A road update - its been a long time since I did one of these!
Today was one of those days that a year ago would have pushed me to quit my job on the spot... I think that the time off has settled me down a bit and is allowing me to adapt better to ridiculous and untimely requests. Plus my boss dangled the golden carrot at us today so that certainly helps matters, doesn't it?
First of all, hello from Owen Sound, Ontario. Where is Owen Sound? Google it you lazy to$$er! This week we have been tasked with various visits around Ontario but mainly around greater Toronto. Owen Sound is as remote as it will probably get for us in Canada. They say there is a town about an hour and a half north of here, but I have a feeling that if I started inquiring about dinner after arrival, somebody would hand me a spear and point to a body of water.
We had a breakdown in communication that ended up taking us north of our initial visit to do an extra audit. Our drive was pleasant but a little startling - we in Buffalo are familiar with whiteout conditions but I have to say I'd rather not deal with it in November. Our intention was to drive to Brampton but as it turns out they completely closed off our intended route due to MULTIPLE FATALITIES that had occurred while we were working. Ok - I'd heard enough and so we changed our hotel booking to this pleasant hotel in town. We got a tip on a nice Montreal style bistro - I scratched every itch in this tired body and had a glass of red, french onion soup and a burger. God I cannot remember the last time I ate a decent burger! This one had a half pound of beef, ham and melted swiss cheese on it. After dinner I drank a little carbonated beverage and treated my co-worker to what must have been a confusing smell after I belched sort of in his face, by accident. He should feel lucky that I didn't choose the pork mariposa.
So, since I happened to have mentioned the golden carrot you must be wondering what I meant. What I meant is that 9:15pm reservation at Ruth's Chris that we made tonight, with the only limit imposed on us being a two beer maximum. Considering that this detour means that I'm going to be up at 6:30 in order to make it to our first audit, then another 1.5 hours to our second audit, then another hour to our hotel - trust me, my boss is going to feel the burn on that credit card statement! I think I'll have a ribeye, sweet potato casserole w/pecan crust, creamed spinach and some cabernet, followed by 10 hours of well earned sleep.
I've also been enjoying the sensationalist Toronto media. I have been reading the Star, the Sun and the Globe and Mail every day. Wow, they really really hate John Ferguson Jr., the current GM of the Leafs. Adding to the intrigue was tonights Toronto/Montreal game - I like TSN's broadcasts.
Despite the hassle, and even without the extras my boss threw at us for doing this, I have to say that I feel fine and am enjoying my stay in this small, sleepy bayside town. I just worry about getting enough sleep to make it through the day, and for today if thats my only worry then I think that I can't ask for much more.
Joshua's Journal
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11/27/2007 21:44 #42310
Greetings11/21/2007 11:11 #42219
Pre-holiday amusementneo-con **** liar
Bob Cote
See this shade, and many more shades, of the true colors of the radical left @
- you glen you ****ing ***** . neo-con **** sucking whore's like you and rush and hannity . can go to hell for your petty lies. you don't want to pay taxes leave you whiny bitch whore. you and rush are lazy selfish whore's who can do **** but complain like Republicans on crack . taxes pay for your lifestyle and i not going to give rich people welfare because they came out of one whore's crack. and the oil and drug companies don't need money they steal enough . just like the CEOS do now days . lay off thousands and get a ****** ****** and leave . i could do the job cheap and easy. get rid of the CEOS and get someone who knows what is going on with the companies who has worked under stupid CEOS who don't **** but sucked bush's **** in the skull and bones in school . rob the workers pensions and blame it on bull**** and steal millions for ****** work . **** you glen beck you little man , a whore for a season's like your neo-con buddy's rush and Sean . a chicken hawk to boot . **** you ***hole
Bob Cote
See this shade, and many more shades, of the true colors of the radical left @
joshua - 11/21/07 14:00
I think the nastification of our politics would actually be a great topic for a book. And I'm not talking about assigning blame for who made it nasty - the fact that we've sunk that low is very telling.
I think the nastification of our politics would actually be a great topic for a book. And I'm not talking about assigning blame for who made it nasty - the fact that we've sunk that low is very telling.
jason - 11/21/07 11:42
Oh yeah, and the chickenhawk meme....hahaha, that should have starred in "Die Hard" instead of Bruce Willis.
Oh yeah, and the chickenhawk meme....hahaha, that should have starred in "Die Hard" instead of Bruce Willis.
james - 11/21/07 11:42
oh, you don't have to save them. I read idiots on both sides (why is something as complex as politics so Manichean?) and vomit a little. I mean, at least people like Maureen Dowd are as entertaining to read as they are irrelevant.
hm... though maybe you are onto something. Perhaps you should write a book "#%*&ing idiots are in your party: a survey of gutter skanks and the comments the leave on political blogs"
oh, you don't have to save them. I read idiots on both sides (why is something as complex as politics so Manichean?) and vomit a little. I mean, at least people like Maureen Dowd are as entertaining to read as they are irrelevant.
hm... though maybe you are onto something. Perhaps you should write a book "#%*&ing idiots are in your party: a survey of gutter skanks and the comments the leave on political blogs"
jason - 11/21/07 11:41
Taxes pay for Glenn Beck's lifestyle? Probably more likely it is the big moolah he's pulling in every month. It's pretty clear Bob Cote thinks because he lives off of other people, everyone else does too. Funny letter. I love reading this stuff.
Taxes pay for Glenn Beck's lifestyle? Probably more likely it is the big moolah he's pulling in every month. It's pretty clear Bob Cote thinks because he lives off of other people, everyone else does too. Funny letter. I love reading this stuff.
joshua - 11/21/07 11:36
(e:james) - absolutely. I'll save up some choice right wing silliness for you to read... there is plenty out there. It makes me fear for the country when I see people who consider themselves engaged display this sort of thing.
(e:james) - absolutely. I'll save up some choice right wing silliness for you to read... there is plenty out there. It makes me fear for the country when I see people who consider themselves engaged display this sort of thing.
james - 11/21/07 11:17
It sounds just like all the people on the right who leave comments on left wing web sites.
Though, I don't recall anyone asking Clinton of Guiliani "How do we beat the Goomba?"
I also love "whore;s like you and rush and hannity". Never mind the neo-cons that are actually in government but let's complain about some douche bags with air time.
It sounds just like all the people on the right who leave comments on left wing web sites.
Though, I don't recall anyone asking Clinton of Guiliani "How do we beat the Goomba?"
I also love "whore;s like you and rush and hannity". Never mind the neo-cons that are actually in government but let's complain about some douche bags with air time.
11/20/2007 10:44 #42211
Positivity trumps negativityHeavily edited - in other words, completely erased.
The entry served its purpose and although I don't feel better by any stretch, at least I got it out of my system. I should turn this into a post about fighting negative thoughts. Hell, why not?
Even the most optimistic of us have our bad days. Nobody is exempt from having something bother someone to the point where that individual goes through a mini-depression. The thing is, nobody talks about it. Its not good, or its not proper, or its not polite. For me thats unacceptable because a) you may be denying yourself a glimpse into your reality that would benefit you, and b) so many people out there suffer and feel alone in their own little universe, and feel alone needlessly!
The truth is that we're not alone when we feel down. Its a part of human nature - its part of our design. In a morbid kind of way, I think that we all have to experience the highest highs and lowest lows because otherwise you'd be cheating yourself of the full range of human experience. Its easy to be philosophical when things don't go your way, but tell me this is not true! R.E.M. wrote an entire album about the joys, mysteries and difficulties of the human experience. Its called "Automatic For The People" and the album just had its 15th anniversary; Stereogum released an entire retooling of an album, track by track, with a different band assigned to each track. Its free to download, but I'd also encourage to get the original if you don't have it - its as essential an album as I could imagine. Michael Stipe is right when he says everybody hurts sometimes, and that even the bad stuff in life is necessary to validate our experiences.
(e:jay) and I have always used a bit of a trick when we see bad things happen to good people. "It could always be worse." While this is certainly true, that does not mean that your current issues aren't real and important. Granted, this requires a serious amount of perspective, which some people lack and will never have. Those people will learn the hard way but you, you my friends, you are different; most of the people reading this understand that fashion means fuck all in comparison to medical problems, as an example. Still though, having perspective is extremely difficult for somebody deep in depression.
The question for me is, how do you help people with seriously negative dispositions fight through their problems? For the love of God Owen Wilson, an actor who by all accounts seems to have a charmed life, wanted to exit stage left. This is somebody I feel for to a great degree, and I think a lot of people do, because he seems like a relatively responsible Hollywood type whose suicide attempt came as a huge shock. Everybody wants to know what is bothering him. My question is, how can we help people like that to help themselves? There are no easy answers but I bet people around Owen Wilson wished he would have talked about it.
The entry served its purpose and although I don't feel better by any stretch, at least I got it out of my system. I should turn this into a post about fighting negative thoughts. Hell, why not?
Even the most optimistic of us have our bad days. Nobody is exempt from having something bother someone to the point where that individual goes through a mini-depression. The thing is, nobody talks about it. Its not good, or its not proper, or its not polite. For me thats unacceptable because a) you may be denying yourself a glimpse into your reality that would benefit you, and b) so many people out there suffer and feel alone in their own little universe, and feel alone needlessly!
The truth is that we're not alone when we feel down. Its a part of human nature - its part of our design. In a morbid kind of way, I think that we all have to experience the highest highs and lowest lows because otherwise you'd be cheating yourself of the full range of human experience. Its easy to be philosophical when things don't go your way, but tell me this is not true! R.E.M. wrote an entire album about the joys, mysteries and difficulties of the human experience. Its called "Automatic For The People" and the album just had its 15th anniversary; Stereogum released an entire retooling of an album, track by track, with a different band assigned to each track. Its free to download, but I'd also encourage to get the original if you don't have it - its as essential an album as I could imagine. Michael Stipe is right when he says everybody hurts sometimes, and that even the bad stuff in life is necessary to validate our experiences.
(e:jay) and I have always used a bit of a trick when we see bad things happen to good people. "It could always be worse." While this is certainly true, that does not mean that your current issues aren't real and important. Granted, this requires a serious amount of perspective, which some people lack and will never have. Those people will learn the hard way but you, you my friends, you are different; most of the people reading this understand that fashion means fuck all in comparison to medical problems, as an example. Still though, having perspective is extremely difficult for somebody deep in depression.
The question for me is, how do you help people with seriously negative dispositions fight through their problems? For the love of God Owen Wilson, an actor who by all accounts seems to have a charmed life, wanted to exit stage left. This is somebody I feel for to a great degree, and I think a lot of people do, because he seems like a relatively responsible Hollywood type whose suicide attempt came as a huge shock. Everybody wants to know what is bothering him. My question is, how can we help people like that to help themselves? There are no easy answers but I bet people around Owen Wilson wished he would have talked about it.
11/15/2007 10:44 #42135
Its official - NYU students are stupid!For proof read this -
Also, I just wanted to express my opinion about the current writers strike. How the fuck are these people unionized anyway, and why? I see this as a complete and utter mockery of "worker's rights." All 500 writers at ABC News are on strike. My first thought was, "my God it takes that many people to produce crap on a regular basis?"
The public have absolutely no sympathy for these people, judging by the articles and responses I've read since this thing started. Ultimately, the writers want more pay from the studios who market "their" creative product. Rarely when you are working for a company do you actually own or have a right to the things you do for your company. I sympathize with people who feel like they deserve to get more out of their work. But this isn't about working conditions, its not about fair wages (find me an underpaid writer in Hollywood or for ABC News, please), its not about guaranteeing that people won't get fired unfairly - its about getting more of a cut of the proceeds that the studio generates.
Writers will never be akin to construction workers, and frankly I'd be very satisfied if the studios let these writers' contracts expire and bring in non-union writers, if at all possible. There will never be a shortage of writers who would die to write for television, union or not... particularly in Plastic Fantastic La La Land. These people are sorely in need of a reality check. How many shit television shows have premiered in the past five years anyway - it makes me wonder if the studios have gotten their moneys worth from the writers to begin with!
Also, I just wanted to express my opinion about the current writers strike. How the fuck are these people unionized anyway, and why? I see this as a complete and utter mockery of "worker's rights." All 500 writers at ABC News are on strike. My first thought was, "my God it takes that many people to produce crap on a regular basis?"
The public have absolutely no sympathy for these people, judging by the articles and responses I've read since this thing started. Ultimately, the writers want more pay from the studios who market "their" creative product. Rarely when you are working for a company do you actually own or have a right to the things you do for your company. I sympathize with people who feel like they deserve to get more out of their work. But this isn't about working conditions, its not about fair wages (find me an underpaid writer in Hollywood or for ABC News, please), its not about guaranteeing that people won't get fired unfairly - its about getting more of a cut of the proceeds that the studio generates.
Writers will never be akin to construction workers, and frankly I'd be very satisfied if the studios let these writers' contracts expire and bring in non-union writers, if at all possible. There will never be a shortage of writers who would die to write for television, union or not... particularly in Plastic Fantastic La La Land. These people are sorely in need of a reality check. How many shit television shows have premiered in the past five years anyway - it makes me wonder if the studios have gotten their moneys worth from the writers to begin with!
metalpeter - 11/15/07 17:27
From what I have heard I have to disagree with you completely. It isn't about more money. It is about the fact that when I pay $60 for a DVD of 24 the writers don't get any money. When Heroes is on line for free and NBC gets ad money for that show the person who wrote that episode gets no money for it. In the music the writer gets a cut every time a song is played and they are supposed to when ever it is played publicly at a stadium or a juke box or where ever that is all the writers want is money for there cration. What about if NBC figures out that they can get the same about of add dollars for a show on the internet or even through say and itunes type of place as on TV. Oh yeah and then they don't have to give the writers there cut. I'm not saying the writers should be greedy and over do it. But lets face it with out writers there would be no show. Yes the same thing can be said for actors but they have no creative control. Both sides need to see that they need to do what is best for buisiness and the future of it and work out a fair deal for both sides.
From what I have heard I have to disagree with you completely. It isn't about more money. It is about the fact that when I pay $60 for a DVD of 24 the writers don't get any money. When Heroes is on line for free and NBC gets ad money for that show the person who wrote that episode gets no money for it. In the music the writer gets a cut every time a song is played and they are supposed to when ever it is played publicly at a stadium or a juke box or where ever that is all the writers want is money for there cration. What about if NBC figures out that they can get the same about of add dollars for a show on the internet or even through say and itunes type of place as on TV. Oh yeah and then they don't have to give the writers there cut. I'm not saying the writers should be greedy and over do it. But lets face it with out writers there would be no show. Yes the same thing can be said for actors but they have no creative control. Both sides need to see that they need to do what is best for buisiness and the future of it and work out a fair deal for both sides.
11/14/2007 16:07 #42117
Intriguing Article TitlesI regularly read TSN's site so I can get the Canuckistani point of view on hockey. What is the title of the first link on the right hand side?
Leaf's Tlusty Regrets Controversial Photos
After seeing this, there is no way I'm glossing this one over... and I seriously doubt you would either. Please indulge yourselves -
There was no stopping my search for this scandalous photo. There is no way I'd leave you all hanging on this one, so here it is -
OH GOD PUT THE SPLASH GUARDS DOWN FOR THE MAN ON MAN!
Leaf's Tlusty Regrets Controversial Photos
After seeing this, there is no way I'm glossing this one over... and I seriously doubt you would either. Please indulge yourselves -
There was no stopping my search for this scandalous photo. There is no way I'd leave you all hanging on this one, so here it is -
OH GOD PUT THE SPLASH GUARDS DOWN FOR THE MAN ON MAN!
joshua - 11/15/07 09:16
In all seriousness (e:james) I suppose it is - he's issued an apology, attributing it to being a silly teenager... and you are right about the stereotyping. Personally I think if he's having a laugh with his friends, who really cares if they are goofing around? People should be able to have fun without getting criticized for it (within reason... eh Britney?). If he's gay, who really cares about that either? His teammates do... gay pro athletes have it rough and are basically buried in the back of their closet, so to speak.
(e:libertad) - If I see anything more juicy I'll be sure to post it. This is PG if you ask me.
In all seriousness (e:james) I suppose it is - he's issued an apology, attributing it to being a silly teenager... and you are right about the stereotyping. Personally I think if he's having a laugh with his friends, who really cares if they are goofing around? People should be able to have fun without getting criticized for it (within reason... eh Britney?). If he's gay, who really cares about that either? His teammates do... gay pro athletes have it rough and are basically buried in the back of their closet, so to speak.
(e:libertad) - If I see anything more juicy I'll be sure to post it. This is PG if you ask me.
james - 11/14/07 19:15
I personally am appalled that an athlete is not propagating the stereotype that all jocks are 100% butch, het, and so insecure in their sexuality they have to show how 100% butch and het they are.
I hope his contract is torn up and he has to give a BJ to the other het members of his team.
Seriously, is this news?
I personally am appalled that an athlete is not propagating the stereotype that all jocks are 100% butch, het, and so insecure in their sexuality they have to show how 100% butch and het they are.
I hope his contract is torn up and he has to give a BJ to the other het members of his team.
Seriously, is this news?
jbeatty - 11/14/07 19:03
I am not very shocked or outraged honestly. Whats the big deal? He got drunk and let some guy touch his man tits.
I am not very shocked or outraged honestly. Whats the big deal? He got drunk and let some guy touch his man tits.
imk2 - 11/14/07 18:55
i'm not sure what he's so sorry about; the fact that he is getting nasty with a boy, or because he let someone take a picture of it.
i'm not sure what he's so sorry about; the fact that he is getting nasty with a boy, or because he let someone take a picture of it.
jenks - 11/14/07 18:21
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pffft.
How many pix are there like that of me/ladycroft/imk on this site?
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pffft.
How many pix are there like that of me/ladycroft/imk on this site?
libertad - 11/14/07 18:04
Can you please find the good photos?
Can you please find the good photos?
It sort of sounds like the days when old weird Harold Ballard was running things. The team sucked ass, but the Gardens kept selling out so it was Sittler and Salming and 18 guys on skates. They actually had some smarts when Ken Dryden tried some reasoned thinking, but they managed to chase him away. It takes a lot to make you thankful for Larry Quinn but they managed to do it.
I feel bad for Leafs fans... they are being victimized because of the objectives of the pension fund. On TSN they were speculating about who might be willing to buy the Leafs so that order could be restored. We'll see, but I know that their organization is run by amateurs in comparison to our own team in Buffalo... and after this past summer thats saying a lot!
The team will never amount to anything as long as the Ontario Teacher's Pension Fund owns it. Either though JFJ had no prior GM experience he got the job because he scored the highest on an APTITUDE TEST!!! Got to love those Teachers running a business. Then again they are doing something right :::link:::
So they achieve their objective, making $ for their retirees. They are only frothy because only now they realize the BIG Lie, the Leafs don't exist to be a competitive team, only to make $$$$ and lots of it.