Sunday, February 29th. Leap year. LEAP year.

Back at the Uni, same comp as last week. I signed up to a 1 year membership at Popeyes Gym, and I have an appointment tomorrow with a personnal trainer. I'm really looking forward to this. The good thing about the membership is that I can put it on hold for the time I'm away in Europe. The price is quite reasonable as well, $39/month. By the time I head off to Europe though, I'm hoping to be in much better shape than I have been lately. Work has helped, but hitting a serious gym 4 or 5 times a week is just what I need.

In other news, Man U has managed to drop a full 9 points back of Arsenal. Colin will never let me live it down, especially after the verbal mashing I dished out last year. The Reds still have 11 premiership games left to make up that difference, but it could be tough, Arsenal has somehow managed to go all 27 games thus far without a single loss. I say their day is coming soon though, and that day just may be March 28th. Now I'd love to have tickets for that game. But alas, I won't even be in the UK yet by that time. I'm still holding out hope to somehow get into Old Trafford for a game while I'm visiting. Chances are slim though, very slim...

Work this past week has been pretty much the same, but starting tomorrow I'm no longer working 5pm - 1:30am. The evening shift has been revised to 3pm - 11:30pm. Cool. This is good because Frank and I had planned on doing most of our gym visits after work (Because Popeyes is open 24hrs), as such, I wouldn't be getting home until likely 5 am every night. This way, I can get home at 2 or 3 am - the same as right now, actually. A bonus is that Friday nights won't be ruined (completely) anymore, now there's enough time to get home, quickly change, and hit a club for some fun.

Lastly, I have a philosophical question for everyone.

The human race. I asked myself (and others) what makes us different from other mammals. Responses include (but are not limited to); reason, introspectiveness, ability to work with tools. For my purposes here, I'd like to focus on introspectiveness.

Ok, so our ability to see inwardly, to consciously analyze the inner being is one of these primary traits of humanity. Now, what do YOU think: Do we humans, on the average, utilize this trait often enough?

By this I mean, Is it possible that in today's society people are so completely absorbed with things such as: money, work, clothes, cars, sports, etc, that we neglect to analyze the inner being?

Many would perhaps say that such thoughts are frivolous, and pointless. Our capitalist society has no time for time consuming introspection as it won't benefit the economy. Some philosophers would argue that everything else is superfluous, and contemplation is the only worthwhile pursuit.

So what is it, are we caught up in the 'machine'? Have we forgotten how to reach within and attempt to see ourselves and everything around us for what it truly is? I ask you, where have all the philosophers gone?

I'm not saying that we need to have a revolution and install a Philosopher King as our leader, this isn't The Republic, after all.

Now, I think a problem with this, is the potential misinterpretation of self-analysis being self-centeredness. We aren't talking here about thinking about yourself to the exclusion of all else. Instead, the idea here is to analyze yourself in relation to everything, leading to a better understanding of yourself and your surroundings.

Another potential cause, is the abuse and misuse of self analysis. Perhaps a problem is that people have looked at themselves, or tried to, and didn't like what they saw. Why? Is it because society has managed to project so many images of how people should be, or how people shouldn't be, that we've lost the ability to reason through the morass and come to a judgement of ourselves, by ourselves?

Finally, I'd just like to ask everyone to email me at either ks_world_blog@hotmail.com or khalas_6@hotmail.com with their thoughts and opinions. Or for those bloggers out there, feel free to post your own thoughts. I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's ideas and opinions on this matter.

INotD: We have a German entry today! Courtesy of Heidi. Schwanzlutscher. (Means Cock Sucker, and is pronounced shvantslutcher.)

Btw: Tomorrow marks the commencement of the month of March. Bell said our internet will be ready "sometime in March". Anyone care to place your bets if/when?

~K

Waddup yo! Lookit that, it was only a ONE WEEK wait this time. I'm at the library at the Uni of Waterloo, taking advantage of the comps. I parked in a 15 minute loading zone lol, but it's Sunday eve, so who cares, there was about 5 other cars parked there too.

So what have I been up to. Well, work, mainly. Did some Mercury training and PCB training on thursday. That made for a near 13 hour day, about 45 hours on the week, but no overtime. That's right folks, NO overtime. Sandy said this place must be run by Plasti-Fab, they treat their employees so well.

But Frank came over after work on Friday and we heavily partook of the Ciclon, played a bunch of games, and passed out at about 8am. It was a damn good time, shout out to my homie. The next morning my throat was dead (Cold was comin on), which was annoying.

So last night I went into TO to meet up with Sandy and her travelling companion Matt. (Cory sucks cuz he didn't come.) Anyhow, as it happens, this Matt dude is gay, and ok whatever I can live with that. So we first set out to find somewhere to eat, and went into this funky place. All the people were dressed funny though...I was weirded out by it at first, until I realized that I had been led into a gay eatery. They were celebrating some Philadelphia gay festival, or some crap.

After that, Matt wanted to goto a bar, Fly I believe it was called. Now, I'm trying really hard to not be a homophobe or something worse, so ok, we'll (Sandy and I) go...for as short of a time as possible...then get the hell out and go do something that straight folks can enjoy.

I'd like to take this opportunity to state that Zackary T Castlefree is completely full of shit. The guy said that he (while claiming to be straight) enjoys going to gay bars because of all the hot women there. Well, I was at apparently the biggest and most popular one in Toronto, and there was 2 hot chicks there. Along with about 500 guys. Zack, I will never believe you again. Any credibility you ever had has been lost, not just lost, but utterly annihilated.

It's not that I'm completely disgusted by half naked guys prancing around after each other (well, it doesn't sit too well how about I say that, but that's not the point) (and yes, this did happen, I'm not making it up). Also, the point isn't that I was disturbed whenever one of them touched me for no apparent reason or stared at me (I'm in their element, what should I expect?). But the point is that goddamnit, it's a gay bar. It's for homosexuals, they're the ones that're supposed to have fun. Not me, not bloody me, I goto straight clubs for my fun. That's not a diss on gay people, it's a simple fact. Sandy owes me a really big favour after that one! For example, if I get thrown in jail and my cellmate is a big fat dude named bubba and he wants me to be his plaything, she is now under extreme obligation to be the first one there bailing me out, or breaking me out. That's the price.

Another thing that made it really awful, was the amount of smoke. Every one of them had a bloody smoke shoved in their mouths. After 15 minutes I could barely breathe for lack of clean air. What a disappointment, I had hoped that Toronto was a little more progressive.

Today was good though, we went to Niagara Falls. The Falls are always worth a visit, always. Sandy had never seen 'em before, so she was strong into the "Holy Amazing!" phase. It was fun to observe. I've been there about 5 times now, so it's not as much of a "Holy Amazing!" anymore, but a steadfast appreciation - without the goggling. Not that goggling is bad, believe me I did my share of goggling when I first saw the Falls, and aboard the Maid of the Mist, and on the Journey Behind the Falls. Suffice to say I've goggled myself out.

I look forward to Cory and Sandy both coming to visit sometime. I found Sandy's descriptions of the various multi-freeway junctions in the city endlessly amusing - she calls them "Clusterfucks" because of the triple/quadruple-decked overpasses and roads going everyhere and basically freeway craziness. It's such a great term that I've adopted it for my own use :D.

Now, I have to make a quick reply to that punk King Koop. So he says that I was wrong in saying that Wonderboy III was the best platformer of the 8-bit generation. Simply because Mario 3 exists. I anticipated this though. I mean, Mario 3 was indeed pretty impressive, and it had quite the large fan base. So, why do I say Wonderboy III was better? Well let me compare.

Graphics: Mario 3's graphics were livable, but standard. WB3's graphics were better. (Note: It's hard to compliment the graphical quality of games released 15 years ago.) Just look at 'em side by side, WB3 is the clear victor here.
Sound: Don't remember Mario 3's sound lol.
Scope: Ok, Mario 3 was huge, I give it that. Yes, many more levels and secret areas in comparison to WB3. Basically, that's the only reason I think it could be considered better than WB3. On the other hand, WB3 was no slouch in that department either, providing many vast and very different areas to explore.
Gameplay/Game dynamics: Mario is Mario, quite simply. It was always solid, and always will be. The reason I give WB3 the nod here, is because the gameplay isn't the same level after level after level. Why though? Because of the story. The curse, that changed Wonder Boy into different creatures. Each creature with different abilities and styles of play. Each creature had specific abilities allowing WB to get to different areas. It was new, it was different, it was unique. Mario 3 just doesn't have the same level of originality, I thought.

So, in the end, both games were really great. But damnit I just enjoyed WB3 a bit more :D. Your turn Koop ;).

Also in reference to my good buddy the Koopster, he had a Top 5 of classic franchises that could use resurrection. I must say I really agreed with 2 of those choices in particular. NiGHTS was brilliant, amazing, everything that a video game could ever hope to be. GIVE US MORE SEGA! Next, Altered Beast was bloody great as well, in fact, I have it sitting at home, but I've been playing too much WonderBoy to get to it lol.

I rented the movie Max, recently. It stars John Cusack as the art dealer Max Rothman. It also stars Noah Taylor as Adolf Hitler. It was quite interesting, actually. Though not without some flaws, I do highly recommend it to anyone who has an open enough mind to take a look back at probably the most hated person in history and perhaps gain just a little bit of understanding of the man behind the monster.

Anyway, I'll try to get back sometime this week. Maybe I'll drop by after work one day and do a bit of a write up. All of you have yerselves a good one. Peace.

INotD: Choad.

~K

Wow, it's been over 2 weeks since my last update. So let me explain why.

First, when we moved, Bell didn't switch the phone lines over immediately. So we got stuck until Wednesday with a line that belonged to the people who were using the house as a show home. Then, they said they were missing a "card" for the internet, and had it on order. The following monday rolled around, and still no dsl, so I called and bitched. They said there was a problem with the phone line, and would get working on it - 24-48 hours max. So I called again on Wednesday, and was told to sit tight while they fixed it. Again on Friday got the same result. But get this, right after I was told that they were still trying to figure out what the problem is, I got a call from a different department and was told that none of the phone lines in our area are equipped for Bell Sympatico service. It'll be ready next month. Damned Bell Bastards.

Is it just me, or is it rather strange that the technicians working SO hard on the problem, needed a week to realize that the phone lines just weren't set up properly? More likely they were sitting on their candy asses and doing nothing.

So, I'm at Plasti-Fab right now using the internet on the comps here. I'll attempt to go to the University every once in a while and use the comps in the library. I guess that's the only option now. I ever tried to find an internet cafe, there was one in the phone book. It turned out to be a goddamn Telus store.

I've had plenty of ideas for blogs over the past 2 weeks, that's possibly one of the most annoying things. Having these ideas and not being able to follow through :(.

In other news, the move went pretty well. We worked out asses off all weekend and got it done, and basically as a direct result of having no internet, I completed my bedroom in record time. It's pretty cool, I set up what I call my "Sega Retro Entertainment". This includes my Dreamcast, Saturn, Genesis, and Master System. It's pretty great, I've been playing the best RPG of the 8-Bit Era: Phantasy Star, and the best platformer of the 8-Bit era as well, Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap. It's great nostalgia. It's also nice to finally have the stereo back up. For those of you not in the loop, I didn't have my stereo hooked up in the townhouse due to space constraints. But she's back now and all tv sound runs through there, making everything just that much better. I sure as crap didn't buy a Wega for the sound quality (sub-par), I got it for the picture (excellent).

As for work, well, it's been no different. The last week has gifted me with no less than 3 interesting encounters with glass. The first when I had a piece lodged in my foot that had to be dug out, the second when a HPS burst open and managed to cut my arm about 30 times right through the tyvek suit, the third was a broken fluorescent that sliced my wrist open. The last one bled the most. Frank on the other hand, had a bit worse luck when Tommy nearly severed his thumb by slamming the metal door to the cardboard bailer on his hand. Even a day later is was still bleeding. It's extra harsh because Frank plays goal for his soccer team. The latest news is that there may be blood tests instituted. Why? Because of the high levels of mercury and pcb's in the plant. So they need to test our blood on occasion to make sure we haven't been completely poisoned yet. Jayme and I were cleaning the retort room on friday, and Tommy came in without bothering to wear a respirator. Jayme pointed out that phosphorous powder causes cancer, but Tommy said 'oh whatever, I've been in worse'. I'd put my money on him being the first one to get bad results on those blood tests.

More news, Frank and I are probably joining a gym. We found one (Popeye's) near the freeway that's open 24 hours a day. Perfect, considering most places are closed when we get off work at 1:30am. The membership prices are altogether reasonable, and the facilities are top notch. Popeye's boasts the latest and greatest in exercise equipment of all types, as well as boxing and tanning facilities. For a paltry $25 extra up front, we're provided with a personal trainer to help us evaluate our condition and help us set up and run through a program. I'm really looking forward to this.

Now for the biggest news of all! I'm off to Europe in two months. The ticket is bought, the dates are set in stone. I'll be leaving Toronto on April 12th, and returning on June 22nd. The bulkof the 10 weeks will be spent in Glasgow. I'll be getting a working visa (Oops, haven't got it yet, sending out the application on Monday) and staying with Jon (Already there - shout out to Jonny boy for providing the accomodation) and James (joining in the fun). But don't think I'll spend the whole 10 weeks working. No, I intend on working for a portion, say half perhaps, then going exploring. The UK, France, Switzerland, Holland, Germany(Hey Heidi!), Italy, Spain, Portugal(Euro 2004!?!!?) and Greece will collectively become my playground. I'm fully expecting to have a great, great time.

For those of you who have been wondering why I would continue to work at the terrible job I've been working at, especially seeing as I hate it so much. Well, now you know why. I'm probably looking forward to quitting just as much as I'm looking forward to leaving on the trip.

Yesterday I went to the Canadian International Auto Show, and it kicked ASS. There were so many great vehicles that I've been REALLY looking forward to seeing, and some surprises as well. Here's my Top 5:

1. Chevy Corvette C6. This car looks absolutely amazing, period.
2. Mercedes SLR. Wow, this is probably the sexiest car I've ever seen come out of Europe. It looks simply awesome. I mean, the SLK's look really good, but this thing simply oozes aggressiveness. I'm suitably impressed.
3. Chevy SS. It didn't even occur to me that this out be there, and then I turned a corner and saw it in all it's glory. With the SSR now in production and on showroom floors, I think the chances of this baby coming soon are pretty high. A very, very sexy car.
4. Pontiac Solstice. It's such a shame we couldn't check this one out closer, but it was up on stage and away from my grasping hands, that didn't stop me from taking a few pictures. The Solstice looks great from a distance though, and I don't doubt it'll sell like mad when it hits the dealerships.
5. Cadillac XLR. It know it's already out, but I was finally able to see one up close, and all I can say is: Sexy!. This really is the epidomy of Caddy's Art and Science design theme, the styling is brilliant.

Runners Up:

1. Cadillac Sixteen. 16-Cylinders, 1000 horsepower. Niiiiice.
2. Pontiac G6. The mid-size that will take the market by storm this year.
3. Chevy Cobalt. Finally, GM bring out a compact that looks like it's actually better than the Civic and Corolla. Roads tests will tell the full story in the future though.
4. Numerous other concepts from Toyota, Mitsubishi, Mazda, etc.

Disappointments:

1. Ford Mustang. It looks good, don't get me wrong. But there's nothing new about it. It looks like it came straight out of the 60's. I guess the saving grace is that the 60's produced the best looking Mustang's ever. So this though be good right? Nevertheless, I can't shake the feeling of rehash.
2. Honda. Nothing against Honda, but there was nothing new there. Their entire display was all the same cars we've been looking at for the last 4 years.

Anyhow, I gotta go.

Have a good one peeps! I'll be back as soon as I can!

~K