1 Year Ago Today

Well yes, it was my birthday...but if anyone remembers it was also the day that I posted on this blog that I would like to start a band.

Well here we are 1 year later and that band has been formed. Bad Habits have played a ton of shows, hosted a very successful fundraiser for Toys for Tots, took part in the CBC Turkey Drive, recorded a demo disk, had a single of that disk receive radio play, and we just broke the top 50 for blues bands in Canada on ReverbNation. We've made some wonderful friends in the blues community, met some fantastic people at our shows, and had more fun than should be legal! Those are a few of the highlights. Pretty crazy year!

I couldn't be more proud of the friends I call "my band". They totally rock in every sense of the word. I am honored to be surrounded by such talent. Now what do I want for this birthday wish? I'll have to think about that, I didn't realize that blogs made wishes come true.

Thanks so much to everyone who really did make last year's wish come true! Special thanks to my wonderful wife Carla who put up with this crazy schedule and life altering experience we call Bad Habits. You truly are the best!

No Time...

Wow, feels like forever since I posted anything here. I have been crazy busy with the band and just haven't had much to say here that wouldn't be band related...

Which is a nice segue to let you know that Bad Habits will be playing at the Al!bi Lounge in Charlottetown on August 5th. We'll be doing 3 full sets of blues, so come check us out if you can. It would be fantastic to fill the place!

We'll also be opening for Ottawa band, The Autumn at Baba's Lounge on August 19th. We'd love a good turn out!

Hopefully I will get back to posting some stuff here again soon, I am sure everyone is missing my cantankerous comments on Charlottetown life ;-)

EWTA

Enough with the Acronyms!

I am so sick of Acronyms. I hear/see them all the time now. It's hard to read an article or have a conversation without acronyms taking up 1/4 of the words. For example here is a line from an article I just finished reading "a PNR is created in the database of a CRS in the USA". Does anyone know what that means? I am sure most of you got USA. Even in the context of the article there was some confusion as to what the acronyms actually stood for. Thankfully by the end of it they had actually used the full words and you were able to put it all together.

I am trying to understand why people feel the need to use them? Does it make you feel more important to talk in code? Do you actually think acronyms save time somehow? Generally speaking they don't. For example here are few acronyms that annoy me and I'll explain why.

FYI - can be shortened to For Your Info and only uses one more syllable. Is that 1/1000 of a second that it takes to "fo" really going to save you any real time? I guess if you say FYI enough times it could add up a full second of your day.

TTFN - Ta Ta For Now! Same amount of syllables, just say the words damn it. Or even better just say bye and actually save some time on this one for real.

LOL - Easily the most overused acronym in existence. I blame MSN...oh there is another one! Is everyone really laughing this much? I don't think so.

LMAO - ok not as popular as LOL, but just as annoying, in most cases the person using this one isn't even laughing at all...they may be smiling and we have a nice little symbol for that :-)

ROFL - I don't think I have ever seen anyone actually rolling on the floor laughing...passed out on the floor drunk POOFD would be one I could believe in.

ASAP - if you actually use this as a word ASAP when talking to people you will sound like a dork and they will secretly LOL behind your back. Don't do it.

OAC - I think most of the people going for the no money down, no interest plan don't even think about what that means. Do we really need OAC after every advertised deal. I think people understand that if they have no credit they don't get the deal.

Last but not least, any of those many acronyms that get stuck after your name after you finally finish University. No one cares...honestly...I know it took you 14 years to finally decide what letters you would get and you partied and worked hard to get them, but they only matter to you, your mom and dad and maybe the gold digger that you met at the club last night.

To top it off, many of the acronyms are now getting recycled so we can't even be sure what they mean anymore. Take for example the common PEI acronym CFA. Here on the Island, if you were born here it means Come From Away, a term for people not born on PEI. However if you don't know the local lingo it could mean: Candian Field Artillery, Cascade-Failure Analysis, Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Canadian Forestry Association, Centre for the Arts....and about 23 other things in Canada alone.

Technically most of the examples I gave are actually examples of initialism but we have come to refer to them as acronyms so that is what I will call them. Regardless of what we call them Acronyms are so overused at this point they no longer serve the purpose they were intended for, they certainly have no place in the spoken language. I will admit there are times in writing where they may be acceptable and may even be time savers, but are they worth it?

TTYL! (annoying isn't it?)

I Got A Few Bad Habits

Things are really coming together. First rehearsal was a smashing success as far as I am concerned. I couldn't be more pleased with this group. They brought a lot of talent to the room and I can't wait for the next rehearsal!

We made it through 5 songs last night. Four of those five are shaping up pretty well and one in particular is pretty polished already. Liam is rock solid on the drums and Joe is right there with him holding down the bottom end. Mimi really has the perfect blues voice and Jay was pulling off Albert King guitar licks at all the right spots. This band thing may not have been such a crazy idea after all...

Oh and we have a name. We are Bad Habits.

I have a sample of Son of a Preacher Man from our first run through, but I will get everyone's permission before I post it.

Making the Band

Well it's been less than a month since my post about starting a band and a lot has happened since then.
Our first rehearsal is Monday night!

The line up as of now is:

Mimi O'Bryan - Vocals
Jason Condon - Guitar
Dale McKie - Guitar
Joe Pigeon - Bass
Liam Kearney - Drums

We're going to try our hand at rockin' some blues tunes. Jay and I got together last night and did a reworking of Dusty Springfield's Son a Preacher Man. Not to be immodest but I think this one really grooves! Can't wait to get the whole band on this one!

This is gonna be fun! I also think if anyone is interested I would like to try to document our progress...maybe I'll post some pics/video/mp3's or whatever. We'll get this first rehearsal out of the way and see how things go.

Next step...finalizing a band name!

Are you crazy?

Since about the middle of last month I have had a crazy idea stuck in my head. I have tried to let it go, tried to not think about it, tried to ignore it, but it's still there. Today I turned 37 and decided it was time to confront this crazy idea head-on.

I am obviously old enough to know better. Life experience, and friends and family would all tell me I probably shouldn't do this. I have had my share of self doubt...perhaps I am too old, perhaps I don't have the ability, perhaps it will just never get off the ground...but none of that is going to stop me from trying!

I want to start a band.

I am looking for other musicians who, like me, just want to have some fun, maybe play a few gigs on the weekends here and there. Anyway if you are interested in putting something together with this aging, mediocre guitarist, that has a firm love of classic rock and blues, let me know.

Bowling For Bros.

This past weekend, I took part in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids Sake event. I have been involved for several years now and it is always a great time and a wonderful fundraiser for the organization. I look forward to this event and this year it got me thinking about the time I spent as a big brother. It's been years now, but I often think about my little brother and wonder how he is doing.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am really very terrible at staying in touch with people. It doesn't mean I don't want to or I don't care about them or how they are doing; I am just bad at picking up the phone and calling/emailing/texting/facebooking etc. This was the case with my little brother. After I left Big Brothers Big Sisters, I did a terrible job of staying in touch. I feel bad about that. Aaron was a great kid and we had a lot of fun together. I should have been a better big brother to him, I hope he enjoyed the time we did spend together. I know I did.

In an effort to be better at staying in touch, I tracked him down on Facebook today and put in a friend request. Hopefully that will reconnect us as I would love to know how he is doing and what he is up to now.

If anyone reading this has a little free time and thinks they might be interested in becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister I recommend it.

I also want to put out a big THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored me this year!
In another effort to be better at staying in touch I'll call on you all again next year ;-)

Google It Up!

Google is putting PEI on the map! Literally.

The super cool Google StreetViews of PEI are now live. They drove around last summer in the crazy Google car and took full 360° photos of most of Prince Edward Island. I saw them as they drove through Charlottetown and lo and behold they even captured my motorcycle parked outside work!

This is very cool technology, and I have used it on my iPhone in several times while travelling. It is wonderful to finally see PEI getting added. It's also a little creepy. If you head up University Ave. just in front of Robin's Donuts you can see the MeterMaid (I know he's a guy but I like to call him the MeterMaid) writing up a ticket for some poor unfortunate soul who is trying to shop in downtown. I wonder what else got captured on cam as they drove around? Let me know if you find anything crazy/funny/interesting.

Olympic Fever Vaccine

There must have been a flu shot clinic some time in the past where they were offering vaccination against Olympic Fever and I somehow signed up for it. Either that or perhaps I am just a bad Canadian. At least that's how it feels.

It's becoming difficult to find a product or service that isn't somehow pimping itself with an Olympic tie-in. Add to that the unending stream of Olympic advertisements and the fact that my co-worker told me she has turned her house into an Olympic village, and I am starting to feel like perhaps I am missing something. I don't have one ounce of interest in the Olympics. Don't get me wrong, I respect the hard work and determination that these athletes dedicate to their chosen sports and I certainly feel a tinge of pride when I hear that Canada wins a gold medal, but overall I just see the Olympics as "that 2 weeks where it becomes difficult to find anything to watch on TV other than sports."

Let me know if you share in my disinterest, or perhaps let me know why this is a fever I might want to catch. Please use the comments below.

Design Tips for Non Designers

I have been busy at work all morning, and it's been a good design day so far. I like a morning that starts with a quick illustration and some photoshop work. I'm in a good creative frame of mind, and I thought that while I sit here waiting for an appointment, I might share a few tips with the non-designers out there who have decided to tackle their own design projects.

Too often we see these "would-be-designers" fall into the same traps, and we sit and laugh about how they should have hired a professional. While this may be true...many won't, or can't afford to. So as a public service I offer up the:

Top Ten Tips to Avoid Being Mocked by a Designer:

1. The Island is not a beautiful shape.
Never include this shape as part of your logo. No one cares about the shape of the province, it will not entice people to buy your product or service. No one says "Oh my look dear, that business has a logo that looks like a giant chicken finger we need to do business with them!".

2. Comic Sans is fine for comics...
...well you know what, no it's not even good for that. Don't use this font. EVER. It looks like it was hand drawn by a child. Do you want potential customers to think a child handles your marketing? I guess the one exception to the rule here is, if you are a Clown College, this could be your corporate font.

3. Clipart is evil.
Sure you got 1,000,000 pieces of clipart for $4.99 at Walmart in the bargain bin, but trust me you got less than you paid for. Clipart is useful for charity fund-raising coupon booklets and that is all. I understand that sometimes you feel you need an illustration and you aren't able to draw. If you can't afford to have a professional do the drawing, give some serious thought to how badly you need it. Some of the greatest designs of all time have been text only.

4. Script fonts are supposed to simulate handwriting.
With that in mind, please note to never use a script font in all capital letters. Would you write in all capital letters? You might print in all caps, but "writing" in caps looks ridiculous and it is difficult to read. Don't do this.

5. All menus should be easy to read.
You want customers to order something don't you? Why not make it easier for them by making a menu that is easy to read. Make your type large enough, don't use a dark background unless you are going to use a white type face, and don't put pictures behind the text unless it leaves the text clearly visible.

6. Your logo does not have to be a literal representation of your name.
For instance if your company is Western Septic Services, you don't need to have a picture of a cowboy sitting on a toilet in your logo. Although, that would be funny and might actually work...bad example, but I think my point is made.

7. Stock photographers are better than you!
Local professional photographers may be better still, at least to provide photos that will work for your project. If you are going to use photos, don't use your own unless you are a trained professional. The saying "a picture is worth a 1000 words" is very true. Therefore a bad image equals 1000 bad words! Do you want to spout 1000 bad words at a potential customer all at once?

8. Your favourite colour may not be mine.
Just because you like Shady Lane Green, does not mean it is a good colour to represent your steak house. Colour theory is complicated and is a very important element in your design. If you aren't sure what colour works for your business, use black. Black is always safe. There is nothing wrong with a nice black and white design. The design should stand on it's own and the colour should be like icing on the cake.

9. PMS, it's not what you think....
If you are going to ignore my last tip and use colour, make sure you select colours that are from the Pantone Colour Matching System. This way you can be sure that your colour will always be your colour no matter where you get your design printed. If you use the PMS colour model for your design, your company colours should be consistent. You can find the pantone colour swatches online very easily.

10. Be consistent.
If you get through the first nine rules, this one will be the most important. Once you have your design, and font, and colour all ready to go. Use it. Every time you create something to market your business try to have it look somewhat similar to the last thing you did. It's called building brand recognition. If you use a different type face and different logo every time you send something out, how will anyone ever recognize you. Imagine your logo as the face of your business. People will get familiar with that face and will recognize it very quickly, if they see it often.

There are many more tips I could offer, but hey this isn't design school! I like having a job so I can't give away all my secrets. Actually now that I think about it, the best tip I could give would be:

HIRE A DESIGNER! We like to eat.

Would you believe...

During this morning's news updates on K-Rock there was a segment on a recent study that had been conducted. Researchers have determined that sitting for long periods of time, such as 8 hours per day, may be bad for your health and could be a factor that would lead to obesity.

I hope we, the taxpayer didn't pay a lot for this research. I have a feeling we did.

As a public service to taxpayers everywhere I am offering up the following research results free of charge. No studies will ever need to be conducted on the following.

1. Breathing will prolong your life.
2. Eating has been shown as a possible cause of excrement.
3. Water prevents dehydration.
4. Sleeping is an effective treatment for tiredness.
5. Not spending money on stupid research projects will save tax payer dollars.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled 8 hours of sitting.

The Kindness of Islanders

Much to my amazement in less than 24 hours from my time of posting about my Eastlink experience I received this very helpful email from Derek MacEwen:

"Hi. I passed your "Huh?" blog post re Eastlink's HD service on to Marty Stewart, who is Eastlink's PEI Operations Manager (and my son's hockey team manager). He says that if you are the Dale McKie who lives at (my address), you should be able to get full HD service. He asked me to pass along his cell number: xxx-xxxx. His email is xxxxxx@eastlink.ca. He'll fix things up (he sure did for me when my Internet connection died last Thursday and the call centre told me they couldn't get there until Monday morning!)."


I spoke with Marty and he has suggested that within 24 hours I will be enjoying HD in my home again!

This is one of those times where I am marvelled by the benefits of living in a small province like PEI. Everyone here knows someone who knows someone who can help to solve your problem.

I would like to thank Derek and Marty both for taking the time to read about my problem and going above and beyond to help resolve it.

Please take note Eastlink, this is what customer service is all about. Perhaps you could give Derek a free month or two of internet for saving one of your customers? While you're at it, how about a nice Christmas bonus for Marty?

Huh?

I just don't understand some companies!

Last night we noticed a message on our Eastlink HD PVR. It was informing us that 2 HD channels are available right now for a free preview. We checked them out and they worked and looked great.

Sounds good right? Two HD channels for free for a month, hard to complain. But wait....

Since we moved to York in May we have been reassured that HD should be available in our area.  However, after several failed attempts to sign up for the service (each attempt requiring a long conversation that usually involved tech support and supervisors being contacted, as the nice sales person couldn't understand why it wasn't available), we had resigned ourselves to the fact that HD wasn't available in our area and we would need to look at alternatives to Eastlink. Until last night...

Suddenly we were watching the Super Chanel in HD. As if by some miracle it just worked...we suddenly had 2 HD channels working in our home. Of course this motivated me to contact Eastlink and request the HD package we have been missing so badly.

So here is how it went:

ME: Hi I would like to sign up for the HD channels please.
EL: Sure, can I get your name and address?
ME: Sure (name and address given)
EL: OK let me just make sure it is available in your area.
ME: Great, thanks.
(Several minutes on hold)
EL: Oh I am sorry sir but HD is not available in your area yet.
ME: Hmmm, that is what we have been told in the past as well, but last night we received a message about 2 free HD channels being available. It was on our HD PVR and when we checked to see if they were working, we were pleased to see that they were.
EL: That's strange, so you were able to view the Super Channel?
ME: Yes, and we would like to have the HD package we used to have before we moved to York if you could just add that to our account.
EL: But I am afraid that HD isn't available in your area sir.
ME: But I was watching HD on the free HD channels last night. So is there some reason that these packages aren't available?
EL: I am not sure sir. I can check for you with my supervisor.
ME: OK but before you do, are these two free channels HD channels?
EL: Yes they are sir.
ME: OK, and I am receiving them right now perfectly. So would you agree that there is HD available in my area technically?
EL: Well, yes. Do you mind holding while I check with my supervisor.
ME: Sure.
(another long hold)
EL: I am sorry sir, but I checked with my supervisor and she checked into this issue, and I can assure you that HD is not available in your area at this time. We don't have the lines in place to carry HD channels to your area.
ME: Hmm, but before you put me on hold we had just agreed that I am currently able to watch HD in my home for free on 2 channels for the next month. Therefore HD must be available. I would just like to add other channels that I pay for to these 2 free channels and I will be a happy customer.
EL: Yes, I understand, but HD isn't available in your area at this time and we aren't sure when it will be.
ME: Is it possible for you to just add the HD package to my account and I will start paying for them and watching them even though they aren't available like the 2 free HD channels that aren't available that I am currently enjoying?
EL: No, I'm afraid not, because HD is not available in your area, we can't add HD channels to your account.
ME: But you did, you added two free HD channels that work perfectly.
EL: Yes that is strange, I am not sure why they are working.
ME: OK, so is there anyway to find out when the other channels can be added.
EL: No I am sorry but we don't have any information on what areas will be getting upgrading to HD at what time.
ME: So there is no way for you add HD channels to my line, but I am getting 2 HD channels that you added for free, is that correct?
EL: Yes it seems to be.
ME: OK well I think I may need to switch to satellite, thank you for your help.
EL: Thank you sir, would you like to speak to technical support about this?
ME: No thanks, I am pretty sure it won't help.

I never thought I would say this, but...

We need stronger legislation on video games.

I am now of the belief that we need to apply the same legislation to video games as we do to alcohol and tobacco. If the game is rated Mature or Adult, I propose it should be illegal to sell this game to anyone under the age of 17. Furthermore, it should be illegal for someone to purchase this with the intent of giving it to someone under the approved age.

I fully support game developers rights to create a game with whatever content they feel will sell, so long as that content doesn't violate established laws. However, I don't feel it is appropriate to sell certain games to minors. Let me fill you in on why I am suddenly convinced we need this legislation.

Over the past weekend I was doing some game trading/buying and I spent a fair amount of time at our local game vendors. During my time in these stores I witnessed a couple of incidents that led me to this decision.

The first was a mother who was looking to pre-order the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare II for her son. I couldn't help but overhear the conversation between her and the store clerk as she was very concerned that her twelve year old son would not be able to come in and pick the game up on the day it arrives. Since it carries a rating of 17 or older, he would need a parent with him. She was clearly upset about this. The store clerk held his ground and said that he could not sell the game to someone under 17. Now for those of you who are unfamiliar, the Call of Duty series fairly accurately recreates war as a video game and puts you right in the action. Much like you would expect, this game is violent, bloody and probably not appropriate for a 12 year old boy, but that decision is up to the parent right? If she wants to buy it for him, that's her call to make. But wait...

The second incident was the next day, when I was at the counter making a trade and a lady around my age came in to trade in 3 games in exchange for Grand Theft Auto Episodes from Liberty City. The clerk made some small talk and she mentioned that the game wasn't for her but for her son. She went on to say that he's only FOUR YEARS OLD but he has a Playstation 3, an X-BOX 360 and a PSP and he really wanted this game so he was willing to trade these 3 for it. This sickened me and convinced me that we need to do something about enforcing the game ratings. The GTA series has worked hard to set the standard for overuse of violence, gore, sex, nudity and overall morally questionable content. Isn't it great that four year olds will get to benefit from that?

So perhaps you argue that she has no idea what the content is...I would argue that with a name like Grand Theft Auto and a large Adult rating logo on the package that perhaps she would have a clue. Either way, it seems clear that some parents simply aren't smart enough to keep this type of content from their pre-schoolers. The game store clerk can only do so much. There is no law against him selling to the moms even if they are giving it to a four year old. Don't you think there should be?

Ultimately it would be great if we could just assume everyone is a good enough parent to protect their children, but I have seen enough proof to know this isn't always the case. I am sure that 4 year old had a great weekend of game playing, killing prostitutes and stealing cars.

Anyone have any thoughts? Please share in the comments.

Sounds like a bad idea...

I haven't had much time to blog lately and I miss it. I pretty much use this blog as a way to let ideas out of my head. It's a crazy place in there filled with tons of random ideas, by typing those ideas on these pages I sort of set them free and move on to other ideas...

This post is just to get rid of a random idea that popped into my head last night. I realized that are tons of things that just plain sound like bad ideas and yet they are fairly successful. I am not saying that these things are bad ideas...they just sound like bad ideas especially when heard out of context.

You be the judge.

1. Recycled Toilet Paper (...but I know where it's been!)
2. Hot Pockets (ouch!)
3. Polar Bear Swim (don't feed the bears!)
4. Fast-acting Laxatives (best to take these while already on the toilet perhaps?)
5. Ant Farms (our cattle farmers can't make a go of it, but someone farms ants?)
6. Permanent Ink (this one speaks for itself)
7. Light Beer (all the beer with less of the goodness)
8. Income Tax (this seems like an oxymoron as well as a bad idea)
9. Self Serve Gas (because we don't trust the gas attendant?)
10. Powdered Milk (yuck, do you eat it with a spoon?)
11. Liquid Paper (I poured a sheet out but it just doesn't seem to go through the printer well)
12. Angry Whopper (I think the original was mean enough)
13. Head Cheese (what the hell!!!)
14. Decaf Coffee (see light beer, similar idea...)
15. Pre-arranged Funeral (it just sounds wrong, kinda like a suicide note)
16. Divided Highway (they seem easier to drive on when they are in one piece)
17. Solar Powered Lights (umm if the sun is shining...)
18. Baby Oil (corn oil from corn, peanut oil from peanuts, I'm just sayin'...)
19. Garbage Collection (I've seen stamp collections, coin collections and card collections...)
20. Computer Dating Service (I know some geeks who are practically married to their computer! I wonder if they met through one of these?)

That is all for now...feel free to add more in the comments!

Are you going to wait in line?

Well, it's almost time for people to line and up start getting their Swine Flu vaccinations. I believe that I will skip this when it becomes available.

Flu vaccinations are the subject of some debate and vaccinations for H1N1 in particular do not have a very good record.

I guess each person needs to decide what is right for them, but I honestly have avoided every flu shot so far and haven't been seriously ill with the flu since since 1990, so for me the risks of the vaccine seem to outweigh any benefit I may receive.

If I end up contracting H1N1 this season, every last one of you can say "I told you so!".

Armed and Educated

What the hell is going on? Just the other day I was commenting on how we will soon have metal detectors at the entrances to our schools. There was a news story about a knife threat at one our Island schools. Now today a shooting threat.

I am troubled by the fact that lockers, kit bags and lunch boxes weren't searched today at the Rural. I would love to hear the reasoning on this. I have heard rumours that searching a students belongings violates their rights, but surely this can't be the reason. Every student has the right to an education, and also the right to safety. No child should be sitting at school worried that the emo kid or the class bully may pull out a gun and start shooting.

I hate the idea of guards and metal detectors at Island schools but what else can be done. I feel this would only be a band-aid solution to a much larger problem. Why are kids showing up at school with weapons? Is society to blame? Is it bad parenting? Is it TV? What has changed?

During my time in school, I never once worried about getting shot. We had a few weirdos, and of course there were bullies, but the threat never usually got much higher than being locked in a locker or getting a swirly at recess.

I think every parent needs to take some time to think about this issue. Discuss it with your children. See how they feel about it. Find out what they know. Often times, they know about problems long before the police, or even school authorities. I also think that parents should be pushing for random locker searches at school. I think once a week a number of lockers should be randomly chosen and searched. I bet you'd be amazed at what might turn up.

I think the real issue is understanding why this is happening. If we can find the reason behind this, we have a much more likely chance of solving this problem, than if we just punish the offenders. Perhaps this was just a prank as the Guardian article implies, but how long before someone really does show up with a gun? Our wonderful little laid-back Island really isn't that different from anywhere else except we supposedly have better gun control.

I'd love to hear some thoughts.

It's Alive!

I am very happy to say that the new City of Charlottetown website has gone live!

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of several city employees, as well as my coworkers, our fine City has a fancy new home online.

Let the critiquing begin ;-)

A Phone for the Rest of you.....

It's coming. The iPhone for Aliant customers! I haven't seen any announcement yet but I have noticed a new 3G Network available in my iPhone along with the Rogers one that has always been there. Plus this website showed up today.

Telus rents their cell access from Aliant, so if Telus is going 3G and carrying the iPhone, you can bet Aliant will be too!

I don't know how soon it will happen, but my money is on "before Christmas". By the end of the year, the rest of you will be able to try out the "Phone" we have all been raving about!

I think this is going to be a good thing. While I am a happy Rogers customer at this time (as any of my regular blog readers know), I am a firm believer that competition in the marketplace is a good thing for the consumer.

The Spirit in the Sky?

This is an issue I have been struggling with lately. I am not struggling with how I feel, I am struggling with how this might make friends and family feel, but it needs to be said.

I don't believe in God.

At least, I don't believe in the God we are all taught about through church. For that matter, I have many problems with organized religion. I respect the beliefs of others and firmly support everyone's right to religion. I just can't believe in it for myself.

Let me explain.

I have grown up in a world and time of great discovery and advancement. Our level of knowledge and global communication has expanded at a tremendous rate. With all this knowledge available to us, I just can not in anyway believe that there is a "man-like being" sitting on a throne up in the clouds somewhere looking down on all of us and watching our every move. Honestly, that is pretty hard to believe isn't it?

Furthermore we are supposed to believe that this Supreme being wants representatives here on earth to spread the word of how great he is. In return we have to go to a building erected in his honour and lay down some cash and some prayers in order to show our respect and appease this god. We are taught that if we step out of line and don't follow his rules we will end up spending our afterlife in eternal damnation somewhere beneath the earth! Come on, how was anyone convinced this is true? We all know that there is no underworld beneath the surface of the earth…oh it's hot in there, but there is no horn-headed, cloven-hoofed, pointy-tailed creature ruling over it waiting for our naughty souls…

Now, having come to terms with that and realizing that organized religion is one of the best money scams every perpetrated…I have a few questions.

What do we do about our legal system if people stop believing in God? We are taught that the criminals will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help them God…but what if like me, they don't believe that God is up there waiting to punish them if they lie? Isn't the whole legal system supposedly based on a belief in a supreme being..that regardless of what happens in the courtroom, we will ultimately be punished for our sins?

What will war-torn countries do to occupy their time if everyone comes to the realization that believing in imaginary beings and fighting about which one is the "real one" is counter productive and downright stupid. I suppose perhaps they could spend a few years rebuilding the destroyed cities and disposing of weapons of mass destruction.

What will everyone do on Sunday if we no longer feel the need to worship our wonderful make-believe friend in the sky? Perhaps we should revisit that Sunday shopping thing eh?

Bottom line is, I personally don't understand how any educated person can truly and honestly believe in their heart and mind that the teachings of the church are the truth. However, if you can somehow over-look all the obvious shortcomings of religion and get past the craziness of miracles, magic tricks, immaculate conceptions and resurrections, and find comfort, peace and happiness through organized religion, then I say "God Bless You".

For those wondering…
Yes the story of the child pornography obsessed bishop was the straw that broke this camels back…but I haven't really believed for most of my life…I never was big on imaginary friends and who needs imaginary foes!