Lose those Manboobs

One day you just wake up, look down, and suddenly you are faced with these things on your chest. You get dressed and go about your business until suddenly you look in the mirror and realize that your young chiseled physique has slowly, gradually been transformed into a middle aged pear.. with chest bumps. Damn, how'd that happen?

I dunno about the rest of you guys but another year of looking in the mirror at manboobs is too much. It's time for me to start fighting back. If you'd like to fight back also, and want to try a training program that is truly remarkable, then I'd first like you to read the article How to Lose Manboobs by Craig Ballantyne.

Through childrens eyes

This came to me the other day through a friend who sends us jokes regularly. I normally have a good laugh at her jokes and then move on with my day. This one actually made me sit back and think a little harder about how I often take my children for granted. Take the time to recognize that they are precious parts of our lives for only a short amount of time.

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When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard. My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.

When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and I look away. My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.

When I hear music I love, I know I can't carry a tune and don't have much rhythm so I sit self-consciously and listen. My kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words. If they don't know them, they make up their own.

When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk. My kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.

When I pray, I say thee and thou and grant me this, give me that. My kids say, "Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy."

When I see a mud puddle I step around it. I see muddy shoes and dirty carpets. My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross, and worms to play with.

I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from. Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

I wish you Big Mud Puddles and Sunny Yellow Dandelions!!!

Turbulence Training - Shake up your workouts!

I have been working out at gyms on and off for the past 3 years now. The first year was great. I lost almost 65 lbs of total body weight. In all likelihood, I lost more than 65 lbs of body fat, but gained a considerable amount of it back in the form of newly added muscle. Overall I went from 263 lbs down to 204 lbs. Staggering? Yes. Exhilarating? Indeed.

So why is it that I was recently climbing back over 230 lbs once again? Honestly, it's because I got so tired of the same old routines, day-in-day-out. Getting up every morning at 6:00am, heading to the gym at 6:30am, running on the treadmill for 20-30min, working out at the same machines for an hour or more, showering, then heading back to start the work day. Sound monotonous? Exactly... and that's exactly what happened to me. Boredom. And with boredom comes dislike. Ever heard the saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt"? Performing the same routine every day, getting stuck in the same 'ol rut eventually led me to dislike what I was doing. Wow, what a difference from 3 years ago when I started. I absolutely loved my workout routine. But that's what happens. We change as time changes. And if we don't "shake up" our workouts, then we are doomed before we even start.

And that's where Turbulence Training comes in to the picture. A little over 6 weeks ago, I was reading an article on MensHealth.com about the amazing Spartan-300 workout. For anyone that has seen the movie Spartan-300, you will undoubtedly remember the chiseled physiques demonstrated by the actors. The Spartan-300 workout is a good piece of how the actors were able to develop such a superior physique for this movie. I was intrigued. So I did more and more research on the subject, read many articles, client testimonials viewed videos, etc... At the end of day I was still very intrigued and felt that this sort of workout was exactly what I needed to get me back into the mode of fitness training. So I purchased the Turbulence Training program and decided I would give it a shot.

It's been just over 4 weeks since I actually began the program. In fact, I just finished the Beginner portion of the program this weekend and started the Intermediate level yesterday. I have lost at least a full inch off my waistline, and the need for loosening the belt has subsided! I am starting to see significant loss of fat from my torso. In terms of actual weight loss, I haven't stepped on a scale since I started the program. I was at least 230 lbs when I started and probably one or two pounds more. I plan to weigh myself this coming Saturday and will post an update on actual weight loss at that time.

If you have any interest in knowing more about this workout program, and what it can do for you, feel free to check out the Turbulence Training website and forums as well as the above links to MensHealth.

Day Camps - Who's In Charge?

Well, this is the first week of day camp for my boys. We would have had them enrolled sooner but there was a restriction on age groups. You had to be 5 years old... and of course there was no way we could sign up Delaney without Cace. So we enrolled both of them a few weeks ago in anticipation of Cace turning 5 this past weekend.

Day 1 was excellent. Cace was very excited about "Art" class, which was a shock to both Flo and I. He had not expressed any interest in art whenever we tried to get him to draw, etc.. So we took this as a good thing.

Day 2 was not so excellent! Cace it turns out was misbehaving for the majority of the day. When Flo arrived at day camp to pick them up, she noticed Cace had a small cut over his left eye. Nobody at camp realized he had even been cut. Upon arriving home we find out that this happened shortly after being dropped off at camp that morning. He had been there almost a full day and not a single camp counsellor noticed that his left eye had a cut and was bleeding slowly. This concerned us more than the cut itself. Who is watching our children at camp? Are they watching? How is it possible not to notice a child has a cut over his eye. As you can imagine, many questions and emotions surfaced.

I took Cace to the hospital to make sure the cut didn't need glue or stitches. A month+ ago he had cut the same place when he and his brother were skylarking around on their beds. The doctors at ER glued the cut closed rather than stitching it. That is why I was concerned... because he had reopened the same cut from a month earlier. Anyhow, after an hour wait, they decided he did not need to have anything on the cut... it would heal on its own. Sometimes I wonder about these ER interns/doctors. One day they are all concerned that he will have scarring and so they glue it... the next time, they decide to let the same cut heal on its own but proceed to tell me that it will be a small scarring but not noticeable because of location. Go figure... 2 completely different opinions from the same medical system. Shocker? Not at all. Our healthcare system is so lacking right now, that nothing shocks me. But that's an entire posting on it's own.

Anyhow, I guess after a few hours all the emotion settled and we got to thinking about the whole thing. Cace is a very strong little boy and never wants to show you emotion when he gets hurt. I don't know where he gets this from, but he always tries to hide his feelings. So I believe that when he cut his eye that morning, he hid it. When asked about it, he said it was nothing, as he usually does. He does not like to garner unnecessary attention. And so he shrugged it off. However, over the course of the day he likely was irritated by the cut and the soreness, etc.. and this led to him being a little "tyrant" that day... or at least that's what I like to think happened.

Day 3 was much better and no cuts from either! Off to a good start... now let's wait and see how Day 4 is. :-)

Get out and Enjoy Summer

Wow, Regatta Day is here and gone. Records were broken... along with rainfall records the previous day. And so be it... the downward slide of summer begins as the days start getting shorter and the nights a little longer.

This is actually my favourite time of year. So all I need to do is get up from my chair, march to the door, turn the knob, and step outside, right? Yeah, that's right. Just Do It as Nike always says!

Anyhow, I shall try to do just that over the next few weeks. Get out and enjoy what we have left of summer. Before you know it we will be shopping for Christmas gifts and wondering when the first snow will be falling. Let's see if we can leave those thoughts for a few more weeks and get on with enjoying summer already.

Ciao!

Peering out from the Dungeon!

Today while sitting here in the solitude of my dungeon (for those that do not know me, don't get the wrong idea. Flo does not have me handcuffed to the walls in a dug out trench beneath the house... although I'm sure the thought has crossed her mind many times!) I realized that I have very little sunlight coming in. And it's purposeful on my part, even though I hadn't really noticed before. I guess it's part of the whole working-from-home syndrome, that I tend to block out the light so that I don't get distracted and start wandering out the backdoor and doing work in my garden instead of doing my real job!

It's really a system that my mind has developed without my concsious taking notice. On days when it is sunny and nice outdoors, I close my blinds and on those not so nice rainy days, I oftentimes leave the blinds wide open. Is this a subconcious way of my mind dealing with distractions that could arise and disrupt my workday? Or am I just turning into a comple and utter recluse?

I guess time will tell!

Summer vacation

Seems like we spend so much time waitin' for summer to actually arrive, that when it does, we don't have the time to really enjoy it. Timing it is the problem. When do we take our holidays? How long do we take? Do we spread it out over many long weekends or make it one stretch of 2 weeks or more? In most other parts of the country, I imagine that the majority of people are pretty confident when they make their summer vacation plans. They can rely on the weather being somewhat consistent.

Here on The Rock we have a much more challenging time at choosing/guessing/gambling (whatever you want to call it) of when to make our vacation plans. This year I have decided to "wing it". I will plan to take some of my vacation in extended weekends rather than my usual one week stint here and there. I still don't know if that's a good plan or not, but at the end of the summer, or what we like to refer to as "summer", I'm sure I'll be happy that I had at least a few vacation days to enjoy. I hope!

Is the grass always greener?

Why does it always seem like the grass is greener on the other side. I'm not just referring to my neighbours garden either! In everything we do, eventually it seems like the grass is always greener. Even when we get what we want, eventually we feel like it wasn't what we really wanted after all, and now we want something different. Or maybe that's just me...

Here's an example... a year ago we were too cramped having 2 offices in the same room. So I decided to finish my basement and put my office downstairs. Loved it for the first little while. However, yesterday Flo was working and the kids were home with me during the day, so I decided to use Flo's office upstairs for the day. Easier to keep an eye on the kids. And guess what... her office felt much more comfortable to me. To the point that I was ready to kick her out and relinquish her to the basement office last night! No joking.

Why is it that no matter what we think we want, it never really turns out to be exactly what we really want.... or is it just that we get bored too easily. Again, maybe it's just me. :-)

Goin' to da Country

Ever hear someone say "we're goin' to da country"? What exactly does it mean? For most people that simple phrase probably invokes a bit of laughter, and for others a bit of bewilderment. What country are ya referrin' to dere buddy? Growing up I was never a "goin' to da country" kid. We always went off camping, and fishing, etc... but we never went to "da country". Did you? If so, then this is a no brainer. You already know what I'm talking about. You can leave now. If you have no idea what on earth I'm referring to, then by the lard dine tunderin' I'm gonna tell ya.



Goin' to da country is a way of tellin' folks that you're off to your cabin for the weekend. No, it's not in another country, per se, but it's just as well it was. Cause to hear everyone talking about it, you'd swear they were off to the lost island of Atlantis to enjoy the long weekend. There's nothin' like goin' to da country bye, is what they all say.



Well, I'm seriously considering partaking in this "da country" affair, and kicking it back a notch or two. Time to give meself and da wife and da kids a piece of da country. Or at least that's what I'm considering. Now comes da hard part... finding a place of me own out dere in da country. Know any good places? If so, drop me a line and let me know where da best place out dere in da country is!

Nothing to say about nothing

That's how I've been feeling lately... nothing to say about nothing. It's crazy around here and I don't know if it's just that things are so hectic, or if I'm plain losing motivation for updating the blog. Probably a combination of the fact that I'm trying to earn my degree at night, work all day, help run a restaurant, raise a family, be a good husband, keep from strangling the dogs and cats when they get on my nerves, keep the garden clean, the grass mowed, the money coming, the kids from hurting each other, the cats from tearing each others eyes out, the house half clean except of course for all that darned animal hair that somehow replaces the vacuumed up hair before it even enters the vacuum bag. Phew.... maybe it's time to just sit back, grab a nice cold beer, and relax. Perhaps when that one week of summer finally arrives I will be ready to do just that. Then again, I'm sure by then there will be something else to take up my "spare" time!

Note: this cartoon is by Dave Walker.

Hein Lick Maneuver

I am not a big fan of Newfie jokes, but I can laugh at them with the best of us. When this one came through my email this morning I thought it was worth showing you. Enjoy!

A woman sitting in a restaurant in St John's, Newfoundland, suddenly began to cough while eating a giant lobster.

After a few seconds it became apparent that she was in real distress, and two men, Bob and Bill, sitting at the next table turned to look at her.

"Kin ya swaller'? asked Bob. The woman signaled 'No', desperately shaking her head

"Kin ya breathe?" asked Bill. The woman, beginning to turn a bit blue, shook her head 'No.

With that, Bob walked over to her, lifted up the back of her skirt, yanked down her panties, and slowly ran his tongue up and down the woman's butt. This shocked the woman and she went into such a violent spasm that the obstruction flew out of her mouth and she began to breathe again.

Bob swaggered back over to his table and proudly took another drink of his beer. Bill said in admiration, toasting Bob "Ya know boy, I'd heard of dat dere Hind Lick Maneuver, but I ain't never seen nobody do it before."

Natural Highs

Natural Highs

This came to me in the form of SPAM this past week... I usually just delete these things, but for some reason this one caught my attention. So I read it... and what I found was there was actually some pretty good things listed here that made me laugh.

So I pulled out all the SPAM crap and decided to post it for others to get a giggle or two as well.

Think about them one at a time before going on to the next one. It Does Make You Feel Good, especially the thought at the end of #44.

1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry ).
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15. The beach.
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
24. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
25. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
26. Your first kiss (the very first).
27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
28. Playing with a new puppy.
29. Having someone play with your hair.
30. Sweet dreams.
31. Hot chocolate.
32. Road trips with friends.
33. Swinging on swings.
34. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
35. Making chocolate chip cookies.
36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
37 Holding hands with someone you care about.
38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
39. Watching the __expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
40. Watching the sunrise.
41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
42. Knowing that somebody misses you.
43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
44 Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

I'm sure you didn't find all of them amusing, but I doubt you read all 44 and didn't find at least one to make you laugh a little. :-)

How to Lose those Manboobs

Title: How to Lose Manboobs


By line: By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
URL: Tubulence Training.com
Word count: 442
Related keywords: lose manboobs, fat burning workout, chest fat, lose chest fat, burn chest fat, burn fat


How to Lose Manboobs
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
TurbulenceTraining.com


You don’t have to go through life with man boobs (otherwise known as male breasts). In fact, you can burn away chest fat and get rid of your manboobs forever with just three short, but intense workouts per week.


Getting rid of manboobs is as simple as getting rid of any other fat. You need to cut back on the junk, and fill up on the intensity. Turbulence Training is the fastest fat loss workout you can do at home. You don’t need fancy equipment or a gym membership (where you’ll be too embarrassed by your man boobs to go anyway).


Listen, women love a chiseled chest, but are turned off by the site of manboobs poking through a sweatshirt. That’s why I’ve put together a fat burning program that focuses on building muscle and blasting fat with all sorts of push-ups, chest exercises, and intervals. In fact, even the Turbulence Training abdominal workouts work the chest and help convert those man boobs back into a real man’s chest in just weeks.


You can gain muscle and lose fat with short workouts. You don’t need to be training 6 days per week or spending hundreds of dollars each month on fancy (but worthless) supplements. Soon you’ll be the guy who is first to take his shirt off at the beach. No more hiding under sweats in the middle of July, or avoiding the water because you don’t want anyone to see your manboobs.
And no matter what anyone says, you don’t have to rely on surgery. Besides, that will leave ugly scars that will leave you just as self-conscious as when you had man boobs. The only fix is a permanent lifestyle change, thanks to the 3 short workouts per week of Turbulence Training. You’ll see changes in your man boobs, love handles, and arm definition within weeks, going from male breasts to ripped abs in the process.


Turbulence Training is not like all those other aerobic, slow cardio programs you’ve tried in the past that didn’t work. And it’s not a wimpy machine circuit that just ends up being a waste of your time. Instead, Turbulence Training is a unique exercise system that you can do in the comfort of your own home, so that no one at the gym can point or stare at your chest – at least not until they are staring with respect.


The fastest way, the safest way, and the only way to get rid of man boobs is with strength training and interval training. Combine that with Dr. Chris Mohr’s sensible nutrition guidelines, and you’ll have a new body, and a new chest in just weeks.


Sincerely, Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training


About the Author
Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit Turbulence Training.com.

Virtual Human - Technology Galore!

Now, this is the breakthroughs in technology that will really mean something to people in 10-20 years.

http://www.cbc.ca/MRL/clips/rm-hi/virtualhuman070523.rm

Now that's a prop!

This has to be the largest propeller in the world. Man, I couldn't believe this when I first seen it. Can you imagine how large the ship that uses this propeller must be! You can click the link to the right to see more pics from a slideshow.

So much for being healthy

Striving to live "healthy", and actually getting there are 2 very different things. Back in February of this year I decided it was time to finally give up my smoking habit, which for the past 8 years has been a a thorn in my side. I took it up 8 years ago, after having been quit for 6 years prior. Anyhow,needless to say, it was always something I said I would give up, but never could. So now I have once again. To replace the endorphin rush I received while smoking, I decided I would start jogging and running and that I would set a goal for myself of running this years 80th running of the Tely 10.

Things were going great, for the first 2 months. About a month ago, however, I started to feel pain in the front of my shins after running. The pain would surface hours after my run was complete, not during the actual run itself. I shook it off as being muscle soreness and vowed I would stretch more the next time I run. Well, of course we all know that doesn't happen! I ran my first 5K race at the end of April, and then my 2nd race 1 week later at Mundy Pond Shoppers 5K race. I beat my personal best from a week earlier by 2 full minutes. That's AWESOME I thought.... until later that afternoon I could barely walk around the house. I spent 2 days almost crippling around. Now it appears I have a bad case of Shin Splints. What to do about it? Rest, stretching, rest and more stretching. Apparently they will never go away, but with lots of rest and stretching they should get more bearable.

So much for doing good... perhaps it's time for me to return to my old habits... not that I want to, but maybe it will help me avoid the pitfalls of not running... those being that I am eating more and more and no longer losing the weight which running was helping me lose.

Reclaim Our Resources

If Chavez can do it, then so can Danny 'boy! Come on Danny, do you have it in ya? I think you do, and I bet there's a majority here that would vote the same.

To hell with the Big Oil companies. There is enough "oil in them der hills" to make every man, woman and child of this great nation (Newfoundland not Canada) mildy happy. Yes, not filthy rich. But at least comfortable. And I am not just talking about oil. We have enough natural resources beyond oil (hydro, natural gas, mining, etc...) to fill the gaps generations of Canadian suppression have left behind.

The time is now. Stand up and be counted. Or wither away and pack your suitcases. I vote to stand and stay.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/01/news/international/bc.venezuela.nationalization.reut/index.htm?pc=no_id

The more we do, the less we get done

Ever notice that the more we take on in our daily lives, the less we seem to accomplish? Maybe it's just me, but here lately it seems like everyday I start out with a few things I know I need to get finished, and yet the next day I still seem to have those same items on my to-do list along with a few more that got added throughout the day.

Oh my... at least I'm here to complain right! ;-)

126th out of 139

Yup, it's true... I finished my first road race in one piece this past Sunday. It appears I came in 126th overall out of a possible 139. To most people that probably sounds shitty... but to me, that is a GREAT result. Until 3 months ago, I was a pack-a-day smoker for the past 8 years. Prior to that I had quit smoking for 6 years while attending college and into my first 3 years of post-college employment. Prior to college I had probably been smoking for 8-10 years if not more. I dunno, I gave up counting really.

Anyhow, my point being, that 126th out of 139 is a great result for me... I was just happy to make it across the FINISH line! :-)

Pitch yourself...

Yup, you heard me... I said Pitch Yourself... and not off the end of the dock either. Have you ever been in a situation where you were under the gun and needed a nice short, quick way to pitch your idea, event, or even something about yourself?

Well, if you have and found yourself stumbling for just the right words, perhaps you could use a 15 Second Pitch. Check it out... here's my just in case you were wondering!

Cool Interactive 2

This is one of the coolest applications of new technology I have seen. I found this on another site yesterday. Lost the link, so I apologize for not providing the reference.

Jefferson Y. Han, a research scientist at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, has come up with a cost effective multi-touch, multi-point computer screen, which he demonstrated to thousand or so attendees on the first day of TED 2006, the annual technology, entertainment, and design conference in Monterey, California

Here is a video of his demonstration at TED:

http://www.technacular.com/2007/02/09/minority-report-is-reality-now-multi-touch-interaction/

It's off to work I go I go...

Yes folks, that's right... it appears there are thousands more Newfoundlanders & Labradorians willing to make the move west. There is another Alberta-bound job fair taking place right here at home. Gone are the days of having to up and leave and go look for work. The companies are coming here looking for us. So why not right? We have the strongest work ethic in North America. We have some of the best and brightest this country has to offer. The only problem is that we don't have enough jobs for the best and brightest. To those of us that are making the move, I wish you all the best. I know what it means to work away from home, so all I can say is ".. hang in there. You will get what you want because you are a determined Newfoundlander like thousands that have left before you." To those of us that don't need to move... just yet... hang in there, because the future of this place is unknown. Don't turn your face away from this phenomenon, for it may be upon all of us before too long.

My First 5K Race

Well, since quitting smoking my goal has been to run the Tely 10 - a 10 mile race this coming July. So, in preparation for that race, I have decided to start running in some of the regular sanctioned events which take place almost every weekend between now and July.

So, this coming weekend, April 29th, 2007 will be my first official 5K race.... the Burton's Pond Timex 5K 2 lap race......

Running away from Smoking

It has been almost 3 months since I quit smoking and I honestly have to say that it is finally starting to become a little easier. Most days the thought of having a cigarette doesn't even cross my mind. Other days the thoughts appear, but quickly disapper. My main goal since quitting has become to run a 16km (10 mile) race this coming July. The race is called the Tely 10 and 2007 will be the 80th year of its running. Yes, some might say this is a pretty lofty goal for an unfit, non-smoke... but what the heck... why let that bother me!

So, my main priority since quitting is to replace my smoking urges with those of running. I have always hated running but this time I wanted it to be different. This time I wanted to ease into it, and make myself enjoy... if for nothing else then to get myself "fit" again. So I started out walking every other day, and have finally graduated to jogging and easy running. I typcially run 3.5km every other day, and on Saturday or Sunday I have started running a long run of 6.7km. Yes, that's still a far cry from 16km, but I take solice in the fact that I have still have 12 weeks of training left before the BIG DAY.

I am actually planning on signing up for a 10 week training group for this race... but I have to first get control of the major problem I am starting to have with shin splints. Hopefully with some extra rest this week I can beat this thing or at least get a better handle on what I need to do to control it.

The Bloc Newfyvois

Maybe The Bloc aren't as bad as we all think. Maybe they have the right attitude. Maybe we should start thinking more like The Bloc... after all, aren't they trying to get the same things for Quebec that we as Newfoundlanders want for Newfoundland? or maybe I am missing a key point somewhere along the way? No, I think I got it... we really are looking out for the same thing. The only difference being that Quebec has 3 million more citizens with a tonne more seats in the house than we here on The Rock.

Hmm... The Bloc... The Rock. Maybe we should consider a new political party called The Rock Newfyvois. I dunno... sad as it may sound, I think our up-n-coming generations should start serisously debating the pros and cons of seperation from mainland Canada. Not considering it is blindly shutting our minds to the possibility of a better way... isn't it?

'Hope' for unbaptized babies?

Please tell me they are kidding... Oh, before I go any further, this blog entry may offend some devout Catholics, so if you're not in the mood to have your religious views challenged, better to leave this one alone right now!

Now, down to the nitty gritty. Actually, before we get into it, why don't you first take a look at the article "Catholic Church sees 'hope' for unbaptized babies" which is the reason for this rant.

Okay, I don't care if you are the most devout Catholic on the face of this planet. Deep down inside this has to make you second guess some of the things your religion stand for. Any religion which would makes people believe that their unbaptized children are kept from being with God in Heaven is not something I want to be a part of. Now, I am by no means a devout anything... but I do believe strongly that, of any of us, our children are the least "tainted". Unbaptized children are not capable of SIN. Anyone that tells you different is doing nothing more than trying to control you.

This struck home with me many years ago when a very good friend of the family had a stillborn child. She was a devout Catholic and when it came time to bury her son, she was told by the Catholic church that her son could not be buried in the catholic church because he was not baptized and cleansed of all his sins. Only after the entire community rallied around her was she allowed to bury her son in the graveyard... but that's not the best part... they forced her to bury the child at the very back of the graveyard... as if he was being banised. This made her question her beliefs, and I mine.

How to tell your neighbour...

Have you ever been looking for just the right words to tell your neighbour to "butt out", or "buzz off", or just plain 'ol Kiss My @ss? If so, then this might be just the thing you're looking for.

It sure made me laugh when I seen it and I'm sure you're neighbour will get the message along with a good chuckle. ;-)

Political Shenanigans

Until last year I really had very little dealings with politics, other than those rare occasions when we all get the opportunity to vote in our oftentimes meaningless elections. However, last year was different. Last year we had a problem in our neighbourhood. The only way to address this problem was through our municipal council. Well... little did we realize what we were in for. A year later and we are still no further ahead. Every time we turn around we are getting a conflicting answer from each person we talk to. From council chambers to town offices, the left hands definitely do not know or care what the right hands are doing. There are shenanigans going on, but to figure out from which end is impossible.

Half an Hour Later

So for those of you not from these here parts, the title of this blog may have you puzzled. 1/2 an Hour Later. What a strange name for a blog. Well not really. After all, I live in Newfoundland & Labrador, a small (well, not geographically, but population wise I guess we are considered small) island off the east coast of Canada. And this small island has it's own Timezone! Yes, that's right, we have our unique timezone. If you don't believe me, go ahead and double-click on the date on your computer, and then pull up the Timezones setting. Scroll down until you find "Newfoundland Time".

We are actually GMT -03:30. That leaves us half an hour later than everyone else in North America. The next closet timezone is the Atlantic Timezone which is GMT -04:00.

So that can be a good thing... we are the FIRST to celebrate New Years and the FIRST to see the sun rise in North America. Of course, it can also be bad since we are the first to see the sunset! But that's never considered a bad thing here on The Rock... for whence the sun descends o'er them there hills, 'tis off to the stompin' grounds we flow......

What the future holds?

I have been thinking a lot about what the future holds for our children. Not all gushy/feely stuff... but rather plain old "what's gonna be here" type thoughts. What will life be like for them here on The Rock... that is, of course, if they decide to stay here like we did. Maybe they'll learn from our mistakes and move on to warmer pastures... you'll notice I didn't say "greener" or "better" pastures... I said "warmer" pastures... because deep down, that's the only thing better than Newfoundland that they will find elsewhere. The weather. If for nothing else, this place we all love and cheerish can be a B@$T@rD of a place to live when it comes to the weather!

BUMP...Oops too late!

I get so annoyed at our friends in the municipal and provincial departments of Transportation. Everytime I travel our roads and see a sign that says BUMP, I get nervous.... because it means I am gonna hit that bump RIGHT NOW..... too late to brake.... BANG.... there it was, not a second to spare. Damn... have I twisted the front end, or maybe that's just my ears still ringing from the BANG. Either way, it P!!$$3$ me off everytime it happens. And it seems like it's the "norm" here lately.

Why can't they just place signs a couple hundred feet back before the actual bump? I mean it can't be that difficult a concept to implement can it? Now I know we may be challenging you to do something outside of your "normal routine" here, but for the sake of everyone and everything involved (i.e. our precious motorized comrades) perhaps you can try.

Lord knows if I had a few hundred feet to prepare, I'm sure I could drop 'er back from 120 kmh to at least 100 kmh!

Should Government Pay for Our Mistakes?

Well I'm sure this post will not be favored by everyone that reads it, but I'm not here for a popularity contest! This is my blog, and I am allowed to write about what I want here on 1/2 an Hour Later. :-)

Today I wish to voice my concern over governments' plan to compensate individuals in Daniels Harbour. Now, if you're not sure what I am referring to, then you might want to take a look at the CBC article Compensation in wings as landslides rock town.

Now, don't get me wrong here. I am not a heartless bast#$%d. I feel very badly for these displaced fellow Newfoundlanders. And I wish no harm on anyone. I sincerely hope that for the good of these people, and for the good of Danielles' Harbour, that they are able to receive some sort of financial support to help them get back on their feet again. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that the financial support should come from the government coffers.

If I was to build my house next to a river then I should be rightfully expect there is a good possibility I will have a flood on my hands at some time. Same goes for anyone that builds their homes next to the side of a cliff. The expectation should be there that your house is at risk. So I question why we, as taxpayers, should have to foot the bill to rebuild homes that should never have been built in those locations to start with. It's not as if the government forced these people to build their homes next to a cliff. If that was the case, then by all means, the government should step in and compensate them. However, I doubt that is the case (but please correct me if I am wrong here!).

Think about this for a second.... if the government was, for arguments sake, giving out $50,000 to each family to help with the rebuild of their homes (this is hypothtetical and there has not been any mention of how much money the government plans to poney up for this effort). Think about how long it would take you, as an individual taxpayer, to pay in that amount of Provincial Tax.

I just feel that our tax dollars should not be used for these sorts of situations. The next thing you know we'll be looking for compensation when we leave our vehicles unlocked and someone robs them. Exactly... that sounds pretty dumb right? Well, how different is it from this situation? IMO it's not that different at all.

Bombarded by Web Advertisements

Well I'm sure everyone can agree with me on this one... the plethora of web advertisements that exist today are so overwhelming that many times when I am on a website I just get so bombarded by the hoards of ads that are on the pages that I simply close the browser and move to a site a little more pleasing on the eyes.

I dunno if it's because I'm hitting 38 years of age and my eyesight is finally crapping out on me... or if it's simply the extreme volume of sads on the web today. Yes, that's right... I said "sads" not ads. Because to me it's 1) SAD that there are so many ads blocking up the web, and 2) most of them are "Shit" ads. By that I mean they are "S"imple "H"it me ads that require the user to hit their mouse buttons and click through to the advertising site. Advertisements on the web have not changed much in the past few years. While websites are moving into the new world of XHTML, and even into Web 2.0, the ads that get displayed are still the same old boring ads from years gone by.

A good example of this is The Telegram. I am an avid reader of The Telgram, but lately I have been apprehensive on going there because I am tired of all the Advertisements that are on the home page.

Again, is it me, or does everyone else find this as frustrating as I do.