          
|
September 1, 2003 - 11:17 am What a packed day! Yesterday started off with breakfast at Kim's parent's place where I fixed her camera while we were waiting for things to fall into place. They put on their favorite episode of Malcolm in the Middle, the one where he gets taught by his dad how to rollerblade... I will admit it had it's points of humour, but it wasn't the funniest show I've ever seen... I think they're trying to get me hooked on Malcolm and it just isn't going to happen.  But after that we
got loaded up in several vehicles and drove down to Sandy Beach which is just on the end of 50th Ave, a few blocks away
from Central Memmorial. We blew up our 'rafts' there, which were little more than air matresses and dingies... One of them
was a complete writeoff from the start, it had such a big hole in it we couldn't even blow it up. Another matress had a
small but distinct hole in it which was patched with duct tape. It didn't stop the leak entirely but it kept the matress
from losing all it's air. Kim, Greg, and I got the one dingy that was actually river-worthy, and several others had
personal-sized matresses. All in all, everyone managed to float on something for most of the two-hour trip down the river.
I probably could have brought my camera down the river but thought it wise not to considering my history with cameras
and water... Speaking of which, I had a very strange coincidence last night as well relating to that very fact but I'll get
to that later. Once we reached Stanley Park everyone got out and waited for the vehicles to arrive and take us home. It
was a great day for it, and the trip was mostly very relaxing except for a few parts where the river became too shallow
to float down. A good time was had by all. After Kim and I got back to her parent's house, we said our goodbye's to the rest of those gathered there and rode to my house where we swapped vehicles and drove to Red Deer in the Red Dragon (my van.) First stop: 7-Eleven! We parked and walked to the doors, our excitement steadily building as we tried to see through the front window whether or not they had any Kabobs left. Sure enough, they had plenty of big, fat chicken kabobs and when we told the cashier that we'd just drove from Calgary to get these kabobs, she picked us out the two biggest kabobs in the case. It was awesome. Then we walked across the street to what used to be a Willy's Hamburgers but was now a Burger Boy and ordered up two large MINT shakes. We got talking to the lady there as well about our journey to that intersection with great chicken kabobs on one side and awesome milkshakes on the other, and she told the girl preparing our shakes to make sure she put in extra mint.  It was awesome -- they thought it was so funny we'd drive all the way to
Red Deer just to buy a kabob and a shake. Back at the 7-Eleven we sat on the grass under an evening sky and savoured our
meal. Our next stop was to be Carmen's house to drop off a map of how to get to the warm lake where we were supposed to go camping next weekend, but since she just started at her new job she wasn't able to get the weekend off so this long-postponed trip has pretty much been cancelled, at least for this year. That was disappointing but there is always next year. Our last stop was to be Sylvan Lake where Luke, Nolan and their sister Nita were staying at a cabin. I phoned the number they'd given me but the cell was turned off and even though I left a message, we never heard from them. I phoned Pine Lake to see if they were doing fireworks that night but it turned out they'd done them the night before. With options quickly disappearing, we ended up sitting in the van and talking for a couple of hours. I don't think we ended up leaving Red Deer until after 11:30. With a Pepsi Vanilla and the big sound of Cube Incorporated to keep me alert and awake on the drive home, we ventured back to Calgary and I dropped her off for her last night at Laura and Carolyn's house. We prayed together in the van before parting and thus concluded a beautiful day. As I was leaving her house I saw a guy trying to push a vehicle up hill so I stopped and asked him if he wanted a hand. It was about 1:15 by this time. He asked if I could give him a boost so I parked the van beside his truck and we hooked it up. He said he thought there was something wrong with his solenoid because every so often it would just konk out. He thanked me as I left him with his running truck, and I said another prayer of thanks as I was driving off for the vehicle I was in, which has pushed, pulled, boosted, and towed more vehicles than any other I know of -- short of maybe tow trucks I suppose... Every time I come home safely from a long trip in the van I thank God both for the van itself and how reliable it has been, but also for the parents who gave it to me. So to help show my appreciation to them, I am now off to help them finish shingling the roof on their house. September is here already, where did August go? Fall is soon approaching, Kim's favorite season. I have to say though, having her with me has actually made me look forward to spending our first fall together. I always dreaded fall because it meant the end of summer, but thanks to Kimberly this will probably be the first fall I'm actually looking forward to, at least a bit.
Have a great day everyone... It's been a great weekend for me so far. 9:52 pm Well, today was certainly not without its' excitement... I spent the afternoon finishing the roof at my parent's place, but when I came home I found out that our neighbour's garage had burnt down! Is that crazy or what? Oh, and Christine, I looked at your hair straightener, but it is basically fried. Somehow it overheated and burnt out the heating elements... I even took a picture of the one. Sorry I couldn't fix it but there really is nothing I can do... So I don't know if it was left on for a long time or just what, but as soon as I opened it I could smell burnt [stuff]... Oh ya, getting back to that wierd coincidence I mentioned this morning! Last night when Kim and I were heading back from Red Deer, we stopped for gas at the Shell in Gasoline Alley. I'm pumping the gas when I notice this guy using the pump beside me to fill up his truck. He asked how I was doing. At first I thought he was just being friendly, but then I recognized him! Do you know who it was? Remember the time my old camera got drenched by a bucket of water while I was walking through the door of the store at Sandy Cove? Well he's the father of the girl with the bucket that day, Sadie! Small world, huh. Of course she doesn't work at Sandy Cove anymore, and really I haven't been out there much this year either. I think I went up a whopping total of four times! I'm debating whether or not to go to the windup this year... Kind of leaning towards the not but that could change. Kim has to work that weekend, and it would be the last weekend I'd be able to camping... Maybe we'll take a quick poll. To vote, please click on one of the following:
Well, writing that little poll script killed the time I was going to use on several other projects tonight, but now I am quite curious to see what (you) think... See if I'd be missed at the lake. Actually the windup might have been this weekend, so
it's possible I've missed it already. That would be a major bummer, but we'll see. Anyhow, much to do as stated previously...
Now to do it. Goodnight y'all! September 3, 2003 - 11:39pm I came across some good reading in the Good Morning News today... One of my favorite reads. In case you aren't from around here, or just have never seen one the Good Morning News is a flyer that is delivered daily to over 1500 locations. Here it is:
September 4, 2003 - 7:11 am (Also from the Good Morning News) Don't say you're not important, it simply isn't true. The fact that you were born is proof God has a plan for you. The path may seem unclear right now, but one day you will see, that all that came before was truly meant to be. God wrote the book that is your life, that's all you need to know. Each day you are living, was written long ago. God only writes best sellers, so be proud of who you are. Your character is important, in this book you are the star. Enjoy the novel as it reads, it will stand throughout the ages, Savour each chapter as you go, taking time to turn the pages. Have a good day! September 4, 2003 11:38 pm I've had a long day so this will be brief, but I have found out that the windup is NEXT weekend, not this weekend so that works out pretty good. Tonight after work I went to visit two friends, neither of which were home so that was a little disappointing... I came home and started working some more on yet another internet project... There are so many it's not even funny at this point... Kim had to work late tonight so I thought I'd surprise her and pick her up downtown so she wouldn't have to take the train home... It worked out great, tonight was a perfect night for a bike ride, and such nights are becoming fewer and farther between... Fall is sneaking in on us -- Just look at how soon it's getting dark nowadays! The other night we were sitting at Boston Pizza and looking out the window at the street lights and it seemed like I could almost see snowflakes falling past the lights... Luckily this was not the case. But it looks like I'm going to the Youth Staff meeting tomorrow night at Grace, and then again on Saturday. I have no idea what that means, or even what it's all about but Frizz was like, "I'm signing you up so you'd better be there..." So I was like, "Ok..." We had our first practice for Life Night yesterday and it was SO MUCH FUN! Jason and I just couldn't stop playing, and Tony was trying to talk about goals and plans for the year and we were like, "Come ON man, we haven't had a practice in MONTHS! Lets just play!!!" It was so much fun. Kim was asking if I'm supposed to play this weekend and it occured to me that I have no idea. I know nothing about this, but that would not be the first time they pulled a last-minute plan... Every Life Night we did this summer was completely un-rehersed... Which kind of makes it fun in a different way but it is nice to have time to actually get to learn the songs and figure out ways of playing them well. This next week I'll probably be working nights so Kim and I are trying to figure out how we can work into our (work) schedules times to see each other. My life is packed so full right now I don't know that I could take on anymore! But, better busy than bored... I do need to get to bed though, one more day of work before a weekend of work and some play! Does it ever end? Life is good. September 6, 2003 1:18 pm OOPS! I TOTALLY slept in today, here I was supposed to be at the church for 10:00 but it seems that my lack of sleep from the past few weeks has finally caught up on me... Even now that I am awake, I feel quite blah so I'm thinking that this day will become a catch-up day, full of rest and relaxation. I honestly cannot remember the last time I had such a day so perhaps it is due. This next week I have to work nights, so that will further kink my already twisted sleeping schedule as of late... Late being the operative word  So I will probably do some cleaning today, tidy up my room... Catch up on my laundry, and most likely do a TONNE of work on my computers... I added another page to the Featured Sites list on the main www.cubeinc.net page, containing my collection of manuals for various languages... So far it only contains three - mySQL, HTML, and PHP - but those are the ones I have been using the most. All of the perl manuals come 'built in', that is, they are accessible from the command prompt, similar to the usual Linux man pages. If you needed help on a command, you could just type "perldoc if" and it would give you the full manual on "if" and how it works, how to use it, what it can do, etc. If I do come across an HTML version though, I will include it there as well. It's nice to have copies of the manuals in one place, because especially when I'm on the road with my laptop, I usually don't have internet access and if I'm programming something and need reference, it's all right there. Very useful. Not that most of you will probably care, save for the few computer geeks out there... And you know who you are... I do plan on adding a jokes / thought of the day section to my site here... coding it will be the easy part, typing in all the messages will be the long part. But quite often I come across great jokes and interesting stories in the Good Morning News and other places and I think it would make this site just that much more interesting to visit.
September 7, 2003 Well, tonight was the first official Life Night of the season, and I would like to share with you the experience from where I sat. Over the summer we had held a number of Life Nights, but with many people on vacation or off doing other things, the seats did tend to be thinned out a little. That was not the case tonight, I was very impressed to see that the basement was full to begin with, and excited by the attitude present there tonight. We got up to play the songs and lead the worship tonight as we had many times before, but I noticed something different this night, something exciting and something very powerful. We had a quick practice where we ran throug a lot of the songs before the service and got the sound all set up and all our levels checked, and (I) thought we were turned up pretty loud in the practice. -- Which is good, I like playing loud. But unlike many other Life Night services, tonight I was surprised and overwhelmed, quite frankly, when I realized that the reason I was starting to have trouble hearing myself in my monitor was because the voices of everyone singing were overpowering the instruments. Words cannot express what I felt in that moment, seeing and hearing everyone in the room praising God and worshiping Him, and being able to have a part in that, there truly is no more rewarding experience. This year was kicked off on a very positive note, and I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us throughout the coming months and seasons. Speaking now to a more personal subject, this weekend God has been causing me to deal with some issues I've been having lately, and I will admit it hasn't been exactly a pleasant experience. When you decide to follow God unconditionally, he begins to work in your life and clean out a lot of garbage you have stored up in you that you might not even realize is there, or it's been there so long you've become accustomed to having it there. I've been amazed at how he's helped me clean out things in my life that I haven't been able to let go of until now. Satan tries his best to keep us tied down, held back, enslaved to the cravings of the flesh and our sinful nature, but God's desire and purpose in sending Jesus to the earth was to free us from all the sinful ties that bind us and give us a life that is full of meaning, purpose, and satisfaction. We weren't created to live empty lives but lives full to overflowing. I have been struggling with a lot of temptation lately, Satan loves to bring up our pasts and rub it in our faces and cause us to fall repeatedly because of it. But the Bible says, in First Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has siezed you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." So for as many times as we are tempted, there is always a way out. Choosing to take the way out is up to us, but it is always there. If you read the blurb from September 3, the Who Am I -- The answer is Your Habits. Quite often I've found that I am in the habit of sinning. What I am learning though, is how to get into the habit of not sinning. But a word of advice and encouragement, don't try to change on your own. Only with the strength of God can we succeed in defeating the devil and the traps of temptation he sets before us. I'm trying to stay up as late as I can tonight so that I will be better off tomorrow night when I have to work the night shift. Oddly enough, I am incredibly tired right now. I think I just might have to search out a Pepsi... There should be a couple around here somewhere... Thanks for reading.September 8, 2003 9:22 am  It is raining. I suppose that is fitting for a Monday morning... Since I have to work nights this week I was trying to stay up as late as I could last night but by 1:00 I was so tired I just had to give in. I couldn't even sleep in this morning either, I woke up at 9:00 and realized that falling back asleep was not possible... So here I am back in front of the computer; maybe today I will get something done. Last night we all headed over to Nick's house for a hot dog and masrhmallow roast in his back yard. I walked to the nearest Pizza Hut and had some custom made breadsticks made up which I brought back to the fire and ate. Breadsticks around an open fire on a hot summer's night -- you can't beat that. 
Judging from the Windup Poll, it looks like I am going to be going this weekend... So far the votes are 7 in favor, 1 indifferent, and 0 for not... It should be
a fun weekend, remember the dance party last year? Maybe we'll do that again. I don't know if anyone else has planned anything but I guess we'll see what happens
when we get there. Kind of hard to believe a whole year has gone by since then... That weekend was September 6-8, and today is September 8th again... so literally
a year ago! That weekend was definately one of my favorite weekends at the lake; up until that point I had been debating whether or not to come to the lake again
this year at all, but that weekend was one of the most fun I had out there, from blasting the music down by the store to sipping tea with French Vanilla in the
trailer at site #38 watching a movie with my best friend at the time and her family... Of all the weekends I spent at the lake in 2002, that is the one I remember.
Actually, I just remembered something else from that weekend. We wanted to watch a
movie on my laptop at #38, so I went down to my tent to get the power adapter for my laptop, but I was also carrying the lantern in the same hand and the connector
for the laptop was resting on top of the lantern and melted... I had kind of forgotten how that happened until now... It still works, but that mark will forever
be a reminder of that weekend. It just blows me away realizing that was a whole year ago! But anyway, now that I've gotten all sentimental, I'd better go and do
something productive. I hope to see you at the lake this weekend! September 9, 2003 
4:20 pm and my day has just begun. I'm working nights this week and so far it hasn't been too bad but right now I am feeling the effects of an inverted schecule...
I am tired. But that's allright because tonight I get to drive a skyjack, one of my all-time favorite perks working where I do. I don't know why, but they are so
much fun. Last night the place we were working had a lot of lamps that were stuck in the sockets. Because of the heat these lamps produce when they are in
operation, the metal bases expand and contract so many times that often they practically weld themselves into the sockets and they are impossible to remove.
Both my brother and I would try cranking on them, usually without even budging the lamp. He'd hold the fixture so I could apply more force to the lamps but it
usually didn't help. It's actually amazing how much force you can apply to those lamps though, they do take a beating. But with no other option remaining, we
had to break several lights in order to get them out. Holding a box to the fixture, we'd cause the structure of the lamp shell to fail an most of the pieces would
fall into the box, however for some reason I got a lot of glass in my gloves and as I worked throughout the night it would slice my hands as I climbed the scaffold
or tried to turn lamps out. Hopefully it isn't as bad tonight. Since the cuts are quite small most of them have closed up already and they don't even hurt right
now. After last weekend I thought the windup might have good weather for once. Every year I've gone to a windup it turned out to be quite cold, and/or would rain. Last year I remember it was fairly chilly, and if the weather this week continues, the trend will continue. I talked briefly with Alisha today, the old Store Girl. She's living in Red Deer now, but I didn't get much more than that because she had to go. Maybe it was time for a hike. You know how she loves to go hiking...
Anyway, I should also get going as well. Much to do today, no time to do it!John September 10, 2003 - 5:55 am These moonlight desires haunt me, they want me -- You're sending a wave over my mind. So there I was, driving a skyjack around Costco when I hear this song on the radio they had blasting, it's reciever tuned into Jack. Lately I've been finding a lot of songs from the 80's era that transport my mind into a time and place far from wherever I am. It's a pleasant place, warm and inviting, rich wood-walled rooms lit by incandescent table lamps and thick warm carpet... Toss in a lava lamp or two, a few candles scattered here and there, sit in the large couch against one wall and watch the shadows dance on the walls. Music is playing, filling the air with ambience, setting a warm tone -- it's my happy place (If you've ever seen Happy Gilmore) The picture of contentment, peacefulness, warmth, welcome... Picture a place like that in your mind and listen to the song " Moonlight Desires" by Gowan. You just might walk into the room where I am. Feel free to join me on the couch and soak up the scene, sharing in my contentment, happy only to be. As the song plays, look up at the ceiling and see the warm incandescent light illuminate the cedar boards that line the room. It is a cozy place. You are always welcome here. Ok, so I am a little tired and hopped up on Vanilla Pepsi. I'm going to go to sleep now, dreaming of my happy place. GoodnightSeptember 10, 2003 5:10 pm  Wednesday afternoon I sit at home, staring at my screen. This is where I get work done, in front of this machine But soon I will be out of here, a lunch is all I'll take, For when I'm done working tonight, I'm heading to the lake! The tally is in on your votes as to whether or not I should go to the lake, 7 people voted Yes, 2 Voted Indifference, and nobody voted No -- So I guess I will see you at the windup! I am looking forward to it, it's been ages now since I've been out there... Seems like forever really and I wish I'd gone more this summer. Unfortunately things did not allow that to happen and I suppose it's all the for the best in the long run, but whatever the past contains is done and cannot be changed: The future is what we control now. The only slight snag that I can see in my plans for this weekend is that tomorrow (September 11) I am supposed to drop my bike off to have new tires put on it and a tuneup done... Anyone who's seen my front tire knows why this is being done... And hopefully I can leave it over the weekend at the shop because I will be out of town and
therefore unable to pick it up until Monday. Other than that, I've checked the forcast for the weekend, it looks decent with highs between 17 and 25 degrees, I
WILL be bringing my Seadoo and tubes so those of you who are willing to brave the water can get some final tubing in before the end of the season... All in
all it should be a good weekend! I am looking forward to it, I hope you're looking forward to it, and I look forward to seeing you there! Doing a lot of looking forward... John September 11, 2003 - 2:51 am You've all seen that commercial where the guy is trying to make a Reeses(R) Peanut Butter Cup by mixing chocolate and peanut butter, literally with a big spoon or something and realizing that it'S just not the same. I kind of felt like that guy tonight as I was getting a snack together when I got home. I wanted something tasty, yet not necessarily filling. I started with the usual; bacon bits and croutons. After that I went for a Chewy Bar, also known as a granola bar... Those are always good. Another idea hit me, Pizza Pops! I went and tossed a pair in the microwave and was sipping my milk wHen the idea hit me. Earlier tonight I had one of those Milk-To-Go things, the one with Vanilla added. I love them. Pepsi Vanilla, Vanilla Milk... It seems that Vanilla has becoMe one of my new favorites. Anyways, I was drinking my mIlk and wondered if I could make my OWN Vanilla Milk! Looking in our spice cupboard, I found some vanilla extract -- which I'm gathering from the results is not quite the same as pure vanilla... And poured it into my drink. After mixing a little in, it didn't seem to be strong enough so I poured more into my cup and stirred it again, this time giving it a more generous dosage. WelL, let me tell you! IT IS JUST NOT THE SAME! It had the hint of vanilla but there was another, more subtle Yet potient taste present... It would be hard to describe, but like my Pepsi & Cheerios experience, this will be one I do not repeat! I think from now on I will stick to Croutons and Bacon Bits! September 12, 2003 - 2:47 pm Last night I arrived at the lake around 6:00 pm, drove through a horrendous rain storm on the way up just as I was leaving Calgary. It rained so hard I could hardly see through the windshield, because even with the wipers on high, as soon as the wiper had passed water was streaming down it again. I can't help but wonder if some parts of the city flooded too, I hit several puddles that COVERED the whole van (And I wouldn't have wanted to have been standing on the side of the road!) But after about 10 minutes of that, it passed and the sun came out, revealing a rich blue sky. Kim phoned me from work to see how I was doing in the rain, but I told her I was enjoying a nice drive along the highway under a clear sky with the sun beating down hot on me. The rest of the ride out to the lake was uneventful, but when I arrived I found it quieter than normal, even for a Thursday. Hal was sitting outside his trailer, but that was the only sign of life I could see anywhere in the whole campground. The store was closed, no kids were out playing, the air was dead still... There was only the odd sound of a bird chirping or fluttering off in the distance. I don't believe I've ever heard it so calm in my life. I went to work setting up my campsite, brought down my tent and set it up. I thought to myself as I did so, I sure haven't done that a lot this summer... Brought down my air matress and sleeping bag, hauled my backpack with clothes in... Brought out my camping chair and checked my stash of wood to see if anyone had found it since my last stay here. It didn't appear so, and although everything around me was sopping wet, the wood was modestly dry, save for a few pieces. I got out my axe and chopped up some kindling. The wood split nicely, I'd just tap it and the pieces would snap apart. My stash of paper was also still intact and dry, so I pulled out a few pieces of newspaper and made a tee-pee style fire in my pit. It wasn't long before the flames were roaring and crackling up out of it, sounding crystal clear against the eerie silence that surrounded me. I guess it was fairly chilly too, I had a long sleeved' sweater on and jeans... I didn't feel like launching the Seadoo just yet either, in case the rest of the weekend turned out to be cold I figured I'd save myself the extra hassle. The evening progressed slowly it seemed, after my fire had died down I realized that I was very hungry, so I decided to walk over to Whispering Pines to see if their restaurant was still open. Hal was still sitting in front of his trailer so I asked him, but to my disappointment he informed me that it had closed down on the long weekend. I returned to my campsite and rummaged through my van to see what food I could find... My mother would be horrified to find out that I ate a meal of four peanut butter bars, a bag of soda crackers and a can of Mountain Dew. It did the trick though, and I was no longer hungry. I brought out the laptop last night and started to write, sitting there in my camp chair beside the fire. I was watching a huge ridge of cloud at the north end of the lake, which seemed to be moving south very rapidly. It looked like the pickup arm of a giant record player skimming across the surface of the record. It even seemed to have a needle-shaped cloud that seemed VERY low to the ground at one end. Right up until it was practically above me, the air was still absolutely quiet, but all of a sudden, without any real warning a rush of wind came crashing over the campground, I frantically grabbed all of my gear and tossed it in the tent or inside the fly of the tent. Rain was starting to fall as well, and the heavy clouds above made it seem a lot later than it was by darkening the sky. If you looked farther south you could see that it was still quite light out but overhead there was nothing but dark cloud. It seemed like a good time to retire to the tent, so I lit my lantern and hung it up inside, brought the rest of my stuff into the tent and crawled in myself, closing the fly behind me. Inside the tent, I prepared my sleeping bag and blew up my air matress. Getting all tucked in, I found I was actually quite warm despite being able to see my breath. I picked up the laptop agian and continued writing, but a wave of exhaustion came over me and I wanted to do nothing but go to sleep! It was 9:00 at this time, I couldn't believe I was so tired so early, but realizing that I had been through a rough sleep schedule the past week with working nights and all, I figured I would let my body decide when it needed sleep. There wasn't really much else to do anyway. Now normally, that would have been the end of my night, but I wasn't so lucky. I came to at about 1:00 am, you know that point where you're not quite awake but not quite asleep either... Well that's where I lay for quite some time. When you're in that state the passing of time does not register, but finally I decided to get up. My sleep was not returning to me, I could feel a growing need for a washroom coming on, and the night was a long ways from being over so I got up. Taking care of first things first, I went for a walk to see if I could find a bathroom that was open. Luckily the ones by the arcade were, so the first order of business was looked after. I went for walk, it had become calm again, but colder this time. As I passed site number thirty eight, I suddenly realized I had no idea what time it was. I hit the light button on my watch and read the numbers: Eleven after two. That figures, I thought... It's hard to explain the feeling out here when everything is that quiet and empty. When you are used to a bussle of activity, kids running around, yelling, laughing, playing, adults sitting on deck chairs in front of their trailers or walking around with a fishing rod in one hand and tackle box in the other... Dogs lying content on the grass at their owners' trailer, munching on some toy... To come out on a day like yesterday where there is nothing but the sound of silence, no motion anywhere, no activity, no laughter, no nothing. Just silence. I really hadn't expected that. I know things slow down here during the week, but I seem to recall even when I came out here in April, before the season opened, there was more animal life around than now. Anyway, I'm dwelling too long on that subject; I'll continue. I returned to my campsite, and now I was COLD! Bringing out some more wood, I split some more kindling and lit another fire. There is nothing like a good hearty fire to warm you up when you are cold on a night like last. I let a few logs burn down, until there were not much more than coals left and I could no longer feel the heat from them and then I returned to my tent. I'm not sure if having the lantern in the tent actually warms it up or not, but it did seem a little warmer than when I had left it. I dropped the lantern lower than I normally hang it and let it burn on high for that very reason, hoping it would heat the tent up a little. I remember one year when Ed offered me a kerosine heater, boy would I love to have had that last night... But I made due none the less... This time I slept right through until 9:00 this morning when I was awakened to the sound of roaring wind. It was too early to get up, so I went back to sleep. Now it is 3:37 pm and I am still in bed, the wind is still roaring and I'm guessing, based on my experience from such days out here, that it will continue to roar all day and possible all night again. It's a cold north wind, bringing down cold north air. I knew the forecast for this weekend looked too good to be true... This is a windup weekend! Of course we're going to have cold, damp weather! I think the only windup I've been to that had decent weather was the first one, because I remember I had my old motorcycle here that weekend (and Tyler stole my key off it.) Suddenly I remember many other interesting details from that same weekend, the pig roast, eating the ear right off the pig, Rosco the clown, sitting on the picnic table at Tyler's trailer and rubbing Shauntelle's back because she was very sick... Hard to believe all that was three years ago. But every other windup since then, (I guess the other two...) have had cold, damp, miserable weather. But that's one thing that I have to admire about the people who come out here, is their ability to endure and make due. I can't remember a time at any windup where people sat there the whole weekend and complained about the weather, they got out there, put on an extra sweater and had a great time. I'm expecting the same to happen this year, come rain, sun, shine, or snow -- it's going to be a good windup. September 13, 2003 - 2:29 am I'm back in my tent, and tonight promises to be another chilly night. The wind blew all the clouds out of the sky and there are more stars out than you could count if you had the whole night to try. But if the sky can stay cloud-free tomorrow, it will mean a warm, sunny day for the windup. I was able to get my ticket for the windup after all, and signed myself up for volleyball. The list for that event contains some 15 or so names, so we should have a good game. I think those activities start at 2:00 pm tomorrow. I actually ended up sleeping in till about 6:00 pm this afternoon. I guess I needed the rest and there wasn't anyone out before then anyways. I got up and went for a walk down to the store, which still wasn't open. Standing on the deck behind the store I looked out over the water. The sun kept peeking inbetween the clouds as they flew overhead -- all day a modest wind pushed clouds across the sky. I saw John out in his boat, but no one else from Sandy Cove was on the water. Allison came and found me on the deck, and then Kayla came over and informed me that Johnny Cash had died that morning. I was actually quite saddened by this news, his music will forever be associated with working with my dad when I was younger in the garage, where we listened to an 8-Track of his, "Live at Folsom Prison." It didn't look like the store was going to open at all that day, so Allison and I decided to go scrounge fire wood. We ended up finding several damp logs, a plank, a two-by-four, and several smaller sticks. She helped me carry them all back to my campsite and then helped me build a fire. Actually she did most of the work, I just chopped the logs into pieces and she arranged them in the fire pit. We sat on my picnic table for a while warming up in front of our blazing fire, but by 9:15 it was quite dark so we walked back to her trailer to see if anyone had missed her yet. There I was treated to a big, fat, tasty sausage and ended up spending several fires with her family in front of their fire. Everybody has a story to tell, and I learned a lot about Kayla's family, especially her mom. It's funny how I've been coming out here four years now and I reallydon't know many people here very well at all. Hopefully this weekend I can begin to change that... Tomorrow is fast approaching and I should get some rest, although I don't really feel tired. 10:49 am The sun is shining! It's not even eleven o'clock and already my tent is quite warm! This is a good sign. I can hear a bustle of activity outside, golf carts running around, people talking, getting things ready... So far this has been the nicest day of the weekend and I haven't even got out of bed yet! But I should do that, go and get myself ready... Put some shorts on... Looking out my tent door I can see the sun shining down hard on the water which is lapping gently against the rocks of the little tent-side cove I built in the water last year. I'm sure I will have a lot to write about tonight! A thought just hit me, today is my last full day out here this year! 1:30 pm You can tell that summer is just about over... When the sun is out it is beautifully warm, but as soon as it goes behind a cloud, the temperature drops considerably. I even had to go put a sweater on I was so chilled. I'm sitting out in my blue camping chair now, but the sun is behind a cloud and it's probably no more than 12 degrees. It looks nice out, but the air makes you think differently. I was just up at the house where there are all kinds of preparations going on for the windup dinner and games, people are blowing up balloons and hanging them up all around, kids are running around helping here and there, golf carts are roaring around carrying dart boarts and spikes for the horseshoe games. Some people are doing last minute repairs to their trailers and campsites, starting to get everything ready for the winter. There are a few boats out on the water but I have yet to see anybody tubing. I don't really plan on launching my Seadoo at all this weekend, even with the sun out today it is still too cold. I had a good season of it and ended it on a good note last time I was out here, for the extra hassle of launching it for even an hours' use and then getting it back on the trailer, cleaning it out and tieing it all down again, I would rather wait until next year when it's warmer. I think now after owning it now for three years, the thrill of just going out by myself and ripping around has worn off. If there isn't someone else around to enjoy it with me, I get very little pleasure out of using it anymore. I remember when I was deciding which model to buy, having the three seater was never in question because I knew the novelty of it would wear off, and a two seater can only be used by two people, whereas with the one that seats three you can pull any sort of towable and now many more people can get their enjoyment out of it. I'm starting to think about next year too, I'm sure I will come out here again, but like this year I don't think I will do the seasonal thing again... I love Pine Lake and am glad I spent those two summers out here as a seasonal, but looking back now a big part of the decision to spend all that time at the lake was because of two families that were also seasonals here, the McHughs and the Millers. Now that the Millers no longer own their trailer and I don't see much of the McHughs anymore, the two main reasons I came out here are gone and my draw to the lake is considerably less. I guess what it comes down to is that I've spent too many weekends alone by myself in the past year and a half; It's time to move on. And like I said, I'm still going to come up here, I still love the lake and I have other friends out here... But would I spend another summer out here, every weekend from the May Long weekend until the third weekend of September? No. Not by myself anyways. I think the windup games are about to begin so I'm going to go and find out what's going on. I'll have a lot more to write tonight! 5:08 pm Most of the windup games are winding up now, I think the crib tournament is finished and the finalists are battling for their ranks in horseshoes and darts. I played volleyball with the teen and little-older-than-teen croud (wink, Pat) and we all had a great time. Pat had prizes for everybody so no one left empty handed... We ended up playing three games, switching the teams around every game. I dare say the weather couldn't have been nicer. Not too hot, but definately not too cold either. Most of the afternoon has been sunny so far and although there is now a thin layer of clouds, the sun is still shining hard and spirits are high as tummies are starting to growl and the anticipation of supper is growing. But what am I doing writing on this thing!?! I'm getting back out there! More updates later... September 14, 2003 1:03 am Another windup has come to a close, there are still a few diehards up at the garage, but I think 75% or more of the seasonals have mosied' on back to their trailers now... I'm actually amazed now at how beautiful a night we had this year, it honestly could not have been better for this time of year. Supper was delicious, and dessert was even better... I'm actually really craving some more of those brownies right about now... I didn't realize how hungry I'd become again until just now when I started thinking about food... I think I've eaten all my soda crackers... After supper they had a live band come and play some songs, there was a dance at the garage but about this time I drove my van down by the store and provided some not-live musical entertainment for a few of the kids who weren't quite so enthusiastic about the music being played up at the house. Most everyone seemed to be tired this evening and although a few people got out and danced to a couple of songs, most of the time everyone just sat around and listened. Kayla and her new boyfriend Derrick were snuggling quite closely on the picnic table, so Darren filled a sand castle pail of water and gave them both a cold shower... That was probably the most exciting moment of the evening, either that or the chase that ensued... We played soccer with the big beach soccer ball on the deck with Allison and Jamie who were of course, half the size of the ball... About 10:30 I shut down the music and we ended up at Casey's trailer watching Psycho. I don't know if they finished the movie, but several moms came looking for their children about 11:40 so we left the movie and came outside. I said goodnight to them at this point and came down to my own campsite where I started a fire to enjoy by myself on my last night out here for the season. (Although apparantly next weekend there are supposed to be fireworks because Justin is getting married over at Green Acres so there's going to be some sort of a due here for that... I guess we'll see what the weather does but I'm not planning on coming up again until next year. It's been a good season, shorter than anyone would like and over before you know it, but I can't complain really. I think the only thing I'd love to have right now is a nice big mug of tea with french vanilla in it. I've even got the mug from the volleyball game this afternoon, just no tea, no water, and no french vanilla. I guess life wouldn't be very interesting if we had everything we wanted all the time though... There would be no place for ambition, challenge, competition, reward, perserverance, completion, progress, or any number of other words to describe the process of life as we know it... I can't believe how sore and tired I am now, I think that volleyball game did it... Either that or carrying the picnic table up to the house from the beach by myself... You wouldn't think it was that hard, but it's a lot easier said than done! I've got my trusty air matress, I'm amazed it's lasted me two seasons now without needing a single patch... Speaking of which, I am really starting to fall victim to it's powers, lying on it the whole time I've been writing this has put my under it's spell and I am barely able to keep my eyes open. Tomorrow will be the last morning I'll wake up at the lake, the last time I'll have to take down my tent, pack up all my things and load up the van for the drive home... It's this time of the year that you realize there are probably some people (I'll) see tomorrow for the last time in my life. These are sobering thoughts to have to fall asleep to, let me tell you! But it is a small world, and I've seen stranger things happen than running into old friends at the strangest and most unlikely places... I seriously need to get to sleep though, tomorrow's a big day! September 15, 200310:51 pm Happy Birthday Kim! Today is Kim's birthday and to celebrate her family took her (and I) out to Open Sesame. Now anyone who knows me and knows my tastes, likes, and dislikes in food will be shocked and amazed by this next statement: They have THE BEST FOOD I'VE EATEN IN A VERY LONG TIME!!! (I can see my mom just about faint at this point...) You get your choice of rice or noodles and add-ons (Beef, chicken, pork, etc.) to start with, and then you take a bowl and go around this big round buffet-style thing loaded with all sorts of vegetables, fruits, seasonings, spices, sauces, etc. Then you bring your bowl over to the kitchen and they fry it all up into a BIGGER bowl for you with your rice and addon, and they bring it out to your table for you to enjoy! And Enjoy I did. I was actually the only one out of all six of us there to finish the bowl! Then they brought out these bananna somethingorother desserts out for everyone with a sparkler in Kim's since it was her birthday and we all ate these as well. I must say I was shocked at myself even over how much I was enjoying the meal! Kim's family is wonderful, she was a little worried I think about throwing me into one of her family get-togethers like that, but I had a good time. Kim has two sisters, one younger and one older and together they form a very unique group... I don't think I've ever seen three sisters get along so well, they are always laughing heartily about one thing or another... Every so often they are kind enough to fill me in on the details, but quite often I am forced to just smile and nod... We had
a good night though, which was followed up by a birthday cake at her house. So Kim, when you read this, I know you're probably laughing out loud by now but thank
you for a wonderful time, I hope you have a wonderful year and I look forward to spending it with you. There is a LOT more I still have to write, but Luke and I started in on a long overdue conversation that was well timed and I cannot thank him enough for his continued friendship, advice, and ears when I have a lot on my mind like tonight. I don't know where I would be now if it weren't for the wonderful friends I find myself surrounded by every day... You all are a tremendous blessing to me and I hope you know that I do not take you for granted. This week promises to be another busy one, I wouldn't expect anything less though... I was reading somewhere today how life is bizar. Life is bizarre sometimes, I have to agree. We all have our ups and downs, but how well we fair the journey depends a lot on our friends, and I think it would be fair to say that we depend on our friends more when we are down than when we are up. When friends give good advice, we are more likely to be lifted up and encouraged and weather the storm better, and a friend who is rich in wisdom is worth more than all the cars, money, bikes, or anything else that we tend to look on as objects of value could ever amount to. The Bible says in John 15:13 "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." I want you to know, that if an opportunity ever arose where I might be able to save the life of one of my friends at the cost of my own, I would gladly make the exchange. Luke of course I have already mentioned tonight, but Jason has been a most loyal friend to me over the years. I've trusted him with my life on many occasions as we worked together for several years, and would do so again in a second. Bo is another friend I would gladly die for, we've been through a lot together, good times and bad. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Bozer. Tony is another guy I've known since grade two, a friend, consultant, advisor, mentour -- Yes I look up to you... And not just because you are taller than me. In case you haven't noticed, tonight I am feeling very much appreciative for the great friends that I'm blessed to have around me, and it's
the kind of thing I think ought to be said once in a while. More often really. I really need to get to bed, it's almost one o'clock already (where DOES
the time go?) but there is a song I've been listening to, it's called Breathe On Me by Jennifer Knapp. You can download it
here if you like, but it's a wonderful song. With that I
depart for the night. Goodnight everyone. September 16, 2003 - 10:50 pm KIM AND I ARE GOING TO SEE SUM 41, TREBLE CHARGERS & SWOLEN MEMBERS!!!! Steve from work won a pair of tickets to the concert September 25, and out of the kindness of his heart gave them to Kim and I! I can't wait, it's going to be awesome! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... I couldn't help start feeling all warm and Christmassy inside as I drove home from my parents' house tonight... My brother bought a Pioneer Elite reciever for his growing home theatre, and he decided to give me my birthday and Christmas present early... So I have a frightningly powerful new toy to play with... He's thrilled with his new purchase and I'm excited with my present so it's been an awesome night! Kim and I are supposed to go out with Marshall for his birthday this weekend, so I hope I can get a hold of him before the weekend to find out what's going on... Speaking of the whole Christmas thing, I couldn't help but start to get in the mood tonight as I said, and Kim's been telling me that her family is REALLY BIG on Christmas, so I'm very excited to be able to share it with them this year... We're still trying to get Kim over to meet my parents, but my mom is out of town for the rest of this week so it's being put off again! We've got a family do this monday at my aunt's place that I might try to invite her out to, but we'll have to see how that fits in with her work plans. (Wink wink Kim) There's so many people we have to meet still in both of our families. It's very exciting. I've started making a list
of people to send Christmas cards to, and even started thinking of presents to buy for people this year. See?!?!?! I'm a guy and I am not leaving my Christmas
shopping till the last day... Or at least the planning -- I haven't actually bought anything yet. Barb was telling me the other day that she's got all her
Christmas shopping done already! Anyways, I've got some laundry still to do tonight, and my time server is acting up and not keeping the correct time so I've got
to tweak that a little... Figure out what's going on there... I read the journal entry I wrote last night... Wow, that was intense. I must have been really
tired to have confessed all that, but I stand by the things I've written - they're all true. It's kind of strange, the thought funnel's been getting very clogged
lately -- I have a lot of ideas, thoughts, feelings, experiences, etc. which I try to share with people, but trying to get them all into the tiny constraints that
words allow is like trying to pour a cement truck full of cement through a drinking straw... It just doesn't happen sometimes. So bear with me as I learn to
translate that which is inside the mind to that which can be transported in the form of English. (Or Openglopish) Thanks for reading, and have yourself a Merry
Little Christmas! September 18, 2003 - 5:52 am  It has started. We have had our first snowfall, and it really is a depressing sight to see leaves, which haven't even started to change color, covered in snow. But be that as it may, whether or not you wish to consider it here already, fall is on the way and we might as well get used to it. Last night I was supposed to go to a practice at Grace, but when I got home from work I was so tired I sprawled myself out on my floor for a quick nap. Oops! Many hours, missed phone call, and ignored messages later I came to, only to realize it was now too late to do anything but crawl into bed and sleep the rest of the night away. So of course, I woke up a little earlier this morning, and here I am. Trying to figure out why my slave mySQL server will not replicate, trying to catch up on some other work, and updating my web site all at the same time. But I have to go, I just heard the furnace kick in so I'm grabbing my blanket, going upstairs and going to go lie on the heater for a while. Have a great day! September 19, 2003 - 6:20 pm  Six More Big Sleeps! I keep hearing this advertised on CJAY and I'm like, "YA! I'm SO Going To That!!!" hehehehe It will be fun, but working the next morning won't... I've sort of got another long weekend here, I have all day Monday off but I have to work monday night so some of it I should sleep. I guess we'll see what happens. I got all my work done today, what a great way to finish the work week, I got my bike back with two new tires on it and an engine tuned and tweaked -- There is a modest performance increase... (It's a good thing I'm typing because the huge, ridiculously silly grin on my face reaching from ear to ear would give away the excitement restrained by that statement...) *SIGH* And just in time to put it away for the season too... Oh well, I have that much more to look forward to in the spring. Kim picks up her new car tomorrow, we're both quite excited about that... (It's not a NEW new car, but new-to-her car) Oh, and sorry to anyone who got 403 errors in the past day or so -- (Forbidden) I discovered much to my shock and horror that my private diary (not the journal you read all the time on here but my personal, private diary) has been COMPLETELY unsecured ever since I built this new server. Normally you have to enter a username and password to gain access to it, but when I rebuilt and upgraded the server, the security *STUFF* that normally demanded the password did not get set up again!!! OOPS!! So hopefully nobody read it... I haven't had any friends give me strange looks or anything so I think it's ok. Most people don't even know where it is anyways -- It's sort of hidden. But that's all been straightened out now, the access denied errors
should cease too... If you get a 403 Forbidden to anything please let me know so I can fix it. (Thanks to those of you who told me about it!) September 21, 2003 - 8:16 am Well. Where to begin. I guess I should recap to Friday a little, I had a great day at work. Got everything done, perfect way to end the week and begin the weekend. After work I picked up my bike with it's new set of tires and discovered a whole new feel to the bike. It had also been in for a tune-up, and WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I guess the valves had been out a fair bit, and now that they are set properly again, the power is phenominal. It was kind of a bittersweet experience for me though, because with the new tires you have to go easy on them for the first 75-100 kilometers because they are slippery. So here I am riding this thing, trying SOOOO hard to hold back... Also being stuck in rushour traffic on the way home -- IT WAS TORTURE! Kristin was actually the first person to get a ride on it, that night she was pretty upset and there were a few things on my mind as well so we decided to go for coffee. We sat at Tim Horton's for several hours and talked before I dropped her off at home again with both of us feeling much better. So that was cool, I really enjoyed our chat. That night I went over to Laura and Carolyn's house where a streaking party was under way... Have you seen that commercial? It's hilarious. But yes, hair streaking -- not the other streaking...
I also caught the tail end of some movie. There's nothing quite as bad as arriving half way through a movie and trying to make sense of it. There are some things
that you can figure out on your own but others that just don't make sense unless you've seen the rest of the movie. Anyways, pretty much everyone had left and Kim
and I were trying to talk on the couch in the living room, but Carolyn insisted that we stop talking because she couldn't sleep with all the noise... I
swear, that girl really needs to invest in some ear plugs because when two people can't carry a conversation in hushed tones in ANOTHER ROOM without being too loud
for her, heaven forbid she ever gets married to a guy who snores... So that was a tad frustrating because the one time Kim and I finally get to talk, she (Carolyn)
decides she needs her sleep and there's nowhere we could go in their small basement suite that wouldn't be too loud for her... But whatever, they're moving out of
there soon and Laura tells me their new place has thicker walls so these things shouldn't be a problem. Arrgh. Sorry. End of venting. So then, Saturday we wake up, Kim and I decide to go pawn shop hopping. It was great fun actually, we drove up and down 17th Ave going into every pawn shop we could find on both sides of the street... I had an idea of what I wanted to buy but only two stores had anything close to what I was looking for, and priced much too high so we ended up not buying anything from any of them. We looked at a lot of CD's though, which was very amusing... Gotta love old TLC discs, Color Me Badd, 400% Dance Hits, Ce Ce Peniston, Chris Sheppard, Pure Energy, to name but a small few. I even found an Earth Tones CD, which was crazy because a long time ago I taped a song of theirs off the radio -- Back when Kiss FM was brand new, to give you an idea of the time line... It was a pretty good song and I tried to find it on the net but couldn't seem to locate it anywhere! I ended up tearing apart the deck in my van one night just so I could play this song from the tape I'd recorded it on years ago. After searching as long as I did to find this song, you can imagine my surprise to come across the disc in a pawn shop. I didn't buy it though. After going up and down 17th Ave and not really finding what I wanted, Kim and I headed down to Axe just for the fun of it. For many years that store has been a dream shop for me. I've bought a few items there, but if I could ever take a shopping spree anywhere, it wouldn't be hard to guess where I'd go. We browsed
through several display rooms. I had to try VERY hard not to drool a couple of times as we looked over the merchandise. I saw a few items that caught my eye, but
not exactly what I was looking for. After some time we wandered back out to the rental/service department and I talked to one of the guys back there, showed him
what I had and told him what I wanted. We discussed a few possibilities and he showed me a couple of things they had in stock. Have you ever seen a deal that was
just TOO GOOD to pass up? Walked into a store not really intending to spend any money (at least on that day) and walked out with something you never thought you'd
ever own? Well that was my Saturday afternoon... I've done a little upgrading you could say... It's been funny because I've been grinning from ear to ear ever
since Saturday afternoon. It's my Christmas present to myself, or at least that's how I'm justifying it. Hahahaha. But anyways, yesterday was also Marshall's
birthday. I haven't seen the guy in over a year, and our last meeting was quite brief, so Kim and I met him and his girlfriend at the Olive Garden. Our waitress
must have hated us because we sat there for nearly three hours and the restaurant was horribly busy... They have a neat way of handling the large crouds of people
that show up there when the restaurant is full. They give you these disks that vibrate and glow when your table is ready. I guess it's instead of having to call out
everyone's names each time a table becomes available. They even have a guy who goes around and does magic tricks to amuse waiting parties. It was pretty cool. We
had a good meal, didn't even tell them it was Marshall's birthday and heard at least 4 other birthday celebrations in the restaurant! Must be a good day to be born
or something... It was really cool to see Marsh again, we had a lot of catching up to do. I've known him since about grade 4 or 5 when I was in Boy's Brigade (Kind
of a Christian version of Scouts) and he came to Heritage when we were in grade 5. We've been through a lot together, both good and some bad, but have remained
friends through many years and continue to do so. There are a lot of stories to be told, it's pretty funny all the adventures we've had... I'm sure some of you
have heard one or two of the stories at least once... Some of the more famous ones would be things like the whole "Send Me For A Ride" thing, building the scaffold
tower for the zip line, many adventures at Family Camp, Marshall's trampoline with a diving board mounted to it... "Rainbow Bright" -- Sorry Marsh, but that was
funny... And Phil got a girlfriend out of it too! We all won. Speaking of Phil, that's another guy I'm going to have to get a hold of and go visit. It's been far
too long, I've run into him several times and every time I see him he gives me his number and tells me to call him so we can get together, and I'm very sad to say
that so far I've never called him. Soon though, that will change. We need to get as many people from that era together sometime, I think it would be a very fun,
very interesting, and very awesome reunion. Marshall and I sort of talked about that last night, planning some sort of reunion. Oh there is so much to do, and so
little time to do it. I guess Phil's getting married now, it's just crazy! I've got to go see that guy. Back in the days of our underground fort, (This is the
part of the Cube Incorporated story that isn't found under the Story of Cube section) the four of us, Phil, Jenn (his sister -- the whole "You're probably the
nicest guy I know, it's just too bad you're not handsome" thing) my brother Blair and I built this underground fort. We literally dug a hole and made a tunnel
and had this big "dome" carved out, underground. At one point we even had 8 (yes, EIGHT) people inside the fort. It was awesome. (Oh, and there were other people
who helped us on it too, just so no one gets left out, but I know that it was the four of us who did most of the work on it.) But anyways, at that time I was still
using the nickname Icecube, but one day the four of us were sitting in our fort and decided to come up with a secret password to use whenever one of us wanted
access. We each took a code name, my brother took "Ted", Jenn took "Mel", Phil took "Ice", and I took "Cube", to form, the phrase "Ice Cube Mel-ted" -- And that
was our password. That's also how the ice part was dropped off my nickname. Maybe some day I'll put that story into the "Story of Cube" section, but yes. Now you
know. Anyway, it's time I got going on some other things, I have a lot to do today... Have a great weekend, or what's left of it anyways.  12:20 pm I've sold my JBL 15" Bass Bin, anybody want an 18" Bass Bin? $300, can be heard running. I'll try to get a picture of it up as well. You will need a truck or van to pick it up, it is big. Has wheels and two handles for transporting. September 22, 2003 - 8:51 pm Today was a very productive day for me. I removed everything from my van, unpacked all my camping gear, most of which has been in the van all summer... I even found a pair of either Carmen or Leah's socks from that time they slept in the van at Pine Lake. It was kind of sad to put all the camping gear away for another year, 
but I am really not dreading winter as much as I thought I was... I think I will actually enjoy it this year, and if anyone hears me complaining down the road,
please remind me of this entry! But seriously, Kim is helping me to appreciate the beauty of fall. See fall to me in the past couple of years has meant "No more
motorcycle or Seadoo for 8 months" but since fall is her favorite month, I am learning to appreciate it through her. Tonight we introduced her to a good chunk of
the family, one of my mom's cousins was in town from Ontario and my aunt was having a supper-type family gathering at her house tonight, which we attended. So not
only did we get to introduce her to some of the family we see all the time, but also some family that I haven't seen since I was 8 years old. It was a fun night.
Everyone loves Kim. It is amazing how well she fits in with everyone I introduce her to, she is just a very enjoyable person. Even people I would not have expected
to like her have asked us to come back any time. There is nothing I cherrish more than an open invitation. Few phrases warm my heart more than "You're always
welcome here." But now I have to go to work, all night, which I am not looking forward to. I am exhausted, to be blunt, I couldn't sleep at all today from anticipation, and was out of bed by 8:00 this morning as a result... Cleaning and reorganizing the van took most of my day and then this supper has consumed my evening... It was a full day already but I've still got over 9 hours to go before I can lay my head upon a pillow again! Such is life though, and that sleep when it comes will be welcomed all the moreso. September 23, 2003 - 5:31 am It's raining. Goodnight September 24, 2003 - 5:19 am That small world of ours is getting smaller all the time. As a result of the supper I had with Marshall a few nights ago, we discovered through the course of the conversation that his girlfriend Shawna works with our old junior high teacher Mrs. Zoller! How's that for a wierd occurance? I really ought to be making a list of all these small world things... And I'm also going to have to go in and say Hi to her as well. Apparantly her daughter Mandy, who I went to school with, also works or worked there. Craziness! Quote for the day: That's enough to knock the pictures off your neighbour's walls!  I have acquired a new pet for my van, whom I have aptly dubbed "Van Frog" (As in Ludwig VAN Bethoven) He is a cute frog, given to me by Kevin. I stopped by their house today to have a look-see at their computer, fixed it, and had supper with them. (Well at least ate their food -- they had all eaten before I arrived but they saved me a plate.) Now I'm off to bed again... I just went upstairs to turn the light off, and Jason's alarm is going off... I'll be back on days for the rest of the week. Goodnight!
September 27, 2003 - 1:32 am  Man what a day! My throat has been killing me all day from cheering last night at the concert, and really I didn't cheer all that much, but maybe I just caught some kind of throat-cold at the same time or something. It hurts, that's all I know for sure now. But it was an awesome concert! I think I would even say that Treble Charger put on a better show than Sum 41. They were good, the energy was there and the performance was practically flawless, but I just thought Treble Charger was a bit more entertaining. They had the croud involved in their show, bringing two guys up on stage for a cheese-eating contest followed by a ginger ale chugging contest through two of their songs, and then they had another guy come up and play along with them through one of their songs. That guy must have gone home happy, being able to claim he played on stage with Treble Charger... It was just a good show. I discovered a new liking for one of their older songs, Don't Believe It All. All in all it was a great night, in fact the only bad thing that happened was that this guy who was sitting on the other side of Kim spilled his drink on her seat, soaking her pants. That aside, we both had a great time, it was very entertaining. The sore throat and lack of energy kind of hurt me today until I had a Pepsi Blue and after that I was pretty good... I finally went and saw Rob after work tonight, it turns out that our shops are only a few blocks away from each other, and considering I haven't seen the guy in several years yet host his web site means that we don't see nearly enough of each other. It was a brief meeting, just to catch up quickly on some things but it won't be the last time, that's for sure. Kristin and I were supposed to go for coffee again tonight but we ended up staying at her house watching movies and TV on their 99.5 inch home theatre... Tomorrow I'm going to Becky's dad's place to see Becka and him and his girlfriend and anyone else who's there in Redwood Meadows, and we might go see a movie. I talked to Spud tonight for almost an hour and got caught up briefly on each others' lives but there's a lot more to cover still. I'm really looking forward to seeing her dad again too. Then tomorrow afternoon slash evening Kim and I are going to Ed's for a movie night with them. I'm playing at Grace on Sunday morning in the "Adult service" and then again in the evening at Life Night so I'm pretty pumped about that, it should be interesting. But in the mean time it's almost two am again and I'm going to head to bed. I'm very tired so I am going to say this now while I have an excuse, but there's a country song I've discovered that I actually enjoy hearing. It's by Deric Ruttan and it's called "When You Come Around". Try not to judge me too harshly. GoodnightSeptember 28, 2003 - 12:36 am What a beautiful Saturday. I had a wonderful day. It started with some errands around the city, and I found myself at Becky's dad's place in Redwood Meadows for part of the morning and most of the afternoon. Becky was out visiting her dad and the three of us drank about 3 pots of tea as we conversed. Mark really thinks I should start up my own business, and I think I'm finally going to actually do it. A good portion of the day was spent on this topic, and he gave me a lot of good ideas. Becky and I spoke of things on a more personal level, which wound up finding us on a bike ride in and around Braag Creek which was absolutely lovely with 
all the trees changing color yet still on the trees. I really should have brought my camera but I really didn't think of it which is strange for me... I guess there
was just a lot else occupying my mind at the time. It was very scenic though, and the smell of fires throughout the neighbourhood wafting through the trees made
me inhale deeply as if to forever capture the moment. You can tell fall is here though, because even under the warmth of the sun the air is crisp and clean. I
always loved going out there, it is so scenic. What else can I write but that we had a good time? I haven't seen Becka in a few weeks, probably months... Far too
long. I don't think I've seen her dad in even longer, now that I don't head out that way except to see him specifically... I know I made a trip out to see him in
the spring, but now that I recall the events of that day I'm realizing that was a LONG time ago! I can't believe the summer has come and gone, and here we are on
the verge of being into October already! Do you think this year I'll decorate up my van for Halloween? It would make a very big pumpkin... I know I tossed around
the idea last year too but it just didn't happen. Maybe we'll see this year. Anyway, after spending several hours at Mark's, I headed back to Calgary and located
myself at Ed's house, where Kim met me and along with some of Arthur's friends we all watched movies. I've been trying to come up with a name for Ed's theatre,
maybe something like "Miller's Megaplex" ? It needs work I know. But the pictures are up under My Life that I took there tonight... I've really got to start getting
to bed earlier, here it's nearly 1:00 already and I've got to get up for church in the morning! I've been working on Project X some more lately, in fact this
afternoon I found two songs that mix together PERFECTLY! It's a fantastic blend, and I happen to love both songs which makes it that much more enjoyable. I swear,
I will finish that CD sometime... It's only been what, three years? I know I had started it I think before I had even met Jessica... Wow. Haha, that's a long time
ago! One song is a pretty old one and the other song is pretty new. Maybe I'll toss up another sample in the music section tomorrow if I have time... So much
to do and so little time to do it, especially if I'm going to be starting my own business! Boy that sounds exciting just in and of itself! At one time I was sure
I knew what I would use for a company name, but as it turns out I can't really use it anymore... Oh shoot, I just remembered, I have to do some laundry tonight!
I guess I'll have to cut this short! There's just never enough time to get done the things I love doing. Actually looking back over the month I think I've done
really well in terms of keeping the journal updated at least... The rest of the site could use some work, but once again time is forever against me on that and many
other projects I've been working on. Life is a balance (See mom, I did learn that from you) and it is the most difficult thing to be balanced. It doesn't matter
what it is you're trying to balance, time, wants, needs, desires, friends, family, work, pleasure, entertainment, duty, sleep, diet, interests -- you name it,
they all work best when balanced properly. If I ever figure out how to do this, I will be sure to write it down! Someone once explained to me how even love is
not an extreme but a center, balanced perfectly between two things which I thought were strange, I think hatred was on one side, that is usually considered an
extreme, and jealousy (?) I think was the other extreme. It's late, my memory is no good and I am not 100% sure if that's what it was but it was an interesting
theory because when you love someone it is a balance, not an extreme. I'll have to see if I can't find out where I heard it because it was a really interesting
theory. Another good one was on the subject of the five love-languages. Off the top of my head I think they were Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Gifts,
Acts of Service and Physical Touch. It was interesting too because people tend to have a preferred method of expression, and the method with which they show
others they love them is usually the one they respond best to in return. It is all very fascinating stuff, but wow did I get sidetracked! Ok. Laundry time.
Goodnight! September The Twenty Ninth, Two Thousand and Three - Seven Fifty Seven Pee Emm Sniff. I've got a code. No, not as in a series of numbers, letters, and symbols that allows access to something, but a CODE. (Try saying the word cold while squeezing your nostrils shut and you'll understand.) In other words, I've got a big, fat, head cold and it's driving me nuts. How come we have feet that smell and noses that run?!? Come to think of it, English really is a crazy language... There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese... One blouse, 2 blice? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend, that you comb through annals of history but not a single annal? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? If you wrote a letter, perhaps you bote your tongue? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Park on driveways and drive on parkways? How can a "slim chance" and a "fat chance" be the same, while a "wise man" and "wise guy" are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while "quite a lot" and "quite a few" are alike? How can the weather be "hot as hell" one day and "cold as hell" another? Have you noticed that we talk about certain things only when they are absent? Have you ever seen a horseful carriage or a strapful gown? Met a sung hero or experienced requited love? Have you ever run into someone who was combobulated, gruntled, ruly or peccable? And where are all those people who are spring chickens or who would actually hurt a fly? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this entry, I end it? If you thought that was crazy, read these next sentences carefully and see if you don't agree that English must be very confusing to learn: We polish the Polish furniture. He could lead if he would get the lead out. A farm can produce produce. The dump was so full it had to refuse refuse. The soldier decided to desert in the desert. The present is a good time to present the present. At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum. The dove dove into the bushes. I did not object to the object. The insurance for the invalid was invalid. The bandage was wound around the wound. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row. They were too close to the door to close it. The buck does funny things when the does are present. They sent a sewer down to stitch the tear in the sewer line. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow. The wind was too strong to wind the sail. After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number. I shed a tear when I saw the tear in my clothes. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend? I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt. Just a bit of humour I came across that I thought I might share with you... I figure it's better this way than sending it out to every person in my address book, for that gets really annoying. If you don't want to read it, you don't have to! I had a busy weekend in case you didn't already know this... Yesterday being Sunday I had to play (drums) in both the morning service and the evening service (Life Night) at Grace. In between the two I went and fixed a guy's computer... It was quite funny actually, when I got up Sunday morning my phone rang and this guy started asking me these computer questions. Well I was pretty groggy but I had NO idea who this guy was. Eventually I found out through the course of the conversation -- he's a friend of Bo's dad -- but it was a pretty wierd call until I knew that because I was helping this guy without the foggiest idea who he was! I ended up going over to his hosue and finishing the job there, he needed some network drivers but couldn't get them off the internet without the internet, for which he needed the network drivers. It's like locking your keys in the car. Then we
had our Life Night service, and after that Nick and I went upstairs to the upper room as I like to call it, where we used the part he had ordered from
Japan and fixed his XBox. Ian had his Xbox already set up so we plugged Nick's in and tried it out right there and then, and he was quite pleased to find that it
worked. (Was there ever really any doubt? ) hehehe I came home after church, I'd had a long day and was quite tired and my cold was weighing me down as well...
I put another 200 kilometers on my bike this weekend and it was some AWESOME riding, but that cool air probably didn't help my sniffles. So there I was today,
working away, trying not to let my cold get me down when my phone rings, and it's the Future Shop in Red Deer telling me that they ARE in fact going to replace
my old digital camera! Not only that, but (now this is what I gathered, I'm not 100% sure yet) they are replacing it with a NEWER MODEL than the old
one, so instead of a new A40 I get a new A60! Now I'll have TWO cameras!!! So watch out! hahaha You thought I took a lot of pictures with just one camera...
But ya, that made my day because I had been really starting to wonder what was happening with it... When I brought it in they told me there was a 50/50 chance
they would exchange it, but they had to send it away to have it 'analzyed'. I guess the analysis concluded replacement, and that makes me a happy panda. So
now Jason, Luke and I are going to go for a walk, it's a pretty nice evening and we haven't hung out the three of us in a while, so this will give us a chance to
get some air together. I was going to go over to Bo's dad's place tonight and set up some computer stuff for him but he is apparantly not home. I hate it when that
happens, because now that throws off the rest of my schedule, but like I've been saying quite frequently for the past couple of months -- "Plans Change". Anyway,
perhaps I will have a chance to write some more tonight. I thank you for stopping by and reading all this, it's so nice to know that people care. Or maybe
you're just here for the pictures, I don't know. But in any event, I hope you have a wonderful day (or night) !September 30, 2003 - 3:32 am  No news is good news... I really have nothing interesting to report. I'm still awake because I can't sleep (and yes, I know that is rhetorical) but this cold I've got is driving me nuts. My throat is killing me from coughing, yet I can never seem to cough up that which is making me cough, so I cough all the more. And the nose has been running since the minute I woke up this morning... If it were in a marathon it would be one seriously butch nose... I'm burning up, lying in bed sweating though my skin feels cold... I have no idea what's going on but I don't like it. I'm guessing I'm not going to work in the morning... I really shouldn't have gone in today. I'm sure Al would just love it if he got sick now because of me... I thought I'd come on the computer and see if that didn't tire me out when I realized I hadn't updated my news page in some time, figured it would be something to do. I'm not even sure if I have a picture to put up here. If you do see a picture and it has nothing to do with anything, it's whatever I could find. Foooos Rahbah September 30, 2003 - 8:24 pm  Well fall is certainly here, everywhere I looked today I saw trees losing their leaves in a hurry. Kim was right, it is very scenic and I suppose even "Pretty"... I think I'll make that picture my background for a while anyways... I did something very stupid today. It's no secret that I have a terrible memory, but sometimes it is so non-existant that I end up making silly mistakes. I had to go to Red Deer to get my new camera. Back in the summer I gave up trying to take pictures with it, it kept taking bizarre, incomprehendable still images, yet the movie mode worked just fine. It was very strange. I ended up going to Red Deer while I was camping with my family at Pine Lake and buying a new one, a Canon S400. But while I was there I was explaining to the salesman what my old camera was doing and he seemed sure that they would replace it since I had the extended warranty plan on it, and it was only a year old. I still needed a camera for that week so I bought the S400, but also sent in my A40 to have them check it out and see if it was repairable. Well just yesterday I got a call from Future Shop saying that they were going to exchange it for a new one, but that I needed to bring in the old box, cables, accessories, etc with the A40. So that's what I did, I brought everything I had that came with it in, and here if they didn't give me a brand new Canon A60 instead, since they no longer make the A40!!! So now I have a brand new better model camera than the one that I had before, as well as the sweet S400! Sounds good, eh? It is, but here's where I goofed. (It's not really a big deal, but still annoying) On the way home, I decided to stop in and visit Dexton in Didsbury since I hadn't been to his Mom's house in ages. I'm trying to think now (remember my poor memory) but I don't recall even going out there once this summer! So I stop in to see him, of course tell him about the camera so he wants to see it. I pulled it out and showed it to him, still in the box of course, I haven't even opened it yet. Well we get talking, we go outside to look at the bike, before you know it I'm back in Calgary, open my bag to take the camrea out only to realize to my shock and horror that it is not in my bag! I left it in Didsbury! Now fortunately for me, Dexton is coming to Calgary this weekend and I called him to confirm and he said he'll bring it in with him then. But is that not just sick? I wonder what I could do to give myself a better memory. There's got to be an upgrade of some sort or something that could be done... I also stopped in and visited Store Girl while I was in Red Deer... Haven't seen her in a few months so that was fun. I'm supposed to get together with her and Brett sometime in the next 
couple of weeks for supper or something. It turns
out that I didn't have to go fix her mom's computer after all, they got it done themselves. I guess they were just getting a lot of junk email and it was bogging
their computer down every time they went to check their mail, but apparntly they installed some sort of "Mail Washer" program that is really helping. Anyway, that
was all of that... I got a BIG, FAT, HONKIN chicken kabob at 7-Eleven too, it was MASSIVE! I could hardly see the stick poking out of each end! I was very
impressed. That made my day, even with my stuffed up nose I could still tell that it tasted delicious! So there I was, sitting in the parking lot eating my chicken
kabob and tater snack, washing it all down with a wonderful bottle of Vanilla Pepsi, when not one or two but THREE (unrelated) guys saunter over to talk about
bikes with me. I don't know why, none of them knew each other but all three just walked over to say hi and started talking with me about this adventure or that,
"I used to have a bike..." stories and whatnot. I believe it must be a thing all bikers have a common thread about them, no matter how old they are or what kind
of machine they rode, the fact that they've owned a motorcycle and love to ride bridges a lot of gaps. I was just thinking about it as I was riding home, there
really is nothing quite like riding a motorcycle. Nothing but the road ahead of you, a bike beneath you, the wind around you, and the sun upon you... One part
of fall that I am looking forward to is those nice warm days when there are a tonne of dry leaves on the road and as you ride through them they all whip up and
whirl about behind you. Ahhh, is there an equal? I would venture to say no. Anyhow, I should go. Much to do still... Never any rest for the weary... Have a great
day. September 30, 2003 11:39 pm Allright, I'm aproximately 3k away from having totalled 100 kilobytes of journal in September, so get ready for some thoughts from me tonight! It's one thing for me to write when I feel like it, but tonight I am writing to set a record which gives me that much more reason for verbosity. I went out to Boston Pizza with Kim tonight, we had some things to discuss. It's interesting with her because at times when I do things that might be viewed as counter-productive or self destructive, she doesn't get mad at me, or threaten me "If you don't stop that I'll...", but instead the only concern she expressed to me was that she did not want me to get hurt. As for the rest of my week, it looks like it's going to be a busy one... Boy when am I not busy. I seem to have written that MANY times this month, expressing how busy I am... You know, last night as I was reading the Bible, I was reading in Genesis when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil, they realized they were naked and hid themselves. And then while they were hiding it says that they heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden and I thought to myself, "I wonder what God sounds like?" Would it be a roaring, deep, rich thunderous sound, I really have no idea. I was just thinking of that today. 
Let's see, what else. I walked into Alisha's work this afternoon, found her working oblivious to my presence or the presence of my camera
pointed at her, so I took a picture to see if I could get her attention. It was great, you could read every stage of expression on her face, from "Someone just
took a picture of me! Why?", to "Oh look, here's a guy standing with a camera, it must have been him" to "Hey wait a minute, I know you!" to "HI, how on earth are
you!?!" -- It was priceless. I also talked to Carmen today briefly, she finally quit Dairy Queen and is working somewhere else now (I don't know if I mentioned
that before or not) ... I'm just trying to think of what else I can write... Found a great new song today, really enjoying that. My passion for ridiculously loud
music has been rekindled in the past few weeks... Too bad I sold the speakers out of my van... There's nothing quite like the feeling of being submerged in a song,
when you can feel the emotion the artist pours into their creation come flowing out of a speaker with the force of a fire hose... An internet friend of mine of
many years sent me a wonderful song the other day that I laughed out loud when I heard and the next day brought it in the van with me and played it on the way to
work... It's the origional Inspector Gadget theme song! (Julie, you rock!) I think my cold is in recession now so I'm going to go back to work tomorrow.
Man, hard to believe it's almost October! Like, minutes away! Thanksgiving is coming up, my birthday, Haloween, wow! Even Christmas doesn't seem so far away...
Pretty soon the snow will be here and winter boots will replace the sandals... Too scarry. But you know, I'm ready for winter. I don't think it will be as bad this
year now that I have someone to enjoy it with.  You are the best, Kim. BACK to Journal Index | |||