Halloween was lots of fun this year. We went and enjoyed the festivities at Wolfe Island. I was a Monk with a real brass crucifix around my neck. I felt sinful playing pool and drinking beer while wwearing it. I'll have to go to confession this week ;-) Erin's Jack in the Beanstalk outfit won her Third Prize in the competion!!! (She also won Third Prize in the same competition last year with her pumpkin outfit! Do you think she's likes Halloween or something?) HAHA. Jen looked super-cute in her full-body cat leisure suit.

23 is my favorite number!

23 has always been my favorite number and when the 23rd of each month rolls around I always have some great positive vibes. It's always a great day. I make it that way. Well, yesterday was no exception. I had an amazing day with my new girlfriend. Her name is Erin. We got up early and went on a road trip to Ottawa where we met up with my friend Ted and his new, and beatiful, wife Patti! We went to Manotick to see the Third World Bazaar in its 6th year of existance. It's new to Manotick however. It used to be in Seeley's Bay. We had a good time and the place was loaded with people. That's good to see.

Afterwards, we trucked up to Ikea to brave the shopping crowds again. I have some house stuff to buy in order to replace the things I lost in the flood of 2004! (see below for more info!) I bought a coffe table, a rug, some dishes and other tiny kitchen things.

So, it was about 2:30pm by now and we parted company with Ted and Patti. Erin and I headed down to the market where we enjoyed what is probably going to be the last weekend warm enough to sit on a patio. I had a big beer! A garbage can sized beer as the waiter calls it. Hoegaarden. It's a Belgium white beer. Yummy. Erin and I had wonderful conversations while we were fighting off the hunger. We had barely eaten anything so far (we each had a bagel at 8:45am and that's it!). We had to hold out for 5:30pm when we were meeting up with my Dad and his GF, Louise, for dinner. So at about 4:30pm we head into the mall to look around for "sexy" jeans for me. (*laugh*). Man was it fun. This girl likes shopping and she fun to be around. I enjoyed myself a lot. We even found some sexy jeans in the Gap that might have worked had they not been defective with a big line through the front on one leg. boo hoo. Oh well, the sexy-jeans mission remains un-completed. A task for another day!

Dinner was yummy. We were starved! Erin and my Dad talked shop during part of the diner which was cool to see. I like seeing her in her element. My Dad's good. As good as ever.

After diner we dashed off to our car, first passing a bunch of fire trucks working on what must have been a small fire in a restaurant. Interesting! When we reached the car we kissed and we kissed in the cold air. We kissed like we were the last two people on the earth. I could only see and feel her. My surroundings were completely unimportant. When we finished a man stepped up to Erin and said "are you guys leaving?" HAHAHAHAHAA. Man that was funny, the guy had gotten out of his car and walked up to us while we were kissing HAHAHA! And a quick look around me revealed that there were probably another six or seven people walking in this parking lot. No doubt many of them watching us. (*grin*)

The drive home went by so quickly. I love talking to her. So as you can see from this posting, October 23rd, 2004 did an amazing job and cementing my connection with the number 23. Isn't life wonderful sometimes.

Thy Flood Recedeth

Today's the day I submit my claim to the adjuster and the ball is rolling on a couple of items already: water heater is replace and furnace motor is being replaced today. Yeah! Can you say "heat"? I know you could!

I met a new girl

So, being back on the dating scene is interesting to say the least. It's not easy, but I didn't expect it to be. I met a very nice girl from town and we've had a few fun date: dinners, walks, playing pool. I'll get a pic of her soon (*grin*).

Here's a nice sunrise photo I took while coming into work today at about 6:50am. If you look closely you see a person rowing on the Cataraqui River. Nice. (Click pic to enlarge.) 

Happiness is in the Twillight Zone

Why aren't people happy in relationships? Why do relationships start off ok, and then after about 2 years, the end up not-ok? Why does the same person who was on cloud nine in month three of the relationship, find themselves looking for greener pastures at a later date?

It's like the Twillight Zone: it's just inexplicable.

I must rent that movie... um... er... what's it called... something like "19 months." I think I want to see that movie. It's a B-grade Canadian movie that has the premise that romantic love only lasts 19 months. It follows two people as they try to break up in the 19th month. It might give me some insight into why relationships go stale after a certain period of time.

OOOOOOOOOOOO Canada!

Team Canada pulled it off with a beautiful 3-2 win over Finland yesterday. I was so happy for them. A perfect 6-0 in the tournament is wildly impressive! I was at the Grad Club watching it and the people packed into the tiny room really charged the atmosphere. We counted down the final minutes in unison and at the end the group sang "Oh Canada"! It was kind of weird to me, I had never been anywhere where people spontaneously broke into singing the National Anthem, but it felt pretty cool! Reminds me of the old days at Queen's when we used to break into spontaneous choruses of the "Oil Thigh" (I don't know how to spell it in Gaelic... heck ... I'm not sure I even know how to spell "Gaelic." *laugh*) On our way home, the intersection of Division and Pricess was almost blocked with people celebrating the win while waiving Canadian Flags. I loved it and honked my horn the entire way by!!!

So, congrats to Team Canada. I'm happy for them. I'm glad that Canadians get to celebrate their participation in sucha great game this year, because the NHL may not operate this year due to contract disputes. SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Eric whispers... "Go Wings Go")

More Hip! Overall the concert rocked! The Hip played 26 songs in total including 2 encores.... over 2 hours! On the left of this picture you'll see Dan Aykroyd on harmonica for this song. This was the end of their last song in the set: locked in the Trunk of a Car. Awesome! 

Here's a shot of the crowd when the Hip was on. This is the crowd to my right. WOW! 

The Tragically Hip! 

The Crowd was huge! Estimated at 22,000 and I am right in the middle of it. This is shooting directly behind me away from the stage during Matt Good's Set. 

Here's a few pics from the Across the Causeway benefit concert hosted by the Tragically Hip. Here's a shot of the Matt Good Band. 

Here's a picture of the pile of junk now piled in my yard from the basement flood. I feel like trailer-trash now. UGH! 

I know how Noah Feels

Yesterday was Hell Day. I felt like Kevin Costner in Waterworld: I played in water and watched dollars signs evaporate! Kingston had a record rainfall: 137 mm. The previous record was 129 mm in 1979. Consequently, my finished basement was flooded with 8 inches of water. The sheer volume of water coming into the sump pump pit from the footing drain overwhelmed my sump-pump system. I have two sump pumps and they both could not keep up. I estimate it was coming into the house at approximately 4 gallons per minute! Crazy eh?! My belongings likely spend about 12 hours under water. After coming home from work at 4pm, I spent nine back-aching hours trudging through the water and trying to salvage everything I could. There's huge damage: the walls will have to be cut open and insulation removed, all the furniture is damaged, and the status of the major appliances such as washer, water heater and furnace is yet unknown. Joy! Luckily, my insurance company will cover it. So I'll be spending the weekend making lists and stuff. What a drag. I had the presence of mind to take some photos, so when I develop them, I'll post one or two here.

Bleck!

First day of class

The first day of class has come and gone. Both my sections of LART5-Fundamentals of Teaching Adults feel really good. The students seem to be pretty keen and I think that we can have a really fun time in class together and learn something all the while. The computer lab went well too. It seems that most people are very keen on the Online Bonus Question programme. That's a good thing! Intersting note, despite having about 70 students registerred in this University course, no one is from outside Ontario. I guess they'll market there next year

Kingston Whatchamacaulits

Ted and I went to a Kingston Frontenacs game yesterday. Exhibition against Peterborough Petes. Despite the fog, Kingston won 6-2. Was well worth it for $5! I might go to the next $5 game on Wednesday. It was a shame that less that 1,000 people went. We really do need the new LVEC in K-town.

Did you know that prior to 1988 the team was called Kingston Canadians? I think I knew that but what I didn't know was that before the adopted the current name they were called Kingston Raiders for one year. Eeek. That's a crappy name. I'm not a huge fan of the current name but it sure beets Raiders. I vote go back to Kingston Canadians ;-)

Camping Rocks!

So, I've been gone camping all week at Sharbot Lake Provincial Campground. Quick... POP QUIZ.... what Lake is Shabot Lake Provincial Campground located on? (**Insert Jeopardy theme here**) "Sharbot Lake" you said? Oh... no... I'm sorry thats incorrect... but we have some lovely parting gifts for you!

It's on Black Lake. A much smaller lake than Sharbot Lake, but right adjacent to in. Only a short four minute canoe portage to his Sharbot Lake. The weather was taylor made for camping. Sunny every day... highs between 20 and 24. Gorgeous. I squeezed in a little fishing which I haven't had time to do in years and I actually caught a bass on Thursday. Nothing of any size but still fun nonetheless! Relaxing is the word. Found some of the old faithful Kelly Striper's Worms at the Black Lake store too. I could never remeber their name.... now I do!

So, I'm back in town for the long weekend and I hope to run a bunch of last minute errands to organize myself for starting to teach next week.

Good News: The "A" Strikes Again!

I rock, if I must say so myself. I just obtained my 5th consecutive "A" grade in my M.Ed. programme at UoP. Yeah! Five courses down and eight to go. I'm taking a bit of a break for 15 weeks though to focus on a challenging teaching assignment at SLC this term:

1. LART5: Fundamentals in Teaching Adults in the Bachelor of Applied Arts Degree in Behavioural Psychology, and


2. The Coordinator for the Online Teacher Certificate Programme.

I'll start my 6th course at UoP in mid-late December. Just in time for Christmas!

Limestone City Blues Festival

I had a great time last night with Margaret. We went to the BluesFest grand finale in Market Square. It was packed! And it was smoking!!!! (the good kind of smoking.... not the *cough* *cough* kind of smoking). The closing act was awesome!!!!!!! Lonny Brooks! There was some quality music there! Now, I'm not really a blues aficionado (although I've listenned to enough of it in my day) and I know good music when I hear it. I knew it was going to be good from the second it started when Lonny's son came out and played a few tunes before his "Daddy" joined him: Wayne Baker Brooks. The guy's like Jimmie Hendrix only a bit more bluesy! WOW his guitar was awesome! The show had an amazing encore also when the entire band sat down in chairs and picked out some good stuff for another 20 minutes. Margaret and I were five feet from the stage for that part. Impresssive. Definately worth 7 bucks. Kingston ROCKS!

PS: Now I'm all itchy for my next concert. Sept. 12: The Tagically Hip! Yeehhaa!

Here's a picture of Riggs! He's an awesome dog! 

Here's a pic of MicMac and Cheyenne for your viewing pleasure! 

Bad news from The Doctor

So, I went to the doctor today to pick up my test results. It wasn't all good news. The kidney stones seem to be growing back. Ultasound shows two of them, small mind you... 3.5 mm each approx. So I've been put on a 2+ litre a day water diet for 3-4 months and we'll do another ultrasound. The ultrasound also showed two other surprising results... a gall stone 5.1 mm.... dammit! My dad had to get his gall stone taken out a 10 year ago... looks like I'm going down the same path. Second thing it showed is a slightly enlarged prostate. Very surprising since I'm only 35. Nothing you can do for that.

The blood pressure was still high today, so the Doc pulled the trigger and put me on meds. Valsartain (angiotensin II receptor antagonist). Low dose, but still pricy at $160 for 3 months! Bleck.

There was good news though.... my blood work was impeccable. Cholesterol was perfecto! Not eating fast food will do that to ya. Thank god for SuperSize Me two months ago!

Extreme Sports!

I came accross this photo that we used to have posted outside the lab at Queen's. It's friggin' funny. I miss the good old days of the lab sometimes.... oh well, I'm on to bigger and better things.

Random Scribblings

Hi!