Anxious For Tonight
Mar 31, 2006
Say Goodbye
Well, it's time I said goodbye to my Dad.
Last night I helped him hook up high-speed Internet. Now he doesn't have dial-up anymore, he'll be on the computer all the time.
It's a new experience...high speed Internet. I know when I moved to Ottawa I was amazed.
It's also kind of amusing to think that I've had something for the past 8 years which Dad only got yesterday.
Dad, don't forget to CANCEL your dial-up Internet!
Last night I helped him hook up high-speed Internet. Now he doesn't have dial-up anymore, he'll be on the computer all the time.
It's a new experience...high speed Internet. I know when I moved to Ottawa I was amazed.
It's also kind of amusing to think that I've had something for the past 8 years which Dad only got yesterday.
Dad, don't forget to CANCEL your dial-up Internet!
This is What Life Is About
Mar 30, 2006
I am currently thinking about patio season. It is supposed to be 15 degrees outside today.
Holy crap. Get out there and have a beer people.
update: Tomorrow, yours truly will be at the Highlander Pub on Rideau Street after work for the end of fiscal year party. Come have a pint!
No excuses. The least you can do is come for ONE beer.
I would expect I will be there around 4 - 4:30ish.
Holy crap. Get out there and have a beer people.
update: Tomorrow, yours truly will be at the Highlander Pub on Rideau Street after work for the end of fiscal year party. Come have a pint!
No excuses. The least you can do is come for ONE beer.
I would expect I will be there around 4 - 4:30ish.
Scoop on Enhanced 911
Today's guest blog entry comes from my cousin Troy who sent me this note via email concerning 911 and VOIP. Troy is currently 911 dispatcher by day and a musician by night. One day we will tour under the name of 'Palmer & Palmer'."Here's a thought for you to ponder. When you call 911 from a land based line, and some cell phone service providers, your info (address, name, phone number) immediately "spills" into our dispatch centre. You do not have to speak for emergency services to respond. VOIP doesn't allow this to happen....in fact a wrong address, name and phone number will most likely be "dropped" to the police causing us to go to the wrong location if you are unable to verbally confirm the information The general public is not informed as to the safety factor...they just look at the cost. You would be surprised how frequently we receive a 911 call with no voice contact that results in a life threatening situation.
Just something to think about......you never know what can happen."
This is a great point brought up by Troy. I was surprised to hear that a high number of calls to 911 don't have any voice attached to it...I imagined myself in a coherent state while dialing 911...but who KNOWS what can happen to you when you need to call them?
I know that I've checked into a few VOIP providers and they DO provide information on how 911 works, but they don't really come out with a warning flag for you. It's more like it's a clause to read in your contract. People should be more aware when dealing with VOIP.
As for myself, I will continue to look into VOIP, but only if they offer Enhanced 911 (aka, when I call from my house, the dispatch will have my name and address).
Is a Baby Worth $1,000,000?
I'm sorry, but no one deserves to adopt a child if they continue to do Dr. Evil impersonations.iplaying: In the Moonlight - Pearl Jam: Lost Dogs (man, it's been awhile since I've listened to some tunes while blogging)
Stay Tuned!
Mar 29, 2006
Stay tuned tomorrow morning for an important blog entry concerning VOIP and 911 calls. I got the scoop from my cousin Troy who saves lives daily as a 911 dispatcher.
Reply to Kevin's Blog Entry
Read Kevin's entry here.
Have you read it? Alright, come on back.
Hi, do you like it better over in Palmer's World? Yes, I thought so. Pull up a chair...heck pass me a beer while you're at it. Thanks. *pshhht*
Printed media will eventually have a significant drop. Is this a bad thing? Well...it would use a lot less trees, that's a fer sure.
Let's look at the state of affairs right now in the world of publishing:
Most printed media has a corresponding website. Some of them have the full articles out there to read (vicemag.com, ottawasun.ca), some give you a taste and ask you to subcribe to their website to read the entire thing (essentially the same price...if not lower(? haven't done any research on this) than a regular newspaper subscription).
I cancelled my subscriptions to a few magazines over the years for the sole fact that I can read the same stuff on the Internet. Let's take Maxim...I cancelled it because I thought if I wanted something funny to read in the land of men, I could always just check out askmen.com. Other than that, what is the magazine good for? Sure, it's nice to have something to read in the backyard, or on the can, but other than that, all the information within the pages are available on the Internet somewhere.
So, in my eyes, the only times I ever buy a magazine are:
But for the magazines/papers that focus on non-news stories, the sky is the limit. Let's take our ever faithful Star Wars Magazine. With my subscription to the magazine, it offers me articles/short stories/whatever that will not be put onto the Internet. (!point: Let's not get into the debate of how somewhere out there I could probably find a scanned copy in the recesses of the Internet world.). They entice me to get the magazine so I can get the scoop on stuff.
Magazines should move towards this format. Offer up different things than what they release on their official websites. On the Sports Illustrated website, you could have a great interview with Michael Jordan but if you pick up the SI magazine, you get the candid "What was your favourite movie?" talk. Alright, I'm really stretching here, but you get my drift.
For the printed media to survive (read: evolve) they have to offer something different than what is available in other forms. So far, newspaper does this in comparison with television because a news program cannot cover every article written inside the newspaper (especially obituaries. Who wants to see a list of that on the 6 O'Clock News?). But the Internet is a different story.
So, this is how I see the future unfolding:
Present:
Printed media will still be king. It's still mainly used, most likely due to the older generation stuck on newspapers and televisions. I would like to see the numbers in terms of how much printed media has dropped/increased since 1995 (the birth of the Internet as we all know it.)
Future, let's say 50 years:
You're now looking at a generation who are tech savvy. Who know where to find their information on the Internet.
I see a very low number of printed newspapers (or if they ever come up with the electronic newspaper...heck yeah!) being replaced by Internet articles, handheld devices, etc. The printed form will never die. I don't think it should die. In terms of short articles, I am fine reading it on a screen...but a book? I don't know. I would have to try one out to see if I didn't mind it. I've seen e-books being read on the bus and they don't really appeal to me.
Anyhow, a definite decline in magazines in the next 50 years unless they start offering up different information.
Advice to Masses Who Read Palmer's World: Take a look at the magazines you buy. Now, see what content is in them and see if you can find the same content on the Internet. I may have just saved you a couple of bucks if you don't mind reading it on the Internet. For example: Gossip columns. Why buy them off the news stand? They're already old news in terms of the Internet. Check out thesuperficial.com for your up to date celeb news. (plus I love the sarcasm).
Have you read it? Alright, come on back.
Hi, do you like it better over in Palmer's World? Yes, I thought so. Pull up a chair...heck pass me a beer while you're at it. Thanks. *pshhht*
Printed media will eventually have a significant drop. Is this a bad thing? Well...it would use a lot less trees, that's a fer sure.
Let's look at the state of affairs right now in the world of publishing:
Most printed media has a corresponding website. Some of them have the full articles out there to read (vicemag.com, ottawasun.ca), some give you a taste and ask you to subcribe to their website to read the entire thing (essentially the same price...if not lower(? haven't done any research on this) than a regular newspaper subscription).
I cancelled my subscriptions to a few magazines over the years for the sole fact that I can read the same stuff on the Internet. Let's take Maxim...I cancelled it because I thought if I wanted something funny to read in the land of men, I could always just check out askmen.com. Other than that, what is the magazine good for? Sure, it's nice to have something to read in the backyard, or on the can, but other than that, all the information within the pages are available on the Internet somewhere.
So, in my eyes, the only times I ever buy a magazine are:
- When I'm stuck somewhere and have nothing to read.
- When I do have that urge to have something in my hands to read rather than sitting in front of a computer screen. I have a feeling that a lot of people fall into this category still, which is fine.
- If they offer something DIFFERENT than what is on the Internet.
But for the magazines/papers that focus on non-news stories, the sky is the limit. Let's take our ever faithful Star Wars Magazine. With my subscription to the magazine, it offers me articles/short stories/whatever that will not be put onto the Internet. (!point: Let's not get into the debate of how somewhere out there I could probably find a scanned copy in the recesses of the Internet world.). They entice me to get the magazine so I can get the scoop on stuff.
Magazines should move towards this format. Offer up different things than what they release on their official websites. On the Sports Illustrated website, you could have a great interview with Michael Jordan but if you pick up the SI magazine, you get the candid "What was your favourite movie?" talk. Alright, I'm really stretching here, but you get my drift.
For the printed media to survive (read: evolve) they have to offer something different than what is available in other forms. So far, newspaper does this in comparison with television because a news program cannot cover every article written inside the newspaper (especially obituaries. Who wants to see a list of that on the 6 O'Clock News?). But the Internet is a different story.
So, this is how I see the future unfolding:
Present:
Printed media will still be king. It's still mainly used, most likely due to the older generation stuck on newspapers and televisions. I would like to see the numbers in terms of how much printed media has dropped/increased since 1995 (the birth of the Internet as we all know it.)
Future, let's say 50 years:
You're now looking at a generation who are tech savvy. Who know where to find their information on the Internet.
I see a very low number of printed newspapers (or if they ever come up with the electronic newspaper...heck yeah!) being replaced by Internet articles, handheld devices, etc. The printed form will never die. I don't think it should die. In terms of short articles, I am fine reading it on a screen...but a book? I don't know. I would have to try one out to see if I didn't mind it. I've seen e-books being read on the bus and they don't really appeal to me.
Anyhow, a definite decline in magazines in the next 50 years unless they start offering up different information.
Advice to Masses Who Read Palmer's World: Take a look at the magazines you buy. Now, see what content is in them and see if you can find the same content on the Internet. I may have just saved you a couple of bucks if you don't mind reading it on the Internet. For example: Gossip columns. Why buy them off the news stand? They're already old news in terms of the Internet. Check out thesuperficial.com for your up to date celeb news. (plus I love the sarcasm).
Harder and Harder
It's getting sporadic in here in terms of updates due to some MAN trying to stick it to me.
Here's an update for you.
You can dial 911 on your cellphone even if you don't have any service provider.
I'm assuming this is news to you all who read this blog or else you would have told me when I was debating getting Voice-Over IP (VOIP) as my phoneline. But I didn't bother because if the power went out, I would not have 911 access.
Well, it doesn't matter anyhow. As long as I have my cell phone charged up and in a place I'll remember, and the power goes out and I need to call 911, voila, I just dial it and it's good to go.
Or, alternatively, if I need it in the car. Throw it in the glovebox and if I need to dial 911, just do it.
So, I'm now going back to look at options for getting VOIP for a phone line.
What are the benefits of VOIP? Let me just put it this way.
How much do you spend on your phone in a month?
Alex found a place where he pays $2.50 a month for his phone service. Granted, he also has a cellphone that he uses regularly. But $2.50 a month (plus $0.04 cents a minute for calls outside the network (this means places outside Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal aka all the big southern cities) or $0.011 cents for calls within the network) is not something to be scoffed at.
I'm going out on a limb and encouraging YOU, my faithful reader, to look into VOIP for yourself.
Here are some starting points in terms of companies:
http://vonage.com - your standard run of the mill high advertising campaign companies
http://www.get3web.com/ - courtesy of Mike. We're looking into this. Phone plus free Internet for $39.95? Shawing!
http://unlimitel.ca/wholesalevoip.html - This is the one Alex uses for $2.50 a month.
Caveat emptor people! Do a lot of research if you're going to switch to VOIP. For example, take a look at your old phone bills and determine things like:
Here's an update for you.
You can dial 911 on your cellphone even if you don't have any service provider.
I'm assuming this is news to you all who read this blog or else you would have told me when I was debating getting Voice-Over IP (VOIP) as my phoneline. But I didn't bother because if the power went out, I would not have 911 access.
Well, it doesn't matter anyhow. As long as I have my cell phone charged up and in a place I'll remember, and the power goes out and I need to call 911, voila, I just dial it and it's good to go.
Or, alternatively, if I need it in the car. Throw it in the glovebox and if I need to dial 911, just do it.
So, I'm now going back to look at options for getting VOIP for a phone line.
What are the benefits of VOIP? Let me just put it this way.
How much do you spend on your phone in a month?
Alex found a place where he pays $2.50 a month for his phone service. Granted, he also has a cellphone that he uses regularly. But $2.50 a month (plus $0.04 cents a minute for calls outside the network (this means places outside Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal aka all the big southern cities) or $0.011 cents for calls within the network) is not something to be scoffed at.
I'm going out on a limb and encouraging YOU, my faithful reader, to look into VOIP for yourself.
Here are some starting points in terms of companies:
http://vonage.com - your standard run of the mill high advertising campaign companies
http://www.get3web.com/ - courtesy of Mike. We're looking into this. Phone plus free Internet for $39.95? Shawing!
http://unlimitel.ca/wholesalevoip.html - This is the one Alex uses for $2.50 a month.
Caveat emptor people! Do a lot of research if you're going to switch to VOIP. For example, take a look at your old phone bills and determine things like:
- How many minutes to use the phone?
- How many minutes are dedicate for long distance?
- Do I need to purchase anything like a $150 modem/router/gadget to get the service?
As Crazy as I Am
Mar 27, 2006
I never realized how much I am like my father until yesterday.
Dad has been looking for a truck for...close to a month now. With the Internet, this makes it an almost insane task since you are bombarded with so many choices.
He bit the bullet and picked up one down south in Campbellford. To do this, he hopped on a bus to Cochrane, took the train down to Toronto. Spent the night in Ajax with his sister then they drove him out to Campbellford and he bought the truck, then drove it back to Kapuskasing.
Whoa. That's quite the trip for a vehicle.
But, I can say that I would do the same thing for something I had my eye on. I enjoy the hunt. The adventure for something. That's half the fun!
I remember collecting the Matrix action figures a few years back and Benoit, Claude and I were always on the hunt for this super rare 'Twin 2' action figure. I ended up finding one via Benoit in a pawn shop but had to buy the entire lot of action figures (which I already owned) but ended up selling them to Benoit who didn't have them yet. Was it silly? Sure, it's an action figure! But the hunt for Twin 2 was amazing. I remember Claude telling me awhile after when he realized that he didn't even really care about the action figures that he enjoyed the search for them more.
Anyhow, I'm glad to see that Dad and I have the same ambition when it comes to the hunt.
Dad has been looking for a truck for...close to a month now. With the Internet, this makes it an almost insane task since you are bombarded with so many choices.
He bit the bullet and picked up one down south in Campbellford. To do this, he hopped on a bus to Cochrane, took the train down to Toronto. Spent the night in Ajax with his sister then they drove him out to Campbellford and he bought the truck, then drove it back to Kapuskasing.
Whoa. That's quite the trip for a vehicle.
But, I can say that I would do the same thing for something I had my eye on. I enjoy the hunt. The adventure for something. That's half the fun!
I remember collecting the Matrix action figures a few years back and Benoit, Claude and I were always on the hunt for this super rare 'Twin 2' action figure. I ended up finding one via Benoit in a pawn shop but had to buy the entire lot of action figures (which I already owned) but ended up selling them to Benoit who didn't have them yet. Was it silly? Sure, it's an action figure! But the hunt for Twin 2 was amazing. I remember Claude telling me awhile after when he realized that he didn't even really care about the action figures that he enjoyed the search for them more.
Anyhow, I'm glad to see that Dad and I have the same ambition when it comes to the hunt.
How To Reap The Benefits
6 months ago...I am moving into my new pad and Carrie has graciously lent me her BBQ which she won at a stripping establishment (another story for another time).
I decide I better get a BBQ cover.
Hit up Wal-Mart and find one on clearance for $10. Shawing!
Get home and realize that it is size XXXXXXXXLG so that won't do.
In my laziness, I never return it.
Fast forward, yesterday. Mike has to return something so I have the brilliant idea of returning the BBQ cover. I figure, even if I get $5 for it, it's money in my pocket. If I can't return it at all without a receipt, I'll give it to Shannon and Maureen as a wedding gift.
No receipt, no problem! Just show your piece of identification.
Lo and behold, the RETURN Gods were shining on me and I got a cool $35 back in the form of a gift card at Wal-Mart.
Read that again, I just made $25 profit.
So, now I'm thinking this may be the ultimate loophole in the system - buy goods on clearance and wait six months when they get back in season. I'm talking Christmas, Hallowe'en, Gardening, you name it, they got it.
I'm going to randomly pick up something on clearance and see if it bounces back again. This will be the ultimate test.
I decide I better get a BBQ cover.
Hit up Wal-Mart and find one on clearance for $10. Shawing!
Get home and realize that it is size XXXXXXXXLG so that won't do.
In my laziness, I never return it.
Fast forward, yesterday. Mike has to return something so I have the brilliant idea of returning the BBQ cover. I figure, even if I get $5 for it, it's money in my pocket. If I can't return it at all without a receipt, I'll give it to Shannon and Maureen as a wedding gift.
No receipt, no problem! Just show your piece of identification.
Lo and behold, the RETURN Gods were shining on me and I got a cool $35 back in the form of a gift card at Wal-Mart.
Read that again, I just made $25 profit.
So, now I'm thinking this may be the ultimate loophole in the system - buy goods on clearance and wait six months when they get back in season. I'm talking Christmas, Hallowe'en, Gardening, you name it, they got it.
I'm going to randomly pick up something on clearance and see if it bounces back again. This will be the ultimate test.
Rant: People Burning You
Mar 24, 2006
Vero has competed in Improv games since in high school. Improv is like "Whose Line is it Anyways?" for all the English folk out there. The Francophone community definitely knows what improv is.
She did not participate in the past year due to other obligations, but a few weeks ago her old team asked if she could take part in the semi-finals since a girl dropped out. Plus, she kicks ass and would guarantee a spot in the Finals. She's great.
So the semi-finals were last night and they were getting ready and the girl who dropped out comes back and they end up taking her back onto the team - leaving Vero in the dust.
Then the guilt sets in of course and they say stuff like "Don't worry, we'll bring you into the Finals with us!" and "We'll make sure your name is on the cup!"
//begin rant
What the hell man? This is a classic case of Nice People Getting Screwed. Here is helpful Vero taking time out of her night to do something she's really excited to do, and then she gets thrown to the wayside.
If I was in the team, I would have said "You know what? You bailed on us and we had to get a replacement. We appreciate that you're back, but why don't you sit this one out and when we get to the Finals you can come on back."
Or, in a less polite manner "You vermin, get bent."
In the end, Vero gets screwed and nice people shouldn't get screwed. I especially like how the team said "Yeah, come on back for the Finals!". Right...so she can just not play in the games again?
Word to the asses of the world: If you're going to be an ass anyhow, don't feel guilty about it. Step up like a man (or whoa-man), say you're sorry and end it like that. No one needs to hear your pitiful speech. It just makes people laugh at you.
//end rant
She did not participate in the past year due to other obligations, but a few weeks ago her old team asked if she could take part in the semi-finals since a girl dropped out. Plus, she kicks ass and would guarantee a spot in the Finals. She's great.
So the semi-finals were last night and they were getting ready and the girl who dropped out comes back and they end up taking her back onto the team - leaving Vero in the dust.
Then the guilt sets in of course and they say stuff like "Don't worry, we'll bring you into the Finals with us!" and "We'll make sure your name is on the cup!"
//begin rant
What the hell man? This is a classic case of Nice People Getting Screwed. Here is helpful Vero taking time out of her night to do something she's really excited to do, and then she gets thrown to the wayside.
If I was in the team, I would have said "You know what? You bailed on us and we had to get a replacement. We appreciate that you're back, but why don't you sit this one out and when we get to the Finals you can come on back."
Or, in a less polite manner "You vermin, get bent."
In the end, Vero gets screwed and nice people shouldn't get screwed. I especially like how the team said "Yeah, come on back for the Finals!". Right...so she can just not play in the games again?
Word to the asses of the world: If you're going to be an ass anyhow, don't feel guilty about it. Step up like a man (or whoa-man), say you're sorry and end it like that. No one needs to hear your pitiful speech. It just makes people laugh at you.
//end rant
The Strokes - Ottawa
The Strokes are coming to town!!! Let me know if you're interested in tickets! They go on sale at 2PM on Saturday. $35 I believe.
Show is May 9.
I'd like to throw a 'heck yeah' out to my buddy Joe who is a good friend. One of the reasons is that he and I can change plans on a dime and it doesn't really piss each of us off. It's not often that you meet someone who would be pissed if you changed plans at the last minute. We see the goodness in our change of plans...it involves the both of us doing something together...who cares what it is?
Show is May 9.
I'd like to throw a 'heck yeah' out to my buddy Joe who is a good friend. One of the reasons is that he and I can change plans on a dime and it doesn't really piss each of us off. It's not often that you meet someone who would be pissed if you changed plans at the last minute. We see the goodness in our change of plans...it involves the both of us doing something together...who cares what it is?
OLP - Massey Hall Performance
Mar 23, 2006
I'm in luck today! Linda managed to tape the OLP show that was being aired on Rogers for me. For all of those who are keeping track, it was the show that Vero and I won tickets to back in the Fall of '05.
I am disappointed to hear that it's only an hour long and is intermixed with interviews. Also known as NOT THE FULL CONCERT! I heard they even cut out the scene where Raine Maida climbs up on the balcony.
Ah well. It'll still be cool to see some songs from the setlist!
I am disappointed to hear that it's only an hour long and is intermixed with interviews. Also known as NOT THE FULL CONCERT! I heard they even cut out the scene where Raine Maida climbs up on the balcony.
Ah well. It'll still be cool to see some songs from the setlist!
Going to See Sammy
I managed to snag some tickets to see Sam Roberts on April 21 here at the New Capital Music Hall. I am stoked. Tickets were only $10.69 for the first 100 to purchase them. Awesome! You can't go wrong with that price! Those 100 tickets sold out in 10 minutes (unfortunately for Carrie who missed the train by a minute).
What can I say about S.Roberts? His new album comes out on April 11. A concert 10 days after that. I cannot go wrong.
In other news, I'm learning You are My Sunshine on guitar as my Nanny's birthday party is coming up. I was having trouble finding an authoritative source on how this should sound but it looks like it's an old folk song (from what I can tell at least...let me know if I'm wrong and I can find THE source.) Found some old Johnny Cash covers that maybe I'll work with.
Or, maybe I"ll just throw some Palmer spin into it and sample some Beastie Boys along with it.
What can I say about S.Roberts? His new album comes out on April 11. A concert 10 days after that. I cannot go wrong.
In other news, I'm learning You are My Sunshine on guitar as my Nanny's birthday party is coming up. I was having trouble finding an authoritative source on how this should sound but it looks like it's an old folk song (from what I can tell at least...let me know if I'm wrong and I can find THE source.) Found some old Johnny Cash covers that maybe I'll work with.
Or, maybe I"ll just throw some Palmer spin into it and sample some Beastie Boys along with it.
Stream of Consciousme
Mar 20, 2006
Just saw V for Vendetta. By the Wachowski Bros. Or is it Bro and Sis now? Who knows? Sex-change rumours and all. Excellent flick. I'm just going to ramble on for the rest of this entry. Two minutes ago I felt like writing nothing. Now I'm going to spew out everything.- Movie was amazing. What amazes me more? The poster. Vintage-like. I'm listening to the Chill genre on iTunes right now. I'm digging it. Time to wind down the night. The Orleans Rec Complex has swimming at 9:00 at night. No way am I ready to swim like a madman at 9:00 at night. I like chilling. Right now I'm just writing whatever comes to my mind. This will be an interesting catch up post.
- I haven't been able to post pictures on the blog entries for awhile during my break at work. Have no idea why not. Also, looks like there may be an issue with accessibility to the Blog now via work. Will have to look into it. Benoit had the same issue on Friday but said he could create entries, just not edit them.
- Was sick today as I was since Thursday. I figured a day off would help me out.
- I have started scanning my parent's photo albums. It is a very long process. First, scan the page - not the individual photos, that's just crazy. Scan the entire page. Then, crop the photos out of the page - let's say there are 4 in a page. I then have to crop one, then go save it, then revert to the original image and crop the remaining 4. Now that I think of it, it may not be that time consuming to take the photos out and scan them that way. Only problem with that will be the ones from the 70s where they actually stick to the pages. I'm not going to attempt to take those out.
- I like when I have a MASSIVE blog entry that has myriad paths of dictation that no one can really comment on it. Comments are cool. Everyone likes to write to see what people will say. At least that's what Trish does. It would be interesting to see what she REALLY writes about. You know what I'm talking about. Everyone should have two blogs. One for the outside world to see, one for the inside world to see. But why should we shelter ourselves? Are we scared to be who we are for everyone to see? Perhaps that's the first step in songwriting...letting go. Not giving a care what your song may sound like.
- Mental note: Get a dictophone. Sam Roberts was talking about how he couldn't remember a melody he would come up minutes later so he just hums into the dictophone. I need one of those.
- I had my oral French exam on Thursday. I received a B Level. I am pretty happy with that. Now I get an extra $800 a year as a bonus because they like bilinguals.
- I had my PM-03 interview on Friday afternoon. I don't think it went well. I believe it was a combination of it being St. Patrick's Day, it was 2:30 on a Friday afternoon and I felt like 10 lbs of shit in a 5 lb bag that day due to my cold. I will refrain from talking about the interview specifically as some people from work may read this blog.
- I went to see Coldplay on Friday. Perhaps I will write more later on this. All I have to say is that it was magical. It was one of those moments where you lose yourself in the moment and when you hear the words 'Goodnight', you realize 90 minutes flew by you. I LOVE
those moments. Perhaps that's what I love about music. It's an exciting feeling to just lose yourself in something. But I don't condone drugs people. Come on! Now that I think of it...I wonder if that's what alcohol is all about...you just lose yourself sometimes in the moment and just have a good time with friends. Anyhow, the stage production was amazing, the music even better...I am glad they will be filming a DVD in Toronto in a few days which will basically mimic the Ottawa show. They are said to be the successors of U2. I can believe it.
- Helped Carrie move in with Alex on Saturday. A welcome surprise was seeing Philipp as I guess I didn't catch the fact that he was coming into town. The morning started off crappy with the cold hitting me at an all time high, but we helped her move...not much stuff to move...went to the Newport for some Montreal styled pizza - that's tomato sauce, cheese, pickles, smoked meat and mustard people. It sounds gross but it is amazing!
- The night brought me to see Vero in a play. I saw Butch beforehand which was a hilarious play about a truck driver who picks up two people. Then Facteur Humain came on and I enjoyed it. It was interesting to see what the play was about since I had only helped Vero rehearse her lines so I didn't see the other scenes of the play. I had a good time and I've learned that it is rude to sit in the far back corner. Always try and find a seat in the centre people!
- Went to the Heart and Crown with Mike, Vero and Philipp that night to see Fortune's Hand. There's a new guitarist...can't say I'm that impressed. I think Fortune's Hand has lost some magic with losing Kevin. He was the essence of ROCK. Much like my long hair...which has now been chopped off by Vero. That's right, I let Vero cut my hair. She has been cutting her own her for 10 years so I figured she knows what she is doing. Although I was regretting cutting my rocking locks before a Fortune's Hand concert, I am really digging it today. I don't even have to put anything in my hair and it looks great. I guess I haven't been telling the barber anything good over the years. I love Vero and I love what she does to my hair. I should get her a new pair of scissors though.
- A massive brawl broke out behind us at the end of the night at the H&C. Perhaps it was the superhero in me, but I tried to stop it but was promptly thrown out of the way by four bouncers who had a hard time tearing it up. I got knocked in the mouth at the time but it was more like someone brushed into me really hard. It was sore for a minute but was fine after. I was going to do my classic free beer move where you go to the bartender and let them know that you lost a beer during the fight, but it was 2:00 and time to go. Went for some Marroush Schwarma (new location on Dalhousie and Rideau!!!) and that was good times. I find it funny how we ended up at the H&C considering none of us really wanted to go out. I think it's due time that we all fess up to our true feelings after a long hard day of moving furniture and sit and relax for the rest of the night. ;-)
- Helped Alex out on Sunday with putting some supports up for the floors in the house and also worked on some drywall. Matt came by after awhile - good to see him as I haven't seen him in awhile and his blog is tres lame lately. I know he tried AWHILE ago before any of us caught on and then he was big into it for awhile because of us, but I can see that he doesn't have a true blogger spirit in him or else he would be there every day. Speaking of a true blogger spirit, I suppose I must have it considering the amount I've just written.
- Zero 7 has come on the Chill setting. Check out this band. Amazing stuff. Was introduced via Garden State.
- Speaking about Alex, he brought me to this great schwarma joint in South Keys - Mango's. Supposedly it is famous...I can see why. Get the tropical fruit cup when you're there. It is divine.
- I still can't get over how good V for Vendetta was. Joe and Mike enjoyed it also. I feel like watching the Matrix now.
- I've decided that I cannot go to the Calgary Stampede to see Kevin and Kathleen this year as I will be taking class during the summer. Then I started thinking of the next three years of night class. Does this mean I won't be able to take ANY vacation? What about the Southern Eurotrip 2007? Hmm...I may have to reconsider this whole vacation in the summer thing. The way it works is that you have compressed courses: From May - June 2 three hour classes a week and you're done a course. Then one from July - August. So I suppose I could just opt to take one course and then I would have two months off. Hey, there's an idea I'll have to look into. So far, there's a few trips on the horizon - Sault Ste. Marie on the Labour Day weekend for a wedding, Lumberjack Festival (maybe? Parents won't be there...), and Katie's cottage weekend for sure.
- Want to hear a gripe? Weddings on long weekends. Sure sure, it's all nice for people who have to travel from out of town...but you know what? Even if you were getting married on a Wednesday, I would still come. So why take away my long weekend? I only get a few a year and now I have to have some magical time vanish for wedding weekend. I suppose I don't really mind or else I would just not go to a wedding, but still. Come on folks. Stop having a wedding on long weekends.
- Sam Roberts is coming to town. Tickets are $10.69. I would pay $100 to see Sammy and les boys. I think everyone who reads this blog should fork out the $10.69 and come see them Friday, April 21st. Surprisingly, Duncan and Dave saw them last year at Carleton and thought they sucked. I suppose everyone has their differences.
- Now that you've wasted 15 minutes reading this blog entry, I bid you good night. It's time to hit the sack to kill this cold.
- Here's a random photo of Robyn and I on Graduation Day from Algonquin College. Don't know if she ever got a copy of these photos so I figure this may be the first time she sees them.
Photo o' Day: A Whole Lotta Fun
Mar 17, 2006
AeroGrow
Mar 16, 2006
http://www.aerogrow.com/index.php?call=coretech
My cousin-in-law's father has created something of genius and is now available to the mass market.
Take a look at this garden that you can have inside your house!
My cousin-in-law's father has created something of genius and is now available to the mass market.
Take a look at this garden that you can have inside your house!
Review: Les Boys
Mar 15, 2006
In preparation of my French oral examination today (I got a B by the way!), Eric and Mike treated me to the film Les Boys, which is essentially the french equivalent to Slapshot.
It was awesome. I didn't catch every nuance but I would have to say that I may have enjoyed it more than Slapshot. Speaking about Slapshot, Vero told me that the French overdubbed version is better than the English version just because of the sheer hilarity of it.
Les Boys follows an amateur hockey league somewhere in Quebec (maybe in Montreal) and the lives of all the different players. The manager gets into some financial trouble and the team has to help him out by winning a hockey game.
My favourite line in the movie is when Sonia is on top of Mario in a van and says:
Sonia: "You know this is a team effort, right?"
Mario:"Sorry, this is my first time."
Sonia:"This is your first time with a woman?"
Mario:"No, it's my first time missing a hockey game!"
Hilarious.
Check out this film. Even if you have to put the English sub-titles on. This is a piece of Franco history.
It was awesome. I didn't catch every nuance but I would have to say that I may have enjoyed it more than Slapshot. Speaking about Slapshot, Vero told me that the French overdubbed version is better than the English version just because of the sheer hilarity of it.
Les Boys follows an amateur hockey league somewhere in Quebec (maybe in Montreal) and the lives of all the different players. The manager gets into some financial trouble and the team has to help him out by winning a hockey game.
My favourite line in the movie is when Sonia is on top of Mario in a van and says:
Sonia: "You know this is a team effort, right?"
Mario:"Sorry, this is my first time."
Sonia:"This is your first time with a woman?"
Mario:"No, it's my first time missing a hockey game!"
Hilarious.
Check out this film. Even if you have to put the English sub-titles on. This is a piece of Franco history.
Make Your Mark!
Do yourselves a favour and label your recycling bins with your name or your house number!
Yesterday was so windy that my recycling bin was nowhere in sight. A few houses down I noticed one that could very well be mine but it was at the end of his driveway.
I was thinking of taking it but his kids were looking out the window at me. I didn't want to accidentally steal the neighbour's recycling box (heck, I haven't even met these neighbours yet!) so I left it there.
But now I am out of a box.
On another note, when I got up this morning, in its place was an older recycling bin. Perhaps the neighbour upgraded and is offering me the old one?
Yesterday was so windy that my recycling bin was nowhere in sight. A few houses down I noticed one that could very well be mine but it was at the end of his driveway.
I was thinking of taking it but his kids were looking out the window at me. I didn't want to accidentally steal the neighbour's recycling box (heck, I haven't even met these neighbours yet!) so I left it there.
But now I am out of a box.
On another note, when I got up this morning, in its place was an older recycling bin. Perhaps the neighbour upgraded and is offering me the old one?
An Apology to My Dearest Friend
An Ode To Carrie
(and not to that dude called Larry)
You drink beer like no other
You love me like a brother
The Heart and Crown is not the same
When I don't hear you calling my name
We've drank so much that it's killed our liver
But that's the way it is in life of 'Just Give'r'
I'm sorry that I missed your birthday
Because I definitely would have made you pay!
Happy Birthday Carrie!
Photo o' Day: Alex and His Furry Friend
Caption Contest!
Best caption gets a gift from Palmer.
Best caption gets a gift from Palmer.
Say It Like It Is
Mar 14, 2006
In the news today: Isaac Hayes leaves South Park due to them making fun of religions. Read here.
Well...Matt Stone has an interesting comment about how he never said anything until they made fun of Isaac Hayes religion - Scientology last season.
So there you have it folks.
Why doesn't Mr. Hayes just say it like it is? "I want to leave the show because you made fun of MY religion."
No one would poke fun at him for that. Now he just is a little lower in the book of Palmer.
Well...Matt Stone has an interesting comment about how he never said anything until they made fun of Isaac Hayes religion - Scientology last season.
So there you have it folks.
Why doesn't Mr. Hayes just say it like it is? "I want to leave the show because you made fun of MY religion."
No one would poke fun at him for that. Now he just is a little lower in the book of Palmer.
Photo o' Day: Matt's Wipeout
Taken May 17, 2003, Matt managed to bring the vehicle into the ditch. I managed to get out with just a scrape but at the same time the freaking dogs fell on top of me. ;-)
Anyhow, here's a shot of us trying to haul it up along with the Foreman of the day.
Anyhow, here's a shot of us trying to haul it up along with the Foreman of the day.
Parlez-vous French?
For some reason, the photo upload isn't working for me this morning so don't mind the bland entries.
Tomorrow I have my oral french examination. I must say that I haven't really prepared for it, but at the same time, I didn't think I would need to. It's just speaking in French! At first I felt that I should just wing it as it would give me a true sense of what my French speaking abilities are...but Vero brought up a good point as to how people still prepare for a presentation...to know what they are going to say to an answer.
So today, I'll think about what I'm going to say in response to questions such as:
Tomorrow I have my oral french examination. I must say that I haven't really prepared for it, but at the same time, I didn't think I would need to. It's just speaking in French! At first I felt that I should just wing it as it would give me a true sense of what my French speaking abilities are...but Vero brought up a good point as to how people still prepare for a presentation...to know what they are going to say to an answer.
So today, I'll think about what I'm going to say in response to questions such as:
- What do you do for a living?
- Do you have any pets?
- Describe how Matt is the uber-geek
Saul Hudson?
Who here knew that Slash's real name is Saul Hudson.
Saul is pretty rockin' name if you ask me. Who needs Slash?
Saul is pretty rockin' name if you ask me. Who needs Slash?
Rrrrroll up the Rim and Chuck It
Mar 13, 2006
After all the hoopla which is Roll Up The Rim To Win and the court cases going on, I've made it a point to look at empty Tim Horton's cups (alright, more specifically, send Vero off to the side of the road to check them.)
While walking on Saturday, we came across 5 empty cups in the span of 100 metres. Then I thought "Holy crap, that's a heck of a lot of garbage just being thrown away."
I am calling on all litterers out there! Tell me your stories of why you are so unbelievably moronic that you would just go ahead and chuck your trash on the ground instead of holding onto it for a little while until you came across a trashbin.
Litterers, you are what I like to refer to as the scum of the Earth. Literally. You're like the Tim Horton's cup that has decomposed in the middle of a field over 5 months. That's right...just to the point where it's a sloppy mess and not dried up enough to blow away in the wind.
What's going through your mind? "Oh, didn't win, may as well chuck it. I'm sticking it to the man for not letting me win!" Well in this case, the man is the environment, and you sir, are stupid.
Anyhow, back onto my train of thought, I was thinking that I made Vero pick up these cups to check the status of the winnings, but then we just left them there. I should start carrying around a plastic bag in the offchance that I want to send Vero rooting through garbage.
It's the least I can do for the environment!
While walking on Saturday, we came across 5 empty cups in the span of 100 metres. Then I thought "Holy crap, that's a heck of a lot of garbage just being thrown away."
I am calling on all litterers out there! Tell me your stories of why you are so unbelievably moronic that you would just go ahead and chuck your trash on the ground instead of holding onto it for a little while until you came across a trashbin.
Litterers, you are what I like to refer to as the scum of the Earth. Literally. You're like the Tim Horton's cup that has decomposed in the middle of a field over 5 months. That's right...just to the point where it's a sloppy mess and not dried up enough to blow away in the wind.
What's going through your mind? "Oh, didn't win, may as well chuck it. I'm sticking it to the man for not letting me win!" Well in this case, the man is the environment, and you sir, are stupid.
Anyhow, back onto my train of thought, I was thinking that I made Vero pick up these cups to check the status of the winnings, but then we just left them there. I should start carrying around a plastic bag in the offchance that I want to send Vero rooting through garbage.
It's the least I can do for the environment!
Craziness
Want to see how insane the world was years ago?Let me put it in a nicer way...want to see how politically correct the world is NOW?
Go see the Weapons of Mass Dissemination exhibit at the Canadian War Museum. In there, you will see myriad posters from across the world which tell people what they should do during war times.
Some of the more crazier ones were the child's games: Kill the Jap.
Unbelievable stuff really. This gallery of propaganda was interesting in the fact that they showed more violent images than you see in a Faces of Death video. I then thought about how people nowadays are worried that their kids are seeing WAY too much violence around the world, but then I think of them seeing these freakin' posters up in their community. Yowza. Or, as the French say: "Wha-ta-ta-tow!"
I would like to see the PR people for the Governments create posters and commercials like THESE for the war against terrorism. Not some posters with penguins. (note, if I could find a picture of this, I would.)
Highly recommended exhibit. Go on a Sunday and get in for $5.
Other than that, we started on the adventure which was the rest of the War Museum and quickly gave up. We spent an hour inside the Propaganda exhibit...there's no way we would be up for absorbing more history for the day. The museum is definitely a multi-trip adventure.
Rant: Good Old Bus Drivers
Mar 9, 2006
*disclaimer* In no way do I hate bus drivers usually. I think they provide an excellent public service and that they have timelines to adhere to and can't stop for every joker who can't make it to the bus stop on time.
But sometimes you just have to be in the right mood to get pissed off at these guys.
The Scene: End of my class. 9:00 at night. Busses don't flow that regularly. Especially the 95x out to my car.
The Scene: 95x pulls up to the stop. I see it from down the street. I sprint.
95x pulls away from the stop but 50 metres later there's a red light. He's on one side of the intersection, I'm on the other trying to get over to the other side.
The Problem: Can't really make it across...traffic pretty heavy. I wait it out. I wave to the driver. I'm thinking "This guy is going to be one of the nice one's. He'll open up his door and pick me up so I don't have to wait 1/2 hour for the next 95x. It's the dead of the night here...no one is out here. He can afford the time. "
The Action: Light turns green, I start running across the street with the bus pass waving in my hand and my eyes meet with his.
He pulls away. This guy had the look of "Oh well, sorry, nothing I can do."
Bullshit. There is something you can do. Be a human being and let the poor guy on the bus. It's the middle of the night, not during rush hour.
Like I said before, I know that bus drivers have schedules to keep and sometimes they can't be bothered to pick up some straggler who is 50 meters away from the bus stop. But let's be honest here...I was close enough to touch the bus when I locked eyes with him.
I would like to think I would pick up every straggler along the route just so I can create an ethical relationship (that's a new term I learned last night) between a stranger and myself.
I think we should have a guest interview of Joe's brother to hear the inside scoop. I bet he's one of the good ones, but I bet he also has some days where he can't be bothered to pick up a straggler.
It would be the equivalent to...the guy in the meeting room who always forgets his agenda and you have to share yours with him. Get your own dang agenda boy!
But sometimes you just have to be in the right mood to get pissed off at these guys.
The Scene: End of my class. 9:00 at night. Busses don't flow that regularly. Especially the 95x out to my car.
The Scene: 95x pulls up to the stop. I see it from down the street. I sprint.
95x pulls away from the stop but 50 metres later there's a red light. He's on one side of the intersection, I'm on the other trying to get over to the other side.
The Problem: Can't really make it across...traffic pretty heavy. I wait it out. I wave to the driver. I'm thinking "This guy is going to be one of the nice one's. He'll open up his door and pick me up so I don't have to wait 1/2 hour for the next 95x. It's the dead of the night here...no one is out here. He can afford the time. "
The Action: Light turns green, I start running across the street with the bus pass waving in my hand and my eyes meet with his.
He pulls away. This guy had the look of "Oh well, sorry, nothing I can do."
Bullshit. There is something you can do. Be a human being and let the poor guy on the bus. It's the middle of the night, not during rush hour.
Like I said before, I know that bus drivers have schedules to keep and sometimes they can't be bothered to pick up some straggler who is 50 meters away from the bus stop. But let's be honest here...I was close enough to touch the bus when I locked eyes with him.
I would like to think I would pick up every straggler along the route just so I can create an ethical relationship (that's a new term I learned last night) between a stranger and myself.
I think we should have a guest interview of Joe's brother to hear the inside scoop. I bet he's one of the good ones, but I bet he also has some days where he can't be bothered to pick up a straggler.
It would be the equivalent to...the guy in the meeting room who always forgets his agenda and you have to share yours with him. Get your own dang agenda boy!
Memory: Trap-Jaw
I was in class yesterday daydreaming...uhh, I mean taking down some notes and a memory popped into my head.The memory of my Trap-Jaw He-Man action figure.
Let's talk about memories for a moment...what the heck causes me to remember something like that? I think that s0mehow our brain is in constant scan mode (like a computer's hard drive) just to make sure everything is in check and then subconsciously we check on how the scan is going and see what memory it's analyzing at the time.
I like to document these memories as years from now when I can't remember anything, at least I can come back and read my blog.
When Dad started working he used to have to go on courses down in Orangeville for awhile...I can't remember the length of time...I would assume a week's length.
I remember that one time he brought me back a gift...Trap-Jaw! Awesome! I can't remember if that was my first He-Man figure, or one of many (oh, I had many! Hey, now I'm even remembering how Dad was building me Snake Mountain on Christmas Day. Snake Mountain was the cool fortress with this micro...scrach that, ECHOphone where you could speak into it and it would sound all ominous), but I remember him bringing it back and thinking he was the coolest. Let's be honest - the way to a kids heart is buying the kid a gift. I also remember wondering if I would get a gift everytime he went away but for the life of me, I can't remember if I did. Wait a second...I'm pretty sure I got a fishing rod one time when he came back and was disappointed since I wanted another He-Man action figure.
Ahh...kids. You know, that's the thing about them. They only appreciate things they really want. The stuff they get that's a surprise, they don't see the joy in that. They're saying "Where the heck is my He-Man action figure?!" Ha ha!
I'm sure one day when I have kids it will open up a new chapter in life with my parents where I'll be asking them stuff about how to take care of the kid, and should I buy them gifts when I come back home from a trip or am I spoiling them, yada yada yada...being a parent must be insanely crazy. You don't want the kid to grow up in a bad way, so the only thing you can do is learn from your parents experience. For example, I consider myself a good guy (thank you, thank you. I'm very modest you see) so I'm probably going to look upon what my parents did with me while growing up and apply it to my own children.
Heck, for all I know, they didn't have a clue on how to raise a kid (what new parent does?) and all I was in an experiment.
Anyhow, I know my parents check out this blog every day now so this post is for you. Thanks for bringing me up (and thanks for that Trap-Jaw action figure Dad!)
Now if only my mom didn't throw out those Thundercats action figures that have grown to be a hot commodity in this world. ;-)
Kitt
Mar 8, 2006
Click here for a hilarious EBay auction put on by our very own Rick Mercer!
Thanks to Pierre for this.
Thanks to Pierre for this.
OLP in Ottawa - May 16
Scotiabank Place - Tuesday May 16. I have no idea how much tix are.Hmm...I wonder what day my new classes will be in the spring?
The Summer Road
Mar 7, 2006
This summer I don't anticipate any major trips. There may be one out to Calgary to see Kevin during the Stampede. That would be wild.But...other than that, nothing much. No real big trips planned. I think I may keep all my holidays locked away in a nice place called 'Save 'em for Eurotrip 2007!'
But what's a boy to do when stuck in the province for the summer? Well well well...the Sam Roberts Band is on tour. What better way to ring in the summer with a road trip (maximum 400 km drive) to anywhere they play? Hell yeah!
That's going to be my goal this summer. Lucas and I had this thought of trying to hit up a town festival every Friday and Saturday during the summer. We think it's possible to find some kind of festival going on each and every weekend in Ontario. You know the ones I'm talking about...BeefFest, Carp Fair, Lumberjack...every town has one, you just have to find it!
Most of you are laughing at me right now because there's still freakin' snow on the ground everywhere and I'm thinking about summer.
Guess what - summer is in the air my friends. I can SMELL it. Patios will be open soon enough and times will be good once again.
Embrace it.
Swim the White Sea
I was gung ho to start swimming again today (after a hiatus of...oh...8 months?). I even bought myself a new gym bag so it can carry my school books and my big towel.Speaking about gym bags - $60 at Sports Experts, $9 at The Bay.
Come on...what does the Sports Experts bag do differently? Sure it may be configured differently and the pockets may have some super duper sealant so your dirty socks don't stink outside of the bag...but please. I am insulted by the mere notion that anyone would spend that much on a gym bag. It's a BAG.
Anyhow, I get home last night after class, start packing up the new gym bag, but I hit the stumbling block.
Does anyone know where my swimming trunks went? That would be swell if you could let me know. Thanks!
Crazy Dream
I had this wild dream right before I woke this morning where Philipp, Carrie and other friends were on some sort of bus/train in Europe and Philipp was sitting a few seats up in front of me with Carrie. In front of Philipp were some Mexicans who randomly pull out a high powered rifle and then shoot some guy eating at a bistro. Then we're all quiet because we don't want them to see us and shoot us (let's get real here…we're on a bus!) but Philipp comes back to me when everyone is about to get off the bus and says "This is why I don't like the world anymore." and then we walk quietly away but then they see us and start slowly walking towards us. That's when I woke up all crazy.
Holy moly, dreams are crazy.
Holy moly, dreams are crazy.
New Blog to Check Out
Mar 6, 2006
http://likearubberball.blogspot.com/
Well...you know you've hit the big leagues when you make it onto my side menu as one of the blogs I read!
What can I say about Kevin? I haven't actually met the guy before (as far as I know!) but he works with James and I started noticing his great comments concerning all things Apple, technology and music. Heck, for awhile I thought someone was playiing a prank on me and set up my clone's blog!
Anyhow, it's at the point where I say "Hmm...I wonder what Kevin has to say today" so that's an automatic side menu entry right there.
Congrats on making the cut Kevin! Too bad Matt is about to get cut any day now for putting up non-interesting sporadic entries. ;-) He's not cut out for this sort of thing.
Well...you know you've hit the big leagues when you make it onto my side menu as one of the blogs I read!
What can I say about Kevin? I haven't actually met the guy before (as far as I know!) but he works with James and I started noticing his great comments concerning all things Apple, technology and music. Heck, for awhile I thought someone was playiing a prank on me and set up my clone's blog!
Anyhow, it's at the point where I say "Hmm...I wonder what Kevin has to say today" so that's an automatic side menu entry right there.
Congrats on making the cut Kevin! Too bad Matt is about to get cut any day now for putting up non-interesting sporadic entries. ;-) He's not cut out for this sort of thing.
Frame This!
Saturday afternoon for 8 hours brought me into Alex's basement to frame up some walls.I have never done such a thing so I was anxious to learn as I will be attempting to do so with my own basement eventually.
I must say it was cool to see something come together! Duncan, Alex and I ended up having a pretty good system going after awhile and it went smoothly until the end of it all in the last hour where something went horribly awry and we had to rip out a few boards.
I must also say that Duncan has a natural talent for this sort of thing. Whereas my brain was going to mush at some points trying to figure out measurements and whatnot, he had a clear head for this sort of thing. He did work in a lumber yard for quite a few years so I'm assuming he got some of this knowlege from there. If you ever need help on construction, call Duncan over!
What's the greatest thing in the world right now? The H0me Depot Rental Centre. Soooo convenient. Especially if you don't own a ramset.
I'll be managing my time wisely for the next month to help out Alex with his renovations. Between that and school, I don't think there'll be much time for anything else. Sorry Vero!
Gaming Recap
Hey, what's the weekend without a few games or four?
Friday night, we played some charades which was fun. It was made up charades so the pieces of paper had some interesting things to act out. My personal fave was Duncan acting out an Imperial Star Destroyer.
Saturday night, we played Scattergories over at James and Ferda's castle. They were having a games night which consisted of Mexican Dominoes, Mario Party, Scattergories...and I think they were ending Cranium when we walked in. We got there super late due to the work being done on Alex's place. Not a big deal though. I got to see the people I wanted to see (aka everybody!) and Vero and I won at Scattergories. We are the champs. I can actually say that no one can beat us.
However, when talking about champs, Joelle claimed that she was the reigning Monolopy Queen which I scoffed so we set up a challenge.
Sunday afternoon brought on Monopoly where Joelle was the first one out. Granted, I didn't do well either. I think a Joelle Vs. Palmer competition is what is needed to determine the true champ.
Friday night, we played some charades which was fun. It was made up charades so the pieces of paper had some interesting things to act out. My personal fave was Duncan acting out an Imperial Star Destroyer.
Saturday night, we played Scattergories over at James and Ferda's castle. They were having a games night which consisted of Mexican Dominoes, Mario Party, Scattergories...and I think they were ending Cranium when we walked in. We got there super late due to the work being done on Alex's place. Not a big deal though. I got to see the people I wanted to see (aka everybody!) and Vero and I won at Scattergories. We are the champs. I can actually say that no one can beat us.
However, when talking about champs, Joelle claimed that she was the reigning Monolopy Queen which I scoffed so we set up a challenge.
Sunday afternoon brought on Monopoly where Joelle was the first one out. Granted, I didn't do well either. I think a Joelle Vs. Palmer competition is what is needed to determine the true champ.
The Wedding Singer
Hmm...Blogger was all messed up for me this morning, so I managed to get this picture up, but had no time to actually write (haha...Mom and Dad caugh the fact that I wrote the word 'right' instead of 'write') an entry.
But seeing that James has already written a comment, I will write the following:
If James feels that he should cook Alex and myself a steak dinner (BBQed of course) every 2nd week starting in 2 weeks from this date, he should reply "Wicked" in the comments section.
Back onto the entry du jour - I've been asked to perform a song at Shannon and Maureen's wedding. Yay! I'm digging my wedding singer routine. Although, someone mentioned I should start charging for this sort of thing...I wouldn't do that to a friend, but maybe I should branch out my services. Perform one song - get 5 beer. That is a steal!
I'll be performing Mr. Jones (by request) which will be interesting considering I've only performed slow, first-dance type numbers in the past...I don't know what time of the night I'll be coming on board but something tells me that I won't get the crowd going with just my acoustic guitar out there. Maybe if there were a drum kit or something. ;-) Who knows? But in the end, it's all about making the couple happy...who cares about the crowd? But, as an entertainer, I always have to think of these things.
Hey...at least I have my handy dandy recording equipment this time around! This will be the first 'Palmer Recording'. Awesome! It'll come out sweet. I need someone on the background for bongo drums. Anyone have some bongo drums I can borrow?
But seeing that James has already written a comment, I will write the following:
If James feels that he should cook Alex and myself a steak dinner (BBQed of course) every 2nd week starting in 2 weeks from this date, he should reply "Wicked" in the comments section.
Back onto the entry du jour - I've been asked to perform a song at Shannon and Maureen's wedding. Yay! I'm digging my wedding singer routine. Although, someone mentioned I should start charging for this sort of thing...I wouldn't do that to a friend, but maybe I should branch out my services. Perform one song - get 5 beer. That is a steal!
I'll be performing Mr. Jones (by request) which will be interesting considering I've only performed slow, first-dance type numbers in the past...I don't know what time of the night I'll be coming on board but something tells me that I won't get the crowd going with just my acoustic guitar out there. Maybe if there were a drum kit or something. ;-) Who knows? But in the end, it's all about making the couple happy...who cares about the crowd? But, as an entertainer, I always have to think of these things.
Hey...at least I have my handy dandy recording equipment this time around! This will be the first 'Palmer Recording'. Awesome! It'll come out sweet. I need someone on the background for bongo drums. Anyone have some bongo drums I can borrow?
Darth Dalton
Mar 3, 2006
http://www.cbc.ca/toronto/story/to_senate20060303.html - Read this.
"I think it's time for us to abolish the Senate in Canada." - Dalton McGuinty
Is it just me or have we not heard similar words from a high up figure in the past year? Who could that be? Oh yes...this guy.
Emperor Palpatine of Naboo. Yikes. We all know what happened when he came into power. Hopefully Premier McGuinty doesn't have a mean streak!
Review: Transporter 2
Mar 2, 2006
What I thought about The Transporter: Awesome. Really good story. Really good action.What I thought about The Transporter 2: Not so much.
Memory: Trilogies
I was listening to some Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails this morning (do I even have to tell you who it's by? One of the most popular albums of 1995, that's for sure) and it evoked a memory.I remember back when I was...15, 16 and listening to a LOT of Nine Inch Nails which Erik got me into.
I remember walking to Sonia's on a fall evening with the wind blowing and the leaves hitting me from all angles. This is perfect weather in my opinion. I remember getting lost in my music all the time back home, just walking for hours around the town. It was great! Maybe that's where my love of music stemmed from.
While listening to The Downward Spiral that day, I stumbled upon what I consider a trilogy of songs: Big Gun-A Warm Place-Eraser. Not a trilogy in the sense that they all had a common theme, but it was an emotional trilogy.
Big Gun - one of the most visceral songs that I've ever heard. Industrial music at its peak. If there was a rating in terms of agressiveness, give this a 10.
A Warm Place - one of the most calm songs I've ever heard. The songs are the extreme opposites of one another. I found it odd to have paired it up in such a way. Let's give this a 1.
Eraser - The middle ground. It starts off calm and builds to (almost) the point that Big Gun was in terms of agressiveness. This songs starts out at 1 and builds to a 9.
I found this to be a very interesting way to play with someone who was listening to these three songs in a row...you pump them SO MUCH from listening to the first track and then crash them back down to serenity. Then you slowly bring everything back up to the level of the rest of the album. I loved it. In fact, my mix CDs of the past had a similar formula. Mix CDs in my opinion are not just something you slap some tracks onto...you have to mold them into the perfect listening compilation.
Anyhow, I remember getting to Sonia's place and telling everyone in the room what I just experienced and nobody really said much and that was that.
But my key memory of this story is that years later Eric professed that when he heard me talk about NIN in this manner (Eric was the NIN fan of all time), that there was something a lot more to the Palmer you all know (well now you all know, but if you just met me like he did, you wouldn't have known) and that this intrigued him and started our path towards a great, great friendship.
I always think of that moment in time when I listen to that trilogy of songs.
On another note, in NIN's next album The Fragile he uses the trilogy of sound once again with No, You Don't - La Mer - The Great Below. He wasn't just toying around with some songs...he knew what he was doing all along. Awesome.
That was just one random memory that popped into my head, but I find it amazing how music can evoke memories of the past all the time.
A-1 A9
Mar 1, 2006
http://a9.com
The next big thing compared to Google?
Perhaps...it is pretty slick for a search engine. I especially how it directly links up to sites such as Wikipedia. Give it a whirl.
The next big thing compared to Google?
Perhaps...it is pretty slick for a search engine. I especially how it directly links up to sites such as Wikipedia. Give it a whirl.
Happy Birthday Nintendo!
I stumbled upon this great, great article on Gamespot about Nintendo being around for the past 20 years.
It goes on to list the great accessories, the top games and the most CHALLENGING games there ever was.
Here's the article: http://www.gamespot.com/features/6144735/index.html
Let me tell you, they are right on the money when it comes to the hardest games. Ninja "what the heck? You are SO impossible to beat!!!" Gaiden and Battletoads.
I was talking to Eric about this topic last night...I finished all my Nintendo games. I figured if I was shelling out 90 bucks on a game when I was a kid, I was going to finish them. What other use were they to me?
Battletoads...AWESOME, AWESOME game...but the third level begins and you descend into madness trying to beat the speeder bike level. I now see the brilliance of this move in that they put the hardest level up front so you are enticed to beat it to see the rest of the game. I remember Marc and I spending countless hours trying to beat this game. In the end, we always let one of us die before that level so that one person could go ahead and beat it. It was the only sane way to do it.
Ninja Gaiden...oh Ninja Gaiden...who much I hated you. I had to cheat with this one and use the Game Genie to beat the game. It was brutal. Even with the Game Genie there was this part where I had to flip to one wall and below me was a pit...Game Genie doesn't save you from pits! Anyhow, I remember vaguely beating this level due to a quirk in the game where you can appear at the top of the screen past the pit...it was a cheat of sorts. Boo! You shouldn't have to cheat to beat a game.
This article brought back SOOOO many good memories. Also memories of how I just stayed inside and played video games when I was a kid.
