My seven-year-old son learned a valuable life lesson on Friday Evening, don't jump over a rusty trailer hitch. It's certainly no Aesop fable, but it is a lesson in patience and "look before you leap".

Rather than walk around his Grampy's van and trailer, he decided to take a shortcut. Now don't get me wrong, my son is entirely capable of this physical feat; however, one learns though life that leaping without considering the consequences of failure is a recipe for destruction.

So when he jumped, his tread-challenged sneaker slipped and he landed straddling the trailer hitch. Now before you men out there die of a ghost pain in the mid-region, he actually struck the trailer hitch with the inside of his left thigh.

The result was a one-inch gash that opened to one-half inch wide. It bled fairly freely, but despite their shock and dismay, my wife and her parents were very quick to tend to the wound. They covered it with a cold wet face cloth and the bleeding was under control within a few minutes. Later in hospital, the wound was glued and everything is fine now.

The lesson was still sinking in over the weekend. Because of his fragile wound, he was to refrain from activity, especially physical play and his mother and I forced him to relax most of the weekend. I'm sure this was the worst part for my active boy.

If you are going to jump over a rusty trailer hitch, don't do it near Summerside, PEI on a Friday evening.

My seven-year-old and his mother arrived at the "NEW" hospital in Summerside, sporting an inch-long gash covered in a blood soaked white face cloth. It was 8pm.

My wife talked to the administrator and explained the accident and resulting injury and returned to the waiting area. I arrived 15 minutes later (from work) and we began the usual wait. We know the drill.

At 9pm, the old, tired and indeed cranky Triage nurse, entered the waiting room and announced my son's name. After a painful few minutes with missus personality, we returned to the same waiting room for another long wait. By now, my son is upset because he's missing the Toronto - Philadelphia game and the "NEW" (open for almost a month) hospital has yet to hook up their waiting room televisions and Playstation II.

At 11:15 p.m., we were summoned again by "personality supreme" to enter the big door on the left. At this time, she introduced us to our new waiting room -- which would eventually become our examination/treatment room.

The doctor arrived at midnight. The boy was sleeping by this time, of course, and we discussed the ideal solution. To avoid the needle and a possible violent fit of a tired, cranky and rather aggressive child, we accepted the doctor’s advice and allowed him to attempt to glue the wound. This avoided a needle and the possibility of more blood, which would upset mom and likely the boy as well.

The doctor was truly phenomenal. I can't spell his name, but the 15 minutes with him made up for the four hour wait and the cranky triage nurse.

So the moral of the story is:
Don't get hurt in or near Summerside on a Friday or as I was told Saturday evening, unless you're looking for something to do for the evening -- like hanging around the waiting room at a hospital. It's quite a social event.

Oh yeah, message to Americans:
If you’re going to redesign your medical system to allow inexpensive (or free) medical care to every individual in your country, don't do it. Most American tourists in PEI get anxious when they have to wait two minutes for their hamburger at McD's. They'll "die" if they have to wait for treatment at a PEI hospital.

The over all lesson which we can all take to the bank:
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

By taking thirty seconds to take the safe way around the car, my son could have saved himself a lot of pain, a missed hockey game, a lost weekend of playing and a scar which he may or may not be self-conscious of in the future.

However, it's a message to all of us: play safe, don't take undue chances and look before you leap. I'm not saying avoid taking chances; just take the time to calculate the risks.

I don't usually forward mass emails I get from friends, but I thought this one was interesting. So instead of emailing it, using valuable bandwidth and annoying people, here it is. Read it if you like.

I haven't checked it's historic accuracy, but there's enough truth here to make it interesting.
I think it's spooky.

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.

Now it gets really weird.

Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln.

Southerners assassinated both.
Southerners named Johnson succeeded both.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

Now hang on to your seat.

Lincoln was shot at the theatre named 'Ford.'
Kennedy was shot in a car called 'Lincoln' made by 'Ford.'

Lincoln was shot in a theatre and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theatre.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

And here's the kicker...

A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.

Creepy huh? Send this to as many people as you can, cause:
Hey, this is one history lesson people don't mind reading

If you wanted to see more of the Canadian teams in the playoffs, this is your year.

Although the Edmonton Oilers bowed out in the last days of the regular season, the other five Canadian team are doing' us proud and are taking these playoffs to the limit. Tonight, the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs became the fourth and fifth Canadian teams to force their series to the coveted yet dreaded Game 7.

I cannot remember a year since 1989 when Calgary defeated the Canadiens (coached by Pat Burns - see below) in the final that I've been so excited about Canadian teams and their chances of winning the Stanley Cup (extremely relative). But it's not all a bed of roses.

Here's why:
- Toronto and Ottawa, the two teams with the most promise are forced to eliminate one or the other in the first round and beat the he-double-hockey-sticks out of each other in the first round. I'm not a fan of either team, but barring a Canadiens upset I'll be rooting for the winner of this series to the end. Just don't tell any of my Canadiens or Maple Leafs fan friends -- I'll never live it down.
- The Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames are doing the same, and as well Vancouver must finish the year without Todd Bertuzzi and Dan Cloutier. This really takes some of of the wind out of Vancouver's sails and I site them as the only other true contender for the Cup. My wife is a Calgary fan and my friend Stephen Jordan is the last remaining Vancouver fan, so I'll be happy for one of them Monday.
- I saved the best, or the worst for last. Being a long-time Montreal Canadiens fan, it has embarrassed me to see some of the antics of the past few games. Ribiero's Oscar-winning performance in Game 3 and Kovalev's game-losing performance have tried the patience of even the most dedicated Canadian fans. I'm no different. I must say I'm still sticking with my team, they really are playing well overall. However, a few games ago, I'd have rather seen them lose for poetic justice sake.

So out of six Canadian teams, we'll have enjoyed the equivalent of 35 first round Canadian games by Tuesday night. The three series' involving these five teams have been the heart and soul of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs -- just like old times.

Another word of note, there has not been one upset in the 2003-04 Playoffs and therefore karma at least points to Boston, Toronto and Vancouver moving on, but anything can happen in a Game 7. One thing is certain, two or three of the five will join the Oilers on the golf course after Tuesday night.

I'd also like to mention Pat Burns and his fight with colon cancer. He is a top-notch coach regardless of the team. I really appreciated the job he did with the Canadiens (1988-1992) while he was there. My prayers are with him and his family in these difficult times.

The latest installment in the fantastic series of legal-inspired books by John Grisham did not disappoint. Although it was not the best in the series, The Last Juror was action-packed and had me reading to the end; five days from start to finish -- a record for me.

These are the John Grisham Novels I have (Red, Bold) and haven't read.
A Time to Kill (1989)
The Firm (1991)
The Pelican Brief (1992)
The Client (1993)
The Chamber (1994)
The Rainmaker (1995)
The Runaway Jury (1996)
The Partner (1997)
The Street Lawyer (1998)
The Testament (1999)
The Brethren (2000)
A Painted House (2001)
Skipping Christmas (2001) (don't know if I'll bother)
The Summons (2002)
The King of Torts (2003)
Bleachers (2003)
The Last Juror (2004)

If you have never read a John Grisham novel, you should. I read my first one in 2001 and instantly fell in love. They're full of action, mystery, legal ramblings or is it wrangling and murder. I don't know that he's written a bad novel, but here are the five best in my mind: A Time to Kill, The Pelican Brief, The Street Lawyer, The Partner, The Client.

If your not a reader, as I wasn't, pick up one of the movies which stemmed from the books: A Time To Kill, The Pelican Brief, The Firm, The Client, The Chamber and The Runaway Jury, newly released on DVD. The movie The Pelican Brief inspired me to read my first John Grisham book, The Partner. I haven't stopped since.

My next book will likely be The Runaway Jury for two reasons. First, it's the oldest book I haven't read, and second, I want to see the movie. I would not want to rob myself of the experience of reading the book first. I unknowingly watched The Firm and The Pelican Brief before discovering the novels, and as a result, I spoiled these the books somewhat.

Chris Pirillo is returning to Tech TV's Call for Help after a year's hiatus. Although it is only for two shows to be aired Wednesday and Thursday, it's a step in the right direction.

I heard the news just moments ago on http://chris.pirillo.com:

Answering a Very Important Call - by Chris Pirillo

For those of you whom have been following my blog, you know I have some "pull" at Tech TV (lol). See Leo leaves Tech TV and Tech TV's - Call for a Host.

I hope to use my newly acquired influence to make this a permanent situation (lmao).

I have long contended Call for Help has not been the show it was since Chris' departure. Now that the channel has new ownership, perhaps they might see things more like I do. They obviously agree none of the current personalities have the ability to carry the show; maybe they also agree that Chris is by far the best choice available. He never should have been let go in the first place.

No more advice to Tech TV, but this is my statement on the issue. You're on the right track. Take the ball and run with it. Don't drop the ball. However, before you get to the end zone, please fumble Patrick Norton.

Good Luck Chris. I'll be watching and cheering.

Leo Laporte, host of Tech TV's Call for Help and recently estranged host of the Screensavers, is history.

Although I wrote and still believe that Leo and his former Screensaver co-host Patrick Norton were getting old and stale, it is still sad to see him go (I'd not feel the same way if it was Patrick leaving). Leo has taught us all many valuable lessons over the years with the help of an incredible supporting cast.

My biggest concern now is who will replace Leo on CFH. As I said before, Cat and Roger are incapable of holding that show together by themselves. Despite excellent contributions to Leo's show, they will require a lead man or woman to carry the show into the future.

I certainly hope the new host will be young, energetic with a good TV presence, a sense of humour is a must and please no more pompous donkey-depressions (A-holes). I'm sure the new ownership of Tech TV will be eager to improve the hosting of the shows, so as not to allow the channel to look weaker under the new ownership.

I've got some more advice for Tech TV and the new owners:

1. Again, get rid of Patrick Norton.
2. Bring back Chris Pirillo as host of Call For Help; The show was best under him in my opinion.
3. Keep Kevin Rose as the lead man in the Screensavers (I'm glad you took my advice, ha, ha!) Find a new second host; none of the current personalities are a right fit.
Afterthought: If your willing to open the door to the All-boys club, give Morgan Webb a try. She's improving all the time and she can certainly encourage some new Screensaver fans. She'll have to lose her new compulsive persona developed for X-Play along side of compulsive masturbater Adam Sessler.
4. Focus your staffing on the technology, not the television.

I really am sad to see Leo go, despite my past post and my belief that his age was becoming a concern. He was a great host and had many fans. I just think it's time for a shift back to youth. After all, the youth drives the technology.

And technology drives Tech TV.

One of my blog articles is listed today on a site called BlogPulse in their Top10 Links area under the heading Firebird. Having Slashdot envy of some of the bloggers of 84 Fitzroy, this is my little win on the way to the big prize.

Slashdotted Bloggers of 84 Fitzroy (miss anyone?)

Steven @ Acts of Volition

Peter @ Reinvented Inc.

I'm not quite sure how my article reviewing IE 6, Opera and Mozilla Firefox got on this site, but it appears to be a search engine type scenario. I never contributed it anywhere.

Unlike the above individuals, I cannot boast of my wonderful writing skills and riveting content which caught the eye of the industry's finest. But it's a start. And it's rather rewarding all the same.

Here's an article on how Blogpulse works from the developer.

I'd like to also mention Dennis.ca as being the first known person to list my blog in his favorites menu. Thanks Dennis; this is also flattering no matter what the reason. And thanks to anyone else whose linked to me for whatever reason: Steven @ newrecruit.org and Dan James, current President of the Internet and perhaps others. Please let me know who you are.

Although I blog for myself first and foremost, it is nice to know that others appreciate, and possibly even share, your views.