Do You Ever Feel This Lazy?

Sometimes the things that seem completely obvious are not as well understood by everyone. I remember hearing about a woman in a Grande Prairie parking lot who started to freak out because the batteries to her car remote had died and she couldn't get into her car. She couldn't walk very well, so when my friend pointed at the other end of the mall, she started to cry. He asked her if those were her keys on the ring and suggested she park closer. She was shocked when my friend opened her car door manually with her key.

Flying High

I returned from Saskatoon by air this past weekend. It was my first flight in almost 10 years and my second flight every. I'm a little larger than I was back then, and found the seats to be rather 'cozy'. I also had to tilt my head a little because the window seat was so close to the side of the plane, which curved up and in. Comfort increased when I discovered that the arm rest could be lifted up and out of the way. The hardest part of the flight would have to be the airports.

I boarded in Saskatoon, so security isn't as strong as in the bigger cities. There are so many safety issues that have developped that boarding can be 'fun'. I walked through the detector sockfooted while they examined my shoes because I wore steel toe. My keychain was nearly confiscated because it had an eyeglass screwdriver on it. They also had to inspect my inhaler because it was an aerosol. I never realized just how much you had to do to prepair for a 50 minute flight.

When I arrived in Edmonton, I had to find transportation. As anyone from Edmonton knows, the airport is actually NOT in Edmonton, but halfway to Red Deer. On the shuttle ride to the city, I listened to a number of passengers talk about their favourite and least favourite airports around the world. Toronto was agreed upon as the worst because of 3 seperate terminals and not very good time keeping. A layover of 2 hours usually meant a 10 hour stay in 'Chez chairs'. Tokyo was listed as one of the favourites. Transfers were smooth and timetables are almost to the minute.

Now I'm curious what others have to say. Please comment about your best or worst experiences when flying. What is your favourite airport and why? What about your worst? Any handy hints for those of us who don't fly that often and want to avoid any 'surprises'?

Week of Rest

It's the first week of October and good things are here. I have a vacation this week. It's the first real vacation in a very long time. After 4 years of school and working during ever summer, I haven't been in a job long enough to be entitled a real vacation. Now at my current job, I get time off, but something has always happened to keep 'vacation' out of the equation. As an example, the second last time I went away, it was to see my dad who was very sick. The last time was to attend his memorial and spend time with my mother.

Last weekend started the rest when I travelled back to Grande Prairie to give away one of my good friends at her wedding. With her father out of the picture, I was honoured to take his place and walk her down the isle. The wedding was small but beautiful...taking place in front of a fireplace at a local diner which was closed to public and open to all the friends and family of the happy couple.

This week, my good friend Kyle celebrated his 30th birthday! Regretably, I could not attend because I went out of town again, but I look forward to seeing him on my return. Instead, I am visiting my wife in Saskatoon while she is on her practicum at the UofS hospital. Today also marks her 29th birthday! My two best friends were born 1 year and 3 days apart from each other. I am NEVER aloud to forget either of their birthdays...but then again, I doubt I ever will.

My vacation includes doing absolutely nothing...and I am having a great time doing just that. But there's more! When I return next tuesday (after thanksgiving) it will not be to my old job. Instead, it is to my new full time position that I have waited so long to start. My old boss finally released me. It will be different and I will have to be retrained for mostly new work; although I am looking forward to the challenge. To those who are willing, I would appreciate any prayers that you wish to send. God Bless!!

Full Time delay

After being in a temporary position for nearly 1.5 years, I will finally be moving to full time. It's been a strange time here, as 5 months after I started, I was forced out by a labour dispute. I worked at Future Shop for a couple of months while wondering if the temporary employees (like me) would have jobs to return to.

Turned out that we WERE hired back; only I returned to a very different working environment. Anyone who said that things will go back to normal after a short time were very much mistaken. Still to this day, there are whispers and enduendos. Where I work is about half and half those who crossed and those who didn't. They pretty much get along because they HAVE TO. One particular coworker does not agree that temps should have stayed out during the dispute, so I am treated like garbage in her eyes. It makes for a very uncomfortable work environment.

My manager has been 'looking into' making me full time for about 8 months now. I advised him 5 months ago that I would be looking for full time within the company and may bid out from under him. That has now happened and I will be starting soon as a full time employee under a new manager. That's where the fun now starts and the reason for this blog.

My manager doesn't want to lose me. He is also worried that the 3 other temps under him will try to bid out now as well. He refused to release me on the required date to my new manager and I don't actually become full time until he does. I also found out that the new contract we negotiated last year allows for a delay of up to 60 days for a release, so I can't put in a grievance with the union. Instead, I sit here at my desk and wait (while I work). A couple days after I got offered the full time position, my manager FINALLY posted a full time job in my current field so that the other 3 temps can become full time. I guess I just opened the door for them.

I hope I get released soon. I am really looking forward to my new job...and to full time benefits.

How do you spell L-O-V-E ?

Your Love Style is Agape

You are a caring, kind, and selfless partner. Unsurprisingly, your love style is the most rare. You are willing to sacrfice your world for your sweetie. Except it doesn't really feel like sacrifice to you. For you, nothing feels better than giving to the one you love.

What's Your Love Style?

To play or not to play, that is the question.

My wife and I have finally settled on a church. We were each attending different churches while single, but mutually decided to allow God's direction in where our family will root itself. It took a while to determine where God lead both our hearts, but we now have our decision made.

I personally have always loved worship. I think it's the best part of the service. I've spent over a decade working sound in whatever church I attended except the last one (as a single guy). At the last church, I played trumpet in the orchestra. I love both, but I know there is difficulty in doing both at the same time.

I have recently approached the worship director about whether God (and the church) could use a guy like me. He asked me which I would prefer...to be a tech or to be in the band. This is not an easy decision for me. I love both, so I had to pray about it. God put tech on my heart, so I am now waiting for my final interview with the director. If he gives me a thumb's up, then I will finally be plugged back into a church after about a year away (5 years if consider away from a sound board).

After having to make that choice, I have been thinking about my music. I haven't been playing my trumpet as much as I used to. My excuse was that it was too noisy for an apartment. This is why I love my wife. She decided that if I can't play my trumpet, play a quieter instrument. For my birthday, she bought me guitar lessons and I am absolutely loving them. If all goes well, it will be the first time I can play AND sing at the same time. Hope my wife doesn't regret that. LOL.

What super hero would I be?

You Are Spider-Man

Quick and agile, you have killer instincts (literally). And that kind of makes up for the whole creepy spider thing.

What Superhero Are You?

Anyone surprised????

5 Blogs of Fame

Have you ever wondered who the RiP Kord is? In Reverend Yogger’s blog spot, you will find 5 whole entire blog entries about this unknown character (click here for the first of them). He has commented here and there on a few sites, but his alias never has a link to a site of his own. We can only learn about this mysterious man from what few hints Yog has given us, or by reading the comments he makes. I have some theories that I would like to share now.

Firstly, I would have to make the assumption that, although anyone can CLAIM to be any sex they want, the RiP Kord MUST be a male. There are three easy clues to this. First are the pictures. Although the face is not very clear, it is unlikely that they are of a woman. Secondly, Yog always references this person in the masculine. True, he may be trying to mislead us, but the last is a dead giveaway. In the first of 5 blogs, this person falls out of the tub and Yog just opens to the door and tries to take a picture. Not too likely he would do that if RiP Kord was a woman.

I’m not really sure where the RiP Kord is from. Yog describes him as a ‘friend of many years’ so he must not be from around Vermilion. Yog grew up in northern BC, but also in Ontario and Saskatchewan before moving where he is now. Since RiP Kord was traveling, he probably either lives in northern BC, or somewhere nearby, but a distance. Since Yog revealed that yoggeronian was spoken by few in the ‘northern city’, my guess is that RiP Kord knew Yog from northern BC.

I could guess at the uniqueness of the name RiP Kord, but as I’m not too sure, I have been copy/pasting the name the way Yog uses it. I would rather let other people guess and see if they can get that. I just want to wish you well, RiP Kord, where ever you may be. Perhaps you will remain a mystery…right up there with the “k” blog that appeared on Yogger’s page. It was nice of you to bring Grace’s comments up and over the 100 mark. I also enjoyed the laugh…thank you for not being upset that it was at your expense. You remain anonymous, yet you still received your 5 blogs of Fame…6 now that I wrote.

Goodbye, and God Bless.

Driving Me Crazy

It looks like this is the weekend that my wife and I become true Albertans. For it is this weekend that we decided we will change the insurance on our car to Alberta. My wife is from Saskatchewan and only came to Alberta for school (and unbenounced to her, meet me). This meant that she could keep her vehicle insured in Saskatchewan for the remainder of her school term which would expire sometime this year.

We decided to start checking out insurance in Alberta and found out that we needed to get an inspection before Alberta will allow those pretty red/white plates(which look great in photos, according to cops) to model themselves on our lovely car. Little did we know that the cost to accessorize would be so high. Currently, the vehicle which passes for insurance in Saskatchewan, is going to cost us in excess of $2,500 just to be worthy for Alberta roads.

Apparently Alberta only allows very highly maintained vehicles on their roads. If only they would take all this money they make in vehicle repair and put it to use in road maintenance so that we don't damage these 'luxury' vehicles we're expected to drive. Have you seen some of the pot holes around the city? How about driving down the highway without being launched into the air once or twice because the roadway is a little uneven?

I guess that this is just the price for living in Alberta.

Youthful Living

I have noticed that children often take on the same interests and characteristics of their parents. It is said that if the same child were to have grown up under different parents, they would have become a different person. Do you think that's true?

Take my life for example. As a child, I don't recall that my dad was much of a sports enthusiast. I never grew up around sports except through my friends. My wife, on the other hand, grew up around sports. Her three older brothers were deep into hockey, football, curling, and many other sports. Much of that was as a result of her father. As a result, she too knew mostly sports and therefore loves them. As for me, my mom was in love with music and my dad with electronics. Unlike children of today with their PS2's and X-Boxes, my dad had a Tandy 1000 from Radio Shack (a computer with no hard drive and a processor less powerful than most of today's graphic calculators). Instead of games, my dad would buy me programming books and cassette tapes. If I wanted to play a game, I had to first write the program using the instructions from the books, then save them onto the cassette tape(no hard drive, remember? And floppy disks were expensive). I learned the basics for computer programming at a very early age.

My mom taught me a love for music. She sang and played the accordion. As a result, I sang in the children's choir from age 5-13. At 10, I was a part of a musical production of the Music Man and I pretended to play the french horn. That production gave me an interest in marching bands, so I joined a real band at age 11, where I learned to play the euphonium. When I couldn't sing because of my voice change, I began working in the sound booth at my church.

I grew up around electronics and music, therefore I became a musician and a lover of electronics. My wife grew up around sports, so she sees curling the way I see computer programming.

But that brings up the question I posed before. Do you believe that a child would become a different person if they grew up in a different family environment? Some would say that it is genetics. It is in our blood. After all, my sister and youngest brother grew up with an amazing talent for art. They can draw like I could only imagine. But while they excel in art, they lack in music. My other brother and I love to play an instrument, but we have limits in our drawing abilities. He plays the piano while I play the euphonium, trombone, trumpet, and a little alto sax. If the genetics theory is true, then did I have any hope in becoming an athlete? I mean, sure...I was a bowler, diver, and at one time (believe it or not) a gymnast. But that was a long time ago and I'm sure that many of you sports enthusiasts would say that bowling and diving aren't real sports.

If a child's development is based on our parents interests being put upon us, then could parents be limiting their children's growth? Their maturity? My wife recently read these words to me. I'm not sure where she got them but now I pass them on here.

"Is the sole purpose of having a biological child so that you can say to others, 'Oh look. He/She has my nose, my eyes' thereby fulfilling your own ego by thinking that you created that child? That child was not created for our benefit but rather to bring glory and honour to God, the child's true Creator. God blessed you with a gift, a child HE created for you. Have you asked what God wants for your child, or have you told God how things will be?"

God has a plan and a purpose for each person...each child. He puts that child into the lives of those He feels will offer the best upbringing. So if that is true, we should be humble and give our children back to God. If our children are to know and grow in sports when neither parent has ever been interested, I think that it is our duty and responsibility to support our children's development and growth in sports. But of this I'm certain. God wants parents to teach all children of His word, and raise them in Godly ways. For they are His children first.

Even if that child is not a biological offspring of a couple but one who was left behind, whether by abandonment or by death, for adoption. That child is a child of God. He wants all of us to take the responsibilities in caring for His children. May we do our part with humility and honour to God to make sure that every child has the chance to grow into the Godly person whom He desires of them.

Jesus Loves the little children.
All the Children of the world.
Red and Yellow, black and white.
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

A Blogging We Will Go

Blogging has certainly become a rapidly growing phenomenon. Created from the words "weB LOG", it is a modern day journaling of the authors thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Interestingly enough, blogging is actually more like a fad than you think. The reason I say this is because it was actually very popular at a previous time, like yo-yoing...then died off for a few decades or so, only to come back full force.

Back then, it was called a billboard. The internet was new and web pages were no where near as extensive as they are now. Computers could barely keep up with today's standards for graphic rendering. In fact, it didn't matter anyway because monitors were monochrome (one colour, such as white on black or orange on black). One reason the internet was created was as a way for scientists to 'post' their findings and allowed other scientists in another geographic area to read those findings and post their comments and theories. These postings were called 'Billboards" and they were used very much the way that blogging is done today. Simple text posted on a site and open to public review and scrutiny by way of comments.

The strangest part is that I am old enough to remember billboards, how they lost interest to html based webpages and IM services, and now returned to blogging...and yet I have only recently entered my 30's. Technology sure does go fast.

Now that the history lesson is over, the whole reason I started this blog was to express how open people have become using technology and yet how closed off and private that same person can be in public. Blogging has been taken by most of the first world as a new fad of journaling their deepest feelings. Feelings that once would be written down in a book and then locked with a key and hidden from siblings and parents are now being published for any and all people who know how to access the internet. It is still being kept locked to a degree by the anonymity of their blog handle, yet their closest friends and family all know who that handle refers to, so is it really such a secret?

I have heard and even experienced how much easier it is to write my feelings down during an IM with someone. You feel a little safer because the other person can't read your face and neither can you read theirs. It is a security blanket of sorts. I remember reading science fiction novels about what virtual reality would be like. You put on a headset and gloves and you can meet people from around the world, but change your appearance to that other person...all from the comfort of your livingroom. You could be skinny, muscular, and wearing a tuxedo, while you are actually wearing nothing but your pj's. Same thing with blogging now. We can be in any state we like as we write our thoughts. At the same time, we can saturate those thoughts with anything we want; revealing the truth about ourselves or by wearing a 'costume' of sorts, as one of Yog's friends put it. This is why we feel secure. No one really knows if what we are saying is real.

But those novels I read usually come to the same conclusion. The people in their VR worlds forget that there is a real world out there. And in all the preoccupied time in their 'safe' world, they forgot how to live and interact with real people in a real way; face to face. They no longer remember how to read peoples facial expressions and they don't remember how to tell the difference between a lie and the truth. Most are too frightened to be seen by other people as they really are. They lost something to technology.

Perhaps this is too extreme to comprehend. Or worse, there are those out there who know all too well exactly what I'm talking about. Remember that a journal is something for one to reflect upon themselves. To self analyze in order to learn and grow. If you blog, I hope you haven't forgotten how to just log. You don't always need the weB to express yourself.

Gotta follow your gutt...or your hero

Ya know, I've been reading plenty of blogs and even commenting here or there, but I just can't seem to push myself to actually write anything. I don't know if it's because I'm not inspired to write, or maybe I've got so much to say but can't decide if the 'world' wants to hear it. It's pretty obvious that many millions of people are out there writing something because they just want a voice. Me...I'm writing this particular blog because I realized that the alter ego of my second favourite super hero actually reads my blogs and so I better write something. Thanks UltraMan.

And since you do read my blogs, I've been meaning to ask you. Did Dr. Jeffcoate get you so interested in science that you gave up the cans and decided to create an interdimensional portal into hundreds of different worlds? If not, then I should warn you that there's a doppelganger out there by the name of Quinn Mallory, making a name for himself on the back of your popularity. If you ever decide to return to the super hero business, let me know.