Quick Note for January 2023

 Hello everyone, it has been a while since I took the time to write something in quite a long time.  Many things have changed over the years since my last post.  I have many concerns and opinions on the current political climate in Canada.  How ever, with certain bills getting pushed through our senate, free speech is under attack here.  One such bill, the talking points being presented at least, offer more Canadian content.  How ever, from the resources I have found to further explore what the bill is intended for, lacks transparency. 

I digress.  Hopefully the future will bring me more time to elaborate and to seek out more facts to present to you, my readers.  For now I wish you all good health and a brighter future!

A Rare Question

"Excuse me, do you carry any typewriters?"  Was the question I found myself asking this past weekend.  I have been anxious to get back to writing, and I feel that sitting at a computer staring at a blank page in a word processor, lacks the real feel of a typewriter.  Writing with a word processor is still a good thing.  Definitely slightly more environmentally sound then lots of pieces of paper.  Fewer trees will die in the making of a novel.

Regardless of the benefits of a word processor, a typewriter is a good choice for a writer.  The story you are crafting feels more, real.  There is also the benefit of disconnecting from the online world and connecting more closely with the characters you build.  For me, I feel more of a connection with my characters, perhaps even grow to love who they become, with seeing the story as a hard copy.

I could just be a little old fashioned, or maybe it's just the nostalgia it gives me.  Remembering past tales spun on a toy typewriter I was gifted as a child.  I still prefer a good book to read instead of reading one on a screen.  The feel of the pages as you turn through scenes, discovering characters you grow fond of before the end.  Sometimes I am tempted to rip out the last page so the story doesn't have to end.  Well I guess I will have to make do with a word processor, save the nostalgia for another day, perhaps.

Image source: Public Domain Pictures

Time Off

Hello Friends.  I have been forced to take some time off from posting here.  As this is a collection of my thoughts and opinions on current events I will be striving to bring some new content to this blog.  Not being able to spend some time writing has been a little taxing on me and hopefully I will be able to find some more time to write.  Thankfully I haven't suffered from writers block, there are many ideas teaming in my head.  For all those loyal readers who haven't seen anything new from me, I hope you will come back once I have managed to get some more content for you.

Recently I have dug out one of my old manuscripts and I am in the process of finishing it off.  I am hoping to add quite a few more pages to it in the coming days and weeks.  If you are curious about it, the manuscript I am working on currently is the one from my web novel I had been working on a few years ago.  Hopefully I will have it finished soon so I can start looking for a publisher to get it out for everyone to have a read and hopefully enjoy.  I also have a second manuscript that I bounce back and forth from, I am pushing to finish both of them, preferably before the coming summer months.

A writers job is never done, until the next time, Peace and love!

Stage Fright!

Hello again.  As I write this post, my first show with a fresh new band rapidly approaches.  I find that I am having a little bit of stage fright.  The good thing is, from my past experiences it goes away shortly after getting started.  Like most of my other performances, this one is going to be awesome.  It's a small venue, however the chance to play for other people will be awesome!

In my last post here I posted the song we have on YouTube.  I am not sure how many people have heard it, but playing it live will be an amazing experience.  I'll get my chance to be a 'rock star' for a night, and, fingers crossed, there will be more opportunities to come.  Participating in a live rock show is fun, but it is more fun from the stage in my opinion!

Every time I go up on stage there is always a little bit of stage fright.  Even after playing for many years.  Stage fright never really goes away, it helps keep me sharp.  If anyone else has dealt with stage fright, I would love to hear how you deal with it.  That's all for now, and let there be Rock!

Awake.

Hello to my loyal readers.  I have been working very hard on my music project.  Now I can share with all of you the fruits of my labors.  I hope you will enjoy our first release. The recording process took much longer than we anticipated, but we are now gearing up for some live performances.

Hopefully with the majority of the recording out of the way I can find some time to get back to writing.  I enjoy writing blog posts almost as much as I enjoy writing music, so its hard to find time to do both.  However I am looking forward to posting more thoughts, hopefully I can get back into the writing routine.  Take care and keep rockin!

To You, the Best Audience A Blogger Can Have

<p>Recently I published a similar note on one of my other blogs and I wanted to post a thank you, with an update here.  I have been quite busy outside of the world wide web and haven't  had a lot of time to keep in touch with all those who stop by this blog and have a read.  I haven't  forgotten you and I still find inspiration from all of the good comments you have left behind for me.

For everyone who has stopped by and have been discouraged by my lack of new posts; I want you all to know that I have been working on a music project.  I have been drumming for a good bunch of guys and haven't been able to find time for all of my passions.  Hopefully as things progress with my music project I will be able to find more time to give you something to come back to.  In the mean time I just want to say "Thank you" to everyone who has stopped by and left me a little piece of you on the comment section.  God bless.</p>

Hats off

Let me say "Hats off" to Elizabeth May of the Green Party.  If I haven't said "Congratulations" for your work to get elected on May 1st, I'm saying it now.  I don't normally sway too much from the parties I have voted for in the past, but in the short time since the election, I believe that Canadians need to see more of Green Party.

I have recently had a few moments to read a few of Elizabeth May's blog, and I am starting to think we need more politicians like her.  I was looking through the list of people who are following me on Twitter and I found that both Elizabeth May and Jack Layton are on that list.  I can only hope once in a while they will pop by here and have a read, but I digress.  I was heading towards a tangent.  Anyway, I found her blog through Twitter and I was very pleasantly surprised.  The first post I read told me more about what our elected officials are working towards accomplishing on the federal politics stage.

The New Democrats normally get my vote, I was one of the swing voters in the last election.  I changed my vote when I watched the confidence vote that brought down the last minority government on TV.  I didn't want to go back to the polls...and as much as I despise the Liberals, I have to admit the election was necessary.  I'm sure after all the results are in, everybody was happy to see a Conservative majority with Jack Layton and the New Democrats opposing in the House.  Most importantly we have Elizabeth May in Parliament.  Granted she has a lot to prove to help bring more Greens into House, but I am certain she will go above and beyond not just for her party but for all Canadians.  I think we should see more of Elizabeth May's kind of politics in Canada.  Let me know if you agree with me.

A Blemish On Our Image

The Stanley Cup finals are over, Boston has ended their cup drought.  Vancouver's first cup however will have to wait.  After the game...I am almost ashamed to say this but...riots in the streets of Vancouver.

Such shameful behavior. This is not what is supposed to happen after a huge loss at home.  All those fans should be ashamed of themselves.  Later reports show that the rest of the city has pitched in to clean up after the riots.  Although the riots have been cleaned up, the taint left behind from the riots is what will most likely be remembered.

After watching the whole event on TV, I am left with a question.  "What would happen if that had been Toronto losing the cup at home?"  Would the Maple Leaf fans start a riot on the streets of Toronto?  Its hard to say considering the Leafs have not made the playoffs since the lock out.  One thing I would hope is that the Maple Leaf fans who are accustomed to failure in the playoffs would take the loss a little better than Vancouver.   If I remember correctly, the fans in other Canadian cities who's teams have lost the Stanley Cup in game 7's have not started riots.  Suck it up Vancouver and look towards next season!

Liberal Democratic Party?

I can't believe what I just read.  A former Liberal minister thinks the time is right for the New Democratic Party and the Liberal Party should merge. This article explains why the Liberal party has been in decline and why the time is right for a merger.  Are you for real?

Granted Jack Layton and his New Democratic Party is definitely showing momentum winning 103 seats in last month's election, but wouldn't the merger kill that momentum swing.  The political landscape of Canada was changed with the last election.  I for one am glad that Stephen Harper won a majority.  Although Harper has a majority, he has quite an opponent with Jack Layton heading up the official opposition in the House of commons.

In my humble opinion, if the NDP and the Liberals were to merge, the Conservatives would most likely win another majority government four years from now when we Canadians go back to the polls.  It would be morally wrong for the NDP and the Liberals to merge after Jack Layton convinced Quebec to vote for a federalist party instead of the Bloc Quebecois.  This just looks like the Liberals are continuing their quest for power and forgetting about all of those who cast their votes on May 2nd.  The Canadian people sent a clear message to both the Bloc Quebecois and the Liberal party that we don't want their type of politics on Capital Hill.

I changed the way I voted in the last election.  The main reason I decided to change my vote was because the Liberal Party was against Canadians protecting our sovereignty by voting down a budget that Canadians have been waiting for.  Far too long have we been a joke in terms of our military and that is mostly the fault of previous governing parties (specifically the Liberal Party).  I could not believe that the Liberal Party was against a budget that brings defending our own shores to the forefront.  I did not want to go to the polls, but this time Canadians now have a government that will protect its people.  What do you think?

In a Bind

Well, what can I say...I'm in a little bit of a bind.  Not many of my readers know but, I used to be employed full time, but unfortunately I was harassed off the job.  Now the out look is bleak to say the least.

I've been looking for a job, just anything really, it doesn't matter what I do as long as there is a paycheck in it for me.  I heard a few weeks back that there was 50000 jobs added to the Canadian economy...I wish I knew where they were added.  Unfortunately blogging just doesn't pay the bills...I let my traffic slide because I had trouble finding the time to write something.  Now that I have time...I don't have any money to support myself...so I am trying to find something to bring in a paycheck.

I can't speak for everybody else, but I've worked way to freaking hard to lose everything just because of some harassment that has left me with out a job.  Employment Insurance has so far refused to help me due to the terms of my release from my previous employer leaving me asking myself..."Why have I paid into E.I. for the past 17 or 18 years if when I need it I can't get it?"  What do you think I should do?

Voter Apathy

Well today is Election day in Canada!  I went out and cast my vote...did you?  I've been voting since I was 18 and it is very important to me.  If I don't vote, what right do I have to complain about the political landscape in Canada.  The answer is I wouldn't have the right to complain.

I'm sure that voter apathy exists in every democratic nation.  The largest reason people give for not voting is "One vote doesn't make a difference."  With all the elections I've followed, and participated in, I have seen riding's won by as few as 5 votes.  For those who say that one vote doesn't make a difference, consider that scenario that I've seen in the past, a riding won by just 5 votes...5 peoples votes could have changed the outcome.

Anyway...I let my voice be heard today at the polls...I hope you all will get out and cast your ballots!

My thoughts on Canada's Election 2011

What can I say about the current election going on?  Well the house of commons is going to look a little different after May 2nd.  Jack Layton, leader of the New Democrats seems to be surging ahead of Michael Ignatieff and inching closer to the Tories in the polls.  Both Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff have started to attack Jack Layton's platform in this election.

I don't know how many seats the NDP can get but it still seems like something is missing from this election.  Oh...wait a tic...The Block Quebecois is missing...dropped right off the playing field.  Will Quebec finally stop supporting a party that can only affect change by voting against the ruling party in the House of Commons?  In my opinion, it's time they did.

Anyway, I'm not really a political analyst but one thing I'm certain about; May 2nd, I will be casting my vote.  One vote can make a difference.  Well I hope you've enjoyed my thoughts on the current election, I will leave you with one more question.  Who do you think is going to win this election?

Where does the time go?

Have you found yourself asking yourself the question "Where does the time go?" I know I have. In my opinion, it doesn't matter where time goes after it passes, it is fleeting in its nature but sometimes it moves so slowly seconds seem like hours. In any case time can pass quickly or slowly, it all depends on your state of mind I think.

For example, "A watched pot never boils." This gem of wisdom is perfect to describe how time can be perceived. Realistically, a pot of water will take the same amount of time to boil regardless of whether or not the pot of water is being watched. Our perception governs how long divisions of time take to pass.

There are more gems of wisdom to describe passage of time, "Life is what happens when you're busy making plans." This one rings true to so many different people. I could even use the last gem of wisdom as an excuse as to why I haven't posted in some time. In any case, I am taking the time to write a post for any one to read. I hope you have enjoyed this random thought put to paper. =)

Boston Bruins @ Toronto Maple Leafs

Well Tyler Seguin walked into Toronto hoping they could walk out with a win, but Boston has to settle for a shoot out loss. Phil Kessel and Nazem Kadri found the back of the net in the shoot out. I caught a few minutes of the post game wrap up on Leafs TV and you could hear the fans chanting "Thank you Kessel!"

Over all I thought the whole team really pulled together to get the much needed 2 points tonight. Toronto was coming off a bad loss to Edmonton and this was just what the Leafs needed to start a road trip. But what a game that was, Tim Thomas stood on his head stopping 38 of 40 shots.

I really hope the Leafs build on this win. They've got games against two hard teams to play against in the Capitals and the Penguins. Having forward Colby Armstrong back made a huge difference in the Leafs play tonight, he added some much needed grit and presence in front of the net. I'm looking forward to the next game, hope I won't be disappointed.

Edmonton Oilers @ Toronto Maple Leafs

Taylor Hall and the Edmonton Oilers walked into Toronto and leave with a shutout. Final 5-0; T.O. shut out again. This was a tough game for me to watch...the Maple Leafs forgot to show for the game? I don't know what happened, but what ever lesson the Leafs need to learn from this game is a tough one!

The Leafs got a lot of chances on net, Khabibulin stood on his head. Toronto has to learn how to find the back of the net, and fast. The A.C.C. booed the Leafs off the ice and rightly so. The fans are hard to please especially when the last time the cup was hoisted by a Leaf was in 1967! Granted the team is being re-tooled by GM Brian Burke, I can't help thinking that the fans expected more from the Leafs this season, especially with a 4-0-1 start to the season.

I didn't even watch last season, I am a Leafs fan, but I'm leaning more towards the first team I followed. I hope the next meeting between Edmonton and Toronto goes better for the Leafs. Hopefully the Leafs will bounce back before the have to face Taylor Hall and the Edmonton Oilers on December 14th. Keeping my fingers crossed!

How does one become a blogger?

How does one become a blogger? .... I find myself asking that question more frequently lately. I haven't been actively posting on any one of my three blogs in almost 2 years, got to thinking that maybe it was time to come back and see who wants to listen to me. I have been working on more from my creative writing blog. I don't know when I'll release more of the tale I was spinning on my creative blog. But to get back to my original question...I think you just have to start writing.

I've been face with many bouts of writers block and I think they had a hand in why I have been away. The challenge of the blank page can be daunting, especially when there are things in real life that keep you from getting back on track, at least there was for me. If I remember correctly this blog was my take on current affairs. I think I will have a few new posts coming up in the near future. I don't want to jinx it so lets all keep our fingers crossed!

Moving forward, I am going to have to spend more time reading blogs as well as getting more content for this blog. Can sometimes be a daunting task, but I think I'm up for it. Thanks again for reading and I'll see you all soon!

Hmm....I go away...now I get comments?

Odd...I spent a lot of time just surfing other peoples blogs while I was actively blogging almost every day. I spent I don't know how many hours dropping my "Entrecard" while I was still a member. Hardly even got one or two comments. But now that I have left my blog alone for a while I start getting comments.

Hmm...I'm not sure I know what to think of that. Some of the comments that have been left are way off topic too, I just love the comments that are just an excuse to drop a link to randomly get a page view. Others are spot on, I wonder if most of the comments are from people who have found my blog through Google?

If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to drop a comment. I think I will be around a little more often to view them and even respond. For any bloggers that happen to stay for a few minutes and read, please let me know what kind of comments others have left on your posts, and if they are just an attempt at getting a link back. I'm interested in hearing your views on comments.

Out of it?

Hello again. Its been a while since I've been blogging. My thoughts have been coming back to blogging lately as I've heard a lot about bloggers on TV lately. Does this mean I'm coming back or am I out of it for good?

To be honest I don't know at the moment. I won't be blogging about world of warcraft any more seeing as I don't play the game anymore. I have thought about going back when Cataclysm comes out but I don't know right now. Too many things are up in the air right now.

I am going back to playing my drums more often however. I might even try and find some time to get a couple of students and maybe make a couple of dollars of my talent. But I think I'd rather join a band or maybe even start one. Who knows at this point. We shall see what time brings us...

Server Transfer

Wow!!! It was worth the $25 transfer fee. Am I ever glad I transferred my paladin tank to a different server. On the old server I could not pug a 25 man group that could get past much more than Marrowgar. On the first run I had on the new server we managed to get to Saurfang and got him to 3% on our first attempt. Unfortunately we didn't have the ranged DPS we needed to get him down but things are looking up.

I brought some of my old guild with me to the new server just to make things easier when we got there. It seems a nice chunk of the guild membership has transferred over. Now we can progress through Icecrown Citadel with more ease and less repair bills. It won't be long now until we all are sporting the King Slayer titles.

Paladin Tanks

They are awesome! I love running into an instance with my Paladin tank. The best spec for a Paladin tank is protection. I've been running into instances with my paladin and I've actually come across some tips that I can share to enhance your own paladin tank.

First things first, you have to get your defense to 540 to be capped. You want to keep your defense rating around the 540-560 marks. After you are capped the number one thing you need to do is get 30k health. I've tanked with 22k, 25k, 27k and 29k health before buffs. As you get more health you will notice it will be easier to get and hold threat.

The main thing you need to remember is that as the tank you need to be able to hold threat in various different fights. You have plate armor and a defense rating of 540 to reduce the critical hits, you need this so you can keep the enemies off of your party members that can do high damage per second and more importantly, keeping your healer alive!

That's all for this post, there will be more coming in the days ahead.