At least it does when they can stop talking about our dysfunctional government.


Isn't it nice to know your government isn't the only dysfunctional one? We have a couple scandals and an election brewing up here but nothing that could top what the US and UK seem to be facing daily.

Be careful with that reading in the boat thing. I've dropped a book or two into the lake where our cottage is located. Not good for them.

* pours a tea and settles in for a bit *

Good morning, all. Having a bit of a rough time. Pain in my joints and no diagnosis as of yet. Initially, my doc and physiotherapist put it down to RSI since it seemed to only affect my hands but I've had pain in shoulders, elbows, and even a knee. Back to doc to review some blood work and x-rays.

Anyone else for tea? I'm making a pot of Earl Grey.

Fuller Brush Man
Drive-In movies
A & W carhops
balcony seating in the movies
movie ushers

All of the above. Though I know some of the modern cineplexes around here do have balconies again. And we still have an old drive-in operating near London. I have friends who go occasionally.

Oo, I could just keep going.

The Kitchener Farmer's Market.

Norris Bakery coffee cakes (bought on said market)

Carnarvon Bakery near our cottage, now long defunct (Yes, there's a Carnarvon in Ontario. It's a little village at the southern end of the lake where the cottage is located. No castle, alas.) Best damned dinner rolls I've ever had and some fantastic squares and pies

Watching the Apollo missions (I was bit young to remember 11 very well, but the later ones I definitely remember watching). Yes, I'm a big space geek.

Saturday morning cartoons

Kittens being born in our basement (one of which remained with us until the year I got my Master's)

Pop Shoppe (a locally bottled soda in small, very distinctive bottles)

The Red Barn (a long defunct fast food joint)

The Central Ontario Exhibition (the local fair in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada where I grew up)

Hiway Market (a large, independent grocery store in Kitchener that folded in the late seventies or early eighties)

Today I was watching the latest (in the UK at least) episode of Chicago Fire. It led me to remembering an old TV show called 'Til Death us do part' which featured a bigot called Alf Garnett. So, you may ask, how is that connected to Chicago Fire?
Watch... <img src="/images/emoticons/laughing7.gif" alt="laughing6">



Wasn't Alf the inspiration for Archie Bunker in All in the Family? I haven't seen 'Til Death..., just remember reading that somewhere.

So, pulling the trigger on the upgrade tomorrow morning. Today, though, just regular work and then a hockey game. Not usually my cuppa but our company and another in the group are sharing a private box tonight and we are using it as a bit of a celebration of some recent successes. And the local Junior A team is on a roll and looking at a serious shot at some hardware this season. This is actually one of the last regular season home games before the playoffs.

Kettle's on, coffee's brewing. * pours another orange pekoe, squeezes in some lime, crashes on the couch *

Just a couple notes on Bell since, as usual, that account bypasses his time in Canada.

- Bell had a home in Brantford, Ontario, the city where my mother grew up and where my parents met, and did a lot of work on the telephone there as well as in Boston. Early demonstrations of the phone included a call from Brantford to Mount Pleasant, where Mom lived in the 1930s-50s. I remember going to Brantford with my family to take in some of the celebrations of the centennial of the telephone.

- Late in life, after he sold his home in Brantford and became a US citizen, Bell maintained a summer home in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. During this period, he was one of the backers of the Silver Dart, the first aircraft to fly in the British Empire and was present when it made its maiden flight in 1909.

One wonders, of course, what he would make of smart phones, IP telephony (making calls over the Internet), Skype, and the like. Probably would start having ideas for other cool uses of the technology, knowing what a prolific and imaginative inventor he was.

Ecstatic - Current

Finally got things fixed up on Monday, but I've now had to put off the upgrade. Hopefully this coming weekend. I am trying to figure why the hell I am doing this stuff in my spare time when it's also my day job. Plus I'm acting treasurer of the board (though only because we needed to raise funds for some work related to the upgrade).

Kettle's on for those who need it. Some orange pekoe with a twist of lemon for me.

Spooky people come out to play. This is now your special day. Scare the other folks away. Spooky people play! Monster people come out to dance, Tonight will be your perfect chance. Caper, spin, stomp, and prance! Monster people dance! Witch-y people grab your broom, Soar up through the twilight gloom, Past the stars you're going to zoom, Witch-y people zoom! Halloween people this is...

Added 31 Oct 2018 | Category Poetry | Votes 7 | Avg Score 5 | Views 220 | 5 Comments

The rider came swiftly towards Eversham. Keeping his horse at a fast trot, he reached the cluster of buildings that stood beyond the town’s West gate. Those buildings stood mostly empty and boarded up now that winter had arrived. During the summer, though, they were home to hundreds when trade caravans passed through en route to the mountain passes. Dev Jackelbury, Warden of Eversham, stood...

Added 13 Oct 2018 | Category Fantasy | Votes 9 | Avg Score 5 | Views 334 | 9 Comments

I saw the light born and reborn this morning. From dark sea and dim horizon came a holy glow, A signal that night's rule was ending; A first, tentative announcement that light and life would indeed return from the underworld. That first dim glow grew brighter, and my heart quickened, Delighting in the light, celebrating the warmth and brightness that soon would be. Then it happened. In...

Added 15 Jan 2018 | Category Poetry | Votes 5 | Avg Score 5 | Views 475 | 4 Comments

The wind gave a piercing howl, rattling the windows of Professor Jack Lange’s apartment. Jack lowered his book at the sound and stared out at the blowing snow. "Wow, what a storm!" announced the disc jockey on the radio as if he, too, had heard it, "If you don't gotta go out, don't go." Jack turned off the radio. The storm had given him a rare day to himself, so he wasn’t especially...

Added 29 Mar 2017 | Category Horror | Votes 6 | Avg Score 5 | Views 682 | 8 Comments