Post 3706 - A Few Days Later...

Did you miss me? Did you notice I was gone?

I am sorry I didn't write the last few days. Friday was crazy busy. I was up until 12:30 Saturday morning doing stuff.

But before that...

I paid off two of my debts.

Thursday I went to the local Royal Bank branch and got a bank draft for a very large amount of money, at least large by my standards. Likely by yours, as well. I stored that bank draft in the binder I use to keep my true crime stuff for Frank in. The whole time, I feared I would lose the bank draft.

Friday came. My appointment with the credit union was for one pm. I made sure I was there with time to spare. I presented the loans officer with the bank draft. She knew what to do with it. In short order, the mastercard's balance went to zero. A moment later, the loan I had been doggedly paying down the last few years ceased to exist. I told Pam that part of the loan payment was the result of my taking over my late mother's hearing aid loan. She bought new hearing aids a few months before she died. Pam looked at me pityingly and said that when her mom died, they took her hearing aids back to Costco, which issued a prompt refund. The place where Mom got her hearing aids (and batteries) refused to accept either. My sister literally threw the hearing aids in the garbage. I ended up taking over that debt, which was a few thousand dollars. Thanks, sis. If I ever need hearing aids, I will get them through a place like Costco, and not some local company that has a crap return policy.

It cost me a lot, but those debts are gone. Now, I will pay down my two Visa cards. The balances are not huge. They will be paid off in a couple of months, at which time they will be revolving credit cards, meaning I pay them off in full every month.

So very pleased.

Saturday I went to the Valley. I had some business at the house. I learned in the afternoon that I owed a bit of money on my taxes this year, so I paid that amount right away. It was barely in time for the tax deadline. I was not happy that they took two weeks to do my taxes. I do not have a complex tax situation. I was not pleased at all. I may take my business elsewhere next year.

That evening I stayed in and listened to the K-Rock request show for a while until a friend told me about a Colorado radio station's blues show. I streamed that and loved it. I may make it part of my weekly ritual going forward.

Sunday, before returning to the city, I got a few things at the IGA in Wolfville. They have some amazing deals if you look for them. Meat is always discounted 30% or even 50%. This time I noticed three small packages of scallops at 30% off, making them nearly affordable. I got all three and cooked them when I got home. I also brought back some honey from Wood 'n' hive in Port Williams. It is run by the brother of a girl I went to elementary school with in the 1970's. We had a nice chat. This "girl" is now a doctor, my age of course, who is planning to retire in the next decade. She and hubby just walked across parts of the U.K., as some kind of recreation.

By Sunday night I was dozing off in the chair, so I turned in relatively early.

Today was another work day, because weekends go by far too quickly. I bought a widescreen monitor from a guy this afternoon who didn't want me to go to his place because he didn't want to give out his address. He promised me the monitor worked and sent me some pictures apparently proving it, so I took a chance. When I got it home, I hooked it up to a laptop, and it worked fine. I hooked it up to this computer in my home office, and am pleased to report that it works very well indeed. A nice twenty dollar investment. And it is the same model of monitor that came with this computer when I bought it in 2009! Sort of like old home week.

You are now caught up with my life. In the space of four days, I got the biggest pay cheque of my life, and spent the vast majority of it within 24 hours, but I feel so much better knowing it went to something good for me. I have a savings plan in place to salt away some shekels. Two credit cards will be paid off every month. My CPP and EI premiums are paid off for the balance of 2018. The money freed up by the debt repayments will be saved for things for the house. I like this arrangement a lot.

What will tomorrow bring?

Let's find out!

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3705 - Even Closer!

Payday today.

I was not allowing myself to believe it, but it did happen. The biggest paycheque in my life landing in my bank account. And by this time tomorrow, a big arse debt that I have been dutifully paying down will no longer exist.

To celebrate the extra coin, I took Patricia to our new fave breakfast place, which is Smitty's in downtown Halifax. I dropped her off so I could park the car. By the time I got in, I noticed that Patrica was sitting in our usual spot, and our usual server, Emily, was giving her the 411. I remarked to her what i just wrote, and then quipped that i wanted my usual. Without even blinking, she asked if it was that Western eggs benny with avocado, with a fruit cup on the side. We both looked shocked, and I stammered that it was. Emily admitted she could not remember whether I liked the yolks soft, medium, or hard. I reminded her I liked them medium. Patricia said she wanted the same thing.

We don't go in there THAT often. This was perhaps the third time in 2018. Yet Emily remembered us, and what our favourite dish was.

Guess who got a 30% tip this morning? Hint: It was not Patricia or me.

Mid-morning I took care of a financial issue that I will discuss on Friday. Lunch time was spent on the first floor of my work, where we feted a guy who's retiring in the next few days. The place will not be the same without him.

After work, I picked up Patricia, and then we drove to Atlantic News, on the corner of Queen and Morris Streets. They put aside EQMM and AHMM for me. Simply not economical to subscribe to them anymore. It is cheaper to buy them this way, at full cover price. That done, we went to the Chinese place up the street, where we ended up ordering far too much food, two thirds of which we ended up bringing home.

We went to Costco after that and got a few things. Hey, if you like McCafe coffee by the tin, it is 43% cheaper to buy it there than at a regular grocery store. For the same amount of money I see the 950g tin at, say, Superstore, you get a 1.36kg tin of coffee. A heck of a good deal, and very good coffee. I bought two. Also got some led bulbs because they were marked down, and a book on the Halifax explosion that I didn't already have.

A very productive day.

Friday promises to be even more so. Debt, it was (not so) nice knowing you. So excited!!

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3704 - Almost!

Pay day is tomorrow. The biggest pay cheque in my life is but hours away.

Another work day. Another barbecue this evening. After we ate, I washed most of the dishes. It is embarrassing not to have any clean adult-sized forks in the house. The little ones, for salads I guess, are not meant for my big hands.

Oh, if you are keeping score, and these things are important to you, I will not have a true crime piece in the next issue of Frank. I simply cannot produce an article for every issue, not with a full time job and a bunch of other stuff going on in my life. I am shooting toward having an article in the next next issue, out in three weeks. Sorry about that.

Tomorrow is a tumultuous day. Did I mention I am getting the biggest pay cheque in like ever? I did. Sorry.

I think I will turn in. Sugar plums are dancing in my head.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3703 - Tuesday Night

Hi.

I didn't write last evening because I pretty much turned in for the evening at 5:30. I watched some of the news and then drifted off for the night. I don't know if I am fighting something, or what. I just know that I cannot account for my Monday night.

Felt much better today. After work, we went to Costco. We got some beef patties, and I ended up barbecuing all of them. Two-thirds of them are in the fridge. Took out some chicken from the freezer tonight. May barbecue that tomorrow night. Barbecue time is here again!!

So, I got an email on Sunday, and then two more on Monday, and a final reminder today for extreme good measure. The long service award payout thing I told you about last month? Well, I will get mine this coming Thursday. This morning I logged on to our employee self service web portal and saw the amount of this pay cheque, which contains this payout. It is the biggest pay cheque with my name on it that I have ever seen, or ever will see again. I will probably download it and add it to my dropbox in a folder called "Bevboy's Biggest Paycheque Ever". I will look at it from time to time in my inevitable dotage.

Barring some unforeseen circumstance, I will be using a big chunk of that money to pay off a couple of debts I have been gradually paying down. As I wrote before, the major debt will be paid off nearly two years sooner than I had expected. While I am taking a big tax hit, the money I am freeing up every two weeks will come close to making up for that hit, within 18 months. So, the debt will be gone, and the tax hit I am taking to get this money now will be offset by the money no longer going to this debt (which will no longer exist), by Hallowe'en of 2019, maybe even a bit sooner.

Furthermore, I will be maxing out my CPP and EI premiums for all of 2018 out of this pay, so I will not have to contribute to those plans for the balance of the year. This makes subsequent pays even larger until January of 2019. Not too shabby.

Other guys at work were and are pretty excited to be getting this money. They have plans for this money as I do. Apparently, some 1500 civil servants will be getting some form of pay out this coming Thursday. While it is none of my business, and I will never know, I do wonder what the largest single payout this Thursday will be. Not who's getting it; just what is the amount?

You just gotta know that civil servants will be going on a shopping spree in the coming week or so. Big screen tv's, large barbecues, and late-model cars will be disappearing from local stores. Men will take their sweethearts not to the Pizza Delight buffet, but to Da Maurizio instead.

Me? Once I get this debt paid off, I start saving up to replace a bunch of windows in my house. And the doors at each entrance. Real sexy stuff, huh? Hubba hubba.

I think I will turn in.

Thursday, payday, can't get here soon enough!

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3702 - Sunday Night

Well, hello there, handsome.

Man, did I sleep in this morning! All three of us: Patricia, Newbie, and I, all had a hard time getting up. When we did, we were logy. I made us something to eat, but I will be darned if I can remember what it was.

By early afternoon, I was washing dishes, and Patricia was trying to retrieve gardening stuff from the shed, only to discover that the shed was full of stuff, and she had to spend the next two and a half hours cleaning out the shed, with me helping and staying out of her way. I did go to the other shed (yes, we have two sheds on the property) and dig out some patio furniture and the barbecue. Hooked it up, and it worked. Decided to cook some chicken breasts on it for dinner. They were delicious.

We threw a lot of stuff out of the shed and into garbage bags. We will likely have to take a trip to the local landfill and deal with it that way. The wheelbarrow I have had for... a lot of years is just not fit to use. It is all rusted through. The wheel part of the barrow doesn't hold air. It will go. The chaise longue I bought just a couple of years ago has some rust on it, and is faded to boot. Seemed really nice at the Kent store in Bayer's Lake, but once we got it home its impracticality came shining through. I will not miss it. And somehow over the years we acquired far more snow and ice scrapers and snowbrushes than two people will ever need. Some of them are going. Other things, too. L'histoire!

This evening we watched this week's episode of "The Good Fight", which is even better in season two than it was in season one. Much more disappointing was "Imposters", which in its season two has forgotten what made its season one so enjoyable. The main characters are scattered hither and yon. There are parallel stories that are not going anywhere, and too many other characters I don't care about. Why are there so many sophomore slumps when it comes to tv shows?

It is back to reality tomorrow. Where do these silly weekends go, anyway?

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3701 - Saturday Musings

So, I have been thinking about Lindsay Kanitha Souvannarath, Randell Shepherd, and James Gamble. They were the young people who plotted to open fire at the Halifax Shopping Centre food court a few years ago. The plot was foiled when someone tipped off the police, and the police arrested Shepherd and her. The police were closing in on Gamble when he killed himself with the firearm he was going to use to kill his parents before he and Lindsay carried out their plan. This transpired in a house down the road from where I live.

We dodged one, didn't we?

But, it can happen again, if not here, then somewhere else.

There are plenty of young people out there who are disaffected and pissed off at the world because they perceive the world has done them wrong. They are usually poorly educated, underemployed if not unemployed, and have few prospects for a positive future. They were bullied in school. They feel worthless, are miserable, and painfully single. They are a seething cauldron of anger looking for an outlet. Because of some out-there websites and chatrooms that I have never bothered to look up, and won't, they find others who share their twisted beliefs. And, sometimes, they start to plot things best not considered.

Except for the education thing, I was a lot like them.

I was bullied in school. I was made to feel worthless, and unintelligent. I was worried nearly to death I'd end up unemployed, unemployable, and disaffected. I was as single as a fella could get. I also had the anger, the kind of anger that my family is known for, and which has got many of them in trouble over the years.

When I was their age, the internet was... well, we had Compuserve and BBS's, which had chatrooms, and I'm guessing that some of them were off the beaten path. 

I do not recall anybody in particular who took me under their wing to set me on the straight and narrow. I just realized the path that I was on would not work out well for me. I changed schools, and left the bullies behind. My grades improved. I finished high school and got a university education. I really feel that my education is what saved me from a life that might have spiraled out of control.

People like the ones who plotted the shooting need to be dealt with by the courts. Don't get me wrong. But society needs to do more to prevent people from getting that way in the first place. Maybe treating people with a bit more respect, especially the ones who are not fitting in socially, would go a long way to helping them.

What are your thoughts on this?

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3700 - Well, Not Really

Welcome, sort of, to post 3700.

As I have stated before, the blog post numbering has been thrown off a few times over the years. The number of posts is somewhat higher than 3700. I keep meaning to find out what that number is, and start numbering at the next number beyond that. But not tonight.

I didn't write last evening because, as I have noted before, my body shut down early. 9:30 or so, and I was out like a light. I am not sure the reason for this. Could be the new job, or the lousy weather, or some personal stuff, or even something else.

Friday was another typical day at work. I could look out the window and see the snow coming down at one point and remaking that it was April 20th, and I had my snow tires removed a week ago, and that it has no business snowing on April 20th. And, yet, it was snowing, on April 20th. Did I mention i had my snow tires removed last week? And that today is April 20th?

After work, we went to Fredie's Fantastic Fishhouse in Bayer's Lake. Parked the car and noticed that Dhaba, in addition to the Indian restaurant, now operates an Indian grocery store. Had no idea it was there. We went in, and Patricia fell in love with the place. She bought numerous spices and sauces and rice and other things. She promises to be in the kitchen for a big chunk of the weekend. I hope we have butter chicken!

We wandered over to the Dhaba restaurant, a couple of units up from the grocery store. We found out the hard way that one needs reservations to eat there. I am not used to going to any restaurant in these here parts and requiring a reservation to get in. I guess this speaks to the quality of the place. Patricia says we ate there several years ago, but I don't have any recollection of that. So, maybe soon, we will call and reserve a spot to have dinner there.

We ended up at Fredie's and sat down next to an older couple who normally eat at Fries and Company, over on Chebucto Road. We have never been impressed with the place. The woman was openly complaining about Fredie's. The fish pieces were too small. The plastic forks were cheap (I have never seen elaborate plastic forks. Have you?). The paper plates were flimsy. You'd think that Fries and Company was haute cuisine or something, and that this couple had deigned to eat something else.

After their delightful company, we were only too glad to get out of there. Not yet ready to go home, we drove out to Tantallon. Otis & Clementine's was closed, so we went into the Home Hardware. They had a few barbecues for sale, but nothing that really grabbed me. They gave me a catalogue from which I can order a higher end bbq, though. I also learned that they will assemble the thing for free, saving untold numbers of marriages in the land, and will deliver it for a nominal fee. We may take them up on that offer.

We drove around a bit more, checking out the area where the proposed new development is supposed to go. I don't know what the complaining is all about. The current area is literally a wooded swamp. Replacing that with a bunch of rental units and retail makes perfect sense to me. Should have happened years ago.

At the nearby Superstore, we got some cheap chicken pieces, and half price mushrooms. We now have so many mushrooms we wish we could ingest them to get high, but they are the wrong kind of mushrooms, so we will have to eat them, instead.

After getting home, we noted that the property next door had been sold. It only went on the market maybe two weeks ago. The place was a rental property for the 17 years I have lived here, and for quite a few years before that. I have seen plenty of neighbours come and go over the years. The owner got fed up with renting for some reason and spent a bunch of money to spruce the place up and then sold it for a good price. I hope we end up with nice people as neighbours. We have had one or two jerks over the years.

And, the place next door to that, also sold this week. It took them a few years to sell their place. I will miss Rose and Andrew. The other computer desk in my home office came from their house. They offered it for free online, and I spoke up for it, not realizing how close by they were. I was worried about how I'd get the thing home, until I learned they were two doors up the street! Dad and I added a side shelf a year or so later. It presently holds my media server. It was probably a good idea that we used three shelf brackets to hold that shelf/ledge in place!

It has been a long day, and a long week. I need my beauty coma.

If I think of it, I will share my thoughts with you about the proposed shooting at the Halifax Shopping Centre, tomorrow night.

See you then.

Bevboy

Post 3699 - Wednesday Night

Sorry I didn't write last night. My body shut down around 8:30.

Today was another day at work. Patricia has been taking a few vacation days this week but thinks she will be back to work tomorrow. It means I can be home a bit sooner than usual. She has been having a hot dinner waiting every night. Much appreciated!

I saw the new issue of Frank at the Superstore across from my work, at 7:30 this morning. My article about the 1981 murder of Sadie Mae Rogers is in there, occupying two and a half pages. The article, plus a bunch of very rare reprints of articles and a vintage photo of an early reporter on the Rogers murder, Doug Harkness.

As things stand, I am not sure what my article will be for the next issue of Frank. I am considering a few cases, but which one will have enough information to justify an article, I cannot yet say. I am not trying to be circumspect. I just plain don't know.

We finished watching the first season of "Lost in Space" this evening. My goodness, what a good show. Edge-of-your-seat stuff from top to bottom. People complain about "Netflix bloat", which is when they try to fill, say, eight episodes of story into 12 episodes of show. I have found there was very little of that with "Lost in Space". If anything, I would have liked them to have made the season a bit longer than ten episodes. Check it out. You will not regret it.

It is late, very late. I need to get up in less than six and a half hours before I get up again. Groundhog Day.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3698 - What Would You Say?

This morning, my friend Scott Simpson (late of News 95.7, presently Program Director of News Talk 1290, CJBK in London, Ontario, posted on his Facebook a short video of himself as a 19 year old. He expressed a wish that he could talk to that much-younger version of himself and what he would say. He asked his FB friends what we would say to our 19 year old selves.

He caught me in a quiet, contemplative, pensive mood.

I wrote that I would tell that young man, who had been bullied in junior high school to within an inch of his life, and who had graduated high school without ever dated, and who was in his sophomore year at Acadia University and used to being beaten down, that things would get better. I would tell "Bevboy" that he was not stupid, not useless, and that he deserved happiness. That he was a good person. To find a way to hang in there.

And, of course, I did hang in there. It was not easy, because I did not have that pep talk when I was 19. I wish I had.

What would you tell YOUR 19 year-old self if you could?

You know how to respond: through FB, writing a comment to this post, or dropping me a line here. Just try to put "19 year old" in the subject line.

Short post tonight, I know. Gives you more time to write me!

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3697 - Sunday Night

Another weekend is over. In far-too-few hours I will have to get up and start another work week.

I didn't write on Saturday because we were running the roads all day and got back late. We were both exhausted from our intense labours and collapsed abed not long after we got home.

Today was about us relaxing from yesterday. We watched some stuff from the PVR, along with a few episodes of the new "Lost in Space", which is great fun.

The new Frank comes out this week. I will tell you that my contribution is about the 1981 murder of Sadie Mae Rogers in Amherst. First murder in Amherst since the 1930's, and I don't think there has been one since. A damn shame that this dear, sweet old lady should be murdered, and her murderer has still never been brought to justice. I hope that killer is still alive, and that my article, if he sees it, makes him feel uncomfortable. All the details are in the new Frank, out this week.

If you know anything about the murder of Sadie Mae Rogers, you can write me right here. I promise to keep your name confidential if you ask me to.

Another work week commences in hours. Yippee.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3696 - Friday Night

How was your day?

We dipped over to Dartmouth this morning to see our tax accountant. Taxes are due in the next couple of weeks, as you Canadians know.

After that, we got breakfast at the Cora's in Burnside. Cora's is a place that plenty of people go to, but that particular one was not very busy at all.  Patricia had salmon eggs benny. I had something called "Jo Construction", consisting of eggs and too much meat.

We checked out "Goody's" after that, which apparently is what they call Goodwill stores now. Turns out today was 95cent book day, so I got eight books. They also have a "buy three, get one free deal", so I got those eight books for $5.70 cents, of 71.25 cents per book.  I got a "Game of Thrones" novel that we didn't already have, plus the latest Steve Berry Cotton Mather thriller. It came out in paperback in January and would retail for nearly $13.00, so I got a good deal! Got six more books of note, too, but they're upstairs and I'm tired. If you must know what I got, let me know, and I will list them tomorrow night.

(There is a friend on Facebook who lives in the States. He is forever going to his local thrift stores and purchasing books for something like ten cents apiece, and putting pictures of them on his Facebook. I am for some reason fascinated by these posts. Perhaps I should put up a few of my own!)

We then went to the "Bibles for Missions" thrift store on the outskirts of Bedford. I was on the hunt for a cheap arse widescreen computer monitor, like the one I'm staring at now. It was less than six dollars there last year. Would be super sweet to get another one for the other desktop computer in this home office.

But they had nothing, and I got nothing. But Patricia got some clothes and other things, totaling exactly $21. But I had got her a $20 gift certificate from that place for Christmas, so she was out of pocket one whole dollar.

From there we went to Guy's Frenchy's, which is sort of across the street. She got more clothes and some bedding. After spending the gift card I got for her there for Christmas, she was out of pocket just over $30.

We returned home around 4:20. Patricia napped while I snacked and watched a bit of tv. I did some work this evening.

An eventful day, and three thrift stores. I love those places!

Tomorrow we have some plans which I will tell you about in short order. Until then, I really should turn in, because there is plenty to do on Saturday!

See you tomorrow, my lovelies.

Bevboy

Post 3695 - The Weekend Is Here

Yes, the weekend is here. And, I'm broke, even though it's payday.

Yes. We got the car back. Over five hundred smackers of work, and storage, and taxes.

Rather than lug the tires back and forth, we are spending $69 to store them. I learned that they are actually stored somewhere in Lakeside. We live in Timberlea, which is one community away from Lakeside. So, yes, the tires for our car, and other folks' cars, are stored mere minutes from where I type these words. And we are paying good money for this privilege.

So, the "all season" tires are on. Balanced. Aligned, too. Two different processes. Oil change. Fluid fill up. Brake check. Checking that the seal was still good around the windshield. Et cetera.

There was no discussion about the warranty being threatened, so that was good.

Had a few minutes to kill before the shuttle took us to work. The new, 2018, Soul's "only" have an 8 year, 160 000 km warranty. Ours has 8 year, 200 000km. We appear to have a better warranty. No regrets about getting our car!

After work, on the way home, we went to the fish and chips place in Bayer's Lake, Fredie's Fish and Chips. Still an awesome place. I found an insurance pink sheet on the ground. Still in effect. Took in to Fredie's. They said they would call the guy if they had to. That is but one small example of the customer service in that place! Above and beyond.

We are off on Friday. Gotta get up relatively early and head over to Dartmouth to meet with our tax accountant. Then, we head back to Halifax to attend Patricia's Gaelic class. The teacher keeps asking Patricia about me, and this is the last class for several months, so I guess I will go. I will  understand nothing except when they say my name, but them's the breaks.

There are other plans for the weekend, and some important work, too. I can't put it off any longer.

You folks have a good evening. Bark at ya tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3694 - Two Blog Posts In A Row? Are You Kidding Me?

Yeah, the title.

I just filed my latest cold case article with my editor at Frank. Another vintage unsolved murder. You will be able to read it next week.

After we got home tonight, we went to the shed behind the house and dragged and rolled the summer tires out and stuffed them in the back seat. Barely fit. We will take the dealership up on the offer of storing the tires on site. It costs a bit, but we are both tired of lugging them back and forth. They take up space and are a pain to store at the best of times. Money well spent.

Tomorrow morning we take the Soul in to the dealership, there to have the honour of spending $500 on "required" service. I just love it when I get a few extra bucks and have to spend them on something unplanned.

I have to get up early tomorrow, so I plan to turn in early to boot.

See you tomorrow, my lovelies.

Bevboy

Post 3693 - Tuesday NIght

Gee, did you miss me?

I feel just awful, not writing on a regular basis. People are walking up to me on the street and asking me what is wrong with me.

The answer is... I'm not sure.

The last two nights, I turned in early. Monday night, I pretty much just slept the night away. We didn't even watch "American Idol".

Monday, I took a vacation day, and spent the bulk of it at the archives, with mixed results. I spent several hours researching one story, and found nearly nothing. The second one, a vintage unsolved murder, revealed more information. A third story, one I have been picking away for 8 months or so, once again revealed nothing. I was disappointed, but that is the way with research. Many a time, hours of research can yield little or nothing.

And, today, whilst I was waiting for Patricia to show up at the Superstore parking lot, I chanced to look up at the little service reminder sticker in the upper left hand corner of the windshield. The date of April '18 and some five digit number were there, representing the assumed mileage. The second digit of the number looked like a five to me, if a deformed one. Realizing that I may be behind the service contract, I got on the Ameche to the KIA service department. After I told them who I was, I scheduled the service (brakes, oil, a multi-point service blah blah), plus moved up the swap out of the Winter tires for the Summer ones from April 30th, all to this Thursday, the 12th.

The over all amount, including the cost of them storing the tires at the dealership rather than lug them back and forth, is over $500.

$500.

My frig, I am not sure what is worse. Having a car that's falling apart and needs a ton of work to keep on the road; or a brand-new car that requires services in order to maintain a warranty.

They are supposed to send us email notifications, to alert us to work that has to be done to the car, but none came.

I have to hope that we have not challenged the warranty. According to them, we are 2000 kilometres over due. The date and the mileage (with what looks like a five, but they may think is a three) may cause us some grief. I am not sure what will happen if they decide we have voided the warranty. No more warranty, I guess. We will be plenty ticked if that is the case.

I will keep you up-to-date on this important story.

I think I will turn in.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3692 - Saturday Night

It is getting late, and I will turn in shortly.

We had plans to do quite a bit today, but they went out the window. I was feeling a  mite anxious, so instead we went out to brunch, before killing some time in Bayer's Lake and returning home.

I am hoping to get more done on Sunday. Monday will be a vacation day, where I must do yet more again. Very little rest for the wicked.

I know that i wrote last night and pleaded with people not to send me any more links to articles about unsolved murders, but I found one this evening on youtube about one of Nova Scotia's alleged serial killers. Horror actress Debbie Rochon's hubby, who hails from the province which is why they have a home here, grew up with this man. I must contact her again to see if she and he will talk to me about him. For research purposes, of course. You understand.

Anyway, here is the link, in case you want to watch it.





I think I will turn in. Long day on Sunday.

See you then.

Bevboy

Post 3691 - Friday Night

Wow, sorry about that.

I have been dealing with some heavy stuff lately. It has been all I could do just to get through my work days. I'd turn in early and sleep as much as I could. The issues remain outstanding, alas.

I can't get too much into what those issues are. But I am not in trouble with the law or anything. My job is safe. My health is fine. When the issues are resolved, I will look forward to discussing them with you.

There is not much else going on. I am working on a couple of cold cases for Frank. And... I have a request.

I write about local cold cases. I don't mind discussing them. I appreciate it when folks suggest Nova Scotia-based cold cases, and especially when they have information that can help me put a unique angle on the case they have in mind.

But people have been sending me random cold case articles. They can be interesting in their own right, but my mental health suffers, reading about dead people and missing persons all the time.

I don't read much true crime, unless it is related to Nova Scotia-based cases.

So, please, folks, if you want to send me a link to a cold case, make sure it is one you think I would want to read, and not just another story of people being horribly murdered and mutilated or whatever. I have only so much capacity for such material. You probably do, too, or you are some sick person.

Thank you.

I think I will turn in. Long day on Saturday.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3690 - Tuesday Night.

At least, I think it's Tuesday night. Hard to tell, after a four day weekend.

We returned to work this morning. Traffic was heavier than it has been for a while. Work was about the same.

During my lunch hour I worked on my next cold case article for Frank. I have narrowed it down to two different stories. One is an unsolved murder, and the other is a missing person. The latter is very mysterious. A man told some people at the hotel he was staying at that he was going to head out to a dinner party with some friends. He walked out the door, and hasn't been seen since. Not a trace of him has been found in more than 20 years.

The other case is about a man shot to death in front of his house several years ago.

The first case is more compelling to me, because it is so mysterious. But the problem is finding information about the man and trying to develop a theory about what might have happened to him. Both are very difficult to do.

Meanwhile, the issue of Frank that hits newsstands on Wednesday contains my latest article, which is about the 2000 murder of Doug Keating. I hope you check it out and let me know what you think of it. You can write me at my Frank Magazine email address, which is right here.

In the coming days, I will be devoting more and more time to both stories. Who knows? With luck, I may be able to submit two article to my editor by next week.

Ha!

You guys have a good evening. I will talk at you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 3689 - Three Days Later

Hi.

I didn't mean to take the last few days off from the blog.

I was in the Valley From Saturday morning until mid-afternoon on Sunday. I had a bunch of things to take care of, including some Frank work. That evening I watched a few things on Plex.

Sunday I had a bit of business to take care of. I know. Easter Sunday, and I had some business. Shame on me. I am sorry about that. I will discuss the nature of that business as the time draws closer.

If it helps, I didn't get any Easter candy this year. Call that my punishment.

I returned to the city Sunday afternoon. Newbie was all over me. Patricia told me that he had moped around the house in my absence. I suppose I could have taken him with me to the Valley, but honestly, scooping him up and putting him in his cat carrier and lugging him there and back is never fun. And he senses in some way when I am about to return to the city. He always hides. One time, he hid in Dad's old workshop, underneath a heavy wooden storage thingy, in a space so small I don't know how he got in there. I had to poke at him with the business end of a broom to coax him out, grab him, and thrust him into his carrier. Took me the better part of an hour.

Another time, at the cottage, we couldn't find him. Cindy Clawford was still alive. She led us down the hallway and stood by the bed, under which Newbie was hiding.

Taking him anywhere is more trouble than it is worth. I can't even pick him up and carry him in my arms to the front deck. He seizes up and digs his claws into my back to the point where he draws blood. I just take him back inside and learn my lesson.

So, I leave him behind when I go to the Valley for an overnighter.

He is a homebody the likes of which I have seen in no other cat. As I type these in my home office, he is at my feet, waiting for me to finish writing this post (soon, Newbie! Soon!) so he can toddle off to bed with me.

He is a character. And when he eventually passes, he will leave a hole in my heart.

Back to work in a few hours. Should get some shuteye.

Newbie? Buddy? It's time!

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy