Matt's Year End Movie List Is Stupid

Another year has come and gone. This being New Year's Eve, I thought that it would be good to have some sort of year in review post... but what to review? The thing I came up with was movies. So, here is my ranking of this year's movie crop.

In this list are movies that I saw that were released in 2005, not just movies I saw in 2005. So, I went through the list of 2005 movies on boxofficemojo.com and picked out the ones that I had saw. It turns out that I saw 18 movies that were released in 2005. I ranked those movies best to worst, and here they are:

1. Serenity - By far my favourite, and therefore best, movie of 2005. This movie was based off the short lived series "Firefly". I was shocked at myself for never even hearing of the series before hearing of the movie. This movie didn't make that much at the box office, as I think people were scared of the "based off a TV series I never saw" factor. However, you certainly didn't have to have seen the series to enjoy the movie... but it's definately better seeing the series first. I realized that, and ran out to the video store to rent the Firefly DVDs before I saw the movie. I finished them just in time to catch Serenity in it's last week playing at the Princess Twin. I like the series and movie so much that I immediately went out and bought the Firefly DVDs and then the Serenity DVD when it was released last week. Here's to hoping this story isn't done yet, but I'm not holding my breath.

2. The 40-Year Old Virgin - This year's funniest movie starred Steve Carrol, formerly of The Daily Show (funniest show on TV). I saw this movie twice in theatres and then received the DVD this Christmas. Do you know how I know you're gay? Because you haven't seen this movie yet.

3. Batman Begins - So very cool. Much better than the previous Batman movies. I loved how it was like a Batman backgrounder, describing how he became Batman and how he got all his cool stuff.

4. Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - I found this movie to be purely enjoyable. Of course, I never read the book beforehand, and had no idea what the story was about. I think that fact actually increased my enjoyment, as I had no idea where it was going next. I was totally caught up in the movie from start to finish.

5. The Wedding Crashers - This was on track to be the funniest movie, until the 40-Year Old Virgin showed up. It's pretty crude, but oh so funny.

Now, I'm getting tired of writing blurbs for all the movies, so I'm just going to list the rest of them in order.

6. Star Wars Episode III (Darth Vadar Cometh)
7. War Of The Worlds (Why I continue to really enjoy Tom Cruise movies is beyond me)
8. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
9. Sin City
10. The Interpreter
11. Hitch
12. The Longest Yard
13. Mr. & Mrs. Smith
14. Constantine
15. Jarhead
16. Guess Who
17. The Dukes Of Hazzard
18. Kicking And Screaming

So, there's my ranking of the 2005 movies. Of course, the list didn't include movies I haven't seen yet but really want to. They include: The History of Violence, Rent, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Madagascar, The Chronicles of Narnia, March of the Penguins, The Brothers Grimm, and The Ringer.

In other news, I'm having a nice week and a half vacation in the tropical paradise of Bright's Grove, but alas, it ends soon. I hope everyone manages to have a good time on the most over-rated night of the year tonight. See you soon, and go see Serenity.

It Was A Good Day Today

First of all, I finished my Christmas shopping. HAHA... I win again Christmas, better luck next year!

In other news, my office chair busted last Friday. Well, actually it was over the course of the past year or so as it had been leaning a bit, but Friday was the day where I said it's leaning too much. I looked underneath and discovered that metal fatigue had taken it's toll, and it would give out at any time. So, for the last few days I've been using one of my cheap Ikea dining room chairs to work on... not cool. But tonight I went out and purchased a brand new office chair with a grant from my bosses. Boo-Yeah.

But the day seems to be winding down and it looks like I'm developing a sore throat.

Can't have it all.

Just Giving The People What They Want...

A curling update!

This past Thursday was week 2 of the 2nd mini-season, but it was our first game since we had a bye last week. Anyway, this game was against the team we had our huge comeback against, but this time roles were reversed. We went out to a huge 6-1 lead and the other team fought their way back. Fortunatly, we held on for a 6-5 victory. Thus, we are in a tie for first place with 2 wins (byes count as wins for some reason, but everyone gets one so it doesn't matter). Briar here we come!

The Wørd: Orchestra

It was an orchestral weekend for me. On Friday night, I went to Detroit with my mom, my dad, and Kiersten to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Palace of Auburn Hills. For those who have no idea who they are or what they sound like, I usually describe them as a "Rock Orchestra". It seems to fit. My Dad, on the other hand, described them as "Heavy Metal and Rap". So, either will work. Anyway, the music was great, and the accompanying light show was awesome. The only drawback was the I had a giant beer right beforehand, and had to pee really bad right from the start. Sure, I tried to nip that in the bud by going to the bathroom five minutes before the show started, but the liquid just haden't worked it's way down yet. I would have gone during the "intermission" an hour and a half into it (which actually was when the lead guitarist spoke to the audience and introduced the band, so it wasn't really an intermission), but I mistook it for the end of the show and I didn't go at that time thinking the show would get out while I was in the bathroom and I'd have to fight my way back to get my coat, etc. Anyway, after the talk, there was another hour and a half of music. So despite the great show... it was kinda uncomfortable.

But then I came back to Waterloo on Saturday as I had tickets to go see the KW Symphony with Josh and Jessica. It was thier annual Christmas Pops concert. They played such hits as The Nutcracker, Carol of the Bells, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, and of course Sleigh Ride. Also, there was a singalong portion. So, good fun.

And then today, I officially kicked off my Christmas shopping for the year. Hmmm... early start this year.

Election Quotes #1

The honour of being the first to be made fun of for something said on the campain goes to...

It's a tie between Prime Minister Paul Martin, leader of the Liberal Party and Jack Layton, leader of the NDP. Here's why... In response to Stephen Harper's pledge to have no parallel private health care they said:

Paul Martin - "I believe in a Canada that values and protects it's universally publically funded healthcare system, so that healthcare requires a health card, not a credit card."

Jack Layton - "We want our healthcare system to be one that where it's your healthcare card that gets you the healthcare, not your credit card." (Bonus points to Mr. Layton for holding up a health card and credit card as props, just incase we didn't know what he was talking about)

So, not only do they both use bad cliches, apparently they hire the same writers for them. So thank you to Paul Martin and Jack Layton by saying absolutely nothing, using the most words possible and therefore insulting my intelligence.

PS - Don't take me picking on the Liberals and NDP as giving the Conservatives an easy time. I plan to give them all a ride.

Comeback City

Tonight was the last game of the first of three sets of curling... The first "mini-season", if you will. We needed to win this one to finish at .500, but it didn't look good. In fact, despite starting with the hammer we allowed the other team to steal two points in the first end, and then one point in the next 3 ends, which put us in a 5-0 deficit. But that's just where we wanted them! Starting a stirring comeback, we score 4 points in the fifth end, followed by a steal of 2, which put us up after 6 ends. The seventh end saw them only get one point with the hammer, and we put the final nail in the coffin with three points in the eighth and final end. Final score: 9-6. Quite a good feeling to finish strong like that. Although a .500 record will probably keep us in the B division for the next mini-season, I think we were all happy with our game. Besides not losing all our games, we were close in all our loses, save one.

Curling Rocks!

Finally, December 1st!

It's here! It's here! Finally, it's December 1st! You all know what that means. Well, even if you do, I'll tell you anyway. It's the day that Christmas music get put onto the music stations on digital cable and satellite. There should be three stations: Holiday Hits, Traditional Holiday, and Holiday Instrumentals. Well, I checked out my stations this morning, and it seems the labels have been changed on all the stations to indicate the Christmas music, but only one of them right now is actually playing Christmas music, and that's Traditional Holiday. But, they'll all be there soon, I hope. Isn't it exciting? No? Well, ok, so maybe I should think of better blogging ideas. There's always this...

There were these two horses, Ned and Ted... but you don't want me to go there.

What Holiday Is January 23rd During?

Hurray! We're going to have an election! This makes me happy. Not so much that I think the result will be much different this time around than last time, but just because I love elections. It's kinda the statistics geek in me coming out. I love watching the poll numbers come out every few days and seeing the trends, etc. I also love listening to how ridiculous these grown men and women sound as they try to put a spin on everything, thinking we're gullible little children who'll believe anything they say. Ok, so I don't love that last part so much... I wish that they could do away with things like, "The opposition wanted an election during the holidays instead of improving health care." Maybe I'll keep track of things said that I find stupid and insulting during this election... that might be fun. First of all, I find this talk of a "holiday election" really dumb, as by the time January 23rd rolls around, we'll be so far away from the holidays that it voids this argument completely. The only thing that will happen during Christmas is maybe a couple election ads during "Rudolf, the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

But I think the best part of an election is election night itself. It makes for awesome tv. Seeing the result come in, riding by riding, and watching the numbers change for the parties at the bottom of the screen... I love it!

Anyway, my advise to people is to make sure that you're informed. Don't be ignorant. Cut through the crap and look at the facts. There's going to be a lot of baseless things said over the next 8 weeks like, "The Conservatives have a hidden agenda..." or "All Liberals are in the mob..." or "The NDP will force you to marry a tree..."... Don't believe any of it. Policies and platforms... that's where it's at.

I don't care who you're going to vote for... just vote... and make it an informed vote.

Gather 'Round, Kids. It's Story Time!

This being Grey Cup Sunday, I'm reminded of a story...

'Twas back in my second year of university here in Waterloo... it was December of 1999. It was exam time, and as is the custom at exam time, I felt the need to study. So, two of my housemates from 211 Erb Street (Matt Carter and Jen Jeffrey) and I made the trek to campus in search of an empty classroom where we could study without distraction or play games of hangman on the chalkboard. Anyhoo, after a couple hours of studying, Jen decides she had to go back to the house, leaving Matt and I there. We stayed a bit before we decided we needed a beer before studying any longer.

Next to the University of Waterloo campus is a plaza with a couple bars and restaurants, so we decided to hit up McGuiness Front Row for our refreshment. Alas, it was quite busy, so as a backup, we went across the parking lot to East Side Marios, which was relatively not busy. So, we walk in... But first you have to understand the layout of this East Side's... The bar is immediately on your right as you walk in the door, and the restaurant area is to your left. To get from the bar to the restaurant (if you had been waiting for a table) you walk right past the front door... which brings us back to the story.

So, we walk in, planning to just sit at the bar for a bit an enjoy an overpriced beverage before going back to hitting the books. But what happened as soon as we walk in the door? Four fairly large guys were walking past the door from the bar area to get seated in the restaurant section.... carrying none other than... The Grey Cup! Stupified, we had no other choice to sit at the bar and talk about how cool that is. It seems as though some of the Hamilton Tiger Cats (who won the Grey Cup that year) had roots in Waterloo (either they were from here or went to school here, I don't know) and were back in town celebrating with their trophy. Well, soon the discussion turned to whether or not we should go over there and see if they'd let us drink our beers from the Grey Cup. Matt was all for it and wanted to go right away... However, I was a bit hesitant. I mean, what do you say to some guys who you don't know and know nothing about (because I wasn't the biggest CFL buff)? So we argued about it for a couple minutes until the bartender said, "Just go over there". So we drank our beer until a bit was left at the bottom, and headed over.

We walk up to these four guys in their booth, interrupted their conversation and said, "Hey guys... uh... Can we drink out of the Grey Cup?" To which they replied, "Sure!" So, we dumped the rest of our beers in the cup and chugged the last of them down. I'm not sure what else we said to them... but it might have been along the lines of, "So... You guys are Tiger-Cats?" and "What're you doing here?" Anyway, the cup was much lighter than I expected... The thing is obviously hollow. But that doesn't matter... It was so cool! The things got a bunch of dents and everything.

Anyway, we head back to where our books were and sat there for about two minutes pretending to read, and finally said to each other, "I can't study anymore. We gotta tell people this story." So, we packed up and trekked back to 211 Erb Street and wowed our friends with our amazing story. And now I'm wowing you... that is if you're still reading. I understand... it was a lengthy post.

Look At Me, I'm Shaking!

This week was my first off-week from Curling. I'm pretty sure I'm suffering from withdrawl.

What do you mean, you didn't know I was curling again? That's right, I'm back at it. After a seven year hiatus, I'm playing second on a team with my boss, Jim, his brother Mark, and his buddy Brad. We're doing better than we expected. Currently we have a win-loss record of 2-3, but we've managed to never be blown out of any game. We're competing, which is good since the number of years of experience for most of the curlers there averages out to about 150 years per curler. There's only maybe one or two other guys there in their 20's. But that's ok, this isn't a competitive league anyway. The most important rule is that the winners buy the first round after the game.

So, I'm happy to be back at it. I hadn't played regularly since highschool, where I skipped our team to be not last place three years in a row. Curling is a whole lotta fun, and surprisingly it's a great sport for television, as you can sit around arguing what shots should be played next. It's great for those who like strategy.

What Is This Powdery White Substance Falling From The Sky?

Today was the first real snow of the season here in Waterloo. The annual event where everyone drives like they've never seen the stuff before. This year's event was extra special for me as it was the first time I drove out in the snow with my Jeep. Yeah, that's right a Jeep... A tough sturdy vehicle like that should be great in the snowy weather. Well, I soon discovered that, crap! Rear-wheel drive does not handle all that well. Stupid rear-wheel drive vehicle...

waitaminute...

This thing's got 4-wheel-drive, baby! Boo-yeah!

Well, that's one problem solved.

A sidenote: 4-Wheel-Drive does not help with braking. That realization was followed by the words, "ohcrapohcrapohcrapstopstopstopstop.... whew".

Can't Someone Just Sit At Home In This Country Without Being Offered A Job?

It's one thing to get telemarketers calling during the day, but lately my phone has offered up a new twist. During the past two weeks, I've received two calls from employment recruiters (or headhunters, as they refer to themselves as) asking me if I was satisfied where I was working, and if "something came up" would I like for them to call me. Of course, the jobs would be in the same field (transportation engineering, for those not paying attention to my life), and most likely the job would probably be in the GTA. Not that they had actual jobs available... they just wanted me for their files. I just replied that I'm quite happy where I am (which I am) and they shouldn't bother. The thing I'd like to know (and probably should have asked) is where they got my name and number? No matter. Besides, if I was to change jobs, it'd be something really different... and cool.

Helpful Tip #001

People say you learn from your mistakes... However, I think it's better to learn from other people's screwups. So, for the benefit of all my faithful blogees out there, I offer these words of wisdom. If you cook scrambled eggs in a pot, it'd be best to not let the pot sit out for 5 days before attempting to clean it. That's 30 minutes I'll never get back.

Trebuchet Saturday - Halloween Spooktacular!

Yesterday was our return trip to Brussels to fix and fire the trebuchet we built back in August. After a morning of repairs of the main axle and some welding, we got to the business of pointlessly hurling crap. We came with an arsenal of various round items. Dan was able to get his hands on both a five-pin and ten-pin bowling ball. We also had a couple pie pumpkins of about 5 pounds each, three large pumpkins of around 20 pounds, two cabbages, and a bag of flour. We were able to fire much more consistantly this time and we soundly beat our longest throw from last time, but we were unable to break the 300 foot barrier, as our longest came in at around 292 feet. I guess that warrants another attempt at some point in the future. Anyway, I'll shut up now and let some pictures and videos speak for themselves...

Pat doing some repairs with the grinder.

Dan made sure that safety was first for the one pulling the pin.

All of our projectiles lined up at the start of the day.

Preparing for the next shot.

Measuring the distance.

That me with the largest pumpkin we had, "Carl". I'm the one on the left (that's right... I diffused your tired old joke before you could even use it!).

It was a Halloween massacre of pumpkins on this day.

And here's the mighty trebucheters who thought it was a great idea to spend a whole Saturday throwing objects across a large field (and it was).

And here's the good stuff... The Videos! Again, these will only be downloadable if my computer is turned on, so they might not be available all the time... but my machine is on a lot.

• One of our first shots of the day where we were fine-tuning things with a five-pin bowling ball. (5694 KB)
• Witness my surprise as the 5 pound pie pumpkin flies much farther than I thought. This was our longest shot of the day at 292 feet. Holy crap, indeed. (4529 KB)
• This is the bag of flour. Awesome. (4317 KB)
• This is the green cabbage, "Cole's Law". (7627 KB)
• What Rudy thought of our projectile cabbage. (2032 KB)
• Here's an excellent shot of what happens to a large pumpkin after it flies over 200 feet through the air. (10872 KB)
  

Oops, I Probably Shouldn't Have Shredded That

Remember my computer troubles from a week ago. Well, Dell sent me a new power adapter, with a prepaid return to send back the faulty one. Well, while cleaning up my apartment, I shredded the piece of paper that I copied down the tracking number, etc, thinking "Other people should see that" (I don't know why). But anyway, no sooner than I shredded it, I realized that I hadn't copied down the tracking info down anywhere else, and if the package gets lost, I have to pay for a new adapter. So, I had to piece back the shredded paper to get my precious tracking number. A good way to spend 20 minutes.The good news is that I checked the number out on UPS's website, and it was delivered. So, now I can reshred the paper.

Better Late Than...

So, who remembers this post? It was a post where I annouced that I secured the email address mattbrouwer@hotmail.com, which turned into a non-serious rant about the famous Matt Brouwer and how he was famous and I wasn't. Well, it turns out that Matt stumbled upon that post by searching for his own name, and left a comment. When I saw that he wrote something (but before I read it), I thought "Oh crap, I feel bad now. I'm bad mouthing this guy who I don't even know, and although it's meant in jest, that doesn't always come across when something's typed". But I didn't need to worry, as he took it all in stride. In fact, he did better than that. He offerred to send me his latest CD, just for being the jerk that I am. So, I promised I'd review it for the the five people that actually read this blog to give his CD huge exposure. Um, that was like 6 months ago. Yeah, I procrastinate, but better late than never. So, without further ado...

Unlearning - A CD Review

Well, I'm not much of a CD reviewer, so why don't I just start with what I like about it. The album is called "Unlearning", which is Matt's second release. According to the sticker on the front of the CD, the track called "Surrender" is meant to be the single of the album. So, that was the first one I listened to and as with most "single" tracks, it's a good song. But going deeper into the album, these are the songs that I particularly like (besides Surrender): You Are, I Shall Believe, A Simple Plan, and Home.

I think Matt's roots in Christian Music are in worship band area. You can get that kind of feel in some of his songs. Of course, he's taken his music further than that, and all in all, he's made a really solid CD. I think you all should buy his CD (which comes with a DVD) and help out this indie Christian artist. Plus, it's really cool to see my name on a professionally made CD.

Even though I doubt he'll ever bother to visit here again, I'd like to say thank you to Matt for sending along his CD to some jerk on the internet who had the same name. He didn't have to, obviously, but I think it shows he's a pretty decent guy, not to mention a really good musician. I'm glad it's he who has mattbrouwer.com, because there couldn't be a better representative of the name.

I Don't Quite Know How To Put This (So I'll Make It Very Very Lengthy)

So, it took me a month, but I finally went to see the movie "Serenity". Why did it take me so long? Well, let me tell you. You see, I tend to think of myself as a fan of the science-fiction genre... a geek, if you like, I don't care. But word of this movie started reaching my ears, and the word said it was based off this TV show "Firefly" that was cancelled practially before it started. Imagine my shock when I realized, "I've never heard of that show before"! However, people who did see the show seemed to love it... a lot. So that got my interest up a bit. Then the movie was released, and everyone who saw it seemed to love it... a lot. So I says to myself, "Self, you should be going to see that movie". I say back to myself (yes I talk back to myself quite often nowadays... deal with it), "but you know it won't be as enjoyable if you don't see at least one or two episodes of Firefly just to know the characters". I say back, "you're probably right. Let's see when Space airs it.... Huh, 10 AM on Wednesdays, eh? Well, good thing I have my PVR". So, this goes on for two weeks and I see two episodes, which were right in the middle of the series. So I say to myself, "Self, you've gone this far. Just watch the whole gorram series". I say back, "Good idea"! So, off to video store I go. I took two more weeks, but I finally finished the whole series on DVD, and I pretty much loved it. Not because it's so much a typical sci-fi show, because it's not. There's little in the way of crazy technology and technobabble that non sci-fi fans seem to hate... not to mention, there's no aliens in Firefly, which doesn't happen often in these shows. No, what I liked about it was the well drawn characters and stories. You just couldn't help to want to be part of that crew.

But anyway, so I finish the DVDs... just in time for "Serenity" to leave theatres. Ah! But good thing for the Princess Cinema Twin. I probably should buy a membership next year, but I digress. The point is, I went to see "Serenity" tonight. I've been really looking forward to it, and I've been saving myself from spoilers and the like until I could finish watching Firefly, and I've come to the point where I write about the movie.

But, the thing is, I just don't know what to say.

Not that it wasn't a good movie. In fact, it was fantastic. I loved it. Not only from a "I hope this is true to the original show" standpoint, but mainly from a "Dang, that was a good movie" standpoint. I should tell you that as a general rule, I won't spoil a movie here on my blog. Even if everyone who will see it probably has seen it by now. Doesn't matter, I won't talk plot. But damn it, that's all I can think of to talk about. I suppose this blog is a form of therapy which is a substitute for actual human communications, but that's a really huge and ugly tangent where we will never go. So, back on topic... While I can't seem to find much to say, I will say this. This is a story built on really good characters, as I said above. Each one is likeable in a completely unique way. Of course that leads itself to one having favourite characters. I just have to say that (after Kaylee, of course) Wash was favourite.

Anyway, bottom line is that "Serenity" is a fantastic movie. If you're one of the people who say, "Sci-fi sucks and will always do so. Serenity is a sci-fi movie. Therefore, Serenity must suck so I won't watch it", I'm sorry for you, but you're missing out. But honestly, while I think it works well as a standalone movie, it most likely is enhanced if you've seen at least some Firefly episodes.

I don't know why I'm being so wordy with this topic. Especially since I wasn't a fanatic of the series, seeing how I only heard of it when I heard of the movie. In fact, if you've make it this far, you should win some sort of prize by sticking with my ramblings. Good for you! Here's a pat on the back.

We're Going To The Zoo, Zoo, Zoo... How About You, You, You?

This weekend was time for another trip to the zoo. On Saturday, I met up with Matt, Jen, Nory, and Robin to brave the rain and brave actually going to Scarborough to look at the animals. Again, Jen gave a supurb tour. The rain was actually not that bad of a thing, as there are many things to do indoors, and it wasn't busy at all. Here are some pictures...
Left to Right: Nory, Jen, Matt, Robin, and Yours Truly
The Orangutans getting tossed food from their keeper during their feeding time.
That's an elephant.
and this beautiful looking cat is a Lion.

I also took a couple cool videos that you can take a look at. They may not be always available (only when my computer is on) and they're quite large, so good luck... (edit Oct. 27 - I've taken the videos offline. If you still want to see them, let me know, I'll hook ya up.)

• The Orangutans getting fed (6819 KB)
• The Elephants are being jerks (6215 KB)
• The little monkeys are quite amused with Matt's umbrella (4463 KB)

Just A Stupid Flash Movie

Bohemian Rhapsody + Weird Al + Lost = This

Not A Good Day For Technology... Again

So, on top of what I mentioned yesterday... This morning I woke up and turned on my computer. The only problem is that it didn't turn on... at all. Well, it was a good thing I had problems yesterday, because a new motherboard was already on it's way. So, basically, I did nothing all morning because all my work is on my computer (hmmm, I suppose I should back that up soon. Oh well). The techie finally came at 1:00 and wasn't done until 2:15. But at least this time everything works like it should. Now I can get back to my hobby of wasting endless amounts of my life on the internet. Bye.

Not A Good Day For Technology

So, my computer had a slight bug in it. That being the batteries wouldn't charge when plugged into AC power, however they would charge in my docking station which bypasses the AC power plug completely. After spending an hour with Dell support on the phone, they scheduled me to receive a new motherboard today. So, the techie came and carefully disassembled my laptop, installed the new motherboard, and lo-and-behold, the problem was still there. So we tried a different AC adapter, and that did the trick. He left the motherboard that he installed in there and left. So I went to plug it back into my docking station to get back to work, and lo-and-behold... nothing works off my docking station except the monitor (USB stuff, speakers, etc.). So I call them back and the Dell guy on the phone said that the techie probably forgot to connect a few wires on the motherboard. So, he's coming back tomorrow to fix that blunder. And after all that, my cable went out for a few hours, including the internet. Not a good day for technology.

MSN & Yahoo Messengers To Hook Up

I just read this news story:

CBC News: Microsoft, Yahoo to link up instant messaging services

Seems as though MSN and Yahoo are going to facilitate messages between the two IM programs. I think this is a great idea, and hope it's a sign of things to come. The only thing that I'd worry about is if there is eventually only one IM program. Having different IM programs spurs on innovation of new features. However, in this case, it sounds like the two programs will still be used separately, except messages from one can go to the other. Good call.

Another note in the story is that apparently AOL messenger is the most popular IM program, which I find incredible. Personally, I've never used AOL Messenger, and don't know anyone who does. I suppose it's #1 based on the fact that AOL is the ISP to so many people, and they must have the messenger program by default.

Oh ICQ, I pine for thee.

That's Your Horoscope For Today... Sagittarius

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21) – Disaster hits when the cable (or satellite signal) goes out. Don’t panic! Try to create a makeshift antenna out of coat hangers, because you don’t want to resort to something like reading.

They Don't Trust The Fans To Do Thier Job

Alright, I love it as much as the next guy when the Leafs score a goal. But I cannot stand that goal horn. I've never liked them. To me, they are things to be used by team that have half empty arenas that make embarrassingly low amounts of noise when thier team scores (ie. Carolina, Long Island from a few years ago, and others). Toronto does NOT need this type of gimmick, and that's all it is... a gimmick. There is no better sound than the initial crowd eruption after a goal. These horns just kill the atmosphere, as far as I'm concerned.

Holy New Look, Batman!

Whaddaya think?

That's Your Horoscope For Today... Scorpio

Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21) – Avoid all Leos and Virgos with the Ebola virus.

That's Your Horoscope For Today... Libra

Libra (Sep. 23 – Oct. 22) – Your life is destined for mediocrity, so get in line and be quiet.

That's Your Horoscope For Today... Virgo

Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sep. 22) – It’s natural to sometimes feel that everyone’s laughing behind your back. That’s because they are. You really should punch the next person you see in the nose.

That's Your Horoscope For Today... Leo

Leo (Jul. 23 – Aug. 22) – You’re better than everyone else. Anyone who disagrees is obviously just jealous... Pity them.

A New NHL Season, Finally! And I'm.... NOT WATCHING IT?!??!?!

Finally, hockey is back! The Leafs had thier first game last night against the Ottawa Senators. It was fitting, I think, that these two teams were the ones to have the first ever shootout. The Sens won the shootout. However, this post isn't about them... it's about me. This is my story...

I missed the entirety of the game, being out of town, but was able to listen to the radio broadcast for the last bit of the third and overtime while driving home (which, incidently, was the most exciting part of the game). I turned off the radio when they got to the shootout, as I was recording the game at home and wanted to watch that without knowledge of the result. Of course, the trick was to turn on the TV and access my PVR without seeing the results before I could play the game back. I muted the sound and tried as quickly as I could to press play, but alas, Sportscentre was on and they had the final score full screen, and I saw it... Just my luck.

So, I watched the shootout anyway. I found it quite anti-climatic. It could have been that I knew the outcome, or that the Leafs lost, or it could be that yes, shootouts do indeed suck and the novelty will wear off really quick. But I'll reserve final judgement for the shootout until I see one live on TV and the Leafs win. Then it'll be a fair assessment, because if I still don't like them after that, then I'll never like them. At least they're leaving them out of the playoffs, so we can still have marathon overtimes with sudden death goals. There's nothing more exciting than that.

That's Your Horoscope For Today... Cancer

Cancer (Jun. 20 – Jul. 22) – Others will offer help with a pressing problem of yours. Say no, because they’re obviously just looking to take all the credit.

That's Your Horoscope For Today... Gemini

Gemini (May 21 – Jun. 20) – Don’t pee on the electric fence. I mean it this time.

That's Your Horoscope For Today... Taurus

Taurus (Apr. 20 - May 20) - You have one week to live... so don’t work any overtime this week.

I Hate Record Companies

So, I bought the new Switchfoot CD today. I brought it home and popped it into my computer to make a copy to play in my car (If you need to know why I burn CDs for my car, just go back a few days to read this post). Anyway, I find out this CD has copy protection on it. It won't even read the CD to play the music, let alone rip, without first agreeing to some agreement and installation of some program, which probably makes sure you can't do anything they don't want you to. There are ways around this, of course. In fact, Switchfoot made a post a few days ago on their website forum on how to best get digital copies off the CD (for use in you iPod, or burning, etc.) for fair use. Mysteriously, the post is gone. Google had a cache of it... now it's gone. Luckily, some website copied the post onto thier site, so I could read it. Damn record companies are making it easier for the illegal downloaders than for the legit consumers. Makes me want to stop wasting my money/time to jump through the hoops of the record companies by actually buying records.

Anyway, back to your horoscopes... just trying something different.

That's Your Horoscope For Today... Aries

Aries (Mar. 21 - Apr. 19) - Be cautious after a cow falls on you head today… because it’s usually the second cow that’ll be more of a surprise.

That's Your Horoscope For Today... Pisces

Pisces (Feb. 19 - Mar. 20) - If you don’t play the lottery, laugh at those who do.

That's Your Horoscope For Today... Aquarius

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) – If you play the lottery, your usual numbers will be drawn for this week’s jackpot. But only if you don’t play them.

That's Your Horoscope For Today... Capricorn

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) - An unexpected trip is in your future, when you get on the wrong bus. Make the most of it by pulling the "Stop Requested" wire at every stop.

Most Disappointing Burger Ever.

So, on my trip to my favourite city in the world today, I stopped in at Burger King for lunch. I know... Burger King isn't the best fast food place, but their Double Bacon Cheeseburger is quite good. But today I saw something I hadn't seen before... The Angus Burger. Wow... that sounds good. Like a steak almost. So, I order it. It tasted like meatloaf on a bun. Nothing against meatloaf, but I wanted a burger. So disappointing.

I Feel So Violated... But Not In A Good Way

Who's laughing now? Well, it's not me.

For the second time, my car was broken into last night. Luckily this time, there was no damage to my car (ie. broken windows). However, it's partly my fault, as I left my windows open enough to get an arm through to unlock my door. But still, there were nights this summer that I left the top down, and nothing happened then.

So, they broke in... riffled through my stuff and took the following: A handful of change, a tire pressure gauge, my CDs, and my garage door opener to get into my underground parking garage. The worst one, of course, is the garage door opener, because now my super has to change the code on everyone's clicker in the building. A wee bit of a hassle.

Good points: The CDs were all burnt copies of CDs I own. That was good forward thinking on my part, as a Jeep is generally easy to break into. However, I figured that my Jeep would be broken into by unzipping the windows in the soft top. Which brings me to my other point... they didn't take my windows, which would have been the most expensive thing they could take pretty much.

Besides the obviousness of having to burn my CDs again, and the inconvenience of having to change the code for the garage door opener for my super, the worst part is knowing that some piece of crap was going through my stuff in my car. I feel dirty. I'd say worse things about him, but I want to keep my PG rating.

You Decide: Am I "The Unstoppable Force", or "The Immovable Object"?

Well, I'm having a hard time trying to think up a new nickname. I figured I needed something quite impressive... as impressive as my fourth poker win in five games. Which, of course, makes up for the horrible golf game and really bad sunglasses tan I got this morning. Only if I was this good at Dr. Mario.

I'm now announcing the grand opening of Matt Brouwer's School for Schooling People in Poker.

Just Yolking Around

So, I decided to make two fried eggs this morning... sunny side up.

Broke both yolks.

Totally sucks.

The 40 Year Old Virgin

No, that title does not refer to me.... Seriously, how old do you think I am?

Joking aside, I went to see that movie last night with the Grace's, and man, was it ever funny. Steve Carell (who used to be on The Daily Show, one of my favourite shows) was just way too good. I think it might have even been funnier than The Wedding Crashers, which is saying a lot. I think I could really relate to the main character, that is, up until he actually started talking to women... then it kinda lost me.

But seriously, how good was the line, "Do you want me to be retarded?"

Left Behind

Last weekend, I went back to Sarnia to attend my friend Sara's wedding. It was attended by many friends that I used to have back in highschool. Friends who are girls. Now, I can post about how cool it was to catch up with old friends, or I could talk about how sobering it was to find out how their lives have progressed (with marriages and kids and jobs and the like), but that's not really the point. The point is that I got to meet and hang out with their husbands/boyfriends, who not unlike so many others, like to have a game of Texas Hold'em. Being very gracious, they invite me to join after the wedding. And thus, the point of this post follows. Two games later... two victories by me.

I am spreading my reign of poker terror.

I'm So Lonely...

Hey Everyone! I have officially moved into my very own apartment. Well, technically, I did it on Monday with the help of Dr. Dread and the Notorious E.R.B. But anyway, it's still a little disorganised and chaotic, but it's slowly starting to take shape. When I get is all made up nice, I'll post a couple pictures.

word

The Greatest Weekend Ever?

treb·u·chet - n. - A medieval catapult for hurling heavy stones.

... and that's how it began. We had the idea, we had the motivation, we had the farm (thanks to Rudy's parents), we had the supplies (again, graciously supplied by the Eigenheer's), we had the weekend, and of course, we had the insanity.

The planning was pretty much done on the fly, so first up was a trip to the woods to get the necessary lumber using jungle math and hauling them back to the workshop. Saturday night consisted of Dan, Patrick, Rudy, Jeff, and I deciding what log gets used for what, and the building of the first half of the frame. The night wound down with a campfire complete with super campfire sandwiches. After that, I roughed it by camping... in the basement of Rudy's parent's house.

On Sunday, the goal was set out to complete this project. The odds were against us, as we were down one man and some snags were hit thanks to our goal of making do with what we had. (The picture to the right is just to prove that, yes, I did manual labour too). Our goal was to have the treb ready to fire by 5pm. Well, 5pm came and went... and while we had the pieces of the frame out in the field, some fine-tuning needed to be done... namely, we needed a firing mechanism, and a way to make sure that it actually stood up.

Well, a firing mechanism was attached, and our structure was sturdy when it was all put together. So, we had our completed trebuchet, we had our projectile and counter-weights, we had our supporters, and we had our hecklers. All that was left to do was to fire that badboy. Our collective breaths were held, and we got clear out of the way waiting for something to go horribly wrong, pulled the pin and fired. And fire we did! We launched a 5lb rock 151 feet! On our very first try! Our elation was only surpassed by our shock of being so successful right out of the gate. After trying some other weights and counter-weights, we wound up with our longest shot being at 252 feet with a 5lb rock. Throughout the firings, our structure held together perfectly, with the only exception being the axle of the firing arm, which started to severly bend with each attempt (see picture at right). We called it a day when we figured another toss may collapse the entire structure.

We finished feeling satisfied in a job well done, and quite proud of what we were able to build in just half a weekend. We also left with a resolve to return with a more solid axle and with more new and exciting projectiles. Could a sequel be in the works? Perhaps "Trebuchet Weekend 2: Revenge of the Gourds"? For another report on Trebuchet Weekend 1, go read Dan's Blog.

Other Man

Wednesday, September 21. Mark your calendars... That's the season premier of Lost! Thanks to Kiersten, who alerted me to new clickables on the seating plan at oceanic-air.com. I won't tell you, you'll just have to find them on your own.

Have You Ever Had That Deep Down Empty Feeling?

(or... I Think I'm Alone Now. There Doesn't Seem To Be Anyone Around. I Think I'm Alone Now. The Beating Of My Heart Is The Only Sound.)

It's officially official. I'm living on my own! Things are looking a little sparce at the moment, but give it time... I'll have things filled up in no time. As soon as I get my furnature delivered and purchase a couple items (cough...HDTV...cough) things will be looking good. In a couple weeks I'll be moving into a one bedroom apartment (in the same building). I've been waiting a long time to have a place that's all "mine".

In Dog Years I'd Be Dead

Well, I'll just go ahead and say it.

Happy Birthday To Me,
Happy Birthday To Me,
Happy Birthday Dear Matt,
Happy Birthday To Me.

Twenty-six now. Where did the time go? That's quite old, although not much accomplished and quite a ways to go.

I celebrate today with a trip to the dentist.

Eagle

Today I went out golfing with my Dad to Bright's Grove Golf Course (formerly Crabbies). 4th Hole... Par 4... 220 Yards... 2nd Shot... About 50 yards away... Over a pond... Half swing with a Pitching Wedge... A couple bounces and a roll... And into the hole. The first time I holed out from off the green, and more importantly my very first Eagle. That's right, an Eagle.

As a historical note... Bright's Grove Golf Course was also the site of my very first Birdie too. I'm awesome.

Rest In Peace, James Doohan

Sad news, as this morning, James Doohan died. He was most famous, of course, for being a graduate from SCITS (my highschool), and second most famous for playing the part of Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the original Star Trek series and movies.

CBC Story
canada.com Story
James Doohan's startrek.com Biography

Below is the picture from when I got to meet Mr. Doohan at the SCITS 75th Anniversary back in 1997. He was the guest of honour and I was a guy in the concert band. My buddy Joe and I saw him walk out of the auditorium during some down time on the weekend and we took the chance to run out to the hall to meet him and get some pictures taken. Good times. Rest in peace, Mr. Doohan. 

Molson Indy, Baby!

Well, this weekend was my annual trek to see the Molson Indy in Toronto with my Dad and Kyler. This was the 7th year we've been since 1998 (only missing 2000). Justin Wilson won his first ever race this year, which was good to see. However, I'd be lying if I said that pretty much everyone there didn't want Paul Tracy to win. It looked like he'd do it too, and in remarkable fashion (with only half a front wing), but it wasn't to be. Anyway, some random thoughts and comments...

• It was hot. I'm glad it didn't rain for the race, but dang it was hot. On the bright side, I got some more sun on my freakishly white upper arms.

• There can never be enough short skirts and/or spandex on hot girls in this world

• The "Celebrate Toronto" festival was on this weekend too. On Friday night we decided to check it out and caught a free Great Big Sea performance. Good stuff!

• We went to see Batman Begins on Saturday night. Excellent movie.

• There's no better racing than Champ Car in the world. Champ Car for life!

Anyway, here are some photos I took this weekend.

Here's a photo from our seat looking towards the start/finish line and pits. Pretty sweet seats, eh? And if you looked the other way, there was a giant TV screen and the victory podium.

Here's a piece of Paul Tracy's front wing that sat on the course for almost half the race after Sebastien Bourdais cut Paul off coming out of the pits. Fortunately, Bourdais got the worst of the encounter by puncturing this rear tire. Tracy was able to continue on and he put on a driving clinic with only half a wing. That was until he ran out of fuel... It would have been epic if he won. Oh well...

Here's a picture of Kyler and I outside Paul Tracy's trailer right after he drove in there on his cool scooter. We tried stalking him outside the door, but he didn't come out. I totally want one of those scooters.

Here's a closeup picture of Alex Tagliani's car from our walkthrough of the Champ Car paddock. (by the way, that's not Alex in there... duh)

Here's a picture of the girls I met at the race. At this point, they're meeting with each other and arguing about which one of them loves me more. And I was all like, "Ladies, if you can't resolve this in a civilized manner then none of you get me!" They were disappointed, but I stand by my decision. Silly girls.

 

A Preview Of Things To Come

The Molson Indy is this weekend. I hope to have lots of pictures to post and stories to tell.  

Molson Indy, Baby!

For There To Be Winners, There Have To Be Losers...

And I was the latter this past Monday when I went with Randy, Megan, Patrick, and Lindsay to the Grand River Raceway to watch the horse races. Here are some pictures I took...

Here I am getting ready for a night of exciting oval racing action...


with the Purdy's...


and the Wilson's...


and this is what happens when Lindsay uses my camera without me knowing. Nice butt, dude!


The only way to watch the show is at the rail.


And the big winners of the evening (although Randy hit an exactor early on the evening) were Patrick and Lindsay when they bet on a horse name "Kitchen Table" to win, because Lindsay thought it was "the best name for a horse, ever!" It netted them $50.


That girl who greets people was there again... I'm totally gonna try to get a picture next time because I'm smitten. It's kinda sad really. Anyhoo, a good time was had by all. 

The Results Are In... Matt's Blog Visitors Live In A Dream World

So, apparently, nine out of ten Matt's Blog visitors are delusional... or perhaps simply uneducated. I can't say I'm that upset with the person who said I'd finish in second, even I have an off day, believe it or not. But a shout-out goes to the lone "snazzy" voter who correctly answered that I'd win. The formality happens tomorrow... actually, it happens later today. Uh oh, I'd better get to bed now. 

I Think We All Know The Answer To This

Well since game 3 of the TPTP is happening this weekend, I thought I'd create a little buzz. Check out the poll I put at the right side of this page and vote!

I think we all know the answer to this. If you didn't vote for 1st, who do you think you're kidding? You're a fool! And a fool and his money are soon parted.

No Newts Is Good Newts

Indeed 

Matt Geeked It Up A Notch

Just to bring attention to my obsessive need to geek things up, you should check out the redesigned website for The Touring Poker Tour of Poker, made entirely in Notepad! Don't forget to notice that I'll added Haloscan comments for each game played. How sad is it that I'm not sure what I'm looking to forward to most for the next poker game: The actual game, or updating the stats/standings?

Cleaning Up With TPTP

Game #2 of The Touring Poker Tour of Poker went down tonight, and for the second straight game, yours truly wound up in first place, this time taking home $70. That makes my season winnings $120. A good crowd tonight, as nine people made it out. I tip my (Molson Indy) hat to Rudy and Dan, who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, and therefore, in the money. It was a hot and muggy afternoon/evening at The Garagio... 7 hours total (about 6 of which was actual game time). We should have the blind schedule more refined eventually, because admittedly, it was a long day. But nonetheless, fun was again had by all, especially me. The only problem is, I'm pretty much everyone's target next game. But that's alright... bring it on.

That's Right... Only Double Digits

Hey there! Big news! Yesterday, after about 12 years of golfing, I shot my first sub-100 game on a full 18-hole course. I finished with a 97 at Doon Valley Golf Course, which is in Kitchener, overlooking the natural beauty of Highway 401. And this feat was done with only a minimal of cheating (an ignored watershot here, a foot wedge there... you know, nothing out of the ordinary). I went with Dan and although we tied on skins, I beat him by four strokes. MATT'S ON FIRE! And I'll be carrying that fire into the second round of the TPTP this afternoon. More players = more money.

An Object Lesson in Quitting While You're Ahead

Tonight I went to the horse races at Grand River Raceway with Patrick and Lindsay to bet on the ponies. Unlike the lucky streak in betting I've enjoyed the last couple weeks, this night I was a total loser. Over 7 races I lost a combined $14. Ah, the exactors just weren't paying off tonight. But other than that, a good time was had. Other observations made:

• If you go to the same betting window, eventually the lady will start mocking you for losing.

• The "sixth race cheerleaders" were a huge disappointment. Not at all what I was hoping they'd be. There should be some sort of law against getting my hopes up like that.

• I'm completely in love with the girl who was doing the greeting at the front door. Old fashioned costume... that was hot.
  

• If I had bet more money, I would have won. Why? Because it makes sense... perfectly logical sense.

To wrap it up, it's clear that I was just getting my losing out of the way so I can sucessfully defend my poker title at the TPTP on Sunday. Yeah, that's the ticket.

There's Nothing Sore About Winning

Not that this is news... it actually happened last week... but I sure like to take the opprotunity to let everyone know of a good golf outing, because it doesn't happen often. Umm.... I mean.... I'M AWESOME! 

I've Got An Itch That Needs To Be Scratched

I just had a great long weekend, which was spent up at my friends Nory and Robin's cottage near Washago. It's a pretty nice cottage too, I must say. It's on the Black River (which actually kinda lives up to it's name... it's quite deep and dark). Anyway, I had a good time maxin' relaxin', and doing some catchup with folks I hadn't seen in a while, and with folks I had never met. I even got to see the outside of Casino Rama. I didn't go in though, as I didn't want to push my luck that I've been having the past week with regards to gambling.

But of course, all silver linings must have a cloud, and mine was the amount of mosquito bites I got over the course of the weekend. It seems they were having some sort of mosquito convention in town or something. I haven't been bitten this much (or at all for that matter) in years. So, I went today and picked up some Calamine Lotion. Now I have pink dots on my arms and legs. It's quite cool, I think I'll start a fashion trend.

You Gotta Know When To Hold'em, Know When To Fold'em - Part 2

Tonight was the first game of "real" poker played at Dan's on his new poker table. The stakes were $10 with a $5 buy-in option for an hour and a half. I would like to thank Dan, Chris, Rudy, and Pat for their generous donations to the "Matt's wallet needs to be a little fatter" fund. Good times were had by all, especially me. The final standings:

1st - Matt
2nd - Dan
3rd - Chris
4th - Rudy
5th - Pat

This sure wasn't the last game played, so if you missed this week be sure to book off the time for the next game. And that time will be... I don't know yet. Ask Dan.

New Game Systems

So, I'm keeping a watch on the unveiling of the three new gaming systems that'll be released in the next year: X-Box 360, Playstation 3, and the Nintendo Revolution. Of particular note, I like that you will be able to download old Nintendo games (from the N64, SNES, and the NES) onto the Revolution. But, it basically comes down to this... I must have them all.

You Gotta Know When To Hold'em, Know When To Fold'em

So, on Saturday, after visiting the Elora Gorge with my school-time roommates Matt and Jen, we decided to stop in at the new Grand River Raceway. It's a typical Ontario harness racing track with a slots area. There was no racing going on on Saturday afternoon, so we decided to check out the slots. For fun, I put $20 in a quarter slot machine, and played until it was through. The only problem is that with about $2.00 left in my $20, I hit a row of 7's, and won $100. At which point, I cashed out and went to the cashier to collect my winnings, laughing at all the regular addicts there along the way.... ok, I didn't laugh at them... I played it cool... well, I didn't play it cool either, as I walked all shifty eyed from the machine to the cashier protecting my winnings. And then we went to get Slurpees. Seriously, what else would you do with $100?

The Only Thing That'll Get Those Bugs Off Is A Little Elbow Grease

Just because I knew you couldn't wait for another picture of my new Jeep, here you go. It was a great day in Bright's Grove last Saturday, and I took the opprotunity to wash the Matmobile before I took the hard top off. Now, thanks to the summer water restrictions in Waterloo, I'll probably have to do most of my washing in the Grove, unless I do it on Wednesdays between 7-10am and 7-10pm. Stupid water shortage... Build a pipeline to Lake Erie already! 

Once Again, The Amazing Race Disappoints

There was never more deserving winners that didn't win than Rob and Amber in last nights Amazing Race. The previous edition Amazing Race ended with the least deserving finalists winning, too. I'm not saying that Uchenna and Joyce were the least deserving of the three finalist... they were second most deserving, but a far second to Rob and Amber. It's those stupid "wait for something to open, so we can bunch the teams back up artificially" that really bother me and make it less of a race around the world and more of a race from the final airport to the finish line. Although, it was impressive to see Uchenna and Joyce win with no money in the last leg. But still, no one has ever played the Amazing Race as agressively and creatively than Boston Rob. I was thoroughly entertained by him this season. During the first few episode, I was completely rooting against him and Amber, but soon realized that they were by far the best team.

Oh well, I'll feel better if we get all the answers in the last few episodes of Lost.

...whaddaya mean "season finale cliffhanger"?

Insects - Your Days Are Numbered

Time to tell you all of another feature of the TJ... It's bug armageddon. Let's be honest; The TJ isn't the most aerodynamic vehicle in the world. In fact, the windsheild pretty much is almost perpendicular to the road, which means, every single bug that gets in my path doesn't stand a chance. MWAHAHAHAHA or ewwww.

Hello! I said a place to hold MY drink!

So, I think by far the best feature I've discovered with my new car is that the cup holder will hold a Slurpee cup. That's a must for any automobile.

Don't Panic

I went to see "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" this weekend when I was in the O.S. to visit Randy and Megan. Let me tell you, this was the best movie that I've seen in a long time. Now, I have never read the book, and I knew absolutely nothing about the plot, which I think helped my enjoyment of the movie. I won't give anything away to those who haven't seen it, so what I'll say is that it was simply and purely entertaining. I sat there for 2 hours and didn't even think of the time going by. Well worth the trip to the theatre... maybe two. Until next time...

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Why Must It Be So Cold?

All I want to do is wear shorts. Is that so much to ask? And I don't want to turn on the heat again in my apartment.

Out With The Old, In With The New (To Me)

Say hello to TJ.

Well, I've gone and done it... I bought me a Jeep TJ. How do you like it? My Escort has served me very well for more than 5 years, but it was time to start driving something a little more impractical. My 2003 Jeep TJ comes with: dual tops, air conditioning, 5-speed manual transmission, CD player with subwoofer, and a snazzy red paint job. 

Today's The Day... Or Is It?

All will be revealed in due time.... maybe.

It Burns Us

This isn't supposed to happen. I'm not supposed to get sick. I have zero contact with other human being thanks to work. I suppose it's just gone and weakened my immune system. Ugh. It's not terrible, but congestion is annoying. So taking drastic measures, I head to the drug store... and pick up some Buckley's... you know... it tastes awful, but it works. Well, sort of. It did well for my sore throat, but it did nothing for my congestion. That and it burned like nothing else. I suppose I should just stock up on Neo Citran. Now, that's the good stuff.

Shocking Twist.... postponed

Ok... two days starting now.

The Most Shocking Twist Ever...

In two days... The most surprising and shocking post EVER will change the face of Matt's Blog forEVER! Whatever you do, don't miss the first 10 minutes!

I'm Singing In The Rain!!!

Oh, wait... no I'm not... I'm just standing here getting wet.

Well, it was time for another interesting traffic study. This time in St. Catharines. We got to stop traffic wearing safety vests and hard hats, standing behind pylons (yes, the pylons will protect us... of course they will) and ask the perterbed drivers where they were coming from and going to. Then it started to rain. And then I had to pee.

Listening to Music, My Way

So, most people who use MSN Messenger (on Windows, at least) have the new version, which has a cool little option that will display the name of the song you are currently listening to on your computer. The catch is, of course, that you have to be using Windows Media Player. I first thought that the feature was cool enough to switch from using WinAmp to WMP, so I did. However, I soon found out that I really liked WinAmp more. So, I did a little searching and found a handy WinAmp plug-in that'll use the "What I'm Listening To" funtion of the new MSN Messenger 7. Sweet. If you're so inclined, the plug-in is called Toaster.

Best... Video... Ever!

I saw this video on the eBaum's World update today. If you're around my age, you'll probably appreciate it immensely.

The Champ Makes a Statement

Ah, finally! After a long off season, it was Champ Car season again on Sunday. After Paul Tracy qualified on the pole, my hopes were high he could start the season off with a win. But alas, it wasn't to be. Sebatien Bourdais, the 2004 series champ, came from 4th to win the race with some good passing and some good strategy when it came to tire selection. Paul Tracy ended up in 2nd, which isn't all that bad, but if he's not careful, Bourdais will run away with it again this year. The other Canadians didn't fare so well... Alex Tagliani finished 15th and Andrew Ranger ended up 17th after being pushed into the wall.

The next race is May 22nd in Monterrey, Mexico... They really have to do something about that gap in the schedule.

Spreading Like A Virus

Slowly but surely, this blogging thing will spread to everyone who uses the internet... then it won't be cool anymore, and no one will do it... but until then, the cool kids are still doing it and i get to introduce the newest blogger I know... Corey Benn. That's right, THE Corey Benn of Mr. Dressdown fame. Go check out his blog he named Borrowed Time. Why he called it that, I have no idea, but he now sits in my links section to the right of the screen.

While we're over there, lets check out some of the other links I have there... Of course, first there My Website, which everyone should visit five times a day. Also over there is a link to the Champ Car website... FYI, the first race of the season, the Long Beach Grand Prix, is tomorrow at 4:00 on TSN (or NBC, if you prefer the American networks). There's also Homestar Runner, everyone's favourite internet cartoon. There's a link to the Great Lakes Water Levels Site, which is quite interesting if you care about how much beach there'll be on Lake Huron this year. And my final highlight today is The Picard Song which should be heard to believed.

A Lesson In Counter-Telemarketing

The following is an actual telephone conversation. The names have not been changed... Screw the innocent.

Thursday, April 7, 2005
17:30

ring ring

"Hello?"

"Hello, can I speak to Mr. or Mrs. Brewer?"

sigh "Yeah, that's me."

"Oh, hello Mr. Brewer. I'm calling from the Fred Astaire Dance Studio. I'm pleased to inform you that you've won a free dance lesson. When would you like to come down for it?"

"Well, actually, I'm already a pretty good dancer."

"Oh... ok"

"Bye"

Wow, that was the easiest rejection of a telemarketer ever. But the jokes on them, I actually really suck at dancing.

Captain, I think I speak for everyone here, sir, when I say, "to hell with our orders".

It came! It finally came! Today I got my copy of the 2-Disc Star Trek: First Contact Special Collector's Edition. I ordered it when it was first released about two weeks ago, but it went out of stock quickly. Of course, I was very patient because I got a super deal for it... only $13.99. Can you believe it? For a 2 DVD movie. First Contact is, of course, the best Next Generation movie, and therefore, my favourite. I watched a little bit with Jonathan Frakes' commentary (Director & Commander Riker), and could tell it was going to be most entertaining.

THIS JUST IN!!!! I'm no longer a zero!

Big news of the night... After being registered for 4 years, I have finally made my first eBay purchase. It's a t-shirt that has the Team Players logo on it... it also says "Security", but who cares? Anyway, check it out here. So, the great thing about this shirt (and anything else that is from Team Players) is that it's illegal now thanks to the anti-tobacco advertisement legislation. So, it'll become quite rare indeed.

Tonight Could Be Life Changing

Do I dare cross the threshold? Do I boldly go where I've never gone before? Maybe! This is just a teaser for now... I can't tell you until after it's over. No hints either!


hehehehehe

... Seven Days....

Only one more week to go until the Long Beach Grand Prix, and the start of the 2005 Champ Car World Series season! I can't freakin' wait. It's been way too long of an off season. Hopefully, Paul Tracy can get back on form and retake the championship, although I think Sebastien Bourdais is the odds-on favourite to win it for his second year in a row. There's a new Canadian in the series this year, Andrew Ranger. He's 18, he's fast, and he'll make people ask "who's Patrick Carpentier?"