Currently completing my electrician apprenticeship, should be a journeyman by October if all goes well. The band is writing new material after having previously completed a 5 song EP/demo at Nimbus studios in Vancouver (check that out here, drop a friend request or a facebook 'like' if you dig it!).

Broken pipe flood #3 in just under 2 years of living here. They are finished re-piping the mains in our building, and now at least we have individual water shut-offs, however the pipes going into each unit are still old.

This one wasn't so bad, but it looks like it might force me to reno the kitchen now instead of later. I am going to get all new piping in my kitchen out of it, and if I take the chance to drop the ceiling I can re-wire the whole thing in copper w/ pot lights, puck lights, Ikea cabinets etc.

After the water started coming in under our cabinets I allowed myself to have 2 cigarettes, but today I'm back to gum and nicorette inhalers. Aside from those two I haven't smoked since about 5am January 1st. Not a resolution (since those are shit), just a convenient day to start quitting since the first bit of nicotine fits were practically non-existent next to my horrendous hangover.

Painted our condo again yesterday... Everything is still in upheaval but its coming together now as we slowly put everything back in its place.

Same colour chip as last time (warm gray), but 3 shades lighter. It really brightened the place up and now we won't have to repaint when we sell the place either.

Never again.

Until the bedrooms.

Back to school.

Nothing like a clean car. Inside and out, I'd been meaning to give it a good clean for over a year. Finally done - wax, windows everything. It smells like grapes... from the OUTSIDE! That's some serious clean.

Starting school at the end of next month and then I will be looking for another company to work for when I get out. Not looking forward to it, but what can you do?

I've been feeling foggy and achy since last week when I got my tetanus booster, figured I picked up some flu going around until talking to someone else who has been feeling the same way since getting their tetanus recently too. I'm wondering if this is due to the immune response somehow, since I sometimes get the same symptoms while taking antibiotics.

Bill C-51

If you're Canadian you've probably heard about this one recently. Seemingly everybody is up in arms claiming that the Bill will be nothing more than a power grab and an excuse for the government stormtroopers to ruin your day.

My first impression was that C-51 was probably a change for the better and those fighting it were either the alternative medicine manufacturers themselves or people who don't see a problem with the bunk herbal remedy industry. Turns out that's exactly what's going on:

http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=590205

StopC51.com it seems, is nothing more than a front for an Alberta based company that makes herbal bipolar remedies.

Here is another interesting article about that.

So Bill C-51 actually ends up being good for all of us (consumers, anyway), since its main focus is imposing more strenuous control over the safety of herbal remedies and increasing the fines dramatically for those who continue to sell dangerous "natural" pills. Its bad enough that 99% of this stuff doesn't work as advertised, at least after C-51 a smaller percentage of it will actually be harmful.

Canada's free speech is under attack again by an uppity Muslim named Mohammed Elmasry, who much like the recent cartoon fiasco is using the Human Rights Commissions in BC and across Canada as a tool to censor and financially attack MacLean's magazine. Read the articles and draw your own conclusion, but bear in mind that whether it offends you or not you do not have the right to government protection from hurt feelings.

Here is a good jumping-off point:

Mark Steyn vs. the Sock Puppets

and if you prefer video:

Mark Steyn debate on TVO

The recent case of Ezra Levant and the Western Standard magazine is another example of the danger of such 'Political Correctness Courts' as the HRCs - It doesn't even matter if complainants win or lose since the legal costs are free to the accusers and so very costly to the defendants.

It may be too late to affect the outcome of the upcoming BCHRC Tribunal hearing on June 2nd, but it is not too late and indeed very necessary to change the scope and jurisdiction of these so called Human Rights Comissions across Canada.

If this scares you, get in touch with your local MP and let them know. The precedent has been set for using these Comissions as a costly intimidation tactic against hurt feelings and it needs to be changed.

Does anybody else find it annoying and slightly weird that the Discovery Channel shows programs about exorcisms and other paranormal crap? The shows are clearly biased, and I realize that Discovery has to bump ratings up but it's kind of deceiving.

I enjoy these shows on kind of a nostalgic and mindless level, but I could do without them on a science network.

I believe I have successfully quit smoking. 26 days with only a handful of less-than-satisfying cigarettes, my habits are changing.

Advice wise, I recommend figuring out how much smoking costs you on a monthly basis, then going out and acquiring a debt of roughly the same amount. Have fun with it.

[edit]: I changed my profile name, old one was bottom of the barrel and has always bugged me - update your creepy altars and bloody scribblings at your earliest convenience.