Phantom of the Opera Tickets

A couple weeks ago they had a really great sale on Phantom of the Opera tickets for Saskatoon. The third balcony seats were selling for only $40 (plus service charge). Shiela and I don't go to many shows at all, but we figured that was a pretty good deal and snapped up the tickets as the sale was only on for about 3 days. We picked Thursday May 1 as the day to attend as we figured nothing would be up that day. We were pumped to be able to attend the show.

Then yesterday I got a call from work. Now I have been working from home for over 2 years and very, very rarely does anything actually happen in Saskatoon. And since 2006 I don't think anything has at all that I was really involved with. So you would think that buying tickets to a show is pretty safe. It turns out one of our clients is having an event that very same day and I have been asked to work at it...and it will run the entire day and evening.

Therefore, I now must sell our tickets. We received a great deal on them and I'm going to sell them for the same amount we paid for them. The total cost for two tickets is $106.50 (see below for cost breakdown). The tickets are in Row A (first row) of the 3rd balcony. Leave a comment if you would like to buy them or just contact me if you know how to get a hold of me.

P.S These same tickets to buy on Ticketmaster now are $70 each (Total cost $166.50) so I'm offering a $60 discount!

Ticket cost breakdown: ($40X2 = $80 (Ticket Cost) + $9.75 X2=$19.50 ( Service Charge) + 1.50X2=$3.00 (Facility Charge) + $4.00 Processing Fee) = $106.50 (Total)

Not Entering the Dragon's Den

One of my favourite shows on CBC right now is Dragon's Den. For those who haven't seen it, it is a show where entrepreneurs enter into the Dragon's Den (a basement in some studio in Toronto) and pitch their business ideas to 5 wealthy dragons (aka business people with lots of cash). It's a great show and fun to watch all the neat ideas people have and how the dragons tear them to shreds!

I am a dreamer and always have a lot of business ideas on my mind. I want to own my own business someday and it's just a matter of the right idea (which by the way I currently have a new one that I'm excited about). I've always thought it would be neat to be on that show and present one of my ideas to them. They might hash it to bits, but it would be cool to just be there and experience it.

Well, this past Friday I found out that Dragon's Den auditions were actually here in Saskatoon! Usually I have my ear to the ground with that type of thing, but the tremors didn't come to me and I didn't see this coming. Apparently not a lot of other people heard about it either. There were only three entries in all of Saskatoon. They all presented and then the producers decide who gets to actually come onto the show.

Oh well, missed them this time around. I need to get my business proposal done and be ready for next time when they come here. Then I'll be ready to fight fire with fire...(get it, they're dragons so they breathe fire..ah, forget it)

Unstoppable

I have seen the light...or actually the green. Yes, the green of the greens. Ok, it's actually still pretty brown but who cares because the golf season is now upon us! I am so excited and can't wait to get out on the course!

This year I am pretty much going to be unstoppable on the golf course. I've got all my ducks in a row and am ready for the season. Shiela bought me a new golf glove for my birthday (my old one had so many holes in it I don't even know why I wore it). She also bought me golf rain gloves so I can golf in the rain and they are designed to help me keep gripping the club. We are pretty hard core sometimes and have often been out on the course as the rain starts to fall. I also have two golf lessons lined up as a Christmas present from my sister and brother-in-law and so I will be ITZ.

The best part of this season is the new purchase I made just the other day...golf shoes. I have always just worn my runners when golfing but due to some birthday money I received this year I decided that it was time to get some golf shoes to help improve the game. They are going to be awesome for one main reason...they are waterproof. Since I'm not independently wealthy we usually hunt down the golf deals in town and golf at those times. This usually means early in the morning when often the course still has some sprinklers on or there is dew on the ground. In the past my shoes have always been soaked by the time I'm done...but not anymore. That combined with the cleats on the bottom will at least cut off 4-5 strokes per game.

So Ben and Colin, take one last long look at the golf trophy, because I'm going to be winning the trophy right at the start of the season and you won't be seeing it again. Now, if I could just get my driver to work...

Hospital Visit

Well it looks like I was once again in the hospital. Apparently I just can't get over this sickness I've been having. With so many bugs going around it is pretty hard to avoid getting sick. I got so sick I was basically like a ghost in the hospital.

Actually, I was a ghost in the hospital. Friday morning I found out that I had ended up in the hospital on Thursday and nobody came to see me. There were phone calls though as people phoned each other to talk about my hospital visit. My parents found out I was in the hospital. My brother-in-law checked to see if I was on the hospital list as he left work that night. My sister phoned my parents to talk about my hospital visit. Then Friday morning my parents told my little sister I had been in the hospital. She asked if anyone had phoned to talk to me. No one had. So she phoned me up at home to let me know I had been in the hospital.

And that was news to me because I had not been to the hospital. I had never even been sick (which is amazing because Shiela has had a cold for quite a while). Actually I was at work all day Thursday and then played soccer Thursday night. I found out that someone had heard someone was in the hospital and they thought they heard my name. So the word started spreading that I was in the hospital again. Funny how rumours can do that so quickly.

So just to set everyone at ease. I am back at home...I mean I never left home...except for soccer...so no worries. I guess I should stay in touch with my family more often!

I'm 30 But I've Still Got It!

The title is actually a little deceiving. It would indicate that I actually had something previously in order for me to still have it. I don't know if I ever really had "it". No, I'm not referring to a Coke because believe you me, I wouldn't still have it because it would be long drank already. I'm talking about scoring goals.

Back in highschool soccer days in my grade 11 year I hit the high point of my goal scoring career. I believe I had 10 goals that season (I actually forget the exact number but as I get older I think that number will also keep inflating). I remember being extremely happy with all the goals I scored that year and that was also the first time in 14 years that our school beat Notre Dame to go to Provincials. Best soccer season ever! I've never scored that many goals in one season since.

This season I decided I wanted to get away from playing defense and start to play forward for indoor soccer. I had never played forward before but I figured it was time to start scoring goals again. But there is nothing more frustrating than having someone on the team playing forward who can't score goals. So I told another guy that if I wasn't scoring at least 1 goal every 3 games I should be kicked off the forward line. That goal really isn't all that high, but for someone who had scored maybe 2 goals total in the last four seasons it was pretty lofty.

Well, tonight in my first game ever as a 30 year old I managed to hit the back of the net twice to put my total goals for the season at 8. I played in a total of 18 games giving me an average of one goal every 2.25 games...my goal was reached!

With the outdoor season approaching in early May I realize I only have about 1 month to get into shape. Currently, I am not where I want to be. Outdoor soccer is a lot of running and I need to lose one, two or twenty pounds or so if I want to be competitive out there. Right now I'm looking in the mirror and I see a trim, lean and muscular man staring back at me...oh wait, that's the Men's Fitness magazine. In the mirror I look like...oh never mind, I don't want to give anyone nightmares. I've already been researching a soccer fitness training program and am looking forward to a much leaner, trimmer and more muscular physique come May. So stay tuned to this very blog to see how the training goes.

March 22 - The Greatest Day Ever

I do enjoy a good birthday. This one is a big one for me...the big 30. I had always planned on making my first million by the time I was 30, but unfortunately it looks like I came up a few hundred dollars short. Guess you can't win them all.

The party already started yesterday with a lunch to Grainfields with my in-laws and then an outing to East Side Mario's and then back to our place for ice cream cake and a poker tournament. You'd think they would let the birthday boy win, but no and I just got second.

I actually have no real plans for on my birthday day. I'm just going to kick around and do what I want. Maybe go to Golftown...maybe watch some NCAA ball...maybe try to get that last couple hundred dollars to reach my million mark...who knows. What I do know is now I am old, I can see over the hill and I'm about to start cruising down the other side. The adventure is only beginning!

Is Swimming Worth It?

I'm a big fan of sports. I love getting out onto the soccer pitch and kicking the ball, scoring goals and getting sweaty. I love basketball with the low hanging shorts and trash talking my opponent even if 9 times out of 10 he's better than me. But when it comes to swimming, I just don't get it.

The problem with swimming starts long before you actually get into the pool. For most sports you are part of a team and you sit around the locker room or field, strap on the equipment and protection and then after a group chant and a manly group hug you run onto the field/court. Swimming is just the opposite. Good chance if you are a swimmer you are an individual (yeah, I know they call them 'swim teams', but seriously, you are on your own). Then, instead of strapping on a uniform and protection, you strip down to the least amount of clothing possible without getting arrested for public nudity and once you have shaved your legs and probably head, you venture out in front of the large crowd of people more exposed than an underwear model. If they rated swim meets like they do movies it would have to be at least PG-13 due the uniform alone.

The second problem is that swimming is the only sport I know of where, aside from injury, just participating in the sport could kill you. You can venture out and play soccer, basketball or any other sport and even if you are really bad you won't die. With swimming, if you don't perform the technique correctly you will sink and drown. You never really hear of people getting together for a pick up game of swimming. That's because most people don't invite their friends out to enjoy a possible death activity. Yeah, I know you can just stay in the shallow end, but seriously how much fun is that? It's like playing slowpitch with someone and you just stick them way out in right field because you know the ball is never going to go there.

If you do manage to get through the humiliation of wearing nothing short of bikini briefs in front of all your friends and family and actually manage to survive while doing the 100 metre breast stroke, the worst part of swimming is still to come...changing. This is absolutely the worst part of swimming. You walk into the change room dripping wet and head to your locker. Hopefully you have a combination lock because if you have a key for the lock I have no idea where you put that on your uniform! Then you pull out your towel and head to the shower.

The showering itself is a whole new thing. Many people treat these public showers like they are at home and just strip right down to nothing when they jump in (not that there is really much left to the imagination anyway). I want to be sure I fit in so I usually just follow suit. The problem is I don't think I know the rules for showering in these facilities. I mean, I know the main ones like if you drop the soap, just let it go man. But what are the other rules? First, what do you call this type of shower facility with many showers together in one open room? Group showers? Gang showers? No matter what you call it, when you try to describe for someone the type of shower it is they are going to start laughing and think you are a pervert. Second, are you suppose to face the wall or the middle of the room? I get tired staring at the wall while showering but turning around seems to be a little too wrong for me too. Third, which shower do you take? If there are a couple other people in there already how do you know which shower to go to? Do you take one right next to another guy or does there have to be at least one shower space between? And finally, are you allowed to talk to the other guys taking showers...and if you do talk to them do you actually look at them or just talk over your shoulder as you stare at the wall?

Once you survive the shower you now have to try to dry off and get dressed. This itself makes no logical sense. There is an inch of water all over the entire change room floor and somehow you are suppose to get out the front door without getting wet. Mission: Impossible. Getting dried off is not too hard and then the towel is wrapped around the waist. Although everyone was just showering together with nothing on, the rules seem to be that now for some reason you have to ensure that no one sees you naked. So with the towel around your waist you have to slip on your underwear without over exposing yourself. The shirt is easy and goes on no problem. Then it gets more difficult. Pulling on your pants is tough as they always seem to hit the floor at some point and are now wet. Then you have to put on your socks. Once the socks are on you have to hold them up in the air while you carefully put each foot into a shoe so you don't get your socks soaked. I don't think I've ever managed to do all those things without getting wet.

Now you have your final problem. Unlike most sports where you can just throw your uniform and equipment into the gym bag until next time, with swimming you must carry all this wet clothing home, hang it up in the bathroom to dry and then eventually pack it back up for another time. It just takes so...much...time. Finally, the ordeal is over and you can relax. As much "fun" as swimming is, it really isn't worth dying for.

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Competitor's Anonymous

"Hello, my name is Sheldon and I am a competitor."

"Hi Sheldon," the crowd replies with strained enthusiasm like they'd said it a thousand times to a thousand other people.

"I've been a competitor for as long as I can remember," I continue. " If there was ever a chance that someone could actually finish first in something, I was up for a little competition and was ready to claim that spot. It didn't matter what it was...getting the highest mark in school, winning a board game, or winning at any type of sporting event. I was always up for a competition."

"I remember back in my first year at Bethany College and I was playing basketball for the Bethany team and we ended up losing our first game. I went down to the lounge after to chat about the game and mentioned to someone that I couldn't believe we lost and how we needed to work harder to win next time. The person turned to me and said 'You play for Bethany...get used to it.' I got up and walked away because I couldn't believe there were people in the world that thought that way and were willing to go into a game expecting to lose. I always entered every single game with the thought that we could win if we played our best and I always emphasized that when I coached as well."

"When I play sports right now it is very hard for me to 'turn off' my competitive nature. When I'm playing men's soccer it is not a problem as everyone is out there to win and I blend right in for the most part, although sometimes I have done things I'm not proud of. The problem comes when I play slowpitch in the church league or play co-ed soccer. I try to focus on just having fun and playing carefree, but it is extremely hard for me and quite often I get caught up in the game and can get quite intense. I don't mean to, it's just that I have such a strong competitive nature that it's hard for me to sit back and just let things be."

"I feel it is important to be a competitor and I don't see anything wrong with that. The problem comes when my competitiveness ruins my witness for Jesus. As cliche as it sounds, I need to ask myself 'What would Jesus do?' when I'm in the midst of the competition. He wouldn't be yelling at the ref after a bad call, or getting mad at the other team when they injure me or another teammate. I want to be a competitor, but at the same time know how to be a good competitor, and also know when it is time to turn it off."

"So I'm continuing to work on this thing people call "recreation" where you just do things for fun and don't worry about strategy or doing certain things so that you will win. But instead, going out there and just playing with the gifts God has given me, not getting upset at referees or umpires, and just having a fun time playing with friends for enjoyment."

"Thanks for this group's support as I work on this aspect of my life."

A Change of Pace

Been thinking lots lately about what I should really be doing with my life. I like my job but unfortunately I work from home and there is never anyone to talk to except over the phone. I'm a people person and I really need that interaction. After over 2 years of working from home I've realized that I can't do this anymore.

But it goes deeper than that. I could get another job and that would be great, but I don't think I want just any job. I really want to know what God wants me to do with my life. I've currently been pondering if I should maybe enter into a full time ministry position...not a pastor or anything, but a position that encompasses my passions, allows me to interact with people and help further God's kingdom. I've got an idea in my mind and am praying to see if that is something God wants me to pursue.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

David Beckham To Play Soccer in Edmonton

I was pretty pumped when I first found out that David Beckham and the LA Galaxy will be coming to Edmonton to play an exhibition soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps. For those of you who don't play soccer...this is a pretty big deal!

Ever since Beckham was signed on for uber millions of dollars to play for the LA Galaxy, interest in soccer in North America has been heightened. People who had never heard of soccer were buying tickets to go watch a great soccer player play the game in North America. There were still tickets available for Toronto FC home games, but as soon as the Beckham deal was announced and that he would be coming to play a game in Toronto when Toronto FC played the LA Galaxy, the season tickets were gone instantly. Unfortunately for all those people he got injured and never played when LA Galaxy was in Toronto, but there's always next year right?

The reason I'm no longer excited about this is that the game is on May 13 at 7:00pm. Any guesses on what day of the week that is? It's a Tuesday. What in the world are these organizers thinking!! "Uh, yeah, let's bring the most popular soccer play in North America to Edmonton and in order to get the most number of people out we'll bring him out on a ...(random pointing of finger on calendar with eyes closed) Tuesday. That's a good night because there's nothing good on TV that night so everyone will come." Ok, maybe that's a great night for people who live in Edmonton, but what about those people who are soccer fans that may need to drive a ways to get there. What about all the Vancouver Whitecaps fans who might want to support their team. We can't just take days off in the middle of the week to drive/fly to Edmonton to watch a game. I love soccer but that's just not going to happen.

Then there is the ticket prices. I bought tickets to a double header U20 FIFA World Cup game in Edmonton with seats on the centre line for $30. The U20 World Cup are the best players there are in the world and someof those players are already playing for their national team. But guess how much tickets are for this game. $25 for Bronze, $45 for Silver and $85 for Gold. WHAT!! I realize David is a great player but we are talking about the Vancouver Whitecaps and the LA Galaxy. With those teams combined they maybe have (counting in my head) one amazing player...David Beckham!! So they expect people to pay an average of $51 to go watch David Beckham play some soccer (and he's only guaranteed to play for 45 minutes of the game...assuming he's not injured at the time).

So, to all you Edmontonian females who have wads of cash, this is your big chance to see David up close because no out of town soccer fans will be forking over $85 dollars to watch him play a few minutes in an exhibition game....at least not this one.

Wait No Longer...U2 Is Back

It has been announced here and here that U2 is going back into the studio to create a new album. Now for many of you that is not interesting at all and you're about to stop reading already. But for the other 99% of the world this is big news!

It's not a big secret that I'm a big U2 fan. It may not have come out as much over the last few years and I know I have been listening to something other than U2 lately, but that is just because there really hasn't been much going on with U2 besides saving the world...any everyone is doing that these days so who really cares. But now that a new album is being produced I can once again hang up my extra large U2 poster that Shiela bought me while we were dating. I can pull out all my original U2 CD's (that's right kids...not MP3 files...actual CD's...that I bought) I have and even my U2 Without or Without You single on a 45 record...that unfortunately melted in the sun before I even got to listen to it, but that's another story.

The best part about waiting for a new U2 album is that you have no idea what you are going to get. Every album they produce is so different than the previous one. I think that is what makes them so great and also how they have been able to remain popular through the last three decades. Their music is constantly changing and ends up sounding amazing. I usually start off listening to a new U2 CD not too sure if I'm going to like it, but then after a few listens I'm in love with it and can't turn it off.

I think in preparation for this great big event in October I should devote myself to listening exclusively to U2 music, just to get back in the feel of it. We'll see how that pans out...all I know is that I will be buying this new CD (yes kids, you heard right, not a free download, but actually pay money...probably from an actual CD store even) as soon as it comes out. I hope you do too because you know they will donate part of the money to save the world...it's the Bono way.

Family Day is Just Another Holiday

For all of you who live in one of the provinces with a government who was trying desperately to buy some votes so they could stay in power for another 4 years, you have today off as a holiday. I'm not sure who this all includes but I know for sure it is Alberta (who started the trend), then Saskatchewan jumped on board and now Ontario and Manitoba did too. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining...I love any holiday you can throw my way. The thing I find funny is what they actually named the holiday here in Saskatchewan...Family Day.

I can see how maybe they had trouble coming up with a good name for this excuse for a day off. I mean seriously, the holiday is in the middle of February so what else are you going to call it..."We Need a Break Day" or "It's Just Too Cold Day" or maybe "Get Your Butt in Gear As the Summer Is Approaching and Those 6-Pack Abs Aren't Going To Happen On Their Own Day (although I'm personally still holding out for a miracle!)

The part I find funny is that because it is named Family Day, everyone is feeling pressured to spend that day with their families. I mean, just because it is named Family Day that doesn't mean you have to go out and spend time with your family. Do you personally spend time remembering Victoria on Victoria Day, or working twice as hard as before on Labour Day?!? I've heard it multiple times already today. I was at the Field House playing badminton for the last 3 hours (and my arm is going to feel it for the next 3 days!) and I ran into someone who was there with their family because they felt they should do something with the kids since it was Family Day. Then I also heard of other people that were getting together for a "Family Day" in the evening because it was Family Day. And don't forget about the party happening down at the Speed Skating Oval where there is free skating and hot chocolate...but you have to be there as a family*.

Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with spending time with your family and I should probably spend more time with mine, but what the government doesn't realize is that by calling it Family Day they have opened up another can of worms and created more internal conflict within families. Now newlywed and other couples have to once again have the big discussion about whose parents they are going to go visit on Family Day. All their extended family wants them to come visit and so now just like Christmas and Thanksgiving they have to once again figure out where they should go. This supposedly great holiday could easily turn into a heated argument, hurt feelings and in-laws that think you hate them because you decided to not come by for this years Family Day.

To you married couples...I feel sorry for you and best of luck. To the government, why don't you just rename the holiday to something else so people can just stay at home and relax without the pressure of visiting their families again. I think "Do What You Want Day" is an excellent choice...that sounds more like it! Excuse me while I go do just that and drink a Coke!

Any other ideas for what this holiday should be named?

*Single people can come and claim themselves as a family of one so they can skate and get free hot chocolate

Try This On Your Birthday!

As I near 30 years old I find it is not really that hard to blow out all the candles on my birthday cake. Maybe I need a bit more of a challenge like Gerlad Green had this weekend!

The Garden of Eden

I have always read about the Garden of Eden in the Bible and it sounded like such a lovely place. Lots of green grass and plants, palm trees, friendly animals scurrying around and my wife lying around naked...ah that would be the life! But normally after picturing this in my mind I wake up to snowy, blustery blizzards with the temperature dipping to around -50 degrees Celsius...that was until this year!

A few weeks ago Shiela and I ventured off onto an adventure into the Garden of Eden along with another couple we are good friends with. As we sailed away on an extremely cramped and uncomfortable charter flight we waved goodbye (I think I saw some people actually giving the finger) to the cold Saskatoon weather and settled in for a nice 6 hour flight to where the air is hot all year round...the Dominican Republic (Puerto Plata specifically).

We were off to stay at an all inclusive resort for the very first time. The first great shock we received (besides the beautiful warm air on our face as we left the airport) was walking into our room and seeing three twin beds. Ironically we had specifically asked for at least one of the beds to be a queen, but I guess something had got lost in translation which I found a little hard to understand since we booked it in Saskatoon where our travel agent spoke English. But, as they say in the Domincan...No Problem! We simply pushed two twin beds together and ended up making it into a King. The funny part was the next morning after housekeeping had been to our room we came back and the housekeeper had seen what we had done, so they ended up making our bed with king size bedding and we essentially had a king size bed for the rest of the time there.

The resort was great and it was all you could eat food 23 hours per day...only between 5:00-6:00pm did I have trouble finding something to eat as the buffet was closed to get ready for supper and both the beach and the Pizzeria restaurants were closed at 5:00pm too. But that was no problem because honestly I wasn't hungry the entire time I was there. I just ate because it was time to eat...and even when it wasn't time to eat. We pretty much ate pizza constantly as the Pizzeria was right by the pool and was very good.

Our resort also was essentially the Garden of Eden. There was unlimited fruit you could eat, there was green grass and palm tress everywhere. there were animals wandering around like birds, cats, peacocks, and geckos and there were nearly naked people lying around every so often (though not our wives as they opted to keep their tops on). But it's true what they say...it wasn't the good looking people that took their tops off...yikes! It was pretty easy to avert your eyes a different direction.

Because the Dominican is close to the equator there is essentially 12 hours of sunshine and 12 hours of night time. Which means that by around 4:30pm or so nobody was at the beach anymore and everyone was getting ready for the nightly entertainment. Our resort had an animation team that had nicknames like Shaggy, Macho Macho, Mr. Spaghetti and Mr. Belly. During the day they hung around by the pool and got people involved in things like water polo, beach volleyball, mini golf, water aerobics, etc. We participated during the day sometimes and we all entered the long shot basketball competition (which we all lost because no one could sink a shot), played some water polo, played beach volleyball (Team Canada beat Team England) and I even participated in the water aerobics one day. In the evening they would start their show around 9:15pm or so (Dominican time so that was pretty flexible) and they would put on a show where they did skits or some dances, etc. It wasn't Vegas, but it was not bad and on the shows they did where they danced to different Disney movies was good, as well as their Hollywood night which was actually Broadway as they did a number of songs from different musicals.

Pictures: The pink guy in the picture was leading the aerobics the day I took part...he eventually jumped in the water with us**)

The other fun thing they do every night was an ice breaker. This was essentially just a way to get the crowd involved and laughing. The very first night we were there our friend got pulled onto stage. All I can say is that the number 4 has a whole new meaning to him now (think Michael Jackson). Another night we watched as the people on stage had to go out to the crowd and get items from the crowd (or themselves if they had it). It started off easy with a pen, then two drinks, etc. But it got more risky when they started to ask for 3 pairs of pants and shirts! And then riskier when the final item they needed were three bras...and they actually got them from people!! At the end the animation team took all the clothes they had received from people and in one big pile people had one minute to run up and get their clothes back! It was hilarious to watch the crowd of peopel swarm the stage...and then the turned the lights out! That was funny (and I was so glad I wasn't on stage that night).

Pictures: The one is the group shot of the animation team (notice they grabbed Shiela for the photo...can't blame them!!) The other photo is us four with Shaggy and Macho Macho.

The final night we were there I did end up on stage but lucky for me it was an easy one. We had to sing La Bamba in Spanish (they had a clipboard with the words on it). I did the best I could and it ended up coming down to me and this other guy from England. The winner was determined by the crowd and it was essentially everyone cheering for their country...which England had a lot more of. But in the end our Canadians came through and we ended up with a tie which won both of us a bottle of rum. It was a great way to end things off.

The cool thing about being in a different country is that you get to meet a lot of people from other countries as well. We ended up hanging out with some people we met from Scotland quite a bit and we also talked a lot of with some people from England. That was neat and you learn a bit about other countries through it all (while laughing on the inside at all their accents!)

We also went on a few excursions. The best one by far was the Outback Jungle Safari. Our tour guide Rudy was amazing and gave us lots of details about the Dominican and just had fun with all the tourists. And the things he did on that truck could never be done in Canada. For instance, he hung off the back of the truck while handing out drinks (including alcohol) to people on the truck. He climbed off onto the side of the truck to pull things off trees as we went by. And if you asked for a Pepsi and Rum (the Pepsi was the only bad part of the tour) he would take a Pepsi, open the bottle cap with another Pepsi, turn around and pour some of the Pepsi into the street and then pour some of the rum into the Pepsi bottle. Then he would put the cap back on, shake it up a bit and pass it down to whoever ordered it! Oh, and don't forget that he is doing this while hanging off the back of the truck the whole time while cruising down the highway!

The Safari was great as we saw the Dominican countryside, went to a real Dominican house in the country and had some coffee, visited a fruit plantation where we at grapefruit freshly picked, swam in a river, and went boogie boarding in the ocean. Definately worth every penny!

Pictures: Rudy (our guide) handing out drinks on the tour. Shiela and I holding a crocidile. A young boy holding two snakes for us to see as we travelled down a river on the tour boat.

We also went on a quad tour which was fun too. We each had a quad and cruised around behind our tour guide through some back roads, through puddles, through the city streets and to the ocean as well. The tour guide for this was not very good at all, but the quadding was a lot of fun.

Picture: This was the four of us after the tour...we were pretty muddy and then we walked right by everyone at the pool! I think they sold about 5 more tours because people saw how much fun we had.

Our final excursion was a snorkeling one to Sosua Beach. Unfortunately though, the waves were too big that morning and so the snorkeling wouldn't be good and we didn't get to go into the water but rather had to stay on the beach. That was fine as we did a bunch of shopping in all the shops along there and bought some souvenirs. Next time we go we'll actually go scuba diving which would be a lot of fun. My friends wife and I did an introductory scuba diving less0n in the pool and it was pretty neat. Very weird to be actually breathing under water.

Picture: This was at the entrance to Sosua beach and all the shops. To the right is the "Treehouse" which has a tree growing right up through the shop!

After the week was up it was time to once again cram onto the uncomfortable charter flight back to the extremely cold weather. The best part was we missed all the -50 degree weather which was great and it was a balmy -25 or so when we got home. Will I ever venture to the Garden of Eden again...most definately. These hot vacations are definately the way to go and I can't wait to visit more Garden's in some other countries too.

Any recommendations on where we should go next?

Mayor's Prayer Breakfast Should Get Renamed

Ever since Don Atchison has been mayor in Saskatoon we have had a yearly prayer breakfast for him. It has been a tradition in Saskatoon for a long time, but when Jim Maddin was Mayor he got rid of it. I'm glad Don reinstated it.

The problem is that this prayer breakfast is no longer a focus on prayer for the Mayor. It used to be a time where the people who came actually wanted to pray for the Mayor. Now the focus has completely shifted away from that and I think they just tack on a quick prayer at the end so they can still call it that.

Last year I went and it was a packed house of over 2500 people. The food was great, there were a lot of "important" people there as well as families of all the fallen soldiers Saskatoon has had as of late. The problem was that the entire event was basically focused on these fallen soldiers. Now I have nothing against that at all and am glad those soldiers are willing to fight for our country, but I don't think this event is the time or place to honour them. I would have been fine with a short tribute to them, however it went on and on and the entire event dragged on for way too long (I think it got near 3 hours). Then they tacked on a prayer at the end.

This year they have announced that they will be honouring the three football teams that had great seasons...the Hilltops, the Riders, and the Aden Bowman Bears, and Kent Austin is to be the keynote speaker. What does that have anything to do with a Mayor's Prayer Breakfast!! I also have nothing against football (except that it in no way is as good as soccer), but do we really need to honour the Riders during a Mayor's prayer breakfast?

I think the organizers of this event are simply trying to propel this event into a huge thing and get as many people there as possible. They want to get 5000 people there this year! It used to be a more intimate event of around 250 people who actually cared about the prayer part of the event and the focus was on the Mayor.

So what do you think? Is this event really a Mayor's prayer breakfast anymore or is it ok to tack along all these other things in order to attract a much larger number of people?

New Favourite Worship Song

I love music although I don't consider myself musical. For Christmas Shiela bought me a satellite radio so now I can listen to music all day of any genre I like. Listening to the Christian station Spirit I have heard this great new song....Song of Hope by Robbie Seay Band. If you haven't heard it yet, stop reading my blog and go to ITUNES and buy the track (or download it for free if you are into that kind of thing)...you won't regret it.

Click here to read the lyrics.

Playing Catchup

This past week was once again spent in Toronto. I flew out Monday and got back home about midnight on Thursday. We were doing training with all our Marketing Coordinators from across Canada for the Hbc Run for Canada and it was great to be able to meet the people I would be working with for the next 6 months. Other years we have always done the training over the phone and this was by far better!

I really enjoyed my time there this time around. We were staying at the Marriott Eaton Centre which is connected to the huge Eaton Centre mall. They have the softest beds ever and my king size bed was so comfortable. They also have large 37" (I think) flat screen TV's in all the rooms with lots of TV channels. I also ended up having VIP status since I was in charge of the group so when I got to my room I had a fruit bowel waiting for me along with a 1L glass bottle of water. I also had access to the VIP lounge which served a free breakfast every morning as well as hors doeuvres in the evening. It was great to use that a bit and I took a few of their mini jams home because they came in little one serving jars which I thought was cool. It was a great time but I only ended up sleeping about 4-5 hours per night as I was always ensuring things were ready for the next day. It also didn't help that at 1:00am in the morning one night the hotel also had a fire alarm. It turned out to be a false alarm but it still woke everyone up in the hotel.

I arrived home Thursday night after a terrible flight on Air Canada. First, the take off was horrible and as we started into the air the entire plane swayed back and forth. Then for the entire first hour they wouldn't turn off the seat belt sign because they were worried about turbulence. So that meant no snacks, no drinks, no headphones (they give you free ones) and they didn't turn the movies on (they also have free movies to watch). Finally they turned off the seat belt sign and the TV's came to life...but after about 2 minutes the seat belt sign was on again. Luckily the TV's stayed on and so those people who happened to already have headsets they had brought (or taken from a seat as they walked in the plane like I did) were able to watch movies. The problem was the person I was travelling with did not have headphones. I told her to just quickly get up and go see if she could grab some off the seats in front of us as we saw lots of them on the way in. So she quickly got up and walked up a few rows. Instantly, over the speaker system on the entire plane, the flight attendant said "Miss, you need to sit down...I don't want to embarrass you but you can't walk around." I guess they take that sign seriously.

So then I started to watch a movie and chose to watch Stardust. But I could hardly hear the sound because the plane was so loud you had to press the headphones to your ears to hear anything. And it was freezing cold as well! Finally the seat belt sign went off and due to all the sitting they offered everyone free drinks, including alcohol. So although I rarely drink, I decided to have a rum and Coke...and didn't really enjoy it, but at least I got my money's worth! Then it happened once again...with about 10 minutes left in my movie they turned off the TV's because we were going to land. UGHHH! That is the second time now. The first time was about a year ago when I missed the last 15 minutes of The Departed (I still don't know what happens) and now I don't know what happens at the end of Stardust. That is very annoying.

Now I'm back and home and glad it's the weekend. Although travelling is fun, it is exhausting and I'm glad I'm home for a while...until we go to the Dominican...but that's another story.

Handy Dandy Man

Now although I’ve watched the movie What Women Want, it is still a mystery to me exactly what women look for when they make that big decision and pick their man for life. But if there is one thing Shiela didn’t marry me for it was my handyman skills.

A couple months ago Shiela and I cleaned up our basement and so now we can actually go down there and hang out if we wanted. But I wasn't satisfied with just that and I wanted to make it even better…so I decided to add a dimmer switch.

So I got started. First things first, I pulled out my handy dandy Home Depot Guide that helps people like me do regular handyman things around the house. I flipped the book open to the “How to install a dimmer switch” and began this very simple task. It looked very simple and according to the book a beginner should take 45 minutes to complete this task. I’m a beginner, I told myself, and I can’t see it taking longer than that. Besides, the book tells you how to do it and I also had the instructions from the dimmer switch.

I finally had everything ready to go. I had the book open, the instructions laid out, my tools laid out and I was ready to go. I had mentioned this idea to a few friends and they assured me that I wouldn’t need to turn off the power. Knowing how my friends are I did the opposite and flicked the breaker and saw the lights go out. I was ready to begin.

It started easy enough and I had the wall plate off quickly. "I’m on a roll," I thought as the cocky meter went up a few notches. I pulled out the old light switch and stared at the wires protruding from it. Then I glanced at the instructions and at their diagram. Then back at the real light switch wires. Then back to the instructions. Then to the book. Then to the instructions. Then to the light switch. The quick head movements left me dizzy and I hit the floor realizing I was stuck. None of the images looked the same and I was not sure where to even begin. So I did the only reasonable thing I could think of…I went upstairs for a Coke!

Once I had some of the sweetest nectar on earth I went back at it. There were more wires in the light switch then there were suppose to be and that threw me off for a bit, but I slowly started to figure it out. I finally figured out which were the two main wires and why there was that extra one and got the old light fixture off. Then I had the simple task of stripping the wires so I could connect them to the switch. Easy enough I figured since I had this tool they call a wire stripper. I clasped the tool around the wire and let go to watch the show. Nothing happened. Ah, I knew the problem. I went to the stereo, turned on some dance music and sat back to watch. Still nothing. Ah, whatever, so much for a wire stripper. I guess you have to help it out. Now I have seen some men use this tool before and it is very easy. Although their's must have been broken too because it wasn’t stripping on its own. They simply clasped the tool around the plastic surrounding the wire, pulled, and the plastic came off. Easy enough I figured. So I clasped the tool around the plastic wire, pulled, and…nothing. The plastic wouldn’t come off. I tried again. Nothing. What the! I finally had to pull out my exacto knife and slowly cut the plastic off the wire which took forever, but finally the wire was stripped and ready to be attached.

Inch by inch I slowly moved my hand towards the light socket wire and was ready to connect the two. It was easier then I thought and I was able to twist them together and put on the little protector thingy. That was simple I thought. I grabbed the next wire and grabbed the wire from the wall to twist them together and it was easy. Wow this was easy. I sniffed the air like a man who was in total control and reached in to the light socket to see what wires were left. The next thing I knew my finger felt like a lightening bolt and I was on my back staring at the ceiling. As I staggered back to my feet I realized that the wires from the other light switch in the same socket (it was a dual light switch) were still live. I won’t forget that again.

Finally, after only 3 hours and 12 minutes of total working time over the course of 36 hours, I had the dimmer switch installed. I was excited and couldn’t wait to try it out. I went to the breaker box and flicked the switch that had been off for the last 36 hours. As the switch flicked on, the first thing I heard was a motor starting up again. "What did I install?" I thought to myself. But then the noise got louder and I looked to my left. Low and behold, there was our upright freezer that had once again started running now that I had turned the breaker back on. My heart dropped as I realized I had turned off the power to the freezer at the same time as the light switch and hadn’t noticed! I dropped to my knees imagining the steaks starting to moo again as they slowly came back to life from being frozen. But I figured I had enough adventure for one day and as I heard the mooing of the cattle behind me I turned off my newly installed and working perfectly dimmer switch, walked up the stairs, and went to the computer to inform the writers of the Home Depot book that they needed a new category for people like me called “Don’t Have a Stinkin’ Clue.”

A Wonderful Holiday

The holidays are basically over and I will be back to work tomorrow. Normally when it's time to go back to work it's a little disappointing because I feel like I never got enough of a holiday, but this time it feels different. Although I could easily stay on holidays for longer I feel that I had an excellent break and it's time to get back into a regular routine.

One of my favourite days this holiday season (besides Christmas day) was the day we set aside for video games. I don't play many video games, mainly because I don't have a new gaming machine, so when I get a chance to play vids I like to play a lot...and a lot is what we did. We set aside Dec 28 as vids day and a friend came over with his Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii along with Guitar Hero III and so myself along with 5 other people played video games for 14 hours straight! My fingers hurt quite a bit from playing Guitar Hero, but that game was so sweet it was totally worth it. You really feel like you are playing guitar for real!!

The rest of my vacation was spent relaxing while watching movies, playing board games and working on a new business idea. It was a great time and each day I woke up I was happy because I still had so many days off still to come.

Now that it is a New Year I once again thought about resolutions. I glanced back at my post I made last year about what I wanted to accomplish this year and I didn't follow it too well. I did not get back in shape, I didn't finish my book, and I didn't accomplish any of my ideas I come up with. However I did manage to go an a date night most weeks with Shiela, and I did work less before Christmas. So this year I'm not making any resolutions, however I do want to finish my book (already started), get back in shape (already bought a leisure card and am actually using it) and hopefully start up a new business. I guess we'll see how it goes!

Happy New Year!