tap my glass

Huh? Ya, today/tonite was gorgeous. I went and watched the first seven eighths of hitchhikers guide to the galaxy at my buddys place after work while gorging on dominos pizza and chicken wings. They mocked my spontaneous selection of bacon, onion and chicken, but who’s laughing now!!! It was pretty good.

I then sk8ed over to a friends and then proceeded into a beatutiful stroll full of 2nd cups decaf earl gray. Saw the construction on the somerset canal foot bridge, man it’s large!! Its 200 ft away from where i used to live on somerset, saw that place too, o how i miss that pad. Memories, memories. Quiet evenings like this playing my guitar, drinking beer and smoking my brains out watching the couples stroll by, and brooding. Those were spectacular times. I can still do it, but feel i need to be quieter, and not smoke my brains out anymore.

After that i toured to my friends place, he was a little occupied, then on home, looking for places to tear up, but didn’t really balls up to any. I finished reading some of my comments on another blog with a history all its own… i anticipate a few more hits to this (in comparison) incredibly boring account of one dude’s currently quaint and incredibly satisfying existence. For the ESI’s sake, i’ll try to spice up my life. And since I have been meaning to use more tumeric…

I had a full evening.

My day started unusually, especially for a monday. I was up before normal, and was at my desk at 9:07. This is about 30 minutues earlier than usual. Work went quite smoothly, and i was home round 6.

I had many options. I decided, as with most mondays, to just follow my instincts. I had many things on my agenda:
- dinner
- excercise
- social behaviour
- house work
- dart practice

The last one is because my dart season starts tomorrow, and i haven’t practiced at all in the past few months… anyways i’m happy to say, my focused mind (which of late, has been rare) came through in the clutch.

I went for a relatively short run - after my horrible showing on saturday (barely lasted 17 minutes) i did a short run (which for me is about 30, from here, straight south on percy to the canal, to the little glebe park and through it, back to percy, and home). It was great. I guess my cold and respritory illness is waning. I got home and started to fry onions, red peppers and garlic as per this african peanut soop recipe. I’ve been meaning to try this recipe for a week or so, basically to prove that anything involving a can of diced tomatos as half the bulk is never good… i think i’ve been proven wrong.

I had my shower, then finished off the dish. It was actually pretty good. I used chicken broth (sans msg) and cayenne instead of chili powder, but it was pretty good, very satisfying. Something about crunchy peanut butter, you can’t go wrong. I’m still kinda shocked - i think improvements could be made too. More simmer time, slightly less tomatos, and some blending, would probably of made it super kick ass. It didn’t need any salt either, most soops do, i guess the pb had enough.

Anyways, after that… i did the dishes. Then…. i watched some tv. Then… i took out the recycle. Then… ok then i realized i had enuf time to paint the ceiling of my bathroom. So i did. It only took like 30 min. I was quite impressed.

Ok, after that i got dressed (its hot today, after shower, just shorts, quite comfy), and sk8ed up to aloha to meet my buddy. Had a very nice stella, whilst listening to the empricals or something. Normally bands don’t play on mondays as bimal normally does his dj thing, but this monday was different cus the band is going to china or something. Anyways, they were loungy and quite good.

After that pint, off to the oak for some much needed dart practice. To my surprise 2 good regulars were already playing, and so i got some quality games in… saw a couple jump the ‘fence’ and dine and dash… Dave tracked em down, good for him!! Bunch of savages in this town…

As i was paying my tab saw S and said hi. She was with her sis, post backstreet boys concert… ahhh girls. Guys like me are so silly. I don’t even know why she’s appealing, just stupid irrational chemistry i guess, but arggg!!!

Sk8ed home wanting a cigarette REAL bad… if i had only bumped into dart folk outside but i was so streamlined i didn’t think to look. Good thing, i’m sure i’d regret it in the morning. I wonder if i can do it though? And by do it, i mean, when i really want a smoke, thinking it’ll add to my immediate enjoyment for the evening, can i? Will i be ok? They say a smoke or two a day is fine… hmmm. I’m not convinced, but i’ll probably learn the hard way.

At barrymores last nite to check out this band called white cowbell oklahoma. What an entertaining show.

It started with 2 openers, the first of which didn’t get on till frickin 10 or so. The main act probably didn’t start till midnight. I tried in vain to be casual about my beer sipping, but of course, why would barrymores want you out at midnight? Hence, i was feeling quite fine when the band came out, making loud noise in the background while a scary dude in a state trooper outfit lamented about the horror and inappropriate behaviour we were in store for.

The band itself was basically hillbilly rock n roll, not my scene really, they’re a lot like big jeezus truck, whom i’ve seen many many times (normally at some friends of mine insistance, who ironically had no interest in last nites, much better show). I didn’t care for the music really, but they did rock hard, and their stage antics were excellend.

They had this girl get on stage for 3 or 4 different songs, in 3 or 4 outfits, and basically provide eye candy, which was much approeciated by the males in the audience. She was even topless for a few moments, which made the show cross the line between a rock show and a strip show. Luckily by that time there were lots of women in the audience (for some reason unknown to me), so guys like me still knew what side of the line we were on.

The stage antics member (the guy that played the cowbell and did the state trooper thing) came out with a chainsaw and hacked a pumpkin to bits. That was pretty cool, it sprayed everywhere, i was back a ways so didn’t get nastied.

These guys have no shame - just check out ‘cock rags’ in their store on the site. After the show while perusing their merchandise one of the 4 guitarists came up and started chatting with me, which i thought was very cool. I guess his name was hollis, he’s got a video on their site of drinking 24 beers (the last 6 or so, are actually JD, but who’s counting). Nice guy, not at all mean or gross, articulate, very cool. I kinda wish i bought a t-shirt, as bands and websites are basically clothing me these days, but i didn’t. Not sure if i’m comfortable wearing that nasty no-shame around on me to people that would know.

So now that my tenant is leaving, i need to decide how i’m going to procede with my home. I plan on probably renting out the upstairs portion of the house. One thing that was clear while buying, is that the house did not conform to ontarios fire retrofit code

I have this list from a contracter listing what i need to do. On the second story (my current apartment) in the main bedroom at the back of the house, is a door. This is the only external light source of the room (as there is a window in it).

The door leads to a 6×11 rooftop underwhich is the laundry room accessible from both units. Hence, i can hang out out there if i like on the roof. Now, the fire retrofit report i have says i either need to construct a pressure treated deck out there OR, install a casement window. It is not specific about where this casement window need be, only that it need be in the room. Doing a search for casement windows and fire retrofit reveals the need for a second means of egress in the ontario fire code.

Do you think, for instance, removing that door and putting a casement window in its place would satisfy the code? Does that make any sense at all? Or installing a casement window on some other wall in the room - how is that going to make egress easier when theres a door right there?? I’m confused and obviously need to read this code very carefully to figure it out.

In other news i had a nice induldgent free week to satisfy my cold, but it doesn’t seem very satisfied… it feels gnarly in fact. I did induldge in a few drinks last nite, which kinda made it worse, but i blame the contact c.

I wouldn’t think the word flem would be spelt phlegm. But it is. Here’s a uk definition:

Phlegm arises from stagnation of the body fluids. It can cause symptoms such as mucous in the Lungs, nodules on joints, kidney or gall stones and/or lumps under the skin. If it blocks the Heart orifices it can cause some forms of mental illness.

Geez, i hope mine doesn’t block the heart orifices. I guess i caught something in winnipeg and, while not too painful, has me operating well shy of 100%. As a friend pointed out it could be from the smoking… in part perhaps, my guess is airplane airbourne primitive lifeforms sneaking into my lungs or something. Where does it all come from? Stagnation of the bodily fluids? Laziness of the fluids perhaps? Lack of fluid motivation? Mabye they’re just bored that they don’t have to fight the constant smoking… no challenge, no ambition, nothing to work for. I guess i need to give them a purpose. I should go running.

In other news, my tenants have told me they’re leaving. This is big news for me. I figured i’d have my current apartment and tenants for at least a year or so… now i have to jump back on the reno train, and consider moving downstairs and renting my much brighter, and imo, nicer, apartment for some more cash. To do this, i need to do some renos. Serious ones… i’m gonna be a busy mofo over the next few months. Or mabye i’ll just open up an illegal card room/brothel downstairs… the possiblities are endless.

Ahh, the long weekend is over. It was a good long weekend, although now i find i’m getting all sentimental for a variety of reasons…

I was in winnipeg for a friends wedding. The wedding was great, all went as planned. I even got to do car decorations with my buddy with 30 min before the ceremony. Luckily there was a dollar store nearby and an affinity for tackiness amonst all involved.The picture doesn’t do it justice, we were quite proud, and we did get a few honks.

As with most weddings, there was drinking involved. It was really quite a bender for me and my buddy. On friday nite we checked out winnipeg. It’s pretty drab but we managed to find a club that we’d probably never go to were it in ottawa, but in winnipeg it was a goldmine. And we drank. The day of the wedding, hungover, we also drank. Sunday was mostly a right off spent briefly in the gym and pool, and mostly in bed. Then, we went to the happy couple’s home, and drank some more. Big surprise. I was glad to get home, but still feel woozy.

Some points of note:

I smoked. Wedding nite it started, had 5 or so, then probably the same on sunday. I don’t give two shits either, i wanted too, i enjoyed it, and thats that. I didn’t smoke today, and didn’t really want too… only minor temptation. We’ll see if i can keep this up.

I realized in the cab home from the airport today that i really do love ottawa as a city. I think its great, the people are mostly great, the sites are great, the places are great, hell our airport is pretty great. This is certainly my home, and probably will be for the rest of my life i think. Part of it is my personality and my social life with friends, but thats fine. I like being comfortable, feeling i have a place and that i belong somewhere, and i certainly feel that here. Compared to what i saw of winnipeg, we got it so dang good here.

There was this beer store in winnipeg that was so drab and scary, and so representative of lower class, blue collar, alcoholic life. It was depressing and scary, but i was there buying beer in my nice shirt surrounded by flies, filth, smells, and a cigarette machine, and was as much a part of its rhythm as the rest. It was weird, and summarizes my reoccuring saddness about the misfortune and hardships in everyones lives.

I finished the 6th book in the sword of truth series. The books always start slow, but once you’re within 250 pages of the end, they pick up and get really good. I get extra emotional when i’m hungover, lacking seratonin or something as is usual with emotional exhibitions, and the book had me welling up waterworks for the entire last 50 pages. It reminded me of some burnt out sunday of my adolesence lacking emotional stability and crying openly at some corny made for tv movie i can’t even remember anymore.

And lastly, this is the time (day actually) of the year where summer starts fading away and cool winds approach. This day used to be so hard during public and high school, so reflective, so sentimental, so depressing. The future shouldn’t be depressing, but looking to see another year of school was hard. Things are very different now, there is no school, but that feeling is still there. The future is very bright for me now, yet i feel gloom surrounding me. As an attempt to brighten my mood, I think i’ll play some guitar on the front step and pretend i’m in grade 12, and for once, looking forward to a new school year….

I leave for winnipeg in a half hour, friends coming to pick me up. It should be a good weekend, i hope my faithful reader(s) won’t be too sad that i’m gone… mabye i’ll hook up some internet whilst i’m up there to feed this thing.

As a parting note, did you ever think you’d be happy to see gas at this price??

I’m still not, but dang. A lot of crazy stuff is happenning in this world right now, for all i know getting on a plane to go to the pegger is a bad idea. I doubt it, but these things tend to sprout pretty fast. I hope they sort stuff out down there but i guess its too late to learn the lesson that building cities underwater is a bad idea. And guns, guns also, a bad, bad, idea.