Will the Raptors Win tonight.

So it's halloween and the Raptors have their home opener against Golden State. Will they win?

Damn Car!

So my car starts making a lot of noise yesterday like it has an exhaust leak. This surprises me because I just got the exhaust fixed at the end of August, then I look under the car and see that one of the clamps that holds the exhaust together has come loose. Hopefully fix it tomorrow morning on my driveway. Kinda cold outside so I hope it will be quick.

Damn car repairs are killing me lately!

Banner Heaven

So the Boston Celtics, my favorite basketball team, raised their 17th championship banner tonight to celebrate the championship they won last season. Then they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers to finish a great night for them.

I had to work. Missed it all, maybe see highlights when I get home.

As is so often with this job, I feel like life is just passing me by.

Snow!

Damn it's snowing.

The worst Podcast I have ever heard

So I enjoy listening to podcasts. I listen to several. A lot of them are CBC podcasts like Spark, The age of Persausion, and Search Engine. These are great, but all professionally produced by Canada's Largest Broadcaster. I listen to ESPN podcasts on various sports.

I also listen to basketball podcats: Celticscast and TheBasketballJones. These two podcasts particularly impress me because they have decent if not excellent production and knowledgable hosts.

So I don't understand the aweful show 'Talking Basketball'. I find the show just badly produced: no background music; bad volume control on the three hosts mics and computers.

The hosts kill me, not knowing names of players, heavy breathing into the mic, one didn't even watch the Raptors games to discuss them. I find it really frustrating to listen to, so I'm cancelling that podcast!

Last of the Bearded baller

So finally hitting the start of the NBA season. Less than 24hrs to the first game. Shaving time!

So this is the last picture of the beard.

Black Sneakers

So I really like having a large collection of sneakers. Particularly basketball shoes. But I have run into a problem, my job only allows all-black dress shoes.

I have noticed that a lot of the bus drivers I work with do wear black sneakers for work. So my new plan became clear!

I will continue to collect sneakers, but now I will buy only all-black ones that I can use at work. Ha so now I can have the largest all-black collection ever!

Manly Facial Hair

Hey so my NBA preseason beard is continuing it's growth. Only ten days to go before I start shaving.

I figure I'll shave in pieces. Keep the handlebar mustache with attached sideburns for a day, then a mustache and sideburns for another, just sideburns, and finally a clean shave.

Don't know that I would suggest beard growing as a hobbie. It has been kinda itchy. Any kinda sauce gets into it and is tough to wash out. My wife doesn't like the look. My sisters think I look way to much like my dad. I've even been told it makes me look too old.

Mostly I'm not really used to having a big hairy face. Almost never get much beyond a little bristle. Anyways the countdown is on. Ten days to go.

Courts and sleep

So I have spent this week waking up at 8 in the morning despite going to sleep at 3 in the morning because of meetings with my bankruptcy trustee. I could really use a nap.

I was in court today for my discharge hearing. I arrived at the court at 9:30am and after many other cases and a 20 minute recess that went for an hour and 20 minutes. Then when I finally had my case, at 1:30 in the afternoon, we got adjoured until October 22 to review some case law that we're disputing. Courts are a huge waste of time and money.

Damn I need to sleep in just once this week!

Preseason Begins

The Raptors have started the preseason with 2 wins, so far so good. It doesn't mean much at this point in time, but I think the Raptors are aiming for a conference finals this year.

Run around day

So today is a crazy run around day. I went to pick up my car this morning and it was not ready.

Then I gave my father a ride to the doctors. I wish he would get afternoon appointments because I'm tired of getting up in the morning after coming off a night shift.

After that I finally picked up my car and had them gouge my wallet.

Off to my bankruptcy trustee next to see how my bankruptcy is going to finish. My trustee has made a complete mess of my bankruptcy that includes losing my tax info, setting meetings past due dates, and constantly changing the cost price of the bankruptcy. I have a court date in two days and they told me today that I owe them more money, based on information that I provided to them eight months ago. On top of that at my last meeting with the owner of the company in August I was told that I had one final small payment left and that would be it. I am really pissed off at these constant screw ups on their end.

All and all this has been a miserable day.

Coffee, Cookers & Cars. Oh My!

So I tried to kick coffee today, but failed miserably. So I'm adjusting to simply not buying coffee at a store. So I had my own homebrewed coffee only today, and amazingly only one cup!

I also moved a stove around the house. Our gas stove has been malfunctioning and we had a fairly new electric stove in the garage. So we switched them around today. I had thought that the gas stove was going in the garbage, but apparently it's going to be repaired again. So no space gained.

Finally my car had began gushing oil yesterday and so I had to take it to get fixed. I went to Canadian Tire. Feels like a huge mistake, they charged me $100 to look at it and $200 more to repair a gasket on my oil filter housing. I feel very gouged by them and I'm not loving my old 1991 Volkswagon Passat right now.

We've been thinking about getting a newer family car for awhile now, but I'm always worried about adding another regular bill and how I'll feel about paying a car and repairs at the same time.

I like my money and want to keep it all. I have short arms and deep pockets!

Damned Cars

So my car has started pissing oil all over the place tonight. I'm not quite sure where the leak is from or how much it will cost to fix, but this is a serious problem for right now.

I would like to get a newer, better car but I am concerned about the affordability of that venture.

I guess I'll get an idea of the cost of repair tomorrow and then go from there.

Choose Life

'Why would I want to do that? I chose not to choose life, and the reasons? Well there are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you have...' - Mark Renton in Trainspotting

Mostly I'm trying to choose my next shift at work. Every 6-10 weeks at work we choose new bus routes and shifts. Currently I work about 5:30pm until 2:00am, but I get Fridays and Sundays off. I like the days off and that I can pick up my kids from school, but I do find that I spend a lot of time sleeping and alone.

So I may change my shift, I also may have to change it since the shifts are chosen in seniority order and someone else may choose my current work.

Choices are always hard to make because each shift has some advantages and disadvantages.

So what to pick???

Busy weekends

So I am in the season of busy weekends. It all started with my daughter's birthday and now it continues. This weekend we have a field trip for Daniella with her Aunt Ashley(my younger sister) and an early thanksgiving at my older sisters house. Next weekend will be my nephews birthday. Two of my nieces has a birthday in November... And etc.

CRAZY!

Pre-season Beard

So I am growing a pre-season beard. The NBA season starts on October 29th and I'm gonna grow myself a beard until the season starts. I started around September 10th and now I'm riding out the itches.

This is all of course just for fun. I've never grown a full beard before although my father often has. So here I will try just for fun. I have the goatee going good now, so I'm going into the full beard now.

Finally my wife will look forward to the start of the NBA season.

HAHAHAHA!

Small business's

So my wife, Julia, is seriously interested in opening a small business. So we have started to look into opening a black beauty supplies store, but there is a lot of them already opened in the area we live. So now I think she's rethinking and repositioning herself to move forward.

I for one think that owning a business is a lot of work and I'm wondering if it would be worth it. But if the owner is really into what they do then that can make it an enjoyable time for them.