This past week was a decent one, what with the concert on Tuesday and a somewhat busy weekend.
Saturday I didn't get up to too much during the day. I ran when I got up...5K. The weather was awesome. I picked up Rol's hard drive to get some music for a DVD project I'm working on...then I spent the better part of the afternoon searching through it for said music. In the evening, I got all dressed up in my black pants, white dress shirt, and black vest. I was the bartender at a wedding...the wedding of Juan's sister Kerrie. It was at Luxton Hall out in Langford...a dated, but capable facility. The ceremony and reception were all in one in the evening. It seemed to go all right. Things never got super busy at the bar, which is how I like it. I don't bartend much, so keeping it steady but slow is good. As usual, there's always things that get forgotten about, or not ready in time...but it all worked out. I made some money and got to visit with Juan and her family for a bit. Apparently I missed out on a shitty comedy night at Murph's Pub with the crew from work...so it was defintely better to have bartended. I could have gone out afterwards, but no one called and I wasn't gonna call them in case they'd gone home early (which they had...some reluctantly).
Sunday, I played squash in the morning with Yeech, Herch, and MiLo. I lost every game I played, but I did improve from a 9-0 loss in my first game, to a 10-8 loss in my last game. I think I need to get me a squash racquet. Maybe I'll wait till the Boxing Day Sales.
After squash, Yeech, Herch and I had lunch at Floyd's Diner. I Mahoney'd it again, flipped for it again, and won again...so I have yet to pay for a meal at Floyd's. I like it! My meal was good too...a burrito type thing, with panfries...very yum. I think I'm going there next Saturday with Q&S when our carpets get cleaned.
In the afternoon, Herch and I watched the Grey Cup at the Shark Club. Becks joined us for the 4th quarter, after seeing Oklahoma at the Mac (which she said was good). The game was good...Montreal looked very aggressive and tight, but Edmonton dominated at the beginning, then it got a little back and forth, and eventually went to OT...which was pretty exciting. Definitely some good football going on. I'm not a big football fan, but I know how it works and I can get into it...usually around playoff time.
So ya, not a bad weekend at all...made some money, had a social life, got free lunch! Nothing to rant about right now...well, there probably is, but I'm not gonna bother.
Monday, November 28, 2005
This past week was a decent one, what with the concert on Tuesday and a somewhat busy weekend.
Saturday I didn't get up to too much during the day. I ran when I got up...5K. The weather was awesome. I picked up Rol's hard drive to get some music for a DVD project I'm working on...then I spent the better part of the afternoon searching through it for said music. In the evening, I got all dressed up in my black pants, white dress shirt, and black vest. I was the bartender at a wedding...the wedding of Juan's sister Kerrie. It was at Luxton Hall out in Langford...a dated, but capable facility. The ceremony and reception were all in one in the evening. It seemed to go all right. Things never got super busy at the bar, which is how I like it. I don't bartend much, so keeping it steady but slow is good. As usual, there's always things that get forgotten about, or not ready in time...but it all worked out. I made some money and got to visit with Juan and her family for a bit. Apparently I missed out on a shitty comedy night at Murph's Pub with the crew from work...so it was defintely better to have bartended. I could have gone out afterwards, but no one called and I wasn't gonna call them in case they'd gone home early (which they had...some reluctantly).
Sunday, I played squash in the morning with Yeech, Herch, and MiLo. I lost every game I played, but I did improve from a 9-0 loss in my first game, to a 10-8 loss in my last game. I think I need to get me a squash racquet. Maybe I'll wait till the Boxing Day Sales.
After squash, Yeech, Herch and I had lunch at Floyd's Diner. I Mahoney'd it again, flipped for it again, and won again...so I have yet to pay for a meal at Floyd's. I like it! My meal was good too...a burrito type thing, with panfries...very yum. I think I'm going there next Saturday with Q&S when our carpets get cleaned.
In the afternoon, Herch and I watched the Grey Cup at the Shark Club. Becks joined us for the 4th quarter, after seeing Oklahoma at the Mac (which she said was good). The game was good...Montreal looked very aggressive and tight, but Edmonton dominated at the beginning, then it got a little back and forth, and eventually went to OT...which was pretty exciting. Definitely some good football going on. I'm not a big football fan, but I know how it works and I can get into it...usually around playoff time.
So ya, not a bad weekend at all...made some money, had a social life, got free lunch! Nothing to rant about right now...well, there probably is, but I'm not gonna bother.
Saturday I didn't get up to too much during the day. I ran when I got up...5K. The weather was awesome. I picked up Rol's hard drive to get some music for a DVD project I'm working on...then I spent the better part of the afternoon searching through it for said music. In the evening, I got all dressed up in my black pants, white dress shirt, and black vest. I was the bartender at a wedding...the wedding of Juan's sister Kerrie. It was at Luxton Hall out in Langford...a dated, but capable facility. The ceremony and reception were all in one in the evening. It seemed to go all right. Things never got super busy at the bar, which is how I like it. I don't bartend much, so keeping it steady but slow is good. As usual, there's always things that get forgotten about, or not ready in time...but it all worked out. I made some money and got to visit with Juan and her family for a bit. Apparently I missed out on a shitty comedy night at Murph's Pub with the crew from work...so it was defintely better to have bartended. I could have gone out afterwards, but no one called and I wasn't gonna call them in case they'd gone home early (which they had...some reluctantly).
Sunday, I played squash in the morning with Yeech, Herch, and MiLo. I lost every game I played, but I did improve from a 9-0 loss in my first game, to a 10-8 loss in my last game. I think I need to get me a squash racquet. Maybe I'll wait till the Boxing Day Sales.
After squash, Yeech, Herch and I had lunch at Floyd's Diner. I Mahoney'd it again, flipped for it again, and won again...so I have yet to pay for a meal at Floyd's. I like it! My meal was good too...a burrito type thing, with panfries...very yum. I think I'm going there next Saturday with Q&S when our carpets get cleaned.
In the afternoon, Herch and I watched the Grey Cup at the Shark Club. Becks joined us for the 4th quarter, after seeing Oklahoma at the Mac (which she said was good). The game was good...Montreal looked very aggressive and tight, but Edmonton dominated at the beginning, then it got a little back and forth, and eventually went to OT...which was pretty exciting. Definitely some good football going on. I'm not a big football fan, but I know how it works and I can get into it...usually around playoff time.
So ya, not a bad weekend at all...made some money, had a social life, got free lunch! Nothing to rant about right now...well, there probably is, but I'm not gonna bother.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
The Simple Plan concert was good...I enjoyed it and I'm pretty sure Becks did too. We got there midway through the opening act, which turned out to be The Planet Smashers. For the first bit, we thought they were Hedley...only because we hadn't heard of any other opening acts, and we weren't familiar with Hedley (although we didn't think Hedley was a ska band...which The Planet Smashers are). They were awesome...I love ska. If I'd stuck with my trombone playing I coulda been in a ska band. Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda, Didn't.
We had a "jumbo" hot dog during the break between bands...it was good, although pricey (what else to expect from arena fare?). We walked around the arena...there wasn't much going on. We were a little old for the crowd...but whatever. Hedley came out after a while. They were ok...their sound was very Simple Plan, and their antics were very...um, gay. The lead singer was drinking from a penis bottle in the beginning. The bass player like to spit a lot...at one point he and the singer spat on each other (or at least in each other's direction)...another time the bassist walked over and spat on the guitar player's chest. Kinda funny, kinda weird.
Another break between bands...we just stayed in our seats (which actually weren't our seats cause some kids had taken ours...so we just sat beside them). Simple Plan hit the stage in full force and they rocked the arena pretty good with a lot of energy. The crowd was a little small...nowhere near sold out...but the band didn't seem to care (although sometimes when they tried to get crowd interaction going on, it was a disappointing response). I wasn't familiar with many of the songs from their second album, but I I knew the ones from "No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls" and often found myself singing (or shouting) along. SP was definitely louder than the opening acts...a little too loud as there was some distortion...but maybe I'm just old. At one point, the drummer (Chuck) came out from the set (and the other members re-aligned temporarily) and decided to run out into the crowd. He ran up the stairs on the opposite side of the arena from us...which was disappointing for Becky as she has a thing for him. Oh well...can't complain about free seats. He is a pretty good drummer...I was quite impressed. Apparently he is the brains behind the band too...which is pretty cool.
After the show we sought out some food and ended up at The Mint...I had the lamb curry. 'Twas a good, fun night.
Today I hung out with Sara until work. Went to her place and watched some South Park and chatted. Always good to chill with a good friend.
We had a "jumbo" hot dog during the break between bands...it was good, although pricey (what else to expect from arena fare?). We walked around the arena...there wasn't much going on. We were a little old for the crowd...but whatever. Hedley came out after a while. They were ok...their sound was very Simple Plan, and their antics were very...um, gay. The lead singer was drinking from a penis bottle in the beginning. The bass player like to spit a lot...at one point he and the singer spat on each other (or at least in each other's direction)...another time the bassist walked over and spat on the guitar player's chest. Kinda funny, kinda weird.
Another break between bands...we just stayed in our seats (which actually weren't our seats cause some kids had taken ours...so we just sat beside them). Simple Plan hit the stage in full force and they rocked the arena pretty good with a lot of energy. The crowd was a little small...nowhere near sold out...but the band didn't seem to care (although sometimes when they tried to get crowd interaction going on, it was a disappointing response). I wasn't familiar with many of the songs from their second album, but I I knew the ones from "No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls" and often found myself singing (or shouting) along. SP was definitely louder than the opening acts...a little too loud as there was some distortion...but maybe I'm just old. At one point, the drummer (Chuck) came out from the set (and the other members re-aligned temporarily) and decided to run out into the crowd. He ran up the stairs on the opposite side of the arena from us...which was disappointing for Becky as she has a thing for him. Oh well...can't complain about free seats. He is a pretty good drummer...I was quite impressed. Apparently he is the brains behind the band too...which is pretty cool.
After the show we sought out some food and ended up at The Mint...I had the lamb curry. 'Twas a good, fun night.
Today I hung out with Sara until work. Went to her place and watched some South Park and chatted. Always good to chill with a good friend.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
I rock at the casino! (and so does Choy...but I rock more). Choy convinced me to go again on Saturday (he didn't have to try too hard), and we both ended up coming outta there with more money than we went in with. Blackjack was the game, as usual, and the game was on. I will not let this make me a gambling addict though...gotta keep it real and in perspective.
After casino, a bunch of us went bowling. I rocked at bowling too...and was consistent as well (2 games, both 128). I'm on a roll! Bowling was fun...hadn't been in a while. It was busy too...lots of young people (read young women). Lane 14 was nice...
After bowling, us A-Channelers went to the station to meet up with the crew after the municipal election show. Many of us ended up at Hugo's, on the restaurant side (which was much more relaxing than the dance side). HHM bought a round, which was very nice. As happens when work friends hang out...work issues were the topics of the evening (which is fine by me...I like hearing what's going on in other areas of the building).
Sunday I had brunch with Sara and Ross at 6-Mile, then watched hockey and football in the afternoon (BC lost...poop). Pretty tame.
Went skating at Esquimalt this morning...Herch was out too. It was good...not many people and we get to practice up with our hockey sticks (and plastic or sponge pucks). Last week, Wednesday was crazy...the kids get outta school early and it just gets way too busy. Thursday's rock though...it's free, and barely anyone shows up (last week I had the ice to myself for the first 5 minutes!). Using the stick takes my mind off the fact that I'm skating (somewhat)...it's good. My stickhandling sucks pretty bad though...but I manage.
Simple Plan concert tonight...Becky and I are going. I seen 'em once before in New Zealand. I like 'em enough...not my favourite, but not terrible. I have their debut album. Not really familiar with the opening act, Hedley.
And that brings you up to speed.
After casino, a bunch of us went bowling. I rocked at bowling too...and was consistent as well (2 games, both 128). I'm on a roll! Bowling was fun...hadn't been in a while. It was busy too...lots of young people (read young women). Lane 14 was nice...
After bowling, us A-Channelers went to the station to meet up with the crew after the municipal election show. Many of us ended up at Hugo's, on the restaurant side (which was much more relaxing than the dance side). HHM bought a round, which was very nice. As happens when work friends hang out...work issues were the topics of the evening (which is fine by me...I like hearing what's going on in other areas of the building).
Sunday I had brunch with Sara and Ross at 6-Mile, then watched hockey and football in the afternoon (BC lost...poop). Pretty tame.
Went skating at Esquimalt this morning...Herch was out too. It was good...not many people and we get to practice up with our hockey sticks (and plastic or sponge pucks). Last week, Wednesday was crazy...the kids get outta school early and it just gets way too busy. Thursday's rock though...it's free, and barely anyone shows up (last week I had the ice to myself for the first 5 minutes!). Using the stick takes my mind off the fact that I'm skating (somewhat)...it's good. My stickhandling sucks pretty bad though...but I manage.
Simple Plan concert tonight...Becky and I are going. I seen 'em once before in New Zealand. I like 'em enough...not my favourite, but not terrible. I have their debut album. Not really familiar with the opening act, Hedley.
And that brings you up to speed.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
I plum forgot my bike helmet when I rode to work on Monday. I don't know how I forgot it...I put my gloves on, which are stored inside the helmet. I guess I just put the gloves on and then off I went. I didn't even realize it until I got to work and I had no helmet to remove. Oops!
I'm also not sure why I decided the write "plum" before "forgot". I don't really say, "I plum forgot", and I've never written it before. It is a saying, isn't it? I swear I've heard people say "plum" when describing how they forgot something...but why "plum"? What is it about the tasty purple fruit that has to do with the memory of the human brain? Does the molecular structure of a plum adversely affect the flow of blood to the medulla oblongata (that's the only part of the brain I can think of right now)?
I love Family Guy. When it first started, I never got into it (not that I gave it much of a chance)...but at the suggestion of friends, I started watching it (lovin' the Myth for recording it whenever it's on!) and it truly is well done. I'm not sure who my favourite character is...either Stewie, Peter, Quagmire, or Brian. The writing is excellent and the way it's done with the flashbacks and sidenotes is awesome. I'm also lovin' The Daily Show and The Colbert Report...and Simpsons is still good...and I like Corner Gas.
I watch too much TV.
I'm also not sure why I decided the write "plum" before "forgot". I don't really say, "I plum forgot", and I've never written it before. It is a saying, isn't it? I swear I've heard people say "plum" when describing how they forgot something...but why "plum"? What is it about the tasty purple fruit that has to do with the memory of the human brain? Does the molecular structure of a plum adversely affect the flow of blood to the medulla oblongata (that's the only part of the brain I can think of right now)?
I love Family Guy. When it first started, I never got into it (not that I gave it much of a chance)...but at the suggestion of friends, I started watching it (lovin' the Myth for recording it whenever it's on!) and it truly is well done. I'm not sure who my favourite character is...either Stewie, Peter, Quagmire, or Brian. The writing is excellent and the way it's done with the flashbacks and sidenotes is awesome. I'm also lovin' The Daily Show and The Colbert Report...and Simpsons is still good...and I like Corner Gas.
I watch too much TV.
Monday, November 14, 2005
MetalMike and I were reminiscing about some good old times in Chetwynd last week. Fun times in the production booth making radio ads, making fun of some of the people we worked with, remembering all the dog fucking we used to do. Ah, they were great times. There are aspects of Chetwynd I miss, and some I don't. At least I have my memories...
This past weekend was pretty good. Friday I hung out with Yeech for most of the day...we had lunch, did a bit of shopping, watched some TV (this funny British show called "Little Britain"), and saw Jarhead (which wasn't too bad...sort of Full Metal Jacket meets Three Kings). Later that night I met up with Polly and Melinda at Steamers (hadn't been there in a long time) to see this band, Dirtfella (one of Polly's co-workers is the lead guitar player). The band was great and the crowd was decent. They threw some CDs out after their set, and I got one (as did the girls). The following band was a bit interesting. They're singer had laryngitis, so they were relying on crowd members for the vocals. They invited anyone up on stage, regardless of if they knew the lyrics. One guy got up and sang a bit...they didn't have the mic turned up much, and I'm not really sure if he was singing proper lyrics or just rambling on. The second guy who got up, actually had the lyrics scribbled out on paper by the singer...plus he was a fan of the band and knew how the songs went. He did well...kept tune and belted out the vocals pretty good. 'twas fun!
Saturday I didn't do much in the day. Had dinner at Montana's with Q&S, Rol, Hoju, Slefler and Ms Soon to be Mrs Slefler. Q&S & I hit up the casino after dinner and that turned out well (for me at least). I played Blackjack and played a bit more aggressively than usual. If I won a hand, I let my winnings ride (sometimes). I ended up walking away with more than double my starting amount...and that made me happy! After casino, I met up with Yeech & Amy, Becky, & Hercher at Murph's pub (the old Tally Ho) for some stand-up comedy. The pub was very, um, non-urban. The comedy got off to a rough start...although the MC was hilarious (in that he was completely hammered and about to fall over). The first "act" was some kid who thought he was funny (I assume), but was so not. His "humour" was all sexual and his delivery was terrible (not that a better delivery would have helped, as the jokes just weren't jokes). He got a few pity claps, but everyone was glad when he left the stage. The second act was a magician. He was ok...his tricks weren't very spectacular, but he didn't fuck them up so at least he's got the delivery part pretty good. Third act was a ventriloquist. She wasn't bad, although you could see her lips moving most of the time. She was capable of throwing her voice though...as she proved when she brushed her teeth and ventrilled (?) at the same time. I think she just needed to work on honing her skills. He act was ok...not overly funny, but not dumb. The main act, Richard Latch, turned out to be not bad. He got off to a bit of a rocky start, but soon got into his groove and carried out the evening well. He had a whole range of topics...from everyday stuff, to rude and crude. He was even a tad Carlinesque at times, which was nice. All in all a decent evening (and free except for the beers, which don't really factor in).
Sunday I hung out with Sara...had breakfast with her and Ross at John's Place (we didn't even end up having to pay, as Ross' friend took care of us...'twas a pleasant surprise). Ross offloaded Sara onto me after that, and we did a little shopping and walking, and talking...then we finished off the afternoon with some Blizzards...mmmmm. That evening, the dog that Q&S are taking care of got out of the backyard...so I helped in the search effort. He was found, near the house, after not too long of a time. I had made my way down to Saxe Point when they found me. Silly doggie.
I forgot to mention that a good portion of my friday night...before meeting up with the girls to see the band...was spent shredding paper. I got myself a decent cross-cut shredder, with bin and autostart, for $30 at XS Cargo. It works great and I'm glad I held out until I found the right price. I had quite a bit of paper for shredding saved up. I'd like to see someone paste those precious documents together now...hahaha!
This past weekend was pretty good. Friday I hung out with Yeech for most of the day...we had lunch, did a bit of shopping, watched some TV (this funny British show called "Little Britain"), and saw Jarhead (which wasn't too bad...sort of Full Metal Jacket meets Three Kings). Later that night I met up with Polly and Melinda at Steamers (hadn't been there in a long time) to see this band, Dirtfella (one of Polly's co-workers is the lead guitar player). The band was great and the crowd was decent. They threw some CDs out after their set, and I got one (as did the girls). The following band was a bit interesting. They're singer had laryngitis, so they were relying on crowd members for the vocals. They invited anyone up on stage, regardless of if they knew the lyrics. One guy got up and sang a bit...they didn't have the mic turned up much, and I'm not really sure if he was singing proper lyrics or just rambling on. The second guy who got up, actually had the lyrics scribbled out on paper by the singer...plus he was a fan of the band and knew how the songs went. He did well...kept tune and belted out the vocals pretty good. 'twas fun!
Saturday I didn't do much in the day. Had dinner at Montana's with Q&S, Rol, Hoju, Slefler and Ms Soon to be Mrs Slefler. Q&S & I hit up the casino after dinner and that turned out well (for me at least). I played Blackjack and played a bit more aggressively than usual. If I won a hand, I let my winnings ride (sometimes). I ended up walking away with more than double my starting amount...and that made me happy! After casino, I met up with Yeech & Amy, Becky, & Hercher at Murph's pub (the old Tally Ho) for some stand-up comedy. The pub was very, um, non-urban. The comedy got off to a rough start...although the MC was hilarious (in that he was completely hammered and about to fall over). The first "act" was some kid who thought he was funny (I assume), but was so not. His "humour" was all sexual and his delivery was terrible (not that a better delivery would have helped, as the jokes just weren't jokes). He got a few pity claps, but everyone was glad when he left the stage. The second act was a magician. He was ok...his tricks weren't very spectacular, but he didn't fuck them up so at least he's got the delivery part pretty good. Third act was a ventriloquist. She wasn't bad, although you could see her lips moving most of the time. She was capable of throwing her voice though...as she proved when she brushed her teeth and ventrilled (?) at the same time. I think she just needed to work on honing her skills. He act was ok...not overly funny, but not dumb. The main act, Richard Latch, turned out to be not bad. He got off to a bit of a rocky start, but soon got into his groove and carried out the evening well. He had a whole range of topics...from everyday stuff, to rude and crude. He was even a tad Carlinesque at times, which was nice. All in all a decent evening (and free except for the beers, which don't really factor in).
Sunday I hung out with Sara...had breakfast with her and Ross at John's Place (we didn't even end up having to pay, as Ross' friend took care of us...'twas a pleasant surprise). Ross offloaded Sara onto me after that, and we did a little shopping and walking, and talking...then we finished off the afternoon with some Blizzards...mmmmm. That evening, the dog that Q&S are taking care of got out of the backyard...so I helped in the search effort. He was found, near the house, after not too long of a time. I had made my way down to Saxe Point when they found me. Silly doggie.
I forgot to mention that a good portion of my friday night...before meeting up with the girls to see the band...was spent shredding paper. I got myself a decent cross-cut shredder, with bin and autostart, for $30 at XS Cargo. It works great and I'm glad I held out until I found the right price. I had quite a bit of paper for shredding saved up. I'd like to see someone paste those precious documents together now...hahaha!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Wow! When you're not asking $19,000 for a car, Craigslist works great! I just posted 2 items in the "free" section and within 5 minutes a guy called about one of them. He showed up 45 minutes later, took the item he'd called for, plus the other one, plus another thing I hadn't posted, but didn't want anymore. Done...gone, all inside of an hour. Awesome! Now I have some space in my place again.
The human race bothers me. I know I'm part of it, and I'm sure I'm part of some of the problems we create and compound...but there's others that do a lot worse. There are several topics I could rant about on this, but the ones that have been most prevalent in my life the last couple days are the entertainment industry (of which I am a part), and business. Let's do entertainment first.
The topic that "cropped" up yesterday was Jennifer Aniston's appearance on the talk shows (promoting her new movie)...but of course the question on "everyone's" mind isn't her movie, it's who she's dating. WHO THE FUCK CARES? It's not just Aniston...it's all celebrities. I know they've chosen a life that is in the public eye, but really...why should anyone care more about these people than anyone else? The tabloids/media...they scrutinize every move they make. It's sickening really. I know this isn't a revelation or anything...I just wanted to state my point. Nothing's gonna change, but since it doesn't affect me personally (yet anyways), I'll just go on not paying that much attention.
The other topic is business...particularly ethical practices. I'm reading "Fast Food Nation" right now...which is quite excellently organised and presented. There is a lot of information on the business side of fast food operations, as well as the industries that supply and are involved with the restaurants. When the author writes about the history of these industries, they seem to have started small and humble and with a genuinely good focus and reason...but somewhere along the line, the focus became money...lots and lots and lots of money. I know money has become important in modern society (not that I agree with that...but it's a fact that no one can just disregard), but it's insane how profits and margins influence business decisions. They put people at risk, they lie, they ignore, they just don't seem to care about anything except bringing in more green. How do people get like this? I mean, I think I was raised pretty ethically...I know my rights from my wrongs (although I've still wronged...but at least I know it's wrong) and I can't think of anytime when I would put money before anyone's well being. Are these business people just being raised wrong? Are they being brainwashed? Or are they truly just assholes? I did have a first hand taste of being involved with what I perceived as unethical business practice at my job in New Zealand. While it wasn't anywhere near the extremes I've read about in "Fast Food Nation", I wasn't comfortable when we overcharged for services or tried to sell our "product" that wasn't anywhere ready for release. The boss wouldn't want me to talk much during potential client meetings, because I was too honest...and honesty doesn't work when you're trying to pull a fast one.
All right, I think that's the jist of what's been on my mind lately. I may not have spit it out onto the screen very well, but you get the idea, right? It's not new stuff...I've probably even ranted about it in a prior post.
I have other issues I want to rant on, but I think I'll save those for another time.
The human race bothers me. I know I'm part of it, and I'm sure I'm part of some of the problems we create and compound...but there's others that do a lot worse. There are several topics I could rant about on this, but the ones that have been most prevalent in my life the last couple days are the entertainment industry (of which I am a part), and business. Let's do entertainment first.
The topic that "cropped" up yesterday was Jennifer Aniston's appearance on the talk shows (promoting her new movie)...but of course the question on "everyone's" mind isn't her movie, it's who she's dating. WHO THE FUCK CARES? It's not just Aniston...it's all celebrities. I know they've chosen a life that is in the public eye, but really...why should anyone care more about these people than anyone else? The tabloids/media...they scrutinize every move they make. It's sickening really. I know this isn't a revelation or anything...I just wanted to state my point. Nothing's gonna change, but since it doesn't affect me personally (yet anyways), I'll just go on not paying that much attention.
The other topic is business...particularly ethical practices. I'm reading "Fast Food Nation" right now...which is quite excellently organised and presented. There is a lot of information on the business side of fast food operations, as well as the industries that supply and are involved with the restaurants. When the author writes about the history of these industries, they seem to have started small and humble and with a genuinely good focus and reason...but somewhere along the line, the focus became money...lots and lots and lots of money. I know money has become important in modern society (not that I agree with that...but it's a fact that no one can just disregard), but it's insane how profits and margins influence business decisions. They put people at risk, they lie, they ignore, they just don't seem to care about anything except bringing in more green. How do people get like this? I mean, I think I was raised pretty ethically...I know my rights from my wrongs (although I've still wronged...but at least I know it's wrong) and I can't think of anytime when I would put money before anyone's well being. Are these business people just being raised wrong? Are they being brainwashed? Or are they truly just assholes? I did have a first hand taste of being involved with what I perceived as unethical business practice at my job in New Zealand. While it wasn't anywhere near the extremes I've read about in "Fast Food Nation", I wasn't comfortable when we overcharged for services or tried to sell our "product" that wasn't anywhere ready for release. The boss wouldn't want me to talk much during potential client meetings, because I was too honest...and honesty doesn't work when you're trying to pull a fast one.
All right, I think that's the jist of what's been on my mind lately. I may not have spit it out onto the screen very well, but you get the idea, right? It's not new stuff...I've probably even ranted about it in a prior post.
I have other issues I want to rant on, but I think I'll save those for another time.
Friday, November 04, 2005
I haven't exactly been a pillar of health lately. My eating habits have gone a little south...not that many vegetables in the mix. I haven't been running since the half marathon either...I need to get back at it. I haven't even biked to work that much...I drove Monday and Tuesday this week, and I'll probably drive today as well...various reasons. Driving my truck...no more P5. I don't necessarily miss the P5, but I don't exactly enjoy my truck. My vehicle decisions in the last 15 months haven't been very smart. Let's see...I flogged my family's Sierra, which was a good solid truck that only cost gas and some maintenance to keep going. I flog it to get my P5, which I would have been paying for for 7 years or so. Good car, nothing wrong with it...it's just that I was paying a lot of money for something I wasn't using all that much. So then I have a brilliant idea to buy another truck (cause I like trucks) and sell the P5. Well, my first mistake was buying the truck before the car sold...I just assumed that P5's would be in demand and I'd have no trouble selling it. Boy was I wrong. I didn't think I was asking too much...after all, it had quite low kilometers and was in good shape. So I had to keep dropping my price because I had the debt of two vehicles to deal with and I wanted to get rid of the more expensive one. I handled it all ok...but not my brightest moment. So now the car is gone, and I don't regret selling it (it has gone to a good home with Polly), but I'm now dealing with a truck that I didn't think much about before buying. It needs a tranny. It needs a battery. It gets terrible gas mileage...I've already run out twice (well the first time was a close call...I basically drifted into the gas station) because I didn't think the tank could be empty after so few kilometers. But, it does run, and the amount I use a vehicle, it's really all I need at this time. So I can live with it.
Hindsight truly is 20/20 though...if only I'd kept the original truck that I owned outright, I'd be in a better financial situation and wouldn't be feeling like such an idiot. But I can't change the past, so fuck it. Shit happens and I keep on truckin'.
In other news, my mullet is gone. I'm now sporting a very short do. It's comfy and low maintenance...a little cold though. I'm liking it for the most part. I do sorta miss the long hair a bit. Many people wanted me to keep the mullet...but I just didn't feel like it. It was fun while it lasted.
Hindsight truly is 20/20 though...if only I'd kept the original truck that I owned outright, I'd be in a better financial situation and wouldn't be feeling like such an idiot. But I can't change the past, so fuck it. Shit happens and I keep on truckin'.
In other news, my mullet is gone. I'm now sporting a very short do. It's comfy and low maintenance...a little cold though. I'm liking it for the most part. I do sorta miss the long hair a bit. Many people wanted me to keep the mullet...but I just didn't feel like it. It was fun while it lasted.
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