Hott July is a Sizzlin' Time!!!!

Wow…what an incredible July I had…… it started with my birthday, and ended it with a wonderful visit from my cuz, Peg, and her two kids…. But of course, the highlight of the month was finally getting possession of my new house! How exciting!.... my walk through happened on my bday, and possession date was on Deb’s bday….. how that for a bday to remember?..... with possession happening, a lot of work was needed, and was done… thus, I took my first week off for the year for moving, unpacking, etc, etc…… boy, was I tired and sore at the end of the week…. I think I lost a few pounds in the process…hahahaha…..

Like I said, Peg came down for four glorious nights at my new place, 31st to Aug 4th…. It was initially suppose to have them stay entirely at my place, since my bro’s place wasn’t supposed to be ready yet…. Their possession date was the 28th, so they wouldn’t have enuf time to prep their place….. but it worked out, as they were able to host some of the activities at their place….. made our job hosting a lot easier….. they arrived Sunday night, so we just had some Chinese stuff for dinner and hung out….. holiday Monday, we went for Dim Sum on 64th ave before venturing to CrossIron Mills Mall to shop for the whole day…. for supper, Deb cooked a delicious spaghetti meal….. Tues, we took them t Chinook Mall to do some more shopping before having a home cook meal of Beef Stroganoff….. Wed, we went to the Corn Maze outside the city before King took them to the Military Museum….what was the game of the week????....Ra!!!!!... we played that every night!!!....fun fun fun game!!!. Finally, we had to sadly say our goodbyes Thurs noon…. Man, time sure flies….. they are here one day, gone the next….. sure was a fun visit….. hopefully we will do it again next year!!!!

Here are some of the other highlights for the month….

- Watched Transformers on the 2nd, Dark side of the Moon with Deb and da boys….. excellent special effects…. Storyline, as usual, slow at the beginning…. Made up for it with the fight scenes… it is actually slower speed so you can actually follow it….
- Watched the final Harry Potter on the 16th….superbly done…great wait to end…so sad that something that spanned for a great chunk of my life is finally over… Emma, I can now say it…. Yummy!!!!
- Watched Captain America on the 23rd.... was an ok movie.... little sporatic and Chris Evans not the best man for part, but will give movie a passing grade...
- Bday supper at the Keg with Deb and da boys…. Prime Rib lives on!!!
- Wings with da boys at Symon Valley on da 6th, and than Wings with Nance at Lils at Original Joes on the 7th....man, was it hot in that restaurant....hahah
- Wedding for Heidi and Frank on the 7th...congrats to you both.... than wedding on the 9th for Harv and Darla at the Sheraton Hotel on 36th ave and McKnight..... best wishes to you two...
- Stampede party for work at Brewsters on the 8th, than headed to Mylenne’s hometo hang out and some karaoking....
- Softball ends with us being destroyed the last four games….. thus ends a pitiful year…… I was just average for the season…something for me to work on…
- First time out with Nance, one on one….. went to Gee Gong for lunch on 31st, had dessert at Dessert house, and hung out in Chinatown

Congrats to my homeboy for his new gig on the 4th.... lots of bdays this month..... Tara C on 5th, Lyndell on 8th, Kat on 9th, DMT on 11th, Beth on 12th, Kalua on 22nd, Lexi on 23rd, Heidi and Jaimi on 24th, Kell on 27th, Charmisa on 30th,

A memorable month indeed...one of the most memorable month, for sure!!!

Winnipeg and Rickster/Dislocated finger

First day of summer is here. What can I do to make it memorable? How about dislocate my finger during softball? Freak accident. Should have not been in that position in da first place. Brian was stuck in traffic, so we were down to 9 guys. Vince takes CF, leaving me at 2b, which I don’t normally play. After a hit, Vince hit Brett as the cut off man, who tried to pick the runner off at 2nd. I caught da ball wrong and jammed my ring finger. It didn’t hurt, but felt weird. So I took my glove off and notice it was out of joint. I panicked since I never seen my finger bent out of shape b4. All I can think was to pull it back into place, which I did….. played the rest of the game at catcher and da next game against Top Gun as the pitcher. Before my injury, I hit my second career HR against the Tilts, whom we lost 21-5. We beat the Top Guns in the second game with our last at bat 18-17. This meant I hit my first HR the week before against da Eagles… no one was more surprised than me when it cleared the fence for my first career men’s league HR.
Monday was our final vball games for the spring. We won our first game, but lost our second game to finish 6th. Prior to that, we hit the pub for a team grub and drinks.

This past weekend started Fri night with drinks at Earls with Kim/Tim/Jenn/Monique/Justin. Sat, we went to see Green Lantern. Movie was average. Special effects were really good, but too much happening in the plot, and it was all over da place. That night, we went to the SocialLounge to celebrate Lils half yr bday with 18 others. Set dish for $35. Had prawns for appy and then duck leg on top of rice for main course. Couple of drinks and the bill was $120.00 for Deb and I. Fun night, with good company, absolute! Too bad Nance missed it cause she performed in Toon town. Sunday, I subbed for Kim’s ball hockey team. We won 4-2, with me potting two. Nothing like harassing one of the other team’s players for being rough with our girls/swearing at a girl/running our goalie.

Last week highlights includes my first HR on Tuesday en route to our 25-10 win over the Eagles. Second game was a lost to the Extremes. Dat afternoon, went to lunch with Tanya and Marsha at Jap village. Wed, docs at bank and lawyer. Move some boxes to da mothers on Thurs.

Previous weekend hilites included watching Super 8, which was a really good movie…. Had an ET feeling to it, and I recommend da movie, absolutely.

The first weekend of June was da weekend I looked forward to for awhile. 10 years in da making. Finally got to hook up with slick Rick. Headed to Winnipeg for three nights. It was an enjoyment to spend time with his family, and playing a bunch of sports with his boy. Who knew Rick was such a homebody. He BBQ us pork chops one night, pasta another night, and we had pizza the first night. Throw in an egg on top of toast breakfast and a deli lunch, and I was well fed…..also got to tour the city, play little min-golf, lunch at BP’s, sit by the firepit having a few drinks, watch a Stanley cup game…… his cat didn’t bother me til the last day, so I survived that obstacle…. Guess now that we finally hooked up again, we shouldn’t wait another 10 yrs?....hahahh... and congrats on da Jets for getting a hockey team back... also congrats on the Bruins for winning da cup over the canucks in 7...made my yr, as did the Mavs dismantling the Heat in the NBA finals in 6.... shame on the rioters in Vancouver who came there with intent to riot/loot/and cause damage..... the real hockey fans were not involved.... just those who had intent and those who got caught in the mob spree.... may the social netwok catch and ID yuo all and you all suffer for your error in judgement...no sympathy to you...only if you get death threats and or threats to your fam...those are unnecessary... public humiliation is the best payback!!!

Finally happy bday to Ann on the 1st, KGB on the 10th… happy 40th!!!!!.... and of course Jilly, on the 20th!!!!

May brings, Happy Bday Won!!!

Happy bday to my homeboy...... we had a nice Prime Rib supper at the Keg...... funny thing is we had steak the night before too, which was too big to be eaten in one sitting.....therefore, I had steak for three straight nights...hahaha,,, that afternoon, Wingnut treated me for lunch at Banzai.... but girl, next time?? Pay for the tea??.... ohh so awkward!!!

This past weekend was a busy one..... Sat afternoon started with the watching of the Hangover 2 with Deb and the bros... the formula and plot line was the same as the first one.... it was still funny and laughable, but not as good as the first one..... Ken Jeong was the scene stealer in this one....I have a fear of Thailand now.... you know what I mean...FEMALES????.. YOWZERS!!!!!!... we thought about watching Kung Fu Panda 2 the next afternoon, but got scared off by the mass number of kids that attended this afternoon..... after that, as my bros moved out their last stuff out of Citadel, and a last encounter with the condo b*tch (should have told her to FU, egg her place, or scratch her car), Deb and I met up with Nick, Kim, Lils, and Nance ( and later Jen and her man)at the Big Four for beerfest...... we were there for three hours... it was quite fun tasty different beer and hard liquor, while sampling new food..... Sunday, we headed down to Lilac Festival... man that place was jammed in the heart of the afternoon.... it was made worse by all the dogs and strollers..... I even kept my cool when some ass behind us decided to dump his water on the ground, which some splashed on the back of Deb’s leg.... perhaps if his gf didn’t say anything, I might have..... My beloved, and always disappointing, Sharks survived, and lost in the West finals...so sad.... as least Thornton perfomed well this post season..... who to cheer for in the finals, Beantown or Hongcouver???..... BEANTOWN!!!!!.....

The previous weekend was Victoria Day Long weekend.....Fri night, had drinks with Nance and Lils at the District..... we always seem to have good conversations, don’t we???.... I think you’re my new fab 2...... Sat, we watched Pirates of the Caribbean 4.... it was very enjoyable.... prob the second best of the series.... you got Jack Sparrow from start to finish, which it should be since he makes the movie..... after the movie, I have an infatuation with mermaids!!!..... you know what I mean!!!.... Sunday was the big wedding for Jeff and his bride, who I only met for the first time, at Emerald City.... good meal, good company, sitting with Won, Mare, Gary and his wife, and Mike and his daughter.... Patrick moving to our table sucked..... the wedding could have done without Karaoking (bad) throughout the meal, all in Chinese too..... plus, when the invitation says reception and dinner at 6pm, don’t be on time like we were.... pple didn’t really start showing until 6:30, with supper starting at about 7:20pm..... nevertheless, congrats to you Jeff!!!...Holiday Monday, had lunch with the hockey boys at Sushi Toyko!!!!....

The previous weekend, Deb and I headed to Edmonton for two nights, with the first night at Sawridge Hotel and the second at the Fantasyland Hotel in West Ed.... we stayed in the Polynesian Room..... expensive, but very nice room.... Jacuzzi in the middle room with a nice small version of a waterfall.... and what about the roof???...YOWZERS!!!.... of course we shopped in West Ed, and we had dinner Fri night with Easy E and Heather, and Heather and her hubby Sat night..... I also got to see a long long friend from high school..... Vicki... such a pleasure and delight, girl...let’s not wait another 18 yrs for our next meeting...... couldn’t have asked for a better reunion......

Whose next???

Finally, relief is over...May 19th!!!...done!!!!

May...... new Beginnings dis month!!!

New month, new beginnings…… beginning of the movie “summer: season… softball started up again…. Volleyball is in full swing….

The first weekend, Friday was da wedding of the century…. The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton….. didn’t wake up to watch it…didn’t need too… it was all over the news for a few days and online… enuf said… I did see their kiss live when I woke up for work… that was enuf for me…… little peanut came over to hang with aunty Deb for da day on Sat..… she had me running around buying her stuff…. Tangled and treats from Wal-Mart, Hot dog and fries from Peters, Shake from MacD’s…if she wasn’t so damn cute, I would still have money…hahaahh that nite, headed to Nance for some poker action and UFC….. her roommate, Clayton?? That is a blog in itself….. nice to see GSP fight, even though it really wasn’t action packed…. Meticulous and tactical, all da action standing… nevertheless, he still da man, and defeated Jake Shields….. then, 8 of us did a Texas hold –em, where I finished third and JUST out of the money… damn you Kim for winning my moolah!!!.... worst yet, for taking me out of the money…. Karma girl… karma!!!... as far as the karaoke goes, my poor ears….. Tim??... what can I say dude, what can I say??.... my poor ears…hahaahh …Sunday, we started the summer movie season with the watching of Fast Five….. better than I expected… not as good as the first one, and I haven’t seen the other three, but still a very good action, exhilarating movie… and what can is at about Jordanna Brewster? Ohh baby!!.... to end Sunday, we got the news we all been waiting for 10 years…. Osama Bin Laden has been captured….dead no less…. Is it bad to be happy about a person’s death???....not for me… he caused too much pain and suffering to too many…. Personally, I would enjoyed it if he was tortured instead…. Oh well…..

Monday….. ohhh man, another incident at vball…your typical a-hole spiking a ball at a defenceless person in a blowout game…we only had four players, John, myself, Nat, and Vanessa…. After losing big the first set and losing big time in the second, “superstar” decides to kill the ball at John… let’s just say I wasn’t too happy…. If John didn’t escort me out of the gym later that night, who knows what would have happened…. But lets hope we don’t cross path again…I haven’t forgotten the team, name, or face…. Tues, the boys and I took da mother out to Yamato for sushi for mama’s day…. We used two vouchers, 50/each….good food, good service…. That night, softball season started and we got hailed and rained on the first inning of the first game… it was a cool night, but ended up to be not bad night…we got killed both games… off to a slow start, 1/7…… feel slower too…. Hate night games… but it is good to be playing ball again…..

This past weekend, was mother’s day weekend… Happy Mother’s Day to all out there….. since we had a view, took Connor out for breakfast to John’s Café Sat morning…… the rest of the day was pretty quiet…. Sunday, went to watch Thor…. It was better than I expected…good storyline, good acting….. later that day, headed to Kathy’s house for some Prime Rib and Lobster action….. yummy yummy for my tummy…..

So far this week, won both our games in vball, so seeding round is now over….. Tues had that stupid work functin after work with the line dancing....not fun!!...wast of my time.....softball tied the first game, which we should have won since we only needed one run in our bottom half to win…enuf said…. Lost second game to Kruzers…… played better, so it’s coming around….. yesterday was haircut day, and re-signing…..

Finally, found out that Heidi is getting married on July 7th….good luck gal….. happy bday on the 10th to Daze…. And today to the crazy threes…… Peg, Nha, and Char…. Have a great bday gals!!! best of all, found out yesterday about my Everyday Hero Nom.... thxs Jilly!!... your de besties of all!!!

St Patty's Day!!!

It has been awhile again since my last update.... so here is a quick overview of the last week of Feb, and of March so far.....

Last weekend of Feb and beginning of March, we took Connor and his friends out to bowling for his bday!!!.... Happy bday to Wingnut on the 28th!!.... after two weeks, finally got over my cough...too bad Deb caught my cold...

First week of March was pretty hectic, being the end of RRSP season... but with all that, I did have some fun too...hahha...
Wed.... went for 3cent ribs at Kilkenny with Deb....
Thurs... went to The Crush with Wingnut and Kat, to use up one of Kat’s vouchers....good to see you girls..too bad you girls couldn’t stay longer.....
Fri... drinks with Kirk and his gang at Crossroads Pub...

For the week of March 7-13

Thurs... sup w/ Lils and Nance at Anjou rest.... glad you had a gift voucher from there...we did eat and drink a bit, didn’t we?? The waitress was cute, but no worries, the conversation with you girls kept me in line.... fires, sausages, desserts, single or not, out of town, friends... conversation was amazing girls!!!....
Fri...the stylist has set it up.... cross da fingers........
Sat...Dim Sum at Taipan with the bros, DMT and Kimie and Mark... Kimmie, you look great!!...and you are getting lot bigger too....... finally did some spring cleaning and cleaned the condo ...than we hit the Keg for some Prime Rib action...thxs DMT!!!!...

One week we are up, and we had four hits. One more for this past weekend. Here are da highlights of this past week.....

Mon, lunch with Kim at Viet Village.....vball again, where we went 2-0.....
Tues, went to the mother’s for supper.....
Thurs was St Patty Day..... Showed off at work with my Pong skills for the monthly dept activities day for a half day off.. got 10 and tied Cathy Richardson and Monica... but didn’t stay around for the finals... why would I??.... third time out of four making the finals... I am just THAT good..... best of all, everyone at work knows it..... nothing like acting all cocky and talking it up before the event, and than actually coming out on top after playing it... my head swells so big....hahaah... after that, DMT and I got off early for our appointment at 1pm...after that, we headed to Tudors Rose for some Irish cheer, some grub, and some drinks... after that, we visited the bros, headed to Deb’s spa thingy, and then to her dad’s to show him some pics, and then home after a long day......
Sat.... we headed to New Brighton to visit a nice place.... that night, we headed to Chestermere for Viet’s bday at his home for a nice ‘feast”..man, did I eat tons..their place is huge too.... 2700 sq feet?? Wow... got a chance to see a bunch of the ball players for the first time in awhile....good to see you all....... also got Harv’s invite at hockey..... looking forward to your big day, man!!!
Sun... watched Limitless.... the ending was average, but the rest of the move was quite enjoyable.....

Okay, you are now all caught up....

Fracture Ribs and another round of sickness

The last few weeks havent been the best of times...... I am still battling the soreness from my hairline fracture ribs I suffered a month ago playing hockey.... that and catching a flu or something this week has prevented me from playing hockey practically the last month.... I have missed the last 3 out of 4 fri hockey, as well as 3/4 Sat.... hockey is my outlet for anger, energy, enjoyment, freedom, etc..... you name it.... it is something I look forward to every week, so it has been hard....

This week, I caught something that has left me with a bad cough, lack of energy, no strength, the shivers, and no appetite.... I fought it for two days at work, but gave in on Friday and called in sick... i have lost four lbs to date.... prob only good thing about being sick..hahaha... just starting to recover now... so I spent the last four days pretty much in bed.... I did get out Sat morn to help my bros get rid of some electronics and some old dressers and stuff to the landfill..... $15 minimum charge now per visit to landfll... crazy!!... we made three car trips..... quite pricey now... the electronis we took for recycling to Future Shop...

This illness has made me missed a few outings.... Wed, suppose to goto rib night at Kilkenny's with Deb... missed that.... missed Fri bday thing for Nancey at Rhino.... sorry gal, catch you another time.... Deb, will make up the rib night soon...

Valetine's day on Monday was uneventful..... played vball, which we split the two matches that night.... vball that night and the monday before left me very weak and sore the next two days... not sure why though..... I ruined Deb's surprise gift when I bought the Team Canada Gold Medal collection on DVD the day before Valentine's Day...felt bad, but she knew I was going to North Hill to look for the DVD.... she should have stopped me...could have said she was going to WalMart, or wanted to go alone or something... would not have taken much to stop me...hahah.... last Sat, Deb took Connor and I to see the Titanic Exhibit at the Science Center... it was intersting to see old artifacts and a piece of history.....also stopped by for a quick drink with Kim, Nick, Nancey, and Christy prior to hockey.... always interesting stuff I learn about you guys, esp your V age...hahahah

Previous weekend, we watched The Mechanic... it was your typical Jason Statham movie so I enjoyed it..... that Sunday was superbowl sunday, whcih i watched alone at home.... lesser of two evils, I cheered for the Packers, who defeated that Steelers...still hate both Rodgers and Ben!!!

Happy Bday to Evann and Ap on the 16th.... my cuz Anton on the 11th....

Happy family day all !!!

Meeting New Friends

Videos.... Woman toys...... Hair in eggs...... Older Men.... Stroking....Sisters...Spices... Sports Bra.....

What do all these have in common???....

These things are amongst the very thing I am going to discuss today while discussing “The Process of Meeting New People”....
We all endure the circle of life... from childhood, to the school years, the college years, the 20’s, and beyond...some shorter, some longer.... we all go through these stages with different degrees of friendship and with different groups and individuals.... there are some of us that have friends that we hang with and known our entire life...some go thru a few stages with the same friends..... but generally, we are always meeting new groups of people....

Like my goals and values, I have few friends I have met in each stage that have continue to be my friends to this day.... but as a whole, I lost all contact with my friends from childhood, high school, and the college years.... in fact, if it wasn’t for FB, i prob wouldn’t know anything about these former friends, or where they are..... to replace these people, you have to meet new friends each time.... Meeting new people for me, is always a scary process... being shy for the most part, you always worry about not being accepted or given the chance to be accepted and to see who you really are...lot of this for me was what I endured by my peers while growing up....... we all have flaws and it is these flaws that we don’t want others to see... if they are seen, we don’t want others to use them against you..... mind you, I am less bothered by what new people think of me now than I was in my earlier years, but that is another story.....

That brings me to my Chinese New Year Supper this past Sunday.... I was gratefully invited by Kim to have supper with her and 9 of her friends at Ho Won for a 12 course meal...... after that, we headed to BBT at Dessert house.... so in these three hours, you get to listen into many topics of conversation..... it is always interesting to see how pple interact with each other in a group setting amongst friends who hang and known each other awhile.... to listen to the topics, the personalities involved, and to see where these topics are taken, and the reaction of it all.... let me start by saying that no matter what, it was a hilarious night.... I am not one to judge, esp since I don’t know everyone well enough.... but the topics were interesting... good and/or bad.... what I listed above were some of the topics that we touched on...... it may start off simple enough, but always lead astray to areas that could be funny, bizarre, wild, scary, and interesting....areas that normal conversation never lead to, or are touched..... but somehow, these make their way into conversations amongst a close, and well known to each other, group of friends.... we never talk about it with co-workers, parents, acquaintances, or siblings.... not even in small groups..... but get a bunch of good friends together, nothing is off limits.....

Now for the topics....as far as a guy asking others to see vids of himself is initially very creepy and awkward, esp when telling new pple.... heck, I felt awkward.... guys would punch other guys for these kind of comments.... best to not comment..... in the end, it was harmless and all, but when first brought to the table, I wanted to move away from the table, and this guy...hahahaha.... dude is harmless, but strange things were brought up....
Woman toys??.....it is weird to have this conversation amongst men and woman... not that I am bothered by it...heck, who wouldn’t be interested in.... but to hear guys and girls talk about it, is weird.... once again, as the new guy, I just listened and hope to not look like a perve or something...... hair in eggs??...sick!!...hahaah...dont even want to think about that...still funny to hear when others talk about it, though....... Older men???.....not my area of expertise.... I will leave it to Nancey, who said it all on her blog..... me?? I like them big, small, old, young, whites and whites some more...hahaahha.... Stroking in the pool??.... how this conversation lasted as long as it did is beyond me..... it is a non-issue, if you think about it... cant be done!!!!..... sisters??... siblings should be off limits...sorry!!!... I personally have no probs talking about sisters and all that stuff.... but if one of the siblings is present, off limits..... nobody wants to talk about their siblings and their dating situation or their personal likes and dislikes that are sexual in nature....
Spices??? Cinammon??... once again,...fascinating topic.. however, talking about this around girls in an open conversation in a group is awkward.... but very informative.... the conflict within...hahaahh......i am used to talking about these kind of topics on a one to one basis with other girls.....or even a bunch of guys being pigs... but a new group of pple with guys and girls??...awkward!!!!!!..... sports bra??? Sorry, should not be brought up around girls unless they bring it up first..... there were other topics discussed, but you get the jist of it all.....

In the end, I am game for anything..... it just around new pple is awkward...... and certain things should be left off da table, but remain interesting... this is the dynamic in a group, made more compelling and interesting if everyone there is single, or does not have their spouse/significant other around... lets face it, we are all different when we are with our other half or without... not good or bad, but we are allow to be and speak more freely, openly, and willingly.... that is just how it goes.... even for me... without my other half, I am lot more crazier and all....plus, you don’t worry about offending your other half, or even another person’s other half...... that is why this night was so funny and interesting... single pple talking freely about everything, and having a good, in many cases hilarious, laugh and good time..... no worries or anything..... I haven’t had this kind of laugh since first meeting up with my group of friends in my early 20’s... before we all got hitched, and than having kids,...... boys being boys, girls being girls, no holds barred...couples talk about different things....families talk about different things...... nothing like singles hanging out, or just a bunch of boys hanging out....so much trouble we can get into and talk about.........it will be interesting to see if, and when, they will occur again....