Drifting

My "Snowboarding" Weekend

2007-02-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

A.K.A Damn you Global Warming!!!!

I received a phone call from a friend last week, asking me if I would like to go snowboarding this past weekend for free...(Ernie does a double take) "For free!!!?" I say. Yes, a friend of a friend won a weekend trip up to Mt.Washington. Two days, two nights, lift passes, dinner and accommodations included. I quickly replied with a "HELL YA!" and that was that.
However, we awoke our first morning there to freezing rain and ice. Seeing as our suite was located right on the hill, we leaned out our patio and asked a snowboarder passing by what the conditions were like at the top. "Nasty, dude!" was what we received as a reply.
Our group then made the unanimous decision to head down to the pub at the lodge and start drinking instead. (May as well drown our sorrows, right?) The lodge was soon packed as most of the chairs were being shut down due to unsafe icy conditions.
Let's just say, snowboarding or no snowboarding, I had a hell of a weekend. Fun, fun, fun!!! We went to the Cast Away party that night at the lodge. I received a standing ovation from the table of ship workers (one I did nothing in particular to deserve), was invited to participate in a nude ping pong tournament, ended up walking around with an "It's all good!" sticker on my a** for half of the night, and was driven home in a CAT. (Which a 20 year old orchestrated to impress us, and prove that "he was NOT just a baby!") Ahh, babies...
Oh yeah, fun, fun, fun! Damn you global warming ;) If it wasn't for you I would have gone to bed at 8pm because my muscles ached and my bruises hurt. Damn you... :D

Some pics from 2006!

2007-01-13T23:21:00.000-08:00

A Few of my Favorite Things....

2007-01-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

Listed in no particular order...

1. No Fat, No Sugar Tall Vanilla Latte

2.Sitting by the fire at night, looking out the window at the city lights dancing off the water. ( I am pretty lucky!)

3.Talking with friends. Sharing a bottle of wine and our insights on the world. (OK, mostly men)

4. Coming home from the gym or kickboxing and needing to flop down and take a nap because I have worked myself so hard. (Such a rewarding feeling)

5. Watching a drama or reading a book that pulls you so far in, you find yourself emotional because you can feel for the characters. ( I am pretty emotionless, so this is big for me)

6.Cuddling up in sheets straight out of the dryer on a cold winter's night.

7. A hot bubble bath.

8. Snowboarding down a mountain with the perfect snow conditions and minimal people to slow you down or get in your way.

9. An unexpected, heartfelt compliment.

10.Getting a full body massage from an expert.

11.Family!

12. Campfires on the beach. (Only with a permit of course...) haha

13. Swimming all day in the lake and taking a nap in the sun on the beach.

14. Listening to the waves crash against the shore, the gulls crying, and Jack Johnson. All while watching the surfer boyz.

15. Laughing so hard your abs hurt. (no need to go to the gym)

16. The Fox and the Hound ;)
What are a few of your favorite things...

Bring it on 2007!!!

2007-01-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

Here's to 2007, it is going to be a fine year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

2006-12-25T19:04:00.000-08:00

Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes mmm... Merry Christmas! I hope that everyone is getting some much deserved rest today, and spending time with their loved ones. Christmas is not about the presents that you receive, but the people that you spend it with. I feel so lucky!! I have the best family and friends in the world! (That includes my blogger friends) Ho Ho Ho and a Merry Christmas!

Ernie is sooo tired :)

2006-12-14T22:25:00.000-08:00

I think that I may be at a crossroads in my life... I am so tired. Am I sick of running my business? Am I just in need of a vacation, or am I at a fork in the road where I must chose my direction? Wow, that all sounds very depressing. This is one of the reasons I feel that I may be in need of a little change... something to shake things up a bit. I am usually such a happy go lucky laid back person. Not a downer for sure...
What should I do? Any suggestions? Career change or life change?...

Christmas Decorating Pictures

2006-11-27T08:21:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the Inspiration Home Tour house that I decorated on the weekend. We had the Roger's Chocolate resident chocolatier stationed in our kitchen. How lucky, hey?
Our Wonderful city is now shut down because of snow! I guess it is officially that time of year. It makes it hard for me to say Bah-hum bug. I have actually been caught whistling Jingle Bells around the house. (Not that that is different from any other time of the year. It is my whistling song.)

E-Commerce Poll

2006-11-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

OK, so I am doing a lot of research and studies on E- Commerce. Here are a couple quick questions that I am going to throw at you... Thank you in advance for any feed back you can give me.

1) What type of products do you feel comfortable buying off of the internet?

2) What is it that propels you to buy off of a certain online store? (ie. security, good deals, etc.)

3) What type of item do you wish was sold online? (Maybe you are just not happy with the present selection..)

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This is not a marketing ploy or anything like that... it is just to satisfy my curiosity... to see how my opinions fair with everyone else's.

"And a BAH HUMBUG to you!!!"

2006-11-14T21:43:00.000-08:00

OK, I am up to my eye balls in Christmas already!!! Ahhhhhh!!!! I am prepping a home for a Christmas home tour that will be showcased in a couple weekends from now. I feel like we should all be in the midst of the December rush!! (Not just me, and every reatailer in the country.) But it is only November. Heck, you Americans haven't even had your Thanksgiving yet! It is so sad, but by the time December rolls around I am DONE!!! But then... Oh wait! I have to start decorating my clients homes for Christmas!!! Ahhhh. By the time I get to my 2nd Xmas tree I feel like I am in Christmas HELL!! (Not that I am complaining, it is my job right?)Do I feel like decorating my house for Xmas? NOPE!!!
But yeah, I am just warning you all now, I may be a real scrooge in a few weeks! (This is where Celeste comments "How is that different from the rest of the year Ernie?") ;)True....

ERNIE brings home a man!!!

2006-11-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

No, not a real man!!... let's not get ahead of ourselves. lol. I won the Master Networker award for my BNI chapter the other night at our regional gala. The award looks much like an Oscar (or a manly figure if you will) It was lots of fun! I got to dress up all perdy and schmooz. I even brought out some of the bling. (The diamonds, I am talking about the diamonds!)I wore a dress, much to Celeste's surprise. (Mine too actually. It was a last minute decision. I'm talking 20 min before I had to walk out the door!)She was sure that I would cop out and wear black pants. Anyway... Here are some pics of the evening...(well, not really of the evening...more just me and my man.) You should have seen the look of shock and disbelief on the faces of my dear roommates when I told them I brought a man home. Ha ha, I had a good laugh.

Welcome to the nest Little Bird!!!

2006-10-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

Little Bird is coming to stay with the wifey and I for a while. So good news! Lots of little blond birdie pictures will surely be posted on Celeste's blog!!!

Scroll down!!! There aretwo new posts below this one!!!!

2006-10-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

I saved these as drafts and then when I posted them they went down there. Grrrr

The NEW and IMPROVED ME!

2006-10-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been so good with the posts lately guys. I got a big bonus at work, so I treated myself to some plastic surgery. Let me know what you think! But go easy, cause this recovery time thing is a bi**h!

Mr. Fix it!

2006-10-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

That is right, they call me Mr. Fix-it. Why, because I am s darn HANDY! I get the job done. What would the lil wifey do with out me? I build futons, fix "broken" floor lamps, carry entertainment units up the stairs by myself. I can draft you a construction drawing of your house or hang the wife's mirror in the bathroom. I own more tools than most of the guys that I know. I like being handy and self sufficient. Here is the real bonus... I can also whip up a sweet batch of chocolate chip cookies. By sweet I really mean frickin amazing!!!!

Throw down of Sexy Pics...

2006-10-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

...As per Grunt's request.

Good Luck Leslie...

2006-10-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

My cousin and friend Leslie is moving away from Victoria to Vancouver. She is pursuing her acting career. I wish her the best of luck!!!! I am going to miss having her so close. She is such a great friend. Good luck Les!!!!

ME, ME, ME!

2006-09-28T23:02:00.000-07:00

Success

2006-09-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

"I never once failed; it took me thousands of steps to succeed. I learned a lot from the light bulbs that didn't work." Thomas Edison

"Failure is like fertilizer. It might stink, but it stimulates growth." Anonymous

Duff Beer for me, Duff beer for you, You have a Duff, I'll have one too...

2006-09-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

Everyone remember the episode of the Simpsons where they go on vacation to Duffland. I found out today that my roomie had a cameo in this episode. The Seven Duffs are named Tipsy, Queasy, Surly, Sleazy, Edgy, Dizzy and Remorseful. It would appear that I live with Surly duff. (Only when she has had beers while cleaning the house.) I came home and was treated to some very entertaining behavior from our hot young friend. Don't worry Surly, I have been named the eighth duff, Agro duff. Celeste you were so funny. I LOVE IT!!!!! Cheers!! :)

Thank you sister!

2006-09-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

Today I went out to my lil sister's new place in Sooke. Sooke is the "sticks" of Victoria. It is full of rednecks and yokels. (Excluding Lindz and fam of course!!!) It's kinda cute and quaint. We went for lunch at a local "pub" where we were approached by some locals. Then out on a hunt for a good cone of ice cream. After two stops, in at the Sooke General Store and then to the Sooke Tea room. We ended up at the Shell station where we did indeed get some great cones.
My sister's new place is so cute. I love it!!!! She is so happy there. She loves her work and her life. I wish that she lived a little closer to town (45min drive) but at least she is fairly close.
We had so much fun together. We have lived together for the majority of our lives, but it really proves what good friends we actually are when we just hang out and have a blast together.
We did make overs and then I decided to sleep over in Sooke as opposed to driving back to the city in the dark.
I drove back in the morning with a great cup of coffee from Timmy's and enjoyed the scenery.
I hope the wifey was OK without me...

Sugar Momma or Daddy...We should all have one, in my opinion.

2006-09-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, time to explain the last post. The Grunt and I got talking about sugar daddies. He admitted that Oprah would be his ideal sugar momma. I think that this is a smart choice indeed. She has the power, the wealth and is a smokin hottie (Ernie gives the shifty eyes)...I thought about my ideal sugar daddy and after much consideration, I have picked Bill Gates. Of course there is the obvious fact that he is stinkin loaded. No I don't think that loaded is enough to explain his level of wealth. He is damn, frickin' filthy, RICH!!!!!!!!!! Seeing as I am not a gold digger, it is for other reasons that I have picked this man to sponsor me. I have a lot that I can bring to his table. He needs me. Oh who the heck am I kidding, I'm a gold digger. This is all about the money!!!! But really what else is a sugar anything for, but to satisfy all of your cravings?...
Who would be your sugar daddy/mama? Please explain your choice.

Yours truly,

Ernie Gates

OPRAH and her sugar momma rocks...

2006-09-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

Updated and explained in the comments section. Please read!!!

Happy Anniversary Baby!

2006-09-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

Well it is almost our one week anniversary of roomatedom. All is well on the homefront. Let's take a lil recap of our week. Wednesday Celeste and Ernie went out to dinner with lil bird and lil bro at a pub. Thursday Celeste made an amazing dinner for two! Saturday we went out dancing. Sunday we went to a live concert in the park with Sahh . Monday we went to the waterslides and Celeste made another amazing dinner! I would have to say the honeymoon period is going pretty well. No signs of storms on the horizon. We have discovered some new things about eachother as well... We both suffer from tension headaches and Ernie is the fastest roomate on the waterslides. (Haha, yes I'm a jerk!) I will post some pics from the week soon I hope;)

HMMM...Really?

2006-09-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Things that I often ponder:

-Why do Canadians say "eh?" (We do, even if you say you don't, U DO!)
-Why do you always want things that you can't have and take advantage of those that you do have?
-Why can't life be a bit more simplistic?
-Why do mean people always get their way? (Karma just doesn't always straighten them out no matter how much I wish it to.)
-Why would John Mayer date Jessica Simpson!? What is up with that. (Besides the fact that she is a blonde hottie. Quote taken from a tabloid on the net: "I can see it. He dated Jennifer Love Hewitt, so you know he's not going for the brains.") Oh John, You lose a couple points in my book for this one.
-Why would Jessica Simpson date John Mayer? (Not a chach. He has talent and intellect. Not really her type, right?.)

Some of the many mysteries of my world.

Welcome to the New Roomies!

2006-08-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

I would like to welcome my new roomies; Jack and Celeste. I am so excited to have them here. I am sad that I will be losing my other room mates too, but I know that it is because they are moving on. Or Moving on up I should say. Celeste and I are both on our computers, and hashing out the details of our day. This is great! (Lil jack Sparrow is sitting quietly, listening intently to our conversation. "Come on lil jack, we need a male's point of view every once in a while." Just make sure we ask you for it first!)

So I was tagged by Celeste to do this "meme of threes".

2006-08-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

Things that scare me
-Being judged
-Being vulnerable
-I kinda don't like gross slimey bugs

People who make me laugh
-My friends
-Cousin Leslie (Hmmm, I guess she would fall in the friend catagory too, but she makes me laugh so hard she deserves to be mentioned twice!)
-Ellen
(oh yeah, and there was that friend of Sarah's sister who was at her BBQ. He made me die laughing!)

I hate the most
-People who think they are "all that". Just a lil FYI, the people who really are "all that" don't act like it!
-not being in control
-when fruits and vegtables go bad in the fridge before you get a chance to eat them. This makes me feel guilty, which by the way is also something that I hate!

Things I don't understand
-Quantum Physics
-How they get rid of the ice in a hockey rink for a concert... (They can't change the ice everytime!!!, and if they lay a floor over top how does it not melt, cause it gets quite warm during a concert ( I hope this doesn't turn into a dumb-blonde Jessica Simpson "chicken of the sea" question. I really just want to know and don't want to make the effort to look up the answer.)
-OK...Men too I guess...but I am not really that sure that this is something that I want to figure out! (No I'm not a lesbien!)

I'm doing right now
-A stoopid meme (which is what exactly?)
-Procrastinating at getting back to work
-worry that the spelling in this thing is going to be horrible... Not going to use spell checker either;)

Things I want to do before I die
-Spend time with family and friends
-Give my room the credit it finally deserves (don't ask...Celeste knows)
-chill out!

Things I can do
-kickbox
-make a mean margarita
-Laugh at myself

Ways to describe my personality
-quiet (except when I have been drinking spiked fraps and there is a birthday card M.I.A)
-independant
-friendly

Things I can't do
-Juggle
-put lawn knomes in front of my place as per the strata councel (not that I would want to, but what if I did!) Those controlling SOBs
-call a boy ( *he he* insert immature giggle here) OK, I actually can, everyone just has to listen to me bitch and over-annalize the sitch for a week prior.

Things I think you should listen to
-Jack Johnson (you should look at him too, he is hot!)
-Your instincts
-Your heart

Things you should never listen to
-the president when he says he did not have sexual relations with a praticular intern!
-spell checker when it tells you to change frickin to foreskin
-your cravings, you will only end up getting FAT (no, not PHAT!)

Things I'd like to learn
-how to make millions of dollars (and not by marrying an old man with a bad cough. Something a lil more original please.)
-how to bring happiness to everyone (maybe the millions can help me with this?..)
-how to spell (mama, help?)

Favorite foods
-SUSHI (I could eat it everyday of my life!!!!)
-My homemade spinach salad (MMMMMM) Spinach, boiled egg, bacon, blue cheese dressing
-grilled salmon

Favorite Drinks
-medium roast coffee:black
-Kiwi margarita
-Water

Shows I watched as a kid
-Growing Pains ( thought I might marry Kirk Cameron!!!!! Loved him!!!! He was a dreamboat!)
-Mr. Belvedere
-Family Matters

I'm tagging (to do this meme)
-I don't really know anyone else in blogger land yet. Celeste already took Linz and herself:( I hope anyone who reads this does it and then lets me know. I will then visit your blog and maybe we can become friends! (Aww precious!)

A Night at the Roxbury (2006)

2006-08-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

Last night was yet another birthday night. This time it was my friend Andrea's 25th B-day. We went to one of the clubs in town called Legends. It was a good night.
I think I may have been approached by every geeky guy in the place. I'm not giving off signals, I'm not looking for a hookup, I am not looking for someone to go home with, I am not looking for my dream boat future husband in this club. I just want to be left alone. I am there to have fun with my friends. Just because I don't have a guy draped on my arm, it is not a sign that I am holding auditions to find one. It is also somewhat embarrassing when I am sitting with a group of friends and someone comes over with some lame pickup line.
OK, I know I kinda sound like a jerk (OK, a huge jerk!), but it annoys me. There I have said my piece and I will never mention it again! I promise!!

Mystic Beach Camping Trip

2006-08-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend! I spent the past weekend camping on Mystic beach (close to Port Renfrew) for my cousin's 22nd birthday. It was phenomenal. It was myself, Leslie (my cousin), my sister Sara, Kaitlyn (a friend of Leslie's) and Matt (Leslie's boyfriend) who went. So the theme of the weekend was pretty much that Matt is the P-I-M-P. It is not everyday a guy gets odds like that in his favor. So many jokes about sleeping arrangements, applying suntan lotion, etc. that I am not even sure where to begin.
We hiked in and pitched our tent right on the beach. We slept on the beach under the stars the first night. ( The sky was amazing! You forget how the stars and moon can be that vivid when you are in the city.) Leslie brought her guitar and serenaded us by the campfire. She has an awesome voice! It is all very mezmorizing. You almost fall into a trance watching the flickering flames and listening to her voice.
Both days it was hot and sunny weather. (Perfect!) Albino Amy (that's ME) actually has some color to her skin! (A tan? Yes, we are all Shocked!) On the second night we even had a firework show. Some other campers brought what must have been, a whole backpack full of fireworks. We hiked out on Sunday, back to the real world. Oh real world.... Why must you always rear your ugly head :(

Ernie is not a creepy old man, it is ME!!!

2006-08-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

I think that this posting should have been the first one that I put up. I'm going to clear up any confusion and let everyone know who ERNIE MCGREECHIE really is once and for all! Contrary to popular belief, I am not a creepy, wrinkly old man who likes to sit in front of his computer lurking in teen chat rooms. I have also been known in the past to be called Janitor Ernie because of my hefty ring of keys.
So let's go back about 4 years now... I am working at good old Canadian Tire as the Head Cashier (ok, we will save all the jokes I got about that one for another blog. It is not just anyone who can go from a head cashier position to ass. Man. at a the barn...) Anyhoo, so anyone who has met me knows that I have this girly voice that often gets mistaken for a 10 year old girl on the phone. Well, I was on the phone with some sales rep (who will from now on be referred to as the dumb ass man, or D.A.M)for god knows what and I needed to have a part sent to the store. The D.A.M asked me to spell the name that I would like it sent Attn to. I spelled my frickin name out 4 times for that D.A.M. Wow, the guy was so S-M-R-T! Two weeks later the freakin parcel shows up. The UPS man asks for a signature from Ernie McGreechie!!!! Good GOD! Go back to school buddy!
Anyway, that is how it all happened. Thanks to a co-worker (AKA SAHH?) Ernie has stayed alive.

The moral to this story in case it was not obvious, I'm not a creepy old man, just a casualty of some uneducated moron who has no idea how to listen.

P.S Here is an interesting bit of useless trivia for ya... When spellcheck picks up the word "frickin" it suggests that "foreskin" is the word you should change it to. W-O-W

Ok Girls, I am giving this a shot!!!

2006-08-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, I give in... I am giving this whole blogging thing a shot. I promise that I am not that interesting. But I guess no one has to read this, do they:) Here are some pictures of Beacon Hill Park from the other day. I went with my little sister. Here is a funny thing, she works in a vet clinic with animals, and she was the one who was scared of the geese. I mean yes, OK, they were hissing and snapping at us until we would give them cherrios... but I was brave enough to feed them from my hand. It worked and I was only bitten once.
W-o-w, I am boring!!!... Well just have a look at the pics, because they are much more interesting than me ;)
Cheers!!