Well everyone it has been an interesting last couple of weeks. I traveled to Alberta for my grandparents 50^th Wedding Anniversary, which I had to M.C for 200 or so friends and relatives. That was a new experience for me as most of the public speaking that I do is on a more impromptu basis and is generally an alcohol fueled diatribe on such matters of importance de jour. It all went quite well which is a step higher than I had expected. I was shooting for just not freezing up like a deer in headlights.

I got to spend the week with my daughter, which was nice, as I have not seen her since last January. Also, spent time with both my parents and the Ex which all went well, surprisingly. Normally, a family gathering of mine is just not the same without at least some fireworks that involve me. So, all in all, I lucked out this time and seemed to be able to dodge the usual bullets.

In other news Bad Boy Boo (see earlier posts on him) was introduced to dog etiquette in a rather nasty fashion over a weekend dinner. At a friend’s place He and Otis (Kerry-Blue Terrier) were introduced to my friends Husky. Unfortunately for Boo he decided that the best way to make friends with this new dog was to repeatedly lick his face. Said Husky did not take kindly to this and decided, quite appropriately, that he would teach Boo some manners. Now Otis did not take kindly to this at all. She figures is anyone is going to kick the crap out of Boo its damn well going to be her! Not some stranger dog! So she immediately attacked the Husky who was on top of Boo. Even better was the fact that I was the only one around to tear them apart at the time. So Boo got a puncture wound near his eye and perfectly shaped gashes on his nose corresponding perfectly to the Huskies bite. The husky sustained a wound from Otis on his leg and was limping around for a couple of days. Otis on the other hand walked away without a scratch. Never underestimate the attitude of a terrier.

Dogs never cease to amaze me. The order of dominance is Otis at 40 pounds. Husky at 65. Boo at 77 (as of that day). So the small female is at the top of the heap and going down is the two large males. Go figure! J I just can’t help but draw analogies to the human equation. I figure it pretty much works the same way with us. , At least in my own meager experience. Us simple male folk put on a pretty good show and all but (forgive me) our bark is worse than our bite, more often than not. What do you think?

Anyways, to update you on hobby house:

It’s a good thing that I don't make a living doing construction because I would be broke. Last weekend I hauled a server rack home from work (hey! its the ultimate in sexy geekiness!). I can see it now some blue sex lights backlighting it in my basement! Wooo Hooo!

Anyways, this thing weighs a ton. Me my compadre and a dolly managed to get the thing into the front door where I have a small oriental rug on marble. Out goes the rug as this thing is leaned over to fit inside the door, with me now underneath it. Crash! Luckily though it got caught on the doorknob instead of falling on me. Unfortunately, it also cracked the doorframe. With a little jostling it can shut and lock. So my compadre and I wisely decided to ditch it in the nearest place. This is my living room as opposed to trying to go into the basement. I will have to dismantle the behemoth in order to get it into the basement. Instead we drank beer. :)  

Also, lately Bad Boy Boo (German Shepherd pup) decided that he was going to dig several holes to China in the front garden and had it looking like a war zone. So some neat red stones now raise and mark the garden.   

That leaves one entrance to my house. Sliding glass doors. Last weekend, in my ultimate wisdom decided that it would be a good idea to get rid of the "builders" patio stones, as they look crappy. They are being replaced with some cool gray slate. Of course I estimated wrong and have to return to the church of Home depot for more.

Even better I have decided to remove the builders stairs and replace them with the same red stones that were used in the garden.

So now, I have 1/2 a patio and 1/2 sandpit which is two feet underneath the sliding glass doors, no working front door and a massive server rack in my living room. Also the old stairs and stones. To top it all off, the dogs are carting in bucket loads of sand from the now open pit that had patio stones.

In the future I will try a little thing called “planning”.

A pic from my network room window:

The Sky Ten Miutes Later:

Well All, It has been a bit since I have blogged. The geek-a-thon camping went really well. Everyone got good and liquored up, as per expectations and no one fell into the fire. The only issue was the Park Ranger types, who came around twice on the Friday night.

Apparently someone complained about the loud cursing and guitar playing: fair enough. The second time however was unwarranted as someone accidentally dropped the guitar. Of course this is all second hand information as I was already passed out happily in my tent. Which was probably a good thing as at the height of drunken revelry I have sometimes been known to tell authority types that hassle me or my compatriots (without cause) some not so subtle verbal cues that their presence is not required. I am sure that you get the picture.

They may have had it out for the group as the first time around everyone decided to chant the "Bad Boy's" theme from "Cops". Anyways, they did come by again the next night and I was conscious this time :). I simply assured them that a repeat of the previous night would not occur and whatnot. They were fine with this and it turned out great. No theme songs this time. ;)

The highlight of the weekend for me was the fact that another dog (a black lab) came with his owner. In keeping with his breed, he loved the water and taught Bad Boy Boo (check earlier posted pics if you don't know him) how to swim, and now He won't quit! Anyways, I got some good pics and will post them when I get a chance.