Attack This!

Port in Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:49:00 +0000

Port Dalhousie is a scenic little lakeside community in St. Catharines, Ontario Canada. The town served as the original entry way to the first of three different versions of the Welland Canal beginning in 1829 and ending in 1932 with the opening of the present version of the canal. While Port Dalhousie may have lost some of its importance as a gateway to the continent's interior, its seafaring traditions live on to this day.

The Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, one of the world's premiere rowing championships is held annually on nearby Martindale Pond. An influx of sailboats and yachtsmen have replaced the giant lakers that used to steam their way through the harbor and the area's most popular beach is packed in the summertime with swimmers and pleasure boaters alike.

Summer is Port Dalhousie's busy season. The community features an eclectic mix of shoppes, bars and bistros right across from Lakeside Park which was immortalized in the song of the same name by the band Rush. While the amusement park in the song may be long gone the beach and the carousel are all that remain.

This is late Winter however and not much is happening here along the west side of the harbor where the usual pedestrian traffic would be. Capturing the essence of summer in Port will have to wait until...well, summer. For this walkabout on a moderate but still chilly March Sunday afternoon with my camera i decided to follow the eastern side of the harbor which has always been mainly unexplored by myself.

The eastern side of Port Dalhousie features a waterfront trail that starts near a long arched green pedestrian bridge that allows you to cross over the harbor in between two of Port's most historic sights. Crossing the bridge and looking to your right stands the Lincoln Fabrics Factory, a typical industrial building that hasn't changed much since the turn of the century. Your view on the left side of the bridge is the remnants of Lock 1 and its wooden gate which has remained there since the third version of the Welland Canal was last used in 1932.

The waterfront trail then takes you straight up to the end of the harbor where the old canal has been filled in. Only a small hydro facility remains along with a weir underneath a vehicle bridge featuring four small man made but pretty waterfalls that allow the waters of Martindale Pond to eventually escape to Lake Ontario. The trail winds you around to follow the east side of the harbor. Along the way out to the farthermost reach of the eastern pier you'll encounter a few fisherman angling for trout and salmon, the Port Dalhousie Yacht Club and a couple of historic but now deactivated lighthouses. This time of year the boats are in dry dock awaiting spring and the pier is virtually abandoned of sightseers so the geese, ducks, gulls and even swans have taken over dockside.

These are only just a few of the pictures from my late winter walk. You can check out the rest here. Be assured Port Dalhousie is much more scenic and colorful during summer and I'll be saving the western side, the shops, park and beach all for a return visit when the weather turns beautiful again in just a few short months.

The last addiction...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:32:00 +0000

I don't even know how to write this post. I've put it off many times because much like the topic of it i just didn't want to deal with it...quitting smoking. Ah fuck for some it is such a trivial matter hardly worth mentioning or whining about but for me it has been something i've tried hundreds of times and failed at. Yet again i find myself in the beginning of a quit not wanting to fail but already feeling the loneliness of a self fulfilling prophecy.

I've read tons of materials and tips, taken the nicotine replacement therapies, tried the anti smoking drugs, pounded my head with videos and demonstrations of the effects of smoking yet i still can't seem to get past even the initial first few days or week of a quit. I've kicked other bad habits in my life much easier than it has ever been to kick smoking.

I feel bad about the failures, having put my girlfriend through countless amounts of bitch fits during quit attempts. One of the reasons i want to quit is because of her, she isn't a smoker and I'm sure she doesn't enjoy the fact i am. I want to quit because my mother died of lung cancer 10 years ago. I want to quit because my dad did it successfully 20 years ago. I want to quit because its been a waste of thousands of dollars over nearly half of my lifetime. I want to quit because I'm tired of being an addict, a slave to this addiction. I want to quit because I'm just tired of the cough, the shortness of breath, the pains and general shitty feeling. I want to quit because i have high cholesterol and if i don't stop I'll probably have a stroke or heart attack before I'm 40.I want to quit because i don't want yellow teeth, stained or smelly fingers and clothes and excessive dust everywhere. I want to quit so i don't feel like i have to sneak outside at work or in front of family and smoke in shitty weather.

So i have many reasons i want to quit but yet i can never seem to get it done. The minute i get to work I'm tempted. The minute i have money I'm tempted to buy a pack. I can't count the number of times i've bought a pack of cigarettes which are expensive, have a few smokes and then destroy the rest of the package. What a waste of money.

So has this quit been any different? Hardly...still up to my same old tricks of giving in, sneaking, wasting and failing. I've got to pull this shit together and finally do it. Then maybe i can take this picture of the dying cancer patient off as my iPhone wallpaper. Then i can feel better about myself. Then i can feel like i've accomplished something difficult which has eluded me for years. I want to do it, i have to do it, i can do it. I have to tell myself this over and over. Never give in. This is what i want, this is why i write this now. If I'd only listen to myself.

Please Boycott Marine Parks

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:05:00 +0000

It was a very sad news event this past week when Tilikum, a captive Killer Whale at SeaWorld Orlando killed his trainer. Dawn Brancheau was working with the Orca just after a public show at the marine park when the whale suddenly grabbed her, pulled her into the tank and refused to let go. Eventually Brancheau, who had dedicated her whole life to working with Orcas was drowned by the animal she absolutely loved. This was not the first fatal incident involving Tilikum or other captive Orcas. There have been many accidents and deaths over the years at many marine parks.

Dawn Brancheau died doing what she loved. As a young child she visited a marine park where she first encountered a Killer Whale and was from there on in inspired to work with these animals one day. Her path in life lead her directly to her dream job. When i was a child i felt the same way. I visited Marineland in Niagara Falls and the Vancouver Aquarium in BC and fell in love with Killer Whales. My childhood dream was also to become a marine biologist and hopefully one day work with whales in some capacity. This was not to be for me however. But no doubt many other children might have been inspired and successful like Dawn.

It is because of this childhood dream created from a visit to a marine park that i feel like a hypocrite as i write this. As a much older and educated adult now who has visited these places on occasion, i now know in my heart that these types of places are wrong and Orcas and Dolphins should not be held in captivity and made to perform. But if it weren't for that first initial visit just like Dawn's, might i have a lifelong interest in these animals?

Nowadays i feel guilty for having visited marine parks and don't believe they should exist. Whales & Dolphins are highly intelligent creatures that have complex social interactions with each other. They swim together in pods out in the open ocean for miles and miles every day. To keep these beautiful large animals confined and alone in these small tanks for their rest of their lives and performing tricks for our amusement is absolutely cruel.

When a confined wild animal attacks or kills a human it is a terrible thing but that animal shouldn't be there in the first place. I have vowed never to visit a marine park in my life again and i hope that you resist the urge to do the same as well. This not only includes places like SeaWorld or Marineland but also vacation destinations that allow people to swim or interact with captive dolphins. I hope that you don't support this exploitation either. For those that wish to see live dolphins or whales, eco-tourism opportunities exist that allow you to do so viewing them where they belong...in the wild.

Picturing a New Hobby

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:39:00 +0000

After getting the opportunity last year to play around with a few of Nikon's high end DSLR cameras, the D90 & D5000 I definitely caught the photography bug. I didn't have enough cash to throw down for a D90 my favored choice but after selling off some dust collecting collectibles I have managed to scrape up enough spare coin to purchase my first DSLR, Nikon's D3000.

The D3000 is basically an entry level DSLR aimed at beginners like myself who are also on a budget but is capable of taking some spectacular photos. I'll be honest i have much to learn about the technical aspects of photography and i've been trying to do a lot of reading about it. As far as the artistic side of things, I've never considered myself to be very artistic in any way so bringing this type of angle into my photography will also be quite a challenge.

Nevertheless I welcome my new hobby with enthusiasm and hope to practice it as much as possible. I'll be sharing any new adventures and shots here and in the photo section of the blog which is located under the "Etc." tab. I welcome all feedback from seasoned shutterbugs with advice to share.

The photos in this post are a few of the shots taken this past Sunday during a short jaunt through a small part of the vast Niagara Parks system. The Niagara Parks is one of my favorite areas to visit and photograph with its rich history and natural beauty. I hope to capture much more of it in years to come.

We started off in Chippawa at the conflux of the Niagara and Welland rivers. From there we visited Dufferin Islands, the old Toronto Power Generating Station and the Niagara Parks Commission Greenhouse. A brief visit to the brink of the Horseshoe Falls rewarded me with some nice shots of the Falls surrounded by snow, ice and a rainbow. You can see more shots from our journey here.

Back where i started...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:18:00 +0000

So here i am back at blogging again. I think this is what, the 3rd or 4th incarnation? So what is different this time? Well for once I'm not being nailed down to once specific topic or genre. My previous scribblings had much to do about something specific. Writing about the same thing for years can kind of become exhausting if you don't take a break or sometimes you might just exhaust the topic itself.

For years i wrote about my experiences as a strip club DJ while still working the circuit of the skin trade. Providing behind the scenes commentary on a secretive industry proved to be great blogging fodder until i was eventually found out and actually fired for some of the stuff i wrote. No worries, that world provided me with enough stories to keep the commentary up on that world for a long running sequel blog. Eventually though, many years removed from the industry i felt i had said all i could say about my nearly 10 years behind the mic underneath the neon.

The previous version of Attack This! was a site dedicated to tech, gaming and all things geek, some of my favorite things and all very SFW. I originally envisioned it to be much more of a collaborative effort, a team blog where others could and would hopefully contribute. Then i realized i don't actually have any friends, especially ones that have the same interests and/or are capable of stringing words together. So that didn't work out as planned. I did however manage to find some great contributors, other like minded bloggers who did a terrific job when they could of adding to the site.

I think the problem with the original AT! was its idea was bigger than it could actually become without me dedicating a lot more time to it for which i couldn't. The tech/gaming blog genre is heavily saturated and standing out is difficult. The topics are fast moving and ever changing, keeping up with everything became like a second job for which i didn't have the time. Writing reviews for games, gadgets or whatever took the actual fun out of enjoying them on their own in my own downtime. The daily demand could not be met given i actually have a real job. One thing about the original AT! that i miss was when i was able to successfully reach out to the rare company willing to send me their products to play with and review or at least score invites to various events.

So what will this blog be about? Freedom. The freedom to write about whatever interests me at the moment and whenever that moment is. No mandatory daily posts required and as NSFW as I like again. I'll probably still write about some tech or gaming but i can also post about sex, drugs and rock n roll again at my leisure. Having a more personal space and less semi professional script is nice. I can fucking swear again and post pictures of strippers. And that my friends is what life is all about.

Bio

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 17:57:00 +0000

Basically, I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels.

-- Frank Sinatra

My name is Mike and I'm 34 years old, I currently reside in the beautiful Niagara Region of Ontario Canada. I was born on the left coast in gorgeous Vancouver British Columbia and also lived on the vast prairies in Winnipeg Manitoba. As a child, traveling throughout Canada helped me develop a strong sense of pride in my Canadian identity.

I have many interests that may end up being reflected on this blog which include technology, music, movies, video games, politics, aviation, boating, sports, history, photography and more. I am in a long term relationship with a beautiful girl who loves me for who i am and for that I'm quite lucky.

While i consider myself a life long geek who often attempts to keep to himself in an overall anti social way, during the right brief moments of inspiration i might like to be the center of attention.

Life so far has taken me on many paths, from the boredom of middle class suburbia as a young boy to the gritty underbelly of working in seedy strip clubs as a young man. Currently i just try and live life by getting by without sinking too low below the poverty line and tough it out in a boring everyday office job.

My intention is to write this blog as honestly as possible but knowing the dangers of family, friends, loved ones or work associates happening upon it, some topics just cannot be written about. I've actually been fired from a job for blogging so definitely don't expect much talk about my career or employer. True thoughts of my relationships with people may be quite rare but i may just open up about myself like i never have before.

About Attack This!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 17:51:00 +0000

Attack This! is my own public place on the web. Unlike previous websites i've written for and edited, Attack This! has no agenda. It is simply a place to express myself in whatever way i feel. I'm under no pressures to update and I will when i want whenever i want.