I Hate Facebook

But I figure what the hell. Look out world.

PS - Thanks for the positive comments in the last post. I knew it was a good idea ;)

For Sale: My Career Path

For Sale By Owner

Current Career Path, 5 years old, great foundation and in perfect working order. Very few kilometers and pretty much only summer driven. Owner simply wants a change, there is nothing wrong with this product, just not for me anymore. Taking best offers or unique trades

If you know anyone who's interested let me know. As good as a job as I have now, and have been fortunate enough to have great jobs since exiting 18 years of education, I've grown tiresome of the grind, the 9-5 that I set myself up for from day 1. So I'm getting out, very very slowly.

I have enrolled into the Ontario Real Estate Association and am training to get my Salesperson License. There are 3 phases to the entire program, each with an A/B/C Sub Phase. I took my Phase IA Exam Online last Saturday, and nailed perfect score... (okay I got one question wrong, but you're never gonna know the difference so perfect score it is) Yeah! Phase IB is more Real Estate History and Theory, I plan on taking the 1B Test this weekend, and then leave myself 2-3 weeks to learn phase IC - The beginning of many mathematical training sections. Value Equations, Appraisal Formula's, Mortgage Calculations, Factors, Decimals, Cross Multiplication... and I'm excitied! I've always loved and excelled at math - simply perhaps because in theory it's easy; you're either right or you're wrong. No interpretation. Fun stuff.

Phase II and III are both in-class sections and are going to be very time consuming and difficult, much more so than the 1 Month Phase I Online Portion. I'm going to continue to work while doing the course, then slowly transition into becoming a full time Real Estate Salesperson. At least that's the plan, this is all very new, and am unsure what lies ahead.

I write my Phase 1 Final Exam on May 26th, I'm planning on moving it up to May 19th to avoid being in a classroom the Saturday of a long weekend. (PS Ryan Passes the who's paying attention test!) Wish me luck, stay tuned. Lots more excited / nervous info to follow.

Heroes is Back

After an uncalled for 2 month hiatus, they're back. And I'm pumped! You missed the first 18 episodes didn't you? I smell DVD Christmas Gifts.

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Sad News: The Fezzer Is Sick

I'm unsure as of now where this post is going to end up, or how long it will be, or if I will publish it. And I think I will probably write it over the course of a few days, saving drafts as I go along, adding pictures and memories as they come to me, and of course taking time out to regroup as each word will be difficult yet beneficial to write, but the moral of this story is Fez, our 2.5 year old Shih Tzu is sick. Not the good kind of "warm nose" sick unfortunately, the bad kind, the worst kind. Our little guy has been diagnosed with Lymphoma and his timeline is unknown, but I can tell you it's very short.

Liz and I got Fez as a 7 week old Puppy and naming him was not tough - for those that don't know, Liz and I met at Fez Batik, a nightclub in Toronto. So to honor his parents, not the "That 70's Show Guy" his name was to be Fez - and it suits him perfectly. Here are some of the first pictures ever taken of him:






Before going on much further you should know Fez is very much his usual self. He's happy, comfortable and is proving he has far too much gas in his tank then his destination requires. But that attitude will make it much easier for those around him who are obviously devastated with these developments. And I've got to tell you, there are worse ways to make an exit in this world then to know a countdown is on. As an owner of a very young Lhaso Apso who did not survive being hit by a car, this atleast builds in those extra memories you pray for when instances as above take place... Something we have already begun taking advantage of. And I'll be damned if he doesn't get sick of doggie treats by the time I'm done with him!

Sharing the news of losing a family pet is never an easy process either - but I'll tell you something, for a dog that is not even 3 years old this is extra tough. Not because he's not yet 3 years old and far to young for this news (although that is very true and part of the problem), but because in that short amount of time he's made more friends than you'd think possible for a dog. Most dogs don't get invited places, or have people fighting over who gets to babysit them, or if they do they don't get invited back or volunteer again. But Fez is different then most dogs I find in that way. He's quiet, well behaved, incredibly polite, mostly stays out of the way (the size helps), never begs for food (unless a Bahlieda is around of course) and he generally provides that extra bit of fun and joy that's required now and then that only a dog can exude. After typing that I bet you all were trying to find a way to get Fez to come visit without me coming with - Sorry :)

APRIL 20th, 2007

I took quite a break from writing this post. I was never sure if I was going to post it, but Fez's been such a part of all my friends lives as well it's only fair I do. A lot of you already know, and have even had the opportunity to visit him and give him your well wishes and pass along your prayers - thanks. Since my last paragraph:

TAZ

TAZ has been a big help for a number of reasons. As much as Fez hates the idea of a new dog around the house, Fez has been far more active being chased by TAZ, and even his anger has turned to positive energy, which has been great for him, and us. Also, we figured it would only be a huge bonus if our new little guy got the chance to meet the best damn dog that has ever existed. Perhaps some of Fez's good qualities will rub off on Taz, perhaps some words of wisdom from one to the next. Of course it also keeps Mom and Dad busy once Fez is no longer around, to hint at a replacement would be silly because the Fezzer can't be replaced, but someone else to pass our love onto is a good idea, afterall we had 10 more years of Fez love stored up that we've tried to pack into this 2 weeks, but there is still much more left over.

FEZ


Up to now, Fez has been on the good side of the disease. A little tired, a few minor changes in attitude, but he's given it a pretty good go. The past few days his Lymph nodes in his neck have drastically grown - the steroids have perhaps stopped working. Last night, it appeared he was having difficulty breathing because of this. The first sign official sign that Fez may not be happy. And the first official time I've began to consider the alternatives.

This morning he appeared to be breathing much better, but perhaps tired from lack of sleep he's more lethargic. I'll keep a close eye on him over the weekend, up the steroid dose to attempt to improve the breathing, but I think it's time to finally admit to ourselves that our little guy is sick.

I'll tell you though, doing the rounds of saying goodbye, getting special treatment for a few weeks, seems like the right way to do it. Of course Fez would't have done it another way.

SNL Skit - Dear Sister

PREFACE - This post was created a few hours before the VT Shootings. So I didn't post it and it's not out of date but the references are. It seems to be funny again.

Enjoy.

Okay, so this past weekend was a re-run - but I'm glad it was so I could watch yet another fantastic Digital Short from Andy Samberg.

For Reference, it's a direct spoof from the season finale of "The O.C." I added Spanish subtitles for my Mexican following.

OC CLIP FOR REFERENCE ONLY




SNL "Dear Sister" Sketch

My Name Is:

NAME ME... GIVE ME A NAME...YOU MUST GIVE ME A NAME... HURRRY!!! ... "MOON CHILD"!!!

If you don't get that reference, please stop visiting my blog for let's say... 3 weeks.

Anyway, as for the name of the new puppy, your suggestions were appreciated, some were seriously considered. Spanky not so much.

A wise lady once said that the name will come to you once you see the personality. And in this case that couldn't be more true. This dog, so far anyway, is the Anti-Fez. Now a lot of that can be chalked up to him being a little bastard puppy who's just getting use to life as a family pet, and I'm sure Fez was a handful too, but we just forgot how much terror a young dog can create. So I kept looking for little bastard names :) I was looking up names for demons, devils, and even villains were on my list of wishful names (There are a lot of uncool Villain names out there, although I was partial to Gargamel). But I didn't really find any I liked or that suited. From the suggestions I liked the name Gizmo, every person should have one pet named Gizmo once in their lives. And it kinda suited the whole tick this dog off and he turns into an evil Gremlin mentality I was going for, but the name itself should be reserved for well behaved good animals... not this one. So I traced back the breed of Gizmo, did you know Gizmo is a Mogwai? But the name Mogwai is well, worse than Gargamel. So, one last look for "Devil" and my search was over.


Tasmanian Devil - A.K.A. - "TAZ"

Liz & Greg: Proud Parents

Liz and I welcomed our second very cute child into the world with the addition of a miniature Shi-Tzu puppy, 8 weeks old, 4lbs. Unlike the Fezzer, this guy will only reach 7-8 lbs. Fez has had 8 lbs in hair in the past, so expect a mini-me version.

As cute as he is, he remains nameless. I need your help. I am taking suggestions:

Hot Chicks Draft Winning Signature

...and you thought I was all finished with this topic. My bragging rights have been completed. Someone felt creating me this was better than posting a Hairy Rosie for a week. Probably a smart move.

My Piece of Shit - Part Duex

Well, just got "The Phone Call", and to be honest not as bad as it could have been.

Option 1 - I need a cooling fan. This model computer goes through cooling fans like the hamburgler goes through bars of soap - it's inasne! So that's a quick $28. On top of that $28, I need a new AC Adapter - the good news, it's only $72. What happened to the $199.99 the front desk jockey told me I would need to pay. Don't care, thats good news. Now to the main problem, the AC contact has been disconnected from my muth'a board. Hmm, wonder if thats why the connection was loose and I almost killed my family and neighbors... Piece of shit. So to solder that back into place will be 2 hours of work by some sort of licensed Heart Surgeon / Lawyer / Electrician combo at $80+ an hour.

Grand Total Option 1: $260.00

Option 2 - Drop it off of a tall building and buy a new computer. I'm pretty sure that wasn't the exact specifics of this option, but it may as well of been. New Motherboard, new fan, new car smell, it's not worth it when you can buy computers in vending machines nowadays.

So that's that, now get back to work.

My Piece of Shit...

This Is My Computer:



It's a Toshiba Satellite A70 Laptop and it's a piece of shit. Even though it's a piece of shit it tends to do the job. Actually other than the little inconveniences you forget you've got accustomed to it pretty much does everything I want it to. But it's still a piece of shit.

- Battery Life when not plugged in...Less than 20 minutes.

- Time it takes to get the battery to work when plugging it in and fiddling with the cord... up to 5 minutes.

- Random overheats and untimely shutdowns - 4-5 time a week.

- Sparks and smoke and nearly burning my house down - Twice in 24 hours.

This COULD have been my computer if I was not home



This COULD have been my house if I was not home



So, my piece of shit Toshiba Satellite A70 is in "the shop". I'm trying to figure out if there is more wrong with my computer than just needing a new battery, cause why waste $199.99 for a new battery just to burn my house down? Hell I can do that for a lot cheaper than that. Side note: 199.99 for a battery also seems quite excessive...pieces of shit.

My piece of shit Toshiba Satellite A70 also came with a piece of shit warrantee, or atleast Toshiba wishes not to replace their piece of shit arsonist machine free of charge. So the service call is another $80...shit, - but this way I may get to say stick the new piece of shit battery up your shit piecer and put the $199.99 towards a new computer if there is more wrong. And as you can imagine, it will not be a piece of shit Toshiba.

Anyway, so that's that story. I know I know, it was a piece of shit.

Back To Back Champion

IT
IS
OVER!

My squad simply did what it needed to do in the playoffs, win. With a Final Score of 22-17, my closest battle yet, my five femme fatales took home the title. Petra and Keira join me as Back to Back champions, and what turned out to be by the critics my most controversial pick, Scarlett Johansson, wins for the first time. For the second straight year, and what I think is a major key to victory, I've also drafted the "Rookie of The Year" in (Last Year: Alessandra Ambrosio). One of the founders of Pigskin Addiction, The "Head Hog" also crowned Alina the winner of the inaugural "Golden Spanky" Award. Which pretty much needs no further explanation.

All that time wasted at work, all that time spent "researching" is all worth it. It's probably the same feeling Olympic Athletes get when they win the gold - or atleast I assume so. Now for my prize - the Back To Back bragging Rights will continue on forever, but as punishment, the 15 Losers of this tourney now have to wear this badge of honor:



It was fun, hope you enjoyed the ride.

The Finals

Well another easy round, my squad won 27-10. One year after winning, I'm in the finals set to repeat. Problem is, people don't want that to happen. The first vote against me, "if nothing else, I don't wan't you to repeat"... seems guys will be guys. But I have faith. My opponent, The Eastern Champ: Heidi Klum, Keeley Hazell, Brooke Burke, Kelly Brook, Leanna Tweeden.

Final Four - Western Finals

Almost as surprised as Mr. H, but far from as disappointed, my squad SAILED into the final Four. Check your brackets people and put a check beside my name if you had me here. I now take on: Angelina Jolie, Grace Park, Jamie Bergman, Nadine Velazquez, Diora Baird.

Early voting has me up 10-6.

Elite Eight

Scarlett, Petra, Alina, Eva (drafted solely based on incredible 4th round value) & Keira formed quite the team in round 1, the round of 16. I sailed through the round with a convincing 27-11 winning score. I now find myself in the Conference Semi's, where after 1 day of voting, against what I see as my toughest competition in the entire Conference, dominating this match-up as well: Currently leading 15-3.

My Current Opponent:
Adriana Lima, Ali Landry, Katherine Heigl, Alyssa Milano & Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Barring a meltdown, looks like 1 year after winning the tournament, I find myself back in the final 4.