Gut

Well, my time for leaving for Germany is fast approaching. Someone recently said to me that I tend to make things difficult sometimes because I don't always provide much information to people, and I realised that he was right. I do tend to play things close to the chest, only letting my cards show with great reluctance. I bet a p-sychiatrist would have a field day with me.
But until that day, I will take some time today to let everyone know what exactly is going on in my life and times.
And the answer to that is there isn't a great deal, at least that is how it seems to me. But that might be because I am in the middle of the activity, like the calm at the eye of the storm. In mid June (the 18th I believe) I am heading to Winnipeg for a week to go through an orientation. There I will meet the other RAs and staff members that will heading over with me. There will be fun and learning! Or so I am told. Food, anyway.
I am working on a German language course. I have learned a few things, basically how to ask for directions and to make plans for eating something or drinking something (beer or wine, they haven't taught me the word for water yet), also how to count to 19 and ask how much I owe. I haven't started the reading/writing portion of the course yet, so I can't spell any words, except elf which means 11. That's about it.
I don't know exactly when I am leaving yet, or from where. Until I have enough support raised they told me that I can't buy a ticket, which makes sense I suppose because they are pricy and if I end up not going then the ticket might be an unnecessary complication. Or something like that. I do know that I have to be there on August 4th, so I will probably leave Canada on the 3rd to get there on time.
My fundraising is going all right, I'm probably around 40% done, which is a good start, but I need 80% (of $1800/month) before I can officially go, so I've still got a ways to go. If you are planning on donating something, please send in the pledge forms soon.
That is all I can think of at the moment. Anyone have any questions they want answered? Ask away in the comments (it accepts anonymous comments (or should) so you don't even need a Blogger account to ask) and I will answer them! I promise. Or email me at aliens8elvis@hotmail.com.
Talk to y'all later!
D

Shaken, stirred, does it look like I care?

Casino Royale

Update: Oops, forgot to load the colour film. How embarassing.

Update: I like these opening titles. Kinda neat looking.

Update: This is so unrealistic - they're just making up names now. Mbale, Uganda. Like anyone would name a place like that.

Update: Madagascar? Okay, that one I can buy.

Update: Why go through the window when you can just bust through the wall?

Update: So much for 'needing him alive'

Update: Cool boat!

Update: So, I wouldn't want to be around Judi Dench (aka M) when she's angry.

Update: Oooh, now he's in the Bahamas. I'm getting tired of all of these fake locations. Why can't they ever be somewhere real like Metropolis or Gotham City? Seriously!

Update: And there's a Canadian flag.

Update: They let horses on their beach. I recommend not digging in the sand.

Update: "That slimy bugger." I love the British.

Update: Hey, Bond's playing poker! I thought he only knew how to play Bacarat.

Update: And he's winning!

Update: Without even cheating (probably) either

Update: I'm shocked. Bond is with a lady! How dare he. Sean Connery would never have...well, at least George Lazenby was a gentlem...Well, okay. But Timothy Dalton surely....Ah, but Sir Roger Moore was a paragon of virtue and...hmm. Pierce Brosnan? Well, all right, I guess it's not out of character.

Udpate: That guy's phone has a menu option in the text message area for Sent Messages and Outbox. I thought that was the same thing. That can only mean he has a phone FROM THE FUTURE!! Okay, that guy is spooky. And dead. Spo-dead.

Update: No wonder M hates Bond.

Update: I got a sunburn on the back of my neck today. It kinda hurts.

Update: Ooh, shiny. And big.

Update: Yeah. You get that bus! Dang bus.

Update: Don't mess with Miami PD. They gots assault weapons.

Update: This is no time for quiet contemplation. You're hanging out of a moving vehicle.

Update: NO ONE LIGHT A MATCH!

Update: Ewww. Kinda moist.

Update: He is so flexing.

Update: Still flexing. I think he's trying to impress M.

Update: Now he's in Montenegro. Or is it Monteafricanamerican? Can't be Monteblack. I can never keep up with being politically correct...

Update: She wants him!

Update: Seriously sweet car!

Update: He's wearing an expensive tux. That means he's gonna get into a fight. Or make love. Or both.

Update: At the same time...

Update: I must be the last person in the world (no hyperbole here EVER) who doesn't like this type of poker - the kind with two face down cards and five face up. I prefer the one with five cards in the hand and you trade 'em in. THAT'S real poker.

Update: Pee break!

Update: I don't think I've ever seen Bond finish a drink. He just takes a sip, puts it down and leaves.

Update: Here's the fight.

Update: The door says I SPRAT. I don't know what that means.

Update: He'll be fine.

Update: He's topless again!

Update: She just ruined a very expensive dress!

Update: Uh-oh. Bond just lost all his money. Well, technically the government's money.

Update: Now Felix Leiter is Black. I mean African American. Montenegran?

Update: For the record Felix Leiter is a recurring character - a CIA man that is a friend of James Bond. He's always been a white dude before.

Update: An old fashioned poisoning. How quaint.

Update: Good quip.

Update: Nice of them to pretend that the other players at the table matter.

Update: He just tipped the dealer $500,000. I need to be a high stakes poker dealer.

Update: He just wrecked a really nice car.

Update: Oh yeah, and nearly killed himself in the process.

Update: But seriously, the CAR!

Update: That girl needs to wear more clothing.

Update: You just cut the bottom out of the chair, don't make him sit on it. That won't be comfortable.

Update: And his shirt's off again.

Update: Whoop, there go the pants.

Update: He MUST work out...

Update: Dude, NOT COOL. He is torturing him by SACKING him. That's the worst torture I've seen!

Update: Not that I've seen many tortures.

Update: My toes are curling.

Update: "I just want you to know that if all that was left of you was your smile and your little finger, you'd still be more of a man than anyone I've ever met." Does it matter which finger? I'm just curious.

Update: "That's because you know what I can do with my little finger." He's quick.

Update: His shirt is off again. And he's wearing those goofy, European style swim trunks, the ones that are tight like speedos, but longer like normal swim trunks.

Update: Uh-oh. James said he loves her. And it all goes downhill from here.

Update: Quitter!

Update: His shirt is off. Again.

Update: You know, I may have burnt the back of my ears too.

Update: That's what happens when you trust a woman.

Update: Bond never wears hats anymore. That's a shame.

Update: Methinks Bond is not happy.

Update: I love Venice. He's sinking a building.

Update: Squish.

Update: Death by nail gun. Remember kids, always wear your hard hat in a construction zone. And armoured eyepatch.

Update: I do not want to die by drowning.

Update: He's kissing a dead woman. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Update: There's the classic line. Good way to end it.

Well, there you go, I have now seen all of the Bond movies. Keep watching this space for my big wrap up. As for Casino Royale, it was pretty good. Cool stunts, nice cars, adequate twists. Entertaining two hours (and a bit). I thought Daniel Craig did a good job. Not enough pie, but you can't have everything I suppose.

You are on your throne of lies!

Okay, so I just found out that the state of Rhode Island is not an island! They've been lying to me all these years. You should be ashamed Rhode Island. ASHAMED!

Many Houses

I just had a census taker woman come to my door, basically just getting names for the election lists. She told me that she has 5,000 houses that she has to go to. I'm glad I don't have her job, that's alot of houses to go to, and she has to go to them until she has information for all of them. Good luck to her, I say.

Thwippin' AWESOME!

So Spider-Man 3 kicks some serious butt. It is the best of the three by far. I went into the movie curious about a few things, namely how they were going to fit in three villains and not have it too full. Well, somehow they managed, and in retrospect it seems rather obvious and simple. You see, while there were three villains, it was never about any of them. The story is about Peter Parker and how his life is going. The villains are all just aspects of his life, foils for him to learn against. There is not an overly great amount of time spent getting inside the head of the villains, yet you know their motivation.
As I sat enthralled (I liked the movie, can you tell?), I thought to myself that there was enough material here for two movies. I have thought that about a few other movies in my day and I've usually come away disappointed. But this time they managed to make it work. There is a part of me that wishes they had done the Sandman and Venom as separate movies and spent more time on each one, but I do not think that Spider-Man 3 suffers for having them both in there along with the Green Goblin (aka Harry Osborn).
There were some sweet fight scenes, including one with a jazzy music track that was pretty neat, not the type of music you usually hear in a fight scene. There were also some moments that made me laugh out loud and a painful moment where Peter acts like a complete donkey around Mary Jane, causing her to be quite upset with him, and clueless Parker has no idea why. Idiot.
And Bruce Campbell shows up again. He was the ring announcer in the first movie and the snooty theatre usher in the second movie. I won't tell you what part he plays in this movie, but it's pretty funny. I think the movie makers missed a gag though. When Peter sees Bruce Campbell's character he should have done a double-take, giving him a quizzical look. Just a small one, nothing over-the-top or obvious, but just a small look. It would have been pretty sweet. But that is not a complaint, just an observation.
Also, Eddie Brock (played awesomely by Topher Grace) ends up in a church at one point, a broken and miserable man, and he starts out a prayer by saying "It's Brock sir..." He calls God sir. That is hilarious. I've never heard anyone refer to God as sir before. Nothing wrong with it, shows proper respect and all. Just a little different.
So go see the movie. I dare you!

Diverse enough for you?

I am a hockey fan. I think it is an exciting game, much higher speed (usually) than basically any other professional sport, and the hits are pretty cool to watch. One knock I have heard about hockey is how un-diverse it is. I can only think of a handful of African Americans (should that be hyphenated?)(can I just say that they are black without causing a ruckus)(I hate political correctness), such as Ray Emery and Jerome Iginla, and other than that the population of the hockey world is basically white. Caucasian Americans? Hmm....
Anyway, I think that is a narrow-minded view of things. Anti-racism advocates would have us believe (quite correctly I might add) that one shouldn't really pay attention to the colour of a person's skin (unless they are white, in which case you can hate the oppressive jerk)(ha ha, I kid, I kid)(...). If you were truly to do that you would see that hockey is actually as diverse, if not more diverse, than most sports. If you were to look at the make up of the hockey world, you would see that there are a large number of countries represented. Canada, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland, United States, Sweden, Russia, England, Ukraine, Serbia, Northern Ireland, Germany, France, Latvia, Paraguay, Poland, Scotland, Switzerland, Lithuania, Taiwan, The Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Belarus, South Korea, Norway, Wales, Venezuela, Austria, Brazil, Brunei, Slovenia, Denmark, Haiti, Italy, Tanzania, South Africa, Jamaica, Lebanon, Nigeria, Indonesia, Belgium, and Japan are all countries that have contributed hockey players* for the NHL. The largest provider, of course, is Canada, followed by the US. After that it is the European countries.
So the diversity of players is quite large, yet it is said to be a not very diverse sport. The reason is simply because the skin tones are pretty much the same throughout the league. Why is that?
My theory is twofold: 1. Hockey was started in Canada and nowhere else is quite as crazy about it (though Russia comes close). There just aren't as many "visible minorities" in Canada as there are in the US, especially "people of colour". 2. Hockey is a winter sport, and most countries with suitable winters seem to be Slavic/Scandanavian/predominantly white.
1. Hockey is Canadian. There aren't many black people in Canada, at least compared to our neighbours to the south. And what numbers there are don't seem quite as interested in becoming hockey players as their white brethren. Maybe it is a cultural thing, though I don't know that there is the black culture to the same extent in Canada as there is in the USA. I want to add here that the 'non-diversity' of hockey seems to be a complaint mostly from the USA. My guess is that the largest "minority" in Canada is Native Americans, followed by Asian or East Indian (though black people may be a pretty major minority, I can't say for sure). I bet I could think of many reasons why there are fewer minorities coming out of Canada into the NHL, but that would start to get into sociological aspects of our culture that I don't really feel like exploring. Or learning about. At least at the moment.
In the USA, hockey is the fourth (or lower) most popular sport (maybe third if you realise that baseball isn't so much a sport as napping made into a spectator event)(the field has grass on it because watching the grass grow is a reasonable alternative to actually watching the game), and it just doesn't seem to attract as many non-white people as the other sports.
2. Most winter bound countries are predominantly white. I have no idea why that is, but it seems that Russia, Finland, Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, et al, are mostly white. Maybe non-white people don't like cold weather as much as white people do. I honestly don't know how that has happened, but it seems to be the case. That is a broad generalisation of course. I'm sure there are many people in all countries who are black, or asian, or what have you. They just aren't the majority. And they don't play hockey. In more temperate countries/continents, such as Africa and South America and Asia, and Australia, it is more common to play games that don't require unnaturally cold temperatures, whereas in Canada and the European countries mentioned above, unnaturally cold temperatures are only too natural. Way too natural (some days I pray for global warming....). Even the southern USA doesn't get too much snow or ice so playing hockey isn't necessarily an easy thing to do. Not in the way that baseball, football, basketball, and soccer are.
Also on an interesting note was the so-called Summit Series of 1972. Outside of the Olympic games there were very few times when anyone from the West would do anything with Russia, yet Canada decided to hold an eight game hockey series with them, and hold half of the games in the USSR! Did baseball, basketball, or football do anything like that? I have my doubts.
I realise that all of this probably doesn't really matter one way or another. I guess I'm just a bit protective of my country's national past time (though not our official sport, which is lacrosse). Also, I'm tired of such a narrow definition of diverse. Just because there are no black people in something doesn't mean it's not diverse. But that's a rant for another day.
I guess that's about all I have to say for now. That and, Go Ottawa. Or Canucks. Or Avalanche. Sigh.


*Countries listed are countries of birth for the players. Many did not grow up in those countries, but still, it's a pretty impressive list.

Germany Update

Dear Friends and Family:
Greetings from Calgary. I am writing to update you on my preparations for my upcoming time in Germany. The past few months have mostly consisted of starting to mentally prepare myself for such a large transition. I am starting to learn German and I have received many different manuals and information sheets about life in the dorms. There are days where I shake my head and wonder if I’m crazy, and other days where I wish I could be there already.
The biggest concern I have so far is in the area of finances. As you no doubt know I have to raise my support, and if I do not have enough raised then I will not be allowed to go. I need to have 80% of my support raised or pledged before I am even allowed to purchase a ticket. The good news is that I have 28% raised already.
If you have pledged to give regularly over my entire time in Germany, or have already given a one time gift, I want to say thank you. That is not strong enough for how I really feel. Before I had any support raised I had a few sleepless nights where I just didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it across the ocean simply because I didn’t have the money raised. Now I’m starting to get the confidence back that I had when I made the decision to go.
To those of you who have not sent in a gift or pledge, I would like to share some information. First of all, all money given is completely tax deductible. You will be given a charitable donation receipt at year’s end for all money given during the year, which means if you pledge money for the entire two years then you will receive three receipts (one for 2007, one for 2008, and one for 2009). Second, if you want to donate monthly, then you don’t have to start sending money until August, though if you are able to begin in July that would be helpful. Just fill out the pledge form and send it in and Janz Team will send you a monthly reminder with an envelope to send in the money. The other option is to set up an automatic withdrawal from your bank account, a method that I highly recommend just because it is easier. Third, if you want to donate something, but don’t know how much, or are unable to commit to a regular monthly amount, then I still ask that you send in the pledge card saying how much you want to give. You are certainly welcome to give more than you say on the card. I would just ask that you send in a pledge card, and fairly soon, even if that means you have to guess at an amount, just so that I can hit the 80% (though 100% would be awesome!) and be confirmed to go.
If you are unable to send any money, do not feel guilty. I know that it is not possible to give to everyone who asks. Fortunately, prayer is free, so please do not hesitate to send prayers for me up to our Heavenly Father. I am completely useless on my own and will only survive with loads of spiritual and emotional help along with the minor annoyance of money. I’d say prayer is as important as the finances!
I will try to continue to send regular updates up to the time I leave and after. Most won’t be about money, which is good because I don’t like asking for money. Again, I will be posting on my blog at www.pantssince1986.blogspot.com if you are interested. It’s not all about my trip, but I think it is interesting and a good way to keep track of what’s going on in my life. Questions or concerns? Email me at aliens8elvis@hotmail.com.
Sincerely,
Darrell Ulriksen