Whalers and the model U.N.

The Decemberists

My brother recommended this group to me last year, and at the time I was unimpressed. More recently, however, I've begun listening to more and more of their music. I find now that I really do like their stuff. Their sound is unique and might prove to be an acquired taste, but the subject matter of their songs and the bands ability to tell stories with their lyrics has won me over.

I especially like ‘A Cautionary Song’ and the video for ‘Sixteen Military Wives’.

Season's Greetings

Try it, it's funny!

Don't worry about the cost, there are free previews.

My chullo chapeau

This is a boy wearing a chullo in Peru. He looks like he loves every minute of it, and why wouldn’t he. It’s a sweet chullo! I’ve got a chullo with some llamas on it which, although purchased in Toronto, was originally made in Peru.

I’ve once again become quite interested in international travel. The more I look at the pictures on TrekEarth the more I realize that there is so much more of the world which I might never get to experience. I have no real reason not to travel, except a weird fear that it might be dangerous.

Mes colloques et mes amis!

I just got a couple of e-mails from my roommates from my Quebec experience. Lloyd (on the left) is in BC and he says he bogged down in school work, so much so that he can neither party nor take the time to wash his rump. Ryan (on the right) if from Alberta and didn't say much because he wasn't sure if he had the right e-mail! Needless to say they both did and I was elated to hear from them both. Eugene (to my left and Lloyd's right) hasn't e-mailed me yet, and because of this I have decided to exclude him from my inheritance, but might drop him a line to see how life in Toronto has been treating him. It really makes me feel good to hear from friends like these with whom I’ve fallen completely out of contact.

CPU down!

Gonna be a while before I get my CPU working again, so posts might be a tad infrequent.
Hang in there . . .

So I called Texas . . .

Today at work I was adding some time to a gentleman’s ‘pay as you go’ account (not something we normally do, but he was having difficulty). I called the standard ‘pay as you go’ 1-800 number, but instead of talking to Melanie the voice activated robot, I connected with a woman from Waco Texas. She said she had been receiving a lot of wrong numbers from Canada since she changed her telephone carrier. I talked for a bit, then hung up and called the same number again. This time I connected to Rogers and after adding the gentleman’s time card, I reported the error to the operator who was just as surprised as I had been.

It reminds me of the time, in residence, when one of the front door buzz codes accidentally connected to some guys condo in Toronto. It makes me laugh to think of him constantly having university girls calling him and asking to come in.

Attention all Jive Turkeys!!

Today, dear friends, I wish to share with you a tool that I have used in the past to either kill time or to seem cool. Both effective and informative, the Urban Dictionary is a resource for anyone who hears a word they don’t understand. Imagine, if you will . . .

You’re listening to a song when all of a sudden you hear a word you don’t understand! What do you do? Do you ask your friends what it means? What if it’s something embarrassing? What if it’s a word you really should know but don’t? Is there anyway you can avoid the potential embarrassment of actually eliciting the aid of another human being?

The answer friend, is Urban Dictionary!

(Seriously, it’s got pretty much any word no matter what the word is. People contribute to it from all over the world too, so there is slang from England, Scotland, Canada, etc.)

Wacky Western

Overheard at Western

Step 1: Remove head from ass. Step 2: Open eyes. Repeat as necessary.
----------------------------------------
Girl #1: Oh..... Is this a Great Lake, too? (points to Lake Winnipeg)
Girl #2: Umm... No. These are the Great Lakes. Do you know where Hudson's Bay is?
Girl #1: Umm...... (pause)
Girl #2: Okay. I'll give you a hint. It's a really big bay.
Girl #1: Is this it? (points to Atlantic ocean)
Girl #2: No... that's the Atlantic Ocean.
Girl #1: Oh. Is this it? (points to the Gulf of St. Lawrence)
Girl #2: No. It's here. (points)
Girl #1: Okay, then what's this?
Girl #2: That's South America.
Girl #1: Oh, that's where Mexico is, right?
Girl #2: Umm... no. This is Mexico. (points)
Girl #1: Oh. Then what's that over there?
Girl #2: That would be Europe.
Girl #1: You're so smart. How did you get so smart? I never learned this stuff.
----------------------------------------

I'll never question the logic behind basic University level geography courses again. In fact, I'm not sure I ever did . . .

Son of a gun

It looks like Blogger ate some of the code necessary for viewing my blog.

• Luckily this didn’t affect my posts, and they’re all still here intact.
• Unfortunately I lost all the wonderful websites and blogs that I had linked to.
• Luckily it won’t be too hard to find them all again.
• Unfortunately it’s going to be a pain in the neck having to reconfigure my blog so that I like it.
• Luckily this means my blog’s getting a make over!

Jimmy Jet and his T.V. set

In my life I have watched a lot of t.v. despite the fact that as a child the amount of television I was allowed to watch was strictly governed by my mother. I was allowed only a few shows, all of which were educational. These viewing restrictions were facilitated by our lack of a television antenna. Until I was 13 I didn’t know how to work a television without rabbit ears. Despite these ‘hardships’ the television that I watched as a child plays a strange significance in my life as an adult. I can still sing many of my favourite television shows theme songs and I have an alarming recollection of all things Sesame Street. The feeling I get when I actually hear these songs again is nothing short of a genuine nostalgia. What’s even more alarming is how many of my friends share the same warm fuzzy feeling. Television has provided our generation with it’s only real unifying experiences. Being able to instantly recognize the theme from The Littlest Hobo is an incredibly telling phenomenon. Television plays into both our national and personal identities. Is it possible to entirely forsake television and still relate to one’s peers? I’m sure it is, but it’s an experience few of us will ever have.

Jamie likes to be bad

Brawny Man Mishap

While at work the other day, I was showing Black Pepper Jack my blog, and he pointed out that my new profile picture somewhat resembles what the Brawny man looked like. I find myself unable to contest his point. His assertion that the resemblance is the result of intentional choice is, however, completely fallacious. I will admit that plaid is one of my favourite fashion choices, and that life in a rustic cabin is quite an appealing prospect to me, but both interests predate my exposure to the Brawny man. With all this said, I guess I should still give everyone the opportunity to judge for themselves. Thus, here we are . . .

Of beards and beers

I’ve recently come to believe that there is a point in a young mans life (whether or not he ever actually grows out of it is yet to be determined) where the discussion of different beers and facial hair styles takes on special significance. I have spent countless hours discussing with friends, and relative strangers alike, the best forms of facial hair, and the merits of different beers. I have spoken to both adults and teens, friends and foes, and there always seems to be a common interest in either beards or beers and in many cases both! I may be mistaken, and these conversations may exist only because I am a part of them, but I suspect this is not the case.

Please, if you have ever held a lengthy conversation with regards to your favourite beer, or debated which style of facial hair is the finest, post a comment and let the world know. I cannot suffer alone any longer . . .

Music as a total disruption of sobriety

Since posting my link to Independent Canadian Celtic music, I have regained my zest for the sweet amber poison. It’s funny how a man can be sitting in his apartment (an apartment totally devoid of alcohol) and upon hearing one rousing drinking song can crave the taste of cold ale and the allure of the public house so fully. Alas, although these recent longings of mine have yet remained unrealized, I rest assured that the time for their realization will soon be upon us.

These eyes

Recently, I was taking candid pictures of my roommate (not usually a good place to start but I’m sticking with it), and I snapped a close up picture of his eyes. In order to avoid an angry and potentially painful physical confrontation I turned the camera on myself. I managed to capture my own eyes in almost the exact same position as I caught Flash’s. I now turn the question over to you . . .whose eyes are whose? (Be careful, this one is extremely tricky)

Some things change, others stay the same

In a world where fulfilment is achieved through the consumption of commercial goods, the life of a nomad is almost the antithesis of modern living. When you have to carry everything you own with you, you tend to own less. To a nomad over consuming is a barrier standing in the way of their lifestyle. In the global north, there are fewer and fewer people able to live a traditional nomadic lifestyle. European Roma (Gypsies) have, in many cases, abandoned their traditional lifestyles and joined the global state of sedentary normality. Having never lived a nomadic lifestyle, I can’t vouch for it’s ability to fulfil a person. I do, however, think it’s interesting and important to consider it a valid lifestyle, with lessons pertaining directly to the human experience.

Minimize your footprint

http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp#

Check this out. My footprint was lower than the average for Canadians, but if everyone consumed like I did we would still require three and a half earths to sustain ourselves. The test is a useful little tool, and it’s results can be surprising.

It’s Folk Folks

Do yourself a favour and click the link, on the right, which leads you to Roots Music Canada. From there look on the ‘Roots & Folk’ bar, and click ‘Celtic’. Listen to anything by ‘The Town Pants’ or ‘The Fables’. You’ll thank me for it!

Guardian

I’m not sure what the intended significance of this picture was, but I liked it’s overall aesthetic. There are many more of them on the site, some of which I really found visually powerful, and others which didn’t really speak to me. I won’t list which pictures did and which pictures didn’t; instead I’ll let you decide for yourself.

Blah

I found my old Zine 'Blah' the other day and was reading it. Some of it is really good, some of it isn't. I came across the comic that I wrote, which was inspired by the comics in the cord. Here it is, submitted for the approval of the midnight society, I call this comic ‘Campus Life’.

Ugly, but lovely

So I'm picking up Black Pepper Jack from his place to head out to Boston Pizza for a Bon Voyage party, and I glimpse one of the pictures he has on his computer. It's Sam, the world's ugliest dog. Poor thing has won the title three years in a row. Apparently he likes to chew on his hind leg, sources say it's because he thinks there is something living in there. He's about fifteen years old, and is apparently a very loving and affectionate dog.


This cat, apparently named ‘Insane Snow Duck’, holds no titles for being the world’s ugliest specimen, but he’s got my vote.

So much

Since I last posted, so much has happened. I’ve been to parties, been to work, heard music and seen movies. I’ve met new people and been reacquainted with old friends. I’ve taken pictures, and had pictures taken far too numerous to post here on my blog. I’ve even sat down to post, but upon completion of my update found myself incredibly disinterested in actually posting it. Of course I saved each one as a draft, just in case some time in the future I decide to come back to them. The sad thing is, I probably never will. The ideas that excited me, not longer seem to.

I’ve got drafts about putting together a futon, living in Brantford and not going to Laurier, finding chestnuts, and hallowe’en. It’s quite probable that none of these posts will ever actually reach my blog, so, I’m going to try to summarise everything into one post so that I can move on and not feel that I’m leaving anything out.

Pictures from this past Hallowe’en can be found here, here, here, and probably a bunch of places that I don’t even know of. I’ve tried to make stew in a pumpkin, but gave up and just made stew. I’ve been to the market two weeks in a row, and I’ve been out with Shabudabu’s clan, heard music from a great ‘unknown’ band, and been made second in command at work. I’ve avoided karaoke for a week, and watched ‘Desperate Housewives’ enough, that I actually want to see how the first season ends. I watched ‘Crash’ with the Flash, and felt fulfilled and overworked all at the same time.

Phew . . . feels good to get all that off my chest.

Happy Hallowe'en

Can you name the classic horror paintings and the artist who painted each?

There are no prizes, except the satisfaction of knowing you’ve impressed you peers.

Ye Olde Times

After a recent reminder, I have updated the Pirate Club’s website. I began the process in an attempt to tie up the loose ends and create a sort of time capsule to commemorate the Pirate Club. The club might resurface someday in some form or another, but I felt it was important to recognize it’s first incarnation. I’ve provided a link to the site/capsule in my list of links to the right of the page.

BE WARNED

To anyone who was a member of the club, or who looks back fondly upon the club, reading about our exploits in the past tense can be quite saddening. Proceed only if ye deem yerself brave enough to face the sorrow.

Sad, but true . . .

I got this in my e-mail, and I just had to share it. . .

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at
the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very
important person, which almost went unnoticed last week.

Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey," died
peacefully at age 93.

The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into
the coffin.

They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started.

HA HA HA, it's a tad morbid, but meh!

Hallowe’en costumes

I’ve got some great costumes, but I’ve worn them all.
So now I’m screwed.
Thank goodness for great suggestions and second hand shopping.
I hope I find what I need.
Wish me luck . . .

As Promised

Here is photographic evidence of the odd bear that accosted us while at the theatre. His pants fell down as he walked away from us. It was funny, but not pretty.

Meanwhile . . .

During the time that I’ve been spending NOT updating my blog I’ve gotten up to a myriad of adventures. Some of which have prohibited me from attending others (sorry Alex, I tried). My friends and I have been accosted by a giant bondage bear (hopefully a future post if I ever get the pictures), taken a trip back in time to the 1980s, attended a Q4 (4th Quarter launch party), in Toronto at the docks, received mail from B.C. and Hawaii, and many, many other exploits which are far to numerous to name here. In leu of descriptions, I’ll leave for you some pictures to tell the stories for me.

3 'o clock in the mornings

It’s 3:00am.

I wanted to be asleep a couple hours ago.

When I got off the phone with a good friend I had every intention of going right to bed.

I didn’t.

Instead I stayed up and watched a T.V. show on DVD, stood on my head and am now updating my blog.

You ever have a night like that?

Lists

I’ve started keeping lists. Not stupid lists like ‘names of famous pets’ or ‘my all time favorite episodes of Dr. Who’, but useful lists, like ‘what I want to get done on my next day off’. I used to sit at home on my days off and wonder what to do with all my free time, but now I can remain productive and get stuff done without first having to brainstorm. It’s quite nice. I don’t always (translation: extremely rarely) get everything done, but at least I don’t sit around and waste my time anymore.

I’m also starting my Christmas list.

The wonderful thing about autumn . . .

There are many wonderful things about autumn, but one thing that I’m particularly happy for is the temporary decrease in the mosquito population.

Home Sweet Home II

Here are the pictures I promised. I have much better pictures that showcase the landscape and not the trucks and old mops, but I don’t have they handy. Also note that none of these vehicles or even the back deck remain. All were removed for obvious reasons.

Home Sweet Home

Ah yes, Caistor Centre. This is where I grew up and where I’ve just been visiting for Thanksgiving. It’s always fun to go back, to see family, and to reconnect with everything that I had growing up. It’s funny that when I’m in Brantford, surrounded by possibilities, I have no idea what to do; because when I’m in Caistor Centre without a car, in the middle of the forest and field, I am constantly busy and full of creative inspiration.

I’ll put some actual pictures of Caistor up here once I find them.

Facial Follicles

It’s a sad day in Bloggerdom when you don’t post for two weeks, and then break the silence with a post about beards. But that’s how I roll, so deal with it!

I’m in the process of growing a beard, but I don’t know what I want to do with it, or if I’m eventually going to settle for some other beardlike facial hair pattern. I also run the very real risk of shaving one day when I decide that I’m just sick of having my neck itch. I’m hoping that doesn’t happen, because that seems to be what always happens.

Anyways, as pertinent as this is to everyone’s life, I’m going to end my post with a picture of some really wicked beards. My favourite is the guy in the bottom right with the top hat. It does my heart good to see that there are men in the world, who would forsake the love (or even interest) of women for the thrill of the beard.

Mr. Rogers

These are the people in my neighbourhood? Yes that’s right. These are the people that I work with each day. The pictures were all taken using my phone. Each photo is a reasonably accurate representation of the pictured individual’s personality.

Amanda

Craig

Floppy G

I’ve also included a horrible picture of myself, to hopefully avert any hostility and possible ‘revenge posting’ which might have otherwise occurred.

Yours Truly

Strong & Sensitive

I was surfing the net and came across this. I don’t really know what this is, or why Brawny has it on their website. My best guess is that it’s for people who have a crush on the Brawny guy. It’s funny in a lot of ways, but in even more ways than that it’s just weird. Maybe even a little creepy. I’ve watched about 3 different combinations so far, and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to watch anymore tonight.

Thus far my favourite custom combination was . . .

* Picture of Loveliness
* Show Emotion Freely
* Serenade

It’s really odd!

Check it out!!!

A Tale of Adventure

This is a tale for all those who seek adventure. I found it when I was cleaning up some old photos. It was in the form of an 8 page book so I had to reformat it, but this is how it looks sans page turning. Enjoy!

Doppelgangers?

The other day at the mall I served a family and was in the process of completing the sale when the daughter pointed to my name tag and told me that she had the same name as me. It’s very rare that someone has the same name as me, and this was particularly odd because it was a young girl. What’s even more odd is that her brother’s name was Hayden.

Just to recap:

My name is Grayson
My brother’s name is Ayden

My customer’s daughter’s name was Grayson
Her brother was Hayden

Grayson and Ayden versus Grayson and Hayden.

Weird!

Applefest 2005

Today was Applefest in St.George, and I've been looking forward to it since Saturday, September 03, 2005. My Grimsby posse hit it up with some accompaniment by a couple Brantford pals, about 2 years ago and we all had a great and eventful time.

This year was very unlike last. We still had a good time, but nothing really memorable happened and we left Applefest after about an hour.

We ended up going to the Bell Homestead and taking a tour from a very friendly Charlie Bell, who gave us all the 'dirt' on the family. We had Indian food for dinner, and before the night was done had all the photographs we needed to fill the album cover of our first record. (Oh, something memorable to come out of Applefest 2005 was the formation of 'Precious Patty Wagon and the Princesses'. Don't bother waiting for our first album, it might be a while)

It was great getting to see some of the old posse again, as I've been lax in my correspondence with them, and despite the fact that Applefest present was overshadowed by expectations from Applefest past, the day was a complete success.

Rootin’ Tootin’ High Falootin’

The title of this article may be a tad misleading. The word ‘tooting’ was used to rhyme and does not pertain, in any way, to flatulence. If you’re looking for fart jokes, you’re reading the wrong post.

I’m actually writing about spending a day in high society. Jamie was given free ticket to see ‘Stardust Follies’ (A homage to Broadway and Hollywood at the Sanderson Centre), but once we arrived we found we had box seats with arm rests and lots of room to fidget. The show was great and both Jamie and I had a good time. Then Jamie went home and I went to my Grandmother’s birthday dinner at the Country Club. That’s a fancy place. We had two bottles of wine (which you taste before you decide if you want the bottle) and I had a delicious rib eye steak with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables. For dessert I had escargots (which was actually an appetizer, but I’m not really a big dessert guy).

This day stood in stark contrast to most of my days which I spend riding my bike around, renting a movie, and drinking a Tiverton in my apartment.

Life, The Universe, and Everything

This summer I’ve spent a lot of time looking for a place to live, and stressing about what I’m going to do with my life. The funny thing is, though, I’ve done very little about finding any answers. I like my job at Rogers, but it’s definitely not what I want to be doing. I’ve known this all summer, but since all my friends have come back to town, I’ve become more motivated to get out, and find something new. I’ve signed a 12 month lease in Holmedale, so I’ll be here for the year, so whatever I do it’s going to have to take place in or around the GBA (greater Brantford area).

My problem is not that I have no options, it’s that I have too many options, and don’t know what I’m looking for. I know that at some point I’ll go back to school, for either my masters or another degree/diploma, but for the time being I want to try something new. I also want to travel before I get too loaded down with debt and responsibility. I want to do something that I actually care about, and something that I will enjoy.

I don’t know what’s going to happen or what I’ll end up doing, but stay tuned and I’ll keep you abreast of my upcoming travails.

Rockin' the LPM

Sometimes I get bored at work (I’m serious) so I tend to watch a lot of music videos on Launch Cast. My favorite videos at the moment are

En El Camino, My Doorbell, Thanks That Was Fun, and La Bonne Etoile.


The videos look a lot better once you have a membership, but I’m not going to encourage that because I don’t want to prostitute myself to the man anymore than I already have. Either way, you get the gist, and if you like them, I’m sure you’ll be able to find a way to see them in higher resolution.

Keepin' it festive

I’ve been thinking a lot about stuff that I really like to do that I don’t ever do anymore, and one of these things is going to community festivals. I’ve listed 2 events, and dates which I’m definitely going to try to attend. If you’re interested in going, drop me a response. The more people who come the merrier, especially if you can drive, and don’t mind taking others.


Applefest
St. George
Sept. 17th
10am - 5pm
Free admission

Pumpkinfest
Waterford
Oct. 21st - 23rd
Free admission

Ghost Encounters
Brantwood Farms
Oct. 21st, 22nd, 28th, 29th
7pm-ish
$5 per haunting

Harder to think than I thought.

Blogging is harder than I thought it would be. Sometimes you’re just not in the mood to write anything. I’ve sat down a number of times in the past couple of days and typed out blog entries, and then looked back and decided not to post them. I’m either not comfortable presenting all my ideas to anyone who happens across my site (thusfar my list of visiters includes Jim Tucker, and Shabudabu) or my entries are just uninteresting. There is so much that I want to say, but when I try to express my ideas they come out not sounding like I had intended. It’s frustrating and discouraging, but I guess that’s just life and I’ll just have to trust that the longer I blog the easier posting is going to become.

Circus Pictures

http://www.sideshowworld.com/B-Opics.html

The New(er) Me!

I really don't know what else to type today. I got a new haircut (not pictured to the left) and I worked for a really slow 9 hour work day. I'm gonna try to personalize t his blog a little bit so I can make it feel more like something I created, that reflects my actual personality, and it is to that end that I am posting this picture. I'm hoping to find a way (reading back to what Shabudabu explained to Jim Tucker about 5 months ago on my blog) to make it my new profile pic. I've discovered that in my absence, Blogger no longer requires Piccasa or Hello!! (HURRAY!!! [although I feel strangely slighted now]) Wish me luck!

Bloody Daffodils!!

Bloody Daffodils!! After months of trying, I actually remembered my user name and password!! I was actually starting a new blog, and I entered a user name, and was like ‘Hmmm, I wonder if that’s what I entered last time?’ AND IT WAS!!!! I can’t even believe I’m back online with this thing! I still have no idea how to work it!!

The Next Day . . .

So, I tried everything once again just before I went to bed last night, which put be up 'till almost 4. Despite this, I've been able to calm down and contextualize everything. I was happy to see that my GF had posted responses to my articles, but at the same time was somewhat disgusted by her choice to inform me of her nasal leakage. It's not that I don't care, and I'm glad that she would feel able to share details of her private life with me, and if there was any way I could have helped stop the snot flow, I would happily have done so. I just think it's gross at the same time.

Anyway, It's 4:13pm and I still haven't started my papers (the number of which I'm supposed to write seems to have been progressively shrinking since my first post last night, so I think I'm only gonna write 17 pages now).

It is getting late

It’s 3am. I am convinced that Hello and Picasa2 are the instruments of the devil. I’ve been trying to add a picture to my blogger profile for over an hour. This is sad, I should have been asleep hours ago, I’m burning myself out trying to figure something out that I am now sure is a glitch in the software. I am going to calm myself down, and go to sleep. Perhaps when I wake up I will have a fresh attitude and be able to deal with blogger a little more effectively. If I didn’t have 50 score pages to type tomorrow I’m sure I would be able to consult my intelligent and supportive GF (Who’s name is spelled Shabudabu) and she would tell me tenderly, so as not to upset me, what I can do to finish my blog.

I guess we’ll just have to see what tomorrow brings.

Boring

Ok, I clearly need a few lessons on how to work this thing, 'cause the 'add an image' icon isn't doing ANYTHING, and I'm starting to get frustrated. I misspelled by GF's name on her blog, I accidentally deleted by first post, which then shows I deleted what I typed, and the post that I did leave had the wrong time listed at the bottom. Pittance you might say? Small scale problems? You may even ask yourself why I worry about such trivial matters when I should instead by working on my mammoth writing project due in the next 12 hours? I really have no answer to that question, other than I didn't intend to make a blog, I am getting tired, and I have eaten no fresh vegetables today which has made me feel complacent and inarticulate.

My very first post . . .

I don't know what's going on. I wanted to post a response to my girlfriend's blog, and all of a sudden I'm writing one of my own. What's worse is that I should clearly be in bed. I have a million papers to write tomorrow (literally 1000 pages of single spaced text) and I am working on about 4 hours sleep from last night. Oh well, I might stop typing at 2am, or then again, I might just do something crazy like surf around here and try to figure out how to get back to where I was so I can comment on my lovely GF's lovely blog.