So it turns out I screwed up yesterday on Keyboard Kimura.
After getting up and reading some credible sources reports of the death of MMA fighter Kimo Leopoldo, I wrote about the lasting image and memories I will have of Kimo now that he's gone.
Turns out he wasn't dead. Yikes ...
A mistake? Absolutely, but not even close to one of my best. Those are captured here for your enjoyment in today's edition of The Rundown.
Top 5 Mistakes in the Life of E. Spencer Kyte
5. Becoming a Slot Supervisor
I had the best part time job in the world, working as a Slot Attendant back in Barrie. Basically, I worked three or four times a week for eight hours, walked home with at least $100 every day and had zero responsibility.
Instead of continuing to ride the Gravy Train, I took a promotion and while the base pay was far greater, so too were the responsibilities and the undeclared, cash money in my pocket went the way of the dinosaur. While my friends were buying flat screens and cars and houses, I was broke and working twice as hard.
4. French 102 - Final Grade: F-
Not only did I fail, I failed miserably, earning a 32% in the equivalent of Grade 10 French.
Now, that wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't taken Grade 10 French in high school and earned a B+. It's also kind of incredible that I managed to fail so impressively when my grandmother is a retired French teacher who used to speak French with us on a regular basis.
Let this be an indication to all that an 8:30 class Thursday morning is a very bad choice when Wednesday night is the killer night at the campus pub.
3. Guess What? I Bought a House!
Seriously, who buys a house with someone six months into the relationship? Answer: me, apparently.
Despite the fact that I was broke and knew that buying a house was a completely ridiculous idea, I still did it anyway because, well, I used to be a moron. Four months later, the relationship frizzled and we were left with an already under construction house that we needed to resolve.
Once again, people with no money should not be allowed to put themselves in positions where great amounts of money might be needed.
2. My University Career as a Whole
I should have known things were going to be bad when my first choice as a major (English) was mocked horribly by my parents, the people paying for said higher education.
Not only was I going into a program I had no real passion for, we all should have known that there was no way I was maintaining the 80% average needed to continue in the program. I got bounced after one year. The following year I got tossed from the university as a whole.
Though I went back and smashed out my degree - with exceptional grade upon my return, thankyouverymuch - my degree in Psychology with a minor in Human Resource Management isn't really helping my career as a writer in the same ways that say, I dunno, an English degree would.
1. Leaving the Casino
Long story short - me and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation parted ways on not so happy terms. This left me broke, unemployed and very, very scared.
After a brief tour of duty at Home Depot, a close friend offered me the opportunity to run his bar and I took it. Three months into the job, this girl with the most incredible eyes I've ever seen came in looking for work and we hired her.
Nearly three years later, she still has the most incredible eyes I've ever seen and she's helped me straighten out my mixed up life.
If I hadn't left the casino, I never would have met my wife.
Funny how life works sometimes ....
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Rundown: My Favorite Mistakes
Monday, March 17, 2008
Remembering Waterloo
Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!
This is a bittersweet day for me every year because back in the university days, St. Pat's was the best day of the year and each time it rolls around, I get a little misty eyed over the boys, the beers and the best times ever.
So today, our first St. Patrick's Day together here at iBlog, I'm going to tell you about those days gone by and why a reunion is a must. Sit back, raise a pint of the dark and drink it in.
This one is for Pauly, Stu, Tommy and Irish.
* * * * * * * * * *
Big greasy fry ups at the house to start the day. Paul rocked the fry pans, I answered the door. Everyone was welcomed. Everyone showed up.
First pints were at 7:30 AM and weren't optional; you're spending St. Pat's with us, you're doing it our way.
Year 1 we had to stand in the cold outside of Failte, the little pub up the road from my house, waiting for the doors to open so we could wrestle for seats.
Year 2, they opened the doors early, escorted our group in and presented us with our now customary position along the back wall. The biggest bench in the bar, prime real estate. The only group allowed to run a tab.
The table of old men behind us throwing Lucky Charms and bars of Irish Spring, antagonizing the youngsters then raising a glass. A couple even stopped by to take our ladies for a dance in the over-crowded aisles.
Great food, all day - Potato and Leek soup for lunch with a thick slab of bread for dipping, fish and chips or Sheppards Pie for dinner, all homemade and the best I've ever had.
Pint after pint, with a shot of Tullamore Dew mixed in every once in a while.
The band - the same band as always though their name escapes me now - playing the old classics and some quality new stuff too. They did the best "High and Dry" this side of Thom Yorke and The Boys...
Smokes in the bitter Waterloo cold on the tiny upstairs patio or the equally little deck out back.
Standing in line for the pisser, talking to everyone and anyone who walked on by...
The owners coming round for a sip and a sing, thanking us for making their place our place each and every year.
Everyone from school who came by for a drink, knowing that Failte with The Boys was a must on St. Patrick's Day, if only for one drink.
* * * * * * * * * *
We've drifted apart over the years; lives, families, opportunities taking us to different corners of the globe.
But every year on March 17th, we reunite in our memories and over emails, raising a pint to the best days ever.
Pauly was first this year. I followed suit. Tommy's yearly update and remembrance will come later.
Stu is globetrotting, but I know he's raising a glass. Irish is too, on both fronts.
"I miss ya boys and I miss those days. A reunion is a must."
That's all that needs to be said.
* * * * * * * * * *
Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone.
To the best friends and best times a man has ever had... Cheers!
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