Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Monday, March 11, 2013

Act Of Caring (2013-03-11)

Act Of Caring

I vacuumed up under my desk when I found crumbles while re-organizing my sleeping bag.  I also found some camera memory cards in my cleaning!

The Daily Photo (2013-03-11)

The Daily Photo

My latest culinary experiment


The Daily Affirmation (2013-03-11)

The Daily Affirmation

Mark got engaged while he was on vacation in New York City!

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-03-11)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

Could calorie free M&M's be invented?

Today I Learned . . . (2013-03-11)

Today I Learned . . .

"Maghreb" refers to Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, which used to be part of the French colonial empire until the 1962 War of Independence created the Republic of Algeria.

The scene in "The Breakfast Club" where all the characters sit on the floor in a circle and tell stories about why they were in detention was not scripted.  John Hughes told them all to ad-lib.

La Connexion Francaise (2013-03-11)

La Connexion Francaise

Ending - finally
Loin - far
Lourde - heavy
Entre - between
Nettement - clearly

Je n'ecrit pas un phrase-composée.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Today I Learned . . . (2013-03-10)

Today I Learned . . .

Butt: any of various units of liquid capacity; especially : a measure equal to 108 imperial gallons (491 liters)

In my ball hockey career I have been registered as having played in 105 games with an official tally of 4 goals, 22 assists, for a total of 26 points.  I have accumulated 92 penalty minutes.

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-03-10)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

What would happen if you detonated a nuclear bomb inside a tornado?

What's next?


What comes next?

That question keeps rolling to the forefront of my brain.  The reason for it is different in changing scenarios.  But what I ponder, over and over, is the same question.

I feel confused.  But I’m not confused.  That implies that there are various ideas in my head and they are mixed, jumbled amongst each other until I can’t tell one from the other.  Then I am “confused” as I try to sort out the various opportunities at my doorstep.

But I’m not confused.  There is no argument in my head about which from a roster of options I am going to choose.  I just don’t have any ideas.  Where there should be a wealth of imagination for me to draw from about what success to go chase down next, there is none.  I stare out into the future and the whole horizon is a bleak, unbroken line of nothingness.

So what does come next?

I know I want something.  And to my discredit I keep making asinine, stupid choices, pursuing goals that aren’t mine but seem like they should be, based on some arbitrary vision of what someone in my position “should” want. 

I don’t really know what I want.  It wasn’t so long ago I had a clear, passionate vision of what I wanted to accomplish.  I knew that to achieve a purpose, I had to buckle down and really apply myself to get better fitness and an improved body.  Well that worked fabulously and I got what I was after.  But now that I’m here, pursuing yet another ten pound loss seems arbitrary and ill-conceived.  It might be accomplished but would it advance my real goal?  Based on evidence it seems likely that would accrue me little to no benefit.

Then what should I pursue?  When I got to my weight goal I looked for something new to bend to my unbreakable will.  So I thought I needed to improve my mind.  And on that goal I pursued with heedless passion.  Now 13,000 pages later, I find myself bored with this goal, and frankly nowhere near the sharpness I thought would accumulate as I poured knowledge into my brain.  Am I quicker in thought, and more full with ideas?  Of this there is no doubt.  But my quantum improvement remains elusive and I now get bored.

What the hell should I do?

Now I am brought here, and I find myself lost.  I improved my body, but now it will not grow strong as fast.  I built up my mind, and now it sniffs at my puny attempts to feed it.  My daily pursuits are not a challenge anymore, just maintenance that I do to keep up the status quo.  Where is the salvation that will remake my soul?

My thoughts turn to those of romance, of love.  Could this be the salvation that will remake the emptiness in my heart?  But this is not something that can be quarried with a daily plan and limitless energy.  On this topic I have always failed.

Why?

If I knew the answer to this one, three-letter question then I probably wouldn’t have to ask it.  In the final analysis it’s probably as easy to boil down as to say I have no confidence.  If you do not believe you are lovable, then you will not be loved.  How I arrived at this conclusion inside me is a story too long in the making to recount in one short essay.

What taunts me is that all signs to the possibility that I am lovable.  Even loved.  But I won’t accept it.  So I fling myself at stupidity, rather than try to encourage tender thoughts that might surround me. 

You stand out there on the periphery of my swirling maelstrom.  I want to own you, but that’s probably why I can’t have you.  You are not to be owned.  Yet I want to be in that space next to you.  It tortures me that I can think of no way to get you to invite me in.  So you stand over there, quiet and undisturbed by my flailing typhoon of emtion.  I remain engulfed in a swirling hurricane, all passion and desire, but none of which even touches you, as it buffets me with crushing winds.

So what is next?

I stand here hoping that the inspiration I need comes soon.  I feel winds shearing me from the goal.  Even I don’t think of something, all could be lost.  But I don’t know what comes next.

The Daily Photo (2013-03-10)

The Daily Photo

My army of yogurts


La Connexion Francaise (2013-03-10)

La Connexion Francaise

auberge - inn
devenir - become
cotisation - subscription
prés - meadows

Mon lessive est fini.

Act Of Caring (2013-03-10)

Act Of Caring

I finally found time to recycle my used  car battery by taking it to Canadian Tire.

The Daily Affirmation (2013-03-10)

The Daily Affirmation

Thought I would have to miss out on McGriddles to return my battery, but when I got to the west side Canadian Tire, I remembered that they built a new McDonalds on the mall site.

My sister invited me over for a treat of a Sunday supper: homemade pizza and oven-baked donuts!

I filled in my entire spreadsheet today with a non-zero number

Saturday, March 09, 2013

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-03-09)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

Why do I keep getting so hot I start sweating when I'm just sitting/lying still?

Should I drink nothing but chocolate milk tomorrow?

Act Of Caring (2013-03-09)

Act Of Caring

I re-filled the hot tub, and cleaned the screen.

The Daily Affirmation (2013-03-09)

The Daily Affirmation

Went to SARCAN at quarter to ten this morning; no lines.

La Connexion Francaise (2013-03-09)

La Connexion Francaise

parmi - among
suivre - follow
champs - fields
surtout - mainly
fins - for

Je n'ai pas ambition.

Friday, March 08, 2013

The Daily Photo (2013-03-08)

The Daily Photo

Tipsy beer



Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-03-08)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

Do I need to stop everything so my knee will heal?

Does stopping all my activity mean a starvation diet?

Do I have enough fun?

Should I buy a bag of mini Easter eggs and eat the whole thing over the course of the weekend?

The Daily Affirmation (2013-03-08)

The Daily Affirmation

I scored three consecutive goals today in Delco hockey, the first two being legitimate goals on breakaways.  The third was a rebound goal.

Today I Learned . . . (2013-03-08)

Today I Learned . . .

The Titanic will completely disappear in 20 years due to it being consumed by bugs underwater.

Thursday, March 07, 2013

The Daily Affirmation (2013-03-07)

The Daily Affirmation

Today's massage led to a lot less pain and I feel better afterwards.

The Daily Photo (2013-03-07)

The Daily Photo

Didn't these used to be bigger?


Wednesday, March 06, 2013

The Daily Photo (2013-03-06)

The Daily Photo

This will definitively prove whether anyone reads this blog



Today I Learned . . . (2013-03-06)

Today I Learned . . .

The 'zip' in 'zip code' stands for 'zone improvement plan'”

The Daily Affirmation (2013-03-06)

The Daily Affirmation

I solved a problem from site without buying any new parts or changing the fundamental design.

La Connexion Francaise (2013-03-06)

La Connexion Francaise

truqué - fake
moyen - average

Je n'aime pas Postes Canada.

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

La Connexion Francaise (2013-03-05)

La Connexion Francaise

ceux - those
autant - as
plus - more
moins - less
fringant - dashing
vigneron - winemaker

Mon tete est rase.

Act Of Caring (2013-03-05)

Act Of Caring

Even though I was confident he was of age, I asked a young guy for ID anyway.  (He was 20)


Today I Learned . . . (2013-03-05)

Today I Learned . . .

The greater you achieve, the further your desires go.

The Daily Affirmation (2013-03-05)

The Daily Affirmation

I got to see my friends from Winnipeg a day earlier than planned.

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-03-05)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

Should I go to the doctor regarding my knee?

Why do I have a large amount of acne inside my hairline but nowhere else?

Can a person experience adrenaline withdrawal?

Monday, March 04, 2013

The Daily Affirmation (2013-03-04)

The Daily Affirmation

I received a lot of compassion from someone I didn't expect when an order I placed from overseas did not arrive.

La Connexion Francaise (2013-03-04)

La Connexion Francaise

colle - glue
séjour - stay
prises - taken
étapes - stages
hors  - except
extrait - extract

Je souhaite mon colis Ã©tait ici.

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-03-04)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

How can I be more aggressive without being reckless?

Sunday, March 03, 2013

The Daily Photo (2013-03-03)

The Daily Photo

I hate when my iPad gets dirty


Tonight's riveting, 10:45 Sunday night start, soccer action



And after a punishing day of activity, the final result


La Connexion Francaise (2013-03-03)

La Connexion Francaise 

selon - by
également - also
lorsque - when
vers - to
envers - back
courant - current
afficher - display
ainsi - so
lors - then

Je te donne le bras d'honneur.

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-03-03)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

Why am I struggling with this shaven legs scenario so mightily?

The Daily Affirmation (2013-03-03)

The Daily Affirmation

The promised winter snow storm completely fizzled and the morning has dawned dry and warm.

All Cafe World stoves are now 1-click stoves!

I finished Diablo 3 with Sean this afternoon!

Saturday, March 02, 2013

The Daily Affirmation (2013-03-02)

The Daily Affirmation

Played a solid game of soccer and we came out with a 6-0 win.

I really enjoyed my crispy chicken tacos at Chili's and the meal was fast and efficient.

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-03-02)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

What am I going to do with all these books after I finish reading them?

La Connexion Francaise (2013-03-02)

La Connexion Francaise

ainsi - so
puis - then
drapeaux - flags
parcours - course
voici - this is
couverture - coverage
parfois - sometimes
pendant - for
autrefois - once
alors - then

Parfois mon apprentissage va bien et autre jours il est mauvais.

Friday, March 01, 2013

The Daily Affirmation (2013-03-01)

The Daily Affirmation

When I finally figured out the confusion on my design it was such a sense of relief.

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-03-01)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

Should I buy Minecraft?

The Daily Photo (2013-03-01)

The Daily Photo

I have no idea how this happened


Act Of Caring (2013-03-01)

Act Of Caring

The situation was set up for me to be a useless bump on a log.  But rather than give in to sloth, I looked around and found a way to be effective.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Daily Photo (2013-02-28)

The Daily Photo

This was taken at 10 o'clock at night


Act Of Caring (2013-02-28)

Act Of Caring

Even though I was highly irritated by overly pedantic comments, I did not allow myself to feel anger towards the person making them.

La Connexion Francaise (2013-02-28)

La Connexion Francaise

Cher/Chere - Dear
Comme - as
depuis - from

Ma agacement est depuis mon directeur.

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-02-28)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

If I had my wish granted and the week had an extra day added, would I want it to be a "week day" or a "weekend day"?

On a scale that means something to me, how much would tearing the Achilles tendon hurt?

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-02-27)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

Should I be able to feel my pulse in the flesh wound on my hand?

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Today I Learned . . . (2013-02-27)

Today I Learned . . .

TIG welding stands for "Tungsten Inert Gas" (TIG) and is also known as gas tungsten arc welding.

TIG or GTAW welding is an arc welding process that uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld. The weld area is protected from atmospheric contamination by an inert shielding gas (argon or helium), and a filler metal is normally used;  Some welds, known as autogenous welds, do not require it. A constant-current welding power supply produces energy which is conducted across the arc through a column of highly ionized gas and metal vapors known as a plasma.

The Daily Affirmation (2013-02-27)

The Daily Affirmation

With 80 minutes logged yesterday, and another 54 minutes today, I felt a real sense of accomplishment at cleaning my driveway.

Act Of Caring (2013-02-27)

Act Of Caring

Despite having more work than I know how to complete on time, I took requests from two new people today.

La Connexion Francaise (2013-02-27)

La Connexion Francaise

donc - therefore
chaque - each
qui - that
que - that

J'ai pelleté beaucoup neige hier et aujourd'hui.

Act Of Caring (2013-02-26)

Act Of Caring

Even though it took a long time (and isn't finished) and I didn't want to do it, I shoveled snow tonight.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Daily Affirmation (2013-02-26)

The Daily Affirmation

Its very hard for me to articulate the reason why, but this is clearly the "thing" that makes me happy today:

Taylor Swift (Bryan Adams) Summer of 69 - Vancouver 09/11/2011

The Daily Photo (2013-02-26)

The Daily Photo

Another supper-time experiment . . . that worked!!



La Connexion Francaise (2013-02-26)

La Connexion Francaise

même - same

Mon déjeuner est le même comme hier.
Je suis une crêpier!

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-02-26)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

What would it take for me to feel 100% physically?

Is it wrong for me to reject Networking Event invitations out of hand?

Monday, February 25, 2013

La Connexion Francaise (2013-02-25)

La Connexion Francaise

plusieurs - several
sec - dry
bulles - bubbles

Ma boire favori a bulles.  J'aime boisson gazéfiée.
Je n'etait pas sec dans la bain tourbillons.

The Daily Affirmation (2013-02-25)

The Daily Affirmation

I got a pleasant, second hand, compliment today.

The Daily Photo (2013-02-25)

The Daily Photo

My latest ouchie


Act Of Caring (2013-02-25)

Act Of Caring

My front sidewalk is icy so I put down some salt.

The hot tub seemed to be under-performing so I took apart the filters and cleaned them out.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Act Of Caring (2013-02-24)

Act Of Caring

Rather than be lazy, I finished off the laundry, took it upstairs and put it away.

The Daily Affirmation (2013-02-24)

The Daily Affirmation

Shockers for the win!

Today I Learned . . . (2012-02-24)

Today I Learned . . .

A rat can last longer without water than a camel can.

La Connexion Francaise (2013-02-24)

La Connexion Francaise

ajouter - add

Present Future ImperfectPresent participle
j'ajouteajouteraiajoutaisajoutant
tuajoutesajouterasajoutais
ilajouteajouteraajoutaitPassé composé
nousajoutonsajouteronsajoutions   Auxiliary verb avoir
vousajoutezajouterezajoutiez   Past participle ajouté
ilsajoutentajouterontajoutaient
SubjunctiveConditionalPassé simpleImperfect subjunctive
j'ajouteajouteraisajoutaiajoutasse
tuajoutesajouteraisajoutasajoutasses
ilajouteajouteraitajoutaajoutât
nousajoutionsajouterionsajoutâmesajoutassions
vousajoutiezajouteriezajoutâtesajoutassiez
ilsajoutentajouteraientajoutèrentajoutassent

J'ajoute un section verbe Ã  La Connexion Francaise.

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-02-24)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

Should I put a visor on my hockey helmet?

I know it's antithetical to everything I've ever said about Facebook gaming but should I spend real money on Simcity Social?

Today I Learned . . . (2012-02-23)

Today I Learned . . .

In the 1946-47 NHL season, Maple Leaf Gardens was the first arena in the NHL to have Plexiglas inserted in the end zones of the rink.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-02-23)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

If I bought NHL 13, would I play it?

Today's soccer game went a lot better than yesterday's.  I conclude this is in no small part related to my decided effort to reduce knee inflammation.  Should I get the cortisone shot anyway?

La Connexion Francaise (2013-02-23)

La Connexion Francaise

J'ai fait beaucoup aujourd'hui.

The Daily Affirmation (2013-02-23)

The Daily Affirmation

After a tough loss yesterday, we came back with a dominating win tonight.

Given a full day to prepare, with rest, medical treatment, and stretching, I played the soccer game with minimal discomfort as compared to last night when it was scorching hell.

The Daily Photo (2013-02-23)

The Daily Photo

A very small present



My parents tree is crooked


Taylor Swift as a goat


This is BY FAR the funniest thing I saw all day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cpfQSqfpuac

Friday, February 22, 2013

La Connexion Francaise (2013-02-22)

La Connexion Francaise

J'ai fini mon livre 'Dirty French' ce après-midi.

Je suis en colère à Poste Canada.

The Daily Affirmation (2013-02-22)

The Daily Affirmation

I had a beautiful breakaway goal in ice hockey this afternoon.  But the clincher was, I took a pass in my feet, turned to the net but started to lose my balance, fell as I was shooting and it clanged for a goal!

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-02-22)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

Do I need and/or should I buy a Google Chromebook?

Could I convince a clinic doctor to give me a cortisone shot tomorrow?

Thursday, February 21, 2013

La Connexion Francaise (2013-02-21)

La Connexion Francaise

Je n'ai su pas que j'ai taupes sur ma tête.

J'ai joué un bien match de soccer ce soir.

The Daily Photo (2013-02-21)

The Daily Photo

I'm molting!!!  (plus I never knew I had moles on my head)




The Daily Affirmation (2013-02-21)

The Daily Affirmation

I found a way to do something I had until today considered to be impossible.

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-02-21)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

What is the best photo I ever captured?

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Act Of Caring (2013-02-20)

Act Of Caring

Instead of pouring the leftover frozen drink down the drain as a part of cleaning up at the end of a hockey game, I offered it to someone I thought would enjoy it.  I was correct.

The Daily Affirmation (2013-02-20)

The Daily Affirmation

I made someone very happy by doing nothing more than giving them a frozen drink.

Today I Learned . . . (2012-02-20)

Today I Learned . . .

Saskatoon is the 17th largest city in Canada.

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-02-20)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

Would I be more effective in my pursuits if I felt warmer?

Why do I keep buying computer games that I will probably never play in any significant degree?

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Daily Affirmation (2013-02-19)

The Daily Affirmation

The first day back to work after vacation felt successful.

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-02-19)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

Can the concept of "forgetting" be imagined without the use of language?

La Connexion Francaise (2013-02-19)

La Connexion Francaise

J'ai dormi pour deux heures ce soir.

The Daily Photo (2013-02-19)

The Daily Photo

And the street cleaning project is complete



Monday, February 18, 2013

La Connexion Francaise (2013-02-18)

La Connexion Francaise

J'ai acheté  un nouveau chapeau de Toronto Blue Jays ce matin.


The Daily Photo (2013-02-18)

The Daily Photo

The City of Saskatoon in action on my street today



Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-02-18)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

How do I alleviate this knee pain while maintaining my active lifestyle?

The Daily Affirmation (2013-02-18)

The Daily Affirmation

I got a new Blue Jays hat for free when I used my Christmas SportsChek gift cards.

Tonight's Blades game as a time+1/2 because it was a statutory holiday.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

La Connexion Francaise (2013-02-17)

La Connexion Francaise

J'ai marqué un but dans hockey-balle!

Mon genou est endolori mais il vaut la peine.

The Daily Photo (2013-02-17)

The Daily Photo

Rest in peace my sweet darlings



Act Of Caring (2013-02-17)

Act Of Caring

After 80 minutes of snow shoveling, I didn't feel like going to do errands but I convinced myself to do it anyway.

The Daily Affirmation (2013-02-17)

The Daily Affirmation

I didn't gain any weight on my two weeks away from home eating restaurant meals and not working out.

I scored a goal in ball hockey!

Blog Question(s) Of The Day (2013-02-17)

Blog Question(s) Of The Day

Where can I buy a whole bunch of wire clothes hangers?

Is my continual soreness a result of being fit enough to perform at a higher level than I was when I could play a game and come home feeling no pain?