Time Machine

They will need a time machine in the future so they can come back to this era to find out what happened and then can put it in the history books.

Are kids cuter if their parents are Famous?

Christmas Lights

The other day I put the lights on my Christmas tree out front. It's about 6' high now. I used to have a tree out there that was about 20' high but it was blown over in a hurricane. 

Songs

I heard a song on the radio and my first thought was that this guy was desperate to find words that rhymed. The first stanza was " Howdy. Howdy. It looks like it's going be cloudy" The second stanza started, "Howdy. Howdy. I've got a dog named Rowdy." After that, I forgot to pay attention to the rest of the words. 

ICON

Watched the mini-series ICON written in 1996. Everyone had to be vaccinated against a virus.

Sweaters.

My Grandfather was a Rogers & I am like Mr. Rogers. I like sweaters with buttons. I suppose a zipper would be alright.

Btainwashing

 Brainwashing with COVID-19 soap

Reading

What am I reading these days? M.M.Kaye "The Far Pavillions", C.J. Box "Dark Sky", and Paul Doherty "Satan in St. Mary's".

 I think Startrek should be moved to the afternoon and classified as a soap opera.

Thanksgiving

Americans are kind of Thanksgiving crazy. The stress of a boot camp for a turkey dinner.

Temperature

 

When I woke up this morning the temp. was +1 C. I hesitate calling that a +

Electric Cars

Why all the push for electric cars? Consider this. The time it takes to charge an electric car can be as little as 30 minutes or more than 12 hours. This depends on the size of the battery and the speed of the charging point. Most of the models in the market have a driving range of less than 100 miles when fully charged. Charging an electric car is similar to charging a mobile phone; you top it up during the day if you need to and give it a full charge at home overnight. To do that, every parking lot and shopping center parking would need banks of charging units. A way out of this is that every car has to be its own solar panel with a continuous charge.  At this point in time electric cars are only feasible for city driving. It seems that it will take awhile for every driveway to have an electric car as the main mode of transport.

Protesters

Since world temperatures run in cycles, the protesters should be glad they won't be here for the ice age.

Married Couples

Sometimes you see couples together and the way they behave with each other and the way they act to each other, it's hard to imaging them having children together.  

Sold My Brass Coal Miner Statue on Kijiji

 

Sold it to a young man from Joggins. His grand-father was a coal miner and the town has a history of mining. He is going to put it in the Town Community Center.

The Squid Game

Watching the Korean Mini series 'Squid Game'. A violent copy of Survivor.

Sold my Gurkha Knife on Kijiji

 

Smart People

I know very few smart people. What I do know is a lot of people who think they are smart.

Sold my Moroccan Letter Opener on KiJiJi

 

Treadmill

 Did my walk this morning but on the treadmill. Too darn cold.

Old Age Pension

 

They say the elderly live on air. This is taken into consideration when they are granted a pension. 

Taxes

 You have to look at taxes as paying it forward.

Watching 'One Lane Bridge'. Good looking guard rails on that bridge.

True or False

In India they will not answer a question with the truth if a lie might serve better. Indian culture. Think about that when you are on the phone with them.

True North by Gary Eller

Gritty and sad. Be prepared for vivid living conditions of Indians, side by side with a white culture during and after the depression. It emphasises all the negative aspects of racism. Finding love in all the wrong places is a natural occurrence and its results are as expected. As we read we are flooded with the work ethic of the Indians which I find to be exaggerated although the living conditions have more than a hint of truth to it. 

I just saw an add for Zesty Insurance. That name just overwhelms me with confidence.

The New Mob

 

When you join others on Social Media to criticize someone or a group, you are part of the new mob. 

Tender Victory: A Novel by Caldwell Taylor

The title of this book should be "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished". The preacher has overwhelming kindness bringing five orphans from war ravished Europe but naïve for thinking that humanity can separate prejudice. Evil can rear its ugly head no matter where you are or under what circumstances. Expecting a warm welcome, he is surprised at the hatred he faces. A Pulitzer Prize winner with emotions that run overboard, sometimes to the extreme. A book suited for those who wear their heart on their sleeve.

Witches

They say there are no such thing as witches but I can tell you I've run into a few. 

Military Medals

 

Some Generals need an extra chest so they can wear all their medals.

Crown Royal

That Crown Royal ad looks like a boyfriend sucking up to her father. Happy face when he opens the door to a bottle. 

They say beauty is skin beep. I think it is more like make-up deep.

World War II

 

WW2 was a war between Germany and Russia who eventually won it. Europe was in the war because Germany needed their resources. The rest were in the war because they couldn't mind their own business. Young men went to war because they wanted the excitement of visiting Paris and going to the Follies Bergere and the Moulin Rouge. Now you don't need to read a book about the reasons for the start of the Second World War.

How we admire celebrities and public officials, even doctors. There is nothing admirable in stupidity and incompetence no matter what the job.

The Traveling Man (The Travelers #1) by Michael P. King

The Travelling Man is the second book in the series although the first one written. The con artists are a husband and wife team and the story takes place 20 yrs. after the first one. Still a team and still not trusting each other. They are ready to con one other and any passing mark, especially if the mark is dishonest. In this mode of operation they usually make more enemies while putting their lives in danger. The book is fast paced from beginning and throughout the story. To con is their way of life and they are not above murder to fill their pockets and keep them out of jail. 

Sign of the Cross

 When you watch baseball games you see  a lot of players bless themselves but you never see this at wrestling marches.

A Film Noir

You often hear of a film noir or a book noir. Well yesterday I had a breakfast noir, my bread got caught in the toaster.

ABC NEWS

I watched ABC NEWS last evening and was surprised to see that they had a number of news worthy articles.

Electric Generator on KIjiji

Yesterday was garbage day and I noticed that my neighbor across the street had thrown out an electric generator. So I skipped over to have a look at it. Of course it looked rough. The owner came out and told me its problems which didn't interest me. I told him I would put it on Kijiji and sell it for $20.00. He helped me drag it over to my place. Quite heavy. I put it up for sale and an hour later a guy put a hold on it and said he would be here the first thing in the morning. He was here at 7:40 and off it went. I am going to give $10.00 to my neighbor. I don't like seeing stuff like that being thrown out. Someone might be able to fix it or use it for parts. 

Edge of Eternity (The Century Trilogy, #3) by Ken Follett

I am always glad to read a Follett epic, this one especially so since I lived through most of it and the events are familiar. To tell the story, he has taken the characters, their relatives, acquaintances and ancestors and woven it into the fabric of world changing and everyday events. I have a better understanding of the period when all the events are tied together. It is unfortunate that his political leanings sometimes take precedence over unbiased writing. At times his writing slipped into the area of  descriptive porn which was unnecessary. 

Pulitzer Prize

 

I don't think you read Pulitzer prize winning books for pleasure.

Traitors of Rome (Eagle #18) by Simon Scarrow

 Another saga in the lives of Cato & Marco. For the most part it is two concurrent stories. The book seems to have taken on the appearance of a diary as far as the actions of Cato is concerned. Marco on the other hand has come more to the forefront, bringing out his finer points. It is almost like introducing a new character and a way of prolonging the series. Marco can now take on a life of his own. 

COVID - 19

 If it had been up to me, we wouldn't have had any lockdown. It would have been masks, social distancing, vitamin D, exercising and hand washing. By now it would be all over.  

Darkest Corners of Texas (An Al Quinn Novel Book 7) by Russ Hall

 I started reading this book and the first three chapters were all about his dog. I felt that the author was having trouble finding a story and was dragging this part out. Reading farther along, I got the impression that everyone carries a gun. In pockets, purses and tucked into their belts. I've been to Dallas and never saw a pistol tucked into anyone's belt. It is not a style of writing that I like so I never finished the book. 

I can't understand why people doing a review have to do a summary. You can find that on the back of the book. Probably it's to make the review appear longer. In a lot of reviews that I have read I have noticed that the actual review might be only one or two sentences. If so, let the review be one or two sentences. It's a waste of time reading the synopsis over and over. A rant, after reading the reviews of all seven books.

Coffee Trees

Climate change is altering temperatures around the globe. That includes California and Florida, where farmers and researchers are looking at growing coffee.

Giant Leap for Mankind

 So far this government has given us Marijuana, Abortions and Euthanasia, what will be our next leap for mankind?

Election in Russia this weekend. 98% voted for Putin. The other 2% spelt his name wrong.

Persecution

 If we are given the same opportunities or excuses as in the time of Hitler, Mussolini or |Communist countries, we would do exactly the same thing. This pandemic proves that. We are willing to fall behind our leaders and persecute a minority, whatever they are. 

Winter Territory (Get Jack Reacher, #2) by Scott Blade

 This is a Reacher story that one could mistake for a young Jack Reacher although he might appear a bit naïve and immature. The series is an attempt to copy the style of Lee Child but falls short. At times the sentences are short and sharp but for the most part they revert to normal information. Parts of the story are inconsistent, the author forgetting former remarks. Some sentences are just plain silly while others are absurd.

Ancestors

 

When you think about all the wars, diseases and tribulations our ancestors have gone through, it is simply mind boggling that we are here.

Sleeve Tattoo

 I see people with sleeve tattoos and it looks like one big smear to me.

Italian TV Shows

Been watching some Italian TV series lately and I'm glad I didn't marry an Italian. Every man seems to have a mistress and every woman seems to be someone's mistress.

When I get up in the morning I smell my face soap to see if I have COVID.

The Double Cross (The Travelers #0.5) by Michael P. King

This is a story of a con man and his student and the training involved for the purpose of taking revenge on his former partners. It looks like the first book in the series but it is actually the fifth book written. I didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. It was non stop action with a bit of violence. Since it is the fifth book and practice makes perfect, I am hoping the first books are just as good. 

Midshipman Bolitho and the Avenger (Richard Bolitho, #2 by Alexander Kent

The second in the Bolitho series. Home on a short leave, Bolitho is suddenly called back to serve on a small ship where his brother happens to be Captain. You would expect rivalry between the two brothers but that doesn't happen. This seems to break away from what usually happens in these kind of stories. This is the only surprise as the story falls into the type that I have seen a dozen times, a routine story with a lack of imagination.

It's pretty sad when the only worthwhile channel on TV is the weather channel

Seen Justin Bieber on TV. Still dresses like an idiot.

Chinese Cultural Revolution 2.0

Have you noticed the blank spots on store shelves? Things are getting scarce. If you are buying for Christmas, you should do it now. Things are really going to get scarce. China has started the Cultural Revolution #2. Years back the country was destitute, everyone starving and poor. At that point they decided to let in Capitalism. We went in and our money built their factories, their infrastructure and their military. Now they are far enough ahead and no longer need us. Time to take on the west. 

They are doing away with all forms of decadence, movie stars, pop stars and some billionaires have disappeared. They have already started closing down factories. And of course they sent us the virus which has yet to come to full bloom.

Our political leaders are really dumb and our Captains of industry are so greedy. The factories are all gone and they can't be built overnight. We can't build a darn thing.

Saw a film yesterday telling us that the U.S. government is offering farmers 1 1/2 times the value of their crops if they destroy them. If they don't, they won't be getting subsidy payments next year. Trying to create a food shortage? Somebody has sold out to somebody. 

The NEWS broadcasters spend most of the TV hours talking about the virus. Telling us every possible combination of patients, one province after the other, hours and hours, determined to scare the shit out of us. Except for forest fires or floods, you don't know one other thing that is going on. Riots in France, protests in England and don't even think about Australia. We are all in deep shit and you are to blame. 

My 9/11

On that day, I was at work at the airport watching the screens in the Security Control Office. My son called me from Florida where he was at work and told me to turn on the TV. Then seeing the twin towers, I called my boss who was head of security and told him to look. A few minutes later the airport was in lockdown and all the planes started arriving. 

The strange thing is that this was my last day at work before my vacation. The next morning I was flying out to Florida to visit my son. I would be at  Newark airport at 09:30. A day earlier and I would have seen the attack. Can you just imagine me among the hundreds trying to rent a car. 

Lie Down With Lions by Ken Follett

 This a love triangle with a background of the Afghan war, further complicated wit the men on opposing sides. It is well written with exceptional work on the lives of women in an Afghan village where our main character uses her wiles to survive. I did get tired with the continual emphasis on breast feeding. This was the least of my problems, when half-way thru the book I thought it had changed to a porn novel. I found this section an unnecessary addition to the book. The story seemed to have lost its purpose. After that wasted section the book was back on track with a great ending. 

The Afgan war is on a respite