New Year In Bloom

IMG_0638
Originally uploaded by gabrielrobichaud.

I had a really hard time picking the picture for the blog today. I took over 640 pictures in the past 24 hours. I really went nuts. I decided I was going to take the time to really get to know my camera. So don't be alarmed if you find a lot of freaky looking shots on flickr. Mind you, there are many many good ones.

Happy New Year.

View of Mount-Royal through my balcony door

View of Mount-Royal through my balcony door
Originally uploaded by gabrielrobichaud.

As part of my resolutions for 2007, I will be posting pictures on my blog, or at least trying to do so, every day. So plan on seeing many more photos on here.

This one i took this morning. I thought it was an interesting play with the shadows and the mountain. Waddaya think?

My Flicker Page

Ok, I dont know if you guys have heard about Flickr. But... in case you have not, or even if you have, you MUST check it out, or even better, check out my flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/acadieman/

TOP TEN WEBSITES OF 2006

Read the links carefully!!

1. A site called 'Who Represents'where you can find the name of theagent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name... waits for it...http://www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchangeadvice and views at http://www.expertsexchange.com/

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island athttp://www.penisland.net/

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at www.therapistfinder.com

5. Then of course, there's the Italian Power Generator company...http://www.powergenitalia.com/

6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New SouthWales: www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you're looking for computer software, there's always:http://www.ipanywhere.com/

8. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church. Their website ishttp://www.cummingfirst.com/

9. Then, of course, there are these brainless art designers, and theirwacky website: http://www.speedofart.com/

10. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure website at http://gotahoe.com/

2006 GABRIELROBICHAUD.COM MERDE AWARD

As the year draws to a close, I decided I would compile my own list, for prosperity, of course. So without further ado, here are the nominees for the 2006 GABRIELROBICHAUD.COM MERDE Awards. Let me know in the comments section of this posting who you think is most deserving. I will post the winners later.

Top acchiever for Merde in Politics. The nominees are:

1. George W. Bush, American President. For that mess in the middle east.
2. Stephen Harper. Candian Prime Minister. George Bush Wanna be.
3. André Boiclaire. Leader of the Parti Québecois. I'm nominating him because he spends most of day full of merde.
4. Ken Dryden. Liberal Leadership Candidate. Really. Stick to hockey buddy.
5. Gilles Duceppe. We are a nation. Oh, no we are not. Oh yes we are. Oh wait, but you can't say that. Damn it!

Best Environmental Merde Meltdown The nominees are:

1. George W. Bush, American President. And I quote "Global warming! Those people up north should be happy its warmer in the winter!"
2. Stephen Harper. Candian Prime Minister. Environmental Plan... What plan?
3. Canada. The entire country. For destroying native canadians water supply and then doing nothing about it. Drink up the merde water. hmmm hmm
4. Canada. Again. Doing nothing about the environment, tearing up the Kyoto accord, and well, generally sucking about the envronment.

Special Merde Achievement in Music (And the competition is specially fierce in this one) The nominees are:

1. Kevin Federline
2. Britney Spears
3. Celine Dion
4. Avril Lavigne. (I just hate her, so she's on the list, she doesn't even know who David Bowie is. Idiot!
5. The entire cast and crew of Star Academie. These guys are something else. No talent.
6. The entire cast and crew of Canadian Idol and American Idol. Ditto.

Overachievement in Merde Sports. The nominees are:

1. Terrell Owens for spitting in the face of Atlanta cornerback DeAngelo Hall.
2. Zidane for that famous head butt at the World Cup.
3. Nate Robinson and J.R. Smith for starting a brawl during a basketball game. Morons.
   

Merdiest Consutruction in major infrastructures The nominees are:

1. Transport Quebec for its efforts, petitioning to have the song changed to "Laval Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling"
2. Transport Quebec its wonderful highway maintenance programme. Just take a ride on any highway in Québec. Garranteed to damage your car in less than 10km.
3. City of Montréal. The aqueduc and sewere system is 100 years old. Pipes are bursting, streets are caving in from the water damage. This resulted in a 3 month longordeal on my street, which was closed to traffic and had a huge 100 feet long, 20 feet wide 16 feet deep hole, filled with sewage water, in ftont of my building.Mayor Tremblay. Don`t be expecting my vote. THREE months to change a pipe. Really. Was the 3 week study really necessary? CHANGE THE PIPE!
4. My Landlord. Mr Englander, you have been turning off the water in the building, every friday from 8am to 5pm for the last 6 months. Do you really need to do so on saturday as well? I appreciate your effortsto maintain the building, but can i have just 1 weekend without having my water cut off!

Ok folks, there you have it. May the voting begin!

Pee Shy

Last night, I watched a very interesting episode of Degrassi, The Next Generation. This is, of course, a Canadian show, which addresses issues faced by everyday teenagers and Canadian youth. This latest episode pitted a wheelchair bound guy and his girlfriend against the grim reality that he would never have an erection. Of course, in true TV style, they determined that they could overcome this *ahem* shortcoming, by finding other ways to have sex.

This got me thinking long and hard about sex and what constitutes sex. Obviously, if there is some kind of penetration, vaginal, anal, oral, it is sex. But what if one of the two partners cannot achieve orgasm? Like in the case of our paraplegic friend: is he actually having sex? Or what if he cannot penetrate his partner? I suppose he could do lots of things to her/him but what about the reverse? Would he still be considered a virgin?

What if you don't actually touch someone else, but you achieve orgasm in the vicinity of others? Is that sex? This is a question that has been on my mind a lot recently. I keep running into someone I know, a dear friend of mine actually. The trouble is, I run into him in the most compromising situation! I have caught this person whacking off at urinals on 4 different occasions. Two occasions I managed to leave without him seeing me, and two others, we were forced into very unpleasant conversation while I was washing my hands trying desperately to erase the picture from my mind.

I will not go into a tirade about public sex right now. Some people are into it, that's their business. Whacking off at a urinal at the mall... It is a whole new level of perversion.

This got me thinking some more. What if this person had a partner? Would he be cheating on his spouse by jerking off with a bunch of people of at a urinal? (There were 4 of them going at it. An eye opening experience, to say the least!) There was no actually physical contact. So is it any different than watching porn or downloading some hot pics online? Or going to a nudie bar? But the line has to be drawn somewhere right?

So I asked my friend Charles (Not the guy at the urinal) if he would want to know if his partner was whacking off at urinals. And like me, he did not really know. He couldn't determine if that consisted cheating or not. I understand his indecision, but, the line needs to be drawn somewhere.

Now I want to address this whole, whacking off in public thing. I feel I have lived a relatively innocent life. But about 2 years ago, a friend of mine told me about a website: Cruising for sex dot com. This site is one of many that provides lists upon lists of areas to play in public, such as the situation I described above. I had no idea this was such a popular activity. Well, curiosity got the best of me, and I have to say, I checked out some known spots in Montreal, to see if this was true. And oh my gosh!

Montreal is full of perverts. Pick any men's washroom in this city, and if you sit around long enough, some pervert will walk in looking for action. Really, it's insane. This also explains why there are so many security cameras and security guards constantly flowing in out of public washrooms.

The moral of the story, is beware of the guy standing next to you at the urinals. If you think he's been standing there too long, odds are he's not peeing.

Fags in Hollywood. ITS ABOUT TIME!

When I was a teenager, I used to watch the show Doogie Howser M.D. At the end of each show, he would write in his journal, and this inspired my love of writing. Not only did he inspire my love or writting, Doogie Howser was the first television personality that awoke my feelings of lust for members of the male species. I had such a huge crush on him. Well, about 17 years later, I am still in lust with him... and who can blame me, he's a cutie!

Now here is the clincher. This morning, I found out he came out of the closet. I know it is silly, but this really made my day. Straight people have teen idols and heart throbs but how often can a gay teenager have a heart-throb only to find out that his heart-throb is gay too. WOW. I really appreciate the times we live in.

I know Neil Patrick Harris will most likely never read my blog, but I have a message for him in case he does : "THANK YOU! You brought a bit of normality to my very abnormal life. Congradulations. I am very happy for you!"

Now back to the 21st century. I have been following another TV Drama, this one is called Grey's Anatomy.

There is a character in that show called George O'maley played by TR Knight. Hubba Habba. Well, he is a fag too, and came out last week.

Congradulations are in order to him! And take a look, he's a McHotty!

Here I Go Again On My Own...

And here I go again on my own
Goin down the only road Ive ever known,
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
cos I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams.


Ok... Time for a life updated blog. Haven't done one of those in a long long time. In case the previous quote from the infamous Whitesnake song (flashback from the 80s *wooooo scary*) wasn't obvious enough... My marital status has been revert back to its original state. SINGLE. AGAIN. FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. FUCK.

I am not sure what to make of it. But after a few months of sorta being single, but not really feeling it, it all came crashing down on me this week. And for that I have one thing to say to the man that made all this happen... Thanks... FOR NOTHING.

Another 4 years of my life, chasing a dream that will never happen. I think this time I have learned a lot. Well, I'm always learning something... But unlike Spanish, this lesson is going to require months of recuperation. The zombie like state that taken over my soul is hard to shake. Been there. Done that. Lets recap, shall-we?

Nick : Oh boy. This one was a doozie! Nick was the very first guy that captured my heart. I even remember the moment I realized that I had fallen in love with this handsome blond blue eyed prince from the west island. (puke) It lasted 7 months, and thanks to him, I saw a side of myself that was so ugly, I knew I would have to do some serious soul searching and self-improvement. But we were so young... It was doomed from the start. Although, I did gain something tremendous. A true friend. Still today, Nick and I are good friends. Not too mention that I am really blessed to have met his mother, a true jewel. Not even a MasterCard commercial can show he true value: Priceless!

Steeve: Now that was something. Just under 3 years. The first two were quite lovely. Then we moved into an apartment in NDG and it got UGLY. After we broke, we never spoke again. I see him once in a while, usually at the mall with the guy I think he's been seeing ever since. I was so fucked up after that relationship, it took me over a year to get my head in the right space again. In the end, I'm glad I met Steeve. Mostly because after we broke up, I became a different person. Although I did loose a fair bit of respect for humanity and became very jaded about gay relationships. I will forever remember the conversation I had with Mark after... Mark if you ever read this... THANK GOODNESS you took those 3 hours to talk to me that night. I wonder what Mark is up too... Have not seen him in years. I hope he's well.

The last one. And the way I feel right now, he will remain, the LAST one. I don't know. Is a gay relationship even possible? We were going on 4 years together. Personally, I would have been perfectly able and happy to turn those 4 years into a 'till death do us part commitment. But I guess I should have known better than to expect that kind of commitment from a gay relationship. I guess that's what it boils down too. My whole believe system is screwed up right now. I used to believe in love, I used to believe in the fact that two people could spend the rest of their lives together... But 3.5 years. I mean for Christ sake. If we can expect to live 84 years in Canada that's 3.5/84*100 = 4.1% of my life. Wow. If this was a financial investment, I wouldn't have even attempted it with such a low rate of return. So why on earth do I get involved with this relationship crap if I can get relatively close to the same return with ING Savings account or Canadian Savings Bond?

Would we waste time in bad investments like that? Well, I sure wouldn't. I have my investments in much safer vehicles such as Index Funds, Real Estate Funds, etc which are currently yielding over 11%. So... Applying the same math 11% of 84 years is 9.24 years. So... Looking at the rate of return of my 3 major relationships, I think it is safe to assume that I have been making bad investments when it comes to affairs of the heart.

When I read Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad last year, I learned that you must do you research before investing. That you must choose your investments wisely and that you will make bad investments. Its just a matter of figuring out whether or not you can afford these bad investments, then learn from them.

Well, since the main cost of these investments is time, and that already I have squandered 38.1% of my life, I can no longer afford to make bad romantic investments. Trust me, if there is another joint venture on the horizon, it will be the LAST one.

26.5 HOURS LEFT!!

I don't think I have waited for my vacation time with so much anticipation before. At least, I do not recall being so antsy over the fact that my vacation is looming over my head. Yes, its true, I am going to blow this joint in less than 27 hours. I am very excited. Actually, I'm elated. Yes, E-L-A-T-E-D!!

No, I'm not going any where extravagant. I might not go anywhere at all. But I am very excited at the prospect of doing NOTHING. I rather like the idea of sitting in my appartment watching TV or playing Poker. Actually, I do have some plans.

One of my major plans is that I want to get back into running semi-seriously. I used to be able to run 10k three times a week. Those days have disappeared and I have been thinking about starting that up again. So last weekend, I went to buy myself a new pair of runnning shoes, running shorts and I also revamped my swimming gear. I bought new racing googles, and training paddles. On my way out I ran into my good friend Ryan, no pun intended. He was also on his way to buying new running shoes. Talk about great minds thinking alike! Well, after each purchasing breand new running gear we made plans to go running after diner that day.

So around 5:30pm on Saturday, we pointed our shoes towards Mount Royal and began our first of , hopefully, many runs up the mountain. So including that day, we ahve gone twice, so we have stuck it through the worse part, which in my opinion, is the first couple of runs since you always feel a bit sore in the begining. I am posting our running schedule here incase you are wondering what our training is like:


10 week running program.
Goal : To run 30 minutes non stop.
Follow the program at your own pace. If you do not feel ready to go to the next stage, repeat the last week, as many times as necessary.

Week	Run	Walk	Reps
1	2	4	6
2	3	3	6
3	5	2.5	5
4	7	3	4
5	8	2	4
6	9	2	4
7	9	1	4
8	13	2	3
9	14	1	3
10	30	-	-

So as you can guess from the above table, each week increases the amount of time spent running. So for week 1, you run 2 minutes, then walk 4 minutes and you do this 6 times. Sounds easy enough... But if you are coming from a sedentary lifestyle, you will find this hard to follow. Ryan and I found this challenging the first time out, but the second time we thought it was pretty easy and added some jogging between the runs to make it a bit more of a callenge and to keep our heart rates up.

I want to acknowledge this website where I found this routine. Sorry folks, you'll have to be able to read French to understand it!

Marche pour la paix / Peace March

(English to follow)

Date : Dimanche le 6 août 2006
Heure : 1:00 pm
Lieu de rencontre : Parc Lafontaine

Le groupe «Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East» qui organise la manifestation est un organisme à but non lucratif qui prône la paix, la justice et la sécurité pour tous les habitants du Moyen Orient.

--------------------------------
Date: Sunday, August 6 2006
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Meeting Place: Parc Lafontaine

The march is organized by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) which is a non-profit organization made-up of Canadians of all backgrounds who believe in justice, peace and security for all people in the Middle East.

You Know You Grew Up In The 80's or Early 90's If:

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "SIKE".
   
2. You watched the Pound Puppies.
   
3. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Belaire" and you can even do the "Carlton".
   
4. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
   
5. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tried to start a club of your own.
   
6. You owned those lil' Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls.
   
7. You know that "WOAH " comes from Joey on Blossom.
   
8. You know what Parachute Pants look like and feel like.
   
9. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock".
   
10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars... and playing cards on your spokes for that incredible sound effect.
    
11. You can sing the entire theme song to "DuckTales " (Woo ooh!)
    
12. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday Morning to watch cartoons.
    
13. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
    
14. You saw the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" on the big screen...and still know the turtles names.
    
15. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
    
16. You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
    
17. You played the game "MASH " (Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
    
18. You wore a stonewashed Jordache jean jacket and were proud of it.
    
19. L.A. Gear....need I say more?
    
20. You wanted to change your name to "JEM ". (She's truly outrageous.)
    
21. You remember reading "Tales of a fourth grade nothing" and all the Ramona books.
    
22. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF"
    
23. You wanted to be a Goonie.
    
24. You ever wore fluorescent clothing.
    
25. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.
    
26. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
    
27. You took lunch boxes to school... and traded Garbage Pail kids in the schoolyard.
    
28. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
    
29. You still get the urge to say "NOT " after every sentence.
    
30. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
    
31. Barbie and the Rockers was your favorite band.
    
32. You thought She-ra (Princess of Power!) and He-Man should hook up.
    
33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
    
34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.
    
35. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?"
    
36. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
    
37. You remember going to the rink before there were inline skates.
    
38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
    
39. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
    
40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
    
41. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement.
    
42. You remember Popples.
    
43. Your motto was "Don't worry, be happy."
    
44. You wore like, FOUR pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
    
45. You wore socks scrunched down and over your tight jeans.
    
46. You remember boom boxes... and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
    
47. You remember watching both "Gremlins " movies.
    
48. You know what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare!!"
    
49. You remember watching "Rainbow Bright" and "My Little Pony"
    
50. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
    
51. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
    
52. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool... and don't even flinch when people refer to them as "NKOTB".
    
53. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By The Bell," The ORIGINAL class.
    
54. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
    
55. You just sang those words to yourself.
    
56. You remember watching Magic vs Bird.
    
57. Homemade Levi shorts. (the shorter the better)
    
58. You remember when mullets were cool!
    
59. Frizzy hair was IN.
    
60. You still sing "We are the World"
    
61. You tight rolled your jeans.
    
62. You owned a banana clip.
    
63. You remember "Where's the Beef?"
    
64. You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' bout Willis?"
    
65. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you!!!
    

WANNA FREE LAPTOP?

JUST CLICK!!

I AM ACADIEN

Chu pas su mes stamps ou su le welfare,
Chu pas un pêcheu de coques,
Chu pas analphabet ni illettré.

Y'a pas de fromage su mes poutines, pi ma poutine et pas un président russe.
E'je vie pas dans une p'tite shack en bois.
E'je va pas au travail su la 20, su la 40 ou su la 401.
E'je prend le chemin du fond d'la Baie, le chemin d'la côte ou le vieux Shediac Road.

J'ai pas de besoin d'une bavette ou des outils compliqués pour manger mon houmard.
J'le rouve moi-meme, j'le mange avec du pain frais pi d'la coke!
J'écoute pas Patrick Bruel, Pierre Lalonde ni Nana Mouskouri.
La vrai musique, a lé faite par 1755, Bois-Joli, Zachari pi Daniel à Ola.

E'je shop pas aux Galleries de la Capitale, ni au Centre Eaton, mais à la Champlain Place pi su Home Hardware.

E'Je parle pas le québequois ou le français de France.
Chu trilingue, e'je parle le chiac, le francais pi l'anglais.

E'je dis Co-congue pas Co-cagne.

J'ai ma propre université pi mon propre drapeau.
Mes heros s'appellont Antonine, Ti-Louis pi Roméo.

Chu fier de ma langue, mon heritage pi ma culture.

Worriez pas vos brains même si on peut sortir le gars de l'Acadie, on sort pas l'Acadien du gars.

Le Grou Tyme c'est le 15 aout, pas le 24 juin ou le 14 juillet.
I am Canadian pi Acadien en même temps.
En Acadie la Sagouine a son propre pays, Bouctouche a sa propre dune et on a notre prope étoile.

Je m'appelle Gabriel à Roland à Aimé à Honoré à Hubert à Louis à Otho à Louis à Prudent à Étienne, pi I AM ACADIEN

Something new

Ok, so lets say you never want to miss a single blog from me? Well, now, its easy. I have added syndication to my blog. Just add this url http://www.gabrielrobichaud.com/feed.xml to your rss reader or in your custom Google home page and you will be able to view all my new blog articles automatically. Coool huh?

Top 11 reasons Americans don't watch the World Cup (brought to you by BBspot)

11. Having a hard time converting from metric goals to imperial.
10. What? All Americans south of Rio Grande watch it!
9. Because soccer is for moms. Or so I've heard.
8. Never got soccer fever immunizations as a kid worried they might catch it.
7. Oath of allegiance to NFL prohibits viewing of soccer matches.
6. Ignoring losing team much easier than admitting you are a loser.
5. Lost all interest after Lance Armstrong retired.
4. Not enough commercial breaks
3. Failing to understand the concept of "the world".
2. Conflicts with summer Fear Factor marathon.
1. Because if you like soccer, the terrorists win.

50 Corporate Secrets

If you work, or if you ever plan on working, I have a suggestion for you :



Read THIS BOOK



This is, without a doubt, the most usefull information I have read in last 25 years (since I learned to read.)

This is a page turner. I could not put this book down. A colleague of mine leant it to me and I read the first half of the book during lunch! Its incredible. I learned amazing things about how Corporations operate, and how much there is left unsaid, but still happens behind the scenes.

The author, Cynthia Shapiro, is an HR expert with mountains of experience as a consultant for many many many companies in the U.S.A. Trust me, you need to read this book before your next conversation with your boss and especially before your next evaluation meeting.

If you do end up reading this book, or have read it in the past, please click on the comments and let me know what you thought.

Bonspiel - La Quête du Roi

Here is a shot of the final stone in the 3rd end of the final game of the C division title at the bonspiel.

Champs!

A few weeks ago, I participated in a Bonspiel. We won in the C division!!

Vancouver - Its all about the mountains!

Vancouver - Tree in the sky.

Even yuppies can be hippies.

Vancouver - Treetops at Capilano Suspension Bridge

Vancouver - Capilano Tree Tops

This structure is hanging from a bunch of Douglas Fir trees. Its like an ewoke village! Very cool.

Vancouver - Paul & Peter on Capilan Bridge

Vancouver - Capilano Bridge

Vancouver Aquarium... Baluga whale

Vancouver... Land of construction

ORACLE SQL TIP OF THE DAY

You know, sometimes you just do the dumbest things because you never bothered looking into simplifying the task. Lets say you have a table full of data and you want to retrieve all duplicates. Well this is how i used to do it.

select *
from ( select mydata, count(*) thecount
from mytable
group by mydata)
where thecount > 1;

Well thats just DUMB DUMB DUMB!!!!

I can write instead:

select mydata, count(*)
from mytable
group by mydata having count(*) > 1;


much much better!!

Boys playing with dolls.

I recently started reading The Republic Of T. Another fellow blogger who happens to be gay. Most of what he writes is well researched and in tune with my opinions. Recently though he talked about how he used to play with dolls as he was growing up.

Now that got me wondering. Did I ever play with dolls? I don't think so! I had a stuffed monkey growing up, but only until the age of 3 or 4. I remember playing in the sand box, the woods, building treehouse like things and even playing with GI-Joe.

Although I was not much for violent sports, we did pretend we were American soldiers for a few weeks after watching the movie Red Dawn. We also had a very bad habit of carving wooden ninja weapons and pretending we were ninjas or Bruce Lee. We even nick named my little brother Joel "Ninja of the Lunch Can" because he used to swing that thing around like a ninja! It was very dangerous.

So do all fags play with dolls? I have heard so many of my gay friends talk about how they would steal their mother's or sister's clothing and dress up when they were kids. I did no such thing. The only time I put on a dress, I was 17 years old and it was for a performance piece in my theatre arts class... It got me an A, and that was the point.

But I guess the fact that I elected to register in theatre arts instead of GYM 2 might have been an indication of things to come. I didn't play any sports, nor was I any good at them, but it was certainly not because I did not want to. No sir! In fact, back then I was dying to be in sports. Any sport. But I was 16 years old, and I was not quite 5 feet tall. (Thankfully I grew to 5'10 in the following 5 years, talk about a late bloomer. I was still losing baby teeth in University).

But I never played with dolls. I am somehow very proud of that. Maybe it is because I failed too many other tests of masculinity growing up. We had the ultimate test of masculinity growing up. We had a game that we called "Faggot". The game was played on bicycles. Everyone would ride on their bike except for the faggot. The faggot would have to run around trying to tag the guys on their bikes. Once you were "it", you would dismount your bicycle and try to tag someone else, because you would not want to be the faggot too long, it would get annoying after a while since part of the game was chanting: "FAGGOT!! FAGGOT!! FAGGOT!!" as you zoomed by the faggot. Surprisingly, I was very good at this game and seldom became the faggot. My brother, who is now married and arguably one of the most masculine guys I know, was constantly the faggot. So much for putting any worth in those games boys play.

Working hard?

Or hardly working? Today, its a bit more of the latter. Today's blog is coming to you directly from my cubicle, 1092-A. Across from me, at cubicle 1094-D, there has been lots of action of late. Somebody somewhere screwed something up and now that is in turn screwing up more things that are screwing up the lives of the inhabitants of cube 1094-D, 1092-B, 1096-F and 1094-B.

While this is going on I'm too busy trying to dodge 1074 and 1096-F because I feel that Fridays are generally not my most productive days. And in case you missed it, 1074 is the big wig. He doesn't have a letter because his work space comes with a door.

My cube, 1092-B, has no door, nor light, no privacy and no personality. I could really use one of those surprise Ikea decoration commercial people to come in and do a cubicle makeover. I think a splash of pink and a few different texture might make the place look more inviting.

Hmm... I don't know if I need it to be more inviting than it already is. 1092-B spends enough time rambling off in here as it is. I get my morning visit around 9am from 1094-B, which is usually interesting. Once in a while I'll get a prolonged visit from 1094-D which garantees me more brain farts than I can handle.

A few weeks ago one of my dearest colleagues was moved to 1090-D. Now that's at the other end of the building, in the "other" section. Although its quiet, he gets a great view of the occupant of 1088-A which, I am certain, helps make the day go by a lot faster.

Personally, I have developed a fascination for 1085-B. That helps keep my days here interesting. God forbid I would actually get some work done. Why on earth would I do that? Oh damn it. I think I have a meeting in 1072 with a bunch of cube heads, so I need to go get some more free coffee and toothpicks to help keep my eyes open for next hour.

C ya!

New Year

In case you lacked the inspiration required to make up your own New Year's resolution, this little bit off the web will generated one for you!

Bonne Année!
Happy New Year!
Frohes neues Jahr!

In the year 2006 I resolve to: Reunite the Spice Girls. Get your resolution here

Podcast Number 2

Voilà. here is podcast number 2 :) I hope you like it.

politics

?I was trying to think of any accomplishments of the Conservative party in the last 12 years, and the only one I could think of was that they changed their name three times.?
? NDP Leader Jack Layton

The podcasts are here! The podcasts are here!

Unless you have been living in a bubble, you are well aware that PODCASTING is the lastest new thing. Of all the things of all time, I really like the idea of podcasting. So, since I need somethign new to put onto my blog, I decided that I too was going to take a shot at podcasting. So, without further ado, I would like present my very first podcast, right HERE.

So like everything else in my life, the plan is to go forth and try to upload a new podcast every so often. I will aim for once a week, but I know damn well that will never happen. Not unless I will a million dollars and that will never happen.

Thought of the day!

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
- Whatever is said in Latin sounds profound.

You know you are from Montreal when...

(via email from a co-worker)

You pronounce it "Muntreal", not "Mahntreal".

You have ever said anything like "I have to stop at the guichet before we go to the dep."

Your only concern about jaywalking is getting a ticket.

You understand and frequently use terms like 'unilingual,' 'anglophone,' 'francophone,' and 'allophone.'

You agree that Montreal drivers are crazy, but you're secretly proud of their nerves of steel.

The most exciting thing about the South Shore is that you can turn right on a red.

You know that the West Island is not a separate geographical formation.

In moments of paranoia, you think that there's no red line on the Metro because red is a federalist colour.

You have to bring smoked meat from Schwartz's and bagels from St-Viateur if you're visiting anyone west of Cornwall.

You refer to Tremblant as "up North."

You know how to pronounce Pie IX.

You have an ancient auntie who still says "Saint Dennis."

You believe to the depth of your very being that Toronto has no soul - but your high school reunion is held in Toronto because most of your classmates live there now.

You greet everyone, from lifelong bosom friends to some one you met once a few years ago, with a two-cheek kiss.

You know at least one person who works for the CBC, and at least one other person who used to work for Nortel.

You're not impressed with hardwood floors.

You've been hearing Celine Dion jokes longer than anyone else.

You can watch soft-core porn on broadcast TV, and this has been true for at least 25 years.

You cringe when Bob Cole pronounces French hockey player names.

You get Bowser & Blue.

You were drinking cafe-au-lait before it was latte.

You order fries 'with sauce', not 'with gravy'.

Shopper's Drug Mart is Pharmaprix and Staples is Bureau en Gros, and PFK is finger lickin' good.

You really believe Just For Laughs is an international festival.

For two weeks a year, you are a jazz afficianado.

You need to be reminded by prominent signage that you should wait for the green light.

Everyone on the street - drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists - think they're immortal, and that you'll move first.

You're proud that Montreal is the home of Pierre Trudeau, Mordechai Richler, William Shatner, Leonard Cohen and the Great Antonio...and, you consider Donald Sutherland (and by default, Keifer), Guy Lafleur, Charlie Biddle, and Roch Carrier Montrealers, too. You know that Rocket Richard had nothing to do with astrophysics.

You know the apocryphal story of the fat lady at Eaton's.

You miss apostrophes.

You've seen Brother Andre's heart.

No matter how bilingual you are, you still don't understand "ile aux tourtes."

You know the difference between the SQ, the SAQ, and the SAAQ.

You measure temperature and distance in metric, but weight and height in Imperial measure.

You show up at a party at 11 p.m. and no one else is there yet.

April Wine once played your high school (alternatively, Sass Jordon or Gowan).

You know that Montreal is responsible for introducing the following to North America: bagels, souvlaki, smoked meat as well as Supertramp, Chris de Burgh, Styx and Melissa Etheridge.

You don't drink pop or soda, you drink soft drinks.

You don't like your pizza "with all the toppings", you like your pizza all-dressed

You have graduated from high school and have a degree, but you've never been in grade 12.

The margarine in your fridge is the same colour as lard.

Every once in a while, you wonder whatever happened to Luba.

You never thought that Corey Hart was cool, but you know someone whose cousin or something dated him.

There has to be at least 30 cm of snow on the ground in less than 24 hours for you to consider it too snowy to drive.

You remember where you were during the Ice Storm.

You used to be an Expos fan, but now all you really miss is Youppi.

You're a Habs fan; always was, always will be...

You know that your city's reputation for beautiful women is based on centuries-old couplings between French soldiers and royally-commissioned whores (aka Les Filles du Roi).

You don't understand anyone from Lac-St-Jean, but you can fake the accent.

You've been to the Tam Tams, and know they have nothing to do with wee Scottish hats.

You discuss potholes like most people discuss weather.

You encounter bilingual homeless people.

While watching an American made-for-TV movie, you realize that "Vienna" is actually Old Montreal, that "New York" is actually downtown and that the "The Futuristic City" is actually Habitat '67.

You find it amusing when people from outside Quebec compliment you on how good your English is.

You have yet to understand a single announcement made on the Metro PA system, no matter what the language.

You think of Old Montreal as nothing but a bunch of over-priced restaurants, old buildings and badly paved streets.

You understand that La Fete Nationale is not a celebration of "Quebec's birthday".

You don't find American comedians speaking "gibberish" French even remotely funny.

You don't find it weird that there's a strip club on every corner downtown.

Observation

No one is listening until you fart.

We're Number One!! AGAIN! HA HA!

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/10/04/eui.survey/

Coming out... and coming out... and coming out.

I am so sick and tired of having to tell people I am gay. No, scratch that. I`m exhausted. I don't think that I am the most obviously gay person around, but I think when people meet me, they probably wonder about a thing or two.

I openly talk about my boyfriend at work. James this, James that. I don't actually say he's my boyfriend, but I just think that sounds dumb. There are still people around me who have not figured it out. I'm so exhausted by the whole thing.

So, if anyone from work is reading this, please feel free to start a rumour that I`m a big fag. It would be really great. Thanks.

How Did the Catholic Church Shoot Itself in the foot?

Ok. Does anybody not understand that most Catholic Priests are gay? Is this really a news flash for the Vatican?

I saw a study that said that 50% of priests interviewed admitted being gay.

That beeing said, check out how the Vatican is shooting itself in the foot. Sit back, relax, and watch the "Church" slowly commit suicide... which is a sin in Catholic dogma. I guess that's ironic. HA HA!

SU DOKU

Thanks to my Mother`s Recent B-Day gift, I have discovered the Japanese number puzzle Su Doku. And you should too!

INKED

What does it mean?

un autre tattoo!!!

Rabble Rabble Rabble!

Ugh. This heat. This humidity. Oh my god is it ever going to end?

Canada and Denmark are currently fighting over a little tiny 1.3 km piece of land in the arctic. Actually, its not land, its ice on top of a rock. This is turning into quite the diplomatic affaire, Canada and Denmark both sending teams over there to further state their claims. Why on earth would we even care about a piece of land. Well, believe it or not this is all related to global warming, in the worst possible of ways. No, they don't need to go there for scientific research, they want the money! Isn't it always about money?

So, the ice caps are melting, the oceans are warming up and what are the Danish and Canadian governments fighting about? Land. Future land. Land that will evetually be a rich source of natural resources and minerals. Ah ha! Money! This makes me so mad, I want to scream. SCREAM LOUDLY SO ALL THE STUPID POLITICIANS ON THE PLANET CAN HEAR ME.

What the hell is wrong with these people. Why are they even fighting about this? Shouldn't we all be uniting in an effort to try and prevent global warming? Shouldn't we all be banding together as 1 united planet to save what little we have left? Oh no, no no no no. Lets fight over money and resources and hog all that we can to ensure our survival another couple of years while we self-destruct.

Humans are the biggest parasite on the planet. We are going to get it. If you are not recycling every piece of paper, plastic, wood, metal or foam in your garbage, you belong in jail. If you throw anything, ANYTHING outside your car while driving, you should be jailed for crimes against humanity. What about you idiots with big SUV's driving around like the world has an endless supply of gas and air? We through people in jail for unpaid parking tickets, but we would never send anyone in there for destroying the planet or polluting or wasting resources? Shame on us for not doing anything about it.

Ladies and gentlemen, these are desperate times. And mark my words, if you/we/me/us don't do something about this changing climate very soon, we are done for it. Oh, but I guess its more important to "fight terrorism" in Iraq right? Well keep it up boys and girls, because the planet just might take care of all that for us!

My first Tattoo!!

My First Tattoo! It means Tiger in Chinese. I am a Tiger in the chinese astrology chart.

Who wants a free iPod?

yup... free.

Click here.

Another Thursday: Another Thickhead

Just when you thought you had seen it all : Check out this wonderful paper another mofo with a PHD

Happy Canada DAY

Antoher Thickhead... no pun intended!

You gotta see this.

CANADA LOVES FAGS!

Yahoooooooooooo!

It's official! Canada Loves Fags! We can all get married now! Thank goodness will live in such a modern society!

IT'S ABOUT TIME

According to Radio-Canada, it is virtually assured that Bill C-38 will pass and therefore guaranty the right to marry to couple of the same sex! Thank goodness we live in Canada!

Finally, equality!

Vive les fifs! We're here, we're queer, we're going to the chapel!

Thickhead Thursday #4

This week, I propose many many many thickheads. Just pick a thread out of FARK and let the Farking begin.

Nick's BBQ - Saturday June 11th 2005

Hey Everyone,
Last night I went to a BBQ at my friend's place. Here are some pics!

Above, Our Mascot : Yannick

The host with the most: Nicholas

Christian & Rock

Marie-Claude

Ryan

My Two Cutie Pies

James & Moby :)

Thickhead Thursday #3

And just when you thought you had seen it all.

STORE WARS. CLICK http://www.storewars.org/flash CLICK CLICK

GAY MARRIAGE - EMAIL YOUR MP TODAY

Folks,

Please email your member of parliament and tell him/her how important it is for you that they support the gay-marriage bill in Ottawa. Every voice counts.

CLICK HERE to email your Member of Parliament. At the bottom, here is a letter I wrote to Gilles Duceppe, my MP.

---

From: Robichaud, Gabriel (Montreal)
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2005 3:53 PM
To: 'Duceppe.G@parl.gc.ca'
Subject: projet de loi marriage entre conjoints de même sexe


Le lundi 6 juin 2005,
<Address deleted>
Montréal, Québec

M. Duceppe,

Je suis un citoyen de la circonscription fédérale de Laurier-Ste-Marie et je vous écris pour vous faire part de mon appui, face au projet de loi pour les droits au marriage des conjoints de même sexe.

Je crois que la société Québecoise se doit de continuer à faire des longs pas d'avance en matière de justice sociale, droits et libertées. Il faut mettre une terme à la marginalisation des minorités, y compris nos concitoyens(nes) homosexuels(les). Nous avons la chance de montrer notre charactère de société évolué en votant massivement pour le marriage des gens homosexuels. Je vous pris de supporter le projet de loi présentement en chambre à Ottawa. Il serait dommage qu'un agenda polique, autre que le bien de la société québecoise, fasse que le Bloc votre contre ce projet de loi. Quelle position attendez-vous adopter à l'égard de ce projet de loi libéral?

En espérant que vous voterez pour ce projet, veuillez accepter, Monsieur Duceppe, mes salutations les plus distinquées.

Gabriel Robichaud

Thickhead Thursdays

I dont know if you have ever heard of GEOCACHING, but if you have, this will be amazuing: A human Travel Bug. And thats our THICKHEAD of the week. Enjoy!

10 TOP REASONS TO GO TO WORK NAKED

10. No one ever steals your chair.
9. Gives "bad hair day" a whole new meaning.
8. Diverts attention from the fact that you also came to work drunk.
7. People stop stealing your pens after they've seen where you keep them.
6. You want to see if it's like the dream.
5. To stop those creepy programmer guys from looking down your blouse.
4. "I'd love to chip in...but I left my wallet in my pants."
3. Inventive way to finally meet that 'special' person in Human Resources.
2. Can take advantage of your computer monitor radiation to work on your tan.
1.Your boss will never say, "I wanna see your ass in here by 8:00!" ever again.


ps - Thank You Marilu for sending me this.

Thickhead Thursdays

Hey everyone. I'm starting something new: "Thickhead Thursdays". Every Thursday I will post a new website developped by a thickhead. So there is the first one : http://americawestandasone.com/video.html

VOILA

Ademus Papam!

An estimated one hundred and fifty thousand people waited around on the plaza at St-Peter`s Basilica, for the announcement of their new King, I mean, spiritual leader. And, almost as fast as the white-smoke dissipated, the moment was over, and everybody left. I was left wondering.

I watched the whole thing live; I was at home and sick that day. As a non-believer, raised catholic (by an ex-nun, no less), the frenzy surrounding the new pope has me baffled. Media analysts and critics spent hours analyzing an event with the same fervor and determination as they did the USA election of 2004. I mean come-on. Am I the only one who sees a problem with this? This is supposed to be a spiritual event, guided by god and a bunch of old men sitting inside a gold trimmed church, burning voting ballots in a tradition that is almost as old as... Well, its old. Very, very old.

Some crazies might say that god (yes with a small g) himself struck me with the stomach flu that day so that I would not have to go to work and be a witness to his choosing of the new head of the catholic church (yes, lowercase letters again). That is all Bullcrap (capital letter). I think he was probably busy trying to inspire the 115 old fogies at the conclave: *twilight zone music* god is everywhere!!!!

So, where are we headed now? Oh they say Herr Ratzinger is a conservative cardinal. I even heard some Radio-Canada journalist on the French-Canada national news channel up in arms about how horrible it was the conclave ended with such a conservative man as the head of the church (get used to it, I am not capitalizing those words).

Well, stop the presses. "Ademus papam" or we have a conservative pope. Oh my god! (Pardon the pun!) Is it really something worth writing about? Open any newspaper and note how much time has been devoted to precisely that topic. How unbelievable it is, that a conservative organization has elected another conservative leader. I even heard a priest on TV, whose name I wish I could remember saying: "I don't think of the church as conservative, I think of it as catholic." Well, that says it all.

I guess 1.6 billion catholics can't be wrong. Or can they? I will save my religious hate mongering for another post. I just might burn in hell. I hear that's where most of my friends are headed anyway.

Civil Rights!

ENGLISH ­ SEE BELOW

CANADIENS ET CANADIENNES POUR LE DROIT ÉGAL AU MARIAGEÊ: APPEL À L'ACTION

Le premier vote lié au projet de loi C-38 sur le droit égal au mariage se tiendra le mardi 12 avril. Les membres du Parlement devront alors se prononcer sur une motion de Stephen Harper destinée à faire avorter le projet de loi. NOUS DEVONS REMPORTER CE VOTE, SINON LE PROJET DE LOI MOURRA AU FEUILLETON!

Nous possédons une légère avance à l'heure actuelle au décompte des votes, mais il y des dangers. Est-ce que tous les membres du Parlement qui appuient le projet de loi se présenteront le jour du vote? Les quatre députés conservateurs qui appuient le projet de loi oseront-ils s'opposer à la motion de leur chef?

Canadiens et Canadiennes pour le droit égal au mariage vous invite à contacter votre députée ou député dès aujourd'hui! Allez à www.mariageegal.ca , puis à l'étape 1. Envoyez un courriel à tous les membres du Parlement. À l'étape 1, vous trouverez leurs numéros de téléphone et de télécopieur respectifs. Il suffit de leur indiquer que vous appuyez le droit égal au mariage de même que le projet de loi C-38.

Les opposants à l'égalité des personnes LGBT ne reculeront devant rien avant le vote final. Aujourd'hui même, le samedi 9 avril, ils ont organisé une marche pour le mariage et la liberté sur la colline du Parlement. Stephen Harper en personne s'est adressé à la foule!

Des messages d'opposition inonderont les bureaux des députées et des députés d'ici mardi, et il importe que ceux-ci entendent également nos voix!

Nous avons l'occasion de régler la question une fois pour toutes ­ mais nous ne gagnerons pas le combat sans votre aide. Veuillez contacter votre députée ou député dès aujourd'hui, ou envoyer un courriel à tous les membres du Parlement en vous rendant à http://www.mariageegal.ca/contactezcand_f.php Cela ne vous prendra que quelques secondes.

SI LE PARLEMENT FAIT AVORTER LE PROJET DE LOI SUR LE DROIT ÉGAL AU MARIAGE, NOS OPPOSANTS NE S'ARRÊTERONT PAS LÀ. ILS TENTERONT EN EFFET D'APPORTER DES MODIFICATIONS CONSTITUTIONNELLES À L'AMÉRICAINE, CE QUI REPRÉSENTERA UN RECUL CERTAIN.

Il se peut qu'il y ait une élection prochainement. Auparavant toutefois, il y aura le vote de mardi. Il se peut que ce soit la dernière fois que le Parlement tienne un vote sur le droit égal au mariage. Faisons en sorte que ce vote soit un événement positif et que les membres du Parlement sachent que nombre de leurs électrices et électeurs appuient le droit égal au mariage.

Veuillez nous aider aujourd'hui. Ne tardez pas. Veuillez aussi transmettre le présent message à vos connaissances et amis.

Le temps presse. Veuillez agir dès maintenant.

Laurie Arron
Coordonnateur politique
Canadiens et Canadiennes pour le droit égal au mariage



CANADIANS FOR EQUAL MARRIAGE: ACTION ALERT

The first vote on the government's Equal Marriage Bill (Bill C-38) has been set for Tuesday, April 12. It's a vote on Stephen Harper's motion to kill the bill. WE MUST WIN THIS VOTE OR THE MARRIAGE BILL WILL DIE!

We have a small lead in the vote count, but there are dangers. Will all supportive MPs show up to vote? Will the four supportive Conservative MPs dare to vote against their leader's motion?

Canadians for Equal Marriage urges you to contact your MP today! Go to http://www.equal-marriage.ca Go to Step 1 and E-mail all MPs. At Step 1 you can also find your MP and get their phone and fax numbers. Simply tell them you support equal marriage, you support Bill C-38.

Opponents of equality for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people are pulling out all the stops before the final vote. Today, Saturday, April 9, tens of thousands of opponents held their "March for Marriage and Freedom" on Parliament Hill. Stephen Harper himself addressed the crowd! He told people "if just a few more Liberals can be persuaded to change their vote, we can kill Bill C-38 in its tracks."

We're bracing for a storm of opposition messages flooding MPs' offices between now and Tuesday. It's important that MPs hear from our side too!!

We have the opportunity to settle this issue once and for all. But we can only win this fight with your help. Please contact your MP today. You can e-mail all MPs at
http://www.equal-marriage.ca/contactcampaign.php . It only takes a few seconds.

IF PARLIAMENT KILLS THE EQUAL MARRIAGE LEGISLATION, OUR OPPONENTS WILL CONTINUE WITH FURTHER ATTEMPTS -- EVEN U.S.-STYLE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS -- TO ROLL BACK THE CLOCK.

Today, on Parliament Hill, Stephen Harper once again pledged to bring in legislation to define marriage as a man and a woman.

We all know an election may be called soon. But before any election call will be Tuesday's vote. It may be the last time Parliament votes on equal marriage. Let's make it a positive one!! Let's ensure MPs know that many of their constituents support equal marriage.

Please help today. Don't delay. Please also pass this message on to your friends and your networks.

This is a crucial time. Please take action now.

When it rains...

Some of you might not know this, but I was diagnosed with Asthma when I was a teenager. I never really worried about it, and I never had any serious attacks that I was not able to manage with simple Ventalin or Bricanyl inhalers. Well, all that changed last week.

Since the middle of February, I have been having various degrees of problems with my Asthma, but I was able to carry on with my daily life. But it got progressively worse. And Friday at 3am I found myself admitted at the Royal Victoria Hospital for what they diagnosed as an "Asthma Crisis". At 5am I was transfered from the Emergency Room to the Emergency Acute Care. I was on oxygene and getting Ventalin treatments through a mask. I had so many that at one point I felt high as a kite. Then they pumped me full of pills, gave me a chest x-ray and kept on monitoring me. Finally, my lungs were clear around Noon and I was discharged after seeing a lung specialist. I am now on Cortizone, and have a few puffers. I feel much better than I did before but my lungs are really week and I can't tolerate any irritants right now without scrambling to puff on my Bricanyl.

And I have one thing to say about the Royal Victoria Hospital: EWWW GROSS.!!

So, there was blood on the floor in the examining room I was in. Not too mention there was a tube filled with blood lying around next to my examining table. The floor was dirty. The Bio-waste bin also had blood on it. There was 1 nurse and 1 Doctor on duty when I got in. As I came in 3 ambulances pulled in. So. Talk to me about the ailing medical system in Québec. Its really pathetic.

Another great thing. When I arrived at the ER I was in such serious respitory distress I could barely speak a single word without taking a breath. I was weezing heavily and coughing constantly. So, I am directed to triage Nurse. Well, the triage nurse was outside smoking! So he (yes a male nurse) comes in to "triage" me, and he WREAKS of cigarettes. Do I need to explain that cigarette smoke is one of the BIGGEST irratants for asthmatics? I really don't understand how they can put a smoker in charge of meeting triage patients. I was not the only asthmatic who was rushed in that night, so I'm assuming this happens often enough. So here I am trying to communicate to my nurse what the problem is, but being in the same room as he, is making my breathing worse. *GRUMBLE*

Anyway. I`m fine now. Well, I'm better. I won`t be running any triathlons this week, but hopefully all will fall into place very soon.

The Wait Is OVER!!!!!!!!!

If I was religious, I would be praising the Lord. But I`m not. So I won't. But oh man oh man, am I ever happy that the wait is over. But what was I waiting for? What has me so excited that I was jumping up and down and screaming at the top of my lungs all by myself earlier today? What could possibly be so exciting that I started bashing in all the buttons on my telephone to call everyone I knew. (And of course, nobody answered their bloody phone)

Well. Its simple. I, Gabriel Robichaud, starting this coming Monday, will no longer be a welfare case. That's right. I will be dropping my Unemployment Checks for an actual PAY CHECK, because, I have been offered a job. OH JOY OH BLISS OH YEAH!

I do not have the details of the job just yet, because I will be meeting with Human Resources very soon, but I will be working with Oracle Database for a Pharmaceutical Company! Permanent Position. Full Time. Lots and Lots of benefits. YEEE HA!

Auf Deutsch, Bitte!

Heute schreibe ich eine kleines Blog auf Deutsch. Warum nicht? Nachsten Monat, ich beginne eine Deutschekurse an die Goethe Institute in Montreal. Ich kann nicht mehr warten! Sprachen machen viel spass für mich.

Ich denke dass es Zeit jetz fur meine erste Reise nach Deutschland ist. Ich möchte nach München in September gehen. Dort kann ich eine intensive Deutschkurse machen. Und, kann ich in einem Studentenwohnheim wohnen. Fur 2 wochen, das kostet nur 1200 Euros.

Also, genug für Heute. Bis später!

Wi-fi, wi-fi, where for art thou wi-fi?

Where in Montreal Can you get Free Wi-fi? Good Question. I will attempt to answer that question in the coming months. So, you may stay tuned to figure out this important question.

So far, I have discovered 3 wi-fi hot-spots that are free. I refuse to pay for wi-fi access in a coffee shop. I figure I'm already paying for food and drinks, so why should I pay for internet access when I already have it at home? So, I am going to add a new section to the blog. As I discover more wi-fi hot spots in Montreal, I will make that list available on http://wifimtl.gabrielrobichaud.com. Feel free to email me if you feel you know of a cool hotspot that should be on the list.

<insert title here>

Don't you hate it when you can't find an appropriate title for your blog articles? Oh well. If you don't like, tough.

It feels so good to be back to blogging. I am happy to entertain you people sitting at work pretending to work. (he he he) You know how you are. Certain people in Ottawa. Certain civil servants. Wasting my hard earned tax dollars. I smell a scandal!!

So. Today's blog is brought to you from the Second Cup on the corner of Milton and Parc in Montreal. Yes yes. The combination of free wi-fi and 1.55$ for a blueberry tisane is all you need to sit here for hours and waste bandwidth.

So what has been going on. Well to all of you who have been asking if I have found a job... The answer is.... A BIG... RESOUNDING.... (wait for it)..... Are you excited yet?....... NO NO NO NO NO.*sigh* Still no job. A few leads. But don't hold your breath.

So that takes care of that.

So, when I'm not scouring the web looking for the perfect employer, I try to keep myself busy. I just got back from a one week stint in Québec City. No, there are no jobs there either. There is my brother however. He is studying film at Université de Laval and he is having the time of his life... NOT! Oh my god. What a boring city. Its a lot like Ottawa, except its colder, has more snow and, unlike Ottawa where they roll up the sidewalks at 6pm, they roll up the sidewalks at 4:30pm in Québec. Oh, its very pretty there, so if you want to look at pretty buildings and soak up some history, you should really go to Québec City. But don't go for the night life or the cultural diversity because you will be in for the shock of you life! I did, however, star in my brother's latest film project. Some work in sound design for a class he did. Woo hooo, I'm a star.

Oh.. and for those who need to know the innermost details of my personal life, (why, I will never understand) James and I have taken the big plunge. Yup Yup. We are now domiciled at the same address. So, quit asking when we will be moving together, its been done. Its going well, I am very happy. Of course I am. Have you guys seen him? MMM MMMM good!

Do not expect an invitation to the housewarming because we are not going to have one but feel free to send presents, money or credit cards. We love presents ;)

So, that's it for today. I must go back to my Pimsleur German now.

New Sub-Domain, New Host, Hackers and Blogging.

Well folks, let me start by saying that not all web hosting services are created equal. Thankfully there are a lot more hosting services who provide Coldfusion funcionality than there was 18 months ago. You will see why in a second. I appologize for not writing more during the past couple of months, but I was no longer in a position to trust the server that my Blog was hosted on. So, I began the long hunt for the cheap webhosting provider, that will actually protect me against hack attacks. Yes my friends, my web hosting account was hacked! Someone even changed a lot of the pages on my website for some bogus crap. See, I can understand how these things happens, microsoft has some pretty serious vulnerabilities in their operating systems.

That hosting company (Webserve Canada Inc. http://www.webserve.ca) did not notify that they were under attack. They also failed to answer my questions on why I was not notified when they noticed the intrusion, and why they were not able to explain to me what measures they took to prevent future attacks. So. I moved my website to a much better provider in the USA. Yeah yeah, my money is going to some money grubbing USA corporation, but I don't care at this point. I just want something that works, that is secure and will give me some control over my my site. Oh we wont talk about the hell it was to cancel my account at Webserve, shaddy credit card billing practices, etc, etc. My new provider takes Paypal.

That, is nice. Paypal is the future my friends. If you don't know what Paypal is or what its for, click on over to Paypal.

Another change, as you can notice, the blog is now part of its own subdomain. You may now and forever, access the blog at the "blog" subdomain of gabrielrobihaud.com as follows: http://blog.gabrielrobichaud.com. This will permit me to leave www.gabrierobichaud.com for some other projects I have in mind. For next couple of months, there will be an automatic redirection to the blog when you access it via the old address. So update your bookmakrs.

I have disabled the mailing list feature for now. I will be creating another one soon however, I just need to change some things around before making it available again.

So stay tuned. I will be fine tuning the site in the next few days, and we will then resume our regularly scheduled blogging.

RIP : Louis-J. Robichaud 1925-2005

Ave Maris Stella,
Dei Mater Alma,
Atque Semper Virgo
Felix Coeli Porta (bis)

The Acadian National athem was being sung as I watched the remains of the right honnerable Louis J. Robichaud being transported out of the Assumption Cathedral in Moncton NB. By the magic of television, I was able to attend the funeral service, and remember, with the rest of NB and Canada, the greatness of a legacy left by a simple acadian man, whose vision was simple: equality for all.

Thanks to "p'tit" Louis, as he was called, NB has a french university, a billingual education system and billingual services for all citizen of NB.

Louis, you'll be missed dearly.

600 resumes later, the ants have finally left. Now I shall make Perogies!!

Apparently, the IT industry is picking up. Yup. That's what they are saying! Well, someone should tell that to the HR people who are blatantly ignoring my resume. I can`t wait to get some of that momentum the IT Industry is supposedly experiencing. I lost count after 200, but I am pretty certain I must have sent over 600 resumes. Hell, I am so desperate right now, I am even applying for jobs as a simple SQL Programmer.

However, curiosity has gotten the best of me, and recently I applied to NavCanada to become an Air Traffic Controller. *shiver* I figured after working at IATA, I can handle any stress anyone can throw at me. I have my first part of the selection process tomorrow, Thursday. I will be attending a 4 hour long aptitude test. So cross your fingers everyone, this job actually pays money (as opposed to peanuts).

I know, I know. There is no rush. I still have over 6 months of EI left. (For those who don`t know, EI is the the bi-weekly checks I receive from the government because I got laid off last august. I paid into the EI system for over 14 years. Trust me, my bi-weekly checks do not take that into consideration.) So, I have to stretch my meager earnings into somewhat of a life.

And there is something to be said about not doing anything all day. It gets old. Quick. I am so bored sometimes, I get on my own nerves. My apartment, although I am not there as much as you might suspect, has never been this clean. Ever. The ants have moved out. There is not a single ant to be seen. I think I finally vacuumed the last one out. My mother told me to sprinkle pepper around to kill them. I think that helped. Thanks mommy.

Oh by the way...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! BOY YOU ARE OLD NOW :)

HEHEHEHEHEHEH

So, what else is going on. Well, as I have mentioned in a previous blog entry, I started swimming again. THANK GOD. Well, actually, I should thank my friend Ryan who called me one day to see if I wanted to go swimming with him. Well, next thing I new, I was back into the swing of things. I have lost 10 pounds in a bit over 2 weeks. Woo hoo.

Our curling club is officially well into its activities. My curling team is doing well still! We are currently in 4th place in our league. That is fantastic, 3 wins 2 losses and 1 tie game. I am very happy with our performance, mind you if our skip would actually have a curling percentage over 10% for a change, we might do better. Lately I have seen my curling game improve greatly. I managed to throw, successfully, a tap back, a double take-out and a triple take-out. I am very impressed. At this rate, I will be at the Bryer in no time! :)

So, only 18 more days till xmas is over. Thank God. I will not be going to NB this year, as my financial situation will not permit me such frivolous expenses. I came to this decision recently. But I think it will be nice to have some time in Montreal with James anyway. I actually like walking around Montreal, downtown, on Christmas day. Things are quiet, nice and relaxed.

Oh.. And just one more thing: A Recipe for Perogies.

Ingredients
2 tb Butter
1 Onion; sliced
Sour cream


---------------DOUGH--------------------
3 c Flour;all purpose
1 1/2 ts -salt
1 Egg
3/4 c -water, approx.
4 ts Vegetable oil


--------------FILLING-------------------
1 tb Butter
1/3 c Onion; finely chopped
1 c Potatoes; cold mashed
3/4 c Cheddar cheese; shredded
1/2 ts -salt
1/4 ts -pepper

Instructions
1. DOUGH: In bowl, combine flour with salt. Beat together egg, water and oil; stir into flour mixture to make soft but not sticky dough that holds together in a ball. If necessary, add 1 Tbsp more water at a time, being careful not to make dough sticky. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface; knead about 10 times or till smooth. Halve dough, cover with plastic wrap or damp cloth. Let rest for 20 minutes.

2. FILLING: Meanwhile in skillet, heat butter over medium heat, cook onion for 3 to 5 minutes or till tender. Transfer to a bowl, add mix in potatoes, cheese, salt and pepper. Working with one portion of the dough at a time, and keeping the remaining dough covered, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/16" thickness. Using 3 inch round cutter, cut dough into rounds. Place 1 tsp filling on each round. Lightly moisten edge of one half of dough with water, pinch edges together to seal and crimp attractively. Place on cloth; cover with damp cloth to prevent drying out. Repeat with remaining portion of dough.

3. In large pot of boiling salted water, cook perogies in batches, for 1 1/2 hr to 2 minutes or till they float to top, stirring gently to prevent perogies from sticking together or to bottom of pan. With slotted spoon remove to colander to drain. In large heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat, cook onion for about 5 minutes till golden. Add perogies and toss to coat and warm through. Serve with sour cream.

MAKES ABOUT 30 PEROGIES.

Variations: Cottage Cheese: Combine 1 cup press cottage cheese, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1 Tbsp chopped green onion. Mushroom: In skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat, cook 3 cups chopped mushrooms and 1/3 cup finely chopped onion for 7 to 9 minutes or until moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat; stir in 1 egg yolk and 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Source:_Canadian Living's Country Cooking_by Elizabeth Baird posted by Anne MacLellan

Jack`s the man.

As you all remember, I recently emailed ALL members of parliament regarding the same-sex marriage bill. Today, I received an answer from Jack Layton, Leader of the NDP party of Canada. Here is what he had to say:

Layton, Jack - M.P. Dec 2
Dear Friend;

Thank you for contacting me about the Private Member's legislation, Bill C-268, calling for marriage to be restricted to opposite-sex couples.

I would like to assure you that the federal NDP views this issue as one of equality rights. Our election platform under the heading, Respecting Equality, clearly supports extending civil marriage to same-sex couples. It states:

Recognizing the equality of loving adult partnerships by extending civil marriage equality to same-sex couples, while respecting each religion's right to determine its own definition of marriage. (A Positive Choice)

Once again, thank you for writing. I am hopeful we will continue to agree to defend the interests of all Canadians.

Sincerely,

Jack Layton, MP for Toronto-Danforth
Leader - New Democratic Party of Canada
www.ndp.ca

I Smell Burned Toast

Well, I love ebay. Apparently, some idiot, while making toast one morning, saw the virgin Mary in his bread. Sold it on ebay. Wow. I wish I had that kind of toaster. He also claims uppon seeing the image, he felt a calmness fall on him. Yeah... very nice.

See this for yourself

Oh... and there is a website that keeps track of groups who make it easy for crazy christians to congregate. Click here to visit!

Gay Civil Rights

There is currently a private member's bill in Parliament, trying to make same-sex marraiges ilegal in Canada. So in response, I sent the following email to all Members of Parliament:

Letter to all Members of Parliament

-----Original Message-----
From: gabrielrobichaud
Sent: Mon 22/11/2004 1:59 PM
To: Williams, John - Riding 1
Cc:
Subject: Equal Marriage - Bill C-268.

I'm writing to express my opposition to Private Members' Bill C-268, which would restrict civil marriage to opposite-sex couples. This bill is unconstitutional and un-Canadian.

Canadians overwhelmingly support Charter values like inclusion, human dignity, mutual respect and freedom from political or social prejudice.

For many Canadians, both gay and straight, marriage is a profoundly meaningful way to demonstrate love and commitment. Denying anyone that choice is simply not fair. Same-sex couples should have the freedom to marry in a civil ceremony and to have that marriage legally recognized, and religious communities should have the freedom to perform or not perform such marriages.

Please let me know where you stand on this human rights issue.

Sincerely,
Gabriel Robichaud

---

And, to my surprise, i got an answer for a very conservative MP. :

Answer from an MP

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 13:06:39 -0500, Williams, John - Riding 1 wrote:
Thank you for your email and I appreciate knowing your perspective regarding same-sex marriage.

Since time immemorial all societies have recognized the union of a man and a woman, celebrated the union and called it marriage. In modern society, where anything goes, a relationship does not need to be defined as a marriage. I believe, however, the institution of marriage should be preserved as the legal and religious union of a man and woman to the exclusion of all others, and if people want to enter into some other kind of relationship they can find some other name to call it, but it is not marriage.


The decisions of a number of provincial courts to re-define marriage to include gay and lesbian couples ignores a decision of Parliament in 1999, when Members of Parliament voted 216 - 55 in favour of a motion holding that marriage should remain the union of one man and one woman. Jean Chrétien, the Prime Minister of the day, Martin Cauchon, the then Justice Minister, and Paul Martin all voted in favour of the motion at the time, although all three changed their position to endorse same sex marriage.

The Liberal Government made a grave error in judgment by choosing not to appeal recent court decisions that legalize same-sex marriage. As a result of the failure by the Liberals to appeal the court decisions redefining marriage to include homosexual couples, gay marriage is now already the law in Ontario and B.C., and may soon become the law in most of Canada.

The most recent proposal by the Liberal Government to refer draft legislation to the Supreme Court of Canada does not negate the fact that the Liberal Government has abandoned the democratic process and allowed an unelected, unaccountable court to define marriage, when that decision is the purview of Parliament alone. Any subsequent promise by the Liberals of a "free vote" in Parliament on that legislation, does not in any way change that reality. The proposal to hold a "free vote" in Parliament is only a communications exercise to try to hide the fact that they have allowed un-elected judges to make the laws of our country.

My Conservative colleagues and I are also disappointed that several months' worth of work done by the House of Commons Justice Committee on the issue of same sex marriage has been rendered irrelevant by the Liberal Government's failure to appeal the recent court rulings. Although the then Justice Minister, Martin Cauchon asked the Justice Committee to travel the country and hear representations on same-sex marriage from all walks of life, he did not wait for the committee to produce its report before making a decision on this matter. The voices of Canadians who submitted briefs and made oral representations to the committee have effectively been silenced by this un-democratic process.

Canadians should be outraged by the Liberal Government's slight against democracy, and the failure by this government to keep its promise to Canadians to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others. The Conservative Party will continue to call upon the Liberal Government to keep its promise to Canadians to preserve the traditional definition of marriage.

I appreciate your perspective that a majority in society should not trample upon the rights of a minority. However, I do not agree that it is an issue of human rights since a human right is an inalienable right for all people, at all times. For example, no one should be discriminated against because of their colour at any time, at any age, or under any circumstances. Protection from discrimination because of one's colour is a human right.

Marriage is not a human right, because there are many people in this country who would want to marry and who have no recourse to the law in order to do so. We also do not allow young people who are under the age of majority to marry. We do not allow siblings to marry. We do not allow parents and their children to marry. Therefore, marriage is not an inalienable right and therefore it is not a human right.

I believe that it is appropriate that we have some other words to define the relationships that are emerging and acquiesced to by our society, other than putting it all under an umbrella of marriage.

Yours truly,

John G. Williams

Member of Parliament

To which i promptly replied

Hello and thank you for taking the time to respond.

I woud like to point out that your logic is flawed. Should you wish to preserve the "sanctatity" of religious marriages, as you described it, that is fine. I do not think "homosexuals" or people as we prefer to be called, are trying to change your view of marriage. You are entitled to it, and if you wish to religiously keep that, good for you. What we want is equlaity under the law. Just like black people did in the 20th century. We seek legal marriage. Do whatever you want in your religion, its your business. God teaches us to love, as he gave us a new commandment before he died "love one another". It is not your job to judge people, or limit legal statutes on the basis of sexual orientation. Remember that is also stipulated in the Bible that God will judge as you have judged others.

Furthermore, marriage was not historically always a religious ceremony. It only became so in a few centuries ago. So using the "sanctictity of marriage" as a sword to battle against civil rights of the most basic nature is a shame. Specialy with a divorce rate of 50%, and climbing. What is your next step to save the sanctity of marriage? Ban divorce perhaps? Divorce is, after all, a sin according to most Christians! Hell must be a pretty big place since so many people will be going there.

Seperation of State and Church means let gay people marry each other and stop propagating hate, bias and self-righteous, self-serving omnipotent opinions

Thank God the liberal government was there not to oppose the high court ruling. And if you truly care about people, civli-rights and humanity, you won't either.

Sincerly,
Gabriel Robichaud

Please visit http://www.equal-marriage.ca to fight hate and anti-gay legislation!

What do YOU do in your car at 2 am?

I love Montreal. I mean, only in our fabulous city, at 2 am, can you park your car on a deserted street in the "McGill Ghetto", recline your seat, and unbutton your pants as your girlfriend puts on a fresh coat of lipstick in preparation of pleasing you... Well at least that's what I saw on my way home from James' place the other night.

I have come to learn that Montreal is being heralded as Canada's sin-city, and that, is a good thing. I am glad that I do not live in some right wing land, where your business is not only your own, but your neighbor's. Oh, and the best part about the auto-felacio (felacio in an automobile, not the other kind) is that 100 meters away, in a parking lot, stood 6 cops. I wouldn't be surprised if they were smoking pot.

I learned today that the right wing Fox News is coming to Canada on cable TV. Oh great! Another source of crap. Approximately 80% of views of Fox News think that Iraq did have weapons of mass destruction and that Sadam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden are allies. Oh... geez... I guess that explains how Bush won his election, since Fox News had the highest ratings of any other American news source. So, here is how it works in the land of the free: 1. Bush says nonsense to reports. 2. Fox networks propagates the nonsense and enhances it (more TV friendly). 3. American White Bread right Wing Republicans watch nonsense and gobble it up without question. 4. Bush re-elected.

Bravo. I would like to extend my congratulations to president Bush! Another four years of watching the blind leading the blind, and now we can watch it on Fox News! As if CNN wasn't bad enough!

Its the most wonderful time of the year....

*puke*

I hate winter.

There I said it. It's out of my system. I will not say again until next year. I will not talk about the lack of sunlight, the cold, the snow, the sleet, the cold, the snow, the cold or the freezing cold. No I won't.

Instead, I will head on down to the Royal Montreal Curling Club for my 2nd season of curling. I have a brand new team(left to right) : Me, Normand, Michael and Francois. So far we have played three games, and we have a record of 1-1-1, if you look at the standings, we are currently in 7th place. We are team Boucher N. as Normand is the skip. The third will either be Francois or me, we will figure that out next week.

I will be organizing another Funspiel this year for people who have never curled before, or for people who have curled very rarely! If you are interested in participating click on the Email Me link on the right!

Tah tah!