Has it really been this long?!

I guess it has been this long! I'm sure many of you are now tires of that irritating guy crying over Britney Spears. Well here is another video that my friend Doug sent to me:




I guess I really haven't been in much of a writing mood lately. To be honest, I still don't feel like writing. Hence all the videos!

I did recently go to a F18-Hornet simulator though. It was pretty good too! The graphics weren't as good as I had hoped, and the unit didn't move, but it was still a lot of fun. The controls were set up like the actual fighter jets and my friends and I spent an hour dogfighting with each other. I love those heat seeking missiles! They just make life easier than having to actually aim!

I'm going to wrap things up here. I'm hoping to update before the new year for a recap of 2007. Until then, I hope everybody has a safe and Merry Christmas.

Here's another video. Sure at parts it looks like a low budget high school drama project, but the point being made is awesome! It really make me question the evolution of the "American Dream." Especially from the point of view of young women!

Leave Britney Alone!!!!

Nothing new to report, but I have been laughing about this video for the last couple of days. There is swearing so no kids please. Enjoy!

(BTW: If you are reading this through FaceBook, you will have to go to my blog (the link is under "Information") to see the video.)

Dark Side, Fad Web-Site, Wings, and A Pound of Flesh!

Finally an update! It seems that I am starting most of my blog postings with that sentence. I guess I am not as dedicated a blogger as I had hoped to be. Oh well. I'm going to stop feeling pressure to update. The blog is kind of like a journal to me. I'll get to it when I can and set no more limits.

ROGER WATERS

I was luck enough to catch the last Roger Waters show of his North American tour here in Toronto. It was really cool. He played the Dark Side of the Moon album in its entirety! He also played other great Pink Floyd songs that I never thought that I would hear live. Song like Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, and Sheep. The performance was phenomenal and the stage show was fantastic. It was the first time I had ever seen anti-Bush graffiti spray painted on the ass of a giant remote controlled inflatable pig! Good stuff!

My friend Scott, who accompanied me to the concert (Andrea was teasing me about it being a date!) brought along his new iPhone. That thing is so cool! It is definitely living up to all the hype. If you have the means, I recommend you picking one up.

Facebook

As of late I have been on Facebook more and more. This may be part of the reason that I haven't been updating the blog as much. If you aren't already a member I recommend joining. It's a relatively easy way to stay in touch and share photos with friends and family.

Flying

Since starting the blog I had realized what a boring life I actually lead. I keep busy, but truly with things that are not worth writing about. I know the people really don't care that I have learned about how the Canadian tax code treats losses to a capital gains account! So I am trying to be more proactive with actually living life. One of my dreams has been to go up in one of those little Cessna planes that we see flying around. I don't know why, but I had always wondered what it would be like. Well on August 20th I realized that dream in a big way! Not only did I go up in one, but the pilot let me fly the thing for 5 to 10 minutes! It was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. It also terrified me to my very soul! It was a windy day and those small planes feel every little bump there is. The controls were very sensitive and I had to keep compensating for the wind blowing us around.

The plane had been built in 1967 and inside it had the same smell as the inside of an old car on a hot day. The seats were really close together, and it was almost impossible to get in or out of it easily. I got to wear one of the headsets and heard the pilot speaking to the tower. We started down the runway and the speed seemed a little slow. It was a lot like when you are speeding up on an on-ramp for a highway. I guess I am used to the high speeds of large jets on take-off.

Well next thing I know we are off the ground. The plane starts rocking back and forth in the winds, and I start thinking about the barf-bag in the glove box. We reach about 2500 ft when he gives me the controls. I am instructed to climb to 3000 ft and then level off. He tells me to keep the horizon level with the dashboard for the climb. When we reach 3000 ft he tells me to lower the nose until I get "4-fingers" of horizon above the dashboard. 4 fingers! Was he ordering a Scotch?! Isn't there a more technical way to do this?!

Once we were leveled I was free to turn left or right and go where I wanted. We are now over Port Perry and lake Scugog. The winds are flowing under the plane giving it a floating feeling, a lot like a boat on water. Up and down, up and down. It took me a while to not overcompensate for it. The controls are very sensitive. I give the controls back to the professional and he now wants to know if I want to see him do some maneuvers! We have been in the air now for about 20 minutes and I am starting feels a little uneasy about things, so I decline. We head back to Oshawa Airport and it seems like we are coming in on an angle. The pilot is speaking to the tower so I can not ask any questions. I have to have faith that this guy knows what he is doing, a and is happy enough with his life that he doesn't want to kill himself and take me with him. We land safely.

We pull back to the hanger, and I take a few minutes struggling to get out of the tight seat. Once I am out the pilot grabs the plane by the propeller and pushes into a parking spot like ti only weighed 10 lbs. I guess there really isn't much to them.
Stratford

Last weekend we made our annual trip to Startford, Ontario. This year we saw Merchant of Venice. It was an unusual performance that seemed to be both modern and traditional translations of the play. There was fast beat dance music and a combinations of old and new style costumes. The strangest part was the casting of Graham Greene as Shylock! He did a great job, and in the end I understood why he was cast for the role. The story has Christians thinking of Jews as a lower form of life and trying to convert them to Christianity much like the pilgrims did with the native Canadians and Americans many years ago.

Well that's about all that is new. Andrea and I are both doing well. We are trying to plan another trip to New York. We want to drive down this time. Probably in early October. Central Park in the fall will be nice. Until next time!

Good Bye Old Friend

I remember the first time I laid my eyes on it. What an embarrassment! I was only 18 years old and a cool car was all that mattered. This was definitely not a cool car. It was a 1991 Pontiac Firefly. Not even a Sprint! They had to get the Pontiac knock-off model. Sure the manual said both names (Sprint and Firefly), but at least the name Sprint would have been cooler than Firefly. How was I supposed to know what longevity this automobile had? Never mind all the great and sometimes life changing experiences I would have in it!

The Firefly didn't really have any kind of impact on my life until I was 19. I didn't get my license until then, so all it was to me was an eyesore whenever I walked up my driveway. Then in March of 1994 I began my quest to get my license. It was a race against time for me. Graduated licensing was beginning that July and I really didn't want to go through that long and more expensive process. I had been practicing in the Firefly before I had actual lessons. My mom was riding shotgun, and I was just hoping to not see any of my friends!

My in-class lessons went well. I was the only 19 year old student in the class, so I was the only student going to the bar across the street at lunch! My practical lessons were in my instructor's car and my friend Mike offered his car for my test. I hated the Firefly so much that I accepted Mike's offer. He loaned me his large L.T.D. and I effectively failed the test when I cut somebody off while pulling out of the Ministry parking lot! I also had difficulty parallel parking, and turning back into the Ministry parking lot. Suffice to say, I was not used to such a large vehicle!

So I booked my second test for October. I had to go under graduated licencing, and this time I drove the Firefly. It was one of the hottest days of the year on that October day. The Firefly did not have air-conditioning, and the person giving me the test easily weighed 350 lbs! So me, a large sweaty man, and a small (and extremely slow) Firefly went on my second test. This time I passed. I knew the car well, and if there is one thing that the Firefly was good for it was parking. I mean with a car that size I could pull it in to the most unbelievable spots!

My mother was very understanding of my car situation and allowed me to use the Firefly to get to work and back. At the time I was taking a year off of school (that's another story all together!) and was working for a temp service. That means that one day I could be working 10 minutes away, the next I would be working 50 km away. I drove that little car until I finally landed a job at a company called Escalator Handrail. Soon after the Handrail job began I purchased my first car. It was big, fast, and loud. Everything a 20 man could want in a car. It was a 1973 Cutlass Supreme. I bought it February, after many $ in repairs I finally gave up on the "Gutless" and traded it in for a 1986 Lincoln Mark VI. It had every option available, and while going through the hunt for my Lincoln I fell for a girl named Andrea.

I now had a cool car and a woman that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Anybody who knew Andrea and I back in those days however, know that it took quite some time for us to get together. Andrea and I became good friends. Her little Hyundai was giving her problems, so I would often drive her to work and pick her up after. We really became close during those commutes. It is a practice that I still enjoy doing up to this day. Although we seldom have the schedule that will allow it.

It wasn't until February 9, 1997 that Andrea and I got our acts together and took our relationship to the next level. It was on a cold and snowy March night of that same year that the Lincoln failed me. Andrea and I were leaving a little bar that we used to frequent. As we pulled out of the parking lot Andrea said "It's strange that nothing really happens when I'm around. I mean you all have these neat stories, but I'm never there to experience things when they happen." Not sooner did she get that out did smoke start puring out of my dashboard! So back to the Firefly I go!

It took some months before I could find a replacement for the Lincoln. That meant that for those few months I was relying on the Firefly for transportation. It was in the Firefly that I asked Andrea to "go steady" with me. I remember it clearly. We were in Whitby on Hwy. 2 on our way home from wing night ( every Wednesday night the guys from work would go out for cheap wings and beer) and I built up the courage to ask on of the most hokey questions to confirm our commitment to each other! After Andrea said "yes" we joked about other hokey ways I could have asked. I think she won with "Will you wear my pin?" How 50's! Soon after however I bought a Pontiac Grand AM, and the Firefly and I went on another hiatus.

It was November 16, 1997 when I proposed to Andrea. I matched it with my car payment so I wouldn't forget the various anniversaries that went with being engaged. You know 1 month, 6 month, and so on. With the proposal Andrea and I both knew it was time to buy a house. So in November 1998 we moved into our first house. 159 Delaney Drive, Ajax, Ontario. It was a small 1050 sq. ft. two story in a neighbourhood where all the houses looked exactly the same, but to us it was home. In October 1999 we got married and things were going well.

It was also soon after this when Andrea moved from working at her branch, to working at the tele-banking call center. This meant her schedule had to change, and we could no longer get by with just one car. So my mom gave us the Firefly as a very generous gift of sorts. She wasn't using it anymore and it was just sitting in her garage. So began my ownership of the Firefly.

In June 2000 I got a part-time job with Canada Post. I was working straight midnights and was looking for a way out of the handrail racket. It was okay because I was told that after 4 months I would be working 40 hour weeks and wouldn't need my night job anymore. It was great, I could finish my route in 6 hours (if I was well rested) and still got paid for 8 hours. After my route was finished I could either go home, or take on another route for extra money. However, when starting at Canada Post you are a supply letter carrier. Whenever somebody is sick or on holidays, you come in to complete their route. Basically you are on call. At a moment's notice you are delivering in Oshawa, or Ajax, or Aurora. The Firefly was more than up for the task. With ample room in the back for my mail, and reliability that most cars strive for; the Firefly allowed me to successfully work both jobs for 6 months. After the 6th month it was becoming more clear to me that I wasn't going to be getting steady work from Canada Post for a long time to come, and working 16 hour days was really starting to burn me out. So in December 2000 I terminated Canada Post as my employer.

Things stayed pretty much the same over the next many years. We moved away from Ajax in 2001, and moved into our house in Brooklin. In 2001 we also traded in the Grand AM for a 2000 Neon. I started working towards my accounting education in 2002 and used the Firefly to get to classes and exams. In 2005 we sold the house in Brooklin, and in May 2006 we moved into our current address here in Whitby. The Firefly, looking worse for wear every year, maintained it's solid performance. It would start on the hottest or coldest of days with minimal hesitation. The only time that it wouldn't start was when the battery died. You really can't hold the car responsible for it's battery. I began learning to fix it myself. There is a surprising amount of room under that hood. At work it became a joke when something stopped working on the car. The door handles started sticking, the window washer wouldn't work, the key broke off in the ignition, the buttons to turn on the lights and wipers kept popping out, the glass holders broke, the rear hatch wouldn't support it's own weight, and so many more. But it kept starting every day. I could always rely on that car to get me to my destination, whether it was 10 minutes or 50 km away the Firefly always made it.

So it is my sad duty to let you all know that on Wednesday, July 4, 2007 I said goodbye to my little white car. All that remain are a few pictures and millions of memories. Thank you Firefly. You were always there for me. I guess it's kind of like my Giving Tree! Only I didn't chop my car.

The Firefly in now in the possession of Jason and Wendy Stevens. Jason is going to fix it up and maybe give it to somebody in his family. It it is too expense to certify he said he want to transform it into a small el-camino. He'll call it a Sprint-eno, but only because it was hard to work Firefly into the el-camino name.

Some funny things about owning a crappy little white car:

- when people are asking you for money on your way out of a parking lot and you say you have none, they believe you!

- it was funny when I tried fixing the wiper button with crazy glue and ended up gluing the switch into the "on" position. I had to drive around on a sunny 30 C day with my wipers on!

- driving people home from work and seeing their frightened faces as I pull on to the highway

- when somebody broke into it and stole nothing! That one kind of hurt my ego. At least steal something so that I can feel like I have something worth stealing.

- I didn't change the tires until about 3 months before getting rid of the car.

- I fish-tailed the car while turning into a mall parking lot with 6 full-size men crammed in the car. The road wasn't even wet.

- I was somehow able to make the tires squeak sometimes if I hit the gas hard enough

- it used to shake when it wen over 100 km/hr

- it took 20 seconds to reach 80 km/hr

- it lasted longer than 4 of my (and Andrea's) cars, a few of my parent's, 2 houses, and many marriages.

Goodbye old friend. I will miss you.

Killer Music!

Here are some cool music bits that I have come across lately.

This is some guy named Jake Shimabukuro playing a fantastic version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps on the Ukulele:






The White Stripes have been playing a lot of unannounced shows in cool venues during their Canadian tour lately. This is the best video of any of the shows that I have found yet. The are playing an acoustic set on a city bus in Winnipeg! The people watching tend to be pretty loud and somebody covers the lens for a bit, but it really isn't too bad of a video.





Here is a band call Easy Star All Stars. They have two albums out. One is a reggae version of Darkside of the Moon, and the other is a reggae version of Radiohead's OK Computer. It is actually really good! This is from their live performances.





This is their version of Paranoid Android dubbed over the original Radiohead video. Pretty cool!





Well I could have posted more, but I think that this is enough for one day. I hope you enjoyed the music. Check back again soon. I will be updating more often now.

BIG CAUSE CONCERTS DO NOT WORK

I DO BELIEVE...

Okay, I want to start this by saying that I do believe in the majority of the causes that these huge cause concerts promote. I mean who doesn't want peace, freedom for Tibet, Africa fed, or climate stability? But the simple truth is that the world is still at war, Tibet is not free, and Africa has actually become worse!


The Live Earth Hypocrisy

Now today we have Live Earth. Multiple rock concerts uniting to spread knowledge to the word about what we can do to conserve energy. Does anybody know how much energy is needed to hold these concerts? The lighting, the amps, the satellite feeds, the 2 billion TV sets being used to watch this spectacle are actually hurting the very cause that they are promoting! Using mass amounts of hydro to spread the message of conserving energy just doesn't make sense to me.


Rock N' Roll Will Not Save The World

As a music lover I hate this fact, as a human I am forced to accept it. The only thing that can solve the problems created by people are the people themselves. Currently most of the problems are being created by the 1st world nations. If we really want to change the world, we must look within ourselves. How many of us are willing to go into work on Monday and quit because we know that our companies are part of the problem by polluting the environment, exploiting cheap labour, or inventing / producing harmful products? How many of us protest or write to our governments and demand change after becoming aware of various problems? How many of us are willing to stop using our air conditioners, and cars, or really do any of the other actions that will help? Not too many of us, including myself. We all have bills to pay, or don't know who to contact in our governments, or want to risk going to jail for protesting, or we don't want to walk, or be uncomfortably warm. Until we are willing to sacrifice ourselves, or take a stand then nothing will ever change. And that is the real problem. Until we change ourselves we will never be in the position to change the world.

Now I don't want you to think that I am standing on a soapbox pointing my finger at you. I am guilty of being part of the problem as much as anybody. I will pay $45 to play golf, $36 for a case of beer, or pay $12 to see a movie. Yet I don't sponsor a child, or take 10 minutes to send an e-mail to my local government representative. All I am trying to say is that these big concerts do not work, and anybody who truly wants to instigate change will have to find a different medium.

NYC - part 2

Day 3

On the third day we start by visiting Ground Zero. This was a surprisingly emotional trip for me. I really didn't expect to feel saddened by this experience, but viewing the photos, looking at the destruction, and having some guy playing Amazing Grace on the flute was almost enough for me to shed a tear.

After some emotional reflection the guys and gals decided it was time to go our separate ways. The ladies went shopping for purses and shoes... while the guys went to Yankee Stadium! For $15 we were able to take a tour of the entire stadium. We even went on the field and sat in the dugout! It was awesome.

Here is a shot of the new Yankee Stadium, and pictures of the neighbourhood around the ballpark.

After our separate adventures everybody met up back at the hotel to swap stories for some much needed rest. I, however, was still full of energy. I used this time to run back to Central Park and find the Dakota and Strawberry Fields.

While at Strawberry Fields I noticed an unusual state of peace. It may be the first time in my life that I felt a "vibe" or some kind of spiritual awareness. It was as silent as a library. People were speaking only at a whisper while they placed their symbols of homage on the stone surface. It seemed that the sounds of honking horns and hustle and bustle were somehow being blocked from this little slice of park. I decided to sit on a park bench for a while. A man soon sat next to me and continued to play the most beautiful acoustic versions of Hey Jude and All You Need is Love. The 10 minutes that I spent in that small space of New York are 10 minutes that I will remember for the rest of my life.

I rushed back to the hotel, only stopping for a hot dog on the street. We all made plans to go for dinner and then take a trip to the Empire State Building. I didn't have a strap for my camera so the only good picture of the Empire State Building is this one of the lobby.

Day 4

The fourth day was our last day. Our flight left at 8pm and we wanted to get to Newark Airport at about 5:30 or 6. Are schedule for the day was tight. We started out by getting a bite to eat at some diner. It ended up being the best breakfast we had the entire visit. From there we went straight to the Circle Line boat tour. Which took us past Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, as well as under the Brooklyn Bridge and gave us a great view of Manhattan.

After the tour ended we took a taxi straight to the United Nations. It was really neat sitting in the General Assembly hall listening to the representatives discuss the AIDS crisis. These are a few of the pictures that I was allowed to take.

So that was our trip to New York. There are still many stories to tell. To see more photos sign up to FaceBook and look me up. It's easy, fun and free!

One final story. We flew back into Toronto on Victoria Day. It was a very special gift to witness the fireworks of the city while landing. We could see both Ashridges Bay and Canada's Wonderland at the same time! I was most amazed by how many people in the city actually celebrate!