Not much is new at the moment.  The fan on my computer hasn't worked in a month, so I ripped the tower open to enhance the heat dispersion - seems to be working.  The CPU fan is still working though, so I'm not worried about a fire ;).  The thing is that I really don't want to buy a new fan for this thing.  If memory serves, the fan in there is the 4th in the admittedly long lifespan of the system - why the hell should I go buy a fifth when I have every intention in the world of getting a new computer soon.  If keeping the tower open works, then that's enough for me. 

The gym has been good, the Metabolic Whey has been good, and work has been...work.  Randy told, not asked, but told, me that I was working 12hrs yesterday.  This after having stayed a few hours late the night before, hit the gym hard, slept for 4 hours, then got woken up by a call to come in early.  Then I'm told to stay late.  Whatever happened to the days when managers had enough respect for their subordinates to ask them if they would work an extra hour or two to help out with an order?  Where did those days go!?  I guess they still exist, because in most cases I've encountered managers actually do show at least a little respect.  I thought of this, and remembered that Randy is a little weenie assface. 

It's not really a big deal, but the indignation of it!  Ah well, I feel better now having released that bit of annoyance.
To get an idea of how fun work is, here's an example of the things I find myself doing when there's a momentary lull in production.  I grab a piece of scrap, and write things like "The transcendent principle guiding all philosophy is thus: At the beginning of any process of reasoning, one must first assert that "I know nothing." "  I came up with that, and felt proud.  But can anyone here tell me which actual philosopher I borrowed that idea from? 

I also found myself pondering the concept of self, and the nature of conflict in the world.  I've decided that conflict is one of the only constants in our world.  Death, and it's counter, life the others  It is, of course, the conflict between the two of them that leads to the assertion of their being constant.  Life, fortunately, is not eternal - death waits patiently to bring it to an end.  When that happens, life renews, and the cycle that has built the living planet continues on it's merry way.  With that in mind, we understand that life and death can be considered a constant in our world, but only when considered as a conflict.  The idea of conflict anchors these two concepts together, because without it, the two cannot coexist.  Now, imagine the conflict ended, and one was declared the victor.  Can anyone imagine a world of only death? life?  Think about it.  Neither is acceptable, neither is feasible.  Life cannot exist without death.  Death cannot exist without life.  Is this true?  Close, So close.
 
As for my ponderings upon the self, I'll leave those for another time.  I'm going to go read some more Warrior-Prophet (it's kicking ass, by the way).  So I'm off for now.  The long weekend is only 2 days away, and I'm excited!

The weekend was pretty good.  I got to play some pool on Friday night with Adam and some of his friends, followed by a night out at the bar with Frank.  Good times were had.  Then on Sunday I played a decent game of golf, finally.  Believe me, it was required after the last round I had in Winnipeg.  I managed to plunk in a birdie on the 4th hole, and overall shoot a decent round - except for the last two holes where I dropped a drive in the water beside the fairway, then got caught in some trees I was trying to go over (Note: A 175 yard shot over 75 foot tall trees isn't easy - I just caught the top of the trees though, and ended up about 30 yards from the pin.  Could have been worse). 

So then after that, I went and saw Spider-Man 2.  It was enjoyable, certainly.  The fights between Spidey and Doc Ock kicked a lot of ass.  The insinuation that Green Goblin will be back for the next movie is maybe disappointing, I haven't decided.  Ock was a really great villain - the fights between the two were excellent.  By comparison, the fights between Spidey and Green Goblin just don't measure up.  I'm thinking that for the next one, there will be multiple villains.  Maybe Ock will be back - the tentacles certainly weren't destroyed - they may find a way of saving Octavius.  Goblin will be back, and certainly someone new. Goblin would be wishy washy, and maybe come over and help a near defeated Spider-Man by the end (But not before being beaten and spared by his best friend, thus leading to the realization that he wants to help Parker).   But it's all conjecture, I guess we'll see what happens when it comes out.  In the meantime, Bourne Supremacy looks very cool.  And AVP comes out next month (Aug 13th) - it has all the potential in the world to be a complete cheesefest - but at the same time I really want to see it anyhow. 

 

It now appears that certain keystrokes have the power of crashing my computer.  For example, the 'k' at the end of the word 'quick'.  Or the 's' when I start to type, in anger after having restarted, the word 'shit'.  Computers know when you mean to badmouth them.  Now this doesn't necessarily relegate my particular hunk to the area reserved for excrement, and other types of waste.  Though repeated Windows Protection Errors may lead the unsavvy individual to assume as much.  No, the reality of the situation is that computers, like mammals, possess the ability to succumb to mood swings.  Doubt me not, anyone who owns and loves one of these little pieces of electronic beauty will attest to the truth of my assertion.  I suppose it's the fact that we love these things, that leads us to accept their outbursts - forgive them, even.  When I think about it, I'd have to say they're a lot like women that way.  They both can sure frustrate a guy, but how boring would life be without 'em?

I bought my ticket to see Glasgow Celtic play AS Roma at the Skydome in Toronto on the 31st of July.  I got nosebleed seats because almost everything else is sold out, and I wasn't about to shell out $140 for the only other available spots.  Either way, I'm really looking forward to the game.  It'll be one hell of a good time :D.  Here's hoping that Canada can create a soccer atmosphere to rival the Europeans!

So I worked 12 hours today, and then went to the gym and went hard at the arm exercises - I had a strange burst of energy at about 3:30am, and I think the workout went really well overall.  Then I bought a big jug of MRM Metabolic Whey (Great amino acid blend with lots of glutamine).  I'm still outside the curve I was on before, but damnit I'm going to force my body back into that curve and more! 

I'm pretty sure I have some philosophical things to talk about - I tend to think of things while at work all too often.  But at the moment I'm just too tired to take the time to write about them.  So, peace!

My first couple days back at work after the holiday have been pretty good, actually.  Plasti-Fab is one of those jobs that it's easy to hate, but at the same time it's nice to be able to slide back into the familiarity of foam cutting after doing it for 7 years.  It's also good working with some cool people.  Shaun is fun to work with, and the new fellow Adam is proving to be even more of a computer geek than I am - which is great!  This fellow just finished a degree in computer engineering (or something like that), and he builds computers.  We're working on a computer for yours truly, and let me tell you the computer I have in mind is a badass performance machine.  I can't help it, I keep thinking to myself that I could easily get a computer that doesn't cost much, and does plenty.  But then I start thinking of all the wonderful new hardware out there, and the frugality vanishes like a donut in a police station. 

I also headed back to Popeyes gym tonight for the first time in over 3 months.  It felt good to get back to the workout routine.  But it was kind of annoying trying to start off where I left off and realizing that my body just can't handle that type of exertion yet.  I'll be going steady though over the months, and I'm more than looking forward to regaining and far surpassing anything I'd accomplished previously. 

It's like I'm back into the routine again.  Work, Gym, Computer.  Only now work pays more, and hopefully soon I'll have a computer that outputs a helluva lot more.  It may not be happiness.  But it could be called contentment.  Maybe.

No decision is so fine as to not bind us to its consequences.
No consequence is so unexpected as to absolve us of our decisions.
Not even death.

Well, I had originally intended to post some pictures from my time in Winnipeg on here.  But like a good man, I forgot the USB cable that connects my camera to the computer at Danny and Kelly's house.  So, it'll be a few days before I can start posting the pictures.  Sorry bout that folks. 

I'm pretty excited, I strolled into Coles today and found the second book in R. Scott Bakker's phenomenal Prince of Nothing series.  The first book was nothing short of awesome, and I expect no less from the second.  It's titled: The Warrior-Prophet.  For those who didn't want to spend the $26 on the first book, The Darkness That Comes Before, it's now available in paperback for cheap.  I highly recommend this this series to anyone interested in fantasy. 
 
My holiday in Winnipeg is just about over (I find myself sad, as always, at the end of my visit).  My flight takes off in 1 hour, at 6:50am.  I haven't bothered going to sleep.  I instead passed half the night playing Battlefield 1942.  Only 15 minutes ago I looked at the clock and it occured to me that maybe I should start packing.  That idea would gel with conventional wisdom, certainly.  So I'm off to complete that task.  My next post will be from back in Waterloo. 
 
So to everyone who jammed with me here in Winnipeg, Thx for keeping me busy, and keep on rockin folks.  Oh yes, keeeeeep on rockin.

Hamsters are very nocturnal creatures.

Well, we still haven't gotten a chance to play that second round of golf. But I'm adamant about going tomorrow morning. Also haven't had a chance to hit Shabusen yet. I'm also adamant about going there. In fact, I'm thinking either Friday or Saturday night a whole party of us people should get together for supper at the best Mongolian Buffet in town!

Tomorrow is very possibly going to be my either my triumphant or awful return to the soccer field. Yo Mama is taking on some team or other, and I've been signed up to play. It's been a good 5 years, so doubtless my skills have all but evaporated. But I just really want to try playing again, and this league should be my ticket back to happiness. No slide tackling, not a lot of competition. A place where I can ease myself back into playing. I know it's only one game, but it's big! Ever since I first injured the knee, I ruined it again in a game, and twice in practice. If I can possibly pull off an entire game without an incident - that's a big accomplishment.

Whatever the result is, though, it won't change my plans for getting the ACL surgery sometime soon. Here's hoping things go well anyway, because blowing is out is just painful.

Here's a few things to checkout.

The first is George Bush's Desktop.

The second is a game called Fallout. It's made by the same fellow who made Falldown, a game I posted here a little while back.

The wedding was a damn good time. I had gotten drunk or near drunk for 3 straight days, and today was the first day of sobriety - I'm feeling pretty good though. I gave a best-man toast at the reception, and I think it was alright. At least, a couple people giggled at the appropriate places - whether out of genuine amusement or out of kindness I'm not sure.

The ceremony went over pretty well. It was raining in the morning (This caused us to cancel our planned 7am golf round at Pinawa - just as well because we had only gotten to sleep at just past 5 and I was still drunk when I woke up at 6:40), but by the afternoon the clouds had been chased away by the sunshine and the weather was pretty much perfect. The bugs were pretty bad, but we sprayed the area in an attempt to fight them off. Happily, I was wearing a full suit out there on the beach, so there was little enough skin for the bastards to get at.

Wayne did a good job with his part as the officient (sp?), and added a lot of good personal touches that just wouldn't be possible otherwise. (I still love the line "by the power vested in me by the Government of the Province of Manitoba..." That's great, I kinda wish I could say that one day.) Dan and Kelly did well in spite of the nerves. Mom quite predictably teared up. I spent the majority of the ceremony trying to keep Liam from burying the two rings in the sand. But he wasn't too busy, he actually did pretty good for a 3 year old kid ;). James gave us quality music for the ceremony (and for the reception).

After the smooch, we went over to sign the appropriate documents, and I felt pretty special that I got to sign as Danny's witness, making my position more than just symbolic! Cristin, Kelly's Maid of Honour, got to sign too. Then we all got stuck out in the sun with a few billion bugs doing photos. After what must have been an hour, Darcy (Groomsman) and I decided it was time to go find some beers.

The reception was good, the food was fabulous (damn did I ever enjoy that chicken!), and it wasn't so huge that it was unmanageable and annoying. About 30 people altogether. I have a bunch of pictures that I'll post sometime soon. Thanks to Elena for taking the pictures of the ceremony for me.

So tomorrow is Liam's third birthday. We're probably going golfing in the morning, then heading to Shabusen in the afternoon for eats (WOO! My fav restaurant in Winnipeg!).

Anyhow, I'm dead tired. So peace out folks.

Here I am, Winnipeg the capital city of bloody mosquitoes.

We arrived at about 3am yesterday, having faced a 6 hour delay with our flight. Apparently, because of the storm over Toronto, our JetsGo aircraft decided it would fly back to Ottawa (We were told at the time that our plane had gone to Hamilton). Then it had to dispose of a few irate passengers and their baggage, as well as refuel, and repair a mechanical problem before finally coming back to Toronto. The most annoying thing was them telling us that the plane was in Hamilton and would arrive in "20 minutes", then having to wait another 4 hours while they refused to answer any questions. Near the end, they finally decided to offer us some refreshments (amazing! they don't even serve complimentary food and drink on the plane).

As a result of that, I must admit I really won't be looking towards JetsGo for my travel needs in the future. WestJet is soooo much better. Air Canada too (I've never had any problems with AC anyhow, although I hear endless stories from everywhere about what arrogant jerks the people in that company are).

So we went golfing yesterday, and it was gooood. We had a really great time, drinking plenty of alcohol and losing only 1 or 2 balls on the day. The pro shop didn't have any skeeter spray for us though, so we had to face the bugs unarmed. It was easy for the first 12 holes, but once we got into the forested area of the course near the river, it became unbearable. Every attempt at shooting was a test of will and tolerance far beyond any normal test of golf ability. I haven't seen swarms of mosquitoes like that for a year now - actually I haven't seen more than 1 or 2 in a year. It may be expensive to live in Waterloo, but at least it isn't infested with gods-be-damned mosquitoes.

After that we headed to McPhillips Street Station to make our contribution to the Government of Manitoba so it could find something else to squander our money on. We played blackjack for about 2 hours, and didn't come out too bad in the end.

Finally, we went back to D's place for a final nightcap. Including a few minutes to admire the Camaro, of course.

The hours today will be consumed primarily by wedding preparations. Don't ask me what all needs to be done, because the details don't really matter to me. I'm just a grunt that'll do whatever he's told to do in the interest of getting it done. All I know is that we'll be trucking out a lot of supplies to the site (Whiteshell) and staying in a cabin for the night nearby.

Tomorrow we're going golfing at Pinawa, apparently a very beautiful, and very very tough course, with a tee time of 7am. The wedding starts at 4pm I believe. Good times await!

An angled view of Parliament 

The Chateau Laurier, the moon in the background. 

The Hill, with the full moon overhead. 

The bridge again, with Hull/Gatineau in the background. 

The full view from the front, fantastic, is it not? 

Rideau Canal at night, Chateau Laurier lit up in orange 

Museum of Civilization 

Point Alexander Bridge, we walked across here numerous times. 

Parliament Hill, the Library is still undergoing renovations 

Computer is running alright for now, it's just overheating a lot so I keep it turned off for most of the time. If I do that, it'll run a good hour before the problems really start.

Someone asked me who Janelle is. She's my 13 year old cousin from northern Alberta.

I get to work from 7pm until 7am tonight/tomorrow. It'll be shitty but I certainly won't complain about the monetary value of the extra hours. Then it's off to Winnipeg tomorrow! Woo! I'll be arriving in the evening, around 9:00 I imagine. Good times await! I'll try and get a few more Ottawa pics up before I go though.

Well, this gods-be-damned piece of shit computer won't stay running for more than 30 seconds, so I'll have to postpone the remainder of the pictures until another day when it's feeling better. This is I think the 9th time I've tried to write this out, lets see if it works............

Peace.

The locks for the Rideau Canal in operation. 

This is Janelle's victory pose with the Peace Tower. 

More good fireworks... 

A final fireworks shot 

Good fireworks... 

Again, blurry but cool 

It's a little blurry, but still pretty cool 

The stage where the performers plied their craft 

Wayne, Mom, Aunty Kathy, and Janelle on Parliament Hill, waiting for the show to start. 

Well I'm back! The long weekend was fabulous!

We spent our Canada Day wandering downtown Ottawa, consuming beer (Wayne and I, the women went shopping), and the evening culminated in an outdoor concert featuring Tom Cochrane in front of Parliament followed by a pretty decent fireworks display. It took about an hour to walk back to the hotel, thanks to the tens of thousands of people partying in/clogging the streets.

On Saturday we took a drive southeast, and spent the day in Montreal. We enjoyed it more than last time, having taken the time to see a bit more. The city still suffers from a lack of maintenance. The Old City and Mont Royal were enjoyable though.

I have a bunch of pictures that I'll be posting in short order, so stay tuned!

Well I'm headed off to the Nation's Capital to celebrate Canada Day in style!

I'll be back by Sunday, hopefully with some good pictures to share with you all. Have a good one people!