Thus Ends Another Successful Weekend...

I successfully accomplished next to nothing this weekend. Watched three hockey games, one in person, and caught up on some much needed sleep. It was a great game between Colorado and Detroit (though the outcome could have been better) and then a sleeper between Toronto and New Jersey. The best of the bunch was definitely the one I went to see today. Sadly, the 67's lost to the Plymouth Whalers, but the game was top notch. Big hits and big plays made for an entertaining game. The only problem was that I believe the referee was paid by the penalty since not five minutes went by without a call. And it doesn't help that the 67's penalty kill isn't so great.

And my eBay watch finally showed up on Friday. A nice looking example of Swiss craftsmanship. The neatest part about it has to be the clasp as I have never seen another like it. So I guess I've gotta leave mostly positive feedback for buddy, but I think I'll leave it for a week or so to let the guy know how it feels to wait for no apparent reason.

As for my grandfather, he seems to be doing better and better. Last night, my mom had to get him to stop doing his exercises for a few minutes just to talk to me on the phone.

The scariest thing of the week has to be that my other grandma managed to track me down with a phone call on Thursday. I haven't talked to her since me sisters wedding last August and my birthday last February before that. Turns out that she wanted my new address here so that she could send me a birthday present, so now I am eagerly awaiting my $50 and a card.

As an added bonus, Friday was the release day for the newest Magic set, Guildpact. I got a few packs and the novel that corresponds to the set that evening. I got a couple of sweet cards, including the red/green dual land Stomping Grounds. I'm now looking forward to this Friday when I go down to Ottawa U to play a draft with Guildpact. And I may even be able to find a foil card that I need for my angel deck.

For a weekend where I didn't do anything, I sure have a lot to talk about from it.

Smell ya later.

It's Easier to Find a Whore....

...than to find a place that sells bus passes in this stupid town. Though admittedly i have little experience with the former. Eight different stores I went to didn't sell them. Even taking into account that by the end I was so desperate that I was grabbing at straws asking in places like Staples. But even places that sell bus tickets, that you would think would have passes, didn't. My first try was the Shell station across from my work, obviously to no avail. Then after work I tried Canadian Tire, Walmart, Staples, amd Loblaws. Eventually, I had to walk three blocks carrying all my other purchases to the Quickie where they actually had them, thank god. So much for the great and wonderful transit system the propaganda keeps telling us about.

And I am quite displeased with my recent Ebay experience. I bought a sweet looking watch about 3 weeks ago. Now I know that things take time to ship, especially from the US to Canada, but this is nearing rediculous. Not to mention that I paid for the express shipping option! I know it took a week for my payment to reach the guy and the watch has only been enrout for technically a week, but that leaves a week (five business days) of the guy doing absolutely nothing!!! All I know is that the watch better arrive tomorrow and better be in PRISTINE condition, otherwise the sellers feedback is going to suffer.

And just a quick question (not that anyone will respond since no one will read it), is an octuple bypass surgery uncommon? I've heard of double, triple, and quadruple bypasses before, but never an octuple. Anyway, that is what my grandpa had last weekend.

I know, I'm scared too...

Ok, this is officially wierd. This is my fourth post in the last week. Those of you who follow my blog religiously (and i know there are a multitude of you) know that my average posting rate was once a month prior to the last week. I've made it my mid-January resolutuion to try and post to this thing a little more often so we'll just see what happens on that front...

This past weekend saw a bit of excitement as we went to the Senators Super Skills competition at the Scotiabank Place (formerly the Corel Center). Basically it was the same as the All Star Game Skills contest, but with only Senators players. Although with how well the Sens have played this year, half of then could have been in the All Star one anyway.









Now I know there are those of you that will bitch about the quality of the pictures but considering the camera I have is only 2.0 megapixels with no optical zoom (what can I say, $100 at Future Shop doesn't get you a whole lot), I am fairly happy with the results.

The skills game was a lot of fun to watch. Surprising nobody, our behemouth Zdeno Chara won the hardest shot contest with a shot over 103mph. Heatley and Spezza tied in the accuracy event, both going 4/5 and Alfie not far behind with 4/6. Once again Antoinne Vermette won the fastest skater contest and the proceeded to score one of the most amazing goals I have ever seen in the breakaway contest! All in all, an extremely entertaining afternoon. And to cap it all off, the Leafs lost that night to the Habs so Saturday was a wonderful day!!!

Spent much of Sunday playing Knights of the Old Republic II on the XBOX. I love those kinds of games. The best part was tonight when I aquired a second lightsaber so now I can run around with one in each hand, slicing up whatever i like.

And for all those of you who are on the edge of your seats wondering how my grandpas surgery went last week, he is still in the hospital but out of the ICU ward. My mom is flying out to Regina to see him tomorrow and he should be able to get out of the hospital on wednesday. It sounds as though he is getting back to his old self since at one point he just woke up and immediately asked my uncle if the Riders hired Tracey Ham yet. I should be able to find out more either tonight or tomorrow when I talk to my grandma

The Status Quo...

Well I didn't watch a whole bunch of the Sens game last night, but I saw enough to tell that Ottawa is superior to the Leafs in every way concievable. To be honest, I already knew that was the case, this just cemented it. Considering that the Sens are 6-0 this season against Toronto and have outscored them 28-5 over the last 4 games, I really can't see how anyone can argue otherwise. For those who read this (like that'll happen) who want to argue about the playoffs, I've got a couple of counter arguments. First: are the leafs even gonna make the playoffs? (in 9th place now and falling). Second: the Sens are now capable of playing nearly any style they want. They can run-and-gune like the 80's Oilers or beat the crap out of you as the Bank Street Bullies (we've only gotten tougher since the brawl in Philly last season).

And the number one line in the league just keeps rolling, having picked up right where it left off before the injuries sidelined Alfie and Spezza.

I am so looking forward to the playoffs...

Well, It's Official...

We're doomed...

Yes, my Conservatives look to have won the election, but it is with a slim 15-20 seat lead. You know what that means: another minority government! Oh Goody!!

With the minority situation, this means that either Harper has to team up with the NDP (or even worse the Bloq) in order to get anything through the house, or we'll all be heading for the polls again very, very soon. Sadly, I believe it is the latter...

Even worse, it was suggested that the Liberals could team up with the NDP and form a coalition gorvernment to wrest power away from the Conservatives (and I believe Martin is desperate enough to try something like that). Apparently this is not without precedent as it was done back in the '20s, with poor results and a quickly collapsed government. Mind you, this idea was suggested by the 'quality' reporters at the Global Brodcasting Network so take it for what it's worth...

On a personal level, I am pleased to see that the Pierre Polievere, the Conservative MP in my former riding, was resoundingly re-elected with better than 50% of the vote! Conversely, I am disappointed that Alan Cutler, the Adscam Whistleblower, was defeated by the weak-minded people in my new neighbourhood and David McGuinty. I figured a much better result here since Cutler was the guy who blew the door off the Adscam Scandal, and the fact that McGuinty (or mcguilty as i have been calling him) is the brother of embattled Ontario Premier Dalton McGuilty, whom I had the impression more and more people disliked.

Oh well.

Having resigned myself to having another vote probably within another year, I can only hope that two things will happen. The first is that Paul Martin is tossed as leader of the Liberals and preferably run out of the country on a rail (the latter seems less likely). The second is that Harper and his gang use whatever time they have in power to uncover as many of the scams and schemes the Liberals had running as possible, and to punish all those possible, especially the MP's and cabinet ministers, with jail time!

Oh Hosannah!!!! Even as I type this, Martin is announcing his resignation as leader of the Liberals. Wow, I had never thought that one of my wishes would be answered so quickly.

Wow!!....just Wow!!!...

Big Week Coming Up!

Well the big day is almost upon us. Tomorrow the country goes to the polls (except for the 1.5 million who did it last week like me) to decide if the same old crooks continue to rip us off or a new group that is more careful about covering its tracks will start screwing us over. Thus far the conservatives are way ahead in the polls and conventional wisdom states that that is an excellent indication of who will win. But, I won't underestimate the grasp of power that martin holds, or vice versa. I really wouldn't put it past him to try and rig the electoral process tomorrow. Bah, maybe I've just seen the episode where Sideshow Bob become mayor on the Simpson too many times...


On a more personal note, my Grandfather is scheduled to go under the knife this Wednesday for a bypass surgery. I know this surgery is performed frequently these days and it has almost become routein, but I just can't shake the feeling that tonight was possibly the last time that I will speak to him. Rest assured, I'll be thinking of you all week Grandpa....

Lies, Lies, and Semi-Interesting Untrue Tales...

That's right! I ain't dead, just too lazy to update this thing....


Well, I've just finished watching the leaders debate for the upcoming election. I'm still unwaiveringly behind the Conservatives and in a perfect world many in the Liberal government would be locked away for eternity (although under the Liberal watch the justice system has deteriorated to the point that they would only get two weeks at "club fed").

What really confuses me is the Bloq Quebecois. No, confuses is the wrong word. Enrages is more apt.

Gilles Duceppe spent most of the second half of the debate yammering about how Quebec should seperate from Canada. Haven't they already tried this? More than once??? You'd think that they would be able to take the hint. Or maybe it's just the radical few that wish for seperation and they are the only ones with the ambition to run for office and whatever it takes to get in the position to think that you know what everyone wants. Everyone else is just too lazy to do anything until the last moment and with the least amount of effort to stop it, i.e. voting.

I say that if anything, Quebec owes us...Big Time! The English beat the snot out of the French in that war that i think was on the Plains of Champlane. Instead of taking over, they generously allowed 'Upper Canada' to keep their language and lifestyle. I have to wonder, if they were to know what is happening now, would they be so generous.

And another thing. How can the Bloq be considered a federal party? Nevermind that their primary goal is to break up Canada, but it doesn't represent any other part of Canada besides Quebec. It doesn't even try. They don't run a single candidate outside Quebec. How the hell can these guys form an effective party representing Canadians, let alone an objective opposition party?

The fact that these jokers got a place in the national debate is laughable. And the fact that they were in the debate and the Green party, who runs candidates across the country, is simply insane. Some may argue that the Green party is not credible because they haven't had an elected MP, but by excluding them from a national forum to get their message accross, it is simply being assured that they never will.

Another fact I found amusing was pointed out on the news immediately following the debate. Stephen Harper and the Conservatives plan to hold a free vote in the house of commons on the same-sex marriage debate (which I don't neccessarily support or even care about). Duceppe and the Bloq (along with nearly every other party) oppose this idea. Duceppes' reason is that a free vote was already held and that there is no reason to revisit the issue. But the Bloq wants to hold another referendum for Quebec seperation as soon as possible, an issue that has already been voted down twice.

I also liked how several times Paul Martin (and others) were asked point blank a question twice and they danced around it and didn't even come close to trying to answer it. Doesn't that put great faith in you for our candidates?

Just something for the no one who will read this to think about...