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Journal Entries for October 2003
October 1, 2003 - 2:42 pm
Fall is here

Can you believe October is here already? Amazing! Even Christmas does not seem that far away now! You are probably noticing some differences on this page, and no you are not just seeing things. I am slowly converting my site over to PHP, but this will be an ongoing process that will take some time. I have added a 'Joke of the Day' section, seen on the right. Don't worry, if you liked the countdowns they'll be back. I just have to translate their perl scripts to php. I thought I'd make it look nice too, hence the fall-themed background. I might create different backgrounds to correspond to the seasons we're in, though I haven't decided for sure yet... I'd have to find a good picture of each season to use. Also, if you have a joke you'd like me to include in the Joke of the Day, by all means, send it to me. I've picked a couple of different ones from a web site called "Funworld", but I'd like to have a lot more jokes in there. It picks a random joke every time you visit the page. So that was my little project for the day... I'm pretty happy with the results, and the site will continue to improve and expand as I continue to convert sections to PHP. I have some loose plans for a new php photo album, but that will likely be a long ways down the road as my time permits. Also, feel free to email me and let me know what you think of the new joke section. Good idea? Bad idea? I love hearing from visitors. I'm done for now though, so you have a good day!

October 2, 2003 - 11:18 pm
Have a nice trip, see you next FALL (Huh huh)

Hey, how's that for a fall-coloured font? Grin

I've been just having a hayday with my camera lately... Still haven't got that A60 from Dexton yet, but hopefully tomorrow... But I keep my camera with me at all times nowadays and came across many very scenic places today while I was working. So of course, what did I do? I took pictures! I was talking with my brother, (whom I was working with today) about that honkin chicken kabob I got in Red Deer the other day and do you know what he said??? He said I take strange pictures! (Actually I think he said I take pictures of strange things) I don't think so, certainly not every image I capture could end up on the cover of Time magazine, but I'd like to think that at least some of the time I take good pictures... Maybe I'll have to revamp that little voting program and take another poll! See what you, the viewer, thinks! I'm trying to make this web site more interesting for people when they come here, hence the joke of the day thing and other [interesting] features I'm dreaming up at night while I sleep in my cupboard. Of course, if you have an idea of something you'd like to see, by all means let me know and I'll see if it's a plausable idea. I'm trying to get the countdowns back, that was kind of neat. I could always tell people how many days away from Christmas we are. Boy if that isn't a scarry figure, how about this: My birthday is in 6 days! Oh, and happy birthday to Bo today... Kristin gave me her wish list for her birthday on the 11th... One item made me laugh, "Car"... I think I'll leave that one to Barb and Ed to buy... hehehe - Man! October already. And we're still hitting 20 degrees during the day! I can't complain about that, this just prolongs my riding season. Good times! Anyhow, let me know what you think of the changes to the site, both present and proposed.

Tomorrow night, (Friday) Grace Baptist is hosting "Grand Slam", a fun filled evening of praise and worship. Everyone is welcome, in fact I believe 2 or three other churches are joining us for this event. Come on down, it starts at 7:00 pm at Grace Baptist Church (Right beside Franklin LRT station) Love to see you there!

October 4, 2003 - 1:04 pm
Drums to Go

Drums-To-Go

One of the joys of being a drummer is the transportation of one's instrument. Guitarists have it pretty easy; even with an amp they still only have to make two trips, but with drums, there is just a lot more to carry. I discovered last night however, that my V-Drums are surprisingly balanced, making it possible to carry them around in the manner which you see. They're still pretty heavy, (I know it looks easy in the picture, but those pipes are all made of steel) but carrying them like this certainly makes it take a few less trips. Cochrane Alliance joined us last night, but I was a little disappointed when I didn't see at least *some* of my cousins from that church there... It was quite interesting, because while we had sort of set out a list of songs to play and had practiced them earlier in the week, the night did stray from the 'plan' a fair bit, but it was very casual and laid back and I felt a lot more free to "go nuts" in several songs. I was talking to someone the other day about our 'band' at church, and he was surprised to find out that we use guitars! (In church!? No way!) I'm not sure what he assumed we played... But I thought that was interesting.

On another completely different note (huh huh) -- I've been having little muscle spasms in my left thumb now for at least a week and more I'm sure. It's bizarre, just every so often it starts to pulse or twitch. It kind of feels cool, it's almost like something electrical is shocking it.

So how are you enjoying the jokes? I put a counter in there now, so you can see how many I have. Also, a tip for those who might want to read the jokes, instead of hitting refresh on this page, you can just click on "Main Page" in the menu bar and your computer won't load all the images again, just the page's code itself. I'm constantly adding more jokes, and having a great time doing it actually because I have to read through hundreds of jokes myself, which I've always enjoyed. I snag a Good Morning News whenever I see one too to check for good jokes there as well. Reader's Digest also has several sections of jokes and they're usually pretty decent as well. I've also been modifying several other asthetic aspects of the site which I will post publically once I've got it to my liking. I was thinking about it the other day and this web site has remained mostly unchanged in the past year, possibly two -- and I think it's time for some changes. But before I can do that I've got a full day planned, which I really should get started on. With a high expected of 25 degrees, you can bet I will be out on my bike! Get some good riding in while I can. Thanks for stopping by!

October 6, 2003 - 12:34 pm
Baldie

Well here we are, another Sunday night and it's already after midnight... You know, the day I get to bed on a Sunday night before midnight will be a day to mark on the calendar... Look at how bald I'm getting! That poor hairline went out to battle and it's been retreating for several years now... Oh well, what can you do eh? Fact of life. Another busy weekend come and gone... Tonight my unrest arises from the dread of tomorrow, a new day with it's problems and troubles... Sometimes there are things you just have to do, and better sooner than later.

October 7, 2003 - 7:31 pm
Wow, tomorrow is my birthday and I have the day off! Happy Birthday to me!!! Wink What's kind of ironic is that I was *THIS* close to haveing to go to Medicine Hat tonight, to return tomorrow evening, which is exactly where I was a year ago -- on my birthday. Luckily this year I will be home for it, which will be great. So far my birthday plans are basically these: On the day itself (tomorrow) go to the parent's house for a birthday party with them, then thursday night Jason and Luke are taking me out for another birthday celebration, and that's about it! Oh well our whole extended family is getting together on Monday for Thanksgiving Dinner / Birthday co-celebration (we collect all the birthdays within about a 3-4 month period and celebrate them all together.) It will be lots of fun. Oh, and my Palm still won't synchronize in the cradle... Infrared works just fine but still no luck with the base... Not sure what's going to happen with that... Anyhow, gotta go out with Kim! I've got some great pictures from today which I will post later tonight if I have time. I can't wait, some are VERY cute, another one is just really funny. (Or so I think anyways... You can differ if you like, it's up to you.) But yes, I will try to get the rest of them up tonight!

October 8, 2003 - 5:29 pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

What a cute kitty!

October 8, 2003 - 11:56 pm
Today was my birthday, happy 23rd to me.
I thought I'd write a poem today,
Give it a try, just to see.

I've been alive for my whole life,
which seems a real long time,
So as I write this poem I thought
I'd try to make it rhyme.

I'm thankful for my years down here,
on this earth where we live,
While others have given presents to me,
my thanks is what I'll give.

Thanks to all of those of you who remembered me this day.
The fact you made a point of it means more than I can say.


I know that none of you were seeking recognition when you passed along your birthday wishes to me, but I just thought that since you took the time to recognize my birthday, I could at least take the time to recognize you. So here they are, in chronological order:

October 8, 2003
 12:01 am - Kaylee "Sang" the Happy Birthday song to me on MSN
~ 1:00 am - Luke wished me a Happy Birthday
  5:28 am - Kim sang the Happy Birthday song on my voicemail
 12:00 pm - Opened letter from my Clarica agent, found a Happy 
            Birthday letter inside
  1:28 pm - Jessica wished me a Happy Birthday on MSN
  2:22 pm - Rob wished me a Happy Birthday on MSN
  3:54 pm - Marshall wished me a Happy Birthday on MSN
  6:12 pm - Pam and Barry wished me a Happy Birthday
  6:25 pm - Mom, Dad, and Blair sang Happy Birthday to me
  9:08 pm - Aunty Mymy Emailed me and wished me a Happy Birthday
 10:42 pm - Jason wished me a Happy Birthday


It has been a wonderful birthday, thanks to all of you who took part in it one way or another. I really appreciate the thought. I am very glad to have all of you in my life.

October 10, 2003 - 12:40 am
Can you believe I almost wrote September 10? Haha, it must be late. I just thought I ought to put down a few memories from this birthday before they disappear into the eternal void which is my memory... These days I'm without my Palm too since it's in to (hopefully) get repaired, and I am SO lost without it! I'll have to start using my watch again, I keep forgetting that it has a calendar on it... But anyways, on my birthday this year I went over to my parent's house for a birthday supper where they broke out the potato bread and bacon... A combination that is hard to beat. Washed it down with Ribena, that wonderful blackcurrent juice mixed with ginger ale... This is how my family celebrates our festivities -- be it birthdays, Christmas, or any other special occasion. Among my presents this year was a two-disc special edition DVD of The Lion King, which we watched after the presents had been opened and the dessert put away. Kim came over after she got off work at 8:00 and caught the tail end (huh huh) of The Lion King. Actually I think she got about half of it... It was very cute, there we sat on the love seat in my parent's basement with BJ snuggled up between us, asleep. Every so often he'd get up to see whose face he could lick and then we'd pet him... He's such a cute puppy. I love BJ. After the movie was over we both went our separate ways, but not before she gave me her present. I opened it when I got home and found it very appropriate and relavant. She bought (both of us) the book The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I'll paste the back cover description for those of you who are not familiar with this book. It reads:

"This book will help you understand why you are alive and God's amazing plan for you -- both her and now, and for eternity. Rick Warren will guide you through a 40-day spiritual journey that will transform your answer to life's most important question: What on earth am I here for? Knowing God's purpose for creating you will reduce your stress, focus your energy, simplify your decisions, give meaning to your life, and, most important, prepare you for eternity.

The Purpose-Driven Life is a blueprint for Christian living in the 21st century -- a lifestyle based on God's eternal purposes, not cultural values. Using over 1,200 scriptural quotes and references, it challenges the conventional definitions of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. In the tradition of Oswald Chambers, Rick Warren offers distilled wisdom on the essence of what life is all about.

(I have no idea who Oswald Chambers is, but I'm sure it's a compliment to Rick to be compared to him.) I started reading it that night, on my birthday, and one of the things Rick encourages you to do at the onset is to read it with someone. Not necessarily at the same time or place, but read it the same day and then get together and discuss some of the points to ponder it gives, share your answers to the questions it asks you, and discuss the things you have discovered and are learning. I just read over that and realized that it sounds like I'm saying you should read the whole book in one day -- which is not the case. The book is divided into chapters, or readings for each of 40 days. So every day you are supposed to read that day's chapter and then discuss what you've read with your partner or group who have also read the same portion from that day. To that end, Kim and I have decided to read this book together and do what it says -- Discuss with each other what we learn and discover about our lives, our plans, goals, and the purpose for which God created us both. I am really excited, this book has got my attention. I remember a time when someone asked me, "How do you know what God's plan for your life is?" I recall now with a bit of shame that I did not have an answer to her question. But were I to be asked again in 38 days that same question, this time I plan on having an answer.

Kim came over tonight and I spent several hours talking and sharing memories, history, experiences, and bits of my life with her through music. I have a surprising amount of CD's, and almost every disc or song has a story behind it. I was probably boring her to tears by the end of it but she still listened to me ramble on and play song after song after song...

This weekend of course is the Thanksgiving long weekend, and lately I have been overcome by thankfulness to many people for many things, not the least of whom are my parents for the life they've given me and everything they've taught me and are teaching me. Usually it is the parents who are proud but in this case it is the son who is proud of his parents. In the Bible it says to 'count your blessings -- name them one by one.' I've often considered making a list in this way but the task has seemed so overwhelming every time I try to comprehend what such a list might look like that I've never actually done it, but perhaps this year I will compose a partial list anyway, of things that I am thankful for and ways that I have been blessed. Even that still seems like an overwhelming task, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, it appears that I am scheduled for two Thanksgiving diners this year -- one with Kim's family and relatives up in Wetaskawin from Saturday to Sunday, and then again with my extended family (which will be even more extended this year as we reach out our arms to my Uncle Bruce's family who have just experienced the loss of their mother and grandmother. It's going to be a very big gathering! But I hope that they feel just as much at home with the rest of us as anyone else there, even though I think this is perhaps the first year we'll have shared this special day with some of them.

I should be getting to bed... Morning comes earlier it seems these days, and my sleep does not increase while I am writing in my journal! So on that note, I bid thee a good night.

7:11 am
When I got up just a few minutes ago I went to the bathroom and the furnace was on. I've got to say it was all I could do to NOT lie down on the floor, curled up over the vent... This morning would have been a perfect morning for such an activity, but instead I have to go to work and change some more lightbulbs... If anyone needs a new computer, a computer upgraded, or a computer repaired -- feel free to contact me for in-house service! hahaha Shameless plug... I know. I updated the "Services" page for www.cubeinc.net to show a couple categorical services we (I) can provide for computer customers... nudge nudge wink wink Have a great day.

October 11, 2003 - 1:04 am
Casting a Long Shadow

I'm never going to be able to sleep tonight... Tomorrow brings with it far too much excitement to allow my brain to stop pondering the possibilities that await me when I get up in the 'morrow... Listening to Fuel - Shimmer, just the kind of song that seems to fit in right now. Kim and I had a fire in the back yard tonight and we burned my old bed, that thin wood that was full of holes in my cupboard. Every time I'd go to crawl into bed I'd put my knee in this one particular spot that eventually broke through and gradually got worse. Not so anymore, a few months ago I replaced my bed with 3/4" MDF and it's rock solid now! The old wood has been sitting out back ever since, but it wasn't until tonight that I actually burnt it. That stuff gives off a lot of heat. Maybe it stored it all up, who knows. A lot of good memories on that bed... COME ON, HURRY UP AND BE THE MORNING!!!

Quizno's Mesquite Chicken I rode around this afternoon after work and took some roads I've never taken before just to see where they go. I wound up coming across a very scenic park so I stopped and took some pictures... It was great. They're up in the Fall pictures under Seasons with the other ones. After I had taken a couple of pictures I wound my way over to my uncle's Quizno's and bought myself a big, fat, honkin Mesquite Chicken sub. There is honestly nothing quite like them. I even took a picture of it, as you can see. My brother works there on the weekends now -- in total he works 60 hours a week and does not have a single day off. I don't know how he does it, I could never live without weekends. Mine are so busy as it is that to have another job taking up them as well would be brutal! No one can fault his work ethic though, I know of no one who works quite as hard at everything he does as Blair.

(I have to go to the bathroom but I'm going to try to hold it to morning so that I will wake up that much earlier!) I'd say what it's all about but I've learned not to give away too many details of my life on my web site because you never know who might be reading. It's gotten myself and in some cases even others in trouble before, so I have to really watch what I say. For example, I often take pictures of things I come across at work, sometimes they're just interesting, other times it might be pictures of things that have gone on fire or blown up -- but if let's say that I took a picture of some fire hazard at StoreX and a StoreX customer were to browse by my site and see this crazy fire hazard at their local StoreX, they might call the store, tell them about (this site) and the fire hazard and I could get in a lot of trouble round trip. You may notice I haven't added any work pictures lately, and now you know why. Suffice to say, there's a lot more that goes on in my life than I write about on here, and many times I wish I could just go nuts and detail everything! But, for many reasons, including those I've mentioned above, I restrain myself and withdraw my news to a safer distance. Anyhow, I've also given up on trying to not go to the bathroom till the morning, some things just cannot wait. Have a good Thanksgiving weekend!

October 11, 2003 - 4:21 pm
Well, I've got the van all set to go, topped up with fuel, oil, washer fluid, coolant, brake fluid -- you name it, it's full. Now I've just got to pack some clothes and I'll be set. Kim should be on her way home by now (She got off work at 4:00) and I think she's all packed already too... Which means I've just got to go pick her up and we're off to Wetaskiwin. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! What a wonderful time of year, for who of us has nothing to be thankful for? I'm planning a list of things that I am thankful for, one which off the top of my head arising from an empty stomach is the fact that on the way to Wetaskiwin we can stop in Red Deer and buy CHICKEN KABOBS!!! Sweet deal! Another thing I am thankful is the fact that I will be enjoying not one, but TWO turkey dinners this year! (I guess the whole watching what I eat thing is going to get put on hold for a weekend here... ) It's going to be a great trip, I can hear it already. Anyhow, I should get going, finish packing and whatnot. Have a great long weekend.

October 13, 2003 - 9:56 am
Well, I think I might have done it now... My ears are still ringing this morning from the two and a half hour drive home from Wetaskiwin. Hopefully it will go away still, but it's already been a long time. I put up the pictures from Kim's aunt and uncle's farm under Family -> Thanksgiving 2003 and if I take any more pictures today I'll include them there as well. One thing I learned, I had no idea that Canola was so hard to walk through! It's like stomping through a short forest! And apparantly it is even harder to walk through while the heads are on it -- virtually impossible I'm told! So that was kind of interesting. We found an old Volkswagon abandoned in a field out there (Everyone knew it was there but we went to look at it.) Kim got to climb on a hay bail so that made her weekend... Sunday morning we went to church at their local church. It was like something out of a movie, this little old church in the middle of a field with a tall steeple on it. The sanctuary just seemed to fit everyone who came, and everyone seemed to know everyone else. I didn't bring my camera to church but I wish I had because it was really quite nice. The pastor spoke on giving thanks, how to and why we should, using David's example in Psalm 116 as a reference. It was highly appropriate considering the weekend... (I think maybe he planned that... ) The band consisted of a pianist, drummer, bass guitarist, electric guitarist, and a guy who played both the banjo and an acoustic guitar. (Though not at the same time.) There were also a few others up front singing as well. The pastor asked everyone what they were thankful for, and Kim's 4 year old cousin Carson called out, "My cousins." He was really cute the whole weekend, and was undoubtably the center of attention pretty much the whole time (we) were there. I'm sipping some hot chocolate as I write this entry, but it doesn't seem to be sitting well with my stomach. I hope this is not an indication of what's to come today... I plan on eating another turkey dinner "NO MATTER WHAT!" The food yesterday was absolutely scrumptious. Anyway, I should probably get going. I can smell the rain through my window, it's a lovely fragrance. I bet it's cold outside though... Good thing my van has a great heater...

October 13, 2003 - 10:08 pm
Wow, am I ever STUFFED! Three turkey dinners this weekend, two of which were consumed today! I don't think I've been so full in ages! It's a wonderful feeling but I know I'll just have to work that much harder now to burn it all off... Sigh, tis the season I guess. This afternoon Kim and I went to my Uncle Jim's place for a thanksgiving dinner with the whole family there, where we also celebrated five of our family's birthdays -- including my own. Some of my more notable presents this year (and I hope that by not including every present in this list I am not depreciating my appreciation for them, however I just can't remember everything I got this year off hand) include the new Veggie Tales DVD - the one about Joseph (And the coat of many colors) many blank CD's, a roadside emergency kit for my van, (which I hope not to have to use but will be glad if I do that it's there) I also got the "new" Lion King DVD, which evidently has some new scenes and songs in it, and various other "New" material -- It's a two-disc set -- and clothes... You can never have too many clothes! Of course, all the money I got for my birthday this year went straight to Blair to begin repaying the loan he gave me to facilitate the purchase of what I like to think of as my birthday / Christmas present to myself. It may not be the most practical present, but for those times when it is needed, it will be invaluable. One such time that I know of so far is my cousin Julie's wedding. I have been asked by the intended's to participate in their wedding, which I am only too happy to do. Of course, this will be yet another item on my already INCREDIBLY long list of things to do, but whereas some of the tasks listed are mere chores and duties, this I am actually looking forward to working on and being a part of. In short, it will be fun. There is a lot of preperation that will have to be done in the mean time, a lot of coordination to be done and plans to be made. Wow am I ever tired tonight. I think it must be all that triptophan (spelling?) in my system or maybe it's the fact that my stomach is trying to digest all this food. In either event, I can't wait till my laundry is ready to toss into the dryer so I can crawl into bed! There is a lot of writing and reading to do...

Here are a few random pictures I've taken lately that don't really fit into the photo album in any particular album or chapter

Burning my Old Bed The other night we had a fire out back and for fuel we used the wood from my old bed. I think I wrote about this a few days ago but there's the picture. It just took a few days to get the pictures developed.
My New Addiction Pepsi Vanilla: My new addiction. I was just about over Pepsi entirely, had virtually cut it out of my diet when they came out with this stuff, and I was hooked again, probabl even worse than before. Vanilla Milk is also a huge addiction for me, it's those "Grab 'n Go" bottles you can find in the milk cooler at 7-Eleven or similar stores. They usually have chocolate milk, sometimes strawberry and bananna flavours as well, but their recent addition of Vanilla Milk has been a welcome addition. I just wish they'd make a 4 litre jug of the stuff! That would be irresistable!


I've just noticed that I seem to have some glass in both my elbow and my knee. It is just a touch painful, but only when you put any pressure on the 'wound'. It seems the skin in both areas is really thick and it just builds a big lump around the glass till it can squeeze it out. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? Tis quite. Anyhow, I'm going to get going to bed. Hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving.

October 15, 2003 - 6:49 am
Cute Booboo

Rob and Lee's cat had her litter of kittens a week ago yesterday, and oh are they ever cute! Boo Boo gives one of them a kiss while their other cat looks on in wonder, trying to figure out what these little things are. It was all very adorable. If anyone is looking to give a kitten a good home, they still have two of them to give away... Let me know if youre interested and I'll put you in touch with them.

October 19, 2003 - 2:48 am
The Happy Couple

Well, it was fun while it lasted... But after dating for a little more than two months, Kim and I decided that it just was not working and figured it was better to just be friends instead of trying to continue on in a relationship that was struggling to survive given our busy lives. With her going to school and I working weekdays and nights trying to save up money for Christmas presents, it was just getting impossible to spend the kind of time a formal relationship needs in order to survive. It was kind of amusing too, this evening after we had "broken up" we went over to Tony's place and watched a movie with him, Laura, and Nick -- All the while they had no idea anything was different. And I guess nothing has really changed either, Kim and I went into this thing as friends and have now come out of it as better friends. If only every relationship could work out that way, (Those that don't end in marriage of course... (wink wink Tony & Laura)) I guess it will be interesting to see what happens now.

On a completely different note, I have opened my new web site up, called "Pray For Me". Basically what it is can be summed up in this way: It is a web site where people from all over the world can post requests for prayer and pray for the requests of others from around the world. It is a project I have been working on since January 27th of this year, and while it is not finished yet, (There are still a lot of mods to write) it is usable and I am presently testing it on the internet. If you would like to check it out, here is the address: pray4me.cubeinc.net. Give it a try, if you find any bugs or problems with it, let me know and I will fix them. Someone has already made the comment that it could use a little more color and graphics, and they will come -- but I figured it was a better use of my time for now to get it working before I make it look nice.

October 21, 2003
First we removed the old seats from my van Many miles I have driven whilst sitting upon this seat... A boy and his van, I be Behold the new van seats. Ooohhhh so comfortable!

Last night when I dropped Blair off from work, I ended up having supper with my parents. My mom had a roast made and it was really good. Somewhere over the course of the conversation during the meal, my dad mentioned that they still had that pair of new seats I got for my van at the wreckers last fall. As I recall, I had made mention to someone at that time that I had bought something new for my van but despite her insisting, I never did tell her what it was. That's kind of funny, I had totally forgotten about that until I had put them in. Anyways, there you go, now you know. My dad came out to help me swap the seats over, and once we had it all done, my dad and I tilted the new seats back and had a rest in my van as we listened to the Lion King soundtrack. As we sat there in the darkness across from each other, I thought to myself, "I love my father." I know I don't say it enough, but I mean it every time I do. He is my hero, a man that I look up to and try to emulate -- a good example. I was talking to Luke last night whose own dad passed away about two years ago. I remember at he dad's funeral, Luke read a poem he'd written to his father, and while fortunately he had given it to his dad while he was still alive, but he read it again at his funeral. You could not sit in that room and hear the words spoken by that heartbroken young man, welled up with grief at the loss of his father, temporary as it may be, and not be moved to tears. I remember sitting next to Jason and although we didn't say anything and tried not to look at each other, we both had tears streaming down our faces. And as Luke read his poem to his dad, I remember thinking of my own father, and a heart stopping thought crossed my mind: "I don't want to have to wait until my own father's funeral to tell him how I feel." You never know when someone's time is going to be up. Maybe my dad will outlive me, who knows? But there is no time like the present to say the things you might regret not saying later. I remember in my yearbook, they asked us to write a little blurb for our graduation pictures. Each of us had half a page to fill with whatever we wanted, could be all pictures, could be text, any combination of both... I thought I would write some things to a couple of friends of mine, and I figured some words of wisdom were also in order. I threw together a quick, redundant phrase that just came off the top of my head, but the more I think about what I wrote on that day, the more it makes perfect and profound sense. "Live your life with no regrets, and you won't regret it." It really makes a lot of sense too if you think about it... If you have no regrets, you are probably not going to wish that you did. So dad, I want you to know, although I hope there would never be any doubt, I love you.

I don't need to say that my conversation with Luke last night was quite emotional. I don't remember how long we talked for but it was time well spent. The rest of my week looks to have been filled already, tonight I am going climbing with Bo, wednesday is a practice as usual, thursday we are also planning on going climbing and then on Friday I head off to the retreat with Grace. I guess maybe I can get by without my Palm. Though it is not nearly as efficient. I have found a new addiction, I still love my Vanilla Pepsi, but someone had a brilliant idea when they invented this little product:

Vanilla Vibe Grab 'N Go

I'm thinking of putting my fog machine in the van for halloween this year. I know Bo's dad is throwing a party so I'll probably attend their festivity. I've been thinking about putting some more insulation in the van before it gets too cold again. It made such a difference last year but there are still some areas I could work on. Now that I've got those new seats in the van, I enjoy driving it all the more. They are so comfortable, you have no idea. I wish I had put them in when I first bought them a year ago! ($15 each at Calgary Pick Your Part! You can't beat that!) I've got some minor engine work to do on it, mostly with the carburator and intake manifold. I hope to find time to tune it up as well before the snow comes back. It's been an incredible fall, today we are expected to reach a high of 18 degrees and I'm sitting in the sun right now. It is hot!! Hard to believe we're 10 days away from November and it's still this nice. I could still be camping pretty comfortably. Some trees still have their leaves even! I'm really looking forwad to this retreat on the weekend, it will be a lot of fun and we're going to try and record some songs (the Life Night band) and maybe make a short CD. That would be awesome, I'm quite excited about that. Also, day two after opening the Pray For Me web site, (pray4me.cubeinc.net plug plug) I've already had 9 users sign up, and everyone who's been to it that I've talked to says they've emailed all their friends promoting it. I think this could be a big thing, and more nad more ideas for the site come to mind all the time! Now that the code base is pretty solid, adding more features and/or modules is becoming very easy. I am very, VERY excited to see what God will do with that site.

October 23, 2003
Some Sweet Clouds were a hoverin' today...

What strange weather we had today! Sun, rain, hail, snow, sun, and repeat! A very cold wind came charging in and brought with it periods of nearly every sort of weather imaginable. It was crazy. But I got some cool pictures of the sky throughout the day...

I'm going on a retreat with Grace Baptist this weekend. It looks like it's going to be an awesome weekend! I'll try to bring back many pictures and stories (and possibly even some songs! We're going to try to do some recording out there!) Have a great weekend everyone.

October 26, 2003
Retreat pictures are in

Well I made it back from the retreat intact and had a wondeful weekend to boot! It was definately a full weekend, and even though I got sick it was probably a blessing in disguise because it turned out I caught up on some much needed sleep. I've got all the pictures from the weekend up in the Chosen One section of the photo album. I've even got comments for some of the more notable pictures. How's that for efficiency? Anyway, I'm off to bed now. Goodnight everyone. I hope to see you all very soon!

October 29, 2003 - 7:48 am
Well it seems that my life is just going through one big change after another. Yesterday morning I brought all my clothes, tools, and work gear in to the office at Sylvania, effectively resigning as a lightbulb changer, and then driving over to the office of my new job where I spent my first full day in a new career. I haven't chosen a title for myself yet, I think that will come once my duties have been ironed out and I have a clearer idea of exactly what I will be responsible for, however as it stands now it would suffice to call myself an IT manager. I am in charge of all the hardware and software for all of the computers in the company, maintaining, upgrading, troubleshooting, etc. (This includes the network infrastructure) I am also responsible for two company web sites - updating them as necessary, and last but not least, tracking the performance of various industrial machines the company uses in their operation.

Needless to say I am very excited, this new career will definately be a challenge in some areas but it is certainly right up my alley, and I am doing things that I enjoy doing. This week will continue to be a transition period as I learn how to perform certain tasks from another employee whose job I am taking over. I will keep you posted, this opportunity came at the perfect time for me and I am truly thankful that things have turned out the way they have.

October 30, 2003 - 10:08 pm
Oh it is the littlest of things that separate us so. I had a terriffic day at work today, I get to start moving into my new office tomorrow and I'll be starting work on the two company web sites soon. We still didn't have heat today though, so everyone in the office was walking around with winter jackets, even toques and scarfs on... It was quite funny. But better than my day at work was what happened after work. As you may or may not know, Christel and I have been at odds with each other for the past year or so, maybe more. We had an argument of sorts a way back when and hadn't spoken one word to each other all this time until tonight. I called her to see, first of all if she was still mad at me, and second if we could possible meet somewhere and talk. I ended up picking up pizza and bringing it over to her house where we sat, ate, and most importantly talked -- And now we are friends again! We straightened out the issue that had separated us for this whole time, and really it was far too long. But regardless of what's in the past, it's fixed up now. I was thinking about it for quite some time, it was something I've been meaning to do for a long time (go and make things right with her) but one thing after another kept me away. Then the other night, actually one of my last bike ride nights after I got back from Braag Creek I drove by her house and ran into her sister (although not literally this time... Last time I ran into her I knocked two front teeth out and broke her nose...) Christel wasn't there though, and tonight as I was driving home from work I was really getting into an "I miss Christel" mood again so I decided to call her. For some reason lately it's really been hitting me how much I miss her. I am so glad that we're friends again. That has really made my day.
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