I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With

Same shirt, different day

Listening to : Brooke Fraser playlist (I've got a crush)

Have you ever wondered when you see that apple at the grocery store and ask yourself, "How fresh is that granny smith apple?" Have you ever wondered and stood there watching the produce clerk and say"How fresh is it?" Well here is something to think about when you go to your local grocery store.

CA or Controlled Atmosphere. Is an agricultural storage method. An atmosphere in which oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen concentrations are regulated, as well as temperature and humidity. Fresh fruits, most commonly apples and pears, where the combination of altered atmospheric conditions and reduced temperature allow prolonged storage with only a slow loss of quality. http://www.bestapples.com/facts/controlled.html

Did you know that you might have on your kitchen table a year old apple or pear. That the apple you ate was picked and packaged a year ago? I've known this for awhile, working in produce for the last 4 years. It's something that I've kinda known as one of those weird facts that you know and oddly bring up at a party that you were invited to where you know no one except for the the person who dragged you along because they needed someone to fall back on if things got awkward. Like this fact, Did you know that at least 5 spiders crawl into your mouth in your lifetime while you sleep? Okay I don't know the exact number but I've heard that one and others have confirmed that fact.

Back to my CA...

So there are CA storages in the state of Washington. Where your local grocery giant orders and gets your Gala, Breburn, Granny, Fuji, Golden & Red Delicious apples etc. Thousands upon thousand of apples sitting and waiting to be shipped 6-8 months later from when they were picked. Because of the controlled gases such as Carbon dioxide, Nitrogen concentrations etc. the apples can last longer and won't spoil after 8 months of sitting and waiting to be eaten.

Aside: I realize what I do in this world may indirectly or directly effect the course of another persons life. I believe we are all connected somehow.

All these apples that are stored away so we can eat apples year round are horded in these storages while children, people, moms, dads, boys and girls are starving. Why are we storing apples that can be shipped around the world and feed so many refugees, homeless, children, and families.

There are so many problems and issuses that contiune to make those who are privledge to make our heads spin a million times over. But like my aside mentions... take for consideration that the choices we make can indirectly or directly effect a person you may never have thought in the first place.

I'm guilty and I'm not trying to put blame on anyone particular. Me, myself and I contribute to the major problem. But I take this into consideration.

Thanks to Dan the elderly man who comes to visit our produce department from time to time to chat it up with me and take up 30mins of my time a shift. It's always eaiser to pass time at work with a good conversation. Food for thought.

Feels like home

I awoke to the sound of my alarm. It's 7:30am on my first of two days off. It's quite early since last night I spent the night playing Poker with my brother and Justin who is visiting from Vancouver. It was like old times. To add I've never seen my brother chase circles in his head wondering weather or not I raised or called pre-flop or not. It was a glorious feeling to see him so scattered brained trying to figure out if I had the cards or not.

* an aside: Good poker players will bet to put the other player to make a decision for all his/her chips. Forcing them to make that decision is hard and ultimately make them fold.

This morning I drove Justin to the car rental shop at the airport. He was driving to Edmonton for work purposes. He's visiting us as well as doing some business up north. I had time on my hands. So I decided to take a bit of a detour instead of turning back home.

The air is much cooler now in Calgary. I take a look at my weather widget and it tells me it's 15 with a high of 18 and a low of 6. Possible showers sometime during the day. I don't know if I've mentioned this, but it feels like summer has left us and all we have now is the suns light to remind us that it was once here. But the air is cool now and the breeze carries a soft whisper of fall. Something I quite welcome, but I hesitate cause I know it's only going to bring along the way the harsh call of winter. But nonetheless I am really excited for the fall.

As I drove home with my window all the way down. Hoodie in tow and my music bumping to the latest 50 cent feat Jt track. I could smell the familiarities of home. I can't really explain but I will try in this web log (blog, I just leared where blog came from). Certain smells, moments, places, occurances take you back to a time where you feel comfortable, safe and at peace. As the crisp cool air and the smell of fall around the corner brought me from being unsteady, to steady and rattled to still. Lately I've been coming to grips of my struggle to feel confident in what kind of cards that have been delt to me. But I once heards awhile back "don't blame anyone for the cards that were dealt to you, but it's how you play those cards that were dealt to you, that will determine your destiny". But in this August morning I feel inspried to be at peace for now and I will enjoy this moment. As should you if you are still reading this.

I realize that I don't ever want to take for granted the things I love most. Because when you do, you miss it so much more.

The Office & Random thoughts

The Office season premiere episode “Fun Run” airs Thursday, Sept. 27.

This isn't a official blog just thought I would give a small reminder to all those office fans out there.

What happens if your Boss joins Facebook? Do you add them? Do you ignore the request? What do you do?

Have you looked up into the sky lately? I've been seeing some awesome cloud formation and colors.

This year I'm going to welcome the fall with open arms.

Althought Tom Cruise has fallen off his rocker in the public eye. I recently watched MI3 and was throughly entertained once again.

Just Jared. I'm addicted.

Being sick always sucks.

The Vancouver Canucks are going to unveil their new logo/jersey August 29th. I'm not hoping for anything nice. The Canucks have always been the laughing stock when it comes to Jerseys. I saw who cares what they wear. It's how many goals will they score and how many games is Bobby Lue going to play?

Anyone own a Ipod Video that they want to sell?

Going home for the Journey

Summer highlight

(not many this summer but this one is climbing the charts)

Journey Softball team

I was invited by Stacey to come play on a softball team way back at the beginning of summer. Probably around the time school was done and full time work was creeping up. The invitation was so far ahead that I totally forgot all about the invite.

But one fateful day, on a day off from work(which is rare these days) I get a call from the big leagues asking if I can come out and play for the Journey church. I scrambled to look for my good old glove but couldn't find it. So I sought out a new glove which set me back a few bucks and some poor old cows behind.

I can still remember my first game. It was cloudy. The shale was moist and you could smell the hot dogs and peanuts being sold from centerfield. Okay there was no vendors present. But the shale was moist. I saw some firmilar faces and it was a pretty good debut for the filipino fury, that even Coach Tasha and Fred asked for him to come back.

The team was competitive, outgoing and lots of fun. We didn't have a team name and didn't know how to introduce ourselves to our opponet. All we knew was that we muttered under our breath that we were going to crush them politely. When we were up to bat, no one ever wanted to take a walk. We were natural hitters, nothing less and nothing more. And maybe at times we should of just taken the walk than foul out or fly out. I'm sure more runs would of been scored. Our fielding was like a wave... Sometimes it was 3 up and 3 down... other times it was bobble here, fall and slip there and finally 3 out. Whatever the case we were always up for the challenge.

Chad the consummate pro. Bruce & Paul trustworthy with the bat and the glove. Leanne was always steady, the girl could rover like no one else over. Kathy can hit. Katie a hitter not a fighter. Sparshu 2nd basewomen, she could smack one in the gap. Tasha and Fred always staying postive and always encouraging. Nelson the Guillotine and the team was awesome to be part of.

But my summer slo-pitch journey ends prematurely. Next week playoffs start and I will be in Indiana. And if we get pass that game, the finals will be held the following saturday. So as I end this ode to softball summer fun blog. I tip my hat to all my team mates who I enjoyed spending a few hours a week with. I throw my glove in anger to frustration when the ball isn't falling in the right spot. I clinch my fist and hollar to "run like the wind". And I say "Swing away Merrill", when the bases are loaded. Go home for the Journey.