Tuesday, February 26, 2008

NHL Trades, Prozac and Flat Tire

So the NHL deadline trades were crazy this year. The Eastern conference did not see much movement except for the Pens who freaking loaded up hardcore and if things work out, really have added some firepower to their roster....this pending that Hossa actually performs in the postseason. The Avs picked up Adam Foote to go along with their Forsberg addition which will make for an interesting change to their lineup. For the most part it seems that the Western conference made a bit more wheeling and dealing. Also, I see that Myers is going to start over Hamels for the Phekkin Phils come Opening Day.

I just read/heard that numerous unpublished studies (I wonder why they were unpublished?) have been confirmed to be correct in regards to Prozac. The studies prove that Prozac does absolutely nothing for depression except rid the brain of crucial mental health chemical (seratonin maybe?). In reality, Prozac was simply a huge money producer that helped people through the placebo affect.

I had a flat tire on the rear drivers side of my vehicle today. Jesse and I ended up taking it to get fixed and then after it was fixed the shop owner let me leave for free. It was pretty cool, their computer systems were messed up so he did not want to leave me hanging around waiting to pay. It was very nice to get a tire fixed for free.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Absolute Gluttony and...Love is Wicked

Today I reached a new level of fatness. As many of you know, most of my carb intake is limited to quinoa, sourdough bread, certain seasonal veggies or fruits and of course a good beer. My diet really does not focus on carbs and I seem to think this helps me out with my energy and with keeping my weight at a nice balance and it also seems to help me recover from my workouts very well. Anyway, what I am getting at is this...tonight, Dylan's mom made us a massive dinner and it was spaghetti with a good meat sauce, lots of salad and then Dr. B and his wife brought over some sweet ass cake. I ended up having 3 plates of salad, 3 plates of spaghetti and then 2 large pieces of the cake. The cake was great and a Ukrainian special with figs in it. So, I ate a ton of food and then got super thirsty and downed two glasses of water. At that point I decided to try and relieve pressure from my stomach and went into the shitter. Got some stuff out but then started to feel lightheaded and started sweating. Well, I went outside for some fresh air and puked all over the front lawn. I felt so great after I puked but also felt like a giant turd, haha. I made up an excuse that the puke was from all the carbs but Caitlin claims it was simply from me overeating once again. I am not sure what it was from. I overeat all the time and never puke...I even ate a Taco Bell Grande Combo meal with the Mexican Pizza and nachos in 35 minutes and I did not puke. So, I am not sure if I am buying into the overeating...all I know is that I was ready to pass out after the food went down.

We started a new training plan. My program is the same but now instead of training twice a day at 3 days on, one day off, 2 days on, one day off...Dr B has changed the work to 3 days on, one day off, 3 days on, one day off. This is the first week of our change and on Tuesday we will be going back outside which I am excited about. Also, I taught Canadians how to do donuts in a front wheel drive car...I was flooring the car backwards and then whipping the front end around on the snow. It was quite amusing for everyone involved, haha.

I know this is fairly corny on my part and shows what working at a club is doing to me but...I think I actually like that "Love is Wicked" song from Brick and Lace. I am not going to lie, I think it is cool. Oh well, haha.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Watchmen Image

Rorschach the bastage. Here he is, this is an image from the movie coming out in 2009. I am excited. At least he was trying to save the world.

http://rss.warnerbros.com/watchmen/image_021908.html

Monday, February 18, 2008

Economy and Pussy Bernanke

So ole Bernanke has amazed me once again...this time because he sounds like the author of Revelations predicting the downfall of the credit system. His recent speech, I believe it was given yesterday, basically proves the countless problems with running an economy on credit and subsequently soft money. Here is a nice piece from his recent blabberings that actually make sense:

"Bank balance sheets have swollen further as a consequence of the sharp reduction in investor willingness to buy securitized credits, which has forced banks to retain a substantially higher share of previously committed and new loans in their own portfolios. Banks have also reported large losses, reflecting marked declines in the market prices of mortgages and other assets that they hold. Recently, deterioration in the financial condition of some bond insurers has led some commercial and investment banks to take further markdowns and has added to strains in the financial markets.”

Imagine all these things...the true cost of capital is going through the fekkin' roof, banks are not giving out new absurd loans because people cannot pay their bills (see rates of house and vehicle repos), this in turn is forcing banks to tighten up the credit issuing which will further slow down the artificial economy...so, what happens? The banks tighten up with their money and the economy heads to a halt.

Banks = beaten up over their subprime liabilities
housing = in the ceramic bowl
manufacturing = down
food and energy = up
unemployment = rising
consumer spending = shriveling like George after swimming in the ocean

At this point it seems that the Feds will continue to cut rates until they resemble the same situation that occurred in Japan. Bernanke will pray that eventually the rates will funnel some type of money into the people's pocket because he knows for sure that the government will not lower spending (see Reagan, Bush, Clinton and G.W. Bush's spending increases). I guess I should stop badgering Bernanke because at least he is being somewhat honest with the system and basically proving that it should have played into the credit system, instead working with some real, hard money that is actually worth something.

A final quote from the B-dawg (Bernanke) himself: "It is important to recognize that downside risks to growth remain, including the possibilities that the housing market or the labor market may deteriorate to an extent beyond that currently anticipated, or that credit conditions may tighten substantially further.”

Dane's interpretation: "The financial system may be headed for a heart attack and I am ready to shit my pants because all of the administrations since Woodrow Wilson are airing their dirty laundry on my watch. Please excuse me while I go write another piss poor text book ignoring the Austrian school of economic thought."

So, what does this mean? I don't know. Maybe I should move back home and get some cows ready for 198 Slater Road and get working on a sustainability plan...oh yes, I should probably buy some guns so people cannot steal food from my family. Just kidding, but really something should change or at least people could attempt to wake up for the better. Mistakes have been made, now all we can do is learn from these mistakes and move on.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Sammie Adams

I have been gassed the past week or so from practice. I must say that I have not had a training program this brutal. The difference is also in that it is a completely different type of training. There is no real heavy lifting but there are really heavy shot put specific movements and they are killing me. Anyway, yesterday I spent a lot of time looking at film of my throws and figuring out why I have been sucking so bad. Honestly, it seems to be one problem coming out of the back of the circle and I will spend most of this week fixing this problem.

I don't really have much to say this week. Ford and I made some Kombucha that tasted really good and we are in the process of making another batch. We also made some extremely good sourdough rye bread and sauerkraut that was loaded with way too much salt. Hope all is well back home.

Oh, here is a nice quote from Sam Adams. Take it as you wish: “Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.”

Monday, February 11, 2008

Professional

This weekend's trip to Saskatoon was quite the experience. I learned a few good things, one being that Dylan is the most unreliable person when it comes to knowing times to arrive at certain destinations. He is very similar to my Dad, haha. We drove to Kelowna and barely made our first flight. The first flight was a bit bumpy and I was all paranoid but did survive the trip. We landed in Calgary and then immediately flew out of Calgary into Saskatoon. Upon arrival, Saskatoon was windy, cold and it was snowing. The temperature was -45 C with the wind chill and on Saturday it was - 48 C with the wind chill. It was so cold when I went outside I would end up coughing a bit prior to adjusting to the temperatures. It was definitely the coldest I had ever felt.

Jesse and I roomed together and had a nice place and pigged out Friday night. Saturday morning we woke up and all three of us went out for breakfast and then came back to the hotel under the impression that we were throwing at 3. Around 12:35 I was looking at the meet schedule and noticed that we actually were throwing at 1. So, after a few choice words for Dylan we quickly got dressed and got a ride to the track. By the time we got to the track, we warmed up and threw and finished the competition in about 25 minutes.

I threw terribly. I just felt super super flat and had no juice. I also got a bit mental because I had not been throwing well in practice and was still adjusting to things. Jesse threw very well while Dylan was pretty mediocre. Although I threw terrible, I took some good lessons from it. Today Dr. B told me he was worried I would come back and flip out on him for throwing so poorly. I am not too worried and hopefully will get my act together in practice over the next few days and put out a decent mark next month. We will see.

I did get to meet up with the family I stayed with in Saskatoon which was a nice thing. We hung out at their house and then Trent the guy who picked me up, took me out for some wings and drinks at a bar. We had some good talks and then he took me back for the banquet in the evening. I got all dressed up (polo shirts are dressing up for me) and went downstairs to the bar where Dylan and Jesse were. They ended up playing a joke on me and convinced me I had to sign up for the banquet. After about five minutes I found out I was signing up for speed dating, so they enjoyed that prank. We had a few drinks and then went up to the banquet.

The banquet was fun and the food was good and we were recognized for our throwing. After the banquet Jesse and I got to hang out with Dennis Mitchell (Olympic champ) and this guy named Anton who is a linebacker for the Saskatchewan Rough Riders. We hung out until the wee hours of the morning listening to stories and telling stories about our home worlds and how we all ended up in Saskatoon in the bitter cold weather. It was quite entertaining.

We then fell asleep and woke up around 6 and headed back to Kamloops. We got back to Kamloops safely and recovered from our travels. It was a good experience and a fun time. It was also sweet because we all got paid for going to Saskatoon. They paid for the flights, hotels and food and then I made 200 bucks for throwing like crap. I was so amped up to get paid for throwing. So, I am officially a professional athlete, hahahaha. I am not going to lie, I feel pretty cool about that. Anyway, now I am training hard again and hopefully things end up throwing well.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Saskatoon

So, today (Friday) I have to fly again. Ahhh, I hate flying so much. This time I will be flying from Kelowna to Calgary and then Calgary to Saskatoon. I am driving Dylan, Jesse and I to Kelowna and then we are flying out of there. At least the flights are paid for and the hotel rooms. That makes me pretty happy. Dylan claims they have prize money at this meet...so, if I do not shit the bed and throw a decent mark maybe I will get something, who knows? I arrive tomorrow afternoon and then we throw on Saturday, have a banquet Saturday night and then depart Sunday morning and come back to Kamloops and train in the afternoon. Should be a cool weekend.

I have not been throwing very well in practice for the past week because of my new program but today I felt pretty loose. Just thinking about competing makes me so excited so I am hoping for something interesting, if not...oh well, it is not a huge meet. The cool thing is that Dr. B had us train through this meet and is just telling us it is for fun and that the real meets start at the end of March and last until June/July...not now. Today I threw the 10k and then did some other easy things in practice. If nothing else, this will be a fun weekend.

Saskatoon is a pretty neat city. I was always infatuated with the place and even was thinking about going to school there for university and then possibly for a graduate degree. When I hitched across Canada I ended up staying with a family for a week in the town and I got to know it fairly well. It is a clean place but at this time of year it is brutally cold. About -30 F. It is so cold in the winter because it is on the plains and then in the summer it tends to get quite hot. Probably similar to Fargo. I called the people who I stayed with and I am hoping to meet up with them tomorrow or Saturday so that will be a good time. I also told Dylan and Jesse that I would much rather hitch to Saskatoon than freaking fly, oh well.

My favorite professor in University, Bill Petersen did some graduate work in Saskatoon. The odd part was that I did not find this out until I was going across Canada. He and I were working on an independent study together prior to me dropping out of school. We became very close and he told me about the city also. It will be cool to go back there just to see where he went to school again. He had passed away on December 20th of 2006 from prostate cancer. It was shitty since he was by far my favorite professor and really taught me a lot about critical reading.

I am also hoping to meet the University of Saskatchewan's track coach for the second time. When I passed through on my first trip, he was kind enough to meet with me and show me the facilities and take me around the campus. He was a very nice guy and I think it will be cool to talk with him and just talk about how I have made this roundabout path back to Saskatoon.

One of the guys who picked me up and took me to Edmonton also works in Saskatoon so Saturday night I am going to go to the bar that he may still work at and see if I can talk with him. He was one of the cooler and funnier guys that I met on the trip and was very intelligent and it will just be neat if I can talk with him again as well. It should be a fun weekend.

The only part that sucks is that I have to fly, hahaha. Anyway, Mom...if I die make sure you get Anton and my Star Trek dvds back home. Also, give Brooks my timberlands so he can use them for work. Kai can have my books but give Brooks V for Vendetta. Give Anton to Kai so he can piss all over her apartment and wreak havoc with Copper. Alright, hopefully I survive this weekend otherwise...I will see you on the other side...hahahahaha!

P.S. If we die in a Bombardier plane, make sure you sue their asses. I have been reading a lot about how they have a lot of technical problems and what not. Then start a farm and training center in my name, haha. Again, I love you all.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Ner for Prez in '08

I am certain this has been said before but I would appreciate if someone could answer the question for me specifically. Why is the government so involved in the baseball/steroids saga? Who freaking cares? I feel like American taxpayer revenue should go to much more important things than investigating steroid use in baseball. Let's be honest. Steroids make baseball more interesting and if they did not want steroids then they should have had testing throughout the 90's and up until 2003. This is just lame. Now the government is getting involved with the NFL and the "spygate" crap. This stuff happens all the time....why does Arlen Specter or any other senator really care about the NFL. The NFL can run itself and clearly it has been for quite some time now. Maybe we are socialist. It all makes sense, especially with George Bush's pending budget of 3 TRILLION dollars. Maybe Republicans could spend more money and then pretend that they do not spend money. And cut taxes which will in turn screw us over 10 years from now when we are 10 trillion dollars in the hole. Where the government leads, the people will follow...hence 95% of Americans having some form of debt. Oh well. I am writing in Fekkin Ner for president in 2008.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Why hath God foresaken me?

Sorry, I know that may offend some people but I am depressed about the Pats losing tonight. Right before Eli Manning had that ridiculous play and got out of the grasp of Vince Wilfork and Adalius Thomas a few words were uttered where I was watching the game. Two girls were saying how it was a good game and it was over and I of course notified them that indeed it was not over and the Giants could still win. Then that play happens and I buried my head. In reality, the Patriots could have easily won that game but I will be honest and say that the Giants played a better game. They simply executed better than the Pats. The Pats o-line was crap and this prevented Brady from every getting into a rhythm. Maybe the undefeated season started pressuring them, I do not know...pisses me off. At least my prediction at 3rd and Spruce from the beginning of the year held true that the Pats would make it to the Super Bowl. Now I am just disgusted that they did not finish it off. Yeah well, the Sens and Phils can still win championships in 2008.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

UFC 81

Quick predictions. I have Nogueira over Sylvia...should be a good fight. Lesnar over Mir but Mir could catch although I do not see that happening. Almeida over Yundt in a lopsided victory. Jeremy Horn over Marquardt...this might be the fight of the night. The breaker will be Lytle over Bradley. I hope I do not suck as bad as I did the last UFC.