Thursday, July 22, 2004

"Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work." ~~ Horace (65 BC - 8 BC)

Friday all day tomorrow, the end of the week. As stupid as it is, Friday marks the end of my 19 consecutive days at work streak, something rather asinine in retrospect. The last full day I had off was July 4. No matter how hard the first year of teaching is, I suspect that the one or two days off a week will seem like a luxury.

I also broke one of the brand new weed-wackers today. $200 or so and I managed to rip the safety trigger off when I went too close to a menacing spruce tree. Our mechanic dropped a few f-bombs on me, but whatever. He's an ass, I'm done in two weeks, and if I didn't break stuff, he would be unemployed and living in his RV trailer. Oh wait, he is living in his trailer, its right outside the shop. Well, at least he's still employed. I'm just doing my part.

On a thoughtful note, one of the true blog readers, Lindsay H. from the Stampede City sent a link to me today via the ole electronic mail. For those of you who love a good Bush vs. Kerry political cartoon, please click here for viewing pleasure. It takes about 2-3 minutes to load, but it is pretty funny. Thanks to Mrs. H and hopefully other readers will follower her lead in blog participation, which has been pretty weak lately. Ya, I'm talking to you.

On the rock 'n' roll front, my brother and his band are playing on the 28th at Red's in West Edmonton Mall. I'm going and if you are down, you be there too. $10 for tix, but it supports a charity/NGO that fights for fair wages for 3rd world workers. So not only do you maybe get to talk with the lead singer, you are aiding a good, moral cause.

I bought a new watch today. I figured it was about time.

Simpsons Interlude
 
Ballet Teacher: You love ballet, yes, you feel the boys will laugh at you, no?
 
Bart: No, I feel the girls will laugh at me. I feel the boys will beat the living snot outta me.

G'night, mind your way.

 

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 8:42 PM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

========================================================================

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

"If I get home before daylight, I just might get some sleep tonight" ~~ Grateful Dead

I heard this lyric on the radio, CKUA of course, at 4:15am as I was waiting for the Beautiful Blazer to warm up. I think it could be a motto for my brother's rock 'n' roll lifestyle.

I had a good day today, basically riding the green mower all day, getting off of work just in time for the skies to open up and let loose some rain babies. Plus I had a kick ass lunch packed, so that gave me something to look forward to as I tried to avoid getting West Nile.

JAY'S COLLECTION OF GREATEST TRAGICALLY HIP NON-RADIO SINGLE HITS
(note: I haven't yet listened to their new album, so this may change over time)

1. Last American Exit (EP, 1987)
2. Opiated (Up to Here, 1989)
3. Three Pistols (Road Apples, 1991)
4. Fiddler's Green (Road Apples, 1991)
5. The Last of the Unplucked Gems (Road Apples, 1991)
6. Wheat Kings (Fully Completely, 1992)
7. Pigeon Camera (Fully Completely, 1992)
8. Scared (Day for Night, 1994)
9. Thompson Girl (Phantom Power, 1998)
10. Chagrin Falls (Phantom Power, 1998)
11. Emperor Penguin (Phantom Power, 1998)
12. Sharks (Music @ Work, 2000)
13. It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken  (In Violet Light, 2002)
14.  The Dire Wolf  (In Violet Light, 2002)

Best Album: Fully Completely, 1992
Best Song(s): Wheat Kings/Bobcaygeon

Man, I got a serious case of writers block today. Full apologies, it's just not happening. So go read the news or something, cause this blog is like week old tuna sitting in a garbage dump.

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 8:30 PM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

========================================================================

"Nothing endures but change." ~~ Heraclitus (540 BC - 480 BC),

For Megan, one month before I leave for the other side of the world. I love you and I am sorry.

Spin to You (slightly revised)
 
I'm spinning slowly, in a circle
Lining you up sometime
Across miles of wheat and snow
Through buildings and walls
 
Within this endless, unbroken circle
At one point
I will be directly facing you
In line with your heart
 
You won't know
It's more for me than you anyway
A sense of connection, perhaps
You will feel a tingle, a touch
 
Waiting for the clock to tick
A little more each day
In time I will hold you close, but for now
I spin to you, again and again
 
It's a calming action
I hope you are safe in that northern city
I can't protect you from here
But I can try to connect, to feel you
 
The shortest distance is a straight line
Trying to make you seem closer, to make the loneliness weaker
Spinning to you, forever I pray
Two hearts connected by an invisible, unbreakable string.

 

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 4:07 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

========================================================================

Monday, July 19, 2004

"In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in an clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth." ~~ Mahatma Gandhi
 
Oy, if everyday was like today, I may just well end up on the front page of a newspaper. Firstly, my carpooling buddy Kelly overslept, so we had to haul ass to Lollapalooza to make it to work on time. Then, after coming in to work on Sunday, when no one else would, I was assigned to rake bunkers, something I haven't done in a long time. It's a total sucker job and you know I was a bitter bastard the whole way. I figured coming in on the weekend, dooming myself to a 19-consecutive-days-at-work stretch, might shine some good light on me. I guess I'm an idiot for thinking that way.
 
I became even more bitter when Aaron (the new kid) drove through a puddle too fast and soaked me. I smacked him on the helmet harder than necessary simply because I was pissed right off. Then I came in after bunker duty, only to find that I was assigned (yet again, 5th day in a row) to work on a problem bunker on #9. Last week was grueling, and although I always had help, it was rotating help, so people would come and go while I stayed and toiled. Today wasn't too bad in terms of physical labour, but the principal of the things that happened pissed me off. I think my boss may hate me, and I'm starting to hate the whole thing. Last day will be August 6th, if not sooner. It's time to end the summer job aspect of my life. Next summer, Europe.
 
I want to mention one thing about this Iranian trail issue that has come up lately. If you remember, an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist was killed in Iranian police custody some time ago, and after much diplomatic pressure, someone was charged and a trial was started in Iran. After first being denied, then approved, then finally denied again, Canadian journalists were not alllowed to view the entire court proceedings, all which ended abruptly a day or two ago. Now there is a major diplomatic battle brewing, as Canada has ordered it's ambassador to Iran to come back to Canada.
 
My comment is this. Although by all appearances this trial is a sham, the courts of Iran are different than ours. I read the articles and the impression that I get is this: "Well this is how it is done in Canada, so why isn't it done to our liking and preferences?" Iran can do whatever the hell it wants in it's court system, and despite the fact that we may see it as wrong and legally unsound, we cannot ask them to change they're system just so that we feel vindicated. Look, I'm not saying that Iran is right, and I would love to see some justice handed out fairly. But expecting their system to function like ours, open to the media, is dumb at best. I think we all knew a few months ago, after Iran had dragged it's feet about even charging a suspect, that this battle wasn't going to be fair for the Canadian interests, so I'm a little frustrated that we are all wringing our hands, wondering how this came to be. We should have seen it coming and prepared ourselves for the fact that we will never see true justice in this case.
 
In other international news that I've heard enough about, the pilot convicted of killing those Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, lost his appeal. That means he'll be docked one months salary (about $5000 US) and be demoted. Good, the fact that he even had the nerve to appeal such a wrist-slap of a sentence is possibly in the poorest taste I can recall. He, like Martha Stewart, is apparently unaware of the nature of their crimes and/or feel that they are above reproach. Garbage, straight garbage.
 
I'm tired, ladies and gents, this summer has been and will continue to be a hard one. I think you all know why. And I remember when I was a lad, wanting so much to be grown up, and now that I am I think back on stress-free days. And sometimes, when my stress collides with my melancholy, I luck out and listen to a calming memoir by the oh so poetic Canadian singer/songwriter David Francey. And I can't help but think of Kali, the happiest, best co-newspaper delivery dog in the world, when I listen to this song.

PAPER BOY
Down to the agent's shop I'd go
I'd shoulder my bag down the Irvine Road
Past the council houses, row on row
When I was a paper boy
 
With the Daily Record and the People's Friend
I'd go down to the Sunnyside again
Under the bridge where the railway bends
When I was a paper boy
 
And my feet flew in the morning light
Racing the dawn as the sky grew bright
And everything in the world was right
When I was a paper boy
 
I'd walk the morning and the empty streets
Would ring to the sound of my own two feet
And I'd walk in step to my own heartbeat
When I was a paper boy
 
As the rain rolled down the back of my neck
I delivered the news of death and sex
Rhodesia, Speck and Malcolm X
When I was a paper boy
Crow in a tree top way up high
Hung as a warning, left to die
And the moaning wind in the morning sky
When I was a paper boy
 
Words and Music: ©David Francey (Ayer's Cliff, Quebec, February 24, 1998)
 
Okay, that is the show for today. One foot in front of the other....
 
 

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 6:22 PM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

========================================================================

Sunday, July 18, 2004

"The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next. " ~~ Ursula K. LeGuin
 
Well it has been a while since the last post, I pretty much took the extended weekend off from writing.  But it has been a rather busy weekend regardless.
 
Megan's car is to be written off, something she found out on Friday. A quote from my apparently ex-sailor girlfriend: "They're gonna write off my f**king car." I don't know what I was more surprised at; the fact that the car is a write off, or the fact that Megan used the f-word. So it has turned into a big hassle and ended up with us test driving cars all day Saturday. She's gotta wait for the insurance company to get everything ready and hopefully she'll have a new ride by the end of the week. Hopefully it lasts longer that the Cavalier. It'll all play out in the wash, just have to wait.
 
God-damn, this apartment is cooking, it's sooo hot. We had people over last night but it was pretty uneventful as everyone just wanted to sit still in front of the fans.
 
I used to watch the original Spiderman cartoons and one of my favorite villians was the Rhino. Here is the jist of one of the few episodes that featured this underused villian. I'm hoping that within one of these movies, the Rhino might make a cameo. That would be so rad....
 
"Horn of the Rhino"
Sick with a cold, Spiderman must battle the Rhino, a powerful, horned villain capable of ramming through trains, trucks, and submarines. ThoughPeter's Aunt May forbids her ailing nephew to procure pictures for Jameson of the Rhino's wrath, Peter leaves his bed to become Spiderman each time that a component to a top-secret military weapon is due to arrive in New York City, because the Rhino wants the weapon and will stop at nothing to steal the components, three in total, coming to New York by train, airplane,and submarine. But the sneezing Spidey is unable to stop the Rhino from snatching the components. Finally, as the Rhino is assembling the weapon from the three heisted components, Spidey obtains a can of pepper from Aunt May's cupboard, finds the Rhino's hideout, a cave at the New York City Zoo, and webs the can of pepper onto the Rhino's horn, which punctures the can, and pepper drops in the Rhino's face so that the Rhino now too has a sneezing handicap. An avalanche of mud falls upon the Rhino, and Spidey bakes the mud with a heat ray to trap the horned criminal, then gains possession of the weapon to return it to the military. The Rhino is apprehended by the NYPD, and Peter confines himself to bed to allow Aunt Mayto fully treat his cold.
Source

I read in the paper today that Martha Stewart, who was recently sentenced to 5 months in  jail and 5 months of house arrest, is going to use Nelson Mandela as her role model for this unsavory part of her life. Give me a break, Martha, and while you're at it get off your high horse. In 200 years people will know who Mandela was, but I can't say the same for you. His 27 years in prison, fighting the entire time to end a racist regime, is disrespected by you comparing your rinky dink 5 months. So shut your yap and do your time. 5 months is lucky considering what you could have got.
 
The next report on the Sept 11 attacks will offer evidence that Iran helped the terrorists, not Iraq, by making travel (including non-existant passport stamps) through Iran easy for the terrorists in the years leading up to the attacks.  I'm sure Bush will deny the facts again, put on his best positve smile monkey face and declare that the US was right to go into Iraq. I guess facts and research take a back seat to ideological stubborness in this administration. Sigh.
 
Speaking of world events, I've thoughtfully provided a link to the United Nations homepage on the left, under Perma-Links. I spent an hour exlporing this site and barely scratched the surface. Knowledge is power, remember that. If you want to see how far down Kuwait is on the overall ranked list of countries, click here. 

And just for some laughing-at-Saddam-cause-he-is-gonna-hang fun, click here.

Thats it for now, hope this finds you well. Y'all come back now, y'hear?

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 10:56 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

========================================================================