Commodity fetish

It's still in the aftermath of Christmas. Why aftermath? Because, despite the general "giving" nature of Christmas there are still people that have a different view of it. Christmas isn't about any one person, Christmas is a time where everyone is important. Presents are given and not received (don't care if that doesn't make sense to you, if it doesn't then you're probably one of the people that I will talk about). It truly is appalling about how greedy and materialistic some people can be, people that measure a Christmas not by the good times they've had but by the gifts they have received. Already more times then I can count I have been asked by people not "how was your Christmas?" but "what did you get?" and it disgusts me. This is the time of year where you cherish the moments you have with your friends and family not that new iPod you got or that sweet new gaming system that your parents bought you. You won't remember those 10 years down the road when they're broken or obsolete, they'll be tossed away for something new and never truly appreciated.

But what do I know? I mean...A touching gift wouldn't be remembered anymore then any other right? When I was 7 I loved too draw, I loved crayons. They were colorful and bright and I used a lot of them. That fall I saw on a pack of crayons an old fashioned bell alarm clock from crayola and a contest to win one. So of course I got my mom to help me fill out the form and send it away...It never came. Being young I had the belief that everything would come to me because everything was fair, I was horribly disappointed of course, truly devastated as only a child could be. Why didn't it come? I sent away the form right? Christmas came around and it had almost slipped from my mind, but then as I opened a present from Santa there it was. Bright yellow body, brilliant red bells and a blue hammer all powered by a key in the back. 11 years later still have it, sure it doesn't work anymore but why would I throw it away? It's my crayola...Do you remember yours?

Holly Jolly Christmas

Oh the joys of waking up way too early christmas morning. I mean sure it's fun and all with opening presents but still I want more sleep but now ican't get back to bed even though I'm so unbelieveably tired. On the plus side we now have a 32 inch TV, new DVD player and a whole crap load of other cool stuff. But i still want sleep. Oh well...you can't always get what you want right?

Merry Christmas

-Matt

Christmas Perils

One thing that i dislike the most about christmas (before anyone even questions it, no i don't hate christmas, i love it in fact. almost everything about it) is the people. Not just any people mind you, it's the shoppers in particular, older people even moreso. They're rude and everything, and i mean from the stereotype put on us younger folk you think it would be teenagers that are rude and pushy, but no it seems like the older a person is the less they care about the "christmas spirit". For example, here i was shopping for a gift in a large department store that has some VERY narrow aisles where a shopping cart will just barely pass through and i was looking at some of the products on the shelf. Along comes an older lady, of about 50-60 years, with a shopping cart down this aisle. She wasn't looking, she just wanted to get to the other end to us this as a short cut, of couse me being in the way was slowing her down so therefore the only thing she could do is start pushing me with her cart (i'm not kidding, she did do this) until i was out of the aisle. Then later on that day when i was in a bookstore waiting in line to pay for my purchases another older women came up behind me and tried to immediately go ahead of me. This is one of the times i actually spoke up an told her i was in line, to which she grunted and then went behind me. There was a bit of a wait but she seemed to be in a bit of a hurry because she kept on trying to get infront of me. It may have had something to do with me standing back from the tills befcause i was right at the sign that the line was supposed to start at and was a good 7 or 8 feet back. Apperently she wanted to be standing right at the till so she could save those precious few seconds that it takes to walk the 7 or 8 feet to them. And of coursethen there's the people that seem to always be there to cut me off when i'm walking or stop suddenly in front of me.

I do love Christmas i just hate the people.

-Matt

That Weather is Wack!

It's one of the stupidest things about Alberta, we can have all four seasons in a day or just crappy weather all round. Take yesterday for example, i get up in the morning to clear skies and above normal tempertures for this time of year. In my mind i was thinking "wow today really will be great to go shopping down Whyte ave." But no, the weather took a turn for the worst, a few hours later the winds picked up to over 100km/h and it started raining and thundering. Can you believe it? A thunderstorm in December? Almost as bad as that huge storm we had back in July. Fortunately the rain stopped and the winds actually helped dry up the roads before the temperture dropped 28 degrees in a couple hours. So now it's cold...but guess what? The forecast says the temperture will rise again in a few days. One things for sure in Alberta, living here sure is interesting.

-Matt

I like crosswalks because they can be used as crosswalks

Ah yes...roads in winter, maybe you love them just as much as i do? It's weird, I mean it seems as if the worse the roads get the stupier people become, no? I mean seriously people, when it get icy out slow down and be a little more cautious. Just today on the way back home my sister and i were driving down the highway and all of a sudden some guy slams on his breaks because he wants to get into the other lane...well it was icy and the guy didn't seem to think "hey there's road ahead of me that i can just slow down on and not have to risk the car behind me slamming into me". Luckily he got out of the lane before we slid into him, couldn't stop, even at 40 under the limit. Then later on a 5 tonne truck decides that it has to cut us off really quickly because the lane it's in has an obstuction in it, no it couldn't just slow down and go behind us no it had to just squeeze into the rather small space (remember it was a 5 tonne) between us and the car infront.
Of course then you'd think "hey why not walk?" it's gotta be safer right? NO! it's not, i was walking to work one day and i was almost hit by not one but TWO cars!!! the first one was when i was in a parking lot, the driver was LOOKING RIGHT AT ME!!!!!!! I know this because i made eye contact, i looked her right in the eye and then right when i was infront of her she starts going forward...yes...that's right i almost got hit by a parked car if you can believe it. And then later on...not 10 minutes later i was crossing at a crosswalk and once again i figure it's safe to go, i had the light and all and the car ws coming to a stop...but alas i guess that they figured they could go. Once again i made eye contact, but apperently this is not enough to make sure that they saw you. Again just as i got infront of the car it continued to move forward until it was mere inches from hitting me (i'm not exagerating) i'm just glad that it wasn't icy this time.

And of course this just also reminds me of one of my pet peeves. When people walk right out into traffic without looking, they don't even pause, they just run right out infront of you as if they want to be hit. I mean, are you in such a hurry that you can't stop for 2 seconds to see if there are any cars coming? Is it really worth getting hit just to get somewhere a few seconds early? I don't think it is. Same goes for driving, slow down people, getting somewhere 5 minutes early isn't worth not getting there at all.

-Matt

Bling Bling

Word up Gangstas, e-nizzle in the house................jesus christ i can't believe i just said that.

as some of you may know, my first semester of college is done with......let the partying begin.
because my 18th birthday was just before exams i coudn't go out drinking, that just wouldn't be smart. so today i'm getting a good part of my birthday drinking done, tonight i'm going out with my bro Mark (no blood relation) and some of his crew and then i might be meeting up with some people from my program, after that's done then the only groups to go out drinking with are my bro (the actual one) and his friends, and then the old crew from ardrossan. well that's all for now

peace out homies

E-nizzle

Molecular Imbalance

So I was watching the news the past few days (which isn't new I watch the news all the time) but recently there's been a malfunction with a gas well. Some pipe broke and started spewing up water that contained trace amounts of H2F which got me thinking. That's just one molecule off from water, and I mean if people are saying that cheeze whiz is just one molecule off from being plastic then that means that water is almost as dangerous as H2F. Seriously, it's just really stupid how people will take something and try to twist it to manipulate those that see it. Molecularly speaking, a difference of one element or molecule changes the nature of a substance almost entirely.

Alright so this may seem a little off the wall here but let me assure you that it would take entirely too long to explain how I can link one topic to the next...But I did, and that's that. But many people are ignorant, it annoys me. They'll listen to what they're told without question just because it's easier that way. NO! No free thought of their own, they just accept it without even the slightest bit of skepticism...I need to stop right now...This actually could go on for much longer then it should if I let it.

-Matt

Eat this!

I'm starting to hate certain aspects of my job, not the people i work with...well not most of them anyways. But the people i'm forced to serve, I mean what? I don't know what i'm talking about when I tell you about a product we carry? no I'm not supposed to know anything about it because i work there and all. Especially when you tell me something isn't a liqueur when it says it right on the front IN BIG BOLD LETTERS! Or when they seem to think that hey! throwing a receit at the person across the counter is fun. Or especially when people hold their card to you upside down...i mean what? am i supposed to know what type of freaking card it is by the thinkness of it or maybe the tint of grey or blue or whatever other color it is. Or when people get mad at me for IDing them because there is no signature on the back. You think people would understand that it's for their own protection, but no, they seem to think that i'm personally accusing them of stealing a card even though i do it to everyone in the same situation. Or when people decide that they don't want something and just shove it ack anywhere they want rather then putting it where it belongs.

Another thing that ticks me off is having to pay $1200 a year to be a part time driver, i mean i could get full time for almost the same freaking price. i don't want to dish out $100 a month for insurance if i'm only gonna use the car a couple times a month. but then i know i'll cave and get it anyways. I hate this and i hate not having a choice.

-Matt

Chocolate and Caramel Covered Apple

Mmmm... food. I got one today for staying up all night through a Lord of the Rings marathon. I am quite proud of myself indeed. My geekyness knows no bounds! Just thought Matt would enjoy this.
- Natty

Do what you will but not that

Sometimes people anger me, either due to obnoxiousness or sheer and utter stupidity. I mean seriously people, when you come into a store and it's 2 minutes til it closes the least you could do is hurry up a bit...not browse around for 20 minutes looking for stuff you won't buy anyway. And a helpful hint...if you're in highschool don't bother applying at a liquor store, chances are VERY likely you won't get it. And most of all, don't get your mom to drop off the resume, it really doesn't reflect well upon you. I really could complain more but i don't see a point and i'm tired and should go to bed...

-Matt

Drivers Wanted

Yes indeedy, I did it. I finally got around to getting my license. Never really had a use for it before but then i finally decided to stop putting it off and go for it. And because of this i have completely lost faith in the system. I mean during my est i was trying to do a hill park and slammed into the curb (i didn't go over it but i hit it hard) and because of that i just completely forgot what i was doing and didn't even do the hill park properly. I just did a whole bunch of things wrong and still managed to pass, I now know why Alberta has the worst drivers...it's because the test is so easy.

The Truth

Ok so he doesn't smell. At least not that I know of. He hide from me last time I visited Edmonton and so I couldn't meet him. If I go to Calgary for New Years, I think then too he will use the excuse that I'm too far away so he doesn't have to see me.
Do you know what is really great about blogs? They keep you from schoolwork!

So what if my plans changed?

Ok yes i know i said i was going to go solo here but then i changed my mind. I decided that my blog wouldn't be complete without the occasional rant from Errol or some sort of interjection from Natty. so really the only thing that's changed is the address, oh well I still think i needed to do it for whatever reason. oh well...plans change...live with it.
-Matt