KAPOW!

I was hooking up a new ceiling light that I bought over the weekend. Not knowing which breaker was the right one to turn off, I made sure the switch for the light was turned off. I took my usual precautions, making sure not more than one wire is exposed at a time, and hooked up the light. After wiring it up, and fastening the fixture to the box, I went to install one of the light bulbs, to check that it worked properly. As I inserted the bulb, I found out that the wires were live the whole time that I was installing it, so I reached for the switch to turn off the light. As I switched it off, KAPOW!, a blue flash came out from behind the light switch, and my place went dark.

I went up to the electrical panel, switched the tripped breaker, and again, KAPOW!, there was a blue flash from behind the breaker.

I typically don't like working with electricity, giving it much respect, so by this time I was feeling a little nervous, as to what my next move should be. I went back down, and reversed the wiring procedure for the light, and put the marrets back over the exposed wires. I went into the kitchen, got my fire extinguisher, then went back up to the electrical panel, hoping that it would turn on without incident. I apprehensively reached for the switch, and did a quick flick, and it was back on.

Phew, what a relief.

I called my Dad, and told him what had happened. He said that there must be a short circuit somewhere, either in the light, the switch, or someplace else. For the time being, I said that I would leave it be, until I spoke to one of my electrically inclined friends, or had one of them come over to try and help me with this predicament.

Schumey dethroned

Today was a historical day in Formula 1,
in more ways than one..

It was the first time in 5 years that somebody
other than Michael Schumacher has been World Champion.

Fernando Alonzo became the youngest F1 World Champion,
at 24 years of age.

He also became the first Spaniard in F1 history,
to become World Champion.

Next year will most likely be Schumacher's final year
in Formula 1, so he has one more chance to try and win
his 8th championship.

It looks like the next decade will be dominated
by the duel between Alonzo and Kimi Raikkonen.

Raikkonen, a Finish driver, is arguably the best
driver in F1 at this time, although Alonzo is right up
there talent-wise.

It should make for an exciting decade of Formula One.

DB

Lovely Rita Hurricane

She's definitely more than a 'meata made'.

Another strong hurricane is bearing down on the Gulf Coast of the U.S.
It is the second strong storm in the region in a month.
This time it is headed for Texas, but the storm surge has already
broken though already weakened levees in New Orleans.

I wonder how many more storms like this, the U.S. can handle this year.
The season still has another month or two to go.
If large cities, and refineries keep getting damaged like this,
the economy will take a major hit.

Although there has been much more preparedness in Texas for this storm,
because of the lessons learned in New Orleans,
it's still to be seen what the damage will be like in the morning.

Millions of people were ordered to be evacuated from Houston,
and the highways have been jam packed with cars ever since.
People are getting stranded because they run out of gas.
If Rita is as bad as the forecasters say, then these people stuck
on the highways will be sitting ducks.

Hopefully there will be no disaster.

But think of what these storms cost these areas, not only in lives lost,
or property damage, but in shutting down these huge cities.
Houston is basically a ghost town, and has been for a couple of days.
Who knows how long it will be like this, even considering they
are not going to receive a direct hit.

I guess these are the consequences of building these large cities
in paradise.

DB

TURN OFF THE LIGHTS!!!

Along the Gardiner Expressway, running past my windows,
there were large highway lights installed, on high steel posts,
about 2 1/2 years ago.

Until now, these lights have not been working.
The 'old' lights that are closer to the ground,
have been used during this time.

Last week workers came and installed shields around the tall lights,
which have now been turned on. The 'old' lower lights are standing
dark, not used anymore.

The lights stay on, night and day.
I'm sure the timers, or light sensors aren't set up properly yet.
Eventually somebody will come by to adjust them,
or somebody will call into the city to complain about the waste of electricity.

None of this bothers me.
These lights are very bright, and I'm sure they make driving on the Gardiner much safer.

The problem I do have, is living next to them.
They are really bright, and make it almost as light as day outside.
There are new townhouses across the highway, that are not occupied yet,
and these lights are standing right over them.
Although I am not as close as those people will be, the light does shine through my windows at night.

With the 'old' lights, the light shined up towards my ceiling.
The 'new' lights actually shine down towards my bed.
Fortunately my bed is situated so that the light doesn't hit my face,
but it is still very bright.

I never bought blinds or curtains for my place,
mainly because the 17 foot tall windows make the cost a little high for coverings.
I think I will now buy some blinds, not only to darken my place at night,
but also to hopefully make it easier to sell in the future.

The last thing I would want, is somebody deciding not to buy,
because it is too bright at night.

DB

Car Free Day...

Is it supposed to be a care free day as well?

Does everybody get a car for free too?

Today after work, I waited for the Queen Street West
501 Streetcar, at the corner of Queen and Soho,
in front of the Black Bull.

I was listening to my Zen Micro,
but could hear the beat of drums in the distance.

I looked West, towards Spadina, and saw a
crowds of people marching, under a large tarp.

As this crowd of marchers approached,
I could see a sign indicating that they were marching
for Car Free Day.

Of course, they were marching at a very very slow pace,
holding up traffic behind them, for as far as I could see.

It was an interesting crowd, walking, inline skating,
and riding bikes, at this unbelievably slow pace.
Most were the long haired, hippy type, that looked like
they would be familiar with a certain herb.

After they had gone by, and the traffic was moving behind
very impatiently, I was thinking that what they are doing
is probably not doing much for their cause. Instead of
trying to get drivers to leave their cars at home, they were
just aggravating them, creating a hostile environment between
the two parties.

I'm sure most of those drivers, especially the cabbies,
were cursing these marchers for holding them up,
and thinking that they will drive their cars just to spite them.

DB

TTC

What I am not looking forward to,
with the coming Winter season,
is more than just the cold and slush.

I was tired this morning, so I decided to skip
the bike ride to work, and took the TTC.
The forecast also called for rain in the evening,
and I didn't feel like riding home in the rain either.

It did rain in the evening,
so the Streetcars were busier than normal,
and later than normal.

The wait is supposed to be 15 minutes or less,
but I ended up waiting 30 minutes for a car,
and the first two were packed with people.
I waited for the third, which allowed me a seat.

If you haven't been on a Streetcar when it's raining,
the smell of mould, and wet people permeates the air.
Even with the windows open, and the ventilation
humming, you can't escape the smell.

And a crowded Streetcar with wet people
almost smells worse than if they were all
wet dogs.

I decided tonight,
that I will ride my bike as far into Winter as is possible,
not stopping in November as I did last year.

Only when it snows,
or the temperature dips below freezing,
will I stop riding.

DB

Autumnal Equinox

The golden hew of the low sun in the sky.
The gold and red and brown of the leaves.
The smell of decay rising from the ground.

The early evenings,
and coolness in the air.

Thanksgiving dinner.
Halloween memories as a child.
The coming Christmas season.

Even the raking of leaves...

...this is why I like Autumn.

DB

Lords of Violence

What is with all of the gun violence in our city this year?
I have only seen statistics from last year,
and the number of shootings and killings is up.

The violence is mostly gang and drug related,
and is occurring in specific neighbourhoods of the city,
and although I don't live in those neighbourhoods,
it is very disturbing.

People that live in the city,
are happy that the violence is confined to these certain
neighbourhoods, because it doesn't affect them.

It's no different than the wide gap in New Orleans
between the rich and the poor,
that was seen after Katrina blew through.

Suburban people are happy that the violence is in the city,
and the wealthy people in the city are happy that
the violence is in 'those' neighbourhoods.

I know the Police, and some community leaders
are doing more to end the violence,
including a large gang bust just the other night.

But do the people of the city who live outside of these areas,
really care?
I'd hope so,
but I'm not sure that they do.

And I'm sure that most suburbanites don't care,
as long as it stays in the city.

How wrong is that?

Are we really that uncaring?

What's really going on?

DB

Vegetable

Today was a very unproductive day for me.
Last night I was feeling ill to the stomach,
from what I can guess was too much yogurt,
and the tapioca from the bubble tea I had.

I awoke this morning with cramps and sweats.
We were supposed to have our annual golf day at work today,
but there was rain forecast for the entire day.
I went back to sleep, and woke up at around 8:45.
I called the office, and told our receptionist that I wasn't feeling well,
and that I wouldn't be in today.

I'm not sure if they did go golfing or not,
but I doubt most people would have wanted to,
since most of them had never golfed before.

I then slept more, and woke up at around 12:30.
I spent the rest of the day watching t.v.,
and sorting my garbage and recycling.

I wasn't hungry, because of my upset stomach,
but scrounged what little food I had remaining,
and drank fluid to keep myself hydrated.
I made a list of groceries to buy, and planned on going later in the day,
but I didn't go out of my place,
except to take the garbage and recycling out,
and to get my mail.

I just came down from folding laundry,
and getting my things ready for the weekend.
I was thinking that I could have been more productive today,
even with my stomach being in knots.
There is so much I'd like to accomplish that doesn't involve physical activity,
and I regret not working on any of that today.

DB

U2 in T.O.

Last night was the first of four U2 shows at the ACC,
and I was lucky enought to go to the show.

It was FANTASTIC!

I have been a U2 fan for decades,
and this was the third concert of theirs that I have seen.

The first was in 1987 for the Joshua Tree,
which was held at Exhibition Stadium.
Our Seat sucked, but the show was good.

The second time was in 1992 for the Zoo TV tour.
That was also held at Exhibition Stadium,
but this time we had the best seats in the house,
and the show was awesome.

The set list for last night was:
(Songs in Red were my favourites)

Vertigo
I Will Follow
The Electric Co.
Elevation
Beautiful Day
In a Little While
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
City of Blinding Lights
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride
Where the Streets Have No Name
One - Ol' Man River

Encore(s):

Zoo Station
The Fly
With or Without You
All Because of You
Fast Cars
Yahweh
40

My favourite live song from U2, as always,
was "Where the Streets Have No Name".
Last nights rendition was as good as ever.

During "With or Without You",
Bono pulled a girl out of the audience
and sang to her while hugging her.

Some reviewers and others said that Bono was too political.
I didn't see anything wrong with him expressing his thoughts and views,
as he is an activist,
and always has been.
He was telling everybody to take out their cell phones,
and call Paul Martin to give 0.7% to Africa.
When he asked this, people pulled out their phones,
and there was a sea of blue throughout the ACC.

I just really enjoyed the whole show.

DB

Random Babble Part II

The other night, I was walking East along Adelaide to the St. Andrew Subway station, following 3 guys who had just come out of the Technology Academy College. They were talking pretty loudly about their first day of school, and were walking a little slow, but not slow enough to get around them.

I finally got down to the Subway, and was able to get a seat on the train. As the train began to move, these three guys appeared in front of me, and stood right next to my seat. They then were gesturing vividly, coming very close to hitting me. It was quite annoying, because they were right in my face. When I transferred at St. George, I was sure to wait far enough down the platform for the Bloor train, so that I wasn't on the same car as them.

When I transferred at Royal York onto the bus, I got a seat, and there were lots of other seats available, but this man decided to stand next to my seat. As the bus was moving, and rocking back and forth on the bumpy road, he kept hitting me in the shoulder with his @$$! What an annoyance!

DB

Random Babble

I was just in the washroom, and some guy was in there washing his arms and face. He kept mumbling under his breath, saying things like "Stop it!" and "Shut up!" Then, when he had finally washed up, he took about a mile of paper towel from the roll, dried up, then took another mile of paper towel, dried up some more. Then he stood back, looking into the mirror, then he washed his hands again, kept mumbling, then took another mile of paper towel. He kept wiping his arms and face, then finally took a smaller piece of paper towel and opened the door with it.

DB

You too.

I am going to see U2 at the ACC on Monday night,
and am excited to be seeing them.

I saw them over 10 years ago, for their Zoo TV tour,
at the Ex, and it was one of, if not THE best concert
I have ever seen.

I will write my thoughts of Mondays show after seeing it,
and let you know if it is now THE best show ever.

DB

Red Head

I was dumb today.

I went to Peterborough to visit a friend over the weekend, and we went golfing today. The weather was perfect for golf, with temperatures in the low 20's and a nice breeze, with a cloudless sky.

The golf course was a new one, opened just this year, with the front 9 like a wide open links type course, and the back 9 a more enclosed course, with lots of trees and too many hills.

The problem today, was that I forgot to bring along a hat, my hair isn't as thick as it used to be, and now I have a red head and face. I can feel the burn, and the heat radiating from it.

DB

How bad.

I think the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina will be much worse than anybody would have thought. It looks like many people stayed behind, for various reasons, and are either suffering right now while waiting to be rescued, or are dead.

People in the poor areas of New Orleans didn't listen, or couldn't leave, and were trying to ride it out at their homes. Many bodies have already been found, and with the water continuing to rise tonight, people that are trapped in their homes may not make it.

It's hard to believe that this could happen, especially in a wealthy country like the U.S., where warnings were broadcast for days ahead of time. Maybe the warnings should have been more urgent, because there is no reason for people to die in a storm like this, which allows for such early warning.

DB

Katrina

I've heard comments on "New Orleans is sinking man, but I don't wanna swim.",
but I haven't heard anybody comment with "Katrina and the Waves."

I guess the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama aren't
"Walking on Sunshine" at this moment.

DB

New Orleans is sinkin' man...

...and I don't wanna swim.

What a crazy Hurricane that is in the Gulf of Mexico right now.
When you look at the satellite images, it covers 2/3 of the Gulf!
And the sustained winds are over 160 or 180 mph,
making it a category 5, which is the strongest on the scale.
The temperature of the water in the Gulf right now is in the high 80F,
which is fueling this storm to it's massive size.

And the storm is headed right for New Orleans,
which is below sea level,
and may actually be doing what the Hip sing.

DB

Wat a krazee wirld

Just when you think things are crazy enough,
they get even crazier.

Things all around the World seem to be so unstable,
at least it all looks unstable.

It seems to be all of the fundamentalists,
not just one, but all of them (well, some of them?).

Then today, Mr. Robertson says that
Mr. Chavez should be assassinated.

Crazy!!!

DB

Another crowd at Ontario Place

Coming home today, I saw a guy and his girlfriend
walking along the Lakeshore wearing Motley Crue
T-shirts.

As I came around the corner to Ontario Place,
there were huge crowds parking cars,
and walking to the Amphitheatre.

I figured that it must be a Motley Crue concert,
and I was right. They are playing with Sum 41,
and other bands.

I was thinking that it's unusual that the most
well known member of the band is Tommy Lee,
and he's a drummer.

There aren't many drummers that are the most
famous in the band.

There are exceptions, like Phil Collins and
Don Henley. But typically it's the lead singer
or lead guitarist that get the most exposure.

Coincidentally, Tommy Lee's reality show
where he goes to College was on TV tonight.

Now I am known by everybody to hate
'reality' TV, but I got caught up in this so
called 'reality' show tonight.

I haven't watched it before, but it is kind of funny.
It is very scripted, like all 'reality' shows are,
but they do a funny job at it.

I think that's enough 'reality' for a while...

DB

Sweeping...

Every night at around this time, 23:00, street cleaners go past in the Westbound lanes of the Gardiner, cleaning the sides of the highway. First two tankers go past spraying the dirt to the sides, then a line of 2 or 3 sweepers go past, followed by two crash trucks.

This is the first year that I've noticed them doing this each night, and I have been wondering why they do it so often. You wouldn't think that the highway would get that much debris every day, requiring it to be swept each night.

The process leaves a traffic backlog along the Westbound lanes for around 10 to 20 minutes each night.

DB

Yellow Jerseys

This evening, while riding my bike home from work,
I noticed a lot of people riding with yellow jerseys on.
It seemed that it was more than a coincidence,
that they were wearing them the day after Lance won
his seventh straight Tour de France.

As it turned out, I too was wearing yellow,
but that was a coincidence.
My t-shirt was a light yellow,
where the TDF jersey is a bright yellow.

This got me thinking about how I'm saddened
by Armstrong not racing anymore,
as he retired after winning this year.
It is more than just not seeing him race anymore,
but that it is the end of an era,
a new time in our lives.

When he won his first TDF, I was 30 years old.
My Nieces and Nephew were a whole lot younger,
and one wasn't even born yet.
I wasn't working in Toronto yet,
and it was still 2 years before I moved to T.O.

A lot of my friends got married during those 7 years.
I bought a new car, as well as a condo during this time.
A whole lot has changed.

DB.

37th Summer

Today I heard my first Cicada's of the summer,
for me that sound signifies summer.

It's been a very hot and humid few weeks,
and I was sitting in Mom & Dad's backyard.
It was early evening, and the Cicada's were
up in the Locust trees.

It had rained earlier in the day,
the first heavy rain in weeks.
The garden was still wet, and the
trees and plants were looking lush and green.

DB

One side or the other.

A Jamaican woman, in her mid-life, approached us at the Metro Hall park. She started speaking to us, but I couldn't fully understand her because of her strong accent. She was speaking about Baptist Ministers, Gay Pride week, Adam and Eve instead to Adam and Steve. Then she was saying something about how a woman should submit to a man, but that this doesn't give a man the right to abuse a woman. She was telling me that I shouldn't abuse my wife, but that she should still obey me, among other things.

Then she started talking about how I could call a number she'd give me, to confirm that what she was saying was the truth, and not just some homeless crackpot on the street spitting out a bunch of bunk. She wrote this out on a piece of paper, and handed it to me: Rev. W.P. Bauman 416-447-1680.

All of this on a glorious Thursday afternoon, with wonderful sunshine, and a warm temperature.

DB

Street Dancing

On the corner of Queen West and Soho this evening, there was a group of guys dancing on a 10 foot x 10 foot piece of linoleum. It was a typical brown with a grid to make it look like tiles; you've seen it many times in kitchens. They weren't ballroom dancing, or anything like that, but were break-dancing, if that's what it's still called. The linoleum was laid down outside the Black Bull patio.

There was a large crowd on onlookers, many putting money in a large white plastic bucket, and applauding at the various moves. The music came out of a beat up 'ghetto-blaster', that looked like it came from the '80's. The music played from a cassette tape, and had some good funky beats.

A few people, including myself, were taking some candid photographs, and I was able to get a 15 second video clip that turned out well, with people walking past. One man had a video camera, and was taking some extended video footage of the troupe. One of the dancers approached the camera man, and entered into a discussion about what he was filming for. The dancer ended up writing his contact information into the camera man's date book, for what I assume is a future endeavour.

Cars and trucks were driving by, on the busy summer evening, with the sun shining, and the temperature warm. With the music blasting, the drivers were craning their necks, to see what the commotion was all about. A bicycle cop was across the road, also taking in the show.

The Queen streetcar showed up as the crowds were moving on, and a new crowd started to gather. I stepped onto the streetcar, and could hear the music playing, as I went further away.

DB

Margaritaville

As I rode my bike home after work today, I came around the corner at Ontario Place, only to be met by a traffic jam of cars, buses, taxis, limousines, and a crowd of people walking. The parking lots were overflowing, and the cars just kept coming in off of Lakeshore Blvd. It took several minutes to navigate through the people and vehicles.

I noticed people had set up tents, tables and chairs throughout the parking lots, and were drinking and barbequeing. These people must have been there for hours, braving the thunder storms and heavy showers. It had stopped raining, but the sky was still dark, the ground wet, and the lake was covered in fog. You could smell the rain, the heat, the humidity, the worms on the ground.

Further around the corner, I could see Lakeshore Blvd. again, and the traffic was backed up for miles. People were sitting in lawn chairs with drinks that looked like pina coladas or margaritas, and I soon found out that they were most likely margaritas. A few drunk guys, bare chested, were calling out to cars driving by on Lakeshore, for the women to bare their breasts. I don't think that they had any takers.

I was definitely curious to find out who was playing at the Amphitheatre this night, so I asked these bare chested drunks. They said "Jimmy Buffett". It all made sense now. People in their 40's and 50's, acting like teenagers, drinking in the parking lot, waiting to see their youth again.

As I rode the rest of the way home, the lakeside park was deserted, because of the threatening rain, and it was nice to be left in solitude. The grass looked refreshed from the rain, and the trees hung low with the weight of the much needed water on their leaves. The fog over the lake left an eerily calm feeling to the backdrop of the rushour traffic just behind me.

DB

Sunglasses 'R' Us

I was out looking in some shops along Queen West again. I decided to pop in at Sunglass Hut, to see what they have in stock. As soon as I stepped inside, a sales lady latched onto me, and wouldn't let go. Before I could even look at anything, she asked "What type of sunglasses are you looking for?" I told her that I was just looking around, to see what they have in stock.

As I was looking around, she kept coming up to me, saying "Do you want to try those on?" or "Those would look good." or other comments. I tried a few pairs on, and she kept saying "Do you like those?" I said that I didn't know what I wanted, and that I just wanted to look.

Finally I just said that I didn't want to buy any, and left. I do like the stuff that Sunglass Hut sells, because they have fashionable glasses, and at a reasonable price. But every time that I go to one of their stores, I find them to be very pushy, trying to force a sale on you. If I asked for their help, then I'd like their attention. But when I say that I'm just looking at the moment, then I want them to leave me alone.

DB

Kan you hear me?

I had just finished eating a quick lunch, at a diner on Queen St. W. The manager/owner just started going around collecting dirty dishes from the tables, and a grey haired and bearded man walked in, wearing bluejean overalls. He was doing an old trick among panhandlers, handing out business cards that said he couldn't speak or hear, and if you could spare some change.

The manager went and picked up the cards, and handed them back to him, and told him to leave. Once she turned her back, he went right back to handing out the cards. She once again rounded up the cards and ushered him out the door.

She came to pick up my plates, as I stood up to leave, and was telling me that he's been coming there for 15 years, doing the same thing. "He come for 15 years, every day. And just you wait, his wife will be by in half an hour." She went on to say "...and they both can speak, they not deaf and dumb."

She then told me that they lived in the public housing around the corner, collected welfare, and that this was some extra tax free cash that they round up.

As I left the diner, I walked East on Queen St. W., and saw the man walking ahead of me. He came up to a woman, to whom he spoke, and handed her the business cards. She then proceeded back the way that I had just come from, handing out the cards to people on the street. I'm sure that she was on her way back to that diner.

DB

Job Creation

We were out at Subway for lunch, sitting out on their patio. An elderly gentleman was sitting next to us on a bench. It was pretty windy on the street, and one of the plastic bags that the sub came in blew down around his feet.

We were about to go and pick it up, and he lifted his feet to let the bag blow on down the road, and said "Let it go, there are people who will pick it up. It gives them jobs, work to do."

He went on talking about politics, and the economy. After a couple of minutes he stood up to excuse himself, and said "So that's my speech. Today is my 80th birthday, and that was my birthday speech. Thanks for listening."

We wished him a happy birthday, and he was on his way, walking across the street without a care, making cars stop for him.

DB

Why can't they just do their jobs?

I can't stand it.
Why are people so lazy?
Why can't they do their work properly?
Why is it that I'm the last one in the office,
when they have more work to do?

Go and drink your damn espresso.
Go and chat at the water cooler.
Go and surf the internet.
Go and talk for hours on end on the phone.

WTF is going on?

DB

Hackamadoodle

The Simpons
still has its moments...

DB.

Is it worth it?

I was able to purchase
U2 tickets for one of their
Toronto shows in September.

I almost panicked,
because the Ticketmaster
website was so busy;
but I was able to finally
get some mediocre tickets.

Originally there was only
two shows,
but half an hour into sales,
they announced two more shows.

They sold out pretty quick.

DB.

Movies

Be Cool
An enjoyable movie.
Didn't expect much,
but really enjoyed it.
The Rock and Andre 3000
were very funny.

The Village
Since I was able
to figure out what
was happening
during the first
ten minutes,
the rest of the movie
wasn't very
impressive.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
An enjoyable action type
science fiction movie.

DB.

Ida know...

Here it is,
five days past
the Ides of March.

I was hoping
to be riding my bike
to work by now.

The weather
is still cold...
and snowing.

DB.

The Wild Boys!

Barbarella, what a crazy one she was.

What would people think if you were
sitting in your car in a parking lot,
honking the horn, and flashing the
lights on and off?

Would they think that you were stealing
the car?

DB.

Frigidity

Oh why does it have to get so cold again.

After a relatively warm day, where we even
had a short thunderstorm in the afternoon,
now it will go down to -14C tonight.

Walking home from the Streetcar
was a be-a-tch. It must have taken me
twice as long to walk that short distance,
because of all the ice on the sidewalk.

I nearly fell on my @$$ several times,
and under the railway bridge, where large
mounds of ice collect from the weep holes
in the retaining wall, there is a massive
hunk of ice, that requires some climbing.

I nearly slid onto the road, into oncoming
traffic on that one.

I shouldn't complain though, as I am in
my warm home, as countless homeless
people are freezing tonight.

DB.

d00d

*<|:0)
DB.

It will spring...

Icy crystals fly;
the bitter wind is blowing.
Only twenty days.

DB.

...marching right along...

The end is coming,
winter is almost done.

It's actually past
pretty quickly.

I'm looking forward
to Spring...

These thoughts
come
as it is snowing
heavily
outside.

LOL...

DB.

Bye bye, so long...

It's odd
knowing that somone
will be fired,
when they don't
have a clue.

I had a feeling
it would happen
before too long,
and today was
the confirmation.

Now it's only
when...

DB.

Motorhead

Those two growths
on Lemmy's left cheek
seem to be growing larger
as he grows older.

And what exactly are they,
sebaceous cysts?

I'm guessing he
doesn't have them
removed,
because it is a sort
of trademark now.

DB.

Ace of Spades

What a vicious smell
this evening,
on the Queen Street
Streetcar.

The so called snowstorm
that the weather forecasters
have forecast today,
has made everything rather damp.

People seem to forget,
that when there is major snow,
the temperature is generally
close to zero Celsius.

On these days when there
is major snowfall,
people wear their heaviest
winter clothing,
and end up sweating under it all.

And to make matters worse,
the heaters on the Streetcar
were making it very warm,
and the ventilation seemed
not to work.

Things smelled
pretty raw.
Like wet dogs.
With wet down filled
coats.

DB.

Engorged

When I think of the word
Engorged,
the image that comes to mind,
is a bloated bed bug.

...and the image of this
makes me ill.

But this week,
I have been feeling
engorged myself.

Bloated with air,
not blood.

I can't wait for Spring,
when I will be riding
my bike to work,
once again.

It has been a very
lazy Winter
for me.

I am close
to going
back to
the next
hole in my
belt.

DB.

yuck yuck

The other day,
while on the TTC Queen Street
streetcar, there were two
effeminate looking,
gentlemen.

They sat down across from me,
at the back of the streetcar.

I was listening to my new
Zen Micro,
enjoying some good music.

These two men
proceeded to take out their camcorder,
which was an older model,
not as small as current models.

The older looking gentleman
opened the monitor on the side,
and started playing the tape,
which was of a comedy act that they had just seen
at a local comedy club.

Instead of keeping it to themselves,
the volume was loud enough
for most of the people in the back
half of the streetcar to hear.

I could hear it clearly,
even with my earbuds on.

They just had to laugh
and talk loudly in French,
making comments of the video.

Very annoying.

I pulled out my camera,
and wanted to take a picture,
but felt self conscious about it.

There was another guy watching me,
as I pretended to look at
pictures on my camera.

If there was more distance
between us,
I would have snapped it.

DB.

CBS are the bad ones?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,144077,00.html

Mr. Gibson,

How can you say, “Sorry we blew up your town, but we had to do it. You let Al-Zarqawi set up shop there.”?

You expect the civilians who live in Fallujah to keep Al-Zarqawi from setting up shop in their city? Are you serious?

Look at what it took the American Armed Forces to get him and his cronies out of there.

Would you say the same thing to an American city, if it were overrun by a Terrorist Group? I think not.

And then I just love the following comment you made, “These are people who just don't get it. These are people for whom reality is a distant moon orbiting their strange little world.”

I think you have it wrong here. Those poor terrorized civilians in Fallujah are living in reality. You are the one who’s reality is on a distant moon.

You have made many unbelievable comments in the past, but this one takes the cake.

p.s. No I do not hate Americans. I may disagree with some of your Governments policies, but I respect the American ‘people’, the same way I respect the Iraqi ‘people’, but not their former dictator. The only thing I don’t respect is idiotic comments like the one you’ve made. I’d love to see you try to defend your comment.

DB

Zippo

This is futile!

What're you looking for?

Some roaches. I'm homeless man.

Ah, yes.

You know how many people smoke a spliff, before going to the movies?

Oh yeah, for sure. You can always smell it when you walk past here.

Got a light?

Sorry man, I don't smoke.

Don't be sorry. Make sure you stay like that.

Why don't you quit?

I'm homeless man.

Ah.

Oh look! I found another one!

DB

Obsession

Not CK.

DB.

I'm the Stranger...

Standing in the train,
with his Parka on his head,
staring at the door, staring at the wall.

I saw him again, and now I know it's a man.
Although this time it was on an hour later train,
but on the same car, second from the front.

I watched him, and he behaved the same as before.
When he heard somebody coming, he'd get all nervous,
and try his hardest to face away from where they were coming.

But he slipped up, and I could see his face for a split second.
It was a thin, long face,
maybe the same age as me.

I wondered if he saw that I was watching,
and if he knew that somebody had seen him.
Did he care?

He departed at the Exhibition again,
and I wondered how he buys his train tickets.
Does he go to the cashier, or buy them through the machine?

DB

Danger!

Storm, what storm?

Once again, the storm that was supposed to hit the GTA,
is less than what was expected.

Why do I let myself, over and over again,
get my hopes up, when I should know better?

It really does seem that the weather forecasters
have been wrong 99% of the time lately.

Should we accept this,
or should we be complaining?

I can't help but think that these completely wrong forecasts,
impact the economy in many ways.

I look out the window at the traffic on the Gardiner,
which is lighter than normal.

Have people stayed home again, as happens whenever there is a
Winter Storm Warning?

It seems that Toronto has a barrier around it,
a type of force field that keeps the Storms North and South of us.

Should I really believe that Monday will be 13C?
Last week they were calling for 13C THIS week, but I'm freezing my @$$ off!

LR has repeatedly told me I could be a meteorologist.
Sure, I could make uneducated 'guesses' too...

DB

Conspirator

After working late last night,
I made my way to Union Station,
and boarded the 7:43 PM Westbound Train.

I was sitting on the lower level,
at the West end of the second car,
facing towards the front of the train.

A passenger,
man or woman I could not tell,
boarded and stood at the doors.

This passenger was wearing a Parka,
with the hood over their head,
all zipped and buttoned to the top.

A beautiful,
blonde haired woman boarded,
and sat across the aisle from me.

She took off her coat,
and proceeded to make a phone call,
all the while looking at this intriguing passenger with the Parka.

I then watched with some vigilance
this Parka wearing passenger,
who was acting strangely.

This person did not want to make contact
with anybody boarding or walking past;
turning their face to keep from making eye contact.

I never could see this persons face,
unable to tell whether they were male or female.
It was beginning to get a little disconcerting.

I started to get unreal thoughts,
that this person could be a radical,
who would cause waste to this train.

These thoughts were doubtful,
but I couldn't help but strategize
as to what I would do if something did happen.

I was looking around me
to see what type of people were on the train,
and how I could use their help if needed.

As the doors closed,
this 'radical' turned towards the doors,
looking out the window.

This was a position that they could keep,
without having to face any person.
Or were they scheming?

I wondered what they would do if the conductor came by,
asking to see their ticket.
Would this be a trigger for them?

We arrived at the first stop,
Exhibition,
and the doors opened.

The Parka wearing passenger turned,
and walked to the open doors.
Was this it?

They stepped off the train,
and walked across the platform
to the exit from the station.

Nothing happened.

It was a pleasant letdown.

Maybe this person had some mental health problems.

Maybe they had a very serious phobia.

What an imagination I have... lol.

DB

Go Dream

I was taking the train into Toronto from Burlington, with EM. We were coming through the Etobicoke area.

Somehow, I had walked out the front of the train, and was standing outside the front door, holding on for dear life. The engineer saw me out there, but let me stay out there. The thing is, although I was afraid for my life, I didn’t want to come inside.

There was a stopped train on the tracks, and we were heading straight for it. I was worried that we were going to plow into the back of the train, and that I would die, but we were able to switch to the track on the right of the train, just in time.

We continued on, to Exhibition station, where we stopped to pick up more passengers. I could have gone inside the train at this point, but was content to ride outside the front door.

We then went on to Union Station, where I departed the train, with EM, and we walked through the Royal York Hotel, and on through the underground to work.

DB

Kicked in the Back

Last week, I had my nieces and nephews over
for an afternoon and night of some Xbox.

During the night, my nieces slept on my sofabed,
and my nephew slept in my bed.

I had heard that he is a very restless sleeper,
so I was trying to think of how to keep him under control.

I had him sleep under my comforter on one side of the bed,
and I'd sleep on the other side, on top of the comforter.

I used another blanket for myself,
and thought that having this arrangement would keep him from hitting me.

That didn't last long though.
It wasn't soon after he fell asleep that he first hit me in the face.

He was rolling around the bed, flopping his arms around,
hitting me in the face with his hands, and my back with his legs.

Several times he'd be lying sideways,
with his legs pressed into my back.

I went onto the floor at one point,
thinking I could get more sleep this way.

I slept for a while this way,
but then went back onto the bed, because the floor was too hard.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep much that night.

DB