It Is What It Is

Rained all evening and all night. Boom, boom in the sky, etc. I won't have to put the hose on today. Going up to 25C/77F. Humidity will be higher. It's already sticky.

Took my wife to the bank yesterday. She has a pension from Germany so every year the bank has to tell them she is still alive. So, I was sitting in my van, reading on my Kindle, when I hear this loud scream beside me. I looked out and this woman says to me, "Oh, I'm sorry, wrong car." Wonder what gave me away.

Looks like Halifax has come into the big time. We now have the second-highest homicide rate in Canada. In Canada the rate is at its lowest in four decades. I was going for a walk, maybe I better stay home.

Something to laugh at. The Atlantic Superstore is selling Replicas of the schooner Bluenose made in China. First off, the spelled Lunenburg wrong, added a h to it. There is also no wheel, plus a number of other bo bos. Lunenburg is the town where it was built. They make a lot of movies and tv shows there. "Haven" is filmed there.

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Olympics

Tuesday. Temp 17C/63 F. Supposed to rain. Believe it when I see it.

The garbage can was tipped over last night. Must be that racoon I've seen before.

"LONDON (Reuters) - In the shadow of London's gleaming Olympic venues, a quiet battle is under way over who gets to cash in on the Games.

Olympic organisers have enforced strict rules to protect official trademarks, deploying about 250 uniformed "brand police" on the streets of the capital to ensure businesses do not piggyback off the world's biggest sporting event.
The rules are simple: no one outside a small band of official sponsors such as McDonalds or adidas is allowed to make a profit by creating an association with the Games.
London is buzzing with curious stories of those who have found themselves on the wrong side of the brand police such as a stall owner who was told off for displaying the London 2012 logo and a butcher in a town hosting sailing events who had to remove a sign showing the Olympic rings made from sausages.
On a quiet side-street within walking distance of the Olympic stadium where the Games open officially on Friday, a cafe called Olympic has had to paint over the letter "O" to comply with the rules."

There you have it. You can only make money if you have big bucks.

Time Flies

Time passes fast. I just noticed it has been a month since wrote in here. I'll attribute it to the lack of excitement in my life. I could mention I went to have bladder stones removed last week, second time. I didn't go to the hospital for fifty years and all of a sudden, in three years, I've had four endoscopyies, two prostate operations, two bladder stone removals, and I have three other minor things coming up this year. It seems they have a hold of me now and won't let me go.

Raining out today. We need the rain and I may have to cut the lawn by the end of the week. I like it better than shoveling snow.

Last week I saw this woman parked out in front of my house. It was about 7:30 in the morning. I thought she must be waiting for the guy across the street. She seemed to be having her breakfast and after she finished up, she drove away. So I guess she parked there to eat. It's not like I'm of the main road, you have to drive another street before you get to mine.

I have a case of beer from my brother having twelve different types. Grabbed one the other day and reefed on the top. Found out it wasn't twist off. That's why we have two hands, the wounded one holds the beer while the other uses a bottle opener.

Hunger Games

Warm today. 25C/77F. I won't be jumping the gun and put away the snow shovel. It's only March. Sat it's supposed to be 6C/43F.

The newspaper is filled with "Hunger Games." No difference than the time of the Roman Empire. Entertainment to keep the nincompoops occupied. I think there are three books, catering to teenage girls. As Col. Klink would say,"You vill vatch this movie and you vill enjoy it."

You know when you get those pictures called "Wal-Mart people?" This morning I was in Wal-Mart. My wife was looking for something while I sat and had a coffee. As I sat there watching everyone, I became a firm believer that there are Wal-Mart people.

I just read the other day that in Sweden they are doing away with paper money. As a point of interest, they were the first to have paper money. So, to get on the bus, you'll need a ticket, or use your cell phone to make a payment. And in church? in church you'll have to swipe your card. Seems to me that might take some time. Then again, how many feed the collection?



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What's a Fag?

The temp yesterday was 12C/52F. Almost spring eh? Today back to normal. -2C/28F.

The new book I am writing is about bootleggers, moonshine and murder. I've picked my hometown in Cape Breton as the scene. Not because it's full of bootleggers and moonshiners, it'd just because I know the area. I've put it in the 1950's and also use some of the slang of the time. Don't know if they still use it.

One of the slang words is fag. What is a fag? It's a cigarette. Someone would ask, "Hey, you got a fag," or "Hey, can you lend me a fag?" That was a popular one. Which leads me to say, when someone borrows something, they usually return it. How would you return a cigarette you've smoked?

In my last post I wrote about an alternate bus company. Bottom line - it was a farce. It sure did heat up the news and blogs for that day. Big excitement, like the Romans throwing another group of christans to the lions. It was even exciting the next day with all the "I told you so." Everyone seemed to know it was bull except the reporters.

Read an interesting item this morning. Iceland is considering dropping their Krona and using the Canadian Dollar. We are taking over the world and this is the first move. Americans send in armies, we'll just be nice. Which reminds me, we had this opportunity before, when the Turks & Caicos Islands asked us to take them over. We declined. We were just too nice to take over someone.

It would have been a good idea, our own place in the sun. Canadian money, Canadian laws and we would be ripped of by Canadians, not some foreigner.

BUS STRIKE OR BUST

Today it is -7C/19F. But tomorow it is supposed to be 12C/53F. Spring is getting here. All it takes is time.

The bus strike is still on, but you would never know it by the news. The strikers are certainly having a hard time keeping this one in front. They did get some help yesterday. A new bus service is planning to jump in and fill some of the gap. So they get their first bus yesterday and what happens? Vandals stroke to the tune of $10,000. Of course we know who is suspect there. As far as this being legitimate service or not is yet to know.

They have their own website at http://busstrike.weebly.com/3/post/2012/03/bus-strike.html
What I found most interesting about it was the comments. The first noticeable point I saw. Education was not a priority on the bus drivers resume. Of course I'm assuming these comments are from them. Perhaps I was swayed by the frequent use of the word "scab." I think the unions have this one word trademarked. Legitimate or not, it's a place for people to air their comments. If you read the comments you'll get the drift.

As in the comment I made, the bus service is actually a shuttle service, not unlike the one from the Holiday Inn to the airport. For some people this shuttle will work, even after the strike is history, going from point A to point B. Cheaper than a taxi and no stopping every five minutes.

The strikers continued antics keep putting them on the wrong side of the public. Open fires, setting up tents, stopping Access-a-Bus, stopping snowplows have helped to downgrade their support. Warm weather on the horizon is certainly not going to help. Information about the strike will float from the back pages to the Obituary Column.


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I just put this on Facebook, but I'll put it here too.

Okay, I've seen it all. At least up to this point. At this side of the bridge going to Halifax, there is a Bus Treminal. Out in front is a number of strikers carrying their placards, "On Strike, etc,etc."

 Walking on the sidewalk in front of them, and among them, is a man protesting the striking transit workers. His placard reads, "Taxpayer: Who do these transit workers think they are?"

 Strikers can't do anything. Public sidewalk, Lots of witnesses.

So, last month we got our new kitchen installed. Kent Hardware said it would cost $14,300.00. Whoa to that. Contractors are just middlemen, who get someone else to do it. Paying for nothing.I knew a guy who could do it. I did the electrical, he did the plumbing, and I helped him with the rest. The whole thing cost about $7,000.00. So that's it for the kitchen.

Next is laminate floors in the dining and living rooms. My son and I will do it. After that it will be a new bathroom. Hopefully, all done by summer.

Busy writing my second book. Two guys just out of high school, running moonshine. Using my home town as the background. Thinking of calling it, "Beer On the Rocks."

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