The Jodster Retires

Tonight was Jody Lepp's last performance with Stereotrap. Hard to believe that the band of "4 Christian guys from Dalmeny" has been together for SEVEN years! That longevity is a feat in itself given the volatility of the music biz these days!

I can only imagine how hard it was for him to give up something he truly loves to do, but he knows exactly what he wants to do with his life. I wish him all the best in his pursuits.

Jodster doesn't like to be the centre of attention and knowing him, he didn't want everybody to make a big deal about him leaving...but tonight he got a standing ovation and a loud JODY chant...and it was well deserved.

Oh the pain, oh the pain of it all!

Don't you hate it when you have aches and pains for no good reason? I always seem to hurt myself in the stupidest ways in the stupidest places. Check this out: the top of my left hand, in between the wrist and knuckles, hurts for no reason whatsoever.

How could I have hurt my hand? For the life of me, I can't remember anything I did to it, legit or stupid. It's not like I put it in a vice or something like that.

What's next? I'm going to pull one of my sideburns? Sprain my earlobe?

Paul Martin's speech to the nation

That's odd. I thought TV addresses were saved merely for national crises, not party crises. Oh well.

I also find it funny that he wanted to talk to all Canadians. That's odd, everyone in Western Canada was still at work when he made his 7pmET address. Hmmm...everyone in Ontario and Quebec was at home...coincidence?

Still, I don't blame our Prime Minister for taking this step. He isn't able to get his message across in a raucous Parliament, and he's not getting it across in the media. He had 7 uninterrupted minutes on TV last night to talk to Canadians about the sponsorship scandal and the Gomery Inquiry. For more detailed information about the scandal and the inquiry, go here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/groupaction/

I think Martin finally got a message across last night. He acknowledged that the Liberals were asleep at the wheel, including himself. Good first step. Still, he came off looking as a desperate man begging for more time to save his career. I think this is what will stick out the most to Canadians.

What bothers me is how he wants to wait for the Gomery Commission to finish its work before an election is called. Fair enough...except last year, Martin and the Liberals went to the polls before an inquiry could be established to look into this scandal. If the Liberals had won a majority last year, I highly doubt an inquiry would have been established. It's there because there's a minority government, and they have no choice.

If I were Paul Martin, why not risk an election now? It's only going to get worse for the Liberals as Justice Gomery releases his final report in December. He likely won't have to worry about that though...The Conservatives will likely force an election in the next month or so anyway.

I've had enough of this Liberal government. I wanted to give Paul Martin a chance after the Jean Chretien reign of terror, but it's same old, same old. I'm tired of the corruption, the arrogance, the lack of accountability. Bring on another election!

If Ontario and Quebec vote the Liberals back in after all this, then we'll be stuck with them forever.

Best MSN name EVER

I make it a habit to change up my MSN name on a regular basis. You know, scan the headlines, dig up some memorable quotes, copy stuff I saw on TV...just to stay creative and fresh. I heard this one on a really bad FOX sitcom...

"Klingon: The only language that's angrier than German"

Oh it's true...it's true!

I'm gonna learn some Klingon in my spare time. English is starting to bore me.

"Fully Qualified"

That's what the University of Regina thinks of me.

I got my Master's degree acceptance letter from the U of R today...and I have 60 days to give them an answer. I'd prefer not to have to go through more school, but it's become painfully apparent to me over the last year that I'm not going to find a decent job without a Master's degree. I know I can do the work that is required of me. So, barring any unforseen circumstances, I intend to start my program in September. I'm going to go and tour the campus and think of some thesis ideas before I formally accept though. I don't want to accept being totally uninformed!

I'm nervously excited. I'm going to be 23 in June and have felt the itch to do something different for some time now. New city, new school, new people...I looking forward to it and I'm not looking forward to it. This is going to be a huge step out of my comfort zone, but it's time to do so.

If I do go, I'll likely ask for a transfer from work to another store in Regina. I don't want to quit and start back at minimum wage again. I have seniority, and I intend to use it. I don't anticipate having a lot of free time, but it would be great if I could make a few hundred bucks on the side...

It kinda hit me today after I finished reading my acceptance letter how weird it will be to leave everything here in the city. For example, I've been driving back and forth to the same Extra Foods for the last 4 years...it'll be real weird to not make that familiar drive. My co-workers are awesome...and there's one in particular that I'd have a tough time saying goodbye to.

Bah, that's 5 months away. Let's focus on today. Today, I'm in a great mood!

P.S. Any ideas as to what I should write about? I'm enrolled in a Political Science program. The person with the best idea will get a mention in the acknowledgements section of my paper!

Guess where I was tonight...

I was at a rap concert. That's right...a rap concert.

Hey, I had nothing up and a co-worker suggested I tag along with her and one of her friends. Surprisingly, I was pretty entertained. I may not understand 95% of what they're saying, but they're energetic and their enthusiasm is infectious. I also caught a CD and got a hand on a T-shirt...but the other guy wanted it more ;)

Plus, I witnessed the sickest bump I've ever seen a human being take. This one dude leaps up on the stage and dives into the crowd without any warning. No one's ready to catch him, and he hits the floor HARD. They paused the concert to see if he was alright, which he was. I stifled my laughter for 5 whole minutes...too funny!

Evan Richet's Day Off

-I love caller ID. This was my first day off that wasn't a Sunday for some time now...and I was determined to make sure it stayed that way, seeing that this is a rarity for me. Just as I'm leaving to go to the driving range, the phone rings...and the display shows Extra Foods, likely wanting me to give up yet another day off. I smile, and continue out the door, and head out to the range. Caller ID is the only reason why I like the telephone.

-Knowing that the time had long passed for work needing me today, I go to check out my schedule tonight for the next week...and man, did my hours get cut...from 24 down to 14. My availability has been restricted for a good 2 years or so because I don't particularly like working Sundays (or 4ams!). I missed a ton of church (and sleep) when I first started and really wore myself down, hence the choice to not work them anymore. That's going to have to change unfortunately. The schedule as it stands now has me 10th on the list...the most senior of the people that can't work all the time, but with hours getting cut, that means I'm less likely to get a call. If I become available all the time, I move up to 3rd and get top hours. Well, it was a good ride while it lasted!

-I get a letter from the U of S regarding my status for graduate school today. It didn't say I was rejected or accepted, but rather that my marks make me a "marginal" candidate for admission and they need to see more proof of academic achievement for them to re-consider my application. Hmm...and here I thought having an Honours degree and a 75-80 average would seperate me from the marginal candidates. Here I thought sending them a 20 page sample of my work that got an 85 from one of the oldest, uncharitable dinosaurs on campus would seperate me from the marginal candidates. Silly me. I don't mind hearing that I didn't get in because there were other candidates with better marks than me (that's fair and I can deal with that fairly easily), but don't tell me that my academic achievements are "marginal". That really sticks in my craw. Good thing the U of S was my second choice! :D

-Golfing brings out the best and worst of me. Seeing as though I had a lot of pent-up frustration as a result of that letter, I decided to vent the best way a man can...by hitting something. I vented constructively by crushing some golf balls. The first swings of the year are always horrible for me...I always forget the formula I discover for a good swing (which I always figure out just before winter, go figure), and it takes me forever to re-discover it. It took me a good 50 balls (and various club changes) to finally get a good whack. Then I had another good whack. And another. I had some measure of prolonged success today...let's see how long that lasts...I give it a week or two before I quit this game for the final time....again!

-I got re-acquainted with my Playstation today and played a baseball game. I had a perfect game ruined in the 9th inning...that's like the 5th time that's happened to me.

-I like DQ Blueberry Cheesequake Blizzards. My only complaint about the blizzard is that it's top-heavy...the bottom 3/4 is just ice cream. But the top 1/4...sheer brilliance.

-That is all.

Don't mess with a classic...

I think I speak for those of us from the when-Sesame-Street-was-great-generation...don't mess with the Cookie Monster!

http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/04/08/Arts/cookie050408.html

I get asked the strangest questions...

I've been an Extra Foods veteran for nearly 4 years now, so I've seen them all and heard them all...at least I thought so until today.

This older gentlemen comes up to me and asks me with a straight face, "where is your Kleenex For Men?" I nearly buckled over in laughter! Gender-specific snot-rags? At first, I was going to say we didn't sell sandpaper, but it took every ounce of strength in my body to not be a smart-aleck. (My backup reply would have been: "You don't use your hands??")

However, my curiousity was piqued. I had to find out if there is such a thing. To my surprise, there is...and it's British. I didn't know they took soccer THAT seriously.

http://www.kleenex.co.uk/ufm/default.htm