A New Year

Well here we are in a New Year, New Decade and possibly New Adventures.

There's a couple of things I would like to see cleared up this decade.

No it's not the obvious, of course not I'm the one writing this blog.

Leading up to and including the Christmas Season, which is the traditional time of giving and generosity, I almost went mental with demands from Charities that bombarded the TV Airways.

We should give to Charities, but really can't they possibly give a slightly more positive spin on what they do. They should be able to show the work they are doing and how it is positively effecting the lives of the children, families and animals they claim to help. Instead they bombard us with sad faced children, sad faced animals, dirty, fly encrusted visions of the creatures they want us to help. In background Sarah or Somebody else moans a sad song. (by the way even when Sarah sings a happy song it sounds a bit sad, thank God it isn't Jan singing we'd all write cheques and then slit our wrists)

Here's a weird and wild concept, why don't you Bureaucratic Driven Charities show some of the positive work you have done! Show us how our donations have help put smiles on these kids faces, clothes on their backs, water in their cups, and food in their bellies. Show us how the SPCA has helped heal some of the abuse a dog has endured. How these animals have been adopted out and become happy family members.

I have been surrounded this holiday by 3 rescued dogs, that now live happy well fed lives. They get all the water they need and get to go out and free range poop all over my driveway. That's what these guys have to show!

Sorry readers but I really have had it with these charities! My Mother was a victim of their advertising technique. Twice a month she was bombarded by the SPCA, WWF, WIF, Blind Baseball Players with Lukemia Association, The Lame Lawyers of BC, The Almost Deaf Fire Fighters Society, American Society to Save the Fucking Red Woods, The Canadian Society to Save Maple Trees and the Really Conservative Party of Canada.

Show us what you can do, what you have done and then maybe we will feel good about sending you a yearly donation. Make us believe that we are not feeding your bureaucratic machine.

Wells & Christmas & Ugly Things

Here's a picture of Travis lifting up the Well Drilling Rig on our driveway. I bet him a toonie he couldn't do it and now I'm out 2 bucks.


He can use it for their much delayed honeymoon and Christmas shopping.

It's been a longer year than usual because it really started back in October of 2008 when Dad died. Then we had Janna's broken foot, Janna and Travis's Wedding, my heart surgery, Brie heading off to Geneva, then my Mom moved into a home, then my Mom died, having to sell her house and having more heart problems. I'll be glad when this year is over. I think the low lights out weighed the highlights if not equaling them. It can only get better from here.

Sometimes when you review things you forget to include some bright little things because the ugly things seem so big. I wrote that last paragraph and thought, Wait a minute you forgot about all the visits we had over the year what a goof. My cousins came to visit, Allan & Deb, Phylis & Dave, Maureen, and the boys came Marc & Cory, then there was Norm & Helen, Sister Linda, Brother Jim and our friends Carole & Terry. I didn't include all the visits from J&T or Brie and I probably missed a few more visitors like Lynn and Dale. But hey I'm only human or at least a good portion of me still is. All in all I guess it was a difficult year but we have been surround by a supportive family and friends. I hate this time of the year I get even more mushy than usual. Sniff Sniff and then honk.

Finally, thanks to my parents we are Drilling a Well. This will give us some independence from the Strata. Right now they at the 240' mark and hopefully they will hit water soon. Either they hit water or I have very expensive 300' by 8 inch hole on the edge of our driveway. I guess I'll know later today.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

40 Words for Sorrow

I can't help myself, Tom Waits would comment and I must comment.

I have been reading a Canadian Author, and amazingly have read over 295 pages of point 8 type in little more than 2 days. That in itself is impressive, just ask my family. The book is call Forty words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt, pick it up it's worth the read.


The book of course has nothing to do with my rant other than the villains are monsters. In this rant the villains are the moronic media and the state of media particularly in the USA are monsters (we're not much better).

I am of course talking about Tiger Woods and the brutal disgusting, continual attacks on him and his family. I am not saying what he did was right. In my opinion Mr. Woods has been managed , controlled and been a Puppet for the Tiger machine since he was 4 years old. After every win at a tournament he has been told what to say, not what to say, when to smile, when to laugh, pump his arm in the air and look concerned.

Disaster always starts with one mistake. The minute he tried to escape the control in his life, the minute he rebelled, He knew his life was screwed and nothing would change that fact. It really didn't matter whether he got drunk, smoked a joint or cheated at mini golf, his life path was altered. That's when that dragon I mentioned before showed up. It doesn't matter who you are. It will wrap its' tail around you and say something like, "Hey, listen you already screwed up doing that thing you did and you're toast if any one finds out right? One more won't hurt, HEY damned if you and damned if you don't, know what I mean?"

In the book I'm reading Blunt mentions that the Inuit have 40 words for snow. He thinks we need 40 words for sorrow. Forty words for sorrow wouldn't help Tiger Woods because even if he had them and used them, the media would cheapen the words. I don't care how much he has made or is worth, I don't care who the central character of this story is!

The coverage of this 'situation' is a scandal. Shame on you, there are way more important stories to cover.

My Favourite Kid's Story

I am a big Tom Waits fan. He's not only a great song writer, he's a great story teller. This story is from his CD Orphans. He has new CD out called Glitter and Doom Live. It is live performances from around the world. Included is an extra disc of Tom Tales which is hilarious. Check out his website.

The images on this video were the only things I had on hand, they are of me, Molly and Brando during last summer's heat wave. We had heard that to cool the dogs we had to get a bucket of cool water and a towel. You then soak the towel and rub their tummies with the water. I knew what was going on in the video and it seemed funny. However my brother-inlaw stopped by yesterday for a visit and pointed out that it looked a little crude. I didn't realize how rude this looks on tape until I saw it through someone's eyes. It's still funny though.

I think I'll get busy and redo the little video to match the words.

There's your story, Night Night go to Sleep.

Abbreviations

I woke up this morning at 5am, pondering abbreviations. Why would any sane person ponder abbreviations at 5am? That is really the question and the answer is that perhaps my sanity should be questioned.

It all started yesterday afternoon after reading some information on Ejection Fractions and heart issues. There was a 3 letter combination that stuck out and helped wake me up at 5am.

I guess I'm sick of all these short cut combinations. Combinations like; 24/7, LOL, (even worse) 24/7/365, BPV(remember that one), CRIS, the list goes on and on everytime you turn around there is a new letter combination. BFF, WTF, when will it stop and why should it disrupt my sleep?

The one that got me yesterday was SCD, initially I thought why did they bother? I thought about it for a bit and decided SCD did work. SCD does sound better than Sudden Cardiac Death and maybe I should just let it slide. So this morning when I woke up thinking about SCD, I decided that SCD was the best three letter combination of 2009. So I guess that makes it B3LC09, doesn't exactly roll of the tongue but it will do. I just don't want to loose anymore sleep over letter combinations or stuff I don't have control over. Good Night!

Together Again

It is a strange experience when you loose a parent. It is a stranger experience when you loose two within a year. There is a certain sense of loss of control. You know that it is going to happen, and you have come to grip with the concept for a number of years but it is a strange letting go built part on sadness and at the same time relief.






Dad died October 1st, 2008 after his battle with cancer. He had no pain, this was a blessing. Mom died September 25, 2009 after her battle with loosing my Father. I am not going to go into details of the last year, but let me just say it was a long year for the whole family.

I have come to the conclusion that when we find ourselves (and I know we all will) in the final days of our lives time should be better spent. Time should be better spent mending bridges, expressing the love a family has for all its' parts and bringing peace to the person passing. Our family did its' best to achieve this goal.

In the end my Mother joined my Father as Brie said for 'Grilled Cheese Sandwiches'. Both my parents were cremated and I picked up Mom on Thursday October 1st. They both had their 'Grilled Cheese Sandwiches' in the laundry room of the house they shared for so many years.

I will be bringing them to Vancouver Island after I build a proper home for them both and Dad's climbing Rose Bush. Next summer we will have a family get together and speak of all the good times we had as a family and the journey they have taken together.

Where do they come up with this Stuff?

Just a programming note. I had the misfortune to be grinding through the channels last night looking for something half decent to watch after dinner. Other than the amusing SHAQ Vs series I was perplexed by the new crop of reality crap.

Have you seen Pregnant & 16 yet. I really can't believe that they have sponsors for this shite. If they think they are doing anyone a service by showing this, they must have lost their collective minds. It does not help 16 year olds cope with pregnancy, it does not educate, it does not inform. It shows a spoiled 16 year old cheerleader teenager and her posh life and the 'struggle' she goes through having a baby. Now I admit I only watched one episode which condensed 9 months of pregnancy, giving birth, fighting with her mother, buying a new car with grandpa into a half an hour. Hopefully that was the end of series and it will never be shown again.

What happened to content? This is not Reality TV, this isn't even TV. Somebody out there must be able to write a series, a drama, a sitcom that actually says something. Maybe after watching the complete 5 seasons of HBO's 'The Wire' I have become spoiled. We need to want more from TV.

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