For The Last Of The Month

When is a pinch not a pinch? When it's the first part of the pinch-and-a-punch devastating combo.

For as long as I can remember, way back when I was but a wee lad, my family has played a fun little game. On the last day of each month, each person tries to pinch and punch each other person while saying "pinch and a punch for the last of the month". Sometimes people have gotten woken up by being pinched and punched.

That's not the end of it. The next day the exact same thing happens, except this time it's "pinch and a punch for the first of the month". If one person can get another person on consecutive days, well then they are obviously the masters of the universe, and can walk around with their chins up and their chests out for a full month before needing to defend their title.

Tis a fun game with many nuances. Since I moved out, and with my parents currently in New Zealand and my bro currently in Victoria, Biscotti and I are going mano à womano for this Halloween edition. Today I got her. Wish me luck tomorrow..

Happy Halloween! Has anyone seen Saw 2 yet? If not, are you going to?

Hiding Tildy

So Tildy's been staying with me and Biscotti at our rental house, which is all good, very good, except for the fact that we agreed to a no-pets rule way back in June at the start of our rental lease.. Well, now that we have a place that we're renovating and moving into in a couple of weeks, our lease is done on December 1st.. Actually, I guess it would run out November 30th.. Details Shmetails.. Our landlord lives just a few blocks away and we're kind of worried about her walking by our place when we're not home and seeing Tildy on the windowsill.. When we're home, we have a no-sill rule.

With us moving out, our very nice landlord has asked us very nicely if she could come by now and then, with advanced warning, to show the house to prospective renters.. "Surrrrre", we say. "Just make sure you do give us advance warning!" Last night was the first night of showings, which meant packing Tildy up in her carrier box and escorting her to Biscotti's parent's place for a couple of hours. But that's not all. There is the kitty litter, Tildy's food & water dishes, her scratch box, her fake-mice toys, and her fur clumps that she has left all over the place.. We basically had to walk through the place as though we were walking through for the first time to see if there was anything that would make us think to ask, "you have a cat?" What? No. We have a Tildy.

It's hard to capture the essence of Tildy on a camera, but these photos come somewhat close.. I have many many more to choose from but these are essentially the only usable ones to show her off. All the other photos either look similar to one of these, or she looks too plain jane. And Tildy is definitely not plain jane. What do you think of our kitchen and its colors? I fell in love at first sight, makes me think I'm in a rustic cabin. Others feel like they're in a pirate's galley, but you're unable, in this pic, to see the main reason why..

One good Tildy deserves another...

Jon Stewart Intelligence Agency

You probably know by now that Jon Stewart is fantastic. I only recently discovered how great his Daily Show is, wish I knew about it when it first aired. And it wasn't until today, less than five minutes ago, that I stumbled upon this site: Jon Stewart Intelligence Agency

I haven't seen much of the website beyond a page of quotes, and need to get back to studying for my midterm tomorrow (the effects of media on socialization.. ironic?), but will be checking it out some more in the coming days. Enjoy.

Is It Me? Is It Her? Is It Us?

For the past several years Biscotti and I worked at GM Place during Canucks games. Then last season there was no season, which screwed me and Biscotti financially. (As a big hockey fan, getting paid while 'working' at Canucks games was an awesome perk.)

This year, we've been working after-school programs at an elementary school Monday to Friday. Except now there is no school which means no after-school programs which means Biscotti and I are screwed again. It's not all bad, we do have other jobs. But still, now that we have a mortgage and wedding to think about, the extra moola we would've had from the past year and a half would've come in handy.

Those of you who want to contribute to the 'Biscotti and jblueafterglow mortgage & wedding fund', please contact us. You may soon find us on a street corner downtown with a handwritten cardboard sign and a sad dog at our side (and maybe we'll be featured on Cher's new blog). Or we may don a red hoody and screwdriver and track Jason down (is that in poor taste?).

Spare a loonie?

House and Biscotti

Starting now, I'll be using this blog less anonymously, as can already be seen by the profile pic I posted a few days ago. I'll probably remain jblueafterglow and Biscotti will probably remain Biscotti, but you'll notice changes, that's for sure, including more pics to jazz up this blog o' mine.

The thing that is taking up much of our time these days, besides the kids that come and go far too often, is our new house. We've been painting and sanding and having security installed and replacing furnace and all sorts of other fun stuff. I say "we", but it's mostly been Biscotti and Biscotti's parents, who somehow have endless amounts of energy.

Here's our house:














And here's a pic of Biscotti:

The F Word

Those who know me well know that I'm not often inclined to say the F word. Lately, however, it's been on the tip of my tongue, and vocalized, much more often. Let me tell you why...

It all started on the evening of Monday October 3rd. Biscotti and I arranged a date, hired a sub, and enjoyed a very pleasant dinner at the Boathouse at English Bay. We had late reservations, so the view from our top-floor, window-side table was somewhat hampered by the indoor reflection since the sun had already departed. Once we finished our meal we exited onto Denman Street, where we decided to take a bit of a stroll, window shopping and whatnot. As we neared the West End Community Centre, both of us were well aware that Denman was mostly empty except for this one guy who had been walking behind us for a block or two. It was quite late, we were very overdressed for laid-back Denman on a Monday night, and, as already stated, there were very few others around. We stopped at the next intersection, pressed the pedestrian button, and as we waited for the light to turn we watched the guy walk by. We crossed the street and walked back towards the beach.

Later that same night, I went down on one knee and asked Biscotti to marry me. I have a fiancée. I've been calling her, and refering to her as, my fiancée. That is why I've been saying fiancée more than usual during this past week.

Free iPod - no joke

So there's this cool deal going around right now where you can get a free iPod. By clicking here, or on the link at the end of this post, you will be taken to a page where you will sign up for one of the marketing offers. There is a free trial month, during which they'll send you some gift certificates or something-or-other. After that one free month they will start charging you per month. It is up to you to call and cancel during that free trial month, thereby avoiding any charges. As my friend Tias explained to me, with much more clarity than I could ever get across here, they count on people either forgetting to cancel, or thinking that if they cancel they won't receive their free iPod. Also, as my friend Brad says, 'the essence of their offer is that there's a lot of money in referral marketing'.

The free iPod I have chosen is the 20GB Color iPod (as pictured above). Here are the details of this little beauty:

2 inch, 65,536 color LCD screen

Displays up to 25 full-color thumbnails at a time

Holds up to 5,000 songs

15 hours of music playback

5 hours of slideshows with music
Approx. dimensions: 4.1 inches x 2.4 inches x 0.63 inches
Podcast ready
Sync iPod-viewable photos from several different image file formats

Earbud headphones, AC adapter and USB 2.0 cable included

I have signed up and completed an offer, which means that Tias is one step closer to five completed referrals. In order for me to receive my free iPod in the mail, I must refer five new people. And that, my close personal friends, is where you come in. Simply click on the following link, follow the easy-to-follow steps, and complete an offer! After that, all you have to do is refer five new people and you yourself will receive a free iPod in the mail. It's definitely not a case of too-good-to-be-true. If you want details don't hesitate to contact me, either through 'comments' or through other means if you have them. Just don't forget to cancel before the free month is over.

Free iPod link: http://ipods.freepay.com/?r=23417771

Number Two

Since June Biscotti and I have been working a job that has us caring for children in our own home. We haven't had a high number of children that wear diapers, and the ones that have, Biscotti has dealt with as necessary. Well, earlier this week I changed my first dirty diaper. Dirty is bold and italicized for a reason. As it turns out, the first dirty diaper I changed was also the last dirty diaper I will change. Ever. I just figured, why not get it all done in one go? First and last, all fini.

When Tildy was an outdoor cat, things were different. We had a catdoor, she would come and go as she pleased. She would often bring in some presents for us, nonwished for presents that we did not keep inside for long, alive or not. Although we had a kitty litter, the presence of a catdoor meant that Tildy had no need for it. As Tildy I'm sure would say, "what are neighbor's gardens for?" So I not once had to upkeep kitty's litter. Now she's an indoor cat, and I cannot believe how often she must've once used the neighbor's garden. Each time I upkeep, one word comes to mind: prolific.

Biking in Vancouver

In the most recent edition of the Westender, which I read every week, is the following Rant, found in the section Rant 'n' Rave! I post it here in a gesture of agreement and solidarity. Yes, I know it's not much in the way of solidarity, but I'm very busy right now:

In response to N. Smith's rant, "You selfish cyclists" [Sept. 22-22 issue]: Cyclists ride on the sidealk not because they have a "lack of consideration for others," but because they fear for their lives. I know of many people who have been seriously injured or killed from riding in traffic, but not one by a bike on the sidewalk. Instead of ranting about the inconsideration of sidewalk cyclers, you should be ranting that the city of Vancouver does not have a safe place to ride a fucking bike. Other cities in Canada and all over Europe have actual bike lanes where cars CANNOT DRIVE. Vancouver puts a picture of a bicycle on the pavement of a random street and calls it a "bike route." You should be ranting at the city for not providing cyclists with a safe lane to ride a bicycle in. We live in an age where people are dying in the desert so that North Americans can drive to work and back. This city needs to do its part in reducing our oil dependency, not painting pictures of bicycles on the street and hoping for the best.
- Megan Rose