This Had Better Be The Best Internet Ever, Part 2

Yep, once again I got suckered into paying .75c per minute to use the hideously slow internet connection on the ms Westerdam. But anyway...

Merry Christmas from where it's sunny and warm and where Weight Watchers plans go to die. And I mean die with a vengeance. The food is riduculously plentiful aboard... and so, so good.

Yesterday we were on the island of Half Moon Cay (officially Little San Salvador Island). Tomorrow, we're in San Juan, where I'm taking a bioluminescent kayak trip at night, where there are fish or something that glow. I'll take some good pictures. Today is a whole day "at sea", which mean there's way to much to do here. Today, I took a mixology class to learn new types of martinis.

The sea is pretty rough today, which I kind of like. It slowly rocks back and forth. So you walk like you're drunk, even if you're not... if you are, you'll probably walk straight.

The temperature today was about 28 and sunny. I hope it got stupidly cold back home. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Video Blog?

Matt Brouwer, P.Eng.

Today I got notification that my application for Professional Engineer status has been approved! Now I can stamp your passport applications... oh wait, they got rid of that rule. Well, at least I can legally call myself an Engineer now, well... at least I can when my "first invoice is paid and processed".

Anyway, this is a pretty big deal for me. I have the P.Eng designation now, and I don't have to do anything more to keep it (except for paying the man)... no more exams or experience summaries, etc. I'm in the clear... unless I end up in the blue pages.

I'm Weight Watching (Again)

You may or may not have been aware that about 2 and a half years ago, I tried out Weight Watchers Online. For a few months it went really well and I lost 45 pounds. However, I lost the will power and over time I eventually gained it all back. There were a couple of false restarts in between there where I'd lose a couple pounds over a couple weeks, but I never stuck with it. This time, however, it's going to be different. Why will it be different? First of all, I'm actually going to the Weight Watchers meetings instead of just doing it online. Second, I'm going with a friend this time. That's two more layers of accountability that I didn't have last time. Also, last time I didn't make it "public" that I was doing the program... whether that was out of embarrassment or as a safety net in case it didn't work, I don't know... probably a little bit of both.

This time, I'm doing the exact opposite... I'm letting anyone know who'll listen. Why would I do that? It's not so much for your information, as it is me removing that "at least if I fail no one will know" safety net. This time, failure is not an option... I really can't keep on going like I had been.

So, I've been going now for 10 weeks. So far, so good... I've been keeping track of my progress... have a look....

Now, of course, December has just started, so the next month is going to be a real struggle for me to keep up the pace. What with all the Christmas parties and cruises I'll be attending. So, come January, if I'm the same weight as I am now, I'll consider that success and I'll get back on it hard then.

My Cult Membership Package Has Arrived

Hey Matt, you may ask... what's been going on with you for the last couple weeks? Well, let me tell you... Brand new iMac! I believe it's in the End User Licence Agreement that I now must act all smug and superior to you lowly PC users now. Allow me to show you all the light...

There it is, in all it's glory... just ignore the mess on the table.  I still need to get it a desk of it's own... all in due time.  So, why would I buy such a fancy-pants computer?  Well, this should be considered a purchase directly related to my video camera that I got this past summer.  I needed a place to put together the videos I took, and the Mac was the obvious option.  Check out the first video I put together:  The shaving of Dan and Faith's cat, Jooje.

Another project I've undertaken is to convert our old home movies to DVD.  There's years of stuff to go through... it'll give me something to do.

Happy now, Patrick?

Books Are Bad

A thought occurred to me yesterday as I decided to head out and browse at my local Chapters. Is there any good reason to shop at a bookstore in Canada these days? With the dollar now being worth more than the US dollar for a little while, and with it being worth over $0.90 for over a year now, we pretty much get screwed when it comes to pricing. Take a look at any book and there are two prices: one for the US and one for Canada. The Canadian one is usually about 20% higher. This was understandable when the dollar was low a few years ago, but now now. And the book stores won't give you a discount... they strictly follow that printed price. Even a newly released book, Stephen Colbert's "I Am America, And So Can You" has a Canadian price of about $4 more than the American. Contrast that to online book retailers, and the prices are quite more in line with what we should be paying. My guess is that they don't have to strictly follow that printed price and can list whatever they want (and of course, less overhead... but still).

Sometimes I just like to buy a new book for no apparent reason... but I just can't justify it anymore.

Always Good Advice

A friendly reminder to hold your applause until the end of the symphony, not at the end of each movement. Nothing horrible will happen if you clap at the inappropriate time, and usually the conductor will be nice and acknowledge the applause, but generally, it's best to enjoy the piece as a whole. Don't feel you must clap because there is silence.

I Hate Best Buy

Excuse me, Best Buy, but what part of "Pre-Order" didn't you understand? I'm thinking it was the "pre" part. Because when I pre-ordered Guitar Hero 3 on your website, I expected it to be shipped to me when it was released, and in a day or two, have it arrive at my door for some long awaited gaming goodness. What I didn't expect is to see the status of my item being listed as "in stock" but not being shipped to me. What I further didn't expect is for that listed to change to "out of stock" a few days later. I didn't believe you when I called on Tuesday evening that you had released the item to Canada Post and they just hadn't scanned it in their system yet, so it was impossible for you to cancel my order. For 3 more days, the game wasn't shipped, and as much as we all like to rag on Canada Post, even they aren't capable of the kind of incompetence that would be required to let an item sit for 3 (possibly 5) days without "putting it in their system". Bottom line is, you didn't order enough games to fulfill your pre-orders and you wouldn't admit to it.

Yes, I know that today it finally shipped... But you know what? Today is Friday, and therefore I won't be seeing any package until at least Monday, so I won't be rocking out to "Knights of Cydonia" and "Cherub Rock" among others this weekend. I went around to other stores yesterday to try and find a copy (with intentions of returning the one you would eventually mail me), but the stores I went to were either sold out or only sold the game with the old, wired controller (stupid Walmart). I hate running around to store to find items which are selling well... I probably should have pre-ordered or something.

24 Season 7 Trailer

At the site 24trailer.com, you can see the preview of the next season of 24. If you're a fan of the show, and haven't seen the trailer yet, I won't spoil it for you... BUT GO THERE NOW! It is, by far, the

BEST
THING
EVER!

even better than beef stew.

It's Tech Toys Tuesday!

A couple of exciting things I found out about today. 1) The new Mac OS has been officially announced. The release date is October 26. That was all I was waiting for, so in a couple weeks I'll have a shiny new iMac. 2) The 5 free HD-DVD deal for buying the HD-DVD drive for the XBox 360 has finally come to Canada. Granted the movies they offer mostly suck, but I just might get one anyway.

In other gaming news, Guitar Hero 3 is due out on October 28, which I totally plan to get. Also, I'm still having a bunch of fun with Halo 3, even though my only online buddy that I've played with went and joined the Navy. Damn you Joe!

I Feared This Would Happen

So, even though I was not in favour of MMP in the referendum (unlike most of my friends), I was actually hoping for a much closer result than the one we got... perhaps in the order of 50-50. The reason being that I think a bit of reform is necessary, but not MMP in the form it was proposed. However, I feared that if MMP was soundly defeated like it was, it would be viewed as "the people have spoken, they like FPTP". That was why I didn't like the referendum question... you're either for FPTP or for MMP... nothing else. So, now that McGuinty has basically said that the issue is closed, what now? Will there be another shot at electoral reform?

Here's my proposal... increase the number of ridings in Ontario (perhaps to the 130 level that was proposed by MMP, or even up to 150) and introduce Instant Runoff Voting. My thinking is this... a smaller sample size will be more likely to produce results that are different from the provincial trend, and IRV might encourage people to vote for smaller parties as their #1 vote. Of course, the drawback to this is that you won't get the exact proportional representation that MMP would have produced, but because of it's similarity to our current system, it might be easier to implement. What do you think? I'm interested to hear if the MMP supporters would think this doesn't go far enough, or if the FPTP supporters think this is too much of a change.

Take A Stand, Old Lady. Take A Stand

So, I go down to vote this afternoon and there's only one other person at the polling station besides me there to vote. I had to wait until she was checked in and voted. While I was getting checked in, she comes back with her ballots and proudly declares to the polling station workers there, "I didn't use the second one!", giving off the impression that she was making a stand by not voting in the referendum. Of course, it was more likely that she never bothered to inform herself on the referendum and she looked at the ballot thinking, "what the hell is this?" That got me thinking how difficult it must be to inform yourself on the candidates, but be unaware of the referendum. It would be pretty impossible not to know about the referendum if you paid any attention to the election. Which, of course, brings me to the conclusion that people probably didn't inform themselves about the actual election and probably voted for the same party they've voted for for decades.

Now that's democracy inaction.

Decisions, Decisions

Well, the polls are open. All I have to do is head on down to the first floor of my building to cast my ballot. How convenient! The only problem... I still don't know who to cast my ballot for.

Election Day Tomorrow

Just doing my public service duty by informing my loyal readers (most of which are already aware) that tomorrow is election day here in Ontario. As an added bonus, it's also referendum day. The election of a new legislature is a yawn-fest in my opinion, with there being no real pressing issue facing the electorate. For this reason, I predict (as many others are) a return to power for the Liberals... not that I'll necessarily be voting for them.

However, this referendum is intriguing to me. The question being posed is whether we want to dump the current electoral system (first past the post) for a new system (mixed member proportional). The biggest flaws of the first past the post system is that it is difficult for smaller parties to gain seats and that a majority government can be won without a majority of popular vote, basically making the legislature not proportional to the popular vote in terms of party seats. Mixed member proportional will have the number of seats per party representative of the popular vote by introducing "list" members of provincial parliament. This is, in my opinion, MMPs biggest drawback. It will create two classes of MPPs, one who was elected in a riding and one who was appointed by a party. It's the party list MPPs that concern me. They will not be responsible for a constituency (although, the argument is that they represent the riding of "Ontario", which is a cop-out) and have the real possibility that they'll just turn into cushy jobs for big party supporters. Another drawback to the MMP system is that we will probably never get a majority government again. While I don't dislike minority governments, I would prefer that they not be in all the time. Tomorrow, I'll be voting "No".

I don't like this referendum, and I'll tell you why. I think that our system could use an update. First past the post does create an unbalanced number or party seats. I'd like a change... just not MMP. And this is the inherent problem with the question being asked tomorrow. If I vote for first past the post, it'll be saying I like that system... If I vote for mixed member proportional, it'll be saying, I think this is the system we need. Neither of those answers reflect my opinion. However, this is what I believe: Electoral reform is coming... whether it's this election or the next or another... it's coming. I'm voting for FPTP in the hopes that a better system will be proposed next time around. If MMP wins, it'll be a long time before another system is proposed. "What other systems?", you may ask. Well, I like the system that BC voted on recently, a variation of Single Transferable Vote , but it still has elements I don't like, as in multi member ridings. Another system, which is closer to our current FPTP, is Instant Runoff Voting, where one would rank all the candidates, and 50% of the vote would be required to become elected, and if 50% isn't reached, the lowest vote getter is dropped from the ballot. The drawback here is that the effect on the proportion of seats is muted, at best.

I suppose the bottom line is that no system is perfect, and it'll come down to personal preference for each voter. In any case, if you've skipped my unnecessarily long post to the end here, just get out and vote.

------------------------------------------------

As a side note: I read an article in the London Free Press this weekend (which I can't find online) where a series of questions was asked to the chairs of both the MMP and FPTP campaign. One question was what was the biggest problem with this referendum campaign. The MMP guy said the lack of information/education about MMP... which I think is understandable. But he went on to say that since the Citizen's Assembly on Electoral Reform voted 94-8 in favour of MMP, the popular vote should be in the same proportion (ie. 92% in favour of MMP). If it was less, he said, then the only explanation is that people didn't know about it. Since I couldn't find the article online to recheck it, I suppose there's a chance that I misread it... But if memory serves me correct, what arrogance! I suppose it couldn't possibly be because people don't like it? Anyway, that just stuck in my head.

The Changing Of The Seasons

So, the unseasonable (read: unbelievably) hot weather could have only meant one thing this past weekend. It's time to put the hard top back on the Jeep! Yes, as counter-intuitive as it seemed, I rode around with the top down one last time this weekend and then sealed it up for another winter. I think it might have been the first time I've had to use air-conditioning while the hard top is on (not counting the defroster). So, for everyone who missed out on some topless fun this summer, you'll now have to wait until next May.

There are only two seasons: Hard top and Soft top.

Today, We're All Undefeated

Glorious day! Tonight is the first game of the curling season. As it's the first game, tonight's match will only be an practice game, but it's the perfect opportunity to match last season's win total. Stay tuned...

The Yellow Tape

Last week, I finally bought myself of the Barenaked Ladies' pre-"Gordon" indie tape, known as the Yellow Tape. I got it for $16 on eBay, which, thanks to the flying-high Canadian Dollar, only cost me $16. It includes pre-"Gordon" versions of "Be My Yoko Ono", "Brian Wilson", "Blame It On Me", and "If I Had $1000000". Also, there's a cover of Public Enemy's "Fight The Power" for some reason.

The only drawback is that I had to get out and hook up my old stereo to be able to listen to it, since it's the only tape-deck I have. Now I just have to find some way of getting it on my computer. It seems my current computer only has mono sound input (ie. a microphone jack) and no stereo input (line-in). Anyway, those problems are small potatoes compared to the sheer awesomeness of this tape.

Slurpee Conditions Report

Today's Slurpee conditions are reported as: Excellent as of 8:00pm this evening.

Going Medieval

At the last minute, I was offered a ticket to go to Medieval Times tonight by Jessica to be a substitute for a bachelorette party (just don't ask). Not being a fool, I accepted, as Medieval Times is something I always wanted to check out. It was a really good time too... a good mix of cheesy theatre, choreographed battles, horses, and eating with your hands. Yeah, it was good.

But it also gave me a chance to really put my new GPS unit to work. After dropping my passengers off after the dinner/show somewhere near U of T, I told my GPS to direct me home. Along this route, I encountered not one, but two road closures in the city. As soon as it realized I wasn't taking the route it suggested, the GPS recalculted a new route... just like that. What a time saver not having to pull over and get out my map (hoping, of course, that my City of Toronto map is even in the car at that particular moment). Yep, I'm happy with that purchase.

Cleaning Out My Closet

So, I've found some resolve within myself to start straightening up my apartment. Not just cleaning, but organizing and/or getting rid of junk. My task started in my bedroom, where I've piled boxes of stuff in the closet... interesting stuff that does not have much use. I was surprised at some of the things stored within the boxes... a lot of school items, not just from University, but from High School as well. There were some notes, some group photographs from residence and from camp (both Hermosa and IMC), and things from the computer/internet guy job I had at the Mallroad Library in Sarnia back in the summer of 1998. But I think the most interesting thing I came across is the Vocational Interest Survey I did back when I was in OAC, right before deciding on what programs to apply to for University. Want to know what the computer said I'd be good at?

Out of 27 occupations, I ranked highest in Performing Arts, Physical Science and Teaching with scores of 93, 93, and 92, respectively out of 100. Where did Engineering rank? Sixth, with a score of 76 behind Mathematics and Human Relations. You want to know what I ranked lowest on? Social Services with a score of 5 out of 100. I just found it fascinating and a little nostalgic.

Oh, So THAT'S Where I Am

New toy! After seeing one in action in my coworker's car, last night I decided to pick myself up a GPS unit. It's great, because it can tell me how to get to the grocery store without getting lost... finally!

It's Pronounced With A "V", Stupid!

I finally got to go down to visit the brand newest Wilson, Daefyd, on Monday. He mostly slept... what a lazy kid. Also, Randy and I got to deliver Patrick and Lindsay's baby pool winnings. Most people have paid up, so they got a nice little baby bonus from all you chronic gamblers. I took no pictures, so you have to trust me that money changed hands. Anyway, Daefy is a cutie (as babies tend to be)... and he only threw up a couple times... which was pretty cool of him. In fact, he was pretty cool and low-key the entire time... which is more than can be said about Spicy.

Because one should aspire to be in Hamilton as little as possible, I made the visit in conjunction with a trip to the Ti-Cats/Argos game. Now most of you know that I must cheer for the Tiger Cats forever, since I drank out of their Grey Cup back in 1999 (for those of you who don't know the story, or if you just want to re-read it, I direct you to the blog post retelling of the story here). However, they're awful and it was the Argonauts that were victorious on this day. I can't feel too too bad, because before the game I got to briefly chat to an Argo cheerleader before the game (as she was selling me one of their calendars... how am I to say "no"?). Yeah, that was pretty much a high point right there.

He Can Talk!

So, I was away this weekend, so I wasn't able to use my XBox 360 for a couple days. This apparently made it very sad, as it explains on it's blog.

Hot Gaming Action

So, here's an unexpected twist to my purchase of an XBox 360... Between it and my Plasma TV, they both pump out enough heat that it gets quite warm in my living room after a while. It always did with my TV while watching movies, but now it's considerably quicker. Thank goodness for my AC.

It's Game Time!

So, long story short... I bought myself an XBox 360 last night. I won't go into the details of incompatibility issues I was having with the HDMI connection to my Dell TV, so let's just say this... It's game time!

Less Is Less

Let this be a lesson to you... if you need 40 feet of ethernet cable and decide on buying a 50 foot cable, don't go and buy a 25 foot cable thinking it's going to be enough. Trust me, it isn't.

Muse-ings

Last night I received an early birthday present from Kyler. He took me to see Muse in concert in Mississauga. Now I can't say I knew much of them before the show, except that I was listening to the songs on the player on their website all day long beforehand. Anyway, they put on a really kick-ass show. I think they made a new fan. Thanks Kyler!

Have I Mentioned How Much I Love My Bed?

It's been a while since I've been for-real camping, and this past weekend I went interior canoe camping in Algonquin Park. I went up on Friday with Matt and Jen, we rented our canoe and kayak at the Portage Store on Canoe Lake and made the 3.5 hour trek (including one portage) to Bartlett Lake for some quality time in the wilderness. Nory and Robin joined us on Sunday and we all went back together on Monday. Luckily for us, we were the only people who camped on Bartlett Lake that weekend, so not only did that give us the pick of the sites, but it also meant that we had the place to ourselves. Here is a shot from our campsite of Bartlett Lake in the morning. Funny story... after I posted some pictures to Facebook, Ryan Bremner sent me a message saying that he had stayed at that exact campsite just a few summers before. Nice coincidence.

On Monday, we trekked back to Canoe Lake, but first made a stop at the Tom Thompson Memorial Cairn for a photo op.

Anyway, I had a great time, thanks to the planning that Matt and Jen put into things (since I didn't have the slightest clue as to what was going to go on). The lessons I learned include: I definitely enjoy my comforts of modern living... especially my bed; I'm apparently a toilet paper fiend, as I ended up having to borrow on the last day there; and finally, apparently I'm still capable of reading a book... all I need is absolutely nothing else to do.

It's Unsolicited Survey Time Again!

The last two weeks have been really fun. I've been working down in Niagara Region doing supervision of a travel survey at the bridges to the USA. Once again, we were pulling people over, and asking them where they're coming from and going to, etc. The difference between this job and others like it, is that this one runs 24 hours a day in each location (instead of just the afternoon peak period). We had 3 8-hour shifts each day, but us lucky supervisors did 12-hour shifts. I suppose I shouldn't complain too much, as being a supervisor, I didn't actually have to ask the survey questions. Most people were very accommodating, but there's still a too large segment of the population who are just... angry. Seriously, you didn't expect any delays to happen at the border? Just chill out, politely refuse, and then wait until the person in front of you is done their survey because no, you can't drive through the coned off area where my surveyors are standing.

Oh and by the way, in case you angry drivers are wondering, yes we do have the authority to pull you over to ask you to participate in a survey according to Section 26.1 of the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act.

Don't Quit My Day Job

I went out today for my first full round of 18 holes this season.

Shot me a 39 over par.

I guess I'm in danger of losing my PGA Tour card for next year.

I Know Where I've Seen This Before

Still on this Predators to Hamilton thing... It's been suggested that to ensure that attendance stays low so the Predators can get out of their lease with the city of Nashville, they can do a couple things: raise the prices of tickets to an insane amount of money, or put the crappiest team on the ice possible so no one comes to watch.

If the latter turned out to be the case, wouldn't that be quite the credibility problem for the NHL? Thinking about this possibility got me thinking that I've seen this somewhere before... then it hit me. The movie Major League. You remember that one... it has Charlie Sheen as the "Wild Thing". The owner of the Cleveland Indians wanted to move them to Miami (this was before the Florida Marlins) so she got rid of all the good players and got a bunch of nobodies. Life imitates Hollywood, I guess. I'd go see Major League 4: Ice Cold.

Hamilton Predators

Hey look, I found my blog! I was wondering where that went.

So anyway, the following topic is one which I've been following with great interest over the last few weeks, but I wasn't sure of what to say about it. I'm still not, but there's a post-shaped void in my blog that needs to be filled.

I'm sure by now, we've all heard the news that Jim Balsille (CEO of RIM and generally filthy rich) has almost finalized a deal to purchase the Nashville Predators... a team that is quite good, but is ripe for relocation because of poor attendance. Right now, barring a bunch of tickets being sold in Nashville (unlikely), it looks like a foregone conclusion that the team will move to Hamilton. Hamilton, a city that been baited with the prospect of having an NHL team many times before. This potential move has been discussed a great deal, especially on Prime Time Sports, which I listen to frequently. Most people think another NHL team in southern Ontario will thrive with a base of hockey fans and corporations that are basically shut out of being able to go see Toronto Maple Leaf games.

I'm here to tell you that it won't be the grand success that some are making it out to be.

Of course, I think a team will be able to operate and stay afloat, but it just won't be a smashing success... and I'll tell you why.

Let's go back to December when Balsille was about to purchase the Pittsburg Penguins, which eventually fell through, but the word on the street was the his intentions were to move the team to southern Ontario... initially, the speculation centreing around Hamilton. But then the speculation started to change, and since this guy's done a bunch of stuff in Waterloo (keeping RIM here, doing things with the university, etc), the new rumour was that he wanted to actually have a team somewhere in K-W. Personally, I thought, "Yeah right... it'd be cool, but no chance". Eventually, the Penguins deal fell through and that was that... until the Predators deal came along.

Since the Predators could easily be moved as their lease would be easy to get out of due to attendance, speculation was flying much more than before on the team being moved to S. Ontario. But this time, the bulk of the speculation focused on K-W. It's at this point I made my mistake... I bought into the rumours of a NHL team in town here in Waterloo, and I got excited about the prospect. Well, then the deal with Hamilton came to light and I thought, "I'm not going to switch allegiances for a team in Hamilton". And that's when it struck me, and this bring me back to my point about how a team in Southern Ontario won't be a huge success... If I won't switch loyalties to a team in Hamilton, what's to make someone who's not from K-W root for a team here if this was the final destination. The answer is... nothing. This area is full of hockey fans, but they already have their favorite teams, be it the Leafs, Red Wings, Canadiens, Sabres, Senators, or miscellaneous. The only core fans a new team here can hope to get are the ones in the actual city the team moves to.

So, Hamilton... have your NHL team... you'll do alright. But you can't count on hordes of fans coming from Waterloo Region, Brantford, London, Mississauga, etc.

Of course, maybe I'm just bitter that the impossible dream isn't going to become a reality.

On My Way To Riches

Finally, for the first time since... ever, I won money at the horse track last night. I won BIG too! I think I came out about $4 ahead after all was said and done. I owe it all to my new strategy of... nah, I'm not gonna say... I don't want you all to move in on my new source on income.

Canada's Wonderland

Last Thursday I went to Canada's Wonderland with Joel. I witnessed first hand the gloriousness of going to an amusement park on a weekday in May. Besides a 20 minute wait for The Bat and a 15 minute wait for Thunder Run, everything was basically a walk-on (or at the most only waiting for 2 rides). Foolishly, we went a little hardcore in going from one ride to the next... without waits in line, we got wiped out really fast and left the park at around 4:30. But by early afternoon, we had ridden everything.

The company who owns Cedar Point now owns Wonderland after buying all the Paramount Parks. One would hope that some new construction would be on the way for Wonderland. While it does have a nice variety of rides, it lacks some super-spectacular rides.

Driver's Ed

Last night, a brief but nasty storm inevitably left a couple traffic signals on flash mode.

Pop quiz, hotshot: If you're approaching a traffic light that's flashing yellow (amber) do you...
a) proceed through the intersection with caution or
b) treat the intersection as an all-way stop?

If you said a), congratulations and thank you. If you said b), you are like all the other drivers I saw on the road last night. Learn the rules, people! You're mixing this up with when the power is out completely and there are no lights on. I driving along Univerisity Ave, and the lights at Seagram (the entrance of UW) are on flash. There's about 10 cars in front of me, and they all come to a complete stop while we had the flashing yellow, even though there was no one waiting on Seagram. Then a car came to a stop on Seagram and the people in front of me stopped and let him go first. Quite frustrating... there's wasn't that much traffic, so he'd only have to wait another 10 seconds.

Treat it like a (non all-way) stop sign.

Don't believe me? Take a refresher course from the Driver's Handbook.

The Second Season

Most of us have been taught that there are four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn. But I'm here to tell you that all of you have been misled. In a vast conspiracy of misinformation with the intent to confuse the general population, a four season universe has been forced upon us. I don't fully understand the motivation for the conspirators... profit, perhaps... power, maybe... women, you never know... free candy, most likely... but whatever the reason, I'm here to blow this thing wide open. Prepare yourselves, for I have seen the truth! It struck me today... there are only two seasons: Hard-top and Soft-top. And today marked the first day of Soft-top.

Im Iliterit

I made a big step towards reducing the waste in my apartment. I cancelled my subscription to the KW Record. Truth is, I wasn't really reading it everyday (except for the comics) and it piled up really fast, which made my trips down to the recycling room more often than I want. The bonus is that the Record is offered online in full in pdf format for a 1/4 of the cost of delivery. So, I may go with that... since it goes so well with my tallscreen monitor.

This is riveting stuff here, folks.

New Toy!

After almost a year of reading reviews, researching features, and deciding if I actually want to spend money, I finally bought myself a new video camera... A Canon HV20. This particular model is a high-definition camcorder. It took me a while to realize I should go with the HD instead of the SD... and I'm not disappointed. I got to test it out this afternoon at a BBQ at Dan and Faith's. It's about 2 minutes of recording meat on the grill and a baby being humourously fed. But the image is spectacular. Unfortunately, I don't have the firewire cord to get the clips onto my computer or the necessary harddrive space... yet. So, there's no sample to show you and you'll just have to take my word for it. Now all I need are some good ideas to use it for.

Shaun Of The Dead

Who did I lend out my DVD of Shaun of the Dead to? I was looking for it today and I couldn't find it. Then I vaguely recalled lending it out to someone, but I didn't write down who.

Anybody?

(May 3 update) It's been located

Double TP

Are you pondering what I'm pondering?

Instead of buying the usual noname 2-ply toilet paper, I went out on a limb and bought the noname 2-ply DOUBLE ROLL toilet paper. It would seem to me that this roll would last twice as long as the other stuff. But it's so very hard to tell. I haven't taken a stop watch to it yet. I must find out whether or not I'm getting the biggest TP bang for my TP buck.

I feel a totally scientific experiment coming on.

It Seems Really Dry In Here

There seems to be a lack of water in my apartment these days... a lack of water flooding my kitchen. While I was gone to Atlanta last week, the super in my apartment finally got a plumber in to fix the water leak that was happening above my sink-area. They took out a piece of pipe that is the hard-water line to the apartments above me. It turns out that that pipe was indeed the problem (we really weren't sure, we were just guessing) as it had a small crack which was causing the problem. I got to see the removed piece of pipe myself when I got back and the super was telling me about how there are basically two types of pipes that could have been installed (I didn't pay too much attention to the detail), but it seems that the leaky pipe was of the cheaper, lower-quality type... and that's what was used to fit the entire building back when it was built back in the 70's. So while this chapter is done, look for the coming sequel... Water Leak 2: The Walls Are Weeping. Hopefully in a different apartment than mine.

I've gotta buy a house.

2 New Items For The Price Of 1 Post

I recently bought myself a new webcam. My old one was, well... old, and it didn't fit on my new LCD monitor.

I also got my new glasses today (finally). They're not too much different from my old one, shape-wise, But they're a little wider, so the arms aren't pinching the side of my head as much.

So, with my new webcam, I took a picture of me with my new glasses (how's that for efficiency?). What do you think?

Atlanta Post Transistioning Into Curling Post

I finished up my Vissim class on Friday, and made my way back to the airport via subway (I still didn't get mugged... go figure). My flight was delayed by an hour and I had a raging headache while waiting for the plane. It was probably a combination of dehydration, hunger, and staring at a computer all day. I broke down finally and bought some crappy airport Burger King, some tylenol, and a bottle of water. The tylenol only partially got rid of my headache and the drinking made me have to pee really bad when I was on the plane. Other than that, it was another great flight. I'm loving those video-on-demand touchscreens. This time I watched a movie called "For Your Consideration", but I didn't like it that much. Plus, they turned off the video with five minutes to go in the movie for landing, so I didn't get to see if there was any payoff.

I got back early Saturday morning (1:30am) and was able to make my afternoon curling game. (I went from Atlanta to Curling in one single post... I hope you can handle it, Tim)

It was our consolation game as my team lost it's first playoff game on Thursday (while I was away). Again, we lost. However, personally, I think I played a pretty decent game... my draw weight was pretty on for not playing in more than a week. But anyway, this game marked the end of the season... so no more curling until October. I know, I know... be brave and just try to hold on.

Atlanta: Day 2

Current Status: Being killed... with kindness

This morning I got up after not sleeping very much. I don't know why exactly, but I never can seem to get to sleep the day before I do something that's out of my routine... especially when it involves being on time for something. Anyway, the hotel provides a free shuttle service, so I went down to the lobby with lots of time to spare until the 8am shuttle left. The lady at the reception desk said that the driver will come into the lobby and see who needs a ride. Well, I waited until 8 in the lobby, and then decided to check out front... and sure enough, the shuttle was about to leave without checking in the lobby. Oh well, I made it on time.

The course itself is nothing much special. It's just learning a new kind of traffic simulation software. However, it's needed as this software is quite complicated to operate.

After getting back to the hotel after class, I went out to look for a restaurant for dinner and I came across Fuddruckers, which is next door to the hotel. They advertise the world's best burger, and to tell the truth it was quite good. The setup is a little weird though... kind of a cross between fast food and a casual restaurant. You order your burger like you would at a fast food joint, but then you have a seat in the dining room while they cook it up. Then they call your name and you pick it up and put your toppings on yourself. Then you go back and eat in the restaurant style dining room. Interesting to say the least.

Then I went to the Best Buy next door, just to see what was there. Not any different from our Best Buy in Canada. But this is where I discovered that the people down here are the some of the friendliest y'all will ever meet. First, this guy asks me a question... but I have no idea what he's saying. I think he thought that he knew me from university. So I said "no", and when I told him I was from Canada, he toned down the accent for me. Then another guy struck up a conversation with me while looking at the PS2 game and we chatted it up for a good 10 minutes. Turns out he was an engineer as well, so it's not surprising that he was a good guy. But anyway, we're a friendly and polite people in Canada, but in a different way. These people are freakishly outgoingly friendly. It's nice, but I'm sure it'd wear on me after a little while.

Oh yeah, it was 21° and sunny today, and tommorrow, it's supposed to be pretty much the same. The weather break is well worth the price of the plane ticket and hotel... that work paid for me.

Atlanta: Day 1

Current status: Not mugged

Well, here I am in Atlanta. I was picked up at 1:30 this afternoon and driven to the airport in Toronto. The driver was informed that the 401 was slow, so we took back ways until Guelph Line. I think the guy is a little high strung as a driver. He was shaking his head and muttering at everything he saw on the road (even if it didn't involve him) and at everything he heard on his radio. Just riding with him was putting me on edge.

But we got there eventually, and I got to look clueless searching for the check-in for US flights. Oh well, this is the first time I've flown solo. The flight was nice on Air Canada. Each seat had a touchscreen television with on-demand programming. I watched Eragon and an episode of the Twilight Zone.

Then I rode the subway clear across the city. It took about 45 minutes in all. After I got to the right station, it was dark out and I had to walk to the hotel. It wasn't far... about 5 minutes, but still, I had to find my way out of a parking garage at a mall and walk down a street that was under repair (ie. no sidewalks) and not many streetlights. The area is like a technology park/hotel district/shopping area, so it wasn't that shady... but still.

It Was A Memorable Ride, But It's Over Now

0 for 19? Heck no! The streak is over. On the last day of the curling regular season, we are now 1 and 18! Boo yeah. And we did it in style too. We shook hands after 6 ends after we went up 12-2. The streak is over, and a new one begins...

1 game winning streak.

Back To A Student's Life

I went back to school today... Just for a day though. Everyone from work came to Waterloo today to learn a different software package. I sat in a classroom in E2 and was taught by a former prof of mine. It's was kind of a cool feeling really. I haven't walked through my old school much since graduating, even though I live just around the corner. I even saw a classmate of mine. I felt kinda bad because I didn't stop to chat... I just said hi because we were walking in different directions, but still, I never see people from class. There are a few new buildings and additions since I was there, but essentially it's still the same. One thing that surprised me was that today was the last day of the term, so it was kinda quiet in the halls. Doesn't April 3rd seem early for the last day of term? Especially since the winter term has reading week. And apparently, engineers get a whole week for reading week now, not just reading two-days. It'd be nice if they did that four years ago. YIPES! Four years?!? Oh well. Bonus: Had lunch at Mongolian Grill.

LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!

Made you look? HA! Well, it looks like you fell victim to my latest and greatest April Fool's Day prank.

Ok, so I guess I'm a little uninspired this year. That joke was really buttfor.

Seriously though, look behind you.

Redeem Your Tickets Now!

So, guaranteeing a win didn't work. In fact, it had the opposite effect... We were shut out for the first time ever. 9-0. It'll all be over soon. I miss the days when I only had lost 16 in a row.

Guaranteed Win Night

I declare that tonight, March 29, 2007 to be guaranteed win night. Write it down and use a pen, it's as good as done. My curling team will win our match tonight, or else you can redeem your ticket stub for a free ticket to a future game.

Yep, Sure Was Nice Out There

Like an old person in an elevator, let me talk about the weather. Since we just had our first day of above 20 degree weather, I can't help but to eagerly anticipate the ceremonial switching of the hardtop with the softtop on my Jeep. Yep, because then I'll be cruisin' with the top down. Oh yeah, and you'll all be wanting a ride and I'll be like "too bad", and you'll be like "jerk", and then I'll be all "dude, I didn't mean it. I was just joking", and you'll be like "but that hurt my feelings", and then I'll be like "I'm sorry. please come for a ride. I'm so lonely", and then you'll be all "OK!", and then we'll take off the doors and crank up the Lightfoot.

Oh yeah... summertime

Seriously, This Just Isn't Funny Anymore

My favourite number is 16, and now it's also the number of losses in a row since the start of the curling season. 0 for 16... Batting .000... Losing a lot... Who else has a creative way of putting it?

All Is Well

Nothing to report.

Trebuchet: Reloaded

As I had nothing to do tonight, I finally got around to finishing the compilation video from Trebuchet Weekend '06. Now there are photos included as well as video footage from the firing position. Enjoy.

Drain Drops Keep Falling On My Head

Adventures in apartment rental continue. A few months ago, I woke up to find that the counter and cupboards above my sink to be drenched with water. After informing my super and doing some investigating, it was found that there was a leak of some sort in a water pipe above my kitchen that was dripping water. Fortunately, we were able to put a bucket underneath the drip and (for a slight reduction in rent) I emptied it every couple days. Eventually, the bucket stopped filling up, and while I noticed that the pipe was still wet, there was no water going into the bucket. Therefore, the water was clinging to the pipe and I couldn't do anything about it anymore.

Then for a while, nothing happened.

However, this week the flow increased and someone two floors below me was noticing a wet carpet. The problem was traced back to the original problem from a few months ago. Of course, there was nothing that could be done to catch the water because it was flowing down the side of the pipe, instead of dripping few inches away from it. Or was there?



Well, after all that, it looks like the water has stopped flowing for now and that the water pipe will be replaced. So, sometime in the near future, there'll be some plumbing work going on here. Hurray for inconvenience.

Light Pillars... That's Kinda Cool

So, I was driving back into Waterloo on Sunday night around 9:15, and as I was exiting Highway 7/8 at Trussler, I noticed that there was some sort of spotlight pointing up into the air, not unlike the ones that the casinos use, except this one wasn't moving back and forth. I thought it to be kind of odd because there isn't much interesting in this end of town. Anyway, I drive closer to the source and realize that this "spotlight" is actually just an ordinary floodlight at a used car lot (at Highland & Glasgow). How very strange, I thought, it doesn't seem to be a spotlight at all. But the light certainly was shooting straight up into the air, quite brightly too, I might add. Anyway, I didn't think anything more of this and probably wouldn't have remembered it if I didn't happen to come across the UW Weather Station page, where in the side margin, there was a blurb about what had happened. It says, For anybody who was outside on Feb 18 between about 8 and 10 pm you might have seen a neat atmospheric phenomena called a light pillar. This is when ice crystals make it appear that any light source on the ground extends into the sky." The page give a link to this site which explains light pillars. Pretty cool.

Still Got It

My team won both of our games on Saturday at the Big Brother's bonspiel to win our draw. Of course, the win was just symbolic as there wasn't actually anything to win. Also, I'm not going to draw attention to the fact that all of our opponents never curl. So, let me just revel in the fact that I was on a winning curling team for the first time since last April.

Giving To Charity And Giving Me Curling Practice

This weekend I'm in a charity bonspiel (aka curling tournament) for make benefit Big Brothers of Sarnia-Lambton. I had to raise enough money to be able to participate in the event. I've fortunately made that goal, but any bit helps, as it's a good cause. So, if you're in a charitable mood, you can donate online here or if you can't do it that way you can let me know and you can make an old-fashioned cheque or cash pledge. (the online method is definitely preferred, though). Anyway, if you decide to donate, it's much appreciated. Thanks.

Getting Back At The Laundry

Previously on Matt's Blog Is Stupid... Matt lamented on the "leaving wallet in pants when washing them" incident.

So, this week, it was time to get revenge. Revenge in the form of free use of the dryers. I had to recall one of the few remembered skills I learned while in university and make sure no one else was in the laundry room. While I won't get into specifics right now, I saved myself $2 and I didn't have to deplete my rare and precious stash of loonies. I gotta take some photos next time and I'll give an instructional how-to soon.

Laundering Money 101

I left my wallet in my pant, which I think washed. Oops. Oh well, at least most of the content of my wallet are plastic and I didn't actually have any cash.

Conspiracy - 1, Insanity - 0

So, it turns out that there was an alarm clock in the apartment below mine. When the super said he had checked with them, it turns out he actually called the apartment four floors below mine. So, it looks like it's gonna be all straightened away now. Hurrah!

Crank It To 11... Then Rip Off The Knob

Or... maybe just lose 11 straight games.

More Award Winning Commercials

I went to see the winners of the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival at the Princess Cinema last night, as I have for the past few years. There weren't any Canadian ones this year, that I noticed, but I did recognize a few from either US television or from the internet. Anyway, here are a few (the rise of YouTube certainly made this easier this year):

Coca-Cola - "What Goes Around"
Axe - "Coinage"
Amora Hot Ketchup - "Marian", "Spider"
Combos Pretzels - "Grace"
Nike - "R10 Crossbar"
Honda - "Choir"
Canal+ - "March Of The Emperor"

Conspiracy or Insanity

So, there's either a conspiracy against me or I'm going completely insane. Since I've gotten back to Waterloo after my vacation, there's been an alarm going off in someone's apartment near mine every night from midnight until 2am. It's a pretty faint noise, but at that time when all is quiet and I'm trying to fall asleep, it's quite noticeable. At first, I thought it was coming from the apartment above me, since ususally, sound travels down in apartments. So, I brought it to the attention of my super, and he said that the guy above me works midnights, so it's a good possibility that he's not home when it goes off. Turns out, however, that it's not coming from his apartment....

So, the night before last I do some more investigating, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. It's very hard to tell exactly which direction it's coming from in my apartment, because it's coming through the walls and therefore seems to be coming from everywhere. So, I head out into the hallways and discover I can't hear it outside my apartment. Same thing about the floor above me. However, I can hear it when I stand outside the apartment below me. So, this leads me to think that it's the apartment below me that the offending alarm resides. I notify the super with the new information....

This morning (after the alarm still persisting last night), I get a call from my super saying the people below me say it's not coming from their apartment.

This noise has to be coming from somewhere, and I guarantee it's not coming from my apartment (and by guarantee, I mean pretty sure). And why am I the only one who hears it? Wouldn't someone else hear it too? Of course, most people are older in my building and therefore are asleep at midnight. But wouldn't the people living in the apartment where it's coming from hear it at some point? So, either there are some who are conspiring against me to keep the alarm on or... I've gone completely insane. Probably from lack of sleep from hearing this alarm.

So Close... Yet No.

Well, it's official. The losing streak has reached double digits. Ten in a row. But this one last night was especially painful to lost. We started off the game by stealing point in the first three ends to lead 3-0. Then we gave up four points... but still, it was only 4-3. We then took one point and then stole one to get back the lead 5-4. Then we gave up another four-point end to lose the game 8-5. So close, so very very close.

Forget 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, & 42... The Only Number That Matters Is 24

I don't really mean that... I love Lost. But that's not what this is about. A brand new kick ass season of 24 starts tomorrow night! 2 hours tomorrow and 2 hours Monday to start things off. It's as action packed and suspenseful as any movie that is out right now... except it lasts for 24 hours! Actually, it's more like 17 1/2 hours after commercials are taken into account, but still, that's a freakin' long movie. I've been trying to catch up with the earlier seasons that I missed, on DVD, so right now I'm trying to burn through Season 2 this weekend before Season 6 starts, because I don't want to be following 2 stories at once. I'm running out of time!

Trying To Extend Our Win Streak To 1 Game

Thursday night... curling night.

Seven games (eight if you count the first week exhibition) into this season, and our team has yet to win a game. It's really quite bad. I think part of the problem this year is that all of us on our team only curl one night a week, whereas most of the players on the other teams play on different nights, so they're much more practiced. And really each game of ours follows the same pattern: we give up points in the first couple ends and then have to come from behind the rest of the game. Really, the rest of the game isn't usually that bad, but we've never been able to quite make the complete comeback, and we've lost some pretty close games this year so far. Last week was the first game we had played after six weeks off, and it showed. Anyway, back at it tonight.

On another note, has anyone (who has a blog) switched to the "new" blogger (which used to be Blogger Beta)? Any problems? Do you like it? I assume my template won't work anymore and I'd have to customise a new one, so that's why I'm hesitant.

Just Sit Right Back And You'll Hear A Tale...

Warning: Long post ahead... Stick with it, there's a prize at the end!

Well, I suppose a post is long overdue detailing my Christmas vacation. As my last post indicated, I went cruising this year over Christmas with the Fam. We left on Saturday, December 23rd from Fort Lauderdale, FL on the ms Zuiderdam of Holland-America Line. First let me get a summary of the entire post out of the way...

Cruising is all kinds of awesome.

Anyway, from Ft. Lauderdale we sailed (without technically sailing) to the privately owned (by the cruise line) island of Half Moon Cay (pronounced "Key") in the Bahamas. Being a private island, every service there was provided by the cruise ship. There were a couple bars and shops, but mainly there was the beach. And it was the best beach I saw all trip (ergo, the best beach I've ever seen). I should mention that at all ports of call, there were "shore excursions" that one can sign up for (for a fee, of course). At this particular location, I did no such shore excursion and spent my time sitting on the beach and wandering through the island, and it was the best way to start the week, I think.

The next day was Christmas, and we spent the entire day at sea (hence, I had time to make my previous post). They had a good amount (ie. not too many) of Christmas decorations on board. They also had a couple special Christmas shows that they performed on Christmas Eve. The shows stood out in my mind a little bit, and I'll tell you why. Every night there is a live show, whether it be a musical show or a comedian or magician, etc. There were three musical shows put on by their cast, and they're probably the same shows the put on week after week, all rehearsed to a T. But the Christmas Eve show was one that they'll only put on once, and yet it was just as good as the other shows. Of course, they were singing Christmas songs, so it's not like they really had to learn the music. But still, it stuck in my head. Also, since it was a Christmas cruise, there was a healthy mix of ages on board (not just old people as is the cruising reputation, earned or not), including children... So, the ship had Santa pay a visit on Christmas morning. Hurray!

Onward we go to Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Here I did a shore excursion with the whole family, which was a historical/sightseeing tour. We saw the island from Paradise Point, we went to Drake's Seat, and then to Blackbeard's Castle. It was a bit busy there, but not terribly so... after all, it was the day after Christmas, so everyone might have been out doing their shopping. Anyhoo...

On to the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Tortola is a much more laid back island (but then again, I think it's a bit poorer too) and the scenery is simply gorgeous. Having said that, all the islands in the Caribbean are beautiful, really. While in the BVI, Kier, Kyler and me took a shore excursion to The Baths on Virgin Gorda to do some snorkeling and swimming. The defining characteristic of The Baths are huge boulders on shore and in the water where there are coral. I have never snorkeled in a tropical setting before, so I loved it. I saw (and heard) fish, crabs on the rock, and I even saw a turtle and an octopus! It was also during this time that it rained for the only time (that I noticed) on the trip, which lasted for all of 15 minutes, while I was in the water.

After leaving Tortola, we had another day at sea. It was during the times on board that we could participate in the many activities on board. The ship had two pools, one outside and one underneath a retractable roof (designed by the same people who did Skydome, apparently). There was also two theatres, three dining rooms, a nightclub, numerous bars and lounges, a library, an internet cafe, a souvenier shop, a duty free shop, a jewelery shop, a casino, and various sport facilities. And it the sports where we did most of our activities. You see they had an incentive program which give you "dam dollars" every time you participated in a designated event. The events included volleyball games, basketball games, miniature golf and chipping, etc. At the end of the cruise, we could trade in the dam dollars for swag. So basically, we were being paid to play games. At the end of the cruise, I came away with a hat and a t-shirt. Sweet.

We then arrived in Nassau, The Bahamas. Here I didn't do a shore excursion and instead wandered the town with Kyler and Kier (for a bit, before she went to swim with the dolphins). We went to the straw market, which was the congregation of all the merchants of souvenir-type goods. It was crowded and it smelled. The thing that struck me the most about Nassau was the aggressiveness of the merchants, especially the ones on the street. Not to mention the sheer insanity of the drivers. All in all, Nassau the town was unimpressive. However, I didn't go across the bay to Paradise Island, where all the big resorts are. I've heard it's nice there.

The next day were were back in Fort Lauderdale and as we had about 11 hours to kill before our flight left, we decided to take one last shore excursion... this time to take an airboat ride through the Florida Everglades at the Sawgrass Recreation Park. That was pretty cool. We saw a couple of alligators in the Everglades and then a few more in the habitats they had set up. Also, there was a baby tiger, lynx, and panther. That was a good way to wind up the trip.

So, in closing, I had a fabulous week. I'd recommend cruising to anyone. You can do as much or as little as you want, and the service was top notch. Thanks Mom and Dad! Now for the prize I promised at the start. It's a photo album of selected photos that I put together. Click below to see!

2006 Cruise