What an incredible couple of days!

I'm busy all the time but the last two days have been retarded. There were three jobs closing this week. (Now only two, as one was deferred a week because the spec changed) Consequently my phone was ringing off the hook. Call after call after call looking for pricing, questions about what's included, and general chatter about the projects. On top of that has been a bunch of new projects coming up out of the ground. We were the named supplier in one that just came out, and I didn't even know about it. Someone called for pricing and we didn't even know it was up for tender yet!

On the good news front, we got a big one in Manitoba. It was confirmed we were low-bid on a 200 USgpm plant just north and east of Winnipeg. So, for all of you that live in the greater Winnipeg area, I'll probably be in town at some point this summer. But with that project, and the one that closes tomorrow, we're going to be in excellent position as we move into the summer construction season.

I've been trying to get things finished and when I get home, I don't last long before I fall asleep on the couch. I need a better plan that this. :-)

Toodles!

2005 NCAA Men's Basketball Champions

North Carolina Tar Heels


What a great basketball game. And it went right to the wire. The play that sealed it was the errant pass from the Illini player, with half a minute to go. If he doesn't try that goofy shot, this game goes to overtime.

An amazingly entertaining game. Way to go Tar Heels!!!

Do I get a gold star for eating yogurt for dessert, instead of, say, ice cream?

Is it gay that I think the winner of the Naismith trophy is wearing an ugly suit?

Grant's Kitchen Tip Of The Day:

If you've got the fifteen minutes to spare, cook your Pizza Pop in the oven. The result is WELL worth the time it takes.

They just announced that Pope John Paul II died.

I'm a tad embarrassed that the show I was watching, when they interrupted to announce his passing, was 'Revenge Of The Nerds'.

Does anyone else remember when they used to play 'Electric Circus' (or as I always called in, Sluts On Parade) after the countdown on Friday nights?

Blog Song Of The Day:

M2M - Don't Say You Love Me

Does it make any sense that they won't allow our cows into their country, but an American fast food restaurant is singing the praises of Canadian bacon!?!

I know they're different animals but COME ON!!!

Blog Song Of The Day:

silverchair - Miss You Love

Blog Question Of The Day:

Why do we, as humans, desire so badly the things we can't achieve, while disregarding the truly valuable that is easily within our grasp?

G&M's Word Of The Day:

chicken chunks

I'm rich! I'm rich! I'm richity rich!!


Mt tax refund FINALLY arrived!!

I was just sitting here, watching a show that had a segment that covered the growth of the internet through the late 90's. Now for some reason, this brought to my mind an almost completely unrelated question.

Rather than develop new games for the limited hardware of something like the Gameboy Advance, why not buy up the existing software for games that have become extinct on the computer platform?

Given the level of complexity that the Gameboy Advance is capable of, there should be a wealth of really cool games from the late nineties. For instance:

Commander Keen
Rise Of The Triad
Codename:Iceman
Doom
about a hundred sport or driving games

This is all software that was developed for systems that are less powerful than you can now get in a handheld. The key to success for any gaming platform is having games you can play. Why not scavenge from something that already exists?

Just a thought.

I have to see this movie!!!

Sin City

Who's with me?

Should I buy one of these?

New bike

Blog Question Of The Day:

Did the movie 'Miss Congeniality' really deserve a sequel?

How often does your average, unattached male get to come home to the smell of fresh baking?

Blog Question Of The Day:

Is 'Aquate Technologies' a good name for a new water treatment company?

I'm watching K19-The Widowmaker tonight. I have a question.

In one scene, the soldiers are given little towels with which to cleanse themselves. The explanation is, they only shower once a week. Now why would that be? For showering, does it really matter if its salt-water? Just bring in some raw from the ocean, and then drain it back out of the ship. Why use precious 'stored' water?

Just a thought.

In the immortal words of the great Ozzy Osbourne:

Mama, I’m coming home

My fate is thirty feet away . . .

The internet really is a beautiful thing.

I've been checking every place I can think of, trying to find a copy of hockey for my Game Boy Advance. I really like the little toy but not surprisingly, as it comes from Nintendo, the roster of available games is a bit on the juvenile side. Now I'm as juvenile as any 30 year old you might find, but the standard Nintendo offerings weren't thrilling me, even 2/3 of my life ago.

So I went on eBay. I haven't done a lot of eBay shopping in my life, but the few occasions I've tried it, its worked out great. And for GameBoy game, its a safe attempt. The one I found was $10 US. I can afford to lose that much, if it doesn't go great.

I ordered before the movie I watched at 8:30. It was a 'Buy It Now' item, so I didn't have to wait for an auction close. By the time I came back online, all the confirmations had been sent, and the guy selling sent me a personal email to let me know my game would go out in the mail tomorrow.

Saskatchewan retail = 0, eBay = 1

For those of you that take an interest in such things (Hi Greg) I have finally bothered to put encryption on my wireless access port, here in Saskatoon. I didn't actually do it to be more secure, but I theorized that perhaps my problem is related to there being other network activities in the vicinity of my house that may be upsetting my access port.

For those of you that have your own wireless equipment, when you're at my house, the password I put on is . . .

***************

Blog Question Of The Day:

Were hockey pucks always made of rubber?

Blog Question Of The Day:

If there is a stripped down version of Word built into Windows (Wordpad) why isn't there a stripped down version of Excel?

What's with all these investment commercials? I know its that time of year. Everyone is looking for a place to invest, to get the old 'taxable income' number down. However this basketball telecast seems to be sheltering an abundance of these commercials. Is it a demographic thing? Do they expect that middle aged men are the most likely viewers of college men's basketball, and then a good bet for their advertising dollar?

What I'm not seeing is the usual preponderance of beer commercials. Perhaps that's the problem. Being college basketball, they are loathe to be supported by products that the bulk of the competitors 'shouldn't' be able to get. With that void created, we are visited with ads for mutual funds.

As was pointed out to me today, I think to much. Enjoy the basketball!!

Way to go Gonzaga!!!!

Second Blog Question Of The Day:

Is it uncommon to begin thinking of completely random things, that cause you to want to ask what appear to be random questions?

For example, wanting to know how long it takes to become a priest.

Respond as always.

Blog Question Of The Day:

Do you think Gwen Stefani is at all embarrassed that her solo album is so full of obvious pop music hooks and cliches?

Onion rings = deep fried batter delivery system

Blog Question Of The Day:

Is anyone else getting invitations to use sms.ac from people you don't know, and appear to be flung all across the expanse of the Earth?

I noted the unique instance of 11:11 both times that it occurred today.

I'm listening to Dennis Miller this afternoon. He's talking about drug taking, and the types of things people think about, when they are high on their trippest weed.

Am I the only one that thinks the EXACT same stuff, when I'm stone cold sober!?!

Blog Survey Of The Day:

Assume for a moment you could add ANYTHING you wanted to your office. You could move in some new options to make your office more comfortable. The purpose of your additions would be to convert the space into an vastly more enjoyable place to spend, what often turns out to be, the bulk of your waking hours.

Given no limitations, what three options would you add to your office?

I would like to take this opportunity to make a request of my readership.

There is a great majority of my daily readers that will know my buddy Sean. I would like it if those of you that do know him, would send him a quick email, and wish him well. We were all in Regina for some gaming, and I witnessed just how bad his cold was. Quite the trooper, he battled it out with all of us, on the computer, while still in the grips of a debilitating cold (if that's all that it is)

I am sure it will brighten his day if we all wish him a speedy recovery from the nastiness that has sapped all of his energy.

Get well Sean!!!

First Corollary to Grant's Theorem of Warez:

If you are not willing to format your hard drive, and re-install Windows, you may not make use of warez.

Grant's Theorem of Warez:

If you are not smart or skillful enough to fix the problems that come with using warez, you may not install warez.

What follows is a story that needs to be said.

My father is having a birthday soon. Two and a half weeks from now is the hallowed occasion. As a point of interest, my father and I are separated by exactly two weeks, on our date of birth. (just a little factoid)

As his birthday is coming up, I asked him what he wanted. First on the list was a weed whacker that had a clip to guarantee it doesn't come unplugged. But after listing to his precise requirements for this device, I decided it wasn't the right gift to give.

So I asked him for suggestion number 2.

After some prodding he responded with, a Swiffer WetJet.

A Swiffer WetJet!?! A SWIFFER WETJET!?!?!

After that, I had no words. I still don't. If this thing showed emoticons, you'd be looking at the shocked one.

8-|

Please, someone! I can't be the only person that's annoyed like this.

I don't doubt that the Sandra Shmirler Foundation has a noble purpose. I get why they chose the 'Hurry' vocal, that goes with their commercial. She's a curler. That's a common refrain during a match. Its also symbiotic with the Foundation's need for cash.

But my GOD!!! Could they not have composed the commercial in such a way that the shrill, shrieking female voice didn't bite into you, like the incisors of a rabid dog? I have to hit the damn mute button every time this commercial plays. And being a curling broadcast, they play it A LOT!!!

Won't someone save me from this auditory nightmare!?!

Tonight I wish to send out mad props to my home girl Meebs. She presented me with the excellent suggestion to combine chicken with taco shells, and make a tasty supper that I alone would never have thought up.

Thanks Melissa! It was a super idea! I loved it!

I need a different point of perspective

As a guy, am I entitled to an opinion on women's fashion? Or by virtue of my gender, am I supposed to stay silent and nod approvingly at whatever the she in the equation, has chosen to garb herself?

Blog (Serious) Survey Of The Day:

Would my readership like to be informed of instances when I am on the road, and away from my computer? Perhaps by virtue of a flag at the top of the margin for the blog page?

Email answers as always.

Blog Question Of The Day:

Would it be gay to have red, satin sheets?

Well, I'm back.

One more round in the eternal struggle between good (or at least I think I am) and 'the place we shall not name'. We tried, they seemed to get that, but we walked out of the place with only the fuzziest of good feelings. We'll see what happens this week but I'm cautiously optimistic. If any of you do that prayer thing, maybe say a quick word for me and my unending struggle.

And if you do, thank you.

Blog Question Of The Day:

Which was a better invention, the fork or the spoon?

Blog Survey Of The Day:

Would the formal study (i.e. college) of philosophy or religion, help to cease the endless stream of questions I have about life, and its survival?

Another trip down memory lane . . .

Does anyone else remember when your computer had an input plug on the back, to plug the monitor into the power supply for the system? Pushing the 'ON' button would turn on both system and monitor?

I bought something at Visions awhile ago. I don't know exactly what it was that I bought, because that information was not in the letter I recieved. Apparently, at the time of purchase, I indicated that I wanted the extended warranty option, and I must have paid for it as well.

The extended warranty period expired, and I did not use the warranty service. They have now credited me the $49.95 I spent on the added warranty. If I make a purchase worth $200 or more, I get $49.95 off the purchase price.

I don't currently need anything from Visions in the $200 and up department. Does anyone else need some electronics, that they could acquire from Visions, and thus use this credit?

Blog Question Of The Day:

Should I turn my expired credit card into a Chinese ninja throwing star?

Am I the only person that remembers the old weekend afternoon show Par 27?

It was this ultra cheesy/low budget sports program they'd have on a Saturday afternoon to fill 30 minutes. Two guys would play three par 3 holes. But the trick was, they'd play three balls per hole. Thus they'd have scores for 9 balls, and that was the competition. It was stupid and low-end, but I remember so many instances of sitting and watching it, because there was nothing else on.

Did anybody else see that bloody awesome last shot, to win the Scott Tournament of Hearts!?!

Blog Question of the Morning:

How much money does a person have to have, if they aspire to have anything they want?

I just had a useful thought and I figured I'd put it in my blog.

Birthday ideas for Grant:

Gameboy Games!!! They aren't very expensive. $39.99 the highest, and that's usually reserved for the newest ones. Two that I'm interested in getting, as I sit here today are:

Grand Theft Auto
NHL Hockey

Just a hint, in case someone needed one.

Toodles!!

I give up.

After two nights of trying to put together a web page interface for my vacation pictures, I quit. There will be no web page interface. I wasted another three hours of my life last night, trying to build a front end that would make my picture collection more user friendly.

Cuba Adventure 2005

This should work. Its the bare link to where my photos are stored online. It worked for me, but anyone having difficulties is welcome to contact me. I'll help if I can.

This does NOT mean I'm not making a CD of our vacation. A full version of everyone's photos, will still be produced. This is a 'teaser' if you will, of what I managed to capture while in Cuba.

Toodles!!

In today's spot was supposed to be a link to all my vacation pictures. Unfortunately, that plan does not look like its going to work out on the 22nd of February.

Trust that I do have a plan to make all the photos available. I will need a little time to get them into a format that is easily accessible. I am on it, and the link will be provided, as soon as I can manage it.

Thank you for your patience.

This one goes out to all of you that went with me, on the adventure that was Cuba. I hope you had fun. I know I did. And in my own small way, I hoped I managed to capture a little piece of that paradise we had to give back. To that I present:

The Group

WANTED!!!

Venture capitalists looking to support my desire to import Cuban produced TuKola, a replacement for Coke/Pepsi. My expert opinion on cola drinks tells me that TuKola is superior to either Coke or Pepsi, and there's significant money to be made as a, better tasting, option to either of the two heavy hitters.

I already have a sample of a promotional image we could use for marketing.

Please contact via the email at the top of this page.

It is my opinion as a consumer that the writing of the movie, Cody Banks 2: Destination London, was abysmally bad.

Is it a rule that every new radio song be irritating repetitive? Are they specifically designing new songs so that the chorus becomes burned permanently into your mind? I'm suspicious of this because it makes the songs very appealing when you first hear them. However, after a short exposure time, they get on your damn nerves, and you'd like nothing better than to hear a new one, to push out the old one. Which is then supplied by the industry.

Is there a conspiracy a foot to prevent us from downloading music for free because we get bored with the song before we get around to downloading?

I think I have the perfect example of how screwed up health care is in Saskatchewan.

I fell on the stairs this morning. I slept most of the night on my couch. I logged off the computer at 11:00 with intentions of going to bed. I just wanted to stretch out for a few minutes before going downstairs. I didn't make it down to my bed until 5:30.

But I awoke on the couch, before heading downstairs. I was pretty groggy, which I wanted to keep, so that I'd get back under the veil. Consequently I didn't have all my faculties about me. Which means I didn't remember I had on my new bootie slippers, which like all new sock-like footwear, tends to be slippery.

So I fell down the stairs.

After some consultation with people in the know (thanks Irene) it was decided that I should get myself examined, just in case. I phone the local health clinic.

No appointments available today. I can phone to Quill Lake and see if they have any openings. I cut her off before she could ramble on much farther. I ask the pointed question, where should I go if I need an X-ray. Her response? Go to Quill Lake, and then be sent back to Watson for the X-ray.

WTF!?!?!

G&M's World Of The Day:

dang

For whoever is taking the count on this, please mark me down for a BOO on getting the same old Canadian Tire ads, as opposed to the million dollar creations our American cousins get to watch.

Who's with me?

You know all those movies, where the leader has to send his soldier into a situation that means certain death? They play that tense, but wistful music, and the soldier vallantly agrees to accept the assignment, and go to his death?

Yeah, I get that now.

Okay, show of hands!!

Back when we were all listening to 'Hungry Like The Wolf' or 'Rio', how many of us actually believed that 20 years later, we'd still see Duran Duran in the top 10 charts!?!

Blog Song Of The Day:

The Killers - Mr. Brightside

Interesting thing that you wouldn't easily expect:

Kooky science!

This is a bottle of hydrochloric acid. I don't remember the concentration. I've had it in a Lipton's iced tea bottle for several weeks. I never take any notice of it. But today I looked up to the shelf and saw that orange-y stuff on the camp. I examined it and it looks like the gaseous has permeated through the cap and made it rust.

WEIRD!!!

Does anyone out there know why its gotta take an HOUR to install the files for World of Warcraft!?! I started this project before 11:00 and I'm STILL not done!!!

Tonight I come to you, my readers, with a question. I experienced the most god awful headache that I can remember today. Eventually I took a LOT of ibuprofen, and slept for a couple hours, and it came under control. However, I do not look forward to it happening again.

Have any of you some thoughts on how to prevent another such occurence? Yeah, the pills and the sleep helped, but I'd rather not go through the pain first, before seeking the relief.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have. Toodles.

Blog Impossible Question Of The Day:

You are stuck on a deserted island with Jessica and Ashlee Simpson.

There is no food, at all.

Which Simpson do you keep for company, and which one do you kill for food?

There is a storm coming . . .

All Points Bulletin!!!

This is an all points bulletin for Grant's guts. Have any of you seen my guts? My guts are missing and I would like them back.

Sometime this evening, during the numerous trips that were required because of stomach distress, my guts appear to have escaped. I would like them back.

Please, if any of you see my wayward guts, please send them home. We miss them.

That is all.

I don't understand. Maybe the inability to understand things is something that everyone else can live with. It almost never happens that I don't understand something. I just seem to 'know', even when there's no reason why I should.

And yet this . . .

I can't put THIS into any form that makes sense to me. I can't analyze it. I can't fix it. It just is. . .

I don't know what to do with emotions of mine, that won't be fulfilled. I didn't ask the world of her, nor expected that I'd recieve that much. A friendly smile, which she has in volume, and the occasional nudge towards familiarity was all I needed in the right now. But apparently that's too much. What do you do when the someone else necessary isn't interested?

Well, I guess for one day, I gotta hold my tongue where Microsoft is concerned.

Remember my entry from a week or two ago, about the size of my Hotmail inbox? If you do not, here's the 25 words or less update. I didn't get the free upgrade, so I sent a polite request to Hotmail support, asking for the upgrade.

I didn't think it would get me anywhere. They are weiners, and we're at war. Well, I guess I'm at war but they're not.

I logged into my Hotmail this afternoon. There was one of those monthly newsletters from Hotmail telling me about features and such. This tweaked my mind to check my inbox size. Yup, its 250 MB.

Thank you Microsoft. I've had my issues with you, at many times in our tenuous relationship. But for today, I must be contrite. You deserve my thanks, and I politely give it.

Thank you.

Some people are just idiots.

Asstard

What we are looking at, in this picture, is an asstard, caught in its natural surroundings. And the natural surroundings for an asstard is . . . out in the real world, PISSING OFF normal people!!!

As I later discovered, we have a girl, on a cell phone, driving up the MIDDLE of Highway 6, in her 20 year old, blue Mustang. While not the 401 in Toronto, it is still a highway, with traffic that would like to go in both directions. And 99.98% of us would like to go more than 50 km/h, even if the conditions are less than optimal.

This kind of arrogant stupidity really gets on my nerves. I was stuck behind this asstard for 20 minutes, as I drove from Raymore to Southey. I could not get by! For the most part she was more on the WRONG side of the road, than the right one. I contemplated passing her on the right, but the crazy moron was also a little unstable with her direction, so I didn't need to have her veering into me, should I make a bold, and non-standard move.

She didn't even more over for oncoming traffic. Maybe a little, but she was putting people coming from the south as close to their ditch as possible, because she wouldn't move off the center line of the road. I know we have laws against killing other humans but shouldn't there be a clause that covered grotesque stupidity!?!

If you need me, I'll be over in the corner, shaking my head.

For those of you that have ever wondered, what the hell does he do all day, I present:

Roblin's proposed new membrane treatment unit

I have found heaven. Remarkably enough, it was in a chicken sandwich.

There is a hidden gem for you to enjoy, should any of my varied readership feel inclined to go slumming, and visit me in Watson. And that jewel is called The Quick Stop. Cliche I know, given the fame (or is it infamy) of the location called The Quick Stop. While different from that popularly known icon, the Quick Stop located in Watson will provide you with a culinary joy that is not often beheld.

Its the food. God damn is it the food! I have used this space before, to speak of the quality to be found in the bacon cheese burger available at my favorite Watson eatery. The burger and fries combination is beyond reproach. I've bought one a week, for a series of weeks that stretch back to last summer. I can't ever seem to get enough.

Which is not entirely true. Burgers on Monday and Tuesday gave way to the feeling of branching off in a different direction today. So I went in and inquired about what they had on the menu for chicken. They rattled off some suggestions but we ended up at a chicken sub.

I try not to exercise hyperbole that often, but in this instance its completely warranted. The chicken sandwich was bordering on orgasmic. Which is saying quite a bit, because I get chicken sandwiches at Subway a lot, and those are always stellar. This one today however, was another set of exponential degrees above Subway. It was fulfilling on more levels than I knew food could achieve.

This is my pledge. My promise to the world is to share the splendor of The Quick Stop. This can not remain a gem, hidden among a bag of sand, that represents the culinary landscape of Saskatchewan. If you are anywhere near Watson, on your travels here, there and everywhere, then treat yourself with lunch at The Quick Stop. Believe me, it will prove worth your detour.

I have to confess, I'm a little shocked.

I actually got a response from my message to Hotmail support. I sent the service as message asking 'can I have the upgrade to a 250 MB inbox'. It took awhile but I got a response.

Now granted, it was an automated response. However, someone had to initiate the automated response, and pick which canned response I would get. It was saluted by someone named Celeste G, so perhaps I will get somewhere with this eventually. Which would be super because, with being on the road all the time, my Hotmail account has become my main inbox.

Here's to hoping this works out eventually!!

I made the desperate choice of putting MTV 2 on this evening. It was a desperate choice because frankly, everything else looked worse than this.

Some thoughts on what I'm seeing:

I have just seen the worst video, for the worst song, than I can remember for a long while. Teagan and Sara singing something retarded. Don't give up the day job girls.

Next its Ashlee Simpson. Can someone PLEASE tell me why she's allowed to cavort in pop culture? There is nothing of any merit in the meagre abilities she has to show. And the move to black hair took an appearance that was fair at best, and made it unpleasant. Normally I don't weigh in on hair color issues but black is ALL WRONG for that girl.

Time for solitaire. Toodles all!!

For the record, on those quizzes that get sent around from time to time . . .

you gotta have croutons!!

For those of you that were trying to reach me today (sorry Mom) this is what I was doing that couldn't be interrupted:

New Shop

I designed, and re-drew, the whole thing this morning. This was in between answering the phone, and requests brought right to my office door. Its been an insane day and I will be happy when I can finally get home.

Of course that will be awhile, because I have TWO things I have to finish before I go home tonight. If you need me, I'll be in my office.

Toodles!

Included below is some third party perspective regarding Cuba, and the problems they are experiencing with providing water.


** EXERPT 'http://www.debbiescaribbeanresortreviews.com/cuba/lticosta.html' EXERPT **


Maritim Costa Verde Chantal and Ches ~ Ottawa
January 2005

We just returned from a great trip in Holguin!!! Yes, we had water problems, however, the staff was very apologetic and did their best to help and accomodate. In fact, we have received an $800 rebate from the hotel for the inconvenience. The second week we were there, they managed to buy two water tanks and the problem has been rectified. It was very unfortunate that some people were screaming and yelling when there are Holguin residents that have no water at all. You are on vacation. So there is a small temporary problem - make the best of it. It beats the snow and shovelling or worse, working.

This hotel provides the best food in any Cuban resort. They have professional chefs to appease all different tastes. The activities are all the time, anywhere from the beach, to the pool, etc., including archery, pistol shooting, beach olympics, volleyball in the pool and at the beach, snorkeling...I can go on and on, but I have to go back to work tomorrow and must get some sleep. We met some of the greatest people in Cuba, from the staff to the tourists. We brought some toys, jewellery and clothes to give...this is when you learn and appreaciate Cubans. The look on their faces says it all.

We took a small train to Guardavalarca. There was a woman sitting in front of me with a large bag of lollypops. As we passed houses made of straw, the children would be waiting and she threw handfuls to them. There was one little boy in particular about one year old, and his little legs could not carry him fast enough to the road to pick them all up on his hands and knees.

These people cannot eat beef as it is illegal for them to purchase it. If you eat beef in Cuba, please do not waste it. Alot of people pick in their plates and it ends up in the garbage. Such a waste.

The shows are amazing. There is nothing repetitive here. I give you my word. Even though we had water problems, this is a 6 star hotel. We are definetly returning next year. No if and's or but's. I just need to loose the 15 lbs I put on. I cannot stress the quality of the food. Anything you want. We ordered breakfast in the room one morning and they brought 18 different plates full - enough to feed 10 people. I think they figure we are starving in Canada.

We never had so much fun in our lives. Got a great suntan, however, my laugh lines are white. I smiled for two weeks straight. The dolpin tour is a must.

Please go and don't forget to post your feedback!!!

** EXERPT 'http://www.debbiescaribbeanresortreviews.com/cuba/lticosta.html' EXERPT **

So I go to Subway last night.

Its quarter to 11:00 on a Wednesday night. I'm driving down 51st Street, looking for somewhere to eat. Everything is closed!! Taco Time, Quizno's, Mr. Sub. Everything is dark and shuttered.

I planned to go to Subway anyway. I like Subway. I wanted a sweet onion chicken teriyaki.

I get there, and the guy making the subs is functionally retarded. No, he's not all twitchy or anything, but one of the droolers would probably have been more capable at the job that this mouth breather. And it isn't helping any that the people ahead of me are little more than retarded themselves. A couple who looked to be 20. God I hate people that can't make up their mind about what to order. The dumb girl changed her mine THREE times about what she wanted. And bitched about the lack of sauces.

Subway was OUT of mayo. How do you run out of that!?! It goes on bloody near every sandwich that goes out. Its just one of those things you have to have in stock. They were also out of Italian sauce but that's less popular than mayo.

It took at least 10 minute for Winky the Wonder Worn to do two six inch subs. His only slightly more literate companion also came in as i was in line, and the two sad sacks talked about inconsequentials that mean little more than I wouldn't get my sub until midnight.

I get to order my sub. They have no chicken. NO CHICKEN!?!?! By this time I'm so pissed off I just want out of there. I order a monterey steak and cheese. They are out of the cheddar cheese. OUT OF CHEESE!?!?!?! My GOD does this store have anything!?! Fine, I get it with monterey cheese anyway, but I've given up all hope that this guy will be able to complete my order in a timely enough fashion. My only hope for salvation in this situation is that he's not sufficiently bright to operate the credit card machine and thus my sub will be free. He followed all the right steps but we'll see if it shows up on my monthly bill.

Suffice it to say, it was NOT a stellar Subway experience. I may not revisit that location again. If you're 30, and can't get a better job than late night Subway, maybe you should eat a bullet.

Reflections on a Wednesday night:

As I sat in my truck tonight, waiting for it to warm up, I took note of the fact that it was 10:21 and the radio station I was listening to was 102.1.

Apparently the small sample bottle of waste water from Souris, with the iron oxidized, has confused a lot of people. (Come on! Given that I was putting it in there as a question, you had to know it wouldn't be that easy.)

You can't really stereotype who should be at a Slipknot concert. There was a diverse collection of people in the beer garden. (the guy with the grey hair, and the couple that looked like they'd come upon a satanic ritual, were obviously not there for the music though)

We didn't get that blizzard they were advertising. Nonetheless, the wind was stiff enough that my truck needed another gear on some of the hills.

(P.S. So far so good with the truck)

In my opinion, Killswitch Engage was the best act, and they didn't do an encore due to audience apathy.

I have to take back a blog I did earlier. I was listening to the radio on the way in to Saskatoon tonight, and there's actually a lot of support being rallied for the tsunami victims. I guess it isn't getting the same level of over-exposure because it happened some place remote, instead of the heart of world media, New York, U.S.A.

And here is my latest, and greatest idea! (okay, maybe not great, but it is new)

Rollerblade Track

Its a layout for a rollerblade track in my backyard. My backyard is huge. I'm always thinking of ways to fill it up. This is my newest one. If you can't figure it out from the simplistic depiction, the idea is to make a smooth track out of sidewalk blocks. My parents bought some of these recently, and since they knew the pricing (~ $5 a block (30" square)) I used that for my design.

The only thing I'm not sure about is the four curved 'corners'. Obviously a square block is not going to easily accomodate my design for roundness. I still need to figure that part out. Oh, and whether I can stay on a track that's 2-1/2 feet wide, especially in the corners.

Somehow I got to the Middle East and dropped about half my weight.

Oh, and I need braces now.

Doppleganger

The towel I got for Christmas have a very faint scent to it. Every time I catch a hint of it, I am instantly reminded of the bathroom in my grandparents basement in Warman.

So I'm watching the Core tonight.

I'm not sure how many of you will be familiar with this movie. It was a modest film that capitalizes on all the thrills of your average doomsday movie. Working against it, is the fact this was done already, in the years preceding its release. We had Armageddon, to which The Core most closely resembles. And Armageddon harnessed a far more bankable cast.

I shall skip the ridiculous movie review and get to my point. I turned it on just before we had the obligatory martyr scene. In this particular film, the martyr must leave the safe confines of the titanium worm that is burrowing to the center of the earth and go into a crawlspace, to release a compartment of the ship.

Again, we'll skip my diatribe about why the hell would you spend 20 years designing something and then not notice such a ludicrous oversight? So this guy has to leave the protective cabin of this worm vessel, and push the unlock button. They are at the core, and the temperature out there is thousands of degrees. And of course they have thermal suits but they are only rated to half of the temperature that will be in this crawlspace.

There are some things about this retarded scenario that are just too blatant to ignore.

A suit rated for 4000 degrees is not going to provide enough protection at 8000 degrees, for you to take even three steps.

If by some miracle a 4000 degree suit can do something useful against 9000 degrees, to at least enough that you can get to the button, then why not just wear two suits? Suit A burns off getting to the button, and suit B burns off coming back.

Its entirely possible I think too much . . .

Have you ever noticed that in the great majority of motion pictures, the characters can do all manner of really bad things to a vehicle, like:

drive through a heavy iron gate
knock over a fruit or newspaper stand
hit garbage cans
drive through walls (wood or concrete)
get shot up with bullets
take enormous flying leaps over hills or ramps
navigate amongst bombs, craters, and debris that are jolting the passengers

Yet, it seems to come out nearly intact. Certainly with FAR less damage than we'd endure in a simple, minor fender bender in a shopping mall parking lot?

Blog Wager Of The Weekend

My Hotmail account has not yet been blessed with the upgrade to an inbox size of 250 MB. I sent a tech support email to MSN Hotmail. I politely requested the upgrade.

Submit your wagers on whether I do, or do not, recieve the upgrade.

There's something else I thought of today.

At last reported count (or at least the one I saw) the death toll from the tsunami disaster had climbed past 150,000. Given that the totals are not abating in their continual rise, I think it is safe to say that, when the final tally is made, that one disaster will have wiped the equivalent of ALL of Saskatoon, off the map.

It is a disaster. It is being covered in the media. However, what I'm not seeing is the sense of awe that we had when the two towers fell. The death toll from this event is going to dwarf the 9/11 tragedy by so many times that to compare the two will do an injustice to the suffering of the people living out this tidal wave horror.

Nonetheless, the reporting of it, or what I'm seeing in the coverage available to me, is not quite the sense of monument that we had when the towers fell. Is that fair? Its a world away from us, and so I suppose we feel a bit insulated from the gravity of what has befallen those poor people.

One city's population (or the comparative amount) was wiped from existence in the span of a day. Doesn't that merit at least as much solemnity as was afforded the city of New York?

Are there any photographers among my devoted readership? I looked at my own blog today, and a question came to mind that I've always had, but have never pursued the answer.

How do you take a close-up?

I'm not talking about a nice crop of someone's head. What I really need to know is, how do you set yourself up to take a close-up shot of something small. Since its current, and we've all seen it (you do check my photo links, right?), let's take my example from a few days ago, and the vial of mystery fluid.

Why didn't that work?

Its almost what I wanted. I snapped just the vial of water, and the half-ass background I made for it. Its almost in focus, but not really. What was my mistake? I tried it a bunch of ways, and it never turned out clear. I try sitting back and zooming. I tried being close, and not zooming. I fiddled with flash versus no flash, in case it was a lighting thing. I tried supporting my camera with something other than my shaky hands, and that didn't work. I wish I knew where my mistake was. There are many instances where I'd like to take a close-up of something small, but I never get it right.

Thoughts anyone?

You know you're boring and have no life when you sit down and make up a spreadsheet like this on a Friday night.

Beverage Comparison

Blog Guessing Game:
(yes, I know that I'm the only one that finds all these guessing games amusing)

Mystery Fluid!

What is in the jar?

------------------------------------

There's a line.

On this side of it . . .

GRANT IS PISSED OFF!!!!!

Is the word 'digital' the most over-used word in the popular, English-speaking lexicon?

The Chrysler 300 looks like a pimp-mobile

For the record . . .

I LOVE HIGH DEFINITION TV!!!



we now return you to your regularly scheduled blog

So, I am almost over my seething rage.

Guess what happened this morning? If you guessed, truck didn't start, give yourself a cookie. It is true, my stupid ass vehicle did not start, AGAIN!!! I am decidedly unhappy. And it wasn't, too cold to start, not start. It was the same, damnable, THERE APPEARS TO BE NO BATTERY start!!!

Okay, I guess I'm not over my seething rage yet. Thinking about it irritates me. I will attempt a coherent blog entry this afternoon, if I calm down.

P.S. Chevrolet sucks

Tonight I make a declaration.

By the time 365 days pass, on this planet we call Earth, I shall no longer believe myself to be a loser.

That is my pledge to myself, and the world.