Interesting/rough day

I had quite the day today. I took the girls to swimming this morning. Then forgot the bag of towels and dry clothes. So I had to drive back into town to get them and drive back out. The girls did very well in swimming this year. Amelia passed Duck. Grace passed 3 levels, Sunfish, Crocodile and Whale (I think). They improved a lot. Then Amelia didn't want to get in her car seat and screamed almost all the way to the sitters. It was around this time I realized the tingle I felt above my lip was going to be a cold sore/impetigo. I usually get them both at the same time. I can feel the cold sore popping up on my lower lip now. So I stopped at the drug store to refill my script before heading to Kingston to buy a suit (see previous post). All my driving today was behind some idiot. At least that's what it felt like. When I got home, I paid some bills. That's fun. Watching over $2000 disappear. Try it for yourself! Or better yet, try it for me. YOU pay MY bills. Now THAT would be fun!

After my nap (work tonight) I didn't feel very well. It kind of fouled my mood. So when Amelia dumped her spaghetti on the floor so she could put her doodle pad on it, I had a moment and dumped her doodle pad on the floor. At least I didn't yell. One step at a time.

I did get to ride the scooter to work. No rain! I did almost get hit by a transport. My exact words were " Thank for movin' over, Fuckwad!" With my luck it will be raining by morning.

So yeah, a week before I am in a wedding and  I am getting sores all over my mouth. Awesome! Other people suck at driving. Awesome! The roadrash on my knee keeps opening up and oozing. Awesome! The Blue Jays keep on losing. Awesome! Ok, I'm getting carried away now. Back to the positive. I got to ride the scooter in!

I don't get it.

I bought a suit today. First time since 1998. So I didn't know my  shirt size or my jacket size. Which wouldn't have been the same as 11 years ago.(16.5 and 42 Short, respectively. Smaller now, if you can believe it.)  I went to 5 different stores looking for something in my price range.  All the ones I could find in my range sucked. So I went a little higher. I didn't want to spend much considering how often I wear them. But I didn't want a "cheap suit". I went with a plain black. The ones with subtle pinstripes were nice but I wanted a simple one for now.

So the jacket fit nice and all that. The pants were right around the waist. But they were way long. I overheard the guy telling someone else that all the pants come with a 36 inch inseam. Here's where it gets interesting. My suit is a 42 Short. The short is for people 5'9" or shorter. Who in the world is 5'9" or shorter, with a 36" inseam. Seriously? They would be all leg. Not so bad on a lady, but not a man. I'm 5'8" and they pants came down to my toes. And I think I am pretty well proportioned. Why wouldn't they make it at least a 32" and then if they get a leggy freak, they could switch out the pants? I don't get it. Then again, life isn't simple, so why should buying a suit be?

I ended up with a nice suit, (hemmed to my apparently short-ass legs) a shirt and tie for under $300 after tailoring and tax. More than I wanted to spend but I am gonna look GOOD!

(Did I mention I was trying on suits wearing baggy cargo shorts, a Cattle Decapitation t-shirt and ball cap? And I hadn't shaved in like 4 days?

Mattfucius say...

Make sense of the world, for it determines your cents.

Whatever you say, can and will be turned against you.

When life gives you lemons, squirt them in the eye.

Steel your will against those who wish to overpower the weak.

You can tell a lot about someone by looking them in the eye. Like their mother's maiden name or what they ate for lunch.

Monkeys throw their shit because they don't have fans.

Seek not the answers to the questions you wish to know, but the questions you already have the answers to.

Forgive and forget (that you forgave).

If the best things in life are free, why do I keep paying for stuff?

You could climb your way to the top, but it's further to fall than from the bottom.

It's survival of the fittest. Unless you're human.

The Soulless

A post or so ago, I entered the first four lines of a poem/song I had started. I finished it that night. Now, I post in its entirety. Should I decide to do anything more with it, I will likely refine it. But here's what I wrote that night.

THE SOULLESS

The wind howls as the leaves drift past

Buffeted by the spirits of the dead

The light grows dim with the passing of the day

Fading whispers of things left unsaid

As the darkness rises, the air grows cold

A pale moon shines down upon the earth

Creatures of the night wake from their slumber

Hunters eager to prove their worth

The forest teems with silent life

Nocturnal struggle to remain alive

Predator, prey battle in shadow

Hunt or be hunted, live or die

 

Demons rise from the ashes of a former life

Feeding on the energy of death

Masters of no one, destiny sealed by fate

Endlessly searching for their soul

Memories embodied in the ether

Soulless entities in flight

Searching, searching desperately

Suffering eternally

 

The moon sets as the night wears on

Strengthening the hold of the dark

Forces of evil descend from above

An army of hate set to embark

On the horizon, a gathering storm

Thunder and lightning in the sky

Amassing for slaughter, the demons ride

No escape, the end is nigh

 

The storm dissolves  as a new day breaks

The demons chased by the dawn

The victims, the dead, know not anything

For the soulless, the search goes on

 

If I was to make this into a song, I think the chorus would be the eight lines starting with Demons rise....the first being where it is, the second being after ...the end is nigh, and the last being at the end. I wrote another one last night but I am not sure if I want to publish it or not. It's pretty personal and I'm not happy with the chorus yet.

 

so yeah

Yesterday I broke the button on my shorts. It wasn't the thread that broke, or came loose. I broke the button. Broke the plastic. I guess I can't squeeze into a 34 anymore.

Mom's home from Vancouver for a visit. I took the girls over for a short visit yesterday. Then we met Becky and Kim and Jacob at McDonald's for lunch. Before we took Grace and Jacob to the fair, we dropped Amelia off at the Lewis's. She's too young to do anything there. We looked at the sheep and cows and the birds. Then the kids hit the rides. We got them bracelets so they could just ride and ride. People that were leaving kept giving us tickets. Strangers!  We took them even though we didn't need them and passed them on to Matt and Kara Dafoe. We took a break at one point and looked at all the entries (flowers, baking, crafts etc) and got Grace an ice-cold fresh squeezed lemonade. Grace didnt' drink very much and passed it to us. We thought she was done with it. So we drank it. Then when we were leaving, she pitched a fit. Little embarassing when she threw her bag of cotton candy on the ground.  Needless to say, she got a talking to.

We picked Amelia back up, I changed my shorts and we went out to my Aunt's. My cousin Margie brought her triplets over from England for a visit. Much of the family that we don't see very often was there. Margie told us the basics of Cricket and she even set up some wickets and played with the older kids in the yard. Pot luck supper, too much dessert. The kids had a big water fight. Grace was soaked (and peed her pants but since she was already wet, she thought it was okay. yuck) It was great to see everyone. I didn't get the girls home til almost 9. 2 hours past bedtime. They went down pretty good. I had to give them a snack though because neither of them really ate well at supper. Not surprising, too much going on. I need to get more fruit leather though. They devoured them!

Amelia has slept in a "big girl bed" incident free for 3 straight nights. I've probably jinxed it now. Not sure if I need to get a new bulb for her night lamp or if the small night light that is in there now is enough. She does need more summer pjs though. And shorts. I can never find shorts for her. Becky must be hiding them.

I think (we think) Grace is missing school. She always wants to do stuff with her friends. She starts Senior Kindergarten one month from today! 2 years yet for Amelia. Becky said she is gonna cry on Grace's first day again this year. I was/am proud but I didn't cry.

Our neighbour is getting a new roof so he has a dumpster. He said we are more than welcome to put crap in it. I might do just that. Literally. Dog crap and diapers. Bagged up of course. Hopefully I'll get some time this week to clean out the backrooms and throw some more crap in the dumpster. I would like most of it to go towards Ceil's yard sale but I know some of it is just garbage.

I started writing a poem/song. The first for lines I've written are:

The wind howls as the leaves drift past

Dancing with the spirits of the dead

The light grows dim with the passing of the day

Fading whispers of things left unsaid.

It was a momentary flash of inspiration. We'll see if it goes anywhere.

It's gonna be a long day

I am going to be really bored today so be prepared for lots of blogging.
Not all of it will make sense I am sure.

i was very surprised by how dark it was this morning when I got up. Yes, it
was 5:30am but I didn't recall it being that dark on Friday morning. I
guess that means the day are getting shorter. And I'm okay with that. I
like the night. I just hope the bugs are getting thinner too.
I have alot of work to do outside that requires at least 3 days of no rain.
I don't know if that is EVER going to happen. I need to stain the deck, the
fence and the railing. The wood has to dry for 2 days then not be rained on
for another day. I think I may take that down to dry for 1 day. Because
it's not like it's raining a lot, just almost every day. So it's not so
much tht the wood is wet 2 days later, so much as it will get wet within a
day. The railing on the porch should be okay. It doesn't really get wet
when it rains anyway. But we have wait 30 days to stain it anyway.
Pressure-treated. It's gonna a busy August!
This entry will probably look weird because I forgot to click on Rich Text.
So all the line breaks won't match up.

On a lighter note

The other day I took the girls thru McDick's drive-thru. Grace wanted to go inside so she could "tell all the people that I am the greatest McGongalder!"

I narrowly avoided Grace's Cranberry Manberry Mush yesterday. I believe it consisted of (at least) chocolate chip cookies, mustard, mayo, yogurt, milk and Fruit Loops. In a cup. I am pretty sure I missed something.

We got a Mac Book Pro to replace Becly's old crappy laptop.If only we could figure out what the problem connecting to the internet is.

 

Appropriate T-shirt

I am wearing a very appropriate t-shirt today. It's my Cannibal Corpse one. On the back it says Centuries of Torment. It's good for today because I really don't want to be at work today. My teeth and jaw hurt. My shoulder blade hurts. My foot hurts. My back hurts a little. I had a cramp in my leg. I am in a bad mood. I am very tired. So, 12 hours at work today will feel like Centuries of Torment.

I dunno what's with my dreams lately...

I can't remember all the details but....

A friend and I went to a party at Neil Young's house. But we weren't invited so we were kind of hiding out. We were being searched for and stuff. Next thing I know I was walking around with Tommy Hanson of the Atlanta Braves. He was telling me that I didn't quite make the cut. But he bought me 3 San Diego Padres jerseys and took me back. On the way back up the stairs I saw Henry Rollins. I said hi, he grunted. I said thanks for the music and kept going. It turned out it wasn't Neil Young's house, it was a rehab centre run by pro baseball players. They cleaned people up and tried to turn people into ball players. I didn't make the cut, like I said. I had to climb down scaffolding to the street because we were hitting the baseballs off the roof.
Then I was hanging out in front of some store talking to a homeless kid. I gave him my hat.
Then somehow I was helping a little Asian kid collect these things. It was like, people would put out their garbage and recycling and then like utensils or something. Popsicle sticks? But we had to collect them and take them back to a depot.

I need to get a dream interpreter.

another weird one

Someone put an ad on TV that they were giving away their cottage. FREE. We thought it was in New York so we didn't bother with it. (dumb enough I know). We were walking around outside Kingston and we thought we saw the cottage from the ad. We kept walking. I saw some friends of mine from work go to the cottage. They got it!! The cottage was huge. I counted 26 bedrooms. Escalators, servants, a food court. It was more like a mall with bedrooms. FREE. and we lost out.
They was also a crazy chase through the town. I can't remember what me and some other guy did to piss a couple guys off but they were chasing us with bats and stuff. I wanted to hide in the cottage (the friends were letting us stay) but I couldn't find an empty room. All the beds were full.
I ended up in someone's closet. on the shelf at the top. I was found but I can't remember by whom or what happened after that. If I can remember more I will post it but I have to go now.

Weirdo dream

Details are getting fuzzy so I better get going.

Basically me and some other people I don't recall were driving. it was on a road that seemed very video game like. the other cars were driving on the wrong side of the road and stuff and we had to swerve and what-not. We swerved into a church parking lot. the Church had big steps and stuff like a giant courthouse you see in the movies. We crashed and rolled the van we were in. the only person hurt was the driver. She was trapped in a crushed cart. Like one that they push food around on in a hospital. We thought she was dead. A guy driving a big truck said "Well, at least your van didn't get damaged much". I lost it. I was screaming like no-one's business at this guy. "You're a fucking asshole!" over and over again. He was basically ignoring me and going on about his business. We managed to extricate the driver from the cart, but she had turned into a very small deer. I can't remember any after that. But that is weird enough.

Hypocrite of the day

I was walking down my street today when I noticed a bumper sticker on a car in a driveway. The sticker said "Lost your job yet? Keep buying foreign." This is an obvious shot at people who buy vehicles from foreign automakers like Honda, Toyota and Hyundai. The thing is, the car that the sticker was on was a Pontiac Vibe. "That's domestic" you say. Wrong.
The Pontiac Vibe was made at the NUMMI plant in Fremont, California. (It is no longer, GM dropped Pontiac during bankruptcy) The NUMMI plant is a joint venture between GM and TOYOTA. The Vibe is essentially the Toyota Matrix with different body panels. The plant makes the Vibe, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Tacoma. So really, they have a bumper sticker downing foreign vehicles on a foreign vehicle.
Not to mention the amount of Ontarians employed at Honda and Toyota plants.

Do your research before you go spouting off with a bumper sticker.

Too much walking

I put the girls in the double-stroller and walked to Wal-mart. Then home. Then down to Gramma's. Then over to Kinsmen park, then home.
We left at 1030, and didn't get back til 130. I got very sweaty.
Good thing I got deodorant at WalMart! and hair gel, and shaving cream.
Gramma doesn't look good. She looks really old (well, she IS 90). But it seemed hard for her to talk and I think she fell asleep a couple times. She seemed disinterested. I should go down and visit her without the girls. They were distracting.
I'm kinda worried about her. Mom and Jess have said she has given up. I believe it after seeing her.

Early to bed tonight!

I was up til 3 last night watching a movie with Chad. Wicked tired today. Movie was pretty good. (Outlander) Chad and Kelly were over for a visit and I used the BBQ for the first time on the new deck. We sat around outside on it for hours. I love it. I do need to add one board though. On the one side you can see the ends of all the 2x4s. I can cover it up easy enough. I even have extra lumber I could do it with. I'll see how it looks with that before I get any more wood.

I am going to do some measurements and math over the next couple days for a railing on the front porch. I need to talk to Home Hardware too about brackets or mounts for the ends. I am not the most accurate carpenter so being able to put it in a bracket instead of having to cut to the EXACT length would be great. Need to determine the spacing the ballisters. Don't want any heads getting stuck. Should give me something to do Wednesday and Friday. If I'm not helping Joe with the roof over the backroom. Busy busy me!!

Deck done.

I finished building the deck this morning. Looks good. Now for a few days of no rain so I can stain it. Need to be dry for like 48 hours, and not get rained on for 24 hours after. I was enjoying a beer (Golden Pheasant, Hurbanovo Brewery, Hurbanovo, Slovakia. Awesome.) on it, but it started to rain. Big surprise there, I'm on holidays.

We went over to the Forestell's last night for a swim/playdate/BBQ. We all had a lot of fun. It was really nice to visit with other parents with kids about the same age that "get it". We had the same issues with the kids, the same struggles with balancing kids and housework and all that. It was great. Great. Great!

And since it's pouring rain out, I will do a bunch of laundry and maybe dishes. I should eat lunch too. I skipped breakfast. Bad me. I am pretty tired and sore so I think I may veg for a bit. Girls have swimming lessons at 4 but I don't know if it's gonna happen. Rain. I dare not close my eyes. I won't wake up in time to pick them up.

The rest of the week in review

Tuesday: Just hung around in the gloomy weather until swimming lessons at 3. then more hanging around.

Wednesday: Canada Day!! Went to the festivities in Bath and had supper with the 'rents. It turned out to be a very nice day. Happy for that.

Thursday: More gloominess. More swimming lessons.

Friday: Went to Kingston to see about getting Becky's laptop keyboard fixed. Had a picnic at a park. Becky and I watched the movie Sex Drive. (comedy not porno)

Saturday: Wood for deck delivered. Becky left for Ottawa for Dana's stagette. Demo of old deck started. Open well under old deck. Left it covered until I am ready to cover it with new deck. Went to Jess's so the girls could play with Hope. Watched TV alone after the girls went to bed.

Our Trip to the Ontario Science Centre

Yesterday we went to the Ontario Science Centre. We planned on going to the Peterborough Zoo but it forecasted for rain so we made a last minute change of plans. (Good thing. It poured.)

I had been to the OSC back in grade six but never since. I don't think Becky had ever been and the kids hadn't. Duh. We were all pretty excited.

First we went to the KidSpark. The girls went nuts. Spinning, rolls balls down tracks, building with blocks, playing in the treehouse, looking thru the periscope, disappearing in the patterns, playing with the air blowers! That was just the first half hour! Then we went to the other side of the KidSpark. There was a big water table, a bubble station, a maze on the floor, a farting keyboard, a beaver house, a machine to make smoke signals, a mirror tunnel, and a cutout of a boy and his dog and when you open the door over his face, it sneezes and sprays water!!

The Space part was next. It was way over their heads. Figuratively and literally. Space is over their heads. Get it? I know I know. It was really crowded in there with people waiting to get into the Planetarium show. We decided it would be a good time for a snack.

On the way to the Snakes & Lizards, Alive! Exhibit, we walked across a pressure sensitive floor that changed when you walked on it. First it was flowers that disappeared when you stepped on them. Later, it was tiles that tumbled away. Also, there was another one that looked like a koi pond and it made ripples when you walked on it. The girls kinda liked the snakes and lizards. They weren't scared, it's just that they don't do much. I got picture of Amelia standing next to a giant python.

We went through the Communication area and it looked pretty interesting but more for Becky and I, not the girls. But it was on the way to the living science area. We went into the science arcade first though. We tested our reaction time, played with inverse mirrors, experimented with pulleys and balance points.

The girls had a great time in the living science part. There was a sound buffering zigzag tunnel. It was really neat. I chased the girls through it about 20 times. We made patterns with sounds, touched a tornado, Grace scared people in the cave. I liked (was saddened by?) the garbage display. The history of landfills is kinda depressing.

We zipped through the Human Body area on the way to the cafeteria (I wanted to used the aging machine but it was out of order). We ate the most expensive snack in history. Almost $30 for a ham sandwich, a small salad, 2 pops, a chocolate milk, a hotdog, a yogurt and a fruit cup. Word to the wise, bring all the food you need.

After that "meal", we went to wait for the OmniMax movie. The girls played in the tunnel and at the water fountain, in the rain, while Becky went to the gift shop. Then we changed the girls. They were soaked. The OmniMax was awesome. It was Under The Sea. Amelia was scared at first because it was so loud but she came around and started saying "Wow!" everytime something new came on the screen. Grace was tired and hungry but she enjoyed it too.

The drive home was good to a point. We stopped and got a more substantial meal on the way. When we got to Trenton, the crying started. Totally unexplained but very headache inducing. They both wailed all the way to Napanee. Then they stopped. For no reason.

They both ended up spending time in our bed last night. (Amelia all night) They both got up early eventhough they went to bed late and were up in the night. I can't imagine doing anything today. The plan was berry picking but we already have some and it's raining. Lazy day. Should really do some cleaning.

Hawks re-sign Bolland

The Chicago Blackhawks have re-signed second-line centreman David Bolland, inking the restricted free agent to a five-year deal.

The Toronto native's average salary over the contract will be $3.375 million per season.

Bolland, 23, had a breakout season in 2009, putting up 19 goals and 28 assists with a plus- 19 rating in 81 games. He also tallied four goals and eight assists with a minus- 1 rating throughout the 2008-09 playoffs.

Bolland was a 2nd round selection (32nd overall) by the Blackhawks in 2004.

Recent attempts at reading something other than Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Attempt #1: Unleash Your Telekinetic Ability.  Who wouldn't want to learn how to move things with their mind? Pretty interesting stuff. I got about 50 pages or so in before I realized it was way over my head. Sign #1: It was talking about auras and chakras. There was a test to see if you had a good aura or a bad aura. I just barely passed the bad aura test, but I was nowhere near passing the good aura test. I must have a mediocre aura. It said that attempting telekinesis with a bad aura can be dangerous and I should not proceed reading the manual. i kept reading anyway. Sign #2: It was talking about the 3 fundamentals of telekinesis. The first was focus. Focus being the opposite of concentration. It said something along the lines of, an approriate level of focus is achieved when you can read these words without hearing the words in your head. Say what?!! When you can think without hearing you thoughts in your head. Are you serious? Is that even possible? I know it is but I have a long way to go before i reach that level of consciousness. (see attempt #3)

Attempt #2:  Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About by Kevin Trudeau.  I got about 170 pages into this one. And I might finish it. BUT, I'm glad I didn't pay for it.  He claims that virtually any disease can be CURED by natural methods. Diabetes, cancer, MS, depression etc etc.  For the first 100 pages or so, he goes on and on about how the FTC, FDA and US Gov't are money-grubbing bastards. That they have their fingers so deep in the pockets of the drug industry that they supress any natural cures to protect profits. Because you can't patent a natural remedy, the drug company will lose billions of dollars.  I'm a little skeptical at this point, but I keep reading. Then he goes on about why we are sick. We are sick from pestcides in our food (I agree), chemical we put on our skin (lotions, creams, soap, deodorant, even sunscreen), from the air we breath, (duh.but he's blaming it more on air fresheners than pollution), prescription and non-prescription drugs (drug companies put other stuff in the drugs to give is different ailments, so they can sell us more drugs. Um, I dunno. But, you've heard all the side effects in the commercials...),  pasturized and homogenized beverages, (apparently homogenized milk causes scarring of the arteries and leads to heart disease) and worst of all, tap water. The chlorine and flouride are killing us. I know they are both poison. But really? In the next section, he tells us how to never get sick again.While this section is riddled with good advice (colon flushes, eat organic food, drink pure water etc) it starts to turn into a 600 page ad for his website. For every suggestion he makes, he doesn't give details. He says he's not allowed. He can't publicly endorse anything. But if you sign up for the monthly subscription to his website, you get further details there, and email him directly for specific products and services he recommends.Sounds a little fishy.  I googled Kevin Trudeau. Almost every site that showed on the first page discredited him.  I watched a youtube video of John Stossel exposing him as a scam artist. A guy from Nightline caught him in a blatant lie. He served jailtime for credit card fraud on his customers!! He's listed on QuackWatch. He states in the book that since most media outlets gain the majority of their advertising revenue from the food and drug companies, they are strongarmed into debunking him because he costs those companies profits. Like I said, I might finished reading this, but I am not taking it all at face value.

Attempt #3: The Taoist I-Ching as translated by Thomas Cleary.  I am still in the Introduction to this. It's pretty heavy stuff. Not a nice easy read. Lots about mediation and yin-yang. Enlightenment, illumination, states of mind, that sort of thing. I'll have more info once I get into it more.

Don't worry. I am also reading Brisingr. The third book in the Inheritance Quadrilogy by Christopher Paolini. Eragon and Eldest were the first two. Dragons!!

Visit to the Sleep Lab

I went to the sleep lab on Thursday. It was kind of an intake sort of thing. Here's how it went down:

They measured my neck, abdomen, and hips. Pinched the fat on my arm, back and stomach. I think all that was to fit me for the various apparatus they use. They checked my blood pressure and pulse. Then they asked some questions about my moods, my short term memory loss, and falling asleep in class in high school and university.  That was with the nurse. Then I saw the doctor. He talked about my twitching, my snoring, my snorting, my moods and my breathing. He talked about sleep apnea. He checked my breathing, my heart, my throat and my eyes. (bloodshot, as always) He told me about the stuff they hook up. Chest bands, electrodes on chest and head, breathing mask, monitor on my finger, and infrared cameras. I hope I'm able to sleep with all that stuff on me! Somehow I don't really think it will be a problem.

My sleepover is scheduled for Aug 31. Yikes that's far. But my name is on the cancellation list so I could get in earlier. In fact, they called last night. But I was at work. So here's hoping they have a more convenient cancellation and I don't have to wait 2 and a half months. I overheard someone ask how long til the results come back and they said about another 4 weeks. So that's the end of September. I started this whole "why am I so tired?" thing back in Feb! Maybe even Jan!

Saw the doc on Monday

I told him I didn't really FEEL any different than last time. Still really tired and irritable. Better at controling it, but I still feel that way. So since it could be another 6-8 weeks before anything comes back about a possible sleep disorder, he started me on a low dose anti-depressant/anti-anxiety. This way if there is nothing wrong with my sleep, I'm already on meds.

He also sent me for more blood tests. All the usual stuff came back normal so he is checking rarer things. Checking for chronic mono, Addison's disease, calcium levels, albumin levels and CRP. Not sure what the last 3 indicate. Also he is testing for rheumatoid arthritis. I told him how my joints have been sore the last couple years. I know work has alot to do with it, but I'm still young but I feel old.

Interview at the sleep lab next week and back to the doctor on July 8.

Let's get this figured out already!!

I can hardly believe it!!

I went to the dentist today. I haven't been in 10 years. I know, I know. They took x-rays and found LOTS of very hard tartar. So instead of the usual scrape scrape, polish polish, they got out the heavy duty equipment. It was an ultrasonic tool. It rotated 10,000x/sec and blasted the tartar apart. So she scraped all around my teeth with that for a solid 1/2 hour. It was not fun. It took enough time that I have to go back and have them hand-scaled and then polished.
The big surprise is that after 10 years of not seeing the dentist, and some questionable hygiene habits (pop, coffee, not brushing enough, no flossing) I do NOT have to go back for fillings!! He said I had no cavities!! What the hell!!? I guess the occasional sensitivity is just from exposed roots (still not good) which is fairly normal as we age.
The hygienist commented that it looks like my home care is good. And the dentist himself said I have very nice teeth.
Wow.

Ribs=shorts?

As you may know, many commercials bother me. The latest of for a fastfood
place. I can't remember which one because I don't want to.
Here it is: a guy is walking down the street wearing pants and a jacket,
and he looks across the street and sees them putting up the sign that says
"Ribs are back." He yells "YES!" and rips off his pants and jacket to
reveal shorts and a golf shirt. He proceeds to cross the street to the fast
food place.
The idea behind the commercial is that they only have ribs in the summer
time. So, seeing the sign, the guy knows it is summer and changes his
attire accordingly. So here's my problems:

a) What kind of moron(!) uses the menu at a fast food joint to determine
how he should dress? It's called temperature, you jackass. "Oh, they've got
chili, that must mean it's cold! Better break out the parka!"

b) Dude just throws his clothes on the sidewalk and takes off. I don't
imagine he got his fancy tear-away pants and jacket at the buck store. I
must be nice to just throw your clothes away. Did he forget we're in a
recession? My guess is he doesn't work at GM.

c) He just walks across the street. He doesnt even look both ways!! You
can't eat ribs in the ICU. Or the morgue.

I know. I'm crazy.

I USED to like Muskoka Brewery...

but not so much lately. Thursday night I had a Muskoka Cream Ale. Not bad taste but it gave me heartburn and a headache. Then last night I had a Muskoka Dark Ale. Same result. Taste was ok, but it have me heartburn.

However, I cannot solely blame the beer. Both nights I had a big piece of lemon poppy seed cake. So I have to so an experiment. Tonight I will have a non-Muskoka beer and a slice of cake. If I get heartburn again, then tomorrow I will have my last Muskoka beer (heffe-weissbeer) without any cake and see what happens. It's not a perfect experiment but it's what I am going to do.

I like to support Ontario Craft Brewers but not if they cause me pain. I've had Muskoka beers before and I don't recall any heartburn, so maybe it's the poppy seeds. If poppy seeds give me heartburn, what would opium do?

Did I already blog that I got a new iPod?

Well, I did. Apple sent me a replacement. So good to have it back. I really didn't want to have to buy a new one. The FedEx guy said they do 600 apple returns a day. He didn't say whether that was Canada or North America but still, that's alot. great customer service though. Fedex picked it up on a Friday and I had a new one on my doorstep by Thursday. and the monday was a holiday! as good as that turnaround was, I don't want to have to use it again. hahah

Laters!

Detroit, you suck!!

My beloved Blackhawks were beat out of the playoffs last night by the Sweden Red Wings. ( I know they were eliminated on a (lucky) goal by a Canadian. that's not the point)  It's all my fault though. I was growing my playoff beard. Sometime before the Detroit series,  I trimmed up a couple spots that were out of hand. I messed with the beard. A big no-no. I am drafting my letter of apology the Blackhawks. I was growing (no pun intened) rather fond of my beard. Becky's sad that I don't look like a lumberjack anymore but she'll get over it.

This year was a vast improvement over last and they are only going to get better. I just hope they don't make any stupid moves over the summer. ( The Leafs will do plenty of that. hahahha) I say, send Campbell and a draft pick to Vancouver for the Sedins. Yah baby! Havlat has proven he CAN play a full season, so re-sign him. As much as I would like it, I don't think they can re-sign Habby and keep Huet around. Too much money in net.

Next year boys!!

Some cool history type stuff

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't how you like it, think about how things used to be.

 Here are some facts about the1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the clean water, then the other sons, the women and children. Last of all was the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water..

Houses had thatched roofs -thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying. It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor.

The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. Apiece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a threshold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and not much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot overnight, then start over the next day. Sometimes the stewpot had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused the lead to leach onto the food, causing death by lead poisoning. This happened often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell; thus, someone  was "saved by the bell" And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

Educate someone else today.

 

 

i can't remember what I was gonna say

So I'll just say random things.

I was out doing some errands on the scooter today.  One lady asked me if it was electric. Another couple asked me a bunch of questions about it.

I can't wait for softball season to start!! It starts Sunday night but  I have to work. BLAST!!

We've got both girls booked in for swimming lessons this year. They are done by mid-July so we might book them in again for another session in August. Swimming lessons are SO important. I'll take them for as many as I can!

I love our reel mower!

I still need donations for the Relay for Life. Only 20 days left!

I got some whitening trays. Time to get rid of the pop/coffee/tea stains!

Going to see a band next Friday. Toxic Holocaust. It's gonna be a thrashin' good time!

That's it for now.

 

Grace's dentist visit #2

I took Grace to the dentist on Thursday for some fillings. I know, she's only 5 and she's getting fillings!! We kinda dropped the ball on early dental hygiene. We've started much earlier with Amelia. Anyway, she had 2 small ones filled. We did great again. Granted, I don't think he used any freezing. Which means no needle. The next one is bigger. It's half gone. She calls it her "pointy tooth". That one might be tougher. He may need to give her a needle. I am confident that he can do it with minimal protest from her. At least until the needle goes in. I'll bribe her with a trip to the Pirate Park and Reid's Dairy. She says to me today " Dad, the dentist put somethin in my tooth. When is he gonna take it out?" I told that he's not. It's a filling and it's there to protect your teeth. She seemed to be alright with that. We go back June 4 for the last one. And then I go June 10. It'll be the first time I've gone since 2000. I don't imagine it'll be my only visit this year.

I knew it!

Yesterday after we took the animals to the park, ( The dogs too) I stated digging out all the dandelions from the side yard while the girls played. About half way through I thought, " I am gonna regret this." Turns out I was right. Not because I miss the yellow on my lawn, but because my hamstrings are wicked sore. I think I'll just use the weedeater to cut down what the mower doesn't get.

For some reason, I have the itch to make the gardens around the house look nice. Weird, I know. To the point that I want to get some cedar mulch and put it in there to make it look nice, hold moisture and cut down the weeds. And the one part that is all grassy is driving me nuts everytime I see it. What is happening to me?

Goddammit!!!

I accidentally put my iPod through the washing machine yesterday. FUCK!

I'm gonna try and send it back and see if Apple will replace/repair it. I've only had it since Christmas. I really don't want to have to buy a new one. It would be like renting this one for $30/mo. I didn the same thing to a much cheaper mp3 player about a year ago. When will I learn not to leave it in my sweater!!

In the meantime, I am using my phone and a micro-SD card. Not the same. Plus, it will throw off my iTunes playcount.

Shit!!

Great gas mileage!! well....

We went for a drive to Ottawa on Sunday. Well, to IKEA. I filled the van with gas. When I pulled out of the gas station the DTE (Distence Til Empty) read 538 km. By the time we hit, oh about, Odessa, it read 561. It stayed there (562-563) until we got off the 401 onto the 416. Which was at least an hour and a half later. Say what? Now, I know Big Green ('94 Grand Caravan, 3.3L V6, 358,000km) is better on the highway than in town but, really? As soon as we started going up the 416 the DTE started dropping. As much as I would like to say that the van magically uses no gas on the 401, I can't back that up.

Sadly, this is what I believe happened. The DTE sensor reads how much gas is left in the tank and calculates based on current efficiency. It said that a full tank should take me 560km. Most (older) fuel sensors work on a ball system. The ball cannot go right to the bottom of the tank, nor the top. That's why you can still drive when the meter reads empty. The ball is down as far as it can go but there is still gas in the tank. It works the same at the top. The ball is up as far as it can go and you can still put more gas in. So, I was burning the gas that was "above the ball". And, as coincedence may have it, that gas was gone just as I got onto the 416. After that point the DTE went down as I had expected. I still drove Big Green to Ottawa (and around a bit, lost) and back to Napanee on about 2/3 of a tank. Roughly, 40L. Not that bad really.

I got a new lawn mower!

No gas. No electricity. Old school push reel mower. It works awesome!! I
only went back and forth once when I was BBQ-ing, but it was great. I can't
wait to do the whole yard tomorrow!! Canadian Tire has a sharpening kit for
$25 and Lee Valley has one. Not sure which way I am going yet, but the
blades are still sharp so I don't have to worry about it just yet. It feels
so good to make good environmental choices!! Speaking of which, I should be
starting to make the trek to work on my old school muscle powered bicycle
on Tuesday. On day shifts. Sometimes. I'd rather just bicycle around for an
hour on my off days. Don't have to work with tired legs, or bike home on
even more tired legs. Either way, it's time to start riding it! Especially
now that Grace wants to go for a bike rides every 5 minutes.

Because these kinds of things bother me

You know that commercial where the guy rents a truck from Enterprise so he can pick up wood to build his daughter a playhouse? Sure ya do. Dude coulda save himself some dough if he just had the hardware store/lumber yard just deliver it. Besides, if I could just build a playhouse from scratch, I'd probably already have a truck!

If I see one more Direct Buy commercial, I may just throw something at the TV.

If I ever met Sally Field, I'd yell "Boniva this!!" and snap her frail bones.

I had a really good beef the other day and I should have blogged it right away because now I forget.

Hey! Hulu.com!! Make the videos available in Canada already!! If you have some "evil plot to take over the world", ya might wanna branch out a bit!!

There's this high school kid that walk by my house all the time with his ipod. Singing away like he's king of the world. And he is really, really bad. If he was delayed, okay. Or even if he was alone, I'll let it slide. But he's with a bunch of friends! I don't know if he thinks he's funny, or if he is just a big frickin' idiot.

I can't remember the last time I actually listened to the radio other than in a store or waiting room or whatever. At home, never. In the car, if I don't have my ipod, a tape or a CD, I just turn it right off.  I hate radio.

I started writing this because I was bored. Now I am bored of writing it.

Grace went to the dentist!!

And she did far better than I ever could have expected. She was great!!  She was excited to go. She wasn't scared at all! She hopped right up in the chair and opened her mouth wide. They counted her teeth, poked at them a bit. Then she got x-rays. She let them put the little bite thing in before the xrays no problem. She held still. She liked the lead apron. Then they cleaned them up, scraped a bit too. She sais "ow" a couple times but she let them keep going. I am so unbelievably proud of her!! A great day to be a parent!! She picked a couple "prizes" from the treasure chest and we made an appointment to go back next week and have some cavities taken care of. That will  be a bigger test but I know she can do it!!

Take THAT Star Trek!!

National Anthem at 2010 Olympics

Our National Anthem - at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
Please read and forward to as many Canadians you can think of - thank you
WE ARE PROUD CANADIANS
Bruce Allen is on the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Committee and new Canadians
(specifically Hindi's/Indian's) want him fired for his recent comments
outlined below:
I am sorry, but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in
Hindi at the 2010 Olympics- enough is enough. Nowhere or at no other time
in our Nation's history, did they sing it in Italian, Japanese, Polish,
Irish (Celtic), German, Portuguese, Greek, or any other language because
of immigration. It was written in English, adapted into French, and should
be sung word for word the way it was written.

The news broadcasts even gave the Hindi version translation - which was not
even close to our National Anthem. I am not the least bit sorry if this
offends ANYONE, this is MY COUNTRY; My Grand Dad served in the military,
other family members also served, as well as my wife & I served a combined
total of 56 years between us. We made many sacrifices for our country and
do not feel we should feel obligated to allow invited people we've welcomed
with open arms to influence & change our society to better resemble the one
they chose to leave to come here!!! - IF YOU AGREE ABOUT THIS GREAT
COUNTRY, SPEAK UP BEFORE ITS TOO LATE
-- please pass this along .
I am not against immigration. In fact I believe we need more, my ancestors
were immigrants -- just come through like everyone else. Get a sponsor; a
place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the Rules AND
LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past -- and LONG
LIVE CANADA!'

It's time we all get behind Bruce Allen, and scrap this Political
Correctness His comments were anything but racist, however, there are far
too many overly sensitive 'New Canadians' that are attempting to change
everything we hold dear.

ARE you PART OF THE PROBLEM ??? Think about this: If you don't want to
forward this for fear of offending someone, will we still be the Country of
Choice and Still be CANADA if we continue to make the changes forced on us
by the people from other countries who have come to live in CANADA because
it is the Country of Choice??????

Think about it!

IMMIGRANTS, NOT CANADIAN'S, MUST ADAPT.

It's Time for CANADIANS to speak up.. If you agree ? Pass this along; if
you don't agree?
Delete it and reap what you sew because of your complacency!

Official Lyrics of O Canada!
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

French Lyrics

O Canada!
Terre de nos aîeux,
Ton front est ceint
de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras
sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter
la croix! Ton histoire
est une épopée,
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur,
de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers
et nos droits.

after the weekend

We had a pretty eventful weekend so to speak. Friday night we sent the kids to Gramma and Grampa's for the night. Becky and I went to Chad and Kelly's for some adult time. We did adult things. Like drinking and such. And liberal use of the english language. We watched a couple movies. Bride Wars and The Day the Earth Stood Still. The former was alright for that kind of movie and the later wasn't bad either but it was rather late and I was having alot of trouble staying awake. I know I missed some of it.

Saturday we went to Tammy's for brunch with Chad and Kelly and then went out to a yard sale of sorts. It was all the stuff they cleared out of storage units when people didn't pay their bill. We got an assortment of stuff for dirt cheap. They said they'll be doing it all summer on the weekends. Cool. We picked up the girls and had a visit. I took a dip in the hot tub. Then we skipped into Kingston for a couple things.

Sunday we did the usual trip to the farm. I calf that Grace named Pretty (it was a pretty cow) licked my hand. Grace didn't want me to touch her with that hand. After that, Becky went to 90th birthday party for her great-aunt. She left us home because she didn't think it was going to be much a kids thing. Turns out, alot of her family was there that she hadn't seen in ages and they were all asking about the kids! Plus, her cousin had his daughter/son (I can't remember. I'm awful) there who is 3 and the girls could have played with her/him. Too late now! Later that evening I went to an amazing concert in Kingston (Kylesa/Intronaut. Read the show review at www.kingdomofnoise.blogspot.com) I got to interview a couple members of Kylesa. Awesome.I had a great time but my neck suffered for it. Not the worst case of self-induced whiplash I've had but it's not comfy.

Monday was pretty easy. Moved some more stuff around for the living room/studio swap. Fixed the wardrobe. Took a 3 hour nap. Made sausages and burgers on the BBQ and took the scooter to work. Easy night too. In the lab.

still wicked bored, gonna write a story

As Jane poured her coffee she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She knew she was alone in the house today. Roger had left for work and the kids were at school. Her cat Winston was staring at her from the window but that wasn't unusual. The feeling she had was. She sat at the table and muttered to herself, "I'm just being paranoid".

Her thoughts fell to the dream she had that night. She dreamt about a series of underground tunnels populated by rats. But not just any rats. These rats were industrious.  They had little houses, not nests. Towns with shops and cobbled streets. Rats and mice scurrying about. Not in any particular hurry, but rather, that's just what mice and rats did, scurry.  She recalled that the rats seemed to be in charge and the mice were merely servants. Size has it's advantages. A mean streak probably helps too.

She put the thought of slave mice to the side and continued reading the morning paper. Roger had removed the sports section and one the kids had dribbled milk below the comic strips. No matter, she was after the Lifestyle section anyway. As she scanned an article about the latest trends in high end dinnerware, the feeling of being watched returned. She listened intently as she glanced at the windows. Nothing. And there shouldn't be. She and her family lived at the end of a long driveway in a house nestled in the 30 acres of towering evergreens. No neighbour kids retrieving errant soccer balls, no-one to look in the front window as they passed on their morning powerwalk.

Her coffee finished, she returned to her bedroom to get dressed. Winston followed. It was one of his favourite games to rub on Jane's legs as she tried to get into her pantyhose.  Captain Rickle gave the all clear and the rat commandos rushed into the kitchen. Desperate for supplies, the rats had been driven to raiding above ground human swellings. Desperation did not mean foolishness. Scouts had watched the comings and goings of the house so they knew they only had a few minutes to accomplish their mission. Sentries were placed by the hall to warn the rest should Jane, or more importantly, Winston, leave the bedroom prematurely.

Working quickly they swiped the coffee mug and the spoon. They emptied the cat's food dish, stole the laces from three shoes. The Captain signaled to start the retreat. A commando spotted a pen on the floor on the far side of the kitchen. As the team gathered at the exit point, he raced for the pen.  The Captain was forced to stay quiet for fear of alerting the cat but he would surely reprimand this young commando. As valuable as a pen may be to their efforts, the risk was one they should be taking. With the pen, the brash young commando narrowly made through the kitty door with the rest of the group just as Jane and Winston emerged from the bedroom.

 

I'm out of time! Your turn! Go!

I am SO bored!

Here's how bored I am: I tried to see how long I could rapidly blink. Like, to make everything look like there was a strobe light. Probably only lasted 15-20 seconds before I eyeblink muscles got too tired.

Yeah, that bored.

Sometimes I wish....

Sometimes I wish...

...that life were a little more like The Matrix. At least with respect to the thing they had were they could just plug it into your head and you would learn stuff. I don't really like learning, but I like knowing stuff. It would be so much easier to just plug in and BAM, I know all about astrophysics, or Mongol History, or I could play flawless guitar, or be able to do anything I really wanted! That would be stellar.

...that I could somehow stop my facial hair from growing in the places I don't want it. Like my neck.

...that I could magically make the hair on my head grow at an astonishing rate.

...I was a little bit taller. I wish I was a baller.

...I could speak Spanish.

...I could read faster.

...I could clone myself so I could be in two places at once and I wouldn't miss anything because of work.

...I could eat pizza for every meal.

...I wasn't so hairy.

...I could live in the woods away from all the distractions of the world. But with high speed internet.

...I quit my paper route a year earlier and tried out for the football team.

...I had found a way too keep playing hockey after age 12.

...I could go back and do high school over again because I am much cooler now.

Last couple days

Thursday was a rough day. I had to go to a wake for a 4 year old. It was the son of a friend I grew up with next door. He drowned in the pool. Well, the pool cover. Quite possibly the saddest thing I have ever seen. I cannot begin to imagine what the family is going through. It was awful. He was in this too tiny coffin, with all his favourite toys, with his little hat on and a copy of Kung Fu Panda. They were transporting his urn to the internment in Tow Mater. I couldn't bring myself to go to the funeral. It was just too much. The wake was hard enough. I came home bawling and sobbed into Becky's shoulder. I went and hugged Grace too. Amelia woke up in the night so I hugged her then. It really made me appreciate how much I have. I will try my damnedest from here on out to enjoy every moment I have with my family. It could all be taken away just like that.

On a lighter note, I would have been really embarrased if someone had seen (or rather, heard) me cleaning out the freezer and moving the new (to us) one into the backroom. I had Iron Maiden on the stereo and I was singin' along. Doing the best Dickinson impression I could. I am sure if anyone heard my falsetto it would have made their day! I did some gardening too. Scratched my arms all to ratshit trying to get all the leaves out of the bushes. Had burgers on the BBQ. yeah baby! Rode the scooter in to work. Got it under cover before it started to rain. I just hope it's not raining when it's time to go home!

Dribs and drabs because I am bored

I came up with a new saying with regards to dog poo/pee on the floor. "You
seen it, you clean it." It does NOT apply to general messes, dishes or
laundry.

Rain sucks.

I am all out of black tea.

Kylesa and Intronaut play Kingston in less than 2 weeks!! And Mastodon
might be there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Toxic Holocaust if playing there later this summer. Oh yeah!

I should really be concentrating more on work right now.

RIP Hunter

Good weekend

I think I blogged about Saturday already didn't I? Remote blogging and a
terrible memory don't go well together. I'll assume I did.
Sunday was another good day. Not only for us as a family, but for me
personally.
We went to Chad and Kelly's Saturday night. We had a very good time (sans
kids). They let us know that Kelly is pregnant!!! Cool. I took one beer
with me (St. Peter's English Ale. Try it. Organic and awesome) and Chad
gave me a celebratory one. It put me to sleep and I missed the end of the
movie.
We got home late and in bed by like 1. But we were up around 8 and all was
good. We got donuts. We took Tyler home and hung out there for a bit. Took
Amelia out to pet the calves and the donkey and see the chickens. Grace
played with Robyn.
Then we went for a little drive and spent the afternoon in the yard. After
supper we went to Dairy Queen and had some treats and played in the play
thinger there.
Girls went to bed great but Meel didn't stay down. She has a cold so she
was all stuffy and woke up.
Good weekend.

I had a beer last night

It was my first alcoholic beverage since January 15. That's a whole 93 days. I am proud that I could do it. Truth be told, I wasn't super impressed with the beer I had. I don't know if I have lost the taste. I don't think so. I think a) it wasn't cold enough b) Steamwhistle just isn't as good out of a can and c) Amelia was on my lap and not feeling well so I couldn't properly relax.

Pretty good morning

Becky went to work and I took Grace to gymnastics. Amelia behaved and didn't give me a hard time. I could tell Grace isn't 100% yet because she wasn't as into it as she usually is. After that, we went to the library to hear Peggy Collins read. She read her book In The Garden as well as a book she illustrated called Tallula's Atishooo! Grace drew a picture on a big sheet with other kids and planted a pea plant to bring home. Amelia played with some other kids. It was a good time. I took them to McDonald's after. Sort of as a reward but also cuz I wanted a burger.
As a side not, it was the first time I used the emergency brake on the van. I had never had to park it on a hill yet.
Amelia is napping now and I am going to try and tidy up a bit while Grace rests too. Grace and I have to make a Zoo board today. For her next reward, she chose the zoo. 5 weeks of blue tickets at school and good days at home and here we come, Zoo!!

Last night we took the girls to Chuck E. Cheese's. That is what Grace had worked towards as a reward. Both girls had a blast and Becky and I weren't stressed! The pizza wasn't that bad. We all had lots of fun and for little money. Grace is really good at the water gun game, Amelia does not like the rides that move, and Becky and I need work on our basketball skills. We will have to go again sometime. It was great!

I haven't had to snap on anyone's head! (yet)

Because I am a bit of a cynic, I thought that I would get some flack for riding our e-scooter to work tonight. (daymak.com  "Gatto")  I haven't, yet. I hope any detractors choose to keep their negativity to themselves because I have not in the mood for jokes or other non-supportive comments. Depending on what may be said, I am lible to snap on their head. Or just walk away. It's an environmental choice and I am proud of it. I'm reminded of a Slipknot song but I won't repeat the lyrics here. I've had positive comments from WW, JW, SC, and RB. Possibly a sarcastic comment from LM. Not sure.

I Give Up

Everything I try to feel better doesn't work. or it works for a couple days and then it doesn't anymore. Maybe I am just realizing that my mood and behaviour wasn't a side effect of being tired. Maybe I was using it as an excuse. The only thing I haven't done that I have wanted to is exercise but my knees are bothering me enough that I just can't.
I go to see the doc on the 27th and I will do whatever they tell me to. Drugs, therapy, anything.
I can't do this anymore. I can't be this person anymore. It's not fair to those who love me and it's not fair to myself. I wanted to fix myself by myself but I can't.
Good thing I have benefits at work.

We gots a new pupper

That's our new puppy Sara Princess Marie Hinch. Grace picked the name. She is a 9 week old Jack Russell/Beagle. Cute as a button. Likes to chew. Great. Getting pretty good at doing her business outside. We need to work on not shitting in her crate. 2 baths yesterday and 2 stinky hose-outs of the crate. BIG TIME cuddler.
She gets along with Leia very well. The cat, not so much. But Franki just goes somewhere else.
I'll have to do some reinforcements to the outside kennel. Just to be sure Sara can't wiggle her way out. Nevermind about the picket fence. She'll always be small enough to slip between the boards.

Amelia's Birthday and dual party

Sunday our baby turned 2. That was fast!! We had some relatives over for a little party on Sunday for a dual Grace-Amelia party. We won't do that again. Too much. They both got some great stuff. Problem is the sharing. They are sisters, what can you do?
It forced Becky and I to clean a little harder so that's a good thing. Now it's all about maintenance. I guess I'll just have to be a hard ass. haha (as I look at the disaster that is my computer desk)
5 and 2. Damn, where does the time go?

NHL no closer to team in Sin City

Bettman says NHL no closer to team in Vegas

They better not be!! Are you kidding me? Take a look at the team in the southern states. Phoenix, Tampa, Florida for example, are struggling to keep people in the stands. Why? Because hockey is cold weather sport! In the article it says they have no plans for expansion but if they did, how about Winnipeg! Quebec City! Hamilton!
If they ever put a team in Vegas, it would crash and burn.

Ya know what's awesome?

Grace loves science! That's awesome! She loves the show Sid the Science Kid. First time she watched it she comes running in to me all excited. "Dad! We can smell because of scent molecules!!!"

There is a show she watches at daycare called Adiboo. The video they have is about the circulatory system and Fiona says she eats it right up! I read her a book once about constellations and she talks about Ursa Major all the time. The other day she was watching Zula Patrol, she comes running into the kitchen, "Dad! Stars are held together by their own gravity!!" Maybe it's just me but it seems like she gets more excited about science then other stuff. Don't get me wrong, she like other stuff but you know what I mean. She really likes Super Why and Word Girl. Both are about reading. And Martha Speaks, which is about language skills. It's kinda neat. They use big words (bigger words) and then explain what they mean.I can't wait til she can read!

I am going to start reading a series of books to her. I had them when I was a kid. I call them the Value books. The Value of Determination, Understanding, Knowledge, Forgiveness etc. Each one is about a historical figure. Johnny Appleseed, Ben Franklin, Marie Curie, The Wright Brothers. There is pictures so that's good. hahah I hope she likes them.

When I woke up

Friday morning, I had a thought. (I know!! That IS hard to believe) But it's pretty deep. Why are they called Chinese? Why not Chinan? I can't think of another country that ends in "a" that refers to their people as "-ese". Most of the rest just add an "n". For example: American, Cuban, Australian, Bolivian, Indonesian, Slovakian, Russian, Algerian, etc. Am I right? There are other exceptions CanadIan, ArgentinIan. Where an "i" is added. But by and large if a country ends in "a", just add an "n". Not China. They follow a different trend. Like Japanese and Sudanese. Who decides on "n" countries? Whethere to go "-ese" or "i", or "-ian"? I better drop this train of thought before my brain explodes. Netherlands=Holland-->Dutch? WTF?! Are they called New Zealanders? Trinidad and Tobaggan?? HAHAAH I'm so easily amused.

Grace had a party!!

Grace had a party for her 5th birthday on Saturday. She had lots of fun. There was friends from school, friends from daycare, cousins and other friends. They did some crafts, decorated (and ate) cupcakes, played some games and opened some gifts. I got to meet some of her friends from school. Mixed first impressions. They made lots of noise and plenty of mess, but they had fun. It really made me feel like a dad. I do everyday but I felt like other people identified me as "Grace's dad". Nobody called me Mr. Hinch, so that's good. That would just make me feel old. Although, I did almost have one the parents convinced that TV was only in black and white when I was a kid. Almost.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

I just finished reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. It about two boys on opposite sides of the fence. One in striped pajamas ( in a concentration camp) and the other the son of a high ranking Nazi. It is written from the perspective of the naive son of the Nazi official. It's a very compelling read. It explores the Holocaust from a very interesting perspective. We have all read about the horrors of the Holocaust but never in this way. It speaks to the innocence of youth even in the face of the unspeakable. It's even relavant to our time, without the blatant hatred of the Nazis. It demonstrates what we can learn from children. In the eyes of children, we are all the same. No matter our race, religion, ancestry or social standing, we are all people.

I highly recommend this book. It's a very quick read. Which is good because once you start, you won't want to put it down. In the notes at the end of the book, the author states that he wrote it in a week and half, but it doesn't feel rushed or half-assed.

It's almost time!!

The snow is gone. The flowers are coming up. Time to get outside. We went for our first after supper walk of the season the other day. It was very nice. We are now looking for a double jogging stroller. We used to have a double bike trailer/stroller but it was cumbersome and Grace hated it. Then we had a jogging stroller but we never used it. I think we sold it for as much or more than we paid for it. We want a jogging stroller because they tend to have bigger wheels and can handle uneven sidewalks better than normal strollers. We need the double to we can take both girls when we are alone. Finding a used one is not proving easy.

I am really itching to get outside.  I have a lot of work to do. Not to mention using the scooter!! I need to get some dirt and level out the yard in some places to make it so the fence doesn't look crooked (it's level). And to "freshen up" the dog's kennel. I can pick it all up but with the rain and stuff....

I need to strart doing some measuring and planning for my first project of the summer. I am putting a railing around the front porch. Need to measure to see how long of 2x4s I'll need and then plan for spacing of the 2x2 spindles and calculate how many of those I need. I'm going to get those holders I guess, that you screw onto the upright and then fit the end of the 2x4 into it. That is so much easier than trying to hammer the nails in on an angle and all that. When that's all done I will be building some window boxes but not for the windows. haha. They will sit on either side of the stairs. I am going to mount the numbers for our address on one of the boxes. Dad and Zena got us some really nice ceramic ones from a vendor when they were down in Chile. I haven't put them up anywhere yet because I wanted to do it right. If I get all that done, and we have the money, I'll be building a bigger deck. Not sure on the size yet but it will be bigger then the 8x7ft one we have now. At least 12x12, maybe 12x16. I have room for 12x20 but that might be a bit much. We'll see. I might even use the wood from the old deck to make a scooter port. hahaha Like a carport, but for the scooter.

Grace's birthday party is Saturday. There will be quite a few people at the house. I think 11 kids including Grace? plus Amelia, and the teenage cousin help. and parents. I just hope Amelia is well enough that she can be involved and we won't have to seclude her or take her somewhere else. Poor thing.

Saturday morning, I will find myself in Kingston. I have to get Becky the Best Buy exclusive Limited Edition Twilight DVD. It's got a bunch of extra stuff that is only on that version. It's sold out online. I need to call the store tomorrow and see if the are doing anything special. Like opening early or anything. Doubtless there will be hordes of teen girls there waiting to get it. Should be interesting. I hope I don't look like a creep and/or nerd. IT'S NOT FOR ME!!!!! hahaha

Grace's Birthday!

Grace turned 5 today. Well, yesterday. Fine! Wednesday.

She got a Peek-a-Boo Barbie and a Princess Barbie. A Tinkerbell balloon. A nice little toy bin and a Littlest Pet Shop Fitness CLub from us.

She got a Bratz Princess (she thinks it's Barbie) and a Camp Rock "Mitchie" doll (She thinks it's Hanna Montana) in the mail from Grammie and Poppa Rose. She's happy, that's all that matters. She was very excited to get mail.

She spent the day with us and her friend Makenzie. We went to the Pirate Park in Belleville then to McDonald's (with PlayPlace). When it was time to leave, Mackenzie went to get Grace and Grace screamed bloody murder because she didn't want to leave. My gawd was it loud! This horrible screech in a little acoustically resonant room was loud enough that federal safety regulations would have required hearing protection. Then we went back to our place and the girls played. I managed to nap in the next room with no problem. I wasn't THAT tired, and I doubt they were quiet, but I think I have myself trained.

Grace talked to or got birthday messages from just about everyone. It was good. She is going to have such a blast at her party on Saturday!

Hard to believe she's so old!! Next thing I know she'll be in high schooo. Please no! I'll stick with the fancy song she sang Grampa about how she'll be six and go to Grade One.

Can I get my hopes up yet?

No daily high temperatures in the minus until at least Monday. And the 14 Day Trend says nothing below 5 after that. That would be very nice indeed. I am sick of the cold.

I went to Value Village yesterday to grab a couple cassettes that I didn't get last time because I didn't want to use debit for $2.26 and they were gone!! Who else other than me would want a Megadeth and Rage Against the Machine cassette? crap.

I hope to do alot of cleaning up outside on Friday. The high is only 1 for Friday though. But sunny.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! and Happy Submarine Day!

wow!

I had to walk down to another area of the plant to train someone on something. It looked nice enough outside so I walked to the end of plant outside. My initial thought was "Yeah, not bad. Not t-shirt weather, but maybe a light hoodie."

20 minutes later, I take the same path back. But in that 20 minutes, it has warmed up even more! There was robins hopping around in the grass chirping at eachother, not a cloud in the sky and a nice gentle breeze.I felt like doing cartwheels! Seriously! And yes, I can do cartwheels. I did not, however, do any cartwheels. Someone might have been looking. And I'm already gonna catch enough flack this summer when I ride our electric scooter to work. I don't need to add any fuel to the fire.

I guess what I am trying to say is: What a nice day for me to be cooped up in a smelly ole plant!

I lost my travel mug

I can't find it anywhere. I probably left it laying around at work. And
since it looks like everyone else's, someone probably picked it up. I
didn't pay for it so it's no big loss, but now I have to buy a new one.

On Sunday we took the girls to the Pirate Cove playground in Belleville.
Man! did they ever have fun! I really enjoyed seeing them so happy. It's a
geat place to take them. It's great because it's fenced in. Then we took
them to the new renovated Reid's Dairy for ice cream. Amelia made quite a
mess but it was better than my expectations. That's why they get vanilla.
First Grace wanted vanilla, then Pistachio, then strawberry, then chocolate
then back to vanilla.

Amelia slept throught the might Sunday night. A full 12 hours. Thank you
thank you thank you! I haven't got an email from Becky yet so I hope she is
sleeping through tonight aswell.We've had her on lactose free milk for a
couple weeks now and she actually has solid poops now and her diaper rash
is clearing right up. It's a little more expensive but it's worth it.

I was freaking Sunday and all day Monday because I could find the receipt
for my $500 orthotics. Then when I was leaving for work I had a revelation!
I flipped open the thing in the center console that I keep my change and CT
money in and Voila!! I thought I put it right on the seat but the console
wasn the next logical place to look because that's where I put everything
so it doesn't blow out the window or fall out the door. Why I didn't look
there is beyond my comprehension. But now I have it and I can submit it to
my benefits. Phew!!

I have this feeling in the back of my throat. It's like there is a string
or a feather or something stuck at the back. It would be really nice if it
went away soon. I haven't been able to swallow normally for over a week.

I should take PC repair

Wednesday night my computer didn't work. It wouldn't turn on. It sounded like a car turning over but it just didn't have the strength. It would start going full bore for a couple seconds and then it would start chugging again. I asked a buddy at work and he said it sounded like the power supply. That's what I thought too.
Friday I went to Canada Computers and bought a new one. I changed it myself and everything is cool.
Then yesterday I took the old hard-drive out of my old computer and putting in the one I am using. And I didn't mess it up. It gives me an extra 10GB of storage after I formatted it. It's a 12GB drive but I can't seem to get the other 2GB cleared.
Later today or Monday I'll be swapping out the DVD drives. The one that came with this computer wasn't working right so I put my old in a while ago. It was doing the same thing so I figured it wasn't the drives but rather a CPU problem. In light of the power supply issue, it may be related so I am going to put the newer, better (it burns) one back in and give that a shot.
Someday I am going to buy some more RAM and speed this baby up a bit. I have slots for at least one more RAM card, maybe 2.
In the meantime, I have to move all the pictures onto the MyBook. Just in case this baby dies. I can replace programs, mp3s, movies and stuff but I can't replace the pictures.

Stand back people!!

So here's the thing about adding lots of fibre into your diet. Yeah, it lowers cholesterol, helps regularity, detox and it tastes great (lmao), but I have been farting A LOT. Nowhere near silent, and very violent. I ripped an air biscuit last night doing dishes and it almost knocked ME on my ass. It's that bad. Maybe it's just temporary. My flatulence had sibsided considerably when we cut way back on pop, but it's back with a vengeance.

Maybe the nasal strips have something to do with it? I am getting more oxygen in my system at night so maybe it's building up? But it's not oxygen on the way out.....

I have a follower!!

Does that make me leader?
It doesn't matter that it's my wife. It's still a follower!!

So here's the deal

I got my new glasses today and I must say, pretty sexy. I need to do something about my hair though. They don't go well together. HAHA listen to me.
I got the results from my blood tests back. Totally normal. I guess that's good. But it still doesn't explain the fatigue.
But I have found that since I cut out the coffee I feel better. Plus, I have had very limited pop too.
So much less caffeine. Maybe the caffeine was acting like nicotine or something and I was having "caff-fits". I don't' really like coffee anyway so it's no big deal.
I have to back to the doc in 2 months. I am going to work on my diet and exercise (as in actually exercising), going to bed earlier and staying off the coffee and alcohol and see if that changes anything. I think it will.
I am also going to try those nasal strips to see if maybe that helps. If I am breathing better at night I will get a more restful sleep and recharge better.
My friend KL has also told me to ask my angels to let me rest at night. Instead of "downloading". My body is resting but my soul is not and it is manifesting itself in my body. I need to let my body and my soul rest properly.
I'd really like to get back to how I felt a couple years ago. Which coincidentally, was when I was exercising regularly. Gotta but myself some new runners and have at 'er!!

New Glasses!

I don't have them yet but I ordered them yesterday. They are pretty sexy. LOL Very modern. Semi-rimless, silver, very rectangle. I can't wait!

Becky was trying on some Cocoons. They are these sunglasses that fit over your glasses. They fit right to your face and block all light (you know what I mean) from every angle. They also make you look like an old blind person. They would be good for fishing though! Becky opted to just in her old glasses and get them tinted. good move.

I'm done with winter. But it's been snowing for the last 15 hours, so I guess winter is not done with us.

I'm not drinking coffee anymore. Sometimes it makes me feel like shit, sometimes it gives me heartburn. Most of the time it makes me feel like shit. And it never seems to actually pep me up. So I am cutting it out. My teeth with thank me. I'll have less sugar in my diet. One less thing to rely on. Becky and I haven't had any pop in a couple weeks either. Well, maybe at McDonald's, but that's a treat. It's a hell of a lot better than the 3-4 cans a day each we were drinking before! I just hope these dietary changes (no alcohol, no coffee, less pop) yield some positive benefits.They should as long as I don't fill the void with chips and cookies. aaaahhhh, cookies.

We got a Brita pitcher so hopefully I will start drinking more water. I just need to get a new water bottle. the ones we had all smell like milk from sending milk to the sitter's with Amelia.I'd like to distance myself from bottled water altogether.

Sometime in the next few days I'm gonna look at my New Year's resolutions and see how I'm doing. Pretty good I think!

I have GOT to get me one of these!!

Star Wars Force Training Toy

I don't care that it will cost like $100! It uses brainwaves to move a ball!

Hey! Did ya miss me?

I thought not.

what's new? well, last week Grace had the flu. Earlier this week, Becky and
Amelia had the flu. Later this week/weekend, I had the flu.
The dog and cat seem fine.
I might be getting the girls a fish tank for their birthdays. Or just
Grace, not sure yet. I miss having fish myself. Not sure whether to get
cold water or tropical. Tropical gives you so much more choice, but it's a
little tougher to maintain. I wouldn't be getting a big 65 gallon monster
tank like I used to have so either way would be okay.

At the end of the day, I am throwing out the shirt I am wearing.

I went for blood tests on Thursday to see why I am so tired all the time.
Everyone says it's shift work and kids, but I've been working shift and
have had kids long before I got his tired. I can and do, fall asleep at the
drop of a hat everyday. I'll fall asleep rocking Amelia at 7, and then
again laying with Grace for her affirmations at 730. Then I want to go
right to bed. The doctor said that in anything, given my circumstances, it
should be harder for me to fall asleep. So my "passing out" is not normal.
I really wonder what is up. I used to work OT like clockwork but I haven't
worked any in at least 7 months and I see no change. I haven't had a drink
(of alcohol) in almost a month, and no change. I thought the alcohol was
affectin my quality of sleep. And it's a depressant. but no change. I go
back on the 25th to see the results.

I can't wait to start riding my bicycle and/or our e-bike to work. There is
a plug right at the bike rack so I can plug the e-bike (electric scooter.
like a Vespa, not a mobility scooter. I'm not that old.) in when I get to
work. yee haw! I just hope when the MTO trial is over in October, they
don't make all the rules to be like a motorcycle. Insurance with an M1 is
outrageous!
As long as it's charged, I will ride it to work on night shifts, and day
shifts that Becky is not working. Or maybe just nights and weekends. not
sure yet.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. It's kind of funny that I got an email about
a guy who had a arrow lodged in the back of his head. What the hell did he
say to Cupid?

I'm going to try and go Wednesday to pick out new glasses. I am so sick of
the ones I have now.

Later!

25 Random things about me

1. I think I have 5 copies of the original Star Wars trilogy.

2. I wear socks that only come up to my ankle sometimes.

3. I try to scream at the top of my lungs everyday.

4. I'd rather read the book than watch the movie.

5. I'm really big on full-zip hoodies right now.

6. I have a really hard time keeping my knee(s) from bouncing.

7. I wish I had time to be in a band.

8. I can't make a decent cup of coffee to save my life.

9. I have killed 6 mice with blunt intruments (i.e. other than in traps)!

10. I haven't had a drink in 18 days.

11. I could eat breakfast food for every meal!

12. I have a metal blog. www.kingdomofnoise.blogspo

t.com

13. I have a personal blog. www.matthinch.blogspot.com

14. I prefer pie to cake.

15. I would have alot more tattoos if I had the money.

16. I could go without TV as long as I had music.

17. I'd rather be blind than deaf.

18. I need to go see my doctor. For a bunch of things..

19. I don't chew my food enough.

20. I love sports but I don't like basketball (I like to play it though).

21. I don't know as much about computers as people think I do.

22. My favourite job (as an adult) was the one that paid the least.

23. Sometimes I wish I was born in 1955. Because I would be in high school in the '70s.

24. I haven't played Guitar Hero or Rockband in WEEKS! That will change today.

25. If you think someone farted, it was me!

You know what bugs me/I'm bored

I hate just about every motorist except myself. Why? Some go too slow. Like the idiot the other day going 60 on Hwy 2. In a 4x4. The roads were wet, sure, but there was no snow on 'em! It wasn't windy and it did not appear that anything was wrong with this truck. And the Caprice and the Tracker behind him had no designs on passing either. It's an all-together too familiar scene on today's roads. People driving too slow for the safety of everyone else. It causes accidents. It causes road rage (in me). "It's a maximum, not a minimum." True, but have some sense already! It's those same people who (in inclement weather) are driving says 20km slower than posted in the 80 zone, then when it changes to 60, slow down to 40. (I'm getting deja vu, Have I blogged about this before?) Wait a minute! 60 was just fine back there!! Are you going to slow down to 30 when we get into town!!

some drive to fast. I live 2 blocks from a high school and 1 block from a public school and there is no stop sign on my corner. Kids from the high school FLY down my street. Of the 3 intersections between the 2 major streets on my street, mine is the only one without a stop sign. And then there's the idiots from down the other street that zip up and down the street on their ATVs and Ski-doos with complete disregard for the N/S stop signs that are there.

I talk on my cell phone while driving sometimes. Not all the time. Ask anyone who has talked to me while I was driving and they wil tell you I am paying more attention to the road. "Sorry, what?" But it's not even the people on their cell not paying attention that drive me nuts. It's those who are talking to a passenger!! I know it's polite to look at someone when you are talking to them but, you are driving!!! I think they will understand if you watch the road.

Then there is the people who just plain suck at driving. Like stradling the lines, stopping where there is no stop sign, and vice versa, I saw 3 people in the last week alone blatantly run red lights. I think there needs to be a national program put in place to teach people the rules to who has the right of way (me. haha)

Anyway, I'm pretty much just ranting and probably coming off as a jerk. I never said I was perfect (I almost failed my G road test) but this isn't about me, it's about you. I mean them. Them. You're cool cuz you're reading this. And I love my readers.

See you on the road!!

Just because

Since I haven't blogged since last week I thought I should. Let's see. I picked up my new safety glasses this morning. They are those fancy brown and orange ones. I am wearing them at home right now. Just to get used to them. I was going to go to Kingston today to pick up my new safety boots but the copious amounts of snow have prevented me. Don't need them that bad. I could go Thursday or Friday.
I watched Mary Poppins for the first time ever this morning.
I am almost done compiling my list of the Top Albums of 2008. But them I have to put them in order and write a little blurb. I am so behind on listening to stuff from this year!
I got a new tattoo last Friday. it's awesome. It's a Tree of Life with my girls' initials around it.

I got it done at Skin Graffix in Belleville by Ken. He's great.

That's pretty much it. well, I went to a concert right after getting the tattoo. No-one you would know (Rozea Haven, Titan and Fuck The Facts) It was awesome. The word awesome is awesome.
I just might give myself a haircut this afternoon. It's a wee but shaggy. I though about letting it grow out but it's too much of a bother. Plus, the shorter the hair, the less grey you see.

I'm a wee bit excited.

At 6pm today, I shall converge upon Skin Graffix in Belleville to get my latest and greatest tattoo!! On the back of my left calf I am getting a Celtic style Tree of Life. Outside of the main tattoo, in the top "corners", I'll have the girls' initials. G on the left, A on the right. I was going to get them in the dead spaces on either side of the trunk, but just in case Becky and I go certifiably insane, and decide (?) to have another child ( I will jump out a window if it was twins) I wanted to be able to incorporate any more initials without it looking like an afterthought. I would put a third initial at the bottom-center. So the three would frame it like the points of a triangle. Or if we never have any more kids, I could put and M and  a B or the word Hinch or something on the bottom if I wanted.

At 9 tonight, I will find myself at the Autonomous Social Centre in Kingston. There, I will have my ears assaulted by the metal stylings of Kingston's Rozea Haven, Toronto's Titan and Ottawa's F*ck the Facts. The ACS is just a house, so you know it's going to be Intimate. I'll have a still bleeding tattoo, so the mosh pit will not be my mistress this night. I wam going to try and bring my (shitty) camera and maybe snap a few pics. I am not going to risk one of the good cameras in such a small venue. I will have to FIND the old shitty camera first.

I won't be home til after 1130 at least and then I have to come into work on a shift trade Saturday morning. I'll be plenty tired, but I shouldn't be bruised.

So yeah, I'm excited. A new tattoo and a concert all in the same day. Lucky me!!!

Amelia's funny sometimes

Amelia's first "real" exposure to hockey was the Winter Classic on New Year's Day (She is usually in bed before any games start). She looked at the screen and asked me what it was. I told her it was hockey. And now she is pretty much obsessed. Everytime she sees hockey on the tv, "Pockey! Pockey!" (sometimes she says hockey) But when football is on, it's "pockey!" So she hasn't really differentiated the two sports yet. But she isn't even 2 yet so I can understand if she just sees is grown men in shoulder pads and helmets playing a sport on a big rectangularish area.

The really cool thing is, she specifically associates hockey with the Chicago Blackhawks!! She'll see my toque and says hockey. She will see my hat and say hockey. She saw my jersey and said hockey. So to her, hockey IS the Blackhawks. Same with me. Well, it looks like I'm doing something right!!!

What the crap!!!

Something is wrong with my eyelash. It's like I have a hair hanging behind my glasses or something. But there is nothing there. I rub at it and it doesn't go away!! SO annoying. Anyway, I am gonna find a movie on my hard drive to burn and watch. I'll let you know how it goes. And if I am able to pluck out all my eyelashes.

The Diagnosis

Amelia has strep throat and an ear infection. And I forgot to call Zena last night to tell her. Oops!
She seems to be doing much better today. Still not 100% by any means but she slept last night which was pretty awesome.
I should be doing some cleaning and stuff but I have a killer headache and I am pretty tired. That's life I guess.

That was better?

I was able to sleep yesterday from 930 to 3. I needed it. Becky took Amelia up to the hospital and they were dicks. Test results tomorrow. She didn't really sleep well last night but I think she is over tired now. She slept on my chest, on the couch, from 1230 to 430 and 730-830 last night/this morning. Becky got some good solid sleep last night so I hope tonight can be my turn. lol

Joe fixed the roof on Sunday. A piece of steel lifted during the wind last week. He says we're gonna need a new roof within a year. I', not surprised. It hasn't been done in at LEAST 43 years. Steel is good that way. Don't know whether to go steel again (we love it!) or go with 30-year shingles. It will call come down to price.

Who wants to come clean my house? The sickies have held us back a bit. lol

What is this thing called "sleep"?

Here's how the whole sleep thing as gone down since Friday.
I have slept: Friday from 130-4pm. Saturday from 1145am-6pm and Sunday from 1215pm-5pm. So let's see, since 6am Friday morning, til
now, (510am Monday) which is almost 72 hours, I have slept a total of 13.5 hours. And I think I've got the better end of this deal.
Becky slept (and I use that term lightly) til like 9am friday, From 8isham til 1130am Saturday, and sunday from 730amish til 12pm. so
that's only 12 hours. She might have grabbed some sleep during the nights to bump her up over my 13.5 hours but it's hard to tell.
It's close. In any case, we are both exhausted. We should have had like 24 hours sleep by now. and when we are sleeping, it's not
quality. Sleeping in the day time is not quality sleep. Especially when the girls are noisy. And I am somewhat accustomed to being up
all night because of the shift work but Becky isn't. I can't imagine how she feels if I feel this bad.
I don't know how Amelia is still functioning. She has Becky up all night and then only naps for a couple hours. I really hope she
starts feeling better soon. Like REAL soon. It's one thing when it's the weekend and only one of us is working. But Becky has to go to
work at noon today. So if Amelia doesn't go to the sitter's (which she shouldn't if she is sick)then I will be staying up with her and
getting NO sleep today. Unless she lays down for a nap and I can grab a couple hours before Grace gets home from school. Only getting
a couple hours may just make me feel worse though. I will take any sleep I can get. I hope this fever of Amelia's has broken. Should
call the doctor anyway but there isn't much he can do if it's a virus. Nobody said parenting was going to be easy!!!
Wish us luck.

Some New Year's Resolutions

1. Yell less. At people.
2. Scream more. To nobody. (or to a microphone)
3. Stop being such a grumpy SOB. Even if I have to fake it.
4. Start playing bass again.
5. Get more tattoos.
6. Visit Todd and Adele and Jessalyn.
7. Drink less.
8. Lose some weight.
9. Somehow get rid of all my aches and pains. (shoulders!)
10. Make the lives of people around me even better.