Happy Birthday Lorianne!

Trust me, I will never forgot my sis-in-law's birthday. Considering it is the day before our anniversary.

She kinda got shafted on her 30th birthday - that was 3 years ago. The family was a little busy with *night before wedding* preparations.

Hope she had a good birthday. I will try and fit in a call to her on this busy week of mine.

Lazzzzzzzzy Day

Well, haven't done much of anything today other than play CoH for 9 hours. Isn't that disgusting. Oh well, good times were had by all.

I played with Ben this morning for the first 5 hours. Between his Controller and my Scrapper, we kicked a lot of ass. This afternoon I played with Rob's controller and a number of other people we picked up here and there. It was an ok team (I have had better), and everyone was a couple lvls lower than me so the xp wasn't that great, but fun none the less.

As for the evening Suz and her friend from Nipawin are coming over for games. Should be great at getting me off the couch - my neck and back hurt horribly. I guess that is what I get for sitting on the couch all day playing computer games.

Earthdawn

It has been ages since I was involved in a roleplaying game. I didn't realize how much I miss it until last night when I made up a character for Chris' Earthdawn fantasy game. The last game I played in was Sky's D&D which was in Sept. 2004. So it has been a number of months.

This Earthdawn game looks very interesting. It isn't your standard d20 system, which is nice, as that is all I have really played in. I made up a Female Windling Elementalist - Josephine (MUST be pronouned with a french accent - thanks Suz!). She looks like she is going to be a lot of fun to play especially with her companions - Suz's 8ft Troll, and Jeff's 7ft Obsidiman.

We are going to try and get a weekly game in which will be nice. And it should be fairly easy with such a small group. Between drama, slo-pitch, the gym, home reno's and this game - my summer is filling up fast. But, that isn't so bad, I like to be busy.

Journal Entry #3

Yesterday I saw I car stop for a lady with a cane, who happened to be jaywalking. A rare occurence. It is sad that I am surprised at people when they are courteous.

I Love Family Guy

Peter: I'll handle it, Lois. I read a book about this sort of thing once.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't nothing?
Peter: Oh yeah.


Peter: Hey Brian! I turned the stairs into a waterslide!
Brian (after Peter falls down and starts screaming): I'm not going to call an ambulance this time because then you won't learn anything


Stewie: Augh! What the hell do you think you're doing?
Brian: I'm cleaning myself.
Stewie: You were clean fifteen minutes ago, now you're just on vacation.


Peter (to Brian before he gets neutered):I am not looking forward to what you're going to be like once they do this to you.
Brian (overweight and eating a box of chocolates): I LOVE chocolate...but I can't eat it because then I'll get fat. But it's SOOOO good!

Happy Birthday Amy & Randy!

We miss you!

The Pirate made me do it

I know that the radio stations generally suck in this city, however there are not a lot of options. Yes, I do listen to C95 for that reason specifically.

After hearing Rambling Dave's Ramble this morning, I must comment. It is probably the best Ramble I have heard come out of Dave's mouth. He remarked on how his young son taught him about why men are the way they are. "When my son was 5 years old, he step off the curb before the walk light changed, I asked him why he would do something like that and he responded 'the pirate made me do it'." "Men are the way they are because they all have a pirate in their heads, when your wife is asking you about why the dishes didn't get done, it was because the pirate leads me downstairs to the computer. Sometimes the pirate breaks free of the shackles and gets out."

Of course this is not word for word, but a summary none the less. It made me laugh, and it does seeming fitting.

Happy Birthday Brennan!!!

I hope that you have a great day!

Episode 3

So Jeff & I went to the much anticipate Star Wars: Episode Three. It was good, much better than the first two. The end was probably the best with fights between Anakin & Obi Wan, and Yoda and the Chancellor. The scenes between Anakin and Padmae were still awlful; it must've been the writing cuz the scenes with him being the evil Darth Vader, (before the burning) he is quite convincing.

I have come to the conclusion that the the Star Wars movies are okay. I like them, I have seen them many times, and I am entertained. But I wouldn't say they are my favorite movies of all time, or that they are the greatest. For me, it wouldn't bother me one bit if I didn't see any of them again. It isn't that I don't like them, they just don't really win me over all that much.

If you are a huge Star Wars fan, go see it. It is pretty darn good.

Good Friends, Good Times

The BBQ Birthday Bash was a success. It turned out to be a beautiful day considering it was rainy and cloudy yesterday.

I sat outside for most of the afternoon soaking up the sun while reading the next book, Dry lips oughta move to kapuskasing, for our book club. I got a little red, as I didn't put any sunscreen on, but my intentions are well meaning as I am trying to even out my arms and rid the stupid farmers tan I got going on. I guess I should probably be a little more concerned with melanoma or skin cancer than having an even tan on my arms. Geez, I must be getting a little vain - wierd.

Anywho, the party was quiet with only about 10 of our friends showing up. I knew that not many were coming due to the long weekend, but that is alright - sometimes a nice quiet social gathering is just what the doctor ordered.

Alan graced our presence first, followed by Brennan, Laura, Rilla & Rob. Suzi & Chris showed up shortly after. After some interesting dialogue concerning peeing dogs, and peeing in general it was decided to get the bbq fired up. Not long aftersupper Rilla & Rob headed out, as Rilla had to work for the evening, and Brennan & Laura were headed out to Star Wars: Episode 3. Brennan & Laura were celebrating their 1 year anniversary today, and were finishing off the day with a movie. Upon there departure, the rest of us started up a game of Swords & Skull - exciting yet long, 2 1/2 hours to be exact. Almost to the end of the game, Sky, Terry & family showed up. The remainder of the evening consisted up hot tubbing, Apples to Apples and socializing.

All in all, a good party, and hopefully a good time was had by all.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

I hope your birthday is as great as this one.

A New Blogger

Way to go Suz for starting a blog!

Check out the latest friend to join the ranks of blogging.

10 years already?

Well, my 10 year high school reunion is all set to go. I got my official email the other day regarding times, dates and activities.

As I have been sharing my thoughts about my reunion with friends, it seems as though I am in the minority when it comes to being excited about attending. Of course there are people I really really want to see and visit with, and then there are others that saying hi to will due.

Even though my parents still live in Biggar and I have regularily gone back to visit, I rarely leave the house. So, for those of my classmates that still live in Biggar it has been a long while since I have seen them; not to mention those that don't even live in Biggar anymore.

I think one of the reasons that I am excited is because even though I may not have been best buds with all 45 classmates I graduated with, I went to school with them for a good 13 years. That is a long time. There is definitely going to be some kind of attachment, and after 10 years of not seeing the same faces each day (granted you want to see those faces) you kinda want to see what has happened in their life. I guess that is the whole point of reunions.

Anyways, the fact remains that I am looking forward to going in a few weeks. I am sure that I will have a good time. If there is one thing I will get out of it, it will be to see my close girlfriends (who all live in Alberta). We didn't get our girls weekend arranged this winter, so I hope they can all come. There has been a little arm twisting involved, hopefully it is working.

The Worst Movie Ever!!!!

Do not watch Alone in the Dark. It is THE WORST MOVIE I have ever seen. Jeff agreed.

I like movies, and most of the time I watch movies purely for entertainment. If I am entertained, then it was a good time, even if there are a few plot holes. Doesn't usually matter all that much to me. However, this movie had so many plot holes I didn't even know what the story was about, let alone understand what any of the characters were even doing in the movie.

Anyways, I have given this movie a longer post then it deserves.

DON'T WATCH IT!

Journal Entry #2

On my way home from drama class tonight, I noticed a heavy fog just above the ground in Cumberland Park. It covered the entire park, and looked very mysterious. I initially thought that it was an illusion, and caught myself looking back twice to double check that it was real. It brought a creepy feeling over me, as if I were in the middle of a horror movie and I was scouting out the cemetery.

Journal Entry #1

This morning on the bus a young girl got on with a double baby stroller. There was a newborn (likely) in the infant carseat, and a 10 month old in the front seat of the stroller. The stroller was fairly cumbersome, and took up the entire front walkway of the bus. The 10 month old was facing everyone in the bus, and the mother was a good distance behind, near the infant. I was amazed and intrigued at the child. From the time they got on the bus until I left, the child was very interested in everything that was going on around them (like most children). However, I was surprised at how calm the child was. Alot of children, when in a strange environment, around many strange people, will cry, whine, or turn very shy. Especially when their mother is not near to them. However this child was intrigued, and much more interested at watching everyone around them that they couldn't have been bothered with figuring out where their mother was. What surprised me was that I was completely drawn into watching this child watch everyone else. It isn't that I don't like babies or children, I will often look at them to see if I can catch their eye, or if I am close play smileys with them. But I rarely get that drawn into watching children when I haven't caught their eye. This child did not look at me once, but I was so interested in watching them that I couldn't look away.

More Drama

Ethos - this disposition, character, or fundamental values peculiar to a specific person, people, culture, or movement.

Logos - reason, thought of as constituting the controling principle of the universe and as being manifested by speech

Pathos - a quality, as of an experience or a work of art, that arouses feelings of pity, sympathy, tenderness, or sorrow.

we'll see if I become a drama queen

Tonight was my first drama class. There are about 20 people in the class and most of them are in Arts & Science completing their Fine Arts degree.

Our teacher is very interesting, and definitely enjoys what she does. We spent the whole class in our bare feet, and it is likely that all classes will be like that. We did a few fun exercises to start of the night - loosening/tightening the jaw while catching a ball; massage our feet with a rubber bouncing ball; and tossing/passing balls right and left while in a circle. Of course each exercise had meaning whether it was pertaining to being centered, grounded, or the other thing I have already forgotten - doh!

We then got into a little improv. Each pair got up to *perform* the given circumstances that the rest of the group set. I was quite entertained by the performance that Kaila & Brennan gave - yes, Kaila Sky's old girlfriend. Brennan was the teacher and Kaila was the student. Brennan wanted Kaila to do a cartwheel for the next evenings recital, as it would be good for Brennan's reputation. However, Brennan was unable to demonstrate due to his bad back, and Kaila didn't want perform the cartwheel because she was wearing a skirt. Brennan & Kaila did an excellent job, and they got some good laughs. I, of course, knowing the two of them and their history got a little more humour out of it than everyone else. When the scene was being set, I so wanted to jump in and say "we are at Sky's kitchen table playing D&D, and Brennan is *mad* at Kaila." But alas, I did not.

Our final activity was to come up with the given circumstances for a series of lines that we were given. We were then to memorize them and act it out in front of the class. We only got through about 5 pairs, so Brennan & I will have to perform ours on Wednesday. It is a good thing, as once we had seen the others we realized that our little scene didn't really have that much substance, or objective for that matter, which she was really trying to teach us about. Brennan has got another idea for our little scene, so we will need to practice up on that before Wednesday.

So, for my first university class in 5 1/2 years, it was awesome. I look forward to all the others.

A Day of Yardwork

The yard is a mess and it was time to get it cleaned up for the summer. After all, it is the middle of May, and if I want to have a garden, or plant any flowers I better get busy.

Jeff & I kept busy in the yard with raking, fertilizing, mowing, and watering of the lawn. In anticipation of being outside today, I was *smart* and decided to put some suncreen on. I got a pretty nasty burn from yesterdays book club meeting that was held on the deck.

Anyways, the yard seems to be shaping up, and looks pretty good. We just need to plant the garden, get some flowers going, and wait for the grass to get greener. Then I will be able to say it looks REAL good.

Beautiful BC

Take a sneak peek of my pictures from BC. Just got them developed today. Check out my photo album if you wanna see the rest.

Awesome Party!

Last night, the Princess household (Rob, Rilla, Brennan, Tomas, John) had their housewarming party/bbq. What a great time! The evening was filled with games, and socializing. It wasn't too far into the evening when we started playing Chris' game Apples to Apples. It was a pretty fun game, however I think most of the fun was derived from Jeff, or making fun of *My Love Life* - thanks Rob, but it ain't smelly! After Apples to Apples, we played a quick game of Hex, and then it was back to socializing.

It seemed to be a night of games, as it wasn't too long before Rilla got Cannibal Pygmies going, and I settle into the couch with Rob, Skyla and Terry to play a little Family Feud and Jeopardy.

The night end for us around 1pm, as Jeff was falling asleep in the chair. All in all a good time with friends. Hopefully this will be a summer of parties & BBQ's.

A cold night for slo-pitch

Our work slo-pitch team had their first game last night and it was bloody cold out. I thought that my fingers were gonna fall off - though they didn't.

We had a good turn out, and we played pretty well, even with the cold weather. I think the final score was 21-8 - yeah for us! We played over behind the KFC on Idylwyld, so i figured I would stop for a visit at the new pink house on Princess.

Rob was nice enough to give me the tour, and I spent the evening visiting with him and John. It has been sometime since I have seen a lot of my friends due to me being out of town, and them busy with the move and all, so it was definitely a much needed visit. I miss them!

Looking forward to the weather improving, and more visiting with friends throughout the weekend.

Good Old Floor Hockey

Another great night of floor hockey, unfortunately it will be the last as my evening drama class starts next week. I am definitely looking forward to taking it with Brennan. I am sure we will have a blast, however miss hockey terribly.

I didn't manage to score any goals on Ed - damn! It is that stupid buggered up knee, and probably the fact that I haven't played in about a month. It was good times none the less.

Change

I got started on one of my summer work projects this morning - the Leading Change seminar we teach to our board of directors.

Through my readings this morning I came across some interesting and inspiring thoughts on change, and I thought it would be nice to share them.

Change always means giving up something, and the greater the personal sacrifice the more you feel like dragging your feet.

Change usually offers plenty reasons to be upset, worried, and confused. You can laugh at the craziness of it all, or you could choose to cry. Either one would be an understandable emotional reaction to the situation. Crying may be cleansing, but humour is healing. So choose laughter.

"Whenever he though about it, he felt terrible. And so, at least, he came to a fateful decision. He decided not to think about it." Life 101

"Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted, but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known." Garrison Keillor

Yipee!

Well I am home for the summer.

This was my last week travelling of the season, and I got to spend it in beautiful Swift Current, and Moose Jaw - WOW!!

I am looking forward to the endless amount of activities that will be keeping me busy this summer, be it the drama class, softball team, home renovations, geeks in motion, and hopefully a little vacation.

It should be a good summer, at least I hope so. I am definitely in need of some good times. It has been a long, long depressing winter.

What is Success?

Ever thought about your personal definition of success?

I had a very good discussion on success in my seminar today. It is a core part of the seminar that I am delivering, and I got a lot of really good, and interesting opinions. That is exactly what I like. Makes it a lot more interesting.

Why do we judge others' success? This often comes up in the discussion. As a society we have certain ideals, standards, expectations that we impose on people. And there is a common thought out there(at least from the number of people that have ever taken this class) that when people don't *measure up* to that ideal we say they are unsuccessful.

Is it really that hard to just recognize that everyone in the world is different; have different goals; value different things? Is a homeless person successful? A corporate CEO? A mother? A volunteer? Someone on welfare? I think so. If he or she is doing EXACTLY what they want and are happy, who are we to say that he or she is not successful.

I do think a good part of the population continually judge others way of life. It is the whole idea behind the saying *keeping up with the Jones*. Why do we feel that we need to meet other peoples standards and not our own? Or maybe we don't? I supppose if you want the same things as *the Jones*, and those things will help in you achieving success and happiness then you simply have the same definition of success as *the Jones*. I think we need to start looking more closely at ourselves when we are doing things; acquiring things; or even just simply being someone that isn't really that important in our overall happiness. We need to quit comparing ourselves to others, because *we* ultimately make ourselves happy and successful, other people's opinions don't.

Good Times

Other than the lack of exercise and endless amounts of crappy food, I had a fantastic time in Calgary.

Ben & I were pretty lazy for most of the weekend. We never did get out to see a movie, but we had an awesome crib match. Ben won, however I am pretty proud of the game I skunked him at.

Saturday night we went over to Jen's cousins (Nicole) for drinks. We then headed out to the Watchman for eats & more drinks. The night ended around 2 am, with us crashing on the couch watching Family Guy.

Sunday we played a little City of Heroes, and watched Napoleon Dynamite with Jen.

I would say that I am glad to be home, however I am off again this week to Speedy Creek, and Moose Jaw. After this week, it will be 4 months of hometown Saskatoon. Wahoo!