So yesterday (boxing day) Rhonda stops by my house at 1:30 in the afternoon and we...drive to Calgary to do some serious shopping. It's good times. Right now we're at the holiday INN Express in the heart of downtown Calgary. Prices for goods are crazy good here. NO PST. Liquor costs are astronomically cheaper here not to mention selection.
Item Alberta Sask
Oban Scotch $69.25 $85.37
Prem Oban $82.39 Not Available
12 Moosehead $19.99 N/A
6 Moosehead $10.49 $15.75
Grey Goose $33.56 $50.53
Not to mention the fine selections of Texas and half mickey's (tiny mickeys 200ml)
A texas Micky of Grey Goose, Grand marnier, meh whatever your taste you'll find it here!
If you're into Ganja, you have bicycle couriers everywhere who are fairly open about their goods. Not that I picked any up.
Anyways I had a good xmas, got some things I needed some I didn't, Kicked ass in my families annual Axis and Allies, and risk games, and I placed 3/5 at poker.
This blog was made possible by my gf's laptop and the highspeed internet offered by this fine hotel.
Peace.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Thursday, December 22, 2005
The Importance of Maintaing a vehicle
I just finished dropping $500 at Mr. Lube today because everying needed to be done to my car.
I just stopped in for an oil change but discovered my coolant was no good, I needed an air filter, PCV valve. It was idling rough too so they gave it a fuel system treatment. The only thing left that they could do for me was Change my gear oil (manual transmission) so I figured might as well go for broke and Git 'er done.
The changes are noticable.
Smoother shifting
Nicer idle
Power up the wazoo!
Fuel economy increase
In some previous posts I said my car uses about 7.6L/100km or 34 MPG. Fuel consumption has decreased to 6.5L/100km or 40 MPG. Not too shabby.
The oil I put in is fully synthetic Mobil 1. It is truly the best.
I just stopped in for an oil change but discovered my coolant was no good, I needed an air filter, PCV valve. It was idling rough too so they gave it a fuel system treatment. The only thing left that they could do for me was Change my gear oil (manual transmission) so I figured might as well go for broke and Git 'er done.
The changes are noticable.
Smoother shifting
Nicer idle
Power up the wazoo!
Fuel economy increase
In some previous posts I said my car uses about 7.6L/100km or 34 MPG. Fuel consumption has decreased to 6.5L/100km or 40 MPG. Not too shabby.
The oil I put in is fully synthetic Mobil 1. It is truly the best.
Are Xmas parties going south!
Tis the season to talk about staff xmas parties. We all have them (those of us that work a steady job). The Staff Christmas party is supposed to be a time for the management/owners of businesses to show appreciation for their employees. Well I tell you I've never felt more under-appreciated by an employer than at my xmas party last sunday.
First of all, staff had about 6 days heads up.
During the first 4 of those days...we weren't allowed to bring guests.
We were given 3 free drinks/person
Deep fried appetizers (which of course I can't eat), 5 large pizzas and fruit were provided for supper.
The "party" started at 6:00pm I arrived a little late but missed nothing.
There was NO entertainment other than we could choose the radio station to listen to, and there was free pool (which is free all the time anyways).
No gift exchange
The only people I really talked to were Pilot the breakfast cook (who broke up with his gf that day), Katie (the cool lesbian girl from front desk) and Rhonda (my gf). We played a thrilling game of Ker-plunk and I learned how to play 3-hand Cribbage. Around 9:00ish I was off to the bar to get Rhonda a drink when I found out that "Last Call" had already been called. Now I know that as a bartender....you can't just say you've given last call without going to everycustomer (whether they are drinking/loitering) and telling them it's last call. The owner turned red and said "take one quick beer". I still had about 3 drink tickets left which I wasn't going to have the chance to spend (this night anyways ha ha ha).
So there ends the party we drank up and were all kicked out by 9:30PM
I still thanked the owner. I'm sure if he had planned the event would have drank with us all night.
I worked out the costs involved
Pizza = $100
Drinks for about 20 people = $105
Apps = $50 (tops)
Total = $255
Respect left for management = NONE
First of all, staff had about 6 days heads up.
During the first 4 of those days...we weren't allowed to bring guests.
We were given 3 free drinks/person
Deep fried appetizers (which of course I can't eat), 5 large pizzas and fruit were provided for supper.
The "party" started at 6:00pm I arrived a little late but missed nothing.
There was NO entertainment other than we could choose the radio station to listen to, and there was free pool (which is free all the time anyways).
No gift exchange
The only people I really talked to were Pilot the breakfast cook (who broke up with his gf that day), Katie (the cool lesbian girl from front desk) and Rhonda (my gf). We played a thrilling game of Ker-plunk and I learned how to play 3-hand Cribbage. Around 9:00ish I was off to the bar to get Rhonda a drink when I found out that "Last Call" had already been called. Now I know that as a bartender....you can't just say you've given last call without going to everycustomer (whether they are drinking/loitering) and telling them it's last call. The owner turned red and said "take one quick beer". I still had about 3 drink tickets left which I wasn't going to have the chance to spend (this night anyways ha ha ha).
So there ends the party we drank up and were all kicked out by 9:30PM
I still thanked the owner. I'm sure if he had planned the event would have drank with us all night.
I worked out the costs involved
Pizza = $100
Drinks for about 20 people = $105
Apps = $50 (tops)
Total = $255
Respect left for management = NONE
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Teachers are the worst
An interesting night of work I had this evening. We had a reservation for all the comp school teachers. All I could think was "wow I can't wait till I'm a teacher so I can be a cheap prick". Teachers are the worst. One teacher (Mrs. Cameron) was spouting off about how the Martini mixes were "all wrong...That's not how you make a classic martini." Oh really asshole and which bartender school did you graduate from? I don't go to your classroom and tell you how to teach (although I'm sure I could). I went to university for 2 years surrounded by the same people and wow...some of the most annoying people I've ever met. They're know-it-alls. Does that mean I'm becomming the thing I hate? I'm not sure. Anyways slap me if I turn that way.
After the kitchen closed at 11pm I decided it was time to smoke a bowl. I don't usually do this at work but tonight I felt it was necessary. I built a classic make-shift pipe out of a pop bottle and aluminum foil. I only took one hoot because of time constraints but it was enough. It made the last few hours of work go by much faster!
Around midnightish the Pilot showed up with a bunch of movies in his arms (the movie factory had just shut down for the evening). He bellied-up to the bar and within 2 hours was pretty fucking messed. I left him to finish his beer while I did my cash-up. When I returned there was no Pilot and his untouched drink. I figured he was in the can and went about my buisness finishing up some other work. About 15 mins later still no Pilot. I went in search of my friend and behold there he was on the floor of the bathroom hugging the john. Oh I felt bad for him. How many of us have been in this position before?
Lets just take a little time out to discuss some of the points of drinking to get drunk. (these are observations made over the course of my bartending career and are not based soley on Pilot's experience).
1. always eat something before you drink! I can't stress this enough. Don't overdo it to the point of bursting either because that's just as bad as not eating. Just have a sandwhich or something bready.
2. Pace yourself. Never do more than one shooter/hour because they are usually 1oz pure alcohol slammed back in .5 seconds.
3. Some people shouldn't mix their booze. Some people can enjoy a variety of liquers, hi-balls, beers, coolers in a night. But some people shouldn't.
4. Plan a safe ride home. (maybe this should be number 1). It gets FUCKING COLD outside in winter and you need to be prepared to walk it or have a cab/sober driver lined up.
Interesting side note: In Swift Current, when you order a cab, you can order a driver to take your car home as well.
Anyways, long story short it took Pilot an hour to get mobile (with the help of a bucket) to get him out to my car and on our way home. But It didn't bother me at all no worries!
In my next installment I'll discuss ways to avoid hang-overs most likely because it's my staff party tomorrow.
Peace Y'all
After the kitchen closed at 11pm I decided it was time to smoke a bowl. I don't usually do this at work but tonight I felt it was necessary. I built a classic make-shift pipe out of a pop bottle and aluminum foil. I only took one hoot because of time constraints but it was enough. It made the last few hours of work go by much faster!
Around midnightish the Pilot showed up with a bunch of movies in his arms (the movie factory had just shut down for the evening). He bellied-up to the bar and within 2 hours was pretty fucking messed. I left him to finish his beer while I did my cash-up. When I returned there was no Pilot and his untouched drink. I figured he was in the can and went about my buisness finishing up some other work. About 15 mins later still no Pilot. I went in search of my friend and behold there he was on the floor of the bathroom hugging the john. Oh I felt bad for him. How many of us have been in this position before?
Lets just take a little time out to discuss some of the points of drinking to get drunk. (these are observations made over the course of my bartending career and are not based soley on Pilot's experience).
1. always eat something before you drink! I can't stress this enough. Don't overdo it to the point of bursting either because that's just as bad as not eating. Just have a sandwhich or something bready.
2. Pace yourself. Never do more than one shooter/hour because they are usually 1oz pure alcohol slammed back in .5 seconds.
3. Some people shouldn't mix their booze. Some people can enjoy a variety of liquers, hi-balls, beers, coolers in a night. But some people shouldn't.
4. Plan a safe ride home. (maybe this should be number 1). It gets FUCKING COLD outside in winter and you need to be prepared to walk it or have a cab/sober driver lined up.
Interesting side note: In Swift Current, when you order a cab, you can order a driver to take your car home as well.
Anyways, long story short it took Pilot an hour to get mobile (with the help of a bucket) to get him out to my car and on our way home. But It didn't bother me at all no worries!
In my next installment I'll discuss ways to avoid hang-overs most likely because it's my staff party tomorrow.
Peace Y'all
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
New Years
So some of us have been rolling some New Years Party ideas around. I have some up with a few plans.
1. The first plan I came up with was a take-over of a small bar or lounge. I don't know I was kind of thinking of Trifon's by the university but that's definately not written in stone.
2. Rhonda has offered her house (in Regina) for a party. Her roomates are taking off so we'd have a house all to ourselves. It's on Toronto Street and easy to get to.
Someone also rolled around the idea of getting a keg for the event. Maybe that could be a possibility. I also had another option. If we all brought some kind of booze/liqeur I could mix some kick-ass cocktails/shooters for everyone. Or maybe an around the world in 80 beers event where everyone brings a different kind of beer for everyone to try.
Just trying to throw some ideas out
1. The first plan I came up with was a take-over of a small bar or lounge. I don't know I was kind of thinking of Trifon's by the university but that's definately not written in stone.
2. Rhonda has offered her house (in Regina) for a party. Her roomates are taking off so we'd have a house all to ourselves. It's on Toronto Street and easy to get to.
Someone also rolled around the idea of getting a keg for the event. Maybe that could be a possibility. I also had another option. If we all brought some kind of booze/liqeur I could mix some kick-ass cocktails/shooters for everyone. Or maybe an around the world in 80 beers event where everyone brings a different kind of beer for everyone to try.
Just trying to throw some ideas out
Monday, December 12, 2005
December 12, 2005 Almost done work!
So what can I say It's been over a month since I started back at the INN. I thought I would leave some positive things about that job since there's been so many negative posts. So here they are in no particular order, other than the order I thought them up.
1. It's great when friends stop by (we can usually work out a deal of somekind)
2. Staff discounts on food and drink
3.A fun staff to work with
4. You get to meet all sorts of interesting people.
5. Experimenting with booze (in the mixing sense).
6. Working nights means saving $$$ by not going out.
7. No possible way of getting a sunburn or skin cancer
8. Getting paid tax free $$$ (every day is payday)
9. Always having a story to tell.
10. Knowing that I'm going somewhere in life and not ending up like some of the people I serve.
11. Seeing drunk people everyday makes me want to drink less to get drunk, but more for the social side of it.
12. I have a re-newed appreciation for late-night tv
13. I don't hate/dread going to work ( I just can think of other people I'd rather spend time with, Rhonda for instance).
14. I actually know how long it takes police to get somewhere in the burn (at least 10 minutes from the phone call). So if you can plan your heart attack call 15 mins before so you can pack a hospital bag.
15. It's just like working with children only bigger and stupider
Thanks for reading!
1. It's great when friends stop by (we can usually work out a deal of somekind)
2. Staff discounts on food and drink
3.A fun staff to work with
4. You get to meet all sorts of interesting people.
5. Experimenting with booze (in the mixing sense).
6. Working nights means saving $$$ by not going out.
7. No possible way of getting a sunburn or skin cancer
8. Getting paid tax free $$$ (every day is payday)
9. Always having a story to tell.
10. Knowing that I'm going somewhere in life and not ending up like some of the people I serve.
11. Seeing drunk people everyday makes me want to drink less to get drunk, but more for the social side of it.
12. I have a re-newed appreciation for late-night tv
13. I don't hate/dread going to work ( I just can think of other people I'd rather spend time with, Rhonda for instance).
14. I actually know how long it takes police to get somewhere in the burn (at least 10 minutes from the phone call). So if you can plan your heart attack call 15 mins before so you can pack a hospital bag.
15. It's just like working with children only bigger and stupider
Thanks for reading!
On the evils of Santa...
Since for some fucked up reason I can't leave a comment on Pilot's World (word recognition my ass!) I will leave it here.
What of this Easter bunny comming into your home and leaving "chocolate eggs" all over the place? There is nothing quite like letting a diseased rodent shit all over your house to celebrate some creative carpentry. And we think worshiping cows is strange.
What of this Easter bunny comming into your home and leaving "chocolate eggs" all over the place? There is nothing quite like letting a diseased rodent shit all over your house to celebrate some creative carpentry. And we think worshiping cows is strange.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
You never touch the bartender!
Wow everyone (for those who actually read my blog) must be getting sick of my negativity. To you I appologize. Tonight was an other LOVELY night at the INN, another fight broke out this time between a fe-male patron and a male. This chick was absolutly crazy...nothing would calm her down. She was flinging pool cues, climbing over table to attack a guy. I'll say this now. I'll fight a man ANY DAY over a woman. They are vicious. This chick couldn't be controlled. Hell even after Weyburn's finest showed up, she was still on the war path. You'd think hearing the words: "The police are on the way, if you don't leave you will be arrested" would maybe make people think..."gee I should leave" but no...it never ceases to amaze me...anyways long story short the cops pull these chicks out of the bar. I guess one of them charged a cop outside as well. Anyways...just getting awfully sick of this bloody job. $7.05 an hour isn't enough to be dealing with this crap. Oh well it's off to school soon enough and I can leave the glitz and glamour of the bar behind.
In other news, I'm starting to be able to relate to Marvin from The Hitch Hiker's guide to the Galaxy...
I'm hard pressed to find something good that's happenned lately besides seeing my gf a fair amount in the past few days.
In other news, I'm starting to be able to relate to Marvin from The Hitch Hiker's guide to the Galaxy...
I'm hard pressed to find something good that's happenned lately besides seeing my gf a fair amount in the past few days.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Manamana
For all you Muppet show fans....
go here:
http://www.zippyvideos.com/162356247488965.html
That's all today folks.
go here:
http://www.zippyvideos.com/162356247488965.html
That's all today folks.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Gush session.
Ok so now most people are aware that I am dating the coolest girl in the world. Her name is R (for all intents and purposes). A little background on her. She's a gorgeous blond with dread-locks, who has beautiful blue eyes that you can lose yourself in. She has a smile that makes me melt. She's just finished her nursing degree and is taking a job in Carlyle. She has a lovely daughter named T, who is 5 years old and in Kindergarten. I miss R so much, especially now that I'm back to work and don't have the time to run the the RGC to see her as often. I feel like I lost a limb. I don't think I talk about her enough so I decided to dedicate this entire posting to her.
What can I say I coulnd't have found a better person. Kind caring, adventurous, beautiful, good with children, artistic, musical, has a great singing voice...I could go on but I'm sure people get the drift. She's a hippie through and through, someone who cares about the planet and the people on it. Someone who sees a positive future.
Anyways, this blog is for you!
always in my thoughts....
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Now we're cooking with.....Wheat???
An interesting twist of events today I was hauling my 77 NewYorker to my friend's farm today to store it for the spring. A beautiful car I only wish I could drive more often but with gas prices as high as they are, it's just not possible. I estimate that the car would use almost 22L to drive 100KM.
But anyways, I digress... my friend who's being kind enough to store it for me informed me of a Stove that burns wheat. It's more like a fireplace just like the kind that burn those wooden pellets but instead it's grain. What is the price of wheat at? Maybe like $2 a bushel (5 gallon pail) if it's even that expensive. These stoves burn about a bushel of wheat/day to keep the building heated. $2/day X 7 days a week = $14 X 4 weeks/month = about $60/month. Heat is only needed for about 8 months of the year tops (in my part of the world). $60 X 8 = $480/year total heating costs. Some people on Equalization payments might pay $125 a month for Gas to Saskenergy. Or like $350 a month if they arn't. The Savings you would have in 2 years would pay for the stove. Which cost in the area of $3000. Even if you had 2 of them in your house, your fuel costs would would still be 1/3 less than a forced air Natural Gas or Liquid Propane funace.
I can see it now...instead of a guy driving up and down streets filling tanks with heating oil...they fill hoppers with grain. Natural Gas lines are capped. Think about how much safer grain burners would be. No more pipeline explosions.
It makes Conservative sense too...because there would be no need for SaskEnergy anymore so there's one less Crown Corporation for the NDP to throw money into. Taxes would be reduced as well.
Living off-grid would be much easier as well.
For more info, go to: www.noutilitybills.com
But anyways, I digress... my friend who's being kind enough to store it for me informed me of a Stove that burns wheat. It's more like a fireplace just like the kind that burn those wooden pellets but instead it's grain. What is the price of wheat at? Maybe like $2 a bushel (5 gallon pail) if it's even that expensive. These stoves burn about a bushel of wheat/day to keep the building heated. $2/day X 7 days a week = $14 X 4 weeks/month = about $60/month. Heat is only needed for about 8 months of the year tops (in my part of the world). $60 X 8 = $480/year total heating costs. Some people on Equalization payments might pay $125 a month for Gas to Saskenergy. Or like $350 a month if they arn't. The Savings you would have in 2 years would pay for the stove. Which cost in the area of $3000. Even if you had 2 of them in your house, your fuel costs would would still be 1/3 less than a forced air Natural Gas or Liquid Propane funace.
I can see it now...instead of a guy driving up and down streets filling tanks with heating oil...they fill hoppers with grain. Natural Gas lines are capped. Think about how much safer grain burners would be. No more pipeline explosions.
It makes Conservative sense too...because there would be no need for SaskEnergy anymore so there's one less Crown Corporation for the NDP to throw money into. Taxes would be reduced as well.
Living off-grid would be much easier as well.
For more info, go to: www.noutilitybills.com
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Back to the bar...
So tonight I started back at the bar.
What a shitty night, I belive this was a test of character or something because possibly everything that could go wrong, happenned, including running out of cash for the VLT, and having to empty machines to pay out customers. A shitty thing to have to do at 11pm and all your staff rushed to be done so they could sit and drink for 3.5 hours. A bar full of assholes, and I had to forcibly remove one at about 3 this morning. The guy left me little choice, he started to wreck the bar so...he left unwillingly. I will give credit to D the front desk guy who opened the door for me so I could toss the jerk outside (and he landed pretty hard too).
So why does George Bush Suck in this case. The war on drugs of course. Let's face it everything else is illegal except for booze...which makes people stupid, and agries up the blood. I'll bet you wouldn't have that many problems with someone jacked up on heroin or weed. Could you imagine a pot bar...do you think the cops would ever be called to a 'Cannabar' (if it was legal) .
Maybe if someone didn't pay a tab...or someone was robbing you. So the only legal drug in the U.S. has the potential to make you violent, towards yourself or others, toss in the fact that anyone can own and AK-47, and you have one retarded country. Booze in the states isn't like here. You can buy alcohol ANYWHERE in the states, 7-11 for instance can get you bombed anytime of the day 365 days a year. You can buy all the live ammo you want from a 24 hour Wal-Mart. SO yeah that's a pretty fucked-up volitile situation. Especially when you also throw in extreme poverty, fast-paced living, and crowded cities. Fuck they should be handing out sedatives and pushing for people to smoke weed...but I guess, the earlier statements are sort of an unemployment solution. Keep the people at war with themselves.
Anyways, enough anger fueled rants for this morning I have shit to do tomorrow like go to the doctor.
Peace.
What a shitty night, I belive this was a test of character or something because possibly everything that could go wrong, happenned, including running out of cash for the VLT, and having to empty machines to pay out customers. A shitty thing to have to do at 11pm and all your staff rushed to be done so they could sit and drink for 3.5 hours. A bar full of assholes, and I had to forcibly remove one at about 3 this morning. The guy left me little choice, he started to wreck the bar so...he left unwillingly. I will give credit to D the front desk guy who opened the door for me so I could toss the jerk outside (and he landed pretty hard too).
So why does George Bush Suck in this case. The war on drugs of course. Let's face it everything else is illegal except for booze...which makes people stupid, and agries up the blood. I'll bet you wouldn't have that many problems with someone jacked up on heroin or weed. Could you imagine a pot bar...do you think the cops would ever be called to a 'Cannabar' (if it was legal) .
Maybe if someone didn't pay a tab...or someone was robbing you. So the only legal drug in the U.S. has the potential to make you violent, towards yourself or others, toss in the fact that anyone can own and AK-47, and you have one retarded country. Booze in the states isn't like here. You can buy alcohol ANYWHERE in the states, 7-11 for instance can get you bombed anytime of the day 365 days a year. You can buy all the live ammo you want from a 24 hour Wal-Mart. SO yeah that's a pretty fucked-up volitile situation. Especially when you also throw in extreme poverty, fast-paced living, and crowded cities. Fuck they should be handing out sedatives and pushing for people to smoke weed...but I guess, the earlier statements are sort of an unemployment solution. Keep the people at war with themselves.
Anyways, enough anger fueled rants for this morning I have shit to do tomorrow like go to the doctor.
Peace.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Fuel Efficinetcy follow-up+ CHALLANGE!!
I just returned from the RGC today, about a 100km journey, or 66 Miles roughly. I decided to measure how much fuel my Swift uses. I found the number to be around 7.57L for 105km it works out to around 34 MPG. The Swift is a 1990 and has a 1.3L 4-cylinder engine and 5-speed manual transmission. Using the same maths, I found that my dad's car, a 1989 Pontiac Firefly with a 1.0L 3-cylinder engine with an automatic transmission, uses 5.25L/105km. I think it works out to something like 45 MPG. Not too shabby. These engines have some miles on them, but my dad's car has been consistant even in 89 it was getting 45-47 tops. I remember the dealer was trying to say that the 3-cylinder Firefly,Sprint,Metros could get 66MPG but I think that is a little far fetched. I had a 1995 Firefly once upon a time and it had a 3-cylinder with a 5 speed and it got about 48-52MPG.
I'm curious to know what the actual fuel economy of a Honda Insight would be. They claim it is around 76MPG which means it would use less than a gallon (or 3.8L) of fuel to drive 100KM.
They are built for economy with the hybrid technology, streamlined drag resistant designs (right down to the skirting over the rear wheels). They are also a 2 seater car (weight reduction). Note: for every 10 lbs. you can take out of your car you increase Horse Power by 1 therefore increasing your economy. Time to take out all that garbage that's been collecting in the hatch...LOL
Here's the challange for you (though it's not overly challanging. It's more about Data collection.
For those of us in the SE corner of this province who make the odd or even frequent trip to the RGC, I propose to you this challange. All you need to do is this:
1. Next time you take a trip around 100KM FILL UP YOUR CAR full of fuel (almost overflowing to keep the data accurate).
2. Drive your car the distance stated 100ish KM. (try to keep your speed between 95-105 if possible).
3. Find the closest gas station you can find and fill up again to almost overflowing.
4. Get a reciept for the fuel for your records
5. Post your Litres used (which will be the amount you filled after the trip) on this website, along with the Make, Model, Year, Engine/tranmission type.
This is for highway driving only.
For the city I plan another experiment. I will fill the car every 100km of city driving for a total of 5 times and average the litres used out. That should give me an approximate ACTUAL fuel usage in the city.
I estimate my car uses gets about 23 MPG in the city (based on my highway performance).
Drive safely and happy motoring:)
I'm curious to know what the actual fuel economy of a Honda Insight would be. They claim it is around 76MPG which means it would use less than a gallon (or 3.8L) of fuel to drive 100KM.
They are built for economy with the hybrid technology, streamlined drag resistant designs (right down to the skirting over the rear wheels). They are also a 2 seater car (weight reduction). Note: for every 10 lbs. you can take out of your car you increase Horse Power by 1 therefore increasing your economy. Time to take out all that garbage that's been collecting in the hatch...LOL
Here's the challange for you (though it's not overly challanging. It's more about Data collection.
For those of us in the SE corner of this province who make the odd or even frequent trip to the RGC, I propose to you this challange. All you need to do is this:
1. Next time you take a trip around 100KM FILL UP YOUR CAR full of fuel (almost overflowing to keep the data accurate).
2. Drive your car the distance stated 100ish KM. (try to keep your speed between 95-105 if possible).
3. Find the closest gas station you can find and fill up again to almost overflowing.
4. Get a reciept for the fuel for your records
5. Post your Litres used (which will be the amount you filled after the trip) on this website, along with the Make, Model, Year, Engine/tranmission type.
This is for highway driving only.
For the city I plan another experiment. I will fill the car every 100km of city driving for a total of 5 times and average the litres used out. That should give me an approximate ACTUAL fuel usage in the city.
I estimate my car uses gets about 23 MPG in the city (based on my highway performance).
Drive safely and happy motoring:)
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
This week in Jeff...
It's been awhile since my last post so here's the update.
I have applied for medical leave from the university. Which means I have some time on my hands.
To fill that time I have taken up my favourite job of Bartending. I only wish it paid more because damn I just love doing it. I guess I'll be setting up for banquets too.
The doctors still arn't 100% sure what's wrong with me all they know is I'm not digesting food properly and getting the full benefit of the nutrients.
I've been playing alot of Sid Meiers Pirates...GREAT FUCKING GAME!! Of course I played the it in '87 which kicked as too on my Tandy 1000 HX.
Speaking of pirates....G.W.B. seems to be sweating a little now that his approval rating has dropped through the floor. I guess now more people are thinking he sucks than just me.
I have applied for medical leave from the university. Which means I have some time on my hands.
To fill that time I have taken up my favourite job of Bartending. I only wish it paid more because damn I just love doing it. I guess I'll be setting up for banquets too.
The doctors still arn't 100% sure what's wrong with me all they know is I'm not digesting food properly and getting the full benefit of the nutrients.
I've been playing alot of Sid Meiers Pirates...GREAT FUCKING GAME!! Of course I played the it in '87 which kicked as too on my Tandy 1000 HX.
Speaking of pirates....G.W.B. seems to be sweating a little now that his approval rating has dropped through the floor. I guess now more people are thinking he sucks than just me.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
The plan thus far
Well here's the plan so far. I talked to the Dean of Education and I'm going to take a week off to try to get better. I'll be doing some hard planning if I'm up to it this week as well. If I"m not feeling better in a week then I'll be deffering my internship until a later date. Maybe May-June or next fall who knows for sure. This is too important to let slip or try to muddle through.
It has also occurred to me that I havn't actually had "time off" in almost 5 years. I've never had a week where I did nothing. Vacations are always a whirlwind of travel, and partying. As soon as school is over it's off to the next job. As soon as school starts, I'm back in class.
So I guess maybe this is my body's way of telling me it's time to chill...that or I have West /Nile which seems to be on everyones mind.
Oh Happy Birthday to me!!!
It has also occurred to me that I havn't actually had "time off" in almost 5 years. I've never had a week where I did nothing. Vacations are always a whirlwind of travel, and partying. As soon as school is over it's off to the next job. As soon as school starts, I'm back in class.
So I guess maybe this is my body's way of telling me it's time to chill...that or I have West /Nile which seems to be on everyones mind.
Oh Happy Birthday to me!!!
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Interning a no go...
Well that's all folks...my health has been crappy since the last week of August, and it hasn't improved. My advisor suggested yesterday that it's time to pull the plug and do the internship at a later date.
For those of you I talked to yesterday about this, the situation seemed worse. I found out some options today.
Option 1: deffer my internship until May-June and work on it then.
Option 2: get re-imbursed and re-start it next fall.
Option 3: Take a week off and hope my health improves while doing some serious planning and return to finish the rest of it this fall (I'm guessing it'll be a prep for the 3-week block).
Option 4: Muddle my way through what I'm doing now.
Option 5: Quit Education and start a new career as a championship weinerdog-sled racer.
I'm leaning towards the first 2. I guess I find that out today which way I go but until them I'm in Employment limbo...halfway between work or school but really somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Meh, it could be worse...I coud have migraines, or no fingers.
It looks like I'll be going back to the Doctor to be poked and prodded, as well as, my Witch Doctor (who incedentally diagnosed me with Mono about 2 weeks before a Physician did).
Homeopathic Doctors might not be for everyone but they worked for me.
In other news I'll be heading to Regina Friday to square some things away with the university and possibly to bowling with the greatest gal in the world (R you rock!!!).
I'm also thinking about going back to the INN for work. Bartending....sigh...if ONLY I could make a career out of that. It's not just a job, but I thoroughly enjoy it.
Speaking of which I ended up being the one on the other side of the bar bearing my soul to the bartender yesterday. You'd be surprized how often people actually do that. I think it should be law that bartenders must posess a Social Work degree or something, although I find waving a gun around could accoplish the same job LOL.
For those of you I talked to yesterday about this, the situation seemed worse. I found out some options today.
Option 1: deffer my internship until May-June and work on it then.
Option 2: get re-imbursed and re-start it next fall.
Option 3: Take a week off and hope my health improves while doing some serious planning and return to finish the rest of it this fall (I'm guessing it'll be a prep for the 3-week block).
Option 4: Muddle my way through what I'm doing now.
Option 5: Quit Education and start a new career as a championship weinerdog-sled racer.
I'm leaning towards the first 2. I guess I find that out today which way I go but until them I'm in Employment limbo...halfway between work or school but really somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Meh, it could be worse...I coud have migraines, or no fingers.
It looks like I'll be going back to the Doctor to be poked and prodded, as well as, my Witch Doctor (who incedentally diagnosed me with Mono about 2 weeks before a Physician did).
Homeopathic Doctors might not be for everyone but they worked for me.
In other news I'll be heading to Regina Friday to square some things away with the university and possibly to bowling with the greatest gal in the world (R you rock!!!).
I'm also thinking about going back to the INN for work. Bartending....sigh...if ONLY I could make a career out of that. It's not just a job, but I thoroughly enjoy it.
Speaking of which I ended up being the one on the other side of the bar bearing my soul to the bartender yesterday. You'd be surprized how often people actually do that. I think it should be law that bartenders must posess a Social Work degree or something, although I find waving a gun around could accoplish the same job LOL.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Fuel efficientcy
For those of you that know me I've always been a promoter of fuel efficient vehicles (with the exception of my 7 7 Newyorker, which I hold onto for sentimental reasons). The fact of the matter is most car companies (especially American ones) really arn't answering the call for cheaper running cars. I mean do they think that gas prices are going to go down? Not bloody likely! Have gas prices ever dropped? In 1998 a litre of gas cost around 58.9 cents/litre. and it is now 2005 and gas costs 107.9 cents. That means gas has risen 7 cents per year on average. The Asian market (particularaly China) has openned up which means 1.3 BILLION people are now allowed to own cars. Demand is NOT going to go down.
So here's what you can do to help reduce demand.
-walk more often (I understand that Canada it is bloody cold, and living in a big city doesn't
always make it easy to to this, but if you can walk it makes
an impact. Think of all the time it takes to warm up a car, drive somewhere, and find a parking spot. Sometimes it is cheaper to just walk to a slightly more expensive store than to drive all the way to Wal-Mart for cheaper prices.
-Public transportation: I'm not a big fan of it, because the buses are big stinky diesel burning engines. The only good point is, they will save you money, that you might otherwise pay into insurance, maintenence, payments, and fuel.
-Hyrid Cars: It seems like every company is thinking about Hybrids, but isn't really doing anything about them; with the exception of Toyota, Honda, and Ford (yes Ford believe it or not).
But hybrid cars are expensive. Almost $5000-10 000 more than a regular car.
Their fuel economy is also greatly exaggerated I would venture to guess. The technology is new and there's no telling how long it'll last.
-Used Cars: for those of us who fall into the "Poor" category a good cheap used car is what the doctor ordered. Geo Metros, and Suzuki Swifts are among the best for reliability and fuel economy. My Swift burns about 7.5L/100Km. My dad's Firefly is about 5.25L/100Km. Which is fairly amazing! These cars can be purchased for very reasonable prices.
Those are just some of the options an average Joe can do on the transportation side of things.
Later I'll talk about home improvement ideas.
So here's what you can do to help reduce demand.
-walk more often (I understand that Canada it is bloody cold, and living in a big city doesn't
always make it easy to to this, but if you can walk it makes
an impact. Think of all the time it takes to warm up a car, drive somewhere, and find a parking spot. Sometimes it is cheaper to just walk to a slightly more expensive store than to drive all the way to Wal-Mart for cheaper prices.
-Public transportation: I'm not a big fan of it, because the buses are big stinky diesel burning engines. The only good point is, they will save you money, that you might otherwise pay into insurance, maintenence, payments, and fuel.
-Hyrid Cars: It seems like every company is thinking about Hybrids, but isn't really doing anything about them; with the exception of Toyota, Honda, and Ford (yes Ford believe it or not).
But hybrid cars are expensive. Almost $5000-10 000 more than a regular car.
Their fuel economy is also greatly exaggerated I would venture to guess. The technology is new and there's no telling how long it'll last.
-Used Cars: for those of us who fall into the "Poor" category a good cheap used car is what the doctor ordered. Geo Metros, and Suzuki Swifts are among the best for reliability and fuel economy. My Swift burns about 7.5L/100Km. My dad's Firefly is about 5.25L/100Km. Which is fairly amazing! These cars can be purchased for very reasonable prices.
Those are just some of the options an average Joe can do on the transportation side of things.
Later I'll talk about home improvement ideas.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Plastic from hemp! Is there anything that plant can't do?
I recently stubbled across this website www.hemplastic.com
This company has created a plastic product that is not Petroleum based!! It does not pollute the environment, and it is bio-degradable. This company is dedicated to providing a sustainable alternative to petroleum based plastics.
The company has some serious R&D on their hands but the headway they've made is impressive!
This company has created a plastic product that is not Petroleum based!! It does not pollute the environment, and it is bio-degradable. This company is dedicated to providing a sustainable alternative to petroleum based plastics.
The company has some serious R&D on their hands but the headway they've made is impressive!
Back in the Saddle!
Ok I havn't been keeping good track of this blog and it's about time I started. There are certain things that need to be said.
So a little about me...well I'm almost 25 years of age. I'm currently interning to become a teacher. I'm working in a grade 5 class and they are some of the best children I have ever worked with!
I believe in Social Justice, and protecting what we all depend on for life...the environment.
Everyone should have the right to be free of crippling debt, soaring gas prices and unreasonable search ans seizure.
I imagine this makes me sound like a commie or socialist. Fair enough but I also beleive that capitalism can work but there needs to be more ETHICAL buisness practice. Resonsible buisness should be practiced and there should be strict government standards which should be followed. We need to get away from the money grabbing and spending spree that the "American Dream" pushes. "Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash" this lyric from "Money" by Pink Floyd speaks to me about the attitude that has been shaping the North American culture. Make as much money as you can and screw everyone else...a culture of selfishness...well maybe you donate a few hundred to a charity once in awhile.
Well my first blog back and I've already done a rant. It's all relevant though....who has been shaping our culture...people who want you to spend money! Who's at the top George Dubya Bush and his Dick, Cheney.
We're up against a lot but I'm not giving up. My next post will have some other things you can do to fix this mess.
I also believe that religion and politics have no place together.
So a little about me...well I'm almost 25 years of age. I'm currently interning to become a teacher. I'm working in a grade 5 class and they are some of the best children I have ever worked with!
I believe in Social Justice, and protecting what we all depend on for life...the environment.
Everyone should have the right to be free of crippling debt, soaring gas prices and unreasonable search ans seizure.
I imagine this makes me sound like a commie or socialist. Fair enough but I also beleive that capitalism can work but there needs to be more ETHICAL buisness practice. Resonsible buisness should be practiced and there should be strict government standards which should be followed. We need to get away from the money grabbing and spending spree that the "American Dream" pushes. "Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash" this lyric from "Money" by Pink Floyd speaks to me about the attitude that has been shaping the North American culture. Make as much money as you can and screw everyone else...a culture of selfishness...well maybe you donate a few hundred to a charity once in awhile.
Well my first blog back and I've already done a rant. It's all relevant though....who has been shaping our culture...people who want you to spend money! Who's at the top George Dubya Bush and his Dick, Cheney.
We're up against a lot but I'm not giving up. My next post will have some other things you can do to fix this mess.
I also believe that religion and politics have no place together.
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