Happy thoughts...

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. 

Challenges, Easy and Improbable

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?

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...

Stood up at Starbucks...

...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.

Fun in the sun.

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.

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

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.

About Time For Part II

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...

...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.

Ahhhh Starbucks...

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.

Today, Not So Much...

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

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

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.

The Good, the Bad and the What to do?

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...

The beginning of the bad days...

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...

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

It's been a week...

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.

First glimpse of the end of winter...

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?

Blogging from Starbucks...

...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.

LOL for real

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?

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.