I Don't Believe In Santa

I don't believe in Santa is the response I got to the question: Are you ready for Santa?

It was after the Christmas Eve service when I was talking to six year old Madeline. I didn't really have a response to that. What am I supposed say? I was taken aback.

In my mind I thought all kids believed in Santa. That was certainly not the case. I know when I was growing up I believed in both Santa and Jesus. Sure Santa is the more secular side of Christmas and Jesus is the Christian side of Christmas.

Maybe it the way a person is raised? Maybe it was the lack of exposure to pop culture? Afterall, Santa is a pop culture icon during this time of year. It could be a number of things.

What would you say to a child who says I don't believe in Santa? It is not so easy.

Track Santa

If you didn't know about it, there is a website where you can track Santa. The address is:

NoradSanta.com

When you read this Santa is in Rome, Italy.

One More Day Of Work

I have one more day of work before Christmas. It is a well deserved four days off. I will be spending it with family and friends. Mostly family though. I will be coming up to Prince Albert on Christmas Eve which is tomorrow.

Also, I am done Christmas shopping officially!

Things To Accomplish

Over two and a half years ago I wrote a list of things I would like to accomplish. Just click the title of this post to go to the original post entitled "Things To Accomplish."

Now over the course of this well over two and a half years priorities have changed and I have accmplished many things.

I have accomplished going to Covenant Bible College, getting a better vehicle, being the singer/lyricist of a band, starting a band. The following list have some things from the previous list. They are not in any particular order.

1. See Joe Satriani in concert.
2. Go to an indy pro wrestling show.
5. Have a successful career.
6. Get into shape/lose weight.
7. Meet Joe Satriani.
8. Make good money at my career.
9. Have a career that I enjoy.
10. Host a radio show.
11. Own my own website.
12. Start a record label called Progressive Sounds.
13. Own a house.
14. Start a radio station based around music such as progressive rock, metal, hard rock, alternative, and other various forms of rock.
15. Meet a pro wrestler.
16. Attend Wrestlemania at least once.
17. See Rush and Dream Theater in concert.
18. Become a radio DJ.
19. Record a solo album.
20. Pay off my student loan.

One Of My Pet Peeves

So early this morning after I left my friends place and Preston Crossing Wal-Mart, I was driving on Circle Drive going south bound. This dude or chick or whoever, most likely a dude, steps on the gas and goes in front of me than takes the 8th St. exit. I thought this person was retarded for doing that. I also thought that this person could have stayed behind me and still taken the 8th St. exit.

This is one of my pet peeves. People who do things like this. I wonder what goes through their brains. I guess the possibility of causing an accident doesn't enter their mind.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

I was going to post this earlier, but I obviously didn't.

I missed the first airing of The Price Is Right, so I was going to watch it on another channel, but no dice. They had continuing coverage on KREM2, a CBS affiliate in Spokane, Washington, about the blizzard that is pounding the state of Washington. Good thing Saskatchewan isn't getting pounded by snow I thought. Now Washington State has declared a state of emergency. If this were Saskatchewan it would be just another day in winter.

Businesses and schools had snow days it was that bad. Now upon checking Krem.com, the storm warning for Spokane has been cancelled. But the state of Washington will be digging out for a while even with the long 12 hour shifts of clearing snow. Apparently this blizzard broke the 24 hour snow fall record. That is a lot of snow in a 24 hour period.

I guess they won't be singing "White Christmas" but will be singing "Let It Snow."

To everybody, especially my Washingtonian friends, stay warm!

Be Pro-Active

This may sound like a public service announcement. But it isn't.

Part of my previous post was about being overcharged at Tim Hortons on 51st in Saskatoon on Tuesday. So yesterday I phoned that location and I told the woman who answered what happened. She calculated it and indeed we were overcharged. We were three dollars overcharged. So I went there and get the dollars back. Let this be a lesson in the fact that you should never just take it when you are overcharged.

The point is to be pro-active. Don't be one of those people who don't say nothing when someone overcharges them for something. Stand up for yourself and your rights as a consumer. You may think that it is only three dollars. But it is much more than that. It is the principle of the matter. It is the principle that my friend and I were overcharged. Don't let them get away with it. In some way I feel as though the wrong was righted.

Over Charging And Inefficient

That is how I am feeling after going to Tim Hortons earlier tonight. After work my friend and I wanted some food. Burger King drive-thru on Circle Drive was closed due to technical issues. The McDonalds drive-thru on 51st St. was closed as well as the Wendy's drive-thru. So we settled on Tim Hortons even though my friend didn't want to go there.

So we enter and my friend orders a turkey bacon club sandwich. This person inside, who is middle eastern, asked if he wanted to large size it. My friend Chris was responded questioningly, "large size what?" Apparently this person didn't hear him or whatever the case was because he had to say it again. She was like, "large size the coffee." Well he didn't want a coffee so he got a bottled beverage instead. I told him to tell this person no coffee and this bottled drink instead. So his order was turkey bacon club sandwich, a danish, and a bottled drink. Now my order was a ham and swiss sandwich with extra meat, a long john donut, and a Pepsi. All in all it came to $17.24. My friend, who paid for it in lieu of me giving him a ride home, thought something wasn't right. He was going to ask the person who served us over charged us, but was too pissed and he didn't for whatever reason. So as I was driving him home he was pissed and said this makes him hate Tim Hortons even more.

I will either phone or go to Tim Hortons and complain about being overcharged.

My friend went on about how he hates people who don't know what the hell they are doing. I couldn't agree more. If they are doing the job well, than they shouldn't be working there. Sure it was the choice of management to hire them, but if they are hired to do a job, make sure they are doing the job they were hired for. That middle easterner is in a service industry and she is doing the customers and employeer a disservice by overcharging.

As I said before, I am going to be pro-active and not just take it.

The other day during my lunch break, I went to Wendy's on Idylwyld Drive. There were two vehicles ahead of me and it took forever for the first vehicle to get its food. As I was waiting I was thinking to myself, "what is taking so damn long?" They didn't even pay just before getting their drinks and food. I thought, "at least the 8th St. Wendy's gets you to pay while waiting for your food." This Wendy's was terribly inefficient. I was their one other time at that particular Wendy's and I will never go to that one again.

Going to that particular Wendy's made me late from my lunch break. I thought how inefficient they were and that they needed to become more efficient so they don't keep people waiting. If I didn't my job efficiently I wouldn't have a job.

What Were They Thinking?

As I was leaving for work yesterday I seen a couple of vehicles getting boosted. Now, I may not be the smartest when it comes to things of a mechanical nature, but plugging in would save them from getting boosted when it drops to -35. Imagine that! You would think that living in Saskatchewan would have it ingrained in their brain to plug in. I guess not.

I have started plugging in my vehicle so it will start when I have to go wherever I need to go.

Stay warm!

Brrrrrrrrrrrr...

It is so damn cold out. I couldn't start my car yesterday, so I plugged it in for a few hours and got it started.

A windchill advisory is in effect for Saskatoon and surrounding areas and places north of the Trans-Canada Highway. It will get down to -40 and -60 with the windchill. Old Man Winter has hit us hard with the cold.

Join The Advent Conspiracy Here...

You might be wondering about the title of this post. I will expand.

I was driving between from the Preston Crossing Wal-Mart because I went there to see how long it would be for an oil change. I was already at the Stonegate Wal-Mart. I was heading south on Preston Ave. when the sign for the Redeemer Lutheran Church said: "Join the advent conspiracy here."

I found that a bit odd. I thought to myself, since when has advent been a conspiracy? This seems like the slogan or moto some cult would use.

Analyzing Lyrics

People judge how good a song is based on many factors like the tune, the genre, if it is a ballad, the instruments, and the most important one being the artist.

My friend Rob Horsley and I were talking on Facebook the 0ther day and he was looking at my blog post about jazz. He said the cover of "High And Dry" by Jamie Cullum is about Evel Knievel. I actually didn't know that. Than going over some of the lyrics of that song it does make sense. Here are the lyrics to "High And Dry."

Two jumps in a week
I bet you think that's pretty clever don't you boy?
Flying on your motorcycle
Watching all the ground beneath you drop
You'd kill yourself for recognition, kill yourself to never ever stop
You broke another mirror
You're turning into something you are not

Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry

Drying up in conversation
You will be the one who cannot talk
All your insides fall to pieces
You just sit there wishing you could still make love
They're the ones who'll hate you
When you think you've got the world all sussed out
They're the ones who'll spit at you
You will be the one screaming out

Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry

It's the best thing that you've ever had
The best thing that you've ever, ever had
It's the best thing that you've ever had
The best thing you've had has gone away

Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry

This is a great song and does seem to fit the Evel Knievel story.

Sometimes songs have deeper meanings than you think. But we don't know that because we don't truly analyze the lyrics of our favorite songs. This rings true as sometimes we think a song is about something totally different than it actually is. It is great that your favorite artist did the song, but it so much more than that. Besides, lyrics can make or break a song just as much as the tune and artist. Next time you listen to a song, listen to the lyrics and listen to what the song is about. You may appreciate the song on a whole new level.

Feeling Very Jazz

I just all of a sudden started feeling very jazz. So I will post some of my favorite jazz songs.

"All At Sea" by Jamie Cullum



"High And Dry" by Jamie Cullum

Originally by Radiohead



"In The Wee Small Hours" by Chris Botti with Sting



"Just The Way Your Are" by Diana Krall

Originally by Billy Joel



"The Look Of Love" by Diana Krall



"The Spider-Man Song" by Michael Buble



"Take Five" by Dave Brubeck



"Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles

Although Ray Charles didn't write this song, he is best known for it.