General Stuff...Boxing and Other

Hi all.

It is that time of the month...

Rant time!

On Wednesdays, after Junmar's class, I take the 79 and 58B buses to get to work right from the gym.

On the way to work last week, on the 79, the bus driver was yapping like crazy on the phone. 

Of course, she missed my stop. She passed two stops, and then she blamed me for not ringing the bell soon enough. 

Really? Ypou are joking, right?

Ummm....excuse me missy, if you were not yapping on the phone, you would have heard me ring the bell two stops ago...!

The following day, coming home from Westwood, I boarded a 58B. I showed my pass, and the driver said, "That is for Toronto." Ummm.yeah. This is a Toronto bus, going to Toronto.

Apparently, because Westwood Terminal is in Mississauga, you need a Mississauga fare to board the Toronto bus, going into Toronto....???

See, this is how it works: Toronto bus + Toronto destination = Toronto fare.

How fucking difficult is that?

Wow. Imagine that. Another fucking moron working for the City of Toronto. 

Leave it to the TTC to make something simple into a science project.

...and the TTC wants to raise the fare. 

Well, yeah, that is understandable. Stupidity does not come cheap.

I mean, it must take the TTC HR department years to find people with just the right stupidity to work there.

Like the police with their stupid tickets.

Oh yeah, I spoke to some of my colleagues in Mississauga about that. They can't believe that happened. One asked, "Do Toronto police have that much time to be writing J-walking tickets?"

No. They don't. That is part of the problem.

By the way, I waited three hours in that damn York Civic Centre because of that damn ticket. After a 12-hour night shift, and then getting home at noon.

I am soooo suing the Toronto Police.

I have figured this: If you take every TTC employee, and all of the Toronto police officers, and put them all together in one place, you would have so much laziness and stupidity, that it would be mathematically and scientifically impossible to calculate.

Its true.

Coming home this morning, at Islington station, this old couple asked me to help them up the stairs with their shopping cart. The were trying to get to the 110A bus.

I was nice, and helped them. Get this, they did not even say 'Thank you.'

The bus was there, and the driver waited for them.

Of course, the driver waits for some impolite asshole, but they won't wait for me.

See. That is why I don't like doing things for people, because they don't care.

Anyway, sparring classes this week on Monday and Wednesday.

I will be attending. 

Hopefully, Justin will be at one. I want him to throw his girly hooks again, so I can make him miss...again...!

Cheers.

Sparring Monday and Wednesday, Raisng the Bar

On Monday, I sparred Junmar.
He is actually one of the best guys to spar. He gives you a good work out and at the same time, he will teach you a lot.
I'd like to get more sparring time with him. I find that it helps a lot.

Junmar is a professional boxer, as you all may know.
 I guess if I can go three rounds with a professional, and leave the ring in one piece, I can't be doing that poorly.

There was sparring this past Wednesday as well. 
 I did three rounds with three different guys.
A round with Justin, one with Mark, and one with Mac.

Justin is a lot bigger than I, and he hits pretty hard.
I am no longer in his weight class, but I think I did well considering the size difference.

At one time he hit me three times in a row with hooks. Left--right--left. I got nailed by all of them. What the hell was that?
Oh, yes...Justin and his hooks. He likes his hooks. I wish he would fuck off with his hooks.

You all know how much I like hooks.

At one point, I backed off, and right as I back out, he threw a left hook, and missed. 
He said, "Fuck!"

That was kind of funny actually.

Of course I backed off. He is a big guy. Does he really think I am going to trade with him form the inside? I am going to go in, attack, then back away. I wasn't born yesterday.
If he wants me, he can come get me. Yeah, come get some, bitch!
Oh, yeah!

Nothing special happened with Mark that I can remember.
However, Mac put on a lot of pressure. 
Keep in mind, Mac is a lot younger, and has been competing for a while.
Justin has had one match as well.

I think it is great that I am finally able to get in and spar with some competitive boxers. It is really the best way to learn.

Richard said that there would be no boxing shows at Stockyards in December, but he is thinking about one for January. I am really hoping I can be in that one. 
My goal was to have my first competition this year, but unfortunately that did not happen.


That is all for this entry.

Anyone interested in boxing, drop by the gym sometime. Any of the coaches will be able to answer your questions about the sport and the Stockyards Boxing Team. 
You may even be able to watch the sparring class. Drop by Wednesdays 8 - 9 PM. 


Cheers.
Paul "The Brick" Brec

I'm From Toronto...I'm Sorry

Hi all.

Well, I am still a member of Bloor Fitness. (Unfortunately)

They called a week before then end of October, and I told them I would be in on Friday to talk them. The idea was to ask them to not renew the membership, and to use the last month's payment.

On Friday morning at one, I was checking to see if my pay was in. It was, but there was also a payment to Bloor Fitness. 

So, what they did was try to take payment again, without asking.

That's great. Thanks for waiting.

What if my pay was late going in? After all, it is Scotiabank. They never make mistakes.

In other news:

I got my wish. The security company moved me from Disco Road. 

They placed me at Matrix Logistics on Kennedy Road in Mississauga. 

I have to say it is a much better location. Except for the fact that it does mean having to take Mississauga Transit again. My second-favourite public transit service. They call it "MiWay" now. Yeah, I don't call it that. It will never be 'MiWay' unless they start making a lot of improvements.

Right now, I am balancing work with training. 

I am doing sparring and technical boxing at Stockyards, and my other training at Bloor. 

In addition to full-time night security in Mississauga.

I'm getting by, although still a bit stressed. 

Living in Toronto does not help.

Put aside all the crap about Mayor Rob Ford. 

The City of Toronto has once again taken first place in the Sucking event.

I was once again ticketed for 'J-walking'. 

Officer 8819, claimed that I was not using a crosswalk. So, what? Who does? This is a big city.

So, Officer 8819 is writing a ticket, and he had to look up how to do it !

I shit you not.

Then he said, "I am here to enforce the Provincial Traffic Laws--No, I mean the Toronto Bi-laws."

Really? Seriously?

If he is "enforcing" the "Bi-laws", would one not expect that he knows how?

That actually explains a lot about the Toronto Police, doesn't it?

After all that, he still made two mistakes. He wrote "HTA" on the ticket. That is Highway Traffic Act, which is Provincial. He also wrote my Driver's License number on it. They are not supposed to write Driver's License on a ticket if it is not a driving infraction.

Of course, that will make the ticket void. However, I will of course have to go to traffic court. 

Waste taxpayer's money dragging yet another frivolous case through the already overloaded system, just so that a judge can see a mistake on a ticket and dismiss the case.

More money and resources being wasted, because police... are stupid.

People have asked me why I stay in Toronto of I don't really like it.

It is the boxing. 

If I move, I would have to find a new boxing gym. I am settled at Stockyards, with coaches I am used to.

I still plan on leaving Toronto after the Pan-Am Games.

It is just a matter of putting up with Toronto bullshit for just a bit longer.

Back to boxing.

Richard is having problems finding opponents for me. 

Maybe they are all afraid of me. They don't want to be made a fool of in front of a bunch of people. That is understandable.

There is another boxer my age at Stockyards who is having the same problem. 

George, who used to be a boxer before, and is trying to get back in. 

Sound familiar?

He is a real nice guy. 

I sparred him on Monday, but he did not really try to hit me too often. 

I think he is a bit better than I, but I did say to him to not be afraid to try to hit me more.

It does not really help me. I need to practice my defence, too. 

After all, sparring is about learning and improving.

Well, that is my crappy life. 

How are you?

Cheers,

Paul "The Brick" Brec

"I'm from Toronto......I'm sorry"

Five Pounds To Go !

Hello followers and fans of "The Brick".

It has not been long since my last entry, but I have news, 
I did a weigh-in yesterday, and I am now at 193. That means I am only five pounds from my goal of 188.
Let the whole Junction community...all of Toronto...all fans of 'The Brick', chant "Five Pounds...Five Pounds...Five Pounds...!" 

Also, for those who have not seen my first match, the Enhanced Sparring session from September, here are some photos.
There is also some commentary. We all say that we are our own hardest judge. Here is my colour commentary:

There you are. 
You can see the video here: Sparring At Stockyards, Part 1
It is the second session.


Cheers,
"The Brick"

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Saying Goodbye To Bloor

Hi all.

First of all, I have decided to let my Bloor Fitness membership lapse. 
It was actually fairly easy to do. 
You see, my bank helped a bit. I have been a customer of Scotiabank for about 20 years. 
Scotiabank is the absolute best bank. It really is. I have never had a problem with them.

So, anyway, due to a problem with my bank, Bloor Fitness did not get paid this month. 
I have decided that I am not going to bother trying to pay them manually. I am just going to tell them to use the last month's payment, and let them go. 
It is convenient that hey are open 24 hours, but that is really the only advantage.
I can get to Stockyards at least five times a week. Otherwise, I get lots of exercise at work.

Speaking of work, although not boxing related:

I went full-time security at a 'distribution centre'. Okay,  its a warehouse. Let's stop with fancy names. Anyway, it is up on Disco Road. Yes, you read that correctly, Disco, as in the cheesy 70's music.
It does not matter which warehouse, there are a lot of them up there.

Here is what happened: I am barely one-week full-time at the warehouse, and I am getting in crap from the supervisor. Yesterday, a trailer left the yard and went to the wrong location. It went to Thunder Bay instead of London. Yeah, that is a huge mistake.
So, apparently it is my fault the truck driver is an idiot.
Am I a security guard or a logistics expert? It is not my job to make sure that the trailers are going to the correct locations. That is up to the dispatch supervisor. 
Oh, there is that word again, "supervisor". I forgot, supervisors don't work.
Definition of a supervisor: One who delegates, then takes credit for work well-done, and lays blame when work is done poorly.
Oh come on. I know you were all thinking that. I am just the only one with balls big enough to say it.

In addition, it is a real pain in the ass to get there by bus. There are only two bus routes on Disco Road. The 112C and the 45A. The 112C is never freaking on time (typical for buses in Toronto), and also the 112C does not operate on evenings on the weekend. There is a 2 km walk from Martin Grove Road, along Belford Drive, up Brockport Road, and along the entire length of Disco Road...In the dark, poorly illuminated, with no sidewalks. How safe is that? 
As for the 45A, I have never seen one. It is on the TTC map, but apparently doesn't really exist. One of the TTC's  many pseudo bus routes.

So, they want to move me to another location. 
You mean a location where every little thing isn't my fault, and has more reliable bus service? Oh, no. Please don't.

One final note: Don't forget about the Stockyards boxing show this Saturday. Doors open at 7 PM. 
Please come out and support a great amateur boxing facility.
Metropolis Community Media will be covering the event for Metropolis TV West.Cheers,
"The Brick"

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Stressing "The Brick"

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Hi all.
Welcome to another "Blue Corner".

Stockyards will be having their next boxing show on October 18. I will not be in this one. 
However, Metropolis West will be video recording the event, and it will be posted to our YouTube Channel within a week after.
Select the link above to visit Metropolis Community Media or to listen to CJJQ Community Radio.

Speaking of Stockyards, I went on a bit of a rant in my last entry. I have to admit that looking back on it, I may have been a bit harsh. 
I have been under a lot of stress lately, trying to juggle three part-time jobs and boxing. Understandably, I am trying to keep all of them as the same priority. I am currently pushed to the limit. That is why I want to make the most out my time at the boxing gym.
I apologize for being sarcastic...well, more sarcastic than normal. (I am always sarcastic.)
That being said, I still feel that people should not be showing up for class late. It is rude and disruptive. What I do if I can't make a fitness class, I don't go, or I go and do my own training and will attend class only if invited by the instructor. 
I don't think that is an unreasonable expectation. Please be considerate of your colleagues.

The reason I need three jobs is because..and here comes the rant of the month...this city is so damn expensive. 
Even New York City has nice areas that are affordable. In Queens, you can get a nice one bedroom apartment for $850. Yes, I have already checked. I invite anyone to go to a rental agent in Toronto, and ask for a one bedroom for $850. Then, get our the stopwatch, and time how long it takes for her to stop laughing at you.
That, on top of the idiots at City Hall. I'm sure you have all heard about my City Hall rants.
Then there is the overall cost of living.....{It keeps going and going...}

Plus, you have myself, the wifey, and a friend who will be staying with us for a while, plus two cats, all living together in a studio apartment.
I have been trying to talk management into giving us a larger apartment. I want to move from a studio to a three bedroom. I will go from paying $885 to $1640. However, I will be splitting it three ways. Right now, I am paying most of it myself, because I really can't charge my friend rent for sleeping on the sofa in the same room with us.

Enough of my rant, now for some good news. One of my employers is seriously considering putting me on full-time by the end of October. The security job at the warehouse will likely become 36 - 44 hours weekly, possibly as early as next week.. That means not needing to juggle so many jobs. Also, the supervisor on that job knows that I am training as a boxer, and is very supportive. I don't think I will have much trouble getting time off to train and for competitions.

More good news, I have lost another pound. I am now down to 194. I am getting closer to my goal of 188.

If you want to contact me, visit me on Facebook, or use the email address above. Please do not use email addresses on older blog entries, as they may no longer be working.

Cheers.

                ""Dudes who know how to fight, don't -- Dudes who want to fight, can't.""

p

The Smallest Loser ?

Hello Blue Corner Peeps,

Well, there is a first time for everything, and here is one.
I have a complaint about something Stockyards did.
I know you are asking, "What? Paul has a complaint about Stockyards? Wow!"

On Wednesday, they cut class early. Reason: So they can take a "few select boxers" to HUF Gym for sparring. Well, that's great. What about my sparring class?

I was only able to get one round, and to be totally honest, that is a complete and total waste of my time. 

Look at this from my side. With me working full- time and odd hours now, I may not be able to attend sparring every week, so I want to make the most if it when I am there.

Richard said I was ready to compete. Well, how well am I going to do if I am only sparring one round every two weeks or so?  I'm not not going in there to make a fool of myself. That defeats the purpose of everything I have been trying to achieve.

They were going all the way to Mississauga to spar. It would have been 10 PM by the time they got there. What boxing gym is open at that hour?
Besides, what is wrong with sparring at Stockyards? It was a sparring class. Why do they go somewhere else?

What happened to "My members come first." What am I? Chopped liver and onions?

I am going to say something about it, because going forward, anything fewer than three rounds is pointless. Actually, I should be aiming for four rounds. I am not a beginner any more. 

It does not help that they include warm-up as part of class.
Warm-up should not be part of class. Everyone knows you need to stretch and warm-up before exercising. Here is what you do: Get to class early, and do it!
I am always there 30 minutes before class begins so I can get my stretching and warm-up done. Therefore, I should be entitled to a full three-rounds or more of sparring.
If you are late for class, you don't attend, or you can do your warm-up while others do class, and then you can finish class later, if there is time.
There has to be rules about these things. 

In other news:
I have lost 11 pounds in the last two months. 
I guess that can partly be because of work. Lots of walking and climbing. Doing security in a warehouse is a lot of work. Those who think security guards just sit and read, are living in Dreamland. I wish I could sit and read!

I am now at 195 pounds. That is down from 206 in August.

Cheers.



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""Dudes who know how to fight, don't -- Dudes who want to fight, can't.""