Holy Crapoly! 

I have covered a lot of ground in the last week.  I presently write this from Penticton, BC! I drove 500kms + to get here last night!

Ahhhh  the Okanagan!!!

Well I actually wrote this blog yesterday on the ferry ride from Nanaimo back to the mainland before my trip up here.  Cut, Paste, Edit, Post and away I go…

Wow this week ended as busy as any I have ever had!

 

I guess I have to go back a bit since it’s been a little while since I have posted…

 

I had a super great experience at St. Mary’s in Kitchener during my final presentations of my mini-Southern Ontario Tour.  Despite the students at St. Mary’s having been through a lot recently, they toughed through what I had to say.  I spoke to two huge audiences – probably over 1000 students in total.  I am really glad I got to speak in Kitchener, and I hope my talk was the beginning of a healing process for many of you young great people who heard it.  Thanks to everyone for being so respectful and awesome!

 

After my talks were done, I drove from Kitchener to Toronto and checked into my hotel, The Holiday Inn near the airport.  I didn’t rest at all…  I spent the entire afternoon booking presentations in Alberta and Saskatchewan for next year and planning remaining trips for this school year like Orlando, Florida and Nanaimo, BC. – where I am coming home from right now.

 

Thursday night, I spent a great, relaxing evening with my good friend Carolyn Gray. We had Thai food for dinner and chatted for hours.  Carolyn and I met through my speaking and her dedication to making this world a better place.  We have been great friends and through a lot in the short time we have known each other, but because of this I know we will be friends forever.  I love that I get to meet awesome friends around the world through speaking.  Thanks for the generous Rick Hansen pledge by the way Carolyn if you are reading this!!!

 

Anyone else reading this please help me out by pledging my team in support of the upcoming Rick Hansen Wheels in Motion Event in Vancouver.  If Hayley’s wish of her brother walking again is ever going to come true, this is who is likely going to make it happen.  The Rick Hansen Foundation does HUGE things for spinal cord research and quality of life initiatives! RHWIM

 

THANKS: Kyla Koz (my cousin and only family member who has pledged me besides my dad - haha guilt trip to the extreme), Kristina Willing (my former teacher and someone whose name has graced the pages of this blog before, RN and CG for your pledges!

I slept maybe 5.5hrs Thursday night (a decent sleep by my recent standards) and was up at 4:30am.  My flight left Toronto at 7am ET.  I was so tired and could have easily slept on the plane, but instead I dedicated the 4.5hr flight home to responding to student emails.  I got lots done too.  I think I responded to almost 80 emails!  And I still wasn’t even close to being caught up!

 

I look back on my four days in Southern Ontario and can’t help but smile.  The schools and audiences I met were all amazing.  The weather was beautiful, so was my company on the evenings when I wasn’t speaking ~; )  Niagra Falls just blew my mind and I even came home with a bit of a tan!  I am a big fan of Ontario and hope to be back sooner than later again speaking, travelling and collecting memories!

 

My mom met me at the airport in Vancouver and drove me home.  We listened to Gaslight Anthem the entire way – her new favourite band HaHa.  I just burned her a copy of Against Me!’s new one too.  Here is our fav Against Me! song off the new album…

 

I didn’t have much time at home to get settled before I was driving to Surrey to speak at Enver Creek Secondary School.  I was feeling a little haggard as I made my way there but felt confident that I could do my two presentations.  When the first one started though I felt myself stumbling over words and not feeling like I was firing on half cylinders let alone full.  My caffeine kicked in at some point though (and this is a healthy habit I definitely need to absolve myself from) and I ended up finding some energy and ending strong.  Don’t ask me how, but I found this immense energy boost for my second presentation at Enver and was totally on my game for that one.  I even ended on time… like literally the bell rang 3 seconds after I said my last word!  Both crowds were awesome!  Thanks to everyone at Enver Creek and thanks for making me a part of your ICBC week.

 

Rest was not in my cards, no matter how tired I was. 

 

I drove to Advanced Mobility in Burnaby from Enver Creek and picked up my new Steel Horse.  Yes I know Bon Jovi uses the Steel Horse but I am quoting MANOWAR not Bon Jovi.  Nothing against him, I just think MANOWAR is more KEVY METAL style than a dude whose initials are BJ.  The new STEEL HORSE is SICK, SICK, OHHH SICK!  Now I am quoting MadDog – ANVIL superfan from The Story of Anvil.  When did I become such a skid?  Randomness aside, the new chair is super dope!  It is the first wheelchair I have actually been excited to get.  All of the others seemed bitter sweet.  But maybe I have come to terms with things now better…  I just know that I am stoked on this new chair!  I even put some punk stickers on it already!

 

I met with another RAD person I have had the fortunate opportunity of meeting through the combination of my speaking and her passion for making the world a better place.  Alice Fox is an awesome cop I met years ago and again recently.  She seems to be a pretty big fan of me, which is super cool because we have all of these awesome plans we want to accomplish together.  We discussed these plans when we weren’t completely ADDing and off topic over an awesome sushi feast in New West.  As for plans details…  I don’t want to say anything too prematurely, so I will wait until stuff starts to happen.  Just let me say for now that some really cool stuff is on the horizon! 

PRE-CONCLUSION: I feel that as people we are all connected in this world.  And the more connections we make the better our chances of making some pretty cool stuff happen are!…

 

I got home kind of late Friday night and just chilled for the remainder of the evening….  I think I feel asleep on the couch.  I had a pretty decent sleep and then was up and at ‘em again for another busy day yesterday… hair cut, new Lakai’s, booking and planning this week’s tour and packing, and dinner and a visit with Hayley and my dad at his place.  I was home fairly late and in bed by midnight and up again at 6am today!

 

I caught the 8:30am ferry to Nanaimo where I am returning from now.  I spoke at the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association’s AGM today.  I also got to see another awesome friend that I’ve been fortunate enought to meet.  And it’s another Carolyn!  We met in the same way as the other two special friends I mentioned earlier. 

I had breakfast at White Spot with Carolyn and then headed to the AGM.  Before I even entered the room I was approached by a man who I didn’t recognize. However, he recognized me.  His name was Mike Hansen, and his son Chris and I played hockey together when we were WAY young.  Total small world!  I can’t help but to think years ago none of us would ever imagine that this is how we would meet again.  The AGM went pretty good as far as I could tell.  I saw some tears, heard a few laughs and feel that my message and story were properly delivered.

 

I met some pretty cool people on my way out who I am really looking forward to working with in the near future.  Like some really cool ideas floating around that again I don’t want to prematurely jinx!  I feel like the snowball is unstoppable right now though…  It just keeps rolling faster and growing in size and momentum. 

 

There is a common theme to this blog I am recognizing…  THE PEOPLE. 

I meet a lot of people.  We all do.  I meet more than most likely, but regardless.  We never know who is going to be that person who changes our lives or maybe we change theirs.  We never know who might open a door for us or give us a break we may have never seen coming.  We never know whose paths we are going to cross or what opportunities lie just around the corner, so it is important to always be open to the possibility that today could be a day that changes my life or your life forever and for the better. 

 

I learned after the crash when I started volunteering and putting my time towards positive things that it is so important to just say YES!  You never can know for sure what might lead to what…  You may just find out though if you say YES.  Say YES when that possible opportunity presents itself.  In this world it is all about who we know.  And I feel that no good deed goes unrecognized in the fabulous world of Karma.  Say YES.  DO good things.  BE a good person.  Life will reward you!  But if you say NO you will never ever know.  If you say NO, you aren’t even giving yourself that chance…  Never close the door on today before you have looked around and seen what it has to offer!

 

My Two Cents for the Day!

 

~: )

 

Kevin

 

So somehow I had a bunch of emails on delay and all of a sudden I look at my Blackberry today and have 112 messages! 

 

Looks like I’ll be busy for a little while haha…  Just when I thought I was caught up.  I got 60 emails just today from students.  So if you are someone waiting on a response please understand I can only read and respond so fast…  I’ll start after this brief blog… and see what I can do on my flight home…

 

I must admit, it feels pretty darn good to be so well thought of by you all… assuming I didn’t just get 60 hate mails that is…

 

So today was a fairly intense one…  It started pretty chill.  I got almost 7hrs of sleep!  That was a great start.  The sun was shining and the heat was on outside when I left my hotel.  I made the two hour drive to Walkerton, Ontario with a smile on my face and my iPod throwing out hit after hit.  I love it when random reads my mind!

 

My talk at Walkerton District Secondary was a pretty heavy one today.  I could feel the intensity in the room.  There weren’t a lot of laughs, but it wasn’t for a lack of interest I realize now.  I learned afterwards of some recent events that made my talk today hit pretty close to home.  I apologize to anyone I shook up today.  I had no idea heading into your school what had happened recently.  I just hope that the tears and emotion you felt today were of the healing kind.  Thank you all for being such an amazing audience, despite the heat and difficulty of hearing my story.  Thank you Kurtis and OSAID for making today possible.  I hope today was a step forward in the healing process for many.  I see I have some messages already from today and I am going to get going on trying to get caught up on responses ASATBID….  As soon as this Blog is done.

 

DISCLAIMER: This is going to be a serious one tonight people…

 

My talk at Walkerton was a reminder that young people are still losing their lives and so many more lives are being forever deeply affected and altered by these tragedies.  And it wouldn’t be long before I was reminded of this sad truth yet again today…  I got an email this afternoon that informed me tomorrow’s presentations will not be any less intense than today’s was…

 

Apparently the school where I am speaking twice tomorrow in Kitchener had 5 young people directly or indirectly connected to the school involved in a major car crash with fatalities on Monday.  I don’t even know where to begin with this one…  I just know tomorrow is going to be a tough one, but I choose and plan to make it a good one and a positive one.  I aim to inspire.  And tomorrow I will be looking to inspire strength, healing and support for all of those affected by this recent tragedy.

 

Its bittersweet I guess…  Here I am in Ontario.  The sun is shining.  The temperatures are record breaking.  I am loving being here and enjoying my time away from home at times like a mini-vacation…  But there is that other side.  I am reminded today that some people are not outside enjoying this sunny weather.  Some people who were here alive and well just a short time ago are not alive to see these days and so many more ahead.  Countless people’s worlds have been recently torn apart, and there are many painful days ahead as well. 

 

These tragedies really need to come to an end.  I believe it is possible and am so incredibly inspired to keep sharing these words with you all with hopes that our story can reach you and inspire you to not make choices that tragically turn into your story…  And for those who are living your own real life painful story right now, please know that the darkness will break and better days will come.  I understand that during the toughest of times we often don’t think it can, will or sometimes even care if it gets better.  Just please believe me when I say it does and it will… It can and it has to.  The key is to just hang on and see things through.  Give them a chance to get better…

 

I was going to end this blog here but a story came to mind that I just have to tell…  It is now 1am, so I will be sleeping less than 5hrs again tonight….  But here it goes anyways…

 

The story is true and takes place on a sunny, warm summer day much like today in Vancouver, BC almost 10 years ago…I had been in that car crash you all know about just 7 weeks earlier…

 

My mom came into the hospital to visit me.  I had recently been allowed to leave the hospital and venture outside in my hospital provided wheelchair.  I had neither the skill, nor strength to operate a wheelchair yet, so my mom rolled me out the hospital and about 20 blocks away to an area called Granville Island. Granville Island is a very popular tourist spot right on the ocean in Vancouver. 

 

I remember the journey to Granville Island so clearly.  I felt useless.  My mom had to push me.  To make matters worse, each bump in the sidewalk tore into my shoulder with immense pain.  My left shoulder was very hyper sensitive after being dislocated in the car crash that also had put me in the chair and everything else.  This seemed like so much effort to accomplish so little… at least a trip like this used to be little.

 

Finally we arrived at Bridges Restaurant.  We parked me on a patio overlooking the water and ordered some appies and a drink each.  I couldn’t even fit properly under the table.  It was awkward. 

 

My mom spoke to me, but her words fell silent.  My ears were deafened by the millions of thoughts running through my mind.  Sitting on that patio once would have been awesome.  On this day it was just short of torture.

 

I remember being tormented as I looked at all of the fun loving, happy people doing all of the fun things they were doing.  These were things I used to do, could once do, or should have done while I had had the chance.  Everything I saw that looked fun or like it could make me feel some happiness or take away some of the pain I was feeling was something I couldn’t do anymore. 

 

My food tasted bitter.  My drink was like poison.  I had no appetite or thirst.  My insides were consumed with pain, heartbreak, sadness, regret, guilt, confusion and the terrifying realization of an unpromising future.

 

I hid the tears in my eyes behind my sunglasses.  I didn’t want my mom to know how much I was hurting.  I tried to smile but it felt fake.  My lip was so scared from the crash that I couldn’t smile properly even if I tried. 

 

I was a broken man.  And not just my body. 

 

My spirits were as battered as my frail body.  I was absolutely devastated.  I felt hopeless.  I had, in my mind, just thrown my entire future away, and even worse my friend’s life was gone.  So many people were affected.  This was without a doubt as terrible as life could ever get.  I didn’t seen brightness in my future.  I saw misery.  I saw pain, struggle, frustration, regret and remorse…  Much like a spinal cord there was no cure for the injuries I had suffered emotionally.  Each second from then on would never compare to what was before.  The rest of my life would be less.  The worst feeling of all was that there was nothing I could do about it?  I had to endure the pain… 

 

A sunny day used to bring me smiles.  I recall no happiness from the sunshine that day.  Never had a sunny day felt so dark.  The world looked different.  It felt like a complete stranger.  And I no longer felt like I was a part of the world I once knew and loved…  I also realized now after having lost so much just how much I had before and how I should have loved and appreciated that world from before so much more.

 

This was one of my rock bottom moments.  It was when I was reintroduced to the rest of the world after having my perception of that world and my own world shattered to bits.  I knew at this moment that life would never be the same.  And no matter which way I looked at this metamorphosis there was no positive angle to see it from. I couldn’t even imagine how I would get through this day, let alone the next one or the next one… or the rest of my life.  I had no clue where or how to even begin…

 

Sounds pretty bleak…  I know.  This is where I was at almost 10 years ago.

 

You know, I can easily rewind to that day on a patio in Granville Island…  I can easily rewind and appreciate the journey today despite the fact that I could not look forward then or even imagine where to begin the journey that led to this moment right now, the many before and the many more ahead…  The memory of that day is so vivid that for every couple of words I just typed a tear fell into my keyboard.  Yet the tears tonight are no longer tears of pain like the ones I once hid behind sunglasses from my mom and the world that had seemed to have forgotten me.  My tears tonight are tears of gratefulness that I never gave up.  My tears tonight are joyous for I have proved my once-broken self wrong…  

 

After my talk was done in Walkerton this afternoon I drove back to my hotel in my rental car with a hand control.  I assembled my wheelchair and was in it in less than a minute and rolling MYSELF into my hotel room.  I got freshed up quickly and was back out the door dissembling my chair and loading it back into my rental car so I could drive to a beach.  When I got to that beach on Lake Ontario I met up with my friend Stephanie at a cool little Fish & Chip joint overlooking the water.  The spot was beautiful and a great call by Stephanie, as I love the beach!  YES I LEARNED TO LOVE IT AGAIN!

 

Unlike years ago from my Granville Island story, tonight I rolled myself.  I rolled myself through gravel, up hills, and through sand.  I got out of my chair and into the booth so it wouldn’t be awkward when I ate.  And the sunshine made me feel happy!! It made me feel a kind of happiness I don’t think I was capable of feeling before I endured the darkness that once eclipsed the sunshine from my life.

 

I guess the point of all of this is that life always does get better.  It doesn’t necessarily happen overnight, but it does surely happen.

 

A kingdom can fall in a day, but can never be rebuilt in one.  A life is much the same. 

 

Piece by piece we can rebuild and eventually our life can actually be even better than it ever was before.  The pain can subside and we are capable of learning ways to cope with our losses and smile through our tears.  It is possible to find appreciation in the great times had.  It is possible to look back without anger, pain, resentment or any kind of negative feelings or emotions. 

 

Through loss eventually comes appreciation.

 

It is possible to look back and appreciate what once was and be grateful for ever having it. And the better we get at looking back and smiling the better we become at looking forward.  True the times today and ahead may not be exactly as they were before, but that doesn’t mean they still can’t be great!

 

I really need to end this here as it is well past 1am…

 

I would like to keep editing for another hour or two but this one is going as is…

 

Thanks to everyone who reads this blog.  I hope these blogs like tonight’s are worth the time and emotion I put into them… Not to mention the severe lack of sleep I endure for writing them!!  Special thanks to my newest “avid” blog reader.  I needed a relaxing night like tonight to enjoy and put life into perspective. 

 

Until Next Time… 

 

Goodnight!

 

Kevin

 

So today was about as perfect of a day as they get! And this is what I was listening to… Click Here to keep the smiles alive.

I woke up bright and early in The Hammer…  Hamilton, Ontario for anyone who didn’t know.  I love that nickname!

 

I left my hotel, caffeine in my system, smile on my face, shorts and a MANOWAR hoody – my gear and the sun shining bright.  It was in the mid 20s already at 7:45am ET.  I noticed that my area I am staying in was not as rough as I previously thought… at least not in the daylight. 

 

I met up with Mr. G, Sarah, Hannah and the rest of the WHAT? Team at Westmount Secondary School around 8am, and things ran smoothly and went perfect from there.  SO STOKED!  I am so happy that Sarah took initiative and a chance on me to bring me out here.  THANKS!  I hope everyone from WHAT? and Westmount is as happy with how today went.  I sure am!  Both groups today were awesome!  And somehow I was bang on with my timing.  Like anyone from today you need to know that I never finish on time, especially when I have an hour to do my talk.  I am so stoked on today!  Have I said that already?

 

I left the school around noon and before coming down the mountain back to my part of town, I stopped for a little grocery shopping.  The temperature in my rental car read the low 30Cs when I parked!  Oh man was I loving the day.  And I had so much left of it to do whatever I wanted with.  Sunny Day, Southern Ontario, Rental Car with unlimiited Kilometres…  There was one place that came to mind where I had to go…  After a brief stopover at my hotel I decided to make the hour drive to Niagara Falls.

 

The last time I went to NF it was a nasty, cold rainy day.  Today, as you have read, was exactly the opposite.  And oh what a difference the change of weather made.  I took some sick pictures that I feel do justice for one of Mother Nature’s greatest marvels!…  Check em out here.

 

As much as I was loving my solo trip to Niagra Falls, I’ll admit I do get a little lonely sometimes on the road.  I know some people in Southern Ontario but none are really around…  So today I looked up a friend I met years ago. I met her when I spoke in Beamsville.  Stephanie was there as a reporter, and over the years we have kept in touch speaking only periodically.  I had tried looking her up the last time I was in town, but ironically contacted another Stephanie who is also a reporter, but from Burnaby.  I am pretty sure Burnaby Steph must think I am crazy for emailing her back in Marchthat I was in Ontario and we should hang out haha.  Well today, I figured it out and managed to get ahold of the Stephanie I wanted to contact.  I decided to look her up on MSN today…  I never go on there anymore… and sure enough she was online!  COOL COOL!

 

So after Niagara I drove to Stoney Creek and finished off my perfect day watching Steph’s daughter play soccer.  It was very relaxing, and reminded me of home hanging out at the soccer fields.  The only difference is when Hayley plays soccer it is usually freezing because the soccer season in BC runs from the Fall into Winter… Whereas in Ontario it is just starting.  I am assuming the snow factor here in Ontario has something to do with the soccer season being this time of year.  And yet another good on ya Ontarionians because chilling in a park in summer definitely beats trudging through mud just to get pelted with rain and hail in the freezing cold in order to watch a soccer game…  I should say that the early Fall is nice in BC, but it turns ugly pretty fast!

 

This was the perfect way to round of a perfect day!  What a nice evening!  It was such an awesome day and night.  That is really all I can say.

 

I am back in my room now, and have decided to spend one more night in The Hammer because I am enjoying myself so much here!  I love being on the road, especially when the sun is shining.  I think I am even getting a tan!

 

Well that is about it.  It looks like I am going to post a chill blog tonight sans madness and randomness. 

The plan for the rest of the night is to have a shower then lay in my comfy bed and watch TV until I fall asleep.  I am looking forward to speaking tomorrow in Walkerton and can only hope it will be as awesome as today was!

 

Thanks to everyone from today at Westmount… students, staff and especially Sarah and Hannah and WHAT? for making today happen!

 

Night.

 

Kevin

So I woke up this morning for what seemed like the 10, 000^th time in six hours to the Kinks song Well Respected Man alarming from my Blackberry… I’d like to think so anyways…  Despite what a certain special someone from NB might say – GFYS.  That rhymes!

 

I don’t know why I kept waking in the middle of the night… could it be because I watched that crappy ass movie The Fourth Kind the night before?  Yes I thought it sucked, but only because I knew from the beginning that it was all a hoax.  I much preferred the first of my Saturday Night Double-Header – District 9.

 

There was nothing in my day yesterday I can think of that sent me to bed restless and unable to sleep soundly.  In fact, I had a pretty awesome and relaxing day yesterday.  It was a nice change from my Saturday, which I spent the better part of curled up on the couch in fetal position shivering and shaking - mild food poisoning my suspicion from a brilliant idea to have a DQ Ultimate Burger for lunch. 

 

Yes, after sleeping at least 20 of the previous 36 hours, I felt like a champ yesterday!!

 

I woke up and I cleaned my place for starters!  I always need my place to be clean.  And as much as I really would prefer do something else with my long weekend, a good clean was in order.  I also did a little shopping and went to my friend Melissa’s birthday party.  Melissa is a really cool girl I know from Sicamous, not to be mistaken with a Melissa I once knew from Revelstoke. 

 

After the birthday party, I picked Hayley up and we went to the Cactus Club in South Surrey for dinner.  It was awesome hanging with my sister.  We talked lots, ate lots and ate well!  After dinner, we went to the beach and met up with two of my favourite people Nick and Tia.  Mr Nick and his GF and another buddy were also there.  I was super stoked to give Tia aka KeekeeTia the birthday present I got her: “The Story of Anvil: DVD.” I even tore the liner out of the dollar store card I splurged on and inserted my own ANVIL inspired words.  She was stoked!  So was I.  This is why KeeKeeTia is one of my favourite people.  BTW FYI: Check this sick METAL FESTIVAL in Montreal this summer I plan to check out \m/ \m/

 

WTF was I?

 

… So I have no idea why my sleep last night sucked.  Bottom line is I had one of my worst sleeps in a long time and woke up feeling quite Haggard BTW: Love that word!  Thank you very much Bam Margera.

 

My mom met me at my place around 7:30am to drive me to the airport.  Aren’t moms the best?  I made her yet another Gaslight Anthem CD for her troubles and tossed her some gas money because she was saving me a fortune not having to park at the ridiculously priced $50 / day YVR parking lot.  FYI:  Mom and I are both loving Gaslight Anthem these days.  Their new and yet to be released album American Slang is just amazing – don’t ask how I got it, but I will say this…  I will buy it when it comes out to show my support along with the new Against Me! 

 

SERIOUSLY:  I felt like butt this morning.  Have I made this point yet?  Want a few more pages of complaining?  Here ya go…   I was tired and not really stoked on leaving home again.  I just wanted to rest.  I was sent to an old somewhat shady as shady as YVR can get gate at the airport where I learned that my flight would be delayed.  I see now, somewhat shady dwellings this morning at YVR were a portent of things to come.  I waited and waited for the flight and finally boarded about an hour late.  I spent most of my flight to Toronto napping.  In between cat-naps, I passed the time by lifting my crippled butt off my chair to relieve the pain from sitting for most of the last 10 years.  I know I have told this joke before, butt it is seriously so true!   Airplane seats tend to make me really uncomfortable, which begs the QUESTION:  Since most readers can 100%, feel your butts, can you tell me is it 10 years of sitting or are airplane cushions really not that pleasant to sit on?

 

 

When I wasn’t sleeping or squatting myself, I had some pretty good conversation with the nice middle aged lady seated beside me.  I usually don’t talk much with the randoms I sit beside but she was pretty nice…  So nice I can’t remember her name – or if I even got it.  From Manitoba to Toronto I responded to almost all of the emails I had received over the past week.  This kept me busy and smiling for hours!  Thanks always authors of kind emails!

 

It was beautiful outside when my plane touched ground in Toronto!  The sun was shining and the temperature was in the high 20s…  That is low 80s for my American friends.

 

I could feel summer in the air and with this realization came a big old smile.  I LOVE SUMMER.  I love it more than almost anything.  Not to downplay it, BUT I definitely love summer more than Micorsoft Word, which has crashed on me twice now in the last thirty minutes leaving me having to rewrite all of this stuff you are about to read.  But as a bonus I have added this rant because I am pissed off!  But I still love summer!!

 

So something I learned today, besides don’t cut and paste from the Online Dictionary page because it will crash your Word progam…  Even more intriguing…  Ontarionians…  CONFESSION:  I love making up words, or does this one exist?  No wait…  Ontarionians apparently properly understand the definition of the word HOLIDAY.  Which I am going to manually insert by typing now to avoid crashing again and losing my f’n mind!

 

Holiday [hol-i-dEH]
noun –

 

1)      a day fixed by law or custom on which ordinary business is suspended in commemoration of some event or in honour of some person

2)      any day of exemption from work (distinguished from working day)

3)      a time period of exemption from any requirement, duty, assessment, etc.

4)      Sometimes Holidays.  Chiefly British.  A period of cessation or one of recreation; vacation.

 

IF THIS THING CRASHES AFTER I PRESS SEND NO BLOG FOR YOU!

 

I pulled into Oakville, Ontario on this fine, sunny, warm Victoria Day early-evening to see a virtual ghost town.  Almost everything was closed!  Malls were closed; grocery stores were closed; some restraurants were closed; even drugstores which in BC are often even open on Christmas Day here in Ontario were closed.  Are we getting ripped in BC or what?  Did you work today reader?  Did you work at London Drugs, Safeway, Superstore, Subway???  These places were closed in Ontario!  Well only one Subway, but still!  That is so RAD for people of Ontario.  Way to use your Canadian given right to enjoy your [Hol-i-dEHs]!!

 

Now for a BC boy, I must admit it was kind of earie.  It was like something from a horror flick even.  It creeped me out how all of the parking lots were so empty.  Well at first I found it a bit unnerving, but then I got this really chilled and relaxed vibe.  I saw people walking in the streets, people riding their bikes in the empty parking lots!  It was pretty cool.  My belly kind of begged to differ, as I was wanting food and having a hard time finding a place to eat – the Subway I went to being closed.  But I did find a dollar or two pizza joint with a patio, and that suited me just fine.

 

I learned possibly another Ontario fact today.  When you order two pieces of pizza, it actually means four!  Well maybe it was just the place I ate at.  But I ordered two pieces of pepperoni pizza and a coke.  It seemed odd to me that it was $9, but my options were limited so I kept my mouth shut.  Then when my pizza buddy brought my pieces of pie to the patio where I was sitting I was shocked to see two plates.  It went down like this…

 

Me:  “Why are there FOUR pieces of PIZZA!?”

PIZZA GUY:  “That’s two pieces cut in half”

Me: {perplexed look that I still likely have as I write this because it make no sense really}

PIZZA GUY: “Whhhaaaaat!  Izz too much for you!?”

Me: {Facing such an obvious challenge to my manhood – eats FOUR HUGE PIECES of PIZZA!}

 

Meh…  They were good.  And as I sat there in Oakville, Ontario, the temperature still in the mid 20s … low 70s for my American friends… the sun setting on a premature and spectacular summer night I realized “I have it pretty good!”  I couldn’t get over how cool it was to wake up and see the sunrise in Vancouver then in the same day be chilling in Ontario, halfway across the country, watching the sunset.  Twitter saw what I had to say!  I was that inspired!  But seriously though…  How cool!

 

As I took to my rental car and put Gaslight Anthem back on for the duration of my drive to Hamilton, Ontario I felt so incredibly happy!  I love these moments in life.  They are the moments that keep me hanging on through the tough times.  It usually only takes the seemingly most insignificant moment in life at any given random time to remind what a gift each second really is!

 

I got lost in Hamilton twice, but I didn’t care.  Rather than be annoyed I thought of ways to explain it in this blog I am writing and you are reading right now.  What I came up with is that I choose to have Eric Cartman from South Park (my GPS voice) curse directions towards me like “turn right into Kyle’s moms V” yeah I won’t even say what a left turn is…  as opposed to the standard stock voice that would tell me actual street names or exit numbers.  So I guess it is my own fault I get lost sometimes.  After a pretty extensive tour of Hamilton, I decided I like it.  This is good.  Then I finally found my hotel…  The Days Inn.

 

Now people, I basically Google Hamilton, Phoenix, MacKenzie haha… wherever followed by hotel and start calling.  This is how I book my rooms.  So I never really know where I will be.  Just as you can not judge a book by its cover, you definitely can not judge a hotel or the area it is in by its picture on the internet. 

 

When I pulled up to my hotel tonight I got the sense that I may not be in the absolute best part of town.  At the same time there were a lot of people walking in the streets and it seemed safe enough.  However, by this definition there are also a lot of people walking the streets on East Hastings Street in Vancouver.  Many of these people also have a crack pipe in their hand or track marks up their arms…  Not to judge, but I think you know what I am saying.  There are places one would want to stay the night and others mabe not-so-much.

 

My suspicions were confirmed when I asked the very nice girl at the front desk of the hotel Jenn an honest question, to which she gave an honest, albeit diplomatic answer. 

 

Me:  “Ok truthfully, is this a good part of town?”

Jenn:  “Well it isn’t the best.  But it is also not the worst”

 

I can read between the lines…  Is crack the worst drug out there?  No heroin is probably deadlier…  Would you rather be eaten by a shark or a grizzly bear?  It’s all relative and subject to opinion…

 

I took a leisurely roll down to the nearby corner store where a kind man opened the door for me.  He also asked me for change when I left.  Hey at least he is doing something to earn it.  I firmly believe this and am not trying to be a sarcastic jerk.  But again, my suspicions further being confirmed.  Then I would have to say the deal sealer was when I approached the counter at the convenience store and saw not cigarettes behind the counter or magazines, but rather a long line-up of mug shots of thieves and robbers who have jacked stuff or jacked the store.  To the left of these pictures was a very eclectic assortment of bongs.  And above was an impressive collection of bedazzled hats that would make even Doug Drealer stare in envy.  Now don’t get me wrong.  It’s pretty sweet here and the tour of Hamilton continues tomorrow… I just thought this was funny and had to comment.

 

Speaking of places in Hamilton, Ontario I am going to see…  I have to be up in about 6 hours to speak at Westmount Secondary School.  After talking to Paul, from the school tonight, I am really stoked on tomorrow.  I think it’s going to be a great day!  Me predicting the future again.  And for anyone reading this blog who saw me speak at your school today to jump to the future as I write this 1) Yes I am this crazy most times when I blog 2)  This is why I had bags under my eyes today…  I was up writing late INTO THE NITE!

 

To bed I go…  Til next time…

 

~: )

 

Kevin

 

PS.  The Days Inn here is nice.  My room is super clean and my bed I should have been in two hours ago looks ultra comfy.  Jenn at the front desk is awesome!  She even got her sister to bring a plastic chair from home, so I wouldn’t have to lay on the floor of the shower because apparently they don’t have a shower bench.   That is customer service with a smile!  I like Hamilton.  I’ll go on the record saying that I hope this fine city gets an NHL team.  And I am not just saying that because it would be nice to have another team from Ontario for the Canucks to beat all the time like Ottawa and Toronto!

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 presentations in five days!

 

This week was a busy one.  I chose to chill most evenings after my busy days and I must admit I really enjoyed it.  For about a month and a half now I had been putting in up-to 18 hour days almost every day.  I hadn’t seen my family or friends in ages.  It was great to relax a bit for sure…  I can’t believe how quickly the week went by though and that I haven’t posted a blog in so long… not since my one about the loser trash talking biatch from CYAID. 

 

For anyone wondering about the issues addressed in my last blog it is settled now.   For those wondering, the lady I spoke of wrote that I was a murderer and not a hero and that is why I was so pissed off.  I don’t think she ever counted on me seeing those comments though.  She also likely didn’t count on me writing a big blog about it and many people reading it.  I LOVE IT!  Hey, she is entitled to her opinion, as am I.  Believe it or not, through a series of emails between us we kind of came to a happy medium.  After a successful week and some communication with Hitlerette, my initial suspicions were confirmed that Mrs. Bigmouth is nothing more than a close minded hater… in denial nonetheless.  I think the final word would have to be GFYS on that one.

 

My week was amazing!  Seriously 12 presentations in one week!  I don’t even know how my voice and or energy kept going through until yesterday, but they did.  My last presentation of the week, #12 had the same energy and feel as my first.  I feel I am really on a roll right now, pun intended I guess.  Usually I write about each school but because there were 11 I am going to just sum this up and say everyone was so rad from this past week.  And I am not just saying it either.  Each school I spoke at was an awesome experience.  I love being back home.  Thanks to everyone from this week.  You reminded me why I do this again and also helped me see past one negative comment from a jackass to see the bigger picture. 

 

It is Saturday and a long weekend.  I hope everyone is having fun and being safe!  This tends to be a pretty deadly weekend, and not in a good deadly = knarly kind of way.  Many people lose their lives during May Long Weekend and I hope that this isn’t the case this weekend.  Safe travels and celebrations to all!

 

I am feeling worded out for once in my life… maybe because I spoke so much last week.  This just might be the shortest blog I have ever written!

 

Well thanks for reading and enjoy the weekend!

 

~: )

 

Kevin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever had someone say something about you so misinformed, so hurtful, so evil, so close-minded, so inappropriate and so out of left field that it completely shocks you?

 

Have you ever had someone say something that undermines your pride and good name and challenges your values, your ideals and everything that you stand for?

 

And was the speaker of these words someone who you thought should know better, who you would think would be more open minded?

 

 

Well this happened to me this weekend.  And when I woke up the next day I just kept listening to this song by Against Me! called Bitter Divisions.  It somehow made me feel better.  Anyways, I won’t bother with the details of how I discovered the hurtful words.  The bottom line is that I discovered them… and they shook me.

 

My weekend had been challenging as it was… 

 

From the start, I was extremely exhausted when I landed in Regina, Saskatchewan on Friday night due to my crazy schedule that you can view here.  I had wanted nothing more than to sleep on the plane, but instead I took this down time as an opportunity to respond to pages and pages of emails that I haven’t been able to keep up with as of late…  I wrote about forty students Friday night.  Each message I sent was a direct response to whatever had been written to me.  Some responses were one paragraph, others were multiple paragraphs… a few were even a page or two. 

 

FACT:  I could stay up 24hrs doing nothing but speaking and writing and I would still be behind these days.  I am not lying when I say that I sleep maybe 5hrs a night if I am lucky lately… But it is all so very worth it.  I wouldn’t change it… Well maybe I would extend the day 6 or 8 hours so I could get a few more things done and a bit more sleep.

 

I was very happy to land in Regina at 9:00pm on Friday night.  I have come to think of Regina like yet another home away from home for me.  I have spent many nights in the city and have travelled thousands of kilometres across the province of Saskatchewan.  Next to B.C., there is no other province or state that I have seen more of than Saskatchewan.  And I love it.  And even more than the geographical attributes of the province, I love the people.  Many of my favourite Saskatchewanian people were at the CYAID 2010 Conference in Regina this weekend.  It was great to see them all: Tim, Robyn, Brooke, Geri, Sean and friends from all over the province – not to mention the countless other great people in attendance from all over North America.

 

I can’t say that I was totally stoked with my talk I delivered on Saturday.  Fatigue and emotions kind of got the better of me.  I am always the speaker.  But on Saturday I watched three presentations that were all heart wrenching before I took the stage to deliver my own …  None affected me more than my partner in saving lives Cara Filler’s story of losing her twin sister in a car crash.  As I listened to Cara and other stories about lost loved ones and the impact the tragedy had on the families, it got me thinking a lot about Brendon’s family and friends.  Tears welled in my eyes as slideshows with sad songs showed pictures of great people whose lives were cut short from car crashes.  It was all very real to me.  It hit me very hard.

 

Needless to say, by the time I took the stage I was in fairly rough shape.  But I persevered as I always do and did my thing.  The audience seemed very with me… maybe one or two I could tell were not all there like dude sleeping in the front row.  Yeah he kind of pissed me off and distracted me; especially after calling him out on sleeping then suddenly finding myself completely lost and repeating myself in front of a room full of great Canadian influencers.  I recovered as best I could and continued on with our story. 

 

By the end I was sniffling and wiping away tears.  As I attempted to finish my presentation, my head was swirling with thoughts besides the words coming from my mouth…  My emotions overcame me on Saturday.  Usually I am pretty good at keeping my mind focussed and heart in check.  But Saturday… not so much.  I took my pain on stage with me and did everything I could to inspire and effect the audience with it.  From the majority of reviews I have heard my emotion only added to the sincerity and impact of our story.    Not every review was positive though…

 

 

So where is the lesson in all of this? 

I think one lesson is that no matter how hard we try, how much good we do or how fair we attempt to be there will be people who hate on us.  It is not always easy to not let hurtful words affect us… However, in hurt there is healing.  And the most important thing is to know ourselves, believe in what we do and not let anyone take anything that we have worked so hard for away from us.  Someone’s words’ hurting us is not an admission of defeat.  But rather it is admission of being human and having pride and respect for ourselves.  Words knocked me down and I got back up.  Negative words inspired these positive words… 

I have edited this blog many times to elimate my own anger and resentment from these words.  I do not want to perpetuate negativity because really nothing is gained then.  That said, I do have my own opinion and through this blog I have voiced it.  I am the kind of person who does not go quietly into the night.  I stand up for myself and what I believe in and who I am, and I always will.  If anyone challenges my good name or pride I will defend it.  

 

 

One thing I have learned is that for every negative comment, there are a thousand positive ones out there.  At the end of the day it is up to us which we choose to listen to.  For some reason the weight of one extremely negative comment can be equal to or as heavy as a truck load of positive ones.  Yet when the dust settles, which would you rather believe or hold onto?  I for one prefer to believe the thousands of emails YOU write me.  I prefer to think of the love from my family and friends over the hate of some random.  I prefer to let the encouragement of so many push me forward, rather than the dead weight or ignorance of one hold me down.

 

One thing I must say is that YOU the young people who have heard me speak and share my story, YOU who write me epic emails and support and inspire me every single day, YOU helped me pick myself up from this fall.  And that is what friends are for right?  We support each other. 

 

I will admit I was down.  I was affected.  I let a hater get to me. 

 

Then…  I found support.  And through speaking with great friends like Megan, Tim and Robyn from SADD Saskatchewan my healing process began.  It further gained momentum when reading and responding to emails from countless students on my flight home.  You know… I never kept that negative comment.  I have no idea where it is and I really don’t care either.  However, I have never erased an email from a student.  I believe there is a lesson there.  If a comment knocks us down just get back up.  But don’t pick the comment or hurtful words up with us.  On the flipside, those words of love, encouragement and support whether it is a simple I love you from mom or grandma, or an I believe in you from someone who believes in us… anything that makes us smile or boosts our confidence or moral…  hang onto these words.  The negatives are trash.  Put them where they belong.  The positive words we hear are our oxygen, our blood, our water…  They are vital to our well being.  Furthermore, the positive comments were hear can be the Band-Aids that heal our wounds when we trip over some trash. 

 

So now I can look back on all of this and rather than be hurt be senseless words said I will be forever grateful for the support I got from you.  That is how I will remember this experience.  I will remember the positive side of it not the negative.   I am forever grateful for all of my supporters.  I am grateful for everyone who writes me and shares with me how I have positively changed their attitude or life.  Because of you, I can look in the mirror and be proud of myself and who I am. I can stand by my words and beliefs that life is not so much about what happened.  It is more about what happens next.  I know I am doing good things.  And no hater can take that away from me or anyone who believes in me.

 

So thank you loyal friends for your support.  Thank you so giving me the strength and assurance that my mission is one worth fighting for and one worth dedicating my life to despite what the haters say.

 

 

Before I go I also want to thank both Earl Marriott and Kwantlen Park Secondary Schools from today.  In light of what had happened over the weekend, today was just the day that I needed.  EMS had two awesomely attentive and respectful audiences… many of whom have already written me with regards to my talk.  Kwantlen Park you too were awesome people.  At both schools countless students stayed well into their own time to hear my words, watch my videos and be a part of my life’s ambition.  This means so much to me.  Your time is valuable.  I know that.  And when you choose to spend it with me, it really means a lot.  Thank you all so much!  I needed you today…  I’m sure some will say that you needed me.  Let’s just say… We needed each other.  We are here for each other and I am so totally stoked on that!

 

 

In closing, we may never know the true intentions of haters, but in the end does it really even matter?  I am someone who likes to understand everything.  I would love to know why this person said what they said, but truth is I likely never will.  So I have to let it go.  There is no point in hanging onto it or letting it affect me.  I know in my heart of hearts who I am and what I stand for.  I know that I am successful in achieving my goals.  I am true to myself; true to my morals and ideals and I am true to those who believe in and support me.  I guess not everyone can be a fan of KB.  I guess I do have an enemy after all.

 

They say keep your friends close and your enemies’ closer…  I still haven’t figured out if that is what’s best in this situation.  What I do need to do is leave this all behind me.  By writing this blog and posting these words and feelings for all of you to read I am doing this.  People have questioned things I have written in the past… and really I make no apologies.  I am who I am.  This blog and these words are a reflection of me.  These are my inner most thoughts and feelings and they are rarely concealed… edited maybe… censored never…  Well maybe once now… FML! … 

 

 

Thanks for reading!
 

\m/\m/

 

Kevin Brooks

 

IN MY OPINION:  Just as much as I believe that redemption can be found through turning negative things into positives, I also believe that positive acts and achievements can be just as easily overshadowed by negative ones…

I predicted the future!  Wenatchee was RAD!

 

Today was awesome…

 

For starters I got a great sleep in my big king sized bed at the La Quinta hotel.  When I awoke, the sun was shining through my curtains.  I could feel a great day upon me.  As I left the hotel I was so pleasantly surprised by the awesome scenery Wenatchee had to offer.  This is a beautiful place.  It reminds me a lot of the Okanagan: large rolling hills (that are actually mountains), orchards, sunshine and warm weather! 

 

From what I can tell, both of my talks were well received at Wenatchee High School.  I was fortunate to speak in a great theatre (how we spell theater in Canada) with a great team that ensured I had everything I needed.  I drank jet black coffee before my first show for the kick in the ass I would need to do my normally 70minute talk in roughly 50.  I had no worries though because Amy, Jaime and the INSPIRE Team at Wenatchee looked after me well. 

 

My first talk generated laughs and pin-drop silence, as did the second.  After both I was approached by students – many of which I am assuming are the ones who have written me already today and tonight.  I am hoping to write a ton of responses on the airplane tomorrow.  I plan to write, save and then send when the plane lands.  Hopefully I can get caught up.  I want to thank everyone from today!  Everyone at the school, you were awesome.  Everyone who organized and helped raise money to make today possible – thank you!  This was a perfect way to kick of the first of many talks I hope to do in Washington State.  Thanks also to my team at The Drive to Save Lives for getting my Canadian ass speaking in America!

 

If you read my bloggin blog from last night you would know I was considering either German food in Leavenworth or most likely greasy kickass burgers at Zeke’s Diner as lunch and or dinner on my way home today.  However, I opted for Mexican instead.  I ate a place called Tequila don’t worry I didn’t drink any… Actually I ordered Iced Tea.  Which I only ever seem to do when I am in America… Which is ironic because everytime it arrives I remember that Iced Tea in America is in fact cold tea… unlike in Canada where you get the sweetened Nestea style of Iced Tea…  Oh well the US version is likely healthier I bet…WTF was I?  Oh yeah… Tequilla was right dowtown Wenatchee.  Great recommendation by the way Amy.  I ate a burrito the size of my forearm that indeed ended up being breakfast, lunch and dinner!

 

The weather was beauty for my drive home.  The scenery was even more beauty!  I have driven a lot through my speaking travels.  In the last 7 years I have driven around 210,000kms… roughly 130,487.95miles my American friends… haha roughly…  I just totally converted that online and cut and pasted it.  What I am trying to say is I have seen a lot of breathtaking scenery over the years…  Terrace – Prince Rupert; BC, Coombs – Tofino, BC; The Kootenays…  The Coast of New Brunswick; The Qu’Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan… Phoenix – Payson, Arizona…  The list keeps going.  Today’s drive from Wenatchee through Steven’s Pass in the daylight was as beautiful of drive as I have ever seen before.  I didn’t even have put music on.  I was purely and completely entertained enough by Mother Nature’s flawless canvas.

 

Before I got back to Canada, I hit the Premium Outlets just outside of Seattle.  I had one shopping goal: Replace Black Volcom shorts I destroyed with bleach before I ever even wore them BTW - FML…  Well…  1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of pants, 1 t-shirt, 1 plaid button t, and 2 tank tops later I left the Outlet Mall…  I got the shorts too!  DUDE…  I seriously have a shopping problem!  Whatever… packing for tomorrow will be easy now, right?  I often use this strategy when travelling…  I go shopping then just bring everything new.  Tomorrow I will be bringing all of my new clothes to Regina, Saskatchewan.

 

I am excited about this weekend!  I am speaking at the Canadian Youth Against Impaired Driving Conference.  Tim at SADD Saskatchewan is awesome, soI know this CYAID will be one to be remembered.  It is a pretty big deal… The 20th Annual CYAID Conference.  I am stoked to be a part of it.  AND I am very stoked to be bringing my newly revamped presentation to many students, teachers, movers and shakers from all over Canada.  If all goes well, hopefully next year will be a busy year for me.  Maybe, I can travel down some new amazing roads towards and away from new amazing experiences.  I really love this gig!!! 

 

Well people…  I am tired.  I know I say that a lot.  But I am. 

 

 

FML:  My Facebook is still down FMFL… But I have written a couple of messages to Facebook hoping to get things back running soon.  They sure are a pain in the ass to get a hold of though.  And man is this frustrating.  I found myself tonight (because I have nothing better to do - as the sarcasm metre explodes) looking at seven tagged pictures (any of which could be you this reader) that I had multiple choiced names to choose from and match to the picture…  Read that a few times and it might make sense.  I could get 2 wrong.  Ooooooohhhh the pressure was on… and like Roberto Luongo I FRICKIN choked!  It wasn’t for a lack of trying though…  I looked long and hard at the faces and names tried to figure out if that girl was a Marie or a Carla… Or if that dude was a Spencer or a Zachary.  FMFL!  I am not that good at this game apparently.  

 

Greetings from Wenatchee, Washington!

 

I have to say it’s pretty knarly driving somewhere you have never been in the night… Or as Boyd and I would say In The NITE!  Here is a look at my drive if you care to type in Surrey, BC to Wenatchee, WA.  I couldn’t link the map directly myself… 

 

This was very much virgin terrain for my eyes and truck tonight.  I recognized about half of the scenery during my roughly four hour drive until I took an exit sending me eastward bound from Everett, WA.  For the first part of my eastward bound journey it was still light, and the scenery was quite spectacular.  BC and Washington have very similarly rugged landscapes I have discovered.  This makes sense when considering their proximity. 

 

The beginnings of my eastward WA journey took me through some pretty small towns.  I can’t say I remember the names, but many looked much the same as the last town before it or next town in line: small gas station, quaint church, tiny pub with Coors and Miller florescent lit signage in the window…  I most notably was amused by a small diner called Zeke’s.  I wondered if this is where the Seattle based band ZEKE got their name.

 

As my journey continued, highway 2 took me through lush green forests and followed rushing rivers as the elevation steadily increased.  I passed through Steven’s Pass… possibly where the name came from - just passing through and saw snow… luckily not falling from the sky, but rather piled up along the highway.

 

The highlight of my journey was without a doubt passing through a quaint Bavarian Village I’m pretty sure technically it’s a city called Leavenworth.  By this point in the journey it was dark.  I had seen no sign of civilization besides cars on the opposing side of the highway for at least an hour when suddenly the dense forest sheltered road unexpectedly opened up into an amazing valley.  The highway was no longer bordered with trees, but rather by quaint Bavarian style hotels, restaurants, shops and even a German-esque McDonalds and Safeway.  Leavenworth was so breathtaking it made me reconsider my dinner on the way home tomorrow at Zeke’s for a possible German feast in this sweet little town.

 

My final destination for tonight was Wenatchee - where I am writing this from now.  All that I really know about Wenatchee is that I am staying at a hotel called La Quinta and that if I were to continue east I would end up in Spokane, while north would take me to Osoyoos and the BC’s Okanagan.  I am looking forward to the sunlight revealing to me where I am when I awake in the morning tomorrow.  I am also looking forward to speaking in my first ever school in Washington State…Wenatchee High School.

 

I am feeling pretty good with where my presentation is at these days…  I mean the northern tour just kicked ass and since I have been back south it has been keeping on in the ass kickin department! YEAH YEAH!

 

My talks this week have been pretty rad.  I have been speaking around home for the past two days.  All four of my talks have been in Surrey.  The first was in Cloverdale at Clayton Secondary School – just five minutes from where I live.  This talk went great to start off the mini-Surrey tour.  Clayton has a nice theatre, and there is something to be said about telling my / our story in the place where it all happened.  I even had some friends watch my talk, and it was nice to have them in my corner…  Thanks Holly and Matt.  And thanks to everyone at Clayton for being awesome as usual.

 

JUST IN CASE:  ZEKE either just blew your mind or blew your ear drums.  Hear is another Seattle based band that rules THE DWARVES.  I seen both of them play together.  That RULED!! 

 

My afternoon talk yesterday was at Burnsview Secondary School in Delta…  So I guess outside of Surrey I discover as I write this.  There goes my credibility.  I had never spoken at Burnsview before, which is always exciting for me.  I had a great vibe from the start and everything during set up was running smoothly.  I could feel before I started a great experience coming on.  I opted not to use a mic for whatever reason and blasted words from my heart through my vocal cords to an unbelievably respectful and awesome audience.  I was very happy with the experience at Burnsview.  I am hoping those in the audience were as well.  If their response and respect were a form of measurement I would say yesterday was a great, great afternoon.  Thanks you all!  Great to see my friend Karon from ICBC in attendance as well!  I hope to be back soon to Burnsview!

 

I watched the Canucks game last night.  FML!

 

I woke up this morning feeling pretty haggard.  I think all of the travel and lack of sleep is catching up to me.  I opted for some caffeine and metal to get my blood flowing for my morning talk at LA Matheson Secondary in Surrey this morning.  I had spoke at this school last year.  Upon reflecting on the experience I had a hyear ago I was looking forward to my talk at LA Matheson today.  I’d say it went super well…  even despite the fact that I had maybe 45minutes speaking time.  Well my Starbucks must have worked its magic because I pulled the story off with my video at the end in time!  From the number of messages I have received today and tonight, this shortage of time did not take anything away from the impact.  I want to thank everyone from LA Matheson for being a great crowd and following my mile-a-minute talking today.  Huge thanks to the Counter Attack Club there who made this all happen.  Best of luck to all of the grads this year!

 

This afternoon I spoke at Guildford Park Secondary.  I met Karen another Karen not Karon from ICBC in the parking lot.  I mentioned to her on our way in that it had been years since I had spoken at GPS.  Ironically my GPS got me there today…  But the last time I didn’t have one at all.  I hear that humour is the first thing to take a beating when someone is overly tired.  In fact the last time I spoke at GPS, my mom was attending my presentation for the first time ever!  This had to have been about 6 or more years ago.  So today felt like an entirely new school, and was I ever impressed.  As soon as I entered the gym and saw that my entire set up was put together perfectly, despite the principal having never met me.  I was pretty stoked!  The students were all great from the very get go too – laughing at joke number one and joke number two and staying with me so loyally throughout the hour and ten + minute presentation I gave them.  Not a soul even moved when the bell rang to end class.  Students were much more interested in watching my closing video.  I was just very much impressed with how awesome everyone was today! Thank you all!

 

So this week has been pretty freakin awesome!  I’d love to just throw out a full on F-Bomb but that may offend some readers…  But as I write that I feel more tempted to just drop one…  Instead I think I will just FLICK the light switch on and then off again in my hotel room.  Now that was pure clean entertainment! 

 

Well that is the last couple of days in a nutshell.  I am hoping to be able to post this blog despite really random-assed internet issues arising since I turned on my computer in Wenatchee.  For starters I am having a hard time keeping a connection.  But worst of all I went to sign into Facebook and there was some stupid disclaimer about security because I was signing in from an unfamiliar area…  WTF!?  I am on the road all of the time…  Worst of all and kind of frightening is that the disclaimer led to a security procedure where I had to do my favourite thing ever! try and decipher and write the two squiggly, messed up trying to FLICK with my switch security words… that I ranted about the other day.  I think you know the ones I am talking about.  But even worse, once I figured this out my next security test was to name the people tagged in 7 consecutive pictures.  Now for someone who knows all of the people on their Facebook this makes sense.  But for me with 5000 people, most of which I do not know, this is a switch FLICKING nightmare. 

 

I really hope I am not screwed out of Facebook for never declining a friend request!  FMFL!!

 

Well I love ending on a high note…  HAHA… So I think it is time for bed.  I have a huge comfy one too that I can’t wait to climb into…  Until next time … blog off!

 

I mean…  Thanks for reading!  And to the Manager in Chetwynd GBYS…  Also a term of endearment!  My buddies have been loving that one – Thanks!

 

Night

 

~: )

 

Kevin

 

PS.  To anyone reading this from Wenatchee - post - me speaking at your school…  Possibly because of time constraints you did not get to see my demented sense of humour.  I hope this blog did not shock you too badly.  I hope the next one I write is about how RAD you all were…  I am confident that it will be…  That was me predicting the future…

 

 

 

 

Waddup!

 

I am home sweet home…  My northern tour is complete and was it ever awesome!

 

I finished the three week tour at College Heights Secondary and Prince George Secondary on Friday.  Both presentations went super rad!  I ended on the high note I was hoping for.  As a whole the entire trip was one of my bgest tours I have ever experienced!

 

Friday I slept until 8am, which was sleeping in for me.  I woke up to my hotel phone ringing.  On the other end was a reporter from the CBC Radio News in PG.  I’m pretty sure I still had my morning growly voice for the interview, yet it went pretty good.  I could’ve used more than 5 minutes though…  But that seems to be the story of my life these days.  There just isn’t enough time in the days!

 

After the interview was over I was taking my sweet assed time getting ready when I started doing the math and realized I had maybe 40 minutes to be at the school.  My shower got skipped, so did my morning coffee and off I went to College Heights.  I was super stoked with my talk there, though my computer was giving me some grief…  GFYS Checkmate Cabs in Kelowna!  But my theory is the more I have little mess ups and whatnots, the more human I am for my audience and the more real my talk is.  I could tell people were feeling it at College Heights and I was stoked on that.  I hung out for a while afterwards chatting with students and overall felt really great about the first of my last two talks of the tour.

 

My truck was looking pretty filthy from all of the driving, so I hit a Canadian Tire near College Heights for a wash.  Great recommendation from a student by the way.  I may never refer to Canadian Tire as crappy tire again!  I was annoyed at first that I would have to get out of my truck to pay for the wash, but then I got creative.  I drove up to the front of the store and waved my wheelchair card.  Since it wasn’t the jackasses at the Chevron in Burnaby or random gas bar gal from Rock Creek (refer to older blogs…  ButtBomb I called the one lady I think) the kind store clerk in PG understood this meant to come help me out.  So she comes outside and grabs my VISA to pay for the wash.  I am appreciating this service, and I appreciate it even more when she comes outside and tells me the wash is on the house!  I know it is a small thing but these random acts of kindness are a huge thing to me.  I think we need to be better to people as a general rule!  And what you give is what you get.  It all comes back!

 

I had lunch with my cousin Kyla before my talk at PGSS.  We consumed an insane amount of sushi in a ridiculously short amount of time.  Apparently not chewing food is a common family trait.  After lunch we met up with my Uncle Roy and headed to PGSS. 

 

I was super stoked to enter a large theatre with a massive stage at PGSS.  I will be ending on a high note for sure were the words going through my head.  And even despite a lot of technical difficulties (GFYS Checkmate Cabs again for running over my laptop and still not replacing it) and a shortage of time I felt the talk went over super well with the students.  Thanks for being great!  Really everyone from this tour…  Thank you all!  I hope you all got a chance to see my video online… if not watch here.

 

I left Prince George feeling like I had just conquered a mountain.  In three weeks I had driven over 6000kms, spoke at 23 schools, stayed in I don’t know how many different hotel beds, responded to hundreds of emails, slept a maximum of 5hrs a night and posted a blog almost daily.  I had been busy! And I was so proud that I made it through having accomplished so much.  HUGE thanks to my friends at ICBC for their support!  And nothing but respect and appreciation for everyone I spoke to and met over the past three weeks!  I can’t wait to tour the north again.  It really was so rad!

 

My drive home from PG was smooth for the most part.  Listening to the Canucks get their asses kicked in the absolute fuzziest, crappiest radio reception didn’t do much for me though.  It was rather painful.  Though watching the game sounded like it would be even more painful.  The massive snowstorm I hit just outside of 100 Mile House made things pretty interesting too.  It dumped snow from 100 Mile to almost Cache Creek.  I took the roads really slow and didn’t take my eyes away from the path ahead and made it through safely.  My little tires on my truck actually held out pretty darn good in the snow.

 

I was home by midnight and began getting settled:  three weeks of mail; 3 weeks of laundry; and a big Saturday ahead meant another night of very little sleep.  Saturday morning, I ran errands and then went to a gongshow of a birthday party for my buddy Scooters.  A bunch of us took a party bus to and from the Hastings Race Track.  It was an epic day and night, the likes of which this blog will not display the details.  I will say I slept on Scooters couch and I was short one pair of sunglasses and down one Blackberry when I awoke at 6am Sunday.  FMFL!  A buddy with a sick mullet took out my Blackberry…  Maybe it was payback for the brownie I mashed into his eye…  Check it out  It all comes back right!

 

Sunday was so busy… I was scrambling to get everything I could accomplished, including seeing my mom and grandma for Mother’s Day.  By the time I had bought gifts, replaced my Blackberry and packed my truck for another mini-road-trip I had about 40minutes to hang out with my family at White Rock.  We had fish n chips in the sunshine.  It was awesome to see everyone, including my sisters who I hadn’t seen in basically a month!  But no sooner was I done eating, was I off to the ferry for Vancouver Island…  On the road again - my theme song!  Too bad I couldn’t find it on YouTube but this will suffice!

 

I got to see more family last night.  My cousin Phil lives in Saanich, so we met at the hotel where I was staying and watched the Canucks game in the pub there. Now last night was more like it!  I just hope the same team shows up tomorrow night.  We can do this one game at a time.  I hope Sámi Salo and his mangled nut are ok to play though.  We can’t afford to lose another defenseman.

 

I got to bed a little late again last night and had asked the front desk at the HoJo for a wake-up call.  I knew that I was going to sleep in and I knew that my new Blackberry would fail me for some reason in the alarm department.  Maybe I shouldn’t have put out the sleep-in energy because sure enough I woke up this morning, my room filled with daylight, not knowing where I was but having this terrible sense that I had slept in!  I had asked for a 5:30am wake up call.  It never happened, and I woke up at 7 in a panic!  I scrambled out of my room, gave a GFYS to the front desk for not waking me up and headed to my truck sans-Mohawk.  I didn’t even have time to do my hair!  HAHA…  That sounds lame hey!  What was even lamer was the job I pulled on my hair while sitting at a red light in my truck on my way to my presentation at Lake Cowichan.  Dude I looked haggard today! 

 

I was definitely a little later than planned today but the school was super awesome and accommodating.  Thanks for today all of you!  I will be sure to be extra early the next time I talk at your school.  The students at Lake Cowichan today were so awesome!  Stoked me you all did!!!  I love speaking at your school and am alwaqys stoked when I get to to visit.

 

My afternoon talk was at Parkland in Sidney.  I get stoked for this talk every year.  I go to Sidney every May for their grade 12 assembly.  It is a great school with great people and an awesome theatre.  Today was yet another sweet experience.  It left me looking forward to next May when I return.  Thanks to everyone from Parkland today!  I was really stoked to hear that you were feeling the changes I have made to my talk.  I feel they are for the better too.  Glad we see eye to eye.  Shout Out to Amanda!  Waddup!!

 

Well people that is the last 5 days of my life in a nutshell.  I am about to have a shower and plan to go lie on my couch and relax and watch some TV.  I haven’t done that in weeks… maybe months!  We’ll see if I can get there without getting sidetracked.

 

Thanks for reading the blog.  I know it is pretty tame and un-random for a change.  I’ll post something knarly soon.  Who knows maybe in the editing my madman writing ways will find their way into these words.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

~: )

 

Kevin

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know what really pisses me off… when you try and log into an internet site (I was just trying to log into the Jason Ellis Show on Faction) and you have to type in those numbers / letters.  WTF do they make them so hard to read??!!  I don’t get it.  Is some demented hacker watching me through my webcam laughing his ass off outloud while I curse out loud “$#@&!!!!! IS THAT an M or IS THAT an N with an I BESIDE IT!!!!?”

 

How about some happy music?  Lots of people have been aksing me on this tour who my favourite band is.  I keep saying right now my favourite band is The Flatliners…  Click here and see why

 

Well my rant for the moment is out of the way and tunage is happenin’ so…  Hello everyone!

 

I am almost done my northern tour!  Has it ever been awesome!  I have two presentations tomorrow and then I am done. This has been the best northern tour I have ever had for sure.  The reasons being it has been the longest, and also the responses I have gotten have been just amazing!  Don’t get me wrong the responses I get have always been rad, but this trip I have gotten the most consistently awesome responses ever in this area… maybe anywhere!  Did I just WAY over use and misuse the word gotten?  Mrs. Murray - my English teacher from high school who reads my blogs - HELP!

 

MY INSPIRATION:  Just this afternoon I got an email from a student who had lost a friend in a car crash.  We had emailed each other a few times before today.  From the first email I got, I could tell the student was looking for help.  In my responses I tried to give help and advice.  My advice, as it would be to anyone, was to do something positive to honour the lost friend.  At first the student seemed unsure of what to do.  The pain and confusion the student was feeling was very evident.  I hoped my words I wrote would inspire…  Then we lost touch for a bit.  Well today I got an email that just made my day.  The student wrote me to tell me they found a way to honour the friend.  The student went and did what was their favourite thing to do, on the friend’s birthday, and then went to their favourite spot and reflected and had a good cry.  The student then buried a gift they had bought for the friend.  As sad as the day was, it also brought some joy and smiles into the students’ life.  The student said it felt like the friend was watching down and present in some way.  This really helped to cope with the loss.  I am SO PROUD of this student!!!  I just loved this message.  And I am sharing it as I encourage anyone dealing with similar pain from losing someone close to them to take something from this story.  We can honour our loved ones.  They are never really gone as long as we honour them, remember them and never let that love we have for them die.  I am pretty stoked on this message I got.  These stories you all share with me inspire the heck out me!!!

 

Today I spoke at the Alternate School in Prince George.  Is it called Store Front?  It was a small group today and that worked to our favour I would say.  It was just like we were all hanging out.  The students were awesome from this morning and I gave em everything I had…  Even staying late and just barely making it to my next presentation in time.  I live in the moment.  And I can’t sell anyone short.  So if I am talking and inspiring, it is next to never that I would ever just leave without giving my all.  And I believe this pays off!  I got an awesome message from a teacher from the school today saying that my talk “had the most impact of any [she] had ever seen” in her ten years on the job!  So COOL!  SIDE THOUGHT: I think I am pretty good at reading people.  Not in a bad way.  I care is all I am saying and I can sort of look at people and see that they may have faced some challenges in their lives.  I felt that there were some people in the crowd today who could use a positive story.  I am so happy to hear that I gave some of you a message of hope that you won’t soon forget.  It was awesome talking at your school.  You were a sweet audience!!!  You sat silent and still for so long!  I won’t forget ya!!!

 

As I had briefly mentioned, I just barely made it to Kelly Road Secondary School for my second presentation today. Luckily Alyson from ICBC was there before me to work with the staff at the school to have everything set up for me… THANKS Alyson and awesome meeting you!  I rolled into the school with about 10minutes to spare and just plugged in…  Away we Go!  SICK!!! 

 

It’s a good thing I got to Kelly Road Secondary School on time today.  I had more than just students, staff and Alyson waiting for me…  Shaw TVPG and at least one news reporter were at the school.  It was that kind of day.  I was on the WOLF 97FM radio station here this morning…  HAHA…  I just looked it up and realized I was on a country station this morning…  How punk is that?!  BTW: Here is my favourite country song…  Wait for it to kick in!  Oh yeah…  I will be on the local CBC radio here in PG tomorrow morning around 8:10am if anyone cares to listen.  I also should be on Shaw TV for the next week on repeat starting as soon as today!

 

The Kelly Road talk was RAD!  I believe it mostly had grade 12s in attendance.  I dig grade 12 presentations.  The students were so awesome!  It was a sweet double-header today for sure.  I felt pretty on my game today too.  I don’t even know where my energy comes from because whenever I don’t have a mic in my hand these past couple days I just feel exhausted.  This tends to be the case each year at this time.  So, I just give it all twice a day and by the end of the school year I am hanging on by a thread!  Yet I still get up and give it my all.  I want to thank everyone from Kelly Road this afternoon.  Have an awesome grad weekend.  When in doubt - Wiggle Your Toes ~: )

 

Before I end this, I have to reflect a little more and just say that this trip has been awesome.  Every school, every person I have met or who has wrote me.  It has all been very positive.  I am not homesick one bit either.  I am quite enjoying the hotel life.  In fact I quite enjoy having somebody to clean my living space for me every day; not having to cook;  and I must say most hotel beds are more comfy than mine.  I have been staying at Treasure Cove all this week and it really feels like home in a way.  The people at the front desk recognize me…  Jaime is a sweetheart - I told ya I’d name drop!!  My house-keeper is awesome.  The lady in the continental breakfast room knows and prepares my coffee for me each day!  It is pretty awesome!  I think the manager is even cool with me, and if you read my blogs you would know this isn’t always the case haha!  I will stay here again… even if the casino keeps kicking my ass!  Maybe I will just steer clear of the casino next time… 

 

 

Again thanks to everyone from today!  Thanks big time to ICBC for arranging this tour and supporting me so much over the years.  Thanks to everyone I have met and who has wrote me in the past three weeks.  Thanks to you reading this right now.  Thanks to those of you who recognize me from before and welcome me to your school.  Thanks to the schools for accomodating my tendency to go into overtime.  Thanks to everyone who has been cleaning my room, welcoming me back to my hotel, feeding me… etc.  It is a joined effort among all of you that I mentioned in this blog that makes me feel like I am not far from home…  I am in a home away from home! 

 

Northern BC has definitely left a mark on my heart.  I won’t soon forget this trip!!

 

Much Respect & Appreciation.

 

~: )

 

Kevin