Better Late than Never (Blog 28 of 30)

What you see in this picture is a cheque from General Motors.  A cheque that we almost did not get.

It all started a few summers ago when the transmission cratered on our GMC Acadia while we were on summer vacation.  A bit of a hassle and then a phone call to a buddy from church who has a car trailer got us and the stupid Acadia back home.  A trip to the transmission shop got us back on the road.

Fast forward to this past February.  GM sent a recall notice for something that is wrong with the lift gate at the back.  As I am visiting with the service manager - a lady I know from the speedway - I find out that there has been a special service bulletin put out regarding the transmissions in this year of Acadia.

Oddly - no one let us know about it (though we got the lift gate recall letter).  Fortunately - we were able to get in under the wire.  The program was set to end in two weeks.

Anyway - Sara had kept our receipts and everything, so I took them in and made a claim.  Then we waited.... and waited..... and waited...... and (well you get the idea).

Yesterday we finally got a cheque that covered about half the cost of the new transmission (GM paid out what they would have paid to fix our old one.  We chose to go with a rebuilt one).  So I was happy with that.  The money was spent and gone, so this was just bonus anyway.

So there you go!  It only took 3 years and having some connections to get it - but GM at least admitted that they built a faulty part and backed it up (sort of).

It is almost enough to make me love GM again and never tell this story to anyone else ever again.

Almost..... but not quite!  :)

Women of Today article (Blog 27 of 30)

Click on the picture to read the Estevan Mercury story re. the "Women of Today" awards.

An Iphone Flap (Blog 26 of 30)

People are upset that the FBI was able to hack an Iphone that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters.

I say "Good!"

I doubt that there will be anything on the phone that will have any real significance to the case, but I hope they find something that will help them prevent something similar in the future.

"But now the US government can access the information in your phone!!!!!"

And??????

The only thing strange thing they would find on my phone is a Johnny Reid album (HE ISN'T JUST FOR OLD PEOPLE!!!  HE IS REALLY GOOD!!!!)


I just don't get the paranoia around the government accessing your private information.  Call me and I will sing my Social Insurance Number to you over the phone for all I care.

The only thing someone would get from my history is "bored".

The Drive-thru Diatribe (Blog 25 of 30)

I HATE THE DRIVE THRU!!!!

There.... I said it!!!!

I think that the drive thru is one of the worst inventions of modern culture.  Why do I say that???  Well.......

1.  Have you noticed that it is spelled "drive thru"?  What is that???

2.  It is inequitable.
The drive thru window always looks as if it is staffed by the entire grade 12 class from the local high school while the inside counter looks more like nap time at the old folks home and someone forgot to set the alarm!  IF I TAKE THE TIME TO ACTUALLY COME INTO YOUR STORE I OUGHT TO GET BETTER SERVICE THAN THE GUY WHO SPENDS 3.74 SECONDS DRIVING BY THE WINDOW!!!!

3.  The conversations.  
"Brrrmmmmppppp..... Welcome to ___________ may I take your order?"

"Ya I will have a medium black coffee."

"Bbbbrrrrpppp.... did you say a medium chai latte?"

"No! I am a grown man!!!   Why would I drink that slop???   I said I wanted a medium black coffee!"

"FFffrrrrrrrgggghhhhttt....... Ok..... what size would you like?"

"I am sorry! Maybe I wasn't clear. Lean in and listen closely.... AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" (Fill in the loudest, more shrill, girly "I just found a spider in my hair" scream right there)

Eighty-seven minutes later I finally drive away with a steaming cup of chai latte.


4.  The lack of conversation
In Europe, going out for food or drink is a social occasion.  You do not go out to eat.... you go out to be with people.  The food is secondary.  It is part of being part of a community.  In a drive thru, the only thing you are part of is global warming (if you believe in that) by having you and 27 of your community members idling in a line for 6 hours while you wait!  If I am paying for a cup of coffee that I could make for free at my office, I going to force a real person to make awkward small talk with me - just like my Grand-pappy did in his day.  It is part of the exchange!

5.  Did I mention it is spelled "Drive thru"??????

6.  The drive thru makes me clean up my own slop because it is now in my truck instead of on the table in the restaurant where it ought to be!

In all seriousness, don't fall for the drive thru!!!  It is simply the company's way of saying "Give us your money and get off our property as fast as you can!"  

It was built for their convenience... not yours!

Which is why - even if there is a drive thru - I never, ever use it!  

Instead, I make Sari go in and get our stuff.

If I don't take a stand, who will?  :)

Some Well Deserved Recognition (Blog 24 of 30)

Sara has been nominated for a "Women of Today" award for "Outstanding Contribution to the Community".  She was invited to a luncheon today to announce the nominees and then the awards will be handed out in April.

We have a plaque on our wall that says, "Work hard.  Be kind.  And amazing things will happen!"  I think that sums up how Sara goes about things and the effect that she has..... obviously others think so too!  :)

Maybe we aren't so different after all (Blog 23 of 30)

Cool video.... watch to the end and think about what he says!  :)

A Tree Tale (Blog 22 of 30)

I just found the best way to make the people of  Estevan, Saskatchewan mad........

Take a chain saw and start butchering trees around town!

I am serious!  

The city hired some company to come in and take care of the trees that were overhanging the sidewalks and roadways and those guys are getting more dirty looks than Donald Trump at a Hilary Clinton rally!

In fact, I think you could kick puppies down main street and people would not be as mad as they are at these tree dudes!

Now, maybe this has to do with the fact that - as I noted previously - they are butchering these things. They are cutting branches off left and right with seemingly no regard for aesthetics or form.  We now have trees all over town that look like they were in one of those old time Ginsu knife commercials.... "Watch!  This knife can even cut an entire tree in half length-wise in one motion!!"

The other issue is that - shocking as it may seem - the prairies are not known for having an abundance of trees, so the idea of chopping up anything that is still alive is appalling to most.

I think they ought to make a reality show out of it...... "In the southeastern corner of Saskatchewan, a group of men put their bravery to the test as they hack their way through the urban forest of a small prairie town and try to deal with the angry old ladies that yell at them from their front porches..... THIS.... IS..... BRANCH BUTCHERS!!!"

I'd watch that!  

In fact, I did watch that from my front window after work today!  

If I was a betting man, my money would not be on the tree dudes!  

Three Minutes of Learning (Blog 21 of 30)

You may have seen this floating around the internet lately, but I found it interesting.  There is a vault in Norway that holds seeds from all over the world.  A short video and then you can go do more research about it if you like....

It is Happening Again!!! (Blog 20 of 30)

Why does this keep happening to me????

I said that I was not going to get involved!!!!

I promised myself that last year was the last time!!!

I tried my best and it did not work out, so why keep banging your head against the wall, right?

Sometimes the best thing you can do is just cut your losses, throw in the towel and walk away.

And then..........  LIKE AN IDIOT!!!!!!!...... I said "Yes" to THIS again!!!!!!!

Now, for those who do not live around here you need to know that the Co-op's "Fuel up to Win" contest is grossly mis-named!

It should be called, "Here is your chance to collect 7638946904386904869438 little stickers and waste 3846978 hours of your life sticking them in this card thing for the chance to win some really cool prizes none of which you will ever win because the game is totally rigged against you and not to mention that the little stickers don't actually stick and will fall out of the card every time you pick it up!" (But maybe they could not use that name because it was already taken!!???????  I am not sure.)

Last year I spent half my winter sticking things in the card and entering pin numbers and keeping track of these stupid little bits of paper...... and for what.......  NOTHING THAT IS WHAT!!!!! (Well, I did get that funny taste in my mouth from licking the glue.... that was one good thing!).

Here is what always happens:  You quickly get every sticker you need to complete each row..... except one!  Then you wait..... and you keep going back..... then you try to trade with your buddies but they are all waiting for the same silly sticker too!!

Everyone is just HOPING to get a Pincher Creek, Alberta sticker!!!!

Never in the history of the world has Pincher Creek been so popular!!!!

So why did I say "yes" when they asked me if I wanted to play again?

Well, they are giving away a Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner, ya know???

See anyone you recognize? (19 of 30)

It looks like someone is off campus without permission!  Click on the picture below and pay attention around the 1:30 mark of the video.

Shocking News...... Some Bikers are unfriendly!!! Or "How not to fit in at the Swap meet" (Blog 18 of 30)

Since I am repairing a couple of old bikes, I was really excited to go to the "Biker Swap Meet" in Moose Jaw this past weekend.  It was even more fun that Sari decided to go with me.

As we pulled up to the building, it became clear that this was not our normal Sunday morning crowd.

The first tip off...... the multiple police cruisers parked outside.

The second...... the fact that everyone was dressed in black leather.  I mean everyone!  From top to bottom..... leather hats, leather coats or vests.... leather pants.... leather boots.  Everyone!

Well - everyone except for Sari who was dressed in a shirt that looked like an Easter Egg!

A cute Easter Egg mind you..... but an Easter Egg none the less.

At least it was no hard to find her in the crowd.
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At the same meet, I kept seeing guys who had a patch on their back that said, "Christian".  On the front, they had other patches that said stuff like "God is good!" or "Disciple".

I had heard of various Christian biker groups, but I had never seen these guys before, so I decided to ask one of them about the group.  Generally speaking, bikers are a friendly lot especially once they know that you have a bike too, so I picked out this one dude and approached him.

"Hey, can I ask you a question" I said.

"Why?" was his surly response.

"I just wanted to ask about your colours.  I have heard of a lot of Christian bikers but I don't know about yours.  What can you tell me about it?"

"We are bikers.... who are Christians!" he snorted.

At this point I was starting to really believe the first part of his statement, though I was starting to doubt the second part a bit.  

I decided to try a different approach..... "Well I work with a church in Estevan and I ride too so I just kinda wondered who you guys are since I have never seen your patch before".

"Estevan", he said sounding even less impressed.  "Do you know pastor Jeff?"  I said that I did and he said, "Well, that is him right over there!"

I took this as my cue to shut up and leave him alone..... which I did!

So I went and talked to Jeff who was dressed in the same apparel as the other dudes, but he did not seem to know much more about the group either...... or he was sworn to secrecy so something.

It was a weird experience though.

When the guys wearing "Christian" are way less friendly than the guys wearing the "Hell's Angels" stuff, something is wrong.

(PS.  Oddly, that last line is true.  The dudes at the HA table were very talkative.... till the cops walked by anyway)

Where have I been????

If you are still faithfully checking this block once in a while, thank you!  I have not given up on it, but life sort of got in the way recently.

I left home about 10 days ago to go to a conference.  I knew that I would not be blogging for that weekend, but figured that was not a big deal.  However, on the Sunday I was away, I found out that my Dad died.  I may write more about that later, but that event dramatically changed how the rest of the week played out.

Instead of coming home on Sunday I ended up spending the next week or so in Moose Jaw making funeral plans, going to banks, meeting people I had not seen since I was a kid and generally sorting things out.  The good news is that I had lots of family help.... in particular my brother and sister.  One of the cool things about the week is that the three of us spent almost every waking minute together dealing with a lot of sort of stressful things, but we got along really well.  Those two (and several other family members) made the week a whole lot easier and much nicer.

So now that I am home for a while, I plan to get back to the blog (maybe it will not be "30 blogs in 40ish days" but that will have to do).   

Again, thanks for reading this and thanks too for commenting and interacting. I do this because it is fun (it is easy for the other stuff I do in a day to take on a very serious tone so it is enjoyable to come here and be stupid.... something that some of you have said I do very well.... which I am not sure is a compliment or an insult).

See you tomorrow!

Yee Haw!!! (Blog 17 of 30)

When Katie graduated a couple of years ago, I volunteered to work security at the Chem-free party. In fact, I was in charge of it.

It was fun!  Good kids.... good music.... nice people to work with... tons of food.... I really enjoyed it!

So with Megan graduating this year...... I volunteered for security again.... and I am in charge again......BUT this time I am going to do it right.

Instead of being "Good cop" and going to be "Bad cop!"

You know.... quarantine Megan and her friends for talking during the dance.... or force them to bring me food all night..... maybe I will confiscate some of their grad prizes...... or make them play only music that I like (All Taylor Swift all night).

What is the point of having power if you can't be corrupted by it?????

Just in case (Blog 16 of 30)

Generally I try to be a nice guy.  I try to give people the benefit of the doubt.  I try to see things from their point of view.

But sometimes that is REALLY hard!!!

And sometimes I REALLY want to tell people that they are being stupid!

Like when people start griping about politics.  Here is the thing:  I am interested in politics.  In fact, I even follow it and keep up with what is going on.  However, I have ABSOLUTELY NO HOPE that politicians will ever make a real difference for us.  No matter who is in there or who is leading, their hands are basically tied.

SO STOP WHINING, PAY YOUR TAXES AND SHUT UP!!!! YOUR LIFE IS NOT THAT BAD!!!!

Now..... that is what I want to yell at people..... but I can't!  And (as I said in the first line of this blog) I try to be nicer than that.

So what do you do if you want to call someone an idiot, but do not feel like you can or should?  Well, one alternative is to insult them in a nicer way.  We all know phrases that accomplish this... like instead of saying someone is a "moron" you say, "He is a few bricks short of a load" or "Not the sharpest knife in the drawer".

Someone sent me a list of creative insults today and I am sharing my favourites with you so you have something to say when you are really frustrated!!!

That guy.......

~ Doesn't have all his cornflakes in one box.
~ Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming.
~ The wheel's spinning, but the hamster's dead.
~ The cheese slid off his cracker.
~ An intellect rivaled only by garden tools.
~ His sewing machine's out of thread.
~ If she had another brain, it would be lonely.
~ Slinky's kinked.
~ Too much yardage between the goal posts.
~ Big like ox; smart like tractor.
~ Butter slipped off the noodles.

And my personal favourite....... Back in the 1950s the church here was getting too large for its small building so they decided to add on to it.  One day, one of the church members was framing up part of the new wall and he could not seem to get things right.  He measured wrong.  He cut the board too short.  Dropped his hammer.  Bent the nails.  Nothing went as it should.  As this was going on the preacher that they had at the time leaned over to one of the other church members and said in his Texas drawl.....

"I think old Archie may have picked his melon a little too ripe!"  :)

Now, to be clear, I am not encouraging such behaviour and because you are so much nicer and better than me you will likely never need these phrases.... but if and when you do at least now you have something in your arsenal.  :)

A Leap Year Fact and a "Friends" Picture (blog 15 of 30)

Yesterday I promised that if you came back here you would not have to think (See yesterday's post re. "Why does a funny joke not live anywhere near as long as a good song?"   By the way, I am still waiting for some good - or even not so good theories on that so get with it!).

However, I did not promise that you would not learn something.

So here we go....... Leap years happen once every four years, right?

BBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRAAAAAANNNNNTTTTT!!!!   WRONG!

Just so you know (according to CTV News).......

An Earth year is said to be 365 days long, but in fact, the planet actually takes 365.24 days to make a complete cycle around the sun. Without a leap year day every four years, we would soon be a full day out of sync with the calendar. Eventually, the start of the seasons would not match up with our calendar.

But..........

Leap years don’t always occur every four years. They only happen on years that are divisible by four -- except for years that are both divisible by 100 and not divisible by 400. So, the year 2000 was a leap year, while the year 1900 was not. 

There you go!  I did not know that and I am betting that none of you did either. (If you did, comment below and prove me wrong)
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In the mid-90s. NBC called their Thursday night line up, "Must see TV".  For a long time, this evening was anchored by "Seinfeld" (Easily my all-time favourite) and "Friends".

I was never a huge "Friends" fan, but I watched it when nothing else was on.

Today I came across this picture........

I don't know how well you can see it, but it is the set for the Friends coffee shop, "Central Perk".

What I like about the picture is just how minimal and cold the set looks.  Like, it is actually very small and there really is not much to it.  However, when you watch the show, the coffee shop looks real, full and cozy.

I have seen similar pictures of the Seinfeld set and I am always amazed at how TV can create a world that looks and feels real out of something that is nothing more than a suggestion or an illusion.

There is a sermon illustration in there somewhere

You are gonna have to think... like it or not! (Blog #14)

Ok - admittedly there has been a lot of drivel on this blog.  Not much to challenge your intelligence.... but that changes today!

No seriously.... it does!

Something has been bothering me and you guys are going to figure out the answer for me.  Why???? Well, I think y'all are capable of coming up with some interesting - if not intelligent - answers.

A while ago, I watched an interview with Jeff Foxworthy and he said......

"I wish I had got into music instead of comedy.  A musician writes one good song and that is it.  He can play that one song for the next 50 years and people keep paying to hear it.  Not me!  I write one joke.... people hear it.... and it is over!   Could be the best joke in the world - but as soon as it is out it is done and I have to come up with something new!"

Ok amateur philosophers (and people who have nothing better to do but read whatever is on here)...... What is going on here?   Is it that.......

A.  Comedy depends on comments that are surprising (something you did not see coming) whereas music plays to what is already known (love, fun, heartache, etc).  Therefore, music will always be longer lasting because it is based on something that is common and known whereas it is impossible to recreate the surprise ending of a joke after it has been heard (even "funny songs" are not funny after you have heard them once or twice).

B.  Laughter is a less deeply felt emotion than, say, sadness.  Music therefore affects us on a much deeper level than jokes and therefore it stands the test of time better.

C.  People are stupid!!!   It is super hard to be funny!!  Any jerk can write a song!  I sing songs about myself all the time (though none have become popular yet and I have not been asked to repeat them).

D.  Some other fourth answer.......

Ok - there you go.  Give me you best theory or vote for one of mine.

I especially want to hear from the funny guys who read this thing (Matt.... Trevor..... I am expecting something from you).

Tune in tomorrow when - I promise - there will be something so stupid on here that it will require no thought that all.

Man Weekend (Blog 13)

So, if you are me, how do you spend your weekend if the girls are away?

Well, you start by going to a hockey game (the Bruins beat Kindersley).

Then on Saturday, you do oil changes on your truck and Megan's with the door open - at the end of February!!!

Then you take the oil in for recycling.... make lunch..... and watch some NASCAR racing.

After that, you go back out to the garage and start working on the 1979 Suzuki 425 that you bought for next to nothing but got running last week.  Sorted out a few electrical issues today and made a parts list.  I think this one will be going down the road this summer!

The to top it all off you go and watch the Leaf/Canadiens game that you PVRed.

That is what a weekend by myself looks like.  I would not want to do it all the time, but it was fun for two days.

A Reminder (#12)

I just walked in the door after going to a funeral for a 25 year old kid  (I did not really know him, but I know his dad and a bunch of cousins from the speedway).

Here is some of what I heard.....

- Rylan was courageous and did not allow his fear of failure to hold him back from new experiences

- He loved to laugh

- When you talked, he listened in such a way that you felt like you were the only person in the world

- (One of his family members said) We are doing this tribute to Rylan on this day because we always do things as a family.

- He loved his brother and knew that they were always better together

- His easy-going nature allowed people to feel comfortable around him.

- He was always looking for the good side of things

Funerals have a way of boiling off all the useless things that we seem to think are really important.... leaving behind the things that are truly important.

What are you leaving behind?

Or Can You? (Random thought #11)

"You can't judge a book by its cover" someone said to me today.

Of course you can!

In fact, isn't that what the cover is for?  (Well, that and keeping the booky bits inside)

If you can't judge a book by its cover then.....

1.  A lot of people are going to be really surprised when they get home from Chapters with that book that says "The History of the Airplane" on the cover only to find out that it is actually "A Pictorial Directory of Perogies that look like People".

2.  If there is so much trouble matching the cover to the contents of the book, I am going to push my girls down that career path.  As long as they can put the word "Math" on the cover of a book that has math in it, then they will in line for a promotion on day one right?  

English is a topic that makes me very excitement!

A Phrase to Remember (Blog 10 of 30)

Many years ago, our Bible college honoured a couple who had been good givers to the school.

To look at them, you would not know that they were "good givers".  They did not drive new cars.  They did not own a big house.  They certainly never talked about how much money they gave away or how many people they had helped.

Apparently, though, they were super generous.

Anyway, as part of the ceremony, someone said of these people that they "Gave without remembering".

I have never forgotten that phrase because it struck me as being such a rare thing.

I know some generous people..... but I know it because they told me that they were generous.

I some people who have helped me..... but they like to remind me about it once in while.

I can give things away...... but it is easier to do if I do not have to help the same person over and over again.  It would be easier if I didn't remember.

The Bible says, "Love keeps no records of wrongs" (I Corinthians 13:5).  Maybe it is true too that "Love keeps no records at all".

No record of what I have done for you.  No record of how much I have given away.  No record of what I think someone owes me.  No record of whose turn it is now.

Think what would happen if it could be said of all of us that we without remembering.

That would be something to remember!