photo for Stacey

enjoy stace! 

Ryan Moore, you're starting to annoy me!

So, not for the first time is Ryan Moore starting to aggrevate me.

No, I'm not talking existentially, or referring to myself in teh 3rd person (tho', that does sound cool, I should do that more often!).

There is another Ryan Moore in Thunder Bay.

I found this out MANY years ago.  It was during a 'come and be slimed on tv' contest for "YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON TELEVISION" and the winner was a Ryan Moore from Thunder Bay.  It was kinda funny because at the time, the tv show was a little beneath our grade, so I was sorta made fun about it.

The 2nd run-in we've had was in grade 8, when our teacher, Mr. Travis, would read out any articles in the newspaper that contained students.  And he read this lovingly article in the "dear santa" section, about how this Ryan Moore was soo good to his younger brother that he really wanted a ninja turtle etc... again, not me, but nobody got that, so I got teased.

Fast forward now to a few years after uni.  I had worked hard, scraped up the money from LTOs to pay off my student debt.  It felt great.  Until I got a letter saying "dear deadbeat, you owe us money - signed some bank".  Took me forever to convince these people that I AM NOT THAT RYAN MOORE.  I had to send in my D/L etc... to do so.

Just the other day, my parents dropped off a letter in their mail addressed to me.  Which is quite odd, I haven't lived there in like 3 years now.  I open it, and it's a collection agency trying to get payment for a fine from teh City of Thunder Bay Provincial Offences Office for $25.  Now, the only fine I've ever had recently was that one with the fender bender (go back a few months to read up on it).  But it wasn't that, that charge was dropped.

So it takes a bit of calling both the collection agency and the city of thunder bay oto find out that, yet again, they are searching for the wrong Ryan Moore.  Again it takes a bunch of pieces of photo id for them to understand that i am "ME".  Suc a difficult thing to prove really!

The kicker is that when I sent my fax of my D/L to the city I noticed that my address was wrong.  I had never changed it when we moved.. oops, so I went down to the MTO place to get that address changed.  The double kicker was that it turns out my licence has expired!!  I apparently missed the expiry date... tsk on me.  So thanks Ryan Moore, you cost me $75!!!

 

[ps - is it license or licence?  I forget]

The best man's speech for Rob & Lindsay

Thankfully my wife video'd it.  You can find it here:

 

http://soapbox.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=55a9cc7f-ad1b-43b7-ae9f-ebd967a6f187 

 

Now the first little bit got cut off, so to make sure you can enjoy the WHOLE speech, I'm putting the text in.

 

---

 

Best Man’s Speech

 

I’d like to thank Lindsay & Rob for allowing me the opportunity to come up here and speak.  I hope you don’t mind that I’m dressed somewhat different.  When Rob asked me to be in his wedding party I asked what should we wear.  He said “man, if this one makes it to the altar you could wear a dress for all I care.”

 

For those who don’t know me, my name is Ryan, and I’m the best man.

*pull on lapels*

And I’m trying to do a good of it.  Rob said that if I do a really good job, I can be the best man at his next wedding!  (I’ve been using that joke for a week now, and I never get tired of it.)

 

Rob had asked me to be his best man several months back, and it wasn’t until a couple weeks ago I realized what might come along with that responsibility – making THE speech.  So, on our last phone conversation I asked him if I should expect to speak, to which he replied:  “that sounds like a Lindsay question.”  Sounds like you’re learning early to defer to your wife.

 

Lindsay, do me a favour.  Put your left hand, palm up, on the table.  Now Rob, put your right hand, palm down on hers.  Just hold it there for a few.

 

Now in doing research for this speech, I wanted to familiarize myself with the catholic style of weddings and happens in them.  And the websites I came up with all focussed around 3 important items in the ceremony:

 

·        The aisle

This is the ‘long walk down’.  Everybody gets to see the bride.

·        The altar

This is where the marriage vows and communion are taken and they are pronounced officially married in the sight of God.

·        The hymn

This is a sort of prayer, that signifies celebration of the joyous couple.

 

It seemed to make sense.  And it was relieving to learn that Lindsay had been reading from the same pages I was, because as she was walking down with Garth in tow, I could see her mouth the words:  “AISLE…  ALTAR…   HYMN…  , AISLE. ALTAR. HYMN,… “ *repeat and speed up for effect*

 

Now, according to Rob, we met in highschool.  I must admit, I don’t really recall.  What I do recall is when I was looking for a job, he was the one ushering me into Radio Shack for an interview.  Working with Rob there, those were some good times.

 

Rob, do you think they ever found that banana?

 

It was here that Rob & Lindsay started their courtship.  She always popping for a visit.  Dropping off cookies, cakes or whatever it was she had baked that day.  I think we ALL benefited from her stopping in.  Rob, he gained himself a beautiful wife… I gained 30lbs.  Thanks Lins.  *pat belly*

 

So Rob and I worked together at Radio Shack for some time, until he decided to up and leave to work for Sears.  And again, he got me to go in for an interview there as well.  Good thing Rob didn’t become also teacher, or else I’d look like a stalker.

 

But working together at Sears was also a good experience.  It was like working with God…

 

you barely saw him,

he was “holier than thou”

and if he did ANY work… it was a bloody miracle

 

But really, he was a good worker.  When you gave him a job to do, he went to town to do it right.  Like that time he bought 3 bags of those Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.  Those he finished with ferociousness.

 

Rob was also the guy that introduced me to Law & Order, Pulp Fiction, and generally any Samuel Jackson flick.  We acquainted me with bands like Sloan, Ramones, the Tragically Hip (do you remember dancing on the speakers at Armani’s to “Blow At High Dough”?)… so to my friends and family – he’s the one you can blame.  If you’ve ever been annoyed by my constant repetition of movie quotes, or lines from songs, come on up here and meet the master.

 

There are many stories I could retell while I’m up here.  But I don’t think this’d be the time ‘nor place.  Just ask him next you want some hilarity about his “when I slept in a fridge” story, or “which bathroom did I fall asleep in this time”, or any of the many famous “K-car” ones.  My favourite tho’, still has to be the “would you come to a wine and cheese party with me?” story.

 

But we’re not here to retell old tales.  We’re here to congratulate this happy couple on the next big step in their life.

 

And if I can just pass on 3 things that I was told when I was getting married:

 

1.      A marriage should be 50/50

Rob, you need to realize that anybody who believes that, they know little about women, and even less about fractions.

2.      The four words you’ll ever need from on:

“Yes, dear.  I’m sorry!”  But keep in mind, that when Reg taught me that, it’s to come with the accompanying abasing head movement.

3.      “To keep a marriage brimming with love in the loving cup, when you are wrong, admit it; and when you are right,  shut up.”

 

Oh, and if you were wondering why I had you put your palms on the table like that, well, Rob, I just wanted to get for the last time the feeling of what it’s like to have the upper hand.

 

I’d just like to end by toasting the bride and groom.  But before I do, I’d like to say some lines from a song to the groom.  This song was written many years ago, but the lyrics, I believe, are still meaningful today.

 

“She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.  She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.  And with a love like that, you know you should be glad.”

 

And in the words of Groucho Marx

 

“here’s to the prettiest, here’s to the wittiest, here’s to the truest of all who are true, here’s to the neatest one, here’s to the sweetest one, here’s to them in one – *turn to crowd* here’s to you “

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the bride and groom – Rob & Lindsay Rickards.  Slainte

So much to get you cuagh tup on, I've just been lazy.

There's just been SOO much to get you all caught up on... I've just ignored the mounting task of trying to document it all.

 

There's the endless painting by my father-in-law.  The 100+ spiders I've been killing.  The joys of pulling weeds.  A new bike route.  Taking applications & diong interviews.  Rob & Lindsay's wedding. 

That last one I'm going to blog on it's own next.  I had to do the best man speech, so I've made sure I have a digital copy of it, and posted it on my soapbox page.

 

I'm still waiting to take pictures of the house... once the boxes are gone, I will.  I know ... you're saying "but it's been over 3 weeks."  I know... just give me some more time.  Still have to go look at real futons.

 

24 hrs left - then i'm truly a homeowner

Yup another day and we'll have the keys to our new house!

 

We even got to do the final walkthrough yesterday.  Mandi even gave us the back door key, just told us we couldn't go ahead and really use it until Monday. Which begs the question - can i be breaking into my own house?  I just want to go over now and start dropping things off.

 

In the final walkthrough, I started to think "this is really small".  Maybe it was  because we hadn't seen it in forever... but I think it's because the house is now ours.  And we always tend to be the most critical of our own property or abilities.

 

Still, can't wait to get moving.  So much yet to do still... We have a lot boxed up, but still alot we don't as well.  That part's not going to be fun, but at least we'll have a lot of hands helping.

 

So, in recap - tomorrow we get keys to our very first house.  We'll be moving the smaller boxes all week, and then Saturday will be the big move.  Maybe sunday or monday we'll have a "come see it before it's settled" party. 

 

I just really want to set up my home theatre room in the basement.  That's going to be fun. 

Camping at Quetico... again (always awesome!)

So we planned on this trip for a while... just hadn't planned it.  And when time came we talked it over and a 'simple' trip would suffice.  Go into Bemar, from there to Saganagons and then into Beechu back into Bemar.  It would be 2 nights, 6-10km a day, no portages.  Sounded like a dream... almost a let down seeing as we were used to 20km a day plus 3-4km in portages.

 

So we head out.  This year I even brought a fishing rod... you never know!  With all that extra time I wanted something to do.

 

Now the road into Bemar was brutal.  There's been plenty of logging going on lately so it was a real rabbit's warren trying to find the real road versus a logging road.  After about 2 hours of driving around we figured we'd have to turn back.  We decide quickly that we'll go into Quetico at Stanton and head around on Pickerel (one of our first options).

 

That was pretty awesome.  We just base camped it.  Finally got into the park (after telling them that we'd go into the park at Sue Falls - because Stanton was full) around 5ish.  We find a nice island just west of the put in and set up there.  It's a nice campsite.  On the way out we've trawled for some nice lake trout, but no luck.  So after campsite is set up we paddle around casting for whatever.  I catch my first fish EVER.  A nice little bass... but I let it go.  I'd want some pick/pickerel or trout.  Rory had a pickerel but dropped it back in the water.

 

Then we just hang out.  It was good, I read half a book while we were just hanging out.

 

Next day consisted of the same stuff.  Jarron invented "bacon pancakes".  Regan and I trawled for more trout south all the way to Watasi Island (around 10km round trip) and no luck.  Then some more fishing - more snags for me (lost 5 lures that day) and more hanging out.  Got to watch Regan cut up a bass.  Pretty neat - I think I need to  do more fishing. 

 

The night was pretty fun.  We started getting a mouse infestation.  I saw one by Regan's foot and said "there's one" and Regan stomped.  "man you almst got him, that was pretty close."  Rory thenflashes his light and it turnsout Regan did get him.  Into the fire he went... Regan felt SOOO bad.

 

The next day was even more relaxed as we just fished a little in teh am, took down the tent and trawled on teh way out...  Still nothing fo rme, Regan got a few more bass.  But that's about it.

 

It was a quick trip... and I felt a bit of a loss not doing a BIG trip with changes of scenery, but at the same time it was quite fun!  I enjoyed fishing and reading.  That wind tent/thingie Regan had was awesome.  I slept in there the one night and it was surprisingly still warm and bug free.

 

Can't wait to get out again.  Pictures will be up shortly.

I know lawyers are blood sucking vampires, but come on!

 Okay, it's really not as bad as I'm making it out.  But everything was going so right lately that there was bound to be a snag right?

So we went to meet with the lawyer... because apparently you can't buy a house without one (don't know why... Brandon, please inform me!).  We signed some papers, looked at teh title search etc...  Then he hit us with the bill.  A wopping... well let's say that it was more than 10% of the cost of my house.  Which is insane.  People were telling us we should budget about 1/4 of what he was charging.

 

Kept me up for a while.  Called the mortgage specialist for a few questions and mentioned the charge, to which she sputtered "that doesn't sound right."  So she made some calls and it turned out that the legal secretary had charged us an extra few THOUSAND dollars... a slight oversight in the math.  Man, she should go back to school. 

 

True, lawyers don't necessarily have to be good in math, but I found it  odd that the itemized list was all hand-bombed.  I mean who does manual math these days with computers and excel and whatnot... just reinforced that what I'm doing at PTC is a good thing.  Teaching people to see the importance of proper math / numeracy skills.