www.ohmenerves.com

www.ohmenerves.com

www.ohmenerves.com

www.ohmenerves.com

www.ohmenerves.com

www.ohmenerves.com

http://www.ohmenerves.com/

Hey folks... I'm hosting my blog on my own website now... It's still in construction phases right now, but it is the new home of my blog... be careful; don't step on a nail! :-)

Come visit me at www.ohmenerves.com from now on...

Shit in FM Stereo

The Oilers ran out of gas and the Hurricanes blew them away.

Sorry about that.

Go Oilers GO!

I don't really watch hockey. The regular season can come and go and I wouldn't have watched a single game. But when the playoffs roll around, I perk up a bit and start paying attention. I watch more closely as the Canadian teams advance. This year, the Oilers have made it particularly interesting with their miracle comeback. After blowing a 3-goal lead in the first game against Carolina, I pretty much had them written off. Now, they've come back from a 3-games-to-1 deficit and we are headed into game 7 tonight!

It'll be a nail-biter. Go Oilers GO!!

I've added Enhanced Commenting

I've added some enhanced commenting features. I didn't do any investigation, I just found another site using Haloscan and I decided to add it to my blog. Some (or at least one) of you will be interested to know that you can now add an RSS feed to comments on this blog. (I have not tested this yet.)

If you were quick and got to the RSS feed too quickly, you may want to set it up again. I've changed my account name and as such, the link changed.

What goes: run, open, flip, brush, close, run, and gets wet in the process?

Me... running back and forth to the BBQ last evening in a thunderstorm.

By the time I sat at my table enjoying my pork steak and hot wings (with fries) the sun was shining and the birds were chirping.

(sigh)

Rain, Rain Go Away

Enough already!

It stopped raining this week only long enough to get the jungle mowed in the yard. I'm usually not one to complain about the weather, but I'm thinking about building an ark.

What's black and blue and floats in the harbour?

Recently, I've been witness to a debate on Steel White Table over the use of the term "Newfie". I posted about the use of this term on a couple of occasions (here and here). As indicated there , I had always been ok with the use of the word as long as someone wasn't using it in a malicious way. I've only come across a few rude people in my life who used it in this way, and I've come across a few more (all Quebecers) who use the term to mean "a stupid person". One such person never even knew that the term had anything to do with Newfoundland. I'm secure enough to ignore them or embarrass them right back, depending on my mood.

I came across another blog recently that, for some reason, changed my perspective on the term. No new arguments or anything... maybe just a little more history and maybe he just wrote it so well. But now, I'm converted. His post is worth reading. Check it out here.

I won't be so tolerant of Newfie jokes going forward. But I'll leave you with one now:

What's black and blue and floats in the harbour? A mainlander who told too many Newfie jokes.

What are YOU doing this weekend?

Doesn't look too promising for outdoor activities, does it? I was hoping to assemble the screen porch on the front of my house. I'll try to get an early start and get it done before the rain starts... I might start this evening if I don't get a phone call to play pool. Don't tell my wife, or she'll make sure the call doesn't happen!

(Just kidding Sweetie.)

Cool Stuff - Pocket Mod

This was too cool not to post.

I saw this post on Steel White Table this morning and had to post it too. It's a really neat application that allows you to create customized, disposable pocket notepads from a single sheet of paper (some assembly required).

I tried it out and it is pretty nifty! You too can have your very own FREE Pocket Mod notepad. Check it out at PocketMod.com.

... on the other hand

Last night my post was a little vague in reference to what it was that was pissing me off. I won't say anything here to clear up the confusion other than saying "you're wrong, it's not you." :-)

That's me, a riddle wrapped in an enigma, sealed with duct tape.

Cheers!

Conclusion illusion

I'm amazed sometimes at some people's ability to draw a conclusion that fits their purpose... Even when the evidence is overwhelmingly pointing in one direction, they allow their destination hallucination to take over. They see something that simply is not there, but supports their denial.

This is all harmless enough, until it's projected onto others.

Holy Trickshot Batman!

My friend Jody sent me these video clips from Milk and Cookies.

Part 1
Part 2

Some pretty freaky trick shots here. I know my pool buddy Paul would appreciate them.

Paul?

Forgive me, Jody, for I have sinned...

... it has been three weeks since my last post. (There, Jody! You can stop bitching that I'm not posting... at least for the next three weeks!)

And what a three weeks it's been.

I've been on my first business trip since starting my new job. Rhode Island. Not a bad spot. While I was there I went to a casino called Mohegan Sun. THAT was an impressive place that stole $40 US from me.

I've renovated two bedrooms; well, one home office and one bedroom really. Ripped up carpet, installed laminate flooring, painted etc.

I've dragged two trailer loads of junk from my house to the dump, put a whole bunch of crap out to the garbage for "junk collection week", had a garage sale ($280 cha-ching!), and donated a van full of stuff to charity. Now I ask you, do you think I had a lot of clutter? I still do.

I'm also adjusting VERY well to my new found stores of time. Since starting this new job, I realized how much time I was wasting before my old job got freaky busy. I've learned how to be productive! Wow...

I should have more time to post, eh? Well, the challenge isn't time... it's imagination. Imagine that.

4x4 Pool Table

You never know when you are 4-wheeling and want to shoot some stick!

This was a unique photo opportunity that came up a while ago. Usually when these situations happen I say, "I wish I had my camera!!"

My Aunt Rosie died tonight

My mom's younger sister died tonight after a long battle with Huntington's Disease. Here she is, almost four years ago at my house.

Huntington disease (HD) is a hereditary brain disorder with devastating effects on both mind and body.

• One in every 1,000 Canadians is touched by HD – for example, as an affected individual, person at risk, friend, family member or caregiver.
• One in every 10,000 Canadians has Huntington disease.
• Every child of a person with HD has a 50% risk of inheriting the disease.

My mother is one of five children, and she is the only one of the five who didn't inherit the disease (80%). This means that neither I nor my siblings can get it. Mom's other younger sister (Suzie) passed away several years ago and her older brother (Patty) passed away several months ago. She only has one sibling left, an older sister (Patricia), who has been in a home for several years now with the disease. It is very difficult to watch as a loved one slowly deteriorates from the disease.

I am very saddened at her passing. She was (as were each of my mother's family) a very good person who had been through a lot of hardship in life, especially early on. She has found peace and is now with Uncle Patty and Aunt Suzie.

God bless you Aunt Rosie.

Move over Minnesota Fats

I play in two seperate pool leagues. Although the game frustrates me at times, I find it to be a fun and challenging way to spend some of my free time. Like I said, I'm in two leagues. My Wednesday night league is a "fun" league. Anyone can join, the rules are a little bit relaxed, and the stakes are low. The Monday night league is a "Vegas" league. It's a little more intense and competitive. The winning team earns a free trip to represent the league in a national tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. BIG stakes!

Now the news...

In my "fun" league, my team barely made the playoffs by coming in 6th place, the final berth of the playoffs. We played well and it came right down to the wire... We tied the championship round and forced a tie breaking playoff. We lost... er... came in second place overall.

In my "Vegas" league, the top half of the teams played the finals in the "A" division, competing for the trip to Vegas. The bottom half played the finals in the "B" division, competing for pride and a couple of bucks. My team was second to last place in the regular season, pushing us into the "B" division competition. We pounded our fellow "B" division teams and earned an opportunity to compete for the title. Well, we clinched the title tonight... 1st Place among the losers!

What a week! Second place AND the best of the losers!!! Imagine what I could accomplish if I could actually shoot pool...

Permanent Vacation - almost

Well. I did it. I resigned from the company I've worked with for 6 and a half years. I've had a great time, learned a lot, and had the opportunity to work with and for gobs of great people, many of whom I hope I remain in contact with.

So, the good news for all of y'all out there is that hopefully my posts regarding me being a workaholic and my exposure to the she-devil will be a thing of the past!!!

My last day was last Thursday, and I start my new job this coming Monday (the 24th). I'll try to post more often and more interestingly going forward...

Spring has sprung

What a winter! Here in Moncton it was nothing to speak of, really. A couple of decent snowfalls with a lot of nothing in between. My snow tires didn't get much of a workout.

Now, I think, spring is coming early. The tulips in my garden are starting to sprout (I say "starting" but they are already quite high), and other plants are starting to show signs of new growth. Spring is by far my favourite time of the year.... new life just trying to push forth. The changes are just so dramatic and significant, it just amazes me. (I'm easily impressed, eh?)

This year, I have decided that spring will spring my life as well. After the rough winter I put in at work and the rough month I just put in with my health, I am fully prepared to push forth, initiating new growth into my life. Without getting too sappy, I have a new appreciation for what's important.

I had laryngitis this week, but I'm not gonna die

I started feeling sick, oh, about 9 or 10 days ago. I got up early last Saturday to go to work (yeah, work... on Saturday). Anyways, I got up, showered, read the paper, got ready and left the house. My wife and son were still in bed, and I wasn't in the mood to sing. I went to Tim Horton's (I needed my Roll Up to Win), went in, stood in line, went up to the counter and said..... nothing. I couldn't speak... nothing but air! I'd never had laryngitis before. I haven't sounded like hell now for about a week. My voice is just coming back to life now.

I just looked up laryngitis on the net and was happy to see that it won't likely kill me.

Mortality/Morbidity: Because acute laryngitis is usually self-limited and treated with conservative measures, significant morbidity and mortality are not encountered. Patients who develop acute laryngitis from an infectious etiology rather than vocal trauma may ultimately injure their vocal folds. The deficient voice production in patients with acute laryngitis may result in application of a greater adduction force or tension to compensate for the incomplete glottic closure during an acute laryngitic episode. This tension further strains the vocal folds and decreases voice production, ultimately delaying return of normal phonation.

Whew!

Curling Gold and National Pride in Newfoundland and Labrador

Canada Free Press Article


Atlantic & East Coast Report
Curling Gold and National Pride in Newfoundland and Labrador
By Myles Higgins
Tuesday, February 28, 2006

On Friday February 24th, history was made when the Newfoundland and Labrador men's rink captured curling gold for Canada. Many in the province and throughout the country watched with pride as Brad Gushue and the team from the St. John's curling club captured Canada's first-ever gold medal in curling and the first gold medal of any kind for Canada's newest province.

Read Comments section for more...

To all of my adoring fan(s)

Don't want to continue disappointing y'all with sparce, infrequent updates,
so ....

I went to Canadian Tire the other day and bought a fan just so I could
double the membership in my fan club.

Seriously. Things have been pretty hectic lately. By "lately" I mean
since as long as I can remember; around about the time I started this blog,
coincidentally. Hmmmmm.... That's IT!!! :-)

I think I'm going crazy. But, they say the crazy don't know they are
crazy. If that's true, then I must just be confused.

I think my computer is talking to me...

Even my computer is knows I'm working too much.


Listen to your computer... it's trying to tell you something.

"For now I'm 64"

February 13th... today was my Dad's 64th birthday.


Here he is many, MANY moons ago with my mother. He was probably 18 in this picture. He's a good man, with a big heart.


That's it. That's all. Happy Birthday, Dad.

You don't say...

Workaholic

Wikipedia defines a workaholic as a person addicted to work. This addiction may be pleasurable to the victim or it may be burdensome and troubling.

I think a person can be a workaholic without actually being addicted to it. I think that loyalty to your peers, company, and ego can put you in a mode that has the appearance of workaholism. So, in my opinion, if what I am doing now is not an addiction, then where do I draw the line?

Several months ago (November 12), I posted Sleep Work Sleep Work and thought, naively, at that time that I would only see another month of it.

That's it. Nothing else. I just wanted to publicly acknowledge that I was wrong. Maybe several months from now I'll re-read this post and decide to draw a line. I hope so.

Drinking with Steve - Never drink alone again!

Giving 118%

• What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?
• Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?
• We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%.
• How about achieving 103%?
• What makes up 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that while "Hard work" and "Knowledge" will get you close, and "Attitude" will get you there, it's the "bullshit" and "Ass kissing" that will put you over the top.

Kids say the darndest things

The Optimist and the Pessimist

Some say the optimist sees the glass as half full, while the pessimist says it's half empty.

I say it depends on whether you are pouring or drinking.

Bitching about the weather

You know, I hear so many people complaining about the weather... Here we are, in Moncton, at the first part of February and we are getting a couple of centimeters of snow adding to the couple that are already there. This time other years we would be up to our ankles, headfirst, in snow and looking at minus 30 Celsius. The other day, it was minus 6 and someone was complaining about how cold it was... We are so, so easily spoiled.

My friends at Steel White Table have a webcam set up to look at the terrible weather in St. John's today. Quick.... the weather changes there by the hour!

Can't wait until people are bitching about how hot it is.

Mid-life crisis

My wife and I are lying on the couch last evening, nice and cozy, watching some movie on TV. She looked at me and, as she often does, started to observe how old I am starting to look. She takes great pleasure in this for some reason.

So, she says to me "God, Steve. You are really starting to get old! Do you think you are going to go through a mid-life crisis?" I said, "I don't know. I hope so. I've heard they're a hoot!"

She didn't laugh. Sigh.

The Detroit International Car Show

Camaro Concept Car

'Nuff said.

Twenty Four days - summarized

What have I done? Where have I been? Will I ever write again? Will my toe grow back?

I know you have all been wondering if you would ever know the answers to these questions...

To catch you all up to speed... Work was (and is) crazy. I feel like I'm running around in circles looking for a corner. My family and I went to Newfoundland (home) for Christmas and had a super time! Haven't been there that time of year for 6 years now. Ate too much, drank to much, never slept enough, gained 6 pounds. I wish I could win the lottery so I could do it all over, in an infinite loop. Got called back in from vacation two days early (four if you include the weekend) (six if you include how pissed off I was!). And now.... now, I'm in Detroit. But on the brightside, I am staying an extra day so I can go to the North American International Auto Show. Should be a great show! (My son is pissed off at me!) :-)

Ok... now you are back with my on my life's timeline. Wondering why you come here now?