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

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?

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.

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.

Hi Ho Silver, Away!

This really needs no explanation... does it?

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!
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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!

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.

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?*****

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...

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.

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.