wednesday, another co worker referred me to see a Physiotherapist. After some laziness and procrastination, I finally called and made an appointment.

Today I went to see this Physiotherapist.

We chatted about my terrible posture, my lack of exercise, and my beard (day 11). Then we did some tests.

After some very awkward movements, stretches, and embarrassingly sad attempts at a few exercises she determined I have discs out of place in my lower back and neck. It isn't as nasty as it sounds, but it is the source of my issues. The good news is it is correctable!

She sent me home with some strict instructions to follow a daily routine of exercises and stretches. I'll do my best to keep this up as I know she will be testing me on these when I see her again next week. We'll see.

The realization that I am getting old, and can't do things like I used to is somewhat depressing. But if I end up where I can't carry in my groceries, or do my laundry that would probably be a lot worse. So, in the meantime I will be pushing in my right hip, while pushing in on my left rib, and see where that gets me.

Mothers Day - 33% complete

2009-04-26T18:47:00.004-05:00

Those that know me well, know that it's that time of year where my body is reaching exhaustion, and my brain is struggling to keep up. It's approaching Mothers Day, and that means I have no life for another 2 weeks or so.

For those that don't know me, let me explain...

I pay my bills by purchasing cut flowers from South America and importing them into Western Canada. From there we have an army of salespeople that sell those flowers to Retail Florists. If you are a nice Daughter or Son, you may decide to get some flowers for your Mother on her special day, and if so, there is a very good chance I am the one that helped get those flowers here.

Since October (Canadian Thanksgiving) my 'busy season' begins with essentially back-to-back holidays until Mothers Day. This can be an exhausting period, but a couple of long weekends sprinkled in helps make it somewhat bearable.

The best part is at least this 'busy season' does fall within the winter season, and the summer is fairly routine, allowing me to take a few afternoons off, or some holidays to physically and mentally recharge.

Today marks day 7 of the Mothers Day Beard. I tend to grow this as a marker of my hard work and dedication to this floral holiday. I usually joke that the first day I get to sleep in, is the day I will shave it off. I can guarantee that won't happen for at least another 12 days.

If I had a working camera, I would post some sort of picture documenting it. I'll steal the camera from work this week and see what we can do.

Anyway, so after working this first 7 days I am starting to feel the 4am wake-up calls, and the lack of human contact, but there is only 66% more to go, and the light is clearly visible at the end of the tunnel.

I promise you friends, I will cash in those rain-checks and and try to join the human race again soon. And by that I mean, completely disliking it, and making fun of society as much as possible.

The WECC is back!

2009-04-24T13:32:00.000-05:00

I cannot begin to describe how excited I am for the return of the West End Cultural Centre.

Since I was in my teens, this has been an amazing destination to see local and touring bands. It has always been my all time favourite venue to watch live shows, even with the extreme heat in the summer.

Recently it has undergone an expansion/renovation project.

You can check out their reconstruction photos here.

Being closed for sometime now (since June 5, 2008) I have greatly missed this place. Sure, they have done their best to schedule shows at other places in the city, but none of them hold such nostalgia for me as this place (Well, ok maybe the Garrick but for totally different reasons, know what I'm sayin' fellas?).

I have seen countless bands on the WECC stage, ranging from High School bands that lasted a month, to long established world famous ones. Some of these folks have been Hayden, Moneen, Alexisonfire, Sick City, Matt Good, Bleed the Dream, Sparta, Propagandhi, The Weakerthans, I could go on and on.

Anyway, I am super stoked for the unveiling of the newly expanded and renovated venue this May. I was a little saddened to find out that the Hawksley Workman & Greg MacPherson show sold out in minutes, leaving me out of their opening night festivities, however...it just got better today! Check this out!

I was introduced to the lovely Sarah almost a year ago by a close friend, and I fell in love instantly (I was warned this would happen). I will be sure not to miss this one...or my chance to ask her to marry me.

June 23! Yay!!

2009-04-22T21:03:00.000-05:00

Young Cardinals - Alexisonfire

In Dog We Trust

2009-04-22T20:58:00.000-05:00

I received a couple of interesting books for my birthday a little while ago. I recently finished one of them. A biography of one Ron Jeremy.

Although mildly entertaining, it made me feel oddly sorry for the man. He name drops more then Perez Hilton, and shares very strange and insignificant anecdotes that don't seem to have any point at all. He even devotes an entire chapter, if not two, that go into great detail of his fail at mainstream movies and all the parts he had and lost, or that he was cut out of. He even points out the ones that IMDB don't credit him with...sad.

The best part of the book are the pictures he has included of himself and a variety of celebrities throughout the last couple of decades. Mainly (and he would point this out himself I'm sure) just to prove he's met them.

Anyway, I had flipped through that one fairly fast, and have moved on to the other Biography I had been given. I was sure that this would be the worst of the two. I am mistaken (at least so far).

Dog's (a.k.a. Duane Chapman) tale has been very interesting. A high school dropout biker, that was only interested in weed, chicks, and his bike all the while still praising Jesus. (wtf?) For those that don't know (I didn't) he was charged for Murder One in Texas in his early 20's and did 'hard time'. His life struggles and almost unflinching faith have made his larger then life persona very likable, and I am quite interested to finish this one quickly to learn a little more about Dog.

BTW: He was given the name Dog by his ex-Biker Gang, because it spelled God backwards. Yup.

Today though, I realized just how much I am interested in this nutbar. When I came across this headline.

Thank Dog he wasn't hurt!

At least I am not reading this...yet.

Pitas and Beards

2009-04-20T19:00:00.000-05:00

Today I happened to be in the North-end of our city, and stopped by a tasty place called, 'Baraka Pita'. A wonderful little place run by a very friendly and hairy gentleman from somewhere in the Mediterranean. They make their own pitas, and have a nice selection of pita pizzas, wraps, kebabs, etc.

I ordered a nice Chicken Shawarma,

and rather then eat by myself, I decided to chow down while making the long drive home.

When I arrived at home, I decided I will still hungry. This weekend, I had cooked an entire package of Turkey Bacon. It was about to go bad and I felt that I would just fry it up, and add it to random meals throughout the week. As mentioned in the post prior, I ate most of it this weekend, and yes...the rest I ate tonight.

I am gross, I know.

In other news, to add to my soon-to-be obesity, it happens to be day #1 of the annual, Mothers Day Beard. Watch out ladies!

The Beginning

2009-04-19T19:51:00.000-05:00

So, I have been pondering this whole Blog thing for some time. Those that know me well have probably heard me toss out the idea from time to time, but until now I haven't had the guts to attempt it.

Mainly this fear was because I don't feel I am the best writer, and in most cases I feel that the things I have to say are so random and insignificant, that no one would really care to read about them anyway.

But after reading a few friends blogs, I have been inspired to try and start logging these various events and thoughts that make up my daily life, and if nothing else it will serve as a nice scrapbook to look back on when my memory finally fails, and I am wearing diapers full time.

Therefore I will use this entry to describe a little about myself. I do realize that the readers of this (if any at all) will mainly be a couple friends and perhaps even my mother. In any case I will give a little history in case there is some one that lands here in error, and is curious enough to know this stuff.

I am a 30 something male that currently resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I have one cat, and like to clean my apartment. I face a busy street and enjoy breathing the dust that the traffic kicks up into my living room. My apartment happens to sit directly under a flight path, and dangerously close to the airport / runway. This provides many minutes of ear piercing entertainment and hours of sleeplessness.

When not listening to airplanes land, or slowly killing myself with air pollution, I like to watch a lot of movies, occasionally leave my apartment to attend concerts, and hurry back to my couch to nap.

I do work, and actually love what I do, despite all the complaining I might do about the environment I do it in.

That's pretty much it. I suppose in future posts, I will give further details on some of these things that make up my existence, and expand on the various experiences I encounter.

For now, I will leave you with this;

This weekend, I ate 3/4 of a package of Turkey Bacon.

I justified that eating that much of it was ok, because it wasn't as bad for me as regular bacon.

Something tells me I will pay for this later.