Go on.....git.

There is one thing that can happen in the mornings that aggravates me above most all else, and that is having my driveway lane way blocked. Last Thursday and Friday the same City of Toronto worker was blocking the driveway with his work truck and he would not move. On Thursday I was the second of two cars in a line to get out and the first person wanted to turn around so I did it, and proceeded to drive the wrong way to leave. It might just be a driveway but it has an exit separate from the entrance, it's the size of one car width, and there's a one way sign at the entrance. I'm pretty good at math so I've figured out that the entire lane is one way. It was completely begrudgingly that I did that, and not without shouting to the City worker that he cannot park to block a one way driveway. Then on Friday he was back again. I waited for maybe 20-30 seconds before I honked. He waved his hand as if to say 'just a second', and then went back to work. So I honked twice and he ignored me. Then I yelled something along the lines of, "You're going to have to move your ****** car, this is a one way driveway." Then I got a lecture about not cursing and giving him respect. I got out of the car to make sure it was a City of Toronto truck, wrote down his plate, and once again begrudgingly turned around to leave going the wrong way. If I had hit anyone on my way out it would have been 100% my fault. He didn't force me to drive the wrong way, but if I wanted to leave I didn't have any other choice.

Then today I came home to find someone parked in my spot. That was just so fantastic. The landlord knew it was the downstairs tenant but didn't seem to care. So right now I'm parked on the street. I walked to the back and they were sitting out there and said he was just leaving. If he wasn't staying overnight there was no reason he couldn't have parked on the street. That behaviour annoys me. Right now because there is construction on the back of the house, there is only room for the big mud pile and one car. I pay for that spot, don't let anyone else use it. Period. Thanks.

Work is a nightmare and I am getting really behind on a few of my projects. I'm looking forward to this upcoming weekend. It should be a nice relaxing weekend getaway. I'm actually procrastinating on some take home work right now.

Also, Visioneers is NOT a good movie. It had such potential but it bit the big one. Maybe the problem was going into it thinking a movie with Zach Galifianakis about an epidemic of people exploding was a comedy, big mistake.

Take it to the Nth Degree

There's this neighbourhood cat that likes to sleep in my driveway. Twice now I've made that tight turn into the one way alley to find an orange and white tabby taking a snooze. First time he jumped out of the way, but the second time he meandered, and then sat calmly as I drove past. It made me laugh but really it scares me. I worry about the kittens. They're not actually kittens, I just more often that not refer to all cats that way.

I took a trip this weekend to Kincardine. I got kind of surprised at the volume of traffic remaining on Saturday morning at 10:30. What is everyone else doing being a lazy git like me and not leaving bright and early, if not Friday night? The time on the road was a bit too extended for my liking but I quite enjoyed walking around Kincardine. I stopped first at a beach and took some photos and read for a while. I didn't want the main street to shut down before I had a chance to look around so I headed that way shortly after. I can't romanticize the trip because it was an ordinary somewhat uninspired trip. I just have a burning desire to travel every nook and cranny and of this country. Looking back now I wish I had kept a better diary of my trips. I'm still young, there's still time.

I'm reading 'Franny and Zooey' by JD Salinger. It would have perhaps sat on my shelf unread for decades to come if Adam hadn't picked it off to borrow one weekend. He found out that the Royal Tenenbaums was loosely based on the characters from this book. Very smart but unusually bizarre. It took a bit to get into, but I've enjoyed it. I'm excited for the next book selection. I must say, I can't afford to continue buying books, I really must stop. I have spent at least a few hundred on books this year alone. I have enough unread to last me a while, so I best reign in that spending.

Dinner with Shmucks was not what I was expecting yet still hilarious. Randomly ran into Adam Mansour from LP. All grown up and married, very exciting.

I challenge myself to do 10 new things around the city before the summer is out. Be it parks or cafes or pubs, I must explore more. I'm also going to start going to bed earlier and taking better care of myself all around.

The Best Days Of Our Lives

I don't know how some drivers can be so bold. If you make a directional mistake you should find a safe and appropriate place to correct yourself. Don't get me wrong, I've made a U-turn or two in my day, but only when I felt the roads were open enough and it was safe. Turning onto Vaughan from Oakwood there is a lane going straight and a lane going left with an advanced green. I was in the left lane and while our light was red the guy beside me did a U-turn in front of me to head back North up Oakwood. 4 seconds later it was green for me and I had an advanced light. If he had been mid-illegal-jerk-move I could have hit him, and that pisses me off.

3 people today at work got fired. It's possible that one quit, but it doesn't make me feel good about where I'm working. Not good at all. Once again I have something thinking to do. Some soul searching perhaps.

I took the collectors home today because I have come to distrust the hwy alert signs. Whenever it says both Express and Collectors are very slow I take Collectors. Turns out they lied (big surprise) and Express was WIDE open, while Collectors crawled at a speed slower than a car that is not accelerating. Just as I was thinking, "Sure would be nice to hop that hwy divider" a 4x4 did just that. At an opening between cement fences he took life by the balls and merged into the fast lane. I was jealous. It was slow because the 427S was closed for diplomats. I actually got a little peak at a motorcade being escorted by police. I'm not anti-G20, but if you've seen the fences they have built downtown it's scary and creepy. Total police state.

Also...
Pirate Radio: One hundred opposable thumbs up.
Men Who Stare At Goats: One giant WTF

Where Fore Art Thou Rhino

I went out last night for a drink in Parkdale at a bar called The Rhino. Son and I went down and then two of her roommates and their significant others showed up. The last time I traveled West of Dufferin on Queen was in 2006 to go to the Cadillac Lounge. So it's about time I rediscovered Parkdale. We each had a pint of the house beer, Rhino Lager. I think I've developed a pretty good taste for beer, but this one I did not like. The after taste of the first sip was like Rhino excrement. And although the after taste weakened as the drink continued I don't think that will be an experience I will be duplicating anytime soon. Maybe in 2 years when I find myself back at Rhino I'll think to myself "Didn't I once say this tasted like Rhino ass?" and I'll order one more just to prove myself right. But until then, no way Jose.

One couple left early, but the four of us went back to their place to watch Romeo + Juliet. That has been a long standing favourite Soundtrack of mine. I ended up leaving before the movie was over as the power went out and I was suddenly feeling very sleepy. Interesting end to the evening. All in all, good times.

Also, I need to kick myself for looking down on someone at work who didn't know Juliet's last name. Me: "Well I doubt it's Juliet Capulet so it has to be Montague."

The Informant

I saw The Informant! last night with Adam and Dawn. There was a not-too-great reaction, and a mediocrely-good. I on the other hand found the humour spot on. My knee actually got a few good slaps out of the whole thing.

I love Adam's cat, though I would like her more if she had trimmed claws. I don't think she knows the power of her own nails. We set up a little trap where I would lure her over to the couch with a series of nimble finger taps, and then Adam would lurch forward in attempts to grab her. It took her about one go around to figure us out, and instead of jumping up to play with my hand she would jump up as if to feign interest and then immediately bolt away before Adam could move in. She was like a swimmer twisting underwater to prepare for the next push-off. Except not underwater, and she's a cat.

I have some long neglected house chores to get to tonight. And tomorrow I'm going to see my great auntie in Newmarket. We're going to go for lunch and then cruise Chapters for hot reads. She's 89 and she's awesome. She kind of reminds me of my mom's mom, in the way that she's so delicate and classy.

C'est tout.