Guys night out

Tonight I'm heading out to a local pub with a few friends of mine.
It's a chance to have a few beers, some wings, and watch some hockey.
The place we usually go to is my wife's personal favorite, because she absolutely LOVES the cute outfits those girls wear. Amazingly enough, every time I'm there, we get the 45 year old with four teeth....
Speaking of which, why is it that girls always compliment each other on their "cute tops"?
Ali was guilty of this a few times last night at our friend's social while we worked the door.
Men couldn't get away with this. I could hear it now - "Wow Reggie, that shirt makes your eyes dance!"
See what I mean? Although, I'm sure that shirt would be flattering.
At the social last night, I had yet to meet the groom. When I finally did bump into him, it was at the urinals, so needless to say, a handshake was not appropriate.
All in all, it was a fun night. I met some really nice people, and had some wicked "squeaky cheese" which, I believe, is a Manitoba hidden treasure.
So tonight, I'll kick back, talk hockey, eat some honey garlic wings, and complain about our co-workers. It's all in good fun, and I'm sure they do the same about us.

A new neighbour

Today it hit 8 degrees out, so I decided to go out and clean up our "yard" a little.
We have a little row of bushes right outside our patio door, and this seems to act as a magnet for garbage.
Our old neighbours above us used to throw away their empty beer cans, which would ultimately end up in OUR bushes, so I started bagging them and throwing them right back up to their patio.
Those pests have since moved out, now we just deal with the new tenants pouring gallons of rinse water down onto our pad.
Anyway, back to cleaning up. I picked up some old flyers, a plastic bag, and a tensor bandage...
It wasn't mine, so what the hell was it doing in our bushes? I wish I had the CSI do-it-yourself DNA kit, then I would find the lazy S.O.B. that decided to throw used medical supplies into our yard.
Our resident rabbit is now back. We've named him Darren. He looks rough.
There is also a new visitor in the area, a huge red Squirrel. He looks like a Gordie to me.
Gordie was snooping around our BBQ and patio looking for scraps yesterday while I was on the phone with a friend.
Suddenly, Gord was gone. I looked along the bushes, through the yard, down at my BBQ - nothing.
Out of nowhere, Gordie came roaring down our screen door, and I think I might have peed my pants a lillte. The last thing I expected to see was a huge Squirrel tearing down my screen door. The under-belly of a Squirrel isn't meant to be seen that close.
Welcome to the area Gordie. Just don't scare me like that again.

Excuse me sir, you lose something?

I went to Wal-Mart this morning to buy some milk, lightbulbs, and garbage bags. I wasn't there too early, around 9:30.
As I walked around the store, I couldn't help but notice people shopping in their p.j.'s. I wonder what they needed that bad, where they couldn't even wait to get dressed before going out.
An older fellow ahead of me was actually in a night gown! Like a night gown that Scrooge wore.
I had to look twice, and he caught me. I guess I must have had a look of sheer terror on my face, because he turned around and said "Nice weather out. You OK?"
I quickly fumbled around in my pockets, and told Ebeneezer that I think I lost my wallet.
I ducked out of line, and scurried down the nearest isle, which, luckily for me, was the over sized underwear isle.
I looked back, and the old guy was still watching me. He actually stepped out of line to watch me walk away. I immediately thought of the old guy from Family Guy, and just prayed that he didn't ask me if I liked Popsicles....
By now I was getting a little nervous, so I went to the electronics department. I was checking if there were any deals on video games, when I got that eerie feeling that somebody was watching me. I turned around - all I saw was the nightgown.....
He walked up to me and handed me a wallet!!!
I turns out this guy found a wallet in the store, and thought it belonged to me. So I did what any honest person would do - grab the big bills, and then turn it in to Customer service. Just kidding.
What are the chances of actually getting caught in my own little lie?!?

Why am I so tired? I didn't even do anything

Right now at work it's a little slow. I work Trauma/Orthopedics, and the doctors have decided to take a Spring break as well. Only emergency cases are coming onto our floor, so we have a few empty beds.
First let me say that I'm not complaining at all, but 12 hours usually goes by fairly fast when you're busy washing people, doing vital signs, doing assessments, handing out meds, getting people ready for surgery, getting people back from surgery, getting admissions, discharging people, dealing with pain issues, grumpy patients, and demanding family members. It's all in a day's work, and I wouldn't trade it for anything, but when it's this quiet, we just sit - and wait.
I think my patients know when it is quiet, because I'm constantly in their room asking if they need anything for pain, want to turn, want to get up, etc.
We have no choice but to sit there and watch the clock. Of course we can use this time to do our charting, update care plans, and finish our other paperwork, but the day just never seems to end!!
On the way home tonight, I felt as if I just hauled ass for the entire shift, when I did the complete opposite. I kind of feel guilty.
I did however go in on a sport-select ticket with a co-worker, so if my hockey/basketball teams win, my $1 donation will sprout into about $350. Not bad in a day's work.
So, here's the pressing issue.....It's 8:20 p.m. Is it too early for bed?

The boys of summer - Is that still politically correct?

At work today, my friend Aaron and I decided that we both wanted to play baseball this year.
I played a few years back with Ali's old co-workers, but she's since moved on, and now that I'm %95 percent fixed up from surgery, I think it's time to get back into the swing of things. No pun intended...
We decided to put out a list to gauge interest, and so far about seven people have signed up. It will be a mixed team, but I actually prefer these because it's not as competitive.
There's something about summertime and playing baseball. I rarely watch baseball on t.v. and can't stand to go to a Winnipeg Goldeyes game, but I enjoy playing. Maybe it's a chance to get out my aggression when I'm batting.
I used to play in a rec league in Calgary, and it was more of a beer fest than a baseball game. Our manager would pull out a huge cooler full of beer, charge $1 a piece, and if you didn't have money, he'd run a tab. A tab at a ball diamond!! How redneck is that?
Speaking of Calgary, there are a few things I miss about living there. I enjoyed seeing the mountains everyday. I miss my cousin, who is more like a big sister. I miss my friends. I miss the "battle of Alberta" in football and hockey.
I don't miss my first small apartment, which was hardly big enough for me and my cardboard box (which also doubled as my night table). I don't miss everyone who wore a Stetson cowboy hat during Stampede week (real cowboys excluded). Only certain people can pull a cowboy hat off.
Going back to my apartment, after Ali moved in with me, I never realized how important it was to have luxury items like pots/pans, a kitchen table, and she was right - my posters really were hideous on the walls!!
I honestly have to say, every bachelor's apartment needs a woman's touch. Just don't be present when she's throwing out all your stuff.

The drummer is the quiet one

So, as you may have read on one of Ali's earlier posts, she is excited about buying a guitar.
I got to thinking, and decided if I could pick just one instrument to learn, it would be the drums. Not the most practical in an apartment, but I always thought the drummer was the cool one of the group.
They're kind of tucked away in the back, and they just rock out without really saying anything.
They always have the crazy hair, and can totally get away with wearing jeans and a T-shirt, which is my staple.
Plus, I always think the coolest part of a concert is when the band finishes their set and the drummer tosses his/her drumsticks into the crowd.
That, and I'm lazy. Why stand to play an instrument, when you can have your own chair?
Now, I just have to master the spinning-of-the-drumstick-while-pointing-to-the-topless-chick move, and I'll be set. (If Ali says it's OK.)
Besides that, every good song needs a cowbell. Gotta have more cowbell........

I wish I could grow a moustache

Ever since I can remember, I was never able nor allowed to grow a moustache....
In high school, there were only a few guys who could pull of facial hair, my best friend Mike being one of them. There were those who tried desperately to have one, but when you can count the hairs on their face from across the room, it's time to let it go.
While in high school, I enlisted in the Military. It was a requirement to shave daily, whether I needed it or not. To this day, I still cringe at the smell of Gillette regular shaving foam...
After that, I worked in the oil fields for a few years. It was necessary to keep clean shaven in case of having to don a gas mask while on the job site.
I once had a chin goatee, that I kept short and neatly trimmed. This was my one and only stand against "the man". This of course quickly disappeared once I arrived in Southern Ontario to visit my sexy girlfriend while she was in college. She took one look at me, and said "no".
That was it. Gone in sixty seconds...
I got to thinking about moustaches today, and how few actors there are that can actually pull one off. Tom Sellick, Bruce Willis, and surprisingly enough, Ed Norton are a few that spring to mind.
These guys can also be described as "a man's man". I honestly can't recall many of those guys today. Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Charleton Heston are/were the last of a dying breed.
I thought of this today, because The Omega Man was on t.v. this morning. One of my favorites.
All of those guys could pull off facial hair. I wonder if they listened to THEIR wives if they said no.
Come to think of it, 'ol Blue eyes never did have facial hair......

What to do, what to do....

Today, I have absolutely nothing to do. Ali is at work catching up, and I slept in till 11:00.
OK, I take that back. The apartment is a disaster and I could clean up a bit, but there's nothing FUN to do. Maybe I'll clean out my car a little. I heard Milt Stegall (Blue Bomber legend) is going to be at the Stadium today signing autographs, maybe I'll swing by.
That poses a question - why do people get so excited around sports figures? They're just regular people and frankly, a few of them are kind of rude. I remember I was at a Bomber game (surprise) with my dad when I was 10. I was asking the visiting team (Edmonton Eskimos, who I hate!!) for some autographs, and when their star QB came out, he just ignored me. He didn't even look up. My dad made the comment along the lines of "C'mon he's a kid.." but nothing changed.
Right behind him was the backup QB, you know, the one nobody wanted to talk to or get too close to. He stopped, grabbed my marker, signed my program ,and chatted with me for a few minutes.
That was classy. That's what an athlete is supposed to do. Quite frankly, this is the only age when a guy should get excited about meeting an athlete. He SHOULD get excited. That player turned out to go on and become very successful in the CFL, and is my all-time favorite QB. His name is Matt Dunigan.
I think what excites me the most, is the game day experience. It's a tradition for me on game day to wear one of my two Bomber jerseys the entire day. You see cars driving around with those huge Blue Bomber flags hanging out the windows, honking at everyone (that flag would make a good B-day present) people yelling, and screaming.....
Then we get to the Stadium. My dad and I get there a taaaad early (Never mind Ali) to watch the pregame warm up, and enjoy a footlong hotdog and a cold beer.
I was raised on Blue Bomber football, and I can't wait to take my kids to games. I get so excited to buy the little jerseys, blue one for a boy, or the pink for a girl, and be one of those dads at the game who bury their kids in a huge box of popcorn, drink, hotdog, candy, pretzel, chips, etc.
and walk around the field with them on my shoulders.
I can't wait for football. Almost as much as I can't wait to be a dad.

Just what the Doctor, uh, NURSE ordered.

Today was one of those days. Nothing seemed to be going right, time flew by way too quickly, and one of my patients wasn't doing too well.
Nothing that I did, he was sent from another hospital in less than stellar condition.
I still insist that they should make Nursing students become a patient for a day to see what it's like from the other side of the fence. I had back surgery a few years back, and I always treat everyone how I'd like to be treated, not how i was treated, but that's another story.
Anyway, on my way home, I was thinking of a way to relax once I got home. I turned up the stereo, and sang along to The Weakerthans as loud as I could, and rocked out at every single red light I hit.
That was it. Just what I needed. And it was free!! The music put me in such a good mood, I actually slowed down just to finish a wicked air guitar solo...
By the way, tomorrow I have to attend an education day at work. This is a mandatory session, where they show us the latest policies, procedures, blah, blah, blah. I'm just pumped that I get to wear jeans tomorrow. OR scrubs just aren't that flattering, although it's like I get to go to work everyday in my p.j.'s.
They should make that a rule for everyone.
I've got big plans for the weekend, how 'bout you? Good company, good food, and maybe even a drink or two...

WInnipeg - One Great City!!

One of the very hot topics here in Winnipeg is auto theft. It seems that we are known world wide for this epidemic, and most of the culprits are kids aged 13-17.
They say a car is stolen here in Manitoba every 30 minutes. I thought this was just a number, until we became a statistic in February of last year, when our beloved 'Tunia was stolen. I was LIVID!!
Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) issued a "Hot list" of the 150 most popular stolen cars, and if yours was one on that list, you were entitled to a free car immobilizer and a rebate on your insurance. Of course my piece-o-crap 1993 Cavalier just missed this list by two years, but I digress.
MPI put the onus on the car owners to get these immobilizers installed, which got me to thinking. If this is such a problem in Winnipeg, why are car dealerships even allowed to sell cars without these stupid things?
And besides that, we in Canada have this thing called the "Youth Criminal Justice Act" which basically allows kids to become repeat offenders, and never suffer any consequences to their actions. Their names cannot be released, and many times they are just released back into the community.
There was an incident here last week where three kids, aged 13-17 stole a car and intentionally ran down a 49 year old man as he was jogging. They were charged with dangerous driving, but not attempted murder, because the Crown said that he thought these kids were "just playing a game, and if they wanted to kill him, they would have hit him head on." I guess it's o.k. because they just clipped him with the mirror.
Most of these stolen cars are recovered with far too much damage to be saved, and when these kids are caught, it usually results in a high speed chase through the city, with the driver playing smash up derby along the way. This, in turn, raises our insurance EVERY YEAR.
The government has to get rid of this Youth Criminal Justice Act, and start making car theft a thing of the past, and holding these kids responsible.
Things aren't all bad though, Winnipeg police have hired 5 more cops into the car theft dept. which brings us up to 10. (WOW!)
If only they brought back public caning....

P.S. I'm usually not for violence, but I'm really getting sick of seeing this everyday in our papers...that, and it's only 85 days until the first Bomber game.

Pickles, water, and Mitch Fatel

I just finished another rough day at the office.
When I walked into the house, Ali informed me that we were going to buy groceries.
We wandered around Sobey's, collecting random items, none of which are ever on our actual list, but necessary anyway.
Tomorrow night, we're going to the local comedy club to see one of my favorite comedians. His name is Mitch Fatel, and he's friggin' hilarious....or should I say "so sexy..."
That's not coming from me, just part of his act.
We enjoy going to the comedy club, we always have fun, but I don't understand why we never make it a monthly tradition. Gotta change that.
Anyway, time to go. The pickles and water are calling me.

Neil Diamond almost killed me!!

So Ali and I were on our way back from visiting our parents this weekend. She decided to pop in one of her CD's, as I white knuckled it through the snow covered roads (see picture) trying to keep our car straight.
The song "Sweet Caroline" came on, and as I belted out the chorus and the bah-bah-bah part, while pumping my fist, the car ever so slightly veered towards the ditch. That's when the karaoke ended for me, and Ali finished the song with a wicked solo.
The drive home took an extra hour tonight, and we counted four cars in the ditch. The first one was the worst, with the vehicle ending up on the right side of the road, on it's side. There were a few cars already pulled over, but I pulled aside to see if I could be of any assistance. The passenger was in the back of a stopped car, and she appeared to be unharmed.
A quick assessment, and we were on our way.
As we were driving away, I told Ali that whenever I come across an accident scene, I get that little adrenaline rush, and just jump into action. I could never imagine turning the other cheek without helping in any way possible.
On a happier note, my beloved Montreal Canadiens beat their arch enemy Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

P.S. Only 74 days until Blue Bomber training camp opens!!

Something worth fighting for

I heard that 500 NHL hockey players are going to use pink hockey sticks this weekend in support of breast cancer research.
This got me to thinking. What if every sport dedicated even one day for this cause?
The NFL/CFL could use a pink ball, soccer could used a pink ball, etc.
A small gesture that would raise a few hundred thousand dollars without anyone even trying.
To top this, every player from these sports should donate 1% of their gameday cheque to this cause as well. These players say that they do it for the love of the game, so what's a measley 1%?
I also say don't stop with breast cancer. They could dedicate one game a week to Diabetes, AIDS, prostate cancer, Alzheimer's, and so on.
C'mon athletes, let's start the trend. Show us it IS about the game, not the money.

This week's specials

Well, I finally got the call I was waiting for. My dad called me from his workplace, and asked if I was still interested in buying Blue Bombers season tickets.
Like a girl getting asked to the prom, I put the phone to my chest, jumped around, high-fived myself, regained my composure, and gently whispered into the phone "yes".
That's how I saw it.
What really happened, is a lot less dramatic. I said sure, and my Dad called the ticket office. Done deal.
In other news, the wife decided on a business plan on how to buy her guitar. She's going to freelance a few articles, and buy her dream guitar, which, luckily for me, is apparently going to be neon pink. She wants me to play it too. Two words, private lessons. Zig, are you still interested? Please no snickering....
And lastly, it was payday yesterday. Now I can finally enjoy the finer things in life...like gas for my car.

To be a Weatherman...

I decided to go out fishing with a co-worker this morning. The forecast was @ -7 C, and I figured with the recent cold weather we have had, -7 was nothing...
Let me paint the scene.
We drove by the area where we decided to fish. Nobody there.
We went to a local grocery store, and bought some frozen minnows. I had to thaw them out on the dashboard.
We venture out onto the ice, where there was now a small gathering of men, who were so bundled up, they reminded me of that "Pat" character from Saturday Night Live, because of their "front bum".
We chipped out a few of the existing holes, only to stand there in what we referred to as "The wind tunnel", because the wind was relentless. No breaks at all.
We caught one fish, and decided that a nice hot breakfast was a better idea.
Minus seven my ass.

And so it begins...

Well folks, I'm joining the revolution. After much "encouragement" from my wife Ali, I'm finally on board with this blogging thing. I'll try to keep it interesting, but I'm warning you now, my photography skills are not up to par.

Just a few tidbits to get you started.

1. I am a diehard Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan. Sometimes this drives my wife crazy, as life as I know it basically comes to a screeching halt when football season starts.

2. I like cheese, even though it makes my face tingle...

3. I am very passionate about my job, it feels good to realize your calling in life.

4. I am kind of a homebody. I'd rather stay home with my wife, making each other laugh, than do anything else. Except football games. (Sorry)

5. I want to learn Spanish, so the next time I can use it, I can do more than say "Another beer" and "Thanks" like a typical tourist.

6. If I wasn't in Nursing, I would probably be a chef. I love to cook, but hate doing dishes.

That's all I've got for now. I'll post pictures later.