Inspiration

I must not fear.

Fear is the mind-killer.

Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.

I will face my fear.

I will permit it to pass over me and through me.

And when it has gone past me I will turn to see fear's path.

Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.

Only I will remain.

-Litany Against Fear,
Frank Herbert's "Children of Dune"

"We say more by saying nothing at all"

I can't come up with titles, so I'm using random song lyrics from whatever I'm listening to.

Well, I realized today that one of my profs is slightly insane. He's knowledgeable, fun, and a good teacher, but he kept talking about his hamster. I'm sitting at the back of the class next week.

Hey, I just realized that the title I picked completely contradicts the fact that I'm typing in a blog. Oh well.

I must also recognize the newest addition to the blogging community out of people I know. Matt's blog is shaping up nicely, it's in my side panel if you're interested. I also found out today that I have to re-take a road test which I took 5 years ago since my license expired. This is a message to all the procrastinators out there:
GET IT DONE, AND GET IT DONE NOW! I'm not too worried, I'm just out of practice since I haven't driven in over a year. Should feel nice to get back behind the wheel though.

I went to play pool with a friend of mine last weekend and realized how much I suck. I guess it's a matter of practice, I don't play that often. I did manage to win a game, but only because my opponent sank the 8-ball. I can't remember the last time I won a game by actually beating my opponent as opposed to my opponent screwing up.

I also found out this week that I'm going to spend the next 8 months writing a piece of software to display borehole data (among other things) in a GIS. If that last sentence was gibberish (jibberish? What's the proper spelling? I have no idea), then don't worry, you're just like 90% of the population. I'm excited though, and I'll definately learn a lot.

And finally, I'd like to recognize Trevor Linden, as he must have read my earlier post on the NHL lockout and been inspired to restart negotiations. Nice work Trevor! So all you hockey fans, if these new talks end in a new agreement, you have me to thank!

I own all.

Getting To Know Me

Okay, so I got one of those emails where you fill in all this info about yourself and send it to people, so here are my answers:

1. What time did you get up this morning? 10:00 am...then 10:45 am.
2.. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I want to say Team America, but that's not right, I saw something a couple weeks later.
4. What is your favorite TV show? Simpsons (of course)
5. What did you have for breakfast? Cheerios
6. What is your middle name? Dwight
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Anything with chicken
8. What foods do you dislike? Tuna and Cabbage
9. What is your favorite chip flavor? Lays BBQ
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Incubus - A Crow Left Of The Murder
11. What kind of car do you drive? I have a chauffer...the bus driver.
12. Favorite sandwich? Roast Beef sub with sweet onion sauce from Subway.
13. What characteristics do you despise? Stupidity, poor grammar.
14. Favorite item of clothing? My Avs jersey.
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Ireland or Australia
16. What color is your bathroom? Ugly Yellow
17. Favorite brand of clothing? Whatever costs the least and still looks good.
18. Where would you retire to? A luxury box at a hockey arena.
19. Favorite time of day? Whenever I get off work.
20. What was your most memorable birthday? The one where I got my tonsils out. That was '94 I think...so, my 12th?
21. Favorite sport to watch? Well, usually hockey, but until it starts up again, I'll have to say...Cricket
22. Who you least expect to send this back to you? Bob Dole...he never answers my fan letters.
23. Person you expect to send it back first? Samuel L. Jackson. We're tight like that.
24. What fabric detergent do you use? Umm, the one in the blue bottle under my kitchen table.
25.Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi
26. What makes you most happy about the world? My unending optimism
27. What makes you sad about the world? People who complain endlessly that have no business complaining in the first place.
28. Order at a coffee shop? Medium double-double, but only at Tim Horton's since what they sell isn't coffee, it's liquid crack.

Excuse me, Mr. Modano...

We really don't mean to bother you, but Bob sent us to talk to you. Hey! Get back here! That's better.

You see Mike, Bob read the comments you made a few hours ago and, well, he wasn't too pleased. Now, you're a superstar in this league, and what you say matters. Your opinion carries weight. We're here to tell you what your opinion should be. Because, well, it seems you were misquoted this morning. Something about the players being nervous? That couldn't have been right. So you are going to tell those reporters that you were misunderstood this morning, and that the players are as together as they've ever been. If you don't? Well, let's just say that there may be an....unfortunate accident. Understand? Excellent. Thanks for the cooperation Mike.


Now, I'm not saying that the NHLPA would resort to these tactics, but it does seem that every player who says the slightest thing anti-union tends to change their tune awful fast. And to be honest, I'm getting sick of it all. The rhetoric, the retractions, the 4 months of complete nothing. One offer, one counter offer. Four months. If real companies and unions operated this way they'd be underground in no time. So now, we sit here for the next two weeks waiting for something, anything, hoping that someone will break.

Hoping that someone, anywhere, will get off their pigheaded stance. The lack of negotiation still boggles my mind. Let's pray that someone decides that the fans are what's important here, and that we are sick and tired of watching a bunch of overpaid millionaires (players and owners) whine about how to divide hundreds of millions of dollars. Fortunately, I have a solution:

-Fire Bettman
-Fire Goodenow
-Fire anyone else who's been directly involved in the "negotiations"
-Bring in Brian Burke to represent the owners' interests.
-Bring in a panel of current and former players.
-Have an independant moderator and debate for 3-4 days straight. If there is no consensus, bring in an independent arbitrator to hear the arguments for another 3-4 days and have the arbitrator draft up a CBA to be used for what's left of this season and all of next season with scheduled negotiation sessions every month from now until a new CBA can be agreed upon.

But of course that will never happen. That would involve putting the fans first. What a concept. We pay their salaries, we fund their arenas, we buy their merchandise and concessions. We spend hours upon hours pining over these teams, living and dying with them. We are the reason that they all have jobs.

I don't care who solves it as long as it gets solved. We all know it can't be solved if the sides aren't talking. I want a solution that is sensible. I want a solution that will work in the long term. I want a solution that keeps this league running healty for years to come.

I want hockey.

What _________ Are You?

You Are the Peacemaker

9 You are emotionally stable and willing to find common ground with others. Your friends and family often look to you to be the mediator when there is conflict. You are easy going and accepting. You take things as they come. Avoding conflict at all costs, you're content when things are calm.

What number are you?

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You scored as Saturn. You are Saturn-artistic and slightly geeky. You are extremely smart but often secluded socially. A career as a movie director or writer or artist seems good for you. Earth 75% Saturn 75% Jupiter 73% Neptune 73% Mercury 43% Uranus 42% Pluto 40% Mars 35% Venus 35% What planet are you from? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Middle Class. You're content in your position and would prefer a house or a family than a seven figure pay cheque. But you have your moments of weakness when you buy a lottery ticket in the hope of knowing how the rich and famous live. Middle Class 79% Upper middle Class 67% alternative 63% Lower Class 42% Luxurious Upper Class 8% What Social Status are you? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Lawful Neutral. A Lawful Neutral person respects law and order above all. They are often very organized, and frequently don't have time for moralistic debates. Though not evil, these people also value law and order above the common good. Lawful Neutral 75% Neutral Good 70% Lawful Good 70% True Neutral 55% Lawful Evil 40% Neutral Evil 40% Chaotic Good 40% Chaotic Neutral 20% Chaotic Evil 20% What is your Alignment? created with QuizFarm.com