Juggling Mike

I have a bunch of shortcuts for games on my desktop. Most are simple time wasters, eleven of them consist of every Sam n Max episode (which I heartily recommend!), one is for LOTRO, and a couple are pure dedicated pinball games. Ever since I started playing games on my 286 (that’s before Pentiums kiddos), I have been fascinated with pinball games. I loved real pinball machines, but since I did not have that many quarters for the local arcade, I was satisfied with the great shareware that would come on PC Gaming magazines. I don’t remember the game that started my love for the genre, but I do remember getting introduced to Epic Pinball at my uncle’s house (on his mighty 386). It wasn’t the best game, but still. Then one day I found Pinball Fantasies. It was bliss.

I remember breaking my arm (in half) that year and spending most of my summer playing Pinball Fantasies. I was able to move my index finger on my left arm, so while it was difficult to shift keys to tilt, it was playable. That game wowed me with its amazing graphics and great sound. There were four tables, with my favorites being Party Land and The Billion Dollar Show. I tried my best to win the billion on that table, but it was near impossible. I lost countless hours practicing and practicing and racking up the points. I LOVED that game.

Just on a side note, while I am floating in my clouds of old memories, other (non pinball) games that come to mind from that “era” are: Theme Park, Theme Hospital, Worms, Syndicate, Ween: The Prophecy, the Gobliiins series, Lucas Arts adventure games.. oh god.. such great games.. woo! *pant pant* ok, I’m good. If I’d smoke, I’d need a cigarette now.
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Recently, I have been spending a lot more time practicing my bartending flair than anything else. I now bring my flair bottle with me nearly everywhere I go, and practice various moves as I walk around. It definitely gets people’s attention since it is not something they see everyday and many assume I will break the bottle if I drop it. Since it is made in plastic, it is not a problem, but they don’t know that. Last week, I had a cop slowly follow me as I walked, and he sped away when I put my bottle back in my bag. Yup… it get’s everybody’s attention!

Anyways, I was looking for some online videos which could help me practice new moves and perfect the ones I know. I had found some videos before, but they didn’t really teach you what you needed to know. Today, I hit a jackpot! I found this site called Monkey See, which is simply awesome. It hosts videos just like Youtube or Dailymotion, but these are all videos that teach you something. It is similar to Instructables, but is fully done in video and you can learn a lot from it. I found a great series of videos by a bartender named Moe Harris which teaches you various bar basics, and plenty of basic flair moves. He makes giving a customer a coaster cool! I went through all his videos, and if you are interested in flairing, it is a great beginner’s resource. At the same time, I found videos by another bartender named Joshua Dubois, who shows you how to make many drinks. Together, they offer plenty of knowledge for somebody to start mixing drinks with a little bit of flair.

I don’t want people to think that Monkey See is just about mixing drinks! There is a wealth of information here! There does not seem to be too many juggling videos, but there plenty videos of everything else! The list goes from cooking videos, how to play disc golf, how to milk a cow, the basics of martial arts, etc, etc. Every video is in fact a series of smaller videos that you can watch a little at a time. It is a great site, and I definitely recommend everybody to check it out. I just spent the last couple of hours browsing only a small sample of the videos!

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In my previous post, I mentioned how happy I was that the Montreal Canadiens are progressing to the next round. While that is still true, I am now also extremely disappointed in the team’s fans.

The Canadiens are lucky to have a huge fan base. When the Bell Center is full and the crowd starts singing, you can feel the energy pouring from your television and pound straight through your skull. It is even more intoxicating when you are at an actual game surrounded by happy singing fans. That’s what’s great about these people; they have an energy and passion for hockey that is simply incredible. What I hate about it is that a small percentage of those fans ruin our good names by acting like complete morons. Last night, the team advanced to round 2, eliminating the Boston Bruins. Since the game took place in our hometown, it is only natural that several fans went out to celebrate afterwards. I don’t think it was a drunken stupor, but more fan base immorality, but if you were a Boston fan last night, you might have gotten beaten up. Some people wearing a Bruins jersey actually did get hit and picked on. Some people took advantage of the excitement and broke store windows to loot the wares. Then, there were fights against fans and the police and some people decided to burn the cop’s vehicles. WHY? Why must such a small percentage of the fan base act like complete morons and ruin the joy of sport? It makes my head spin.

To the Boston Bruins fans, I have this to say: Sorry for the Canadiens morons out there. You must have your share of morons as well, but we were the jerks last night, and although I had no part in it, I feel terrible about it. Sportsmanship is what is important and although you lost, your team gave us a good run. I hope our cities get to cross sticks once more next year.

I want the Habs to win the Stanley Cup, but I fear what will happen if we do…

Here are some pictures from the riots.

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Tonight was great for two reasons. First I got some propane for my bbq, and I cooked me up some nice juicy asparagus. Secondly, the Montreal Canadiens won against the Boston Bruins which means me move up to round 2! Woo hoo! I’m not the biggest hockey fan, but it is hard not to get into the thrill and fever of your home team kicking ass! 5-0! Here’s hoping we manage to get to Round 3!

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I have a hobby of trying to recreate expensive items, but with easy-to-find components at a total cheaper price. To the left of my computer desk, I have about 7 different types of tubes/pipes, an assortment of wood dowels, empty bottles and cans, LED light sticks, and a lot of various types of tape. A pile of junk to most; a bunch of handy creation items for me. I love trying to find a certain type of material and have to explain to the workers at my local renovation shops why I need it. They always look at me as if I’m crazy, but then find it interesting and do their best to help me.

Anyways, this post is about Rola-Bolas. If you don’t know what a Rola-Bola is, it is essentially a piece of wood which has a free-rolling tube underneath. You get on the wood and balance yourself with the tube rolling underneath. It is often used in circus acts, and I’m seeing it more and more branded as balance board in gyms. While the gym version are made to prevent the tube to roll away, and use quite nice materials, they are also very expensive. Nonetheless, I had been contemplating to purchasing one, if I could find one at a good price. Last week, my friend Colin mentioned he wanted to build some, and that got my creative gears grinding. I had certain specifications in my mind that I wanted to use, and while it may not make the ideal Rola-Bola, it was what I wanted.

Read on for pics and information on the construction.
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Q: What did the span say to the div when they were waiting to buy movie tickets?
A: Don’t block me! I’m in line!

It’s my boring joke of the day.
If you don’t know css, you won’t get it.

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When girls first meet me, they cannot assume;
That I play with my balls and that I have more than two.

They see a guy who’s simple, who’s normal and shy
He’s probably boring; with nothing to hide

When inside my shell lies a circus freak
Waiting to emerge from this skin and streak

I want to be unique, it’s just that right now I suppress it
I’m too shy to let go and publicly express it

There are standards out there, and I have to follow the beat
Get with the program, or go play on the street

I spend every day the slave of a machine
But my heart craves the outdoors and inside I scream!

And yet I sit humbly, staying within the bounds
A wolf in disguise, waiting to be found

Who can tame this beast, whom has yet to emerge?
Does she even exist? Does she tend another herd?

I have to be patient, but it perpetually appears
That if the future is now, I’m nowhere prepared!

Bah! Screw it! I’ll take it one day at a time.
And when the moment arises, I’ll grab it and make it mine.

Then my truth will emerge to much fear yet delight
The true craziness of me.. Juggling Mike.

P.S. - I am not insane.

P.P.S - Seriously!

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