frustrated with life in general

So since no one seems to want to post i'll just go off on one of my random rants/digressions. The roomate is posing questions such as "Should I bang a girl i work with on a daily basis?" to which I reply "Sure, you'll head back to London in a few weeks anyways.". but of course he has issues with sleeping with random girls so he's cockblocking himself, which makes mine and others opinions on the matter moot. Then i'm missing the routine and privacy and the friends of school and res. can't wait for school to start. then there's a job at which i'm smarter then 90% of the people i work with and just feel that i could make that place so much more efficient. Of course this all culminates at the inevitable gf issues which start with my procrastination and somehow the argument becomes all about her worrying about my future and how's she's some sort of victim in all this. I for one don't understand it and she's all shocked and hurt that i'm feeling angry and hurt by some of the stuff she said. so being the passive person that i am, i just shut down and don't wanna talk about it because it'll start a bad fight but she's mad at this so i'm in a no win sitch. oh well, i'm gonna get drunk and deal i guess.

taking a moment

why must family guy still be on tv... thats a jeer

Coming Soon

Drafting Transports, and other energy saving tips from the desk of Andymac

The S is for Sucks, Cracking Hollywood's "Lacklusters" See what I did There?!

WALL-E, Hero of socialist labour, and other agendas hidden in the children's film

There can be only none! How Sealab 2021 saved my life.

Pod Six is Jerks!

Hecho en Mexico and How Stop Signs and Red Lights are Causing Global Warming

Author's Note: I am not against the Mexican people in any way, I commend them for cervesa on cheap import night at my university's bar, as well as the quesadilla -- and tequila of course. The image was just something that came up when I looked up Mexicans. This post does not put down Mexico, but rather put down North American businesses who outsource closer to home.

Hecho en Mexico and How Stop Signs and Red Lights are Causing Global Warming

I remember a time... of course this makes me seem older than I am when I start a post with I remember a time, but I do. And in this time (early 90s maybe very late 80s) My dad and I would go shopping for gym shoes or clothes, or anything for that matter and check the labels (my dad was always a real patriot) We could find clothes made in Canada. If you went into Roots EVERYTHING used to be made in Canada. However, over the years we would have to settle for things made in the USA because some of the facilities in Canada were closing. Remember the "Brain Drain"? When all the educated Canadians would move to the states for a decent job... that doesn't happen anymore. Nowadays they work in call centers, construction and general service. I work cutting grass with 3 out of 4 of us having a University degree, and we cut lawns because we don't want to settle for a call center... whoops off topic there. Anyways... As time went on in this "crisis" Canada was dropped as a manufacturing hub for its own people, replaced by the likes of Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Japan, Peru, I think I even saw one of the "stans" on a tee once. At one time it used to be easy to find more than a handful of products made in Canada. Which I could purchase and wear with pride. Even Roots (The All Canadian Superstore) has basically dropped Canada to manufacture their $45 Tees and $65 Polos. Lately I hear myself saying... "At least its made in Mexico"

Word of the day:

Maquiladora: (mäkelädo´rä ) n. Synonymous with Mexico manufacturing, maquiladoras are Mexican assembly plants that manufacture finished goods for export. Maquiladoras are generally owned by non-Mexican corporations that take advantage of low-cost Mexican labor, advantageous tariff regulations, and close proximity to U.S markets. Maquiladoras are one of Mexico primary sources of foreign exchange.

Onto the lighter side. Fuel prices have gone stupid in the last 6 months, I'd say a 40% increase in my Northern Ontario snake pit town of ravenous "big 3" (Petro Can, Esso, Shell) gas stations. When the average price is hovering at $1.30 ours will be 1.4o The Soo is just raped at the pumps. I worked for P-Can the last day gas was under a dollar, and I will tell you that is a fact that I'm sure my children cant even fathom. I have a car I use every day now, to and from work. Lately when people get in they comment on my crazy driving. They will say "Where are you from, Montreal?" or "Jeez I don't think that light was still yellow once you got to the intersection..." Finally today I had someone say, "You took that corner like a bat out of hell, what are you trying to do, KILL US?!" once I corrected my heavy over steer and got back to my comfortable cruising speed, The Blue Devil is a heavy piece of machinery for a midsized but the V6 gives it some guts. I had to explain-- the reason my driving is poor has nothing to do with my inability to drive, in fact, when gas is reasonably priced I am commended for my regard of the rules. But this is the end of times chum! With these prices I am being the responsible one on the battlefield. I cant afford to buy a Smart Car so I have to use mine wisely. I probably take 2x the distance to reach my cruising speed, careful to not rev too high. So when a yellow approaches or a stop sign or a right hand turn on a red the gas companies have given me no choice but to conserve as much of that forward momentum as possible. I think it requires greater skill to control a 30 km/h hard right than it does to race red light to red light down queen street.

So when you see the Blue Devil coast through a 4 way, or make that gut splattering turn remember that I'm doing the greener thing under the circumstances. Don't blame me, blame BIG OIL and the conflict at the refinery in Madeupistan or worker strike in the oil fields of Fakeladesh

In Response to my Letter to the Editor

Interesting times

So working and living in the far away town of sudbury, I figured "I don't really know anyone so I might just work on some projects and save some money". Then Yegway moved in with me. There goes that idea. I think it's back to mischief and mayhem for this intrepid duo. Good thing he's a law student cause I think we may needs those skills before the summer ends.

letter to mom

I know I know, I'm too skinny and I work out too much. I know you liked it better when I was 180 pounds and 25% bodyfat. You seem to think that it reflected on you ability as a caretaker; that you were a provider in the most literal sense. But the truth is although I may have looked better nourished, I wasn't all that happy. You know I was never that good at hockey, soccer, baseball, tennis, or anything else I have participated in, usually I was among the worst. And I have decided that I do not want to one day be a 55 year old with a heart condition whose greatest achievement in the world of bodies is having lived to 55. With that in mind I really do enjoy running, boxing, skipping, hiking, lifting weights and all that and yes I really do like eating right, avocado is freaking delish with salmon, and peanut butter is a health food how kick ass is that!!!
All this is also why I'm competing in the triathlon, its not so much about the winning, which I will strive for but do not need to feel good about it. Its about doing something that I never could do before, and being that little bit, stronger, faster, more motivated than I have been. I hope from all this I gain some of the ambition, confidence and character that I know you have always prayed your sons possessed. I am more than happy to trade in 30 pounds and 13% bodyfat for these things, especially when you realize that this should be journey of bonding and even pride.

all the love and respect in the world,
your son always,
McKelvie

A Letter to the Editor..

This is something I wrote for my local paper, I don't know whether or not I'll send it in. I doubt anyone wants to read it, or discuss. Its just that there are so many lame, poor grammar letters in that advertising rag we call a paper and I wanted to add my own.

The "Piece" (If you can call it that) is titled

What Came First, The Ignorant Cyclist or the Irate Driver?

I'm not a granola eater, I don't spend my money in the organic food section or go to spin classes, but I do ride my bike to work everyday that it is not raining. Right down Queen.

Since Wellington was closed for whatever repairs (it really doesn't matter) The influx of traffic swelling at the peak times of... well-- daylight hours. I have noticed an utter disregard on the part of both cyclists and motorists that will surely end in a gruesome front page headline.

I don't know who struck first. Whether the cyclists always slunk between the rows of traffic at the Pine, Queen intersection or motorists always cut as close as possible to bicycles. I myself have had daily attempts on my life, a fortysomething woman weaving through traffic like it is an Olympic event. Or a male retiree in his tank of a truck, shooting just off my left shoulder. I see them checking their mirrors, looking to see if they scared me enough to barrel over the curb and onto the sidewalk. As if they are doing a favour for the other motorists. Wiping the road of cyclists! The worst are the 30 year olds, in their shiny cars, barking into their cellphones oblivious to the fact they are actually driving. They don't care, and wouldn't stop, they'd just figure they had hit another Northern Ontario pothole. The law says I have to play this twisted game of frogger everyday to get to work just because I don't want to waste my money on gas in stop and go traffic and municipal government feels the blind eye works best in this situation, content with inadequate arrangements.

I share the road to the extent I am comfortable. There is no need to honk. Of course, on days that the weather is unfavourable I do take my car. And I know how annoying it becomes to travel 18-20 kilometers per hour behind a cyclist taking up the whole of the lane, only to come to a red light and see him slip to the front of the row of cars and go straight through the red signal. That stretch of Queen, from Lake to Gore is a war zone every day of the week, and we still have 5 months to go. Any sort of police presence on the stretch is warranted and necessary. Lets face it, with the thermometer and gas prices going up up up in the coming months so too will blood pressure. Something ominous is mounting. Closed roads are escalating the situation. If both types of road users cannot coexist I fear that the next time my name prints in this paper it may be in the obituaries.

So please motorists slow down.
Cyclists don't take stupid risks.
We have to share the road!

ANDYMAC!!!

End of the innocence

So as you may know I am recently a year older but certainly not a year wiser. So now that I'm 24, I have to figure out what the so much more is and where my life is headed. I suppose everyone has to do this from time to time and adjust on the fly. It could be argued that 24 is well after the age of innocence. Maybe 16 with your licence or 18 with military service, voting, gambling and pornography or 19 for alcohol, or 21 for cheap alcohol but 24 always seemed to demarcate the end for me. It is the cusp of adulthood (at least to us post gen x) until this point we are mostly still in school. Some still plugging away at our four year degrees. Some finding a new direction partway down stream. Some working on their masters or doctorate or professional degree. At 25 however most programs are finished that's 7 years from high school or at least 6 for us who had the joy of OAC and now this summer represents the last 'summer job'. As my old man once again pressures me to look for said summer job, I realize that this last part time excuse to make a dime to pay a tenth of the cost of schooling that I may ever have. After this year, I'm done with school altogether and I have to think about a career. To be quite honest I'm scared shitless with the prospect of a career. I feel like my youth has been stolen from me. Like that crystal on my hand can not possibly have turned colours yet. That surely, I, have a few more years left in the old tank before becoming a corporate drone, but alas, no. This is my last year for irresponsibility and my job being about occupying time and not being an occupation. Even the insurance industry recognizes this age as the penultimate change in our responsibility quotient by lowering our insurance rates. Soon for me it'll all be about car payments, mortgages, property taxes, suits, ties, business meetings, clients, living healthy, marriage, pets, children, decor, and the nameless other horrors of adult life. I'll start to look back at age 24 and under as the good ole days and remark on how little I actually did at school / summer jobs and how much simpler life was. I'll not stay up as late or party as hard and I'll start to complain about music being too loud, haircuts being too long, service being too slow, steak being too well cooked, and how much more difficult it was when I was growing up (As my dreams are slowly crushed by the oppressive weight of my responsibilities). So I think that it is now that I must seize the day and I invite you in the blogosphere to add me by suggesting worthwhile activities to remember fondly when I'm stuck behind a desk trying to fill out my TPS report including a cover letter.
P.S. I appreciated the math in AndyMac's last post and in the summer no less a time when math is almost strictly related to how many beers now come in a 'pack'. I have seen the same article and shopped the price and there is no way they met the number unless some sales were unreported (listing only NA sales for example but including European sales in the calculation) or some people were over charged (God forbid little Johnny had to go to that clerk at the local store because Walmart were not allowing him to buy a rated M game). Anyways hats off to the good Cyphering AndyMac!

Grand Theft Record

I'm not one to put a game down that has paid it's dues. Lord knows the GTA franchise has seen dark days. But being a fan of the X Box and Wii while being totally opposed to all things Sony I just had to look into a unique hiccup in GTA IV. Well not actually in the game... just claims Take 2 has made since the proposed bid from gaming giant Electronic Arts. I just read on Yahoo News that Grand theft auto made $500,000,000 on 6,000,000 units. A quick check of the calculator would reveal that this means that each unit cost $83.33 before taxes and cost of production. I have not purchased it, nor will I, I couldn't sit through a whole game stealing cars and killing hookers, not my style. I bet those who did buy it didn't pay 90ish dollars tho. The price at any retailer in Canada and the US is 59.99 which would put the net sales to $359,940,000 a much lower figure than they boast. I'm sure $500,000,000 has helped put the shares out of EA's reach but it still seems dishonest. To have actually made that much they would have to have sold 8,334,722.something. I do not dispute the fact that it is the biggest release in video game history, I just wish they wouldn't pad the numbers.

Was it just us or...

Did something seem awry in that Montreal - Philly game? I am still not clear on all these rules about allowing goals and disallowing goals, but seems to me, in a hockey game, where the object is to use your hockey stick to pass, handle and score on the nets on opposite sides of the rink's surface that using your hand to redirect a shot which changes the momentum of the game seems fishy.

It seems to me that the league has for quite some time opposed the advancement of the Habs. Even listening to the announcers on CBC, you'd think they would naturally root for the Canadian team in a game, not so. The Montreal Canadiens are the outcasts of the Canadian teams. Toronto has lost by such severe scores to the likes of the Florida Panthers but still they are cheered by the announcers. Its a shame that a team from Quebec does not receive the same kind of respect. Toronto is still sore about being losers for the last 40 years, but still.

I am not French Canadian and I like the Habs, the fans agressively defend their team. Much more than I can say for several other hockey teams. When tampa won the cup a couple years back, was anyone watching? Even Detroit fans are diminishing. Maybe they should put in a new rule, In order for a city to have a hockey team there must be a certain average recorded snowfall. Yanks in the southern states don't care about hockey, they are too busy cooking roadkill and playing banjos to worry.

As for that goal "Richards got credit for his fourth goal of the playoffs when he put up his left hand as Umberger’s shot sailed past him and Price. A video review upheld the goal.
'I tried to catch it and luckily my hand-eye is terrible,' Richards said. 'It went right off my shoulder and then I turned around for the rebound and it went in the net. That was the break we needed, I think.' " To credit Richards with the goal is a great insult to hockey and especially the die hard fans of Montreal. On one hand, the league is saying that, dumb luck on the part of Richards that he was standing where he was, pilon in front of the net and Umberger's shot bounced off him, in which case why don't they credit goalies with points when the puck hits their pads and go in. OR on the other hand, the league is spitting in the face of Montreal in saying that even though the puck was redirected consiously, therefore an illegal goal, but we hate you so much that we'll allow it anyways. I have this message for the wigs in Toronto (***explitave deleted)

Pushing down the garbage

Appologies and love all,

myself and the andymac have both been working new labour intensive jobs for the last week and have been lazy pieces of lazy in the evenings, so posts have suffered, but I do so pledge that there shall be posts galour once we get back with the payback, huack

The Next Level For Love

So to catch everyone up on the situation. McKelvie and I were working together today and I was talking about relations with my girlfriend (not unheard of) and he looks at me and asks "So did you give her the holocaust?". To which I replied "What's that?" and he says "I don't know but it sounds like an awesome sex move."
Now we came up with some theories and ideas of what this sex move/position/activity would actually be and came up with some funny stuff. So now we ask you, the reading public to help us out. Help us design "The Holocaust" by sending us your ideas and senarios either as comments here or you can send them to frink5@shaw.ca. We're not out to change the world and chances are this will NEVER be tried ever so let your imaginations run wild and make it interesting. Some ideas we threw out was that it should be a crime against humanity and that bonus points would be awarded for the police or the U.N. getting involved or just throwing on a gas mask. And to appease the P.E.T.A. people no animals can be harmed either during the creative process or during the act itself.

Home

Home is where we feel comfortable, surrounded by the familiar experiences of our youth. So once again sitting around with McKelvie and the Flatmate, watching the Habs win and just talking about things that could never be true. During an internet search for pictures of a certain aspect of anime we come across something very disturbing and funny. Lets just say an octopus was involved. This then led to the classic Cnev interpretation/fantasy that left us all hurting with laughter and vomit. Our souls were hurt by this experience but it was one of those things that lets me know that i'm home, contact me for further details if you're interested.

Pre and ProBiotics?!

I've had my ear to the ground for a while, just soaking in all the "Healthy" "Bio" "Vitality" "Plus" food commercials on television. It must be some of that lingering run off of the baby boomers, but please, I see the word healthy, and I hear tasteless. I think maybe I am supposed to be buying into these commercials... nope... not quite working... sorry.

"Singles" chocolate bars and those mini 100 calorie cans of pop. For the 30 something women that these products are trying to appeal to, I have 2 words-- Self Control. I know the companies are still trying to make money while the witch hunt scrambles for another enemy in the post Super Size Me world of healthier ways of doing as little as possible to get fed. I know companies are lowering those net weights and raising those prices as the healthy alternative to the Mr. 2 Big chocolate bars.

Even the Mr. 2 Big bars have gotten smaller, I remember buying one from my buddies little sister as part of a fund raiser and that chocolate bar being as long as my arm. Now they are just barely more than a Mr. Big from 7 years ago. As packages get smaller and inflation becomes greater the only people who are getting hosed are the chumps that are willing to pay 50% more for 30% of the original product.

Here is where the whole healthy foods thing takes its unexpected turn for me personally. I am a big fan of yogurt. Always have been, of course if someone would have told me it was healthy when I was younger I may not have, but anyways. I like yogurt. I read in a David Suzuki book a long time ago that there are good bacteria in yogurt, and cheeses, and cottage cheese, sour cream and such. But thats what we called them. Good Bacterias. As a kid I considered myself a conqueror of worlds with every spoonfull of living organisms. They were just little squiggly guys with sour looks on their faces.
Then this commercial comes along, I cant remember which brand of fad yogurt it was. (Trail Mix of the Double Ots) But there it was, "Now with PROBIOTIC cultures", probiotics something that I knew was in the yogurt all along was fatefully discovered by marketing relations and branded Probiotic to make it sound scientifically infused, this term preferred over the older, less appealing, "good bacteria". Then I see another commercial, and this one has been nagging on my brain for some time. 2 thirtysomethings standing in their posh yoga clothes and the girl in yellow mentions that not only does Yoplait YO+ have Probiotic (Good bacterium) but also prebiotic cultures... PRE?! wha? pre usually means before. So this yogurt, to put in terms everyone can understand... including me. contains material that will become life, like a primordial ooze, or possibly eggs? Wait a minute, didn't I see this episode of Futurama? Where fry eats the egg salad sandwhich out of the truckstop bathroom? And then all the parasites take over his body...

Im not insane I pledge

4th night in a row of insane dreams, last night I was pitted in a deadly game of wits against yegway, who in the end I ninja'd up good with a 2X4 because it seemed easiest...

so yeggy hurry up and come north for a visit

A dream in 10 words

Pirates, dragons eye in ceiling, world largest newt, coke bible... thats how a dream should be, maybe I should stupid taking supplements right before bed

Victory is Exit 4

At this exact moment I would dare say I would be willing to sell my soul and possibly even the roommates soul for a fine cigar and a tumbler of Scotch of the not too peaty maybe slightly vanilla-ish on the finish. I would also like to wrestler a polar bear, and perhaps sleep in for a whole day. Now why the hell must so many delicious and fun things be anti- good life style choices. I will say this however, there is nothing better that really pushing yourself in a work out, or dropping 5 pounds, or getting a compliment because of said hard work from someone unexpected... All that said of course, I would gladly sell my soul for that tumbler and cigar... Talisker D.E. is a sexy sexy drink

To Point B

I started to think about the fad drinks I’ve been sucked into over the past 23 years of product consuming. Since the day that I realized that my favourite flavour was a synthetic blend of chemicals (Blue Raspberry) I’ve been on the lookout for a real new flavour. Those highschool years were very confusing times. I would dare say that the energy drink came of age while I was at the peak age of impulse spending. I still remember what I said when the Gypsy asked me what Snapple fire tasted like, and I replied, “like thorns” but still I drank it. Until they discontinued the Snapple elements, I drank it. There was of course also the SoBe plague, there must’ve been something addictive in that stuff. I still don’t know how I paid $3 for chocolate milk that contained no chocolate… or milk!
I remember my all time favourite fad flavour, went by the name Pepsi Blue. I drank that stuff till my lips were purple. Holiday Spice Pepsi, actually pretty good, the 99 cent price tag made it all the better. Code Red Mountain Dew, I didn’t really like it, but I drank it anyways. Mr. Pibb, Dr Pepper’s only true competition in the totally awesome non root beer category. Yoohoo, more non chocolatey non milky simulated beverage product. Vitamin Water, my advice is RUN! Except for the pomegranate blueberry, Tasting like the blue part of blue fish candies. Finally – Coke Plus, in which I reach my point. Or at least A point, since the beginning of time (apparently) man has been searching for a supplement for milk, which comes in a carbonated sugar water beverage with simulated cola bean flavour. This I think could be the epitome of Carbonated Beverages, it truly has all the positive properties of milk. Which is downright scary. But the battle couldn’t end here, trapped between $4 energy drinks and simulated cola milk lay a true niche, one that will be filled for the first time since, what, The 50’s?

Now now now, the word has come down through the wire that Red Bull is currently producing a cola, to be released sometime in the near future. This cola will contain all natural extracts from both the kola bean, and the coca leaf (the raw material for the manufacture of cocaine) Coke claims to use a decocaineized extract. But Redbull’s website claims all natural. No real word yet on this. But Redbull and Cola, sure Redbull may have legal drugs in their drinks. But Canada was the only country producing a drink with balls!

A Modest Proposal part I

Behold! This summer's livestrong-esque fad, Tees made of garbage. Coke is teaming up with Walmart to recycle hundreds of millions of coke bottles into kick ass tees with not so terrible phrases on them, "Rehash your Trash". I think I might have to get one just to see what it feels like, now if they can start making t shirts out of Pino's bags, then we'd be getting somewhere! At no frills and food basics you have to pay for the bags, I guess thats why we see less of them than Pino's. This is kinda a step in the right direction, as long as they don't feel like you are wearing a scour pad or a tent. I can't see it being that breathable, I'll look for one next time I'm across

Thanks to Steph for the tip