Thoughts that shock me.

Ok, yes... even though there are no clamouring emails to ask where's the daily / weekly updates on your blog, I know my adoring fans are curious.

Yes, there's lots of things I need to catch you up on:  my house (don't worry, pictures are forthcoming - i just got it spooked up the way i want) / hype's ultrasound pics / halloween party / etc...  I WILL get to them, I promise.

 

But for now, I 'm going to use this moment to talk about what I really thought blogs should be about.  What goes on inside my head, and to give voice to the insanity that probably wouldn't have been raised via verbal communication.  So here's some thoughts I've had recently that have shocked me:

 

WEIRD - it breaks the "i before e" rule?  Why is that?  Maybe it's why I don't like English as much as Math... so much "whenever it suits me" rules.

QUEUES - normally, I wait my turn somewhere when queuing until the next teller or cashier is ready and I wait 'till they call me forward.  I used to think it so rude that somebody would go ahead and barge up to a window when it might not be 100% ready yet, what if they have to do some extra paperwork when the last customer left?  Somebody else might be available sooner too!  Even at Pete's, when I know a room is now open (a client just left) I wait for Tracey to say "ok Ryan, go take the yellow room".  Well the other day, for no reason at all I broke tradition... I saw that a customer had left a wicket and I walked right up behind her for 'my turn'... and of course, as karma would have it, she was officially OFF at that point and was cashing out.  I felt like a total boob.  Why would I break with my tradition?  Never break with a good tradition that makes sense and is polite!

HOME OFFICE - I started asking about my vacation pay at work, and when I should have to take it etc... questions I have never have even bothered to ask until now (a good year and a half later).  So I figured I'd ask Lisa.  She's great at her job.  And when she answered she said "don't worry about taking them before any specific time, they can accrue, so that if you wan tto take them when your wife is due, that's fine!"  Just struck me that a) I hadn't thought about taking them & b) she remembered the fact that my wife is due in the next year.  To me, that personal touch meant everything.  Thanks Lisa.  It was a good reminder that not always is the home office a faceless void where only policy statements and paychecques come from.

COSTUMES - so we decided to have a costume party the other day.  For some unknown reason I was really stoked for Hallowe'en (I might even dress up for work).  So I mentioned we should have a party to show off the costume I picked out - yadda yadda yadda - Brandy and Mandy organized a whole party at our place.  It went really well.  What made it really stand out was how people really got behind the whole "let's dress up" idea.  Peter's costume was very inventive.  Greg went all out.  Just kinda struck me by surprise.  Normally our friends are very laid back people, but this again flew in the face of the norm and surprised me.

HYPE - i'm sure I've mentioned my baby's nickname before (hype - hypothetical, also there's a lot of build up)... anyways, I just needed to mention that it's really sinking in on me as well that yeah... there's a baby in my wife's tummy.  I've seen for myself... well I've seen the ultrasound video.  That was very neat.  There was a brain, some legs and even a beating heart.  Really kinda blows you away, when you think about all that mechanical stuff that is needed for a baby, and it's going on inside of Mandy.  MY BABY'S GOT A BRAIN!!!!!

 

I think that's about it for now.

Bayfield was pretty awesome!

...it was... i mean there were some people who got food poisoning / flu, or broke half a tooth

 

with ror's recent accident he let me lead alot as he took to the sidelines.  i should never lead a parade again, that saturday night curfuffle was horrendous... sorry Bayfield.

 

all in all it was  good time, we played in the bars... we shopped in duluth... we came home.

enjoy the pics

also, check out my soapbox page - http://video.msn.com/?user=-6745576166321313024

tell me what you think of pete's new girlfirend.

Dealing with death in the Knauff family

Apparently it involves lots of food.

 

It's been kinda sad this past little while as the Knauff family has had to deal with nanny's passing.  It's sad for me as well.  We'll all miss her really - the laughing, the funny stories, the shepherd's pies...

 

I won't go too much in it, but it's been good to have the family so near by and ready for each other.

 

rest in eternal peace Cecilia... maybe Ray will let you drive up there now. 

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.