Rainy Days

TREEPLANTING COUNTDOWN: 8 Days
TORONTO COUNTDOWN: 2 Days

It rains outside, second day in a row. I love it, it makes me productive.

I went to change my iPod battery, it wasn't even lasting a whole hour anymore. The technician told me to empty the battery before recharging it for 24 hours. So it's been playing, with the backlight lit and with my radio emitter on (it drains power) for 5 hours now and it's still going...pretty neat, can't wait to plant and not hear any bugs or my incessant thoughts. Ahhhh, stop those voices!!!! Hum...

So I'm still getting ready, I'll use my screefs blog to write down my list of stuff I need before the season.

Tonight, I'm seeing J-F and J-S, some of my closest friends, that I didn't see in a while.

Time to go continue packing.

So much to do, so little time left!

TREEPLANTING COUNTDOWN: 9 days

Okay, where to start?

First the messages:

Stéphane: Sorry dude, I tried to call you but it gave me a "wrong number" (and a very angry guy). As for getting to the Loft on the previous day, my meeting ended up too late, and I was to tired to get to the bar.

Costa Rica seems great, can't wait to see the pics! Say hello to Tania and Marie-Michelle for me!

Val: What's up with you? Still like the farm work in Australia?

Jen: Damn, I wasn't able to attend, I'm so sorry! Happy birthday!!!

Matt Toupin: Man, we have a hard time planning anything! I'm leaving soon, what about lunch?

I'm leaving in two days for Toronto where I have a vehicle and tree delivery training on April 27th and 28th.

Until then, here's what I have to do:

-Go change my iPod battery.
-Pack my planting gear
-Buy new steel-toed boots
-Go to my last Projet Colocs meeting before leaving. Hiatus for two months.
-Dinner at my dad's
-Hang out with Stéfanie and kiss her. (Didn't get details on that, did you?)
-Buy bus ticket for T.O.
-Work last day at the grocery (Might have to cut that one out...too bad!) EDIT: I did cut that one out!

Soon my schedule will be...simpified. Can't fucking wait.

So yeah, it has been busy. The grocery job sucks, but at least it goes by fast. But damn some people are dumb! Not only I hang around with Emo guy (He's actually quite nice, but the guy only listens to Emo Punk and looks like the Simple Plan singer (Another not proud Québec exportation...). But seriously, customers can be stupid. When they are not asking for a product right in front of them (they never search, always ask...the layout is simple and the aisles products are written on clear signs!) or a price tagged quite clearly on the shelf, they are being rude, obnoxious and impolite. And they want the contrary of you! The best, when a client puts away a carton of eggs because one is slightly cracked. What do oyu think you,ll do when you'll use them fucker? Of course I understand they might boil them or don't want any mess while in transit, but still, a minor crack!

I do my fare share of facing the shelves and I can't wait to be done, I already see myself calling the boss: "Sorry Sylvain, I can't come facing your store today nor tomorrow for I'll be in the middle of the woods!"

About Stéfanie, I just don't feel like saying anything about this relationship just yet. First, she has been known to hang around this blog. Second, I don't want to say too much or not enough, but I can say I'll miss her for the next two months...

Okay, to put myself in the mood and get the blog into "planting mode", heres a few planting pics that were never posted on this blog:



Corporal Bill



Bed-In in Timmins



How sweet! Bill, Geoff and me.



Codie, teddy bear (me) and LKP on prom night



Bus session AKA "Bad Boys"



The cooks and Kenny



Tim, Kerri and, hum, damn a blank (shit I feel bad...) in the hotel hall.



Cousins. Amy and Adam.



Bald days. Codie and me.



Andy sinking...



Last one, around the camp fire.

Time to go get bug spray.

Still Alive

Got no time to post recently, and it's still the case.

I promiss something tonight. After all, I have to feed the flame if I want to keep my blogging mistress happy.

Time to go not blog.

Casting Call!

Been quite busy...

Not at work: I was supposed to start my new job on Monday, but I got injured Sunday while playing cosom hockey. With less than 2 minutes in the game, and our team leading by a mere goal, I twisted my ankle. Went on the "bench" for a minute and came back to finish the game. We won 5-4.

To keep on the bench theme, I later went to my friends J-S' place and we watched the downloaded screener of The Benchwarmers. It was hilarious, but it might be useful to say than me and J-S, when together, will laugh at the most stupid shit...

It was only the following day that I realized I couldn't walk and therefore had to call my new boss to report my first absence. Not even been paid for a minute of work...

No, I actually have been busy in regards to my webcasted sitcom, "Colocs". (Roommates in English...actually, in "English", it would be Flatmates)

We found a place for our casting at the last minute this weekend, it's a little coffeshop that gracefully agreed to lent us his backroom for no charge. In exchange, we bought a little more than a dozen coffe and muffins for the actors showing up. a big thanks to Sylvain from Café Des Bois.

The casting is Thursday and I can't wait to see a few faces and talents!

So the weekend had also been busy modifying a scene for the casting, emailing info for the actors, replying to all the questions, making casting appointments for everybody and all other details. My friend Mat Ouimet, the producer, was quite busy with his real job so thankfully I was off-commission for two additional days!

But it's done, we just have to see who will show up, hopefully everything else will go smoothly.

Time to go to bed, I'm planning to work tomorrow, despite Doctor's orders.

It's never too late to celebrate...

...the International Ball Dropping Day!!!

Wow! The idea originates from Miss Jay who got me hooked to her blog by commenting on mine (Note to self: Stop reading 20,000 blogs a day and get a life, your blog is starting to get boring!!!)

I've never been a fan of the scrotum nest. Of course, it's a dual defense mechanism:

1- When it's cold: To keep your spermatozoids alive. The same way it usually stays away from your body: To make sure it won't be at the rest of your body's warm temperature.

2- To avoid unnecessary pain when...hum...banging. Pain can be good, but balls aren't exactly bells. You can't ring them too many times!

But honestly, the upward sack doesn't look good, it feels strange and sometimes it seems like the balls are trying to get in!

But they are also more vulnerable, in some strange way: Yes, it might prevent you from hurting yourself, but if the girl (or the guy, but it's less probable because he'd know about it, I'd imagine) sees the ugly bag, she'll be curious to touch. At this very moment, your balls look like a prune, and they look like they could take a beating, so the girl (or the guy... you got it, right?) kind of forgets about the "handle with care" part and just grabs with the full hand like it was a hacky sack!

Ouch!!! Why not a try an inside kick followed by a clipper stall? What about the teeth?

Ahhhh!!! No!!!

Okay, I guess I'll stop this blog with this image well printed in your mind.

Biting the teabag!

Time to go show my blog to my mom...

A Foot in the Door

So, I was not accepted in any of my choices for Univ. Long story short, I paid my 10-years-old dues to the procrastination and careless association. Hope they'll leave me alone now!

It sucks, and for a minute or two (or even a little more), it got me down.

But I might be a lot of things, but I don't give up easily. So I was able to apply in a program without any contingency and therefore should, in theory, be accepted without any hassle. After talking with a university counsellor, I was able to choose something that will:

-Interest me.

-Be of any value in the larger scheme of being a teacher.

-Allow me to have good grades.

-Be done next year when I'll switch to education, since it's a certificate.

So I chose Drug-addictions: Prevention and rehabilitation. It will be an asset in my goal of working in high schools, any of them. But even more so, since I would prefer working in neighbourouds where poverty and staying in school are issues, where you can really make a difference. Also, well, it's a quite interesting subject.

I hesitated between this, Ethnic Relations and Youth Intervention, but the former program is not even a certificate and, according to the counsellor, would not give me enough credits to help me getting accepted (besides, I can take it while doing my teaching degree) and the latter needed experience in the field, which I lack. Damn!

Can't wait to get there, and I don't think there is much that can stop me this time!

By the way, here's my LEGO minifig of the month, my latest creation, Spiky the Punk:



Tonight's plans: Jean-Thomas Jobin's stand-up comedy show! This guy is the funniest absurd humorist since the last one!

Honestly, Québec is a bee-hive for comedians: That's why comedians at the height of their popularity from all around the world are coming to Montréal for the Just For Laughs comedy festival. In Québec, stand-up comics are making more money than singers and there is a lot, I mean, really, a shitload of them! Not that they are all good, but everybody can find a shoe that fits to their foot. And, yes, it sometimes sucks for other aspects of culture to be in the shadow, but I'll say in Québec culture's defense that it is quite vibrant, mostly when compared to the rest of Canada, who's basically watching the southern neighbour.

Time to go stop bragging. Fucking nationalist!

Weekend Update

Another weekend that went in the "pretty interesting" category. Here's a brief glimpse at the menu:

Friday evening: Back to teenage years (including: hanging out in the basement, the drunk kid who leaves, only to stay alone upstairs in the dark, the couch, the other drunk kid, bitter at large with women, repeating the same rethoric for hours to a...hum...non-receptive crowd) Great night!

Saturday afternoon: Cabane à Sucre (Maple shack)!!! I introduced some english-speaking friends to the classic (and sometimes cheesy) spring-time tradition of the "cabane à sucre". And they had the industrial shack full-service: From the small farm to the most frightening museum ever (would be great on halloween though...), passing by the damn little cars on track, the train and the fire truck making an inferno noise (in the middle of the woods...but it's for the kids!!!). It wouldn't change inside, where we were treated to the wonderful traditional meal that guarantees you to fart for at least 24 hours: Beans, pea soup, maple ham, maple sausages, omelettes, cretons, pancakes...I love it! We then witnessed the horrible line-dancing on every imaginable song.

The best thing about the sugar shack: Maple taffee on snow. The only thing that could stop me from serial eating those would be either puking or a diabetes attack...Got away with it again!

Not sure it was the case for the two kids that my brother and me convinced to go for the record..There is parents somewhere on the north shore of Montréal who are scorned for an horrible night of nightmares and puking their kids had thanks to two unethical brothers!

Saturday evening: Then, I brought my brother Olivier and his friend Philippe to a party with another bunch of Anglos. I officially knew two people there, treeplanting friends. But one of them, Geoff, already left by the time of our arrival so I just knew Jen at first. Nevertheless, it was a good night, the people there were funny and nice and the appartment itself was just gorgeous, with a beautiful view of Montréal's downtown. That's proabably why I've chosen this neigbourhoud, Saint-Henri, as my first choice for a new appartment in July/August. And I am happy to report that bro and bro's friend had a good time too: My brother had only good words for his Ping-Pong opponents! (the female ones...)

If there was a negative aspect to the night, it was to be constantly stalked by a girl exactly 10 years younger than me (to the date)! I mean, 16 years old!!! It was not only an age question, I was not going there to hook up with a girl (It wasn't the case for Phil, but that's another subject...), let alone a kid! But damn she was sticky! I tried to make her understand without being an asshole, but it didn't look like it was ringing a bell so the final solution was to avoid and flee. Funny night! Thanks Jen for your hospitality! Great friends, great boyfriend, great appartment, great party!

Olivier, I wrote stuff in your booklet, I'll need the pages, no matter how stupid the writings might sound...

Sunday afternoon (you'll notice there is no morning...they don't exist in Tup's weekends): Beautiful afternoon by the majestic Saint-Lawrence river, under wonderful weather with a stunning woman. It got colder by the end, but I think it is mostly getting warmer, overall.

Sunday evening: Cosom Hockey game in my friends' league. I was replacing a friend and it was again a pleasure! You could feel the chemistry between J-F, Yannick, J-S and me. J-F and Yannick played forwards and J-S and me were holding defense positions. J-S usually being an offensive player, he was a sort of third forward and those three guys scored 15 goals!!! My job was basically, being a lifetime defenseman, to make sure the other team wouldn't have any opportunity to do the same and to get the game back in our opponent's zone as soon as possible. Mission accomplished. We won 17-2: Our line scored 15 goals and none were scored against it. A +15 ratio in one game...not too bad!!! My offensive production was limited to one assist, but it was a pretty nice one I'll say in my behalf. (Can you talk in your own behalf?)

But I have to say kudos to our goalie, Jonathan, who despite not being seriously in danger at any time during the game, made all the key saves and some damn impressive ones! Way to go Jon!

That's it for the weekend update, time to go imagine my week's life!