Homeless Pete

Logic sucks the fun out of everything

2009-08-25T22:03:00.001+03:00

The Government

2009-08-22T15:22:00.003+03:00

So today I was on the Federal Government's job board. I usually don't, but today I clicked on the privacy policy information tab and skimmed over the document. This little item caught my eye:

"In some cases, information that is collected may be disclosed without your consent for purposes not outlined here".

Sounds ominous doesn't it. So who are they going to disclose my information to, and for what purpose? Revenue Canada, the RCMP, the Liberal Party? That is just ridiculous. I thought the government was supposed to work for the good of the people. I can see them looking for sex-fiends and criminals on the internet, but this is targeting unfortunate people who are looking for jobs.

Blue M&Ms cure cancer!

2009-08-20T16:40:00.002+03:00

I just heard this on the radio, and I thought I would get tell everyone.

Researchers at M&M have announced that a chemical compound in the blue dye used to make the shell on M&Ms can cure certain types of cancer. The researchers say that they made the discovery after the marketing department decided to make shit up to get on the news.

Seriously, I just heard that on the radio. The guys on Wolf 104.9 wouldn't joke about something like that would they?

Thought of the day

2009-08-16T17:06:00.000+03:00

More dogs

2009-08-11T14:12:00.004+03:00

Here are some photos of my Australian Shepherd combining two of her favorite pastimes - swimming and playing with the tennis ball. These were taken at a beautiful off-leash beach just outside of Qualicum. When the tide is out, there are excellent sand dunes and many tidal pools for the dogs to chase fish and crabs. I like to take them out as much as I can when I am in that part of the world, but it just doesn't seem like it is that often.

Dog photos

2009-08-10T17:34:00.005+03:00

Here are some pictures of some of my girls enjoying the weather on Vancouver Island. They have been "living the life" this summer, and have been spoiled by beautiful weather. They don't seem to care about the High forest fire risks and the Level 4 water conservation status, all they know is that they are able to lounge on the deck chairs (and table apparently) and enjoy the fresh air.

Here is a rare photo of Irra, who is usually terribly camera shy. She is adapting well to a life of luxury.

Here is our rescued Greyhound getting up from a nap on the table. It appears that someone left the deckchair cushion on the table to dry, and of course a greyhound will take that as an invitation.

Online shopping

2009-08-07T17:51:00.003+03:00

I finally broke down and made my first completely online purchase. It worked without a hitch, and my order arrived way quicker than I expected. I ordered on Monday (which was a stat holiday so the retailer was closed) and the order arrived in the mail on Thursday. I am impressed and will end up using this option more often.

I guess the key to online shopping is having the free time to dedicate to finding a retailer with the best combination of prices and shipping costs. During my search, I found a shop with that was offering low prices, but they charged $20 to package the items and another $35 for shipping. If you don't have the time to spend to search and search and search, you might end up paying more than you would have if you purchased locally. In my case, I knew what the local shop was asking and I saved a few bucks even after the shipping cost.

And something about Agility

2009-08-06T10:16:00.003+03:00

We also went to an agility trial when I was home last. It was held by the Just for Fun agility group in Naniamo. It was a ton of fun, and we had a little bit of success. In spite of having almost two years of no training, Rika continues to do well.

We had most of our success in "Stupid Gamblers", which ironically is my least favorite class in the whole sport. Out of three Advanced Gamblers classes, we Q'd in two. And in the third, we almost Q'd, but ticked the rail of the last jump in the closing Gamble.

Wow, this is a terrible blog

2009-08-06T10:04:00.003+03:00

Look at the time between blog posts. Good thing I don't have any loyal followers, or they would be terribly disappointed.

What can I say. Nothing exciting happens in my life.

I am stationed at a different base now. I was offered a promotion to Plant Manager, but had to move to a different plant to accept the opportunity. I will miss all my old friends. After spending two years with them, they have become like family.

On a personal note, I have recently renewed my interest in Remote Controlled Cars. I bought a used Jato nitro powered 1/10 scale car, and it is terribly fast. Probably not a good car to get back into the hobby, but I did it anyway! During my last visit home, I also purchased a 1/16 scale Traxxas Slash. Now that one is more my speed - it is still fast, but a lot easier to control.

Thanks to Emma, who managed to get a few good photos of the truck, in spite of my very erratic driving skills. Good thing she was there during my first time at the track, since the truck doesn't look quite so shiny any more. It spent quite a bit of time sliding on its lid and tumbling end for end.

Blogging for Dummies

2009-04-14T09:40:00.004+03:00

Maybe I need to find a book with that title. Just as I thought, I do not have much to say in a blog, hence the large gap in my postings.

Here is a photograph of the Ziggurat of Ur. I do not know the history of the Ziggurat, but I recognize the name from one of my favorite games - Civilization II. I found out today that the Ziggurat is located within eyesight of our newest water bottling plant.

Interesting? Maybe not to you, but I found it slightly interesting...

Haiku

2009-02-19T13:50:00.002+03:00

Haiku is a poem
It doesn't have to make sense
Platypus sleeping.

Crossword players are good
At composing these funny poems
Because they are dorks.

None ever got famous
From writing stupid haiku stories
Feeling of self-worth only.

Stupid rules of haiku
Make them difficult to write
So I will stop now.

It is Time

2009-01-08T15:44:00.002+03:00

Time for me to get away. I can always tell when it is close to my time to travel. I look at things differently, my behavior changes, my appetite decreases, and my patience becomes shorter. Oh well just a couple more days and I start my journey.

I am hoping that the weather is nice when I am back in the real world. Last time the weather was crappy. It rained almost every day and was kinda miserable. I am hoping for a little fairer weather this time, but I see in the news that that area of the world is in for some more odd weather in the next few days. In the big picture, it doesn't really matter what the weather is like... I get three weeks away from here. It would just be nice to spend some time outside playing with the girls, and not coming in smelling like wet dog.

My First 5km Run

2008-12-25T20:20:00.002+03:00

Well, I didn't chicken out on my run. I showed up early, stretched, warmed up, and started the race. I was a little nervous, as there were not too many civilians in the run. But I did my best, and I finished the run. I didn't finish last, so that is an accomplishment.

The winner finished in 17 minutes. I finished in 37 minutes. I managed to keep up to a group of marines that ran in their full battle gear, and a soldier dressed as Santa who was carrying a bag full of snacks and gatorade. He was handing them out as he was running.

I feel pretty good about the run. I had to slow down to a walk a few times to catch my breath, but I finished. Not too bad for someone who hasn't ran for a long time.