Superhero test

This is kind of fun

You are Spider-Man Spider-Man - 90% Hulk - 75% Green Lantern - 75% Iron Man - 70% Superman - 65% Robin - 60% Catwoman - 60% Superboy - 50% The Flash - 50% Batman - 45% Wonder Woman - 40%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky & have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Halifax

The curse is broken! I traveled to Halifax and back at the end of November with no snow! Or rain for that matter. In fact you couldn't have asked for a better day to drive. My appointment was for 12:20 so I left at 7 am to get there early. I stopped in at Aqua creations on Quinpool road once I got to Halifax and had a look around at the various salt water fish etc. (We're still considering doing a salt water tank). I picked up a really good book on reefs and equipment that will help make our descision easier. Then I headed over to the hospital and up to the Clinic floor. I was about half an hour early but lucked out and went right in. I also lucked out at the hospital pharmacy and got my medications right away so I was back on the road home by 1 O'clock. I didn't even have to drive in the dark this time around, I made it home by five.

I've been seeing the doctor in Halifax because of the drug coverage program that allows me to get all those extrememly expensive drugs for just a dispensing fee, but that is now a thing of the past. This is the last time I will be able to do that. The NB government has started paying for antirejection drugs now so NB patients don't have to go to halifax. Most NB patients didn't have to go for quite some time now, but I had to because I'm not on welfare medical so my drugs weren't covered that way. So that was my last trip to Halifax to see the doctor and I will start seeing him when he does clinics in Moncton.

Darrell ended up having to work an all nighter last night to get the Outstanding Business Achievement awards videos done intime for tonight's ceremony, so I popped into the office and picked up the dogs, then stopped at Future shop and got the Superman Returns DVD. I never actually went out and saw this movie at the theatres so last night was the first time through for me. I'm generally a pretty easy sell when it comes to comic book movies though... so long as they don't really screw with the chracters. Generally the movie was pretty weak in my opinion. I liked the characters but could've done without the Lois Lane with Superman's kid thing... that was completely unnecessary. Lex Luthor was portrayed too much like the old 1960's lets keep it light and simple comic villan and his plot to build a new continent so he'd own all the property was pretty lame. I'm wonder why they even bothered to try and make this a sort of continuation of the other movies... why not just pull a batman and start over with a more modern style Superman closer to today's comics? Having him "Gone" for five years without so much as a goodbye is stupid, because Superman wouldn't actually do anything that selfish to begin with. Oh well... I score it a 6... a little better than average and a good moive all things considered, but I'm glad I didn't blow the money on it at the theatre... plus the DVD has so many extras.

I managed to catch the Mercer Report before putting in my Movie and they used my picture on the show which was really cool. They don't say your name or credit you in any way, but it's still neat to see something you whipped off in photoshop in half an hour make it on TV over the other submissions that came in. Especially considering I've only actually done the Photo Challenge three times and Twice they've used my image on the air!


Here's the original Howard Dean Image

Here's what I did to it (It's actually elements of about six or seven images combined)

Little Hamster

I had a very productive weekend. I managed to get the house all cleaned up after a week of total neglect on Saturday and get started on a couple paintings I have to get done in time for Christmas.

Friday while I was at the gym running, I couldn't help but think of a little hamster I used to have when I was kid. His name was Lee and he had a little wheel in his cage and would get on there and just go forever never getting anywhere. Of course then it hit me that I have turned into that little hamster...running my ass (and hopefully my gut) off on the treadmill and going nowhere. So, it prompted me to hook the leashes on the dogs Saturday afternoon, and take a walk up the road. I figured it would be easier to walk to the end of the road and then run back since the dogs would have time to get over their "oh what's that over there" phase of the walk. I didn't go to the end of the road though, because it occurred to me that there was a house with two dogs that weren't always contained and I had no desire to deal with that, so I stopped before I got within range of their driveway and ran the rest of the way back home. Running outside on the pavement, with the hills, and the wind, and two dogs who don't understand what's going on yet, is considerably different than running on a soft treadmill in the gym, but I really enjoyed it. As long as the weather allows it I may make a habbit of it. It is a little disheartening though, when you're going along, out of breath just trying to get to the end, then you look down and the dogs are trotting along beside you completely unphased and not even having to break into a run to keep up. But they seemed to enjoy it and I can't complain to much since I'm new to the whole running thing.

Sunday I cleaned the kitchen and then I sat at my painting table and worked away at the first of two baby announcement paintings on my list. I got a lot of it finished and I can probably get it done in one more sitting. It's amazing how fast the time goes when I'm painting. I get so lost in it, that I feel like I've only just started and a couple hours have passed. I should do it more because it's very relaxing, and I probably will do it more, now that I've managed to clean a path to the table and get everything set up.

I went onto Rick Mercer's blog, followed the link to his show last week, and took the photo challenge. This weeks picture was of US Democrat Howard Dean, so I downloaded it and using elements of about 6 other images I did a picture of him doing George Bush's Hair. On Friday I got an E-mail from Nik Sexton at CBC that said they liked the picture and might use it on Tomorrow night's show, so I had to fill out a release for them. If you're a Mercer Fan watch the show and you may see my picture. I'll post it on my blog later.

I'm off to Halifax Tomorrow for my regular check up, so expect snow. If it can snow when I have to drive to Halifax it usually does, so be prepared just in case. Hopefully I will be home in time to Catch the Mercer Report.

No Walkin

I don't know why I bothered calling the last post new personal best, because it occurs to me that I will be shooting for a new personal best everyday, and today is no exception. Today I made it the entire 20 minutes without walking for a total of 1.4 miles. The odd thing about it is, I actually found myself looking forward to getting my run in today....who even knew that was possible?

New Personal best

Yesterday at the gym I managed to run five complete laps on the treadmill before walking out the last of the 20 minute timer. A total run of 1.25 miles with about a half lap walk at the end. Okay if anyone would have told me I would be running without something terrible chasing me and actually liking it I would have told them they were out of their minds, but there's something kind of addictive about it.

Friday Feast, November 24, 2006

Appetizer
Have you ever changed a flat tire by yourself?

Yes of course. If you can't change a tire by yourself you shouldn't be driving by yourself.

Soup
Do you have an "innie" or an "outie" belly button?

Innie

Salad
Name a new paint color and describe it.

Emerald Sea - Named for the Pacific Ocean around Vancouver Island a deep green with a dark blue base (Would make a great wall colour in a bathroom with white marble tiles)

Main Course
What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Since we moved to the East Coast and it's only the two of us, we don't really have any holiday traditions. New Years Day I usually make Eggs Benny for brunch.

Dessert
If you were a cookie, what kind of cookie would you be, and why?

Oreos with double stuff... if you gotta be a cookie you might as well be the best cookie!

Welcome to the Jungle

I'm back to work today after taking yesterday off to recover from tuesday's Guns N Roses Concert. I'm not really a fan of the group, but Darrell is, and we got free tickets. It was a really really long night. The concert was good but Guns and Roses never even hit the stage until midnight. The first of three opening acts was called Die Maniquin and they may have a been good, I don't know for sure because the sound was so bad you couldn't hear a word she sang. The drummer was really good though and you could certainly hear him. Their stage show was stiff and contrived with no real spontanaity to it.

The second act I could have done without completely though I'm sure the rest of the guys in the audience would disagree. It was a burlesque act called Suicide Sisters. Five girls with pasties doing various strip teases.. blah blah blah.


The Trews were on Third and they gave a really good show. I didn't realize I knew so much of their music until I heard it. Then there was a huge long delay between them and the resetting of the stage for Guns n Roses.

When Guns N Roses finally hit the stage the crowd went insane and they really rocked. It was a good show, but I had a hard time getting past all the compression and effects on Axel Roses' Microphone. He sounded like you hear on the albums, but without all the studio tech etc it all sounded computerized, so now I'm curious as to whether or not he can actually sing. Considering that with modern technology in the studios most of today's "singers" are mediocre at best.

Don't get me wrong I was ultimately able to get past it with the help of several beers, and have a good enough time I had to take the next day off to recover.

Weekend

It was another rather quiet weekend. I started it off with a personal best at the gym. Since I've only just started running, I've been taking it easy and not overdoing it by running a lap then walking half a lap, running a lap... walking half a lap and so on. Friday however, I hopped on the treadmill, started running and four laps later (1 mile) I walked half a lap before running out the rest of the time on the clock. Today I will try to forgo the half lap of walking all together.

The weekend itself was fairly uneventful. Did a little house cleaning, got the baords up for the closet door frame, and caught up on laundry.

Opening Night

I went to opening night of Noises Off with Brian and Helen last night, and I can honestly say I'm glad I didn't participate in the show this time around, otherwise I would have missed the opportunity to just sit in the theate and be totally entertained. The show ran smoothly which is a testament to the crew, and the cast was fantastic. It was hilarious and well done. There was so much going on on stage that I almost think I should go see it again to catch all the little things I missed the first time around. Plus it was nice to watch a show without being behind the sound board with voices wispering in you ear through the headset the entire time. I could have done with the woman sitting behind me chawing on her gum in my ear throughout the entire first act, but short of shotting her a couple dirty looks there wasn't really anything I could do about it.

Brain and Helen were sitting in row K and my ticket was row J, but there was an empty seat beside Helen so after the first intermission I escaped the gum lady and sat beside Helen. Unfortunately I had a guy witha giant head, who kept lifting his arms up into the arm for some unknown god forsaken reason, sitting in front of me there. I simply could not win. We need to educate our audiences better about theatre etiquette. If you have big hair tone it down and maybe slouch a little in your seat, if you can't chew with your mouth closed... don't chew period, if you have a cold... stay home or come with already unwrapped cough candies so you aren't coughing through the quiet parts, if you have a cell phone leave it in the car... you're not that important, And go to the bathroom before the show starts for Chirst's sake. Just a few simple little things that would make the experience better for everyone.

Thankfully Noises Off was so well done and such a good show that the seating unpleasantness was only a minor distraction. It was a long show though so I didn't get home until 11:30, then I stayed up to watch the new episode of Smallville (it just isn't Thursday without a dose of little Superman).

Noises

Yesterday I got a good workout in, I ran a mile then worked on legs and shoulders. I weighed myself at the gym and have lost that unwelcome ten pounds....yay! Now I'm at the perfect weight for my height, and all I have to do is move it all around so it's spread out better, and not contained in my stomach area.

After work we met up with Brian and Helen for dinner at Romanos and then later on that evening we popped out to Dairy Queen for a sundae. I know it sounds like a quest to refind that unwelcome ten pounds again, but it's okay to do that kind of thing Occasionally. Occasionally being the operative word.

Tonight I think I'll tag along with Brian and Helen and see Noises Off. I know everyone is working really hard on it so it's bound to be a great show. It's kind of strange, I thought I would be happy to not be doing sound this time around, but I'm actually feeling a little out of touch with everyone. Maybe I'll throw my hat in for Sound on the Glass Menagerie.

Congratulations to Stephen and Sandra on the safe arrival of their new son Alexander Frederic Jamie Tobias..... and congratulation to Mister Bill on becoming a big brother.

Quiet Weekend

We had a very laid back weekend. We took Friday off and really didn't do too much. Brian and Helen came over Friday night and we all watched a movie.

Saturday we got to work at pulling the drywall otuof the closet door frame and cutting the wood to go into it. Darrell started cleaning out the little back room and sorting out what would be returning to it and what would not... no small job there.

Sunday we stained and urithaned the wood for the closet doorway. I'm still in the middle of the urithaning process and will do the third coat tonight after work. You get the best results if you do several coats with a light sanding in between each.

Monday we came into work and it was a very quiet day since most people were off. Darrell rearranged all the wires and connections in his editing suite and I worked on my 3d model of canaport.

My nose is still alittle stuffy but for the most part the cold is basically gone. I'll be getting back to the gym today. I went once last week but was still so stuffed up I could only do tenminutes onthe treadmill before callin it quits and heading home.

Found these

I was going through some old backup disks looking for a particular picture of Darrell with his Camera when I came across these images.

This one is of Darrell and me on my 27th Birthday, May 19,1998. I was in the BMT Isolation Ward in Halifax and had just finished three days of High dose Chemotherapy, followed by three days of full body radiation, followed by the transfusion of my Donor Bone marrow on May 14th, five days before this Picture. My hair hadn't even started to fall out yet. Tragically it is also the day of the Columbine shootings in the States.

This one was taken a couple weeks later when my Mom flew out from Calgary to stay with me for ten days

It seems so long ago now.

Nothing going on

It's Thursday and that's about all that's going on. This cold is still hanging on no matter how I try to shake it. I haven't been to the gym this week, although I want to go... I just don't think the treadmill would be nearly as glamorous with my nose running faster than me. The dark circles under the eyes persists, but not as bad as last week. I actually had to put a little coverup on for a picture Darrell took of me last night to hide the dark eyes. I really don't like being confronted with pictures of myself anymore. All I can see when I look at them is the damage inflicted by graft vs host disease.. the tightness of the skin makes me look alot older than I am, and when I see it in a picture for some reason it's a lot more prominent than just seeing myself in the bathroom mirror. I see the dermatologist on Dec 5 to talk about starting light therapy. It is designed to break down the swelling under the skin that cuases the tightness and the choking off of the hair folicles. I may be too long gone for any of the hair to come back, but it would be nice to see some elasticity restored. I was supposed to have the treatment in the summer, but it involves drugs that make you light sensitive, and you have to stay covered up and try to avoid the sun... Summer is not the season for that.

In the mean time there's nto much going on. We're taking tomorrow off because of rememberance day on Saturday, and have no plans for the weekend so far. We may actually get around to turning al lthat planed wood into moulding for the bedroom.

Beginning of November

So far November hasn't been too bad. This weekend was quite productive, although I still haven't been able to kick the nasty cold. I am feeling a lot better, but still haven't been to the gym (no good spreading it around)in over a week. Maybe Tomorrow.

We did very little on Friday after work, basically kicked back with the TV. I called my sister, Amanda, to say happy birthday and talked to her for about an hour. She is now officially a quarter of a century old.

Saturday was a beautiful day, so we hauled the planer up into the driveway and finally started planing all the wood we bought for the moulding in our bedroom. We bought it all last spring, but got so busy in the yard over the summer that all in house projects were put on hold for fall and winter.

We got a pretty big pile of shavings by the end of it, but luckily our neighbour Sylvia has a horse and a pony so she wanted them for bedding. I ended up taking four wheel barrow loads full over to her which the horses should enjoy.

Sunday was my Grandpa, Joe, and my Brother, Lorne's birthday so I called both of them. Lorne wasn't home (Never is) so I left a message, but I got to talk to Grandpa for a while.

Sunday was also the 400th Anniversary of Guy Faulks Day, and Helen, being a Brit, celebrates it every year. This year was no exectpion. She and Brian made up a dummy Guy Faulks who hung out with all of us last weekend during all the Halloween stuff. Then Sunday we went over to the Bonds, (Bertis was there as well, but Chad and Nancey couldn't make it), lit a big fire, and tossed Guy on.

Then we lit some sparklers

Darrell videotaped the whole thing

Then we had baked potatoes, Hotdogs, and a cinnamon bun

It really was alot of fun. I think next year we should dress guy up in a George Bush mask and kill two birds with one stone...hahaha.

If you're unaware of who Guy Faulks is, he tried to blow up the British Parliament 400 years ago and was caught and executed for treason. These days I don't know if we celebrate Guy Faulks day because he was caught and executed, or because he tried to blow up parliament (Which I'm sure many people have want to do from time to time)

Take the test

Found this on Christa's Blog... I'd say it's mostly right. I'm closer to the end than the beginning but everyone had to start somewhere...hehehehe

The Bachelor Deliberate Gentle Sex Master (DGSMm) Straight-up. Studly. Congratulations, you are The Bachelor. You're an honest, good-thinking guy, and though you're very sexually active, people don't perceive you as a male-slut or man-whore or guy-dick-putter-inner or whatever. You have a sterling reputation. You're a careful person, perhaps too much so for your friends' tastes, but guys like that in you. You probably don't kiss & tell. And you definitely don't brag. You know you don't have to prove anything to anyone. It's as if you believe in monogamy, so long as it's with lots of different people. Our guess is that you've got some kind of word-of-mouth going with the boys out there, and that in the future, your sex partners will get even more plentiful, and more attractive, too. You will settle down eventually, and make an excellent husband. You seem like the type who is into the idea of making copies of yourself, so you'll probably adopt lots of kids. Bear in mind, meanwhile, this can get expensive. ALWAYS AVOID: The Manchild CONSIDER: The Bachelor, The Backrubber Link: The 32-Type Dating Test by OkCupid - Free Online Dating.

Getting Better

I'm feeling alot better today. Still stuffy and sniffley, but not all dragged out and generally yucky like the past two days. I really should have taken yesterday off too, but couldn't justify it. I looked awful. Lately when I get sick for some reason the area around my eyes gets really dark like a racoon. It's something in the past couple years, but nothing my doctor has any concern about. Just not getting the rest required for this body which is a lot older than it used to be and doesn't bounce back as easily. Apparently it only gets Worse...so I've got that to look forward to. YAY.

I did manage to get a bunch done yesterday, despite the cold. I've got a long way to go..... and a short time to get there. (Couldn't resist)I think I'm okay for time as long as nothing large, surprising, and immediate comes through the door. Although with Christmas ads starting there's a good chance I'll be bogged down pretty soon.

Day Off

I took the day off yesterday and spent the majority of it wrapped in a blanket on the couch in front of the TV. Rosie O'Donnell is on The View now. Just thought I'd throw that in... I used to love her show when I was recovering at home.

We got absolutely no Trick or Treaters to the door last night. There's only two young kids on our street. Yet somehow the candy bowl kept getting emptier and emptier.

I'm not anywhere near 100% today, in fact 80% is something to aspire to at the moment, but I couldn't afford to take yet another day off. I would fall way to far behind and not get things done. The nice thing about a job like mine is that most everything works on a deadline, so as you can take a personal day here and there as long as you hit your deadline.... the drawback is that deadlines don't care if you catch a nasty cold.