It's Time!

Well, I have taken a long hiatus from this thing, but I have thought about it often, and thought there was a lot of stuff I should be sharing. How else do I start other than plunging right in?
I want to make my way out of Saskatoon.
As I type this, I am just getting ready to head to my grandma's birthday kind of thing - it's a bash for a couple of her brothers and sisters. It will be fun, I am sure, but I have tonnes on my mind I am not sure I will be able to share much.
I have given Saskatoon a chance. I worked in journalism, I was a reporter, and I got to work in radio for a year and a little bit. I was in show business baby! But for what?
I am sorry you have to read through this little ride I'm on, but isn't time to put something "real" in here?
It has been a good time here, but there are so many things that make me want to go home. I got the call today from the fellow I was chasing back home. He tells me they're hiring and he is going to send me the address and tell me where to send a resume. I am thinking about who to put on my resume. I am packing my stuff for crying out loud. I have to be ready for this call - I have to impress - Did I on the first call?
I haven't quite figured out the first step yet, but I am ready. It won't be long for me I don't think.
If you really want something, you'll go get it right? Or will it happen for you? I ask these questions and appear as though I am waiting for something to fall into my lap, but I am going to be sure to show confidence and be the guy people are used to seeing. The time is now, the ball is rolling, and even though I just did a lot of talking, I think this is going to happen. My heart is in it, and I am ready to go home.

Saturday Morning

What else would a guy want to do on a Saturday morning when it is -29 degrees and a windchill of -38. Holy hell Batman, welcome to December in Saskatoon. I got up at 7:15 and brewed a pot of coffee and I am typing away on the computer, enjoying the warmth of my little apartment.
It is amazing. The cold first hit and I had trouble getting my car started so I had to take it in for a new battery.
I guess this weather would be hard on a car, afterall, it's hard on me.
Last night I had a raoring Friday night, where I played Tiger Woods golf and had a couple of beers. The heat was even on.
I live high up in an apartment building and it is usually uncomfortably warm, but this little cold snap we've had has encouraged me to use the heater. It was delightful acutally, sitting here playing video games and seeing the plumes of smoke from the tops of buildings rising straight into cold dark sky.
The other day was lovely with no wind, and the same plumes rose high into the winter day, but now the wind has changed direction and is howling out of the north west.
Earlier in the week we had the "Beast from the Southeast" roll through, bringing with it a big dump of snow and some very cold weather.
It is nice in a weird sort of way - I bundled up and went out for a walk earlier in the week and it felt like I was the only guy on earth, even though I was right dwontown. I could see the flags whipping and the snow blowing across the streets. Entries to the building were piled high with drifting snow and it was gorgeous.
Anyone who has lived in this climate will understand the delight. I felt like I was on the moon, or the last real wild frontier.

This is too much

I am looking at my sisters blog and I notice she's missing a few details from her story about my mom. Let me get it right.
My dad is here in Saskatoon visiting me.Yay, steak one night, chicken wings, chicken kung pow the next. Beer all the while. Oilers hockey. You know, stuff guys do with their dad.
We have a ball, he fills my fridge, and off he goes. I now have enough pickles and perogies for anyone who wants to visit.
Dad gets home only to find out my lovely grandmother is not well and she's in surgery for the third time since September when she had her knee replaced.
So, I have to back up a bit, but you know my grandma is not doing too great, she's 83 and getting old. While my dad is here, mom goes out for a couple drinks with her friends and locks herself out of the house.
Because dad is gone she padlocks every door in the house and leaves her keys behind. So she has to squirm in through the laundry room window.
Now this is where my sister missed out on a couple of things.
My dad used to brew beer and long since has abandoned this terrible hobby, but he still has some remenants kicking around. Some of these include a large pail full of bottle caps. So of course that's in the way as she blindly shuffles through the window. Now all over the floor.
And the other part she misses is that all the doors were padlocked, but what is the basement window open for?
I guess I would do the same, after all, it is St. Albert. There are no robbers in St. Albert.

What is it with celebrities?

I am thinking about the latest celeb to make the news because of a racist rant. Kramer from Seinfeld is apparently being heckled by some guys in the crowd and he starts dropping the n-bomb. Are you kidding me? Michael Richards, famous really for only one show, but he seems like a funny guy. Why would he do this? Maybe he was upset that people were making fun of him and heckling him, but come on. The guy has loads of money and made it as a comedian.
You'd think he'd have thicker skin than that.
But it really is a statement on our whole society. If it's black vs white in the USA, it's certainly White vs Aboriginals in Western Canada and what a sad state of affairs it all is. Why would someone say this stuff that takes us all a giant step back. What a comment on the times when people like Ray Nagin in New Orleans showing the world that America is facing major problems that just bubble under the surface. Mel Gibson getting drunk and making a lengthy anti-Semitic rant.
Here closer to home, the general manager of the Swift Current mall says the whole town is a bunch of Rednecks because there is only 0.2 percent of the population that's not white.
Does this discussion really have to take place in 2006? I would like to say no, but it is obviously an issue. If only I could help solve this. Maybe there's a way, but it is part of our lives and there is no avoiding it. It's just too bad some people have to be so backwards.

Ahhhh this is bad. It's been ten days

Well,
I am doing this to try and keep up with my writing and get into the habit, but it appears to have slipped out of my mind shortly there.
I had company, and I totally change everything when my sweetie is here. I don't do any of the boring stuff I usually do in the evenings. Instead I go out to movies, eat at restaurants, and visit new pubs. It's sure a lot of fun to have company. To have someone to share the evenings with. I sure have trouble sitting here and thinking about the fact that I don't have a lot to do. I really should get things on a roll and see if I can make it all better.
The world is still spinning, the sun goes up and down, the wind howls in Saskatchewan, and everything suddenly goes back to normal. But normal is so boring. I have more ups and downs in this job than I can imagine.
Time to quit doing this online. I need to go read for a while and get to that place Don Juan goes in the Mexican desert. With the lizards and the crows........... You know? Relax, read a book, and turn in at 8 or 9 PM. Oh wow, as soon as she leaves, everything is just so foggy, and I am so uninspired.
I just need to go sit and think.

This is unbelievable!!!

I don't know where to start this, because I just want to get this down as quickly as possible. But I've realized just how big a part of my life this silly computer has become.
Although you might not know it from the relatively infrequent entries to this blog, but I am drinking rum and watching the Rider's game yesterday afternoon, when tragedy strikes.
That's what people in Saskatchewan do. And something comes up, a guy makes couple of huge hits, and a fumble recovery and I decide to look him up. Maurice LLoyd. Well, I end up spilling some rum and coke right on the f#$%ing computer. The right side of the keyboard is a little sticky, as well as the spacebar.
And it is literally driving me insane. How can I fix this? Arghhhh, I don't want to break the keys but I'd like to throw the thing out the window.
But there are a million postings online and I am hoping the geeks will come through for me. It's just infuriating.
TOM out.

Try again tomorrow

I hadn't been thinking about it too much to be honest. I don't know why, but about three weeks ago I got it into my head that I was going to see if I could get a raise.
I tried twice in a matter of days to ask the boss. One time he said "maybe" and the other he said "we'll see".
The first time I approached him, he was able to turn the tables on me pretty quickly. He says. "What, not enough beer money?" And although it's true, I was serious.
So the second time I was more prepared. I did some research, and I put a lot of thought into how I would ask.
He was leaving for holidays for two weeks, so I had to do it before he was gone.
Well, now I am having another meeting at the bar with him tomorrow afternoon in a sort of show planning session. What direction is the show going in?
Well, it's time to ask about a formal review, and evaluation. Maybe even toss about a number, but we'll see how that goes tomorrow.
I better flip through those notes again, because this guy seems to know how to avoid the issue.
If I am doing a poor job, I need to know, and they need to tell me to pack my bags. I am inclined to think they would've done that by now.

Afternoon's Pleasures

This has been a delightful afternoon.... first it is civic election day, and if you've read any of my earlier blogs, you'll see Mark Weinmeyer in one of them. Well, turns out he also has a kid whom he denies is his, and he has kind of dissappeared.
Running for office with all those bones in his closet. I know everyone has some secrets, but kids scattered across town, a questionable lifestyle from someone who hopes to be mayor. But you have to give him credit for jumping in.
But he's a non-issue.
I went out on my walk and voted, although it wasn't much of a walk, the library is where I had to vote and that's right behind my building. I guess when your apartment block is nearly full of seniors you can always be assured of a pharmacy and a nearby voting station. Also plenty of churches to pick from.
Maybe they go to coffee and crib parties four days out of the week. But truth be told, I think the coffee and crib parties are right in the basement of my building. So they don't even have to leave.
And back to my walk, I had nothing to do so I went and looked for a place to buy cheap gummies. Halloween is creeping up, and everyone has their candy out, but I am very specific. I am looking for a variety pack with Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Berries, Fuzzy Peaces and Cherry Blasters. I know it exists, I just thought $6.50 was a little steep for 50 tiny little individual packets. So I gave up on that mission and just wandered aroud the downtown.
Finally grew tired of wandering aimlessly so I am back with three papers, a beer, two mags, and my music.
That's enough to keep me going for a while. Afterall, only a few more hours until the Mighty Oilers come on.
And if all that can't keep me busy, I can always turn on Tiger Woods golf.
Yup, I am set.

Are you sure the numbers are high enough?

A new study shows that one in 12 people in Canada are dissatisfied with their jobs. Wow, no kidding.
Maybe it has to do with pay. How does someone survive as they try to get a start in their chosen career? Oh, wait I didn't want this thing to become somewhere where I came to bitch, and I wasn't going to make it too autobiographical. The fact is, many, many people are in a situation like this.....
It's hard paying your dues, or gathering experience. Or working toward something bigger and better.
How does someone stay satisfied when they are going somewhere they don't really want to be? How do you keep your head high, when you take a kicking everytime you go to work?
Now the other part of the survey says depression is a major factor at the work place. This is where my stubborness comes in, and I say get off your behind, and find something you like.
But the bottom line is, people are afraid of change. How easy it is to get comfortable.
The pay check, albeit very small, keeps coming in every two weeks, and you can't get ahead in order to have a little bit of breathing room to take a chance and move on.
The saddest thing is hearing someone say they only have 15 more years until they can retire. How can someone put themselves through that? Wishing away fifteen years, so you can do what exactly? The ultimate dream is to have a job you love going to everyday, one that pays you, one that gives you time to live, and enjoy some little extras every once in a while.
I certainly don't feel the need to be "rich" because I am already fabulously rich in many ways. I don't need millions in the bank to enjoy a little bit of travellling and a nice meal out. I currently pay more rent than I would like, but I get by.
I love going to work for the most part, and I work in one of the most exciting industries in the world. Hell, I work in show business. Radio talkshows aren't the first thing someone thinks of when they hear show-biz, but in a way it is.
At the end of the day, one needs challenges, and one needs to stay sharp. If you have to try really hard everyday to make exciting things happen, the rewards are abundant.
If you just coast through without ever taking a chance, taking a risk, there's no hope at happieness.
I know this is something I used to bat around on in University, but it really is true. There are only two choices in life. And every decision we make is based on either FEAR or LOVE. It defines every aspect of our lives, good or bad.

Mayoral Candidates Saskatoon

We are two weeks away from the civic elections in Saskatoon, and it's starting to get quite funny. There are seven people in the running for Mayor. The incumbent is Don Atchison, and he looks like he'll win.
Jim Maddin, a former mayor is back for some reason. Ron Kocsis, a successful First Nations businessman, and Lenore Swystun who is anti-big box and anti-WalMart and all that.
There are also a couple of Mark's. Mark Ewart, and Mark Weinmeyer. They are both okay, but certainly not going to win. But this brings me to a good hearty laugh today because Mark Weinmeyer was feeling a little embarassed about some racy photos that came out.
But there has to be something said about a dude who wants to run for Mayor and takes it quite seriously. He's already been on the site and changed the pictures.
See, he DJ's in his private time, and he plays mucis and is a part of the urban, thug-life $$$ kind of thing a lot of prairie boys seem to get into for some odd reason.
So DJ Sugar Daddy, and his Myspace page should frankly be taken for what they are, and nothing more. Just a guy a few years ago having some fun. Don't write him off, and make this a bigger deal than it is.
It's someone who cares about his city, and wants to make it better. This is a step many of us would not even consider taking.
Alas, he won't be getting my vote, but I won't attack him over irrelevant stuff. It's only my opinion.

Hockey's Back!!!

The first night of the new hockey season. Woo hoo. I can't wait for the Battle of Alberta tomorrow night. I haven't got anything to write about, but thought I should get on and type something.
Sometimes you just have to sit around and stare and some sports game that you truly don't give a damn about. I don't know why I am feeling so lazy tonight, but there are baseball playoffs on, hockey's first night and although I haven't get much interest in a particular game, it allows me to putter around in my place and get everything in order before I go home for the weekend.
Not that there's much to do...... yup.

Africa Time

I have a sister who lives in Zambia, and I am always hearing about "Africa time". Now I know what that is..... it takes them four days to count the ballots.
But in a twist, it looks like "King Cobra" might not pull off the surprise victory and oust the incumbent.
Holy cow, he's in third place.
I guess the BBC missed something in their profiles of candidates because they missed the second place guy all together.

Well, Mr. Sata who was supported by Zambia's poor looks like he might slip to third, much to the relief of the Western Leaders I suppose, as he supported President Mugabe in neighbouring Zimbabwe.
But clearly I am no expert, just a guy who is interested in what's happening.

And in a timely note, Anderson Cooper on CNN is having a special tonight called, Killing Fields: Africa's Misery, the World's Shame. It's going to be interesting to see how it's portrayed, but I do confess that it's encouraging they are there in the first place.

More once I actually watch it and decide for myself.

Zambia's Presidential Elections

Zambia is headed to the polls. And it made the news in the National Post. That doesn't happen every day.
Things are looking up for the economy in the little nation.
Copper prices are surging, riding mostly on China who run many of the mines, and also happen to be undergoing a MAJOR boom of their own. In fact, I understand China is gobbling up many of the world's supplies of steel, copper, concrete and other building materials.
So how does China play into the elections in this African nation of 11 Million people? Well, on one side, the incumbent Levy Mwanawasa supports China and Mr. Sata, "King Cobra" wants to back off of relations with the mega Asian superpower.
So it's become the main issue in the election, one that will be very interesting. We'll see if there's a change or not.
But....
Why is a guy in Saskatoon writing about Zambia anyway? Good question. My sister lives there. She's been there for two years and I always keep an eye open. She tells me things are looking up in Zambia, partly because the Chinese have re-opened old copper mines, and invested in textile industries that help the Zambian economy. She also tells me people live in poverty we in Canada can only imagine.
About half of the population is unemployed, and many live off of $1 per day.
Worse yet, she just lost a 20 year old friend. So I am thinking of those people in Africa and wondering why nobody in the western world WILL LIFT A FINGER TO HELP ANY AFRICAN NATION?
It just doesn't make any sense how the politicians can go to sleep at night knowing how bad things are in many developing African nations. Maybe it's not just the politicians, it's all of us.
I hope it changes soon. After all, Africa is the birthplace of civilisation.

How much is it worth?

So I hear I am nowhere near the top of the pay scale for what I do. Uh hum?! Is that right? I am shocked by that.... yup, totally surprised.
But alas, when I went to ask for a raise on my one year anniversary at the radio station I was told, MAYBE. Woah!
I took some info and suggestions from the boss and decided I better come prepared next time. I am going to meet again tomorrow and see how this all goes. It's sure nice of the other bloggers who've put in their two cents on how to get what you want from work.
I think there is a one-year review policy anyway, so perhaps I'll be fine. I might've just approached him the wrong way. The tables were turned pretty quickly.
But that's what a good manager will do if I think about it a little bit. Why would a person who has the power to give out a raise, just jump up and say, "OK you got it, boy!?" No, I didn't even have a single reason prepared.
Be fearless, be relentless, be ridiculously curious.
Polarize and surprise the listeners.
Sounds pretty simple, but the best thing I learned is to take a step back and ask myself one thing, IS THIS RIGHT?
What a great way to make sure you are prepared, and in the right frame of mind for any situation.

How to keep the old brain active.....

Honestly,
I left my apartment for 5 minutes yesterday to go to the Mac's store to get a bottle of Coke. That was it.... but it's not that bad to have a day like that. But I swear I slept for 12 hours and then had a nap, and was in bed at 10 pm after all that sleeping.
Getting up at 5:45 am isn't too bad, but habits can develop in a few days. Like napping. Some days it's nice, but I have to keep those naps short, and not take them every day.
Otherwise I am not nearly as sharp in myhead, or my body. It doesn't take long, but after being so lazy yesterday I thought of 500 hundred different ways to be unhappy here.
Not to sound like I am feeling down, but it was amazing where my mind can take me if given enough time.
So I got back to work, had a good show today, and took a walk after work rather than a nap. And here I am still feeling good, and I got a bunch of stuff done this evening.
Go figure. I think it's all realted.

The Mars Volta

Oh yeah, and the Chillies are playing too. haha
The Mars Volta is opening a show for RHCP tonight and I was lucky enough to get free tickets at the end of the work day.
Ahhh, the perks of working at the radio station.
I must confess I am not the world's biggest Chilli Peppers fan, but who in their right mind could turn down a live show by them. They have dozens of classics.
There's a reason they are the one of today's biggest bands.
But that can be for tomorrow''s posting.
Go!
I look forward to it, what a nice surprise.
Soon...

What's the deal baby?

A tragic shooting in Montreal, at Dawson College leaves me wondering what would cause someone to do this? I mean, you get the usual people saying the gunman was a loner, he was picked on in school, and he just snapped.
But how does a person get his or her hands on a "big gun"? And take it to a school and open fire? There were thousands of people at school that day, and I am sure they came from all walks of life, (as many walks of life have the chance to go to college anyway) but it just doesn't make sense.
So the question that pops to mind is this, Who is this gunman? We may never know, but pieces will come in and people who knew the shooter will eventually come along. It just leaves one wondering what would bring someone to this?
Montreal is not a dangerous city, and in my opinion one of the most wonderful cities in the world, but this isn't the first school shooting in Montreal. Marc Lepin at Ecole Polytechnique who gunned down 14 women in 1989 comes to mind. But why Montreal, why now?
I don't know if there's something that glorifies this behaviour in some twisted way, where the trenchcoat mafia becomes something young men want to be. The trenchcoat killers in Colorado had much bigger plans in mind - and in a way, it could've been much worse.
So perhaps this could've much worse today, but there are thousands of young people who saw something terribly scary today, and thousands of others who will be hugging their children a little more closely when they say goodnight this evening.
But alas, we'll have to wait and see if we'll ever find out a motive, an explanation, an answer.
I just wonder who this guy was. And why?

Wow that was easy!

So I am back. The computer is healthy after being sent to the doctor. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I phoned and they asked me to send it in so they could check it out. I took the computer to Purolator and they shipped it to Mississauga on their dime. They sent a note saying they received it and would notify me when it was coming back. Well, the email said here's the Fedex tracking number and you can see when it will arrive. A few minutes later I went onto the site and found out I had just missed the delivery. Oh well, I just went and picked it up. They had it for a week, put a new LCD screen and a new mainboard along with a CPU thermal module. I am not sure what it all is, but the computer works famously now. All it cost me was a refreshing week without a computer in my place.
Then I got a bill and realized I was paying nearly $100 for cable and internet. Wow, I better phone and see why it's so expensive. Well, I found out I could get a lite version of the internet and it would drop my bill by $15-20. Go for it.
All this AND it's not yet 11 in the morning.

Computers

Arghhh, if it's not the car it's the computer that's misbehaving. I don't want this to become a place for all of my woes. But seriously, I just typed away frantically for 40 minutes while I was on hold with Acer, the computer company.
See, I have the moodiest computer in the world, and it freezes up and looks like the wall paper in my mom's dining room.
Colourful vertical lines across the screen and nothing else. No way to wake it up, no way to save anything I'd been working on.
So after 45 minutes a guy answers the phone and tells me to pack it up and he'll send Purolator to pick it up.
I am not sure how I am going to do that. I have to be at work until around 3 pm and the courier will be coming here between 1 and 4. Oh well, I might have to go see Myrna the landlady and see if she'll be able to give it to him or her.
So I am going to leave this alone until I get the computer back..... no, no, no. I will blog from work. Yup, sounds good.
Cheers.
Ahhhh technology.

Record Shops

I went to the record store the other day.... hadn't been there in ages. I bought two albums - Neil Young's latest, and the most recent disc from Alexisonfire.
I might've actually been concerned what the guy at the cash register said if he didn't look like a 12 year old girl.
Emo kids..... I don't get it. And wait a minute..... the EMO kids all listen to Alexisonfire. What am I doing buying that album?
I was always the oldest guy at the Misery Signals shows. But they put out a new disc this week too. Man, I could get back into the old habits of buying discs again. But I refuse. The record stores are obsolete with the invent of Itunes and computers.
But I find myself right on the fringes of those dudes that still go buy cd's because they haven't quite got the latest toys. But at the same time I can see a guy who goes in and buy Tom Petty albums because he wants to talk it back to his wife and kids and play it on his home entertainment system.

Clearly caught in between something right now.

Anyway, they are great albums. Both of them.

Missing for 8 years?

Did you catch this story about a girl in Austria who had been missing since 1998? This is amazing. I wonder how this girl could've been stuck with some nut for that long. Apparently the searchers never really gave up. They dragged lakes, looked into reports that she was spotted in Hungary, and followed other tips. Natascha Kampusch went missing while she was walking to school. Police were told she was seen getting into a white utility van but there are hundreds of those around.
One of the first things she told police was that she had to call the dude "master". He is really known as, Wolfgang Priklopil. She stayed in a 6 sq meter dungeon with running water and a bathroom. It was only accessible by a trapdoor of steel.
The guy had recently loosened his grip on her, and she darted when he was distracted by a phone call.
I can only imagine waiting 8 long years for the chance to make your dash for it.
A man-hunt began right after the girl escaped but soon ended when they found the man flattened by a train.

Arghhhh!

$226.95 to fix my car. What the hell is an IAC? It was cleaned and reinstalled. And the labour to perform relearn procedure for IAC stalling condition..... okay.
Last week when it was in the shop last week, it got a new negative battery connection and wire which lead to the computer being reset. That's what the car had to "relearn".
Amazing.
But I am better off than John Mark Karr. The peculiar guy who was married to a couple of girls younger than 16 years old in the Far East and has confessed to killing JonBennet the child beauty queen.
He was in the doctors office to have a sex-change procedure performed too.
Yup, I don't have it half bad.

The other night I was laying in bed watching the TV and one of the late night cable talk shows came on and the mighty Neil Young is sitting there with his guitar and he sings this song:

Let's impeach the President for lying'
And misleading our country into war
Abusing all the power that we gave him
And shipping all our money out the door.

Who's the man who hired all the criminals?
The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors
They bend the facts to fit their new story
Or why we had to send our men to war

and on and on.
Amazing. All this talk from celebrities and musicians doesn't seem to really be taking hold. Maybe it still needs some time to sink in. I don't imagine it was like this during the anti-war movements during Vietnam and the Hippy years.
I just don't know.
I hope I can understand someday.

Days like this are when a Croatian beer tastes even better.

Cars

Well, I thought I'd get going early today and get some running around done. Hopping into my car I feel it sputter a little asI pull up to the traffic light and my heart just sank. Not again, I say.
It's a Ford though. No surprise.
I don't know what's wrong with it, and I guess I'll have to endure some excercise to get to work tomorrow. Oh, just doing my part to reduce emissions.
I don't have any money really, but what can you do?
So while I sit here and ponder my financial situation, I decide to set up a blog.
My friend just told me he is getting married and he showed me some pics on his lady's blog, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.
Now I'll end it so I can see how it looks. I'll let you know what it costs to fix my car.
Later.