Well, here it is  - you can all resume your normally scheduled lives now that Part 2 of Tales From a Hospital is here.  I'll bet that you've been huddled around the watercooler at work, discussing with baited breath what would happen.  Would Stevie Z finally snap due to the waiting room conditions?  Would the stairs finish him off?  Would The Luverly Michelle (TM) factor into the story much more, or would Stevie Z just keep rambling on and on and on and on about himself and his pathetic little problems *ahem*. 

Well, now you can find out.  So please stop emailing me begging to post the second half of the story because you were all a-tremble with anticipation.  Hey, it could happen.

Thanks for the great ambient music go out once again to Derek K. Miller - musician and songwriter extraordinaire, and also to The Root Doctor Band for the great song Me and My Wife.  Again a great thanks to the staff at St. Mary's General Hospital as well for the great work they did (putting up with me as well as the good job cuttin' up my wife).  Check out the promo for Steve's Mid Life Crisis, a podcast I enjoy every week....unless it's late, and we all know how much we hate that, right ? 

The next episode is already underway, so keep yer ears tuned or peeled or something....especially since I'm still tweaking the sound and trying to get it to sound like I know what I'm doing...if you think I'm going in the right direction, or not, drop me a line at badlybentpub@yahoo.ca.  You can also drop Michelle a "get well" email there as well.

Peace, Love and Percocet!

Stevie Z

FINA-FREAKIN'-LY!

Okay, fellow Sieve-illians, here, after much, much, much work is the dawn of a new era in podcasting!  Okay, so maybe not so much.  But, I will say that this podcast may just be better then any to come so far.  Yes, even better then the Valloween episode.  I know, I know, it couldn't possibly be.....but it is!

This episode is the first part of a Two Parter that follows my trials and tribulations on the day that The Luverly Michelle (TM) went into St. Mary's General Hospital to have her gallbladder yanked out cuz it was being naughty.  I promise to post part B in the next few days.....wouldn't want to leave you hangin!

Special thanks to St. Mary's General Hospital for the great care, and to Derek K. Miller, whose music I used as ambient throughout. 

Bonus points if you can identify the show where about 90% of my "doctor" clips came from.....

Peace, Love, and Part 1,

Stevie Z

Happy St. Patrick's Day !

Well, okay, actually I'm Ukrainian.  And apparently a little bit Welsh.  But alllllll awesome!  *cough*  Okay.

Just wanted to give a shout out to my Irish Peeps....and don't give me that "on St. Paddy's day everyone is Irish" crap.....if I were actually Irish I'd be kind of peeved at that sentiment.   If you want more information about St. Patrick's day itself, check out the Wikipedia entry here. 

As far as my activities today, I'm going to the farmer's market to do the grocery shopping for the week, then to a bellydancing recital.  Pretty Irish, eh?  Yeah, well, maybe not, but I've got a few pints of 'the black stuff' that I'll be quaffing down tonight, so that oughta count for something.  Oh yeah, and I have this for ya too:

The presidents from all the major breweries in the world met for a conference.  After the conference, a few of them went to the bar for a drink.  The president from Corona says "I'd like a Corona please, the world's finest cerveza."  The bartender gives him one.  The president from Anheuser-Busch says "I'd like a Budweiser, the King of Beers"  The bartender opens one for him.  The man from Coors says "I'd like a Coors please, the Silver Bullet".  The bartender shakes his head and passes him one.  The president of Molson likewise orders an Export.

Then the president from Guinness sits down and says "give me a Coke."  The bartender is a little taken aback, but gives him what he ordered.  The other presidents look over at him and ask, "Why aren't you drinking a Guinness?"

The Guinness president replies, "Well, if you guys aren't drinking beer, neither will I."

Tee hee.

Oh yeah, about that whole "podcasting thing" I'm supposed to be doing - the episode about Michelle and I in the hospital is getting longer and longer, so I'm going to break it into 2 episodes.  Look for the first installment tonight.  I know, I know.....I'm excited too!

Peace, Love and Pee,  (Get it?  When you drink a lot of beer......)

Stevie Z

Hello all my little Sieve-illians! Okay, I know this episode is late.  At least there's something to be said for consistancy!  And, at least this week I have a fairly good excuse.  I've been playing Nurse to The Luverly Michelle (TM) for the last four days.  She had her wonky gallbladder taken out (as in taken out of her body, not as in taken out to dinner) on Thursday, and I've been looking after her since.  Damn she's lucky to have me.  I'm lucky to have her too, but shhhhh - don't tell her that. 

All of which means that I haven't had time to record the 'cast.  I've had time to write it, of course - 8 hours in a hospital is a great place to write....and also a great source of material.  Hopefully, I'll get to record Monday.  Tuesday at the latest.  Promise. 

Oh yeah, and by the way, this beautiful photo that accompanies this post?  Apparently you can get jewellery made from gallstones.  Oh no, I'm not kidding.  In fact, if you want to see something really disturbing, just type "gallstones" into Google Images.  Excuse me, I have to go now, wife is ringing her bell.

Peace, Love and Protractors,

Stevie Z

Well, just a quick little blawg post to let everyone know that my wife, The Luverly Michelle (TM) is going under the knife tomorrow.  Turns out she's got a wonky gallbladder.  I'll go into a little more detail on the next episode, as there are a couple of interesting stories about 8 hour stays in hospital waiting rooms, calling ambulances from hospital parking lots, and the kind of stories that can only really come from a country with socialized medicine.

So, wish her luck (heck, wish me luck too - I'm the poor bastard who has to sit there in the waiting room for who knows how long....just kidding)

Peace, Love and Patients (see what I did there ?? Well, didja?)

Stevie Z

Aha, we meet again Dear Listener.  Here for your perusal is the latest, greatest, steaming-hot-off-the-presses episode of The Sieve.  Surprisingly, it's a short one.....the show I mean.

Today we've got a rockin' tune called "Rollin' Penny" by an awesome band out of Calgary, Alberta called Bluessmyth.  You can find their website here, and their garageband site here.

I was supposed to have an interview with my luverly wife Michelle, but since she has bronchitis she's even harder to understand then normal.  Ow!  Hey!  Stop it, that hurts!

Maybe next week.

Instead we have an international language lesson regarding shower curtains, what not to put on your face, we ruin an Elton John song for ya (you're welcome!) and a promo for Steve's Mid Life Crisis.  Oh yeah, and a really really really really bad pun-type thingy....which I'm already apologizing profusely for.

Till next time,

Peace, Love, and Park Rangers,

Stevie Z

.......that it takes 20 episodes of a podcast to "get there".  Apparently the first 10 are just figuring out "what the ?!?!" , the second 10 are finding "your stride" and then it's smooth sailing.  In order to power through to the point where I actually want to be, I'm going to do 12 very brief 1 minute episodes over the next 2 days.  Just kidding.   I would appreciate as much listener feedback as possible, however, because I've got some tweaks planned over the next couple of episodes, and I'd like as much input as possible.  So get off yer bums and fire me off an email or audio comment.   Hmmm, come to think of it, since most people type sitting down, I guess get on your bums and fire me off that email.

My email address is (and I'm typing this carefully) badlybentpub@yahoo.ca  Most helpful suggestions win a prize.  Oh, nothing that spectacular, and I haven't figured out what it is yet, but it'll be really expensive.  Or weird.  Or just lame and pointless.   But, you may get kudos on the podcast...and really...that would just be the highlight of your life, wouldn't it now ?

Oh yeah, filed under "Better Late Then Never" would be a shout-out to Steve at Steve's Midlife Crisis Podcast.  He's up for a Newbie Award at the Podcast Peer Awards.  Find em here.  Do it soon, the competition is almost over.  Oh yeah, you have to be a podcaster to vote.  (Hence the term "peer". )And check out his podcast here.  It's worth the listen. Would I lie to you ?  Well, actually I would, but not about this....only if it would profit me somehow, and as far as I know, there are no cheques in the mail. (hint hint Steve.......)

Anyhoo,

Peace, Love, and Pickles

Stevie Z