Independance is MINE! MWUAHAHA!!

That's right, folks, I'm hitting on all four cylinders! I've just finished driving some four hundred kilometres in my new/old GMC Sonoma truck, white, with matching canopy, extra set of tires, and cd player. All for the low, low price of... Yeah right. Did you actually think I was going to tell you? Forget it.

Vancouver was good. The weather was outstanding, aside from one day, and I'm even more excited about schools than before. In particular I went to visit Capilano College and the IDEA program, and it looks good. Damn good. I also think my chances of getting in are pretty good... Especially after seeing some of the other potential students' portfolios. I mean, come on. If for some amazingly extraterrestrial reason I DON'T get in, I'd be shocked, appalled, and disgusted.

Keep the words of encouragement and advice pouring in. I'm on a high right now and want this train to keep on a-rollin'!

Zzzz...

Isn't it wierd how shitty you feel when you only get three hours of sleep?

Check it off the list!

Well, I've just now finished applying to all the schools I'm looking at here in BC. For five schools it cost me a measly $185.00 for them to simply review my applications and decide if they want me to attend an interview and portfolio review. THEN I might get in. Geez, what a process!

Oh, but it's not actually finished... I still have to gather and send off my HIGH SCHOOL transcripts to each school, which I think is a bit ridiculous considering I've been out of high school for ten years. Apparently my college transcripts aren't enough, and even that I graduated almost seven years ago. Oh well.

Now I just have to get my portfolio in tip top shape. I'm sure I'll be asked to send off portfolios to each school, so that's going to be my goal for the next two months or so.

I got drunk on my own last night and made chocolate chip and banana pancakes for breakfast this morning. They were delicious!

One Month In...

Again, my apologies. I've been slacking off with my weblog, and I'm sorry.

So January is basically over, and it's been a pretty good month. We haven't had any new snow here in quite a while, so people are getting pretty anxious for the skies to open, but it will come. We can't really complain, though, when we look east to Ontario and Quebec and the winter they've had... I'm just happy to be out there and enjoying the winter weather.

In just over two weeks I'm off to Vancouver to meet my parents who will be flying over for a visit. I'm looking forward to this, and having some time away. The past week or so for me has been, well, interesting. I'm sorry, but I can't really get into it. Again, my apologies.

Some pretty big news here for you all: within the next week I will hopefully have all my school applications in the mail. Awesome, eh? I'm pretty excited to get these done with, so I can focus on my portfolio. For those not in the know, I'm applying for courses in Graphic Design and one in Professional Photography. Good times!

Keep your fingers crossed for me...

Ass-numbingly Cold in BC!

It's been on average -17celcius here for the past week. No call for a break until Thursday at the earliest. Oh, and no new snow for snowboarding in over a week, either. I guess I shouldn't really complain, actually, since Blue Mountain in Ontario recently had to lay-off almost their entire workforce. Ouch.

I'm making plans for a bit of a break in February, as my folks are coming out to Vancouver for a week. I'll be flying out to meet them, visit a couple schools, eat some delicious food, do a little shopping, look at buying a car... You know, the usual.

"Don't take your guns to town, son".

...And three days in...

Happy New Year to you all... wherever you may have celebrated, and with whomever you celebrated, I hope that it was a joyous occassion. Congratulations to everyone for making it through another year, and may the next 365 days (now 362) bring prosperity and happiness to you.

Cheers!

Three days to go!

It's beginning to look a lot like Xmas, wouldn't you say? We just had three cents worth of snow last night, a nice little touch of powdery white stuff. Probably just enough for Santa and his Reindeer to come sliding on all the rooftops.

I was just thinking how nice it would be if there actually was a big round man who traveled the world and stuffed gifts down everyones' chimneys... Wierd, but nice. It would be especially nice for people that aren't with their families, or for people that actually DO need those new socks or package of toothpaste.

Me, well, I'll be working Xmas day. It should be alright, I guess. A little bonus money in my pocket, and bright happy faces all around as they "shoosh" down the hill. I've been invited to a pot luck dinner in the evening, with a secret Santa give away.

You know what I say: Ho, Ho, Ho and a bottle of rum!

I'm a baaaad man...

I've been told that I don't update my weblog frequently enough, so I'm going to try and focus on that a little more. Hopefully I will be able to add more photos, too. I will try for one new photo a week, and see if that pleases the masses (by "masses" I mean the four or five people that actually follow this)...

So the job up at Red Mountain Resort is going well. This past Saturday I had my first shift as a bartender in the Rafters bar, and it was pretty good. I was only there for a couple hours, but by the end of it I felt like I had most of the basics down. I like working in bars, and have worked a couple before, so I'm sure this one won't be any different. Hopefully all the American tourists that come up for weekends are good tippers!

What else? Xmas is coming up thick and fast, and I feel bad because I haven't had a chance to send off my presents to my family yet. I'm sure I'll get them in the mail this week though, no worries...

Right now it's snowing like a biyatch here in Rossland. It's very pretty, but can be hard on the back. Apparently it's meant to snow all night and all day tomorrow... probably another 30cms or so... When it dumps, it damn-well-dumps here!

Have a great day!

Work is such... Work!

But when you've got views like this all around you, somehow it's all worth it...

So far everything is going well, except for this constant pain in my entire body. I think it will be a good winter. Snowboarding is fun and SO relaxing. When I'm out there I'm not thinking of anything else, and it's great. The job itself should be alright, and the people seem pretty nice and very friendly. Everyone is there to have a good time and have a laugh.

More images later!

Back in the thick of it.

Well folks, finally here's a real update for y'all. I hope you enjoyed the last couple photo posts.

Things here in Rossland, BC, are flowing along nicely. For a while there I was a little worried that nothing would fall into place, but it seems to be working out great. I've been working part time at a restaurant down in Trail waiting tables, which has been good for pocket money but not good at all for bankable money. So finally I managed to land a job at the local ski hill, Red Mountain Resort, as a lift operator. I also had an interview with the food and beverage people yesterday, and I'm confident something will come up there.

What does all this mean, you ask? Well, if something DOES come up in F&B at the hill then I can give up on the restaurant job. My main problem there is that the shifts are infrequent and traveling back and forth is sketchy at best. If I had a car of my own it'd be no problem, but public transport here runs at ridiculous hours, so I can't rely on that.

As you can see, everything job-wise is falling into place perfectly. My future, on the other hand, is all over the map. I've got some great ideas, and just came up with another one an hour ago. I like this one and might look deeper to see how far I can take it.

It's all in how determined one can be to obtain their dreams. Make it happen.

Through The Fog...

Closed for the Winter!

When it dumps, it dumps!

Well, today is snow day number 3 here in Rossland, BC, and it's bucketing down. I went to bed last night and there wasn't a fleck of snow in the air. When I got up, somehow there was three inches on the ground. All this in a span of seven hours... And it hasn't stopped! Amazing.

Tomorrow I am hoping to start my new job at the Trails End Cafe down in Trail. I'm going to be waiting tables, but it won't be that bad. The menu is amazing (and pricey), and the restaurant has a good reputation, which should bring in some nice tips for yours truly. And trust me, I need it. I'm looking into buying a car (just a little run-around for the winter and beyond) and it looks like the insurance alone is going to cost me more than the car! Well, not quite, but it's still a kick in the dick.

Some more good news for you folks out there: I got an interview at Red Resort. This is the big one for me. Ideally I would like to work days at the mountain, then about three nights a week at the restaurant. This would give me the money I need to play around for the winter, as well as put some aside for when I have to decide what to do in the spring. Most importantly, though, I'd be keeping busy and meeting people, which is definitely what I need at the moment. Restlessness is setting in!

Good things are happening, I can feel it. The ball is rolling, and I think it's rolling in the right (albeit lengthy) direction...

Snow day #2.

Right now, here in Rossland, BC, it's snowing like a mutha... I'd finish that sentence, but sensitive eyes are watching. They are calling for up to 15cms of snow today and over night, but from friday until tuesday it's meant to rain, rain, and rain some more. All the beautiful snow will be gone for good. Well, until it snows again.

Talking to a lady in a shop today, she told me that it's a pretty regular thing to get over twenty five FEET of snow each year. I assume that this doesn't all happen at once and you have to dig your HOUSE out of the snow, but tweenty five feet of snow is still twenty five feet of snow, no matter how you look at it. Apparently about five years ago they got hit with more than FORTY FEET in the season! Are you fucking serious??!!?? That's some back-breaking shovel work, let me tell you...

No, it's actually good. I'm looking forward to the snow. I haven't done a whole lot of winter photography, so it will be a good challenge for me. Oh, and that whole snowboarding thing should be pretty fun, too!

All settled in, with LOTS of places to go!

Well, I've moved in to my new place here in Rossland, BC, Canada. A little history of Rossland: It was apparently the place of the first ever helicopter flight in North America by Louise Gagnon in 1902; Rossland was home to the country's richest gold mine; There are over 200 mines dotted around the area of Rossland; It is home to approximately 3500 people.

Everything is super amazing at the moment. I'm confident that a job will come soon, and I'm even more confident that my photography skills can only improve by being in such a beautiful location. Rossland is only about 10kms from the US border, so if I felt like going for a long weekend to Washington, I could walk there. HA! Everyone that I've met in my short time here (and there's been quite a few!) has been super nice and helpful. Just yesterday I was given a tip off about two different job opportunities that look interesting!

The house itself is very cool, too. Two bedrooms, huge living/dining room, big kitchen where I can build up some culinary skills, massive bathroom with a kick-ass shower... It's very nice indeed. The tv only gets two stations that are always fuzzy, so I won't be watching it that often, but this can only be a good thing! Oh, and there's a huge, fenced backyard that I can go out and make snow angels in when the snow arrives.

Did I mention that last year (from what I've been told) there was six feet of snow on the ground at one point? Good things are going to come from this move to BC, I can tell...!

All settled in, with LOTS of places to go!

Well, I've moved in to my new place here in Rossland, BC, Canada. A little history of Rossland: It was apparently the place of the first ever helicopter flight in North America by Louise Gagnon in 1902; Rossland was home to the country's richest gold mine; There are over 200 mines dotted around the area of Rossland; It is home to approximately 3500 people.

Everything is super amazing at the moment. I'm confident that a job will come soon, and I'm even more confident that my photography skills can only improve by being in such a beautiful location. Rossland is only about 10kms from the US border, so if I felt like going for a long weekend to Washington, I could walk there. HA! Everyone that I've met in my short time here (and there's been quite a few!) has been super nice and helpful. Just yesterday I was given a tip off about two different job opportunities that look interesting!

The house itself is very cool, too. Two bedrooms, huge living/dining room, big kitchen where I can build up some culinary skills, massive bathroom with a kick-ass shower... It's very nice indeed. The tv only gets two stations that are always fuzzy, so I won't be watching it that often, but this can only be a good thing! Oh, and there's a huge, fenced backyard that I can go out and make snow angels in when the snow arrives.

Did I mention that last year (from what I've been told) there was six feet of snow on the ground at one point? Good things are going to come from this move to BC, I can tell...!

You CAN get something for nothing!

Well, that's a bit of a lie, or at least an exaggeration. If you read down a few posts, you'll notice that I had all my camera equipment stolen from an underground parking lot in Calgary (thanks again, fuckers). Anyway, after much wrangling and telephone calls between parents, insurance claim agents, etc, I have finally started to rebuild my stockpile.

Here in Vancouver, at a Best Buy, and via a telephone call back to London, Ontario, to a claims agent, with the help of Manager Michael, I managed to spend close to $3500.00 on camera goodies. The most exciting piece of all is a brand new Nikon D80 digital SLR, along with two lenses (18-135mm and 55-200mm). These two will pretty much replace the four lenses that were stolen, but I DO still wish I could have picked up a 50mm f1.4 prime. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers when you're shopping at Best Buy. I also picked up close to $350 worth of filters for the two lenses, which shocked Manager Michael. Also, I threw in a nice SB-600 speedlight flash for good measure. That's the main unit. I also got a Canon Powershot A710 for nights out.

It was fun and frustrating at the same time doing my shopping, and took over four hours to get it all done. In the end, though, I got close to the equivalent of what was taken from me by the Calgary Crackhead. Now I'm off to start making beautiful art. Can't wait to be in those mountains again!

Oh, did I mention that all of this didn't cost me ONE PENNY? No? Well, all of this didn't cost me one penny. There.

You CAN get something for nothing!

Well, that's a bit of a lie, or at least an exaggeration. If you read down a few posts, you'll notice that I had all my camera equipment stolen from an underground parking lot in Calgary (thanks again, fuckers). Anyway, after much wrangling and telephone calls between parents, insurance claim agents, etc, I have finally started to rebuild my stockpile.

Here in Vancouver, at a Best Buy, and via a telephone call back to London, Ontario, to a claims agent, with the help of Manager Michael, I managed to spend close to $3500.00 on camera goodies. The most exciting piece of all is a brand new Nikon D80 digital SLR, along with two lenses (18-135mm and 55-200mm). These two will pretty much replace the four lenses that were stolen, but I DO still wish I could have picked up a 50mm f1.4 prime. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers when you're shopping at Best Buy. I also picked up close to $350 worth of filters for the two lenses, which shocked Manager Michael. Also, I threw in a nice SB-600 speedlight flash for good measure. That's the main unit. I also got a Canon Powershot A710 for nights out.

It was fun and frustrating at the same time doing my shopping, and took over four hours to get it all done. In the end, though, I got close to the equivalent of what was taken from me by the Calgary Crackhead. Now I'm off to start making beautiful art. Can't wait to be in those mountains again!

Oh, did I mention that all of this didn't cost me ONE PENNY? No? Well, all of this didn't cost me one penny. There.

I'm a Westerner -- It's Official!

Today I passed from mountain time (like I said before, fuck you Calgary. Mountain time is NOT my time!) into Pacific Time. I don't ever plan on going back. Sorry everyone. Pacific time seems to suit me just fine...

BC. What to say about such a place? Everywhere I look there seems to be something new and exciting and beautiful and amazing. I'm loving it so far. I'll let you know again when I actually decide on a place to stay, and start looking for a job. That could make or break this whole experience. The job hunt is one of my major worries right now, but I think I've come at a good time of year, so hopefully no problems.

We're in Nelson right now, which is apparently one of the sunniest places in BC. Even though we arrived and it was dark, I've got a good feeling about the place. I only noticed ONE Wal-Mart! Lots of coffee shops, street shopping, it's on a lake, and the air is clean.

About 10,000 people call Nelson home, but there's a good possibility it might be 10,002 by the end of this month.

Fuck You Calgary.

Last night as Stephanie and I were peacefully sleeping the night away at the Days Inn here in Calgary Alberta her car was broken into. I'm guessing that it was probably some kind of addict looking for some crap to sell. Thankfully the "crap" they decided to take was ALL OF MY GOD DAMNED CAMERA EQUIPMENT!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!! So not only do I not have a camera to take photos of the rest of our trip, but all the photos since Red Lake Ontario (about two weeks ago) and all the undeveloped/exposed film has been taken.

Thanks Calgary. I don't know if I'll be coming back any time soon...

Mountain Time is MY Time!

Welcome to Calgary, Alberta. The urban sprawl here is huge. I think we probably drove for about thirty kilometres before we got into the city proper. Absolutely crazy. The place is booming, but there isn't enough housing for all the people to stay in, so people are having to rent one bedroom apartments for $1000/month. Is it REALLy that amazing of a place? Sure, it's pretty sunny for most of the year, and those chinooks will warm you right up in the winter... But the COST!!! Think about it!

So off to Banff tomorrow or the next, and probably spend a few days in the surrounding parks area exploring and getting used to the mountain air. Hikes, bikes, and good ol' times...

BC is next, and off Vancouver to see a couple friends and an Uncle. Can't wait.

Beautiful Ontario, when will you end?

To anyone out there who has traveled the length and breadth of Ontario, Canada, WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME IT WAS SO DAMN HUGE!!!??? Holy crow, it's been ages. Since leaving London two weeks ago, we have already clocked up more than 2,600kms on the speedo, and we're only in Red Lake! Yeesh! There's still four more provinces to go!

Actually, we should be in Manitoba come Saturday, which will be very exciting indeed. It's time to get this show on the road and see some places I haven't been before. Mind you, I haven't seen Northern Ontario before, and have thoroughly enjoyed it, but there's something about getting out of the province you grew up in, you know? Also my excitement for getting to British Columbia is drawing me to get out there.

Does anyone out there know of any good, exciting, challenging car games to play? Steph and I have been traveling quite a bit lately, and sometimes the conversation in the car is a little quiet. Anyone? Anyone?

So Long Southwestern Ontario!

Notice I didn't say "goodbye", instead opting for the pleasant "so long"... I'll be back for visits, so it's definitely not a goodbye.

Yeah, in about 20 hours I'll be leaving London, Ontario, Canada, never to return to live again. At least that's the plan. My move to British Columbia is, at this point, being viewed as a long-term move, and as such I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact that I am leaving all my good friends and family behind. So, to all those that have enriched my life beyond anything that you will ever realise, thank you SOOOO much. I value your friendship and love immensely, and hope that it will continue for many years to come.

Wow, it's really getting down to it. I still haven't packed my clothes, or even decided on which articles I'm bring with me. Nothing quite like leaving everything to the last minute, eh? Steph and I only just today managed to get the roof box strapped down to the car! Haha, its alright. Toronto is our first stop, and that's only a couple of hours away, so we'll have some time to organise things a little bit better when we're there...

So thank you London, and good luck for the future. Thank you to all my friends and family, and I'll be seeing you real soon. This is not the end, it's only the beginning of something beautiful...!

Four Days until Cashstrapsville.

In four days I will be unemployed and pinching pennies. Seriously. In eight days I start the move to western Canada.

I'm looking forward to the latter of these. I'm not so looking forward to having to watch my wallet. It sucks, but can easily be done. I think after traveling the world for six years I've probably learned a few things about living on the cheap, so what's another two months, right? I'm excited to not work at this particular job... In particular I'm looking forward to not working with a couple people anymore. Don't get me wrong, there are a few people that I will genuinely miss from my work, but they are too few to keep me there.

Stephanie (my travel partner) and I have pretty much got everything sorted out for our trip, though. We managed to get a roof rack attached to her car, and the only thing we really have to get is the actually roof box to store our stuff in. This is very exciting indeed. Her little car is going to look pretty awesome with it latched atop the roof! I've already started to go through my stuff, and luckily I don't have much. Steph, on the other hand, has to have a garage sale this saturday to get rid of all her things!

When I get out west I'm living with nothing. A bed, a chair, and a dresser. That's all I need. Maybe some cutlery and food articles... I haven't decided yet.

The Good Ol' Garbage Sale.

It's a Canadian institution. The saturday morning garage (aka garBage) sale. If you're lucky and live on a street that's into this sort of thing, maybe you can organise a street garbage sale. That way people will come in, far and wide, to peruse yard after yard of useless crap that you don't want anymore. Hey, your rubbish could be someone else's disgusting table ornament, right?

Here's an example of what you could pick up at our house's sale:

- a white stain-glassed swan lamp
- a tv that gets three channels
- a VCR (doesn anyone use these things anymore?)
- musical tapes by the likes of C&C Music Factory, the Beavis and Butthead Movie Soundtrack, etc.
- a six speed bike with two working speeds.
- an orange fondue set.

If anyone is interested, there's heaps of other useless crap lying around that you're more than welcome to take off our hands. I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing at 8am on a saturday morning. Although, the couple beers I've already had are taking the sting out of it all...

Welcome to America... err, Canada!

For someone who's just arrived in Canada, it'd be hard to tell the difference between this country and our neighbours to the south. Hopefully my friend Tam, who's just flown in from New Zealand, doesn't think Canada is full of loud-mouthed, over-weight, intrusive people.

You see, we (being my brother Geoff and I) picked her up from the airport in Toronto on Saturday afternoon and drove in to the City to spend the night. Little did we know that Carabana was on (Toronto's massive celebration of Carribean culture). This is a huge event, with people from all over the states coming to blast reggae music from their "pimped out" cars and drink cheap wine.

The next day we attempted to drive from Toronto to Niagara falls (118kms away). In fact, we crawled there. Carabana was over, so the Americans had to go home in their Escalades and Crown Victorias. It took us THREE HOURS to drive the normal one hour drive to the falls.

I'm being all negative here, and I'm sorry for that because I'm really happy to have Tam here and I know we're going to have a good time. I'm just not a fan of crowds...

Vitamin C and a Cleanse.

I just finished an entire pint of orange juice and had a shower. Just thought you should know...

Alone in a house on a hill...

...Well, in a house on a nice, quiet street, that is. I'm taking care of a friend's house for a week while her and her parents are away in Ottawa, our nation's capital. It's been really nice to have the place to myself. Two down sides: They haven't got a shower, only a bath; They haven't got internet access. On the PLUS side, though, is that they stocked the house with snacks and beer! I think it all evens out.

What a hot, HOT week! I mean, I like being outside and active and all, but when it's 40+°C with the humidity taken into account it's not exactly the best of days to be active... Let alone WORKING IN! Holy shit, it's been hot. The best part is that for the next five days it's only meant to get hotter. Then, BAM!, Friday rolls around and it's meant to be 21°. Weather is a fascinating beast...

Tomorrow, Sunday, I'm breaking down and getting a mobile phone. It's hard to believe, and I thought that I'd be able to hold out until I arrived out west in BC, but I went to the stores last week and found a pretty good deal, so I'm going back tomorrow to seal the deal. Yeesh.

Welcome to the 21st Century, Adam!

Didn't you get the memo?!?

So there's a near war going on over in the middle east... I suppose you've all heard about it, right? Did you also hear that there was another tsunami over on the Indonesian island of Java? Yeah, that one sort of got lost through the cracks a bit.

What wrong with everything in the world? Why can't we all just "get along"? The ceasefire between the Palestinians and the Isrealis was going so well, and then all heck breaks loose just to the west with Lebenon and those ol' baddies of the 80's Hezbolla thinking they want to stir shit up. Apparently Iran had "something" to do with the initial attacks, according to words our of Isreal, which could really heat things up (remember when the Iranian hard-line president said something to the effect of "Isreal should be wiped off the face of the planet"?). Oh joy.

But on looking at the positives about this new war, at least it's taking away from the strife and violence that's STILL happening over in Afghanistan and Iraq. I mean, when was the last time you heard about a fresh bombing in Iraq? Probably the day before the first bomb dropped in Isreal, actually... Even though there are undoubtedly mass killings every single day. I bet Ol' Bush Baby is loving this!

Gosh Bless those American Politicians. Don'tcha just love a good international conflict?

Thinking of subject headings is the hardest part!

What's going on people? Anybody out there? No? Okay then...

The world cup is over. I read on the news today that the English fans, who's team were eliminated in the quarter-finals, were estimated to have spent some 235million POUNDS on beer alone since their team went out. That's pounds STERLING. In Canadian dollars that equates to roughly half a billion dollars. More than, actually. Imagine what that much money could do for some poor, starving nation in Africa. Oh how many people it could house in war-torn Afghanistan. OR think of how loaded you could get all in the name of competition! WOOHOO!

Speaking of money, it's a rain day at work today. I woke up at about four in the morning to a massive thunder and lightning storm thinking that there is no way I was going to be able to work today. After a bit more sleep I woke at my regular hour of six-to-the-a.m. and it was still raining. Half an hour later my boss called and told me to go back to sleep. All these rain days are making it hard for me to save money for my move to Western Canada...

On the other hand, I've got the day off! Enjoy working for the "Man", suckers!

The End is nigh.

Welcome back to "A Modern Day Hobo". Lately there hasn't really been that much hobo-ing, as any of you who read this know.

England are out of the world cup, as are Brazil. I went to a local pseudo-english pub here in London, Ontario with my brother and two of his childhood friends and watched on disappointedly as England went out 0-0 (3-1 on penalties) for yet another year. It was thoroughly enjoyable being in that environment with all those English football fans, but bitterly disappointing when they lost.

I just woke up from a nap to see that Brazil lost 1-0 to France. Thierry Henry apparently scored the winning goal, but I was asleep when he did. He is an outstanding player, and I couldn't be happier that he re-signed with the team I follow in the English Premier League (Arsenal).

The world cup is one of those special sporting events that only comes around every four years, so I have been trying to enjoy as much of it as possible. So far is has lived up to every bit of it's expectations...

I am like a hurricane...

Well everyone, the wait is over. After some grief and aggravation, I have recieved my birthday present of one brand new Art & Lutherie Folk Cedar acoustic guitar in Antique Burst finish. It's honestly a thing of beauty. I had to wait two weeks for it, and in the end I didn't get it through the store I had originally ordered it from, but at least now I have it.

I've wanted an acoustic guitar for a while now, and after selling my electric guitar and amplifier I paved the way for this acquisition. It will be much easier to transport it across the country than my previous guitar, and MUCH easier to play around the numerous campfires that I'm sure will be lit on the trip. I'm hoping that my Neil Young repertoire grown substantially by the time we leave...

Another beautiful day here in South Western Ontario. Pretty sure it's great barbeque weather, and with the folks on the way out of town tonight it'll be the perfect atmosphere for a couple beverages and a couple veggie burgers. All are welcome, but if you're coming from out of the country you might want to hop on your horse pretty soon... It's meant to rain in a couple days.

See you then!

25+3+2 has arrived!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am now twenty eight years old. Does anyone realise what this means? I have arrived in my (put on a deep, booming voice here) "late twenties"!!! When people ask me how old I am, I can say "I'm late twenties".

I think it's going to be a great year. Will it surpass my best year yet at the age of twenty five? Only time will tell. I have a feeling that great things will happen! Already this year I have got a new guitar, plans to make a move out west and live a proper, healthy life according to what I believe is neccessary for me, and an urge to start something of a career when I get there. From here on in only good things can happen...

If anyone wants to come along for the ride of a lifetime, you know where to find me!

Big things are a-comin'...

Today is the 3rd of June. In eight days I will be 28. Mark it on your calendar, because it's going to be the start of a great year. So far my best year has been my 25th, but the next year for me might just eclipse that.

So the folks are away this weekend, which means that the kids can come out to play. Those crazy "weather-people" have been calling for a 90% chance of rain today, but as I look out the window beside me the day is screaming "BARBEQUE!"... and that's exactly what's going to happen today. Brother Geoff is having a few people over, and I'm going to prepare some baked potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and maybe some veggie skewers to go along with it all... Throw in my FREE 12 pack of bottled Sleeman's Cream Ale and you've got the makings for a delicious and nutritious meal.

And I'm off to Niagara Falls tomorrow for the day to meet up with a friend I met in Australia. She's been nannying in Florida for the past few months, and the agency she's with is sending a whole bunch of people on an "educational" trip to the Falls. How it is that going for a ride on the Maid Of The Mist and drinking in seedy downtown Niagara Falls bars is educational I'll never know, but there you have it. Should be a nice day...

Hopefully those "weather-people" predict another rainy day so I won't have to worry about bringing my raincoat...

Harumph.

Oh hell, let's get down to brass taxes. Work -- It sucks. It makes you tired, you're never paid enough, and you always feel like you can do better than what you are currently doing. Whatever. The worst thing to do is think about what the future holds, especially because the future is blind.

I have a serious difficulty in over-analyzing situations that I find myself in. I think too much. Why can't I leave things be and enjoy the ride? Is it a problem to think of potentiality? Is that a word? Basically I am in the habit of thinking about things that are completely out of my hands and trying to control the situation. What makes people want to have complete control over things? How come we can't let things flow the way they are meant to?

I'm hoping that over the next couple weeks I will be able to tell where things are naturally going in my life for the short term, and that they are going in the direction I want them to. Obviously it will take some discipline to allow matters to take their own shape without influence, but I think I can manage it. I hope for my own sake I can manage it...

Man I hate withdrawal.

Rain day!

Ahh rain. Is there anything... wetter?

It's been raining all night, and the so-called (probably self-proclaimed, too) "weather experts" are calling for rain for the rest of today. And don't even get me started on what they are saying is supposed to be happening for the REST of the WEEK! Your crazy predictions are causing ME to have a day off work, which means I don't get paid, which means it makes it harder to save money, which means I'm going to be POOR! Thanks "weather experts", I should sue you for lack of income.

On a lighter note, only eleven weeks until Tam gets here! Oh Tam, we are going to have such joyous fun times! See you in August!

Camp me in!

Another week down the drain, and the weekend is upon me. Oh joy! It felt like a short week, too, as there was a rain day yesterday and today was nearly a rain day, with me getting off two hours earlier than usual. Not bad...

It's still raining, but boy oh boy I'm going camping this weekend! There's nothing like the first camping weekend of the summer. It brings such anticipation for the coming weekends, and what with the rain expected for this weekend all further camping outings can only get better, right? We've got the tent, the air mattress, the blankets, the stove, food, food, and more food, and a little thing called al-co-hol... What could a camping weekend be without all the essentials, right?

But I'm bringing a book, magazine, chess, board games, and other various articles to keep busy with, so it shouldn't be that bad in the end. Oh joy, not long now before my ride gets here! Bring on the bugs!!

Sleepy Is As Sleepy Does.

Amazing how much of a zombie one becomes after not getting the recommended daily amount of sleep, isn't it? Normally my body works on an average of 8 hours of sleep each night, but the past couple nights have been drastically below that magic number. Hmm...

Anyway, today at work I was asked to dig 20 holes in the side of a hill so some lady could plant some flowers in it. This hill is made of clay and rock, so the work wasn't exactly the most fun I've ever had. However, after the holes were done I asked if she'd like MORE holes dug (obviously the lack of sleep was really affecting me)!! Three holes later and I was done for the day... Fuck that, nobody should be forced to work under these conditions!

However, aside from sometimes odd job requests, my job is going well. I've already got a pretty KILLER farmers tan! My morning ride to work and afternoon ride home is a lot more fun, and the weather is amazing. Not many complaints here!

High Speeds + Bugs + Open Mouth = More Protein!

I passed! I'm smart again!

Today I took my first "test" of sorts for ages and ages. I don't think I've had to write a test on anything since I graduated from college all those years ago, and I had been dreading the day when I had to do another one. However, to tell you all the truth, it wasn't actually that bad.

For those of you down in New Zealand reading this and remember my slender frame zooming around the streets or Christchurch on a wee-little moped, well, I'm back at it BABY! and this time I'm legal! That's right, I took my scooter drivers licence test today and I passed with flying colours. I'm so happy. I forgot how much I loved zipping around on that little Yamaha FZ50...

Don't worry, there will be photos coming shortly...

Dial 'A' For Murder...

Well, I guess a fox or a raccoon had a pretty good meal last night. Somewhere, a mamma duck cries...

Dr. Kevorkian I am not...

Today at work I was doing some gardening when I suddenly disturbed at fresh duck's nest with 13 fresh eggs and a mamma duck. I peaked around a small bush and out ran this mamma duck without making a noise. I nearly crapped my pants... especially when I found the 13 eggs!

My co-worker and I asked a neighbour that was watching our antics and he said that the duck and its mate have been in the garden for a week, but yesterday there hadn't been any eggs. So there is a small chance that I disturbed the mamma duck as she was laying. Hopefully this 13 isn't an unlucky number. I wouldn't be able to live with myself!!

Please send donations to...

ME! If anyone out there can spare a coin, a bill, a blank cheque, anything, don't hesitate to throw it my way.

I went in to work yesterday to find a pile of envelopes on the table in the staff room. Quite obviously these were pay slips, yet for some reason there wasn't one with my name. When I asked about this I was told that my information probably didn't get into the system early enough and that I would have to wait until the NEXT pay period to get paid.

Now, I don't know how many of you out there are able to spread $2.96 out over three weeks, but that's what I've got to do. If you have any tips or hints as to how I'm going to make this happen let me know. I'm stumped...

One Week Down.

It's now been one week since I started my new job at River Bend Golf and Country Club, and I have to say that it's been quite enjoyable. Each day I was doing something different, though I'm sure that will change to being repetitious activities day after day soon enough. At the moment, however, I'm really enjoying things. The highlights of the week include:

1) Using a gas powered backpack leaf blower
2) Zooming around the grounds in little golf carts laden with gardening tools
3) Working for thirty minutes on Wednesday but getting paid for three hours
4) Wearing a construction hard hat and feeling like a "real man"
5) Simply getting off my ass and starting work again!

So I'm looking forward to the upcoming summer for sure. Being outside is going to be amazing, and I found out that I'm allowed to wear shorts instead of having to wear long work pants all summer! Woohoo!! Today I got fitted and ordered my work "uniform", which is going to consist of two polo shirts, two moisture wicking t-shirts, a wind jacket, and a fleece jacket. By the end of the summer I'm going to have one killer farmers' tan!

Another five months of this and I hope to have saved up enough money to get my skinny, farmer-tanned ass to BC! Time for the wagon train to start gassing up!!

I'm in the money...

Thanks to all those people out there that were so positive about my finding work... Your good vibrations really paid off, and today I had my first work day since returning to Canada. I have started work as a "landscape maintenance worker", ie I cut grass and pull weeds all day. Hey, it's a job, right?

Actually, I had a really good week last week, and was offered another position as well. This was through one of the agencies I signed up with. It was a warehouse/factory position, and while it was slightly higher paid than the job I took within "landscape maintenance", I decided that it would be better to spend the next few months outside in the bright sunshine and beautiful southern Ontario summer weather than in a stuffy, hot warehouse. Plus I get free golf at my new job when I'm not working, and at the regular price of $90/18 holes, I think that's a pretty good bonus for working there.

So today I got to play with a gas powered leaf blower, a gas powered "power broom", and I got to drive around a little golf cart laden with tools. This coming Saturday I'll be trained to drive a ride-on mower, a ride-on rake (I don't get it either...), and other crazy "landscape maintenance" machines.

Yay me, I have a job! Hopefully I'll be able to save up enough money by the end of it all to make my move out west to BC, where my heart and mind live. Bring it on!

Check out Mr. Awesome...

First things first, congratulations to those two special people who got hitched yesterday. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to mention your names here in case certain people might inadvertantly stumble upon my humble weblog, so if you know who you are, all the best...

It was a good day in The Big Smoke yesterday, albeit a long one. Early start, late finish, but fun times all the same. The restaurant in particular, Kalendar, was outstanding. Definitely a place I would eat at again. Excellent recommendation...

Secondly, I went out and did something rather stupid today. I bought an Apple Powerbook G4 laptop computer. I'm enjoying it, even if it was a pretty big investment. It's officially my own computer, the first one I have ever purchased on my own, and did I mention it's all mine? HA! It will be a good investment to help me further my photographic aspirations, so the cost doesn't really bother me that much. Besides, it was on sale with a rather nice discount! I'll get some programs from a friend of mine who works on Apples all the time, and I'll be good to go!

Now all I have to do is figure out how to get the internet connected to it and I can look at hours and hours of pornography at my own leisure! Suh-weet!

I've hit the half century!

Congratulations, everyone, you are now reading my FIFTIETH entry in this blogger weblog. Thanks to all those that have stuck around, even though I know you are few and far between...

I should explain the beautiful photo of our little friend up top... This weekend I went away to Toronto for a few days with a friend, and on the Sunday we walked through High Park, which is a large park on the western outskirts of the city. It's large and sprawling, and accomodates a small "zoo" of sorts. I was especially excited when my friend told me there were bison (more often referred to as buffalo) enclosures. However, she neglected to tell me ahead of time that there were YAKS there as well! I can only assume she witheld this information because she knew how excited I would be.

Anyway, they were beautiful, and there was even a little wee baby munching away on some hay. Man, yaks are humongous! I had no idea! We also saw some huge bison and some highland cattle, which are awesome.... I'd like to share a quote from the weekend, overheard out of the mouth of a little girl as she passed the bison enclosure:

"Mommy, I can see some poo coming out of that one over there!"

Through style and grace......

...........I shall prevail.

May I have your attention PLEASE!!

Hello all (or rather, the few that read this). First off, I would like to draw your attention to a couple weblogs that I have discovered. A fairly popular Canadian comedian/polital commentator named Rick Mercer (www.rickmercer.blogspot.com) has, at first glance, a rather funny weblog. Of course, there is no way for me to verify whether or not it actually IS Rick Mercer, or just some crazy man thinking that he's Rick Mercer, but it's funny all the same. Also, I cannot verify that this next weblog is written by the stated author, but MC Hammer (www.mchammer.blogspot.com) apparently is involved in the blogging community. Check it out, if you dare!

So, now that I have introduced you to something new, let's get onto the meat and potatoes. I don't know how many people noticed, but the Canadian Men's Hockey Team lost in the quarter-finals of the Winter Olympics. For those that don't know, that means they went without a medal. WITHOUT A MEDAL!! Yeesh...

Anyhow, Canada ended up third on the medal table anyway, one behind the mighty USofA. Of course, had we won a medal in the men's hockey, we would have tied them. Luckily they didn't win a medal in the men's hockey either. But as a nation we are more than happy with our medal count of 24. This is the most we have ever won in the tournament, which is outstanding.

Deeper and darker, I am still unemployed, and prospects do not look to be getting any better. Maybe I'm limiting myself, maybe I'm not allowing myself to experience new things because of my bias towards them. Who knows? At any rate I know that something will come along in due time, and I can't allow myself to get down about my lack of income. Sometimes it's hard, but things will look up. I have to believe they will...

Later, douche-mouth.

Have you caught the fever?

Ahh, my favourite time of every four years has arrived. Ladies and gentlemen, let "The Games" begin!

Yes, that's right, the winter Olympics have started, as I'm sure you are all aware. Officially today is the second day of action. Already Canada has secured one gold medal in the freestyle moguls, and the women's hockey team has trounced Italy 16-0. As I type this the same team is now outscoring Russia (RUSSIA!!) 12-0. On the hockey front the rest of the world might look like it will have a little trouble with this event. In three days time the men's hockey team starts their gold medal run with an opening game against (uh-oh) Italy. I have to say I'm feeling pretty good about this one...

The winter Olypics, in my mind, are much better than the summer Olympics. I mean, does the summer Olympics have an event where you blast head-first down a giant ice slide at 150km/h? NO! Does the summer Olympics have ballroom dancing on ice? NO! As far as I'm concerned the only thing the summer Olympics have that the winter Olympics don't is power-walking. And once the winter Olympics get power-walking on ice, well, forget about it. OH WAIT! IT ALREADY DOES! And it's called speed skating...

IN YOUR FACE SUMMER OLYMPICS!

Rough It or Die..

When it comes to life, we have to ask ourselves a series of questions in order to eventually get ahead. One question that most of us ask ourselves at one point or another is "What do I want to do?" Now, this is a fairly open-ended question, and could mean "What do I want to do tonight" or "What do I want to do on my upcoming vacation" or "What do I want to do with my life?" Lately I've been asking myself that question in regards to the latter.

Rather, I know what I want to do with my life, but I've been asking myself HOW I want to get there. I think that it's easy to decide what you want to do with your career, where you want to live, etc., but to actually decide how you're going to get there by sacrificing certain aspects of comfort and enjoyment can be the hardest decision.

I'm quite pleased with how life is treating me. I have a loving family, friends that respect me (or so I sometimes imagine), I'm debt-free (for the most part), I have goals and aspirations that I can be proud of.......

The next step is to make those goals and aspirations materialise. I know that I'm going to have to make some sacrifices along the way to get to where I am ultimately aiming, and I'm okay with that. People tend to forget, in my opinion, that sacrifice is part of life, and we can't be 100% pleased all the time. As long as people recognize this and accept it, happiness will come sooner rather than later.

It's okay, cheer up. Life is a ride, enjoy it.

Quoting a good friend: "Interview #1"

Yesterday I had my first interview in well over a year. Since coming back from overseas I've been specialising my job search a little, focusing on getting into the travel/tourism industry. Hey, it's what I know, right?

Anyway, I managed to secure an interview with a company called GAP Adventures, and it's an amazing company that shares many of the same values as I have when it comes to travel. You know -- sustainable tourism, environmentally friendly travel, adventurous and independant travel. I think the interview actually went pretty well. I know that I messed up on a couple questions, but I'm not entirely worried about those. My lack of sales experience is the thing that's going to bring me down a notch, so I wouldn't be entirely surprised if I didn't get offered the position.

To be honest, I won't be surprised either way if I get offered a job or not. For sure it would be great to be working again, but this was my first interview, and I can't press anything. Something will come along, even if I have to expand my search a little. Maybe my move out west will come a little sooner than predicted. Who knows...

A second dark age descends...

Some of you may know, some of you may be clueless, and some of you might have followed it with vim and vigour. I'm here to break the bad news...

Canada now has a new Conservative Prime Minister in StePHen Harper. Over the past eight weeks the political trail has pointed towards a Conservative near-landslide, but I'm happy to announce that they only gained a minority government. The previously-in-power Liberals had run, in my mind, a poor campaign to try and stay in office, and the Conservatives didn't really look like they were going to have any trouble come yesterday. However, it's a tale of the power of Liberal supporters that the Tories only managed a minority government, even after all the scandals and rip-roarin' good times the Liberals had during their twelve year tenure.

Personally I think the next four years of Conservative power will be an interesting one. I'm not a conservative, and there's a fat chance that hell will freeze over before I'm dead, but this might just kick Canada back into the forefront of world politics. Actually, let me revise that: AFTER the tories get voted out at the next election in four years Canada might be back at the forefront of world politics.

There's a pretty good chance that StePHen Harper and the Conservatives will turn back Canada's clock and try to ban gay marriage again, they'll probably turn their backs on the Kyoto Treaty, they will surely try to fix relations with G-Dub's American Machine, and the argument for medicinal marijuana use will be put even further on the back-burner.

..."Oh Canada, our home and native lan"... Have a great four years!

7-3, Lights out!

What a Friday. How much fun did I have? Well, probably more than I will allow myself to write here, so I'll just have you know that the whole day, entirely, was enjoyable. I'll fast forward to the events of the evening...

I had briefly returned home in the early afternoon after running chores when Geoff declared that he had a present for me: a ticket to the London Knights home game against Toronto-St. Mikes. Excellent, I thought, I don't have to make any other plans! My night was set. Without much hassle I was able to convince my friend Vanessa to come along as well. We popped down to get her a ticket to the game, and in early evening we parted ways to get some solo chores done, eat food, and prepare.

Fast forward a little to the game, where we had managed to sneak in some alcohol that we had all picked up moments before. I just have to say that I have not had a proper night out in a while, so this was a bit of a treat for me. Anyway, the game was great, the Knights won 7-3, and we retired to one of Geoff's friends' house to reconvene the group and decide where we were off to next. While we were inside deciding (well, the others did most of the deciding) the heavens opened up and it started to rain.

Vanessa had a couple friends going to a local institute called Joe Kool's, so I offered her my hat and we trudged through the deluge to find them. They weren't there. We got a drink each and people watched for a bit until the others from the group got there. During this time I had an epiphany, which was very funny to me at the time. Oh the wonders of alcohol...

As time passed it (obviously!) got later, and what with Vanessa teaching a 0930 violin class, she had to away. We put her in a cab and Geoff and I attempted to go to another bar. However, not wanting to wait in line for a bar that didn't give me an interview, we caught a taxi home and crashed out after a well fought game of Mario Party 7 on the Gamecube.

I'd have to say that it was a great night, a perfect ending to a perfect day. Thanks to all those involved, especially those extra special people that know who they are!

One down...

...One to go.

Well my chances are getting slimmer by the day. Yesterday I managed to finally get my short telephone interview with Flight Centre for a position in Toronto. An hour after that call I received a call from GAP Adventures, where I had applied over the Xmas holidays. I had thought that both interviews (actually, they were more like conversations I suppose) went fairly well, with my answering their questions quickly and (I thought) concisely and to the best of my ability. I had actually thought that the Flight Centre call had gone a little bit better than GAP Adventures.

Low and behold I just checked my email and received one from Flight Centre saying that they thanked me for my application but they would not be pursuing it any further. Which leaves me with that one last chance in GAP Adventures. If this one doesn't work out I'm going to have to start slumming it... However:

I WILL NEVER BE A TIM-BITCH AGAIN!!!

Two goals, a scotch, and a couple naps...

After a fairly unproductive week, the weekend just passed didn't have to try very hard to cheer me up. I didn't hear back from the pseudo-Irish pub, which I had (apparently unfounded) high hopes for. I did, however, apply for a job with a travel company called Flight Centre over the internet last week, and heard back from them straight away (in email form -- doesn't anyone just telephone anymore?) saying they wanted me to call THEM to arrange a "short telephone interview". I have been playing phone tag with them ever since...

So saturday rolls around, which means road hockey! It was a bit of a smaller crowd this time round, which meant a half-court game was in order. Four hours later, and with two goals in hand (a third was debatable, so I let Scott W. have it), I called it a day and went home for a cup of tea.

That evening my friend Vanessa came over and we had dinner together then went to a couple classy joints for a drink and dessert. We had decided that it would be fun to dress up all smart-like and pretend that we were P.O.P.... "People Of Importance". So we got all dolled-up and headed for Maggies Jazz Bar. After enjoying a 15 year old scotch (Glenwhinnie, if you're interested) we crossed the street to The Tasting Room, where we shared a piece of chocolate cheesecake. I also enjoyed a pot of Earl Grey tea, which was sub-par. All-in-all a very enjoyable evening. Thanks Vanessa, you're the greatest!

Sunday was spent in the car driving for a brunch to celebrate my Grandma Joan's birthday. On the way there I slept most of the way, which made the drive fly by. Brunch was good, and the omelette I had was lovely. It was good to see my older brother Jamie, and the rest of the family as well. I'll post a few photos on my photo page later.

So it was a good weekend all around. Hopefully the goodness that the weekend offered continues on this week. I've got badminton club tonight with my brother Geoff, so that should be great. Always good to go out and get some exercise...

Back in the Swing!

Well what an eventful weekend I've had. It all started on friday, when I applied for the job I wrote about earlier. I honestly think I have a better chance than most, so hopefully I'll hear back from them. I was told that they would be looking over resumés today (sunday) and calling for interviews this week coming, so fingers crossed for me, people!

Saturday was where the action really was. I was up late-ish the night before, so I slept a little later than I wanted. At noon I was off to a local park to play a pick up game of road hockey atop the freshly fallen snow. It was great, because I got to meet up with a couple people I hadn't seen in a long time, I got a little much needed exercise, and I also got to participate in National Hockey Day In Canada. Oh, and I scored a goal! I was pretty close to being the worst player out there, but through shear determination I somehow got my stick on the ball and poked it in the net. Man, was I ever proud!

That night I went to a friend's place and had a quiet night playing video games. It was good to just have a quiet night, but also to get out and spend time with friends. A great combination.

Today has been pretty quiet as well, basically because my entire body is sore from the hockey yesterday. I watched "Miami Ink" for a couple hours (there was a marathon going on) and hung out with my brother. Then the folks rang with news of the incoming scooter they were picking up, I took the dog to the park, and have been relaxing ever since. Isn't that what sundays are for?

Speaking of which, I'd better get back to some much needed relaxing!

......

I'm dying inside...

I'm furckin' sexy!

Well, I'm just about to head out the door in my newly purchased outfit to go apply for a lowly entry level bar job. I hope my months at the St. Albans Shirley Club will put me in good stead...

I purchased, as stated in a previous entry, some nice slacks and a beautiful shirt, and yesterday I found a belt that I had purchased some years ago. It consists of a brown belt and a wonderfully playful belt buckle that reads "Scooter Power" surrounding a picture of three colourful Vespa-style scooters. I'm hoping that this combination will not only get me the entry-level bar job at one of the many pseudo-Irish pubs here in Londontown, but that it will also attract a good deal of ladies my way. Why?

Because I'm furckin' sexy, that's why!

Happy 2nd Xmas!

Just wanted to say thanks to my older brother Jamie for his gift this holiday season. I finally managed to get out and spend your gift certificate, which I used to purchase a pair of nice slacks and a nice button-up shirt. With any luck my new look will land me a job soon. I've also got $2.odd left on the gift card! How exciting!

Things are going well back here in Canadia. I've been hanging out with friends, prepping myself for the upcoming serious job hunt, relaxing and enjoying being back in my homeland... Over-all it's been good. I'm eager to get working and making some money, but I've been making some contacts with people that are in the fields that I'm looking, so you never know what might happen.

In other exciting news, tomorrow night is the weekly meeting of the London Camera Club, which I am going to attend all by my lonesome (or so it looks at the moment). I'm trying to cover all bases as I attempt to build a career as a photographer (eventually), or at least I'll be able to get in the habit and desire of wanting to go out and photograph.

Sweet as, bro! Churr!

Happy New Year!

Just wishing everyone a happy new year! I hope that 2005 was a dream for everyone, just as it was for me. I met and made some great friends, had some amazing experiences and adventures, and have memories that I know will last a lifetime. Thank you to everyone who was part of my life in 2005. I can only hope that the next twelve months will live up to the last twelve.

All the best to everyone, especially all my friends in the UK, NZ, and Oz. I love you and can't wait to have beautiful experiences with you again!

Greatest Gift Ever!

Thanks to Geoff, I am now the VERY proud owner of one of the greatest party games ever...

Welcome Back, Mr Kotter!

Well, well, well. Long time, eh? What's it been now, about six weeks or something? I can't even remember. It's alright though, I'm here now for you. You can stop your crying, sit back, and enjoy where I'm going to take you. It'll be fun, I promise.

Haha, actually it's been so long now that I'm unfortunately not going to tell you all the exciting things I've seen and done since leaving Fiji. In a couple days I'll point you in the direction of my photo page where you can peruse at your own pace through the adventure that is my life... Until then, I'll tide you over with the story of my arrival home.

As most of you that read this know, I decided to make my presence known in Canada for the first time in three years this holiday season. And as I may have let you know my mother was in the dark about my return. I wanted it to be a surprise for her ("Happy holidays, here's your present: ME!"), but everyone else in my family knew I was coming. So after a long day on a bus (and remember, this was the night before Xmas), traveling from Chicago to London, Ontario, Canada, I met my younger brother Geoff at the bus stop and he took me home. I had been thinking of how I would approach the actual meeting of Adam&Mum, but in the end I simply opened the side door, took my shoes off, and walked into my parents' bedroom where they were changing the sheets all casual-like. "Merry Christmas", I announced, and watched as the tears began to flow from my mother's eyes. I couldn't escape her crab-claw-like grasp for two hours after that.

Haha, in the end it was a great surprise for her. She claims that she had "mother's intuition" and sort of knew that I was coming, but I really have my doubts about that. All in all it worked out pretty much as I had hoped.

More tales of excitement and surprise later. It's late, and time for this monkey to be put down...

Hot stuff comin' through!

Hello y'all!

It just seems to be getting hotter and hotter here in Fiji. Yesterday I wasn't able to do anything but sit beside the pool and bake, cooling off every fifteen minutes with a dip. Yeah I know, it's tough.

The one thing I wanted to comment on is the buses here. They are absolutely crazy! Most haven't got any windows, and if it rains they just slap down these tarpauline windows that get rolled away when it isn't raining. There is absolutely no way that they would be road worthy in just about every other country in the world. Most of the drivers are Indo-Fijians that never talk, which is understandable because speaking creates heat and the last thing you need on these buses is more heat.

On the plus side they are dirt cheap. I can take a bus all around the main island (about a seven or eight hour trip) for about $25. And that's FIJIAN dollars, remember. For me to get into town from where I'm staying costs me $.65!

Oh, and while I remember, I'm now living on less than $15/day, accomodation included. Not too bad. I haven't been to too many places where you can claim that. Now, if I was in South-East Asia, you could cut that down to about $5/day, but I'm not there so I am pretty happy with my daily costs. Anyone want a genuine Fijian necklace for Xmas? Not a problem. I can afford the $.95, don't worry about it...

Golden Sand and Shimmering Water: A Heady Mix

I'm happy and exciting to say that during my time on the Outer Islands of Fiji I did not get drunk once. Considering that many people do this, what with the copious amounts of sun, sand, sea, and cocktails that are served up day after day, I didn't give in to the voices telling me to "have another". It didn't help that the local (and cheap) beer tasted like feet.

So if I had more time, or more money to afford more time, I would have included your typical "palm tree lazily leaning over crystal clear water" photo in this post as well. But since I don't it will have to wait for another time. Instead I will run through some of the things I have seen and done whilst in Fiji thus far.

-Snorkelling and seeing exotic fish of all shapes and sizes, notably clown fish (I found him! I found Nemo!), a puffer fish, a deadly lion fish, and a ray of some kind. Also brilliant coral that you can't even imagine.
-Lived on a boat for two days, which was brilliant.
-Eating amazing food, stuffing my face with seconds, thirds, and on one occassion, fourths.
-Visiting local villages and villagers, seeing a way of life that is unique and beautiful, but also sad and hard to stomach considering what us Westerners have, such as constant electricity, which many here still don't.
-Sunsets and sunrises to shame anything Disney or Pixar could imagine.

I could go on, and I wish I could, but time is running short. So for now, I'd like to wish all my friends back in New Zealand and big hello. Tam, I'll see you in Canada. Mel, I hope to see you there too, one day. Emjay, keep doing what you do best (my door is always open for you). Sarah, I love and cherish you and will always be indebted to you, even though you may not know why. To everyone else that I haven't got time to mention, all my thoughts and love.

Now I'm off to sit and read (is there anything ELSE to do in Fiji, you might ask? Not at the moment, it's pissing down with rain!), maybe even try and stomach one more can of Fiji Bitter. Probably not, actually...

Two T-shirts, a Haircut, and a Stir-Fry...

Hello again, and welcome back! The far north was beautiful, beautiful I tells ya! I really wish Geoff and I still had our van and that we had more time to spend up there. Lovely beaches, little undiscovered coves, friendly people... Very nice indeed.

I'm in Auckland now, New Zealand's largest city. Lots of people say that Auckland is full of JAFAs (if you're in the know, you know) and that it's too busy and bustling. Frankly, I'm enjoying myself. I bet it would be different if I was working here and had to contend with traffic and expenses and everything else that comes with big city living, but right now I'm enjoying myself.

Yesterday my friend Calesta took me on a "Tiki Tour", which as far as I can make out is just a little day tour of wherever you happen to go. It has nothing to do with tikis at all. My day started with a hair cut, which was probably well overdue. I have to say that John the Immigrant Iranian did a fine job. After this I met Calesta and we had a picnic lunch on North Head. North Head has all these cool underground tunnels that were built during the war, and they are now open to the public for shitty little kids to graffitti their tags all through. It's quite interesting, actually. After exploring the tunnels we drove to a place called Takapuna where I purchased two new plain t-shirts to replace two others that I didn't wear anymore. I'm very pleased with the new ones. Plus they were only $10 for both, which in my mind is a bargain! Calesta and I then grabbed a juice and drove over to Mission Bay and the Domain. Next it was off to have dinner at her place where she cooked me a nice vegetable stir-fry, and home by 10.30. I was pretty tired from not sleeping the night before, but I had a great sleep last night. Thus the Tiki Tour was completed.

As far as Tiki Tours go, it was the best one I've ever known to have been on.

G'day from the North of the North!

I made it, everyone, I made it as far north as you can make it in New Zealand. The sense of achievement is great, and I am a better person for it. Let's step back a little and bring you up to date, okay?

Mount Maunganui was nice, very nice indeed. We got there fairly late, after a late start to the day in Rotorua. We checked in to the hostel, dumped our stuff, and a few of us headed for the Mount, which is about the size of a pimple compared to the rest of the mountains here in New Zealand. Still, it was nice to get some exercise and the view from the "summit" was beautiful.

An early start to the day got us on the road to Auckland, and we were there by early afternoon. Just enough time to check into the hostel and have a wander around the city centre. Everyone bags Auckland and says how crappy it is, but I got a pretty good feeling from it. It's nice and green and there seems to be enough stuff to do to keep oneself busy. But then again there are lots of big cities that are exactly like it. As far as big cities go, though, I thought it was okay. I'd better like it because I'll be back there tomorrow! Haha!

Anyway, on Wednesday morning I caught the bus again for the north, and a town called Paihia. Northland New Zealand is beautiful, and the ride was great. I'm in a great hostel here (far and away the best I've been in while in New Zealand, actually), and the atmosphere is great. Yesterday I did a LONG day trip up to the northernmost tip of New Zealand, Cape Reinga, and along the way we did some sand boarding on 100metre high sand dunes. I had the most runs out of everyone, I'm pretty proud of saying...

Today I've already gone for a walk along the beach into the town centre, and this afternoon I'm going on a four hour walk to the Haruru Falls and back. I'm also going to pop into the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and inform myself of Maori/European History. Should be good I think.

And awaaaay we go!

YIKES!!!

That's right folks, I have now achieved both my "adventure goals" for New Zealand, that being jumping off a platform with nothing but a rubber band strapped around my ankles, and now I have lept out of a plane with nothing but a piece of fabric and a tiny dwarf strapped to my back. I have to say, though, that it was one hell of a ride. Mind you, it DID sort of feel like we were being cattle-herded into the plane... There just wasn't that personal feeling about it. Oh well. Can't have everything in our "adventure goals", can we?

So Taupo was nice, and now I'm in the rotting egg hell of Rotorua. Actually, the smell isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Rotorua is the spiritual centre of the Maori Kingdom (or so I've been told to tell everyone), and it's also a major hotspot for geothermal activity. This means that the town has a faint odour of sulphur constantly hovering over it. Luckily that managed to mask my own smell (I had a bit of geothermal activity myself last night!)...

This afternoon we're off to a place called Mount Maunganui, which is a popular coastal resort town. The hostel I'm staying at there is giving me a free meal tonight, which I'm really looking forward to. Should be good...

Where do I begin?

Hells yeah, y'all, I'm back on the road! Well, it's not all fun and games, of course. I had to leave several good good friends back in ChCh, which is probably the worst thing about travelling. That, and not having enough money, EVER, to do the things that you want to do... But I'll be raking in the casheesh soon enough, so it's not all doom and gloom! Thanks (huge thanks, in fact) go out to Tam, Mel, EmJizzle, and Phil for the last south island road trip, it was fun. I'll miss you all, and already do.

Of course all the other folks back in good ol' ChCh will also be missed, and you know who you are. Thanks for the memories. So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Now, back to the travelling bit. Hopped on the ferry to Wellington on a beautiful cloud free day. Waved goodbyes across the bay to the ones I love the most, and set off into the distance. The trip itself was pretty uneventful, but once I arrived in Wellington I was determined not to get stuck in a rut and stay at the hostel. Nice city, Wellington, and my only full day there was spent walking around taking a few photos, visiting a couple museums, and generally being a tourist. Luckily there were plenty of other tourists to blend in with. Met a couple nice people, which always makes the stay that little bit brighter.

Wednesday morning I got on my Magic Mystery Bus (beam me up Scotty was our driver, in only his third ever solo trip. What joy awaited me!) at the oh-so-early hour of 7.55am. Off on the road we went, with fresh-faced Scotty telling us interesting banter that he read out of the Magic Bus Driver Handbook along the way... I'm sorry, but please don't re-hash all the same stuff you have been told in training. But if you absolutely HAVE to, at least get the facts right and remember names.

After a few gratuitous stops along the way we arrived in Napier, the art deco capital of New Zealand. Napier was levelled by a massive earthquake at the turn of the 20th century, and it was rebuilt in an art deco style. Unfortunately they seemed to have forgotten over the years that art deco is a fairly boring style of architecture, so it just ended up being any other town. Oh well. The hostel I stayed at was interesting. It used to be the local prison, and we got to sleep in the old prison cells or officers' buildings. The shower blocks were, well, interesting, with a small plywood board covering your tiddly bits. Thankfully there weren't any extremely tall or short people staying at the time. The creepiest bit about the hostel though, was the fact that they had decorated some of the cells with dummies and other "prison-esque" articles. You'd be walking through the halls and suddenly see this person looking at you through the bars, only to turn around and see that it was some mannequin. Wierd.

The next day we were off to Taupo, where I'm writing this right now. Nice little town, with the cheapest skydiving in the world. I signed up to do a 12,000ft jump, all for the low-low price of $145. Unfortunately when we arrived it was really windy, so the jump was called off. We arranged to jump in the morning (today) weather permitting, but it's been raining since yesterday evening, so no jump today. Now it's scheduled for 8.30am tomorrow morning, exactly two hours before the Magic Mystery Bus is scheduled to come and get me to take me to the next spot. Talk about cutting it short!

Anyway, instead of skydiving yesterday I walked to this little stream that is heated by thermal vents in the earth's crust, so I had a bit of a free hot spa by the side of the river. Mind you, it was bloody freakin' hot, so I didn't stay long. Instead I went back to the hostel, cracked a beer, and hopped in the hot spa there. Haha! Made a few friends, which was nice, and had a good time.

So today is a bit of a write off, really. I can't go for a walk along the lake, which is what I wanted to do, because it's too rainy and wet. Instead I've already watched "The Incredibles", eaten breakfast and lunch, played pool with an englishman who didn't know how to play pool, walked into town to buy some dinner food, and now I'm writing this. Oh well.

Tomorrow should be more eventful. Early morning skydive, bus to Rotorua for a stopover to see the bubbling thermal pools, and a couple nights in Mount Maunganui. The hostel there is meant to be great, with free breakfast AND free dinner. Who could ask for anything more?

All that is old is new again.

I've noticed yet another idiot fad coming through in the youth of today. Recently we've had such gems as the fashion mullet come back into style, or the genius style of the 1980's coming back, which to me is just ridiculous. Even people that were teens in the eighties would tell you that it was complete stupidity that got them to wear such hideous articles of clothing.

Since I work in a busy shopping centre in Christchurch, New Zealand I'm able to observe quite frequently what the youth of today are up to. Mainly I just shake my head and laugh, but over the past week or so something has come to the forefront of my embarrassment for them. Somehow kids of today have decided that it's once again cool to shave interesting shapes into the sides of their heads, much like the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air used to shave ladder effects into his hair back in the early-mid nineties. I think if you were to ask Will Smith (aka. The Fresh Prince) what his biggest fashion faux-pas was in his entire life, I think he would say it was a toss-up between fluorescent clothing and funky hair designs.

Today alone I've noticed two of the youth of today with things shaved in the SIDES of their heads. One had funky ladder designs, and the other had what looked like a shockwave-esque line, much like what a heartbeat looks like on a heart monitor. I'm sure one of them was even wearing a pink polo shirt.

Now, if the youth of yesterday can see, in hindsight, that their fashion choices were horrible, why can't the youth of today see, with foresight, that their choices will inherently be horrible? Smarten up kids, think before you shave.

If you could, would you? (Part 1)

If you could fly, what would you do? I mean if you had the power of flight... Take, for example, birds. Not any old birds though, I'm talking about seagulls and ducks. You know how they sometimes will fly around in the air (duh, where else would they fly, Adam?) and randomly crap on people? Well, if you could fly, would you randomly crap on flocks of seagulls? I probably would. It would look pretty funny if anyone on the ground saw you, but I think it'd be worth it.

Or how about magpies? They seem to get immense joy out of harrassing us land-dwellers, swooping down on us and sometimes stealing our "shiney things". To be honest, I'd probably do the same thing. It'd be so much fun doing dives and barrel rolls in mid-air, and then catching a set of keys in your mouth, only to deposit it a few hundred yards away from where I got it from. So much fun...

Or, if you wanted to completely abuse your power of flight, would you fly around rich neighbourhoods and pool dive? Or maybe crap on the bonnet of their expensive cars? Or watch as they sunbathed nude? That's taking it a bit to the extreme, and not something I would do, but the option is there.

Or would you use your powers for something good, like solving crimes, or transporting people around the world for free, on your back? All they'd have to pay for would be a meal to keep your stamina up, and you'd get to see the world! That's what I'd do. I'd just travel around the world whenever and wherever I wanted, my backpack in tow. I could be the first person to climb Mount Everest in under twenty minutes!

Sweets for the sweet!

What a start to the day! Last night as I closed the shop I made sure I had most of the next day's fruit prep done, so I could just come in and relax and do whatever I wanted. That was a good start to the morning.

Then another mall employee that works at a gourmet candy shop came up and asked if he could use the internet for a few minutes to check something, and in exchange he'd bring me a bag of candy. This is real gourmet stuff, you know, hand made sweets. In the middle of each of the lollies is a picture of what it's meant to taste like: orange, passionfruit, strawberry, et cetera. I haven't tasted them out of fear that they may be laced with arsenic.

However, slightly more exciting than a free bag of candy also happened to me today. One of the mall managers came up to the shop with a piece of paper in her hand (turned out to be a mall comment card). She showed me that and asked if the person that wrote it was talking about me. Sure enough, at the end of it was a description of me: Tall, mid-twenties, with an American accent (how was she to know that I'm actually Canadian?). Then mall manager tells me that I've been selected as the mall employee of the month! So she then asks me if I drive, because the usualy prize for being selected mall employee of the month is two free months parking in the secure staff car park. When I say no, she tells me that she'll go away and try to organise something in place of the free parking. Then she takes my photo with a very old digital camera, says congratulations again, and walks off.

I can only imagine that either she really IS going to sort out some other prize for me, and that my face will be plastered in the next mall newletter, or she's actually a bounty hunter hired by Vodafone and she's tracked me down and is going to extradite me back to England to pay my unpaid mobile phone bill. I still haven't recieved a prize, so it's entirely possible you know...

Look everyone! It's a Sun-day!

Watch those steps, you might slip on the two centimetres of snow! I woke up two mornings ago to see this sight outside the front window. It's mid-spring here in New Zealand and people are wearing winter coats and long johns... Granted, I'm no different, but when you're travelling you have to try and fit in with your surroundings.

So I got to work yesterday morning and the place was completely dead. By ten o-clock I'd recieved word that all the schools in Christchurch were closing one-by-one, probably in an effort to flood the city with rampaging children gradually, so I thank the city council for that one. By 10.30 the mall was bulging at the seems with school kids, and by 11.15 we were back to normal. Maybe they figured out that being a MallRat wasn't a good life-long job...


Around 11.30 I'd heard through the grapevine that all the city buses were going to stop running for the day, even though the snow had stopped a half hour previous and I'd noticed brief moments of sunshine peaking through the television static sky. About the same time I heard that the buses were stopping I'd also heard that the mall management was giving shops permission to close up early if they wanted. I thought to myself "Well, that seems pretty silly since the snow has stopped..." Then again, I'd been at work for three hours and I hadn't sold anything at that point, so maybe it would be a good idea for me to close up shop.

Which is what I did, after getting the word from the manager. In the end I'd finished on $5.00 worth of sales for four hours' work. At least I had something to show for, however pathetic it might have been. So I picked up a case of beer and got some friends to come over for my first "Snow Day" in nearly three years. "Snow Day" eventually turned into "Kind Of Sunny And Nice Outside Day". I couldn't help but feel ripped off in the fact that I got sent home for just about no reason. There were rumours that the storm was going to come back that night and dump even more snow on us, but mostly it just rained and was cold. I woke up this morning and didn't notice any difference in snow levels.

So in the end I got a little bit drunk, complained about the state of New Zealand Weather Preparedness, and laughed. Here's a couple more picture of what caused Christchurch to come to a stand-still...

Bend it like Blogger.

That great British film of a few years ago "Bend It Like Beckham" is on television right now. I can't help but wonder if that great British football star David Beckham gets royalties from the producers of the movie for using his name in the title. I don't even think they use his name in the actual script, but he's in the title, so surely he's entitled to some sort of cash settlement... Not that he needs it.

Also on television right now is that doyen of reality tv "Growing Up Gotti". It features the Gotti family, of the famed modern-day mafia variety. Does a high profile mafia family really need more money by selling themselves into the worst thing that has ever happened to television (I'm talking the reality type)? And how come one of the richest families in the USofA has such horrible taste in everything? Their house looks like it's made of plastic and came out of a bad Eighties movie, as does their fashion and plastic surgery sense.

Speaking of bad taste, I watched "World's Wildest Police Chases" earlier on television. My main problem with this program is that it's in fact "America's Wildest Police Chases", and not the World's.

I just peaked up from the compter monitor and saw a Gotti family member with a mullet. WHAT THE HELL?!?

A Cryptic Wing-ed Horse Has Landed...

It's been a fairly good few days, everyone, and here's why. On Sunday last I went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was good, but not as good as I'd prepared myself for. There was just something missing, and I think it was too easy for me to compare it to the original Gene Wilder picture. Thanks go to Mel for shouting me the tickets, and thanks go to Kim for hooking us up (you know what I'm talking about, don't pretend you don't!).

Monday and Tuesday were pretty standard, really. I worked a full ten-hour shift at Tank on Tuesday that simply DRAGGED on and on and on, so in the end I was very happy to park my ass on the couch for the rest of the night.

Wednesday, today, is where the big even unfolded. I woke up and had some breakfast, a cup of tea, and Tam and I went to the vet to get LB the cat's stitches out of her foot. She was such a good little cat, and we're all very proud of her. Upon returning home I had some leftover pizza that I had for dinner last night and readied myself for my visit to see Steve The Tattooist. Steve is very talented, and I'd brought a sketch over to him on the previous Sunday to see if he could come up with something. He did, and after 90 minutes the wonderful work he did was etched for eternity on my inner left arm. Here's a bit of a photo to see him in action:



So thanks to Steve, and thanks to my mum for not giving a crap what I do to my body. I've uploaded more photos of the event into a new folder of my yahoo.ca photos, which you can find a link to (second from the top) on the right. ENJOY!

I do not know everything.

I'm going to get a t-shirt made that says "I Work At A Juice Bar, Not An Information Desk". At least eight times a day when I work at Tank I get people coming up and asking me where this or that store is, or where they can buy lottery tickets, or stamps, or if they are as dumb as they look.

Case in point an elderly gentleman just came up and asked me where he could buy some bread to feed the birds. I pointed to the GIGANTIC BRIGHT YELLOW SUPERMARKET DIRECTLY BEHIND THE TANK STORE!!! For some reason he still couldn't comprehend what I'd just said, and asked if they sold bread there.

I must need a vacation, or at least some time off on a tropical island, to get my head back in the the "I love humanity" mode that I generally am in. Preferably there would be hula girls there...

God help us all... Part 2.

Old Meathead: You do coffee too, do you?
Me: (Standing right beside a large cappuccino machine and huge coffee bean grinder) Yep.
Old Meathead: I'll have a long black please. Back in a minute.
Me: Sorry, what size did you want? (Pointing to the small, medium, and large paper cups we serve them in)
Old Meathead: You don't do coffee in cups?
Me: No, just these paper takeaway cups.
Old Meathead: I'm not drinking coffee out of that...!
Me: (Sigh) Okay. Bye.

God help us all...

I thought for a second I had escaped them all. Yesterday I worked a long shift at Tank Juice, at the normal location of Northlands Mall. Now everyone knows that shopping malls around the world are filled with homeless and hearless wierdos that have nothing else to do but hang around shopping malls being homeless and heartless. For some unknown reason yesterday there was a disproportionate number of wierdos in the mall, and for some further unknown reason they all seemed to gravitate towards me and my little wee shop. I can't explain it. But when I finished at the end fo the day I thought I'd gotten away from them, and that it would go back to the normal number of homeless and heartless wierdos. How wrong was I?

Today I'm filling in for a couple hours at the work-out-gym capital of the world, Les Mills Christchurch. Meatheads and protien junkies from all over the world seem to come here to pump iron (this comment is not directed at those of you that I know that come to Les Mills, I know you're not like the regulars that come here every waking minute of their day). I figured that these people couldn't possibly be a bunch of wierdos that would annoy the shit out of me, but for some reason it happened. Here's an exchange I had with two people, one wierdo and one ultrawierdo, about half an hour ago as they came in to get some nutritious and delicious Tank drinks...

Wierdo: Hi, I'll have the veggie combo juice, but with spinach instead of spicey tomato juice (Sidebar: You cannot get a whole hell of juice out of wilted, dead spinach. Trust me on this one.).
Me: Uh, sure, not a problem, I'll work it out.
Wierdo: (Insert Ultrawierdo's name here), are you getting anything?
Ultrawierdo: (In a voice loud enough to hear across the busy street outside) I'll, uh, mmm, huh... I'll have one of these ones on the board up here, but I don't want frozen yoghurt or strawberries.
Me: Okay, no problem. I can leave the frozen yoghurt out of anything that's up there, and there are quite a few that don't have any strawberries...
Ultrawierdo: Well I definitely don't want frozen yoghurt, that's for sure! And no strawberries! How about this one, on the board up here! (Sidebar: At Tank Juice, we have six different boards of options, all with on average seven or eight juices and smoothies. For me to pick the exact drink he's looking for is a near impossible venture.)
Me: (Sigh) Uh, okay...
Ultrawierdo: This one, with peach nectar, oranges, strawberries, and orange sarbet (He meant sorbet). But I don't want any strawberries!
Wierdo: I think he means the Tank Up. He'll have the Tank Up. Give him the large. No strawberries (just in case I didn't catch it the first four times...).
Me: Actually I'm sorry, but we haven't got any orange sarbet at the moment.
Ultrawierdo: Well put some frozen yoghurt in it then...
Me: (Sigh).

Did I mention that he was missing the front four teeth from both the top and bottom of his mouth?

Bring it on (with or without Kirsten Dunst)!!

I'm going hard out. I've promised myself, just this instant, to have a good week. Last week was fairly good, but at the end of it I was pretty tired and a bit bummed out from not doing too much. So this week I'm going to be happy chappy Adam again. I promise.

I haven't had a full day off from work since Tam's birthday over a week ago, and won't be having one again until this Sunday coming. At least I'm not stuck in a hurricane or going without food or water for days on end (and even if I was, I'd probably still blame George W!). I'm working 30.25 hours this week at the juice bar named Tank, plus I've got three shifts coming up over the weekend at The Club, so this should make my bank account grow significantly next week. This past week I did 28 hours at tank and 15 at The Club, which will be very nice to see when I get my next bank statement.

Yesterday, unbeknownst to me, Mel went out and got a new tattoo. She claims that she only went in to see him about the design and to book in a time to get it done, but I think that she actually called ahead and arranged it. I'm all full of conspiracy theories. Either that, or I'm just jealous. Yeah, well, you just watch and see when I call in sick for work and actually go get a full sleeve done!!! Then who'll be laughing, eh?

This is also the week in which I start to harrass Bridgette on the telephone. For those of you in the know, well, you know what I'm talking about. Those of you who don't know Bridgette probably don't need to know at this point. Let's just say that if it all comes together I'll be a very happy person, as will Tam and Patsy probably.

Two days ago I came to the mall with Tam to get a few groceries and we popped into a shop called JayJay's. They have some nice clothes there, and since I'd been thinking about buying a new pair of jeans for a couple weeks I thought I'd go have a look. Normally I hate shopping, but I bit the bullet and swallowed my pride. They had one pair in particular that I liked, and low-and-behold they were even on sale. But alas, they didn't have my size. Oh well, not to worry, thought I. The next day I ran off to another branch of the shop at another mall. Wouldn't you just know it, but they had my size. Now, I'm no dummy, but would you expect these to be on sale too, since they are from the same shop? Me too, but these weren't. I liked them, but I didn't like them "full-priced like them". So fast forward to today, and I got to Tank Juice a bit early so I could run in and see if my size had magically appeared at the shop here. Amazingly they had, and even more amazingly they were on sale!! Now here I am with a fresh pair of jeans sitting on the bench next to me, and I'm quite looking forward to showing them off.

Look out world, here comes Mr. Skinny Arse!!

Ps. Hey Kirsten, call me!