Panic!!

Tuesday night was one of the longest nights of my life. This may sound like a dramatic statement that reeks of hyperbole but it is true (though not literally).

I got home from work at 345pm, as I do most days, and settled in to eat my Subway sub that I purchased for dinner (Mmm, foot long Tuna subs!!). I turned on the TV to see nothing but a black screen. This was a little disconcerting but it happens from time to time. So I called Shaw Cable and the message told me it would be at least 10 minutes to speak to a specialist and would I like to enter my number for a call-back. (Side note: I love the "call-back" option. Since I have a cell phone and no home phone, I hate chewing through my minutes while waiting on hold). About half an hour later a Shaw representative called me back. I explained that my cable was out as well as my Internet. The rep reviewed my signal and said there was no signals bouncing back from my cable boxes and modem. Not good. The rep then said that my neighbours did not appear to be having any difficulties. Really not good. At this point I started to get a little worried that I may be without access to the outside world for a while. The rep told me that someone was going to need to come out to my residence to check out the problem. PANIC ATTACK APPROACHING. However, Shaw would be able to send someone out to my house the next day. WHEW!! Less Panic. I agreed to an appointment for the Wednesday between 500-800. Please be closer to 500, I didn't want to miss Modern Family at 700.

Once my callback from Shaw was complete, I sat quietly in a house without any Internet or cable. What the hell was I going to do? I suppose I could read what was happening on my new Blackberry Torch (love my new phone) but that didn't seem practical for all the stuff I like to read and look at each night. The worst part? It was US election night and I wanted to watch Fox News and MSNBC and couldn't. Also, it was Canucks/Oilers on TV and I really can't stand listening to the local Oilers broadcast on the radio. Just biased coverage on 630 CHED.

At least I was able to watch stuff I had PVR'd but it really wasn't the same. And then the moment came, nothing left on the PVR and it was 7pm. Now what? Was it too early to go to bed? Maybe. Should I do some chores? Not likely. I was officially left with nothing motivating to do. I sat on the couch for another 20 minutes or so and then decided I would just go to bed and continue reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (PS: good book but takes a while to get going).

Normally, I watch the news before going to sleep so this was obviously out of the question so I went to bed with little knowledge of the hockey game score or the election results. I kind of wished that I would wake up and have my cable back... No such luck, no cable on Wednesday morning.

Fast forward to Wednesday night and the Shaw Cable visit. Apparently my cable signal booster fried. I didn't even know there was a booster on the network. Any how, the technician got my Internet and cable up and running and I couldn't be more happy, my 24 hour nightmare was over.

In hindsight, I suppose I could have done more and I failed in the face of adversity. I think I need to address my reliance on technology. What would happen to me if the Zombie Apocalypse ever came???

Election Fever

As a Canadian, I watch the US election as a somewhat interested observer but I have no real horse in the race. In the past, I have said in the past that if I was an American I would most certainly be a Republican. However, over the past couple of years I have come to the conclusion that I could not support the Republican party. Believe it or not, I was still a supporter of the Republican party during the Bush years. I may not have liked Bush as President but I felt that the GOP still stood for some values that I supported. During the Obama administration though, I feel that the Republicans have essentially sold out to the far-right special interests and the Fox News Network. The GOP now sells fear as their platform. Pure and simple fear. They sell bigotry and thinly veiled racism. They sell blame. They sell exclusion and panic.

Don't get me wrong, I have not become a bleeding heart liberal either. The Democrats have dropped the ball in a significant way as well. Obama has shown himself to be indecisive and ineffectual. He was elected with a mandate to make change and had the majorities in the House and Senate. What did he do? Hammered through a weak and watered down version of his health care bill. He couldn't pass a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and several other initiatives. He also absorbed all the blame for the bailouts and deficit spending without once really pointing the blame where it needed to go, the 2000-2008 administration. I strongly dislike Obama, the Leader. Obama, the man, seems like a decent enough guy and his intentions seem to be in the right place. He seems to be all FLASH and little SUBSTANCE. I suppose that's perfect for our sound-bite culture.

And then there is the Tea Party!! LOL. Crackpots of the world unite! Actually, I think some of their ideas are not too bad. I like some Libertarian ideologies and theoretically, it could work. In the case of the Tea Party though, they seem to have tapped in to the Nut Job database and nominated some real "winners". Christine O'Donnell? Please. Sharron Angle? Yikes. Ron Paul? Holy Batshit Crazy!! Are these really the most noticeable candidates you folks want to be running. Dear God...

I suppose at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter who gets elected. The only job of a politician, it seems, is to get re-elected. Each party seems to be falling in to its own version of Isolationism. They don't want outsiders to get involved and think that everything will be okay if they just ignore the damning evidence of their own failures. Obama was probably the most palatable political type since Bill Clinton and he has blown it. Can he get anything done in the next two years? We will see. This could be Obama's crowning achievement or unmitigated failure. As I said earlier, I have no horse in the race but as long as 2012 doesn't end in Sarah Palin being President, I think we will be okay.

Am I Too Old for Video Games?

One of my Facebook friends made a post yesterday that he had pre-ordered the game Call of Duty: Black-Ops and it got me thinking that I should get my order in too. And then I was struck with a sense that maybe I was a little too excited about a new video game considering I am 38 years old. Some of my friends are gamers but not too hardcore. One of my friends likes playing the Lego games. I find that a little too juvenile for my tastes but who am I to judge. I like games where I get to shoot shit as well as sports games. I also enjoy Real Time and Turn based Strategy games. All I am really thankful for though is that I don't play WoW.

Last weekend I bought a game called Vanquish and it was crazy, awesome. I couldn't believe how much fun it is and was quite willing to tell all those I might think would listen. And now this weekend the Red Dead Redemption Zombie DLC is out and I find myself in a state of eager anticipation to play it. Almost giddy actually.

So, the question is: Am I Too Old for Video Games?

If I am, what was the cut-off age? Is 30 too old? If I am not, what would be the upside age. The ESA published a report this year that said the average age of a video gamer is 34, with 49% of all gamers aged from 18-49. At what point is it no longer acceptable to be excited by the prospect of a new Star Wars game or new Sims?

Let me know what you think...

VK

Too Much Information

I wonder what is more embarrassing: going in to a drug store and buying only a jar of Vaseline or going in to a drug store and buying a box of "Close Fit" (read: small sized) condoms. I would have to go with the Vaseline being the most uncomfortable to buy. I can't speak to the other scenario but I did go buy a jar of Vaseline last week. I have been suffering with a very dry nasal passages and the only thing that seems to help is the petroleum jelly. I went to the Shoppers Drug Mart downstairs at work with the sole purpose of buying Vaseline. When I got to the counter the clerk looked at me kind of funny. I knew what she was thinking but I kept my head down and walked out after paying without saying a word. I don't embarrass easily but I felt a little sorry for myself. At least if you are buying "small" condoms that mean you are getting a little "sumthin' sumthin'). Vaseline and the single man can really only mean one thing in most people's minds.

However, I tell this story to illustrate a point. I think we live in a society where we share a little too much about ourselves with people we don't know. There is a good chance that someone is going to read this blog that doesn't know me. But from this one post you know three things at a minimum about me. One: I have a dry nose. Two: I don't buy small condoms - make your own inference from that statement. Three: I might feel uncomfortable about what people might think about my "self-gratification" habits. Read more of my blog posts and you can probably figure out more about me. The proliferation of social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc has put our lives on display. And while we think we can live behind an anonymous title (like Vegaskev) most people can be tracked down with very little determined sleuthing.

For instance, I follow some interesting people on Twitter and they (as well as me) put somewhat private details out there for all to see. I've seen people break-up, talk about their sexual exploits and in some cases describe how they just broke a law. And all of this is out in the open for the whole Internet to see. Sites such as Foursquare or the new Facebook app telling people where you are further put one's life out in the open for all to witness.

Is all this information good or bad? I'm torn. I have no real issue with sharing my life with others but I am also reserved when I need to be. I won't criticize my bosses or company. I won't talk about my family or my friends that don't have an on-line presence. If they don't have a Facebook account or Twitter then I won't talk about them. Seems fair. We never know who is reading or or watching our lives unfold on-line. However, does a 16 year old girl or guy know what is acceptable to post? Hell, does a 30 year old know? Do they know what will come back to haunt them in future? Does that picture of them smoking a joint, or pounding Jack & Cokes, on their FB page ruin a job opportunity for them down the line? Does bragging about ones sex life or talking about how you called in sick to play the new Halo hurt? Once you start giving out Too Much Information on in the net, your expectation of privacy disappears. Forever!

Let me know what you think...

VK

Tasty Food that Kills (maybe)

I have never been one to shy away from food that is deemed to be "bad for you" but I must admit that as I get older I find myself thinking about the healthiness of some of the food I eat.

This really came to the forefront of my mind when a new FatBurger franchise opened up by my place of work. I have had FatBurger exactly once in my life and it was delicious so the prospect of having a store just downstairs was very appealing. The day that the storefront opened I made a decision that I was going to go down and get myself some lunch from there. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the line was way to long to eat there and I decided on some EDO.

When I returned to my desk, one of my co-workers had sent out a "nutrition" guide for FatBurger item menus. Normally I would just ignore this email but I decided to check it out. I was appalled at how bad for a person this stuff was.

Example: My plan was to have a burger, onion rings and a shake. These are all things that FatBurger is known for. Total calories: 2280. Total Fat: 114g. Total Sodium: 2330mg.

Now, I am no health expert but even I could identify that this could not be good for you. The Heart and Stroke Foundation suggests an individual should limit themselves to no more than 2300mg of sodium per DAY. This meal would have exceeded the daily limits for all three of the categories listed above.

So, after I saw this I was amazed and then I started looking at the values for other things that I like to eat or drink when I go out. Here are some examples:

My favorite weekend breakfast of McDonalds Sausage w/Egg McMuffins, hashbrowns and apple juice: 840 calories, 46g of fat, and 1700mg of sodium (WTF??)

I love the Wendy's Double Baconator: 980 calories, 63g of fat and 1830mg of sodium. This is just the burger, no fries!!

Hooters Hot Wings (5 only, and who just eats 5?): 866 calories, 63g of fat and 1379mg of sodium. (this doesn't include the Bleu Cheese or Ranch dips.

I could keep on going but this is actually making me feel a little queasy. I suppose the lesson to be learned here is that while this stuff may taste good, it is not good for you. I am not saying that you (or I) shouldn't eat food like this but to do so in moderation. I decided a while ago to limit myself to unhealthy food like this to only 3 days a week. The rest of the time I try to eat salads, fruit, veggie sandwiches and the like. While eating healthy food may not counter-act the damage the unhealthy food is doing, I figure it's a good start.

Thoughts? Let me know.

I'm back?

Well, it has been over 4 years since my last post and I think I am ready to try this blogging thing again. Only this time I am going to just write about whatever pops in to my head. If people start to read this site then I may let people suggest topics they'd like my opinion on.

The world has changed significantly in the past 4 years (to say the least). My life has gone on. I bought a new place in 2007 and still like where I work. 10 years in the same place and I really have no complaints.

The New York Yankees lost on Friday night to the Texas Rangers and now the season is over. It kind of weird but I am feeling a sense of loss. And while I don't play for the Yankees (obviously), I feel like I am out of the game. I was thinking about this yesterday and trying to figure why I feel a void and then it came to me. I figure I watched approximately 130-140 games this season. That's got to be close to 500 hours of viewing time in the past six months taken up by the New York Yankees. That 500 hours equates to over 20 days since the season began. And if I include the time reading the New York newspapers online and my favorite Yankees blog (http://yankees.lhblogs.com/) it has to be another 150 hours during the season. All of a sudden I am up to 650 hours during the last 6 months revolving around the New York Yankees. 650 hours is 27 days! That's nearly a month. Wow!! Basically that works out to 16.7% of my life over the past six months. Factor in sleeping (31.3%) & working (22.3%), that makes the New York Yankees the third most time consuming factor in my life for the past 6 months.

And I wonder why I feel so empty after the play-off loss. Fuck, I need a life!! But now that it is over, what can I do? I starting reading a book yesterday so it's not all bad.

'Til next time.

VK

Cheating

So Barry Bonds cheated. What a news flash. There is cheating in every aspect of life. No matter where you look or go, someone is cheating. Whether it is someone not paying their taxes or fooling around on their significant others, cheating is everywhere.

I ask myself why and try to think of the times I may have cheated. I have stopped counting so as to maintain the high opinion of myself.

The authors of the new book about Bonds say he cheated because of jealousy for other athletes (namely Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa). I look at all the times I may have cheated and I don't think jealousy ever played a role in my cheating. For Bond's to fill himself with chemicals and garbage that no one knows what the long term effects are is just lunacy. All this for vanity. How messed up can you be to do this? The irony of the situation is that Bonds was already regarded as one of the best players of all-time when he started taking the drugs.

I wonder why Bonds did what he did? I mean, apart from the vanity. Why would he not appreciate his acomplishments and live with that? Barry Bonds is probably the only person that can answer that.

Should he be suspended? No. Steriods and performance enhancing drugs were not banned by MLB. Bonds should retire and allow Babe Ruth's 714 HR mark remain intact as the second best total of all time. Will he? Not a chance. His ego is as bloated as his hat size.

Shame on you Barry Bonds. Shame on you.