The Gremlin's Grotto

Thoughts

2010-07-14T20:25:00.001-07:00

Well, it may be time to start writing here again... stress is crap and with the next 6 months looking no easier, it may be time to start writing it out again. Can't really talk to anyone, just doesn't seem to be the right thing to do. Job: I can handle. Anything else, not sure. I recently moved my whole life to a place I never thought I would want to be. Now, I am wondering if that was the right decision, or if it was a premature decision. It sucks. I don't want to regret it, I don't want to question it; but I do. Every day. It scares me. I know how I feel, but that doesn't really do me much good at all.

Life has been dwindled to a few soccer games a week and looking forward to a day and a half on the weekend. Fuckin' ridiculous. Fuckin' shitty. It's not a way to live. I want to be comfortable. I want to know. I want to be safe in my decisions. Questioning everything has been good for me up til this point... now... it's not. Need to shut down. Need to stop. I'm done.

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Coming Home

2006-02-20T07:41:00.000-08:00

Well folks,
I know I said this site is done, but I wanted to let anyone who drops by know that I am moving back to Canada. Yup, next month I am packing up shop here and moving back to Halifax. I have a few plans to make happen over there, and being here just isnt' helping anymore. I don't hate it here, I just see my life going forward if I come back to Canada. Right now, I am not in a career, I am in a job. I don't want that anymore. Anyway, let me know what you think, or if you have any questions.

Your friend,
Peter

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

I am sorry

2006-01-27T02:49:00.000-08:00

Folks,

I think this is the end of the blog. I am done. I have had a very very rough few weeks, and I just don't think I want to share anymore. I apologize, and I hope you all know that you are close to my heart. I will not lose contact with any of you. Thanks for being loyal friends.

Your friend always,
Peter

2006-01-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

Happy New Year and all that stuff. So, any new year resolutions? I have one: Find a new job that pays better. So far, no luck, and that job still hasn't said anything to me, feels like they are stringing me along, which sucks. Oh well, if it comes it comes, if not, then I look elsewhere. My New Year's was awesome, I watched Big Ben tick down, watched fireworks that were absolutely amazing... I mean, the whole budget of Canada was in this display. We drank, danced and had a great time on the boat in general. Going to work again was rough let me tell you. I just dont' have the patience left for it. Anyway, away from that topic.

We do have pictures from the new year's thingy, but I need to get them from Monica. Things are good overall. Not much really to say, as always, I did have things to say, and now I can't think of any of them. Oh well, sounds like everyone is happy back home, so I will leave it at that for now. Just for the record, welcome to my Grotto AJ!!!

So sits,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2005-12-28T03:57:00.000-08:00

Heya folks,
wow, I think I start every entry with that line... oh well. So, it is Christmas, I spent the weekend with some Canadian friends, which was fun. We watched movies and ate a shitload. All good. I wish Monica was around, but she went to Spain to spend Christmas with her family. She comes back tomorrow!! YAY!!! Yeah, screw off... I miss her okay? Miserable...*mumble*

So, for New Year's, we are going on a boat cruise. Dinner, a Thames river cruise and then it docks around Big Ben and we watch the fire works. Kinda cool huh? What else... oh, my big meeting is next week now. The dude who is thinking about hiring me isn't in until then. Wish me luck, I am soooo done with this job. Done. Anyway, this new job will be something good, if it happens. We will have to wait and see.

Hmm.. Well, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! Especially to Kimberley, who was the only one who left me a message here :) You know, it is strange, I always have alot to say until I sit down to write, at which point, I forget everything and manage to write a few words. I am thinking about taking Thai Kickboxing in the New Year... I took kung fu, Jujitsu, Gum Do, Ken Do, Sip Pal Gi... time to take something with a little more punch and a little less show. If not kickboxing, then I am thinking of taking Brazilian Jujitsu... Joyce Gracie's brother runs a dojo near where I live, and I just think that would be cool to be trained by the Gracie family!!!

This feels disjointed, is it reading that way? Not much else to say right now. Hope everything is well with you people, and try to remember me at New Years... have a drink for me (preferably a Sleeman's Honey Brown if you really wanna salute me).

So sits,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

2005-12-12T04:01:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

Well, here it is... Patrick Stewart!!! Not a great picture but hey. The show was incredible. A one man show, ' A Christmas Carol'. It was prettty funny too, his timing was good and it was just generally cool. We ran around to the back to try to catch him coming out, and we did hehe. Didn't get close enough to say hi though. What else is going on? I am off this week, which would be great if I wasn't all alone for it. Monica has to work, and no one else is around. I spent alot of this weekend alone since Monica had to do shopping (for me) and then she had some plans on Sunday with some workmates that she couldn't get out of. Ya know, I had alot to say before I sat down, but now that I am here, I can't think of one thing I wanted to write.

I watched my first ice hockey game of the year at the Maple Leaf, the Canadian pub downtown. It was Ottawa and Calgary, pretty good game really. The feed was from Hockey Night in Canada. Oh, I also saw Narnia... not a bad kids' movie. For adults... a little weak, but the effects were awesome. I spent alot of time this weekend on my ass watching films and theatre actually. Well, I will write again soon.

So sits,

The Desk Gremlin

Life and London

2005-11-30T23:49:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

Well, I have alot to say and very little time to fit it all in... I have to work in about 10 minutes. Anyway, here is the scoop: I had the interview, it went well, but wouldn't be a big improvement from here, and in order for me to move jobs, it has to be much better. I mean, too many risks in a new position, so the reward has to be worth it. However... and this is where it gets interesting, I have another job offer, not confirmed yet, but it has been brought up. I can't say too much because apparently people who I did not invite to this site have been snooping around. But, bottom line, this is a very good thing!!! Other than that, I have been doing well. I am finished christmas shopping!!!! That's right!!! It is very likely that me and Monica will be coming to Canada (destinations still to be figured out) in May. Cheapest time to fly if you can believe it.

Oh, hey Raylene and Sandy... I owe you a memory:

Raylene: I can't help but think of all those Christmases coming over to your place, it was always the place I looked forward to going to as a kid; you guys always had stuff going on. So, it isn't one memory, it is a amalgamation of all those christmases spent coming over :)

Sandy: Damn man, I had forgotten about that!!! That freakin' football match was rough!!! I know I am in better shape now than I was then... it may be time for a rematch!!!! That's right!!! Bring it on!! Anyway, a memory: hehe... as I was just thinking about it, I remember that big ass car you used to own back in CB. That beast was a lifeline to going out to Kenneth's place. You used to have shitloads of problems with it, but you were faithful to it! Defending it against the mean comments from people like Jay, Kenneth, and whoever else needed a ride hehe. Anyway, keep in touch bro.

Well there ya have it. A quick update that leaves you with more questions than answers I am sure. Oh hey, I am still playing 5 a side, it is really fun, and apparently the league I am in is the most competetive in London. It is in Tottenham, so that is the team that is supported by most of the players... just to let you know :)

I have to say, I walk by Westminster Abbey and Big Ben almost every day... how cool is that? I still can't get over it. Oh oh!!! one more thing as my time goes by here... I am going to see Jean Luc Picard!!!! Yup!!! Patrick Stewart is doing 'A Christmas Carol' here in London and I have tickets!!!! YAY!!!!! Anyway, talk soon folks.

So sits,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Monica and Me

2005-11-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks... Hm, I am not sure if this will work. Going to try though. Me and Monica... obviously :) I have a few things to say, but I will post again later this week. Just testing the picture. Anyway, I have an interview on Tuesday... I will let you know more soon.

My 30th...

2005-11-10T06:24:00.000-08:00

Hello again. They were some nice memories... they all made me laugh. But back to that in a sec. First off, I am turning 30 this weekend... yup, can't believe it actually, I don't feel that old... how can I possibly be 30???? Plans for the weekend? Well, my sister bought me and Monica tickets to go see Billy Elliot, which is the most popular play/musical happening here right now. Can't wait for that. On Saturday, we are having some friends over to Monica's for dinner and stuff, so that will be fun. Sunday is my actual birthday, and I have no plans. I don't think Monica does either, so it looks like a typical sunday: we sit around doing nothing, and being happy doing it. I also took today, Friday and Monday off work, which are my first days off since I started work at MWB... and I NEED IT!!! We have new staff, and one of them is a complete and utter ass. I think I will need a transfer if I stay with the company... yes, it is that bad. I don't have the energy to get into it, but needless to say, not good.

So, back to the comments. I feel like I owe you all in turn a memory back.

Kimberley: Well, let's see... there are two memories that come to mind, so I guess I will bring up the one that is the most important. You saying, over and over again... how you would NEVER.... EVER.... have a child!!! HAHA... yup, I can picture you right now, sitting there saying, 'never would I have a child.' Well, for you people who don't know Kimberley, she changed her mind within 6 months or so of me leaving the company ;)

Burton: Damn dude, you took all the great memories in a sentence. But, I guess the funniest memory was your grad party in your backyard. You were Hulk, Rick and others, going so far as taking off your shirt and strutting!!! Damn man that was some funny shit!!! WOOOooooooo

Alex: HAHAHAHA. Xela Orb... well, Xela Orb was a name that me and Alex used for any rented computer games that we needed to enter a name. It stood for Alex Bro(ussard). Sounded like a great name when spelt backwards. As for my memory of you: I have to say, probably the first time i met you, you long haired hippy!!!! We were at some little gym in Dartmouth learning how to pummel people with sticks. Anyway, you were really young, but I asked you if you felt like coming over to play some games with me, Jay and Vince. I still am not sure why, but you showed up!!! And hence began a great friendship that has survived over years and thousands of miles.

Dad: Damn, that is a tough one for so many reasons. I mean, you have always been there, and of course there are memories upon memories. I guess I will pick one that made me so proud of you. That one being the second bike trip from Halifax to Sydney. I remember hearing that you were going to make it (your first one ended close, with your knee giving out if I remember right), and not only was I proud of you for it, but also happy for you, because I knew that would mean alot to you as a personal triumph. There are alot of other memories that came to mind, but I like that one most.

Jay: Damn dude, that memory you wrote about would have been my first choice as well!!! Good god that is a hilarious memory. As for picking a memory: I have to say the numerous trips out camping in High School. We would pack up, you, me, Liam and Joel and find a place to just hang out for a day or two. They were always fun times, and I am sure my parents always wondered why in the hell we would do that. All honesty, I have no idea!!! But the Lake out by Liam's was a favorite spot... Good times... good times indeed.

Darren: You slacker!!! you didn't commit!!!! Well, you did make me laugh though. In turn, I will give you a memory: Actually, it goes back to the first meeting of you, me and Jay. We were playing games in your basement, and I had been told very little about you guys, but you made me feel like I had been part of your crew for a long time. You were a gracious host and never lost that.

Well, going down memory lane is fun, so if anyone else wants to post, I will return it in kind. Oh, Kimberley: Who's Got the Bomb... that was the game. You decided someone on the bus who was going to blow things up, and then come up with reasons why they were likely to do it. Not so funny now... sigh...

So sits,
Melancholy and full of memories,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

2005-11-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,
A friend of mine had this on his blog, and I realized it would actually be interesting to see what you guys said about me... I would love to see everyone who reads this to post something.

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want, either good or bad. I promise not to come after you with a spork, either way.

Not much else to say at the moment... umm... nope.

Oh, I am trying to get my hands on a digital camera for a pic of me and the missus.... will keep you updated.

So sits,
Bored but content
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Still here, just a little slower with entries

2005-10-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

Heya folks.

Well, let's begin with something fun: I met George RR Martin, author of the best fantasy series ever!!! Strong comment? Yup. Read them and find out why I say that. Anyway, he looks like Tyrion from his series... far from a compliment hehe. I told him he had to visit Canada, and apparently he already had a 5 city tour planned, although none to Winnipeg or Halifax (damn it). Other than that, it was a fun little book signing.

What else? Well, my new relationship is going well. We are planning a Halifax-Winnipeg trip for March next year. Not sure how long in Halifax, it will totally depend on how we get connecting flights. Work now knows about us, which is funny. My boss made a cheeky comment on Friday asking about what I am doing on the weekend etc... ah well, we still hid it for over a month.

Work.... sigh.... I am still here, no interviews lined up. My boss has acknowledged that she is trying to prep me for promotion because she knows I won't stay much longer in the position I am in. Well, nice to be appreciated I guess. Let's see how quick I can move this along.

Vacation: next year I know what I want to do... this year, I have no cash and I have no plans. Monica is heading to Spain for a week at xmas, so when she comes back I will take a day or two so we can spend some of New Year's together etc. I have about another week and a half to decide on... I do not want to sit at home for that long... I will go NUTS!!!! So, what to do? I really want to go to Lincoln and see the cathedral that I wrote a LONG essay on ( I got an A to boot), but we will see.

Football: I am playing with an older group of guys, me being the youngest (I am pretty sure). We usually get our asses handed to us, but we have fun and I am becoming a pretty good keeper (for 5 a side). Actually, as we speak, I am in pain. Last night I had about 45 shots on me within 50 minutes... it's alot, trust me. Made a few good saves, but my body paid a bit for it since it is worse than the surface that we played on at Coverall. Anyway, still fun, I love it.

Keep in touch, and keep me informed on your lives there.

So sits,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Life is Good, but work still sucks

2005-10-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

Well, let me give a short update on what is going on around here. I am getting more and more frustrated with work... one thing I will never say is that the English are efficient. We had a day where we were short staffed by three people, and me and Lee ( another coordinator) did more work that day than the previous 3 weeks. Why you ask? Probably because we don't treat each other like babies, we just get the work done! Hard concept around here apparently. I got in trouble because I fail to use the word 'please' when I ask questions to workmates. For example: ' Can you go and do x for y?' is not an acceptable way to ask a question around here, regardless of time restraints etc... I must say: ' Can you go and do x for y, Please?' Small thing, maybe, but I am there to work, not to treat my colleagues like children. Ettiquette classes are over, welcome to real life WORK! I do say thank you, and appreciate what is done for me, but come on... what is the big deal? You are asking, what is the big deal the other way? Well, first off, if I have to worry about small things when talking to my workmates, I am more likely not to bother and to get things done myself... which means efficiency suffers ( I can't do everything, although sometimes I feel like I am). Anyway, I just would rather spend my time worrying about what has to be done, rather than who I am offending because I didn't sugarcoat a question. Ridiculous I say!!!

Now, on to happier things. As far as I can tell, I have a girlfriend. Funny huh? I mean, we spend all our time together (well, on the weekends. During the weekdays is a bit different due to location) and we have talked about future trips/plans, but we never officially said anything regarding our relationship. Meh, some things can be better off left unsaid or something like that.

Anyway, it is the girl I explained before: Monica. She is from Bilbao, Spain and has lived here off and on for about 10 years. Anyway, the bottom line on this is I am happy with her... makes living in London a hell of a lot easier to have someone.

I have also had a friend from my trips around Europe come visit me. His name is Adrian and is an Aussie... no one is perfect right? ;) He is a great guy who I met in Barcelona and we spent many a drunken night singing and walking... and walking...nothing in Barcelona is easy to find. Anyway, he is a wanderer and needed a place to stay for a few days, and of course my place is always open to friends. He spent a few days, then he went North to get his shit and headed off to Hong Kong for a while. He will be back this way eventually... who knows when? The shado... wait, no... only Adrian knows for sure. Anyway, I wish him all the best on his journeys and he knows there is always a place to crash.

So, here is a summary: I hate my job now... not the work, just the frustration. So, I am looking for a new job, something where I have more control and don't have to answer to a bunch of muppets. Regardless of work, I am a bit happier now with Monica. I am starting to find a good circle of friends to hang around with. Overall, I am content.

So sits, sober and happy,
the Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Drinking and Work and Fun ho ho!

2005-09-25T03:59:00.000-07:00

Heya folks.

Well, I have about an hour before I have to start a tubeless trek into the heart of London. Oh, you think having an underground is a good thing, but when they work on the track you are on almost every weekend, it kinda sucks. I don't even understand the bus system here, but it is either that, a cab (25pds to the centre) or staying home (not an option). So, you ask what am I doing today? Going to a gallery, I think the Tate Britain, which I have yet to see. I have been to the National Gallery, I have been to the National Portrait, the Tate Modern and Saatchi ( a small private gallery, very very cool), but I have not been to Tate Britain or the Dali Gallery so today will hopefully be in one of those.

So, my week was okay mostly. I decided that the French girl that works with me is...well... very French. Nasty attitude and self-righteous. So, I am hoping that she, or me, will be transferred relatively soon. This may happen since we are both getting interviews for the new position at work. It will be a raise and a promotion so I am hoping beyond hope to get it. I have a good chance, but I am not sure how many people are up for the position, so we will see. Other than that, I started my new 5 a side team on Tuesday nights. Oh my god, the rules are strange!!! It isn't like indoor, it is completely different: keeper can't use feet to pass, can't come out of his crease at all, ball never above shoulder height, nets are only 4 feet high...very very strange. I am still getting used to it, but it is fast and will help me get in shape.

Friday night a few people from work went out drinking. Me, one of the guys I work with directly, the maintenance guy and two of his friends, and two of our clients. One of the clients is this cool English girl that I always joke around with about netball (what is netball??? I have no clue really), and the other client is the sexiest girl in our building, hands down. She is a Spanish girl who has been working here for years. So, the night was good. I drank, we drank and then we went home. So, I was going to leave it at that, but I just can't. I am going to the gallery today with Monica (Spanish girl). Yeah, Friday night was good.... understatement. It was brilliant. Nuff said.

So sits, happy and recovering,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Trying to get home for November

2005-09-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I am here again. Decided to just fart around today and do internet stuff. I did. Anyway, I wanted to update this and let you know what is going on. I have applied to the new position at work, but have not heard back yet. Not sure if I met the deadline or not, although I am sure I did!!! I should hear back this week. I have found a 5-a-side team to play on on Tuesday nights as well. This is good news, I can now quit the Sunday team since I doubt I am going to get any playing time with them anyway, and I refuse to practice/train and then get no reward at the other end. Not complaining, whatever works for them is fine, but I am looking for a team that rewards effort, and they have found another keeper who they obviously feel is better than me (and he is!!!). So, I will leave them, and try to find another Sunday league to join, but if not, at least I have this new team :)

Work this week was good. I did some more training with purchase orders etc, which is something that is good to know for future jobs. Hmm, what else am I up to? Not too much really. I have felt really busy, even though I don't seem to do too much beyond the occassional pub evening, or football. I still miss home, and still going to spend some time looking for work back home, but it will take a very good job to pull me back at the moment (mostly because of financial obligations... making English cash is GOOD). People ask, 'do you like London?', and I honestly can't answer. It is a strange place, usually you can say whether you like a place or not, but I honestly can't here. I like things about it, then there are other things that suck (like tryign to meet up with friends here, it can take up to 2 hours on the tube to get where you want to go). It is a busy town, and that I like. I saw STOMP! hmm... I may have mentioned that already... never mind. I will go see some more very soon. I also have some galleries I still need to go see, but I am waiting until I have someone to go with... not many people I know here are into that kinda thing. I am spending alot of time reading, which is good. I have no tv and no computer... wow... weird huh? Oh, and George RR Martin is coming to London!!!! Oct.21, 5pm!!!!! I will be the first in line!!!! If you don't know his books, look him up!!! I am serious, best books I have ever read. *glares at Alex, Darren and the others who have yet to read them!!!*

So sits,
the Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Well, here I sit.

2005-09-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

Funny, I am always sitting when I write these... coincidence? Probably not.

Well, I had a rough week, in fact the week from hell. I got blamed for pretty much anything and everything that went wrong at work. Why you ask? Well I guess because I am the senior Service Coordinator... oh yes, 3 months that's it. Anyway, even funnier is the fact that I am applying for a promotion; I figure if I get more money, the responsibility is worth it. I have a football match again tomorrow, I didn't go last week... just couldn't do it. Hopefully I will get the start, but if not, maybe the other keeper will make an ass of himself. Yeah, bad mojo, but I really want to play. Hmm, what else? I am looking at coming back to Canada for a break in October, but still playing with that stuff... mostly money. If I can find airfare for a good price, then kudos to me.

I went to see STOMP! this week, it was pretty much the same routine I remember, but damn it was fun. Not much else going on, but I would love to hear what other people are up to!!! I only hear from a few of you!!!!

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

My Imagination sucks right now: another update

2005-08-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hello folks,

Alrighty, let me give you an update again, just so we can say I did it. I have been all but promised a promotion by my boss as long as things keep going the way they are. This would mean a pretty substantial raise ( I think), more resonsibility, and possibly a move to another centre. I am enjoying the job though, it is hard work, and busy, but hey... that's what you get paid for. It's a long weekend here, so I am going out drinking a bit tonight with Mike (my Canadian friend). I had practice today, our season is about to start, another few weeks to get ready. Not sure if I am starting goalkeep but I got scouted today by another team that was practicing at the pitches, so they took my number and will get in touch soon. Kinda fun to be scouted honestly... it was odd. Other than that, I am still having money issues here, my taxes are absolutely jumbled, meaning I am getting nailed on them about 35% or so. Next month I should get all this extra taxation back, but until then... it's bread and water for this Canuck!!

Trying to think of anything else that I have been doing. I guess besides work and soccer... oh wait, I have been painting. Yup, finally. I have been given paints before, but never even cracked them open, but this time, I am truly giving it a go. I gave one to my sis and bro-in-law for their wedding present, and now I am working on another one for my boss's wedding coming up soon. And I have another one on the go, kind of a dark theme. Anyway, that's my life at the moment. Could be better, could be worse.

So sits Content and eager,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Just a little update

2005-08-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks.
Just thought I would update while I am sitting here on a rainy day in London. I am being trained at work constantly now, doing day courses, two day courses etc. It is a good sign, means I am getting closer to being able to ask for a promotion, which I am thinking I give 6 months, if I don't get one, I am gone. I know that isn't a long time, but if you saw some of the people that are above me, you wouldn't blame me. Hmm, well a good raise would keep me there as well I suppose. So, I am looking for a part time job to supplement my income while I am trying to get off the ground. Also, going to start looking for a new place to live. There is one roommate that I absolutely cannot stand, so... I will move. I know the other roommates don't like him, but I know he won't move until the 6 months are up, and I just have no patience right now (as you can tell I am sure hehe).

As you can see, I am spending alot of time trying to change things as they stand right now. Sometimes I find that is the best thing to do when you are bored. Work is the best thing right now, I would rather work 7 days a week than do pretty much anything else. Why you ask? Well, I am not actually sure, it's not like I am a workaholic by nature or anything. Hmm, this is a very strange post, I am reading it and wondering what the hell I wanted to say... not too much apparently. Well folks, thanks for all the comments this time around, good to know that you are out there reading this stuff :) Oh, Kim, if you want, you could always stop by England on your way to Italy ;) If not, I hope I get some pics!!!!

So sits,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

What to do?

2005-08-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

Well hello there folks,
Thanks Burtonium for keeping my site alive!!!! *glares at the rest of you*. So, I am actually enjoying my job, although I am not paid nearly enough for the shit I have to put up with (same as any job really right?). Other than work, I have made the soccer team I had been trying out for, not sure if I am starting goalkeeper or not, but I will at least play half the games. I have a game tomorrow, so I have to impress them basically. I am still looking for a weekday team to join so that I can have at least two games a week, but it isn't easy breaking in. Other than that, i haven't done much since last time I posted. Doing courses through work, getting more and more responsibility and still getting paid the same.

Now, let's see... funny story... ah yes, my roommate from Australia. His name is Mark and he is quite literally insane I think. He talks to himself, fidgets CONSTANTLY and kinda murmers and mumbles all the time. He also just has no tact, no consideration and well... he is just a bloody barbarian from the outback. Now ask me if I like him. We only have a 6 month lease, so it will be possible to change the dynamics in the house after a short time.

I am still looking for a better job, either in my field or worth more money. I am not bent on staying here, so if any of you have a good job come up or something, let me know!!! I will look into it. Anyway, take care folks and keep in touch.

So sits, content but not satisfied,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Lonely London

2005-07-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Heya folks,
Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but it has been a rough go. Trying to get organized both financially and socially, figuring out what the hell I am doing and such. Anyway, here is the latest:

First off, I have survived the bombings so far. Well, in all honesty there is more of a chance of getting struck by a runaway bus than there is of me getting blown up, but I will state the obvious. Other than that excitement, I guess the only thing to report is an interesting night with my sister, brother in law and my coworkers. First off, I have never seen so much debauchery in my life!!! Coworkers making out with married coworkers, coworkers picking each other up all over the place!! I had one or two offers, but I decided that it was definitely not something that was worth getting involved in. So, after all this craziness, a fight breaks out between a bunch of people we were with. So, Tomas (brother in law) jumps in the middle and gets all bloody( none of his blood of course hehe) and I jump in a bit later after trying to drag my friends outta the mess before the cops show up. It was an interesting scuffle, but nothing really serious happened... at least to us.

Hmm, what else? I know there was something else I meant to write about, but I am drawing a blank. Oh, the loneliness that is London. It is amazing! Surrounded by people but you feel like you are alone. Never really felt this before, even in the other big cities I have been in. I mean, nothing serious, but people act differently here. Back home people will make time to at least go to coffee with you and such, but here you won't see a friend for months for no better reason than they won't make time for you. Strange huh? I talked to some other foreigners, and they agree that it is a strange English phenomena. Definitely not used to having good friends a phone call away... well technically you are still a phonecall away, but you know what I mean. I am still trying out for an amateur league soccer team as keeper, they are premier division, and the league seems good, but I am still hanging in the tryouts hehe. I also called for an indoor league to try to get some more playing time. Well, I will cut this short as I am at work waiting to go home. I hope I will hear from some of you soon!!

So sits, melancholy and lonely,
the Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

2005-07-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

This is getting old... sorry I haven't been online in a while folks, just been trying to get into a groove here in London. Anyway, there have been some more attacks, but I am fine... again. Anyway, if you need to talk to me, call: 44 208 451 3515

That is my home number, take into account time zones please!!! hehe. Anyway, take care, will let you know more soon about life in London.

So sits, a grumpy ol Gremlin
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

I am okay

2005-07-07T04:02:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, just a really quick update to say that I am okay. Things are hectic here, I am at work, and I will be fine. Sorry so short, I am at work trying to deal with all the crap. Take care, I will let you know more later.

Love you all
Pete

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

A Prague Tale

2005-06-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

Heya folks! Well, I have went and gone... no that isn't right, come and gone... that doesn't sound right either... hmm... I went to and came back from Prague for my sister's wedding (not quite poetic, but true enough). It was beautiful, easily the nicest wedding I have ever been to honestly, and I am not saying that because I am biased at the couple getting married. The site, the people, the ceremony... all perfect. You couldn't ask for anything better. The traditions melded perfectly, the smashing of a plate, the tinking of wedding glasses, the kiss, the alcohol (wait, that really is the same in every culture I think). You get the idea. I made a legend of myself, getting absolutely smashed the night before the wedding passing out and then apparently sleep walking to my sister's room to say hi at night. well ok, not hi as much as a hazey stupor (which I still don't remember). Anyway, it was hilarious and the next morning both sides of the families were having a good laugh at the Gremlin's expense. It was fun though, and I was sober enough to stand in the wedding with no issues.

It was awesome to see everyone again: Lisa, Tomas, my parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and of course an old roommate. I wish I had had longer with the lot of them. I am going to try to convince my sister and Tomas to get their asses over to England for a quick visit before they run for USA again. I know I could write alot more about the wedding, but I am pretty tired and this keyboard is really bad, so I am not being inspired here. However, I really wanted to say that I enjoyed the wedding and that it was a spectacle.

Other than that, I am working and living in London. Canada day will be interesting, I am heading downtown for the Canadian festivities. Right now, I am feeling a bit homesick, missing friends and family more than I ever have in the past. At some point I will have more interesting stories, but until then, I will try to write once a week to keep you all updated on things.

Once again, Congrats to my Sis and new Bro in Law!!! I hope to see you again soon (actually that goes for all of you reading this!!!).

So sits, Lonely but with good memories,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

The Hostel of Horror

2005-06-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

So, I have a story to chill you to the bone, if you have a weak heart, or need medicine for your nerves, you may want to consider not reading any further. So, here is the story.

I had a great day at work, getting along with the coworkers, having a good time, learning alot. We needed to stay late to set up some offices, and I didn't get off until 8. Before I went home, I did my email and kept up on local events. Then I went back to my room... In the hallway I met up with an Iranian who has a German passport (apparently, he has been living in Germany a long time, irrelevant, but I want you to get the whole story). He is about 40, and looking for work, so I think, " hey, we have the basics in common." We enter the room, and both go to our respective beds on opposite corners of the room; he passes out/falls asleep, and I decided to read a bit. Around 10 I turn out the lights and settle in for a good sleep for the first time since I began work. I fall asleep. I wake up to the sound of water falling, possibly a drainpipe. Upon further listening, I realize it is the Iranian taking a piss, I think, " Bastard pissing out the window, what a tit-head, however I am in bed, I am comfortable and I am tired so let him do his business." After what seemed like a very long time, I think, " WOW, this is the longest piss in the history of pissing out hostel windows!!!" At this point I look to make sure that he is actually doing his deed out the window, but I can't see him!!! After looking around the dark room, I see him pulling up his draws near the bed next to me. I immediately jump up, he goes back to bed and apparently right back to sleep before I have time to turn on the light. When I do, I see a horrendous river of yellow moving slowly towards my gear on the floor. I run over and move everything I can away from this pooling cesspool of human excrement. After doing this, I decide to go talk to the hostel owners and see if I can get him removed. I do. After much laughing by the other guests present, and twenty minutes later, they come up to remove him from the room. I go in just as he is leaving, at which point he shares one parting word with me, " Asshole." My reply, " I was thinking the same thing." Then we part ways.
Now, this leaves me in a room with 8 beds, 2 of which are occupied, and 1 of which is filled with piss. So, I go back down the 5 flights of increasingly steep stairs and ask who is going to clean up the mess. They respond, someone will in the morning. Not acceptable. I get a bucket and a mop and go about cleaning the room. I remove the pissy mattress too. So, after all this, me and my roomie that is left, an Aussie also looking for work, go to sleep at around 1:30. At around 2:30, the light goes on, and 5 what I think are spanish girls walk into the room with all their stuff. Oh, you are thinking, " lucky boy!" Well, you would be right if I were awake, not working in the morning and basically not really 'pissed' off at the whole night. So, after they laugh, talk and scream at normal decibels for a while, I ask them to turn out the light. One girl obliges. Another girl doesn't like that idea and turns back on the light. I am getting more and more irritated. So, I put up with this for an hour, then finally as if God has said, " Okay, I have treated this poor kid worse than Job tonight," The girls go to sleep. And so ends my night. 7:00 comes early to those who have suffered the indignities I did...

So sits, Tired and perplexed by the idiocy of people,
the Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Ups and Downs

2005-06-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

So, I got the job, I am making okay money... great money if you consider it converted, which you really can't. I found some people to share a flat with, we put down a referencing fee (just a way for them to hose you here), and was already to move in. Now, apparently the two girls had a falling out with the other guy that we were ready to sign with... bloody hell. So, now they are going to kick out the guy and try to find another person to take the room... sounds easy? Never. And, in the meantime I am staying in a stupid hostel again. It is really too late for me to back out of the deal with the girls, so now I have to sit patiently while they search for another... shouldn't take too long, but what a pain!!!!

I start work tomorrow, and I think it should work out well... well, it actually has to work out, I am in debt up to my eyeballs, and have to pay a hundred people back, and I have put all my eggs, along with the chickens into this basket. So, I am not sure whether I am happy, sad, or what... so much stress the last month and a half that it is wearing me down. Hard to figure out what is next on the agenda.

What else? Hmm... I can't think of anything. The hostel thing sucks so bad... trying to wake up in the morning surrounded by people that I have to worry about waking and such, just a serious pain in the backside. Hopefully I can keep my suit from getting too wrinkled while I am there.

Oh, by the way, one comment from last post!!!!!??? Come on!!! I need comments!!!! that's all for now, this is a really condensed entry I realize, but I am just too tired to come up with a well written one.

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

London work, my life, and my story

2005-06-07T06:47:00.000-07:00

So, where to begin? Well, I had my orientation today. This orientation was "for my benefit" apparently, to decide whether I wanted the position or not. Basically it comes down to this: I can't get a job that I am qualified to do, and I can't get a job I am overqualified to do. She said that her only problem with me was that she thought I would get bored too easily doing this job. God damn it, I can't win can I? So, after some convincing that this was my dream job etc... I was happy there was room for advancement (which was true), she said she would love to have me on. It was kinda nice actually, she said they love people like me who are too good to be true, but are wary at the same time that I would leave for something as quickly as possible... which is true, but I didn't let her know that.

Tomorrow she calls me and tells me where exactly I will be working. It will be in Central London (the good parts) for sure, but not sure what office yet... or if I will be a floater, going from office to office weekly to help out. That is kinda cool too actually, but we will see. I asked for the 24th off, because of Lisa's wedding, which was cool with them. Hmmm, what else? Not much right now honestly. I need to find a place to live, get a bank account, and basically get settled. I also need to find enough cash to survive for the first month!!! Sigh, ya know, I am definitely getting too old to start over all the time. Anyway, gotta go look for a place to live, and all that jazz. Hmmm, I really want to say more, but I can't think of anything!!! My life has been really boring lately considering where I am. Well, hope everything is well back home, and I can officially say that the offer to come visit me is open!!!! Oh!!! I know one thing I was going to say: Colin!!!! GRATS ON THE HOUSE!!!! WOOT!!! Wish I was there to help you move in ;)

So sits, somewhat pleased, but more indifferent,
the Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Well, good news

2005-06-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hello again loyal readers!!! I would say fans, but that makes me sound a bit more like a rock star than I am, or care to be. So, as Burton has alluded to in his last post, I have good news! I have a job!!! Sure, it isn't in the art field, it doesn't pay as well as I was hoping, but there are good things about it. First off, if you convert it to dollars, it is a rocking salary. Second, I get to stay here for a bit longer. Third, it is a job that should allow for advancement and more money. Fourth, did you ever notice how most people only do three points and then stop... well not this gremlin! Fifth, it is in London, and it is a job!!!! So, basically I still don't know a starting date, although I have an orientation next week; I don't have a place of work yet, since they haven't decided which office gets their token Canadian yet (all offices are in London, just a matter of which one gets me). Hmmm, anything else to tell you? Oh, what I am actually going to be doing... well, I am not 100% sure. My title is Service Coordinator, the company is an office/meeting room supply company. It works like this: company wants office, but hates making coffee, setting up computers, setting up phones, figuring out costs of all this crap, hate having answering services... well, we provide all that, and they pay one fee. We also have meeting rooms that work the same way. So, my job: I set up meeting rooms, scheduling, sales, make sure customers are happy, and yes... I even make the coffee. So, I am the cog of the well oiled machine. Damn, that was a good line huh? Just came up with that one on the spot. Now, I will still be looking for work in my field, and I will also be considering other countries as I do my search, but at least I can make money and stop worrying.

Wow, I needed that break didn't I? My eyes were hurting rereading this. So, back to my explanation. I am still living in the south for now, at least until they say, " Juan (I changed my name to Juan while I am in London. I look like a Juan don't I? Okay, so I didn't change my name), you will be working in *office X*." Once I find out that, I will start narrowing an apartment search down. No ideas yet on that front, but I have a pal here who will surely help me on the search. My next question: Who is going to come visit me??!?! I asked some of you in personal emails... you know who you are! but, I am still waiting... obviously, give me enough time to find somewhere to live, and therefore somewhere for you to crash, but the offer will remain open!

Next thing on my agenda... figuring out exactly HOW I am getting to my sister's wedding... and when. Well, that's it for now, but keep in touch folks, I miss you all.

So sits, a Londoner!!!!
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Another week...

2005-05-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I want to start this post off with something positive... congratulations to Arsenal for having the best luck I have seen in... well probably my life. Man U kicked their asses, but yet, somehow (I think the curse of Glazer has already begun), Arsenal still won in penalties!!! Oh, and for you guys who know my soccer love: Lincoln is still in playoffs in Div 2!!! That's right!!! Hmm, other than that, here is what I have to tell you all: not much at all. I have realized almost all my closest friends are married, have kids or will be married and will have kids soon. Amazing isn't it? We all growed up... well, almost all. So, I have given myself a deadline to get work: a week and a half. If I don't have something positive happening (ie job interviews), or a job lined up, I am calling it quits and coming home. Well, I will be coming home after my sister's wedding. I will go spend some time in Czech Rep until the wedding, and then go home. Now, home is..well, I haven't decided!!! Winnipeg and Halifax both have a place in my heart now, oh yes, Winnipeg has a place in my heart! Good lord....

So, I would like to hear the two factions give me good reasons to move to their respective cities, that does not mean other places are left out, if you have another good place for me, feel free to chime in... I am open to anything. I am truly disheartened over the whole not finding work thing, I mean, I could find work doing minimum wage here in a corner of England that I would never get out of, but that is not why I am here. I want experience in the right area (sales, teaching or art), and if I can't have it, I might as well come home. I have looked at everything, I have applied for more than those three aspects, and have had little success with them. I may have an interview next week (I was told I would), and I have registration forms to become a substitute teacher with maybe a full time position in September, but I need work NOW. So, I will get off the registration, I will hopefully have my interview, and I will hopefully get a job. If not, debate is on: where oh where does the little Gremlin go from here?

Oh, you want to know what I did all week don't you? I am in Europe so therefore it should be exciting right? Sheeeet, no. I went for a walk, I watched English soaps and English trash tv, I watched some soccer (highlight of my week), and I looked for work for 5 hours a day or so. Yup, Good ol' England.

So sits, Confused as hell,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Not much to say

2005-05-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,
Before I get yelled at by Darren again for not updating, I thought I would beat him to it. As you can probably guess, I didn't get the position. Apparently, I am not 'hard core' sales enough for them, which they decided without calling references, or even giving me a real chance. Oh, but my second place prize is that 'I am a nice guy'. Well... guess what I have to say to that? Nothing nice I promise, in fact, it really brings me to a boil. I will spare you all the verbal venom I want to unload, mostly because family reads this hehe.

So, back to the job search, I have applied to about another 6 jobs in two days, and hopefully something will come of it. Ya know, I hate looking for work more than anything else in life. In fact, it is more fun to get hit in the danglies by a soccer ball flying at mach 2. and yes, I have felt that, and yes, it is more fun than looking for work. I have discovered something about Winnipeg that honestly might be the best part about it: hay fever and allergies. Yup, I am suffering now, and I haven't felt like this since before moving to Winnipeg. Dry weather must be good for me. So, hmm... oh, congrats to Yo Mama for winning their first game in STYLE!!! Burton.. score a goal this year boyo!!!! You deserve it. Oh, and when you do, point to the 'camera'.

Hmm, anything else? Probably not, but I better be kept informed on how both teams do this summer. I am doing my part keeping you guys informed. Oh!!! You wouldn't believe the mess that Glazer is causing Man U over here. I have never seen such a disdain for a human being in my life. I think he will be lynched if he ever comes this way! Anyway, other than that, not much to say.

So sits, discouraged and bored,
the Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

The Job hunt

2005-05-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

Heya folks,
Well, where to begin? I am down in West Sussex again right now, after having spent a week in London with Mike. I had a great time up there and kept up the job search, working with specific websites that are better than most (and before you ask, going into places to hand out resumes seems like it is undone now in any field. Not to mention it is almost all recruitment agencies). Anyway, I managed to get an interview with a recruitment agency that handles galleries. I had that interview and they decided to send me off to two galleries that need managers. Out of that, I managed to get one interview with that company and I will be heading back to London for it( the job itself is in Winchester, west of London). So, back to Mike's. He is proving to be exactly how I remember him from 8 years ago: a really good friend.

So, Thursday I have the interview, hopefully with good results. Wish me luck, pray for me, keep your fingers crossed, rub Ghanesa's ears... whatever you do for good mojo. Oh, and Kimberley, Ray and Colin: you are references!! You can lie, you can embelish, whatever gets me this job!!!!! I may have embellished a bit on my ' managerial experience' with both EB and with FRS... soooo... hehe. Anyway, other than that, not much going on. Keep in touch folks, and I will update again once I have news.

So sits, nervous and anxious,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

a Week in London

2005-05-04T03:01:00.000-07:00

So, let me fill you in. I am currently sitting in Cambden Court area waiting to meet up with Kevin from my soccer club in Winnipeg. He is going on a backpacking trip and shot me an email to meet up before he begins a trek similar to what I did (different route, same concept).

My job search is going, not well, but it is going. I have applied to be a teacher... yes a teacher, and possibly a science teacher!!!! Sigh... life and its ironies huh? Ah well, it is good money and I need something ASAP. Besides that, I have applied for numoerous other jobs and it would seem that I just have bad luck, or bad experience to try to get a job... who knows. I am staying at Mike's for the week, deciding that being in London for possible job interviews and such is a good idea, not to mention I went into Sotheby's today and had a chat with the director... I think I am going to need to get a massive loan to make things happen *sob*. Everything else has been okay, not much in the ways of important stuff to talk about yet... oh, although I did get to walk around Whitechapel, which it just happens that Mike lives in that area (whitechapel murders, jack the ripper...get with it people!!). So, I am currently trying to make things happen, trying to get settled, find a sport team and overall try to enjoy the life over here.

Anyway folks, keep in touch and I can't wait to hear news of anything at all!!! doesn't have to be exciting ;)

So sits, frustrated but happy,
the Desk Gremlin
Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

South Shore of England

2005-04-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,
Well, I don't want to tick of D, so I decided to update. I am in err... well West Sussex I guess, although you can also call it Bracklesham Bay, near Chichester, the other side of Portsmouth; yeah, you guessed it, I have no idea where I am. So, my long trip is over and now I am looking for work. I am starting to see that getting hired by an English company may not be too easy. Anyway, the search is on.
Last night I went to a pub to watch the Liverpool/Chelsea Champions League Match and had a blast. The yocals were friendly and I ended up playing some billiards... oh, I met a bloke who 'lives in a caravan with me ma'!!!! That's right... you heard it!!!! For those who don't get the reference... too bad!!! I will explain next time. So, I like England so far, even though it rains almost every day and I am in the "asshole of England" as it has been explained to me. Other than that I am loving it. I desperately need work, and spend most of my day looking around, trying to find a placement agency that can help me. So, I have an author to suggest as well to those of you who like reading, Stephen Sherrill. I have read two books by him, " The Minotaur takes a Cigarette Break" and " Visits from a Drowned Girl", both of which are awesome books... kinda pulpy, but really well done.
Hmm, what else... well, for any of you I met on my trips across Europe, get in touch and tell me what is going on!!!! For those of you I know already, get in touch and tell me what's going on!!!!! That is all for now, I hope this post is at least a little entertaining for you all. Back to the job search.

So sits, peaceful and unemployed,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Suggestions for Kimberley and a little update

2005-04-21T03:02:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,
I know this is a quick update, but I wanted to let you know what is going on. I watched teh Chelsea/Arsenal match last night at a pub... it was an amazing atmosphere!!! It was a draw, which sucked for the standings, but at least Arsenal showed they don't need Campbell or Henry to keep up with Chelsea... just imagine if they were in the lineup!!! Anyway, enough with that.

I am staying at Chris's right now, at least until Saturday, then I will spend one more night in a hostel and make my way to West Sussex to see Barry and Sandra, and figure out what the hell I am doing.

Kimberley: alrighty, italy... well, first off I really didn't like Venice. It was smelly, the canals are cool, but the novelty wears off quick, and there isn't much to do if you aren't looking for a romantic vacation. It is also quite expensive. Hmm, Padua sucked too, nothing there at all worth seeing for you. I would start in Florence, it has lots to see and it is a beautiful city overall for sure. Then, down to Rome to see all the big things... Vatican, Colisseum and such. Do the Colisseum tour with Maximus Tours... you get the Colisseum and the Forum( two tours) for something like 10 euro. Great deal and great tour guides. I wanted to go to Pompeii, but i also heard that there are alot of thieves down there and you have to be really careful ( like most of Italy I guess), and someone said Naples is really dirty. Alot of Italians said to go to the bottom of the boot too, that is it was gorgeous and alot less touristy. other than that, I can't think of anything, but if you have any specific questions, I will try to answer them :)

As for touristy things in London... I did London Dungeon which was awesome, and the Tower of London, again great! The Beefeaters are freaking cool!!! I will let you figure that out. Hmm, I saw some galleries too, but I think I already mentioned those in the last post. Anyway, off to job hunt, got papers to read and such. I miss everyone, and hopefully you all miss me too ;)

the Quiz: Kimberley is dead on, there is a gap between the train and the platform, the lady on the announcements continually reminds you to ' Mind the Gap' and it is also written on the platforms near the the train entrance. It is freaking hilarious!!! Not really sure why, but we have been laughing about it for days. Anyway folks, talk later.

So sits, in a London internet Cafe,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Mind the Gap

2005-04-20T02:46:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,
Well, I can't believe no comments on my Amsterdam posts... now I wouldn't expect family to reply hehe, but come on!!!!

So, I am now in London, Joe has left and I am basically alone in my next adventure. I have a friend that wouldn't mind moving in with me, but I need to find work in his general area to make it feasible. I have seen the London Dungeon (pretty freakin cool), Tate Modern, National Gallery, some of the landmarks, and basically wondered around. Oh, for those who know.. I was at Charing Cross Road as well!!! I also plan to visit WhiteChapel at some point. So, tonight I am going to a pub to watch the Arsenal/Chelsea match, which should be interesting. Hmm, what else? Oh, I really want my own bed!!!! i have had enough of hosteling and changing beds every night, gets old quick. Thinking about getting a cell phone since I need a number to use to apply for work as well.. don't really like the idea overall, but I just can't see any other choice at the moment. Sigh... a cell phone goes against all my principles, but really... no other option!!!!

So, here is my list of favorite places I have been: 1- Barcelona, 2- Paris, 3- London, 4- Munich, 5 - Vienna, 6- Rome, 7- Florence, 8-Berlin, 9- Bayeux (just quiet... needed that alot), and 10- Athens. trying to decide whether I liked Florence or Rome more.. definitely a toss up. God, I have been to alot of places... just crazy. Probably met in the vicinity of 200 people, about 50 of whom I will be in contact with again at some point. So, overall I have to say I loved this trip, me and Joe got along really well (although I barely saw him in some cities hehe), and the sights were amazing. So folks, I will update again in a little bit, but I will be floating around to check email and comments.

Oh, and a little quiz... Anyone know what ' Mind the Gap' means in London? It is funny as hell, if no one gets it, I will post the answer next time ;)

hugs n luv from the City of Mist,
the Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

the Dutch are all stoned!!!

2005-04-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

Heya,
I thought I wouldn't get a chance for another update, but I am sitting here stoned, and Joe went to nap, so I have a bit of time. Well, Amsterdam... let me tell you, I wouldn't come back, but I wouldn't have missed this for sure. I don't think there is one person here that isn't Chronic... it is amazing, even the guy serving us at McDonalds must have been high. The weed is good, not sure if it is better than BC, I would have to say no overall, but some of this stuff can kick your ass. So, back to the real story: there are only a few things in Amsterdam to do, first... smoke and drink, yup you knew that one. Second, see hookers and strippers... kinda interesting in the sense of the sheer magnitude of people in the red light district, but meh. Next, the Heineken museum, we did it... kinda fun, but not great. A few museums top it off, and nothing very good at that. Ann Frank House and the Van Gogh museum are the highlights, neither of which interest me greatly.

Things are going good though, we are heading to London tomorrow( decided to stay in Amsterdam an extra day because a friend from Paris was joining us here... and she's cute). So folks, I will sign off once more and will talk to you all when I get settled in London.

So sits a stoned and somewhat melancholy,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

The rest of Paris

2005-04-13T01:42:00.000-07:00

Heya folks, I am sitting in the Flying Pig in Amsterdam at the moment, preparing mentally for the tasks at hand... and we all know what they are!!! Anyway, I noticed that alot of people are asking the lowdown on Paris. Well, let me tell you that it was probably one of the nicest places we have seen in total. The sights are amazing, I actually managed to get to three galleries, the Louvre( the worst of all of them honestly), the D'Orsay which is mostly the late 19th century, such as Van Gogh and Gauguin, and then my favorite, the Pompidou, which consists of modern art, including Andy Warhol and one Piet Mondrian! Anyway, besides that, there are the cathedrals, the Eiffel Tower, the Arch de Triomph, Champs d'Ellise, the Moulin Rouge( yeah, I saw it)... I mean, shit, it is at least a week's worth of stuff to do seeing new stuffs every day.
I would also say that it would be a nice place to live( this is for Alex and Meghan). It is a well run city, lots of places to live, pretty safe and absolutely gorgeous. The only thing I would suggest is at least attempting to speak French; they aren't as mean as people make them out to be, but if you go right into English without a "bonjour" or a "bonsoir" you could get cold responses.

I got to see some friends I made in Barcelona again in Paris, and it was a pretty tearful goodbye. I will definitely keep in touch with them, and hopefully at some point see them again. I also made one friend that I am going to see again in Amsterdam tomorrow. So, after Paris we went to Bayeux so Joe could go see the beaches of Normandy. Since I couldn't care less about WW2 history, I decided I would spend the day alone in Bayeux and enjoy the town of 15,000. I saw the Bayeux Tapestry( an amazing piece of work, and the museum was well designed), and I then went to the cathedral where I noticed a scene from the tapestry in relief within the cathedral. Overall it was an awesome day, although I left my bag in the hands of a hotel and when I got back my freaking Barcelona soccer ball was gone!!!! Not happy!!!!! Didn't pay much for it, so it wasn't a big deal, but it is the principle of it all.

So, here I sit, watching people roll some sweet bud, and waiting for Joe to get back from Ann Frank's House, again I didn't go because WW2 just holds nothing for me. I think we are going to get smoked and go to the Van Gogh museum... not a van Gogh fan, but maybe some weed will change that. For the family, relax... it is Amsterdam after all!!! Can't wait to see a sex show too... going to probably hit up one where fruit is involved... waiting for the girl from Paris to get here before we go there though.

I also got wind that Yo Mama is in the finals!!!! Damn it folks, you better win!!!!! I wish I could be there, I am itching to play now, hopefully England will see me on a team sooner than later. So, this is the last update before I get to London, I hope you guys have enjoyed my Continental tour, and I still have adventures to experience in England. Love you all, miss you bunches.

So sits a temporarily sober,
Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Paris... it's pretty cool

2005-04-09T01:46:00.000-07:00

Well folks,
I have made it to Paris. We dragged an English guy with us which is kinda funny, he was supposed to go back to London, but we convinced him Paris was a good idea. We then met two girls on the train that we have been hanging out with since we got here. So... here is the scoop: The Eiffel Tower is a huge chunk of iron, basically ugly as sin, but impressive in its size. We are doing Champs d'Elisse today ( I know I spelled that wrong), and doing D'Orsay, which is the 19th century art centre here. We did the Louvre yesterday, it is MASSIVE, I knew it was big, but not like that. It is less impressive than the Prado for pieces, but the sheer number of works makes up for it a bit. I actually need to sneak back in today to try and see two pieces I actually missed yesterday: the Raft of the Medusa and Liberty Leading the People. You need more days there than Disneyworld!!

In the way of Cathedrals/churches/basilicas, we saw Sacre Couer, St. Germaine and Notre Dame. The last one being the most impressive of course, the portals were amazing! So, other than that, I am not drinking while I am here, and basically just meeting and hanging out with a ton of cool people. Oh, I got my first sunburn in Barcelona, and it sucks royally. Hmm... thinking of anything else... oh, the Parisiens are actually very cool, I have been speaking french, and not doing too bad overall if you can believe that. Not much more to add right now, I just got up and we are gathering for the day's festivities. Wish I had something funny to add, but for those who want a really freaking cool song, look up " The Reefer Song" by Mindless Drughoover. It is quite possibly the funniest song I have heard. I know Colin and Burton will appreciate the new music ;)

Keep cool folks, I know I am... freaking Paris is cold right now!!!

Seeing the sights,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Barcelona... one last time

2005-04-06T00:53:00.000-07:00

Leaving for Paris today... decided to do this while I am hung over, so excuse the mistakes. For any who care... Barce is the biggest party town I have ever seen. Bars open at 11, party until 6... rinse repeat. The Catalunyans know how to party. So... this is for entertainment´s sake, sing this to Do Re Mi

Do I need to buy some beer
Re the guy who sells me beer
Mi someone who drinks my beer
fa a long long way for beer
So let´s have another beer
La ger is a type of beer
Tee No thanks I´ll have a beer

Anyway, I thought it was hilarious... I need to get outta this town hehe. I will be in Paris by tomorrow morning. I will check here again then.

So moves, again and again,
the Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Still Barcelona

2005-04-04T03:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I am still here, in fact, I might be here until Wednesday depending on what we decide in the next few hours. I am burnt out, feeling like the trip is over, but it isn´t. I am ready to go back to England and find myself a job. Not really sure why I feel that, some of it has to do with how old I feel in this hostel... it is a party hostel and the average age is pretty low I think. I have met a few great people, even a potential roomie for England depending on how things work out. Anyway, the game yesterday was amazing... picture 100,000 people in one place all screaming... crazy. The Catalunyans are definitely more civilized than the Germans or English at their games, but it didn´t change the atmosphere too much. The score was 3-3, with Barce tying it up in the last 30 seconds of extra time. Barce played like crap over all, but at least they came out with a point. Ronaldhino didn´t score, but he still made some pretty moves.

So, I will probably stop updating for a while since I really don´t feel like doing it too much anymore. I will still check comments and emails though, so I will be around for those who wanna chat.

So sits a done Gremlin.

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Barce

2005-04-03T04:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I am not really ready for another update, but I would like to clarify a few things... besides my disclaimer at the bottom of every post. This blog is not only for the people back home, but it is a running account of what I thought of each place and my feelings on everything. For example, Venice sucks ass. I am not qualifying that statement, it is mine to make and my place to write it. I have had a great time in almost every place I have gone, and if you look back through my posts, I believe that you will see that is true (for example, Czech Republic, I enjoyed my time with my sister and Tomas adn the other people I met there). I have given credit where credit is due, I have complimented and praised the people and places that have been good to me (Lis and Tomas for example). So, you see it is not the underappreciation for the hospitality of the people I meet or see, but it is a general opinion of the places I have been.

So, anyway, I am going to the Barce game in a few hours, and overall Barcelona has been one of the most happening cities we have been in. Parties constantly, the hostel is amazing, and the sights are beautiful.

So moves,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Got my tickets for Barce game!!!

2005-04-01T06:51:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,
Well... let´s see. We finally made it to freakin Madrid after 3 days of traveling from Athens. Lesson= Do not do Spain in the middle of your trip. Had to make reservations for every train, and there weren´t many from France into Spain. Anyway, nuff of that crap. We got into Madrid and went to see our two friends that we met in Florence. Spent the night and the next day with them, seeing the sights and just chatting. So, I saw the Prado... holy crap! I saw Goya, Valezques, there was a special exhibit on Durer, and there were lots of others, but the one that got me was Goya´s Third of May. That was just amazing to see. The next day we went to the modern art museum (don´t worry, Joe isn´t minding TOO much hehe). There we saw some early Dali (not the Surreal, but more Cubist and abstracts), Picasso including Guernica, and even Marcell Duchamps´first ¨quintessential modern piece¨the Fountain... basically it is a urinal with the name R. Mutt on teh side... but I was happy to see it.

So, now onto something that was just freaking AWESOME. We decided to go play some football in the park, just kick the ball around and juggle etc. Me, Joe and some American guy from our hostel... well when we got to the 5-5 field (similar to an indoor field, basically a fenced in court with 8 by 6 nets on either end), there were some Spanish guys playing a game. They asked us to play, and we joined in. It was just incredible to be playing a game of pickup soccer in Spain. Some of the guys were just amazing, but I think me and Joe kept up to the pace, and even managed to net a few goals between us (that´s right, I managed another goal... shit, and here I am leaving Ragnarok when I am finally starting to find my game). So, needless to say that was freaking awesome... oh I said that already... well, too bad, it was!!!!

Now we are in Barcelona, the people are nicer, the women are nicer ( Madrid was a disappointment there), and we have tickets to go to the Barcelona game on Sunday!!!! WOOT!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA, I am happpeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! We had to get tickets from a scalper since it was sold out, but screw it, I don´t care, this was the one thing in Europe that I wanted to do, that is, See a Barce game. So, tomorrow we will go around, see the sights, Guadi buildings, the Cathedral, and there is a Picasso museum. Well, not much else to say, this keyboard is so much better than the French one hehe.

Hmm, little update on what I think of traveling: Germany is still the nicest overall, Greece was awesome... the hostel made that place, italy was good for sights, but not much for people, France I still have no opinion, will let you know once we hit Paris, Spain... I would say go to Barcelona and the South, and screw Madrid... I liked it because of the soccer and our friends, but the city and people really suck (almost as bad as Czech Rep). Anyway, what Kimberley wrote about Greece is a good thing to consider... it is romantic on the islands, and Athens is a place to see for the history. If anyone ever decides to do this kinda trip, let me know so I can give hostel names that are good.... Hostel International ones suck ass... might as well stay in a hotel. Keep cool people, and I hope to hear from everyone.

Happy in Barce,
the Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

French Keyboards suck ass!!!

2005-03-28T09:37:00.002-08:00

Okay, now you will really have to bear with me. My M,A,W, period, comma and various other marks are in different places here. So, need you guess where I am? Spending the day traveling through France, trying desperately to get to Madrid by tomorrow, it just isnt easy. So, I have some amendments to make: first, I did see the vatican, Sistine Chapel, Raphael,s School of Athens as well as the ancient stuff. We managed to see the Acropolis, the National Archaeological Museum and a very nice park in Athens... in fact, me and Joe borrowed a soccer ball and managed to get some kicks in at the park. So, last night, since we were bored, we took a count of how many people we met: 62 people that we exchanged names with. Not bad in a month. Also, I have offers to go to a few places and I just may do that while I am around here. The hostel in Athens rocked!!! Free shots every time a new person entered the room, and on our last night, some of the staff took us out and paid for us. We went to a Greek restaurant and turned it into a dance hall; even the other greek patrons joined in. It was exactly what I pictured greek parties to be. Anyway, besides that, we are traveling constantly right now, making our way west to Spain where some friends are waiting for us. Sigh, so many stories, but some just cant translate here... I will try a complete story once I hit England. Got more to say but it will have to wait, this has taken a very long time already.

Sitting in a French Cafe,
the Desk Gremlin

PS I had a conversation with a french guy on the train today and I actually understood!!! Woot me!!!

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

French Keyboards suck ass!!!

2005-03-28T09:37:00.001-08:00

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

French Keyboards suck as!!

2005-03-28T09:37:00.000-08:00

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Where oh Where am I?

2005-03-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

Heya folks.. okay, little disappointed about my lack of comments this time around *Sob*. So, where did I leave off? I think we were in Rome... well, Rome was fun, nice city... that's right, nice. I really liked Rome, in fact, I almost took a job as a tour guide, but decided to finish this trip before I do something like that. So, we left Rome, and we headed west. Gotta waste time before the Barce game, so we decided to go to Greece! Yup, that is where I am right now, sitting in the cheapest country I have been in yet. We took a boat, 19 hours, but it was like a freakin cruise ship, had a sleeper, and only cost 6 Euro, so we actually saved money. So, last night we arrive in Athens, find a crazy hostel and have a crazy time until 7 in the morning. Today we managed to go see the Acropolis and surrounding areas... it was amazing. Rome is old, Greece is ancient!! It is hard to fathom the age of these buildings. Anyway, Athens itself is noisy, and a bit hectic, but the people are very friendly, the crime rate low and the hostel is the best one yet (free shots of Ouzo all night, that's right, my decision is based on free booze hehe). The hostel is cheap and we have a private room. So, we are here for a few days and we will see what comes up next. Oh, and Greek is messed up, holy crap, I mean the letters etc make directions pretty hard to figure out, even with a map.
So, let's sum up the last month (a month already!): Germany is friendly, beautiful women and clean. High on my list of places to go back to. Czech Rep is beautiful, the people are rude as hell and everyone is over 6 freakin feet tall!!! Not high on my list of returns besides Lisa and Tomas's Wedding. Austria rocked, same as Germany, I would definitely go back to Vienna, it was beautiful. Needless to say, I would go back. Switzerland, GD expensive, nuff said. Never going back. Italy, well, besides Venice and Padua which sucked rocks, I would move to Florence or Rome in a heartbeat. People were okay, food is amazing, sites are beautiful. Greece, I think besides the dirty city, is a great place, people are awesome, and the sites are great. I hope that gives everyone adequate feedback. If you have any questions or I am leaving too much out, let me know.
Oh crap, I forgot, went on a cheap pub crawl in Rome, met some mates from England and got invited to play Rugby in Rugby!!! How cool would that be??? So, anyway, I am making friends everywhere!!! Take care folks, keep me updated on events, and keep reading ;)

So sits, in a cafe in Athens,
the Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Venezia, Firenze, and Roma

2005-03-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

Well... here we go. Just got into Rome today, and this Hostel is a little steep, which is to be expected of this city. This keyboard sucks so excuse any mistakes hehe. I am feeling better, and all is good. Ok... where to begin. Venice... yeh... Venice. Besides having alot of interesting art and architecture, the city itself kinda sucked. Too many tourists, too many couples... and definitely too many americans (excuse that comment my American friends but the americans in Venice were old rich farts... lets say, ¨typical americans¨). Anyway, on to the story. Venice was definitely not as expensive as Switzerland... trust me, the swiss are professional ripoff artists. We stayed two nights in Venice to see the sites, but we went to bed early and did nothign in the evenings at all. I did get to have my Gelato though :) We found a hotel to stay in that was cheaper than the hostels actually, and the people were nice, but overall, I will never go back to Venice. So, with that behind us, we moved on to Florence.

Now, Florence was a different story altogether. The hostel was very good and not too expensive, the city was a bit cheaper and the sites were AMAZING! Brunelleschis Dome, Giottos Tower, the Uffizzi Gallery (not going to bother naming artists, although Botticellis' Birth of Venus was there), and of course, Michelangelos David. It was very cool. We met 3 cool people that we hung out with... two spanish girls and a BC dude who was living in Switz playing semi pro soccer ( he is hopefully going to try out for EPL and Canadian National next year apparently). Anyway, we are heading to Madrid on our way through Spain to see the two girls who have offered to be our guides there... that combined with some friends in Granada, we should have guides for days in Spain. So anyway, St. Pattys was a bust, Florence wasnt that good for that, but overall I loved Florence. So, we came to Rome today, we are set up, saw the Colleseum, and hopefully we will be able to see the big things within the next few days... oh, and we are going to see AS Roma v AC Milan on Sunday. We worked out our sched to see a Barcelona game too!!! hehe, I love it. Anyway, I know there is more, and I left some out purposely for now, but this should give you a fix ;)

On the Road constantly,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Warning: Never go to Switzerland!!!!!!!

2005-03-14T04:36:00.000-08:00

Well here I sit in Venice... yup, Venice. I have spent the last 3 days sick as a dog (head cold, nothing serious), so not too much that has been entertaining.. well mostly. After we left Munich, we headed to see Neuschwanstein castle (the one that Disney built his castle after), so we ended up in this little valley-town in the alps called Fussen. The castle was amazing but the tour lacked something bad. I wanted to see the dumb waiter table, but that part of the tour wasn,t even shown, or mentioned!!!! Miserable. I may apply as an English tour guide there, Fussen is a beautiful spot, even if it is small as hell. Anyway... so we leave Fussen after a trek up the mountain and back, and get on a train, hoping to make it to Switzerland. So we go to Buchlau (see the theme yet? if not, you will get it soon), and wait for a train to somewhere west. We figure we can get on a train to Lindau and get a transfer to Zurich or something from there. Umm... nope!!! No more trains leaving Lindau until the morning. So, it is pitch dark, in a small town and no clue where hostels are. We go into a hotel and ask, and the lady says, " first, you have to get off the island"... ok... at this point I am totally lost, " what do you mean island?" She doesn,t speak good english, so I let it go and listen intently. We manage to find a hostel (remember, I am sick as a dog at this point), and that was about a 45 minute walk through the town, over bridges (islands... sigh), and to the hostel. The guys at the hostel were nice, even going as far as making us sandwiches to eat for free.

Next day, we get back to the train station and manage to get to Zurich, where we get on another train to go to Bern. Joe wanted to see Bern because of the Einstein house, apparently he discovered relativity there somewhere... guess what? the house was closed!!!!! Well, so much for that, and I am sick, so I stayed in bed all day. The next morning we went to the local gallery where we saw a Pollock, Dali, Mondrian (my fav), and Gertch (spelling is prolly wrong, but he was amazing and worth mentioning). Anyway, we finished up in Bern... oh by the way... EXPENSIVE!!!! not a little, nope... ALOT!!! don,t go, it is not worth it. Cost us 12$ CAD each for a Mcdonald meal... almost 30$ for a meal at a restaurant. Yeah, that was insane.

So, we moved on quickly and ended up in Padua, nice town, but holy shit, nothing happens there. The hostel closed at 11, we go there at 10 59. So, he gives us a room and basically tells us to go to bed... there was nothing to do anyway. So, we do and the next morning we went to see St. Anthony Basillica, where they said they had Donatello pieces... I didn,t see any!! I am not sure if that part of the cathedral was shut down, or if I just overlooked them, but regardless the cathedral was amazing. The interior was great, lots of reliefs, statues etc. We then went looking for Giotto,s frescoes... yeah right, I think it was closed anyway (fox meet grapes), but we couldn.t find it at all. So, we basically gave up, knowing I will get my fill of art in italy at some point. We got to Venice, but so far, no hostels are open until later, so we are lugging around our packs trying to waste time until we can get in. Venice is a stinky stinky town... reminds me of Korea in the morning. So, you see, nothing as exciting as Munich to report, but the little crazy adventure continues. By the way Lisa, yup... Austrian girls=German girls, hot hot hot. It must be a German speaking thing. So, off I go, since I am paying my left nut to write this. Keep the comments coming, it really does make my day.

So walks with calloused feet,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Drunkenstein... okay that was bad...

2005-03-11T01:16:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I am taking a moment to write this even though I am totally hung over... I will get to that, but first, let me explain what has been going on. Umm.. hmm... I can´t really remember the last thing I wrote about offhand, but I am pretty sure it ended with me saying we weren´t sure where to go next, or when. We ended up staying the extra time with Lisa and Tomas to watch his first playoff game. It was fun, but Tomas´team lost, which kinda sucked. After that, we decided to head on to Vienna. In Vienna, we managed to get lost looking for a bloody hostel... two hours of walking around in the freezing cold, I was not a happy camper. However, it ended up being worth it. We found a cool hostel and ended up bunking with some Japanese guys who were hilarious. Only one spoke English, and the guy that didn´t was traveling with a Japanese girl who didn´t speak English either. We went out to an Irish Pub, and drank a bit. The Japanese can not hold their liquor at all!!! The English speaking Japanese got smashed and ended up leaving us early. Well, apparently beer replaces language, because we still managed conversations with the other two through teh night. Ok... that didn´t sound nearly as funny as it actually was.
The next day we went to a major art gallery, the Kuntz. It was amazing honestly. I saw a dozen paintings I actually studied, saw a Carravagio, Bruegel, Rubens, and a ton more that I can´t remember right now... but I bought the gallery catelogue, so I have reference. We then got lost again in Vienna... a theme for that city, and ended up buying tickets to a classical concert for 25euro. It was a short concert of Mozart and Strauss, but it was amazing. Later that night, we went back to thee hostel and sat around chatting to yet another German from Hamburg (a theme of the trip for sure), another Japanese girl ( a cute doctor), and an artist from Romania. It sounds like a leadup to a joke honestly hehe. They were all cool people and we had a great time just sitting around for hours on end.
In the morning, we moved on to Salzburg to see a major Austrian castle for a few hours (it was cold and miserable but we still went), but it was a massive dissapointment. The tour sucked, the castle view was obstructed from the literal snowstorm going on, and we couldn´t find the bloody tram to get back down, so we had to walk( which is how we got up). After wasting a few hours on the castle, we got back on the train and came to Munich, and that is where I sit. Now, that was two nights ago, so let me explain what we have done here. First night, sat around the hostel and chatted with a girl from Vancouver, the hostel attendant (girl from Australia), and a Dutchmen... notice a theme, always the right amount of people for the beginning of a joke hehe. Anyway, that was a mellow night, which I really needed. Next day, we took a tour of Dauchau, which was the first concetration camp of the Nazi regime. It was not an extermination camp like Auswitz (my spelling sucks), but it was just as brutal. It was a very good tour and incredibly interesting. During the tour, we met a 28 year old retired editor... strange one huh? We decided to go drinking and went and grabbed the dutchmen from the night before as well.
We first went to the biggest beer hall in Germany; let me explain something... you cannot understand how HUGE this place is... I mean it took us about 10 minutes to walk around to all the different parts until we found a seat. It could hold a few thousand people easily. Now, why I have a hangover, in case you can´t guess. They sell beer by the litre only... meaning 1 beer= alot, but we had 2 beer which equals drunk. After this drinkfest, we decided we wanted to go meet some locals and party some more. oh oh oh, wait... I forgot a very funny part, the soccer fans who read this can appreciate this the most, but it is definitely a good laugh. the night before Arsenal played Bayern Munich in Champions League... Arsenal won, but not enough to win the two game series... so what do I wear to the club? Yup, my Arsenal jersey!! Oh yeah, fear nothing!!! So, I am in the can, releasing roughly a litre of beer, when a very large German looks at me and says, in a mean voice... 'Arsenal'. So, I smiled and said, 'yup, Arsenal'. He then smiled and we kinda talked about the series... he didn´t speak English and was pounded, and I definitely don´t speak German. I complimented Munich so I could not piss off the large drunk German, and he grinned and said, ' Arsenal Sheitzer', which means, ' Arsenal is shit'. I laughed and he put his arm around me and tried to drag me back to his table of rabble rousing drunks, but I slipped under his arm, not hard considering the size difference, and waved my goodbyes. Needless to say, I was scared at first, but it ended up being a good idea wearing the jersey, only since Munich won of course.
So, back to the story, we moved on to a dance bar, but apparently they would not let us in, either because we were four guys with no girls to bring into the place, or because we were English, which actually seemed more likely this time. So, we looked around for another bar and found something called the Cattle Corral, or the Fat Cow or something like that.... well, we just HAD to go in. It was small and uneventful, but when I looked for a bathroom (which I had to leave the tiny bar to find), I think I ended up in someone´s private apartment... there was a bathtub, and such... it was funny as hell. We did go to one more dance club, where again my shirt was commented on by some german girl. It was hilarious, I think in total, 4 people stopped me to talk about Arsenal... 1 Englishman and 3 germans. Freaking hilarious. So, here I sit, the morning after, hungover from roughly 3 litres of beer and trying to decide my next move... which I think is Switzerland for a night... Bern maybe, or we may go to Uhm, or hmm... ah hell, you get the picture. So, in conclusion, meeting lots of people, having a great time, and seeing some very cool stuff. I try to write more about the adventures than the stuff I see mostly because it is hard to convey the beauty of alot of this.
Hey Burton: does that make up for not seeing some Prague music scene? I hope so ;)
Freaking German keyboards are different, this is really hard to write... so I end it here for a few days at least. Keep commenting on things folks, I love to read them, makes writing this all worth while.

So moves,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Czech this out

2005-03-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

Well, this is the first picture that I am trying to post on the blog since getting Chris to help me. This pic is Prague from the Astronomical Clock Tower... nice view huh? The tower itself has a little clock that, when chiming (every hour), has 12 mechanical figurines of the apostles which cycle through open windows. It was kinda funny to see a hundred people standing around every hour to see them come out.

Alrighty, so me and Joe are still in Prague, sitting here at my sis's place, and still not sure if we are leaving tomorrow or waiting until Monday so we can watch a playoff game of Tomas's team. I have to say... Czech Rep has alot to see. We managed to get to St. Mikolaus Cathedral, a Baroque cathedral. Not as nice as the gothic cathedrals, but has its own grandeur, since the statues and frescoes are golden outlined. We also managed to see a castle of Charles IV (Karlstein, yeah, I know, doesn't have Charles in its name) in the mountains, St. Vitus Cathedral (gothic), the Museum of Torture (freakin cool stuff), and the museum of natural history (where I actually saw a Willendorf statuette from 6000bc- around that anyway).

Another awesome view is Charles Bridge.. the statues and the view from it are amazing. There are statues you are supposed to make a wish on, and I did... however, my wish didn't come true!!!! Damn it all. We went drinking one night in this crazy "samoan" club called Zanzibar. More "girly drinks" than you can shake a stick at, but the shots make up for that! Yeah, that's right.. I drank margueritas and Daquiries.. screw you all!!!! ;)

Oh, and of course, we got to see the Bone Church in Kutna Hora... what can I say, it was fascinating. Not nearly as morbid as I thought it would be. The church is decorated inside with the bones of 40,000 people who died in/around the church... 30,000 of them were black death victims, and the other 10k were during the Hussite wars.

Lisa and tomas have been great guides, and tomas's sister and Lisa's friend helped to show us around. Not much happened here that warrants a funny story unfortunately. It has been a smooth trip up to this point. We have some friends we met in Berlin that are living in Spain (they are americans), and we plan to go and visit them so we can have some tour guides around there too.

Oh, hey soccer boys: saw a "history of Futball" exhibit here in Prague too... that was pretty cool. Nedved's personal trophies, his footballer of the year, his MVP for a Champion's League match etc were all there too. Arsenal had a "Gunner" statue there as well, which was pretty amazing to see.

So, how do I compare Czech Rep. to Germany? Well, Prague is a beautiful city for sure, nothing in Germany can compare to that from what we saw, and the food here is much better than damn sausages. The people here are not so nice however... definitely not as polite or helpful as Germany, and even the service in Czech is pretty damn rude. Also, remember my comments of the German women's soccer team? Well, it doesn't apply throughout that country. Whatever man-drugs they serve their athletes, they must serve pretty-pills to all the other women to make up for it. The Czech women are... well... hmm... tall mostly, and I will leave it at that. ;)

I had to edit this post to make it sound more exciting per my sister's instructions. Apparently, "cool" and "fascinating" don't cut it with her. Don't get me wrong, I thought this place had alot of scenic views and great architecture, just don't want to bore you people with constant descriptions. Now we are staying until Monday... that has been decided in the last two hours since I originally wrote this post hehe.

So, next... whenever next is, will be Austria, and after that... who freakin knows??? We will figure that out as we go. So, until next time folks.

So moves,

The Desk Gremlin

Heil Germany!!!!

2005-02-28T13:23:00.000-08:00

Hello loyal fans!!! And I can finally say that I see that people are actually reading this. Well... there is a freakin lot to say since last update. Umm... let me think... Where to start... Well, we flew into Bonn/Cologne on Thursday evening. We got off the plane and realized that Germany is German... yeah, big surprise, but holy shit, it is a rough thing to read signs in another language and understand jack. The hardest part being the figuring out of ticket dispensers for trains and buses. We met a nice guy from Vienna who helped us get that part done, and then a nice guy from Hamburg who actually gave us coins to pay the damn toll machine, which of course wouldn't take our bleedin' bankcards. So... anyway, this leaves us on a subway with absolutely no clue on where to go. We manage to find a section with a Hostel and sign in for the night. The room was a 4-bed room, cost about 20$ each, which was okay. Now, for our great roommate: at first sight, I thought, some quiet odd little asian man with a bad set of facial hair... on further inspection, I would more say a Mongolian sheepherder. He had clothes worthy of the title, and the "beard" was of a style that make grown men smile, knowing they can grow better facial hair in a day compared to this poor soul. His lungs however, must have been that of a 75 year old man... LOUD!!! the bastard kept me up for the whole night with his incessant snoring... what does that tell me? I hate Mongolian sheepherders.
That night, before the sheepherder, we met up with only German travellers... from Hamburg. They were a great bunch of kids (16-20), and we stayed up for a long time just getting German culture under control. The next morning, we ended up going into Cologne, and I forgot an important fact of this city... the cathedral!!! It was massive!!!! 154 meter spires, and it was massive!!! I can truly say, for the first time in my life, I was at a loss for words. It was amazing, it took up the whole of downtown. After we spent a few hours wandering around the Cathedral, we headed to Bonn, where we got to see the sarcophogus of King Tut... not exactly what you expected to read next huh? hehe... well, it was a fun little museum trip.
After this, we decided to head out, so we hopped on a train, and decided in the station that we would head to...well, not to Hamburg, although people from there are the friendliest... not Dresden, that was later... and we had to go north... soo... Berlin. First thing I noticed about Berlin was the vast amount of punks... it was kinda funny. After that, we found a hostel and called it a night (long day, long travel). The next day we wandered around and found a bombed out Cathedral from WW2, it was a sad thing to see really. We then walked for miles and miles.. not really knowing where we were headed. We ended up jumping on the train after a bit and heading for the Olympic Stadium of 1936 (where Jesse Owens proved Hitler was wrong before Hitler even got started). As we got closer to the Stadium, we realized we had ended up at the stadium during a soccer match!!!! WOOHOO!!! My first game!!! Yeah, sure, not the game I would have chosen to go to... Hertha BSC v Hamburger, but hell... I wasn't going to be picky. After getting some seating advice from a nice girl, we paid 14 euro and the fun began! Holy hell, by the way, Germany is cold during this time of year, and sitting in a huge stadium was freaking cold. Anyway, you want proof I was there? Well, apparently me and Joe are great BSC fans... we are on a radio fan site: http://www.rs2.de/cgi-bin/WebObjects/rs2.woa/wa/Frameset/1446432?3297

page 3 I think for the actual pic. I apologize for looking like a putz beforehand... I have to say, I look OLD in that pic.... I guess no sleep does that to you. So, the game was 4-1 for the home side, and we left with all the happy fans.
We went to the hostel after that and drank with some americans... it was a blast hehe. The next day, we headed to the museum district in East Berlin, I saw Checkpoint Charlie, the Reichstag, and all the other old communist buildings. Amazing... and scary. The buildings were ugly, but they were the most intimidating ones I have ever seen. I can't explain the overwhelming feeling they gave. We headed to Dresden after that, got lost, found a hostel, and then went to sleep. We went to a museum the next day that housed a massive collection of artifacts, including a 41 carrat green diamond (only one in existence), and a pendant of the Order of the Golden Fleece!!! I did a massive paper on the subject, so this was a personal moment :)
We met my sister later on, and here I sit, on her couch, writing on her paper and beginning the newest chapter... Czech Republic. Oh...wait, I was in Poland too!!! you ask how I can forget that? Well, I was there for 10 minutes, driving through to get to Czech, but I can still say I was there, and stamps to prove it!!! The pics are coming folks, only problem is finding a stable internet connection to download them all. Anyway, I will update again before I leave this country. Hope this satisfies your appetite for a few days... and I am sure I missed something... oh crap, I did... in Dresden, waiting for my sister to show up, I saw the most amazing thing. The F**king Mongolian Sheepherder!!! yeah, that's right... he was walking down the street in Dresden!!! HAHAHHAHAHA we took a pic of him this time, but you will see it later.

So moves,
the Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

England to begin

2005-02-24T04:44:00.000-08:00

Heya Loyal Fans... although it doesn't look like alot of people are reading this yet!!! Well, I am in England, after the most brutal flight/sickness I have ever had. I had the excorcist's heaves all day Monday(the day I left), and even had to pull over and make use of the side of the road a bit before I could make it onto the airplane. The flight itself wasn't that bad I guess, but my body was worn out. We got to heathrow and managed to find Barry & Sandra without too much of a problem... only half hour of looking for them hehe. They are awesome hosts, feeding us, putting us up and even playing tour guide :) The first spot we went was Chichester Cathedral, built in 1076 originally, and it was all I expected. Not the most oppulent of cathedrals, but gives me a good base for seeing more. I have pics, but no time at the moment to play around with the downloading, so you have to wait. Flying out to Bonn, Germany today, and making our way to Czech Republic (my sister lives there) by Monday. Will update within a week for sure. Anyway folks, hopes this keeps you entertained for a few days ;)

So moves,
The Desk Gremlin

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

2005-02-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

Heya folks,

Not sure who will begin reading this so soon, but for you loyal people out there, I figured I would update you on what is going on. I have been in Halifax since Wednesday, got to see some(almost all) of my close friends here, and have had more beer than I have had in years (alot of my friends still think of me from my first degree days). I managed to get out to a local drinking establishment that plays good ol' celtic music, and heard "Barrett's Privateers" which was one of my main goals before leaving. Nothing funny to add, but to say that some people are horrible drunks, and oh, you know who you are!!!! Actually, one in Winnipeg and one in Halifax... you both know who, don't act coy!!! Anyway, Keep reading, pics will be added soon and the real fun should start.

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Test Image

2005-02-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

Testing the site

2005-02-01T21:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, I gotta get this site up and running if I am going to go to Europe and keep track of things for all you people. In case you don't know, I am on my way to Europe (duh) and am doing a backpacking trip and contemplating a lengthy stay in England afterwards. That means Soccer soccer football!!!! What led to this? well... some not so nice things that I won't bother hashing out here, but bottom line is, I have decided on a life change to try and restructure my spirit and mind. Sounds corny? Kinda is, but then again... see my disclaimer at the bottom. I have promised to send a piece of a certain English landmark back to a friend here... don't worry, nothing like Big Ben, just a little bit of grass... or concrete... Anyway, keep in tune, the departure is Feb 21, so I will be updating as I can... digital camera available and adventures to be had!!!!

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Happiness and Stupidity, I choose happy.

2004-06-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well loyal readers, I will update you on some things going on in my life, and then I may move into a topic that irritates me to no end... but that comes later. The last few weeks I have been kept away from this endeavor with issues that must be dealt with first; this of course includes playing soccer, watching soccer, working and academic enlightenment, but most importantly, yours truly has found someone who shares many of the opinions that you will see on this blog and who cares for the creator of this monologue. Yes, that is right, the Gremlin has found a dryad to share some more personal moments with. Rather than post many things that would nauseate some of my more sinister fans, I will tell you that we met due to our mutual feelings towards one of God's more cruel jokes: children. This would not be enough to connect two beings normally, but on further conversations and time spent together, it would seem that it is not all we had in common, but again, I will not go into things here. Do not dismay however, although the Gremlin is a much happier creature, there is still much cynicism to be shared.

This brings me to the second point of this posting... that irritable, most annoying thing about humanity, the constant presence of stupidity. I do not know how to put it into words, but I must say, if Darwin was right, most of humanity would cease to exist. Think about it, how can evolution say that "only the fittest survive" when the human species is filled with muppets who can't even tie their own shoelaces??? Survival? I beg to differ. The strong carry the weak, and I do not refer to physical prowess, of all creatures humans are the least capable in that capacity. I am referring to what God, Buddha, Ala, or whatever else you call the Creator, intended for the human race, that is, intelligence and the ability to survive through wits. Wits, HA! I have seen many examples of the witless, but very few of God's intelligent followers. I cannot even begin to give examples, I have been stunned by stupid too many times, and have seen too many instances where if Darwin was right, we would be much happier in our lives. I mean, if Darwin was right, would the mullet still survive?????
I leave you with that last question... your answer reflects where you stand if you ever wondered, " Am I an idiot?"

Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Life and Soccer( or for the educated, Football)

2004-06-08T00:13:00.000-07:00

So, here it is... I have started playing outdoor. After a snowstorm and a rainstorm that woulda made Noah jealous, we finally managed to get in a few games. Let me tell you about my teams: the first is a men's team, Ragnarok FC and I am in my second year of dirtying up my shoes... I play midfield, mostly wing, but sometimes I may get thrown into the center. The other team is a co-ed team, in its first outdoor season. Yo Mama... no I am not insulting you, that comes later, but rather that is the name of our team, Yo Mama. I have decided to pit my wiles against those of the strikers, and have conceded to playing Keeper this year. So far, 1-1. Not bad. As much as I know you want me to give you details, screw ya, it would take too long, just come see some games, and if you can't... well, see the bottom of this post for more details*.
I know the Gremlin has been quiet, but that is not due to stories to tell or evil things to discuss, but rather due to the amount of time the Desk Gremlin has to sit down and write. Work, school, social life, soccer... you get the idea. More will be written soon, once I get the energy for the long rant that is being kept for a rainy day, I am sure there are more of those to come. In the meantime, question everyone, debate everything and complain about how it should be.

So sits,
The Desk Gremlin

*Any problems or comments for the Grotto should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

Gremlin's Football Story

2004-04-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is oh loyal readers, a story for the ages. You see, it started last night when the football team, more commonly known as soccer to the uneducated and egocentric North Americans, played a match that determined whether or not our team got into the playoffs or would be left on the outside looking in. Well, after a hard-fought match against Mutton-Chops and his evil team of rabble rousers, the good guys came out on top 2-1. The fun began after the match, Beer Gremlin and the rest of the doomsayers decided to go out for a post-match celebration. We are not hooligans, but yet, it would seem that evil follows those who sow it. A few foolish drunk punks decided it would be a good idea to pick a fight over a chair at the club... well, first off, the odds were in our favour, 12-4, and secondly, NEVER pick a fight with a football club, we are dirty, mean, relentless and generally a nasty lot. Well, after a careful count( with the help of our members), the drunken fools decided they would wait for reinforcements that would never come. That left us sitting there, laughing and mocking the fools.

Part 2- After singing, drinking and carousing to our hearts' content, we left the club and decided to get some of the King's burgers before calling it a night. On the drive there, more of the uncommon happened. We looked out of our auto's window and saw two smokin' birds groping and kissing!!! If that wasn't enough, the next thing we saw was a fight, it was short and strange, but the strangest thing of it was afterwards the two combatants ended their differences with a jig, yes.. it would seem these two combatants had Irish dancing in common!!!!

In conclusion, the night was eventful, successful and fun. It is hard to beat a night like that.. although I wish those fools had tried something, I haven't had human flesh in a while, and it would have been easy to take a chunk out of some idiots with a lack of logistical skills. You know, if you can't handle your liquor, don't drink it. Damn mortals....

So sits,
The Desk Gremlin

2004-04-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

Any problems or comments for the Grotto's Keeper should be directed to a dark place, or if you really must, daiunus@yahoo.ca

2004-04-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

Well, here I sit, perched atop my throne, looking at a vehicle for my thoughts, views, and nastiness. Now that I have it, where do I begin? What part of this messed up world do I chew up and spit back out in little bits so that you will understand me? Who deserves the first verbal lashes of my forked tongue? Well, you see, that is the problem, too many deserve that spot: Organized religion, Political refuse( any word referring to humanity would be a longshot in this case), sports that claim excellence, but truly delve in the squalor of the fourth terrace of hell, like many of my cousins, hypocrits, gun-toting fools, gun-toting madmen, idiocy in its many forms... just too many I say.
So I will begin in a different way, instead of chewing and spitting, I will make a simple plea for those who are fortunate enough to read these words: please, do not be a fool, decide your place in this world and believe in it, find Faith in one of its many forms, make a stand for your ideals and do not falter, do not be persuaded or deluded by one of the refuse of the world, be whole.

So sits, The Desk Gremlin