I want to thank you all for taking part in the Crimson Room. For those of you who wish to know the solution to the room, I'll supply a link to the answers, just ask me on msn!
It's been a good couple of days.. Beth and I went out to celebrate 6 months of being together... it doesn't seem like that long at ALL.... the next 6 are going to be really tough, though... Her living in Port Elgin, and me in Toronto i mean... 2 hours isn't FOREVER, but it's *just* out of reach... I really dont know what I'm going to do, but we dont really have a choice on the matter. I mean, I guess it is possible that she could still get that job in Toronto, which would be AWESOME... but I couldn't really see something that great happening to me.. My fortune has been too good this year to have it continue on like that..
As for me, I applied for a position opening at Bell for a Telecommunications student this summer. I think my chances aren't that bad on getting in, because I've heard that they dont just hire one, but a whole raft of students.. here's hoping... if not, I know I can fall back on a position in my father's office.. which would be really great. I'd get about 12-14 hours a day working in the office and 12, if not more, dollars an hour... I could really use that. Maybe that is my best bet, because then I might be able to take a thursday/friday off to go up north and visit.. We'll see how the next couple of weeks turn out.
So, 2.. maybe 3 weeks until school is out... WOWZA. that's INSANE.. then just one more year and I'm freeeeeee.... I know a lot of you are wondering "what about his 4th year?" well, I'm banking on a couple of things there, but first I should tell you about a little conversation I had with one of our program managers.
This conversation was "off the record", so shh! dont tell anyone!
I was talking to her and she explained to me where she thinks the school failed with my program.. How their intent to make a program covering a very broad field of work backfired on them, and in doing so, created a program which was TOO broad... Sure, we get a little bit of telecomm knowledge, we get some programming knowledge, and electronics knowledge, and comptuer knowledge....... but neither one of these are really going to be enough to focus in on a specific aspect of the telecomm field... it was a little disheartening until I told her that's why a lot of us are hoping to specialize in Wireless Telecommunications (that optional 4th year that fits at the end)... she looked at me totally bold faced and explained to me how she really didn't think that we were going to have the electronics background that we will need to enter such a program. I was shocked, because we (our class) were always under the impression that this was going to be our saving grace.. Boy, were we wrong..
It's not totally out of the question, a fourth year for me I mean... I just probably wont be studying Telecommunications. I've pretty much decided to go after my A+, Network+, and MCSE certificates.. The program is a year long and costs somewhere in the neighbourhood of $5200... not bad, considering all the certifications I'll be coming out of there with... (for those of you who dont know, companies drool over you if you have these certifications).. and will pay you.. well... I know someone who gets $127 an hour for their Microsoft Certification ALONE... (that's the MCSE)... it's going to be an interesting next little while...
I finally got my C Programming class from last semester sorted out. Now I've gotta focus on writing that challenge exam for the math class I missed in first semester... I really dont know how I didn't pass that, other than the fact that I just got cocky and didn't go to class... Yea, it ended up biting me in the butt in the end...
I've gotta boogie for now, this wasn't meant to be a long post....
until next time.......
*fade to black*
:: Eldorado ::
Thursday, March 25, 2004 ::
2:50:00 AM
you all are going to hate me...
alright - your challenge... get out of the room!!!
PLEASE do not share with others.... you can talk about where you got to in the game, but please do not give any spoilers (ie. where you found certain objects).
Ahhh.. what's that I feel? A wave of inspiration has come over me.
But first, my weekend!
Friday night wasn't all that great. Beth stayed the night at her Aunt's place in Scarborough (freakishly close to Julia, mind you.. but anyway..), so I used that night to just chill... I stayed in and got some well needed sleep. 16 hours later it's 4:30pm on Saturday, and I'm tripping over my legs because they haven't been used for two thirds of a day.
Ahhh ok, I have feeling in my legs back. I start playing Zuma (Jess, by the way, I hate you. Brian hates you. Beth hates you. All for bringing this into my life. =P)... Beth eventually showed up, she told me about her night, and quickly made it upstairs to get ready.
Get ready?
Oh right, I forgot to mention that there was a Saint Patrick's Day party going on downtown that we were going to... a friend here (Davonna) knew the guy hosting, so we got $5 off the cover.. yay for connections!
Ok, so we were all getting dressed up in our finest green duds... Brian and I started the party a little early with the vodka, tequila, and triple blacks stored in his room... Then we went up to see the ladies.. *fans himself* ooooo.. ladies.
They had made Strawberry Daiquiris.. REAL daiquiris with a blender and everything, not the bottled kind.. We didn't have a glass, so Brian and I decided drinking out of the blender was smart..... we later hyjacked a measuring cup and used that instead... yay for creativeness!
We got to the party, and it was great.. it was a *fantastic* atmosphere.. Just some people really into having a good time. The appartment was a little cramped for the number of people in there, however, once we got in and sat down on the bed in the blacklight room, everyone kinda settled and all was good... The patio? nice.. I dont know if it was 600 square feet like the website says, but it was nice. I ranked up a vodka and coke, 4 jello shooters, and a drink of Hill's Absinthe. If you ever have a chance to see someone prepare absinthe, it's cool.... Half of the drink is poured into a glass... then a sugar cube (treated with absinthe in the first place so it'll burn) is held over the glass with a spoon (as seen here, above the glass in the gift set. The sugar cube is drizzled with the remaining shot of absinthe, torched and allowed to burn for a minute or so... the sugar burns away. Cold water is poured over the sugar cube (5 parts water to 1 part absinthe). Water is used because the absinthe has herbal oils dissolved into the high-proof alcohol (incase u missed it, it's 70%), and mixing with water causes those oils to come out of solution and turn the drink a cloudy greeny/white colour. The sugar cube is then allowed to fall into the drink, mixed with the solution, and served. Why'd I get into that? It's just plain cool.
Anyway.. my talley.. 4 jello shots, vodka and coke, 1 absinthe.... pre drinking I saw 2 shots of Goldshlager, 2 triple blacks, a shot of vodka, and a good portin of the Strawberry Daiquiri.
Sunday was spent.... resting. Hey - maybe that's why God rested on the 7th day...? he went to an appartment party the night before... *lightbulb*
That was my weekend! And now I'm here writing to you.. but what is the point of this post you ask? Simple.. read on.
Robbie, a friend of mine from highschool, has recently decided to hop aboard the blogging train. I just finished reading his post entitled Everybody's Doing It from 24.03.13. All I've gotta say to you Robbie, is good for you. Not for picking the side that you did, but for openly speaking about such a controversial topic, and allowing (as well as promoting) a forum for a friendly debate. Kutos.
For those that dont want to head over right away to read Robbie's blog, I'll sum it up. It's his honest opinion that, with his roommates and their friends as test subjects, weed is no worse than alcohol.
Now here's where the supposed bias comes in... I still think Robbie is great for opening such a controversial topic up for discussion, but you're all probably going to just think I'm saying that because of what I'm going to say next... I agree with him.
I can whole-heartedly say that I agree with that message brought across through Robbie's words. Do I promote pot? Hell no. Do I sell it? nope. Do I want to do either of these things? not at all. Me simply saying that I agree with the idea that weed is no worse than alcohol doesn't mean that I endorse it, use it regularly, or want to go out and buy my first pipe. All I'm saying is that I think the stigma around weed is just that... It got a bad rep, and it's badly beaten because of it.
Yes, I know it's a drug. But tell me one thing that weed does that alcohol doesn't.. (this is an honest request here.. I sincerely dont know).
It was explained to me by a chemistry professor from York University like this.... Picture your brain like a telephone switchboard.. Every plug you insert into a port is another message or impulse. When you drink, you're only inserting half of the plugs that you normally would.. the message gets so fizzled along the way that they just die off. Wheras when one smokes pot, those messages aren't killed, but they're scrambled.... they're not put into the appropriate ports... or maybe they're put into larger ports, making the impulse greater, or maybe they're put into smaller ports, making the impulse smaller...
This is the best damn explaination that I've ever had regarding the two drugs.
Why am I talking about this? Well the party on Saturday was free booze with cover.. as well as free pot.. Did I know this when I bought the ticket? nope. Infact, I was pretty stunned when "The Doktor", the dude throwing the party, was walking around with an elegant metal cigarette container filled with pot... I had talked to the ppl I went with (Davonna, Alicia, Brian, Crystal, Beth) and they knew that I would willingly try it if offered... It's true, I would.. And I did! It was my first time inhaling anything... If you dont count living in the same house for 21 years with two essential chain smokers.. I guess over time I have developed quite an iron lung...
Anyway. My experience? I dont think I felt a damn thing. With all I had, which wasn't much by any means.. maybe 1 joint total.. But I say one joint when it was really like half... It was his own special blend of 50% pot, some tabacco so it stays in your system longer, and lavender for taste and scent.. someone tried to tell me it was laced with crystal meth, but they were full of it.. But anyway, If anything, it just counteracted the alcohol and seemingly made me more composed.
There ya go, blog world.. I thought long and hard about writing the truth about what happened at that party.. but it was done all in the name of a good time and so I thought... meh.. no harm, no foul right? I still stand by what I said up there ^^^... and that is no, I'm not turning this into any sort of lifestyle.. Hell, I dont have the money to do stuff like that! (I wouldn't even if I did..) But would I try it again? I think I would, without the alcohol.... because I really dont think my curiousity has been satisfied... I still wanna know what being high feels like, without confusing the feeling with being drunk.
Anyway... think what you will, blogworld... but then again, I'm sure you've all made decisions that wouldn't make mama happy if she knew about it...
until next time.......
*fade to black*
:: Eldorado ::
Tuesday, March 09, 2004 ::
1:08:00 AM
Song of choice: Man on the Moon: REM
Hello, My name is Andy and this is my Blog.
Yes, yes.. I know.. when I get on a kick about something it's hard to let go.
mmm peanuts.. (I'm eating some, that wasn't just a random statement).
I like big butts and I cannot lie.. (that was a random statement).
Alright! Why this song yet again? Well, I rented Man on the Moonyet again. But for the last time as I have added it to my list of "acquired" movies.. It really is a fantastic movie... I've noticed that it's one that you have to watch more than once though to get the real value out of it. Like, for example, Beth and Alicia came over tonite and the three of us watched the movie. Now, they said it was a good movie but they didn't really seem overly enthusiastic over it like I am.. Maybe I just have a strange taste? I dont know.. Take Everwood, for example.. I LOVE that show... yet in getting people to watch it, I've been unsuccessful in recruiting someone who wasn't already a fan.. Why do I love that show so much? Maybe it's because I've seen every episode since the start and just know the stories of the characters so well.. I dont know.
Man on the Moon stars Jim Carey as Andy Kaufman, a comedian from the 70's who didn't consider himself to be a comedian. He had a unique sense of humour, and didn't care if you laughed, cried, or left the place.. as long as he got a reaction out of his audience, and had fun doing it. I wont tell you anything more about it in case you actually want to watch the movie. It's historically accurate, and even encorporates some big stars that were a huge part of the real Andy's life. For example, Taxi (1978), a show that Andy co-starred in, had most of it's cast return to re-record classic Andy moments using Jim Carey in his place..
It's a great movie, and has an incredible re-run factor to it.. Even though you wont think so at first, if you throw the movie in again after you've already seen it, you probably wont be able to stop. You'll pick up small things in the movie forshadowing the final scene that you didn't catch before...
Dont really know the point of this post, but I'll end it with saying that Man on the Moon is the current height of Jim Carey's career... He nabs Andy's spirit to a 'T', sucks you in, and doesn't let you go.
check out this site for a really well done write-up of Andy's life, including pictures of him, his alter ego Tony Clifton, his grave, and his death certificate.
until next time.......
*fade to black*
:: Eldorado ::
Saturday, March 06, 2004 ::
6:08:00 PM
Just a note to thank all of you for not making me explain myself in my last post.
Just got back from up north where I spent 3 nights with beth.. having her show me around her home town... it was AMAZING! pictures coming (I swear I'm working on those picture pages!)
she's coming home with me tonite and having good food and spending the night... buhbye for now all!
Until next time.......
Your local basket weaver.
*fade to black*
:: Eldorado ::
In all the blog heat that I've been reading the last few days, reading about everyone emptying their souls and getting really emotional, I've decided to jump aboard the Crazy Train! I've been inspired, so here goes!
I have to admit that I didn't think I'd have the strength to write this. It's something that I've only let so very few people in on the last few years, and before that (as in the group that I used to hang out with way back when..) I didn't say a word out of fear of complete embarrassment. Normally I wouldn't write about something like this, but I'm seeing everyone else bare all, so why shouldn't I?
I just have one request. I ask that none of you take this out of context, and that this be treated with the respect it deserves. Please help me through it... it's very difficult for me to do this, so bare with me.... ok, *deep breath* *count to 10*... and........
I have a profound love of basket weaving.
GAH..
there it is, I've said it. It's public, and now everyone knows about it. That was actually easier than I thought. I used to have a huge complex about what people thought about it, because I know what people in the past had to go through with such a thing. You know, the weaves not being tight enough, etc.. I'm reminded about a case in the early 90s about a woman who was arrested because her basket had a jagged edge and actually sliced a child's head open after the boy tried to wear it as a hat. It's a lot of responsibility, that basket weaving.. And my endeavors ever since this freakish incident have gone all but unnoticed in the national art shows.. Nowadays, those silly rice paper graphic designers seem to be taking all the glory, while us lowly basket weavers have to watch as they get their blue ribbons.
Am I bitter? no, not really. Ok yes.
I was almost thrown out of residence because my actions with the weaving "kept people up at night." At least, that's what gave me away to the RAs... But if you ask me, I think this goes back to the case of the tremendous head gash suffered by that child. Ever since then, people of my ability just cant seem to find a safe and stable ground. We (ok, I'm talking about me personally. I don't want to make a sweeping generalization here among all of us weavers).. *I* have been looked at funny, ridiculed, and just down right detested because my activities with these baskets are seen as abusive to children.
I just cant comprehend WHY people don't see us as equals. I mean, sure some of us have rough skin on our hands.. Some of us have been poisoned by the noxious weeds of the Cats Claw family.. Should we let that phase us? I don't think so! The world needs to understand that we're every bit as normal as everyone else! It was the media's fault that the fact that that little boy almost lost a head got out into the public, and ever since then they've misconstrued all things "basket weaver-ish" into a negative and almost satanic ritual.
It's a tough world when one cant weave twigs anymore without being snubbed by the uninformed metaphorical hand of society..
Until next time......
*fade to black*
:: Eldorado ::
Monday, March 29, 2004 ::
3:59:00 PM
