It's My Life

4 DAYS UNTIL VOTING DAY

Aaron Kidd (sexuality student): Man, I've got like 15 questions left.
John Cleveland (sexuality instructor): Okay, another couple minutes then.

Well, it's been a few days since I've last posted, but I've been busy. While struggling to get all my end-of-term assignments completed, I fit in some time to go to Bugaboo Creek for lunch with my parents and to a barbecue with my sister on Sunday, and Monday was a good day all-around. I was already excited about going to see Nickelback on Monday, but received other good news that afternoon.

Karen Boden, the editor of the Alberni Valley Times, send me an e-mail saying I've got a summer position there. Now, I still don't know the exact details and I don't know if I'll be there all summer again, but it looks good anyway. I start on April 14 (April 13 is a holiday). Now I just need to find a place to live in Port Alberni on top of all the homework I'll be struggling with, not to mention cleaning my place up and preparing for another big move.

As far as the barbecue, it was great to see my sister and her boyfriend Jaret again since I hadn't seen them since Reading Break in Prince George. The barbecue was awesome. We went to Jaret's aunt Jackie's place in Valleyview where I ate spaghetti, ribs and none other than Sex in a Pan for desert. I also had a few beers, which was nice. Oh man, was it good. Jaret spend a good portion of the time complaining how the weather down here is so much nicer than that in PG, while my sister was a social butterfly talking to Jaret's family. His family is really cool. I only wished I could have gone snowboarding with the ones that were at Sun Peaks. Ah, how much a difference having money would make.

Well, with only four days remaining I need to do a few more changes to make my template a little more appealing or Meghan might just come back and win it. It's those underdogs you have to look out for. Remember to send the votes in my comments on April 3.

By the way, the Nickelback concert was good, but not quite as good as the show in PG. But seeing a band live for the second time isn't ever as good.

8 DAYS UNTIL DECISION DAY

Mike: Al just run down to the Omega and do a drunken post.

While I was at Heroes drinking with the J-school crew last night Mike asked me if I had blogged yesterday, which I hadn't. With it still being only 9:30 p.m. or so I could've went to quickly post in the Omega building or back in the school but I decided against it. Heroes was too good to leave and I just didn't think it was that important. This contest would have gone on for days. So at this point I proclaim Shaun the winner, and now I can just focus on my other contest with Shaun, Meghan and Dale. Remember the rules are simple: at some point on April 3 go into my comments and place a vote for the winner of the contest, described on my Mar. 24 post.

Dale: Al you should fix your blog it's pretty boring.

After giving Dale such a hard time about having a plain-looking blog, he returned the favour to me this morning, so now I'm in another competition - to form a nicer looking template on my blog. Shaun I just thought of an idea for our competition - to see who can have the most consecutive blogs, and, at the end of that contest, have the nicest looking template. Also, feel free to use the comments board to reply to question of my own. I'll form a final poll the morning of April 4 based on the results.

Who has the better blog - me, Dale, Shaun or Meghan? Let's keep in mind all that goes into a good blog, which is entertaining stories, a stylish template, frequent updates, good quotes and creativity. Also Shaun I'd like a response in my proposal for the template addition to our contest. Let's get the votes in and see the results. All final votes must be into my comments board by April 3 before midnight to count. That way they're all there for everybody to see so they know I'm not cheating this contest into my favour. Keep in mind that your vote is based on how our blogs look at the time you look, which can be anytime before the deadline in 10 days from now. Here's some links to the blogs of the other three:

Dale De Ruiter
Shaun Lamont
Meghan Low

Just a note that my archives aren't functioning off this page. In order to see past postings you have to get them off the February 2003 link. That will send you to my old template in which the archives are on the side underneath the website links.

DAY FIVE

Okay well today was pretty slack so I really don't have anything overly exciting to post about. But I have to keep the blogs coming. I won't die down this fast.

Anyhow, today I took more advantage of our cable we have at my place than any other day. We got a deal for digital cable a month so we got cable and some additional channels, like Movie Central at our place so it is pretty cool. Today I watched this movie Slackers, Orange County and episodes of Fresh Prince of Belair, the Simpsons, Seinfeld and Will and Grace.

Shaun, just face it. You're done. You haven't even posted yet tonight!

DAY FOUR

Today me and Bill were talking with Dale about why hot girls walking around bother him so much.

Bill: You just gotta appreciate it more!
Dale: I can't!!!

Dale said he couldn't appreciate the hot girls because it's already spring time and he's already horny enough. It got up to about 19 degrees today so all the college girls had to take full advantage of it.

I almost forgot Shaun but I kept it going. You're not going to beat me. I'll outblog you yet.

DAY THREE

Bill(talking to me about the best way to respond to an accidental shot to the head): You do the ten-minute 'save a friendship walk.'

Today we played a low key game of hockey at this new location on the North Shore. It was our second week in a row there. Although there were only seven of us playing - me, Sam, Mike, Shaun, Melissa, Bill, and a nine-year old boy by the name of Alex who lives in the neighbourhood - it was still a decent game for the most part. The only part that sucked was getting the red hockey ball just above the mouth off the stick of Bill Macfarlane. I kept my cool from it though, and didn't freak out or anything.

For those new to this site, my friend Shaun Lamont thinks he can outblog me but that just isn't going to happen. Sure, he's on four days in a row, but I started blogging consecutively a day later. I'll blog more days in a row I just know it.

UCC A BRONZE MEDAL FINISH AT NATIONALS

Well, it's all said and done. It seemed like the tournament just started and now it's over. The CCAA nationals ended about an hour ago with University College of the Fraser Valley crowned national champions. They took a commanding lead of 15 to 20 points on St. Thomas University of Fredricton, NB, and never looked back. The final score was 88-81 and the game just didn't match the game before as far as excitement goes.

After they lost their first game, some people may have thought the bronze medal was a long shot for the UCC Sun Demons, but they captured it after a dramatic 83-82 OT victory over Sheridan College of London, Ont. in the bronze medal game. The momentum switched back and forth from the beginning to the end. At the beginning it was UCC carrying the momentum and they were able to take a commanding 20-point lead in the second half, but in the final several minutes of reguation it was all Sheridan, as they forced turnovers and drew fouls off UCC on their way to tying the game at 73 with a game-tying shot at the buzzer. After Skye Buck was 2-2 on free throws in the OT period, Sheridan called a timeout with 12 seconds remaining. A final attempt to win the game by Sheridan just missed. With nationals now over I'll have a little more time on my hands to work on more important stuff, like school work.

See Shaun, this is a real post, and it marks two days in a row for me. Yeah not much, but don't worry, I'll keep them coming.

Dale (looking at a couple girls walking by the sidewalk outside his apartment): Those girls carry enough on them for the winter.

This morning I went to Dale's apartment to get the $30 he has owed me for sometime now, dating back to our participation in the foosball tournament during UCC's Winter Fair last month. He was getting ready to head off to Victoria for the regional Canadian University Press conference while I was going to go to the school. In about an hour from now I'll be off covering the UCC men's Sun Demon's second game of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association basketball nationals. They will be playing Fanshawe College from London, Ontario. They lost their first game 83-75 to the Champlain St. Lambert Cavaliers in what was looking like an easy victory for the visitors after they took a 20-point lead early in the second half. UCC wouldn't die though, and climbed back to within seven on a few occasions, but it was too little too late.

My parents are coming through town today which will also be nice. They're going through en route to Reno for their bus trip. We're going to be going to dinner somewhere before I'll most likely head back to the gym to cover more basketball or do some homework, which includes an essay that I have been putting off for a few weeks now. Yeah, maybe I should start on that. As far as my summer plans, I'd like to go to Port Alberni but there's still no word on the situation. My editor, in an e-mail I received this morning, said that she likes the fact she wouldn't have to provide any training because I know their system, but I can't get down before April 12 and she's looking for immediate assistance. She said she'd let me know what the scoop is in the next few days. I hope I get the job, but if I don't then at least I can live rent free in PG.

John Cleveland: They're having swimming championships for sperm. No.....it's not true.
John Cleveland (a few minutes later): You kill and block other sperm. It's like football.

My Sexuality (Sociology 316) class last night was like all the other ones - very boring! At least my professeur threw in some amusing comments when disussing the action of sperm in sexual reproduction or I would have fallen asleep. I have to admit that the class wasn't what I expected. Just check a March 4 blogger post on Nick's website and you'll see what I mean.

After that class last night I went to the Fox and Hounds for a few drinks with fellow J-students Jessica, Scott, Fred and Auren. They had just finshed their freelance class and wanted to go relax at the Fox. Jessica, being the hardcore Canucks fan she is, was sporting her Cloutier jersey and just wanted to see her team in action. We caught the third period of the game, which unfortunately, finshed a 2-2 tie after the Canucks were holding a 2-1 lead into the final moments of the game. Rucinsky had a chance for the win late in overtime but was stopped.

The discussions at the table surrounded mostly around hockey including Scott reflecting on his days as a Kelowna rep hockey player in the 1970s. Fred and Auren got involved in the discussions as well. It's always interesting to hear what some people have to say on topics they don't usually discuss.

ANOTHER VICTORY AT ROCK TRIVIA, AND WADE'S PARTY

There is something about Scott Trudeau and his presence that makes us j-schoolers do so well everytime we're at Heroes Rock Trivia. With the return of Scott after an absence of a few weeks, we won at Rock Trivia, and no small victory. This was huge! Over $300 in beer was consumed off our massive beer tab we won by winning the overall standings and the 90s Lightning Round. Mike was a saviour with naming "New Age Girl" by Dead Eye Dick, while I got the first song immediately - "High Enough" by Damn Yankees.

I walked to Wade's with Auren and Carlos to discover we were the first ones there. I'm never the first one at a party, unless I'm hosting it. Anyhow, after a wait of about 15 minutes people starting piling in, and by the climax of the night there was about 20 people, so a nice turnout that's for sure. The alcohol had hit me at Heroes but worn off on the walk, so I was ready to grab some more, so I went with Sam to the cold beer and wine store to pick some up.

Not only was I first one at the party, I was the last one. Yah, pretty impressive I know.