This last weekend was eventful, finding me in the small town of London Ontario for a dragon boat race. I like the sound of it. London. Yes well if you must know we went to London last weekend for a race. The Annual International Dragon Boat Competition of London. Yes yes our team is that good. We raced 8th overall. We raced on the Upper Thames. Jolly good. Unfortunately London Ontario is not quite so grandiose but hey.

Anywho, the trip up was fun. I designated myself the personal motivator of our driver, which resulted in me singing lots of Aerosmith, U2, and random tunes on the radio to keep her awake. She sung along as well so it was all good except that I had this minor cold and my voice didn’t last very long.

We stayed at a campsite near the Upper Thames. It was nice, clean, civilized. Running water, real bathrooms, etc… A plastic outdoor experience just the way I like it. The temperature dropped to about 8 or 9 degrees Celsius. It was fine though. I slept on a queen size inflatable mattress. It would have been perfect except for having to wakeup at 8 AM to make our races.

Saturday evening we BBQed on an open fire and drank copious quantities of beer. The heavens treated us to a beautiful sunset. I spun fire for the team, and glow sticks. We told stories. I recited Annabel Lee, by Edgar Allen Poe. The sky opened up allowing me to once again balk at the glory of infinite white specks against a dark crystal backdrop. My eyes got lost marveling at the soft glow of dying embers. I was one of the last to go to sleep. All in all it was fantastic.

Race wise we did well. We may not have been the best team, but we definitely were the funniest, as we screamed out “Eat ME!” whilst getting our medals. Ohh did I mention we won a medal in London this weekend? Racing on the Upper Thames river we did. Second place in the B Division. London’s International Dragon Boat Competition. Smashing good time it was. I love the sound of that.

The trip back was difficult. The Minister of the Interior had his interior probed by a sleeping bag which was compensating for the shortness of the bench upon which we were sardined on. Fortunately there was good music. We stopped in Toronto on the way back for Chinese food. My advice to you, don’t stop at a Chinese all you can eat buffet as a means of trying out the fine fine delicacies of Toronto. Keep driving, or find a better place. I got home at 2 AM last night, and naturally I couldn’t fall asleep cause I slept in the car. The rest of my evening was pretty much self-entertainment before passing out, if you know what I mean.

I’ll be putting up pictures just as soon as the photographers send me what they took.

As Surgeon General, it gives me great pleasure to appoint the new Minister of Fisheries. He knows who he is. Congratulations and welcome aboard buddy.

Dear Future,

Hi there what’s going on? How are you? We haven’t met yet, but I was hoping to get to know you a little better seeing as eventually we will be spending the rest of our lives together. What kind of person are you? What are your likes, your dislikes? How do you feel about me? How do I make you feel? I’m obviously very eager to meet you. It’s been so long since I’ve felt anything romantic for anyone. It’s been so long since I’ve felt romantically loved. I was kinda hoping to accelerate the process by getting in touch with you, you know?

I consider myself an interesting fellow. I’m into some aspects of geek culture, D&D, computers, anime, videogames, some light LARP. I also study economics at school. Doing my masters degree. It’s fun. I enjoy it. I spin fire balls attached to the ends of chains for fun. It’s very cool, and I get a lot of positive attention from it. I’m a bit of an attention freak.

I’m the kinda guy who considers himself very funny. I make lots of bad jokes generally concerning sex in some way. Most of my friends think I’m a bit loopy, but they love me and I love them too. I can’t wait for you to meet them. They’re great. I’m also a tad erratic, and intense emotionally. This works either way, good or bad depending on the situation, but as a human being I’m open to compromise and tend to think myself more concerned with the happiness of others before my own. I like it when the people around me are content and am willing, more often than not, to go out of my way to make them happy.

I fear death, roller coasters, heights. I like water, even when there are huge waves or when I’m 30 meters underwater with an air tank strapped to my back. I fear spiders, but not snakes. I’ve traveled to many places in the world, and speak three languages pretty well. My background is quite mixed, and I consider myself knowledgeful about the world. I am open-minded, to many things, culturally, sexually, ideally.

In the future I plan on getting my PHD in economics and perhaps doing some research at first. I’m not necessarily driven financially, but more perhaps towards accomplishing something fulfilling. Since, I am afraid of death, I plan on immortalizing myself in history or the memories of people. I want to have a positive impact on the development of the planet. We’ll see.

Anyways that’s a little about me. I’d love to hear from you soon. Find out what kind of person you are. Meet you, fall in love. Please write back as soon as you can.

Anxiously waiting

Erik

Greetings and salutations. Over the last couple of weeks I haven’t felt inspired to writing anything in particular, and for this reason I feel like I’m neglecting my blog. Hence I’ve decided to write about my life as it stands in the current moment.

The month of August is flying past us, and I’m starting to have to make plans to accommodate the impending school year. I am registered in 4 classes, but will be dropping one of them depending how it goes. I also plan on auditing a course on mathematical economics since I have no background in the subject as of yet, and believe that a bit of exposure would do me some good. I am eager to commence once again. Even more eager perhaps to fall back into the routine. I genuinely love school and the people I study with, many of whom have left for the vacation and haven’t seen in several months.

I also wish to keep my volunteering going if possible. It’s fun, but alas my hours will have to change which is a bit of a bitch cause I have a vested interest right now, to working on Thursdays. We’ll see. In any case it’s fun and downtown which is good.

My dragon boating is also beginning to draw to a close as we had our last practice on Tuesday, and our final competition this upcoming weekend. We will be driving to London Ontario for our last few races. It’s been fun and I will be missing the exercise, and the people.

Aside from that, the weekends have been super busy. This last weekend I was at Domaine, a summer LARP I play. Next weekend I’m in London, after that in St. Louis visiting someone who’s nickname I haven’t decided on yet, after that I’m kayaking, and then another Domaine weekend.

We’ve finally started swimming again in the Sommerled swimming pool. By swimming I mean water wrestling which is an activity that myself and the Minister of the Interior greatly enjoy. From time to time we are joined by others. We are getting to know each other’s styles entirely too well. New blood must be found. Anyone wanna join us?

My apartment is still a mess. I have a new fine young roommate who moved in. It’s fun, and he comes up with interesting ideas about furniture and other things. I look forward to living with him and appointing him a cabinet position just as soon as I come up with something suitable.
That’s aboot it I guess. Cheerio!

Allow me time, reflect the past
And in the water I percieve
Enities which I concieve
Flowers I surpassed.
-
Permit me life to wander with
And from This gift I shall persist
And destinty will be my guide
Eternity I shall deny
Mortality is mine
-
Grant me strength for I'll asail
The greatest deed I will prevail
The sweetest song I ever sung
Telling tales of one's
Expression as a pun
-
In light tranquility
In dark eternity
In fluid extacy
In freedom finally
Rejected fecal matter

And now for something completely different!

I just returned from a volunteering job I do. It’s fun. I like the people I work with, and since my job is to interview and place people in volunteering positions, I get to meet new people every day. However today disaster struck. And this is how it began.

At aboot 12:15 I was in a hurry trying to get ready to make the 12:23 bus. I was running all over the place getting my stuff together. Anywho I managed to find everything, put on my sandals, my hat, my wallet etc… I made it just in time for the bus. I entered, sat down, and began my habitual observations of people while listening to music.

Suddenly an odor begins to tickle my nostrils. It was a foul odor, stank, dank, unpleasant, somehow familiar. Not BO. It was with great relief that I exited the bus to escape the smell… Odd it was following me. It then occurred to me that the odor was emanating from my sandals. Fuck.

I am downtown, I have 15 minutes before working. I haven’t eaten. I have stinky feet. I’m going to be interviewing people all afternoon. So naturally I grab a bite and tell myself that I’ll just wash up before working. I eat along the way. Get to work. Enter bathroom. Start scrubbing the sandals. It is in mid scrubbing that it occurs to me that my sandals are now wet, and that I’ll be interviewing people in wet footwear. This fact doesn’t bother me for some reason. I finish. Fuck they still stink. So I let them out to dry and prepare for my first interview.

My brilliant solution was to take the sandals off and put them by the window in between interviews. Whilst the sandals dried quickly, the smell was still present mixed in with an odor of soap. How very unusual.

Needless to say the experience was unpleasant for me, but the fact that I was interviewing men only made me feel better for some reason which doesn’t make sense at the end of the day. My boss and the people I work with laughed at me. I didn’t get much help. One person told me it only reeked cause I was looking for the smell. Meh…
And so well that’s it. It’s not much of a story, but I wish to relate how very stupid I feel.

Last Cigarette:: August 11th.
Last Alcoholic Drink:: Boreal Doree.
Last Car Ride:: Yesterday, from St. Julie. Played a LARP called Le Domaine du Createur all weekend.
Last Kiss:: Early May 2004.
Last Good Cry:: December 2003.
Last Library Book checked out:: Probably some economics text book. At least 2 years ago.
Last movie Seen in Theatres:: Spider-man 2.
Last Book Read:: The Chronicles of Amber.
Last Movie Rented:: Basekitball.
Last Cuss Word Uttered:: Me Cago en la Puta! Joder!
Last Beverage Drank:: Water.
Last Food Consumed:: Chicken Nuggets.
Last Crush:: Ohh no I’m not telling!
Last Phone Call:: Hobbes. “Hey buddy guess what, I’m NOT going to the gym this morning I’m fucking sore from the weekend.”
Last TV Show Watched:: I don’t watch TV usually, but I saw Ali G at the Minister of the Interior’s house 2 weeks ago.
Last Time Showered:: Last night 7 PM.
Last Shoes Worn:: Cheap running shoes.
Last CD Played:: I don’t do CD. Right now I’m listening to George Harisson “I Got My Mind Set on You.”
Last Item Bought:: Registration fee for my weekend LARP.
Last Download:: Some kind of slutty pornographic material.
Last Annoyance:: My apartment perpetual mess!
Last Disappointment:: That a buddy of mine couldn’t make the game.
Last Soda Drank:: Sprite.
Last Thing Written:: Words.
Last Sleep:: Last night obviously.
Last Weird Encounter:: Apologizing to someone for a misunderstanding which took place a month before, but didn’t have time enough to sort out.
Last Ice Cream Eaten: Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate chip cookie dough.
Last Time Amused:: I’m always amused.
Last Time Hugged:: Yesterday
Last Time Scolded:: I’m constantly being scolded.
Last Time Resentful:: I’m not bitter!
Last Chair Sat In:: Umm…I’m sitting down now in a crappy foldout chair in front of my computer.
Last Underwear Worn:: Blue boxers.
Last Bra Worn:: That was a long time ago in another country and besides the bra is dead.
Last Shirt Worn:: Black.
Last Webpage Visited:: www.weather.com

Permit me to reflect upon an irony which I have been faced with many a times in the recent past. One of my jobs for the summer, by jobs I mean time wasters more than anything else, is working at the Department of Economics at Concordia University updating the web site, and assisting in basically whatever needs to be done. I am the all purpose office bitch as well a mild tech support, even though technically I'm not supposed to go into the tech stuff. But I digress.

I am, in this very instant, serving in the capacity which I have described above. The summer is beginning to draw to a close, and in theory the beginning of the school year is starting to draw close. I am should be working harder during the month of august as all sorts of administrative stuff starts popping up. Teachers need new web pages, new teachers need web pages, help, etc... However I have come in to work today, 15 minutes early I might add, and find myself with but one minor change to make to the web site. This took me only 5 minutes to figure out. I spent more time in my boss' office asking her how vacation went, and for a more efficient use of my time here. I got a "Good vacation," and a "Well there really isn't anything right now." So now I am faced with a dilemma. I have 2 hours and 20 minutes left of "work" time. My boss knows I have nothing to do. I am here. My hours will be fulfilled, regardless of the amusements I manage to bring upon myself. So, should I depart and disappear, having done that which was assigned to me? Or should I look busy? I could ask my boss to go home, but she might get annoyed at me throwing her another problem to deal with in her busy day. After all, it’s not her fault everything is in working order. Besides it's more fun the other way. I know! Perhaps I should write! Wait a minute.... ARGHHHHH!!!!

What strikes me the most, however, is not my dilemma or my boredom, but the fact that what is occurring with me right now flies straight in the face of years of economic theory. One of the many things which economics tries to show us is how to use limited resources in the most efficient manner. Labour, as we all know, is one of the most important resources which planet earth possesses. I have a BA in Economics, I am halfway through my Masters degree, I have kickass grades, I speak three languages fairly well, I am a part time computer nerd, I have travelled to almost 30 countries, and been exposed to countless cultures, ways of life. One would think that the Department of Economics could use the 3 hours a week which I dedicate to them more efficiently than giving me a 5 minute job, and then expecting me to well.... I don't know, but I am being paid for this. Now most people would kill to have a part time job working at school sitting on your ass in front of a computer with internet access and a couple of cute girls to chat with. But somehow this use of my time feels fundamentally wrong. There is value associated with free time obtained when shirking responsibility, but here I cannot feel that satisfaction because, well I've got nothing to do anyway! I know, I shouldn't complain, but well blah.

I think I’m going to chat up someone.

As the heavy doors swung inwards, an odor of decomposition permeated the atmosphere. For the first time in centuries, new untainted air rushed into the chamber dispelling the stench which had lain dormant within. Dust suddenly sprang to life from its long resting place, cobwebs lain by spiders which had suffocated blew softly from the mild breeze. The room was littered with small carcasses of the insects which had expired from lack of renewed air. A small skeleton or two occasionally littered the floor threatening to crumble at even the slightest disturbance. As the curtain of particles began to settle down, a beam of light penetrated into the room, illuminating the far wall at the back. The wall had not seen light in ages, but remembering its task, it began revealing the secrets which had been inscribed upon it long ago. The pictures told the tales of a man of power gone mad. A man who had caused much suffering due to his madness. A man who was assassinated because of this madness by one he loved. For love in itself is often guided by madness. The tale was a sad one, and left no moral, no lesson, for there was nothing to be learned from the story.

In the center of the chamber, on top of a slab of exquisitely carved marble, lay a coffin in the shape of a man. The alter and coffin were clean, smooth, and bore no signs of having remained unmoving for centuries. Even the dust itself was loath to rest its back upon the surfaces of the items. They were beautiful, alluring, enticing, however maybe too much so. The man who approached the resting place of the dead did not realize the influence which was being exercised upon him. He did not notice the particles of dust reaching up and screaming for him to cease his approach with every step he took. He did not perceive the long dead spirits of the deceased’s servants imploring him to turn back. The man was so completely withdrawn into his walking, that his mind seemed to have wandered off into some small cavity of existence which only he could ever know about. And as he drew back the cover of the coffin, as a weathered decrepit appendage seized his wrist momentarily, a feeling of contentment overcame him as his soul was violently ripped away from his body. Suddenly everything the man had ever pondered upon made sense. Suddenly he was free of the bonds of his flesh. Suddenly he had joined the world of the spirits, but this fact did not bother him as much as it would have in life. And as he watched his body erupt in a blood-curling cry of victory, the man knew pity for the monster which was incapable of attaining the serene existence of the afterlife.

I am a big believer and supporter for more and more open-mindedness in the world. I don’t like close-minded people or cultures. I believe that it is important and essential for any society, culture, civilization to have a certain openness towards new ideas, thoughts, philosophies in order to grow and enrich itself. However last year I was in Burkina Faso for an extended period of time, and I faced a big dilemma.

Firstly, Burkina Faso is a small country in West Africa. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. Burkina is conservative compared to most first world cultures. They are trying to open up, become more developed, and most of the time they are eager to try things the way more developed countries would do it. I would tend to argue that we have certain aspects of our economy that make us more efficient than Burkina Faso such as better healthcare, more education, etc… However I came stumped on the subject of culture.

In Burkina Faso the role of the woman is to take care of the household, raise the children, clean the house, and have dinner ready for her man when he returns home from work. I was shocked one day when I was listening to the radio, and they were having debates about weather or not there existed situations where it was justifiable for man to cheat on his woman (not the other way around). Most people who called in, both men and women, agreed that a woman who did not do her job cleaning, cooking, etc…. was not worth staying with, and that the man could justifiably cheat on her if she wasn’t good enough. This idea appalled me. Hold on a second. It’s cultural. We must maintain an open mind. The women themselves uphold the system.

A few days later I was talking to one of my coworkers, and we were discussing the subject of marriage. I personally don’t believe that it serves any other purpose than getting you a tax break. I don’t believe that marriage does anything to the relationship except formalize it with a ceremony. The love is there regardless. But I digress. I was explaining this concept to my friend who was horrified, and told me that I was an upholder of concubinism. I responded with, “Well that makes me as much a concubine to her as her to me.” Obviously we have different views about the status of women vs. man. He might have won out though. In Burkina, a woman without a man is useless because she can barely find anyone willing to hire her. The woman’s reputation is very important as well. A woman who is not married stays at home and never leaves the house, but a woman who is rejected by her husband is shamed no matter the circumstances. Often run away women are sent back, by their families, to abusive husbands, etc… I got the impression that a man can justifiably beat his wife. More importantly though, an unmarried woman who is having relations with a man or multiple men over a long period of time is considered a whore, and will often be rejected by her family out of principle. A woman rejected by her family is also rejected by society. The family plays a HUGE role in Burkina.

So I got to thinking. How inefficient. One of the best things any country ever does, in its evolution, is liberating women. It increases the work force, boosts the economy in a big way, it’s also just simply more fair, right? Women and men are both human beings and as such have equal worth. The concept of subjugation of one of the two reminds me of slavery, fascism. Conclusion? Evil?

But here is where the problem comes in. It’s all part of their culture. People are scared every day of their lives about how culture is being lost amidst all the Mc Donald’s, the internet, mass media and communication. Culture must be preserved. But how can I justifiably defend an aspect of culture which I perceive to be morally wrong? In some parts of the world public executions are part of the learning process for children. “Don’t do bad things or we will cut off your head.” It’s cultural. Should culture be preserved as much as we think it should? Is culture holding us back from evolving? Should bad aspects of culture be eliminated? If so how and which parts?

I believe that the answer will be reached not by conscious manipulation. In many parts of the world we have evolved such that women are granted equal rights to men. There is an economic reasoning behind this, and a moral one. I believe that eventually, many aspects of culture will also fade away due to similar reasons. However it is also possible that such a force will wipe out other things which should be preserved, languages, religion, rituals, etc… which could be harmless. Inevitably we will all intermarry and form into one race so will our roots matter? Does it matter to wonder upon this subject seeing as we don’t know what to do with it, or how to manipulate it if we even had some direction?

I don’t think we will ever know.

The Beatles. Blackbird. Today is August first. Most of the summer months are behind us. Here we are already in August. School is only one month away. It’s passing so fast, and it’s been really good.

The month of August is like a Sunday. You already start feeling depressed and nostalgic because you know that the end is near. Don’t get me wrong. I like school, and from a masochistic perspective, I do indeed miss the work, the pressure, the feeling of accomplishment, the camaderie with my study mates. During the year we work until the wee hours of the morning, we buy each other coffee, we get distracted when we are too bored to study. It’s a fun life. But the summer, it’s just well the summer. From the time when we were but infants the notion has been ingrained in our minds. Some of us may have full time jobs with only two weeks vacation per year, but no matter what, when summer comes, one can’t help but feel excited if not only because of a psychological imprint made over several years of childhood. Frank Zappa, Bobby brown.

I am 24 years of age, and this year I pulled a summer a la classique teenager. I worked some jobs, but more than anything I took it easy. I joined some activities, I traveled a bit, played lots of games, worked out, did lots of self improvement. It’s been the best summer in a long time. Perhaps the best one of my life with the exception of the ones where I was seeing people. Nirvana, Rape Me. I have accomplished much. I am in shape, I feel good aboot myself, I’ve made some new friends, I’ve taken some large steps in dealing with a reoccurring depressive problem of mine, I’ve made peace with some people I’ve been at war with for a long time, I’ve moved apartments even though it’s still a mess, I’ve managed to keep my plants alive. Garbage, track three on the first album. On the other hand, I did not manage certain personal goals. Stuff only happens when you actively stop going for it. I am obsessive. Anywho there is still some time left. I am ranting aimlessly. Ohh well.

Yesterday I helped a friend by association move. It rained all day and I was wet. Long term ickyness is somewhat annoying after a time. Afterwards the Minister of the Interior and I went for a swim at Li’s place. Gun’s and Roses, Paradise City. After a healthy soak in chlorine with a twist of water, I exited feeling very chlorinated. I don’t know which feeling I prefer. Nevertheless I was able to perform at the bowling alley. Bowling, like poker, is fun when you are with people who dish out the trash-talk. I like trash-talk. Trash-talk likes me. It gets ride of stress. I am not stressed.
I am not satisfied. I have four weeks left… No five. I need to do something else. There is so much more I need to accomplish before I become a slave to my studies again. I have things to do. People to meet. Needs to meet. I need more time. Dammit! I will now proofread and edit this rant….. Nirvana, Come as You Are…. Cake, Frank Sinatra. Grease, Greased Lightning.