Earlier this year, Sofi and I went into a Subway and found a huge sign that said their "Sub Club" program was ending as of the end of August. I was aghast - it was a great program and one of the reasons I frequented their restaurants. I was pretty upset by the whole thing but managed to spend my stamps before the program ended.

It turns out that fraud was the reason by beloved program has ended, not some idiotic management decision, proving once and for all that there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

... and yes, Jared has aides.

I managed to survive my week alone. I kept myself busy during the evenings with soccer and basketball and other physical activities and during the day having fun at my new client site and beyond.

On Wednesday night me and Brad and Blair hit up Brewster's North, which was nice for a change. Blair's brother and friends even showed up at the end. I hadn't seen Wade for a long time so it was good to visit outside the confines of a formal engagement.

My Friday turned out to be a pretty eventful one. The story starts on Thursday when I drove to work because I had to head back to our head office at lunch for a meeting. When I came back, our parkade downtown was full so I had to park on the street. The next day (Friday), I had to go to Canadian Tire to take advantage of a smokin' deal on a cordless tool set. I went downstairs to get the car but it was nowhere to be found! After 5 seconds of thinking how someone had managed to steal my car from my building's underground parkade, I realized that I had forgotten to drive my car home the day before! It turns out that after a busy afternoon I had just walked right home, totally forgetting that my car was parked on the street a few blocks south of the casino. While I was walking to my car to pick it up I ran into a Commissionaire who assured me that after only a day my car wouldn't be towed, which was a relief, because now I only had to worry about my car being stolen. Luckily for me, no thief decided to take advantage of the mountain of tickets on my long-abandoned car and it was exactly where I left it and in the same condition! My sheer stupidity cost me over $150 in tickets (well, actually $35 since I am a good citizen and pay my fines on time) and a few moments of panic. Am I ever glad I had something to do on Friday afternoon, or else it could have been a lot worse - I would have left it there a lot longer. My timing could not have been better, as well, since a Commissionaire was walking down the street towards my car as I pulled away!

Friday night I drove to the airport to pick up Sofi and she arrived safe and sound. The two of us watched (and I cried over) that night's episode of Big Brother 6 before driving to Habano's to catch the last part of Tracy Sangster's going-away pub crawl. We didn't stay long because we'd both had a long week, but we had a good time while we were there even though we were sad to see Tracy leave.

On Saturday I went to my Spanish 100 class, since at the time I was still waiting to hear whether work would pay for it. I thought it in my best interests to keep up my attendance, especially since they take attendance in this class. Unfortunately, I have since learned that they will not be paying for it, so no more class for me. I'll have to find a tutor :)

That night Sofi and I watched the movie Vanity Fair, which I would classify as perhaps one of the most boring and drawn-out films I've seen in some time. It got rave reviews from lots of critics but I spent most of my time yelling at the screen asking the movie to pick up the pace. Cutting 30 minutes of running time from the movie would be a step in the right direction. I can't see myself reading the book anytime soon ...

Sunday was a good day. I listened to the Riders pull out the win on the radio. I spent a lot of time in front of the television watching the Emmy Awards and various season premieres. It was a nice lazy day.

Yesterday after work I went to a CIPS BBQ, since I'm now a member of the Executive. It was a good time and we were lucky to be blessed with good weather.

Today was a nice day too, and we took advantage of it tonight at soccer. Tonight Sofi and I watched the last episode of Big Brother 6, and the ending was entertaining if not anti-climactic. You see, even though Sofi and I had watched pretty much every episode, in the end I really didn't care who won, and neither did America. It was funny to see how everyone (including the producers and me) hated the group of people who made it to the end, especially considering said group didn't even know they were hated, but otherwise without someone to cheer for it really took the thunder out of the whole "finale" experience. To sum up: GO TO HELL, NERD HERD!

"Big Brother" Tip: if you ever find yourself on the show, don't throw away hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep a friendship you've had for 9 weeks, like that stupid fucking smelly bitch Ivette did this season.

The rest of this week will be a busy one. Tomorrow night Sofi and I are hitting the town in honour of her birthday (which is tomorrow so call her and wish her a good one!). Thursday night I have a union meeting. Friday night we're heading out with my parents and sister for another birthday gathering.

Shameless plug: my friend Kyle passed on a e-mail about friends of his that opened up a new store in town: The Purple Tree Co. They are "a fun and exciting new retail store offering hot, trendy products that the stars use and love, specializing in weddings and other special events." If that sounds interesting to you, go check them out!

It's been a lonely week at the Burt household, since we've been a man short most of the last week. I did try to keep busy while Sofi was out of town, though. Last Tuesday I went to play basketball outside of Sheldon Williams with my buddy Quinton and some old and new faces. Normally I play soccer on Tuesday nights but since it was postponed due to the long weekend I was able to make it for a change. I had a good time considering I really don't know how to play and have zero ability. We did end up playing soccer on Wednesday, which was fun because we were joined by a bunch of Asian folks who happened to be in the neighbourhood and they had skillz.

Sofi got back from Saskatoon on Thursday night so she wasn't gone that long. We got to spend most of the weekend together. On Friday after work we went to my parents' house for supper and to visit. On Saturday Sofi and I went over to Jessica and Dan's new pad to enjoy a fabulous Mexican supper and watch the Riders eke out a meager victory. It was a nice way to spend a Saturday evening!

Saturday afternoon was also fun, since I attended the first class of my semester of Spanish 100 at the U of R. Getting back into the swing of things as far as education was a breeze thanks to the painless online registration process. The class itself was great and so is the instructor. The only problem is whether I will be able to continue taking the class. You see, I was under the impression that my employer would pay for any university class I wanted to take, but it turns out that they require the class to relate somehow to my job, so it's not exactly a rubber stamp. Here's what I put on the form to justify my enrollment:

This course will enable me, as an employee, to function and compete effectively in the global economy of today and the future, of which our company and particularly our parent company will be a part. The course will help me develop intercultural sensitivity and increase my global understanding. In addition, it will improve my critical and creative thinking skills. Learning another language will also improve my English vocabulary and language proficiency.

After the brief stint of togetherness, my wife has again left me again :( We got up super early today and I dropped her off at the airport this morning for her 7:10AM flight to Calgary, where she'll drive out to Banff for a week of training for her new job. I didn't have much time to be sad since I had to go into work afterwards to put a fix in during one of our change windows. I've been working on and off today in between trips to the grocery store and my parents' house for food and a chance to wash my car.

In the good news department, my buddy John in Baghdad sent word that over the next few months his Brigade will be re-assigned to potentially less hazardous parts of Iraq and hopefully out of direct combat operations. Considering 18 people from his Brigade have been lost since June, this is very welcome news! :)

I'm planning on taking my wife and my parents to Mike MacDonald's show at Casino Regina coming up on September 28th. Although apparently I like to abuse the word "favourite", Mike is one of my favourite comics in the world and he's absolutely hilarious. Don't miss it!

It's been a crazy but well-documented few weeks so here goes ...

On Friday the 19th after work, Sofi and I went to the Freehouse for drinks with Tyler, Zab, and colleagues. It was a good time because I got to visit with my old manager Regan, who I hadn't seen in a few years.

Me, my moustache, and Regan

That Saturday we went to my parents' house to visit and then went to the movies that night. We saw Batman Begins, which is pretty much the coolest super hero movie ever. The best way I can describe the movie is that it makes Spider-man and Spider-man 2 look like the gayest, most effeminate movies ever. Given the quality of those two movies, that is saying a lot. Highly recommended! Wow!

I spent the rest of the weekend working at home, including getting up at an un-Godly hour to put in a fix during one of our change windows. Not fun!

The following Monday, I mailed the last wedding thank-you card and felt a huge sigh of relief. For us, everything involved in the wedding is finally over, nearly five months after the fact! That night, Sofi and I walked to Milky Way to enjoy some of their famous ice cream and then continued our Christian Bale-athon by watching my copy of American Psycho, one of my most favourite movies.

I took time off that Tuesday so Sofi and I could take Nick and Allison on a tour of Depot. We toured the museum, visited the Canteen, and saw the Sergeant Major's parade:

A scene from the Sergeant Major's Parade

That night Sofi and I enjoyed our weekly pickup game of soccer, which is always fun and a hell of a workout. The only bad part of the day was when Steve called me and let me know that they wouldn't be stopping by to visit the next day - no drunken shenanigans for us!

That Wednesday I had a condo association board meeting to attend (I'm the Vice-President) and afterwards Sofi and I went to Tracy Sangster and Sarah Tuff's place for a BBQ. It was good time and I got to catch up with Jennifer Schrenk, who is the same old Jennifer, believe me!

Thursday Sofi and I got our hair cut and then went for supper at my parents' house. We picked up my glasses on the way from the optometrist, so now I am a proud owner of clip-on sunglasses for driving. That night I was up until 3AM or so working late to make sure that I could get away for the weekend!

That Friday it was time for fun in the sun in Kenosee. Work was hell and I worked much later than I hoped to, but I did eventually get away and we hit the road. We drove to the border first to pick up Sofi's work Visa and then rolled into Nick's driveway around 9:30PM. We had a great steak supper and then Nick and I went on a walk to the Moosehead. We had the funny moment of the weekend there, when we walked into the bar at 10:45PM and complained that we missed happy hour - the manager informed us that everyone missed happy hour because we were the first one's there! We downed a drink and then promptly returned to the cabin and hit the sack shortly thereafter.

Saturday we had a great breakfast and then went to Cannington Manor. Sofi, Allison, and I had never been there and it had been a while for Nick, too, so we had a good time exploring. There isn't much to speak of there, but we had a lazy afternoon out in the country and it was a great time.

Nick, Sofi, and Allison at Cannington Manor

A Cannington Manor history lesson

A scene from a typical Cannington Manor bachelor house in the 1890s

During our tour, Hali called and invited us to Redvers for steak night at the local hotel. It was $6.95 for a steak, baked potato, and salad, so you can't go wrong with that! We got to visit with my sister and enjoy good food so the trip was a success. That night after we got back to Kenosee we hit the bar scene for a few hours and then called it a late night.

I wasn't feeling so hot the next morning/afternoon due to excessive alcohol consumption but soon enough my allergies kicked in to make it a double-whammy, so I spent most of the rest of my time there sneezing. We just chilled out around the cabin and soon decided to stay later than planned. We enjoyed some fine pork for supper before calling it a night.

The next morning we got up early and hit the road - another successful weekend at Kenosee! I'd like to thank Nick, his family, and Allison for having us out at the cabin, because we had a great time!

On Monday I was still sick and didn't work much during the day. In fact, after we got into town I went into work for about an hour and then slept for the rest of the day :(

I was feeling better on Tuesday, at least enough to go to work. I left work for a bit around lunchtime to see Nick and Allison off at the airport, which was sad but I guess I will see them again soon - Nick for hunting season and Allison for Christmas. That night we went to my parents' to pick up our musical ride tickets(!) and then did some hardcore grocery shopping.

Wednesday was more work and then that night we cracked open the first of the 24 Season 1 DVDs that Nick lent us, and we've honestly never looked back. It's hard to stop watching that show - we're almost halfway through and it's only been a week! Thursday was more of the same, since that night I got to take it easy since I was taking Friday off; we watched some Big Brother 6 and then more 24.

Friday was the beginning of a 4-day weekend for me! I went for coffee that afternoon with colleagues to discuss my impending ascension to the Executive of the local CIPS chapter, then my manager took me for a beer at the Freehouse before I headed home for supper. That night me and Sofi went over to Brad and Steff's for drinks and I had a good time catching up with everybody.

Saturday was a gorgeous day. Sofi and I went to the park to walk around and check out the Dragon Boat festival:

A Dragon Boat!

On Saturday evening, Mike and Jenn invited us over to their place for supper, and it was fantastic. We had steak, salad, pasta, shrimp, veggies, and above all, good company. After supper we visited and then went to the park to enjoy the free Centennial Tom Cochrane concert, which was a fun time to have with thousands of your closest friends.

Sunday was an even busier day. I got up super early to do some work during the aforementioned change window, and then Sofi and I had breakfast and went to the Brandt Centre to watch the R.C.M.P. Musicial Ride, which was awesome. They even had a S.W.A.T. and canine demonstrations by the Regina Police Service before the performance, which was cool and included the loudest sound I've ever heard in the Americas.

The Musical Ride

After that was over, we went straight to Kyla's folks' house to enjoy a BBQ in honour of her birthday which was earlier in the week. The burgers were amazing and again we were blessed with great company!

Kyla and friends at her birthday BBQ

Sofi and I went home and watched the Riders snap their losing streak and put us in a good mood for the fireworks that night. Right after the game we went to the park and staked out a spot to watch them, and Blair, Kyla, Brad, and Steff joined us to watch. It turned out we picked the best spot in the city to see them, because they were right over top of us and it was hands-down the best fireworks display I've ever seen in my whole life! Kudos to the Centennial organizing team, this whole year has been fantastic and the fireworks were a great way to send the celebrations out with a bang! Happy Birthday, Saskatchewan!

I haven't been up to much today, just laying low since I am home-alone for the next few days :( Sofi left this afternoon for Saskatoon for training for work, so I'm going to be a bachelor for the next few days. Tonight I went to my parents' instead of cooking for myself, so I'm off to a good start :)

Tomorrow is my first day with my new client downtown, which means for the next year or so I get to walk to work! I'll let you know how it turns out, but I'm very optimistic, especially with the price of gas now approximately $2000/L!

In the wake of the devastating tragedy known to all as Katrina, thousands of people have lost their lives, millions of people have lost their homes, and millions more have seemingly lost their minds (for a good example, check out Kanye West's recent nonsensical tirade).

For some perspective of the ridiculous media coverage of the event and its aftermath, I recommend reading some of Ben Stein's comments on the situation. I have been following Ben's career and writings for a long time - he is quite possibly one of the most intelligent people in America and has a resume to back it up. He makes some very good points. Speaking in my own capacity as one of the most intelligent people around, I would like to make one additional point to those who find nothing in his words - the election was last year and YOU LOST. Bush is not going away; history will be his judge so you don't have to be.