Head West young man

This weekend I will be attending a conference in Calgary, Alberta.
Calgary is one of the most beautiful cities in Canada, and there are so many things that I miss when I lived there.

I will be staying with my cousin Kara, who has always been more like an older sister than a cousin.
I look forward to laughing with her awesome hubby Dave, and some good home cooking.

One of the things that I'm most excited about, is renting a car. I love driving a car like I stole one, and a rental gives you the best opportunity to do so. Being the worry wart that I am though, I have purchased rental car insurance form my local agent, rather than paying a fortune through the rental agency.

My friend Thomas was to come along with me, but there were some family issues which will prevent him from coming.
Sunday night I will try to get together with some old friends and share a beer or two.

On top of all of this, Calgary is in the playoffs, so I will get to see the "Red Mile" first hand.
Now all I need is a Flames jersey....

Wow, we wrangled warm weather, Wreggie!

SO, it finally hot a balmy 16 Celsius today. The snow is melting, and the birds are alive in the sunlight.

I spend the last few days in Ontario with the family, and was actually able to get outside in a T-shirt.

I helped dig out little canals to channel the water out of my parent's yard.

I placed a huge Bomber logo on the back window of my car. Sadly, it's now the most expensive part on my car.

I was finally able to visit my best friend and his wife Irene. It feels like 20 years ago since I've last seen them. His birthday is a month earlier, so he had to add "Now you know what it's like to be 31" to the end of his happy birthday wish to me. Apparently, he's going to do this every year from now on.

Now that I've actually turned 31, it's not such a big deal. Maybe it worried me to think that I was just 30, but not yet into my 30's. Whatever. I'm still young at heart.

Speaking of young, I watched a great special on Neil Young called "Neil Young: Heart of Gold".
I recommend it. Did you know Mr. Young spend his early years here in Winnipeg?

Next month brings the promise of warmer weather (maybe even shorts weather) and Ellery's 1st birthday. I can't wait to see her up to her elbows in chocolate cake.
Speaking of cake, did you or any of your friends ever have money cakes when you were younger?
First, how unsanitary was that, and second, I wonder how many kids suffered from bowel obstructions after swallowing those dirty coins.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

Are you in the band?!?!

With warmer weather comes the start of concert season.

Going to see a live rock show is one of my all time favorite things to do.

This August, AC/DC will be gracing us with their presence at the Winnipeg Stadium.
There aren't many shows that we say we have to go to, but this is one!

Here is my concert resume of some of my favorites:

Bachman Turner Overdrive - my very first concert when I was 7 years old

Green Day - My first concert at the old Winnipeg Arena (my first show by myself)

The Tragically Hip - My all time favorite band, I've seen them 8 times across Canada, but one great show was at the bird Amphitheatre in Minneapolis Zoo. I've also had the privilege of meeting them backstage in Sakatoon, Sk.

The Rolling Stones - I made the mistake of taking my sister, who was wearing a skirt in Winnipeg, in October, at an outdoor show. I watched the entire concert by myself

The Rheostatics - Another of my favorites, I've seen them about 6 times

The Weakerthans - A local Winnipeg band, slowly picking up a solid following of listeners

U2 - The best stage show that I've ever witnessed (on my birthday)

Oasis - Would have been better if it were 10 years ago, but still great none the less

Various outdoor festivals - Including Los Lobos, Sheryl Crow and Wilco

Eagles - Another huge act, probably the best sounding live show I've seen

I wish Canada would get into more outdoor events like the UK. They know how to hold a festival....

I'm not a fan of freak accidents

A friend of mine got a call the other night that we all dread.

His dad had been out with some friends, building a hunting shelter.

He fell about ten feet, landing on his head and injuring his back.

It turns out that he has a complete spinal cord injury from T3 down, meaning that he'll be paralyzed form the chest down - and that's a best case scenario. He's still fighting in intensive care, and I'm praying for him.

I get stupid patients all the time. Young guys who are surfing on the hood of fast moving cars, drunk drivers, or the "tough guys" who punch their girlfriends in the face and get a raging case of cellulitis and some broken fingers.

It's unfair to see a father of two being responsible and having fun with friends end up in the wheelchair, while these other people walk out with a few bumps and a broken ankle.
I wonder where the justice is sometimes....

This is another part of the job that I don't particularly like.

Sorry to bring everybody down, this has just been weighing on my mind.

"Elite" athletes

So Jay Cutler, QB of my beloved Broncos, is pissed off that the team was listening to offers from other teams about a trade.

He took the low road, publicly announcing that he thought he was the future of the team, and would never play in Denver again.
The kid is in his early 20's, he's signed a deal for 6 year/$48 million, and he's complaining.

With today's economy and people losing their jobs everywhere, I hope nobody shows this idiot any sympathy. I hope he gets traded to a shitty team, and he never sees the playoffs again.
Let them give him something to complain about....


Maybe I'll just cheer for the Panthers full time. At least Julius Peppers is a team player....oh, never mind.