Laminate This!

Saturday, Vero and I headed over to Home Depot in the afternoon to take advantage of their ‘Ultimate Flooring Event’.  Unfortunately along the way, Vero’s car fan conked out and it was quite the cold drive.  Fortunately the next morning when I amassed my tool belt to go out and fix the problem, I was smart enough to turn the car on first and voila!  The problem had fixed itself!  I have that effect on certain mechanical devices (but alas, not my hard drive!).

We first measured the main floor (371 square feet for historical purposes) and drew out a nice little diagram.  Then we headed to Home Depot and perused a bunch of the selections.  It wasn’t until we found out that the ‘sale’ stuff was at the front that we saw things more to our liking.  $0.75 – $1.50 a square foot!  Yes sir!

Not knowing a whole lot about laminate flooring (other than the tips that Uncle Greg, Dad and Matt had provided), we waited to chat with a representative.  It took us a good twenty minutes to talk with someone but she was very helpful and in the end, Vero and I loaded up 20 cases of laminate flooring into the car which cost $0.99 a square foot.  Not too shabby.  It is now sitting in a nice pile in the living room as I didn’t know if it would hold up in the cold garage and I didn’t feel like stacking it down in the basement only to have to return it upstairs at one point.  Considering the transit strike is still in full effect and I’m still living at Vero’s, I doubt we will see the laminate get installed before the Spring.  It’s probably a better time to install it anyhow considering we have to haul out nasty, dusty carpet and it would be nice to have the windows opened.

After that, Mike and Vero napped while I read some comic books and then we rallied up the troops to go out to the Whiskey Bar.  Now, our original plans were to go skating on the Canal, get a Beavertail and end up at the Mayfair Theatre where they were showing some monster movie that was filmed here in the National Capital Region AND starred our favourite villain, Freddy (aka Robert Englund).  Unfortunately the temperatures dipped very low so no one wanted to go skating.  Vero’s cousin had called us to let us know they were headed to a dance club so plans shifted.  Trish, Vero, Mike and I first went to the Starfish Vietnamese restaurant (which is close to Vero’s) and it was some decent grub.  I would go again.  We then had a beer at her place and then headed out early to the club as we didn’t want to be stuck in a lineup.  There was no lineup at all so we went in and grabbed a booth and chatted with friends and eventually went up dancing once in awhile.  Carrie showed up with a few of her friends so I spent time meandering back and forth between groups of people and chatting.

Let me tell you something about dance clubs…it reminds me so much of this episode of How I Met Your Mother in which a bunch of the characters express their distaste with these clubs because you can’t hear a thing people are trying to say and the entire episode has subtitles.  I wish I had subtitles the other night!  I definitely couldn’t make out 99% of what people were saying so I just went along with the moment.  There was a funny moment where I was standing by the bar and a girl stumbles into me and says “I’m trashed, are you?”.  I proceed to say “Not really” but she continues to chat it up, all the while stumbling and having the zombie look to her.  I managed to spy a few of her friends and pushed her towards them so they could take care of her.

Hey, speaking about zombie looks, I have to say that I came up with this cool dance move which I call the Vampire.  It’s when you lift up the collar of your shirt and hide behind it like vampires do behind their cowl of their cape.  Mike and I perfected this move and it was a hit.  I distinctly remember Michael Jackson’s Thriller coming over the speakers and everyone started into a choreographed routine which incorporated the vampire dance move!  It was great!  It was like all those films where every high school prom somehow has a professional dance troupe within it!  For those who were at the club with me and wish to comment on the truth of this past paragraph, please refrain and revel in the fact that YOU were part of it!

We ended the night with a sub-par schwarma (definitely should have walked another block to Marroush).  Mari-Eve was asking what this ‘schwarma’ business was all about.  I find it interesting to note that schwarmas are definitely not engrained within the Northern Ontario culture.  I have mentioned on many an occasion that if I were to open up a business within Kapuskasing, it would be a schwarma joint.  I would make a killing.  They are so delicious and I think we would put Thong La’s out of business as a late night dining area.

All in all, a decent night was had but I’ve realized that I have officially retired for the scene during the winter months (if not all year long).  My old bones can’t take going outside of the house on a cold January night to come up with new dance moves for the masses (although I’m sure there will be films made of me at one point – the creator of the Vampire dance move.)

*update* For some reason, I had forgotten that Trish added a lot to the vampire move.  The vampire move is only at 50% power if it’s performed solo.  But if you add a woman who is pretending to scream, it is a full-out 100% dance move power!  Sorry to Trish for forgetting to mention!  Considering this the public apology!