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.