How To Live Like a Rockstar When You are Not One...
Broken Baseball Dreams. -Live transcript of Mr. H. [su_dropcap]S[/su_dropcap]o this story starts off how I was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. The 18th round, second overall pick out of Canada. I ended up going down to Florida for a year and a half. Went to spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays. Proceeded to go to Kansas and Missouri. The thing is this whole time I had a long-term girlfriend. High school sweetheart of five years. So I decided...
Roger Waters. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 24 October 2017. For $167, my friend Christian and I found tickets 16 rows back of the stage for the Roger Waters Us + Them show at Rogers Place in Edmonton. It is about as close as a person can get to seeing a Pink Floyd show that includes Roger Waters post-1981. There were nosebleed tickets available for about half of the price so we went all in. The top four concerts...
The ‘me too’ movement is a serious matter on Facebook right now, in an attempt to bring sexual harassment to light. It is incredible to see how many women I know who have been sexually harassed. It is truly sad. I too have a story about sexual harassment, and I posted it on Facebook with the #metto tag. I wanted to shine some light on it from a male perspective as well. This is how it all went down… 21...
Tragically Hip, Gord Downie, Amsterdam and Canada. 18 October 2017. Time is really taking my rockstar heroes. It took Gord Downie today. Downie was from a Canadian band called The Tragically Hip. There is a small possibility that you have you have heard their name if you are from anywhere else, but if you are from Canada, and under 50, you grew up with them or you grew up listening to them. Gord Downie was a iconic legendary poetic rockstar. Brain cancer,...
The Situation of My Mother with Alzheimer and Dementia. Doug, my mom’s husband/my step-father, collected me from the mall. He told me that he barely recognized me when he first saw me because of my short hair. Doug then drove me to see my mother at the care-home where she stays. The home was having a hot dog and hamburger sale so entire families were there to be with their loves ones who have been institutionalised… I was not sure how...
A Conversation with a Transgender. I had been spending time in Manila, Philippines, with a lovely girl named Irene. We had spent the afternoon roaming the Manila North Cemetery, which was amazing as there are residents everywhere, living in the middle of the cemetery among the tombs. It was really incredible to see. On the way back to the center, Irene asked what I wanted to do for dinner. I told her that at the moment I was not hungry. ...
Earth Revolutions. Maybe it is common knowledge but perhaps it is not… I have been thinking about this for the past couple of days and it is likely that no one has had to think about it unless it has happened to them… When you fly around this planet from east to west, you lose a day of your life when you cross the International Date Line. One day full of your life! Poof! Gone! Somewhere between Canada and Australia...
Guns ‘N Roses Concert – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 30 August 2017. I was up at 09:00 and my 17-year-old cousin Trevor was up and at it by 10:00 so that we could get on the road. He and I got into his car and headed 5.5 hours north to Edmonton, Alberta… …Guns ‘N Roses. On the drive on the way there, I bought tickets on Stubhub for $145 ($183 CDN) for seats on the bottom of the Commonwealth Stadium, 36...
The Crotch Rocket at 212 km/h. 28 August 2017. I met up with Trevor, my 17 year old cousin, after lunch. Trevor asked if I wanted to go biking. “Heck Yeah!” That sounded like a blast! Trevor has a 2012 KTM SX-7, 250cc, four stroke dirt motorcycle with a lot of bottom end power. He also has a 2004 Suzuki GSXR, 600cc, crotch rocket. I would soon learn how accurate the nickname crotch rocket is for one of those motorcycles…not...
Terracotta Warriors Tour in China. 19 June 2017. I was up and on four hours of sleep when I had to hit the shower at 08:30. I was not sure if Markus was going to make it back to the hostel in time for our pre-booked Terracotta Warriors tour in China. In the middle of my shower, there was a knock on the door. He made it! Good job buddy! We had to be at reception at 08:50 and...
Some countries have really great signs. Signs in China are some of my favorite. Sometimes they are funny because of a difference in our cultures. Sometimes it is a confusion in translation. I assume, that someone must know someone who speaks fluent English… However, for entertainment, I am glad they do not… Here are 19 of my favorite signs in China: Thanks for looking at Fun Signs in China. If you enjoyed this, please share. (Disclaimer for...
Drunk on a Plane in China. Beijing, China. 3 July 2017. I was up at 09:00 to get cracking at our plans. Markus and I booked plane tickets for Manila, Philippines that leaves today. But first, there would be a 15 hour stopover in Quanzhau. We think could be the first city we visited in China, but we are not sure. Markus called it a ‘Blank Flight.’ We went for a walk around Beijing but we were bored because we had a...
Background: So, the Chinese tourist visa is a bit elusive and somewhat tricky to get. The rules for getting a Chinese visa vary depending on what country you are standing in. It is strange how there are no real consistencies. Here is what I know: I travel on a Canadian passport, and entered the Chinese embassy in Prague, Czech Republic, where I asked if it was possible to apply for the tourist visa there on a non-Czech passport. The lady behind the counter said it was no...
Swimming with Whale Sharks in the Philippines. Oslob, Cebu, Philippines. 14 July 2017. I was up at 05:00 on a terrible sleep… But it was worth it… …the wee hours of the morning would be spent swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines! Markus and I met with three other foreigners in Sharky’s Hostel and we were guided down to the water where we were given a briefing in a room with about 60 other people. The briefing was nothing...
Modern Toilet – A Quirky and Shitty Restaurant. June 12 (cont’d). Mark, Jamie and I got ready and headed to Modern Toilet, a restaurant I had read about where you actually eat from small porcelain toilets and drink from tiny urinals. It was too peculiar and quirky for me to miss while I was visiting Taipei, Taiwan. The dishes were named after feces and the seats at the tables were real toilets with the lids down… On the sign to...
Surprising a Friend in Taiwan – 10 Years Later. June 9. Taipei, Taiwan. I was awake early in anticipation of the morning, so I only ended up with 5 hours of sleep. I packed, left my backpack in a corner of the hostel and woke Markus. I checked Googlemaps for the name of my friend Mark’s school. I was unable to find his school on the map before when I searched abroad, but it was there this morning. BAM, I...
Trying to Remain Sane as a Writing Travel Blogger. April 4 I really love writing on this website. I enjoy all of this so much…being a writing travel blogger… I have been a doing this for 11 years now, though only about 12 months of it is on this website. But, I have about 10 other years of daily writing that is just like this, as I have travelled and roamed the planet. It is a heavy load as a travel...
Waskatenau – Finding a Job But Wanting a Statue. September 17. I awoke this morning to a man calling me to give me job. That is bittersweet. I need to job as I need to make money and have enough to get out of the Canadian Freezer before the cold swallows up my will to go on, but jobs just do not really suit me…. They say that a man should never do what he is good at for free,...
September 16. A Fantastically Strange Message. I received a message in my Big Beaver Diaries inbox today that threw me for a mental loop. My mother is one of 8 brothers and sisters from a mix-matched family of parents who divorced in the ultra conservative 1950’s. I often wonder how society viewed divorcees at that time… My grandparents were undoubtedly seen as despicable sinners by that society. Both of those grandparents remarried and had more children. That made it so...
Sylvan Lake to Waskatenau – Time Warp. 15 September. I was awake at 2:45am. My alarm was set for 4:45am. I wanted those two hours of a coma sleep, but my body would not agree to such a plan. I think it is because I have been partying until 4am nearly every day since about December and my body was truly confused about how I put it to rest at 10pm. I think it thought the rest was just a...
Sylvan Lake: Domesticity, Child Caring and Bearing. September 14. I got this message from my friend Jan today. This entertained me very much; “Anyway I thought you might get a kick out of this… on my Mac my favourites board contains 12 websites. I don’t know if you are familiar with the favourites board but as soon as I click on the internet my homepage consists of my 12 favourite pages in smaller view. But you can still see what’s...
Penhold, Bentley, and Sylvan Lake. September 13. Penhold parade took place today. I spent most of the parade racing Kellen for candy that was thrown from cars. The parade was more about politics than anything else. It disappointed me. Where are the cool cars? Where are the floats? Here is the Liberal Party representative. Here is the NDP party representative. Here is the PC party representative. Here is the town secretary… Good thing there was candy to buy the children’s...
Penhold: Motivation for Income Necessitation. September 12. It is tough to make myself to find a job right now because I still have money in the bank. I am not broke. If I was broke, I would have had a job already last week. But, trying to find a job when I have a bank account that could probably fund my existence until Christmas if I was in Central America makes it tough for me to go and get...
Penhold: Pepperoni Hamburgers in a Haunted House. September 11. After a late start because of a little lady’s illness last night, Travis and I left Penhold and went to Red Deer to buy diapers and beer. That is quite a combination. I tried carrying the diapers and felt that it was bad luck so I had Travis carry them instead. Some things just do not look right on me. Perhaps one day I will have to buy diapers. Maybe...
Sundre to Penhold: A Cool Trifecta. September 10. Maybe I am not supposed to be a writer and maybe my path in life is to bring old friends together…people who have not seen each other in many years. Today was a trifecta of awesome. Priscilla cooked bacon and hash-brown cuisine for breakfast and we started out day. A snowy day. This is an absurd amount of snow outside. It is like January out there and it is just out of...
Sundre: What the Cowgirls Do. September 9. You can really dig through your past when you spend time with someone you grew up with that you have really seen in about 25 years. It takes a little while for conversations and characters to flow naturally as you show each other who you are today. Then you just feel so proud of what the other has become with their life. Priscilla and I spent the morning looking at pictures of...
Regina to Sundre: A Gal I Grew Up With. September 8. Coincidences are cool. A couple of days ago when Bean, Fiona, her parents and I were in Montana’s Cookhouse, I ran into a friend from home named Lynette. She told me she had been visiting our friend Priscilla Tames who was down. I grew up with Priscilla. When they sold their farm my brother bought it. We were like family as kids. I called Priscilla and jumped in her...
September 7. Life is quieter in Regina than I ever remember it being. I guess that is due to aging process? In any case it has given me time to read, a luxury I do not seem to have enough time to enjoy. So, I am back to ‘Sex at Dawn – The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality.’ This is Part II of fascinating things on sexuality through the ages. Sex at Dawn – The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality...
Regina: ♫All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down…♫ September 6. Fiona’s parents came to town today. So, a girl from Scotland who I met in New Orleans who came to Big Beaver, who fell in love with my friend and moved to Regina, had her parents come to visit her. Bean and I had met them in Glasgow in January, so it was interesting to see them in Regina. From what I have seen, Fiona and her parents seem...
Regina – Beer Dog. September 5 Beaner told me that stench is added to propane because it is actually odourless. That is my interesting fact of the day. I wonder how it was agreed on what the international stench added would smell like. Perhaps someone create a smell and everyone said, “This scent furthermore will represent propane and will never represent anything else. Hereto, all propane processed on earth will have this specific smell added to its gastric compound.” That...
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