Mike's Bloggity Blog

>I used to think I was alone in my distain for the NYE. It like my early 20′s was always anti-climatic. Could you ever reach the fun that one was supposed to be having? My NYE’s of the past range from working at restaurants, Fredericton’s (now defuct) First Nights, and several parties at one Harvey Sawlors. Those are probably the most classic memories for me, aside from the tears, broken dishes and sometimes blood. Oh NYE, you are so fickle.

This year, I will be celebrating the end of 2006 in the mountains of Alberta with some of the most amazing people I’ve met during this year. I’m very excited about this. Mostly cause I get to wear my new clothes from my most recent shopping trip!

Without getting to nostalgic, 2006 year has been such an interesting one, and I’m so glad I started this blog, so I’ll never forget the incredible highs and lows I’ve experience. Obvious highlights for me include: My entire trip to L.A, EW publishing something I wrote, Vanessa’s wedding, my very first apartment on my own, my new roomate and travelling to Houston. There has been so much to be thankful for. I finally feel like I am my own person, capable of anything and that is the biggest gift anyone could every receive. If I think back to what me and my friends have accomplished in the last year, I can’t wait for 2007, because it can only get better and better.

Entertainment wise, highlights for me are:
- 24 (Edgar!)
-Grey’s Anatomy (Denny! Superbowl episode!)
-Jennifer Hudson
-Discovering: Scrubs, 30 Rock, Heroes
-Perez Hilton
-Concerts : Elton John, Dixie Chicks, Aerosmith, Rock Star Supernova, Celebrity Duets, Red Hot Chili Peppers
-Jim and Pam (The Office)
-Veronica Mars season 2 finale. (I really thought Keith died, damn you Joyce Summers)
-Thank You for Smoking, Little Miss Sunshine, An Inconvenient Truth, Borat
-The Peacock Season, Hillbilly Wedding

I’m not sure if I have any resolutions for the new year, obviously I want to be healthier, I mean who doesn’t? I mean besides anorexics. Whats their deal anyway? I want to get to know the people I know even better. So many of the people I’ve met this year are AMAZING and I can’t wait to get to know more about them. I also want to continue to stay friends with all my friends from the past. I can’t get over all the places we’ve gone over the past year and I can’t wait to hear all about their adventures, and hopefully be apart of some of them!

So as 2007 gets closer and closer, I’d like to thank to 2006. You kicked my ass and I kicked back. Like the pita that once gave me food poisoning, I’ll never forget you. How could I? There’s is still the orange stain on my parents carpet.

>Here is the 2nd clip for Scrubs:The Musical!!! Only 20 days to go. And for anyone who knows me at all, or about my fear of bathrooms, knows that this was not an easy one for me to post!

>One of the reason’s I love the holidays is the movies! For a studio’s movie to be nominated for an Oscar, they must be released, in one form or another, by December 31st. Because studios their movies to be fresh in the minds of the Academy, most movies that could be considered for Oscars are released in November-December. This is also to our benefit, because this means during the Christmas holidays there are LOTS of movies playing that don’t make us want to kill ourselves in the way that Superman Returns did.

In the past 5 days, I’ve seen 4 movies. Now these kinds of numbers remind me of my lonely high school years, but 3 of the 4 were while I was at home and were with my nephew and niece (Charlotte’s Web, Happy Feet) and one was with some friends on Christmas Day night.(Night at the Museum). I enjoyed all these movies for different reasons. Although I thought Charlotte’s Web was bland, I was amused by the animals and watching my kiddies laugh at the rat! Happy Feet was infectious. The music was so fun, and the animation was unbelievable. Because I love the latino culture, I loved Mumbel’s posse led by Robin Williams. I also loved the environment tone the movie took, which led me to have a discussion with my nephew about the environment and recycling. Al Gore would have cried.

Ben Stiller was funny as always in NatM. Can anyone explain why Owen Wilson wasn’t in the credits for this movie. His part was way more than a cameo, and this movie was nothing to be ashamed of. It seemed strange to me! Oh the Golden Guys (Van Dyke, Rooney) were Hilarious!

However, last night I saw Dreamgirls. This movie blew every movie I had seen before it this month out of the water. This was the first movie I had ever been to where I wanted to clap after a musical number. The AMAZING Jennifer Hudson received serveral rounds of applause after her heartbreaking “And I am Telling you” I can honestly say that I’ve never seen such a powerful scene on screen that didn’t use CGI or a cast of thousands. Just one lonely American Idol reject’s soul literally crushing before our very eyes. Beyonce, Foxxe and Eddie Murphy were great, but the screen felt lonely without Jennifer. You wait breatlessly for her to return to the screen, and when she does, she doesn’t disappoint. This was also the first movie I had ever been to, where the entire audience clapped at the end of it. And not cause it was over, but because we had witnessed a great, entertaining and special movie. This movie isn’t perfect, but it is really enjoyable and Jennifer Hudson is worth the ticket price alone. Oh, and watch for the Jaleel White (Urkle) cameo in the first scene as the stage manager. Side Note: I didn’t have to look up the actor’s name who played Urkle. I already knew it. This is indeed a sad day.

>Reason to go shopping:

You are leaving a McDonalds after “enjoying” a rather scrumptious BigMac when someone walks up to you and asks “Excuse me, do you work here?” This issue is futher compounded by the fact that you are wearing your nicest dress clothes.

Needless to say, I’m going shopping tonight.

>For anyone that has known me for a long time knows that I’m a changed person. Hard to believe, but I feel like I used to be a bitter bitter man. Always grumpy at anything or anyone that crossed my path. I would annoyed at the easiest things, and although I still think senior citizens with backpacks is still annoying, I’d like to think over the past year, that I’ve grown out of my “Darlene Conner” phase of life.

That is until you put me on a plane.

Why are plane rides sooo annoying. You would think that with all the techonology and advancements in the world, there would be a better way to fly. Why is it that anytime I walk on a plane I get flashes of the third class of the Titantic, stuck behind cast iron fences. It’s so awful. Between the loud talkers, the chair kickers, the leg cramps, the shitty radio stations, the even shittier movies (Seriously, Flicka, come on!?!), there’s only so much one can handle.

This past week for the holidays, I flew from one side of Canada to the other. I like travelling and have become increasingly patient with it, but I too have my limits. I don’t like sharing my seat with someone who should at least consider an application for The Biggest Loser. I don’t like sitting in front of new born babies. Would it be so bad to put an oxygen mask on them? And, worst of, I am now proud to say that I know the lyrics of the “take off song!”. This is a song that these wonderful parents beside me sang to their children as the plane takes off.

it goes like this:

“take off, take off, we are taking off!
higher and higher we go!
weee weee weee!”

Repeat forever!

It was the weirdest thing, they had no quams singing honestly as loud as they could. Then after that they put their portable DVD player (playing Dora) on as loud a possible, for the whole plane to hear.

To further annoy my flying, my flight was 2 hours late and landed me in Calgary, AB at a very pleasant 3am, without any luggage. As my friend Jessica said: How does that happen? They don’t lose people do they?

Oh well, its done now, I won’t be flying again until my friends and I hit the tarmack to make it to Hawaii!!! Should be fun. They don’t people in Hawaii right?

>Merry Christmas! I just finished unwrapping gifts and needed to take a breather from the ol’ fam. I had a wonderful time. My nephew and niece and I had a sleep over and they woke up at 4am. It was awesome! (cringe. tear.)

My mom really came through and got me the vampire cape from Halloween’s of yesteryear. It was a great gift!

I hope everyone is having a great day, my thoughts go to those who can’t be with your family and friends today! If you are not, go out and treat yourself to something you would never do! You deserve it! It’s christmas!

>The first night you come home after a long time is daunting. The first night you come home and you experience a mini version of a elementary, junior high, high school, university and life reunion is even more daunting. Details with video and photos to follow. Woah.

Merry Chirstmas Eve,

Mike

>I’ve always loved travelling. I don’t know if this is the right word, but it’s romatic. Everyone trying to get somewhere, to be with someone. To see their family or friends. I also think travelling, especially by yourself (tear), allows you to have your own little TV moment. Thanks to television, I have a bunch of famous scenes with people sitting in the window seat staring off in the distance, as if they are about to make a big decision or confront some sort of personal demon. Most notably, I think of the Season 2 Finale of Buffy….with Sarah staring out the bus window as she decides to leave Sunnydale for good, or until the summer hiatus is over. All with Sarah Mclaughlin playing in the background. Classic Moment.

Everytime I travel I insist on the window seat, this is for numerous reasons, the first being the fact the my elbow is now numb from being hit by the beverage cart so much. But also, I love sitting at the window, putting on a great song, and staring out the window. Am I pretending I’m on a show? Maybe. But also, I’m usually thinking about what I’ll do when I get to my final destination, who will I see, what will I do.

Today, I’m leaving for home for christmas. It’s a short trip, really only 4.5 days. I’ve already checked in and..SCORE, I have a window seat. I hope there is someone like Helen Keller sitting beside me. Quite and Reserved. I also haven’t decided what song I’ll listen to as the plane takes off to complete my own Buffy moment. Right now, I’m thinking City and Color’s “I’m coming home.” It’s perfectly fitting for my fake TV moment.

>….May I present the definition of awkward.

Example #1

Example #2

Holy F-Bomb! Merry Christmas to you to Donald. My black friends tease for never saying the right thing at the right time. However, I feel like this would be a could time to use this one:
“oh, snap”. Donald, I know you are only doing this to get publicity for the next Apprentice, for which I will not mention here because even if you don’t like Rosie, that’s just harsh!

>I like to think I’m a pretty good roomate. I have two jobs, so I’m never home. If I’m not working I’m usually at rehearsal or at the movies. I basically pay rent so I have a place to rest my head at night. I’m clean and I do the dishes, well I guess there is one thing that makes me not the BEST roomate. I sleepwalk.

The earliest I remember sleep walking was back in Grade 11. I was doing a summer exchange in Montreal and there were like 300 of us in sleeping in the Army gym place on cots. I went to sleep and woke up literally on the other side of the gym. And this was a big gym. I know someone didn’t move me, cause I have remember doing it, I just didn’t have control. (Kinda like the time I was hypnotyzed, that’s a story for another time!). I did it again just a few weeks later when I was staying at my exchange families place. There was this crazy storm and I slept with the windows open. The next thing I knew I was in the living room and water was pouring and the “father” was yelling at me for not closing the windows. I remember thinking 2 things. 1)I’m just waking it up, chill it. 2) Can you please put underwear on.

After that the sleepwalking went away for quite a while. It didn’t rear its head again till my 4th year of university when I moved out to my first apartment with my friends Jordan and Tina, who were dating at the time. I’ve narrowed my sleep walking down to when I’m either really really tired and stressed. This was a super stressful time for me, and I went to sleep and just like it was a dream, I remember getting up going across to their room and going in. They had stereo with a bright light on it, I took books and covered up the light and then crawled into bed with them! Not just in bed, but on top of Jordan. He woke up right away and grumbled something, I, still asleep, mumbled something about the blue light and went back to my bed. The next morning I woke up mortified at the events of the night before. I stayed in bed all morning hoping to avoid them. It was more embarrasing then the years I like to call High School. We agreed to never talk about it again.

There were a couple of times since moving to Calgary. I once had a whole convo with my roomate while asleep, another time I got up, had a shower and got dressed all while asleep. I woke up fully dressed in bed at 4:00am.

Since getting my new roomate, I’ve done it twice. Once I walked the apartment and tidied up, which is weird cause I don’t even do that when I’m awake. And then last night I took all the sheets off my bed and put them all back on again. I think my roomate is worried about me walking into her room, she says thats why she locks the door. I feel like there may be more to that story!

Well I’ll be going home tomorrow for a short chirstmas vacation. I can only hope I don’t open my gifts while I’m asleep!