Christmas is a great time for an election!

There's been a lot of talk about this being a Christmas election. The mainstream media has been creating the impression that Canadians don't want an election right now. I think Christmas is the perfect time for an election since there's a lot of similarities between the two.

Christmas	Election
People make lists of things they want and hope they'll get them from their friends	People make lists of things they want and hope they'll get them from their friends in government
People rush around trying to visit as many stores as possible and buy as many presents as they can in the shortest amount of time	Politicians rush around trying to visit as many cities as possible and buy as many votes as they can in the shortest amount of time
People are rude, arrogant, and impolite to other shoppers, drivers, etc.	Politicians are rude, arrogant, and impolite to other politicians, parties, and sometimes voters
Radio and TV are filled with boring, repetitive Christmas movies and songs that have been played every Christmas for the last century	Radio and TV are filled with boring, repetitive political ads that have been played every election for the last century ("American" health-care anyone?)
People open their gifts Christmas Day and fake surprise and elation at receiving yet another useless reindeer sweater	People read the news after election day and fake surprise and elation at yet another useless government program (Gun Registry anyone?)
People go on a whirlwind spending spree then have heart attacks when they get the outrageously high credit card bill in January	Politicians go on a whirlwind spending spree then Canadians have heart attacks when they get the outrageously high tax bill in March
After being revived by the paramedics people realize that they didn't actually come out ahead, since for every present they got for "free" they bought one costing the same, or more, for the person that gave it to them	After being revived by the paramedics people realize that they didn't actually come out ahead, since for every handout or program they got for "free" they paid the the same, or more, for someone else's "free" handout/program
After Christmas people line up for hours and fight each other violently in an attempt to get a deal on a TV or bed that they don't really need	After the election people line up for hours and fight each other violently in an attempt to get a handout or favour from the government that they don't really need
After all the hype, hustle, bustle, and stress, people sit down the day after Boxing Day and think "Hmm, that's it? It's over?"	After all the hype, hustle, bustle, and stress, people sit down after election day and think "Hmm, that's it? It's over?"
People make all sorts of wild resolutions and promises for the new year, and then don't follow through on any of them	Politicians make all sorts of wild resolutions and promises for the next four years, and then don't follow through on any of them

First Half Complete

The first half of the Futsal season is complete and it was a grand success! There's a smorgasborg of highlights to choose from, but a few that quickly come to mind are:

• a victory over IPAC Ukraine, a Second Division team
• a narrow one-goal loss to Spitfire, a First Division team
• a draw (that should have been a win) against King's Head, a Third Division team

Not bad for a bunch of guys from Fourth Division! I can't think of any lowlights, except for maybe the last minute loss to the last place team. Rumour has it they're being relegated for the second half of the season though, so we won't have to worry about them anymore. :P

The Futsal game is fast and fun and except for some heating, seating, and leaking issues the facilities are great too.

The team is also really starting to come together. From great efforts on the pitch, to complementary pats on the back, to post-game beer bashes, this is the most fun I've had playing soccer in a long time. In fact, the games we lost were some of the most enjoyable!

The saying goes "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game." Well, I'd complement that with "If you're not having fun, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose." That is why we play sports after all: to have fun.

I can't wait for the second half of the season!

Unexpected Gifts at an Opportune Time

It must really be the Christmas season! Today my employer gave me an unsolicited 3% raise, even though I've only been with the company for five months. To top that off, they explained why it was "low" (because I've only been there five months), and asked if I had any issues with my salary. Talk about proactive!

The truly miraculous thing about though it is that just a few weeks ago I started giving away and donating money. I didn't know if I could afford it at the time, but I was just blessed with a streak of generosity and couldn't hold back. I decided that I wanted to pass the blessings I have been given on to others, and I had faith that God would support me and ensure I could afford it. And today I got proof!

The absolute best part is, now I'll have even more to give away!

"It's like, you're almost glad to have carpal tunnel"

Even though my employer gave me a fancy schmancy new ThinkPad with an extra 512MB of memory and a nice carry bag, I still do most of my work in the office at my desk. To that end, I was also provided with a docking station, monitor stand, keyboard, and mouse.

The other day I got a new Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. I was skeptical as to it's usefulness at first, but now that I've tried it, I'll never go back to a regular keyboard. This is the most comfortable keyboard I have ever used! The reverse slope takes a little while to get used to, but it feels great once you do. As the website says "the only thing you touch more often than your mouse and keyboard is your pillow". In light of that fact, I think this is a great investment, especially in the workplace. I'm actually considering buying one for home!

Inconvenient Public Transit

There have been a lot of letters to the editor regarding Winnipeg Transit and the problems it's facing with revenue and ridership. To see why I don't ride the bus, let's take a look at my daily trip to work from both a time and cost perspective.

First, the Winnipeg Transit website shows three options for getting to work. The fastest commute is 40 minutes, but that includes 12 minutes of walking (not very pleasant at -35). The other two options are 45 and 60 minutes and include 9 or 10 minutes of walking or waiting for a transfer. For the return trip, Winnipeg Transit shows four options, each between 46 and 55 minutes total time, including 14 minutes of walking and up to 5 minutes of waiting for a transfer. So, using Winnipeg Transit, my daily commute will take at least 90 minutes and include approximately 30 minutes of walking or waiting. If I take my car to work, the drive is a maximum of 30 minutes each way, with about a 5 minute walk from my car to work. However, on a good day, I can sometimes get to work in only 15 minutes. For comparison's sake though we'll assume that every day is a bad driving day. So that's 70 minutes maximum total time with only 10 minutes of walking and no waiting. That's a 20 minute time savings every day.

Now let's look at cost. A Monday to Friday bus pass is $16.65 per week, for a total of $66.60 per month plus taxes. I pay $75 per month for parking. Yes, it's more, but it's also a slight case of comparing apples to oranges since my monthly parking fee allows me to park in that spot any time, any day of the month. The Monday to Friday bus pass allows me a maximum of two rides each day, only from Monday to Friday. So, if I want to go downtown on a weekend for a hockey game, or shopping, or some other event, that cost is extra. An unlimited monthly bus pass is $71.25. That's only $3.75 cheaper.

I can hear the bus people already saying "but you have to include your gas and car insurance". Well, my life involves more than just going to and from work so I would need a car anyway. It takes almost 2 hours to grocery shop, there's no way I'm going to tack on another 90 minutes in transit time to that by taking the bus. Besides, where would I put my 20 grocery bags on the bus anyway? I'm also involved in sports which take place at different locations around the city. I'm certainly not going lug my equipment bag onto the bus and ride it for two hours across the city just to play sports. And then there's visiting family and friends, and my girlfriend who lives on the other side of the city (a two hour trip according to Winnipeg Transit!).

For $3.75 more per month I save at least 20 minutes per day going to work (and many hours going other places), don't have to walk or wait in -35 cold, and have all sorts of priceless advantages such as having my car at work for when I want (or need) to go out afterwards, and not having to sit on a crowded, hot (or cold), and noisy bus.

So I don't understand why so many people are perplexed as to why people don't take the bus. For me it's an obvious, simple decision, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's done this comparison. Keep in mind also, that being a young professional with no kids it's extremely easy for me to take the bus. Could you imagine what the commute would be like for a family, or single parent that needs to take their kids to day care before work and pick them up after? It's easy to see that such a situation could add another hour or more to their trip, including more walking and waiting out in the cold (or heat).

I don't have the answers, but I understand basic economics. As long as the inconvenience of public transit continues to outweigh it's benefits, people aren't going to use it. And I certainly wouldn't blame them.

Short Ironic Rant

One day I hope there's a fire and all the people parked in the fire lane die in it.

Mandatory Firefox Extensions

A lot of clients and friends have asked me what web browser to use since they hear that Internet Explorer isn't safe. I usually suggest Opera or Firefox.

Firefox is a great product, but to really get the most out of it you have to download (and install) a lot of extensions in addition to the main browser.

On the other hand, I usually refer to Opera as "Firefox with all the best extensions built in". Opera also comes with a news reader and mail client, for those who are looking for a more complete, and integrated package.

When a client asked me this question today it got me thinking though. What would be my list of must-have Firefox extensions? Well, here's what I currently have installed:

• Adblock - Filters ads from web-pages
  
• CookieCuller - Extended cookie manager
  
• Enhanced History Manager - Flexible history management
  
• FLST - Sets focus to the last selected tab
  
• Flashblock - Replaces Flash objects with a button you can click to view them
  
• Forecastfox - Get international weather forecasts in any toolbar or status bar
  
• hideBad - Hides bad things (Clears passwords, cookies, cache, etc.)
  
• LastTab - Allows tab navigation in a most recently used manner
  
• NoScript - Lets you control the execution of JavaScript
  
• Open link in - Adds more tab/window opening options to the context menu for links and images
  
• Paste and Go - Lets you paste a URL from the clipboard and directly load it (like Opera)
  
• SessionSaver - Allows you to save and manage browsing sessions
  
• Tab Mix Plus - Tabbed browsing with an added boost
  
• Tab X - Adds a close button to each of the browser tabs
  
• Unread Tabs - Marks unread tabs so you know that you haven't read them

Mmmm

The other night my girlfriend, sister, and I were going to a Christmas pot-luck party and weren't sure what to bring. Being a dessert fiend I wanted to bring something sweet so the girlfriend suggested a gingerbread house. We found a kit from Create a Treat at Wal-mart for about $10, bought some extra adornments, and put it together the evening before.

It was awesome! It was really easy (and fun!) to make, and it tasted great too! The only problem was that nobody wanted to eat it at the party because they thought it was a centerpiece, haha. But once a few of us started the damage it went pretty fast!

I think we'll make another one for ourselves, just because :)

The New Music

Looking for new music? I found a great online application called Pandora, created by the Music Genome Project.

The Music Genome Project's goal is "to capture the essence of music at the most fundamental level". The project team is "a collection of musicians and music-loving technologists" who have "listened to the songs of over 10,000 different artists and analyzed the musical qualities of each song one attribute at a time".

Pandora allows you to leverage this musical analysis to discover new music based on your likes and dislikes. It's extremely simple to use, just enter the names of artists and songs that you like, and the engine plays music that is "genetically" similar to your selections. You can set up a free account and share your "station" with friends.

I created a station the other day, and it's already given me some great suggestions.

Groove Salad

I was having some friends over for a get together the other night and wanted some ambient grooves to spin in the background. I hit up the usual locations for such audio delights: LAUNCHcast, Digitally Imported, and SHOUTcast and finally settled on a SHOUTcast channel called Groove Salad.

Groove Salad describes itself as "a nicely chilled plate of ambient beats and grooves" and that's pretty darn accurate. Once I started listening, I couldn't switch the channel. It rocked, and I was hooked! Smooth grooves with a bit of an electronic vibe; just what I was looking for. It's actually a channel on SomaFM: Listener-Supported, Commercial Free Internet Radio, but is also available via SHOUTcast.

If you're in to electronica or are just looking for some aural stimulation that won't overpower your conversation or focus then check 'em out. Highly recommended!

Congrats!

Congratulations to my little sister who achieved a 74% on her pre-national exam for the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists! The range of marks for the exam was 65-77% with an average of 71%.

That's an unbelievably exceptional score! I'm so proud of you! All that working and studying has totally paid off! People will be very lucky to have you caring for them during such a trying time. I have a feeling the doors are going to begin opening for you very soon. :)

For those who don't know, the CAMRT exam is 8 hours long (yes, 8 hours!) with an hour break for lunch. Crazy!

Off to a Great Start

The Futsal season is off to a great start. In our first match we narrowly missed a win against a team from Third Division outdoor (they tied it with 30 seconds remaining). While it was a learning experience with everyone working hard to adjust to the new ball, new rules, and new players on the squad, we were very satisfied with the point.

The second match was a vast improvement. The new players settled in and the team worked together much better. We dominated the play and came away with three points against a formidable opponent from Second Division outdoor.

Our Coach summed the start up best in a post-game e-mail:

"That was a great effort last night. You're going to gain some respect from these higher division teams.

You guys are really enjoying this new game. The defence and mid-field were solid, the strikers created more then enough scoring opportunities and scored when they had to. You look like you were all having a blast.

Keep up the good work and believe in yourself and the team. The best is yet to come."

I agree!

Gullible Canucks

I don't know what's worse: the government bribing Canadians with their own money, or the fact that the vast majority of Canadians will fall for it. It's ironic that the Liberals are doing all this bribing in an attempt to win an election forced by their previous attempts to bribe Quebeckers.

Timely Healthcare Shouldn't Be Illegal

Canadians should thank Dr. Mark Godley for having the courage to do what the Canadian government hasn't: provide important diagnostic and surgical services to patients in a timely fashion. I can tell you by personal experience that there is nothing scarier and more stressful than waiting to find out the cause of one's health troubles. Heath Minister Tim Sale expects sick, stressed, and worried Manitobans to wait over four months for diagnostic imaging procedures. That is disheartening in and of itself, however in light of the fact that treatment usually can't begin until those diagnostic procedures have been completed, it is even more apalling.

The public argument between Dr. Godley and Mr. Sale highlights the outrageous logic surrounding health care in this country. Consider this, if your car breaks down, you can take it immediately to a mechanic who will assess the problem and fix it. If your health breaks down, you have to wait months to be diagnosed, and more months and even YEARS to receive treatment. If your mechanic takes too long with your car, or doesn't provide good service, then you take it somewhere else. However, you can't do anything if the health care system takes too long, or doesn't provide good service. In fact, it is against the law to spend your own money to fix your own body. You can spend your money to fix your car, or your house, but not your own health.

Now, most people would blame the government for the poor state of Canadian health care. That blame is misplaced. It is Canadians themselves who are to blame, not some politician in Ottawa or some Administrator at the Health Authority, but ordinary Canadians. Those very same Canadians who complain about health care. Why? Ever heard of "you get what you ask for"? Every time someone mentions improving the Canadian health care system it is Canadians who shut down the conversation with such idiodic statemens as "You CAN'T change health care, it's TOO IMPORTANT" and the still popular "I don't want an American system". Canadians constantly berate the Americans for their lack of global and geographical knowledge, yet when it comes to health care Canadians believe there are only two systems in the ENTIRE world: Canada's and the American's.

So the next time you're sitting in a waiting room for 3 hours, or you're told it'll be two years to see a specialist, or your doctor tells you that you're only allowed one question per appointment, and you're looking for someone to blame and get angry at, take a look in the mirror. See that person looking back at you? THAT'S who is to blame for crappy Canadian health care.

(Know what really makes me laugh? Canadians will get furious if they have to wait more than a couple of minutes for their hamburger or to checkout at the grocery store, but they'll wait months and years for health care AND DEFEND THE SYSTEM!)

Contract News

Exciting news on the soccer front. I've signed with a new team for the 2005-2006 indoor season. It's a win-win situation for both parties as they have been in pursuit of my services for the last two years and I have scouted them as a transfer possibility on a number of occasions. After a successful 2005 campaign they're looking to round out their squad with some quality players and work towards promotion in 2006. If the roster signing "meeting" is any indication it's going to be a fun season this winter, win or lose. (And I'm really looking forward to soccer being fun again.)

In addition to the new team, it will also be a new game. The Manitoba Major Soccer League has created a new Futsal league at the brand new Skylight Complex in East St. Paul. The league will use the standard FIFA Futsal rules with a few modifications.

The basic differences are:

• No boards
• Smaller ball (size 4)
• Low-bounce ball
• Some other minor rules changes related to stopping and starting of play

Should be a blast!

Keane-O

So after Manchester United dropped 3 points against lowly Middlesbrough not too long ago Roy Keane fired a barrage of criticism at his teammates. What I found interesting was the reaction from some of the players, like Ruud Van Nistelrooy for example:

"It's good to have people here who say what they feel because they care about the club, and it's important that we keep doing that. With criticism like that, as a player you can either be angry or you can think about it and see whether it is true or not. If you can then take something good out of it, then it can only help us. That's what I try to do."

The reaction is interesting because Keane's criticism came after a single loss (albeit to a very beatable team). Imagine what the criticism would be like after a losing season!

Friendship Quotes

"I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people."
-- Romans 16:17-18 (NIV)

"The man of many friends will prove himself a bad friend, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
-- Proverbs 18:24 (Amp)

"Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble."
-- Proverbs 17:17 (The Message)

"It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion."
-- Mahatma Gandhi

"One of the surest evidences of friendship that one individual can display to another is telling him gently of a fault. If any other can excel it, it is listening to such a disclosure with gratitude, and amending the error."
-- Edward Bulwer-Lytton

"Don't pity the girl with one true friend. Envy her. Pity the girl with just a thousand acquaintances."
--Katie Obenchain

"True friendship is based on trust, honesty and sincere generosity of our hearts."
-- Song Park

"A true friend is someone you can disagree with and still remain friends. For if not, they weren't true friends in the first place."
-- Sandy Ratliff

"A true friend is one who overlooks your failures and tolerates your success!"
-- Doug Larson

"Friends show their love in times of trouble..."
-- Euripides (408 B.C.)

"A true friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else."
-- Len Wein

"Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen."
-- Samuel Paterson

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

"One friend in a lifetime is much, two are many, three are hardly possible. Friendship needs a certain parallelism of life, a community of thought, a rivalry of aim."
-- Henry Brooks Adams

"If you have two friends in your lifetime, you're lucky. If you have one good friend, you're more than lucky."
-- Bryon Douglas, That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton

"It can be hard to break the friendship code of secrecy and make your friend mad at you, but you must do what you feel in your heart is right."
-- Amanda Ford

"The friendship isn't worth the tears unless the friend is."
-- Kellina Filbin

Football Quotes

"I hate losing in training, I'm always arguing, having a go at everybody. I take my job very seriously."
-- Roy Keane

"Over the years a lot of great players have left United - I'm sure the same will happen to me one day."
-- Roy Keane

"Leaving a club is like leaving a woman. When you have nothing left to say, you go."
-- Eric Cantona

Errare Humanum Est, Ignoscere Divinum

Praying for Rain

Why can't we not be sober?
I just want to start this over.

Why can't we drink forever?
I just want to start things over.