Ice Racing School

Well I've heard the official word. The Ice Racing School is ON! The classroom session is Jan 13 @ 7pm at the clubhouse (11512 - 168 Street). The On-Ice Section, however, is still pending Ice. Apparently there's 10-12 inches, we need AT LEAST 20" to get the grader on, not to mention some snow cover to actually grade.

I you missed my first post about it, the NASCC Driving School is something I believe EVERY driver should take every time the get a new vehicle. It lets you learn more about your car and driving it in one day on the ice than most people ever get a chance to over their entire driving career. I figure it's got something to do with high speeds and a total LACK of friction. I just hope I can come up with the money...

For more info, go to the N.A.S.C.C. website.

It seems everyone is abandoning their life's ambitions.

I just finished speaking with two of my friends. They both seem to have given up major ambitions recently. Add to that my realization that I won't be going to europe any time soon, and it seems that there's an awful lot of that going around. Is it just that people's focus have changed so much, or is it that they have realized there are other, more important things they want to accomplish?

I know for me it's more a yearning to get on with my life. I've been holding off so many things and making so many sacrifices pending my trip to Europe that I just want to getback to them. I still want to go, but I'm not going to give anything else up in order to go.

Some of the things I've realized that I'm missing are a girlfriend, there have been so many good prospects that I've just passed up because I didn't want any emotional attatchments holding me back, or cutting into my fun while I'm over there. Then again, maybe my internal clock is going off too. Women aren't the only ones that have that you know. After seeing Courtney and Tye, as well as any number of my friends getting married in the last year or so, I decided I don't want to wait any more.

Christmas is over... Next up - New Years'

Well christmas is over. Kind of a bummer this year, I made out with a pretty good haul, but I felt bad giving out hommade CDs of christmas music since I'm so broke right now.

Oh well, Payday is Friday. I should be able to do something then.

New Years Eve should be fun. I'm driving with Operation Red Nose again. Apparently it's going to be a really busy night.

What a maze!

a-maze-ing_new_cursor3.swf (application/x-shockwave-flash Object)

This Maze is SOOOO hard. Bet you can't get through it!!

Can you help with a Polar Bear Dip?

Well, I'm still looking for somewhere to go for a polar bear swim. If anyone has any info about one in the Edmonton Area, can you please let me know? I was thinking that'd be a great way to ring in the new year. I know the Edmonton Polar Bear Club does one New Years' Day, but I can't find any info on it. Also, if you want to join me, just let me know. I you don't have my email, just send it to the email side of my MSN you can get form my profile. Just be sure to make it clear that you aren't SPAM, that's my lightning rod account, so I get 50-200 spam a day there...

SilverFire on 43 Things

SilverFire on 43 Things

While I was searching for a polar bear dip info, I stumbled across this really cool site. It basically lets me keep a list of place I want to go and things I want to do. It's nowhere near complete, but it's getting there. It's RSS enabled, so you should be able to link to it the same way you've linked to here if you use Firefox. I've also added a link in the Cool Stuff section in case you can't.

The Destiny Manifesto

Franki sent this to me a wile ago, I just took my sweet time posting it. I can't say I agree with everything in it, but it does raise some good points.

The Destiny Manifesto The ten life-observations that follow, when you embrace them fully, will change your life and set you on the road to realizing your true destiny. It is no coincidence that these words have fallen into your hands. The rest is up to you. YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO FULFILL A PURPOSE HERE ON EARTH. You will be given glimpses of that purpose through your internal visions, dreams and thoughts. Pay attention to your ideas; these are the beacons that your purpose is sending to you. Sometimes it may be difficult to understand that. At times you may find yourself facing adversity, upheaval and disappointment. Be peaceful in knowing that the world, and your role in it, are unfolding with meticulous precision and perfect balance, as it should. Trust the process. YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY LOVE. You must remember this when you fear the worst. Fear is your greatest enemy. Doubt is its catalyst. You will fear only when you doubt. Your choices and experiences have brought you to this very point in your life. Your choices can be either fear-based or love-based. If you doubt this, you will fear all. Reach down inside yourself to bring out the love that is deep within you in everything you do. You have been blessed with love. Trust the process. YOU WILL BE TESTED DAILY. When you were born into this world, you were given the gift of intelligence. The outcome of your daily tests will depend on your ability to remember what you already know. Don't judge your results as success or failure. They are simply your results. Judging them will only disappoint you. Simply accept your results as what you require right now in order to handle what is coming, and trust the process. YOU WILL NEVER BE GIVEN MORE THAN YOU CAN HANDLE. And you will be able to handle all you are given. Occasionally you may forget this, and when you feel despair it is because you have forgotten this. If you are wanting more and have not received it, it is because you are not ready for it. If you want less of something and are not receiving it, it is because you have not learned the lesson yet. You will receive only what you can handle. You must trust the process. DEPEND ON ONLY YOURSELF AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH HAPPINESS. You are the only person who can give you what you are capable of having in life. People and opportunities will come and go in your life, but to find true happiness requires a commitment to you, from you. You will not find happiness as a result of your relationships, your family or your work until you find happiness in yourself. Accept yourself for who you are. Be happy with that and you will find happiness in everything you do and experience. You must trust the process. YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN SIX SENSES. The first five, your ability to hear, smell, taste, touch and see will be the external navigators to the sixth and most powerful of all the senses: your ability to sense from your heart. From your heart you will make the most incredible choices in your life, as well as the lives of others. When you trust your heart and listen to what it says, you will lead yourself and others to a place of peace. When you face adversity, trust your heart and you will find the truth. You may not always want to hear what your heart tells you, and when you can no longer hear that voice inside, you must dig deeper within yourself for the answers. And trust the process. YOU WILL EXTEND YOURSELF TO OTHERS. Only in the service of others will you find life's great rewards. Your life is not about what you can take from it, but what you can give to it. No one is keeping score to determine what you can accumulate, but the rewards of life are about what you give to it. You can and will build a better world one person at a time. Don't take pity. Take action. Don't take advantage of others. Give to them. Don't take life for granted. Take a leadership role. Only through the act of giving shall you truly receive. You must trust the process. YOUR ACTIONS WILL DETERMINE YOUR OUTCOME. You have been given the gift of words to formulate and communicate your actions. Words are simply words, but actions are the catalyst of your life. You can have the life you want, but only through action. Talking will not get it done. Remember, you can tell others how to find the life they're looking for, but only if you're going there too. You must lead the way. Only in your actions will you unlock the wonder of your own life. Formulate your plan and then get on with it. Trust the process. YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A SPECIFIC TIME FRAME TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR TASK. However, you will not be told how long that time frame is. Every single hour of every single day counts. You were told when you were born into this world, but you will not be told when you are leaving. If you require evidence of this, think of all the people who were taken from you too early. You may not have tomorrow. Today is all you've got. Make it the most productive day ever. And trust the process. BECOME UNREASONABLE. Offer yourself no reasons, no excuses and no justifiers for your life. You are in charge of your own destiny. No one or no thing is to blame for you not getting what you can have. When you offer up excuses, you offer yourself defeat. You will never be beaten until you say you are beaten. You must become unreasonable. No reasons, no excuses and no justifiers. You are what and where you are by your own choices. Accept this and trust the process. It is your task to live the words on this page. You will tell no one of this manifesto. When you are successfully living the principles on this page, you will no longer need to review it. You may then pass this information on to one person who can help make this world a better place. You will recognize that person when you meet him or her. That will be your sign that you are successfully living these words. MAY THE UNIVERSE BLESS YOUR JOURNEY.

Christmas Cards

I've been wondering lately what the big deal is about Christmas cards. Brenda has been going crazy lately putting up and sending out cards and I just didn't get it. Most of the time they just have some generic saying in them, sent en-masse simply because people think they ought to.

Then today I got one from Leanne. Now I understand. It was really nice hearing from her. I've been meaning to give her a call ever since she moved out to Vancouver but never actually do it. I don't actually have her number, but that wouldn't slow me down for long. We have too many friends in common. I knew I was looking forward to seeing her at Franki's birthday, but this really drove it home. I've missed her. I just thought, maybe she'd be up for a polar-bear swim this new year's day if the club is doing it... Time for some research.

It's WINTER! It's supposed to be COLD!

I was watching the news today and the weathergirl was talking about how it's supposed to be above zero on Christmas Eve (forecast here) and that was so great. What the hell!? NO! It's winter dammit! It's supposed to be cold.Whatever happened to a White Christmas? It's bad enought that were barely going to have any snow for Christmas, but now we're supposed to think that this is a good thing? Sure, I can see people being happy about not freezing their asses off but - really people - above zero for Chritmas?

Historically acceptable uses of the F-word

There are only ten times in history when the F-word has been considered acceptable for use. They are as follows:

1. "What the @#$% do you mean, we're sinking?"

-- Capt. E.J. Smith of RMS Titanic, 1912

2. "What the @#$% was that?"

-- Mayor Of Hiroshima, 1945

3. "Where did all those @#$%ing Indians come from?"

-- Custer, 1877

4. "Any @#$%ing idiot could understand that."

-- Einstein, 1938

5. "It does so @#$%ing look like her!"

-- Picasso, 1926

6. "How the @#$% did you work that out?"

-- Pythagoras, 126 B.C.

7. "You want WHAT on the @#$%ing ceiling?"

-- Michelangelo, 1566

8. "Where the @#$% am I?"

-- Amelia Earhart, 1937

9. "Scattered @#$%ing showers, my ass!"

-- Noah, 4314 B.C.

10. "Geez, I didn't think they'd get this @%#*^ing mad."

-- Saddam Hussein, 2003

How long does it take to cut a 2 " notch 1/16" wide?

Bet you got it wrong!
Would it help to know that it's .078" deep?
Probably not!
What if I tell you I broke two end mills doing it? (I got a little impatient...)

2 HOURS! That's right. Talk about about an easy cut that wasn't! I had to go REALLY slowly so as not to break the mill...

What The #^(% Happened?

I had 108 visits at the end of the day yesterday. I check today, and I've had 117. Huh? I've been averaging 3 visits a day, with a maximum of 6. Then today I have 9? I look at the stats, and they're all diferent, so it's not like someone made a whole pile of visits. The really strange part is that they're from literally all over the world. The US, Canada, Venezuela, Korea... They all came in the space of 20 minutes and from other bloggers. I thought maybe I said something that others were linking to, but nope. I have no idea where all of thosepeople came from... Stats page.

A Cool Picture...

Nick Scipio posts some great pictures. I'll try to post the really good ones. I've added a link in the Cool Stuff section if you want to check it yourself.

Operation Red Nose

I can't believe I didn't post this yesterday...

Operation Red Nose was a lot of fun. Got off to a kind of slow start, got our first call around 11, second call about 12:30, then stayed busy until 3:30. Nice to spend some time with Courtney too.

Winter driving sucks! Not why you think though...

Well, maybe a little because of that, but if you drive according to the roads you'll be fine. My problem is that I need winter tires on the car. Normally that's be a good thing and, to be fair, it ususally is. Why I'm complaining is that the winter tires don't have nearly the grip my summer tires do on dry pavement. I can't stomp on the gas, I can't drop two gears out of a corner, I have to slow down more around corners. On second thought, that last is probably good... ;-p

Stick It Up Your Astrology

Stick It Up Your Astrology
by Rachel H. Palmer

Please allow me to apologize for the words I am about to write. They will strip all of us naked, and leave us raw and exposed for the world to mock at will. Our privates will become public. Our secrets will be revealed. Let us go, dear souls, and walk through our collective shame. Yes, we all have pride, and our pride makes us vulnerable.

I am about to bestow upon you a great gift: the power to insult, wound and mortally offend people based on acute astrological insights! Won't that be fun?

Many of us are striving for the Buddha consciousness -- you know, being nice people and all that. I have great respect for that endeavor. But just for a minute, I'm asking you to put aside your angel wings and join me in a bit of naughtiness. Don't get too comfortable. Thanks to astrology, what I'm about to write might make your tummy hurt.

Because I'm a Virgo and therefore always right, I never questioned myself. I assumed I was a master manipulator. I thought I could always get my way. I figured I could butter someone up better than Parkay could. I thought my words would be lethal whenever I needed them to be. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that compliments and insults are not universal. How could this be? How different are we?

When I discovered astrology in my early twenties, the world magickally opened. Suddenly I had a deeper understanding of my friends, family, colleagues and lovers. Once I learned a person's Sun sign, Moon sign and rising sign or ascendant, I had a good basic grasp of that person's character. (If you really want an edge, analyzing the whole chart is ideal.)

I caution you: Use this knowledge wisely. You and only you will atone for your sins.

Who are we kidding? There are those times when a bit of foolery is absolutely necessary.

Here's how it works: There are many things that nobody wants to hear. I have found that we all have certain things that make us crazy. Things that make us sweat profusely, want to barf, or want to crawl under a rock. Things that usually leave even Geminis speechless.

I think I have uncovered the soft underbelly of each sign. If you know a person's Sun, Moon and rising signs, you will know up to three very important things that you should not under any circumstances ever utter in that person's presence. (Unless, of course, you want to be despicable. I mean, just because you develop weaponry doesn't mean you have to deploy it, right?)

Aries

Do you want to start something? Then partner with the competitive, courageous, pioneering and adventurous Arians. Don't we just love them? They are so much fun! They may or may not return your phone calls. You can bet that if they do, it was only because they wanted to. No sense of obligation there -- they are completely free. I'd hate to have to put one in jail.

To mortally offend Arians:

· Walk up to them and say, "I'm the boss of you!"

· Tell them they are simply not qualified to do something.

· Turn your back on them, literally facing a direction opposite them. They hate this!

Taurus

Need some help? Find dependable, sensuous, prosperous and tenacious Tauruses. Relax! They will take care of everything for you! Don't tell them what to do, as they are far too stubborn to do it even if they wanted to in the first place. No, no, you must make them think everything is their idea. Then you are sure to have a wonderful time.

To mortally offend Tauruses:

· Tell them that somebody else does something better. Especially if you're a sibling, tell them that you can do that thing better. They will beat you or die trying. Having said that, I still maintain that I can now and will always be able to beat my Taurus brother at Tetris and many other things. (Ha!)

Gemini

Feeling lonely? Call the curious, witty, intelligent and adaptable Geminis, the life of the party! Find a crowd and Geminis will be in the center. They are the masters of small talk. They know a little about a lot, and probably don't know a lot about anything. Any story will be better when told by a Gemini, at least the first time they tell it. After the tenth time it begins to get a little annoying.

To mortally offend Geminis:

· Tell them to shut up! They can't stand your not being fascinated by what they're saying, even if they're talking about the weather.

Cancer

Are you stressed out? Visit the sensitive, nurturing, hospitable and comforting Cancers. When you walk into a Cancer's home, it's as if you've walked into a cozy vortex. Cancers will fluff your pillows. They will feed you food fit for kings that they "just whipped up." Their homes will be full of interesting and fascinating things.

Resist your temptation to stare at their breasts. Yes, they will feel like soft voluptuous pillows, if you are ever lucky enough to touch them. You won't be lucky if you stare.

To mortally offend Cancers:

· Tell them you don't like their cooking.

· Tell them nobody likes them. (For the record: Cancers, don't worry, everyone loves you!) It's really not kind to tell Cancers they are not liked. They are agoraphobic enough as it is. There's no need to make them feel worse.

Leo

Need an ego booster? Roll out the red carpet for the playful, romantic, lucky and loyal Leos. With them you become a member of the royal family. Step into their world and Leos will make you a king or queen. They will give you the world and expect it in return.

Everyone should, at least once in life, have a Leo propose marriage. Nobody does it better!

Pay attention to them. Applaud every performance. Throw roses, give them constant accolades, kiss their feet! Why not? They'd do it for you.

When Leos are being buttheads they need attention.

To mortally offend Leos:

· Tell them to go make themselves invisible.

Virgo

Got a problem? Perfection will find you in the form of the efficient, logical, honest and hygienic Virgos. We'll fix that problem plus all your other flaws, most of which you never even knew you had. The fixes will be for your own good, I promise! Rather than being critical, we are simply being helpful.

To mortally offend Virgos:

· It's bad -- very bad -- to tell Virgos they're a mess. Ouch!

· Poke their tiny pooch and tell them they are out of shape. (They eat right and do yoga everyday. Do you?)

· I cringe to tell you this, but there are two words that will silence Virgos and send them running for the bathroom: "You stink!"

Libra

Need a different perspective? Justice is here in the form of the beautiful, refined, rational and charming Libras.

Libras, I extend an open invitation to decorate my house, pick out my wardrobe, cut my hair and apply my makeup. And I thank you for always sweetly telling me when I have been an asshole.

There may be times when you'll want to flick fancy Libras right off those scales while somehow sensing that just wouldn't be right. Instead you'll suddenly strive to be a better person, even after they gently point out that your nose is a little crooked and express shock that you had never noticed before.

Libras never want to hear that their physical appearance or anything they have touched is not absolutely aesthetically pleasing.

To mortally offend Libras:

· Tell them they are ugly.

Scorpio

I have begun to tingle in all the right places, thanks to the secret, passionate, magick and sexy Scorpios, the brooding and intense Scorpios. What are they thinking about? They'll never tell.

Take heed: We have walked into the shadows. We are in dangerous territory. Anything that will make Scorpios crazy may very well cause them to silently kill you -- and you'd never see them coming.

Here is a trick: Something probably very small will always betray a Scorpio. Usually the betrayal is in the eyes. When enraged my mother would become unnaturally still; yet her pupils would whip back and forth like a metronome on the quickest setting. That was my cue to run. Moral: Never try to take on a Scorpio.

· To mortally offend Scorpios:

· Tell them they are out of control. (They are ruled by passion, but that is a secret.)

· Tell them that they simply are not good in bed, then run very, very fast.

Sagittarius

Do you have a question? You'll find the answer with the philosophical, generous, optimistic and spiritual Sagittarians. These people will answer your questions and leave you with fifty more. You'll never know where you are going or if you got there. But you'll have a hell of a time never doing what you were going to do in the first place. A Sagittarius will teach you that a conversation need not be linear. Like a map, there will be wonderful side roads, scenic routes and back alleys. Don't expect to return to your question's point, for Sagittarians have a larger plan (or so they tell me). Their knowledge is power.

To mortally offend Sagittarians:

· Tell them they are stupid. If you find yourself in a relationship with one, "retarded" is a word you should strike from your vocabulary. This assumes you are a non-PC asshole who has the word in your vocabulary to begin with, not that we're pointing fingers here.

Capricorn

Want to invest? Accomplishment and abundance reside with the practical, persistent, productive and dignified Capricorns. These are the people you want on your side. Take their advice! Marry them: they'll never cheat and will bring home the bacon. They thrive on structure.

To mortally offend Capricorns:

· Tell them the government and stock market have collapsed and life as we know it will be absolute anarchy.

· Tell them that from now on they will be forced to smear mud on themselves and dance around a bonfire naked for no good reason (unless they have a lot of Aquarius in their chart).

· Call them losers. To be most effective, make the loser sign -- an "L" with your hand put on your forehead -- while mouthing "loser." That's bad, real bad.

Aquarius

Just when you thought you had a handle on things, in walk the strange, quirky, rebellious and inventive Aquarians. If you have never done psychedelic drugs, that's okay: Lock yourself in a room with five Aquarians for a day and you'll understand what it's like.

I have an Aquarius friend that wants to be president. She also wants to have a big anarchy symbol tattooed on her throat. Being a practical Virgo, I told her that she probably couldn't have both.

Aquarians have an innate need to stand out. They are different and they like that about themselves!

To mortally offend Aquarians:

· Tell them they look exactly like someone you know.

· Tell them they're boring.

Pisces

We have come to the end of the road. Who is there to walk you into the sweet hereafter? None other than the emotional, intuitive, artistic and psychic Pisceans.

Try not to cry alone. They'll cry with you. Hell, they'll cry for you.

Sing, dance, and be merry! Read the cards. Throw the bones. Cast a spell -- a nice spell, that is. Paint, love, fantasize and dream! Let them sweep you into the arms of angels. Don't speak of money and reality. Listen to their music: They will write beautiful songs for you.

To mortally offend a Pisces:

· Say these magick words: "Don't quit your day job."

Coda

There you have them: twelve styles of carefully researched ammunition. Use them at your own risk. The cards are on the table for everyone to use. All is fair.

The other day I found myself in a senseless circular conversation with my Sagittarius boyfriend. I accidentally said: "What are you talking about? Are you retarded?" He became very still with eyes blazing (Scorpio Moon). He then casually stuck his nose in the air, sniffed a few times and giggled: "What? What on earth is that smell? Is that you?" "You're still stupid!" I said, turning on the shower. As I reached for my antibacterial tea-tree soap to scrub away any offending odors, I heard him yell through the bathroom door: "I'm not stupid. I have a degree in philosophy and a master's in education."

When it comes down to it, you can always take a shower. You can't wash away stupidity.

If you can't insult a person with the Sun sign, try the Moon sign or rising sign. For example: A Taurus friend told me the Taurus insult would bother her less than would being told to shut up. She has Gemini rising with a few planets in Gemini.

Get crafty and put together all three signs. Let's say you were getting sick of someone -- me for instance. Assume I just won't stop bothering you. I have Virgo Sun, Gemini Moon and Scorpio rising. I shudder to think about you pulling out all the stops and saying, "Shut up! What do you know anyway? I heard you aren't any good in bed because you're way too stinky."

Copyright © 2005 by the article's author

Early Christmas present for geeks...

Not that other people wouldn't be interested. I was wandering around the stats page for this site, and thought other people might be interested to see it. I've turned on Guest Access. Now anyone can see how busy my blog is. It isn't really very busy. Average of 3 visitors a day. The cool part is where those visitors are from, how many are repeat visitors, etc. You can find the link on the sidebar at the bottom near the counter, which I've also changed to display the number of pageloads. Unfortunately, it's not smart enough to distinguish return visits from unique so if you hit reload it'll go up.

On to the cool stuff. I've got 4 visitors that have been here more then 10 times in the last month or so. One from Vancouver, two from here in Edmonton, and one from Toronto. I'm mostly curious, Who are you guys? Thanks! I was thinking it would be Leanne in Vancouver, since she's the only person I know there, but for all I know, it could be someone from one of the forums I'm on or even Laura, but she's on the Island, so I don't really think so. Whoever is in Toronto, I have NO idea who you are, you must be from one of the forums. I can't think of anyone I know out there! As for the Edmonton folks, I'd like to hear from you too. There are just too many people here that it could be. Leave a comment or send me an email. I know I'm snoopy, but hey, can you blame me?

I realize there's a probably a lot more of you guys that have made repeat visits, but most ISPs use dynamic IPs for their users. This means that every time you connect to the internet, you get a new IP address. Unfortunately, that's how the tracker tells who's a returning visitor and who's new. High speed internet providers - be it cable or DSL - tend to have steadier IPs. I think it's got something to do with the fact that the modem doesn't disconnect very often.

Another thing I noticed was that about a quarter of you are using an outdated version of Firefox. The next version is out. Check the far right side of the menu bar. If there's a red or blue circle with an arrow in it, click it and it'll update automatically.

Been gone so long...

Well, I've been at AGS for a week now. Looks like a good fit.I have to admit I was a little worried fro the beginning of the week. Monday morning, one of the guys I work with was showing me how to change the jaws on a CnC machine. We had to do two, the first one was easy and took about 10 minutes. The second one wouldn't hold the rings right. Turns out someone crashed the tool holder into the chuck. Bent stuff all up. After we got that all sorted out, it was off center. All day for what should have been a 10 minute job. Then, Tuesday, my boss went out to get some plexiglass and aluminum for me to make a box for the new autowinder we're working on. He said he'd be back by 1 and still wasn't by 5. Wednesday I got started on the box, and things got a lot better. Friday I spent nearly all day actually machining parts. I hope to get started on assembly Monday.

One downside to the new job is the long trip to work and back every day. 6:30 is a lot earlier than 7:15 and it comes fast. Oh well, I'm sure I'll get used to it pretty quickly.