Light Pillars

I was driving home from the Kitchener Rangers/Owen Sound Attack game last Friday (go Platers!) and what do I see? Light Pillars! This is a cool atmospheric phenomenon which is caused by light being reflected off of tiny ice crystals in the sky. In this case, the light is coming from lights on the ground, mostly flood lights, etc. This is the second time I've seen them, and this time wasn't as spectacular as the first, but this time I could get to my apartment and take some photos. It may seem that the pillars are just reflections on the camera lens, but they're not. If you look closely there's many of them in the sky, and you can't see the light source on the ground for some of them. Check it out...

Reason 1701 I Love Garfield minus Garfield

It doesn't just speak to me, it speaks for me.

Cutting The Cord

Today, I did something I never thought that I'd do. I cancelled my cable TV. I didn't replace with with another package, or switch to satellite, but cancelled it completely. For someone who likes his TV as much as me, this is a big step. But why would I do such a thing?

Well, for starters, my current package costs me nearly $100 per month ($98.73 to be exact). That included basic cable, HDTV channels, DVR rental, etc. That's alot, considering my second point...

I don't watch too many shows on a regular basis. Right now, I usually just watch The Office, The Daily Show, Colbert Report, and South Park, and all of those I can see legitimately on their respective network's websites. Now, in the new year a few of my favourites are starting back up: Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and 24 so I'll have to figure out ways to get them, which I don't think will be a problem.

My last reason is that I was finding myself simply turning on the TV and watching whatever was on when I had nothing to do. I never ended up watching anything that I really liked and if I didn't have the TV option I could do some other things, like finish transferring our old home videos to DVD or watch some DVDs that I've been meaning to get to for a while.

So, there I go. We'll see how it goes. Now, while I called to cancel today, it doesn't actually get shut off until the 18th since that's the end of the billing cycle. That works out for me, since after that I'll probably be in Sarnia for most of the holidays.

And, if you were wondering, this is what I was refering to when I said I was thinking the unthinkable in my facebook status about 2 weeks ago... I just didn't think it would take this long.

Back To The Cold

Well, I'm back from my week in the Dominican. What a great week. I've rarely had a vacation where I actually felt like I was relaxing... and that's all I did. The entire group of people I met on the trip down there were a blast. The resort itself had a few areas it could have been better, but really it was a great place. I have no pictures to share, since I was assigned the role of videographer, but maybe I'll get a clip or two uploaded. Or perhaps I can snag some photos from the countless number of people who took pictures down there.

I had hoped that the resort would have been a little more "24 hours" than they advertised... there was no food after 2am and no good food after 10pm, the pool closed at 6, and the drinks stopped flowing at 2am. But those were minor annoyances, all in all. The thing I learned from this, my first all-inclusive resort vacation, is that what really matters is the group of people you go with, because that's what makes it fun.

I'm Outta Here... Dorks

Right now I'm in the car (not driving) heading to the airport. Why, you might ask? Because I'm going on vacation for a week to the Dominican Republic! This will be the first time I've done an all-inclusive resort thing. I'll have to tell you how it compares to a cruise when I get back.

How did this trip come about? Well, my friend, Dan Tidball is getting married there and arranged a sweet group rate deal. So, without any other vacation plans this year, how could I refuse?

I hope it's really cold in Canada this upcoming week. Nothing personal.

-----------------------------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device

Masters Of Curling

I'm just reminding everyone that starting tomorrow, the Masters of Curling event is back for another year at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex. I'll probably be going to a couple of the games, if anyone else wants to come with.

Newsflash! Local TV News Is Idiotic

Thanks to Patrick for telling me about this.

CTV Southwestern Ontario (formerly known as CKCO) reported on the new roundabout in Waterloo at the intersection of Margaret and Union. If you were to listen to their story, apparently it's chaos and disaster here as everyone is having trouble negotiating this new fangled roundabout. Check out their news report video here. Pay close attention to when the "reporter" said that the bus got stuck and having trouble. The thing is that the video shows the bus moving quite smoothly around the roundbout. Granted, the bus is travelling slower than it would at a normal intersection, but that's exactly what is supposed to happen... for every vehicle. Besides, if the bus driver misjudged the turn, the centre island is constructed to be mountable so large vehicles (buses, trucks, firetrucks, etc) can make the turn.

That brings me to the morons who cut straight over the centre island (apparently there's no rule that says you have to be smart to drive a smartcar). One of two things is happening here... it is a new roundabout and this could be those drivers' first time through it. If so, they're sure to not make the same mistake next time. Or the other possibility is that these drivers are the same ones that'll race through a just-turned-red light, or roll through a stop sign, or use highway onramps as passing lanes. There's just no way to completely idiot proof our roadways.

I don't know why CKCO is so anti-roundabout. They have been since the beginning. Are they simply that ignorant, or simply trying to get viewers riled up in an attempt to get ratings. Probably a little of both. The bottom line is that roundabouts, when used properly, are efficient and safe. We just need people to learn how to drive. You wouldn't be given a licence if you didn't know what the colours on the traffic signals meant, so what excuse is there to not know the rules of a roundabout.

I hope we see many, many more roundabouts in Waterloo region, and hopefully it spreads across the province.

A Lesson In Every Vote Counting

I just read that the recount in Kitchener-Waterloo has just finished and the Conservative Peter Braid's victory over incumbent Liberal Andrew Telegdi has been confirmed. After the recount, the margin of victory was just 17 votes. That kind of blows my mind, thinking about how the outcome could have gone 2 very different ways depending on the moods of a handful of people on election day.

And I've Never Been To Boston In The Fall

I'm having way too much fun with that lyric.

Anyway, here I am in Boston to do a training course for work. I'm here all week, so I have to figure out something to do to stave off the boredom. Where I'm staying is not quite in Boston, per se, but just outside of it in Newton, MA.

What's the deal with Air Canada Jazz? Why does it even exist? They use the same website to buy a ticket as Air Canada... They use the same gates at the same terminals as Air Canada. And, for the most part, they fly the same routes as Air Canada. Why not just have everything as Air Canada? For example, I booked a flight to Boston from Toronto on aircanada.com, and the flight time that I liked happened to be a Jazz flight. Nothing different than booking a regular Air Canada flight, just in name. Anyway, when I check-in at the airport, I was informed that my flight had been cancelled and replaced with another leaving at the same time. The only difference... this flight is regular Air Canada, instead of Jazz. Same price, same terminal, same departure time, same nifty touchscreen on-board video... just a different name. Again... what's the point in Jazz? Even if there are some routes that are only served by Jazz, why not just call them Air Canada?

Election Today! Vote!

Hey guys, just a reminder to get out and vote today.

I'm so very much looking forward to tonight. One of my favourite things is to watch election results roll in. I'll have my TV on with picture-in-picture and my laptop feeding me results beside me. Awesome!

I thought I had made up my mind on who I was voting for a few weeks ago, but switched late last week. From the looks of the polls, it seems there was great volatility in voter preferences over the last few weeks of the campaign (but not as much as in the stock market), so it'll be a very interesting result. Here are some predictions I've found around the net:

electionprediction.org has the results at 125 Conservative, 94 Liberal, 51 Bloc, 36 NDP, and 2 Independent.
Similarly, democraticspace.com has it at 126 C, 92 L, 52 B, 36 N, 2 I.
However, Ekos has their prediction at 136 C, 84 L, 51 B, 35 N, 2 I.

My gut feeling has the Conservatives in the mid 130's range, which agrees with Ekos. We'll see. I can't wait.

Two Weeks Of Games That Don't Count

I got a last minute e-mail to be a spare this week for curling (my team had a bye this week), and wouldn't you know it, I was on a winning team! That feels different. But the scoreboard at the side still won't change as this wasn't with my regular team. It's only fair since I didn't count the exhibition loss last week.

A Lot Can Change In 5 Years, But Not Necessarily

Today, October 6th marks exactly five years since I started working here at Paradigm Transportation Solutions. Think about that time frame... five years. In five years, I started and finished University... also high school, for that matter. Comparing those different periods, it's amazing how little things have changed in the past five years. I know that I'm fortunate to have such a stable career situation, and as far as I can tell, I should be here for the foreseeable future. Anyway, it's a day of celebration (by buying my own lunch out) and of reflection...

Today, We're All Undefeated

Curling starts tonight! Exciting times. And I get to use my brand new Curling pants!

Because My Hair Still Has To Look Its Shiniest

Well, I did it again. Those stupid Head and Shoulders conditioner bottles look so much like the shampoo bottles. Oh well, another month of soft, healthy hair for me. Maybe it's subconscious that I actually really want conditioner.

Roundabouts For Everyone!

I just got word from my Mom that the City of Sarnia and County of Lambton have approved Lambton County's very first roundabout at the intersection of Lakeshore Road and Mandaumin Road. I'm quite impressed with the local government there for recognizing that a roundabout is by far the best solution there. What's even better is that I'll get to use it quite often as it's right near my parent's house in Brights Grove.

It's too bad Middlesex county couldn't have been so smart when they put in a ridiculous signal at Nairn Rd (17) and Petty St (19) just south of Ailsa Craig... I always get stopped there now, and there's rarely anyone else around. It just wastes my time and my gas.

New Blog To Check Out

Well, it looks like someone else has gotten onto the whole blogging thing. Go to purdygirl.wordpress.com to check out Megan's new blog. It's got a very insightful post about the upcoming election and the level of apathy in our country.

I hope you keep up the blogging, not like some others I know of (yeah, I'm looking at you Joel, Faith, Amanda, Matt, Pat, and to a lesser extent, Marty)

Iron Horse Trail, Where Have You Been All My Life?

It's a nice day here, so I decided to take my new bike out for a spin, and instead of my usual ride up through Waterloo Park and UW, I decided to head south and finally check out the Iron Horse Trail. Now, I've always known it was there, but I never attempted to discover where exactly it starts (that and I've only had my bike for a few months now). But I found it and was very impressed by the trail. I made it all the way down to the other end of the trail (which is at Ottawa Street in Kitchener) in 25 minutes. It's an old train route between the two cities and it's quite interesting in parts as they've left some of the old train track equipment there. I think I've found a new favourite bike route. Now I should do it in conjunction with the path through Waterloo Park and UW, as it's all part of the Trans Canada Trail.

Election Time Looms!

Well, it seems we're going to have an election next month. While I don't really see a need for one at the present time and think the results will be very similar to the last election, the election/polls/stats junkie in me is super excited!

I love elections!

Did you hear the news that the Green Party got it's first official MP last week? It was some independent from Vancouver who was booted from the Liberal Party deciding to join with the Greens. Personally, I'm kind of disappointed for the Greens. I think this party hopper will take the impact away from the Party when they legitimately get their first elected MP (which will happen eventually, whether or not it's this election).

I Unbought A House

So, after the inspection on Tuesday and having a real long second look at the place, I decided to withdraw my offer on that house I said I bought last week.

The search continues...

The New Hockey Night In Canada Theme Song

That's my brother's kick at the HNIC song contest. Go to the song's page to give it a high rating and nice comment to give it a better chance of becoming a finalist.

I Bought A House

Well, it's all but official, but good enough that I can announce it... I bought a house tonight.

It's a nice 3 bedroom detached house in Kitchener near Victoria and Belmont. I'll miss living in Waterloo and I'll have to get used to slumming it in Kitchener, but I think I'll get over it.

The move will happen in December, and I got a lot of moving favours to call in. Don't say you weren't warned.

Garfield Minus Garfield

Patrick and Lindsay showed me this link a while ago, and I love it! It's Garfield Minus Garfield. Basically, this guy erases Garfield from Garfield comic strips, leaving Jon all by himself. Now, I've been a huge Garfield fan since I was really young, and I absolutely love this twist on the strip. The description on the website is perfect.

It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb

Anyway, I saw the strip posted today and I thought it was the saddest thing I've ever seen. So sad, that I couldn't stop laughing.

Today's Slurpee Conditions

Today's Slurpee conditions are classified as:

Fail

The Coke (which is the official benchmark flavour) was on the blinking red light of death, and thusly undrinkable. However, the backup, Pepsi was classified as "Good" and Cream Soda as "Excellent".

Many people ask me what the official rating scale is. At least, they do in my head. Here's the official Slurpee conditions rating scale:

Perfect
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Fail

Perfect is rarely seen. Sometimes a whole summer can go by without perfect conditions. So elusive...

A Brave New Year

A few things to catch up on today...

It was my birthday last Saturday. I am now 29 for the first time. Thanks to everyone who wished me happy birthday (and a pox on those who didn't). The great thing about birthdays nowadays is that you can guarantee a spike in your Facebook wall posts. In fact, I propose we rename "Birthday" to "Facebook Popularity Day".

My boss mentioned it to me the other day that I've almost been at my current job for 5 years. Yikes! What really struck me was how little has changed in the past 5 years. Sometimes I feel like I'm just coasting along in life. Big changes are coming this year... I hope.

Congrats to Joel and Pam on the occasion of the birth of their daughter, Anna, yesterday.

Also congrats to my cousins Tara and Kevin for their new daughter, Hailey, born today.

I swear, after almost everyone I know having boys, it certainly is the year of the girl this year.

And finally, I've officially started my search for real estate as of today. Finally.

Today's Slurpee Conditions

As of 2:30pm today, the Slurpee conditions at King & University are: Excellent.

Which is surprising, since it's a perfect day outside. Usually on days like this, the machines are overused and it's kinda runny.

Demand genuine Slurpee Conditions from Matt's Blog Is Stupid... Accept no substitutes.

Reset The Clock: 0 Days Since Last Asked For My ID

For the third time being 28 years old, I was ID tonight. Unlike the other 2 times when it was for liquor, this was just to get into the slots area at Grand River Raceway (where I made $57 in about a minute, thank you) and they seem to ask more often than not... but still, it's fun.

That's right, ladies... my looks aren't going anywhere.

40 Below

I believe it's time for another edition of "Watching Weight Watchers"™!

Today I weighed in for a 1 pound loss for the week, which officially puts me over the 40 pound barrier at 40.4 pounds. Check out the chart...



I like to take things in 10 pound increments while doing this, and this last 10 was, by far, the slowest to lose. Here's how long it took to lose each 10:

1st 10 - 6 weeks
2nd 10 - 10 weeks
3rd 10 - 8 weeks
4th 10 - 18 weeks

It's been tougher to stay focused lately. With the nicer weather, I'm usually doing stuff on the weekends that lead to poor food choices. Also, I'm now doing it all on my own, which doesn't help. On the plus side, I'm at the weight I got to last time when I tried Weight Watchers Online a few years ago, and I've been keeping it off, instead of immediately bouncing back up like I did then.

Still a long way to go... I'm not quite halfway, if I take the "normal weight" range of the BMI as my goal.

Hypothetical Followup

The milk is fine. The person who test-drank it hasn't gone blind... although he still needs glasses to see things more than 4 inches from his face.

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

"Hypothetical" Question Of The Day

Ok, say someone went grocery shopping on Monday evening like he usually does, and say that when he got home he forgot to put away, say, a carton of milk. And say that that carton of milk was left out for about 3 hours. Here's my question for you: Is that milk still going to be good after it's opened?

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

Upon Further Review

Probably should have seen the rain delay coming...

What's Up With This?

There's about 50 wasps swarming around my balcony right now. I've never seen that before here. I hope there isn't a nest on a nearby balcony or something. Weird... and inconvenient. Because there's no chance in hell I'm going out there a bunch of wasps acting all crazy like.

Cedar Point

How did you spend your long weekend?

I spent mine by taking a 3-day trip down to Cedar Point with my friend Dominique and her mom. The forecast had called for a threat of thunder storms for each of the days, but they barely materialized, and the down time for rides while we were there was minimal.

We started out on Saturday, bought some Starlight tickets at 5pm and got a walk-on to the Demon Drop, which was a good omen for the rest of our trip. The crowds were the smallest I've ever seen at the park, which made for some heavy duty riding.

The last time I was at Cedar Point was 2 years ago. That time, I was really looking forward to riding the Millennium Force for the first time. Unfortunately, back then, I weighed somewhere around 260lbs and wasn't able to squeeze into the seats. This was one of my main reasons for starting Weight Watchers last year. Now that I've lost about 37lbs I fit quite easily into the seats, which felt really good. There's still a long ways to go, but that was a great reward for the work I've done so far.

Anyway, back to the trip... We went to the park on the Saturday night, on Sunday and on Monday. We pretty much hit every ride at least once (except for the water rides and kiddie rides). Among the notables, I rode the Millennium and Top Thrill 3 times, and Raptor, Magnum and Wicked Twister twice. Also, I rode front row on the Raptor, Millennium Force, and Top Thrill Dragster.

The only drawback I would say is that I wouldn't stay at the Breakers Express again. The showers were not warm and it was less than convenient if we wanted to leave the park in the middle of the day. The only bonus to staying there is the early entrance... which we never took advantage of (seriously, we were there for 2.5 days... we were there plenty without getting that extra hour in). Even though it's a bit more expensive, Hotel Breakers is a great choice to make. If you're going to stay offsite, you may as well find an unaffilliated motel in Sandusky. That's my travellers tip of the day.

But I don't want to end on a bad note, so I'll end with my favourite rides. By far, my favourite ride was Millennium Force. It was high, it was fast, and it was surprisingly smooth. Maverick was a really fun ride... not the tallest or fastest, but it was quick and random. Skyhawk was my favourite thrill ride as I loved the feeling of staring right down at the sidewalk below. The only problem with it is that it's too short. Raptor in the front row is an all-time favourite of mine, and it still is great. And if you've never experienced the sheer accelleration that is Top Thrill Dragster, you owe it to yourself to do it at some point.

And the Mean Streak still hurts like hell.

Insanity Begins To Creep In

Do you know what I like the smell of? Hot Chocolate. I'm not saying it's my favourite smell in the world, but I like it a lot. And I thought to myself that Chocolate would make a good scented candle smell... I'm pretty sure someone has made it.

So, today I found myself in the mall and I decided to stop into the store there that sells all kinds of crazy decorative crap (you know the one). Sure enough, there was a Hot Chocolate scented candle. So I picked it up, looked it over (it was in a nice jar, like it was a fancy fruit jar), and decided that I would purchase it. Then it struck me...

What the **** am I doing spending 22 dollars on a candle?!?!

If I'm going to spend that much money on something that I'm going to burn, it's going to be a cigar... or multiple cigars, for that matter.

I think I'm losing it.

PS - Congrats to Matt and Jen for introducing Katherine to the world this morning.

C Is For Colbert

Last night's episode of The Colbert Report made me so happy:



Now that I think about it, the Peabody Award does look like a cookie.

What The Frak?!?

I just saw a commercial advertising the next episode of Battlestar Galactica. It said the next episode is the "season finale" and the next new one won't be until 2009.

I spent all this effort to catch up, and now that I am, it's just in time to catch a hiatus until fraking 2009? The "season" has only been 9 episodes!

I assume the writer's strike had something to do with this, but still...

Today's Slurpee Conditions

Excellent

Fun With Shutter Speeds

Here are a couple pictures I've taken over the last couple days, playing with the shutter speed on my camera. The first is of Parliament Hill, taken at night.

The next is taken during tonight's thunder storm. I would have gotten much better shots if I had started 5 minutes earlier, as the storm was passing. I still have to figure out the optimal settings to get the right light when I have the shutter open for 15 seconds.

Taking these photos has served to underscore my need for a tripod. You can't always get a great shot when relying on benches and tables.

It's All Making Sense Now

Have you ever had the experience of finally understanding what the correct lyric to a song is, even though you've been listening to that song for years. I had a revelation tonight from the song "Blame It On Me" by the Barenaked Ladies. I know, I know, I should be ashamed of myself for not knowing all the lyrics to my favourite album of my favourite band, but anyway... "Milli Vanilli told you to blame it on the rain, but if you blame it on the rain tell me what can be gained?"

I don't even know why "tell me what can begin" even made sense to me. Because it doesn't.

No Longer Living The Good Life

After months of not using it, and having it take $16 out of my bank account every 2 weeks, I finally cancelled my membership over at Good Life Fitness. I really did not enjoy going to that place. It was kind of dank and unwelcoming.

Since the nice weather has come around, I've been taking my new bike around for rides and I've even started jogging a bit... I'm actually getting more exercise now than I got when I went to the gym. We'll see how that holds up when winter comes around again though.

3 Seasons In 4 Weeks

I just finished up Season 3 of Battlestar Galactica today. That was probably my most favourite season finale that I've ever seen. I've got the current season episodes that have aired downloaded and ready to watch, so I should be caught up and watching with everyone else by this Friday, I hope. I'm not really looking forward to having to wait for episodes until they air, though. Watching shows on DVD is great.

I Had The Time Of My Life

Last Friday night, at the last minute, I went to see the stage production of Dirty Dancing in Toronto with Marty, Joel, and Pam. Marty had an extra ticket because, unfortunately, Felicity couldn't go.

Now I'm someone who had never seen the movie before (I didn't even realize that's where the line "No one puts Baby in a corner" came from) and I know that it holds a special place in a lot of people's hearts.... But seriously people, there's no need to cheer for lines that you know are coming before they're even finished being said. It ruins the potential impact of the scenes for people who have never seen it.

Other than that though, I had an enjoyable time. Thanks for the ticket, Marty and Felicity.

What The Shell Is Going On?

So I figured I'd fill up my Jeep before the long weekend, you know... seeing how cheap it is right now. So I go to my usual Shell station, but it's not open. It seems they're out of gas. So, I go to the next nearest Shell station (I gots to get my AirMiles, you know) and it's out of gas too. It seems that every Shell station that I've seen in K-W is out of gas. Either Shell is behind on their deliveries, or we've come to the beginnings of a gas shortage and it's time for EVERYONE TO PANIC!

And in other news... look what I got...
-----------------------------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device

Today's Slurpee Conditions

Slurpee conditions are reported as: very good to perfect, as of 8:05pm EDT tonight.

The coke was just a tad on the runny side of perfect, but the Crush Cream Soda and Orange were of the consistency that can only be described as perfection.

Late To The Party, Yet Again

I haven't had a good track record at picking TV shows I like right from when they start. A few examples:

• Firefly, which I didn't even hear about until the movie came out
• Lost, which I didn't start watching until halfway through the first season (and I still haven't seen all of the early episodes)
• 24, which I didn't start watching until Season 4, but didn't really matter because not many storylines carry over season to season, and
  
• Enterprise, which I started watching in Season 3, and despite what other Star Trek fans think, I thought was a great show, especially the third season.
  

Now, there's another show to add to the list. Battlestar Galactica.

I vaguely recall hearing about this show when it started up a couple years ago, but dismissed it for 2 reasons really. The first was that I didn't seem to bother getting into shows at that time in my life (see Lost), and second was the title made it sound like a whole pile of cheese. How wrong was I on number 2... But anyway, I kept hearing things (from very different sources) about how great this show was, so eventually I decided to start watching... but I didn't want to start right in the middle of a serial, so I decided that I'd have to watch the DVDs right from the beginning. That was a while ago...

I finally got off my ass and got Season one on the weekend, and man was I not disappointed. I plowed right through the entire season in a few days. In a way, it's kind of good that I'm watching it this way, because instead of waiting for cliffhangers to be resolved at the beginning of next season, I can go right out and get Season 2... which I'm about to do after I finish up here. The downside, of course, is that I'm not watching the episodes that other people are watching right now, so there's no one to discuss the plotlines of where I'm at right now. In fact, I don't really know many people who are watching this show, which is a shame. And by the time I catch up, the show will be over because this is the last season.

Anyway, Battlestar Galactica is my recommendation of the day.

Progress Is Slow... Gotta Get Back On It

It's time for another Weight Watchers update because, well, why not? The last few weeks haven't been that much on the weight loss. On the other hand, at least they haven't been much on the weight gain either. Now I wouldn't consider this a plateau, as many Weight Watchers encounter while doing the program as I just haven't been very good at following the plan.

A few weeks back I was involved in a study at work that had me out of the office from 5:30am until 7:00pm some days, with a lot of eating out happening. This went on for three weeks. While doing the study, I actually continued to lose weight, albeit just a little bit. Looking back, it might have been better if I had gained weight during the study, because afterwards I wasn't too quick to attempt to get back on the plan... something I'm still trying to do after another 3 weeks.

Last time I tried Weight Watchers, I made it 5 months before I "took a break" from the plan. But once I did take that break, I could never get back on. This time, I've been on the plan for 7 months, so I've lasted a little bit longer, but there's so much more to go... I'm not even half way there. Like I said before, failure is not option this time around. Back to it...

Christmas Is Over!

Mark your calendars, kids. April 29th. Today was the day my last Christmas decoration came down. It's kinda sad.

Because My Hair Has To Look It's Shiniest

So, I bought myself some hair conditioner the other day. Not really on purpose, but the end result is the same. It seems Head and Shoulders (my shampoo of choice) has decided to start making conditioner too. They also decided to make the bottle look EXACTLY THE SAME as the shampoo (except that the conditioner is upside down). I didn't notice at the time and got a bit of surprise when I had a shower yestderday.

Of course, now I expect all of you to comment on how great my hair looks the next time I see you.

Record Tying Season Comes To An End

Another spring, another end to curling season.

This year the team with I play second on ended up with a fabulous 20-1 L-W record.

But I did get a snazzy self-centreing tape measure as a raffle prize.

My Greatest Fear

The Stanley Cup playoffs are upon us and something funny is going on. I'm not ready to suggest a full blown conspiracy, but I'm getting close.

The Montreal Canadiens have won a Stanley Cup in every decade. With there being only 2 years left, I thought for sure that this streak would be ending, thankfully. Before this season started, they were supposed to be fighting for 8th place at best. But it turns out that they finished 1st in the East. So, with time being of the essence, the Habs look to be a contender for the cup. Like I said, something funny is going on. Therefore, as much as I will be rooting against them, Montreal is my pick for the cup... because it's been predetermined. Huh, look at that... I did suggest a full blown conspiracy.

My first round predictions are as follows:
Montreal over Boston
Pittsburgh over Ottawa
Washington over Philadelphia
New York over New Jersey

Nashville over Detroit
San Jose over Calgary
Minnesota over Colorado
Anaheim over Dallas

I Can't Stands No More!

Some days the wind comes from a certain direction which causes air to be sucked out the windows instead of blown in. Of course, when the air is sucked out, the wonderful air from the hallway comes in... along with all the smells of my neighbours' apartments. Today is one of those days, and it's horrendous. What do these people eat and/or how do they live in such smells?

Curling Roundup

While the losing streak continues, at least my curling team has been doing much better recently. For the past 3 weeks, we've taken the game right to the last rock. Sometimes we had the hammer, and sometimes not, but we're only losing by a point or two.

This past weekend was the Big Brother's fundraising bonspeil. Our team went 1 win and 1 loss. There was only 1 instance of Joel highsticking Joe in the face. He drew blood, but the refs didn't see it, so there was no penalty. However, the evidence was left on the ice. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

It's Like Free Money!

As you may recall, I bought an HD-DVD attachment for my XBox 360. My rationale for buying the losing format in the High Definition media war were basically around what I got for my $129... namely 6 free movies and the hopes of a firesale. Well, since HD-DVD was beaten so badly, the price of the attachment drive just dropped to $49! Seeing how I was still well within my 30 day price guarantee windows at Best Buy, I went down there and got my $90 back! And (in theory) I'll still get all those free movies. I'm still waiting for that firesale on actual movies to start though.

So Long Champ Car

The news came out last Friday... the IRL had bought out Champ Car. The teams would be offered financial incentive to move over the the "League" and a few (it looks like 3) events will be attempted to be squeezed into the existing IRL schedule. It's the death of the series I loved and to top it off the end of the Toronto race (Molson Indy/Steelback Grand Prix). To say I'm disappointed is an understatment. A lot of casual observers to the sport would ask me, "What's the big deal? I can't see the difference between the two." Believe me, there was a difference. There were the venues (more road/street courses vs. oval after oval), there was the Canadian Content (3 races and drivers like Paul Tracy, the late Greg Moore and Alex Tagliani), there was the cars (just compare pictures of the two types of cars, paying special attention to the nose and sidepods), and the engines (the sound of turbos are so cool).

Of course there was also the fact that the IRL was started as a blatant power-play by the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway disguised as the protection of American grass-roots racers and oval tracks. Just look at what the IRL was becoming... adding more street/road races and leaving oval tracks. Now you'll say, "well, wasn't that what you wanted a series to be in the first place?" You'd be partially right, but it's the hypocrisies of it all that I can't get past. Not that the opinion of one guy will change anything, but it's something I felt I had to stick to.

Now I'm faced with a choice. Don't watch the IRL, or follow my favourite drivers and teams there and watch them struggle against the existing IRL teams all season (with 6 years of experience with the equiptment) and hope that magically the series is drastically altered for 2009 (there's talk the the Toronto race would come back after a year's hiatus... but we'll see). I'll probably watch to begin with, to tell you the truth, and see what happens from there.

Oh Yeah... Then There's Curling

So, as painful as it is to report on the adventures of my curling team this year, I'll give it a go. Our team is 1-9 so far this year, and that one win came when I was on vacation (but don't get any ideas... I'm not the weak link here... we just got a super-sub that week). But the last 2 weeks have been really good. We've taken both games down to the last shot of the eighth end... and lost by 1.

This weekend is the Big Brother's Bonspiel. I've sent most of you solicitations for donations by email. But if I haven't and you'd like to chip a couple bucks toward the Big Brother's of Sarnia-Lambton, it'd be appreciated. Click here to go to my donation page. Thanks.

I'm 10% of a Loser

I've reached the first major goal in my Weight Watcher's program. I've officially lost 10% of my starting weight. I weighed in at 243.6lbs last night, which is a total loss of 26.2lbs. It's taken me 21 weeks to get to this point, which is an average loss of 1.25lbs per week. Check out the Excel chart...

The cruise I took over Christmas didn't hit me as hard as I thought it would. I only gained 1.2 lbs from that despite not paying attention to what I ate. I credit that to the amount of physical activity I was doing while on board.

Speaking of physical activity, that's the next step I have to take in this whole process. I don't hit the gym very often (because I really don't like it there) and I've been quite inactive while the weather is cold. But, my plan is to soon go out an buy a bicycle and do some riding this spring/summer.

For reaching the 10% point I got a keychain for my efforts. Hurrah!

Did you see the eclipse last night? I tried to get some pictures, but they didn't turn out so good. I really need a tripod.

Tonight: Total Lunar Eclipse

Check it out. Tonight, there'll be a total lunar eclipse. The moon will be dark starting at 10:01 tonight and will start to light back up at 10:51. It's supposed to be a partly cloudy night, so it should be easily visible. The next total eclipse of the moon won't happen again until December 21, 2010, so enjoy it!

Deliberatly Losing

There's nothing like intentionally buying a technology that will not be around for long.

Yesterday I bought myself an HD-DVD player.

Yes, I was fully aware that Blu-Ray is the winner of the format war and that I'm ending up with this generation's version of a Betamax player. But bear with my reasons. Firstly, it's not going to take up extra inputs on my TV. I bought the HD-DVD attachment for my XBox 360, and I'm not going to be disconnecting that any time soon. Secondly, it recently came down in price... $70 down. Throw in the fact that I get 6 free movies with the purchase and an XBox 360 Universal Remote (which I really wanted to make watching movies easier), I think I'm not coming out behind with this. That, and I hope that there'll soon be an HD-DVD disc firesale. I already got my favourite movie from last year, Hot Fuzz, and I'm hoping to pick up the HD-DVD version of Serenity.

Sure, one day I'll get a Blu-Ray player, whether is be a PS3 or a standalone player (or, if I'm lucky, an Blu-Ray attachment for my 360). But for now, this is good. I rented "The Kingdom" in HD-DVD last night. So, I'm already getting use out of it.

0 Days Since Last Asked For My ID

Just because I think it's awesome... Today I got I.D.ed at the Beer Store. The girl saw my licence and just laughed. I was older than her.

For those keeping score at home, this is the second time in just under 2 months that I've been asked to prove I'm old enough to purchase alcohol. The last, of course, being on December 22nd at the Duty Free store. Not that I'm keeping track or anything.

Co-op Student Pays Off!

This just in... it pays to have a co-op student at work. Today she earned her entire term's worth of pay in one day. Because today she informed me that there is now Karaoke on Rogers On Demand. Holy crap, that just made my day forever.

Baby, baby, it looks like it gonna hail...

Never Try Anything New

Last night was Monday night... and you know what that means! That's right, it's weekly grocery shopping night. This week, because I was already out, and it was closer, I went to Sobey's instead of my usual Zehrs. I thought it might be good to check out a different selection, etc, but what I found was that I couldn't find any of the things that I usually buy. So, I wandered around the store, looking lost and ended up with enough items that I could still go through the express line. So, today's lesson is to never try anything new and always stick to your routine.

Week (or so) In Review

I haven't been posting much lately, but things have been happening, so this'll basically be 3 posts for the price of 1!

I got back from my cruise last week. I was another great time. This year we were on the ms Westerdam. It was, for the most part, the same ship as we went on last year, as they're both of the same class, so I knew my way around right off the bat (a good thing). This year, our stops included Half Moon Cay (Little San Salvador Island), San Juan, St. Thomas/St. John, and Nassau. The highlight this year was the Bioluminescent Bay Kayak excursion, in which we kayaked into a bay at night and saw how when the water was disturbed, it glowed. Way cool. And by the end, I had only gained 1.6lbs despite eating whatever and whenever I wanted... but of course, I was much more active while on the trip.

My second mini-post is to say that I went to the Winter Classic game in Buffalo on New Year's Day. It was the bachelor party activity for Marty. We had tickets up in the third level, so the play was quite far away, but you could still see the action. We tailgated before the game, and made Marty do ridiculous things. He was a really good sport about it... in fact, I think he enjoyed it a little too much. The crowd was really awesome and everyone was into the game. Unfortunately, the snow created frequent stop in play as they had to clear and/or fix the ice. But in the end, Crosby won the game in a shootout, so it was everything the NHL could have wanted.

And following that, yesterday Marty got married to Felicity. I was fortunate enough to be asked to be a groomsman (which marks my fifth time being in a wedding party). It was a lot of fun, and I got to meet a few new people. Congratulations to them, if they read this.

I can't promise more frequent updates... I'll try, but no promises.