Eagles review

On Friday night, I had a chance to see a North American iconic band.
As the lights went out, and the announcer said "Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. The show is about to begin."

And what a show it was.

Glenn Frey took to the microphone, and greeted the sold out crowd. "Hello Winnipeg Manitoba. It's summer in here tonight!!."
After the show, I heard that the band requested that the heat be turned up - to a modest 23 degrees Celsius. Add 15,015 people, and that heat just keeps going up. They wanted it warm to save their voices.

Is it just me, or could Glenn be a long lost twin to Huey Lewis?

It was a two set show, with the band playing mostly older stuff for the first set.
Of course, I was waiting for Hotel California, which began by a guy cast in a red hue, playing a slow sultry trumpet solo.
Don Henley played the drums for this song, and the next three or four songs. I always give a guy credit when he plays the drums and sing at the same time. (See Phil Collins)
Before the show, a guy was telling me that the band has opened with that same song since 1971. Not tonight.

My personal favorite of the evening was "Love will Keep us Alive". Timothy Schmit is hard to look at, but wow, does he have an awesome voice.
Mr. Joe Walsh was also here, gracing us with some kick ass guitar solos. I love how he would get up onto his tippy - toes for those longer high notes.
The band never played "Rocky Mountain Way", as I was hoping for, but Walsh still had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand with "In the city".

For a band that has been feuding for many years, they played very well together.
I found out before the show that all 4 members arrived and left at separate times, with each member having his own dressing room and attendants.

There were even arena staff assigned to keep two of the band mates split up during the intermission.

The view from our seats was amazing. We were to the right of the stage, about 60 feet from the band.
At an average price of $250 per ticket, the Eagles treated their fans to a show worth every penny.
It has been 30 years since they were in Winnipeg (they played an outdoor show in 1978), but they sound as good as they did back then.

I'm speechless...has "Hell Frozen Over?!?!"

I have gotten to know one of my patients pretty well this week.
As he was sitting in his room with his wife last evening, he stopped to ask me a question.

Patient: "Don't feel obligated to say yes, but we were wondering if you would like to accompany us to the Eagles concert tomorrow."

Me:"Uh, YES!!"

Patient: "A good friend of ours is the V.P. of marketing at the local arena, and said that we can bring you along. I'd also feel better if a nurse were to escort me there."

Me: "Uh, yeah, let me talk to my wife, although I'm sure she'll be fine with it..."

Patient: "This will be the first time I've left the hospital in 7 weeks, and I would feel better if you were to come with me. I want you to have fun too."

Can you believe that? He was the one stuck in a hospital bed for the last two months, and he wants me to have fun.
I consider myself to be a casual Eagles fan (my dad is the die-hard), but I want to go just for his sake, so that he can relax and enjoy himself. As he was talking to me, his eyes were filling with tears, and it was hard to say anything, except "I'm flattered that you want me to go."

I will be in a private suite with my patient (now friend), his wife and a bunch of his associates.

I will also be at his beck and call tonight. It has been a long, hard 7 weeks, and I'm going to make sure he can escape from reality for a little while. It's nice to know that there are still genuinely nice people in this world....

I wear my sunglasses at night.....

Title credit to one of Canada's treasures, Mr. Corey Hart.

While on my drive home from work tonight, I was waiting to turn right on a red light.
A woman exited a nearby money loan place - wearing sunglasses. Uh, it's 8:00 p.m. and it's dark outside. Why the hell are you wearing shades?

I had my window open a crack, since it is a balmy 0 degrees Celsius, and I think I said something along the lines of "Why are you wearing shades, you f'ing moron?"
I guess she heard me judging by the glance she directed my way, then picked up her pace to cross the street.

Pet peeve #5 - people who wear sunglasses at night, or in the bar. This includes you, Mr. Hart....

An alternate universe where my phone doesn't receive phone calls

One thing that really get to me, is when people don't return phone calls.
I leave them a message or two, and expect a call back.

I called my mom on Sunday (her birthday) and said Happy birthday, blah blah, call me back. Nothing.

I call the Nursing agencies that I work with about my availability. They never call back.

I repeatedly call our leasing office to remind them of our broken stove/carpet needing to be cleaned/hole in our bathroom ceiling. No calls back.
Finally, I went in to pay rent today, and reminded them that we are still waiting for a guy to come clean our carpets. The lady (who sports a 1960's beehive hairdo - I shit you not) looked up and said "Oh, he still hasn't done that? He was here yesterday....."

I said no such guy entered our home, so she jotted our suite number down on a piece of paper, and told me that it "may be a while, because we don't have anyone else on the list."
How about US, who have been on this "list" for almost 6 friggin' months!!

The lady did call back about an hour ago to tell me that a painter will be in to look at our bathroom. Here's a quick question - how does paint help hide a hole the size of a quarter in a ceiling? Plus, I really could care less about that right now, I want these carpets cleaned.

I swear to you, we don't live in the slums. I think they get better service. And returned phone calls.

Randoms (What grind my gears pt. 2)

I'd like to know what makes people think that when they're walking towards you shoulder to shoulder, that you are the one that's supposed to move...

Why the guy who works in the Telus phone store in the mall thinks that it's necessary for him to sing show tunes out loud.

Why it's considered trashy if men wear sweat pants out in public, but women can wear them and it's okay. It is trashy, however, when women roll down their waist bands into a huge lump. That's not sexy, it looks like you're wearing a diaper.

Speaking of sweats, who thought it would be cool to put writing on the ass? "Juicy" or "Princess" is one thing....."University of Winnipeg" means that your ass is too big.

Why do people insist on putting their cells phones on speakerphone while driving? I think they are pretending that they are using walkie talkies...

Watching celebrities on an infomercial, pleading for your donations, then showing that the actor has been compensated in the ending credits really pisses me off.

I'm getting tired of calling people's bluffs with these "You've won a free vacation" phone calls. If it's free, why the hell do you need my credit card number?

Why can't people just know when I'm trying to change lanes while driving? I could use the blinker, but it's too far away. My look in the mirror should make things very clear. ;)

If a person tries to add me as a friend on facebook, and I've rejected 15 times, take the fucking hint.


Just some things to think about before a nice weekend break. Have a good one.

Summertime fun

It appears that I'll get some prime holidays again this year.

During my entire 5 year career at the hospital, I have been lucky enough to get some holidays during the warmer months. This year is no different.

I'm planning on taking a week off in May, so I can enjoy my daughter's first birthday.

After that, I'll do my annual fishing trip with the father in law and brother in law.

A week in August to enjoy some camping, and finally the week of football that matters the most - the rematch game after Labour day in September.

I can't complain. There are people that have many more years of seniority, and aren't able to take time off until September or November. Life is good.

Bear sighting

One of my favorite shows on T.V. these days, is a show called "Man vs. Wild".
This stars an ex SAS soldier named Bear (Edward) Grylls who shows you how to survive in the elements, ranging from the Sahara desert to the Canadian Northwest.

I've always enjoyed survival themed shows, but this guy is as hard core as they come.
In previous episodes, I've watched him disembowel a camel to find water, eat live snakes and scorpions, and make shelters and fire while suspended twenty feet in the air between trees.

One of the neatest parts of the show is how he gets to each location. He talks to the camera while he is flying out to the wilderness, then jumps out of the plane/helicopter, free falls for a while, then deploys his parachute.

I once watched another documentary on this guy where he joined the French foreign Legion - just for fun.
Of course he completed the training, and is now a white cap owning member of the Legion.

If you're ever stuck for programming, switch to the Discovery channel and give this show a try.
I bet you'll like him a little too.

Even Ellery has caught Bear fever. One of her little toys is a yellow bear which, we of course, named Bear Grylls.

I'm all for brushing your teeth, but....

I pulled into a Domo gas bar today to fill up my tank.
It's a small Manitoba chain with the motto "We jump to the pump for you".

I noticed that as the guy was walking out to fill my tank, he had a toothbrush in his hand.
I rolled down the window and asked him to fill it up.

His response, as he continued to brush his teeth?
"Sure, no problem", followed by him spitting his toothpaste onto the ground.

My question is what was he eating that warranted him to immediately brush his teeth afterwards?
I think he could have waited the two minutes until I was gone.

Can't you just shut up?

On tonight's newscast, there was a segment about people putting out road side memorials in tribute to a loved one.
An old man was interviewed, and was complaining that it was up too long, and he wants the city to take it down.
This had come up a while ago, and a girl fought the city when they asked her to remove a memorial to her uncle who was killed as he was working on a city street. City officials gave her a deadline of 2 months, while she argued that it should remain for at least 6 months.

I'm all for road side memorials. Who are they bothering? Maybe if you happen to live on a street, and an accident happened in front of your house, you would get a little tired of the people coming around. Suck it up. What would you do if it were your family?

The next segment featured a woman fighting a speeding ticket that she had received while speeding through a construction zone. A recent ruling had a judge throw out 9 tickets, because the signs only specified "Slow down while there are workers present."
Evidently, there were no workers around that day. Regardless, it was still designated as a zone where you need to adjust you driving conditions to remain safe.


It appears that people just aren't happy unless they are bitching about all the small things.

Dude....change your shoes!

As I was entering the hospital for work yesterday, I heard the distinct clicking of high heels coming down the hallway.
My brain said "This is a woman coming. Those are high heels that you hear".

Just as I approached the intersection in the hallway, one of the plastic surgery residents that I work with came strolling by, dressed in a nice suit and dress shoes.

Men, never wear shoes that click on hard floors. You just might cause my brain to explode next time.

Various childhood memories

I would like my special power to be the ability to stop time.
I have always thought this would be handy. You see a crime in progress, just stop time and walk over and beat the guy silly.

Either that, or have the ability to completely empty a body of water. This would be cool to see all the crap that has accumulated on the bottom over the years, especially in the Hudson River in NY.
All the bodies, guns, and vehicles would make me rich.
When I was a kid, I often thought of being able to empty lakes, so that I could walk across and pick up the biggest fish. Laziness at it's best!

Also, when I was on long road trips, I would pretend that the knob on the window handle was a remote control to a high speed airplane. As I would look out the window, I would picture the plane flying under signs, through ditches, and of course, if I pushed the button, it would become a 4 X4 car with huge tires.

When I laid in bed as a kid, I imagined that if I closed my eyes, evil things could not see me. I figured that this gave me too big of an advantage to the bad guys, so I compromised. If I had one eye open and one eye closed, bad guys could still see me, but I was like a hologram. That, and I couldn't see them back.
If I closed my eyes, it would have a 3 second delay, so I could still technically be killed even though my eyes were closed.

And, before you ask, yes I did eat glue as a kid.

One on one with Mr. Wreggie

Here is my interview with Wreggie: (Pictured to the right)

What was the biggest misconception about North Carolina?

My biggest misconception was that there would be a lot of log shacks, and people sitting on the porch with greasy stained wife beaters (tank tops).

I actually never saw any dumpy neighborhoods while I was there.
What was the biggest Misconception of me, my house, etc?

Since I had never met you, I had a backup plan to just hang out in the airport. You, of course were cool, and your house was actually what I pictured it to be. I wondered if you really liked to joke around as much as you said you did. Yep. When I first saw your house on Google maps, I was trying to locate the axes...Oh, and I loved the dogs too.

Was NFL like what you thought it would be?

The whole NFL experience has made me a better man. I literally tell everyone I can about how fun the day was, especially the tailgate party. It's now your turn to experience the CFL in all it's glory.

If a pig drink a quart of buttermilk before he starts, and runs a mile before he farts, the farther he runs the farther he gets...how far will it be before he shits?

He will poo at the 2.54367124532 mile mark. Or, right next to a huge restaurant window, for all to enjoy.

How many minutes did you spend with Gigi?

My time with Gigi was short, but sweet. Total talk time was about 1 hour, but it was quality, not quantity. She definitely has the gift of gab, and I could talk to that girl for ages. She comes from good genes, Larry touched my heart too.

I enjoyed it dude. Can't wait before you guys come back.

Ditto. More golf, more grits, and more laughs.
Thanks again for helping Ali with one of the best Christmas presents ever!!

I'll see if I can fit you in...

Hey, even the Dali Lama loves the Bombers!!

The Canadian Football League has released it's 2009 schedule.
This is when I write down every Blue Bomber home game in my little calender, then present it to my manager, who then ensures that I have these games off.

I owe her one.

I'm hoping to take Ellery to a game this year. Once I know she can stay entertained for a while, she can begin the Bomber experience.
That little jersey is getting smaller by the day, so she had better get some use out of it soon.

Then, of course, when it comes time to book my holidays, I'll be sure to take the second week of September off, so I can get ready for the hated arch nemesis that is the Saskatchewan Roughriders...

Can't wait for training camp to start on May!

Getting in touch with my inner "Gemini"

Following an example of my dear Ali and Wreggie's blogs...

I was wondering who the first person to drink cow's milk was up to....

Why people argue that humans aren't meant to eat meat because we have "rounded" teeth. The last time I checked, we have called Canine teeth for a reason.

Why we can't sneeze with our eyes open. I'm still trying to do that one.

Why is it physically impossible to lick your own elbow?

Why is it called your funny bone? It hurts like hell!

How come nobody has invented a word (Ebonics or otherwise) that rhymes with orange?

Why don't we have a Bojangle's chicken and biscuits here in Winnipeg?

I see stars

I just finished watching the Nicholas Cage movie "Bangkok Dangerous".
Not bad, but a messed up ending.

I have always been impartial to Nick Cage, err, Coppola. I don't love him, don't hate him. This got me to thinking about actors that I like, and others that I wish would just go away.

Actors that I like:

Charleton Heston. One of my all time favorites.

Jason Statham. Abs like mine, plus, I dig the accent.

Jet Li. That man can do some crazy ass stunts. My genitals hurt just thinking of trying some of them.

Brad Pitt. In fight Club and Snatch Brad , not Legends of The Fall Brad.

Will Farrell. In Anchorman, not Semi Pro. Nothing too deep, just like him when I want to laugh.

Nick Swardson. He has cameos in a lot of movies, but his best role is Terry on Reno 911, and and Jeff on Grandma's Boy. Plus, he has a fuckin' sweet car bed....

Kevin Spacey. Good in The Usual Suspects, and who really cares if he is gay?

Actors that I hate:

Jean Claude Van Damme. Need I say more? I get it, you can do the splits....

Colin Farrell. Whiny, and I'd kick his whiny ass like the whiny little rich puke that he is.

Any musician that "doubles" as an actor. Insert Jessica Simpson, Jamie Foxx, Lindsay Lohan, Billy Ray Cyrus, etc. name here.

Jonah Hill. Can you say type cast? "Here's your character. You're a large lovable loser with a potty mouth, who's always yelling and mad that you can't get laid."

Samuel L. Jackson. Why are you always yelling? It worked in Pulp Fiction, but that was like 15 years ago. Try something new.

This is a list of just a few people who really grind my gears. Feel free to add yours.