Winds Pickin' Up...

Well there is another Hurricane possibly headed for the United States.
This makes the 12th Hurricane this season.
You know, I live in an area that has (usually) great weather and although we do have big storms here, I have yet to see something truly life threatening.
Yet it always amazes me when they interview these people on TV who keep saying "We will rebuild." I can understand if it happens once or maybe twice, but how many disasters do you have to live through before you feel you are pushing your luck with the man upstairs?
I think my magic number would be two.
I mean, you get your livelihood and possessions wiped out once, fine. Insurance will cover it, and it's only material goods after all. But if there was suddenly another major storm coming up into the area again, like a year or two,( or in the case of the U.S. lately, every six weeks,) I would say "Fuck it," and just pack up and leave. I mean why tempt fate? Will my job pay me danger pay to live in such a dangerous area? Probably not. So why live there? Sun, sand, beaches with bikinis? You can get those almost anywhere.
(And even more so in Port Alberni.)
I think I'm gonna need this one explained to me.
Please don't tell me that people stay because of a job. Is that why the guy at Taco Bell is still there? Because of his commitment to serve fine quasi-Mexican food at low, low prices, no matter what the dangers? Bullshit. I will accept financial hardship to some extent, but after your shits all destroyed, why not take the assistance the Government gives you and get the fuck out?
I'm not saying that everybody who rebuilds is a retard. (Obviously that's not the case or there would be some fucked up looking buildings being built.)
I'm just saying that if it was me, all you'd see would be the ass end of my vehicle as I was headed for the interstate, moving on to greener pastures.

I Feel Ver2.0

1. That the greatest job one could have is that of a city worker. Minimal intelligence needed, not a lot of actual work involved, and Monday to Friday would be a perk.
2. The reason I don't have a city job is because I would strangle all the dumb fucks I work with. This would interfere with possible future promotions.
3. That the thing I miss about working at the Arches is firing people. That really perked up my days, especially when it was someone I hated.
4. Firing people is actually the number two reason. Chicks with big tits during the lunch hour was number one.
5. I'm really quite addicted to the spellchecker. When there is not one available, (like when leaving comments on a blog) I get antsy, like a junkie looking for a fix.
6. That although I like the weather and temperatures of this time of year, the distinct lack of visible cleavage on the opposite sex is quite the bummer.
7. Thought for the day- Ass cleavage on chicks: Hawt. (little bit of thong? Excellent.) Ass cleavage on guys: Just plain wrong.
8. That you can't go wrong with dick and fart jokes.
9. That most days look a lot brighter after a cup of coffee.......and a blowjob.
10. A lot of my days aren't that bright.

Clarification

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Instant Family, Just Add Water.

When you date a girl who has kids, what does that make you? Are you the Step-Daddy? The Father-to-be-Named-Later? What is your role?
I know a couple of guys who have instant family's like that. I don't know if I could do it.
Oh, I could bang the bejesus outta some hot mama, but don't expect me to be making breakfast before the kids go to school.
I think it's somewhat like someone finding a pair of shoes that have been discarded on the road. They look like someone else's shoes, could even have a name marked on the inside. But you pick'em up, dust 'em off and proudly proclaim that you are going to wear these shoes and take care of them like it was the first pair you owned. Problem is, you've never worn shoes before.

How would you discipline a kid who knows that the only reason you're around is because Mommy likes your man-candy? Do you have any authority to do so? I know that later on when my son gets lippy, I can tell him that I had to change his shitty ass when he was younger and that gives me every right to boss him around. If he wants to be in charge I'll pinch a loaf right there and see how he likes the mess.

What if the real Dad is still around? How the hell do you work that out? " Hey you know what's funny? Your kids call me Daddy, and so does their Mom when we're in the sack." Gonna make for an uncomfortable Christmas.

I know that it's possible to really care for these children, but it's got to be like when you were a kid. Sure, you'd borrow your friends baseball cards, and you would take real good care of them. But if you lost one or two, so what? You felt bad, but it's not like they were your baseball cards.

I guess I'm gonna be a great Dad to my kids, just horrible to anyone else's.

Turkey Day

Big fan of Turkey. Not the country, but the bird. Pluck it, clean it, baste it, chuck it in the oven, surround it with tasty morsels that complement it's incredible taste, and then call me to the table.
There's only one thing I enjoy eating more than turkey, and that's pussy. But since my family would freak if I did that at the table, and the knowledge that gravy will burn a woman's tender parts, prevents me from attempting that over the holiday weekend.
I kinda like that there's a holiday that basically celebrates food. I know, a lot of you are saying that Thanksgiving is a time to get together with family and be thankful for all the good that has happened in our lives this past year, but really, who even likes half their family anymore? What are the people in New Orleans thankful for? It's nice to say that it's good to be alive, but how do you have a family dinner when your dinning room table was looted, and there's two feet of mold on all the silverware?
It's all about the food. Savoring the smells, flavors and textures of each dish. Slipping gleefully into the "Turkey Coma" on the couch afterwards. Soups, sandwiches and shepherds pie for days on end, and even that little bit of disappointment when you realize the last leftover is gone.

I may have trouble posting after this, due to my possible inability to squeeze behind the keyboard, or the danger of not being able to get my lazy ass off the couch.

Everything I Know About Sex I Learned From Porn.

• Easiest ways to pick up a girl: Meet on street, (with camera rolling) say "Wanna Fuck?" then go crazy. Order pizza, and if it's a chick driving, you automatically get to "Give her the tip".
• Ladies want to bang anywhere,anyplace, anytime.
• If you meet twins, of course you get to fuck them both. The thought of sex with their sibling excites them, as opposed to grossing them out.
• The Donkey Punch is a finely executed sexual maneuver that was mistakenly left out of the Kama Sutra.
• Condoms are for Wuzzies.
• If you are banging a Japanese woman, there is sure to be blood, urine, feces, and possibly tentacles in school uniforms involved.
• When caught with another woman, your spouse will feel obliged to join in, rather than killing you.
• Strangers are just people you haven't fucked yet.
• Most women prefer to look at semen closely, thus the reason for shooting it in their eyes.
• Women only wear two kinds of panties, thongs and none.
• Sex on a bed is for amateurs. Trapezes are where it's at.
• Stds are a myth perpetuated by frigid bitches.
• All women secretly want to share their man with their best friend.
• If a woman rejects you, she's obviously a dyke, which means she just needs a good " deep dicking"
• And if she's a dyke she must be hot, 'cause there are no fat & ugly lesbians.

Why the need for a list? Who knows. What have you learned from porn that you'd like to share with the world?

I'm Not Posting Right Now

Unlike every other Canadian fanboy, I'm not going to be posting about the fact that today is the first day of the National Hockey League season.
I won't tell you how happy I am that Hockey is finally back, and if you read my August 04 post, I don't need to reiterate how I feel the new cap system will hopefully create some parity and some close games in all the divisions.
Of course it would be completely unnecessary to explain that I believe that Hockey will come back stronger than ever, at least in the Canadian markets, so why would I bother to even post about it?
I'm sure that you already know how I and thousands of other Canadians feel, so I feel no real need to say what has been said so many countless times in the past few weeks.
Hockey's back, although you didn't hear it from me.

What Is And What Should Never Be

You know, I was so infatuated with the Very Pretty Girl that I completely forgot to mention how the concert was.
(By the way, the Very Pretty Girl has yet to contact me, except in my dreams.)

So... Robert Plant, supposed Rock God, lead singer of one of the most influential bands in rock and roll, and idol to millions of 50- something's who wish they had their youth and hair back.
What can I say about finally seeing this legend on stage?
It was a letdown.
I guess I was expecting too much. I know that he's gotten older, and that I should not expect him at his peak form, but I would like the occasional Zepplin tune to at least sound like a Led Zepplin song. I firmly believe that the number one rule for all artists and musicians is: Give Them What They Want. I know that you may not want to play D'yer Maker for the fourteen thousandth time, but you know what? That's what we want to hear. It's what I paid 60 bucks for. I did not come to see Robert Plant cover Bob Dylan. If I wanted that, I'd pay a street musician to cover Robert Plant covering Bob Dylan.
I know that you are going to do some of the songs from your new album and that's OK. But when you do launch into some of the songs that made you famous, you think they would be at least on key and not all messed up because you think some guy in your band is shit-hot on the sitar. And who brings a fuckin' mandolin to a rock concert?
Thank god the opening band, The Trews, were awesome, and in my opinion, kicked ass all over the headliner. And that was with half a stage and mediocre lighting.
I guess going to Pearl Jam less than a month earlier had something to do with my disappointment. Plant should have watched a video of that to see how a concert should be done.
Enough negativity, I'm outta here.

Letter to the Editor

God ? It's me.
You remember me, right? We met at that party, I was being loud and obnoxious, you were sitting off in the corner, silently watching me, with just a smug little grin on your face.
Later, as we ran into each other by the keg, I made a witty remark, and you laughed, showing me your perfect smile, and dazzling me with that impressive rack you have.
It just seemed so right. I was the bad boy you were looking to tame, you were the good influence on my otherwise decadent lifestyle.
Where did it all go wrong? Was it when you caught me with your sister? The reason we were like that is because she was choking and the only way I could get her airway clear was to "snake" it out. Really, it was just bad timing, you walking in that way.
And was it my fault that your best friend just happens to be naked in my bed? I don't know how she got there, but what's a guy to do? Trust me, I made sure that she'll think twice before attempting the reverse cowgirl in the pike position again. I think she's learned her lesson.

So why did you feel it was necessary to inflict this completely horrible, fucking annoying chest cold on me? I can't breathe, my head's all stuffed up, and I'm only 3 days away from the Robert Plant concert in Victoria. If you hate me that much, we should have got married. But a cold? Right at the start of the fall? One of those ones that could hang around for months? Bad form. Really bad form. Next time just kick me in the nuts and we'll call it a draw.

Things I Just Don't Understand

Every once in a while you come across something or someone who completely and utterly baffles you. You can't understand why they are the way they are or what the hell is going on, no matter how it's explained to you.
Here's some of mine.

1. Magazine Publishers - How many different issues of the same type of magazine are you going to put out? For every Maxim, there's like 3 or 4 shitty rags like Details or Giant. What the fuck is the point? And it used to be that men's magazines used to contain articles, or at least really good pictures (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). But now there are more ads than articles, and most of the ads are slightly homo-erotic, in a metro kinda way. Look, if Ralph Lauren wants me to buy a pair of his pants, he should just have a picture of the fuckin' pants for Christ's sake.
2. Fat Women in Tight Clothes - Jesus this shit sickens me. Listen, I'm a slightly tubby guy, and yet I wear clothes that tend to flatter the more rotund parts of my body. What woman can cram herself into clothing that is 3 sizes too small, look at herself in the mirror and not notice that the fabric of her blouse is streching at the seams or that if she exhales, the button on her jeans is likely to blow off and cause serious collateral damage?
3. Joe's Hatred of Bono - Man, you'd think that Bono molested Joe when he was younger. I think you'll see Dana hugging Dubya before you see Joe forgive Bono for his supposed crimes against humanity.
4. Calculus - Don't try to explain it. Just tell me it's magic and I'll go with that.
5. Homeless People - Now I might go to hell for this, but how exactly do you become homeless? With the amount of aid our government gives to the disadvantaged, I find it hard to believe that someone can be homeless in this day and age. Sure, welfare sucks, but use it to get back on your feet, get a job, and get a life. If you choose to blow that chance on crystal meth or the big H, too bad. Nobody forced you to take those drugs.
6. People who don't own a DVD player - Bad choice after just dissing the Homeless, but really, it's 2005, people. It's a standard media format. The average player costs, what, around 60 bucks? How can you not have one? Get with the program.

Right now that's all I can think of. What baffles you?

Free The Hostages.

I'd like to take this time to reflect on my favorite part of the female anatomy, The Breasts.
I know that there are those of you out there who will disagree with me, and you are welcome to your thoughts and opinions. Now shut the fuck up and let me tell you why I think the way I do.

Don't get me wrong, I think that there are other redeemable parts of a woman, first and foremost of them being the brain, but come on, what would you rather have , an extremely charming, sophisticated, intelligent, nuclear physicist - type girlfriend, or an extremely charming, sophisticated, intelligent, nuclear physicist - type girlfriend with an awesome rack? No choice at all, right?
And for the final argument in that category, if you can show me a woman with two brains hanging on the outside of her chest, straining to keep their intelligence from bursting out of a tiny, barely-there bikini top, then get her number, 'cause I'll be next in line on her call display.

Now there are those out there who think that bigger is better when it comes to breasts. Not so. If that was the case then all the fat chicks would be doing the lingerie ads. (Please take a moment to use steel wool to scour that image from your brain.) Breasts are all about quality vs. quantity. Size, shape, firmness, nipple position and displayablity are all important factors to consider. Nipple position? Why would we mention that? Well if they're not there, then you've got a problem. If one is looking right at you and the other is checking something off to the left, well, it's just distracting. Not that having a pair of breasts in your face isn't distraction enough.

What else do you have to be on the look out for? Well, you always have to take proportion into account. The breasts of a petit woman do not look good on a larger-sized woman. Inversely, the breasts of a larger sized woman look freakin' fantastic on a smaller girl. Funny, that.

But as with most things in life, it's all about presentation. Merchandising. There are bras out there that can take the smallest of offerings and make it look like like they could overwhelm you with the slightest provocation. But I like to keep it simple. If it looks good under just a regular t-shirt, then we are good to go. Hell, if I'm allowed to touch them, then we are good to go.
I must admit though, that things have improved with time, at least from a viewable standpoint. When I was but a young lad in high school, the uniform of choice among girls seemed to be the baggy-sweatshirt over jeans or stirrup pants. Now, there's so much going on that it takes 3 or 4 minutes just to look a woman in the eyes. And I'm not talking about young girls here, it seems like those who feel they have something to show feel compelled to show it. As a man, I believe that this is the pinnacle of our society, it simply can't get any better than this.

But what about accessories? There seems to be many different types of add-ons and ornaments that are out there. Well, what about them? I say like most things in life, moderation is important. Have a piercing? Great. Have so much metal in your chest that I can only make out a vague, breast-like shape? Not good. If there's a tattoo there, it's okay, I like to admire art. If it's a tattoo of your Dad saying "Touch her and I kill you", that's a bad thing. It's whatever you feel comfortable with.

With all that being said, I like the fact that breasts are like snowflakes, no two are the same. Well, no two sets, that is. And I think that is the root of my infatuation. Woman have one face, one ass and one personality to present to the world (except the schizoid ones.) But they all have their two biggest ambassadors right out front to greet you, And that's not a bad way to say Hello.

I Got Fixed At The Garage.

Holy Shit.
That's the easiest way for me to sum up the Pearl Jam concert.
I have to thank Joe for taking me, as I was not the biggest fan of the band, I knew their music, but I always had them pictured as a whiney, politically active, crying-about-the-trouble-of-fame band.
I was wrong.
Now this was not my first concert, I've been to quite a few in my day, but these were the shitiest seats EVER, and you know what?
It didn't matter.
The band came out to rock and they did. From the first chords of "Release" to the end of their 3rd, three song encore, they held the crowd in the palm of their hand and there was no letting go. I was totally impressed.
Now normally after a concert, I don't feel like listening to that band for a while. I've had my fill, slaked my thirst, and just want to move on. Not this time. I've looked up the set list from that night, and am in the process of making a CD so I can keep on listening.
Now I'm not turning into a born again fanboy, but I have to admit, I was wrong about this band. I never gave them a chance, and after seeing them live, I'm not going to make the same mistake with other bands. I'll try to be open minded.

I don't think that it'll work for every band though. But if I ever feel like watching a grown man cry onstage about losing his car keys and having sympathetic menstrual cramps, I'll go see a Tragically Hip concert.

Top Ten

As I said before I'm going to post my top ten movies that I can watch over and over.
In no particular order, and obviously excluding the Holy Trilogy, here they are:

1. The Great Escape - Do I have to explain? It's Steve McQueen . 'Nuff said.
2. The Fifth Element - Just a great, action filled, sci-fi movie.
3. Airplane & Airplane 2 - Some of the best visual humor put on film.
4. Top Secret! - What can I say? I almost piss myself everytime her tits light up.
5. Tombstone - Yes, I am a closet Val Kilmer whore, but this movie is all around AWESOME.
6. Not Another Teen Movie - A great parody of all the other angtsy- horny-teen movies.
7. The Princess Bride - I just can't get some people to understand how great this movie really is. But "As you wish".
8. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut - I'm obviously a fan of crude humor, and any movie that has the most uses of the work "fuck" in it has to be on this list.
9. Orgazmo - The Adventures of a Mormon Porn Star? Who doesn't want to watch this? -P.S. - Not actually porn, so it can make the list.
10. Highlander - Greatest mullet ever. Rumor has it there was a sequel, but it's hard to fit a steaming pile of shit into the DVD player.

So there you have them. You may or may not agree with my selections, but who the fuck really cares? Movies are what you get out of them. That's why I love 'em.

I Like Jam On My Toast

Just a quick update to let those who care know I'm still alive.
I'm working an eight day streak right now because I requested some time off to go to the Pearl Jam concert in Vancouver with the Hetro Life Partner. It should be an awesome concert, and I'm really itchin' to get out of town.
To keep those who read the site occupied, and to give myself something else to write about when I get back, I ask you one question:

• Tell me your top ten movies that you just love to watch over and over.

There was a list on the forums the other day and I posted a couple but I figure Ten is a nice round number and I'll let you know mine when I get back.

And no, porn does not count, so I'll have to re-think my personal top 5

Anonymity is Like a Warm Blanket

You know,I find the internet to be a fascinating place.
The types of interactions you see online are sometimes so unreal or surreal that I sometimes wonder how people cannot think before they type, or is civility just a retarded gene in the pool of life.
I was reading a forum that I frequent quite often( Not Porn!) and people were posting about movies that they liked and thought should be listed as "essentials". Now I know that movies, like music and books, are very subjective. One mans trash is really another man's treasure. But some of these people just reamed each other out over the slightest comment or opinion that was posted.
Now you and I both know that in real life, if you overheard someone say that their favorite movie was Herbie: Reloaded, you would never jump in their face and tell them that they are lower on the evolutionary chain than soap scum.
But on "teh Internet" it's okay. In fact some people seem to pride themselves on it.
The fact that someone is possibly thousands of miles away from you and unable to tell where you are or really, who you are, seems to offer people more courage than a bottle of the hard stuff. And the fact that you do not have to physically back your thoughts up seems to be a great comfort to some of these people. In the real world, I mean the really real world,( Joe I know you'll get that reference) if you were that rude you would get your ass handed to you by any number of people. And you just wouldn't do it.
And it's not only in forums and chat rooms either. How many times have you opened up your real life mailbox to shouts of "Make your Penis Bigger!" or "Watch German Girls Play in a Pool of Shit!" (What, you mean nobody else gets those e-mails?....Oops.) If someone was stuffing things like that in your mailbox, you'd be on the lookout for them. Either to tell them to stop or else get some more information.
It's partially because of all this that I avoid certain aspects of the internet. I really like the thought of online gaming, but don't want to put up with all the jerks out there. I know that there are good people and not everyone's an ass, but why should I be forced to wade through the shit to find the few nuggets of gold?

Why is being civil so hard for some people? Can't you just state your point and leave it at that? I get really frustrated sometimes with some of that stuff. I know in the grand scheme of things it's quite a small pet peeve, but as this method of communication becomes more commonplace, it's going to be as important as the spoken word is.

That's My 2 Cents, and I know I'm not the only one.

Garbage In, Garbage Out.

At work lately we have recently gone through a bit of staff turnover. Some of it is to be expected, as some of the younger help who have worked for us in high school get ready to go to college, but some of it is longer term employees who are moving on to other things.
It's been amazing to watch and see how different people work out their remaining time.

"People will leave their work the way they approach it."

Bish had this in his blog (one of many blogs he has,) and I found it interesting to see the dynamic played out in the workplace. I'll give you my examples.

We have two high school students who are leaving, both girls.(Not that it matters.)

One of them has been working as hard as ever right up to her last day. She's positive, energetic and has said repeatedly how much she's going to miss everyone when she is gone.

The other one has been dragging her ass around the store, saying how she can't wait for her shift to be over and for her time here to be done.

We also had two longer term employees leave.

One of them was very straightforward and had said at the beginning of his employment with us, that if he ever got a chance to work in his chosen field,(musician) he'd be leaving. Well he lucked out and got a chance to tour with a band, so off he goes. Worked his time, was very respectful and appreciative of the training we gave him.

The other one was a real long term employee who did not even tell us that she was planning on leaving, went out, got another job while on her holidays with us, and put in her notice. Now there's nothing really wrong with that, except it's the way we were told about her notice. She had told everyone in the department she is in what was going on and asked them to keep it quiet. Why? Why not be honest and grown up about the whole thing? To top it off, she's been really slacking her last two weeks. We would probably just not schedule her, but we still need the body in that department to cover holidays and such.

Why can't most people just be like the first girl and the guy and work out their time and leave on a positive note? Why would you take the chance of possibly jeopardizing any future reference you may get, as well as effecting whatever relationship you had with your co-workers?

I don't work at a horrible place, in fact the owners treat the staff very well, with respect, and are extremely friendly and open to talk to. It's just unbelievable how people will work out their time with the company.

When I left my last job I left on very good terms with practically everybody. I still pop by from time to time, as the sidekick still works there, and have been told by my old bosses that they miss the effort and talent I brought to the team. Yay Me!

It's an interesting theory that Bish had and seeing it played out on this screen I call real life is quite amusing. I know that some of you out there must have some entertaining stories from when you or someone you know left a job, let's hear it!

Music is Memory

I've been making a CD to introduce the Hetro-Life Partner to the great 80's music that he sadly missed out on. You know what I'm talking about. When big hair ruled the earth and Grunge was like the dirt between hippies toes. Call it rock, glam, hair metal, whatever, it's the music I grew up on and just making the CD has brought back a lot of memories for me.

I find that music has that ability. I know that a good song can affect how you are feeling now, but I find, for me, that music's most powerful effect on me is the way it dregs up memories of the past, be they fair or foul. People, Places, Events - all of these are in some way "bookmarked" in my brain according to the music (or individual songs) I was listening to at the time.

Examples:

1. Tesla: I first heard this band when my friend loaned me the tape and said that they were really good. Believe it or not, I stuck this tape in my walkman while I was mowing the parent's lawn as part of my weekly chores, so now anytime I hear any of the songs from Mechanical Resonance I remember mowing that lawn. And I haven't lived there for over 12 years.
2. Blackfish: A southern rock band you have never heard of.
3. Juliet: Another band you've never heard of. First listened to on a Vancouver concert trip with Mooley, Jeeves, Zoffman, and Thompson. Reminds me of drunk driving on the Second Narrows bridge on the way to the concert, and scaring people in other cars with our rockin' out headbanging ways.
4. Danger Danger: I have a feeling you think I'm just making up band names, but trust me, they were,(and I believe still are,) a real band. Anything of theirs reminds me of one past girlfriend just because She hated them so much. That's right. She didn't like the music, the lyrics, even the way the band looked. So I listened to them as much as possible. That's how I roll. Passive-aggressive macho shtick is what I'm all about baby.
5. White Lion: Lots of people memories tied to this one, and all from different times in my life. The first teen breakup song, Wait. The trying to express my love thru song song, You're all I need. And to top it all off, My wedding song, Death do us Part. This band seemed to have it all, except they didn't last.

I know I've listed mostly 80's tunes and bands, but there's way more out there that I could list. As I said, to me music is memory. What music gets your memory going?

With Good Behavior, I'd Be Out By Now

Depending if I was in Texas or not. Yes today is my nine year anniversary. I should be collecting money from all the people who said it wouldn't last.
I'll admit, I haven't always been the greatest husband in the world, but there are a shitload out there worse than me. It has had its ups and downs but overall, how can I complain? (Don't worry, you'll still hear me complain from time to time.)
I think that living with anybody, day in and day out for 9+ years deserves a medal on both sides, be it man, woman or sheep.
For more on my thoughts on marriage, stay tuned to this sunny little blog. I'm sure to have some insights from time to time. ( Ya Think?)

Just 'cause there's a Goalie in the Net...

If you look over at that location thing on the side of the page, you can tell that I'm in Canada.
I was born here, and as such I have the natural Canadian love of Hockey. Played it when I was younger, watch it on TV, and follow it it the papers.
Now I was as pissed off as anyone when the NHL lockout occurred, and I was actually kinda impartial when it ended. I want to see a good product, not some rich crybabys pussyfooting around the ice.
My biggest pet peeve with hockey before the lockout was parity. There were some teams that could be accused of trying to buy the Stanley Cup, and I'm sure that you could point to one or two of the previous teams that have won it as an example. But the fact was that there were some teams who had outrageous payrolls and were full of superstars, and teams that were doomed to failure the moment the season started.
I think that's over now.
After witnessing the trades and dealings in the NHL over the last couple of days, it seems to me, ( as cheesy as it is to say,) that there is now some balance in the force. There are a lot of great players on almost every team now, and the owner with the deepest pockets is not going to be the one who wins. (please don't point out the New York Rangers to me, I believe they are the exception to the rule.) It brings it down to smart fiscal management, as well as having programs that will develop from within, as you will not be able to buy your way out of mistakes anymore.
This change , as well as some of the proposed rule changes to improve the flow of play, have me more excited about Hockey than I have been in years. I really hope the on-ice product will be equal to the excitement that's happening behind the scenes right now.

Can't wait for the season to start.

Chillin' @ the Sidekick Lounge

It's not smoky, dim, or dingy like you would expect. The lighting's ok, kinda subdued, and the overall ambiance is, unfortunately, similar to that of the Mickey Mouse club. No booze, just milk or seltzer, and the talent on stage is limited to card tricks and slight-of hand.
The big boys get strippers and hard liquor, but because most of us are either wards of the state or really smart animals, it's a toss up between Nickelodeon or Animal Planet on the big screen TV.

There are some perks to being one of us, but it's way overshadowed by the negatives. You hope to one day step into the limelight, taking over from your mentor when they're too old or injured to do the job, but before then it's years of short pants & names ending with "boy" or "lad". (The pants really chafe, and asking for a wardrobe update is like squeezing blood from a stone. It's always "Need more jet fuel for the rocket boosters" or "Can't do it now, I have to be seen in public to maintain my secret identity." ) What do you expect? They're not the one freezing their ass off in the middle of winter tailing some low-life thug to the super-villains hideout.

And after being "captured" for the ten-thousandth time, dangled over a pit of "whatever's-on sale-at-the-mutant-pet-store," and freeing myself while they nab the bad guy. ( Using the catch-phrases I made up! Lazy bastard.) What do I get? A pat on the back from a fat, smelly police commissioner, being told I was "lucky" to have the "caped crusader" around, and because of my "impulsiveness" I'm doing codpiece scrubbing duty while the butler's on vacation.

So I'm here. Stuck between a dog in a mask and a midget wearing a tutu. No point in talking to the girls in here. Ever since they found out I've been living with a guy who's old enough to be my father, But isn't actually my father, they all figure I'm either gay or confused, and like I said before, the costume doesn't help. Listen, the cape is short so that I don't trip while I'm running, not so you can see my ass. Can't a hetro man wear a short cape? Besides, with the way some of those girls can throw cars and the like around, I'm afraid to check out their undercarriage if you know what I mean. I'm not saying pre-op or post-op, but some of those virtuous maidens seem to have some large Adams apples.

Well it's almost time to go. You-know-who is probably three sheets to the wind right now, and he'll make me carry his tubby ass into the mansion. (Again) He'll cry about the pressures of being a hero while I pull off his boots and wipe the vomit from his cowl. I hope he got some while he's in the champagne room, otherwise it's clutch-and grab all the way home.

See you later, I'll be in next week to pay my tab.