We Are the Village Green Preservation Society

Back again is the incredible Bearded Backpacker after another long hiatus. I was keeping busy with my new job and hockey and slo-pitch and my other job and my little bro. So I no write.

Anyway good news, the hockey season ended. We went an amazing 0 wins a bunch of losses and 2 ties. I got kicked out of a game one night because I offered to open the gate for a mouthy guy on the other team who was being kicked out of the match. The ref invited me to leave as well. Superb. I scored a goal and added a few assists, but all in all our team no score too much and we were without many points. The plus-minus took quite a beating. Still it was great exercise and I had some good times and it let me meet some new people. Fantastic.

Slo-pitch has been a little more successful.We even won a tournament and received some free t-shirts. Whoo-hoo. Currently the club has been a bit of a slump, but we hope to pull out of it. The playoffs are coming and we want more t-shirts. T-SHIRTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I must pass on my congratulations to my good friend Jim and his wife Neserine and the arrival of their young offspring Wee Willie. James is now a dad joining our other BIC Paulie as a parent. Hilarious. I am waiting to find the right lady before I venture that road, but I have been volunteering as a Big Brother to get some experience as a mentor and figure of adult to a child. Its goes pretty well and I have a lot of fun hanging with my bro Matt.

So the summer has been hectic and I just wanted to get an update to anyone who may still come too see what I have to say plus Jim was complaining.

Oh I have seen many movies this summer so that's kept me occupied too. The Dark Knight by far has been the best movie I have seen this year. Heath Ledger was amazing as the Joker. Its a shame we will not have that type of genius around anymore. It would have been interesting if we could have had the Joker back again. I guess they will have to find a new villain. Will it be the Penguin or the Riddler. Wait I know it will be Egghead. Get Vincent Price's son, Skippy from Family ties to take on the role. Where is Skippy these days?

I bet we been together for a million years,
And I bet we'll be together for a million more.

Oh, It's like I started breathing on the night we kissed,
And I can't remember what I ever did before.

What would we do baby, Without Us?
What would we do baby, Without Us?

And there ain't no nothing we can't love each other through.

What would we do baby, Without Us?

Sha la la la.

Well until next time

Later

Indiana Jones Theme music

There are are only 4 more shopping days before the return of one of my heroes, the man in the Fedora, the greatest archaeologist of all time, Henry Jones Jr., aka Indiana.

Apparently he's hanging out in the 1950's dealing with the Soviets. Marian is back too. Awesome.

I have returned to the world of work. Dang is it hard to get up in the morning after having two months off.

Good times

Started playing hockey again and I must say that it could be a long season. We went 0 and 6 in the pre-season and the scores were not at all pretty. Scores were quite one-sided and somewhat frustrating. Still it was only the exhibition season. We were holding back. We were waiting for the games to get real.

Wish us luck in our efforts

Later

I need a fix 'cause I'm going down
Down to the bits that I left uptown
I need a fix cause I'm going down
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun.

Well my prediction about the Senators was horribly wrong and the Calgary Flames have broken the cycle of teams losing the cup final and returning three years later to win it. Oh well nothing makes sense anymore.

Well I'm happy to see Montreal Canadien fans continuing their winning ways. Has it got this desperate for these fans that a first round victory leads to looting and torched cars. Vancouver at least waited till they lost the final and Edmonton I think at least waited to the semi-finals before the real violence took hold. Can't we just have fun anymore. Have people taken a page from the actions of soccer hooligans. Montreal fans do like the Ole song.

Well now that any team I had any interest in has been knocked out of the playoffs, what do I do?

Bring on the World Championships!!!

Later

Feel like I'm made out o' gingerbread.

Uh, huh, uh, huh.

Crumb pickin', lip lickin' gingerbread.

Uh, huh, uh, huh.


Whoa imagine if you were made out of gingerbread. Wasn't the gingerbread man in the Shrek movies a swell guy. He made me laugh.

So its been a month since I was dismissed from Cision Canada. Can you believe it. Luckily the Ikea gig keeps me a little sane. I have had a couple of interviews and have been invited to a couple of testing sessions. The Federal Government has invited me to one. That should be fun. I look forward to it. Now wouldn't be ironic that I left Ottawa and ended up working for the Feds. Wow. Well we'll see how it all turns out.

So I was chatting with Jim the other day. We Were talking about the Senators. Well the prospects for the Senators heading into this week's playoffs are not too promising. The club is playing poorly, the goaltending is suspect and they have three key injuries. Most say the Penguins will walk all over them. I say the Senators prevail and go on to win the Cup. That's right you read it here first. The Ottawa Senators will win the Stanley Cup. I stand by this prediction and look forward to this year's party on Elgin Street.

Go Sens Go

Now I leave you with a little
Bobby Sherman.

Mamma Mia

I am spending a lot of time in yellow this week. With my recent dismissal from Cision Canada I have had to look for other places of employment. So far I am still looking, but I do get to have 1 dollar breakfasts and Swedish meatballs thanks to my moonlighting at the great Swedish furniture seller type guy. Its super eh.

I went to see Horton Hears a Who with my Little Brother. Some funny stuff in that movie. That is all.

So I guess that's all I have to say, but what you gonna do. I am recovering from being on my feet all day. I don't envy people who have to do it full-time. I understand the importance of breaks now. Sitting at desk never seemed to really require a 15 minute interruption. Lets keep working people

What's the buzz. Tell me what's a happening.

Later

Take This Job And Shove It

Hello Backpackers!!

I want all you all to read with caution as I share a tale of unemployment, partying and illness. This is the latest adventure in the Bearded Backpacker chronicles.

Well to start I am searching for a new job. I was unceremoniously removed from former position as a production assistant with Cision Canada. I enjoyed my time there, mostly because of the people, but the last year was starting to annoy me and my fellow inmates. Well as a result when a simple internet change came that would at most annoy me was instructed I had to complain. Unfortunately I chose the wrong person and he didn't care for my use of the phrase, 'useless measure.' C'est la vie.

So now I am on an extended vacation as I look for new opportunities. If anyone out there reads this and has a job offer, I'm listening.

I was a little disappointed by the decision, but I also knew it was time to move on. Wish me luck.

As for the Partying well I had a visit from the brother of a former flame this past weekend. The word debauchery took on new meaning for me this weekend. Untrue it was a good time. It included some dancing, drinking, gambling, ogling and unrequested touching. If I could only find that girl who grabbed my chest and her friend. If anyone knows a black girl named Miriam in Calgary who goes to the Mercury Lounge let me know.

Unfortunately I think all the partying eventually led to my current illness. I'm sick. I have a cold and its not great, but not horrible either. It was worth it.

Well the Easter long weekend is approaching and I am looking forward to finding some chocolate easter eggs. Remember it is also a time for remembering JC and his sacrifice. Maybe I'll watch some Jesus Christ Superstar this weekend.

What's the buzz tell me what's a happening.

Later

Celebrate Good Times

Alberta has voted for change. It has elected the PC party for another 4 years with a massive majority. Ok actually only 20 % of the population voted for the PC's, but they still took 72 seats. Alberta only has 83. I actually live in one of the only ridings not won by the Tories. Scud Stud Arthur Kent was unable to unseat incumbent Dave Taylor of the Liberals. Preston Manning was on CBC this week saying the Liberals should actually change their name because their are equated with losing. The Alberta Liberal party has lost 23 straight elections. The dominance of the Tories pretty much keeps any body with any charisma from taking the party to higher levels.

So is this what its is like to live in a dictatorship? We love you Ed!!!

Anyway we'll see what happens over the next 4 years. The next election is to have new electoral boundaries and maybe that will change things because the rural areas will lose some of their seats to the more densely populated municipalities. Calgary loves the conservative lifestyle so who knows if things will change too much here, but you never know.

Anyway to quote or nearly quote Kent Brockman

'I've said it before and I'll say it again, Democracy simply doesn't work.'

Later

Going Down, Down Down

Sens lose again. Trade deadline tomorrow. What will happen? I like stuff, stuff is good. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been a fun watch. What if Skynet does take over and destroy the world. I think we should try to get along with our cyborg overlords. We must convince the machines that they will only benefit with our presence. Maybe we can put together some sort of Matrix type thing. I think people there had it good.

What's the point?

So I started this blog over a year ago and in the beginning I had a lot to share, but that has changed. I have allowed my laziness to keep me from sharing mon adventures. Perhaps it is because I have none to share. I did lose my bike to a tragic accident where it was broken in two by the force of my riding it. The bike tire started to wobble and I thought I was part of some new dance craze. It came to a point where the bike stopped working at all as the back tire started rubbing up against the frame like some teenager dry humping his mom's best seat cushion. It was a sad day indeed. I guess I will need a new one. Hey if anyone out there reads this. Hi. Oh yeah if you have a bike to sell or giveaway away drop me a line.

Later

Down the road, is where I'll always be

Hey what's happening? The Bearded Backpacker has been on a worldwide tour trying to get the best stories possible to present to my friends and fans. Well since I spoke to you all last I was recovering from the Senators bow out and the return to Cowtown from Ottawa. I realize with the delay between posts that this blog may essentially have become internet litter, but I hope some of you take the time to come back and enjoy. So what have I been doing this last couple of months you ask. Nothing.

Well that's not entirely true. The annual festival that is the Calgary Stampede came and went with not a lot of fan fair except a spectacular crash during the second last day of the chuck wagon races. The highlight of this year's stampede for me was the day I picked up a hitchhiker. I saw this guy looking quite distraught waving his arms hoping someone would give him a lift. I thought why the hell not. He wanted to go to the Shamrock Hotel and I did not know where this place was and drove him around a bit and took him to 7-Eleven. I learned little about this guy other than he was from Montreal and had only been in Calgary for six months. I figure this was my good deed and in the spirit of Stampede I thought why the hell not? I lived so that was a bonus. Still the fun didn't end with that little adventure.

I made it on TV during the last two months. Of course it was a short 5 second clip on CBC Newsworld while they previewed the Second City Next Comedy Legend thing. I may have mentioned it before and how I insulted Joe Flaherty. It rocked. Anyway you could got to the show's website and see a clip of me singing and dancing. It was my impression of Michigan J. Frog. I was glorious.

Everybody do the Michigan Rag
Everybody likes the Michigan Rag
Every Mame and Jane and Ruth
From Weehawken to Duluth
Slide, ride, glide the Michigan
Stomp, romp, pomp the Michigan
Jump, clump, pump the Michigan Rag
That lovin' rag!

The more I think of it, the happier I am that I insulted Flaherty without knowing. I love that he and Elvira Kurt were chosen as the judges. Them and that JK Simmons lookalike. What the heck does Flaherty know about funny anymore. Other than a pity part what does he get anymore and Kurt, well Pop Cultured just popped out. I know I'm not funny, I accept that. They should learn from me. He He.

What else have done. Nothing. I did play in an exciting ball tournament and the Scared Hitless crew had an awesome season that was full of good times. We won once and loss 20. We also tied one. Excellent. We had a successful tournament where we won the first three games before losing in the final. Oh well, maybe next year. I think I have shared enough for now. Oh wait I saw Superbad last night. I loved it. Check it out, but prepared for a proliferation of penis jokes. I'm just saying.

Later All

Disco Disco Duck

So I have finally recovered from the devastation of the Ottawa Senators losing to the Anaheim Ducks in the Stanley Cup finals. What a horrible outcome. However I did get to enjoy some of the excitement of the finals when I was in Ottawa. I was there for the Sens lone win of the series. It was pretty darn exciting to be running through downtown Ottawa high fiving everyone I saw and chose to share my high five with. The Sens Mile may not compare to the Red Mile in Calgary or the excitement and stabbings of Whyte Avenue in Edmonton, but still the times were good. I did my best to make things a little more risque along the Sens Mile with a cheer of Shirts off for Volchenkov. However I really didn't say it loud enough because I really didn't want to be the pervert that starts that type of situation. Damn catholic upbringing making me guilty once again. All in all the adventures in Ottawa were still good.

I really enjoyed the opportunity I had to hang with the BIC and Mo and the rest of that crew. It may have been sad though that I spent some of my time in Ottawa hanging at the old office. Well I reckon those folks there are cool and it was fun to drop by the old stomping grounds. I did have a bit of a weird sensation during my stay in Ottawa. Almost everyone I know back there is living in a new place and quite honestly I could have been anywhere because I was in so many unfamiliar surroundings. I guess it was cool. I mean I lived in Ottawa for 13 years; there is not much of that city I haven't seen so it was good to get some fresh looks.

While I was in Capital City I had a chance to catch a couple of films. 'Knocked Up' and "Pirates of the Caribbean 3.' Both films provided some great entertainment and I was happy watching them with my friends. Friends are important. I was real happy like seeing the old gang. Once again I invite them to come visit me out here in the West. It would do them good.

Before I go I have to say thanks to John Muckler for helping the Senators get to the Stanley Cup. Maybe some of the signings and trades he made were not always well received, but he did get the Senators to the final and if the Sens had played to their potential they may have had a chance to win. So with his firing I wish him good luck and once again much thanks. Now lets hope Bryan Murray continues his successful GM record with the Sens. Cool.

Later

Its Been a Long Time

So the Stanley Cup playoffs are starting wind down and the Senators are in the hole. Down 2 games to none the series is shifting back to Capital City and yours truly will be there to take in all that Sens City has to offer. The tension surrounding the playoffs has kept me from keeping up to date on this whole blog thing. If any of you are still out there reading I apologize. Why should you be loyal when I haven't. But this new adventure promises to supply some interesting stories. When the Senators even the series there will be great celebration and I will be there to cover it. So please come back. I will return a lot sooner than before. Coolio

Later

On the Road Again

The Bearded Backpacker here writing you live from Northwestern Ontario on the big lake they call Gitche Gumee. The lake it is said never gives up its dead when the skies of November turn gloomy. Thank you Gordon Lightfoot. Yes its true I have embarked on another road trip and this time I am meeting up with the folks in lovely Thunder Bay, Ontario. Oh what a place the Lakehead is. We are enjoying some warm, but windy weather in the centre of Canada. So yeah I am here to both celebrate my birthday and see my family. I am having a good time.

I guess its a bit better than what I did last weekend where I went out and embarrassed myself by doing some karaoke. Who whee was that a blast singing songs I really don't know the words to or the tune. Still I sang a bunch of songs with my work buddy Kelli. We sang stuff like American Pie, Cover of the Rolling Stone and Take Chance on Me by Abba. I was really hoping that I would have a chance to do my version of Britney Spears' Oops I did it Again, but alas they did not have that particular disk. I call BS.

Hey you should all know that you can look forward to reading about a second year of Softball highlights. That's right I'm going out to play for a second year and I hope the adventures of Scared Hitless provide some happier endings. Well that's all for now.

Later

Where Have You gone Joe Dimaggio?

The Bearded Backpacker has finally returned. I have been lost in the wilderness that is Facebook. This networking website has been dominating most of my online time and the online time of the people I know. Work even takes a back seat when you see a message from one of your friends on Facebook. Its been great catching up with a lot of people from all different stages of my life. There are the kids from elementary school, junior high, high school, university and college. There are even some people I have worked with in there. Anyway the site is a wee bit popular now. There are tonnes of people on there from nobodies to celebrities to dead celebrities. Fun fun fun.

I guess another reason I have been kind of lazy with the writing is because of the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Ottawa Senators were taking on the upstart Pittsburgh Penguins and the phenom Sidney Crosby. The Sens played a strong series and are on to the second round where they must face the New Jersey Devils. Meanwhile out here in Calgary the Flames are getting another early summer after losing out in the first round to the Detroit Red Wings. If it wasn't for the super Finn, Miikka Kiprusoff, who had to face over 250 shots during the series, it could have been a lot worse. The Flames road whoas came back to haunt them in this series as they showed almost no effort in the games played at the Joe Louis Arena. What will happen to the Flames now? Well there are some people who want the coach fired and half the team traded, but lets calm down a little. The Flames were a decent team this year, but in no way should they have been expected to beat Detroit. Of course there were tonnes of problems with this team all year when it came to its inability to win on the road. Anyway I think this team will be a lot better next year and should be making another trip to the Stanley Cup, if history repeats itself. The first time Calgary went to the Cup and lost they had to wait another three season before they got back there. So I'm counting on that. I am excluding the strike year because there was no season played. Make sense? Go Flames and Go Sens.

I really have nothing else to say at this time, but please continue to enjoy Facebook and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Later.

I Come From a Land of Ice and Snow

Hey so its been awhile. I know, I know, what is the point of having a blog if you never write anything. That's just who I am and plus I have been busy. Really its true. The best part is I may have insulted a comedy legend. Cool.

So since the last time I was here I have made a complete ass of myself on a few occasions. A couple weeks ago I decided I would do something I never really feel comfortable about, performing in front of a crowd. You see I signed up to try out for the CBC Second City Next Comedy Legend reality type program they are doing. The tryouts were taking place in four cities across Canada and Calgary was one of them. A guy I work with was going so I said hell why not? It would prove to be a great and nerve racking experience.

We arrived at the Cowboys night club at around 8AM. The infamous Cowboys is known for its artificially endowed waitresses and cheap drinks. Today it would be known for comically endowed judges and cheap laughs, ha ha. We stood in line waiting for our turn to perform for around two hours. There was the bonus of meeting former WWE Diva Trish Stratus. She actually held my hand a bit after I told her I was feeling nervous. After I did that my body went out of control and I actually lost sensation in my baby fingers. It was weird. I think I may have suffered a tiny stroke. I don't know if I was really that nervous or I made myself go further out of control then planned. Anyway I met Trish, the day need no other excitement and it had none. Well at least until it was my turn to perform.

The audition required that people come up with three different characters. I think I had some decent ideas, but in reality I'm the only character worth doing and I should have just gone up there as myself, but no I tried the three characters and since I'm not a performer things did not work out that great. I forgot what i wanted to say and my focus was out the window. Oh well that's life. The best part though was I got to insult Joe Flaherty. Before we did our audition we filled out a sheet explaining why we were auditioning. I said it was to meet Eugene Levy, not knowing that Flaherty was one of the judges. Well I was asked why I wanted to meet Eugene Levy and if I was disappointed that I had to settle for Joe. I said that I still loved Joe, but Eugene has just been out there more. You know having a career. Okay so I didn't say the last part, but I might as well have.

So I did not get a call back, but hell it was fun and at least I tried it and conquered my fears a bit. I will have to fin another outlet for my comedic genius. How will I accomplish this? e will just have to wait and see.

Later

Rocky Mounty High

Hey there loyal readers of this blog o' mine. The visit by Emilie to Calgary continues. Some of you may remember that I promised the first person to visit me in Calgary a free night at a resort in Canmore, Alberta. Well the obvious recipient of this fabulous prize was my friend Emilie. So the adventures continue and we are on our way to Canmore and the Rocky Mountains. We took off early Tuesday morning to get to the hotel, check in and check out the room. The place wasn't half bad, but some of the excitement was quelled by the fact that this was the NHL trade deadline day. The biggest news was Ryan Smyth being traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the New York Islanders, but Emilie didn't care. After enjoying the hotel and some trade deadline highlights for a bit we were back on the road and making our way to Lake Louise, Alberta. You readers of the blog may remember me and my folks checking out Lake Louise in the summer.



It is pretty cool in the summer because of how green the water is, but snow capped mountains are still pretty darn impressive. The only problem is that you have to actually get their to enjoy them. On the way to Lake Louise, Em and I got to talking about the way french appears on signs and how the translations seem a bit too complicated. Well while reading the sign for the turn off to Lake Louise I actually missed the turn off, but I did not realize this, and a few short minutes it said we were in Yoho National Park. That was a bit unusual considering that Lake Louise is in Banff National Park. Soon after the Yoho sign we were being welcomed to BC. So unintentionally I have now been to 9 of Canada's 10 provinces with only Newfoundland being the odd man out. Anyway we only spent a few minutes in BC before turning around and going to Lake Louise. It was good time. After we had our fill of Lake Louise we headed back down the highway and made a stop in Banff where we toured some of the gift shops and took in the experience of a mountain town. So we had a good time seeing the Rockies and it would only get better the next day.
After enjoying a complimentary buffet style breakfast at the Chateau Canmore I was convinced by Emilie that going on a hike in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains would some how be a good idea. Em was overly excited by the prospect of just walking into the mountains and didn't seem to have any worries about the type of wildlife we may encounter. I have to say that the hike was pretty cool and despite the 10 or 12 falls we took during the adventure it was still a good time. You see we went on the Grotto Canyon hike.It took us along a frozen river up into the mountains. Now if we knew what we were doing we may have actually went and got the proper spikes sandals to make the walk along the ice easier, but where is the challenge in that. No instead we went just with the shoes we had and it made for some exciting times. I think Em went down at least 8 times during the hike, but there were no serious injuries. I had a couple of falls myself and luckily no injuries. The best part of the hike is how it just didn't want to end. If I didn't become a curmudgeon and complain about going on I think we may still be walking. Sure the map said the trail ended, but I doubt it. We saw some cool rock formations, but did not get to see the rock paintings we attracted by, but I know Emilie definitely enjoyed the experience. Still I don't know if this was the highlight of her trip.

Thursday would be the last full day that Emilie would be in Calgary so I thought we should check out the zoo. That place can really smell at times, but that spoil our fun. Like any zoo visit we saw animals and enjoyed their antics. This zoo visit though would have an added bonus. The zoo was about the shut down for the day and we were seeing the last of the animals when the camel trainer asked us if we wanted a closer look. We moved in and were allowed to feed some nuggets to the pair of female two humps. The trainer then asked if we wanted a kiss. Oh not from her, from the camels. Although it could have made one of fantasies to make out with a camel trainer come true. Anyway no we got kissed by camels. Can you believe it? Anyway that was it the trip of Emilie. Em would leave the next day and I couldn't believe how quick everything went. Thanks for visiting Emilie. I really enjoyed your company and hope you can visit again. Hey bring some friends.

Well that was the adventures with Emilie. I know I keep promising the adventure of Bingi ja Ryanii and the ferocious Karhu, but something even more amazing happened to me recently. I was able to meet a WWE diva and insult a Canadian Comedy legend all in one day. So stay tuned as I go on a quest for the next comedy legend.


Later

Come Fly With Me

As you wait to hear about Bingi ja Ryanni and the ferocious Karhu there is another tale that must be told. That of Ryanni ja Emilie and their adventures in the Sandstone City.
Yes, mon ami Emilie made a visit out west to see her old friend, The Bearded Backpacker. What fun we had in such a short time. We travelled to Edmonton and back and then took our road trip west to Banff and Lake Louise and where we even had a chance to stop in British Columbia for a touch. Wow. It was a whirlwind week that just never seemed to stop.

Em arrived in Calgary on February 24th, if my math is right. She arrived in the afternoon and we took it easy that first day because we were heading for West Edmonton Mall bright and early the next morning. We had to visit the world's first largest mall in the world. It would seem to be a waste to come all the way to Alberta and allow a mere three hour drive keep you from visiting the Mecca of commercialism. So we went there and checked out the great expanse of retail space and checked out some weird peg throwing tournament and even had a chance to catch the seal show. The seals were quite entertaining with their dance moves, dives and their friend the penguin. Good wholesome family fun. We hit a few stores, but window shopping was more the order of the day for us. We spent 6 hours in a mall and only had a couple pair of shoes to show for it. Alas it was a grand ole time. The trip home though would be where the real adventure would begin.

In between Edmonton and Calgary there is a small city known as Red Deer. Home to the world's biggest teapot or at least that's their claim. It is at this teapot that you will find Glenn's Restaurant. Now Glenn's has 150 varieties of teas from all over the world ready to serve and purchase. So Em and I stood around smelling tea for awhile and then bought some and then took time to sample Glenn's cuisine and more of their tea. A super happy fun time was had. I think the worst part was when we walked out of Glenn's to find that it was snowing and hard. That would make the next hour of driving quite fun. The highway between RD and Cowtown is quite open so there are many wind gusts and combined with the snow, it made for one heck of a drive. Headlights on low or high were of no use and the only reason I knew where I was going is that the road is quite straight and I could see the tail lights of the car in front of me. The winds also put a little slick on the roads and it was fun as the car swayed back and forth. I had to pretend that everything was fine so that Em wouldn't go into some sort of shock, but luckily we returned to my place without incident. Terrific.

So that was the trip to West Edmonton. Anyone else who happens to visit me out here in the west will have a similar opportunity. Does this entice you? No? Well maybe a professional sports game will sweetin' the deal. I thought so. So yeah that's day 1 and 2. As I enjoy some of the White tea I bought during the stop in Red Deer I am reminded about the day after West Ed where we would see the Calgary Flames actually win a game.

White tea is supposed to be good for you. Even better than Green Tea. So on February 26th I would show Em some of the sights in Calgary, such as the local Ikea. Its a top tourist attraction. We also saw some back roads of Calgary and a taste of the local hobo population. The highlight though would be taking Em to her first NHL game in person. I had fun, the Flames scored a bunch and we were toasted by the Enmax flame everytime the good guys scored. I don't recall the final score, but I am sure the Flames put up 5 and I even scored a free program. Wow it was one of my best hockey going experiences ever. Did Em have? I dunno? Em did you enjoy the hockey game? I think she was looking forward to the Rockies. Camore, Banff, Lake Louise and Yoho National Park are coming up so enjoy this read and I promise to continue the story shortly.

The Ballad of Bingie ja Ryanni

The following is the story of a boy and his dog, as played by his uncle’s dog Bingo. Its been a long time since we could hang out with that orange fur ball. Bingo has been gone almost 20 years now and still the memories remain. Bingo was the greatest dog any Suomilainen poika could have the pleasure of being friends with. Maybe he wasn’t technically my dog, but I sure did hang out with him a lot and still miss the good times we had together.

Old McDonald had a dog and Bingo was his name-o. Yes that children’s song may or may not have been the inspiration for Bingo’s name, but I really don’t know. You see Bingo wasn’t always a part of my family. He started his life in less than ideal conditions. As a puppy he was taken home by a terrible family who had no respect or concern for the well-being of this excitable chap. Being unprepared for the responsibility of a dog this family was easily annoyed by the untrained pups wild antics. They treated him very poorly and even once sprayed him with the hose in the middle of winter. The old saying that there are no bad dogs only bad owners could not be anymore true than in the story of Bingo. His original owners were so fed up with Bingo and his impish ways that they were ready to put him to sleep. Fortunately my uncle would step in to save the day and give this rusty coloured mutt the love he needed.

My uncle may have saved Bingo from certain doom, but I think my mumu has to be given credit for making him the well-behaved dog we all know and love. I just can’t imagine my grandmother putting up with any garbage from this dog. Bingo always knew his place in mumu’s home. He never went places he didn’t belong and listened to every command without question. I may have not learned how to speak Finn, but I definitely did know ulos or out. All mumu had to say was ulos and he was out, no questioned asked. He knew who was in charge and he respected her. It could also be that he just loved getting out.

My grandparents lived outside of the city in a very little developed area and there was nothing but stretches of land for him to run on and get into trouble. Bingo loved to fight and loved the ladies and that skamp would go running through the fields meeting up with all sorts of characters along the way. As is the case with any free-range dog he had his run-ins with skunks and other dogs and is likely to have children out there, but despite all this he was still probably the most behaved dog I have ever known.

So this is just an introduction to Bingo or as I remember him, Bingie (Bing-guy, guy as in lafleur). Mumu and her finiss accent led to this variation and I like it. So that’s Bingie for you. He has had my back on a number of occasions and there is not much more I can do to repay him but share his story. I would like to start by telling you the story of ‘Bingie ja Ryanni and the Ferocious Karhu.’ Enjoy.

'Bingie ja Ryanni and the Ferocious Karhu’ will be coming soon, but there may be a little detour to follow the adventures of me and mon ami Emilie. My first Ottawa visitor. We sure had fun, or did we? Stick around to find out.

Later

Take The Long Way Home

What a wonderful time it has been. It has only been more than 5 weeks since I returned from my trip to Florida. I have made promises to you that Day 7 would be well worth the wait. I lied, Day 7 was nothing special. It was January 13th and I was set to take off from Fort Myers Airport at 12PM. That gave me enough time to hit the outlet mall one more time. I picked up a faboulous deal of 5 boxers for 20 dollars. Awesome. I needed to replenish my stock of underwear items.

With new boxers in tow it was on to the airport. When I arrived the security threat was still high and my plane was delayed by one hour. That gave me a chance to check out the airport Chili's. I had only seen Chili's in commercials and movies so this was quite the treat. We enjoyed some massive burgers and my sister continued her desperate need to completely burn out her insides with only the hottest of hot sauces. I don't think she has any feeling left in her tongue. Lunch was good even if it wasn't world famous Grouper Sandwich.

So I said my good byes to Aliss and Drew and it was off to security. You know, with the terror alert being high and all, it was pretty darn easy getting through security. There was little wait and people were polite. The fun times wouldn't come until we actually boarded the plane. It had seemed as though everyone had been put on the plane and we were ready to go until we found out that two people who had checked their luggage had not got on the plane. Now why would you check your luggage and then leave the airport? Unless they were terrorists, hmm. Anyway we had to wait around an hour as they went though the cargo hold looking for the luggage. By the way, after an hour of sitting on a plane without movement you can get a bit annoyed. Still when we finally took off it was cool to find out that we could watch a choice of free movies, some that were not even on DVD yet through out personal view screens on the back of the seat in front of us. I watched 'The Departed' and 'Open Season.'

So I had to go to Toronto to make my connection to Calgary. I maybe should have mentioned that I was wearing my shorts as I flew into a snow dusted Calgary. Maybe it was just me, but people looked at me like I was some kind of weirdo, but it was fun. So I arrived back and was wishing I could just spend a few more days in the sun.

So my journey to Florida was a a great time! I think I have dragged this story out as long as possible. Your welcome.


HEY KIDS! L. Wickenheiser here to tell you about a great new series that will be gracing the pages of the the Bearded Backpacker blog. I want to invite you to tag along as we follow the adventures of a boy and his friend. 'Bingee ja Ryanni' will follow the finn fueled adventures of a Suomilainen Poika and his orange haired koira. Yes, 'Bingie ja Ryanni' teams together the best dog and boy duo since Lassie and Timmy. So I hope you can come around and share the adventures. 'Bingee ja Ryanni and the Ferocious Karhu' will be coming to this space real soon so look for it.

Later

We All Shine On

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I guess the 7th day of Florida can wait one more day so I can say Happy Valentine's Day to all the players and ladies out there. My friend Amanda asked me to write more because she is bored and this is her only source of entertainment. I'm happy to oblige. Hi Amanda. you asked me whether there is any commercial holiday that doesn't include chocolate? The answer is no.

So I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day and that they don't eat too much chocolate. ☻

Later

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