Weekend Update: Wounds & Wine (Part 2)

After working Saturday morning, I went to Fork & Cork which is this wine festival (the one I mentioned in the last post). The day started out cool and cloudy, but ended up sunny and verging on hot (making that sweater not such a great idea), but beautiful. I actually didn't drink that much wine but hung out with some people that I hadn't seen in ages, not including the night before. I took some pictures of the event (unfortunately I didn't get in any of them).

I couldn't believe so many people brought their kids to a wine festival. That just seems like bad parenting.

After the festival, a bunch of us headed over to a friend's place. We hung out there for the rest of the evening and made some awesome food. Steaks, venison, potatoes & onions. It had literally been years since I have had venison (which had been "brought down" by one of the guys who was with us). Delicious! And I ate way too many potatoes.

Some of us went downtown, but I didn't stay out for long, especially since I had to work the next morning. It was a long, active, sleep-deprived weekend, but well worth it since I don't get weekends like this very often.

Weekend Update: Wounds & Wine (Part 1)

Small, but it stings.

Some time after I woke up on Saturday morning, I realized that I had a couple of cuts on my knuckles. I don't remember incurring these wounds (no, I didn't black out, my memory is just naturally shit) and it took me a second to think of how they may have happened. Then, it hit me.

Early Friday evening I met up with a couple of guys downtown to watch a bit of the NFL draft. We ended up making a drinking game out of the event: a shot every 16 picks, a shot whenever Green Bay makes a pick (we're all Green Bay fans), and a shot every time a Virginia Tech player gets drafted. This was all on top of the other drinks we had. This was the most I had had to drink since St. Patrick's Day so the rest of the story is a bit hazy. One of the guys mentioned a friend of his who was coming downtown later. We left this place after a while and went to bar number two where we met up with some people who were in town for the weekend. At some point, this friend shows up downtown. I don't know exactly how it happened, but he and I (as we were all leaving after last call) end up making out. In situations like this I tend to be a bit...aggressive (I guess that's the word I'm looking for). We were up against a wall and, like I said, I don't remember scratching or scrapping against anything, but it happened.

This ended up being the talk of work for the next two mornings since I work with one of the guys that I was watching the Draft with.

The part that truly sucks is that I was supposed to see him the next day (a wine festival type of thing here in town), but that didn't happen. :( Too bad, I remember him being cute (I think :P).

MyTunes Monday: Dustbowl Dance

MyTunes Monday: Harmonium

Friday the Thirteenth

Ever wonder why Friday the 13th is considered to be so unlucky? Well, I was watching The History Channel some years back and they were talking about the Knights Templar and the show gave me an answer to that question (though this quote isn't from The History Channel, it still rings true):

The whole superstition regarding the unluckiness of Friday the thirteenth arose when, on Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the simultaneous arrest and imprisonment of all the available Knights Templar, and the confiscation of all their worldly goods. Because of this unwarranted persecution of the Knights Templar, all down the ages, Friday the thirteenth has been considered an unlucky day ever since.

Many, many Knights Templar were tortured into confessing such misdeeds as heresy, treason, worshiping an idol; all capital offenses. 

Many executions were carried out: many Knights Templar were burnt at the stake, including the elderly leader of the Order, Grand Master Jacques de Molay. As he was burnt at the stake, he faced the Notre Dame Cathedral, his hands folded in prayer. He said:

"God knows who has sinned. Soon a calamity will occur to those who have condemned us to death."

Pope Clement, who was instrumental in disbanding the Knights Templar, died only a month later, and King Philip, who ordered the capture, persecution and death of the Knights Templar, died mysteriously in a hunting accident before the end of the year.

How did this come about, that these Knights Templar, these proud knights in armour, responsible for guarding pilgrims to the Holy Land and the most respected knights in the land, with their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience rigorously adhered to and their sacred mission of protecting the pilgrims in the most holy of all places on earth--how did these perfect, gentle knights manage to offend not only their sovereign king but the pope, as well? And to the degree that the infamous persecution has its own unlucky aura surrounding that day, or indeed any Friday the thirteenth, for the next 700 years?

Even though the original vows included a vow of poverty, and the individual knights adhered to the rule as far as personal expenditures, they, as an organization, had become extremely wealthy over time, forming the first international banking system of any kind, and accruing wealth and estates through pious gifts of landowners wishing to finance the Crusades. King Philip was deeply in debt to the Knights Templar:proper name, the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon ...

And Pope Clement owed his position to King Philip's influence, primarily.

That's one way to cancel the debt--kill all the persons you are indebted to and confiscate their wealth.

So, happy "Sucks to be a Templar Day" to all!!!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

April Fools Day/First Crush

I have never been a fan of this day for many, many years. I especially dread having to go to work on this day. Luckily this year I made it through unscathed, but my dislike of this day most likely stems from the first April Fools Day that I can remember.

I was in grade four at the time. During most of this particular school year, I was in a tight group of friends with three other guys: two of us in grade four, two in grade five. One of the grade five guys was...let's call him AC. This requires a bit more back story before I get to the April Fools story.

For some reason that particular year, grade four and five students had the same classes (don't ask me why, I have no idea to this day). When I first saw AC, I had an instant crush on him. I was ten years old at the time (too bad I didn't get the whole gay thing until over a decade later, but I digress). He was "dating" this girl at the time who I didn't like. It wasn't a jealousy thing, she just wasn't a nice person from my perspective. I called her some name and she threatened to tell AC, which she did. Then he threatened me, but for some reason I wasn't really scared that he would do anything (which he didn't BTW). Time went on and whatever animosity he had towards me faded away to the point that we became great friends for the rest of that year. The crush kinda went dormant, but I was still attached to him in some way. Now, back to the main story.

Later that year, I was in the hallway. AC came up to me and said he needed to tell me something. He told me that he was moving to another city. When a kid hears that one of their best mates is moving far away, the reaction is never good...neither was mine. I was standing there trying to hold back the tears and just when they were about to overflow, he said "April Fools!!!" I was dumbfounded. I was speechless. I was hurt. All I could think to do was turn around and walk away before he could see that I was crying. He probably saw the tears anyway.

While I don't remember particularly liking April Fools Day before that point, I definitely didn't like it after, nor do I play April Fools jokes on others (I swear that I DO have a sense of humour though).

MyTunes Monday: Harmonium