Pollcrazy

Piano Men

2009-06-02T14:20:00.002-05:00

I was at the Billy Joel/ Elton John concert last night. Lets just say that it was a dream of mine finally coming true. I've been a big Billy Joel fan since I was in my teens and have always wanted to see him in concert. It is kind of Ironic that I saw these two artists together, I remember when I was younger hearing Billy Joel and Elton John touring together, but at the time I was listening to Van Halen , Billy Joel and Def Leppard. So I didn't have a clue who Elton John was at the time let alone what his music sounded like. The price of the tickets were very expensive and I decided that it wasn't worth it to see this Elton John.

Well since then I've broadened my musical tastes and found out who Elton John was and was surprised that I knew a lot of his songs, you have to love ignorance! I was introduced to Elton John's concert a few years back while I was in College. I was approached by my brother about a person that was getting rid of the ticket to the Concert. Around this time I would try new musical artists all the time and jumped at the chance to see Elton John. I was blown away at the great performance that Sir Elton gave. Most concerts are two hours long and that is by two acts. Sir Elton ran two and a half hours without a break! So I was expecting great show this time around and like the Eric Clapton concert I was blown away. The show started with both Joel and John singing a few of each other songs then Elton John performed a set by himself , then Billy Joel and the encore was both artists joining for a 40 min encore that topped an amazing night.

The part that really moved me was the last song "piano man" when the crowd sang the chorus, man it was loud and nearly brought Joel to tears. Truly amazing show! would see it again in a heartbeat!

Sing us a song, your the piano man
sing us a song tonight
we're all in the mood for a melody
and you have us feeling alright

Man Room Update

2009-06-02T13:06:00.003-05:00

So now that the electrical is done and I can see how the electricity moves around the basement. Now I can move onto the bulkheads, and get ready to close up the ceiling. but before I can do that I'll have to move some water pipes, plumbing and gas pipes around, yuck! that means if I cannot get the plumber and the gas fitter in around the same time, I'll have to use the laundry mat again double yuck!

Pud is at rest

2009-05-09T20:23:00.004-05:00

My pet cat Pud is very sick and it looks like that I'll have to put her down soon as she hasn't been eating much the past week and the vet said that it could be an infection, but I've been giving her a whole bunch of pills, and she isn't getting any better.

I knew this day would come one day and tried to emotionally prepare myself for it, but it is harder to take as she has loved unconditionally these past 18 years. I'll miss her coming to bed and her purring while she lay beside me.

At 10min to 4 today Pud passed away peacefully, her suffering is at an end and my beloved pet can rest. Love you and I miss you already.

First inspection

2009-05-09T20:20:00.001-05:00

Well the first building inspection was done Friday and it looks like it passed. He didn't have any reports to give me, but will forward it to me later.

Update

2009-02-20T14:25:00.003-05:00

Well it has been a while since the last updated so here is a Summary of the last few months. I found out in early November that my Father was in the hospital for a month with renal failure and that he had not been taking very good care of himself. Managed to get him back on his feet and back into his place in December.

Danielle and I then were off to Florida for three weeks at her Father's place in Venice. Had a blast there. The new long term goal for us is to buy a home down there and once I retire "no more winters for me!" The only bad time I had is when I found out that my Mother suffered a stroke, she is doing well and it was only a mild stroke. She is in rehab and looks like she'll be back at home in April.

Now that my Mother and Father were taken care of I could get going on the "MAN ROOM " project. first step, the steps. I've been afraid that the stairs in the basement would come off and I'd drop into the cellar. Bernie, Danielle's Step Dad, helped me with the stairs and were able to fix them. Next step, the corners, when the builder made the frames they forgot to include a stud so the drywall can be screwed into. Well just like an episode of Holmes on homes I kept running into more things that I had to correct before I could go forward. Step three, the laundry room, This sub room is now built and ready for the plumber, gas fitter and electrical, this weekend's tasks is building the wall to close in the furnace and hot water tank. Then I can start drywalling.

Danielle and I celebrated out two wonderful years together! I'm looking forward to celebrating many more years as well as many more grey hairs!

Build update!

2008-11-06T22:17:00.003-05:00

Well, I thought that the Federal Government was bad, The provincial Government nasty, but the Municipal Government takes the cake in the paper work red tape department. After being told that it will take 10 days to process the permit, I go in on day 11 since I didn't get a call to see what was going on with the permit. Here you go Jozo it was ready six days after you put it in!

Anyway, now that I have to the green light to start construction, I fire an e-mail off to the Brother to see what tools that he has. Hey, he did offer the use if I ever needed them.

So I have a schedule to follow during the build, which I find kind of funny, why? Well the basement was already framed when I bought the house and from what I know the only walls the need to be insulated and a vapour barrier placed are the outside walls, which are done! one step down, no work done! The second step for inspection is the final product, which I find funny since I'll be putting in lights moving old sockets and they are going to look at it in the end? Not during? oh well, I better get it right the first time or it will be rebuild time!

Front and Center

2008-11-06T08:51:00.002-05:00

Last night Danielle and I saw these guys at the Centerpoint theater. Wow, I loved the semi unplugged sound and the banter that both artists gave during the performance. For those that don't know Craig Northey he is from the group called the Odds.

Since I love blues and was expecting a large helping of it from Colin James lets just say that I wasn't disappointed. I was expecting some old Colin James tunes and some Odds Songs which was played the pleasant part was the covers of a few other Delta blues artists, some Clapton and some tunes that Colin James played before he made it big.

Craig Northey is pretty Witty and had the crowd laughing, he played the Corner Gas theme song that he wrote, but the show didn't really pick up till Colin James came out and played "Why d'you lie" acoustically. The show had a feel of a cottage party and was well worth the $30. If you have the chance go see it.

IT HAS STARTED!

2008-10-23T14:25:00.003-05:00

WELL THE DREAM OF THE MAN ROOM HAS JUMPED FROM MY MIND TO PAPER AND OFF TO THE PLANNING OFFICE HERE IN BROCKVILLE. YES, I'VE APPLIED FOR MY FIRST PERMIT AND TAKEN THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS MAKING THE ULTIMATE PLACE TO ESCAPE FROM THE TIDY AND CLEAN PARTS OF THE REST OF THE HOUSE AND ENJOY MOVIES, SPORTS AND GENERAL MANLY THINGS IN ANY WAY I LIKE.

SO I'LL FIND OUT IN 9 DAYS IF I CAN PROCEED WITH MY DREAM ROOM. STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES AND PICTURES.

Aug Life Update

2008-08-25T08:51:00.004-05:00

Well the picture on the left is the end product of a series of events that started with the hunt for a new vehicle to replace Danielle's car. We were looking for a car that has more room than the Kia Rio, easier access for Dakota and his bum knee and still look a bit decent. We though of keeping the Rio as it is an great car gas wise , but when Trixie was added to the family it was no longer an option and a larger vehicle was needed.

We narrowed it down to the Kia Rondo (Danielle's fav) and the Mazda 5 ( my fav) I'll admit that the Kia does give you more bang for the buck as it is loaded with features, it is much more quiet ride than the Mazda, but the Mazda provides a manual transmission and the easy access for my cripple dog! Wonder if I can get a handicap sticker for the car? So off to the dealership do deal with my least favorite people in the world.

I started with Mazda Kingston as it is the closest dealership to me in Brockville. They were great as they covered the seats so I could try and see if Dakota could get in and out of the car. They I was was off to Cornwall Mazda and they didn't have much on the lot. Then I tried Bank Street Mazda, bingo. I got a good vibe and started with the good old negotiations. I was pleasantly shocked when the guy dropped the price by $3500 right off the bat, but then the warm fuzzy feeling turned to disgust as the 1.9% financing turn to bank rates and negated the $3500 drop in price. So I dumped a bunch of accessories on and asked for more money off. They bit and now I'm the new owner of a Mazda 5.

My overall experience with the Bank Street Mazda is good. They are a bit unprofessional and the sales guy messed up the day of an appointment we had and didn't get a quote to me on the day promised. I heard some other customers complain about the service they were getting. It could be that Sept is a busy time of the year for them, but I was impressed that they let us take our dogs on the test drive! Now that the financing went through it is just a matter of time when the car comes in.

Camping in Fitzroy PP

2008-07-21T10:51:00.003-05:00

You have to love the weatherman. I was checking the weather forecasts all weekend and it was a roller coaster of a ride. one day the weekend was supposed to be sunny the next day it is calling for rain. So Friday Kaos and I take off to go to Fitzroy Harbour provincial park to meet my Brother and his family for a weekend of camping. As I'm driving up to the park and around Smiths Falls this huge wall of black clouds with multiple lightning strikes flashing away nearly stops me, but the news on the radio is saying that the weather warning for the Ottawa, Pembroke Area has been lifted, so I press on to the park.

When I get there the ground is wet, but not soaking, so I set up my tent and get all the stuff inside. My Brother Ivo shows up and we chit chat for a bit then Kaos comes running up to me covered in something that he rubbed in, I'm thinking where the hell can I wash him when the park ranger walks up to me, "excuse me, is that your dog?" He startled a little girl and reported a loose dog. Off to the beach to clean Kaos up, no dogs on the beach, shit! Oh well, the fine would be worth the cost since I'd know that Kaos would jump on the bed with me when I'd turn in. So after I clean him my brother and I go to the store to pick up some firewood for the campfire. That is when heaven opened up and dumped, I mean dumped a huge amount of water on us. The funny part was my Sister in Law running around the campsite soaked to the bone while Ivo and I sat in the car dry! Kaos was under the picnic table under the patio umbrella (smart puppy, he is) trying to keep dry. So when the rain putters out I dry off Kaos and into the tent I go for the night. Guess what, some water made its way into the tent. move stuff around the drips and beddy bye I go, well till 2-3 AM when the next site over after a few beers was making huge noise woke my up. That is when I noticed that the air mattress was loosing air! argh! I try to blow it back up, few hours later , back on the cold ground. I get up around 5AM off to the car for the pump and find that there is something on the cap to the air mattress and pump it back up, off back to dream land I go, 6:30AM the chimpmunks wake Kaos up and he is itching to get outside to see where the noise is coming from. Take Kaos outside for his morning walk and show him where the noise is coming from , noticed that I'm feeling like crap and back to bed I go, well till My Sister in Law gets up at 8:30 , I hear the car start and she drives off, she come back and sounds pissed at something. I get up and find out that they didn't pack any propane. So it is cooking old school, as in using wood and fire to get something hot! You haven't had breakfast till you had smokey eggs and toast!

Well the rest of the day was a blurr since I wasn't feeling well, no not due to the smokey eggs and bacon, so I was resting most of the day. Felt better around supper time and was able to enjoy the rest of the camping without much excitement after that! thank the Lord!

Today's Cooking - Pesto

2008-07-16T21:17:00.002-05:00

Well since my cilantro is growing like crazy and beginning to flower I decided to make some Cilantro pesto.

1 bunch Cilantro
1 bunch Parsley
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon cayeen pepper
1 table spoon white wine vinegar
1/4 cup walnuts

throw in a food processor and blend! Verdict too much garlic and Cilantro, but I will make it again!

Movie corner

2008-07-14T14:36:00.002-05:00

Saw Hancock on the weekend and loved it. Not your typical clean cut polished hero that always does the right thing at the right time. I like the fact that the main character is an alcoholic and homeless. There are some very funny parts in the opening car chase. I'll not wreck it for those who haven't seen it yet! this is a "in the theater must"!

7/10

Stocks, bonds and RRSPs oh my!

2008-07-11T12:48:00.002-05:00

Well it has come down to the planning of the big party after working my ass off! I figure throw some money at some stacks watch it grow and I'll live comfortably after that, no so! Some people say pay off the mortgage, some say max out the RRSPs , some say screw RRSPs and buy stocks. What to do?

1 paying off the mortgage faster does have its advantages, reduce debt, have more to invest later plus save the interest that you'd have paid. Cons to that line of thinking, if you can make 7-9% on stocks you just lost 2-4% or more that you've could have made over paying off the mortgage.

2 Max out the RRSPs. if you can stuff 19% of your gross income of extra money that is floating around out there into an RRSP you'll save the money that you'll pay by reducing your tax bracket down and get a bigger refund, which in turn can be re-rolled into the RRSP and get save you money that you can invest elsewhere. While the investment within the RRSP is not taxed until you either withdraw it or you turn 71. you are forced to pay taxes by converting the RRSPs into RIFs at age 71

3 Stocks and bonds do not provide a tax shelter for your investments while you accumulate them, capital gains and dividends, they are 100% yours at age 71 and you don't have to convert your portfolio. The stocks and bonds route is a much more risky route, you can loose it all , but also can provide the most gain of the three methods of investment.

ah, as dreams of having a comfortable retirement dance in my head the choices I make today can have a big impact on my lifestyle of tomorrow!

Shake the rust off!

2008-05-21T13:00:00.002-05:00

Well after reading Ryan's posts on his blog I've decided to start up the posts again!

A few things that I've been doing since the last post:

1. We've moved into our new place, after painting and a few alterations we can call it our own. Then if moving into a new place wasn't hectic enough, we threw a Christmas party for Danielle's side and my side of the family.

2. Jan and Feb were quiet months with more fix up and I was away on courses for work. March was the start of the garden planning and when April rolled around the earth was bought and the seed started while we planned for the house warming party. What a house warming party! we had 44 people in total make their way through our place during the day! We'd like to thank all who came and thanks for all the gifts. Ryan Carrie and I are disappointed in you for leaving beer behind, but Carrie's comment on "I'm full of beer " is funny as well!

3. The garden, it has taken a life of its own and many hours of moving grass, tilling soil and planting the seeds we started in April . I'll post some pictures soon on what we have made.

4 My battle with the birds! It started at Christmas with Danielle getting me a bird feeder. I love watching the bird when I walk in the forest and I guess she correctly guessed that I'd enjoy having them in the back yard. When I had the time I put it up and sat down to see what came to the feeder. Well a few weeks later it started, a chickadee and a nuthatch started coming then it grew from there, downy woodpeckers, some golden and purple finches. The day came when Danielle told me what I'd been waiting months for , Cardinals where at the feeder, but this little victory was crushed by the Starling. A nasty bird that is very aggressive, this little pest started coming and brought all its friends along. This bird was going through the feed like crazy, then the the Grackles started feeding. It was dumping the feed on the ground attracting the squirrels and the pigeons. Well since I want the pretty birds to come and the ugly ones to fly away, I've changed the feeder in hopes of driving the unwanted birds away. I'll keep this up to date for the bird lovers.

5 I've decided to stay down South for the summer and give the Arctic thing a rest as owning a house is much more work than I imagined. plus I also want to enjoy the new house as well. Have more trips showing Danielle around eastern Ontario, keep posted for the place of the month.

Support Canadian Stores, I say drop your prices!

2007-11-09T13:52:00.000-05:00

What is it with the Canadian stores telling us to stay in Canada and buy in Canadian stores instead of going to the states and giving the Americans our dollars? The Canadian dollar is above the US Dollar now. Why are we still paying the higher Canadian price on a magazine and books than the US one? Why are cars (some made in Canada) are higher in price than the same ones sold in the US? Why are appliances more expensive in Canada than the States?

I just bought a Fridge, Stove, Washer and dryer for my new place. I was shocked to find out that the same appliances that are sold in Canada was $300-400 each, more expensive than the same ones sold in the States! That is a savings of $1200-1600 saving only on the MSRP! Now here is the catch! The appliance must be made in Canada or the US so that the 8% duty is not applied. Then the regular GST and PST is added( if you buy energy star product the PST is waived, In Ontario. Does not apply for appliances brought into Canada). Guess what? most of the appliances are made in Mexico or Germany. Then you have to add the State tax to the purchase which I understand you can file to have it refunded.

So armed with this, off to the states I go to save my $1200-1600 and stick it to the Canadian stores that are charging much more! Once I get to the stores it is even looking better since a lot of the stores are charging less than the MSRP for the same appliances and here is where the bubble bursts! Now let me back up here a bit before I go on. I checked out a store in Prescott that has a good reputation for giving out great deals on furniture and appliances that give big box stores a run for their money. They were very near the US prices, but still above them! Back to the bubble bursting! I check the appliances that I wanted in the states, and they were all made in Mexico, Damn 8% duty. So I copy down all the prices and crunch the numbers. Add 5% state tax, then 8% duty , 14% GST , PST $200 truck rental, $100 gas and your time, you get the same price as the store in Prescott! So I bought the appliances at the Canadian store, but just to let you know that most of the stores that I've been to (Sears Home, Corbe, Home depot, The Brick and Leons) were all around the Canadian MSRP for the appliances! In the end I still saved around $1000 and I supported a small Canadian store in a small Canadian town!

You want me to buy in a Canadian store , wake up and stop screwing us consumers!

P.S. the name of the store in Prescott is W.L. Peters

The Bid is in! now closed!

2007-10-01T14:31:00.000-05:00

Well after a month of house hunting and looking at places that I would not have a Dog or Cat sleep in, I have found a place that I could call home. It is in Brockville 4 blocks from King street. I have placed an offer and I'll know by 8 PM tonight if it is 1,accepted 2. countered and 3. rejected.

Being my first home purchase it has been quite an emotional ride, stress from the thought of taking on the most debt that I've ever seen, the elation of knowing that all that hard work has brought a completion of a major goal in my life. Disappointment of looking forward to seeing a property and finding out that it need 10s of thousands of dollars in fixes. Grateful in having family and friends to help me out with the workings of buying a house. Fun, this surprised me, of the negotiations of , offer , counter offer. It is like a chess game. I know what I want to pay and trying to figure out what the other party will agree to.

I want to thank everyone that has helped me with this major goal in my life!

Stay tuned for pictures and news on the offer.

UPDATE!!!!!!!!

The offer wasn't rejected, they countered. I'll sleep on it and see if I counter-counter the offer.

UPDATE#2

So now we are on offer number 5 that will expire today at noon! Will Joe own his first house today or an I back on the trial of looking at houses? Stay tuned!

UPDATE#3 Well ladies and gentlemen the offer was accepted. All I have to do is clear my waivers then I have to wait 48 ours to clear their waiver and the place is mine. The townhouse was built in 2005 and you can see what it looks like inside here

Update #4 The sale is closed and the place is mine! Housewarming to be announced!

Joe

Buying the house!

2007-09-07T14:03:00.000-05:00

Well after going to a bunch of open house viewings to cement where I want to look for a home. I gathered up all my income statements and ran off to the bankers to see what they will give me. Before I went, I asked a few people that have bought homes and they tell me "don't pay the posted rate", "ask for lower rates" After a few banks I was getting the hang of it and they were hitting well below the posted 7.2% for a five year closed mortgage. I'm at the point of of asking what can the bank do about service fees(free), interest rates on credit cards and lines of credit(reduced rates). I love it, "I'm the client, what can you do for me!"

On the other hand the stress levels are up there as the single owner and income earner of the new place. This is a major goal that I have reached in my life and the pressure of not screwing it up is always hanging over my head. Now that I know what the range of what I can afford is, Off to the real estate agent I go. The fall is a busy time for the real estate market and a bunch of home in my price range have popped up. I was even told about a home that will go on sale next week, by a friend.

Keep posted as I'll let you know how the home buying is coming along!

2007-09-03T08:27:00.000-05:00

Well I was watching CBC news this morning and there was this great interview with Gabriel Heskin of greenfocus.com . I'll let his website do all the speaking, but it kind of was the straw that broke my back. We as a people speak of the need to conserve energy and help save the planet, but do we actually put our planet where our mouth is? I'll admit that I can do more as a consumer and fellow polluter, Can you? I've started to drive slower and checked my car's tires and performance to make sure that it is at its most efficient performance. I've found out that I can squeeze out 50-100KM more out of a tank of gas when I drive 10-20KM/H slower. The better option is to ride a Motorcycle when possible, the first fuel efficient vehicle, which gets 20.6KM/L of gas and this is not a hybrid vehicle, just gas! I see people drive the new hybrid vehicles on the 401 at speeds that make me look like I'm standing still while I'm doing 120KM/h. This is not way to save fuel and the planet. I ask why buy a car that will get you 4.9L/100KM of fuel economy at 100KM/h then drive at 140KM/h or more and throw all that out the window? You just spent $4000-6000 more that a regular gas powered vehicle, for what, to show friends that you have a hybrid vehicle? That you care for the planet by driving one around you'll save the planet. Yes, if I get a hybrid vehicle I could use less gas and help save the planet it raises another question in mind, how much does it cost the environment to produce this "green vehicle"? the plastic and steel are very polluting just to make then the chemicals for the batteries and circuit boards are very toxic to humans. I ask "is the cost of a hybrid vehicle worth the end result or is it just a fashion trend to be an Eco driver?"

Back to the North!

2007-06-18T20:06:00.000-05:00

This Saturday the second part of the Northern adventure starts again! The trip up on the icebreaker that I was looking very forward to has been replaced with a flight from Montreal, yuck! The bright part is I get to see another part of Canada that a small fraction of the population will ever see! I have the website for the town Kuujjiaq if you want more information and pictures of this Village. I hear that the bar in the hotel is very big and I will have to scope it out when I get there.

Once we get there we'll have to wait for the icebreaker to arrive on station in Ungava Bay and get people on the ground before we make the two hour flight by helicopter to Killinek. I'll have my camera ready for any wildlife on the ride up as there was many Polar Bear sightings last year.

So the part that I look forward to is the sail back to Iqaluit via Frobisher Bay, I hope that the weather is good because I'll bring a lawn chair this time and camp out on the bow of the ship while we transit the Bay!

Shave Chronicles...

2007-06-03T18:32:00.000-05:00

... and a few other topics unrelated to hair! Day 30 and still no shave!

So it is Sunday up here in Resolute and the weather has changed for the worst. A snow storm has popped up and the snow is drifting in the road that was just plowed out the day before ( see video of us driving out of the receiver site through 1 meter snow drifts in a full size pick up truck!). The weather this year has been colder than the past couple of years and it has made working outside miserable. I'm looking forward to going home this Tues. and warming up for a few weeks before I'm up North again at the end of June.

So the Sens finally won a game! Just to let you know it is just as sweet to see them win up here as it is down South! Even up here there are some Leaf fans and they hate the Sens just as much as their Southern kin! I think that even as much as I hate the beard that I have going the Sens have kept winning while I have it, lets hope that the Sens can win the cup so I can shave it off! call me superstitious but the only time that the Sens have lost is when I trim, no more!

So what am I going to do when I get back, well of course the Lady takes priority in the attention list. then a nice big dinner and drinks! Then say fellow to the family and go home and ride the Motorcycle! Oh and sleep in! after 31 days on the road I deserve it!

Well here is to the weather being sunny and warm on my way down South!

Shave Chronicles...

2007-05-26T07:11:00.000-05:00

... and a few other things to talk about!

First, Hello from Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island for the geographically challenged. So it is week three and just over a week left. You can almost say that it is my playoff beard since the Sens have advanced this far and the only time they loose is when I trim the beard, so no more trimming for me till they win the cup!!

On a side note, I got the truck stuck in the snow at the transmitter site. Yes, off roading in snow and an hour later with a dust pan and some sand and we are back on the main road!

So Yesterday it was the flight from Iqaluit to Resolute aboard the vintage 1960s HS 748 yes, you can laugh, something that is older that I am! For those who like heat take this plane I was roasting all the way up, the first time that I've actually been warm on a plane!

I have a rant about how airlines handle problems. The flight was supposed to leave at 2:30. well I know something is up when it is 2:35 and no boarding call. Then they announce that there will be a 30 Min delay in the flight! No this is not the first time that "the mushroom treatment" (keep you in the dark and feed you shit!) has been used on me. An hour before they tell me that flight out of Halifax is going to be another three hours due to mechanical issues. Three days! Yes is was kept in the dark for three days, two years ago, that the next time I can get up to Resolute because the weather was crappy and that is after a three hours flight there, another three hours back to Iqaluit! yes they flew us up then back with out landing in Resolute! hello I'm an adult most of the time and how hard is it to tell me that it will be the next flight (three days) so I could do something other than wait around. I'm more pissed that make you wait around so that it will be easier for the airline to round you up and get you in the plane. I will snap one of these days and it will not be pretty.

Enough complaining already. I don't know what the temp is today but it is cold I'd guess -10-14C but it is a beautiful day out, sunny and not a cloud in the sky. I have ice in my beard and I'll look like a raccoon from the sun glasses and sun!

Arctic Update!

2007-05-23T16:38:00.000-05:00

I'll get back to the picture after I tell you that it was above freezing today! Yes, it was 1C, phew it was a scorcher and I might have even opened the parka because it was warm! This is the first time it has been above freezing for me since May 7Th. The down side to the great weather is that I'll be going up to Resolute on Friday and according to the weather network it is a balmy -12C.

OK , why the picture of the plane. first a little history of the air route from Iqaluit to Resolute. When the mine at little Cornwallis Island was open, First Air had a 727 flying back and forth. Well when the mine closed they replaced the 727 with this, A Hawker Siddely 748. So now instead of 3 hour 15 Min flight turned into a 5+ hour flight. oh yes, it gets better! This plane's right engine would regularly catch fire and I know of two occasions when the plane had to do an emergency lading while they repaired the engine. So other that tacking on two hours flight time the thought of dying was more of a concern! Well after a few fires First Air has replaced the POS (piece of shit) with another aircraft that isn't as old as I am! The upside, other than not going down in a blaze of glory, is that they have shaved half an hour off the trip.

The best part of getting to Resolute at this time of the year. It will be light 24 hours a day!

UPDATE: Well the news today is the plane that I've been making fun of is the one that we'll be taking up to Resolute! The guy I work with up here is all worried and he has flown in many different types of aircraft many of times! I'm case I don't make it. I should make a will!

The Shave Chronicles...

2007-05-19T12:35:00.000-05:00

.... or lack of shaving. This trip I've decided that I will not shave for the whole 30 days that I'm up here! So far after two weeks I'm ready for a shave and another two to go! I'll admit, being the earliest that I've been up here in Iqaluit it is pretty cold and the extra hair has come in handy a few times!

I'll update this site once I get to Resolute and I can't wait to get the expression on Danielle's face when she sees my hairy creation when I get back to Ottawa!

Joe Scores Again!

2007-05-18T13:21:00.000-05:00

One of the advantages of working with the Coast Guard is when I'm up in Iqaluit is that I work with a fellow tech up here that knows some of the local soap stone carvers. So after buying a few off of the carvers up here I now know a few of them personally.

So when I arrived in Iqaluit this year I ran into Kalingo Sataa. I have a few of his pieces already and he had this gem for me today! As you can see the scale with the toonie next to it that it is a big carving! This carving will easily go for close to a thousand in some stores down south and this guy has become very well known as a good carver up here.

Here are some more of his work for the carving that I picked up last year!

This one I love, because of it's very unique. It is a dancing bear with an Arctic Char in its mouth and standing on a Narwhal.It stands about 8-9 inches tall and come all apart.

This is the third one that has been made in this style. I saw the first one when I arrived last July a Radio operator had just bought the first one and contacted Kanlingo and asked him to make me two more. I kept one and the other was for my aunt.
Narwhal with an Arctic Char swimming over the back. Sits about 4 inches high without the tusk. The tusk and the Arctic Char can be removed.

This one I didn't even want because the previous year I had already picked up a great carving of a Narwhal and wanted the above carving badly. The Kalingo explained that he needed to sell this carving to get the stone to carve the ones that I wanted. So I go him down to $90 and bought it.

So this year I swore that I wouldn't buy any carvings as I spent a lot last year on carvings and other things. It looks like I'll be getting a drum dancer soon! Argh!

10 000th view!

2007-05-13T07:11:00.000-05:00

I know it is not a huge number compared to some of the videos that get a million plus views, but to me it is impressive that my videos have been seen 10 000+ times. All the videos were taken with the Canon A75, that has been to Arctic 4 times, dropped numerous times and even had my ass grind it into the ground during touch football!)

The video that has taken the lion's share of the views is my NFL games last year in Baltimore vs the Bengals. With all the NFL fans down south and the huge one that I'm related to I'm not surprised that it has been seen that many times.

Keep posted as I will post some new videos from this years Arctic trip on You tube!

Back at it!

2007-05-08T09:54:00.000-05:00

Winter is back! After a great warm weekend with Danielle, I arrived back in Iqaluit yesterday to a great sunny -7C! The soles of my boots freezing to the ground as I waited for a cab outside the airport. Why a cab, well the tech that normally works up here was away and we weren't able to tell him I'm on my way. Oh, and by the way, my supervisor tells me the Jeep is smashed and you'll have to rent a vehicle. So after I grab the Suzuki Grand Vitara and off to races I go. First order of buisness is to get my food to the apartment and get squared away.

So after my stuff is in the apertment I take a run up to the receiver site and of course the snow banks are up to the top of the truck! Go over to the transmitter site same thing! Argh! They I go and find the missing tech! The wierd thing about the way the houses their numbers are by the time they are built and not where they sit on the street. So if a building, say is numbered 4001 it will be in the South end and the lower Numbers are in the North end. So I found the missing tech and shared some beers over stories of exploding power supplies and high voltage transmitters.

This Morning it was -10C and cloudy, current conditions -5C and snowing,

Arctic toour 2007

2007-05-02T14:30:00.000-05:00

Well as the time is just whipping by it is time to go back up to the Arctic again! It will be Iqaluit for 13 days then off to Resolute Bay for 13 days.

The second part of the trip will be Sailing from Quebec City to Killinek/Killinq Mid June and coming back first week of July. This trip I'm looking forward to as it is very relaxing while we sail to the Killinek site!

This years trip is the last major trip to the Arctic as I will have enough to buy my house and in the future will not need to spend the entire summer in the Arctic. In the future it will be one or two weeks at a time so I can buy the hottub, downpayment on the new car, new kitchen.

Stay tuned for new postings soon!

Goodbye for now!

2007-03-26T14:57:00.000-05:00

Well since I've been introduced to Myspace and facebook I've been finding less and less time to update my Blog. The final blow was one of the ladies of Brockville telling me that my Blog was lame.

I guess it is time to bring this Blog back to its original purpose. To help people understand what I do at work. Thank you for your visits and please come back as I'll have some new stories this summer as I'll be touring te arctic again.

Jozo (Joe)

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

2007-03-11T17:51:00.000-05:00

Well now that I have some time to update this! I will.

For Fellow Government worker you know that it is March madness is in full swing. Guess what I've been doing my usual work of getting the Search and Rescue ships ready for the season when Whoomp! I get this other project dropping in my lap! 5 boats to be fitted with all new gear, another one that needs a Radar installed. All this and I get pulled to help out on another project to change out all the gear at the remote sites! Yes it gets better I'm acting supervisor next week! The plus side, I'm making a killing in OT!

Ok, well a bit of a Murphy's Law weekend! It all started Fri night just before French class. I needed to deposit a cheque into my account. I've just enough time to drop the cheques off and run to class, guess what. two machines and both are being used by people to update their bank books! In this age of Internet why can't they do it online and print it off! Last time I checked they mailed your transactions to you! Well I get one of the machine drop the cheque off and hit end, the machine is trying to return my bank card and not being successful, after about a min I hear the card drop somewhere and the message telling me that it has timed out and to see my branch, Argh! I get home after class and go to check my e-mail, hit the power button and nothing! So pop open the computer and trouble shoot the thing, I'm hoping it is the power supply, but no, it is the Motherboard! Then while driving Thwack! a stone hits the windshield,and yes there it is a spider crack! Have to get that fixed before it spreads, now here is where my luck changed, I rolled into Speedy auto glass and it was half hour before they closed. I ask how much to fix it, $72.95 , but he informs me that the insurance companies are waving the deductible on stone chips (claimed within a week) . that puts a smile on my face. I found out later that the Motherboard is still under warranty. so not all was bad news this weekend.

Ok another reason that I'm been away is myspace www.myspace.com/pollcrazy and http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=622000223 been busy with these sites and yes I can say adictive!

enjoy!

It has been a while

2007-02-26T11:20:00.000-05:00

So it has been a while since the last update, what's new, well I was at the Montreal Motorcycle show this weekend and I wasn't disappointed with the new models that were out and I found a couple new ones that will only make my final choice in bike a hard one now!

Other than that I've been busy with work and my regular activities. Robduya was down with his band the weekend previous and I'm just recovering from the lack of sleep this weekend! They want me to travel with them to North Bay, could be fun, could be trouble! well it will be easier for you just to look at the new pics and videos that I have up! Enjoy!

Another thing to cheer for in 2007

2007-02-03T10:36:00.000-05:00

So, I wake up this morning and fire up the CPU and check out the news when I see that Van Halen is reuniting as I read on the Police are also joining back up! The sound of angels and music are playing in my head as I read on, there are rumours of a Genesis reunion. Now as I lean back in my chair and take in the news that three of the power bands from the 80's most likely will be getting back together and make new music is putting a smile on my face and bringing back memories.

In high school Van Halen's 1984 was one of first albums that I bought and have been a fan ever since. Even through the Van Hagger days, I'm not on one side of the fence or the other, there isn't a fence! I've loved both Hagger and Diamond Dave's years with the band, well except when Gary Cheron was lead singer, but they are human and can make mistakes! I did get to see Van Halen in Montreal with Sammy and they rocked the place, gotta love Montreal for a concert! My one dream was to see Van Halen with David Lee Roth, Maybe I'll get my chance now!

Ok, Yes I'm a big soft guy inside!

2007-01-31T19:09:00.000-05:00

I heard about this young boy's wish today on the radio and I want share it with everybody. All he wants is to have a birthday card, well a lot of them so that he can get into the Guinness Book of records. I'm blown away that young boy who is dying and all he wants is birthday cards. It makes me humble to see such a modest request. Read the link and decide if you want to send a card!

A week in the life of Joe! Jan 22-28

2007-01-30T11:03:00.000-05:00

I was on a course last week in Mississauga for work. The course you ask? Firber Optics technician's course. We have Fiber Optic LANs aboard or bigger ships and I had no clue as to how to fix the LAN lines if they were damaged. So like I do all the time, I ask if they would send me on a fiber splicing course, they did! The course was a week long and had a blast with it,. The instructor was very good and the course was a bit of overkill, but it kept me interested.

Now for the Toronto traffic, wow, how can someone drive 45 Min each was and only get 25KM each way and do it every day? There was snow Monday and it took 1.25 hours to get there. It makes me appreciate the light traffic I have here in Brockville, not to mention that it does wonders for my road rage! While I was driving in TO, Hog town, Center of the Canadian universe the radio was tuned to 102.1 The Edge, this is the model on how all Alternative rock station should be! The have the best music and have new music all the time. One band that I heard of and you should keep and ear out for is Army of Anyone . Take the lead singer of Filter and two guys from STP, give it a listen and let them blow your mind away!

This weekend an old friend called me up that I've not hear from in years and I went over to his place for dinner. He now has four kids and the last time I saw him her had three. It is amazing to see how much they have grown. Another buddy was invited to dinner and he brought his children. Argh 7 children in one house, yup that cured my yearning to be a Father for a while!

I watched a new show this weekend called the Dresden files A Private eye warlock that solves mysterious crimes that might involve the occult. It caught my attention , but I'll give it a few more shows before I give a verdict!

Finally It is time!

2007-01-18T15:09:00.000-05:00

After years of putting off buying new toys and other stuff that I've been drooling over, the plan has come together very nicely and one of my major goals is about to be put into motion. First, before I buy my new mansion, I would like to pick the brains of a few of you out there that have already gone through the pleasure/pain of buying a house and what do you have to offer in advice.

I've been thinking of getting either a semi or a townhouse, since it will be only me and a jump from a one bedroom to a three bedroom will be a lot. I need a garage, for the bike and a place to fix/restore the Virago. I don't like condos due to the fact that I need my own garage and living in an apartment for 3+ years, a little peace and quiet will be nice!

I already know that a home inspection is a must. A condition of approved financing is also wise. A pre approved mortgage before you shop. I'm just looking for tips from you guys.

Weekend Report

2007-01-14T19:56:00.000-05:00

This is a bit of a last week and this weekend report! Last Monday I was thinking how much of a hermit I've been lately and I need to do more fun stuff since there is no snow out!.

I was checking out the Ottawa Senators schedule to see when the next game was and wow, they were playing Boston the next day! I know of this buddy of mine who is a huge Bruins fan and so I e-mailed him to see if he wanted to go. A big "hell Yes!" later and the tickets were bought! I met Rob at O'Connor's for a beer before the game and we noticed on the way out that they had a Bruin's jersey taped to the floor .
off to the game for the $10.50 beers, bit of a shock since it is 0.50c cheaper than the last time I was at a game! Damn, they will still not let me drink from the taps! after the walk that took forever we found our seats, just in time for the start of the game. Well the Bruins get a quick couple of goals and I'm getting ready for a gloat fest from Rob, yes, I wasn't disappointed when it came. he kept pouring it on in the second with the "lets go Thomas , let go!" I was getting ready for the third periods ribbing when Ottawa comes alive with a couple of goals, what is this? Rob is quiet, lol! Ottawa scores again, I'm starting to gloat a bit, but the memories from the time in DC was still kind of fresh and didn't need to feed the Bruins fan if they came back. Ottawa puts in a empty net , time to gloat! I had a blast, it is so much fun to go to a game with a really hockey fan, even if he is a Bruins lover!

Weds, off to go see Eragon. This one is a renter. it is geared more for teenagers the plot is simple and kind of choppy in the movie. The effects are great, but I would save my money and rent it!

So fast forward to Thursday, off to point Petre for work. The Coast Guard had a site there in the Early 90s the site was turned over to Environment Canada. It seems that there was an 90 foot antenna that had been overlooked and never taken down. Guess what, Mother nature did it for us. We had to clean it up, it wasn't that hard and the interesting part was the base (30 feet long, 200+ Lbs) we removed all but one bolt and that one bent and jammed the base, oh yes and this is at 10 feet up on a tower! up the tower I go and we take turn with the hacksaw cutting the last bolt. We get the last bolt off, drop the base on the ground. Great place on lake Ontario with the wind blowing and the waves crashing in the shore! Yes,this is Jan, life is tough when you get paid to do work in great weather!

Friday! Off to Orillia to drop off some of the new VHF DSC( Very High Frequency Digital Selective Calling) equipment that is being installed this winter. Since there was two of us I brought my laptop and some DVDs. Hey it was a ten hours drive ( done in 8, you figure it out!) since it was a rainy day and I've done this drive before so I started with "A Fist Full of Dollars". This is the first of three spaghetti western movies that were done in Italy. after that one it was a "Few More Dollars" and I got a bit of "the Good , The Bad and The Ugly" in. Yes I'll admit it was a bit cheesy, who am I kidding, it was very cheesy. just remember I'm getting paid to watch these movies! OK back to the trip, around suppertime we stop in Kingston and my co-worker suggest some Vietnamese, "hell Yes!" I've been craving for Asian Cuisine for a while so off to Dong Nai we go. It looks like Cam Kong or So Good except this place is spotless. I had the spring rolls and the Tofu, Shrimp, chicken Pad Thai, it would be on par with Mekong, possibly even better!

Saturday, my Ravens are playing the Colts, My Sister-in-Law's Birthday party is on this night and the Sens are playing Argh! OK, Sens was easy since it started at 1:30 and I listen to it on the radio on the way up, way to go 8-3 can't wait to see the hab lover at pool Monday! Next watched my Ravens struggle against the Colts and we had to leave with 10 Min left in the fourth to take my Sister-In-Law to Friday's roast beef house. I love this place and the food is almost always great! Yup this was the night it wasn't great. The food came late and they had changed the mash potatoes for roasted without telling us and the beef was cold. I was so hungry (we arrived at 7:30 , ordered at 8 this was 10) and I didn't care. I told the server this and they gave us the beer free! I've eaten here a few times and I' have to admit that the place was very busy so it will not stop me from going to Friday's in the future.

Sunday, I rested, after church!

Joe's notes #5

2007-01-10T14:57:00.000-05:00

Wait till your team has no way of losing the game to gloat like hell!

i-Phone!

2007-01-09T15:20:00.000-05:00

Apple introduced the i-phone today. I'm not normally influenced to run out and get the latest and greatest, but this is just blowing me away! Phone, i-pod and internet access all in one. The touch screen feature is amazing and the unit will resize the picture when you tilt it. All I can say more is check it out!

Weekend Report

2007-01-08T09:22:00.000-05:00

Well it was another one of those "where did the weekend go?" types of weekends! Friday I was hit with the nasty head cold that has been buzzing around Brockville. So I took some drugs and off to bed I went! Saturday, I felt better and it was lunch time with the Sister at the Lone Star before she had to return to North Bay. The food at the Lone Star is great as always.

After lunch I dropped into Motor Sports World to check out the BMW 800ST and guess what, yup, they had one! I sat down on it and the seat of the bike felt like it was made for my ass! The picture does not do it justice, it looks way better in person! Asked some questions and was tempted to buy the bike right then, but I've not found my sugar Momma yet, so with a sigh I had to leave and wait till later this year to buy.

Off to my Brother's place to watch some wild card playoff action. First game, KC at Indy. What a snooze fest! If the Colts play like that against the Ravens this week, the Ravens will chew them up! Go Ravens! Next the Cowboys against the Seahawks. The Cowboys being the leafs of the NFL, lead me to cheer for the Seahawks to kick the Cowboys ass! Well this game didn't let me down as the first game did, but the Cowboys managed to get the ball down to the 5 with 1:29 left on the clock, went for the field goal, a nice 20 yard chip shot to win the game. Romo takes the snap and, oops! drops the ball! picks it up and tries to run it in, tackled on the 2 game over Cowboys! like the beer commercial says! "HOW BOUT DEM COWBOYS! " I can't wait till next Sunday when my Ravens battle the Colts!

So Sunday rolls around and after Church we take off to do some hiking in Charleston lake. Can you believe it Jan 7th and it is +6C and Sunny out! What a beautiful place, the hiking trail overlooks the lake and it was so calm out. As we were talking we lost the trail and ended up lost in the bush, but the best part is that there is water on three sides so we didn't get lost for long once we found the water! The thing about Charleston lake is it is only 30-40 min away from my place and I didn't know about it. I'll be hitting this place often in the near future.

Another thing on the way to Charleston Lake county road 3 looks like it could be a great ride. Keep looking for my post on this road in the spring after I get the bike out. If the weather keeps up it might be mid March!

Joe's Notes #4

2007-01-03T16:04:00.000-05:00

Listen, not just hear, what friends and family are trying to tell me, when I'm being an ass!

Joe's Notes #3

2007-01-02T14:27:00.000-05:00

Make sure the mind to mouth filter is on before opening my mouth!

This Might Be the One!

2007-01-01T20:24:00.000-05:00

Well as the year was closing out I was surfing the Motorcycle manufacturer's web site to see what the 2007 models would be looking like next... well, this year! To my surprise BMW has come out with this Machine!

As most of you fellow bike riders know that I was looking for more of a sport touring bike as most of the riding that I do now is in the hundred of kilometers. The only option to me was the BMW R1200RT, Honda's ST1300, and Yamaha's FJR1300. All of these bikes range from $19 000 -$25 000 CND. It would have been a big step up size and power from the 750CC bike that I now own, but this R800ST will give me the comfort for the long haul rides and a boost in power for only $13 000 MSRP, Cha Ching! A BMW bike for this price is like a dream come true. The only apprehension that I have about this bike is that the engine is a newV twin for this model. I have found some videos of this bike and I am not a fan of the sound that the bike has, but the performance is suppose to match or outperforms the Jap bikes. Maybe I will be able to keep up to the SV 650s if I get this bike,

It will be a long winter till I can get to BMW dealership next spring!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2006-12-21T20:33:00.000-05:00

Finally it has come! Merry Christmas to everyone! Take care in your travels this holiday season and may you all enjoy your time with your loved ones.

Smoothest Chef around!

2006-12-15T17:40:00.000-05:00

People know that I love to cook and the few people that have experienced my cooking know that I can. Well I have been wanting to step up my cooking skills and I've been going to some classes at Mrs McGarrigle's in Merrickville. I've tried a few new things and slowly been stepping up my cooking skills, but my Idol in the cooking world is Curtis Stone of TLC's Take Home Chef. Hello, go up to a strange woman in a shopping market, with 20 other people. Ask her she would let him cook a meal for her and her significant other at her place. Buy the food when she accepts then asks her to drive him in her car!

Some of the best episodes are when the women don't have a significant other and it is an all ladies show, you dog Curtis! I've noticed that he only picks women!

The best part of the website is that it has all the recipes from the show and they are not that hard to make(Crepes with berries and Chocolate sauce, to die for)!

Watch the show, take some notes and cook for someone who will enjoy it!

Weekend Report

2006-12-13T09:03:00.000-05:00

Ah, This weekend I combined two things that I love to do. Drive on Ottawa's busiest streets and shopping. Yes, that is sarcasm! Christmas shopping was the name of the game. Keeping cool the key to winning it.

Don't get me wrong I love Christmas and being with family and giving presents, but this time of year is a pain in the butt getting to the shopping centers Then once you get there it is like a scene out of Mad Max, a battle for the one parking spot that 30 other cars are looking for! Get into the store to find out that the item you are looking for just sold out! Argh!!!!!!! Repeat at the next shopping center! So here are a few tips to keep the stress down and have more Christmas spirit.

1. Take a day off work to do your shopping. The roads have less cars, more parking spots at the stores and the shops have less people in them.

2. Get there early. If the weekend is the only time you have. Early is the game! I try to have my shopping done by noon. Hey, people like to sleep in and it gives the same reasons as No. 1.

3. Shop online, can't beat UPS/Purolator/DHL bringing it to you! The shipping charge is always worth my sanity!

I found a site www.tv-links.co.uk that had all the episodes of Heroes and decided to watch the pilot while Tara was out shopping. Well 11 hours later I finished all 11 episodes and now I'm hooked. Yes, I'm behind the times Ryan, but wow I love this show! An x-men feel with an x-files twist. The website is pretty cool, but when I started to witch Stargate Atlantis season two it will not upload part 4 of episode 1. boo, hiss. It looks like the person who owns the site fixes broken link and will notify you that the link has been fixed. I like this site do to the fact that I'm busy and I do not like to have to sit at a certain time to watch the show on TV. When I have time I go to the site and then watch at my convenience, pause when I have to and come back when I'm ready. The way of the future, just go to NBC.com and watch your show,Hint, Hint NBC!

NikoVideo

2006-12-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

A new age of movie rentals has surfaced here in Brockville. It is called NikoVideo. What is this, you ask? It is a new way to rent videos. It is like going to a bank machine, you pop your membership card into the machine scroll through the titles and then select what you want. The best part, it is only $2.27 if you return the video back within 6 hours! If you forget to bring it back then it is is only $3.97 for the 24 hour period.

Sounds pretty good, well it gets better. The search for a video at the machine is a bit of a pain, a neat feature that they have is you can access the movie selection from your computer at home, reserve the title that you want, and within 3 hours all you have to do is go to the location , pop your card in and out comes the selection! The web page even tells you what movies are at the machine, so no wasted trips to the store to find out that they're all out.

Here is the catch, yes always a catch, you have to load your card with money, min $20, to be able to reserve at the website. The machine will tell you what your balance is and of course you will be able to deposit more money on your card at the machine.

Overall, I like that it is much cheaper to rent a video, half the price of Blockbuster or Rogers. once it catches on they can always raise the price. They have current titles and they claim to have new titles every week. The machine is easy to use, but awkward to navigate through. I will continue to use NikoVideo till they come up with a Internet video service, but with HD DVD coming out soon I don't think the DVD format will exit soon and I'll be getting my DVDs from somewhere.

UPDATE: All the prices for the Brockville store!

New Release less than 6hours 2.27 taxes in

24 hours 3.97 "

Old movie less than 6hours 1.14 "

24 hours 2.56 "

It Has Been A While

2006-12-03T13:03:00.000-05:00

It has been a couple of weeks since I posted something on here. I was on a seminar in Mississauga the week before for Comprod, the filter and antenna systems that the coast guard has purchased for the new radios that we will be putting in this winter. A course in Ottawa last week at Learning tree for networking. Lets just say that I will never complain about the traffic in Brockville again!

The Bengals played the Ravens last Thursday night and my Nephew and I took an opportunity to take some pictures with my Brother's Bengals gear. Well it came back to bite us as the Bengals beat my Ravens, my Brother wasn't like this when the Raven beat his beloved Bengals at Baltimore, but the Begals will have to settle for the wild card!

Played some ball hockey with Matt and Duncan last week. 1. I'm out of shape and 2. it takes a while to stop hurting. I hate getting older, the brain still wants to play the body is starting to complain!

You tube, I love this website! I have a video on there that has been viewed 1500 times! the other 9 videos have to split the other 510 views. You can find me at Pollcrazy

Well I will have more to report on soon!

The force is strong with these potatos!

2006-12-03T12:47:00.000-05:00

Well Christmas shopping this weekend I scored with the Darth Tater and Spudtrooper in one package, Score! This Darth Tater has an exclusive chest plate! You can find this at your local Wal-Mart for $15!!!!!!!!

When I was looking for a picture of this treasure I found this! A new Mr potato head "Artoo Potatoo!

Weekend Report

2006-11-19T20:01:00.000-05:00

You know you've had a good weekend when you are ready to go back to work. My good buddy Rob from Ottawa came down to Brockvegas, lol I'll back to that, to play the Phoenix with his band Shotgun Kiss. The last time he played there they didn't want to pay him because the owner thought he was dropping too many F-bombs. I was very impressed with the covers Shotgun Kiss belted out. The funny part was Rob yelling out " How you doing Brockvegas!" The band told him at the end of the first night that "Brockvegas" was derogatory and the locals would not like it. I feel this is my fault because I use "Brockvegas" a lot, but since I'm a local I can use it, got that Rob! lol

Well the highlight of the first night was this woman, I use the term loosely, was after Rob and would not take no for an answer. I started with "Rob is my gay lover" and she shot back with a "Cool, I like that, can I join in?". Taste of vomit in my mouth when she finished saying that. Then she wanted to know what would I want to try and hook her up with him, ew I just felt dirty! I told her to find a nice local boy, but that just fired her up even more! Finally, I just told her he was engaged to me married, first I was surprised at how fast it made it around the bar, second she didn't believe me. She must have found a local guy after all since I didn't see her after last call. Maybe they threw her out, which would not surprise me at all! I wish I hadn't forgotten the camera the first night, you would laugh if you could see her!

After that Rob kept me up till 5 AM sucking back beers and chatting about past tales. Damm you Rob I felt like crap the next day. No, it didn't help me that I had 3 1/2 hours sleep and played Squash the next day hungover. After Squash it was back to bed, to get rested up for another night with Rob at the bar. I was dead tired, but he had the place jumping again, guess what, I was there till closing again! Damm you Rob! Well I had a blast and the best part is I have a month to rest up till the next time you and your band are back again to rock Brockvegas!

New $5 hits the streets!

2006-11-17T13:12:00.000-05:00

Well I managed to get my hands on a few of the new fives today. Being a collector of paper currency can be trying sometimes. The bad jokes "don't we all collect paper money?" The feeling that the tellers at the bank think I'm crazy when I tell them that I'm collecting them and the have to be crisp bills! Going into banks all the time and asking if they have this or that. Asking friends to go into banks and ask for me in different cities, but in the end it is worth it when I get the treasured bill in my hands. The Bank of Canada has a great website and has helped me greatly with my collection.

Why do I collect paper money, I'd say it is like a treasure hunt for me. Going through all that effort to find the bill that my collection is missing to make it complete. Have you ever looked at a bill closely? They are works of art, snapshots of Canadian history and Canadian landscapes. Just like a painting in the national art gallery, I find these little works of art a pleasure to look at, but with paper money they have two sides!

Have Videos? You Tube is the place to share them!

2006-11-17T09:39:00.000-05:00

Well one of my videos had just past 500 views since I up loaded it Nov 8th. I love You Tube, it is such a great way to share your videos! One day while I was surfing You Tube I found a video of the Griffon one of the ships that I work on! Now, after watching the video, I know why some of the stuff on it is always broken!

Signs That You are Getting Older

2006-11-14T10:06:00.000-05:00

Well the announcement of Patrick Roy being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame came as a bit of a shock. Not because he was being inducted, but of the fact that it brought back so many memories of me watching the Canadians, my team before the Senators came back,on Hockey Night in Canada and seeing the Great Patrick Roy in net and the spectacular saves he performed when I was a kid (14-16). This announcement is on a level as when Time life music came on with their infomecial "buy the 80's collection today", watching ,concert shirts cargo pants and desert boot come back into fashion. People that you knew when they were kids, now with kids. I'm looking forward to the day when "hockey hair" AKA the mullet comes back, but I'll hopefully will be bald by then!

Weekend report

2006-11-13T11:01:00.000-05:00

Well this weekend was a bit more tame than last weekend, I was exhausted from the previous weekend's fun, but this one was still a bit busy! We went up to Ottawa for brunch to meet some people I used to work with at Hertz. It was great to see them and shocked to see some with kids! Next off to shopping, it started with new shoes and snowballed into Christmas shopping! We had to get out of there before it got out of hand.

Sunday it was the next installment at Mrs McGarrigle's cooking class. This time it was Thomas Riding of Sam Jakes Innin Merrickville with a very hearty fall menu. It started out with a Butternut Squash Tart Tatin with goat's cheese and roasted garlic for the appetizer. A great light start , very tasty. Then it was on to the Confit Chicken on potato, apple rosti in cider apple jus. At first, I was a bit shocked because the chef was going to roast the chicken legs in fat. He had this big tub of chicken fat that he'd brought over from the Inn and it looked disgusting. Well as the dish was being cooked the smell was amazing and the thought of the fat cooking the chicken faded away. The chicken fell off the bone and was very moist and not greasy at all. Though I don't think that I'll use fat since I don't cook that much chicken in a year! We were told that olive or grape seed oil will do. Then off to desert, Squash cake with vanilla creme caramel brulee. A little bit of heaven on a plate.

Next up the Church fundraiser dinner. After Merrickville it was back to Brockville to help volunteer with the dinner. They stuck me in the dish pit. Why do women find it so funny when men do dishes? It is amazing how much of community spirit there is here in Brockville. There is always something that is going on to help out less fortunate people in the community. Way to go Brockville!

A good buddy Rob W is coming down this weekend with his band to play at the Phoenix. That should be a wild weekend, I better get some rest to get ready for that!

2006-11-08T21:58:00.000-05:00

Baltimore Ravens Vs Cincinnati Bengals

A video of the opening starters

What a Looooong Weekend

2006-11-07T21:49:00.000-05:00

Long weekend you ask? Well the first thing is a four day weekend is always good! The reason for the great long weekend is that it was the Wach/Maric family football game in Baltimore. Yes the Baltimore Ravens vs the Cincinnati Bengals once again do battle. We were not disappointed with the game at all, being Ravens fans and we won! I have to feel sorry for my Brother (2-2 since we started going to Baltimore to watch the games) when the Ravens caused the Bengals to fumble off the opening kick off. Well it only got better when Palmer threw an interception on the next drive! 14-0 Ravens! The Bengals almost made it back, but the two initial turnovers hurt them bad! This family tradition started with my Brother Ivo asking my cousins if they would go to a Bengals/Ravens game and what started out as the four of us on the first year has now grown to 12 in the fourth. There is talk of going to see the Ravens in Buffalo next year to show the colours.

Beinging more of a hockey fan than an NHL fan, I scoped out the local NHL teams as to what games were on the schedule around the football game and found out that the Sens were playing the Caps the next night in Washington. Hand flew to the phone in 20 min the tickets were bought! My Brother and cousins warned me not to wear my Sens jersey to the home of the Washington Capitals, but being a true Senators fan I was going into the building with the jersey on! Of course a few beers before the game is always a smart move, but there were more people in there with Sens jerseys on than capitals! A few people from Ottawa, Halifax, Windsor and me from Brockville were all whooping it up! After a few beers, thanks cuz, we were off to the game. In the Verizon center, I'd have to admit is a nice looking building, my cousin is pumping more beer into me which isn't very hard to do since I'm excited about the game. I get to my seat and the game is about to start, what is this! There building only has about 3-4 thousand people in it. I turn to ask the Capital fans "where are the rest of the fans?" and find out that is the regular size crowd the caps draw! Wow, how can a team survive with a fan base like that?

Anyway, the Sens are up by three goals early in the first period and I'm being my normal annoying, abrasive self while I rub it into the Capital fans around me! Second period, the Caps score two goals, I better shut my mouth now. Third period the game is flying back and forth and it is some great hockey for this time of the year. Until Phillips takes a tripping penalty late in the third and the Caps score, game tied. Can you take back gloating? I did! Overtime, caps score, ouch! Overall I enjoyed the game, it was some great hockey, but Washington DC isn't a hockey town. I will look into a game in either Montreal or Detroit, any hockey fans out there?

I was shocked at how easy it was to go through security at the airports this trip. Flying into DC is usually a pain in the ass since 9/11. They make you go through the regular security airport, then to get into the gate you have to go through it all over again. Then they pat you down and go over you again with the metal detector. I must be getting use to airport security or working for the Coast Guard helps, I passed the US customs in 5 min then on the way back the Canadian customs was about 3 min (good looking ladies at Pearson). I always love it when the US customs personnel ask me where I work. When I tell them the smile comes out and it is like we are buddies! Then the "have a good day and enjoy the trip" follows!

On a side note, after I cleared customs and was waiting for my bag. I realized that I'd been standing beside Margaret Atwood. I haven't read her stuff, but that is my brush with fame this weekend!

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T12:23:00.000-05:00

Thanks Dunc for another Halloween party to remember. it was great to see everybody and meet new people. The costumes were awsome this year! Enjoy the pics!

Human pets!

2006-10-26T20:09:00.000-05:00

I know that the adoption of a child who is an orphan is a great thing and can benefit both the childless couple and child. The disturbing trend that I've noticed lately has been celebrities adopting children from foreign lands. Madonna just picked up her child and Angelina Jolie has adopted a couple of children. I see this as a way to get publicity, yes it great that it draws attention to poor countries, but it also makes it very trendy to go shopping in a country that has massive poverty and buy a kid " look at me, I'm cool as Madonna and Angelina!" Didn't they call it slavery?

Joe's Notes #2

2006-10-26T20:08:00.000-05:00

Read the whole blog before you make a comment. When you read, you don't look like an ass!

2006-10-23T21:34:00.000-05:00

Caribou on Killinek Island

I thought that this was a good Ideal till the Caribou started coming towards me!

Joe's notes #1

2006-10-22T07:28:00.000-05:00

When you know that you'll be sick, put the toilet seat up. It makes much less of a mess!

2006-10-22T07:27:00.000-05:00

Frobisher Bay

July 3rd mid way up Frobisher Bay on the way to Iqaluit

2006-10-22T07:24:00.000-05:00

Breaking Ice!

June 25th , 100 Nautical miles off the Canadian coast

2006-10-19T09:47:00.000-05:00

Morning ride to work

The whole ride from The CCGS Pierre Radisson to the remote site in Killinek

2006-10-19T09:44:00.000-05:00

Killinek

Coming in for the landing!

2006-10-19T09:42:00.000-05:00

Helicopter ride

This is me leaving from Killinek going back to the ship

A little acoustic Guitar, Men in Kilts and some Haute Cuisine!

2006-10-15T16:42:00.000-05:00

This has been one of those weekend where you are glad that you are going into work on Monday so you can get some rest!

It started Friday at Carlton U at Mike's place to meet Ryan, Mike and Krista for a beer and chit chat before the show!What show is that you ask? The Trews, unplugged! This is a band that I've slowly, very slowly been getting into. One of those bands that you have to listen to a few dozen times to really grow on you. Well this time they booked a hall, last time was at the Tulip Festival downpour! First we played a few games of euchre for beers, thanks Mike and Krista for being such graceful purchasers of beer when you lost! So the Trews this time around decided that an unplugged show would be the way to go! I'm not a big fan of unplugged shows, but they were going to prove me wrong this time. They played a great show and other than the bitch lady, I had a great time!

Well after the show we picked up Trish and off to Barrymore's to see the mathematics at their CD release party. A band that plays an eclectic style of music. I think the best part of that part of the night was that the band didn't have any CDs because company didn't deliver them in time. CD release party? lol

Chris' wedding Saturday night was great! I was excited to see my Brother in a kilt. How often do you get to make "skirt" jokes at your Brother's expense? Well when I arrived I was one of the few people (men) actually wearing pants! I still ribbed him about it anyway! I have to admit that the Bride and Groom looked fantastic, it almost makes me want to be in a Kilt when I get married, ok you can stop laughing now! Speaking of getting married, guess who caught the garter belt? Yup, I can add another one to the collection. Which made me realize that if according to the tradition, I should be married many times over, who knows, maybe it might happen!

Sunday, After church I was off to Merrickville to Mrs. McGarrigle's fine food shop for a cooking class. I can make a few dishes, but I wanted to up my cooking skills. So we had Ken from Chop Chop Catering to cover "brazing". This is were you take roasts or bird and cook them properly. We cooked a Chicken with Polenta and Gorgonzola. Then a Pork loin in a cider sauce with wild mushrooms and fall vegetables. I was a little disappointed that is wasn't as hands on as I would have liked, but I would compare it to watching a cooking show, except you can eat the end results! The chicken and Polenta was amazing! The Pork was ok, but I would use beef instead. I've booked another class in November and I can't wait to go!

A side note, in fantasy football. I was matched up against my Brother. I KICKED HIS ASS! Mr. I am the NFL Football king!

Happy Turkey Day!

2006-10-08T20:36:00.000-05:00

Ah! Another great Thanksgiving dinner at Mom's place! What is better than good eats with the people who matter the most to you in life, family! The monster portions that my Mother dishes out even after you tell her that you only want half of the normal portion that she gives out. Friends that have eaten at my Mother's can testify to this, Scott is the only guy I know that finished the first plate and went back for more!

The picture to the left is my Neice Bailey chowing down during dinner.

I love mt Sister-in-Law's comment that my Mother's gravy is so good that she could drink it right out of the gravy boat! Today she just did the "Gravy, Gravy, Gravy" chant like a crack addict! I'll admit that I can't duplicate the gravy and both my Brother and Sister-in-Law are Chefs and they can't copy it!

Thank you Marie, I know that you helped out Mom with the dinner. Well, I had my fill of Turkey till Xmas now!

I Love Fall!

2006-10-08T20:29:00.000-05:00

Can you ask for a better weekend? All I can say is that it was perfect! I went on a few Motorcycle runs this weekend on my favorite runs. The trees were incredible with the sun lighing up the amazing colours on the trees. It was a bit cold on the bike, but the ride was worth it. I'd admit that this time of the year is my favorite! I love that the temperature is starting to get that chilly nip to it and the crunch of dried leaves under my boots. The feeling of warm clothing as I walk among the trees, it feels even better when you have that special someone to walk with you.

I don't know why I like Fall so much, It could be that I've always been excite around this time of year, because ski season is just around the corner and I'm dusting off the ski boots and getting the skis ready for the season. Maybe it is the chill in the air that brings back the great childhood memories of Halloween and the candies that awaited me at the end of the month. Whatever the reason I will always cherish this time of the year and I'm sure I'll enjoy many more!

Oh and Happy Turkey Day!

Motorcycle Routes

2006-10-03T19:54:00.000-05:00

Living near the St Lawrence river is a bit of a treat, on a sunny day taking the bike down Highway 2 between Brockville and Prescott on the way to work is a scenic ride, if you head west past Brocville on highway 2. it is pretty staight till you get to Malloytown, then the fun begins! There are plenty of twists and turns till you get to Gananoque! The only draw back, the road surface is not that great. Plenty of pot holes all over the road and you have to be cautious.

East of Prescott on highway 2 is pretty boring as the road is staight as an arrow past Cardinal. You might as well drive on the 401!

Another route west of Brockville is the 1000 Island parkway, Great scenic route through some of the best cottage counrty along the St Lawrence river. Good road surface and gentle curves. You'll have to keep an eye out for other vehicles as there are many tourists and lots of Super sports racing up and down this strech of road! These guys and gals bring plenty of cops in the area so watch the speed. there are great places to eat in Rockport and Ganaoque is a hop, skip and jump away! If you stretch it a bit further Kingston is just 15- 20 Min more on Highway 2.

A route that I've done many times is Highway 6, North of Brockville, till I hit Highway 18, North, till I get to Kempville and the 44 the rest of the way to Ottawa. Again great scenic views, little or no trafic. lots of twists and turns. The road on 6 is good, then gets pretty bad near 18, but is great the rest of the way! The last time is was through they were tearing up the bad part. I can't wait till they are done!

A run that I've done a couple of times going to Matt's cottage, Highway 29 North. At Toledo I hit county road 1 till I get to highway 15, Good road and many curves to put a smile on a rider's face!

The Arctic trip ate up most of my Summer this year , but I look forward to blazing new paths around eastern Ontario!

Welcome to Brockvegas!

2006-10-02T10:34:00.000-05:00

After a not so subtle hint and guilt trip I was graced with a visit from the Ryan and Vero this weekend. Lets just say that this was a long time coming! At least on Ryan's part. It was great to see them and be finally be able to show them my stomping grounds and party it up without the hour long drive to Ottawa.

I am impressed that what they did to the Brock pub! It used to be pretty run down and they good job fixing it up. It sucked that Vero misplaced her driver's license and couldn't hang out, but now I remember why I go to Ottawa on the weekends. Then it was off to the phoenix for a few laughs! It is more of a blue collar bar and always good for a few laughs! The Keystorm was dead, I guess when Rugby is done no one goes there. The o2 club was kind of dead as well. Not one of my wild nights out, but it was a taste of what Brockville has to offer.

You guys are always welcome to come down and visit!

A night with Eric Clapton!

2006-09-27T08:06:00.000-05:00

I'd have to say that I'm a lucky man to have seem two great bands in 11 days. I was expecting a great concert and was blown away instead.

Robert Cray was the opening act and I'll admit that I'll be shopping for his album soon. His music was very mellow for what I was expecting, but it was enjoyed by me and I was a little disapointed at the length of his set, only a half hour.

Then Clapton came out to a packed Scotia bank place(Piggy Bank from now on) started with Pretending and didn't let up for and hour and a half. The encore was Crossroads with Robery Cray. The highlight of the show was Layla, I love this song, both the acoustic and the electric versions are great songs , but the original electric is the best in my books. Well Clapton rocked the Piggy Bank and it was worth every penny of the cost to the ticket. I give it 9 out 10 guitar picks!

Monday from Hell

2006-09-26T09:53:00.000-05:00

Well I try to keep my Blog upbeat and positive with all the negativity in the world today, but I have to share this day with you!

It started with waking up, I was feeling kind of crappy due the lack of sleep and I think I'm coming down with a flu. It has been going around North Bay. I debated about calling in sick and decided to go in. I get into work and find out that the cable I fixed the previous Monday has been cut again! Since I know that this job will take only thirty minutes to an hour to fix, hop in the car and off to Trenton I go. Arrive around 11:30 and I'm thinking this could be done by 12:30 and back in Prescott by 3PM. This is where the military get fun. Calls are placed to find the keys to the water tower (200 ft+ circa 1945) an hour goes by, no call back, so I ask the air force guys to call someone up the chain to get these keys. Another half hours passes no call. I get the office in charge to start calling maybe he has the grease to make this key pop out of its hiding spot. Another hour passes and by this time I've finished watching Days of Thunder on the TV So off to a late Lunch I go. The construction boys have downtown Trenton crawling, people who know my type A personality behind the wheel, know that I'm boiling by this time. I get back and find out that someone who has the keys called! They call and the Mcpl Perry shows up, opens the door for me and up I go. Well the cable was chewed to hell, so I have to replace the whole length. The wind was pretty high(60-80KM/H) and it is blowing me all over the place, with a storm in the distance coming down Trenton's way. Did I mention it was a 200 ft+ metal tower built in 1945 ish? So I run the new cable and get two new ends on it while the tower is rocking under me, yes I'll admit it , I was thinking "what if this tower falls over with me in it?" I test the cable with the JRCC (Joint Rescue communication Center) no go. So I test the cable and one end has shorted with the ground , but what end? Two connectors, 50% chance. Well Since I have to solder the connector on, I cut one off. Yup, it was the good one! Off goes the other one and start all over again and again and again and again... Six times in total. Finally I get two good connectors and it checks out with Prescott.

By this time Mcpl Perry must think that I'm in trouble and is waiting for me at the bottom of the tower. I pack up the car and off to Prescott I go. Around Napanee I see a car on the side of the 401 with it's side mirror smashed, I turn to look back down the highway and all I see is a sea of red lights and big rigs swerving all over the road! A quick "Holy Shit!" jump on the brakes and I almost plow into the back of one of the rigs. Needed new underwear after that, but yes it gets better, about a hundred kicks down the road, my belly is telling me that I've ignored it and it wants some attention. Oh. Look a cookie from Lunch is sitting on the seat beside me. I grab for it and the next thing I know, the car is half off the highway, cruise set at 120. The underwear has a new buddy! Finally, I get back to Prescott alive, I'm locked out of the base, argh! Screw this, I get in my car and off to home I go, grab my gym stuff and work out my frustration for the day. I was feeling better till I went to the pool hall to find out what my team mates will be for this year. Yup the bad news is still a rolling. The captain is a fanatical pool player and when we are loosing can get all bent out of shape. I hope that we win a lot this year!

Actually now that I've read this post and vented an bit it doesn't seem that bad after all. Have a great day!

Nipissing Nurses Nibble in North Bay before Night in the Wall!

2006-09-24T18:35:00.000-05:00

As promised I paid a visit to my Sister in North Bay this weekend. I was going to use my Motorcycle, but Murphy's Law hit and the weathernetwork called for rain all weekend. Guess what took my car and it was Sunny most of the weekend! Well at least the ride up and down.

Enough of that, I found my Sister's place in the "Student Ghetto" It was good to see her and that she was doing well in her new place off of residence. Her place reminds me of the place Ryan, Matt and Scott used to live in near Bayshore. I was told that she was having a pot luck dinner Sat night. I met her room mates, yes Celeste I will come back! I also met Katie's boy toy Adam. His claim to fame is having his picture, nude, on the front page of the UNB paper.

Saturday we went hunting in North Bay for the Trews album. Ok, this is a city of 55 000 people and do you think that I could find this CD? NO! North Bay only has four stores, CDplus, Wolfe , Zellers and Wal Mart. And Wolfe was only one that had their live CD. By the way is very good! Had lunch with Sis and picked up some food for the pot luck. I met the rest of the Nursing students in Marie's class. They proceeded to talk about work, Feces, Catheters, barfing and that is when I started to tune out! Yes, these are women! After the pot luck it was off to the Wall, the student bar at U of Nipissing. The music was pretty good and the place was pack for Alexander's Birthday, happy 211 buddy! The highlight of my night was this guy that grabs my Sister and starts to maul her. After a couple of minutes I saw that she isn't willing in the grope fest. So I stick my hand out "Hi, My name is Joe and she is my Sister!" Lol, the look on the guy's face and he is apologizing profusely to me then runs off.

The think that impressed me was that the School hires a bus to drive the drunks back home after the bar. I guess the city busses don't run that late! I had a blast ladies and stay away from the Army boys!

To Vero!

2006-09-19T21:01:00.000-05:00

You have to love Ryan's look on his face as I molest his woman! Well while Vero and I were sharing an Apple Crisp at Marshy's last Friday it came up that I can make the same, but better! I got this recipe from a cook while I was in Resolute Bay. I could skip supper and just eat this! So here you are Vero!

Apple Crisp

Makes 6 servings

4 cups, tart cooking apples, sliced (Rome Beauty, Golden Delicious, Greening, Granny Smith)

2/3 to 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking or old fashioned oats

1/3 cup margarine or Butter, softened (I'd use butter)

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 375, Grease bottom and sides of square pan 8X8X2 with shortening.

2. Place apples in pan . Mix remaining ingredients sprinkle over apples.

3. Bake 30 min or till top is golden.

Enjoy!

Wild Guitar, with 7. 5 Million hits on his post!

2006-09-17T15:48:00.000-05:00

I saw this guy on the news Sunday, all I can say is watch it. I have no words to describe this guy, Guitar 90, and since the news airing his site has hit 9 Million hits, 30 Min later!

He looks like a kids, but is a 23 year old guy from Korea. He claims that it took three weeks of practice before he recorded it. He has been playing for six years. I have two more to get to six for me!

The Who in Ottawa.

2006-09-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

I saw the Who Friday night in Ottawa, I'll admit it that I don't own any Who albums, but how can you pass up a chance to see a legends of Rock and Roll. I've heard most of their music on the classic rock radio stations and who hasn't hear of CSI and their theme song?

It was great as the show went on I kept recognizing songs I had heard on the radio and blown away by the show. Way to go The Who you have a new fan, well of the old stuff, I'll give the new stuff a shake when it comes out in October.

Happy 150 000KM!

2006-09-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

After 11250 liters of gas = 250 tanks of gas, Four sets of brakes, two sets of tires, Five sets of windshield wipers. 22 oil changes, two accidents, a few road trips, Matt's cottage parties, the Sunfire still lives!

When I first bought the car I was just starting my job at the Coast Guard. I needed a cheap, fuel efficient car to get me from Ottawa to Prescott till I found a place to live in Prescott. The good old Aries K car from college had already died a peaceful death many months before, but that is another story . The ideal of a new car that would be reliable looked very good!

While the Sunfire wasn't my first choice, Honda Civic, it was the best price at the time. After reality finally set in and driving a Corvette instead wasn't going to happen. I started the 4 year 10 month trek that has brought me to the 150 000 KM mark. Yes I can purchase a car with more horsepower or is just newer, but she has been reliable and still has some more years left in her.

Hi, my name is Joe and I'm a fantasy football junkie!

2006-09-11T12:24:00.000-05:00

Well after many years of being bombarded with NFL football games and trying out Yahoo's Fantasy Football 2006I can say that I'm becoming a NFL fan.

The latest venture into sports for me is the fantasy football pool. You can set the amount of players and the amount of points awarded. My cousin Dave set the pool at 15 players drafted and 9 players can play any given Sunday. The rest sit as spares either for injuries or bye weeks. The Yahoo pool is very user friendly to people like myself who had a limited knowledge base in NFL football. The draft lists the players according to rank and has many stats and links to places where you can get information that you need to pick who plays each week.I find that it gets you very involved with the games that are played Sunday since your players are spread over the league. You are paired up with an opponent each week and the winner must out score your opponent.

I would recommend this pool to anyone no matter their knowledge level in football.

Need a MP3 , but there are so many!

2006-09-08T10:12:00.000-05:00

I'm throwing a shout out to all the people I know and don't know! I'm looking for an MP3 Player for myself. I need around 512Megs to 1 Gig, I need a radio, FM is a must but AM would be nice(sports).

First what brand is the one to buy, since there are many different brands out there and secondly where is a good place to buy it!

UPDATE: First I'd like to thank everyone who took the time and gave their help on this matter. I purchased the SanDisk Sansa 1 Gig MP3 player this weekend. I found a few sites that have reviews on MP3s and the SanDisk Sansa players all gave good reviews on the SanDisk line. I did look at the recommendations that was given and the SanDisk offered the best value for the price

Letting the inner Geek out!

2006-09-03T22:09:00.000-05:00

This Saturday Duncan and I went to the SFX show in Toronto. This was the first Sci-Fi show that either of us went to. I was expecting the people to be dressed up in costumes of their favorite character and I wasn't disappointed as you can see from the picture! Some of the costumes where very good and I only have a sample of what was there.

If you are into comic books and toys this will be your thing, but it mostly was a let down to me. I did get to see Carrie Fisher(Princess Leia), Gates Mcfadden( Dr, Crusher), Morena Baccarin(Inara from Firefly, and I must add looks better in person that the show),Juliet Landau (from Buffy),and Verne Troyer( Mini Me). At the space table Kim Poirier(hyperspace weekly) was there and man was she smoking hot!

The thing that shocked me was the price just to see Bill(Capt Kirk) and Leonard (spock). The in person autographs started at $99 and went to $399. I like star Trek, but not that much!

Would I go to the show again, no!

Arctic 2005 Photos

2006-09-01T16:24:00.000-05:00

Well I know I'm getting older and the old brain pan is starting to loose some of the bolts that is holding the mess together, but I did manage to find the 2005 Arctic trip photos in my computer and now I can share then with you!

I have made comments on the photos and the best way to view them is to click on the set, then click on detailed view and the comment will show up. Enjoy!

Consumers of telephone services get a bill of rights from federal regulator

2006-08-29T21:01:00.000-05:00

Well it is about time that we the consumers get some ammunition against the giants!

By Jennifer Ditchburn

OTTAWA (CP) - Did you know that you're legally not supposed to get calls from telemarketers hawking their goods and services with automated recordings?

Or that your phone service can't be cut off if you agree to a repayment plan for your overdue bill and stick with it? Or that you can have outgoing long-distance calls blocked from your home phone free of charge? The federal telecommunications regulator wants to make sure you do know your rights when it comes to local telephone service.

So Tuesday it released a consumer bill of rights that will find its way onto the websites of the traditional phone companies and into the next edition of the white pages of phone books.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission three years ago asked consumer groups and telephone companies to come up with suggestions for the bill of rights, feeling that the confusing tangle of rules and regulations were hard for the common person to understand or even find.

The phone companies had argued to the CRTC that it didn't need to duplicate information that was already available to consumers in white pages and in their "terms of service" - the small print that comes when signing on to any phone company.

But in the end the commission went with a new set of 16 rights, covering everything from the right to privacy when calling out to the rights of the disabled to phone service.

John Lawford of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre says it's a welcome development.

"The impetus was to make it clear all in one place and understandable for consumers so they could state their rights properly when they had a dispute with the company, and theoretically it should be making everyone happier," Lawford said.

Two of the main areas include rights regarding deposits for service, and when the phone company wants to cut off service - things that cause much consternation among consumers.

Where deposits are concerned, the regulator underlines that the phone company may only ask you for a deposit when you don't have a credit history with them and you don't have a satisfactory credit rating.

The phone company must explain to you why you're being asked to pay the deposit, and offer other options - such as getting a letter of credit from a financial institution. If all else fails, the deposit can't exceed the total of three months of service.

Where cutting off service is concerned, the phone company has to take a series of steps before it cuts off the line. For example, it must offer you the option of entering into a payment plan. And the company cannot cut off your service because you haven't paid your cell phone or Internet bill.

The catch is the bill of rights does not apply to the growing number of competitors for local phone service - Rogers or Primus, for example - only the so-called incumbent firms such as Bell, Telus or SaskTel.

It also doesn't apply to cellphones or long distance.

CRTC commissioner Barbara Cram said the hope is that consumers will be better armed now when they go shopping for local service, asking different companies whether their rights are protected.

"I think people will be able to take their own commercial relationship with their telephone companies into their own hands to a greater extent," Cram said.

The CRTC is encouraging the new players in local phone markets to jump on board with their own voluntary bill of rights, moving towards industry self-regulation. It warns, however, that if the industry can't get it together, it might have to step in with further regulations.

For more about the new CRTC bill of rights, see the following web address:

www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-52.htm

Remember, remember the 5th of November!

2006-08-27T18:33:00.000-05:00

All I can say is Ah!!! V for Vendetta is like a breath of fresh air after breathing smogg for a while. One of the few original movies after a long lone of crappy movies and remakes that Hollywood passes off as the best movie ever. The Wachowski brothers pull off another masterpeice of a movie. When I saw it in the theater the first time I was on the edge of my seat and loved every minute of the movie. When the DVD came out I rushed to get it and when I saw it again, it didn't disappoint.

I didn't think much of Natalie Portman in the Star Wars movies and didn't expect to see her act in any other movies, but was pleasantly surprised with her performance in this movie. Hugo Weaving's dialog was great. I rewound the part when V and Eve meet for the first time because I loved it so much.

"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."

Now without going back, how many words start with the Letter V. Post your answer!

If you haven't seen this movie, rent it! For sure, worth every penny! Enjoy!

Back Home!

2006-08-21T22:13:00.000-05:00

Ah, back home in Ontario! Don't know what the difference is this time after I got off the plane. collecting my bags and hopped in my car. While I was driving to my Mom's place for a dinner and it hit me like a brick. I noticed the smells of the trees, the cut grass, that smell of mosture just before it's about to rain, the flowers and then I realized that I take all this for granted. like Being able to drive on more than 3 KM of paved road that they have in Iqaluit, plus not worry about hitting the massive potholes either(quite numerous to boot).

The price of food doesn't seem that outrageous down here compaired to the prices up North. $12.49 for 4L of 2% compaired to the $5 we pay down here. $3 for the cheap Bread that we pay $0.99 for. $12 for a Pineapple that is considered outragious at $4. I could go on forever, so I'll just tell you that a one bedroom Apartment the is furnished goes from $2000- 3000, heat and light extra! High speed cable is $80 per month.

This is a good thing that they only have Subway, Pizza Hut and KFC in Iqaluit. but at $21.49 for the one foot combo at Subway and $39.99 for 20 peices of Chicken at KFC it kicked my fast food habit quickly. Even with my cure from the grease monster I still had a need for a real pizza, not Pizza Hut's version of a pizza. I finally cracked and bought a $7 Cheeseburger that goes for $2 down here. I found a Chinese food place in Iqaluit! It wasn't the as good as the Wok house in Prescott, but they did have this elusive red sauce for the Chicken Balls that I've heard of, quite tasty!

This is the second time that I've returned home here in Ontario and realized that how very good we really have it here compaired to the places I've been. So the next time a guy/Gal is whining about some petty thing, I'm just going to slap them!

Snow in July

2006-08-18T12:44:00.000-05:00

(inset: Me at Killinek July 2nd, no I didn't slip on the snow!)

I'm up here in the Arctic. I'm posting this from Iqaluit now (N 63 44 49.44 W 68 31 36.36 enter this in Google earth!)

This is my third Arctic trip up here and it has been quite the journey this year! It all started with boarding the CCGS Pierre Radissson in Quebec City. All I can say about spending three days in Quebec City is WOW! I have a new favourite city in North America.

I was a little worried about sailing since it was my first time aboard a ship on the open ocean. So I stocked up in Gravol and prayed that it would not have to be used. We sailed June 21st at 5 AM and it was smooth sailing till we arrived near the Straight of Belle Ilse that the Gravol was needed. I didn't get sick, thank you Gravol! Managed to get my sea legs and the next time the ship was rockin' and rollin' it didn't bother me that much. After Five days of sailing, three through ice, we finally arrived at Killinek ( 60°25'31.74"N 64°50'43.68"W).

I saw a Polar bear and a Seal on the ice when the helicopter was flying me back to the ship at days end. We had a Caribou come into the site at Killinek and was just lying on the snow, so I run back into the building and grab my camera to take some pictures. As I was walking up to the Caribou it got up and started walking away, then it stopped , turned toward me and started walking towards me! The first thing in my head was "crap, do they charge?" because I was about a hundred feet away from it and it didn't look like I could make the building if it did. Thankfully it stopped and I was able to take a few shots and a movie of it.

Well after six and a half days and fourteen helicopter rides at Killinek the work there was done and it was time to sail to Iqaluit. Now I understand why people pay thousands of dollars for a curise in the Arctic! Frobisher Bay was spectacular, the water was smooth as glass, the iceburgs, the mountains and the pack ice, spent hours just looking at it as it passed by the ship.

So, on July 4th one last helicopter ride from the Pierre Radisson and I'm in Iqaluit. Actually it was weird because the town (pop 6000+) is clean for a change. My normal trips to the Arctic is mid May to mid June, the snow has just finished melting and there is garbage all over the place. The weather is very nice +22C and I'm melting! Iqaluit hasn't changed, dirty, dusty and nasty as the last two times, if I wasn't saving money for the house you'd never see me here again. The weather is quite good and sunny, but the mosquitoes are nasty, it is like being gang tackled by a black cloud. Thank the Lord for bug Dope! One nice surprise was the Sylvia Grinnel park. Wow what a beautiful place.

This year I'm in Iqaluit to backfill for the guy here while he goes off to Coral Harbour to start it up for the season. It is a nice break in the 12-14 hour days that I normally do up here. It gave me time to scope out the bars for carvings and I bought four at a great price! I finished up here July 22nd for a nine day break, which wasn't much of a break. I drove 946KM in two days on my Motorcycle then of to Kapuskasing for five days with my wild friend Palmer and a few others. Back for a day to pack my stuff and I was back up here Aug 2nd!

This time it is an antenna replacment project at the transmitter site. The winters are very hard on equipment up here and breaks things all the time. The project went well, other than the contractor cutting the feed to another tower, but that was minor.

I will post my pictures on this Blog as soon as I can figure how to!

Welcome

2006-08-18T12:30:00.000-05:00

Well here I am! Finally jumping on the Blog bandwagon to share my thoughts and deeds with everybody!