Randomish thoughts and events...

Love Is A Four Letter Word

2011-12-25T13:37:00.000-05:00

Love is one of those words. We all use it in different ways. It has different meanings for each of us. It has levels and depths and insinuations. Some are afraid to use it, some use it callously. Then there is the whole thing about putting the "in" before the word. In love.

I am uncertain if I have ever been in love. I have definitely fallen for people. Actually, I fall hard, it's not pretty.

As for the word love, I refuse to save it for spousal purposes only. Given that I'm single it is probably a good choice if I ever want the chance to use the word. Okay, well I guess there is family, I use the word in reference to them as well.

I guess the family thing actually solidifies my use of the word in reference to my friends. I definitely think of my friends as my chosen family and I definitely love them.

Hear that friends? I love you all.

Looking For Comfort In All The Wrong Places...

2011-12-11T16:33:00.001-05:00

I came to a realization recently that I have been “hooking up” notbecause I wanted sex, or to get off. Ihave been hooking up because I have been lonely. This is NOT a good reason to hook up.

I have left most hookups with the thought that I could have really juststayed home and jerked off. This isbecause with only a few exceptions I have had no emotional connection with theother person. I have no need to be “inlove” with the other guy, nor do I even need to love him. I do need to like him though. I need to feel like this is a person I wouldlike to spend time with. More than that,I need to know that HE would like to spend time with me.

I feel that more than anything right now I want to wake up withsomebody. I don’t however want to wakeup with some random trick; in fact I don’t even care if there is any sex inthis equation. I want it to be someonewho wants to be there, someone who wants to be with me. Maybe even somebody who needs to be with me, somebodywho just needs to be held. I have foundthat I can take equal comfort in holding someone as I get from being held.

There have been few hookups lately; I think less than six in the lastsix months, not counting one guy that I guess I could say I dated for a coupleweeks. Every one pretty much the same, sameambivalent feelings after.

My real fear in all this is that I might get into a relationship withthe wrong person in order to get the things that I am lacking. I might not need to fear this as I havemanaged to stay single for this long. Definitely a record for me. However,I still fear the possibility of this clouding my judgment at some point. I guess as long as I keep it in mind I shouldbe able to keep it in check. At the veryleast I will try.

Born High Def in an 8 Bit World

2011-08-28T10:31:00.002-05:00

So I have always been a technology addict. However, a funny thing happened on the way to the twenty-first century: I never got into gaming. To be fair my introduction to gaming was Pong. Perhaps I was ahead of my time then and just gave up on the possibility of gaming being remotely engaging. I did eventually graduate to an Atari console. Space Invaders, Asteroids and Missile Command. These games were an improvement but still didn't hook me on gaming beyond the life of the console. To be fair, it actually didn't die it just stopped being used.

I recently was hanging out with friends and a round of Mario Party was suggested. I passed but told them to go ahead and I'd just watch. Funny thing happened though, I thought it looked fun. A week or so later I played a round with another friend and I was hooked. I bought myself a Wii and the rest is history.

The world of gaming has changed a lot. Beyond better graphics and all the other technical stuff. Gaming is totally a separate form of entertainment. A form of entertainment requiring vast amounts of coordination. Coordination and patience. Oh and memory, probably my weakest area.

I was looking for a first person shooter game and a friend loaned me Metroid. I got 5 minutes in and got stuck because I could not figure out how to open a door. I just wanted to shoot things. The modern video game seems to be a movie where YOU are/control the main character. Really, I just wanted to shoot things.

Oh it's going to be a learning curve...

Happy thoughts...

2011-08-16T23:00:00.001-05:00

Okay so this is not the entry I was going to post tonight. I had a somewhat lengthy blog about my views on my relationships past, present and future. It seemed to be getting a bit heavy and I felt it really wasn't saying anything but was potentially sounding whiny. The draft is saved, it may yet turn up but I decided to go a different direction tonight.

I need to blog about the good stuff in my life. I haven't been lately. Okay, I know I haven't been blogging at all lately. but I seem to have been blogging some pretty heavy stuff and it's time for some random events instead of random thoughts.

So this past weekend was my 45th birthday and I celebrated with my friends. Friday night was a birthday party for myself and two other August babies. Happy Birthday to Calvin (August 21) and Stephen (August 30). Hosted by Matt and Chris it brought together a bunch of awesome people to be sure. Pre and post party hosted by Eric, always a good time.

Saturday and Sunday brought good times with more friends, Saturday morning coffee and movie with Colin, sushi dinner with Rob, hanging out with Shaunna and Harlee for a bit (Ninjering called on account of rain). Sunday morning coffee with Kim and dinner with the parents. Throw in Happy birthday calls from my sister and my ex-wife (a whole other story) and you've got the makings of one of the best weekends ever.

Some other random good stuff in my life right now: Jessie, the best dog ever. Yoga. Starbucks Vanilla Lattés. Aussibum Underwear. Summer.

I am not 20something anymore...

2011-05-28T21:16:00.000-05:00

These are words to live by, or rather words to stay alive by.

I planned on getting drunk last night. I did not plan on being barfing drunk by 1AM though. Actually it was earlier than that. I gave up and taxied home at 1AM. This was a real shitshow in my mind. I hope it didn't look as bad from the outside. The whole problem revolves around trying to keep up with a 21 year old. Drinking Fireball Whiskey has never been a problem but the quantities and timing last night were a bit accelerated for me I think.

The evening started at a friend’s place. He has graciously hosted many a pre-party and has included me often which is very kind of him given we really don’t know each other all that well. There are always interesting people there and I generally just hang out and take in all the conversation. I did realize after the last one that I let my habit of being a quiet observer overshadow the fact that I was at a party and should be participating more. I think I was better last night. That is before the liquor kicked in, which was thankfully after leaving the party. We went to The Mansion and then to The Renaissance. Yes I puked in two different establishments last night. A personal record for me, thank you very much.

My intention was to blame this all on Colin. However, as the evening started with a hug from him when I got to the party and ended with a hug as he sent me to my taxi, as well as the fact that he is babysitting me from afar tonight I will let him off the hook. I will however not let him mix my drinks next time.

That is all. I am now going to watch a Julia Roberts chick flick and drown my loneliness in Haggen Daz. Cheaper than Therapy.

Does this outfit make me look fat?

2011-05-23T14:24:00.006-05:00

The question no man ever wants to hear. Truth is there are many questions we don't ever want to answer honestly. If you think about it there are many questions, asked or unasked, that we don’t want the honest answer to as well.

As friends, we want to be supportive. From our friends we want the same. If we are contemplating an unwise purchase we might want our friends to be honest if they think it's a bad idea. If we have made up our mind or have already made the purchase we want friends to agree with us that it was an awesome buy. Stronger than that as the friend in the former scenario we are compelled to be supportive. After all, the damage is done. What will honesty serve now? Who wants to say “I told you so” anyway?

Scenario number two: Your friend tells you the guy you are dating (or girl in the case of people who date girls) is not right for you, nasty, gross, smelly, too rich, too poor, too educated, uneducated or for whatever reason inappropriate. You are pretty likely to dismiss this opinion, after all, you know yourself better. Depending on your friend’s conviction you may well estrange yourself from them. Why would you want an unsupportive friend?

Sometimes I think I am a bad friend. I haven’t told anyone their boyfriend was a jerk. I didn’t tell someone they were being unreasonable when they clearly thought they were not and I clearly thought they were. I may have told someone that colour doesn’t suit them while it was on the rack but held my tongue when it was in the bag. I just want everyone to be happy and I seem to think agreeing with someone makes them happy. In the short term it probably does. In the long term; you might be looking at a huge bite in the ass.

So I have not answered any deep, philosophical question here. I still don’t know what the answer is. Honesty is important and I think most of us strive for that. On a friendship level can we be brutally honest and still have friends? I’m not sure we could. It is a social experiment I don’t think I could try given the risk.

PS: Does this outfit make me look fat?

Challenges, Easy and Improbable

2011-05-16T13:34:00.003-05:00

I have put forth my 30 Day Challenge to become active in June but I have not posted about the 10 Day Challenge I just completed. A challenge that probably makes June all the more necessary. I fell into this challenge by accident. Starbucks recently ran a promotion; Frapuccino Happy Hour. More affectionately known, to me, as Frappy Hour. Half price Frappuccinos every day between the hours of 3:00PM to 5:00PM. Before I knew it I had been there the first three days of the promotion. It seemed a logical step to make it to Frappy Hour all 10 days. Quite proud to say I completed the challenge. I dragged a few people with me on a few of those days, I am not above corrupting my friends. It was fun and I enjoyed a few beverages that I would not have likely tried otherwise. However, like coffee should not be decaffeinated, Frappuccinos should not be Non-Fat. I am happy to go back to my Vanilla, Non-Fat Lattes.

While on the subject of month long challenges, my friend Kaytee at work suggested my next challenge. 30 Dudes in 30 Days. The question is: If I do this in July do I get a bonus Dude for the 31st or do I get a day off in there Somewhere? Something tells me I would need the day off. I have a feeling that even if I thought this challenge was possible the rules and exceptions would take the complication level beyond anything I could keep manageable. Sorry Kaytee I'm going to have to pass on this one I think.

Why am I still up?

2011-05-15T23:46:00.000-05:00

Oh yes, the Java Chip Frappuccino at 3:00PM and the Vanilla Latte at 6:00PM. That would do it. I have a feeling it is going to be a long day at work tomorrow. I believe Friday is going to be a bit of a challenge as well but I'll cover that in another post if there is anything worth covering. I will definitely be stopping at Starbucks in the morning on my way in. I'll need something to get me through the morning.

A reasonably uneventful weekend. Highlights would include a Bon Voyage party for Matt and Chris who are on their way to Iceland, France and Italy. A very enjoyable time. I also got to grab a drink with my sister who was in town judging a gymnastics competition. She is in town for this fairly frequently but doesn't often get much down time so it was good that we managed to steal an hour to catch up a bit. Mother will certainly be happy.

To any art fans who follow me, check out my friend Mack's new website. Check out the gallery, Disconnect I and Disconnect II will be gracing my walls shortly. I am lucky to have talented friends. Much of the art in my place has been done by friends. I am honoured to be able to display their work, be they professional artists like Mack or novice talents. Thanks to all who have cotributed to my personal gallery, Richard, Tracy, Ryan, Rob, Calvin and Mack. Thanks to Colin for thirty days of literature. Thanks to Dan for getting me into art in the first place. To all of you, I hope I have managed to give you back something in return for what you have given me.

And now, I shall make an attempt to sleep...

Another Blog All Together

2011-05-13T19:00:00.000-05:00

So last time I mentioned getting int the habit... I mentioned getting in the habit of writing again but more to the point of this entry getting in the habit of being active. Running, biking, climbing and yoga to be more specific.

So here is the plan (stolen from a friend): Starting June 1st I am going to do one of the above activities every day for 30 days. I plan on setting up an alternative blog but I warn you it will be short and dry, I do not anticipate any entries more in depth than a few lines confirming I got my ass out of my apartment and did something.

One final thing, I reserve the right to substitute activities from time to time. Frankly, some days walking downtown to get my car after a drinking binge is going to be my activity. I am at peace with this.

PS: I am told a good romp in the sheets could possibly be a substitute activity but I'll keep that as extra curriculars for bonus points.

The Dating Game

2011-05-09T20:12:00.002-05:00

I had hoped to write this sooner. I really just have to get back into the habit of writing. I also need to get into the habit of running, biking, climbing and yoga. Well that's another blog all together.

In my last entry I alluded to a shift in my thinking regarding dating. After ending my last long term relationship I decided that I would wait at least a year before I would entertain the idea of dating. I did break that briefly, I dated a great guy but knew early that he was not "the one" for me. We continue to be friends and sometimes still go out on dates. That was my favourite thing about my time with him, we had great dates. Anyway, I digress...

A few weeks back I got to spend a Sunday afternoon with a young man who made me realize a few things. I realized that there were things I was missing. Not to brag but for some reason sex is not difficult for me to find. So I have enjoyed the company of men from time to time and have enjoyed the physical contact. What was missing was affection. I did not realize I was missing it until this particular afternoon. I have another friend with whom I have snuggled on the sofa to watch a movie and I always enjoyed it. Perhaps it was my state of mind that Sunday but Colin gave me the proverbial kick in the ass that has put me in a state of mind that I like the idea of having someone in my life.

Now don't go thinking that it was all that simple an epiphany. I was actually pretty confused about it and about potential feelings for someone who was clearly not an appropriate candidate for me. For someone as self-aware as I believe I am I have often been pretty confused about my feelings. I have been known to fall for the idea of a person rather than the person themself. In the end though I realized what was what. I now have a more clear understanding of what I would like and am keeping an open mind to the possibilities.

Of one thing I am certain, I have made a new friend and I will enjoy and learn for whatever period of time our paths remain crossed, as I hope he will too.

Random Thoughts and Events...

2011-05-05T20:38:00.001-05:00

Apparently I am short on both these days.

I realize that I generally get inspired by things I observe. I guess I have not been getting out as much since I bought the condo, hence not observing much.

Thoughts...

My good friend Robert pointed out that I have had lots to blog about but I have simply been respectful (for lack of a better word) enough not to. I have definitely had things to say but this forum is not appropriate for every thought I have or event I live through. I find that I have a clear view of the fact that every story is a matter of perspective. I do however think this is somewhat unique and don’t want to talk about some events in my life that refer to other people for fear of opinions being formed of those people. Opinions that do not take into account those people’s perspective.

Events...

I guess I have not talked too much about the condo. Not too many people buy property as an impulse purchase but that is exactly what happened to me. A friend at work mentioned the place, I looked it up on MLS and the next thing you know I was checking it out and putting in an offer.

So it is a small, bachelor unit. Not the downtown loft condo I would have liked but a nice little starter place. Definitely a quiet neighbourhood. I am fixing things up nicely, mostly decorating at this point. I have an eighty’s kitchen that will need to be replaced but that will likely be for next year. The bathroom is going to be a two phase renovation. Sink and vanity will be replaced shortly and the tiling and tub will be down the road. Right now I am working on the storage room. So glamorous. Also on the list; flooring, a bit more painting, a couple light fixtures, etc...

I do have some additional thoughts regarding a shift in my thinking regarding starting to date. A shift brought on by a new friend. I’ll save that for the next entry which I promise won’t be too long from now.

An Amendment or a Softening

2011-04-25T20:13:00.002-05:00

I have had two friends comment on my Driving Myself Crazy post. My one friend who probably knows everything current in my life messaged me worried about how I was doing; the other friend thought I was sad.

Maybe I can change the tone of the post by changing one word. I used the term heartbreak perhaps rather lightly. I don’t like the idea of taking my words back and I have never gone back and edited a post for anything more than missed spelling or grammar. I will not go back and actually change the post but how about you read it again and replace heartbreak with disappointment.

Additionally, my friend Kea left a comment and I would like to respond to the following part of it.

“I'd be looking a little deeper at this, at why you entangle yourself emotionally with those who are unavailable or who are not suited for you, long term.”

I go for young men because they are not jaded by years of... Life. That and they are so damn cute. Trust me, if I could find a good looking, trim, active, man in his 40’s who can be cuddly without being clingy and can stay up past 9:00 PM I’d be all over him.

So to wind this down, I am not heartbroken, I am not sad. I have been disappointed in the past and I will be again in the future but it’s all part of the journey.

2011-04-24T13:44:00.003-05:00

To the Anonymous person who commented on my Shitty Fucking Day post, thank you for your comments. They are greatly appreciated.

Driving Myself Crazy

2011-04-24T00:07:00.003-05:00

So I have come up with a theory. This is what I do when I drive by myself, I think too much.

So my theory is that I may have come to an age where I may be too set in my ways and in what I want that I can no longer date anyone. Strike that. I couldn’t date someone else who was set in their ways. That would be anyone in my age range. As an example I will give you sleeping habits. I really don’t want to deal with some sweaty, snoring, flailing bed mate. How about eating habits? Drinking out of the carton, leaving crumbs in the butter or any other number of annoying practices. Don’t even get me started on personal hygiene.

This whole thing supports my attraction to younger men. They are not set in their ways. They are in effect, trainable. However, as pretty as they are, as trainable as they may be they are just fleeting diversions. I can connect with them physically but only rarely emotionally. On those rare occasions I can look forward to heartbreak, unintentional on the young man’s part but still hurt that I would rather not have to deal with.

Of course in the end I know that I cannot have a lasting relationship with someone who has so little common ground. I know this in my mind. Sometimes my mind and my heart don’t communicate as they should. Lesson learned. Lesson forgotten. Till I learn it again.

So I am back to thinking that I may be broken in some way, unable to date anyone, or for that matter be “dated” by anyone. Sadly this realization comes at a time when I would consider seeing someone on a regular basis.

Realize that this is not some sad pity party I am attending. These are just the things that bounce around in my head when I drive a long distance by myself. I do in fact have a healthy belief that there may be a man out there who will figuratively sweep me off my feet. I also know that if he never shows up I will be just fine on my own.

Here now, there later...

2010-06-12T10:33:00.002-05:00

So I am not in the place I would have thought I would be at this point in my life. At almost 44 years old I would have expected to be in a much more secure place. I guess you just never know what life is going to throw your way. I'm not saying I am in a bad place, just not where I would have expected to be. Maybe it is more that I am not where I percieve the average guy my age would be.

I guess I can talk about where I am. I am no longer in my own house. I am now living with a friend. Taking advantage of what I think is a mutually beneficial situation. Cheap rent for me, extra cash for her. I am looking at it as a year to "regroup" both financially and mentally. I plan to be in much better shape on both fronts 12 months from now.

So with another relationship gone, and with the nagging thought that I have wasted a couple people’s time, I am pretty sure I won’t seriously consider anything long term for a really long time. I am pretty okay with this direction. I have reconnected with some old friends, I have made some new friends, and I have received solid support from my friends who were there all along.

It has been a stressful couple months and I am sure there is more stress in store but I’ll just have to get through it like everyone else has to. When all else fails I know I have my big dumb dog who will lick my face and make me feel better.

Changes on the way...

2010-05-02T16:01:00.003-05:00

Well the big news is that I broke up with my boyfriend of almost 5 years. It was a rough call because once you make the move it is a pretty permanent thing and I wanted to be sure. Spent a few weeks going over and over things but in the end I decided it was the best thing for both of us. The event itself was less dramatic than I thought it might be which is good. Still it was a difficult time for both of us.

The main issue centered around communication. We both are guys who do not communicate our feelings well. That is a lethal combination when it comes to relationships. Any kind of relationship really. Oddly, we are now communicating better than we ever have. I guess with the pressure off it's easier to tell him what pissed me off and for him to do so as well.

So now comes all the work of dealing with real estate and separation of property. I'm sure there are going to be many bumps along that road. We'll manage I'm sure.

The conclusion I have come to is that it is time for me to be alone. I am not relationship material. I think some time for just me and my puppy will be a good thing.

Stood up at Starbucks...

2010-03-13T08:39:00.006-05:00

...So I have time to blog.

WTF! Has it really been since January? I keep promising to update more and never do. Well I am a nice guy; no one said I was reliable too. Last time I posted we were heading in to Reelout. I am happy to report it was a phenomenal success. I waited for the disasters but they never came. Sure there were a couple kinks along the way but all were quickly resolved or had no visible impact. I can honestly say I am pretty proud of what we accomplished. It was a lot of hard work by many people but so well worth it. Now we are already planning for Reelout 12 and I know we learned lots to help us make it even better.

I was very lucky to meet and spend time with some awesome filmmakers over the week and I am pretty proud that I managed to see 54 of the 58 feature length and short films that we brought to Kingston. I very much make it a point to not see the movies ahead of time and try to work the festival in a manner that allows me to see the movies. I make it a point to buy a pass and see all the movies I can. That way I will go see things that I normally wouldn't see. As a community we are small and we tend to divide further by gender. I like to make a point of checking out the lesbian movies and I like to see the women come out to see the guy's movies too. In fact the women do seem to make more of an effort to see a broader range of movies. So guys, get out there and check out lesbianism, don't let them show us up.

Reelout 11

2010-01-17T22:15:00.004-05:00

It has been way too long since I posted anything here. Crazy. I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you all about Reelout. For a few years now I have been enjoying Kingston's very own queer film festival. While enjoying it last year I, of course, was critical of the organization behind it. At some point I decided it was time to stop bitching about it and about the queer community in general, and step up and contribute. So what I did then was become a member of the Board of Directors for Reelout. We had many challenges but with less than two weeks till our opening night I think I can safely say the chaos is in hand. I can also safely say that due to a lot of hard work by a lot of dedicated people Reelout 11 is going to be an incredible festival.

My plan is to do contribute as much before and after the screenings so I can actually enjoy the festival itself. I have high hopes that this will be Reelout's most successful year to date. Till next year...

Kids Again

2009-11-19T09:05:00.010-05:00

On the first or second day we went to the beach I commented to my siblings that it would be nice to have Mom and Dad on the beach watching us having fun in the water. I admitted that it was a "kid" thing to say but we all did agree. Yesterday while we were out at Stone Island Mom said she enjoyed watching us as it reminded her of when we were kids. I thought was pretty funny given my earlier comment. She said they were counting heads from time to time just like they used to do when we went to North Beach as kids.

So we have been doing some shopping off and on but so far the only thing I have bought is a hat. I know eh, me not buying stuff is pretty weird. Mom and Dad bought us all something for their anniversary even though we tried to explain that wasn't how it worked. They bought me a silver pendant, a cross of sorts. Oh I also bought vanilla for Freda, enough to keep her baking for years to come. Other than that it has been mostly just food. My 500 Pesos per day budget has been rolling over quite nicely. Hopefully the shopping will pick up today and tomorrow.

Just to let you know I got up at about 7AM and came outside and am sitting on the patio writing this blog. So beautiful here.

Fun in the sun.

2009-11-16T21:26:00.004-05:00

I just can't think that it gets any better than this. The ocean is so warm and we have had such a blast playing around in it. It has been like being kids again. Only we are not fighting like we used to. Not even bickering. There has been plenty of teasing though. In my family if you do something dumb it will never be forgotten. We will bring it up any chance we get.

Anyway, having a blast. Wish you were here...

P.S: I had my first Starbucks Vanilla Latte in Mexico yesterday.

Blogging from Mexico

2009-11-14T00:02:00.003-05:00

Well as promised I am blogging from Mexico. You doubted it would happen. I doubted it would happen on my first night here, but here it is. All I can tell you about so far is the voyage. There are a couple funny stories.

Going through security at Calgary on our way to Mexico I was "randomly" selected for a personal search. The security guy actually admitted that he chose me because from a distance he though I might be Maynard James Keenan from Tool. Well once he flagged me he was committed. There is not much of me that he didn't touch in the process. In retrospect I figure I could have ended the whole process had I told him something like how he touched me in ways my boyfriend never did. That would have been funny.

Before we boarded the plane my sister though she would pick up a few little bottles of vodka to have on the flight. They sell it right there in the terminal and tell you you can take it on the plane. Makes sense that you could drink it on the plane too right? NOT. I was advised that it was not allowed. Oddly though when the steward came back around he asked if I wanted another vodka and O.J. and when I declined he asked if I was sure and said it was on him. I still declined but still ponder his motivation for wanting to buy me a drink. People are fun to try and figure out.

Next blog I will discuss my thoughts regarding young children on airplanes. Stay tuned.

Vacation Mode

2009-11-11T12:03:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I am leaving for Mexico, via Calgary oddly enough. I will be heading to Ottawa around noon tomorrow to hook up with the sisters and we fly out at 7:30PM. First stop is Calgary for the night where we will be meeting up with the brother. Friday at noon we are on our way to Mexico where the folks are waiting. We are all getting together in Mexico to celebrate the parents 50^th Wedding Anniversary on November 14^th.

Getting together with the family should be fun if the Down East trip is any indication. Being on a beach in the sun will be a very welcome change from work. Mom has some excursions planned but I think we were clear that we did not want the entire 8 days crammed full of stuff to do. We all work and I think we would all love some down time while we are there. I have already scoped out the Starbucks though I think it is a good hike from Mom and Dad’s place. I’m sure I will find an appropriate coffee shop where I can grab a cappuccino and read for a bit if I need to get away.

At any rate the folks have stocked up on Rum, Tequila and Vodka so I’m sure we’ll all be able to stay pretty happy.

So now all I have to do is get through the next 6.5 hours till I am done work. Not as easy as it seems since I realize I checked out sometime yesterday and am now in full on Vacation Mode. That makes it hard to concentrate on work and also explains why I am blogging instead of working.

Next blog will come to you from Mexico.

Books or Blogs, I can't seem to manage both

2009-10-17T10:41:00.005-05:00

I have been reading a lot lately, mostly at my favourite reading spot which is the front window table at Starbucks. That is also my favourite place to blog. The books have been winning out though, hence no blogs lately.

The book I am reading right now is about the Bible and homosexuality. It basically covers literal and historical context interpretation of the writings. Literal interpretation favoured by the fundamentalist is obvioulsy just plain scary.

My biggest revelation however has been that an otherwise intelligent, educated person can truly believe that god actually wrote the Bible, albeit through man.

Yeah, yeah, I'm slacking...

2009-09-14T08:29:00.002-05:00

I know I haven't even blogged part three of my New Brunswick Family Holiday, AKA The Voyage Home. Nor in fact have I blogged much at all. Here is a little tidbit for you all to keep you going.

Subtitle: Wanted: Dead or Alive, 2002 Pontiac Sunfire, Bright Yellow.

I have been pulled over by the cops 6 times in my life. Three of those times have been in the car I have been driving for just over a year. One of those times was for speeding which was totally legit. The second time I was questioned about the vehicle and who owned it and was let go. The cop told me he thought it was a different vehicle. The third time I was pulled over was only semi-legit. The cop who pulled me over did a u-turn to follow me then stopped me because my tags were expired. That was a $110.00 fine. Something made him want to follow me which led him to notice the tags. Makes me wonder what criminal is driving around town in one of the few other bright yellow Sunfires.

Incidentally the expired tags was a procrastination thing. I went to get them only a few days into September but then discovered I needed an E-Test. I had one scheduled for 2 days after I got pulled over.

So perhaps $110.00 will keep me from procrastinating in the future but I doubt it.

Part 2.5 or Stories from Halifax

2009-08-25T09:39:00.002-05:00

So my good friend and tour guide Stew reminded me of something I have to blog about. This is something that shows the difference between people from Eastern Canada and those of us from Ontario. Oh, I apologize in advance to homeless and kind that I may be about to offend.

While wandering about Halifax there were two encounters that I found humorous. The first encounter involved a man who approached us in a park for money so he could get shelter at The Y. Incidentally there apparently is no Y in Halifax. The second encounter was more creative. Two girls approached us looking for cab fare because the one’s boyfriend got drunk and took off without them.

Neither of these incidents are humorous in and of themselves. What I did find funny was the effort they put into trying to get money from strangers. The stories were not elaborate at all yet they were totally complex compared to what I am used to. What you get here is the minimalist approach to panhandling. The most you will get in Ontario is a line asking for spare change. That’s if you even get that. Many just sit with their hat or Tim Horton’s cup. Not that a message is required as we get the picture.

So in the end, for me, the humor is in how the down-homers are all friendly and provide you with entertainment for your money. They are natural born story tellers. Here in Ontario they just don’t seem to put in the effort.

About Time For Part II

2009-08-18T08:33:00.008-05:00

Picture it: PEI, August, 2009...

Two fags board the boat (Ferry, actually) from PEI to Nova Scotia. The ferry was big, it's been a long time since I've been on a boat that big. The trip was totally uneventful though. Kinda boring actually. We got to Nova Scotia and drove in to Halifax. Dan got pissed off at the GPS because it didn't take us in the way he did it previously. Despite this we did make it to the Prince George hotel. With Dan's past history with the hotel we were upgraded to the "Crown" floor, very nice room. I was totally looking forward to a nice swim and soak in the hot tub knowing that the set up would be nice in such a good hotel. Totally dissapointed that they chose that particular Tuesday night to close the pool for maintenance. That made me unhappy.

After checking in we gave our friend Stew a call, then the three of us headed out for dinner. Now four days in the Maritimes you would have thought we would have had seafood but we still hadn't. Well this was the night to remedy this. We finally chose a place right on the water called Murphy's. I am not a fan of fish so my idea of seafood is scallops and lobster. My order was easy, bacon wrapped scallops to start and a lobster wrap as my entree. I prefer lobster cold and already out of the shell. Whole lobster is way too much work for me. As we were waiting to order I heard these fateful words from the waitress to the patrons at the next table: "We are out of the bacon wrapped scallops." Just my luck. Well the lobster wrap was fantastic so I did get over it. Dan had the whole lobster. Carcass on a plate, creepy. After dinner we wandered and ended up at Starbucks, great end to a great day.

On Wednesday we met up with Stew at the Starbucks and he gave us an insightful tour of the downtown of Halifax. Insightful because our guide, Stew, works for the city and has lots of inside info that most wouldn't know. Like how many garbage cans are around and why there are no benches on the sidewalks. Who knew they were unsafe? Lunch was at a local pub, and there I got my bacon wrapped scallops. After that a bit more touring around then it was back in the car for the trek back to the cottage in New Brunswick.

I thought Part II would complete the saga but it looks like this is going to be a trilogy. Stay tuned for more...

The long Awaited Family Reunion Post...

2009-08-09T12:29:00.006-05:00

...or Highlights From My Trip to the Maritimes. Part I

Friday July 31st we headed out for the long drive across Quebec. We made stops only for gas and to stretch our legs. Jessie was awesome, she spent most of the trip sleeping in the back seat. She complained less than Dan to be sure. We finally arrived in Edmundston NB and checked in to our pet friendly room at the Best Western. The room was well set up for pets, no carpet, and it had patio doors to the parking lot. That made it much easier to deal with the luggage too. We went for a swim. Okay I didn't swim at all but did enjoy the hot tub even though it wasn't as hot as I would have liked it. After the swim we headed downtown for a walk and a bite to eat then just relaxed.

Saturday morning we headed out to the nearest Starbucks which happened to be three and a half hours away in Moncton. Best discovery ever was that there was an H&M in Moncton, there would be shopping before we left. So we grabbed our Starbucks and headed for the family. In the end it was nice to see everybody and it was all pretty low pressure. We just hung out.

The cottage was rustic by my standards but much less rustic than it could have been. Because we had Jessie with us we ended up with one of the better rooms. The upstairs was all pretty open but there were two bedrooms downstairs with doors and we got one of them. They also had the only two double beds so that was another bonus.

The rest of Saturday was pretty relaxed, just hanging out and drinking. Walks on the beach with the dog. Enjoyable. In fact when asked later about my favourite moment the first thing that came to mind was those walks and runs on the beach with Jessie.

Sunday we headed in to Moncton for a bit of shopping. No great finds but Moncton does have an awesome mall. The rest of the afternoon and evening was the reunion. Reasonably low pressure and fairly painless.

Monday was a random day trip to "the dunes" which turned out to be fairly pointless in that dogs were not allowed. We went for a quick look around while my sister looked after Jess. Then came out and just hung out with my sister, my dad and some family member from Boston. That turned out to be more fun than the boardwalk on the dunes.

Tuesday morning we headed off to PEI. My sisters partner, Andre was not feeling well so he stayed behind and looked after Jessie. Somehow I ended up being the lead car on the trek but thanks to the GPS, I managed to get us to the Confederation Bridge which was a pretty awesome structure. We headed in to Summerside where we left the family in order to accellerate the tour as we needed to be at the ferry in time to head over to Nova Scotia. From Summerside we headed to Charlottetown and wandered around downtown. Had ice cream at Cows which is an East Coast thing. Awesome parody t-shirts there. I bought one and found one I wanted that wasn't available there but a quick BlackBerry message to my Sister-in-law had one purchased for me on their visit to Cavendish. After that we headed for the ferry and then off to Halifax NS.

More to come in Part II. Time to go get groceries now.

I make boys and girls cry...

2009-07-26T21:50:00.004-05:00

Last week was full of drama at work. Drama like I haven't seen since grade 4 or 5. Some of it goes back a couple weeks so I'll start there. Apparently morale is improved by having monthly themes. This month is a Hawiian theme. Regardless of the theme our cubicles end up looking like a dollar store threw up on them. Just lots of tacky shit everywhere. So the drama starts because Jay and I tend to make fun of all the tacky crap. Jay is way more hardcore than I am in that he will not participate at all and will remove stuff from around his desk. I on the other hand will simply not make any effort. I'll chip in a bit of cash for the dollar store crap and let the others decorate my area, though only to a degree. There is only so much tacky I can handle.

Moving on from there. One of the girls decided to collect some money to buy one of the other team members a birthday present. I chipped in (remember this part, it's important later). Jay was totally unaware of this collection. In the past, when people's birthdays came up someone would buy them a card and the whole team would sign it. Well the girl who took up the collection, the one that Jay didn't know about, sent out an email to the team. The email statedthat there was a card and anyone who chipped in could come sign. Jay, thinking it rediculous that she would be collecting for a card had words with her and made her cry.

I was off that day, the next day within minutes of me getting to work I was approached to sign the card as I had chipped in. I told you that part was important. Well maybe it was just noteworthy as opposed to being important. Anyway after having heard about all the drama from the day before I had decided that I would no longer participate in anything work related that was not actually work. So when the card was handed to me I simpley shook my head declining it. "But you paid" I was told. Again I politely declined saying it was okay. I sat back down at my desk to continue logging on to my computer and I hear sobbing from the other side of the cubicles. Yup, apparently I made her cry too.

That certainly validated my decision to stop participating.

Jay got a talking to by our supervisor. I was expecting one but it didn't come as both supervisors dissapeared mid day. Rumours abound as to why but it seems like they may have been suspended for unrelated infractions. We'll likely find out more this week.

More drama that a gay bar. Oh, if you want to know about me making boys cry... If you ask me nice maybe that will be one of my next blogs.

Furries know how to party

2009-07-07T22:10:00.003-05:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks. Definitely good busy. Working backwards I'll start with Pittsburgh.

Last year we tagged along when our favourite furrie went to Anthrocon in Pittsburgh. Anthrocon is a furrie convention. If you don't know what a furrie is I will let you do your own research on that. So anyway, we tagged along last year and got a one day pass for the con and spent the rest of the time checking out Pittsburgh. I really did not expect much from Pittsburgh but I was surprised. I refer to it as a little Chicago, and I LOVED Chicago. So we decided this year that we would go back mostly to get some of the pictures we lost when one of our SD cards went missing. We also decided that we would go for a full weekend pass since the price was only a bit more than the one day pass. It was a great move. We did get out and get some more pictures, museums and some shopping, but the bulk of the weekend was spent with the furries.

The highlights were the dances which put any dance here to shame. Awesome music, awesome light shows and so much fun. I danced my ass off, sadly mostly by myself. I missed my little straight boy who I was grinding with last year but I still had a blast.

We also got to watch the most incredible fireworks show from the roof of the convention center. Sadly next year's con is not on the 4th of July weekend again. That would have been a big draw for me.

Last big thing of the weekend was Saturday night's dinner. We happened across a place called The Sonoma Grille. I had an asparagus salad to start and a stuffed pork tenderloin. I can't even describe how good the entree was. Definitely worth going back for. For desert I was deciding if I would go with the Creme Brule that I knew they would have or if I would go for something chocolate for which I was having a craving. Eric, our waiter brought over the desert menus and started giving us some suggestions. The first thing he mentioned was their chocolate creme brule. I stopped him there and went for it. It was perfect.

As for the con itself, it very much reminds me of the Star Trek conventions I attended years ago. For a people watcher like me it is a very interesting environment to spend a weekend in. Freaks, geeks, weirdos and the odd normal person.

Next post I will go further back into the past and write about the previous weekend which was Toronto Pride weekend.

Celebrity sighting

2009-06-14T08:30:00.002-05:00

I saw Bif Naked at Starbucks Saturday morning. Meghan had to tell me who she was though.

New look

2009-06-10T08:03:00.004-05:00

I decided to try something new, just for fun. My Mom hates it, no surprise there. Most people enjoy it. It is growing on Dan. One person was jealous. I like it but it will not become a permanent fixture. Just some fun for now.

What are they afraid of?

2009-06-05T14:25:00.003-05:00

I am reading a book called Risk by Dan Gardner. The subtitle is Why We Fear the Things We Shouldn't - and Put Ourselves in Greater Danger

I am currently reading the chapter on terrorism and how Bush promoted the fear after 9/11 for political gains. No surprise there, we all know it. What I did find interesting is the odds. Even calculating in the loss of over 3000 people in one day on 9/11 Americans have considerably more chance of being struck by lightning than being killed by terrorist attacks. Why are they so afraid? They are afraid because their government and their media tells them to be.

Like good little lemmings they are happy to follow.

Ahhhh Starbucks...

2009-06-04T07:13:00.003-05:00

I probably get more criticism about my fondness (read: obsession) with Starbucks more than anything else. Believe me there is lots of other things about me more prone to criticism. There are two primary issues I get hit on.

First issue is the price. The simple argument is "You get what you pay for" which covers 2 things. First, when I pay $3.83 for my Vanilla Latte I am getting a beverage that is made with real espresso and real milk. Tim Horton's will charge you half the price for one of their French Vanilla Cappuccinos but you are getting a powder reconstituted in water. The actual products simply cannot be compared if you ask me. Second thing I personally am paying for when I get my Latte is the atmosphere at my Starbucks. My Lattes are often accompanied by up to 2 hours of sitting in their front window tables watching people, reading, surfing the internet, and as right now, blogging. With a registered Starbucks card (which is simply a reloadable gift card and therefore free) I get 2 hours of free wireless internet per day. I don't seem to ever read at home so the pile of books would never go down if I didn't come here. And for people watching, well Starbucks is a magnet for good looking people. Read this blog for an example.

The second thing I get grief on is the name of the drinks. People think Starbucks is too complicated. Well I of limited mental capacity managed to figure it out so it can't be that complicated. Admittedly I received some instruction from some Starbucks promotional materiel but that really only solidified the meaning and order of the words I was saying. Some of the "complication" comes from the fact that Starbucks bases their naming using Italian words. Italians are rather rabid about their love of coffee so I see why they went that route. If you go to a French restaurant you are going to find French on the menu, same with German, Italian, Greek, and so on.

So here is the breakdown of my particular beverage. Grande, Non-fat Vanilla Latte. Now I ask for it several times a week so it isn't complicated for me. Grande is the Italian part and simply refers to the size, Large. Non-fat is the milk, Vanilla is the flavour syrup, that part is optional in a latte I add it as a sweetener; I don't put sugar in coffee. I also play that up sometimes as they have some seasonal choices like Pumpkin Spice in the fall and Gingerbread for the Holidays. Finally, the Latte part I explained earlier. Now I admit this is one of the easier drinks but if you find something you like you will figure out the name.

If you still don't get this then you should continue going to Tim Horton's. I don't want that to sound like I am knocking Tim Horton's, I just don't really think the two places can be compared. The products are totally different, at least in reference to beverages other than a regular coffee. Atmosphere however is not comparable on any level.

Pretty funny if you ask me...

2009-06-01T21:11:00.005-05:00

A friend sent me this and I thought it was worth sharing.

Protest Sign

Weekend Update

2009-06-01T13:36:00.001-05:00

So when my friend Steve asked how my weekend was today I said it was okay. Upon reflection it was actually much better than okay.

Saturday started with a bit of running around. Despite the cool afternoon weather we took Jessie for a walk downtown and had coffee with Meghan on the patio at Sipps. Dan and I decided to catch a movie in the evening so we checked out Angels and Demons which I thought was quite good to the dismay of the critics.

After the movie I returned the call from Meghan that came in about half way through the movie. It was an invitation to go for drinks at Tango. After a few drinks there I was feeling pretty good. Tim and Brooke (AKA Gunther) and some of her friends showed up. Another drink then we took off and left the kids to play. Apparently when I got home I updated my MSN tag to let everyone know I was drunk. Go figure.

Sunday started off with Brunch of course. A bit of shopping. I was almost as excited to pick up the new bedspread as I was to pick up the next volume of the James Bond movie collection. That's right, just one more to go now and I will have them all. We watched Goldfinger which is the third movie but in my opinion the beginning of the James Bond formula.

Between shopping and James Bond there were a couple open houses and an awesome, though cold, barbecue hosted by Amy and Keith. Good times.

Today, Not So Much...

2009-05-27T19:01:00.004-05:00

Saw another RCMP officer today at Starbucks. Donuts were definitely his best friend. He was fat, I mean really fat. Like couldn't chase a criminal for more than one block fat. Oh well.

I added a picture to my header. It's the Chicago skyline and I'm not sure if that will be confusing to people since I don't live in Chicago. I loved it there though so I thought I'd use it. If I find something more appropriate in the future I'll switch it out.

Interesting news from work, they have lowerd the salary cap to below what I am presently making. Significantly below oddly enough. So though I do keep my current wage I will likely never get an increase from here on in. So my question now is: Since there are no more raises based on performance do I only need to do enough to not get fired? Thats kinda how I read it.

Another Morning at Starbucks

2009-05-26T09:21:00.004-05:00

My schedule is a bit modified today as I have the reelout AGM tonight. My employer has allowed me to start an hour early so I can leave at 6:30 in order to be at The Grad Club by 7:30. I was looking for time to hit Starbucks this week for a latte and a chapter or two of my book but didn't think I would have time today. That was until I looked at the time while I was in the shower and saw that it was an hour earlier that expected. I guess Dan wanted to get to work early. So I definitely had time and I sure am glad I did.

It started out like any other Starbucks visit, got my latte, table in the front window. All good. Then, in walks an RCMP officer in uniform. Vest, gun and all. He was my height but very sturdy build. Very nice to look at. A few minutes later in walks another officer. Then another. Another. Within moments eight officers standing there, all good looking. It was a metaphorical hardon in the making. Very good way to start the day.

Random

2009-05-22T07:27:00.005-05:00

So I guess if it rains today its my fault. Yesterday was so gorgeous out I decided to take today off. I wanted to both enjoy the weather and get the rest of my lawn mowed. All that of course after some Starbucks time. So anyway the radio came on this morning and the weather report come up with possible showers. Totally out of the blue if you ask me. I was sure it was going to be awesome today. Funny thing is I don't think I saw any weather report saying it was going to be nice today. I may have just assumed it.

Speaking about how nice it was yesterday... After work we had a little going away thing for the reelout board member who was instrumental in getting us hooked into volunteering. It was just drinks at The Merchant but it was my first, long awaited, nice enough evening that we could walk instead of drive so I could drink evening. It was a nice enough evening to sit on the patio but unfortunately everyone else thought so too so there were no tables. Even so it was a very enjoyable evening and I was glad that we could show Sammi our appreciation.

Here is the actual "random" part of the blog.

A conversation a couple months back about James Bond movie theme songs prompted Meghan to buy a CD of them which I ripped to my MP3 player. Every time one comes on it makes me smile, especially the older ones. That has in turn prompted me to crave watching the movies again. Me being me, I have to watch them in order. So I have started buying the box sets. I found them at Future Shop for $35 which is a very good deal for 5 movies. So the odd thing is that they seem to be randomly packaged. In order to get the first movie I had to buy Volume 4 (of 4). Further investigation shows that in order to watch all the movies in order I will in fact have to buy all 4 volumes as the first 4 movies are spread between all of them. Not so random after all I guess.

Time to say goodbye...

2009-05-13T21:49:00.005-05:00

Penny went for her last car ride today. In the end it was clear it was time, to the point where I wasn't sure we were going to make it to the 4:00 appointment. We did of course make it there and the vet was a lovely young lady named Kristen who was quite good to deal with under the circumstances. Dan thought her quite scripted but I thought she was fine.

There was no option in my mind other than me being with Penny up until the end. I couldn't just let them take her away to do it. So Kristen did take Penny to the back, but only to have a catheter put in for the injection. She brought Penny back and left us with her for a few minutes. She left some chocolate for Penny, the forbidden treat. I thought it was a very sweet idea. Penny gobbled up the chocolate with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. Kristen came back and before long Penny was gone. I did cry a bit but held together better than I figured (more tears came later, off and on, possibly while I was writing this entry). Even Dan cried a bit. The room we were in had an exit so we didn't have to go back through the office which was nice.

After that it gets surreal, we stopped at the grocery store, came home, had dinner then went to a movie. I'm not sure if that is what one is supposed to do after losing a loved one. I'm pretty sure I just didn't want to sit here at home.

As an aside, I'm not sure when I will be able to take her bed out of the kitchen. It seems to belong there.

End of an era...

2009-05-13T12:50:00.003-05:00

Today is my last day with Penny. She is sleeping next to me on the couch, and snoring quite loudly I might add. In about 2 hours we will be heading to the vet. She would not sleep on the bad last night which was odd but very telling. This morning she was quite swolen and the Prednisone didn't make a big difference. Her breathing is a bit laboured and she is not moving around well. It is very obvious that she isn't very comfortable anymore so I have made the decision that I have known for a while I was going to have to make. It isn't easy but I know it is the right thing to do. I sure know I will miss her.

I also hate to admit it but I am going to be somewhat relieved. To be honest it has been a bit exhausting. Some days, because of scheduling I have had to run home from work on my half hour lunch to let her out because the Prednisone had her drinking lots so she was unable to go a full 8 hours. All that and the fact that it has all been weighing on me in general. I feel bad that I even think about it being a relief after its done but I can't help that it does cross my mind.

That being said it will be very odd not having her greet me when I get home. I also wonder how it is going to affect Jessie now that she is going to be an "only dog" after living with Penny all her life. I guess time will tell.

That's it for now.

The Good, the Bad and the What to do?

2009-05-06T06:41:00.004-05:00

I am in my first week in a new department at work. It is a return to the dreaded Business Care but in a non-suicidal Offline capacity. Basically the things I used to do with screaming customers waiting on the line I now do by email request. I don't mind when they scream in an email though they rarely do anyway. They just ask nicely in an email. So the perks are good, no incoming calls, we can listen to music, work at our own pace. One more perk which could only be understood by someone who works where I do is that we got new computers. New system, new keyboard, new mouse and new 17" LCD monitor. Having a mouse that hasn't been pawed by multiple grubby fingers and a keyboard that is not full of crumbs is fantastic. Our cubicles are quite small so the LCD monitor is like a gift from the gods, the IT gods that is.

As for the work itself, though I haven't been scored on anything yet, I had an informal coaching session with my supervisor. He reviewed some of my work and suggested that he would likely be using me in the near future to do proof reading on other people's work before they send it. So that is definitely recognition. And according to my friend Steve it's terrific.

So that covers work. The big thing going on in my life right now, of course, is Penny. I am sitting at Starbucks right now afraid to go home because this morning was, again, not a good morning. She is definitely having difficulty breathing though not in a gasping for air kind of way. More in a congested kind of way. She has been snoring like crazy, to the point where I am not sleeping well. Add to that last, week was exhausting on its own. I was on a training shift that ran from 4:00PM till 12:30AM and Dan was away in Victoria and I had to run home on my lunch time to let them both out. I was beat by the end of it.

So because of being so tired I worry that I cannot make a good judgement about when it is time to say goodbye to Penny. She is having trouble breathing but she is still eating and drinking. She is lacking energy but does not seem to be in any pain. I don't want to let her go any sooner than I have to but I know how much easier it is going to be for me after she is gone. It is a tough place for me to be in. Oh well, day by day...

Roadtrip...

2009-05-02T00:08:00.005-05:00

So I just finished a week of training for yet another new department move at work. The schedule was 4:00PM to 12:30AM. That has to be the shittiest time ever to be stuck in a training room.

Saturday morning Meghan, Tim and I are heading to Toronto for some shopping while Dan will be flying back from Victoria. I'm sure the three of us should have a good time, we always do.

Speaking of roadtrips, I drove to Ottawa last Sunday for coffee. Is that odd? Well more properly I went there to have coffee with a couple friends. It was a kind of last minute hit-and-run kind of thing.

The Bitch is Back...

2009-04-29T11:16:00.002-05:00

...And she is toying with me.

So when I got home last night Penny was all happiness and kisses. I normally don't let her kiss me as she has horrible breath but she gets away with a lot these days. She was fairly energetic but I was not so it was a quick trip outside and off to bed.

This morning she was still the happy puppy. So there we go.

I just have to stop thinking every bad morning, afternoon, evening or night means the end.

The beginning of the bad days...

2009-04-28T10:57:00.002-05:00

Today is not a good day for Penny. She spent most of the morning on the couch sleeping and even the offer of going outside for a pee didn't excite her the way it normally does. She walked to the edge of the deck then turned around and came back in. We had a pretty restless night, her breathing is a little more laboured lately. It's like she has a cold, she snores.

Dan told her she had to make it through the week while he is away in Victoria but today I have this feeling that the time is near. To be honest though I have had this feeling before and she has turned around on me.

I will leave things there as I am blogging from Starbucks and my eyes are welling up a bit.

Wisdom from Starbucks...

2009-04-27T12:29:00.002-05:00

Forget jeans, a good pair of dresspants shows the best guy booty ever. Just sayin' is all

One tough little bitch...

2009-04-24T07:37:00.002-05:00

So just an update on Miss Penny. After diagnosis she was put on Prednisone which the vet suggested could extend her life by a month or so. Well I had to refill her perscription because though the symptoms have come back, she is still hanging in there. The symptoms were expected to come back and my impression was that it would be a quick downhill run from there. Well the physical symptoms have been back for a week or so but she still has her energy, unlike before the drugs. She is going up and down the stairs and jumping on the bed and couch herself. In fact she doesn't seem to want any help.

So as long as she can eat, drink and bark I figure she is doing fine. I have a suspision she is hanging on so she can continue to enjoy "cheese time" every morning. I wrap her pills in bits of processed cheese slices as it is by far the easiest way to give her pills. Jessie also enjoys cheese time, as I can't leave her out. Cheese less the pills of course. Anyway, cheese slices are a small price to pay to keep her around a little longer.

I was unsure at the beginning if it was better that it wasn't sudden but now I am pretty sure that for me it was. It is going to suck when I have to say goodbye but I am happy to have time to get used to the idea of having to say it.

Time flies...

2009-04-14T22:25:00.003-05:00

Even when you are not having fun.

I can't say there has been no fun at all. Definitely had a good weekend with friends and shopping and brunch and coffees. All the usual events that make up my weekends and my life. Plenty more of that to come I'm sure.

Work: After just a couple weeks in my new department I have been voluntold to go into training to go back to Business Care. For those of you who recall my last time in Business Care you might remember that it was a definite low point in my time working there. Now the plus side of this new move is that we no longer have Inbound Business Care. The department is now completely offline. This means I will not be taking calls from pissed off people who are too dumb to be able to read their bills or people who think their children would never rack up hundreds of dollars in text messaging. Now I will just be processing email requests to change rate plans and upgrade handsets. The work should be better but the hours, not so much. Oh well at least I still have weekends off.

Penny: The Prednisone worked fast when we started her on it but Penny is starting to show some of the original symptoms again. Otherwise she is still doing well. Her energy level is a bit lower than usual but she's still got bark left in her. In fact since the inflamation around her throat has not come back she is able to bark again. She does love to bark. I think it is one of her favourite things to do. I wonder if I will miss that barking too... Decision time is coming but I think we still have a bit of time.

It's been a week...

2009-04-01T08:00:00.005-05:00

After having at least five people separately telling me I look tired (AKA I look like shit) I realized I actually feel like shit. It has been a particularly busy week; training at work, vet, gym, QDG, concert, reelout board meeting, brunch, coffees, etc. I know that is a balance of required and optional items but all are equally important to me. I wouldn't pass up coffee with Meghan after the gym or coffee and errands with Kim just to sit home and "rest" any more than I would skip work or the board meeting. That being said I do feel like I haven't been home much lately. I am sure I am more sensitive to that due to the fact that my time left with Penny is ticking away. When I am home I have her close all the time. I'm sure she thinks I am cracked. The fact is I feel guilty for not being home much with her.

All that being said I actually took a little ME time today. Sat at Starbucks and read for a bit. It was nice but really, I just wanted to get home to be here for a bit before I head in to work. Especially knowing I will just be stopping in long enough to let the dogs out before heading to QDG tonight after work.

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend. We'll see.

Happy Birthday to You...

2009-03-28T10:08:00.003-05:00

...Lady GaGa

Happy Birthday to you. So we headed up to Ottawa last night to see Lady GaGa in concert. It was quite a good show, well the main event was. The two opening acts sucked. The Lady herself is a show person, nine songs, three male dancers and four costume changes. I wasn't sure how well it would go given her currently limited material. She pulled it off. The high point was the torch version of my least favourite of her songs Poker Face which was interrupted by the entire audience singing Happy Birthday to her. She seemed genuinely touched at the sentiment stating that after that she couldn't even get through the "fucking chorus" though in the end she did.

On a humorus note: I was amused by the number of parents who were forced to be there with their pre-pubescent children. Then even more amused when the two opening acts threw in "fucking" this and "fucking that all over the place as well as mention of penis somewhere in there. The only new song by Lady GaGa had lyrics to the tune of "f-f-f-f-fuck you as hard as I can..." I am kinda thinking that there may have been some parental discomfort out there which does amuse me.

On a side note, for those following up on Penny, we started her on Prednisone yesterday before we left for Ottawa and by the time we got home there was already a noticeable improvement. Some of the swelling has gone down to the point that she can eat with less discomfort and she is barking again. Yay! Prednisone is a steroid and the treatment is basically to make her more comfortable. As I understand it it's kind of like a false remission. The vet told me to make sure I didn't take false hope from it and I'm not but it is good to see her a bit more as the old Penny. It's all still just a matter of time. Really though isn't that the case for all of us.

Sad news

2009-03-24T20:22:00.005-05:00

Well today was a pretty shitty day with the promise of more, or at least one more shitty day to come. My little Jack Russell Terrorist is not going to be with us for much longer. Cancer. Three treatment options, neither of which would do anything but give us some extra time. I have pretty much eliminated one of the options, that leaves two. I certainly have some thinking to do but in the end, not a lot of time to do it.

Anyway I don't have a lot more to say right now but I'm sure there will be more to come.

Mission: Imposible

2009-03-16T13:17:00.003-05:00

Alright I am now on a mission. I am going to find an attractive lesbian for Meghan to date. Surely there is one out there that will fit the bill.

On the whole, lesbians are a mystery to me. Judging only by what I have seen, excepting Meghan, they have little care for their outward appearance and instead focus their energy on social or political causes. There is also equal interest in emo poetry, acoustic guitars and Birkenstock sandals.

I will give you that the above are broad generalizations (like the one that says gay men are all about outward appearance and sex-Oh wait, that one IS true) and I would really like someone to prove me wrong.

So this weekend we will be going to the Circus at The Grad Club and I am going to be looking for a 24 to 32 year old attractive, in shape, intellegent, funny lesbian for Meghan.

Wish me luck...

Looks like the "Sliding Scale" got stuck at the top...

2009-03-16T09:58:00.004-05:00

There was a benefit event for HARS held at The Grad Club this weekend that we attended. Dan's sister and her boyfriend were down and came with us along with, of course Meghan and Tim. The night started off with dinner at Woodenheads then Drinks at Tango where Meghan and Tim joined the party. Good times and gummi-worms there as usual.

Around midnight we headed to The Grad Club figuring the party would be in full swing by then. The cover was suposed to be $7-10 but they just took the $10 per person without asking. I suspect that had to do with the shitty attendance of the event. It was quite obvious that there was some other event on somewhere as there was a total lack of gay guys there. There was an above average female presence there though I got the impression that the majority were not even queer. The dance floor was totally lacking in energy though the music was pretty good. We missed the drag performance by Miss Tyffanie which was a drag but we also missed the poetry slam which was definitely a good thing. There was an art exhibit upstairs which actually had some nice pieces along with the usual trash that comes from people who think they are artistic. I guess to be fair art is a very personal thing and even though I saw no merit in some of it, likely someone did.

All in all we did have a good time but I am happy that the cash went to HARS because we could have stayed at Tango and had just as good a time. That being said the "Circus" is in town this Friday and we are off to The Grad Club again. Here's to Queers!

Just a thought...

2009-03-15T20:07:00.003-05:00

Anyone who says "I'm not racist but..." Probably is racist.

New Mobile Blogging

2009-03-09T20:38:00.002-05:00

I have just discovered the ability to blog from my BlackBerry. This
is great fun for me. Sadly though, at this moment, I have nothing to
say.

The more things change...

2009-03-05T20:13:00.003-05:00

So it seems I am in a bit of a career rut at StarTek. I applied for a position last week but didn't get an interview. Not sure what the salary for that position was. Two more postings came up. One was grossly lower paid, and I mean gross. The other was for an Interim Supervisor and even that one was less money than I am making now. Does anyone else see this as kind of funny. Shouldn't the Indians make less than the Chiefs? Surely I work for a weird company given the above example, not that we didn't know this to be the case long ago.

The next work news is that there is a new Offline Department ramping up. As luck would have it I am unable to apply as those in my queue are needed where we are. I was not sure if I was interested as I was waiting for more details but apparently my decision is made for me anyway. As it turns out I am not unhappy in my present department. I am doing well. I am not suicidal. Really its all good but it would have been nice to have an option.

So we will carry on as we do and let fate decide where I end up. If there is one thing I know I can expect from work it's change. I guess it keeps me from being bored.

Who wants to be a Leader AND a follower?

2009-03-05T19:18:00.004-05:00

So I added a gadget thingy so people could sign up as followers of my blog but no one has signed up. Come on I know someone is reading this thing. Someone has to be the first. Someone is going to get to be first, that has to be worth something. If nothing else feel free to sign up so I don't look so lame. (Like a blog entry asking you to sign up isn't lame)

I want to be on a board, I need to be on a board...

2009-02-25T15:23:00.005-05:00

So it is official now. I will be a member of the reelout Board of Directors. With my safety net Dan and Meghan along for the ride as well. Oh there is still the formality of having to be officially voted in at the Annual General Meeting but given the small current membership and the general excitement of said membership that we are interested (along with two others) I think we have it in the bag. Of the other two, one seems like they will be up for it and one seems to need to review the organization before deciding. Mark, the one who does seem likely to go for it, will help even out the gender division which currently skews female. There are still more women involved but we do have Meghan who is as much a gay boy as a lesbian could be and more of a gay boy than some gay boys.

The introductory meeting was a cramped little affair in the reelout office seated around a Rubbermaid bin set with tablecloth, crackers, carrot sticks and hummis. An actually quite cute effort. The meeting was fairly general, more an introduction than anything else. It most definitely increased my interest in the project. I definitely see oppertunity for me to help manage an event that, frankly, is pretty important to me.

The next step will be a "Vision Retreat" to bounce ideas off each other and to help get things going for the next Reelout.

I think my main reason for wanting to do this is not because "I want to be on a board" but because I do love the festival and I do think I have something to offer the organization. Though contrary to my own personal observations reelout is apparently doing quite well despite empty seats at the screenings and the November departure of the Director it seems to be in no danger of folding. That perceived danger was my first reason for wanting to get involved as it is something I did not want to see lost. Impending doom or not I'm still in. I think it has potential to be a rewarding experience and it won't look bad on the resume either.

So look for more updates in the future and get ready for reelout 2010

New direction

2009-02-23T11:45:00.002-05:00

So I did something pretty unexpected. I applied for an internal position at work. I have done that on a couple of occaisions in the past and only got one interview. That was several years ago and because of my dislike for the way my workplace is run I have avoided making any other attempts to advance. I think it speaks to the vast improvements our current director has made that I am even considering it. Now it is just a matter of waiting to see if I am granted an interview. I am being optimistic that they maybe have not already got their candidate lined up and the posting is just a formality. Time will tell and I will keep you posted.

Reelout Wrap-Up

2009-02-17T23:18:00.005-05:00

Here is a link to a video taken by Miss Tyffanie at the reelout Wrapup. Since we don't come off as total dorks I thought I'd share it.

reelout Wrap-Up

What is my address?

2009-02-16T22:53:00.003-05:00

I was given the oppertunity to plug my blog the other day but I actually didn't know the URL for it. I think the person interviewing me thought I was just not wanting to release the address. Truth is I have not ever advertised my blog other than to my friends in my MSN tag. I have never really cared if anyone is reading my blog or not. I am not even sure why anyone would want to read it in fact. That being said though, I do enjoy the fact that some people have happened accross it and do read it. I have received some positive feedback from readers.

So to my readers: Thanks for looking inside my head. Thanks for standing by those dry spells when not much was happening inside my head. Thanks for the comments and encouragement along the way.

The Queer Community

2009-02-15T08:37:00.002-05:00

Well Reelout is done and gone for another year and though they had some (major) bumps along the way they did manage to pull together a decent festival. If you don't know what Reelout is you should check out their website.

Amonng my Kingston family (Meghan, Tim, Dan and I) the festival this year sparked an interest to get involved. Well it did for 3 out of the family at least. We will be attending our first Reelout board meeting on February 24th and barring any major issues I believe Meghan, Dan and I will be full on members of the Reelout Board of Directors for the 2010 Kingston Reelout Queer Film Festival. We believe we have some good ideas to contribute to Reelout and hope that we can make a little bit of difference within the Kingston queer community.

We have had a lot of conversation lately about the Kingston queer community and how fragmented it seems to be. There seem to be many groups with many interests but there seems to be very little to bring those groups together. We are really hoping that we can find ways to get more of the community out to things like Reelout. Grad Club dances can be fun but they are not for everyone. I guess that could be said for any queer event in Kingston, hence the fragmentation.

Well time to go get ready for Brunch, my favourite part of Sunday. More to come on my thoughts about the Kingston queer community.

First glimpse of the end of winter...

2009-02-02T11:53:00.003-05:00

Here it is February 2nd and though the groundhogs were 3 for 3 predicting 6 more weeks, I can actually feel the end coming. Today is sunny and above freezing. I can actually feel a difference in my spirits and I think it might be because of the shining sun. A couple days like this, here and there, might just get me through the rest of the winter.

I don't think I am the only one feeling it because there seems to be an abundance of people downtown today. Anyone who knows me knows one of my favourite things to do is sit in the front window of Starbucks and watch people. That's what I am doing right now and a day like today gives me lots to watch. I even saw a guy in shorts today, how can that not lift my spirits?

Brush with fame...

2009-02-01T09:02:00.007-05:00

So if this guy hit on you in a bar would you walk away awkwardly? Thats what I did. DOH!

Here's how it went down. We went to The Grad Club for the Reelout Opening Gala on Friday. Preceding that was the screening of Were the World Mine which was a lot of fun. We went straight upstairs to the more loungy part of the Club. Dirty loungy but still loungy. We grabbed some couch space and settled in. I headed to the bar to grab us a drink. Stood there for a bit waiting for someone to show up when a cute boy came up to me and asked me how I enjoyed the movie. I said I though it was a lot of fun and he said it was his favourie on "the circuit" right now. The circuit should have been my first clue. At that point I pretty much ran out of things to say and thankfully my phone rang. It was Dan from about 20 feet away telling me the upstairs bar was not open yet. So I awkwardly excused myself from the "conversation" and headed to the downstairs bar for those drinks.

Only about 20 minutes later did Miss Tyffanie inform me that the cute boy was Charlie David, writer and star of the following nights feature screening Mulligans, as well as a regular on Dante's Cove and several other movies and television shows.

So now that I have all that out, I should add that Charlie probably wasn't hitting on me but I like the story better this way. Except for the part where I awkwardly wander off.

Food Porn

2008-12-30T00:08:00.003-05:00

So I may have mentioned previously that although I don't cook, or even want to cook, I am hooked on The Food Network. I can watch for hours. I have all my regular shows and have learned lots about cooking. I even know what deglazing a pan means.

So anyway, point of my story is that when Meghan was staying with us I got her a little bit hooked too. We now refer to the shows on The Food Network as Food Porn. So totally appropriate.

Perhaps one of these days I will actually cook something. Stay tuned.

Wisdom of Meghan

2008-12-29T23:58:00.002-05:00

Gay guy: How do I make my friends more accepting of me?

Meghan: If your friends don't accept you maybe it's time for new friends. Dump them.

I know I keep telling him to eat a sandwich...

2008-12-24T00:04:00.003-05:00

Tim: I'll try the Slamwich.

Denny's Waitress: Would you like bacon on that?

Tim: Will that increase my chances of having a heart attack?

Denny's Waitress: Probably.

Blogging from Starbucks...

2008-12-06T08:30:00.003-05:00

...Does it get any better?

The wonders of modern wireless technology. Speaking of technology; I have finally moved into the realm of BlackBerrys. Well that is a bit inaccurate I guess. I do have BlackBerry data services attached to my account. I do not have a BlackBerry yet though. If ever there was a man who hated the word "backorder" right now it would be me. I ordered a BlackBerry Curve just over two weeks ago and last I heard it won't be in stock till the 15th of this month. I am hopeful that it will be here before Christmas at least. We'll see I guess.

More technology news. I bought a new Sony VAIO Laptop. You couldn't tell by me there is any economic crisis going on. So back to the laptop. I went with a 15.4" for the sake of portability. Basically I sacraficed the number pad and 2" of screen. I think it works out okay. Now I just have to have my most awesomest IT guy (you know who you are, Bryan) come and figure out why I can hook up to wireless at Starbucks but not on my own home wireless network.

So after Starbucks today we are off to Ottawa to check out The National Gallery. Ikea, need to find a bed for Lil' Timmy's room. We'll hopefully fit in a few friends as well though we have not firmed anything up really. We'll make some calls when we get there.

Hey, if any of my readers are hot lesbians. I am trying to get Meghan laid. Inquire.

That about does it for today.

Mr Lonely?

2008-11-11T23:24:00.003-05:00

So I am back on days. I have my evenings free. What a perfect week for Dan to be in Banff. NOT. Oh well, I will get through it. I have QDG tomorrow. QDG is the new name for COLA in case you didn't know. Tim is staying here after and has designs on the last of the apple pie. Meghan is moving in on Friday for a couple weeks since she is homeless untill she can get into her apartment. That should prove entertaining. Having her cat here certainly might provide entertainment.

Well thats about all I've got for now. Pretty boring. I'll try and come up with some crisis to entertain you all as soon as possible.

Oh and Andrew is awesome and apparently above average. You wanted me to mention you...

Here's to Tracy and Dan Wood

2008-10-02T08:53:00.004-05:00

Well last Saturday was the big wedding of the season. Tracy and Dan finally made it legal. The ceremony was brief and to the point. The reception was a great time.

I was a bit sketched out by the whole Trenton thing. Holiday Inn is a bit like camping for me after some of the places I have stayed in the last few years. Surprisingly the hotel was actually quite nice. The room was nicely updated and oddly the towels were nicer than some of those other hotels in that they were quite soft and did not smell of industrial bleach. Also, it seems we were the only ones who's reservation didn't get fucked up. I love having good travel karma.

The event itself started off quite nice in that when we got to the church we were greeted by Dan's mom, Janice. Janice has never met us but she knew exactly who we were and told us she has heard so much about us. That scared me for a bit but she seemed to have only heared the good stuff so it was okay.

The reception, at the Trenton Legion was a blast dispite the venue and the surly, dried up old serving ladies who always wanted to take everything away even if you were not finished. When we don't know many people in a group Dan and I tend to be wallflowers but Tracy's mom Brenda was very quick to drag us away from the back wall. Brenda is awesome as is the entire family. I can really tell where Brandon, Tracy and Margaret get their sense of humour.

I just want to say that I am so happy that Tracy found Dan and vice-versa. I am pretty sure Dan is the only straight man who can really appreciate Tracy's epic sense of funny. I love you both.

Recycling the past...

2008-09-22T22:25:00.003-05:00

So since nothing really interesting happened today let me dredge something up from the summer of no blogs.

The 3AM border crossing on the way to Pittsburgh...

Looking back I guess I should have known that 4 guys crossing the border on their way to a furry convention are going to get pullled over for sure. At least we had the big fursuit dog head in the trunk to back us up. Well after a half an hour answering random questions we were back on our way to the land of Anthrocon. Anthrocon was more fun that I ever expected. It kind of reminded me of the Star Trek conventions I attended in my younger days except the Anthrocon attendees were much less serious. Let me tell you that you have not lived till you have seen 30 furries do The Time Warp. Ego Boost: Mikey was hit on by a "straight" boy (and a 6 foot skunk from South Carolina). Good times.

I have to say that Pittsburgh surprised me. It was so very much like Chicago but with less art. It was reasonably clean, at least the areas we were in were clean. There was lots of good architecture and some good museums, most notably The Andy Warhol Museum. There was also no tax on clothes and shoes. Gay heaven to be sure. Mikey came home with a new pair of Pumas.

I am definitely looking forward to going again next year. At least next year it doesn't happen on the same weekend as Toronto Pride.

PS: To whoever found that lost SD Card outside of The Warhol Museum. I was not defiling that teddy bear, we're just close that way.

The event of the season...

2008-09-21T22:36:00.003-05:00

Tracy and Dan's wedding is coming up. Saturday is the big day and I am really looking forward to it. Thanks to Emma's help on Bloor St. I am going to look GOOD. I know it's suposed to be all about the bride and all that shit but seriously, I look good in a suit and the new shirt and tie are going to cap it off nicely. Add to that the fresh haircut. I can picture it now. I'd fuck me. Bring on the cougars, there are going to be some broken hearts.

Had a good weekend. Hung out with Meghan and Tim for most of it. Ate out the whole weekend. Drank a bit. Brunch this morning then work. Even work went okay. No complaints. 4 more days till the weekend. YAY!

Some people would walk through shit for a cause...

2008-09-18T23:03:00.004-05:00

So here's some funny-ness that happened today.

There was a parade of Mounted Police going down Princess Street tonight. Lots of horses, lots of horse shit. Fast forward to about 45 minutes later when a whole whack of people marching for Take Back The Night do the same route. On foot. Thats funny. Poor planning and funny.

More book-talk

2008-09-17T22:14:00.003-05:00

New book on the go. Finished "Running With Scissors" and am now reading "Dry" also by Augusten Burroughs. It is the third of his auto-biographical books I have read along with his novel which is also very funny shit. Only Augusten (yes we are on a first name basis now) can make rehab funny. Seriously grab one of his books and give it a read. If I like you I might even lend you one of my copies. Once I finish this one I have a couple other books I plan on picking up. Different authors, I guess it's good to branch out a bit. I'll probably blog about those later if they are worthy.

So I'll be back in Trenton on the 27th for Tracy and Dan's wedding. That should be interesting. The wedding will be a blast. Trenton will be pretty much the same as when I left I figure. Most I have done since I left has been the odd hit and run, stopping at the Hospital to see some of the old coworkers. We are staying at The Holiday Inn, the ultimate in classy.

Oh and just something to ponder: STRAP ON is NO PARTS spelled backwards. That's a little something for my lesbian readers out there.

LOL for real

2008-09-16T23:10:00.003-05:00

So, I laughed out loud in Starbucks again. This time I was reading Augusten Burrough's "Running With Scissors" and this time people noticed. The girl accross from me looked up and a guy who was just coming in looked. He then checked out the book I was reading and gave me a knowing smile and nod. Apparently I am not the only fan.

Some good news: It looks like I am actually going to be getting a Christmas Vacation this year. At least 5 days off in a row starting with Christmas Eve. I hardly know what I am going to do with it all, other than enjoy it of course.

Cat lovers... Are you INSANE?

2008-09-10T22:19:00.003-05:00

So 3am in the morning all I can hear is some horny cat screaming outside. What the fuck. I get horny too and you don't hear me screaming in the middle of the street.

I have never had a doubt that as cute as those little kittens can be they are most definitely spawn of the devil himself. They have no purpose on the planet other than to exude arrogance and consume. Consume anything, food, water, human life force, whatever they can get their greedy little paws on.

I love my dogs. As annoying as they can be at least they are not evil. Though I think Penny has it in her. She's no cat though.

First post in a long time. Welcome back to the stuff thats inside my head.

So I find myself at Starbucks daily now. I head down before work for an hour or so to read and social study. "Social Study" is just another term for watching guys but I also do just observe people in general. I think it keeps me sane. Its like my pack-a-day habit.

By the way if you have not read anything by Augusten Burroughs pick up one of his books. Funny as it gets while still being terrifyingly real. He's shown me the power of humour as well as confirming that everyone's mom is insane. Some clinically so, some not.

OMG another blog entry!

2008-04-27T19:51:00.002-05:00

Well here I am again. Mostly because a new chat friend reminded me I have a blog. Well I figured it was time to post something. So for those of you who hang off the mundane epic that is my life, here goes.
On a new shift at work. Getting up at 4AM, to work at 5AM, so far it is going okay. I am getting about as much sleep on this shift as I did on nights which is to say about 5 hours per night. Still don't like my job but not quite hating it. Starbucks helps. Praise the Vanilla Latte. Non-fat of course.
Mexico is 3 weeks away and I still have that bit of pudge around my middle. Could be those aformentioned Lattes. Well some prices I just will not pay. No matter, I am looking forward to Mexico even if I have to suck my gut in the whole time I am there.
Awesome news for Howie and Neil. The house sold. As we were there I realized I was going to miss the place. Had some awesome fun times there. I am sure we will as well at the new pad in Ottawa.
Folks are back. Have only seen them a couple times so far. I will likely stop in on them after work. I think I will be enlisting Dad for some help around the house this summer. Have a few projects that need doing.
I think thats it for now. More to come eventually.

And I titled the last one "It's been a while"

2008-02-18T09:06:00.004-05:00

So it has been almost 4 months since I last posted. No excuse really, just lazy I guess. So here I go with a bunch of what has been happening and some upcoming stuff too.

Snow
We have had more snow this year than I have seen in a long time. I have to say I have had just about enough of it. More than enough of it. The amount of times I have had to dig my way in and out of my driveway is really making me consider a 4X4 again. Those were the days for sure. I didn't shovel I just drove back and forth over the snow and packed it down. Anyway I guess by this point the end must be in sight so hopefully it will all be gone soon or at least no more (or not much more) will come.

Budget and Money
So as stupid as it sounds I am oddly very excited to have $100.00 in my savings account. $100.03 to be exact. $0.03 was interest on a portion of that.
I have not allowed myself to have savings for a very long time. I have a fairly high credit card debt right now and have not felt right having money in my account when I owe I somewhere else. I have since put myself on a budget which I oddly don't even find restrictive. Really I have just formalized my payments every month, allocated money for my personal spending and found $50.00 from each pay to transfer into a high interest savings account. I am still going to be in debt for a while but as long as nothing major happens I should be able to feel like I am making progress on reducing that debt and still see some money in my bank account.

Friends
So at this point Howie and Neil have already moved to Ottawa and Gord and Rob will be gone by the end of this month. Yeah I really hate Ottawa but it looks like I will be visiting a bit more often. Meanwhile our social life here has dwindled to just about nothing. Kinda need to find some new fill-in friends I guess. Anyone up for multiple evening, non-sexual coffee dates?
We will be in Ottawa at Howie and Neil's this coming weekend and with them again in Toronto on the third weekend in March. It's not like it's all bad, just some long weeks is all.

Mexico
In 3 months we will be heading to Mexico for a week at a 5-Star resort to attend Dan's cousin's wedding. To say I am excited about this trip iwould be a huge understatement. I am looking forward to it like you could not believe.

I think that's it for now. I am not sure what I am doing today but it had better involve a Vanilla Latte at some point.

Its been a while...

2007-10-30T23:51:00.000-05:00

So, it really has been a while since I have written anything and I am sure a lot has happened. I will try and put some of the highlights here.
First off, I have a new shift. I am now working the overnight shift. I like it, Dan doesn't. I like it because of the total lack of pressure. It is much more relaxed on nights. I am still having a bit of trouble with the new sleeping patterns though. I am not getting near as much sleep as I probably need. Mondays are fun as I tend to go to bed at the normal time on Sunday night and get up at the normal time Monday morning. So generally I am up from 7:00 Monday morning till about 8:30 on Tuesday morning. Surprisingly that is not as bad as it sounds. All I need to figure out now is how to sleep more than 5 hours per day.
Now on to the fun stuff. Chicago. We drove to Paris, from there headed to Buffalo then flew into Chicago to visit Dan's sister. We were on the go for the full 3 days we were there. Lots of touristy stuff, shopping, museums/galleries. It was a blast. We are definitely going to go back. Really, a beautiful city. Next time we go clubbing though.
So other than that and all the stuff I have forgotten there was a couple runs to IKEA, a couple visits from Bryan & Ryan, Mark's housewarming party and lots of coffees.
Thats it for now, I will try to keep them coming.

Emergency Clubbing Road Trip

2007-09-12T14:36:00.000-05:00

So on my last day shift at work I am sitting there waiting to go home when I get a text message from Neil telling me he is booking a couple rooms for us at the Sheraton in Toronto. Well I actually thought he was asking if we wanted to go but really by the time we decided we were in it was already booked. Well for me I think it turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.
Saturday morning we all piled into the car with our Starbucks beverages and started out on our journey. We got to the hotel and checked in, did some shopping then headed back to settle into the rooms. Somewhere in all that we hooked up with Bry and Ry, did dinner and hit the pool. A bit of the drink up in the rooms then off to Church Street. The original idea was to hit Tango & Crews but the line up was too long so off to Woody's. Well we all know that Saturday night is the Best Legs Contest at Woody's. We know this from an earlier blog you may or may not have read. Well I did manage to NOT drop my pants this time though I was approached by the fabulous Sofonda Cox who again hosted the event.
Sunday was typical of our weekend hotel stays. I was up hours before everyone else so I headed off to Starbucks and hung out in the lobby, checked email and such in the cyber lounge and walked around the Toronto City Hall grounds which was right accross the street from the hotel. Brunch. A bit more shopping. Northbound Leather. A quick stop at Bry and Ry's. Ikea. Then home. Dinner at Silver Wok. All in all an awesome weekend. Thanks to the BFFs.

Ottawa "Pride"

2007-08-26T22:09:00.000-05:00

So we went to check out Pride weekend in Ottawa. I figured it would be safest to go in with as low expectations as possible in order to not be dissapointed. Turns out that actually worked. Ottawa Pride was not half bad. Really Pride was just the Sunday. Apparently they still can't afford to do a 2 day event. Okay, to be fair there was stuff going on on Saturday we just were not interested in attending any of it.
We headed out of Kingston In the morning and of course hit the Ikea on the way in. Then to the hotel, rooms were not ready. We split up with Howie & Neil for a bit. Dan and I headed to The National Gallery to see the Renoir Landscapes exhibit. Not my thing at all. After that we hooked back up with Howie & Neil, checked into the rooms. We had adjoining rooms and it really worked out great, it's the way to do it. A bit later Kathy showed up and we headed off for a walkabout. Dinner at Tucker's which is an all-you-can-eat buffet place that used to be called Mother Tucker's but they changed the name because people used to call it Mother Fuckers. Too funny. After dinner back to the hotel for a round of mini-putt and a swim/hot tub. Then we headed out to Centertown Pub for a couple drinks then off to Edge for more. Pretty much just hung out and watched the dance floor at Edge for the couple hours we were there. Watched one boy quite a bit. Made some good eye contact. It was fun. Gord and Rob showed up. Chatted with them for a bit then headed back to the hotel. Had hotel sex.
Sunday morning I was up before everyone else of course. Thankfully the hotel had a Starbucks so I headed down, grabbed a latte and sat in the lobby for an hour before heading back upstairs to shower and pack up. We brunched at Dunn's then headed to watch the parade. The parade was not Toronto but it wasn't that bad. After that it was off to the Pride Party on the front lawn of City Hall. Venders and such there as well as a stage with some drag performances including The B-Girls, which we watched before heading back to the car and then back to Kingston.
We got home, unpacked then hooked back up, Mark included and did the buffet at Panda Gardens. Two buffets in one weekend, I do not recommend this as a habit.
Now back to work tomorrow. Two more weeks of days then I start my new overnight shift. Yeah I haven't blogged about that yet. Well now you know. I'll keep y'all posted on how that goes.
Ciao for now...

Boy gone wild

2007-08-14T18:42:00.000-05:00

So it was my birthday weekend. I have learned in the last few years to expect fun and adventure on my birthday. It just seems to work out that way.
Bryan and Ryan came down which is great. Saturday we all got together here and had an awesome breakfast cooked by Dan. We then did a bit of shopping and then went to see the new BOURNE movie. It was awesome. Well I sure liked it. Also there were 5 previews before the movie started and I want to see them all. Its going to be busy.
Saturday night we gathered at Tango. I had a great time. Good drink and good food. And the best friends ever.
Now is where it starts to get crazy. Sunday morning started off innocuously. Sunday brunch same as always, good times. Good turn out. Mark brought the boy he is dating. After his first encounter with us he doesn't like us. We can be opinionated, and we are hard on Mark. Not sure what he thinks after his second encounter. Then off to Howie and Neil's...
Wasn't there 2 minutes before I was doing a B-52 and then I never saw the bottom of my Cosmo after that. Needless to say that after so little food I did get pretty drunk. To the point where I have memory lapses involving falling up some stairs and possibly accosting Mark's boy.
Dinner time came and Silver Wok was the choice. Dan decided we should come home and let the dogs out. Good thing because I went up stairs and had a good session puking up what little I had eaten. Yeah we didn't go out. I parked myself on the couch and didn't move much till I headed to bed.
By morning I was pretty much recovered though there was one quick incident in the middle of the night. I remember waking up at some point and for some reason, as only men would do I reached for my privates and could only locate one testicle. I remember a bit of panic before the other one came out of its hiding spot to assume its correct position. I'm not sure if that story would have been any different had I been sober or not. Good story to tell the grand-kids though. Thank goodness I will never have any grand-kids.
Anyway, Monday, my actual birthday was much more low key. We drove to Whitby to get our passport applications in. Dinner at Cambodiana with Howie & Neil. Thats about it really. Today was back to work, 3 more days to go.

At least I remember most of it...

2007-06-11T08:12:00.000-05:00

Great weekend!
Highlights of the weekend include: Kingston's Gay Pride Parade (such as it was), shopping, Pride Party at The Grad Club, Brunch, Coffee with Kim, dinner and Ocean's 13 with Howie and Neil.
The parade was small but at least we have one. The weather was outstanding for it.
Shopping was very good. Tim is my new good luck charm when it comes to shopping since I found 2 camouflage items that I have been looking for for a while now.
The Grad Club was good for a change. Great crowd. Saw a few people I haven't seen in a while. Could have stayed later but what the hell.
Coffee with Kim and the most animated story about Aunt Lee to date. Every family has to have one and Aunt Lee must count for about 10.
Stopped by to see Howie and Neil while we were in the neighbourhood which of course turned into dinner and a movie. Ocean's 13: Not as good as 11 but better than 12.
So funny story about The Grad Club outing. I had my first total did-something-I-don't-remember-doing-even-after-being-told-I-did-it moment. Apparently Tim and I dropped our pants to show off our matching underwear. Yeah, totally have no recollection of that particular event. But it doesn't surprise me.
So it was a totally full and fun weekend. Two more like it to come I think. YAY!

What the hell!

2007-06-06T21:55:00.000-05:00

So I haven't posted in ages. I have no clue why that is. Lazy I guess.
Not a whole lot to report. Work is the usual up and down affair. Usually down. The more apathetic I become the less any of it seems to matter. So, enough about work.
I'm not going to go back and cover what I've been doing the last few weeks. I've had some fun I'm sure. There was a weekend in Toronto. Shopping at H&M with Emma, we know how that turned out. Fabulous of course. And expensive.
This weekend is Kingston Pride. Next week Laura is throwing a pre-party before heading to The Joy Supper Club. Then the weekend after that we head to Toronto for Pride. YAY! So much to do, so little time to do it. Hope we can fit it all in.
Okay thats it for now. Stay tuned for more...

Strippers

2007-05-22T20:52:00.000-05:00

Why haven't I seen strippers yet? So many times I have been to Toronto and I have yet to go see the strippers. I want to but it just never seems to happen. Probably won't get the chance to go when I am there for Pride. I really need to work on that.

I mixed Lub and Woody's again...

2007-05-21T22:11:00.000-05:00

Well it has been a while but yet another has commented on the lack of postings so this one is dedicated to Ryan.
We had a great long weekend. Headed up to Toronto on Saturday morning. Fashionably late of course. Picked up Ryan from his suburban hell on our way by. Then into the city and picked up the other half of the home team and headed to the hotel to check in then for a walkabout downtown. Managed to not spend any money there.
We then headed out to Oakville for the wedding reception which was our excuse for heading into the city in the first place. The reception was nice. Thats about all I can say about it. Well I guess I should add OPEN BAR! So there was my pre-drinking all set up for me. One shooter, 4 cocktails, then back to the hotel to change and head out with the boys.
Started at Lub for a $9.00 Candy Apple Martini. Guess they have to pay for that Restaraunt Makeover somehow. After that it was off to Woody's where we watched but did not participate in the best legs contest. Read this post if you want to know more about the last time I mixed Lub and Woody's. After that it was back to the room after seeing Bryan and Ryan to the subway station.
Sunday morning we headed up to spend some time with Emma. What happens when Emma and I get together? My VISA Card gets a run through the terminal at H&M. To the tune of $205.00 it was. But I got some great finds. Only in European sizes could I possibly take a size Large in underwear. After shopping we grabbed lunch and watched a movie with Em. Oh I also got a pair of skater shoes at the Winners on Bloor. I kept the receipt because I wanted to make sure they were Howie-approved. They were approved but I need to add a second set of laces to step them up. No pun intended.
After all the shopping and hanging out with Emma we went back to Bry's to pick up Ry. After some contemplation about kidnapping Ryan and bringing him back to Kingston it was decided that we really should be responsible and drop him back in suburban hell.
Monday was a mow the lawn, walk downtown and head over to Howie & Neil's to wish Neil a Happy Birthday day.
So that about covers it. All-in-all a very fun weekend. Next weekend the city boys are back in town. Should be another good time.

Weekend Update

2007-05-06T22:06:00.000-05:00

So, a rather typical weekend. I know that saying it that way might make you think that I mean it in a bad way. Like I am using the word typical to mean mundane. I however generally have a lot of fun on my weekends so a typical weekend is a good thing. Generally speaking my weekends involve my friends. No exception this weekend. A bit of car shopping, now I am all horny about the MAZDA 3. Pizza at Howie & Neil's. Games. Friends. Fun. Sunday Brunch. A couple of walks downtown. Coffee. All in all, a very good weekend. Oh I forgot to mention that it started early since I only worked for 2 hours on Friday before I bailed.
So now, heading into a new week. I find I am not that bothered about the fact that I am back to work tomorrow. Odds are it will not take long before I am not in a good way there, but I am going to try and head into it in as good a mood as possible. Its not like I can change it. Tuesday is payday, that's a good thing. Wednesday is my short day, there's something to look forward to. Basically my plan is to putter through the week as best I can. The warm weather is here. Walking downtown, coffee, friends. It all gets me through the week.
A few things on my mind these days:
1) Selling the piece of land. We really need to get going on that. Between the taxes we pay on it and the interest I pay on the loans etc. that I have it really is costing a lot of money to hold on to it.
2) The car. Do I put money into it? Shoulld I keep it another year or get rid of it before it does cost me too much?
3) Toronto Pride. Kicks off my holidays. Very much looking forward to it.
I am sure there is more but it escapes me right now. I'm sure it will show up in future blogs.
Thats it for now faithful readers. All 3 or 4 of you. G'night...

Going to be an odd summer I think...

2007-04-30T22:08:00.000-05:00

So I guess Grant was the first to go. Then Shane was gone. Then today Bryan and Ryan left. In four months Grant and Shane and others will be back but Bryan and Ryan are gone for good. Or at least that is the plan. Gone to seek their fame and fortune in the big city. Surely a few bumps along the way but hopes are that all will work out for them for the best. And who knows fate may bring them back this way anyway. Did Ryan apply for that job we told him to apply for? Anyway, the world is a much smaller place than it used to be and I know we will still see good old Bry and Ry from time to time. Like on the 19th of May when we head up that way. I'm looking forward to that for sure.
So what else... Mom and Dad are back. Had coffee with Kim. Tracy and Dan bought a house. Gord is Gord. Howie and Neil and Us have been spending lots of time together. A certain leather jacket from Northbound Leather makes my ass look fantastic. Summer is just around the corner. I need a new car. Oh and a new pair of shoes but really I always need a new pair of shoes.
So, short post but at least there is a post.

Is this a typical border crossing conversation?

2007-04-15T11:56:00.000-05:00

Border Guard: Reason for entering the US?
Howie: We're going to buy Cheez-its.
Border Guard: That is a noble reason. The last person I had who said she was going to Hershey, Pensylvania to buy Mr Goodbars had a purse full of marijuana.
Howie: I don't have a purse.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it...

2007-04-15T08:12:00.000-05:00

Infiltrate the United States and liberate $30.00 worth of Cheez-its...

Okay, so Thursday was dinner with Howie & Neil. We started out at Montana's but they were out of chicken. Yes, out of chicken. So we went to Swiss Chalet. They were NOT out of chicken. Friday we did the gym and our usual Friday night tea with Howie and Neil at Sipps. Bryan and Ryan joined us too which is cool because they are going to be gone soon so we won't be seeing as much of them.
On to Saturday... Started off pretty innocently. I woke up, checked my email, washed the bathroom walls, you know, the usual stuff. Then we picked up Howie and Neil and headed to the Kingston Home Show. Yeah that sucked so off we went to get Mom and Dad's car started after sitting all winter. Boosted it and it started up like a charm. Now here is when things become blurry. We were deciding what to do next and road trip came up. Next thing you know we are at the border being interigated by the border guard. Then into Watertown for an hour or so, strolled the mall, grocery store, drive through town then back to Canada.
So on the way back to Kingston we stopped at the Casino. So my new game is Craps. After pocketing my initial $20.00 I was up to $50.00 in winnings at one point but in the end walked away from the table with $30.00 in chips. Fun game.
Today is brunch then tonight we are having ribs with Bry and Ry at Howie and Neil's. Gonna be so good. What happens in between brunch and dinner is anybody's guess, though Dan says we are coming home. We'll see.

Been a while...

2007-04-10T18:26:00.000-05:00

So it has been a while since I blogged. I hear I have picked up at least one new reader. So lets see...
Yeah nothing new.
Recapping a few events... Saturday night we had "Easter" dinner at our place. Dan cooked up an awesome meal as usual. Bryan and Ryan came like last year and we also had Mark and Tim along for the ride. Overall an enjoyable evening. Food, conversation, fun. My kind of evening.
Howie and Neil were in New York City hence their absense. We see them so many times in a week that I have suggested that we should just all live in the same house. We hung out with them Thursday night as they were leaving Friday morning and we hooked up for tea Monday evening after they got back. And they came bearing presents. How cool is that.
Oh, brunch at Golden Griddle. NEVER AGAIN. Enough said.
So now sitting at Coffee & Co. Decided to blog but Tracy is here. YAY!
So thats it for now.

Time for some more random thoughts...

2007-03-29T21:40:00.000-05:00

So I am told I need to blog to relieve my stress. For those of you who have not been keeping up, work has not been going so well. Let me gather my thoughts and try to explain it in basic terms. I do not mind the work I do. That being take calls from Americans to help them out with their cell phones or their accounts. People call in bitching about their bills and service and such but that doesn't bother me. They can yell and scream and cry all they want and I will simply do what I can to help them with the tools I have at my disposal. More about those tools later. What does bother me about the calls I get, or more properly about the people who call, are the ones that can't even manage to have basic manners. Hello, goodbye, please, thank you. All pretty basic if you ask me. And really when I have finished helping you you can say "thank you, have a nice day" or even just "thank you" but really "that'll do" is not a good response.
Even the rudeness I can live with, after all it's not like they are educated or anything. One thing I have learned from dealing with them is be so thankful of the education system in Canada. We could live in a country whose government puts more money into guns than it does into education. That is why the manuals that come with the guns are all pictures and no text.
So on to what does piss me off about my job. Lets start with the tools I mentioned earlier. Is it wrong that my crappy computer at home is way faster then the one the multi-million dollar company I work for supplies me with? Can I tell you how long 40 seconds can feel when you have a customer on the line and you click on the minimized Internet explorer window and nothing happens for those 40 seconds. When it finally does materialize don't be holding your breath while you are waiting to be able to click on a link and then wait for that page to load up. Funny that one of our 4 drivers for our quality scores is Timely Resolution. There is nothing timely about the systems we use.
So on to 2 more of the drivers we are scored under, Courtesy and Concern. You know I find it hard to naturally apply either of those to my customers when I don't see any of it for either the customers or the employees from the management team.
So that is all the energy I am going to devote to work related blogging.
On a more positive note: Dinner with Howie & Neil, then tea/cappucino at Sipps. Sipps is officially cheaper than The Goat now for tea. Only issue is the seating is not as flexible hence The Goat will still be frequented when necessary. Other than that I am all about Sipps.
So one more day to get through till the weekend. I am pretty sure I will make it.
That's it.

Sipps again...

2007-03-26T22:05:00.000-05:00

Forgot to mention that we went to Sipps Sunday night too with Ryan and Mark. Kinda like that place.

Movies and Open Houses

2007-03-26T21:23:00.000-05:00

So we are back in a downward spiral where work is concerned. Monday morning and I didn't even get to take my first call before I was pissed off. There is a new "incentive program" starting this week. All I have to say is I feel like I am back in kindergarden again. Totally pointless. Totally stupid. Not participating.
Also work related, no call from Lyreco. So if I can't even get a call back for a warehouse job what am I going to get a call back on? I don't even want to think about it.
So anyway... Saturday night we had Ryan over to watch a couple movies. The Prestige was fantastic though I nodded off a couple times due to the boringness of Marie Antoinette which we watched first. Not even the amazing location could make that movie anything but slow. The Prestige had me wondering right up until the end. Came together very well.
Sunday started with Brunch, carpet cleaning and a few open houses. Three houses but nothing very interesting in any of them.
Tonight we went to Sipps with Tracy and Dan. Fun talking about houses and Tracy's Dan and I didn't bring up work at all.
So that's it for now. Feel free to comment because unlike myspace I have no idea if anyone is reading this or not.

Company Values

2007-03-21T13:44:00.000-05:00

Writing from The Goat again. Went to a job fair for a company that is soon to combine its distribution sites in Montreal and Toronto into one site here in Kingston. The job is not exactly my dream job but a change is as good as a rest and I do need a change. This company has 4 Values as opposed to the 7 where I work now. Totally can’t name the 7 values because I don’t see them in practice when I am at work. The 4 values Lyreco lists are Respect, Professionalism, Excellence, and Passion. According to Michel who interviewed me the words are not just words to the company. Now if Michel was just a HR guy I would be less likely to believe but based on the fact that there were about 10 people interviewing all at the same time, and that he was definitely not used to interviewing I know he was just one of the team sent down to work on the start up. So obviously a company guy but still, I have faith enough to believe him. Anyway I will be hearing within the next day or so if I am heading through to the second round of interviews.
So, COLA tonight, coffee after, dinner with Howie & Neil tomorrow. Nothing booked for Friday or the weekend so far. I expect something will turn up, it always does.

Weekend update

2007-03-19T22:11:00.000-05:00

Well it has been a few days since I last blogged so here I am.
The weekend flew by as it always seems to. Didn't do much until Saturday afternoon when we met up with Howie & Neil and Steph & Lily for a bite to eat before heading off to the casino to burn $20.00 in under 3 minutes. After that we watched Howie play Craps for a bit then half the party set off for Lyndhurst for Dinner at Meghan & Claire's. The second half of the party soon followed. Had a good evening out in the country. The house is coming along very well. I am sure I don't have half the ambition they have. I am not country folk by any means but it was nice sitting by the fire. Would have been even better with a latte from Starbucks. Oh well. Food was very good, and plenty, as it always is when Claire cooks. At the end of the evening, home we came.
Sunday was traditional brunch at The Goat, some wandering around town, the almost installation of a toilet, and a movie. The movie being 300. Pretty good movie. Definitely lots of action. and lots of mostly naked men. Definitely a good time.
So, one day down, four to go. Hard to say if I'll make it.

T-G-I-Fucken-F

2007-03-16T22:24:00.000-05:00

Well wasn't this a long week? Well it was for me to be sure, but the weekend is now upon us. So tonight after work we headed to the gym. Got a glimpse of a beautiful ass or two. Then off to Sipps for tea with Howie & Neil and the Toronto lesbians. Then back to Howie & Neil's for apple pie. Tomorrow has us heading to hang out with the Lyndhurst lesbians. That is unless we get snowed in overnight. It is pretty nasty out there right now. I am not too pleased at the return of winter but hopefully it won't last too long or have any lasting effects. We just got rid of almost all the snow this week and now everything is white again.
By the way I had another cappuccino tonight. I have a feeling I am not going to be sleeping tonight. Oh well, we'll see.
Not much more to say.

Cappuccinos for me

2007-03-15T22:09:00.000-05:00

So COLA last night and Dinner at Amadeus Cafe with Howie and Neil tonight. Both evenings ended up at The Goat. I decided I like Cappuccinos tonight. Odd since I don't like coffee in the traditional sense. Lattes are great though.
Wikipedia states: Cappuccino is an Italian coffee-based drink prepared with espresso, hot milk, and milk foam. A cappuccino differs from a caffè latte, in that it is smaller (the ending '-ino' indicates it is small) than a caffè latte, which is mostly milk and a only a little foam.
I always thought espresso was kinda like a shot of concentrated coffee... Which it kinda is... It just doesn't taste like it. So anyway I like cappuccinos.
Okay that's it for me. More when I am not so tired.

Live from The Sleepless Goat

2007-03-13T21:07:00.000-05:00

So here I am wirelessly blogging from The Goat. Dan is at a meeting and will be showing up in a bit. Chatting with a couple people but mostly just sitting here in awe of modern technology. Yeah I am easily amused for sure. Did I mention the wireless optical mouse, 1GB Memory key, cellphone and that I have my MP3 player blasting in my ears.
So I am going to make an effort to again keep up with the bloging even if it means boring the shit out of my readership. Of course my readership has the power to make this blog not so boring... All you have to do is keep my life interesting. So far you guys are doing a pretty good job. All I would have to do is talk about the last party at Howie and Neil's place. Ah the memories. The debauchery. The HUGE... Group of people. Anyway.
Speaking of parties I am thinking a big party at our place this summer is a good plan. Might look into renting a hot tub for it. That would be cool. Bring your suit, or don't. We'll have to get Mark drunk enough to forget he has inhibtions at all. Is there that much vodka? Probably not even in all of Russia.
Okay, Shane keeps distracting me on MSN so I am going to stop here for now. More to come...

New channel but the same quality programming

2007-03-11T22:02:00.000-05:00

Well kids I am back.
I have decided to move my blog to blogger.com and to get posting again. I make no promises, I never did, but I will try to keep up with it.
To update everyone, biggest item: We are homeowners. Finally. So many plans from here. I'll try not to make this blog into a reno update. After all I am not a lesbian.
I am still working at the same place, still hating it. Just not hating it as much. Apathy I guess.
So once my blog has been completely transferred from myspace I will be deleting that account. I can be found on facebook still. How much networking can I do anyway.
Speaking of networking, I was thinking tonight about a couple of friends that will be leaving soon. I guess it is the drawback of befriending students. Anyway, I am really going to miss Bryan and Ryan quite a bit. I think we need to get some quality time in before they go. For sure.

Being a grownup is a lot of work...

2006-11-15T11:01:00.000-05:00

So I took today off to have a meeting with the lawyer to finalize the Offer to Purchase for the house. Simple enough, and it was. Very good feeling from the lawyer and I think we will be willing to retain her services as we need them in the future. (Thanks Marc for the recommendation). So now the serious running around starts. Bank, then back to lawyer, back to bank... There will be some serious running around over the next couple weeks. I am sure it will be worth it but I am so afraid of growing weary before the whole process is done. In the end I need to keep my eye on the prize but in the meantime there is still so much to do. Oh did I mention Insurance? I have to do that too. Well that's just a little update for now. Hopefully not too much longer.
Oh and by the way, it's One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, BLUE Fish...