Okay, I've got a god damn question!

I'm sitting here at me desk, in the office. I never went home. As previously reported, I have NO computers at home that work. Thus, if I want to continue being productive, I had to stay here and work on my office computer.

That part is fine. I don't mind. Its quiet, the phone won't ring since business hours are over, I can get something done. And I did. In the 90 minutes between 5:00 and 6:30, I got an excellent amount of stuff completed. I was close to being done in fact.

Then the play turned into Grand God Damn Central! My boss came in. His wife came in to do her cleaning (she's the janitorial service). The wife's assistant came in. The office manager came in, with child in tow. What was a peaceful, quiet, relaxing place to get something done, turned into this shrill cacophony. I'm in a bad, god damn mood.

And I'm not finished yet.





P.S. Stay tuned to this blog for an exciting announcement regarding my sister. She has some BIG news, but I'm holding off on spilling everything until I hear back from her meeting this evening.

Okay, I need to know what god-like deity I pissed off to have so much misfortune rained down on my head. Is there a deity for computers? If there is, that god must hate me.

Let's review:

Toshiba notebook computer was broken. Required a replacement motherboard. Returned to me from Microage, but not currently in my possession because I have loaned it to my uncle.

Toshiba PDA will not connect to the wireless ethernet in my house. Connects fine at work. I can not figure out the problem that prevents surfing the internet on the PDA when at home.

Main desktop system in Watson has gone south. No longer boots. It was halfway working, but that performance has disappeared as well. I get POST error beeps when I try to power it up. Needs at least a video card, and maybe a new motherboard as well.

Desktop in Saskatoon will not connect to portable hard drive, because I can not recover the original FAT32 partitioning on the drive. All re-partititions require that I use NTFS which is incompatible with Windows 98 on the computer in Saskatoon.

If I must reboot my desktop at work in Watson, the video refuses to work, and I must re-install the video drivers. It happens every time, and since I don't have the luxury of multiple hours to fix it, I must live with the situation of never turning off my computer.

The Blue Furnace will not accept a Windows installation. I attempted to bring the Furnace back online, as a stop-gap measure for this week. I have tried Windows 98, 2000 and XP, and all three error upon attempts to install the operating system software. I have run two complete diagnostics of the hard drive, and there are no errors, according to the diagnostic tools. The computer works in all other respects. I guess I could install DOS on it.

My previous satellite internet server has also seen an attempt to revive it from the dead. It accepts power, and makes some starting up noises but, I never get display, and judging from the beeps and whirs emitted from the tower, I do not believe it is following a normal boot-up procedure. The system would appear to be DOA, in its present condition.

I still have a tower in my home office in Watson that is broken. It was a PII-350 server that I'd had the parts for, for several years. The power supply blew up last summer, and I presume it friend most of the components inside. Nevertheless the tower itself sits in my home office, mocking me.

I have a 17" Packard Bell monitor that will not work. When it is plugged in, the power light blinks rapidly, and it never produces an image on the screen.

I have all of this equipment. By my count, that's 8 systems that are not functioning properly. Despite the presence of 4 towers, and a wireless capable PDA in my house in Watson, I can not get on the internet at home. I am seriously posing the question, am I cursed? It seems farcical, to the point of absurdity, that I could have this much equipment, and not be able to accomplish a basic task. I should probably get mad but its so surreal I can barely believe it.

Anyone got a Pentium 166 kicking around? I might as well go low tech.

Toodles!

Bloq Question of the Day Two:

Why does soup take so long to heat up in the microwave?

Blog Question Of The Day:

How much vehicle maintenance/repair knowledge should the average driver know?

I am giving my endorsement to Shoutcast. I really like this service. Stuck out in Watson, I can't get any conventional radio stations. It seems like this place is a black hole for radio waves. Reception is fine until you get the the junction of highways 5 and 6. Then it goes from fine, to non-existent. I wish I understood why the effect was so pronounced.

Thus I am relegated to being my own DJ. That was fine, for quite awhile actually. But doing that means you have to keep looking for new material constantly. Again, not a huge, huge problem. It can be managed. But its kinda frustrating sometimes when you don't really care about what you're listening to, as long as there is some noise to fill the air.

So I got this Shoutcast idea from Kevin. Actually, I had to do it because I forgot the portable hard drive in Saskatoon (DOH!!!) and didn't have any music. It is a great service. Just pick a genre and it tunes you in. I love it! Now, to get up the ambition to figure out how to capture these songs as MP3's that I could listen to on my own. For instance, the song that is playing now is Alice Cooper - Poison. I don't have that on CD. If I could rip it, the song would be in my collection. Project for later I guess.

I have nothing else to say this afternoon. I just wrote a job description for the technicians that are going to be assigned as my employee's. Everyday I work here, I find new responsibilities to assume. Not that I mind all that much. At least that way I SHOULD know what's going on. Knowing what's going on would help. I really hate when stuff happens and I don't hear about it.

I should get back to it. I have a quote to finish before Thursday.

Be well my friends!

Monday morning has dawned upon us all again. It was a nice weekend. I hid from the prying eyes of the world, for most of the weekend. I just wanted to vegetate. 9 days of Brier, and then back into it in water treatment had left me with a body that was requiring some relief. So I found some. Hiding out in the basement, watching TV and playing with my computer.

(By the way, it would appear my computer is broke. No end of problems with in Friday night and Saturday morning. And then, it went away. I don't completely understand that. I may buy a new video card.)

However, back to Monday. I was kinda groggy when I got to work this morning. I took my pills too late last night, and my head was still covered in wool socks. I wanted to take awhile and just clear the cobwebs. No such luck. Three phone calls and two visitors later, and I'm buried in issues again. I don't seem to get much down-time at work anymore. It seems to work like this. I sit here, and if I just wait, something will come along that needs doing.

I will get back to averting calamity. The rest of you, have a great day!



P.S. To all of my readers from Winnipeg, could you please keep Kiki out of trouble? She's showing an alarming trend towards hanging out with potential serial killers. I'd like to keep her safe, and harm free, if we can arrange it. Thanks

Ditch Run 2004


In The Ditch


Ditch Tracks


Curling Ice


Well, I promised you all that I would blog again, to let you know that all was well, and I got to my destination intact. That much I can say did happen. However, it was not without incident that I got from point A to point B.

I hit the ditch. That much is pretty obvious from the pictures. Strangely though, it was almost fun. I think I stayed pretty upbeat about it. It wasted about an hour of my time, but there doesn't appear to be any consequences from the trip into the ditch. (I can't say through, because I didn't make it)

Here's what happened, encapsulated into a bite sized portion. I was travelling south on the highway. There was a truck ahead of me. I was giving more following distance than would ordinarily be necessary. The truck slowed down to turn right, onto the grid road that is present in the pictures. I hit the brakes. The vehicle started to fishtail. So I let off the brake. Coming at me were three vehicles. One passed me by as I began to fishtail. A second was coming towards me and the truck in my lane. Behind that vehicle was a third vehicle. I had three choices.

Fishtail into the wrong lane, and potentially collide with oncoming traffic.

Stay where I was, and rear-end the truck in front of me.

Hit the ditch.

In the 1/64 of a second I had to make the decision, I picked ditch. I was privately hoping that I'd make it through the ditch, and into the field. With a 4x4 truck I figured I could probably get out of that mess. I didn't make it through the ditch. The snow was knee deep at the base, where I ended up. I couldn't get a picture of that unfortunately.

In the final analysis I would have to say, no harm, no foul. It was an adventure I'd have sooner not had but, all it really costed me was an hour. I should probably consider myself lucky. Those of you that would be alarmed by this news, please try not to be. I am fine, the truck appears unaffected, so for the most part, the event might never have existed. Relax and enjoy your weekend.

Toodles!

Its been another one of those days. Things falling all over themselves trying to vie for my attention. I handled it well, given the circumstances I was dealt but, as we come to the end of another Friday, I find myself glad that its the weekend.

I have one final task to complete, before I will truly be 'off' for the weekend. I have to drive. It looked scary, about 10:00 this morning, and I was having some second thoughts. The skies are reasonably open now, and the only concern should be the road surface. I'll take it easy and it should be fine. I promise to blog, for all of you that would worry about my safety.

Be well, my friends and readers. It is the weekend. Enjoy!

My keyboard is filthy.

Smack the Penguin is back!!!

Pingu



Here's a classic computer game, from years gone back, again compliments of Pooh Bear.

FunCopter

While I'm thinking about things, I have another thought.

I forgot my hard drive in Saskatoon on Monday. Thus I have NO music at my disposal, as I sit at my desk. I remembered Kevin telling me about Shoutcast once so, in the absence of anything else, I checked it out.

Major thanks to Monsieur Hills for the great idea. This is exactly the type of facility I wanted to have. New music, all day long. Thanks Kevin!

Okay this bit of news fits in both the weird, and cool directory.

The Rant King


I forget the story that lead me to this guy's blog. I think it was a link, on another page that I ended up on for a reason I don't recall. Let's just say, I don't remember when or why I started reading his blog. The material was good, the writing better than most, and final analysis, it was a good read. So I'd check it occasionally.

I am not entirely certain what made me read the, non-blog, side bar. I'd scanned it briefly before, as it had some elements similar to me, such as the email link. A TSN link, to which I can relate. Come to think of it, since I'm pondering it now, I think I ended up on this site because the reference I saw for it said, Canadian, and Rant. Since both would apply to me as well, I thought it worth noting.

In the sidebar, on the right side of the main blog window. Seventh yellow heading down is a section called 'Blog Roll'. 11th on the list happens to be 'Grant's Rants'. That's me. Now I'm curious. How did I end up on this list? Its very cool that I ended up there. I don't write in my blog solely for the cathartic release. I do kinda want it to be read. I wonder if this is stimulating any proliferation in my readership? So many questions!

I wonder if I should email him? Say thank you? Is there an etiquette to linking to someone's site? I don't know any of the rules!

All thoughts would be welcome. Contact me same as always.

Toodles!

My boss has been a very bad influence on me.

He likes gadgets. And, being owner of a successful company, he has the means to acquire almost any toy he wants. Thus there is an almost endless parade of new trinkets and toys, parading passed my eyes. I like gadgets too. Thus, every time he gets something new, I begin scheming for a way to get myself something new.

However, that is not how I arrived at the topic sentence of this particular blog entry. Today we are talking about 4x4 trucks. Again, Murray is a bad influence. From time to time he will go, play in the mud. Ripping around in a bog, with his 4x4 Chevy Avalanche, and then come back and describe how much fun it is.

So I got back to Watson on Monday, only to find my driveway full of snow. I probably should have shoveled. However, Murray's voice echoed in my ear, and after a couple of examinations of the quantity and quality of snow in my driveway, I made the critical decision to not shovel. 4x4 LO, and away we go!

It was okay the first couple times. I appear to be making things slippery now, on top of snow filled. I almost had my truck stuck this morning. Did I shovel? Ummmm, no. :-D

I will provide pictures, should the occasion arise that I do get stuck. Toodles!

This is one of the coolest things ever!

When I was about 10 or 12, I bought one of those remote control cars that Radio Shack has been selling, since forever. It was a fun toy, but it burned through batteries faster than I could afford (being 10 and all) so it ended up on the shelf.

Fast forward 20 years. For some reason I started thinking about this car again. I went through my boxes of toys at home with my parents, and I found my little car. Three weeks later, and several aborted attempts at getting the right number and size of battery, I have the car working.

Nostalgia is kinda fun. I wonder what else I have squirrelled away that might be fun to play with? Anyone remember those little windup cars you wore on your wrist like a watch? I have one of those somewhere too, although it never really worked all that well. There is my LARGE Lego collection. I had some neat toys when I was a kid. I miss those days.

Look out for speeding Tandy Camaro's. I have one on the road now. :-D

Toodles!

It does not look good. No Jell-O has been served since last week.

And I was hungry too. ;-(

Two things already, on this bright March morning.

Some people shovel. I go 4x4 Lo. Its fun churning snow, getting out of your driveway.

These shoes suck. After wearing those Columbia hiking boots for a week, I realize how god awful these sneakers are.

Have you ever had one of those moments? One of those moments that you could tell would be a defining one. There's something inside of you, in a place you could never locate for anyone, when you could tell that something was going to happen. A truth would be revealed or a hope would be renewed. Or conversely, despair would descend and blackness would color your eyes.

I have these moments, from time to time. Perhaps its unusual to note them as I do. I suspect that everyone has these moments. I further suspect that a great part of, the secret of life, is to not note the occurence of a crystallizing moment, but simply live in it, and make the decision that seems most natural.

I do note these moment however. The razor sharp focus that comes to my mind, strikes me far deeper than the vividness of the moment. I 'know' somehow that I'm going to be facing a decision that will take me along one path, or the other, without going back again to make another choice. This decision will shape some part of my future, in a way I can't understand or describe. I just 'know' it.

And almost without exception, I make the wrong choice. However, that summation is not entirely accurate either. It would be more correct to say, I make no decision, and the moment to change my life passes. I stay where I am, grounded in the same reality, and unable to grow, and change, in a way that is long, long overdue. The opportunity to become someone new, to experience new adventures, and be in love with my life, just fades away, like the rising of the moon through the darkness, as the sun fades quickly into the western horizon.

I am here. Same as I was the day before. You can expect that I'll always be here. Knowing there is more to life, but unable to touch it. Share with me your stories, all of you, my loved ones. It is only through friends and through family that I remain whole.

Good night, and may fortune smile on you.

You can be fairly sure that the cream of civilization has left you behind when your next door neighbour has parked a vintage, 1970's snowmobile on his front lawn.

And the saga continues . . .

More from the world of truck repair today. I stopped at Sherwood and got my vehicle. They were full of it, but I couldn't be bothered to argue about it today. I wanted to get back to the office. I missed it, in a strange way. It feels good to be back.

Nevertheless, we had new truck problems. Not right away. I came back to Watson, everything was groovy. The trouble was, as soon as lunch came, and I tried to remote start, I got a definitive, not gonna happen. That left me highly unamused.

I guess its easily fixed though. Not that it matters anymore. Winter, or at least the chillingly cold part, seems to be over. Hopefully spring is just around the corner. I'm anxious to wear shorts again.

Toodles!

Blog Question Of The Day:

How can you have an, AutoMall, and not have a gas station!?!

The final entry from the 2004 Nokia Brier

It is with a bit of a sad heart that I sign off from my Brier experience. It had its moments, good and bad. The worst was the physical pain, of 16 hour days, with no rest, doing labor that my body is simply not accustomed to doing. I handled it well, given the circumstances I was dealt, but the pain was a low-light. But there were highlights too. The camaraderie I developed with many of the concessions people that I'd previously known, but with whom I'd not spent much time. I learned things, nuances, idiosyncracies, and bits and pieces of their personalities. I connected more with some, than with others, but the whole experience was another vast step into a realm I'd known of, but had never explored. I end my Brier experience with a twinge of sadness, that is much covered by the fun I had, and the friends I made.

But this wouldn't be a Brier update without the customary rant. We simply have to include that. So, in conclusion, I must speak about the Sask. Place elevator.

What the hell were they thinking when they had that hunk of crap installed? Okay, the old elevator had its faultss, and I suppose I probably had seen its time pass, with all the use. But my god, couldn't they have found a better replacement than that!?!

Its slow. Its stupid. It does things that don't come close to being logical. You're the only one in the elevator and yet it stops on every floor, up to three, and then back down through 2, when you got on at 2, and just wanted to go down. No one else on any other floor pushed a button signalling the elevator. Why did it have to stop SO many times!?!?!

And another thing. Why is it so slow? The old one wasn't that slow. When the door closed, you went up. Exactly the way an elevator is supposed to work. This one, the doors close, it seems to think about the situation for a moment and then come to the conclusion, oh yeah, they want me to go up! What the hell is that all about!?! Elevator logic shouldn't be that complicated. Push a button, here comes the elevator. Push another button and the elevator goes to the programmed level. Where's the vast, conspiratorial complexity that makes this elevator have to ponder the situation for an eternity!?!

That is all from me. I hope you have all enjoyed your Brier experience, as soon through my eyes. It was fun to be there, and I hope I gave you a satisfying taste of it. I will return tomorrow, with tales of water treatment.

Toodles one and all!!!

This will be my second last update from the Brier. Its a little weird, that thought in my head. Its become such a part of my daily life that I am a little confused about my state of mind. It all ends now. After tomorrow, all the hoopla will be over, and just the mundane nuances of daily life will return. I will go back to the office, sit at my desk, and design and build water treatment systems. No more hanging out at Sask. Place. No more joking around with new friends, of whom I'd only recently come to know. No more long days, and sore feet, but smiles despite the pain. Its sad, in a real way, while at the same time full of relief at being back to normal. I don't know exactly what I feel tonight.

However, that is all a little deep for a Saturday night. We should all go on to bigger, brighter, more exciting thoughts right now. I hope that everyone I know, and care about, has a wonderful evening, full of life, love and merriment. I will stay here, near you, my internet friends. I know there is part of me that says I should be out with my real-time friends tonight. One last evening to enjoy the camaraderie. It is not me however. That is not my place, my venue, my way of enjoying good friends. I am simple, and I am quiet. I must remain here.

Have fun all of you, my friends, companions, and buddies, as you enjoy one great night of partying. Tip one back for me, as I rest here on my couch. I think it is best that way.

Good night, and great times all!

Brier Update!

Tonight, as the evening was coming to a close, I came very close to running down Olympic Champion Catriona LeMay Doan, with my cart full of supplies.

Brier Update from Friday, Day Seven:

Okay, I gotta say something about volunteers. From where did they get the idea they could be so, god damn pushy!?!

Yes, you are giving of your time freely. However, just because you agreed to provide a service, for free, does not mean you have a right to walk all over those of us that are here, and being paid.

I'll give you an example. The concession booth in one corner of the arena, is a little congested. You have the door for a concession booth, a storage room behind the concession booth, with a door emptying into the same spot, and a stairwell from the ground floor of the area. All three doors feed into the same 3 meter square space of real estate. Oh, did I mention that there was also a condiments table in the same general area?

The part that pisses me off is these volunteers, crashing up this stairwell, and spilling out around this confined space I outlined. I have a cart full of crap that I'm delivering to the concession booth. I do not need the dirty stares or the under-the-breath comments about it being rude that I've parked my cart there. You do not own the building. Take your self-righteousness and go home!

That's all for today. My feet hurt real bad and I think I need something to eat. Two more days to go!!!

From the Brier, this is Grant reporting.

Brier Update, Volume 6:

There is little news today. It was a productive day. I gave a better effort. Not that I gave a bad effort yesterday, but I just couldn't find the strength and/or motivation yesterday. I pondered it when I got home and realized, I only ate once yesterday. The key to surviving Brier is to consume energy, so you have energy to burn.

I'm somewhat conflicted by the, topic du jour around the stock room today. Perhaps a more adequate definition would be to say I'm puzzled by it. Same old story, like I've lamented before. What do women want? Some guys are gifted, and they just connect with women, seemingly at will. Others employ a type of smarminess, that while offensive to me, seems to achieve the desired results in male/female interactions. So what should I do? I'm not gifted in this respect. I'm actually the polar opposite, to the point of retardation. I can't be the player, because that approach does not rest well with my constructed morality. That leaves a rather vast canyon in which I can not find the goat path up the side of the hill to nirvana. Not that anyone can really help me with this problem. I'm reaching the conclusion that you have to find your own goat path. However, it is demoralizing to watch it work for others, and to not even be to the, understanding the process, level yourself.

Sorry if that got a little too philosophical. Nonetheless it is my blog, and I can say whatever I want. If I'm boring, just skip this entry.


Toe Update:

The blister has popped. I checked my foot at the close of the day and the sac of fluid had burst, sometime since this morning. (I checked before putting my sock on) Oddly enough, my feet feel better today than yesterday. It was almost tolerable, until right at the end. Hopefully the blisters on my feet can hold out for three more days, as the burden will lessen. At least that's what I'm hoping for.

Toodles!

One more thing. I've been meaning to mention this in my last two day's worth of blog entries.

I am GOOP MAN!!!!!

Greetings from Day 5 of the 2004 Nokia Brier!!

I'm sorry I have to do this but, its an issue that will not go away. We're talking about old people. In the first place, I'm more than just a shade pissed off with their walking. Okay, fine, you're old and maybe not as spry as you used to be. If that is so, and you know it is so, can you please not weave back and forth, like a drunk on a three day bender, as you walk down the congested thoroughfares for foot traffic. That just drives me insane. I'm younger, faster, and in a lot more of a hurry but I have to come to an almost dead stop, becase Grandma can't keep her pokey, uncoordinated ass going in a straight line.

And the other thing is, that nearly unrelenting attempt at humor from this goobers. Somehow I'm supposed to find humor in their question, can I have a ride? Can you have a ride!?! Look numbnuts, the likelihood is I've walked more this week than you have in the preceding year. I'm tired. My feet hurt. Why the HELL don't you offer to push me to where I'm going? How god damn bad off could you possibly be if you can attend the Brier, as a patron, on a Wednesday morning/afternoon!?!

These are the kinds of things rolling across my mind lately. I will write again, if there are further thoughts.

Toodles!

Brier, Day Four Addendum 2:

Click the link to the photo, before continuing on with the text. This is something you may never see again!

Brier Damage


As you will see from the photo, there is something of particular notice, within the red oval on the picture. In case you can not see exactly what is significant about this photo, I will try to explain.

That is a blister. Ok, in and of itself, not that interesting. However, in this case, my entire fourth toe has blistered. Front to back, side to side, the entire toe is incapsulated by a fluid filled sac. I know this is going to be excruciatingly painful, the day that blister decides to break.

But overall, it was a pretty good Brier day. Stocking went well, there were few calamities, and everyone still seems upbeat. I'm impressed. We are moving towards the final now, and I'm sure everyone is anxious for it to arrive.

Stay tuned for further updates!

Brier, Day 4 Addendum 1:

Okay people, as a society we really need to come up with an agreement on a minumum acceptable walking speed. At least for public venues anyway, like shopping malls, and sports arenas. We can't have two 70 year old people, walking hand in hand down the CENTER of the aisle way, at a speed measured in glacial advancement speeds. I have a cart FULL of supplies and food. You gotta take your slow ass out of the middle of the road.

That is all. We return you to your regularly scheduled noon hour.

Today is Brier, Day 4.

Any of you, my faithful readers, if you come to the Brier in the morning. Try the French Toast. I heartily recommend it.

Toodles!

Second Addendum to Brier Day Three:

My luck may be changing. I just found $5 on the concourse.

Addendum to Musings From The Third Day of Brier:

Is it just me, or do you feel not the slightest bit ashamed of breaking wind, loudly, in the middle of the smoking area?

Musings from the third day of Brier:

The feet still hurt.

If you're 60 years old, you do not wear a mini-skirt.

It is not funny, if you ask me whether the stuff on my cart is free.

That is all so far. I'm sure there is more but, my mind has gone temporarily blank. I blame it on the relentless series of tasks that must be completed, over and over and over again. I will blog again, if I remember my previous comment, or think up a new one.

Stay tuned . . .

I have just one point that I want to make today, as I conclude the second day of Brier.

I hope that Kevin, Wendy, Cowan and Aaron appreciate the significant effort I am contributing to the accomplishment of the 2004 Brier. I came home tonight and literally peeled my clothes off my body. In doing so, I discovered that over the course of the past couple of days, I have developed some chafing in a VERY sensitive location. You might say, the most sensitive place you could ever expect to develop a chafing problem.

I bring this up, not to generate any sympathy or pity. I know that everyone is giving their utmost to the task. I simply thought that it was poignant illustration of the tireless efforts that my partners, Devin, and Clayton, along with myself, have invested.



P.S. Does anyone have some lubricant I could have? I'd rather this raw spot not grow any further.

Brier Day Two

My feet hurt.

I will keep you posted.

Greetings from the 2004 Nokia Brier!!!

There are two kinds of people in the world. There are the people that like their sandwich on bread, and those that would rather have a bun. I'm in the 'on a bun' crowd.

Thus I find it unusual to be feeling what I am feeling.

I think I hate buns.

P.S. I forgot to add this to my blog last night, because all my stupid machines were off, and I can't get the damn PDA to use my wireless ethernet.

The villian in the first Robocop is the same guy that play's Red Forman, on That 70's Show.

I have not blogged today.

There is a reason.

100 mph, in the wrong lane.

That pretty much says it all.

Why do laundry baskets always split?

I believe I've blogged about this movie before. I'm watching 'Life Or Something Like It' starring Angelina Jolie. The blonde hair draws you in, and it makes you notice the mouthful of horse-teeth.

But I digress . . .

In the movie, these two people that know each other, are having a conversation about her supposed, impending death. Man and woman, fairly robust amount of antagonism between them, but there is a previous history, and you can tell its heading in the direction of them hooking up again.

But I digress . . .

She up and says 'Let's have sex', or something to that affect. Is that allowed? Can you initiate the physical by simply asking? I've been curious about this, as I traverse the thing that we call life. (I have a feeling this movie, like Shallow Hall, is going to have a profound effect on me that was not entirely intended) I'm not the type to be foolish, lose my inhibitions and have it wind up happening. I just don't behave like that.

So then, how?

Answer by the usual methods. Thanks for your input.

Toodles!

And again!!!

It seems like I can't win this week. I try, I fail, I try again, I fail. For someone not as heavily medicated as I am, this could be an extremely frustrating series of coincidences.

The truck did not start again this morning. The whole, not charging the battery every time its started theory, has been debunked. It idled for 15 minutes every time I started it yesterday, and it wasn't bone-chillingly cold, so there is no reason to suspect that its a battery charge problem. There's something else going on, that needs to be ironed out. Next week it will spend the week at the dealership. I am not taking it back until they find a problem, fix it, and return it with a guarantee. I am NOT amused.

Thus we come to the Blog Question Of The Day:

Should I drive to Humboldt and back, just to give the battery some significant charging time, at full operating temperatures, so its reliable for the next couple days?

I HAVE SINNED!!!

Before the eyes of God, and all of you, I confess. I have sinned. My trangression has not been minor. It is an abomination. I have committed the unspeakable. The crimes for which I lay myself on the altar for your forgiveness, are not forgivable. The act, the deed, that which I committed this evening, was an atrocity. I know there can be no redemption from the place I have taken myself. I must spend my time alone here, in purgatory, the last circle of the Dante's Inferno.

I can not even beg forgiveness. With all of my heart, and my soul, I wish I could ask for salvation. But I can not be saved. There is no penance that can absolve me of my sins. No recitations of script and verse that can pale the blackness that colors my heart. What I have done is forever. I will live with this scar on my heart, from this moment forward, into eternity.

Pray for me, if you care. I can not be saved, but perhaps damnation can be avoided. I shall now sleep on what I have done. My hope is that morning light will dilute the pitch that colors my heart.









I watched Crossroads, starring Britney Spears.

Blog Question Of The Day:

How important is proper grammar and spelling in IM conversations?

Alright, I wanna know, which one of you said it could drop to -30 C again!?!?!

I forgot to mention . . .

MY TRUCK WOULDN'T START AGAIN!!!!!

It's been one of those days.

Actually, its beginning to look like, one of those weeks.

I say that because, it started last night. I spent about 2 hours last night, again, trying to get the wireless connection to my PDA to work. It still doesn't. I don't know what the issue is. I can use my PDA on the wireless network in the office, and besides being a little slow, it works just fine. So what's wrong at home, which is hooked up exactly the same? I don't get that.

I guess it actually started yesterday, period, end of sentence. I had all those computer 'issues' that made up my Monday blog entry. Thus I've been running uphill, with a boulder on my back, for two days now. But I handle it well, given the circumstances I'm dealt. Take another pill, and stay happy for a day.

So I come to work this morning and the software I bought online yesterday has finished restoring all my data to me. A few glitches and bumps along the way, as it managed to restore some stuff that I actually wanted deleted, or had moved to somewhere else in the directory structure, thus leaving me with things in different spots at the same time. No problem, now lets put it all back on the portable hard drive.

Uhhhh..... no, I don't think we'll be doing that. WTF!?!?! I can NOT get this directory to remove itself from the hard drive. The damn thing had become completely orphaned. 28 gigabytes worth of space that I couldn't gain access to, to save my life, but similarly is not intact enough that Windows can understand what it is, and let me REMOVE it. Stuck halfway between heaven and hell.

So I have to format the drive. But Hell's Bell's, that's not simple either. The original file system on the drive was something called FAT32. For the purposes of simplicity I'll categorize this as a Windows 98 thing. I'm on Windows 2000 at work. Windows 2000 uses something called NTFS. Now you can convert FAT32 to NTFS, but it doesn't seem its possible (without spending more money on this project) to convert NTFS to FAT32. And you can't format to FAT32 from Windows 2000, to the full 120 gigabyte limit of my portable drive. Long story short? My portable hard drive will no longer be completely backwards compatible with Windows 98. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Nevertheless I spent an enormous amount of time on the puzzle, finally arriving at a conclusion that didn't thrill me, but made the best of a bad situation.

And then there was Souris. That climbed up and barfed on me again. I hate that place. Luckily it wasn't anything that would need me to DO anything. Just write a letter acknowledging their complaints, and suggesting a course of action. I wrote the letter. We'll see if they freak out. I'm guessing yes, but hoping for no.

This has been Tuesday, March 2, 2004. If you need me, I'll be the lump under the green blanket.

Toodles.

Blog Song Of The Day:

Adam Sandler - Somebody Kill Me

Is it just me, or does South America look like a T-bone steak?

Its been one of those days.

I thought I'd get ahead of the game last night. Everyone left, after a successful Gamefest (I thought it went well) and I was feeling a little blue. I had lots of time on my hands so I figured I'd build the computer that Greg had brought me on Thursday, in parts. I spent a couple hours last night putting it together, and making it ready to put into place today.

It was a nice idea.

I get to work, ready to do the operating system install. We can't find out Windows 2000 disk. Maybe it got loaned to somebody. Fine, but then why isn't it here now!?! I was not amused. There was talk of hacking our way around the problem by I decided no, its our disk, whoever has it can cough it up. Finally someone admitted having it, and gave it back. I commenced the install.

Installing Windows takes a long time. First, you don't format a 120 GB hard drive in two minutes. That gobbled up a considerable amount of time. Then I spent half an hour installing the OS. Then there are driver updates, Windows patches, peripheral devices, yadda, yadda, yadda. More and more time. It went on and on and on, until I swear I had uploaded into the thing the entirety of human wisdom.

Meanwhile, work happened. The phone is ringing, the birds are singing, all is merry and bright! NOT!!! The phone is ringing, but its more grumbling I didn't really want to hear. Just make it happen people, its not going to go away because you wish it to be so. Then my computer coughed up on itself. I was not amused. My one folder, while completely intact, and not recording an error, could not be accessed because, while it showed up in Windows, was not apparently there. I didn't get that. Spent a couple hours trying to fix that, before abandoning that pursuit and just downloading off the internet, a program that is supposed to recover files from a hard drive, in just such an instance as the one I have.

Meanwhile, as my hard drive was burping on itself, my video installation decided to crap out, again. More frustration to a day that was already frustrating enough. I attempted to patch it, the way I had before, and get back to normal operation. This time it would not allow me to follow the steps that I'd used before. The driver installation simply WOULD NOT come out. So I have to fuss around with that, and find a solution that would do more than 640x480 in 16 colors.

it is now 3:30, and all seems more or less right with the universe. Perhaps I speak too soon. The hard drive recovery is not complete yet. Just my luck, it'll probably spontaneously combust yet. Stay tuned for updates.

Toodles.

Blog Question Of The Day: Part Two:

Why does Windows default the time zone to Tijuana, when you first install the operating system?

Blog Question Of The Day:

Does anyone get a 'perm' anymore?

Bloq Question Of The Day:

How old is too old, to develop a crush on someone?

I don't normally wade into the topic of politics. I have a couple of times but for the most part I leave that for others to rant about. However, even in my isolated, disinterested world view, the current political scandal that is going on in Canada, has managed to register me with an opinion.

I don't know at this situation. Maybe it is my acute sense of paranoia that makes me notice something like this. That caveat given, it seems awfully convenient that we transition power between two leaders, and a scandal breaks out. We have a Prime Minister sign out of power, with a string of goodwill proclamations, and an exit that smells like that of a farewell concert tour. His duly selected successor has no sooner settled into the chair of power, that his predecessor had kept warm for over a decade, when a scandal of proportion not seen since bringing to its knees the founding political party of the country, erupts. Its just too convenient. It fits together too nicely. There are just too many convenient coincidences for this to all be the work of destiny.

Personally, I hope our new leader can weather this storm, and win a term of office from the general population, and not just his party faithful. I have confidence in this leader, while I considered the previous one to be a lame duck, blessed by circumstance, and not grand wisdom. I hope the new guy can make things work, because I feel like he's the best choice for us. The alternatives hold no appeal, and while we are mired in a scandal with the current people in power, I fear that a change to one of the alternatives might be a drastic step in the wrong direction.

I wish him luck, and hope he wins. He didn't deserve to be saddled with this baggage. The true design of our former leader is becoming apparent. I hope people can vote on the strength of the new people holding the reins, and realize that the culprits of this scandal, are not the ones tasked with cleaning it up.

Vote well people. Our future depends on it.

All of you with the ability to do so, please congratulation my sister Candace on her bonus. She put in some extra effort last year, visiting mine sites to help them with compensation reviews, and her employer recognized her extended effort. My congratulations go out to her, along with those of her company, for what I know was a job well done.

Way to go Candace!

Okay, this is a pretty significant problem.

We hired another person, to complete project work. The decision to hire someone was a well thought out one. We are understaffed in the projects department. There is outstanding training at all but a couple of the 8 projects we undertook last year. In fact, all the project work is not yet completed. We needed another person.

So, my boss hired someone. The idea of getting another person was a good one, and I'm glad he pursued it. However, there appears to be a very significant glitch in the process that, may not be so easily remedied.

Our new hire stopped in at the production shop yesterday, to talk to our Production Manager, who will be doing the scheduling for this new technician. I had spoken to the Production Manager about our plans for this new guy already, and he was passing them along. The issue that came up in their discussion was, the idea of being away from home a significant amount (most) of the time. That wasn't going to work for him.

Being away from home wasn't going to work for him!?! That was the primary necessity that hiring someone was supposed to address. We need another field technician.

Apparently the wife of our new hire is an ambulance technician. She has to be on-call for 6 days in a row, and then gets a 3 day break. The problem becomes obvious. If his wife is 'on-call' at her job, then he must be 'on-call' for child care.

I'm not sure how we're going to address this problem. I'm not sure if my boss took this into account when he hired this person. I'm not sure he's even aware of it at this moment. If he was aware of the situation, and asked about the availability for travel, I wonder what this has come up again, with the Production Manager. It is not that useful to us to have another person in the shop. We need someone on the road. If this issue slipped under the radar of my bosses attention, then I'm pretty annoyed that he wasn't more thorough about his hiring attempt.

Thus I have one more issue to wrangle tomorrow. Stay tuned for the resolution.

**MUPPET NEWS FLASH**


In late breaking news we have reports from the field that say, The Lizzie Mcguire Movie, has been completely downloaded. No word yet on quality, or integrity of the video. More news as it becomes available.

Toodles!

I've been watching 'The Incredible Hulk' reruns on one of my satellite channels, DejaView. Its the only time I ever watch that channel so I can't be too authoritative about what kind of programming they have, as a general rule. It would seem to be syndicated shows from 20+ years ago. I suppose they are playing 'The Incredible Hulk' because of the movie that came out last summer. It has become my new, noon hour, regime.

I have an observation/question about the show. David seems to turn into 'The Hulk' about twice per episode. Keeping in mind that David is living the life of a drifter, isn't it kind of odd that he can afford to buy news clothes, as often as he does?

Just something I was wondering.

Blog Question Of The Day:

What is the fastest speed you have ever obtained in a vehicle?

I love when something is easy!

I fixed a computer at lunch today. A former customer phoned me on Sunday night with a problem. Their computer had gone south and was completely inoperable. My heart fell into my stomach. 'NO! Not computer problems!! Not now!!!'

I couldn't stay, and they couldn't bring it to me Sunday night. Thus I seemed to be out of options. I wrestled with it for awhile and came up with a solution, if imperfect. I would get my parents to ship it to me in Watson. Not perfect, but it was the best I could think up, on short notice.

So, it arrived in Watson this morning. Rounded it up, and then took it home at lunch. I have a spare setup ready to go in my office. The computer that would sit there, is in a state of disrepair, so to speak. It'll boot up and everything, so its not a broken computer. But I need to install an operating system on it, drivers, etc. I have little motivation for that project. Nevertheless, I had a spot to quickly hook it up, and see if I could find out what was wrong, and maybe do a parts order this afternoon.

Turns out it wasn't really broken at all. I booted it up and straight away I figured out the problem. Somehow the hard drive had been taken out of BIOS. The computer didn't think there was a hard drive. Changed that back to what it was supposed to be and voila! It was fixed. I will get a hold of them tonight and let them know things are groovy again.

I just love when a plan comes together! :-D

To those of you that have the ability to make changes to MSN Messenger, I have a suggestion.

I think there needs to be an 'Using the Facilities' flag for the Status menu.

Okay people, some good news!

Awhile ago you will recall I wrote a passionate entry about the anonymity of the internet, and how that can give you the freedom to pursue some choices that you might not otherwise. At the end you will recall that I mentioned a particular title by name.

After a long time at 604 MB, I moved up to 616 MB of the 733 MB that comprise the whole file. I'm am encouraged by this turn of events.

Stay tuned for more adventures from my modest life.

Blog Question Of The Day:

Should I put underbody neon, or license plate neon, on my truck, even though its a leased vehicle?

I went to the Sheraton this afternoon. My sister had gotten a room there, to have a party, of sorts, where everyone could go water-sliding and/or hot-tubbing. (Thanks again for inviting me.) It was awesome. I had a great time. We stayed about 2 hours, and really, the only reason we left is, the pool area was swarming with kids by then, and it was getting a little crowded. I could have done more sliding but time was winding down on me. End result is an enthusiastic thumbs up from me.

I was sitting in the hot tub at one point, by myself. Everyone else had either left the pool, or were swimming without me. I was basically just sitting there, minding my own business. I had a sense, and I looked to my left. Just over my shoulder was the head of a little girl. I watched her for about a half second, and then she spit a mouthful of pool water, over my shoulder, and into the hot tub. Her task done, she pulled back, and went back into the wading pool. It was such an absurd moment I could only laugh.

I have just seen the video for 'Hey Ya' by Outkast. I have to admit, I'd heard the song before on the radio. I thought it fair to average, and certainly nothing to get excited about. It turns out that its the No. 1 video on Much Music.

I've seen the video. It is just BRUTAL!!! I haven't seen such crap in a long time. Is there no discerning opinion anymore? Do we just like what we're told to like? That video is the ugliest thing I've ever seen.

But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Greetings from Chaos Central!

Its another day of trials and tribulation here, in the jungles of Central Water. The piranhas are once again nipping at my Achilles tendons. The vicious, ravenous beasts would see to cripple me, as I tread the filthy, crud infested waters of this place.

If only I had a booster pump. 50 horsepower ought to do. Then I could throw so much water, with so much pressure, that no piranha could get near my toes, to nibble at them with little teeth. The mongrelous bastards would have to fight to not be blown from the creek. But I would be safe, and secure. My path through treacherous water would be serene.

But I don't have a 50 horsepower pump. Its broken. It chugs and farts, trying to be might, but failing in abject misery. Thus I am reduced to bludgeoning my enemies with the pump. Wielding it like a giant cudgel, I crush my enemies with its prodigious size. My enemies are strong, they are persistent. More than a single blow is needed to fell them. And once felled, than can be renewed. Thus I face the horrors of an unstoppable mob.

I have grown weary from the battle. I must rest before mounting another charge. May peace be with you, as it has foresaken me now.

Blog Engineering Problem Of The Day:

Can a fluid, in a pipe system, gain pressure as it travels from the inlet of the pipe network to the outlet? (assuming no significant altitude differences)

Okay, and now for my BIG event!!!

A lot of you like to tease me about my evening meal. In specific, you like to tease me about the fact that I don't actually make an evening meal, but instead just warm something up in the microwave. Well folks, the joke is on you. I made supper tonight!!!

Admittedly, it was not a real ambitious meal. But do I really need an ambitious meal for just myself? I didn't think so.

I made tacos. I know, easy thing to pick. Nonetheless, I made the whole thing. I had no cheese or other toppings, so I made due with salsa. For the seasoning I had, I think I needed more hamburger. I should have thought more ahead but I got this great idea last night and kinda assumed I had everything I needed. I didn't. Plus, my cheese turned. It wasn't pretty. I spared you having to see that.

So, here's the photographic proof that I did, in fact, make my own supper. In your ear people!!!

Tacos 1

Tacos 2

Tacos 3

Tacos 4

Tacos 5

Tacos 6

Tacos 7

Tacos 8

Tacos 9

Tacos 10

Stay tuned to this channel. Tonight, after supper, there will be a BIG event announcement!!!!

Blog Poll Of The Day:

Should I move my email from Outlook Express to Outlook?

Why are all the American Pie girls showing up on 'That 70's Show'?

Blog Question Of The Day: Episode Three:

Could I make my own ketchup potato chips?

Blog Question Of The Day: Part 2 - Question Revisited:

What ONE topping can you not have on your pizza?

Interesting turn of events this afternoon in the office of World Wide Water!!

I sold three computers. I like selling computers to my boss. He just calls me into his office and says, I want this stuff. He talks himself around to asking for a quote but, I'll give him that and he'll just okay it. He might as well just say, make me happy, and let Kim see the bill. It will be a multiple thousand dollar sale.

Other news coming out of my bosses office. We are getting a full time salesman. I think my boss wants to semi-retire. He'll still be president, but the operations of the business will be handled by others. We're getting a taste of that this week, because he is on vacation. He can't stay away completely, and spent a few hours here today, but for the most part he's gone.

His being here kind of put into stark perspective that he's best left out of a technical decision. Its not that he doesn't have the knowledge or skill. He definitely has that. But he's not applying it very judiciously. The response to a question is usually to just throw money at it. I needed some advice on membrane scaling and while he had the answer to my question, he didn't follow the logic path to it, but just suggested making random adjustments. I guess I'll have to just figure it out myself.

Anyway, back to the salesman. I'm at once happy about this, and nervous at the same time. I don't like looking over my shoulder. Its just a paranoid reaction, that I wish would go away. I'm sure I'm golden, as a friend is often known to say. I really should look into my paranoid reaction to things.

That's all from my world. Hope things are better in yours. I especially hope that some good things come Greg's way before the end of the day. He's had a nervous week so far, and today's events have not helped much. Be well Greg, and I hope things get better soon.

Toodles all!!!

As of 1:30, on February 18, 2004, my Aeroplan balance sits at 92,686 points.

Now, if I could only figure out what to use my points for?

Blog Question Of The Day:

Should Melissa eat her sandwich for lunch, or do something else?

Response, as always, by the usual method.

For those of you that would like to vote on today's blog question, another piece of information to aid your decision. A picture of the aforementioned vehicle.


Sean's white 2000 GMC Jimmy

Okay people, its survey time again!!!



Bloq Question Of The Day:

Should Sean buy the white, 2000 GMC Jimmy SLE?



Things of note, its the mid-range package, with all the features of my 2000 Jimmy, but as its the SLE model, it will have some extra dangles, dingles, bee-bops and whiz-bangs. No leather though, and no sun roof. Mileage is in the 50,000 range. It is white in color, with gold trim. Those are the features I can recall, and the rest escapes my attention.

Please respond as usual. Toodles!

It is my sister Candace's birthday today. All of you that know how to contact her, please do so. Candace is a sweet, and caring soul, and deserves to hear from all of us, on this her special day.

In addition to a birthday gift that I gave her on Sunday evening, I would like to add this public message.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANDACE!!!

Check this guy's blog out. He's got some really good material.


The Rant King

I am becoming concerned about the state of my office computer. There appears to be something glitchy in the hardware. Today, when I rebooted it, I got performance similar to what occured to me a week and a half ago. It rebooted but then when it switches to Windows desktop resolution, it would reboot itself. At least I know what the problem was this time, and could skip right over the diagnostic phase, and apply the solution.

However, I am still unsettled about why it is behaving in this way. It doesn't seem to be related to anything I've done with the machine, or settings I am making to the main OS environment. It seems to be just 'random' moments of flaky behaviour. I've checked system temps, fans, and the usual indicators of hardware failure, and its not that. I am left with the conclusion that its software based. But I'm getting no errors messages that scream at me 'THERE IS A PROBLEM' so I'm stumped about what to do next.

It seems to work fine, when its working. Leave well enough alone?

Toodles!

Blog Question Of The Day:

Is it okay to count your tips in front of the customer?

vroom . . . . .VRoom . . . . .VROOM!!!!!

never again

I hate monster trucks!

I hate monster trucks!!

I hate monster trucks!!!

I have a question.

What the hell is the deal with people in their cars?

I'm driving down a major collector road this afternoon. I'm in the right hand lane because I know that in a half kilometer or so, I'll want to turn right. The roadway is three lanes wide. In my lane I am the last in a string of about 4 vehicles that are reasonably close to equal space. Not tailgating, but a respectable safe distance in case of emergency. The other two lanes have more cars, spaced out in front and behind me.

These two nitwits just had to get ahead of me, and into the right lane in front of me. There was not enough room for them between myself and the car ahead of me. There was lots of room behind me. Nevertheless these gene pool winners had to speed up, get beyond me, and then dive into spots that weren't really there, in my lane. Why the HELL couldn't they just fall into the right lane behind me? You're not going to gain even 5 seconds with this irritating behaviour.

WHY!?!?!?!

Can someone please explain to me what the FUCK is the appeal of motorsports when held indoors!?!?!?!

Motorsports = sandals

Blog Question of the Day:

Should I buy a share of the Riders?


Rider Shares

I was riding my exercise bike this evening, as part of my typical exercise regime. Its kinda boring to just sit there and pedal. I try to watch TV while I'm doing this, but for some reason I was not enthralled by the action. My mind drifted and my eyes wandered. I started looking at the stipple on ceiling. I don't know if I just have an active imagination or if anyone would have made this connection.

I saw, as a pattern in the stipple, the representation of male genitalia in an aroused state.

Its entirely possible that I have a defective brain.

Preliminary reviews are in, on the socks and underwear mentioned earlier this week in the blog.

The reviews are positive.

That is all.

My computer is behaving strangely lately. Thus I've been monkeying with settings, trying to figure out what is going on with my system. I stumbled upon a setting for my graphics card that allows me to change my desktop orientation. I can rotate it 90, 180 or 270 degrees.

Why the hell would you turn your desktop sideways!?!

LMAO!!!!!!!

I just got an alert in my system tray. It said, I have a message from 'rebecka'.

My spam filter is usually efficient enough that I don't get alerts for unwanted emails anymore. If anything its too efficient, and I'm finding mail I want, in my Junk folder. (as was the case with Christiane when she was emailing from a different computer) I assumed this was an email I might want to read, so I clicked the alert to open the message.

rebecka thinks I need another 3 inches.

Who the hell is rebecka!?!?!

Blog Question Of The Day:

If the referee needs to call upstairs to review a goal, why doesn't he just have a cell phone?

I am disturbed by a trend I have witnessed among my friends, and for that matter in myself.

Everyone is asking to be shot. Counting my own plaintive cry, the total numbers four. Which is kind of remarkable, since my circle of friends and acquaintances is not that wide. (At least not when measured by the number of them I talk to day by day) In fact, at least half of the people I talk to daily, have asked me to shoot them. Of course I have not, because they are all too important.

The truly perplexing part of this equation is, the two people who most have cause to ask for some hot lead, have not made the 'please shoot me' request. In my left hand is Greg, who had no water at his house. None. The well, metaphorically speaking, was dry. Not a drop. Melting show in the tub for water. I consider that a pretty sufficient hardship. No requests to be shot. Greg and Irene are made of hardy stock. I would guess they just leveled up their stamina. In my right hand is Sean. Perhaps his tribulations were not as dire as the 'no water' at Casa del Schwalm but, for those of you that have seen the pictures, I think you'd agree, he had reason to be angry, or depressed. Spewing invectives with every breath he was but, there was no request to be shot. Sean has a healthy dose of mettle as well.

Its 8:00 and all seems quiet. Here's to hoping it stays that way, for me and all of you.

Toodles!

A couple random thoughts on my mind this morning.

I have a bag of baby carrots in my fridge, that I had intended to eat as a fruit/vegetable contribution to my lunches. However, I spent a lot of time away, and recieved fresh fruit from my mother, such that the bag of carrots has sat there for awhile. They still taste fine but I'm wondering, would their flavor be improved if I were to boil them up?

The dry mouth situation has not abated. While its not a huge problem, I do find myself intrusively curious about what is causing the condition.

There will be more random thoughts as a I think of them. Toodles!

I just gotta say, 4x4 is a beautiful thing.

Calling all amatuer physicians!

I have a medical problem of a very minor nature. So minor that I wouldn't begin to consider troubling an actual doctor with it. My mouth is dry lately. And not casually dry, or else I wouldn't be mentioning it. I'm talking about, parched, dry as the Sahara. I will find my tongue nearly glued to my mouth and it will require several concerted attempts to moisten the condition. This is not a normal situation for me.

Thoughts?

I just spent $60 on socks and underwear. I have this odd sense of being violated.

P.S. Because of the recalcitrance of those butt-knockers over at Sherwood, I have decided there is no merit to driving back to Watson tonight. Thus, I am in Saskatoon for the evening. If someone is desirous of my company, I am available through the bulk of what's left of February 9th.

Toodles!

Well, that was a uselesss, god damn, day!

Monday is now only a memory in our collected minds. The events and moments that define Monday, February 9, 2004, are sealed for posterity, as the last moments of the work clock pass without incident. My contribution to the cumulative advancement of society's purpose? There wasn't any.

Today was a waste of my good time. God damn vehicle dealerships! They screwed around until 2:30 before examining my truck. Their conclusion? There is nothing wrong with it. The test probably took 10 minutes, and they pissed away my entire day because they can. I hate that. When do we, as consumers, step up and say no, you can't lie to us like this. If you say you'll look at it at 9:15, then dammit, by 10:15 you'd better have looked at it and reported back.

As it was I was on the phone a bunch of times today, trying to work, without being at work. It did not help that my laptop is a brick and completely useless to me. At least when I have that, I can look stuff up, and work on things. I'm having a lousy string of luck lately. I hope the tide turns.

That is all from G-Fresh today. I know you all must be tired from the other endeavours you have undertaken today. Be well and hopefully I have better news tomorrow.

Toodles!

This blog entry is probably more suited to Saskatoon residents, as some of you others may not have similar commercials in your cities. However, I think the question that I pose should make equal sense to Saskatoonians and non residents.

I've been listening to the radio lately. I'm not motivated enough to get some new CD's for my changer, and I'm bored with the current roster I have installed. Thus I have taken the path of least resistance and put my car stereo on a radio station. I got back and forth between C95 and Rock 102. Usually there is a decent song on one or the other, as I listen.

How many of you have listened to the radio ads? I know we've all heard them, found them annoying, and wish they weren't there. I concede that they are really superlative enough to warrant deep attention. However, there seem to be two particular ones that get enormous air time. One is the never-ending string of Cupid.com ads. I could accept these ads as legitimate if they seemed to be working on increasing usage of the Cupid.com site. I've been there. The ratio of, people signing in just to find out what it is, as opposed to those that are subscribing, does not seem to indicate a healthy revenue stream. Perhaps these ads are working better somewhere else but, for the amount of times I hear their ads, compared to the number of Saskatoon subscribers, I gotta think they are in a loss position right now.

Which brings me to the second ad that I hear incessantly, when I listen to Saskatoon radio, www.saskatoonjobshop.ca. I will admit, the radio ads made me check out the site, and the posting on that site got me my current job. And its the best job I've ever had. That aside though, I want to comment on the idiocy of the one particular ad.

The premise is, this guy's mom phones him up, pretends to be a stranger, and tells him to look at saskatoonjobshop.ca for a position that will bring him success and wealth. First of all I think the, pretending to be a stranger, angle is stupid and pointless. Who's not going to know the sound of their own mom's voice? Second, is how the ad ends. The guy sees through the 'stranger' facade, and as they end the call, tells his mom he'll be over for supper on Sunday. So the mother says, have you ever considered taking your dear mother out for supper? Let's think about this for a second. If you, mom, are phoning your son up to tell him to look for a job on saskatoonjobshop.ca doesn't that kinda suggest that he's either a) unemployed, or b) stuck in a lousy job that doesn't pay well. Either condition, I think, makes it a little tough for the guy to take his sweet mother out for dinner.

I hate a lack of consistency in a radio ad.

Toodles!