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Fire Ground Training

Mike — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:34:56 +0000

I know the frequency of my posting has dropped off over the last little while. This is a result of my firefighter school hitting crunch time while we get in all of our practical training. All I have been doing is training during the day, eating everything in site and sleeping. I would have loved to have gotten some video or pictures but we are doing live fire training. I am not allow to wear anything on me that isn’t part of my gear. There is enough heat to easily melt a camera down if I tried to take it in. Plus, my instructors would probably tear me a new asshole for trying to take action shots while I am supposed to be fighting a fire. The days are usually split up into different stations where you need to demonstrate certain skills. The last few days were split between fire attacks and search & rescue. During search and rescue you are crawling around a smoke filled building trying to find artificial victims. It is tiring as fuck and tears up your knees pretty good. The fun stuff is when you go into the burn house to attack the fire. I know most people (including myself) thought that all you do is throw water on the fire until it is out. Depending on the conditions, that can shoot enough steam in the area to cook everyone around! The last few days we practiced some indirect attacks. This is where you shoot water at the ceiling above the fire and then close the door quickly and let the steam suffocate the fire. It is pretty cool but it is a tough job to be the nozzle man. You get in far enough to have flames kiss your helmet, you get a blast of steam hit you and you have to shut a door the is hot as hell! I know it sounds crazy but it really is fun stuff for me. Days like this are what keep me motivated in my efforts to become a firefighter. Below is a video of a fire training session gone horribly wrong. This is what should NOT happen. The flames were just way too much for these guys to enter. They didn’t have a chance in hell. But, it shows you how dangerous training can be. This is fire…it doesn’t exactly listen to instructions!

Cool Sites: Garfield Minus Garfield

Mike — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:22:57 +0000

Every once in a while you hear about a new site that is just awesome in it’s simplicity. It is something so easy that you could have easily started it. But, you didn’t. Someone else did. And now you visit there site and kick yourself in the ass. I once featured one of these amazing sites called HotChicksWithNoEyebrows. In fact, if you click THIS LINK you can see a pic of me without eyebrows. I am even more streamlined than usual! I recently came across another site worthy of being mentioned on this blog. It is called Garfield Minus Garfield. It is simply Garfield comic strips that have Garfield removed. It turns into a horribly depressing and sad insight into the Jon character. That poor bastard really is alone and depressed. I strongly suggest you check them out regularly. Here are some samples.

Zero Punctuation: The Sims 3

Mike — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:45:48 +0000

I haven’t posted anything to do with Forex in a while. There is a reason: I haven’t done any trading! I have been busy most evenings and just don’t have the time to sit in front of the charts. Tonight would have been ideal but I have already ruled out trading because of a large drop on the EUR/USD that takes any of my usual ranges out of play. Anytime the currency hits a new high or a new low then I am sitting back and waiting for another day time to trade! The spread is also at 3.5 pips and that is way too high considering that I have such small pip goals. So, I look to other things to entertain me. How about video games? It has been a while since I have posted a Zero Punctuation review. So, here is a gem. This could be one of the most bitter and angry reviews ever. I have to say that I agree with him for the most part. I hate the Sims games. Why would I spend my free time telling some little character to work and eat and sleep…that’s all shit I have to do! I want to do things I won’t ever get to do in real life like score a goal in the NHL or car jack a guy after beating a cop to death with a bat. Perhaps I have said too much. Check out the review for yourself.

SMBC: Parenting & Fastfood

Mike — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:38:36 +0000

Happy Canada Day to anyone who is here in the North with me! To the Americans, I will certainly send you my best on the 4th. I am out doing holiday type stuff and am posting this remotely. So, without further time wasting…here is a comic from SMBC. This is a seriously creative way to get your kids off of fast food.

3 Brewers Toronto

Mike — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:16:45 +0000

As I mentioned yesterday, I went to visit a new Toronto bar on the weekend. This isn’t just some new place, but a Toronto opening of an established name. The 3 Brewers at Younge & Dundas is a micro-brewery that serves only their own beers. They have 28 locations in France and have a spot in Montreal as well, under the french version of the name Les 3 Brasseur’s. The Toronto location is actually pretty cool. They have a ton of seats available as a result of having split levels in their building. The unfortunate part of this layout is the maze you have to find your way through in order to get to the bathroom. This could be a really big problem if you have had too many of their beers. Once you figure out your route the first time nature calls, you should be alright. The menu is pretty fun and is styled like a newspaper. It’s contents are pretty diverse. Unfortunately we weren’t in the mood to try any of their specialties that evening. We did rock some of the poutine and it was fantastic! I will give them the benefit of the doubt and assume all their offerings are equally good. As for the beer…hit and miss. I loved the environment so I was happy to say I enjoyed their amber style beer. I am not sure if that will last. Having only their own brand kinda hurts. I sampled the other types they serve: blond, wheat (the shy sister) and dark (virago). I probably wouldn’t order any of the others as they just aren’t my style. The dark beer was kind of interesting though. This thing has a heavy coffee smell and taste. Maybe I could start drinking that in the morning! All in all, there is nothing that really separates the beer from what you would get at other micro-breweries. Having a quality pub with great food certainly helps to make them a place to check out. Next time you are down at Younge & Dundas you should pop in for a pint at 3 Brewers. Here is a shot of their sampler.

SMBC: Die For Your Sins

Mike — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:13:42 +0000

Hello everyone. Once again I fail to write much at the end of the week. Things just get so hectic that I don’t have time to blog. Well, that isn’t completely true. It is more like I am either too drunk or too boring to have anything good to write! I did manage to check out a new spot downtown Toronto last night. I, as usual, forgot my camera! I did snag one shot with my BlackBerry though. I will write about that tomorrow though. I also plan to give you a before and after shot of my dentist visit on Monday. I broke a front tooth recently and need to get that fixed. No big deal…I have broken my front teeth about 10 times now. That’s the price of being a small guy with a big mouth! As per usual, here is a comic that has nothing to do with any of that. But, it is kinda funny in a “mock religion” kinda way. Enjoy!

Drunk Golf From The Past

Mike — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:42:21 +0000

As I mentioned in my last post about drinking and golfing, this wasn’t the first time I teed off of a beer can. I did the trick a year or two ago as well. My form was much worse than this last video, but the drive actually worked out a lot better. I hit that one dead center of the fairway. I also managed to sink a putt while drinking a beer. This putt wasn’t a gimme either, it was a 6 footer! Another thing I noticed is that I seem to wear the same outfit golfing no matter when or where I am out! I think it’s time I picked up a new shirt. It is also pretty clear that I don’t age. I didn’t take any videos of that adventure from the past, but I did snag some good photos. Here they are.

*The best tee ever…empty, of course

*The setup for this is tough… after chugging the beer to make the tee

*An ugly follow-through, but the can is still upright!

*I needed to sink a 6 footer…but I also needed a sip of beer. Why not do both?!

Drinking & Golfing

Mike — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:04:46 +0000

I mentioned yesterday that I had a messy round of golf with Johal on the weekend. We decided to hit up Hockley Valley once again. The course kicked our asses. Maybe it had something to do with the massive amount of beer we drank. Maybe it was…wait…no…it was the beer! I threw together a quick little video of our day on the course. There are gaps in the video that match up with the gaps in my memory. Isn’t golfing the best?!

SMBC: Desire & Compromise

Mike — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:12:34 +0000

Sorry for the lack of posting. Again, it has been a crazy weekend! I went golfing at Hockley Valley again. I got a couple of good pics. Not only that, I also have a video of myself trying to hit my drive off a beer can. It may seem like a dumb idea…but after a few beers it was the best idea I ever had. I will get those online later today or tomorrow. For now, here is a web comic from SMBC. Enjoy!

Maybe You Should Keep Driving

Mike — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:51:48 +0000

This is a pretty funny picture. My girlfriend sent me this one because it is from her home town of Fort Erie, Ontario. This is right near Niagara Falls, about an hour and a half away from Toronto. I have visited many times when she is back visiting and I have to admit that the place is a little depressing. It seems like the only business that is doing well is the WalMart. After seeing this sign, I am thinking that people should probably just drive around Fort Erie.