Sunday afternoon found us out at the dam again - walking along the shore - throwing rocks in the water - trying to determine what kind of skull we found on the beach (after some research tonight I am saying it was a White Tail deer head).
Not only did we find dead things - we also found some living ones..... snakes!!! Sari was walking ahead of me and all heard was this yelping scream - turns out that she almost stepped on a garter snake. There were actually two of them ahead of us - so we watched them for a while (I did not pick this one up this time) - it was neat b/c he was out enjoying the nice sunny day like the rest of us - so we just left him alone.
Shady Shane and his boys met us out there so that was fun too. We don't get to see them that often these days. The we ran into a whole bunch of our Ukrainian friends who were out there having a picnic and playing "football" (soccer) - it was cool to see them all together - speaking their own language and having fun. I am certain too that the laughter after I left had nothing to do with the Ukrainian comment that one of them made while pointing at me..... right????? (Actually - I just made that part up - those guys just would not do that - they are about the nicest and most respectful people around - good guys)
Church this morning was nice too. I often get up and say "Well - lots of people are away today" (usually about 30 on any given Sunday - a different 30 every week but 30 none the less) but today most people were there (a handful still missing) and it was really nice! Nice to see the place full - nice to have to look for a table to sit at during lunch b/c they are all full - nice to hear the singing with that many people - nice to see people smiling b/c it is nice out...... it was just nice.
On a not so nice note: My mom's husband's brother passed away this weekend. He had been battling cancer. The family knew that it was just a matter of time and so it was not a surprise - but not easy either. Mom and Laurie are coming down tomorrow for "prayers" tomorrow night and then the funeral is Tuesday in Lampman. It will be nice to see mom and Laurie - but the circumstances could be nicer.
So - off to another week. Looking forward to our trip to Minot over Easter break. It is not an exotic destination - but I am really looking forward to just getting out of town - seeing something new - eating out - wandering the mall (some) - going to the motorcycle shops - sitting in the hot tub....... it is going to be lovely!!!!
Have a good week!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Tell us where to go (30 of 30)
So Sari and I spent most of the day discussing where we are going on vacation this summer (this discussion usually begins in Feb sometime - when I am getting very stir crazy from being trapped inside and continues until she threatens to kill me - sometime around now usually).
Today we discussed..... two family reunions (one at Kenosee Lake and the other in Bozeman, Montana) - the Oregon coast and the scenic highway that runs the length of it (we almost booked hotel rooms there today) - the Black Hills (looked at lots of campgrounds and attractions) - Clear Lake/Brandon..... we even talked about going to Oungre (For those who don't know - Oungre is a small town about 30 minutes west of here..... population of 13..... seriously! There is a little regional park near the town that has a swimming pool, etc.... we were joking that maybe we should just go out there, set up the trailer and forget the rest of the summer)
So we are a little confused and in need of some help. We are locked into the reunions - but are looking for ideas on how to spend the other two weeks of holidays that we may be able to squeeze into this summer..... we are going to be in Montana for sure.... likely going to Glacier National Park....... give us some options! (Come on people - we obviously can't do this ourselves if we talked about it all day and then only came to the conclusion that we would go to the reunions that we already knew that we were going to)
Fortunately I did find a stock car track nearby and they are racing on the weekend that we will be there. Would it be bad form for me to show up on the Friday - say mid-afternoon - then leave at like 6 pm so that I could make it to the track - watch the races and come back at say 11 pm? (comment below - yes/no and rational behind your answer)
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We did not spend all day in the house talking about this though..... Since it was a relatively nice day we took the dog out to Boundary Dam and took a big walk along the beach. B/c the water is way down at this point (they let some water out to accommodate the Spring run off into the dam) you can walk for a good mile (or more) in either direction from the main beach along the side of the water. It was really nice - sunny - quiet - etc. We explored all kinds of rocks, drift wood, the odd fish or crayfish part that had washed on shore, talked to a fisherman, met his dog, climbed some trees, threw stones in the water, tried to see who could leap the farthest from rock to rock - it was nice!
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You may notice that this is "30 of 30" - actually I think it is almost "60 of 60" (but I think I took a couple of days off in between the two 30 day blogging stretches) - so that means two things.....
1) I have no life outside of this town!!!! I have been home so much that I can blog for 60 nights in a row and not miss one?????? COME ON!!!!! :)
2) I am not committing to blogging every night for the next little while..... I am not quitting (so please keep checking back). I will commit to not letting it go for more than two straight days (unless I miraculously get to leave town for an extended period of time) but I may not blog every day. I do like the pressure of someone expecting something of me (even if that someone is just me) so I will try to do the "at least every other day" thing.
Thanks for reading - thanks for your comments - and thanks for being our buddies (or our relatives who don't really have any choice as to whether they read this or not - it is in their contract). Bye! :)
Friday, March 26, 2010
Well - that was unexpected (29 of 30)
Megan was playing over at a friend's house tonight - so when I went to get her I sent Katie to the door. Soon Katie was back saying, "Debbie (the mom) wants you to come in and meet someone".
So I get out of the truck thinking, "What is this about?" Go inside and she introduces me to two friends of hers from college. I say hi and then the man says, "You have a church of Christ background right?" I said, "yes" - so he says, "Do you know a guy named Ed - he is a truck driver from the Church of Christ in Weyburn?" I think for a moment and say, "Oh - you mean Ed Roelfsema" and he goes "Ya! He and I grew up together and I have not seen him in 30 years. Way back then he changed one day and started going to church - so I went with him some". Then this guy went to university in S'toon where he met our friends that live in town.
So the guy goes on to say, "So - maybe you would know some of the people that we go to church with now..... Clint and Dawn Mitchell.... Mark Elford..... Lonnie Goodwin" - I said, "I have been to all their places and 1/2 my church is related to them!" Turns out that this guy is going on the trail ride that those guys organize... etc, etc. Anyway - it was cool to be able to swap stories with this guy and how knowing the same people makes you instant friends.
So I went shopping with Sari and the girls today - played in the garage a bit - the girls are getting ready for room painting and basement renos (spring must be around the corner). We are hoping for a nice day tomorrow - and the next day and the next and......
___
From Just for Laughs tonight......
"My wife does not understand my interest in Sports...... The other day she says to me..... Ok - so you went to the game in person ......then you came home and watched the highlights on Sportscentre....... then you got up the next day and watched the highlights on a different channel and then read about the game in three newspapers.......
WHAT? ARE YOU SLOW?????? AM I MARRIED TO A SIMPLETON???? YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED THE FIRST THREE TIMES????? THEY LOST!!!! THEY AREN'T COMING BACK..... GET OVER IT!!!!!!" :)
So I get out of the truck thinking, "What is this about?" Go inside and she introduces me to two friends of hers from college. I say hi and then the man says, "You have a church of Christ background right?" I said, "yes" - so he says, "Do you know a guy named Ed - he is a truck driver from the Church of Christ in Weyburn?" I think for a moment and say, "Oh - you mean Ed Roelfsema" and he goes "Ya! He and I grew up together and I have not seen him in 30 years. Way back then he changed one day and started going to church - so I went with him some". Then this guy went to university in S'toon where he met our friends that live in town.
So the guy goes on to say, "So - maybe you would know some of the people that we go to church with now..... Clint and Dawn Mitchell.... Mark Elford..... Lonnie Goodwin" - I said, "I have been to all their places and 1/2 my church is related to them!" Turns out that this guy is going on the trail ride that those guys organize... etc, etc. Anyway - it was cool to be able to swap stories with this guy and how knowing the same people makes you instant friends.
So I went shopping with Sari and the girls today - played in the garage a bit - the girls are getting ready for room painting and basement renos (spring must be around the corner). We are hoping for a nice day tomorrow - and the next day and the next and......
___
From Just for Laughs tonight......
"My wife does not understand my interest in Sports...... The other day she says to me..... Ok - so you went to the game in person ......then you came home and watched the highlights on Sportscentre....... then you got up the next day and watched the highlights on a different channel and then read about the game in three newspapers.......
WHAT? ARE YOU SLOW?????? AM I MARRIED TO A SIMPLETON???? YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED THE FIRST THREE TIMES????? THEY LOST!!!! THEY AREN'T COMING BACK..... GET OVER IT!!!!!!" :)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Fun (28 of 30)
Those Acadian singers that we saw last week, "Chuck and Albert" (see post below) were talking about how in the maritimes people still do what they call "Kitchen Parties" - you invite a bunch of people over, visit, eat, someone plays a fiddle.... it is just a good time.
Well - we had a version of the "Prairie Kitchen Party" our house tonight. About 25-30 people (counting kids) - food - coffee - stories - a few people even played the piano (but no one did any "Step dancing" like in PEI).
It was nothing special - and yet it was. We didn't do anything - but it was worth doing. It was fun just because we got together.
Hopefully when we decide to do the next one it will be warm enough to be outside with a BBQ and a fire - that would be nice too.
Well - we had a version of the "Prairie Kitchen Party" our house tonight. About 25-30 people (counting kids) - food - coffee - stories - a few people even played the piano (but no one did any "Step dancing" like in PEI).
It was nothing special - and yet it was. We didn't do anything - but it was worth doing. It was fun just because we got together.
Hopefully when we decide to do the next one it will be warm enough to be outside with a BBQ and a fire - that would be nice too.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Hmm (27 of 30)
On Wednesday nights, our church runs a program called "FriendSpeak" which is basically a "EAL" class. ("English as an Additional Language" - I am not sure why it is not "EAAAL" - maybe more vowels were too costly.... then too - it is English where "lives" and "Live" can sound completely different).
We teach English by getting our readers to read from the Bible - the book of Luke to be exact. Tonight, my buddy Juyon and I were reading through the section that says, "Do not worry about what you will eat.... what you will drink.... look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or harvest but your father in heaven looks after them..... and he knows what you need".
So after we got a handle on the concept that God looks after us and that worry is not only unproductive but "unfaithful"..... we moved on to the questions. Now the questions are mostly there to make sure the reader comprehended the words and the big idea of the lesson - so they are often just "fill in the blank" things.
However, tonight one of the questions was, "What do you worry about?" Juyon looked at me and asked, "What do I worry about.... now?". I said, "yep". He replied, "Nothing! I do not worry. I have wife.... I have job..... house..... everything is ....... (then he swept his hand in front of him in a way that meant "going smoothly").... I am good!"
Now you have to understand..... Juyon came from Korea..... he is almost 40 and his wife is about that age. They both have work - but they are not high paying or fun jobs (waitressing and pumping gas). They live in an apartment that is costing them - because it is Estevan (where there are literally no apartments to be had) - probably four times more than it should (it takes most of one of their cheques just to pay the rent). They have trouble communicating and therefore, even doing even the simplest tasks can be daunting - and yet he sits there and tells me - "I don't worry. Life is good!"
And you know what? I believe him. Why? Because over the last 8 months or so that I have known him, I have never seen him be anything but happy, nice, kind, grateful and smiley. I am sure that he has his days - but I am also sure that I would have a lot more "days" if I were in his place.
Over the past few months, I have been sort of bothered by people around me who are running after "stuff", buying more and more things, going more and more places and still being unhappy and grouchy.
I have even found myself being jealous of people - only to find out later that it was just a facade. That all the "show" was hiding some really deep problems and unhappiness.
And then there is Juyon.
I have said this before and I will say it again.... I go on Wednesday night to help Juyon with his English, but I often leave wondering who is really the teacher and who is the student because I am learning a lot from him.
We teach English by getting our readers to read from the Bible - the book of Luke to be exact. Tonight, my buddy Juyon and I were reading through the section that says, "Do not worry about what you will eat.... what you will drink.... look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or harvest but your father in heaven looks after them..... and he knows what you need".
So after we got a handle on the concept that God looks after us and that worry is not only unproductive but "unfaithful"..... we moved on to the questions. Now the questions are mostly there to make sure the reader comprehended the words and the big idea of the lesson - so they are often just "fill in the blank" things.
However, tonight one of the questions was, "What do you worry about?" Juyon looked at me and asked, "What do I worry about.... now?". I said, "yep". He replied, "Nothing! I do not worry. I have wife.... I have job..... house..... everything is ....... (then he swept his hand in front of him in a way that meant "going smoothly").... I am good!"
Now you have to understand..... Juyon came from Korea..... he is almost 40 and his wife is about that age. They both have work - but they are not high paying or fun jobs (waitressing and pumping gas). They live in an apartment that is costing them - because it is Estevan (where there are literally no apartments to be had) - probably four times more than it should (it takes most of one of their cheques just to pay the rent). They have trouble communicating and therefore, even doing even the simplest tasks can be daunting - and yet he sits there and tells me - "I don't worry. Life is good!"
And you know what? I believe him. Why? Because over the last 8 months or so that I have known him, I have never seen him be anything but happy, nice, kind, grateful and smiley. I am sure that he has his days - but I am also sure that I would have a lot more "days" if I were in his place.
Over the past few months, I have been sort of bothered by people around me who are running after "stuff", buying more and more things, going more and more places and still being unhappy and grouchy.
I have even found myself being jealous of people - only to find out later that it was just a facade. That all the "show" was hiding some really deep problems and unhappiness.
And then there is Juyon.
I have said this before and I will say it again.... I go on Wednesday night to help Juyon with his English, but I often leave wondering who is really the teacher and who is the student because I am learning a lot from him.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A Smart Game and A Smart Crow (26 of 30)
Sari's and my winter long Scrabble tournament continued tonight.... we have not played as much this winter as some others - but has been fun when we have played. I tried playing online a bit with other people and I have to say.... #1) it is not the same as playing against Sari (not hardly as romantic when it is over a computer, over several days and with some dude) and #2) I hate some of the cheesy "Scrabble words" that they allow - like "ef" for "F" and the like.... we don't play those pansy words. If it isn't in the real dictionary - if you can't use it in a sentence - then it can't be played. So there!___
Someone sent me this video today.... I used to hate crows (especially when they would wake me up at 4 am when I was camping) but this changed my mind about "stupid crows" (PS. Youtube has a bunch of similar videos - just so you don't think that this was a fluke)
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Just for laughs joke of the day..... this guy says, "I am pretty sure that my ex-wife is doing weekly lessons with the Devil on how to be more evil...... I am just not sure how much she is charging him!" :)
Monday, March 22, 2010
Hockey Knowledge (25 of 30)
I am losing my family hockey pool..... to two girls under the age of 15!!!!! What is up with that????? My girls really have no clue at all about the NHL - but with 10 games left in the season - they are currently beating me, my brother, my sister and brother in law (who dedicated entire weeks to figuring out who they were going to pick), Sari, my sister in law Tracy and my two nephews.... all losing to two little girls.
I agree with Don Cherry.... Something is wrong with hockey in Canada!!!
But it is not the first time.... one year Sari did really well in the pool because she picked all the guys with names like Sergei (That was actually a good strategy - if they made it over here from Russia they are likely pretty good). Another year she had a good team by picking all the cute players (I tried this once too - apparently I have bad taste in men!)
So I don't know what to do - my ego is taking a beating here! The only good news - we aren't playing for money!
I agree with Don Cherry.... Something is wrong with hockey in Canada!!!
But it is not the first time.... one year Sari did really well in the pool because she picked all the guys with names like Sergei (That was actually a good strategy - if they made it over here from Russia they are likely pretty good). Another year she had a good team by picking all the cute players (I tried this once too - apparently I have bad taste in men!)
So I don't know what to do - my ego is taking a beating here! The only good news - we aren't playing for money!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sunday night (24 of 30)
This was a good weekend... Friday night hanging with friends and going to the concert (see below)... Saturday we worked a bit at the church building and then mostly just hung out.... today we went for a big drive out around the dam - visited some friends who are building a house - went and checked out the guts of a VW Jetta..... all very interesting stuff - but not worth blogging about - so a couple of things from "Just for laughs" and off to bed......
______
Why did the chicken cross the road?
BECAUSE HIS HOUSE WAS BOMBED BY THE RUSSIANS!!!! STOP YELLING AT HIM.... DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE YOUR HOUSE BOMBED AND THEN END UP WALKING DOWN THE STREET CARRYING EVERYTHING YOU OWN????? OH - YOU DON'T LIKE THE POLITICAL STUFF HEY???? WELL - LEAVE HIM ALONE - HE IS JUST A CHICKEN!!!!
What???? What is that????? Ohhhh - sorry.... "Chechen!"
_______
It is a hard time to be an American. My boy was sitting next to me on the couch the other day and he said, "Daddy, why do all the bad people hate us???? Why do they hate us???"
Brought a tear to my eye...... BECAUSE HE IS 18 YEARS OLD!!!! I'm like - read a paper and form your own opinion ya idiot!!
_____
Well - I am on my second marriage... and if there is one thing that I have learned its that my first wife was right...... I am definitely the problem!
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That is it - have a good week! :)
______
Why did the chicken cross the road?
BECAUSE HIS HOUSE WAS BOMBED BY THE RUSSIANS!!!! STOP YELLING AT HIM.... DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE YOUR HOUSE BOMBED AND THEN END UP WALKING DOWN THE STREET CARRYING EVERYTHING YOU OWN????? OH - YOU DON'T LIKE THE POLITICAL STUFF HEY???? WELL - LEAVE HIM ALONE - HE IS JUST A CHICKEN!!!!
What???? What is that????? Ohhhh - sorry.... "Chechen!"
_______
It is a hard time to be an American. My boy was sitting next to me on the couch the other day and he said, "Daddy, why do all the bad people hate us???? Why do they hate us???"
Brought a tear to my eye...... BECAUSE HE IS 18 YEARS OLD!!!! I'm like - read a paper and form your own opinion ya idiot!!
_____
Well - I am on my second marriage... and if there is one thing that I have learned its that my first wife was right...... I am definitely the problem!
_____
That is it - have a good week! :)
Saturday, March 20, 2010
You know you live in an affluent society when... (23 of 30)
About 25 of us (including Sari and the kids) met at the church building today to do some sorting in our free clothing outlet. Bags and bags of donated stuff had been piling up and with Spring cleaning coming (and likely more donations) we thought we better move some stuff along down there.
Granted, some of the stuff that people donate is terrible - old, ugly, has holes in it, dirty or bad in some other way..... but I was shocked at the huge amount of really nice stuff that goes through that place. One bag we opened had about 20-30 pair of designer jeans in it..... easily a couple of thousand dollars worth of jeans that looked like they had never been worn. In some ways, it was just baffling.
A quick look at "Stats Canada" states that... "In 2002, consumers spent $11.5 billion on women’s clothing and accessories and $6.1 billion on men’s clothing and accessories" (that was the most recent year that I could quickly find info for - I am sure it is higher now).
So a little math..... $17.6 Billion total on clothes and accessories.... divided by roughly 30 million people and you get..... $586.66 cents per person per year. Now, take out children, seniors and prisoners (all separate categories) - take out all clothing purchased in the States (out of country) - anything purchased online or second hand (these were just "retail sales" numbers) ... and that number is (in reality) probably 3 times as high or more.
Someone is spending a lot on clothes every year - especially when you consider how poorly I am doing at pulling my weight in this category - someone has to make up for my lack of spending.
But you don't need a bunch of Stats to prove that we buy more than we really need or use.... just come to the Clothing Exchange sometime.
Granted, some of the stuff that people donate is terrible - old, ugly, has holes in it, dirty or bad in some other way..... but I was shocked at the huge amount of really nice stuff that goes through that place. One bag we opened had about 20-30 pair of designer jeans in it..... easily a couple of thousand dollars worth of jeans that looked like they had never been worn. In some ways, it was just baffling.
A quick look at "Stats Canada" states that... "In 2002, consumers spent $11.5 billion on women’s clothing and accessories and $6.1 billion on men’s clothing and accessories" (that was the most recent year that I could quickly find info for - I am sure it is higher now).
So a little math..... $17.6 Billion total on clothes and accessories.... divided by roughly 30 million people and you get..... $586.66 cents per person per year. Now, take out children, seniors and prisoners (all separate categories) - take out all clothing purchased in the States (out of country) - anything purchased online or second hand (these were just "retail sales" numbers) ... and that number is (in reality) probably 3 times as high or more.
Someone is spending a lot on clothes every year - especially when you consider how poorly I am doing at pulling my weight in this category - someone has to make up for my lack of spending.
But you don't need a bunch of Stats to prove that we buy more than we really need or use.... just come to the Clothing Exchange sometime.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Chuck and Albert (22 of 30)
Tonight, we went to a Stars for Sask concert in town - two Acadian dudes from PEI who call themselves "Chuck and Albert". They are buddies who were in a group called "Barachois" that we saw here about 7 years ago. Since then, Chuck and Albert have gone out on their own - they each play several instruments, they do a little comedy, teach a bit about the Acadian traditions and (of course) play the Acadian music.
It was a great night out! We laughed - we clapped (who can sit through this music and not clap) - it was fun.
Below is a little sample of the night - not my recording (I found this on Youtube) but it is the part of the same routine we saw. Enjoy!
PS. We also had supper with the Hills and the Bouchards and then they went to the concert too - then back to Hills to play games and hang out. It is nice to have good - long time - friends. Brought back good memories of hanging out over there - and added to them as well.
It was a great night out! We laughed - we clapped (who can sit through this music and not clap) - it was fun.
Below is a little sample of the night - not my recording (I found this on Youtube) but it is the part of the same routine we saw. Enjoy!
PS. We also had supper with the Hills and the Bouchards and then they went to the concert too - then back to Hills to play games and hang out. It is nice to have good - long time - friends. Brought back good memories of hanging out over there - and added to them as well.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Worth Bookmarking (20 of 30)
I like knowing things whether I will ever use the info or not.... if you are like me then bookmark this site......
http://www.thenightskyguy.com/
It is one of the best sites that I have found if you are interested in stars, planets and whatever else is up there. It has articles, things to watch for, videos, warnings about upcoming events (like meteor showers, etc) - it is really interesting.
The guy who hosts it is the same guy that you see on the Weather Network from time to time. He is very non-technical and makes things easy to understand.
I have always wanted to get into astronomy (mostly because it would give me an excuse to creep around in the dark) - but in spite of the fact that I have several books on the subject - it was just too confusing. This makes it easy.
So the next time someone asks - "What is that bright star up there?" - you can tell them "It is not a star - it is Venus, you dope!!"
Your friends will be impressed! :)
http://www.thenightskyguy.com/
It is one of the best sites that I have found if you are interested in stars, planets and whatever else is up there. It has articles, things to watch for, videos, warnings about upcoming events (like meteor showers, etc) - it is really interesting.
The guy who hosts it is the same guy that you see on the Weather Network from time to time. He is very non-technical and makes things easy to understand.
I have always wanted to get into astronomy (mostly because it would give me an excuse to creep around in the dark) - but in spite of the fact that I have several books on the subject - it was just too confusing. This makes it easy.
So the next time someone asks - "What is that bright star up there?" - you can tell them "It is not a star - it is Venus, you dope!!"
Your friends will be impressed! :)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Just so we learn something today (19 of 30)
I have spent most of the evening reading a book called "Exploring New York" (Sari got several NY city books from the library) and I am ready to go.... I could take a test right now.... drop me in there and I could find my way around and tell you a few things about the place (Ok - so maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration but I did spend a lot of time reading about and locating things on the map - seeing where they were relative to one another - trying to spot landmarks on photos, etc). Let's go! The only thing stopping us now is like ..... several thousand dollars!
Anyway - your fact for the day.... anyone who has been there likely knows this but......
All my life I have heard people say (when things are busy), "It is like Grand Central Station in here" - but that is wrong! Grand Central Station does not exist.
As the book says, "Many people, including lifelong New Yorkers, often erroneously refer to 'Grand Central Terminal' as 'Grand Central Station'. In fact, as trains can only begin or end their journeys there, 'terminal' is the correct word to use" (And its proper name).
The article goes on to point out that the only proper use of the term would be if you were referring to the post office that is located near-by.... it is actually called "Grand Central Station" - but is is no where near as busy as Grand Central Terminal - and you would have a hard time catching a ride home from there (Unless you stuffed yourself in a box and mailed yourself home - which would be a whole different topic and discussion)
So there!
Anyway - your fact for the day.... anyone who has been there likely knows this but......
All my life I have heard people say (when things are busy), "It is like Grand Central Station in here" - but that is wrong! Grand Central Station does not exist.
As the book says, "Many people, including lifelong New Yorkers, often erroneously refer to 'Grand Central Terminal' as 'Grand Central Station'. In fact, as trains can only begin or end their journeys there, 'terminal' is the correct word to use" (And its proper name).
The article goes on to point out that the only proper use of the term would be if you were referring to the post office that is located near-by.... it is actually called "Grand Central Station" - but is is no where near as busy as Grand Central Terminal - and you would have a hard time catching a ride home from there (Unless you stuffed yourself in a box and mailed yourself home - which would be a whole different topic and discussion)
So there!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Seriously: The TV Edition (18 of 30)
Have you seen the new Boston Pizza commercial? The one where a lady is sitting at a table like a cop in an interrogation room and a man comes in and says, "How long you been here?"
"A couple of hours" she responds.
"Why don't you go get a coffee" he says. "I will take over". Then he says, "So you are a tough guy hey? Look Ricky - just eat your dinner and you are free man".
The camera pans to his approximately 5 year old kid who is sitting at the end of the table who then reaches up for the plate... and dramatically pushed it away.
Next shot - they are sitting in Boston Pizza laughing, eating and having a great time and the voice over dude come says, "When they won't eat at your table - bring them to ours"
ARE ---- YOU----- KIDDING ----- ME????????
This is the stupidest commercial in the history of television!!!! What on earth sort of logic is that???? Your kid is a total brat that has just DEFIED his mom for a "couple of hours" and you are such and incapable boob that you can't get him to eat....... so you reward him by taking him out for pizza??????
I think the voice over guy should have said, "When they won't eat at your table....... kick their snotty little behinds (I know that is a mixed metaphor there - but I am ranting so it is ok) up the stairs to their rooms and do not let them come down until they are BEGGING to eat those green beans (or whatever it was on his plate)!!!!!"
Or maybe he should have said, "If he won't eat at your table...... take him to the window and show him the Boston Pizza and the playground and the bike that he will not see until he is 36 years old because there is no way that pulling a stunt like that is a going to get him anywhere near what he wants for a long long time!!!!!!!"
I thought people were stupid - but not that stupid!!!!! Maybe I was giving them too much credit!
I may have to boycott Boston Pizza now.
(Please note: No real children were harmed in the making of this rant...... and since I live in a small town where there are not that many restaurants - and because my life is not ruled by TV commercials - I will not likely actually boycott Boston Pizza - though I may give the place a snooty look as I drive by next time.)
(Please note - part 2: The above is the content of my "Father of the year" speech. That is not to say that I have won "Father of the year" - but I think this little rant just may push me over the top. Vote for Pedro! I mean - Tim......... that was a little "Napoleon Dynamite" reference for y'all........ it is post Oscar week after all right?)
"A couple of hours" she responds.
"Why don't you go get a coffee" he says. "I will take over". Then he says, "So you are a tough guy hey? Look Ricky - just eat your dinner and you are free man".
The camera pans to his approximately 5 year old kid who is sitting at the end of the table who then reaches up for the plate... and dramatically pushed it away.
Next shot - they are sitting in Boston Pizza laughing, eating and having a great time and the voice over dude come says, "When they won't eat at your table - bring them to ours"
ARE ---- YOU----- KIDDING ----- ME????????
This is the stupidest commercial in the history of television!!!! What on earth sort of logic is that???? Your kid is a total brat that has just DEFIED his mom for a "couple of hours" and you are such and incapable boob that you can't get him to eat....... so you reward him by taking him out for pizza??????
I think the voice over guy should have said, "When they won't eat at your table....... kick their snotty little behinds (I know that is a mixed metaphor there - but I am ranting so it is ok) up the stairs to their rooms and do not let them come down until they are BEGGING to eat those green beans (or whatever it was on his plate)!!!!!"
Or maybe he should have said, "If he won't eat at your table...... take him to the window and show him the Boston Pizza and the playground and the bike that he will not see until he is 36 years old because there is no way that pulling a stunt like that is a going to get him anywhere near what he wants for a long long time!!!!!!!"
I thought people were stupid - but not that stupid!!!!! Maybe I was giving them too much credit!
I may have to boycott Boston Pizza now.
(Please note: No real children were harmed in the making of this rant...... and since I live in a small town where there are not that many restaurants - and because my life is not ruled by TV commercials - I will not likely actually boycott Boston Pizza - though I may give the place a snooty look as I drive by next time.)
(Please note - part 2: The above is the content of my "Father of the year" speech. That is not to say that I have won "Father of the year" - but I think this little rant just may push me over the top. Vote for Pedro! I mean - Tim......... that was a little "Napoleon Dynamite" reference for y'all........ it is post Oscar week after all right?)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
A busy Day (17 of 30)
It has been a busy day.... Church this morning was good - nice visit with a bunch of people at lunch afterwards, then my mom and her hubby came down to see his brother (so they are here tonight) and Sari and the kids came home - so now we are just up visiting etc. A busy day but a good one.
Sari and this kids enjoyed their weekend. They are all a little tired, but they would go and do it again. Katie really liked the youth rally and Sari and Meggie enjoyed playing with Mooney babies (and the Mooneys of course). So that is good too. A nice weekend all around (except for the fact that I did not get to play with the Mooneys) :(
____
Just for laughs routine that I liked.......
What is the deal with women not knowing what to order in a restaurant?? You sit there and stare at the menu for hours - like it is written in Swahili or something. Then the waiter comes and you say, "Go ahead and order - by the time you are done ordering I will know what I want". Are you serious??? You have been sitting there for 1/2 and hour and you have no idea what you want, but in the .3 seconds that it is going to take me to tell the waiter what I want, it is all going to become clear to you??????
You know what is going to happen??? I am going to turn to the waiter and say "Halibut" and then what do you got? NOTHING - that's what!
Sari and this kids enjoyed their weekend. They are all a little tired, but they would go and do it again. Katie really liked the youth rally and Sari and Meggie enjoyed playing with Mooney babies (and the Mooneys of course). So that is good too. A nice weekend all around (except for the fact that I did not get to play with the Mooneys) :(
____
Just for laughs routine that I liked.......
What is the deal with women not knowing what to order in a restaurant?? You sit there and stare at the menu for hours - like it is written in Swahili or something. Then the waiter comes and you say, "Go ahead and order - by the time you are done ordering I will know what I want". Are you serious??? You have been sitting there for 1/2 and hour and you have no idea what you want, but in the .3 seconds that it is going to take me to tell the waiter what I want, it is all going to become clear to you??????
You know what is going to happen??? I am going to turn to the waiter and say "Halibut" and then what do you got? NOTHING - that's what!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Good and Bad (16 of 30)
I am mostly a hermit - some people get "recharged" when they are with a bunch of people - some get "discharged"...... I am sort of in-between I guess. There are times when I like events and crowds of people and hub-bub.... but then I also like being by myself once in a while.
As I said yesterday, the girls are in Regina so today I hid. I hardly answered the phone. I didn't go out of my way to spend time with people - in fact I spent most of the day in my garage working on my motorcycle by myself - and it was really nice - mostly.
By the end of the day, I was calling Regina to see what was going on - it is getting a little quiet down here.
So I guess it is good to find a balance. I have enjoyed being alone - the quiet - the "no demands" from anyone (church people or otherwise)..... and yet I am looking forward to church tomorrow and to my girls being home. That will be nice too.
____
Hey - as I was driving around today I heard one of my favorite CBC shows - it is called "The Debaters". Basically - they take two stand up comics and make them "debate" (though not seriously of course) some issue of the day. I will not try to relate any of it to you (some stuff you just have to hear for yourself) but if you are into podcasts, you may want to check it out. I won't vouch for the cleanliness of all the material (I have not heard every show) but the ones that I have heard have been fun-ny! If you need a laugh, cbc.ca
As I said yesterday, the girls are in Regina so today I hid. I hardly answered the phone. I didn't go out of my way to spend time with people - in fact I spent most of the day in my garage working on my motorcycle by myself - and it was really nice - mostly.
By the end of the day, I was calling Regina to see what was going on - it is getting a little quiet down here.
So I guess it is good to find a balance. I have enjoyed being alone - the quiet - the "no demands" from anyone (church people or otherwise)..... and yet I am looking forward to church tomorrow and to my girls being home. That will be nice too.
____
Hey - as I was driving around today I heard one of my favorite CBC shows - it is called "The Debaters". Basically - they take two stand up comics and make them "debate" (though not seriously of course) some issue of the day. I will not try to relate any of it to you (some stuff you just have to hear for yourself) but if you are into podcasts, you may want to check it out. I won't vouch for the cleanliness of all the material (I have not heard every show) but the ones that I have heard have been fun-ny! If you need a laugh, cbc.ca
Friday, March 12, 2010
Odd stuff (15 of 30)
I was reading an article on Nascar.com today about a man who (in part) helped get Las Vegas Motor Speedway up and running..... so then I went to "Google Maps" and looked up where the speedway is located... then I found out where "The Strip" is .... then I wondered where "Caesars Palace" was because Evel Knievel jumped the fountains there (or sort of did - he jumped it and then crashed hard - video on Youtube)..... then that all lead me to this question.........
Why is there no apostrophe in "Caesars Palace"...... should it not be "Caesar's Palace"?
The answer: No! (And here is why)......
(From Wikipedia).... "[Jay] Sarno felt that guests should feel they were at a king's home while at his hotel. It is called "Caesars" and not "Caesar's" because every guest is a Caesar."
So there! You can't say you did not learn anything today! (And - if you are interested - write back and I can give you lots more useless facts re. the speedway, Evel Knievel, fountains in general and a bunch of other things)
____
The girls are in Regina tonight without me..... so I did what any red blooded Canadian male would do when his women are gone...... I put up a tire rack in my garage - went to Weyburn for a hockey game - and got thrown out of Tim Horton's when they closed at 11 pm. Wooooooo - what a wild night!!!!! I AM LIVING THE DREAM!!!!! :)
Here is a picture of the tire rack I installed (It is not my picture - not my garage - just a similar one - I may post the real one tomorrow - assuming it is still hanging on the wall - it is heavy!)
Why is there no apostrophe in "Caesars Palace"...... should it not be "Caesar's Palace"?
The answer: No! (And here is why)......
(From Wikipedia).... "[Jay] Sarno felt that guests should feel they were at a king's home while at his hotel. It is called "Caesars" and not "Caesar's" because every guest is a Caesar."
So there! You can't say you did not learn anything today! (And - if you are interested - write back and I can give you lots more useless facts re. the speedway, Evel Knievel, fountains in general and a bunch of other things)
____
The girls are in Regina tonight without me..... so I did what any red blooded Canadian male would do when his women are gone...... I put up a tire rack in my garage - went to Weyburn for a hockey game - and got thrown out of Tim Horton's when they closed at 11 pm. Wooooooo - what a wild night!!!!! I AM LIVING THE DREAM!!!!! :)
Here is a picture of the tire rack I installed (It is not my picture - not my garage - just a similar one - I may post the real one tomorrow - assuming it is still hanging on the wall - it is heavy!)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Real or Fake? (14 of 30)
So I was reading about the "Apollo" space missions tonight (a holdover from watching "Apollo 13") and I found something interesting. NASA has a thing that they call the "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter" (LRO for short). It was launched in June of 2009 and it is currently orbiting about 50 kms above the moon - creating a 3D map of its surface in preparation for a return there with a manned space flight (read more here)
The really interesting thing - they claim to have pictures of the bases of the Apollo lunar landers (of course it is only the base b/c the rest of the lander was used to get back to the command module that was oribiting overhead) sitting on the surface of the moon. They even claim that you can see the paths the astronauts left as they walked back and forth.
There are too many to post - so click here to have a look. And here for a close-up of Apollo 11's landing site
So - the question is, "What do you think?" Are these pictures proof that men landed on the moon, or are they fakes (as would be the missions themselves)?
Another question: Why (if we have been there once) is it taking so long to get ready to go back (mapping the surface, etc) as if we have never been there and have no experience? Do you buy NASA's claim that they have been so focused on the shuttle and "low earth orbit" stuff that they need to gear up to go to the moon again?
Did they go or not? Real pictures or fake? Do you even care one little bit (I obviously do)???
Let me know. Either way, the LRO site at NASA may be interesting to bookmark and keep track of.
The really interesting thing - they claim to have pictures of the bases of the Apollo lunar landers (of course it is only the base b/c the rest of the lander was used to get back to the command module that was oribiting overhead) sitting on the surface of the moon. They even claim that you can see the paths the astronauts left as they walked back and forth.
There are too many to post - so click here to have a look. And here for a close-up of Apollo 11's landing site
So - the question is, "What do you think?" Are these pictures proof that men landed on the moon, or are they fakes (as would be the missions themselves)?
Another question: Why (if we have been there once) is it taking so long to get ready to go back (mapping the surface, etc) as if we have never been there and have no experience? Do you buy NASA's claim that they have been so focused on the shuttle and "low earth orbit" stuff that they need to gear up to go to the moon again?
Did they go or not? Real pictures or fake? Do you even care one little bit (I obviously do)???
Let me know. Either way, the LRO site at NASA may be interesting to bookmark and keep track of.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Random Stuff (13 of 30)
I am really dragging tonight... I am tired - I need to get out of town - AAAAAAaaaaaarrrrgggggggg!!!!! (You know - that is supposed to make you feel better...... it didn't!)
Anyway - some random thoughts/questions and a bad joke to end it.
______
Every day I PVR a show called "Off the Record". It is a sports talk show sort of thing on TSN. The only thing I like about the show is the last 5 minute segment called "Next question" where the host Michael Landsberg asks an athlete rapid fire (and often stupid) questions. Two things here.....
1. How do I get a job like that???? I think it would be fun. I like talking to people - I can come up with stupid questions and dumb things to say (have you read my blog?) - I can be an obnoxious jerk (in fact, that is the easy part!). Maybe I should speak to my radio buddy Matt - start my own version of "Next question" on Sun102.3 interviewing local celebrities ("So Mr Mayor.... who wins in a fistfight..... you or Weyburn mayor Debra Button?") What do you think? My new career may start..... NOW!!! :)
2. Why is it that the very best (most interesting, most funny, most witty) guys in the "Next Question" segment are the former NHL tough guys???? Seriously - they always have the best answers - they are always well spoken..... it is odd. Some of the superstar guys sound like idiots but almost every fighter sounds like he just walked out of law school. I have a theory on this - what is yours? (Check back later in the comments section - if anyone else responds I will give you my answer)
______
Bad joke of the day - from "Just for Laughs" a while ago......
What is with those road sign signs that post your speed as you drive down the highway? You know.... the ones that say, "Your speed" and then has the big number display thing. I got news for the highway people........ I've got one of those things - RIGHT IN MY CAR!!!! Ya - it is on the dashboard - right behind the steering wheel. In fact, I think most new cars come with them. Ya - you can look down almost anytime and see how fast you are going. What, do they think we all driving "Model T"s or something?????
But it doesn't really make any difference to me...... I am usually going too fast to read the sign anyway. :)
Anyway - some random thoughts/questions and a bad joke to end it.
______
Every day I PVR a show called "Off the Record". It is a sports talk show sort of thing on TSN. The only thing I like about the show is the last 5 minute segment called "Next question" where the host Michael Landsberg asks an athlete rapid fire (and often stupid) questions. Two things here.....
1. How do I get a job like that???? I think it would be fun. I like talking to people - I can come up with stupid questions and dumb things to say (have you read my blog?) - I can be an obnoxious jerk (in fact, that is the easy part!). Maybe I should speak to my radio buddy Matt - start my own version of "Next question" on Sun102.3 interviewing local celebrities ("So Mr Mayor.... who wins in a fistfight..... you or Weyburn mayor Debra Button?") What do you think? My new career may start..... NOW!!! :)
2. Why is it that the very best (most interesting, most funny, most witty) guys in the "Next Question" segment are the former NHL tough guys???? Seriously - they always have the best answers - they are always well spoken..... it is odd. Some of the superstar guys sound like idiots but almost every fighter sounds like he just walked out of law school. I have a theory on this - what is yours? (Check back later in the comments section - if anyone else responds I will give you my answer)
______
Bad joke of the day - from "Just for Laughs" a while ago......
What is with those road sign signs that post your speed as you drive down the highway? You know.... the ones that say, "Your speed" and then has the big number display thing. I got news for the highway people........ I've got one of those things - RIGHT IN MY CAR!!!! Ya - it is on the dashboard - right behind the steering wheel. In fact, I think most new cars come with them. Ya - you can look down almost anytime and see how fast you are going. What, do they think we all driving "Model T"s or something?????
But it doesn't really make any difference to me...... I am usually going too fast to read the sign anyway. :)
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
A very cool visitor (12 of 30)
As Sari got in my truck to go back to school after lunch, she looked up and said, "Is that a shopping bag in the tree in the backyard?"
After a moment she yelled..... "Its not a bag..... ITS AN OWL!!!!"
So we quietly went inside and got the camera... sure enough - a Great Horned Owl was perched in our tree. We stood out there looking at him until Sari was almost late for work. Fortunately he was still there when we got home, so I got the binoculars and we all (kids included this time) went out and spent a bunch of time staring at him. He did not seem to mind - though it was fun watching him watching us as we walked around.
Anyway - here are a couple of pics.......
After a moment she yelled..... "Its not a bag..... ITS AN OWL!!!!"
So we quietly went inside and got the camera... sure enough - a Great Horned Owl was perched in our tree. We stood out there looking at him until Sari was almost late for work. Fortunately he was still there when we got home, so I got the binoculars and we all (kids included this time) went out and spent a bunch of time staring at him. He did not seem to mind - though it was fun watching him watching us as we walked around.
Anyway - here are a couple of pics.......
Monday, March 08, 2010
Really??? (11 of 30)
At coffee today, I ran into a guy I know from town. He started telling stories and one of those had to do with an email he got that contained facts about Wal-mart. He said, "I should send that to you. You may be able to use some of those facts in a sermon or something". I gave him my address, he sent the email, I checked the facts (they are true - low if anything) and here is some of what I learned......
1. At Wal-Mart, Americans spend $36,000,000 every hour of every day.
2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!
3.. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.
4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.
5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people and is the largest private employer.
6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the World.
7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger & Safeway combined, keeping in mind they did this in only 15 years.
8. During this same period, 31 Supermarket chains sought bankruptcy (including Winn-Dixie).
9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world..
10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had 5 years ago.
11. This year, 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at a Wal-Mart store. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 billion.)
12. 90% of all Americans live within 15 miles of a Wal-Mart.
13. Wal-Mart's head office is located and centralized in Bentonville. Due to this fact, there are more millionaires per square mile there than any place on Earth..
16. 92% of everything Wal-Mart sells, comes from China. Another 4% comes from Chinese owned companies in the U.S. or in 3rd world countries.
18. Wal-Mart and MOST large companies, take out life insurance on it's employees, without their knowing. If an employee dies, ALL the insurance moneys go to the companies. i.e. An employee making $18,000 per year, dies, and the company might make as much as $1 million. Most often these moneys, coming from what is commonly referred to as "Dead Peasant Life Insurance Policies", is paid out to executives as bonuses. (A common practice, unknown by the common man)
19. Wal-Mart now averages a "profit" (not sales) of $36 billion per year.
I am not saying that is good or bad... just giving you the info. If you would like to confirm the up to date facts (the email is a little old and therefore the numbers are a bit low) - click here.
1. At Wal-Mart, Americans spend $36,000,000 every hour of every day.
2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!
3.. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.
4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.
5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people and is the largest private employer.
6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the World.
7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger & Safeway combined, keeping in mind they did this in only 15 years.
8. During this same period, 31 Supermarket chains sought bankruptcy (including Winn-Dixie).
9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world..
10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had 5 years ago.
11. This year, 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at a Wal-Mart store. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 billion.)
12. 90% of all Americans live within 15 miles of a Wal-Mart.
13. Wal-Mart's head office is located and centralized in Bentonville. Due to this fact, there are more millionaires per square mile there than any place on Earth..
16. 92% of everything Wal-Mart sells, comes from China. Another 4% comes from Chinese owned companies in the U.S. or in 3rd world countries.
18. Wal-Mart and MOST large companies, take out life insurance on it's employees, without their knowing. If an employee dies, ALL the insurance moneys go to the companies. i.e. An employee making $18,000 per year, dies, and the company might make as much as $1 million. Most often these moneys, coming from what is commonly referred to as "Dead Peasant Life Insurance Policies", is paid out to executives as bonuses. (A common practice, unknown by the common man)
19. Wal-Mart now averages a "profit" (not sales) of $36 billion per year.
I am not saying that is good or bad... just giving you the info. If you would like to confirm the up to date facts (the email is a little old and therefore the numbers are a bit low) - click here.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
In the little things (10 of 30)
Every couple of months or so, it is our church's turn to go to one of the nursing homes to sing. Today was the day, so I announced it in the morning, invited others to come, sing and visit with the residents and left it at that knowing a few people would come to help.
When the time came, Sari, the girls, me and about 8 others joined with about 15 of the residents in the common room. It was nice, but not that much different than any other time that we have gone there. I visited with a few of the people and was heading toward the door when this one lady caught my eye.
"Are you related to Wilma Pippus?" she asked. I stopped, sat down and told her that I was but that I was not exactly sure how. She talked about Wilma for a moment and then said, "I am so glad that you folks did not stand us up today. I so looked forward to the churches coming and doing services for us. I can't get to the United Church where I used to go anymore, so this is the only church I get. Sometimes we gather in here waiting and then no one comes, so I am just so glad that you folks were here today."
Now I have to admit that I have not always looked forward to singing at the lodge. It is Sunday afternoon - I have had a busy morning already - it seems a little useless and like a waste of time sometimes..... and then I met this lady today.
So I asked her name - Olive Murphy - I recognize the name - Bob Goud has mentioned her to me, so I tell her that I know Bob and off she goes telling stories. She is probably 90+ but sharp as a tack. She remembered people - places - names of our church members and even that I write a newspaper article.
Sari and the girls were waiting in the van, so I eventually had to go - but as I left I thought about my Grandma sitting in a nursing home in Moose Jaw and how much she enjoys it when someone comes to visit, to sing or to do a church service in her place - and I smiled.
I was blessed to visit with Olive today - and I will make sure I find her and say "hi" the next time I am there.
Earlier in the day, in the Bible class, we were discussing the fact that God often honored and blessed those who did little things - seemingly unimportant things - things that did not make the news but made a difference to one other person. Today I got to experience that - and not just talk about it. I may have given a 1/2 hour of my time - but I received a lot more in return.
When the time came, Sari, the girls, me and about 8 others joined with about 15 of the residents in the common room. It was nice, but not that much different than any other time that we have gone there. I visited with a few of the people and was heading toward the door when this one lady caught my eye.
"Are you related to Wilma Pippus?" she asked. I stopped, sat down and told her that I was but that I was not exactly sure how. She talked about Wilma for a moment and then said, "I am so glad that you folks did not stand us up today. I so looked forward to the churches coming and doing services for us. I can't get to the United Church where I used to go anymore, so this is the only church I get. Sometimes we gather in here waiting and then no one comes, so I am just so glad that you folks were here today."
Now I have to admit that I have not always looked forward to singing at the lodge. It is Sunday afternoon - I have had a busy morning already - it seems a little useless and like a waste of time sometimes..... and then I met this lady today.
So I asked her name - Olive Murphy - I recognize the name - Bob Goud has mentioned her to me, so I tell her that I know Bob and off she goes telling stories. She is probably 90+ but sharp as a tack. She remembered people - places - names of our church members and even that I write a newspaper article.
Sari and the girls were waiting in the van, so I eventually had to go - but as I left I thought about my Grandma sitting in a nursing home in Moose Jaw and how much she enjoys it when someone comes to visit, to sing or to do a church service in her place - and I smiled.
I was blessed to visit with Olive today - and I will make sure I find her and say "hi" the next time I am there.
Earlier in the day, in the Bible class, we were discussing the fact that God often honored and blessed those who did little things - seemingly unimportant things - things that did not make the news but made a difference to one other person. Today I got to experience that - and not just talk about it. I may have given a 1/2 hour of my time - but I received a lot more in return.
Saturday, March 06, 2010
An Oldie but a Goodie (9 of 30)
Last night we were at Wal-mart and I while I was wandering around I found an anniversary edition of "Apollo 13" for like $10.
Listen - do yourself a favor - go and buy one. Even though it is quite old (it was an academy award winner in 1995) Katie and I just watched it and it is still really good (Sari and Megan were not so interested so they watched something else). I was reminded about a bunch of stuff that I had forgotten about that mission and Katie asked 39903486934860936096898 questions along the way (I counted) and learned a ton about the "space race", moon landings and (shockingly enough) History!!! (If you believe that they actually went to the moon and did not record the whole thing in a movie studio like Tom Hanks did in this one). We both thought it was great.
The best part is that it is a two disc set - so the second one is about about the making of the movie, about the space race, about what happened to the guys afterwards etc. I think I will put that on the schedule for tomorrow sometime if I get the chance.
Anyway - that is it. Go to Wal-mart and get one or borrow mine sometime. You will not regret it (and unlike a lot of movies - you will learn something).
Listen - do yourself a favor - go and buy one. Even though it is quite old (it was an academy award winner in 1995) Katie and I just watched it and it is still really good (Sari and Megan were not so interested so they watched something else). I was reminded about a bunch of stuff that I had forgotten about that mission and Katie asked 39903486934860936096898 questions along the way (I counted) and learned a ton about the "space race", moon landings and (shockingly enough) History!!! (If you believe that they actually went to the moon and did not record the whole thing in a movie studio like Tom Hanks did in this one). We both thought it was great.
The best part is that it is a two disc set - so the second one is about about the making of the movie, about the space race, about what happened to the guys afterwards etc. I think I will put that on the schedule for tomorrow sometime if I get the chance.
Anyway - that is it. Go to Wal-mart and get one or borrow mine sometime. You will not regret it (and unlike a lot of movies - you will learn something).
Got Contentment (8 of 30)
The only thing in my head tonight that seems worth sharing is not so much a thought but a question.... How do we find contentment?
Our lives are lived between the extremes of being either overly self-denying (on one side) or overly ambitious (on the other).
If you lean too far towards the self-denying side then there is the possibility that you may get to the end of your life and say, "Huh... I wish I would have done... (whatever)"
The greater danger, though, as I see it, is that ambition can grow into greed and dissatisfaction with everything. Nothing is good enough and there is no contentment or real joy in anything because there is always something better or more to be gained. I have seen many families - if not torn apart by this attitude - at least severely harmed because Dad (or mom - or both) was more interested in "more stuff" than they were in the kids or in each other.
A quote I read the other day said something like, "Most dissatisfaction comes from people striving to be something that they are not and don't need to be".
As I watch people make choices I often think, "Really? Is that the best choice you could make? Is that what you really want/need to spend your time and money on?" (I assume that there are others who look at me and ask similar questions)
Estevan is a hard place to live with any sort of balance. You may not know it by driving through the town (it is not the prettiest place in the world) but there is a lot of money here....there is not a lot of "self denying" going on here... and a lot of people are in the "keeping up with the Jones'" game. Stuff that anywhere else in our province (in terms of homes, cars, trucks, boats, campers) would be considered nice - here is considered small, old, useless junk. Everyone has money - or lives like they do at least - and it is hard to know what is right/real/best.
I don't really want an answer to this post (unless you want to add to the conversation and give me something to think about - then by all means), but I often wonder about what we are teaching our kids when we flood them with money, activities and stuff. What are we teaching ourselves when all we think about is what we don't have compared to others?
Is anyone happy and content with what they have anymore? I think "content" is becoming a swear word in our society (meaning "Lazy").
But you know what? I am tired of comparing and competing. I am tired of keeping score with my paycheck, my bank account and my "toys".
Could it be that more stuff is just... more stuff?
Do you want to have something truly unique? Would you like to have something that very few others have, but wish they did? Try some "happiness with what you have". Find joy in the "little things" that cannot be bought and sold (including the joy of just being with your family).
Maybe it is time for contentment to make a comeback.
Our lives are lived between the extremes of being either overly self-denying (on one side) or overly ambitious (on the other).
If you lean too far towards the self-denying side then there is the possibility that you may get to the end of your life and say, "Huh... I wish I would have done... (whatever)"
The greater danger, though, as I see it, is that ambition can grow into greed and dissatisfaction with everything. Nothing is good enough and there is no contentment or real joy in anything because there is always something better or more to be gained. I have seen many families - if not torn apart by this attitude - at least severely harmed because Dad (or mom - or both) was more interested in "more stuff" than they were in the kids or in each other.
A quote I read the other day said something like, "Most dissatisfaction comes from people striving to be something that they are not and don't need to be".
As I watch people make choices I often think, "Really? Is that the best choice you could make? Is that what you really want/need to spend your time and money on?" (I assume that there are others who look at me and ask similar questions)
Estevan is a hard place to live with any sort of balance. You may not know it by driving through the town (it is not the prettiest place in the world) but there is a lot of money here....there is not a lot of "self denying" going on here... and a lot of people are in the "keeping up with the Jones'" game. Stuff that anywhere else in our province (in terms of homes, cars, trucks, boats, campers) would be considered nice - here is considered small, old, useless junk. Everyone has money - or lives like they do at least - and it is hard to know what is right/real/best.
I don't really want an answer to this post (unless you want to add to the conversation and give me something to think about - then by all means), but I often wonder about what we are teaching our kids when we flood them with money, activities and stuff. What are we teaching ourselves when all we think about is what we don't have compared to others?
Is anyone happy and content with what they have anymore? I think "content" is becoming a swear word in our society (meaning "Lazy").
But you know what? I am tired of comparing and competing. I am tired of keeping score with my paycheck, my bank account and my "toys".
Could it be that more stuff is just... more stuff?
Do you want to have something truly unique? Would you like to have something that very few others have, but wish they did? Try some "happiness with what you have". Find joy in the "little things" that cannot be bought and sold (including the joy of just being with your family).
Maybe it is time for contentment to make a comeback.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Think about this (7 of 30)
I don't know how many people paid attention to it, but during the closing ceremony of the Olympics someone (I do not remember who) said a phrase that both Sari and I noticed and liked. She put the phrase on the white board in our kitchen and I have plans for it to show up in several sermons, classes or newspaper articles in the next little while. The phrase was......
Cynicism is easy!
In other words, it is easy to be critical... it is easy to complain.... anyone can point out what is wrong or what could be better.
It is an entirely different thing to look for the good.... to praise the lovely... to uphold the honorable.... to notice the 90% that is positive than the 10% that needs improvement.
So I am reminding myself everyday that I do not want to take the easy way.... I do not want to just complain.... rather I want to notice the good that is happening - I want to support it - and I want to help make things better - wherever I am, whatever I am doing, whoever I am with. How about you?
Cynicism is easy!
In other words, it is easy to be critical... it is easy to complain.... anyone can point out what is wrong or what could be better.
It is an entirely different thing to look for the good.... to praise the lovely... to uphold the honorable.... to notice the 90% that is positive than the 10% that needs improvement.
So I am reminding myself everyday that I do not want to take the easy way.... I do not want to just complain.... rather I want to notice the good that is happening - I want to support it - and I want to help make things better - wherever I am, whatever I am doing, whoever I am with. How about you?
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Good things (6 of 30)
First - thanks to my sister-in-law Tracy (I assume it was her and not Lenny) for pointing out that I don't know how to count.... my last two posts were numbered "4 of 30". I was so worked up about people not knowing the anthem that I could not count I guess.
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Second - I went to my "English as a Second Language" class tonight and my reader did not show up. This is a first! I mean - he has not missed in 8 months - he is there every night. Every once in a while Sari's reader skips out and she gets the night off. I have always been sort of jealous of her when that happens - so tonight I thought, "Oh Yaaaayyy!!! I get a night off tonight!"..... then my reader showed up (15 minutes late) and I thought "Doh!". But you know what??? I had tons of fun with Juwon tonight... we laughed and made fun of fishing and wives going shopping (he thinks shopping is extremely boring too - some things are cross-cultural). It was fun - and I am glad that he showed up. If you are not involved in a program like that - may I suggest you find one and volunteer. Every Wednesday night I am tired and think "I would rather stay home" and every Wednesday night I go home thinking, "That was good and fun!" Maybe you would enjoy it too.
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Thirdly.... my favorite bit from "Just for laughs" tonight.....
"How many of you play video games?? (smattering of applause) Mostly men, right? Girls generally don't play video games. I think that is because all the games are made for men. You chase the dragon - you stab the dragon - you cut off his head - you get 10 000 points.
"If that was a girls game... you first maybe just go talk to the dragon and find out why he was so mad at you... then just press the 'share feelings' button 20 times... eventually you are asking your girlfriend 'Hey baby, what button do I push to cry with the dragon??? Is there a turbo cry?? How do I let the dragon know that I am sorry and that I didn't mean it?'
"Worst part if they had a girls video game... guys.. once a month the game would just become impossible to play!!!! 'What???? How can I lose???? I haven't even pushed anything yet!'"
Please note: Neither the joke in this post - nor the one about "women being angels who continue to fly even when someone breaks their wings - they fly on their brooms" from a previous post - are in no way reflective of my lovely, wonderful, non-broom flying, non-impossible-to-play-video-game wife. Any resemblance in whole or in part to the beautiful creature that I married to is completely unintended and untrue. These things are posted here only because they are "abstractly funny" and in no way reflect the life I am living or the women (including my daughters) that I am living with! (Sari told me to write that... and I hope I got it right or I am going to be in BIG TROUBLE!) ;)
----
Second - I went to my "English as a Second Language" class tonight and my reader did not show up. This is a first! I mean - he has not missed in 8 months - he is there every night. Every once in a while Sari's reader skips out and she gets the night off. I have always been sort of jealous of her when that happens - so tonight I thought, "Oh Yaaaayyy!!! I get a night off tonight!"..... then my reader showed up (15 minutes late) and I thought "Doh!". But you know what??? I had tons of fun with Juwon tonight... we laughed and made fun of fishing and wives going shopping (he thinks shopping is extremely boring too - some things are cross-cultural). It was fun - and I am glad that he showed up. If you are not involved in a program like that - may I suggest you find one and volunteer. Every Wednesday night I am tired and think "I would rather stay home" and every Wednesday night I go home thinking, "That was good and fun!" Maybe you would enjoy it too.
---
Thirdly.... my favorite bit from "Just for laughs" tonight.....
"How many of you play video games?? (smattering of applause) Mostly men, right? Girls generally don't play video games. I think that is because all the games are made for men. You chase the dragon - you stab the dragon - you cut off his head - you get 10 000 points.
"If that was a girls game... you first maybe just go talk to the dragon and find out why he was so mad at you... then just press the 'share feelings' button 20 times... eventually you are asking your girlfriend 'Hey baby, what button do I push to cry with the dragon??? Is there a turbo cry?? How do I let the dragon know that I am sorry and that I didn't mean it?'
"Worst part if they had a girls video game... guys.. once a month the game would just become impossible to play!!!! 'What???? How can I lose???? I haven't even pushed anything yet!'"
Please note: Neither the joke in this post - nor the one about "women being angels who continue to fly even when someone breaks their wings - they fly on their brooms" from a previous post - are in no way reflective of my lovely, wonderful, non-broom flying, non-impossible-to-play-video-game wife. Any resemblance in whole or in part to the beautiful creature that I married to is completely unintended and untrue. These things are posted here only because they are "abstractly funny" and in no way reflect the life I am living or the women (including my daughters) that I am living with! (Sari told me to write that... and I hope I got it right or I am going to be in BIG TROUBLE!) ;)
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Something to fill my blogging quota for the day (4 of 30)
Two things.....
1. I heard on the news today that 3 out of 4 Canadians do not know the FIRST LINE of "O Canada". ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? Just by asking the question, "Do you know the first line of 'Oh Canada'?" you have given them the first line.... IT IS "O CANADA"!!!!!
If you want to be less technical and consider the first whole phrase the first line... then by asking, "Do you know the first line of 'O Canada'?" you have given them more than a 1/4 of it... 2 words out of the first 7.
(Someone just checked that fact by singing the first line of "O Canada" and counting the words, right? I heard you - sign your name in the comments section if it was you - thanks!)
And where are they finding these people.... 3 out of 4 - come on.... have you never been to a hockey game?????? What on earth???? I have to believe that stat is wrong..... otherwise I live in a nation of idiots!
2. On a lighter note...... best joke from "Just for laughs" tonight......
"So some buddies and I went to New York last month. It was great... but we were always scared about being mugged, so we came up with a plan. Anytime we got scared that someone was going to mug us..... we just started mugging each other! (Imagine a Fake fight here - then he says to the imaginary attacker) Get lost - this one is taken!" :)
1. I heard on the news today that 3 out of 4 Canadians do not know the FIRST LINE of "O Canada". ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? Just by asking the question, "Do you know the first line of 'Oh Canada'?" you have given them the first line.... IT IS "O CANADA"!!!!!
If you want to be less technical and consider the first whole phrase the first line... then by asking, "Do you know the first line of 'O Canada'?" you have given them more than a 1/4 of it... 2 words out of the first 7.
(Someone just checked that fact by singing the first line of "O Canada" and counting the words, right? I heard you - sign your name in the comments section if it was you - thanks!)
And where are they finding these people.... 3 out of 4 - come on.... have you never been to a hockey game?????? What on earth???? I have to believe that stat is wrong..... otherwise I live in a nation of idiots!
2. On a lighter note...... best joke from "Just for laughs" tonight......
"So some buddies and I went to New York last month. It was great... but we were always scared about being mugged, so we came up with a plan. Anytime we got scared that someone was going to mug us..... we just started mugging each other! (Imagine a Fake fight here - then he says to the imaginary attacker) Get lost - this one is taken!" :)
Monday, March 01, 2010
Seriously (4 of 30)
So a buddy named Paul and I play squash every Monday night and last week we both broke strings on our racquets...... apparently they don't make racquets for MEN anymore! :)
Anyway - they aren't worth restringing (too expensive compared to a new one) and buying one in town is a rip off, so I got my brother Kurt (aka Lenny)to go to Sportchek in Moose Jaw and buy whatever they had on sale (they always have racquets on sale). He was going to see me at a camp board meeting on the weekend and could give it to me there.
So when he called and gave me my options.... I got him to buy the $40 one that was on sale for $19 with the thinking that I am breaking one per month so why not go with the cheap one(I have bought expensive ones in the past and found that they break at about the same frequency).
I got looking at the thing before I went to play tonight and here one the front it is endorsed by a couple of squash players.... in fact, the number 2 and number 3 ranked players in the world. That got me thinking.....
WHO GETS THE NUMBER 2 AND NUMBER 3 RANKED PLAYERS TO ENDORSE YOUR PRODUCT????? Doesn't this just mean the the really good player - the guy that whips these other two bozos all the time - refused to endorse this racquet????? Why would I want to use the racquet that is in the hand of the loser when he plays this other better dude?????? Is that something to brag about..... "We are not that bad - I mean - at least a couple of guys who know the best player in the world like our racquet!"
I just don't think that is that impressive.
In a related note: Paul and I had a very close game tonight..... if only I had that number 1 guy's racquet. I guess you get what you pay for right? :)
Anyway - they aren't worth restringing (too expensive compared to a new one) and buying one in town is a rip off, so I got my brother Kurt (aka Lenny)to go to Sportchek in Moose Jaw and buy whatever they had on sale (they always have racquets on sale). He was going to see me at a camp board meeting on the weekend and could give it to me there.
So when he called and gave me my options.... I got him to buy the $40 one that was on sale for $19 with the thinking that I am breaking one per month so why not go with the cheap one(I have bought expensive ones in the past and found that they break at about the same frequency).
I got looking at the thing before I went to play tonight and here one the front it is endorsed by a couple of squash players.... in fact, the number 2 and number 3 ranked players in the world. That got me thinking.....
WHO GETS THE NUMBER 2 AND NUMBER 3 RANKED PLAYERS TO ENDORSE YOUR PRODUCT????? Doesn't this just mean the the really good player - the guy that whips these other two bozos all the time - refused to endorse this racquet????? Why would I want to use the racquet that is in the hand of the loser when he plays this other better dude?????? Is that something to brag about..... "We are not that bad - I mean - at least a couple of guys who know the best player in the world like our racquet!"
I just don't think that is that impressive.
In a related note: Paul and I had a very close game tonight..... if only I had that number 1 guy's racquet. I guess you get what you pay for right? :)
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