The Dave Marshall Blog

Hey look, there I am!

2007-10-16T12:09:00.000-03:00

This will never not be funny!
If you watch this 100 times you will still laugh

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The Church Assistant

2007-07-27T12:33:00.000-03:00

Thought this was pretty funny:)

Check it Out

2007-07-03T21:57:00.000-03:00

My latest "addiction."

Play Games at AddictingGames

Good Times and Then Some

2007-06-22T14:35:00.000-03:00

Hey again! Just sitting here and thinking about some of my friends I haven't seen in a while. From time to time I like to just think about good times we've all had in the past and great conversations that we've had as well. Anyway here is an image I was just thinking of when i was thinking of my good pal Paddington Darrell. See you soon man! Thanks for being a good sport:)

You Be Stylin

2007-06-20T14:12:00.001-03:00

Was able to get out to both Prom walk-ins this year. Colonel Gray's on Monday night (after speaking at Rural's Interfaith Service) and Rural's on Tuesday night. I have to say, everyone looked fantastic and it was great to see the excitement on everyone's faces! You must have felt like rock stars, being surrounded by so many people there to see you! I wish you all the best as you are about to enter a new exciting world. Be sure to keep your memories and enjoy yourselves:)

The Downfall of Blogger

2007-06-17T21:42:00.000-03:00

IS FACEBOOK! I must admit that I'm guilty of being one of those people who usually just browse around from blog to blog trying to find something interesting to read or look at. I find that usually I don't really have anything to blog about or I'm just to lazy to do so. The problem with this is

People stop checking my blog for new posts (because there aren't any)
No one else updates their blogs either!

No I realize that I really can't say anything because I'm as guilty as the next blogger, yet I still have to point out that I believe Facebook is to blame. . .mostly! Since the new facebook craze I've witnessed more and more people "jump on the bandwagon" and start up a new account. It seems like the hook is the dreaded "so and so has just added you to facebook. Would you like to be their friend" and of course you do, but really you want to look at the all of the pictures they have on their page. Let's face it, that's really what it's all about! Anyway, the point of this little rant is this: I won't start a facebook account because I believe it's just like all the other social websites, including blogger and the second reason is that I've seen some pictures of people that I just really didn't want to see. Seems like people like revealing their inner most self on a website that can be seen by everyone. Weird huh. Well hopefully facebook stays strong and turns out to not be "just another fad". . .you know what I mean. . .kinda like that thing way back they called MySpace. Just something to think about:P

Still Moving & the Fish that Never Dies

2007-06-01T10:05:00.000-03:00

So it's done! We have finally finished moving absolutely everything from our apartment to our new house. What a relief!! Mom and Dad have been helping us out the last 15 hours or so. They decided to come see the new place on their way home from Fredericton (aka Frank'ton). They were a GREAT help. Yesterday Dad and I "attacked" the outdoors. We did a ton of outdoor work and really got a lot done. It was great. Last night we went to our friendly neighborhood Home Hardware and picked up some more house stuff. Can't wait to try it all out. We're hopefully getting a shed delivered this coming week. Should be great!
So during the final move yesterday we decided that it was time to move Max the fish. I must admit that he was looking a little "under the weather" and I really didn't think he was going to survive the move. I figured it was probably his time as he is a 6 year old gold fish how has lived in a dirty tank this last while. So I put him in his other little tank and moved him to the new house. And to my surprise he's still alive and kicking (or swimming). Looks just as strong as ever too! I can't believe it. I better be careful or that fish my outlive me:)

Busy Bees

2007-05-23T11:57:00.000-03:00

So it's been busy! Just got back from the annual Spring Youth Conference. It was a great weekend with a lot (and I mean A LOT) of rain. Our worship band played well and I was really impressed how our youth behaved for the duration of the entire weekend. 1st Highlight of the weekend probably has to be driving to Jessy's with Ben and Jamie. Best pizza in the world! 2nd highlight would have to be imagining Jamie rolling down the hills of Mt. Saint Vincent LOL. 3rd highlight would be the late night card game. Sorry to B & J for not letting you know about it. Maybe next time both of you will stop being grandmas and stay up! JK. Overall it was a pretty good time and soon it will be time for next year's conference to be underway. . . hopefully not too soon though:)
So now Anna and I are busy bees again as we are preparing to move into our new house! We are really excited and have spent some time in the new house taking down wallpaper and painting. Saturday is the big day. I've got to be sure to remember to fill up our propane tank before we move because I'm in desperate need of a "moving day BBQ!" Can't wait.
Well that's basically what's been going on in my life for the last month. Oh and I got a new blog template. Which took a considerable amount of time! GRRR stupid widgets! Until next time: Keep fit and eat cake!

Starting The Day Off Right

2007-05-02T13:57:00.000-03:00

Is it possible? Is it something that can actually be achieved? What is it that allows one to really and truly start the day off right? For some people, actually for most people, I believe that starting the day off right is crucial to their overall attitude and production for the rest of the day. Take me for example. If I don't start my day with a smile, then you will probably not see much of a smile on my face for the rest of the day. Most of the time, if this is the case, then I won't really get anything of significance done for the rest of the day either. It's a hard knock life! So that's the question of the day I guess: How do you start your day off right? I would love to hear your answers. I'm really curious. Is it eating your favorite breakfast cereal? Is it watching the TSN highlights? Is it having some quiet time to reflect and pray? Is it all the above? Hmmmmm. If only we could know the answer to this maybe I would actually be productive and finish things that I've started. Until then I shall sit here and think about it long and hard. . . .while neglecting to do anything else.

Those Are Some MAD Skills!

2007-04-27T11:39:00.000-03:00

So Funny!

Nobody's Watching

2007-04-11T09:26:00.000-03:00

Thought this was hilarious! Take a peek. Big and full of information post coming soon!

Man I'm Getting Pretty Bad At This

2007-03-20T13:12:00.000-03:00

Wow, March 6th was my last post. Where does the time go? That's what I want to know! Anyway this will just be a short one. Credit to Matt McGonnell for this little gem. He sent this out in an e-mail about a week ago and I think it's HILARIOUS!! I've showed it to a few people and have gotten a few chuckles out of them, but man I think it's really funny. Anyway have a watch and tell me what you think. Apologies for not being able to embed it right in the post. Just click on the link.

I've Been Threatened

2007-03-06T09:32:00.000-04:00

Last night my wife was doing her usually blog reading and she came across mine. Noticing that I hadn't updated in a while she glared at me and said, "Make a new post!" I was full of fear yet I couldn't believe how beautiful she was when she was angry. Needless to say, here is a new post! Woot! So here is a little bit of interesting news. News which you may have read in the paper or seen on the Internet in the last few weeks. American Idols Sabrina Sloan is a Christian! Yeah, I wasn't aware of that. She formally attended Saddleback Church in Lake Forest CA. and even speaks of here faith in her American Idol bio. Now, even though I find that interesting and kinda cool I must also say that I really can't stand shows like American Idol. I kind of missed that whole reality TV/competition phase and I just don't like them one bit. I admit that for two seasons I did watch Survivor, but it was clearly a moment of weakness. The reason I can't stand American (or Canadian Idol for that matter) is because of all of the exploitation that takes place. Even though at the time it is funny to watch I really hate how the judges somewhat tease some of the singers and really crush their dreams. Now I will admit that MANY of them should have enough brains to realize they can't sing anyways, but sadly this is not the case. Did you know that they put incredibly bad singers through the first few rounds just to have them bomb on live, national television! No wonder people are so critical of one another in real life. Obviously it's because we were taught to be that way by people like lord Simon. UGG.

"Britney Cut" is all the Rage

2007-02-21T14:28:00.000-04:00

Too Funny!

I Can't Beleive It! (Spoiler Alert)

2007-02-16T09:06:00.000-04:00

Well, another crazy night on Grey's Anatomy last night, and I mean CRAZY. The show usually has a tendency to kill off people. Usually this is a patient or two that has entered the hospital for some illness (anything ranging from a cold to cancer) and they end up dying because, well, that's what the show does: it kills people! But last night outdid all of the patient deaths by far!! Last night's episode 16 "Drowning on Dry Land" started out where it left off at at the end of episode 15: At the ferry dock where the ferry had previously crashed and there were many casualties. At the very end of episode 15 Meredith Grey (the girl that the show is named after) gets pushed into the freezing cold ocean as she is attempting to help a man with a severed leg. The show ended there. In the beginning of episode 16 she is shown floating in the ocean making no attempt to get out of the water (which I think was stupid) and they leave it like that. Basically 30 min goes by before Derek Shepherd (her boyfriend on the show) finally finds her in the water. So we're all thinking "YAY Derek found Meredith and she's going to be just fine YAY. . ." NOPE. The next scene was very "chilling" as Derek carries Meredith out of the water and she looks COMPLETELY frozen. Her skin was white, and she looked completely dead!! She is then taken to the hospital where they all frantically try to save her life, but it seems to late, and her heart monitor signals that she has died!! WHAT!?!?!?!For heavens sake!! The show is called "Grey's Anatomy" and she is Meredith GREY! What are they thinking. Well I think I know what they are thinking. First off, after she dies they take her to an "afterlife" scene where she meets up with the "bomb guy" and Denny (wow didn't see that one coming). I believe they are going to work Denny back into the show this way and then I believe they are going to somehow revive Meredith and she's not going to be dead anymore. At least that is what better happen unless they want to change the name of the show to "O'Malley's Anatomy" and that might be awkward! Can't wait until next Thursday!! WOOT.

All Alone

2007-02-15T13:25:00.000-04:00

Icy chills round your heart
A heart that's made of stone
It seems like
Life is out to get you
To destroy what you want
I know that, that you blame me for all that you go through
It could be, so different if you would just let it go

You're all alone
Running out of ways to
Hold on to hope
And it always slips away
You're all alone
But you don't have to
Pretend to cope
There is a brighter way

If you would change your perspective
You'd see that it is true
Life is not always what you want
Sometimes it's hard to bear
I'd be with you, and help you in all that you go through
I love you, let Me change your heart by coming in

You're all alone
Running out of ways to
Hold on to hope
And it always slips away
You're all alone
But you don't have to
Pretend to cope
There is a brighter way

Awesome Game

2007-02-11T15:48:00.000-04:00

Ya gotta click on this link and go check this game out. It's totally awesome!!

Max Dirt Bike

It's Cold Outside, But It's Boiling Inside

2007-02-09T10:18:00.000-04:00

Another day is here and another frozen morning. I heard on the radio this morning that it is -16 degrees but it feels like -28 with the wind chill. Although that is very cold I must say that they weather we've been having is actually rather nice for February. It has been sunny out nearly everyday for the last week or so. Can't believe it. What I can believe though is that my office is freaking HOT!!! I can barely breathe it is so hot in here. The irony about the whole situation is, is that as it gets colder outside it gets more and more hot inside. I can hardly concentrate, I'm sweating (or swatting as we refer to it in the Weymouth/Wesport area) like an over sized man running in the hot sun wearing flannel PJ's!! Anyway, I turned the heat down in the main office (which read 27 degrees!!!) and I'm hoping that will do the trick. If not I'm hoping that all this heat will cause me to sweat off about 50 pounds. Fat chance. LOL

New Camera

2007-02-06T09:25:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah I almost forgot to tell you: We finally got a new camera! YAY. Check it out. It's the Canon Powershot SD600. It's about as big as a deck of cards! It's good that we got it too because I really need to be taking pictures of crackers on trays. It's really my past time!

The Half-Blood Prince

2007-02-06T09:14:00.000-04:00

Now that I don't play WoW I've rekindled another passion of mine. Reading Harry Potter!! When the books were first released long, long ago I didn't pay too much attention to the series. Probably because if there is a lot of hype about something my initial reaction is to not care about it. A few months went by and I decided to try out the first book to see what the big deal was. Now I own the entire series and am reading the sixth book "The Half-Blood Prince." Now you're probably saying to yourself. . ."the 6th book was released months ago, why is he just getting to reading it now?" Well, your question would be very valid as I received the 6th book as a birthday gift from my mother a year and five months ago! Basically, I just got lazy and didn't do enough reading, and once I started playing WoW reading went out the window. Anyway, needless to say, it's good to be back reading these amazing books again! Pick one up, you won't regret it. Well, unless perhaps you're Ben or Dan and didn't learn how to read until 2nd year college! LOL (That's because they always make fun of me for reading HP!!) JERKS

Speaking of Stargate Atlantis

2007-02-02T11:38:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't know Stargate Atlantis is one of the best Sci-Fi shows on television. This is a clip for all of you nerds who are like me and love this show. It is also a clip for WoW fans that like to make fun of themselves. If you fall into either category you will enjoy this clip. If you don't fall into either category. . .well. . . .you're a loser:

New TV Technology!

2007-02-01T08:49:00.000-04:00

It's being hailed by its developers as the next revolution in visual technology - a laser television that will make plasma screens obsolete.Mitsubishi will show the first Laser projection TV set end of this week. Instead of white-light mercury lamps a Laser TV uses a red, blue and green laser to generate images. The advantages are bright and deep images on large, thin, lightweight screens. Apparently the first commercial Laser HDTV will go on sale in 2007. And displayed beside a conventional 50 inch plasma TV this afternoon, the Mitsubishi-built prototype does appear brighter and clearer than its “older” rival. With a worldwide launch date scheduled for Christmas 2007, under recognisable brands like Mitsubishi and Samsung, Novalux chief executive Jean-Michel Pelaprat is so bold as to predict the death of plasma. “If you look at any screen today, the colour content is roughly about 30-35 per cent of what the eye can see,” he said. “But for the very first time with a laser TV we'll be able to see 90 per cent of what the eye can see. “All of a sudden what you see is a lifelike image on display.” Combine that with energy efficiency, price advantage and the fact that the laser TVs will be half the weight and depth of plasma TVS, and Mr Pelaprat says “plasma is now something of the past”.

So the point is: Don't buy a plasma just yet. Just wait until these puppies are released!! Cheaper, brighter, and bigger!! HUZZAH!!

The Day WoW Died :(

2007-01-30T08:51:00.000-04:00

Well, the day has finally arrived where I set my two handed axe upon the shelf and called it quits. Yes it's true. . . yesterday I quit World of Warcraft! I know it's hard to believe and if you can stay with me and read this post a little longer you will know the reason(s) why:

The first reason I stopped playing WoW is due to a time factor. You see, if you want to be a very successful WoW player then you must be able to delicate a certain amount of time per day to WoW and WoW alone. Since the game works like a real economy you must always make sure you are making money. Not only that but you have to also make sure you are providing ample help to your fellow guild members as the whole point of the game is to work as a team and get better and better. This type of game play causes a dilemma with some people (like myself) as it NEVER ENDS. When I was at my peak playing time I would be playing at least 4 hours a day or more and I still wasn't getting anywhere. So basically I just don't have the time. I've realized since I've stopped playing that all I ever thought about was WoW. Whenever there was something I didn't have to pay immediate attention to I thought of WoW. Now I am free to think of other things. .which is a nice change.
The second reason I stopped playing WoW is because it costs money. Although it is not a lot of money (approx. $18 a month CAD) that is $18 a month CAD that I can be spending on something more important. . . .like groceries!
The final reason why I stopped playing WoW is because my wife really didn't like it. And to be honest I really understand why. All those times I was playing it for hours on end I wasn't spending any time with her and that game caused one to many unnecessary arguments that didn't need to happen at all. So for the sake of our marriage I stop!

So. . .is WoW a bad game? Of course it isn't! It actually is one of the best games I've ever played. And I mean EVER! Does the game consume your life? Well, if you let it, it will. Unfortunately I was getting to that point. The balance can only be maintained for so long before the game starts to win out on more important things. . .like eating or breathing! I now have gone back to playing my simple, beatable, and free single player games (like Battlefront II) that I can play for 15min and beat an entire level. Doesn't bother my wife at all! The real good news is that the game does eventually come to an end!!
So if you find yourself reading this post and you can relate to anything I'm saying here, take it from me: You really can stop playing. . .because in the end it really is "just a game."

-32 = _________

2007-01-17T14:42:00.000-04:00

So today it is -19 degrees out. But with the wind chill it feels like it's -32. Now I don't know how you feel about this (hence the fill in the blank title) but it makes me feel sucky! The reason that it makes me feel sucky is because usually when it snows out and it's freezing I have to dig out my car from a giant mound of snow. This morning as I attempted to drive to work I was almost 35min trying to get out of our freaking driveway! I was so cold that my go-tee had frozen and I could barely open my eyes. Thus I am cranky and not in the any mood for people to talk to me about the weather or about what is canceled and what is not. If I had my way EVERYTHING would be canceled today and everyone would have to stay home and be warm. Man that would be horrible wouldn't it. Nah I guess we should all do the most rational thing and put on 15 layers of clothes, dig out our cars from a mountain of snow and ice, freeze to death while we're doing it, and then get sick because our immune systems can't handle it. What do you think?? Well now that I've gotten that out I guess I can get back to the grindstone. . . . . OH NO, MY GRINDSTONE IS FROZEN. . .AHHHHHHHH

Funny

2007-01-08T17:06:00.000-04:00

I thought this was pretty good!

Hello 2007!

2007-01-02T09:04:00.000-04:00

Welcome back. It's been a wonderful few weeks and I have enjoyed the Christmas holidays very much. This Christmas there was much opportunity for eating and celebrating with family and friends and it was a blast. Although I believe I might have gained another 20 pounds. . . but it was worth it! I got some great gifts too. Anna's parents surprised me with a brand new pair of Nike Bauer hockey pants that I can't wait to try out. I also received some great clothes (that I was in desperate need of) and some excellent DVD's (Chronicles of Narnia & Willow!!) from Anna. Yes it was a good time. We celebrated Christmas day here on the Island with Anna's family and then we left the next day to head to Nova Scotia to spend some time with my family. So much food. . .I think I'm gonna be sick.
New Years was fun too. Anna, Jamie and I ordered some take out and watched Talladega Nights at home on the couch. We ended the evening by counting down along with BT New Years Eve show, although we seriously debated just counting down with Dick Clark's Rockin New Years Eve show because it was WAY cooler than BT!! Either way we rang in the new year and it was fun. Next year I plan to be on a cruise during that time. I wish.
So now we are back to normal and I am back at work. It seems like I have been off for about a month now, even though it was only a week or so. I can't wait to start planning for 2007 at youth group. It's gonna be a big year and there will be a lot going on. The projected date for us to move into the new church building is February 18th and I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure many people are. It has been a good 2006 and I can't wait to see what unfolds in 2007. Specifically who is going to win the World Junior tournament: CANADA OF COURSE!! GO CANADA GO!

Christmas Is Almost Here

2006-12-19T08:52:00.000-04:00

And the answer is "Yes!" The Dell did finally arrive. After weeks of tribulation the wonderful people at Dell decided to ship me my new computer for the office. I must say that I am very pleased with the little machine. It has a lot of power and came with a really nice 19" monitor that I really love. I'm just glad that's finally here so I can continue on with my work (and blog posts). So I as I said in my title "Christmas is almost here". Christmas can be so tiring can't it. I've been asking different people what their opinion is on the Christmas holidays and most respond to that by saying "what holiday?" I kind of feel that way sometimes too. We spend so much time running around trying to buy that perfect gift for someone and it really can make you feel as if you are working very hard. Not relaxing what so ever. Anyway, I am looking forward to sitting down with the family(s) and enjoying one another's company. It should be very enjoyable. This will be mine and Anna's first Christmas as a married couple (to be followed by many, many more) and I cannot wait to wake up with her on Christmas morning. Actually she will probably have to contain me as I tend to wake up quite early on that special day. Well, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and don't forget to take some time to acknowledge the real reason for that blessed day. That Jesus was born in manger to one day hang on a cross for you and for me. That makes the stress of the holidays seem so trivial doesn't it?

The Crash That Changed Everything

2006-12-05T13:33:00.000-04:00

I'm back! Sorry I took so long to put on this next post. I've been threatened by certain people (you know who you are) that if I didn't put a new post on soon they were going to stop reading my blog. Fair enough, so here it is. These past few weeks have been CRAZY. Shortly after my last post I one day left my office to have some lunch. When I returned to my office I was sad to see that my computer screen had frozen and there was a weird clicking noise coming from my hard drive. Oh no! This was the beginning of the end for the Toshiba P10 that had been so good to us before. Luckily I was able to restart the computer enough times to get it to boot up long enough to retrieve mine and Anna's work that we had stored on the hard drive. This was an extremely good thing because otherwise I may be not with you today. So I've been without a computer now at the office for weeks and the dell that I have ordered is still "in production" BOO. Good ol Dell. Always making everyone's life a little easier! Now when I want to check e-mails, chat on msn, update my blog, work on anything I have to either use Dale's computer or go home and use our desktop. The problem with that is it is highly inconvenient and I just don't want to. So until my new Dell comes I am in constant limbo. I have made a wonderful to-do list that is 3 pages long though. UGGGG. Anyway I figured it was only fair that I filled you in on why I have been so absent. I promise to update more when my new computer arrives and I also intend on posting in the near future about mine and Anna's Christmas Adventures. More pictures and thoughts to come. If you are still reading this blog. . .thanks. Bye.

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love The Men's Breakfast

2006-11-16T10:22:00.000-04:00

1. Great time to get together and chat with other men
2. It's cheap
3. Bacon
4. Bacon
5. Ministry chat
6. Funny stories
7. "Hoc-key" LOL
8. Being a "regular" for a "regular breakfast"
9. It's the day after Youth Group
10. Much unnecessary WoW talk WOOT!

Speaking Of Lightsabers

2006-11-09T11:58:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wondered how these remarkable weapons work? Where does the energy come from, and how are they able to contain that energy in a rod-like column of glowing power? Chances are that you have seen a lightsaber at one time or another, whether on the evening news or down at the local cantina. Therefore you know that a lightsaber is an amazing and versatile device that is able to cut through nearly anything in a matter of milliseconds. Here is an "actual" diagram of how they work:

A lightsaber can help convince an assailant that no means no.

I Must Apologize

2006-11-09T10:09:00.000-04:00

The reason for my apology is that I have not been making very many posts lately. This is do to the fact that I've been significantly busy and I've preached 3 times in the last week and a half. I know this is no excuse, but it is today! So I'm back now and I will try to make some interesting posts in the near future. Gotta think of something good to write about though. I will keep you "posted." Ma har har har. In the mean time here is a funny picture of me and Ryan!

I've Never Heard Of This Happening Before

2006-11-02T13:23:00.000-04:00

So this weekend there is a big sale on at the Maritime Christian Bookstore. One of the sales they have on is a Christmas CD entitled "Christmas Celebration." Dale, our Senior minister decided to pick up a couple of them as they are only $2.99 each. I thought it was such a good deal that I went and bought one for myself. The CD is really good too. Lot's of good Christmas songs performed by various orchestras. Now here is where it gets really weird. Dale decided to take home his second CD for he and his wife to listen to over lunch. Dale popped the CD in the player and realized quickly that it wasn't Christmas music he was listening to. Nope, instead it was Marilyn Manson's "Antichrist Superstar!" WHAT!?!?!?!? So weird. The CD was in the right case and even looked the same as all the other CD's. The only difference being that someone burned Marilyn Manson on it instead of the Christmas classics. Anyway I thought that was really funny and very weird.

Halloween Has Arrived

2006-10-31T08:40:00.000-04:00

But to be honest I've never really gotten into the whole trick-or-treating thing. When I was younger my sisters would cart me around our small little village and I remember having enough candy to support my addiction for weeks! But then I got past the age of 10 and I just really didn't see dressing up as "cool" anymore. I don't think that I've been out since. What a sad story. . .
On the plus side of things my brother in-law Troy finally got his hands on something he has been after for years. He sent me a picture and I thought it was so great that I needed to showcase it on my blog. Of course though I'm not allowed a ride on it cause as it turns out I have somewhat of a phobia of fast moving vehicles that cause me to break my wrist!! JK. I'd take a ride any day. As long as I was completely outfitted in a very thick foam suit. Until then:

Exalt And I'm Freezing

2006-10-24T13:55:00.000-03:00

This past weekend I spent my time at good ol MCC for the annual Exalt Youth Conference. It was a blast! Had a great time hanging out, eating and praising God! It was great. Three Season Ant came out on Saturday evening and had a great worship time and concert! Very rockin!! Brenton Dickieson was the speaker for the weekend and he did a great time challenging everyone who attended to be a roaring lamb, and to be a lamb first and foremost. All in all it was a good time!

Next item of the day: I'M FROZEN. My office is so cold and I think I am going to freeze to death. I think I may have to bring in a heated blanket or something. Anyway, until next time.

The Quest For Real Beauty

2006-10-18T09:57:00.000-03:00

Stumbled across this on another blog this morning. What a message! It really puts things into perspective. What is real beauty in today's society?

It's Just Another Brick In The Wall

2006-10-17T11:57:00.000-03:00

A few days ago I was informed that the construction crew that is currently building our new church was going to make their way into my office and remove my window. To be honest, I thought that this was something that was going to take place weeks from now. Not in the near future!! Last night I came into the office for a 7:00pm meeting. When I went into my office to pick up a few things for my meeting I found this:

It's Been A While

2006-10-13T20:38:00.000-03:00

Yeah, so it's been a while since my last post I thought it would be great to highlight some things going on some friends blogs:

Thanksgiving X 2 And. . .

2006-10-06T11:01:00.000-03:00

Another Thanksgiving holiday is upon us and I can already smell the grilled cheese and tomato soup. MMMMMM. Just kidding. This year Anna and I are able to take the very long drive to South Range, NS to spend the weekend with my family. This should be a great time as my parents just arrived home from a long vacation in Europe and we haven't been home since before our wedding! I think it may be time for a visit. This year I am making a pledge though: To watch hockey, eat a lot of holiday food, and discuss theology with my Father. Pretty much my 3 favorite things to do. The reason I have to make this pledge of relaxation and laziness is because when I go on trips I usually get myself overly involved in activities that I don't want to be involved in. In the end I don't really relax and by the time we arrive back in PEI I feel just as tired, or even more tired, than before we left. So this year I'm gonna try to just enjoy things. Especially the pumpkin pie! The most exciting thing about this new goal/pledge I have is that on Monday I am pledging to do it all over again! lol. This year we are leaving South Range on Sunday afternoon and we are having the whole thanksgiving shindig again with Anna's family. Man I am going to be fat. . . . . . .ter! Thanksgiving X 2, I don't know if I can handle it. It should be a blast.
The other thing I wanted to discuss in this post (since I haven't blogged in a couple of days) is how much I hate mornings. Over the last few years I have been trying to train myself to be an early riser and, for the most part, I have been doing quite well. I can now wake up around 7:00am and feel fine for the day. The thing is though, is that Anna has started working at the hospital at 6:30am on Thursdays and Fridays and so we leave the house at 6:00am to get her there on time. Do you know that it is still dark at that hour!!!! By the time I usually get up the sun has risen and it feels completely normal. But at that time of the morning it looks and feels like night time. Now I know most of you already know this and have probably experienced it before. I do not doubt that in the least. The point is, is that when I am up during that hour I feel sick to my stomach. It doesn't even matter what time I went to bed the night before. I could sleep for 10 hours and still hate 6:00am. So, in light of all of this I have decided to put a permanent ban on the hour of 6:00am to 7:00am. Why only this hour? Because there is no way I'll be up before 6. I hope this doesn't affect anyone too much but you will just have to work on getting up after 7:00am. If you have a problem with this then you will just have to get up before 6:00am. Although I would highly warn against that as legend tells of man eating coffee drinkers that lurk around from Irving to Irving killing all those who are awake. Don't say I didn't warn you!

What Am I Doing Tonight?

2006-10-03T10:12:00.000-03:00

I'm glad you asked! Tonight I am going to the UPEI awards banquet with my lovely wife. Why, you may ask. Well, last week Anna received a letter in the mail from the University. We assumed that it was just something related to tuition or student accounts. But it wasn't. It was a letter from the awards department to inform Anna that she had won a second year nursing award for excellent bedside manner and academics. Anna had no idea she was receiving this as she did not apply it, nor did she know that it even existed. The award comes with a $500 prize and the recognition at the banquet. I'm so proud of you babe! Congrats!!! The last award I won was excellent reading skills for my grade 5-6 class. The award came with a half dollar. Woot!

More From The Past

2006-09-29T09:22:00.000-03:00

Ever since I posted about Teddy Ruxpin I can't stop thinking about my early years. Today I was trying to think of some crazy 80's toys that I once had and I thought of a few. Let's see if you remember them:
A Lolo Ball, also known as a Pogo Ball, Springbal, Lolobal, or Pogobal, is a toy. It consists of a seamless figure-8 rubber ball locked into a structurally supported, sturdy plastic platform. To play with it, one stands on the plastic platform, balancing their weight on the bottom portion of the rubber ball, and jumps or hops around in the same manner as one would a pogo stick.

Blades of Steel is an ice hockey game released by Konami for the arcade in 1987, and ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System(NES) in 1988. All teams are fictional but based out of real Canadian and American cities. The game is known for its fast paced action and especially for the fighting. It is a one or two player game. When playing against the computer, there are three difficulty levels to choose from: Junior, College, and Pro (with pro being the most difficult and Junior being the easiest). Each team consists of three forwards, two defencemen, and a goaltender.

Mouse Trap (originally titled Mouse Trap Game) is a board game first published by Ideal in 1963 for two or more players. Players travel as mice from one end of the board to the other, moving in a turn based manner guided by a six sided die, supplied with the game. Upon landing on a square, they either retrieve a piece of cheese, or assemble a piece of the Rube Goldberg-style mouse trap contraption that is the game's namesake. The contraption has gears, a marble which rolls from end to end down a miniature staircase, ramps, rubber bands, diving men, and ends of course in a mouse trap, specifically a dome-shaped cage which clatters down a toothed pole. Upon reaching the end of the board, all players travel in a circle, ending up underneath the 'net' of the trap, or on a space to 'trip' the trap. Operating the contraption requires a piece of cheese, gained earlier.

So. . .which one was (or is) your favorite???

Happy 1000th visitor!

2006-09-28T11:49:00.000-03:00

Well today I received my 1000th visitor (excluding myself)! Very pleased about that. Thanks for checking out my blog. Come back often!

Come Dream With Me Tonight

2006-09-26T09:07:00.000-03:00

You're probably wondering what in the world the title of this post means. Although it sounds somewhat weird and possibly the words to an 80's love song, it is actually the beginning words to the Teddy Ruxpin theme song. Ahhhh good ol Teddy Ruxpin. I would have to say that it is, by far, the best cartoon to ever be aired on national tv. When it began in 1985 people were unsure of what kind of response it would generate from kids and parents. The response was great and they continued to make the remaining 64 episodes (I have seen them all). Anyway, have a look at the video. It will shoot you back a few years and hopefully you will remember the goodness that is called Teddy Ruxpin! Enjoy.

The Legacy Continues

2006-09-26T08:45:00.000-03:00

This morning I opened up my TSN e-mail to read a wonderful article written about the Montreal-Ottawa game that took place last night in Colchester NS. The first thing that caught my eye was that we smashed the Cens 7-3. Which is really good for two reasons: The first being that we had yet to win a pre-season game and second, because I hate the sens so very much. The second thing that caught my attention was the article in itself. The article was actually had more to do with the Hockeyville competition winners from Salmon River NS. They discussed a man by the name of Web Deuville. He was the inspiration for Salmon River's decision to enter into the Hockeyville competition. Deuville was the owner of the local rink in Salmon River. Not only was the owner, but he spent countless years attempting to make the rink a place where kids could come and play and enjoy themselves. He even made his own home within the rink:

'Deuville's patchwork creation - a jumble of dressing rooms, hallways, narrow stairways and family quarters - has to be one of the most unique rinks anywhere. Originally built as an open-air surface, over the years it has been covered with a roof, had its natural ice replaced with artificial, and had nooks and crannies added that have left it nearly impossible to navigate without a guide. "Dad's kitchen is right over there," said son Ellery Deuville as he took a visitor on a tour of the family-run rink, home and community centre."Dad started this rink 48 years ago. He sold his cottage to put a roof over it, all with his own money. He's devoted his whole life to supplying an ice surface to the kids."'

Because Salmon River are the winners of this contest they will receive $50 000 to make further renovations on the rink itself and another $10 000 to buy equipment for children with needs in the community. Hats off to Mr. Deuville for taking his passion and making it real and congrats to the people of Salmon River. Continue the legacy with pride!

Well. . .They Were Right. . .They Were All Right!

2006-09-22T09:00:00.000-03:00

For some time now I have been one of those World of Warcraft sceptics. I have to admit that I really didn't have any prompting to play the highly anticipated game from Blizzard! So for the last year (or however long the game has been out) I have been the one saying, "Yeah, it's probably not that good" or "I'm not really interested in 'those' types of games." Well, now that my good friends Ian and Jason have bullied me into playing this game (as well as giving me a free guest pass) all I can say is "WoW!!" What a game! I've played a lot of these RPG style games before and never have I been so involved with or more addicted than I am already to this wonderful game. For a while I attempted to play the knock off version of this game called "Guild Wars." WoW, is it totally not the same as World of Warcraft. In Guild wars the character diversity is pathetic and it becomes the most repetitive, tedious game in the world in about 10 hours. Not cool. In World of Warcraft there is so much to do, so many quests to be attempted, and due to the massive calling of players, lots of friends to play with as well. Not only is it a fun and interesting game to play, it also is full of color and imagery. Which, although may not be the most important thing to some, I find it all the more intriguing. Heck, I'll spend just an hour running around and looking at the scenery. Can't wait until I can fly around!!
So. . . in closing I would just like to say that this game is worth the money and the time. As long as you don't let it "completely" consume you. I'll have to leave the definition of "completely" up to you though. For those of you how play a lot and may happen to be in the Dragonblight server sometime. My name is Dengal and I am a wee little dwarf! Conveniently with lots of red hair and big muscles. Just like me. . .or Clifford the big red dog. Either or! Unfortunatly Clifford is only a level 3, where as I am a masterful level 6 already! I can't beleive I am talking about levels. It's all over folks!

Huet All The Way

2006-09-20T14:35:00.000-03:00

Cristobal Huet to receive MBNA Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award. Click here for the article.

Sick. . . But At Least There Is Starbucks!

2006-09-19T14:29:00.000-03:00

So our Youth Group retreat was awesome. Everyone who attended had a great time and say it has been the best one yet! This is great news to my ears and I can't wait until we can do it again. The one unfortunate thing about the retreat was that I seemed to have caught a very nasty cold while I was out there. Probably had something to do with sleeping in a non-insulated cabin in cold weather, but I wish to not point any fingers here. So, I'm sick. Not as bad now as I was a couple days ago. On Sunday afternoon I collapsed and died. I didn't get out of bed for hours. I then decided it was time to get medicated. In the past when I have had a nasty cold I always seem to turn to the same wonderful stuff: Vick's NyQuil. Now let me tell you that it tastes like somebody put licorice and puke in a container and slapped a label on it, but man does it ever do the trick. This stuff knocks me right out every time. Although I am still feeling a bit under the weather I must attribute all of my good health to the wonderful NyQuil. Actually the stuff is so strong I'm not sure if I'm at work right now, as far as I know I could be really sitting on the floor of the apartment drooling!

The even better news of today is that I'm going to Starbucks with Ian and Jason. Let's all take a moment to reflect on the goodness. . . . .mmmmmmmmmm. There that should about do it. Starbucks coffee always gives me a kick in the rear end. People wonder why it's so expensive: Well, it has enough caffeine in it to paralyse a small horse!

Busy, Busy, & More Busy

2006-09-12T21:20:00.000-03:00

School has started and programs are kicking off and I am so busy it is not even funny! Today I took my "Day-Off" which turned into "Dave working from home" all day! UGGGGG. It's OK it will all be worth it in the end. Assuming there is an end. Anyway the point is, is that for the next little while posts may be few and far between. But once I get over the "work hump" and things start to get into gear I will be back in full swing!
Also, to address Dan's comment on my tag board: The reason that some people may be getting errors when they try to comment on my blog is because I am using the new blogger beta. It looks good and has a lot of new features yet there are many compatibility issues with the old version. Thus, sometimes the comment system doesn't work. I hope that you'll keep trying and someday soon they should have it all ready to go. Until then. . . .eat Kraft Dinner.

Oh The Irony!

2006-09-07T15:20:00.000-03:00

The Daily News has an ironic article about William Shatner and going to space.

As Captain Kirk he vowed to boldly go where no man had gone before, but away from the TV screen actor William Shatner is a little less adventurous - reportedly turning down a real-life space flight because he was too scared.
The Star Trek legend was offered a ticket by Richard Branson onboard Virgin Galactic's first passenger flight in 2008. But Shatner, fearing he would be ill in space or the starship would crash, ironically revealed he's terrified of space travel.
The 75-year-old actor said: "I'm interested in man's march into the unknown but to vomit in space is not my idea of a good time. Neither is a fiery crash with the vomit hovering over me."

A Long Break & The Back To School Blues

2006-09-06T08:52:00.000-03:00

This past few days I have been enjoying some really nice time off. On Friday, my sister Nancy and her husband Troy, came over from Fredericton to enjoy a nice weekend away. We had a great time. We actually did more "touristy" things than I had ever done before here on the island. We went out to the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company where we bought some delicious jams and spreads. We went to Lobster on the Wharf, which we would like to re-name "Crab on the Wharf" due to the incredible small size of their lobster. We went to Cows Ice Cream. Nancy and Troy also treated Anna and I to Anne of Green Gables at the Confederation Center. Once I had seen the play I truly felt like a "real" islander. Basically, we saw the sights and had a great time. A nice way to spend labour day weekend.
Which brings us to today. Today marked the first day of back to school for Anna. She was not overly excited about this. I must say it is kind of different when your wife has to go to school and you don't! Really weird. All well. Anna is a great student and does tremendously well in her nursing studies. But dropping her off at school this morning made me really realize that I'm not going to school this year. It is a very weird feeling and I don't really know what to do with myself. School was a way to be rid of the summer employment and get back to goofing around and occasionally studying (I may get in trouble for saying that). Now I don't really have that option as I am swamped with Youth Group work etc etc. Well, I guess I won't complain too much as I remember the exams and the extra curricular activities! I better just stay on task and do what I've been trained to do: Eat burgers and complain. . . just kidding. . or am I?

Good Times All Around

2006-09-01T09:04:00.000-03:00

Well, as you know from my last 2 posts. Yesterday was my birthday. And what a day it was. Mostly not for what happened during the day, mainly because I just came to work, but because of what happened later on that evening. Anna was very excited to celebrate my birthday because it was our first birthday celebration as a married couple. Also, I had never had a party/get-together at a restaurant before. Every year I've celebrated my birthday I've been at home in N.S. with my family. We've never gone out to a restaurant and I've never had the employees of that restaurant come out and sing to me either. Anyway, it was a really great time. Anna called a few friends and we all went out to Pat & Willy's for an awesome dinner (which I got free because it was my birthday) and then we headed over to Anna's parents house for a birthday cake etc. I was so full by the end of the night because I couldn't stop eating all of the great food! All well. Thanks for coming everyone it was a great birthday. Most of all thanks to Anna for inviting everyone and taking the time to get me an awesome present! I'm a video game geek and Anna bought me NHL 2006 by EA Games. Only the best game in the world. S'GOOD. Can't wait to get home from work today so I can play it! So here are some pictures from the evening. Oh, one last thing. I just want to thank Cristobal Huet for leaving that awesome birthday message for me on my answering machine. It was really thoughtful and I love that you are working on your English so much. I think that it was quite thoughtful of you and I'm glad that you could make it to my party. (See last picture)

(What a Pal)

It's My Birthday!

2006-08-31T10:32:00.000-03:00

Yup, it's finally here. The big two-three. I can't beleive it really. It seems the last thing I can remember is moving to Charlottetown and turning 18! It's so amazing at how time can fly. My parents sent me an e-mail this morning from Denmark this morning. They did something very smart too. They forwarded their e-mail to all of my sisters too so that they would remember that it was my birthday. Very clever Mom and Dad. Although I really shouldn't say anything about that subject becuase I am horrible at remembering special days. I need one big special days calender and I need to check it often. I'm surprised I even remembered it was my birthday. This is the first year actually that I haven't been in South Range on my birthday in forever. Even in the last few years, since I've lived in PEI, Anna and I have always made the trip down there for my birthday. This usually involes much BBQ'ing and water skiing. But unfortunatly, because Mom and Dad are "out of town" we won't be making that trip this year. Next year we will just have to make an extra long trip to the homestead and make up for the missed time of this year. Anyway. . . .since it is my birthday I guess I get to make one declaration:

"I officially declare this day Dave's Birthday, and therefore, August 31st will now be a national holiday for all people! Enjoy!"

Happy Pre-Birthday To Me

2006-08-29T09:00:00.000-03:00

First things first: No I am not going on a cruise for my birthday. I know that the picture is a little misleading but I figured I might as well extinguish that thought right from the get go. In the last few years I have come to realize the truth about my parents. Either they are trained spies who, because of their secretive missions, must travel the world or they just are getting older and they really just want to spend some money and have a good time. Either way the point is that Mom and Dad are yet again off to see the world. This time it's a week long tour of Europe followed by a two week cruise in the Northern Baltic Sea. Now, unfortunately I am here in Prince Edward Island and they are cruising around Sweden. Seems like a fair situation. Actually, I must say, it truly is a fair situation. I feel as if both of my parents have worked their bottoms off in order to take these trips, and I believe that they deserve them. So Go Mom & Dad Go! On another note (you're all thinking "what is with the post name?") it's my birthday on Thursday and I am very excited about this. But yet again it was another reminder that my parents are on a luxury cruise liner and I am here. Not that here isn't awesome. But I wanted to tell you what my Mom & Dad bought me for my birthday. It's called a Black and Decker Laser Level and I love it! So thanks a lot M&D and I will see you when you get back! Don't forget to bring me an authentic Swedish person.

It's Beginning To Look & Feel Fallish

2006-08-25T09:15:00.000-03:00

I must say that out of the four seasons I completely and utterly enjoy fall the most! I really can't stand the heat of the summer. As you can probably see in my profile pic I am a fairly light complected person who sunburns on a cloudy day. This annoys me so very much. I'm the guy you always see at the beach wearing a huge hat, carrying an umbrella, while wearing 75 SPF sunscreen. . .and even then I burn. So frustrating. This of course brings me back to why I love fall so very much. When fall begins (even though it doesn't begin officially until September, 23 2006) I really start to change emotionally. Even if it is only for a little while. I love the cool weather. I love the smell of the crisp air in the morning. I love that you have to actually put on jeans and a sweater to feel comfortable during the days. Basically I love everything about it. Although what I don't like is that eventually fall turns into winter and then we have a whole new set of problems. Living in PEI you realize very quickly what the term "freezing" really means. The temperature here during the winter time usually sits at about -35. With the windchill it feels something like -154. Brrrrr. Makes me want to stay inside. . .A lot.
Fall also means that Hockey season is upon us. This makes me the most happy of all as it is really the Canadian boys livelihood to play and watch lots of hockey during the fall and winter months. I can still see the puck dropping on the fresh ice for the very first time. I can still smell the disgusting yet pleasurable smell of the dressing room, I can still feel mine, or Ben's (typically Ben's) bones crushing as we fall to the ice from a blind check (or a crack in the ice) lol. All in all it should be a good fall.

"And all the people said. . . .'It is S'GOOD'."

I Feel Like. . .

2006-08-23T09:54:00.000-03:00

. . .I've been run over by a truck. I'm definitely having one of those days where I can't get motivated to do much. I think it all has to do with the lack of sleep I'm getting. It seems that lately I keep waking up all through the night to check what time it is. NOT COOL! I wake up almost every half an hour until I have to get up. This causes a very poor night of sleep and now I feel horrible. Well I guess I better just suck it up and get on with the day. Maybe today will be the day that I finally find that giant chocolate bar that I've been chasing now for years. Oh you will be mine!
Oh yeah I almost forgot some cool news. I got a call from Jamie last night and he got the tech job he applied for. Sooooooo he's moving back to the island this Friday. This is awesome news!! Can't wait to kick off another fall and winter of hockey, hockey, hockey! Rocket games and Pick-up games galore. . .Or at least when our wives let us go. Either way it is great that he is moving back. Things just weren't the same while he was away. Now, the balance of the force will be finally restored. (I'm a big Geek, but so are you!)

So I Fixed My Computer

2006-08-22T10:19:00.000-03:00

And I really mean it this time. No really I do. Turns out it wasn't the graphics card (or it's drivers) after all. It was a little piece of Nvidia crap called the "Nvidia Network Bus Enumerator." Also known as "the thing that makes the internet work." How I discovered this problem was interesting. You see, all of this time I believed that it was my video card and it's funky drivers that was causing the problem. So finally I decided to install the VC drivers before the chipset drivers. This is when I realized that it wasn't the VC at all. Because everything worked AOK with it installed. So then it was just a matter of pinpointing the exact chipset driver that was causing my problem. Turns out it was this onboard LAN. So I disabled it and installed a little, cheap, PCI NIC card. Now I have the internet and my computer doesn't freeze and give me the "blue screen of death" anymore. I couldn't be more excited. So for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about:

My computer works and Nvidia sucks

Another awesome thing about yesterday is that Anna and I finally decided to move our fish Max from her old residence to our new place. I must say I was highly nervous for this moment due to the fact that Max the goldfish is 5 years old. This is much older than any fish I (or anyone else I know) has ever had. So basically I didn't want the old gaffer to kick the bucket while we were transporting him. Max did really well though and he is still with us today. We cleaned out his tank, put in fresh rocks, new filter, and a plastic sea anemone. He loves it! Let me know if you've had a fish live longer than this. I am eager to find more Sr. Fishes so that we can start a club of some sort.

PS: if you want to know about my weekend just check out Dan's blog. It says it all.

I Heart Campinos

2006-08-16T10:15:00.000-03:00

I just wanted to take this opportuntity to tell you that Campino candies are possibly the best candy in the world. If you don't believe me then go ahead and try one. You'll never go back! If you feel that you can't afford one or maybe are just unsure about it, then just stop by my office! I have a large bowl of them on my desk. The Campino craze is now so large that even "Georgian Dale" bought a bag and put them on his desk! I couldn't believe my eyes. All he could say for himself was "David. . . they taste well!!" LOL. So go ahead, live a little, take a break and have yourself a Campino (preferably strawberry).

Camp=Tired

2006-08-14T14:58:00.000-03:00

This past week I have spent most of my time out at the wonderful Canoe Cove Christian Camp. This was a great 3 days and it was really great getting out there again. It has been quite along time since I've counseled at the camp as I lived in Nova Scotia all of last summer. This camp that I counseled at was the youngest age group that goes to the camp. The grades 2 & 3 year olds. I know what you're thinking. "AHHHHHHHH" and yes, that would be a proper comment to make! Although the young kids at this camp are funny, happy and most importantly innocent they also have a tendency to never sleep. At bed time each night it was as if they had all eaten a giant bowl of sugar and there was nothing we could do to make them calm down. Lucky for me I had taken along my mp3 player and listened to it for most of the night until they all fell asleep. Although I did feel bad for James and Jon who didn't have anything to listen to except for screaming little boys!! But the situation did get worse. Each day we, as counselors are required to give %100. This means participating in all of the activities and making sure that the kids are learning as well as following the rules. Well, as you may have guessed that can be a really tiring job! Especially when you are completely sunburned and sweaty. (Note to all people attending camp: Wear sunscreen!!!) But at least we were blessed with an hour long rest time each afternoon. YA RIGHT. You think those little punks would settle down long enough for a little shut eye. Forget it. They bounced off of the walls everyday which left myself and the other counselors really, really tired. But, I must say that overall it was a really great time. Teaching young kids about God who loves them very much. Plus, knocking kids into the ocean is a really great time. You should try it, it's a really good way to relieve some stress! Anyway, check out Canoe Cove and sign up to go next year, just remember the sunscreen and an mp3 player (if you're a counselor).

Weekend Wonders & Blunders

2006-08-06T16:05:00.000-03:00

Everybody likes to go to the movies! Well, of course they do. Even though it seems as if it is beginning to cost and arm and a leg to be able to view one of these new, creative masterpieces (or as of late: pieces of junk). This weekend Anna and I had the privilege of being invited out to the movies with our great friends Les & Jen. This was a great opportunity to get out of the house and go see a flick as we hadn't done that in quite some time and since Les & Jen are huge M. Knight Shyamalan fans we decided to go see "Lady In The Water." I must say that I also am a big fan of his work too. He is the famous, young director that has written and directed great movies such as: The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Village, Unbreakable. All great movies which seem to have a great thing in common. They were highly filled with metaphors and usually ended in some surprise shock to the audience (Especially The Village and The Sixth Sense). The other interesting thing about M. Knight is that he also likes to appear in most of the films that he directs. He actually is one of the "semi main" characters in Lady In The Water. Quite interesting for a Hollywood Director to do. Anyway, as for the movie. Well. . . . Let's just say it's not typical of his work. At least not in my mind. I did really enjoy the movie as it is filled with many thrills and chills, things that really keep you on the edge of your seat. But in the end I must say that I left a little disappointed. Mainly for reasons I cannot discuss without ruining the movie for you. I definitely don't want to do that because I think that you should go see it. Unless you frighten easily!! Which leads me to the "blunders" section of this post. You see, sometimes when I watch frightening movies I tend to have really messed up dreams. The interesting thing about that is though, is that the dreams are rarely ever about the movie. So basically for the last two nights I have been having crazy messed up dreams about removing wisdom teeth and being really late for work etc. I find this really stupid. So I guess I'm just not going to have to watch movies like that until M. Knight delivers another one to theatres. Until then I have to stick with Barnyand and The Ant Bully. Later!

10 Months of Patience and Sorrow

2006-08-04T16:09:00.000-03:00

So last October I bought a new PC. I was shopping around on TigerDirect.ca and realized that I wanted to buy a new computer (that wasn't a laptop). At first, I must admit to you that I really just wanted it to play really high intense games. Games with really good graphics. To do this I needed to purchase this ultra high end system that would handle any game that I could put in it! Buttttttttttt. . .sometimes things don't work out how they were originally intended to. You see, I built the computer from a selection of parts that I purchased on the website. One of these parts was the lovely Nvidia 7800 GT OC video card made by BFG technologies. A wonderful video card. A video card that could do things that most cards couldn't do (at least when I bought it that was the case). When I got everything and put it together I realized that something was wrong. Something wasn't working the way it was supposed to. It was the video card. SNIFF SNIFF. Now, to make a long story very short it took me 10 months to actually send it away to get a new replacement. That was this past Monday when I finally gave in and called the company. My new card is in the mail and I hope that once and for all this fixes my problem!! So what did we learn from this story:

"Don't ever buy a computer when you are engaged and are getting married in 9 months!!! Trust me on this one guys. You don't want to do it!"

The Importance of a Day Off

2006-08-01T13:57:00.000-03:00

Recently, (yesterday to be exact) I had the great fortune to be able to take a day off. This was a wonderful thing as I hadn't taken a "real" day off for the last 2 weeks. Well, I guess I must tell you that I did take off Saturday, but it never ever really seemed as if I took it off. There was always something going on that made it feel like I was busy and I didn't really have any relax time. This of course, I believe is highly important. I actually support time off a lot as so many people seem to work themselves to death. In my profession it is typical to get "burnt out" at a very young age because of the pressures that come along with ministry. At times, people want some of your time, and it doesn't take long before all of your time can become used up. In a book I recently finished entitled "Well Intentioned Dragons: Ministering to Problem People in the Church" (and no I don't have a specific ministry problem, just a really good read) there was a story of a Pastor who had been newly hired at a small country church:

One small-town pastor in the Midwest, who counts among his congregation the widow of the former pastor, was confronted by her one Sunday morning. "I tried to call you this week," she said. "Your wife told me it was your day off. I'll have you know my husband never took a day off in twenty-three years of ministry." The pastor stifled an urge to point out her husband had also died at age forty-five.

This is so true. Many people share the view point of "work, work, work" which I do agree with. In fact my Father raised me to understand this concept as well as put it into practice. Working is a very important part of our life and it should not be taken lightly, nor should it be done with a lazy attitude. Yet, we must know when we should take a break. We need to be sure that we don't out run our running shoes. People need to be sure to step back each week and say, "it's time for a rest." God himself rested on the 7th day. Do you think he needed to? Of course not! Yet he did it to create a model for us to follow. He didn't need the rest, He's God! So you know what, if you don't feel like taking a little break every once in a while, do it anyway! Especially if you work in Ministry or else you will burn out and your ability to spread God's word may be extinguished by your extremely tired eyes and your incredibly raspy voice.

Fiesta!!

2006-07-25T08:15:00.000-03:00

Well, as you can see I haven't made a post for a couple of days now. Which isn't all that bad considering that it seems no one is updating their blogs this summer! Anyhoo, the reason for me being "unavailable" is do to another fun week of VBS. Also known in the world of ministry as "VBStress." I must say though that this year is really not too bad. Here at Central Christian Church we have people from the congregation volunteer to be responsible for all of the VBS delegation. Thus, the Ministers are not left to have that responsibility. Although we are heavily involved we can just be assigned to one specific task, rather than all of them. This is a wonderful situation. This year the VBS theme is Fiesta and the kids are loving it. I am in charge of all of the audio/visual stuff as well as the "Grande" Games. Which is definitely the highlight of my morning (After I've had my coffee anyway). Another improvement (in my eyes) is that the VBS curriculum people have removed the need for a hand puppet. This year they have introduced full length DVD's that have 5-10 min segments. This way the kids can watch some movies and no one has to volunteer to stutter through some lines while their hand is stuck up the backside of some sweaty hand puppet. GROSS! Well I must go cause the kids are coming soon and I still haven't set up my station. AHHHHH.

I Take Star Trek Very Seriously!

2006-07-20T19:09:00.000-03:00

Ladies and gentlemen I must confess to you that I take Star Trek very seriously and I don't think that it is a joke at all. I can't believe that people poke fun at the show as it has been on the air for 600 light years now. Anyway, in order to show my appreciation towards the cast and crew of all of the Star Trek shows ever made I would like to show this short video to commemorate all the years of hard work. Enjoy.

Remember, Don't Drink And Drive!

2006-07-19T13:34:00.000-03:00


Or you shall pay the consequences.

Why has the look of my blogger changed?

2006-07-17T18:18:00.000-03:00

There are two reasons why and I would like to share both of them with you.

Firefox sucks
Hosting blog images from some imaginary place sucks too

You see, a while back (when I decided to try this whole blog thing out again) I decided that I wanted a cool new look for my blogger. Not the same old blogger template from the blogger servers but something cool and new and different. Sooooo I began my hunt, searching the world wide web for a free blogger template that could be hosted somewhere else. I had to have it hosted on another server because I don't really have any webspace of my own at this present moment. Then I found it. It was wonderful, it was just what I was looking for. So I copied all of the correct css and html code and set it up as my new and improved blog. Or so I thought . . .
It was a few days later that I realized that Firefox had (for some strange reason) started to leave out my background images. It was almost like it could not find them on the blogger photo hosting server. So my blog page had all of it's correct posts yet there was no background images to make it look snazzy! UGGGGGGG. So after many hours of confusion and a waste of time I just assumed that firefox could not process the images correctly. The images were all there if one was to right click and select "view background image," yet Firefox would not display them. Unfortunately the only way I could get them to display was to open my blog in trusty ol' IE6. BOOOO! So, considering all of the circumstances I now have a simple, normal, typical blog template from the good people at blogger.com. I guess I should have trusted the old saying: "You can lead a horse to water. . .but you can't shoot it" WHAT?

PS: BEING MARRIED IS WONDERFUL!!!

The Honeymooners

2006-07-13T08:13:00.000-03:00

For those of you who may have been checking my blog out periodically for honeymoon updates I must apologize. When we arrived at our honeymoon destination (White Point Beach Lodge) I realized that there was no wireless highspeed. Later on in the week I did finally realize that there was highspeed in the main building but by then I was too tired to make a post. Soooooooooo, here it is. The wedding was AWESOME! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. We were so happy to see so many of our friends and family all under one roof to celebrate our special day. We are truly blessed and we thank everyone for coming and being apart of the wedding. Saturday morning we showed up for our wedding brunch a half an hour late. Which was good considering that we hadn't been late for anything the entire day of the wedding. Shortly after the brunch we headed off to Halifax to check into the Inn On The Lake where we would stay for just one night. Later that evening we headed into downtown Halifax to take in "Cape Breton Idle 2" at the Halifax Feast Dinner Theatre.
What a great show. I wish you could have seen it as it was hilarious. Plus the food was awesome. Anna had bacon rapped scallops and pan seared salmon and I had the Pork which was topped with a delicious carmalized sauce. S'GOOD! The show, which was in it's second season, was about 6 Cape Breton Idle contestants (and I do mean Idle, not Idol) and there journey towards the big prize, which was to be crowned king or queen of the spotlight. The actors in the show were also our waiters and the band as well. It was very impressive. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great night out while in Halifax.

The next morning we headed off to White Point Beach which is a resort located on Nova Scotia's southern shore. It was there that we discovered a wonderful surprise: The resort is filled with bunnies! Not just any bunnies either, but super bunnies who all became out friends. Actually it was I who came obsessed with the little balls of fur after I tried to feed them repeatedly without success. Finally by the end of the trip we did manage to get them to take a little nibble. Although I must say that I'm starting to believe that rabbits have an underground conspiracy going on and we humans are very un-aware of their discrete power. Anna and I concluded that they were very smart because they would not take the food, yet they knew that we would throw a lot on the ground to get them to eat it. As soon as we'd leave they would feast! Argggggggg. Anyway here are the only pictures of them actually eating out of our hands!

Anyway. . .the honeymoon was a blast and we had so much fun. I'd have to say that the funnest night we had was on Monday night when we went to have dinner at the Seaview dining room. You see, since we had purchased a package deal we had vouchers for our meals. This meant that we could order anything on the menu and it would be covered by our vouchers. Soooo we splurged. For an appetizer we both had a large bowl of mussels. Served with Fresh baked bread. Followed by a lovely lobster for each of us. We ended off with a big piece of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake (and no Dan, we didn't share it). It was the best meal I've ever had. We were so full we could barely walk back to the room. But it was sure worth it.

Here Comes The Bride! July 7th 2006

2006-07-04T08:21:00.000-03:00

The Big Day is right around the corner and my head is spinning a mile a minute! I've heard so many people tell me before how much of a rush it is planning a wedding and how busy it can become in the final days before the event, but I always just assumed that everyone just said that. Wow, I was really wrong. Things are really starting to come into focus as Anna and I (and others) finish up the last minute details and I can't wait until the big day. This summer, I will have known Anna for just over 7 years and we have been through so much together. We have struggled, we've felt joy, and we have persevered through trials when many assumed we would not. So this Friday as I stand in front of a lot of family and friends I will feel the most joy I have ever felt when I see here appear from behind that door, because I will know that we made it and that we are going to spend our lives together! I could not be a luckier man.

Just wanted to also let you know that we will be leaving our wedding website launched, even after the wedding celebrations have concluded. We are going to post many of our wedding pictures and honeymoon pictures on there for your enjoyment. You can view our wedding website by clicking here. Or by clicking on the URL in the "Links" section of this website. Thank you all so much for being a part of our lives and please don't forget to stop by our new place for some BBQ and good times. Thank you so much for being a part of our lives and thank you so much for the support and love that you have shown us. We will cherish those things all of our lives.

Meeting The Puck Head On

2006-06-30T10:16:00.000-03:00

So here's the thing. I happen to love Cristobal Huet and just recently he was signed on for a lovely 2 year deal with the Habs. I cannot explain to you how happy this makes me. You see, every once in a while NHL teams sign on a goalie to take them to the finals, but rarely does this happen. Not only that but usually there is a lot of hype around a goalie trade. People get so excited to see what the new guy is going to do, yet again, they rarely finish strong. Look back at when Jocelyn Thibault was acquired by the habs. One review said of Thibault:

"Jocelyn's strengths: Great reflexes, especially the glove hand. Good under pressure. Stays square to the shooter well; very methodical in his movement about the crease."

I would now like to contrast his strengths with his weaknesses:

"Jocelyn's weaknesses: He sucks"

Now don't get me wrong, I love the habs just as much as the next guy (or Dan) but after Roy left it has been difficult to "fill his skates." But now it's Huet's turn. Huet who just about qualified for the Vezina Trophy after starting in only half of last seasons games. In 36 games Huet managed 7 shut outs, a 2.20 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. The point is folks: watch out for this guy because he has the potential to be the next big thing in the new NHL!

Men's Breakfast = Joy In The Morning

2006-06-29T11:28:00.000-03:00

Today celebrated the 2nd week of our newly planned Men's Breakfast. This is a time where a group of men from the different Charlottetown area Christian Church's come together for a nice breakfast. We meet at the wonderful Sam's restaurant at 8:30am every Thursday. This is a time where we get to relax a little bit and discuss things that are on our minds. We have such a great time discussing things that are going on in our local church's as well as goofing around a little with each other too. Anyway, the point of this post is to just say how wonderful it is to get together with friends in ministry! This is a great way to stay in touch with what is going on in each other's lives as well as ministries. This allows each person there to strengthen and encourage each other and to just plainly have a great morning. So in closing I would just like to say "cheers to the men's breakfast". If you'd ever like to stop in just drop me a line!

Well. . . Here We Go Again

2006-06-28T11:31:00.000-03:00

So, needless to say, this is probably my 19th or so attempt at creating and maintaining one of these online blogs. Since this is the case I will not make any promises that I will constantly update it or even keep updating it over time, but I will say that I will try my hardest to post on here daily and hopefully I will keep going with it. So for the time being why don't you check out this link of Tony Royster Jr.a really good drummer who is only 12 years old!!! Enjoy and tell me what you think of him.