pierced times 4 times

Metal person

I now have a total of seven piercings. This last Saturday (two days ago) I brought out my friends Adam, Jenn and Crystal to my 'hometown' I grew up in. I went to the piercing shop my friend from highschool works at. She ran a needle through my ears four times, twice in each lobe. Now I'm set up for orbitals, where one ring sits within two piercings. At the moment I'm wearing four rings as the swelling goes down within the next few days, and soon after I'll be good to go with my orbitals.

Motorpickle

I've insured my motorcycle, a Yamaha Virago 750cc all cherry red with flame tints. I've been riding that around the last week, save for the days it rains (3 of them, today included because it's rainy).

People

I've still been keeping busy. I got kicked out of a bar two weekends ago, I think because I was too drunk and stumbling when I walked. Not very proud of that, but it was my first time getting kicked out.

Likewise, there have been lots of movies to watch and beaches to walk and frappuchinos to drink and lakes to swim and sun to soak up and floors to dance on. This is still an awesome summer, and only 1/4 started.

-I've seen the ex around, maybe she's seen me too

Frappuchino on the lake

Frappuchino on the lake

For my own records; Frappuchinos on Kal Lake, at the end of the dock. Laying on our backs, pointing out constellations and realizing no one else can see where you're pointing. Getting cold then getting someone else to warm you up. Game of Questions. Long drive. This blog sounding like a yearbook writeup.

-How many times...

beach and movies

Learning so much

I've been busy this entire last week and a half. I've been trying to maintain a decent amount of sleep and it has been tough. Take yesterday for instance; I wake up early in the morning so I can stop in Summerland to visit a friend at her work before meeting my other friends for a hike and barbeque. She's a hostess at a vineyard and looks very nice in her work uniform. She sets up a little-wine tasting for me and we visit for a short time.

I finally get to Penticton to visit my other friends as we're all supposed to be going for a hike and then back to their place for a barbeque. Seven of us do our hike, and between the 7 of us we find a total of 20 ticks (lime-disease carrying pests that burrow into your skin) on ourselves. As far as I know, no one has found one buried into their skin, so we must have found them all.

We do the barbeque, have a water fight, chill out for a while then gradually all leave. I left at 5:30pm so I could make it back home to Vernon for 7 or 7:30, giving me enough time to get myself showered and ready for that night. I stop at my Grandma's before heading over to yet another friend's house in town, so I can give her her Mother's Day card a little early.

I arrive at my friend's place at quarter to 9 and find she knows another friend of mine from University, Kevin. So they all partied it up there for a couple hours. Steph didn't like that I wasn't drinking before heading out, so she fixed that problem.

Adam shows up, after I talked him into it. Steph calls Jenn, on Adam's behalf, for her to come out. I call Crystal, but she didn't have the opportunity to go out. So our group all went out, we drank, we danced. I don't think I ever drank so much while out in town before. Even after the night was over and I was back at Stephanie's place, we talked until 5am, the sun was coming up and I was still feeling the alcohol. When I drove home, I still hadn't slept and the sun was shining in my eyes.

I woke to the sound of the phone ringing at 11am. So today I hung out at the beach all day, followed by dinner elsewhere and hours worth of movies. We watched "Zoolander", "8 Crazy Nights", and "Anchorman", all of which I had never seen before. Adam missed out on the fun at the beach and the movies so I rented "The Machinist" and watched that at Adam's place.

Now I'm home and I work in 6 hours. You can see the problem... so many things to do and not enough hours in the night to do it. It has been like that the last 11 days. I've done coffee, chilled at the beach, shot pool, cooked dinner, walked, partied in a gravel pit, fed ducks, more coffee, gone clubbing, gone hiking, tasted wine, barbequed, gone to Karaoke, hung out in a pub, partied at a house, played Nintendo64, played GameCube, watched the above mentioned movies as well as "The Family Stone", "Donnie Darko", and "Austin Powers 3: Goldmember", and stayed up all night watching infomercials and cooking shows; I've probably forgotten what else might have been done, and all of the above has been done with at least one member of the opposite sex.

-Shaping up to be the best summer ever

ex bleh

Too Awesome!

This shirt is dedicated to the one ex-girlfriend every guy has in his life that makes a man wonder, "What the hell was I thinking?" Sure, your buddies knew she was the devil from the beginning and they did try to warn you, but did you listen? Of course not. Were you blind? Were you just too stupid? Nope. You were just going through a Rite of Passage every man must make in his life. Like those National Geographic specials where the young male villagers must go wrestle a crocodile to be declared a man. Well, think of that crazy ex-girlfriend as that crocodile. Just be happy that you didn't put a ring on that crocodile's finger and decide that you wanted to wrestle it for the rest of your life. Because there are those poor, unfortunate bastards out there. I mean, who the hell would want to do that forever? Well, there are some guys who just plain like to wrestle crocodiles. Or how does this sound, "Sorry guys, can't go out tonight and have fun, have to stay home and wrestle the crocodile." You see where this is going? So to the young bucks who are just coming up, don't worry, your crocodile is out there and you will get to wrestle her soon enough. To the veterans, I raise my beer to you and say, "When going through hell, keep going."

-Had I the money, I'd buy that shirt

entertain me

Michael Shantz

I'd like to take up some space here on my blog to bring your attention to a very talented artist and good friend of mine, Mike Shantz. If you know of anyone needing some original art done in a unique style, contact him through his myspace account or email me and I'll pass the message along to him. He's particularly interested in album art for musicians. He does posters too, as well as water colour, acrylics and designs for clothing.

-Check him out

Summer time is here

Everyone has moved home for the summer break. Motorcycles are on the road. People are getting out during the day to enjoy the sun.

I went for a hike Friday afternoon throughout Kalamalka Lake Park. That was a good walk. I didn't see any rattlesnakes or marmots or really anything else of interest. Not that I really really want to come across a rattlesnake anyway, but I'm the typical wide-eyed boy about strange creatures. I guess I'm just curious.

-Slow update season

school is almost out now

What can I say here?

I don't really know what to write here. I want to write about all the cool things that have been happening to me lately, but at the same time I know there is the remote possibility that Melissa is reading this. I don't want to rub salt into any wounds that may be present. I currently have a scar, which is why I'm able to continue living with all these great people and have a good time doing it. I'm sure one day that scar may open and I'll be left with a big ugly wound again, but nothing that won't make me tougher the next time around.

And with that, if She doesn't want to be hurt reading my stuff then she doesn't have to read my stuff. And if She wants to read so she can see I've moved along and am having a good life, so be it.

Black Nails

I had black fingernails all day long yesterday. I felt pretty damned good about it, too. One girl told me she thought it was hot for a guy to be comfortable enough with his 'feminine side' to wear black nail polish and feel good about it. Another girl offered to help me out with my right hand next time :-/ I'm no lefty. She also offered her nail polish, seeing how I don't have any and had to use a black sharpie marker.

Hmm, what else? I spent two hours in the school weight room last night. I feel pretty good about that. I went there with a friend of mine from residence here (Did I mention I've moved into residence on campus?) I've got Aikido tonight but unfortunately it is year-end and all my classes are asking for the class projects to be completed.

I have met some great people up here in residence. One is the little sister to a girl I went to school with/lived in residence with three years ago. The girl who offered her assistance with my finger nails is from Salmon Arm (it's about an hour from here) which is cool because she went to/graduated from the same school I went to while I lived there (as some may recall, I moved away from there at the end of my grade 11 year to graduate in Georgia for my grade 12 year).

I can stay up waaay late :) which is what I did last night. I've been working on an "Artificial Intelligence" class project. I finally got my intelligence working in my Minesweeper program. So my Minesweeper can partially solve a board. I just have to tell the program what not to do, because some times it picks blatantly wrong choices that no human would choose.

There's my quick update. I was up until 4am last night. It is currently 9:48am and I have class in 12 minutes.

-Busy school life

Teh Funny

Teh Funny Cyanide and Happiness

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net
-Hooray for theme parks

lit happy

"Lit - Happy In The Meantime"

It's just another reason why
It all comes down to you and I
Just have another drink
Waste some time with me
We're happy in the meantime

I've gotta make up for losin' time
Cuz I've been spinnin' my wheels all night
And I can't wait
Can't hardly wait to see you
Things seem better off now
I think I'm better off now

[CHORUS:]
It's just another reason why
It all comes down to you and I
Just have another drink
Waste some time with me
We're happy in the meantime

I guess the rain's gonna follow me
Cuz it's been droppin' in minor D.
And I can't wait
Can't hardly wait to see if
Things seem better off now
I think I'm better off now

[CHORUS]

Well save a little rain
And wash away the pain
I'll try and keep it clean
I'll show you what I mean
I don't wanna keep you holdin' on
Cuz in the morning I'll be gone

-So long.

great people

Great people did not become great by following others.

Mahatma Gandhi gained independence for India through civil disobedience.

And there is that Che Gueverra guy.

The little engine that could never gave up when the others expected him to fail.

The ugly duckling didn't drown himself in a pond.

Ok, so I ran out of real world examples. The point being, great things happen when people follow their own path and listen to their heart, figuratively speaking. So do what you feel is right to do. If you follow others, either through advice or opinion, you may regret it later. Blaze your own trail and you may one day become a great person who has touched the life of many people.

-It all starts with touching the life of one person.

falling out here

It's tough.

My exgirlfriend and I had a bit of a fight yesterday. She came home with waffles, a nice gesture because she doesn't eat waffles, I do. There were a lot of waffles. Then I found out she had done something that upset me. I should not have been upset. At least, I wouldn't have been upset had I moved out of our apartment two months ago. As was written previously in my blog, I had decided to live with her as a room mate, and if I had it my way, a friend. Things were good, until I got upset.

I apologized sincerely soon after my words were done. She invited me to go with her into town for errands, nice enough, but she said she would not talk any more of what had upset me. I agreed; my exact words were, "I won't ask, you won't tell. What I don't know can't hurt me." To which she replied, "Then maybe I should tell you everything so it hurts you."

Ouch. How uncalled for was that. I hurt, I was really hurt. I told her she could leave without me, that I'd do what I needed to do without her, later. When she left, I locked my computer with a password. I also password protected the screensaver. I was more upset at what she had said than what I inquired her about earlier that hour. I reacted, I removed her access to the social aspects of the internet.

I packed what I needed and left. When she came home, she was angry to find I had locked her out of the computer. To be fair, I had said she could continue to use the computer after our breakup and that should she find she still needed a computer after she and I moved out and went our separate ways that I would allow her to continue to use the same computer in her new home. She phoned me, pleading for me to grant her the password to the computer. She even said 'Please' which almost broke my heart to continue to deny her. I retaliated to her hurtful words when now I know I shouldn't have retaliated at all. At least that's how I feel.

I phoned her back soon after, getting her voicemail, and left her a message with the password. Later, still, I went back to our home and I unlocked the other password protection I had committed; the login screen. She wasn't home when I did this, but she walked in just as I was walking out. Again it hurt me so much to hear the anger in her voice. Nobody deserves to be yelled at, and nobody deserves hurtful words regardless of what another has done. And I expect, after hurtful words have been exchanged, the conscience comes around and that person feels it appropriate to apologize.

Here I am, I apologize in regard to my actions. I'm sorry I retaliated by locking her out of the computer I gave her permission to access. And as such, I think I am being an honourable person when I say (knowing that she has access to read this and I hope she does) that she need not apologize to me. Am I naive in seeing (or thinking I see) the good in all people? I forgive her for her harsh and unexpected words. I could very well just go home, but that would be me causing a thorn in her side. I've paid rent up to the end of this month, I'm entitled to be there. But if she really hates me and wants to cause me hurt like she said she did, I don't think I can go back there.

I want to make the best of the next few weeks. Maybe we'll agree to disagree and I will just move my stuff out next week. Either way, this issue needs to be resolved. I want to talk to her. I want to thank her for the waffles. I want to be comfortable in my own home.

-Story of a lonely guy

waggy lyrics

Blink-182 - Waggy

Watching your house shrink away in my rear-view mirror
As I drive away
Wishing that I could take back all those words
That meant nothing that I didn't say

I'm trying
To be what you want me to be
But it's so damn hard to keep playing the part
Of the fool, week after week

I think you need some time alone (I think you need some time alone)
You say you want someone to call your own
Open your eyes, you can suck in your pride
You can live your life all on your own

Is this all going to be just another time
That we play this game?
I've tried to convince you that things could be different
But somehow they end up the same

But what
Did you expect from me? What am I supposed to do?
You say that you're starting to feel like you're getting lost
Well, I do, too

I don't wanna live this lie again (I don't wanna live this lie again)
I know I'll get it right but I don't know when
I'll open my eyes, I've got something in side
I'll just jack off in my room until then

It's never over 'til it's done
And I don't think that you're the one
It's never over 'til it's done

-And I don't think that you're the one

much ado about sex

Much ado about sex

The title says it. But I'm thinking more along the lines of how to become a better lover. Back in my youth (ok, so I am still in my youth) my Dad gave me The Talk by giving me a book to read and telling me, "If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask."

So I've grown up (but still not that grown up) with that in mind. I ask questions when I want to know more about something. I can still call up my parents and strike up a conversation with them about things that would make others blush. We were not hedonists in any sense at all; there was still very much a sense of privacy in our home, while growing up. And look at me, I'm getting off topic here. Point being, I'm looking to better myself and I'm expanding my resources.

The aforementioned book is titled "Sex: A Mans Guide" by Mens Health Magazine. It's some 600 pages long and covers most anything a 15 year old boy could want to know about sex. I read it cover to cover, appreciating what my Dad did for me in providing me with this book. It was his book, so I returned it to him when I was through reading it. This is the point where I'm supposed to tell you the words of wisdom he imparted on me that day, but I really can't recall if he said anything. Years later (two years ago) I came across the same edition of the book in a used book store. Needless to say, I purchased it.

That about covers my book experience, short of "Penthouse Letters" and the various porn magazines bought for me as practical (and how practical!) jokes over the years. Have you ever heard of Sue Johanson? She's this wonderful lady (at least she comes across as a wonderful lady on TV) who plays host on the television show "The Sunday Night Sex Show", though now I think it has been renamed "Talk Sex with Sue Johanson". Well, almost every year she comes to the University I attend, and every year I've missed her appearance. She'll be visiting here March 3 and I intend to attend. I don't know if it'll be a taped (for TV) event, or if it's just a seminar with a question/answer period at the end. Jeez, wouldn't that be scary? asking questions about your (failed?) sex life in front of a forum of people. I love the lady, and I hope she's as pleasing in person as she is through the CRT.

I've ordered the "Kama Sutra" by Anne Hooper. It's another text to study. You can't by this book used. Well, you physically can because it is possible to. But it's a sex guide, people. Do you really want to order someone else's used sex guide? I didn't think so.

-I'm blessed to have such open minded parents.

peph and myspace

Afterthought: I'm on MySpace

Yeah, after reading Pephemie's most recent post on her blog, it appears she's got a MySpace profile as well. And that brought to my attention that I don't know where hers is on MySpace... which led me to the "Aha!" moment that no one knows where my profile is either. So here it is.

-I don't blog on MySpace... that's what this is for.

wisdom of cliffy

Some advice from Cliffy B

I would have asked his permission to post this on my blog but the guy never responds to my emails so I can never be sure he even gets them in the first place.

-----
Find someone that makes you feel like a king/queen. Hang on to them.

The second they stop looking at you "that way" it's time to leave.

Relationships are like cell phone providers. None are perfect. You just find one that works most of the time and doesn't flake out on you when you need it most.

Spooning is fun... until you wake up with a numb arm.

Clumsy is the new sexy.
-----

Excellent words of wisdom, thanks CliffyB.

-Back to studying for my Artificial Intelligence midterm

upkeep of me

Philosophy

Sitting here in philosophy class, Phil 121. It's a first year course and doesn't ask much work of me. That's kind of a good thing, as I don't really want to work to get a grade here. One of my computer science professors tells me 'The smart programmer is a lazy programmer' so why not extend that to first year classes? The smart student is a lazy student. So study when you need to and have fun otherwise... maybe.

-Don't take this advice if it is your first year of post-highschool education

just a bad time of my life

Was busy for a while

My girlfriend and I, of the last 3 years and 4 months, have seperated. It's not an easy thing to do, but she wanted to go through with it. I loved her, and indeed still do, so it is really tough for me. How do you get over something like that? I'm doing my best to keep myself busy. I've joined my University's Aikido club. I get out to visit my friends more. I sleep in more than I used to. I don't want to have to keep myself busy, but it helps to alleviate the hurt. I hope I never get good at things like this.

So in honour of our lost relationship, I present to you Craig's Brother and their song "Set Free".

Craig's Brother - "Set Free"

I guess there's only one place to go from here
I think the options are clear anyway
I'm sure you're tired of waiting for me
To figure out where you fit in
I guess I'm afraid of what we could be
Cause I don't want to sell you short of your dreams
I'm sorry for making you wait for me
Cause I don't want to hold you down
But I don't want to set you free
I don't want to make you run from me

I guess it's hard to believe that I
Could make myself give up
After all this time you and me
Trying hard to make sense of our differences
Pretending we both had everything
I guess I believed in our fantasy
You only loved the one you wanted me to be
I'm sorry for breaking your faith in me
I don't want to hold you down

But what if you're more than I could please
Could you accept apologies?
I don't want to squander all your time
I don't want to mislead you
I think we both knew that it was done
Sorry I had to be the one
Sometimes I wish it were the other way around

-I wish you weren't supposed to be set free

deck of cards

Ace of Spades

I got this cool Bicycle magic card set. Two packs of Bicycle cards, red and blue, with 20-something card tricks inclusive. This is mostly for my own record, as I'm programming a deck of cards for use in a future game of mine. I want to be able to find this post and look back on it as a sort of guideline for myself. Here's what I need in the future:

Deck order:

With the deck face up (face of cards facing me) the order is
Joker one.
Joker two with the Bicycle guarantee.
Ace of Spades followed by 2 of spades consecutively to the 10, Jack, Queen, King of Spades.
Followed by the same order of the Diamond suit.
Now the order changes to the King of Clubs followed by Queen, Jack, 10 down to 2 then Ace of Clubs.
Followed by the same King, Queen, down to Ace order for the Heart suit.
The last two cards, face up, are a Special Mail-In Offer for Official Rules of Card Games with instructions on the back of the card.
Then a card with an offer to join the American Contract Bridge League. This card has the normal blue back on it, the only card without the blue back is the Mail-In offer card.

[Edit] I really should also note the following:
The One-Eyed Jacks are of Spade and Heart suit.
The Kings with swords are Spade, Club and Hearts.
The King of Hearts is stabbing himself in the head.
The King of Diamonds has an axe.
The King of Diamonds is the only King with one eye.
The King of Diamonds is not holding his axe, but has an open hand.
The Jack of Clubs is the only Jack to have a feather in his cap.
The Jack of Hearts isn't holding his axe, he is holding a flower.
All Queens have flowers, except the Queen of Spades is not holding hers in her hand.
All the Jacks and Kings have moustaches except the Jack of Diamonds and Clubs and the King of Hearts.


The back of the cards look like a standard blue back. Doesn't look like there's any indication as to what the card might be on the other side. I only mention this because my cousin once had a deck of cards that by looking in one specific corner, there was a set pattern that would dictate what the face and suit value on the other side of the card would be. Theoretically, if you learned the pattern, you could say, "I know what card this is,it's the Queen of Clubs," just by reading the pattern.

I wasn't expecting the order of cards to change have way through the brand new deck. Honestly, I was expecting Ace through King for all of Spade, Diamond, Club, Hearts. This order might be exclusive to Bicycle brand cards.

I've got a red deck as well, that came with the pack. When I say 'Blue' deck or 'Red' deck, I refer only to the back of the cards. I'm sure the face of the cards are the same for the Blue and Red deck. And as far as I can tell, the picture is the same for both decks, just a different colour. There are 4 winged cherubs that appear to have a fish bottom with a tail in the corners of the cards backs with two winged cherubs in the center on either half. These cherubs in the middle have legs and look to be riding bicycles in the direction of "out of the card" toward the viewer.

I'm not looking to rip-off Bicycle with any design of my cards for my game. I guess I'm just recording everything I see because that's the way I am... crazy.

I'm installing a Christmas present to my computer as I write this and study these cards. "Beyond Good and Evil" by Ubisoft, and it's playing some "Propaganda" song while I'm doing it. It's a catchy tune, and probably the main theme of the game. I've been looking forward to this game since its release, and 3 years later and a $12 price tag it's about time I give it a try.

[Edit] The book of tricks that came with the set says on the inside that the
"Blue deck is the 'trimmed deck'"
"Red deck is the 'standard deck'"
That means, the trimmed deck is physically cut differently at manufacture so that one end of the cards is slightly narrower than the other end. So when you are to, say, look for a certain card in the deck chosen by another person, you can flip the deck around and have the selected card put in 'backwards'. This allows you to easily feel for the card that was chosen by the other person.

-Time to learn some magic card tricks again!

dinner at the outlaws

Nothing bad to say today.

christmas tunes

Christmas Night Of The Zombies

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. I dreamt that there were zombies right outside my window Christmas night. Hungry for some flesh to eat, but I was hungry for a fight. The living dead they walk the earth, to bite on you where death do meet.

Christmas night of the living dead, my face is green and the snow is red.

Whoa. Whoa. I'm breaking bones with my bare hands, theres hundreds of them closing in. I'm running out of ammo now. I need to get the axe again to split some heads in two and by to see their bodies falling down. Struggle to survive the Christmas night when zombies came to town.

Christmas night of the living dead, my face is green and the snow is red.

I creeped in with the shotgun blast straight to the head. Bloody entrails, staring eyes. Now I'm the living dead.

Christmas night of the living dead, my face is green and the snow is red.
Christmas night of the living dead. We won't rest until your dead.

-I recommend the album: A Santa Cause - It's a Punk Rock Christmas

not long now

The end is near

Two weeks and regular classes are over. December 2 is the last day of classes for me and then it's time to study.

I'm waiting for DoomRPG to be released for my cell phone. Currently it's only offered by Rogers wireless and not for my carrier, so I'm forced to wait. I've been waiting for DoomRPG for a year now, it's still the last post in Carmack's blog (accessible from the links section to the left).

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire opens in (North American) theatres tonight. I'm thinking of maybe just spur-of-the-moment going to see it. Who knows, it depends what my girlfriend feels like doing later. Yeah, 3 years in and I'm still whipped :P

-Lord Voldemort is back