Alive in the Great White North

I made a bet

2011-12-13T08:57:00.002-07:00

I made a bet with myself that I could remember to post something on my blog for 7 days in a row. While I'm at work today can easily remember every time I visit the MOH forum it won't be so easy when i'm at home and tend to forget about such things.

The hard part here is going to be finding something worthwhile to talk about as I generally consider life to be rather uninteresting. However here goes.

I have a trip booked to visit my daughter in Okinawa at the end of March. Nikki and her husband have recently taken up scuba diving and have liked it so much that they have started to invest in all the necessary equipment, which is not cheap. I have always wanted to give it a try but never really been in a position to do so. One of my childhood ambitions was to become a Marine Biologist because I thought I would get to make like Jacques Cousteau.

So while I was chatting with my daughters husband a while back he told me that he had an idea for a christmas present for to surprise Nikki. He offered to pay for scuba lessons for me so I could get qualified before I went over for my visit so I could surprise her and go diving with them. Now that sounds like a great idea to me and I am now in the process of taking the course to become a certified open water scuba diver. I haven't yet made it into the pool as I have to do the study and classroom work first but I am really looking forward to it. Once I complete the portion of the course here I'll be heading out to Victoria before my trip to Japan to complete the open water portion and get my certification.

This should open up a whole new area for exploration and may make a vacation to the Carribean a bit more likely.

Alive and kicking

2011-12-11T08:55:00.002-07:00

I have a habit of forgetting about things like blogs and email and such. I finally logged in here after my last visit in July and found 2 comments that needed to be moderated. Go figure. Better late than never I guess. I need to stop in here more often. I could never make it a serious blogger at this rate.

Christmas is getting closer and I am in a quandry as to what to get a couple of members of my family for presents. This is a struggle every year. I do not have a creative mind and coming up with ideas for presents is akin to trying to understand the formulas behind quantem mechanics. I also have to fill a stocking for my brother, which should be fun. Stockings are eay though and I have some truely evil ideas. I'll have to think about the presents while I sit here at work today.

I did see one item at Canadian Tire that I almost picked up for someone. A gift package containing a can of WD-40 and roll of duct tape. Someone finally figured out the ultimate fixit present for every handyman.

I have always gotten a kick out of watching American politics any time an election is coming up. This time around is no different. It amazes me how political figures can spend more time disparaging their opponents instead of focusing on the issues and trying to find solutions to the problems facing the country. I guess though, considering the publics fascination with scandals and such, they are just catering to the people that are going to be voting. I suspect an honest, ethical politician would never get elected. It's going to be interesting to watch the rhetoric ramp up as the election gets closer.

Winter in Calgary is always a scary time for a driver. A little bit of snow and people forget how to drive. While the majority of people slow down and take it easy there are always those who continue on like it's a nice summer day. The other day it had snowed overnight and I passed one spot where there were 4 cars in the ditch within a 200 meter stretch of road. From look of things none of them were related to each other. I'm not sure what these people were doing to end up in the ditch because the road wasn't in bad condition.

And on the subject of drivers, why is it so hard to understand the concept of a merge lane? Every day I end up behind someone who is trying to merge onto a busy major highway where the traffic is moving at about 100 kph. These people usually try and merge onto the highway at a speed about 20 kph lower than the traffic and end up almost causing accidents as a result. I have even had people stop dead at the end of the merge lane waiting for a break in the traffic before they would move. Do these people understand how much danger they are placing themselves and other people in? Apparently not because they still do it.

Another day

2011-07-24T17:44:00.003-06:00

Here I am at work, another weekend sitting at my desk. Today was a bit different though in that I had the pleasure of a visit from from an online friend of mine, Transfrmr as he is known to denizens of the Museum of Hoaxes forum.

As he had some time off and I had some spare time in the simulator I had invited him in for the opportunity to go for a ride. Being the self-professed alpha geek that he is he jumped at the chance. So I took him in and we flew around for over an hour getting the experience of what it is like to be a pilot in a B-737 aircraft. Going from the smile on his face afterward I'm pretty sure he enjoyed the experience.

It was great to finally meet up with someone from the forum as it is my goal to one day meet up with as many of my online friends as I possibly can. Sometimes I find the friendships I make online are in some ways stronger than the friendships I have offline. Maybe it's in getting the chance to chat with people and interact without the visual cues but there is something different. One of these days I'll sit down and give it some serious though.

For now though here are a couple of pictures from his visit. Proof that Gray really does exist. :)

Fall again

2010-10-29T23:32:00.002-06:00

This summer has been somewhat eventful for me and somewhat nondescript at the same time. I managed to have a great vacation in Gatlinburg , TN and completed my mission of visiting every state park in Kentucky. Actually that one was my girlfriends mission, I just accompanied her during her travels, it was a lot of fun nonetheless.

I also bought a new motorcycle which, I am hoping will offer me the opportunity to pack up and do some long distance cruising when the urge strikes me. I really enjoy the bike and it's a whole different feeling when I'm heading down the road to somewhere.

On the other hand the summer has been rather blah, mainly because of the weather. This seemed like one of those summers where it just never got to the point where I could call it a proper summer. It was more like a warmer than usual spring, complete with an overabundance of rain. The rather persistant rain really put a damper on a lot of outdoor stuff that I had planned to do this year. No camping for this kid.

Fortunately fall has arrived and the weather has been gorgeous for most of September and October. It really makes me wonder about the weather patterns around this place.

So my daughter is getting married in December before christmas. She sprung this one on me back in July and I have been wondering about her sanity ever since. I have to admit I do like the guy she is marrying and she certainly could have done a lot worse. The thing that gets me is that this is a girl who always swore that she would never get married and had no desire to have kids. Now she is telling me that she is feeling the urge and wants a family of her own. I have always wanted grandkids and since my son doesn't seem to be inclined to do anything about it I have pinned my hopes on my daughter. Now that she is getting married I guess I might have something to look forward to in the future.

I do have some trepidation about her marriage though. While she adamantly states that she is sure that this is what she wants the rest of us wonder about it. It just seems to unlike her so I suppose it's only natural to wonder a bit. I am happy for her though and since she is my baby, will always be behind her.

Last weekend my son and I went down to Palm Springs on a golf getaway. He has never been down to the States and had no idea what to expect. I had told him that I would take him down one day so we could do some male bonding and have a couple of rounds of golf at the time. In the end we had a wonderful trip. The golf was a lot of fun and we spent a lot of time exploring the place and taking in the sights. By the end of the trip Steve was ready to move down there. I guess that means he enjoyed himself. I told him we would probably do it again sometime if all went well.

Now christmas is sneaking up on me and I have to start considering presents for the family. As usual I have no idea what to get anyone. This is the part I hate about the holiday season. l never have any good ideas. It's going to be a lot of last minute shopping again. I'm open to suggestions. :)

Work and more

2010-07-18T10:25:00.003-06:00

Once again vacation is over for the time being and I'm back at work. Not that I want to be but until I find someone to pay the bills or win the lottery I'm stuck with it. The job presents some unique challenges for me, such as how to motivate myself to stay awake when everything is running smoothly and there is nothing to do. I've found that one can only stare at a computer screen for so long before ones head approaches terminal velocity immediately prior to it making contact with the keyboard. Good thing it's the weekend and there's no one else around.

I'm still waiting for summer to appear in this area. It has been teasing me for a couple of months now but hasn't fully made an entrance. It seems every time I'm off shift the weather is more fall or spring like than summer. Of course when I'm on shift and stuck inside for 12 hrs a day the weather is beautiful outside. Conversely during the winter I love my job because I never have to step outside while I'm at work.

It never fails to amaze me how everyone complains about politicians but every election the same ones seem to get back into power. If you don't like them don't vote for them. Seems simple to me. If you don't have enough choices then make your own, form a new party. If you make sense to people they might actually have the guts to vote for you.

Vacation time!!

2010-05-12T06:08:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year for me when I usually take my vacation. I try and work it so that I am on vacation for my birthday. Although I'm getting older and birthdays don't count much any more I still like the idea of being off on the day.

So my girlfriend and I are on our way to a cabin in the hills near Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee. It's the 3rd time we've been down there and personally I love it. Got the cabin all to ourselves and the park is close enough that we can hike and explore to our hearts content. Very relaxing indeed. There is some beautiful country there and lots of waterfalls to hike to.

Along with my vacation comes the start of ball season here. I play fastball for a team in one of the few fastball leagues in the city. I suspect I'm going to be the oldest person in the league this year. Up until now there has always been this one guy who is a few years older than I am but I think he has retired now. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I know I like to tease my teammates about it, most of them are at least 20 years younger than I am. I guess I've been with the team for so long now they don't realize just how old I am. I figure as long as i can still pitch and get people out I'm going to be playing. After being out practicing a few times I can see my curve and rise ball are going to be working pretty good. Good thing the season starts right after I get back from vacation.

Thursday morning can't come soon enough. I get off work at 630 am and catch a flight at 945 am. Good thing the flight is a long one so I can catch a nap on the way down.

Spring is sprung

2010-04-11T22:38:00.003-06:00

Yes it seems like spring has really sprung around here. The weather has been mostly spring-like for the last few weeks and today I looked out my door and there was a robin sitting on the steps looking back up at me. I guess that's the official sign.

Every spring I tend to start to think more of my summer vacation and ball season and golfing and camping and fishing. All the sort of thing that I love doing but which are impossible to do during the winters up here. I keep thinking that one day when I retire I am going to make sure that I'm in a place that allows me to do this stuff year round. Or at least be able to travel to a place where I can do all that year round. Not sure where a place like that is but I'm sure there's one out there.

I recently started to try and contact some of my old friends from high school via facebook. It didn't take me long to discover that there were many of the kids I knew from back home online and in contact with each other. Slowly I've started to add them and make contact again. It's really interesting to see how people have grown and how much my memories of what they looked like are not really accurate. I see the pics of them now and think of how I thought they would look. Most of the time it's an epic fail as they look nothing like I remember them. I'm not sure if that means my memory is going or what. I have to admit it's been in the order of about 35 or more years since I've seen most of them so I'm sure that has something to do with it. It is neat to think that there was a time not too long ago when this sort of reconnection would have been next to impossible.

One of these days...

2010-01-12T23:47:00.002-07:00

It's been a while since I posted so I figured it was about time I updated things. Not that there is much to update as life goes on and I just go with the flow.

I spent christmas out in Victoria with my kids. It was a great time and I spent way too much money spoiling them. All in all it was worth it however. I may not be around that much but I do what I can when i am. It's funny that I still think of them as kids when they are both around 30 yrs old. I guess that's a parental thing where you always think of your offspring as kids no matter how old they get. I even made the complete christmas dinner for them which we ate around Steve's coffee table as he doesn't have a real dining table. Everything was just as good though.

The trip back home after christmas was something else though. Due to some idiot trying to blow up a plane on christmas day, there were new security precautions at the airport and consequently very long lineups. My flight was delayed by about 2 hours because of it. And when I finally did get on the plane they couldn't even turn the in flight entertainment system on because the new security regulations prohibit it. I guess the theory is that some terrorist can use the live map channel and be able to tell where they are so they can do something over a city. Of course that logic is defeated by looking out the window and seeing cities and towns below you.

So I'm waiting for my yearly performance review at work. As yet the manager hasn't mentioned it to so I'm just going to sit tight and see what happens. Not that I care one way or another because I'm capped out on my salary and vacation so there really isn't any incentive for me to do anything to rate something other than a mediocre review. I suppose the only thing that keeps me going a lot of times is the fact that I have worked for so long and developed my habits and work ethics that won't allow me to totally slack off. It will be interesting to see what he says.

My main resolution this new decade is to try and keep my blog up a bit more. Not sure that will happen but it's probably more likely than me trying to lose weight.

Still alive

2009-08-15T23:38:00.002-06:00

Gosh, it's been ages since I last posted here. I forgot I even had a blog for a while there. My life appears to be one of those things that never seems to change and just goes on day by day. Or so it seems. However......

In the last few months I have bought my own place, spent a glorious week on vacation up in the Great Smoky Mountains, become the star pitcher of my ball team, been told by my boss that I'm the best tech in the place and managed to get myself on google streetview. The last being the highlight of my month.

It's funny how each day seems the same many times and we accept all the little things that happen in the duration as normal occurrances. But in reality each moment is special unto itself and can carry it's own magic if we care to look. The things we do with friends, trips to the grocery store, a day at work, all things we take for granted but at the same time all things that make each day different.

The longer I live the more I'm learning to enjoy the small things in life that make each day what it is.

So how long does it take google to get new images up on streetview? I was heading down to Cincinnati last week and was going thru Columbus, OH when I notice the Google camera car in the middle lane. I was in the left lane and traffic was going slow enough that I was able to get a good look at it when I went by. So now I'm curious as to how long it will take to get the new images up on the site. The exact location was on I-70 southbound right before exit 190A. I was driving a gray Hyundai Elantra with Ontario plates on it. I'm sort of hoping to see it when they finally get them up there.

A new place

2009-04-16T03:51:00.002-06:00

Well I have made the move into my new place and am almost all settled in. The pile of garbage in the yard grows larger each day as I unpack and find more stuff that I just don't want, need or like. Not to mention the pile of cardboard for the recyclers.

I finally have a place I can all my own. A plot of land that is all mine (well almost, I'm sure the bank would say something about it). Of course many grand ideas had to be compromised in order to be able to afford it but isn't that life?

I'm amazed as some of the stuff I had in storage and have been hanging on to for the last god knows how many years. Things such as a breadbox with a busted door. more parts for tvs and video palyers than I could ever possibly use and a number of fishing rods that would go great in a garage sale.

Every time I move I tend to downsize and get rid of more and more stuff. At this rate I won't have anything to my name if I move a few more times. Not sure if that would be a good thing or not. It probably would but I'm not in a hurry to find out. That time will come soon enough.

Spring is in the air.

2009-02-23T20:04:00.002-07:00

Over the last month I've been getting the spring feeling more and more. It seems too long since I last went for a round of golf, chucked a ball or was able o go for a walk in the woods without snowshoes. Now that it's almost the end of February I am starting to get the itch again.

My vacation is planned out and I just want the next couple of months to pass by so I can get going. That's the thing about vacations, it seems to take forever to get to them and once you are on vacatiion the time seems to go so fast. I'm really looking forward to this one though. I'm making a trip down to Tennessee with my girlfriend where we are planning on spending a week holed up in a cabin near Gatlinburg. It should be nice and relaxing compared to the chaos that is my normal life.

The older I get the more relaxed and accepting of life I have become. Things that don't bother me now would have driven me nuts at a younger age. I'm not sure if it's because I've been thru those things and know what to expect or because I really don't care any more. I do know that I am at the point in my life where I really don't care what people think about me and the way I live. It's nice because I don't have anyone's expectations to live up to except my own. Mind you I can't really say that I ever tried to live up to anyone's expectations. Probably why I am where I am today. Honestly right now I am looking forward to my retirement in another decade or so. All I need is place of my own where I can spend my days fishing, golfing, camping and otherwise relaxing with a bit of travel tossed in for a change.

It's always good to dream. Right now I'm at work and dreaming of 7am when I get off shift. Since a bunch of our guys are getting training this week I have been left all alone this shift. It's great to be able to actually concentrate on my work instead of having to shepherd the young guys around and keep tabs on them. Sometimes I would prefer being a peon instead of a supervisor. Oh well, such is life.

Another day, another dollar

2009-01-14T21:16:00.002-07:00

As the title says I'm back at work here. Another night shift about half over now. Sometimes I wonder if it would be more worth it to find a job where I didn't have to work night shifts but every time I do I get to thinking about the time off and vacation I get for doing it. I guess it's a balance that I have to put up with until I can retire one day. I just keep praying that the day comes sooner than later. Until then I'll just keep trying to stay awake and forget about the fact that I have another 5 hours to go.

Weekend

2009-01-03T08:28:00.002-07:00

Well the new year is upon us and a couple of days into already. I went to the bank yesterday and one of the first things I did was screw up the date on a check. Go figure, it's not even a week old. I'm going to have to work on my memory a bit more I guess.

New Years eve came of just about as I had figured. Got home from work and Mike and I spent the evening playing games on the Wii and sucking back pop and chips. Another of the things in life that I never seem to have quite established in my mind as something to avoid, never have a bowl of ice cream then down a couple of glasses of coke later on. Not sure about anyone else but having an ice cream float fizzing away in my stomach makes me look about 6 months pregnant.

The time off has been nice and it's back to work on monday. Fortunately I only work 3 days this week. It will give me an even longer weekend next one. I also have my annual review on monday. It will be interesting to see what the boss thinks. It should be pretty good. Of course along with the review comes the annual raise. I'm almost betting that next paycheck I'll be bringing home less than I did last year. For some reason the amount of tax taken off always seems to increase disproportionately to the raise given. I've had times when I was bringing home less after a raise than I was before, mainly due to being elevated to the next tax bracket. Oh well, guess I'll find out next pay check.

I remember......

2008-12-31T08:34:00.002-07:00

As I sit here at work on New years Eve I got to thinking about how much I used to look forward to this day and the party that was occurring that night. In my younger days the beginning of a new year meant a party of historical proportions spent with friends, lots of booze, a large number of calorie laden snacks and many traditions like watching the ball drop in Times Square at midnight (even though midnight where I lived was still 2 hours away).

As I got older and quit drinking the partying meant less and less to me. I think in some respects it was just that I never was a serious partier although I tried to keep up with everyone. The turning of a new year seemed to lose it's mystique and meaning. I can remember once when I was in the army and had done something that the Capt thought warranted pulling duty New Years day. While I'm sure he considered it a punishment I don't think he realized that it didn't bother me at all.

Now that I'm a couple of years over 50 it is just another day for me. Yes, it is the beginning of a new year and all that it brings but in reality it's just an arbitrary date that someone decided on way back when. The only real difference is that I will have to start writing 2009 on my checks now. I tend to mark the passage of years more in events that mean something to me. The beginning of fastball each year is kind of like the new year for me. That is something I really look forward to as it comes around each May. Because my birthday coincides with the start of the ball season I tend to view that as the start of my year.

Yes, New Years is a cause for celebration in some respects because that is when I get my annual raise at work. But in most ways it is just another day. I'm here working until 730 this evening. When I get off I'll likely head home and catch up with my brothers who I suspect will be sitting back with a beer or two and watching the hockey game. Whether or not we will actually make it to the new year awake is always a point for debate. However in our own way we will celebrate the passing of 2008.

I guess I can be thankful that I am still alive to see tomorrow. I often think of my friends and others who may have worries about the future and look on the new year with trepidation. I also think about friends that I have lost over the last 12 months and how they affected my life while they were alive. I guess in that respect I do find significance in New Years Eve. A time for thought and rememberance to ponder over the past and dream of the future.

So I'll put in my 11.5 hours today and go home to spend a quiet (relatively, it's never totally quiet with my brothers around) evening watching tv, playing games and snacking on Ruffles.

For those of you who are out having fun tonight, take care and make it home safely. I wish everyone a Happy New Years and may the next one see your hopes and wishes come to pass. :)

almost dinner

2008-12-30T15:23:00.003-07:00

Well another day at work and it's getting close to suppertime. I can certainly tell each day when it's that time. There are two times of day that I really look forward to. Meals and bed time. Unfortunately sometimes I look forward to meals a bit too much and hence weigh a bit more than I should. It's a good thing I can head to the gym regularly and burn off some of the calories that I put on at this time of year.

I actually look forward to the new year at the end of each previous one. One of the main reasons is that I always get a raise at the beginning of the year. Anytime they are willing to give me more money I am not going to argue. The other thing is that I can start planning and looking forward to my holidays. One of my little pleasures each year is looking at my work schedule and figuring out when it is best to take time off. This involves a little guesswork though and I usually tend to try and predict the weather 5 months ahead of time and generally fail at that.

I work for an airline, which in todays world is probably not something most people would consider as secure employment. The company itself is great and I really can't find anything wrong with it. I mean how can you beat a job where you are only at work about 160 days out of 365, get a long weekend every weekend and can fly across the country at seriously discounted rates? With the economy the way it is though I never know what it going to happen. It could all change tomorrow. Until they say something I'll just have to keep working. Of course retirement would probably be better but I suspect I would get pretty bored with sitting on the porch shooing the kids off my lawn.

First post

2008-12-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

Now that I've created this thing I guess I have to put something in here to fill it up. With my limited creativity that could be a bit of a chore but I'll try.

So I'm sitting here at work now that Christmas has come and gone for another year. Not quite New Years yet so it's that inbetween time when you want to be off work because you are recovering from one holiday and not quite ready for the next one. Since I am working on the 31st I'm not sure I'm going to want to be doing much partying that evening, actually I'm not even sure I'll make it until midnight. The last couple of years have been a bit of a chore trying to stay awake that long. I'm sure I'll feel better after a couple of drinks and a few snacks.