"Kung-fu grip" is for pagans...

Now I finally know what I want for Christmas.

(Ken, click on the title above to link to a new window... If the movie doesn't load, click on the "Can't see the video?" link on the right of the new page.)

Grow-op or pet cemetary?

I found this trail while wandering in the woods near my house... But there's no tracks anywhere around, vehicle or human. Is there someone, or something, down there? Who'd like to go first and find out?

October rust

So I woke up this morning to almost 2 inches of sloppy wet snow in my yard. I was expecting to get a bit last night up at my house, but was surprised to see that, (as of 07:30 this morning), there was a little skiff down in the bottom of the valley too. I imagine the stuff in town is melted by now, but it's still kinda neat to have it this early in the year. I'm sure that right now Ken and Jessica, (up in Northern AB), are saying to themselves: "Big deal, we've had snow here since June".

Withdrawals

Jonesin, hoppin off, dryin out, the jimmies...

It's been almost 72 hours since my last beer. I hadn't gone for more than 24 in the last month before this. On the one hand it's a good thing, I've found the time and energy in the last two nights to go upstairs and get on the weights for some exercise... but at the same time I've had this killer headache right behind my right eye since yesterday. One of my warehouse staff once spent some time in a clinic, gettin cured off of an assortment of chemicals, and he tells me that the sudden lack of alcohol and the headache shouldn't be connected. Considering I don't normally suffer from head pains though, this seems like a pretty big coincidence.

Newer isn't always better.

I discovered just the other day that my new CD/DVD burner and the cd player in the new car don't like each other. I tested one of the new burns in the stereo in the truck, and it worked fine... but I had to install the old burner again in order to make any new CDs for the car. Picky-assed Delco unit. It felt odd to hop into the old truck, even just for a minute to check the disc in the stereo... I had gotten kinda used to driving around in low bucket seats. While sitting there behind the wheel I was suddenly struck with a "Strong Mad" moment, (the angry dude from HomeStarRunner), and I bleated out "I MISS MY TWUUUUCK!!!". I guess you had to be there.

Photoshop is cool.

Trapped in myself

I'm alone again, but I should be over at Christine's parents’ house. I'm picturing the Thanksgiving meal that I'm missing out on... A big juicy ham, roasted potatoes, steamed veggies and probably some Yorkshire pudding. I wanted to go, I honestly did. But right at the last minute before departure, like a reaper waiting in the corner of my brain, anxiety kicks in. My limbs go numb, I feel weak, nauseous and dizzy. I'm trying to convince myself that there's nothing to be concerned about, there's no reason for me to be worried about anything, but it doesn't work. What am I worried about? Why am I scared?
Christine and I went for a walk around the neighborhood this afternoon, we were passing a new house down the road when a large Saint Bernard took offense to our presence and ran to the end of the driveway, barking angrily. It came right up to us so I crouched down to offer it my hand, letting it know that we were friendly. The dog wasn't having any of this, and continued to bark and growl. Christine got pretty nervous, and circled around behind me as the dog sensed her discomfort and played upon it, following us up the road and directing it's barking towards her. This switched me to defensive mode... I told Christine to keep walking, and stood in front of "Kujo", daring it to try anything. And it just sat there, 6 feet away and growling at me. I called its bluff and told it firmly to "go home" and it did exactly that, turning to trot back to its yard. Why didn't the dog bother me? Why is it that I can stare down a 120lb, angry, drooling dog, but the thought of social interaction makes me want to crawl into a hole? I can drive ridiculously fast on windy roads, hike alone in grizzly country without concern, and climb up on my second story roof on a winter night to shovel snow. But I can't think about going out to a party without breaking into a cold sweat. Sometimes I wish I could switch it around... to be afraid of snakes and heights and other expected things... all to be able to be comfortable while sitting in a restaurant.
It'd be easy if I was missing out on things because I "had the flu", or was "too busy with a project for work". But I'm not, I'm just scared. How do you explain that? "Sorry, I was gonna come over but I got all freaked out and neurotic, for no reason whatsoever, I hope you understand". Yeah, right. I don’t know what’s worse.. Missing out on crap for no reason that I can explain in plain English, or the guilt that follows once I’ve committed myself to sitting home alone.

The scourge of light-hearted British comedy.

About an hour ago I had something terrible pop into my head... The scene from "The Full Monty" where the guys are standing in the employment centre lineup, and "Hot Stuff" comes on the radio and they start subtly practicing their dance routine.
Now I find myself at my desk, singing the only line I know from the song, ("..lookin fer some hot stuff, baby..... somethinsomethin"). I'm moving my shoulders back and forth and seated-upper-body-dancing the best that I can. The transformation comes and goes, and thankfully since I only know the one line it passes just as quickly.
This is nothing new to Tim, (my Inventory Controller who shares my office), he's seen me flip out many times.

I love cops.

(Be sure to click on the pic to reload in a larger window.)

Rivers don't come any muddier than the Fraser. 

Who's yer buddy? 

ZubZub

crrk..crack..pop..crack
That's the sound of my knuckles cracking. I'm doing the stereotypical "sitting down to begin banging away on the typewriter pose". Only problem is, I have nothing to write about.

I think I'm gonna go for a drive tomorrow, cuz I'm running low on scenic photos. This is due largely to the fact that I failed to summit a single peak this summer. What? It was hot.

I did spend some time studying my topographic software today... It looks like there's a few easily accessible peaks just North-West from Mabel Lake that should offer some good panoramas of Cranberry mountain and the blanket glacier, less than 50k to the East. Now that I've parked the truck in favor of a silly car, I have to consider road conditions whenever planning a trip up a seldom used FSR (forest service road). It sux. Once the car's paid off, I think I'm gonna live the dream I had back in the Blazer days. I'm gonna find another early 80s full size, hack the fenders out and squeeze some 33"-35" BFGs under it. Install some skid plates and tweak the engine a bit. Then roam the countryside, lookin fer a claim, with mah shotgun, and mah gurl, and..... sausage, lots of sausage.
I'm having sausage withdrawals. I've been trying to eat better since I watched "Super-Size Me" the other day. The documentary where buddy eats nothing but McDonalds, three meals a day, for 30 days. (Not that I eat McD's regularly, hardly ever. But my diet does include quite a bit of stuff from the local German butchershop). Anyways, the movie was pretty harsh. After only two weeks of Big Macs and McEggers, even his team of pre-McDiet doctors were surprised at the negative effect it had on him, both physically and psychologically. I think it was the wyrm taint. You can't ingest that much devil fodder without getting kinda f*cked up.