Loogy

Maturity level of this post: Low

I've had tickle in my throat all week. not a full fledged cold or anything, not even a sniffle... just a tickle.

Today I just sneezed in my cubicle and a “loogy” flew out of my mouth for about 5 feet and stuck to the cubicle wall. I nearly fell out of my chair giggling, only to recover in time to clean it off before my cube neighbours investigated the commotion. It left a wet mark, but luckily it faded quickly.

Cover your mouth when you sneeze, even if you're alone.

The tickle has vanished.

Humour level of this post >= maturity level.

Can my blog entries get boringer?

The answer is yes. By posting pictures of me at work on the 13th floor.

And my view as seen when I assume the "gopher" stance.

Bluetooth for the everyman

You see all those techie-type looking people with bluetooth headsets attached to their head? It's one thing to use those while driving, I understand that, but it's quite another to keep it on full-time. This annoys me, and I wag my finger at said techies. Chances are their mobile device is in a leather case on their belt too. Double wag.


As a show of passive resistence to this trend I've procured my own bluetooth device. I've attached a picture:

Here's a few pics from the last week or so... First one is from a Houston Rockets game:
I was supposed to go golfing yesterday with the boss, but when we got to the course it was pouring down rain. The course was nearby NASA though, so I hit the Houston Space Center, which was actually pretty cool. The Americans have been to space a few times in case hadn't heard. I think they should re-direct all the funds from the war back to the space program, that'd be sweet as. Here's where the astronauts train:
Here's the Canada Arm:
Here's a rocket:
Here's some moon rocks:

Here's me touching a moon rock, wicked:

Here's the biggest rocket in the world, which wasn't actually launched because the Americans waged war in Vietnam and had to divert funds:

Ahh, the memories

Here's our chainsaw videos, I put them together and uploaded them to YouTube. This was me, Frumby, and Peck's first night in our new house on 13th Ave back in the year 2000. We had a hard day of moving and when we were all done we cracked open a case of Kokanee, next thing we know it's 3am and the house smells like gas and exhaust.

Murray?? Morris?? Skipper?? Jason?? Frank?? Grant??

Midriff Woes

Midriff: the middle part of the body, between the chest and the waist.

Being on expenses in a hotel with no gym facilities sucks. Being on expenses at a hotel whose menu consists of fan favourites 8oz. Filet Mignon, 14 oz. New York Strip, Lamb Chops, Broiled Pork Chop, Mixed Grill (filet, grilled chicken, and 3 grilled prawns), and Sizzling Fajitas is taking it's toll. Must [dramatic pause] get [dramatic pause] to [dramatic pause] resort on the Red Sea with tennis courts.

Tonight though I'm going to Buffalo Wild Wings in Midtown to scarf down genetically enhanced chicken and watch the NHL All-Star game. Shabba!

Social Security Administration

Not to make light of the plight of the less privilaged, but if you're ever looking for a glimpse into inner city living in a large American city swing by the Social Security Administration building just outside of downtown Houston. I had to spend 2.5 hours in line there to apply for a SSN card because my company's HR/payroll department find it necessary for me to switch to the US payroll because I'm working here for 3-4 weeks instead of leaving me alone, in happy bliss on the international payroll. But no, just because tens of thousands of Canadians cross the border every day for training and business meetings while remaining on their Canadian payrolls is irrevelevant. Bloody hell. Ahh, I digress... Back in the lobby of the SSA a bad-ass security guard ordered people around, searched bags, barked orders on where to stand, called out ticket numbers, and kicked out "undesirables" in an endless comedy of events. I witnessed a 4 year old take a blow from his mothers purse... A smelly guy sits down and one by one all his neighbours get up and relocate... People from all walks of life (that's a lie, pretty much one walk of life if ya know what I mean) struggle to maintain their composure while being forced to wait hours in order submit a form and be told wait a little longer... Good times though, I was getting paid.

Aeros

I didn't get to beat up a mascot, I'm a little dissapointed at that. But otherwise it was a good night... went with a friend that works for Exxon whom I met in Brisbane. We sat 4th row behing the penalty boxes behind a couple of Texans who were goo gaa for hockey, unfortunately their screaming was often ill-timed and just plain wrong. Made for mild entertainment though in an otherwise boring hockey game (no fights, no highlight reel goals, no real big hits). But it was "mullet" night... we were too late to get mullets of our own but looking back I think that's ok.
After the game I met up with another friend from work at the Front Porch Pub in Midtown. I never knew this Midtown existed!! I think my nights will get a little more exciting now. It's basically like the Uptown area of Calgary, or the Valley in Brisbane, etc. We had a couple cervezas to round out the evening, happy times!
Tonight I'm going to try and find the Flames' game on a tv in a bar. Easier said than done.

TuckerMax

This is a link to TuckerMax.com. I have been laughing at this for the last couple of nights, while huddled in my hotel room and Texas fights off an ice-storm. Now be forewarned that the subject matter on this website isn't for everyone. And no one should tell my Grandma's about it, or that I read and am entertained by such juvenile/obscene subject matter. My favourite story on the website so far is "Tucker goes to hockey game, causes trouble". This segways nicely into me going to an Houston Aeros' game tonight, and even though I don't have a camel back full of Cooch Death Mix I do plan to indulge, imbibe, and hopefully beat up a mascot.

EDIT: I read another story and am worried that I've put a link to this on my public blog that my parents and relatives read. Anyone who is easily offended shouldn't surf over to tuckermax. Mom & Aunts, I'm just as shocked as you are that someone would write about this stuff and put it on the internet. I had heard about this sort of stuff out there on the interweb and am disturbed after stumbling haphazardly onto it at this website. I'm equally appalled at the language, subject matter, and graphic descriptions. I've since deleted this website from my computer, washed my mouth and eyes out with soap, and am going to church this Sunday after volunteering at a women's shelter.

Oreo

Went to the ball game on Wednesday. I've never REALLY like basketball, but I figured it was like most sports and that it'd be way better live than on T.V.. Like that time we were in Kelowna one summer, looking to kill a night when we realized the WWE was town after talking to a couple honies in the hotel pool. We checked it out, and it was awesome! Way better live than on the tube, but watching on the tube still sucks. Anyway, basketball wasn't like that. The only highlight was me being the cream filling in the Orea that is the crowd at a Houston Rockets basketball game. Steve Nash killed though. Basketball still sucks.

Talladega Nights on ice! Nice

Will Ferrell and Jon Heder (Napolean Dynamite) team up for Blades of Glory:

MLK - Ice-Rained Out

Alright, not a lot of support for the gogs from the older crowd but there was acceptance from the younger/hipper readers. Bobby thought I looked rather sheikh (he thought that was funny given my destination). Either way I think I'll keep looking for some new peeps.

It was Martin Luther King day here in Houston today, which explained the 2 or 3 marching bands staying in my hotel. Unfortunately the temperature was hovering just over 2 degrees Celsius, so I'm sure that put a damper on the festivities. I was going to go see the parade and take some pics but with the temperature and rain I thought better.

The stupid hotel here doesn't have any weights in the "fitness facility", only treadmills and bikes. This has me resorting to pushups and sit-ups in my room, feeling like a teenager growing up on 8-mile (or Aspen Drive in Sparwood). Soon I'll be doing chin-ups in the closet.

The time so far in H-Town hasn't been that exciting... spent the weekend at the mall and the movie theatre (pronounced: "thee-aaa-ter" in TX), and listening to Flames' games on the internet. This week coming up though I'm going to a NBA game and then the Houston Aeros on Friday. We'll see how that goes.

NES Bloopers * NHL Highlights on YouTube * Wondermark

Contemporary, or dorky?

What do you think of these, save the bad hair?

I've added some descriptions to the pics from Vietnam, nothing too serious....

My Egyptian Home

Here is a better link to the hotel I'll be living at in Egypt.

HCMC Traffic

Here is a video I took from the back of a motorcycle when my driver was taking me home after an afternoon of sightseeing...

Vietnam Pics

Here are some pics from Vietnam... it a slightly chronological order, give or take.
This one is of traffic in HCMC, there's a few of these because I was so amazed:

This is the biggest market in Vietnam, on the highest valued piece of commercial realestate in the world:
This is a little cafe/restaurant I ate at, it was also an alley:

On the way to the Cu Chi tunnels, some people still travel old school:
Largest Vietnamese pagoda in HCMC:
Me in the Cu Chi tunnels, this is the fat tourist entrance, the actual one being about half the size:

Me at a temple in Hoi An, I shouldn't have gone in because I wasn't wearing long-pants:
Some sort of rice paddy / field in the centre of Hoi An:
Some Vietnamese are catholic, as noted by the statue of Mary in the background:
The hotel we stayed at in Hoi An, picture from our room:
HCMC traffic again:

Buying dvds, everything $1USD:
Eating some sort of spring roll in a market in Hoi An, they were awesome:
Mmmm, beer (in Hoi An)
Sweatshops, what sweatshops? This is where I bought a linen jacket, a suit that I gave away because it sucked, and a couple shirts (one of which I left at Jeremy's, I suck):

Easy Rider. I almost bought this bike when I bit it on Christmas Day morning, early morning:
One of the many Buddha's at the Marble Mountains:
The Hoi An river is very clean:
View from the Marble Mountains, I think there was some sort of exercise class in the field:
View from one of the Marble Mountains of some other mountains:

NYE deco's in a big park by Jeremy's house in HCMC:
River in Hoi An, more boats... it's a fishing village:
Me at a temple in Hoi An.. shouldn't have gone in because I wasn't wearing long-pants:
"Hoi An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site." This is a blurb from UNESCO's World Heritage site, of which Hoi An is a site:

Rubbing the belly:
Vietnamese translators need some work:
Leaving my offerings (aka cheap incense):
Sunset in Hoi An:
Climbing the Marble Mountain stairs:

Walk like one

It's official... well, as official as this industry gets. I arrived in Houston last night, got to my hotel at 11pm, managed around 3 hours sleep, and then woke up for work at 6am. It then became clear that I was already assigned to the project in Egypt and that London/Qatar wasn't on the map anymore.

The project is an ammonia plant around 1.5 hours east of Cairo on the Red Sea, just south of the Suez Canal. I'll be living in a hotel, here a link. Luckily it has it's own 18 hole golf course!! We work 5.5 days a week, with 1.5 days to go to Cairo, chill, golf, swim, or whatever else at the hotel or surrounding area. I think it's 3 months "in" and 2 weeks "out", but I have to confirm that. The early finish date for the project is March 2008, so it'll be over a year there... more likely 1.5.

I'm supposed to be in Houston for 4-5 weeks transitioning with the guy I'm replacing, and then off to the land of the pyramids.

I'm going to make up for lost sleep tonight, so I'm signing out.... I still owe the blog some Vietnam pics which I'll work on soon!