April 19, 2005

Out dammed spot!

Dang.

When I wore these pants this morning I did not see the dried blob of mustard and relish on it. The condiments fell on the bottom half of my right leg, just at the right spot to not be noticed when you check yourself in the mirror. I must be a souviner of the hot dog I had last week when I met up with Liz.

I could go to the washroom and try to scrub it off but with these khaki pants a dark wet spot would be more noticble then a yellow-green blob. Then again if it has been there for that long I'm sure the stain's already set in and there isn't much more I can do for it. Dang.

I guess you know what this means: I can have another hot dog for lunch and not worry about getting messy with the toppings. Whoo-hoo! When life gives you lemons, ask for some tequila and salt.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 10:25 AM | Comments (1)

March 18, 2005

Of Spacing and Spice

Last night was the fabulous Opening Galla for the PUBLICity photo exhibition. Two of the many featured photographers were my good friends Jon and Mr. Canadian Blog of the Year himself Rannie. After work I managed to drive into the city to partake of the festivites.

The exhibition itself was fantastic. Lots of very interesting images were laid out for display. There was also a healthy dose of mulitmedia based exhibits, bridging the gap between art and technology that photobloggers do every day. The gallery was full of beautiful hipster people, making the scene and beeing seen. I believe I had my heart broken at least 3 times that night, but such is the life of a hopess romantic.

The big highlight of the night occured outside the Gallery in a conveninece store just down the street. I was searching for a quick purchase to get some change for the parking meter. After scanning the assorted goodies my peepers laid their eyes on these sugary treats.

Is that ... are those ... did I just buy ...

Yes, yes and yes. Spice Girl Chupa Chups! Peach flavoured lolly pops emblazed with face of your favourite girl! If that wasn't enough each one comes with one of 24 collectable stickers! Oh my hell! On top of it all, the store didn't just have a handfull of these left, they had two full boxes of these Spice Pops ontop of the box that was already open!

I've got to go back!

For the photo exhibit of course ...

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 09:32 PM | Comments (2)

March 15, 2005

Orange as far as the eye could see

Photos from my Whirlwind trip to New York last month are finally up. My friends and I were lucky enough to be in town for the last weekend of the Gates installation and I managed to get some of it on memory card.

normal_IMG_1957 (Custom).JPG

You can find more pictures over at Jason's site. Mine were the last to go up, but it's better late then never.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 09:26 PM | Comments (1)

February 28, 2005

Post Weekend Wrap-up

It's 5:15 in the morning. I just got back from a whirlwind trip to the Big Apple about 15 minutes ago. I have to get up at 6:30 for work tomorrow ... I mean today. Awesome!

My friends and I visited MOMA and I suprised myself with how much Art History I remembered from highschool. Caught the Gates installation in Central Park and even managed to take a little bit of it home with us as well. Saw Ground Zero in person which affected me even after so many years. Shopping in SoHo, driving through Times Square at night, and of course lots of subway hopping fun. We couldn't do everything we wanted to do in one weekend, but we did enough to have a great time and to make us want to come back for a longer stay.

Thanks to my friends for suprising me with an early birthday dinner and evening out in Manhattan. I really was not expecting it, nor was I expecting the hangover I had Sunday morning but that was well worth it. You guys are the greatest!

Now I'm going to catch a few more minutes of sleep before work. I did catch some sleep in the van on the way home but nothing beats the comfort of your own bed.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 05:30 AM | Comments (3)

January 18, 2005

Gossip over green tea

I had lunch with Liz today. She just started a new job in the business core and the poor girl got lost in the underground maze known as The Path. All the major buildings in the downtown core are connected by a series of underground shopping malls and food courts. It can be tricky to navigate, but it is a welcomed alternative to hoofing it out on the city streets in today's balmy -33C (-28F) weather.

We caught up over udon and unagi at this restaurant called Ho Shim. During our conversation I noticed it was quite one sided. She had plenty of stories to share but I could barely come up with a anecdote to contribute. What could I say? There was simply nothing to tell her. No wacky adventures, no romantic encounters, no brushes with fate and death. Just me, going to work, hanging out with friends, doing nothing in particular except living ... but no one wants to hear about that.

This is the same reason why my blogging of late has become hollow: I feel like I have nothing really interesting to write about. Heck I am writing a post about how I have nothing interesting to write or talk about. That is the Hail Mary pass on the 4th and 10 in overtime of blog entries. Maybe I if start kicking my 2nd New Year's Resolution into gear I'd have more material for you. But then again I've never been one to kiss and blog.

Agh, bloggers block ... I dare you to say blog again. Blog!

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 11:53 PM | Comments (2)

December 25, 2004

Make the Yule-tide gay

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas. I hope Pere Noel was good to you this year.

I also realize that our gallery is MIA at the moment. I am working on getting that up and running. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Update: Uhh, it looks like the gallery came back all by itself. It's a Festivus miracle!

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 11:30 AM | Comments (1)

December 23, 2004

Productivity is up

When you write as many reports as I do sometimes your mind wanders off the mark. Other times your thoughts are completely hijacked by a streak of insanity and you something kooky like:

After reload the page would not display. Cleared cache, cookies. Checked all advanced browser settings. Checked the OR, I liked it so far.

Of course I took that line out of my final draft. Okay, so I only caught it during my last proof-read. What can I say? The influence of bad Canadian hip-hop artists is a strange and mysterious thing. Anyone remember Kish?

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 10:02 AM | Comments (3)

December 21, 2004

Search your feelings. You know it to be true!

I swore I would not buy anything for myself untill after all my christmas shopping was done. Okay so I bought MC Groovz danceCraze for myself, but that's it! Nothing else till after the 25th.

Then I saw this. Dang. Must not give in to the dark side ...

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 01:15 AM | Comments (2)

December 05, 2004

The GTA Blogger Holiday Party!

Friday was the GTA Bloggers christmas party. As usual it was a great time, even more so because of the wack of new people who showed up. I tried to mingle and introduce myself, but instead found me mostly conversing with people I knew. I think we all tend to do that, but it is still no excuse.

Speaking of new people I managed to convice some of my engineering friends to attend the party as well. Jenn, Liz and Karim all managed to show up and enjoy themselves silly. It is good to see bloggers and engineers mingling together. Segregated groups of friends is just so 2003.

You can take a look at some photos from the event here. There are also at least a dozen or so personal summaries of the party scattered through out the GTA Bloggers list. ... it's a blogging thing. You understand.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 11:00 PM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2004

On the road again

Last Friday I drove:

That's one full circut around the city and then some. Wow. I realize now I should have taken the 400 down to the 401 and then 410 on the way back home to complete the entire 400 series of highways.

Zoinks!

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 12:17 AM | Comments (2)

November 09, 2004

What I didn't do this weekend

I could say the world conspires against me, but that's just a little over the top. This would be the third year in a row I've missed out on one of Joey's birthday extravaganza. The third time where all my intentions of going were shot down by one thing or another.

Two years ago I had to study for a midterm. You can't argue with that.

Last year a nasty cough had kept me away. It was the same cough that stuck around for a good month and took a bottle and a half of Buckley's to kick. I missed a hot tub on a truck for that cough ... a hot tub on wheels!

So when I started coughing heavily Saturday afternoon I began to worry. I had just helped Liz move into her new place with 3 cats and 2 dogs. My allergies decided to kick in during the move which in turn brought on the worrisome cough of doom.

What else could I do? I turned to my trusty old bottle of Buckley's cough syrup and kicked back two spoons of the tasty stuff after dinner. By the time I arrive at the party the medicine should take effect and I'll be cough free for the rest of the night. A perfect plan if I do say so myself.

I woke up at 10:30, groggy, disoriented, and feeling downright awful. I knew my plans had all gone to heck. No way was I going to drive downtown in that state. Conceding defeat and went back to bed, missing yet another one of Joey's spectacular events. From what I've heard, this one was doozy.

But why the stuff had hit me so hard is still a mystery to me. Thinking back it might have had to do with the allergy medicine I had taken earlier but who knows for sure. I just have to keep away from tests, sickness and medicines next year.

The world has better things to do then to conspire to keep me away from a birthday party. But regardless, Happy Birthday Joey, and congratulations to you and Wendy on your engagement.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 11:08 PM | Comments (2)

October 13, 2004

It's fricking freezing in here.

I'm back from my Wild West Coast Weekend. Highlights are as follows:

Brrr ... lousy Smarch weather. Details of the trip may follow afterwards once some pictures are up.

Thanks again Kris!

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 10:35 AM | Comments (4)

September 30, 2004

I'm going to the wedding in shorts

What is the difference between shopping and buying stuff?

When you go out to buy a pair of dress pants and you come back with a pair of dress pants, you are buying stuff.

When you go out to buy a pair of dress pants and you come back with a winter coat, you are shopping.

It is a really nice jacket.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 09:29 PM | Comments (3)

September 18, 2004

More photos!

The rest of our photos from Kristine's visit are available in the gallery. You can take a peek at what happens when you let two Californian girls loose in Toronto. Emily's band The Gris Gris had a gig in town while Kris was here so they met up and tomfoolery ensued.

On top of that you can experience the Scenic Caves on a cold and foggy day. The weather may not have co-operated that day, but the company made up more then enough for it.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2004

Krisitne in Toronto

Half the photos from Kristine's latest trip to Toronto are up in the gallery. You can find pictures from The EX and Medieval Times. Good times, good medieval times.

The next set are from our visit to Centre Island and then from our game of Cranium at Jon and Lala's place. When you're having fun there are no real losers, but damn Kris and I make a great Cranium team.

More to come later ...

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 01:31 AM | Comments (0)

August 27, 2004

Midnight Screenings

I like staying up late.

I enjoy watching late night movies.

I adore falling asleep on the couch just in time to miss how those movies end.

Wait a tick, I don't like that at all. Damned couch is too comfy sometimes.

Anyone care to tell me how "Lost in Translation" and "Duel" end? Renting the movies would feel like a waste since I've already seen nearly 7/8ths of them.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 07:21 PM | Comments (4)

August 14, 2004

Jeremy & The Jetta go to The Horseshoe

The Parkas owe me $20.

Last night after work I popped on by The Horseshoe to meet up with some of the usual suspects. It was a local music cavalcade, which translates into me not knowing who was playing at all. Either way I trust my friends taste in music so I knew I was in for a good show.

Since the Horseshoe is located on trendy Queen West, finding cheap parking there is like finding an Oasis video where Liam isn't sitting down. By sheer luck alone I found a nice little spot on Beverly south of Dundas. Free after 9:00 PM and only a five minute walk away; sounds much better then paying $20 to the lot beside the tavern. Of course as I was hoofing it to the pub I did pass a free spot on Queen but that's just Murphy's law.

I made it into the Horseshoe just in time for the opening act. Graig, Frank, Gary,Josie and Carla had already grabbed a table in front of the dance floor. Frontier Index started into their set and I was pleasantly impressed. A mix of that country-folk revival sound and sold upbeat rock had me dancing in my seat the entire time.

David managed to get to the show just in time for the second act. I think he might have regretted that. Sterling (I swear that was their name) was having a bit of trouble getting into key. I hope it was the sound guys fault because I enjoyed the music on its own.

Just before Midnight the Parkas it the stage, complete with Moses and their wolf blanket. Later that night Graig had told me this was one of their first shows post line up change but I couldn't tell. They had the crowd dancing and clapping along well past 12:00 AM and into the new day. The entire set was highly enjoyable and I would have been up at the front of the stage the entire time if I had not forgotten my bloody earplugs in the car.

After that we all decided to part ways. Another band was slated to go on (their CD release party no less) but we're boycotting them for some reason. We all parted ways with Carla being the only person taking up my offer for a ride home.

As we walked up Beverly towards my car I noticed a very disturbing trend. Bright yellow slips of paper had magically made their way onto the windshield of every car we passed. Half way there and we spotted a meter maid getting back in their car, I swear she gave me a knowing glance. I didn't understand, parking was free after 9:00 and you could park on Beverly all night until ...

... 12:01 AM.

Sure enough as my little black Jetta came into view it was sporting a bright new yellow hood ornament. The price of my indiscretion? $20 if paid without contest ... the price of parking in the lot next to the Horseshoe.

So the Parkas owe me $20. If they hadn't been so entertaining I could have probably gone home early and dodged that ticket. Or maybe I should be blame Sterling instead ... singing off key has never been so expensive.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 09:49 AM | Comments (1)

August 03, 2004

What I did on the long weekend

Photos from this weekend's Engineering BBQ Extravaganza can be found in our gallery. The crazy fun we had that day can be summed up into one phrase:

pyramid.jpg

Human Pyramids are back in fashion. So is Hawaiian wear. Booyah!

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 07:29 AM | Comments (3)

July 30, 2004

The kindness of train passengers

One big thank you goes out to the nice lady who woke me up on the train this morning. If it wasn't for here I would have missed my stop at Union Station and would be on my way back up north to Georgetown. Instead it is 6:53 AM and I am sitting at my desk getting some work done.

On second though ... maybe I shouldn't be thanking her.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 06:53 AM | Comments (1)

July 29, 2004

But tonight I'm cleaning out my closet

These are a few of the things I pulled out of my closet while I was cleaning it out.

Man I've collected a lot of stuff over the years. Some call it clutter but I like to think of it as little reminders of times we might have forgotten. Still it's best to get rid of the clutter and keep only the important things .... like all of the above.

At this rate I'll never clean out that closet.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 10:10 PM | Comments (2)

July 25, 2004

Didn't anyone tell you? Sweat marks are in fashion.

I went to the Emily Haines & Amy Millian show last night at the El Mocambo yesterday. Giving you a little review of the event would be redundant considering Frank and Graig have already posted their own, with pictures no less. I will however tell you that I was more inline with Graig's view then Frank's, pleasantly surprised with the change in Emily's style and tempo for the night.

What I would like to talk about how uncomfortable hot the El was that night. Now I am a chubby fellow, there's no denying that. With this extra girth comes the unfortunate curse of having overly active eccrine glands with a penchant for reacting at the slightest fluxuation of climate or temperature. In shot I tend to sweat a lot and it is bloody annoying.

Now I knew we'd be going to a show that night and a show = crowds = one hot room. So I prepared for this, wearing a tank top and a very light button up shirt on top. The rest was left to how good the air system would be at the show and how cool the night would be.

And the night did co-operate, keeping a slight and comfortable chill in the air. The El Mocambo however does not belive in air conditioning, air circulation ... or air ventilation for that matter. The heat of all those people in the room and of the stage lights just hung in the air like lead weights. The brunt of it was of course near the stage far away from the open windows in the back of the club.

And I knew what this heat would do to me. I could feel the perspiration beading down my neck, my back, my face. During each song that night I could probably tell you in agonizing detail how each drop travelled along my skin. The most embarassing were the drops that visibly fell away from strands of hair. It was a war I was losing against my body and my only defense was an already battle worn handkerchief.

I hate it. I hate myself for it. Every time I go out to a social event, my own sweat is always something I have to consider and in the end something I'll have to deal with that night. I hate the looks of disgust I get from the matchstick thin men. I hate how girls move away from me with obvious reason to their actions. I hate having to worry about soaking wet t-shirts and how they look outside the dark club lights.

You can't stop yourself from sweating, but why do I have to sweat so much? Do I buy into the "hyperhidrosis" explanation? I really don't want to start taking some kind of medication just to control my perspiration, but sometimes I feel like I have no other choice. I'm losing weight but it doesn't seem to be making a difference at all.

At least I'm not sweating right now ... but give it time.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 12:41 PM | Comments (7)

July 08, 2004

These are the people on your commuter route

Sally likes to relax when she's on the train. She sits back in her chair, leans her head against the window and rests her feet on the seat in front of her. Her stinky, wrinkled, ugly, liver spot ridden bare feet. They're presence keeps away those other pesky commuters who dare try to find a seat in a crowded train. Don't they know Sally needs her space to relax?

John is a very important man. He lives an important life, has an important job, and only has time for important things. When he gets off the commuter train he makes a be line for the exit. It is important he get to whatever important meeting he has to get to. He will march directly for the doors but then stop, nearly causing the people behind him to crash into his back. John presses the button to open the automatic doors meant to assist the physically disabled. He stands there and waits as the door slowly opens. The crowed to his back is forced wait as well. John is too important to open doors manually.

Alex is a movie buff. During that downtime on the train he watches his films on his trusty laptop. The big LED screen brings the pictures to life with vivid colour. The speakers on his PC aren't the greatest, but the still manage to put out enough sound to keep the other people sitting beside him awake. You have to understand, he needs to hear what's going on to follow the plot. Headphones are just out of the question. They will just mess up his beautiful flowing hair.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 09:42 PM | Comments (3)

June 15, 2004

Take me out

Franz Ferdy managed to make their way from LA to the good old TO yesterday. I had the pleasure of catching the show with the ever lovely Carla and the boys from Glasgow did not disappoint us. They put on an awesome live show full of kick arse rock dead on roll. Listening to their album afterwards I found it tame and almost boring ... lacking that energy oosed from the show; concert go-er's remorse I suppose.

I must tip my hat to Controller Controller and Sons and Daughters. Both were solid opening acts. CC was working the same vibe the had the last time I saw them: swaying back and forth in front of red stage lights while dressed all in black. It is a bit cliche but they pull it off really well. Sons and Daughters had a modern rock-a-billy kind of sound to them which had my toes tapping. They get bonus points for having the cute female "look at me, I don't care that I'm on stage" bassist. Rawr!

On a side note, we all have people that don't like us for some reason or another even though you have no beef against them at all. How the heck are you supposed to act when your thrust into a social situation with them? Yikes ... raise the being civil shields and fire all small talk banks.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 10:34 PM | Comments (2)

June 05, 2004

Golf not Fun

"Are you here for the Golf or are you here for the Fun?" the old man asked with a sour look on his face. I was caught off guard and stood paused for a moment. Golf or Fun? I had no idea the two were mutually exclusive.

He asked the question again, this time putting emphasis on the two alternatives. "Are you here for the Golf or are you here for the Fun?" As far as he was concerned my co-workers and I were just children fooling around on his golf course; We were to be addressed as such.

Finally one of us managed to blurt out: "For Fun!" and the rest of us chimed in agreement. We had all taken that Friday off for the company's annual golf tournament. Of course we were here for the Fun, a Fun game of Golf!

"Good," replied the little man from his little cart. The official looked up at us as we stood there on the green of the 8th hole, but to me it felt as if he was glaring down at us with a disapproving look. "If that's the case would you mind skipping this hole and the next one as well? We're trying to keep this tournament going and there are four other Golf teams behind you"

Ah so that is what this is all about. That is why I had spotted him watching us every now and then. This sour old man had pegged our foursome for the inexperienced golfers that we were and our game was expendable. So what if we're doing our best and having Fun at the same time? We were encroaching on those people who were here for the Golf. As rookies we didn't know any better.

Still we agreed to his terms and headed back to our own golf carts. The official drove away with a smug look on his face, satisfied that he had one another battle for the better Golfer. My group drove off in the opposite direction, marking this hole and the next each as a birdie.

After all, we were only there for the Fun.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 10:06 PM | Comments (3)

May 27, 2004

I'm too sexy for this train.

There is a balance to everything.

Take Little Miss Too-Hot-For-School. She struts into the Go train just before me. Sporting a tiny leather jacket zipped up just enough to show off the cleavage she's exposing under her button up shirt. Tight pinstriped slacks cut off just above her slinky stiletto heels; Her bleached blonde hair kept in just the right way to accent the grey contacts in her eyes.

I would say she's attractive but not strikingly beautiful. The problem is she carries herself like god's gift to men.

I watch her survey the rest of the train with a downard glance. She is not impressed and lets the slight pout on her face show it. Before I could step in the doors she strides over to the side and takes the only free seat left. I am not impressed and I let the slight pout on my face show it. I'm left standing in the aisle while she plays around with her cell phone.

For pete sake pick a fricking ring tone already!

But like I said there is a balance to everything. In this story between the Beauty and the Bitch the balance strikes just as I reach my stop. As I exit the train and head for home I leave Little Miss Too-Hot-For-School fast asleep in her seat ....

... Snoring like a donkey in heat.

Posted by jeremiahnewbie at 07:14 PM | Comments (4)