G20

The wake of G20 has long spilled over the national news media. It's old news. It's long gone.

Am I crazy?

Am I completely crazy to think that those few June days still matter to us as Canadians?

We're so busy.

Waking up.

Really funny - you know how some people will instinctively say things if they're startled awake?

"Huh? Wha-What?!"

That's what my dog does... barks... postures up.

It's like a game for me now... is that bad?

Cue the piano...

Only watching TV can someone say, on hearing a certain riff on piano: "Oh him? He's gonna get killllled."

Dexter, the acclaimed showcase TV show about a serial killer who kills serial killers. That's my new 'show'. And what a show it is. We're currently through to episode 10 of season 1 on our wonderfull little XBMC server. It's a really, really interesting series.

It's casted PERFECTLY. Dexter is REALLY creepy looking but normal enough to seem genuinely normal. I do like his cop buddy. Don't know his name - but he's about 180 pounds of muscle and pissed off fury. If you watch the show - you'll know who it is...

XBMC

For those of you not completely technologically innept, I bring you:

XBMC

XBox Media Center - don't be fooled, it's not a game... - is a complete media streaming solution for anyone to use. It's Open-Source, meaning... Anyone can use it completely for free. If you use it commercially, a donation is asked for but never required.

XBMC is currently installed at my house and functioning absolutely perfectly since the day it was downloaded. It manages my media so well that we've managed to cut our cable bill completely.

60 bucks a month savings... I like that.

It's pretty basic to understand the workings of an XBMC server.

You download media - movies, tv shows, music.
You place them in a common folder that XBMC can recognize.
You load them in XBMC.
Connect computer to TV and BINGO... you're live.

Check it out.

New Years Resolution

So, I've actually followed through with last years resolution.

I promised myself that I would stop shopping at Wal-Mart.

From no major documentary or sobstory, I decided to stop shopping there based on personal experience. As easy as it might seem, it was actually quite difficult to cut that company out of my life.

I bought a variety of products from them, to usually have them broken within weeks. Sure, they're cheaper... but they're also poorly made and imported from other countries. This might seem the 'norm' on the surface, and it is. Unfortunately, our country has become dependant on other countries to bring in product for our day to day lives. This helps the consumer but drastically limits the amount of production jobs our country has available. Even in the retail world, I worked for Wal-Mart a whopping 8 hours. After being named by my employee number on the loudspeaker, I decided to go home.

I'm not a capitalist. This much is ovbiously apparent. I do support free trade, so long as it IS free trade. I do support business and the exchange of money for goods and services. I do not support monopolies. I cannot support greed and lies.

And so there you go. As this new year rolls in, I will be one year Wal-Mart free. Maybe you don't agree with my politics - but at least I keep my promises.

Changes.

BAM!

New times, new words. A new face to an old friend.

Hello world!

I sit tonight watching Fight Club, eating microwave popcorn. Classic. I'm not sure why I came back here - perhaps moreso to do with centralizing all of my online personal feeds.

Some time has passed since my last entry, and with it, change has passed through my entire world. I'm married to the most amazing woman in the world. I have an adorable little bastard of a puppy. I own guns. Barack is still running the White House and Harper his own red and white empire. We're still - though it would seem unnoticed by the average Canadian - engaged in a war in the middle east. Technology has provided to me a little slice of the Jetsons and microwave popcorn still absolutely kicks ass.

I look forward to posting here again as a sort of creative outlet to the stressors of my new life as (cue corny south park voice) A MAN.

A new section: University 101.

Well, here's something I can write about daily. University 101, or, those tips that can help every university student get through daily life.

You see, by virtue of being in university, a kid is one of three things, if not a combination.

-Poor
-Hungry
-Tired

So, I will attempt to remedy these situations, at least temporarily, by bringing to light some tips that can be used to sustain a better quality of life.

Without further a due:

=====

University 101: #1-2

#1:
The smellcheck.
The smellcheck is an all encompassing test for anything. Any time you question anything, smell it. If your coffee cream is 3 days past due, smell it. If it smells okay, chances are, it is. If you have (which you obviously do) your laundry on the floor, and hence, you can't remember what shirt is clean, smell the one you pick up. If it dosnt smell like feces, you can pass it off as something else.

"My roommate was cooking something crazy last night, boy did it stink."

#2:
On the topic of coffee cream, here's a surefire way to KNOW if it's bad. Pour a little in the sink. If it separates into little lines, bad, stays creamy, good.

Do not carry babies by thier heads.

So,

I'm sitting in philosophy class, with my other 5 students, out of a class of 70. There's a reason this class has such a low attendance, but I've been here, physically, every day. This guy, though he knows quite a bit about philosophy, is practically a dinosaur.

In other news, my lady returns home soon. This holiday season is looking like a really great time, I can't wait.

Believe it or not, I used my hands, working this weekend. I helped to build a roof, though we couldn't shingle it for the snow, and helped with other stuff around my friend's house.

I have decided to get my drivers license again, but get this... it's 150 frickin bucks! 150 bucks, to get a car, to spend more money on gas and insurance and maintenance, and the another 75!! to get the license that says I'm okay to drive on my own. Man.. kids these days.

The glow.

Now that the glow has warn off a little, at least for me, being a Canadian citizen, I think it's important to think critically and rationally about the events that unfolded last night.

America has a new President-to-be. He is faced with the unimaginable task of literally turning the world around.

Whatever type of thinker you are, or whatever side of the political spectrum you lay on, it is plainly obvious to any rational person; America is a WORLD leader. Had it not been for it's administration's choices, Canada would not be involved in the 'War on Terror'... a war on metaphor.

We are standing on the edge of, what could be, a revolutionary line.

Obama promises to change America. In doing this, he pledges, indirectly, to change the world. I believe him., though, it will be interesting to see what happens when he's given power.

Obama was sure to point out that, in electing him, America has not MADE CHANGE, directly. They have made the CHANCE for REAL CHANGE. The work lays ahead still.

I hope, in time, that Canada finds an Obama. For ONCE, the western world is considering the people outside it's borders. The WORLD community. Canada can change.

If we have a person willing to lead the way, I WILL follow. I WILL do everything I can to assure that the world spins in a new direction.

Forget about your life for a second. We're SITTING in HISTORICAL TIMES. We finally have the POWER to STAND UP.

History

The eve of revolution and CHANGE is upon us.

I feel it more than necessary to pay respect to the new world leader. Listening to him speak, I feel more CANADIAN.

For the first time in my life, I trust and BELIEVE a politician, moreover, a leader.

In a world that can easily leave a person felling completely insignificant, and further, wholly unsafe, it is entirely refreshing to FINALLY see any source of light, at the end of a long, desolate tunnel. My world view has been shaped by continuing poverty, violence and fear. Personally, and for the first time in my short life, I can honestly say that this man, Barack Obama, through his promised shift of American politics, can help START to change the world.

The magnitude of this night in WORLD history can not be overemphasized.

Two Wars
A planet in peril
An economy in it's worst state in a near century.

I believe that a revolution has begun. Culturally, this could change our everything. This could mean a stable and sustainable future for MY children, though the Presidential-Elect is from a different country. My hope is that MY country, strong and free, finds a saviour such as Obama. I finally feel like I CAN make a difference, I CAN be a part of change and further, I CAN make it happen in MY country.

Yes we can, Canada, yes we can.

Hally Happoween.

Good spelling eh?

Have a good one.

Holy History Batman!

Well, hello again folks.

Been a looong time since my last post.

I feel like I finally have things in order at my new place.

School is going well, classes are fine and mostly engaging, though I do feel like I'm re-learning a lot of things I did in the SSW program. The things that are most interesting to me are the learning theories we're covering, that is, HOW we learn, as a people.

It's neat for me to apply it to things I already know about history, and think about how I would incorperate it into a classroom.

We're looking at things such as self-awareness, for instance, a topic I spent an entire semester, a QUARTER of my time at mohawk, studying.

I also found out that by taking courses through the summer, I can shorten my time in University substancially and get out in the workforce, before my peers.

That's all for now.

Kirley = loves men.

ZOMBIES!!!

So,

For those of you who DON'T know this, I am absolutely infatuated with the walking dead. That's right, the upright plauge that IS the undead.

In knowing this, I have found a PERFECT avenue to express my admiration for the stumbling damned. And no, I havn't converted to wiccanism.

On Oct 25th, there is an event here in thunder bay and around the world where, dressed as zombies, we (those involved) will try to beat a world record. That's right... we're all going to learn the dance and, around the world, dance to the tune of Michael Jacksons 'THRILLER'.

www.thrilltheworld.com

I also would STRONGLY invite you all to view this guy's stand up comedy. He's a good buddy of mine, Calwyn. He recently played at Toronto, ON's Yuk Yuk Club.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSRQ-eljGf4

Body Massage.

(whistling...)

Oh! Hello there!
I hardly even saw you, and it`s been so long, I didn`t even recognize you...

Well... How`ve you been?

I've been doing well thanks... I've been up to quite a few things.
I got a new apartment for me and Amy. It's wonderful and I'll be sure to post pictures soon. I move tonight! I will finally have the room to put things on the walls! Newfoundland flag! Che flag!

I'm 4 weeks into University. It's not much different then college. A little more critical thinking, but beyond that... nothing much. My classes are going fine, I could read as a full time job.

I've rediscovered, speaking of school, my favourite college meal. Burritos.

I've also been writing a book. Have a glance below for an excerpt from 'Corporal, a reenactors story'
We carry ourselves, as a society, with almost no regard for what was lost through years of war, that has lead us to this point. We live such easy lives, compared to any soldier, in any combat situation. I think we often forget that. We use ‘freedom’ more as an excuse to get away with things, and separate ourselves then a moral by which to lead our lives. We take for granted the things that were won and often, if not always, forget the things that were lost.

I don’t mean to negate or in any way make unimportant the issues anyone should face daily. I think, however, that given consideration, most problems we have today are a result of, sometimes, a flaw in ourselves and not the fault of anyone else. This being said, most problems we face today are absolutely dwarfed by any issue a person might face in a combat situation. For this, we should be ultimately thankful to the people who paid with their lives, so we can have the problems we have today. They should not be a name on a cross, or an engraved memory in some wall somewhere, but a living historical figure in our day to day lives.

On the beaches of Normandy, a man would disembark from his landing craft, assuming his craft actually made it to shore and evaded the bombers and heavy artillery, to pit himself against a multitude of machine guns, each expending thousands of rounds of ammunition, from multiple angles, in fortified positions, mortars and entire batteries of artillery, hidden and trained snipers firing from cliffs overhead and any other military might protecting the shoreline. If he managed to make his way to the top of the beach, he would be asked to make his way up the Cliffside to take offensive positions against yet more artillery, machineguns and now, entire armoured divisions of German tanks. He would climb the hill willingly. His life will end before lunchtime.

Now, shift forward to present day. In most any high-end neighbourhood, there is a fifteen year old girl begging for the latest, greatest tricks and treats to be at her ‘sweet sixteen’ party. She pouts when her father negates her need for a stretch Hummer to arrive with a gaggle of her friends. She cries to her best friend about how inconsiderate her parents are, when they refuse to pay half a year’s salary to give her the best blue dress in the city. She screams words of hate at her younger brother for arriving to the party in a suit he wore last year, for New Years Eve. At the end of the night, still not satisfied, she throws a new cell phone, bought for her birthday, into the punch bowl.

====

Think about it.

Phase 2

Wearing my first phase 2 shirt today. Welcome to living on you're own.

Observations

Well,

If there's two things I can say about Thunder bay,

1) Theres a lot of natives. White people are in the ovbious majority.
2)Thunder Bay is a very poor city.

Lakehead

Well well well.

I made it to university.

I did all the things a new student in a new city does.

I got a coffee from the Univercity Center. I got myself a Nalgene bottle with Lakehead on it... so proud. I got a lanyard to hold my student card. My student card also acts as a bus pass, unlimited uses, till next august! that's crazy!

Speaking of buses, I gave myself a nice tour of Thunder Bay's downtown... Took the wrong number 2 bus.

Got my OSAP all squared away and I'm anxiously awaiting my first class, tomorrow at 230.

Found a good hotspot in a place called the Agora. Was on the laptop and having a coffee, was kinda nice.

I'll write more tonight.. Ive got dishes to do.

Moi.

The Stories:

So, here's all the stories.

I'll tell it in pictures.

First off, I don't know why I made this face, but I can only assume it was because I failed out of yet ANOTHER round of 'Rock Band' drums on Medium.


A first person view of a card game Kirley brought to play, called Munchkin, which is, basically, a game BASED entirely on making your opponents angry, as seen in the next picture.

As stated before, this is my one-hand-away-from-winning-but-losing-it-all-at-the-last-second-face. Totally sober, totally mad.


Kirley, about to feast on one of Amy's patented 'meatloaf burgers'.




On to camping.... We made fires.

We hitchhiked...

To get here...

We got POURED on. We woke up around 5 and started home. Here we are under a roof in Shea Heights, NL.

And finally, kirley with a sword.


More to come, on MAN DAY.

DDAY - 1.

Well,

Tomorrow kirley show's up. For those of you wondering what stories might be told from this quest, the list includes:

-Man Day
-Laser Pointer Ninja's
-Hitchhiking Camp Adventure
-Getting Knighted (That's right, i will no longer respond to billy, but rather 'sir' billy. eat your heart out elton. pfft, what kind of name is 'elton' anyways...)

We'll be documenting most of the times on video, as well as photo... so stay tuned.

Thrice

So, I strongly suggest that if you have NOT heard of the band 'Thrice", that you should soon hear of them. To aid you in your quest for good music, allow me to provide some links.

The Whaler - Thrice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve6T_lNnG7Q&feature=related NARR.

Also, I've heard as of late that there are some folks who read this blog. While I'm sure there aren't many of you, rest assured, many updates to come. After all, I'm SOOO busy lately.

There's coffee's to drink, games to play, naps to take... really dosn't leave a lot of room for blogging.

When I'm in school, I'm sure many a blog will be written... My daily life will have changed you see. There will be teachers to piss off, debates to win and opinions to negate. Haha, if that didn't make my mom sigh out loud, not much more will... maybe if I tell her, I got another tattoo, of a super mario, on my face, cause I lost a bet with Kirley.




I'm kidding mom. lol.