In less than 6 hours, New Orleans is going to be under full assault from Hurricane Katrina. The city has been evacuated with the NFL team the New Orleans Saint's stadium being used as an emergency shelter for those who don't evacuate. All major highways have one-way traffic leaving the city, and 485,000 people are fleeing.

From the sounds of it, I don't think there will be much left of the city that sits as much as 10 feet below sea level in spots. Some experts fear that the hurricane could be as powerful and dangerous as the Asian tsunami that wreaked havoc in the Asia region last December.

In response to my buddy iBrett's posting on talking on cell phones while driving, I have put together a list of reasons why I think that talking on cell phones while driving is dangerous and should be avoided. I've seen the outcome of people talking on their cell phones first-hand, and I'm also guilty of talking on my cell phone sometimes while driving too. I think headsets make a cell phone much less of a distraction.

My Top 7 reasons it's dangerous:

1. When a girl calls and is talking dirty to you in a sexy voice you will be distracted from the road. Very dangerous!

2. Dialing on a cell phone, or finding the hang up button, etc. definitely takes your vision off the road. Sometimes people look down at their phone when dialing and when they look back up they might not be in between the lines. I've seen this happen many times.

3. Text messaging - self-explanatory - very dangerous

4. Holding your phone with one hand means 1 less hand on the wheel. It's obviously harder to react quickly with one hand than with two hands on the wheel. Remember in driving school they taught us to drive at 10 and 2? I'm sure they had a reason for that.

5. Checking your blind spot - sometimes the phone prohibits you to turn your head properly to check your blind spot because of the awkwardness of holding the cell phone.

6. Shifting gears - self-explanatory - Cars that are standard are much easier to drive with 2 hands than one. Try talking on your phone while accelerating, turning a corner, and shifting into second gear all at the same time. I've done it; it's very awkward.

7. Cell phone in pocket - Sometimes your cell phone will be in your pocket and when it rings or vibrates, you want to get it out of your pocket fast to answer it, so you might take off your seat belt or take your eyes off the road to do this.

I had a conversation with a friend recently and she had a different perspective on relationships and finding the right person. Her view is that every person is compatible with a million other people in the world and you could potentially be happy with any of them. So the idea is there isn't necessarily just one person out there that you're "meant" to be with. (ie: fate). She believes that when you find someone you're compatible with and you enjoy being around, it's how you deal with issues with the person and whether you're willing to put in the effort to make it work. Sometimes you even need to make sacrifices for the sake of avoiding a pointless argument; even if you know you're right. There will always be people out there that you may never be able to get along with, but when you find someone you care about it's all about how you deal with them that will dictate whether you can sustain the relationship.

If you find someone that you really do care about, sometimes it's just putting in the extra effort to make it work and if that effort isn't applied by both individuals it will likely not work out. So sometimes when you think the grass is greener, consider that even though the grass may appear to be greener on the other side you'll still need to put in the effort to sustain the relationship no matter who that person is or how perfect everything may seem.

... and if you do decide not to put the effort in, then don't be upset that things didn't work out or try to blame the other person because you always have a choice.

.... okay, that's enough mushy boring stuff for a while...

On Monday, Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson called for the United States to assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, calling him "a terrific danger" bent on exporting Communism and Islamic extremism across the Americas.

I've never understood why someone who claims they are 'Christian' would promote murder and hatred.

The United States hasn't condemned his statement, and State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that Robertson is a private citizen and that his views do not reflect U.S. policy.

I'm curious if the United States would condemn Pat Robertson's statement if he called for President Bush to be assassinated? His show "The 700 Club" reaches a lot of viewers, and I don't think the state Department would have the same response had it been President Bush that he called for to have assassinated.

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I have compiled a video of various footage and stills from the camera I bought in the spring. Most of the footage is from the Spring and Summer of 2005. My life has been through huge changes throughout the last 6 months and this video is to thank everyone in my life for being there for me and helping me get through everything. I really appreciate everything that everyone has done for me.

Special thanks for being there for me: (In order of appearance)
Steve, Tom, Mojo, Tim, Quenelle, Dustin, Dad, Mike, Sara, Tash, Geoff, Rob, Charmaine, Mark, Kelly, Steph, Mom. (and not in the video): Kara, Trudy and Claudia. Sorry if I'm forgeting somebody.

Video download: (High bandwith) Windows Media format (320x240)

a) A buddy of mine has accepted a job in Vancouver working as a Software Engineer for a video game company. This is something that he has always dreamed of doing; he's the one guy I know that lives to write code. He's great at what he does, and I'm sure he's being compensated very well. I had planned to visit Vancouver for a weekend after my trip to LA in September, so I'm sure we'll have a chance to hang out.

b) My cousin Geoff has been living in New York City for over a year now recording his band's debut CD. I totally admire what he's doing, and the sacrifices that he has made in order to live his dream. He's also having a great time doing it and it will be an experience that he'll never forget.

c) I also think it's so cool that my friend Mark has basically quit his job to backpack Asia for 4 months. With a promising career ahead of him, he had turned down his imminent promotion to live out his dream to backpack Asia. I admire his guts.

So tired, but I can't sleep. I want to bring everyone's attention to a food crisis in Africa that unfortunately hasn't gotten a lot of media attention. This was brought to my attention from a very sweet girl named Laura who works for the Canadian Red Cross.

A locust invasion in the Sahel region in Africa and unfavourable weather conditions have left the region with a severe food crisis and malnutrition.

Here are some quick facts on the crisis:
- Almost 8 million people are currently threatened by the severe food shortages
- In Niger, the UN has found that 3.6 million of the country's 12 million people are directly affected.
- In the Tahoua and Maradi regions, the rate of severe malnutrition is 3 and 7% respectively.

Read the Article or read the PDF Food Crisis in the Sahel Region of Africa: helping the most vulnerable (PDF, 53kb)

How can you help? Donate now to help the people of Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Mauritania.

This story is unbelievable. A 737 plane with nobody behind the controls has slammed into a mountain, killing all 115 passengers and 6 crew members. The pilots had reported an air conditioning problem and a passenger on the plane had sent a text message to his cousin telling him that it's freezing on the plane. "The pilot has turned blue (in the face)", said one passenger in his text message. The plane was then escorted by F16 jets and the F16 pilots indicated that the pilot wasn't in the cockpit and the co-pilot was slumped over the controls before the jet slammed into a mountain, killing all 115 passengers and 6 crew members.

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I bought 3 t-shirts today without trying them on. They were all smalls, and the smalls I buy at this store usually fit pretty well. But I bought this one New York Yankees shirt that when I got home I could barely even get it on because it was so tight. It looks like it's painted on. I think it's hilarious. What's funnier is the serious look on my face, and the picture of my brother Tom on my shelf.

It was also really hard to get off.. I definitely shouldn't wash it or it'll turn into a Christmas gift for my 10-year-old cousin.

I am contemplating wearing it out tonight to the Foo Fighters concert at the Molson Amphitheatre, but I'm afraid it might attract the wrong sex.

I think I’ve already lost you
I think you’re already gone
I think I’m finally scared now
You think I’m weak - but I think you’re wrong
I think you’re already leaving
Feels like your hand is on the door
I thought this place was an empire
But now I’m relaxed - I can’t be sure

I think you’re so mean - I think we should try
I think I could need - this in my life
I think I’m just scared - I think too much
I know this is wrong it’s a problem I’m dealing

If you’re gone - maybe it’s time to go home
There’s an awful lot of breathing room
But I can hardly move
If you’re gone - baby you need to come home
Cuz there’s a little bit of something me
In everything in you

I bet you’re hard to get over
I bet the room just won’t shine
I bet my hands I can stay here
I bet you need - more than you mind

The Rolling Stones have announced that they will be playing tomorrow night at the Phoenix concert theatre, a small venue in Toronto for a small fee of $10. Tickets go on sale at 8AM, and it is limited to one ticket per person. Full Story

I suspected that they were going to play a show in Toronto soon because a collegue of mine was at Cirque du Soleil on Sunday and Mick Jagger was sitting only a few rows over from him. He said people were trying to get his autograph and his bouncers had to rough some people up. Right after the show was over, Mick apparently rushed out in a big hurry to avoid any further confrontations.

The thing I hate about church hymns is that they take a one-syllable word and make it 8 syllables.

I had an anonymous friend who was in town at the beer festival with his friends on Saturday. After he was done at the beer festival he had too much to drink to drive his car, so I met up with him and drove it for him. As I was buckling up my seatbelt, he told met that the car had no brakes. So I figured the brakes weren't working well, or there were no pads left. Sure enough when I step on the brakes, almost nothing happens. The car eventually comes to a complete stop. I couldn't even believe he has been driving this car like that for the last couple weeks.

Anyway, so as I'm driving down Queen Street (with no brakes), I would downshift to first gear in order to slow the car down. I'm driving along and I notice my friend is sticking his head out the window yelling and having a good time. I concentrate on driving and about 15 seconds later he pokes his head down through the sunroof and says "Hey guys". The crazy bastard climbed out the window of the car while I was driving 30KM/h and was lying on his belly on top of the car looking down through the sunroof! I couldn't believe it, it was the funniest thing I've seen in a very long time. His girlfriend yelled at him and told him to get back into the car, so he obeyed.

Yesterday's triathlon was a lot of fun. When I showed up at the starting line, my friend Tim was there with his girlfriend. I had no idea he was coming; he had been planning this since the first day I announced that I had entered this triathlon on my website. Tim reminds me of an Al Qaida terrorist. He plans carefully, well in advance, has patience, doesn't reveal his plan or drop many hints and when you least expect it he shocks you. It worked out well though because I was there by myself, so it was nice to have some company.

I should have known something was up though because last weekend at Algonquin I had noticed Tim had lost a lot of muscle and weight. When I inquired why he had lost so much muscle he had told me that it was because he had been doing a lot of cardio lately. He was also doing a lot of swimming that weekend at Algonquin as I mentioned in my posting. I had just thought that he likes to swim a lot ;)

The race was a lot more difficult than I expected it to be, but I made it through the finish line and that's all the matters to me. The swim didn't turn out too badly. I used the technique that I feel comfortable with by keeping my head above the water even though it's not as efficient as swimming with my head under water. But I got through it and my time could have been much worse. The cycling was the one thing that I lost a lot of time in. It was a pretty windy day, and we were against the wind and uphill for a lot of the route. I think the results of the race reflect this because the winner this year was more than 15 minutes slower than the winner last year. So I assume the cycle route they did last year was a bit easier. I'm also going to look into buying a used road bike, because I'd be peddling my ass off and people on road bikes would go flying by my twice as fast. Tim and I were 2 of the very few people who used mountain bikes. At least 90% of the competetors had road bikes.

After I got off my bicycle and started running, my legs felt like they had 20 pounds of bricks attached to each of them. It was probably the most difficult run I'd ever done, and my running time was about 6 minutes above what it should be in a normal race. (Without biking and swimming). But I was still happy with my running time anyway. Our age was written on the back of our legs, so every time you went by someone you could tell how old they were. Near the end of the race I passed a 79 year old man. If I can do a triathlon at 79 I would be extremely happy. I have a lot of respect for that man.

Here are our official times:

Jim: 64th out of 124 Total time: 2:17:37
Swim (800 meters): 92nd overall - 20:22 - Pace/100m 2:33
Bike (32KM): 86th overall - 1:21:11 Avg 23.7KM/h
Run (8KM): 27th overall - 36:05 - Pace per KM: 4:31

Tim: 56th out of 124 Total time: 2:15:36
Swim (800 meters): 76th overall - 19:33 - Pace/100m 2:27
Bike (32KM): 63rd overall - 1:15:42 Avg 25.4KM/h
Run (8KM): 56h overall - 40:22 - Pace per KM: 5:03

For the full results, Click Here

and some action photos from the race:

Jim exiting water	Tim exiting water	Tim on bike
Tim at finish	Jim at finish	Jim at finish #2

I was sitting on my computer about 5 minutes ago and just outside my window was my next door neighbour standing there smoking a cigarette. I noticed that her back looked pretty bare and I was pretty sure she wasn't wearing a beige shirt. This observation sparked my curiousity, so I walked to my brother Tom's bedroom and looked out his window because you can see the neighbour's whole patio from Tom's room. So she's standing there smoking a cigarette completely naked.

This is the same crazy neighbour that gets in these ludicrous fights with her boyfriend in the middle of the night and screams at the top of her lungs and throws things in their apartment. I almost walked over to her apartment in my PJ's one time to tell her to shutup because she screamed at the top of her lungs for 5 minutes straight at 4AM.

Never a dull moment...

(Triathlon results to follow this afternoon/evening)

I'm all ready for my first triathlon. Here are some of my preparations for tomorrow.

- Read the Beginner's guide to triathlons
- No shaving until after the race (It's been over a week)
- Bought a new bike and swimming goggles
- Warmed up with a 30KM bike ride earlier this evening
- Pasta for a late dinner tonight
- 7 hours of sleep (In bed by 10, up at 5)
- Powerbar for breakfast tomorrow
- Gameface is now on

After lunch today I was walking back to work with some friends along the sidewalk and I sneezed a huge sneeze. There was a large volume of gooey green snot hanging about 7 inches down from my nose. I had to think and act quickly because it wasn't going to release from my nose easily, and I didn't want to wipe and get it all over my hands. So I quickly plugged my left nostril and did the farmer's blow onto the ground near a tree on the sidewalk. After the farmer's blow I looked around and there were about 4 or 5 people walking behind us, and one couple that saw the whole event go down had a disgusted look on their face. I was laughing my head off as were my friends, it was quite disgusting and embarrassing.

This year's annual Algonquin canoe/portage/camp trip was an amazing 5 days of hard work and relaxation. I just returned last evening. It was the perfect opportunity for me to get out of the fast paced city life and enjoy nothingness. It took us about 6 hours of canoeing and portaging to get to our first campsite, but it was worth the hike. We were the only form of civilization on the entire lake and it was just amazingly beautiful. Getting away from society is a healthy thing to do once in a while.

Our weekend consisted of my dog Mojo swimming an average of 2 kilometers each day, whether it was fetching sticks in the water, swimming after Mark's fishing lures, swimming alongside me as I was training for my triathlon, or swimming alongside Tim on one of his crazy random long distance swims. We also had the opportunity to jump off a 35-foot cliff, crap in the woods, and boil lake water to drink. One of the highlights was after Glen and I won the Euchre game, we each grabbed a canoe and shoved them out onto the lake as far as we could and the losers of the Euchre game (Steve and Bill) had to swim out to fetch the canoes as per our Euchre bet. It was at nighttime and it was quite chilly, probably around 15 degrees Celsius. Good times.

Mojo had a near death experience. There was a dead tree at our first campsite that we wanted to cut down, so we took my mini saw (7 inch blade) and started working away on this tree. After 2 hours of sawing, the damn tree didn't want to come down; we kept pushing it but it wasn't falling. So Mark and Tim headed across the lake to get some rope from our buddies, and Mojo and I stayed there to wait for the rope. I was just sitting down relaxing when a gust of wind blew threw the trees and I heard the tree make a crack noise. When I looked at the tree, I noticed Mojo was well beyond the tree. So I yelled at her to get back to me so that the tree wouldn't fall on her. She started walking back toward me when I heard another crack. So immediately I yelled "STAY MOJO, STAY!!" About 15 seconds later, I heard a third crack, and the tree came down hard, exactly where we expected it to land. Mojo stood about 15 feet away in a safe spot behind some other trees. When the tree hit the ground Mojo was startled and ran the opposite way. She is lucky to be alive, and I'm very thankful that she is pretty good with obeying my orders. It was interesting that it only took a small gust of wind to take the tree down that we were trying to push over.

We also experienced an extreme thunderstorm on Sunday night. The lightning lit up my entire tent, and the thunder shook the ground. Mojo was shaking uncontrollably, and I was quite frightened as well; it was quite an experience. One of our fellow campers (Marcus) was sleeping outside in a waterproof outdoor sleeping bag. I don't know how he felt when the thunderstorm came, but I wouldn't be surprised if he peed his pants, I know I would have ;)

Here are some pictures from this year's trip. Feel free to read about last year's Algonquin Trip

Unloading the canoes	Bay shot
Beautiful campsite	Huge spider
Mojo on rock	Tree we cut down
Mojo on looking	Sitting by campfire
Mojo swimming	Loons and sunset

An Air France jet carrying as many as 200 passengers skidded off the runway and caught on fire today at 3:50PM. I just checked the live Highway 401 traffic camera, and it looks like there is still a lot of smoke coming from the plane.

The news agencies haven't said whether they were able to get the passengers off the plane yet, but I hope they did.

401 traffic camera - 5:08PM