So, as I've mentioned in previous blogs...I'm a very liberal parent. I'm of the opinion that you have to give your kids some slack and let them learn lessons on their own for the most part. You can offer advice until your blue in the face, but until they actually see/feel the consequences of there decisions, it doesn't sink in.
When my daughters mess up, we will sit down and we will talk it out. Depending on the severity of the breach, I may tag on a grounding for a week as well. However, they always have their say, they have the ability to talk to me about why they did what they did, and I talk to them about why I feel the way I do. Almost always do we reach an understanding and we go about our business.
Well, over the past year, I have felt that I have been giving them more and more chances to make things right. Yet, they continue to make the same bad choices in regards to a few areas.
A prime example would be skipping school. Now, I've told them that class attendance is a priority for me and that I don't want them missing school. However, I have also told them that there are times when I realize they just don't feel like going, or they are feeling very stressed out, and that it would be ok for them to take a "day off" so to speak. The problem is though, that my eldest has been missing allot of classes lately to go off and visit with her boyfriend. (She's not sexually active thank god)
I've decided that I'm not going to give a second chance (or 50th) this time as I had the principal call me and discuss with me how many classes she has missed over the last week. I've decided that I'm going to ground her for a week, that she will catch up on all her missed work, and that she is not allowed to hang out with her boyfriend for the entirety of that week.
I'm starting to think, that being too lenient lately is coming back to bite me in the ass, and that it might be time for me to make sure they know that the rules I have in place are not negotiable.
Hopefully, after this she will realize that the behavior she is showing has consequences and will stop. If not....I'm going to buy a taser. :o)
Rob
Monday, May 16, 2011
HCG Weight Loss Plan
So, I've decided to start the HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin)weight loss plan. For those of you that don't know what it's all about, here are a few links to check out.
HGC Diet INFO
HGC Diet Canada
So basically it is an injection (or drops) that helps your body burn the fat that you have stored rather than ingested fat. hCG is believed to help reset the hypothalamus by sending signals to begin breaking down and using abnormally high body fat as a primary fuel source.
There are many YouTube Vid's of people's before/after experiences and I have to say after watching some of these I'm pretty much sold on this stuff. I have a girlfriend of mine that is using it now, and she lost 17 pounds in 20 days, and felt no real side effects, no hunger pains, no lack of energy...nothing but loss of weight.
So...going to the docs on Wednesday, to get cleared to try it and then I will order and go on it. The diet is very difficult for the first 7 days, it consists of a 500 calorie/day regimen of veggies or fruit.
It also helps with depression which I believe I may be suffering slightly.
So, I will keep my blog updated with news on how it goes. I think I will actually post a video diary of my experiences with it for those who are interested.
Rob
HGC Diet INFO
HGC Diet Canada
So basically it is an injection (or drops) that helps your body burn the fat that you have stored rather than ingested fat. hCG is believed to help reset the hypothalamus by sending signals to begin breaking down and using abnormally high body fat as a primary fuel source.
There are many YouTube Vid's of people's before/after experiences and I have to say after watching some of these I'm pretty much sold on this stuff. I have a girlfriend of mine that is using it now, and she lost 17 pounds in 20 days, and felt no real side effects, no hunger pains, no lack of energy...nothing but loss of weight.
So...going to the docs on Wednesday, to get cleared to try it and then I will order and go on it. The diet is very difficult for the first 7 days, it consists of a 500 calorie/day regimen of veggies or fruit.
It also helps with depression which I believe I may be suffering slightly.
So, I will keep my blog updated with news on how it goes. I think I will actually post a video diary of my experiences with it for those who are interested.
Rob
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Mothers Day (My Mom)
On this Mothers Day, I had thought back to when I was a child and the difficulties that my mother had gone through.
She had married an abusive man and suffered at his hand, she became a single parent early on and had no high school education in order to find well paying jobs and so she struggled through some of the most difficult jobs that payed nothing and still managed to provide for us with a smile on her face. During those rough times she also helped care for her younger brothers and younger sister.
Because of the divorce and myself being the oldest child at the time, I became a hard kid to live with. I fought with the other two children, I ran away, and everytime something didn't go my way I threatened to run away to my fathers. Until of course she called my bluff and sent me there, and after two weeks I had enough of that and came back, haha.
My mother suffered the loss of her youngest son Billy when he was murdered by 3 Canadian soldiers in Germany. This took a toll on my mom like nothing else could have. She was devastated and yet still found the will to make sure the rest of us were comforted.
My mother is a rock, she helped me raise two of my own daughters, she kept on a brave face through the losses of her Brothers who had passed away far too soon due to heart attacks or cancer. She was the rock when her own father passed away a month ago, and made sure that everyone present at the funeral felt comforted.
She is the epitamy of what parents strive to be, loving, kind, unselfish, and always dependable.
I am proud and honored that she is my mom, that I lucked out in the game of life to have someone this special to raise and teach me the ways of the world.
I love you mom...no words can truly sum up the vastness of the love I have for you and the respect that I will always hold for you.
God Bless.
A blessing and prayer tribute to all mothers
"Blessed be all mothers
Who have come into our lives
Whose kindness, care and loving
Remain with us to guide.
Your inspiration in us
Made us strive in every way
Especially to remember
Helping others makes our day.
Mothers, this little tribute
Flows directly from my heart
You are so loved and cherished
Invaluable, one and all, you are.
By: Susan Kramer
-Rob
She had married an abusive man and suffered at his hand, she became a single parent early on and had no high school education in order to find well paying jobs and so she struggled through some of the most difficult jobs that payed nothing and still managed to provide for us with a smile on her face. During those rough times she also helped care for her younger brothers and younger sister.
Because of the divorce and myself being the oldest child at the time, I became a hard kid to live with. I fought with the other two children, I ran away, and everytime something didn't go my way I threatened to run away to my fathers. Until of course she called my bluff and sent me there, and after two weeks I had enough of that and came back, haha.
My mother suffered the loss of her youngest son Billy when he was murdered by 3 Canadian soldiers in Germany. This took a toll on my mom like nothing else could have. She was devastated and yet still found the will to make sure the rest of us were comforted.
My mother is a rock, she helped me raise two of my own daughters, she kept on a brave face through the losses of her Brothers who had passed away far too soon due to heart attacks or cancer. She was the rock when her own father passed away a month ago, and made sure that everyone present at the funeral felt comforted.
She is the epitamy of what parents strive to be, loving, kind, unselfish, and always dependable.
I am proud and honored that she is my mom, that I lucked out in the game of life to have someone this special to raise and teach me the ways of the world.
I love you mom...no words can truly sum up the vastness of the love I have for you and the respect that I will always hold for you.
God Bless.
A blessing and prayer tribute to all mothers
"Blessed be all mothers
Who have come into our lives
Whose kindness, care and loving
Remain with us to guide.
Your inspiration in us
Made us strive in every way
Especially to remember
Helping others makes our day.
Mothers, this little tribute
Flows directly from my heart
You are so loved and cherished
Invaluable, one and all, you are.
By: Susan Kramer
-Rob
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Repost: Winters Bath
I was reading through some of my previous posts and this one cracked me up...So, I'm going to repost it.
Winters Bath
Winter needed a bath, badly. So I decided the best course of action, seeing that it has been rainy and yucky outside, was to bath her in the tub. Now the tub isn't all that small and has those jacuzzi spouts in it that sprays water out in nice comforting jets. So my wild idea was to fill the bathtub up about halfway, turn on the shower and the jacuzzi to get her drenched down enough to shampoo her.
You see, in my little reality (here after known as Seth's world), everything works as I imagine it and in my imagination this whole thing went flawlessly and quick.
Now, the one thing about Winter is that she is EXTREMELY timid (of course in Seth's Word this was not a consideration I had taken into account) and doesn't like loud noises or any type of suprise (keep this in mind for later in the story).
So, I try and coax my puppy (who is about 70 pounds and about 64cm's tall. into the bathtub...she wasn't going for it. So I picked her up and placed her in the tub. Next, I started the water, nicly warm letting it rise up to about her belly (this was mistake #1). I used a measuring cup to pour the water onto her back and head, and then using the genius given to me at birth, I hit the Jacuzzi button and jets of warm water shot out of the tub impacting my now very startled dog (mistake # 2). My normally passive animal get's into a doggy karate stance (on two legs and tries to deke me out and jump out of the tub. Well, hell, I played hockey, there is no way in hell this is going to work....WRONG!! She out deked me and jumped out of the tub, water pouring off her all over the floor, she shakes and now there is water all over the ceiling and walls (dirty water I may add) and she is now in, "Don't touch me mode".
As quick thinking as I am I dive and slam the bathroom door shut heading off an even worse catastrophe. Winter knowing now that she is cornered decides to use some of her Dog-foo on me again and rushes me. I slip and fall and smack my arm on the tub (HARD). Winter is now clawing at the door in desperation, but I recover quickly and grab her and lift her back up into the tub. I quickly turn off the jacuzzi and she seems to settle down a bit.
Then deciding that I needed more water, I turn the shower on, water sprays down and nails my puppy in the face. Puppy freaks out again, but this time knowing i'm ready for some more dog-foo or dekeing out jumps straight into my arms and knocks me back on my ass, then i slowly tip over onto my back. I now have a very very wet 70 pound scared and moderately pissed off animal on my chest shaking more water on the ceiling and the walls.
So I push the animal off me, turn the shower off, and being the stubborn trooper I am, pick up the puppy and threw her back in the water. She sits there staring daggers into my soul as I apply the shampoo and wash her fur. (Mistake #3). You see, now I have a timid, scared, pissed off, SLIPPERY dog on my hands and obviously not considering this I grab her coller and once again turn on the shower to wash the soap off. (Mistake #4).
I'm not sure what happened after that...I vaguely remember something smashing into my chest and then a blinding light. I hear voices in the distance and stinging in my eyes. I'm sure somewhere's theirs an angel ready to take me away to a far happier land..but the beotch didn't appear to help me calm down a very freaked out animal that has shampoo dripping from every hair.
Now, if any of you have ever tried to grab a slippery animal in a tiled bathroom that has a half a foot of warm bath water in it. You will agree that it is a tad difficult. So I grabbed a towel, managed to get it around the dog and lifted her up to put her back in the tub to rinse her off...not grasping the fact that the tiled floor is now very slippery with shampoo and bath water.
Again....not sure at what point I did the double back flip half gainer onto the tiled floor but I came to my senses laying on my belly, face plush to a shampooy tiled floor and a 70 pound black lab sitting on my back with absolutely no intentions of getting off of me.
At this point, I did all that a man could do in my circumstances. I grabbed a leash, and led the dog down stairs, outside and into the rain to let it do the dirty work. Not considering the fact that my semi clean animal would roll around in the mud and run through the bushes. I admitted defeat, poured myself a stiff rum and coke and trekked towards the bathroom for the hour an a half it will take to clean it up.
All of this to save myself the gargantuan fee of $30 dollars to have her washed professionally.
Winter 1 Master 0
I shall have my revenge!!!
-Rob
Winters Bath
Winter needed a bath, badly. So I decided the best course of action, seeing that it has been rainy and yucky outside, was to bath her in the tub. Now the tub isn't all that small and has those jacuzzi spouts in it that sprays water out in nice comforting jets. So my wild idea was to fill the bathtub up about halfway, turn on the shower and the jacuzzi to get her drenched down enough to shampoo her.
You see, in my little reality (here after known as Seth's world), everything works as I imagine it and in my imagination this whole thing went flawlessly and quick.
Now, the one thing about Winter is that she is EXTREMELY timid (of course in Seth's Word this was not a consideration I had taken into account) and doesn't like loud noises or any type of suprise (keep this in mind for later in the story).
So, I try and coax my puppy (who is about 70 pounds and about 64cm's tall. into the bathtub...she wasn't going for it. So I picked her up and placed her in the tub. Next, I started the water, nicly warm letting it rise up to about her belly (this was mistake #1). I used a measuring cup to pour the water onto her back and head, and then using the genius given to me at birth, I hit the Jacuzzi button and jets of warm water shot out of the tub impacting my now very startled dog (mistake # 2). My normally passive animal get's into a doggy karate stance (on two legs and tries to deke me out and jump out of the tub. Well, hell, I played hockey, there is no way in hell this is going to work....WRONG!! She out deked me and jumped out of the tub, water pouring off her all over the floor, she shakes and now there is water all over the ceiling and walls (dirty water I may add) and she is now in, "Don't touch me mode".
As quick thinking as I am I dive and slam the bathroom door shut heading off an even worse catastrophe. Winter knowing now that she is cornered decides to use some of her Dog-foo on me again and rushes me. I slip and fall and smack my arm on the tub (HARD). Winter is now clawing at the door in desperation, but I recover quickly and grab her and lift her back up into the tub. I quickly turn off the jacuzzi and she seems to settle down a bit.
Then deciding that I needed more water, I turn the shower on, water sprays down and nails my puppy in the face. Puppy freaks out again, but this time knowing i'm ready for some more dog-foo or dekeing out jumps straight into my arms and knocks me back on my ass, then i slowly tip over onto my back. I now have a very very wet 70 pound scared and moderately pissed off animal on my chest shaking more water on the ceiling and the walls.
So I push the animal off me, turn the shower off, and being the stubborn trooper I am, pick up the puppy and threw her back in the water. She sits there staring daggers into my soul as I apply the shampoo and wash her fur. (Mistake #3). You see, now I have a timid, scared, pissed off, SLIPPERY dog on my hands and obviously not considering this I grab her coller and once again turn on the shower to wash the soap off. (Mistake #4).
I'm not sure what happened after that...I vaguely remember something smashing into my chest and then a blinding light. I hear voices in the distance and stinging in my eyes. I'm sure somewhere's theirs an angel ready to take me away to a far happier land..but the beotch didn't appear to help me calm down a very freaked out animal that has shampoo dripping from every hair.
Now, if any of you have ever tried to grab a slippery animal in a tiled bathroom that has a half a foot of warm bath water in it. You will agree that it is a tad difficult. So I grabbed a towel, managed to get it around the dog and lifted her up to put her back in the tub to rinse her off...not grasping the fact that the tiled floor is now very slippery with shampoo and bath water.
Again....not sure at what point I did the double back flip half gainer onto the tiled floor but I came to my senses laying on my belly, face plush to a shampooy tiled floor and a 70 pound black lab sitting on my back with absolutely no intentions of getting off of me.
At this point, I did all that a man could do in my circumstances. I grabbed a leash, and led the dog down stairs, outside and into the rain to let it do the dirty work. Not considering the fact that my semi clean animal would roll around in the mud and run through the bushes. I admitted defeat, poured myself a stiff rum and coke and trekked towards the bathroom for the hour an a half it will take to clean it up.
All of this to save myself the gargantuan fee of $30 dollars to have her washed professionally.
Winter 1 Master 0
I shall have my revenge!!!
-Rob
White House Decides Not To Share Dead Osama Photos
No pics....didn't happen.
None of their excuses is good enough for me. Show me the photos or it didn't happen, simple as that.
To be honest (launching into a conspiracy theory here), I always thought that they killed him 8 years ago. They kept his death quiet so that they could maintain a presence in Afghanistan and continue their pillaging of oil stores through their newly built oil pipeline. If he was dead, it would have been harder for them to justify a presence in Afghanistan only. I mean, c'mon...they had already said that they KNEW he left and went to Pakistan and yet for 9 years they couldn't find him...seriously...does anyone at all believe a word that comes out of the White House anymore.
So....no pics...didn't happen.
Rob
None of their excuses is good enough for me. Show me the photos or it didn't happen, simple as that.
To be honest (launching into a conspiracy theory here), I always thought that they killed him 8 years ago. They kept his death quiet so that they could maintain a presence in Afghanistan and continue their pillaging of oil stores through their newly built oil pipeline. If he was dead, it would have been harder for them to justify a presence in Afghanistan only. I mean, c'mon...they had already said that they KNEW he left and went to Pakistan and yet for 9 years they couldn't find him...seriously...does anyone at all believe a word that comes out of the White House anymore.
So....no pics...didn't happen.
Rob
Old Man Syndrome
I was in great shape a year ago, I could run 5km's without an issue, I was energetic and outgoing and never really complained to much about my physical well being. Because of this I had decided that it was time that I quit smoking for good, I had originally quit for 13 years but once I hit basic training and the stress of all of that combined with my recourses due to injury I picked it up again.
So, knowing full well that my crutch when I quit smoking was to hide away from people and eat everything in sight I still wasn't able to keep the pounds off. I gained 35 pounds back, and my metabolism and energy levels are completely shot.
The difference now though is I'm 42 and my body is rebelling against me. My metabolism has slowed to a near crawl and from what I've read and been told it's due to my age not so much from anything else. But the fact that I quit smoking contributed to the rapid fall. So losing weight now is going to be an epic battle.
I go to the gym once/twice a day, and I try to stay active but the problem is now that the weight isn't coming off, because of the factors of metabolic slow down. So, I've been on a few supplements that are supposed to help me, and so far I've lost about 5 Kg's.
The hardest part of it all is trying to gain back my cardio. I'm not the running type, I don't have long legs or a sleek build. I'm 5'8" and stocky so when I run it's like a bull rampaging through a mall. I have about a month to get my Cardio up enough that I can run a LvL 5 on the Xpress test which is going to absolutely be a difficult thing to do.
After a swim, and some jogging today, I've decided that it has finally happened....I'm getting Old.
.....and I don't like it.
Rob.
So, knowing full well that my crutch when I quit smoking was to hide away from people and eat everything in sight I still wasn't able to keep the pounds off. I gained 35 pounds back, and my metabolism and energy levels are completely shot.
The difference now though is I'm 42 and my body is rebelling against me. My metabolism has slowed to a near crawl and from what I've read and been told it's due to my age not so much from anything else. But the fact that I quit smoking contributed to the rapid fall. So losing weight now is going to be an epic battle.
I go to the gym once/twice a day, and I try to stay active but the problem is now that the weight isn't coming off, because of the factors of metabolic slow down. So, I've been on a few supplements that are supposed to help me, and so far I've lost about 5 Kg's.
The hardest part of it all is trying to gain back my cardio. I'm not the running type, I don't have long legs or a sleek build. I'm 5'8" and stocky so when I run it's like a bull rampaging through a mall. I have about a month to get my Cardio up enough that I can run a LvL 5 on the Xpress test which is going to absolutely be a difficult thing to do.
After a swim, and some jogging today, I've decided that it has finally happened....I'm getting Old.
.....and I don't like it.
Rob.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Election, Death of Osama, Military Future
Well it's been a pretty eventful couple of days.
The Election: The conservatives have won the Majority they were hoping for, and the NDP are now the official opposition. The Liberal party and the Bloc have been decimated, and Elizabeth May is now the first ever Green Party candidate to be elected in Canada.
- I'm very happy for the NDP as I think they will bring allot of good ideas and energy to the floor...however, with the Conservatives holding a majority the NDP have very little actual power and can only really hope that Stephen Harper will be open to their ideas and comments. He certainly doesn't have to listen to them anymore.
As for the Conservative majority; I think Canada is in for a big surprise with the direction politics are going to take. I am a Liberal at heart, but due to the corruption, poor leadership, and loss of focus, I have been voting Conservative for the past 10+ years in hopes that things would get better. This year I decided to vote for the NDP because I have seen far too many diabolically damaging decisions and ideas by Mr. Harper. I have a feeling that we as Canadians have just given license to someone that does not have the best interest of all Canadians at heart, but will pull our Country to the far right and completely alienate the West from the East. It will be an interesting 4 years that is for sure, and I do wish him the best. I would like to see him stick up for the Military and increase the budget for military pay, equipment, family support, and living allowances.
The Death of Osama: I have mixed emotions about this myself. I feel so much empathy for the families of 9/11, and those that have lost family members through terrorist activities. I also believe that Osama should be brought to justice and that his death will bring a great sense of relief and solace to many people may also be a catalyst for those opposed to the West to increase their activities and targeting the Western interests.
I don't believe for a second that killing him will make things better...sure it gives many a sense of satisfaction, but killing begets killing begets killing. I would really like to see dialogue begin with Al-Qaeda leadership if it's possible, I would like to see us helping to support infrastructure, schools, training for police/emergency workers, assistance for the impoverished, and medical support for the population. I think that the more we help, show our good natured side, and prove to the population at large that we are their to help and not just there to kill we would be doing ourselves more good than harm.
Military Future: Things are looking very bleak for the Canadian Military. We are hugely underfunded, we have outdated/antiquated equipment with very few spare parts, we have a pay structure that is barely allowing members to support their families, and we have a huge gap due to the number of members retiring or just releasing.
I think if something drastic doesn't change in the next few years, Canada will have no military left. Almost every single person I know has talked about getting out of the military or have considered trade changes, component transfers, or just going back to school. The military training system is not able to keep up with the times, their training methods are old and don't really work with todays population. Many of the instructors are jaded, overworked, underpaid, and sick and tired of being placed in impossible situations and they take out their frustrations on those that they are trying to train. Which causes a large percentage to want to get the hell out of there.
I think the system needs a huge overhaul, I believe that our budget must be increased and our equipment brought back into the 20th century. I think that Canadians must make a decision as to whether or not they want a Military, because at the rate things are going....the one we have will be too ineffective to operate at any level. This is happening right now, this isn't a future concern.
There is always hope though, and maybe Mr. Harper will now have the political muscle to get things done.
Rob
The Election: The conservatives have won the Majority they were hoping for, and the NDP are now the official opposition. The Liberal party and the Bloc have been decimated, and Elizabeth May is now the first ever Green Party candidate to be elected in Canada.
- I'm very happy for the NDP as I think they will bring allot of good ideas and energy to the floor...however, with the Conservatives holding a majority the NDP have very little actual power and can only really hope that Stephen Harper will be open to their ideas and comments. He certainly doesn't have to listen to them anymore.
As for the Conservative majority; I think Canada is in for a big surprise with the direction politics are going to take. I am a Liberal at heart, but due to the corruption, poor leadership, and loss of focus, I have been voting Conservative for the past 10+ years in hopes that things would get better. This year I decided to vote for the NDP because I have seen far too many diabolically damaging decisions and ideas by Mr. Harper. I have a feeling that we as Canadians have just given license to someone that does not have the best interest of all Canadians at heart, but will pull our Country to the far right and completely alienate the West from the East. It will be an interesting 4 years that is for sure, and I do wish him the best. I would like to see him stick up for the Military and increase the budget for military pay, equipment, family support, and living allowances.
The Death of Osama: I have mixed emotions about this myself. I feel so much empathy for the families of 9/11, and those that have lost family members through terrorist activities. I also believe that Osama should be brought to justice and that his death will bring a great sense of relief and solace to many people may also be a catalyst for those opposed to the West to increase their activities and targeting the Western interests.
I don't believe for a second that killing him will make things better...sure it gives many a sense of satisfaction, but killing begets killing begets killing. I would really like to see dialogue begin with Al-Qaeda leadership if it's possible, I would like to see us helping to support infrastructure, schools, training for police/emergency workers, assistance for the impoverished, and medical support for the population. I think that the more we help, show our good natured side, and prove to the population at large that we are their to help and not just there to kill we would be doing ourselves more good than harm.
Military Future: Things are looking very bleak for the Canadian Military. We are hugely underfunded, we have outdated/antiquated equipment with very few spare parts, we have a pay structure that is barely allowing members to support their families, and we have a huge gap due to the number of members retiring or just releasing.
I think if something drastic doesn't change in the next few years, Canada will have no military left. Almost every single person I know has talked about getting out of the military or have considered trade changes, component transfers, or just going back to school. The military training system is not able to keep up with the times, their training methods are old and don't really work with todays population. Many of the instructors are jaded, overworked, underpaid, and sick and tired of being placed in impossible situations and they take out their frustrations on those that they are trying to train. Which causes a large percentage to want to get the hell out of there.
I think the system needs a huge overhaul, I believe that our budget must be increased and our equipment brought back into the 20th century. I think that Canadians must make a decision as to whether or not they want a Military, because at the rate things are going....the one we have will be too ineffective to operate at any level. This is happening right now, this isn't a future concern.
There is always hope though, and maybe Mr. Harper will now have the political muscle to get things done.
Rob
Title Change and New Focus
I've decided to change the title of my blog and start to pick it up again by posting more often. I really miss writing and expressing myself. It's such a good way to rant, and blow off steam and also to get the opinions of others on topics that we face throughout life.\
I'm also going to link my blog to my facebook page so friends can comment as well. When I first started this blog I wanted it to be a bit more anonymous so that I'm not constantly afraid to post my opinions that some of my friends and family might find offensive or take issue with. However, I think everyone is entitled to their opinions and as I'm not the type to bad mouth people behind their backs, this isn't an issue I am too concerned with.
My first post in this format will be later today and will include my opinion on the Election, the Death of Osama, and the Military and where it is heading in Canada.
Anyone who feels like they would like to agree, disagree, or voice another such opinion please feel free to do so. I do ask though that you keep it civilized, no trolling, and be respectful.
Rob.
I'm also going to link my blog to my facebook page so friends can comment as well. When I first started this blog I wanted it to be a bit more anonymous so that I'm not constantly afraid to post my opinions that some of my friends and family might find offensive or take issue with. However, I think everyone is entitled to their opinions and as I'm not the type to bad mouth people behind their backs, this isn't an issue I am too concerned with.
My first post in this format will be later today and will include my opinion on the Election, the Death of Osama, and the Military and where it is heading in Canada.
Anyone who feels like they would like to agree, disagree, or voice another such opinion please feel free to do so. I do ask though that you keep it civilized, no trolling, and be respectful.
Rob.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Good Bye & Good Luck Buddies
Two of my dear friends are off to Gagetown to start their Combat Army Phase, they have decided to take a very difficult road, but one that will lead them to greener pastures. Something, I hope to be doing soon as well.
I would like to extend to them my best wishes and my hopes that they pass the rigors without injury.
I will be crossing my fingers and hoping that you both do well now and in the future.
Your Bud,
-Seth
The Military Soap Opera
Well, I have been in the Navy now for two years, and I am still waiting for a change of trade out of MARS. Things are so hectic now as my choice has to be made soon, and there is really very little options available. The only trades open at the moment are those of the Combat Arms variety and unfortunately for me they are more suited for the young and in shape. Artillery, Armored, and Infantry are the three choices.
I am considering Artillery actually right now. The problem with going through with this trade change would be that; A) I have to do the Combat Army Phase which is akin to going back through Basic Training once again. B) I have to redo my Phase II rather than going through my Phase III training and progressing as an Officer. C) I'd have to move back to Gagetown from the lovely city of Victoria (the kids are not happy with this one). D) I will have to up my exercise regime drastically just to pass CAP....and it was on the 13 Km march that I originally broke my foot and consequently spent almost a year in Basic.
The administration is a nightmare, I am supposed to be on a Compassionate leave due to my single father status, which means that I'm currently not deployable, and therefore working a regular shift...however, as of today I was placed on the MARS III course and taken out of my Public Affairs position, which is now filled...screwing me for any future chance at obtaining a Public Affairs position.
So some of the options I'm looking at are:
1) Change of Trade (see above)
2) Resigning my Commission (out of the question - worked too damn hard to get it)
3) Voluntary Release (And either going back to my old job, or re-signing up after 6 months.)
Now that myself and the girls are set up here in Victoria and my family support is all the way back in NB...I'm treading a very thin line of going from being employed to being homeless with two children. Not to mention that there are the every day bills that one has to pay, car loans, student loans, visa payments, furniture/utility payments, food, rent, gas/oil/upkeep, insurance...etc.
I now see why so many people get so very depressed and end up doing stupid things. There just isn't enough support or flexibility out there anymore for people to try and make change, or to try and better themselves. It seems that for every positive thing a person does, there are 15 negative factors impacting them, and for all of the hurdles that you finally clear through determination, grit, and pride....15 more jump up again, each hurdle equaling a catastrophic fate.
I don't believe in luck, I believe that if you want something you work hard towards your goal, but at some point there has to be some help for people, because at this rate, hard work just isn't enough.
-Seth
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
SongBird - The "Almost" Only JukeBox You Will Ever Need.
You know I've been messing with music since I first owned my Commodore 64, I can remember back then listening to music and trying to find the best applications to manipulate sound, or download tracks from different games. Recently though I pretty much jump from one Media player to the next trying to find something that is all inclusive, has all of the options that I'm looking for which include:
Media Management (Automatic detection of newly added tracks)
ID3 Tagging
Album Artwork finder
Skinning/Themes
Addons
Easy Metadata Manipulation
CD Burning/Ripping
There's many more things that I want in my player but that is the basic list. I loved AmoroK for Linux and used that for the most part but I found that with large music libraries it bogged down my system and would crash on me. I've tried SongBird before as well and although I was impressed with it, it really had allot of limitations.
However, I've been using SongBird now for about 4 months and now with the new update I'm completely sold, well let's say 95% sold. The only thing that it's missing in my opinion is decent CD Burning and Ripping addons or capabilities. As well I'd really like to see an automated Album Art downloader/Track Fixer. Hopefully some enterprising young programmer can come up with something that will help flesh out the very decent Album Art feature it already incorporates.
I have roughly 800 gigs of music and having to manually go through each artist/album to download the appropriate Album Art really sucks. I enjoy the look of the MediaFlow addon but with so many Albums having to use the default empty artwork placeholder, it ends up looking terrible.
Other than those small quibbles this is by far my favorite Music Management program and absolutely destroys Itunes (Songbird also has an Iphone/Ipod addon to allow for syncing) and I have yet to find anything remotely as capable. The J.River Media player is coming along but I have encountered far too many crashes and bugs with it to give it a thumbs up.
So, for all my buddies out there, if you want to use an impressive Media player, look no further than Songbird.
-Seth
Monday, November 02, 2009
One Year Update!!
Ok...well I've been away for a very long time and haven't updated this thing since then. So, for my own personal information I'm going to give a short update on what I've been up to.
So in a nut shell I spent a little more time in Basic Training than I had planned. I successfully graduated from the RFT program and managed to lose 72 pounds in 4 months. I then started my IAP/BOTP course however during it my 9th week I managed to break my ankle. I was then placed in PAT platoon for a few months while I healed and then managed to break it again. Finally, I healed up and completed my BOTP and graduated. I then came to Victoria, BC to start my NETP-O course and graduated that on October 30th, 2009.
Of course it was much more indepth than that but that is the gist of how things went. I'm now waiting for my next course to start, and I'm going on vacation here shortly back to Oromocto, NB. Also my kiddies will be moving up here with me shortly, just waiting for some documents to come through and then that is taken care of.
I absolutely love Victoria and hope to make this my home for the next few years.
Ok...there's that.
Seth
So in a nut shell I spent a little more time in Basic Training than I had planned. I successfully graduated from the RFT program and managed to lose 72 pounds in 4 months. I then started my IAP/BOTP course however during it my 9th week I managed to break my ankle. I was then placed in PAT platoon for a few months while I healed and then managed to break it again. Finally, I healed up and completed my BOTP and graduated. I then came to Victoria, BC to start my NETP-O course and graduated that on October 30th, 2009.
Of course it was much more indepth than that but that is the gist of how things went. I'm now waiting for my next course to start, and I'm going on vacation here shortly back to Oromocto, NB. Also my kiddies will be moving up here with me shortly, just waiting for some documents to come through and then that is taken care of.
I absolutely love Victoria and hope to make this my home for the next few years.
Ok...there's that.
Seth
Quitting Smoking
Well...I'm quitting smoking, again. I've started the patch at exactly 2:45pm on Monday the 2nd of November.
I am going to update my blog here to help me track my progress and to express myself as I'm going through it. Most likely these posts will be angry, frustrated, and hateful, haha.
Onwards!!!
Seth
I am going to update my blog here to help me track my progress and to express myself as I'm going through it. Most likely these posts will be angry, frustrated, and hateful, haha.
Onwards!!!
Seth
Friday, May 09, 2008
Recourse: St. Jean
So, I decided after a week on course that I'll need to be in better shape to successfully pass this course. So, after a suggestion from my PO I've decided to go to a 90 day "Fit Camp" in St. Jean. It's an intensive PT course designed for those people that are out of shape to help get them back into shape. It includes a dietician, Trainer, and work out routines.
I'm looking forward to it, I'll start my next BOTC course in Sept.
- Rob
I'm looking forward to it, I'll start my next BOTC course in Sept.
- Rob
Monday, April 21, 2008
Goodbye for 10 Weeks
I leave in 3 days and I won't have the time to update my blog before I go. I'll be busy with getting myself prepared to go.
This is the time of change for me, it will be very difficult to get through it all at my age and condition, but I'm going to give it my all.
I'm looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead of me, I'm looking forward to the changes to my character, physical shape, career, and mentality. I'm looking forward to being more than what I was in my previous careers.
So here's to 10 weeks of hell.
-Rob
This is the time of change for me, it will be very difficult to get through it all at my age and condition, but I'm going to give it my all.
I'm looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead of me, I'm looking forward to the changes to my character, physical shape, career, and mentality. I'm looking forward to being more than what I was in my previous careers.
So here's to 10 weeks of hell.
-Rob
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
10 Day Countdown
Well, I'm down to 10 days before heading off to Nanaimo...and let me tell you I'm scared shitless.
It's not because I'm 39 and most of the people there will be young adults. It's not because of the goings on in Basic, kit and quarters fiasco's, humiliation, and prompting to do better. It's not because of the fact that everything will be new and you'll basically be trained like a 4 year old for 10 weeks.
No...it's because over the past month I have been going to the gym, walking, jogging, and working out...and I still cannot manage to meet my Expres Test requirements.
I just can't seem to get the required push ups, I'm finding it very difficult to get built up enough to pull them all off. I mean granted I'm not nearly in the best of shape and I've been told that they'll take care of that for me, lol, but the not being able to get these push ups done is really bothering me. The sit ups I can just barely manage, the run I can do so far, and the grip test I can do. I'm not really concerned with the step or beep test either.
I guess I'll just have to do my best and then follow whatever they set out for me to do...but man is this going to be embarrassing for me.
- Rob
It's not because I'm 39 and most of the people there will be young adults. It's not because of the goings on in Basic, kit and quarters fiasco's, humiliation, and prompting to do better. It's not because of the fact that everything will be new and you'll basically be trained like a 4 year old for 10 weeks.
No...it's because over the past month I have been going to the gym, walking, jogging, and working out...and I still cannot manage to meet my Expres Test requirements.
I just can't seem to get the required push ups, I'm finding it very difficult to get built up enough to pull them all off. I mean granted I'm not nearly in the best of shape and I've been told that they'll take care of that for me, lol, but the not being able to get these push ups done is really bothering me. The sit ups I can just barely manage, the run I can do so far, and the grip test I can do. I'm not really concerned with the step or beep test either.
I guess I'll just have to do my best and then follow whatever they set out for me to do...but man is this going to be embarrassing for me.
- Rob
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Officer Cadet: New Member of the Canadian Forces
At 10:00 am AST I was officially sworn in as an Officer Cadet in the Canadian Navy. It is now official and there's no turning back, haha.
I'm so very excited about starting this new chapter of my life and what it means for the future for myself and my daughters. The road will be fraught with ups and downs like any new career and I look forward to the challenge.
I'm very proud of myself today, I'm proud to be a Canadian, I'm proud to serve our Country and Queen, and I pledge to myself and those I love and cherish that I will do everything in my power to excel as a Naval Officer and protect and serve.
God Bless Canada and God Bless the Queen.
-Robert
I'm so very excited about starting this new chapter of my life and what it means for the future for myself and my daughters. The road will be fraught with ups and downs like any new career and I look forward to the challenge.
I'm very proud of myself today, I'm proud to be a Canadian, I'm proud to serve our Country and Queen, and I pledge to myself and those I love and cherish that I will do everything in my power to excel as a Naval Officer and protect and serve.
God Bless Canada and God Bless the Queen.
-Robert
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Workout: Pain and Pleasure
So, as I have been doing I've been working out a bit when I have time. I started ramping it up a bit yesterday so that I'm walking 2km's in the morning with my dog on the nature trail, then another 3km's on the treadmill. I intersperse the walking on the treadmill with some jogging and trying to make that a bit less of an issue for me.
I've also started doing my situps and pushups, I can already make the Express Test requirements, but just barely, haha. I am one of those that is truly out of shape, I lose my breath running to the bathroom, let alone 13km forced marches..hehe.
So, basically for the next month I plan on doing the following to try and get me ready for basic:
3 reps of 25 situps (extending the amount/rep as I go)
3 reps of 25 pushups (extending the amount/rep as I go)
5km's Walking/Running
Weight Training
Biking (depending on the weather)
Hopefully that will allow me to not completely collapse on my first day after our 5:10am physical training.
My legs, arms, chest, and shoulders are already protesting the exercise but it also feels great and it's a nice feeling to have a bit more energy.
So...hopefully I stay motivated and do this. It's so very hard to make yourself go through this, even though you know you absolutely have to. I've let it go way to long when I should have been working out much more effectively earlier.
Well...here we go again...workout time.
Seth
I've also started doing my situps and pushups, I can already make the Express Test requirements, but just barely, haha. I am one of those that is truly out of shape, I lose my breath running to the bathroom, let alone 13km forced marches..hehe.
So, basically for the next month I plan on doing the following to try and get me ready for basic:
3 reps of 25 situps (extending the amount/rep as I go)
3 reps of 25 pushups (extending the amount/rep as I go)
5km's Walking/Running
Weight Training
Biking (depending on the weather)
Hopefully that will allow me to not completely collapse on my first day after our 5:10am physical training.
My legs, arms, chest, and shoulders are already protesting the exercise but it also feels great and it's a nice feeling to have a bit more energy.
So...hopefully I stay motivated and do this. It's so very hard to make yourself go through this, even though you know you absolutely have to. I've let it go way to long when I should have been working out much more effectively earlier.
Well...here we go again...workout time.
Seth
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Offer and The Dates
Well, I finally got my offer to join the Military as a M.A.R.S. Officer. I accepted and will be sworn in on April 3rd. I will then be sent for my Phase I training (Basic) on April 26th and it starts the 27th.
I'm very excited about my new career choice, I'm excited about the opportunities that it presents to me and I'm excited that I'm finally excited again about something.
My previous jobs I excelled at but I always felt I was missing something in my life, some sense of accomplishment. Since I decided to join the military and I did the initial Aptitude tests, then the NOAB, and now the Offer...I have felt like I have made a huge accomplishment and it's just the beginning. I cannot wait to get my training over with so that I can get on with the actual job.
I'm looking forward to participating in a team environment and to meet those going through it with me.
I have also taken steps to offer an olive branch to my ex by agreeing to let the girls spend two months with her in Thunderbay, Ont. I think it would be great for the girls to finally get to visit their mom, and I trust that she is now in a state in which she can look after them as well.
This is really turning out to be a great year.
I'm very excited about my new career choice, I'm excited about the opportunities that it presents to me and I'm excited that I'm finally excited again about something.
My previous jobs I excelled at but I always felt I was missing something in my life, some sense of accomplishment. Since I decided to join the military and I did the initial Aptitude tests, then the NOAB, and now the Offer...I have felt like I have made a huge accomplishment and it's just the beginning. I cannot wait to get my training over with so that I can get on with the actual job.
I'm looking forward to participating in a team environment and to meet those going through it with me.
I have also taken steps to offer an olive branch to my ex by agreeing to let the girls spend two months with her in Thunderbay, Ont. I think it would be great for the girls to finally get to visit their mom, and I trust that she is now in a state in which she can look after them as well.
This is really turning out to be a great year.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Reign O'er Me
I watched a movie tonight that I've never seen before, called Reign Over Me...and after the movie ended I felt terribly sad for the characters and for things that I had yet to deal with in my life too.
It took only a movie of such profound pain of the heart to make me fall and feel that pain anew for the umpteenth time. I can't count the number of times I've watched a movie or a tv program (Oprah) and just lost my cool and had tears in my eyes because something reminded me about issues that I haven't dealt with. I think everyone goes through these things too, that there are things in our lives that we regret and that we haven't worked through so we bury them deeply and forget about the...that is until something reminds us.
I'm 39 years old now, going on 40 this year...and for the past 17 years there have been many things that I have regretted and buried in my memories...so sometimes these things come out and they aren't fun to deal with.
I've decided that it's important for me to go and speak with someone about my feelings, and to try and deal with the pain of some of these memories.
I miss my brother...and I can't even write this without tears welling up in my eyes, I miss my ex and how she use to make me smile, despite the fact that life threw us a loop and things didn't work out, I miss her and what might have been and how our two little girls would have been raised with us still together.
I'm weak tonight because this movie affected me more than I thought one could...I thought I would take the time and type this up because my blog is my personal journey, and as unfortunate as it may be that I have to relate the sad part of my life here, well that's why I started this blog, to follow the journey, to follow my thoughts....I will have to continue to travel down this path until I have resolved my feelings towards the loss of my brother and the loss of my ex. Both have affected me with feelings of guilt and sorrow that it's very hard to deal with. But I have plodded on, I have done what I needed to bring up my two little girls...but by repressing those emotions, I think I have done myself a disservice and by doing so, I have done my daughters a disservice.
So...to Billy... I miss you buddy and I'm sorry for the ass I was as a brother to you...I'm sorry for all the bad things I've ever said to you, and I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me. I'll never forgive myself for not saving you.
To Julie...I'm sorry I wasn't the man that could help you become the person you needed to be, I'm sorry I couldn't fix the problems that we had or strong enough to find a way to make your life a happily ever after.
To myself: I forgive you.
- Robert
Reign O'er Me: The Who (remake: Pearl Jam)
"Only love Can make it rain
The way the beach is kissed by the sea
Only love Can make it rain
Like the sweat of lovers
Laying in the fields.
Love, Reign o'er me
Love, Reign o'er me, rain on me
Only love
Can bring the rain
That makes you yearn to the sky
Only love
Can bring the rain
That falls like tears from on high
Love Reign O'er me
On the dry and dusty road
The nights we spend apart alone
I need to get back home to cool cool rain
I can't sleep and I lay and I think
The night is hot and black as ink
Oh God, I need a drink of cool cool rain"
It took only a movie of such profound pain of the heart to make me fall and feel that pain anew for the umpteenth time. I can't count the number of times I've watched a movie or a tv program (Oprah) and just lost my cool and had tears in my eyes because something reminded me about issues that I haven't dealt with. I think everyone goes through these things too, that there are things in our lives that we regret and that we haven't worked through so we bury them deeply and forget about the...that is until something reminds us.
I'm 39 years old now, going on 40 this year...and for the past 17 years there have been many things that I have regretted and buried in my memories...so sometimes these things come out and they aren't fun to deal with.
I've decided that it's important for me to go and speak with someone about my feelings, and to try and deal with the pain of some of these memories.
I miss my brother...and I can't even write this without tears welling up in my eyes, I miss my ex and how she use to make me smile, despite the fact that life threw us a loop and things didn't work out, I miss her and what might have been and how our two little girls would have been raised with us still together.
I'm weak tonight because this movie affected me more than I thought one could...I thought I would take the time and type this up because my blog is my personal journey, and as unfortunate as it may be that I have to relate the sad part of my life here, well that's why I started this blog, to follow the journey, to follow my thoughts....I will have to continue to travel down this path until I have resolved my feelings towards the loss of my brother and the loss of my ex. Both have affected me with feelings of guilt and sorrow that it's very hard to deal with. But I have plodded on, I have done what I needed to bring up my two little girls...but by repressing those emotions, I think I have done myself a disservice and by doing so, I have done my daughters a disservice.
So...to Billy... I miss you buddy and I'm sorry for the ass I was as a brother to you...I'm sorry for all the bad things I've ever said to you, and I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me. I'll never forgive myself for not saving you.
To Julie...I'm sorry I wasn't the man that could help you become the person you needed to be, I'm sorry I couldn't fix the problems that we had or strong enough to find a way to make your life a happily ever after.
To myself: I forgive you.
- Robert
Reign O'er Me: The Who (remake: Pearl Jam)
"Only love Can make it rain
The way the beach is kissed by the sea
Only love Can make it rain
Like the sweat of lovers
Laying in the fields.
Love, Reign o'er me
Love, Reign o'er me, rain on me
Only love
Can bring the rain
That makes you yearn to the sky
Only love
Can bring the rain
That falls like tears from on high
Love Reign O'er me
On the dry and dusty road
The nights we spend apart alone
I need to get back home to cool cool rain
I can't sleep and I lay and I think
The night is hot and black as ink
Oh God, I need a drink of cool cool rain"
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