Hey - that is it. 30 of 30..... we are done for now. I still have some good stories to tell like this one....
A guy came to the church building in Sept.... he needed some help. Said he had a job up by S'toon but no money to get there, etc. I never ever give money to people who come by (the church has a fund but I have no access to it - I have to call other guys, we have to meet - it is not wise to just hand out cash right?)..... but for some reason I liked and believed this guy - so I gave him $40 for gas. He promised he would come back and repay me. I told him that it did not matter, but he insisted that he would be back.
A week ago - four months after first hearing from him and never seeing him or my money again - he called saying he wanted to come over and talk to me. He had a proposition.... someone at a trucking company had given him 1000 pounds worth of batteries and if he could get them to Regina he could sell them for 28 cents/pound - or something. The problem: he needed gas money to get to Regina.
One of our elders happened to be in the building at the time and he overheard this so he said, "I will give you $20 to put in your tank - but here is the deal.... when you sell those batteries you have to pay Tim back his $40. Don't worry about my $20 but make sure you pay Tim back". The guy thanked us up and down and headed out.
Saturday I am sitting at home when the doorbell rings.... it is one of the ladies from church. She cleaning the building when this man came in looking for me. When he heard I was not there he gave her some money to give to me.... $60 (my original $40 and Ron's $20 on top of that).
I tell this story only because too often I think we get "taken" around here. People come to churches all the time with sob stories about how they need help and how they will pay us back or start coming to church or whatever - and then you never see them again. But here is one guy who kept his word - and even went one better by returning money that he did not have to give back. It was just what I needed - not the money - but the thought and the action. I liked this guy - he just needed a little help and instead of taking advantage of us he took some help and then said "thanks" by giving it back as he said he would.
So I am hoping I see him soon..... if you know Cliff from Midale - tell him to stop by and see me. I have $60 for him. :)
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The "Big hat - no cattle" weekend (29 of 30)
On Thursday night, I had my weekend all planned.... I was going to work on Katie's bedroom most of Friday - maybe do a little shopping that evening with the kids... Saturday I was going to help my Brother in law change the brakes on his car in my garage (that was going to be fun - I like working on stuff when it is not my money or really my problem - seriously) - Sunday was going to be church and maybe have some friends drop by......
Well Friday morning Sari had some things she needed me to do, so since I was out anyway I did the recycling - went and picked up the turkey I won on the radio - then came home and did dishes b/c Sari was taking the afternoon off to bake (that shot most of the morning). Then when she got home we decided to spend the afternoon doing some last minute Christmas shopping.... then we went to the holiday train and I sort of forget what happened the rest of the night - nothing got done on the room I know that much.
Saturday morning I went shopping for a Sari present or two... while I was out she called and sent me on 094869869886 other errands to get baking supplies and things - so the morning was shot. Then my bro in law could not get parts for his car, so no garage stuff (though we did play every PS2 sports game known to man for most of the afternoon - he was here anyway so that was fun - but not that productive). That night we watched "Its a Wonderful life" - so no room work and no car work.
Today the girls and I spent most of the afternoon wrapping presents for Sari... but then unfortunately our friends could not come over - so we went "twinkle touring" and delivering presents to people instead.
So long story even longer... lots of plans.... nothing accomplished (thus the title of the post). The things we did get to do were fun and worth doing (it was a nice weekend) but I did not go the way I planned at all.
Oh well - some weekend I will not plan to work on the room and then I will suddenly end up finishing it in one day.... right? Right? (Well - maybe it will be done sometime before she is grown up and moved away at least - I hope)
Well Friday morning Sari had some things she needed me to do, so since I was out anyway I did the recycling - went and picked up the turkey I won on the radio - then came home and did dishes b/c Sari was taking the afternoon off to bake (that shot most of the morning). Then when she got home we decided to spend the afternoon doing some last minute Christmas shopping.... then we went to the holiday train and I sort of forget what happened the rest of the night - nothing got done on the room I know that much.
Saturday morning I went shopping for a Sari present or two... while I was out she called and sent me on 094869869886 other errands to get baking supplies and things - so the morning was shot. Then my bro in law could not get parts for his car, so no garage stuff (though we did play every PS2 sports game known to man for most of the afternoon - he was here anyway so that was fun - but not that productive). That night we watched "Its a Wonderful life" - so no room work and no car work.
Today the girls and I spent most of the afternoon wrapping presents for Sari... but then unfortunately our friends could not come over - so we went "twinkle touring" and delivering presents to people instead.
So long story even longer... lots of plans.... nothing accomplished (thus the title of the post). The things we did get to do were fun and worth doing (it was a nice weekend) but I did not go the way I planned at all.
Oh well - some weekend I will not plan to work on the room and then I will suddenly end up finishing it in one day.... right? Right? (Well - maybe it will be done sometime before she is grown up and moved away at least - I hope)
Saturday, December 18, 2010
It's a Wonderful life (28 of 30)
I am not a big "movie guy" - normally I can't be bothered - but at Christmastime I make two exceptions.
First, every year for as long as I can remember I have watched "A Christmas Carol" (the old black and white one with Alastair Sim as Scrooge) on Christmas eve.
I have also started making a habit of watching "It's a Wonderful Life"... which we did with the kids tonight. If you have never seen this movie, or if you simply have not seen it in a long time, do yourself a favor and find a copy of it. It has a message that we all still need to hear.
PS. And it reminded me that I too have a wonderful life! :)
First, every year for as long as I can remember I have watched "A Christmas Carol" (the old black and white one with Alastair Sim as Scrooge) on Christmas eve.
I have also started making a habit of watching "It's a Wonderful Life"... which we did with the kids tonight. If you have never seen this movie, or if you simply have not seen it in a long time, do yourself a favor and find a copy of it. It has a message that we all still need to hear.
PS. And it reminded me that I too have a wonderful life! :)
Friday, December 17, 2010
A second bonus post
This is the third post of the day (no extra charge)... just mentioning that we went and saw the CPR Holiday Train tonight - in the -25 degree wind chill.
Maybe you don't get to see the trains... one crosses Canada on the mainline roughly along the Trans-Canada highway through these parts and another one crosses the Eastern/Mid United States - that is the one we get to see it crosses into Canada after going through North Dakota.
Here is what it looks like (first the train itself and then the open box car from which various musicians perform)
Melanie Doane was the big act on this year's train (not sure how she plays a fiddle when it is is -25 but she does). It was fun.
The first two times we saw the train are some of my favorite memories ever. It didn't come to Estevan (that actually is part of the "good part" of the story), so we had to drive to North Portal to see it. To make it even better, it came in (or was supposed to) at 11pm, so it was a late night road trip. The kids were little (maybe 3 and 1) and had a great time singing and celebrating with them. The next year we went down to North Portal again - but this time it was super cold and the train was really late... so they opened the loading dock of the station - put some coffee and hot chocolate on in there - and invited everyone in until the train showed up. Again, good concert, good memories (like the super long line of cars all the way home at 1 am) and the kids were excited to see Santa.
Not the same "Santa Excitement" tonight - but still nice and it brought back good memories. :)
Maybe you don't get to see the trains... one crosses Canada on the mainline roughly along the Trans-Canada highway through these parts and another one crosses the Eastern/Mid United States - that is the one we get to see it crosses into Canada after going through North Dakota.
Here is what it looks like (first the train itself and then the open box car from which various musicians perform)
Melanie Doane was the big act on this year's train (not sure how she plays a fiddle when it is is -25 but she does). It was fun.The first two times we saw the train are some of my favorite memories ever. It didn't come to Estevan (that actually is part of the "good part" of the story), so we had to drive to North Portal to see it. To make it even better, it came in (or was supposed to) at 11pm, so it was a late night road trip. The kids were little (maybe 3 and 1) and had a great time singing and celebrating with them. The next year we went down to North Portal again - but this time it was super cold and the train was really late... so they opened the loading dock of the station - put some coffee and hot chocolate on in there - and invited everyone in until the train showed up. Again, good concert, good memories (like the super long line of cars all the way home at 1 am) and the kids were excited to see Santa.
Not the same "Santa Excitement" tonight - but still nice and it brought back good memories. :)
A bonus post
Teddy bear tosses are fun (when the home team scores you throw a Teddy bear on the ice, they are collected and given to the needy kids). Apparently this is from the Calgary Flames game last night... the note I saw said 23 000 Teddy bears... the may be an exaggeration but there are a lot. If you know more about the specifics of this video (Debbie? Justin?) please comment.
Well that only took 20 years (27 of 30)
Ever since I moved here in 1990, people have asked me, "Are you related to Harold?" and my standard answer has been, "I think so... I think we are some sort of cousins, but I have never met him". Well - that changed today.
To back up: Many years ago, apparently, my Grandpa Pippus had a big fight with his family, moved away from here and never really saw them again. Then, oddly enough, my Dad had a problem with his dad, so even though my Grandpa Pippus lived in Moose Jaw for several years, I never knew him. I vaguely remember seeing him - once. Then, even more oddly possibly, my dad left and I rarely talk to him. All that to say - our "Pippus family ties" are mostly undone.
Harold Pippus worked in the parts department at "Dinsmore Dodge" in town here for years, but somehow (though I often feel like I know everyone in town) I never met him. His brother, Walter stopped by the church building one time (he saw my name on the church sign an wanted to try to figure out who I was... oddly enough he lived in Calgary at the time and had a son Tim Pippus who worked with a church there). Anyway, through Walter we sort of figured out that we were "First cousins once removed" (he is my dad's cousin). Harold, though, was still like Snuffleupagus - people said he existed but I never saw him.
Well the other day Bob Goud told me that he saw Harold working at the Co-op gas station. Apparently he had retired from the Dodge dealership and needed something to fill in his days. That got me thinking that an older man that I had never met before filled my truck the last time I was there, so I started to wonder if that was him.
Today, I found out. This older man filled my tank and when he came in I asked him if his name was Harold and he said "yes". "Harold Pippus?" He said "yes". I introduced myself and he said, "I know who you are... I think I curled against you one time" (Makes me wonder why he did not say anything... Pippus is not a common name.... however - if you know my Pippus family maybe it is understandable that he would not throw his last name around - it could get a guy in trouble in some places).
Anyway - he went on to say that people always ask him about how he is related to me too. Then he mentioned that he used to work at the Ford dealership in town with Bob Goud's brother Emerson. I told him that Emerson was the preacher at my church in Moose Jaw when I was a kid. He said he knew that Emerson preached there because he left the Ford dealership to move there. Then I told him that I lived with Emerson's widow, Marion, when I first moved to town and he said that he knew where they lived. Then he had to go - and so did I - and that is where we left it for now.
It was a little surreal though. I never think much about extended family, at least on that side, because I don't know many of them. My brother Lenny says that the Pippus name is on the court docket in Moose Jaw all the time - either because one of his kids (he works with young offenders) is up or because one of our cousins is in trouble. My standard joke is that we only have family reunions on the Pippus side when there is a bail hearing. :)
So - all that to say that it I was really glad to meet him, finally. It was a little like having a conversation with a Sasquatch after years of looking for him (Except for the fact that Harold spoke English and not Sasquatchese - or whatever it is called).... but it was nice!
And odd to have so many little connections with someone I had not met (another one... my cousin on the other side of the family is in charge of all the C-stores in the southeast and therefore is Harold's boss).
I plan to have more conversations with him in the future... maybe I can finally learn something about our family history..... or at least find out if there is any stolen bank money buried in an old cold mine somewhere nearby.... you never know right? :)
To back up: Many years ago, apparently, my Grandpa Pippus had a big fight with his family, moved away from here and never really saw them again. Then, oddly enough, my Dad had a problem with his dad, so even though my Grandpa Pippus lived in Moose Jaw for several years, I never knew him. I vaguely remember seeing him - once. Then, even more oddly possibly, my dad left and I rarely talk to him. All that to say - our "Pippus family ties" are mostly undone.
Harold Pippus worked in the parts department at "Dinsmore Dodge" in town here for years, but somehow (though I often feel like I know everyone in town) I never met him. His brother, Walter stopped by the church building one time (he saw my name on the church sign an wanted to try to figure out who I was... oddly enough he lived in Calgary at the time and had a son Tim Pippus who worked with a church there). Anyway, through Walter we sort of figured out that we were "First cousins once removed" (he is my dad's cousin). Harold, though, was still like Snuffleupagus - people said he existed but I never saw him.
Well the other day Bob Goud told me that he saw Harold working at the Co-op gas station. Apparently he had retired from the Dodge dealership and needed something to fill in his days. That got me thinking that an older man that I had never met before filled my truck the last time I was there, so I started to wonder if that was him.
Today, I found out. This older man filled my tank and when he came in I asked him if his name was Harold and he said "yes". "Harold Pippus?" He said "yes". I introduced myself and he said, "I know who you are... I think I curled against you one time" (Makes me wonder why he did not say anything... Pippus is not a common name.... however - if you know my Pippus family maybe it is understandable that he would not throw his last name around - it could get a guy in trouble in some places).
Anyway - he went on to say that people always ask him about how he is related to me too. Then he mentioned that he used to work at the Ford dealership in town with Bob Goud's brother Emerson. I told him that Emerson was the preacher at my church in Moose Jaw when I was a kid. He said he knew that Emerson preached there because he left the Ford dealership to move there. Then I told him that I lived with Emerson's widow, Marion, when I first moved to town and he said that he knew where they lived. Then he had to go - and so did I - and that is where we left it for now.
It was a little surreal though. I never think much about extended family, at least on that side, because I don't know many of them. My brother Lenny says that the Pippus name is on the court docket in Moose Jaw all the time - either because one of his kids (he works with young offenders) is up or because one of our cousins is in trouble. My standard joke is that we only have family reunions on the Pippus side when there is a bail hearing. :)
So - all that to say that it I was really glad to meet him, finally. It was a little like having a conversation with a Sasquatch after years of looking for him (Except for the fact that Harold spoke English and not Sasquatchese - or whatever it is called).... but it was nice!
And odd to have so many little connections with someone I had not met (another one... my cousin on the other side of the family is in charge of all the C-stores in the southeast and therefore is Harold's boss).
I plan to have more conversations with him in the future... maybe I can finally learn something about our family history..... or at least find out if there is any stolen bank money buried in an old cold mine somewhere nearby.... you never know right? :)
Thursday, December 16, 2010
A new line of work (26 of 30)
I am going to become a stalker!
I found out today that it is fun, easy and profitable.
That is it.
Oh - you want details.... ok - so I am driving to the office this morning when I see the Sun 102.3 SUV in front of me and I think to myself, "Those sales girls are not just driving around town at 8:27 for nothing"... so I followed them. Soon they parked at the Civic auditorium - so I parked on the street near-by... then they moved over to the Leisure Centre parking lot - so I turned around and kept an eye on them.
The first stop at the Civic made me suspicious but the move to the far end of the leisure centre confirmed it..... they were "The Turkey Trotter"!!!!
You don't know what that means... well - our local radio station is holding this contest... "The Sun 102.3 Turkey Trotter". What you have to do is listen for the location of the "Turkey Trotter" (otherwise known as the Radio station SUV with the sales girls in it) and if you are the first one to show up you win a free turkey
So - what with me stalking them I was easily the first one there and I won a turkey.
As I said... fun, easy and profitable.
However, since I have already won, I cannot win for another month - so I am going to have some time on my hands. If you would like to be stalked (just so I keep in practice in case I get another opportunity to win frozen poultry) - please comment below
I found out today that it is fun, easy and profitable.
That is it.
Oh - you want details.... ok - so I am driving to the office this morning when I see the Sun 102.3 SUV in front of me and I think to myself, "Those sales girls are not just driving around town at 8:27 for nothing"... so I followed them. Soon they parked at the Civic auditorium - so I parked on the street near-by... then they moved over to the Leisure Centre parking lot - so I turned around and kept an eye on them.
The first stop at the Civic made me suspicious but the move to the far end of the leisure centre confirmed it..... they were "The Turkey Trotter"!!!!
You don't know what that means... well - our local radio station is holding this contest... "The Sun 102.3 Turkey Trotter". What you have to do is listen for the location of the "Turkey Trotter" (otherwise known as the Radio station SUV with the sales girls in it) and if you are the first one to show up you win a free turkey
So - what with me stalking them I was easily the first one there and I won a turkey.
As I said... fun, easy and profitable.
However, since I have already won, I cannot win for another month - so I am going to have some time on my hands. If you would like to be stalked (just so I keep in practice in case I get another opportunity to win frozen poultry) - please comment below
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Apparently I was wrong (25 of 30)
So you know when I said below that my comment on a comment posting was not my post for the day?
Well it is almost 11:30 at night and I really have nothing to write about, so the comment about the comment is the post.
What? You don't like that???? What are you gonna do about it... huh punk???? Huh?
Ya! That is what I thought! :)
Well it is almost 11:30 at night and I really have nothing to write about, so the comment about the comment is the post.
What? You don't like that???? What are you gonna do about it... huh punk???? Huh?
Ya! That is what I thought! :)
A comment on a comment
This is not my posting for the day but rather a response to a comment found in my post about Christmas gifts and having a "spending disorder" (see below). I am posting this here because I think it deserves a response and it may not be seen if I bury it in the comments below.... something to think about......
____
Blogger Davis Family said...
I will be of no help here. I have the same affliction. I have been pleased lately, since we are in a recession being "thrifty" is far more popular than it used to be. No advice - just a high five!
____
(Me) I am glad to hear a "consenting voice". Seriously!
What would it look like if we did not think we had to lavish big expensive presents on our kids and on one another - not b/c we are too cheap to do it - but b/c we are too caring?
What I mean is - if the extent of our love is measured in how much we spent on our kids or our family at Christmas - what does that say and what does it lead to?
I certainly remember some lavish gifts from my mom.... waking up to Atari video games... or a game called "Electronic quarterback" (which I still have by the way)... and I am not sure how she did that. We did not have the money to buy those things and they were extravagant to us... and appreciated because that was not the normal thing.
But what happens when that is the normal? What happens when every year you have to spend more because the "wow factor" has worn off of gifts that cost less than $100?
I am not saying that we are doing everything right with our girls (I am certain that they will grow up with some regrets like - "I wish I had been given....." or "I wish we had gone to....."), but I am glad that they are still happy with simple things. They still find joy in little things.
For example, we have never had a Christmas morning at home - by ourselves - for our entire married life.... ever! The one year that we did stay home everyone came to our house (and it was great - from my point of view). So this year we said, "You are getting older. You do not have many years to be at home on Christmas morning... do you want to just stay home this year so that you can say that you got to do it?" Their answer: "No! We want to go to Dauphin and Moose Jaw. We want to be with our family - who cares about sitting at home by ourselves?"
Now I know that is not about "gifts" per se, but I think it says something about what they think Christmas is about - they are focused on family and not on stuff.
So - as I said - I appreciated all the "big gifts" that I got as a kid - but I also remember all the little "stocking stuffer" stuff.... I remember the year that I got a $10 goalie stick (I had wanted one forever).... I remember getting a book of Lifesavers every year (it was tradition). I also remember several things (a remote control blue and yellow airplane and a remote control front end loader to be specific) that I stared at in the "Wish book" for weeks and never got - but it really does not matter.
My mom was there.... we went to Grandma's for supper most Christmas days.... I got to share whatever I got with my brother and sister and they did with me too (I really liked the year Debbie got the "Barbie swimming pool" - that was fun!) :)
My mom did a great job of giving us great gifts... but they weren't all big (though some were). I guess - as tacky as it sounds - while the gifts were great it was the giver that made them special..... and I am just not convinced that you have to be in debt for the next 4 months for that to work.
I am not just being cheap here - I just think that the gift is about people (the giver and the recipient and their relationship) more than it is about the bottom line on the receipt (or at least it should be).
Thanks Roberta for backing me up on that! :)
Ps. If any of you comment on this blog... please check back in the comments section as I will likely respond to what you said - so please go and look.... I like the "conversation" part of this as much as anything (and two way conversation is way better than one way).
____
Blogger Davis Family said...
I will be of no help here. I have the same affliction. I have been pleased lately, since we are in a recession being "thrifty" is far more popular than it used to be. No advice - just a high five!
____
(Me) I am glad to hear a "consenting voice". Seriously!
What would it look like if we did not think we had to lavish big expensive presents on our kids and on one another - not b/c we are too cheap to do it - but b/c we are too caring?
What I mean is - if the extent of our love is measured in how much we spent on our kids or our family at Christmas - what does that say and what does it lead to?
I certainly remember some lavish gifts from my mom.... waking up to Atari video games... or a game called "Electronic quarterback" (which I still have by the way)... and I am not sure how she did that. We did not have the money to buy those things and they were extravagant to us... and appreciated because that was not the normal thing.
But what happens when that is the normal? What happens when every year you have to spend more because the "wow factor" has worn off of gifts that cost less than $100?
I am not saying that we are doing everything right with our girls (I am certain that they will grow up with some regrets like - "I wish I had been given....." or "I wish we had gone to....."), but I am glad that they are still happy with simple things. They still find joy in little things.
For example, we have never had a Christmas morning at home - by ourselves - for our entire married life.... ever! The one year that we did stay home everyone came to our house (and it was great - from my point of view). So this year we said, "You are getting older. You do not have many years to be at home on Christmas morning... do you want to just stay home this year so that you can say that you got to do it?" Their answer: "No! We want to go to Dauphin and Moose Jaw. We want to be with our family - who cares about sitting at home by ourselves?"
Now I know that is not about "gifts" per se, but I think it says something about what they think Christmas is about - they are focused on family and not on stuff.
So - as I said - I appreciated all the "big gifts" that I got as a kid - but I also remember all the little "stocking stuffer" stuff.... I remember the year that I got a $10 goalie stick (I had wanted one forever).... I remember getting a book of Lifesavers every year (it was tradition). I also remember several things (a remote control blue and yellow airplane and a remote control front end loader to be specific) that I stared at in the "Wish book" for weeks and never got - but it really does not matter.
My mom was there.... we went to Grandma's for supper most Christmas days.... I got to share whatever I got with my brother and sister and they did with me too (I really liked the year Debbie got the "Barbie swimming pool" - that was fun!) :)
My mom did a great job of giving us great gifts... but they weren't all big (though some were). I guess - as tacky as it sounds - while the gifts were great it was the giver that made them special..... and I am just not convinced that you have to be in debt for the next 4 months for that to work.
I am not just being cheap here - I just think that the gift is about people (the giver and the recipient and their relationship) more than it is about the bottom line on the receipt (or at least it should be).
Thanks Roberta for backing me up on that! :)
Ps. If any of you comment on this blog... please check back in the comments section as I will likely respond to what you said - so please go and look.... I like the "conversation" part of this as much as anything (and two way conversation is way better than one way).
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Finally (24 of 30)
Every year I complain about the old Christmas songs. I mean - seriously - with all the song writers out there we can't come up with anything better than Michael Buble singing his redition (the 8296738497684396 version) of "The Christmas Song" - from 1944 - seriously?
Anyway - while not completely new (the Glee one is a remix but at least it is creative) - at least here are two "festive" songs that I actually like this year.... give them a listen and tell me what you think (and please - PLEASE - NEVER MAKE ME LISTEN TO "THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY" AGAIN!!!!!)
Anyway - while not completely new (the Glee one is a remix but at least it is creative) - at least here are two "festive" songs that I actually like this year.... give them a listen and tell me what you think (and please - PLEASE - NEVER MAKE ME LISTEN TO "THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY" AGAIN!!!!!)
Monday, December 13, 2010
A confession and a realization (23 of 30)
For years I have been a bad Christmas gift buyer. I always thought that it was mostly because I don't listen well enough when people talk about what they like (and that may be part of it), or that I hate shopping (and that may be part of it) or that I am cheap (that may be part of it).... but after some soul searching while watching the hockey game tonight - I have come to a discovery.
It is not my fault..... I have a money spending disability.
Now - that is different than just being cheap. In fact, truth be told, I like giving gifts to people (I gave a working Toro Snow blower to a buddy of mine the other day... a real honest to goodness real snow blower - for nothing!!!). I have a problem and you should not judge me..... let me describe it.
All year long, I buy virtually nothing for myself. Ok - while that sentence is true in the fact that I am mostly a kept man and Sari does all the household shopping etc - that is not what I mean. What I do mean is that whenever I go to buy something, it has to pass the "Do I need it?" test... and if it doesn't I usually don't buy it. This applies to big things (like new motorcycles) and even down to little things (Do I NEED a coke? Likely not - so I just drink water).
So here is the issue.... after doing that for 355 days of the year, how am I supposed to start spending money in the 10 days that I may go Christmas shopping?
I look at stuff and think, "Well, I could buy that... it is nice.. but do they need it? NO!" and that is where it ends. Then I look at something else and think, "But will they use it or will it sit in the drawer forever until it goes to the garage sale box..... probably 'garage sale' so NO!"
If I had a guarantee that every gift would be perfect and useful I would spend like crazy.... but just to buy something so that I can say that I bought someone something goes against everything that I do all year long (I was going to say "goes against every fiber of my being" but that was likely a little to "Oprah melodramatic" so I didn't say it). I don't even treat myself so I am I supposed to do that for others?
So rather than feel badly about myself for my lack of gift buying enthusiasm.... I think I am going to start ranting - to everyone I see - about how commercialized and stupid Christmas has become..... and if that doesn't help them maybe I will seek therapy.
So does anyone out there know how to spend money frivolously? I may need to take a course.
Apply in the comments section of this post.... Sari tells me the credit card is clear and ready and waiting. :)
It is not my fault..... I have a money spending disability.
Now - that is different than just being cheap. In fact, truth be told, I like giving gifts to people (I gave a working Toro Snow blower to a buddy of mine the other day... a real honest to goodness real snow blower - for nothing!!!). I have a problem and you should not judge me..... let me describe it.
All year long, I buy virtually nothing for myself. Ok - while that sentence is true in the fact that I am mostly a kept man and Sari does all the household shopping etc - that is not what I mean. What I do mean is that whenever I go to buy something, it has to pass the "Do I need it?" test... and if it doesn't I usually don't buy it. This applies to big things (like new motorcycles) and even down to little things (Do I NEED a coke? Likely not - so I just drink water).
So here is the issue.... after doing that for 355 days of the year, how am I supposed to start spending money in the 10 days that I may go Christmas shopping?
I look at stuff and think, "Well, I could buy that... it is nice.. but do they need it? NO!" and that is where it ends. Then I look at something else and think, "But will they use it or will it sit in the drawer forever until it goes to the garage sale box..... probably 'garage sale' so NO!"
If I had a guarantee that every gift would be perfect and useful I would spend like crazy.... but just to buy something so that I can say that I bought someone something goes against everything that I do all year long (I was going to say "goes against every fiber of my being" but that was likely a little to "Oprah melodramatic" so I didn't say it). I don't even treat myself so I am I supposed to do that for others?
So rather than feel badly about myself for my lack of gift buying enthusiasm.... I think I am going to start ranting - to everyone I see - about how commercialized and stupid Christmas has become..... and if that doesn't help them maybe I will seek therapy.
So does anyone out there know how to spend money frivolously? I may need to take a course.
Apply in the comments section of this post.... Sari tells me the credit card is clear and ready and waiting. :)
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Heads up! (22 of 30)
Did you know that there is going to be a meteor shower tomorrow (Monday) night? Check out the information here, here or here - check it out (if it is not too cold - or too cloudy - and if you can stay up that late).
__
Otherwise - we had a good day. Church was nice - lunch and visiting at church was nice - and (for the first time in 3 days) nothing broke on our vehicles....
Have a good week.
__
Otherwise - we had a good day. Church was nice - lunch and visiting at church was nice - and (for the first time in 3 days) nothing broke on our vehicles....
Have a good week.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Another Party (21 of 30)
We had another Christmas party tonight. This time at the church building. It was our annual church Christmas supper. We ate, did a little "year in review" and then the elders said some nice things about the importance of the kids and gave them some presents.
It was a nice night and a good reminder that we have family here - even when our "real family" lives many miles away.
___
Another truck update: So today the kids and I are driving around Christmas shopping for Sari and the heater fan quits... so at -21 we had to ride around town with the window down so that we did not fog up the windows. When I got it home I tore the whole dash apart and found that the connector that goes to the fan switch was melted. I repaired it as best I could and got it working again but it is sort of ridiculous... how many of you have to tear your dashboard apart in the parking lot of the mall just so that you can drive home with heat? I am thinking that a new vehicle is getting closer for us (Have I ever mentioned how much I hate debt? Maybe not as much as I hate repairing the truck all the time... but it is close - so we will see)
It was a nice night and a good reminder that we have family here - even when our "real family" lives many miles away.
___
Another truck update: So today the kids and I are driving around Christmas shopping for Sari and the heater fan quits... so at -21 we had to ride around town with the window down so that we did not fog up the windows. When I got it home I tore the whole dash apart and found that the connector that goes to the fan switch was melted. I repaired it as best I could and got it working again but it is sort of ridiculous... how many of you have to tear your dashboard apart in the parking lot of the mall just so that you can drive home with heat? I am thinking that a new vehicle is getting closer for us (Have I ever mentioned how much I hate debt? Maybe not as much as I hate repairing the truck all the time... but it is close - so we will see)
Friday, December 10, 2010
Hillcrest Christmas (20 of 30)
It was Sari's Christmas party tonight... well not just a party for Sari, but for the staff at the school. To be honest... I diiiidddd nnoooottttt waaaaannnaaa goooooo (Please read that in the whiniest voice ever) - but it turned out to be fun.
We ate... we visited... we did a "garage sale gift exchange" (stuff that you may not really ever want as a gift - and some nicer stuff b/c some people broke the rules... you get to steal from one another, etc) and that was fun... and Sari and I closed the party down (or at least we stayed till the end - that is a little unusual). Overall it was a good time.
____
A truck update: Upon further inspection the rad on my truck is cracked. Not sure whether I will try to repair it or just replace it... likely replace as I would always be thinking about the repair and wondering if it was going to hold. So I will have to deal with that someday. The good news is that it seems (for now) to not be too bad - so I will likely just keep driving it anyway.
We ate... we visited... we did a "garage sale gift exchange" (stuff that you may not really ever want as a gift - and some nicer stuff b/c some people broke the rules... you get to steal from one another, etc) and that was fun... and Sari and I closed the party down (or at least we stayed till the end - that is a little unusual). Overall it was a good time.
____
A truck update: Upon further inspection the rad on my truck is cracked. Not sure whether I will try to repair it or just replace it... likely replace as I would always be thinking about the repair and wondering if it was going to hold. So I will have to deal with that someday. The good news is that it seems (for now) to not be too bad - so I will likely just keep driving it anyway.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Don't you hate it when.... (19 of 30)
Today, I wrote a sermon about suffering. One of the points that I tried to make was that - if seen properly - suffering is not all bad. In fact, it can be instructive and part of the maturing process.
The tonight our van began to make some very "un-van-like" noises on the passenger's side of the engine... a grinding, high pitched whine. Now the only things that are on that side of the engine are the steering pump, the alternator, the idler pulley and the water pump... all squeezed into a space that is smaller than a mini-doughnut (I am not sure why I picked that other than the fact that it is past midnight and I am hungry), so I am sure that will be easy to diagnose and fix! :(
Then I noticed that there is a big puddle under the truck... anti-freeze.... I think the radiator is shot!
So next week I am going to write about the virtue of something other than suffering.... something like "The virtue of winning the lottery". If I quit blogging and pretend not to know you any more - you will know that it worked (It is nothing personal... I just know that if I won the lottery most of you would expect a cut - so I have predetermined that it is better not to have friends if I have more than $13 to my name) :)
PS. If "vehicle suffering" is the worst thing I have to deal with - I guess I am not doing too badly right?
PPS. My motorcycle needs work too... just thought I would throw that in too
PPPS. I did fix a snow blower tonight... a drive chain was wrecked so a buddy and I repaired it... then I loaded it up and took it to his place.... maybe - with any luck - it will avoid the "breakdown epidemic" that is happening here.
The tonight our van began to make some very "un-van-like" noises on the passenger's side of the engine... a grinding, high pitched whine. Now the only things that are on that side of the engine are the steering pump, the alternator, the idler pulley and the water pump... all squeezed into a space that is smaller than a mini-doughnut (I am not sure why I picked that other than the fact that it is past midnight and I am hungry), so I am sure that will be easy to diagnose and fix! :(
Then I noticed that there is a big puddle under the truck... anti-freeze.... I think the radiator is shot!
So next week I am going to write about the virtue of something other than suffering.... something like "The virtue of winning the lottery". If I quit blogging and pretend not to know you any more - you will know that it worked (It is nothing personal... I just know that if I won the lottery most of you would expect a cut - so I have predetermined that it is better not to have friends if I have more than $13 to my name) :)
PS. If "vehicle suffering" is the worst thing I have to deal with - I guess I am not doing too badly right?
PPS. My motorcycle needs work too... just thought I would throw that in too
PPPS. I did fix a snow blower tonight... a drive chain was wrecked so a buddy and I repaired it... then I loaded it up and took it to his place.... maybe - with any luck - it will avoid the "breakdown epidemic" that is happening here.
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
A Full Body Search Please (18 of 30)
You may not have had the best week so far.... but at least you are not the guy in this video.
Maybe he was trying to take citrus fruits into the States and was trying to create a distraction (I bet they did not ask him about oranges after this). :)
<br/><a href="http://video.ca.msn.com/watch/video/guy-fails-to-stop-at-border-patrol/1gly5wn24?fg=sharenoembed" target="_new" title="Guy Fails to Stop at Border Patrol">Video: Guy Fails to Stop at Border Patrol</a>
Maybe he was trying to take citrus fruits into the States and was trying to create a distraction (I bet they did not ask him about oranges after this). :)
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
A Public Service Announcement (17 of 30)
For all you women out there.... this video may be "required watching" for your guy - just trying to make Christmas a little happier for everyone.
PS. And,no, I am not in the doghouse myself.
PS. And,no, I am not in the doghouse myself.
Monday, December 06, 2010
A slow Monday (16 of 30)
Mondays are always sort of slow - especially after the adrenaline of Sunday... but in light of the past week this was a particularly slow/down day. Not much to report... so you get a test, a news update and a joke.
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The test....
Name the only man in the Hockey Hall of Fame who never played coached, refereed, managed or owned a hockey club. He never broadcast a game or wrote about one in the newspapers or online. In fact, he never even witnessed a Stanley Cup game (answer at the bottom of the post)
_________
The news...
We put the tree up tonight. Sari always does such a good job of making this a special event for us - even though I am usually a Grinch about the whole thing most of the time. Thanks!
____
The joke.... (from a guy on the internet)
"The snow and the cold seems to be really getting to my wife. All she does now is stand and stare at the window all day. If this keeps up, I may have to let her in". :)
________
The answer....
Lord Stanley of Preston. He was the Governor General of Canada when he donated the Cup in 1893. He was called back to England by Queen Victoria before he got the chance to see the Cup played for or handed out.
(If you knew the answer, please sign in the comments section and indicate whether you knew it, or guessed it..... I am just curious)
_______
The test....
Name the only man in the Hockey Hall of Fame who never played coached, refereed, managed or owned a hockey club. He never broadcast a game or wrote about one in the newspapers or online. In fact, he never even witnessed a Stanley Cup game (answer at the bottom of the post)
_________
The news...
We put the tree up tonight. Sari always does such a good job of making this a special event for us - even though I am usually a Grinch about the whole thing most of the time. Thanks!
____
The joke.... (from a guy on the internet)
"The snow and the cold seems to be really getting to my wife. All she does now is stand and stare at the window all day. If this keeps up, I may have to let her in". :)
________
The answer....
Lord Stanley of Preston. He was the Governor General of Canada when he donated the Cup in 1893. He was called back to England by Queen Victoria before he got the chance to see the Cup played for or handed out.
(If you knew the answer, please sign in the comments section and indicate whether you knew it, or guessed it..... I am just curious)
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Some serious - some not (15 of 30)
First, the serious....
Thanks to everyone for your kind works, calls, cards, etc re. my Grandma. We went to Moose Jaw Friday morning and stayed until last night. It was nice to get together with everyone - to visit and reminisce... Strangely, as close to her as I was, I have not had a big "break down moment" yet. Maybe that has to do with the fact that I have been preparing myself for this time for the past several years... knowing every time that every time we said good-bye to her that it may be the last time. It may also have to do with the fact that I called her lots, sent her cards and sort of said what I wanted to say to her. I don't know - maybe the the big crash has yet to hit me - but at this point I am sad but not like I thought I would be... I am still very peaceful about the whole thing... just grateful for the time we had together
_____
Now the not serious....
1. I have a new favorite TV show.... it is called "Princess". I stumbled across it today while looking for NFL games. It is sort of like "The Nanny" only, instead of telling useless parents how to raise their kids, this lady grabs women who have spent themselves into oblivion and straightens them out... makes them do budgets, tells them that they are stupid if they think that they need 834758934758734 pairs of shoes, tells them to stop shopping for frivolous junk - buy only what you need, etc. I PVRed two of them.... I am going to make the girls (all three of them) watch it with me. :)
2. I drove by the "broken spoiler car" today (see post below) and it has been reattached somehow.... I am not sure how, but I did not pay for it - so that is the good part.
Ok - it has been a long week and I need to go. Hope this coming one is better than the last.
Thanks to everyone for your kind works, calls, cards, etc re. my Grandma. We went to Moose Jaw Friday morning and stayed until last night. It was nice to get together with everyone - to visit and reminisce... Strangely, as close to her as I was, I have not had a big "break down moment" yet. Maybe that has to do with the fact that I have been preparing myself for this time for the past several years... knowing every time that every time we said good-bye to her that it may be the last time. It may also have to do with the fact that I called her lots, sent her cards and sort of said what I wanted to say to her. I don't know - maybe the the big crash has yet to hit me - but at this point I am sad but not like I thought I would be... I am still very peaceful about the whole thing... just grateful for the time we had together
_____
Now the not serious....
1. I have a new favorite TV show.... it is called "Princess". I stumbled across it today while looking for NFL games. It is sort of like "The Nanny" only, instead of telling useless parents how to raise their kids, this lady grabs women who have spent themselves into oblivion and straightens them out... makes them do budgets, tells them that they are stupid if they think that they need 834758934758734 pairs of shoes, tells them to stop shopping for frivolous junk - buy only what you need, etc. I PVRed two of them.... I am going to make the girls (all three of them) watch it with me. :)
2. I drove by the "broken spoiler car" today (see post below) and it has been reattached somehow.... I am not sure how, but I did not pay for it - so that is the good part.
Ok - it has been a long week and I need to go. Hope this coming one is better than the last.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
A Tribute to my Grandma (14 of 30)
My mom called me about an hour ago to say that my Grandma, Annie Hannan, passed away this morning.
Many times I have wondered how I would feel getting that call (she has been in and out of the hospital a lot in recent years) and it used to make me cry just thinking about it.... but somehow today I am not sad. In fact, right now, I am very peaceful about it.
Unlike some families, we were fortunate enough to know Grandma well. She lived a couple of blocks away from us when we were growing up. We went camping at Buffalo Pound every summer with mom and Grandpa and Grandma. We saw her often in those days.
When I was in Grade 12 the preacher in our church offered to teach me how to write sermons, etc and so we got together every Saturday morning. My Grandma lived in an apartment building across from the church building so every Friday after school for over a year, I would walk to Grandma's... spend the night playing Crokinole and visiting, sleep over and go to the class the next morning.
We were fortunate enough too that my girls and Sari got to know and love "Granny" (as they called her). She was always interested in what they were doing - how things were in their lives - and the girls liked visting with her too. None of us will ever be able to have "Orange Floats" again without thinking about her - and that is a good thing.
I am sure that the next few days will be tearfilled, but for now I am happy. Happy to have had a good Grandma who loved us so much and happy to have been able to love her back.
Goodbye Grandma. I am going to miss you.
Many times I have wondered how I would feel getting that call (she has been in and out of the hospital a lot in recent years) and it used to make me cry just thinking about it.... but somehow today I am not sad. In fact, right now, I am very peaceful about it.
Unlike some families, we were fortunate enough to know Grandma well. She lived a couple of blocks away from us when we were growing up. We went camping at Buffalo Pound every summer with mom and Grandpa and Grandma. We saw her often in those days.
When I was in Grade 12 the preacher in our church offered to teach me how to write sermons, etc and so we got together every Saturday morning. My Grandma lived in an apartment building across from the church building so every Friday after school for over a year, I would walk to Grandma's... spend the night playing Crokinole and visiting, sleep over and go to the class the next morning.
We were fortunate enough too that my girls and Sari got to know and love "Granny" (as they called her). She was always interested in what they were doing - how things were in their lives - and the girls liked visting with her too. None of us will ever be able to have "Orange Floats" again without thinking about her - and that is a good thing.
I am sure that the next few days will be tearfilled, but for now I am happy. Happy to have had a good Grandma who loved us so much and happy to have been able to love her back.
Goodbye Grandma. I am going to miss you.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
I may need to borrow some cash (13 of 30)
So I am driving back to work after lunch... come around the corner and here is this car sitting cross-ways on the road - stuck in the snow.
A young girl was driving this rear wheel drive car and she had dug a hole with her back tires and she was not going anywhere - so being the nice guy I am I decided to get out and help.
I went to the window and told her that I would try to push her out. I started to rock the car - but I don't think she quite had the concept figured out.... as I pushed the car forward - she let off the gas.... when the car rocked backwards - she gunned it... thus digging the hole deeper and ensuring that I was not going to push her out alone.
Just then one of the guys who lives across the street came out and said, "Here, let me give you a hand". Then he commented on how slippery it was and how there really was not any good place to put his hands on the back of the car.
So - new guy in tow - we start rocking the car again. Again - the young lady does not have the idea of what we are doing.... one big push - she is almost out - then she lets off the gas - the car stops and..... POP!
The plastic spoiler on the rear of the car goes flying into the snowbank beside the road!
The other and I look at each other... "Doh!" we said (or something like that). The plastic clips that keep this thing in place are busted... the girl gets out... the guy hands the spoiler to her... she smiles and says "Thanks!". He apologizes and she says, "Oh no problem - I will just get it put back on". Then she tosses it in the back seat - gets in and starts spinning the tires again.... one more big push (while she let off the gas - again) and we got her out. She pops out one more time to thank us for the help and merrily goes on her way.
Now - I don't know if she just has so much cash that a broken spoiler is not going to worry her, or if she does not like the car in the first place, or whether she is just clueless and thinks $20 will get that thing stuck back on the car... but I know this: I spent the rest of the day half expecting her dad to show up in my office asking how on earth that happened and wondering who was going to pay for it.
Now that did not happen, but I would not have been too surprised if it had. I don't know for sure, but I am guessing that it is going to cost a couple of hundred bucks to get a new spoiler put on there (at least). I don't want to pay for that - in fact - honestly I don't even know how it happened (was the other guy leaning on it - did we hit it when she stopped the car at the end of our last big push... I am not really sure) - but if it was my kid's car I think I would be mad at someone.
What about you? What would you do? Would you blame the kid for getting stuck? Would you blame the nice guys who tried to get her out? Would you just swallow the cost and say it was "just one of those things"?
I am not sure how this is going to turn out yet - but here are two thoughts so far...
1. Being a nice guy may be over-rated... if I had just driven past her and left her there - none of this would have happened.
2. I may need some cash.... please send cheques or money-orders to our home address (any gift over $150 will be acknowledged with a thank you note!) :)
____
PS. Actually - my two thoughts are just for comedic effect... I don't really mean it. Even if I end up being chased down and made to pay (which will never happen - likely) I would still do it again. Ya gotta help one another even if it has negative effects for you, right?
PPS. Oh - and even though there is likely no need to fix this guys car for him... you can still send the cash! There is a "thank you" note in it for you. :)
A young girl was driving this rear wheel drive car and she had dug a hole with her back tires and she was not going anywhere - so being the nice guy I am I decided to get out and help.
I went to the window and told her that I would try to push her out. I started to rock the car - but I don't think she quite had the concept figured out.... as I pushed the car forward - she let off the gas.... when the car rocked backwards - she gunned it... thus digging the hole deeper and ensuring that I was not going to push her out alone.
Just then one of the guys who lives across the street came out and said, "Here, let me give you a hand". Then he commented on how slippery it was and how there really was not any good place to put his hands on the back of the car.
So - new guy in tow - we start rocking the car again. Again - the young lady does not have the idea of what we are doing.... one big push - she is almost out - then she lets off the gas - the car stops and..... POP!
The plastic spoiler on the rear of the car goes flying into the snowbank beside the road!
The other and I look at each other... "Doh!" we said (or something like that). The plastic clips that keep this thing in place are busted... the girl gets out... the guy hands the spoiler to her... she smiles and says "Thanks!". He apologizes and she says, "Oh no problem - I will just get it put back on". Then she tosses it in the back seat - gets in and starts spinning the tires again.... one more big push (while she let off the gas - again) and we got her out. She pops out one more time to thank us for the help and merrily goes on her way.
Now - I don't know if she just has so much cash that a broken spoiler is not going to worry her, or if she does not like the car in the first place, or whether she is just clueless and thinks $20 will get that thing stuck back on the car... but I know this: I spent the rest of the day half expecting her dad to show up in my office asking how on earth that happened and wondering who was going to pay for it.
Now that did not happen, but I would not have been too surprised if it had. I don't know for sure, but I am guessing that it is going to cost a couple of hundred bucks to get a new spoiler put on there (at least). I don't want to pay for that - in fact - honestly I don't even know how it happened (was the other guy leaning on it - did we hit it when she stopped the car at the end of our last big push... I am not really sure) - but if it was my kid's car I think I would be mad at someone.
What about you? What would you do? Would you blame the kid for getting stuck? Would you blame the nice guys who tried to get her out? Would you just swallow the cost and say it was "just one of those things"?
I am not sure how this is going to turn out yet - but here are two thoughts so far...
1. Being a nice guy may be over-rated... if I had just driven past her and left her there - none of this would have happened.
2. I may need some cash.... please send cheques or money-orders to our home address (any gift over $150 will be acknowledged with a thank you note!) :)
____
PS. Actually - my two thoughts are just for comedic effect... I don't really mean it. Even if I end up being chased down and made to pay (which will never happen - likely) I would still do it again. Ya gotta help one another even if it has negative effects for you, right?
PPS. Oh - and even though there is likely no need to fix this guys car for him... you can still send the cash! There is a "thank you" note in it for you. :)
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