A prince at war.....

Today the Associated Press (AP) has reported that Prince Harry has been fighting with the British troops on the frontlines of Afghanistan since December 2007. This news was originally supposed to be kept secret (agreement made with the british military and the british press)due to threats made directly at Prince Harry prior to his deployment on a previous tour of duty. Due to the threats he did not take part in that tour for his own safety and that of his unit. The only reason this story is being reported today is because an Australian and a German newspaper decided to run the story. To me it is a disgrace that the 2 papers decided to report on Prince Harry's involvement in the war in Afghanistan, not only does it put his life in even more danger but it also endangers the entire safety of his unit and possibly comprimises the entire british force. Now I know there will be nay-sayers out there saying that if the british military wasn't prepared to deal with this they shouldn't have deployed Prince Harry in the first place. I agree there may be some validity to that argument but I also think it would be unfair to deny Prince Harry the right to fight for his country and the world in the fight against terrorism. As everybody knows Prince Harry is third in line to the throne behind his brother Prince William and father Prince Charles, therefore I suspect going to Afghanistan was something that he chose and not something that was forced upon him. I for one commend Prince Harry for stepping up to the wicket and going to Afghanistan, after all there are many people that lead much less fortunate lives that would no way enter a war zone. I will not be surprised if Prince Harry is withdrawn from Afghanistan within the next week and if that is the case I have only 1 thing to say to Prince Harry, thank you.

Republic of Kosovo??

So I read in the paper that Kosovo has become its own Republic, this is great news for the people of Kosovo who I believe are mainly muslim and they are able to seperate from the mostly christian based Serbians. The problem with the whole thing though it that both Russia and Serbia are opposed to Kosovo becoming it's own republic and both have threatened to not recognize the newly formed Republic of Kosovo. Why is this an issue you may ask? Well as we all know the Balkans has historically not been a very peaceful part of the world and with that being said it stands to reason that this new conflict could very well lead to more violence and civil unrest which will in turn force NATO and the UN to send in peace keeping military and once again many NATO/UN soldiers will perish fighting someone else's battle.

Peace on earth

Good will to man

Are the words that we

Have thrown in the garbage can

We forever fight battles

Amongst one an other

When can we all get along

Live as sister and brother

Everyday, the death toll rises

For the soldiers of the earth

Trying to make this place safe

For all future children's birth

I hope as my son grows

The world will sort itself out

For my son is destined for great things

That I truly have no doubt

The great things may not affect

More than his own family

But sometimes great things are simple

Like snuggling with your child cozily

Ok well that poem just came out of nowhere and it may not be any good but when I write in this blog I just write what comes to mind with very little editing. So if anyone ever reads this thing please leave me a comment.

Peace Out!!!

Dream as though you will live forever, Live as though you will die today

In the light of yet another school shooting at Northern Illinois University resulting in the death of at least 5 people the title of this blog entry could not be more fitting. If you look back at your own life over the past few years, weeks or even days how many time s have you said "I'll do that tomorrow" or "I'll get around to it later". Everybody, incuding myself lives their life with the "that could never happen to me" mentality but the realism of todays world is that it could definatley happen to you and at any moment. Think about it, do you think any of the students at Columbine Highschool, Norhtern Illinois University or any of the other schools thought they would ever get shot and die at school? I doubt it. I really don't understand this type of cowardly act that is carried out with senseless violence, if you want to kill yourself then kill yourself that is your choice. But why have so many people in recent times decided that it is neccesary to take so many innocent people with them? Situations like this should serve as a reminder to the rest of us that we should indeed "Dream as though you will live forever, Live as though you will die today" to add another cliche to the mix and to be perfectly honest this is one that we should all follow "never put off until tommorow what you can do today".

Before I continue with this entry I would just like to say that it is about time we gave the postal workers a break. Therefore i would like to take this opportunity to coin a new phrase "GOING STUDENT", example...."back off mofo or I'll go student on your ass". I mean if you look at recent history it is obvious that the students of today are much more inclined to go and do a massive shoot em up routine. I hope by the time my son gets to highschool and University this trend is gone.

Dream as though you will live forever, Live as though you will die today

For many years I have had this plan/dream to make sure in my lifetime I give myself the opportunity to see the world, and as of this moment I have devised a plan to ensure this happens. Starting in the spring of 2009 I am going to start an annual tradition of taking two weeks off of work to visit a country or part of a country I have never been to before. Ever since the summer olympics of 1994 I have wanted to visit Spain and specifically Barcelona so I think I am going to make Spain my first vacation destination. Since I plan to go for 2 weeks I am thinking about spending 1 week in Barcelona and 1 week in Madrid but of course I will venture out to the smaller cities so that I can get an idea what the country is like outside of the major cities that are cluttered with tourists like myself. I have been told that when exploring Spain a definite must see is Santiago di Compostela which is virtually on the border of Spain and Portugal so if I my trip planning works out maybe I will visit this area and spend a few days in Portugal as well. The best thing about travelling to Europe in the years to come is that over 2 weeks I will be able to see and visit multiple countries due to their close proximity. One destination outside of Europe that for me is a must see is Egypt, I definately want to visit this country so that I can see the pyramids and sphinx with my own eyes. The history of Egypt is so extensive I can easily see myself spending my entire 2 weeks here. In regards to Africa I would also like to visit Morocco and of course South Africa, maybe I will make it to South Africa in 2010 so I can be part of the World Cup tournament.........kill two birds with one stone!!

Anyway in closing I just thought it is important for all of us to realize that we must live each day as if it is our last and that we make sure we experience the things we want to experience so that when the time comes for us to say good-bye to this world we can do so with a smile on our face knowing we have no regrets.

CARPE DIEM!!!!

City and Colour

Well today I went out and treated myself to a new CD, I purchased the new City and Colour CD titled "Bring Me Your Love" and I am listening to it as I write this blog entry. As usual Dallas Green's lyrics and rythmic demeanour have the ability to put you into a trance like state where you forget about all your issues and ailments. This new album is obviously far away from Green's main focus with his bandmates in Alexisonfire but it is equally intriguing in its own right. The thing I like best about the new City and Colour album is that not only is the album completely different from Alexisonfire as we all knew it would be but the new album is also very different from City and Colours debut album "Sometimes" which as we all know experienced great success. Dallas Green in my opinion has taken a big leap of faith by making this album sound quite different than the critically acclaimed City and Colour debut, but then again that may be exactly what his fans wanted. Personally I love the fact that I can play both City and Colour albums and very easily distinguish the differences between the two. Maybe those that know Dallas on a personal level would be able to equate the different sounds with the differences in Dallas' personal and professional live.

In my humbe opinion which I realise holds very little weight I believe this album to be the one that goes the extra distance to show just how talented of an artist Dallas Green is. Green has already had much success with Alexisonfire including both gold and platinum records as well as having the opportunity to tour the world to play for the band's millions of fans. With City and Colour's debut album Green appeared to bare his soul and really leave himself out there for all to see just how vulnerable he was at the time of writing the songs contained on "Sometimes". With the lyrics on this new album Dallas Green continues to show his vulnerable sensitive side that is absent when on stage with Alexisonfire. Bring Me Your Love may not receive the same commercial success that its predecessor enjoyed but the album definately will recieve much critical acclaim and it will prove that Dallas Green is a force to be reckoned with in the Canadian music industry.

In closing, I think whoever reads this blog (if anyone does) would be doing themself a favour by going to your local record store and picking up a copy of this album.

Oh and by the way did I mention that one of Canada's most famous rockers sing on track 5 "Sleeping Sickness". I'll leave his identity out of this blog so that when you listen to the album for the first time you will be pleasantly surprised.

It is now February 17, 2008 which is 4 days after my original post about this album. After listening to this album from start to finish 10+ times I know feel fully qualified to say that this is a fantastic album both in regards to both the lyrics and the musical arrangements.

http://www.cityandcolour.ca/
www.myspace.com/dallasgreen
http://www.dinealonerecords.com/ (be sure to check out all the artists on this label.)

Change is on the horizon...

Change is inevitable, Avoiding change is impossible, Change is constant, Change is good.

Undersatnding these four short points stated above could possibly be the most important thing anyone can ever do in their life. I mean think about it, how often in our lives have we stressed or been upset all because of change? It could be as simple as a change in the weather, or something more personal like a change in relationship status or a change in employment. All these things and many others stress us out, but if we can only find the time and strength to sit back and remember the 4 points at the start of this post we may be able to begin to put things into perspective. I myself am about to go through a big change and I am not fully prepared for it but I do understand how it relates to the four points I have previously mentioned. My marriage is coming to an end, this is something I never thought could possibly happen, the reason I thought this was because when I said "till death do us part" I meant it. But times they are a changing, there is that word again........change. In regards to relationships of course change is inevitable, impossible to avoid, constant and good. Relationships change everyday and in many ways, for example a realtionship with a friend or loved one is constantly evolving into something more involved as you begin to learn more and more about the individual or as your lives begin to take you down different paths. I have many friends that I used to be really close with and actually still consider these people to be friends but unfortunately our lives have gone down different paths and we have not kept in contact or it has been sporadic at best. In all relationships, especially those with a significant other change is impossible to avoid. A love relationship is probably the most volitile in regards to change, by this I mean it clearly experiences the most change. For example when a relationship begins there is a plethora of feelings generated both physically and mentally and in most cases these feelings are what act as the foundation for the rest of the relationship. As relationships meet milestones they change, it could be making the relationship officially exclusive, or moving in together, getting engaged/married or having children. All of these things are very significant in there own right and all may sound positive but that is not always the case. In my situation all the things I mentioned were positive and enjoyable but were maybe not the right decision based on my partners train of thought at the time. I personally do not regret anything that has happened because through this relationship I have gained the biggest and best change to my live............my son. My son is the single biggest change that my life has ever experienced and I would not change it for the world. It seems I would sacrfice anything in my life for my son even down to my own happiness. I am only know beginning to realize that I can still have everything that my son brings to my life and still offer him everything I bring to his life and be happy at the sametime. I have always feared that my failed marriage would have detrimental affects on my life in general, but in all actuality it may be quite the opposite, it may turn out to be the most liberating experience of my life. We all know that change is constant so attempting to postpone it or run from it is a frugal exercise at best. My last point for my first blog entry is that change is good. In fact just by writing this blog I feel I have begun to change, it is actually quite liberating to be able to write down your thoughts without fear of retaliation, rejection, or even caring if they ever get read by anyone else. Within the next few months I will be embarking on a new chapter of my life that once again was brought upon because of change. The times ahead are going to be exciting, frightening, interesting, memorable and forgettable.........wish me luck!!!