Global Warming

Okay, let me first say right off the bat that I was not that concerned about global warming in the past. Not that I didn't care or think that it is okay if the polar ice caps melt and un-named islands in the south pacific may be consumed by raising water levels (although if i have never heard of them what does it matter JK). But recently I have started to concern myself with it, again not for the ice caps or for the sinking islands, but strictly for me and my comfort level.

Disclaimer: Now for many of our U.S. readers this may come as a surprise, but it is the truth none the less that we don't have snow year round, and yes we do get a lot of hot weather.

Over the past four years since Katie and I have moved to Calgary we have had increasingly hot weather throughout the summer months. Take this July for example, I cant remember the last time I didn't come home from work bitching and complaining about the hot weather. There is nothing like leaving the house in the morning know full well that at the end of the day you will be a sweaty mess and will have nothing good to say about life until 2-3 ice cold cervesa's have gone down the hatch. Now I want to enjoy the heat just as much as the next person, but when you cant do anything outside because you start to sweat just thinking about it... well that just is not a good thing in my book.

The weather in the summers here is starting to reminding of the summers in Grand Rapids. For those of you from there, this is not an insult, just my opinion on the summer weather. It was usually in the high 20's and low 30's (80's and low 90's) with a high humidity level, and when you step outside after a nice shower, you are wet again and in need of another shower. Not something that I miss at all, and that I thought I was getting away from when we moved to Calgary. You see normally the summer weather in Calgary, again only my opinion, is very nice and manageable, low to mid 20's (70's -80's) and very little humidity, and at night the mountains give us a nice refreshing cool night which make me sleep like a baby. But now, we get high 20's and low 30's (80's-90's) and the nights stay hot and stick as well. We have been sleeping in our basement to try and escape the heat. I know that most of you will simply say "Get A/C". A very good point, but when it doesn't grow on trees and going from hot to cold and vice verse makes you sick, it complicates the matter somewhat.

So to make a long story short, I want to urge all of you to take a stand against global warming, reuse, recycle and use less energy and in general do whatever you can to stop this from continuing on. I don't ask this of all of you to save the Polar bears environment or to stop the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, no I ask/demand this of you so that I can live in peace and enjoy the summers without having to sleep downstairs, buy A/C and become a borderline alcoholic just to stay sane and cool. For all of this I besiege you STOP GLOBAL WARMING!!


This is what I have to look forward to this week. AARRRGGGHHHH!!!!

Match made in heaven

well with the stampede officially over, and not without controversy and animals casualties, I am obligated to create another post. So seeing as the moustache is gone (yes Katie made sure) and we are heading into another sweltering week of HOT weather, I thought I would write a blog about how hot and attractive a couple we are together.

We met over 8 years ago at Calvin, and the chemistry was instantaneous. There was no denying it, we were hot for each other and with good reason, we are a couple of extremely attractive people. Everyday when we would see each other, it was like nothing else in the world could hold beauty, yes we are that pretty. Many of you reading this may think that I am being arrogant and cocky by writing this, but I say to you "you have seen us... how can you deny what I say is true!!!"

Now I could go on and on about how the Seven wonders of the world, (Recently updated by the way) are no match for our combined beauty as a couple, and the Venus de milo is a Dog by our standards, but instead I will put my money where my typing fingers are, and present our pictures to rest my case. And if you were a doubter before, you will no longer be like Thomas after viewing the beauties that are Matthew and Katie Weening.


BEHOLD!!!





Now that my friends is what we call SEX APPEAL!! YEAH BABY GGGGRRRRRRR

Stampedin' with the 'stache!!

So it is that time of year again in Calgary. Yup that is right the greatest outdoor show on earth has arrived and kicked off in style on Friday July 6, 2007. It is a time of year when close to 1.5 million visitors will travel from all over the world to our great city to take in the sights and sounds of the midway, rodeo, chuck wagons, and nightly fireworks. You know the Calgary stampede has arrived again each year by the show of hats, boots, buckles, friendly yeee haaaws and most important of all... my infamous handle bar moustache!

Many of you many not know, or simply do not care about this phenomenon that was started three years ago, as I sat on our deck enjoying a cold beer and the summer nights I had an epiphany. I was born in Calgary and live here, yet I don't have any real Calgary spirit when it comes to the Calgary stampede. I thought about how I could change this and what would it take to get into the spirit of the stampede. I could get a hat, some gator boots and wear tight hiked up wranglers for 10 days. The hat worked, but the boots and tight jeans just weren't a good fit. Then it came to me, I had to grow a mean ole handle bar moustache and make it a yearly tradition. So I grew what is now known around these here parts as simply the "STACHE".

In order to grow this stache and have it a surprise for its official unveiling, I had to start by growing a beard. Now three years ago, I had never tried to grow a beard, but to my surprise I could quite easily. So let my beard grow for about a month before the stampede kicked off in July that year and then on the Thursday night before the madness began, and people flocked like locusts to our great city, I shaved the beard and left the beautiful 'stache.

Now he beauty of all this and real kicker is that it turns out Katie absolutely hates, and I mean HATES my stache and couldn't believe that I had actually taken the time to plan this all out to a tee for my city and stampede spirit. She was even more disturbed by the fact that it was going to be staying for 10 full days and that I had made it a annual event for the stampede. After some crying and yelling (just kidding) she decided that she could live with it for the 10 glorious days of stampedin', but still asks me why I hate her so much when I grow it every year.

So to all you stamped lovin' peps!! Enjoy the stampede and show your spirit with pride. And I OFFICIALLY GIVE YOU THE STACHE OF 2007!! YEEEEEE HAAAAWWWW!!!



Check it out here to see what the stampede is all about!!

Classic

The story of a sweet and innocent blackberry: By Matthew James Weening

I started my life in a nice factory where i was put together on an assembly line by nice people.
Nice people put me in very comfortable packaging and sent me to the store
I was a new blackberry, the small compact type,
One day a nice young man comes in and decides to purchase me for a hefty sum of $600.00
I think, when someone spends that kind of money on a phone they will take care of it.
I am treated well for the first little while, downloading games, emailing and Pining
Then one day when my owner drops me, I think ouch but no big deal
I am dropped more and more frequently as the days turn into months
I started to feel like the red headed step child
Finally the last straw, I am dropped, yet again and this time I land on his Steel toed boot

CRACK!!!

There goes my nice plasma screen, but I think that will get replaced asap
Boy was I wrong, I look like this for two months and almost have had it with this guy
Today was the last straw, i was being used as a flashlight and had my chance so I took it
I jumped out of his hand and into a sump pump hole full of water, ah glorious freedom from this cruel world!
As I am dying i hear a tirade of four letter words and expletives galore through the muffled water and sump pump sounds
To top it all off, this final act in my life was performed in front of the grand daddy of audiences.
The BOSS, BIG CHEESE, HEAD HONCHO, or CLARENCE as we like to call him was their to witness my glorious end!

SO good bye cruel world, and thanks for the memories