At Least it's Not Fort McMurray...

where have you been?

2008-08-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hey maybe it's time I came back

TSK !

2007-08-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

TSK

What is that ?

2007-08-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

2007-07-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Looks ok to me

2007-07-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

USA USA Go USA

Wintertime

2007-02-27T17:16:00.000-08:00

Not much blogging going on,it's wintertime.
D got sick last week so Denise went into maternal mode and took him to the hospital.She sat with him, for an hour or so, until they took him into the examination room. She waited the hour or so it took for them to let him out of the examination room. He came out with a scrip for Tylenol, Advil and some of the antibiotic that Homeland Security has been stockpiling for the bird flu.
Denise drove him back to the apartment,dropped him off while she went to get his meds.
Maternal instinct is a powerfull thing.
As well as his medicine she brought back a bag of ice for the fever,gallons of Gatorade to replenish electrolites and boxes of Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup just because it 's good.
When D got sick around Christmas I went out and got him some stuff.Pepto Bismol, bananas and a bottle of pop.
He got better both times.
later.............................

Valentine, the day.

2007-02-14T07:44:00.000-08:00

So what do two constuction guys do when they are 1500 km from home on a day set aside for lovers?
I'll tell you what, something decidedly unloverly.We didn't want anything like on that "Snickers" commercial to happen.
Usually we eat at the table, but today we were eating in front of the TV in our work clothes, slouched down, hand in our waist bands in case a good scratch was required,watching the sports channel.Only thing was we didn't have the sports channel on cable. D had to get on the phone with some guy at a call center in Minnesota to get the sports channel running. Mission accomplished; sports, all kinds.
Next came the food.Our usual fair is something on the light side and salad with a vinegrette type dressing.Not on a ,make no mistake about it, unloverly night. Today called for something thick and beany or pizza. Chili? Pork and beans?An all meat no veggy pizza?
The pizza was out I saw their ads for today, heart shaped. NO!
KFC here never heard of poutine,strike two.
Settled on a pork with out beans. A nifty stir fry straight from the infamous wok. After the slouch party watching "Great Bouts of the Twentieth Century" Lost came on. D tried to explain it to me. I turned on "Myth Busters".He left .
Later.....................

Who can?

2007-02-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

Can't wait 'til this guy gets a load of what we put up next to his sign.

Oil Tanks!

I can't have a gun here. I'm not a immigrant resident,just a guest worker resident.

What do we learn from this? A guest not immigrant worker can't have a gun.

A moron can.

An Attempt to Make Up For My Lack of "Blogging"

2007-01-24T07:16:00.001-08:00

Monday, January 15
aka My Least Favourite Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Recent Memory

6:03 AM- Arrive at Pearson International Airport- Terminal 2.
6:04 AM- I get in line for ticketing.
6:59 AM- Get ticket.
7:00 AM- Get in line for Customs.
7:01 AM- Clear customs. I am asked a total of zero questions. No eye contact is made.
7:02 AM- Get in line for security check.
7:04 AM- I look less suspicious than usual. I clear security.
7:05 AM- Dialogue briefly with security personnel about emptiness of airport, and how smooth things are going. Inadvertently jinx myself. Begin reading.
7:43 AM- Board plane. Aisle seat. All is well. Continue reading.
8:30 AM- Still on ground. Reading. Captain says we're waiting for weather to pass. Will update in 15-30 minutes
9:30 AM- Still on ground. Reading. First officer says we still must wait for weather to pass and will update in 10 minutes.
10:15 AM- Still on ground. Well past halfway point of book. Captain blames our delay on "society run by lawyers". He says we will return to the gate when one is available.
10:45 AM- No gate available. We must vacate our position on unused runway, so we proceed to some other spot on the tarmac. I realize if I finish this book, I will have nothing to read for the second leg of my flight. I attempt to watch "The Queen" on aisle ceiling- TV screen.
11:01 AM- There is an issue with "The Queen" VHS tape. Begin watching "All The King's Men".
11:04 AM- Continue to watch "All the King's Men", despite poorly recorded VHS and fact that tape was not rewound to the beginning.
11:15 AM- We are brought to an arrival gate, but not allowed to de-plane. "All The King's Men" is rewound to the beginning. Flight attendants provide water in cups.
11:40- People going to US on business for the day only are allowed to leave as they will not make it there in time for a return flight home. We are told all other flights have been cancelled, but that our flight will leave within 30 minutes.
12:10 PM- They lied. First officer announces that we now need to refuel. Unlike previous dilemma, no lawyers are faulted.
12:40 PM- Captain announces we are fueled and ready to go. Announcement coincides with key reveal to "All The King's Men" plot. Back to reading.
1:00 PM- "The Guardian" (feature film) begins.
1:12 PM- Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher lack the chemistry required to keep my attention.
1:30 PM- First officer announces that there is a large de-icing line. Second glass of water served. Brief attempt to sleep.
2:30 PM- We take off. Last chapter of book. I begin to suspect something is "going on" between couple sitting next to me.
2:45 PM- Book finished. Begin to read endnotes section of book. Nothing going on between couple. Girl has air sickness. Possibly on account of turbulence. Possibly due to what "went on".

***** NOTE: From now on, the time will be listed in Central time, as opposed to Eastern, which has been used to this point. ******

3:12 PM- First flight lands. Foodless and now bookless.
3:20 PM- Stand in line for "Customer Service" as I have missed my 9:45 AM connection.
3:40 PM- Line-up hasn't progressed. Guy in line describes a recent personal adventure. If it were a newspaper headline it would read "Visiting Businessman 'Accidentally' Orders Pornography" Subheading: "Complains it wasn't even a good one, not his type"
4:34 PM- Arrive at Customer Service Desk. Booked on 10:20 PM flight.
4:36 PM- Paper jam ensues while attempting to print my boarding pass.
4:44 PM- I say nothing while two airline employees try in vain to fix the machine.
4:52 PM- Man, this is a paper jam alright. They claim I can board plane without a ticket, but I'm not one to just walk away from the most exciting paper jam of my young life.
4:56 PM- Jammed paper be damned! I have a ticket. Seating area 2. A small victory in a losing battle.
5:03 PM- Get in line for Chili's.
5:21 PM- Seated at Chili's. Order salad & chicken sandwich.
5:51 PM- Begin digestive process. Chili's was a bad choice.
5:59 PM- Consider buying magazine for light reading. I am discouraged by fact that Maxim and Stuff magazine are behind black plastic case, and grouped with pornography. To avoid looking like airport pornography enthusiast I buy new books instead.
9:32PM- Book 2 finished.
9:33 PM- Begin walking aimlessly. Notice 10:20 flight delayed until 10:55. 10:20 PM- No plane in sight. Continue walking back and forth on moving sidewalks, pretending to skate. Begin to realize delirium is setting in.
10:55 PM- No plane.
11:15 PM- Plane!

At this point I stop looking at time. I am dead on the inside. My attempt to sleep on the plane is thwarted by speaker over head playing "Smack That" during flight.

1:12 AM- Touchdown. I decide I need a hotel.
1:20 AM- Minus 21 Celsius. I am alert. I decide to drive.
1:40 AM- Driving was a bad choice.
1:50 AM- Stop at Super 8. Ask for a non-smoking room. Room is provided after brief uncertainty.
1:56 AM- Room inspection. It appears clean. Time for bed.
1:57 AM- Undress to "Sleep Attire"
1:58 AM- Room inspection was rushed. Sheet laden with foreign hair.
1:59 AM- Dress in "Cover every inch of my body, including wearing a toque and gloves" attire
7:42 AM- Rod calls. I tell him I'm on my way to work. I'm able to leave immediately since I am already clothed.

Patina

2007-01-23T04:28:00.000-08:00

Yep he gave me ten bucks for the wok he burned up.I went out with my ten bucks to get a new one. Found it.
A real beauty, about 16" in diameter made of hammered Chinese steel.It cost more than ten bucks but it is Chinese hammered steel.While I was at it I picked up a new wooden spoon.Another fine example of Chinese craftsmanship. A good 20" long and made of beechwood. $1.77 us.
I had to get these back to the apartment to play with them.
The carboard packaging around the wok gave the instructions on how to season your new Chinese hammered steel wok.
First clean off the manufacturerer's shipping coat of grease or shellac or what ever they use to protect it from rust on the journey to the middle of the USA. Next put it on the stove ,pour in a couple of tbsp of oil and heat it up swirl it around the bottom and up the sides, let cool repeat 4 or 5 times. A rich patina will start to form. The patina only becomes richer with use.
I was on my third cycle of oil, heat, swirl, cool, when something on tv got my attention.
I stepped around the corner to see what was going on on tv , must have been standing there all of ten seconds.
I heard " OH MY GOD! FIRE. THERE'S A FIRE"
It was D
I went back around the corner and shit, a fire, there was a fire in my new Chinese hammered steel wok.
I caught a glimps of D's back as he was bailing out.I walked over put a lid on the wok .Out went the fire.
Then I heard the smoke detector.Stepped in the hall way to attend to that but D was already on it. Waving a book at it to clear it of smoke and stop the noise. Good thing we have books laying all over the place.
Went back into the kitchen to check out the wok . Peeked under the lid ,more clouds of smoke so I left it.About ten minutes later everthing had cooled down. I checked out the damage.My new spoon charred. Wok; a patina had formed alright. It was black but it wasn't rich.All is not lost though. A charred spoon will impart a smoky barbeque flavour to dishes that it is used to prepare. Everyone likes barbeque. The wok is a blacky bluey sort of colour, but not warped. And as the Chinese say a warped wok won't wok.......(tsk..couldn't help it)
Having my wits about me when it came to putting out the fire prevented a visit from the fire department. We wanted to see if those guys are as friendly as the cops. We'll just have to wait 'til next time.
later........................
Oh ya, gun show , next week,FFA hall, can't wait. 100 tables, 8' long, filled with guns
Assimilation......................... Resistance is futile.

Atrasado

2007-01-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to pick up some Spanish. I don't get everthing they are saying ,but I know they are talking about my new boots.Laughing in Spanish sounds the same as in English

A Wok to Remember: A Response in Haiku

2007-01-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

Teflon smells funny

My lungs and I paid the price

I gave you 10 bucks

TSK

2007-01-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

He burned up my wok.

He's ok with that though.

It was a self fulfilling prophecy.

Just like when your Mom said

"Don't wear your good pants outside,

you'll get grass stains on them"

Stay out of the kitchen,

you'll bug me!

tsk.

Open up it's the police!

2007-01-05T04:56:00.000-08:00

12:30 a.m.I slowly come around because my cell phone is ringing and D through the crack at the door asking "Did I hear that?"
There was someone at the apartment door banging on it ,pushing the button and yelling "Open up it's the police"of course D didn't get the door . You can't be too carefull.This is the second time cops have been banging at our door wanting it to be opened.
I threw off the covers to get at my phone, but by now it had stopped ringing.While I was fumbling with the phone in the dark trying to see who called,D was back at the door "The place is surrounded by police"
Oh boy our chance to get on "COPS" bad boys, bad boys.
As I struggled to put on my pants, the weak little bell on the phone sounded to let me know that someone had left a message.
Man o man; pants ,message, red and blue lights flashing through the window,D at the door, what in the world?All sorts of things were going through my mind. Late phone calls, far from home this can't be good. It's happened before.
Finally I retrieved the message. The local police were calling to let me know somebody had smashed into the company truck that was parked on the street, whew. Just then D is back at the door "I'm so sorry, your truck is up on the grass somebody crashed into it"
"Why are you sorry" I said.
"My first reaction is always guilt" he said ........tsk.
I head outside and am greeted by one of tenants in her housecoat watching the action. She welcomes me back from Canada and asks if I had a nice Christmas.
" Oh ya " I said "but I got business to take care of thanks anyway eh"
I walked toward the police "This your truck?" he said.
"Yep" I said
"Sorry we had to wake you"He said.
Holy mackeral ,"sorry", "welcome back",these people. I said"Don't be sorry"
He said that it couldn't be good being pulled out into the the street in the middle of the night.
No but it's not as bad as smacking up your car in the middle of the night.
"How's the driver?"
"Okay ,just a bump on her nose"said the cop.
That's about it. We just waited around for the tow truck to get the car out of there. I drove the truck around to my new $30 dollar a month parking spot, off the street.Went back inside shot the shit with D for a few minutes, done.
later...........................
P.S.
D got to see me in my underwear and he didn't scratch his eyes out. Amazing.....

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

2006-12-16T16:16:00.000-08:00

Howcome two opposite kind of guys can't go out shopping in a store together with out people jumping to conclusions.It's happened to me more than a few times.
A couple of years ago, out with MM buying a micro wave for the trailer.
Home Depot checkout:
"You two guys together then?"
"NO! Just because we are staying in the same apartment complex and he is slim and always tanned,and I'm not. We are not together"Tsk..............
Out with D in our favourite Wal-Mart,buying supplies.
At the checkout:
" You two guys together then?"
"No! Just because we are staying in the same apartment and he is young and I 'm not. We are not together." Tsk............
We were out at a local honky tonk and the subject of this blog came up.Denise's uncle had said to her,that it must be tough for two gay guys to be working in construction out in the midwest.She told him we weren't gay.Then he wanted to know who took the pictures. She told him that she didn't know, but we weren't gay.
This week we got a Christmas present in the site mail. Thanks who ever is responsible.But when we go out in matching, flaming red sweatshirts it's not helping.
later..................

Some kinda english teacher.

2006-12-16T05:05:00.000-08:00

Was in a restaurant a while back with D and D. A pretty nice place for a town this size. The server had a typical small town friendliness about her.We sat down and listened to her recite , from memory, the painfully long list of daily specials, impressive. We then asked about the wine.Now this was a different story,the wine list had to be pulled out.Reading from the book, she was going on about the perfect weather in France for the bourdeau, the peaty-earthiness of Austalian shiraz , the hints of chocolate, the subtle essences of vanilla,the peppery tones,when the sweet young thing stumbled over a word .The word was eminently. A good word when talking about anything with snob appeal.
Without thinking I jumped in.
"Eminently"
"What?" she said
"Eminently, the word is 'em uh nuhnt lee' "
" You some kinda english teacher or what?"
"No ,I just speak the language" I said.
"Ya, well what's it mean?"
In two seconds I had transformed the little professional restaurant server into the venomous pit viper that a truckstop waitress can be.
I could see this was not going to end well. I was getting this girl's dander up. This girl that was going to be handling plates of my food, in a room where I couldn't see what she or her mates were doing to it.
Time to give up.
Then I said it. Tsk.................. "I don't know" That hurt.
It hurt, but the smerk on her face said she was in possession of the ball.Things settled down.That's what I wanted . What I didn't want was a pit viper, it's buddies and my plate in the backroom.
I asked what kind the immently wine was and ordered some of that.
Along with the pork shank the wine went down quite well, being immently suited for it and all.
I've been back ,I drink house red, by the glass.

Later...............

Icons

2006-12-02T05:32:00.000-08:00

Not being a citizen of these here great United States has made it impossible for me to get a concealed weapons permit. So If I can't carry a gun around here no one can!

Caramba

2006-11-29T04:27:00.000-08:00

Denise is our girl Friday. All sites have them .You know what I mean ,when a visitor that deserves introductions, comes to site; she is the one that gets introduced as" Denise the girl that keeps this operation going."
Denise brought a loaf of crusty bread all the way from DEETROIT after the bread posting. She brought a big wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano even though there hasn't been a cheese posting.
Anyway we are having a lunch for the site this Friday . The lunch to show the guys we like the fact that they are working hard and safe. Denise is cooking chili.
Chili, she's got more nerve than Dick Tracy, she's cooking chili for a bunch of Mexicans!

How would you like to cook chili for these guys?

Told Ya

2006-11-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

Resistance is Futile !

Reminds me of home.

2006-11-17T17:25:00.000-08:00

Out first thing in the morning on my way to work I stop for coffee.It's the "General Store" just down the road. It's open very early , my kind of place but it has the dirtyest coffee pots I have ever seen.Really I think they get cleaned every two weeks.
Anyway don't you know this morning I poured my small coffee and as I was putting back the pot I hit the cup and dumped it all.............tsk
I looked over at the woman behind the counter,who hadn't seen what happened and called out that I had done a mischief. She stomped over saw what I had done and started to yell at me about the mess that I had made.
Well, I was taken aback. " This reminds me of home"I said
Shop keeper "Why do you spill everything there too ?"
Me " No but I'm used to getting yelled at"
She looked at me ,cracked her face with a smile and she said "ah don't worry I'll get the girl to clean it up"
This place is full of friendliness.
later...............................

It's The Thought That Counts

2006-11-17T07:05:00.000-08:00

Rod is a people person. I see evidence of this on a daily basis. Like last week at the dollar store, when Rod suddenly picked up a DVD player, waved it in a stranger's face and said "19.99! Can you believe it?!". When he sees a deal, he'll be sure to let you know about it. He's also concerned about the welfare of others. Yesterday at Dairy Queen, after Rod received his foot long hot dog, I received a chili burger despite ordering a flamethrower burger. After I explained the mix-up to the girl at the counter, Rod was visibly concerned. "Oh no... You're not going to get fired for this, are you?" he asked from across the room. He asked because he cares. This is why it should come as no surprise that he likes to reward hard work at the jobsite.

We've got a great workforce down here, but the unnamed worker shown above deserved the pseudo-recognition of being named our first "Empoyee of the Month".

BUSTED!

2006-11-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes Derek and I do go out .And sometimes while we are out we talk.The other day while out, we figured that we needed supplies so that meant WalMart.
I was driving,he was riding and the topic got around to what in the world was the purpose of the Wal Mart greeter.
Our Derek forever looking on the bright side thought they were there out of the goodness of the corporate heart and were given the jobs to make the old folks feel good about themselves.
Me "Not a chance .There is no way Wal Mart is giving jobs out for fun.
Our Derek"Well maybe they are there to stop shop lifters from escaping. Stop the stock shinkage."
Me "Ya right. Did you ever pay attention to the types that are stationed at the doors"
This back and forth continued until we got to the parking lot.
Once inside I got what I needed D got his stuff and we made our way to the checkout.While there I started talking to the woman infront of me and the cashier.A little light hearted banter about health food ,e-coli ,lettuce. You know grocery store talk. D jumped in the conversation and said some thing that was wrong. I kind of told him he was wrong the cashier said he was wrong and man he lost it.He went off like roman candle. I was laughing about it as we walked out past those hoops by the exits that set off alarms if you are stealing stuff.
Low and behold wouldn't you know the alarm went off.I knew it wasn't me . The greeters, there were two ,were after our Derek. The oldest ,about 70 ,had her finger up pointing at D to come over to her.We headed her way showing his cash slip and bag saying he paid for it all.The woman said she had to deactivate the chip inside his purchase. She was punching the codes or whatever into this big blue Star Trek thingy she had in her hand . I asked why? .Since we were already through the detectors and in two more feet we would be out of the store.She told me that's what they paid her for.
A revelation . The big question of the day answered! Who would have thought.
Seeing as that is what she got paid for I shoved my bottle of shampoo infront of her and asked for it to be deactivated.That kind of got her flustered. She started to mumble about reprogramming her Star Trek thing and how it was wasn't working right. I kept pushing the shampoo at her when her mate that hadn't said a thing up 'til now told me I was being ornery and I didn't need my shampoo deactivated.
By then D had had enough and walked out so I followed .

A New Game

2006-11-11T16:59:00.000-08:00

WHO SAID WHAT?

"This will make a good shot"
" Ya, just don't touch me"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROD

2006-11-10T05:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Rod,

Today is your birthday. I encourage you to kick your shoes off and just relax, like only you know how.

PS Highlights of this photo include the glass of red wine on the table and the pink "over 21" bracelet.

Shades of 2002

2006-11-08T05:18:00.000-08:00

Canadian hockey players pulled it off in Salt Lake City in 2002. An olympic gold medal for ice hockey. It is said that a gold coloured coin, a loonie, embedded in centre ice provided a measure of luck that pushed us to the gold.Thanks to an expat canadian temporarily working in the US, making ice.
Some similar thing happened in the heartland just the other day.Another canadian expat embedded a gold coloured coin, a loonie, in the first substantial concrete pour of a constuction project taking place in the midwest. All for the luck of the project.
Our dollar was placed in a way so as not to cause any sort of international incident. I turned my back so that they couldn't see what I was doing.
After the form work was removed I found my good luck loonie.
No one else seems to have noticed the embedded piece of canadiana.We'll just have to sit back and wait for the ensuing flap once it is spied, and they realize they've been euchred again with another good luck charm.

?

2006-11-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

Met a guy today who kilt a polar bear in Canada.
"Since it takes so long for the ice to come and go now they are becoming a pest"

Bread

2006-11-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

The food here is all pretty familiar.The "Fill Your Every Need" mega mart has got yer meat ,yer "NASCAR" potatoes, yer ethnic aisle, yer tomato sauce aisle , all stuff I'm used to, but for the "NASCAR" potatoes.
The only thing is they seem to like everthing soft.We bought some margarine at the start, it's still in the fridge. We don't like ,too soft. It slips off the knife as you try to dig it out. There is even a self leveling margarine in a squeeze tube. Too soft to stay in a tub,I guess.
Then there is the bread. Finding a loaf of nice crusty Italian or a good chewy crusted baguette has become a quest of great culinary import. The bread seems all to be disguised hotdog buns.
The one baguette that was bought got tossed. After the third day it was still soft, and that's not right. Everyone knows you have to eat it right away because after about four hours it's stale, and only good for french toast.
"El dente" around here means hail damage.
tsk...............................
Wait 'til you hear about the cheese.
Later.

So that you don't know who we are.

2006-11-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

A trio of masked pickups descended on a midwest constuction site today.

Film at eleven!

A Game.

2006-10-31T04:35:00.000-08:00

You have to guess who said it.

Roomy 1 "Man its hot in here"
Roomy2 " If you'd shut the patio door I'd turn off the furnace."

Assimilation

2006-10-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

Resistance is Futile

Goodnight Sweet Prince

2006-10-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

He was a true friend.
He will be missed.
And I will think of him every time I walk past the dirt parking lot I threw his corpse into.

EEK!

2006-10-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

We are still kind of setting up the trailer.So today Derrick and my other workmate Derek were hanging signs, sweeping up that sort of thing.
I was at my desk when I heard this horrible, horrible sound. It was a man scream. Not the high pitched long piercing scream of an old horror movie,but a man scream.
I went to investigate. It was Derek, there was a mouse in his office. A dead one ,a flat dead one.
Tsk...................

Eh

2006-10-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning it rained here at work, therefore the contractor didn't show up. So I went for a ride in the truck after lunch.
Heading south I came across the "Pony Express Highway". Turning left on to it led to Home Station #1; of Pony Express .This is where the Pony Express started out heading west with the US mail.
Now it's a museum .Two bucks to get in.
When I opened the door to go in I startled the girl who was sitting behind the counter reading.Not alot of traffic I guess.After the small talk about the weather she told me a little about the place. Paying special attention to doors leading to the stable.
"Don't be frightened when you go in there" she said.
"Oh no" says I "Ghosts?"
" No there is a pigeon in there and when flaps around people get jumpy"
Tsk.............
Anyway she tells me that she'll put on the video when ever I want and I wander about the place looking at old stuff.
Had enough, but as I'm leaving she says your from Canada. Must have seen the truck.
"You don't sound canadian"
"You don't sound like a cowboy"
"No no, you didn't say eh . Say eh"
"Huh"
"No, 'eh' say, 'eh'"
" Oh hows this then? Hey thanks for the tour eh"
Then honestly she clasped her hands together put them up under chin and kept thanking me for saying "eh"
" That's ok, eh" I said. Which started a wave of giggles as I was walking out the door.
Later.......................

Carded

2006-10-20T04:42:00.000-07:00

We went to the stock car races the other day.Paid the admission walked through the gate. Got my hand stamped and I went to get beer.

The old dear behind the wicket wanted to card me. The guy with her said I'd pass, but she insisted.Holy mackeral, I didn't think I looked that good.

Tsk............... she was checking for a seniors card. I didn't qualify.To make me feel better she gave me a strap just like Derek's

So that's why there is a picture of my arm ;with more than 5 decades worth of sun damage on it,holding a MDG with an "over 21" banner around the wrist.

Dave

2006-10-19T02:56:00.001-07:00

Dave, down to the "Maytag Coin Laundry and Car Wash" will wash your clothes.He will hang them or fold them, what ever you want, for 95 cents u.s. a dry pound.No ironing.

Thank You For Not Stealing My Wallet

2006-10-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

On my way home from work today, while stopped at an intersection, some guy just walked up to my car and opened the door.

Potential Car Jacker: "Where in Ontario are you from?"
Me: "Toronto"
Potential Car Jacker: "I was just in Niagara"
Me: "Ah..."
Potential Car Jacker: "Have a nice day"
P.C.J. closes door and walks away

I probably should have tried to chat more with him, but instead I hurried home... partly because I was excited for the stew Rod was cooking, and partly because I was unclear as to how to carry out a conversation in an intersection.

microwave

2006-10-12T03:58:00.000-07:00

Got an apartment,need utilities.
Got utilities,need cable.
Got cable,need a television
Need a television,need a garage sale.
Got a garage sale.
Walking up the driveway I see ma sitting in the old rocker behind the table with a tin cash box.
" Have you a television for sale?"
"No. I have a microwave though"
"Does it get CNN?"
Tsk.....................................Need a garage sale.

Walmart

2006-10-11T03:11:00.000-07:00

Moving to a new place means getting an apartment. I have tough time staying in a motel.Getting an apartment means filling in an application,credit check,work history,blah blah blah.
And with the application a checque for the security deposit is required. Not having a bank account would mean going down to get a bank draft. No! They were all apologetic about it, but what with 9-11, the Patriot Act, terrorism and all, the bank said that I couldn't get the money there to send with the application.
They teller behind the counter told me to go to Walmart ,they could help.
Unbelievable ,the "First National" sending me to Walmart to make a business transaction. tsk...
So into the truck, down to the Walmart. Really a nice store all brand new. I make my way to the "Walmart Finantial Services" counter and explain to the teller the situation.
No problem she sells me a money order using my atm card and I'm off. Beauty eh.
So what did we learn from this? Walmart must be soft on terrorism.

2006-10-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

You Ain't Even from America

2006-10-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

This place will basically be home to stories about working away from home, and attempting to live with a coworker... in the middle of the United States. We'll try to update fairly regularly with our tales of day-to-day survival, along with some photos to help set the scene.

Both Rod and I will be posting, which should hopefully make this interesting. I'll talk about things such as being carded everywhere I go, whether it be at a restaurant or at a Walmart. One Walmart employee in particular seemed almost offended by the Ontario Driver's License, stating: "You ain't even from America!" Rod was quick to point out that, in fact, we were from North America. Actually, I believe he, in his own way, will post about being over 21.

Anyway, that's the intent of our blog for now. I should mention that this blog was almost entirely Rod's idea. He's also hopes to, one day, contribute to YouTube. But more on that later.

Yep, my idea.Having to live with a computer savy youngster made me think about wanting to be part of the 21st century when I shuffle off to Buffalo.

Although I don't get the ipod thing.Why do you need to have 5000 songs in your ear? Was a time if you had a song swirlling around in the center of your brain you would start thinking you were nuts. Later...............