Newbie agrees.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Post 2525 - Saturday
Newbie agrees.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Friday, November 29, 2013
Post 2524 - Valley Time
Newbie is enjoying himself as well by resting on my blanket-covered lap.
Nice and warm and relaxed.
Ah!
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Post 2523 - Radio Ratings Musings
The radio ratings are out! The radio ratings are out!
Once again, I was only able to get the overall numbers and not the breakdowns according to demographics. I will do my best to interpret them.
The document I downloaded this evening contains the percentage (the "share") of the audience who tune into each station. They compare the numbers for this book to ones over the last 2 years.
First of all, what is a share? A share, as defined in the BBM book, is "the estimated total hours tuned to that station expressed as a percentage of total hours tuned to all radio". I interpret that to mean that if a station gets a 15% share that it gets 15% of all the hours the respondents had their radios tuned in to any local station. If a respondent spends 100 hours listening to a variety of radio stations in a given market during a given ratings period, then for about 15% of those hours he was listening to the station being discussed. The respondents' total number of hours will be averaged and that is the overall share for a given station. Keep in mind that respondents can be of any age or demographic group. I discussed the problems with overall numbers in yesterday's post.
CBC 1, 90.5FM in Halifax, is number one again, with about 15% of the audience. These numbers are down over last year, and are trending downward. I wonder if the cutbacks are finally starting to take their toll? And I also wonder why people continue to rag on the CBC so much when they do so well in the ratings? Why won't private radio PD's acknowledge that the CBC does things right and change their programming accordingly?
Radio 96.5, formerly KOOL FM, took a major hit. Their share was 9.6% in the Spring. Since the format change at the end of August, their share tumbled down to 4.5%. KOOL FM had been in a downward spiral anyway, but this fall was nearly precipitous.
Here are the rest of the ratings. The first number is the share as of Spring 2013. The second is for Fall 2013.
CBH FM(3.5)(2.5)
CBHAFM(17.5)(15)
CFLTFM(4.9)(5.3)
CFRQFM(9.8)(10.0)
CHFXFM(12.6)(12.1)
CHNSFM(1.9)(8.6)
CIOOFM(9.4)(10.5)
CJCHFM(6.3)(6.4)
CJNIFM(5.1)(4.9)
CKHYFM(5.4)(4.6)
CKHZFM(3.9)(3.2)
Once again, I was only able to get the overall numbers and not the breakdowns according to demographics. I will do my best to interpret them.
The document I downloaded this evening contains the percentage (the "share") of the audience who tune into each station. They compare the numbers for this book to ones over the last 2 years.
First of all, what is a share? A share, as defined in the BBM book, is "the estimated total hours tuned to that station expressed as a percentage of total hours tuned to all radio". I interpret that to mean that if a station gets a 15% share that it gets 15% of all the hours the respondents had their radios tuned in to any local station. If a respondent spends 100 hours listening to a variety of radio stations in a given market during a given ratings period, then for about 15% of those hours he was listening to the station being discussed. The respondents' total number of hours will be averaged and that is the overall share for a given station. Keep in mind that respondents can be of any age or demographic group. I discussed the problems with overall numbers in yesterday's post.
CBC 1, 90.5FM in Halifax, is number one again, with about 15% of the audience. These numbers are down over last year, and are trending downward. I wonder if the cutbacks are finally starting to take their toll? And I also wonder why people continue to rag on the CBC so much when they do so well in the ratings? Why won't private radio PD's acknowledge that the CBC does things right and change their programming accordingly?
Radio 96.5, formerly KOOL FM, took a major hit. Their share was 9.6% in the Spring. Since the format change at the end of August, their share tumbled down to 4.5%. KOOL FM had been in a downward spiral anyway, but this fall was nearly precipitous.
Here are the rest of the ratings. The first number is the share as of Spring 2013. The second is for Fall 2013.
CBH FM(3.5)(2.5)
CBHAFM(17.5)(15)
CFLTFM(4.9)(5.3)
CFRQFM(9.8)(10.0)
CHFXFM(12.6)(12.1)
CHNSFM(1.9)(8.6)
CIOOFM(9.4)(10.5)
CJCHFM(6.3)(6.4)
CJNIFM(5.1)(4.9)
CKHYFM(5.4)(4.6)
CKHZFM(3.9)(3.2)
CKULFM(9.6)(4.5)
CJNI is News 95.7. They're down a smidge, but remember that this ratings period included Jordi Morgan's show and was before all the other cutbacks. I think the Spring 2014 ratings for this station will be very interesting.
CFLT is Lite 92.9. They are up a bit. But, once again, right after the ratings period they fired Jamie Paterson so I wonder what will happen in the Spring.
CKHY FM is Live 105. They are down a bit, but I wonder if that could be chalked up to so many other stations playing music one can find on Live 105. I still listen to them a lot, and many of my chums do as well. Hello, Jeff. Hello, Floyd.
CHFX is FX 101.9. They are down a little bit as well, but are still a strong number two. Which is funny, because whenever I think of country music I compare it to number two.
CHNSFM is The Wave. Used to be Hal FM, which I don't miss in the least; it was an abomination. The format change to classic hits is paying off for them so far. They more than quadrupled their share. This shows that there is a strong appetite for classic hits music, and I wonder how the folks at Newcap are feeling about their format change away from classic hits to whatever you call Radio 965. Getting Bill Hart and JC Douglas at The Wave can only bring them good. I hope Robert Pace of MBS acknowledges this great success by giving both guys a nice bonus. Like a Rudy's coffee card or something.
CI00 and CFRQ (Q104) are about equal in the ratings. CIOO, though, is up quite a bit in this book, so I wonder if that can spell a trend. And in what dayparts are they up? They did switch drive home hosts with The Bounce.
CKHZ is Energy 103, an Evanov station. Their mortal enemy is The Bounce, CJCH FM. CKHZ's share is down a bit, while The Bounce is up a titch.
I am just a guy, a boy. I do not have access to the breakdown of the numbers such as demo's and the ratings for individual day parts. I'm unlikely to. Which is fine. But there appears to be some good news here for some stations, middling news for others, and very disappointing news for one or two others (especially the former KOOL FM).
Program Directors and General Managers will all find things to like in the ratings book, as well as things not to like but to spin in a way that is more palatable to them. Radio 965 is not going away after just one book. If the trend continues with the Spring 2014 book, then you will see some changes. Actually, there is a change in that Morgan Sheppard has been hired to work there, replacing... well, I don't know whom she is replacing. Their website is minimalist in a way that would make the Spartans sit down and take notes. I just know she is gonna be working for them in some capacity.
The Wave so far seems to have knocked it out of the park. In listening to them, I see that they are playing some other classic hits that KOOL FM did not, which makes me happy because I was sick of most of the songs on KOOL. I have to wonder where The Wave will go next.
If I find out anything else about these ratings, or come up with any more thoughts, I will add them. It's not like there are a lot of people writing about Halifax radio, is it? Me and Wayne Harrett and that other guy.
Valley time this weekend. I will keep writing, though. I know you love me.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Post 2522 - Wednesday
This will be a short post, mostly because I have to wring myself out. It has been raining hard most of the day. It has been the kind of rain that would make Noah decide to postpone building that ark until it was better outside.
I had Toastmasters this evening. The drive home in the downpour was great fun. I am not sure if I was hydroplaning or not All I know is at times I thought I was airborne.
I got home around 7:30. Patricia was already home. Newbie met me at the door, He took one look at the drowned-rat look of mine and backed away.
In radio news, I understand that tomorrow is report card day. The BBM (Bureau of Broadcast Measurement) ratings books come out. I no longer have ready access to the breakdown of the ratings. At best, if I am lucky, I will see the overall numbers. These numbers don't mean much. They may indicate that, say, The Bounce is down in the ratings, and people will go tsk tsk. But the station only covets a demographic, and is doing very well for the demo's it is going for, younger women mostly. Unless I see the breakdown of the numbers, I will not be able to parse them for you.
It will be very interesting to see how Radio 965 turns out. They were KOOL FM for years. They fired Griff and Caroline, 2 very popular hosts, dropped the classic hits format, and became this hybrid station, grabbing parts of the playlists for Live 105, C100, and Lite 92.9 and mixing them together in the wish that they would be somehow more than the sum of their parts.
I expect Q104 to do very well. They spent the ratings period with Deb Smith in the morning chair. She is gone now, alas, and Kate Peardon is back. I am conflicted about this. I like both women very much. But there was only one job, and Deb didn't get it, and Kate did. I am happy for Kate and unhappy for Deb. Is that schizophrenic?
News 95.7 will likely have a good book. Keep in mind, though, that during the ratings period, they still had Jordi Morgan doing the morning talk show. Five minutes after the ratings period was over, they fired him and a passel of others and then "refreshed" the programming. Their next ratings book, in the Spring, will tell the tale.
I have other thoughts about other stations in the market. I will see how much they are confirmed tomorrow, assuming I can get my hands on the ratings somehow. Maybe Wayne Harrett can tell me about them.
Anyway, I think I will turn in. I have a very busy day on Thursday.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I had Toastmasters this evening. The drive home in the downpour was great fun. I am not sure if I was hydroplaning or not All I know is at times I thought I was airborne.
I got home around 7:30. Patricia was already home. Newbie met me at the door, He took one look at the drowned-rat look of mine and backed away.
In radio news, I understand that tomorrow is report card day. The BBM (Bureau of Broadcast Measurement) ratings books come out. I no longer have ready access to the breakdown of the ratings. At best, if I am lucky, I will see the overall numbers. These numbers don't mean much. They may indicate that, say, The Bounce is down in the ratings, and people will go tsk tsk. But the station only covets a demographic, and is doing very well for the demo's it is going for, younger women mostly. Unless I see the breakdown of the numbers, I will not be able to parse them for you.
It will be very interesting to see how Radio 965 turns out. They were KOOL FM for years. They fired Griff and Caroline, 2 very popular hosts, dropped the classic hits format, and became this hybrid station, grabbing parts of the playlists for Live 105, C100, and Lite 92.9 and mixing them together in the wish that they would be somehow more than the sum of their parts.
I expect Q104 to do very well. They spent the ratings period with Deb Smith in the morning chair. She is gone now, alas, and Kate Peardon is back. I am conflicted about this. I like both women very much. But there was only one job, and Deb didn't get it, and Kate did. I am happy for Kate and unhappy for Deb. Is that schizophrenic?
News 95.7 will likely have a good book. Keep in mind, though, that during the ratings period, they still had Jordi Morgan doing the morning talk show. Five minutes after the ratings period was over, they fired him and a passel of others and then "refreshed" the programming. Their next ratings book, in the Spring, will tell the tale.
I have other thoughts about other stations in the market. I will see how much they are confirmed tomorrow, assuming I can get my hands on the ratings somehow. Maybe Wayne Harrett can tell me about them.
Anyway, I think I will turn in. I have a very busy day on Thursday.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Post 2521 - A Sports Rant (Yes! Really!)
I am not sure how much I care, but today's news is all about how the CBC is all-but-losing its broadcast rights to the National Hockey League.
I have a couple of thoughts. First of all, Gary Bettman is a sleaze ball. I have never liked him or respected him. He is a ruthless deal maker with no sense of loyalty. The CBC had been exclusive NHL broadcaster on television for over 60 years. Last week, Bettman thanked them for their years of service and suggested they contact the new provider, Rogers, to see if they could make a side deal. Real nice of them. Of course, Rogers will continue with the Saturday night Hockey Night In Canada, but will control the content and take every cent of the revenue from the ads it sells.
I am not a big sports fan. That is putting it mildly. But there is something to be said for how, when we are at the cottage with no internet connection, no cable, no satellite, we had the option of firing up the television and watching a hockey game. We seldom took advantage of it; but it felt good, felt right, felt Canadian, to be able to exercise that option.
The Rogers brain trust has said that they will allow the CBC to have access to Saturday night hockey, for at least 4 years. But, once again, that is being seen as a way for the corporation to say goodbye to having hockey at all. Who knows what programming will ultimately replace hockey on the CBC? Lacrosse? Curling? Floor hockey?
In four years, when this relationship between the CBC and Rogers goes away, people who have no means will have to find a way to pay to see NHL hockey. They would need a massive data plan to see it on their Rogers-based smart phones, or have cable, or satellite, or a home network with enough bandwidth to stream that content to their smart televisions or whatever media player they have hooked up to their not-so-smart televisions. All of these methods of obtaining this content will cost money.
There are people jumping up and down for joy today. They think this is a great thing. They're entitled to their opinion. I think, though, in 10 years or so, they will look back at today and realize that having to pay to sit at home and watch a hockey game is a vile prospect. Then, they will look at their cable or satellite bill, or the fee they have to pay their ISP to see what they used to be able to for free, and not be happy.
Rogers is so excited, not because they're going to be doing great things for the fans, but because they can realize money from the deal. Make no mistake. It's about money. Lots of it.
And, I have to wonder how many layoffs Rogers will have to make to its non-sports media content to pay the hundreds of millions of dollars a year to the NHL. They are already cheaper than a popcorn fart, as a former-Rogers employee told me some time ago. How much further will they cut to finance this huge financial obligation?
I think this is the first time in 2521 posts that I wrote about sports. Do I win a prize or something?
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I have a couple of thoughts. First of all, Gary Bettman is a sleaze ball. I have never liked him or respected him. He is a ruthless deal maker with no sense of loyalty. The CBC had been exclusive NHL broadcaster on television for over 60 years. Last week, Bettman thanked them for their years of service and suggested they contact the new provider, Rogers, to see if they could make a side deal. Real nice of them. Of course, Rogers will continue with the Saturday night Hockey Night In Canada, but will control the content and take every cent of the revenue from the ads it sells.
I am not a big sports fan. That is putting it mildly. But there is something to be said for how, when we are at the cottage with no internet connection, no cable, no satellite, we had the option of firing up the television and watching a hockey game. We seldom took advantage of it; but it felt good, felt right, felt Canadian, to be able to exercise that option.
The Rogers brain trust has said that they will allow the CBC to have access to Saturday night hockey, for at least 4 years. But, once again, that is being seen as a way for the corporation to say goodbye to having hockey at all. Who knows what programming will ultimately replace hockey on the CBC? Lacrosse? Curling? Floor hockey?
In four years, when this relationship between the CBC and Rogers goes away, people who have no means will have to find a way to pay to see NHL hockey. They would need a massive data plan to see it on their Rogers-based smart phones, or have cable, or satellite, or a home network with enough bandwidth to stream that content to their smart televisions or whatever media player they have hooked up to their not-so-smart televisions. All of these methods of obtaining this content will cost money.
There are people jumping up and down for joy today. They think this is a great thing. They're entitled to their opinion. I think, though, in 10 years or so, they will look back at today and realize that having to pay to sit at home and watch a hockey game is a vile prospect. Then, they will look at their cable or satellite bill, or the fee they have to pay their ISP to see what they used to be able to for free, and not be happy.
Rogers is so excited, not because they're going to be doing great things for the fans, but because they can realize money from the deal. Make no mistake. It's about money. Lots of it.
And, I have to wonder how many layoffs Rogers will have to make to its non-sports media content to pay the hundreds of millions of dollars a year to the NHL. They are already cheaper than a popcorn fart, as a former-Rogers employee told me some time ago. How much further will they cut to finance this huge financial obligation?
I think this is the first time in 2521 posts that I wrote about sports. Do I win a prize or something?
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Monday, November 25, 2013
Post 2520 - An Early Christmas Present
There's a Christmas discounters store next to my work. There's a big Santa on top and it sure looks like he's getting a rectal exam and is enjoying it a great deal.
YMMV, of course.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Post 2519 - Sunday
Well, I am nicely showered and shaven. The Movember stache is gone a bit early as it was getting on my nerves and not filling in in a way I found satisfactory.
I slept in this morning of course. When I did get up, I noticed that Patricia had left for the craft show. More food for me! I made an omelette and prepared some coffee before I tackled the dirty dishes. That was a big job, as you can well imagine.
Patricia returned mid-afternoon and admonished me not to look at her purchases as there may be a thing or two for me in those bags. I can't imagine what crafty things she would buy me that would interest me unless they had meat in them. One can always hope for the best.
I have an hour to kill before this week's The Walking Dead is on. I wish it were on another night of the week and perhaps an hour earlier. As it is, I remain up until midnight Sunday night and stagger off to bed, not unlike one of the walkers on the show, only to get up at 5:30 and commence my work day. If you see me looking a little extra tired at work in the morning, just kick the back of my chair. OK? Thanks. Much appreciated.
I am pleased to report that Newbie and Cindy actually got along quite well today. I didn't see them fight. They peacefully co-existed. Maybe Patricia and I should consider trying the same thing. Nah.
I would tell you that there is not much else to report, but doing so reminds me of the time my previous company was for sale. More than 20 years ago now. Anyway, every two weeks, when we got our pay stubs, there would be a short letter from our President and CEO Rod Bryden (he went on to own the Ottawa Senators). Every two weeks, Bryden would just write something to the effect that there was nothing to report. This happened for months and months. If I recall correctly, I left the company before the company was sold, so one presumes that Bryden continued to write these 2 line letters every fortnight.
Anyway, I am mindful of this and try not to state that there is nothing to report more than a couple of times, lest I too be confused with a multi-millionaire whose company was sold out from underneath him, who then went on to own a hockey team, and is doubtless sitting at home in retirement counting his money. Yeah. We can't have that.
Sigh.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I slept in this morning of course. When I did get up, I noticed that Patricia had left for the craft show. More food for me! I made an omelette and prepared some coffee before I tackled the dirty dishes. That was a big job, as you can well imagine.
Patricia returned mid-afternoon and admonished me not to look at her purchases as there may be a thing or two for me in those bags. I can't imagine what crafty things she would buy me that would interest me unless they had meat in them. One can always hope for the best.
I have an hour to kill before this week's The Walking Dead is on. I wish it were on another night of the week and perhaps an hour earlier. As it is, I remain up until midnight Sunday night and stagger off to bed, not unlike one of the walkers on the show, only to get up at 5:30 and commence my work day. If you see me looking a little extra tired at work in the morning, just kick the back of my chair. OK? Thanks. Much appreciated.
I am pleased to report that Newbie and Cindy actually got along quite well today. I didn't see them fight. They peacefully co-existed. Maybe Patricia and I should consider trying the same thing. Nah.
I would tell you that there is not much else to report, but doing so reminds me of the time my previous company was for sale. More than 20 years ago now. Anyway, every two weeks, when we got our pay stubs, there would be a short letter from our President and CEO Rod Bryden (he went on to own the Ottawa Senators). Every two weeks, Bryden would just write something to the effect that there was nothing to report. This happened for months and months. If I recall correctly, I left the company before the company was sold, so one presumes that Bryden continued to write these 2 line letters every fortnight.
Anyway, I am mindful of this and try not to state that there is nothing to report more than a couple of times, lest I too be confused with a multi-millionaire whose company was sold out from underneath him, who then went on to own a hockey team, and is doubtless sitting at home in retirement counting his money. Yeah. We can't have that.
Sigh.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Post 2518 - Saturday
Hi. Remember me?
I spent the day not doing a whole lot. Much of the day was spent preparing for, watching, and discussing, the 50th anniversary Doctor Who special. I think I know what I don't like about the show. They have several "endings" per episode. Each time I thought the show was over, there would be another short scene to extend things a bit more. It finally ended.
I liked it a lot but there were so many in-jokes and so many homages to earlier shows and Doctors that only a rabid Who fan would get them. For example, there was another episode of the show 40 years ago in which 3 Doctors appeared. At the end of that one, one Doctor says, "Which Tardis is mine?" The same thing happened on the 50th anniversary show. I didn't get that but someone interviewed on the Space channel after show certainly did.
Not much else to report. I fell asleep in my chair again this evening. Becoming a habit. Newbie likes resting on my lap when I'm on the chair which makes me think it's definitely a guy's chair. No girls allowed.
I've spent time this evening watching a couple History channel documentaries. One of them showed torture techniques throughout the millenia. Imaginations were very creative a long time ago but I wonder if they could ever have foreseen the type of torture associated with hearing the same 4 songs by the Rolling Stones or Fleetwood Mac or The Eagles, over and over again. Probably not. Nobody could be that fiendish.
Watching SNL. Will watch it and turn in. Possibly in my cool chair.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
I spent the day not doing a whole lot. Much of the day was spent preparing for, watching, and discussing, the 50th anniversary Doctor Who special. I think I know what I don't like about the show. They have several "endings" per episode. Each time I thought the show was over, there would be another short scene to extend things a bit more. It finally ended.
I liked it a lot but there were so many in-jokes and so many homages to earlier shows and Doctors that only a rabid Who fan would get them. For example, there was another episode of the show 40 years ago in which 3 Doctors appeared. At the end of that one, one Doctor says, "Which Tardis is mine?" The same thing happened on the 50th anniversary show. I didn't get that but someone interviewed on the Space channel after show certainly did.
Not much else to report. I fell asleep in my chair again this evening. Becoming a habit. Newbie likes resting on my lap when I'm on the chair which makes me think it's definitely a guy's chair. No girls allowed.
I've spent time this evening watching a couple History channel documentaries. One of them showed torture techniques throughout the millenia. Imaginations were very creative a long time ago but I wonder if they could ever have foreseen the type of torture associated with hearing the same 4 songs by the Rolling Stones or Fleetwood Mac or The Eagles, over and over again. Probably not. Nobody could be that fiendish.
Watching SNL. Will watch it and turn in. Possibly in my cool chair.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Post 2517 - Friday
Hi. I have to make a confession.
I am enjoying my reclining chair too much.
There. That feels better.
I got home from work, see? And I came downstairs to do some laundry, all right? And I threw in some shirts in the washing machine, okay? I went to my reclining chair, with the handle on the side, and leaned back and back until I was nearly supine. I grabbed a blanket and covered myself with it. And I slept for the next few hours. It is now pushing 11pm, and I am wondering where the evening went.
I just checked the kickstarter page for the Kenley Matheson film. They are up over $10 000 now, but they have a long way to go. They need $78 000 or so to get the movie made. Come on, everybody. Skip a latte next week, maybe two, and send that money to this kickstarter effort. Do the right thing.
There is very little else to report. I am on call all weekend so I have to keep close to home with my BlackBerry attached to my hip. Patricia wants to go out in the morning but to be sure that we're back by mid-afternoon before the Doctor Who 50th anniversary show starts. Before and after there will be special coverage on the Space channel. Apparently, Doctor Who is the most popular non-sports show broadcast on cable in Canada. That helps explain why they're flogging this show to death, and why even the main CTV network has been advertising it. This thing is huge.
Newbie has been with me all evening, but he grows weary watching me type stuff. I guess I will call it a night.
It's a... crap! How does that go again?
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I am enjoying my reclining chair too much.
There. That feels better.
I got home from work, see? And I came downstairs to do some laundry, all right? And I threw in some shirts in the washing machine, okay? I went to my reclining chair, with the handle on the side, and leaned back and back until I was nearly supine. I grabbed a blanket and covered myself with it. And I slept for the next few hours. It is now pushing 11pm, and I am wondering where the evening went.
I just checked the kickstarter page for the Kenley Matheson film. They are up over $10 000 now, but they have a long way to go. They need $78 000 or so to get the movie made. Come on, everybody. Skip a latte next week, maybe two, and send that money to this kickstarter effort. Do the right thing.
There is very little else to report. I am on call all weekend so I have to keep close to home with my BlackBerry attached to my hip. Patricia wants to go out in the morning but to be sure that we're back by mid-afternoon before the Doctor Who 50th anniversary show starts. Before and after there will be special coverage on the Space channel. Apparently, Doctor Who is the most popular non-sports show broadcast on cable in Canada. That helps explain why they're flogging this show to death, and why even the main CTV network has been advertising it. This thing is huge.
Newbie has been with me all evening, but he grows weary watching me type stuff. I guess I will call it a night.
It's a... crap! How does that go again?
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Post 2516 - Doing My Part
Nova Scotia is a lovely place. The Annapolis Valley, where I am from, is a lovely place. But like anywhere else, there are, in the words of the old "Tales from the Darkside" show, "There is, unseen by most, a place that is just as real, but not as brightly lit!"
There are some missing persons cases in Nova Scotia. There are at least two of them in the Valley, and I would like to discuss one of them now.
Kenley Matheson was a first-year Biology student at Acadia University. He was 20 years old, having spent 2 gap years after high school all over Canada and to places like Guatamala and Belize.
On September 19, 1992, he attended a party in his residence. On Sunday the 20th, his younger sister, also a frosh, visited him. That evening his RA saw him.
By Monday morning the 21st, he was gone. Sometime between 10pm Sunday night and the next morning, he wasn't there any more. His sister first became suspicious when he didn't show up for Calculus class Monday morning. Finally, by Wednesday, the RA let her into his room, and discovered that nothing had been touched since she had seen her brother 3 days earlier.
He hasn't been seen since. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air.
Over the past 21 years there have been numerous theories but little or no proof to back them up. You can google "Kenley Matheson theories" to see some of them.
Finally, just today, an American man named Ron LaMothe was interviewed on News 95.7. He is attempting to make a documentary about this mysterious case. He is trying to raise funds to finance this film. He needs about $78 000 to do it right.
Here is where you come in.
I just donated $25 on kickstarter to help finance this film. If enough people donate a similar amount, then Mr. LaMothe can make this movie and try to shed some light on what happened to Kenley. If you want to help, then you can click here and leave a few bucks. Of course, if you do not have a kickstarter account, then you will have to create one.
Here is a short piece about the Matheson case:
Help if you can. His family and friends need closure.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
There are some missing persons cases in Nova Scotia. There are at least two of them in the Valley, and I would like to discuss one of them now.
Kenley Matheson was a first-year Biology student at Acadia University. He was 20 years old, having spent 2 gap years after high school all over Canada and to places like Guatamala and Belize.
On September 19, 1992, he attended a party in his residence. On Sunday the 20th, his younger sister, also a frosh, visited him. That evening his RA saw him.
By Monday morning the 21st, he was gone. Sometime between 10pm Sunday night and the next morning, he wasn't there any more. His sister first became suspicious when he didn't show up for Calculus class Monday morning. Finally, by Wednesday, the RA let her into his room, and discovered that nothing had been touched since she had seen her brother 3 days earlier.
He hasn't been seen since. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air.
Over the past 21 years there have been numerous theories but little or no proof to back them up. You can google "Kenley Matheson theories" to see some of them.
Finally, just today, an American man named Ron LaMothe was interviewed on News 95.7. He is attempting to make a documentary about this mysterious case. He is trying to raise funds to finance this film. He needs about $78 000 to do it right.
Here is where you come in.
I just donated $25 on kickstarter to help finance this film. If enough people donate a similar amount, then Mr. LaMothe can make this movie and try to shed some light on what happened to Kenley. If you want to help, then you can click here and leave a few bucks. Of course, if you do not have a kickstarter account, then you will have to create one.
Here is a short piece about the Matheson case:
Help if you can. His family and friends need closure.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Post 2515 - Wednesday
It is past 10pm. I am downstairs in my home office with Newbie.
I got home late this evening. It was really sweet, as I rounded the corner to my house, to see Newbie looking out the main picture window, obviously looking out for me. As soon as I got in the driveway and headed toward the steps, he jumped down to the hallway and was at the door as I opened it.
All together now: Aww!!
It has been a cold day around here. According to the widget on my desktop, it is -3 C out there, but there is a windchill, so it feels much colder. I actually had the heat on in my car this evening, which is something I seldom do. I also had to, for the first time this season, purchase some actual windshield washer fluid. When it's warmer, I make the stuff.
I am still transcribing pieces of an interview I conducted months and months ago. What is wrong with me, anyway? I think I am enjoying Netflix too much.
Tomorrow is Thursday. Since it is so cold, it will be hard to get up in the morning. Newbie will hold me down and not let me get up. Sometimes I think he is the alpha male in this relationship. I dare not challenge him on this.
I think I am ready to announce that I have 4.8 readers now. Vicki Gesner has sheepishly admitted to me that she reads the blog on a fairly regular basis. I need to verify this with the Bevboy's Blog bean counters I have employed from Toilet and Douche, and I will report that back to you by the end of the week. I am confident about this.
You guys stay warm. Think of me. I will think of you.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I got home late this evening. It was really sweet, as I rounded the corner to my house, to see Newbie looking out the main picture window, obviously looking out for me. As soon as I got in the driveway and headed toward the steps, he jumped down to the hallway and was at the door as I opened it.
All together now: Aww!!
It has been a cold day around here. According to the widget on my desktop, it is -3 C out there, but there is a windchill, so it feels much colder. I actually had the heat on in my car this evening, which is something I seldom do. I also had to, for the first time this season, purchase some actual windshield washer fluid. When it's warmer, I make the stuff.
I am still transcribing pieces of an interview I conducted months and months ago. What is wrong with me, anyway? I think I am enjoying Netflix too much.
Tomorrow is Thursday. Since it is so cold, it will be hard to get up in the morning. Newbie will hold me down and not let me get up. Sometimes I think he is the alpha male in this relationship. I dare not challenge him on this.
I think I am ready to announce that I have 4.8 readers now. Vicki Gesner has sheepishly admitted to me that she reads the blog on a fairly regular basis. I need to verify this with the Bevboy's Blog bean counters I have employed from Toilet and Douche, and I will report that back to you by the end of the week. I am confident about this.
You guys stay warm. Think of me. I will think of you.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Post 2514 - This Week's Frank Magazine Article About News 95.7
I have been buying Frank Magazine for years and years. I subscribed to it for a time, but in the last couple of years I have been buying it off the newsstands.
Today, I decided to renew my subscription, making it an online one. I couldn't wait to read the latest issue because I had a pretty good idea that they would be discussing the recent events at News 95.7
Hoo boy. Was I right!
They laid out in great detail, the events of November 5th. A staff meeting had been called for 12:30pm based upon an email advertising one the day before. (Remember that a well-placed source had given me a heads up about this meeting beforehand.) People were led in to the boardroom, with the exceptions of folks who were tapped on the shoulder and told not to go into the boardroom. Those professionals were led into another room and were informed that their service to Rogers had come to an end. They signed confidentiality agreements gagging them from speaking to anyone on pain of not getting their packages; but there were off-the-record reports. It is ironic that a station whose mandate is to foster communication should do everything it can to stifle it.
I have read Jordi Morgan's farewell to Maritime Morning in Facebook. He wrote an extremely classy message, one that must have been very difficult for him to write, but which merely reinforces what kind of a guy he is, and how big a bunch of jerks Rogers was to let him go. Given a bit more time, Maritime Morning with Jordi Morgan could have become a major voice for the city; it was well on its way to becoming so. But Rogers couldn't see past the end of its wallet and let him and so many others go.
I hate like frig how the official corporate message mentioned how they were "refreshing" their schedule. They did this by reducing their daytime local content by 2 hours and replacing it with piped-in sports content of interest to virtually nobody. Remind me not to invite Rogers management over to my house to refresh the living room.
I know some people at the station. I am loathe to comment on the place of their employment. People at Rogers have been nice to me over the years. But I can't help but think that the bean counters at Rogers are being short-sighted and that these layoffs will turn around and bite them in the bee-hind, sooner rather than later. The people who have liked News 95.7 will spurn the station because of these cutbacks. Ratings and revenue will decline further. More cutbacks will be made until the station resembles what it did when it went on the air in 2005 in the same way that a raisin resembles a grape. Then, Rogers will pull the plug and change the format to a musical one.
Which, come to think of it, makes me think that this is what they want to do anyway.
Sigh.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Today, I decided to renew my subscription, making it an online one. I couldn't wait to read the latest issue because I had a pretty good idea that they would be discussing the recent events at News 95.7
Hoo boy. Was I right!
They laid out in great detail, the events of November 5th. A staff meeting had been called for 12:30pm based upon an email advertising one the day before. (Remember that a well-placed source had given me a heads up about this meeting beforehand.) People were led in to the boardroom, with the exceptions of folks who were tapped on the shoulder and told not to go into the boardroom. Those professionals were led into another room and were informed that their service to Rogers had come to an end. They signed confidentiality agreements gagging them from speaking to anyone on pain of not getting their packages; but there were off-the-record reports. It is ironic that a station whose mandate is to foster communication should do everything it can to stifle it.
I have read Jordi Morgan's farewell to Maritime Morning in Facebook. He wrote an extremely classy message, one that must have been very difficult for him to write, but which merely reinforces what kind of a guy he is, and how big a bunch of jerks Rogers was to let him go. Given a bit more time, Maritime Morning with Jordi Morgan could have become a major voice for the city; it was well on its way to becoming so. But Rogers couldn't see past the end of its wallet and let him and so many others go.
I hate like frig how the official corporate message mentioned how they were "refreshing" their schedule. They did this by reducing their daytime local content by 2 hours and replacing it with piped-in sports content of interest to virtually nobody. Remind me not to invite Rogers management over to my house to refresh the living room.
I know some people at the station. I am loathe to comment on the place of their employment. People at Rogers have been nice to me over the years. But I can't help but think that the bean counters at Rogers are being short-sighted and that these layoffs will turn around and bite them in the bee-hind, sooner rather than later. The people who have liked News 95.7 will spurn the station because of these cutbacks. Ratings and revenue will decline further. More cutbacks will be made until the station resembles what it did when it went on the air in 2005 in the same way that a raisin resembles a grape. Then, Rogers will pull the plug and change the format to a musical one.
Which, come to think of it, makes me think that this is what they want to do anyway.
Sigh.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Monday, November 18, 2013
Post 2513 - A Milestone
I will be turning in shortly. Another short blog post.
I worked today. Thanks to ibuprofen, I was able to walk around work without a whole lot of pain, just enough to let me know that I shouldn't be jumping and down for a while.
There is a guy at my work who had major knee surgery a couple of months ago. He only returned to work in the last couple of weeks. He is much younger than I am, but until he is better, he relies on a cane to help him get around. I figure the fact that I split a toenail yesterday and slammed my knees on a hard floor is nothing for me to complain about, at least in front of him. But we still had a nice race to coffee this morning. The able-bodied men spotted us 10 minutes and we were able to hobble most of the way before they caught up to us. Mighty nice of them.
It has been raining to beat the band most of the day. I don't want to think about how moist my basement must be, especially since I have been doing laundry down here most of the evening. As it is, there is so much wet clothing draped on the drying rack we keep down here that if I put anything else on it, it would file a union grievance. And I'll bet you didn't know that drying racks are unionised. Yet another think you have learned by reading Bevboy's Blog these last six years.
That's right. Bevboy's Blog began on November 17, 2007. I am entering the seventh year of this silly blog. Here is the link to post number one.
When I began the blog it was because I wanted to express myself in certain ways that would never be afforded me otherwise, with as few typographical errors as possible. I'd grown tired of most blogs, which contained run on sentences, misspellings galore, and made about as much sense as a fried soup sandwich. I wanted to be above that as much as I could. To the extent that I have succeeded is due to my trying really hard to come up with something different, nearly every single day.
Of course, I am best known for my interviews with radio people. I am probably fairly well known for this not just in Nova Scotia, but in pockets of the entire country. I have received emails and messages from readers all over. I have mailed business cards to many of those same places. I thank you for those messages.
My output with regard to interviews has slowed down to a crawl in 2013, and I can only point to a few things in my private life that have held me back. I do promise to ramp up production of interviews in 2014. Or at least to try. People have to agree to sit down with me, you know. Not always that easy, even when I do agree to pay for lunch.
As I enter the seventh year of this blog, I anticipate a few changes I will make along the way. I hope to resume some of the old series I had worked on, as well as come up with a couple of new ones. I want to write a bunch more of the "reminiscing" series, as that has proved to be more popular than I thought it would be. And there are untold stories from the various "year in review" years, so I may revisit some of that stuff over the next several months.
Bevboy's Blog, in my opinion, has come a long way in 6 years. As we go into lucky year #7, I hope that my 4.7 readers will come along with me. After all, you have been with me all this way, and it's not like you have anything better to do with your lives than read about my trials and tribulations.
Am I right, or what?
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I worked today. Thanks to ibuprofen, I was able to walk around work without a whole lot of pain, just enough to let me know that I shouldn't be jumping and down for a while.
There is a guy at my work who had major knee surgery a couple of months ago. He only returned to work in the last couple of weeks. He is much younger than I am, but until he is better, he relies on a cane to help him get around. I figure the fact that I split a toenail yesterday and slammed my knees on a hard floor is nothing for me to complain about, at least in front of him. But we still had a nice race to coffee this morning. The able-bodied men spotted us 10 minutes and we were able to hobble most of the way before they caught up to us. Mighty nice of them.
It has been raining to beat the band most of the day. I don't want to think about how moist my basement must be, especially since I have been doing laundry down here most of the evening. As it is, there is so much wet clothing draped on the drying rack we keep down here that if I put anything else on it, it would file a union grievance. And I'll bet you didn't know that drying racks are unionised. Yet another think you have learned by reading Bevboy's Blog these last six years.
That's right. Bevboy's Blog began on November 17, 2007. I am entering the seventh year of this silly blog. Here is the link to post number one.
When I began the blog it was because I wanted to express myself in certain ways that would never be afforded me otherwise, with as few typographical errors as possible. I'd grown tired of most blogs, which contained run on sentences, misspellings galore, and made about as much sense as a fried soup sandwich. I wanted to be above that as much as I could. To the extent that I have succeeded is due to my trying really hard to come up with something different, nearly every single day.
Of course, I am best known for my interviews with radio people. I am probably fairly well known for this not just in Nova Scotia, but in pockets of the entire country. I have received emails and messages from readers all over. I have mailed business cards to many of those same places. I thank you for those messages.
My output with regard to interviews has slowed down to a crawl in 2013, and I can only point to a few things in my private life that have held me back. I do promise to ramp up production of interviews in 2014. Or at least to try. People have to agree to sit down with me, you know. Not always that easy, even when I do agree to pay for lunch.
As I enter the seventh year of this blog, I anticipate a few changes I will make along the way. I hope to resume some of the old series I had worked on, as well as come up with a couple of new ones. I want to write a bunch more of the "reminiscing" series, as that has proved to be more popular than I thought it would be. And there are untold stories from the various "year in review" years, so I may revisit some of that stuff over the next several months.
Bevboy's Blog, in my opinion, has come a long way in 6 years. As we go into lucky year #7, I hope that my 4.7 readers will come along with me. After all, you have been with me all this way, and it's not like you have anything better to do with your lives than read about my trials and tribulations.
Am I right, or what?
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Post 2512 - Sunday
Well, "The Walking Dead" is about to start. This will be brief.
I injured my foot several hours ago. I stumbled on something in my recroom, slamming the toe on my left foot on the floor, and fell into the laundry room, both knees hitting the tiled floor pretty hard. Of course, I live in a 3 floor house, and I have had occasion this evening to have to go up and down them several times. That is always the way. When I am fine, I don't need to do anything; when I am even slightly injured I have to do things over and over that do not improve my situation.
I split the toenail on my big toe on my right foot. It looks awful and feels worse. I am guessing that one of the cats is hiding them from me in an effort to get back to me for not feeding them caviar this week.
I think that will be it for tonight.
Ouch!!
Bevboy
I injured my foot several hours ago. I stumbled on something in my recroom, slamming the toe on my left foot on the floor, and fell into the laundry room, both knees hitting the tiled floor pretty hard. Of course, I live in a 3 floor house, and I have had occasion this evening to have to go up and down them several times. That is always the way. When I am fine, I don't need to do anything; when I am even slightly injured I have to do things over and over that do not improve my situation.
I split the toenail on my big toe on my right foot. It looks awful and feels worse. I am guessing that one of the cats is hiding them from me in an effort to get back to me for not feeding them caviar this week.
I think that will be it for tonight.
Ouch!!
Bevboy
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Post 2511 - Yep!
As I surmised Friday night, Saturday was busy. So busy that I had to take a long nap at my mother's place after dinner.
Anyway, we got up and left Halifax around 10 am. We drove to Wolfville where we killed a bit of time at the Farmer's Market before driving to Port Williams to pick up an external hard drive that a guy was selling at a good price.
We got back to Mom's. Patricia took a nap while I took my mother shopping for a couple of hours. She and I ended up going into Kentville where I picked up Dad's watch, the one that needed a new set of innards. It cost me $75, but it's the first money I had ever spent on the watch. My sisters and mother all wanted me to keep Dad's watch after he died in 2010; it makes me feel closer to him.
I returned to the house. Patricia and I went to dinner at the Port Pub and Bistro in Port Williams where we had an excellent dinner. Patricia had a chicken dish whose name escapes me. I had a seafood linguini. The appetizer was lobster poutine. It is not exactly something that you would eat every day, ore maybe every quarter, but it did taste really good. We shared a warm ginger cake for dessert. For drinks I had a mojito, and Patricia had a glass of wine and a coffee with booze in it that has a funny name.
We returned to Mom's. I took my nap. And at 10pm, we hopped in the car and returned to Halifax. The cats have been fed. And I am tapping away at few words for this here silly blog that my 4.7 readers follow with great interest.
If I can afford to do so I would like to get some t-shirts made that have the official Blog avatar on it with a circle around it. Under the image would be, "Bevboy's Blog! Are YOU one of the 4.7?" That would be pretty neat.
Or not.
Let's go with not.
See you on Sunday.
Bevboy
Anyway, we got up and left Halifax around 10 am. We drove to Wolfville where we killed a bit of time at the Farmer's Market before driving to Port Williams to pick up an external hard drive that a guy was selling at a good price.
We got back to Mom's. Patricia took a nap while I took my mother shopping for a couple of hours. She and I ended up going into Kentville where I picked up Dad's watch, the one that needed a new set of innards. It cost me $75, but it's the first money I had ever spent on the watch. My sisters and mother all wanted me to keep Dad's watch after he died in 2010; it makes me feel closer to him.
I returned to the house. Patricia and I went to dinner at the Port Pub and Bistro in Port Williams where we had an excellent dinner. Patricia had a chicken dish whose name escapes me. I had a seafood linguini. The appetizer was lobster poutine. It is not exactly something that you would eat every day, ore maybe every quarter, but it did taste really good. We shared a warm ginger cake for dessert. For drinks I had a mojito, and Patricia had a glass of wine and a coffee with booze in it that has a funny name.
We returned to Mom's. I took my nap. And at 10pm, we hopped in the car and returned to Halifax. The cats have been fed. And I am tapping away at few words for this here silly blog that my 4.7 readers follow with great interest.
If I can afford to do so I would like to get some t-shirts made that have the official Blog avatar on it with a circle around it. Under the image would be, "Bevboy's Blog! Are YOU one of the 4.7?" That would be pretty neat.
Or not.
Let's go with not.
See you on Sunday.
Bevboy
Friday, November 15, 2013
Post 2510 - Friday Night Fun
It is past 11:30. I must turn in soon, because Saturday will be busy busy.
We went to an office party at Patricia's work this evening. More accurately, it was at the coffee shop across the street from her work. There was beer and wine and snacks and music. Women were dancing together in the way they do while the men stared at them in the way they do. It is fun to see that happen; reminds me of reading Penthouse Forum when I was a kid.
Before the party we had to kill a couple of hours, so we went to the Salvation Army Thrift Store on Green Street, in Halifax's South end. It is just up the hill from where my apartment was all those years ago. When I first moved to Green Street as a young Bevboy, the strip mall at 5280 Green had a Pizza Hut on the left and then a Lawton's Drug store. I found it very convenient to go there to get my pharmaceuticals. The Pizza Hut closed and a Tim Horton's took over that space for quite a few years. That closed, and then a restaurant that had really hot and spicy food moved in, before there was a fire there in 2012.
The Lawton's closed and sent its files over to the Shoppers Drug Mart across the way. A dollar store moved and and was there for quite a while. The rightmost entry would be rented out by a political candidate during an election. There was a junk store there for a while, before the dollar store absorbed that space. After a time the dollar store closed.
The Sally Ann moved into that space in the very late 1990's if I recall correctly. I do remember that when I was packing to move to my house in December 2000, I was lugging up old stuff I didn't need any more to the Sally Ann. That tells me that the dollar store was long gone by that point.
Anyway, fast forward to this evening. We had to kill some time before the party, so we went to the store in question. I found a plastic bag full of rca cables and the like; one set of cables was of such high quality that they reminded me of a similar set I bought once that had set me back a good 50 dollars. The entire bag of stuff this evening was 4 dollars. I got a good deal.
People in other parts of the country turn their noses up at places like thrift stores or Frenchy's, but Value Village has a certain allure that attracts people who wouldn't dare go to the other places I just mentioned. I go to all of those places and have found some excellent deals over the years. I got a fully-functional solar powered radio (with a crank on the back to charge an internal battery) for 8 dollars when I know very well that new one would have cost me 50 or more. Works great, and the colour goes with my eyes.
We still had time to kill before going to the party so we went to the Gingerbread Haus on Queen Street and bought a couple desserts. I got a ... what the hell is it called/ -- a red cake or something. Patricia got something that if I tried to pronounce it, my high school German teacher would rise up from his grave and drag me down to Hell with him. They were pastries with layers of cream that will clot my veins and kill me if I have another one in the next 5 years so I had better stay away from the joint.
Afterward, we drove to the party. I parallel parked my car with such dexterity that a homeless guy leaning against a nearby pole woke up and crawled over to us and offered to give me a quarter. I was tempted but said no. We left him muttering to himself.
We walked to the party. I snacked too much. We heard some music. We drove back here and I found some .zip files that I just emailed a woman I went to university with. These pictures are not the dirty ones; those are in yet another zip file that I will share with you if you ask me nicely enough and send me pictures of your knickers after you have washed and folded them. The ones I sent her were pics of my university days from the early 1980's. I think she will like them. I know I did.
It is past midnight. I have to get up by 7 or so to go to the Valley for the day. Should get some shut eye.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
We went to an office party at Patricia's work this evening. More accurately, it was at the coffee shop across the street from her work. There was beer and wine and snacks and music. Women were dancing together in the way they do while the men stared at them in the way they do. It is fun to see that happen; reminds me of reading Penthouse Forum when I was a kid.
Before the party we had to kill a couple of hours, so we went to the Salvation Army Thrift Store on Green Street, in Halifax's South end. It is just up the hill from where my apartment was all those years ago. When I first moved to Green Street as a young Bevboy, the strip mall at 5280 Green had a Pizza Hut on the left and then a Lawton's Drug store. I found it very convenient to go there to get my pharmaceuticals. The Pizza Hut closed and a Tim Horton's took over that space for quite a few years. That closed, and then a restaurant that had really hot and spicy food moved in, before there was a fire there in 2012.
The Lawton's closed and sent its files over to the Shoppers Drug Mart across the way. A dollar store moved and and was there for quite a while. The rightmost entry would be rented out by a political candidate during an election. There was a junk store there for a while, before the dollar store absorbed that space. After a time the dollar store closed.
The Sally Ann moved into that space in the very late 1990's if I recall correctly. I do remember that when I was packing to move to my house in December 2000, I was lugging up old stuff I didn't need any more to the Sally Ann. That tells me that the dollar store was long gone by that point.
Anyway, fast forward to this evening. We had to kill some time before the party, so we went to the store in question. I found a plastic bag full of rca cables and the like; one set of cables was of such high quality that they reminded me of a similar set I bought once that had set me back a good 50 dollars. The entire bag of stuff this evening was 4 dollars. I got a good deal.
People in other parts of the country turn their noses up at places like thrift stores or Frenchy's, but Value Village has a certain allure that attracts people who wouldn't dare go to the other places I just mentioned. I go to all of those places and have found some excellent deals over the years. I got a fully-functional solar powered radio (with a crank on the back to charge an internal battery) for 8 dollars when I know very well that new one would have cost me 50 or more. Works great, and the colour goes with my eyes.
We still had time to kill before going to the party so we went to the Gingerbread Haus on Queen Street and bought a couple desserts. I got a ... what the hell is it called/ -- a red cake or something. Patricia got something that if I tried to pronounce it, my high school German teacher would rise up from his grave and drag me down to Hell with him. They were pastries with layers of cream that will clot my veins and kill me if I have another one in the next 5 years so I had better stay away from the joint.
Afterward, we drove to the party. I parallel parked my car with such dexterity that a homeless guy leaning against a nearby pole woke up and crawled over to us and offered to give me a quarter. I was tempted but said no. We left him muttering to himself.
We walked to the party. I snacked too much. We heard some music. We drove back here and I found some .zip files that I just emailed a woman I went to university with. These pictures are not the dirty ones; those are in yet another zip file that I will share with you if you ask me nicely enough and send me pictures of your knickers after you have washed and folded them. The ones I sent her were pics of my university days from the early 1980's. I think she will like them. I know I did.
It is past midnight. I have to get up by 7 or so to go to the Valley for the day. Should get some shut eye.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Post 2509 - Thursday
First of all, no, I didn't meet any celebrities today. Sorry. Instead, we took Cindy Clawford to the Carnegy Animal Hospital this evening, and didn't even see Eric Carnegy. We hear him on Maritime Noon every month or so, but in six months of seeing docs at his clinic, we have never met him. Apparently, he is literally the only male who works in that place. Imagine what it would be like work in a place where you're the only guy.
No.
Really imagine it. It would not be like any of the movies from the back of the video store behind the curtain. I am certain of it. I would not wish it on my worst enemy. Neither would you.
At any rate, Cindy is doing relatively well. We returned home, and I hooked up a set of speakers to the media player in the recroom. They sound much better than just what comes out of the tv speakers. I know you don't care.
My weekend plans are firming up. After work tomorrow, Patricia and I are going to her work for a party celebrating a significant milestone. There will be food and beer served. Patricia has already told me not to embarrass myself, so beforehand I will probably gorge on a pizza and a couple donairs and maybe even a chicken shawarma. I will then waddle to the party location and eat naught but a blueberry or a third of a rice cake at the party. Never mind the beer. The whole situation will be reminiscent of the Monty Python movie where a guy in a restaurant has eaten so much food that just a thin wafer causes him to explode. Was that film "The Life of Brian"? I don't remember. I know that Kevin knows.
Saturday morning we will be going to the Valley for the day. There is one of those thrice-accursed Christmas craft shows down in Wolfville on Saturday and Patricia has won a ticket to get into it for free. I will take my mother shopping for a while before I pick Patricia up and go to the homestead and watch a movie or something. We will likely stay there overnight and return to the city Sunday morning. Or whatever.
What are your weekend plans? And, what are you wearing when you read this blog, anyway? I have always wondered.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
No.
Really imagine it. It would not be like any of the movies from the back of the video store behind the curtain. I am certain of it. I would not wish it on my worst enemy. Neither would you.
At any rate, Cindy is doing relatively well. We returned home, and I hooked up a set of speakers to the media player in the recroom. They sound much better than just what comes out of the tv speakers. I know you don't care.
My weekend plans are firming up. After work tomorrow, Patricia and I are going to her work for a party celebrating a significant milestone. There will be food and beer served. Patricia has already told me not to embarrass myself, so beforehand I will probably gorge on a pizza and a couple donairs and maybe even a chicken shawarma. I will then waddle to the party location and eat naught but a blueberry or a third of a rice cake at the party. Never mind the beer. The whole situation will be reminiscent of the Monty Python movie where a guy in a restaurant has eaten so much food that just a thin wafer causes him to explode. Was that film "The Life of Brian"? I don't remember. I know that Kevin knows.
Saturday morning we will be going to the Valley for the day. There is one of those thrice-accursed Christmas craft shows down in Wolfville on Saturday and Patricia has won a ticket to get into it for free. I will take my mother shopping for a while before I pick Patricia up and go to the homestead and watch a movie or something. We will likely stay there overnight and return to the city Sunday morning. Or whatever.
What are your weekend plans? And, what are you wearing when you read this blog, anyway? I have always wondered.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Post 2508 - Another Picture
We see lots of well-known folks go past us, nearly every day. The reason for this that the building houses News 95.7. They still have talk shows and therefore have to fill hours of air time every day.
Today's celebrity was former Prime Minister Joe Clark. He has a book out and I like him enough to buy it. In my 30 seconds with him I can report that he seemed like a very nice man.
People from the States reading this will know that Clark is a Conservative. Not completely. He led the Progressive Conservative party for many years until that party was subsumed by the new Conservative party several years ago.
Anyway, here's my picture with Joe Clark.
And, yes, he was given one of my blog business cards.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Post 2507 - Hal-Con Pictures
Hey, 4.7, how was your day?
I have finally got around to downloading the 102 pictures I took over the weekend at Hal-Con in Halifax. Nearly all of them will be on my Facebook page, so if you have a hankering, then go ahead and go there. The following is a representative sample.
I took many more pics than that. These plus more will be on my Facebook sooner rather than later.
I have a general comment. Some people reading this post or looking at the pictures will think the people therein are daft. They dress up as comics characters for frig's sakes. Some of these people will then think nothing of attending a hockey game or whatever, having removed their shirts and painted themselves to resemble in a vague fashion, the team they're fans of. I have always wondered how the players felt about these people. Admiration? Respect? Pity? Embarrassment? I doubt even Rob Ford would do that. So get over putting down folks who, once a year, like to put on a silly costume and spend time with other people who want to do the same thing. Or who want to dress up as Wonder Woman. Or Emma Frost. Or someone from Elfquest. Or whatever.
You guys have a good evening. I will see you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I have finally got around to downloading the 102 pictures I took over the weekend at Hal-Con in Halifax. Nearly all of them will be on my Facebook page, so if you have a hankering, then go ahead and go there. The following is a representative sample.
Exterminate! Exterminate!
The Tardis, of course. But you watch Doctor Who, don't you?
A small idea of just how long the line up was on Saturday. It extended all the way out the door and up the hill to Brunswick Street at one point. Should I tell you that, as a volunteer, I could come and go as I pleased, except maybe during that period, so I mostly hung around the volunteer room? No. I should not.
Uh, what character is the girl in yellow supposed to be?
Jewel Staite was one of the major media guests. She was on Firefly among other shows.
The Hal-Con guy, Fat Apollo, and Jennifer Lambe.
An example of one of the many, many vendors there this weekend.
No. Pictures and autographs with the stars were not free. This is one way for them to defray the costs of coming here.
Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde.
Lynda Carter's stand-in. Or not.
Ajay Fry talking to Mark Askwith, a producer on Space's "InnerSpace" show, must-see viewing in the Bevboy household every weekday evening. (Askwith has had a pretty neat career and is highly respected in the genre. Read his wikipedia article.) In fact, I have the show on whilst I type these words. They did reveal a dash of information about the 50th anniversary special for Doctor Who. It will run at 2:50pm on November 23rd. An extremely odd starting time, but it must be simulcast in 23 different countries, and Canada has 5 different time zones to take into account. Folks in BC will see it on Saturday morning. It will run sans commercials. And immediately after the show is over, there will be a live edition of InnerSpace which discusses the special.
A whole room full of pinball games.
SCA looks pretty neat. I have always respected what they do. They were probably the first cos players. But, man, I can see that being an extremely time-consuming activity.
The 3rd floor games room.
A cylon perhaps?
J. August Richards signing autographs and posing for pictures. Do you remember him from the late-and-lamented Angel series, starring David Boreanaz? He was also in the first episode of "Marvel's The Agents of Shield" a month or so ago. I have already bailed on the show, so I don't know if his character has been back, or is coming back.
The last two pictures include Ellen Curtis, a local horror writer, talking about writing with some colleagues of hers and taking questions from an enraptured audience. The world is full of people who think they can write. But they don't have time. Write, people. Make time. Works for me, although this is just a friggin' blog and can't begin to aspire to the heights of fiction. But discussing the art of writing is not something that overly interests me. The only advice I have followed over the years is to shy away from adverbs. Lots of good writers hate them. I agree that they can get in the way of the story you're trying to tell. You will not find many of them anywhere in the last 2505 blog posts.
My friend Floyd from Live 105. She was a volunteer this weekend, and decided to get in costume as... well, I am not sure what that character is, but a colleague from my work had a mini-me version of it and gave it to her. A quick story: they delivered a couple of small gluten free pizzas to the volunteer room. Knowing her issues with gluten, I got a couple slices and took them down to her at the registration desk. She hugged me in gratitude. Made my day.
Help me out. What character is this?
"Where Monsters Dwell", besides being a name for a hella cool 1970's Marvel black and white magazine, is also the name of a regionally-produced-comics-related podcast. Here's the link. I have never had a chance to listen to it, but they get pretty good guests.
Another example of the games room on the third floor.
I have a general comment. Some people reading this post or looking at the pictures will think the people therein are daft. They dress up as comics characters for frig's sakes. Some of these people will then think nothing of attending a hockey game or whatever, having removed their shirts and painted themselves to resemble in a vague fashion, the team they're fans of. I have always wondered how the players felt about these people. Admiration? Respect? Pity? Embarrassment? I doubt even Rob Ford would do that. So get over putting down folks who, once a year, like to put on a silly costume and spend time with other people who want to do the same thing. Or who want to dress up as Wonder Woman. Or Emma Frost. Or someone from Elfquest. Or whatever.
You guys have a good evening. I will see you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Monday, November 11, 2013
Post 2506 - Reminiscing Part One
Hey, folks. How was your Monday?
I spent much of the afternoon cleaning out my rec room today. It caused me to start thinking about "the good old days", which for me would have been the early 1970's until 1976; and from 1979 until I graduated university in 1988. That doesn't mean I haven't had good times since then; it just means my focus was on that period on my life.
Long-term readers may have made their way through some of the "year in review"series. You would walk away from those posts thinking that I had a near eidetic memory but that is not the case. Memories bounce around in my head like dumplings in a stock pot. I'd swear that something took place in 1973, when in fact it was 1972. Stuff like that. You know what I mean.
This is where you guys come in. To be more exact, the portion of my readers who are from the Annapolis Valley may be able to help me recall this stuff, so please do so.
In no particular order.
I spent most of my time between 1982 and 1988 between my parents' home in Port Williams and the town of Wolfville. I seldom even left Kings County. Don't judge me. Nearly my entire life was centred on that relatively small geographical area. Yeah. Don't judge me.
I began university in 1982 when I was 18. Of course, it was Acadia University in Wolfville. I remember walking down the street between the student union building and the Beveridge Arts Centre, and noticing an older home that had a business in it. They made chocolates, and I recall reading an article in the local paper about the place. I do not recall the name of the joint, nor how long it lasted. Does anybody reading this remember the name of the place, who owned it, or how good their product was?
After classes, when I needed a break, and between relationships with women (let's be diplomatic, shall we?) I would often go for walk downtown. I recall the Kipawo Showboat, some kind of arts place/cafe, begun by Acadia professor Jack Sherriff. Remind me to tell you about the time I applied for a job and he interviewed me. But I digress.
In... 1986, I think, my German class ambled down to the place I just mentioned to have some pie with ice cream. The professor tried to convince me to consider getting a job in my field of endeavour and move to Germany to do so. That way, I could be a German-speaking guy in Germany working in my field of endeavour. You can guess what my decision was. But my question is: How often was the Kipawo Showboat in use as an arts venue? I think Sherriff was also instrumental in the 1970's effort TAFI, short for Theatre Arts Festival International. Is that the case? Was this venue also used for TAFI back in the day?
Hmm. What else?
The Bargain! Shop closed several months ago. Many years ago, that spot was a grocery store called Wade's. Anybody from the Valley will remember their distinctive white shopping bags. In that same strip mall, The Royal Bank was at the other end. Shopper's Drug Mart was in the middle, and still is. What was there before Shopper's moved there from New Minas? When did the RBC move there? I remember the Bank of Montreal being in their space ever since I was a kid, but how about the RBC? And, for that matter, how long has that strip mall been there, and what was in that space before that?
Last question: Why didn't Debbie Eaton go out with me? I have always wondered about that.
I will leave it at that for this evening. If anyone can answer my questions, then thanks very much. I will compile more questions and put them here from time to time, using a new label.
Meanwhile, if you have any questions about that part of the province at that time in my life, then put 'em here.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I spent much of the afternoon cleaning out my rec room today. It caused me to start thinking about "the good old days", which for me would have been the early 1970's until 1976; and from 1979 until I graduated university in 1988. That doesn't mean I haven't had good times since then; it just means my focus was on that period on my life.
Long-term readers may have made their way through some of the "year in review"series. You would walk away from those posts thinking that I had a near eidetic memory but that is not the case. Memories bounce around in my head like dumplings in a stock pot. I'd swear that something took place in 1973, when in fact it was 1972. Stuff like that. You know what I mean.
This is where you guys come in. To be more exact, the portion of my readers who are from the Annapolis Valley may be able to help me recall this stuff, so please do so.
In no particular order.
I spent most of my time between 1982 and 1988 between my parents' home in Port Williams and the town of Wolfville. I seldom even left Kings County. Don't judge me. Nearly my entire life was centred on that relatively small geographical area. Yeah. Don't judge me.
I began university in 1982 when I was 18. Of course, it was Acadia University in Wolfville. I remember walking down the street between the student union building and the Beveridge Arts Centre, and noticing an older home that had a business in it. They made chocolates, and I recall reading an article in the local paper about the place. I do not recall the name of the joint, nor how long it lasted. Does anybody reading this remember the name of the place, who owned it, or how good their product was?
After classes, when I needed a break, and between relationships with women (let's be diplomatic, shall we?) I would often go for walk downtown. I recall the Kipawo Showboat, some kind of arts place/cafe, begun by Acadia professor Jack Sherriff. Remind me to tell you about the time I applied for a job and he interviewed me. But I digress.
In... 1986, I think, my German class ambled down to the place I just mentioned to have some pie with ice cream. The professor tried to convince me to consider getting a job in my field of endeavour and move to Germany to do so. That way, I could be a German-speaking guy in Germany working in my field of endeavour. You can guess what my decision was. But my question is: How often was the Kipawo Showboat in use as an arts venue? I think Sherriff was also instrumental in the 1970's effort TAFI, short for Theatre Arts Festival International. Is that the case? Was this venue also used for TAFI back in the day?
Hmm. What else?
The Bargain! Shop closed several months ago. Many years ago, that spot was a grocery store called Wade's. Anybody from the Valley will remember their distinctive white shopping bags. In that same strip mall, The Royal Bank was at the other end. Shopper's Drug Mart was in the middle, and still is. What was there before Shopper's moved there from New Minas? When did the RBC move there? I remember the Bank of Montreal being in their space ever since I was a kid, but how about the RBC? And, for that matter, how long has that strip mall been there, and what was in that space before that?
Last question: Why didn't Debbie Eaton go out with me? I have always wondered about that.
I will leave it at that for this evening. If anyone can answer my questions, then thanks very much. I will compile more questions and put them here from time to time, using a new label.
Meanwhile, if you have any questions about that part of the province at that time in my life, then put 'em here.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Post 2505 - Hal-Con Weekend
Well, Hal-Con is over for another year. Phew!
I keep telling Joni Crocker that I am not earning my keep there every year. I just walk around and take pictures of women dressed up in a scanty context, but she says I am doing my part. I am thinking about increasing my participation in Hal-Con for next year. Maybe a few pictures of dudes in costumes as well.
In its 4th year, Hal-Con has reached a level of popularity that the original Halcon (minus the hyphen) never achieved. This popularity was amply demonstrated on Saturday when too many people who had pre-paid for their tickets months ago were unable to get in to the World Trade and Convention Centre. When the new trade centre opens in a couple of years, there will be that much more room for that many more people; until then, the organizers will have to make do with the space they have, or try to find another venue in town that is bigger. If there actually is one. Exhibition Park, maybe? Doubt it. Even if it is bigger, the transportation to and from that place is problematic, and the guests used to a good hotel room might be disappointed with the Slumber Inn close by. Nope. The more I think about it, the more I believe that the existing WTCC will have to do for another couple of years.
Wading through the throngs of humanity, especially on Saturday, showed me how popular the con has become in just a few years. Perhaps smaller cons could be held throughout the year, organized by some different folks, but all reporting to the head folks at Hal-Con. I, for one, would love to see Wolfcon return. They started that con in the late 1980's, round about the time I was graduating university. They originally held it in Wolfville at Acadia University. But after... 1990 I think it was, the Dean of Arts put her widdle foot down and would no longer allow the con to use any rooms in the Beverage Arts Centre, probably thinking that people talking about science fiction, fantasy, horror and comic books would somehow sully the reputation of the university and the building. Bitch. So the con moved to the nearby Old Orchard Inn for its last few years, ending in 1996. The 1997 con was announced, some guests booked (including Lawrence Watt-Evans), but because of volunteer and organizer burnout, the con was cancelled. I would like to see it come back in some form, and the popularity of Hal-Con could galvanize its rebirth. A fella can dream. But if it were to happen, I'd be all over that like peanut butter on strawberry jam (without pectin). I had a great time at the couple of Wolfcons I attended. I still regret missing the one in 1993, but the weather was atrocious that weekend. Even so, it would have been my only chance to meet Spider Robinson and his now-late wife Jeanne. It was their only time back to Nova Scotia (that I know of) since their acrimonious move from the East Coast to the West in 1987.
Anyway.
When I see the weariness on the faces of the organizers, I worry about their own burnout. I hope that they can catch a breath before they start working on Hal-Con 2014. I hope that their volunteer base expands. I hope some of the volunteers move up to become organizers who want to put their two cents' worth in. And I hope that Hal-Con is around for many years to come!
Count on me to help out in any way you want me to. I do have some ideas of my own and would like to share them with you.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I keep telling Joni Crocker that I am not earning my keep there every year. I just walk around and take pictures of women dressed up in a scanty context, but she says I am doing my part. I am thinking about increasing my participation in Hal-Con for next year. Maybe a few pictures of dudes in costumes as well.
In its 4th year, Hal-Con has reached a level of popularity that the original Halcon (minus the hyphen) never achieved. This popularity was amply demonstrated on Saturday when too many people who had pre-paid for their tickets months ago were unable to get in to the World Trade and Convention Centre. When the new trade centre opens in a couple of years, there will be that much more room for that many more people; until then, the organizers will have to make do with the space they have, or try to find another venue in town that is bigger. If there actually is one. Exhibition Park, maybe? Doubt it. Even if it is bigger, the transportation to and from that place is problematic, and the guests used to a good hotel room might be disappointed with the Slumber Inn close by. Nope. The more I think about it, the more I believe that the existing WTCC will have to do for another couple of years.
Wading through the throngs of humanity, especially on Saturday, showed me how popular the con has become in just a few years. Perhaps smaller cons could be held throughout the year, organized by some different folks, but all reporting to the head folks at Hal-Con. I, for one, would love to see Wolfcon return. They started that con in the late 1980's, round about the time I was graduating university. They originally held it in Wolfville at Acadia University. But after... 1990 I think it was, the Dean of Arts put her widdle foot down and would no longer allow the con to use any rooms in the Beverage Arts Centre, probably thinking that people talking about science fiction, fantasy, horror and comic books would somehow sully the reputation of the university and the building. Bitch. So the con moved to the nearby Old Orchard Inn for its last few years, ending in 1996. The 1997 con was announced, some guests booked (including Lawrence Watt-Evans), but because of volunteer and organizer burnout, the con was cancelled. I would like to see it come back in some form, and the popularity of Hal-Con could galvanize its rebirth. A fella can dream. But if it were to happen, I'd be all over that like peanut butter on strawberry jam (without pectin). I had a great time at the couple of Wolfcons I attended. I still regret missing the one in 1993, but the weather was atrocious that weekend. Even so, it would have been my only chance to meet Spider Robinson and his now-late wife Jeanne. It was their only time back to Nova Scotia (that I know of) since their acrimonious move from the East Coast to the West in 1987.
Anyway.
When I see the weariness on the faces of the organizers, I worry about their own burnout. I hope that they can catch a breath before they start working on Hal-Con 2014. I hope that their volunteer base expands. I hope some of the volunteers move up to become organizers who want to put their two cents' worth in. And I hope that Hal-Con is around for many years to come!
Count on me to help out in any way you want me to. I do have some ideas of my own and would like to share them with you.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Post 2504 - Saturday
I am back home from an exciting day of volunteering at Hal-Con.
As you may know, there were some issues today with attendance today. Thousands upon thousands of people showed up today without notice, having purchased a one-day pass and electing to use it today rather than Friday or Sunday. Meanwhile, many other folks had already pre-paid weekend passes; because the one-day folks had already shown up and got in, the other people couldn't all get in. The place was so full up, one couldn't move through the main hallway.
At one point, there were so many people inside, and so many more hoping to get in, lined up around the block all the way up to Brunswick Street, that the fire marshall came thisclose to shutting down the entire event. Thinking quickly, organizers decided to offer refunds to people who wanted them. This did not make people happy who had wanted to get in.
Eventually, after people got their money back and complained about it on social media, people who had re-queued were able to get in. As I left around 4:45, there were only a couple dozen people waiting to be admitted. This didn't do anything to assuage the disappointment for the people who couldn't get in, and didn't prevent the supper time news people from reporting this tonight.
I got home around 5:45 and fed Newbie. He has been all over me ever since I got home. Patricia and Cindy remain at the cottage and will apparently return to the city on Sunday.
I will turn in shortly and return to Hal-Con in the morning and stay for a few hours. When I get back, the dishes that have been mocking me all week will still be here, and I will have to tackle them in the hope of having them done and put away by the time Patricia gets home.
That will be my evening and Sunday. Tell me about your plans. I do think about all 4.7 of you, you know.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
As you may know, there were some issues today with attendance today. Thousands upon thousands of people showed up today without notice, having purchased a one-day pass and electing to use it today rather than Friday or Sunday. Meanwhile, many other folks had already pre-paid weekend passes; because the one-day folks had already shown up and got in, the other people couldn't all get in. The place was so full up, one couldn't move through the main hallway.
At one point, there were so many people inside, and so many more hoping to get in, lined up around the block all the way up to Brunswick Street, that the fire marshall came thisclose to shutting down the entire event. Thinking quickly, organizers decided to offer refunds to people who wanted them. This did not make people happy who had wanted to get in.
Eventually, after people got their money back and complained about it on social media, people who had re-queued were able to get in. As I left around 4:45, there were only a couple dozen people waiting to be admitted. This didn't do anything to assuage the disappointment for the people who couldn't get in, and didn't prevent the supper time news people from reporting this tonight.
I got home around 5:45 and fed Newbie. He has been all over me ever since I got home. Patricia and Cindy remain at the cottage and will apparently return to the city on Sunday.
I will turn in shortly and return to Hal-Con in the morning and stay for a few hours. When I get back, the dishes that have been mocking me all week will still be here, and I will have to tackle them in the hope of having them done and put away by the time Patricia gets home.
That will be my evening and Sunday. Tell me about your plans. I do think about all 4.7 of you, you know.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Friday, November 8, 2013
Post 2503 - I'm Back
Hey, folks.
I apologize to my 4.7 readers for not writing the last couple of days.
Tuesday night, after I wrote my blog post, I drove to my mother's house and spent the night. I got up comparatively early Wednesday morning so that I could take my mother to a doctor's appointment here in the city. Before that, though, I took her to the new Value Village outlet in Bayers Lake. Those who live in Halifax will know that Value Village's old location was abandoned back in the Spring for a new location that is easily twice as big as the previous one, and it has expanded within that new space already, so it is probably 2.5 times as large as the original location. Mom had not seen the place since the move, so I took her there, and she was blown away by the experience. It was hard to get her to leave after just an hour.
We had lunch at Michael's Bar and Grill on Young Street. A parking space opened up directly in front of the joint just as we entered the parking area. This never happens in real life, but it did then, so I will have to put the old "they always find a parking space in the movies whenever they want one" cliche to bed, because it does happen the odd time.
While there, we saw a couple guys from work. Afterward, Mom remarked that one of them has dreamy eyes. Damn it, but I have to agree. Working with this man can be so distracting, given his eyes.
Before the appointment, Mom hinted that she would like to go to the Sally Ann on Green Street, and since we still had a bit of time to kill, we went. She ended up buying some more blouses to go along with the ones she had purchased at the Value Village a couple of hours earlier.
Without giving out any real details, I can report that Mom's doctor's appointment went very well. The specialist was very pleased and doesn't need to see her again until probably next August or September. We returned to the Valley.
As I have mentioned before, she has been reading a lot lately. She had read an article about fair trade coffee roasters and asked me about a local one called Just Us! coffee in Wolfville. I mentioned that there was an actual museum in the one just off the highway, so we went there for 20 minutes or so. I bought her her first Sumatran dark roast, and she loved it along with the ginger cookie I put in front of her.
I returned Mom to her retirement home before I went back to the house and took a nap and washed the dishes I had dirtied at breakfast that morning. I dropped off a high lighter at her room so that she could read a book the doctor's office had given her and make notes therein. I left her and drove here, arriving at around 10:45pm.
I managed to get up Thursday morning and go to work. I finished a task that had been on my plate for some time. By the end of the work day, my head was aching and my eyes felt gritty, a sure sign of tiredness. I got home from work and pretty much slept the night away.
Friday morning, Patricia went off to the cottage for one last weekend. I got up and worked my first long shift at Hal-Con, which opened today at noon and continues until Sunday afternoon. I renewed some acquaintances, including speaking with Ajay Fry of the Space channel's "Innerspace" show. It was nice of him to say that he remembered me from last year. He always make it a point to say every year that Hal-Con is his favourite con ever. This is a guy who goes to San Diego Comicon and to cons in New York and Toronto and Vancouver and who knows where else. For him to say that about Hal-Con should make all of you reading this want to go as well.
I have thus far taken dozens of pictures, and I will be sharing some of them with you over the weekend. I have met interesting people, but none more so than a woman who makes the trip up here every year with her husband, all the way from Tennessee. She must really love it here is all I can say.
I ended my shift around 6pm. I picked up yet another bag of magazines for my mother from yet another woman in town who reads prodigiously; she will keep me in mind for future contributions of magazines as well as novels her mother reads. My mother already has upwards of 100 magazines to plow through, but she shows no sign of getting tired of reading them, so to get all this reading material for free or nearly so makes everybody happy.
I got back to the house and fed Newbie. I was finally able to sit down and watch this week's "The Walking Dead" and the companion series "The Talking Dead". I am starting to think there is something off about the pacing of the show this season. I get that not every episode of every show can be upbeat, and that you need to build a storyline toward a conclusion. However, in this week's episode, not a great deal happened, and the way that a character's fate was determined seemed so off-handed that I nearly missed it. I am not ready to push the panic button yet, and I am not giving up on the show the way I already have on "Marvel's Shield". I am just hoping that things pick up soon. End of rant.
I am going to turn in now. I have to get up and put in another shift at Ajay's fave con again in the morning.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I apologize to my 4.7 readers for not writing the last couple of days.
Tuesday night, after I wrote my blog post, I drove to my mother's house and spent the night. I got up comparatively early Wednesday morning so that I could take my mother to a doctor's appointment here in the city. Before that, though, I took her to the new Value Village outlet in Bayers Lake. Those who live in Halifax will know that Value Village's old location was abandoned back in the Spring for a new location that is easily twice as big as the previous one, and it has expanded within that new space already, so it is probably 2.5 times as large as the original location. Mom had not seen the place since the move, so I took her there, and she was blown away by the experience. It was hard to get her to leave after just an hour.
We had lunch at Michael's Bar and Grill on Young Street. A parking space opened up directly in front of the joint just as we entered the parking area. This never happens in real life, but it did then, so I will have to put the old "they always find a parking space in the movies whenever they want one" cliche to bed, because it does happen the odd time.
While there, we saw a couple guys from work. Afterward, Mom remarked that one of them has dreamy eyes. Damn it, but I have to agree. Working with this man can be so distracting, given his eyes.
Before the appointment, Mom hinted that she would like to go to the Sally Ann on Green Street, and since we still had a bit of time to kill, we went. She ended up buying some more blouses to go along with the ones she had purchased at the Value Village a couple of hours earlier.
Without giving out any real details, I can report that Mom's doctor's appointment went very well. The specialist was very pleased and doesn't need to see her again until probably next August or September. We returned to the Valley.
As I have mentioned before, she has been reading a lot lately. She had read an article about fair trade coffee roasters and asked me about a local one called Just Us! coffee in Wolfville. I mentioned that there was an actual museum in the one just off the highway, so we went there for 20 minutes or so. I bought her her first Sumatran dark roast, and she loved it along with the ginger cookie I put in front of her.
I returned Mom to her retirement home before I went back to the house and took a nap and washed the dishes I had dirtied at breakfast that morning. I dropped off a high lighter at her room so that she could read a book the doctor's office had given her and make notes therein. I left her and drove here, arriving at around 10:45pm.
I managed to get up Thursday morning and go to work. I finished a task that had been on my plate for some time. By the end of the work day, my head was aching and my eyes felt gritty, a sure sign of tiredness. I got home from work and pretty much slept the night away.
Friday morning, Patricia went off to the cottage for one last weekend. I got up and worked my first long shift at Hal-Con, which opened today at noon and continues until Sunday afternoon. I renewed some acquaintances, including speaking with Ajay Fry of the Space channel's "Innerspace" show. It was nice of him to say that he remembered me from last year. He always make it a point to say every year that Hal-Con is his favourite con ever. This is a guy who goes to San Diego Comicon and to cons in New York and Toronto and Vancouver and who knows where else. For him to say that about Hal-Con should make all of you reading this want to go as well.
I have thus far taken dozens of pictures, and I will be sharing some of them with you over the weekend. I have met interesting people, but none more so than a woman who makes the trip up here every year with her husband, all the way from Tennessee. She must really love it here is all I can say.
I ended my shift around 6pm. I picked up yet another bag of magazines for my mother from yet another woman in town who reads prodigiously; she will keep me in mind for future contributions of magazines as well as novels her mother reads. My mother already has upwards of 100 magazines to plow through, but she shows no sign of getting tired of reading them, so to get all this reading material for free or nearly so makes everybody happy.
I got back to the house and fed Newbie. I was finally able to sit down and watch this week's "The Walking Dead" and the companion series "The Talking Dead". I am starting to think there is something off about the pacing of the show this season. I get that not every episode of every show can be upbeat, and that you need to build a storyline toward a conclusion. However, in this week's episode, not a great deal happened, and the way that a character's fate was determined seemed so off-handed that I nearly missed it. I am not ready to push the panic button yet, and I am not giving up on the show the way I already have on "Marvel's Shield". I am just hoping that things pick up soon. End of rant.
I am going to turn in now. I have to get up and put in another shift at Ajay's fave con again in the morning.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Post 2502 - Radio News
I found out about a big staff meeting at the Rogers stations scheduled for 12:30pm today, about 20 minutes beforehand. I guess I will use the phrase "a well-placed source" told me. I will not identify the person beyond that. These staff meetings announced suddenly, with little warning, never bode good news.
I was right, alas. There was a bloodbath at the Rogers radio stations in Halifax today. This was part of a lot of layoffs across the country. 94 people were let go across the country, with 11 of them in Halifax.
Gone are Erica Munn and Jordi Morgan. His program, Maritime Morning, is effectively cancelled, as Rick Howe's show moves to mornings effective Wednesday morning. The weekend talk show is toast as well, to be replaced by repeats of, most likely, Rick Howe's program. Also gone are at least one producer, and one reporter. And a sales person. You don't fire sales people. That is like firing one of the guys who stoke the furnace on a ship.
On the Lite 92.9 side, Jamie Paterson, part of the original staff of the station since July of 2009, has been let go. His wife Lisa remains at the station. Awkward much?
Over the years, many people have asked me why I never considered radio as a profession. The answers are many, but the one that leaps to mind now is obvious from today's news. It doesn't matter one whit whether you are talented, whether you pull in good ratings, whatever; if the time comes for you to be let go, you will be let go. I like being in an industry like mine, where if you keep up-to-date on the latest and greatest changes, and are liked and don't piss off the wrong people, then you have a pretty good chance of continued employment. I would not want to be in an industry where you are here today, and gone later today. For one thing, how do you plan your life?
From all reports, Jordi Morgan was pulling in very good ratings. I found his show to be compelling, even when he had a topic on of no interest to me whatsoever. That is a hard thing to pull off. For Rogers to walk away from that is bizarre to say the least. It seems so short-sighted to let him go, when the cost of doing the show could not have been that high. It was just he and his producer putting on 3.5 hours of material day in and day out. There are lots of people who don't read the paper, or who don't watch the evening news. Many of those folks will tune into News 95.7 Wednesday morning expecting to hear Jordi Morgan's show and find out the hard way that it is gone and won't be coming back. They will be pissed, and I won't blame them a bit.
As I mentioned, if you're gonna be gone, you're gonna be gone. No radio format is so sacrosanct that it can escape changes and cutbacks. The time was when all local radio stations had to provide a certain percentage of spoken word every day. That requirement disappeared some 20 years ago. In short order, if you were a radio news reporter, the reporter standing to your left and the one on the right, were let go. And you were updating your resume and not planning any major purchases.
I had a feeling last year when Rogers applied to reduce its local content that it would presage, or at least allow, for what happened today, to happen. I am disgusted and disappointed to report that I was right. I hate being right in situations like these. And I have to wonder what fresh treats they have in store for the station should the company need to let more people go in six months or so.
I wish my very best to those folks who were let go today. I know and hope and trust that they will rise above today's setbacks and flourish in the medium that they love, even if it is not in Halifax.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
PS: Gee, I didn't even have a chance to write about Art Bell's satellite radio show stopping suddenly, a mere six weeks after it began.
I was right, alas. There was a bloodbath at the Rogers radio stations in Halifax today. This was part of a lot of layoffs across the country. 94 people were let go across the country, with 11 of them in Halifax.
Gone are Erica Munn and Jordi Morgan. His program, Maritime Morning, is effectively cancelled, as Rick Howe's show moves to mornings effective Wednesday morning. The weekend talk show is toast as well, to be replaced by repeats of, most likely, Rick Howe's program. Also gone are at least one producer, and one reporter. And a sales person. You don't fire sales people. That is like firing one of the guys who stoke the furnace on a ship.
On the Lite 92.9 side, Jamie Paterson, part of the original staff of the station since July of 2009, has been let go. His wife Lisa remains at the station. Awkward much?
Over the years, many people have asked me why I never considered radio as a profession. The answers are many, but the one that leaps to mind now is obvious from today's news. It doesn't matter one whit whether you are talented, whether you pull in good ratings, whatever; if the time comes for you to be let go, you will be let go. I like being in an industry like mine, where if you keep up-to-date on the latest and greatest changes, and are liked and don't piss off the wrong people, then you have a pretty good chance of continued employment. I would not want to be in an industry where you are here today, and gone later today. For one thing, how do you plan your life?
From all reports, Jordi Morgan was pulling in very good ratings. I found his show to be compelling, even when he had a topic on of no interest to me whatsoever. That is a hard thing to pull off. For Rogers to walk away from that is bizarre to say the least. It seems so short-sighted to let him go, when the cost of doing the show could not have been that high. It was just he and his producer putting on 3.5 hours of material day in and day out. There are lots of people who don't read the paper, or who don't watch the evening news. Many of those folks will tune into News 95.7 Wednesday morning expecting to hear Jordi Morgan's show and find out the hard way that it is gone and won't be coming back. They will be pissed, and I won't blame them a bit.
As I mentioned, if you're gonna be gone, you're gonna be gone. No radio format is so sacrosanct that it can escape changes and cutbacks. The time was when all local radio stations had to provide a certain percentage of spoken word every day. That requirement disappeared some 20 years ago. In short order, if you were a radio news reporter, the reporter standing to your left and the one on the right, were let go. And you were updating your resume and not planning any major purchases.
I had a feeling last year when Rogers applied to reduce its local content that it would presage, or at least allow, for what happened today, to happen. I am disgusted and disappointed to report that I was right. I hate being right in situations like these. And I have to wonder what fresh treats they have in store for the station should the company need to let more people go in six months or so.
I wish my very best to those folks who were let go today. I know and hope and trust that they will rise above today's setbacks and flourish in the medium that they love, even if it is not in Halifax.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
PS: Gee, I didn't even have a chance to write about Art Bell's satellite radio show stopping suddenly, a mere six weeks after it began.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Post 2501 - Monday
Ugh. It is nearly 10:30 Monday night. Long day.
We woke up at the cottage in Pictou County this morning, at 3:30. The weather was howling, so we decided to stay a few more hours until the sun came up, so that we could see where we were going. We arranged to stay a few more hours with out respective works, and left the cottage around 7:30.
We had breakfast once again at Sharon's Place in the town of Pictou. Same seats as yesterday. Same breakfast order. Same server. From there, we returned to the city, arriving around 10:20.
I showered and prepared to go to work, arriving at my place of employment at almost exactly noon. I worked until 4:30, and then drove to the World Trade and Convention Centre for the annual Hal-Con walk through. Once again I will be working media all weekend, taking a few hundred pictures from noon on Friday until Sunday afternoon. I will have Monday off work to recover from the fun times. I hope to meet Billy Dee Williams and many of the other media guests. If I am very lucky indeed, I will be able to give them my Blog business cards. I may end up with 5.4 readers by Sunday. Wish me luck.
Tuesday after work, I will be driving down to my mother's place, so that I can drive her to her doctor's appointment in the city on Wednesday. I expect to be very bushed come Wednesday night, not that you give a crap or anything. As long as I grind out a bloody blog post for you every day, that is all that matters, not how much sweat went into producing it.
In other matters, this is "Movember", so I have decided to grow my moustache for the month. I do this because many of the women in my office cannot grow their own moustaches, so I must make up for them. I hope they appreciate it.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
We woke up at the cottage in Pictou County this morning, at 3:30. The weather was howling, so we decided to stay a few more hours until the sun came up, so that we could see where we were going. We arranged to stay a few more hours with out respective works, and left the cottage around 7:30.
We had breakfast once again at Sharon's Place in the town of Pictou. Same seats as yesterday. Same breakfast order. Same server. From there, we returned to the city, arriving around 10:20.
I showered and prepared to go to work, arriving at my place of employment at almost exactly noon. I worked until 4:30, and then drove to the World Trade and Convention Centre for the annual Hal-Con walk through. Once again I will be working media all weekend, taking a few hundred pictures from noon on Friday until Sunday afternoon. I will have Monday off work to recover from the fun times. I hope to meet Billy Dee Williams and many of the other media guests. If I am very lucky indeed, I will be able to give them my Blog business cards. I may end up with 5.4 readers by Sunday. Wish me luck.
Tuesday after work, I will be driving down to my mother's place, so that I can drive her to her doctor's appointment in the city on Wednesday. I expect to be very bushed come Wednesday night, not that you give a crap or anything. As long as I grind out a bloody blog post for you every day, that is all that matters, not how much sweat went into producing it.
In other matters, this is "Movember", so I have decided to grow my moustache for the month. I do this because many of the women in my office cannot grow their own moustaches, so I must make up for them. I hope they appreciate it.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Post 2500 - Cottage Day Two
It's 11pm. I have to be at work in 9 hours. And we remain at the cottage.
We will get up around 3:30 Monday morning, throw our things in the cars, and drive to the city in time to go to work. Lots of fun.
Patricia had hired a local guy to build up and around the existing shed, roughly doubling its size. There is new siding on the old part so that it no longer looks as though it will fall apart. The side door has been filled over, replaced by a window that had been in my father's garage. He'd been here the one time in 2006 so it seems fitting that one of his old windows will look out over the Northumberland Strait for the next few decades.
The new section will be a work area for Patricia, starting in 2014. She looks forward to making stained glass out there. I can imagine her coming out here on weekends and not emerging until Sunday night.
Or Mondays mornings at 3:30.
On that note I should get 4 hours of sleep.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
We will get up around 3:30 Monday morning, throw our things in the cars, and drive to the city in time to go to work. Lots of fun.
Patricia had hired a local guy to build up and around the existing shed, roughly doubling its size. There is new siding on the old part so that it no longer looks as though it will fall apart. The side door has been filled over, replaced by a window that had been in my father's garage. He'd been here the one time in 2006 so it seems fitting that one of his old windows will look out over the Northumberland Strait for the next few decades.
The new section will be a work area for Patricia, starting in 2014. She looks forward to making stained glass out there. I can imagine her coming out here on weekends and not emerging until Sunday night.
Or Mondays mornings at 3:30.
On that note I should get 4 hours of sleep.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Post 2499 - Cottage
I drove to the cottage this afternoon. Patricia was already here. I thought you'd like to see a picture of her and Cindy.
Returning to the city on Sunday. Will be a very busy week, one ending with covering Hal-Con all weekend. In between I will be taking my mother to the city and a bunch of other things.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
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