Friday, December 29, 2006

Junior Hockey and Frank Gehry

The best part about the week in between Christmas and New Year's is the World Junior Hockey Championship.
Over the last three years I have become a regular viewer of this tournament. I started watching it three years ago because hometown hero Andrew Ladd was picked for the team, and he was going to get to play with current NHL points leader Sidney Crosby (perhaps you've heard of him?). Since then, Canada has won 2 Gold medals and is going for their 3rd.
At the world level of competition the U20 team has won 15 games in a row. They have outscored the opponents (the rest of the world) by a margin of 105-25 during those 15 games.

Canada beat Germany today. They don't even have to win against Slovakia on Sunday to make it into the semi-finals. Canada is already in the semi-finals. However, they're obviously going to try and keep the win streak alive.
Oh yeah, and the American team is again the most overrated team at the tournament. Last year they were supposed to be "The Team To Beat", but they totally sucked. This year, they were supposed to be "The Team To Beat", but this year they're worse than last year. I hate it when the media hypes up a team like that.
But hey, I like Americans. I just think their hockey team is overrated.

The Pic of the Day comes from a request during the last round of comments. Steph asked if I had gone to Spain or Chicago. Are they the same? I have a vague notion of who Frank Gehry is, but I just found out he designed this building, the EMP in Seattle. I do know that the building looks cool and crazy and what's inside is awesome and educational, musically.
Hey Steph, if you're ever in Seattle you have to visit this place. It's just so interesting, every music lover should shell out admission at least once in their lifetime.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Yup, I dropped the L-Bomb

Christmas is a fun and busy time.

Christmas Eve - Church twice (morning and evening), 2 afternoon open houses, one evening open house, and a late night comedy watch at my house (Russell Peters is hilarious). Drinky drinky!

Christmas Day - 8am start to making Brunch, scattered present opening, family brunch, more scattered present opening, dinner with Lindsey's family, a rare Turkey Dinner Nap, home again home again, jiggedy jig.

Boxing Day - Clean up clean up, everybody everywhere. World Junior Hockey! Canada shut out Sweden woot woot! H family cousin open house. I had forgotten to mention any of these cousins to Lindsey, so she got to know all 23 of them really fast. My little baby cousins got so big! Amazing how quickly kids grow up when you're not around them. Canucks beat Calgary. Hooray for hockey.


Pic of the Day
Lindsey and I made each other similar gifts for Christmas. Hers looks far more fabulous than mine, but hey, I'm a guy. She's the crafty one. She made a photo album and put in all of the feet pictures that we've taken over the past 6 months. I love it.
Also in this picture is my new bedding. I love Christmas!

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Christmas Post 2006

Christmas is nearly here and I still have a couple gifts to buy. This is, by far, the least organized Christmas I have ever prepared for. Usually I am so on the ball that I offer to get help my Mom out with things. The main reason of which is that I get to write the H Family Christmas Letter. But not this year, no sir (and madam), I have a life this year.

Lucky for me, I also have an awesomely flexible schedule that has 2 to 3 hour gaps where I am able to run around and get the last minute stuff done.

This is not to say that I am dreading Christmas. In fact, I enjoy everything that I've done in the past few weeks leading up to the oh so special day.
- I made a Christmas Music CD using free MP3's posted on blogs.
- I discovered my enjoyment of indie rock and Christmas Music can be combined into an awesome mix CD of free MP3's posted on blogs.
- I ate some yummy Christmas goodies from Lindsey and 4ever29.
- I visited with friends. A lot of new ones and, of course, the steady usual ones.
- I was introduced to Peppermint Schnapps and Hot Chocolate, a combination that everyone must enjoy, at least once.
- I saw the Canucks beat the Wild with a controversially allowed goal. It should have been disallowed, but what can I do about it?
- I saw my friend Holly perform in the Electra Women's Choir.
- We tried to organize a trip to see the Stanley Park Christmas Train, but downed trees and other wind damage cancelled our excursion. Oh well, there's always next year.
- Lindsey bought us the best Christmas CD box set EVER!...
Which brings me to our Pic of the Day. Behold all that is contained in Sufjan Stevens 5 CD Christmas Box Set recorded over the past 5 years. It's freaking awesome, and it will forever be in Christmas CD rotation.

Bonus Pic of the Day. Our Christmas Tree. See how unprepared we are? There are still no presents wrapped in our house. As long as they're wrapped by the 24th, right? Plenty of time...

Merry Christmas Blogland.

Monday, December 18, 2006

The things Wii did

This weekend was a lot of fun.

On Friday we were supposed to go to the Stanley Park Christmas Train. But due to the unfortunate circumstances the weather brought to the Lower Mainland, the train was closed for the weekend. Stupid wind, blowing down trees and ruining our Christmas Train event. Instead, Linds and I ate a Festive Special at Swiss Chalet, bought some wine and gucamole supplies, rented a video and packed it in for the evening. It's what everybody else was doing instead of coming with us, I'm sure of it. Because, if they weren't hanging out with us, then they were obviously doing something far better than staying in doing nothing, right?

Saturday was packed with theory, which I'm not getting into because it's not worth explaining. The highlight was taking Lindsey to her very first NHL game, the Canucks versus the Wild. It as a pretty good game, but the Canucks weren't playing very well. At least they won. My favourite part of the evening was on our walk into the arena...
Linds - I'm so excited right now.
Me - I think you should go to the bathroom before we get to our seats.
Linds - OK... why?
Me - Because you might just pee your pants in excitement.
And then we laughed, obviously.

Sunday we were all over the place, from Albion to North Vancouver, and a few places in between. I got some Christmas shopping done, we had hot chocolate and seafood dip with friends, I went for Chinese food with the H side of the family. And then we visited with more friends. Oh yeah, and I got to play the Nintendo Wii last night! This thing takes video games to the ultimate level of fun. You actually move around to play the games, it's so awesome. I want one.

Our Pic of the Day comes from the hockey game. We take feet/shoe pictures, it's just our thing. Linds got some new shoes, but mine are looking less white and more yellow these days. Either way, the game was awesome and I'm so happy the Canucks won, because one's first NHL game should be a positive experience.

Friday, December 15, 2006

The "I just ate this" Pic of the Day

Lindsey made a whole batch of these things. I saved mine until today so I could show my sister and her bf (aka my landlords). Then I ate it. Chocolate covered almonds make great and tasty penguins. And of course I love the cupcake aspect of it. But doesn't it look great? I mean, it sure tasted great, but doesn't it look delicious too?


Thursday, December 14, 2006

In Mike's Backyard it's raining really hard

Cool. It's raining outside and I've got to go pick up the daycare kids from school in an hour. Now, I like the rain. In fact I think I've grown so accustomed to it raining here on the Wet Coast that most of the time I'm not even aware that it's raining.
That is... until I have to walk around in it. Lucky for me I have a sweet Nissan Canada golf umbrella. I borrowed it from my Mom last Spring so I could walk the daycare kids to school, and she hasn't asked for it back yet. This thing is huge. One could fit 2 adults and 3 kids under it if one were so inclined to walk close together.

This week will pick up, for those who check in for interesting things to read about. I've got some cool things going on this weekend that I am really looking forward to doing. And one of them is hockey related.

Here's the Pic of the Day. It was taken right before I started writing this post. You can't tell, but it's raining pretty hard right now. Hopefully it lets up soon and we have a bit of a break so we can walk the kids back to the church. So many of them come unprepared for rain, and wet kids are usually grumpy kids.

Monday, December 11, 2006

Pic of the Day is a doozy

My weekend was as busy as ever. Actually, Saturday had me downloading a whole bunch of songs that I found through blogs, which when you look at, isn't being all that busy.

I love the Internet. It educates me musically and entertains me regularly with sites like Youtube.com, Allmusic.com, Homestarrunner.com, and Quicktime.com. How could anybody be bored when they have the Internet!

I'm currently getting ready to go shopping with, as it turns out, my whole family. All 6 of us. I have no idea how that happened. I thought I was going shopping with just my Mom and sister. Now it's the whole clan. At least now I can ask each of them what they want without any confusion.

I don't have much more to say. This is just a stupid crazy month.

Here's the Pic of the Day. They're actually selling a Christmas decoration called a 'Frosty Dangler'. Does anyone else think this is an entirely inappropriate name for a Christmas decoration? Not only that, but you can 'Hang it anywhere'. Yikes people! I'm still giggling about this one. But then, I can't even say duty without smiling.


hee hee hee... duty

Friday, December 08, 2006

TV is sucking me into it's vortex of inactivity

I don't know how people can blog everyday. I just don't seem to make the time to blog everyday. Maybe my posts need to be shorter. Yeah, that's it. I'll just do little blurbs about nothing, because that's all I've got at the moment.

There hasn't been any Canucks games, all I've really done is watch shows on DVD and schedule time for the ones I watch in their current seasons. Here's what I might be watching on any given night.

Heroes - Now that I've caught up on the season, I'm hooked.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - This is my first "Sorkin" show and so far it's been very interesting.
Gilmore Girls Season 7 - when a new episode is on.
House Season 3 - I haven't seen the first 2 seasons, but I think I get the idea. House is a jerk but he's good at solving medical problems.
Grey's Anatomy Season 3 - I really like this show. I saw sporadic episodes from Season 1 and 2. But as soon as I saw a guy blow up in that 2nd Season two-parter I was all in, baby.
Lost - They're on a lengthy hiatus right now. I hope they come back guns blazing. That would be awesome.

Gilmore Girls Season 2 DVD - Linds and I are about halfway through it. We hope to be caught up by the time they've decided the fate of the show after Season 7.
Scrubs Season 2 DVD - This is a show we've heard a lot about, but never took the time to see. Now that we have friends who own the seasons, we're catching up.
Justice League Unlimited Season 1 DVD - I just love this show. Period.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Volume 3 DVD- For those moments when drama is just too much and you need to see just how random some people can be.
Fraggle Rock Season 2 DVD - Dance your cares away, worry is for another day.
The Muppet Show Season 1 DVD - We're stretching this one out until Season 2 comes out on DVD.


Wow, I watch a lot of television.

Here's the Pic of the Day. Lindsey bought me this book and couldn't wait to give it to me for Christmas. It's awesome. I flip through it during Canucks games.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

It'll Xavier your Rudd

Today I did a lot of nothing, again. Fortunately my good friend MRW sent me a link to download this cool word game. It's totally for kids, Bookworm Adventures Deluxe. I had the time to make it through 2 of the 3 worlds. It's a very addicting game, the basic gist of it is this... Make words using the 16 letters given so you attack the bad guys. This is not as easy as it sounds. Once you use a letter you can't use it again unless the game gives it to you. I started out making mostly 4 letter words, but now I've upped my creative juices to using more 5 letter words.
But the game is not the point of this post.

Lindsey and I went to see Xavier Rudd at The Orpheum tonight and it was an amazing show. I knew very little about Xavier before I went, other than the fact that he can play the didgeridoo.
Well, is that ever an understatement as I was to learn tonight. He's got this whole set up in the middle of the stage that includes around 6 bongo type drums, 3 didgeridoos, 2 gongs, 1 wood block, and around 15 or so cymbals. Not only that, but he played at least 6 different kinds of guitars. The most amazing thing was when he was playing the didge while either drumming or strumming. The man can't be human!
All in all it was a great show, the last show on this particular tour. My favourite part, other that having my mind blown by musical talent, was his intro guy. This big bellied aboriginal man with a long scraggly beard and a long scraggly mustache came out with his tribal gear on and a santa hat. Then he cracked jokes as he played Jingle Bells on the didge (and boy that man could play the didge). I wanted to see him as part of the show, instead Xavier played a song written about the man's sister who died as a result of alcoholism.


Updated at 1pm!
The Pic of the Day is from the Xavier show. It took a few tries, but blogger finally decided to upload it. It's blurry, I know. It was taken from the balcony without a flash. During the encore performance he brought out a group of six kids between the ages of 6 and 10. They sang backup on a song about a ship. It was awesome! There were so many cool things this guy did, more people need to know about Xavier Rudd. Check out his setup, he can barely move in there.

Oh yeah, and the 10 points is going to be split right down the middle because Michelle guessed two things and she was only half right. We had Tacos and Fajitas. So that means the other 5 points go to Saranate who guessed margaritas but mentioned fajitas. Sorry Nuttina, we love the quesadillas but we didn't have them the other day. That's usually our Sunday lunch.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

A Case of the Mondays

Oh how the hours creep slowly by when I have nothing to do. Honestly, I'd rather be working on days like this. Lucky for me I have an awesome girlfriend who brings me joy.

Anyone watch the Canucks game tonight? You didn't miss much. They lost, were totally shut out by Edmonton, and three players left the game with injuries. Talk about a bad game.

On the plus side, here's the Pic of the Day. Guess what we had for dinner tonight from these fixings? (Lindsey made the guacamole on the lower left.) 10 points to whomever can guess first!

Monday, December 04, 2006

I've got a funny feeling

Oh man, everything was hilarious to me just a minute ago. I love being at that moment where you know you're tired, but everything someone says is funny. It's better than being drunk, because you can just fall asleep and wake up without the headache. Laughter really is good medicine, except if you really do have a headache.

My friend Holly (the one in the Elektra Women's Choir) came back from California a couple weeks ago. She went down to celebrate American Thanksgiving with some family that live down there. She brought me back some avocados, which I am extremely thankful for, and excited about. I asked her to bring one back for me, and she brought me three. The reasons for my excitement are simple. Lindsey and I love making guacamole. More accurately, we love eating it. And for some reason the only avocados they ship up to my corner of Canada are dinky little things no bigger than a minute. The avocados that they have in California are at least twice as big. That means twice as much guacamole! Woohoo!

This brings me to the Pic of the Day for Dec. 3rd. It's Lindsey holding the big avocado halves, right before they get made into guacamole. If we had a dinky avocado from the grocery store I would have shown a comparison shot. Maybe I just got a good idea for another Pic of the Day.



PS - I've decided to count from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed as one day. Never mind this midnight-is-the-next-day junk. The next day happens when I wake up. Screw you, clock.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

So far - off to a bad start

You know when you mean to do something, and then you end up having too much fun doing something else, and you forget to do the original thing that you meant to do in the first place?

I meant to blog everyday in December, but as you can see from the clock, it's not Dec 2nd, it's the 3rd. What can I say? I live an exciting life.

Today was supposed to be a "relax, don't do it, when you want to go to it" kind of day. And it was for the most part. I did some scanning for my dad because his scanner is on the fritz. I'm only half done and I've already scanned 33 articles and pictures, all hockey related. Then Linds and I caught up on this weeks episode of Grey's Anatomy after having Tim Horton's chili.

The evening was when things got busy. My friend is in the Elektra Women's Choir, which, depending on who you talk to, is kind of a big deal. They've been around for 20 years now, and are known the world over for singing excellence.
Q: How much do I know about choir?
A: Not much. I've known my friend has been in this choir for about 7 years now, (including the 2 that I've known her for) and am only just beginning to grasp the prestige this choir carries. She's kind of a big deal, she has many leather-bound books and her place smells of rich mahogany.
Anyways, I went and saw one of her concerts for the first time ever tonight. It was good. This choir is really really good. Who knew I have a friend in the Elektra Women's Choir?

The reason for the late post is that we went to Cactus Club afterward and ran into Lindsey's Long Lost Cousin (LLC) whom she hadn't seen in 8 years. And we also saw some of Lindsey's friends from The Ranch. It was totally random and strange, but it was a lot of fun. I'm going to have be short on details because I really need to get to bed soon.

Here's the Pic of the Day for Dec. 2nd. It was taken by the one and only 4ever29 during the Christmas Café kitchen clean-up. Gus kept coming into the kitchen area looking for a cold drink, as the mask made things 10x hotter than normal. Oh, and Gus is blinking in order to add to the mystique of Gus' identity. It's hilarious that some people can't figure out who Gus really is. I know, but I'm not telling!


Friday, December 01, 2006

Christmas Café and Pic of the Day

Alright, so most of you who read my blog didn't really enjoy my love of super heroes post.
Too bad. I don't blog for you, I blog for me. But thanks for the greetings!

Now that it's December I'm going to try and blog more. I don't know why, I'm just going to. That way I won't feel so overwhelmed when I try and think of a post.

Christmas Café is going on at Burnett right now. 2 years ago I volunteered for Parking because my Mom said they needed help, and I was on my 4 days off. This year, I'm actually attending a service regularly, and my rise to recognizability has been fast. So I kind of feel a need to volunteer, for everything. This year I'm in the Kitchen. It's fun.
Here's a useless bit of information: My team leader this year is married with children to my team leader of 2 years ago. They were married with children back then, too. But I didn't even go into the church 2 years ago, so I didn't meet anybody.

After my stint in the Kitchen (which was really the Nursery) was finished I went out for a late dinner with Lindsey and our friend Shannon. We babysit for her, which is kind of a big deal, because she doesn't let just anyone babysit for her. You've gotta pass the test. It's a series of written exams, physical exertion tests, and a 2 hour interview. We totally nailed it on the first try. We're actually looking after her kids next Friday. But I digress... We went to Quiznos and the girl there made us feel like we weren't supposed to be there, even though they didn't close for another hour. I'll never know why people with no "People Skills" ever apply for work in the customer service industry.

Tonight is another Café night, so I'll let you all know in tomorrow's blog if something cool happens.

Here is the Picture of the Day for December 1, 2006. This is what we did at Daycare. They made a slide and some forts. This giant pile of snow is from when they cleared the parking lot for Christmas Café. That's the slide they're going down.


-------------------------------

Oh yeah, this end part is for Phats. I still read your blog. I even read the boring sports posts about college ball, which I promptly forget because I'm saving that part of my brain for Hockey Trivia. But if you're really such a comment whore, then I'll be sure to put a Hi-dee-ho in for you after I read. Sheesh!

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

We could be heroes

I'm a hero crazy comic geek. But not in the way where I avoid social contact and sunlight in the dark musty corners of a comic book shop. I'm a cool geek. I watch the shows/movies and keep track of the history of the heroes.

The other day my partner in crime fighting, MRW, came over and we beat Justice League Heroes for Xbox. It only took us about 3 hours combined (over the course of 2 non-consecutive days) to beat the last boss, Superman's otherworldly arch-nemesis Darkseid. It always feels good to beat a video game. In the past 8 months I've beaten X-men: Legends One and Two, Lego Star Wars One and Two, and now Justice League Heroes. It's fun to play heroic games.
Next up on the list is Marvel Ultimate Alliance. But I think I have to wait for a Nintendo Wii to show up in my house before I play that one.

Also, over the course of the past 2 days I have watched all 10 episodes of the new fall drama 'Heroes'. I didn't give this show a snowball's chance in hot soup of ever becoming as popular as it has become. I was mildly intrigued when it was the first of the new shows to be picked up for a whole season. What finally made me want to watch it was MRW's random phone call gushing about how good the show actually is. I will admit, I'm totally hooked. It's a collection of origin stories of how normal people suddenly gain extraordinary super powers. There's also a sinister plot that the viewer hasn't been too informed about, that keeps me watching to see how it's all going to unravel. I like trying to decide who is going to turn out bad out of the characters that haven't shown the strongest moral fiber, and there are a handful of them. A serial drama about the origin of super heroes? I'm in.

I've also mentioned before that I love the underrated cartoon Justice League Unlimited. The animated universe that has been created pays homage to so many DC comic book fans, including the likes of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. This show is so freakin' cool, I say that it's my favourite show EVER! The Cadmus story arc in the 2nd season is so awesome, it imagines a government that is worried what might happen if the Justice League ever decided to force it's will on the public, which actually happened in a previous episode in an alternate dimension. (It's a long story.) Super heroes have responsibilities and problems too, yo. I don't really want to get too jazzed up about it, because then I'll start sounding like a certain MRW gushing about another show I just finished watching.
He's totally justified in his love for Heroes, though. Just as I am for Justice League Unlimited, which MRW also enjoys.

I just wish I could find more people out there who aren't such geeks about it. You know, the ones who hide out in the comic book shops and argue about who would win in a fight, Superman or the Hulk. Those people need a life and some sun.

Monday, November 20, 2006

November Update

It has been quite a busy November. It's all gone by so quickly, I don't even know where to begin to tell everyone (all 5 of you who still read) just what I've been up to the past few weeks.

So, I tried posting those pictures a few weeks back and Blogger still wouldn't co-operate. I just kind of gave up on blogging for a few days after that, and then I started doing fun things, so it all got pushed to the back burner...

Here's everything I've done in no order, other than that which I remember first.

Last week I went to watch a WHL game, Giants vs Kamloops Blazers. It was awesome, even though the Giants lost 4-2. There was a sweet fight in the middle of the 2nd period which, apparently, was a way bigger deal than Lindsey and I knew at first. The two guys that fought were each their team's fighter, Lucic for the Giants and Kassian for the Blazers. And, they are both represented by the same agent. An article in the paper said that the agent wouldn't declare a winner, so the paper tried to analyze it to no avail. Lucic got more hits on the other guy, but the other guy cut Lucic over the eye with presumably a punch. (I think he just forgot to cut his pretty little nails.) Linds and I both agree that Lucic totally beat the other guy.

Which leads me to last night, when I went to my first NHL game of the season. Canucks vs Blackhawks. Canucks won, and the game was great. I went with our friend (and some of yours) Heather. It was the first time she had ever gone to see a hockey game. The highlight of last nights game was a toss up between the funny drunk guys sitting behind us, and the fight between Pyatt and Vandermeer. Pyatt totally won the fight, but he had home ice advantage, so he had to win. The drunk guys behind us were making us laugh the whole time. Some quotes...
"Skate!"
"Feed it to him! Feed him with the right and block with the left!"
"Oh yeah, we got ourselves a 'tender!"
"Here I am, rock you like a hurricane!... We totally nailed that one, oh yeah, nailed it"
"You have no idea how proud we are of you right now, Junior. She digs you"
"That's ok, the rejection only hurts a little bit (pause for effect) OK it hurts a lot but I'm alright"
"Don't panic... Awww you panicked!"
"We need Bure back. Whatever happened to that guy? I hear he's a pimp in North Van"
"Squish 'im!"
Most of those need a context, but suffice to say they were way funnier in person.

Lindsey and I went to a handful of movies as well.
Borat - Totally hilarious, but a portion of it had way too much man parts. Not for everyone.
The Prestige - Very interesting. See it. The story is worth it.
Stranger Than Fiction - The statement, "Hey remember when Jim Carrey was a funny goofball and then he did The Truman Show and everyone began thinking he was a good actor?" can now be replaced with, "Hey remember when Will Ferrell was a funny goofball and then he did Stranger Than Fiction and everyone began thinking he was a good actor?"
The Queen - Great movie. It really portrays the Queen with the dignity a monarch deserves, and it also provides a glimpse at just how much Britain's opinion of the monarchy has changed over the decades. Word of the movie, 'Modern'.

Linds and I were recruited to be drivers for the upcoming Youth event The Amazing Race. If you've ever seen the show, you know this was a fun event. I had the A-team of the Youth in my car, so we came in first place. They won movie passes and I found out that they squandered them on the movie The Santa Clause 3, totally ignoring my recommendation of Happy Feet. I wasn't too happy with them. But I understand trying to decide on one movie between 8 hormonal teens is a difficult thing. Still... Santa Clause 3? Please.
At least the race was totally fun. I drove the kids to Maple Ridge Paintball through the deepest potholes I have ever driven through. And there were a lot of them too!
DZ: Hey Mike, I think you need a better car.
Me: Hey DZ, I think you need a smack in the face.
DZ: ...
Then there was a stop-over at the Pitt Meadows Airport for another challenge. Morse Code or a flight simulator. After that we had a visit to the Laity Farm to either move hay, move a cow, or milk a cow. My team chose to move a cow, so they all smelled like cow for the rest of the race. Then it was on to Safeway for a shopping list challenge, and finally to someone's house for a video quiz.
In all, it was a fun night for me. My team led the way, thanks in no small part to my excellent driving abilities. Seriously, I think my knowledge of the quickest routes gave us an edge. I used to be a car parts delivery boy. I have a clue. I also had Linds in Pastor Mike's car letting me know about an accident at 203rd and Dewdney. She got to be driven around with him taking video of the whole thing. Unfortunately, we were usually leaving the location when they were arriving. What can I say? My team didn't come in first place because they were slow!

A trip to the Planetarium was in there somewhere as well, on one of the weekends. And we've also caught up a bit on TV shows that we watch. But it's a new week, so there will be more.

I'll try and do a Fall picture post one of these days, because I know some people still want to see our Halloween costumes.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

You know it (was) Thriller, Thriller night

I kind of left everybody hanging with that last post. Here's the sum-up...

- Swimming was too long. 4 hours is far too much time to be spending in a public pool. Ick!
- Video games were fun as per usual. We now consider Lego Star Wars 2 complete in my house.
- Improv was hilarious. This Filipino guy was the funniest one on stage. And drinking a Guinness in front of a Pastor still makes me laugh a little on the inside.
- Chinese Food and BBQ both didn't happen, and nobody can prove that they did.
- Friendly Visit was all smiles and rainbows, which was great. Even if scheduling it was a little crazed, I'm blessed to have such understanding friends.

Now for the meat of this post, my Halloween Funtimes.

Friday 4 of us drove on down to the Halloween Train at Stanley Park. It was definitely cute. The theme was B Horror Movies, flicks that MST3K would feature. The only thing that creeped me out were the actors doing the zombie walk. Funny or not, zombies creep me out.

Saturday had Lindsey and I searching all around the local clothiers trying to find red socks to finish our Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes. We did, and our costumes were so good. It probably tops all of my previous year's costumes for being the best.

Monday was a mini Halloween Party at the daycare. We played some Halloween games, one of which included me going face first into a plate of whipped cream trying to find some candy worms. I love whipped cream, so this challenge wasn't really all that challenging.

Tuesday (Halloween for those not keeping track) didn't really feel like Halloween. I had already done so many things in regards to it, the only thing that kept me in a Halloween mindset was carving punkins. I made 3 Homestar Runner themed punkins this year. So easy, yet so cool all at the same time. I also went and watched "Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest" in a barn. That was a lot of fun. I didn't even care that it was sub-zero temperatures and we were watching a movie I had already seen in an unheated barn. I felt that it was very character developing, and will make an interesting story to tell people in the future.

I'd love to share pictures with everyone, but blogger isn't uploading them for me tonight. Perhaps tomorrow will be a picture post?

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Pre-Weekend

I'm really looking forward to this weekend.

Swimming, Video Games, Improv, Chinese Food, BBQ, and a Visit with Friends.

Last weekend was just as good. And next weekend is looking even better.

I love weekends.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Summer Photo Essay, Part 2

The continuation of all my Summer awesome... or as I called it, the Summer of Mayhem.

Vancouver Aquarium
Working at a Daycare during the Summer meant a lot of field trips. We went to the Aquarium and saw them feed the Sharks. But this is a picture of a turtle because none of the shark feeding pictures really turned out.

Greater Vancouver Zoo, Aldergrove
Another awesome field trip. Go ahead and make your jokes about the kids being wild animals (they were), and the fact that it rained on us all day. I still enjoyed this field trip a lot!

Granville Island
"Dear Strong Bad, Do you ever feed the ducks? Personally I think feeding the ducks is the greatest thing in the world. What are your thoughts on the subject?"


Dino Town, Bridal Falls
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Rockasaurus Rex!


Queens Park, New Westminster
Linds and I set this whole reception up for friends of ours (Jason and Amanda G!). It looks pretty amazing if I do say so myself. We had help of course, Amelia brought the trees! Go team Reception!


The Church My Cousin Got Married In
I went to 4 weddings and a funeral this summer. Too bad they don't make a movie about me. PS - We look drastic fantastic here, don't we?

Ellensberg, WA
This picture was taken as part of a series that I like to call "Hey you guys, where's Michelle!?"

There you have it folks, my Summer of Mayhem all summed up in a collection of photos. One day I'll make an album of it all, but I just can't seem to find the time with all the relaxing I've been doing.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Summer Photo Essay, Part 1

Wow, I had a fantastically awesome Summer. And I only left the province once!

Rocky Point
Lindsey and I came across this sign after we had already walked for a half hour. It was dusk. Lucky for us, we know how to sing and clap a lot!


The Barn
We visited these little kittens nearly every week until they got big enough to be sent to new homes. So Cute!


Harris Road Park
This is a trap. I am about to walk into it. But I didn't, because I was the one who set the trap.


April's House
I did way too much house-sitting this Summer. This was the first one, so Lindsey, Heather, Wayne and I made an awesome potluck dinner. So good in fact, that it needed a picture. Chicken Asparagus, Roasted Potatos and Caeser Salad. This was the only "In House" potluck of the Summer.


Columbia Beach, Vancouver Island
Can the sunset BE anymore fantastic? That's drastic fantastic, folks.



Brooksfield Farm
Hayride! Need I say more? How about... Heather got to drive the tractor!


Maple Ridge ACT
Well Hello there, Lord Stanley. Comin' this way again anytime soon? No, I didn't think so either.



Giggle Ridge, Cultus Lake
This mini golf course was possibly the best mini golf course Lindsey and I have ever been to. Seriously.

Next time...
Weddings and Field Trips!

Friday, September 15, 2006

Shove this down your Gorge!

On Labour Day weekend I took a road trip. I drove all the way down to The Gorge in WA, so that three lovely ladies could see Dave Matthews in concert.

The adventures have already been chronicled for you, hence the title of this blog.
here ... That's All She Wrote
and here ... don't tell me you don't know
and also mentioned briefly here ... Pretty Much Life the Universe and Everything, but she just says to read Heather's post.

The weekend was non-stop travel for me. I was moving and shaking all over the place, except when I was driving and my butt cheek was falling asleep. There's only so many different positions one can shift one's behind when driving the Washington Interstates. But I digress...

My concert experience was unique. I drove the three girls down knowing full well that I wasn't getting into the concert. They had already purchased their tickets months ago and I had really only just arrived on the picture. Tickets were still available, but my love for Dave Matthews does not extend past $80. In fact, it only ranks a $40. Scalpers at the concert wanted $100US.

At the concert, while the girls safely descended into the Gorge, I hung out in the parking field (it wasn't a "lot", it was a large grassy field). I had no idea that there was such activity in concert parking! People on each side of me were "tailgating" by either drinking or playing Cribbage. Since neither of these things were holding my interest I instead paid more attention to the guy across the way who was jamming out Dave Matthews songs on his acoustic guitar. I don't know much about guitar, but I know that Dave Matthews songs are really hard to play! And this guy was good.

After everyone had left, apparently they were uninterested in the opening set, I decided that I would move in closer to the entrance and prepare to listen to the concert from there. I expected to sit on my Mexico blanket and listen to the concert by myself, because the parking field was quite deserted at that point.
Instead, I found myself talking to some 41 year old guy named Pat who was obviously sauced to the gills. He said he just wanted to get effed up and try and sneak into the concert. Pat was friendly enough, and we chatted a bit during Mr. Matthews' set. We talked about all kinds of things. Music, great guitars, his wasted youth, how much we loved Canada. Pat was American, but he was a nice enough guy that I thought, 'Hey, it can't hurt to hang out with this guy, he obviously doesn't want to harm me'. In fact he even brought me a beer from his car.
Pat disappeared into the thousands of parked cars before the concert ended, so I have no idea what mischief he may have gotten himself into.

Nice guy, even if he was a bit drunk and weirdy.

After the 3 hour concert we drove the long way home, trying to find food before we returned to our campsite.

And that's how I almost saw Dave Matthews at the Gorge. Maybe next time he rolls through I'll actually pay to go see him.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Good to go like Dynamo

Alright, alright already. I know, it's been a few weeks since my last post. I've got a lot of good post ideas, but they always seem to come to me while I'm driving. It's a little difficult to jot down notes to yourself while driving, even for me. Stay tuned, I promise the next post will come sooner rather than later.

Here are some of the things I want to post about eventually...
- Why Justice League Unlimited is blow-your-mind awesome.
- What I did on my Summer vacation, a photo essay
- How I almost saw Dave Matthews at The Gorge
- Why I love driving everywhere, even though gas is ridiculously expensive
- How spending time away from the computer is a good thing. It gets you all kinds of awesome, including a girlfriend. :-)
- New music I found during the Summer including some of the songlists for mixes I made
- Great running-low-on-cash date ideas


My Summer of Mayhem has come to a close, but now Fall is upon me. This means my schedule becomes a nightmare. I managed to pick up another job this Summer. That puts the total job count at 3. Add to that all the babysitting, the Church functions, the weddings, and everything in between, and you have one busy Mike H.
Thankfully, Fall brings with it some sense of stability as far as the weekdays go. (Weekdays = Work.) I just have to get through the training for the other job, and then I'll be good to go like dynamo.

ALSO

Hockey season starts soon. Not soon enough mind you, but it's in the air. I can't wait! (Too bad pre-season always sucks.)

Monday, August 28, 2006

Stanley Cup Day '06

Canadians and Hockey. Go figure, eh?



Back in 2003, (I was turning 22) my Dad was doing a 3 month work thing in the Toronto area. I had some time off so I did a 4-day whirlwind tour of the Toronto area with my Dad. The Hockey Hall of Fame is in Toronto and we both went while I was there visiting him. It was my Dad's 3rd or 4th time at the Hall of Fame so he knew where everything was, including the replica Stanley Cup. That holy grail of Hockey displayed oh so proudly in this huge room with history all around it.

Andrew Ladd was only 17 when I first visited the replica cup in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Fast forward 3 years to when Andrew Ladd has now won the real Stanley Cup with his NHL team, the Carolina Hurricanes. And he brought it to our small corner of Canada, Maple Ridge, BC.


The Stanley Cup came to my neck of the woods this summer. Last Wednesday, August 23rd to be exact. After waiting in line for 2 and a half hours, I got my picture taken with it.

The RCMP member right beside me is my parent's neighbour. I grew up next to this guy and his family. Small town, right?

It's probably going to be the only time for a while that I'll be able to be that close to the real Stanley Cup. Not some replica bolted to a pedestal in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Canucks do what they can to win it, but somehow fall short every year.

Andrew Ladd is a pretty cool cat.
Before all the afternoon fanfare at the Bandstand in Maple Ridge, he brought the Cup to the kids in BC Children's Hospital. He also brought the Cup to Canuck Place Children's Hospice and visited with the kids there.
http://www.canuckplace.org/news_events/index.php?id=118&press=1&draw_column=2:2:2

He spent nearly 3 hours in the middle of town signing autographs for every kid that came up to him with cards, jerseys, pictures, and sticks. All this after spending an hour inside our local theater answering questions from ticket holding Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Players.

Thank you, Andrew Ladd.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Summer Kids Club

Indiana Bones and the Sands of Time starts today. It's the most exciting week of the Summer at my church. I'm so so so so so so so so excited for it to start.

I get to be a leader this year. Last year I wasn't attending the church regularly, so I was just a helper. What a difference a year makes. Now I work at the church, and they've entrusted me to lead 20+ kids around for our version of Vacation Bible School.

This week is gonna rock the socks off of Summer.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

I'll be there in a sec...

... Just give me another minute.

I've been working on this video for Church.

And I've been going to a lot of weddings.

And I'm going to the waterslides tomorrow.

And my Justice League DVD's aren't going to watch themselves.

It's the Summer of Mayhem folks, so you're just going to have to be patient.

Hey-Oh!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

"It's the best game you can name"

I miss hockey.

The only downside to Summer is that there's no hockey on television.

I grew up watching hockey with my family, so we all really love it. We love watching it, we love criticizing it, we just can never get enough of it.

My Mom has season tickets to the Canucks that she shares with her friend. Of course, this is awesome because it means never having to try and get tickets to a sold-out season.

My Dad has collected hockey memorabilia since hockey first became a sport. He's always on eBay getting a program from some game in the 1930's that mentions some Uncle I never knew I had, but I know now.

Apparently I had quite a few hockey players in my family history. My Great Great Uncle Tony played for the New York Americans in 1936. They were an NHL team back in the 30's.
I'm also distantly related to the first goalie to ever play with a curved stick, Don McLeod. A not-so-famous first, but it was a big change in the way goalies played the game back in 1974. It took a few years to catch on, but these days a curved goalie stick is just 'the way of things'.
These days I have a cousin, Lance Monych, who played for the WHL team the Brandon Wheat Kings. He was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2002, but couldn't make it past training camp. He has gotten lost in the shuffle of minor league hockey right now, but I think he'll make it one day. He's only 23, so there's still time for him to make his mark.

Hockey is all over my hometown. Growing up, the hometown hero was Cam Neely, who played for the Vancouver Canucks in 1983-86. He was traded to the Boston Bruins where he finished his impressive career. They love him in Boston, but nobody who knows hockey here will ever forget that he grew up in Maple Ridge. We had an arena named after him.
Now we have another hometown hero. The one-time Vancouver Giant, Andrew Ladd. He played for the 2006 Stanley Cup winning Carolina Hurricanes. And apparently the Stanley Cup is supposed to be making it's way down our main street in some kind of parade celebrating this accomplishment. Every player on the 'Canes gets the cup for 24 hours, and it's coming to Maple Ridge, baby.

Hockey will never be unpopular in Canada. Even a fully cancelled NHL season didn't deter us Canadians from loving a sport we have come to call our own.

I miss hockey and I can't wait for the season to start.


Saturday, August 05, 2006

I'm back







Blog Hiatus is officially over...







This is Me and Mike Bolt, the Keeper of the Stanley Cup. He's got the greatest job in the world, and I got to meet him this Summer at the NHL Entry Draft. If you look closely you can see the shadow of the Cup on the left. It was the real deal baby.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Grandma, we love you.

April 5, 1935 - June 19, 2006
Breathe deeply Grandma, you're home now.
(100th post, yo)

Sunday, May 21, 2006

And you were not the same after that

I've had nothing but trouble with this stupid blog for the past few weeks.

I'm out. I give up. I've officially tapped out.

Consider this blog on hiatus until I determine whether it's safe to come back.


Mike H

Saturday, May 20, 2006

I had MUSTARD?

I'm house sitting right now.

And dog sitting.

And cat sitting.

I have a feeling I'm going to like this independence.

"As long as there's a record deal we'll always be friends"

Lately I've been getting the feeling that I just don't make a great friend. I always try to be a great friend, but my efforts thus far have been less than stellar. I seem to have developed a knack for making people disappointed in my friendship efforts after the 'get to know you' phase is over.
Once, every so often, I tend to forget to call people back even when I say I will. I don't like that I do that. I haven't really been very good with keeping up my correspondence, ie. letters, e-mails, phone calls. I used to think it was so uncool how everyone always seemed to be too busy to talk. But now I have become my own worst version of uncool.
I'd like to make more time for friends, but I've been meeting a ton of new people over the last few months, (literally, like 40-50) and my brain just feels like it's getting stretched way too thin. I forget to call the people I've said I was going to call. I try and write things down now so I don't forget what it is I should be doing for the next few hours, and who I should be calling. It's always, go-go-go, and I've not totally adjusted to it all, yet.
This is actually the first time in a few weeks I've been able to sit down and do very little during the day.
Here's an excerpt from a real conversation I had with a daycare Mom back in March,
Me - "Yeah I had a really busy weekend after spending the whole day with those kids (list off some things quickly, leaving little time for story telling)"
She - "Wow, when did you get a chance to put your feet up?"
Me - "Umm... I haven't yet"

Not that I'm complaining about it though. This isn't meant to be a rant. I'm just trying to illustrate how busy I make myself. See how I'm not a very great friend? I have to figure out how to fit myself into everyone else's schedule without compromising my own. It's tricky.

I wish I knew how to balance all of this. I've got friends who live all over, and they're all very important to me. So when I've been neglectful, it's not personal, really.

Just be happy that I've made myself happy with being busy all the time. Please?

Thursday, May 11, 2006

I'm the coolest kid you know

I love Thursdays. It's the day I get to play with the best group of kids under the age of 6 ever assembled. Thursdays is Mom 2 Mom at my church. Sandwiched into a day that begins and ends at Rainbow daycare.

I love that I have a fan base in this group of children. There's this one set of 2 year old twins (there are 3 sets that can show up on any given Thursday) that couldn't have a more opposite set of personalities. Twin #1 is mellow and easily pleased. He chews on the tag of his blanky and takes it all in stride. Twin #2 needs constant attention. He always wants to be picked up, and has to show me everything. But it's cool. I love the attention he gives me too. Apparently he knows my name now, and when his Mom mentions my name to him, he gets really excited. (So cute!)

I love my new little 4 year girlfriend. She totally has a crush on me, I know because she gives me hugs and kisses whenever she sees me. On my birthday I was planning on sleeping in, but I ended up getting a phone call from my little friend asking,
"Where are you? How come you're not here?" (here being Quantam Gym) "I want you to come here and play!" My Mom had just called me to organize something, and she bounded in to the Gym right after my Mom hung up the phone with me, asking where I was.
And when we were leaving she gave me a great big hug and said, "When am I gonna see you again? I'm gonna miss you."
This girl is too cute for real life, and my heart melts for her every time she asks me to do something. I've asked her mother how she ever says No to her, but her Mom just laughs and says it's easy. Well it's not easy for me! She is just way too cute for real life. Dy-mo-mite!

I love that I was a preschool sub today. It came up that one of the teacher's at the local Montessori preschool was off sick this afternoon, and since one of the daycare Mom's who is Director of Something Important at Montessori knew that my love of 4 and 5 year olds knows no bounds, she asked me to fill in. It was an easy afternoon. In the two and a half hours I was there I received 11 drawings, 6 from one child in particular. These kids wanted me to do everything with them from play picture bingo to reading the dinosaur book to them. And I was just there to crowd control!

I love that all the Rainbow daycare kids respect me now. Maybe it is the fact that I can draw Pokemon, or that I'm always the best at the games we play. It could even be the fact that I'm tough as nails and don't let them get away with any bad behaviour or bad attitude without a time out. Today was a good indication of just how much they respect me. The other behaviour support staff member was directing a 6 year old boy on what he should be doing for Quiet Time, and he shot back with "You're not the boss of me, Mike is" I only just barely contained the laughter that I so desperately wanted to release.

I love my life right now. It just gets better and better everyday.

Now if only I could figure out how to use this kid magnetism on women, I'd be the Coolest kid in your Universe.

5, 4, 3, 2...

Ack.

I know I haven't posted since my birthday, but there just hasn't really been enough hours in the day to accurately post about anything.

I'll have to schedule in some proper post time tonight.

Now, I've got to go to work for an hour, then switch over to provide care for the Mom's Group that meets every Thursday, then finish my day at the daycare.

I'm out until tonight, and I'll have all the 'fun in the sun' details of my awesome days.

Monday, May 08, 2006

25 and still Alive

This has been one fun weekend.

Since I turn a quarter century on Monday, I decided it would be a good idea to celebrate my birthday ALL weekend.

Friday night my family took me to a WHL playoff game. Vancouver Giants won 5-1. Woohoo. The best part about the evening was inviting along my lil buddy. Up until Friday he had never been to a hockey game, at all. The boy is already 10 years old! He should have started going when he was 8. He was hilarious the whole time, he kept thanking my parents for inviting him along, and he didn't stop talking about everything until at least the 3rd period. It's fun to be part of this kid's life.

Saturday was a bit more stressful. I was attending workshops all day about Social and Emotional Development in children. Informative stuff, and they gave out free goodies all day. I was only 1 of 3 men that attended. Over 100 women and not a looker in the bunch. Want a tip guys? Become a preschool teacher. All of them are really old right now and they'll all be retiring in 5 years. This means there are a lot of hot young women getting their ECE right now.
Anyways, that night I had people over for a BBQ at my house (and I got cupcakes!). It was a big disorganized mess in the beginning, which has pretty much dashed any hopes I had of being a party planner. The evening seemed to go off without a hitch, but apparently I wasn't as intentional as I should have been with attending to all the friends. A few felt a bit slighted at the lack of Mike H in the room they were in. I am currently in the throes of making amends. Le sigh.

Sunday. Whoa. There's really just so much to tell about Sunday, so I'll have to sum it up, in chronological order.
Camp Wannabe
Church
"Kiss me it's my Birthday" button
Dim Sum at Kirin with Australians
Thievery of 4 chop stick holders
Bowling at Commodore Lanes with drunk Australians
'i love Lamp' shirt!
Frogstone Grill meal paid for by the waitress
Easiest babysitting job EVER
(did I just get drunk dialed?)
Grey's Anatomy
And then, the coup de gras, coming home to read the best post about me ever!

I hope tomorrow is as much fun. I mean, it's my birthday after all.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Hi Ho Silver, Away!


This really needs no explanation... does it?

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Ain't nothing gonna break my stride

Nobody's gonna slow me down, Oh no
I've got to keep on moving!

Honestly, I am having the time of my life right now! How come nobody told me being single and free was so awesome!

Maybe it's because I'm around children all the time, but I'm seriously riding the euphoria right now.

Please don't stop this crazy train! More people should get on with me!

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Pommelo Pete

Pommelo Pete's origins are simple enough and can be found here...

Pommelo Pete's Back Story

Alas, the end of Pete was not to be as picturesque as one might have hoped. I mean, I think we all had visions of a tough looking bald guy checking the back of his pickup with a confused look on his face. I mean, I know I did!
"This is not my beautiful house! This is not my beautiful pommelo! How did it get here?"

The story picks up over a Swedish chicken dinner at Ikea. I have just been regaling my parents with the Pommelo story as we leave with their (not my) purchases. I know, I made it out to Ikea and back without buying anything, it's called purchasing power. Something I haven't had since 2005.

Upon arrival back at the parent's house and exiting our respective vehicles, my Dad quickly says to me, "I saw your pommelo on the bypass"
Um... What? "Yeah, it was on the side of the road..." and goes on to describe the exact bend in the road where the pommelo was launched. Apparently, and pardon me while I hypothesize here, the pommelo did not, in fact, make it to into the back of the pickup truck. This can only be because of two possibilities.
1- Lindsey's throwing arm is more powerful than she gives it credit for and overshot the pickup only to land ungracefully on the side of the road.
OR
2- The pommelo did in fact land squarely in the back of the pickup truck and due to the freakish nature of it's seemingly bouncy outer shell, it bounced out the other side of the truck and landed on the side of the road.

I'd like to believe it was hypothesis number 2, because I'm a dreamer like that.

PS - My Dad doesn't joke about things like this. He really saw the pommelo on the side of the road along the bypass.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Morning Lapse

For some reason it took me longer than usual to decide on something to wear this morning. I have no idea why either. But I tried on 2 other T-shirts before finally settling on the red one.

I think something is seriously wrong with me...

Normally I just put on whatever the heck I want, and never think twice about looking good or whatever. I mean, I haven't bought myself new clothes in at least a year. I'm quite comfortable in everything I own. But today, for whatever reason, I couldn't decide.

It took me a good two minutes to snap out of it. And when you're a guy, spending longer than two minutes deciding on what to wear makes you wonder if your multi-vitamins have been secretly replaced by estrogen pills by some nefarious housemate. (I'm looking at YOU, Bosco!)

I guess I'm a little out of sorts these days. I henceforth promise not to take more than 30 seconds to decide what to wear in the morning. Because otherwise I would be acting a like a little girl.
Henceforth, Ergo and Vis à Vis.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Weekend Update

I cannot seem to find the time to blog anymore. Seriously. I've been having far too good a time living life and being busy working with children.

Here is everything I've done in the past few days:

Friday was the field trip to Vancouver in which we rode train, seabus and skytrain. Toured GM Place and walked by Alex Auld. He was probably intimidated by the sheer number of children under the age of 10 gallavanting through the hallway. We had 24 kids, and I was in charge of the 3 that didn't barely listen to a word I said. I even employed the use of the Power Voice, which, if you've heard it, you know it's powerful. I think I was running on adrenalin all day, such a rush!

Then on Saturday I found out why my Grandpa doesn't like me. I don't live up to his ideal standards of what a grandson should be. Apparently while I was trudging up to University I should have been stopping in every week to chat, go out for lunch, and helping him with yardwork. I did absolutely none of these things, 'tis true, but then, nobody ever asked me to, so am I really to blame? I guess I was just supposed to spontaneously know that I was disappointing my Grandpa without anyone saying anything about it. Yeah, extended family.
I went to the Blarney Stone too. But without being able to cut loose and drink, I didn't feel like I was performing at my peak. Being responsible can be burdensome, but living an accident free lifestyle is something I strive for.

Sunday was far superior to Suck-turday. I was finally able to put my feet up and relax a bit. I hadn't had a break from Life until Sunday afternoon. And that night I was brought out for the biggest plate of nachos I have ever laid eyes upon. This thing looked like the top of a very large head. I've seen piles of nachos before, but this was the coolest. The pitcher's of Long Island Ice Tea and Sangria complimented it nicely. So did the pint of Guinness.
Also, I have some new friends. They're the ones who invited me out for the biggest plate of nachos this side of the Fraser River. Their blogs are already linked, so prepare yourself for some more funny girls in the life of Mike H. They're a riot. Sometimes my face hurts from smiling so much after I hang out with them. It's a good thing. In fact, I've already been quoted by them. Seriously, they wrote down a thing I said today and even went so far as posting it on the ol' blog. Cool.
Lindsey and Heather - I hope this interview process doesn't last TOO long. I mean, I've told you about the 8 month woo, right? I can only last so long 'on the outside' before giving up entirely now.

I've got way too much to say. I'll post some pictures later.

PS - Phats, is it just me or did your comments become increasingly ill informed? The Canucks didn't make the playoffs, so they're not playing anymore. And my birthday is May 8th. Why is this not marked in your calendar yet? You're such a Hoser.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Field Trip!

We have a field trip tomorrow to Vancouver.

The daycare I work at is going to take the train into town, the seabus to Lonsdale Quay, and the skytrain to GM Place. Then we get to go on a tour of GM Place.

Awesome. Stupendous. Fantastic.
I can think of more words to describe my excitement. But I'll keep it at three.

I love my job.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Happy Easter

This week has been crazy. Crazy good.


I drove my little brother to the airport. He's gone until at least July now. Little twerp. I got the last picture of him, right before he went through security. (Even though he's a twerp, I'm still going to miss him.)


Um, apparently I'm supposed to try a "diva" look in this picture. As you can plainly see, I have no idea what that means. I'm just trying not to smile, which is hard because I know I look hilarious.


Ah yes, the Bouncy Castle. So many tried to 'take me down' while I was in there, but alas, the Tower of Mike H still stood tall. We even had a Royal Rumble style cage match with 4 of the littl'uns trying to take me out. I am invincible in there.

It's hard being me, you know? Sometimes I have to play Super Mario World on Super Nintendo for a super long time. That rug is not as comfortable as you might think.

Some restaurant called Sandbar on Granville Island. We're on the patio. I like how my left wing is standing out so much against the backdrop of the umbrella. We went and laughed ourselved silly at theater sports after we were done here.

That's just a little peek into my week. I haven't even gotten into what I did yesterday, and today is still unfolding before me.

I hope everybody is having a superb Easter!

Monday, April 10, 2006

It's a good day for shining your shoes

Yesterday's party was so so so much F-U-N!

Helium filled balloons. Platters and platters of food glorious food. Over 100 people. Friends. Family. Cake! An air filled bouncy castle.

The only thing I kind of regret was not being able to talk to more people. I knew everybody who came, and it had been a long time since I had seen most of them, yet I was only able to chat with a few.
I also would have liked to take way more pictures. The few that I did take were alright, but for 4 hours of partying I would have liked to have a little more to show for it.

Reasons I didn't take more pictures:
- Every 5 minutes I started talking to somebody different that wanted to know what I'd been up to for the last little while.
- There was an air filled bouncy castle!
- I was giving piggy-back rides to the kids. You know, because I'm so tall.
- There were 2 rooms with food. I had to bounce in between each one to sample everything.
- ... speaking of bouncing, did I mention there was an air filled bouncy castle?

After the party the fun didn't stop. I took my lil friend to see Ice Age 2. He loved it.

Now if only I can get a girl to appreciate time with me as much as the 10 year old does.

Sunday, April 09, 2006

PARTY!

There's this huge party my Mom planned for today and she's been driving everybody in my family bonkers.
It's to celebrate my Grandmother's 71st birthday and to send off my little brother to the Yukon. She also wants to show the extended family all the hard work she's put into setting up Rainbow daycare.

There are going to be over 100 people coming to this thing. You can come if you want to, she's already invited nearly everyone she knows.

I'm happy we're having a party, but I'm going to be so relieved when it's all over. Then my Mom can calm down and stop being such a party monster. She can be so intense sometimes!
...
...
...
...
...
...

Oh, and on Friday night I got to dance with some girls who were playing 'pass the ice cube with your mouth', and I got to play it with the cute one, but only once. It was awesome, and she is really cute.

Just bragging, is all.

Thanks for inviting me to your fun evening, Holly! Let's go again and invite those girls!

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Cupcakes

I love cupcakes.

This is just a general announcement to all who are reading. I love cupcakes and it's my birthday in a month.

My favourite kind of cupcakes is called a Lemon Drop. I love the lemon frosting. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate in general, so chocolate cupcakes are not my favourite. But I still love eating them.

There's this cupcake place downtown Vancouver that I only seem to visit once a year. It's so out of the way and I never find a nearby cupcake lover that can make the trip out there with me.

I don't know why I love cupcakes so much, I just do. Cake on it's own doesn't replace the delicious taste of cupcakes. It's something about the fact that it's a miniature cake that makes it taste oh so good.

My mouth is watering now because I'm thinking about cupcakes. I wish I had a cupcake.

Alas, I do not have one with me right now, and there is not one for me in the near future. Hopefully there is one for me in the distant future. Right tgp?

Cupcakes taste better when someone else makes them for you. That's why I'm not rushing to the store any time soon for ingredients. Also, I don't bake. I cook.

I told my supervisor that I probably would have stayed at the battery factory if they changed Donut Day to Cupcake Day. She laughed more than I thought she would, but I was serious.

Here are the cupcakes we ate for St. Patty's Day. They were delicious.


They're chocolate with green frosting and green sprinkles, but you can see that of course. And they were made at my special request, because I talked about cupcakes and my love for them so much.

I love cupcakes.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Clipper Ships

"Clipper Ships" by Mike H

"Me and my dad make models of clipper ships."

"I like clipper ships because they are fast."

"Clipper ships sail the ocean."

"Clipper ships never sail on rivers or lakes."

"Clipper ships have lots of sails and are made out of wood."

*****Does anyone know the movie I plagiarized this from?*****

Saturday, April 01, 2006

April Fool's is for suckers

Busy Friday.
I worked all day because one of the schools had a day off. We took the kids (all 3 of them) swimming and then for a play at McD's. I brought Bosco in to visit the kids in the afternoon and he loved every minute of the attention.
I went to my last Canucks game of the regular season and they lost in a shootout.
I chatted with Phats Dawg last night. He's a funny guy. (Hey Phats! Save me some Finding Nemo cake!)
Stephanie sent me a song which she has now announced as her 'Song of the Summer'. Bold words Steph, but you can reserve the right to change your mind by Summer's end. Music tastes can be fickle. This is something for which I have much experience. The song is Gnarls Barkley - Crazy, and I dig it.

The last comments section nearly erupted in argument. I'm sorry to all involved if anyone's feelings were hurt. I'm going to steer clear of controversial topics henceforth.

I really appreciate all of my friends. They listen to my insecurities and make me feel better. We laugh at the same things and enjoy life in similar ways. I trust and confide in them nearly as much as I trust and confide in my own family. I'd defend them just as I know they'd defend me. It makes me happy to know them and share in what's going on in their busy lives, and I really don't know what I'd do if there was falling out between us. Life would suck.

I don't mind driving to everyone's house, really I don't. I was having a 'Vent' moment about it because the price of gas is going to skyrocket this Summer, and that makes me annoyed. I'm sorry TGP, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I still love driving to LangTown.

Maybe I should hang back from the blog for a bit...

Thursday, March 30, 2006

3 posts for the ultra-suede price of 1!

#1 - Reasons I Haven't Updated

I have had a really busy week.
I have been catching up with old friends from the battery factory. 2 breakfasts and a lunch. People still really miss me over there!
I work so hard at Rainbow that I need my downtime when I come home. No computer!
The Vancouver Canucks (NHL, for those who don't really know) are making the Western Conference playoff race really close, so most of the time I'm watching hockey. Even if it's not the Canucks playing.
The Vancouver Giants (WHL, these are 16-20 year olds) are in the playoffs, and WHL hockey is really fun to watch.
My mother is acting as my "agent" and setting up meetings and such in order to get me more work in the childcare field.
My brother is leaving for the Yukon. Again. For 2 years or so. I need to spend time with him because he's leaving in a few weeks.

#2 - Plans

About 6 months ago, I had a 3 year plan. I was going to work at the battery factory, pay off my car, and save up to buy a house. I was going to meet lots of nice ladies (NOT factory ladies, they're cuckoo), convince one of them that I was worthy of a long term commitment, and make lots of hockey playing babies.
Then I quit my job. New plan.
I actually don't have a plan as of yet. I can barely make ends meet as it is. I have 2 years left on my car payment and I'm making 1/4 of what I used to be making. Most of my friends live a 30 minute drive away from me, and I seem to be the one making the effort to drive and see all of them. It's not that I mind this very much. (I'm a very co-dependent person. I need to have people in my social life, or I'm likely to go into a coma of depression. ) I just wish gas didn't cost 5 days worth of groceries every time I fill up. It's eating away at what little I have saved up. By the end of April, I'm gonna be broke! I hope I get a refund from the Tax Man, otherwise I'm going to go into a financial coma... and hermitude.

#3 - Wasting my time?

I went to a Default concert. Wait, was it last weekend? Has it really been that long since I posted? Wow, I'm sorry guys. Time flies when you're busy living life. (See my reasons above.) Anyways, I'm at this Default concert, not because I like Default. In fact, I think Default is only OK, and not really worth the money spent on a ticket to their concert. I'm at the concert because Miss K invited me, and the only way I get to see her, or hear from her, is when she happens to call me. I call her, but I usually get her voice mail. I'm thinking I should just try asking her voice mail out, at least I'm getting through to it. So, I'm at this Default concert not because I like the music (I don't) but because I like Miss K. And she knows it. Because I told her. At the concert. And I got next to nothing in return.
Now, I've been out of this whole 'dating scene' for a while now (and that's ok by me, I'm not desparate for love or anything, but it would be nice to get a little action). But the rules haven't changed have they? I mean, I like this girl and say really nice things to her, right? She's supposed to say nice things to me so that I know the feeling is mutual, isn't she? I'm not going to try and make some move when I don't even know if she likes me, should I? According to my sources on the matter, she likes me. But if I go based on my instincts, she just likes to have me around as a friend. My instincts haven't really been too reliable in the past though. (Have you read my All-Time Top 5 Most Heartbreaking Breakups?) I've really got nothing else going on. That is to say, no ladies in my demographic have made it known to my limited guy intellect that they're interested in me. Tell me, is Default right? Am I just wasting my time?
Crushes suck. AND crush.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Running with Dogs

Today I took my dog for my run with me. This posed a whole set of new challenges for running.

Let me preface this story with some background on my dog.

His name is Bosco and he's a Black Lab. He is just a year old as of the beginning of March. He still acts like a puppy, because he is still just a puppy. Last week the vet told my sister that Bosco is a little on the chubby side. He needs more exercise. Now, I've always left the "taking care of the dog" business to my sister. It's technically her dog, I just live here. So, my sister was going to take Bosco for a run with her the other day. She let him have his leash to play with (bad idea) while she answered the phone. When she was done with the phone call, he had eaten half of his leash. Yes, my dog can be dumb sometimes.
Now we have a leash that was this long _____________________
and is now this short ___________

Today I took my dog for a run with a leash that is half of what it once was. This was not an easy task. Bosco's never really been on a controlled run before. He usually just runs around in a field chasing a ball/stick/flashlight (when it's dark out). He was underfoot so often it was beginning to be a safety hazard to my being upright. Seriously. By the end of the run I think he had gotten the hang of it. He knew to stay on the sidewalk beside me, and to stay off the road. There was only once where he chose, at the last second, to go to the right of a tree bordering someone's yard while I was on the left, on the sidewalk. The outcome looked hilarious to all watching, I'm sure.
I think I need to train him some more on the art of running. Like how to keep my pace and not drag me along for a ride. Like how to stay on the sidewalk and not run on the road. These are all things I know my sister has worked on while she took him for walks. But he's a bit dumb sometimes. The male equivalent of my dog is a big beefy dumb jock. Like Moose from the Archie comics.


Even when he's dumb as a stump, I still love my dog.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Canada! F#CK YEAH!

Wow.

What a vacation. The past 10 days have been, unequivocally, the very best vacation I have ever had. I kept saying it during the week, because it is the truth. Holly's family is, in a word, Awesome.
I didn't even mind that the weather wasn't all that cooperative. (It rained on 3 or 4 occasions.) I didn't mind that every time I looked at the Canucks scores, they were losing (except once!) I didn't mind about anything at all. I was totally noncommital every time a decision had to be made. I was just 'along for the ride'.
I don't remember the last time I drank so much during a vacation. I only spent $30US on a few books, and the other hundreds went to admission, food, and alcohol. Wicked.

We went to Disneyland. We drove the Pacific Coast Highway (which is beautiful by the way.) We picked oranges, tangellos, limes, grapefruits, and avocados right from the tree. We ate a whole bunch of really great Mexican food. We ate at In-n-Out Burger. We met some really cool people. We drank and drank and drank. We had fun.

I'm really glad I'm home though. I missed my bed, my daily routine, my friends, my family, my job. It's nice to just be 'along for the ride' for 10 days, but that's not an existence I'd like to experience too often. I enjoy being useful, and I think most other people do too.

I was able to read 3 books while I was down in Southern California.

The Cure for Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz
Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland
How to be Good by Nick Hornby

The Cure for Death by Lightning, is extremely boring. It just didn't hold my interest, and I was glad when I finished it.
Girlfriend in a Coma, was really good. I've read a lot of Coupland books, and they've all impressed me. This one was a lot more Sci-Fi than his other books. I mean, visions of the end of the world? A ghost who cures the main characters? This is not your typical Coupland book, but it's still an entertaining read.
How to be Good, that I just finished today, is really good as well. It's the first Hornby book I've read, and it's amazing. I want to read his other books now.

I also went to see 3 movies when I was in Southern California

Ultraviolet - Don't even bother watching this one. It's like they just wanted to film a bunch of cool action scenes and figure out the plot afterwards. The effects aren't even that good either. There are a couple of really cool action sequences, but seriously, it's not worth the pile of dog crap storyline to pay money to see it. I was really disappointed too, because Milla Jovovich is so cool in The Fifth Element.
V for Vendetta - I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and not just because I have a huge crush on Natalie Portman. I can't believe that there are stories like this out there in graphic novel form that I have yet to read. This is one I'd watch again because the vision of the future is so... real. I think I'm gonna have to go buy me a copy of Alan Moore's Watchmen before the movie gets made. Seriously, this guy can write!
16 Blocks - It's like a really good (lengthy) episode of NYPD Blue. I think Mos Def is rad, and Bruce Willis can do no wrong when it comes to action. Overall, it's not a bad little movie.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Random vacation ramblings

Southern California is awesome. My friend's family is awesome.

Tomorrow we're going to Disneyland. Cool. I can't wait to go on Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters again.

Too bad the Canucks can't win these days. They should start playing the new goalie, methinks.

Has anybody ever been more hungry on vacation than they are while at home? I kind of feel like a pig. Oh, and the alcohol consumption? Forget about it. Beer down here is not nearly as good as beer at home. I can drink 3 beer before I even feel anything remotely resembling a buzz. I guess I'll have to stick with the hard stuff.

I miss my friends.

Miss K, I can't stop thinking about you.

Peace out, yo.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

I wish they all could be California Girls

This week has been great. Not good, but great!

I went for ice cream and a windy night walk with Miss K Monday night. I really like her, and I don't care who knows. I just wish I knew if she really liked me.

Tuesday I reconnected with an old friend from the High School/University days. He's a man of faith (not unlike myself) and we had an excellent evening talking about the past 3 years. His have been way better than mine, but it's not a competition. I'm happy for the guy.
He said he's often thought about looking me up, because I was always such a cool guy to talk to. "Down to earth" is what he called me. I took that as a compliment.

Wednesday was really cool. My friend, MRW, (who you may have noticed linked) is volunteering his time to come and do what I do, but in a much more limited capacity. He comes every Wednesday now to help out with Rainbow School Age Childcare (SAC). To be totally honest, I think he likes it more than I thought he would. I've known the guy half my life, and I never knew how great he was with kids. I think one of the reasons we've stayed such good friends over the years is because we can both lower our mental ages easily. I mean, we don't take things too seriously, the way kids are like.
Then, in a surprise twist ending to the day, TGP called me up to get together for Timho's Tea. Most excellent. I had already resigned myself to the fact that we weren't going to be able to hang out until at least the 28th or 29th of March. But she wanted to do something before I left for California...

...which is happening incredibly soon! Like, tomorrow soon!
I have so much to do today it's going to be easy to keep my mind busy instead of racing with anticipation. But it's kind of hard to keep it cool, because it snowed today, and that's incredibly exciting for me. I've been waiting for it to snow ever since Winter began, and now I'm leaving town. Only 1 more sleep until I travel to the much sunnier California!

Oh man, this is so much fun!

Monday, March 06, 2006

Oh, Snap!

My weekend...

Friday night was Trivia Night at my Mom's Church. She invited me because apparently I was going to help them win. My Mom has this misconception that I'm really smart. It's just a ruse, I assured her. I'm very knowledgeable about movies and music of the last 10 years (when I started paying attention) but the rest of my knowledge is pretty limited.
I was only helpful some of the time. And most of the answers I had correct, my team (my Mom's Bible Study group) shot down and put their own. It was fun though. For everything I didn't know, it was interesting to find out the real answer.
People really go all out for Trivia Night too! There was this one table of hot girls, who all dressed up like they were going to a party or something. They were contrasted by the table with all of thier significant others, dressed as country bumpkins. Cowboy hats and all. Whatever, I liked checking out all the pretty girls.

Saturday was busier than I expected. I went to see 'Curious George' with my good friend from the battery factory, and his family. It was his 2 year old boy's first time to see a movie in theaters ever, and I got to be a part of it. The movie was pretty cute for kids, and the experience is one that the little guy is going to remember for a while. He didn't like the previews though. I mean, who puts a preview for Monster House in front of a movie aimed at the toddler crowd? Seriously!
Right after the movie was over, I had to jet and make it to my friend Holly's house so we could then go to meet her Australian friends at a minor hockey game. Vancouver Giants vs Spokane Chiefs. Giants won 1-0, but they should have had more goals with 43 shots. We all applauded the Chiefs goalie at the end though. He was all over the place saving everything he could!
Holly's Australian friends are very cool. I just like hearing them talk. It's enough for me to just let the three of them reminisce about going to the same Catholic school in Brisbane. We all went out to this restaurant called Memphis Blues BBQ House. I've never eaten so much meat in one sitting before. And I probably could have eaten more. It was delicious.

Sunday I helped fill in for my sister at a babysitting job. She had a soccer game in the morning, so I looked after the kids until she was finished. These are the sweetest most well behaved little children I have ever had the privilege of looking after. 10 months old, 2 years old, and 3 years old. The woman they live with, and who we know, is a foster mother, and all 3 of the children were born to mothers who were substance abusing during their pregnancies. It would be really sad if it weren't for this woman taking the children into her care. She's a power Mom.
That night I went to watch the Vancouver Canucks get beaten by the St. Louis Blues. It's really too embarrasing to speak about. Especially how I forgot my ticket at home and had to get my parents to drive out and meet me halfway so I wouldn't miss too much of the game. (For those who don't know, I live about an hour drive out of downtown Vancouver.) Big Ups to my parents for sacrificing watching a losing game to help me out. I found out later they turned it off and didn't even end up watching the last period. It's frustrating when Vancouver is a team that should be doing so well, but can't seem to score goals against the 2nd worst team in the NHL.

All in all, I had a great weekend. Now I am counting down the days (4) before I leave for California for a much needed, agenda-less vacation.