Thursday, August 25, 2005

Big Storm

Sorry about not blogging but our computer got fried in a storm last Friday. Right now I'm at the library using the computers here before I go home, you get a hour free.
Around 3pm last Friday in Southern Ontario, storms starting with really heavy rain and lightning.
Tornadoes were spotted about 75 kilometres northwest of here.
Floods were all around the city of Toronto.
Along with our computer, the phones were shot and our fax is history.
I didn't think I would miss the phone, but I did. Just not having the convience of it was enough for me.
Of course I miss the computer, but not the fax.(it's my wife's, for her work)
So we have about 500 dollars damage total. Our deductible is that amount.
Our computer is leased so Dell owns it and that's free. We just have to wait and I suppose that will be another week.
We have to get 5 phone jacks fixed, we have one working.
The fax will be replaced in a month or so. Our fax is 16 years old, so my wife doesn't mind getting a new one, they work so much better now and are smaller.

Other than that there is nothing really going on in my life that is exciting.
Oh yea, I scored 3 goals in hockey the other night, which is the first time that has happen in years.

We were at our friends last Saturday for a bbq. At the end of the evening, this couple got into a huge fight in front of us. Pretty wild for us, we don't argue that good ourselves. Anyways alittle awkward and we left shortly there after.

Hopefully I can do a blog from home soon.

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Sunday morning rampage part two

Again another Sunday morning rampage, this time it's the two of us on the receiving end. Too much and I'm not going to take this every weekend morning.

We saw "The Upside of Anger" last night on dvd.
Pretty good chic flic with Kevin Costner and Joan Allen, I would recommend it. Good story and good acting!
As a family we also watched "Mr. 3000" staring Bernie Mac. We're not talking any great acting here but it was funny and entertaining.

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Canadian justice system

Seems that we've had liberal governments here in Canada forever.
One of the biggest drawbacks is how the justice system works.
There was a murder in the early 1990s of a university student named Lynda Shaw.
Her remains were found about a week after she was missing in a forest area.
She had been raped among other atrocious things.
They found her killer this year from DNA testing. Hurray you say!
Not so fast!
The scumbag is dead, he committed suicide in 1994. Because he is dead, they can't name him for privacy reasons. He can't defend himself!
The DNA in this case is right, the odds are one in a trillion they may be wrong.
Oh yea, the guy was out on parole for the double murder of a undercover cop and a taxi driver.
Due to our lax penal system, he was on full parole. This poor excuse for a human shouldn't have ever seen a free moment for the rest of his life.
Luckily some of the newspapers named him anyways.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Nothing to say!

I'm sitting here at this computer at 11pm on a Friday evening with nothing really to say.
Actually reading my past blogs, I really haven't said much anyhow.

Work was easy today until I was trying to get to my depot from my last customer today.
Excuse tha language, but the god damned highway was closed due to a accident. A 50 minute drive back took over 2 hours. I hate that on a Friday!
Oh well, they pay me by the hour, but I just want to get home.
I get home a 730pm(13 hour day) and dinner was bought, not made.(someone was home today, working though, but home nonetheless) I had to put it together and heat it up.
The appreciation for my hard work, hmmmm...... Let's say I'm not impressed.
That's enough for the self pity!
Well one more thing or so.....
945pm, someone is falling asleep on the couch and it's not the guy who feels unappreciated.
The kid goes to bed at 10pm and I'm alone, again.
What a life!

I've decided that when this heatwave ends(almost 2 months) that I'm going to start exercising on Friday evenings. I need more energy, not from coffee, so exercise is the answer.
Now it's 2 rum and diet pepsi's and sleep by midnight.

Speaking of rum, bil and sil gave me a bottle of Cuban rum for me helping out during their wedding and honeymoon after.(babysitting)
Since I did very little, I told them it wasn't neccessary, but the bottle is on my counter now.
I'm drinking Jamaican rum right now.
Cuban rum will be in the fall!
No cigars came my way. They bought some, but they seem to think that they can sell them on e-bay and make some money. Good luck!

Monday, August 08, 2005

Sucky jobs

Reading Steph's posts about her crappy job got me thinking about my negative job situations. Here are a few!
I was an assistant manager at a fast food chain in the late 80s. I was transfered to this store where the general manager had a reputation of being a hot head, among other things.
The first thing he says to me is that he makes the deposits because he doesn't trust the bank. Ok, I then verified every deposit I ever made under his command.
One day he freaked out on the floor and grabbed me by the arm and screamed at me. Ok, time to nip this in the bud, fast.
I suggest to him quietly that we talk in the office downstairs. He disagreed! We were down there in about 2 minutes after I said to him to get his ass downstairs.
When we were there, I grab him by the shirt and said if he ever touched me again, it would be the last act as manager he would ever do.
I love being a rather large man.
For the remainder 2 months we spent together, he was rather polite and understanding.
I ended up getting him fired for stealing money from my verified deposits.
A few years later when I became a truck driver he was a manager on my route. He changed his name, but I still called him by his old one. I basically made him squirm everytime I saw him for the next 6 months or so.
Life ws grand!
My next job was managing cafeterias for this corporation. I had a iron clad contact about raises and permanent locations after 3 months.
My district manager was gutless, so she never stood up for me when I addressed the big boss about my contract.
One day I'm in this huge corporate account of there's and they are giving a tour for this guy I knew. I went to college with him, his name was Darrel.
After this tour was done I went over to speak to him. He was interviewed for my job. After I informed him that was the job I was currently doing, he laughed and said he didn't think he would like working there.
My plan was to walk around with a resignation in my pocket and wait for the right moment.
A couple of days later I come in to work and there is a message that the big boss would be there in the afternoon, after lunch of course.
She came in and I gave her the resignation and told her to F' off, in front of clients and employees.
We then met a few minutes after that in the cafeteria and I yelled at her for several minutes, to embarrass her.
It worked! Her face was red.
Basically I made too much money and they didn't want to pay.
In trucking there are all kinds of cockroaches, too many to mention.
When I quit the last job I had before the one I have now, they stiffed me out of severance, vacation and regular pay. They actually said I owe them pay, as they over paid me for a period of time.
I took them to the labour board and it took about a year before I got my money.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Sunday morning rampage

Quick blog, I can hear my wife yelling at the son while cleaning abit of the basement.
Why?
Some questions need to be answered, but this one will have to wait.
I'm going out to my refuge, the garage. I'm sure my son will be joining soon.
I tell her every once in a while to get a managers job so she can boss people around there.
See you soon!

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Saturday afternoon part 21

I realized that I seem to blog on Saturday afternnon alot, so that's why it's part 21.(it's just a number)
I was going to blog last evening since the wife and kid were out with other kids and another girlfriend.
I was going home from work yesterday when I saw my friend's work van sitting at a coffee shop. I pulled in and had a coffee with him, which was nice, after all we are all family guys and there never seems to be enough time.
I've known this guy since I was in grade 9, we sat beside each other in a couple classes. He got into some trouble with the law then and most people bailed on him.
I always stuck by him and would to this day.
He doesn't get into trouble anymore.
He had this long time girlfriend over 20 years ago and I went out with her best friend for over a year.
Since then he has had a couple of wives and mine has been friends with both. Actually his ex lives about 20 doors down from here with her new hubby.
Anyhow we chatted for an hour and then I went home.
I was washing up when another friend called and asked if I wanted to golf a quick 9.(our wives and kids were out together)
20 minutes later I'm on a golf course.
Not a bad game either.
Went back to his place and had a beer with our wives and the screaming kids were at another part of their house.
When we got home I watched alittle tv and went to bed at midnight.
I woke up finally at 10 am, which is great for me.
Right now I feel great, except for my right pinkie finger.

Yesterday at work, I dropped a 80 pound drum against my finger. I cursed and then punched the side of the trailer.
My finger turned purple and swelled up to twice the size. It looks cool actually! It's just alittle sore now, but difficult to type.(easy to golf)
My week at work was better than this other driver.
He was fined by the police for having a insecure load, 390 dollars. Not only that, he loses his quarterly safety bonus, so we're talking 740 dollars. And he has to take at least a day off to fight it in court, so when it is all said and done, it will easily be over a 1000 dollars.
All this for a pump truck that wouldn't have moved or caused any damage anyhow.
We were teasing him at work when we found out, and then he admitted he called the lady cop "sir" when she approached. He didn't look first.

It seems that most new friends that I make, either on-line or in person, are women. I wonder why that is?
Anyways most of my blog friends are women or non Canadians.
I'll explain something that is very male oriented with a huge Canadian slant, hockey.
NHL brand to be specific.
My team is the Toronto Maple Leafs. For years if they wanted a player, they basically bought him. Of course this was at the expense of poorer teams and it pissed off alot of fans of other teams.
Even though they were a good team for the last 15 years they never won the big prize, The Stanley Cup.(they haven't won it since 1967)
The Leafs have the largest following of all hockey teams. They make near the top in merchandising, tv revenue and gate receipts. They are filthy rich! Other teams are not.
The NHL had a labour dispute with the players for lower salaries and they just settled. They now have a team salary cap and revenue sharing between teams.
In other words, the Leafs have to cut their player salaries and give other teams revenue money. Lose, lose situation you say. Not! They will make more money than ever.
But now they will have a lousy team for a couple of years. They can't sign or buy players now and are screwed.
They will get better eventually, but for a couple of years the lessor lights will have their time in the sun.
So this winter I'll try and not bitch too much that my team will suck. I'll be patient!

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Plane Crash

As you may of heard on the news, a plane ran off the runway at the international airport in Toronto.
Alittle after 4pm, I'm travelling north on highway#427 in my truck. The skies were darkened by a lightning storm, so much that I had to put on my regular glasses as I would for night driving.
The rain was pelting down causing poor visibility, but in a truck you don't get splash from the road or cars so I could see safely.
Up ahead I see a plane going west, ready to land. I'm thinking it's pretty high for a landing and I cannot believe they're letting the thing land.
I turn east on highway#401(away from airport) and go back to my depot.
An hour later I'm finished work and I'm in my car. The radio is on and there are reports of a plane on fire at the airport.
I'm thinking it's the one I saw.
I get home and see the news on tv.
It was the one I saw!
Apparently no one died and only a few minor injuries.
The plane blew up after landing and everyone got out before it happen.
A miracle?
I think so!