General

Because every post deserves a category these posts could be about anything and everything.

  • I still need a new phone

    Why do the cell phone companies make it so hard on you to find a phone that suits “you.” I have been on the hunt now for the predecessor to my Nokia 6620 that is now cloning in on a four-year old design of a phone. I wasn’t even lucky enough to have a battery covered by the recall since that is the main issue I am having with it.

    My phone runs off of the S60 second generation Symbian OS, and I really like it, now if I could just find a GSM phone with the 3rd Gen. But nobody seems to offer the thing, sure some people play music on their phones but I have an iPod Nano so that is not really important to me, neither is cell phone gaming, but I like the option to install whatever programs I want as the Symbian OS has loads of programming that in most cases is higher quality than a lot of what you can get from the Java that most phones offer.

    I also like that GSM is more secure as it never goes back to analog mode, and the ability to move my contacts from phone to phone easily on the SIM card, and the global nature of the GSM technology. So CDMA/1X-EVDO is not really an option.

    Anyways that is my rant. I really like the Blackberry Pearl but a $35 data plan for 4MB is crazy.

  • I now got my Mac 🙂

    Because I want to make a post but did not have a topic, so I am going to make this post about my new MacBook. I really am now wishing my main computer was a mac but this is really one of the best computers I have used. (Leave comments with your recommendations). I’ve still been looking for places to get free software for it. I’m having issues at the moment networking with my PC but I thing the problem it is because I can’t even network my Windows XP with it ATM.

    I’ve also been working on new patches for WordPress 2.5 that is due to come out March 10th. It wasn’t working in IE7 (back-end) so that was also one of the reasons I never made a post lately, that and starting a Full-time job that I haven’t really done since July 2005. It is really tough getting used to a FT job if you’ve been away from it for a while. Although I am glad that now that I have more experience it seems better suited than the last time I have done call-centre work.

    Finally, since it is getting late (2:12AM), I am working on re-structuring TheRealBurgers.com and going to start doing real full movie reviews since I tend to disagree with most critics, I thought along with Tony Tompkins, to post these reviews of all the movies I have seen as I see them. I may even port the reviews to my Flixster account, which can be seen through Facebook as well like the RSS feeds of this site as well.

  • Untraceable

    Studio: Cohen / Pearl Productions / Lakeshore Entertainment
    Released: January 2008
    CEFM Rating: 3.5/5

    I was unsure as to how this feature would work for my taste; however, I found this film to have an unbelieveable storyline. Also, I was shakened by the disturbing context of the murders. Despite the great story and un-nerving content, I was disapponted that they reveiled the Untraceable killer early on in the feature, which to me pulled the hidden mystery behind the title. Furthermore, this film will make your stomach turn in many directions as it finishes.

  • HAAAAARRRRRRDDDDDDD!!!

    So, I have been covering curling on Rogers Television lately and I find myself becoming attached to the sport.

    So the job hunt seems to be going well. It seems easier this time than in the past.

    I’m going to go see "Meet the Spartans" tonight I’ve been waiting to see that for a while.

    I hope everyone likes the new theme. The program I use for the photo gallery section is so impossibly hard to them and make look the same a this program that I use from my blog seemed like it was never going to work.

  • Again another post and another year!

    While since it is a new year it just seems different. 2006 was a very bad year as I posted a year ago now that I look back at the posts I made and 2007 went by without many successes or failures. But, now it ’tis 2008. I can’t wait this looks to be the year that every thing seems to be heading to.

    This spring there is another one of those municipal elections. Not to say that I would run again seeing as how things are going, but who knows what will happen.

    On the political side of things I don’t see me doing much this year as there is still uncertainty as to where I will be come the end of it.

    I’m, along with Tony Tompkins are working on a web cast series titled “The Badger Hunter” the editing of the pilot episode is almost done on that and is slated for release on February 29th. We are currently about to begin filming of the second episode.

    I’ve been going over some of the code for my photo gallery and seem to have it fixed despite the unknown reason that the background of the main section disappears on FireFox or Safari. So I’m gonna get to adding the few new photos I have taken lately. I might even take more photos soon, need reason to get more active.

    I have decided that the Crushed Beautifully series has come to an end, there will not be a third film in the series.

  • And the holidays are done! or are they!

    So I haven’t had the opportunity to update this page in a while. It has been really busy lately.

    I spent many hours this past month working on the 12 Daytimes of Christmas on Rogers Television. The final two episodes are going to re-air on January 1-4th (11am, 4pm, and 10pm.)

    Also another note of something to watch was the locally shot “Sticks and Stones” 8pm AT Jan 1st on CTV.

    Now getting onto some of my movies, the pilot episode of the “Badger Hunter” is almost edited for it’s February release date. We are working on it’s website this weekend.

    On Boxing Day, I learned that the Toronto Film School is closing which now is gonna change my plans for a October move to Toronto. Tony and I have been looking now at the Toronto Film College but have not heard much about it, also Toronto apartment hunting seems like a daunting monster, even harder than the actual move.

  • Welcome to White December

    I don’t have much time to make this post but doesn’t the ground look nicer when all the imperfections are covered by a soft fluffy white layer of freshly placed snow.

    To day before work I’m going to bring an Acer laptop back to The Source because the wireless does not have good reception to my network and that it is impossible to network it properly with only Windows Vista Home Basic on it. Also when you dim the screen so it doesn’t take your eyes out in a dark room it forgets it after several minutes and blinds you. It also does not have easy a find in the dark volume keys.

    Otherwise it was an okay laptop.

    I guess that is it for now. I’ll post back soon.

  • It was a Joke.

    So, the world is not ending. And to those people that didn’t get that it was a joke I am truly saddened… not really. So I’m writing this from the theater waiting for the movie to start. I just seen Mr. Magoriam (CEFM Rating: 2/5) I rate it as okay but not great. It seamed not to flow and left you waiting for the story to progress. That is it for now.
     

     

  • The end could be near!!!

    The end could be near!!!

    I just saw these swirling lights in the sky to the north as I was heading home from work.

    The first night of the Eastpoint lights.

  • My IQ

    I just did the IQ test on Facebook and scored a 134. I think that is pretty darned good, and typical to what I get on most of those on-line IQ tests. I only had 3 out of thirty questions wrong. Probably the ones I had to guess on.

    And while we are on the topic of Facebook, I would like to point out how annoying some of those application invites get sometimes. And that vampire one actually sends an IM to you after you have left it and even blocked the application. I usually block many of the applications before I even get invited most of the time. And for my loyal crowd I’m going to give you all a sneak peek (moved to portfolio) at the graphics I have just created for the TV Auction that will air next Sunday @ 1pm on Channel 10. See www.lancasterkiwanis.net for more info on it.

  • WWWeeee….. I’m one of those shoppers.

    Okay so I thought that I would post a YouTube video that I think is killer! But on another note on what I just realized I am an “Impulsive A**hole Bargain Shopper”. Today at work I learned that a shipment of “on-sale” Miracle Whip came in and customers were buying lots of it. Knowing how fast it ran out on Saturday I could not help myself but buy the limit of 2 bottles. Now I don’t really eat miracle whip too much, a bottle half the size would last me 2 months, but I could not stop myself (I just couldn’t) I just had to buy it. Knowing full well that it probably would not get eaten, kinda like the soup and Kraft Dinner from 2 months ago that are still in my cupboard uneaten.

    I always laughed at those people so it is really depressing to realize I’m one.

  • Saint Johners I thought you were smart!

    I still think that most of you don’t have a brain in your head sometimes. But, we will see. Come the next election I hope that there will be enough good candidate running in every ward so that we don’t end up like Miramichi.

    Doesn’t anyone remember why in 1980 the ward 198 years of a ward system was brought to an end? Because the council was too focused on the day-2-day of the city rather than setting policy and advancing the city forward. We were doing that, this is going to be another nail in the coffin of Saint John. This is going to strip away the progress foreseen in the last 4 years.

    The next council is more likely than not going to pit one against the other for; who gets a rink, I want my sidewalks plowed. And attention is diverted away from the future and placed on the present.

  • And my vote has been cast…

    I have just had my say, in the advance polls this afternoon. Hopefully at least 40% +1 will agree with me and turn down the ward system, as proposed by council. The idea of having 2 per-ward and have no power to regect someone if they are the only two runing is so undemocartic. In my opinion this will hurt the city and only benifits the easyness of entry for for people to run for council.

  • “And it doesn’t really matter who wins”

    While it was a surprise to me that Dick and Danielle will win this year’s Big Brother. It doesn’t really matter which one but I thing from a playing the game aspect that Dick definitely will be the winner on Thurs

  • The Save UNBSJ Effort

    I was just reading my e-mail and I received one about the effort against the plans to convert UNB Saint John into a polytechnic university or do a merger with NBCC Saint John. The e-mail linked another site http://livingininterestingtimes.wordpress.com/ and I thought I would just post about it here. On one hand I think that losing a full university such as UNB Saint John could be a bad thing, but the polytechnic university concept might be interesting, there doesn’t seem to be a University in the area like the caliber that some polytechnics like Ryerson have.

  • The foggy path to…?

    It is very peculiar how many opportunities pose themselves all at once and yet you need to make a decision is this the right road, do you go aimlessly strait or do you sit and wait on the trail for a better option to come around then doing nothing.

    If you wait that opportunity might come or you might be on a deserted foggy road just waiting to be rained on. Like the old saying “When it rains, it pours.” Is it time to take the diversion from the path and when you do it is always a massive suffocating web, a web so sometimes scary that it is often overwhelming not only in size but in magnitude (I always wanted to use that word in a post).

    Right now I am approaching that there are 4 options to the future. All diversions could be challenging, costly, very risky and possible overwhelming, but in the end (I love that phrase too) it could be so overwhelmingly rewarding that words could not describe.

    Earlier this week, and last week too I saw “The Nanny Diaries” (CEFM Rating: 4.5/5) which I must recommend as a very rewarding film to see. It is basically the age old story about “Who am I, Really?” and taking a break to dig deep and figure our you destiny. It has now been 5 years and 11 jobs since I decided to take this break, now I am at the point where I feel comfortable and am yet troubled by the yearning to decide in the screenplay that has become my life what comes next. If I were in a book this would be a chapter end point, or maybe the conclusion of the intermission in a great Broadway musical.

    Why am I here…? Where am I going…? Shouldn’t you be dragging me kicking and screaming…?

  • “Baby Steps”

    Remember the book in the movie “What about Bob?” where the shrink writes that progression should happen in these little “baby steps”. While tomarrow will be another one of those baby steps in my life. I have decided (last week) that after a two and a half year break it is now time to resume University, so tomarrow morning I am going to re-enroll. My plan is to go back part-time for the first year then go full time next year and the year after. Finishing in 2010.

    Last time I returned I had just become so over-welmed by returning full time from scratch, so that is why I am taking this approch of starting slowly. Also this time I at least have friends that are offering encouragement and support. And a job that I don’t totally hate and still enjoy going to work every day that I can stay at for 3 more years.

    So here is to success in “baby steps”.

  • I’m against wards for Saint John

    After hearing that Common Council is going to let us vote for or against wards I thought I would point out my views. The problem with wards is that you force people to elect people based on where they live as opposed to whether or not the person is any good for the job. In addition there is no course in the system to correct this error. Although it does allow for people to run and get elected that do not have broad support, but it also hinders the election of people that might be good people. And in some cases if there is no good people running in a riding the people in that riding would have to “make do” with one of those.

    We see it all the time in Provincial and Federal governments some ridings end up with weak people all the time that end up being backbenchers and you never hear from them till next time there is an election.

    Using Miramichi as an example here are the results from May 2004.

    MIRAMICHI (source gnb.ca)

    CANDIDATE
    CANDIDAT(E)

    		SEX
    SEXE     		VOTES RECEIVED
    VOTES OBTENUS     		ELECTED
    ÉLU(E)S

    INCUMBENT
    SORTANT
    Mayor / Maire
    Gerry Cormier M 2558    
    John McKay M 2850 E  
    Arch C Pafford M 852    
    Frank B. Trevors M 2646    
    Councillor At Large/Conseiller(ère) Général
    Rupert Bernard M 4202 E  
    Ken Clark M 2310    
    Paul W. Dawson M 4264 E inc./sort.
    Bernard (Bunny) Dempsey M 2030    
    Raymond J Desveaux M 1288    
    Pat R. Diotte M 2206    
    Peter L. Manderson M 3113 E  
    John (Jake) McLaughlin M 3796 E  
    Robert (Trapper) Newman M 906    
    René Smith M 2498    
    Terry F Whalen, Sr. M 2050    
    Councillor Ward 1/Conseiller(ère) Quartier 1
    Reg Falconer M 759 E inc./sort.
    Jamie James M 206    
    Councillor Ward 2/Conseiller(ère) Quartier 2
    Mike Connors M 80    
    Ned E.J. Manderson M 550 E inc./sort.
    Esther (Es) Nye F 79    
    Bill Treadwell M 502    
    Councillor Ward 3/Conseiller(ère) Quartier 3
    Harry Hoekman M accl. E  
    Councillor Ward 4/Conseiller(ère) Quartier 4
    Wendy M Chadwick F 377 E inc./sort.
    Allison J Furlotte M 276    
    Carmel Elizabeth Hambrook F 300    
    Councillor Ward 5/Conseiller(ère) Quartier 5
    Lisa Harris F 879 E  
    Shawn Power M 540    
    Councillor Ward 6/Conseiller(ère) Quartier 6
    Scotty H. Bernard M accl. E inc./sort.
    Councillor Ward 7/Conseiller(ère) Quartier 7
    Peter J Malley M 474    
    Martin J. McIntyre M 614 E inc./sort.
    Councillor Ward 8/Conseiller(ère) Quartier 8
    Brian J. King M accl. E inc./sort.

    Disclaimer- This is not meant as defamation to any of the people listed here and as general assumptions based on numbers. I do not know anyone on this list. Nor, do I have plans of endorsing any of them,, this is meant as a example of a mixed “at large”/”ward” system as proposed by Saint John council.Okay, looking at the “at large” group this is very typical there are 4 strong people elected, 5 moderately liked, and 2 “also rans.” Wards 3, 6, and 8 didn’t even have a council candidate, which probably had lower voter turn out. Also with Ward 3 it was a new candidate which means only 25 people (who signed a piece of paper) really had a say in whether or not that person would be a good councillor.

    Assuming that all wards are pretty equal in population Ward 4 there really wasn’t that many that voted and no one really got more votes than the other, this is an example as a “weak” ward. Where as Wards 2 and 5 had very strong candidates and the second place candidate was more popular than the people elected in number 4.

    This system is not good enough. Here is the system I think would work if wards were to work. For Saint John to have 6 Wards and 4 “at large” and all candidates will run for their ward. On the ballot you will have the candidates residing in your ward on the top for you to choose 1. And and option “I choose to not have any of the above candidates”. And is that option is the majority then that seat is added to the at large pool. This would protect from unwanted people being acclaimed/elected. Then the rest of the candidates from other wards would be listed for you to choose up to 4 people. If the person is the top in their ward, then they would become elected. Then all the votes will be combined city wide for the top 4 (or more to total 10 councillors if a ward was not elected) people that were elected “at large” that did not win their own ward. And the person city wide that receives the most votes becomes Deputy Mayor.

  • A Quickie

    I guess to compensate for this short post I will post a humorous picture for you, my loyal viewers. This I had made and posted to Facebook a few days ago, when someone question whether or not I really had a barcode scanner. In retrospect it could be considered a metaphor for the way many people on the retail sector think during customer disputes.

    And when it comes to disputes I think I have just learned the secret to dealing with a dispute, and thinking back to past experiences I believe this is an actual approach that will always work.

    “Never loose the control in a situation”

    I think it is that split moment when the control is lost that leads to an escalation. By keeping control, it allows for “Personal Accountability,” keeping the situation in the range where you have control. I think that if you gave a little but have the customer, client, co-working believing that it is better for them to beat there head against a brick wall than challenge you for more, you remain very likely to succeed in your delima. Although key factors in this actually working is, you appear to actually know what you are talking about, you don’t leave time for the other person to actually think about it, and they think you are honest.

    Have you ever heard a good reporter that actually get a politician to reveal something, this is really what they do it seems, is keep control. I can confirm this one of the best hosts that I ever had dealt with was Paul Castle from CBC Saint John, when I was running for Mayor. He never for a second gives up control, appears very knowledgeable, and has and honest trusting sound to his voice.

  • The Trails of Champlain Heights

    The Trails of Champlain Heights

    Walking Guide

    Today in the mail I received another advertisement from another Real Estate agent that is trying to promote themselves by creating a community web page for the Champlain Heights/Eastwood Area at www.champlain-eastwood.com.

    Now that website got me thinking that the two neighbourhoods are only separated by a small wood with a set of trails, some better than others so I went to Google Earth and grabbed a satellite shot of the area. Luckily, I’m in a part of Saint John that actually has better resolution than most of the central area of Saint John. Then in Photoshop I added all the trails in green, yellow, orange, and red based on their pass-ability.

Categories

Tags

All the Covered Bridges Awards CBC Christmas Comedy Comments Contiki Covered Bridge Creative Writing Election Europe Europe 2016 Facebook Food Future Gallary Goals History Hockey Instagram King's County Major Midget Regionals Montreal No Regrets Plinky Politics Restaurants Review Road Trip Rogers TV Saint Awesome Saint John Airport Saint John NB Selfie Shopping Sports Sun Trip Television Theatre Toronto University Writings Video Web WordCamp WordPress

Search

Log in