farewell for a week!

Well ladies and gents, here it is - the eve of my unpluggedness - yes, that's a word... I made it up - because I can. Anyway, in mere minutes I will be unplugged from the world for a period of one week. It's gonna be fun, and strange, and exciting all in one. Hopefully it will also teach me to SLOW DOWN in life a little. So yeah - several people have more or less agreed to take on my challenge! I'm super excited about this! One family is even doing it right now!!!! They started on thursday, and are going until next thursday! Brave family!!! No video games, no computer, no TV! They are well connected family, and I'm VERY proud of them!

Just to clarify a few ground rules for anyone considering trying this. Cameras are still allowed. They do not "connect" you. They let you capture memories. Sure they are digital now, but that's ok. - as long as it doesn't take over all your time. Video cameras are also allowed to capture family moments and memories during this time of family connection and togetherness. And, of course, electricity is also allowed. My goal here is not to live free from technology, but to live free from being connected to everything and everyone all the time.

So when I return in one week from now I hope to have learned new things about myself and about my family. I hope to have become a little less lazy, and a little clearer about what's important in my life. I hope to be rested, less distracted, and hopefully even eating healthier.

When I do return I will write about my time. I will also ask the other family who will have already completed it to do a guest post on my blog to tell about their time. Then, hopefully you too will decide that this is for you! -

Hope you all have a great week... hope you miss me just a little, and I'll see you in a week! Bye for now!!!!

Time to unplug! A Challenge to everyone!

So the details to the much anticipated event are here! Lucky you - I apologize for creating excess excitement... It's really not that exciting! - Well it kinda is, cuz there is a prize at the end! :) Here goes!!!!

So we live in a pretty "plugged in" world. Most of us carry cellphones, many with an internet connection. Most of us check our e-mail several times a day, read blogs, check facebook and surf the net. Most of us also blast the radio in the car, watch TV every night before bed, and live pretty much "on the grid." For most of us life goes in fast forward. We are so busy with all of our important stuff that we rush through life eating fast food on the way to our next important event, and being ultra connected. Well, it's kinda silly isn't it? (hey, I'm guilty too... I don't think my iphone is ever in another room than I am!) So, I'm proposing a challenge to everyone... Unplug for one week.

Yes. Unplug for one week.

I've done this before - and believe me, it will be one of the best weeks of your year!

Here's how this will work. I will unplug our household at Midnight on July 11th (so, bascially starting at 12:00am on July 12th, and we as a family will remain unplugged for a full 7 days.) So what does this mean? This means I will turn off the following devices for one week....

All Cellphones (2) (voicemail will direct people to our home phone)

*no text messages

*no e-mail

*no twitter

*no facebook

All Laptops (3) (e-mails will auto reply for a week informing people that we are away)

*no e-mail

*no internet

*no MSN messenger

*no iChat

*no facebook

*no twitter

*no blogging

All TVs (2) (um... TV won't miss us)

*no movies

*no regular TV

*no Wii

All Radios (3) (radio won't miss us either)

We will also choose not to let the media of any sort bombard us. We will not go see a movie, or go to any sort of show. We will not go shopping for anything besides household necessities such as toilet paper, and food. We will not browse the malls, We will not do anything that will keep me "connected" to the world.

So what will we do? Well first of all, we will spend time as a family. We will read books, take walks, take naps, have conversations, play games with my daughter, go for a swim in a lake, take long baths, and enjoy life with as little influence from "the world" as possible.

WHY!?

Well I think that just like people detox their body by drinking weird stuff for a week, its necessary to detox the soul and the mind from all the crap we fill it with. I think people need to slow down from time to time, look around and see what's really important about their daily life.

BUT... BUT...

But I have important e-mails that come to me!

(No you don't - people go on vacation all the time)

But what about emergencies - I need my cell

(No you don't - you didn't always have a cellphone, and neither did your parents - but fine, keep it in your car or wherever but leave it off, and if there really IS an emergency use it then...)

But I can't just be gone for a week- I have a job!

(Fine, do it for a weekend! Start on Friday, RIGHT after you leave work - and don't reconnect until you step back into your workplace on monday morning)

There really are NO excuses!!!

TRY IT - I DARE YOU.

Like I said, I'm doing it from July 12th - July 18th... Of course until then I will continue to blog, and after I will report to you how it went - During that time there will be NO blog posting, NO twittering, NO texting, NO e-mail, NO Television, NO useless spending/shopping...

PRIZES!!!!

If you think your brave enough to break down the distractions in your life, and see what you really have around you, to see what you really are all about then try it out! Make sure to let me know if you're going to do this, and make sure to tell your story afterwards. People should hear that it is possible to live without constant distraction and connectivity! To some of you this may not seem like such a big challenge, but trust me - it will be. So, of course - prizes! To anyone that decides to take on this challenge between now and the end of August there will be a prize.

To anyone that decides to seriously unplug their household for an entire week, and spend it focusing on what's important goes a custom misterzig.com t-shirt. It's a cool t-shirt - promise. (to get the t-shirt you have to blog about your intensions, then blog again afterwards reporting to your readers how it went, and encourage others to try as well) - *offer only open to the first 3

To anyone that decides to seriously unplug their household for 3 full days, following the same guidelines as above will go a custom misterzig.com fridge magnet, or sticker - (your choice) - *offer only open to the first 5

So here it goes... I have a few days left... but after Saturday at midnight you won't hear from me, or see me for a week!

Join me... I DARE YOU!

It's almost time...

Something is coming! It will start at exactly 12:00am on Sunday July 12th, and will last until 11:59 on Saturday July 18th. (a full week) It's not a new blog, it's not a new haircut, it's not a blog redesign, it's not a free give away or something, its not anything like that. It is however something that is a pretty big deal for a guy like me, and would be for many of you out there as well. It is also a challenge to all my readers... oooh but what could it be? what could be coming? What kinda crazy thing is misterzig up to now!? Well stay tuned - on Wednesday at 12:00 noon I will post the details, then on either Friday or Saturday I will post one final post before the "event." Hope to see you all here on Wednesday! (and to those few of you that already know what's going on, don't give away the secret! ;) ok?) See you all on wednesday

A Thursday Update

So just cuz I have the summer off doesn't mean I'm not productive or busy! I'm spending the entire day in a coffee shop today... Gotta keep this short, cuz i'm ACTUALLY working. I've been here since about 8 this morning, and it's now almost noon. Taking a short break to write this post! I have a TON of freelance work to do, which is GOOD cuz freelance = MONEY! Anyway, just wanted to inform that sometimes I can be productive! I've achieved a surprising amount today! Actually even surprised myself with how much I've done this morning! Anyway, time for another pumpkin muffin, and then back to work!

Happy Canada Day!

So, it's CANADA DAY! Which means for most Canadians today is a holiday! A day to celebrate our nation, to wave our flag, party downtown, enjoy family, bbq's, and of course watch fireworks in the evening. I love Canada Day. It might actually be my favorite day of the year. I think I might even enjoy it more than Christmas! (Mind you, I love Christmas, but not the commercialism that has become it's staple characteristic) -Anyway, I'm guessing the feeling I feel on Canada Day must be very similar to what Americans feel on July 4th - but I dunno - I only feel the July 1st feeling (being Canadian and all) - Anyway It is just only barely Canada Day, (Like for 13 minutes) and already I hear fireworks going off throughout the neighborhood! I can't wait to take Rachel out to see the festivities during the day today, so she too can wave her little flag (even though she doesn't yet know what that actually means) - It's a good feeling to be proud of your country. I know that some countries do not celebrate anything like this. At least not so publicly, and many others are not proud of being where their from. To those people I say "Come!, Move to Canada! We are very welcoming here! A mosaic of cultures..." Anyway, wow, I must be getting old - those punk kids shooting off fireworks at 12:17 in the morning are getting irritating! hehe - Actually I think I find it irritating cuz I want to join them, but i'm too tired. I'll wait till later tonight, armed with a large red and white flag draped across my shoulders, singing our national anthem as we walk the dark streets after the fireworks, with cars honking as their passengers cheer and wave flags of their own... Oh the fun we will have! Anyway, in the mean time, raise a glass for Canada, and say "here here!" - even if you're not Canadian ya gotta admit we are pretty awesome (hey, after all I'm here, right?) ;) good night! HAPPY CANADA DAY!

am I too old for this?!

So I went to a rock festival on Saturday. An all day affair. Some of my favorite bands (including Rancid, & Rise Against) were there and it was awesome!!! - but seriously... wow, I may actually be too old for things like this! Today my body still aches from the festivities! We got there around 2:00pm, which means I was on my feet from 2:00 - 11:30! (when I finally sat down in my car) That's a long time to not sit down once. My legs and feet were KILLING me after. Beyond that, my voice is still kinda rough, I have bruises in odd places from the "goings on of the crowd," and the all-day rain during the event may have brought on a cold! So yeah - this festival was outdoors, and it rained the entire day. Luckily it was still warm out, so the rain wasn't bad - and once you were soaked it didn't matter anymore anyway. I actually think the rain made the event more fun somehow. I don't know, but perhaps it kind of put everyone on the same page. More than just fans together, but now also soaked-in-the-rain-hardcore-fans together. The crowds were very energetic, and I'm guessing this was one of my last moshing events. The elbows to the head, the feet to the head, the random bruises all over my body from the thrashing of the crowd... maybe too much for an old guy... The event was crazy fun, but wow, I'm still hurting today! Maybe it just means I'm crazy out of shape. Anyway, I don't regret going, cuz it was really awesome. The constant music, (they had 2 stages, and over 15 bands that day) - the VIP access passes, the crappy food from vendors which somehow tasted amazing in the rain, the long lines at the bathroom, the possible hearing damage! ahhh rock shows - Perhaps next time I go to a show I'll make sure I get a ticket in the seats section where I can rest my old bones :) *by the way, that's Rancid on stage in the picture - soooo awesome*

a friday morning... uh... thingy?

So I kinda talk a lot about my summer off, and for that I'm sorry - kind of. You see, that's just part of my life these days! Anyway, so today's post is kind of about that again, but not really. See, anyone that gets up early can identify with me on this one. Every morning (even during my summer) I generally get up around 6:00am. My favorite part of the morning is when it's still quiet, people haven't really started getting ready, and I get to sit here in my kitchen with a coffee. On mornings like today where it's a little chilly outside one of my favorite things to do is grab my coffee, and walk out onto my deck (wearing only boxers usually - or just jeans) - and standing there in the crisp morning air, enjoying the morning sun. The cool feel of the morning dew on my feet, the smell of the wet grass, the sound of the birds chirping as they busily prepare for their day, and of course, the steam slowly rising from my cup giving my senses a kick start with the amazing smell. Yes, all this is part of my morning. On days where I'm able to do this I can tell that the day will go well... after all, with a start to the day like that it takes a lot to get you down again! I'm telling you, get up early some morning, enjoy the quiet out on the deck. It is so nice that it's worth getting up early for. Speaking of which, I'm due back out on that deck right about now. My cup has been freshly filled, and my feet need the cool feel of the deck

*Sorry for the dirty class! That's what happens when you have a 2 year old who likes to look outside with yogurt on her hands*

Is this like... uh... like the future!?

So I've been around for a while - literally 30 years! I remember when I was like 15 - buying my first desktop computer, using a MODEM to dail in to chat thingies - it was high tech. And REALLY slow! So right now I'm sitting in a coffee shop downtown with my laptop, and there is no wireless internet connection!! what!? oh wait. I am an iphone user! TETHERING TIME! So what is tethering? Tethering allows me to connect my phone to my computer wirelessly, and use the phone's internet connection on my laptop! Crazy! - I know this isn't new technology, but very clearly remembering the old days when I had to wait 5 minutes for anything to load, and being stuck in an uncomfortable chair in my basement I find this current technology pretty darn cool! Come on - seriously - internet with a decent connection with nothing more than a laptop, and a cell phone? no wires? crazy! Like I said, I know this has been around for a long time - but I don't think it was ever this convenient - and with such good speeds! Seriously - I'm streaming audio, writing a blog, reading a twitter feed, and downloading my mail - all without wires, and without a wifi connection nearby! I'm kinda freaking out by the coolness of this! - crrraaaaazy! Luckily I'm not in the US where the poor AT&T customers can't tether yet... Anyway, what better thing to do than use this new fangled technology for writing a post on my blog!? Now imagine going back 30 years, and telling someone that one day you'd be able to sit in a coffee shop with a computer on your lap and a wireless telephone in your pocket and with those tools, and without any wires be able to connect with anyone in the world! I guess this really is the future. I remember in like 1990 teachers were telling us that by the year 2000 we'd have pet dogs that were robots. Sure, there are robot dogs, but I guess they never caught on - and we have robot vacuum cleaners and stuff - but the future wasn't supposed to look like this - but whatever, I guess we've arrived! Hello Future, it's good to be here!

the teachery stuff begins!

So this afternoon I drove out to the school where I will be teaching in September to meet some of the staff, to take a look around, and of course to kind of get a grip on what exactly I'll be teaching next year. Staff at the school = VERY friendly! I am very excited to get out there in the fall! Facilities are pretty good too - and hey, the school still has my grad picture up on the wall! That's gotta be some kind of good sign, right? hehe - Perhaps I'll post a grad picture of myself sometime. Or maybe not - I do have some self respect! Anyway, so I was able to go over more or less the topics I'll be covering in my Graphics class, met a couple of the math teachers as well and scheduled a meeting this Friday with them so we can kind of go over what will be covered next year. So remember this summer of mine that I had "free?" Well, I am no longer so free. I have 2 text books to read through, and PLENTY of lessons to prepare for. My plan is to be fully planned and prepped from the first day of school in September all the way until at least Christmas holidays. I figure that's a pretty good plan - don't you? Yeah - you do! I know. So yeah - this math business... pretty excited about it. Never thought I'd end up teaching any math - so I never really gave it any thought. But now that it's here, and I have the text book before me, and resources from here and from there I'm getting kind of crazy excited about it! I just hope I can pass some of that excitement on to the students and that I'm somehow able to take math from "boring regular old math" to "hey, math is not so bad with Mr. T. teaching it!" My secret weapon... coloured white board markers! ooooooooh tricky tricky huh? But, my true baby of course will be my graphics class - some of the topics I'll be covering... of course Design and Design Basics, Photoshop, Claymation, Airbrushing, StopMotion Animation... and a whole lot more! Exciting hey! Bet it makes you wish you were back in grade 9 again! hey? Well folks, that's the update! Time to crack this stuff open and start my planning! woooo hoooo!

Oh Mac, I'm back!!!!

So I'm a mac guy - have been for YEARS! Like over 10 years to be exact - unfortunately circumstances forced me into the PC world for the past couple of years (last job I had used PC's - not sure why, but they did) - and then last year I was in school so I could NOT justify spending the money on a mac - But, here I am - school is over - I have a teaching position for this next school year, and with that I've returned home to my true love - macs~! ohhh baby! so....uh... shiny! hehe - Anyway, so this is the first blog post written with my new mac! It feels so good to be back in mac-land! It's been toooooo long. Anyway, today will be spent transferring my life from my PC to my Mac. Yeah, leaving my PC behind is a little sad, but not that sad. It will get a new life with someone else, and be very happy there. My PC should have known all along that I was never really all that accepting of it... but, I loved it as best I could - but now, my true love is back in my hands. A marvelous product developed by those guys at apple. Actually, I have a theory about Apple. It seems that they always come out with cooler and cooler stuff. Each release of a product makes you say "wow, that's crazy awesome!!!!" (or something like that) and then each release after that it's the same response! It's like they have an unending source of awesomeness to draw from. So, heres my theory - Apple actually captured the Roswell UFO, went onboard, and found something amazing - the most amazing technology ever. Then, in order to make a gazillion dollars they reverse engineered it, and came up with much less awesome products to sell to us. All which still blow our mind, but make us feel like it's not alien technology. I'm guessing these aliens also had a marketing plan on board - cuz really - apple has done pretty well. Just looking at our current household... currently in this house there are the following apple products - 2 ipod shuffles (old ones) 1 ipod nano, 2 ipod touch, 1 iphone, 1 MacBook, and now, 1 MacBook Pro - that is a total of 8 apple products for a household of 3.5 (.5 = baby) - crazy! - I'm guessing there are similar situations in the houses down the street, and down your street. See, how is such good marketing possible - it's aliens I tell you! - Anyway, back to being productive I guess! Have a great monday! I know I will - cuz i'm gonna have it on a Mac! :) wooooo

his troubled mind we shall explore...

So, here' it is - as promised - a video post showing what happens when I kill time with my little notebook to dooooodle :) not sure why I drew what I did - it just came out - that's how it works! Sorry - :) Anyway, enjoy! (thanks marcel for the quick freebee audio loop from garageband!)

hanging up my hat - so to say

So, on Friday at 3:30pm I officially hung up my teaching hat for the summer! My practicum ended, and with that my schooling as well. I've hung my tag on the post, and I'm ready to enjoy the summer! This morning the sky is blue, the birds are chirping, the coffee is just right, and I'm here with my laptop writing a "kick off the summer" post! That's right ladies and gents! I'm officially off for the ENTIRE SUMMER! (sorry to rub it in, but hey - I think you would do the same! Right?) - Anyway, As mentioned in my previous post, I do have a job lined up for September - which I'm crazy excited about! I hear one of my slots will be pretty brutal, but I'm looking forward to the challenge! Anyway, so back to my time off - what will I fill me time with? I bet you're wondering! Well, today will be my day for catching up on all the blogs I've been neglecting for the last 2 weeks! Yeah - so blog reading. Also have to start preparing my life for the big switch back to being a mac user! (that's right! the new macbook pros come out this week, and by the end of this week this PC I'm using now will be collecting dust on a shelf in the basement!!) - Hm... what else. well during the summer (after June 30th) my wife (also a teacher) will be off as well - and then we will more or less spend the summer outdoors. Come August however I'll be working on planning my school year - hard core - but hey, I'll have a new laptop, a teaching-start-date looming, and crazy excitement levels - all to motivate me to plan it hard and well. Hm... what else? - On Saturday we (the others in my class from teacher education this year) had our windup party at my place. Unfortunately not everyone could make it - but the ones that did had a good time. We even did the traditional "Assignment Burning Ceremony" - where you take the assignment you hated most and throw it in the fire. It was very therapeutic! more so than I thought it would be! Anyway so that's the brief update! I'll probably be back to posting more regularly now that I have more free time! Hope you are all enjoying your Monday morning - don't work too hard!

Transformation Complete!!!!

See this handsome fellow? Guess what? A year ago a graphic designer, now a teacher! Yep - I interviewed for a job on Monday... for a teaching position in my old high school of all places! So lets go back for a bit. Just over a year ago I was desperately trying to find a way out of design industry and the craziness involved with it. I considered the idea of giving up the graphic designer lifestyle to become a teacher of the skills instead. I toyed with the idea, and then through some oh-so exciting circumstances fast-tracked my way into a Teacher Education Program. Luckily my years of graphic design experience gave me a lot of educational credit, and I was able to get my teaching degree in a single year. Actually, I still have 2 more days of my practicum left until I'm done - which is kind of weird, because my final evaluations have been submitted to my school advisers. ANYWAY, back to a few days ago - On Monday I had an interview. I applied for the position more than a week earlier - and waited over a week - and still I had heard nothing. I had almost given up when the call came. When it came I was role playing job interviews with a student and coaching her on how to improve her interviewing skills. Then, in my pocket my little iphone buzzed away as the call came in. I finally got to check it, and had a voice mail telling me I had an interview! I was SUPER excited! So - fast forward to yesterday... yesterday morning at 9:07am the principal from the school called me to officially offer me the position! I officially accepted! So, I guess with that the transformation from designer to teacher is complete! I have a job lined up for September (in my old high school), my info has been sent off to certification, and well, my practicum will be over tomorrow! So, farewell to mrzig the designer, welcome mrzig the teacher! I'm soooo crazy excited about teaching in that school! I loved it when I attended there, felt that same warm feeling when I went in for my interview, and now - now I get to teach there! Crazy awesome - wow, - I guess when people as what I do I now say "I'm a teacher!" haha! feels strange! Anyway, gotta run - got kiddies to teach one last time today - then lots of marking tomorrow! have a great day! (and give a teacher a hug today... they deserve it!)

Yelling at people - a source of Joy?

You know how when you go through a drive thru and they give you the wrong food? And then the line is SUPER long so you have to pull over your car and go into the building and tell them they screwed up? And then you are met by a 17 year old who doesn't really care, or get why this is a problem? And then you feel the pressure build up inside and you feel like just lettin' 'er rip? Yeah - I know you do. I never really yell at anyone who makes a mistake. I speak in a firm voice, which expresses my disappointment, and I speak using polite words. This generally yields the best results. BUT - sometimes - sometimes I just want to shut them down so bad! I know that's not nice, but wow, I bet it would feel good sometimes. Even though I know that won't accomplish anything, I bet it would feel good! I won't go doing this - but I sometimes wonder if after years and years of being fairly nice when people screw up big time if one of these days I'm gonna snap on some poor teenager. I kinda hope not - but seriously is it just me? or does the idea of REALLY letting someone have it sound kinda fun? I'm not talking about someone who takes too long at the order window, or someone that gives me BBQ sauce instead of sweet and sour - I'm talking about something more serious. Lets say completely wrong food, still wrong
food after going in, going in again, and getting the right food, but having the burger still frozen or something like that. Even better, someone screwing up an order of something big that is not food related. Perhaps a car repair - where you have already returned your rental and then are screwed without a car? Yeah - I know you know what I"m talking about. To be honest I doubt I'll ever really really really lay into someone - generally speaking I'll be courteous - firm but courteous. Anyway, those are my thoughts for today... have a great tuesday folks! (and try not to yell at anyone - and if you do, make sure to tell me how it felt! hehe)

A note on Twitter... stupid or not?

So these days everyone is talking about twitter... So is twitter a good thing? A Bad thing? A stupid thing? What is it? Well let me tell you what I think - cuz I know you're dying to know! First of all, twitter is kinda pointless... It's a weird mix between narcissism, and stalkerism. (not sure if stalkerism is a word - but I'd like to think it is) Anyway, I'm here to tell you that twitter IS good. Even with its extreme pointlessness, and time wastingness, and all that stuff, it still is a GOOD thing. You may wonder WHY people care about what you have to say... Why does someone care when you post something like "Hey, going to Blobo's for lunch - gonna have a burger" or why does someone care when you say - "uhhh - traffic sucks on waterfront drive today" - Well in general, NOBODY - BUT, let me tell you how twitter will make your life better. - I'll even give real life examples - just a few on how twitter has helped me.

See a while ago ACDC tickets went on sale. Even though I was ready to purchase the second they went on sale I was unable to get tickets - I was DEVASTATED. So what did I do? I twittered my disappointment - and guess what? Within an HOUR I had an offer from someone who had extra tickets! Yep. Even though I was not able to purchase the ticket online, I found a fellow twitterer willing to help out a very dissapointed me. That's pretty awesome hey? - Another quick story - wanted information about a series of jazz concerts that happen on the roof of the art gallery here, and I couldn't find online info. So... I twittered my question - guess what? ALmost instant response from someone!

SO you see, even though it seems pointless, there is extreme value and power in being connected to a lot of people that you don't even know! So why does someone care that I'm having lunch at Blobo's or wherever? Well, SOMEONE might have considered having lunch there as well - and will be interested in feedback from me - It kind of lets you connect to people of all walks of life, with all kinds of interests and experiences, and gives you the information you need/want (along with what you personally don't care about) - So, yes - TWITTER is a good thing.

If you're not on twitter, dive in - add me to your follow list, and you and I can share information as well! In a world without much real communication it's important to at least make some sort of connection to people - even if only to harvest their knowledge about something we might be interested in. Right?

The way it is...

So not much to say - but it's been a few days since my last post. Figured it was due time for another. Took my daughter to the zoo this weekend. Oh man, I love this age! So fun! She is turning 2 in August (can't believe it's going so fast) - And yeah - she can talk, run, walk, have conversations about her day... it's such a joy. Hey, the other morning she said to me "Daddy, I want to go to Cabela's!" (took her there once and she liked all the animals they had on display - but regardless of her reason for wanting to go, that simple sentence would make any dad oh so happy! hehe ) - Anyway, so yeah - She's at such a freaking fun age!

Hm... what else is new? I only have a little over a week left of teaching! Then I'm officially unemployed! YAY! :) hehe - I will actually be working hard on freelance and doing any kind of work I can to get money to live off of during the summer. Yes basically I will be whoring my skills out for a simple dollar. Wait... Isn't that what everyone does when they work? Hm... the things we do for money. Anyway, I guess it's not whoring unless the services I provide are sexual (which they are not) - hehe - ANYWAY, can you tell I'm lacking sleep and that it's late at night?

I'm watching The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien - I love that he's the host now! He's so funny, and makes me giggle... just kidding - I actually laugh out loud in a very manly way :) Hm... back to my daughter... did I mention I love carrying her on my shoulders? It's fun - except when she uses my hair as a handle - or when she is sticking her fingers in my ear - like here - (CLICK ME) she was actually trying to see if there was a piercing on that ear as well...

Wow, look at that - I wrote a post! (and about nothing!) and for that I apologize! Good night friends - hope you're enjoying your week!

Kicking the habit and being a jerk...

So I don't smoke, but I think it might be good if I did. See, my bad habit is McDonalds. I've been working on cutting down for a couple of years - with no long term success. See the problem is that when I do have success it's not really anything I can share. If an individual is actually able to kick the fast food habit people generally think your a jerk. Then they try their hardest to get you to have it again... "hey, let's just hit the drive through.... Come on... One more time won't kill you... Come on, it's the weekend -treat yourself.." Anyway, when you smoke and decide to quit you get crazy support... Even other smokers support you! So, if you think about it it's actually easier to kick the smoking than it is to kick mcdonalds! And it's not like fast food isn't dangerous for your health -thus the reason for no support - it is mega dangerous! All the health problems that come with eating junk like this are some of the same smoking causes! So there you have it. Next time your buddy talks about not eating at mcdicks anymore be supportive! Oh man, all this food talk has me craving another breakfast bagel from big M - hey, I deserve it, right? ;)

The random thingies of an awesome dude... me

So I don't really have all that much to say... so here are a few things "of note." - well ok, not really "of note" but things that I'm mentioning regardless of noteworthiness

I updated my professional site this weekend - it looks pretty killer - especially cuz orange is the bomb! (oh and I also added the konami code to that site - but it's a different effect than for this site) - (those of you that don't know what the konami code is, here it is - Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Enter - Enter those keys and magical things happen! *try it on my professional site to see my extreme awesomeness! (www.zigthiessen.com)

Hm... what else... my classroom is empty today. Only 3 students showed up this morning. Sweet. They are good students who are all diligently work away... Makes for a long morning though. It's lunch right now and I'm eating Salmon, rice and asparagus. yum!

So I've been 30 for a while now - things are going well! I must say, Being 30 is alright! I want to eat steak. Not related to being 30, but I want some anyway. Yum! I think the rain finally stopped so maybe I'll make some for dinner! Crap - gotta cut the grass when I get home! Hm... guess I'll see about that steak!

What else? - I was surprised by the comments from my last post. Specifically the one from "anonymous" - not sure what that meant. Speaking of that whole thing, I don't like the anonymous comment option. (even though I leave it there, cuz I know sometimes people wanna use it) - but like for instance that comment that was made seemed like one that did not need to by anonymous! It's not like they told me off or anything~ I say they coulda used their name - or at least explained why they were so shocked. Weird world I guess! Only 3 weeks of teaching left, and then I'm officially done ALL my requirements for my teacher certification. Crap - reminds me ... I gotta send that paperwork in! Aaack! Well that's about it for today - I know, not the most exciting post - but hey, at least nothing "Anonymous" will be shocked about! ;) - hopefully! hehe - have a great day folks!

The light finally went on!!!!

So for most of my life I've been the kind of guy that seeks affirmation in everything I do. Yep, I admit it. When I do something, and when I do it well, I want people to notice. Even if I try to pretend that I don't, I actually really do. As I get older I notice more and more that this is kinda how I've always been. See, I don't lack confidence, or skills - I have both. I'm confident in my own abilities, I have skills in many areas, I'm well liked by almost everyone I meet, and everything I do I do pretty well. I'm kinda like a jack of all trades, but with more than just trades. Jack of all hobbies lets say? Anyway, So back to this affirmation thing. I realize I am constantly seeking affirmation - and it seems that I also prefer female affirmation. So for the past while I've been trying to figure out WHY!? - I know I'm good at what I do, I know I'm not ugly, (at least I don't think so) - I know I have a healthy level of self confidence, and everything seems to be good. So why do I need so much affirmation in my life? Well the other day I was talking to my wife about this... and we figured it out.

See, a little back story here. I am adopted. I was adopted at a very young age (I think I was around 7months old or something) - Also, when I was in the 6th Grade my mother (the one who adopted me) died of cancer. Eventually my father re-married (and now I refer to her as "mom" - none of this "Step-mom" crap - she's my mom. She raised me through the whacky teen years, so yeah - she's my mom. - Anyway my wife and I figure my constant need for affirmation must come from a subconsious fear of not being wanted. Perhaps my brain thinks, Hm... I was adopted - I have to prove to be good so I'm still wanted. My mom died - I have to prove to be good so I'm still wanted. Possibly, very possibly, these two events in my life have given me the need for female affirmation - not just from a mother figure but now from every female? Possibly?

Anyway, so It kinda feels good to kinda understand why I need female attention in my life, and constant affirmation (holy I used that word a lot today!) - The thing is, now that I understand all this I should be able to remedy it - you know -hold my head higher than ever, and do my thing - without constantly trying to hear if anyone is talking about me in a positive way. But I guess I probably won't change. My brain is wired this way now - and even though I understand it I'm probably not going to be able to change anything. I could see a therapist? - Hah! I have way cooler things to spend my money on. Oh well, perhaps I'll open up on my blog, and you - my dear readers - can be my therapist. (Hm.. I wonder if that idea came from a subconscious need for even more affirmation! -

Too much brain activity for today - I'm out! Enjoy your thursday! Send me a message telling me how awesome I am... it'd really help! hehe - Just kidding - (it would only strengthen my needs)

The grass on the other side...

So today I turned 30. Yep - they say the grass is greener on the other side - and now I'm on the other side. To be honest the grass looks more or less the same here than in my 20's. I guess I'll give a more detailed report of what I think of being thirty in about a week. So what did I do for my last weekend of my 20's? Well - I went to the Art Gallery, wandered around town, did some cool stuff, and got my ear pierced. Right now it looks like THIS - but in a few weeks the ring is coming out and I'm gonna put a plug in the hole - the kind where you can see all the way through my ear. Yeah - So why did I do this? Well for several reasons - but the primary reason is that every morning when I see the hole in my ear it will remind me of the things I believe and strive for, and remind me to not stray from my path of personal growth. Anyway, so yeah - since eventually the hole will be stretched a little larger I got them to start with a thicker hole right from the start. Normal ear piercings are done at a size called 16 gauge - I started with 10. It friggin hurt!!!!!! If you look closely at the pic you can see just how thick the needle actually was! My wife was kind enough to snap pics for me, and this was a genuine expression! - Yeah - I'm a suck, and it hurt :) - Anyway, worse than the brief pain was the sound it made as the needle popped through the ear! GROSS!!!!

Anyway, so today is my actual B-day - and my wife is making this day pretty awesome - She is letting me relax all day, and even treated me with some nice gifts! (concert tix to see Al Green!!! wooooooo! and tickets to Kevin Curtis Sextet - and some wine - YUM!!!!) - Our exchange student also gave me a sweet gift - a couple sweet games for the ol' PC here - (he explained that just cuz I'm in my thirties doesn't mean I'm too old to do some gaming. He is right) - Anyway, so yeah - that's the news. I'm officially a grown-up (or something like that) - So far being 30 is ok! Well - hope you all have a fantastic day! I'm gonna go do some TV watching - on the couch - (see now that I'm older I need to get all the couch-rest I can get! right?)

tuesday morning UPDATE!!!
so last night we went out for Chinese food, and when we got home, I unlocked the house and found a surprise party waiting for me!!!! My first surprise party ever!!! My wife managed to pull off a surprise party, and that is awesome!!!! 30 people waiting inside, and even though I had a few clues In advance I never did conclude that there would be a party. It was great! Thanks to everyone that came and to everyone that helped her pull it off. Most importantly, thanks to my wife who made turning 30 a-ok. :)

A world once mine

Ever drive by a place that you used to go to a lot, or be part of and kinda feel sad? I do. I used to work downtown, and although I LOVE LOVE LOVE what I'm doing now I kinda miss being part of that world. When I drive through downtown I remember walking those sidewalks, getting coffee at those shops, seeing those people, and being part of that downtown lifestyle. It's odd, I'm so far removed from that whole corporate downtown life... and yet, only a few months ago I was part of it. It also happens at other places. Driving past old schools you once attended... a stranger now, but once a member - Old churches, restaurants, etc... It's kind of sad sometimes - don't you think? I dunno - am I the only one that feels this? I guess once you move along the good-ol' days of being part of whatever you were part of, never come back. Sure, I could go hang out downtown, eat at those places, and drink coffee at those places. But I would still kind of be a stranger. The people I used to know at the food places probably won't remember me now, or maybe they have even moved along! It's weird. The other day I was talking to my Father-in-law who used to be an administrator at a high school He's been gone for years, and was back in the school for a function the other day. He says it's weird being back. All his pictures are gone, the staff doesn't know who he is... I guess it's like that for everything in life - we go through it, move along, and life goes on... Hm... deep thoughts for a friday before a long weekend! :) - Anyway, enough of that nonsense! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Oh fyi, konami code is active -wink - wink)

The secret to blogging

So I've been blogging for a couple years, written good posts, and really boring ones, had my visitor rate flucuate from where I felt like a star to where I heard crickets. Over all these years and posts there has always been the struggle of what to write about. I constantly say to myself and sometimes to those around me "Crap! I gotta blog today! What do I write about?!" Well I've been keeping a little list of ideas in a notebook. I found I always seem to forget an idea when I need it, so I decided to write them down. Seems like a good plan, right? - Always having a list of topics at hand? - Well guess what? It's not working as well as I hoped! I still find myself struggling to keep my blog current, and my posts more frequent. This is my current list. As you can see there are at least a couple check marks... which is good - but here's the thing... I've had this list since about April 17th! Thats almost a month ago! Mind you, I did misplace my notebook for a good 2 weeks! Was very sad about that - but I found it! woooo hooo! - Anyway, so what is the secret to blogging? I dunno... perhaps being interesting? (which of course I am...) perhaps being awesome is also required... (hm... I am awesome) - what else is missing? - I dunno - I was thinking that female bloggers have it much easier. They get all the guys reading their blogs, and all the girls. Girls can write about more topics too... Maybe I'm wrong, but it just seems that blogging is easier for women. Ah well, I like my blog -especially cuz it has an orange header! Orange is a sweet sweet colour! I guess I'll just continue on with what I"m doing, and hope that it is interesting for someone! (Apparently there are a lot of people in the middle east that visit my blog - but all of them seem to arrive here because of dirty google searches! - Dirty tricks to play on your wife, dirty things to do to boss in bed, how to have dirty sexy time - yes, all google searches that have led people to my blog!) Hm... perhaps the secret to a popular blog is filling it with dirty keywords! Sex, Nude, Love, Naked Pictures, ! hah! I wonder how many hits I will get because of that! Thank you Google!!!! wooooooooo

Who wants to live forever?

So I've figured out the answer to living a long long time. Be a dick. Sorry if that's "rude" or "vulgar" or whatever, but it's true. If you want to live a long long long time you must be a total "A-Hole." Ever notice that all the nice people die too young? And all the jerks end up really old? Well here's my theory. I think the nice people hold it all in. When life annoys them, or gets them down, or whatever, they do the "nice" thing and keep it all inside. On the flip-side, some people swear and curse, and are jerks, and selfish and think only of themselves. So here's the kicker. Those nice people that hold it all in must obviously have a lot more internal stress, which can lead to health problems. There was an article in the paper recently that talked about how people that swear and curse when they are met with stress are LESS likely to have a heart attack. They "release the steam" so to say. Now don't you think that might also be the case with other issues in life? Imagine if you only worried about yourself, and what you wanted... no stress. You'd never have to bite your tongue worrying about someone's feelings, you'd never have to wait in line, cuz you could just be a jerk and cut the line, you'd never have to worry about traffic cuz you would do your own thing... and so on and so on... Right? Problem is... I don't want to be a jerk. Guess I'll have to die earlier... but hey, that's alright with me! It's not about living forever anyway (at least not on earth) - Earth is temporary, so I say, live a shorter life, be nice to people, and show people what real care and love is. Wow, that's pretty cheesy, hey? - But true. So hey, to any jerks reading this... there is no point in long life if everyone hates you! But yeah, if you really wanna live a long time, and you don't care about being liked (which is probably why your a jerk anyway) then go for it! - Hope you all have a GREAT Thursday! :)

Oh, well will you look at that!

So last night I had to go to the Red River College Teacher Education Appreciation Dinner. Yeah, it was kinda one of those things that the school puts on at the end of the year for all those involved in Teacher Education this year... The students, the instructors, the cooperating teachers we are working with while we student teach, a bunch of school administrators, etc. Your usual "Appreciation Dinner" type of thing. There was, as expected, an open bar - (teachers wouldn't have it any other way) and great food. There were also all the required speeches from the Schools' President, to the Teachers Union President, and so on. What was however NOT expected was the announcement and distribution of the Bursary awards from the Teachers Union. They give out one award to a student with "good academic success, strong peer leadership, community involvement, strong instructor relationship, etc.." Of course most of us at the table were not really paying attention - until they said "We are please to announce that this years winner from the Technical Vocational Teacher Education Program is.... Mr Thiessen"! woooooooo that's me! What?! me?! saweeeeett! I did know about the bursary, and that I was in the running for it - but I thought this would be done at the grad ceremony which won't be until January! Good thing I showed up to this thing! Anyway, so there I was- walking up to a the front of a room filled with about 200 or more people. I shook a couple people's hands, and went back to my table, with a nice fat cheque for 1200 bucks! woooo hooo! On the way back to my seat I noticed a couple teachers from my past! An old Junior high German Language Arts Teacher, my old Electronics teacher, and a couple more were there, and looked pretty surprised to see me there (yeah, I was a bad kid when I went to school) - Guess all those phone calls home they used to make paid off or something! Cuz here I am... an award winner! yep! sweet! The Vice Principal of the school where I'm student teaching now came and congratulated me. I told him he should hire me for next year so that he could say he has an "Award Winning Staff." As any good administrator would do, he skirted the topic, with a simple "you never know what will open up!" Anyway, I was very shocked and surprised that I won the award. I really really really thought it was gonna go to a classmate of mine - Jen - I had a few... minor... well ok, major - run-ins with a couple instructors over the past year, and thought that would end up being the reason I didn't get it. Anyway, so you could say last night was a pretty good night for me! I'm 1200 bucks richer, and faced with a decision... What to do with the cash? Be responsible? or treat ,myself to some sort of gift!? hm.... hm.... hm... decisions, decisions!
*Sorry for the totally crappy pic! Once again I'm blogging from my phone... and this time even from bed! (can't sleep, you know how it is.... right?)

Sometimes being cocky pays off

So this past weekend I went to another Sporting Clays shooting event, where as usual, I kicked butt! haha. Anyway, we decided that we were gonna video tape some of our awesomeness this time, but quickly figured out that when the camera is rolling skill goes out the window. Big Time! Seemed like every time the video camera came out all shots were missed. I had enough of this, so I decided to try being cocky. It worked. Two super hard shots, nailed, and with video evidence! These shots come from behind, fly overhead at about 50mph, and wait to get shot by me :) - That's right, this one time, cockyness paid off. It actually paid off a couple more times throughout the day - but this was the best video capture. The video quality from YouTube is kinda crappy, but if you click on HQ (high quality) you can see the puff as I smoke the clay. Look top right quarter of video window - that's where you can see it. Anyway, I'll let you get to the video... if you didn't realize I was awesome, now you do! haha - Have a great week!

An Evening with Leonard Cohen

So last night I went to see Leonard Cohen in concert. It was, as you might imagine, an absolutely fabulous evening. His live voice, the low thundering baratone, made any recording seem like a disasterous fail at capturing its awesomness. His timeless sound and personality pierced through the dark arena capturing both young and old. In attendace, a very wide variety of fans, from young to old, from wine drinking to the weed smoking. Everyone a fan for their own reasons... And everyone satisfied in their own way. All the classics were covered -hallelujah, suzanne, closing time, miracle, bird on a wire, and even 1000 kisses deep- a spoken poem- . Everything about the almost three hour long show was perfect. So check your local listings! If he's coming, Go! Don't hesitate, just GO! You will not regret it! Regardless of your true musical taste, this 74 year old will knock your socks off and do it with more style and class than you or I could ever dream of having... Leonard Cohen, for last nights show I give you 5 golden stars!

Also a special thanks to Marta, a fellow twitterer, and Cohen fan for letting me use her picture from the show. (she had much better seats than I did)

Crap, it has begun! She's after the boys!!!!

Turns out my little angel is already chasing the boys!!! aaaaaack! I was hoping to have at least a few more years before that started! This morning as we were getting her ready for daycare we asked her if she wanted to go and play with Sarah, or Adrianna, or Karla at daycare. To each of those she said "NO!" Then we asked her if she wanted to see Zack, or Brandon - to which she nodded her head and said "YES." Then the horror... she said, "Rachy give zacky a hug." Had to clarify that... I asked her "did you say you will give zacky a hug?" She was quiet for a few moments then said, "Rachy give Zacky a Kiss."

Oh crap.

What happend to my plan of getting her to think boys are icky for at least another 10 years - at LEAST! aaaaahhhh

Chug chug chug oh crap

So today was my day for trying to see if I can still run a printing press. I'm talking complete run here. Making printing plates, inking the press, fine tuning it, running the job, and cleanup! Well, I did it. Kinda. My hands a blue, and the print job is done... But not very good. But hey, I actually managed to print a job. Oh did I mention that the last time I ran a press was 10 years ago? Yeah, well I found out it's not really like riding a bike. Not even a little. I think this afternoon I'm gonna give it another go. Tomorrow I am teaching a lesson where students need to print a job! Eeeek. Yes, I will definitely give it another shot this afternoon! Now looking back I'm suddenly remembering a bunch of tips and tricks from back in the day. Should go much smoother this aft. Or, maybe I'll just enjoy a coffee and do the teacher stroll. Yep, that sounds much better. Hmmmm I really need coffee right freaking now!

Historical Restoration a Waste?

So I totally understand the importance of historical preservation in order to educate the future generations, and all that good stuff... but sometimes when I hear about some huge restoration project it blows my mind that anyone would spend that kind of money on a project like that. An example... I was watching a documentary about the Great Wall of China this weekend. They were talking about how they are planning on restoring a certain section of the wall, and rebuilding it to its former glory. The price tag? Half a BILLION dollars per quarter Kilometer!!!!!! Correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't that like 2 million dollars per meter?! See to me, even with my understanding of historical significance, education of future generations, etc, that seems absolutely ridiculous! It seems to me that the idea of restoration, and rebuilding historical structures is a weak attempt at humanities strive to stop time, and the effects of time. People need to realize that nothing will last forever. Pouring BILLIONS of dollars into projects will not change the fact that one day again it will be in ruins. Anyway, I did a quick calcuation and figured out that the money spent for each quarter kilometer on this wall rebuilding project could feed approximately 25,000 people in a third world country, for 50 years!!!!! That's just one example of how the money could be used more wisely. I'm sure we can all think of other uses as well. Seriously, is it really that important to rebuild a portion of a wall that is not even used anymore? I say, document, photograph, film, but let nature take it's course. It's part of what happens on the planet earth. Everytthing on earth has a lifespan. From people, to structures, to cultures. Let nature take it's course, and maybe lets stop trying to "live forever" in every aspect of our lives. We spend so much time and effort on restoration, rejuvination, etc. I'm not saying we need to live in shambles, and ruins... but when it comes to restoring things that serve no other purpose than historical significance, why waste that kind of money? The usuage of money needs to be considered. The purpose of the restoration needs to be considered, and ultimately we need to remember that eventually we too will die, and be gone. Lets live well, help others, and be good stewards of our monies! I know historians, and others, may disagree with me here... but really... how does restoration really help man-kind? I also understand that this post needs to be a lot longer to actually really illustrate my point, but hey - this is a blog post, not a report. Right? - plus nobody wants to read 10,000 words on a single post! Right? Anyway, I think I got the basics down of what I'm thinking.... what do you think?

Faking It!

Sometimes it feels like I'm faking life. I feel like everything we do is for show, and that everything we do involves "playing the game." For the record I'm very good at playing "the game." I've mastered the skills needed to succeed at a lot of things. But wow, does it ever feel like a show sometimes. Back when I was a designer, I felt like I was pulling the wool over everyones eyes, and just making it seem like I knew what I was doing. I guess by "faking it" I was actually doing it - but still. Now I'm becoming a teacher, and even though i can successfully teach a lesson, keep the students engaged I feel like I'm playing a big trick on everyone. Perhaps it's because I know that there is always more to learn, and always more levels of understanding and knowledge to achieve. Even in a non-professional aspect I feel like I'm faking it sometimes. When I play guitar, when I fulfill my suburban home-owner duties of keeping my yard nice and stuff, when I'm doing the things I call my hobbies... everything! I guess the problem is that I know very well that there is more to learn, more to achieve, and when people assume I'm great at certain things I feel like saying "if you only knew!" I know this is kinda crazy... cuz its very obvious that I do know what I'm doing. I guess life really is a show. At least sometimes. We bite our tongue when we know it's best to do so, we tell people what they want to hear, we do the things that people expect us to do, and when anyone goes against the rules of the show there is hell to pay. Yeah, I too have gotten myself into trouble by saying "screw the game, I'll tell it like it is..." - Although it's very therapeutic it often does not work out so well! So yeah - am I alone here? ANyone else feel like life is too often just for show? Nobody really knows who we are... I guess by observing us they get to know the real person behind the silhouette. But really - how many people REALLY know you. How many people have you stopped putting on a show for? I guess it's good to play the game, and to be a master life-actor. It keeps people in line, and behaving in a way that benefits the majority. Hm... deep thoughts for a Wednesday hey? Yeah - I thought so too.