The Ramblings of Some Random Freaks

So I decided a little while back that I needed to introduce something new and fun into my daily routine, and found a new little girl to share my life with

she’s a little Pug with unique coloration – and looks sweet as can be – I haven’t actually met her yet, but I’ve gone a little overboard with toys and puppy stuff

One Week Old

2 Weeks Old, Trying to eat her sister

Two Weeks Old, Looking Standoffish

Four Weeks Old

In three weeks, she’ll be headed home, so excited to meet her, and raise a happy, loving little critter

So here’s my confession of the day.

I’m addicted to nicotine.

Nicotine itself is a relatively harmless drug, but unfortunately there are many, many issues with the “normal” delivery system that provides it – tobacco smoke.

Tobacco smoke contains other things – most of which are the result of burning tobacco, and inhaling the smoke – the byproducts (things like tar and carbon monoxide in the smoke) damage your lungs, cause diseases like Cancer and Emphysema, and also create second hand and third hand smoke, which are also carcinogenic and have many health risks.

So, I decided to try something new. I’ve quit smoking on many occasions for a variety of lengths of time (as little as a week, as long as 18 months), but in certain stress inducing situations, I always find myself with a cigarette in my mouth. I’m not going to lie, it disgusts me. We can go back to a time when I was 17 and cussed out smokers, because it’s a slow form of suicide – you cut years off your life, and reduce the quality of those years that you’re left with, and knowing this, I found the habit intolerable.

So cut forward 21 years, 19 of which I’ve smoked, I clearly wasn’t very pleased with myself – I wanted to find a way to get the nicotine fix without the carcinogens.. so even if I DO quit again, if the urge strikes in the future, I have a way to give in without actually smoking.

Enter “Electronic Cigarettes” or E-Smokes.

An E-Smoke is a 2 or 3 part device, a battery, an atomizer, and a cartridge with “E-liquid” which (usually) consists of Nicotine, Glycerine, Propylene Glycol, Distilled Water, and Flavour. The device I chose uses those exact ingredients, as well as a cartridge that contains both the atomizer and the nicotine/flavour cartridge in 1 piece. If you look at the list of ingredients, it’s almost exactly the same as you’d find in an asthma inhaler, except adding nicotine in place of medicinal components.

The end result is a product which you use to inhale nicotine “mist” which feels like traditional smoke, but lacks the lung damaging ingredients, and still provides the drug I’m addicted to. What you exhale is actual an odourless water vapour (it may contain a hint of the flavour you chose, such as Vanilla, Mint, Peach and so forth) – no second-hand anything at all.

For some reason, it’s not legal to retail these in Canada… I can order them online, or buy parts and refills in the US, but stores here are only allowed to carry “nicotine free” versions.

Being the type to not trust automatically – I tend to question things, I tried to figure out why this is. Seeing as it’s a simulated cigarette that’s essentially a nicotine inhaler (those ARE legal), I’m rather dumbfounded by this. It’s an inexpensive, clean alternative to smoking cigarettes. I can only come to one conclusion.

The government taxes cigarettes heavily – a luxury tax – that has increased at far above the rate of inflation over the years. If all the nicotine addicts suddenly switched to systems like this, “SIN tax” revenues would fall rapidly. As it is, I attribute the rapidly rising cost of tobacco products to a need to maintain tax revenue as less Canadians smoke – not as a deterrent, but rather, a cash cow.

for now, I can only wonder, but I’m happy to have found this alternative to cigarettes, and I hope they eventually fully legalize them here – since for severely addicted people, sometimes there can be a safer choice… it’s certainly not as safe as quitting outright, but it’s manageable, and it doesn’t hurt anyone else. The same can’t be said of cigarettes, and they’re still legal… it’s actually mind-boggling.

We’re in the process of launching a new blog – call it the “non-personal” version of 3freaks.net – it’s not meant to be a personal blog, but rather, a group project with lots of room to grow and welcome bloggers, photographers, writers (fiction?)

if you’re interested, pop over to http://wordscafe.ca – you can also follow WordsCafe on twitter, @wordscafe

let’s just call it a rough outline – we’re looking for some help filling it in, and building something magical!

Just for fun, here are a few pictures from the namesake cafe, which closed in the year 2000 – but will be fondly remembered by many for the equivalent of many lifetimes – the lifetimes of the people it touched.

Wow, that Harper guy must be cool, right?

The more I read about Harper, the more I see what he does and how he reacts to things? The more I’m sure that he’s not suited to run a country.

I was sure of that before he ever formed the CPC by absorbing the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada into the Canadian Alliance (don’t be fooled, the CPC is NOT the Tory part of the past) – I was sure of it because the man openly dislikes Canada in any forum other than Canada… He likes to belittle Canada in front of other nations.

But now, he has stopped talking. Probably because every time he talks, he gets caught in a lie. He ran the first government in recent history to fall not because of a budget vote, or an unpopular policy… they fell because they were found in contempt of parliament. Or rather, HE fell. Harper, as it is, is a one man show – the CPC is not a democratic party. The CPC is run by an iron fisted leader who doesn’t tolerate opinions or views that differ from his own.

I hear about Ignatieff being a horrible human being, and I shake my head – as bad as he might be (and nobody has any evidence that this has any truth at all) – unlike Ignatieff, Harper has already proven, through a long list of quotes and words and actions, that he IS a horrible human being.

Should we vote for him because he likes hockey?

Should we vote for him because he promises tax cuts in 4 or 5 years, once they balance the budget (something the CPC has never shown it can do… while calling the Liberals, who have run mostly surplus budgets in recent history, financially irresponsible)?

He managed to run the government into deficit BEFORE the recession.

Should we vote for him because he wants to build super-prisons to keep us safe from all the marijuana users? Wait, I’ve never had my health threatened by a marijuana user – but Harper has vowed to eliminate Universal Health Care in Canada… so Harper HAS threatened my health. Maybe we should just let the pot smokers out of the prisons we have, and throw HIM in there…

Looking over his track record, it’s a whole lot of hypocrisy, tempered with a lot of lying, and a lot of failed promises.

The CPC has failed, in so many ways – our nation has never mattered less in the world, and people here have never been treated worse than now.

Cutting taxes for large corporations? He says it creates jobs – that’s a lie. Corporations increase employment when they need more people – when they get more money, they just get richer with the same amount of work… The way to get them to hire is to give consumers money to spend on the goods they produce. If they get busier, they hire more people to keep up. If consumers don’t buy more of their product, and that doesn’t work – well… enough said there. They were never going to hire anyways.

It really is time to take a good hard look at the CPC and realize that they don’t stand for anyone – except that one man. Steven Harper.

A lying, hypocritical crook. In my opinion.

So today’s the day.

I’m picking up a UHaul van, packing up all my crap, and heading back to Calgary. I’m not sure whether I’ll be leaving tomorrow or Saturday at this point, but regardless, I’ll be gone soon.

One of the topics I plan on covering heavily, and trying to promote, is the election – I’d like to do some days highlighting parties, some highlighting leaders, and some highlighting opinions. As I’m wont to do on occasion, I’d like to not only hear opinions, but I’m looking for posts and opinions on these topics as well – essentially, I’d like some guest commentators who can share a variety of opinions on topics related to the upcoming election.

If you have a story you’d like to write, or an opinion you’d like to share, write to admin@3freaks.net with a basic synopsis of what you want to write – I’ll set up a limited account for you to use to write your entry(s) – all entries are vetted by me prior to going live, but I won’t edit for content, and I won’t suppress anything because the opinion differs from my own… I simply need to see what’s going to be published here before it actually goes live (last thing I need is an article on the vile nature of Igantieff actually being a bunch of porn and dirty links, ya know?)

so this offer is NO good for spammers, but you’re more than welcome to use it to promote your own blog, business, or whatever you choose… so long as you write something that fits the electoral theme, and are willing to respond to comments and general interaction with anyone who has something to say about what you wrote in a professional, not argumentative manner.

I’m accepting submissions immediately – I may be delayed in responding due to moving, but if this interests you, please let me know.

Also subtitled Homeland Security Sucks.

So the other day I made one last run for the border – shopping for some stuff that I know is going to end up being more expensive, or unavailable when I get back to Calgary. A border trip from Calgary is a 4-6 hour commitment each direction, so not nearly as simple.

I picked up a nice crock pot (20 bucks), lots of cheese, a nice set of knives, some cereal, parts and refills for my electric razor, and all kinds of assorted cheaper things.

But really, this entry isn’t about why I went, or what i did while I was there, it’s about what happened while I was crossing the border.

While we were sitting in line, waiting to get through the crossing, the border guard slapped an nicer orange piece of paper on the windshield of the car – essentially an invitation to come inside, have a seat, and wait for them to search your car. Awesome.

Except for one thing – the answer I received when I asked a simple question.

“Excuse me, is there a washroom I can use inside?”

and the answer. NO.

okay, well, I’m doing a dance, because I can barely hold it – maybe this’ll go fast, right?

Over the course of the next 10-15 minutes, I danced, asked no fewer than 5 people if I could use the washroom, to the same answer.

By the time I got up to the desk to talk to the security guy, I was dancing through filling out the form… finished it… asked again

“No, no public washrooms”

I sighed.

doing a little dance, when the unthinkable happened. Standing in the middle of a room full of people.

I sprung a leak.

It wasn’t a full on, floor wet, totally soggy situation, but I was sporting a bright spot on the crotch of my pants, and feeling rather embarrassed. To make it worse, I still had to go, badly – that little leak maybe bought me 2-3 minutes… I headed for the door, knowing full well they’d probably throw me in a holding cell or something, but if I was going to full on piss myself, I’d much rather do it outside.

I heard a voice

It was the man who’d most recently told me no

Him: “What’s going on sir?”

Me: “Oh, you know… just pissed my pants, and it’s about to get a lot worse, thanks for asking”

Him: “Through that door – if it’s open, you can use it.”

Seriously. An unlocked door I had been standing right beside the entire time. Opened it, washroom…

I was not amused – MUCH relieved, and much damper than I was comfortable with, but no longer suffering from explosive bladder issues.

I was about 2 seconds from just full on pissing my pants right there with a smile on my face, it was so bad.

Of course, then I would have needed to buy some new pants as well…

Because of the nature of this blog (it has spent much of is existence as a personal blog for several people, and it’s specifically designed to be that – personal, with a fairly low bar as far as content is concerned), we’re considering launching a new blog, at a new address.

More details will come as time goes on, however, the essential theme here is that the new blog will be more professional – less questionable content, more useful and informational content, and plenty of things to debate and discuss. One of the things we’re going to need is good writers. People who follow all varieties of news and world perspective. There is, if you’re willing to write, and promote your writing, an opportunity to make some money as well – 3freaks.net is officially NOT a monetized blog – nobody has ever made money off of it, except the domain registrars. The new site, essentially, writers will be self employed. They can sell advertising for their own posts, and should they get the traffic, they will get paid.

Not by us, don’t get that part wrong – we are not employers, but rather, we’d like to provide a platform that will be entertaining, enjoyable, and most of all, fun for the people who write.

Anyone writing for 3freaks.net will be given an opportunity to write for the new site as well, along with all the information and tools they need to turn it into a paying venture for themselves if they wish (this will never be a requirement). They’ll also be provided with a basic structure requirement – and what kind of content is allowed/not allowed. Once the site is up and running, THIS site will loosen as far as content goes – or rather, be “anything goes” as long as it’s nothing illegal or libelous – I have no interest in going to court or jail.

So what do you think?

Feel free to leave a comment, suggestions, or anything else. If you don’t want to comment but have something to say, you can e-mail admin@3freaks.net.

After watching Season 1 of Shameless (the US version), I can say without a doubt, it’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. It’s not the best, but it’s in the same neighborhood.

You learn to love Frank Gallagher, kinda like you love a puppy who pees on the carpet – he’s messy, but he has no malice at all. He also lacks responsibility and self control… So he’s a terrible father (of a LOT of kids), who only works so he can get hurt and claim compensation… So he can drink all day, every day. The man wakes up in the strangest places…

And the kids are amazing characters, with some excellent depth of character, and loveable flaws…

If you can make it through the first 3 episodes of the first season without being hooked on this show, I’d be amazed (although, the gratuitous nudity might scare some people off).

/endreviewstartrant

I wish I’d had a father like Frank Gallagher – I mean, I did have *A* Gallagher for a father, but he was a shit father for other reasons – still mostly absentee, but mine was a respected member of the community with a knack for making a kid feel small, worthless. At least with a father like Frank, you get to feel special, because you’re not as fucked up as he is…

I’m actually amazed I survived a childhood with the father I have, and the main reason I don’t have kids yet? I’m afraid that I’ll be even just a little like my dad, who was far more apt to push a kid by making them feel worthless than to praise the effort that they had made. That kind of motivation may work for some people, but it always made ME feel small, and sad, and it killed my drive to succeed – even 21 years after the last time we were civil (another story, which I’ll tell in a second) I still feel the effects of his psychobabble pushing me down. He was a Master of Psychology, and he missed the point – different kids are wired different ways, and respond differently to the same stimuli… he used negative reinforcement as a motivational tool, and I never responded well to that – in fact, he would negative reinforce my negative reaction to his negative reinforcement… I was probably in my late 20s before I actually became a functional adult, and while it isn’t a good excuse for that, it does explain a lot.

My father disowned me.

He never said as much, but he stopped calling, and he stopped caring… or at least, showing that he cared, when I was 17 years old. There was a small, mostly meaningless incident where a kid stole 40 bucks out of his stepmother’s purse to catch a greyhound back home so he could see his girlfriend, who was in tears missing him (what a lie… she only liked me because her DAD liked me, and she could leave the house with me any time of the day or night)… I returned and repaid the money the next evening and apologized, but the damage was done.

I was fucking 17 years old – I was an emotional wreck 100% of the time, my brain was immature, and the bastard had the audacity to write me off, then and there. Why? I have yet to figure that out… to this day I have issues trying to comprehend how a man who actually studied Psych for years, and worked with that education his entire life, would throw up a block against his son over something small. In the scheme of life, what happened was irrelevant.

But the emotional abuse wasn’t. I still feel it every day – and when (if?) I do have children, I’ll make sure they feel loved – I’ll use discipline, but I’ll never, ever belittle them or make them feel unwanted. I’ll make sure they have everything they need to be happy and well adjusted, and I’ll never set expectations, I’ll encourage their dreams, while trying to reinforce kindness and goodness. I’d rather have a happy, well adjusted child than a wealthy malcontent.

I’ve forgiven my father for being a lousy father and a shit human being… but he never forgave me for that one night. There were attempts, but they dried up over time… mostly from me. Every one was met with the same thing – if you want to be a part of our family, you have to be perfect.

I’m not perfect.

I’m Patrick – and this, this is how you made me.