Take a holiday, companies tell worried American workaholics - take a break folks, I am.
Dentist who cheated workers wins 'Bad Boss' contest - bah "humbug" ?
Making your mortgage tax-deductible - could this be possible ? Could someone do the math for me ?
Filipino 'dwarf' judge loses case - obsurd.
City bulldozes shack - sad sign of the times.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Final World Cup thoughts
I went kind of quiet there post World Cup didn't I...well I've been hanging on to this picture to post here since the final (I couldn't find a better online version, so this is a scan from the newspaper).I think the pic sums up the true great thing about the World Cup. I think it clearly shows how wonderful it is to make your dreams come true. You can definitely say the same for the top honours in many sports, but the sheer number of players and fans of football in every corner of the world make this one extra special. You can see it in their faces and you know it's in millions of kids dreams to someday play in the big game and win the World Cup. Who'll be the player names you hear in the school yards now, I'm Tevez, I'm Koller, I'm Cole ?
And what about some of the teams:
England. Typical mix of proud patriotism, a decent talent pool, close calls, bad boys, damaging injuries, heartbreaking disappointments and some beauty goals. Good effort boys. One day (hopefully in my lifetime) we'll get it back.
Italy. Worthy champions. Very entertaining footy and not as sleepy as usual.
France. Great final 3 games and final. Tough loss, missed Z glory.
I've still got the bug, for the first time in a quite a few years, I've signed up for some fall footy her in TO. Nothing too serious, but a chance to apply all tactics and wizardry 've been trying to teach the kids for over 3 years now.
I'll be Pele.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Pastime or crime ?
We spent a few days "up North" with my in-laws a few weeks ago. It was truly a Northern Ontario experience, especially since we made the trek to my brother-in-laws remote cottage on Rufus Lake (about 120 Kms from Kapuskasing, 80 kms of which was on dirt road).
Now, I must say I'm quite a man of the world, experienced in many pastimes, sports and cultural events, from skiing in the Canadian Rockies, to playing cider-drunk darts with more drunken lads from Somerset, skateboarding in 15' deep (empty) pools, eating dim-sum, scuba diving after an hour lesson in Barbados, sea kayaking, driving around Marble Arch in London, negotiating the Tube...but I'd never fished ! Actually, I always add an asterisk to that comment, because I do have faint memory of impaling my finger with a hook (now known as a "lure") when I was a wee lad at the "spinny" in Bedworth.
So, me and my 7 year old daughter (who had already been introduced to fishing by her enthusiastic big cousin a few years ago, and so already was far more experienced than me) accepted the offer from my man-of-the-wild, brother-in-law to go fishing when we were up North. And so, a few weeks ago, I went fishing for the first time in my life.
After a few practice casts off the dock, I actually caught a small perch ! Wow, instant gratification ! Then after dinner, we were out on the boat for a long ride out to one of my brother-in-law's favourite spots. Along with the joy of fishing, I must say I felt truly cut off from the populated world, a real feeling of being remote and in the wild - what a great feeling. My daughter was of course, the "reel" star, catching her limit of four good sized (15" plus) pickerel (walleye). A may not be running out to buy some tackle any time soon, but I definitely began to understand the attraction of fishing. Some good quiet time with family or friends, enjoying the beautiful surroundings, and the challenge of out-smarting a tasty fish (as long as someone else can handle the bait and unhooking the catch - just kidding, I'll do that job next time). Her catch made up most of the fish fry dinner the next night - great stuff !
So, now I'm back in the city with some good fishing tales and what do I see in the paper last week...me and my daughter may now be targets of PETA. Gimme a break, they're stupid fish for crying out loud, what next insects ? put down that fly swatter mister, easy !
And so ends my fishing story, I caught a massive pike you know, about 20", it got away, but I really did, no kiddin...
More links: http://nslog.com/archives/2003/12/18/peta_vs_angling.php http://www.petakillsanimals.com/article_detail.cfm?article=134
[thank you Ninja Bob for the pic of Rufus Lake on flick]
Sunday, August 20, 2006
A funny old game
Golf.
Spending a (too) quiet Sunday afternoon watching Tiger murder the field at the PGA Championship. We're praying for the jinx, hex and booga boo gods for some miracles so our boy Mike Weir can make a come back but it's not looking good.
I've played the most ever golf this year - 20 outings, but I can't say the hours (and dollars) spent are making much of a dent in my humble score. I'm still ecstatic if I can get into the 90's. Meanwhile, my 9 year old son is posting better and better numbers and has now beat me fair on 3 occasions. Yes, he's playing from the reds, but that's only fair for a little guy. He shot a 45 a few weeks back at the course up north in Moonbeam. His CJGA scores are getting better too with a decent 12th place (of 16) this week and only a stroke out of the top ten. Added bonus was that we had Jim McKenny from CityTV caddying (interviewing and filming) one of the other kids on our group.
Time. Always looking for more of it and admittantly (sp) hoping to get more golf in, but after a poor game or seeing Tiger win yet another one, you go - well, I'm not getting those 5 hours back ! But you I am to complain, right !
Got to admit Tiger is good though - a consummate player, cool headed champion and perfectionist.
I've heard a few people say that golf is the ultimate sport - a fine balance of body control and mental concentration and a soulful attitude. Tough competition from your oponents and more importantly yourself. I'm sure there are lots of arguments waiting in the wings here, so I've leave it at that.
Golf. Great game. Looking forward to the glorious optimism of my next tee shot.
Spending a (too) quiet Sunday afternoon watching Tiger murder the field at the PGA Championship. We're praying for the jinx, hex and booga boo gods for some miracles so our boy Mike Weir can make a come back but it's not looking good.
I've played the most ever golf this year - 20 outings, but I can't say the hours (and dollars) spent are making much of a dent in my humble score. I'm still ecstatic if I can get into the 90's. Meanwhile, my 9 year old son is posting better and better numbers and has now beat me fair on 3 occasions. Yes, he's playing from the reds, but that's only fair for a little guy. He shot a 45 a few weeks back at the course up north in Moonbeam. His CJGA scores are getting better too with a decent 12th place (of 16) this week and only a stroke out of the top ten. Added bonus was that we had Jim McKenny from CityTV caddying (interviewing and filming) one of the other kids on our group.
Time. Always looking for more of it and admittantly (sp) hoping to get more golf in, but after a poor game or seeing Tiger win yet another one, you go - well, I'm not getting those 5 hours back ! But you I am to complain, right !
Got to admit Tiger is good though - a consummate player, cool headed champion and perfectionist.
I've heard a few people say that golf is the ultimate sport - a fine balance of body control and mental concentration and a soulful attitude. Tough competition from your oponents and more importantly yourself. I'm sure there are lots of arguments waiting in the wings here, so I've leave it at that.
Golf. Great game. Looking forward to the glorious optimism of my next tee shot.
Am I still a blogger ?
Just a quick test to see if I can work myself out of a google hole. My bad - I haven't been blogging in a while and it looks like Google may have cancelled/reset my account. I'm having trouble logging in from a few other computers in the house, but seem to have a active connection here ! Weird techie situation and account password reset dilemma. Wish me luck, and I'll hopefully be blogging again shortly.
Friday, July 07, 2006
The importance of "how are you?"
Based on purely the hypothetical, I realized today the importance of asking the very common question "how are you", especially when talking with a loved one on the phone.
The (hypothetical) situation: you call your wife as you're about to head home from the office and instead of kicking off the conversation with a pleasant how are you, you're into heavy stuff, scheduling, cooking etc. At the tail end of the unhealthy exchange, she says she's not feeling very well. Well don't you feel like a git. You could say "why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling very well" - but of course the volleys of blame could have been nicely avoided if you'd opened the conversation with a "how are you". Of course, both the question and the response need to be genuine and true.
Another (hypothetical) situation: your wife calls you as you're about to head home from the office and instead of her kicking off the conversation with a pleasant how are you, you're into heavy stuff, scheduling, cooking etc. At the tail end of the unhealthy exchange, you say you've had a crappy day and really tired. Well doesn't she feel like a female version of a git. Once again, the volleys of blame could have been nicely avoided if she'd opened the conversation with a "how are you". Of course, both the question and the response need to be genuine and true.
Please let me know if this rings true with you and more importantly if how are you is making a difference in your wife (sorry life).
The (hypothetical) situation: you call your wife as you're about to head home from the office and instead of kicking off the conversation with a pleasant how are you, you're into heavy stuff, scheduling, cooking etc. At the tail end of the unhealthy exchange, she says she's not feeling very well. Well don't you feel like a git. You could say "why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling very well" - but of course the volleys of blame could have been nicely avoided if you'd opened the conversation with a "how are you". Of course, both the question and the response need to be genuine and true.
Another (hypothetical) situation: your wife calls you as you're about to head home from the office and instead of her kicking off the conversation with a pleasant how are you, you're into heavy stuff, scheduling, cooking etc. At the tail end of the unhealthy exchange, you say you've had a crappy day and really tired. Well doesn't she feel like a female version of a git. Once again, the volleys of blame could have been nicely avoided if she'd opened the conversation with a "how are you". Of course, both the question and the response need to be genuine and true.
Please let me know if this rings true with you and more importantly if how are you is making a difference in your wife (sorry life).
Recent observations
Fashion ? Ok, I think I understand why some kids leave the tag on the baseball caps, but what are people thinking leaving the tag on their suit sleeve ? You know the tag I mean, the one that says the brand, perhaps size and colour info with those little annoying four corner stitches.
Charity ? Pulled up to a traffic light and saw a pan handler getting ready to ask for some cash with a sign that begins "so broke..."...he was messing with something in his pocket and around his neck. Sure enough as a pull closer, he's got a small MP3 player around his neck. What's wrong with this picture !
Obesity ? Trying not to be cruel here, but the cashier at the grocery store yesterday was a structural marvel. I actually think her arms were shorter than her width (not waist), width ! When a grocery item came to a stop on the conveyor belt she couldn't reach it - I almost LOL'ed (but that would have been cruel). But isn't the ability to reach the food on the conveyor belt part of the job requirement ? Weird clumps of fat filling out her sub 5' frame, her watch was actually buried into the folds of skin on her wrist. And not even a compensating cheery demeanor either. No hello, no thank you for shopping, no you're welcome. Rather gruff (but then again you probably can't blame her).
The ozone ? Dennis Miller recently observed - you know why we're depleting the ozone layer ? Because of the all the smokers that now have to smoke outside ! What's worse, a stinky office or global warming ?
Charity ? Pulled up to a traffic light and saw a pan handler getting ready to ask for some cash with a sign that begins "so broke..."...he was messing with something in his pocket and around his neck. Sure enough as a pull closer, he's got a small MP3 player around his neck. What's wrong with this picture !
Obesity ? Trying not to be cruel here, but the cashier at the grocery store yesterday was a structural marvel. I actually think her arms were shorter than her width (not waist), width ! When a grocery item came to a stop on the conveyor belt she couldn't reach it - I almost LOL'ed (but that would have been cruel). But isn't the ability to reach the food on the conveyor belt part of the job requirement ? Weird clumps of fat filling out her sub 5' frame, her watch was actually buried into the folds of skin on her wrist. And not even a compensating cheery demeanor either. No hello, no thank you for shopping, no you're welcome. Rather gruff (but then again you probably can't blame her).
The ozone ? Dennis Miller recently observed - you know why we're depleting the ozone layer ? Because of the all the smokers that now have to smoke outside ! What's worse, a stinky office or global warming ?
Huff
The best TV I've ever seen (ok well maybe drama).
Huff Episode 13. Just got around to seeing it tonight. Why didn't anyone tell me how good it was or even get me watching this show years ago. Oh I forget, I'm in the only guy in our universe who watches it.
What a f***ing rollercoaster of a ride. Water works flowing nicely for at least 3 scenes. The whole spectrum of emotions and feelings - both mine and the characters - wrapped up into the final episode of the season (hold on, I hope this isn't the end of the whole series) Wow !
Looking it up online (weird that showtime in the US - sho.com doesn't allow non-US readers)...sounds like the show is cancelled. So only two series, what a absolute shame. My summary: interconnected story of group of highly dysfunctional, and primarily insane, family and friends, fall off the emotional rails in every conceivable way. Highly complex drama with magnificent acting. Amazingly, touches of humour and hope.
ps yes the expletive is called for (trust me)
Huff Episode 13. Just got around to seeing it tonight. Why didn't anyone tell me how good it was or even get me watching this show years ago. Oh I forget, I'm in the only guy in our universe who watches it.
What a f***ing rollercoaster of a ride. Water works flowing nicely for at least 3 scenes. The whole spectrum of emotions and feelings - both mine and the characters - wrapped up into the final episode of the season (hold on, I hope this isn't the end of the whole series) Wow !
Looking it up online (weird that showtime in the US - sho.com doesn't allow non-US readers)...sounds like the show is cancelled. So only two series, what a absolute shame. My summary: interconnected story of group of highly dysfunctional, and primarily insane, family and friends, fall off the emotional rails in every conceivable way. Highly complex drama with magnificent acting. Amazingly, touches of humour and hope.
ps yes the expletive is called for (trust me)
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
That's how you do it
Although I'm not a big fan of the Italian football team, I really enjoyed seeing them play yesterday, with lots of creative play up front, smart passing and quality finishes. You could definitely tell they didn't want to go to penalties ! Sound familiar ?
Great win Italia, well deserved. Next up Semi number 2 - can Zidane keep it going. Vive France - World Cup fever is still here !
Great win Italia, well deserved. Next up Semi number 2 - can Zidane keep it going. Vive France - World Cup fever is still here !
Saturday, July 01, 2006
A valiant effort
A valiant effort by our Brit footballers, especially with a man down for most of the game. But everyone knows you can't win with just a great defense and England are notoriously crappy in penalty shoot-out situations. Credit to Portugal goalie Ricardo and some fabulous penalty kick saves.
Major disappointments by the big names, but great efforts by some newcomers and a great game from Canadian born Owen Hargreaves - happy Canada Day !
I guess I'll watch a little more of the tournament, albeit with far less enthusiasm.
Moving on.
Major disappointments by the big names, but great efforts by some newcomers and a great game from Canadian born Owen Hargreaves - happy Canada Day !
I guess I'll watch a little more of the tournament, albeit with far less enthusiasm.
Moving on.
Game day (quarter final)
Just over an hour to the England vs Portugal quarter final game...still foggy in the head after a date night last night downtown.
All English hopes are on the boys to pull through today, lots of questions, doubts and fears...
Is this the game for Rooney to break loose ? Can he keep his cool ?
How much will Portugal miss Deco and Ronaldo ?
How fit is Gary Neville?
Is there any chance we'll see the Walcott kid play ?
How many yellow and red cards today ?
...and will PJ's personal calendar get more complicated or fall into place ?
Which is the other (personal) melodramatic story developing here - my ever-changing business schedule and trying to: see the remaining games; focus on a critical customer project (one of about 5 at the moment); attend a technical conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and help the family prepare for my sister-in-law's wedding and entertaining out-of-town guests (staying in our "massive" house) within the next two weeks ! Two big problems - playing the odds with England's chances to advance with the fact the first (important) event of the Halifax conference happening at the exact same time as the WC final; delays with my customer suggest most of my on-site time is needed the week I'm supposed to be in Halifax and the week building up to the wedding (when I'd much rather prefer some golf time with my visiting brother-in-law).
Something's gotta give.
An hour to kickoff, gotta make breakies and a cuppa
ENG-GER-LAND
All English hopes are on the boys to pull through today, lots of questions, doubts and fears...
Is this the game for Rooney to break loose ? Can he keep his cool ?
How much will Portugal miss Deco and Ronaldo ?
How fit is Gary Neville?
Is there any chance we'll see the Walcott kid play ?
How many yellow and red cards today ?
...and will PJ's personal calendar get more complicated or fall into place ?
Which is the other (personal) melodramatic story developing here - my ever-changing business schedule and trying to: see the remaining games; focus on a critical customer project (one of about 5 at the moment); attend a technical conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and help the family prepare for my sister-in-law's wedding and entertaining out-of-town guests (staying in our "massive" house) within the next two weeks ! Two big problems - playing the odds with England's chances to advance with the fact the first (important) event of the Halifax conference happening at the exact same time as the WC final; delays with my customer suggest most of my on-site time is needed the week I'm supposed to be in Halifax and the week building up to the wedding (when I'd much rather prefer some golf time with my visiting brother-in-law).
Something's gotta give.
An hour to kickoff, gotta make breakies and a cuppa
ENG-GER-LAND
Monday, June 26, 2006
Really Keane
Sitting here (calmly) in little Italy waiting for doors to open for the Keane concert across the street. 'Zan within shouting distance in line (what a bastard I am). Getting my pizza to go...amazing, sneaked the pizza box through...Here now, close, real close ! But waiting, waiting...
Fab show - fast, slow, fast, lots of anthem tracks, a good 'ole singalong.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Time (or maybe not)
Unfortunately, Mick's words are not on my side...
Finding time to write some thoughts and ideas on this blog is becoming increasingly difficult. I feel guilty just typing these few words tonight when so many other things of apparent higher priority are tugging on my time. Hold on mate, you say, PJ's always talking about movies, and sports and such. Where does he find the time to watch a two hour movie ?
So maybe time isn't really the problem. I admittingly (sp) do veg if front of the boob tube (hopefully to be a plasma one day) on a regular basis. However, for me, this is when I get to switch off, detach from the problems and pressures of the day. [Strangely enough, I seem to be drawn to the complex (and stressful) lives of fictional characters !] So I guess I scientifically do have the time to jam more into my life and write more in this blog. But in the words of Mr. Bush, it's hard. I think I have a max of say 14 hours of brain power a day. Taking an average of about 7 1/2 hours of beauty sleep, that leaves 2 1/2 hours of the day that I think I need to just shut off for a while. So watching sports, TV or movies during evenings of the work week fits very conveniently, thank you very much. BUT, what about all the other stuff that's not getting done and any additional evening work load that eats into that down time and inevitably creates some undue pressure, crankiness and drags out whatever energy I have in reserve. I make it a pretty strong rule, that I don't do work on weekends. That slips now and again, but typically I have a few evenings a week when I'm doing work work. All that other stuff, personal finances, housework...maybe that's all...so why am I complaining ? I've got lots of time to take for myself !
There are other activities that are good for the non-brainy time of the day. E.g., doing the dishes, low stress, a resulting sense of accomplishment, getting spousal points, and you can watch TV (mind you, really mindless TV) at the same time !! Same can be said for yard work, cleaning bathrooms (with the stereo blasting of course) and talking with your wife.
Which brings us to some trouble areas. Times of the day (or weekend) when your (or maybe just my) brain is really begging for a little R&R and you're committed to a brain intensive activity, like say, making lumber calculations for the latest outdoor project or doing your taxes, or helping your so with his creative science project. Or even the situation when really important things plague and pollute your waking thoughts ! This is when things can go wrong, tempers flair, headaches settle in, hammers hit thumbs instead of nails and you get crappy night's sleep.
Not sure what to make of this analysis, is it just me ? Maybe I need to cut back, somewhere ? Gotta get to those 989 emails in my inbox that need sorting (btw best sorting technique I've found so far, file based on sender first, then by subject).
Finding time to write some thoughts and ideas on this blog is becoming increasingly difficult. I feel guilty just typing these few words tonight when so many other things of apparent higher priority are tugging on my time. Hold on mate, you say, PJ's always talking about movies, and sports and such. Where does he find the time to watch a two hour movie ?
So maybe time isn't really the problem. I admittingly (sp) do veg if front of the boob tube (hopefully to be a plasma one day) on a regular basis. However, for me, this is when I get to switch off, detach from the problems and pressures of the day. [Strangely enough, I seem to be drawn to the complex (and stressful) lives of fictional characters !] So I guess I scientifically do have the time to jam more into my life and write more in this blog. But in the words of Mr. Bush, it's hard. I think I have a max of say 14 hours of brain power a day. Taking an average of about 7 1/2 hours of beauty sleep, that leaves 2 1/2 hours of the day that I think I need to just shut off for a while. So watching sports, TV or movies during evenings of the work week fits very conveniently, thank you very much. BUT, what about all the other stuff that's not getting done and any additional evening work load that eats into that down time and inevitably creates some undue pressure, crankiness and drags out whatever energy I have in reserve. I make it a pretty strong rule, that I don't do work on weekends. That slips now and again, but typically I have a few evenings a week when I'm doing work work. All that other stuff, personal finances, housework...maybe that's all...so why am I complaining ? I've got lots of time to take for myself !
There are other activities that are good for the non-brainy time of the day. E.g., doing the dishes, low stress, a resulting sense of accomplishment, getting spousal points, and you can watch TV (mind you, really mindless TV) at the same time !! Same can be said for yard work, cleaning bathrooms (with the stereo blasting of course) and talking with your wife.
Which brings us to some trouble areas. Times of the day (or weekend) when your (or maybe just my) brain is really begging for a little R&R and you're committed to a brain intensive activity, like say, making lumber calculations for the latest outdoor project or doing your taxes, or helping your so with his creative science project. Or even the situation when really important things plague and pollute your waking thoughts ! This is when things can go wrong, tempers flair, headaches settle in, hammers hit thumbs instead of nails and you get crappy night's sleep.
Not sure what to make of this analysis, is it just me ? Maybe I need to cut back, somewhere ? Gotta get to those 989 emails in my inbox that need sorting (btw best sorting technique I've found so far, file based on sender first, then by subject).
Toronto and imported loves (and hates)
Thanks to Mom for finding this recent article in the Globe and Mail. Interesting writing on the topic of the ever-growing number of world cup inspired flags in this fine city of ours and the unfortunate nastier side of homeland baggage. Hope this link to the article "Bending over backward" works as one path I tried to the article asked me to register ( I googled "Bending over backward" and followed the link from there).
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Stop the world (for 8 hours at least)
First, apologies for the lapse on bloggage.
Second, what got me to finally get back to the personal keyboard ?..a decent movie of course. Lord of War was recommended by my brother quite a while ago and I just watched it tonight. I can't really say it was a great movie, because of the feeling it left with me. Don't want to spoil it here, but maybe I can disguise my thoughts this way...the movie points to an complex part of how the world works today, one that I can understand exists and why it exists. Something I and most accept, but shouldn't. One that appears just to complex to unravel and make right.
So, I'm not in the cheeriest of moods (especially if I wander to thoughts on a global scale). There is something to be said for narrowing your focus and trying to deal with things on a more local level, worry about things that you can more directly effect or influence (like, let me think, your child's education !).
And I'll leave off there, because there's a few hundred things piling into my world at the moment and I know I could go on for hours tonight, but another jam packed day awaits in 6 hours.
Yes, there's lot's to talk about, sports, terrorism, time management and family - if only the world would stop for, say 8 hours now and again. Enough time to do a personal priority check up, look around and try and glimpse what's really happening to our world and of course, tell other people about your views, ideas and dreams.
Goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow.
Second, what got me to finally get back to the personal keyboard ?..a decent movie of course. Lord of War was recommended by my brother quite a while ago and I just watched it tonight. I can't really say it was a great movie, because of the feeling it left with me. Don't want to spoil it here, but maybe I can disguise my thoughts this way...the movie points to an complex part of how the world works today, one that I can understand exists and why it exists. Something I and most accept, but shouldn't. One that appears just to complex to unravel and make right.
So, I'm not in the cheeriest of moods (especially if I wander to thoughts on a global scale). There is something to be said for narrowing your focus and trying to deal with things on a more local level, worry about things that you can more directly effect or influence (like, let me think, your child's education !).
And I'll leave off there, because there's a few hundred things piling into my world at the moment and I know I could go on for hours tonight, but another jam packed day awaits in 6 hours.
Yes, there's lot's to talk about, sports, terrorism, time management and family - if only the world would stop for, say 8 hours now and again. Enough time to do a personal priority check up, look around and try and glimpse what's really happening to our world and of course, tell other people about your views, ideas and dreams.
Goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Getting in the mood...
Clear out those dirty thoughts...
I'm talking about The World Cup of course.
I'm sure there will be lots of posting and comments over the next few months about football, and if you look back to the beginning of this blog, you'll see that posting number 3 perhaps gave you a sense of how serious us Brits take footy.
With only 13 days and 21 hours to go, what better way (for England fans of course) to get in the mood than to have a peek at these Eng-Ger-Land videos at http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/world-cup-2006/ (I think they work best with Internet Explorer). Special thanks to my converted England-fan wife for tracking these down - of course, her favourite is the Embrace track (which is the official one - "a little slow, but bloody good").
I must warn those readers that aren't truly appreciative of the football world - some of these are a little dodgy, but you can't complain about the creativity and clever lyrics.
Nice new snazzy kits eh lads ! Everyone fork over another 60 quid ! Pic at the top is from the World Cup site and is from yesterday's pre-tournament friendly loss to Belarus (no worry lads, just testing out some of the newer players!).
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The Visitor
Is it just me ? Am I that much of a socialite ? Maybe I just prefer the company of others over my own.
You may know that I like to play the host - in my home and in my city. So I'm often puzzled/peeved with friends when I'm visiting their city and they don't seem to be keen on getting together.
I hope I don't offend a few readers here, but tonight is a good example. I think that I'd mentioned to quite a few *friends in Ottawa that I'd be in their fine city this week. But I find myself dining alone this evening. Don't get me wrong, I like the opportunity to go solo away from home on occasion. Tonight, I must say I'm a little disappointed (although it gives me an opportunity to write this blog post, and the food and service here at Empire Grill never disappoints). Can't be too hard on the Ottawa folks because I tried to connect with a few visiting Brits tonight as well - not sure if they were avoiding an ex-pat or I fell victim to transatlantic communication blues.
But, give my US colleagues a lot of cred here, turns they returned the call almost immediately. Feel a little bit of a urban snob though, but didn't feel like hanging out in the West end !
Live updates...US colleague puts out dinner invite for tomorrow; Brit lad returns email (comm probs). When it comes down to it, I guess I just like to be the centre on attention ! Wounded ego signing off.
Endnote: although this latest experience relates to the potential tenuous relationship one has with work friends or ex colleagues, I feel pretty bold here, so I feel I can extend this feeling to "other types of friends" !
You may know that I like to play the host - in my home and in my city. So I'm often puzzled/peeved with friends when I'm visiting their city and they don't seem to be keen on getting together.
I hope I don't offend a few readers here, but tonight is a good example. I think that I'd mentioned to quite a few *friends in Ottawa that I'd be in their fine city this week. But I find myself dining alone this evening. Don't get me wrong, I like the opportunity to go solo away from home on occasion. Tonight, I must say I'm a little disappointed (although it gives me an opportunity to write this blog post, and the food and service here at Empire Grill never disappoints). Can't be too hard on the Ottawa folks because I tried to connect with a few visiting Brits tonight as well - not sure if they were avoiding an ex-pat or I fell victim to transatlantic communication blues.
*work friends, that is. I sometimes feel like I'm being a real prat trying to drag them away from their families for a drink or dinner. Perhaps I'm overstepping that "work friend" line a little with people who I consider friends (having spent many hours talking about a vast array of topics and of course sharing a lotta laughs and a few drinks), but maybe I'm more of a work colleague/acquaintance to them.
But, give my US colleagues a lot of cred here, turns they returned the call almost immediately. Feel a little bit of a urban snob though, but didn't feel like hanging out in the West end !
Live updates...US colleague puts out dinner invite for tomorrow; Brit lad returns email (comm probs). When it comes down to it, I guess I just like to be the centre on attention ! Wounded ego signing off.
Endnote: although this latest experience relates to the potential tenuous relationship one has with work friends or ex colleagues, I feel pretty bold here, so I feel I can extend this feeling to "other types of friends" !
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Making plans
A friend of mine said an interesting thing yesterday (he admitted today, that he heard it from someone else, and perhaps you've heard it before).
When you make plans, God laughs at you.
It goes against most modern, organized thinking, but quite likely, is the real story for the unpredictable screenplay of life. Personally, I find this thought quite difficult to absorb as I am quite a detailed person and do quite a lot of planning - what does it mean, throw it all out of the window - and "just go with the flow" ? No, you can't just leave it all up to chance, but it probably means there's a limited return on making plans any more than 3 weeks out. But, it doesn't mean you can slack off either. To survive and thrive in this world, you've gotta be on your toes and be ready for the opportunity when you see it (kind of a soccer analogy).
What happens when you're faced with an unpredictable situation, a surprise guest or a golden opportunity ? You hope that this is where your instinctive nature kicks in and you adapt to the situation and it turns out just great ! The funny thing is that you don't get to enjoy the buildup, the anticipation of it all.
Vacations are a good example, lots of planning and anticipation (actually this is sometimes the best part), but the actual vacation doesn't live up to expectations or most often, is quickly forgotten. And sometimes, things just don't go as planned. However, sometimes the way it turns out becomes a long lasting story that is retold over and over with old friends, remember the time...
Of course, not all surprises are good and it is often these unpleasant surprises that are the real tests in our lives. We definitely can't plan for these events (nor do we want to), so all we can do is be prepared (there's a difference, I think) and get on with it.
So, some advice for the day, put down the daytimer, connect with a buddy that has the spirit of spontaneity or even take a cue from your kids (they are great non-planners) and take a ride someplace new, consider an unusual recommendation, take the time to look at something new, call the person who just sent you that last email or accept the invite. I'm sure it will be memorable and you'll have a story to tell.
So I'm sitting here in a hotel bar in Ottawa, making plans for the evening...what ? Gotta go and see what happens next !
Spontaneously written by PJMixer.
When you make plans, God laughs at you.
It goes against most modern, organized thinking, but quite likely, is the real story for the unpredictable screenplay of life. Personally, I find this thought quite difficult to absorb as I am quite a detailed person and do quite a lot of planning - what does it mean, throw it all out of the window - and "just go with the flow" ? No, you can't just leave it all up to chance, but it probably means there's a limited return on making plans any more than 3 weeks out. But, it doesn't mean you can slack off either. To survive and thrive in this world, you've gotta be on your toes and be ready for the opportunity when you see it (kind of a soccer analogy).
What happens when you're faced with an unpredictable situation, a surprise guest or a golden opportunity ? You hope that this is where your instinctive nature kicks in and you adapt to the situation and it turns out just great ! The funny thing is that you don't get to enjoy the buildup, the anticipation of it all.
Vacations are a good example, lots of planning and anticipation (actually this is sometimes the best part), but the actual vacation doesn't live up to expectations or most often, is quickly forgotten. And sometimes, things just don't go as planned. However, sometimes the way it turns out becomes a long lasting story that is retold over and over with old friends, remember the time...
Of course, not all surprises are good and it is often these unpleasant surprises that are the real tests in our lives. We definitely can't plan for these events (nor do we want to), so all we can do is be prepared (there's a difference, I think) and get on with it.
So, some advice for the day, put down the daytimer, connect with a buddy that has the spirit of spontaneity or even take a cue from your kids (they are great non-planners) and take a ride someplace new, consider an unusual recommendation, take the time to look at something new, call the person who just sent you that last email or accept the invite. I'm sure it will be memorable and you'll have a story to tell.
So I'm sitting here in a hotel bar in Ottawa, making plans for the evening...what ? Gotta go and see what happens next !
Spontaneously written by PJMixer.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
No soup for you !
Hopefully this very famous line rings a bell with the majority of you.
It's from one of the best Seinfeld episodes ever - The Soup Nazi. Although I don't think the real Soup Man approves of the episode title, the fact is the soup is fantastic.
I'm just finishing a bowl of the Tomato Wild Rice here at my office. My office happens to be attached to the Eaton Centre here in Toronto and the debut location for The Original SoupMan in Canada.
I had my doubts, had good could soup really be ? Well, let me tell you, it's good enough to write about ! It's not just soup, it's a meal, full of rich flavours, every bite is a joy, you don't want to get to the bottom of the bowl and you can't wait to sample the next one on the menu. I'm not kidding folks ! I had he Beef Barley last week and I'm still talking about it to my wife !
A little costly perhaps, but worth every penny, classy establishment for saying it's situated in the food court. I talked to the proprietor this afternoon, and the deal is this. The soups are made in Indianapolis, then shipped to Canada. All international food import rules taken care of. Soup Man downstairs simply reheats the soup and serves from the cauldrons on display. Delivered in a number of sizes (including a litre container I can take home for some lucky guests soon), with fresh bread, fruit and a little chocolate bar. Perfection !
It's from one of the best Seinfeld episodes ever - The Soup Nazi. Although I don't think the real Soup Man approves of the episode title, the fact is the soup is fantastic.
I'm just finishing a bowl of the Tomato Wild Rice here at my office. My office happens to be attached to the Eaton Centre here in Toronto and the debut location for The Original SoupMan in Canada.
I had my doubts, had good could soup really be ? Well, let me tell you, it's good enough to write about ! It's not just soup, it's a meal, full of rich flavours, every bite is a joy, you don't want to get to the bottom of the bowl and you can't wait to sample the next one on the menu. I'm not kidding folks ! I had he Beef Barley last week and I'm still talking about it to my wife !
A little costly perhaps, but worth every penny, classy establishment for saying it's situated in the food court. I talked to the proprietor this afternoon, and the deal is this. The soups are made in Indianapolis, then shipped to Canada. All international food import rules taken care of. Soup Man downstairs simply reheats the soup and serves from the cauldrons on display. Delivered in a number of sizes (including a litre container I can take home for some lucky guests soon), with fresh bread, fruit and a little chocolate bar. Perfection !
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