The Cricket From Hell

Shortly after going to bed one night.... we discovered there was a cricket in the house. I did not sleep a wink for the rest of the night.


Now I lay me down to sleep
I close my eyes and count the sheep
The moon is full, the stars are bright
The sounds of critters fill the night
Yet another end to a hectic day
I rest my body and I drift away
Then out of nowhere the chirping begins
The ear piercing noise should be considered a sin
What's all this racket that has ruined my bliss?
I must find the source before I get pissed
I don't know for sure, there's no way to tell
But I think I just found the cricket from hell
If I'm not mistaken it's right in our house
With the decibels it's reaching, it's the size of a mouse
I jump to my feet, I've lost all my poise
I must kill the sumbitch that's making all this noise!!
With flashlight in hand, I put on my shoes
That thing is going to shut up or die, I'll let it choose
With a full head of steam I burst out the door
That's all I can stand, I can't stands no more!
I race laps around the house, I can feel my heart pumping
When I find this cricket, on it's head I shall be jumping!
Everything is quiet and he's nowhere to be found
Using my flashlight I patrol the moist ground
Reluctantly I retreat, back to my castle
If I can fall asleep it was worth all the hassle
As I enter the front door I was in for a surprise
The cricket was back, much to my demise
With white knuckled fists I storm through the kitchen
Checking all the cupboards while constantly bitchin'
Pacing back and forth I'm obviously choked
This has got to be Mother Nature's, worst practical joke
I can vision finding him in a corner all alone
And grabbing his legs, like the ends of a wishbone
I wanna rip him apart and beat him 'til he's numb
But I know it's useless, there's more where he came from
The sun slowly rises, and starts a whole new day
Like a bad case of tinnitus, he keeps chirping away

Spare change for a coffee....

I had a flashback recently of a night I had sometime in the early 90's that even to this day makes me laugh out loud. It was a typical winter evening in Vancouver that my friend Cliff and I were hanging out going to movies, playing pool and stuff like that. It was cold, raining and the wind would rip right through you as you walked through the parking lots.

We decided to stop in at a McDonald's for dinner because the conditions were just too bad to try and go long distance to anywhere decent to eat. I parked my car as the rain came thundering down on us and we covered up as we ran towards the restaurants front door. As we were approaching the steps at the side of the building we noticed somebody just standing there sorta hunched over. He had on about 6 coats and was leaning on a shopping cart full of various items that would be considered garbage by the average person. He was an elderly man and very rugged looking and it was obvious that tonight wouldn't be the first night he slept out on the street.

When we finally got up close to him he turned to us and said, "Excuse me, do you have change for a coffee?"

I quickly replied, "Sure, you got change for a twenty?"

At first I thought it was a joke....

What is wrong with people these days? When I find out that someone is about to get married I tend to think of happy thoughts and in general wish them well. I picture them years from now and how theirs lives will change so much dramatically and of all the things they look forward too. Buying a house, having the standard 2.3 kids, being able to do things as a family and stuff like that. Isn't this a normal way for somebody to think in today's society?

Ever since I started telling people about me being engaged there has always been these certain phrases that would occasionally pop up. "Don't do it man!! hahaha" or "It's not too late to back out of it now!! hahaha". Well it seems that the more people I get introduced to now that I've moved to be with my fiance, the more often I get this type of response. It even started back home and even at the border crossing in Washington. It seems everybody wants to line up and give us their version of the "It's never too late to back out" line. Has the concept of marriage actually diminished that much over the years that we are better off living alone and bitter for the rest of our lives?

Whatever happened to the well wishers and strangers who congratulated people upon hearing such news? I feel that at times people are actually wanting us to marry and have it fail just so they can say "I told you so!". Isn't there enough pressure on the couple already without having so many people advising them to not go through with their dreams? Sure I can understand that people would be looking out for the best interest of both parties but if you over do it, then you are just creating an environment of self doubt and second thoughts.

Engaged couples both young and old need positive feedback that everything will be alright. They don't need to hear all the nay-sayers fill their minds with bad experiences because they see it everyday. Seriously, how far do you have to go to hear a sob story of a failed marriage? How far do you have to go to hear the statistics of broken marriages? It's thrown in our faces everyday and it's almost like you have to pretend to be a maverick to even THINK about getting married. It shouldn't be that way, we should embrace the idea of two people committing to each other for the rest of their lives and give them all the encouragement they need and deserve.

I admit that I am a wise-ass practical joker and can give and take and jab with the best of them. At first I WAS taking everything people were saying with an open mind and a grain of salt but it just seems we're getting more words of doom than words of wisdom, respect, or advice. Like the saying goes.... if you tell someone everyday how stupid they are, sooner or later they will start to believe you.

Through all these negative comments I still find myself very much wanting to get married. I guess I'm lucky that what my ears are hearing is no match for what my heart is feeling.

I smile as I look into the future. I hope that one day 30 years from now my wife and I can throw a big ass party and invite all the people that are in our lives today. I guarantee you that I will have a very large cake that has the following message inscribed on the icing:

"We told you so!"

In the beginning.... There was chaos

Quietly I sit here pondering what to post as an opening for this new web page of mine. I really have no idea where to begin, there's been just so much going on with my life in the last few months that I could literally type forever (minus pee breaks of course).

As a 2nd and/or 3rd shift worker for the last 7 or so years I find that late at night, when everything is quiet, that my mind tends to wander quite a bit. I get crazy ideas, write weird poems or short stories, or just ramble away about my thoughts of the world we live in today. I'll never give myself a deadline to write here. There might be 2 or 3 posts in one day, and then you might not hear from me for a month..... it's always been that way.

I'll briefly introduce myself for those who find this page by accident or who don't know me yet. My name is Brian and I'm 27 years old. I was born and raised in a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. I'm sure I'll have lots of stories about my "home" as time goes on...... I left behind some real awesome friends and my family about 6 weeks ago in order to move to the USA. I met a few people online over the years and was fortunate to meet a few of them in person. Well, as luck would have it, one of the people I got a chance to meet I ended up proposing to on January 21st, 2003. We are scheduled to get married in mid October so you can see why I say I have lots on the go right now.

It was hard leaving my old life behind to start a new life here in Connecticut but I'm really excited about finding happiness and a fresh beginning. My fiance, Julie, and I grew up with very similar backgrounds and just seem right for each other. I have no regrets, I have no real deep concerns, and I am at peace with the decision I made.

It was time for a change.