Post 2330 - Tuesday

Hi.  I'm back

Feeling much better this evening.  Thanks for your concern.

I would have told you this last evening had I not taken a spell, but I got my hair cut yesterday during my lunch hour.  My hair, though muy bueno, was very long and not styled.  The 90  year old man who used to cut my hair would just shave my head for me, at my request.  No styling to speak of.  When it started growing out,  it went every which way.  As of yesterday, it should not grow out again in a way that makes people think I'm the Abominable Snowman. 

Here's a picture of me with the new 'do, courtesy of this computer's webcam:

My, I'm an attractive man.

Today was the last day for the contest I mentioned a couple of weeks ago.  You will recall that I had asked for your input to come up with a name for my readers.

I will tell you all about it, tomorrow.

After work this evening, Patricia and I visited an old friend in the hospital.  He is slowly on the mend.   We are relieved.  Get better soon, buddy.

My work week is half over.  Newbie is purring seductively in my ear and reaching for me.  I can no longer ignore his entreaties, so I will call it a night.

It's a night.

I think I've used that joke before.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2329 - Ugh! Part Two

Still not used to these glasses. Maybe I should have hung on to the old ones a bit longer.

Hated the old ones.

Never mind.

Back to sleep.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!

Post 2328 - Halifax

I'm back in the city after a quick trip to the Valley.

Newbie missed me while I was gone. He was actually being friendly with Patricia for a day or so. Since I've returned he's been all over me. Perhaps it is a coincidence but he likes to sit on top of the cable modem. This time the "alrt" button on it won't go off, meaning I have no internet connection no matter how many times I try to cold boot the thing. Thanks, Newbie.

My mother is doing fine. She sends her love. I know you wish her well as well. If Newbie were with her again he'd probably break her hearing aid or something. Thanks, Newbie.

Newbie is next to me on the bed now. If cats could smirk, he would. After all, he eff'd up my internet connection, I can't find the contact information for my isp to save my life, and I have no choice but to spend time with him.

Thanks, Newbie.

See you tomorrow. Maybe my internet will be working by then.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!

Post 2327 - Yay!

I'm at my mother's place until Sunday afternoon. Drove up here this morning after sleeping for too many hours Friday night.

My glasses feel much better today. Thanks for asking. I know you were concerned.

My mother wanted to go shopping today. We were gone for hours. Reminded me of all the times I'd taken her for groceries and we'd be gone for long periods of time. Is this what nostalgia feels like?

I mentioned before that my mother plays bingo in her new home. I asked her to win me a prize. Today, I got that prize. As you can see, it is an Oh Henry chocolate bar. I thought you'd like to see it before I ate it. It's in my tummy now.

Afterward, I came back here and chilled out for a while. I've spent several hours doing laundry. I just watch this week's episode of "Orphan Black". And I think I'll turn in.

Tomorrow I have some more stuff to take care of around here. In the afternoon it's back to the city for another fun-filled week. Like the subject of this email says, "yay"!

See you guys Sunday.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!

Post 2326 - Ugh!

Very late at night. Got new glasses on Friday. Not used to them yet. They're sucking the eyes out of my head.

Look at the subject of this email again. How I feel.

See you tomorrow.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!

Post 2325 - Happy Birthday, Ron Roberts!

We are back home after a fun evening in Bedford.  We attended the 80th birthday celebration for Ron Roberts, for many years the voice of CJCH.

I had met Mr.  Roberts in 2012, at the funeral for Clive Schaefer.  He remembered me from then and said that he had tried to look me up.  He wants to do an interview about his long career, with me.  I'm honoured.

There were lots of people there tonight.  Patricia and J.C. Douglas and I were among the youngest people there.  I am guessing that there were lots of former radio people in attendance, but I would have no way of knowing that. 

I did meet John Cunningham and Clary Flemming.  Meeting Mr. Flemming reminded me of all the times my father and I would watch Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling on television.  I kept thinking tonight of Killer Karl Kroop and his infamous "claw" move, and how he pronounced the host's name.  "Meeeesster Flemmmming!!"

Turns out that Ron Roberts is a big jazz fan.  A short video that highlighted aspects of his career showed him with Marie Osmond, Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and Papas, and many others.   There was a signed photo of Duke Ellington thanking Roberts for his friendship.  I was able to tell JC something he didn't know: That Duke Ellington was friends with Portia White, the renowned contralto who spent time in Africville, so it would seem natural for Ellington and Roberts to meet. 

Clary Flemming and John Cunningham read many notes of support and friendship from his family, friends, and former colleagues.  I recognized a few of the names, such as Bob Oxley, Harris Sullivan and Senator Mike Duffy.  Duffy and I are practically pen pals these days. 

There was plenty of music.  Bands played 2 different versions of "All of Me".  One guy alternated between his regular singing voice and affecting Louie Armstrong in a convincing manner.  

There were two fave moments for me.  One was when a local singer named Pam Barr sang a song directed at Ron Roberts.  As she finished she sat next to him and hugged him.   The other was when Ron Roberts himself sang parts of a famous jazz song.  At 80, he still has the pipes. 

All too soon, the evening was over.  We said good night to Mr. Roberts.  I gave him my phone number and told him to call me when he was feeling better.  Patricia posed with him for a couple of pictures, and we drove home.

I knew few people there this evening, but I wouldn't have traded it for anything.  We had a blast.  We are so glad we went.  It is obvious that Ron Roberts is deeply respected and loved by lots of people.  I hope that I can do that interview with him, and soon.  The man has some fascinating stories to tell.

Oh, a few bits of radio news.  Look for some major changes at Lite 92.9 in the next few weeks.  Jamie Paterson will be moving over to Afternoon Drive while his wife remains in mornings and will be joined by Chris Lawrence, who's leaving Energy 103.  This opens up a spot at Energy 103, and Colin McInnes may get that job.  He is late of K-Rock in New Minas.  I have also heard some information regarding a well known local jock who is not feeling well.  I have heard some of the details and they are not pretty.  I wish him a speedy recovery. 

But you didn't hear any of this stuff from me.  No.  Not at all.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2324 - Wednesday

Short and sweet.  Just like me.

It is past 9:30.  I should be turning in soon.  Tomorrow will be a long day.

I had my doctor's appointment this morning.  My knee is nearly 100% better.  Just two days ago, it was very difficult for me to walk, and forget about taking the stairs.  Now I can take the stairs with little or no difficulty.  The doctor still gave me a prescription for ibuprofen, not the wussy over the counter stuff.  This is apparently much more powerful.  I will let you know. 

After work, I went to my Toastmasters meeting.  We had two speakers, so we had an actual competition for best speaker.  One speech was about the insignias of the Canadian Armed Forces from a member thereof.   Very interesting.  The other speech was from a brand-new member.  He is a native of Botswana, and he talked a bit about what it was like to grow up there.  He had four homes.






I drove home and got here around 7:45.  Newbie and Cindy greeted me, wanting food.  Patricia greeted me, eating food.  I didn't have any food.  Made me sad.

Patricia told me an hour or so ago about the toaster.  I don't know why we go through so many toasters.  They are not overly used, but they stop working after maybe a year if we are lucky.   I will probably go to the department store next to my work and get a new one.  They're going out of business and everything is marked down, so I should be able to get a deal.

Tomorrow will be busy because after work, I will be going to Bedford to attend the 80th birthday party for Ronnie Roberts, the legendary CJCH broadcaster.  I have only met the man once, at Clive Schaefer's funeral, and I look forward to seeing him again, and perhaps rub elbows with a bunch of other jocks I haven't met yet who know who I am.  I will have to take extra Blog business cards with me.  I will need them.  Did I tell you that I ordered 2500 additional cards last week, and that they arrived on Monday?  2500 cards should last me for a couple of years, unless I start putting them in the spokes of my bike or something.

What bike?

You guys have a groovy evening.  I'll see you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2323 - Tuesday

Hi.

First of all, I'm sorry that I didn't write on Monday.  It was all I could do to make it home before I lay down and slept the night away.  After a day of hobbling on it, my leg was killing me last night.  Sleeping as much as I did last night and into this morning made a big difference.  My leg was much better today.

Let's see here.  What was my day like?

The highway system in Halifax is interesting to say the least.  Roads merge suddenly, forcing you to change lanes when it may not be prudent to do so.  That happened this evening on the way home.  The turn off we usually take to get home forces me to switch lanes so as to make the exit to the Saint Margaret's Bay Road.  There is a short window during which I can execute this manoeuvre.  Been doing this for years and years and always found the space to do this.

Until this evening.

For the first time I think ever, I couldn't get into the right lane because there were too many other vehicles already in it.  I had no choice but to stay in the left lane.  I took the first exit from that and looped around and we found ourselves going back in the opposite direction, as if we were returning to Halifax.  We ended up turning on to the Prospect Road toward Exhibition Park.  We kept driving because we seldom go down that way.

We ended up driving toward and then past Peggy's Cove.  This time of year, without all the tourists, it is a different experience.   We continued around the loop that would eventually take us to Tantallon.  Quite a ways along, I very suddenly I saw a sign for a place called The Finer Diner in Hackett's Cove.   I slowed down and took the turn to the parking lot and said we were going in for a piece of pie or something.

We ended up having a pretty agreeable dinner there.  We both ordered a beef tip sandwich.  Actual damn slices of beef dipped in bbq sauce and served between a kaiser roll.  I had a side Caesar salad, and it was pretty damned  good.  Just enough salad dressing.  Too many people drench these salads in so much dressing I wonder if they bought too much of it at Costco and have to use it up before it goes bad.  Tonight it was just right.

The sandwich was excellent.  The meat may have been just a hair too chewy, but I was so impressed that they used real beef and not that pressed shit that I can forgive them for this slight error.

Patricia also had the sandwich, only with fries.  While from a bag, the fries were still really good, much better than I would have expected.

I had a root beer float; if you look on my Facebook, you can see me hovering over it.  Patricia and I shared a slice of pie.  It was caramel pie with cream and little bits of rhubarb mixed in.  We liked it, although an actual rhubarb/strawberry pie would have rocked our world. 

The service was excellent.  Our server was named Kelly, and she was great fun.  I was happy to leave her a good tip, one not involving the consumption of yellow snow.

The meal set me back a non-princely sum.  We will go back, and relatively soon.

We drove home after that.  I came upstairs and have been surfing the web for the last 90 minutes or so.  My leg is still not 100 percent, so I am going to turn in early and get as much rest as I can in the hope that it will be that much better in the morning.

Tonight's roundabout drive was unexpected and was capped off with an unexpected and delightful meal.  As I get a little older, I do less and less of the spontaneous stuff, and times like this remind me that I should be much more spontaneous than I am.  Perhaps I will turn over a new leaf.

Or not.

After all, there's always something good on tv.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2322 - Two Days Later

It is Sunday evening. I am watching the Juno's on television. Like you, I'm waiting for Carly Rae Jepson to take the stage. And I'm still in pain.

My left leg is still killing me. I've not left the house in 2 days so I'm hopeful I can hobble around work on Monday. I've got tennis elbow. And I cut myself preparing a bagel this afternoon. Blood on the plate and my pants and running down my hand. Four bandaids later and I think it's over.

All in all, this has not been a fun weekend. But it ended nicely because Patricia cooked the best scallops in the history of the world. Honestly. When they write the history of scallops they will refer to this evening's meal.

Carly Rae Jepson just finished singing. I need to excuse myself for a few minutes. You know why.
See you tomorrow.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!

Post 2321 - A Day Later

Hey, folks. 

I have been resting most of the day.  I am on painkillers and can report that my leg feels a bit better this evening.  I still can't bend it very much without wanting to scream in agony, but I am still feeling better.  Thanks for your concern.

Patricia left the house early this morning to go to Dartmouth to get a new composter for the cottage.  They were 25 dollars, taxes in.  I slept through her departure, believe it or not.  I am usually not that heavy a sleeper, but I was last night.

When she did return home, we talked for a spell until I returned to bed around 3:30.  I woke up in time for dinner.  The smells emanating from the kitchen nearly carried me down the stairs all by themselves.  Patricia had made a Manhatten seafood chowder.   It was chock full of seafood purchased at the Clearwater fish place on the Bedford Highway.  It was excellent.  As good as it was this evening it will be that much better on Sunday once the flavours have had a chance to mingle and get to know each other better.  Honestly, Patricia outdid herself this evening. 

I am on the bed now.  I have had my Robaxacet.  Newbie seems to have forgiven me for kidnapping him and taking him to the vet the other night: He is on the edge of the bed and even purring a little again.  A good sign.  It means I should not have to worry about getting clawed to death in my sleep. 

Which is fine.  After "Orphan Black" is over in an hour, I'm turning in yet again.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2320 - Aaarrgghh!

I'm in serious pain this evening. I am no longer walking. It is more like an agonizing hobble.

This situation began Tuesday evening. We were at dinner. When I returned from the men's, on my way back to our booth, I saw long-time Blog reader Les. I said hello. I wasn't paying careful attention to where I was walking.

The Lower Deck has quite a few galley-type benches where patrons can drink and eat and drink some more. They resemble fancy picnic tables. Anyway, I walked hard into one of these galleys, striking it with my knee so hard it made the galley move, and it's a heavy brute.

It hurt like hell. I've banged myself before and will again. I felt pretty sheepish about the whole thing. I assumed it would improve after a day or so.

Wednesday my knee was still sore. I didn't give it much thought.

Thursday my knee felt worse. The pain was growing worse. I couldn't bend my leg except in a certain way. Walking was difficult.

Today my knee is even worse. I have a full-fledged limp. If I am not very careful my left leg will nearly collapse under me and the pain becomes nearly unbearable. Sitting down is painful as well as it involves bending this knee. Getting in and out of my car causes great discomfort.

This is starting to worry me. I am on painkillers. An icepack is lashed to my knee, which is now throbbing. Frig, I really did a number to my knee!

I am unable to see my doc about this until the 24th, Wednesday. I will spend as much time this weekend as I can off my feet taking painkillers and resting in such a way that it doesn't cause additional hurt. I'm hoping to go back to work on Monday.

Guess I'll turn in. Meds are kicking in.

See you tomorrow. I hope.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!

Post 2319 - A Trip To The Vet

Last Friday evening we booked appointments for Newbie and Cindy Clawford to go to the veterinarian.  It had been a couple of years since Newbie had been to the vet.  6 months or so for Cindy.

Both cats have not taken well to the mature cat formula we had been feeding them.  We both thought that the food smelled like crap.  The cats ate it until the formula was changed in the last couple of months.  Since then, the cats have been vomiting it up more than they have been keeping it down.  We were worried.

We got home just past 5.  It remained to get the cats into their respective carriers.  We fed the cats and carefully observed them, waiting for the time to pounce.  Newbie seemed to sense what we had in mind, so he hid in the dining room.

We spent the next 25 minutes trying to get Newbie into the carrier.  No begging or pleading or cajoling worked.  No food bribes worked.  Patricia pretended to lunge for him; he just hissed at her and retreated into the next room.

It was 5:30.  We had a bit of a drive to get to Clayton Park by 6.  We were moments away from leaving him behind and just taking Cindy when he emerged from under a couch and slinked back into the dining room.  I went in there and tossed a small book in his direction, scaring him.  He sneaked past me somehow and ended up by the doorway leading to the basement.   He began to mewl, wanting to get further away from us.  Patricia got to him and scooped him up.  I got him from her and put him with Cindy in the bathroom and closed the door.  Within a moment we had both cats in their carriers.  Phew!

We drove to the vet's, arriving just before 6.  When the vet saw the cats, he pronounced that both of them seemed fine.  We insisted on blood tests, and agreed to pay a premium for that service.  Cindy had been losing a lot of weight, and we wanted to know why.

We had an hour to kill, so we went to the Lower Deck, a few doors up from the vet's.  Half price appie night.  In this case, the quality of the food was   proportional to its cost.  Half as pricey.   Half as good.  We're not running back there any time soon.

We got back to the vet's around 7:45.  We were led into a waiting room.  The doctor joined us and told us that the blood tests came back very well for both cats.  A few numbers were on the low side, but they look for numbers that are in the high range, and there was none. 

The decision was made to change the cats' diet to a GI dry food in conjunction with corresponding wet food.  We bought the appropriate cat victuals.  It was past closing time, so they had to let us out.  I got to the car ahead of Patricia and waited for her.  She came out, carrying the cat food.  When I asked her where Cindy was, she yelped and did a 180 and ran back inside.  She retrieved Cindy and we drove home.

The new cat food was consumed voraciously by both cats.  They were both stressed, especially Newbie.  He ate fast, even by his standards.  He has been sick twice since we got back home.  We are chalking it up to stress and aggravation and the new food.  He is at the end of the bed now, quieter than I have seen him in some time. 

Patricia has asked me to emphasize something.  She loves Cindy.  Cindy has helped Patricia get through some tough times over the last nearly 10 years.  Patricia feels badly that she inadvertently left her behind.  I think Cindy will have a fresh topic to discuss with her therapist next month.

We are home.  It is late.  Our cats are bushed.  And we're stressed from the evening.  We spent a lot of money this evening, but it bought us peace of mind.  We love our cats.  They are our fur kids.  We'd do anything for them.  They would... well, maybe acknowledge us from time to time in lieu of  doing something for us.  They might make a bit more eye contact with us over the next day or so, but I am skeptical.

You guys have a good evening. See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2318 - An Excellent Meal

When I was at my mother's last weekend, I took a pound of hamburger out of her freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw out.  As you well know, that is the best way to thaw out something.

I didn't have time over the weekend and into this week to do anything with the beef, so I brought it back with me yesterday.  This evening, Patricia took the hamburger and the new potatoes I brought back with me, and made what has to be the best shepherd's pie in the history of the free world. 

I'm not kidding.  I had two platefuls.  She reported that the beef was dry and had very little fat, and that was apparent in the taste.  God, I enjoyed this dinner.

Tomorrow Patricia is participating in a pot luck lunch at her work.  I will be grabbing a big chunk of the shepherd's pie.  You can drop by my office around noon time on Thursday and see what I will be eating with gusto.  Which is to say, I will be eating it with gusto.  If you want to look at the shepherd's pie with gusto, I have no control over that.  You still can't  have any.

I was looking at a youtube video this evening that explained how to replace an outdoor light fixture.  It looked straightforward enough.  The light over my mother's front door is in dire need of replacement.  I am sure it is native to the house, which makes it over 50 years old.  Given how it looked when I ripped it apart on Monday, I'm surprised it has lasted this long.  I think it did because nobody touched it for many years, and that the light was seldom used.  I have been using the light lately, leaving it on day and night until it finally burned out.  I think I will have to add a new light, and relatively soon. 

The video made it look like a simple, nearly trivial, task.  But as I pointed out here a few years ago, there is no set of instructions written so clearly that I cannot misinterpret them.  You may doubt me on this statement, but it is a fact.  I can't for the life of me make any sense out of pictographs.  Most written instructions are written by people whose first language is not English, and probably not their second language either.  Maybe the fourth or fifth.   At any rate, it is a waste of my time and life force to use written instructions for any reasonable purpose.  It is as if the English words in the manual fall apart and recombine to form syllables.  Those syllables  coalesce into "words", but not words that are in any language I'm used to.  You understand.

Youtube is more my speed.  But I am so skittish about farting around with electricity that I will probably yet hire someone to install the new fixture for me, once I go out and buy one that is.  Sometimes I think that Patricia wants me to try to install it anyway, at least after I have added her name to the deed to my house.  Does she really love me?

Long day.  Guess I'll turn in.  Newbie is looking at his watch and tapping his paw on the floor.  He will get that exasperated look shortly, and then watch out. 

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2317 - City Living

I am back in the city after several days at my mother's.  I don't know what it is about Valley weather, but I find I can't get enough sleep when I am down there.  I turned in around 9:30 Monday evening.  Don't judge me. 

This was after several hours of driving my mother around from place to place and working far too hard to remove a burned out light bulb from a light fixture that is certainly original to the house.  I'm sure that the old bulb had been in that fixture for many, many years.  I had to use needle nose pliers to remove the screws holding the cover in place.  I felt proud of myself.  Do you feel proud of me?  I hope so, because I crave the attention.  Did I ever tell you I was bullied in high school? 

What else is going on?  Not much.  I drove back here this afternoon after a quick visit to my mother at her nursing home.  She was still lording it up over having won twice at bingo Monday evening.   I am not sure if they will have a Texas Hold'em night, but my money's on Mom if they do. 

I took Newbie in with me to the nursing home today.  It was warm enough that I didn't want to leave him in the car, even with the windows partially rolled down.   I don't want to take any chances with my buddy.

Mom likes Newbie in the same way that I like carrots.  I know that they're good for me, but the taste of them drives me away from consuming them.  Mom is curt toward Newbie, but that is an improvement over the open hostility she had for him the first time I brought him home.    But he has worked on her and melted her heart.  I think she was secretly happy to see him again.

I took my leave and put gas in the car at the Irving station in Greenwich.  Another 60 dollars.  Yay.  I didn't need that new toothpaste or anything.  The drive back to the city was uneventful.  Newbie was in his carrier, glowering at me as if he were a woman disappointed on her wedding night.  Like I would know what that was like.

Patricia had been busy raking the lawn.  We decided to go out to dinner.  It was the steak at the Lower Deck in Clayton Park.  After the meal, I went to the men's room.   On the way back  to our booth, I noticed an old friend, and a veteran reader of this blog.  It was my old buddy Les Muise.  At the very moment I recognized him though, I banged my knee on one of the tables.   It still hurts, hours later, and after my shower. 

Les and I chatted for a few minutes.  He promised to introduce me to a mucky-muck in town.  This guy might very well like the blog, although maybe Les told me that so that I would leave him alone.  Yeah.  Let's go with that.

Got back to the house.  Showered.   Shaved.  Put on deodorant.  Brushed my teeth.  First time for all of those in a few days.  Yeah.  Valley living.  Gotta love it.

Back to work tomorrow after several days off.  Gonna be a fun 3 day week for me.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2316 - A Bevboy Contest

So.

This morning I went into the Lawton's drug store with my mother. As I rounded the corner to the place where you pick up prescriptions my good friend Ken was in the line up.

We chatted. He said he'd be heading out of town for a few days. I reminded him to keep reading the blog. He told me not to worry because he was one of the 4.7.

Which got me to thinking.

Justin Bieber's fans are called "Bieberites" or something. Grateful Dead fans are referred to as "Dead Heads". People who are devotees of the guy who sings "Margaritaville" are known as "Parrot Heads".

What should we call folks who read Bevboy's Blog?

It seems too formal to call you guys "readers". "4.7'ers"? Maybe. But what if I get more daily readers than that some day? Would I then call you "5.1'ers"?

Let's have a contest.

Come up with a name to describe the regular readers of Bevboy's Blog. You may leave a comment to this blog post. You may leave a comment on the Facebook links that point to this post. You may reply to the tweet that points to the blog post. You may send me an email at radiointerviews@bevboysblog.com. You have no excuse not to contact me with a suggestion or two.

The winner will be the person whose suggestion I like the most. And the winner will get some prize. If they live in Nova Scotia, you will win lunch with Bevboy, my treat. If you live elsewhere, we will work something out.

Please put on your thinking cap. Come up with a suggestion. Help out your fellow regular readers. Be creative!

The contest will be over at 11:59pm ET on April 30th 2013.

Get to work. Make me proud. Let me hear from you soon.

See you tomorrow.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!

Post 2315 - Something Neat

It is Sunday evening. I just finished watching a crappy movie called "Fled". It co-stars one of Alec Baldwin's brothers so I should have known better.

The subject of tonight's blog post will become clear shortly.

Mom wanted to go to Frenchy's today. She doesn't really ask you to take her anywhere. She asks if you were planning to go to a certain location, one that she coincidentally wants to go to. I was happy to take her. Afterward we had an early supper at a Chinese buffet in New Minas.

I bade farewell to my mother and returned to the house.

Wanna hear about the "cool" part? Okay!

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned to a guy at my work about how the floodlights over my mother's garage only half worked. One light worked. The other didn't.

This guy smiled. Or maybe he had gas. At any rate, he told me that in these situations about 95% of the time that this can be fixed in about 2 minutes.

He explained that in the fixture itself, where the bulb is screwed in, there is a little tab thing. Many times it gets pushed up and away from the bulb, removing the contact between the bulb and the fixture, resulting in one thinking it's broken. To fix it, you just move that tab thingy down a smidge.

Before I went to see Mom, I went out to the garage. I removed the fuse that controlled all the lights therein. Dad set up the wiring that way. I turned off the light switches for an abundance of caution. I wrapped electrical tape around the shaft of an old screwdriver.

I grabbed the step ladder and moved it outside and climbed it to access the fixture. I took out the old burned out bulb. I saw the tab thing and used the screwdriver to pry it downward a centimeter or so. I put a fresh bulb in it. Went down to earth. Screwed the fuse back into the fuse box. Turned the outdoor light switch on. Went back outside and looked up. The non-working part of the fixture was now working. Super yay!

I'd already bought a photo electric eye for the fixture to add to the one that was already working. Around 7:30 tonight that light came on. Amusingly, when one light came on, it tricked the photo electric eye in the other fixture into thinking that it was daylight, turning it off. They switched back and forth for a while. I went back outside and climbed up and angled them away from each other. That problem went away.

I've saved the cost of buying a new 2 light fixture and hiring someone to install the thing. With the cash I saved I can spend even more money on hair care products this month. My already lustrous, beautiful, silky-smooth hair will become up to 43% more so if the advertisements on television are to be believed. .

I'm happy. And tired. Time to turn in and prepare for my Monday, which promises to be busy.

See you tomorrow.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!

Post 2314 - Saturday

Visited my mother today. She says hello.

Newbie is fitting in here nicely as well. He spends more time in my father's workshop than I do. I wonder what he's building down there? As soon as he allows me to look, I will report back here.

The Crappy Tire in New Minas just underwent major renovations. Grand re-opening this weekend. I went in and walked out with yet more screwdrivers and stubby wrenches and other discounted hand tools. Dad left behind quite a few tools but only one complete set of wrenches. There are individual screwdrivers and the like but most of them are pretty worn and used. Adding more tools can be only a good thing.

This evening I've been doing laundry here. People at my work will be pleased to learn that I have clean underwear again. Newbie's pretty happy anout that, too.

Tomorrow will be more of what I did today. Guess I'd better prepare for it with a good night's sleep.

See you tomorrow.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!

Post 2313 - Valley Time

Hello. Greetings from my mother's house. I got here about 9pm. I know you were worried about me.

I've had a busy and productive day? Would you like to hear about it? No? Well, too bad.

Even though today was a day off, I still got up early because I had to take my car in yet again. Replacing the bulb in the headlight cost me 36 dollars. I'm in the wrong line of work.

I had a couple hours to kill after I left the dealership. I went to the Staples and Value Village and Staples stores in Bayers Lake. I love Staples. Wish there were as many of those as there are Tim Horton's outlets. That'd be pretty sweet, eh wot?

Around 11:10 I girded my loins. I said my Hail Mary's. I made my peace with my maker. I began my drive to Dartmouth.

Long-time readers will recall that Dartmouth and I don't see eye-to-eye. Driving to that place is a counter intuitive, frightening, challenging exercise. I usually get lost. Street signs for even major thoroughfares are either not there or in a font so small I'd need an electron microscope to see what was on them.

Mike Cranston was to meet me at the Boston Pizza on Portland Street. I followed that street until I thought I'd driven too far and then drove a littler further. BP appeared as if out of nowhere. I drove to the parking lot and felt like kissing the ground.

I sat in my car, coming down from the harrowing journey I'd just completed. At 11:55 I went into the Boston Pizza with my recording equipment. The server directed me to a booth. I waited for Mr. Cranston to arrive. He got there just past noon.

What we talked about will be published in an upcoming interview. I will state that I was surprised by several of his answers and I think you will be as well. I look forward to sharing our conversation with you.

I got back to the house around 3pm. Patricia was outside cleaning out the storage shed. We had to make room for all the stuff we'd purchased the night before. The coolest thing was the 6 foot aluminum ladder, which set me back all of 4 dollars. There were plenty other things purchased. Some of them came up with me this evening. I think I have enough screwdrivers now. Probably more than enough.

We napped for an hour or so. Around 5:20 I got up and started loading the car. By the time I was done the car was so full I feared there wouldn't be room for me in it. There was. Barely.

After getting some Newbie victuals I hit the road. A quick stop over in Wolfville where I got a few groceries was what I needed before I got here. I am just glad that I beat the impending storm.

I'll be here until Tuesday afternoon. I have things to do here that only I can or will do. Long story.

It's getting late. Newbie's sitting on my lap and wants to turn in. I agree with him.

You guys have a wonderful evening. Remember that I love all 4.7 of you!

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!

Post 2312 - Mini Vacation

It's Thursday night.  I am off work until next Wednesday.

A day later, and I am still getting some feedback on Wednesday's blog post.  I thank you for that.

I have to get up early tomorrow morning so that I can drive to the auto dealership yet again.  I spent hundreds of dollars just last week getting the car to pass its bi annual inspection.   Days later, I noticed that there was a burned out headlight.  I'm not happy about having to go back yet again to the dealership.  They treat me well and everything, but I think I have paid enough.

Today has already been an expensive day.  I had an eye test during my lunch hour and have prepaid for a new pair.  Scratch resistant.  Transitional.  Progressive.  Polycarbonate lenses to make them nearly indestructible.  Other stuff I've forgotten.  Even with my insurance plan covering some of the cost, I am still out hundreds of dollars.  I know I need them and everything, but this has been an expensive month for me.  I will have to stay home for the next month or so, sitting in my underwear, not bathing to save money on soap, not washing my hair to save money on shampoo, and buying some adult cloth diapers to save ,.. hmm, maybe going overboard.  Cloth diapers are expensive.  And washing them is a bitch.

Tomorrow afternoon, after I return from my interview with Mike Cranston, I will pack a bag or two and head to my mother's for a few days.  My car will be full, laden down with hand tools and stuff purchased this evening.  Someone on kijiji was selling a bunch of these things, and we made a deal that worked for all of us.  It just remains to transport it all to my mother's garage.

As I stated before, my father didn't leave behind as many tools as you might imagine.  He had invested quite a bit of money on power tools in his final years and had great fun with them.   I had little idea what these power tools did, or when even to use them.  We sold off nearly all of them after he passed.  I am gradually replenishing the tools that I will need such as a good cordless drill and more wrenches and screwdrivers and saws.  I will have fun finding room to keep that stuff in the garage.

It is getting late, and I have an early morning ahead of me.  Guess I'll call it a night.

It's a ... oh, never mind!  See you tomorrow!

Bevboy

Post 2311 - Bullying

It has been nearly impossible to ignore or not know about the Rehteah Parsons story.  This poor girl was sexually assaulted by 4 boys.  One of them took pictures of her assault and forwarded them to his friends.  She was teased and tormented and propositioned by strangers until she hanged herself in the family bathroom.

Here is but one story.  But, there are hundreds more, from media all over the world.  And you really must read the blog post her father wrote about her today.

This story has gone from a local one, to a regional one, to a national one, and now international, all within the space of 48 hours.

I am sick and tired of how the buck keeps getting passed.  The police didn't think there was enough evidence to press charges, even though the picture likely constituted child pornography.  The Crown didn't think there was sufficient proof to obtain a conviction.  The school board said it didn't want to get involved for fear of interfering with the police investigation.  The minister of justice in Nova Scotia waffled from defending the police investigation to wanting it reopened.

The bottom line, and it's a cliche, is that the system failed this poor girl.  Every check and balance that was supposed to protect her , did not do so.

If you have read the blog posts from last year, the year in review series, you'll remember that starting in 1976 until 1979, when I was in junior high school, I was bullied nearly within an inch of my life.  Literally.  After a given day of the harassment at the hands of fellow students and even a couple of teachers, I could at least claim the refuge of my parents' home, of my bedroom, of whatever radio I was listening to at the moment, and of my books.  The abuse made me insular, drew me within myself and continues to make it difficult for me to trust people while at the same time giving me an over-the-top desire to please people.

(Yeah, yeah.  I have to let this stuff go.  And I think I have.  I have forgiven those people.  But even today, when I see some of them around and they say hello to me, I say little or nothing in return.  I have forgiven them, but I don't want to be their friend either.)

As I stated, at least I had that refuge, and I didn't have to see those people on weekends or during the summer.  That didn't make Sunday evenings any better for me, but at least I would have had a break from them.

I have no idea at all how I could have coped then had the social media that exist today been in existence then.  People can be bullied  on a 24x7 basis and often are.  What I went through 35 years ago, is probably nothing compared to what kids have to put up with today.

I am a law and order kinda guy.  I abide by some laws I personally disagree with because the consequences of not doing so are unpleasant to contemplate.  But a part of me, a bigger part of me than I care to admit exists, hopes that the 4 punks who did this are outed and feel just a little bit of what they put Rehteah through.  Maybe then, if bullies get their comeuppance, just this once, it may mean that the next Rehteah Parsons will be able to go on with her life and put this shit behind her, confident that the system will protect her and punish those who hurt her.

We can always hope.

Bevboy

Post 2310 - Tuesday

Hi.  First of all, I'm sorry there was no blog post on Monday.  I wasn't feeling well and slept the night away.   Finally, at 3:45 this morning I woke up long enough to produce a short post, but in my weariness, I sent it to the wrong email address.  Instead of sending it to the email addy that will result in the production of a blog post, it went off into the ether somewhere.  I did post those few lines this morning, not the information was relevant or anything.

Let's see here.  I spent much of the day doing a task that my immediate supervisor describes as tedious. I would not use that word at all.  It requires concentration and an eye to detail; it is very easy to make a small mistake that can have some fairly large consequences so I have to be careful.  It is also a very time consuming task.

Patricia wasn't feeling well again today.  Rather than cook a meal after working all day, I opted to bring home dinner from Swiss Chalet.   Let's not get into what I paid for that repast.  It wasn't cheap.

After dinner we watched a bit of tv.  Around an hour ago, I came down here to my home office where I have been puttering.  In a few minutes I will start tackling the dishes.  I won't finish them this evening, but I will put a dent in them.

My work week is half over.  Two days to go, and then it's Friday.  Friday is when the next blog interview takes place.  It is with a legend in local radio, a man whose career goes back nearly 50 years. I had been asking mutual friends to put in a good word for me, but they never really did.  Finally, at  Clive Schaefer's funeral last year, I met him (sort of again) and asked him if he would deign to sit down with me.  He said sure, and told me how to find his phone number.  Imagine that!

I didn't call him, but on my birthday last year, among the many well wishes was this fellow, who reminded me of the promise to sit down with him.  We would have met a few weeks ago, but that is when Mom went into the nursing home.  Other things were on my mind, as you might imagine.

I am quite nervous about this interview.  Other than a brief sit down with Steve Murphy on the eve of his semi-retirement, I am not aware of his being interviewed ever.  Gulp!

Newbie isn't downstairs with me, but I sense his presence upstairs.  He is pacing back and forth in the kitchen wondering when I am going to do the dishes.  I'm on my way!

See you tomorrow, my lovelies.

Bevboy

Post 2309 - Oops!

Wrote the last post in the middle of the night. Sent it to wrong address. Sorry!

Here it is.

Expect 2 posts today.


Another headache. Such fun.

See ypu tomorrpw;

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!

Post 2308 - Sunday

This will be a short post.  I didn't do anything today.

Slept in.  Made steel cut oats for brunch.  This will ensure my having to go to the men's room around 10 o'clock Monday morning, around coffee break time. 

We were both going to do some cleaning up around here, but by mid-afternoon, we were both feeling poorly.  We napped, not really getting back up until supper time.  Without getting into details, I have been to the doctor regarding my constant exhaustion.  There have been some tests, which turned up nothing bad; and there will be more.  I need to take care of that tomorrow or Tuesday.  Remind me.  Nag if you must.  Be like a woman.

It is the beginning of another work week in the morning.  Yay.  I still pinch myself from time to time that I have not had a moment's  unemployment since the summer of 1986.  I have either been a university student and/or a working stiff ever since then.  Meanwhile, there are some extremely smart and talented people who have not been nearly as lucky as I have been.  I sometimes ask myself why I have been so fortunate, but then I look at myself in the mirror and realize how handsome I am, and ascribe it to that. 

Newbie is nuzzling against me.  He is mewling plaintively.  Which is what mewling is, isn't it?  "Mewling plaintively" is probably a redundancy, in the same way that the phrase "co-operating together" is a redundancy.   But I digress.

Anyway, Newbie is looking up at me with those green cat eyes of his.  I cannot resist those charms.  I will turn in.


See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2307 - A Night Out

Phew!  Long day.  Let me tell you about it.

We went out to lunch at the Lower Deck.  for the last time.  The Saturday brunch wasn't very good at all.  We went from there to Canadian Tire, to Home  Depot, and to Rona.   The latter place is closing and are having a liquidation sale.  

I ended up buying 3 cordless drills.  Dad didn't leave behind a decent cordless drill.  I managed to find the charger for a very old drill, but the battery is built into the device and not replaceable.  To use it at all, you have to keep it plugged in.   The Black and Decker drill I bought him a few years ago probably works fine, but I can't find the charger to save my life.  The new cordless drill comes with two batteries and a charger and some bits; it should last a long time.  The other two cordless drills are for the house and the cottage respectively.

I bought a tool belt.  I bought a screwdriver set.  A surge protector.  A bag containing 12 pairs of men's work gloves.  Several other things.  Patricia bought a Dremel tool, and if I knew what that was, I would tell you and likely be impressed by the deal she got on it.

We got back here and rested a bit before heading out this evening to see Kim Coates at the Spatz Theatre at Citadel Hill.  It is a high school, folks, but the theatre looks to be just as big as the Rebecca Cohn.

Kim Coates is best known for playing Tig on The Sons of Anarchy, one of our favourite shows ever.  Turns out that Coates did quite a few shows at Neptune Theatre in the 1980's, as I mentioned last night.  They showed some stills from those shows, along with clips of some of his films and SOA.  The main part, of course, was his discussion of his career as prompted by questions from John Dunsworth and his good friend, whose leg he kept stroking.  Her name is Kathryn MacLellan.

Coates was very entertaining.  I enjoyed his insights into the craft of acting.  I took an acting course several years ago, and at least understood what he was saying.  I couldn't turn around and do the things he seems to do effortlessly, but at least I could see his POV.

Afterward, we were hungry so we went to a pizza place called Piatto Pizzeria on the corner of Hollis and Morris Street.  After eating pizza there, I am spoiled for eating it anywhere else, any time, ever.  It is better even than Salvatore's Pizza in the Hydrostones.  Honestly.  Come to Halifax.  I will put you up.  Go to Piatto Pizzeria and tell them Bevboy sent you.  They won't know what the Hell you're talking about, but at least it gets my name out there a bit more.

This was an excellent evening out.  We don't go out that much any more, and it's hard to figure out why.  We just fell out of the habit, and that's not good.  But we did go out, and we  had a wonderful time, and we are looking forward to going out again, soon.  Maybe Tig won't be there, but it will be fun anyway.

What's your favourite pizza place in Halifax, anyway?   If you have not been there yet, check out Piatto.  If you have and prefer another place, please justify your choice.  I am curious to know goes on in your head.  After all, you do read this blog.  Some would already accuse you of making poor decisions.  Not me, of course.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2306 - The Weekend Is Here

First of all, no, I haven't heard from Joe Connolly yet.  I live in hope.

It is Friday night.  A surprisingly long week is behind me.  I spent another small fortune on my car this week, but by now the car should look and behave like it just came off the car lot for the first time.  I'm almost afraid to drive it.  Almost.

Patricia and I plan to go to the Home Show tomorrow.  We are going to look at windows and replace a few in my house before they disintegrate, thereby serving as an invitation to local wildlife to move in and propagate.   Of course, we will start with the most expensive window in the house, the bay window facing the street.  I suspect it will cost more than many other windows combined.  Looking forward to paying for that puppy.   I will just do without food for a while.  It's a frill.

At the home show, Patricia will doubtless see all manner of things which cost a sum of money that would cause Cyprus to go into another tail spin.  My job will be to pooh pooh these entreaties and point out a cheaper alternative, such as changing the colour of the walls by scraping paint off someone else's house and glueing it to the desired location here.   Works for me.

Of course, the windows people will have our main attention.  They will sell windows that are nearly impervious to any injury, which seal in the heat and keep moisture out, which look and smell wonderful, and which will put me in such a financial bind the president of Germany will throw up her hands in disgust and refuse to bail me out, even if I remind her I came in third in a German-speaking and writing provincial competition in 1982.  And eat schnitzel.   And like Jerry Lewis.  Oh, sorry.  That was the French.  Sorry.

After we gnaw on a couple pieces of hard tack from the canteen at Exhibition Park, we will leave and rest a spell before going back out in the evening to a Kim Coates meet and greet in downtown Halifax. Coates plays Tig on The Sons of Anarchy.  We have been watching and enjoying the heck out of the show since its first season and can't wait until the new one starts up.  I'm just sorry to report that Coates said on  Q104 this morning that the show will go two more seasons and then be over.  I'm sure they'll be excellent seasons, but I will be sorry to see it go.

Kim Coates worked and lived in Halifax some 30 years ago.  He had acting gigs at Neptune Theatre.  Maybe I threw a quarter or two in a cup he held out to me once, back in the day.  Who knows?  At any rate, we will see him tomorrow night as he discusses the show and his career.  Perhaps I will take my digital voice recorder with me and capture some audio for you.

Sunday we will... well, I haven't been told yet.  Clean up around here?  Spend too much on brunch some place?  Sleep in until 2:30 in the afternoon?  It's hard to say.  I'm sure it will be fun, though.

The weekend yawns open before me.  I must step out into it bravely.  After all, I have more money than brains.

Which isn't saying much.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2305 - Neat!

This will be a short post. Been a very long day. But I couldn't let the day pass without mentioning that the great Joe Connolly is now following me on twitter.

Mr. Connolly work for the Wall Street Journal. Several times a day, Monday through Friday, he provides brief business news updates. I try really hard to listen to at least one every day as I drive to work. I'll tune away from the Q or Live 105 or CBC or whatever and jump over to 880 on the AM dial to WCBS out of New York.

His reports are short and sweet and to the point. His delivery is professional but still has a droll quality I find very appealing.

When I learned today that he was on twitter I followed him and sent him a message. He wrote back. We will exchange a few emails. Turns out his family is from Newfoundland. Can't wait to tell him my mother calls Newbie, "Newfie".

"Newfie". The other N word.

If he provides a mailing address I'll send him a bunch of blog business cards. Maybe he'll give one to Michael Bloomberg. A Bevboy can always hope!

I'll let you know how this all unfolds. All 4.7 of you should be happy for me.

Reeling from the death of Roger Ebert. I'll discuss him and his work here in a future blog post.

See you tomorrow.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!

Post 2304 - Is It Friday Yet?

It is about 10:15.  I am home from a long day at work, Toastmasters, and running around killing time until Patricia finished a training course of hers. 

We finished Toastmasters by 6:30.  I went to Home Depot and Kent to find a couple of light sockets compatible with an outside photoelectric cell I keep at my mother's as security.  By the time I finished it was time to pick up Patricia.

Tomorrow I will have to get up very early indeed.  I am taking my car in for its bi-annual inspection.  Given all the coin I dropped on this car in the last few weeks, it wants to pass with flying colours.  They should pay me for the inspection.  They should pass the car and then pay me to show off my car as an example of a vehicle everyone should want to  have.  People should want to steal my car and show it off to their fellow thieves, who will want to steal it for themselves.

Anyway, an early day.  Which means I should turn in.  But don't worry.  I will still think about  you  in my dreams.  I know you think about me in yours.  Don't lie.  I will know if you do.  Don't fight it.  Just accept it.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2303 - A Cool Evening

I am back home after a pretty interesting evening in Dartmouth.

Yes. I wrote "Dartmouth" and "interesting" in the same sentence.  Keep reading.

Before Easter, I was contacted by a student of the radio television program at the Nova Scotia Community College, Waterfront campus.  We scheduled it to happen this evening after my work.

After work, we drove to Dartmouth.  We ate at John's Lunch, a Dartmouth mainstay.  We go there every 5 years or so.  The food was good, but like the Chicken Burger and so many other places, it coasts on its reputation.  People associate such nostalgia with these places that they overlook that the food isn't that good.  It's good, but not that good.  But I digress.

Andrew Chiasson had invited me and Patricia to drop by.  He wanted to interview me about the idea of DX'ing, of the art of listening to far away radio stations.  In this day of internet streaming, the fact that I continue to listen to New York AM stations all the time on my car radio is not noteworthy to most people.  But it's important to me and to others.

I likened DX'ing to buying a book.  You may have coveted a particular book for a long time.  There is nothing to beat the thrill of walking into a used bookstore and finding this tome.  Yes, you can download it to your kindle.  You can go to this website  and order it.  But nothing can beat finding it on your own.

Listening to a far away station is like that.  It is visceral.  It is fascinating.  And it is more satisfying to hear a broadcast in this way.

I also mentioned that DX'ing existed almost since the dawn of radio broadcasting.  There is a Harold Lloyd film called "The Freshman" from around 1925 in which Harold is admitted to college, back in the day when it was very unusual for a middle class family to be able to send a child to college.  At any rate, one of the title cards mentions the term "radio liar".  In the audio commentary, Leonard Maltin explains that a radio liar was a person who would prevaricate about what far away radio stations he could pick up.  So, 90 years ago, people were DX'ing!  Here is a brief wikipedia article about "The Freshman".  It is a very good movie, and you should see it, even if you don't like silent movies.  And, by the way, you should like silent movies.

Andrew asked some fine questions, and I tried to provide some fine answers.  Before and after, he took us on a tour of the place.  Patricia lots of pictures of me being interviewed in studio, and as time permits I will put up some of those pics on the blog.  I haven't seen them myself.  I'm sure they look fine, because Patricia took the pictures, and because I am the subject of them.

Andrew, my friend, thank you for a wonderful evening.  I promise you, more interviews are in the offing!  And my very best to you as you start your professional radio career! 

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 2302 - City Time

I'm back in the city.  It is past 10:30.  I will turn in soon.

I had to run a couple errands, buying some things at the Home Hardware for Mom's house.  After that, I drove to Mom's nursing home and took her out for a belated birthday lunch.  It was at a place called Callister's Country Kitchen.  There has been a restaurant in that location for as long as I remember, and as you know, I can remember for many years back. 

Mom and I enjoyed our meals.  I drove her back to her nursing home and left her to sleep.  When I got back to the house, inspired by her example, I took a nap as well.  In fact, I slept most of the afternoon away.  That means I was even later leaving the house and returning here than I meant to.  It also means that I will be awake for a while yet. 

My executive director sent an email out this morning, and I read it on my BlackBerry.  I replied to his email, inquiring as to whether this was a work day.  He wrote me back to assure me that I wasn't expected back to work until Tuesday.  Phew!

Easter Monday is one of those days when some folks work, and others have a holiday.  When I was a university student, we always had classes, or exams, on Easter Monday, depending on how late or early Easter fell that year.  I have been lucky ever since, in that every job I have held has recognized Easter Monday as a day away from work.  Some of my friends, like those at the phone company, have to work on Easter Monday.  Sometimes I think about them on that day, before I turn over and go back to sleep. 

Anyway, it is the end of an elongated weekend, and I have to return to work tomorrow.  Newbie will have to get along without me.  Knowing him, he will retire to his garret tomorrow and write poems and produce plays and sculpt images that strongly resemble me.

Which doesn't make sense.

I don't even have a garret.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy