Feeling lazy on a Sunday

Went climbing yesterday! Although, I didn't work hard at all. I must have only done like 3 routes and I lead one of them. The picture on the left is my partner's gear. Rigaud, where we went yesterday, is a nice climbing area. It's small but there are a few routes to be done. Granted, it's not really photogenic.
I'm looking forward to next weekend. It will be my Turkish friend's last weekend in town so we will be most probably going to Montagne D'Argent. That will probably be on the Saturday, and on the Sunday, a friend from MEC will want to go out as well. It will be the first 2 day climbing weekend I've done in a long time.

Today, as the title suggests, I'm feeling lazy. I've not done much today. I finished my book and will be starting a new one probably a bit later on. I was going to go walk around and take pictures but laziness got the better of me. I am feeling a bit worried though, as I have film that is just sitting there. Probably, I'll get out one night during the week and take some long exposures. I've not done that yet with my camera, my current camera to be exact.

While on the subject of photography, I've been having some ever so evil ideas about buying a new lens. It will set me back about 2000$ but it's totally worth the price. Right now, what is saving me is that I will not go to the store to get it because I've not the time off. Technically, I could go into debt and get it. The price is not extravagant and I would put it on my credit line. Eventually, I'd pay it off. On the downside, is that I will be dangerously close to being maxed out. Note, I said close... Anyhow, my best course of action is to wait a few weeks. I'm bringing down my credit card balance so when that is at a more reasonable level, enough to put in another 2K on it. There is a virtual good vs. evil battle raging in me. To go into debt or not. That is the question. Granted, you must understand this has been my dream for a LONG time. I now have the chance to get pro gear, gear that will last me for a long time.

It's Friday!!!!

And I took the day off from the office. Mind you, I still ended up doing work. I wrote two stored procedures for the Debit Cards project.
Working on my days off is not so bad, actually, I rather like it. I went to my favorite coffee shop to have lunch and wrote one of the two stored procedures there. Mind you, I have to comment that some of the girls that come into that coffee shop are just simply drop dead gorgeous! Like holy crap! Anyhow, not that one of them will go for a geeker coding SQL on a laptop, sipping an iced latte.
Afterwards, I went to meet a girl I've been talking on MSN for a few weeks. We met at a starbucks then went to a park to chat for a while. I fear I didn't make a good impression on her. I had a hard time finding conversation topics, even noticing the dreaded silent moments. Oh well.
I had to share the picture at the top. Any cat owner will find the humor in that one. This one is just priceless.
Tomorrow, going climbing! I'll try to get a nice picture to show you guys.

For you evil g33ks out there...

Ever wondered what would it take to destroy the earth? Not just to wipe out humanity, but to actually nullify the earth; make it something other than a planet.
Well, do I have a link for you..
Go here and read your heart out.

Another song...

Ain't it funny how we pretend we're still a child?
Softly stolen under blanket skies
And rescue me from me, and all that I believe

I won't deny the pain
I won't deny the change
And should I fall from grace, here with you
Will you leave me too?

Carve out your heart in an old oak tree
And hold me for goodbyes and whispered lullabyes
And tell me I'm still the man I'm supposed to be

I won't deny the pain
I won't deny the change
And should I fall from grace, here with you
Will you leave me too?

Too late to turn back now, I'm running out of sound
And I'm changing, changing, and if we died right now
This fool you love somehow is here with you

I won't deny the pain
I won't deny the change
And should I fall from grace, here with you
Will you leave me too?

- Galapogos, Smashing Pumpkins

By Starlight

I'll kiss you.
And promise to be, your one and only.
I'll make you feel happy
and leave you to be, lost in mine.

And were will we go?
What will we do?
Soon said I, we'll know.

And are you just like me?
Dead eyes, are you just like me.
'Cause her eyes were as vacant as the seas
Dead eyes, are you just like me?

And all along, we knew we'd carry on, just to belong.

By starlight, I know you
As lovely as a wish granted true.
My life has been empty
My life has been untrue
And does she really know, who I really am?
Does she really know me at last

Dead eyes, are you just like me?

- By Starlight, Smashing Pumpkins

Things that make you go hmm

I've just had the mos tinteresting conversation coming out the most superficial site I can think of. I met this girl online and we got to talking about the meaning of life, the essence of existence. She obviously had put a lot of thought into it and it caught me pretty much off guard. Not usual for who I am. I often pride myself for having a clarity of thought, although you might not notice that from the way I write. She left me thinking deep thoughts. One such is how does a person stay in an abusive relationship. Is it because it's a learned behaviour? Or is it through an insecurity mechanism that is instilled on that person? She made a very good point in saying that emotions are a collective. Meaning that everyone's emotion, whether it be anger, passion or anxiety, is connected to everything through a basis of energy. We can't comprehend those ideas because we live in a physical world. It made me think of Plato and the Allegory of the Cave. Where he says that we are like slaves chained together and cursed to watch shadows on a wall. The shadows being the perfect world, or perfect beings. I do not have an answer to the "why are we here" but she might very well be on the right track of finding out. Let me leave you with one question that still burn on my mind: Why do we have emotions?

Cartoons are fun!

I found this as I was reading through my usual forum. I started reading some of the other episodes they have up there and they are freaking hilarious!
Well, on to the usual useless posting up in here... Ready? Too bad.
Last night, I got to play psychologist. My houseguest is having trouble in paradise. She comes home apparently from hanging out with her ex bf. She is all depressed because her ex is in a relationship and his current gf is pregnant. Apparently she is still hung up about it. Now, as I understand the story... She was going out with him 2 years ago, or should I say stopped going out with him 2 years ago because she moved back to her home town. He, well, like any normal person, moved on. Now she is back in town and has these ideas that everything will fall at her feet; everything will suddenly and magically come into place carried on Gossamer's Wings. Well, as anybody can attest, life doesn't work that way and I think she is beginning to realize that. I certainly remember when I was 20 and thought the world was mine for the taking! Instead, it gave me a sharp kick in the nuts. Coming back to my houseguest, she apparently has some issues to work out. I wish her the best.
Tonight's plans are for gym climbing! I'll be climbing with Quebec boy tonight. He hasn't climbed in like 4 weeks so he must be dying to get on something. Hopefully my regular partner will make it tonight as well.

I'd rather be on the beach

If I think really hard, if I concentrate profusely, if I make a wish... Think I could be on the beach getting a oh-so-desperately-needed tan? Maybe it's just wishful thinking.
So, now on to today's business of making my useless post here.
Yesterday, I went to meet a friend for coffee. She is the indie rock nut head who is all into this one band. I guess it's cool and all, but I just think that's more of an activity for a 16 year old than someone who is 26. But, who am I to judge. At one point, I kinda wanted to go out with her, but I realised that would have been a bad idea. I'm not all about being a band groupie or being involved with their fan club. For pete's sake, there is more to life. Anyhow, she is young and immature. She would probably get on my nerves after a while and would have to ditch her.
That said, I got an email from my other friend who is in on the little Canadian island for the time being. She is going to arrive in Montreal a week later than I expected, but at least she will be spending the whole day here. From 7 am till about 5 pm... Now, that is someone I'd go out with. I totally find her very cool. Like I mentioned before, too bad she lives halfway across the world.
That's the news kiddies.. I will leave you know with some things to ponder upon. Cut from an email I received this morning:

10 QUICK THINGS TO PONDER:

• Number 10 - Life is sexually transmitted.
• Number 9 - Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
• Number 8 - Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich!
• Number 7 - Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.
• Number 6 - Some people are like a Slinky.....not really good foranything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.
• Number 5 - Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
• Number 4 - All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
• Number 3 - Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut save you thirty cents?
• Number 2 - In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
• Number 1 - We know exactly where one cow with mad-cow-disease is located among the millions and millions of cows in America but we haven't got a clue as to where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of immigration.

Mundane Monday

What is it about the start of the week that makes me feel like I've been hit by a huge Mack truck?
The weekend went fine. I had a show to go to on Saturday, but I didn't feel like going. What a waste of tickets, but me going alone to a comedy show is really not my cup of tea. I don't know why I got the ticket to begin with. Instead, I spend the afternoon doing some work at my coffee shop. Go figure, but if I'm going to spend the day alone, then I'd rather be a recluse instead of pretending to be social and all.
That was Saturday.
Sunday, I went climbing. We went to Val David. Which is about 1 hour north of Montreal. Great place. We did more trad climbing. This time we did a 2 pitch 5.6. I lead the first pitch and it was awesome. For the most part, I had great places to put protection, except for my first nut which apparently popped out due to rope drag. I was well above it and had sunk in at least 4 cams when my partner yelled to me that it had wiggled out. This is all part of the learning process. This is my first year learning trad... Hopefully I'll survive! We also took my Turkish friend with us. I thought she was going to start flinging rocks at us for making her climb something well above her level. She was a good sport though, she didn't complain (much) and she sorta made it up the climbs. I think she had fun.
One thing I noticed. On the approach walk, I remember it being hell for me. I would run out of air and generally feel like my pack was dragging me down to hell. But this time, I don't know if I'm in better shape than last year or what, but I felt really good going on it. I am inclined to think it is due to my efforts in quitting smoking. I've not quit entirely, but I've reduced the number of cigarettes I smoke in a day considerably. I used to go through about a half a pack or more per day, now, I'm only smoking about 2 or 3 cigarettes per day. And that is only because my mother smokes like hell in front of me. Some other changes I've noticed are that I can't stand the smell of smoke anymore and it really irritates me. This morning, waiting in line for the bus, there was a guy smoking right in front of me. Puff, puffing away... And all I could think is goddamn smoke!!!
I'm not an ex smoker yet... But give me a bit more of time, I'll get there.

Pissed off were we?

I'm rereading the post from yesterday... Boy, did I seem pissed or what?
Well, it's just that when you are someone's houseguest and you are not being charged a single red cent to live, should you be more considerate? I mean, if it were me, I would be bending over backwards to please my hosts. Doing something for them. Asking if they need any help with anything. It's just my upbringing. Now, I do have to take into consideration that she is young and immature so maybe that has some bearing into the fact?
Oh well, if she or anyone else don't like my attitude... I'm sorry but they can go kiss my ass.

Work is going well! I'm finally getting the HTML window dressing for my code. It's a pain in the arse to implement someone else's code into mine. Usually, I'm the one giving code for other's to implement. But all in all, the site is looking pretty cool. It will be my first publicly accessible site... All under my own control. I guess I'm moving up in the world.

Ok... I have to say this... I've met the coolest chick a while ago. Unfortunately, she lives in Germany. And, if she were to move back to Canada, she would be living in PEI. We've been emailing steadily for some time now; about a month or so... Um.. I think less than that. Anyhow, I seem to enjoy all her emails and I totally revel in replying. I would certainly love spending time with her. I'll get to spend a total of 6 hours with her on her way back to Germany. She has to stop by the airport here. Listen, I know the possibility of a long distance relationship is about as good as the possibility of me winning the lottery all by myself, but, you know, sometimes it is nice to dream. I'll be happy to remain friends. Like good friends.

No one uses this laptop but me

My house guest from Switzerland likes to use the computer. Today, I came home late because I met a friend for coffee after work (I'll tell you about that one later on). I find my house guest at my computer. That's ok, she is using my desktop and I don't really mind. Now, I go have dinner, yes I know, a late dinner, and I gradually proceed to kick her out of my room so I can have some peace and quiet before going to bed. She eyes my laptop (my baby!!!) and asks: "So your computer can go wireless? Can I use it and leave it on the kitchen table?" To which I answer a flat out NO. No way, to how, nada, niet! I am the only person that will ever use this baby and if anyone else uses it, it will be because I'm ready to share my breathing and nourishment with that person. But, for now... This stays with me.. me, me and me alone. The fuck is that "Can I use it and LEAVE it on the kitchen table". Holy crap, she really doesn't know me. It's like asking to borrow my camera. Take my visa card why don't you. Christ, the nerve of some people.

So, I meet up with this girl I meet on the internet. I really have to get off that stupid dating site. No, I'm not liking it up here either. Anyhow, I knew it was not going to be to die for, but sheesh, I've never seen more ugly feet on a girl than with her! Girl looked like she had paddles on her. I don't have a problem perse with feet. It's not like a foot fetish or some deranged crap like that, but I tell you, you had to see them ugly toes she had going. Yikes! Well, she is cool and all, well, like I stated, not to die for but it's better than just going home and talking to myself. I had a good time. We talked, about not much in particular, mostly about our jobs and stuff. I don't know if we'll go out again. That was definitely not a date. And that's that story.

Midweek..

It's only Wednesday and this week feels like it's going at a turtle's pace. Not much happening today. Yesterday's dentist visit went pretty well, although I have to go back for the doc to fix some grooves in my teeth caused by plaque buildup. This goes to show you kids: brush your teeth at least 3 times per day. Other than that, the cleaning went fine. My teeth weren't bad at all, save for a few stains here and there.

I climbed yesterday. It was so hot the gym feels like a sauna these days. My friend who is visiting Montreal from Turkey climbed with me. She is a beginner, but boy does she have heart and enthousiam. At the end of the session, I asked her: "did you have fun?" and she responded jumping up and down with a big: "YES!!!". I guess in Istanbul the climbing gyms are not quite as developed as here. I'm glad she is having fun. I'm climbing again tomorrow with her and most likely on the weekend we will head for the great outdoors.

Well kids, that is all for today. It's a pretty blah day here so not much to report today. Maybe I'll encounter more interesting things by day's end. I'll keep you guys in the know.

Something about...

The early bird catches the worm. Or something to the sort. Well, it's coming up to 9:30 and I'm at the office. I had to be in here early today because I'm leaving early for a dentist's appointent this afternoon. Even though I work late at night, when I want tell my boss that I have to leave early he gets all pissy puss on me. So be it. I'd like to start getting in early and leaving early. By the likes of today, it's not that hard to do. I just have to go to bed at a reasonable hour, not the past 2 am times that I'm so used to. Well, today it works... I don't know about tomorrow.

Tonight, I get to climb with my regular partners and with my new friend from Turkey. She will have to get accredited at my gym, but I don't think that should be a problem. After the densitst's office, I have to go home and pick up my gear. Climbing.. Climbing.. Climbing..

The true climbing is done outdoors. The exposure, or the feeling that you are going to fall off the mountain and die, is exhilarating. Today I went to Montagne D'Argent, a great place to rock climb, with my good partner (picture on the left). I did my first ever trad route, which means climbing and placing your own protection on the rock. It was totally mind blowing, I've never been so pumped with adrenaline before, it was like my first time being on rock. We also did a multi pitch route. I had done the same route last season with my other good partner who shamelessly moved to France.

For all my love of rock climbing, something that really makes me mad is careless people. But worse of all, people being careless and irresponsible with their children. Let me tell you a story. We had just finished out trad route and were setting up our rappel station. We were in plain sight and anyone who is experienced in climbing would have realized what we were about to do. At the base of the crag, we spot a family setting up to climb a route directly below us. What I noticed was their children, two of them, no more than 9 years old, sitting at the base with their backs towards the wall. No helmets neither of them, parents included, and totally oblivious to falling rocks or any other dangers associated with climbing outside. Then, as I start to lower my rope in preparation for my rappel, I notice the dad was about to start climbing. Right under us! Then I say something. I yell down suggesting he wait until we come down before he starts up. He acknowledged and backed off but his kids were still sitting at the base. I was doubly careful not to knock any lose rock or scree down and I started my rappel. I want very fast as I wanted to impress that this is a dangerous activity! Although, I came down in a very controlled fashion. I didn't show off or anything. I stop a few meters from them to fix my rope and then I say again to back off the base. I was going to directly come down on the kids' heads. They heeded. My partner comes down immediately afterwards. The proceed to climb, after asking me for a little beta about the routes. The guy starts up on a mixed climb, meaning one bolt at the bottom and then a nice crack that would take some protection to go over it. He ignores placing protection, which he didn't have to begin with. He is now about 10 feet above his last (which is also his first) bolt. If he would have fallen, he would have hit the deck... Hard! His kids were only a few feet away, they would have seen their dad crack his unhelmeted skull right before their eyes were something bad to happen. I mentioned to my partner: "let's get out of here fast before something terrible happens. I don't want to practice my first aid skills here". He agreed and off we were. Totally irresponsible climbers. This is a dangerous sport, it's not Disney World. It's people like that who give this sport a a bad name for being so "extreme" and "dangerous". Anything is dangerous, the name of the game is to minimize that danger as best as possible.

On other news. I managed to get in touch with my friend who is visiting from Istanbul. We set up plans to go climb indoors on Tuesday. And the good news is that she has a rental car! So I'll probably take a day off work this week and we'll go climb outdoors somewhere . She seems very psyched up and good natured. I am really looking forward to meeting her. Too bad all the enthusiastic partners that I meet all move away. She will be going back to Turkey on August 8th, so from now until then, I'll try to cram as much climbing as possible. Let's play tour guide!

Oh what a day

Here is the lowdown.. Or should I call it a rant?
Let me start with work... I got a request to make a project that will track players for a certain amount of time. I go through the trouble of designing it, and I've even written most of the code. I was only missing one minor part. Now, I make a request and the database guy has to forward half of the request to the guys in the Toronto office. Now, since those guys are extremely paranoid about their product (product being a shitty website that employs 3 developers and a muck load of database structures) they reply back saying they had already a request to do [sort of] the same thing. So now, I'm going to back down. Fuck them. They want to code that thing for *their* (so possessive aren't we?) application, so be it. The sad part is that no one gets hurt except for the actual USERS that have to make due with two separate systems. The phrase: "can't we all just get along?" comes to mind. My personal feelings is that they truly have to justify their reason for being, thus they are quick to kill any application that "threatens" their systems. Their systems? This is the idiotic part of working where I work. My former boss told me something once that has proven to be invaluable: "No matter what you do, you still get paid the same salary". Why should I be complaining? I just have to do 1/2 the work from now on.

My Swiss friend came in today. Too bad she is not this totally hot chick that will be staying in my house. But she is a good person, so far from what I've been able to tell. She is quite young, definitely immature. But who wasn't at that age? I've emailed her back and forth for a few months, talked on MSN for a while. I've known her for a total of 1 day and I like her. She is fun to be around, not so mush for the deep conversationalist but for what she is. I have no problems with her as of yet. Now, my mother is a different issue altogether.
I can feel the animosity building in my mother. I don't understand why is she so antisocial towards people. It's like if anyone differs from her line of thought then they are totally against her. I am so not like that. I offered to give her a room simply on the basis that I consider her a friend. I expect nothing in return. I say that on the basis that when I came home with her my mother gave me this horrible look, the kind of look she gives behind people's back. Total animosity. Why can't she accept people for who they are? For what they are? I think their is a saying that goes something like if you judge people with a yard stick, you will get judged by that same yard stick. I think my mother is wrong for already passing judgment, but I can't say anything. Not yet. I'll let it build up more then step in if it gets out of hand. Which, I hope not to do. I don't care what my friend thinks of me but, if I'm forced to do anything, it will be in the name of preserving my integrity and rights. Truly, I wish I lived alone. Someday, I might come to regret what I've said in this paragraph, not today.

Are we having fun yet?

Everything is coming at the same time. You name it, it's coming at me!
Where should I start?

A Swiss friend is coming to Montreal this afternoon for a visit. She will be staying at my place. Yesterday I spend a good while cleaning up so she doesn't get the impression that I'm a big time slob. I think I did a good job, at least the bathroom is pretty much spotless. I don't know if I'll have to put on my tour guide hat while she is here, I'm guessing I will... Ideas on that is to take her to old Montreal, that way I can take my camera with me and score some pictures at the same time. I'll let you guys know what goes on within the next few days.
All I know is that I have to leave the office at around 2:15ish to be at the airport. Her plane lands at 3pm.

Another friend, which I've not met, just came from Istanbul. She is a rock climber I met though rc.com. She emails me last night saying she is in town and will like to go climbing sometime. I'm not overly worried, as she looks to be experienced enough. I'm hoping to take her to the gym and see if she doesn't kill me, then we'll go outside. Now, problem is that I don't drive so I'm hoping she does, if not, then we are going to have a rough time getting from place to place. Yet another reason to get my driver's license. Anyhow, I'll break the "no car" issue to her when I speak to her. But, other than that, I'm a pretty safe climbing partner. I know my knots and how to make anchors, if we do end up going outside, I'm sure we'll have a good time. I know I will anyhow. I love climbing.

I tried to take a day off work yesterday. I got called in with problems... As usual. I managed to quickly patch things up with spit and hair. Today, everything pretty much broke into a million pieces. Now, I'm on the phone with the provider's tech support. We seem to have problems with the T1 lines, the dialer is going crazy, I have all kinds of people calling me and best of all.. IT'S NOT MY FAULT! Well, all I know is that I'm calling the proper people and hopefully this will be fixed shortly, or not. It's all part of the fun of working where I work.

Yesterday, I went to the camera shop, I should say candy store instead though. I was supposed to go pick up my step up rings, as they had been delivered yesterday as well. I get there and I start wondering around the shop. I was doing fine, was not going to buy anything, that is until I spoke to a sales person there. Then I started asking questions. I began with a price check on my [future] zoom lens. It's expensive. Then, I proceeded to get a flash bracket. He showed me a nice Manfrotto model. Very sweet! So I bought it! It is a sweet looking mount, very sturdy and slick looking. I am definitely getting ready to pull off that wedding I have coming up.

And that, kids, are the updates for today.

Letter to pets

Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine or feline attendance is not mandatory.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough! To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

Rules for Non-Pet Owners Who Visit and Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. They live here. You don't.

2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"niture.)

3. I like my pets a lot better than most people.

4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly. Dogs and cats are better than kids...they eat less, don't ask for money all the time, are easier to train, usually come when called, never drive your car, don't hang out with drug-using friends, don't smoke or drink, don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions, don't wear your clothes, and don't need a gazillion dollars for college - and if they get pregnant, you can sell the children.

Sincerely,
Your Slave


Photo credits:
Max And Jagger
1998
Montreal

Your mission, should you choose to accept it...

Is to find a way to make this damn air conditioning work!
We've been in a new office for about 3 weeks or so. When we first moved in here, it felt like it was going to start snowing in the offices, the air conditioning system was working over time!
After a few days of freezing, someone managed to turn it down, or at least lower the air flow. Now, with this blistering hear wave happening, it's just a little cooler in the office than it is outside, and I think that's because there is no sun beating down else it would be just as hot.
This morning, some office people started an investigation process to cool this place down again... Bring back the old days of wearing sweaters in the middle of the summer!

Short thoughts...

I'm pretty tired tonight, so this will probably be a short post, but none the less, it's a post.
I just came back from climbing. I seem to never learn. I must not boulder before roping up for climbs. I totally burn myself out and by the time I rope up, I'm dead! I was climbing with a beginner today, it was only her second time in the gym. I was kinda grateful, as after my 1 hour bouldering session I was burnt! I pretty much stuck to doing nothing harder than a 5.7. Which is good as I didn't know how she would respond to me falling all over the place. I will go again to the gym on Wednesday... No bouldering then.

I received a package today! I got my laptop bag in the mail. And let me tell you, it's a cool bag! It is different than my old one, as it's a horizontal one instead of vertical, saddle bag as the old one.
Best thing, it has an internal sleeve that I can remove and carry just the laptop with it, making room for extra stuff in the main bag.
Here is a picture of it:

I ordered from Spire. They make the bags in Boulder, Colorado and they are shipped from Massachusetts. They seem to be a small time company, which I like. I don't want to be a big corporate sponsor and get a Targus case. I like supporting small companies, they tend to take more pride in their work and as a result, offer a better product. As a consumer, that's all that matters to me.
Woah.. Ok, I just noticed something... Look at the picture above.. See that second zipper on the flap? Well, it isn't on my bag! Shit... That's false advertising! Oh well, I still like the bag, I'm very happy with it.

Wireless rules!

I'm totally taking advantage of the wireless revolution. Right now, I'm writing this sitting at a coffee shop prety much near my house. They offer wireless internet for free, well, as long as you buy a coffee or something. I got myself a biscotti, a large latte. I answered some emails and now I tried to do some work while drinking a smoothie (which is pretty good too!).
Well, work was not that productive... I'm working with an application server and, unfortunately, the guy that is programing this I get the feeling he is doing the absolute minimum. He truly didn't think out the commands he privided me. Now, I'm finding out a bunch of limitations and I can't proceed very far over this weekend. Come tomorrow, I"ll have to sit down with him and talk about this further. I don't really blame him. I guess he is just making his side of the equation work, but there are many ways of doing that. He simply is just taking the most convenient way to do it.
Reagrding work, I probably should work on my other project. I could further that a bit more, even though I'm waiting for queries to be provided to me. I probably will do some of that at home instead of here. I'm at 49% battery life as I type now.. that translates to about 1 1/2 hours of time. I'll need to rework my battery maximisations on the laptop to give me a bit more time. According to some reviews on this laptop, some people have been able to squeeze out up to 7 hours of life on a full charge! Right now, my settings are giving me about 3 1/2, but I'm pretty much running at full power off the battery. If I cut back on the monitor brightness and the processor speed, I could at least get another hour out of my battery. Granted, I will be running a bit slower, but I don't plan to play any games while being on a battery at a coffee shop...
That said, I'm really liking this free internet. I feel myself coming here a bit more often. Especially since I'm trying to quit smoking, being in a non-smoking environment is really a god-send! Also, air conditioning here is very good.
Every now and then I find myself looking up from the screen to people watch... I'm totally enjoying this.

I went to Chapters today. I picked up two more books:

• All the Names by Jose Saramango
• No One To Turst by Iris Johansen

I'm almost finished my current book and I can't wait to start on the new ones. I've found so much joy in reading, I really don't understand why I didn't do it before. Come to think of it, I can't understand a lot of things I used to do. I now feel that how I am now is the way I've always should have been. I like life now, and I am hoping that it will only continue to get better.
Peace!

Grey, rainy day

Today is a slow, unmotivating day, It has been raining all day constantly. And not just this light shower, but this heavy driving rain at times, others it's this steady downpour.

I wanted to get a haircut today. All week the barbershop guy sees me pass in the morning and flag me "he! que fa!" waving me into the shop. I can't stop there in the morning as after the cut, I must take a shower else I'll be all uncomfortable with the lose hair on my shirt. Not to mention that I despise the hairstyling they do there.
Anyhow, it can't rain forever. Hopefully tomorrow there will be some sort of break in this weather.

Tomorrow, I've supposed to go climb indoors with a friend. Although, I don't particularly like climbing with him. He is a pleasent person, but a bit too pretentious. He claims to know everything because he used to climb 20 years ago. And even then, I'm not sure if he really used to climb back then. His skills do not impress me. It's not about how hard you climb, but somethings, like how to dynamically belay are not in his bag of concepts. But , seeing my severe lack of partners, especially lead partners, I have no choice. I really miss my french friend. Last year at around this time, we would have logged so much outdoor time already. This year I'm on a once-per-month schedule.

I am hoping to get my driver's license this year, this summer, well, before winter that is. The main motivation for that is for climbing. I'd like to get out of town with friends and not have to trek my gear in public transportation to go to someone's house for 6 am in the morning. That means, I have to leave 1 full hour earlier than everyone else because that's pretty much the time it takes for me to get anywhere. Not to mention carrying a backpack full of gear, plus rope. I'd like to be able to say: "let's meet at that coffee shop on the way at 6 am". Or have the liberty to say at the end of they day: "I'm staying or I'm leaving". I guess what it really amounts to is independance. In the city, I have that as I can walk or take a bus to anywhere. Being out in the country I don't have that luxury and it's something that is severely lacking in my life. I don't like to be dependant on anyone else. I've never been that way. Besides, having a license would allow me to rent a car on days like this and go somewhere instead of being cooped up at home, looking out the window.

Photo credit:
Alfred Stieglitz
Spring Showers, New York
1902
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/S/stieglitz/stieglitz_spring_showers_full.html

I want to show you something

My baby! IBM ThinkPad T40
Go read a review on it.

Believe it or not.. I've been working with computers, everything from phone tech support, to IT technician, to now being an intermediate web developper, for a total of 7 years. This is the first computer that I've ever bought with my own money. No one helping me out. No one giving me hand-me-downs.
I like this computer. It's a little older model (2003 issued) but even now, in 2005, it still holds up with the best of them.

Here are the specs:

1.5 Pentium M processor
768 Mb DDR 266Mhz RAM
40G 5400 rpm hard drive
14.1 XGA TTF LCD monitor
32Mb ATI Radeon Mobility 7500
10x 16x 24x CD-RW/DVD-R (slim)
CDC 56K Modem
1G Ethernet (Intel PRO)
802.11b Wireless (Intel PRO)
Secure Chip
UltraNav

World, meet IBIZA.

Here is a picture...

Of a wedding that I photographed:

Here is what I look forward to

In roughly two years, I will be finished paying off my student loan. That will free up a good chunk of monthly cash. I have plans for that money.
First off, I'd like to seriously commit to putting away a small amount of money per month into my savings account. That being done, that will leave a still rather large sum to play with. I'd like to start taking out loans and paying them back. That will bump my credit rating in a positive fashion. I with the new loan money, I'd like to put that into my savings account where it will earn good interest. The extra cash left over from my monthly loan payments will go to paying off the new loans. I will be able to make my monthly dues AND will have the full sum earning interest. Now, with all that interest, my savings getting a much needed influx plus some extra cash left over per month, I will be able to take regular vacations! All the places that I've wanted to visit, I will be able to actually make those dreams come true. The best part of that plan will be doing it with the same standard of living of which I'm accustomed now.
These plans all depend on me finishing my student loan... That thing is sucking the life out of me! If I'd have a piece of advice to a younger me, it would be to pay off those things as fast as possible. It was a huge mistake letting that situation get totally out of hand. But that is how my cookie crumbled and now I'm eating off all the crumbs until the whole table is cleaned off... Which it will be spotless in 2 years!

Well... Off the topic of money.
Tonight, I spoke to my sister in law. I told her about the wedding that I will be shooting in October. She said that she will try to make it up here to assist me with it. That will be such a huge help. Having a pro assist me will be very comforting. I know the basics of shooting but its been so long since I've done any professional work that I am kinda nervous about it. I, now, have rather decent equipment. I have roughly 2 months to get a much needed lens for group shots. If I make it, then I will be totally confident in my gear, leaving my only doubts in my abilities. Will I be able to pull this off? Faith... Faith will be the key. No, hell no. I don't need faith. I know that I can pull this off. My friend doesn't want a traditional wedding photographer, at least that what she said. Either way, she is going to get me. I KNOW I have a good sense of style. I KNOW I have a good sense of photography. This wedding will be the start of my return to my dreams. Photography has been my love. Photography will always be my love. This time will be on my terms.

And it's the...

WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Ever wonder?

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens your skin?
Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons? Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections? You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?


Disclaimer: I blatently stole this from her. But at least I'm being honest about it!

Early morning thoughts

With my heaven-sent office hours schedule: starting at 10:30 am and finishing at 5pm, I'm prone to going to bed late and waking up late. Every now and then, this lack of sleep from going to bed at 3 am and waking up at 9 am catches up with me eventually. So much so that last night, I went to bed at 10:30pm only to have myself wake up at 4 am. Partly because my mother left the TV on and I could hear it downstairs in my quarters and partly because once I get up I rarely go back to sleep... not right away at least. So now, I find myself at the crack of dawn wondering what to do for my morning.

I do long to have my own place. I think that is my most desired thing right now. I sometimes visit friends who have their own places (rented or bought) and I feel so jealous of them. To be able to decorate your living space. To remodel as you wish. To put up a certain painting or decoration on a wall. With my situation, that is simply not possible. Living with my mother is not the best of all situations. One thing that I hate is her lack of "caring" for a house. To put it simply, it's a fucking mess here. Cat hair all over the dining room table, bags of stuff (all kinds of stuff) all over the place, all piled up on top of each other. The kitchen hoards more useless plastic tins than anything. I don't know how can she stand it. I've tried to clean up... but quickly have given up on it as she just reverts back or worse PUTS everything back. It's best not to fight sometimes.

Although, the worse thing right now is her smoking. I am trying to quit smoking. Surprisingly, I'm actually progressing well with that. I think it will take a bit of time, but eventually I will be a non-smoker, which is such an awsome thing I can't describe it. Enter my mother... she is not helping by chain smoking her way. Here is one scenario just yesterday. I came home from the office and I was totally repulsed by the smell of cigarettes. It was incredible! And to think, my room used to smell like that.. or worse! I am very glad to be progressing with quitting. With a bit of luck, I should be able to follow it through. Granted, I get the feeling I would have prigressed even further by now without the temptaion of her pack of cigatettes just a staircase away... but in a way, I think that is good... more and more, I'm being turned off cigarettes. It truly is a disgusting habit.

Blond Joke

A good friend from Toronto sent me this little joke.
I had a good laugh, I hope you enjoy it:

Two sisters, one blonde and one brunette, inherit the family ranch.
Unfortunately, after just a few years, they are in financial trouble.

In order to keep the bank from repossessing the ranch, they need to
purchase a bull from the stockyard in a far town so that they can breed their own stock. They only have $600 left.

Upon leaving, the brunette tells her sister, "When I get there, if I
decide to buy the bull, I'll contact you to drive out after me and haul it home."

The brunette arrives at the stockyard, inspects the bull, and decides she wants to buy it. The man tells her that he will sell it for $599,no less.After paying him, she drives to the nearest town to send her sister a telegram to tell her the news.

She walks into the telegraph office, and says, "I want to send a
telegram to my sister telling her that I've bought a bull for our
ranch. I need her to hitch the trailer to our pickup truck and drive out here so we can haul it home."

The telegraph operator explains that he'll be glad to help her, then adds, "It's just 99 cents a word." Well, after paying for the bull, the brunette only has $1 left. She realizes that she'll only be able to send her sister one word. After a few minutes of thinking, she nods and says, "I want you to send her the word "comfortable."

The operator shakes his head. "How is she ever going to know that you want her to hitch the trailer to your pickup truck and drive out here to haul that bull back to your ranch if you send her just the word "comfortable"?

The brunette explains, "My sister's a blonde. The word's big. She'll read it very slowly .. com-for-da-bull"

Time passes so slowly

At the office when you are doing absolutely nothing. At the moment, I'm entertaining myself listening to music my legs propped up on a desk drawer and my laptop on um, my lap. I've been listening steadily to pretty much the same whackload of CDs for some time now. I think I'm growing a bit tiredsome of them these days. What I probably need is a bit of a break from them, I guess this is quite normal for me. I go into phases... At times, I can't get enough of music and others, I just don't want to hear anything.
What I'd like to do is to be curled up on my papasan chair at home reading my book. It's getting pretty good now, although it's a classic Minette Walters read thus it's going pretty slowly.

Yesterday, talking to a new person via MSN, I got to thinking about what do I want to do about my photography and whatnot. This is what I came up with: I first of all need to get my gear in order. That means to get at least 2 more pro lenses at the very least. Once that has been done, I'd have to concentrate on travelling. I'd like to visit places that I've only read or dreamed about going; Paris, Seville, Berlin, Zurich. While on the topic of travels, I've yet to commit to doing something this year. Will I go anywhere? Frankly, I'd like to go to Germany. I've met someone who lives there and we've been exchanging emails back and forth. I think she is pretty cool and I can relate to her, the downsides is that lives on the other side of the pond. I've just met her. Should I go visit someone across the damn ocean just to say hi? I mean, what will come out of it? I am not ready to start taking pics of my travels thus what am I going to do? Well, for now, the name of the game is to play everything by ear; I have to stick with my plan if I'm to do anything.

I also am starting to think again about school. A journalism course or at least a writing class would not hurt in the least. This blog has helped me a bit in the few days since it's inception. I am being more careful about how I write and the stucture of my sentences. I have a long way to go, as I'm only at the starting mark. One day I'll look back at all of this and amaze myself.
If I do take the course, will I have the determination to follow it through? I have so many things in my brain that I'd like to do, for example: my driver's license. I'd love to be able to write coherently like some of the people that I read. I actually am enjoying to write on the internet (blogging) and I feel that I could do so much better.

One thing is for sure. All my plans and dreams will be a lot less burnened without having my student loan hovering over me. I've only a third of the original amount to finish with but still, looking at that huge ass number, it can be daunting. I'm not overly worried about it... I shall overcome and once I do, watch out world: here I come! One step at the time though.

Ok, sitting here and typing away, I feel so tired. I told someone I'd meet him at the gym tonight. I've been neglecting the gym badly this season but, as I mentioned to a friend during lunch, it's so hard to get motivated since my old partner left for France. He was a large motivating force for me. I guess I could suck it up and just show up at the gym but there is no drive! I am starting to think that having a driver's license will be a good thing. I would pack up my gear in my car and just jet to the gym. Now, from the office I'd have to trek home to change and get my rope and harness. Then is walking to the metro heading for the gym. At this time of day, it's starting to feel like climbing Mt. Everest! It's 4 pm... let's see when I get home. If I still feel like being a lazy ass then so be it.

Lot 666 then, a chandelier in pieces

Last night I watched the movie version of Phantom Of The Opera. I've only good thing to say about it. I've always loved the musical. I've not yet seen it but I've played the musical score to death. But, in doing that, I've grown partial to the original London cast with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. The movie stayed true to the story, it explained a lot to me about the auction in the prologue, the origins of the phantom and as well as some of the scenes. I never realised Christine was so much in a loss about her father when she sings Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again. The only thing which left me wanting more was the actors. The phantom was a bit too pretty. More like an Antonio Banderas look alike than anything else. I've always imagined him as being this powerful, elegant, mysterious figure. In the movie, he comes out as being this pretty boy dude. Although, it didn't really affect me as in terms of the viewing. I still think the movie is a great representation of the musical.
One more thing that surprised me about the movie is the aira at the credits. I think the song is called "Learn to be Lonely" it was very nice! I have to see about finding an mp3 of it.

Picture time!

Here is one that I'd like to share with you.
This was taken in Guatemala while on vacation there. The location was my brother in law's family coffee farm. The child is the son of one of the caretakers of the estate. I sometimes wonder what became of him it's been 11 years since this picture was taken.
The camera was my dad's Minolta Maxxum 7000 with it's standard 50mm lens.

The Great Flood

"In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened."
Genesis 7:11

I'm not religious at all, but it came 5 pm and as I was packing my stuff getting ready to start my treck home from the office, I looked out the window casually and I saw it was raining cats and dogs plus sheep, goats and any other farm animal you'd care to imagine.
Thankfully, a coworker was leaving at the same time and offered me a lift to the metro station (or subway terminal for you non-quebec gents out there). He saved my ass from the drenching of a lifetime! Granted, I still got wet on the way home, but it could have been much, much worse.

Once at home, I received my package from Vistek. It's a Lowepro lightweight photo belt:This will come in very handy once I have more lenses. Such as my 17-35mm and my 80-200mm. I tried it on and it does relieve some weight off my shoulder when hitched to my camera bag. That will be a big help on a long trek taking pictures like the one I did on Saturday.

Speaking of pictures. I received my films back today. The photos taken with the 90mm are so incredibly sharp! Out of the lot, I have at 2 additions to my work-in-progress series on lines and I have 3 photos that are very nice of little flowers. One of the latter is exceptionally well taken. It is so unfortunate that I don't have them scanned in as I would have loved to show you. All in due time. Worse case, I'll just ask a friend to scan them in for me. It will be a couple of weeks before I commit to buying a film scanner. With the results of these films, the fire of photography is coming back to me. Now, I'm going to concentrate on equipping myself with the proper gear and we will do some work. The future will be bright.

And Then You Die

By Iris Johansen.
I finished that book last night after coming home from the gym. I was about the halfway mark when I got into bed and proceeded to find out what was going to happen. Believe me when I tell you that I couldn't put that book down! I ended up finished the book at around 2 am or so. This is the second book from that author that makes me do that. She writes so well with amazing description that I find myself playing the scene in my head in vivid technicolor. Highly suggested to anyone into high action adventure readings.

I've started on my next book. One by Mienette Walters. She has a different style. More psychological with lots of detail. I'm guessing it's because she is a British writer as opposed to Johansen being American. Walters does write good mystery, I must admit. I've read 3 of her books to date, this being my fourth. So far, this is proving to be a good book. So much so that I was standing on the bus reading away when I looked up and noticed my stop. Needless to say, I missed it. The next stop was a good 150 meters away, about a 7 minute walk or so. I was not impressed with myself.

Since it's just about noonish. And I only came in at 10:45 today, I have to work out something for lunch. Yesterday, my coworker and I ended up going to the high class place not the next door hotel buffet as I had planned. Oddly enough, that restaurant is turning out to be the cheapest place with the best service. Yesterday's lunch was 12$ and I was STUFFED! I shouldn't eat that much ever again. Going back to the office and pretending to work is just too tough. Today it will be order in pizza. I ordered a small pepperoni pizza. It should be just enough for me. I also have an apple and a small yogurt with me. I should be fine.

Climbing

Is fun!
So much fun.
There is no better activity.
I wish I could climb everyday!
I need a partner....

Mindless internet surfing Vol. 1

I'm going to hate linking up websites...
With the course of time, these links will all be broken and I know I won't come back here to fix them. Anyhow, this one is simply too good to pass up:

Mad Cow

"What do I care? I'm a helicopter, I'm a helicopter, I'm a helicopter..."

Noon time ramblings

One of the drawbacks of starting work late is that you have to have lunch early. I know what you are thinking... first off, there must not be any drawbacks about starting at 10:45 every morning. Oh but there is. Since my office moved to the middle of nowhere, lunch spots are very rare these days. I'm right off the highway and the establishments are either hotels, more office buildings and the high priced restaurant. The other choices are a little coffee shop type place two buildings over or the Hooters' look alike across the street. I don't like to go there because the food is terrible. The waitresses are over the hill ex strippers and the place is dark. I feel like I should be getting drunk there not having lunch. Today, I'm going to go check out a hotel buffet place next door. I don't know what awaits me yet. But, getting back to my point, I've only come in 11 am (or just about) and it's now like noon or just past it. I'm not hungry yet.. but I have to eat something if I'm going to catch the buffet place. My other option is the coffee shop place, but one of my coworkers is a real baby when it comes to that place just because one morning *he* got bad service. Oh grow up man.
Anyhow... that is the lunch situation now.
Work on the other hand seems to be going slow now. IT still hasn't properly installed my unix machine. Seeing that I'm incompetent enough not to have root access and install what I need properly, they do it for me. Well, news for them... THEY CAN'T do it properly. I have a development machine that I installed in less than 30 minutes (apache, php, xsl, curl) and the thing is running at twice (I shit you not) the speed of the production machine, which is supposedly a drop jaw, top of the line server. Yeah, but I'm not allowed to install my stuff. pffft. Anyhow, it's on their head, but I know this stupid place. Even though I am powerless to do anything about it, at the end of the line, when things are not working or working at a snails place it will be *my* fault because I'm the developper. Good god... you are screwed if you do and screwed if you don't.
On the development side. That is going sloooooooow. I'm working with the two Java guys. They decided to rewrite the whole DB structure and rearrange code right and left. I am staying out of the way of that beast. What ever stored procedures they want, I'll gladly write. But I'm not going to be any driving force. So now, I wait. I've not written any new code as of yet today, I doubt very much if I will do anything today at the office.
But enough about work...

Tonight, I'm going to the gym to climb. A friend is taking her climbing course and I'm scheduled to be her partner. I'm not scared or anything, but it really sucks to climb with total beginners. Now, just my luck, one of my brother's friends pinged me today on MSN. He was asking about climbing and the like, so I suggested he call the gym and partner up with my friend. Two beginners perfect... I'll be able to climb with them and not feel guilty if I ditch them to go climb on lead with the gym regulars, whomever may be there. We'll see how that goes.

So, last night, I got to chatting with a girl who likes photography. I started summaging through my old pictures that I have up on my server and I realized that I miss taking pictures! Oh man I'm so going to change that. My 3 rolls are being processed today, hopefully I'll get them back sometime this week. I'll still have to figure out something about scanning them. I can't afford a scanner right now... not with my recent shopping delirium. The scans will have to wait.
That said let me post up some pictures for you guys:


Montreal on a cold night.


Streaming lights on the highway.


Bonsecours Market in Old Montreal.

That's my city! More pictures to come... and best of all more recent pictures.
I'm going to lunch now... Man, I'm not even hungry at all.

Work That Magic 2

I'm listening to one of my late brother's tapes that I had converted to mp3. This one is one of my favorites. The selections he made and the beat mixings are simply amazing. He was an incredible DJ. In my opinion, there has be no other who had his style. I would have given anything to been at his club one night while he was working. Raul, where ever you are, only you can work that magic!

Last night, I was really bored, so much so I started surfing mindlessly. I ended up spending a lot of time on Craig's List. I found a post about a film maker producing his first film. I downloaded it. Took about 10 minutes to download. Their server is quite fast. The short is called The Door. I urge you guys to go watch it. My frist impression was "what the hell?" but as the film progressed, I found myself being drawn into it. The end is a surprise. Very inteligent film, in my opinion.

Today, I went out on the purpose of finding a photo finishing lab that would be open. I want to process my 3 rolls of film. But, what would you know, there are none that open on a Sunday. Most places are open. Clothing shops, music stores, restaurants, frigging strip joints... but not one photo place. Sometime this week I'll have to drop them off somewhere. I don't want to go to Corlab because that is a pro lab and my film is not "pro" quality. I know, I know, who gives a hoot? Well, I do. I'm just getting back into photography; after a long, long time i'm finally taking this serious again. I'm slowly building my gear up and I'll finally take the pictures I've always wanted to produce. We'll see where that leads to.

Seeing that my primary mission of dropping off my films failed, I went onto my secondary mission. I went to Chapters to hunt for reading material. I had finished my last book on Thursday night. Today, I picked up 4 books costing me an arm and a leg.
They are:

• Minette Walters: The Sculptress
• Iris Johansen: And Then You Die
• Ansel Adams: The Camera
• Ansel Adams: The Negative

I've started with Iris Johansen. So far this will be the 3rd book I've read from her. I've enjoyed all of them! The first one I read, Dead Aim, I started reading one afternoon after work. I couldn't put that book down! I finished it at around 2 or 3 am. Since then, I've held her highly on my reading list. I am sure I'll enjoy reading the book I just got today. Hell, I'm already enjoying it! I probably should create a little section here to write book reviews, not that my opinion really is worth anything, but it would be fun to document the stuff I read.

End poverty and spend more money...

This post has two points... First one: It was 20 years ago when Live Aid took place. It was an event put on by recording artists of the time to raise money for poor countries. I was 11 years old at the time so I didn't know my ass from my elbow at the time but I remember feeling for the kids that went to bed hungry everynight and who spent their day wondering when their next meal would come, if it would come at all. I've never had to face that. I hope that all the people that I love and care about as well as myself won't ever have to experience that.
Fast forward 20 years... it's 2005. The same guy, Bob Gendolf, is putting up another show (actually, shows there are a few going on) to raise awareness about the ever growing poverty condition that the world faces. This time, they aren't asking for money. This is a huge petition effort for the leaders of the developped countries to do more to help the underdevelopped countries. One of hte demands is to cancel debts to the poorest countries. Now, wouldn't that be a huge idea!!! The G8 is conveining in Eidinburough, Scotland on July 6th. Hopefully they will do something that will make us go... simply.. WOW.
To whom ever reads this: go to the Live 8 website and sign up. Help the cause. And in the words of Neil Young: Keep on rocking in the FREE world.

But.. on another note.. I had my materialistic streak today.
I went to buy some photography gear!!! First off was a lens. Not just any lens.. but a legend! This is traditionally known as the "portrait lens".
Here is a pic:
As soon as I got it out of the store, I slapped onto my camera and went walking around my favorite part of town taking pictures with it. I shot two rolls of film. I can say that I'm glad for the acquisition. This is such an amazing lens, I can't wait to send my film to the lab. This is a newer model than the one I used in school. It has a smaller filter ring diameter than what I remember. I remember it being a 62mm, this one is a 55mm. Instead of duplicating all my filters, I ordered some step ups for this. I'll be able to use my range of filters with this lens now (well, as soon as the rings arrive). This said, I have to get a scanner so I can post up some pictures for you. When I do, then I'll go crazy! granted, that most will not be digital. I shoot film, film and more film. But I'll gladly scan the negatives :)

Moving right along... this is my second purchase for the day (actually, my third if you count the step rings).
Not the cameras or lenses.... just the bag! This is a smaller gear bag then what I'm used to. In the past, I've always hauled along the whole lot of my gear in my LowePro Mini Trekker backpack. This shoulder bag carries my F4 plus two lenses and my flash unit. It is loaded with a bunch of features. It has two pull over tarps in case I get caught out in the rain (which has happened) as well as having the essential pockets and thingy carriers. The neatest thing is a zipper on the flap. Open that up and you get access to the inside. Pull out a filter, or a change of lens without opening up the flap. I took it out today for a tour as well. It was sweet! I had my little backpack with me as well. Both the shoulder bag and the backpack got along fine. I was walking pretty comfortably. Gee, I must have walked for about 3 hours or so.
Well, I have to pay these new toys off. When I do, I will get a scanner... and after that, I'll take a plunge with another lens.
I'd like my gear to consist of my F4 body, the 90mm, a 17-35 and an 80-200. That would be my base gear. On top of that, I'll probably just add a really long lens. Like a 300 or a 400 fixed.
Oh photography.. my true love.

My first blog entry

Well... isn't this a glorious moment in history.
You are totally wasting your time reading this... are you really reading this? Hello? Is there anybody out there *pink floyd guitar*
Anyhow.. this is my blog. Pull up a chair, make yourself confortable. I'll try not to bore you with my rantings and who knows, maybe this will turn into something interesting with time.

I guess I should probably start this with some background info. Well, I'm just your average reclusive 30 something dude who apparently has nothing better to do at 3 am(ish) then to start writing stupid stuff on the internet. Thank God for the annonymity of the internet. I guess the reason behind this is because I've been inspired by some of the blogs that I've read in the past. So, tonight, I figured I'd give it a chance. My own little not to private journal. Besides, I've always wanted to do the blogger thing. Hey, I must be cool! Ok, well.. I'm not.

Let me give you some background info on myself. I guess that would be appropritate.. seeing that we are just getting to know each other.

Work Life:
Well, I'm a web programmer. No, I don't do web design and pretty web pages. I write web code. PHP, JavaScript, Java whatever it takes. As well as doing that, I'm pretty descent at managing and programing for databases. MySql has to be my favorite, partly because it is a free thingy to play with and the other because it's on a unix platform, which only means I can totally geek out and ssh to a server and start coding. For work, I'm usually programing for a MS SQL database. I mainly get to write pages to administer crap in a database or display results of a query on a web page. I like using XML and XSL to display stuff. I've not run into any scenarios that I'd need the given portability but hey.. it's a cool way to do stuff. Well.. that's my job. I never set out to be that. You know, when everyone is a kid they thing of what they'd like to be when they "grow up". Well, programing was NEVER in my line of thought. I wanted to be a photographer. To travel the world, take pictures of places, animals, people and their culture. Bring their culture, or a glimpse of it, to other people who do not have a chance to see it. Make people see the world through my eyes. So... I went to school for it. Although, to make a living out of it, I found out that you not only have to be artistic (that's not my problem) but you also have to be a a business person (that was my problem). Needless to say, I didn't last long in the freelance business. I was never daring enough to break out on my own, hence I needed a day job... in the late 90's computers where the way to go. Now, mid way through the first decade of the 2k's... I'm still in computers. Doesn't bother me none. I like what I do. I view writing code as an artform in some strange ThinkGeek type of fashion.

Personal Life:
I love my cat. His name is Max, Maxxer, The Max, Shitball... He truly is my best buddy. I'll fix up some pictures to show you when I get things sorted out here. We've been together since that puke face was 2 months old. He is 9 years old now.
Let me tell you how I met him. I was with my ex gf (let's call her K) at the time. We had jut moved in together into an appartment and she got the idea of getting a pet: a cat. I kinda liked the idea so I kinda pushed for us to go to the SPCA to see what they had. By the way, I'll never get an animal from a pet store. GhettoPets4Lyfe! Well, we come in and there are tens upn tens of kitties caged up in a rather large room. I'm looking through the bars and seeing all the furry kittens and I noticed this black and white cutie. I poked my finger at his cage then turned around to look at who else was around.. cats, I mean.. well.. given my back was to the kitty, I felt some claws being dug into my shoulders! Damn cat!!! I whip around and there is Max. From that day on he was my shit ball.
He wasn't very fond of K. Well, I shouldn't say that, Max is fond of everyone but he is my cat no question about it. That kinda made K jealous. So much so that two weeks later, we were out in the country side (at another SPCA) to get another cat. That one was a grey tabby who we named Jagger. He was a sweetheart too. Biggest attitude you'd ever see on a cat. Unfortunately, he died a few years ago of cancer.
Time passed since we've been proud cat parents (that just sounds gay...) and the relationship between K and I went down the toilet. So i got out of it. Left the cats to her because I knew I would not win in acquiring custory of them (hardheaded bitch that she was). But about a year after me leaving her, she calls me out of the blue.. saying that I have to take the cats because she is moving in with her new bf and the dude is allergic to cats (SCORE!) So.. I get the cats. both of them! I was happy as flies on shit. Little did I know that 3 months later she was going to call me again (out of the blue) saying that the budding romance with Mr. Allergic didn't go very well and she had moved back to my town. She wanted the cats back. Enter 6 month stand off between her and I over the cats. At the end, in order to settle things, I caved in and gave her Jagger. Which technically was her cat since Max had taken to me. That broke my heart. Those cats had never been apart from each other. They were very close and for the love of all things holy separating them was the last thing I wanted. But K, being the hardheaded beeyotch that I realized she was, apparently didn't give a fuck.. She just wanted a cat back. About 6 months after the cats being separated, I get an email form her saying that Jagger was going to be put down due to his battle with cancer. He was the fragile one, despite of the hardcore attitude. Jag was always very shy and not very extroverted. Complete opposite of Max. To this day, I still miss that little (32 pound of cat little) guy.

Love Life:
Let's not go there... I'm sure in my future posts, you'll have ample opportunity to hear me whine and complain.

Home Life:
That's another subject that I don't think I'll be dealing with tonight, er, this morning. I am 31 years old and I live with my mother. That should give you a hint of what rants will be coming. It's not because I'm a momma's boy. It's because I'm the only relative she has here. All of my family is spread out all over. And I'm the only one who stayed back with her. Mind you not by choice, but because my job and debts have kept me here. So, I live in a basement below her. I could not handle living in the same floor as her. If I feel the pain living with her as it is now.. I'm sure being only a few feet from her, living on the same floor and sharing quarters would drive me absolutely crazy. Anyhow, in my future posts, I'm sure this will be a popular topic.

So, in conclusion, ladies and gentlement of the internet. In a nutshell, that is my introduction. Kinda spacey, off track but at least it's something to read. Not many people, if any, know who the real me is. Hopefully, though this thing... someone out there will get a clue as to what's inside my brain. Christ, it's 4:30 am.. I'm going to bed...