…and to all a great day.

…and all through the house…

Things are going crazy!  Baking, wrapping, kids playing, all excited for the big day tomorrow.  This almost seems like a Twitter update – I do have an account tied to this website – ah, forget about it.  Hehehehe.  It’s just a great time of the year (and thus all the personal-type entries as opposed to the informational or commentary type ones).  I still have a lot to do, and I’m going to get on it as soon as I finish my nap.  Yep, I’m officially considered old because I don’t mind afternoon naps.  I’ll start worrying when I have to wear a diaper, though.

During the holidays I have some time off from my regular job, which will allow me to add some more content to this site (hopefully).  As I mentioned before, there are some changes in the works, so stay tuned.  I hope to be able to release some details soon.

Another long gap has gone by between posts.  For those who read frequently, I do apologize.  December is always a busy month for me, especially getting things ready for Christmas.  It’s like getting married, lots of fun, lots of planning, lots of gifts, except it happens every year and the entire world is at peace over it.  I read a quote somewhere, “Whoever invented Christmas should have been crucified,” that I found especially funny.  Last year on Christmas Day (ironically) I watched the movie Religulous.  Oddly, I did not review it (mental note made to do so).

Not much is new in my corner.  I have been working a lot of overtime at work so as to make up hours for the post-Christmas break (and to allow myself a week or two of vacation time in the summer).  My roommates threw a couple of Christmas parties that went over exceptionally well.  I have been very busy with Christmas.  Add it all up and subtract is from the number of hours in a day and well, you end up with a long time between updates.

I haven’t hosted any UFC events recently, primarily due to being busy as well as the cost.  At sixty bucks per event, plus food, it adds up fast.  Multiply that by the number of events that the UFC is hosting now (14 pay per views by my count this year) and it eats up a good chunk of money.

Today is the first day of Winter.  With the cold weather all around us, who would have thought that it was still Autumn.  Today therefore, being the winter solstice, was the shortest day of the year.  Now the days shall become gradually longer until June.  This is a good thing, in my humble opinion.

Tiger Woods is still taking a shit kicking in the media.  I wonder how long this circus will last.  Quite honestly, it is becoming a tad overbearing and tiring.  Leave him and his wife alone to sort their own business out.  I guess the media has to do something to sell their newspapers.  Speaking of which, I can see that industry dying a slow death sooner rather than later.  That however, is a post for another day.

Wow…Almost a month between posts.  That was not supposed to happen, however I have been most busy and updating the personal blog sadly fell somewhat by the wayside.  It has been good, though.  For the most part, I’ve kept myself out of trouble and accomplished quite a bit, especially leading into Christmas.

Anyone and everyone who knows me understands well how much I enjoy the holiday season.  It is, despite the occasional storm, a wonderful time of the year.  Yes, there is a lot of commercialization (and a little note to Costco – September is much too early for Christmas gear to be on sale), but that goes hand in hand with the season.  You can choose not to participate in any sort of gift giving and still have a great time with your family and friends.

I however, choose to give out presents.  I like seeing the faces of people light up when they have a gift to open.  Especially children.  It warms my heart and is something that I truly look forward to.

One of the reasons that I have not updated recently is due to the fact that I have been putting in a lot of overtime at work.  I have been good about it; usually around 2-5 hours a night so that I do not burn myself out.  At my previous job I had that happen a couple of times and the effect is not at all pleasureable.  You walk around in a haze and you have a constant headache.  Furthermore, you are less effective once you pass the daily workload of eight hours (so studies say, and I would concur with them).  In order to have some extra time off at Christmas, with pay, the lieu time has to be put in.  My goal is to get enough time in so as to have a paid summer holiday as well.

Christmas shopping has taken up a decent amount of time too.  I enjoy it, but venturing out to stores, checking sales, and scouring the Internet take time.  I have found some great products at some great prices this year though, so I’m happy.  I always tend to overspend at Christmas, but such is life.  I like to find gifts that people will enjoy and appreciate as opposed to giving out cash, gift certificates, or something equally impersonal.

I came across something the other day that I found very inspirational.  Has anyone ever heard of a gentleman named Randy Pausch?  Randy was a tenured professor at Carnegie-Mellon University and pioneered some simply amazing software.  However, he was more known for his “Last Lecture.”  I will not spoil it for you, but I urge you to take the time to watch it.  The first video is the short version of the talk that he gave on “Oprah.”  The second video is the full speech that he gave at Carnegie-Mellon University.

I have to admit, this talk brought a tear to my eye.

In other news, Tiger Woods is the biggest item in the news right now.  It has been pretty much confirmed everywhere that Tiger was unfaithful to his wife on more than one occasion.  There is mystery surrounding his car crash, and exactly what has transpired.  Personally speaking, I don’t care.  The man is worth over a billion dollars, most of which are from endorsements.  What he does outside of golf makes for great tabloid fodder, especially in light of the fact that Tiger is not generally considered media-friendly.  As a result, the media probably has it out for him a bit.  I’m sure A-Rod, Barry Bonds, Mike Tyson, and all the other sports celebrities that do not have the best of reputations are silently saying a prayer of thanks to Tiger Woods for taking the heat off of them.

Tiger should have handled this the way David Letterman did.  Letterman had an affair, and is notoriously public shy.  Yet he handled it the right way.  He went on his show, spilled the beans, took a bit of flak, and poked some humor at himself.  Guess what happened?  His ratings went up, his public approval went up, and the media went away.

That’s about it for now…I’m sure I’ll think of more later though.

It’s been one year since I started this blog.  I have had blogs before, however the posts were all kept private.  Perhaps, if there is interest I will open up the archives and post some of the older entries.  I have had this domain for over ten years, but this past year has been the first that it has been aggressively promoted and used.

Initially, the beginnings were humble – to post my thoughts, opinions, and ideas about the things that interest me and are noteable in the world at large.  Keep the format simple and easy to read.  I have been tentatively sketching out plans to expand the domain somewhat.  I will keep them under my hat for now…but changes are coming.  Looking forward, my goal is to update somewhat more frequently than I have been (not that I have been doing a shabby job), as well as finish off my biography (which is more of a mood thing).  Furthermore, I would like to start adding some photos – and make the site somewhat more visually friendly.

Today is also Remembrance Day – please take some time and give thought to all those who fought for the rights and freedoms that we enjoy today.  Never forget the horror of war, and hope that you yourself never have to experience it.  It reminds me of a poem I once read by William Owen.  Most people my age are not familiar with it.  It was originally written as a letter to Jessie Pope (a pro-war poet) in 1917, describing the agony of the soldiers fighting in the First World War, and is famous primarily due to its horrifying imagery.  The title of the poem is Dulce et Decorum Est – a play on words of the famous pro-war poem of Horace.  I have copied it below:

Dulce et Decorum Est

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!–An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime…
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,–
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

I played ball hockey last night for the first time in years.  I must admit, despite discovering how horribly out-of-shape I am, I really enjoyed playing.  We did not have too many people, so it was 3 on 3 with two goalies.

Most of the guys I played with are pretty decent.  Not only are they in shape, a few play competitive hockey and thusly have the commensurate skill to go along with the endurance.  Needless to say, before the ball was even dropped, I knew I was hopelessly outclassed.

Despite that, I tried to play a smart game.  Knowing the other two guys on my team were far better players, I played defence and took the man instead of the ball.  The strategy seemed to work, and I was happy that the other team only managed to score one goal while I was playing (though that probably has to do more with the goalie than myself).

I took a stick off the hand and a slapshot off the calf, but oh well.  I don’t mind blocking shots.  Let’s face it…if you’re not skilled enough to score, you had better be able to man up and stand in front of a slapshot.

The other guys were good.  One guy who I work with all the time, who may not be the best player on the floor at any given time, did very well using the reverse strategy that I employed.  When he had the ball, he continually fired it at the net.  He was not necessarily looking to score, but hoping someone could scoop out a rebound.  As it turned out, he scored more often than his mates got the rebound.

This is something I wondered about when I watched professional hockey.  It is a sound strategy that many of the best teams employ, and many of the unsuccessful teams do not.  The more you put the puck on net, the more you will score.  To me, it’s the law of averages. 

Given the average NHL calibre goalie has a save percentage hovering around .900, that gives the shooter a one in ten chance of scoring.  Therefore, using that math, if the team puts forty shots on net during a game, they will likely be rewarded with four goals.  To win, you have to score.  Additionally, if that team is controlling the puck, it means their opponents do not have the chance to shoot, improving the odds of winning even more.

Ergo, or in conclusion for now…I have decided that I need to get myself some protection for my hands, protection for my groin, and a new pair of shoes.

Here’s looking forward to next week!

When you are a victim of bank fraud, it brings out a myriad of emotions in you.  You’re pissed off, angry, irritated, concerned, sad, worried, and anxious.  It has nothing to do with getting your money back (as the bank covers it), but its the time it takes them to complete their investigation and the “how did they get access to my information” that makes you sit back and wonder.  It also makes you think about how you could have been placed in a pickle and how the people who perpetrated the fraud could have gotten ahold of your information.

Last Wednesday, I found myself in that very situation.  On a lark, I logged into my account and low and behold discovered that my balance was in the negative.  I found this most disturbing, so I immediately called the bank who verified that they had shut my access card down due to suspicious activity (albeit after the criminals had obtained the funds).  After answering many questions for loss prevention (as obviously, they had to verify that I was indeed the legitimate cardholder), I had to venture to my branch to obtain a new card (as the old one was now permanently offline).

It takes the loss prevention department at the bank 7-10 business days to perform an investigation and return the funds to your account.  During that time, you are left in limbo.  You have no access to those funds, although you will not be responsible for service charges if your account goes into the red due to pre-authorized payments being withdrawn from your account during that time.

All I can say, is to be careful where you use your debit card.  In some cases, it is a machine on top of the ATM that scans your card.  In other cases, such as a gas station, it is the attendant scamming the card.  Once they have your number and your PIN, they clone the card and it is generally used within a few days.

Now – here is something that I do not comprehend.  I used my access card about an hour prior to the fraud taking place.  I live in Oakville, Ontario and the fraudulent act was committed in Verdun, Quebec.  You would think that with all the security that we have these days that the bank would figure out instantly that it was not possible for me to travel from Oakville to Verdun in less than an hour, and shut down the card.

Secondly…after shutting down the card, the bank did not call me, e-mail me or otherwise inform me.  That is the second time that they have shut down the card without any notification.  This could end up to be terribly inconvenient if you are buying gas or at a restaurant and you do not have any alternative methods of payment.  It’s a good reminder to always have cash or a credit card on you.

Needless to say, on one hand I am happy with the bank refunding my money and trying to ensure that I am protected.  However, the lack of common sense and the fact that the money is not immediately put back into my account after it is established that I was not involved in the theft is rather irritating.

Last weekend, my Summer of Fun continued as I returned to Clifton Hill, visited Niagara Falls again, travelled to Buffalo and experienced Body Worlds 3: The Story of The Heart.

For those who have not seen Body Worlds, I highly recommend that you make the time to go.  It costs $22.00 to see the exhibit, but it is worth it.  I have now seen Body Worlds 2 and Body Worlds 3.  When is the original coming to visit near me?  It took us close to three hours to get through the exhibit.  I enjoy reading about how the body works, despite not having much (or any, for that matter) of a medical background.  The pre-natal and fetuses are very interesting, if not somewhat disturbing.

Some people consider it exploitation of the body, but others see it as a wonderful way to illustrate how things work inside us.  I will grant you that it is bizarre, however.  On the other hand, some may consider it forward thinking.

In other adventures, we walked the lower part of Clifton Hill and took in the tourist trap that it is.  It was the quickest way to Niagara Falls.  Even though we were there previously, we wanted some better photos.  It’s free, so all is good there.   We will probably make a third visit to Clifton Hill and go through some of the attractions (it’s amazing how fast time flies when you are having fun).

Due to that, and more than a few unforeseen circumstances, the Summer of Fun tour has taken longer than anticipated.  But that’s ok, it will continue until we are done.  Maybe we will have to change the name to the Fall of Fun tour.  Ah well, its all good.

Everyone who knows me well knows that I enjoy food.  Years ago, I used to eat for quantity, not taste.  Nowadays, I do not indulge myself as much, but I truly savor the food that I consume.  Yesterday I visited an ice cream parlour /cafe in Toronto called La Paloma, and I tasted some of the best ice cream that I have ever had.

I had a large cone with three separate flavors;  smarties & white chocolate (I forget the actual name, forgive me), watermelon, and s’mores.  It was a tad expensive but for prime Italian ice cream (and the diverse amount of flavors) the cost was excuseable.  Of the three flavors, my favorite was the watermelon.  I tend to enjoy the sorbet flavors more than the sweet ice cream, and the watermelon perfectly fit my taste.

Some of the other flavors that they offer are Amaretto, Ananas (Pineapple), Anguria, Arancio, Bacio, Banana, Caffe, Cassata Siciliana, Castagna, Ciliegia, Cioccolato, Cocco, Croccangelo, Donatella, Fragola, Fruta Passione, Frutti Bocso, Gelsi, Gioia Mia, Kiwi, Lampone, Limone, Mandorla Tostata, Mango, Mela Verde, Melone, Menta, Moca, Nocciola, Noce Sorrento, Panna Cotta, Pesca, Pistacchio, Pistacchio Sicilia, Rocher Caterina, Stracciatella, Tiramisu, Torrone, Vaniglia, Zabaglione, Zuppa Inglese, and many many more.

La Paloma (Authentic Gelateria and Cafe) is located at 1357 St. Clair Ave. West in Toronto.  I suggest that if you are in the neighborhood you drop by.