Just to get the post count up.

My dog decided to have a little fun this morning while I was sleeping. I walk into the bathroom and what do I see...

A little Bday gift for me I guess.

Tootles

Holy cow, I can't believe it, I'm home!!

I just wanna give a shut out to Nelson for pinto'ing my ride. It looks nice and runs almost perfect, just some tweaking to go.

-PEACE
JASOn

Attempt # 1 was a failure....Don't ask.

Attempt # 2 launches tomorrow morning, this time with a co-pilot. Hopefully I post from my house tomorrow.

So it looks like I'm all done here, and I'm getting ready to take off. Not bad, only 1 week later than I had orginaly planned. The car should be all fixed with a few modifications courtesy of N.P.N of course. I guess this drive will be a good test to see if we fixed the car up right. Wish me luck

Also, did any of you find my sunglasses packed away in your stuff. They were in the back seat of the van, but weren't there when we returned them. If you don' have them, no worries, they weren't an expensive pair.

Hopefully I'll be posting again in about 7 hours.

-JAson

So it's Sunday night, and I'm still here!

The problems with my car just keep piling up (a long with the tab) but hopefully by the time I leave here (if I ever leave here), the car will be as good as it was before I came here

Luckily the header for my car wasn't cracked, but it sure as hell needed to be re machined. Luckily my brother's friend works at a garage and he took care of that for me for a relatively good price (still not cheap).

The Engine disassembled

Header post re-machining

As we were leaving the garage with the car we realized when I turned, the car made a funny noise. Well it turned out that my wheel was rubbing the wheel well (it didn't before). Looks like my control arm bushings are messed, not a big deal, they're 20-30$. We also realized that the water pump was leaking (that's probably what caused the over heating in the first place).

So today my brother and I decided to tackle the water pump and take a look at the control arm. 5 hours later, and 2 trips to Crappy Tire, and we finished the water pump. Of course the car immediately started overheating, but somehow we got that under control. Next on to the control arm. As we started taking it apart, my brother realized that I most likely need a whole new control arm cause all of the bushings are ripped to shreds. (CA CHING, another 100$ dollars).

So all this to say, that my departure date keeps getting pushed back by one day, and now we're aiming for Wednesday. Hopefully we get all this stuff done with my car on Tuesday, HOPEFULLY.

Anyways, I just wanna say that owning a car this week sometimes makes me feel like I need to check my elbows, know what I mean.

-Jason

Hey guys,

I just caught up on some posts...very cute how excited you all were before hand (totally understandable of course!) So now I'm just waiting for some more funny stories about the cruise!

Bed time,
Sheree

I just wanted to say :

Cost of cruise: 300$
Drowned Digital Camera: 200$
Blown head gasket: 1000$ +

Having a great vacation with friends: PRICELESS!!!

I just wanted to say that I had a great time, and thanks to everyone for making it great. Yes, even you stupid ass

I'll be a better wingman for you one day, just remember what my failure to act saved you next time you pee and it doesn't burn.

Talk to you all sooon.

-Jason
P.S. I should never own ANYTHING EVER!!!!

I spoke to Ed and he said he will be here early. So now I have to rush and get everything done for 3pm. I anticipate we will leave at 4pm and make it to Toronto by 8:30pm which is perfect! I am all ready to go, shaved the necessary hair off of my body. Packed the machine and now I am packing last minute things. Talk to you all soon!

Dino

So the day has finally come, I can believable.

Looks like we're all oraganized and ready to go. I was a little dissapointed this week when I went to try on all the cool t shirts I bought last summer, only to realize they shrunk in storage. They must have been stored in a hot place, that's the only explanation I see.

I'm pretty much all packed, just the last minute additions, Ky, Dildo and ... well the last thing is a surprise. Let's just say it Rhymes with Butt plug.

IT seems like it took forever to here, can't wait till we hit the road.

Like everyone else said, Drive save and I'll see you around 9!

-CAPITAIN JASON

Well it was another OCD night for me. I planned on setting up the van and then packing but I hit some snags. I've spent most of the night soldering wires to make everything work and next got to finish packing. I'm going to hit the sack now and sleep as long as I can so that I can drive my good buddies clear into the morning. I swear this van has more entertainment then the whole cruise ship... and with my luck I'll wake up to find a pile of ashes in the driveway where the van was parked and several pissed off fireman! Or we'll all burn to a crisp on the way down... no biggy!

I'm so beat now that the excitement has worn off, but once I wake up and get everything else done I'll be back in vacation mode... You know what, we don't do Vacations... We have ADVENTURES!!! So like Dino said... 2 months have flown by and in a few hours, we'll all be crammed in a van having a blast... and a few hours hours from that, we'll be in sunny florida... and a few hours after that... the tropics of Bahama's.... if that not an Adventure... I don't know what is.

See you guys soon, drive drive safe and keep me posted. (my phones will be off so if there is anything major to report leave a message or call Mark)

Nellie

PS: I shouldn't have to do it but I'll do it anyways...

DON't forget your passports, some picture ID, fancy clothes, shoes/sandals, and whatever else your planning on forgetting. (Dino, Tony's sweater and Blanket)

I need 100$ U.S for Gas, Tolls, and Parking before we take off.

And the van came to 340$ CND so that's 48.50$ each for the rental. If you want to give it to me when you get here or when we get back before you leave to go home is ok with me.

Yeah its almost time to go...getting pretty hyper here! It's 11pm and I am having a hard time sleeping... I am totally packed now, and don't worry Nelson I won't forget my machine. I put the bag right next to my suitcase to remind me to take it with me. Now I have to remember to bring my passport! Just kidding!

Anyways amigos its almost time. I can't believe two months has passed by so quickly.

See you guys tomorrow night at around 9 ish

Ciao!

D

So in my never ending quest to learn about the route we're taking (and trust me I studied hard and learned nothing) I came across a little song you boys might enjoy....

Just so you know its a complete fluke that I'm posting pretty much the same time I did yesterday.... I know.. impressive!

So we're that much closer... Today I went shopping for some summer wear cause I couldn't find any of my stuff that I packed away for winter. I really hate shopping ( as you can tell from my dated wardrobe) but I had to do it cause all I had was 1 pair of swim shorts and 1 pair of shorts I change oil with. So Mark came with me, first we went to grab some "sneakers" cause mine were finished and the other day he stopped me from getting them (prick)and since I didn't find and shorts I liked at that store, he convinced me to go to the mall (which I HATE WITH A PASSION!)

We hit up the OL Navy and after realizing the no one in the Navy has a waste larger than 32 I settled for a pair of shorts 1 size too big (must be the shorts the Cook wears) just so I had a back up pair in case mine never turned up. I also got some Summery Tshirts, and by Summery I mean they have trees on them. Also I found that I am attracted to BROWN. Everything BROWN in the store I wanted to buy. But I stopped picking stuff cause I realized that not only am I too fat to wear these "Cool" clothes, but wearing so much brown would make me look like shit.... One big fat walking talking turd of Shit!

Then he convinced me I HAD to check out this other store that has cool shirts. I must admit Mark shows up with some funny shirts. Not funny looking (besides the fact he wears Mediums instead of Large) but Funny as in they have funny things written on them. So We walked around the mall for 15 mins trying to find this place. Finally we got there and yes they had some cool shirts.... So I am proud to announce I will not only look fat but I will look like a fat SUPER HERO!!! I got all Super Hero shirts!! Super Hero Nico FTW!

So then we left and of course realized we could have shaved 13mins off the walk to find this store had we just gone straight cause it was right next to the first store... So ya that would have saved on the sweat I was spewing trying on the clothes... Not pretty!

Then I came home and started packing. I'm pretty much done, just going to do laundry tomorrow night and set everything up. Oh ya, I decided to pick up the van Tuesday Night. It just makes things way easier so me and Mark aren't rushing around on Wednesday. So you'll all know how cramped we'll be tomorrow night... Cross your fingers! (who am I kidding, they could give us a pimped out stretch Van and we'd still be cramped!) We expect them to give us their most beat up van, with dings, dents, and squirrels living in the glove box. No rental place would rent out a perfectly good new van for someone about to drive it to Florida! But we shall see.

So thats it. I guess my next post will be tomorrow night before I get to bed. I'll post some confirmation stuff so make sure to check in. Also I'll update the Twitter on the side as the day goes by.

We're that much closer to it... AHhhh Yaaaaa

Ya I am pretty excited too! I have been thinking of things I need to buy and bring for this trip. I will being going out tomorrow and purchasing all my last minute things. So everyone doesn't forget, bring sunscreen! I know you guys are all macho and think you dont need sunscreen but trust me the sun is strong in the tropics. Having a sunburn on the way home in a car for 24 hours is not fun... plus there's the skin cancer thing but that's just minor..

I am glad to see everyone is starting to get excited! I wonder what the sangiuliani's are thinking...Nelson at least you won't have to hear us complaining that we are missing a Habs game. Nels I am glad you realized you are fat but in case you haven't looked around, we are all fat...minus Rick and Jase, so let is all hang out!

D

Hello,

Dean, glad to hear you're all set to go. Lets just hope you don't forget all the stuff you packed with all the excitement of leaving. I too have been getting things ready. Unfortunately I seem to have misplaced the suitcase that I packed all my summer wear in before winter. Looks like I'll be only wearing 1 pair of swim trunks on the boat and my famous red thong for the drive.

Well I did pack away a bunch of electronics. Ed I sent you a text message but maybe you were sleeping. Are you bringing your laptop? Cause if you do then I won't bother with mine. If you decide to bring it, does it have TV Out? Firewire? Just so I know what our capabilities are. I also have around 5 pairs of headphone buds, and 1 splitter, maybe 2 if I can find it. So anyone else have some to bring? Not that we need that many but it doesn't hurt.

I've been kinda worried about the rental van... The whole problem with the additional drivers needing to be present when we rent it sucks. Also the girl is only there till 3pm on Wednesday and I was planning on sleeping in so that I could do the drive over night. I'll still be able to do no prob but I hate being rushed to pick it up and marks working that day so hopefully he gets out early enough to come with me. But I was thinking if its ok with you guys about picking up the Van on Tuesday, just so I'm not rushing to go get it. I'd only do it if it was cheap. I think its an extra 30$ for the day so that would be 5$ each. Is that cool with you guys? Let me know cause I'm good either way. It just gives me some extra time to wire the van up properly, pack it up a bit and look it over so we're just that much faster at leaving Wed night.

Greg's working Wednesday during the day so hopefully he get done early enough so Jason rick and him can get a move on. Ed and Dino... well lets hope you guys don't have to stop 5 times for a 4 hr drive.... I just want to get going!!!!

I have to admit, Mark has been pretty excited for the past 2 months about this trip. He would call me 4 minimum a day just to talk about this trip. Then when I would show no excitement he was kinda bummed. I told him I don't really get excited about stuff..... Well until now Buddy! its 4:30am Monday and I'm dying over here! I am Stoked! I want to get on the road and get moving!!!

Its the Final Countdown!

Thanks Nels for your condolences, it was definitely a hard game to watch but I am over it. I am looking forward to next year when they come back with some great young players and some free agent signings.

As for the trip, I am all packed minus last minute toiletries. I spent some time over the weekend doing some laundry and figured I might as well pack my stuff now. If you guys want a trick for packing, roll all your clothes. You would be amazed on how much you can fit in your luggage and when you get there all your clothes will not be wrinkled.

Anyways I am off to bed....

D

Hey guys,

Let me start off by saying how sorry I am about the Habs. I watched the game and I really though they had a shot... until that shot was shot down by Phillys shot. I'm not going to go into hockey talk mode but all I can say is that our boys just weren't able to fend for themselves against the big bad black guys. Oh well, at least you have a cruise to look forward too.... right? You losers aren't going to be all depressed on the trip now because of a little game? (I can just imagine the conversation on the drive down... hockey, hockey and more hockey)

Thanks for the messages about the little video I made. Honestly I wasn't too happy with it cause I envisioned something else, but it came out ok. I won't be going into animation anytime soon cause that was all done in Photoshop, most of it hand drawn and animated by hand. The animations were very minute but lip syncing is not fun to do. Thank Jase for putting so much pazazz into my "script" But just so you all know, I sent him stuff to say but he sent back completly different stuff... I really don't think he likes you guys!

I signed up for TWITTER and sent out a few invites to you guys but no one ever listens to me so its kinda pointless. But this thing is pretty cool. I've always wanted to add the feature to post on the blog via our cell phones, but it never happened. Well with TWITTER you can do mini posts just by texting them to the number they give you. I admit it was a bit of a process to sign up. (You sign up then you have to enter your cell number on the site, they give you a code to text to the number they give you and then you confirm it when they text you back) but once the setup is done, all you do is write your message on your cell, and send it to the number they gave you and POOF! it'll show up on the blog (once we add you too the sidebar) I added mine to the sidebar so you can now know exactly when I'm sitting at a coffee shop on an uncomfortable date! Cool no? Dino I don't know if you still bus it to work, but you could text us all in one shot to let us know about the crazy guy next to you, Eddie can keep us abreast of the next hot chick at work to blow him off, Jason can remind us how not whipped he is, and I can even see Greg using it since his number 1 method of talking to us is through text messages. So give it a shot, It'll add that next bit of depth to the blog.

Ok well I'm done for now. I'll post as I come up with more stuff.

Nelson

PS: 7 days from now we'll be on the boat for the last night, laughing at Eddie who will be saying good bye to the new friend he made on the boat... MR. WC Toilet.

What is going on my brethren. It is now T minus 2.5 hours till game time, and I'm feeling jittery. I know none of you care about hockey (except Dino of course), but today is a Big game, but not as big as tomorrow's game, or Tuesday's game.

I see that Dino wants us to pray, cause we need it, you see, I don't think we need prayers, we need to bury the puck in the net. I don't' know if you guys actually watch the games, but do you see how hard we play, and we just can't put the puck in empty nets, It's driving me CRAZY.

I'm not going to the game tonight unfortunately, I took the executive decision and decided to watch the game with Sheree cause she'd be all alone, and it's kind of our anniversary night (for celebrating at least). Rather than sell my ticket for an enormous amount, I decided
to give it to a true habs fan, who will make us proud :d (Derek).

I'm really excited for the cruise, I can't wait to "show these old guys how it's done!". So I plan on leaving Wednesday morning I guess. I'm not working so I'm good to go whenever.

I'm glad you guys all enjoyed Nelson's video, and none of you are upset with the mysterious yet super talened and may I say handsome (Yes I may) voice-over actor. I too found this video freakin' hillarious, and I can't wait to see what he does with the actual footage from the trip. I think we should maybe make a check list like for the camping trip, so we're all on the same page and not forgetting stuff or over packing. It's good to know that everyone has their passports in order, cause it was cutting it a little close. And nex time Dino, when you read a post that says "So that's where we are right now. The last HUGE thing I need to remind you guys about is PASSPORTS!!! PLEASE Make sure your passport is Valid. You can not do this trip with out it. Its 100% needed not only to cross the border, but to also to get on the boat. So go take care of that if its an issue."

You should think, hmm, maybe I should check my passport

HAHA, I guess you guys are all getting old and senile. Just stirring the pot!

As for GTA, I love this game. So many little details in it that you keep noticing that set it apart for me. I played onlizzle with my brother the other day, that was a lot of fun. We should try and get a game with the 3 of us, and I have 1 or 2 more ppl who can maybe join in the KA-OS.

So I hope each one of you turns on your TV at 7pm (RDS if you have it, if not CBC will do) and cheer pour les glorieux.

This should get the goosebumps going!!

GO HABS GO,

Cuddle Nust OUT!

Well you guys probably think I am nuts but I started packing already. Usually I never pack early but this time I need to get a head start because we need to make sure we have all the right clothing but at the same time not overloading on unnecessary things. I am not finished by all means but I am probably half way there...

The Habs are playing tonight and fighting for their lives! Please pray to the hockey gods! We need a miracle!

Ciao

Dino

Nels I agree with Ed that was your best work. Tarra and I were fuckin laughing! I had to explain to Rick what the purple sweater was all about but anyways it was hilarious!!! Love Mark in the Casino..that was priceless! How you got his face to look like that was amazing! I mean I know you used a software that converts pics into cartoons but it was good!

On another note, I picked up my passport. Walked from my work building, picked it up and walked back to work in under 10 minutes. No lineups, it was great! So I can't wait for the trip! I have one more thing to do, which is to get my driver's license since I lost it and then I will be prepared. Either way it doesn't look like I will be driving since I won't be on the list but hey if everyone is exhausted and you need a driver, I am there!

See you soon sailors!

D

I forgot to say, nels, that video was hands down your best work yet, I was cracking up! I watched it at work and I know people musta been like WTF is so funny in this guys cubicle...lol. How the F did you do it by the way? What software was that?

Ed.

So the total is $150 each? Or did I forget to include one of the costs? Don’t make fun of me, I was reading the post and working at the same time and don’t want to read it again and add up the costs that I forgot about by the time I got to the end of the post...lol. Just gime a total, I trust you...

As for GTA4... Ahh Nels. I have to say I was a little shocked by your last post. I think this is the first game in history to receive as many perfect scores review after review, but you found the flaws...lol. I do agree that the brightness and contrast were way too low and upping them was the first thing I did after playing for about 30 seconds but I have a theory. Other then me Nels and probably Jase (cause I got the DVD from him, i swear I will give it back) but ya, other than the 3 of us, EVERYONE that I know has there brightness and contrast set WAY too high so maybe they set it up to look good on the average home and not the perfectly tuned home??? All complaints aside, I think this is hands down the best, most complete, most addictive game I have ever played, even though your right, the accent is totally annoying...lol. I haven’t tried the multiplayer yet either, I was waiting for you to say you have it so I could try it with someone I know, Wanna try it tonight?

P.S. You get used to the driving, every GTA had the same annoying driving physics but I just always got used to it and it became a non-issue…

Laterz all,
Ed.

now that we have everything under control
i do not have a suit ..but i do have a nice pair of dress shoes,a blazer and a nice dress shirt and someone stole my tie and i might have a dress pants bec the only thing i wear is jeans ....

3 weeks ago i went to go do my passport and the girl tould me it would take up to 3 weeks and i would recieve it in the mail...3 weeks pass by and checking the last week and this week if it came in every hour in my building and seeing it not in my little 9inch mail box that it wasnt there! so i dicided to call them to see what the hell is up and the women inside the telephone tould me that Sir u have to go pick it up at the passport office,its there wiating for u Sir..well i tould the gurlk next tyme plz tell ur officers too tell ur clientel to pick them up then ..so i did and it was waiting for me in a nice plastic bag ...GO bahamas Go

Hello Fellow Travelers,

So we are less than a week away. By this time next week we should be have the States of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee fresh in our memory banks.

So this is the plan for the Road Trip.

For the sake of not getting bored on the trip back, I've decided to make 2 road trips out of 1. On our way to Miami, we're going for the more direct route. All highway. We're more in a rush to get there so its important that we don't get too side tracked.

We'll be leaving from Mississauga, heading to Detroit and taking the I75 pretty much all the way to Miami.

For our return trip, we're gonna spice it up a bit and take the scenic route, and come through the Buffalo border. This should take advantage of the GPS a lot more, and give us many things to see. Since we're in no rush to catch a boat we can actually stop a bit more and maybe mingle with the local Clansman, and Chainsaw Massacres!

So thats what you can expect to see.

I spoke to the rental company today and our van is booked.
The weekly rate is 240$ plus Tax. So expect around 300$, so thats about 50$ each.
She is going to forfeit the Additional Drivers charges of 10$ per person per day, but I have run into a problem with the Additional Drivers.

She NEEDS the drivers to come with me to get the van. I can't bring in photocopied Drivers licenses like I hoped. So that means worst case scenario Mark and I will be on the paperwork, and best case Greg will too if they make it in time for the rental pick up. Jason is too young to be on there. And I think there is a Max of 3 drivers allowed. So since Dino and Eddie are only coming at night, the rest of you guys will either not drive, or drive illegally. (I'm pretty sure I know which we'll choose but its totally up to you guys if you want too)

I'm just throwing this out there now just as a friendly reminder, not to mother anyone. Some of us have a bit of a heavy foot (me more than others probably) We have given ourselves plenty of time to get to the Boat so there is no rush. Lets not get on the State troopers hit list along the drive. Its all I'm saying.

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY... DO NOT EAT AND SPICY, OR GAS INDUCING FOODS 24HRS PRIOR TO OUR DEPARTURE!!! THAT VAN IS GOING TO REEK ENOUGH WITH JUST OUR FEET, BODIES AND BREATH!!!

This is a hard thing to calculate because there are so many factors that can throw off the calculations.

So using an Online Gas Calculator I'm figuring if I collect 100$ U.S from everyone before we leave, it'll cover all the Gas for the trip there and back. And if all goes right we'll all get money returned when we get back.

So I'll hold onto the money and pay for the gas from the pool, so that we're not scrounging for it at the cash register.

I think thats it for Expenses.

We are limited to little space in the van. Its only a 3 day cruise so there is no point packing suitcases. Each person only needs a school bag worth of clothes. I have a 1 or 2 bags for Suits that we can throw all of them in and then more or less lay it out in the back. All you'll really NEED is some shorts and shirt for the drive down and back, some more to putz around on the boat and island, swim shorts, some dress pants and shirts for dinner and bar, Some really nice clothes for the Captains Dinner, and then some jeans and long sleeves in case it gets cold. Shoes, you'll need running shoes, sandals if you wear them, and dress shoes. You don't need 2 of each. Seriously the more shit we have the less comfortable we'll be in that van. The trunk is very small and we don't want to look like the Griswalds driving down the highway with our roof rack being used.

I'm not bringing my laptop cause I know someone else will. Internet access costs an arm and a leg on the boat. All we need them for really is for the drive. I'm going to borrow Tony's little TV's (2 screens) to hook up in the van. they have a built in DVD player and the 2 screens show the same thing, not 2 different movies.

So if someone has a Laptop with TV Out let me know so I can verify the screens take an input. Then all we need is an external Hard Drive with Movies to hook up to the laptop and we're good. MP3 Players, are more than welcome, but depending on how the Van's radio is, we might be forced to use an FM Transmitter which sucks. Mark is bringing his XM radio so we'll have plenty of stuff to listen too with just that, but bring your MP3's just to change it up. Headphone are always a good thing to have, and headphone splitters. ( I think I have 1 or 2)

Camera's are obvious. Jason is bringing his video camera so Ed you don't have too if you don't want. Picture camera's I'll have one, Jason and Mark will too.

I'll have an Inverter for the car so we can charge stuff and power up stuff for the drive.

DINO!!! DO NOT FORGET THAT FRIGGIN SNORING MACHINE!!!

Ok people the countdown is on. As I finish writing this we are exactly 6 days away from leaving. It all is in your hands now. You can't say we didn't tell you something cause I think we covered all the important stuff. If you forget your tooth brush then thats your problem. So try to get here as soon as you can so we can start this thing off fast!
Greg, Rick and Jason, if you guys can get here Wednesday early afternoon that would help a lot with the Rental. But not too early cause I'm driving the first leg so I plan on sleeping in as much as possible. Lets aim to pick up the Van by 3pm. That will give us time to set it up before Dino and Ed show up so that when they get here its literally have some drinks, say a prayer and take off. Oh ya for driving and seating, we'll pick straws or something cause we have to be fair in who sits in the front seats and who's stuck in the back.

So if I forgot anything, Mark or any of you please chime in. This is my last big post on the subject, the rest is minor.

And now as a reward for reading this I've gone and made you all a little something (me and my OCD) to get you all excited....

So Guys only 6 days to go and we are outta here ... Just a little reminder of must haves for the trip , I did one post a month ago so this is a last minute checklist if you just say .
The dinners are a little classy , for the last night its the captains dinner so its even more fancy I suggest you bring a suit ( if you got one ) and an extra pair of dress pants so you can alternate , you are not required to wear a suit but on the last night at least a shirt and tie ... as for the other nights dress pants and a polo or button up is all good . Dont forget dress shoes ( its only for the dinner , no dress code to get plastered . ) Im not your mother so you what else to bring . If I can get the passport info by this weekend that would be cool , I got nothing to do at work and bored off my ass so call friday (905) 612-2595 if you want it will take 3 min for me to get ur info ..... So thats it good luck and bon voyage .

Mark