i am getting a dog

The neighbour is a dog trainer for the CNIB. He also knows that I am looking to get a dog.

Well, he asked me the other day if I was still looking. Yes, of course. So, he offered me a deal.

The CNIB is bringing in dogs from Australia for the Guide Dog Program. He asked if we wanted to host a stud dog. Basically, we house and raise the dog, with his assistance training dog, and the dog is used for studding future guide dogs. The CNIB basically supports the dog's material needs and we provide it a home, family, and hopefully a charmed dog's life.

When his studding days are over, about eight years, we can choose to part ways. Highly unlikely. Unless the dog is a total nutcase, we will want him to be part of our family for all time.

I do not know the timeline yet for everything and all the minutia, but I trust my neighbour to not steer me wrong.

So, a pretty sweet deal for us. We get an excellent dog, due to the existing selection and breeding process, the CNIB covers his room and board, and we get a new member to the family who will be a companion on many adventures and journeys.

Plus, a bonus for the dog, he gets to hook up regularly. blbbl

the new phone book's here, the new phone book's here

Not really, but like Steve Martin as "The Jerk", I am very excited.

After all the mayhem I have been going through in the past couple of weeks, I have now gotten my crest for the Rideau Trail Canada 150 Challenge.

pretty sharp crest, it tells it all

Not only did I complete the challenge, I was the first non-member to do so. That thrills me to no end.

Also, this week, I completed 100 hikes on the Cedar Grove Trail which is part of the Rideau Trail system. A century!

Also, this week, I surpassed 500 km on the Rideau Trail. This has all been done since the first of March this year. I am pretty happy with myself. Especially with everything trying to keep me off the trail this week. I, in fact, did not hike today at all due to my truck's woes.

This soothes the sting somewhat. Now, if I can only get back on the trail and get my truck running before we leave for the Jamboree next Wednesday. blbbl

i am this excited (courtesy basementrejects.com)

my wings have been clipped

My truck is in the shop for at least two days again. They tell me they will have everything right as rain tomorrow. We will see, we will see.

In the meantime, I am beached in town. Hiking around town is less exciting than in the bush. At least around here. There are some older nicer bits of farmhouse architecture here and there, but not a lot. It is not like wandering the old town of Rīga or Kraków.

Plus, I cannot get any additional items for our trip to the Jamboree or even for the Canada Day weekend. It is times like this that I appreciate when I lived in urban centres and could walk, or even ride a bike, to get everything I needed. And there were times when that was my life. No motorised wheels, or at least restricted use from sharing, to get around.

But, if I had to live in an urban area, it would have to be something with old beautiful architecture. But then, I would most likely be quite far away from some beautiful natural places to hike. Mind you, old architecture is a treat for my eyes. I do remember when I was in Kraków, there were some really lovely natural places to hike within a close distance to the old town and not far by public transit either. Warszawa's old town, even though it was rebuilt sometime after the war, is quite beautiful too and there is a really cool pub under a bridge not far from some natural spaces if I remember correctly.

Anyways, it sucks to be beached when you need to get around to run errands and the like. I did remove more sod in my garden plot though. One horrible patch left,  that I know has a lot of rocks near the surface, which makes it a pain in the ass to do. Then I still need to till it all by hand and then plant. I did get a bag of Burbank Russet seed potatoes to plant. They are the boy's and my favourite. We especially love genuine Burbank Russets from Idaho.

Leaving out the plans to plant an edible garden and fruit and nut trees in most of the back, the garden will be easier next year, as I do not plan to expand beyond this new-sized space for some time. Plus, I do have my eye on a roto-tiller on kijunkjunk (my name for kijiji) for $49. It is probably in sad shape though. I have a couple of friends who know about these things better than me and it is only about 20 minutes away, so maybe I can get one of them to come check it out with me before we head off to the Jamboree. If I ever have reliable wheels again. We will see, we will see. blbbl

eight days to the canada jamboree

Holy crap! So busy with they water problems, getting my truck and the wife's car sorted and running, not to mention all these storms, and getting ready for the Canada Jamboree (CJ), I almost forgot to post.

I am pretty frazzled right now. I do not really have a subject and the day is almost done. Well, as with everything I mentioned going on and Canada Day coming up, I have no idea how everything is going to get sorted by next Wednesday. Plus, I am losing the truck again to the shop tomorrow.Then, the wife is taking it to work to reduce the wear and tear on her car. Yes, that is how close she is to trashing it before it gets fixed.

I am going bananas right now. The boy has not even started packing his gear. First thing tomorrow when he gets home he will need to start. He is done classes for the summer too, so no excuses not to get it done. 

Well, priority is obviously having working vehicles, then being packed and ready to go to CJ for next Wednesday. I started out with everything neat, organised, and orderly. Now I have two boxes of crap piled on top of the orderly. Well, I will sort it tomorrow I guess. Not too worried really. If we forget anything, we are travelling and camping for three days before the jamboree, so we should be able to pick up any forgotten items. It will be much harder once at the Camp.

i still need to figure out if we can make the time to visit Grohmann Knives. The boy and I are interested in getting a couple of D. H. Russell belt knives. I will try to call them tomorrow. I have never had one of these knives, but have handled them and like them. Time to add one to the collection. Besides, my two good belt knives are in my two main go-bags. Time for a new regular use belt knife.

Holy crap! 11:59 pm. See you tomorrow. blbbl

a moment's grace from the universe

Regardless of what I said yesterday, about not hiking when there is thunder, I thought I had a window to hike after missing out on hitting the trail for several days, so I went out.

Well, within about a klik, the thunder started up, but I decided I was committed to completing the hike. I brought my Mountain Warehouse jacket and I decided to forgo the insect repellent. Deer flies be damned. It was really a decision to be sweaty from the jacket or be sweaty from the jacket and be covered with insect repellent, knowing I could not shower afterwards.

The dear flies were totally insane. But with the jacket, I did not get bitten. So, a fair trade off. I did swing my hiking staff around to "shoo" them away for most of the hike though. At least my upper body got a workout.

By the time I hit the hikers' shelter I thought I was not going to get out without a soaking. The clouds rolled in and were very ominous; the thunder was near constant. To the point that I was concerned about lightening and hugged the scrub and trees hoping to not be the highest point when the fireworks started and being a ground point for nature's wrath.

i know it does not look like much, but the storm waiting to break just after the shelter

As I approached the final run back to the truck it was getting dicey. It was spitting and I was expecting a complete and utter deluge. It did not come. At least while I was on the trail. Then I looked at my tracking app and wanted to get a bit more distance logged to try to make up the failing to hike or walk for the two days previous. 

The sky still would not open up and hammer the stuffing out of me. I made up a little bit of distance and then drove off. As I was heading back to town, I could see the torrent approaching. It came across the farm fields just like when I was on that lake with my cousin, so many years ago. Let me tell you, as powerful as it was yesterday, it does not compare to how a storm sweeps across a body of water.

As I, and several travellers, were approaching town, it was obvious to all we were doomed. How doomed was up to us.The bonehead in the lead apparently got a little scared. They slowed down. No! You do not slow down. You maintain. It was not bad yet. Slowing down only means you are putting yourself in the middle of it sooner. This joker kept us all from making it in to town just ahead of the festivities.

A couple of kliks out of town, it hit. The heavy rain swept across us. No biggie. Then the program really started. Hail. Not the teeny-weeny stuff you usually get. And, this stuff just kept getting bigger and bigger. You know those jumbo grapes you can get in the grocery store? The hail was bigger than that. Some pieces were the size of small sandwiches. I am lucky my truck was not dented in the end. Vehicles were peeling off looking for shelter when we hit town.

I even tried it. To no avail. So, I boogied on home and slogged through the ice to find a somewhat worried the wife. She texted me on my way home. Sorry, did not hear the phone ding from all the icebergs trying to kill me.

It was wild. It lasted only about ten-fifteen minutes. Then boom, it was over. As we had no water, and the wife was not feeling well (she probably picked up the temporary plague the boy had), she scooped up a bunch of hail ice off the deck in to a bowl for cold compresses. She is a smart cookie she is.

deck ice for the wife

Then it rained heavily. Then it stopped. Then it rained again. It was a series of storms that went through the area. The likes of which I had not seen for more than a decade when we first moved here. Cool, foreboding, spooky, and neat. I am very lucky, thank-you Universe for the small respite on the trail. And it is supposed to be like this all week. Joy. blbbl

me vs the universe

Things are just going along swimmingly now. Yay!

Absolutely no pressure in the plumbing now. So, no water at all. Yay!

Using jugs of water for cooking and drinking. Yay!

Using pool water to flush the toilet. Yay!

The boy is sick. Yay!

 And puking. Double yay!

Had to cancel his volunteering at Ray's Reptiles today. Not so yay!

The boy is supposed to go to Calypso Waterpark tomorrow with his class, but it is not looking good. Not so yay!

Thunderstorms and lightning. Yay!

I generally do not deliberately hike in thunderstorms. Not so yay!

I still need to sort out what is wrong with my truck. The boy and I leave for the Jamboree in ten days. Yay!

I have my biennial physical on Tuesday. I will probably be told I have a tumour the size of a grapefruit in my skull. Yay! blbbl

water, water everywhere....yay!

If Samuel Taylor Coleridge were alive today his epic poem would be entitled:

The Rime of the Unfortunate Polak

As this is what I am. Yay!

Both water heaters have been replaced within months of each other. The jet pump seized and was repaired. Now there is a leak I cannot find in my water softener system. You would think that was enough, but noooo. My jet pump will now not build pressure past 40 p.s.i and was running for several hours. It is so hot that when I opened it to check if it was primed, the water was boiling when it came out. Now, of course, there is a tiny leak at the priming valve. Yay!

I have shut the pump off in hopes it will cool before it explodes and set my house on fire. Yay!

Oh yeah, put my truck through servicing and an oil change. I ended up replacing my shocks, brakes, spark plugs, and tailgate lock. I now need multiple keys to get in and out of the various parts of the truck and to start it up. Then less than sixty kliks out of the shop, I get fault messages and my engine shut down. On a bridge. Yay!

I did get it going again, but it obviously needs to go back to the shop and the keys and locks need to be sorted. But because of all that, no hike yesterday. Yay!

Also, the wife has found out her front struts are completely shot on her nearly fifteen year old Pontiac Vibe. To the point where her very good and trustworthy mechanic has told her she needs to make a decision tout suite as to whether she wants them replaced in order to keep driving it or to dump the car. Yay!

And because of my newly minted water woes, no hike today. Yay!

Let me tell you, this "buttercup" is having trouble "sucking it up" today. Not so, yay!

I thought I had an understanding with the universe, but I guess someone in Human Resources wants to review my contract. Yay!

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to make sure the roof is still on the house. Yay! blbbl

proof of canadianness

Where and when I grew up (it can be argued I never grew up though), Southern Ontario in the 1970s and 1980s, it was a tradition to always have some so-called Canadian Tire Money in your wallet at all times. The joke was that it would prove one's Canadianness.

my 10¢ note, it is starting to get worn

I am sure other parts of Canada do the same thing, but this is where I learnt it. I still to this day have Canadian Tire Money in my wallet, a 10¢ note.

the back side

However, with Canadian Tire Corporation moving in to the online age, very poorly in many ways I might add, they are on the drive to eliminate their paper money. They have points cards, key fobs, and really crappy apps with virtual cards.

Also, my paper money is getting worn just sitting in my wallet. I suspect the same with the wife's CTC note and the boy's 5¢ bill as well. I started to think on how the boy, and others, could carry on this tradition.

Well, I had a small eureka moment several weeks back. I searched online and cadged a bunch of CTC Money images off the interweb. Then I picked the ones I wanted to use and spent an inordinate amount of time resizing and shaping the images to print on some stiff cardstock I had laying about. I printed a total of four "cards" and laminated them.

the front face of the "perma-money" i created

It was a huge pain in the ass to do. For some reason I wanted to use a three cent note, but I could not find a matching front and back. In the end the two sides are from two different 3¢ series. At least it makes it quite original and nearly unique as there are only four made. I keep one in the "ID" picture slot of my wallet to present to prove my Canadianness.

the back end, from a much older note

I think why I wanted to use the 3¢ was to be funny. You see when I chime in on most things, I cannot just "put my 2¢ in" as it were. I have to always do more. So, 3¢. At some point when I will be arguing with someone, I know I will throw the card in and imply I trump them. I am so witty.

Anyway, I thought about how when friends and relatives would come and visit from overseas and if they ended up in Canadian Tire for any reason would be amused by the notes. I have known people coming from abroad who make it a mission to get to a "Crappy Tire", as it is affectionately and not so affectionately at times known, and get some Canadian Tire Money.

From that, I thought that since we will be at the Canadian National Scout Jamboree and will be camping with Guides from Scotland and will surely meet others from abroad, that it may a fun idea to present them with honourary Canadianness cards.

I was not going to go through the travesty I did previously though. I had an image from a 4¢ note, both front and back and proportioned equally to each other. I dug out my business card template and inserted the images and then threw the sheets in the printer and printed them up. Forty of them, cards not sheets.

a full sheet showing front and back

i would flip it to print on the other side to complete the cards

I was pretty chuffed with myself. It did not take me all that long to print, separate, and laminate them. This one is pretty cool for foreign visitors too. It has the old tire mascot on the front, a map of Canada on the back, and is still in a weird denomination. However, as I was typing right now, I realised it may suck for some Asian cultures due to the word for the number four sounding similar to the word for death. Well, maybe the next run will be another denomination. blbbl

close-up of my latest creation before laminating

of course, the other side

another great restaurant in richmond, ontario - my thai village

Tonight we wanted to try a different place from the Mexico Casita Cafe for dinner after the boy's archery. So, Denis suggested My Thai Village right across from the archery training.

It was just after 7:00 PM and they close at 8:00 PM on Thursdays. The wife and I have not done Thai in years. Around here, most of the Thai places are in the heart of Ottawa. So, it was nice to go to one nearby.

it may be in a strip mall, but great things await the bold inside

As it was during the week and near closing time, it was not too busy. That was good for us. We had a big table. The waiter was very good. He was attentive and answered our naive questions. He was even kind when I said I wanted to say the dish I wanted as opposed to just saying the number of the dish. To quote, "Not bad, pretty close." Well, I try. For me it is more fun to try and be off then to not.

Our order:

appetisers: Thai spring rolls (A5), shrimp roll sod (A4), chicken wings (A9) - the boys really wanted those, and tom yum soup (S2) with chicken, spicy for me, it had a kick.

mains: Denis - I cannot recall - something with pork, sorry; his the boy - gaeng kua supparod with chicken (G4) - a red curry dish, the boy - gaeng panang with beef (G3) - another red curry dish, the wife - swimming rama - a stir fry with beef, spicy (P9), me - pad med-ma-muang with pork, spicy (P2) - another stir fry - as recommended by the waiter. All the dishes were ordered with varying sides of plain rice or noodles.

drinks: the boys had sodas, Denis had lemon grass tea (a huge pot, which he finished), the wife had water, I had a Singha beer then a Thai tea, it was smoky and awesome, like a lapsang souchong, but way, way better.

i have to get me some of this tea

We all loved our meals. The wife, the boy, and I shared a bit and they were all awesome. These dishes are eminently capable as a meal for one or for sharing. Next time we will go with the more family style of eating and share, along with sides of rice noodles and rice.

Back to the chicken wings for a moment. They were simple and terrific. They had a tempura type coating and a simple dipping sauce. Quick note on the other apps: really terrific as well. The shrimp rolls had a fresh, terrific peanut dipping sauce with a hint of coconut.

Anyway, we really enjoyed everything. It was all very fresh and tasty and filling. I will definitely go back. Especially as we did not leave until about thirty minutes after closing and did not give us the bum's rush to get out. They were really fantastic. They did not hurry us along and they made sure we were having a great dinner, very attentive but not annoying. This is becoming a lost art with restaurants.

I like a place with great service, where I can take my time to enjoy the meal and the company. Check it out. blbbl

very well appointed inside

(taken after the restaurant was closed)

really bad jokes

Some bad jokes have been rattling around upstairs for a while, so I thought I would pass them on. Nothing really new, and none of them are really mine, I just like them.

If you do not like them or are offended, suck it up. They are just jokes.

---

Why do to the French line their roads with trees?

The Germans like to march in the shade.

---

Definition of heaven and hell:

Heaven: French cuisine, British policing, and German engineering.

Hell: French engineering, British cuisine, and German policing.

---

Have you heard of the new Italian tank?

It has 3 forward gears....and 6 reverse.

---

How do you get a one armed Polak out of a tree?

Wave to them.

---

So, a rope goes in to a bar and the bartender says: "We don't serve your kind in here. Get out!"

The rope leaves, then comes back when it's busier and the bartender says: "Hey, I told you, we don't serve your kind in here. Get out!"

After a few more attempts and failures, the rope is standing out in the street and then suddenly throws himself down and rolls around and tatters himself and twists himself up in to a loop.

He goes back in and the bartender looks at him and asks: "Hey, aren't you the rope I already kicked out a bunch of times?"

The rope looks at him and says: " Nope. Frayed knot."

---

Three couples, British, American, and Irish, are sitting together at a cafė and are chatting and such while having tea.

The British gentleman says to his wife: "Pass the honey, Honey." As an expression of his love for his wife.

The American fellow says: "Pass the sugar, Sugar." For much the same reason.

The Irishman, not so lovey-dovey with his wife, looks at her and says: "Pass the tea, Bag."

---

Guy walks in to a public house in the early afternoon and sits at the bar and begins to drink beer after beer after beer. 

He never decamps from the rail, and when the tavern closes, he settles up and leaves.

When he gets outside, he unzips and someone looking quite distraught says to him: "Hey, you can't pee here!"

The guy looks and him and then points off in to the distance and says: "I'm not going to pee here. I'm going to pee waaay over there."

---

Have you heard of the new French military magazine?

It's called: White Flag - Soldier of Surrender.

---

How do you confuse a Newfie?

Put him in a round room and tell him to pee in the corner.

---

There's a guy at the side of the road beside a vehicle that has obviously broken down when a truck filled with a bunch of guys in an "altered" state pull up and one of them asks: "What's the trouble brother?"

He replies: "Piston broke."

The guy from the truck answers back: "Us too, get in."

---

Do you know what a French bath is?

No?

That's okay, neither do the French.

(I may have made this one up. Not sure though.)

---

A visual blonde joke, with some extras, watch timeframe 7:03-8:12. (Unfortunately, I could not find the specific clip and I do not know how to edit a video as yet.)

---

Now, for my all-time favourite joke:

Why don't they have ice cubes in Poland?

They lost the recipe.

---

blbbl

domino effect

Holy jumpin'!

No hike. (I might be able to make up the distance when I take the boy to his sword training.)

Almost no post.

Second water heater crapped out.

We actually have two. One that operates under normal water heater principles. The other feeds in to the first one. It draws excess, waste heat from our geothermal heat-pump and preheats the water before entering the main heater. When usage is high, it saves quite a bit of electricity.

Well, it was that one that went. I was converting a pot that lost its handles in to a camping pot with a bail handle and looking for vise-grip pliers when I discovered the problem.

Well, I called H. O. Wright like last time. They were here just last week when the jet pump seized up as well. I should have known this was going to happen. It is the same age as the other water heater that crapped out.

These guys showed up pretty quick too. They have already changed it out and are gone.

I have also been cloning my blog over to wordpress. Wordpress does not appear to be any less of a pain in the ass to use than Google's Blogger. Well, the app is supposed to be way better. If I get caught up before the Jamboree, I will take it for a test run. But, I have only copied 25 out of 165 posts (including this one).

It just seems one failure or delay is a harbinger for another. I still have not caught up to the garden. The pool is doing weird things. I know, I know. Boo hoo. Everyone has problems, issues, stuff going wrong.

My point is, that every time I try to make progress and move forward, I get knocked in the pills. I am started to walk bow-legged, let me tell you. Anyways, as my sister-in-law Claire would say, and I have quoted her previously: Suck it up buttercup! Me being the buttercup in this case.

She is right. I will get a cup and press on. blbbl

i have to be different

Well, not so much different. I more often do not want to be in the mainstream.

As far back as I can remember, it was always subtle little things I did to differentiate myself from others.

Everyone would get Coke or Pepsi at a movie or a fast food joint and I would get Sprite or 7up or more often Ginger Ale. Other way around, Dr. Pepper or iced tea.

Most everyone wears their watch on their left wrist. Me? On the right since I was a wee lad when I saw a British soldier in a movie wearing it on their right wrist.

My belt loops around me from the left through to the right side. I rarely see anyone wear their belt like that.

I wear my phone on the left hip. Yeah, I know, most people keep their phone in a pocket now. So, I am doubly different. In a pouch on the left hip. I also keep my Leatherman, and flashlight on the the left. Most people keep such doodads on their right side. The exception often is left handed people, but I myself am not normally left-handed.

My footwear lacing is opposite to most others too. That was actually a conscious and deliberate action. It has reached a point that it drives me nuts when I get new footwear and it is laced status quo. One of the first things I do, other than putting my new footwear through my care regimen, is re-lacing them.

Fries? I had to prove a point with my brother and ate an order of fries (large, when large was large) with mustard. If I can get barbecue sauce or steak sauce at a fry stand, I now will take that with my fries.

Of course I had the ubiquitous leather biker's jacket as a young man. But no, not in black. I was in Boston and walked in to Oona's at Harvard Square. That is where I found it, a brown motorcycle jacket. It was not "natural" brown, or acid washed, or new. It was made around the time I was born when leather was leather and it was made by Lesco Leathers and dyed a rich brown. I had to get it, and I did. I still have it.

rebel without a clue

My denim jacket? A khaki-tan, not blue, not black. However, I am not crazy. It is not corduroy. That is just weird. blbbl

father's day - ribs - perfect

So, finished with the Scout Camp. Very, very hot weekend. Still is.

Today is also Father's Day.

The wife wanted to take us all out for the special day.

The boy suggested the Kemptville Ribfest.

Pig on a bone (and chicken too) all covered in sauce, coleslaw.

Did I mention it is Father's Day? Having charred pig, covered in sauce?

Mmmm.

'Nuff said? 

See ya tomorrow. blbbl

on the road - ferguson forest kemptville

This weekend is the 80th Anniversary Camp for the North Grenville Scout Group.

We arrived last night and had a pretty casual evening. The various Wolf Cub Scouts, Scouts, and Venture Scouts did their own thing and this morning they went canoeing.

Then more Cubs and Scouts arrived today along with Beaver Scouts. There were also various Girl Guides as well.

In the afternoon, there was more canoeing. There were also other sessions: map & compass and hiking. I led two hiking sessions. Great fun. We saw a doe on the first one. She stayed put for a few minutes so everyone got to see her. One interesting item is that she had an unusually long tail. I got a picture too. If it is any good, I will drop it in tomorrow from home.

I was also entertaining in that when we cleared the wooded portion of the trail, my back was covered by hundreds of mosquitoes. Both times. Of course, I forgot to get a picture of it. Luckily, my two shirt system kept them from biting my back to shreds.

After those sessions, there was a round robin of  bottle rockets, a rope bridge, solar cooker building, and a whole slew of crafts.

We even had an awesome barbecue supper and ice cream for dessert.

We closed the evening with a campfire. Lots of songs and skits. The wife would have loved it if she could have come. The Guides sung a bunch of songs she knows from her days at camp.

We then said thanks and good night to the Guides and Beavers who were not staying overnight tonight and some of the Cubs.

What Cubs, Scouts, Venturers, and Scouters that have remained have all tucked themselves in. We have an early start with a few things to do and our teardown.

I should do the same. I have to get at least 4k on the trail before breakfast. Nighty-night. blbbl

gnomes on the offensive

Suffice to say, this will be a short post as I have been locked in combat with the gnomes all day. 

The boy and I are going to our Scout Group's 80th Anniversary Camp today for the weekend.

I have been trying to get everything organised and in to the truck.

I would say somewhere between a quarter and and third of the gear has had to be searched for repeatedly. Sometimes as a much as four times.

I would search where something is supposed to be and it is not there. I would search other places just in case, to no avail. Then I would re-examine where it should be and lo-and-behold, there it is in plain sight.

I literally just found my spare sleeping bag about two minutes ago. However, they are getting crafty. It was in a day-pack that I had emptied out two weeks ago.

So, now everything has been found. I even found a spare compass I gave up for lost about six months ago.

Outstanding items remain though. A pair of khaki cargo pants, a leather pouch, and one pair of wool socks. (That I know of.) I know they are toying with me as everyone in the house has seen those socks in plain view, folded up after a wash, and now: poof!

Anyway, time to go. Camping in thunderstorms. Awesome. At least the gnomes have never hidden in my tent. Yet. blbbl

the worst radio music dj ever

I will come right out and say it: Robin Harper of Chez 106.1 in Ottawa drives my up the wall.

I am not a fan of his voice. I am not a fan of his style. How he has lasted on Chez for so long, I have no idea.

He also is on smack middle of the day.

I generally avoid his show, but some days, you just cannot get good radio. You know, you are listening to a station and there are a few songs you like, then one of several things happen. Crazy long commercial breaks; too much yarking away with not so very good banter; a run of songs that just do not appeal.

I find when that happens and you start flipping through the dial, all the stations are in the same crappy mode. So, you keep flipping through the dial and then eventually you are distracted and find you are listening to something inane. That is usually how I end up listening to Robin Harper on Chez.

This is what happened today. Twice.

I had to run down to Brockville for an errand. I was going to hop over the border to Ogdensburg, New York to get some insect repellent that is near-on impossible to get in Canada, but I discovered my passport expired nine days ago. So, I ended up doing a loop down to Brockville, Westport, and Smiths Falls.

What else do you do, but put on the tunes on the radio. Too much not-so-good radio today and I ended up drifting over to Chez. Harper was on going on and on as usual. He really does love the sound of his own voice. It must be a club of one.

So, one of his devices is to tempt listeners with a lead up to a piece of unusual or weird or shocking news. However, he does not tell it right away. He goes to a commercial break, then plays some music, then more commercials, and usually more music before he reveals this bit of "interesting" news. All with his inane circular going on and on in between all of it.

Well, the tidbit is usually pretty paltry. What is worse, is his delivery. Awful, awful, awful. He feigns shock or wonder in a very unconvincing way. The weird news is pretty non-plussing too. Then he often closes with a "zinger". Super lame. I mean,.really, really, really, super, over-the-top lame.

So, the first time, I kind of fell in to it from distraction and I was on the road with some time before one of my stops. Okay, fair enough. I moved past it. Then the second time on the leg to Westport, he dangles the bait. Then a five-plus minute commercial break, then some songs I was not fond of. Well, I went and did one of my two errands in Westport. I get back in the truck to do the second errand, commercials. I do the second errand, music, him yapping, and then the tidbit-wonderment-zinger. I am glad I ran my errands. It took thirty minutes from introducing the hook to trying to land the fish.

Well, this guppy is not biting, not anymore. I will no longer listen to this lame, ego-inflated clown. He has dicked me around for years and today, it finally clicked: he sucks, truly and honestly. There have been times in the past where I have been driving, I have been a professional driver in regards to work in several jobs, and listening to him and after forty-five minutes several times he has failed to get to the point. I am not going to sit in my truck and wait for the trivial bit of information he is dangling.

Well, I will no longer sniff the bait even when I am driving. I would rather drive in silence. I have a couple of throwaway music dvds that I should just put in the truck for crappy music days.

I mean, this guy either has dirt on someone with the radio station or is related to the station manager. There is no other explanation why he has been at the same radio station for as long as I can remember. This station has disposed of several excellent DJ personalities: Robert W. Knight and Jeff Brown, just to name a couple.

They do have some DJs that are good though. Cosmo in the afternoon reminds in some ways of both Knight and Brown, but he is his own man, as they say. He is probably the best personality they have right now.

I also like Eric the Intern, but honestly, he comes off as infantile at times. I am sure I do too, but wah, wah, wah. One of the best with Eric was one time on the Doc and Woody Show, where he is a supporting personality, and it was Talk Like a Pirate Day or some such. So, he was talking like a pirate and doing a really great job of it. Well it pissed off Doc, I believe, he appears to be the boss of the whole show. Well Doc was so pissed off, he kicked Eric out of the booth. The thing is, Eric stayed "in character" the whole time they argued. Even while he was talking back to Doc and leaving the booth, the entire time he was talking like a pirate. It was awesome. I think Randall Moore, one of the personalities on the show, pointed that out after Eric left the booth, but Doc was so pissed off, he was not listening to anyone. You know what I have to say about that? Wah, wah, wah. Or, as my sister-in-law Claire would say: "Suck it up buttercup!" Doc was a big baby and had no real reason to be mad at Eric. Well, normally he is alright on the show, but you can tell his ego needs stroking.

Anyway, my point is, if you want to throw something out there, then do it and get over with. I know that Robin Harper is using a tool to keep you listening to his show and to the station, but really man?! Unless you work in one location, like an office, most people do not have time for the bait and hook crap. Especially when you do not set the hook. It just does not work for people working out of vehicles dude.

In closing, not that I will never know as I will no longer listen to your lame antics, Robin Harper of Chez 106.1, crap or get off the pot. blbbl

belated return to mm books

I had not been to MM Books since some time in March. I had an extended stay in Hamilton, and much catching up to do upon my return. Then events just got away from me.

Well, I returned today. Merv, the proprietor, of course, was there. He was doing a brisk trade today. Several people coming and going and actually buying books. Not just perusing.

Unfortunately for me, I was not finding anything. No appealing outdoorsy books, no foraging books. Not even any Smollett. The only edition he had, I already acquired a copy of from him.

Then he brought over a smallish book to show me. An official biography of Lord Baden-Powell. I was delighted.

He remembered me after my long absence. I was delighted.

I, of course, procured the edition from him. My smallest purchase at MM Books. It will sit nicely with my reprints of his works: Scouting for Boys and the Wolf Cub's Handbook. As well as all my other Scouting books. It would have made an excellent companion to my Kit Carson autobiography. Alas, that book is probably lost forever. It is in the possession of my brother with no sight of its return to my hand. However, that is a story for another time, perhaps never.

I cannot wait to show it to my fellow Scouters and the Scouts of the Troop. blbbl

my latest monograph

oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

travel tip - clothing

I have a lot of t-shirts from Karate Training Camps, Scouting events, and the like. Or I should say: I used to have a lot of these t-shirts.

I also have many pairs of socks as I tend to buy in bulk. Again, I used to.

The same with a lot of my clothing.

The vast majority is, or was, cotton; with wool predominating in the sock arena. Until recently, very little of my clothing was synthetic. Something that is changing due to the vastly improved quality of synthetic clothing especially in active-wear. Leisure suits no longer overwhelm the demand for polyester.

no longer the norm in synthetic fabric clothing

thank all that is holy and good in this world

 (courtesy halloweencostumes.com)

Where was I? Oh yeah. So, most of my clothing, until recently had been made with natural fibres. They are often hard-wearing, like denim. They can still also be quite inexpensive. Hence their use for souvenir clothing from training events and various organised activities.

However, as they age, they stretch and fade and stain and just lose their fresh look. Most people throw out their clothing long before it reaches this state.

No me. I am a cheapskate. I get my money's worth. Right down to the last penny.

In fact, I get more than my money's worth. I take this clothing on trips or backwoods camping.

Why you ask? Simple. I dispose of it while out on my adventure.

I wear it, then I throw it out. While camping, as it is natural fibre, I burn it. My bags, or pack, are that much lighter to get back home. If I am on a trip, it makes room for all my frivolous purchases.

I was inspired by the wife's father. Many moons ago, while he was still with us, he travelled a lot as an engineer. Sometimes, they were short jaunts and he, like me, hated bringing home soiled clothing. He actually would buy disposable underwear so he did not have to bring it home to wash. It was made out of some hard-wearing paper. I never saw them or tried to acquire them. I am far too cheap for that.

Instead. When my clothing would wear past its prime, I would stack it up and save it for the next trip or backwoods venture. Sometimes, I would have to darn some socks or mend my undies, but for a few minutes time, it is worth it. Plus, I have enough thread to bequeath it to someone when I shuffle off my mortal coil. Sort of how I ended up with it all. My mum would buy spools and spools when it was on sale as she was an accomplished seamstress and tailor. In fact, she used to make leisure suits for my dad, brother, and me. Unfortunately, I have no photographic records. At least, none I will admit to.

So, I was sorting through the stacks as I was doing some pre-packing for the Canada Jamboree. I take a t-shirt, fold it, then place a pair each of underwear and socks on top, then I fold it again. I do this until all my days away are covered. I usually add a couple of extras, just in case I need to change twice in a day. Then, I organise trousers, sweats shirts and pants, and other sundry clothing items. And in the bag they go.

Of course, not everything can be disposed of. I have come really, really close a couple of times though. Jackets, footwear, hats, gloves, etc., often last much longer than everything else, so those items are more rare for disposal. However, I do have a pair of shoes that are done-in I am saving as a backup pair for a future trip.

Now, you must be wondering how I look. I must look like an awful inbred psych-ward inmate? Not usually, unless I try. I do also often bring nicer collared shirts to cover up the nasty t-shirts. I am a two-layer kind of guy when it comes to tops. My pants just look well broken in and comfortable.

I of course bring at least two good changes of clothing. Top to bottom, all layers, under, middle, and over. If I get delayed returning, I still have something to wear and Customs is less confused if there are a change or two of clothing in my bag. They also come in handy if you want to go to a nice place for dinner or need to look presentable for some reason; like a deportation hearing or extradition tribunal.

This method also works for clothing you may not be too fond of, but feel you cannot just dispose of. I have a shirt I am taking that has an odd fit. I will bring it and toss it. Plus, it has a burn hole in it that I did not notice when I got it at the Sally-Ann.

The unfortunate side effect of improved synthetics for me though, is when I go backwoods camping. I will not burn what is essentially recycled pop bottles. However, the trade off is that this clothing tends to pack smaller and lighter. Plus, it breathes better, so should be harder to "stink-up" while in the bush.

I am not too worried though. I almost exclusively wear wool or cotton socks and I still have several Karate and Scouting t-shirts that are now reaching their end of normal life and will pass in to the realm of one-way travel. blbbl

i stubbed my toe crossing dimensions

Either that, or I did it moving through a portal between universes.

You see, my toe did suddenly start hurting, as I f I did stub it badly.

No explanation. No reason. It just suddenly hurt.

I have also noticed a couple of oddities, nothing major, just small things not quite right.

Then the wife comes home and asks what is for dinner. I remind her dumplings in curry sauce. I get a bit of a blank stare, then the "oh yeah" look.

She then proceeds to ask me if I can make it like I did last time. Okay? How did I make it because it was a while ago and I cannot remember which incantation of flavouring and seasoning I used.

She then tells me it was a couple of weeks ago and I caramelised the onions first and then added ham and then sauced it up. It had a sweet profile. Okay then.

Really? Yes. A couple of weeks ago? Yes. Okay.

It is at this point I realise that I have crossed over from one realm in to another. Be it universes, dimensions, planet-based cloning. I am not sure.

I am apparently identical except for one thing that I know is different. I do not caramelise onions. At least not in the strict definition. I am a guerrilla gourmet in the kitchen. Recipes to me are suggestions. I rarely follow them with exactitude. Except maybe the very first time and maybe if I am a novice to that particular combination of ingredients or it is a new method of preparation. I also often mash recipes together to make a better one. My stew recipe uses no less than four suggestions to make it as sublime as it is.

Anyway, as I said, I do not caramelise. The first time I do, may be when I make French onion soup. I have never made it before and I have recently discovered I love it.

Also, we did not have any kind of dumplings a couple of weeks ago. A couple of months, sure. Also, I do not think I have ever heard the wife use the term "caramelise" in regards to anything.

So, back to this dumplings with caramelised onions and curried ham. I figured out what this dimension's the wife wanted and I do it. Please note, I have used ham in curry dishes before, believe it or not it is quite tasty, and I just did a fantastic ham roast on the weekend and there were leftovers.

I taste it a couple of times. To me, it fits her desired flavour profile. I ask her to try it. It is very good. Really? Thank-you. Is it what you were looking for? It is really quite good. Thanks again. Is it what you were looking for? No, but it really is delicious. Okay, thanks.

So, now I know I am in another version of my existence. The me here caramelises, the wife here likes caramelised onions (my the wife can take or leave onions regardless of method of preparation). The wife here also handles me better than my dimension's the wife. Not by much, but enough for me to notice. Almost identical, but not quite.

Besides, how else did I stub my toe without noticing? blbbl