Kevin's Ramblings…

Interesting day today.

I am @ work, actually happy to be there.  I was on vacation and getting quite bored – imagine that…  Anyway, I am working on a laptop of a Councillor – it is pretty bad…  I go off-site to Grimsby to handle a down issue, no worries there.  My calendar is pretty full for the whole day.

Along comes a tech and I am told that I have a request for a PC that needs to be addressed in the afternoon.  Well, my afternoon is scheduled already and there are 4 other techs available.  Anyway, big blow up of sorts, nasty things said and written – no idea of the outcome as yet.

So, I leave work, late…  I head home, on the way home I remember that I have a meeting with BBBS tonight @ 5pm.  I call them – I am going to be late – sorry…

I let Zeus out and back in 5 minutes later and head to the meeting.  From my place to the corner of Niagara/Scott, maybe 4km, it takes me 25 minutes – YES, that’s correct, twenty five minutes.  I’ll admit, there was some snow on the ground and it was not very nice out AND every light between here and there turned red on me at least once, but, come on…  25 minutes?  Are you kidding me?

So, the meeting is supposed to last 45 minutes.  Hmmm…  Perhaps I talk WAY too much.  I got there at 5:25PM, the meeting ended @ 8PM.  Yes, how about that?  LOL

I head home.  Team Canada is playing Team USA for the gold medal in the World Juniors.  Excellent.  As you are all likely aware, Canada loses in OT 6-5.  Damn…

Having coached baseball for aeons, I have always said that I would rather lose in the gold medal game than win the bronze medal game.  Does that sound logical?

Well, I am getting over that tough loss.  Too bad boys – a great effort.

That was my day.  I will let you know what happens with my co-worker – I am very interested to see myself…  Good night.

The Bills game yesterday was crazy.  It started out well.  I decided to drive seeing as I have a 4×4 Jeep – much better odds of making it there in one piece.

We get to the border and it is backed up like crazy…  It looked like it would take us an hour to cross.  So, I zip around a LOT of stopped traffic into the second line from the end.  In the first line there are a couple of buses, when one of them pulls through I figured I will try getting behind the second one – could be a costly mistake…  Within a minute the bus pulls away – YEAH – we are next.

The custom guy asks to to shut the engine off – is this ever a good sign?  Anyway, he proceeds to ask us rather annoying questions, where do we know each other from, where are we going, who’s vehicle it is – he guesses that it is mine (boy, you think, my plate is KEVSJEEP – you are holding a passport belonging to KEVin D’Arcy – I am driving a JEEP – WOW, you must have graduated TOP of your Customs Class).  Anyway, back to my story…  A few more questions and off we go.  My GPS takes us on an interesting course, I am blindly following it – after what doesn’t seem like a very long time, we are there.

We see a sign posted Parking $15.  Not bad, a few minute walk to the stadium – great.  We pull in.  She says, “$25 please”.  WHAT?  I thought it was $15.  No, that is beside this lot.  OK, I’ll go there then.  The guy behind me is RIGHT ON MY ASS.  She asks me to back up.  Ummmm, hello?  There is a guy, RIGHT ON MY ASS.  So, I pull forward a bit BUT, I am not allowed to cross the YELLOW line – I presume that my Jeep will blow up.  I ask her where I am supposed to go?  She replies, “you should have turned around when I told you to”.  OK, first off, you told me to back up, secondly, there is NO WHERE TO TURN AROUND…  So, turn the 4-wheel drive off, do a 3 point turn and get the heck outa the $25 lot.  I drive, literally 10 metres (30 feet for my American readers) and go to the $15 lot.  Find a great spot, back in, all is well.

We bundle up for the 10 minute walk to the game.  At this point it is likely 10:30 or so in the morning, kick off being 1PM.  The gates haven’t opened yet, no biggie, we’ll hang around the stadium – someone has to be selling food.  We find a vendor – $7 for a sausage…  WOW, that’s pricy.  We spent our US cash on parking, only have Canadian left, I am sure that they will take the Canadian, maybe 10% or so…  Oh no, THIRTY PERCENT – can you believe that, YES, 30%.  WOW.  Two sausages cost us $20 CDN – NO CHANGE.

OK.  I’ve been ripped off before, likely many times.  A prime example and perhaps the last time I got ripped off was when we went to a strip club with RK for this bachelor party.  I grabbed $100 outa the bank machine at the club, 10% surcharge – WOW, $100 cost me $110.  OK, 30% exchange when the actual rate is, let’s say, 7% is robbery.  I am sure it borders on illegal.  Anyway, the sausages were good, not that good mind you.

We finish up and the gates open.  There were a crapload of limos in the parking lot all (or most) having tailgate parties.  There was a stretch version of my Jeep – VERY COOL.  Did I take a picture?  No, of course not, didn’t think of that until much later, after it had gone.  Oh well.

Anyway, the exchange rate in the statdium was WAY better, 15% – acceptable for sure.

I purchased a container of “Dipin Dots” – little frozen balls of ice cream.  I’ve only ever seen them in the US, they are great.  Remember, it is about -12C outside.  So, I am eating my ice cream, outside, -12C and a security guard asks, “is that ice cream you’re eating?” – Yeah, it’s good and it won’t melt today…  Well, I think that he thinks that I am nuts, perhaps I am, I like ’em…  If you haven’t tried them, give ’em a try.  I’d think they might even be good when it is warm or hot outside, remember though, they’ll melt pretty quick…

We get to our seats, great seats (see Entry 51 for a picture) – they are covered in snow and ice.  Oh well…  We try to clear the seats using our gloves.  The gloves get wet and messy – why didn’t I think of using my boot?

We hang around, walk around the stadium to keep warm and eventually take our seats – the game is about to begin.

Starts out pretty well for the Bills, they score on their second drive.  The snow starts, gets harder, the Bills are playing quite well, you wouldn’t know that they had been knocked outa the playoffs a month or more ago.  At the half, we go into the concourse to get a hot chocolate or something – the lineup is HUGE.  They are out of hot chocolate (and coffee) so we wait – we get back to the game with only 5 minutes remaining in the 3rd…  Well, we only missed a field goal anyway.

We leave after the Bills last possesion – they are up 30-7 which is the way it ends.  We get back to the Jeep and listen to the final minute of play.  Good game all around, good time too…

We head back to Canada – HUGE line at the border.  I luck out for the second time and get a quick line.  The Canadian border guy is actually very friendly but he seems to be in a hurry.  He asks if we were at the game and when we say yes, he waves us on – no ID, no other questions.  Thanks…  We didn’t bring anything over but I was surprised how easy it was.

Stopped for a bite to eat and to totally thaw out and I was home by 6pm.  Was able to watch the last period of the Canada vs. Swiss Junior Hockey game – Canada won 6-1 to advance to Tuesday’s Gold Medal Game against, as it turns out the US for a rematch of New Years Eve classic game.  Should be a good one.

That brings me to today.  Wow, what a long post…

Work was pretty good.  I was quite happy to get back to the office.  I think I was getting a little bored at home for so long.  The day zipped by and 4PM was here before I knew it.

Heading out for coffee in a bit and then dinner – likely an early night for me.

Up early again today – don’t know what the heck is wrong with me recently…  I did go to bed at 10:30 last night but come on, 4:45am is sorta early in the morning.  Oh well, Zeus doesn’t seem to mind going for a walk before the world wakes up.

Got the Bills game today.  It is 5:42am right now so I’ll leave in about 4.5 hours…  Hmmm, do I have enough time to get ready?  LOL…  It is going to be COLD there today.  The forecast high is -12 with snow, heavy at times.  I will be wearing lots of layers in an attempt to stay warm.  Should be a good game.  Here is an approximate view from our seats:

So, I will post something about the game later today.

Today was a relaxing day…  I went to bed last night @ 8:20pm – couldn’t stay awake…  I guess I am getting too old for all nighters now.  I woke up for about an hour at midnight, slept until 6am or so and then took Zeus for his first walk of the year…  Went back to bed for a couple of hours, got back up, went out for lunch, shopping at the Pen then another nap…  That is how Saturdays should be, no?

Nothing going on tonight at all.  I am keeping a low profile.  The Bills game tomorrow will be good.

Right now, watching the Swiss play Russia – the Swiss were up 1-0 and then boom, within a minute it was 2-1 for Russia.  Maybe it’ll be Russia vs. Canada tomorrow.  Kicking some Communist ass will be nice – ok, the Russian’s aren’t really Commies anymore, are they…  Oh well – it sounds good though.

Tonight, the Leaves go to Calgary to get burned.  Why haven’t the Leaves folded yet?  I mean, give it up.  There are teams that have sucked longer than them, but seriously…  Oh well – hopefully the Flames will start 2010 on a positive note.

I am also hopeful that the Bills will start 2010 on a positive note although they have not really been a threat for the playoffs for some time.  The game is against Indy.  It will be interesting seeing as Indy has nothing to prove – they lost last week (for some stupid reason the coach pulled the starters and lost – they were working on a perfect season) so perhaps their starters will be sitting.  It is going to be COLD, the forecast high is -12 with heavy snow.  Should be fun.  Gotta wear layers for sure…  I am sure my feet and hands will be cold.  Oh well, I’ll have a good time anyway.

So, tonight seems like it will be a hockey night – that’s ok with me.

I quit smoking on New Years Eve.  I have had a few cravings, having one right now actually.  The first few days are the worse.  After that, it is a piece of cake.  Right now, I really want one – I will resist though.  I disagree with the Borg, resistance is NOT futile.  It’ll pass…

Maybe I will go and get a drink – that should help…

Until tomorrow…

New Years Eve was a blast.  The food was excellent and there was a ton of it.  Roast turkey, beef on a bun, salads – more food than we could eat, that’s for sure.  Cheesecake and ice cream cake for dessert.

The World Juniors played, it was Team Canada versus Team USA.  Canada took the early lead with the US quickly catching up and by mid-point of the third period the Americans were ahead 4-2 with two short handed goals.  It was looking grim for Canada.  The winner of the game went on directly to the semi-finals with the loser having to play an extra game.  Canada scored two more goals (one short handed) to even it up with the US with less than two minutes to go.

Everyone at the party figured that the game would end in a tie with Canada advancing to the semi’s because of the lop-sided win we had in game 1.  Nope – 5 minute OT coming up.  No one scores during the over time so we head to a shootout.

Canada shoots first and scores, the US follows suit.  This continues until Canada has scored 3, the US 2 needing their final shot to count.  The Canadian goalie stop the shot and Canada wins the game by a final score of 5-4.

Simply an amazing game if you are a fan of Team Canada.  You can’t get much more dramatic than that.  Canada now advances to the semi-finals.

We play a computer version of $25,000 pyramid in teams and when we play guys against girls, we, the men, kick some female ass.  Of course we did, was there any doubt?  Nope.

I guess at some point I fell asleep on a REALLY comfy couch.  Woke up with most of the people gone at 4am.  I felt just fine, well tired, but fine so I head home.  Apparently, I am too damn old to be staying up all night.  I went to bed around 4:30am and woke up at 8:30am – 4 hours doesn’t cut it.  I felt like a zombie all morning – went back to bed around 11:30 and didn’t get back up until after 3…

So, I suppose that I shouldn’t stay up all night any more – likely a good idea.

In closing, have a happy new year all, hoping that 2010 is a good one for everyone.

It is now New Years Eve.  2009 is in its final few hours.  A look back at the year:

Highlights:

• I paid off my Jeep
• Returned to St. Catharines Minor Baseball and cleared issues with NDBA
• Renewed an old friendship that means a lot to me
• Returned to Support Services at work
• Finances are almost in order
• Life is good !!!

Lowlights:

• End of my relationship with the Canadian Thunderbirds
• Broke up with my girlfriend and likely lost her as a friend as well unfortunately
• Sister in trouble in Toronto
• Family health issues

All in all, 2009 sorta sucked as far as years go.  The year flew by, they are all flying by now, as I get older.  Speaking of getting older, a good friend of mine turns 40 in a few weeks.  We will have to do something for his birthday. Something special.

I think that anyone who is alive think upon the past year at this time of year.  I am sure if I really thought about it, the list of highlights and lowlights would be much larger than it currently is.  Perhaps I will add some items as I think about them.

On to 2010.  I am hopeful that the next decade will be a good one. 

In the short term:

I am really looking forward to coaching in St. Catharines again and helping the Board get the program back to what it used to be.  I will enjoy organizing the tournaments and games, making contacts with other coaches, voicing my opinion in SCMBA, NDBA and the OBA.  I look forward to that elusive OBA Title that I have always wanted – I’ve come close, close enough to taste it but it eludes me to this day.  I am looking forward to possibly coaching in the Ontario Summer Games again.  I have a bronze medal in my collection, a silver or better yet a gold would be awesome.  I am looking forward to doing some traveling. Going to new and exciting places.  I am looking forward to going to different restaurants and trying new food.  I want to get back into shape – or at least better shape than I am in now.  I am going to stop smoking.  I am going to eat better.  I am going to try to be a better friend to those who are close to me and perhaps open the door to let others in as well.

In the long term:

I would love to purchase a house.  Somewhere that can truly be mine – not a place that is someone elses that I have rent, somewhere that is home.  I want to get out of debt and repair my credit rating – this will help with the first idea.  I would like to get a promotion at work.  Maybe I need to work a little harder than I do now.  I want to do a lot of things, nothing too big though – I don’t have big plans, not yet anyway.

I hope that the world becomes a better place for everyone.  That is my wish for 2010 and beyond.  I think we can make it happen, if we want to.

I hope that if you are reading this that you have a great 2010 and beyond and that you get what you hope for and if you can’t get that, that you get what you need.

Happy New Year to one and all.

Peace.

Kevin

10:57AM, Thursday, December 31, 2009

Well, it is New Years Eve’s Eve.  It is hard to believe that 2009 is almost over – the year has flown by…  For that matter, this decade has flown by.  I must be getting older – must be…

I am looking forward to T’s NYE party tomorrow.  I am sure it’ll be good food and good times. 

I talked to T last night, she WILL have the Canada vs. USA Junior Hockey game on.  I am hopeful that Canada will kick some American ass…  I am sure they will and will get right into the medal round.  I also hope that Team Canada doesn’t wear those damn green uniforms…  GREEN?  This is Canada – we are White and Red or, if you prefer, Red and White.  NOT GREEN.  I have no idea why they were wearing green, don’t really care what the reasons were – WE DO NOT WEAR GREEN.  Anyone agree?

Anyhow, I will stop complaining…  For now anyway…

This is a good one – I have seen it several times on the Internet and have always liked it.  Enjoy.

A man walks into a bar, notices a very large jar on the counter, and sees that it’s filled to the brim with $10 bills. He guesses there must be at least ten thousand dollars in it. He approaches the bartender and asks, “What’s with the money in the jar?”

“Well…, you pay $10, and if you pass three tests, you get all the money in the jar and the keys to a brand new Lexus.”

The man certainly isn’t going to pass this up, so he asks, “What are the three tests?”

“You gotta pay first,” says the bartender, “those are the rules.”

So, after thinking it over a while, the man gives the bartender $10 which he stuffs into the jar.

“Okay,” says the bartender, “here’s what you need to do:

First – You have to drink a whole quart of tequila, in 60 seconds or less, and you can’t make a face while doing it.”

“Third – There’s a 90-year old lady upstairs who’s never had sex. You have to take care of that problem.”

The man is stunned! “I know I paid my $10 — but I’m not an idiot! I won’t do it! You’d have to be nuts to drink a quart of tequila and then do all those other things!”

“Your call,” says the bartender, “but, your money stays where it is.”

As time goes on, the man has a few more drinks and finally says, “Where’s the damn tequila?!”

He grabs the bottle with both hands and drinks it as fast as he can. Tears stream down both cheeks — but he doesn’t make a face — and he drinks it in 58 seconds!

Next, he staggers out the back door where he sees the pit bull chained to a pole. Soon, the people inside the bar hear loud growling, screaming, and sounds of a terrible fight — then nothing but silence!

Just when they think that the man surely must be dead, he staggers back into the bar. His clothes are ripped to shreds and he’s bleeding from bites and gashes all over his body. He drunkenly says, “Now…, where’s that old woman with the bad tooth?”

Hmmm, I only have one week left of vacation.  That sorta sucks I guess.  I think I might need to be retrained when I go back to work.  I needed assistance setting up a free iTunes account – couldn’t figure it out for some reason, one of those days.

So, I give J&D a certificate to reimage their computer and reload their software.  I go over at 4pm, back-up their files, etc., and start to reinstall Windows XP.  Windows installed, slowly mind you but eventually I am able to log in.  I start to download Windows updates.  All goes well there until after Service Pack 2 installs.  The computer reports that the NTLoader is corrupt or missing.  Nice.  I restart with the CD in the drive again and ask to do a repair.  Now the computer boots into Windows.  OK, that’s good.  Let’s install Service Pack 3.  I just received a phone call that the same error comes up after SP3 installs…  Again, nice.

Well, I suggested to them that buying a new PC might be the best option.  This computer is likely 7 years old, maybe 8.  It doesn’t have a DVD reader so I can’t install Office nor Symantec – both are on DVDs…  We drive to MDG at about 6:30pm, they are closed although their posted hours report open until 7:30.  We drop into Future Shop – not much of a selection there for sure.  We also try Costco, again, small selection.

We take a look at MDG online and also Dell online – nice systems, perhaps a bit pricy is all.

What a fun day…  At any rate, I guess that I will finish up tomorrow or help Sister Joan purchase a new system.  BP called and said he doesn’t think he can go over the river shopping as he’s come home sick.  That’s ok, didn’t really feel like going anyway…

So, hopefully all will be well tomorrow.  Yeah, right…

A nice and relaxing Sunday thus far.  I watched Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (or whatever it was called) – not a bad movie, good action.  Ate yet more turkey and stuffing.  I am getting tired of turkey.  I think I will make some turkey chili though, Super Bowl is coming up.  I’ll freeze it and make it for then.  Good plan.

I am heading to a post-Christmas party tonight.  Going to bring a bottle of ammaretto and some OJ.  Good times 🙂 

I am planning on relaxing for the remainder of my vacation…  I do have some work to do around the house but that’s ok – I’ll turn some tunes on and get it done.  I still have another week before I go back to work.  That’ll be nice.

Might be heading to Grove City, PA with Bill on Tuesday (or is it Wednesday) for some post-Christmas shopping.  I’ll have to see how the bank balance is though first.  It is a pretty quick trip really, 3 hours or so.  Not sure if we will get a hotel room for the night or head on back same day.  Decisions, decisions…