Finally a real update

Okay, dishes are done and guitar has been played so it's about time I sit down and update anyone who actually reads this on what's new...

Well I'm enjoying life in my now fully furnished apartment (even though I haven't often been home much in the last week). I'm also enjoying the Oilers' run in this years playoffs (as I'm sure you all could guess). I can't believe how well they're all playing as a team...and that's what makes hockey the greatest sport, a total team effort can drive a team with the desire to win through some of the more skilled teams. Not that I underestimate the skill on the Oilers (where did Pisani come from all of a sudden?) but when you compare them to the Sharks and Red Wings you can't really say the Oilers have the edge in the pure skill department (though maybe they do in depth).

Other new stuff...I've been to two big concerts in the last few weeks. First was INXS the night before my housewarming. Good show with lots of energy and I'm actually quite surprised at how many of their songs I actually knew. Next was the last show on Our Lady Peace's latest tour. A couple of pretty good opening bands kicked it off including the Neverending White Lights. Good show. Then OLP came on and played for 2 hours (including a huge encore with all 4 bands on the tour on stage singing Starseed together, my favorite OLP song).

And on the topic of music, I just picked up 3 new albums lately. The new Red Hot Chili Peppers is pretty awesome with some wicked bass lines and some really kicking funk beats that get your toes tapping. Then yesterday I picked up the new Angels & Airwaves album (the new band of Tom Delong, formerly of Blink-182). It's definitely different but very good. Check it out. And last but not least was yesterday's release of the newest Less Than Jake album, "In With The Out Crowd". I've been waiting for some new stuff from my favorite band and it's satisfied that itch. Not their best album but definitely good and it's growing on me the more I listen to it.

Okay, this is getting pretty long already so I won't go into too much more detail on stuff. Work is going pretty well. I got screened into my CS-01 competition (for a permanent job at StatsCan) and so I get to write a test on June 15th to see if I get an interview for the competition. Right now I'm on an expensive 3 day Oracle database tuning course downtown so I'm learning a bunch of interesting new stuff.

Outside of work life's going very well too. My volleyball net is here now so I can't wait to get out to the beach this weekend. I'm playing guitar a lot and occasionally messing around on my trumpet. I've also been spending quite a bit of time with Johanna (who is gone for a couple of weeks so I have to find something else to fill my time). Speaking of Johanna, we went to the DaVinci Code last Sunday and without going into too much detail because this post is long enough already, don't believe all the critics. I thought it was pretty good. If you liked the book then go see the movie for sure. Most of the trashy reviews are bashing the ideas from the book and not the actual movie. Paul Bettany puts on a pretty haunting performance as Silas the albino monk.

Well I think that's a pretty good update for now. If anyone really wants to know more you should know my e-mail and since I never hear from most of you anymore anyway, drop me a line. Now I think I'm going to listen to a little more Less Than Jake and head to bed early.

More pictures from the warming of my apartment

You can go to JP's site for even more...http://web.mac.com/x_philie2000/
...or you can look at a few of the pics that France sent me from her camera...

Wei and Ali:


Marc and Sophie:


Other Marc and Ive:


Robyn supervises the poker game:


Aww...Anne-Marie missed Jay:


I honestly didn't think the futon would hold four:


A pretty good summary picture:


And that update is coming, I swear...I've just got to finish doing the dishes first...

Proud to be Canadian!

How about the fans in Rexall Place last night in Edmonton taking over for Paul Loreau in the singing of O Canada!! Now if that isn't pride in one's country and one's home team, I don't know what is. Kind of brings a tear to my eye and a shiver up the spine.

Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meLpuF9UMvk

GO OILERS GO!!

P.S. More updates to come since I have been slacking on the posts recently.

OILERS WIN!!

WE'RE GOING TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL!! WOO HOO!!

If Edmonton can play against Anaheim like they did in this series against San Jose they'll win it. Just stick to the good hard nosed hockey and they'll pull through.

GO OILERS GO!!

P.S. My sister's picture is on the Edmonton Oilers website under the fan pics section. She's with her friends in front of the Fanzoni with the Stanley Cup hat that she made. And she's been on TV a bunch with her Oilers gear on. Go Julz!

Happy Mother's Day!

Love you Mom!

Housewarming

As promised earlier today, here are some pictures from my housewarming last night. There was a much bigger turnout than I expected but that was good because I got to see everyone and we all had a good time. Thanks to everyone that came and to those that couldn't make it, don't worry, you can see the place another time soon (or look at the pictures that I posted this morning).

Welcome to my humble abode where the conversation was lively all night:





Ive and France (with Jay in the back):


Tracy checking on the baby with Andrew watching the Sens game (Marc and Sophie in the background with Tony bouncing the Yoga ball):


Not only was it my housewarming, but France's birthday is today so we had a cake for that too (Happy Birthday France!):


Ive's little brother Antonio (life of the party and expert photographer):


It isn't a party until the Donkey Konga game is broken out (look how intense the bongo action is):



Jay's classic pose while Kevin, Johanna, and Robyn relax on the new Futon:


And of course a poker game breaks out (with Wei presiding and Cora keeping an eye on him):


Well that pretty much sums it up. I know JP will be putting up his photos sometime so I'll try to link to that when I can since I didn't really get pictures with everyone.

Some Assembly Required

Welcome to the house (apartment) that Ikea built...or rather, the house that Ikea delivered (or sold me) in pieces for me to assemble. Since I have been living here for 3 months now, I figured it was about time I finished furnishing the place. There is a story behind the troubles in getting all the furniture but I'll save that for later for those few people that haven't heard me whine about it yet (let me know if anyone actually wants the full story). Without further ado, here's my little virtual tour...enjoy!

The View (on today's cloudy day):


The kitchen and front hall (still a little messy from last night's housewarming):


Several views of the living room:






And the bedroom:



Hopefully this gives everyone a little better idea of my place. Pictures are better than words. I know the walls are really white and I need to get something to put up there (namely a huge Oilers flag and to put up my Sens flag) but I figured something to sit on should be my first priority. Anyway, those are my digs...I'm pretty happy with the way it's all come together. I'll post some pictures of my housewarming from last night next, as soon as I do those dishes in the kitchen and finish cleaning up.

New TV!!

So Jay's back for a week from Sweeden starting Friday night. So obviously we had to go make our regular electronics shopping trip and I just happened to be in the market for a new TV. So after some careful deliberation at Future Shop I finally bought it. Just a 27" flat tube Toshiba but I like it. I also bought a new 250 Gb hard drive on an impulse at PC Cyber. At least now I have space to download a bunch of movies, TV shows, and put more of my CDs on my computer. Time to shut down the computer and get that sucker installed so I put Bit Torrent to work.

I am Iron Man

Your results:
You are Iron Man

Iron Man 85% Green Lantern 75% Spider-Man 70% The Flash 70% Robin 70% Superman 70% Hulk 55% Catwoman 50% Wonder Woman 43% Supergirl 38% Batman 35%

Inventor. Businessman. Genius.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

No Battle of Alberta this post season

So the Flames are out. I'm actually kind of indifferent about this. Part of me is happy when Calgary loses. The other part is sad that another Canadian team has been eliminated and that we won't have a phenomenal Battle of Alberta like you know it would have been. I guess defense may win championships but when you get no good shots on net and play defense the whole game like Calgary did tonight, you don't score and you lose.

Oh well, the Oilers are just going to have to beat the Sharks instead. Slightly less exciting but just as much of a challenge. GO OILERS GO!

Beautiful Evening and a Beautiful Sunset

It was such a beautiful night that I decided to take a rollerblade down by the river and head down to the beach to see if I could catch the sunset. Now I'm not in the best of shape but I figured I had quite a bit of time to get down to the beach and still catch the sunset with my camera so I took a bit more of a round about route. I had to hussle and boy did it take it right out of me...but I caught the sunset just in time. Here's a few shots I managed to get from a couple different places. It sure was a beautiful sight, the pictures don't quite convey the view. And the best news, the beach looks like a great place to play volleyball :D

Best Buy Prank

As a guy who appreciates a well organized prank, I find this pretty humorous. As a former Best Buy employee, I find this hilarious.

Check out the link here: http://www.improveverywhere.com/mission_view.php?mission_id=57

Too much of a good thing

As I have repeated several times...I love this time of year! That being said, there are two problems I have with all this hockey. The first is obvious...I don't get any sleep. Especially now that I'm in the Eastern time zone. Those 10:00pm EST games are a killer, especially when they go into double OT. So as you might guess, I didn't get much sleep this week and post work naps just didn't work out as planned (I take about 30 min to fully recover from what should just be a short power nap).

The second problem is that the powers that be at CBC suck. Why could they not split the network better when they have two games to broadcast. I'm really not happy I didn't get to watch the last Oilers game because not one of the 8 CBC channels I get (I recounted after the last post) is carrying the game. If they weren't going to be able to broadcast both the Calgary and Edmonton games to a broad audience, why not shop it out to another network. It seemed kind of a waste for them to have a whole crew doing the game and everything while only broadcasting to Edmonton and Windsor (two stations I don't get on timeshifting). Anyway, this just proves again why I need the NHL Centre Ice package next season.

Hopefully this just won't happen again, especially if in the next round the Oilers are playing Calgary (assuming Colorado finishes of Dallas and both Calgary and Edmonton win their remaining best of 3's). Well, I should clean some more stuff up before hockey starts up again this afternoon. Triple header today...woo hoo!

GO OILERS GO!

Tis the season...for beach volleyball

After work today I did something I didn't think I'd be doing for a few weeks yet...played beach volleyball. We went to Mooney's Bay after work and played some 3 on 3 for a couple of hours. Granted it was only about 12 degrees out but it was clear, sunny, and generally beautiful despite the cold sand. It was good to get back into it, I can't wait until it becomes a regular occurance at least once a week. Maybe I'll even get back into shape (a shape other than round anyway).

In other news, many of you know I bought a couch from IKEA but much to my frustration, when they came to deliver it we couldn't quite get it through the door from the hallway into my apartment. I'm none too pleased but I guess that's the way it goes. Now I'm stuck looking for a couch...again. Hopefully I can find one this weekend.

Well, I'm going to get cleaning. I'd be watching the Oilers' game but none of the 7 CBC's I get (including all my timeshifted channels) get the game. I'm not too impressed. Guess I'll have to listen to it on the internet radio (which I'm doing right now and they just scored...yay). If they can pull it off tonight they have a great chance at completing the upset. GO OILERS GO!

OILERS WIN!!

HUGE DOUBLE OT WIN!! And for the second night in a row I'm going to bed after 2am and I'll be getting up before 7...I love playoff time.

GO OILERS GO!!

IT'S GO TIME!

Let the second season begin! NHL Playoffs start now! GO OILERS GO!

Happy Long Weekend

Well, Thursday's volleyball didn't go quite as planned and we ended up losing (again). Oh well, it was fun playing with that team and in the competitive division. I think we're all going to play again together next year and I might play beach volleyball with some of them as well. The couch and TV shopping yesterday didn't go so well either. Everything in Ontario was closed so Anne-Marie and I went to shop on the French side. I did manage to purchase a webcam though so if anyone (especially those already on my messenger list) have a webcam (or even a mic) and we can chat a little easier. Anyway, today is kind of crummy weather outside (as opposed to yesterday when it was beautiful) so I think it will be a cleaning day. Oh, and time to finish my French homework. Enjoy the long weekend everyone!

Updates Galore

Okay, so I've been lax the last couple of weeks so this is a long update and I'm going to roll several posts into one. Go get a glass of water or something to drink, you might want something to drink while you read. Go ahead, I'll wait... ... ...back already, okay, here it goes...

B-Tier Champions!!

So in the Statcan league we play in the B Division and tonight we won the division championship! Yay us! It was a hard fought battle but we played probably our best match of the year at just the right time. Tomorrow night it's off to play with half of the team that we just beat in the Statcan league when I play in the competitive division of the OSSC league (Ottawa Sport and Social Club). It should be a lot of fun and since it's the last game of the year and it's a long weekend coming up, it should be a fun evening. I'm still trying to decide if I should play beach volleyball in an organized league or only take my net down to the beach and play with friends. We'll see.

Movies

In the last couple of weeks I saw a few new movies. I still haven't seen Ice Age despite a few attempts to get to that one (don't laugh, I like some kiddie movies). However I have managed to see V for Vendetta and Inside Man. Both were pretty good flicks and I would recommend them. The one catch is that you have to ignore a small part of V near the end because it cornballs the whole movie. Inside Man is awesome though. If you like cop movies, or especially if you liked a movie like Oceans Eleven, you're going to like Inside Man. Go see it.

Music & TV

So I've been watching Grey's Anatomy quite a bit lately (I even bought the first season on DVD). That show has some really awesome music. One of the episodes is where I first heard Anna Nalick. If you like stuff like Missy Higgins (Australian artist) or some accoustic and piano stuff, you'll like Anna Nalick. She actually opened for Rob Thomas on his recent tour. I picked up her CD a little while ago. You should definitely check her stuff out (if you like that kind of music). Also check out Grey's Anatomy since it's such a good funny drama.

Apartment Update

Well, I've been living here for a while now and I'm pretty much settled in. I spend most of my time at home either on the computer, reading a book, or playing guitar. As much as the TV is often on (to provide some background noise/music), I don't find that I'm watching it that much. Despite that, I really should get a new TV. But really what I need is a couch...at least sometime before my housewarming at the start of May. So I'll post some pictures soon, honest. I even have a few on my drive of sunsets from my balcony but I'll get some of the inside once I finish getting furniture.

Work and the rest of my life

Well, work pretty much is most of the rest of my life. Besides pool and what I've mentioned so far, there isn't much going on that isn't work. A couple weeks ago I took a course on a piece of software a lot of Statcan uses for a few days. I've also been pretty busy doing normal work. On top of that I just started my French language training. Laugh it up...soon I'll be able to...introduce myself and ask you what your profession is (actually I can already do that but it's only the beginning).

Anyway, that pretty much wraps it up for now. Obviously I can't really leave updates this long. I realize now that I even managed to leave out any talk of hockey (which is pretty hard to do at this point in the season but that can wait for later). Well I'm tired after all that typing so I'm going to strum the old guitar a bit and go to bed.

Happy Hump Day

Mid-week...and it's a good day. It's a beautiful warm sunny day outside in Ottawa and though I'm stuck inside at a course, at least I can look out the window. And it was nice to be outside this morning. The other reason it's a good day, volleyball tonight. It's playoff time in the Statscan league and we are looking to win the whole B division. It should be an easy game tonight but I'm sure it'll be fun. Tomorrow I'm subbing for the same competitive team I subbed for last week. Hopefully my legs hold up a little better this week. Well, break's over so it's time to get back to the wonderful world of SAS *yuck*.

Saturday night hockey update

Well, two periods in the book for the Habs and Leafs and Sens and Flyers. Also, the University of Alberta Golden Bears are on their way to defend their title tomorrow as they dominate the McGill Redmen 5-1. GO BEARS GO! I can't wait until tomorrow's final. I wish I was still in Edmonton to be there for it. I'm sure there will be some partying done tonight...and hopefully tomorrow.

As for the NHL games, the Sens came out really flat and were lit up for 4 goals pretty quick. With the help of former Oiler goaltender Mike Morrison who relieved Ray Emery, the Sens are on the march to get back in the game, scoring in the second (almost two goals but I won't get into that). The Habs let Toronto get the first goal of the game in the other important Eastern matchup but came back to buildup a 5-1 lead going into the third. This could be the knockout punch that pushes the Leafs out of the playoff picture (hopefully). Maybe the sports news networks can focus on teams that still have a hope of making/going far in the playoffs rather than the practically done Leafs.

Well, back to the game...I love Saturday nights!

Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey

It's that time of the week again. And tonight is an even more special night because the U of A is playing in the national semi-final as well as a major night for 5 of the 6 Canadian NHL teams. So as the games start I'm going to park my butt and cook up some mozza sticks.

Go Bears Go!
Go Oilers Go!
Go Sens Go!
Go Habs Go!

(in that order...aproximately)

Legs of Jelly

Boy it feels good to play competitive volleyball again! Not that the Statscan league isn't good, it's challenging in its own way and is a whole lot of fun but the team I subbed for tonight, wow. It's the competitive division of OSSC (Ottawa wide sports and rec organization) and we played one of the top teams (the team I played on is a basement dweller in the division but still pretty good). It was fast, hard hitting and I played pretty good for someone who hasn't played at that level for a couple years. And of course since I can jump (somewhat less than what I used to be able to do but still better than most) I was stuck playing middle, a position my short stature is not built for. But I had some huge blocks on some 6'2" guys and a couple of major kills. Plus I played some pretty good defense and dug up some huge hits (some luck was involved in this). Anyway, my legs are killing me and we only played 3 games but they were intense and I loved it.

That all being said, I'm headed for bed. At least tomorrow is Friday.

Hockey Night in Canada

Well, it's Saturday night and guess where I am...parked squarely in front of the glowing box as are many Canadians on every Saturday night. I do have one major issue with the sports broadcasting in Canada (more specifically in Ontario) and that would be the intense focus on Toronto. Not that this is a whole lot different than a lot of other news coverage or anything in Canada but for sports it just annoys me that much more. Every set of sports highlights starts and ends with something to do with the Maple Leafs, or the Raptors, or the Jays. Even when the Leafs aren't playing that night or didn't have a game the night before, the geniuses at Sportsnet and TSN still find some little bit pertaining to the Leafs to show and waste our time. CBC is even worse. Did you know that Toronto plays every Saturday of the season and is always the the early game on Hockey Night in Canada this season? That's just rediculous. At least tonight I don't have to put up with the lame Leafs thanks to my timeshifting cable package and coverage of the Montreal game (which is turning out to be a great game by the way). At least soon we won't have to hear as much about the Leafs because the playoffs are coming and I don't think Toronto is going to make it...yay!

Speaking of the playoffs...I think the Oilers could go deep this year...seriously for real this time. I was hesitant at first but Roloson has found his place in Edmonton now and it looks like he's starting to settle and play like the #1 goalie we were looking for. And Samsonov...what a great pick up. 4 points already with the oil drop on his chest and I think the good times will only get better. We'll see how the Oilers do tonight against Detroit but I'm definitely looking forward to the game. Well, I'd better make some supper before Don Cherry comes on so it's ready for the second period of the Habs game.

GO OILERS GO!!

Video Clip

I just had a friend send me this link to a really cool video clip. Take a look, especially if you like the Simpsons.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=49IDp76kjPw

And yes...for those that are wondering, I am going to post again soon. Right now I'm just a little hungry and would like to eat first.

I'm a procrastinator

Yeah, yeah, it's been a few weeks since I posted. And despite my best efforts to start a post, I always end up saving the draft of it and putting it aside to finish it later. Well it's later, and I don't feel like finishing those posts. Some about the olympics, others about the NHL trade deadline (about to hit in 15 min by the way which is why I'm on the net right now at work), others about random thoughts.

Here's a summary of the olympics first:

Canada did extremely well. Despite the many 4th place finishes that could have been medals had the athletes had that extra little push or training (I blame some of this on lack of amature athlete funding) we still managed to finish with the best medal total at an olympics ever (for Canada). This is also in spite of the men's hockey team not medalling (don't get me started, it still is a sore spot with me). Much of this total comes from Cindy Klaussen. Amazing athlete and my vote for Canadian athlete of the year...not to mention athlete of the games. Ok, so there's my olympic wrap minus the rant that I have let defuse.

Summary of the NHL and the trade deadline:

As I write this post the last few trades will trickle in so pardon me if I interrupt myself with an update. So far there hasn't been any really huge trades with the possible exception of Theodore for Aebischer. It's still been incredibly exciting for me and I love watching the rumor sites and message board discussions over possible trades. Next will come the analysis of what happened (or didn't happen) and that part is almost as fun. As for my Oilers...we lost possibly our best goalie (Morrison) to Ottawa on waivers but gained an even better one in Roloson coming back in a trade with Minnisota. I was a little unsure of Rollie the Goalie at first but I think it'll prove to be a good trade. Hopefully he's the answer to the goaltending problems in Edmonton and the Oilers go deep in the playoffs (or all the way to the cup if we're lucky). I'll probably end up writing more about hockey in the next couple days but again, we'll see.

Summary of my life right now in general:

Good. Not super fantabulous or anything but everything is going well. I've been getting some exercise playing badminton and volleyball, I'm still enjoying pool (and am back to helping run the league), and am getting more and more comfortable in my new place. I still need a couch and TV though. The one snag that has hit is that I need a smaller couch or at least a couch that can fit through my smaller front door. This could be a problem but one that I'm going to have to work around. Work is going well and I'm starting to get a lot of stuff to do. Not all of it is glamorous and exciting (to some of you my job is never that) but it's a living and I enjoy the people I work with and most of what I do.

Anyway, that's the update as it stands right now. Hopefully I'll write again soon.

Olympic Hockey is turned sideways and some good shows to watch

First off, let me just say that I am sorry for not posting my hundreds of olympic thoughts from these games. I get ready to post almost every day and then something comes up (usually more olympic coverage) and I end up going to bed instead of getting on the computer. Tonight I finally had enough and will forsake the extra 15 min of sleep so that I can post some thoughts.

Olympic thought #1: Women's Hockey...Canada "running up the score" in the round robin. First off, that is competitiveness and not unsportsmanlike. If goal differential held no meaning, I can see some people believing that but come on, these ladies train hard to play at their peak level. If that level is too much for other nations that are just beginning to develop their programs, and sorry if this sounds a little harsh, TOO BAD. You can learn a lot by playing the best team in the world and getting your butt kicked. Now the other shocker in Women's hockey is of course the upset of the USA by Sweeden in the semi-final. This creates the first major championship game that is not US vs Canada in Women's international ice hockey. Good for Sweeden and good for the sport. I'm not going to say this is a free gold medal now for Canada because upsets do happen but...well, it's pretty much a lock. That being said, good luck to the ladies in red and white and bring home another gold.

Olympic thought #2: Men's Hockey...what else can I say besides, "What the hell are you guys doing?" It's one thing to have a slow start and have to come back. It's another thing altogether when you don't even get close to having a comeback. Their play in the last two games has been horrendous. Sure they got a lot of shots on net and had some good scoring chances. Sure the goalies in both of their last games have been running hot and made some great saves but still. They're basically an NHL all-star team and they can't get a goal (that was called anyway) in back to back games? Come on. They'd better wake up quick or the Slovaks are or Russians are going to pound them in the quarter-finals. I think they need a swift kick in the ass so give'em hell Gretz because Pat Quinn just sucks and he can't seem to do it.

All other olympic thoughts will be left for another time because I'm getting tired...so on to the other topic of this post, great shows to watch.

For those Sci-Fi freaks (like me) there is Battlestar Galactica. A show that I have been repeatedly told was amazing (and according to Wei is the best show ever) but that I had never actually sat down to watch. So I started watching it from the beginning, starting with the miniseries and moving on to the actual series. I have to say it's pretty good and I can't wait to watch the next episode when I have time.

Another Sci-Fi show...Stargate Atlantis. If you liked the first one, this one is pretty good too. I haven't gotten totally into it but it is a good show and when the first 2 seasons finish downloading I'll be sure to watch them all.

Next is a show that I might take some flak for watching (kind of a girly comedic drama)...Grey's Anatomy. I recommend you at least watch a few episodes. The last few weeks were awesome. Plus there is some really kick ass background music in a lot of the shows by some relatively unknown, but great, musicians. Check out the show's website to see some of the songs if you want to know what they were after watching the show.

Last but definitely not least...The Daily Show. I can't say enough about Jon Stewart and this show. Even if you don't understand a lot of American politics this show will still crack you up. Check it out for sure.

That's about all I have to say right now but I'll be sure to get some more olympic thoughts in soon...plus some musical thoughts as well. Good night for now.

Hooked up

I have internet! I have cable! It's all ready to go. So far I'm pretty impressed with the Rogers digital cable and the high speed here. We'll see when I start to test the download speeds and when there are Oilers games on the timeshifted channels but hopefully everything keeps up with expectations. So those that have been missing me on messenger (probably isn't too many of you), I'm back hooked up and will most likely be spending more time in front of the computer again...so drop me a line.

On another note, the Olympics have started and I'm already filling up my time with TV coverage. Congratulations to Jennifer Heil on winning the gold in Women's Moguls! A great competition for a great Alberta girl. Let's hope the rest of the Canadian Olympic Team can keep up the roll. Anyway, I'm going to get back to cleaning and watching sports. Go Canada!

TGIF

Well, the weekend is finally here. It's been a long week of setting up stuff in my new apartment and getting stuff done at work but now it's time to relax (well, almost since I'm still at work writing this). I'm pretty much moved into my new apartment (finally, right Anne-Marie), just my clothes left to move. If you didn't get my new contact info (I just sent out an e-mail) then let me know and I'll forward it to you.

What else is exciting? Anne-Marie is going to visit Jay in Sweeden for a couple of weeks. Another friend, Kevin, is going to Germany for a week and a half (for work). Half of my division is taking off to some corner of the globe in the next month or so (or have already done so). And I came second in a poker tourney at Wei's house last weekend. That only gave the poker bug that has been gnawing at me a taste for the cards and chips again...it still hungers. That's probably why I'm playing again this weekend. And one of these days I'll have to get in on a normal weekly game again (or start one up myself) but I'm nost sure when that'll be yet.

Well, I'd better get back to work. Those database diagrams don't draw themselves (unless you ask them nicely). Have a good weekend everyone.

Dave has an apartment

Well, it's official now, I have a place to live. I signed the lease yesterday so I guess I'm stuck for a year anyway. The place seems quite nice and I can't say enough about the view (I'll post pictures eventually). Now all I need is furniture...and dishes...and food...and everything else you normally need in a living space. That'll all start tomorrow, and probably continue on for about a year or so until I'm finally settled and then decide to move again. Just the way this type of thing works. At least I'll have my "Ralph Bucks" to help me pay for furniture and the like (if you don't know what Ralph Bucks are or can't figure it out, you probably don't know much about Alberta but I'd be happy to explain it later if you don't get it).

On the job front things are starting to pick up quite a bit. I have a few things on the go right now. Nothing urgent yet but stuff that needs to get done and as of this afternoon, things that are frustrating. Not that most of you would understand the problem (it's a computer database thing), but suffice to say that the company that makes the database software could have made a few things a little more easy to track down. Guess I'll just have to figure out some way to get around it, that's what makes the job interesting.

The Apartment Search

Well, as many of you know, I have been searching for an apartment here in Ottawa for the last week or so. The last couple days I've looked at 4 different buildings, two being kind of ghetto and the other two (the two I looked at today) being quite nice. Is it the management company that runs the buildings that makes the difference? I'm sure starting to think so.

The places I looked at today were clean, well maintained, and looked to be well prepared for new tenants. This compares to the other ones which had okay suites, but the building isn't as well kept and the attitude of management shows. Again, the people that showed me the places today were very friendly helpful and not really pushy (which kind of surprised me a bit, being a young single male looking for "party pad"). Anyway, in case you haven't guessed by now, I'm pretty gung ho about one of the places I looked at today. I actually put in an application and if I'm serious about it going ahead (which I believe I am), then tomorrow I'm going to put down my last month's rent deposit (instead of a damage deposit for those familiar with that alternate setup). There are a few "issues" with the place but I believe they are worth it.

First, the rent is a little higher than I was first planning on paying. Granted, this place is also nicer than I was first thinking. Second, it doesn't have either a dishwasher or insuite laundry. Again, not a huge issue but did cross my mind. Now the biggest issue is the bus ride. I was planning on getting a place really close to work so I could just walk to work. You know, sleeping in later, less hassle. The kicker is, most of the places near work (the aforementioned "ghetto" places) aren't super nice. Not saying that they're all not good, I know there are nice places too. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that it's more important (especially without a car) to be close to groceries and other facilities than close to work. A 15 min bus ride isn't a big deal to work (even though a bus pass is kind of costly) and it beats the heck out of walking 25 min in the snow with 10 bags of groceries. At least I could be right across the street from a major (24 hour none the less) grocery store. And a Wal-Mart 10 more steps away to boot. Anyway, I'll let you all know how everything turns out.

For now I'm heading to bed. At least this morning I got out of bed relatively easily (only hit snooze twice) and got to work on time.

One week done...next one's beginning

Sorry about the lack of posting this week. For the most part, I was busy when I wasn't at work. And of course, while I was at work I couldn't be busy even though I should have been. Why, you ask? Because I didn't get a computer account until Thursday afternoon. And I didn't have a fully working account until Friday morning. At least now I can get down to work...and work I shall.

Other things taking up my time...volleyball, pool, movies, and of course catching up with friends. Oh and then there was today which was spent entirely in my pyjamas and either in front of the TV or in front of the computer. At least I was semi productive in finding some apartments to check out tomorrow and Tuesday. Hopefully I can find something by the end of the week. There are a few places that look promising but I'm still not exactly sure what I should be looking for. If anyone has any suggestions (places or qualities that I should be looking at), let me know. Anyway, it's about time for me to get to bed so I can actually get up and go to work without being rushed.

First Day of "Work"

Well, I'm back to being a government worker. And in typical public service fashion, I couldn't do any real work today due to the fact that there are layers upon layers of red tape. First I needed my security pass (less of a hassle than I thought it would be), then I need to fill out another form for computer accounts. Oh wait, I signed that Friday. Oh well, take that up to the help desk to get my accounts. Wait, they can't just issue an account because you have clearance already and are already an employee. They have to do another security check of some kind and, "You'll get you accounts sometime between 2 days 2 weeks". So I read what little documentation I could, visited a bunch with those I didn't talk to on Friday, and then pissed away the rest of the day. Not overly unlike my first first day there (where we had an extended lunch and did nothing but really play around on the computers...at least we could get on them). At least Jarett and I got some orientation like stuff done last time. I don't need much orienting (is that a word?) this time...I just need work to do and a computer to do it on. Anyway, hopefully *crosses fingers* I will have an account tomorrow...or Wednesday at the latest.

At least tonight I got to go out and play some pool. I forgot how much I missed it. Not just the pool but the relaxed and friendly league that I play in (and used to run) which leads to meeting a lot of really nice and friendly people. Good to see some of the old gang back and still shooting but I missed a few people I thought might still be there. Guess the location move in the last year and other life changes chased a few people off. I at least had a respectable 4-4 record while shaking the rust off. I also managed to squeak out 2 games of Snooker over Mike. Fun stuff. I'm already looking forward to next week.

Well I'd better actually get some sleep. Hopefully it won't just be another long day of sitting on my butt in my office staring at a login screen that I can do nothing about. Here's hoping.

Signed and Sealed

Well, I start my new job Monday. The contract (and all the other government paperwork) was signed this afternoon so on Monday I'll be a "Senior Statistical Clerk". Should be interesting. There was a bunch of changes in the informatics section since I left so I'll have some new faces to get used to but at least there are a lot of friendly faces around as well. Well, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my last day off for a while but I'll let you all know how the first day on the job goes on Monday.

Farewell to Alberta...Hello again Ottawa

Well, I've left the praries behind again. I made it safely to Ottawa and the only trouble was the 1 hour delay waiting for my connection in Winnipeg (the most boring airport in Canada, I swear). I arrived here just over 45 minutes later than expected (we made up some time) and was driven to Anne-Marie and Jason's apartment by a family friend. Only a few hours later (now) and after a supper at Moxie's with Jay and AM, I saw Jay go off to leave for Sweeden where he'll be working for several months. At least I got to visit for a few hours with him before he fled the country. Now I'll do my best to be a tolerable roommate/houseguest to Anne-Marie while I look for a place for my own.

Anyone visiting Ottawa, be sure to drop me a line. To all of you in Alberta...I'll miss you all. To those in Ottawa...I'm back!

What a Rush!

Tonight was the first ever Edmonton Rush game and was it ever a good time. Even though the team lost in overtime it was an exciting and enjoyable event. For those that don't know, the Rush are the newest team in the National Lacross League (NLL). And man is lacross a rough game! Good stuff! Those guys sure take a beating. It wasn't even as physical as some of the games I've watched on TV before but it still looked painful. Anyway, if you like sports (especially physical ones) check out the NLL and the Edmonton Rush.

Happy New Year from Jasper

Happy New Year to everyone! As the title of this post suggests, I'm in Jasper visiting my grandparents and up for one last trip with the folks before I leave for Ottawa. Yep, that's right. In case you haven't heard yet, I'm going back to Ottawa. I (technically speaking) have a contract with the government again. Back to the tax division at Statistics Canada. I only have to pass my security check so hopefully there isn't any terrorist out there with my name or it could be a long process.

I leave Edmonton on the 10th of January but until then I'm going to be frantically packing things trying to get ready to go and to prep things for shipping at a later date. All this while trying to see most of my friends in Edmonton one last time and finishing up my reffing stuff. If anyone wants to try and get together let me know asap. If you're in Ottawa...see you soon. I'll try to post at least once more before I leave.

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night!

Those of you actually in my address book should be getting a Christmas letter from me at some point in time. If not, fire me off an e-mail and I'll send a copy to you. My e-mail is: "david" -dot- "beck" -at- "gmail" -dot- "com" (if you can't figure out what it is from there, leave a comment). Anyway, I'll probalby end up posting my latest news sometime after Christmas (and it's relatively big news so stay tuned) but for now I just want to wish everyone joy in the season and a relaxing holiday.

Merry Christmas and have a happy and healthy New Year!

Random Post

Ok, I figured I'd get back to some random posting just to make sure I actually kept up with the blogging business...so here it goes...

What's going on with some of my friends right now?
- Dan moved back into the city to live with Norm and Janette again
- Adam left for Egypt (see his blog here)

What music am I listening to lately?
- Coheed and Cambria: "Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV: Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness" (longest album title ever) - great disc...interesting sound
- The Trews: "Den of Thieves" - didn't listen to it much for about a month after I first got it but now it's almost always cranked
- Death Cab For Cutie: "Transatlanticism" - Andrew introduced me to these guys a while ago but I never really listened to them much until now
- Yellowcard: "Ocean Avenue" - every so often I get the urge to listen to this album almost non-stop until I get tired of it again (which takes a long time)
- And last but not least: All of my Less Than Jake and Bad Religion discs - I can never get enough of that stuff

Have I seen any good movies lately?
- Aeon Flux - not necessarily the best movie I've seen but it had its moments (most of them being with Charlize Theron wearing the skimpy/tight outfits or the awesome action sequences...hey I'm a guy)
- Episode III - just rewatched it again recently and re-realized that despite all the bashing some people did on the Star Wars prequel trilogy, it acutally ties up quite nicely at the end (yes even with the corny "NOOOOOOO!")

What have I been watching on TV?
- Hockey...always
- Tonight I watched the Ron James special on CBC, Quest for the West. That guy is absolutely hilarious...I was crying I was laughing so hard
- Las Vegas - I'm still hooked on that show

Well, there's my random post for now. If I can't come up with something else to write about I'll probably have another similar post soon. Have a good weekend everyone!

I hate being sick

Don't you just hate that feeling of waking up sick? I have woken up every morning for the last week with that dry crappy feeling in my throat and such a stuffed nose that I feel like if I sit up, there will be a waterfall of...well, "nose juices" running down my face. Guess that means I should get some more sleep or something. And on that note...to bed with me.

P.S. If anyone has any suggestions at which kind of car I should be looking for, let me know. I'm open to pretty much all suggestions but I'm probably looking more in the mid-sized car bracket.

Doesn't look any better in the morning

Well there's a view of the damage for all to see. It actually doesn't look so bad in the picture but believe me, it's not worth fixing the car. You'll notice that it is now snowing in my part of the world. It looks like winter finally got the memo and work up from the long summer sleep...and only a month and a bit late. Guess those people dreaming of a brown Christmas had their dreams shattered this morning. Well I'm off to check out some classifieds and job boards.

Deer vs Car...Round 1...Fight!

A better look at the damage

Car: 1...Deer: 0

Not only am I sick (and sick and tired but that's a different story), and not only did I have an absolutely crappy day at work, but I managed to run into a deer on the way home. Yep, the car is pretty much a write-off. The deer put a pretty good dent in the front right fender and smashed the front right headlight all to bits but the tank of a Taurus kept on running (go figure that that piece of junk Ford would just keep running after that but would balk at almost any other problem you could throw at it). Unfortunately, I don't think the deer survived (at least I doubt it). I on the other hand, am counting myself lucky since I both managed to stop myself from getting whiplash while avoiding both the oncoming traffic in the other lane and the ditch. Luckily no one was behind me as well because after slamming on the brakes I half expected someone to rear end me too. I'll go take some pictures of the left over damage tomorrow morning and try to get them posted before I have to work tomorrow.

So after that little tidbit of exciting news, let me first apologize to those who actually expect me to post here or even care much when I do. Sorry that I didn't post at all in November but really it just flew by and there really wasn't much to report. Congratulations to the Eskimos on another Grey Cup! I had several football posts started but never really finished them since I was always going out the door to reffing or work. Other than those three things (football, work, reffing) my month was relatively boring. I somehow managed to not really meet with many friends at all in the last month and have lost contact with countless others. To all of you I am sorry and I hope to hear from you and write/call you soon.

Anyway, I'm going to post more stuff soon (especially when I find some stuff to write about or decide to make up random topics and rants) but for now like I said, I'm sick, so I need my rest. Remember to say your prayers and thank God for the little blessings, like not hitting the deer head on (metaphoric or literal deer), when everything else seems to be going against you.

Happy Halloween

Well I can't really say I really did anything special this year which really is too bad. But between reffing on Saturday (even though I did go out after, I didn't have a costume), working Sunday, and being lazy at home today, I didn't really get anything together. I did manage to have a strong showing in the ping pong arena (aka our garage) against my dad but I have yet to leave victorious through a race to 6-games match.

I know it's been a long time since I wrote here but really nothing much of interest has happened. I didn't even feel like posting any real hockey news since the Oilers had made me depressed (but now they're back out of their funk and can get back to being a "force to be reckoned with").

So anyway, Happy Halloween and hopefully you got out and had a good time (or at least picked up a bunch of chocolate and pigged out).

The Oilers Win!!

Welcome to the new age NHL, where the Oilers could actually be serious contenders. Ok, most of the critics probably don't agree with me but with the cap, we have a chance now. After the way they played tonight, it doesn't look half bad. Conklin didn't look too bad (okay, he let in 3 goals on 17 shots but some of those saves were crucial and tough) and the powerplay went 1 for 7 which is already better than the pre-season average (as bad as it was). I for one am excited and happy that the NHL is back in action and look forward to more exciting games like the ones tonight.

Disclaimer: For those that don't know me, I like hockey if you haven't guessed it already. While this blog is supposed to be more about my life...hockey actually takes up a lot of my life (reffing and watching) and a lot of my thoughts so I guess it's all good. Never be surprised to see more hockey content (read: rants).

And so it begins

Just over 4 hours until the puck drops on the Oilers' new season. I can't wait! Starting in about 20 min I'll be watching any kind of hockey coverage I can get until it all begins and then I'll be parking myself in front of the TSN broadcast until the Oilers have finished their first game. I guess I'll have to take a few breaks to assign some hockey and get some snacks but that's what commercials and intermission is for.

GO OILERS GO!!

Recertified

Well, I have a few things to update in my life. As most of you know, I officiate hockey. This past weekend was my annual recertification clinic. We spent two days talking about hockey and situations that have or will come up when reffing a game and relearning all that stuff we forgot. I managed a 96% on the test so I'm pretty happy. Also on the reffing front, I did my first Midget 'AAA' game as a referee last week. It wasn't your typical game though. First off, not even half way through the first period one of my linesmen (who also happens to be our referee-in-chief in Spruce Grove and a good friend of mine) gets hit by a couple of players, goes down, and breaks his ankle in two places. So after getting him off the ice, the other linesmen and I finished the period two-man until another linesmen was ready to fill in. Poor Dean is out for a while and had to have 6 screws and a plate to cover the one break and a screw near the joint to fix the other.

Work is well...work. A little boring at times but I have made quite a few sales. Since we're not on comission it doesn't really matter but at least I'm selling stuff and being helpful. I also have only been chewed out a few times by upset customers (most of them not my fault at all). Not that the job is all bad but I hope to find a "real" job doing software work soon.

Other than that, life goes on. I constantly get my butt kicked by my dad at ping pong when we have the chance to play but I am improving. I haven't had much time to go out and hang out with friends because of my work schedule and reffing starting back up but if anyone does want to hit the town let me know and I'll make time. Hopefully a regular game of poker starts up again soon so I can get back to that too. And most of all (of course) I can't wait for the NHL regular season to start back up...9 days and counting...

First day of work

Well it's not glamorous that's for sure, but someone has to do it and right now I guess that has to be me since I don't have anything else to do. The morning started with a big store-wide meeting before we opened. There was a lot of new hirees and some people that have only worked for a few weeks so a bunch of information had to be passed out. My section is pretty good and I actually managed to sell quite a bit of stuff including a $2100 sale taht I stayed an extra half an hour to finish. Not bad for a first day I think. By no means am I planning on making this a career but it's not so bad so far. Anyone looking for a computer, come look me up on the south side.

Hazardous Workplace

I don't start my job at Best Buy until the morning but disaster struck at my other "job" today. That's right, we had a bit of a problem reffing hockey today. It was my first Midget 'AAA' game as the referee and so I had two of our best linesmen out helping me out, one being my good friend and our Referee-in-Chief Dean. Unfortuately, less than halfway through the first period, a couple players ran into Dean and somehow in the whole mess, broke his ankle. So after some angonizing pain for him (I do believe), we got him off the ice and some other refs took him to the hospital for X-rays. It turns out he broke it in two places and had to go get surgery done to put some pins in (I think). Hopefully that went okay and he has a fast and full recovery. Anyway, so Darcy and I were left to two man the rest of the first period before we got another guy dressed and ready to line the rest of the game. A bit of an adventure to begin my Midget 'AAA' career but oh well, it ended up going okay (except of course for Dean's broken ankle). Hopefully my first day on the job at Best Buy is a bit more calm and less news worthy.

I have job

Yesterday was a busy day. Not only did my best friend Dan get a teaching job but I also was offered a position at Best Buy after about only 15 min of interviews. It's nothing I plan on staying in long but at least it keep me from being totally broke and bored out of my skull at home all day. Plus it'll be a new experience; I've never worked any kind of retail job. Guess we'll see come Sunday when I work my first shift.

Online Article + Movies = Dave's a Geek

Why I'm a geek will become more apparent in a moment...but first, if you haven't seen Hitch yet, you should. It's not the best movie out there but it's good for a laugh. Also, Assault on Precinct 13 is a good action movie but don't expect to think much. Set brain to off...

Ok, now the reason why I'm a geek. For those that know me, you know I like video games. Ok, I don't just like them, I play them a lot...I'm just a big kid. Now I don't just play the newest systems and I only own Nintendos, all of them (and a 3DO but let's not get technical)...but I digress...the games these days just don't hold the same challenge that they used to. Yes, it's a lot more satisfying to complete a game and find out what happens in the storyline in the more movie style games now a days but what happened to the fun in achieving that result? Isn't that what playing the game is all about?

My best example is Final Fantasy...no, not the fancy cinematic pieces of crap that most of you associate with that name but the original. Yep, the masterpiece that is Final Fantasy 1 (though it really doens't have a number after it), originally for the NES. I have one of the first, still slightly buggy, American released versions of the game for my NES and have wasted hundreds, probably even thousands, of hours playing the game over and over (see, told you I'm a geek). Anyway, the rerelease of this game on GameBoy Advance (which I of course bought right away) has been retooled a bit. It has become so easy to pass that you don't have to spend anytime doing the "monotonous" fighting to level up...but that's what the game's all about. Anyway, I'm getting off the point of what I wanted to say.

I love the new games with all the fancy graphics and everything but you just can't beat the old games for gameplay and a good challenge. Well, the article that got me started on this rant is at Tom's Hardware here. If you are a fan of gaming (especially older games) you should check it out. Ok, I'm done my rant, time to go to bed.

How is it already September?

Wow the summer just flew by. It's wierd knowing that I'm not going back to school next week. I really feel like I should be. Maybe I'll just be one of those losers that goes and hangs around campus at the start of the year even though they don't go there anymore. Well, it was a relaxing and enjoyable summer for the most part. I wish all the students (and teachers) going back to school this week or next a good year.

And HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY ALBERTA!

Pub Crawl + $1.50 Highballs = Trouble

Boy was I ever a mess last night. I went out on a 80's music themed pub crawl with my best friend Dan and a bunch of other people from Devon. We started out at the Druid on the south side of Edmonton before jumping on the bus to head to Bar Wild on Whyte Ave. We were only at the Druid for just over half an hour but the $2 Brahma beer special only started the night. Bar Wild had $1.50 highballs so Dan and I partook in those quite a bit. Next we took off to the Armory for some good drunken dancing. We were having a blast and this is where my night took an interesting twist. I say this because after this point I can't really say I recall much else. This almost never happens to me (only once before and only for a brief period of time) but at least when I woke up at Ryan's apartment this morning I still had both of my kidneys and wasn't too worse for wear. Allegedly we went to the Union Hall to finish off the night and apparently I was still up and about (though a little bit of a mess) so I don't really know why I can't remember that part of the night. Oh well, it was a ton of fun. I just want to thank my sister for taking care of me while I was out of commission at the end of the night and my partner in crime, Dan, for getting me out and being the other half of the Blues Brothers (see picture below). Good times...good times.

The Blues Brothers ready for action

Hockey in August?

Yep, that's what I thought when I was asked last week to help with the local Junior A hockey team's training camp. I never thought I'd be reffing hockey in August (well with perhaps the exception of some summer league hockey) but here I am already 2 "games" into the season. The Saints' camp is this week so I've been in Spruce Grove both yesterday morning and this afternoon and back on the ice. It was a little wierd yesterday but today was much better...just like riding a bike. But boy am I out of shape. Luckily the players weren't into top gear until today (and even then it was relatively infrequent) so I could keep up pretty well. We even had a couple of good scraps and the camp seems to be going well from all accounts. Anyway, I'm going to finish setting up my second computer here and then get some sleep...I need it after all that skating.

Some Movie and Music Talk

With everything else I've been posting about, I keep forgetting to talk about the movies I've seen lately (and I've seen quite a few). First, a couple of weeks ago I went to see the Dukes of Hazzard. I haven't watched the TV show much but from what I hear and what I know, it was pretty consistent. Not only that but it was a great movie. A little on the stupid comedy side at times (but that's what I like) but it was a really fun movie...go see it if you haven't already.

Next recommendation would have to be Wedding Crashers. Here's the fair warning though...it's all about the dirty jokes and stupid comedy. If you don't like that, don't bother. However if that's your genre then definitely don't miss this one.

The next movie I saw wasn't in theatres and ventures a bit away from the kind of movies I had been watching but was still an amazing movie...Sin City. Again from what I hear it is very dedicated to the graphic novels it is based on. It's a little bit of a screwed up movie but the cinematography is phenomenal.

Finally we arrive at the best movie I've seen in a while. I definitely laughed harder and longer than I have in a long time. Of course I'm talking about another "stupid" comedy (notice a trend here)...The 40 Year Old Virgin. Dan and I laughed so hard that we both almost peed our pants. The number of one liners that come out of this movie will blow your mind. If you like sex jokes and would like to shut your brain off and laugh for a couple hours, go watch this movie.

Ok, when you've finished going to see these movies, get in the car and pop in the new Trews album, Den of Thieves. Of course you have to go buy it first (and don't just download it, help support a good Canadian band). It only costs $9.99 at HMV so just go make the best $10 music purchase you'll make this year...it's worth it.

That's all for now...I have to get back to lying outside in the hammock under the clear blue sky and reading the Da Vinci Code.

Phone interviews kind of suck

So Tuesday morning I got up and decided I would spend some quality time in the morning looking for jobs. I found and applied to a couple after a few hours of looking including one that was advertised through David Aplin Recruiting. They don't usually advertise junior level positions because it's often just not worth it but I guess this was an exception. That afternoon (about an hour and a half later) I got a call from a lady in the Edmonton office of Aplin and talked to her for about 20 min before she said she'd pass my application onto her client, a huge international firm called Accenture. The next morning I was checking my e-mail when I noticed a note from someone at Accture already (wow they were working fast). The e-mail asked me when I was free for a phone interview/introduction. I said basically anytime in the next 3 days and that afternoon I talked to a lady in Ottawa for 40 min or so about the position and who I was. She also informed me that I would be passed on for a full length "performance factor" (behavioral) interview and would receive an e-mail telling me a number and a time to call in to this "meeting area".

In the continued fast pace of this process, I received my e-mail invitation to call at 10 Central time. So 9:00 yesterday morning I was on the phone...with someone in Colorado that does these kind of phone interviews for Accenture. 1 hour and 20 minutes later I hung up with a sore elbow from holding the phone and a parched throat from running my mouth. I think the interview actually went quite well but this brings up one of my main problems with phone interviews...without seeing the person face to face, it's hard to judge what they really think. Anyway, I should be getting moved on to the next phase of interviews (hopefully) and it should be a face to face interview with someone in Edmonton. I'm actually quite excited about this oportunity and it sounds like a good company to work for. If the previous pace is to continue I think I should be hearing from them again by mid next week. They may have me hopping all over the continent on the phone but at least they move fast.

NHL is back: part 4...the rest of the frenzy

Ok, I'm going to just combine all of the rest of my thoughts on the return of the NHL into one big post. Parts of this I wrote earlier but I'm just going to put it all together and mix it in with my latest thoughts.

So not only Pronger is an Oiler, but Peca too. Now I'm a big fan of Mike York and I think he was a huge asset to Edmonton but when we can get Peca in a trade like that...I'm a happy guy. As far as all of the other signings that the Oilers have done, it's just good to start getting the whole team back in the fold. They definitely still need to sign Smyth but most of the other key pieces are already back in place.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference, it looks like both Vancover and Calgary are building scary solid teams and there will be some good battles this year. Also with Gretzky heading up the Coyotes there seems to be a lot of strength there too. And you can never really count out Detroit and Colorado even though they can't just throw money at their problems anymore.

But the scariest looking team so far in my estimation is the Pittsburg Penguins. They just keep sigining/trading for more good players. Overall their lineup looks pretty solid except in the defensive core. But as Jay said, who needs a whole lot of defense when you score 10 goals a game.

Well, that's my viewpoint so far. I had more minor comments but this is already long enough and most of you are probably tired of me talking about hockey so I'll just move on to the next topic.

A good weekend

So this was probably my busiest weekends in a while...sort of. A lot of good times were had though. Yesterday afternoon I went paintballing with some friends at Young Guns paintballing out past Stony Plain. I didn't like it quite as much as the place Dan, Norm, Ryan, and I normally go but it was still good fun and I managed to not get too shot up. Afterwards I headed over to Dan's parent's place for a party Dan and his sister were throwing while their parents were in Jasper.

It didn't start as a big party but once it got going...ah...good times were had by all. So besides having a full night of drinking and visiting, a poker game broke out. Actually more like a mini tournament. 9 guys...$10 buy ins...winner takes almost all (everything but the second place guy's buy in). Now I didn't go into the game expecting to do very well (I had consumed copious amounts of alcohol by this time) but I was looking to have some fun. Little did I know that a couple hours later I would be going heads up for the $80 1st place prize. I played quite well (especially for someone who'd been drinking and wasn't paying much attention to the game at the start) and was particularly proud of my final hand where I flopped the nuts (best hand) flush and managed to sucker the other guy into putting all his money in. So yeah...great party, good poker, and generally good times.

When I woke up this morning (on the Townes' couch) I wasn't feeling great (due to the liquid consumed the night before) but I wasn't feeling that bad either. Much better than I had felt a few mornings getting up this week anyway (I haven't been feeling good this week for those that don't know). So I watched some early morning golf coverage and chatted it up with a few of the other people that stayed the night before helping clean up the huge mess we'd left. We did a pretty good job, ok, Misha did a pretty good job, of cleaning up the inside and Dan and I even drained and cleaned the hot tub. A lot better result than the last big party at the Towne acreage where we left a bit more of a mess and didn't clean up nearly as well. Plus I was in a bit better shape this time so I could actually clean up the mess rather than contribute to it. Anyway, after a good weekend like that it's going to be a boring week but oh well. Maybe the BBQ that Julie and I are planning on having either Tuesday or Thursday night will break things up a bit.

P.S. I will actually get the last couple NHL postings up sometime soon.

NHL is back: interlude

Well I managed to finish cleaning up the first three posts...I think I might just mass post all of thoughts from the next two posts and all of my other NHL/hockey thoughts sometime tomorrow. And I realize now that I haven't said anything really about the rule changes which, as a hockey referee, actually interest me quite a bunch. So now I have a few things to write about like Gretz becoming a coach and I still have yet to finish cleaning up my post about Peca but they'll get done.

Well, I'm back to playing some guitar and finishing up my last few resumes of the day.

NHL is back: part 3...Chris Pronger's an Oiler

Originally written August 3 (at about 1 in the morning)...

I just hear the news...Chris Pronger is an Oiler! Now I would normally be estatic about this, and don't get me wrong, I am happy, but we gave up an awful lot for him. Brewer, I hate to see you go but if it's Pronger that's falling into your place, I can definitely stomach it. I really hate to see us give up two really promising young D-men though. You can be sure that in 5 years or so we'll be looking back on this and wonder why we gave up some of the newest defense stars in the NHL (well maybe not that extreme but you get the idea). On the other hand, Pronger may just be the boost we need to make it further into the playoffs. I guess only time will tell. The best part about this move though is that it proves that in the "new NHL", even the small market Canadian teams can land big players. Good for Lowe for pulling the trigger on one of the biggest moves so far. Hmmm...maybe we can get Niedermayer to play with Pronger...nah, too much money in one defense pair...still, I can dream.

NHL is back: part 2...the free agent frenzy

Originally written August 2...

Let the mayhem begin!! The first two days of free agent signings are pretty much over and look at all the action. I'm going giddy just with how many articles there are to read and how lively the forums I read are. It's kind of too bad that the Oilers traded away Isbister, I actually liked him quite a bit, but I guess he's not producing enough for his salary level so we'll just have to find another big guy to fill in his shoes. I have to admit I was a little surprised to hear that Nieuwendyk and Roberts went to Florida but I guess they just want to set up their retirement homes in the sun a little early. The team I would be most worried about right now though is Philly. They all of a sudden have a solid core of defense and if they improve they're forward situation a bit after buying out Amonte and LeClair, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

I'm a little concerned with Calgary getting Amonte and McCarty...those may be vetern players but I still think they have a few good years left in them and if Calgary resigns Iginla then there will be some good battles of Alberta to come. I'm just waiting for the Oilers to jump in and get into the action. Let's get Messier back!

NHL is back: part 1...the draft

Originally written July 31...

Well the Sydney Crosby era has begun I guess. Don't get me wrong, I know the kid is great and all and I have no doubts of his ability to play in the NHL but is he alone the savior of the NHL...no (well not alone anyway). That being said, he probably will save the Pittsburg franchise and hopefully will increase the media popularity of hockey in the US. As for the Oiler's draft picks...meh. It's too bad in a way that they were that far down in the draft order. Now I like their first pick and he does seem to fit in with the small speedy guys we seem to collect and develop but I think we're going to need some size at some point in time. I do like the selection of Danny Syvret. He was the player that captained the London Knights to the CHL championships last year (Memorial Cup) and has the potential to actually start in the NHL either this or next year. I just can't wait until tomorrow when the free agent frenzy begins!

**Hindsight Note: I guess we have addressed the size issue a bit with Pronger but I'll get into that later...and the free agent frenzy was (and is) just that

The hockey posts are coming...honestly

And since I know you're all dying to know what I think of all the trading/signing action that's been going on (especially all of the Oiler's moves last week), I'll get right on finishing those now. For now, I posted a couple of pictures from Melissa and Amber's farewell.

Really wish I could go golfing right now but it looks kind of crappy out...

Melissa and I

Amber and I

Melissa and Amber's Farewell

Ok, so I put off finishing the hockey posts for a little bit longer (maybe this afternoon). The party last night was a blast. There were a lot of people I hadn't seen for a long time there so it was good to catch up. I have to say I'm going to miss Amber and Melissa's smiling faces. Those are two of the happiest people I know and luckily it seems to rub off on me when they're around. They're both off to Portland to go to school and become doctors (optomotrist and chiropractor). I know they will both have a good time but we'll all miss them here.

Ok, I've got to go drag Dan out of bed so we can head down to A&W and get some breakfast...mmm, greasy breakfast.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

I know I haven't written here in the last two weeks but I do have a couple of posts that I just haven't finished (mostly about hockey of course). But right now I don't have time to finish them up so they'll probably go up tomorrow. For now, Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! They're still out on Prince Edward Island watching our cottage being completed. Hopefully they can move in this week sometime. Now I'm off to Melissa and Amber's farewell party at the good ol' Pioneer 73 club in Devon. We already played a bit of volleyball this afternoon but now the real party begins.

Game On

The NHL Lockout is officially over!! YAY!! And the draft lottery is finished. Too bad the Canadian teams didn't fare very well. Well, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa are in okay position but the team that matters most, my Edmonton Oilers, are stuck down with the 25th pick. And it looks like Sydney Crosby will be going to Pittsburg to join Mario Lemieux. I guess that can be considered a good thing though it's too bad the fans in the west will only see him once every three years. I just hope now with the better distribution of wealth and the salary cap that the rest of the league will be as restricted as the Oilers have had to be. Hopefully the Oilers can not only put together a team like in the past but actually keep it together. I'm all psyched for hockey now and I can't wait until the draft and then August 1st (free agent signing begins) let alone October 5th when we actually get to see NHL hockey again. Hooray for the best sport on Earth!!

Our cottage is almost done

What an exciting day! For those that don't know, my family is (finally) building a cottage on our river front lot on Prince Edward Island. It's a storey and a half cottage that was built in two parts in a factory and then moved to the lot. Early this morning they moved it onto the lot. Below are a couple of pictures my aunt took for us.

There is still some interior (and a bit of exterior) work to be done but it's getting very close to being done. My parents leave for PEI next Tuesday but my sister and I are unfortunately going to be stuck at home. Guess we'll have to wait until next summer probably to see it. Well I'd better get to bed, I've got a long day of watching NHL HOCKEY coverage of press conferences and the draft lottery. I've held off on posting about the end of the lockout because I figured I should do it all in one big go so that's probably going to happen tomorrow night.

Second story being lowered

West side of the cottage

Front of cottage

Back in Jasper

Well, the 2+ weeks of camping are over. It was an overall great time. Lots of relaxing on the beach and lying around reading...and playing games...and drinking. Oh, did Dan and I ever drink. I also got out for the watersports a bunch though not as much as usual. I had some trouble skiing this year so I decided I'd wakeboard more. Now I'm feeling a lot more comfortable on the board and I think I'll soon be able to jump the wake.

The big news in my family right now: Julie (my sister) is back in Canada. She was in Australia for 5 months on a university exchange but now she's back. My mom left Kelowna early to meet my sister at the airport in Edmonton and then they drove out to meet my Dad and I in Jasper coming back from camping. My whole family is here together in the mountains for the first time in over two years. It's good to be sitting around relaxing and visiting but there's a lot of catching up to do so I'd better go.

Camping!

Tomorrow morning at the unknown hour of 5:00, Dan and I will be leaving to drive to Kelowna to camp with our families for a couple of weeks. Today's interview went pretty well so hopefully I get onto the short list for the last round of interviews. That should happen sometime in my second week at Wiigs (the campground we stay at in Kelowna) so I may have to fly back to come to the interview. Hopefully it'll turn out to be worth it. Well, I'd better get what little sleep I can tonight, we have a long day of driving ahead of us.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today was my mom's birthday so Happy Birthday and many happy returns to the day. I attempted a cake but had a little problem stacking it so it's a little crooked. That also made icing it real fun. The other problem I had was that the icing just kept getting soaked into the top of the cake (it's one of those fluffy pudding cake mixes) and so for a while it looked like a moldy sponge. I had to make extra icing to cover the top after it was done soaking in a bunch. So, not the best looking cake but it sure tastes good and that's what matters right?

On a totally different note, I have an interview at a place called Deloitte this afternoon in Edmonton. I'm not going to hold my breath on getting the job (though I sure would like it) but the experience will be good and it's nice to finally know that at least one company thinks I can write a cover letter and resume and fit into some job description. Well, wish me luck.

What a beautiful day

Wow today was (is still) hot out. I went golfing this morning and what a beautiful day to be out on the course. A little hot at the end of the round but I can handle the sun anytime in place of rain. I think it must have been the weather, but I shot a lot better too today than on Father's Day. I think I'll have to hit the range again sometime before this Saturday's golf and BBQ afternoon that I'm putting together. Let me know if you want in. Well, off to read a book in the hammock in the sun.

Two Great Movies

Ok, so I'm going to bed right after I post this. In the last week I've seen two of the best movies in theatres that I've seen all year so far: Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Batman Begins.

First off, Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a great action movie that is actually quite subtle (if an action movie can be that) in a lot of ways. I thoroughly enjoyed it and suggest that anyone who likes any kind of action type movie at all goes out and sees it. It doesn't hurt that Angelina Jolie is in it (so hot)...and Brad Pitt for the ladies.

Next I went to see Batman Begins. Now I know that a lot of people have been pretty hard on the Batman movies so far...and rightfully so in a lot of ways. I personally don't mind any of the Batman movies so far but this one blows the rest out of the water. It does such a great job of introducing and explaining the Batman character in an interesting and exciting way. And as far as I know, is more true to the original comics and graphic novels than any of the other movies.

So go see Batman Begins and Mr. and Mrs. Smith...you'll probably like them. And if you don't, then you just wouldn't know a good movie if it slapped you in the face :)

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's, grandpa's, and every other kind of father out there. I spent the afternoon golfing with my dad...too bad we both played pretty horrible. At least it was a nice day. A little bit of a odd thing happened during the round though. When we were on hole 5 the course marshal came up and said that if the horn blew we were supposed to stop play immediately and get off the course. Usually this is for thunderstorms but since there was no cloud in the sky we couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be for. We were told it was because the river was overflowing and the campground was being evacuated. If the river rose much more, the golf course would also have to be evacuated. Fortunately that didn't happen and the amount that the river rose, while quite a bit (over 2 feet in 1 hour apparently), it didn't end up doing any serious damage...in Devon anyway. A little bit of excitement and confusion added to the normal round of golf. Well, I'm off to bed pretty quick here because I have to get up early to go to the gym. Have to get in shape for waterskiing and the like.

Grad Pictures

Here's a few pictures from Wednesday's grad posted below...

And just as another tidbit, I'm going to try and start posting a few more pictures now that I seem to have that figured out.

Don't I look scholarly in the cap and gown?

Gold Medal winner Adam and I

Mom, Dad, and I

And Congratulations!

I'm sorry, in my rush to post the day's events so I could get some stuff done before going to bed, I neglected to really say anything about/to my fellow classmates.

So to all the class of 2005, not just in Science, not just at the U of A but everywhere...CONGRATULATIONS!!

All of that hard work and the years of learning and growing have finally culminated into one very expensive (and incredibly valuable) piece of paper. Just remember that learning comes with the journey and not as a result of the destination...and this isn't the destination, it is only the beginning of another journey (or a new branch of the same one). Life has only begun and the real world awaits.

David Beck: BSc, Specialization in Computing Science...

...with a Business Minor and Industrial Internship. Or at least that's what my diploma reads!! I got my degree today!

The day started out with a Faculty of Science Convocation Breakfast at the Shaw Conference centre where we had some speeches, breakfast (obviously), and a few awards were handed out. My friend Adam (who also was valedictorian of my high school grad class) got the Dean's Gold Medal for Specialization in Science. Congrats Adam! I also got to see and talk to Jim Hoover, the professor I was a TA for in the last semester so that was good as well.

After some pictures at the Shaw after breakfast, we headed to the mall to get me some new dress shoes. We then drove back to the university to pick up my "graduate apparel" and get ready for the afternoon's festivities. I also picked up a frame for my diploma and ordered a grad ring (thanks Mom and Dad!). The ceremony was pretty long and at times a little bit boring but there were some good people around me to talk to and it was good to see some people that I haven't seen for a while.

When all the pomp and circumstance was finished, we went outside for some more pictures and eventually made our way to Joey Tomatoe's Mediterranean Grill. It was delicious. After a long and tiring day we finally got back home just before 10:00, 14 hours after we left home in the morning.

I just want to thank everyone who helped me through my university studies, and helped me get to university in the first place. All the support and help I received means a lot to me. Thank you all!

It's been a while

Wow, has it really been almost a full month since I posted. I guess the unemployed life just didn't really inspire me to write anything. And then I got busy (but not with a job unfortunately)...so here's my quick update of what happened in May and what's going on now.

Well let's start with the present. Dan and I moved out of our apartment and moved home to save some money over the summer and until we get real jobs. So I'm back living with the folks. I think I'll probably be moving back out as soon as I get a job but for now I can make due. It's not so bad and I'll get to eat well while saving some money.

On the athletics side of things...I finally got back to the gym. I bought a 3 month membership in Devon for the summer (while I'm home) and I plan on going with my dad in the mornings...at least for now. It's really hard to get up and go exercise before 6:00 in the morning but I'll get used to it, I hope. On the golfing front, I'm just coming off the best round I've ever shot. I played Eagle Rock outside of Beaumont with Adam and a couple other guys and lit it up. I went +6 on the front and +6 on the back for an 83! That's a new low for me (which is good in golf remember). The next round I played was in Devon and despite taking 5 penalty strokes (unusually high for me), I still managed to shoot a 91. Hopefully I can keep this up. If anyone wants to go golfing, let me know.

As for what kept me busy last week (besides packing). My Grandpa's 90th birthday is this Thursday so we had a party in Jasper last weekend. Lots of people came and it was quite the open house. Good food and good company but of course it also required quite a bit of work. To help celebrate the occasion, 5 of my relatives from the Czech Republic and Poland came to visit. Last week I spent most of my free time visiting with them or driving them and my grandparents around Edmonton to show them the sites. It was a very busy week and weekend.

Other than all that, I'm doing ok despite remaining jobless. Hopefully something will turn up soon but until then I think I'll enjoy the time off. Well, time to go set up my computer so I don't have to always use my parents'. I'll try to make my posts a little closer than this one and the last one were.

How could I forget hockey?

When I originally sat down to write the last post it was going to be about the World Hockey Championships going on in Austria right now but I totally forgot. Anyway, I'm happy that I get to see some more high quality hockey broadcast on TV again. That is one of the benefits of staying home all day right now, I get to catch the games while everyone else is at work. Canada is off to a 2-0 start but the competition doesn't really pick up until Thursday when we (they) play the USA. And I'll be sitting on the couch for every minute of it (so long as I'm not on the golf course). It may not be the NHL but it's as close to professional hockey as we'll see for at least 5 months and it is Canada playing so I'm still a diehard fan.

GO CANADA GO!

The Unemployed Life

I'm sure there's a job for me out there somewhere but since I'm not going stir crazy yet (though it's only been a few days) I'm not in the biggest hurry to find it yet. I even had the energy to clean some tonight with Dan and our apartment is looking cleaner than it has in...well, maybe ever (well since we moved in anyway). We're out at the end of the month so we'll see if it can stay that way or normal laziness kicks in and the mess returns.

Now since I have been sitting inside the last two days I have some recommendations that people should check out (some of these I found before this week but still).

www.pointlesswasteoftime.com - this is a twisted humor site that many people may not find funny so don't say I didn't warn you but there are some very funny articles. I suggest some of the lists and movie articles.

The Daily Show - Jon Stewart is a very very funny smart guy, or a smart funny guy, either way, watch the Daily Show if you haven't yet (check your local listenings). Very intelligent (most of the time) comedy.

Missy Higgins - this is an Australian musician that has become one of my sister's favorite artists. You can listen to a bunch of her songs on her website. Some very cool and mellow piano and accoustic guitar melodies.

Star Wars Revelations - just search on google and you'll find a site where you can download this. It's a fan made Star Wars video that is about 45 min long...but WOW, it's amazing. It takes place between Episode III and Episode IV but doesn't involve any of the main characters. It's free to download so just go waste some bandwidth and check it out if you're at all a Star Wars fan.

That's it for now but I'll probably find some more random junk soon. If anyone feels like going for some food or killing some time with me just drop me a line. I am after all, not too busy right now :)

"'Cos finger by finger we're losing grasp and
I'm questioning the reason why nothing beautiful does last"
- Missy Higgins from Any Day Now