Monday 29 June 2015

How high is the water ..............

Johnny Cash , I'm told , sang those words to his Momma

Bright sun to start but we have forecasted rain for 2 days , rated at 40 - 60 % chance.

We watched ' Madame Secretary ' and Colonel Koborov and and I agree , Tea Leoni has great legs ( he called her , Elizabeth McCord , see he doesn't know that she is an actress )

This week has Canada Day July 1 , right in the middle
This past week end was called the unofficial beginning of the summer w/ a massive police effort on the road trying to curb aggressive driving , distracted driving etc.
Here in ON , the last month saw a record number of deaths on the roads patrolled by the provincial police.

Enjoy !


Sunday 28 June 2015

Annie Lennox Sang It

" Here comes the rain , again ! ", exclamation point is mine , b/c that is what we said all last night
and it did
Thus , we can segue into another lyric from a bygone time
" Sam you made the pants too long " except , now its Susie , you made the pants too tight
Yes , the topic is skinny jeans
On the same day , the TorStar ran an article on a women's store that sells a model of jean called ' Spray ' w/ a picture of a blue layer of ' paint ' on a womens lower body. The paint was jean material
The CBC ' Science and Tech ' had an item ' Skinny jeans can cause nerve damage ' 
How apropos

Well ,we did get rain..... and wind ...... and lightning......... and it hasn't stopped ( 9:30 A ). I ran out , yesterday , at 3P and cleared the gutter b/c water was sloshing over the eaves.

The World by the Numbers ( TorStar ) was doom and gloom. The data says that the world hasn't seen a month or year in comparison where the temperature was lower than the time before since 1976.
I think that I explained previously ,that the most disturbing factor is the universality of the temperature rise - its global. in the past , some part of the world got cold and another part got warm.

Doom , re - visited.... and re - visited. Greece is standing firm - too many cuts to income and government payments. recall in some of these troubled countries the government payroll is 60 % of the total. Thus , when the government cuts back , lots of folks are in deep do - do

This morning , I sat in front of the picture window and watched..... for 20 minutes. No laptop , no TV. The wind is pushing the trees back and forth ...... the dogwoods ( white and green ) are thrashing.
I suppose its raining but through this window we can seldom tell.
And a yellow finch ( maybe  ,finch ) was rocketing through the branches , doing whatever.

Saturday 27 June 2015

Op Osm Review

To recap , Op Osm short formed from a reality TV character / show who re - models / reforms out of shape humans
and kicks starts them on the way to a fitter lifestyle
In mid July 2014 , the blogger , here , started Op Osm
For the duration ,the weight loss was the factor most under control or most likely to provide substantiation - a number , a quantity
a measure
Success , or an end point to weight loss occurred in Dec or so.
The remaining time since , has been maintenance.
Apropos of that , I can report my weight at 170 lb , this AM .
Other measures , will include my pants size which is now somewhere between 34 - 36 ( kinda loose , there ).

Along the way , I've changed eating habits
Mornings can start w/ a handful of Shreddies ( the cereal ) and fruit salad and jello ( orange , please ) and coffee.
I control carbohydrates especially , bread and pasta but carbs in general.
To - night for example , bread was a soft taco filled w/  coleslaw , tomato and re - heated pork.
I did not give up beer and drink ,  2 , lets say , at the pub

But ...... almost 2 years ago , I received a new heart rate monitor w/ watch. I record heart rate , max / min and average and calories burnt during my elliptical work outs. 
As well , the watch performs a calculation called V - O2 max. or ability to take up oxygen during exercise in test mode.
I believe that normally , a subject wears a oxygen mask and exercises and the machinery measures how much O2 is used.
The watch has its version
Ready
Lie on the floor and relax
Set the watch in test mode
Begin
No kidding , after 5 minutes , the watch beeps and it kicks out a reading

When I first used the watch VO2 max was rated at 33 or good for my age
Yesterday , the rating was 40 which is very good by the age chart

Thus, there was a fitness number that I could use. Of course , repeating this test would be good except that I never confirmed the original number. 
The instructions say relax and be calm - so , who knows what environmental factors can affect the results
Still nice to know there is a fitness parameter that could be monitored

The QMH has ants , the brown kind.... raccoons , ants ---- all pests
all to be expected

Friday 26 June 2015

The ' Prius '

.. is a hybrid
AND , now we have the Grizpol. Not a car not a plane ... not even superman
A cross between a polar bear and a grizzly. Tests are being performed to confirm the genetics. This item from CBC , Science and tech.


The first bass of the season and my first ' selfie ' . Apparently , you're supposed to be naked or compromised in a selfie - alright , I was naked ..... really

day broke beutii , warm and sunny , 70 f on the back deck now

We dropped in at TSC and picked up the new ( old ) video sunglasses. Old b/c this was a model Bios 1.0 which is the surviving model that I have been using. Model 4.0 in camo colour is hors de combat. The new pair is much more comfortable b/c it is not taped and rigged to - gether , most likely , or for sure
The next difficulty is that these glasses are a crap shoot ( think , I know about that )
reviews from all over the internet , tell of  failure to launch and perform after take - off.
Well shall see said the Zen Master

Speaking of seeing
The insurance money came through - the company paid the shot , damage + admin + tax I'm still out the $60 premium but recall , most deductibles are north of $ 600, However , best , not to hit anything , it turns out

Thursday 25 June 2015

Death from...........................................

............. random thoughts ( do , I have any other kind ? )

in the song from JT , " Millworker " that I mentioned , a blog or two ago - the line is ' died from too much whiskey '
do they write about died from too much beer ??? 
If not , I'm safe for now.
B/c I've managed 2 beers a day since Mon.
OK , new song lyrics - " died from , mega suds and foam ??? "
ya think

And death : You recall the dead rocky raccoon in the shed.
The smell wouldn't go away - except it was , kinda blowing in the wind , as if from afar.
Yesterday , was clean the boat day. Got the hose out and went to turn on the water behind the boathouse
Yepper ,there he was ( it ) - a rotting carcass
I found the smell.
So, I got to toss a grinning carcass ( jawbone sticking out ) into the river , hopefully to be swept away !
Sure , the little f***er is contaminating my water supply right now.
They must have had a sale on places to die or something and they picked QMH , why ???????????  felt like home



Weather : off and on - dreary and sunny , and cool

Google is thinking of ' texting lanes' 
Texting lanes  ??
How about the highways and streets ???

Atlanta is going home
time to dry out
Back to normal
Where we feel comfy



Monday 22 June 2015

" We always Get Our Man "

The title is the motto of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  In the U.S. , there is the Homeland Security Division of U.S. Customs and Immigration. They nabbed a bunch of dudes selling fake Stanley cup , Blackhawk and Lightning paraphernalia at the 2 arenas. Seized goods were valued at $ 180 000.

A group has started Take Off Pounds Sensibly or TOPS. Thus , I could rename Op Osm. I'm not sure if TOPS has the fitness component that I need. However , they do use the term sensibly in their name , so , exercise is probably right in there.

From the ' Science and Technology ' file at CBC.ca ,our Canadian public broadcaster , sort of PBS.  Research is showing that kangaroos are left handed. Why not everyone in this house is.

Weather : way warm and going to humid w/ rain to follow and then a cool down of 2 - 3 degrees.

Ardent followers of the blog will know that I own and use ' camera glasses '. So far , I've almost sat on one pair and then did sit on them. That pair has been friction taped to working order. I've dropped the newer pair and the repair was a fail. checking the e-mail ads , my TSC store ( Tractor Store Company ) had a sale for 2 days. The glasses sell regularly for $ 100 - 110 but I've managed to get them on sale for 50 % off each time including this last pair. 

The scoreboard says that I've now paid $ 150 for 3 pair of glasses. But we need to know that the first pair , almost stopped working due to a faulty or intermittent switch.
I had A, who seems to drive everywhere anyway , take me to the factory and the company replaced the first pair.

Go forth and do something

Sunday 21 June 2015

Barsoom...........

.......... not an instrument but in the DVD ' John Carter ' of Mars , Barsoom is the native word for Mars.  Yepper , I'm watching JC again , on the elliptical machine during workout time.

Happy Fathers Day
or Aboriginal Day ( in Canada )
or 1 st day of summer ( although it seems to have got here , 10 days                                       ago )

As well , I'm attending a memorial for a school mate , I missed the funeral but apparently , so did a whole whack of people.
Then , as a couple we are having a welcome home dinner for a second cousin , returning or visiting T.O. after an internship in Germany , as a fashionsita  ( w/out pay )

Weather : bright , and warm w/ rain on the way , perhaps thunderstorms

Every now and then , I make a genius move - not too many b/c you've heard them lauded here.
2 yrs ago at ' Dollarama ' , the Canadian , Buck a shot shop , I paid $ 3 for a hand saw w/ case. The saw was for pruning etc. Except , I removed the hand handle and mounted the blade on a broom handle.
Since then , the saw has become a weeder , cutter and edger. I don't need to bend down and the blade does all those things mentioned and more. Even yesterday afternoon , the blade took down to ground the stumpy parts of a cedar hedge so that I could till underneath the hedge. Weeded around the new tree , the city put in.

Good move ? no , the genius part - I bought 4 saws. I spent $12 and they've lasted 2 yrs in rigorous use and I mean rigorous - they've b/come a work a day tool.
Sadly , to -day , I had to open the last one. The blades dull and I sharpen them but they do fail.
can I find similar items at Dollarama " Nope "
Wisdom ends so soon doesn't it

Have a great day
Was coffee good this morning , Mr B , text man from OH ?


Saturday 20 June 2015

JT

or JamesTaylor was on my mind on Thurs. I mentioned that I listened / watched a DVD of his concert ' James Taylor Live ' while ellipticking. I referenced the song ' Frozen Man ' , previously.
The one song that caught my ear was ' Millworker ' from a musical called  ' Working ' based on the story by Studs Turkel.
I went to YouTube to listen to covers of the song and found versions by Emmylou Harris and Jennifer Warnes. I'm thinking that ' Millworker ' is a phenomenal song that sounds good sung by just about anyone. however , those 2 singers above are exceptional in their own right.
YouTube is neat , I'm visiting there , quite often.

Weather is summer , nice

Op Osm is still in play. And the  counter is clicking down to the anniversary date.  

Friday 19 June 2015

Digging Deep...................er

Of course , the expression ' to dig deep ' is always used w/ a positive connotation. 
However , too deep is a problem
Some major aquifers are being drained and there is no replenishment in sight.
The Arabian
The Indus Valley - NW India and Pakistan
The Murzuk - Djado Aq. - N Africa

that supply water to vast numbers of people are in jeopardy
In Calif  USA , water levels are pitiful and getting piti - fuller
( made that up , seems to fit )

Weather : gorgeous and even better cool , sunny + dry breezes
are making a phenom day
UV is off the charts tho ' so beware. Sunscreen SF 40 plus is needed

The Japanese gardener was out , doing what he does best. Things got cut down , mechanically - hedges , bushes and even the precious and lauded ' silver leaf ' dogwoods 
Weeds were assaulted and terrorized - big time



Thursday 18 June 2015

Whats in the ' Cupbard '

...... the Hubbard  ( Hey , I work hard at these catchy titles )
The Hubbard Glacier in the Yukon is advancing - meaning that its growing. Other glaciers around the Hubbard are shrinking. They are researching this difference. The Hubbard is threatening to cut off a river but this has happened before.

In re: the QMH - I have 2 favourite sayings " Here' s a guy who can't take care of one house and buys a second " #2 " Work hard in May , clean up etc "  you see June is too late , you spend your time catching up , is all.
Well , our trip to UK , eliminated May - and yes , I'm paying for it now. Overgrown / overblown is the situation up there. Ah , we pay for our sins of omission. Thats not very Buddhistic but - tough.

Weather : Much warmer and rain coming. The light is diffuse and everything is waiting.

While waiting for my ride from the car repair place , I shoved the ' Dr . Oz ' Living magazine in my bag and took it home. This mag has to be the ultimate in ' advertorials ' . The layout is simple. authority speaks , Dr xxxxxx and right below or on the facing page is an array of products touting the ' secret ' , semi - miraculous ingredient.
they covered it all in one swoop. Melanoma , " I needed plastic surgery to cover the scar " to a total washout enema - at home.
I'm taking the magazine back , not b/c its bad but I feel guilty for depriving other waitees the glory of the bible according to Oz

Wednesday 17 June 2015

did You Notice

............. or its still the same........... this blog has 2 followers
Thus , in 3 yrs , my readership has grown - nada
Downside , ether here I come , I'm talking to the void of space

Upside , yes , there is an upside  I can say what I want - I get therapy for free  - and I don't need to shut down b/c I've said something controversial. b/c in the world of blogging , everything is controversial 

Recently , I 've been watching a DVD , James Taylor Live . while ellipticking. He sings ' Frozen Man ' , a corpsicle is found in the Arctic or where its real cold. JT sings of the dicovery and the story that ' frozen man ' would tell. On line , someone noted that research reveals that JT read the headline and the picture caption and wrote the song. Hey , JT , thats all that I do here.  Details are too trivial , better to make it up

Making up. The insurance company got back re : UK accident, My claim has been resolved. They're paying. What will they pay , you ask ( no , you didn't but I'll tell you , there )
The payment is 100 GBP damage cost + admin + tax. They will pay the shot. Recall tho' , I'm out the $56 premium. Still , not bad.
we're happy. 

The weather is champion ( English expression ) , everything is green and growing - the grass , too well. Rain comes at night , mostly , No Jacket Required which is a Phil Collins , album title


Good to see you 

Monday 15 June 2015

Full Bloom

There is one tree in our backyard that is last to bud and leaf out. Now , its full leaf in our backyard view.

Weather is ' blah ' , cool ( good ) and damp w/ signs of night time rain

Greece still is close to default and the Greeks are chanting ' we won't take it anymore '. What does that mean in normal speak ?

One : the Greeks feel entittled to a way of life subsidized by the E.U. - graft and bribery are ways of life in the country
Two : austerity doesn't suit them - oh ,yeah ! 

T.O. is hosting the PanAm games , in a month. We have little hiccups occurring - the subway stopped ( all of it ) due to radio problems. Special High Occupancy lanes have been set - up. This morning , reports have surfaced about the surface. The ' diamond ' markers are peeling off. Some motorists claim to have been hit by the white paint chunks coming off the road.
Paul Simon sang ' Diamonds on the soles of her shoes ' , guess he didn't know about ' diamonds on your windshield '.
" we've only jsut begun " is the Carpernter's line


Sunday 14 June 2015

Sunday , Day of Rest

............ sounds good , except , for us what day isn't

Weather : Rainy ( all night ) cool , w/ no sun
Drier weather coming

In recap , how was reading the blog w/ no spell check ?
Extremely hard to resist changing the misspells

this begs the question  Couldn't you go slower and make less mistakes ?
Nope. Still like the thought that I type fast
Wouldn't you make less mistakes ? Not really
and its fun using all fingers ( and thumbs )

Re : insurance claim. no , word from Halo

Op Osm - the get fit program --- report
Still around 170 lb.
Watching the show ' Elementary ' Sherlock has a mini crisis
It seems as long as he was conquering drug addiction , he was crusading and motivated. Once , drug free ( 2 yrs  )  , tedium set in. Kind of a same old , same old. The reality was life - living each day drug free. Sherlock interpreted this daily routine as the drip , drip of a tap.
OK . Whats this got to do w/ anything. Me
Sometimes that is how I feel about Op Osm . - so what , I say ' I'm there , now ????? '
Ah , the problem , what does it mean
Joan Watson confronts Sherlock , and says , basically what I said
You are alive , drug free and you have friends that care.
Oops !  I missed that , I guess

Go do


Saturday 13 June 2015

" The Dwarf Scum............

......are over there ! "  as I'm typing on the baby laptop , the orcs are chasing Gandalf and the Dwarves , in ' The Hobbit '.

Well , the verdict from Vertex - all checked and good to go - total cost $ 46 for an oil change and lube. Belts tight and fluids checked.
I was couting on $ 160 - 280 .
I guess when you're afegular , they figure I'llbe vack. AAnd I will.

Halo insce didn't e mail but its 1 PM there in London - Jamie said , he'd get back to me by to -day.

Confession : took a magazine frm VErtex , ' Dr Oz - the Good Life '
Its more advertisement than magazine , it turns out. Still a good wshroom read , for this morning anyway.

I didn't tke this mag but it Was National Geographic and the topic was Global warming and rising seal levels
Speciifcally Fla , where a 2 ft rsie in sea level would push the shoreline back - some 500 ft esp. is south Fla and the miami Bch area ( ( Ft Laudrdale ). We vacation in the Tampa - St Pete area and when we land in Tampa the elevation is lsited as 40 ft ( I think )

Friday 12 June 2015

5 Hours

Can 5 hrs sleep ever be considered  , good enough
We shall find out to - day. Played cards , last night til 1 AM
and the Highlander needed to go in for service at 9 AM. I'll catch a nap , I guess.............
The Toyota software at the Vertex shop ( my car guy ) says 120 000 miles before recommended spark plug change. I don't know a lot of names of things under the hood of a car but I know the plugs are important.

My UK accident claim. Called Jamie , my handler at Halo Insurance.
There was a problem uploading documents to my file. These items have been resolved. However , his words were ' you will hear from me in a day as to how your case was resolved '
no money ... just an answer .... as in how much they'll cover. maybe

I checked the car insurance we have here at home , the rider for rental coverage as a Collision Damage Waiver in the U.S. has a deductible of $300 Cdn.
In the UK situation , the premium was $55 and the damage amount that Hertz wanted was $ 180 plus 55 for administration charges. If your keeping track , that total is under the $ 300 deductible.
I'm figuring if I get anything back from Halo then I've done quite well - that is if you're going to have an accident that is. Better not to hit anything.

The rain came and stayed ... as in its still dripping out there. temperatures are cool ............ jacket cool

The Internet , Good or Bad. Is a discussion topic on many websites
- social commentary etc
The one statement that I've yet to see
.. the internet has made me feel stupid or inadequate ... yet I'm sure everyone dealing w/ computers has to felt those thoughts
... ah maybe , not the internet , maybe computers..
and I'm not sure there is a difference

Does the internet make me feel smarter
No 
i'm in awe of what is out there
keeping in mind , not all the information is true and / or accurate

To -morrow , I'm thinking of typing and not spell checking or correcting
( oh , you thought that I did that anyway , not spell check )
Actually , I re - read the blog twice before and after publishing
I type w/ 2 hands and I 'm guessing my fingers forget where the keys are.... its not my fault
Its never my fault !!



Thursday 11 June 2015

Wow ! What is Hidden

We get the Smithsonian channel on satellite.
Last night , the segment was on the topic of the origin of AIDS.
Prior to the show last night , my answer would have been - Africa , somewhere in the middle , circa 1975 - 85.
Yes , would be the general response , sounds reasonable.
Nope.
Try 1908 or so.
The virus can be traced to a forest site in northern Cameroon and a monkey tribe. This forest location is over a thousand miles from the city of Kinshasha , where it is believed the AIDS virus started its trek around the world.
But 1908 ?
The monkeys passed the virus to humans
At that time , natives were used as porters by the French and British
commercial interests. Forced to cover long distances , in less than sanitary conditions , their camps were breeding places for disease transmission.
As well , the native women were used in makeshift brothels by the Europeans and the siphyllis and venereal disease organisms brought by the Europeans resulted in open sores and a mechanism for easy AIDS infection in the porter population.
The disease worked its way south to relatively modern Kinshasha w/  international connections - the AIDS epidemic was born.

The weather is fine. Slight chance of rain overnight. Temperatures warm , UV index is high.

Thus , everything you didn't know about AIDS - and still don't want to know

What is round on the ends and high in the middle ?
Thnx for Mon and Tues

Wednesday 10 June 2015

Jello and Me

What kind of topic is this ?    Jello ?

Well , jello and fruit or gelatin and fruit , has become a mainstay and fallback snack and dessert. Op Osm is approaching the 1 year mark. Well , close. Its about a month away. The program has withstood Thanksgiving , Xmas and New Years  and 2 vacations Florida and UK. These listed occasions are typical fail points for weight loss and get fit attempts.
Thus , I need to work hard for a month to qualify for the 1 year ' stick at it ' award.
I'm not sure , how long is long enough before you celebrate success w/ this type of get fit program. Bu at this point  , 1 year seems pretty good
As to the benefits ...... we are still waiting for results

The weather turned sultry and then dangerous
Thuderstorm warnings preceded and post - ceded by tornado watches were the order of the day
By about 9 PM to - night the threat should end and the temperature drops and takes the humidity away

BTW - jello is protein / bit of sugar and no fat and no carbohydrate



Tuesday 9 June 2015

" Sunshine.....

gives me part of the flower 
Oh , baby "
maybe lyrics , from Stevie Wonder

Yes , the sun is shining
Thats good
Humidity  ???
We shall see said the Zen Master

Have a good'un
Y'all

What's a ' dunkel ' ?
Its a beer - lighter , less hoppy , dark - ish
I've had 2 kinds , Mon - Tues  afternoon and early afternoon
Plus a Pilsner


Monday 8 June 2015

Blame the Canucks

The ' G7 ' will meet to day and are expected to criticize our PM on the lack of Canadian effort in combating ' global warming '.
And its true , when you wait for the U.S. to take a stand on Global warming before you do anything , you are going to wait a while. We're a step behind and to the left ( maybe , right , w/ this PM )

The weather opened dreary and is still dreary and getting drearier
Clearing is expected but temperatures will be 70 F or above all day.
We will leave the A/C on , in case.
So far , we've needed heat more than air.

In the Mediterranean , there is a new definition of ' boat people '.
The Italian coastal services backed by European Union craft are saving thousands of Mid East and African escapees. Greece and turkey are overloaded w/ rescue efforts.
Amazingly , the overwhelming  factor in all of this , is not the mass of people trying to escape to Europe or close to Europe but the availability of boats. The economic downturn of the last 6 yrs has resulted in  many more idle boats. They can't have mine , its being used.

Hilary or not , is the battle cry for the Dems. The Republicans are in full self destruct mode , pre - pre - primaries. They've emptied the loony bin and now face , a quota  for media broadcasts.  Candidate numbers will be cut off at 10 ( as opposed to the 16 or so , claiming interest )
Do tell, GOP

Canadians are in awe of the array of political , sub - cultural and specialty people on offer for the Republicans. Crikey and all these types got elected somewhere , or most of them. 

Sunday 7 June 2015

Walk Like a ' Pharaoh '

... new dance in town , the ' Pharaoh ' 
see if you win the Triple Crown , they name a dance after you

As well , Canada beat China in women's soccer

Greece can't pay and no one is extending credit
Oh my !    ....the price of moussaka goes up

Weather , good day , now its raining ( 8:21 PM )

It was time
The once a decade car clean
Vacuum and soap.  The mats are cleaned and drying
The interior is vacuumed out
Junk was pulled out and put back organized
Much was tossed

Breakfast w/ an old school friend and this is not semantics , in any way
We are the same age - old and we've been friends since we were 13 yrs old  - nearly , 20 years now , old friends
We still exchange birthday gifts
This year , I received videos from the NFL archives for 1960 - 1963 , key games and play - offs

How was your day ?




Saturday 6 June 2015

Wadda U Think

stupid question
everybody has an opinion

In the news T.O. , city hall is discussing our east - west lakeshore arterial , called the Gardiner Xpressway. BTW . to some , express is not a word that they would use in reference to the Gardiner.

Two major higher speed multi lane arterials cross the city  E - W.
Across the top , we have the highway 401. In Ontario , the 400 series of numbers , denotes highways , all are 60 mph.

The Gardiner is elevated and blocks the  view of the lake and is also a physical barrier to development. The issue is whether to remove the eastern portion of the Gardiner.
Why ? better view and an eye to developing people friendly alternatives to the concrete

Why not ? are you crazy , drivers already tear their hair out waiting on the Gardiner   CARS RULE in this city
I must drive , get out of my way

My take : someone is going to make a mint on kickbacks if the Gardiner is taken down and a development goes in - the money is in the bank , now.
Traffic , no planner relying on government approval is ever going to build enough road space to satisfy drivers.
Kevin Costner said ' if you build it they will come '
I say " they are coming anyway , you'll never have enough '

Weather : its patio time for sure , dryer conditions and sun
Rain follows on Mon - Tues

Still waiting for the decision on my claim for the UK fender scraper incident
Cross your fingers but don't hold your breathe

' all you need is love , love '   the Beatles


Friday 5 June 2015

The Morning buzz

The boys are here , from the property service
Here's my version of the story
I was thinking condo - no outdoor work etc
Except , every place we went to see , would have estimates or actual costs of $ 400 for maintenance. Some condos , townhomes were already at $500 - 600 per month.
Since we travel , we got a lawn service that morphed into year round property care at $ 200 per month. Thus , the buzz

The service comes once a week , however , the people whose property backs the new airport to train station express train service hear the buzz or roar every 15 minutes. Its called the UP or Union - Pearson rapid train. The train costs approx $ 25 and takes 27 minutes.
Many cities have similar connectors and apparently ours seems expensive. I'd point out here that 27 min time is a miracle b/c by car 27 min is possible by breaking every traffic law and praying for no blockages anywhere 

M read that breathing the air near dead raccoon bodies can be harmful and is suggesting a mask when I try to remove the poop balls the rocc - ie left in the shed on the ' bee. The rocc - ie may have pooped himself to death in there.

Weather : sunny but starting to cloud over , warm and rain due maybe twice to - day. We'll cool down , some , over the week end

The group ' Milk Carton Kids ' has a song titled ' Michigan's in the Rearview Mirror , Now ' , which may be appropos shortly.

The bassboat is in the water. While , tending the lawn and monitoring the carp situation , I said  ' bring the batteries down from the house ' then I got the safety equipment , fire distinguisher and life-jackets ' And bango , Bob's your uncle and the boat was sliding into the water.
I should point out that the afternoon before , I did spend 30 minutes straightening out the marine railway rails. There where bumps in the top rail that would possibly grab the trolley wheels. The boat is stored inside a boathouse and rolls down by rail , trolley and winch into the water.
No probs ! The E-tec engine jumped to life , first turn of the key.
I ran upriver to Campbelltown and came home. Only difficulty was floating lumber and tree parts.    A sharp lookout by the captain ( me )saved possible collisions from happening.

Ahoy , there , mateys !

Keep your feet dry

P.S. remember this post entry , when later you hear me ranting about boat problems

Thursday 4 June 2015

Rocc - ies Tale

The BBC in England , wants ' cute ' anecdotal stories of our  ( Canadian '  )interaction  w/ roccus raccoonis or the raccoon. 
The little  ' f- ers ' raid our garbage bins drop their ' sh*t ' all over my deck but cute , give me a break.
To add to my list of ' hate ' , one goes and dies in my shed on the ' bee. I went looking for a watering can and found , yessir... a dead rocc - ie . I  heard the buzzing and thought ' hornets ? ' , ' oh no a hornet nest in the shed '.
Noper , a dead raccoon. long dead. Shovelled him up and into the bush.

As well, my interaction w/ wildlife extended to carp , the fish.
On the way to the 'bee , our usual stop is the pub , Porch and the Pint . we've never been on the porch but are familiar w/ the pint.
My lunch was the pork cutlet avec frites. I took the fries home to the 'bee.
next morning , I cut the fries into pieces and went to the dock. I threw a handful of fries into the water , put a frie on the hook and went to work , cutting the grass.
I looked and saw the rod bent and ran. The object swam around a marker and ten minutes later the hook popped free.
OK. More fries , and bait the hook. Trimming the grass , I noticed the rod bobbing and ran or stopped the mower and ran.
I set the hook and stood there as the fish took 40 yds of line. I saw that I was down to backing and started to reel back the line. For ten minutes , I stood and waited , called M to come down and help. I could tell that it was not going to be easy.
As the line got close , I started to guess 8lb ? , no , bigger , 10 lbs maybe ... and then he took another 10 yds ..... 15 lbs ??? 
The carp came into view .... 10 for sure.
I handed the rod over , peeled off socks and shoes and hopped into the shallows. Three tries later , I tossed the carp onto the deck.
The carp isn't the one w/ sunglasses.
catch another ? ... not a chance
tried again this morning

Apparently , rolling down your window to take photos is a no - no in S. Africa. A Vancouver based , film editor , was mauled as a mother lion reached in as the woman was taking snaps.

Weather : sunny , warm and going hotter
but the wind is cool and I'm happy


Here's to carp tossing
Alright !



Tuesday 2 June 2015

Nice House

Its the way to go Ohio - smart move or will be 

Weather : sun is out , still humid
We are on a warming trend
We've had the heat on for 2 days

Don't go boating on the Yangtze R in a storm , it seems
400 drowned give or take

M thanked me , for planning our Bath trip. Kind of her. She noticed how several ideas that I had suggested worked out , extremely well 

Please note that I did not suggest she fall and bump her cheek - she did that all on her own
but really , that was thoughtful of her , but thats her , too !

The dentist. Went for the check up and clean w/ the ' Driller ' , he found a crack tooth. complimented me on good oral hygiene and gums and said book a 40 min visit and we will bond the tooth.
Thanks , dude !

Hope you have your teeth , too


Monday 1 June 2015

All Will Be Revealed

...........  maybe

The story : I had a mishap while driving a rental car in England.
Prior to renting the car on line , I signed up for a ' stand alone ' policy for car insurance.
The cost was 30 GBP : this included ALL damage to the car , loss of use to me and Hertz plus health coverage up to 100 000 GBP for the driver.  I was required NOT to take any coverage offered by Hertz as part of  the stand alone insurance agreement.

Did all this , fought like a wounded animal at the rental counter to get them to accept that I was not using Hertz' insurance in particular and not using a credit card CDW either. Finally , the counter guy goes  " OK , we can do this "  Thank you muchly.

To my credit , I was firm and thoughtful - alright , maybe a little out of character - but the counter guy caved after ten minutes
Oh , the insurance waivers Hertz were selling were upwards from 12  GBP a day ( $22 Cdn )  close to 72 GBP for the rental period. and that was basic not premium 

I guess that I hit a post or object turning around in a car park ( English term ) - recall , says that I remember going up a little on turning in the car park. Real slow but I went up a bit.
I found the damage later when we stopped for a bite to eat and to rest.

For the first time , I opted to send all the forms and info via the internet. Scan and send. Very organized
BUT I cheaped out and sent what I thought was proof

NOPE , failed to prove a) that I declined the waivers from Hertz and b) its hard to tell from the forms what and where the damage is.
I mean the accident report that I sent says ' scratch '. However , prior to sending the forms , I remember saying to myself  ' how do they know where the damage is ? '
They don't.
Oops 
Now after , 2 phone calls , I recognize the error of my ways -- mea culpa , mea culpa ( says a Buddhist )

We shall see said the Zen Master

BTW : I've been over the car accident paragraphs about 3 times
proof reading and simplifying
If you can't figure out what I was saying - don't sweat it
But I tried , really

The gist of the story , Hertz or whoever else  ,does not sell insurance. Hertz can provide a damage claim waiver that reduces the amount that the renter is liable for.
However ,  unless you take Hertz' premium waiver coverage , the renter's liability could be $1 000 to 1 500. and even if you take the premium coverage , Hertz can claim loss of use for the vehicle while being repaired - and most CDW s don't cover this type of claim
Spooky , real spooky

However , I took the stand alone policy for protection against a major accident. Had to. The 130 GBP that I paid is way less than the deductible usually found w/ CDW ( even w/ the credit card ) 

Ah ,you bought , did you Ohio  !!!

A note here : Listening on the radio , oldies kind of station , the song was by Tracy Chapman. Went to YouTube and listened again. Great singer and songwriter. Alright , I'm a little slow to the dance
...she is good though - listen to ' Fast Car '

Weather : sunny , but cool still unsettled looking but shaping up nicely.