A Lift in Life When You Need it Most.

A friend once told me...

Whenever I am feeling down, I get a totally unexpected boost from a friend or an acquaintance, and  I can only interpret this as God looking out for me...

I thought to myself, how many times has this happened to me? It seems that I am a fortunate man that great people come into my life, and leave me with great memories that just keep on giving. These memories are stored in a wonderful computer in my brain, and small things like songs, places, pictures will ignite them once more to burn in my head and re-create great memories. And as great as those memories were, creating them was even better.

If I think about it, these people and memories that lift me when I am feeling down are moments that make such a huge difference in my life. I realize that I need these people and these moments in my life just as much as they may need me. They provide solace when I need it, and all I have to do is remember a better time and a better place surrounded by these friends, and I break the negative state that I am stuck in.

I have found that life moves so quickly, even when you think it is moving slowly. It may not seem like it at the time, but when you look back at it in hindsight, time flew by and it seems like you were standing still. That's why it's important to create these memories, and to help create them for other people.

And there will be days when I won't want to be happy. But on those days, its nice to know that I have the option, and that I have surrounded myself with good people that will always tell me that it's going to be alright. -And it always does seem to work out that way. But on those days, it really does make a difference to know that you are loved, as much as you love...

State of the Union Address

I was watching the State of the Union address, and I heard Obama tell the world that we must be bi-partisan, and live as one. -Not as Democrats and Republicans, or any other polar opposite that you could throw into the mix. (and there are tons...)

After I thought to myself, "That will never happen..." a thought came over me as to WHY this would never happen, and that thought is this:

Because Right Wingers are ALWAYS right, and the rest of the world is wrong. (in their minds of course...)

Why is it always the right wing radicals that are completely rigid in every stance they take? Why are there no compromises in their belief systems? Why are they always right, and the rest of the world who stand against them are wrong? These right wingers have so many opinions about EVERYTHING, and if you don't agree with them, YOU are the one who is wrong.

Conversely with Liberals, they welcome an idea and then have at least SOME flexibility in it. Which I guess, it where the word "Liberal" comes from. They are much more open-minded in actually hearing or taking something into consideration and welcoming new methods of operating. Very rarely do you ever hear someone who is liberal, "closed minded", yet any Republican I know fits that description.

Retards like this Newt Gingrich only have OTHER people to blame for the things that aren't the "right way," (his way) and they don't have any grey area in their lives to see that some things don't have black and white solutions, like he would have you believe. To him and people like him, there is always an answer, and always someone to blame for it.

Hmmmmmm, I would like to hear Gingrich talk to the mothers who have lost sons and daughters in a meaningless fight in Iraq, and hear who he has to blame for that. Is it the people of Iraq who never attacked the USA, and forced their government to spend trillions of dollars abroad fighting an enemy they never knew they had? Or is it the government for the people, by the people who continued this fight after it was revealed that this Iraqi government had no weapons of mass destruction, like they told the world they did.

Oooooooops!!

Well, while we are here, we may as well install a government better than how the last one treated us who will sell us oil at a good price, right?

And 10 years later, they are still there...

So let's see, how can you expect to spend reckless amounts of money in 10 years, and expect a poor black man (who by the way, is just as black as he is white...) to solve the USA's problems inside of 1 or 2 years? If YOU spent recklessly for 10 years in your own personal life, and you HAD to pay it back and not declare bankruptcy, would you expect the be able to pay it back in 2 years?!

Pathetic...

Making the Wrong Decision...

The "Do-Over".

Some are small, some are massive.

I know that when I would think of some of these, I would think of sports moments in my life. Being a goalie in hockey, when you get beat, it costs the ENTIRE team the victory. If you have ever sat in a dressing room and have 20 people look at you and know that it's your own fault that you lost, it is quite a humbling feeling.

And for weeks, I would replay that moment in my mind in my sleep. In fact, it would never leave me alone. It would haunt me for long periods of time; sometimes years. It would feel like I was being kicked in the stomach every 5 seconds, and my face would show anyone around me what I was thinking. It is terrible...

And then, some of us might have these moments in real life that makes sports just pale in comparison.

I remember reading a story about a woman who was waiting for her plane on a layover in Toronto. She had 2 kids, and she let one walk, while the younger one she held in her arms. She was walking on the upper part of the mezzanine when her oldest boy started to run. While she turned her head for a second, the baby in her arms kicked free, and fell out of her hands over the railing to the floor 5 metres below. The tragic story has no happy ending, as the baby died...

I wonder if this woman will ever stop seeing that terrible moment in her mind, and if she can ever begin to forgive herself from the guilt and pain she will feel for the rest of her life? It then makes me think about how stupid my feelings about losing a silly hockey game really are.

Then there are moments that you let something slide, thinking that it is a meaningless, and won't really matter. And then that decision comes back to really bite you in the ass; Something that you should've taken care of  that at the time, wouldn't have become such a big deal. -And then that "something" really hits you like a truck and leaves you paralyzed. Financially, emotionally, spiritually...your choice, but they all suck.

Then for the following years, you wonder in the back of your mind, "What would've happened if I handled that like this?" and you start to really re-play it in your mind all over, and imagining what would've been different and how everything would be ok now.

But as I was thinking about this, I thought, Maybe this was going to happen no matter what? If I would've made a different decision or choice in the first place, maybe it was just delaying this situation and not stopping it... Maybe this is an opportunity that is going to make me a better person, and is needed for my personal growth? As horrible as it sounds, bad things happen all the time, and I can't expect that I'm going to avoid ALL of these situations in my entire life right? Shouldn't I EXPECT some really shitty things to happen during the course of my life?

After all, nobody counts the really GOOD things that happen in your life, do they? In fact, we almost come to expect these, and cry foul when something bad happens to us, rather than taking them in stride.

Well, I, just like anyone else out there struggle with this. I re-play these choices and decisions over and over in my head, and torment myself for not being better when the situation presented itself.

So my question is, Am I alone in thinking this? How do you feel about the choices you make, and more importantly, how do you handle it?

SEX

I don't think that there is a more controversial word in the English language quite like that of the word, "Sex"

It carries such power, that it's probably the most action packed word that carries multiple meanings. It creates attraction like no other, and it will make each and every human being do something that they would never normally do, at the very thought of it. Indeed, sex will make idiots of us all...

There must be something incredibly powerful about the act of sex, or the emotional and mental aspect of sex that makes us crave it so much!! I mean, I can personally think of a thousands good reasons to not sleep with someone, but all it would take is one strong feeling of sexual urge, and this wins over logic every time...

Ah, the power of attraction. We can lie to ourselves and to others, but we really know what our bodies are telling us. -LUST at its most med-evil levels that crave some sort of need that will make us make or break trust. And we have all done this...

The thing is, we all want sex on our own selfish terms. For love to be associated with sex is odd, because love is not selfish, yet sex is almost entirely selfish in the way that we need it to agree with us. We want our partner to only be sexually attracted to us, and even the thought of them desiring somebody else is incredibly threatening. If our partner follows through on that attraction of lust and "violates" the area of monogamy, it is considered betrayal at the highest levels of intimacy and trust.

But is this realistic?

For centuries, monogamy has been proclaimed as being "right", but who really doesn't cheat at least once in their life on a partner, either on a physical side, or emotional. I would think if you could test this theory, and people would answer honestly, I would think the violation would shock you. -Almost everyone would be guilty.

Sure, there are those people who are the extreme loyal people who have not, but I guarantee you, they are the diamond in the rough. -A few small percentage of those people in the real world who can control their sexual urges better than the rest of the world's population.

And it used to be mostly the men who were guilty of this for centuries. Sometimes, it would be almost expected that men would cheat. I mean, just look at the state funerals of the French and the Italians where the deceased head of state's family would be sitting front row. There you would see his Wife, mistress and girlfriend all sitting together, paying their respects to their former lover. And this doesn't seem to bother the people who elected him there either. When asked why they would elect a "womanizer" to office to represent their country, the answer would be, "Because why would we elect a man who would only WANT to sleep with ONE woman? It's not logical! -At least we are honest about it, unlike you North Americans!"

Good point...

Of course, we would all be the same if we could get away with it, or there was zero accountability for our actions. And that's just how powerful sexual feelings really are. They often over ride every other feeling in our realm when they are in full gear.

For example, we all want sex to be on our terms. We all want to be loved, lusted, thought of as sexy, attractive, handsome and desirable. If for any reason, our partner doesn't communicate this to us, and give us these feelings, we are put out, to say the least. Feelings of inadequacies, insecurities, past transgressions and hurt are immediately brought forth to the front of our mind with paralyzing emotions. Self pity, jealousy, envy, hatred, disgust and other similar emotions are injected into this and it becomes a major issue.

Has this ever happened to you?

Of course it has...

The thing is, we are complete hypocrites about this. We cry foul when something happens against us, even though we KNOW that we have committed the same if not similar thing to another. Even if we haven't been caught in this faux-pas, deep down we know we have been no better than someone who transgresses us in similar ways. Oh, woe is me, we all cry... Only because we are now the victim, and not the perpetrator.

Alternatively, when you have had the most perfect lover who understands and pleases every aspect of your being, both mentally and physically, it feels like the most elated version of love that has ever existed. It inspires you, it creates energy, you feel like you could climb mountains. -Indeed, it is the greatest feeling in the world. When trust is rewarded, and love is kept in this respectful code, it is by far the most powerful emotion on the planet.

But sometimes, I think that we are too naive about sex, and our perception about it. I know that I will never fully understand it, and it will forever be a major part of my life. Now you would think that with that being said, we would've been taught something about the topic and all of it's power growing up as kids, because it's going to be a major part of our lives until the day we die.

And somehow, most of us just stick our heads in the ground like ostriches do, and let these emotions control us, as opposed to us controlling them. And in the meantime, it causes us some serious relationship troubles that even Dr. Phil couldn't help us with. And I think we can all relate to this...

But in closing, I would think that moving forward, it is our choice on how we communicate our feelings and how we relate to others in that capacity. Finding a match is so crucial, and the maintenance is even more important.

But to me, finding love in its truest form only has sex in it. Sex has no more to do in my life than love does without sex. I would rather live with love and no sex, than sex with no love.

But then again, who can live without sex...

Dreams and my Ego

So I woke up this morning with a dream that I was in the Olympic 100 Metre final and I had placed 3rd for the Bronze medal.

Now this in itself, would be a DREAM, right? For anyone else but me, yes... But obviously if you are reading this, you know that I am NOT somebody else and I'm a bit different from reality. So here's my twist...

I used to sprint in the 100 and 200 metres dashes. I used to actually train quite hard in my teens for these races, and in my day, I ran some pretty fast times. I ran a wind aided 10.6 and an electronic 10.85 which is pretty fly for a white guy...

So when I wake up this morning, you would think that winning a Bronze Medal at the OLYMPICS would be pretty 'effing fantastic, wouldn't it? -Yeah, for anyone else but me, I guess.

The thing is, in this dream, I lost to my brother (who was never quite as fast as me at the 100 and 200) by 1 100'th of a second to finish with the Bronze, while he won the Silver. (Which really makes no sense that 2 white guys are in a 100 metre final anyway...) So I woke up completely pissed off that I lost to my brother and that I lost by the narrowest of margins. Instead of being happy that I was a Bronze medalist, even in my dreams, my ego was not satisfied with this!! How bloody ego-centric am I?! (don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question)

So when I was getting my morning coffee and I realized that I was NOT an Olympic bronze medalist, I began to feel worse that I thought I would even be in that race in the first place. Realistically, I should've woke up with my hands in the air and strutted around my house waiting for someone to BRING me coffee because I was the Bronze Medalist and my country would LOVE me!! But, that thought never even occurred to me because I had lost to my brother at the tape.

"I should've leaned in more at the tape" I thought

WTF...

Are you kidding me? Just who do I think I am? I haven't ran a 100 metre race in 20 years, and I am about 30 lbs heavier now than on that day I last ran, and somehow I think that I should be better than this?

Now, I will tell you that your morning is much better knowing that you do not suffer from Chuck Bastie Disease -brought on my delirium onset, followed by ego-centric tendencies of thinking that you are good at something, when in reality you suck at just about everything...

So enjoy your day celebrating the fact that you are not me...;)

My New Blogsite

Hi Friends,

I call you friends, because I do have a small, but very loyal following of those of you who actually regularly read my blogs. I love the fact that I can write something that seems to be my intimate thoughts, and express myself and people share an interest in what I have to say, or more importantly, HOW I say it...

I have changed the format of my blog site a little bit. (Thanks to the magical Brent Kearns!) Up until now, I was very amateur about blogging, and it was just more of a past time. Now, I have realized that I really enjoy it, and it makes it SO much easier when people like you read and comment on each of my posts. Sending me emails, commenting, and giving me feedback really does keep me going. In many cases, blogging is like being a stand up comedian without an audience. It's a really tough crowd out there, especially when you get no feedback. So, when you comment and leave me feedback, it really encourages me. So thanks for that, and keep it coming!!

I have a couple of favours that I would ask...

I am planning on adding more links to what I think are valuable sites to help others as well. I would ask that if you like my blogs and thoughts, that you please forward them on to your friends, or feel free to re-post it to your facebook for others to share in. There is no greater compliment to a writer, than to have somebody post your work for others to see. This creates more traffic for me, and it really shows in my blogs when they hit the internet.

Please become a "Follower" of mine. It's free and you just go to the right side of the site, and sign up. This will send you a notification whenever I post a blog and you will get it immediately.
Also, if you are on my site, please click on some of my google ads if they interest you. This is NOT going to make me rich, but I would like to see what type of volume that this would increase for my site.

I would like to thank a few people for reading, and commenting. I will of course miss out on naming a lot of people, but it seems like these people I am about to name really like my blogs and constantly leave me feedback. So thanks go out to my family, and: Irene and Diane, Janet, Kareena, Mark, Anita, Glen, Heather, Pavanne, Dave, Julie, Faye, Big JDP! Kira, Mark O, Zuzana, Roops, Rocco, Des, and most importantly, my super fan, Krista.

Thanks for taking time out of your day to share it with me in thought!!

Chuck and Pal

Bachelor Week 2...

So there are already a couple of things I need to say about this episode. Ladies, listen up... Although this is mostly entertainment, there are a few things that if you don't already know, I'm gonna list some of the faux-pas that we men hate to see or hear...

1) We HATE it whenever we hear you refer to the word "Princess". Whether you are referring it to yourself or someone else, we cringe every time we hear the term. We don't watch fairy tales, and we don't pay attention to your dreams at night, so that would pretty make us oblivious to the fact that you say you NEED to feel like a Princess. Add to the fact that there are very few nations left with a monarchy, so that makes BEING a princess EXTREMELY rare. I mean, you never hear us say that we need to feel like a King or a Prince on "our" wedding day, do you? That's because we aren't dumb enough to say stupid shit like that... -Don't say the word Princess, it's SO 12 years old...

2) When that psycho girl Michelle said a MILLION times, "It's my birthday!" I almost wanted to hit her with a bat. We GET that it's your birthday. Birthdays are like belly buttons... Everyone has one. Big effing Deal that it's your birthday, and you feel the need to state it A MILLION times. All you are doing is advertising what a nut-job you are, and how much attention you need. -And we all know how much guys love to give attention to a girl who NEEDS it, right? lol By the way, if you don't know the answer to that last question, you could be as dumb as Michelle is...

3) The other thing I can't understand is who can't fall in love with helicopter rides, private yachts, fine dining, fancy clothes, and optimum wealth in the dating process? I mean, how can you really know what someone is all about under all these "Fairy Tale" settings? It's easy to be nice as pie when you are getting swept off your feet. The hard thing would be to see how these women react if they had to do really shitty dates and then see how they would react. Let's see how long attraction lasts in that situation! Then they get thrust back into the real world, and they get disappointed. Hmmmm, I wonder why...

I think most of these people when they cry and end up leaving the show, are just clueless. I mean, they were there for a night, or 3 nights. Did they really fall in love with a guy and get heart-broken in that small amount of time? How many of these people go out on first dates and then come home and cry that they person didn't want to see them again?! It's more like these people had their egos hurt, and they miss the idea that someone isn't interested in them, more than the fact that they thought they had found love in 3 days and a handful of conversations. It's really pathetic.

I can't believe people like this can actually exist in a world that we all live in. I mean, how would you get by in life being a loser like that? I guess that's why there are shrinks in this world, and they must be making a fortune on the men and women of The Bachelor, (and Jersey Shore) but don't get me started on that one...

Having a Child...

If you are thinking of having a kid, read this post by Amy Lawrence. I think she must be a pretty down to earth, honest chick to write this, and I couldn't agree with her more... Here is what it is like to have one or more "cock-blockers" in your marriage/relationship...



Lesson 1


1. Go to the grocery store.

2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.

3. Go home.

4. Pick up the paper.

5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline.

2. Lack of patience.

3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.

4. Allowing their children to run wild.

5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.

4. Set the alarm for 3AM.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.

7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4

Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.

4. Then rub them on the clean walls.

5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.

6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.

Leave it there.

2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.

3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.

4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8

1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it's all worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don't have kids. I guarantee they'll get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!

Thank you Amy for saying so well what most parents have a hard time admitting or talking about openly because it makes us feel that we are bad people...

Jim Weaver Goalie

There are moments that you remember as a kid that stay with you for your entire life. Granted, they are probably not as they really happened, but nonetheless, they are etched in your brain just the same...

My father was a linesman in the old Eastern Hockey League in the USA in the late 70's, and since we lived in Vienna, Virginia, I got to come to some of his games. And so it is that I was a 7 year old boy in a hockey arena in Baltimore, Maryland when I met Jim Weaver.

He was a young 24 year old goalie playing for the Baltimore Clippers in the old EHL hockey league. Looking at Jim, he seemed to be much older in my mind than the young man he really was. (I was only 7 then, and everyone seemed to be "big people" no matter how old they were) After all, he had a 5 o'clock shadow, and it made him look like a real bad-ass...

I must've been a pain in the ass to Jim. I was always asking him questions about being a goalie because I was fascinated that he was a hockey player; something that I wanted to be. And it probably wasn't very enjoyable for him seeing that I couldn't really hold a coherent conversation, and most likely asked him a lot of dumb questions as 7 year olds do...

But I seem to remember him putting up with my dumb questions, and being really, really nice to me even when he didn't have to be. And in turn, I was his biggest fan. Jim Weaver never played a game in the NHL, but to me, he was the greatest goalie in the world.

He let me put on his goalie gloves, and see his goalie pads. But the real moment of truth was when he let me put on his face mask. -It was like the holy grail of hockey equipment to me. Little did he know, that he was making me an addict with this crack-like equipment draped all over me, and I was hooked.

From that moment on, I was obsessed with goalie equipment and hockey, and Jim Weaver had a big hand in this. Even to this day, I can smell that arena smell in my nose, and I can think of a lifetime ago when I first played my first game as a goalie, and I wonder if that would've happened had I not met this man.

The funny thing is, I have absolutely no idea whatever happened to him. All I have is the story of a young Canadian hockey player and his stats, which ended shortly after I met him in 1979. I am wondering if I will ever get a chance to meet him, and thank him for the kindnesses he extended to me all those years ago and that he probably won't remember.

Well, I remember you, Jim. If by chance you find this blog and you are reading this, I would like to know what happened after your hockey career came to an end, and where you are now. If the internet has put this into your hands, please reach out to me and drop me an email at cbastie@bastie.ca
.
And thanks again for making those moments great ones to me Jim...wherever you are.

MORE Canadian Arrogance in Hockey

They say that history repeats itself...

I look at my blog dated January 6, 2010 and EXACTLY what happened. I could take my blog a year ago today and change the opponent, and it would read EXACTLY what I wanted to say today.

Never in my life, not even last year, have I felt such contempt for a bunch of young men like I have about this squad from the Canadian Juniors this year. And do you know why? Because they were ARROGANT thinking that they had a 3 goal lead going into the final period of the tournament, and that nobody could beat them.

"We are Canada, the mightiest nation of hockey in the world. They have to beat us, and we are showing the world exactly how dominating we are in this sport at every level" -It must've sounded like that when they were passing out the champagne in the dressing room at the end of the second period and celebrating a victory that was still 20 more HARD working minutes away.

And you could see it in the way that they played. -Missing assignments, not picking up their men, getting beat to the puck, and trying to NOT LOSE THE GAME, as opposed to finishing off the game with the same hard work that got them the 3-0 lead in the first place. It wasn't bad goaltending that lost it for us either. It was a collective effort to not work hard and finish the tournament with hard work and determination. -And give the Russians credit, they came from behind against the Finns in the quarter final when they were down 3-1 with less than 4 minutes to go in the game and won in overtime 4-3. They were also down against the Swedes and scored in the final minutes to beat them in the Semi-Final in another great comeback.

So what do you think the coach of Team Canada Dave Cameron was telling our cocky Canadian hockey players in the dressing room in the second intermission?

Something like, "Don't count these guys out. They have come from behind in the last 2 games and they are hungry to beat us. It feels the same for us to beat Russia as it does for those Russian boys to beat Canada. -Play your game, work hard, and stay focused, and we will be Junior Champions"

And then they go out and completely shit the bed in every way...

These kids gave up, and had no work ethic because they were cocky little bastards, and they got their ass handed to them on a plate and I think it looks good on them. I honestly hope that they feel this in their guts for the rest of their lives... That sounds harsh, but it's true.

Here's the reason why...

As much as it sounds arrogant, Canada is the greatest hockey nation of talent in the world. We have the most resources, interest and population of people who absolutely LOVE hockey. Every kid who grows up in Canada is infected by it. Although we have other sports that we play, not one comes even close to hockey in Canada. -The next sports are a VERY distant second place...

Other countries play hockey, but none are as passionate about hockey as a whole as Canadians are. -That's a fact. There is so much expectation and pressure on these young hockey players that nothing less than gold is acceptable EVERY year. -And that's just the way it is. To much given, much is expected.

And we SHOULD win every year. We have the best players, coaches, support, and it is our tournament to win every year. So that when we lose, there is a really good reason why. So what is the reason in this year's plight?

We are a bunch of cocky, arrogant hockey players who know exactly HOW good we are, and we rely on talent alone and not hard work and focus to win.

Well, that hasn't worked out very well for us the past 2 years, and both times, we were out-worked for a title that was clearly ours to lose. You can't tell me that we don't have the most talented hockey players in the world, and the depth of our team is incredible compared to other nations. These young men just let their ego's get in the way of what they thought they were entitled to. -A birthright that guarantees them dominance in the World Junior tournament.

Well, last night they lost. The pain will subside as each of them goes on to their own hockey careers, and sign massively lucrative pro contracts and make lots of money. And I hope that this money will help them feel better about how they let the nation of people down that believed in them, our system, and our game. I hope that they will never forget how their arrogance cost them and us another title that we would rather have than any other title a World Junior Championship could offer. And that is the title of hardest working team with the most talent.

But this year, that title goes to the Russians who were clearly more hungry than the Canadians, and fought for it against every obstacle you would've put in front of them.

And they earned it the good old fashioned way...Something our Canadian boys could learn from...

The Bachelor Brad Womack

So he's back!!

After 3 long years of intense therapy (and he's not afraid to admit he went through therapy) Brad Womack is back on The Bachelor.

Is he "fixed" now?

Well, there were 30 women that got that surprise last night when they found out that Brad Womack was their Bachelor, and they all were making sure that he wasn't going to leave them at the altar in the first 10 minutes of meeting him. -How crazy is that? Without even knowing if he has any attraction to them, or them to him, all these women want to know what his intentions are... in 6 weeks...

I find that absolutely hilarious.

I think if I was Brad, I would say, "all I can say is that if you are the best candidate for the job, you'll get the job offer"

The one thing that amazes me is that all these women are upset that in his season on The Bachelor, he never picked one of the 2 women at the end of the season. I mean, I don't think that he SHOULD have picked a fiancee if he didn't find a woman that he thought he could be happy with. Doesn't that make sense? I think he should get a big pat on the back for not selling out on National TV if he didn't find "genuine" love...

Doesn't everyone feel this way?!

I think it would be worse if he got engaged to either woman on the show, and then tried to fake it for the next few months only to break her heart months later rather than not get engaged in the first place. Right? I don't understand why these women are upset that he never chose either woman? If either woman was right for him, I'm pretty sure he would've chosen one. -Guys are pretty territorial that way. I mean, why do you think men spend "2 months salary" to put a diamond on your finger? -Do you think we like throwing away a few thousand dollars on something that brings us no value?

Of course not!! We put that ring on your finger the same way a dog marks his territory... A little more romantic to you, but it's the same thing. He would want to take her "off the market" if he felt that way, but instead, he felt nothing, so he let them go. -How noble...

The other thing I love is when all the women who weren't chosen are walking off the show crying... I mean, do you cry when you go to a bar and meet a guy and he doesn't choose you after a couple hours? Isn't that the same thing? Sure, you travelled a little farther for it, but in the end you knew that it was you and 29 other women so you can't really think that you were standing in good odds, right? I can only think that they are crying NOT because they are upset at not finding love, but because their feelings are hurt that they weren't deemed attractive by someone they did not know at all...

Well, I can't say that I'm going to be surprised about the behaviour I'm about to see in the upcoming weeks because I know that it's all in the name of entertainment. These people are not the sharpest tools in the shed and it shows.

But just for once, wouldn't it be nice to see an intelligent group of people falling in love without all the toys of mansions, helicopters, exotic get-aways, and big diamond rings? Hmmmmmmm, that sounds a little bit like REAL LIFE to me. I guess that's why it won't happen. Too many people are living that dream of real life, and they all want an escape from their own reality TV show...

So join me every Monday at 8pm, or follow my blog the next morning on Tuesday...