it's a bird..it's a plane....it's sasquatch.....no, it's just Tony

This past Thursday (Dec. 29th) I went to the liquor store with my friend Fiona. While she was paying for her bottle of wine one of the other staff at the store said to the manager that some guy had just snuck out with a bottle and was running across the parking lot. I followed the manager out of the store. He yelled to the guy that he was "on camera" and returned to the store. I was irritated and thought I might be able to catch up with the guy....so I started running. He was heading towards County Park. I was gaining ground but I was also getting tired. Apparently he was too. The chase slowed to a fast walk. Eventually once he got inside County Park he realized I wasn't giving up and I was gaining ground. He just stopped. I walked up to him and told him that I would follow him home anyways so he might as well just give me the bottle. He took it out of his bag and gave it to me. I looked in the bag to see if he had any other booze...nope. I walked back to the liquor store wheezing and out of breath. The run in the cool air aggravated my athma. Fiona was waiting outside....she had no idea where I had gone. I went back inside the store and handed the bottle to the manager. He thanked me and asked if I was undercover.

Because I Got High

There is a song out called "Because I Got High" by someone who goes by the name Afroman. I first heard this song last week in HMV. As I was looking at CDs I was listening to the lyrics. I was surprised that a song about drug use would be played in public like that. Most stores would avoid the controversy. Sure a majority of their customers would not care but there could be some people that would object. Anyways...one verse (2 minutes into the song) is quite sexually explicit (do a search for the lyrics your self). When this verse started playing I thought to myself that this could really offend someone. The song got cut off during this verse and another song started playing. I looked around and the employees were looking at each other nervously.

Today I found out a couple of my favourite movie characters (Jay and Silent Bob) appear in the video for this song. I googled for it and watched it. The verse with the sexual content is censored.

I find it strange that in both cases the drug use is OK but sexuality must be censored. Of course this is the same society that buys their children video games where you must stab, decaptitate and shoot your opponents but if these same kids were watching porn, mom would freak.

Dr. Pepper

"Diet Dr. Pepper tastes more like regular Dr Pepper."

than?

Spam

I don't blame spammers for spamming. If it didn't work for them, they wouldn't bother. Even if the tiniest fraction of their list responds it makes it worth their while. It's that "tiniest fraction" I blame. I'd like to send out spam promising something if they sent me their name and address. Then I could have hitmen dispatched to their homes to kill them. Once the "spam responders" are gone then so will the spam.

cross

The symbol for Christianity is the cross. Most (if not all) Christian churches have at least one large on outside and many inside. Pretty simple design really, regardless of the materials. It's just 2 straight lines. To manufacture one should not be too difficult. What if, back in Christ's day hanging was the prefered method of execuction? Would then a noose be the symbol for Christianity? Just think how much more complicated to produce these would be. A cross is simple to do in a neon sign. A noose just wouldn't turn out as well. You have the knot and maybe even the rope texture.

In no way am I being sacriligeous. I am just looking at this from a manufacturing point of view.

profanity

The idea of profanity or "swears" has bothered me for years. Let me break it down into two categories.

1. using the names of something sacred profanely or to express anger
The most common example is using Christ's name in vain. The problem is anything can be sacred to somebody. Someone may say "fiddlesticks!!!" when he stubs his toe but maybe fiddlesticks are something I hold as holy. People will say the easiest thing is to avoid using certain phrases or words that people consider sacred but than I say I hold EVERYTHING sacred. Therefore NOBODY can use any word or phrase to express anger as it will offend me. It's only fair.

2. the other swears: shit, fuck, etc......word that are just "bad"
Unlike the types of swears above these lack any logic or reason. What makes a word bad? A word should have no moral value. A word can represent something good or bad. "Murder" is bad but the word is not. What makes "shit" a swear but not "excrement"? They both mean the same thing. Some people claim it is their intent that makes these words bad. But if it is their intent than it is not the words themselves. Yelling "fiddlesticks" after stubbing your toe has the same intent as yelling "fuck". On the other side of the coin if I say I have to take a shit then "shit" in that case is not a swear. The intent is just to inform you of what I feel I have to do. The fact is these word have been deemed bad and people just accept it without thinking about it.

Another thing that bothers me is when newspapers or magazines print "f*#k" so as not to offend anyone. The writer knows what he means. The reader knows what he means. As long as it isn't actually spelled out it's OK. That makes alot of sense.

Conclusion: The concept of swearing is fucking bullshit!!

stupid commericials

1. The Diet Pepi "is there anything else youthful you'd like to experience" campaign
Since when is diet pop youthful? As a kid nothing followed a bowl of Cap'n Crunch like a diet cola.

2. Locally (Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada) there is a car dealership (Halfway Motors) that runs radio ads with the tag line in their jingle being "the one who sells cars in this town". I suppose the other car dealerships are selling garden gnomes. Besides, if they actually believed they were "the one" then why would they advertise? We would have no choice but to go there anyways (outside of shopping out of town). Just think..someone got paid to come with "the one who sells cars in this town".

black house

I had my house painted black and red over the weekend. Check it out here.

higher gas prices and bigger vehicles

I hear alot of people complaining about the rising gas prices but at the same time I see more and more trucks, mini-vans and SUVs on the road. There are plenty of one child families crusing around in these mini-vans or SUVSs. I also know several people with trucks who claim they need it to move stuff. In most cases they may actually only move stuff 2 or 3 times a year. The money they would have saved on gas had they bought a car would have been more than enough to rent a truck on the few occasions they needed one.

While I'm sure in some cases some people do need these larger vehicles but in in many cases the reality is that these are just expensive toys. Now don't get me wrong. I love expensive toys. My paintball equipment speaks for itself. However I will never complain about the extra cost incurred by owning these expensive toys (in my case more air and paint) . So you folks out there with the unnecessary large vehicles.....just shut up about the gas prices.

we are all greedy

Do you donate to charities? Is this one of the things that makes you a "good person"?

The reality is every cent we spend beyond our survival (food and shelter) is mainly for comfort or entertainment. If you own a TV than you decided that your televisions shows are more important than cancer research. It's like you have $10 to help 10 people but you agree to help 5 and spend the rest on wine gums. Sure it's better than helping nobody but the 5 people who aren't receiving your help are hoping those wine gums are real good.

dead neighbour

A women died on my street just down from my place. She was dead for a week. She was found today. I took a picture of the removal.

http://my.tbaytel.net/tgallo/removal.jpg

For those of you who may think this is morbid, please note the Thunder Bay News guy filming the event in the picture.

Thunder Bay Television....my moral barometer!!!

back in my day

I was having a discussion with a coworker recently. I asked her if she would let her son get his ear pierced. She said that she would not. She also said that she had let her daughter have it done though. Her reasoning was that "back in her day" only homosexual guys would get their ears pierced. I found 2 problems with this.

1. Nowadays this is not the case. Many boys and young men have their ears pierced regardless of their sexual orientation.

2. The "back in my day" excuse is used instead of a logical reason. "Back in my day" gives no reason of the rightness or wrongness of an issue.

I pointed out to her that back in other people's days that she wouldn't be allowed to vote. I guess "back in my day" is acceptable to some, as long is it doesn't hinder their own personal freedoms.


Robin: because I know you will ask...the answer is Nikki.

dog crap

I live on a street with quite a bit of foot traffic. There are alot of people walking their dogs around here. Consequently I am often finding dog crap in my front yard or the sidewalk in front of my house. Last week I found a small mountain right by my front door. I had no idea there was a horse in the neighbourhood.

I think there should be a better law. Forget the fine.....people who don't scoop should be forced to eat it. Cruel and unusual...maybe?....but don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

I often wait and watch, hoping to catch someone in the act. I have decided that I will either grab and throw it at them screaming "You forgot THIS!!!" or I will just follow them to their home. Then return later and smear their house and car windows with their gift, leaving them a note so they know exactly why their mailbox is full of crap.

Happy Thought #1

You cannot save a life....only postpone a death.

Letter to the Editor - May 2001

Back in May 2001 our local (Thunder Bay, Ontario) District Jail went smoke free. The following letter to the editor appeared in the local paper (Chronicle Journal):

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Inmates at the District Jail, don't forget who runs the institution. You do - like cleaning, food preperation, laundry, etc. In short, without your co-operation, the jail would fold.

If there are non-smokers in the jail, I'm sure we can accomodate them in a non-smoking range designed strictly for the cause. The benefits of smokers being allowed to smoke would far surpass the consequences of banning smoking.

I'm an ex-inmate from the District Jail. While there, I and four other inmates had to make a stand in order to be heard. Unfortunately, we grabbed all the guards hostage and yes, we had our demands heard.

I'm not suggesting a hostage incident, in fact, I'm totally against it.

All the inmates must unite for the cause. There will be repercussions but we have to stand up and maintain the strength of our convictions. Many men have died or shed their blood for the causes.

Don't ever think that what little you have today was because Correctional Services Canada wanted to give it to you.

If you allow the administration to take away the little luxury of smoking, what will they take next?

Trying to stop the inmates' actions by threatening their medication is horrendous, cruel and unusual. People do have the right to strike and the jail has no right to threaten their actions.

In closing, my family has over 150 years in provincial and federal prisons. We all did our time and shed our blood for the cause. In fact, I had one who was "found hanging" in Prince Albert Prison back in 1979.

Don't let the C.S.C. take awy any more than they have already because they'll take everything they can in the name of safety or security.

Unite or lie down and die.

If you want a layer to fight for your causes, money talks.
-James Hogan
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I responded with my own letter:
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Inmates can't smoke in jail. Tough luck. It's not a pleaure cruise. In other words: "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime".

Mr. Hogan suggests that the inmates go on strike. He figures that the prisoners run the institution. He feels that if they don't do the cleaning, food preperation and laundry the jail will "fold".

This is not the case. If the inmates refuse to do the work they will be sitting in their dirty cells wearing dirty clothes and starving. It would be their choice.

Mr. Hogan also states that his family has spent 150 years in federal and provincial prisons. That's some badge of honour. Sounds like a family of winners to me. I just he doesn't have any children to carry on the "family tradition". If not, let me be the first to sign the petition to have him "fixed".
- Tony Gallo

this weekend?

I occasionally respond to letters to the editor in my local paper with letters of my own. I like to add a touch of sarcasm and sometime even take digs at folks unrelated to the topic at hand. My friend and coworker Robin Harbron suggested that I post my past letters as well as new ones as I write them. So I will be doing that periodically. I'll probably throw one up here this weekend.

Speaking of this weekend. "This weekend" on a Monday usually refers to the weekend that just ended while "this weekend" on a Friday usually refers to the upcoming weekend. When (do you feel) this crossover takes place? Wednesday at noon feels like the fair time for this to happen. However I think it happens around 2:34am Wednesday morning. By the time you get to work Wednesday morning "this weekend" is the upcoming weekend. Any thoughts?

chocolaty chips?

I was eating Nestle Parlour Ice Cream (Heavenly Hash) the other day and noticed the ingredients listed "chocolaty chips". To me "chocolaty" says "much like chocolate but legally we cannot call it such".

I did find it listed in Dreyer's ice cream as well:
http://www.dreyers.com/brand/grand/flavor.asp?b=133&f=1590

First Blog Post

Well this is my first blog post.....more of a test post I suppose. I will be posting here whenever the urge moves me to do so. Until then.....