January 2006

January 31, 2006

    I'm flying in here today by the grace of all that is holy. Somehow the registration for antimattr.com was deemed expired and a company that sucks up expired domains sucked us up. They didn't seem to put up much of a fight when challenged and relinquished  the site back the rightful owners. I'm not privy to all the details but I do know that I'm back. So for those of you that thought maybe I was gone or had stopped the dream....I did neither. I was cut off but internet pirates so to speak. To give some update as to what I've been doing since say the 23rd. The Sports Saturday page has been put on hold for the time being as there wasn't even a Sports Saturday this week. This was due to the fact that I was ill, the weather was poor, and Phil was out of town. We're looking forward to striking it back up. After all, what is a community outreach program if you don't reach out to the community. Moving on. Last Thursday Dave and I ventured to our friend's home for a potluck celebration. It doubled as a birthday party for one of the girl's that lives there. Joanne and Alex put on a good show and we had a good time. The following evening we returned the favour by hosting a potluck gala of our own. We like to entertain, probably. Annie gets the kudos and the hardest worker award for that one. I was sick in my bed for the most of the day and Dave and Annie really bailed me out. I did manage to roast a chicken for dinner. That was accompanied by a huge pot of mashed potatoes and Annie's pasta casserole creation. That was what we brought to the table. Everyone else brought a multitude of dishes, which were delicious. There was plenty of food. We cleaned up and retired to the sitting room for a good round of laughing it up. After which many guests departed. The choice few that remained were treated to a special presentation. We aired the tape of our dance. It went over very well. The next day was all about leftovers and recovery. The evening featured our second game of the semester. Phil was tried out on defense. He did well and so did the team in a 3-1 victory. We're still undefeated. Dave kept his scoring streak alive by scoring the insurance goal. This week is going to be busy with school. Plans are in progress for Super Sunday. My mind wanders. Enjoy the day.

January 23, 2006

    Well I'm coming to you now with some good news. Firstly, and not first in chronological sense, we just came back from a delicious meal provided by the Mayor. His worship brought us to Cagney's which is a restaurant that he drove by as a youth day after day and always wanted to go to. We helped him live that dream tonight. We brought Dave's girlfriend Nicole so the Mayor could meet her also and meet her he did. He also took some photos for those not in attendance. The second piece of news is that we had a hockey game yesterday. That may be trivial to most but it was Phil's debut performance as a non-goalie. He did ok for his first time and didn't mess up. He made the comment that he was at the bottom of the ladder and he had no where to go but up. It was a crappy game though. Our opponents goaltender didn't show so they played the whole time with six attackers. Well 5 attackers and one guy at their own blue line. It was tough to get into their zone and we felt bad for shooting at an empty net at first but as the game went on we started scoring. It ended 7-4. The third item of interest is that I've been planning to make a Sports Saturday page with weekly updates. Due to time constraints I haven't been able to get that done just yet. I'll close with a quick story. I tricked my roomie Brown into driving me to Cambridge today to go look at digital cameras. I picked one out (the Kodak Z700) but they didn't have any in stock. He then offered to give me the demo at a discounted price. I would have gotten it for cheap with all the same warranties. So he ventured off  to find the box and accessories. I got my VISA primed and ready to go. He came back claiming that he couldn't find anything. So I was thwarted. I had to go to Boston Pizza for lunch to settle down. That's all I've got for today. Hope everyone is doing well.

January 20, 2006

    It is now Friday and I'm sitting here home alone. Three of my house mates have gone to Bodyworld. An exhibition in Toronto that showcases corpses that have been made into plastic like material. My neighbour Mike is gone to a ski meet with the university cross country ski team. My other friends are out of town too. All the Aggies I know are all gone to the Good Times Banquet which has been sold out for some time now. So I'm left here alone until late tonight when people begin to flow back. I guess I could call my cousin Phil if I really get bored. He should be off galavantering with his first year chums. There hasn't been any word about Sports Saturday yet. I assume we'll throw it together later tonight. I have a pile of work to do this weekend. A lab, start a paper, some other random emailing, and a bid on a contract. I have to get my resume up to speed too so that I can confirm my job. It's going to be pretty busy. Someday soon I would also like to head over to Cambridge and see if I can't get a deal on a digital camera. I'm in the market for one and I don't want to spend too much for quality. I think that I can get a good one for around $400. Here's hoping anyways. So I'm home alone on a Friday night with no plans, sad times, sad times. I'll make the most of it by getting some work done. I'm not too worried. You never know what's going to happen. Well to pass the first couple of hours I'll clean the garage, now that the garbage is finally out of there, for the most part anyways. Hope everyone has a good weekend all ready to go. I'll check back in soon. Phillips out.

January 18, 2006

    Well it is the mid-way point of the week. I have to admit that I've been having a decent week so far. I just got back from supper with my father and some colleagues of ours. I say ours because I still consider myself an employee of Monsanto, as I plan to work there again this summer. Either way it was a good meal. I missed the chance to go hang out with some other people because I was gone and that sucks but it was one or the other. Getting back in the game here. I'm realizing that my classes are going to involve small amounts of work but they all seem to be coordinated to make everything due at the same times. It has taken a high degree of organization so far to keep the ship running smooth. I foresee much more use of the palm pilot and multiple day planners. I found out last time that it's a good idea to stick to one day-planner. If you have more than one then there is a chance that you could copy something important into one and not the others and then miss out on that thing altogether. I've trimmed myself down to one but I have probably three. Someday soon I'll have to put all my important times and dates onto all my organization material. This week is just flying by, I can barely keep up. I finished all my burning that I was behind in and now I have to get after some case preparation. It might be a while before I can do that though the way school is going. Just thought I would give a mid-week update on my life and times. That was it.

January 15, 2006

    So it's Sunday now and I see why it has that name. The sky is a lighter blue than usual and the sun is piercing. It's the fall or spring day that we all dream about and it's only January. The only snow remaining is the once big piles on the corners of the streets. I can see the steam around my wide open window where the warm air of my room is meeting the cold air of the fresh morning sky. The looks of this morning are only the beginning; the real thing that is telling me it's spring time is the smell. That fresh smell that emanates from the ground when the snow disappears. That fragrance that was trapped by the snow oozes out and tantalizes the nostrils. I find it to be exhilarating. I think it's so exciting because it could be the smell of promise. The smell of upcoming opportunity. It is probably hard wired into us humans from years of evolution. It has been my experience that many species in nature choose the spring time to find a mate or to simply mate. (Although, that is not always easy as Animal Planet has taught me over the years.) Either way something stirs inside me in the spring time and the smell that emanates from the newly uncovered turf is something that cannot be accurately described. The smell is not always found, in some places only stagnant garbage festered beneath the white reprieve and only its foul odour can be smelled. That is why I'm glad I don't live in a major centre. Either way, I'm still having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that it is only January. This type of weather, or climate if you need to, is usually reserved for two or three months down the line. I guess the world is just shaking things up, throwing in some changes and twists, like a reality television show, just to watch the contestants squirm or improve viewership, however that may apply. Maybe our existence is just a form of entertainment for some higher more perverse race or power that watches our lives with amusement. Maybe the suffering in our world is to create more of a dramatic dynamic to the program. If that were the case then wouldn't it be ironic for us with our obsession with celebrities and with entertainment in general. How ironic it would be indeed. A race of beings created to entertain another a higher race. Maybe Hollywood is a microcosm of the universe. That's just my ramblings for today. Maybe some other time I'll elaborate on my opinion of "entertainment stars". That could fill a lot of posts. Ta ta for now.

January 13, 2006

    It's Friday the 13th. Oh no. I pay no mind to this "horrid, unlucky" day these days. I used to put more stock into it but I have yet to be bitten by the unlucky bug (touch wood [not the actual person Wood, but if that's your game and he's willing then go for it]). Today could be my day. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it's not. As mentioned in an earlier post the Big T landed last night and he, Dave and I went out for a nice supper and then he took me out for breakfast this morning. We got good meals both times and acceptable if not great service. We played poker last night and I once again squandered the big stack and lost to the Big T, for the third straight time. He claims that his new habit of watching poker on TV helps his game and that is why he is always beating me. I think it's dumb luck personally but what do I know. Maybe if I played him tonight we would have a different story but alas he is off to Scarborough to a hockey tournament. My sister is involved and he is the trainer for her team. I plan on going to my 12:30 pm class (plant breeding) and then on to Staples business depot to shop for a digital camera. Note that I didn't say buy just yet, I like to shop around and get a knowledge of the product then make an informed decision. It really adds to the whole shopping experience because you can be proud of what you bought because you chose it and you also have a base of knowledge on the product. It's like an adventure. I just have to buy one and learn how to use it before we take the big trip that was mentioned in the previous post. Once I have a camera maybe I could further slip into the mold created by the "web" creator...Wood by posting interesting pictures. Although I doubt if I do that I would ever use photoshop or anything to modify the pictures. Well with that carrot in front of my possible readers I will take my leave for now. I will be back, mark my words, I will be back. (If you want to see Wood's page just take off the ~meathook and have a good one.)

January 10, 2006

    The first day of school is in the books and the second is winding down. I have three fourth year courses and two second year courses. Good times. My workload is not going to be that heavy for the semester if all goes as planned. I have some essays to write and some group projects to do and some midterms but nothing too crazy. I confirmed all the dates for the big trip. The big trip is our final year spring break trip to Florida. Our friend William somehow managed to get access to a timeshare in Panama City. We'll be staying at the 5 star Marriott hotel and resort for a week. That's for free too by the way. Jealous yet? We'll be driving there, should take 24 hours if all goes well. Our expenses are food and gas. Many activities are being discussed. It's going to be Will, Dave, Phil, a pair of Adams and I. Things are looking promising. On the girl front Dave and Mike are making things happen, Dave more than Mike at this point but things could pick up for either. I'm still in a rut, it's a deep rut and I'm getting comfortable in it. So what have we gone over, school, social, and girls. What else is there to report on at this juncture. Uh.....well the Big T is supposed to make an appearance here in the near future. He'll be in southern Ontario for nearly two weeks. His longest foray away from home since he was my age. I guess marriage and farming can really tie a man down. Either way, I have to get ready for my last class of the day so I'll take my leave.

January 8, 2006

    The sun isn't up yet and here I am stark raving awake. I blame my internal clock. I was up early yesterday to have a farewell breakfast with my father and today my idiot body wants to rise early again. Ah well, it gives me time to report that I have returned to the schooling land. A far off mystical place where young adults are sheltered and shackled by the post-secondary education system. We got back yesterday and then went to the mall and grocery store. Afterwards we went straight to the supper. Upon returning home we engulfed ourselves in unpacking and readying our rooms for the assault of a new semester. Mine was pretty ready to begin with so I spent most of my time laughing it up with Mike Ward and watching the game. I admit, I am still a hoot. I had lost faith when my hootery was lost on my dogs at home. I guess they don't appreciate my riotry or don't speak English, either way. The sun is trying to creep up over the horizon now with an explosion of pink and blue. It could be a red sky this morning, which serves as a sailor's warning as the old adage goes. You know the one, red sky at night, sailor's delight and the aforementioned red sky in the morning, sailor's warning. I have found these to be true most of the time, well whenever I notice them they seem to hold true to their word or sign as it were. Another one that is more controversial and that I have faced some opposition on is that when you see cows laying down in the summer time in the pasture it is a sign that rain is coming. Sometimes if only several are down then that means there is only a chance that rain is coming. It is mostly unproven but I think there could be something to it. My theory is that the cows are trying to keep a patch of grass dry to eat upon completion of the rain. That is an amateur theory I came up with a few years ago but it's all I've got at this point. I'm down for today, sleep in coming back, over and out. 

January 4, 2006

    Coming to you for the first time in the new year. I've been stewing in my juices here for that last couple of days. I had considered going back to the promised land on the 2nd day of the new year but offers flew until I agreed to go on the seventh day of the year. I have a long boring week ahead of me. The high school kids have gone back to school. All of my peers have returned to their education centers so that leaves only me and my fellow schoolmates to hold down the fort here. My biggest duties are to move some grain and clean snow. The grain moving was slated for today but the weather turned sour. These past few days I have spent doing menial household chores, watching television and reading. I have a slew of books to read now and I expect my summer will be well spent poring over them. I'm started to branch down a road of literature and I'm waiting to see where it takes me. It should be fairly interesting nonetheless. I found out today that we haven't been paying our gas bill. A bill came every month for our landlord and we just sat around and hoped we would never be bothered about the gas usage but it came to a head today when the landlord inquired about it. We'll be switching into a gas bill very soon. The bill has accumulated over the last months and isn't even that high. I was surprised by this as I heard all this whining and moaning about gas being overpriced for in-home use. We even have had several people drop by the house to try and lock us in for a certain price for the next five years or something. I don't trust people so I never signed up for any of that at our current locale. I may or may not have signed someone in our old house up for that but not our unit. I'm only going to be here for a little while so signing up for a huge deal would be foolish. Anyways. I'm out of time here so I'm going to call it a session and move on to bigger and better things. Namely the couch.