Way Too Similar

It really is scary just how similar my brother and I are. He's the one on the left if you're wondering.

Beyond looking like twins for our entire adolescence and all the shared traits and mannerisms, it turns out we're eerily similar in terms of a number of other things as well.

We've both taken very odd paths to find the careers we want and the work that makes us most happy. Pete was on his way to stardom and success as a horse racing analyst and host before leaving it all behind to get more hands-on with the ponies. Now, he's found a great mix, working as an agent (he buys and sells horses for people) and being back behind the mic at Fort Erie and Tioga Downs.

If you've been here more than a minute, you know my story, so no need to say more than after years of trying to figure out what I wanted to do, I stumbled upon writing, fell in love with it and now you're reading the 509th post in iBlog history.

The most interesting - and also frustrating - similarity between mon frere et moi has to do with marriage and children.

I had everything planned out to propose to Sarah. We were having a weekend getaway at a beautiful hotel and I was going to do the "propose over dinner" like so many men before me. About three weeks before we went on our little trip, Pete popped the question. Not wanting to step on his toes, I pushed things back a month.

Then, whilst in the middle of getting everything coordinated and finalized for our beautiful destination wedding (and while in the process of moving here to Kimberley), an impromptu wedding announcement hit my Inbox. Pete and Brooke were making it official in Vegas at the start of November.

Now, Faye (our mom) calls me this morning to catch up. In the course of the discussion, she tells me that Pete and Brooke have selected a name for their daughter who will be entering the world some time in late September.

They're going to name her Charlie Olivia. Immediately, I started swearing.

Take a guess at what Sarah and I have always discussed and planned on naming our daughter, should we have one?

Yep... Charlie.

Technically, we were going to name her Charlotte and call her Charlie, but it's the same damn thing and now the version of me that is two years older and still not shaving on a regular basis has gone and Bogart'ed our name. Grrrrrr!

What's next?

Is he going to shave a mohawk into his head and start writing about MMA?

Maybe develop a fondness for tattoos and get some ink?

How's about moving to British Columbia?

Seriously, it's incredible how much alike the two of us are. Maybe that's why we fight like cats and dogs just about every time we see each other.

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10 Things I Recently Learned

It's been a few weeks since Albert made an appearance, so the time frame of knowledge expands to encompass those missing weeks. Besides, I learned a lot while I was away and sharing it with you is important to me.

1. I Am Incredibly Lucky
I know many people say this, but I truly do have the best wife in the world. Over our nearly three years together, she's put up with a lot of headaches, uncertainty, frustration and questions and through it all, she's stood by me. There have definitely been good times too, but she never wavers in her support of me and what I want to do with my life and that reminds me every day how lucky I am to have her. I love you Baby!

2. Life Isn't That Bad... Ever
While being in the Dominican was restful and full of fun, it was also an educational experience for me. Seeing the same cast of characters working every day with a smile on their faces, knowing they were making what we consider pocket change really opened my eyes. The frustrations I experience on a daily basis are nothing compared to what it could be like; a busy day at the restaurant puts more money in my pocket in a day than these guys make in a week, so what am I complaining about? Perspective is a very cool thing.

3. Emily Grace is Awesome!
My niece is without a doubt the cutest child on the face of the Earth. Devilish grin, big brown eyes and just enough vocabulary for everything to be insanely cute and make your heart melt. The nightly "Hi Shermie. Good night. See you soon," followed by a kiss was too cute, not to mention the refrain of, "Bucky, horses!" that accompanied our ride to the airport last Saturday. She is going to be a heartbreaker one day.

4. Positive Spins
Less hours at the restaurant and the decline of The Love of Sports would normally have made me really, really angry and frustrated. While I'm still kind of crusty about the restaurant, the added time it will be providing me is a good thing. I get to do the things that truly make me happy; cooking dinners for Sarah, hanging out with Luke and working on my personal projects, both written and around the house. Life is too short to be surly all the time.

5. Didn't Miss Much
Before we left, sports was a very, very integral part of my daily routine. I mean, I wrote about the damn stuff countless times a day and spent hours on ESPN and various other sites. After being away from it for the last couple weeks, I'm kind of wondering what the big deal was to begin with? I love what I do, but not much really changed in two weeks. The stories are pretty much the same today as when I left. Clearly, I can spend less time with the sports page and more time with the pug dog than I was before hand. And Sarah too...

6. I Know My MMA
One thing I did miss was UFC 97 and I wish I hadn't, simply because it proved I know my shit when it comes to Mixed Martial Arts. Chuck Liddell got knocked the fuck out, proving a point I made a couple weeks back that his time has come and gone. Furthermore, Anderson Silva was wholly unimpressive yet again, earning a decision win over Thales Leites that Dana White called "disappointing" or something like that. Wonder if anyone else is thinking my claiming GSP as the best fighter on the planet makes a bit more sense now?

7. Exploring the Options
Even though I'm old hat at moving, I truly hate doing it. Packing sucks, lugging furniture makes me sore and I just dislike upheaval. That being said, we're on the lookout for better options once again. Not that we don't like it here - we love our place and are finally just getting everything situated and laid out the way we like it - but the economic realities and opportunities are more important than a great view, so we're keeping our eyes on the rental properties in Cranbrook. Half the rent for the same kind of space and closer to work for Sarah just makes too much sense... and cents.

8. Congratulations Jamie and Brianne!
Not only did my cousin and hi super-fantastic woman get hitched, but they also welcomed Calvin James into the world just before we left for our trip. Congratulations you two (now three) - we couldn't be more happy for you!

9. See You in November
Since the above mentioned family members couldn't make it to our festivities for obvious reasons, we're planning a trip to them in early November. Albuquerque here we come! Did I mention that I might also be able to work an MMA interview at one of the best fighting teams in the world into the equation if we get down there?

10. Rapid Reader, As Long As I Like It
I tore through Chris Jericho's autobiography (pretty enjoyable if you like wrestling) and three Alex Cross series books while we were on vacation, as mentioned yesterday. That's a combined 2000+ pages which, considering there was a ton of other stuff to do too, is pretty impressive. It also makes it pretty funny that I couldn't get through more than 50 pages of the book everyone from work told me was awesome and a must-read. Tyler (my boss) lent me Wilbur Smith's River God and within 50 pages it was decided that I didn't have any interest in fighting through it. Fantasy tales set in ancient Egypt just aren't my thing. Suplexes and serial killers sounds better to me.

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Getting Down to Business

With the revelations about work coming earlier in the week, there is an abundance of time at my mercy, with which I could do any number of things.

Copious amounts of televisions and / or XBox 360 would certainly be entertaining, but could result in a prolonged stay on the couch during non-television hours, if you know what I mean.

There are countless books that I would like to read and a library full of them at my disposal, but seeing as I knocked off four during the vacation (three from James Patterson's Alex Cross series and Chris Jericho's autobiography), I think a break from the books isn't too bad.

Which leaves writing.

Yes, I am going to eschew hours of Food TV and MLB 2K Sports Front Office Manager to spend serious time crafting my masterpiece. In fact, I started while we were away, seeing as things have now come full circle and I am a married man.

We've got most of the housework that needed to be done checked off the list and shifts at the restaurant are spread out neatly to allow for numerous hours of typing madness in the coming weeks.

First up - proposal letters.

Shouldn't take long and could result in someone being willing to pay me to write this thing, which is always better than investing all my time and hard work for the low, low price of SFA.

As always, I'll keep you posted.

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Soundtrack of My Life

Song: La Bamba
Artist: Los Lobos (amongst others)
Album: Numerous

Welcome to the most frequently played song at my wedding party!

Now, I should mention that we had a Dominican trio playing for the night and their song list was limited, but when you get three renditions of La Bamba over a three hour dinner, you have to give the song a shout out.

Especially when they had already said they were done and leaving, only to have Bucky turn and holler "La Bamba" at them in sheer excitement...

Needless to say, they played it one more time.

Note: Wedding party stories aside, I actually do love this song and have watched the Lou Diamond Phillips movie of same name countless times.

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The Rundown: Dominican Delights

Hola!

Back on the scene, married and re-energized to write like a madman after nearly three weeks away from the computer and communicating with the masses through this here blog.

A much longer, much more detailed account of the trip will be coming in the next couple days - and the pictures will be coming to Facebook sometime soon too - but seeing as it's Wednesday, I figured why not recap five of my favorite memories from our travels.

And yes, that is our main pool... so awesome!

Top Five Dominican Moments

5. The Rainstorm
Tuesday afternoon, the clouds were rolling in and the waves were getting higher. Everyone else cleared out of the ocean. Deuce, Bucky, Sarah, Tim, Michelle, Jena and I stayed put and had the best afternoon of the trip. I mean, we're already wet, so what's wrong with a little more rain, right?

4. Jena's Fire Face
When Dominican bartenders light shit on fire, stay away. I should have known better, as fire shots through a straw are never a good idea and they're even worse when they involve 151 Proof rum that tastes like gasoline. I got one taste of the diesel and had the barf reflex activate. Jena, on the other hand, down most of her shot with straw, then picked up the scalding shot glass, put it to her lips and had the last remaining drops of booze ignite all around her face. No injuries makes this story awesome!

3. Negotiating 101 with Lance Doucette
Just plain awesome. Deuce doesn't smoke and can barely keep a cigar lit for longer than two minutes, which makes this all the more entertaining. Nothing like spending an hour smoking a man's products - for free - and trying to rake him over the coals for every last penny when you're already getting what sounds like a pretty good deal.

(Original quoted price: 325 a box. Bucky paid 180 twenty minutes earlier...)

Merchant: Gimme 165.
Deuce: 162... yeah, I'll go there.

Priceless. Turns out the boys got hosed, but still...

2. Starting Out with a Bang!
So the boys got loaded right off the plane. Rules stipulated that a Do Not Disturb sign on the door meant stay out. Too bad neither of them actually put it on the door. Deuce literally crashed at Jena's (about 24 hours after meeting her... awkward...) while Bucky slept by the pool under lounge cushions until about 2 AM when he figured out their room was totally empty. Just plain epic.

1. Seeing Sarah for the First Time on Thursday
You'll see the pictures later and the whole event was awesome, but the image of my wife coming down the stairs looking radiant will forever be etched in my memory.

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iBlog is on Vacation

We're outta here tomorrow and that means that I won't be posting anything for the next couple weeks.

What can I say - there is no way that I am blogging while I'm away on at my wedding and on my honeymoon, so you'll just have to wait until I get back.

Pictures will hit Facebook as soon as I get them on the computer and I'll be sure to tell you all about it in the first post post-wedding.

Have fun fuckers... see you when I'm married!

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10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Am I Unemployed?
Honestly, it feels a little that way, seeing as I worked three shifts at the bar this week and have only one this coming week. Granted, we're closed tomorrow and I've booked Sunday off for our trip, but still. Seems we planned this vacation at just the right time.

2. One More Game...
My Tar Heels have made it to the National Championship game and history is on our side. They crushed Michigan State on the same floor at the start of the year and while MSU was without one of their starters, he doesn't contribute the 30 point difference in the final score.

3. One More Week...
Then we leave for Ontario, do some shopping, do some relaxing and then head South. After all the headaches and all the frustrations, it's nice to be this close to everything finally coming together and working out. Sadly, I won't be able to let you know how it all turns out until after I get home.

4. I Know I Had a Fiancee Around Here Somewhere
Sarah and I have been on complete opposites lately and I barely get to see her. It's weird; we say hi in the morning when she gets off nights and bye in the evening when she's heading back in. Other than that, she's sleeping when I'm up and vice versa. This is another reason this vacation is so needed... I need to spend time with the wife!

5. How Am I Going to Leave This Dog?
With Sarah and I being on opposites, me and Cool Hand have rekindled our best friend relationship and I have no idea how I'm going to go without my ridiculously cute and entertaining Pug for almost three weeks. Any suggestions?

6. People See What They Want to See
Seems I pissed off a good portion of the population of Kimberley this week by calling out the city on their lack of support for Relay for Life. What's funny is that I didn't say anything about previous and current volunteers or claim all the committee members were behind me on this, but that seems to be the overwhelming reaction. Oh well, it makes writing this week's piece a little easier since I now need to clarify that the column is and always will be all about me.

7. How Bad Is It That I Can't Wait to Go to Chapters?
Seriously, outside of the twenty minutes I spent shuffling around one of the locations in Calgary when I was there a couple weeks back, it's been six months sans Chapters and I'm dying. All I want to do is compile a list of books to read, get a venti from The Bucks and rock the comfy chairs for an afternoon. I don't care if we do anything else while we're in Ontario, so long as I get my Chapters fix.

8. Are You Sick of Social Networking Too?
Remember when Facebook came out and we were all addicted? Are you over that too? Don't get me wrong, I still check it a couple times a day, but I don't poke people, I barely have any friend requests anymore and I don't miss it at all. Same with Twitter. I can't get into it. I'm just done with computer friendship and personal life notifications. Call me, email me, write me a letter...

9. Spring and Summer are Going to be Gorgeous
I don't know this for a fact, but judging by today, I'm going to love being here this summer. It's gorgeous - shining sun, probably not that hot since we're up in the mountains, great natural scenery and golf courses galore. Only detraction is the stupid deer... they aren't even back out en masse yet and I'm already angry with them...

10. Some Good TV Coming Out
A couple new shows I'm looking forward to debut this week. Southland and The Unusuals are both cop shows, but they're very different and both very interesting to me. The bad guy from SWAT is in The Unusuals and Ryan from The OC stars in Southland. Too bad I think they're on the same night...

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10 Things I Learned This Week

After a month long hiatus, Albert is back in effect!

1. I Missed This Place
Strange how you go through lulls in life. For the last month or so I have been so wrapped up in making sure everything is running smoothly over at The Love of Sports that I haven't felt like sitting down to pen this page. Now that I've been back for four straight, I wonder how I ever stopped. I need this outlet to ramble about all things Spencer and am glad to be home.

2. You Need to Check Out TLOS
Seriously - me and my man Rip have been putting in crazy hours getting the site loaded with content each and every day and I can say without bias that it is a fantastic site. Even if you don't like sports all that much, you'll enjoy it, especially my stuff. It's the same over there as it is over here - sarcastic, entertaining and smart - just with a focus on sports.

3. My Bracket Got Busted Last Night
Stupid Villanova beating Pitt! In truth, it's my own damn fault, taking Pitt to win it all on two of my four brackets, including beating North Carolina. This is what I get for straying away from my beloved Tar Heels.

4. Getting Close to Getting Hitched
We leave for our week in Ontario in under two weeks and as my man Deuce keeps informed on MSN everyday, we're T-23 days to hitting the shores of Samana. In less than a month, I'll be married... crazy!

5. Still Don't Know What I'm Wearing Either
I have an idea and a backup plan, but as of now, I need to go shopping. Of course, that is incredibly problematic living here on the edge of the Rocky Mountains where actual malls just don't exist. I mean, WalMart is the biggest name store I could hit up in a 100 km radius and there is no way I'm wearing WalMart on my wedding day!

6. Calgary Was a Bust
Last Monday, me and two of my managers bombed into Cowtown to watch the Wings and Flames. Not only did the Wings lose and look horrible, but the night of having a few drinks and some laughs turned into me being the only one who actually drank (and I only had six...) and spending two periods in the bleeds instead of down behind the Flames bench. At least I got to have a laugh with my man Tommy after the game...

7. You Know What I Just Realized?
I say "my man" a lot. Three times already in six items... guess that's the price of being as popular as I am!

8. Bouncing Back to Bugs
If you think I have strayed away from this site for too long, you should check out the Blue Jays page at Bugs & Cranks. I haven't written a thing in nearly three months, but that too is going to change. We're doing a revamp to the site and I'll be taking my baseball blabber back to where it all began on a semi-regular basis. And yes, I'm very excited that baseball is back despite how bad I think the Jays will be this year.

9. We've Got a New Sushi Joint in Town!
That is absolutely exclamation worthy and the best part is, the food is pretty damn solid. You wouldn't expect it from the look of the place; it's in an old hotel bar that has been around since Christ was a cowboy, but it's run by a Japanese family and they rock the rolls really well. Makes getting our fix a lot easier than the hour and half drive into Fernie.

10. Congratulations Pete & Brooke
I'ma be an uncle again! My brother and his new wife are expecting, so while Brooke won't be sipping the sangria while we're in Samana, there is all the more reason for me and Pistol to tie one on once we touch down.

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The Rundown: Since I've Been Gone

Here's a pleasant surprise for you - I'm actually writing a blog post!

Sorry about being gone for so long; this editing thing and working at the restaurant a great deal have been sapping my desire to do more than necessary and that means you folks have suffered. Or not. Whatever.

Anywho, a great deal of shit has happened in the nearly two weeks since we last spoke, so I thought I'd go over a couple of my favorites...

Top 5 Things That Have Happened Since My Last Post

5. New Column Debuted

It's pretty cool picking up the paper and seeing my name in it. What's even cooler will be picking up today's edition and seeing it there again. And next week. And the week after that. The best part, I think, is that I don't have to curtail my style or passion or attitude and it's only 400 words a week, so I can bang it out in no time and just be myself.

4. Joaquin Phoenix is now a total joke

You know you've lost your shit when you become the centerpiece of a gag at the Oscars. Loved Ben Stiller's Joaquin impression and for those who didn't see the original - Joaquin on David Letterman - I suggest you track it down. Unintentional comic gold.

3. Speaking of The Oscars...

I haven't seen either Milk or The Wrestler, but something tells me that every other award ceremony that has been held this year didn't get it wrong. Mickey Rourke deserved the Oscar and got jobbed because he's Mickey Rourke. The irony, to me, is that Sean Penn got hosed a couple times in his career too, only to get one he didn't really deserves (Mystic River) and now this one.

2. House has overtaken Grey's

There is a new #1 medical drama in my house - or at least on my list - and it's House. I've always loved it, but Grey's had a place in my heart. Now, it's sliding... fast. Starting to near "Jumped the Shark" territory with me. They need to figure it out fast.

1. Less Than 2 Months

Monday was the "It's two months 'til our wedding" date. We've got our week-long stay in Ontario planned out and now it's just a countdown 'til fun in the sun and the big "I Do!" Getting pretty pumped...

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A Day Late...

But certainly not a dollar short... Here's the Ten Things I Learned This Week!

1. FINALLY!
Everyone is booked and confirmed for the Dominican. While this was also the case a couple weeks ago when the carrier pulled out, I'm trying to stay positive and believe that we're all good to go now.

2. A-Rod Cheated
Just like so many other baseball players did during the same span, Alex Rodriguez used Performance Enhancing Drugs. I don't know why this was a surprise to me at all, but it was. I will say this: even though his interview with Peter Gammons was rehearsed and full of half-truths, kudos to Alex for getting out in front of this now and taking whatever lumps may come his way.

3. Found a New Favorite Restaurant
The Old Baurnhaus is just down the hill from our place and is awesome. It's the quintessential sit and relax for a two hour dinner kind of place that I love and the food is incredible. To put it into perspective for you, I ate beets. I hate beets. I never eat beets. But the way the Baurnhaus did beets, I ate every last one.

4. Tougher Than I Expected
Being one of the editors for The Love of Sports is a harder job than I actually thought. We're currently publishing about ten articles a day, three of which I write myself near the end of all the sporting events of the day. On that pace, we're looking at around 300 articles a month, give or take or as Sarah pointed out, about less than 50 cents an article. It's fun just getting started and making no money...

5. Some People Get It, Some People Don't
I work at a ski resort and fully expect the weekends to be a complete madhouse from the time we open the doors until I am told to go home. I know I need to come in ready to get slammed by customers all day long. Unfortunately, some of my colleagues still don't get this and come in hung over to the gills, uninterested in doing any work whatsoever and just generally pissy and it makes me want to choke them.

6. So I Got Me a Weekly Column
While it's true that I'm not getting paid to write said column, I personally don't care. I also don't care that it's in the smallest newspaper known to man. It's still a weekly column and it's still something I can cut out and add to my scrapbook. Relaying the Message comes to the Kimberley Daily Bulletin starting next Wednesday.

7. Chris Brown is the New Ike Turner?
Not to make light of a possible assault or anything like that, but I never would have pegged Chris Brown as the type to get booked on assault with a deadly weapon charges. And I would have bet less money on Rihanna playing the part of Tina...

8. You All Failed Your Homework Assignment!
A couple weeks ago, I asked for some book suggestions. Newt told me he's been reading stuff I most certainly had already read (and I had BTW) and no one else said boo. You all fail. Big old F's all around... and I'm calling your parents too!

9. I Missed the Grammy Awards
Do you know how long it's been since I missed the Grammy Awards? Well, it's only been a year, but the Grammy's used to be a staple on my Awards Show viewing schedule. For the most part, I've stopped caring because the winners are generally crap to begin with and I just don't care about most of the music being made right now. Outside of a handful of acts, it's garbage...

10. That Being Said...
M.I.A., Kanye, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and T.I. absolutely killed "Swagger Like Us" last night. For all of you who still have no clue about M.I.A., you need to go find out... she is insanely good.

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I Live in the State of Flux

It's seems like nothing is settled in my life.

The wedding plans are almost sorted, but not quite. Work is generally good, but the odd day is really craptacular. Website redesigns are screwing up my daily routines. Company is coming on Friday to further screw up my flow.

See - I live in a State of Flux right now and I hate it.

I need regularity.

I crave consistency, routines, schedules, plans.

This idea of things changing regularly being good for you is a lie; things changed a whole bunch of times for me from the time I was born until I turned 27 and it ultimately sucked.

Sure, there were positives and I met new people and saw new places etc. etc. etc. but I could have just as easily stayed where I was, kept the friends I had and things would have been fine.

It wasn't until I stopped flying by the seat of my pants and started to actually take stock of things and figure out where I wanted to end up that my life started going the way I wanted it to.

Now, I have the pieces all laid out before me, but I can't get them all in place just yet.

Too many balls in the air. Too many daily changes and adjustments.

One of these days though, it'll all fall into place...

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10 Things I Learned This Week

Have no fear, Albert is here!

1. Fight! Magazine is Still Happening
Apparently, the holidays being busy makes Editors-in-Chief of major magazines forget about small-time whiny readers who are looking for work. After one email and a quick phone call, my parcel of back issues to correct are in the mail and I'll be getting started this week.

2. Loving - repeat LOVING - the New Gig
Started taking baby steps towards crossing over into Editor-dom myself this week and have to say that I love the process and look forward to February 1 when we go full throttle. It's going to be a lot of work and take some serious time and energy, but as I've been saying this whole writing ride, I'd rather put in big effort and big hours on stuff that I love and believe in than anything else.

3. Ari-freakin'-zona!
Can you believe the Arizona MF'in Cardinals might win the Super Bowl? This is insane. Not that they haven't played pretty damn good these playoffs, but at the start of the year you never would have picked the Cardinals. Even if you were Kurt Warner's crazy-ass wife. Now they're one win away from winning the whole shebang. Crazy...

4. Welcome to the White House, President Obama
The President-Elect drops the "Elect" in a couple of days and I am glad that I will be around to see it. This is truly a monumental and historic event that will be taking place, one that we'll be teaching in history books someday and it will be the only thing on in the bar on Tuesday with good reason.

5. Wedding Headaches Subsiding
This week has been more productive on the wedding front than the last four months and that is a testament to our new agent. All the invoices are done and proofed and ready to go and we should have everything and everyone lined up and ready to roll in the next three days. Funny how getting pissed a couple rungs up the ladder makes everything happen a little more quickly...

6. Luke is His Mother's Dog
They two of them could probably sleep for 24 hours straight if you let them. In fact, with Sarah being off all through the week this week, I'd wager that over the three days they're off together without me around, they get in at least 30 hours of sleep. Updates later in the week.

7. So the Old Man Called Me...
Just weird having my phone ring and it be him, seeing as the last three times we talked were at funerals and totally awkward interactions. I think I said six or eight words. So strange, so sad...

8. It's Already Been One Year
Thursday marks a year since Heath Ledger's death. That's crazy to me. I still remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I found out - Wexford Street apartment, putting away the groceries after work. Funny how some things just stick in your head.

9. Wanted: One Good Book
With no Chapters to speak of in a 100 kilometre radius, I've been reduced to checking out a very small Coles in the crappy Cranbrook mall from time to time when I want something to read. Unsurprisingly, they got nothing... so I'm asking you folks to fill me in on some quality literature that I can go find and enjoy. Homework is due by the end of the week.
10. Joaquin Phoenix is a Rapper?
I knew he had "retired" from acting to pursue music, but hip hop? That would have been the last place I would have expected the man who brought Johnny Cash to life on the silver screen to end up. Punk, country, rock, sure... hip hop? I've gotta find his stuff somewhere on the 'net and give it a listen.

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Soundtrack of My Life

Song: I'll Be
Artist: Edwin McCain
Album: Misguided Roses (1998)

I loved this song the instant I heard it.

Driving around while working construction in St. Catharines during the summers between going to University, I spent a lot of time listening to the radio. In the summer of 1998, this track was all over the Top 40 radio station I listened to out of Buffalo, New York and with good reason.

It's a ballad without being too syrupy. There is power and volume and strength to the song just as equally as there is softness and sincerity and truth.

The scattered horns both at the beginning and end of the song give it an easy introduction and conclusion. The song doesn't just start or finish; rather it glides into the first verse and slides out to an ending, unlike so many song today that are abrupt, starting and ending before you know it.

Edwin McCain was never a big household name, but there aren't many people who don't know this song, which is a testament to how good it really is. The only other song of McCain's that you might now - or should know - is "I Could Not Ask for More," a song in a similar vein as this one that was also covered by country artist Sara Evans.

While so many ballads and love song fake sincerity and offer up cliched lyrics, this song is genuine and original. My favorite line has always been "I'll be better when I'm older" because in truth, that is the case for many of us. We grow into being the best we can be, it doesn't just happen instantly or overnight. I know that has been the case with me and most certainly with my relationship with Sarah.

Sit back and take a listen. This one is a dark horse contender for our wedding song.

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10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Holy Stressful Batman!
These wedding plans and headaches are driving me bonkers. Our former agent has a bunch of our arrangements all banged up and that is making our life wicked stressful, as we want to have everything planed and organized and ready to roll soon so we can just kick back and count down the days. Tomorrow should be a telling day, as we're supposed to be talking with the Regional Manager to sort some of this stuff out. That being said, we've been waiting to deal with him since Wednesday...

2. I'm an Awesome Server / Bartender
Yeah, I'm tooting my own horn again... so what? We're in a bit of a lull period right now on the hill with Christmas and everything being done and people trying to save a little cash this month, but still I manage to make $100 every day without fail. Now, sometimes that means I have to work five or six hours, but considering no one else is really pulling in that kind of money consistently, there can only be one conclusion... I'm Awesome!

3. Good Old Nintendo Thumb
Remember when you used to spend hours upon hours playing Nintendo and your thumb would develop that soreness that verges on becoming a full-blown callous? I'm dealing with that right now thanks to two days spent finishing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and six amateur fights on Fight Night Round 3. Impressively enough, I'm still banging out articles galore this week too.

4. Missing Magazines
Sarah and I signed up for some magazine subscriptions a couple weeks back through one of those "Get 3 magazines for $6" type of deals. Canadian Living arrive a while back, but we're still waiting on Self (for her) and GQ (for me), except they were all supposed to have been sent out at the same time. Something tells me that our friendly local post office either (A) put them in the wrong mailbox and the people didn't bother returning them or (B) decided to keep them for themselves. I hope I'm wrong on both fronts, especially because I want my Jennifer Aniston issue of GQ!

5. Speaking of Jennifer Aniston...
We're back around to Season One of Friends - we watch them in succession - and I have to admit that I really miss that show. There hasn't been anything that has made me commit to watching it every week on the sitcom front since Friends left the air. I know it's kind of hokey and whatever, but for my money, the stupidity of Joey Tribiani will always be hilarious.

6. False Promises
So a while back I told you about me getting a proofreading job with Fight! Magazine. I don't think it's happening... I emailed the Editor a couple weeks back and have yet to receive anything back. Was it just a case of telling a disgruntled reader what they wanted to hear or did I slip his mind? I'm not sure, but one thing I do know is that they could still use me because there are more mistakes in the current issue...

7. Elk are HUGE
Saw a bunch of them driving home from Marley and Me this time last week and sweet merciful crap would those big bastards ever do a number on our poor '93 Honda Civic! I mean, we wrote off the Corolla smacking into a deer, so I could only imagine what kind of carnage would ensue slamming into one of these monsters. D'you know what's worse? There are caribou and moose that are around these parts and even bigger still...

8. Sharp as Marbles
I don't expect to be surrounded by MENSA candidates working in a restaurant, but some of the brilliant questions that get shot my way are amazing. Questions: How do I make lime water? Is France on the ocean? What's a jiggaboo? Answers: mix bar lime and water, sort of and a very derogatory term for black people that if you say again I'm going to knock your teeth out.

9. Exciting News from the UFC
Dana White said earlier this week in a press conference that he's working on bringing the UFC to... wait for it... wait for it... VANCOUVER! Sarah has already been informed that regardless of date and cost, I will be in attendance at this event.

10. College Football is Equal Parts Awesome and Annoying
There were some great games this week - Texas and Ohio State was outstanding - but in the end, when all was said and done, there was controversy and it annoys the bejesus out of me. How there still isn't a playoff system in place to determine one unquestioned champion is beyond me. Yes Florida won the BCS Championship, but Utah went undefeated and crushed Alabama. And they still ended up 4th in the AP Poll!

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Dishonour Roll: Marlin Travel

I'ma kill somebody!

We're four months away from our wedding day and everything - literally everything about our trip to the Dominican is fucked.

After months of hassling our Travel Agent, she finally got around to sending out invoices last week, a good five weeks after asking me for all the addresses I had previously forwarded to her and after she took her last two weeks vacation for the year.

Now they turn up today and half of our guests are booked for the wrong week...

CAN YOU FUCKING IMAGINE!

Bad is us having to get on her case about sending the invoices.

Worse is knowing that with the economic collapse that we're paying far more than we really should be.

Un-fucking-believable is what happens if this shit can't be sorted out?

Sweet suffering fuck I want a cigarette...

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The Rundown: Six Month Crystal Ball

I just got back from taking Cool Hand for a big long walk around the back nine of the golf course down the hill from us. I know... me... walking... about 3 kilometres... I know!

Anyway...

Walking those holes got me looking forward to Spring, breaking out the sticks and playing several unsuccessful rounds of Whack Fuck at this beautiful course.

Thinking about golfing got me thinking about other things I'm looking forward to in the next six months, so I thought I'd run them down for your reading enjoyment here today.

Top Five Things I'm Looking Forward to in the Next Six Months

(Note: New Record for Longest Title to a Rundown! Congratulations!)

5. Ski Season
Not so much for my attempts to learn how to snowboard and the concussions that are sure to follow and not solely for the increased traffic at the restaurant, though that will be nice too. Mostly, I'm looking forward to living out here at a destination for our friends and family to come and visit. We've already got a couple people in line for a little visit in the new year some time and the reservations list is open for anyone else who is interested.

4. The Continued Growth of The Love of Sports
I'm really pumped about this to be totally honest. I truly believe that in the next six months, this site is going to take off in a way that I know I didn't expect when I came on board six months ago. Everything is going really well over there and I know there are bigger and better things planned for the future, so I'm thinking in the next six, you might know this site for more reasons that just my mentioning it here.

3. Golfing Trickle Creek (and every other course I can play)
Just walking this course today gave me some chills and not because it's cold out. The view from the 10th tee is the most incredible view I have seen maybe ever. It's that incredible. Once I find the camera I'll grab a picture to prove it to you. Some of the holes are still green as can be and look like you could play them tomorrow if you wanted. I may stink at golf but it's still gonna be fun.

2. Our Solo Week in Samana
Yes we'll have to do some planning and organizing in preparation of the week that follows, but for the most part, it's just going to be me and Sarah doing things we want to do (read: sleeping in, lounging by the pool, getting a little tipsy) and figuring out what activities we'll have to do with the fam once they arrive.

1. Wedding Day
We passed the five month mark just a couple days ago and seeing as I'm still new at Kelsey's, I end up talking about it fairly regularly. One of the most FAQ is "Are you excited?" Just so everyone knows, if you ask this question, you deserve to be slapped because of course I'm excited! It'll be the best day of my life, hands down and it's less than five months away...

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10 Things I Learned This Week

Another week in the books. Time to find out what I figured out over the last seven days...

1. It's All The Same
After two weeks as a Kelsey's employee, this much I know for certain: it ain't no different than being a Montana's employee. Servers bitch about being slow and making no money, managers hide out in the office, guests are mediocre tippers and large groups think the world revolves around them. Actually, Montana's earns the victory because we never ran out of beer... or milk.

2. Mind-boggling Move
Our landlord came to collect his belongings this week and I'm at a loss for words. Granted, everything he took was his, but truthfully, a bunch of it made no sense at all. Left us the barbecue that comes with the condo, took the barbecue tools. Took the garbage cans from the bathroom, left the garbage on the floor for us to clean up. Took the deck of cards and cribbage board, left the instructional booklet for the complete rules of cribbage. Amazing!
3. Sarah & Spencer: Ghetto Fabulous
Right now, we're the height of Hobo Chic! Our dining room is made up of the outdoor furniture that doesn't need to collect snow on the balcony all winter, our living room consists of a futon and a rubbermaid bin turned table and our mattress rests all alone in our bedroom... on the floor... because we don't have a bed frame yet. Like I said, Ghetto Fabulous!
4. My Man D to the Rescue
I've made an instant friend at work. Dave, or My Man D, is about the same age as me, spent some time in The Hammer and is just an overall great dude. I thought this before he told me about all the household items he is ready to pack into his van and drive up to our condo for us so we don't have to remain Ghetto Fabulous. The deck furniture can go back on the deck, as he's got a kitchen table set we can use, the futon can move into the office where it's meant to go because he's offering up a couch and the small ass TV we're watching far too much of these days can go to hell because he's providing a 32" Sony Flatscreen for as long as we need too. I owe this man some beer...

5. Time to Press Reset
So, we're here and all the landlord's stuff is out. The interruptions and annoying things are done and over with, which means it's time to get settled and get started. Same as this summer, working at a restaurant affords me a great deal of time to spend here at this computer, so I need to get into the swing of things. I've been missing days left and right here (sorry...) and have really fallen off the Bugs wagon as of late and that isn't what I want. Since the newspaper here hasn't decided to get back to me (surprise surprise) focusing on the things I do have before me becomes even more important, starting today.

6. I've Got The Best Girl
How do I know? I came home from a crap afternoon at work yesterday, tired, frustrated, all that and what did she say?

"D'you wanna just take some time off and work on the book? They obviously don't really need you right now and if you get enough of it done, you could send it out to see what people think."

That made everything better, along with the homemade chilli and Okanagan Springs Pale Ale and reminded me that I really did luck out on this one. You're the best Baby!

7. Anything Can Happen Inside The Octagon
Just this week, two of my Top 10 Pound for Pound fighters were beaten. While word on the MMA Street is that "The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi was robbed of a decision in his fight in Japan, the undisputed best featherweight in the business Urijah Faber was knocked out cleanly by Mike Brown. This is why I love this sport.

8. Oh Right, We're Getting Married Soon
Not that we forgot, but amidst all the moving and unpacking and buying all the little things that you need everytime you move, we've gone a month without talking to our travel agent. Not that that's completely horrible, but apparently no one has gotten any information from her yet and seeing as the date is getting closer by the day, we're thinking she shoudl probably get on that. That means, tomorrow we get on her.

9. Speaking of Weddings...
I'd like to congratulate my brother Peter in advance for tying the knot on Tuesday to his fiancee Brooke Smith. They're off to Vegas for a week or wedding fun and Sarah and I are both bummed that we couldn't make the trip. I'm sure there'll be lots of pictures and we're getting to spend a week with them in the Dominican, so we'll celebrate again then.
10. Did I Mention History Was Made This Week?
YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN!

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10 Things I Learned This Week

You have to know that I've been super busy if I skip my two favourite days to post on this site - Wednesday's Rundown and Friday's Soundtrack.

Shit is hectic people, but it comes to an end soon and we'll get back to business as usual.

Here's the week that was.

1. Most Uncomfortable Feeling Ever
No, it's not sitting in the backseat of the car while Sarah and her mom have an argument 25 years in the making, although that was pretty awkward too. It's been trying to sleep over the past week with these neck muscles of mine. No idea what I did, but since Monday they've been tighter than (fill in your joke of choice here). Just when I thought it was getting better, I spent last night tossing and turning until 2 AM before deciding to go into a coma courtesy of some muscle relaxers. Maybe I should get this looked at.

2. Kimbo Sliced
While it wasn't against Ken Shamrock as it was supposed to be - Shamrock got a cut warming up and couldn't fight - the mistake I called earlier in the week at The Love of Sports came to fruition as Seth "The Silverback" Petruzelli knocked Kimbo out in 14 seconds Saturday night. To quote The Hives, "Hate to say I told you so...."

3. Speaking of the CBS MMA Show...
If they keep running with these Saturday Night Fights cards, they need to hire me as the play-by-play guy. Or at least hire someone else. Maybe someone with a little MMA knowledge. They could even let Canadian Mauro Ranallo run with it since he's part of the broadcast already. Regardless of who they pick, it'll be better than Gus Johnson because after last night's "This is the greatest upset in the history of Mixed Martial Arts" call, homeboy needs to go.

4. How 'Bout Them Cubbies?
This is what happens when 100 years of misery and a spectacular regular season collide. Three straight to the Dodgers and you can make it 101. I kind of feel bad, but also like a bit of a genius too, because all season long on the Bugs & Cranks Top 30 I've been sending in comments wondering how the Cubs were going to screw this up. Pair this with the Kimbo thing and people might start to think I know what I'm talking about a little...

5. You Want to Charge Us How Much?
Thursday I had an estimate done for moving all our stuff across the country. The guy was Johnny Anectdote; everything he said had some story to it about his dogs or his neighbour or his friend. It took him 30 minutes to leave after a five minute walk around checking things out. Anyway, we don't have much stuff - no furniture, just "contents" as it is called and buddy guestimates it at 1500 pounds or so. I think it's less. So Friday I get an email from him containing the quotes. Where in the hell do you think I have $4500 stashed away to spend on moving you dolt? And why did you call me and chat me up for 20 minutes Saturday after I told you I got the quotes and would get back to you later?

6. Ready to Go
If we could jump on a plane tomorrow, we would. Nothing against anybody here, but we're ready. Since we've known for a while now that this was what we were doing, every day we're still here leads to more questions that we're sick of and a mounting frustration that people won't just leave well enough alone and stop pushing us about where we're moving, how we're getting there and whether we'll have the resources to succeed in Kimberley. Honestly, I'm nearly 30 and have done this a time or two - I got this. You can stop giving us your opinion now.

7. My Brother Learned a Lesson This Week
Turns out Pete was having one of his "Feel bad about the Old Man" moments this week and gave him a call. Much to no one's surprise, Phil is still playing the pariah card while wallowing in self-pity, clinging to the "we turned our back on him" belief. Five years after I learned it, Pete learned that there is no point - the old man is a lost cause and not worth the energy.

Note: I don't need the "Are you slagging your dad on your blog again?" comments... it's my blog... I'll talk about whatever I want...

8. I Got Paid!
No, Passion Magazine didn't come out of the woodwork and hand over a cheque for the four articles I've published, but Canadian Sports Magazine came through. Internet work aside, this was my first actual pay cheque for writing. Part of me wanted to get it framed and mounted, but I'm broke as shit so I bought some groceries and a pack of smokes instead.

9. Hard to Plan a Wedding...
When the people at the resort don't get back to you. Seriously. I've emailed them a bunch of times wondering about my man Deuce being able to come due to his severe allegries and I've gotten nothing back. Surely they're busy and I can appreciate that, but really, the least you could do is answer an email once in a while.

10. Sorry in Advance
Posts are probably going to be a little sparse over the next couple weeks, much like they have been since the Vancouver trip. It's just the price of doing business - everything has to be packed and as much as I want to get here everyday, more often than not there are other things that take precident. But that doesn't mean I don't love you. Like I said at the top, we'll get back to the daily delivery once we get set up in the new place.

Until then... I'll miss you!

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10 Things I Learned This Week

Sorry to have withheld your Sunday staple from you all yesterday, but there is no way to hammer out a post while driving from Ottawa to London. Well, there is, but there was no way that I was going to try to attempt it. Besides, it was the first week of the football season, so I'm sure you had much better things to do...

1. Cranbrook is now 85%
Sarah has a phone interview sometime in the next two days and the recruiter she has been dealing with is all about ensuring she's still interested, as if her desires had waned in the last three days or something. With that being said, our trip out to Cranbrook once we land on Wednesday - another 10 hour journey - could be about finding a place to live and where I can sling some suds as much as it will be about seeing the hospital.

2. Piling Up the Kilometers
For my American readers, kilometers are just like miles, only shorter and we've been racking them up with no end in sight as of right now. We figured this out yesterday during our drive home - from Friday to Friday we'll have put 1,700 on our car this weekend, flown from London to Vancouver and then driven another 2,000 or so to and from Cranbrook. I wish there was such a thing as Road Miles because we'd be collecting them like mad.

3. Pug-less
I never thought I would miss being wrestled from my sleep at 7:30 AM by barking or having half of my bed taken over by a possessive pooch, but since we dropped off Luke at Mable and Dennis' on Thursday, all I've done is miss the little yappy bastard. He's better off out in Damascus on the farm where he can roam around freely and hang out with the other dogs instead of shipping back and forth and staying solo here in his pen, but that means more than two weeks sans Cool Hand and while I enjoy not having my socks chewed to shreds, I still miss my little man.

4. Politicians Don't Like Me
Mostly because I tell them things they don't like to hear. The wedding we were at this weekend was of two politically involved individuals with lots of politician friends. We shared a couple drinks with two of them prior to heading to the reception. During their discussing of Barack Obama and John McCain, I sipped my Guinness and calmly stated that a lot of people don't really care about these two candidates policies and plans and would rather look to a rockstar candidate like Obama to get them to the polls. That effectively ended the conversation. Truth hurts I guess.

5. Speaking of Canadian Politics...
We're heading to the polls again in only 6 short weeks! So many things wrong with this that I don't want to spend too much time on it, but it's always great when everyone acknowledges that we're sure to have another Minority Government and we're given only 42 days to decide who the best people are to represent our country. This again is why Canadian Politics is a joke...

6. Weird Wedding
Everything about Saturday was a little weird. From the MC welcoming the Member of Parliament who was in attendance before acknowledging anyone else in the room to the family of the newly wedded couple joining forces as a jazz trio to entertain the masses, this wedding was left of centre in my books. Instead of wedding favours for all those who came to share in the day, the couple kindly donated to the Ottawa Humaine Society on our behalf. And apparently "buffett dinner" in Ottawa means "serve yourself but you only get one trip to the line before the staff remove all the food." No wedding cake either - just cupcakes. Strange...

7. Speaking of Weddings...
My brother very well could be getting married this coming November. In Vegas. By Elvis. Of course, plans and timelines with my brother change as often as the weather, so this could turn into a Spring Backyard Wedding in the next couple of days too.

8. What Are You Going To Do?
That was everyone's immediate question this weekend when we informed them that Cranbrook was most likely going to be out final destination. Uh, the same things I do here maybe? Wait - they do have restaurants in BC right? And people drink beer? It's not like I'm a Nuclear Physicist and need a high tech lab to operate in; I'm a freelance writer who does the restaurant thing on the side. I can literally work anywhere in the world without much worry. Apparently no one else understands that.

9. Try, Try Again
Since I won't be able to smoke in BC - not because I'm not allowed, but because it will be far too much of a hassle to enjoy a smoke - I'm hanging up the habit for the next two weeks plus and seeing where things go from there. I know I've done this before and whatever whatever, but hey, at least I'm trying again right?

10. Operation: 185 Update
The powers that be have put Operation: 185 on hold until further notice. They acknowledge that there is little time presently to put my body through the work required to drop the 17 extra pounds I am currently carrying and will make an announcement prior to the relaunch of the program.

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The Picture Says It All

My cup runneth over.

As of right now, I have way too many things on the go and not enough hours in the day to accomplish them all, which means some things are going to start failing by the wayside for the next six weeks or so.

Bugs isn't going anywhere. They gave me my start and I will stick with them come hell or high water. Besides, the Jays season ending is where I got the six weeks from, so after that, baseball takes a spot on the back burner a little.

This bad boy right here isn't going anywhere either. How could I spend nearly a year putting in work to build a readership (thanks all 8 of you!) and then shut it down? Not going to happen.

Since I can't walk into my manager's office at Montana's, pull an Ed Norton in Fight Club and get paid to not show up at work, ditching delivering dinners is out of the question as well. Actually, it's a big part of the reason my beverage container is overflowing. I've working six days a week, closing three of those nights and a man has got to sleep sometime...

Where does that leave us?

I've already pretty much stopped writing at Epic Carnival over the last month. I can't tell you when I last posted there. In fact, I had made this decision long before my drinking glass couldn't hold any more theoretical liquid.

The thing with Epic is that it's a Boobs & Babes site - which there is absolutely nothing wrong with - except that Boobs & Babes isn't what I do. Call me ridiculous, but I want people reading my work because I have something interesting and insightful (or scandalous and off-kilter) to say about the topic, not because I have a picture of some tart in her bra and panties.

Unfortunately, bras and panties generate a lot more hits that witty banter and actually having something to say...

In the end, it looks like Season Three of The Wire is what is going to suffer the most.

Even though I just picked it up yesterday and am dying to tear into the next batch of episodes to see what's happening with everyone, the DVD player is going to have to stay off.

Either that or I give up working out.

"Fat guy on the beach who has watched every episode of The Wire" or "Guy with the toned physique who doesn't know what has been happening with The Barksdale Organization" come April?

Decisions, decisions...

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