Writers block?

I usually managed a few random thoughts and insights into the daily grind to post here... however it seems that the well has been pretty dry lately. A few friends have asked why I no longer update my blog, and it has spawned a sort of resolve to get back into the blogging groove. How I intend to do this exactly is beyond me right now... my life is nothing short of interesting lately so there could be something worth rambling about eventually I guess... until then I will attempt to bore any of you people that happen to visit my blog with the utter mundane simplistic measures needed to break my bloggers block.

Until next time?

Rest in peace Alana.

Truely one of the bravest, unconditional and strongest people to have walked this earth. Alana lived her life to its fullest and will be dearly missed by many. I borrow verse from Sinatra to pay my respect to bubby's little sister... Alana... throughout her life... no matter how hard or unfair it seemed to all... she did it her way.

Rest in peace Alana :(

Quotable quotes of intellience and introspect

A random person introduced herself to me on Hi5 recently. Small chatter led to a suggestion to check out the quotes of Bertrand Russel. Talk about one cool cat! Well I'm guessing he was a bit of a nerd if not a reclusive snob... but he definitey had his thoughts to keep himself busy. Just thought I would make an entry this evening with a few of my favourites from this handsome young fellas intellectual meanderings!

If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.

Passive acceptance of the teacher's wisdom is easy to most boys and girls. It involves no effort of independent thought, and seems rational because the teacher knows more than his pupils; it is moreover the way to win the favour of the teacher unless he is a very exceptional man. Yet the habit of passive acceptance is a disastrous one in later life. It causes man to seek and to accept a leader, and to accept as a leader whoever is established in that position.

Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons.

The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy - I mean that if you are happy you will be good.

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.

To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.

What the world needs is not dogma but an attitude of scientific inquiry combined with a belief that the torture of millions is not desirable, whether inflicted by Stalin or by a Deity imagined in the likeness of the believer.

Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.

One should as a rule respect public opinion in so far as is necessary to avoid starvation and to keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny, and is likely to interfere with happiness in all kinds of ways.

The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.

Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones.

The N-Bomb

Yeah thats right... the N-Bomb. And no its not the racial slur referring to Black people that Im talking about. Newfie... to many its an endearing term as unique and special as the people we have a sense and pride in being. However through years of inappropriate context, mal-connotation and sheer ignorance the word has festered into something that is nothing less than a full blown ethnic slur. When Newfie is used freely by people other than Newfoundlanders in jokes and jest, problems are born. I know many proud Newfoundlanders disagree with my view on this subject, as its a part of our culture to laugh and not take ourselves too seriously... but I contest this notion wholehartedly. This word, the brunt of a gargantuant slew of insulting jokes, not only demeans our intelligence but diminishes our proud and unique culture. I rarely take a stand against many things in this world, partly because of my Newfoundland'ish qualities, an innocent unassuming individual knowing that the world is inherently a good place, but this is one issue I feel very strongly about.

It came as a shock recently when I looked up the term on Wikipedia. Its definition agrees with my opinion on the matter for the most part. The shock that I speak of is in refernce to its usage to describe mentally handicap people in Northern Alberta by police officers.

Newfie in essence is a simple bastardization of the word Newfoundlander, innocent enough in origin but festering with ethnic slander throughout the century. I ask anyone with pride in our beloved province to speak up and speak out against the term 'Newfie'. We may asscoiate it with our more redeeming qualities, but the majority of Canada seemingly doesnt. A newfie joke, is a transplanted humorous anecdote that has insulted other cultures/races/religions across the globe by equally ignoramous individuals... take pride and take a stance.

Bad Beat

No I'm not talking about Color Me Badd and their wicked trans-cultural grooves. Although as I say this I must ask myself why eff not? C'mon you all know "I Wanna Sexxx You Up" rocked your socks. I guess that will go in the memory banks for a future post. This one is about poker and the innevitable bad beats.

Last night Rodney King would have been glad he got off so easy if he witnessed what happened to me. Someone call the LAPD, I was violated in such a way to conjure images of Elizabeth Shue assuming the fetal position in Leaving Las Vegas.

Ok enough of the pre-amble stuff heres the lowdown for you poker afficianado's to cringe at... bare in mind this happened in consecutive hands.

Hand #1
Position: button
Pocket cards: QQ... I raise and one caller
Flop: Queen, Deuce, Five
(check, check)
Turn: eight (rainbow community)
(i bet a pot sized bet, raise all-in... immediate call by me)
He shows pocket deuces.... QQQ vs 222. I am now 97% favourite to win the hand.
River: Deuce
Me: Ouch. Rebuy :(

Next Hand
Position: late
Pocket Cards: AA... I raise, one caller
Flop: Ace, 6 clubs, 7 clubs (one of my aces are clubs)
(check, raise by me, called)
Turn: K clubs
(check, bet by me, called)
River: 10 Clubs
(check, Bet by me... raise all-in... I call with an acehigh flush as my trip aces were counterfeited)
He shows 8 clubs, 9 clubs...
straight flush. Ouch. Busted again.

One more hand of note earlier in the night... I had QQ vs JJ, called an all-in preflop. $340 pot, flop comes out: 8,9,10 rainbow. turn 9. river 7. Ouch.

The moral of this story, bring KY to your next poker game, you never know when you're gonna need it.

The Healing Process

Ok, so its wednesdayJuly 26th. The healing process has taken its course, I am able to look back fondly on the good times again. I can finally appreciate the journey without that deep festering septic feeling within. Wow talk about a good playoff run for my Oilers huh?

Chrissie Pronger... what a bitch! That's all I'm gonna say about that. Unbelievable.

In other news, The Decemberists are releasing a new album in October... not only is this awesome, but they are in Montreal Nov 5th. What a coincidence (not really) so am I! ( yes really). That will be Decemberists and Pinback down with Modest Mouse left to go. MM's new album is in the mixing stage right now so I'm guessing I get to see them in t-dot or MTL sometime in the spring hopefully.

If you have no idea who these bands are, stop listening to the damn radio... its crap.

Oh yeah, in case you were wondering.... just 6 weeks until training camp begins! :D

Want great abs?

find someone with the same sense of humor as yourself and go catch Nacho Libre. Guaranteed 6-pack abs in less than 2 hours. Warning: must have unique dry sense of humor and willingness to develop laugh wrinkles

Ruthless Comfort

Who's afraid of the big bad fear? It's human condition to avoid situations likely to enduce fear. Fear is somewhat of an ever present entity that lurks in the shadows, ready to present itself in the face of adversity, change or any of lifes many obstacles. Fear however is neither friend nor foe, it doesn't exist seperate of ones own conditioning and thrives in the spaces slightly beyond ones comfort zone.

As much as people would prefer not being subject to fear, I think the truely successful individuals in life use fear as their biggest ally. To utilize fear is to conjure dedication and devotion to overcome its presence. Fear is in essence motivation... motivation to alleviate its burden by elimination of the imposing factors causing it.

Gather fear, don't avoid it... meet the challenge, don't sidestep it. A person's comfort zone is definitely the most viscous ruthless obstacle to individual success. Within it there is no motivation to be great. With fear, you know you're in good hands... like a guardian pushing you forward.

Bumbling Bob the Prognosticator

As TSN resident hockey expert limps into the conference finals sporting his 7-5 record, a record equivalent to that of a wheel spinning monkey, Bob McKenzie has taken it upon himself to rally the Ducks.

What better way thought he, the great hockey prognosticator, to protect himself from another embarassing loss to his primitive colleague. Embarass the Ducks into a win! Write a veiled article questioning their heart, include quotes from the Oilers #37, that will really get the fowl blood curdling in a must win game three.

Maggie may be a monkey, but Bob, these playoffs you are proving to be quite the Quack.

Give the Oilers credit where credit is due, their success is not always a result of their oppositions failures Bob. The quicker you come to grips that even you the great Bob MacKenzie has underestimated the testicular fortitude of coach MacT's roster, the quicker you can stop this charade thats lingering onwards with no ending in sight.

Pinch me... I'm in love.

Nervous anticipation, ecstasy and a plethora of other emotions fill my days lately. One can never take forgranted times such as these, we must enjoy them, revell in their highs... rebound from the ensuing lows. Times like this may never come again and that makes today significantly more special... Wow what a dream... wow what a team. Something really special is unfolding before my eyes, and I cant wait to see what tomorrow shall bring.

Irrational steps

As I stand 351 Metres above the earth, I step out onto a glass floor. Rational... this engineering and architectural marvel hosts thousands of visitors each and every day. These visitors come in many shapes and sizes, none more sure of this fact than the 6 year old kid lying face down on the glass floor directly in front of me. Rationally, there is nothing to fear, this GLASS floor was built for this very purpose. I take my first step into the abyss and all rationale abandons me. My feet take baby steps, as if on thin ice, arms held outward and shame is nolonger a concern.

I take a picture, engage once again in my dimuntive stride towards the concrete structure directly right. Irrational? Sure. A little fear of the unknown is a large step to self preservation though as long as you remember to keep moving forward.

Dark Horse

Dark Horse ( from wikipedia) A dark horse candidate is one who is nominated unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as a likely choice. Often a dark horse is selected as a compromise when other, more prominent candidates' factions cannot come to an agreement. This metaphoric expression originally alluded to an unknown horse winning a race and was so used in a novel by Benjamin Disraeli (The Young Duke, 1831).

A tale of David and Goliath etched its way into hockey lore last night. The eighth seeded Edmonton Oilers slay the giants of the NHL not with a stone, but in the form of a furious 3rd period rally scoring 4 goals enroute to a 4-3 victory. Absolute bedlam in Rexall.

The brightest star in the sky, will lead us all the way to the Holy grail of hockey... I believe!

Carlito's Way

Carlito died having never reached his dreams of renting cars to tourists in the Barbados. Boarding the train to his new life... so close, when a kid from the bronx ended it all. What tough luck.

So then why is Carlito so at peace as his final minutes are upon him? He lay fatefully there without regret, as if a man who is exiting life with everything he ever wanted. But why we ask ourselves? All of the margaritas, sunshine, the fancy watches, sports cars and exotic adventures had been so abruptly taken away.

Roll the credits and cue Joe Cocker's classic ballad, it tell us everything... Carlito finally had the true riches of life and she held him close until death. Carlito was a very lucky man.

Christmas in April

And so it begins... Christmas in April. There hasnt been a fat man visting this time of year since Ken Hitchcock last coached the Dallas Stars against my beloved Oilers. The NHL Playoffs begin tonight. Post-season hockey is much like a drug addiction... it twists your insides, bends your mind , all focus is towards the next installment and rarely ever has a happy ending. However the quest for the holy grail of professional hockey is upon us and I'm counting the hours to gametime.

For the first time in 18 years, my team (Edmonton Oilers 8th seed) faces my fathers team (Detroit Red Wings 1st seed). Detroit are the heavy favourites, but there is a quiet confidence in Oiler Nation this season. This is the year the Darkhorse previals.

How to celebrate your 30th birthday...

Its simple, you get your best friends, institute a dress code for the evenings festivities and the main ingredient... drinking to an 80's cock-rock band. A healthy menu of Def Leppard, Styx, Ozzy, GnR combined with a steady flow of Rickards Red off the tap set the stage for a night that shall never be forgotten (or should I say entirely remembered).

It sure took the edge off of turning 30!

My first post?

I walked into the blogging world backwords yesterday with a bewildered look on my face, but as I sit here feeling kind of like Doogie Howser I'm thinking this isn't so bad. Words are cool, and so is the internet... blogging is 2x cool?

Today is my 30th birthday... ouch... ooof.... Doogie was what 14 when he did this? Such a pioneer.

Well ladies and gents I shall leave you with a gem from hollywood. If you can't heed the advice of Al Pacino, then really, who can you believe?

A Bronx Tale (1993) Open the door for her. then you let her get in. Then you close the door, Walk around the back of the car and look through the rear window. If she doesn't reach over and unlock the door so that you can get in, dump her..if she doesn't unlock the door, that means she's a selfish broad, and all you're seeing is the tip of the iceberg. You dump her and you dump her fast.