Thursday, October 29, 2009
H1N1
I have decided that the H1N1 media scare was propagated by the government... the entire population is now very suddenly familiar with an acronym that has killed as many people in the last year as leprosy.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Outside
I wanted to get out of the house for a bit, and went for a walk over to the beer store. Half way there I decided to keep on walking down the road to the gov liquor store, the booze was cheaper and I needed the exercise.
Along the way I noticed a handful of police on the corner across the street, they were standing close together and partially hidden from view by a large bush. A traffic stop. I wondered how many speeders they could get from a busy 50kph stretch of road with lots of red lights.
A man sits in front of the liquor store, an empty cup held out before him. He's placed himself just outside of the invisible aura that radiates from the large "No Loitering" sign.
Inside the store I found what I was looking for and lined up for the cash register. There were about four people in front of me, and only one cashier on duty. She looked tired. I settled in for the wait and let my eyes drift around. A man wearing a grey hoodie over a slight build was walking toward the doors, not too quickly but with purpose. He glanced over his shoulder at the lineup, the slight turn of his body revealing a bulge where his left hand rested in the front pocket of the hoodie. Then he was out the door and turning down the sidewalk, another glance in through the windows and gone.
A shrill voice erupts from behind my elbow and a short arm points past me and over the counter.
"Excuse me." The voice is for the cashier but the stubby appendage is directed to the front window. "That man just walked out of here with a forty-pounder of vodka."
The cashier sighs and the arm retracts. The woman paying for her purchases says something to the cashier and she explains that "...unfortunately we can't chase after them. In case they have a weapon. It's been happening more often since the recession." And I place my forty-pounder of vodka on the counter.
Two more employees appear to announce that they can help the next people in line, and the two people behind me split up to either side.
I approach the till and make small talk. "I was thinking that guy seemed a little nervous."
The tired cashier looks out the window. "Yeah, but it's not like I could have seen him when I've got a huge lineup to deal with."
The two temporary helpers have already seen to their customers and disappeared.
Outside the store again, a middle-aged man is loading groceries into the trunk of his European two-seater. A too-skinny woman approaches him and begins explaining that she's not a drug addict. He closes the trunk and listens patiently to her rehearsed diatribe.
Barely half a block away I encounter the police traffic stop again, I'm on the same side of the street this time and about to pass directly through their midst. I notice the way the four young officers are smiling and chatting amongst themselves, without a single eye directed at traffic. Any thoughts I had of mentioning the liquor store are washed away in a stream of indifference.
Along the way I noticed a handful of police on the corner across the street, they were standing close together and partially hidden from view by a large bush. A traffic stop. I wondered how many speeders they could get from a busy 50kph stretch of road with lots of red lights.
A man sits in front of the liquor store, an empty cup held out before him. He's placed himself just outside of the invisible aura that radiates from the large "No Loitering" sign.
Inside the store I found what I was looking for and lined up for the cash register. There were about four people in front of me, and only one cashier on duty. She looked tired. I settled in for the wait and let my eyes drift around. A man wearing a grey hoodie over a slight build was walking toward the doors, not too quickly but with purpose. He glanced over his shoulder at the lineup, the slight turn of his body revealing a bulge where his left hand rested in the front pocket of the hoodie. Then he was out the door and turning down the sidewalk, another glance in through the windows and gone.
A shrill voice erupts from behind my elbow and a short arm points past me and over the counter.
"Excuse me." The voice is for the cashier but the stubby appendage is directed to the front window. "That man just walked out of here with a forty-pounder of vodka."
The cashier sighs and the arm retracts. The woman paying for her purchases says something to the cashier and she explains that "...unfortunately we can't chase after them. In case they have a weapon. It's been happening more often since the recession." And I place my forty-pounder of vodka on the counter.
Two more employees appear to announce that they can help the next people in line, and the two people behind me split up to either side.
I approach the till and make small talk. "I was thinking that guy seemed a little nervous."
The tired cashier looks out the window. "Yeah, but it's not like I could have seen him when I've got a huge lineup to deal with."
The two temporary helpers have already seen to their customers and disappeared.
Outside the store again, a middle-aged man is loading groceries into the trunk of his European two-seater. A too-skinny woman approaches him and begins explaining that she's not a drug addict. He closes the trunk and listens patiently to her rehearsed diatribe.
Barely half a block away I encounter the police traffic stop again, I'm on the same side of the street this time and about to pass directly through their midst. I notice the way the four young officers are smiling and chatting amongst themselves, without a single eye directed at traffic. Any thoughts I had of mentioning the liquor store are washed away in a stream of indifference.
Monday, August 04, 2008
I kissed a spider today
In a manner of speaking.
Moving some old boxes on the porch revealed a couple of large spiders. There was a trim-end-sized chunk of 1x4 lumber nearby, so I recruited it as my handy arachnid two-dimensionalizer. The first, and smaller of the intruders was dispatched with relative ease. The second had a surprise in store for me. Bringing the lumber swiftly down upon its abdomen, I was rewarded with a "pop" noise that would have been better suited to the kinetic action of the worlds largest pimple. The resulting innards spay, while nearly escaping my direct observation, assaulted another of my senses as one of its globules impacted my lower lip.
It was wonderful.
Moving some old boxes on the porch revealed a couple of large spiders. There was a trim-end-sized chunk of 1x4 lumber nearby, so I recruited it as my handy arachnid two-dimensionalizer. The first, and smaller of the intruders was dispatched with relative ease. The second had a surprise in store for me. Bringing the lumber swiftly down upon its abdomen, I was rewarded with a "pop" noise that would have been better suited to the kinetic action of the worlds largest pimple. The resulting innards spay, while nearly escaping my direct observation, assaulted another of my senses as one of its globules impacted my lower lip.
It was wonderful.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Holy crap... I have a blog?!?
I forgot all about this damn thing, as I'm sure everyone else has by now too.
I was at Jinx.com for the first time since I bought some of their shirts a couple years back, and since then they've got alot of new Warcraft-inspired T's. They're funny, to me and other Online gamers, but I couldn't wear one in public. I'm a geek, I'm not an uber geek. :)
I especially like the reversed writing for the bathroom mirror on the blue one here. Also, the "Jesus Saves..." isn't actually from WoW, but a reference to oldschool D&D. I included it cuz it's awesome.
I was at Jinx.com for the first time since I bought some of their shirts a couple years back, and since then they've got alot of new Warcraft-inspired T's. They're funny, to me and other Online gamers, but I couldn't wear one in public. I'm a geek, I'm not an uber geek. :)
I especially like the reversed writing for the bathroom mirror on the blue one here. Also, the "Jesus Saves..." isn't actually from WoW, but a reference to oldschool D&D. I included it cuz it's awesome.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Bling Bling
This guy cracks me up.
Who wants to bet that there's a '74 Caddy Eldorado taking up two spaces in the beach parking lot?
Who wants to bet that there's a '74 Caddy Eldorado taking up two spaces in the beach parking lot?
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Meat
The other day it occurred to me that something was missing from my typical food purchasing experiences here in victoria, and it was the butcher shop. In Vernon there was a German butcher that I would stop at on my way home form work. I'd usually get sausages and something weird to gross out Christine, like cow's tongue pate'.... the shit that just isn't the same when it's pulled from a cooler bin at Safeway. So yesterday I checked the yellow pages for butcher shops, and found one that was 10 minutes from my school. Went there today at lunchtime and discovered that it was a Scottish butcher shop. It was frickin sweet. There were pictures of highland cattle on the wall, the condiments on the shelves all had some form of plaid on their labels, and the whole store just smelled awesome... like fresh haggis. I bought bratwurst and smoked pork hocks from a cheery little woman with a thick Scotch accent. I'm cooking up the brats tonight, with beer and potatoes. Tomorrow I'll boil the smoked pork hock in a soup with lots of big veggies.
*drool*
*drool*
Friday, November 04, 2005
Meh.... Friday
Went all week without drinking.. even though there was beer in the fridge. Yeah, well I'm proud of myself.
Shutup.
I trick-or-treated an innkeeper, he decided to trick me.... turned me into a mini Diablo. I'd probably be scarier if I was more than 3 feet tall.
It's a small world in the Blizzard universe.
Even when your busy killing swarms of giant lizards, it's important to stop and enjoy the occasional sunset.
Shutup.
I trick-or-treated an innkeeper, he decided to trick me.... turned me into a mini Diablo. I'd probably be scarier if I was more than 3 feet tall.
It's a small world in the Blizzard universe.
Even when your busy killing swarms of giant lizards, it's important to stop and enjoy the occasional sunset.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
I don't update this shit nearly enough anymore
A few weeks back my mom called and told me that she was worried, concerning my recent posts. If you scroll down a few posts, you'll notice that there were 2 or 3 in a row that were the result of drunken ramblings... and they gave credit where credit was due.
Tonight I'm not gonna say anything about alcohol or controlled substances... instead, let's roll the cartoon.
Happy Hallow's End!
The seasonal burning of the Wickerman, every night at 20:00, outside Undercity. Ever seen that movie? No? Go rent it, it's frickin trippy.
Ran a raid with some of the guildies... Here's the UD side of Strathholme. Everything's in a perpetual state of crap.
Takin on a boss in Strath.... here's the view from the *almost* front lines. Hey, I'm a mage, I need to stay at the back and deal out the dps...
Tonight I'm not gonna say anything about alcohol or controlled substances... instead, let's roll the cartoon.
Happy Hallow's End!
The seasonal burning of the Wickerman, every night at 20:00, outside Undercity. Ever seen that movie? No? Go rent it, it's frickin trippy.
Ran a raid with some of the guildies... Here's the UD side of Strathholme. Everything's in a perpetual state of crap.
Takin on a boss in Strath.... here's the view from the *almost* front lines. Hey, I'm a mage, I need to stay at the back and deal out the dps...
Saturday, October 08, 2005
I'm cheap
Most post-secondary institutions are surrounded by pay parking lots, and mine's no exception. It just really chaps my ass that after the school takes their big tuition cheque, we're still expected to fork out two bucks a day to have our cars there. When I was attending this school a few years ago for upgrading and miscellaneous classes, those lots were patrolled by someone on the local payroll. I quickly discovered that simply parking in a lower area, with the nose of the truck up against the bushes, let me get away with not buying one of the little tickets that sit on the dashboard to be viewed from the front of the vehicle. From time to time I did get caught, but a $10 fine every couple weeks was far cheaper than daily handfuls of quarters.
I tried the same routine this year, but the parking management has since been turned over to the same company that takes care of all the really expensive lots downtown. There's a dude in a uniform with a marked pickup that comes through and scours the place at least 3 times a week. There have been three times in the last month that I skipped the ticket, and wound up with a fine on two of those occasions. Bastards.
I considered taking the bus to and from school... but not only do I hate the frickin peasant wagon, but I'm not on a direct route and would have to transfer and crap in both directions.
My prayers were answered just a few days ago. I was on a lunchtime walk along one of the biking trails outside of the school property, when I happened upon a public park. It had baseball diamonds and dog walking paths and... a parking lot. A free parking lot. Following the road out took me through a small subdivision and onto the main route that I normally drive to get to school.
I've been parking there for a week now, and the added bonus of the 10 minute walks don't hurt either. The other morning I saw a monstrous snail crossing the path, the little wet trail he was leaving was a dotted line that marked his path like a cartoon. I need to start carrying my camera with me.
Here's a screenshot. I had the privilege of joining a fifteen person raid group for a run through Upper Blackrock Spire the other night. We killed The Beast on the way up. He was one angry pooch.
I tried the same routine this year, but the parking management has since been turned over to the same company that takes care of all the really expensive lots downtown. There's a dude in a uniform with a marked pickup that comes through and scours the place at least 3 times a week. There have been three times in the last month that I skipped the ticket, and wound up with a fine on two of those occasions. Bastards.
I considered taking the bus to and from school... but not only do I hate the frickin peasant wagon, but I'm not on a direct route and would have to transfer and crap in both directions.
My prayers were answered just a few days ago. I was on a lunchtime walk along one of the biking trails outside of the school property, when I happened upon a public park. It had baseball diamonds and dog walking paths and... a parking lot. A free parking lot. Following the road out took me through a small subdivision and onto the main route that I normally drive to get to school.
I've been parking there for a week now, and the added bonus of the 10 minute walks don't hurt either. The other morning I saw a monstrous snail crossing the path, the little wet trail he was leaving was a dotted line that marked his path like a cartoon. I need to start carrying my camera with me.
Here's a screenshot. I had the privilege of joining a fifteen person raid group for a run through Upper Blackrock Spire the other night. We killed The Beast on the way up. He was one angry pooch.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Lets try this again
If you've ever been too drunk to post on your blog..... you might be an idiot.
I attempted this last night, but using a painfully slow connection to upload picture files that kept disappearing when I tried to publish just made for a lot of swearing and falling-out-of-chair on my part.
I got nothin on this Jackass though: MOVIE LINK
I've got the day off from school today, something called a "reading day". Reminds me of the ol Pro-D days from elementary school. Sweet thing is that the only reading the prof had for us was to study for a drafting/layout test that's way out on next Thursday. I can do layout in my sleep. Eh? Get it? Layout, sleep?
Bah, you don't know funny.
Gonna go catch up on the latest goings-on in the world of Azeroth now. I got my mage up to the level cap a couple weeks ago, and If I spend a little time with the paladin he'll be there soon enough too. I'm gonna be the first kid on my block with two level 60 characters... and as Ken pointed out a little while back, the dedication over several months that's required to get just one up to 60 is usually enough to make the girlfriend pack her bags. My baby must really love me.
Here's a screenshot for the week. I like my new hat.
I attempted this last night, but using a painfully slow connection to upload picture files that kept disappearing when I tried to publish just made for a lot of swearing and falling-out-of-chair on my part.
I got nothin on this Jackass though: MOVIE LINK
I've got the day off from school today, something called a "reading day". Reminds me of the ol Pro-D days from elementary school. Sweet thing is that the only reading the prof had for us was to study for a drafting/layout test that's way out on next Thursday. I can do layout in my sleep. Eh? Get it? Layout, sleep?
Bah, you don't know funny.
Gonna go catch up on the latest goings-on in the world of Azeroth now. I got my mage up to the level cap a couple weeks ago, and If I spend a little time with the paladin he'll be there soon enough too. I'm gonna be the first kid on my block with two level 60 characters... and as Ken pointed out a little while back, the dedication over several months that's required to get just one up to 60 is usually enough to make the girlfriend pack her bags. My baby must really love me.
Here's a screenshot for the week. I like my new hat.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Friday again
It's been really hard to find time for posting on the blog lately... not only am I stuck with a mediocre "Shaw Light" internet connection, but I no longer get paid to sit in front of a computer for 8 hours a day. I have to do this on my own time at home now.
Drinkin beer, beer is good, long live beer. Celine Dion is a fuckin moron.
On a lighter note....
Friends shouldn't let idiots drive nice trucks: MOVIE
Drinkin beer, beer is good, long live beer. Celine Dion is a fuckin moron.
On a lighter note....
Friends shouldn't let idiots drive nice trucks: MOVIE
Friday, September 09, 2005
Friday
Friday's here, drinkin beer. Hungry now, wanna eat cow.
There's something about firing back a couple/few barley pops on a Friday afternoon that makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I'm happy as hell. School's good, Victoria's good. If I still smoked I'd be lighting up right now.
Despite my feeelings of generalized happy, there are a few things about the Okanagan that I'm gonna miss. Like my brother, Spencer, and the people at work that were cool. I will NOT miss the Okanagan summer, waaay too bloody hot.
Anyways, Craig just showed up with lots of beer...... gotta go.
There's something about firing back a couple/few barley pops on a Friday afternoon that makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I'm happy as hell. School's good, Victoria's good. If I still smoked I'd be lighting up right now.
Despite my feeelings of generalized happy, there are a few things about the Okanagan that I'm gonna miss. Like my brother, Spencer, and the people at work that were cool. I will NOT miss the Okanagan summer, waaay too bloody hot.
Anyways, Craig just showed up with lots of beer...... gotta go.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Victoria
I’m here now.
All told, the move was fairly painless. The only thing that went wrong was U-Haul not having the 17’ truck that I reserved, so they upgraded me to the 26’ “Super Mover” at no additional cost. The too-big truck made loading the furniture way too easy. Downsides were the gas required for the 502 big-block gasoline Chev, (note to U-Haul: get diesel engines), and having to pay commercial truck rate on the ferry. A little well placed dissatisfaction at the truck return office, and I no longer had to make up the extra cost of only replacing $150 of the $200 worth of fuel used during the drive. I’m happy with that.
The new place is pretty sweet; two bedrooms, green yard, wood fireplace, our own driveway, and a quiet street. We had a houseful of guests here for the long weekend, Spencer drove my car down for me and picked up Chloe along the way, Jeff and Ingrid came over from Vancouver, and Craig was over regularly. The lot of us enjoyed several days of pub fare, beer, and catching up. Now the dust has settled, Christine’s at work and I’m back from my first day of class.
More later.
All told, the move was fairly painless. The only thing that went wrong was U-Haul not having the 17’ truck that I reserved, so they upgraded me to the 26’ “Super Mover” at no additional cost. The too-big truck made loading the furniture way too easy. Downsides were the gas required for the 502 big-block gasoline Chev, (note to U-Haul: get diesel engines), and having to pay commercial truck rate on the ferry. A little well placed dissatisfaction at the truck return office, and I no longer had to make up the extra cost of only replacing $150 of the $200 worth of fuel used during the drive. I’m happy with that.
The new place is pretty sweet; two bedrooms, green yard, wood fireplace, our own driveway, and a quiet street. We had a houseful of guests here for the long weekend, Spencer drove my car down for me and picked up Chloe along the way, Jeff and Ingrid came over from Vancouver, and Craig was over regularly. The lot of us enjoyed several days of pub fare, beer, and catching up. Now the dust has settled, Christine’s at work and I’m back from my first day of class.
More later.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
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