Monday, October 31, 2005
100 more things you may not know about me
1. I broke my small toe on my right foot kicking a curb while playing foot hockey.
2. I cracked my skull when I was about six. It was a full crack from front to back and is still visible in an x-ray.
3. I cracked the skull open again when I was about eight. Was not supposed to be on the ice slide, but was stubborn.
4. I have never had a cast on.
5. Had my appendix burst when I was about ten. I was ten minutes from death on the operating table.
6. My mother threatened the doctor with death if he let me die. She was serious. He knew that.
7. Of my family, knock on wood, I have been the healthiest.
8. I had jaundice as a baby.
9. My sister dropped me on the concrete while bathing me.
10. She also nearly suffocated me with baby powder while changing me.
11. I have always loved riding a bicycle.
12. Me and powered two wheeled items are not a good mix.
13. I fell off the back of a moped my cousin was driving and scraped all the skin off of both knees.
14. My mother and aunt poured, YES POURED, iodine on the wounds and warned me to stay off the moped.
15. I rode the moped again without incident.
16. I crashed my friend's new scooter up a curb. He did not see as the light popped back in without any sign of damage.
17. I have been on the back of a motorcycle once. I want one. DW will kill me first she says.
18. I used to ride in the MS Bikeathon every year. It has now been renamed to MS Bike Tour.
19. I've walked a marathon. Never was in good enough shape for extended running.
20. I like to fish and camp. My older brother was the one to teach me and take me.
21. I used to be a Boy Cub/Scout.
22. I faced racism the first camping trip I went on with them. I'd still recommend them though, as times have changed.
23. I used to be an Air Cadet.
24. I held a flag up during an important ceremony in Nathan Philips Square and nearly passed out from heat exhaustion.
25. I was asked to leave after I told off my racist officer. I would also still recommened them as times have changed.
26. I was accepted conditionally into the ROTC program of the Air Force. I did not continue because a) it was my mother's demand that I do "something" with my life, b) I don't take orders well especially those that don't make sense and c) they wanted me to lose weight without even checking my fitness level. Since I was very fit and healthy and practically solid muscle at the time, I dropped that avenue immediately.
27. I love comic books.
28. I used to own a collection in the couple of thousands.
29. My mother and sister "cleaned" my room for me. I now have almost none.
30. The collection would have been worth in the high five figures today.
31. The X-Men is my favourite series of all time.
32. I started playing the violin in grade four before my family moved.
33. The new school only had horns and woodwinds, so I ended up playing baritone from then on.
34. I could have gone to Italy to see the Pope with the high school band.
35. I did not go because my family could not afford the trip.
36. I went to Barbados as part of a school twinning with Sir Grantley Adams High School.
37. I marveled at the mainly non-ethnic travelers in our group as they ordered hamburger and fries on a Caribbean island. Why leave Canada then?
38. I moaned about real food and was showed the other menu by the staff. I had a roti instead.
39. My group wanted to taste it. It was decimated. I bought another roti.
40. Coocoo and flying fish, with rum punch, was the basic diet afterwards.
41. Besides Trinidad, Barbados and St. Martin, I have not spent time on any other island though my plane touched down in St. Lucia and St. Vincent (but we were not allowed to get off).
42. I have never been to another continent. DW has.
43. I actually wanted to tour the Middle East. I fear that trip too much now to risk it.
44. I want to do a grand family trip soon. The requisite Disneyland/Disneyworld but also somewhere adventurous.
45. I love to dance.
46. I used to be a club junkie. Elusions. Stairways. Spectrum. Pleasure Dome. The Library. And a few more places were our usual haunts.
47. I have been a passenger in a car with someone who should not have been driving.
48. I have been the driver on more than one occasion.
49. It will never happen again.
50. I miss clubbing.
51. I appreciate my life.
52. I am a bit bored.
53. I have the attention span of a gnat (as if reading my blog you did not know that).
54. I work best under pressure and challenged.
55. I am a procrastinator, master level.
56. I am a protagonist. Some people would call me a shit disturber. Same thing.
57. I am not afraid of dying or death.
58. I am afraid of growing old and being incapacitated.
59. All of my grandparents were incapacitated before their death.
60. I don't want to be a burden to my family.
61. I used to rollerskate near Bridlewood Mall (Warden and Finch). Badly.
62. I used to make kites and fly them. Badly.
63. I read a lot. More magazines than books but I am trying to even them out.
64. We have over 1200 books and no where to display them. We will donate some to TC's school and some to other places. We will keep some.
65. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle is one of my favourite books of all time.
66. A Catcher in the Rye was my favourite book to work on in school.
67. My favourite play to read was A Merchant in Venice. I can still recite some of Shylock's "Quality of Mercy" solioquay.
68. My favourite live Shakespearean performance was King Lear, in Stratford.
69. Is one of my favourite numbers. :)
70. I love musicals. I can sing almost all of the songs from The Sound of Music and will watch it anytime it shows on TV.
71. The movie I have watched the most in my lifetime has got to be Ferris Bueller's Day Off. DW banned the DVD from he house for two years after it was released.
72. The last movie we saw was A History of Violence. Good movie. Don't go for an action thriller or you will be disappointed. It is more cerebral than the title suggests.
73. My feet are cold as I write this.
74. All the men in my family has distinct ridges/bumps of skin on the back of our heads.
75. We also all have this distinctive skin marking.
76. I could, and would, switch faith except for one condition that has to be met.
77. No one hacks my wee wee (see South Park).
78. I respect all religions that respect all others.
79. I have too deep an obsession with material items.
80. If necessary, I can give it all up in a heartbeat to achieve a greater good.
81. I still bite my nails. TC unfortunately does as well. We have to buy that nasty stuff to put on nails.
82. My feet crack severely in the winter cold.
83. I have an Arctic issue jacket courtesy of the Air Force. I can be naked in the thing and still be warm.
84. I don't have the matching pants so the lower extremities would snap off in extreme weather.
85. I do not have a degree.
86. I finished high school, grade 13, but no post-secondary education.
87. My parents could not afford to send me to college and I wanted to work to help out.
88. I have always regretted not getting more education.
89. I did get to go to The Institute for Computer Studies, which launched my geek career.
90. The Institute was swallowed up and destroyed by CDI. It in turn has now been bought by a US-based company. I owe a lot to the Institute (experience, education, great friends, and more).
91. I love cheese. I love peanut butter. Yes, I have eaten the two together.
92. I have eaten sardines and peanut butter.
93. I wear glasses. They are not strong, just for a refocusing of the image.
94. I run flat-footed. Well, I don't do any running at the moment.
95. I walk on an angle on my foot, as evidenced by the wear pattern.
96. I cut my own hair.
97. I am going to the dentist on the 18th for the first time in a decade or more.
98. I have never had a cavity.
99. I am a very lucky man.
100. I am blessed.
------------------
Well, I think that is about it for now. I don't think I will or can ever post the rest of the facts about me that is not generally known. Maybe one day when I am drunk or feeling particularly risqué I will chance a posting. Sorry, but that day is not today.
Peace.
2. I cracked my skull when I was about six. It was a full crack from front to back and is still visible in an x-ray.
3. I cracked the skull open again when I was about eight. Was not supposed to be on the ice slide, but was stubborn.
4. I have never had a cast on.
5. Had my appendix burst when I was about ten. I was ten minutes from death on the operating table.
6. My mother threatened the doctor with death if he let me die. She was serious. He knew that.
7. Of my family, knock on wood, I have been the healthiest.
8. I had jaundice as a baby.
9. My sister dropped me on the concrete while bathing me.
10. She also nearly suffocated me with baby powder while changing me.
11. I have always loved riding a bicycle.
12. Me and powered two wheeled items are not a good mix.
13. I fell off the back of a moped my cousin was driving and scraped all the skin off of both knees.
14. My mother and aunt poured, YES POURED, iodine on the wounds and warned me to stay off the moped.
15. I rode the moped again without incident.
16. I crashed my friend's new scooter up a curb. He did not see as the light popped back in without any sign of damage.
17. I have been on the back of a motorcycle once. I want one. DW will kill me first she says.
18. I used to ride in the MS Bikeathon every year. It has now been renamed to MS Bike Tour.
19. I've walked a marathon. Never was in good enough shape for extended running.
20. I like to fish and camp. My older brother was the one to teach me and take me.
21. I used to be a Boy Cub/Scout.
22. I faced racism the first camping trip I went on with them. I'd still recommend them though, as times have changed.
23. I used to be an Air Cadet.
24. I held a flag up during an important ceremony in Nathan Philips Square and nearly passed out from heat exhaustion.
25. I was asked to leave after I told off my racist officer. I would also still recommened them as times have changed.
26. I was accepted conditionally into the ROTC program of the Air Force. I did not continue because a) it was my mother's demand that I do "something" with my life, b) I don't take orders well especially those that don't make sense and c) they wanted me to lose weight without even checking my fitness level. Since I was very fit and healthy and practically solid muscle at the time, I dropped that avenue immediately.
27. I love comic books.
28. I used to own a collection in the couple of thousands.
29. My mother and sister "cleaned" my room for me. I now have almost none.
30. The collection would have been worth in the high five figures today.
31. The X-Men is my favourite series of all time.
32. I started playing the violin in grade four before my family moved.
33. The new school only had horns and woodwinds, so I ended up playing baritone from then on.
34. I could have gone to Italy to see the Pope with the high school band.
35. I did not go because my family could not afford the trip.
36. I went to Barbados as part of a school twinning with Sir Grantley Adams High School.
37. I marveled at the mainly non-ethnic travelers in our group as they ordered hamburger and fries on a Caribbean island. Why leave Canada then?
38. I moaned about real food and was showed the other menu by the staff. I had a roti instead.
39. My group wanted to taste it. It was decimated. I bought another roti.
40. Coocoo and flying fish, with rum punch, was the basic diet afterwards.
41. Besides Trinidad, Barbados and St. Martin, I have not spent time on any other island though my plane touched down in St. Lucia and St. Vincent (but we were not allowed to get off).
42. I have never been to another continent. DW has.
43. I actually wanted to tour the Middle East. I fear that trip too much now to risk it.
44. I want to do a grand family trip soon. The requisite Disneyland/Disneyworld but also somewhere adventurous.
45. I love to dance.
46. I used to be a club junkie. Elusions. Stairways. Spectrum. Pleasure Dome. The Library. And a few more places were our usual haunts.
47. I have been a passenger in a car with someone who should not have been driving.
48. I have been the driver on more than one occasion.
49. It will never happen again.
50. I miss clubbing.
51. I appreciate my life.
52. I am a bit bored.
53. I have the attention span of a gnat (as if reading my blog you did not know that).
54. I work best under pressure and challenged.
55. I am a procrastinator, master level.
56. I am a protagonist. Some people would call me a shit disturber. Same thing.
57. I am not afraid of dying or death.
58. I am afraid of growing old and being incapacitated.
59. All of my grandparents were incapacitated before their death.
60. I don't want to be a burden to my family.
61. I used to rollerskate near Bridlewood Mall (Warden and Finch). Badly.
62. I used to make kites and fly them. Badly.
63. I read a lot. More magazines than books but I am trying to even them out.
64. We have over 1200 books and no where to display them. We will donate some to TC's school and some to other places. We will keep some.
65. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle is one of my favourite books of all time.
66. A Catcher in the Rye was my favourite book to work on in school.
67. My favourite play to read was A Merchant in Venice. I can still recite some of Shylock's "Quality of Mercy" solioquay.
68. My favourite live Shakespearean performance was King Lear, in Stratford.
69. Is one of my favourite numbers. :)
70. I love musicals. I can sing almost all of the songs from The Sound of Music and will watch it anytime it shows on TV.
71. The movie I have watched the most in my lifetime has got to be Ferris Bueller's Day Off. DW banned the DVD from he house for two years after it was released.
72. The last movie we saw was A History of Violence. Good movie. Don't go for an action thriller or you will be disappointed. It is more cerebral than the title suggests.
73. My feet are cold as I write this.
74. All the men in my family has distinct ridges/bumps of skin on the back of our heads.
75. We also all have this distinctive skin marking.
76. I could, and would, switch faith except for one condition that has to be met.
77. No one hacks my wee wee (see South Park).
78. I respect all religions that respect all others.
79. I have too deep an obsession with material items.
80. If necessary, I can give it all up in a heartbeat to achieve a greater good.
81. I still bite my nails. TC unfortunately does as well. We have to buy that nasty stuff to put on nails.
82. My feet crack severely in the winter cold.
83. I have an Arctic issue jacket courtesy of the Air Force. I can be naked in the thing and still be warm.
84. I don't have the matching pants so the lower extremities would snap off in extreme weather.
85. I do not have a degree.
86. I finished high school, grade 13, but no post-secondary education.
87. My parents could not afford to send me to college and I wanted to work to help out.
88. I have always regretted not getting more education.
89. I did get to go to The Institute for Computer Studies, which launched my geek career.
90. The Institute was swallowed up and destroyed by CDI. It in turn has now been bought by a US-based company. I owe a lot to the Institute (experience, education, great friends, and more).
91. I love cheese. I love peanut butter. Yes, I have eaten the two together.
92. I have eaten sardines and peanut butter.
93. I wear glasses. They are not strong, just for a refocusing of the image.
94. I run flat-footed. Well, I don't do any running at the moment.
95. I walk on an angle on my foot, as evidenced by the wear pattern.
96. I cut my own hair.
97. I am going to the dentist on the 18th for the first time in a decade or more.
98. I have never had a cavity.
99. I am a very lucky man.
100. I am blessed.
------------------
Well, I think that is about it for now. I don't think I will or can ever post the rest of the facts about me that is not generally known. Maybe one day when I am drunk or feeling particularly risqué I will chance a posting. Sorry, but that day is not today.
Peace.
OK, maybe we will move
There has always been some kind of shit going on in this great city of ours. Having lived in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for 35 of my 37 years, I can tell you that I never have really been concerned about my safety or that of my family's more than the normal amount. That is starting to change.
Every single day now, there seems to be a truly violent act in this city. The thing that is worrisome is that there is not necessarily a big confrontation, run-in or domestic dispute that blew up and got out of control. We have what seems to be a little argument between adults that has one of the parties go off the handle and decide that killing the person is the next step.
Example One. Some guy goes to Sick Kids hospital and gets refused treatment. Whatever the reason, he engages in an argument with an Oriental gentleman on his way out. The Oriental guy continues out and the white guy goes to his vehicle. The Oriental guy starts to cross the street at the lights down from the hospital and buddy deliberately runs him over and takes off, leaving him for dead. The guy is still in hospital; his attacker has been captured.
Example Two. Buddies try to enter a club. Either they are drunk or nasty looking or known as troublemakers or not dressed right or whatever. The Bouncer says no. They argue and are refused entry. They go back to the vehicle and pull weapons, beat and shoot the bouncer and leave him for dead. The bouncer died at the scene; no arrests have been made.
Example Three. There is an altercation in a park with a bunch of youths. My first question is of course, "Why are the bunch of youths asses not at home where they belong?" As the car of chased people speeds out of the park, the cars of chasers take off after them. Unfortunately, one of the cars is a pickup and one drunk youth tumbles out of it, injures himself and dies.
Example four. Patrons are at a restaurant when four or five men storm the place. They had obviously tracked this one guy down. It was probably gang or drug or both related as it was an Asian man, fired upon by Asian attackers in an Asian restaurant. He is shot four or five times and died at the scene. No arrests have been made.
Other examples include a propensity for middle aged white men to try to steal people's young daughters at the bus stop, in front of a school, in a school, in a restaurant and more. You have the drive by shootings that the crossfire of one recently cost a TTC bus driver one eye. You have the home invasions typically by Asian gangs as they raid homes known to have cash and jewelry because the recently immigrated do not yet trust the banking establishment. And you have the youth, not properly taught to respect others, not taught to live a good life, and left far too much to their own devices that think being a thug and a gangster is cool.
Finally, you have a justice system that is an utter (*&^%( joke. Every youth crime is being treated with such a slap on the wrist that the youths going through the system look upon your "six months" of time served as a rite of passage, a seasoning step, into the gang of choice. A mandatory ten year sentence, regardless of age, for any crime committed with a weapon should be enforced and will make the thugs think again. At that length of time, the only seasoning they will know is as someone's sweet bitch in jail.
Not only has all this senseless violence made it harder to move from our cozy, safer neighbourhood, it has brought the realization that no where is safe anymore. Rather, it is more a matter of how long it takes to affect your neck of the woods. Barrie, Brampton, and various parts of the outer reaches of Peel and Durham and slowly coming to this realization. Once upon a time, I could think about moving just about anywhere in this city. Now, unfortunately, it is becoming that I can only think about where to move out to.
Peace.
Every single day now, there seems to be a truly violent act in this city. The thing that is worrisome is that there is not necessarily a big confrontation, run-in or domestic dispute that blew up and got out of control. We have what seems to be a little argument between adults that has one of the parties go off the handle and decide that killing the person is the next step.
Example One. Some guy goes to Sick Kids hospital and gets refused treatment. Whatever the reason, he engages in an argument with an Oriental gentleman on his way out. The Oriental guy continues out and the white guy goes to his vehicle. The Oriental guy starts to cross the street at the lights down from the hospital and buddy deliberately runs him over and takes off, leaving him for dead. The guy is still in hospital; his attacker has been captured.
Example Two. Buddies try to enter a club. Either they are drunk or nasty looking or known as troublemakers or not dressed right or whatever. The Bouncer says no. They argue and are refused entry. They go back to the vehicle and pull weapons, beat and shoot the bouncer and leave him for dead. The bouncer died at the scene; no arrests have been made.
Example Three. There is an altercation in a park with a bunch of youths. My first question is of course, "Why are the bunch of youths asses not at home where they belong?" As the car of chased people speeds out of the park, the cars of chasers take off after them. Unfortunately, one of the cars is a pickup and one drunk youth tumbles out of it, injures himself and dies.
Example four. Patrons are at a restaurant when four or five men storm the place. They had obviously tracked this one guy down. It was probably gang or drug or both related as it was an Asian man, fired upon by Asian attackers in an Asian restaurant. He is shot four or five times and died at the scene. No arrests have been made.
Other examples include a propensity for middle aged white men to try to steal people's young daughters at the bus stop, in front of a school, in a school, in a restaurant and more. You have the drive by shootings that the crossfire of one recently cost a TTC bus driver one eye. You have the home invasions typically by Asian gangs as they raid homes known to have cash and jewelry because the recently immigrated do not yet trust the banking establishment. And you have the youth, not properly taught to respect others, not taught to live a good life, and left far too much to their own devices that think being a thug and a gangster is cool.
Finally, you have a justice system that is an utter (*&^%( joke. Every youth crime is being treated with such a slap on the wrist that the youths going through the system look upon your "six months" of time served as a rite of passage, a seasoning step, into the gang of choice. A mandatory ten year sentence, regardless of age, for any crime committed with a weapon should be enforced and will make the thugs think again. At that length of time, the only seasoning they will know is as someone's sweet bitch in jail.
Not only has all this senseless violence made it harder to move from our cozy, safer neighbourhood, it has brought the realization that no where is safe anymore. Rather, it is more a matter of how long it takes to affect your neck of the woods. Barrie, Brampton, and various parts of the outer reaches of Peel and Durham and slowly coming to this realization. Once upon a time, I could think about moving just about anywhere in this city. Now, unfortunately, it is becoming that I can only think about where to move out to.
Peace.
Monday morning funny
Funny, but a touch morbid:
A man goes into a library and asks for a book on suicide.
The librarian says; "F**k off, you won't bring it back."
-------------------
Submitted by DoubleD.
A man goes into a library and asks for a book on suicide.
The librarian says; "F**k off, you won't bring it back."
-------------------
Submitted by DoubleD.
Thought of the day!
Wives are funny creatures... They don't have sex* with their husbands for weeks and then they want to kill the woman who does!
MEMO TO ALL EMS PERSONNEL
To: All EMS Personnel
From: Chief of Operations
Subject: Proper Narrative Descriptions
It has come to our attention from several emergency rooms that many EMS narratives have taken a decidedly creative direction lately. Effective immediately, all members are to refrain from using slang and abbreviations to describe patients, such as the following.
1) Cardiac patients should not be referred to as suffering from MUH (messed up heart), PBS (pretty bad shape), PCL (pre-code looking) or HIBGIA (had it before, got it again).
2) Stroke patients are NOT "Charlie Carrots." Nor are rescuers to use CCFCCP(Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs) to describe their mental state.
3) Trauma patients are not CATS (cut all to sh*t), FDGB (fall down, go boom), TBC (total body crunch) or "hamburger helper." Similarly, descriptions of a car crash do not have to include phrases like "negative vehicle to vehicle interface" or "terminal deceleration syndrome."
4) HAZMAT teams are highly trained professionals, not "glow worms."
5) Persons with altered mental states as a result of drug use are not considered "pharmaceutically gifted."
6) Gunshot wounds to the head are not "trans-occipital implants."
7) The homeless are not "urban outdoorsmen," nor is endotracheal intubation referred to as a "PVC Challenge."
8) And finally, do not refer to recently deceased persons as being "paws up," ART (assuming room temperature), CC (Cancel Christmas), CTD (circling the drain), DRT (dead right there) or NLPR (no long playing records).
I know you will all join me in respecting the cultural diversity of our patients to include their medical orientations in creating proper narratives and log entries.
----------------------------
Submitted by DoubleD.
From: Chief of Operations
Subject: Proper Narrative Descriptions
It has come to our attention from several emergency rooms that many EMS narratives have taken a decidedly creative direction lately. Effective immediately, all members are to refrain from using slang and abbreviations to describe patients, such as the following.
1) Cardiac patients should not be referred to as suffering from MUH (messed up heart), PBS (pretty bad shape), PCL (pre-code looking) or HIBGIA (had it before, got it again).
2) Stroke patients are NOT "Charlie Carrots." Nor are rescuers to use CCFCCP(Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs) to describe their mental state.
3) Trauma patients are not CATS (cut all to sh*t), FDGB (fall down, go boom), TBC (total body crunch) or "hamburger helper." Similarly, descriptions of a car crash do not have to include phrases like "negative vehicle to vehicle interface" or "terminal deceleration syndrome."
4) HAZMAT teams are highly trained professionals, not "glow worms."
5) Persons with altered mental states as a result of drug use are not considered "pharmaceutically gifted."
6) Gunshot wounds to the head are not "trans-occipital implants."
7) The homeless are not "urban outdoorsmen," nor is endotracheal intubation referred to as a "PVC Challenge."
8) And finally, do not refer to recently deceased persons as being "paws up," ART (assuming room temperature), CC (Cancel Christmas), CTD (circling the drain), DRT (dead right there) or NLPR (no long playing records).
I know you will all join me in respecting the cultural diversity of our patients to include their medical orientations in creating proper narratives and log entries.
----------------------------
Submitted by DoubleD.
A delayed account.
DW and I attended the last home came of the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday. Unfortunately, the timing was bad so no one was able to join us at the event; and what an event it was. We have been to games in the past but it has been a long time since it was electric in the stadium. We were 40,000+ strong and it was the Hamilton Ticats. For my US friends, think Buffalo hosting the Miami Dolphins; this is our version of "Squish the Fish" (I would would have said "Stomp The Tabby" but... you know).
Anyhow, we got our tickets from this Dominion promotion. It was probably the first and last time we do that. Yes, they were only twenty bucks for the pair. Yes, we got two free t-shirts with them. Yes, we "could" get decent seats in the 100 level with them. Now, here is the rub that must be understood. No where did we notice the fine print that said seating was "limited" and on a first come first served basis for the 100 level. Once the Dominion "fan" section was filled, they shuttled your ass into the nose-bleed section. This was truly a matter of you get what you paid for. We will pay higher to get more next time.
So, disgruntled and disappointed, we went off to the gate they said we had to go through which was Gate 2; we were at Gate 7 picking up our tickets. I've been having bad leg cramps and knee issues (old soccer injury and overweight issues combined) so hauling fat ass up several flights of stairs was not fun. We got ushered into that gate and then had to climb Skydome's (&^%$*^% Ted and his name change) ramps to the 500 level. The ramps are the best for egress; not so fun for ingress, but it beats stairs. Once we reached the level, we got told which direction to go for the seats. Well, we got told which direction to go as there was very little help from the disinterested and useless staff at Ted's Palace (now known as the Rogers Centre). Since the place was packed, it was a long steady climb to an open row of seats (as you know, I hate people). We were high enough that the support rafters were blocking part of the Sony Jumbotron.
So, let me conclude my bitching before some positive games notes. In the next row above us us, we had the unfortunate pleasure of three blonde twits sitting there. One of them insisted on not only dangling her feet down to sit upon the chair below, but to also constantly bang at it through the first half of the game. I did not initially say anything, but it was starting to grate on me. Just before I asked the twitiest of the trio to stop, they picked up and moved to seating that was lower. No stereotyping but they really seemed more interested in picking up some new sausage to gnaw on rather than to watch an excellent football game.
Next on the twit list was the group that decided to sit no where else but on the row below us; this was two guys and three girls. And yet again, a blonde twit amongst them; though at least one of the other two was no brunette space cadet. At least one of them had a demeanor and clue that said to the public "I have parents that care". Now I know the fashion statement of the day is the low-rider jeans but my gawd, can someone put out a rule on wearing it please? The blonde had no ass and more side fat out of the jeans than in. Top that off with either no underwear or one so tiny that when we moved, all you got was plumber's crack displayed. While the body passed the "would not send her home right away" test, the Streisand shnoz was a definite turnoff. Oh yeah, she also had the disgusting, rude and unsafe habit of smoking in the stands.
It started bothering DW and I enough that I finally had to lean forward and kindly ask her to put it out please as the smoke was coming right up into our faces. To her credit (or was that fear?), she put it out immediately and I thanked her. Of course, she just had to have one so she went off to a higher part of the section to smoke right on the stairs! Staff food idiot even saw this and he did and said nothing. Let me tell you, there would have been an ejection at The Air Canada Centre. On top of that, he never even offered a drink to our area; hell we never saw any concession people the entire night. If we have to sit up in the clouds, the least they can do is feed us or get us drunk. The whole experience there was a huge disappointment. Thankfully, the game was a hugely enjoyable experience.
Our beloved Argonauts beat the snot out of the Ticats. Damon Allen was so dominate that he was rested the entire fourth quarter. He racked up 5000 passing yards for the first time in his 21 year career in the CFL. We had three guys in the 1000 yard rushing club. We had rookies playing like veterans, guys who had to step in for injured first lines that did their job and a defence that would make an NFL coach shed a tear. I'd have to say that the only sore spots about the game was the wussy announcing (especially during the halftime show) and the anemic dancing of the Argo cheerleaders. What the hell happened to this group? It used to be a huge drool factor but now, unless the costume has promise of possible boob sightings, it is just sad to watch. This group seriously needs to catch some Toronto Raptors games to understand what cheerleading is all about.
As for the halftime show, this guy got to kick a 50-yard field goal for a million bucks, courtesy of Wendy's Canada. Since this was just your average schmo, most of the stadium stayed during the halftime to see him attempt the kick. Kicks really, as he got a chance to win other prizes from the 20, 30 and 40 yard lines. So, after listening to the annoying banter, when we could hear it because the sound kept cutting out, things got rolling. It was painful to watch initially as he shanked it right of the post (two refs were under the uprights to officially call the attempts) at the 20, 30, and 40 yard lines. He had the distance every single time, but went wide right. Hmmm, where have we seen that before? Something tells me it was that asshole who (*&^%(*&^ up my Super Bowl celebration on Buffalo's first attempt to win a championship; Washington won that game and we lost three more straight, but I digress. He lined it up on the fifty and... they go to a commercial timeout?!?!?!
I would have kicked the announcer in his nuts. That is simply cruel and unusual punishment. Anyhow, back from the break, he lines up like Prefontaine taught him and kicked it. It looked more wobbly than the other three, it may not make the distance, it was starting to bend left... did he overcompensate? NO! It's up, it's straight enough and it was good!!! The whole place went nuts, drowning out even the fireworks that went off. The whole team came on field to celebrate with him (and to ask for a loan as he was now the highest paid player on the field). Of course, all good things come with a caveat; his comes with two. He has a girlfriend, who apparently has been hinting (pressuring?) at a ring. When asked about this, I had to laugh and give the guy props for his answer of "we'll see what happens". The biggest rub though was that the million would be paid out in 25K installments over the next forty years. Are you kidding me Wendy's? That is just sad and pretty pathetic. It should be at least 50K a year so that it actually works as a supplemental or replacement income. In this current climate, no one has a guarantee of forty more years. Pretty ass-out play there Wendy's really high on the suckameter.
Well, the team is off to Ottawa for the final game of the season. Damon Allen will play in order to stay sharp for the November 20th tilt here in Toronto against either Montreal or Saskatchewan. We intend to be there and hope to get a group of people together to go and have a raucous good time. If you can make it, see you there!
Ciao.
Anyhow, we got our tickets from this Dominion promotion. It was probably the first and last time we do that. Yes, they were only twenty bucks for the pair. Yes, we got two free t-shirts with them. Yes, we "could" get decent seats in the 100 level with them. Now, here is the rub that must be understood. No where did we notice the fine print that said seating was "limited" and on a first come first served basis for the 100 level. Once the Dominion "fan" section was filled, they shuttled your ass into the nose-bleed section. This was truly a matter of you get what you paid for. We will pay higher to get more next time.
So, disgruntled and disappointed, we went off to the gate they said we had to go through which was Gate 2; we were at Gate 7 picking up our tickets. I've been having bad leg cramps and knee issues (old soccer injury and overweight issues combined) so hauling fat ass up several flights of stairs was not fun. We got ushered into that gate and then had to climb Skydome's (&^%$*^% Ted and his name change) ramps to the 500 level. The ramps are the best for egress; not so fun for ingress, but it beats stairs. Once we reached the level, we got told which direction to go for the seats. Well, we got told which direction to go as there was very little help from the disinterested and useless staff at Ted's Palace (now known as the Rogers Centre). Since the place was packed, it was a long steady climb to an open row of seats (as you know, I hate people). We were high enough that the support rafters were blocking part of the Sony Jumbotron.
So, let me conclude my bitching before some positive games notes. In the next row above us us, we had the unfortunate pleasure of three blonde twits sitting there. One of them insisted on not only dangling her feet down to sit upon the chair below, but to also constantly bang at it through the first half of the game. I did not initially say anything, but it was starting to grate on me. Just before I asked the twitiest of the trio to stop, they picked up and moved to seating that was lower. No stereotyping but they really seemed more interested in picking up some new sausage to gnaw on rather than to watch an excellent football game.
Next on the twit list was the group that decided to sit no where else but on the row below us; this was two guys and three girls. And yet again, a blonde twit amongst them; though at least one of the other two was no brunette space cadet. At least one of them had a demeanor and clue that said to the public "I have parents that care". Now I know the fashion statement of the day is the low-rider jeans but my gawd, can someone put out a rule on wearing it please? The blonde had no ass and more side fat out of the jeans than in. Top that off with either no underwear or one so tiny that when we moved, all you got was plumber's crack displayed. While the body passed the "would not send her home right away" test, the Streisand shnoz was a definite turnoff. Oh yeah, she also had the disgusting, rude and unsafe habit of smoking in the stands.
It started bothering DW and I enough that I finally had to lean forward and kindly ask her to put it out please as the smoke was coming right up into our faces. To her credit (or was that fear?), she put it out immediately and I thanked her. Of course, she just had to have one so she went off to a higher part of the section to smoke right on the stairs! Staff food idiot even saw this and he did and said nothing. Let me tell you, there would have been an ejection at The Air Canada Centre. On top of that, he never even offered a drink to our area; hell we never saw any concession people the entire night. If we have to sit up in the clouds, the least they can do is feed us or get us drunk. The whole experience there was a huge disappointment. Thankfully, the game was a hugely enjoyable experience.
Our beloved Argonauts beat the snot out of the Ticats. Damon Allen was so dominate that he was rested the entire fourth quarter. He racked up 5000 passing yards for the first time in his 21 year career in the CFL. We had three guys in the 1000 yard rushing club. We had rookies playing like veterans, guys who had to step in for injured first lines that did their job and a defence that would make an NFL coach shed a tear. I'd have to say that the only sore spots about the game was the wussy announcing (especially during the halftime show) and the anemic dancing of the Argo cheerleaders. What the hell happened to this group? It used to be a huge drool factor but now, unless the costume has promise of possible boob sightings, it is just sad to watch. This group seriously needs to catch some Toronto Raptors games to understand what cheerleading is all about.
As for the halftime show, this guy got to kick a 50-yard field goal for a million bucks, courtesy of Wendy's Canada. Since this was just your average schmo, most of the stadium stayed during the halftime to see him attempt the kick. Kicks really, as he got a chance to win other prizes from the 20, 30 and 40 yard lines. So, after listening to the annoying banter, when we could hear it because the sound kept cutting out, things got rolling. It was painful to watch initially as he shanked it right of the post (two refs were under the uprights to officially call the attempts) at the 20, 30, and 40 yard lines. He had the distance every single time, but went wide right. Hmmm, where have we seen that before? Something tells me it was that asshole who (*&^%(*&^ up my Super Bowl celebration on Buffalo's first attempt to win a championship; Washington won that game and we lost three more straight, but I digress. He lined it up on the fifty and... they go to a commercial timeout?!?!?!
I would have kicked the announcer in his nuts. That is simply cruel and unusual punishment. Anyhow, back from the break, he lines up like Prefontaine taught him and kicked it. It looked more wobbly than the other three, it may not make the distance, it was starting to bend left... did he overcompensate? NO! It's up, it's straight enough and it was good!!! The whole place went nuts, drowning out even the fireworks that went off. The whole team came on field to celebrate with him (and to ask for a loan as he was now the highest paid player on the field). Of course, all good things come with a caveat; his comes with two. He has a girlfriend, who apparently has been hinting (pressuring?) at a ring. When asked about this, I had to laugh and give the guy props for his answer of "we'll see what happens". The biggest rub though was that the million would be paid out in 25K installments over the next forty years. Are you kidding me Wendy's? That is just sad and pretty pathetic. It should be at least 50K a year so that it actually works as a supplemental or replacement income. In this current climate, no one has a guarantee of forty more years. Pretty ass-out play there Wendy's really high on the suckameter.
Well, the team is off to Ottawa for the final game of the season. Damon Allen will play in order to stay sharp for the November 20th tilt here in Toronto against either Montreal or Saskatchewan. We intend to be there and hope to get a group of people together to go and have a raucous good time. If you can make it, see you there!
Ciao.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Conan O'Brien vs. BEAR
A silly website but it has some really good interpretations. Funny site if you like Conan O'Brien. It also shows that a simple concept can grow like gangbusters if enough people get on board.
Conan O'Brien vs. BEAR
Conan O'Brien vs. BEAR
It's time.
One hundred (or so) things about Dtrini. Make sure to check out all the links. Enjoy.
1. I was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad W.I. in 1968.
2. I moved to Canada in October of 1970.
3. I have lived in the Scarborough area in some capacity for over 30 years.
4. North York and Markham are the only other two places (both in the GTA) I have ever lived.
5. I am scared to move out of the GTA.
6. Due to the increasing violence, I am scared for my family to stay living here.
7. I have been married twice.
8. The first one does not really count; I should not have gotten married.
9. I have one child at the moment, TC, from my first marriage.
10. TC is the one good thing that came out of that union; not much else did.
11. I loved my first wife. She loved the idea.
12. I love my current and last wife, DW. She is my equal, my best friend, my partner. She puts up with my shit when no one else would.
13. She told me to write that. :) Nah, it is simply the truth.
14. We do not have kids of our own yet, but we are trying.
15. TC calls DW "mum".
16. DW is eight years older than me.
17. I am twenty three years older than our daughter and five years older than LB.
18. I have two other siblings; a brother and a sister.
19. They are nine and eight years older than me, respectively.
20. I rarely see or speak to my older brother anymore (not by my choice).
21. I never speak to my sister anymore (my choice).
22. I have not said a civil word to my mother in over seven years.
23. I have two nephews, three nieces and an overabundance of cousins.
24. I speak to one nephew (the soccer star) and a couple of cousins; the rest can find a comfy spot in Hades.
25. I have lots of family in Trinidad. I have not met a lot of them. I really only keep in contact with one cousin regularly.
26. Fat chance any of those situations will change any time soon.
27. I am a geek. Computers, movies, music, cars, useless facts.
28. At my desk in the basement, there are typically three systems on; this one, one that acts as one of our PVRs and my work laptop (connected via a docking station).
29. DW is not far off; that is why I married her.
30. On the bar in the basement, there is a Compaq quad-CPU server sitting on it.
31. It is &^%(&^ loud when it is turned on; think Cessna.
32. I like toys.
33. I live way above my means.
34. I am in debt.
35. I care, but I do not. I want to enjoy life and what it has to offer.
36. I am getting out of debt to make a better future for my family.
37. I care.
38. One of my favourite colours used to be orange. I am not sure anymore about that one.
39. Typically my clothes tend to be black or white.
40. That matches my view on things and life. It is or it is not.
41. Not everyone agrees with that.
42. I get into many arguments.
43. I win most times.
44. I do not argue if I do not think AND believe that I am right.
45. I can concede and admit when I am wrong.
46. That is a rare event. :)
47. I miss my family.
48. My father has diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney problems (caused by a bleeding ulcer he never took care of early enough).
49. I do not intend to be as stubborn as he is. I scheduled my annual for November.
50. Our birthdays are four days apart in May. Taureans.
51. We got into many arguments.
52. I make him listen now.
53. I went through a bitter divorce and custody battle.
54. I lost.
55. Actually, I conceded to the way the law works (slanted as it is against men) to save TC from harm.
56. Her mother found a way to mentally and emotionally harm her anyhow.
57. DW and I are trying to fix that.
58. We are all happy together here.
59. We play the lottery regularly.
60. We want that 40 million tonight.
61. We would move to St. Martin after TC graduated from high school.
62. DW wants to open a bagel shop there.
63. I want to drink and eat lots of seafood.
64. We are going to make it happen regardless of our Freedom 6/49 plan.
65. I am a major pack rat.
66. I mainly have paper, parts and books collected.
67. I love DVDs; the library is 1200+ and growing.
68. I would sell the collection to buy our first house.
69. I hate renting.
70. I hate apartments.
71. I love socializing.
72. I hate people.
73. My dream house has no neighbours closer than the horizon in any direction.
74. I would buy an island.
75. I want to learn to fly; planes and helicopters.
76. I used to be a plane and helicopter fanatic.
77. I am afraid of heights.
78. I love speed.
79. I have broken the law and have been punished.
80. I have broken a commandment and have been punished.
81. I am Roman Catholic.
82. I do not practice my faith.
83. I was molested as a youth.
84. It was by a priest.
85. He was not catholic; Spiritual Baptist.
86. I would wring the spirit out of his ass if I saw him today.
87. My mother has never heard this. It would kill her.
88. Sometimes I am tempted to tell her out of spite. She got me involved in that church.
89. I love my mother.
90. I hate my mother.
91. I love and hate myself.
92. I used to be an adult educator (teacher).
93. I love to teach.
94. I used to want to go back to my old high school to teach there.
95. I kind of still want to.
96. I love my job.
97. I hate the politics of government work.
98. I love the people I work with.
99. I cannot comment on the people I work for.
100. I have run out of numbers but not factoids about me. I will need another list.
Note: Not a single apostrophe was harmed in the making of this list.
Peace and goodnight.
1. I was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad W.I. in 1968.
2. I moved to Canada in October of 1970.
3. I have lived in the Scarborough area in some capacity for over 30 years.
4. North York and Markham are the only other two places (both in the GTA) I have ever lived.
5. I am scared to move out of the GTA.
6. Due to the increasing violence, I am scared for my family to stay living here.
7. I have been married twice.
8. The first one does not really count; I should not have gotten married.
9. I have one child at the moment, TC, from my first marriage.
10. TC is the one good thing that came out of that union; not much else did.
11. I loved my first wife. She loved the idea.
12. I love my current and last wife, DW. She is my equal, my best friend, my partner. She puts up with my shit when no one else would.
13. She told me to write that. :) Nah, it is simply the truth.
14. We do not have kids of our own yet, but we are trying.
15. TC calls DW "mum".
16. DW is eight years older than me.
17. I am twenty three years older than our daughter and five years older than LB.
18. I have two other siblings; a brother and a sister.
19. They are nine and eight years older than me, respectively.
20. I rarely see or speak to my older brother anymore (not by my choice).
21. I never speak to my sister anymore (my choice).
22. I have not said a civil word to my mother in over seven years.
23. I have two nephews, three nieces and an overabundance of cousins.
24. I speak to one nephew (the soccer star) and a couple of cousins; the rest can find a comfy spot in Hades.
25. I have lots of family in Trinidad. I have not met a lot of them. I really only keep in contact with one cousin regularly.
26. Fat chance any of those situations will change any time soon.
27. I am a geek. Computers, movies, music, cars, useless facts.
28. At my desk in the basement, there are typically three systems on; this one, one that acts as one of our PVRs and my work laptop (connected via a docking station).
29. DW is not far off; that is why I married her.
30. On the bar in the basement, there is a Compaq quad-CPU server sitting on it.
31. It is &^%(&^ loud when it is turned on; think Cessna.
32. I like toys.
33. I live way above my means.
34. I am in debt.
35. I care, but I do not. I want to enjoy life and what it has to offer.
36. I am getting out of debt to make a better future for my family.
37. I care.
38. One of my favourite colours used to be orange. I am not sure anymore about that one.
39. Typically my clothes tend to be black or white.
40. That matches my view on things and life. It is or it is not.
41. Not everyone agrees with that.
42. I get into many arguments.
43. I win most times.
44. I do not argue if I do not think AND believe that I am right.
45. I can concede and admit when I am wrong.
46. That is a rare event. :)
47. I miss my family.
48. My father has diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney problems (caused by a bleeding ulcer he never took care of early enough).
49. I do not intend to be as stubborn as he is. I scheduled my annual for November.
50. Our birthdays are four days apart in May. Taureans.
51. We got into many arguments.
52. I make him listen now.
53. I went through a bitter divorce and custody battle.
54. I lost.
55. Actually, I conceded to the way the law works (slanted as it is against men) to save TC from harm.
56. Her mother found a way to mentally and emotionally harm her anyhow.
57. DW and I are trying to fix that.
58. We are all happy together here.
59. We play the lottery regularly.
60. We want that 40 million tonight.
61. We would move to St. Martin after TC graduated from high school.
62. DW wants to open a bagel shop there.
63. I want to drink and eat lots of seafood.
64. We are going to make it happen regardless of our Freedom 6/49 plan.
65. I am a major pack rat.
66. I mainly have paper, parts and books collected.
67. I love DVDs; the library is 1200+ and growing.
68. I would sell the collection to buy our first house.
69. I hate renting.
70. I hate apartments.
71. I love socializing.
72. I hate people.
73. My dream house has no neighbours closer than the horizon in any direction.
74. I would buy an island.
75. I want to learn to fly; planes and helicopters.
76. I used to be a plane and helicopter fanatic.
77. I am afraid of heights.
78. I love speed.
79. I have broken the law and have been punished.
80. I have broken a commandment and have been punished.
81. I am Roman Catholic.
82. I do not practice my faith.
83. I was molested as a youth.
84. It was by a priest.
85. He was not catholic; Spiritual Baptist.
86. I would wring the spirit out of his ass if I saw him today.
87. My mother has never heard this. It would kill her.
88. Sometimes I am tempted to tell her out of spite. She got me involved in that church.
89. I love my mother.
90. I hate my mother.
91. I love and hate myself.
92. I used to be an adult educator (teacher).
93. I love to teach.
94. I used to want to go back to my old high school to teach there.
95. I kind of still want to.
96. I love my job.
97. I hate the politics of government work.
98. I love the people I work with.
99. I cannot comment on the people I work for.
100. I have run out of numbers but not factoids about me. I will need another list.
Note: Not a single apostrophe was harmed in the making of this list.
Peace and goodnight.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
It's the great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!
It's the great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!
---------------------------------
Submitted by Redsometimes
I'm Feeling Lucky
No wonder so many people say Google's search engine can find anything for you
1- Go to Google www.google.com
2- Type in the word "Failure"
3- Instead of clicking "Google Search," click "I'm
Feeling Lucky."
4- Giggle
5- Spread the word before the people at Google "fix"
it.
----------------------------------
Submitted by DoubleD.
1- Go to Google www.google.com
2- Type in the word "Failure"
3- Instead of clicking "Google Search," click "I'm
Feeling Lucky."
4- Giggle
5- Spread the word before the people at Google "fix"
it.
----------------------------------
Submitted by DoubleD.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Cricket, break out the cattle prod.
OK, I thought I had retired my feature, "Today's Idiot", but my gawd are there a plethora of them still to be exposed. What I hate is that it will seem like I am perpetuating a stereotype at times, but that will not be able to be helped. When a particular group of Asian populace insists on trying to kill you, kill themselves or scratch the poor ole Roo, there is just no getting around it.
The majority of them just cannot (*&^%&^(*) drive a vehicle and should never have been given a license!!
This past week alone I had one lady attempt to cut not into my lane, but into DW's side of TR. I had to blow my horn and the little woman, in the little car, pushed right up to the frickin dash because she should be on a booster seat in a POS Honda, stares at us as we glare at her when we pass by. Then, incredibly, she cuts off the guy behind us as well and gets another blast of horn (though not as loud or menacing as TR's). Seriously, if you cannot merge lanes on a major highway, get off the *&^%(&^% highway.
Then you have the wise ass that is crossing the street, sees TR bearing down on his position, and stands there instead of continuing on his way to the other side. Of course, Roo bar intact, I don't slow down and, realizing this, he makes quick haste to get his stupid, suicidal self up on the curb.
Then you have the final winner of this post, the non-merger. Why do our highways jam in certain places? Because people cannot merge at speed if there is any type of grade, curve, moisture, bright light, or pixel dust in their path. They cannot think on the fly, correct for happenstance or adjust to new factors. In short, they cannot (*&^%(*&^)(*& drive.
OK, fire her up Cricket! I have some ass to fry!
Ciao.
The majority of them just cannot (*&^%&^(*) drive a vehicle and should never have been given a license!!
This past week alone I had one lady attempt to cut not into my lane, but into DW's side of TR. I had to blow my horn and the little woman, in the little car, pushed right up to the frickin dash because she should be on a booster seat in a POS Honda, stares at us as we glare at her when we pass by. Then, incredibly, she cuts off the guy behind us as well and gets another blast of horn (though not as loud or menacing as TR's). Seriously, if you cannot merge lanes on a major highway, get off the *&^%(&^% highway.
Then you have the wise ass that is crossing the street, sees TR bearing down on his position, and stands there instead of continuing on his way to the other side. Of course, Roo bar intact, I don't slow down and, realizing this, he makes quick haste to get his stupid, suicidal self up on the curb.
Then you have the final winner of this post, the non-merger. Why do our highways jam in certain places? Because people cannot merge at speed if there is any type of grade, curve, moisture, bright light, or pixel dust in their path. They cannot think on the fly, correct for happenstance or adjust to new factors. In short, they cannot (*&^%(*&^)(*& drive.
OK, fire her up Cricket! I have some ass to fry!
Ciao.
And now, we visit the good cops...
EDITOR'S NOTE - The current state of affairs in the GTA is simply deplorable. It is a waste of time, money and effort on both sides and only serves to prove that those who govern us are idiots and have a police board that is highly ineffective. Those that protect us have a union league that is power tripping with too much self importance. We thought we got rid of the mob boss and it is VERY obvious that the mob still rules.
------------------------------
So, here is the story.
I was on the way from the T-dot to Frogtown along the good old 401 East. I was clocking some heavy numbers in my standard edition, heavily overworked, 1987 Skoda. This little workhorse had a sewing machine engine with a very high compression rate, flat floor pan, boot in the front and a transverse-mounted read engine. It was one of the cheapest cars you could get at the time (and miles ahead of the nasty Lada). Anyhow, I drove this thing hard; first as a courier vehicle and then back and forth to visit my brother in Ottawa, Whitby then Georgetown. Four years and around 170,000km will tax anything (two cracked cylinder heads and a toasted clutch amongst the casualties). I drove this thing so hard, so far, so fast that the guy who sold it to us was amazed it was as in good a condition by the time it left my hands.
Anyhow, there I was on the way to a wedding and I was late. I had to hit the Capital first to join up with my Aunt and Uncle, as they too were going to Frogtown. So, to say the least, the little motor was singing something fierce and my foot rarely left the floor. At one point, just outside of Kingston, I was pretty sure that the OPP spotted my warp speed within the local solar system and was going to grab some island to turn around and investigate. I was going to press my luck a little and then flatten out to a reasonable speed for a while when it happened; pop...slide.
My passenger-side rear tired had got a flat and I was at full speed, downhill, on a corner. Thankfully, no one was around so I was able to gently guide it off the road and onto the side gravel to investigate the damage. Yep, flat tire. Need to try to fish out the jack. Well, while I was looking for the jack, up came the OPP behind me. By the look they gave me and the questions they started with, they were hot on my tail and would have busted me at 160 in a 100 zone if not for my timely flat. When they realized that I needed assistance for real though, they broke out their flashlights (which I did not have) and ensured any traffic gave us a wide berth.
Very nice of them, as they did not have to do that, but I would need their help even more. It seems that somehow my jack and another one at home (my Dad was a mechanic) got mixed up and I could not get the wheel off. The OPP duo knew of a garage nearby and gave me a lift to the place, woke the guy, and we searched for comparable jack. It took a while to do this, but we finally found a couple for me to try. When we got back with one that finally worked (there were at least two trips involved), the night got worst (this was like 4AM at the time).
The spare that I verified was in the vehicle, was itself, flat. So, the OPP duo drove me back again in order for the guy to check the two tires, and fill the one least likely to go flat again. They then drove me back, as the sun was starting to peak through, and stayed with me until I got the tire on and the car back on the road. They even took back the tools I borrowed to the garage as they were going in the general direction and it was out of my way. With that, and a sly warning to "take it easy" on the rest of my journey, they were off.
So, once I was well away from there, I obviously kicked it into Ludicrous Speed (165km/h) as I was super duper late now. I arrived in time to grab some tea and head back out with my Aunt and Uncle. Once I found the church, I parked up front and went to sleep. I actually overslept so I slipped into the back as the ceremony had gotten underway already. My ex-girlfriend and some other friends from high school were the only folks outside of family invited. I, unfortunately, was on the very short list and would not be attending Lama's (my nickname for my Abu Dhabian friend) reception. Yes, I drove all that way, went through all of that, simply to attend the wedding ceremony.
As for the OPP duo, I am very ashamed. I totally forgot to register their badge numbers or car number or anything that would identify them and their very good deed. They stayed with me for at least two hours when they could have had the garage tow me back and be done with it. Not all of any group is bad, and we must recognize the good along with the bad. We just really must work hard to make sure the majority is on the right side of the equation.
Peace.
------------------------------
So, here is the story.
I was on the way from the T-dot to Frogtown along the good old 401 East. I was clocking some heavy numbers in my standard edition, heavily overworked, 1987 Skoda. This little workhorse had a sewing machine engine with a very high compression rate, flat floor pan, boot in the front and a transverse-mounted read engine. It was one of the cheapest cars you could get at the time (and miles ahead of the nasty Lada). Anyhow, I drove this thing hard; first as a courier vehicle and then back and forth to visit my brother in Ottawa, Whitby then Georgetown. Four years and around 170,000km will tax anything (two cracked cylinder heads and a toasted clutch amongst the casualties). I drove this thing so hard, so far, so fast that the guy who sold it to us was amazed it was as in good a condition by the time it left my hands.
Anyhow, there I was on the way to a wedding and I was late. I had to hit the Capital first to join up with my Aunt and Uncle, as they too were going to Frogtown. So, to say the least, the little motor was singing something fierce and my foot rarely left the floor. At one point, just outside of Kingston, I was pretty sure that the OPP spotted my warp speed within the local solar system and was going to grab some island to turn around and investigate. I was going to press my luck a little and then flatten out to a reasonable speed for a while when it happened; pop...slide.
My passenger-side rear tired had got a flat and I was at full speed, downhill, on a corner. Thankfully, no one was around so I was able to gently guide it off the road and onto the side gravel to investigate the damage. Yep, flat tire. Need to try to fish out the jack. Well, while I was looking for the jack, up came the OPP behind me. By the look they gave me and the questions they started with, they were hot on my tail and would have busted me at 160 in a 100 zone if not for my timely flat. When they realized that I needed assistance for real though, they broke out their flashlights (which I did not have) and ensured any traffic gave us a wide berth.
Very nice of them, as they did not have to do that, but I would need their help even more. It seems that somehow my jack and another one at home (my Dad was a mechanic) got mixed up and I could not get the wheel off. The OPP duo knew of a garage nearby and gave me a lift to the place, woke the guy, and we searched for comparable jack. It took a while to do this, but we finally found a couple for me to try. When we got back with one that finally worked (there were at least two trips involved), the night got worst (this was like 4AM at the time).
The spare that I verified was in the vehicle, was itself, flat. So, the OPP duo drove me back again in order for the guy to check the two tires, and fill the one least likely to go flat again. They then drove me back, as the sun was starting to peak through, and stayed with me until I got the tire on and the car back on the road. They even took back the tools I borrowed to the garage as they were going in the general direction and it was out of my way. With that, and a sly warning to "take it easy" on the rest of my journey, they were off.
So, once I was well away from there, I obviously kicked it into Ludicrous Speed (165km/h) as I was super duper late now. I arrived in time to grab some tea and head back out with my Aunt and Uncle. Once I found the church, I parked up front and went to sleep. I actually overslept so I slipped into the back as the ceremony had gotten underway already. My ex-girlfriend and some other friends from high school were the only folks outside of family invited. I, unfortunately, was on the very short list and would not be attending Lama's (my nickname for my Abu Dhabian friend) reception. Yes, I drove all that way, went through all of that, simply to attend the wedding ceremony.
As for the OPP duo, I am very ashamed. I totally forgot to register their badge numbers or car number or anything that would identify them and their very good deed. They stayed with me for at least two hours when they could have had the garage tow me back and be done with it. Not all of any group is bad, and we must recognize the good along with the bad. We just really must work hard to make sure the majority is on the right side of the equation.
Peace.
Worth the effort...
Test for Dementia (Thanks to JA boy)
Below are four (4) questions and a bonus question. You have to answer them instantly. You can't take your time, answer all of them immediately. OK?
Let's find out just how clever you really are....
Ready? GO!!! (scroll down)
---------------------------
First Question:
You are participating in a race. You overtake the second person. What position are you in?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Answer: If you answered that you are first, then you are
absolutely wrong! If you overtake the second person and you take his place, you are second!
Try not to screw up next time.
Now answer the second question,
but don't take as much time as you took for the first question, OK?
-------------------
Second Question:
If you overtake the last person, then you are...?
(scroll down)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Answer: If you answered that you are second to last, then you are wrong again. Tell me, how can you overtake the LAST Person?
You're not very good at this, are you?
------------------
Third Question:
Very tricky arithmetic! Note: This must be done in your head only.
Do NOT use paper and pencil or a calculator. Try it.
Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000. Now add 30.
Add another 1000. Now add 20. Now add another 1000
Now add 10. What is the total?
Scroll down for answer.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you get 5000?
The correct answer is actually 4100.
If you don't believe it, check it with a calculator!
Today is definitely not your day, is it?
Maybe you'll get the last question right....
....Maybe.
-------------------
Fourth Question:
Mary's father has five daughters: 1. Nana, 2. Nene, 3. Nini,
4. Nono. What is the name of the fifth daughter?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you Answer Nunu?
NO! Of course it isn't.
Her name is Mary. Read the question again!
--------------------------
Okay, now the bonus round:
A mute person goes into a shop and wants to buy a toothbrush. By
imitating the action of brushing his teeth he successfully
expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is
done.
Next, a blind man comes into the shop who wants to buy a pair of
sunglasses; how does HE indicate what he wants?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He just has to open his mouth and ask...
It's really very simple.... Like you!
KEEP THIS GOING TO FRUSTRATE THE
SMART PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE
Below are four (4) questions and a bonus question. You have to answer them instantly. You can't take your time, answer all of them immediately. OK?
Let's find out just how clever you really are....
Ready? GO!!! (scroll down)
---------------------------
First Question:
You are participating in a race. You overtake the second person. What position are you in?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Answer: If you answered that you are first, then you are
absolutely wrong! If you overtake the second person and you take his place, you are second!
Try not to screw up next time.
Now answer the second question,
but don't take as much time as you took for the first question, OK?
-------------------
Second Question:
If you overtake the last person, then you are...?
(scroll down)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Answer: If you answered that you are second to last, then you are wrong again. Tell me, how can you overtake the LAST Person?
You're not very good at this, are you?
------------------
Third Question:
Very tricky arithmetic! Note: This must be done in your head only.
Do NOT use paper and pencil or a calculator. Try it.
Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000. Now add 30.
Add another 1000. Now add 20. Now add another 1000
Now add 10. What is the total?
Scroll down for answer.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you get 5000?
The correct answer is actually 4100.
If you don't believe it, check it with a calculator!
Today is definitely not your day, is it?
Maybe you'll get the last question right....
....Maybe.
-------------------
Fourth Question:
Mary's father has five daughters: 1. Nana, 2. Nene, 3. Nini,
4. Nono. What is the name of the fifth daughter?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you Answer Nunu?
NO! Of course it isn't.
Her name is Mary. Read the question again!
--------------------------
Okay, now the bonus round:
A mute person goes into a shop and wants to buy a toothbrush. By
imitating the action of brushing his teeth he successfully
expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is
done.
Next, a blind man comes into the shop who wants to buy a pair of
sunglasses; how does HE indicate what he wants?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He just has to open his mouth and ask...
It's really very simple.... Like you!
KEEP THIS GOING TO FRUSTRATE THE
SMART PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Friday, October 21, 2005
Hurricane Essentials
Passed to me by one of my oldest friends, you cannot help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
-------------------------------------------------------
Hurricane Katrina was not funny, but if you prepare properly you can get through these storms with what is important.
It's all about priorities......save the beer!
Hurricane Survival Kit
Toilet Paper........................................check
Bud Light...........................................check
Keystone Ice........................................check
Budweiser...........................................check
Red Dog.............................................check
Misc. other bottles of alcohol......................check
Piece of plywood to float your old lady and booze on...check
Next time let's all be more prepared.
-------------------------------------------------------
Hurricane Katrina was not funny, but if you prepare properly you can get through these storms with what is important.
It's all about priorities......save the beer!
Hurricane Survival Kit
Toilet Paper........................................check
Bud Light...........................................check
Keystone Ice........................................check
Budweiser...........................................check
Red Dog.............................................check
Misc. other bottles of alcohol......................check
Piece of plywood to float your old lady and booze on...check
Next time let's all be more prepared.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Unfortunately, it is alive and well.
What is you ask? Racism and Prejudice. No matter how people would like to hide the truth, the fact of the matter remains, everyone has a bit of prejudice and stereotyping in them. It has been passed down for generations; strengthened in some families, greatly diminished in others. When I grew up, I was always taught to treat everyone as I wanted to be treated; we were Catholic after all. That was tempered with some really bad experiences that my folks had to endure in order for us to have the choices we have today. From fights in laundry mats, to falling into a city-dug hole and getting nothing for it, to the normal gamut of name calling and finally to being spit upon on a TTC bus (how my mother did not kill the woman that day is beyond me). Personally, each of us in our family (including TC) has experienced the ignorance of others who, not being able to find anything intelligent to do, tried to disrupt us through the power of the right button. Long ago, the button for me was my size and my colour; not so today. That said, when I got together with DW, it was one of many topics that had to be discussed in our newly blended family.
Our family pretty much gets the blended trophy (just one more category to fill to complete the sweep). I am Roman Catholic, DW is Jewish. I was married previously, this is DW's first marriage. I am younger, DW is... not as much young. I have a child from a previous relationship, DW does not. I am black, DW is white. I was born in Trinidad, DW was born in Canada. I am demonstrative and emotional, DW is less so on both counts (but don't press your luck). Now, it is simple to see that one thing really would stand out when the two of us walked down the street. And it is that which I warned her about from the beginning.
Some people in her family was all concerned about the issue surrounding our mixing of religions. I respect the concern but to be frank, it is laughable. No one walking down the street is going to point to me and think, "Hmmm, he 'looks' Catholic." And while there are certain physical attributes of a lot of Jewish people that identifies them as such, you would have to both know and look for them. When I walk down the street, EVERYONE knows that I am black. Understand that this is not a "woe is me" post. I love being black. People tend to move more quickly. People tend to argue less. I've got some sense of rhythm when a song is played. I also have a bit of a bulls-eye on me.
Years ago, I was stopped with my cousin in the car, who looks very East Indian but is as black as I am, downtown one afternoon. The road was blocked off and some men approached our vehicle and I immediately assumed they were cops so I rolled down my window. I was immediately berated with questions from this white asshole youth of a detective (bad cop?). I calmly answered the questions ("Who are you?", "Where are you going?", etc) until he got a bit much and I asked who he was. Apparently, that was a big no-no since he raises his voice and starts firing more questions. Well, apparently he never dealt with Trinis before. I busted his chops with a verbal barrage of my own when his partner stepped him and shut him down. This gentleman (good cop?) apologized, said there was a robbery and that I sort of fit the description. Really? What description would that be? He replied that it was obvious that I was not the suspect they were looking for, thanked me for my time and told me I could go. I was neither amused or pleasant. I told him to have his partner get a grip and learn to speak to people properly and that "big black guy" is not enough to stop a person as a suspect. Did the suspect drive a rare 1990 White Toyota Corolla 4WD Wagon with roof rack? Did the suspect have bags from shopping and an East Indian-looking companion? I did not bother waiting for an answer and drove off in a huff.
More recently, DW and I were walking up Yonge Street with some friends on our way to enjoy many martinis at a local bar in the rainbow village. An older white gentleman, scruffy in exterior (so either just nasty or also homeless), rode up on a bicycle beside us. We were in conversation so did not hear and/or was not paying attention as he uttered some things in passing. My colleague Double-B had this look on his face though and asked if I heard him. On saying no, DB said that the guy repeated a couple of times towards us, "Ha, not with my sister" or "Good thing it's not my sister"; I honestly don't remember which. I just laughed it off because it was a long time since I experienced that kind of open racism in Toronto. Others were more disturbed by it than me. You see, I would rather a person said they disliked me and then stayed away rather than said nothing and muttered under their breath, spoke behind my back or worked against me as a friend or co-worker.
I guess, in a way, I strangely admire the US for being openly ignorant and intolerant in various areas. It is a strange honesty I can understand and respect. It is when it translates into actions of hate that I absolutely cannot put up with. Sucks to be them though. They should check around and see how many drops may be in their blood. They cannot laugh and say it cannot happen. Just ask Thomas Jefferson's long lost relatives. :)
Ciao.
Our family pretty much gets the blended trophy (just one more category to fill to complete the sweep). I am Roman Catholic, DW is Jewish. I was married previously, this is DW's first marriage. I am younger, DW is... not as much young. I have a child from a previous relationship, DW does not. I am black, DW is white. I was born in Trinidad, DW was born in Canada. I am demonstrative and emotional, DW is less so on both counts (but don't press your luck). Now, it is simple to see that one thing really would stand out when the two of us walked down the street. And it is that which I warned her about from the beginning.
Some people in her family was all concerned about the issue surrounding our mixing of religions. I respect the concern but to be frank, it is laughable. No one walking down the street is going to point to me and think, "Hmmm, he 'looks' Catholic." And while there are certain physical attributes of a lot of Jewish people that identifies them as such, you would have to both know and look for them. When I walk down the street, EVERYONE knows that I am black. Understand that this is not a "woe is me" post. I love being black. People tend to move more quickly. People tend to argue less. I've got some sense of rhythm when a song is played. I also have a bit of a bulls-eye on me.
Years ago, I was stopped with my cousin in the car, who looks very East Indian but is as black as I am, downtown one afternoon. The road was blocked off and some men approached our vehicle and I immediately assumed they were cops so I rolled down my window. I was immediately berated with questions from this white asshole youth of a detective (bad cop?). I calmly answered the questions ("Who are you?", "Where are you going?", etc) until he got a bit much and I asked who he was. Apparently, that was a big no-no since he raises his voice and starts firing more questions. Well, apparently he never dealt with Trinis before. I busted his chops with a verbal barrage of my own when his partner stepped him and shut him down. This gentleman (good cop?) apologized, said there was a robbery and that I sort of fit the description. Really? What description would that be? He replied that it was obvious that I was not the suspect they were looking for, thanked me for my time and told me I could go. I was neither amused or pleasant. I told him to have his partner get a grip and learn to speak to people properly and that "big black guy" is not enough to stop a person as a suspect. Did the suspect drive a rare 1990 White Toyota Corolla 4WD Wagon with roof rack? Did the suspect have bags from shopping and an East Indian-looking companion? I did not bother waiting for an answer and drove off in a huff.
More recently, DW and I were walking up Yonge Street with some friends on our way to enjoy many martinis at a local bar in the rainbow village. An older white gentleman, scruffy in exterior (so either just nasty or also homeless), rode up on a bicycle beside us. We were in conversation so did not hear and/or was not paying attention as he uttered some things in passing. My colleague Double-B had this look on his face though and asked if I heard him. On saying no, DB said that the guy repeated a couple of times towards us, "Ha, not with my sister" or "Good thing it's not my sister"; I honestly don't remember which. I just laughed it off because it was a long time since I experienced that kind of open racism in Toronto. Others were more disturbed by it than me. You see, I would rather a person said they disliked me and then stayed away rather than said nothing and muttered under their breath, spoke behind my back or worked against me as a friend or co-worker.
I guess, in a way, I strangely admire the US for being openly ignorant and intolerant in various areas. It is a strange honesty I can understand and respect. It is when it translates into actions of hate that I absolutely cannot put up with. Sucks to be them though. They should check around and see how many drops may be in their blood. They cannot laugh and say it cannot happen. Just ask Thomas Jefferson's long lost relatives. :)
Ciao.
They will learn the hard way and the children will suffer.
As I said in a previous post, last night we happened to be in STC and just before we picked up dinner, DW had to use the facilities. When she came back, she pointed out the mother and child that we both saw go into the bathroom area. The two happened to be black (big surprise in STC) but that really does not matter except for the thought that someone from a Caribbean background would normally know better.
In any case, what surprised and shocked us both was that in this day and age, with all the shit that is happening in the world and in this city, this woman was as clueless as they come on this Earth. She actually sent this young child (DW estimates him to be under 7) into the men's bathroom by himself. Was it that much of a hassle to take him in with her to ensure his safety? He is not of the age yet when he could really fend off an advance (even adults have trouble at times) or will remember to scream out that he is being hurt. The few times I had no choice when TC was younger, I would sweat buckets, open the door and talk to her, send in a friend; anything to help ensure she was safe and that she knew I was there always.
We just do not fathom what this woman was thinking when she did this. God help her if she does it in the wrong time and place. I don't wish that on anyone.
Be diligent everyone.
Peace.
In any case, what surprised and shocked us both was that in this day and age, with all the shit that is happening in the world and in this city, this woman was as clueless as they come on this Earth. She actually sent this young child (DW estimates him to be under 7) into the men's bathroom by himself. Was it that much of a hassle to take him in with her to ensure his safety? He is not of the age yet when he could really fend off an advance (even adults have trouble at times) or will remember to scream out that he is being hurt. The few times I had no choice when TC was younger, I would sweat buckets, open the door and talk to her, send in a friend; anything to help ensure she was safe and that she knew I was there always.
We just do not fathom what this woman was thinking when she did this. God help her if she does it in the wrong time and place. I don't wish that on anyone.
Be diligent everyone.
Peace.
We seriously do it to ourselves sometimes.
Example number one. So, today TC and I were in the KFC after having been out to the doctor's. We are there standing in line and in walks an African-Canadian youth (hee hee). I don't really pay any attention to him until I spot him leaving the place, looking around, with a drink in his hand. Would you believe this boy walked in with his KFC cup, got a new cover and straw, refilled his lord-knows-how-old cup and leaves? Just what do you think people are going to say? He must have really needed a drink? He must be down on his luck? Oh, poor boy? Yeah right. I don't know what anybody else was saying or thinking, but my mind was all for, "Damn, you can't take black people anywhere." Now to understand the comment, let me simply add that I hate the scruffy, loose fitting, hang down look ALL youth has. I especially hate it on black youth since it targets them for profiling as troublemakers (DON'T EVEN BOTHER, profiling DOES happen). There is simply no need to look like your parents were shopping in the "Too Big For You" Goodwill store.
Example number two. DW and I were at the STC last night getting her eyes tested (thankfully, the B word has been averted for now) and making an order for new lenses at Lenscrafters. Afterwards, we mosey on over to the local McD's on the same level to grab dinner and more puzzle pieces (yes, I am caught in the scam). Being in Scarborough, the predominant percentage of part-time workers are black students. Now, I used to be one of those loud youths, but I and my friends also knew when and where that exuberance could be expressed. When any of us were at our jobs, it was business and professionalism. Nowadays, it is just plain embarrassing. The "ladies" who had already gotten off work, were gathered around the counters, distracting those that were still on shift, yakking loudly with the staff and others such that you had to repeat your order. That may be why bright ass, a European-Canadian manager (white with some spice) buggered up my order (that would be a ten piece not a number ten). Also why the girl who I approached to rectify my missing game tokens simply took my not-filled-enough fry container and filled it without asking me what I wanted. I am sure they are good kids, they are working responsibly after all, but if they do not learn etiquette and business acumen now, they will be doomed to being passed over based on first impressions alone. Our first impression last night was not a good one.
Example number three. This one is simply disgusting. I walk into TC's high school ( a well established older school in Toronto, all girls, modern but proper). After having her called down from class, I sat outside the Principal's office to wait for her. I saw a student, a black girl who looked like she was in grade 11 or 12, outside when I walked in and again when I was sitting there. She had walked in with a one litre chocolate milk box stuck to her face and (why do youth do this?) dragging her feet everywhere. As she passed back towards the office, I heard her screech out to her friends; this despite the close proximity of classes in progress. And then I heard it. I thought I was in a sweaty bar, with peanut shells all over the floor and a sports game showing on the tube. This girl let out a very loud, prolonged burp, in the middle of the hallway with her friends. What followed was not "Excuse me" but instead a round of childish giggles. I did some stuff in my time but my upbringing has me being polite even if I am alone in the room when it happens. And she KNEW I was sitting there in earshot?!?!? I was very disappointed at this up and coming young lady behaving like she was sitting in her living room at home. Of course, in today's living room, she would get away with such bad manners; in this house, she would have had to duck.
We have to stop blaming society all the time and start looking at the things we can control; the people we can mold and teach to be better than the rest. It is our duty, and responsibility and purpose as parents. C'mon people, black, white, orange, brown, green and purple; surely we can do much better than this?
Peace.
Example number two. DW and I were at the STC last night getting her eyes tested (thankfully, the B word has been averted for now) and making an order for new lenses at Lenscrafters. Afterwards, we mosey on over to the local McD's on the same level to grab dinner and more puzzle pieces (yes, I am caught in the scam). Being in Scarborough, the predominant percentage of part-time workers are black students. Now, I used to be one of those loud youths, but I and my friends also knew when and where that exuberance could be expressed. When any of us were at our jobs, it was business and professionalism. Nowadays, it is just plain embarrassing. The "ladies" who had already gotten off work, were gathered around the counters, distracting those that were still on shift, yakking loudly with the staff and others such that you had to repeat your order. That may be why bright ass, a European-Canadian manager (white with some spice) buggered up my order (that would be a ten piece not a number ten). Also why the girl who I approached to rectify my missing game tokens simply took my not-filled-enough fry container and filled it without asking me what I wanted. I am sure they are good kids, they are working responsibly after all, but if they do not learn etiquette and business acumen now, they will be doomed to being passed over based on first impressions alone. Our first impression last night was not a good one.
Example number three. This one is simply disgusting. I walk into TC's high school ( a well established older school in Toronto, all girls, modern but proper). After having her called down from class, I sat outside the Principal's office to wait for her. I saw a student, a black girl who looked like she was in grade 11 or 12, outside when I walked in and again when I was sitting there. She had walked in with a one litre chocolate milk box stuck to her face and (why do youth do this?) dragging her feet everywhere. As she passed back towards the office, I heard her screech out to her friends; this despite the close proximity of classes in progress. And then I heard it. I thought I was in a sweaty bar, with peanut shells all over the floor and a sports game showing on the tube. This girl let out a very loud, prolonged burp, in the middle of the hallway with her friends. What followed was not "Excuse me" but instead a round of childish giggles. I did some stuff in my time but my upbringing has me being polite even if I am alone in the room when it happens. And she KNEW I was sitting there in earshot?!?!? I was very disappointed at this up and coming young lady behaving like she was sitting in her living room at home. Of course, in today's living room, she would get away with such bad manners; in this house, she would have had to duck.
We have to stop blaming society all the time and start looking at the things we can control; the people we can mold and teach to be better than the rest. It is our duty, and responsibility and purpose as parents. C'mon people, black, white, orange, brown, green and purple; surely we can do much better than this?
Peace.
Whatever happened to "black"?
Chris Rock, though not everyone's particular brand of comic, is one of the funniest people alive today. In a routine of his, where he addresses the Columbine murders, he explains how angry young white boys are the new people to be afraid of when you are walking down a street or entering an elevator. He goes on to query the audience (or everyone, if you will), just why must there be an explanation about the boys being bullied, or they were loners, or left alone at home too much... what ever happened to "crazy"? Why is it not simply possible that the two youths went bananas and started shooting up the place?
In a less drastic form, the same question can be asked of the term "black". For a while now, there has been this great shift on trying to get the reference to race changed from a colour to some ethnicity reference of origin. For example, I, being of a darker, African origin (way way way WAY back) would be now referred to as African-Canadian; our cousins to the south prefer African-American. Now, according to some laws that are still on the books in the US, Hillary Clinton could be termed African-American if she has a drop of blood in her lineage from an African. Oh yeah, those laws still exist people; don't be naive. So, exactly how would the term relate to her? Obviously, it would not. So too though that it does not refer to or mean anything to a lot of people that are very light in skin, but of African heritage. More over, while it is always important to remember that the African population is the only race to have not relocated by choice (think tall ships and heavy whips), it does not necessarily mean a connection to a place or people that one has never been to, never seen except in pictures or on the Internet and have nothing in common except that some of it's people happen to look like oneself.
I know you are thinking "some", and if you are, I remind you to check out the nearest geography book or World Atlas for the answer to your questions.
So, in essence, I have the same connection as a lot of modern day North Americans; I happen to be of similar hue to my African brothers and sisters. That is where the similarities start and end. I grew up in a Western society with running water, schools, laws, lawns, apartment buildings and cattle that has been conveniently sliced into manageable portions for me in a chilled area for my purchase and future consumption. I know nothing of sleeping under the stars sans tents. I know nothing of being jailed and beaten for simply existing. I know nothing of being hunted down because I belong to a different tribe. I have never gone hungry because the land is dry. I have never been restricted to travel elsewhere simply because the warlord of the day deems it so. I have not been sold into slavery or made to work in a diamond mine. I have not been shot as an example to others.
How am I similar then? How do I connect with these far removed cousins? I do so every time someone utters the word or thinks it silently; black. I don't yell out my window when the dumbass cuts me off, "Nice move, you African-Canadian-Jamaican-Dominican mixed asshole." I yell what everyone else yells, "Nice move, you black ass!" It is what we see. It is how we identify. It is what we are. Personally, if the worst thing you can do is identify me by that which is most obvious (fat and black), then I will be a happy man; better than a bullet in the brain or a knife in the gut any day.
Call me ignorant, irresponsible or a bad father, and you WILL have a fight on your sorely mistaken, stupid {insert proper epithet here} hands.
Peace.
In a less drastic form, the same question can be asked of the term "black". For a while now, there has been this great shift on trying to get the reference to race changed from a colour to some ethnicity reference of origin. For example, I, being of a darker, African origin (way way way WAY back) would be now referred to as African-Canadian; our cousins to the south prefer African-American. Now, according to some laws that are still on the books in the US, Hillary Clinton could be termed African-American if she has a drop of blood in her lineage from an African. Oh yeah, those laws still exist people; don't be naive. So, exactly how would the term relate to her? Obviously, it would not. So too though that it does not refer to or mean anything to a lot of people that are very light in skin, but of African heritage. More over, while it is always important to remember that the African population is the only race to have not relocated by choice (think tall ships and heavy whips), it does not necessarily mean a connection to a place or people that one has never been to, never seen except in pictures or on the Internet and have nothing in common except that some of it's people happen to look like oneself.
I know you are thinking "some", and if you are, I remind you to check out the nearest geography book or World Atlas for the answer to your questions.
So, in essence, I have the same connection as a lot of modern day North Americans; I happen to be of similar hue to my African brothers and sisters. That is where the similarities start and end. I grew up in a Western society with running water, schools, laws, lawns, apartment buildings and cattle that has been conveniently sliced into manageable portions for me in a chilled area for my purchase and future consumption. I know nothing of sleeping under the stars sans tents. I know nothing of being jailed and beaten for simply existing. I know nothing of being hunted down because I belong to a different tribe. I have never gone hungry because the land is dry. I have never been restricted to travel elsewhere simply because the warlord of the day deems it so. I have not been sold into slavery or made to work in a diamond mine. I have not been shot as an example to others.
How am I similar then? How do I connect with these far removed cousins? I do so every time someone utters the word or thinks it silently; black. I don't yell out my window when the dumbass cuts me off, "Nice move, you African-Canadian-Jamaican-Dominican mixed asshole." I yell what everyone else yells, "Nice move, you black ass!" It is what we see. It is how we identify. It is what we are. Personally, if the worst thing you can do is identify me by that which is most obvious (fat and black), then I will be a happy man; better than a bullet in the brain or a knife in the gut any day.
Call me ignorant, irresponsible or a bad father, and you WILL have a fight on your sorely mistaken, stupid {insert proper epithet here} hands.
Peace.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Saturday, October 15, 2005
On the road again...
Hello there, blogging to you from La Belle Province (that's Quebec to those who don't know/understand and NOT the burger joint to those that do). We are here, DW and I, just until the wee hours of the morning when we must make our way back up to the T-dot. TC has a birthday party at noon and I would really prefer to be home to see her off. Not that her grandfather, my dad, isn't doing a good job of keeping an eye on her for us. More just that this is a new friend, a girl she met at school who happens to live a couple of streets away from us, and it is traditional to see where the friends live and get a handle on the sanity of the parents. :)
So, anyhow, we are out here in frogland and it is still raining on and off. Some idiot drivers out here have tried to remodel the paint job of TR, but a little press on the accelerator and a well placed horn or several seconds of horn tends to convince them that another course. The roads, as you know, are something to be desired... in hell. It so reminds me of how they do things in the States; haphazardly. Anyhow, the suspension of TR seems to have survived so all is right in the world.
It is actually now 9:08AM and we are still here due to a blown plan of leaving at 6-6:30AM. Hard to do that when one is dog tired and warm in a bed. So after a glass of OJ, some brownie bites and a quick stop at the local Timmies (Timmies in English), we are off back to the land of the Anglos.
Unfortunately, TC will have to head off on her own today to her birthday party. We'll chat with her in a couple of hours and see her afterwards. It is always nice to go away but it is always nice to be back home.
Peace.
So, anyhow, we are out here in frogland and it is still raining on and off. Some idiot drivers out here have tried to remodel the paint job of TR, but a little press on the accelerator and a well placed horn or several seconds of horn tends to convince them that another course. The roads, as you know, are something to be desired... in hell. It so reminds me of how they do things in the States; haphazardly. Anyhow, the suspension of TR seems to have survived so all is right in the world.
It is actually now 9:08AM and we are still here due to a blown plan of leaving at 6-6:30AM. Hard to do that when one is dog tired and warm in a bed. So after a glass of OJ, some brownie bites and a quick stop at the local Timmies (Timmies in English), we are off back to the land of the Anglos.
Unfortunately, TC will have to head off on her own today to her birthday party. We'll chat with her in a couple of hours and see her afterwards. It is always nice to go away but it is always nice to be back home.
Peace.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
PC Magazine Commentary: Upgrade Your iPod…or Not?
While I promised DW that I would not go into the expense, I am SUPER tempted to obtain our third version of the Apple iPod. The first version (second generation) that I bought was a very expensive 20GB player that was worth every penny for the "wow" factor and for the amazing playability. Unfortunately, our daughter and I used it more than DW. In the course of that use, it broke down, was replaced by Apple with a refurbished unit, and now needs repair again on the very badly designed audio jack.
Enter the fourth generation and the click-wheel iPod. It is a smaller, lighter, sleeker, more functional 40GB unit that cost almost two hundred dollars less than its predecessor. This one came with a docking unit that allowed it to be hooked up to a line-in jack on your home stereo for a jukebox of sweet musical power. Now, I know those of you used to using MP3s are thinking, "How the hell do you fill 40GB of music?" I'll tell you that it is not easy. It involves cleaning each CD and sticking them into the laptop drive one by one as iTunes tips them to the hard drive at 160Kbps. These days I am starting to use 320Kbps for higher quality, resulting in larger files. In any case, I can tell you that I was over 25GBs at the lower sampling rate and about halfway through our CDs. I also have a collection of non-CD recorded MP3s that I and friends "acquired" over the years so it all adds up to a need for larger than 40GB. What sucks is that not long after I boguth DW her new iPod, Steve and crew lowered the price on the iPod Photo and got rid of her model. So the 40GB iPod that was in colour and can view pictures was now twenty bucks less than her model. Gotta love progress.
So, that brings us to today. With the release of the iPod video, if you will, which is essentially an iPod Photo with new stuff, Steve and crew have really upped the ante on the competition. You get a 60GB unit, that plays photos, slideshows, MPEG4 video, music, acts as a hard drive, plays games, has a calendar and alarm clock, keeps appointments and is lighter, smaller and lasts longer than any previous model for less money than any previous top end version; $499. With a 2.5" screen, I understand that some of the more eye challenged amongst you will cry poor screenage. Considering that you will not typically watch theatre movies on this thing, it is more than enough screen for a quick tv video fix. And anyone that knows us and our five tv tuners in our computers know that this unit falls right into our alley.
I'll wait for more reviews, some more real world experience by users and possibly another round of let's drop the price and introduce more features. Rest assured though, by Jobs, I think they've got it!
Enjoy!
PC Magazine Commentary: Upgrade Your iPod…or Not?
Enter the fourth generation and the click-wheel iPod. It is a smaller, lighter, sleeker, more functional 40GB unit that cost almost two hundred dollars less than its predecessor. This one came with a docking unit that allowed it to be hooked up to a line-in jack on your home stereo for a jukebox of sweet musical power. Now, I know those of you used to using MP3s are thinking, "How the hell do you fill 40GB of music?" I'll tell you that it is not easy. It involves cleaning each CD and sticking them into the laptop drive one by one as iTunes tips them to the hard drive at 160Kbps. These days I am starting to use 320Kbps for higher quality, resulting in larger files. In any case, I can tell you that I was over 25GBs at the lower sampling rate and about halfway through our CDs. I also have a collection of non-CD recorded MP3s that I and friends "acquired" over the years so it all adds up to a need for larger than 40GB. What sucks is that not long after I boguth DW her new iPod, Steve and crew lowered the price on the iPod Photo and got rid of her model. So the 40GB iPod that was in colour and can view pictures was now twenty bucks less than her model. Gotta love progress.
So, that brings us to today. With the release of the iPod video, if you will, which is essentially an iPod Photo with new stuff, Steve and crew have really upped the ante on the competition. You get a 60GB unit, that plays photos, slideshows, MPEG4 video, music, acts as a hard drive, plays games, has a calendar and alarm clock, keeps appointments and is lighter, smaller and lasts longer than any previous model for less money than any previous top end version; $499. With a 2.5" screen, I understand that some of the more eye challenged amongst you will cry poor screenage. Considering that you will not typically watch theatre movies on this thing, it is more than enough screen for a quick tv video fix. And anyone that knows us and our five tv tuners in our computers know that this unit falls right into our alley.
I'll wait for more reviews, some more real world experience by users and possibly another round of let's drop the price and introduce more features. Rest assured though, by Jobs, I think they've got it!
Enjoy!
PC Magazine Commentary: Upgrade Your iPod…or Not?
Triumph and Bon Jovi - Google Video
If you like Conan and his dog, you will love this funny funny clip.
Triumph and Bon Jovi - Google Video
Triumph and Bon Jovi - Google Video
Friday, October 07, 2005
I'm still laughing...
"Neuticles". I know it is making you think, and you are thinking, "no, that could NOT be what it is referring to." Unfortunately for you, your dirty little mind may just be right on track. A colleague of mine passed this tidbit to me and had me (finally) laughing this afternoon. I cannot believe that people would not only waste their time inventing the things, but that stupider people would waste their time buying the things.
Tell me what you think, folks.
Artificial dog's testicle wins Ig Nobel Prize | The Register
Tell me what you think, folks.
Artificial dog's testicle wins Ig Nobel Prize | The Register
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
The hunt is on!
Ok, this is simple. We had a BBQ on the weekend and left some bags ont he back that we knew the little pesky bastards may have their way with. Fine, eat the garbage, spread it over the porch, knock over stuff and piss off the homeowners. That said, the little mammals have simply gone to (*&^(*& far now. The audacity to simply finish eating and taking a dump on the back stoop astounds me. Can you imagine that after finishing your Big Mac(tm) or Whopper(tm) or Spicy Chicken(tm), that you simply dropped trou and shat in the middle of the restaurant? It would definitely get you a few days over at 1001 Queen Street West (the nutfarm, for my out-of-town friends). Nope, we are supposed to "understand" the behaviours of the animals and deal with it.
Ok, they obviously do not know me. I hate the flying recycling bins (seagulls) that insist on fly-by-shitting everywhere. I hate the furry rodents (squirrels) that insist on throwing acorns AT us when we exit the house or sit on the back deck (yes, they aim for us, trust me on this). I hate the big ass black ants that show up every spring to hunt for food for the huge banks of ant bunkers we have in our yard. One gets tired of stamping one's foot or slapping the things off the counter, food, one's leg, etc.
They all pale in comparison to my hatred of the masked bandits (raccoons). These bastards insist on opening and trashing the green bin (food recycling). They push the bricks off our garbage cans, reach into the lid that the little bastards ate through (solid plastic!) or they kick over the cans and strew the contents all over the (*&^%(*& driveway!!!
Of course, if you have a solution to keep them away, I am all ears. I love animals (especially with a nice Merlot or Chardonnay), so my first choice are not to kill them. That said, I am not above drop kicking their carcass into the neighbour's yard that we do not like or at the very least, making Casa Del A------- a less palatable place to eat at.
Any suggestions people?
Racoon poo!
Ok, they obviously do not know me. I hate the flying recycling bins (seagulls) that insist on fly-by-shitting everywhere. I hate the furry rodents (squirrels) that insist on throwing acorns AT us when we exit the house or sit on the back deck (yes, they aim for us, trust me on this). I hate the big ass black ants that show up every spring to hunt for food for the huge banks of ant bunkers we have in our yard. One gets tired of stamping one's foot or slapping the things off the counter, food, one's leg, etc.
They all pale in comparison to my hatred of the masked bandits (raccoons). These bastards insist on opening and trashing the green bin (food recycling). They push the bricks off our garbage cans, reach into the lid that the little bastards ate through (solid plastic!) or they kick over the cans and strew the contents all over the (*&^%(*& driveway!!!
Of course, if you have a solution to keep them away, I am all ears. I love animals (especially with a nice Merlot or Chardonnay), so my first choice are not to kill them. That said, I am not above drop kicking their carcass into the neighbour's yard that we do not like or at the very least, making Casa Del A------- a less palatable place to eat at.
Any suggestions people?
Racoon poo!
This would be the very cool catamaran that we came over to Prickly Pear on. I don't think I have a picture of my incredibly bad sun burn but I will post it if I have one. Between the sun, the water, the sun on the water and my reluctance to heed DW's warning that black people burn too (she was right, I was wrong), I was not too far from requiring hospitalization as the heat was emanating from my skin and burned whenever water touched me. I continued to peel for months afterwards. I was VERY lucky.
I thought I would share a little so here is a picture of DW during our honeymoon, on the little island off the coast of St. Martin where we devoured that succulent lobster in the picture before. The blue liquid, whose name I do not remember, was complimentary as a thank you for spending gobs of USD coin to pop over and eat at their restaurant... The meal was worth every penny!
Truth in advertising
I think while I was blog-spelunking today, I have found the answer to all the poverty issues in the city. If you slap the PST and GST on this, you will definitely generate enough cash flow for infrastructure, take care of the provincial debt and, well, make the old T-dot a very happy place again.
Peace.
You can reach this blogger here.
Peace.
You can reach this blogger here.
Uhm, say it isn't so, Jim!
Anyone who blogs with Blogger(tm) knows (ok, well, you do now) that there is a little button marked "next blog" in the top left-hand corner that randomly takes you to, well, the next blog. There isn't exactly a "next blog" but rather another blog for the engine to pop up. Sometimes you get blogs that are in another language, sometimes these blogs are super lame and then sometimes you come across a gem that you either bookmark or share with your bloggy friends.
Well, as a Star Trek devotee, this was both funny and disturbing at once. I am not sure what to make of it except to say that I think if it were to happen, Bones and Scotty would have to join in or feel really hurt and left out.
I leave you to your own comments about it.
Ciao.
Oh, you can find the blogger here.
Well, as a Star Trek devotee, this was both funny and disturbing at once. I am not sure what to make of it except to say that I think if it were to happen, Bones and Scotty would have to join in or feel really hurt and left out.
I leave you to your own comments about it.
Ciao.
Oh, you can find the blogger here.
Monday, October 03, 2005
JOTD!
Joke of the day submitted by obe of my best and oldest friends, J.
_________________________________________
When I got home last night, my wife
demanded that I take her out to some
place expensive...................
So I took her to a gas station!!!!!!!
_________________________________________
When I got home last night, my wife
demanded that I take her out to some
place expensive...................
So I took her to a gas station!!!!!!!
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