Happiest of Birthdays!

I would like to send out a very Happy Birthday wish to the most wonderful lady in my life. I love you.

Results

Okay, so I couldn't wait, I had to check the results.
A Conservative Minority Government. Meaning all wasn't a loss, and I won't lose my guns, and hopefully he won't follow through on any of his bullshit lack of social programming.
Here's hoping, and watching for the next 4 years...

Election Day

So...
The Liberals want to take my guns away.
The Conservatives think that if you are rich you should get excellent health care, if you are poor you may as well die and quit being a drain on society.
The NDP think we should fill up the government with immigrants.
And the Green Party is just a bunch of pot smoking hippies, who happen to get votes because people don't know any better and throw their votes away by voting green.
So what did I do? Confused the shit out of my grumpy neighbour who was manning my polling station. How? By handing him back the ballot and telling him I find all the candidates unsuitable. This caught him completly off guard, and at first he said I couldn't do that. I had to choose one. Or spoil it. Then he got all flustered and said I wasn't allowed to discuss this with him, and to go to the booth and vote.
So I went there, unfolded it, folded it back up and returned it. I don't think it counts as a spoiled ballot, at least there is no mention of that in the Elections Act, and I'm counted as showing up for voting. That's what I wanted.
So we'll see what happens. If the Liberals get in, they will have a minority government again, just like last time and this will all have been a giant waste of money. But if the Conservatives get in, it'll mean this wasn't a giant waste of money, well not technically, but I doubt much will change.
I guess we'll see in the morning. Or I will anyway as I don't want to follow the results as they come in.

Flames Game

I went to my first flames game since the third game of the Calgary-Vancouver Series in the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The attitude in the air was completly different. It was quite. The crowd was rather reserved. No obscene yelling and taunting. It was disheartening. The radio has been going on about how the crowd is always pakcing the 'dome and there's a Playoff-like atmosphere in the air. There really isn't. I was disapointed. Though there was a good hit that will be played on Sportsnet all week, and we got a fight in the final 20 seconds. All in all a good game, but I still enjoy lacrosse more.

Details

Here is a link (My House) to the realtor's listing of my place. It was just put on the market yesterday around 4 pm. I was the first (and only) person to look at it, at 6:30. I had put an offer in by 8, and by 10:30 I signed the papers and the house became mine. Conditionally of course. Pending a condo document review (which will run me about $300), and pending my morgage being officially approved.
It's a super cute little house. End unit, with a huge field on the other side of the fence. And across the road is a brand new Super Store. It faces south, with LOTS of windows. The entrance is tiled, with hardwood stairs going up to the top floor to the right, and a nice wide entrance hallway into the house. At the top of the stairs is the washer and dryer in a closet. Yes, the washer and dryer are upstairs, much to Jo's delight. There are 2 bedrooms and a master bedroom. All with windows and lots of light. A nice bathroom at the end of the hall, and an ensuite off the master bedroom with a HUGE bathtub.
The main floor has a nice size kitchen with dishwasher, and stovetop microwave. Oh, and an under the counter radio/cd player/clock. :) The living room is kinda small and just off the dining room, but nice, with lots of windows. The carpet is stained in a section, but hopefully it will come out. If not it's small enough to replace cheaply.
Oh, it has a single garage, that is insulated and drywalled. I just have to paint it.
The basement is finished, I love the way the ceiling is painted/stuccoed. There is a really nice wetbar. (see picture 7) I didn't get the bar stools, though I did try.
There is a partially finished 2 pc. bathroom in the basement as well. It is all plumbed and painted, and piped through the wall, I just have to buy and install a toilet and vanity and sink. Oh, and do the floor in there. But it is quite nice, and will be a nice little project for me.
So yeah. That is my house. As long as you aren't opening the link in Firefox the picture in the tope will have 1/8 in it. Click the box to cycle through the pictures.
And hopefully y'all can see it one day. :)

I BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!!

I did! I did! It's absolutly beautiful. (It's actually a townhouse, but that is a minor detail)
It's gorgeous! 1300 sqft. 3 bedroom, 2 and a half bath. Oh, just so wonderful. I can't wait to move in.

More to follow.

Funny

I think this is one of the funniest sites I've seen in a very long time.
Chuck Norris Facts

All Done

I officially quit EVerquest 2 today. Said my good-byes, cancelled my account. It's all done. Saying goodbye was actually quite difficult, moreso than I thought it would be. I almost cried (almost). Laugh all you want, but I've made friends on there. You talk to, interact with, play with the same people everyday, be there in real life or in a game, and you develop a bond, a friendship. I'm going to miss it.
Already, in the 3 weeks or so that I haven't been playing, I've noticed a rather large hole in my life. I'm used to coming home everyday, firing up my computer, playing for an hour or so, eating supper, playing for another couple of hours, talking to jo and going to bed. And sometimes sneaking in a few extra minutes after I talk to Mama Bean before going to sleep. My weekends would be spent sitting in front of my computer. 6 to 10 hours, sometimes more each day.
Now that it is gone, I feel lost. I have other things to do. I've read more in the past 2 weeks than I have in the previous 8 months, but things still don't feel right. I miss it. I long for it. I think I'm going into withdrawl. As sad as that is. I gave it up once before, back in January, but I knew I was going to go back. I knew, as soon as school was done, it was inevitable. I was going to play again. This time I'm not. I can't. It was interfering with my relationship with the woman I love, it was getting in the way of any sort of social life. It was just getting in the way of my RL (real life). I don't regret the time I spent playing it, but it's time to move on. As weird as that is going to be...

maybe?

I'm going to try this on for size:

Maybe there isn't a hell. God is caring and compassionate, not vengeful and evil. The Old Testament describes the many times when humanity evoked the wrath of God. But it was never hateful, it was used to guide and mold us.

There is only one way to heaven, and that is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. So that means that everyone who hasn't accepted Him into their heart, will not enter heaven. What if everyone, after they die, gets to see the truth? They have a chance to believe and enter heaven. Maybe hell is just a really lonely place, with only the Anti-Christ and his minions. Maybe there is nobody there because everyone is in heaven. Maybe?

note: this is very unrefined as i was coming to me as i wrote.

housing woes

So, after a day of house/condo shopping here are the results:

If I want an apartment condo in Evergreen or Bridlewood, expected date is Spring '07 (it isn't even spring '06)

If I want a semi-detached unit in Elgin/McKenzie Towne, I'm looking at a massive waiting list with 4 units being released in Feb, and the beginning of selling their next phase in March, by which point the unit's will have gone from 180 to over 200, once again putting them out of my price range. Even if they weren't, they won't be done for 10 months.

The apartment condos I looked at in Okotoks, with a fitness facility, lake privledges and right next to a golf course, has a entire wall falling off. I dont' know why, and why they don't try and hide it, but there are big cracks along the seams with an entire outer wall, in all those units.

I just don't get it. I couldn't get a house in May because I didn't have enough for a down payment. Now that I have a down payment the houses have all gone up 20 grand and I can't afford them. Why am I always 6 months behind?

I can't find a house in Calgary, in a decent area, listed for under 200, apartment condo's suck because their condo fees are over $300/mo, and even townhouse condos are going for over 200.

And I grimace everytime I put my name on a waiting list as all I'm doing is helping drive the economy higher...

leaving

letting go of that last imbrace
saying that last i love you
turning and walking out the door, resisting the urge to turn back
walking down the driveway and getting into my car
ignoring the tears running down my face
starting the engine, starting to pull away, still resisting
giving in just a little by stopping and blowing one last kiss, giving one last wave, almost turning back
turning my head and driving away, blinking the tears from my eyes as i drive down the road
ignoring the massive lump in my stomach
the pain in my throat growing as i keep myself from crying
knowing i won't see her for another couple of months
crying myself asleep missing her already