Ryan J. Allen

I must’ve dreamed a thousand dreams, been haunted by a million screams, but I can hear the marching feet; they’re moving into the street.

Now did you read the news today? They say the danger’s gone away but I can see the fire’s still alight; they’re burning into the night.

There’s too many men–too many people–making too many problems and not much love to go ’round. Can’t you see this is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in and these are the hands we’re given. Use them and let’s start trying to make it a place worth living in.

Oh Superman, where are you now, when everything’s gone wrong somehow? The men of steel, the men of power, are losing control by the hour.

This is the time; this is the place; so we look for the future but there’s not much love to go ’round. Tell me why this is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in and these are the hands we’re given. Use them and let’s start trying to make it a place worth living in.

I remember long ago when the sun was shining; yes, and the stars were bright all through the night; and the sound of your laughter as I held you tight–so long ago.

I won’t be coming home tonight. My generation will put it right. We’re not just making promises that we know we’ll never keep.

Too many men–there’s too many people–making too many problems and not much love to go ’round. Can’t you see this is a land of confusion.

Now this is the world we live in and these are the hands we’re given. Use them and let’s start trying to make it a place worth fighting for.

This is the world we live in and these are the names we’re given. Stand up and let’s start showing just where our lives are going to.

I had a great day at work today. I was there about 10 hours when I finally left because I needed to go care for a cat. Really I wanted to go, care for the cat, and still get home in time to do some laundry.

Well, the laundry plan didn’t work out but I still had quite an evening regardless. Hewah and I watched Seinfeld and then I headed downtown, still on my bicycle. In total I estimate that I cycled about 50 km today, which sounds like a lot to me.

In place of an actual dinner, because I got home late, I had a protein shake, some cottage cheese, some yogurt, and a large bowl of Special K with All Brand Buds. I really am a huge fan of dairy.

This baby is having a birthday.

I was a regular social butterfly. Observe me sharing a laugh with a group of people.

If friends were flowers, I’d pick you. Thanks for reading.

Why is it that video game designers don’t include milk as a power up in the game? It’s good protein, has a small amount of healthy fat, and is calcium-rich to promote good bone development. I think drinking milk in the game should also increase handsomeness, as milk is the source that I attribute my good looks to.

Maybe I’m just thinking about video games because I played through Bio Shock last week. It was a fun game, with a good story. It’s definitely re-playable at least once more.

I sit here at my desk with three beverages in front of me: water at room temperature in a Nalgene bottle; a bottle of Orange-Tropical Fruit Gatorade brand “Thirst Quencher”; and a glass of skim milk. Each serves a distinct and very specific purpose: the water is for hydration (warm water absorbs faster) and palate cleansing; the Gatorade is for carbohydrates to energize me until lunch time while also providing energy for muscle repair; and, the milk provides me with protein for muscle development and calcium for strengthening my bones. I might just finish it all off with some cottage cheese before I jump into the shower.

I cycled to work. It took me the usual amount of time–about 30 minutes–which I am pleased with considering I have been as active as a blob for the past 5-6 weeks. There is a possibility that my body will crash this afternoon because of this out-of-norm bicycle trip and the little amount of sleep I got last night (4.5 hours).

A shower will be awesome.

Last week a video of The Great Destroyer from NIN’s tour was posted by the band. I really like this song as it reminds me of the time I was a bomb. (Apparently I didn’t blog about that–I searched.)

“We don’t expect any precipitation from Saturday Overnight to Sunday Evening.” - The Weather Network, City Weather, Ottawa, Ontario

What a great night to be sleeping outside. It’s currently 17 degrees, going down to 16. It is overcast, but that isn’t too noticeable. It is 10:30 p.m. and traffic has died down to a near standstill on the parkway, leaving the blanket of cricket noises as the only really audible sound. I predict an amazing night’s sleep.

I purchased the video game Bio Shock yesterday and had a chance to play it today. I have had some fun with it; you are free to use the weapons (wrench, pistol, machine gun, shotgun, grenade launcher) and in combination some super powers offered by genetic engineering (shoot fire, sub-zero freeze, levitate and throw heavy objects, electricity bolt, etc.). As was pointed out in a review I read, the number of ways to kill things is seemingly only limited by your imagination. Surely I’m still in the early stages (I’m not much of a video gamer) but I do think it’s a neat game. For anyone else who might own it I can tell you that I’ve just picked up the research camera.

You might wonder why I did not play the game yesterday. The reason is that I was not at home and I somehow ended up watching a television show called the Singing Bee. I do not recommend it. It is hosted by Joey Fatone (I was told to pronounce it “Fat One”, which I obviously would have done by default anyway) and it is remarkable to me that it even exists.

Speaking of Fatone, I drank so much chocolate milk today after eating lunch that I am still not hungry now (at 2230h). Forget bacon and eggs, I’m having blues for breakfast!

Good night, kids.

I’ve posted all of my photos from my trip to Germany.

Just putting my laundry away I realized why my luggage was much more full when I returned to my apartment compared to when I had left.

In three weeks, all in Germany, Canada, and the United States, I acquired:

• 1 new pair of shoes;
• 9 new pairs of socks;
• 2 new pairs of shorts;
• 1 new pair of sleeping pants;
• 3 new sweaters;
• 1 new belt;
• 7 new shirts; and,
• 1 new pair of boxer shorts.

I think everything was discounted. Everything except the boxer shorts. They cost 20 Euros.

Today is the first day in the past few weeks that I would say was truly mine. I had no commitments, I was at home, and I didn’t have too much that I needed to do. The day wasn’t stress-free, but I’m currently in a pretty unbothered state.

I woke up when I wanted to wake up, which happened to be the lovely 6 a.m. I’ve been having some strange dreams lately. They’re not bad dreams, but they’re not great dreams. While I’m sleeping it feels like they’re just wasting my time–a strange feeling to have while dreaming. I mention this just to point out that, lately, I’ve been happy to wake up.

Breakfast was a cranberry and almond trail mix bar, and some strawberry yogurt with All Bran Buds mixed in. Delicious. This morning, while in the shower, I listened to Nine Inch Nails’s Year Zero album. Oh, and I shaved my beard off.

I planned on cycling to church and it was cool this morning, so I wore a pair of jeans with a brown, striped, short-sleeved shirt. My outfit was completed with a pair of square-toed, dark brown shoes from Europe and a black canvas belt with leather trim. Even still, I managed to look ridiculous with my right pant-leg tucked into my sock while cycling so my pants wouldn’t get caught in the bicycle gear.

The bike ride was very nice. There is currently construction along my road toward the Church so I took the Ottawa River Parkway, which they conveniently close to motor traffic on Sunday mornings. I passed a significant number of people, which was fun.

The service itself was great–rejuvenating. After the service, when I went to collect my backpack and bicycle seat to leave, a woman came up to me and asked “why do you never go downstairs” (for coffee and snacks after the service), then laughed and continued on. I’m glad I didn’t have to respond, but I didn’t like her attitude or approach.

After church I cycled to the Real Canadian Superstore which was a pleasure to shop in, as always. Upon returning home, groceries in my backpack, I then ventured to Loeb and Wal-Mart on foot (after changing into shorts, as the weather was warmer then) to complete my grocery shopping. You see, I have a strategy to maximize my savings at the Superstore and supplement the Superstore shopping with purchases from Wal-Mart and Loeb, because of the convenience of their locations. You’ve already read about my purchases.

At this point in the day I sat down to watch the NASCAR race. Unfortunately the race was rained out. Television coverage of a NASCAR race during a rain delay is nothing short of awful.

I barbecued. Delicious.

I did laundry. When I went to load the washers there was no washer or dryer in use in the entire room. It was eerily quiet. I liked it.

I did some dishes.

I tidied up.

I prepared the air mattress for tonight. I will be sleeping on my balcony again. The weather looks like it will be great for that this week. Tonight could be a bit cold–a low of 9 degrees Celsius–but I will prepare for it and I will be comfortable.

Now you can see that it’s after 9. I don’t have much time before I will go to bed. I may bicycle to work tomorrow, depending on what time I wake up and how I feel (the aftermath of biking today). And speaking of wake up time, with fall and winter approaching quickly I need to get my alarm clock situation sorted out. (For those who don’t know, I haven’t used an alarm clock for months–I use the sun to wake me. But with the sun rising much, much later in the day during the colder seasons I would find myself arriving to work and other early-morning appointments much later than I would like. So for the fall I’m afraid an alarm clock is necessary.) My current alarm clock has lost more LCD segments and may soon be unusable. Trouble is, I need a 24 hour alarm clock to replace it and 24 hour alarm clocks are not easily found. Ultimately there is the Internet but I’d prefer some kind of local solution.

I hope my sleep outside will be restful and that I’ll be excited for the work week tomorrow morning.

Good night, readers. I love a very select few of you.