Anne's trying to run the Iron

Man 2 DVD one of the guys from work went and lent me out of his collection Friday night but we have the older (2008) Xbox 360 where before Microsoft updated Xbox Live, we could watch DVD's. When I got the video game "Fable 3 as a Christmas present" 2 years ago Microsoft went and updated the "Xbox live" automatically which took out all that I had gotten used to before the update. The update failed to run Fable 3 as a result of that Anne was fortunate that Walmart allowed us to refund her purchase. We may have to rent it "Iron Man 2" on pay per view, if it's still available. 

We went and ordered Iron man 2 after all on pay per view and for the most part I was enjoying the film. Rule #1: Never watch movies I want to watch while Anne is around because she does nothing but cause distractions, has to comment or ask questions every 10 minutes, or gets up walks around talks to the cat and totally wrecks the movie experience for me. Near the end of the movie I reached over and tried to pet our cat Sporty on the couch beside me something I've done a lot of times and I startled him causing him to jump and he clawed my left middle finger almost taking it off the bone in the process. I've got this nasty inch long gouge/cut that looks like it might need stitches to show for it. I blame myself for all of this because I should have known better. I should have tested the DVD on my laptop Friday night then let Anne order the movie Friday night and watched it this evening letting her watch the movie on her own time. But I thought the Xbox might play DVD movies but I should have known better. Also her big blow up Friday night wouldn't have let me order the movie anyway. For the most part I did enjoy the movie. I thought on a scale from 1-10 I rated it a 9. Thor I rated it a 9.5 Captain America a 9. This has been the 3rd Marvel Studio's movie I've seen since last August and so far none of them have failed to disappoint.
 
I almost have my Fast Track audio interface hooked up to Cubase. I've got a test track in mono playback on a stereo track but at least it has all my connections and I'd reading them as active. The test track is just testing my voice but the wave form is in 2 parts on top of each other along a single lane. Sigh...it can be tough sometimes when your me. 

I've had enough silliness for this weekend. Friday night Anne exploded on me because a bit of ketchup landed on her new rug, then I had a lousy day on the job yesterday and then Anne's blowup this morning and at 7pm Neil is picking me up for the Lodge practice tonight and Monday I'm leaving early to go get my haircut. Anyway, that's all from me this morning.

I bring my laptop into work

and then over to get my Tim’s breakfast and there was James in the line up while I was paying for my order. I walked with him to the office and upstairs to find my place. There was Tim and I had my breakfast as he wanted me to listen to some stuff from Ederson Prado and I listened to this one metal track I liked. I’m not a metal fan per se’ but I liked that. I showed him a drum track I was working on. The only thing I don’t like about these DAW’s is that if your in one project and you need to switch to another one you got to shut down the program you can’t switch projects on the fly in the  program. I’d love a DAW like that. So back on the phones and I got a call back right away and I got a $30 sale out of that on a card and it would stand as the only sale for the whole day. Obviously I wasn’t a happy camper and the guy never came along to install that program for me but I don’t think any of the 7 of us got anything got anything over $200 except Carmine. But it was brutal. I called Anne and she gave me an update on the game at 2:30pm. She apologized about last night. The best part was when I was packing up to leave but the elevator wasn’t working so Carmine and I too the stairs and I headed down to Corona and sat out there for about 20 minutes waiting for the #2 but a nice bus ride later and I felt my bladder stirring. I got my stop across the street from Wendy’s and went inside to order a “Baconator combo” and enjoyed that checking up on the Oiler game. Oiler’s lost in a shootout. 3-2 Avs. Smyth got his 19th and Hall got his 25th. There’s 14 games left and Smyth could get 25, Eberle possibly 40, Hall 35, RNH possibly 20. We haven’t had a team like this since the 80’s. Anyway I enjoyed my meal and began walking home and paused at about 6pm looking at Sifton Park Vet where we took Sparky just over a month ago and I felt sadness. I hadn‘t been that close since the day we left him there. At that time the Setting sun broke through cloud over the roof of that building almost as if Sparky was saying goodbye to me one last and finale time. I love you Sparky. Ruefully I smiled and nodded goodbye back and continued on my way in sadness thinking about my baby boy. The Sun setting behind me. I love him so much every day and his picture is on my Itouch player

Then it hit me about how Anne was looking at some other cats about the age of Sparky and Sporty earlier this week. Now I think it’s too soon to get a couple of other cats but if I get that income tax refund around the time I go on holidays, if she says something “I just saw the 2 most beautiful kittens etc, they look so cute for $150.” “We could pick them up tonight if you want?” “Sure.” I’d go down with her before they close and I’d pick out my guy and she can pick out hers but (USS) we’d head in the back way because of the caretaker and all. Even though say if I get my income tax return in May, I can see taking on a couple of cats but it is too soon. Maybe around Labor day. It took Anne 3 years to get over Pledges and I’m still not over him.  Anyway, that’s all for now.

IIt's getting busy again for me but I felt ok heading into

work this morning and headed into the office feeling ok. I had a slow start to the afternoon and got my first sale just before break but got it on a card, after that it was uphill all the way. Just before lunch I felt a headache coming on and I knew I couldn't last much longer after that. I asked J if I could leave and get my check.He said no problem because I seldom ever cut out on a Friday night but I knew I had to get out and get some air. I headed up to my bank cashed my check and go home around 5:45pm. 

I had a relaxing night trying to get my audio interface connected up in Cubase and having a hell of a time with it. I still haven't got it set up properly. I even downloaded the update for my "Fast track" and it was showing up but I couldn't get any response in any audio track meter's. The Quick start guides don;t offer much help. VST connections don;t even show up. So I went to FL. Studio and opened it up and activated "Rewire." it works on some of the VST's but I'm not hearing anything. I'll get it checked over the weekend.

Anne said my T4's came in and I checked out my income tax deducted and it looks like I could get back almost $1200 in which case, I'm going to get "Electricity and Komplete 8" I'm kind of hoping I'll get $1200 but I think I might end up owing this year. 

Saturday morning I want to be up at 7am to get ready and out the door by 8am and get down to Tim's for my breakfast and then run over to the Baker Centre and see about getting my haircut before I head into work, then after that over to Wendy's for supper and then home for a nap I'd have liked to have watched the Oiler game but its another early Saturday afternoon game that I'm going to miss. With 15 games left in the season, the Oiler's still have a chance for last place, again. Anyway, that's about all I have for today.

There's an old

song by an 80's song called "everybody's working for the weekend" by the band called "Loverboy" and there's a lot of truth in that. My favorite times of the week is when I get that paycheck and 4:30pm on a Saturday when I'm out the office door and away from the job for a couple of days. However, I have a couple of more d ays ahead to get there.

 

Yesterday my first day getting back after "the weekend" (for me it's mostly Saturday night Sunday/Monday). After this weekend, I'm working Mondays because I'm off in a couple of weeks for a week off (10 full days) including weekends and a stat in there I get paid for because I'm on "holidays." Not that I'm going anywhere or anything but I need 10 days just to sleep in lounge around the house and to take care of other business.

 

The other night they were talking about the Starchild project. For the "WTF" of us out there I'll bring you up to speed. This from Wiki: The Starchild skull is an abnormal human skull allegedly found in Mexico that is claimed to be the product of extraterrestrial-human breeding or genetic manipulation. Tests conducted utilizing mtDNA recovered from the skull have established it as human. A fellow by the name of Lloyed pie received the skull by a couple in the 1950's and he's held it ever since. it's believed that the Starchild skull is about 900 years old. Pie believes it is a human alien hybrid because the way the teeth are formed and I'm on board with this. He makes a strong case for it. Interesting stuff.

I just learned that Tia Tequila (the woman who for years has been trying to expose a "illuminati" presence in the music industry had a suffered an almost fatal aneurysm Monday and might have permanant brain damage. Over the years she really believed there was an "illuminati" conspiracy. People have been exposing Illuminati symbolism in music videos for a while now, not that I personally believe in any of them but it is interesting how some people use the "illuminati" as cruch something to blame for all the things wrong in their lives, pathetic really.

I've got a full day ahead of me. Last night I got the  idea to go  into Tim's on my way home at Corona station and this university kid gets in front of me. Most of the staff are cleaning and all I just want is a decaff before my train gets there. So the kid starts ordering all  kinds of stuff. I said screw this and went to catch my train. I missed the first one and had a 10 minute wait for the second one and as I was waiting for my train I'm thinking that kid is probably still ordering. I was pissed. All I wanted was a small coffee to go and that was it. A 30 second order. I'll try it again and if the kid is at the door same time as me, I'm going to rush in ahead of him. It's probably an illuminati Tim Horton conspiracy ;-) Anyway, that's about all from me today

Saturday after work I went

and bought the full retail version of Cubase 6 and I'm having fun with it, except registering this software is a real pain. I had to send a support ticket to Steinberg, which could take up to 48 hours to answer.

Last night while listening to Coast, Dr. Sky was on talking about how in 2013 an asteroid is heading this way and could be within 16,000 miles of earth. That's way to close. They were saying that if it hits the planet it'd be like a nuke the size of Hiroshima and if it lands in the ocean the tsunami could take out a small coastal city. What if though the date of arrival of that asteroid is off and it hits in late 2012? They said February of 2013 but that could easily be December 2012, I'm just saying.

Unlike a lot of people that don't like Mondays, I love my Mondays because I have the day off of course. This afternoon, I'm playing around with Cubase 6, Anne's making me some lunch and then it's the Oiler game against the Ducks on at 8pm, then it's another Monday night Raw. I had a decent weekend what with playing around with Cubase.

This week is a full week, as I'm working Tuesday-Saturday, which will give me 37.5. I was considering making a Saturday morning trip to Ye Old Craft Lodge but I need the hours. Next week is going to be hectic on me, I have a Lodge practice on Sunday March 11th then a MM degree on the 15th (off that day) as it's a 5:30pm start then it's my wife's birthday that Friday and I want to take her out on Sunday for a birthday dinner. I'm going to miss Ye old craft on the 10th but maybe not. I'm taking that Saturday off. I wont be able to go to Commercial though but I'll get 36 hours in that week. There's an installation or something I want to go to on the 23rd of this month as well but I'll confirm that with one of my Lodge colleagues later on this afternoon.

I've got a busy week and a busy month ahead but I like being kept busy like this. Keeps things interesting. anyway, that's about all for today.

Since I began

this HDI campaign about mid January of this year, I had always on any given shift been able to score some money on this campaign. At least something. Yesterday however, not one sale. I could go nuts trying to figure out what went wrong, I mean not one sale in a 4 hour shift? As soon as I got outside into the brisk early March air heading for Corona station, a kind of weight just lifted from my shoulders. The only thing on my mind was to head home and get ready for Lodge. Neil’s wife said he’d be picking me up. Great, I had a little bit of time, chance for a bite to eat from the can of stew Anne had prepared for me and shit, shower, shave and change into my suite and wait out there for Neil. Right on time.

I had a very good night last night except I had forgotten the Lodge keys. Only the 3 principle officers are suppose to have keys to the building and the building custodian that sets everything up for us. I was also shown where the spare key to the cabinet was. We had our District Deputy Grand Master pay us a visit and there were a few members there from Grand Lodge. I did my part and pulled it off without a hitch, no problems. I was having a good night. The energy  in the Lodge was good. The festive board just as good and crib night afterwards. We had 5 guys playing crib and I won one game playing on a 3 lane board. I want to set up a bit of a tournament.

Next week I want to go to AW on Monday with Anne and put 4 hours in that Monday night, then work the full week. I’d also like to go to Ye Old Craft Lodge which is early on a Saturday morning, they tyle at 9am but they serve a lunch and I’m up early anyway on a Saturday morning, so why not? I’ll be home by 3pm time for Anne to make me a bite to eat and 35.5 hours on the week. Then on that Sunday we have our Master Mason degree practice, which I want to be there and that‘s on the 11th. Then I’m working Monday night through to Friday night and I’m going to be at Commercial Lodge on the 17th (if all goes well.) So that’s going to be our regular communication (last night) Ye Old craft on the 10th Lodge practice on the 11th and Commercial on the 17th. it’s a busy Lodge month.

Today I hope to make up for lost ground from my dismal non show yesterday and then to my bank and home. Tomorrow, it’s a full 6 hours and then I’m off to either LM or Axe for a product I want to buy but more  on that Saturday. Anyway. That’s all for now.

February was a rough

month to say the least. First we lose Sparky, I almost lost my job, Anne lost some hours, then hearing about the passing of Davy Jones of the Monkees. Sorry I mean no disrespect but I couldn't care less about Whitney Houston but Davy Jones was from my generation. I mean Whitney had 3 #1 hits. The Monkees had 4 #1 albums and 3 of them in 1 year. In 1967 they were more popular then the Beatles and Rolling stones combined. The Monkees had 3 #1 hits and yes they could all play (they were under contract not to) musical. instruments except Davy. The only Monkee that was "allowed" to play anything was Mike. Sure I like other bands and artists more then the Monkees. To me the Monkees were in my top 10 of musical acts/. I might make a page about this on my website. I feel really bad for Davy, the 3 active Monkees were about to go on a June UK tour, very sad. I'm glad February is over. Anyway, that's all for now.