Stir The Pot

Why do we have to be so tactful all the time?

Now that's a solid question to start off this post - Tact: The human damper mechanism designed to shield our peers/co-earthlings from unneeded emotional trauma or intellectual interruptions.

Tact is only a part of what I actually want to touch upon in this post. I actually admire tactless people - only a little bit though...there are obviously times where tact is a must (if you don't know someone, tact is important) - I admire them because they're not scared to say what's on their mind. Unfortunately, people without tact can often say things that get under our skin...woops! I've stumbled onto my point already.

Revised question: Why do we take things personally when accusations or facts about people/situations are brought up by our friends?

We all deal with accusations/perceived personal attacks differently. We all have our own defense mechanisms. Sadly, a lot of issues never get dealt with because people are afraid to bring them up, for fear of what the other person is going to think/say about what you bring up! Like "I don't want to bring this up because I don't want you to bring up something related that will hurt me"... or "I shouldn't bring this up because I might jeopardize the relationship that I have with this person".

I think the solution to all this mess is for us all to stop taking everything so damned personally. I know where I stand with most people that I know. It's generally very easy to tell if I am or am not close to someone. There are obviously degrees of closeness, but I can usually tell if someone likes me or if they think I'm a pain in the ass. Conversely, I usually emote pretty solid body language that demonstrates my liking/disliking of someone.

This leads to one sentence: "If you like someone and they like you, then stop being so damned tactful all the time."

That's right folks, if we're friends, we should just tell each other what's on our minds. If there are repercussions, and I take something personally (against my own advice), then it's better that it was said anyways because I now have more knowledge about that relationship, and about how that person thinks. I probably wouldn't jump to conclusions and think "oooh, this person is getting under my skin, which means he doesn't value our relationship as much as I do." Instead, I would think "Wow, this person really has no problems saying what he/she thinks to me...He/she must feel that they're comfortable enough with me to say what's on their mind."

So no more hiding your true feelings/thoughts! Don't be afraid to stir the pot if something's on your mind, and don't forget to keep sight of the positives in every situation. Listen to Rob... :)

Normal

What is the definition of normal?
Am I normal, or are you?
And if you're normal, and I'm clearly not like you, what does that make me?
Am I weird?
Okay, I'm weird.
Let Rob = weird for the sake of argument.
So if I'm weird, who's to say that my weirdness is not normal?
Who is given the power to define normalcy?
Maybe we're all weird.
Or maybe we're all normal!
Oh wait! I know!
It's our individual weirdnesses that make us all normal!!
We're all normal, everyday, run of the mill people because we're all weird!
So if you're trying to fit in, and be normal...the BE WEIRD!!
It's much easier to be weird than it is to be normal.
Don't be creepy though, because...nevermind...that's another post.

No nefarious substances were consumed during the writing of this post.

Blogging Blues

Sadly, my blogging days have faded to nothingness in recent months. There are a couple of reasons why this is:

1) I've been spending so much time on my computer at work that I like to enjoy my non-computer time when I'm not at work...and work is busy! So no time for blogging.

2) Lack of people commenting. I hate talking to myself.

3) Lack of things to say.

My act is together.

Music to Keep You Interested In My Blog

Alright, so it's been over a month since my last post. Inspiration just hasn't been as forthcoming of late...or maybe time hasn't. Either way, it's time for me to put something up here. I was a little bit disappointed with the response I got from my last "reach out for opinions" post, so hopefully things will turn around with this one.

I have been doing a lot of musical-horizon-expanding lately, and I'd like to share my discoveries! Here's a quick list!

Eva Cassidy - Forever
Eva Cassidy - Little Children
Better Than Ezra - Daylight
Faithless - One Step Too Far
Josh Rousse - Life
Travis - Sing
Tracy Chapman - This Time
Jam & Spoon - Set Me Free
Michael Buble - A Song For You

These are the highlights from my most recent playlist. Let me know what you think.

So yeah, this post...I know it's not "deep" or anything, but it'll have to do for now - more posts to come, I promise.

Hockey Returns

So it's official: Hockey is back. The bickering about who's team is better has already begun. Living in Toronto has unwillingly surrounded me with Maple Leafs fans, and a lack of hockey coverage for my team, the Montreal Canadians. We currently have digital cable on a trial basis, so I have RDS (i.e. French TSN)...but my housemates have all decided that the Ultimate TV bundle is not worth paying for. So no hockey for me... Just stupid Maple Leafs games, and the odd Senators game. I'm not bitter, really!

It's time to weigh in: What's your favourite hockey team?? Leave a comment.

Queen's Homecoming 2005

Queen's University Homecoming has been extremely prominent in the news this week. If you watch the news or read the paper, you've surely heard about the "riot" that broke out on Aberdeen Street in the Queen's student ghetto on Saturday night. "Between 5,000 and 7,000 people attending a Homecoming event at Queen's University Saturday, spilled onto Aberdeen Street in Kingston, Ontario" (CTV News). The media reported mass rioting, overturned stolen vehicles being jumped on by drunken students, and a large gash in the extremely sacred and valuable reputation that Queen's has been clinging to for almost two centuries. Unfortunately, historical context was neglected by the media during the reporting of this event. This was more than just an impromptu party that spilled out onto the street.

For years now, Aberdeen Street has been the venue for a large gathering on the Saturday night of Queen's Homecoming. Every year, thousands of students (past and present) have descended upon Aberdeen Street for a night of running into old friends, sharing a few laughs, and to drink a few beers (which is generally accompanied by lots of police tickets, and a street that looks like a war zone the next day). Personally, I don't end up staying long...maybe an hour or two. Since homecoming drinking begins around 10 am, with the many infamous pancake keggars, by around 1 am, most people are about ready to call it a night. As an estimate, over half of the attendees go to Aberdeen just to see the spectacle of it all and to say "Yeah, I was there! It was a great ending to a great day".

This party is frowned upon by the university. This unsanctioned event terrifies the administration. "What if something bad happens?" To combat this fear, they coordinate with Kingston Police, and try to stop it from happening. My girlfriend and I walked down Aberdeen Street around 10:30 pm on our way to one of her friend's places. The police were lining the street, in an attempt to keep students on the sidewalk or on front lawns. This obviously led to a few drunken students getting up in the officers' faces, and arrests ensued. Eventually, the volume of people overwhelmed the police force, and the street filled up. By that time, the attitude on the street was one of anger and dissatisfaction in the way "the man" was trying to take over "our" party.

Sam and I didn't return to Aberdeen until after midnight. At that point, the police were restricting access to the street. We had to enter through an alleyway between two houses at the south end of the street. When we emerged from the alley, I could not believe my eyes; right in front of me, there was an overturned car with a half dozen students jumping around on top of it. Every 10 seconds, the sound of a shattering beer bottle pierced through the roar of the crowd. The area reeked of gasoline...a fact that the crowd seemed oblivious to. Meanwhile, roman candles were being shot around like toys. That was my cue to head to the other end of the street! I ran into a few people that I knew, and we exchanged words for a while. The intensity of the crowd eventually became too much for us. Our night was over...time to head home.

In my 4 years of experiencing this event, this was the only year that I feel it got out of control. I agree that the police presence is necessary to maintain order, but the amount of effort that they put into stopping the party early in the night caused an overwhelming (albeit alcohol induced) response from the attendees, which they could not handle, and the news media couldn't wait to get their hands on.

There has been talk of pursuing some extremely drastic measures next year. I agree that something has to change dramatically, but instead of bringing in riot squads, pepper spray and rubber bullets, a positive demonstration of Queen's spirit should be fostered, welcomed and controlled, in the heart of the student ghetto. Surround the area with fences and gates, control access to people of legal drinking age, maybe set up a stage at one end and book a band! Go as far as licensing the street. Unfortunately, this won't happen, and we have probably witnessed the end of "the Aberdeen Street party" as we know it. Queen's University is a prestigious university and tradition is a very large part of the Queen's way! Next year, when 5000 people show up expecting a party, I fear that this year's violence will be eclipsed.

Retchless

Interesting stat! Retchless is the 79,202nd most popular last name (surname) in the United States. (http://www.placesnamed.com/r/e/retchless.asp) Not bad, considering there are something like 88,500 total last names in the US.

Now isn't that the most useless piece of trivia :)

Hip Hop

I just got back from my first ever Cardio Hip Hop dance class here at the fitness centre in my building. My utmost respect goes to everyone who dances...it is HARD! Only now do I realize how little I know about how to get my body to do a string of really simple movements in a row.

Our class was lucky enough to have the pleasure of quality instruction from Kendall. He taught a pretty complicated Hip Hop routine, and everyone in the class still managed to pick up the moves quite quickly! Luckily, I cheated and learned half of the choreography last night, so that I didn't look like a total dufus! Even with the head start, I still managed to get lost when Kendall began teaching the second part, although the rest of the class picked it up in a snap. I think I managed to learn some of it, but at this early stage of learning to get my body to do what I tell it to do, these moves take a ton of effort and lots and lots of repetition (not to mention memory, quick thinking, and a truckload of energy). After 45 minutes in the dance studio, my heart was racing and my shirt was drenched.

Thanks for the good workout Kendall! I look forward to improving my dance abilities, and getting some exercise in the process. But maybe I wont quit my day job just yet. :)

Religion In Society

This post was written in response to a post made by Kendall on his blog: http://poetikzone.blogspot.com/2005/09/biblical-blah-kensexuality.html

I really enjoy reading about any form of objective religious analysis, primarily because it makes me think about how religion fits into my beliefs, and why I haven't really subscribed to the Christian faith. I was baptized as an Anglican, but never really accepted the existence of God. I was taught to approach life with a scientific view, and I was never quite satisfied with the answers to my religious questions.

In high school, whenever religion came up in conversation, I often jumped into explanations as to why God doesn't exist and how stupid religion is. As I have aged, I've mellowed in my anti-religious beliefs, mostly because of the fact that my understanding of the reasons for the existence of religion has greatly improved.

As humans, we require a purpose. Most of our lives are spent searching for that purpose, and for reasoning behind it. Why am I here? Why do I exist? Could it be that I am here on this earth because of some galactic miracle that sprinkled the right ingredients at the right place at the right time, billions of years ago? Or are we the product of some higher form of life that we can only hypothesize about? What am I supposed to do with my life? Who defines right and wrong for me? Why are our feet so funny looking? Who am I supposed to spend the rest of my life with? What happens after I die? There are so many questions that are just unanswerable without some form of hypothesizing, but that are ever-present in our subconscious as we progress through life.

Enter religion. Christianity has been around for around 2000 years now. The religious institution is stable and unchanging (mostly). After hundreds of years of study, the bible has been interpreted, and answers to all of my questions have been provided. Most people accept what they are taught, and use these teachings as a basis for the development of their personal moral code. Christian religions have extremely powerful messages that "feel" right, like forgiveness or acceptance. Unfortunately, only "accepted" interpretations of the bible are taught. What people often don't realize is that the bible is so far-reaching and open to interpretation, that it often provides two or three or ten answers to any given question.

The debate about gay marriage is a great example of a controversial issue that the bible both supports and admonishes. Everyone seems to be able to find some passage in the bible that backs up their side of the story. This brings me back to my view of religion...it definitely has a place in society, and exists as a moral guide for us all. Unfortunately, many approach religion with excessive rigidity, using the bible as a proverbial rule book that can be used to support bigotry and to reinforce many preconceived ideas, filtered down over hundreds of years of humanity's subscription to the institution.

Three statements are enough to satisfy my need for answers to the questions I asked above:

- I am here for a reason.

- This world is far too complex to have been created by accident.

- After I die, I will live on.

Nothing I do in my life will affect these three basic truths. We're all here for a reason, and it's up to us to define our space in society. I have my own moral code that I have accepted, influenced by society and by my upbringing. I will live my life to satisfy my values, and to not let down the people that share this earth with me. Some celestial force is behind our existence, be it God or something else. And after I die, I will be remembered, and the energy that holds me together will be reintegrated into our world.

We have the ability to think rationally about the teachings of the bible on our own. The bible is full of stories intended to provide guidance on issues that humanity faces. People should educate themselves using their own God-given intelligence before blindly passing judgement based on biased historical teachings.

Concert Tour 2005

Well, for the first time in my life, I'm living in close proximity to a sizeable urban centre (I consider Markham to be pretty darn urban, but people who live downtown laugh at me for thinking that...I'm a country boy, ok? Geez). That means that lots of famous music people like to drop in for concerts. That said, I've been going nuts on Ticketmaster lately. Here's my schedule!

September 5th: Beachfest (K-OS, David Usher, Blue Rodeo, Kathleen Edwards, Steven Page, Tom Cochrane, Sarah Slean, Ron Sexsmith, etc.)
September 8th: Hedley
September 15th: George Carlin
October 2nd: David Gray
October 4th: Jason Mraz
October 19th: David Usher

That's just the beginning! I'd really like to see Collective Soul, Our Lady Peace, Howie Day, James Blunt, Joss Stone, Mariah Carey, Green Day, Simple Plan, Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, The White Stripes, The Killers, etc. I probably wont be able to afford all that. But they're all definitely on my list!

All of these concerts spark an idea for a new "column"... Let's see, I'll call it "Concert Commentary". So, look forward to some fun anecdotes and insight into my concert experiences. Woops, I'm already behind by two concerts! I'll get caught up soon, I promise. Stay tuned!

Rock Star: INXS

Anybody been watching Rock Star: INXS? It's been all the rage in my suburban oasis over the last few weeks. I must admit that I've been an Idol fan since the craze began back in 2001. I've followed American/Canadian Idol...some seasons closely, some not...mostly because there are so many talented people on those shows. Over the past few weeks, Rock Star has taken over Idol's seat at my musical reality show table. I am so impressed by how brilliant these artists are. Most of Rock Star's 15 contestants are top notch musicians, vocalists and performers, bringing a deliciously sophisticated concert feeling to every episode. My housemates, two of whom have never even been remotely interested in any of the Idol shows, are just as into this show as I am.

Rock Star's purpose is to find a new lead singer for INXS. What a great marketing ploy! This audition process is attracting millions of viewers every night, all of whom have their favorites, and will invest in the new material that will INXS record, once the winner is declared.

So if you're not doing anything on Tuesdays at 10 pm, you might be impressed by the sheer brilliance of the remaining contestants vying for the right to front INXS for their new album, due out in December. Oooh, here's a good spot to go nuts about Suzie, my favourite to win! Not only is she Canadian...she's got style, attitude, and a voice with brilliant control and power. She's sultry and sexy, and commands the attention of her audience every time she gets up on that stage. She repeatedly exceeds expectations, belting out classics like Bohemian Rhapsody, Roxanne, Losing My Religion, and Get Back, in her own unique style.

I was a bit disappointed to read about how poorly the show is doing in the US ratings. According to an article on Canoe.ca, Canadian viewership of the show has been rock solid, in contrast with the US (http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2005/08/30/1193536.html). American ratings have been somewhere in the vicinity of 5 million a night, fluctuating tons on a week-to-week basis. Why is it that American Idol gets 30 million a night, and Rock Star does not? Probably because there's no Simon Cowell or Ryan Seacrest, and everyone knows that America loves them. Personally, I'm loving the reprieve from their rhetoric, and much prefer Brooke Burke and Dave Navarro.

If you watch Rock Star: INXS, let me know who you're pulling for! If you don't watch, well then you should be. "Are you ready for a new sensation?" In my mind, the answer depends upon whether Suzie wins or not ;)

Rock Star: INXS

The Land of Oz

What the? Has it really been a month since my last post? I guess summer wasn't a very good inspirational season. Let's see if the fall turns out any better!

One thing has become apparent to me in the last month or two...I don't think that I'm in Kansas anymore! That's right folks...watch out for falling houses, wicked witches, those pesky Munchkins and their lollipop guild. I have officially become a citizen of Oz, and I'm starting to get used to it.

Now you might be thinking "Wow, in the last month, Rob has gone off his rocker." There may be some truth to that, but mostly, I think that I have to come to terms with some very crucial facts that will require deep understanding in order for me to escape this next year with my sanity in tact.

Time travels waaaaay faster when you're working. I feel as though I just began work, yet 4 months have flown by. Summer is gone! Now everyone else is going back to school...normally, I would be filled with a feeling of impending change...mixed with angst and excitement! But instead, this will be the first September that I have not gone back to school since I was 3 years old. Why am I feeling a little bit sad about this? It's just school...that thing that I complain about non-stop when I'm attending it. Maybe it's because my girlfriend's going back and I'm not. Or maybe it's because I want my sleep-ins and my lazy-fun school life back!

Let me say for the record that I quite like following the yellow brick road. I get a paycheque every other week, a gym to work out in, a Tim Horton's, and lots of other little added bonuses. Unfortunately, I'm not used to this daily/weekly routine thing that has started to build up around me. It seems that every day follows the same sort of pattern. Get up, go to work, break for coffee around 10, break for lunch around 12:45, work some more, break for tea around 2:30, go home around 5:30. Over and over again. Now, I'm not complaining here...I enjoy routine. It's quite comforting actually. Being a member of the Retchless family has sorta precluded me from ever having a routine before (those of you who know my family should understand), so it's refreshing. My point is that, suddenly, my life has been altered, and adjustments need to be made in order to adapt successfully. Let's call these adjustments the 5 'A's.

Air: I need to spend more time outside. Most of my time is spent in an air conditioned environment. I don't spend nearly enough time enjoying the beautiful world on the other side of the window.

Attitude: Time to approach life with a little more vim and vigor. It can be quite easy to slide into a lazy and miserable mindset. Since, we only live once, as far as we know, the goal should be to spend as much of that "alive" time being as positive as possible.

Achievement: Doesn't it feel great when you know you've achieved something? Anything really. I need to make more effort to achieve things! It could be a goal that I set for myself, or one that was set for me by someone else. Maybe an award for something, or a successful event that I was involved in.

Action: It's so easy to procrastinate when there are no firm deadlines in place. You're looking at the self-proclaimed King of the Last Minute. When I get something that has to get done, I'm gonna start taking action immediately...or at least get the task started so that it's easier to jump into it later.

Appreciation: It feels good to let other people know that you appreciate what they're doing. Depending on my mood, I can range from being very appreciative to very disparaging (stemming from my competitive nature, trying to get the one-up). If I can make others feel like they are appreciated, then my relationships will be more positive and help me out with my "attitude" bullet above. It'll also help them out with their "attitude" bullet, if they have one ;)

I think I've said enough. "I'm off to see the wizard! The wonderful Wizard of Oz!" And just think, in 12 more months, I'll be clicking my heels (I don't own any ruby slippers though, I hope running shoes will do) and I'll be back at school, finishing up my degree. So, I'm not gonna rush this. I've got an amazing experience on my hands here, and with the help of my 5 'A's, this will be a period of my life that I'll look back on with a smile for years to come.

Arethusa Falls

I'm sitting on a picnic table at the bottom of the Arethusa Falls hiking trail in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It's a great trail for a late afternoon climb - we hiked up together, in 60 minutes, to a beautiful waterfall nestled into the south ridge of Crawford Notch. After a 20-minute rest, I took off jogging down the hill. I don't know what it is, but when descending a mountain, I'm driven to jog. I love the quick thinking required to plan my next steps. Also, the upbeat pace, the breathing rhythm, and the deep connection that I form with the trail, make it extremely satisfying.

Check your drive's dirty bit!

1. Open the command prompt in Windows XP (cmd)
2. Type "fsutil dirty query c:" and voila, you get the status of your drive's dirty bit.

Yay!! You can check the dirty bit! (Inside thing for anyone who took ELEC 377).. I know this isn't the same dirty bit that we talked about for paging ;) But it's still fun!

"Me" time

I'm on holiday this week. While my housemates and co-workers have to drag themselves into the lab this morning, I get to laze around in bed, write a blog post and relax. It's been a while since I've had solo relax time, and it feels great.

When you live with a bunch of guys in a house, much of life becomes defined by their existence... your coexistence. I liken it to family living... As much as I love and adore my family, it's nice to fly off into the distance from time to time, only to come back and appreciate them more upon return. This holiday feels much like that.

For the last 10 weeks, I have spent 90% of my non-work time with Adam, Kendall, and Janek (together, or in miscellaneous recombinations). We have a BLAST in our house! A REAL bachelor pad. Our unique perspectives of life unite in really dynamic and exciting ways. Our crazy arguments about the most insignificant stuff, slaving away in the kitchen creating delicious feasts, playing video games, or just plain ol' musing about the way things are...these fragments of our coexistence characterize large parts of where we all "are" mentally, emotionally, etc..all because so much of our time is "common".

Well, this week, I have flown the coup! I have returned home for the week to spend time with my family, catch up with old friends, and help out at the summer camp where I spent my last 8 summers (I might also manage to squeeze in a trip to North Conway to hike and shop!). Janek has also lifted off (literally) to visit family in Poland for 2 weeks. All of this deviates from our standard existence...it shakes things up a little!

These breaks are great! I will enjoy "me" time, as well as the time that I will spend with people that I care about from this area of the world. I know this week will fly by, and before I know it, I'll be back in Markham, working 9 to 5, chilling 5 to whenever, and rejoining the regularly scheduled program already in progress. Upon recombination of our singularities, new stories and topics for discussion will infuse our social lives with material. Well, time for me to go have more "me" time! Maybe I'll have a nap! :)

Transpiration Enumeration

July 1st weekend: T minus 4 hours 30 minutes.

4 days of cottage time.
Dozens of campfire songs.
700 km, 6-8 hours of driving.
Zero speeding tickets (I hope).
800-metre swims across the lake.
4 nights of sleeping under the stars.
12 cottage meals (improved by K-magic).
Hours and hours of waterskiing and windsurfing.
Many, many deliciously refreshing alcoholic beverages.
(at least) 3 amazing friends and 7 incredible family members.

1 weekend and countless memories to add to 20 years of personal cottage history.

An Inspirational Public Service Announcement

We are all deeply affected by things that we consider "important" to us. I put important in quotes because only those events that become rooted deeply within our being - that class of stimuli that can leave behind fundamental questions about who we are - truely have the power to strand us with emotional unbalance.

In my life right now, like in anyone else's, there are a number of entries listed in my "important" book. Any one of these entries (people, places, things) have the power to drastically alter my emotional state... This is a choice that we make when we sign on - from joy to hurt - it's a package deal.

Even when things get bad, it's impossible to stop being you...you just transform into a version of you that you may be uncomfortable with. The good news is that the emotional centre of your body, no matter how tarnished, remains intact. In times where emotional paralysis leaves you searching for something, remember that there are people that you can turn to for support.

So smile! Take the positives from your life experiences and run with them. Flood your ears with songs that speak to you, and chill with the people you love. :)

James Blunt

Don't you love it when you discover new artists? Recently, I've been going through a "discovery" phase, with lots and lots of new music filling my Winamp playlist. At the top of this new playlist is James Blunt. I want a voice that evokes an emotional response like this guy's does. Songs to look out for are "You're Beautiful" and "Out Of My Mind".

Turn up the volume, turn down the lights, and listen....

Pride

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to check out Toronto Pride. It was soooo hot outside, and I had no sunscreen or sunglasses (what was I thinking?). I bought some cheapo sunglasses in the subway station, then hunted around until found the last bottle of 8 SPF sunscreen at a convenience store. Fewf that was a close call :) Burned and blind wouldn't have been very fun! Once I had all the necessary items, pride was awesome. There was soo much energy out there. I've come to the conclusion that pride is essentially an excuse for people from all walks of life to get together and have a big party in downtown Toronto. Hell, even the Conservative Party had people walking in the parade (who woulda thunk it!).

The highlight of the day was most definitely Ember Swift, an independant artist from around here. In short, she blew me away....so much so, that I coughed up the $15 to buy her album. Her unique style and experimental nature captivated everyone there. She is independant by choice, and she sticks to her live roots...purposefully avoiding the media & marketing mess that defines our music industry. www.emberswift.com - support this artist.

Country Music

Anyone out there like country music? I'm not the biggest fan, but I've had "phases" over the years where my favorite music has been country. I'm in one of those phases right now! On the weekend, I resurrected a country playlist that I created as a theme list for a Beverly Hillbillies theme curling tournament at the Border Curling Club, and added some more classics and new singles to it. This playlist has been my listening music at work for the past two days, and it has been an extremely enjoyable experience.

Country music was one of the first genres of commercial music that interested me, way back in Grade 4 when I was 9 years old (Before country, I think my repertoire consisted of the Muppets Christmas album, Kids Songs 2, and Dance Mix 92). I remember driving along Brown's Hill Road in my dad's Datsun Pickup truck on the way home from the Ayer's Cliff Country Fairgrounds with my dad and Sirena (my best friend since forever), when Shania Twain - Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under started playing on 1490 AM. My dad and Sirena had both heard this song before, since they both liked watching the new channel that we got on cable, NCN (New Country Network, before it became CMT). I really liked the song, so I started watching more NCN. The next time my family took a trip into Zellers in Magog, I bought Shania Twain's CD (The Woman In Me) with money that I saved up from my paper route.

I can still remember most of the songs that interested me back then! Many of them are still in regular rotations on my playlists. Songs like Kathy Mattea - 455 Rocket, Bryan White - Someone Else's Star, George Strait - Check Yes Or No, Alan Jackson - Chattahoochee, John Michael Montgomery - I Swear, Tim McGraw - I Like It, I Love It...and sooo many others.

My interest in country music faded when someone got me Dance Mix 95 for Christmas, but resurfaced when I joined Columbia House :) I think I joined a few times, and scored over 40 free CDs. I managed to accumulate over a hundred CDs (about half of which are country). Columbia House took me to collections when I was 14 years old because I forgot to finish my contract with them :) Was the collections woman ever surprised when she got me on the phone! But I digress. My point is that I went through a lot of hassle to collect those CDs, but I'm extremely glad that I did, even though they'll probably collect dust for a very long time (enter mp3).

I'm forgetting one little piece of history that got me interested in country music. For a good chunk of my elementary school years, Ms. Belknap used to babysit my brother and I after school. We'd walk home from school, share a powerhug or two, pour a pot of tea, and throw on John Denver's Greatest Hits :) I still know all the words to Grandma's Feather Bed. Also, my dad used to play it on the guitar for my brother and I when we were young. I was clearly introduced to the genre at a very early age.

Country music is a very interesting genre. Millions of North Americans love it. If you're one of those "Ewwww, country" people, I implore you to open your mind (and your ears) a little, and try to understand why so many people appreciate this genre of music. Start with today's songs of the day:

A brand new country ballad:

Blake Shelton - Goodbye Time

Something a little more upbeat:

Jason McCoy - Born Again In Dixieland

Hours of fun!

Are you looking for something to pass the time? Well, I guarantee that this will keep you busy for a little while. I'm working on getting my high score up there. :) It would be most helpful if you knew a thing or two about the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!

Click here!

Large Double-Double Please

Alright, here's the thing...I've never liked coffee. I could never understand the need to tank up on caffeine at the beginning of the day, especially by drinking something that, when judged by non-coffee drinkers, tastes bitter and nasty. I had closed the book on coffee...after all, why would I drink coffee when tea, iced cappuccinos and french vanilla taste soooo much better. Well, this week I was desperate... I needed help. And in my desperation, I turned to coffee...am I ever glad that I did.

Coffee is a magical drink provided to us, in part, by a magical country called Columbia (for now anyways...Taiwan hasn't entered the coffee business yet). Somehow, these coffee grower people discovered long ago that coffee is like sleep-in-a-cup. With coffee's help, I can stay up till all hours of the morning, sleep 10 or 20 of the 40 winks I'm supposed to get, and still function the next day!

In other news, we have a Tim Horton's at work....yes, in our building. Oh dear.

Excuse Me While I Get This Off My Chest

Let me hear you say, this shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
This shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

We will now return to regularly scheduled blogging already in progress.

Music Moves Me

It's been a while since I've declared a song of the day... So today, I'd like to share a very special song. If you haven't discovered this guy yet, you're really missing out. The following song has the power to throw my emotions around. Whenever it comes on, I just drift (usually singing along) into an undescribable world... I have a feeling that everyone will feel uniquely different when they listen to this song, so give it a try next time you're ready for a road trip of the mind.

Michael Buble - Feeling Good

Birds flying high, you know how I feel
Sun in the sky, you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by, you know how I feel
It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life, for me
And I'm feeling good

Fish in the sea, you know how I feel
River running free, you know how I feel
Blossom in the tree, you know how I feel
It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life, for me
And I'm feeling good

Dragonfly out in the sun,
You know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun, you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done
That's what I mean
And this old world is a new world, and a bold world, for me

Stars when you shine, you know how I feel
Scent of the pine, you know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine, and I know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

Happy

I love it when things go right. Life can be a bitch sometimes, and when it is, we generally have to suck it up and go about our business, hiding our emotions in order to maintain some semblance of sanity. Luckily, life is sometimes generous....it gives us weeks like this one.

For the past week, I've been extremely honest with myself, mostly because I haven't had to be dishonest :) I hope to share some of that honesty would you in this post. Last Friday, I connected with a very special person. Her and I hit it off at a mutual friend's birthday party. When I'm around her, things are natural and fun! It's so nice to see that we both feel the same way about each other. Sure, we both have doubts, but most people do at the beginning of anything! It's awesome to know that it is possible for me to connect with someone on an emotional level like this... I wasn't sure it was possible, given my history...so it's nice to be proven wrong. Thanks life, for this wonderful reality check!

Other things have gone really well recently. I think I'll call this "heart-to-heart" week because I've had some really awesome conversations with people that I care about. Thanks for being there guys, and I'm glad I could be there for you. The next 15-months are shaping up to be some of the best months of our lives and I look forward to sharing them with you!

At the heart of this post is the pride that I am currently feeling for my family. Really great things are happening in my parents' careers and my brother is sounding more and more like he cares about his future. Since early high school, my thoughts have revolved around my family and the successes that we've achieved together. Unfortunately, I have also worried about the successes that have eluded us. Many things have gone wrong, but we've battled back from the brink, and things are looking up!

I am proud to have a brother who has so many natural talents. He is the best people person that I have ever known. I hope he can turn his people skills into something useful ($$$), so that he can afford to live the kind of lifestyle that he wants to live! :)

My dad runs a successful summer language camp, and does an amazing job working with his school kids on projects like Galt Idol... The passion that he puts into his job blows me away. I always enjoy working with him because he cares deeply for the success of whatever he is working on. It's too bad that we still can't collaborate on the curling ice!

My mom has just been given a huge promotion... one that has me beaming with pride. I am soooo proud of her hard work, as well as her resolve as a professional to achieve great things. She is the hardest worker that I have ever met.

I am proud to be the son of two wonderful parents (I really hope that I can follow in both of their footsteps), and blessed to have an amazing brother. I always knew that things would work out for the best. It was only a matter of time.

New Layout

I've been meaning to add some of my personal web flare to my blog for a while now, so here it is...the new face of my blog. I also learned a thing or two about Stylesheets, and how annoying they are when faced with trying to get IE and Firefox to display the page the same way (IE is to blame...somehow they forgot about a little something called STANDARDS). I'm too tired to write a long post tonight, so I'll be brief. Tell me what you think of my new layout. If you like it, why do you like it? If you hate it, what can I do to improve it? Alright, I'm off to dreamland... Good night!

PS... The Photo Gallery section will be added once I figure out what pictures I want to include!

Haute Cuisine

Have you ever stopped to think about how amazing well-prepared meals are? Last night, my housemates and I collaborated on a delicious feast...homemade lasagna, cheesy garlic bread and a crazy big salad with homemade vinegrette dressing. Three letters can be used to describe the the impact that this meal had on all of us....WOW.

We went to Loblaws yesterday afternoon, and concocted a strategy...a grandiose plan to conquer the kitchen with our culinary skills. We filled our sparsely populated spice cupboard with all sorts of goodies...purchased all the essentials for lasagna (including a delicious french loaf) and salad...then we began cooking! Two hours later, we chowed down on an extremely satisfying meal. It's awesome to be involved in concocting perfection, and I hope that next time isn't too far away!

Nuit Blanche

Last night was kickin. The evening began with visitors from the city... Zizzie and Sam came up in a spontaneous turn of events, and we had an enjoyable visit and a nice chat! Amy was supposed to come, but she's coming tonight instead! Yay! Two nights of visitors!

After they left at midnight, we started a Desperate Housewives marathon (Eva Longoria is sooooo hot) that lasted till 4:20 am. With the sun nearing the horizon, it seemed appropriate to throw the Frisbee around until it was all the way up.

I love the sunrise. I think that, more than any other celestial event, the sunrise invokes one of the strongest and most haunting emotional responses from me. It's very similar to the way some amazing sunsets have made me feel over the years...A large array of emotions followed by a sense of release, a satisfaction that can only be measured by the my own emotional meter.

Though similar to sunset, the emotional response from a sunrise is different. Sunrise is filled with a feeling of anticipation, combined with the remnants of the childhood aversion of being up at such weird hours. "It's late, get to bed!"...Or..."It's too early to be awake, get back to sleep"... I can hear these words bouncing around my head. Obviously, they don't have any impact anymore, but they're still there, and they fuel the emotional barrage.

Sure, being up to see a sunrise screws up your sleep schedule, but it's amazing to experience and I look forward to the next time.

So Far So Good

Just to let you all know, my new attempt at being tidy is working! My room is perfectly clean :) ..... so far. Here's to hoping it lasts! Cheers.

Star Power

Last night, 27.9 million people tuned in to the finale of American Idol. The show was extremely padded with product placements, advertisements, and corny gag videos. Luckily, the idol finalists salvaged the evening with some amazing performances, and the night ended declaring Carrie Underwood as the winner over Bo Bice (which really made no difference to the success that these two performers will have for the next couple of years).

There really was only one segment of the show that I really really loved...Carrie's duet with the lead singer of Rascal Flatts on "Bless The Broken Road". Carrie, a girl who just six months ago was living in Checotah, Oklahoma listening to Rascal Flatts in her CD player, not only sang with her idols, but blew the socks off of the entire audience. If this performance were released as a single, I would definitely buy it. Way to go, Carrie!

And that's why today's song of the day is:

Rascal Flatts & Carrie Underwood - Bless The Broken Road

Song of the Day

I hereby declare that today's song of the day is:

Mariah Carey - We Belong Together

I have been recently introduced to the latest Mariah Carey CD. I must admit that I have been extremely disappointed by her music in recent years...so much so, that I assumed she was heading down the Whitney Houston road and could no longer hit her trademark high notes. The Emancipation of Mimi was a pleasant surprise, and proved that she can in fact still sing as well as she could when Vision of Love was released.

Mariah has returned to her strengths. Unlike most singers, she does not build up to that one big high note intended to blow everyone away. In fact, Mariah nails a high note, listeners go "Wow that was awesome, I'm impressed," and then she goes even higher, knocking our socks off. It takes amazing talent to go where no other artists have gone before, and Mariah succeeds here... Furthermore, this album clearly demonstrates that her multi-platinum days are far from over. I number We Belong Together among my favorite Mariah songs. Give it a listen if you have a chance!

Note to self: Get mom a copy of this CD for her birthday.

Mr. Clean

Alright, I think it's time to come clean about something. I am a terrible room organizer. Yes, you heard me. My room is a pig sty. I moved in on May 1st...23 days later, I'm still not organized as well as I would like to be, and I have to trip over all sorts of things in order to cross my room. This post marks the beginning of the new, organized Rob. Here's a list of the things that I will be doing for the next little while to maintain order in my life:

1. Do my laundry when it needs to be done
2. Hang my clothes in the closet as soon as they are washed (instead of my current "dig through the basket of clean clothes to find what i want" system that I currently use)
3. Bring my dishes to the kitchen when I'm finished with them
4. Make my bed in the morning
5. Empty my garbage can when it is full (before it starts overflowing)
6. Vaccuum my room when it needs to be vaccuumed
7. Put things back where they belong when i'm done using them
8. File all important papers in my filing cabinet in logical folders
9. Umm... what else do clean people do? Maybe that's it... Post comments if I should do more

So that's my goal. I think that I can do it :) No problem! What do you think?

Cottage Time

Time is an extremely valuable commodity. In our fast-paced world, there are generally more things to be done than there is time to do them. Today, I experienced a notable exception to this rule.

I am writing this post from my cottage…my little slice of heaven…the centre of my universe…the one location that has had a persistent presence in my life. I am convinced that my cottage exists in a time warp. This evening, my father and I arrived at the cottage at 6:45 pm, following our excursion to the movies to see Star Wars: Episode 3 (Awesome movie, but I digress). During the three hours following our arrival, we cleaned the entire place from stem to stern (swept, mopped, vacuumed and washed the carpet, scrubbed the bathroom, waxed the floor, dusted the ceiling/walls, and rearranged the furniture), cooked supper, and vegged for a half hour. After all that, I looked down at the time on my cell phone and it was only 9:30! I couldn’t believe it. How did we get all that done in just under 3 hours?

This is a regular occurrence at my cottage. Why is it that time screeches to a halt when I’m out here? Here are a few theories:

• Time Warp: My cottage exists in a space-time anomaly that deflects the proper flow of time. This kind of thing happens in star trek all the time, so this must be a perfectly valid explanation. I wish I could discover how to setup a time warp around my cubicle at work.
• Increased efficiency: I know this sounds much more ridiculous than the previous reason, but maybe there are fewer distractions out here. When there are no televisions, no high-speed internet, and no Xboxes or computer games, it's much easier to be efficient! Fewer distractions = higher efficiency! Maybe I should get rid of all of my technological devices once and for all! Or not...I'm trapped in my modern world.

Whatever the reason, the speed that time passes is one of the main reasons why cottage country is so appealing. Tomorrow, I’m headed back to the city. I guess it’s time to turn off my computer and go back to enjoying slow time while I still can!

Speakers

I have something that I want you all to think long and hard about. Deep down, this "something" affects us all on a regular basis. We're all familiar with sound...one of the 5 senses (or 6 if you're one of those). Isn't it AMAZING that we live in a world where we have these little (or big as it may be) devices called speakers that we can blast the shit out of on a regular basis, and they still keep coming back for more?

My idea for this post comes from my contribution to Galt Idol (see http://retchless.blogspot.com/2005/05/vocal-chords.html). Since Grade 8, I've been involved technically in MANY plays, concerts, assemblies, etc that involve sound engineering in some way. I number the technological requirements of Galt Idol in the top fraction of the events that I've been involved in...audio and video recordings, automated lighting, video device switching, live band, follow-spots, iMovies, and some kickin live vocals...all wrapped up into one 3 hour night. Events like these wouldn't be possible without speakers.

I'm convinced that speakers are a magical device with fairies inside that yell out exactly what you tell them to. Those fairies must be pretty good at emulating all sorts of different kinds of sounds!! Ok, I guess that seems a bit over the top. But I can't really think of any other explanation! Sure, I'm told that electrical impluses cause vibrations on some sort of membrane, but that doesn't seem very logical. I like my fairy idea better :)

But seriously, I'm extremely impressed by the technological importance that speakers provide in our lives. Think of how many things in our lives that would not exist if it weren't for the existence of speakers....recorded music, cell phones, television, megaphones, car audio, computer audio, home stereo systems, hearing aids, movie theatres (well, I guess silent movies would work), dances, concerts, radio, PAs, telephones, intercoms, answering machines, etc... I could probably think of many many more, but I'm tired and it's 3:44 am, and it's time for bed!

So appreciate the existence of speakers! They are one of the more ubiquitous technological marvels that enrich our lives. And next time you see something that has a speaker in it, let me know so that I can add it to my list!

Upsides

There are lots of reasons to like Kingston, and I'm sure we could all come up with a little list of our own if we put a little thought into it. Let me try:

1) Les Amis: Above all else, Kingston acted as a venue for the genesis of some of the deepest friendships that I will ever have. It's funny how people from such varying backgrounds can become such great friends (possible blog topic!).

2) The 20 Minutes or Less Phenomenon: Ask anyone how long it will take to get from point A to point B in Kingston, and you can bet that their answer will be 20 minutes or less. Things are considered FAR if it takes longer than 20 minutes to walk to it. Where else would everything that you need be within a 20 minute walking distance?

3) Sex on a plate: Kingston is the best place in the world to get fat. The proof is in the pudding:

• Stooley's: The best kept secret in Kingston. Try ordering a California Club next time you're nearby (see reason #2).
• Toucan: Can anyone say wings!? Soooooo good! Order double-sauced Hot/Honey Garlic wings! They'll blow you away!
• The Kitchen: In reference to the delicious restaurant at 2-126 Collingwood. If you were lucky enough to enjoy a "joint" effort (sure, i guess there's a double meaning there), you probably haven't eaten as well since. NOTE: Moved to Markham (Wait for Reasons to like Markham coming to a blog near you).

(originally posted in response to http://poetikzone.blogspot.com/2005/05/encomium-to-ktown.html.)

Vocal Chords

Today was a very....different...kind of day. I spent the day helping a small group of high school students prepare for Galt Idol, Alexander Galt Regional High School's annual singing competition. Man, can these kids ever sing. I wish that there had been a venue for me to "compete" with my voice when I was in high school. Sure, there were all sorts of singing events, coffee houses, variety shows.. But they didn't provide enough zing to fuel my competitive spirit. Combine that with a fear of messing up in front of my peers, and you have an explanation as to why I rarely publicly explored my singing abilities in my early years.

I'm reminded of a semi-traumatic experience that was most likely the root of the fear that I mentioned above. Picture this...Grade 5 Christmas concert, little Robbie bounds out onto the stage wearing rags in the role of Amahl from the musical "Amahl and the Night Visitors". My voice was still clinging to the purity of youth, filling the gymnasium where the play was held. I will never forget how often I was tormented in the months to follow. Oh sure, my family and close friends thought I was great (and I really was, too! I have video tape to prove it), but that did nothing to quell my reaction to the onslaught of negative commentary from elsewhere. It's funny how something as small as the opinions of your peers can affect your tendencies for as long as you let them.

I enjoy singing. Anyone who has lived with me or on the same block as me in recent years knows how often I'm belting out my favorite song of the hour/day/week. I make a point of getting up in front of crowds in Karaoke bars or talent nights, just to spite those little punks that wrecked the joy of singing for me when I was younger. If you're good at something, then there are bound to be people out there that appreciate you for your talents. Whatever you do, don't let the cynics win.

Transition

So this is what it feels like to write a blog post. Thanks for coming. I hope I'm interesting enough to fill your time with something fun and fresh. Ok let's try this.

Aren't transitions exciting? I think I'm in a transition period right now...I can prove it, too! For the first time in my life, I feel the need to write. To emote to the community at large, if you will. For those of you who know me, I bet you're saying "Holy crap, Rob has lost it! He's actually doing that thing that he said he could never do." Well, allow me to explain my reasoning. I've come to the realization that Blogs are what you make of them. There are no rules, no guidelines, just a little white box in the middle of a screen with a little blinking thing called a cursor in it. Yay! So now what!? "Why does Rob's want to write a blog then?" Well, that's not quite clear yet. For now, my answer is "Cause I feel like it." Ask me again later. I might have an answer then.

Well, I guess I already have a partial answer. Three blogs have contributed to my desire to write...to share whatever I have to say.

• http://qlink.queensu.ca/~2kf5 - Kendall's blog. My first exposure blogs...the beginning of my interest in blog-culture. I don't think I'll ever be as "out-there" as his blog often is, but I'll be honest.
• http://mtv.curry.com - Adam Curry (MTV VJ 1987-1995) shares his insights about the music industry from his days at MTV. Wow. Some of this stuff seemed like it was straight out of Almost Famous.
• http://thenewgoo.blogspot.com/ - The New Goo... I stumbled across Delia's blog by pressing the "next blog" button from Kendall's blog. I agree with her opinions on a lot of things...wait, that doesn't happen very often! She put a smile on my face.

I guess this is the beginning! Rob's giant leap. Blink..blink..blink. What's gonna come out from behind the cursor? Stay tuned! Let's see where this goes.