Monday 29 April 2013

" I " Report

An update on the RCE ( eye stingers - BTW that wasn't even my term , a friend heard my story and said ' I get stingers, too ' ).
This AM early, before opening my eyes, I wetted down the eyelids and eyes were good. Later, closer to 7, I felt a little dot of pain. The ' minor ' stinger .
I've found records from previous years, notably 11 / 2011, where there are report of uncomfortable bouts of RCE , extending for 2 - 3 days.
As you can see, the large time gaps in events, mean that I often grow complacent re: RCE , and stop doing whatever it was I was doing ...... then bingo -bango, RCE is back.
I hope, that I've reported that , no matter how inconvenient, I may have stated my RCE.. .you ain't see nothing.
The internet is full of ' testamonials ' of blurred to haloed vision ( persisting for months ) deep gouge like erosions that permanently threaten the person's vision.
What is that Russian story about , how if you got a complaint, leave it and take someone elses trouble.... TOUCHE here.

Weather : is damp but 50 F, Again, the wet will not ease the flooding up north of us.

As the weather turns for the better, my thoughts more and  more are turning to fishing. Ah , patience , Grasshopper.... all things change w/ the seasons. No, it doesn't help.. just sounded , Buddhistic.

Sunday 28 April 2013

Records End .... Legacy is Epehemeral

My brother died at an early age, teacher / fisherman / curler / oenologist.
Such is life. Buddhistically, we say , this is ' dukha ' or suffering. All life is suffering. 

No, Buddhism is not sadistic. Fatalistic maybe.
Sort of   ' just the way it is  ' ,  kinda thing.

OMG, is this blog starting out negative and grim.

Let's lighten it up. Yesterday, my beloved BJ s went down to defeat at the hands of the rivals up the street , Loyola of Maryland.

Under Dave Petriemala, the BJ s were 12 - 0 against the Greyhounds. Effectively, the BJ s will not qualify for the championships ,  starting in two weeks.
The JHU Blue Jays were working on a 41 year streak at qualifying. Sometimes not pretty, very often controversial but 41 in a row.

In 2 weeks, the NCAA selection committee will list the 16 finalists.

I live and die , mostly die, w/ the fate of the Johns Hopkins lacrosse team. This loyalty should be questioned. No ,I'm not an alumnus.
Do not live in Maryland.
However, as a teenager, I read Sports Illustrated stories of the little university that could. Johns Hopkins is a liberal arts school that is famed for medicine and lacrosse. The school has a undergrad class of something like 4, 000 students. Most Division 1 schools have first year classes that size. 
In my youth, w / no internet , SI was the source of all my U.S. lacrosse information. I was regaled by heroic prose of a small college contending w/ the likes of Duke , Syracuse and Virginia etc.

On retirement, literature said, you should choose a new interest ,  that you couldn't indulge while working. Ooh, did I pick a doozy.

Starting in 2005, I have been to at least , I BJ s game per year. Sometimes in a year,  driving to Balto or passing through Balto to attend games at Homewood field. I've been to something like 17 games at Homewood or in stadiums around Maryland. 
I prefer Homewood but have also been to away games at Mt. St. Marys / Navy  / Towson  / Loyola and  UMBC. This year, I even ventured into the dark realm of Syracuse ( the Carrier Dome ).

There has to be saner way to honour retirement. As all records, this too shall end. It won't go for 41 years... but 12 years , maybe.

Go Jays Go.

Weather. Did the windows to-day. Outside , all the way around.
Wait til the sun hits the big picture window, all the streaks start to show.

"  All the records fade and dim in dust
   The fall of honoured sacred trusts
   Legends built on heroic deed
    Fall fingertips away from reach 
   
    What dare we call success or not
     Ephemeral victory, there was got
     A need to strive for eternal praise
     Fails , oh ,  our greater selves indeed

This stuff, is fairly typical of what runs through my head. Notice how it kinda dies at the end , there.

Mostly, when my brain is disconnected from reality

" Veritas vos libertatis " the motto of Johns Hopkins U.







Saturday 27 April 2013

Post 2013 4 /27

All right - so I couldn't think of a title - a good one anyway. I'm a dullard to-day.

From the Fla Bizarre front:

Eel-mania in Maine... OMG, the mind shudders about this one

Evicted man poops on porch..............  unsanitary at the least

Germany. Cold kills 300 performers ( a flea circus died )

Thieves Flee in SmartCar ... w/ thousands of dollars in clothing
                                          was there room ?

I don't read the stories , kind of make up the storyline , for fun

Weather is really coming around we are looking at 55 - 60 F w/ wind a little cool but OK.

Friday 26 April 2013

The Afterglow

No not sex. But I used  ' aftermath ' a little while back, so what follows is Commentary on the field trip to the dentist.

Good things : Mother was co-operative. The dentist ( the real one not the sub - guy ) picked up his metal instruments , in my head flashes the thought ' you go guy, there's no way '. Well, yes way. Mom opened her mouth, dada, done.

Should we give a quick clean to her teeth, sure ! Self is chuckling, ' this should be good '. so, the cute hygienist baby talks to mom, I walk over to discuss treatment options. Come back in ten minutes and the  hygienist says ' all done '.
If you're counting I am 0 - 2.

We have 4 appointments spread over all of June - so, the future lies before us, unfolding as its want.

I'm a genius ( OK, M is really ). The PSW that normally visits mom on Fri switched her days to come on Thurs.
If you ask me,  can / could I take mom on my own, I'll say ' Yes '  until I see what the PSW can do on the day. No way, Jose, she's a wonder. Mom is waiting in the car outside  " Lets go mom " No its cold there. PSW says " Come on mama " and in we go. Crikey. what power !
M always insist that I take the PSW. See, smart.

Therefore, dentist and back. Like Bilbo, going to the Lonely Mountain.

Bad Things : oops, here. I mentioned that mom would need gassing to do almost anything. I was correct. The dentist tried inserting the mould for dental impression of her teeth , nope. Mom won't let anyone stick in the hockey puck.
So, we start to arrange gassing at an off-site oral surgery. The dentist is going out of his way at this point. After some negotiation, it turns out that I used incorrect nomenclature. Nitrous oxide use, is not gassing and can be done in the dentist's office, right there.
However, mom had had lunch and they couldn't take a chance that the patient will aspirate or vomit. Thus, we're back to an early AM appointment, in about a month ( we'd already set a date for the oral surgery office thing ).

Mom called everyone we met by my name. Male / female  - didn't matter, blonde, young - yep.
All day, she turned and said " Who are you, sir "
Everybody, " It your son "  Mom, " No, its not "

Weatherboy is dressed up pretty good. 44 F, in the shade.
Day is bright and coolish for sure. we are heading for Temps warmer than yesterday and warming for the next three days.

Thursday 25 April 2013

Signs of the Times

Yesterday , in cottage country, my eyes flashed on  sign " Pick up Chicks " yowza. No, the sign was for baby chicks for raising.

The event brought back memories of travelling to a cottage for a rainbow trout fishing trip, a roadside sign , read " Brown eggs for sale ".
Now, you need to understand, that our main bait was salmon roe tied in nylon bundles ( dime sized ), so Gino's interpretation was, that the sign was offering brown trout eggs ( which are supposedly best ) on the road side. Only fishermen you say !

And once, I saw a sign that proclaimed " Brassieres for Sale " , okay ! it said  ' Raspberries ', I was driving and only glanced.

Weather was cold last night 32 F but to-day will hit 50 w/ rain later.
We got rain for periods, the last 2 days. This extra precip is not helping the flooding that is occurring barely 20 miles N of our cottage. Main roads are awash and some homes and businesses are coping w/ flowing water in bedrooms and show area.

Bonus>  Take Mommy to the dentist day. She had oral surgery and teeth and stumps were removed. Now, we start the fitting process for a plate ( s ). Expect the worst, hope for the best. The problem is that the best is barely useful.
One friend reported his aunt won't use her dentures b/c they're uncomfortable.
Yessiree, can't wait to spend  $ 5.5 K so , mom can wrap her new dental plates in tissue and stick them in her drawer.

As my poker budds are want to tell me, ' she took care of you , its your turn '.
However, there is osmething wrong when your buying diapers for your mother and I don't care what anyone says.

Sunday 21 April 2013

Size Matters

I know that I'm not really in touch w/ the world of business. Or maybe its a peripheral sort of thing.
I realize that a corporation out there is called - Cadbury-Schweppes -Mcmillan Bloedell - and that a hundred brand names are in there.
But recently I saw that GE, refrigerators, right ! - sold NBC, the network. Holey-kamoley,Batman. NBC, give me a break. How big is big, nowadays.

Weatherboy is dressed in coat and hat / scarf. However, we will warm up bumping , maybe, 60 F.

The Muskokas, N and W of our cottage is deemed a flood emergency. high water and fast moving streams. Even closer, the City of Kawartha Lakes, maybe 20 miles from the cottage is a warning flood area.

I'm listening to the ' Gipsy Kings ' and typing away.
Martini on the desk w/ a big stuffed olive

The Johns Hopkins Bluejays staved off ignominy and beat the Mids of Navy 15 - 4.
For 40 minutes , the running time of the first half , I moaned and groaned as the  J s shot 20 times and got 4 goals.
Was Navy going to come back and shove it down our throats. Happened 3 years ago.
No, the boys came out and scored 11 in a row. game saved, future temporarily saved. Loyola and Army left on the sked. Both must be wins and prayer is probably in order.
To quote Nigel Starling in the movie " Ghost and the Darkness "  - ' the struggle is the glory ' and if your a Hop fan, this applies to the last 4 years. I mean the ' struggle ' part.
I'm kind of in touch w/ that quote as well, applied to my whole life.
In ' Happy Days ' the Fonz says to Richie ' nice guys don't finish last but they gotta work their heinnies off to finish 4 th ' . Been there  done that. And I'm not trying to say that I'm a nice guy, either. Just the trying part.

BTW - the verses that I posted last day, feel free to ad lib or add to the lines. The lines are rough and I can not truly say that this is exactly what went through my mind. The stuff you saw was what I remember on waking.
OMG, what runs around in my head overnight.
Do you worry about run-off from your eaves trough ?
Snow melting and causing basement flooding  ?
Rust spots growing on your car ?
Will I ever play guitar ?  ( no, I don't play at all, so how would this matter - I want to play the chords for ' Djobi Djoba ' my fav GK s song - dream on, Shakespeare )

My Bucket List ( things to do before you die )

Feb - May in Balto - one complete season of home games for the Bluejays. Feb is freezing, of course. This one can wait till I'm almost dead. BTW - my record watching  the BJ s 11-5. I remember the losses : 2 to Syracuse ( 2008 NCAA final and 2013 ), 1 Princeton ( freeze-a-rama in Feb , dude )
, 1 Navy ( 2011 Annapolis )  and 1 Maryland ( 2012 ). Hey, think this JHU thing is important , you bet.

Aha , you think , fishing  ??? Catch a 100 lb fish . No
                                                 Catch a 100 fish . No
Why ?

I been so lucky. I've chased 20 lb salmon along the Nottawasaga w/ my brother and landed big salmon on # 6 line. I know when magic happens, been there and done that.







Saturday 20 April 2013

Boston In Relief Mode

Mommy and Daddy are in denial, Boston is at ease ( or closer than yesterday or all week ). Both parents of the Bomber boys claim a U.S. confidence scam in the charges against their sons. Do tell.

On the bird flu front in China, up to 19 have died and close to a 100 patients are confirmed as bird flu victims. The WHO says that evidence of easy transmission from human to human seems unlikely.
hope.

" When they ask me what I've learned
   When they ask me what I've burned
    For what I've always yearned

     To fly the open skies
     My mind is turned inside
     Can you seek so wide

    this is my magic see
    Space and time in 4D
    A world that becomes me  "

This verse was flowing through my head last night and I couldn't sleep.

P.S. this happens all the time

As well, I claim that I have trouble falling and staying asleep. M says that I seem to sleep just fine. As any reader will know, I listen to radio at night, typically, the PRI feed via CBC / WGBH / and BBC ( world feed ).
The listening is supposed to make it easier to fall asleep, NOT. However, I seem to be addicted to the earbuds.
I've thought my inability to fall asleep dates to my brother's death in 1996, he was 44.
I mentioned my RCE ( eyeball irritation ) and the visit to YouTube and a fellow sufferer's video. One of his comments that with the threat of pain on wakening, he thinks he's often afraid to close his eyes and sleep.  Aha, a fellow RCE sufferer has the same thought.
Consequently, the surgery dates back to 1996 as well, shortly after my brother's death.
Just thinking out loud here.
More rational thinking would say being retired and not on any schedule, really , doesn't demand as much from me in terms of sleep.
I mean nap time is always on the horizon.

A further note to the above ( 4/21 ) - on waking for the past 6 mornings ( approx 4- 6 AM  ) I've been holding my eyes shut and wetting the eyelids w/ sterile solution drops and massaging the wet into the eyelids.
This past 6 mornings has been pain free ( eye ) and the best my eyes have felt for a long time.
The norm would be every second morning - a stinger would happen.
     

Friday 19 April 2013

Cyco paths

The CNN reports, that police are closing in on the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing. The expert said ' we may never understand the person ( s ), psychopaths come in all shapes and sizes and types ', this is one of those quotes that may make replays on TV for years to come.

Weatherboy is down to shirt and pants w/ brolley, arrow down and clouds dropping rain. The day is gray and windy. Trees are really moving.

On the Boston manhunt : doesn't the whole affair make you feel uncomfortable. Understand ? What could we understand. You mean there is a valid reason for this ? I don't think so . There has to be wrong and right, this bombing and subsequent events is wrong.


Thursday 18 April 2013

Blowin' In the Wind

As in most of the east around T.O. a big blow went through last week.
A tree limb about my size crashed and hit the lower railing at QMH.
The neighbours removed the offending limb, leaving me clean up and railing fixing.
Well, most of the mess is gone but spring clean up will get the rest.

Weather is tres magnifico. Maybe, a little damp but other than that .....

News: It may not come as a surprise to some but fire watching has its own inherent dangers. The press didn't emphasize the spectator toll but I get the feeling that many West, Tx citizens were out fire watching when that fertilizer plant went up. Heck, the blast registered on the Richter scale.
I was thinking about fertilizer as I doused the lawn w/ ' weed n' feed '. Actually, I probably put down more corn gluten than anything else. We are not allowed to use herbicide on the lawn so, Round Up and corn gluten is about as close as we get to weed killer.

The river is high w/ melt which is good for farmers. Typically, the last decade, low water levels have plagued the lakes in tourist country. B/c we are on a navigable waterway, the depth is guaranteed as per charts. Even w/ that, I can tell that the flow is fairly poor in the summer ( at least the last 3 years ).
Yes, I'm thinking about fishing. That is not strange. I mostly, think about fishing.
M said, before me, she never anyone who looked at a river/ lake and instantly wondered what you could catch in there.
Aha, signs of a misspent youth or 2.

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Olden - Golden

I bought a jacket w / removable sleeves , in 1978.
I was really proud b/c it was a Gant. I'm still wearing that jac / vest.
For really old, I always thought that was my Gr 11 English teacher.

It turns out that the oldest living thing, is a creosote tree which timed out at 11, 000 yrs. I assume its still living in California. This creosote does not resemble that teacher.

On ' YouTube ' I discovered a segment on ' Recurring Corneal Erosion ', what I seem to have. The guy , Scott , went through all my problems ( pain, angst and crying ) and decided that ' stromal puncture ' was a solution. SP is putting micro-holes in your corneal epithelium ,yep, yech big time. Scott has done this 3 X.
Not for me. I also turned down re-lasering my whole cornea ( to smooth things out ).
Yesterday, I woke up w/ a stinger ( my term, for a Corneal Erosion that is small ). That stinger went away by the afternoon.
This morning, before I opened my eyes, I put sterile drops on my eyelids and massaged the moisture in.
Maybe, there was slight sting in my left eye as the lid moved but nothing happened. Thus, I had a good wake up.
The problem is that you get used to not having to worry, say maybe
two weeks and then bang you wake up w/ a stinger. I plan to develop this new moisture routine as basic getting up procedure.

Holey-kamoley, we're expecting 70 F to-morrow. The temp falls away after that but at least we get a blast of warmth.
WB is in full kit. But he is in the shade and its still early AM.

Tuesday 16 April 2013

What is Big

Yesterday , an explosive device ( s ) detonated in Boston during the annual Marathon. People died and many were injured.
How to put this event into perspective , is the question. Firstly, in Iran 5 people died - 3 perhaps in Boston. I don't know how to view the difference - or is there a difference.
M says she doesn't understand why humans would plant a bomb. 
I get the image of a large number of people marginalized in this society. I'm not sure humans were all meant to survive in the modern pressure cooker. The informational input - almost close to daily overload , is not easily assimilated by everyone.
Information rich and resource poor is the environment for most people in our society.
So, what does this minor attempt at rationalization prove or do ?

We still deal w/ the result. I may have become a little de-sensitized after  9 / 11 and that is very worrying.

Note : I thought about the writing above. The bombing was wrong and people suffered. I want revenge - meaning the perpetrators should suffer some how, What ??? Dunno. I'm not numb but at a loss  ... of something. Does a little humanity leak out of you if you see enough of this activity . I give up, trying to explain.

Weatherboy is showing 56 F, in the shade mid-morning. Grey and overcast and the trees swaying slightly.

Embarrassment plus, for someone. We are in the process of purchasing a new car. We are in the car learning the controls. the salesman tells us how to adjust the seats. Our car was supposed to have 10 way electric adjustable seats. I asked the guy why I was hand adjusting the seat. Then,  M says ' where is the back up camera '
The salesman says ' Huh , give me a moment '. He comes back and mutters ' Wrong car '. 
Yep, they ordered the wrong car. In the meantime our car is gone for trade-in.
After 15 minutes, we are driving away in a brand new loaner car and now wait for second new car.

The dealership gave us a Subaru Legacy to drive. Neat.


Monday 15 April 2013

Pi Squared

The movie is the  ' Life of Pi '. Ang Lee is director.
Yann Martel is the writer of the book.

Somebody goofed.. this one should have won awards , and lots.
I'm not sure that I got it, I mean the whole idea of the film. I was entertained , maybe thats all thats important. The film was transporting and I was transported, through the process, through the story.

Meanwhile, listening to PRI on the earbuds Sun night, Asperger's Syndrome pops up. The story line is : husband and wife are seemingly having difficulties, he doesn't seem to listen or care. She reads an article including a test quiz for Asperger's.
A light goes on. Is hubby showing signs of AS. She gets him to do the test and yes, he presents as an AS possibility.
More to the point, he finally sees what wife and maybe he, himself had noticed. He was given a guide to what is wrong w/ his life - social awkwardness and other problems.
The husband has written a book outlining the process that he goes through to improve his life relationships.
Now, being slightly hypochondriac, I was starting to wonder about me as this program went on.
The wife in the segment then relates that the most frequent request that they get is , ' where do I get a copy of the AS quiz for my husband.
Oops, not alone mayhaps.

I need to admit that lying there half asleep or half awake might make me more susceptible to suggestions as in this program. And I suppose everyone would prefer a reason to explain their life.
However, this husband got to be 30 yrs of age before twigging to the AS diagnosis. 63 is too late ????

Weatherboy is smiling ( thats a lie, he never changes expression - just clothing and arrows , up or down ). Warm, sunny and still ( wind did kick up a bit ). Forecast is for 60 F plus for at least 2 days. Spring has sprung or is trying to.
At the cottage, I've noticed the tulips pushing through.

Fishing is definitely on my mind.

Sunday 14 April 2013

Aftermath

Always wanted to use that word in reference to me but it never applied before...
Aha, can now - my eye problem seems to have resolved itself .
Woke up pain free. Yippee.
Now, to keep the eye moist and non-sticky.
We put the floor humidifier on, so that could be a factor. Although, in '96, I'm telling you nothing seemed to work.
The remedy at that time was a soft plastic contact lens acting as a bandage for two months, a prophylactic solution.
The alternative was to remove the epithelium from the cornea and re-laser the whole corneal surface, no thank-you said I and went w/ the contact lens.

Weather is warmer and cloudy w/ sunny breaks. We should hit somewhere near 60 F to-day.

The Bluejays managed to throttle the Terrapins of Maryland 7 - 4.
Their season was extended, mathematically, w/ this top ten win.
However, the route to a play-off berth , now runs through Loyola, Navy and Army. These last 3 games need to be wins. and at 10 - 4 w/ some key victories , JHU s selection chance  will be in the 80 % range, depending how other teams fare.
Hop has made these play-offs 41 years running. Not w/ out some moaning and griping from lax affecianados, almost every year. Its like a whine-fest.

In my spare time, my thoughts now turn to fishing. My first year, at QuatermileHouse, QMH, I put the boat into the water in early April.
I'd be out cruising around and watching all the neighbours out doing yardwork, said to myself , ' thats what I should be doing ' then spent all June trying to catch up. So, yardwork, first then fishing.
But I'm still planning. New strategies , some new equipment and basically the same approach - fish close to home and know some water way better than other places.
The thinking is, fish in water you know and not to run all over. I've seen boats pull into the river having traveled 10 - 15 minutes from the lake. So, I ask myself why would I run for fifteen minutes to get to where these guys came from.
I'm looking for structure, mostly, shoreline, tips of islands , weedlines and fallen wood or stumps. Yep, right there in front of me. Besides, I fish pretty much by myself, I seldom see any other boats near, except week ends and when the lake blows up.

Two years , ago , a neighbour came fishing w/ me and  I suggested starting in the river, and we could fish the lake in the afternoon. We ate lunch and I said ' where to ? ' the answer, ' why should we go anywhere else ? '. The neighbour had fished Rice L for a long time but never the river. He was amazed at the opportunities and the sheltered water.
See ,  occasionally, I get something right.
The only question is ' Do you need a 75 HP bassboat to fish the way I do ? '.  No, its overkill. But so handy and comfortable.
The bassboat is a fishing platform capable of running tight to shore.
Its heavy and resists drifting. Its built to be stable at all times.
Its pretty. Nuff said. ( Thats a line from the 'Thing' in Marvel Comics )

Saturday 13 April 2013

Eye of the Beholder

For the last 2 days, I've woken to sharp searing pain on opening my eyes. Corneal erosion or thats what I had previously. A few months after an operation called Photo Refractive Keractotomy ( PRK done w/ a laser ) I went through a dismal period of racing to the clinic ( sometimes from 3 hours away ) to somehow ease or correct the pain.
In the end through through some very helpful persons ( one , a very observant intern ) I was able to lead a normal life. That was 1996.
Since, I've had corneal erosion in mild and very temporary onsets.

This last round for 2 days is reminiscent of those 1996 days.
W/ rest and drops, it will come around to normal again.

Weatherboy is dressed ( scarf etc) and is showing 42 F at 10:30 AM
There is debris everywhere from the ' lashing ' winds of yesterday.
Well ,supposedly we'll warm to 60 F by Sunday.

Your News Headlines

1. This is Barbie w/ no make-up ( scary thought that )

2.The Dog Ate My Money

3. Old DVD Player Can Test for HIV

4. 4 th Canadian Sought in Aftermath of Algerian terror Attack

See what your missing by not reading all the news.

Some background on item 4. For the past 2 weeks, Canadian papers have been full of reports that remains of 2 Canadians had been found at the site of an oil refinery bombing. the 2 Canadians were thought to be attackers blown up in the confusion.
The young men were known to have sympathetic ties to a Islamic loyalist group.
Since, another schoolmate has turned up in a Mid-East jail, refusing the efforts of Amnesty International. Another school firend has been reported dead and assumed to be in a similar group. good on you, Canada, home of the Jihadist Internationals. Doesn't make us look too good.

Friday 12 April 2013

Words for the Day

Lashing - the sounds that are out there
Drooping - the little pine trees are limp and swaying
Soggy - the water isn't absorbing into the soil
Temporary ( TG ) - b/c our temp will rise to near 50 F, later to-day

The Masters is going on in Ga.  The T.O. Bluejays aren't winning and the T.O. Leafs are. 

Encouraging - the other guy  has it worse. I'm not sure where that kind of sentiment ranks on the Christian charity scale. The charity needs you to think like  that so that you'll donate but I'm not sure that that comparison is viewed as uplifting. Umh, a complicated world, n'est-ce pas ?

In the news, more, yes, 11 deaths in China are now linked to bird flu. China has got some people in reserve though, so don't worry.

Thursday 11 April 2013

Timing is everything

True - of course, last night at cards , I folded 2 hands that were winners, dominating  ( they love that word ' dominate ' on World Poker Tour , in fact, they don't know many synonyms other than ' dominate ', how about  ' statistically favoured  ') as it turns out. I called twice,  based on the fact that I didn't trust the other guy and won.

I beat 3 guys all in and forced them out of the game. On the last hand, I held ' Q - 3 ' , yep a powerhouse. The two others left at the table went all in. I was leading ( we only pay the top 2, 85 % - 15 % ), I had to choose and went all in too !. The flop was ' 3 - 3 - 9 ' and finished ' J - J '. I probably was guaranteed 2 nd anyway but had to win to be first.  Timing. Who knew ?

Weatherboy is confused, we all are confused. Rain / sleet / snow w/ avalanches tumbling off the steel roof. A Winter Wonder ? land.
We are supposed to get 45 - 55 F after that.

Casinos.  T.O. is angling for a casino. The city wants a favourable profit sharing arrangement w/ Ont lottery and Gaming. The city wants the casino built on city land. The central location is critical to planning. I mean lets keep the crime downtown, where it belongs.

Nobody else is seeing it T.O. s way. Go figure

Peterborough wants a downtown casino. They have this mall thats mostly empty pretending to be retail hub, its got a theatre, thats about it, and Oh, a dollar store, big whoop.
The closest casinos are converted racetracks, called ' Downs ' which is where your bank account  is headed if you tend to visit a lot.
Of course, going to the ' downs ' on the Fri. of the month is bad b/c all the pensioners show up to cash their cheques.  Welfare types are there every second Fri.

In New Jersey, I realize that they pave the way to the poorhouse, called the Atlantic City Xprssway  or some such, all the way to casino East coast,  USA.

In T.O., the main users of taxi-cabs are business execs and the people on Welfare or social  ' something '. Telling that, you think ?

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Rain, when the rain washes you clean you know

The lines are from Fleetwood Mac - Stevie Nicks, serenading the world.  Very apropos, we've been flooded. The water is pooled in the backyard - combination of lots of water and semi-frozen ground.
Sorry, don't remember any line about standing pools of water in the song - really, not any song that I recall.

The blog does its best ( me, I mean ) to be semi-accurate. Thus , we correct a previous entry. The T.O. Toronto Maple Leafs have not been in the play-offs for 9 years ( I said 5 ). The quote is from Nazim Khadri, a young player who is getting another chance to make the show. NK is doing great in this re-incarnation as a Leaf.  So, hopefully NK who was 12 when the Buds last made the play-offs was factually correct.

Weatherboy is reporting 45 F in the shade. Weatherboy's outside receiver is on the porch. The sensor is in the shade almost all day.
I suppose the warmest part of the day for the sensor is 3 - 6 PM. Thats indirect sun warming the deck.



Tuesday 9 April 2013

All the News

thats fit to be news ( I don't think that I got this quote right, somehow )

Cuz, this stuff probably isn't.

GE is attempting to increase its stake in oil and gas. I assume that this GE is General Electric. Somehow, it seems wrong, I mean juxtaposing GE and oil and gas ?

Speaking of a stake, JC Penney and Macy's are fighting over the Martha Stewart line.  This is good, right - dunno,  I guess

Remember - these are headlines and you make up the story, like the newspapers do

What could you do with " Tom Buys Suri 7 million dollar gift "
Go for it.

Weather is benign, we are in between weather fronts. Last night, brought rain heavy at times w/ frequent thunder claps and light spears. Our sat TV blanked out twice. And while, awaiting the next bout of precip, through mixed cloud we should be over 55 F , perhaps closer to 60.

In T.O. , one of the biggest stories is " Leafs in fifth place ", this means the T.O. team will be in the play-offs. 
Background, Leaf games sell out every home game. This Maple Leaf franchise is probably the richest in hockey. Despite, missing the play-offs , maybe, five years straight.
Apparently, broadcasters noted that the story " Leafs Beat Rangers " appeared above the fold of the newspaper. This is good , right ?

In lacrosse, the T.O. Rock, are in 1 st place and will lock up home court advantage for the play-offs w/ one more win. BTW, we are talking about the most successful sports franchise in T.O.
Their last game drew 14 K.

And, too good to be true. Panda-mania which was supposed to hit T.O. when our visiting b & w s go on display, may be on hold , as a strike at the zoo is possible.




Monday 8 April 2013

45 in the shade

Definitely,warming up, here in  S. On. A dreary day, w/ overcast sits over T.O.
The snow has melted where it piled up. The landslides off the roof accumulated just out from the house, so I spread snow out and around on the lawn.

Bird flu is breaking out in China, more deaths each day. The big concern ( s ) deal with transmission and especially cross species movement. No pigs , yet in the picture unless its farm workers.

Good news -rare to obscure in the feeds - death and taxes, sell.

However, T.O. zoo has pandas. The 2 pandas made front page b/c
the black and whites are on loan from China , they will breed ( we hope ) and the b &w s received an official welcome from our Prime Minister ( great photo op, a primate greets big racoon ).
The b & w s will stay for 5 years and will create a chance for greater discussions between Canada and China.
Well, China owns 40 % of the U.S. why not 40 % of Canada ( right now, China is a 20 % owner of Canada ) Especially, the Chinese from Hong Kong who came in the 90 s to diffuse their potential loss as HK reverted to Chinese control.
The HK ers bought up prime real estate and raised housing prices that have yet to fall.
Here, in T.O. house prices have risen in the last quarter and year over year but the # of sales is down by 17 %.

Sunday 7 April 2013

Tiddly Pom

The more it snows, tiddly pom
The colder it grows tiddly pom
And no one knows tiddly pom
How cold my toes tiddly pom
Are growing

A.A. Milne

Weatherboy is down to pants and long sleeve shirt w/ brolley, clouds and arrow down. He is showing 60 F and this is still in the shade.

The bedroom is airing out ' getting the dust blown off ' as per the movie ' Hope Floats '. certainly, a ritual of spring, or beginning spring.




Saturday 6 April 2013

Beginning to Look Like Spring

The sun is out the grass has riz
I wonder where the robins is
( a paraphrase from the well known ditty )

We're cool but sunny
Expecting warm soon

The News : India is not a desirable place right now for tourists in general and women in particular. Data from travel agents show cancellations  for Indian adventures are running about 30 %. Alternate choices are Thailand, Pacific islands and Australia.

The Johns Hopkins BlueJays lost last night to U of Albany, 10 -9. The BJ s are now 6 - 4. The Hop cannot beat any team that is ranked or rising. Yech. Oh well, a record may fall this year, 41 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament.
All is not lost but 7- 7 is needed to qualify for selection. however, this year Hop s Strength of Schedule is not as high as other years - basically, Hop is doing poorly. Opportunities do include facing Maryland / Loyola which are both on the upswing and rated highly - but they need to be beaten. Navy and Army provide some minor gains if Hop is successful but very minor.




Thursday 4 April 2013

U.S Job front bleakens up

There had been a growth in U.S. jobs over the past year and a half, but some analysts ( love the word ,analyst - like the old time seers and witches, prophets of doom, and all these guys do is treat in past history ) predicted that these jobs were ephemeral and soft in terms of value.

The markets are now reflecting that softness. Oops, not good enough , right ?

The avian  flu appears now to be able to cross species i.e. bird to pig, bird to human. No word on those pig carcasses but now we know why the sources mentioned pig.
This current strain, meaning the one in the news, has killed 4 and infected at least 11. ( All in China ).
Therefore don't send nukes send pigeons and ducks.

Weather, bright sun and strong winds w/ a cool touch to the wind.
Cloudy, and scattered precip to come to-night. Snow further north.

Wednesday 3 April 2013

The Birds

In the news

Alfred Hitchcock couldn't dream up the plotline, it took real life.

Avian flu or bird flu is back in the limelight. Several people have died in China from a bird flu variant.
The story gets bizarre when the story reports thousands of pig carcasses floating in a river. The reference fizzles, as no connection can be made between the flu deaths and river pigs.
The flu variants differ in their transmission, severity and mode of transmission. So far, the current bad guy flu seems to be fairly non-contagious, in that relatives seem to be symptom free.
The core problem is that there now appears to be reservoirs of bird flu variants lying dormant around the world. I'm not sure but it seems like the potential number of variants is in the hundreds. Each variant would require a separate vaccine but there is no vaccine now for any bird flu that I could tell.

Here in T.O., a building topic is transit. Moving around the city and into and out of the city.
A summary, would include the Hwy 401 which crosses the city east to west approx 6 miles N of the core. There is a east west corridor called the Gardiner Xpressway across the shoreline on the southern border.
Our N - S routes are the Don Valley Xprswy a full length roadway to the east of the downtown core. Two roadways dump traffic at the cities northern boundary,Hwy 400 and the 427 ( which actually runs to the lakeshore but far to the west ).
T.O. has reputedly, the longest commute times in NA. Now, I cannot testify to this, but I do try and avoid travelling the 401 at certain times.
The solutions are not nice -  land taxes, surcharges on business and the inevitable road tolls, congestion fees at the city edge. A raise in fares.

In the east end of the city close to a thousand patients received inadequate or disproportionate amounts of their cancer drugs.
Is this another place where OOPS doesn't quite make it.

Weatherboy, is shivering but it won't last, we jump from 28F w/ a ten degree wind chill to 48 F to-morrow.

Tuesday 2 April 2013

A Tale of..............

Yesterday, a re-run of a series called ' Lewis ' which is a Br detective show,  featured quotes from Dickens' ' A Tale of Two Cities '. To wit, " it was the best of times , it was the worst of times etc. " must have been 6 or 7 of these opposites.

Thought that I would do my own.
It is spring, its freezing

Actually, I've seemed to have forgotten all the lines that I made up
I'll try to remember............... there gone


Monday 1 April 2013

Bad Penny

Good penny.... all right what is it ?

The Can Fed gov't announced the demise of the penny. The Mint would no longer strike the penny and it would remain valued.
In fact policies for banks , large financials and retail outlets are now in place for rounding up ( or down ) where needed.

To-day, the penny is now back, I think they'll make more.
Why ? I believe the Minister of Finance found a jar of pennies in his bed-sit. Got to be able to cash them in, right.

So , like the proverbial bad penny.... ' I'm back ' says the lowly copper or mostly copper... no a touch of copper. A hundred pennies is a pound and worth close to $3 as metal. Our coin penny has enough copper for colour and to make melting it down a waste of time ( and money )
Thieves have been nicking copper wire and pipe for scrap for about 3 or 4 years.

Weather turned cold , 34 F , in the shade now but the sun is out.
Yesterday Weatherboy was dressed in long underwear,to-day he's sporting parka and toque ( he's not stupid, its cold out there ). We are also anticipating wind gusts , 20 - 30 MPH. 

For my southern friends, here in T.O. excitement is building. There is a large statistical chance that the T.O. Maple Leafs will be in the Stanley cup play-offs . Apparently, the abbreviated season did not give the ' Buds ' a chance to perform their favourite fold-a-rama trick. Meaning they miss the play-offs by one point or 1 game.
Ala Chicago Cubs, the Leafs last won a Stanley Cup in 1967. Ooh, its been awhile, but they leaf games are guarantee sell out each game. We are loyal , like your dog.