Hi. Back home from the Gordon Lightfoot concert.
What can I say?
Gordon Lightfoot is 75 years old. He has had horrendous health issues in recent years, some of which came thisclose to killing him. That he is able to get up and around let alone endure the rigours of a concert tour, is not much short of amazing. I hate to state these things. I really do.
The man's voice is shot. Notes that I could hit if someone kicked me in the Bevboy's, were beyond his ability to reach. His voice would just disappear for those brief moments. Songs were barely muttered. The audience members had to sing along to provide any kind of context. It was barely above bad karaoke.
The show started promptly at 8pm. By 8:50, the show was half over. Lightfoot shuffled off stage to take oxygen or whatever. Patricia and I looked at each other and sighed and both of us wished that we could have seen him when he was in his prime.
There comes a time when people have to call it a day. They may want to keep working, but it is in their best interests to quit. I mean, Bob Dylan doesn't even sound like anything human. Bruce Springsteen doesn't so much sing as bellow. Anne Murray's voice was getting raspy, so she had the good sense to retire, but others just keep going on and on and on. There are so many other examples.
We didn't pay for tonight's tickets. We were in a sky box. We are glad to have been able to see a Canadian icon like Gordon Lightfoot. We just wish we had seen him when he was a younger guy, when his voice was working properly, and when his fans could walk away from one of his shows feeling satisfied, not vaguely ripped off.
Tomorrow is Thursday, but it is my Friday as I am off after tomorrow until Monday. Looking forward to it.
See you tomorrow, my lovelies.
Bevboy
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Post 2651 - This And That
Hey, folks. Sorry I didn't write last night. Ever since I fired my ghost writers earlier this month, I have been scrambling to provide fresh content every day. Since it is just me doing all the work again, and there are only so many hours in the day, I fear that I will miss a day here and there going forward. I apologize.
A couple of days ago, Patriica won two skybox tickets to the April 30th Gordon Lightfoot concert at the Metro Centre. I began to crow about it on Sunday on my Facebook and at coffee with the boys on Monday. Much to my surprise, shock even, a couple of my chums claimed never to have heard of Mr. Lightfoot.
Make no mistake. There are recording artists from the 1960's and 1970's whom I grew up listening to, and whom I wish I had never heard of. There are people whose songs are still played on the dwindling-number of classic hit stations in this market. All I can say about that is that I am glad there is a dwindling-number of classic hit stations in this market. In all too many cases, I am sick unto death of this music. I'm talking to you, ZZ Top, and Rolling Stones, and Eagles and all you other old farts. Retire, why don't you?
Gordon Lightfoot would typically be one of those people I listed above, but his music, the good stuff at least, has a hypnotic quality, and his lyrics are open to enough interpretation that repeated listenings do not go unrewarded. "If You Could Read My Mind" is a song that carried me through some tough times. "Sundown" is only a tune that every man who's honest with himself, can relate to. "Black Day In July", his comment about the 1967 Detroit race riots, was banned in the United States for many years. There are so many others.
I am sure my friend at work has at least heard some of his songs and perhaps wondered who performed them. He need wonder no longer.
In other news, Tim Bousquet, late of Halifax's alternative weekly The Coast, has announced that he is starting his own news-oriented website. He will do more of the long-form investigative pieces he's best known for as well as express his opinions on whatever he wants to at any given time. He promises it will be behind a somewhat permeable pay wall. My wording; not his. He hasn't announced what the website will be called, but I am going on record and stating that I will sign up for it as soon as I hear about it.
Tim's recent blog posts discuss his thoughts behind what he has in mind. I suggest you at least scan the April posts and see where he is coming from. Here is the link.
As I have mentioned before, it is entirely due to Tim Bousquet that the police reopened the investigation into the Holly Bartlett death. The Fifth Estate would never have done that piece on CBC television had it not been for the heavy lifting that Tim did all by himself. I have not always agreed with him, but I strongly defend his right to express those opinions, and I look forward to reading his unexpurgated pieces on his soon-to-be-named website.
Best of luck, Tim Bousquet!!
I will try to live blog the Gordon Lightfoot concert tomorrow night. Just sayin'.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
A couple of days ago, Patriica won two skybox tickets to the April 30th Gordon Lightfoot concert at the Metro Centre. I began to crow about it on Sunday on my Facebook and at coffee with the boys on Monday. Much to my surprise, shock even, a couple of my chums claimed never to have heard of Mr. Lightfoot.
Make no mistake. There are recording artists from the 1960's and 1970's whom I grew up listening to, and whom I wish I had never heard of. There are people whose songs are still played on the dwindling-number of classic hit stations in this market. All I can say about that is that I am glad there is a dwindling-number of classic hit stations in this market. In all too many cases, I am sick unto death of this music. I'm talking to you, ZZ Top, and Rolling Stones, and Eagles and all you other old farts. Retire, why don't you?
Gordon Lightfoot would typically be one of those people I listed above, but his music, the good stuff at least, has a hypnotic quality, and his lyrics are open to enough interpretation that repeated listenings do not go unrewarded. "If You Could Read My Mind" is a song that carried me through some tough times. "Sundown" is only a tune that every man who's honest with himself, can relate to. "Black Day In July", his comment about the 1967 Detroit race riots, was banned in the United States for many years. There are so many others.
I am sure my friend at work has at least heard some of his songs and perhaps wondered who performed them. He need wonder no longer.
In other news, Tim Bousquet, late of Halifax's alternative weekly The Coast, has announced that he is starting his own news-oriented website. He will do more of the long-form investigative pieces he's best known for as well as express his opinions on whatever he wants to at any given time. He promises it will be behind a somewhat permeable pay wall. My wording; not his. He hasn't announced what the website will be called, but I am going on record and stating that I will sign up for it as soon as I hear about it.
Tim's recent blog posts discuss his thoughts behind what he has in mind. I suggest you at least scan the April posts and see where he is coming from. Here is the link.
As I have mentioned before, it is entirely due to Tim Bousquet that the police reopened the investigation into the Holly Bartlett death. The Fifth Estate would never have done that piece on CBC television had it not been for the heavy lifting that Tim did all by himself. I have not always agreed with him, but I strongly defend his right to express those opinions, and I look forward to reading his unexpurgated pieces on his soon-to-be-named website.
Best of luck, Tim Bousquet!!
I will try to live blog the Gordon Lightfoot concert tomorrow night. Just sayin'.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Post 2650 - Sunday
It is Sunday evening. I am showered, shaven, buffed, puffed, clean, mean, and various and sundry other things.
I return to work in the morning. The past week flew by, and we don't know where the week went. We had both hoped to have got a lot more done than we actually did. The various hard drives I have acquired in recent months have still not been set up on my network, the recroom remains in a state that would make some people wonder about my ability to clean.
Not much happened today. We watched a couple movies: "The Caller" starring Halle Berry, and the most recent Star Trek movie. We ate leftovers, and Newbie has been quiet again today.
Oh, I have had a headache most of the day. It has been a dull ache that has persisted and won't go away no matter what I do. I am hoping that after a good night's sleep, that I will be functional at least.
Speaking of which... guess I'll turn in.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I return to work in the morning. The past week flew by, and we don't know where the week went. We had both hoped to have got a lot more done than we actually did. The various hard drives I have acquired in recent months have still not been set up on my network, the recroom remains in a state that would make some people wonder about my ability to clean.
Not much happened today. We watched a couple movies: "The Caller" starring Halle Berry, and the most recent Star Trek movie. We ate leftovers, and Newbie has been quiet again today.
Oh, I have had a headache most of the day. It has been a dull ache that has persisted and won't go away no matter what I do. I am hoping that after a good night's sleep, that I will be functional at least.
Speaking of which... guess I'll turn in.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Post 2649 - Saturday
Hello. It is late at night yet again. I should go to bed soon. Sunday marks the dead before I return to work on Monday, so I really should get back to a regular schedule or else getting up at 5:30 Monday morning will kill me.
We went into Bayer's Lake today. Patricia wanted to get some stuff to paint the bathroom. After lunch at The Lower Deck in Clayton Park, we ended up at the Kent store. While Patricia was getting what she wanted, my eye was caught by the LED lightbulbs on sale. The 60 watt equivalent bulb was $6.99 following the various discounts offered by the province and by Kent. I ended up buying nearly $100 worth of bulbs and have already installed a couple of them in the house. Next weekend, when I am at my mother's, I will replace the two lights over her garage with led bulbs, which will save me quite a bit of money over their life time.
We returned to the house. I had every intention of adding a few hard drives to my home network but didn't get a chance as I fell asleep in my La- Z-boy chair. I finally got around this evening to adding a hard drive I got from a guy on Kijiji this week, to a hard drive enclosure I had laying around. Will try to put the other hard drives into service tomorrow.
What else is going on? We watched "Orphan Black" this evening. It is even more compelling and fun in its second season. The show on Space after that was about people who died and returned to life, but it was in French with English subtitles, so we bailed.
Newbie has been in a quiet mood the last couple of days. He was on the arm of the chair next to me a while ago, but is frig knows where now. He will want something to eat in a few hours and I will either get up and feed him, or get up and kill him. He's my buddy, so it will be the former, and he knows that. I sure would like it if he got me something to eat from time to time. But, no. It doesn't work that way.
I guess I will turn in. Busy day on Sunday.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
We went into Bayer's Lake today. Patricia wanted to get some stuff to paint the bathroom. After lunch at The Lower Deck in Clayton Park, we ended up at the Kent store. While Patricia was getting what she wanted, my eye was caught by the LED lightbulbs on sale. The 60 watt equivalent bulb was $6.99 following the various discounts offered by the province and by Kent. I ended up buying nearly $100 worth of bulbs and have already installed a couple of them in the house. Next weekend, when I am at my mother's, I will replace the two lights over her garage with led bulbs, which will save me quite a bit of money over their life time.
We returned to the house. I had every intention of adding a few hard drives to my home network but didn't get a chance as I fell asleep in my La- Z-boy chair. I finally got around this evening to adding a hard drive I got from a guy on Kijiji this week, to a hard drive enclosure I had laying around. Will try to put the other hard drives into service tomorrow.
What else is going on? We watched "Orphan Black" this evening. It is even more compelling and fun in its second season. The show on Space after that was about people who died and returned to life, but it was in French with English subtitles, so we bailed.
Newbie has been in a quiet mood the last couple of days. He was on the arm of the chair next to me a while ago, but is frig knows where now. He will want something to eat in a few hours and I will either get up and feed him, or get up and kill him. He's my buddy, so it will be the former, and he knows that. I sure would like it if he got me something to eat from time to time. But, no. It doesn't work that way.
I guess I will turn in. Busy day on Sunday.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Friday, April 25, 2014
Post 2648 - Friday
Up late. Watching Netflix with Newbie. Documentary about the Ward brothers, a Cain and Abel situation where one may have killed the other and how the surviving brother was treated by the legal system.
Why do I watch this non happy stuff?
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the Bell network.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Post 2647 - Thursday
It is 11:30pm. I should turn in shortly. But maybe I won't. After all, I am on vacation and can keep whatever damned hours I want.
Patricia had a doctor's appointment in Dartmouth this morning, so we piled in my car and left the house around 9:15. We got there around 10:10, and they took her right in. The office is next door to a meat market that Patricia had told me about many times, so we went in. We got some great deals on chicken and vegetables and drove to downtown Dartmouth, where I got rid of even more comics from Cal, the guy who owns Strange Adventures there as well as in downtown Halifax.
From there we drove up Pleasant Street way to check out the Value Village in Dartmouth. It may be my imagination, but I think that prices are higher at that store than at the one at Bayers Lake.
Before we left Dartmouth, I called a guy I've been writing with on Kijiji. He had a hard drive I coveted, so I arranged to pick it up in Clayton Park, which I did. We went to the Superstore in Bayers Lake from there before returning to the house and putting our many purchases away.
This evening I finally got around to watching the 2009 Star Trek movie, the first one with the new cast playing the iconic characters from the original series. Shame on me taking so long to watch that film. It was terrific, and I can't wait to watch the sequel, which is available on Netflix.
There was something I meant to tell you earlier. I wish I could remember what it was. I will mention, though, that Niki Jabbour's gardening show returns to News 95.7 this coming Sunday, and will run from 10-noon each week until the gardening season is over.
People who are into gardening cannot understand people who are not. People who are not into gardening cannot understand people who are. I mean, I appreciate the passion that people have for this activity, but just can't see my way clear to putting in the time and effort that it demands to do it right. Anyway, Niki is a fan of this blog, and that speaks to her highly attenuated sense of taste, so I recommend you check out her show. She regularly has guests on and prizes of a gardening nature are dispensed with great regularity.
Crap. I still can't remember what I wanted to tell you. When I think of it, I will post an addendum to this post or something.
Like I said, it was a long day. Guess I will turn in.
See you tomorrow, my lovelies.
Bevboy
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Post 2646 - Radio News
So, here I am, on vacation, and something falls by the wayside. I fell behind in reading the Milkman website.
For those who don't know, The Milkman is probably the pre-eminent place to find out radio news in Canada. When someone goes to a station, or leaves it; or a station changes format, then you will find it on his website. And, no, I don't know why he calls himself the Milkman. I am doing well to know why I call myself "Bevboy".
Anyway, I took a break from the Spring cleaning today and fired up the website and learned that K-Rock 89.3 in New Minas, is in search of a new morning team. Yep. A whole new team.
The morning show the last couple of years has consisted of Curtis Bray and Lea Miller. Mr. Bray is also that fine station's Program Director. You may recall Lea from her days at the Q104 morning show as well as the times she filled in for Caroline Parker at the former KOOL FM. For reasons I do not know, and probably never will know, she is pursuing other opportunities, and Mr. Bray also decided to concentrate on his PD duties. I wish them both the very best in their careers.
I do not have any inside knowledge as to who will apply for the morning show gig at K-Rock. But, like you, I can think of many excellent candidates for the jobs, folks who would kick serious anus down there. This would include people who are presently on the air in Halifax who are underemployed, talented professionals who are lacking a position at the present time, and even people who have left our fair market in search of allegedly-better opportunities in larger markets. For those who haven't read the Milkman article and who read this stupid-ass blog of mine, I am hoping that they will consider the job at K-Rock and throw their hat in.
I am biased. I am from the Annapolis Valley and co-own a house down there and love that part of the province. My life and my job are here, but my heart is still down there. I have always felt jealous toward people who were able to forge a life for themselves in the Valley; the 26 years since I left have made that pang fade but not disappear.
If any radio professional reading this is wondering if moving to the Valley and working for a Newcap station is a good career move, then that is a decision you have to make for yourself. I know I would in a heartbeat. The Valley is a beautiful place to live and to work and to... be. If you think there is nothing to do down there, then you are wrong. Wolfville is one of the most interesting towns anywhere. It is a university town. This means that there are eclectic restaurants and shops and coffee houses that are unavailable even in Halifax. Every Autumn they have the Deep Roots Festival, and we go to it every year. We saw Jesse Winchester play there a scant 7 months ago. We are grateful for that because the poor man died earlier this month.
Nearby New Minas is the shopping Mecca for the Valley. It is also where the radio station is. And there are dozens of beautiful communities surrounding these towns that you have to see.
My understanding is that when K-Rock went on the air in 2008, that mid-day guy Darrin Harvey drove the then-new morning team of Colin McInnes and Kate Peardon around the Valley and showed them the sights. Did he show them the house in Kentville where actor Peter Donat grew up? Did he drive them past the Canning Meat Market, the place where they sell the best steaks you can sink your teeth into? Did he take them to Prescott House, where varieties of apples like Gravensteins were developed? I could go on and on.
I do not envy Curtis Bray. He has a difficult decision ahead of him. I certainly wish the people who get the job, all my very best. I will try not to be jealous of them while they get to live there and I don't.
Busy day Thursday. How do I find time for work anyway?
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
For those who don't know, The Milkman is probably the pre-eminent place to find out radio news in Canada. When someone goes to a station, or leaves it; or a station changes format, then you will find it on his website. And, no, I don't know why he calls himself the Milkman. I am doing well to know why I call myself "Bevboy".
Anyway, I took a break from the Spring cleaning today and fired up the website and learned that K-Rock 89.3 in New Minas, is in search of a new morning team. Yep. A whole new team.
The morning show the last couple of years has consisted of Curtis Bray and Lea Miller. Mr. Bray is also that fine station's Program Director. You may recall Lea from her days at the Q104 morning show as well as the times she filled in for Caroline Parker at the former KOOL FM. For reasons I do not know, and probably never will know, she is pursuing other opportunities, and Mr. Bray also decided to concentrate on his PD duties. I wish them both the very best in their careers.
I do not have any inside knowledge as to who will apply for the morning show gig at K-Rock. But, like you, I can think of many excellent candidates for the jobs, folks who would kick serious anus down there. This would include people who are presently on the air in Halifax who are underemployed, talented professionals who are lacking a position at the present time, and even people who have left our fair market in search of allegedly-better opportunities in larger markets. For those who haven't read the Milkman article and who read this stupid-ass blog of mine, I am hoping that they will consider the job at K-Rock and throw their hat in.
I am biased. I am from the Annapolis Valley and co-own a house down there and love that part of the province. My life and my job are here, but my heart is still down there. I have always felt jealous toward people who were able to forge a life for themselves in the Valley; the 26 years since I left have made that pang fade but not disappear.
If any radio professional reading this is wondering if moving to the Valley and working for a Newcap station is a good career move, then that is a decision you have to make for yourself. I know I would in a heartbeat. The Valley is a beautiful place to live and to work and to... be. If you think there is nothing to do down there, then you are wrong. Wolfville is one of the most interesting towns anywhere. It is a university town. This means that there are eclectic restaurants and shops and coffee houses that are unavailable even in Halifax. Every Autumn they have the Deep Roots Festival, and we go to it every year. We saw Jesse Winchester play there a scant 7 months ago. We are grateful for that because the poor man died earlier this month.
Nearby New Minas is the shopping Mecca for the Valley. It is also where the radio station is. And there are dozens of beautiful communities surrounding these towns that you have to see.
My understanding is that when K-Rock went on the air in 2008, that mid-day guy Darrin Harvey drove the then-new morning team of Colin McInnes and Kate Peardon around the Valley and showed them the sights. Did he show them the house in Kentville where actor Peter Donat grew up? Did he drive them past the Canning Meat Market, the place where they sell the best steaks you can sink your teeth into? Did he take them to Prescott House, where varieties of apples like Gravensteins were developed? I could go on and on.
I do not envy Curtis Bray. He has a difficult decision ahead of him. I certainly wish the people who get the job, all my very best. I will try not to be jealous of them while they get to live there and I don't.
Busy day Thursday. How do I find time for work anyway?
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Post 2645 - Tuesday
Hello again, my friends. How was your day?
I have been on the go since around 7:30 this morning. I got up at that too-early-for-vacation hour to pack up some comics I was selling off and so that we could be ready to take Cindy Clawford to the vet's. She is holding her own, and we are hoping that she will be around for a while yet.
Afterward, we were thirsty, so we went to the Second Cup in Bayers Lake. I had a strawberry Italian sode; Patricia had an iced latte. We took our time. We then went to the KVADO Amish furniture place across the street. Lovely wooden furniture that my father would have loved to see. However, given its prices, the stuff there is not exactly an impulse purchase.
From there, we went up the hill to the Value Village. Being Earth Day, they had a 30% off sale on most clothing. I ended up buying 4 pairs of jeans plus some other stuff. The other stuff included a GE clock radio which has excellent sound. They made millions of those radios, and they are not difficult to find. Faux wooden cabinet. A good speaker. Pretty robust controls. They are a very good find, and this one set me back a mere 3 dollars. Where I'll plug it in and use it, I don't know yet. But I will probably get rid of an existing radio and put this "new" one into use.
I also got two Ethernet switches. One is a Netgear with 16 ports (not a gigabit), and obviously well-made. They are the kind of switches I would see at my work if they let me in the room where those things are kept. The one I got today cost 8 dollars. I do not and will not need such an elaborate ethernet switch, but I couldn't resist that price. The second one I got is obviously a consumer-grade device, for 4 dollars. Much lighter, only 8 ports, and clearly nowhere near as well made. I bought both in case one of them doesn't work.
I also got a couple pieces of cat 5 cable for a couple of dollars each. One was 3 dollars and must be 3 meters long. The cheaper pieces may only be a meter.
I picked up a couple local history books, a couple dvd's, and a high end plastic oven mitt for 3 bucks. And a couple other things. With tax and taking into account the discount on some items I mentioned earlier, I was out about 90 dollars. A pretty good haul, and not a big pile of money spent. I got some good bargains, especially since the jeans were good quality, and the fact that the 16 port ethernet switch would cost $60 or so, new.
We returned to the house after all that shopping, and took a rest. We fed the cats, and Newbie has been with me ever since. He is on the left arm of my La-Z-boy as I type this on my laptop and contemplate the consumption of a second chicken sandwich.
Tomorrow will consist of a couple trips to the landfill and other Spring-related clean up activities. Yay, vacations!
You guys have a good evening. And I'll see you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I have been on the go since around 7:30 this morning. I got up at that too-early-for-vacation hour to pack up some comics I was selling off and so that we could be ready to take Cindy Clawford to the vet's. She is holding her own, and we are hoping that she will be around for a while yet.
Afterward, we were thirsty, so we went to the Second Cup in Bayers Lake. I had a strawberry Italian sode; Patricia had an iced latte. We took our time. We then went to the KVADO Amish furniture place across the street. Lovely wooden furniture that my father would have loved to see. However, given its prices, the stuff there is not exactly an impulse purchase.
From there, we went up the hill to the Value Village. Being Earth Day, they had a 30% off sale on most clothing. I ended up buying 4 pairs of jeans plus some other stuff. The other stuff included a GE clock radio which has excellent sound. They made millions of those radios, and they are not difficult to find. Faux wooden cabinet. A good speaker. Pretty robust controls. They are a very good find, and this one set me back a mere 3 dollars. Where I'll plug it in and use it, I don't know yet. But I will probably get rid of an existing radio and put this "new" one into use.
I also got two Ethernet switches. One is a Netgear with 16 ports (not a gigabit), and obviously well-made. They are the kind of switches I would see at my work if they let me in the room where those things are kept. The one I got today cost 8 dollars. I do not and will not need such an elaborate ethernet switch, but I couldn't resist that price. The second one I got is obviously a consumer-grade device, for 4 dollars. Much lighter, only 8 ports, and clearly nowhere near as well made. I bought both in case one of them doesn't work.
I also got a couple pieces of cat 5 cable for a couple of dollars each. One was 3 dollars and must be 3 meters long. The cheaper pieces may only be a meter.
I picked up a couple local history books, a couple dvd's, and a high end plastic oven mitt for 3 bucks. And a couple other things. With tax and taking into account the discount on some items I mentioned earlier, I was out about 90 dollars. A pretty good haul, and not a big pile of money spent. I got some good bargains, especially since the jeans were good quality, and the fact that the 16 port ethernet switch would cost $60 or so, new.
We returned to the house after all that shopping, and took a rest. We fed the cats, and Newbie has been with me ever since. He is on the left arm of my La-Z-boy as I type this on my laptop and contemplate the consumption of a second chicken sandwich.
Tomorrow will consist of a couple trips to the landfill and other Spring-related clean up activities. Yay, vacations!
You guys have a good evening. And I'll see you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Monday, April 21, 2014
Post 2644 - Monday
Very long day. Overdid it. Cold symptoms are returning.
Sigh.
Will write a more detailed post tomorrow. Another busy day awaits.
See you then.
Bevboy.
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the Bell network.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Post 2643 - Sunday
Hello, my 4.7. How are you this evening?
I am much improved. Thank you for your concern. Your cards and letters all helped me along the path to better health. I am so grateful to have you as my friends.
I haven't written much the last few days. As you know, my ghost writers are all gone, so it falls to me; and when I am sick, there is not much I can do.
A guy at work had a bad cold. We talked on Thursday morning. By the afternoon, I began to feel the symptoms. By the time I got home at 6:30, it was all I could do to go to bed.
I was even worse on Good Friday. Just watching a simple tv show exhausted me, so I ended up most sleeping in my La-Z-boy, with Newbie on my lap. He knows when his daddy is sick, and stays with me during those times. Sweet, really.
I barely ate anything on Friday. I ate somewhat more on Saturday. I have been a comparative chowhound today.
Here I am, the 3rd day of a long weekend, and have nothing to show for it except an excessive amount of sleep and a desire to breath on the guy at work who gave me this cold, the next time I have a cold and he doesn't.
As it stands, I have the coming week off on vacation. I don't return to work until the 28th. There are many plans afoot for us this week involving Spring cleaning and the like. Patricia's ocular prosthetic needs to be cleaned, which requires a day trip to Dartmouth, a.k.a. the butthole of Nova Scotia. Dartmouth is to Nova Scotia as grape juice is to wine. People live in Dartmouth because they don't know any better. You get my drift. People in Dartmouth will read these words and gnash their little teeth and smash their fists on their keyboards in an effort to respond to my comments, before they spend an hour trying to find out where the send button is. A little sad, really, but it's better than the times when they would type something on their monitors, and then mail the monitors to me thinking that the messages would still be there when I got them. Ha ha. Silly Dartmouthians.
Anyway, Monday promises to be a fairly busy day. I am hoping to be up to doing some of that stuff. So, remind me to tell you about how my second kindle in a row is off to the boneyard. Am I abusive to these things? No. No, I am not. They are just wussified devices is all.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I am much improved. Thank you for your concern. Your cards and letters all helped me along the path to better health. I am so grateful to have you as my friends.
I haven't written much the last few days. As you know, my ghost writers are all gone, so it falls to me; and when I am sick, there is not much I can do.
A guy at work had a bad cold. We talked on Thursday morning. By the afternoon, I began to feel the symptoms. By the time I got home at 6:30, it was all I could do to go to bed.
I was even worse on Good Friday. Just watching a simple tv show exhausted me, so I ended up most sleeping in my La-Z-boy, with Newbie on my lap. He knows when his daddy is sick, and stays with me during those times. Sweet, really.
I barely ate anything on Friday. I ate somewhat more on Saturday. I have been a comparative chowhound today.
Here I am, the 3rd day of a long weekend, and have nothing to show for it except an excessive amount of sleep and a desire to breath on the guy at work who gave me this cold, the next time I have a cold and he doesn't.
As it stands, I have the coming week off on vacation. I don't return to work until the 28th. There are many plans afoot for us this week involving Spring cleaning and the like. Patricia's ocular prosthetic needs to be cleaned, which requires a day trip to Dartmouth, a.k.a. the butthole of Nova Scotia. Dartmouth is to Nova Scotia as grape juice is to wine. People live in Dartmouth because they don't know any better. You get my drift. People in Dartmouth will read these words and gnash their little teeth and smash their fists on their keyboards in an effort to respond to my comments, before they spend an hour trying to find out where the send button is. A little sad, really, but it's better than the times when they would type something on their monitors, and then mail the monitors to me thinking that the messages would still be there when I got them. Ha ha. Silly Dartmouthians.
Anyway, Monday promises to be a fairly busy day. I am hoping to be up to doing some of that stuff. So, remind me to tell you about how my second kindle in a row is off to the boneyard. Am I abusive to these things? No. No, I am not. They are just wussified devices is all.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Post 2642 - Triple Ugh!
Saturday night. Sunday morning. Feeling well enough to watch Netflix with Newbie.
Eating again.
Think I might pull through.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the Bell network.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Post 2641 - Double Ugh!
A day later and I really don't feel any better. Head still aching. Joints sore. No appetite. When I don't feel like watching my hdtv you know I'm off.
Hoping I will feel better after another 12 hours or so of shut eye
See you later. I hope.
Bevboy.
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the Bell network.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Post 2640 - Ugh!
So.
I start my vacation and what happens? I catch the cold a guy at work was kind enough to share.
Ugh!
Bevboy
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the Bell network.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Post 2639 - Wednesday
Hello, my lovelies. How are you this evening?
This will be a fairly short post. It is getting late, and I have had a long day. I keep wondering how my team of ghost writers was able to produce all that material. Now that this burden has fallen entirely to me, I am feeling overwhelmed.
So, I took my car in this morning. You will dimly recall that I had a burned out light bulb, the same one that went out a scant 3 weeks ago. Turns out that the bulb was fine. It was the harness that holds the light or something that had become corroded. With the part and labour and tax, it was $52. Just over a hundred bucks spent on the car in the last 30 days. I hope that this is the last thing I spend on the car for some time to come. Of course, the mileage is up to 125 000 kilometres, and six years old, so it is on the down hill slope. I will probably have to get something newer before too much longer. Sigh.
We had a power outage at work this morning. It lasted for about 90 minutes. People were off in groups talking, but I was in a quiet mood, so I pulled out my kindle and stuck the light I have for it in the side of the cover I have for it, and read for most of the time the power was out. I read a few chapters in the Ace Frehley biography "No Regrets". Of course, Ace was a founding member of KISS. I read drummer Peter Criss' biography several months ago. I have not read Gene Simmons' biography which came out about 10 years ago. And lead singer Paul Stanley's book came out this month; the sample I read was very interesting and it is a simple matter of time before I get it.
I grew up listening to KISS. There was a time when I couldn't make it through a day without putting on "Hotter than Hell" or "Dressed to Kill" or "Alive II" or "Destroyer" or any of their other earlier efforts. They lost me with crap like "I Was Made For Loving You" and "Music from the Elder". Their music became slightly more compelling when they dropped the make up in 1983, but the cheese factor became more and more apparent. Don't even ask me what albums they put out in the 1990's. I bought their newest album several years ago but only remember "Modern-Day Delilah".
I stopped being a fan a long time ago. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit to having listened to that music when I was younger. But the books so far the original line up have been compelling, and I want to read all 4 of them.
Anyway, Ace was just relating the recording of his 1978 solo album and the fact that he was the only one of the four to have a hit single, the still-catchy "New York Groove". His solo album is the one I remember the most, and it turned out to have sold more than the other members' solo albums did. If you care, I will tell you more about his biography as I plow through it.
Had Toastmasters this evening. For the first time in too long, the meeting was actually interesting. I also committed myself to doing a long speech in June. It will be at least 40 minutes long, dominating the meeting that night. It will mark the end of a speech manual I began long ago. After that, I will have only one more hurdle to jump before I will earn my Advanced Communication Gold designation. I already have the Advanced Leader Silver designation. For those in the know, the by-product of those two achievements is that you are then called a "Distinguished Toastmaster", which is the highest designation you can get. A long, long time coming. I should have earned this years ago. Shame on me.
Anyway, I drove home, ate something, and watched the last two episodes of "Banshee" with Patricia. Bloody and violent as always, and we loved it. It will be a long wait until next Winter to see season three.
By 4:31 tomorrow, I will be off for the Easter long weekend. After that, I am off work for a few days of vacation, returning to work on the 28th. I promise to think of you from time to time. Maybe.
You guys have a good night.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
This will be a fairly short post. It is getting late, and I have had a long day. I keep wondering how my team of ghost writers was able to produce all that material. Now that this burden has fallen entirely to me, I am feeling overwhelmed.
So, I took my car in this morning. You will dimly recall that I had a burned out light bulb, the same one that went out a scant 3 weeks ago. Turns out that the bulb was fine. It was the harness that holds the light or something that had become corroded. With the part and labour and tax, it was $52. Just over a hundred bucks spent on the car in the last 30 days. I hope that this is the last thing I spend on the car for some time to come. Of course, the mileage is up to 125 000 kilometres, and six years old, so it is on the down hill slope. I will probably have to get something newer before too much longer. Sigh.
We had a power outage at work this morning. It lasted for about 90 minutes. People were off in groups talking, but I was in a quiet mood, so I pulled out my kindle and stuck the light I have for it in the side of the cover I have for it, and read for most of the time the power was out. I read a few chapters in the Ace Frehley biography "No Regrets". Of course, Ace was a founding member of KISS. I read drummer Peter Criss' biography several months ago. I have not read Gene Simmons' biography which came out about 10 years ago. And lead singer Paul Stanley's book came out this month; the sample I read was very interesting and it is a simple matter of time before I get it.
I grew up listening to KISS. There was a time when I couldn't make it through a day without putting on "Hotter than Hell" or "Dressed to Kill" or "Alive II" or "Destroyer" or any of their other earlier efforts. They lost me with crap like "I Was Made For Loving You" and "Music from the Elder". Their music became slightly more compelling when they dropped the make up in 1983, but the cheese factor became more and more apparent. Don't even ask me what albums they put out in the 1990's. I bought their newest album several years ago but only remember "Modern-Day Delilah".
I stopped being a fan a long time ago. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit to having listened to that music when I was younger. But the books so far the original line up have been compelling, and I want to read all 4 of them.
Anyway, Ace was just relating the recording of his 1978 solo album and the fact that he was the only one of the four to have a hit single, the still-catchy "New York Groove". His solo album is the one I remember the most, and it turned out to have sold more than the other members' solo albums did. If you care, I will tell you more about his biography as I plow through it.
Had Toastmasters this evening. For the first time in too long, the meeting was actually interesting. I also committed myself to doing a long speech in June. It will be at least 40 minutes long, dominating the meeting that night. It will mark the end of a speech manual I began long ago. After that, I will have only one more hurdle to jump before I will earn my Advanced Communication Gold designation. I already have the Advanced Leader Silver designation. For those in the know, the by-product of those two achievements is that you are then called a "Distinguished Toastmaster", which is the highest designation you can get. A long, long time coming. I should have earned this years ago. Shame on me.
Anyway, I drove home, ate something, and watched the last two episodes of "Banshee" with Patricia. Bloody and violent as always, and we loved it. It will be a long wait until next Winter to see season three.
By 4:31 tomorrow, I will be off for the Easter long weekend. After that, I am off work for a few days of vacation, returning to work on the 28th. I promise to think of you from time to time. Maybe.
You guys have a good night.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Post 2638 - Tuesday
Hello.
This feels weird. As you know, my ghost writers have all quit, so for the first time in several years, I am actually writing the blog posts again. I am hoping it will be like riding a bicycle. Let's find out.
After work tonight, Patricia and I went to a pretty good pasta restaurant in Bayers Lake called La Cucina. They also have one of those restaurants in Dartmouth, not that I will ever visit it or anything. The food was far, far better than our meal last week at East Side Mario's. The price wasn't bad, the service was excellent, and we are looking forward to going back. Soon, I hope.
We got home and I showered and shaved. I applied the secret ingredient that makes my hair so beautiful. And I watched a movie on demand called "Shoot 'Em Up", starring Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti. It was a mindless movie without a lot of plot with action aplenty. It looked stupid when it first came out, so I avoided it. But in seeing what was available with VOD tonight, I decided to check it out, and I am glad I did.
Here's a pisser. On March 24, 3 weeks or so ago, I discovered a burnt out light on the front passenger side of my vehicle. I got it replaced that very day. 53 dollars. This morning, the very same light burned out again. Well, maybe it is just the bulb. Not sure.
All I know is, these lights or bulbs have no business burning out within a matter of weeks. I am not happy about it. I will get up extra early on Wednesday morning and drive to the dealership to have this light fixed again. It had better not cost me anything. But what if this issue with the light is just the symptom of a bigger problem? If there is a problem with the electrical system, then I will trade the vehicle in for a new one. I drove one car for 17 years, but it was held together by spit and twine and a prayer. Unreliable vehicle. Never again will I go through that. It may be time to cut my losses.
It is about 10:40. I have to get up at 5:30 and hit the road by 6:15. Do forgive me for cutting this post short.
At least it wasn't yet another picture of Newbie.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
This feels weird. As you know, my ghost writers have all quit, so for the first time in several years, I am actually writing the blog posts again. I am hoping it will be like riding a bicycle. Let's find out.
After work tonight, Patricia and I went to a pretty good pasta restaurant in Bayers Lake called La Cucina. They also have one of those restaurants in Dartmouth, not that I will ever visit it or anything. The food was far, far better than our meal last week at East Side Mario's. The price wasn't bad, the service was excellent, and we are looking forward to going back. Soon, I hope.
We got home and I showered and shaved. I applied the secret ingredient that makes my hair so beautiful. And I watched a movie on demand called "Shoot 'Em Up", starring Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti. It was a mindless movie without a lot of plot with action aplenty. It looked stupid when it first came out, so I avoided it. But in seeing what was available with VOD tonight, I decided to check it out, and I am glad I did.
Here's a pisser. On March 24, 3 weeks or so ago, I discovered a burnt out light on the front passenger side of my vehicle. I got it replaced that very day. 53 dollars. This morning, the very same light burned out again. Well, maybe it is just the bulb. Not sure.
All I know is, these lights or bulbs have no business burning out within a matter of weeks. I am not happy about it. I will get up extra early on Wednesday morning and drive to the dealership to have this light fixed again. It had better not cost me anything. But what if this issue with the light is just the symptom of a bigger problem? If there is a problem with the electrical system, then I will trade the vehicle in for a new one. I drove one car for 17 years, but it was held together by spit and twine and a prayer. Unreliable vehicle. Never again will I go through that. It may be time to cut my losses.
It is about 10:40. I have to get up at 5:30 and hit the road by 6:15. Do forgive me for cutting this post short.
At least it wasn't yet another picture of Newbie.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Monday, April 14, 2014
Post 2637 - Unacceptable
Hey, folks. Hope you had a nice weekend.
I was at my mother's for a day and a bit. As usual my mother wore me out after taking her shopping for a few hours.
She was delighted with a capital F to receive the Shirley Temple autobiography and has already begun to read it. She is disappointed, however, that the people reading this didn't tell her about the gift.
So, having enjoyed my weekend down there, I return to the city on Sunday afternoon and encounter the worst possible news.
My ghost writers have quit.
"Ghost writers", you say. "What the deuce is going on here?"
Let me explain.
You didn't actually think I wrote all these blog posts, did you? Did you? Well, did you? Around post number 300 I started running out of ideas, so I reached out to some friends of mine, below, and asked them to help come up with blog posts. They would initially write a rough draft, which I would read over and edit and polish for publication.
As the years passed, I came to trust my "ghosties" more and more, until it reached the point where I could rely on them to produce quality blog post after quality blog post, day in and day out. I'd read the published posts in a batch. If I had a problem with any of them, I would ask for a quick change. If I felt that they had written too much about one subject, I'd get them to lay off it for a while and write about something else. It was a system that worked well for me.
Until lately.
The last few weeks, I am saddened to report that they have let me down, over and over again. Things came to a head this weekend when I returned home and discovered that there had not been fresh posts here since Friday. Many other deadlines had been missed. And on more than a few days, the blog posts were poor. How many pictures of Newbie are you supposed to endure, anyway? My goodness.
I got on the Ameche and called the head ghost writer, Pierre, to find out what was going on. He became quite belligerent, sputtering something about outright transparency. He passed the phone to Kevin, who was more reasonable. At least I could understand what he was saying.
The upshot of it was, we had a meeting that ran until late in the evening. My ghost writers need a break. After 6 years or so of writing the blog pretty much on their own, they are stepping back. That means that Pierre and Kevin and Steve and John and Sherry and Jane and Gale and Adam and Elliott and David and Amber and Chris and Robert and Matthew will no longer be producing the blog posts. I thank them all for their years of service.
Which brings me to you.
I have decided, at least in the short term until I can figure things out and maybe hire some other folks to do the work for me, to write the blog posts going forward. Resuming work as it were. It will mean a big sacrifice for me, but Patricia and Cindy and Newbie will just have to understand.
From the bottom of my heart, ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the missed deadlines in recent weeks. I will endeavour to improve, going forward. I have managed to wrest some blog post ideas from the departing ghost writers, and will incorporate those suggestions into future posts.
Please work with me as I find my way through this delicate situation.
Thank you for your understanding.
Until tomorrow, and this time I mean it, I am your humble and obedient servant,
Bevboy (accept no substitute)
I was at my mother's for a day and a bit. As usual my mother wore me out after taking her shopping for a few hours.
She was delighted with a capital F to receive the Shirley Temple autobiography and has already begun to read it. She is disappointed, however, that the people reading this didn't tell her about the gift.
So, having enjoyed my weekend down there, I return to the city on Sunday afternoon and encounter the worst possible news.
My ghost writers have quit.
"Ghost writers", you say. "What the deuce is going on here?"
Let me explain.
You didn't actually think I wrote all these blog posts, did you? Did you? Well, did you? Around post number 300 I started running out of ideas, so I reached out to some friends of mine, below, and asked them to help come up with blog posts. They would initially write a rough draft, which I would read over and edit and polish for publication.
As the years passed, I came to trust my "ghosties" more and more, until it reached the point where I could rely on them to produce quality blog post after quality blog post, day in and day out. I'd read the published posts in a batch. If I had a problem with any of them, I would ask for a quick change. If I felt that they had written too much about one subject, I'd get them to lay off it for a while and write about something else. It was a system that worked well for me.
Until lately.
The last few weeks, I am saddened to report that they have let me down, over and over again. Things came to a head this weekend when I returned home and discovered that there had not been fresh posts here since Friday. Many other deadlines had been missed. And on more than a few days, the blog posts were poor. How many pictures of Newbie are you supposed to endure, anyway? My goodness.
I got on the Ameche and called the head ghost writer, Pierre, to find out what was going on. He became quite belligerent, sputtering something about outright transparency. He passed the phone to Kevin, who was more reasonable. At least I could understand what he was saying.
The upshot of it was, we had a meeting that ran until late in the evening. My ghost writers need a break. After 6 years or so of writing the blog pretty much on their own, they are stepping back. That means that Pierre and Kevin and Steve and John and Sherry and Jane and Gale and Adam and Elliott and David and Amber and Chris and Robert and Matthew will no longer be producing the blog posts. I thank them all for their years of service.
Which brings me to you.
I have decided, at least in the short term until I can figure things out and maybe hire some other folks to do the work for me, to write the blog posts going forward. Resuming work as it were. It will mean a big sacrifice for me, but Patricia and Cindy and Newbie will just have to understand.
From the bottom of my heart, ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the missed deadlines in recent weeks. I will endeavour to improve, going forward. I have managed to wrest some blog post ideas from the departing ghost writers, and will incorporate those suggestions into future posts.
Please work with me as I find my way through this delicate situation.
Thank you for your understanding.
Until tomorrow, and this time I mean it, I am your humble and obedient servant,
Bevboy (accept no substitute)
Friday, April 11, 2014
Post 2636 - This And That
Hello, folks. Welcome to the weekend.
Early Saturday morning, I will get up and drive to my mother's for the weekend. I have things to take care of down there.
I have been reading the many comments and hearing the feedback from Thursday's blog post. It seems if I lampoon myself to a high degree that it is a key ingredient to a successful blog post. Good to know.
Newbie is trying out some new cat food. Unlike the other stuff, he is eating this food. And it seems to have the side effect of making him even more hyper than he is by default. He has been vaulting through the recroom like an Olympic athlete. I can still take him. Watch me.
Watching the late news on Global television. I have become quite the Erin Trafford fan, especially since her days at News 95.7 filling in for Rick Howe and Jordi Morgan. She even had her own show there on the weekends. Nice to see her do well.
Is Jill Chappell the new weather person there now? Has she left the morning show? If not, then I can only imagine how little sleep she would get between doing the late show, going home for a very short period of time, then getting up and going in to do a 6am show. It is not the kind of schedule that anybody would want to work for any protracted period of time.
I wonder if I should drag Newbie with me tomorrow? If I leave him here, he will run around and knock things over. If I take him with me, he will run around and knock things over, only in my presence.
That's it for this evening. See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Early Saturday morning, I will get up and drive to my mother's for the weekend. I have things to take care of down there.
I have been reading the many comments and hearing the feedback from Thursday's blog post. It seems if I lampoon myself to a high degree that it is a key ingredient to a successful blog post. Good to know.
Newbie is trying out some new cat food. Unlike the other stuff, he is eating this food. And it seems to have the side effect of making him even more hyper than he is by default. He has been vaulting through the recroom like an Olympic athlete. I can still take him. Watch me.
Watching the late news on Global television. I have become quite the Erin Trafford fan, especially since her days at News 95.7 filling in for Rick Howe and Jordi Morgan. She even had her own show there on the weekends. Nice to see her do well.
Is Jill Chappell the new weather person there now? Has she left the morning show? If not, then I can only imagine how little sleep she would get between doing the late show, going home for a very short period of time, then getting up and going in to do a 6am show. It is not the kind of schedule that anybody would want to work for any protracted period of time.
I wonder if I should drag Newbie with me tomorrow? If I leave him here, he will run around and knock things over. If I take him with me, he will run around and knock things over, only in my presence.
That's it for this evening. See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Post 2635 - Never Again!
Hi. I'm sorry I didn't write last evening. The reason why, will soon become apparent.
So. Wednesday morning I dropped off Patricia at her work. I was hungry, so I went to the Tim Horton's on Quinpool at the corner of ... the street that is by the animal hospital and the health food store. I went in and ordered a breakfast sandwich and an extra large double double. All was good.
Then, I happened to overhear something that would change the course of my life.
The coffee was served in a roll-up-the-rim-to-win cup. Buddy told me that it was the last size they had which had those special cups. Then, a girl working with him noticed that there were but 3 of those special cups left in the damned store. And I heard her say that.
You have to understand something. I have always liked the number four. I think it is a nice, round number. It is the next even number following two. I don't care much for odd numbers. They're called "odd" for a reason, in my opinion. So the fact that they had but four of those cups left, including the one I just bought, seemed like an omen, in much the same way that a bat that flew into Bruce Wayne's house in 1939 inspired him to become Batman.
I ordered the 3 additional double doubles, and they were dutifully put in a tray. I carried my breakfast and my surfeit of java to my car and drove to work. I was embarrassed to be carrying that much coffee, so I hoped that I would not be seen entering my place of employment. I don't think I was.
I rushed past Jane and Sherry to my cubicle, and put the tray full of coffee cups on my table. Here they are, mocking me, taunting me, wanting me to consume them.
I wasted no time. I laid siege to the first mammoth cup. Within 45 minutes or so, it was gone.
I selected another cup and ripped into it. Glub. Glub. Glub.
Only two left! I selected another cup. By 2pm or so, it was gone. And, nearly, so was I.
Oh, god. Help me. I still had one cup left.
The thought of putting the remaining cup to my mouth and consuming more coffee struck me as a ludicrous proposition. I was more jittery than a virgin on his wedding night. I felt pains in my left elbow. And someone had discovered me dancing on the ceiling like in that Lionel Richie video.
The thought of putting the remaining cup to my mouth and consuming more coffee struck me as a ludicrous proposition. I was more jittery than a virgin on his wedding night. I felt pains in my left elbow. And someone had discovered me dancing on the ceiling like in that Lionel Richie video.
I hate to waste money, but with some reluctance, I skipped to our kitchen and poured the remaining cup of coffee down the sink. I decided to take the long route there to burn off some energy.
Now, the best part. I had rolled up the rim on each cup, including the bonus roll up where I could win a new car. 8 chances in total to win something. I found, to my chagrin, to my dismay, to my crestfallenness, that I had won nothing. Nada. Zilch.
By this time, my eyes were bugging out of my head. My arms were flapping for take off. And my heart was beating faster than a Keith Moon drum solo. I had nearly ruined my health, I was going to experience an evening of pissing like a race horse, and I innately knew that all that coffee was going to burn a hole in me arse. And I had won not a damned thing. I had spent all that money, drunk myself nearly blind, and was going to experience an evening of exquisite torture, for nothing.
Patricia wasn't feeling that well, so I picked her up at her work. For a moment, I contemplated running downtown, heaving her on my shoulders, and running back to where I had left my car. But in the end, I used my car.
My Wednesday evening was pleasant enough. The bucket I placed by my feet in the living room meant I didn't have to run to the bathroom. I was just worried I might fill it up like that kid who ran up to his mother to show how proud he was to have used pottie, holding same aloft, sloshing its contents on the floor. My fears were almost grounded.
After three episodes of "Banshee", one of the most violent shows on television, during which I acted out every fight scene for Patricia, I went to bed. I took the flight of stairs in one leap. Even Newbie was impressed. And I was in no condition to write a blog post.
Now you know why.
This evening, I am feeling better. I don't want coffee for a very long time. The look of it. The sound of it. Even the name of it, will set me off. Today at break, I had a can of coke. Tomorrow, I will have something that isn't... that thing I overdosed on yesterday.
My lesson? All of a sudden, four is not my favourite number any more.
Six is a nice, round number. Let's go with that.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
By this time, my eyes were bugging out of my head. My arms were flapping for take off. And my heart was beating faster than a Keith Moon drum solo. I had nearly ruined my health, I was going to experience an evening of pissing like a race horse, and I innately knew that all that coffee was going to burn a hole in me arse. And I had won not a damned thing. I had spent all that money, drunk myself nearly blind, and was going to experience an evening of exquisite torture, for nothing.
Patricia wasn't feeling that well, so I picked her up at her work. For a moment, I contemplated running downtown, heaving her on my shoulders, and running back to where I had left my car. But in the end, I used my car.
My Wednesday evening was pleasant enough. The bucket I placed by my feet in the living room meant I didn't have to run to the bathroom. I was just worried I might fill it up like that kid who ran up to his mother to show how proud he was to have used pottie, holding same aloft, sloshing its contents on the floor. My fears were almost grounded.
After three episodes of "Banshee", one of the most violent shows on television, during which I acted out every fight scene for Patricia, I went to bed. I took the flight of stairs in one leap. Even Newbie was impressed. And I was in no condition to write a blog post.
Now you know why.
This evening, I am feeling better. I don't want coffee for a very long time. The look of it. The sound of it. Even the name of it, will set me off. Today at break, I had a can of coke. Tomorrow, I will have something that isn't... that thing I overdosed on yesterday.
My lesson? All of a sudden, four is not my favourite number any more.
Six is a nice, round number. Let's go with that.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Post 2634 - Sigh!
How can I go to bed when I have a Newbie on my lap?
Bevboy
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the Bell network.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Post 2633 - Victory!
Welcome to a new week, people.
I am very happy tonight. I will tell you why. It is not something that I have discussed here before, as it was a personal problem bedevilling me and I felt embarrassed discussing it.
(No. Not that problem. I will keep that one to myself, thank you very much.)
For the last several weeks, I have had a very difficult time getting my mail. I would go to the mailbox allocated to me at the super mailbox close to my home. I would stick the key in, and nothing much would happen. I would fiddle with the key for a moment until the box opened and revealed its usual assortment of bills and flyers from real estate agents wanting me to sell them my house or wanting me to buy a house they were selling. The usual crap.
The problem was really exacerbated when I tried to close the mailbox door. Extricating the key from the lock was an adventure. I would fiddle with it, and shake it and pull it and plead with it. I would brace one leg against the super mailbox and pull with all my might, to no avail. Finally, sometimes after 2 full minutes, the lock would release the key, knowing in its evil little heart that I would be back the next day to pick up the mail again.
Which I would.
Day after day, week after week, for the better part of a month, the stupid lock on my mailbox would play its little mind games with me, taunting me, pushing me closer and closer to the brink. Every day, getting the key into the lock and then out of the lock, became no easier. There was no learning how to make do with this situation.
Finally, 3 days ago, on a day off work, on my way to the farewell lunch I told you about last week, I stopped by the post office in my community and told them of my plight. I produced some documentation proving I was who I claimed to be. In return, they promised that the lock would be replaced. They gave me one key for the lock, but told me that it may take a business day or two for this lock to be swapped out, and the mail had already been sorted for that day. It would not be Friday. I told them it would be fine.
After the farewell lunch, and after running some other errands, I got the mail and struggled once again with the lock, but the glint in my eye and the determination evident in my furrowed brow seemed somehow to frighten it, and the fight to get my key back was not as fierce. It knew the jig was up.
I got home from work this evening and went to pick up the mail. My heart sank as I recalled the words of the woman at the post office, saying that there was a good chance that the lock would not be replaced until Tuesday, but I wanted my mail and nothing was going to stop me.
I approached the mailbox. "You don't like me, and I don't like you", I muttered under my breath almost loud enough for the 10 year old girl walking toward me to hear. "But I have to do what I have to do, and you are not going to stop me."
I inserted the key. I met with no resistance! I opened the mailbox. I don't think I had ever been so happy to see a Visa bill in my life! The second post office key was also in the box, and I grabbed it and held it aloft as if I were Mufasa holding Simba and showing him his new world. I then closed the mailbox door with ease and removed my key therefrom with no problem whatsoever.
I have had a most pleasant evening. It is 10:30 at night. I am in my recroom. We watched an episode of "Banshee" that was particularly violent. And the second key to the mailbox was presented to Patricia earlier this evening, and it damn well better be in her purse and on a keychain by the time she reads this.
Ah! It is the little victories in life that make living so worthwhile.
See you tomorrow, my lovelies.
Bevboy
I am very happy tonight. I will tell you why. It is not something that I have discussed here before, as it was a personal problem bedevilling me and I felt embarrassed discussing it.
(No. Not that problem. I will keep that one to myself, thank you very much.)
For the last several weeks, I have had a very difficult time getting my mail. I would go to the mailbox allocated to me at the super mailbox close to my home. I would stick the key in, and nothing much would happen. I would fiddle with the key for a moment until the box opened and revealed its usual assortment of bills and flyers from real estate agents wanting me to sell them my house or wanting me to buy a house they were selling. The usual crap.
The problem was really exacerbated when I tried to close the mailbox door. Extricating the key from the lock was an adventure. I would fiddle with it, and shake it and pull it and plead with it. I would brace one leg against the super mailbox and pull with all my might, to no avail. Finally, sometimes after 2 full minutes, the lock would release the key, knowing in its evil little heart that I would be back the next day to pick up the mail again.
Which I would.
Day after day, week after week, for the better part of a month, the stupid lock on my mailbox would play its little mind games with me, taunting me, pushing me closer and closer to the brink. Every day, getting the key into the lock and then out of the lock, became no easier. There was no learning how to make do with this situation.
Finally, 3 days ago, on a day off work, on my way to the farewell lunch I told you about last week, I stopped by the post office in my community and told them of my plight. I produced some documentation proving I was who I claimed to be. In return, they promised that the lock would be replaced. They gave me one key for the lock, but told me that it may take a business day or two for this lock to be swapped out, and the mail had already been sorted for that day. It would not be Friday. I told them it would be fine.
After the farewell lunch, and after running some other errands, I got the mail and struggled once again with the lock, but the glint in my eye and the determination evident in my furrowed brow seemed somehow to frighten it, and the fight to get my key back was not as fierce. It knew the jig was up.
I got home from work this evening and went to pick up the mail. My heart sank as I recalled the words of the woman at the post office, saying that there was a good chance that the lock would not be replaced until Tuesday, but I wanted my mail and nothing was going to stop me.
I approached the mailbox. "You don't like me, and I don't like you", I muttered under my breath almost loud enough for the 10 year old girl walking toward me to hear. "But I have to do what I have to do, and you are not going to stop me."
I inserted the key. I met with no resistance! I opened the mailbox. I don't think I had ever been so happy to see a Visa bill in my life! The second post office key was also in the box, and I grabbed it and held it aloft as if I were Mufasa holding Simba and showing him his new world. I then closed the mailbox door with ease and removed my key therefrom with no problem whatsoever.
I have had a most pleasant evening. It is 10:30 at night. I am in my recroom. We watched an episode of "Banshee" that was particularly violent. And the second key to the mailbox was presented to Patricia earlier this evening, and it damn well better be in her purse and on a keychain by the time she reads this.
Ah! It is the little victories in life that make living so worthwhile.
See you tomorrow, my lovelies.
Bevboy
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Post 2632 - Sunday
Hi. Remember me?
I'm sorry I haven't written the last few days. A couple of nights I pretty much just went to bed when I got home from work. Saturday, I wasn't feeling well at all. I was asleep more than I was awake. I was dozing pretty hard here in the recroom whilst Patricia was upstairs watching "Bitten" on the Space channel.
Today I woke up at a time that wasn't offensive and offered to make us breakfast. However, Patricia remembered the all-you-can-eat buffet at the Acadian Maple Products outlet in Tantallon. She had promised that to me as a birthday present in February, and today she kept her promise. We drove out there and had what they call around here, a "big feed" of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, pancakes, all smothered in maple syrup. Plus, there was maple-flavoured coffee. Two plates of food, and I was done.
Afterward, we drove around toward Peggy's Cove, but doubled back to Tantallon to check out the Shamballah thrift shop. There is a food bank there as well. I ended up buying a touque for next Winter and a book on cat care that Newbie will probably hide from me after he pisses on it.
We went to the used bookstore in Tantallon. I was all ready to leave when I looked up, way up, and saw a book about Shirley Temple. My mother is a big fan of Ms. Temple, so today when I saw her out-of-print autobiography for 8 bucks, I had to buy it. Literally, Saturday evening I was on Amazon checking out that very book. It is offered by some third party vendors there for upwards of 100 dollars. I got a good deal today. I will give said book to my mother next weekend. I figure, once she's done with it, she can donate it to the library at her nursing home.
I will give her the book this coming weekend. Please do me a favour and do not tell her about it ahead of it. Can't it be our little secret until then?
While we were at Superstore I realized that in two weeks' time we will be in the Easter long weekend. That nicely presages our vacation. We have the Friday off after Easter Monday. By taking the 3 intervening days off, we get something like 10 days off work, including weekends. Works for me.
Oh, here's some news for you. I finished transcribing the Courtney Amirault interview on Friday morning. I emailed the transcript to Courtney thereafter. She will read it over and get in touch with me. We will meet for a beer or something and go over any changes, additions, or deletions she wants made, and I will then make those changes before publishing the interview on this here Blog.
And, tomorrow, I will begin transcribing the first half of the Don Connolly interview conducted in March. It should not take that long to transcribe. Sometime during this process, I hope to be able to conduct the second half of the interview and get some pics of us at the CBC studios. We mostly in Studio D last month, a very small studio indeed. That building has such history! CBC radio has been in that building since World War II, and it will be a day of mixed emotions for all staff when they finally leave it in 2015 to move down to the West End Mall, just up from the rotary.
I don't have to stay up until midnight on Sundays any more, at least not until the Fall, when The Walking Dead returns. This means I should be comparatively bright-eyed and maybe even bushy tailed on Monday mornings going forward. At least, that is the theory.
I guess that's it for this evening, my lovelies.
Take care of yourselves and I will see you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I'm sorry I haven't written the last few days. A couple of nights I pretty much just went to bed when I got home from work. Saturday, I wasn't feeling well at all. I was asleep more than I was awake. I was dozing pretty hard here in the recroom whilst Patricia was upstairs watching "Bitten" on the Space channel.
Today I woke up at a time that wasn't offensive and offered to make us breakfast. However, Patricia remembered the all-you-can-eat buffet at the Acadian Maple Products outlet in Tantallon. She had promised that to me as a birthday present in February, and today she kept her promise. We drove out there and had what they call around here, a "big feed" of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, pancakes, all smothered in maple syrup. Plus, there was maple-flavoured coffee. Two plates of food, and I was done.
Afterward, we drove around toward Peggy's Cove, but doubled back to Tantallon to check out the Shamballah thrift shop. There is a food bank there as well. I ended up buying a touque for next Winter and a book on cat care that Newbie will probably hide from me after he pisses on it.
We went to the used bookstore in Tantallon. I was all ready to leave when I looked up, way up, and saw a book about Shirley Temple. My mother is a big fan of Ms. Temple, so today when I saw her out-of-print autobiography for 8 bucks, I had to buy it. Literally, Saturday evening I was on Amazon checking out that very book. It is offered by some third party vendors there for upwards of 100 dollars. I got a good deal today. I will give said book to my mother next weekend. I figure, once she's done with it, she can donate it to the library at her nursing home.
I will give her the book this coming weekend. Please do me a favour and do not tell her about it ahead of it. Can't it be our little secret until then?
While we were at Superstore I realized that in two weeks' time we will be in the Easter long weekend. That nicely presages our vacation. We have the Friday off after Easter Monday. By taking the 3 intervening days off, we get something like 10 days off work, including weekends. Works for me.
Oh, here's some news for you. I finished transcribing the Courtney Amirault interview on Friday morning. I emailed the transcript to Courtney thereafter. She will read it over and get in touch with me. We will meet for a beer or something and go over any changes, additions, or deletions she wants made, and I will then make those changes before publishing the interview on this here Blog.
And, tomorrow, I will begin transcribing the first half of the Don Connolly interview conducted in March. It should not take that long to transcribe. Sometime during this process, I hope to be able to conduct the second half of the interview and get some pics of us at the CBC studios. We mostly in Studio D last month, a very small studio indeed. That building has such history! CBC radio has been in that building since World War II, and it will be a day of mixed emotions for all staff when they finally leave it in 2015 to move down to the West End Mall, just up from the rotary.
I don't have to stay up until midnight on Sundays any more, at least not until the Fall, when The Walking Dead returns. This means I should be comparatively bright-eyed and maybe even bushy tailed on Monday mornings going forward. At least, that is the theory.
I guess that's it for this evening, my lovelies.
Take care of yourselves and I will see you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Post 2631 - Wednesday
I am home from Toastmasters. It is nearly 8:30. I am in my La-Z-Boy recliner with my feet up, tootsies dangling in such a way as to tempt Newbie to bite my toes off.
By the way, why is "La-Z-Boy" so hard to spell? I always have to look it up. Isn't the whole point of a brand name that it be easy to remember and easy to spell? Instead, it has two built-in hyphens and a capital z, which should mystify the frig out of anybody trying to learn the English language. Hell's wrong with some people?
This is the second to last day of my work week. I am off on Friday, but I will still go into work late in the morning to attend a farewell lunch for a guy who's leaving the provincial government to seek warmer climes in the... municipal government. Ha ha. No, really. That is not a set up for a joke.
The guy who's leaving us is scary smart. He would make other scary smart people sit at his feet and take notes. He knows everything. Literally, he knows everything. One time, I told him I was missing a sock from the latest round of laundry. He told me to look behind the washing machine, on the left hand-side, right up against the wall.
I did.
He was... right.
And, he has never been to my house.
That's how smart he is.
We will have a farewell lunch for him at Michael's on Young Street. Time was we always hied ourselves over to the Lion's Head Tavern on Young at Agricola. I never understood the appeal. The food tastes like ass, and the service is as indifferent as any female was to me when I was growing up. I am guessing people got tired of the joint plus the much longer walk, deciding that Michael's is a much better choice, which it is.
So, I will drive in for the lunch, and then return home. I have to pick up some catfood for Newbie. Patricia is tired of feeding Cindy's gourmet cat food to him as it costs so much more and it is for, after all, Newbie. Patricia is as indifferent to Newbie as any male was to her when she was growing up.
Saturday is up in the air. We may do a day trip to the Valley that day, or stay back here and do some much-needed Spring cleaning. It is the time of year for Patricia to throw out as much of my stuff as she can get away with, and for me to sift through that stuff under cover of night and retrieve as much of it as I can get away with. What I cannot justify keeping will likely go to the landfill as things did 2 weekends ago. Of course, Patricia would never throw any of her things out. She is perfect.
What else is going on? Tonight we began a new phase of Toastmasters meetings. We will meet on a bi-weekly basis going forward. First, third and fifth (if necessary) Wednesdays of the month. Wish us luck.
It is 8:45. I want to watch a documentary about the last witch of England. I misread the Lync message sent to me this morning. I thought it was a documentary about the last bitch of England, but I'm pretty sure that Queen Elizabeth II had daughters, so I am not sure if the subject of the documentary is therefore correct. Then I re-read the Lync message and understood. Silly me.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
By the way, why is "La-Z-Boy" so hard to spell? I always have to look it up. Isn't the whole point of a brand name that it be easy to remember and easy to spell? Instead, it has two built-in hyphens and a capital z, which should mystify the frig out of anybody trying to learn the English language. Hell's wrong with some people?
This is the second to last day of my work week. I am off on Friday, but I will still go into work late in the morning to attend a farewell lunch for a guy who's leaving the provincial government to seek warmer climes in the... municipal government. Ha ha. No, really. That is not a set up for a joke.
The guy who's leaving us is scary smart. He would make other scary smart people sit at his feet and take notes. He knows everything. Literally, he knows everything. One time, I told him I was missing a sock from the latest round of laundry. He told me to look behind the washing machine, on the left hand-side, right up against the wall.
I did.
He was... right.
And, he has never been to my house.
That's how smart he is.
We will have a farewell lunch for him at Michael's on Young Street. Time was we always hied ourselves over to the Lion's Head Tavern on Young at Agricola. I never understood the appeal. The food tastes like ass, and the service is as indifferent as any female was to me when I was growing up. I am guessing people got tired of the joint plus the much longer walk, deciding that Michael's is a much better choice, which it is.
So, I will drive in for the lunch, and then return home. I have to pick up some catfood for Newbie. Patricia is tired of feeding Cindy's gourmet cat food to him as it costs so much more and it is for, after all, Newbie. Patricia is as indifferent to Newbie as any male was to her when she was growing up.
Saturday is up in the air. We may do a day trip to the Valley that day, or stay back here and do some much-needed Spring cleaning. It is the time of year for Patricia to throw out as much of my stuff as she can get away with, and for me to sift through that stuff under cover of night and retrieve as much of it as I can get away with. What I cannot justify keeping will likely go to the landfill as things did 2 weekends ago. Of course, Patricia would never throw any of her things out. She is perfect.
What else is going on? Tonight we began a new phase of Toastmasters meetings. We will meet on a bi-weekly basis going forward. First, third and fifth (if necessary) Wednesdays of the month. Wish us luck.
It is 8:45. I want to watch a documentary about the last witch of England. I misread the Lync message sent to me this morning. I thought it was a documentary about the last bitch of England, but I'm pretty sure that Queen Elizabeth II had daughters, so I am not sure if the subject of the documentary is therefore correct. Then I re-read the Lync message and understood. Silly me.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Post 2630 Tuesday
Hi.
Sorry I didn't write last evening. It was one of those nights when I got home from work and slept nearly the whole night away. I woke up in time to watch The Black List and to call my mother before drifting off into the arms of Morpheus again.
(Actually, it was Morpheus' sister. I don't swing that way. Not that there is anything wrong with that.)
Driving to work today was great fun. We had more frozen rain last night and this morning. Schools were not cancelled but school bus service was. It meant driving even more gingerly than usual. This also meant that Patricia only yelled at me half the way to work today rather than the entire time.
It seems that the digits on my left side are rebelling, almost as if they were teenagers. I banged the little toe on my left foot last week. I amble around work in my sock feet sometimes to alleviate the discomfort in that toe, and because I can't afford shoes. And a couple fingers on my left hand are sore as well. I have no idea why. I haven't smashed them into anything in recent memory.
I was so proud of myself this evening. I have an ancient laptop that I use from time to time, including tonight. I had to use a pcmcia wireless card to achieve any online connectivity. I had purchased some wifi usb adapter dongles last year but only one of them worked with ubuntu, and even then the signal fluctuated more than Oprah Winfrey's weight during a Caribbean cruise. I used the pcmcia card and then stuck a smaller wifi dongle in a usb port. Then, I removed the card. Lo and behold, the signal remained. It had not worked before; I am guessing that the card somehow woke up the dongle, which doesn't make any sense to me either. This means I can use that card, or one of the three dongles that work under ubuntu. Two of them are wireless "N" compatible, so I get pretty good wifi on this really old machine. I know you don't care, but it is the simple victories in life that make it worthwhile for me.
I tell you these things because I literally know nobody who would give a crap that I got this wifi dongle working entirely on my own. Nobody in my family. Not Patricia. Nobody at my Toastmasters club. Nobody at my mother's nursing home. And the folks at my work would just look at me with a "But did you create that computer from scratch like I did when I was 8?" look that makes me whither and shrivel up into myself. So, tell you what. Just tell me you care about what I did in the previous paragraph. You can lie about it, but I will pretend that you are not, thus bolstering my self esteem for a short period of time. Do we have a deal? Thanks.
There is not much else going on. Newbie is crawling over me as if he were a child going through Ritalin detox. I think he wants to crawl on top of my lap and kneed my flesh until he draws blood. Good times. Good times.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Sorry I didn't write last evening. It was one of those nights when I got home from work and slept nearly the whole night away. I woke up in time to watch The Black List and to call my mother before drifting off into the arms of Morpheus again.
(Actually, it was Morpheus' sister. I don't swing that way. Not that there is anything wrong with that.)
Driving to work today was great fun. We had more frozen rain last night and this morning. Schools were not cancelled but school bus service was. It meant driving even more gingerly than usual. This also meant that Patricia only yelled at me half the way to work today rather than the entire time.
It seems that the digits on my left side are rebelling, almost as if they were teenagers. I banged the little toe on my left foot last week. I amble around work in my sock feet sometimes to alleviate the discomfort in that toe, and because I can't afford shoes. And a couple fingers on my left hand are sore as well. I have no idea why. I haven't smashed them into anything in recent memory.
I was so proud of myself this evening. I have an ancient laptop that I use from time to time, including tonight. I had to use a pcmcia wireless card to achieve any online connectivity. I had purchased some wifi usb adapter dongles last year but only one of them worked with ubuntu, and even then the signal fluctuated more than Oprah Winfrey's weight during a Caribbean cruise. I used the pcmcia card and then stuck a smaller wifi dongle in a usb port. Then, I removed the card. Lo and behold, the signal remained. It had not worked before; I am guessing that the card somehow woke up the dongle, which doesn't make any sense to me either. This means I can use that card, or one of the three dongles that work under ubuntu. Two of them are wireless "N" compatible, so I get pretty good wifi on this really old machine. I know you don't care, but it is the simple victories in life that make it worthwhile for me.
I tell you these things because I literally know nobody who would give a crap that I got this wifi dongle working entirely on my own. Nobody in my family. Not Patricia. Nobody at my Toastmasters club. Nobody at my mother's nursing home. And the folks at my work would just look at me with a "But did you create that computer from scratch like I did when I was 8?" look that makes me whither and shrivel up into myself. So, tell you what. Just tell me you care about what I did in the previous paragraph. You can lie about it, but I will pretend that you are not, thus bolstering my self esteem for a short period of time. Do we have a deal? Thanks.
There is not much else going on. Newbie is crawling over me as if he were a child going through Ritalin detox. I think he wants to crawl on top of my lap and kneed my flesh until he draws blood. Good times. Good times.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
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