Bob's Blog

Good News

2012-01-20T11:13:00.000-05:00

Picking up the on-going cogeco story from my last post:

Last Tuesday a service tech installed a new cable box & for the last 3 days our internet usage has dropped to almost nothing - YES!!

This morning I called cogeco to see about getting compensation for our expenses - over $400 so far.
A very nice lady (Julie) from billing informed me that our file was with the supervisor (Peter) I had talked to last week & that Peter was scheduled to call us next Tuesday to review the problem with us. By that time we will have gone a week with the new box & cogeco will have sufficient data to process our file.

Hopefully they are apologetic for all that has happened not defensive but you never know.

Finally

2012-01-16T13:23:00.000-05:00

This morning I actually got through to a supervisor at Cogeco!!

Had to threaten some poor girl in billing with cancelling our service to do it but I did it.

Found out that their engineering dept. did look into our problem - it would have been nice if they had actually communicated that to someone but whatever.

It turns out that there is not a problem with our line - no one is using our IP or MAC address without our knowledge.

The only thing they can think of to do now is to switch out our cable box which may be sending erroneous signals back to them - so they are doing that tomorrow.

The supervisor promised to monitor the situation & call back in a week to see how things are going.

If this doesn't work I think we will cancel Cogeco & get new providers for TV, phone & internet.

I hate computers !!

2012-01-14T12:11:00.000-05:00

We have been plagued with very high internet usage over the last 3 or 4 months.

We pay for 80 GB per month which should be quite enough since neither of us download movies or music and rarely watch TV on-line. Last October we used almost 250 GB & since then have averaged 120 GB or so.
We pay $1.50 for each extra GB to a max of $50. So far about $100 in excess usage fees.

Cogeco suggested someone must have gotten into our wireless network so we changed both the name & password ($30 since we wanted it done quickly & neither of us knew how to do it) but still high usage.

We then took the wireless router completely out & had only Marion's desktop connected directly the internet - still high!!

We ran a couple of days with just the laptop connected then just my old computer - still high.

The techs at Cogeco then suggested we must have a virus in all 3 computers & this diagnosis was confirmed by a couple of computer guys we talked to so we took both of Marion's computers to the shop & had them cleaned up ($200). My computer was an old used model we bought about 18 months ago so rather than clean it up we just replaced with another used cpu ($100).

Still high usage !!

The latest idea is that someone out there has our IP address & is using it to do whatever people like that do.

Cogeco techs tell us changing the IP address on our account is very difficult & they don't want to do it but they suggest that if we changed our residential account to a business account then we would get a new IP address. This would cost an extra $7/month but we would get 120 GB per month usage with no charge if we exceed that (wonder why they say 120 GB per month then??).
According to them the biggest change for us would be that our e-mail addresses would end in ".net" instead of ".ca".

Right now we see low internet usage on Tuesday followed by high days Wednesday & Thursday then another low day on Friday.

We will watch our usage over the weekend & if there are any high usage days then I think we'll do the business thing on Monday but the way things are going I think I'll keep my credit card ready for the next suggested remedy :)

Busy Day

2012-01-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

I spent most of the morning chopping turkey, onions, carrots, celery, turnips & potatoes for Marion.

She made 2 turkey pies, a pan of jeweled turkey squares & a huge pot of turkey soup.

After making all those & then having turkey sandwiches for lunch neither one of us felt like turkey anything for supper so we decided on Chinese.

We ordered from South Pacific & although it was alright it wasn't the Far East in Niagara Falls.

We always get their house specialty chicken (for Marion) & beef in black pepper sauce (for me) & just have not been able to find anything close around here.

So I guess we will continue to visit the Falls whenever we feel like Chinese food.

New Year

2012-01-02T12:18:00.000-05:00

I started using some of my Christmas presents this morning !!

Filled out some dates for January in my monthly planner.
Maybe I'll start to carry it everywhere so if someone wants to get together I can check my calendar first :)
Sounds kind of old school though - maybe since its 2012 I should upgrade my phone so I can get "an app" for that.

Worked on the first two puzzles in my mensa puzzle calendar - for the record Jan 2nd was easy but Jan 1st involved some trickery I would have thought mensa people to be above :)

Last night we had friends over for a turkey dinner - looking forward to leftovers today!!
One problem with going to one of the kid's houses for Christmas is that you have no leftovers.

Progressive Dinner

2011-12-19T22:25:00.000-05:00

Last Friday we attended our first progressive dinner - we really enjoyed ourselves.

There were about 20 of us & we stopped at five different houses. We started with soup, then a stop for appetizers, then one for salads, then a stop for ham & perogies, winding up with coffee & desserts.

Neat part was that over half the group were new to Community and two of the host families are new as well.

At the salad stop we couldn't find a parking spot close so dropped the girls off & went around the corner to park the car. When I got back to the house I was welcomed in by the hostess. I didn't recognize her but knew that some new folk were hosting so I introduced myself & went in. I was surprised that some much of the food laid out on the table was gone & thought everyone must have gone through like a plague of locus.

A greater surprise was when the hostess wanted to know if I wanted red or white wine. I was thinking about this while I walked into the family room to join the group.

Imagine my shock when I realized I didn't know a soul in the room - it seemed I had walked into the wrong party.

I quickly backtracked & profusely apologized to the hostess (who was very gracious & even invited me back if I couldn't find my own party) and beat a hasty retreat.

I think it will be quite awhile before I live this one down.

Terrible Accident

2011-12-13T12:31:00.000-05:00

There was a terrible accident at my computer desk this morning!!

I knocked over my Lanherne Cross

which then fell into my candy pooping reindeer

which in turn fell into my tacky statue of Jesus

I'm sorry to report than Jesus did not survive the fall :(

New Car

2011-12-11T21:17:00.000-05:00

our new 2012 TSX
the lease on the TL wasn't due until April but we stopped at Hamilton Acura to have a quick look at the new models & they made us an offer we couldn't refuse.
we had a 2004 TSX & it was my favourite car to drive - it just felt comfortable
this one has the same feel to it.

Pension

2011-12-08T12:47:00.001-05:00

Feeling old this week.

Service Canada sent me an application for old age pension !!

They let you apply 11 months before your 65th birthday.

Maybe some folk are excited about the prospect of turning 65 but I'm not one of them.

Nothing really happens as far as I'm concerned - my pension from work drops by the amount of my old age pension so I'm no better off financially - just another year older.

Movember

2011-11-30T18:32:00.000-05:00

It's gone !!

I promised Marion I would shave it off for our anniversary so now I look like this again.

Our Community Church group has raised over $3,000 so far though - Yeah for us!!
It is mainly thanks to 2 guys, but hey its one for all & all for one - right??
My stach raised over $100 so thanks to all those who contributed.

Counterfeit

2011-11-27T16:00:00.001-05:00

We had a first this afternoon !!
A counterfeit $5 bill.
The clerk at Lococo's seemed to notice something as soon as she touched the bill & after checking it out under her ultraviolet light informed us we had a bogus $5 bill.
She showed us what our bill did under the ultraviolet light (nothing) & then the holograms that show up on a real bill.
Very cool technology.
Now I have a counterfeit $5 bill to show everyone - that may be worth $5.

Komoka

2011-11-19T10:07:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday evening I was part of a group that removed everything from a small PAOC church in Komoka just outside of London. We moved everything: (pews, chairs, sound equipment, pulpit, books) if it wasn't part of the building we tossed it onto the truck.

Kind of sad to see a church shut down & the building sold, Although quite small, it was very clean & well maintained - someone was proud of their building & who it represented.

Quite a long night though.

We left Waterdown at 5:30 & I got back home about 2:30.

Our journey took us first to Paris where we picked up a cube van & a trailer, then it was off to Komoka.
After loading everything up we then went from Komoka to Braeside Camp where we unloaded everything.
Then it was back to Paris to return the van & trailer before finally heading homeward.

Good thing about an evening like that is getting to know a couple of the guys better. A better environment than a church meeting to actually know the real person.

At least I am retired & got to sleep in the next morning - everyone else had to get up for work the next day :)
Except Jason, who I don't think ever got to bed - after dropping me off at my car around 2 AM he went back to Paris to comfort a family in distress. He got home around 5:30 & I know he had a 6:30 breakfast meeting.

Good Day

2011-11-18T00:39:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those days that builds up your faith.

At our weekly prayer meeting this morning we got a report that a situation we have been praying into at every meeting since we started in August had improved greatly this week & the family involved can now see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Marion & I were in the prayer room tonight at church & had two people come in for prayer: the first was a young boy who came in to let us know that a problem we had prayed with him 3 or 4 months ago about had been completely healed.

The second was a woman who told us that she thought God was asking her to find a family at church who were going to spend Christmas alone & invite them to spend Christmas with her family. Amazing because at the morning prayer meeting we asked
God to give Community a spirit of hospitality over the holiday season.

Correction it was a Great day.

Formal Wear

2011-11-12T16:26:00.000-05:00

We are off to a wedding reception at 5 & we have just discovered that I don't have any suits that fit anymore.

Many moons ago I used to go to churches where you had to wear suits & I always had a variety to wear - not any more :)

The last time I wore a suit to church was when we went to the last service the Baptists had at King St Baptist before Crossfire purchased the building.

My grey suit is huge - if the pants came up any higher I wouldn't need a shirt :)

My black jacket & grey pants still fit but Marion says I can only wear them together if I am going to the Legion.

So I'm off in a shirt & tie paired with a nice pair of pants - no jacket.

I hope no one dies until I have a chance to freshen up my wardrobe.

Reading

2011-11-12T13:44:00.000-05:00

I downloaded "The Pastor" by Eugene Peterson yesterday from the library.
Its been on my wish list for awhile now & was finally available.

I've never been much of an "under liner" but I am seriously thinking about getting a paperback copy of this book so I can do some underlining :)

I'm only about 80 pages in (out of 335) but it is obvious- the man can write.

Birthday

2011-11-08T00:13:00.000-05:00

Great birthday.

My oldest granddaughter stopped by on her way back to Niagara Falls, joined us for lunch at Tuckers Marketplace and then spent the rest of the day with us.

A great birthday surprise.

More CCP

2011-10-21T12:51:00.000-04:00

This morning Marion & I received quite detailed letters from Service Canada telling us exactly how pension sharing works & what our respective pensions would be.

Very informative & well laid out but unfortunately arriving two weeks after the first cheques :)

Turkey

2011-10-18T19:21:00.001-04:00

Marion cooked a small turkey for dinner with friends last Friday, meaning that we had warmed up turkey dinner on Saturday & a bunch of left over turkey in the fridge.

On Monday we made turkey soup & a couple of turkey pies then today we made jewelled turkey squares.

Marion's mother used to make jewelled turkey squares after Thanksgiving & Christmas & the whole family loved them. Unfortunately Mom remembered we all loved them but over the years she forgot how to make them :) Every year it seemed they got smaller & more tasteless but every year she kept inviting us in because she knew how much we all enjoyed them.

Anyway Marion found the original recipe (which it seemed her mother never bothered to consult) a couple of years ago & yes we really do love them.

Although Marion & I have always shared the cooking duties in the home usually only one of us is in the kitchen at one time - we don't often cook together.

The last couple of days we have & its been a lot of fun but its amazing how different our styles are:)

A CCP Tale

2011-10-05T11:49:00.000-04:00

Now that I am fully retired I recently applied for CCP.

The user friendly Service Canada website told me approx. what my monthly pension would be & walked me through the on line application process.

A follow up phone call to Service Canada resulted in me talking to a very helpful lady who let me know that my application had been received & was somewhere in the process. She could tell me there were no flags on my file (good news) but couldn't tell exactly where in the process my application was.

I got a letter today (Tuesday) confirming my application was successful but telling me that my monthly deposit would be only about 2/3 of what I thought it was going to be.

Shocking news !!

It was too late in the day to call & get an explanation so this would have to sit until the next day.

Marion had watched me get into my Service Canada account & thought it may be useful to have so she decided to set up her own - a process that went fairly smoothly.

Once her account was set up we discovered that the amount of her monthly pension had gone up by exactly the same amount of money mine was missing :)

It turns out that I had requested income sharing with Marion on my application, figuring that at income tax time it may be useful. What I didn't know & what Service Canada didn't bother to tell me in their letter was that the income sharing would be done monthly.

A little more explanation on their part would have been greatly appreciated :)

Hmmmm

2011-10-03T13:31:00.000-04:00

In going through the study notes for Crazy Love I came across these words from G.K. Chesterton:

A child kicks its legs rhythmically through excess, not absence of life.
Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit, fierce & free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged.
They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead.
For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony.
But perhaps God is strong enough....
Is it possible that God says every morning, "Do it again," to the sun
and every evening "Do it again", to the moon.
It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike: it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them.
It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned & grown old, and our Father is younger than we.

New Small Group

2011-09-27T10:36:00.001-04:00

Tonight is the first night of our Crazy Love small group.

When we went to church on Sunday we had 8 people (counting us) signed up - perfect we thought, just the right number.

But it seems like my fellow christians don't like to commit too early to these things so we have had 6 more people announce they are coming & at least 5 more are thinking about it !!

We have belonged to a couple of churches that were smaller than that :)

So we will have at least 14 people jammed into Brent & Lindsay's living room tonight - the good news is they have 15 chairs :)

A good mix though in that they range in age from 20 something to late 60's, there are some who have been at Community for awhile & some who have just started attending. Some are life long christians & some are fairly new believers. I don't think they even know each other all that well - certainly Marion & I don't know most of them all that well :)

Looking forward to it - anyone know any good ice breakers ??

Birthday

2011-09-21T09:47:00.002-04:00

This morning I am wondering where the little girl in the "I love my grandpa" picture frame on my desk went.
Yesterday was her 18th birthday so last night we picked her up from Niagara College & took her out for dinner.
Although we have shared many of her birthdays with her this was the first time with just her - no family thing just the three of us.
It seemed strange listening to this adult talk about college & her life - I kept picturing her in those little Oskosh outfits Marion used to buy,

She has grown up well it seems - Good Job Chris & Bob !!- but way too quickly :)

Customer Service

2011-09-20T12:36:00.001-04:00

We are switching our tv over to cogeco from satellite this week - since our internet & phone are with cogeco already we can save some money by bundling all of our services with one provider.

Anyway I called Shaw this morning to cancel our service & was greeted with the always friendly " all of our agents are currently servicing other clients but your call is important to us so please stay on the line and we will get to you as soon as possible".

But then another friendly voice offered me the opportunity to leave my phone number & Shaw will call me when an agent is available & they promise I will not lose my place in line.

So now I'm waiting for a call back - better than being on hold I guess but is it really good customer service ??

Shaw is saying "we know we have a large volume of calls coming into our call centre but rather than hire more agents to service you quickly we purchased software so you won't have to wait on hold but you are still going to wait".

How important is my call to them ??

On Friday we were in the LCBO to pick up some wine. Once we made our choice we made our way to the check out line. Only one till was open with at least 6 people waiting to check out so the teller pushed a buzzer which rang rather loudly through the store, letting othe clerks on duty know they were needed at the front.

A clerk sitting at a desk near the front yelled over " I heard you & I'll be there as I finish this" then she went back to doing whatever she was doing totally ignoring all the customers waiting in line.

After a few minutes still more people joined the line and the lone clerk buzzed his buzzer again causing the sitting agent to respond "I told you I'd be there when I finished this !!"

She continued to finish whatever she was doing all the time ignoring us but verbally berating the other clerk.

When she finally finished her very important task, she walked over to a till and announced "I'm open here", But everyone in line kind of looked around at each other. Each of us thinking "no, it's OK you can go through her line". None of us wanted any of the abuse she had given the other clerk.

Finally she announced " its OK - I don't bite" & a few hardy souls crept carefully over to her till.

Yet another shining example of customer service :)

Very Funny Video

2011-09-13T21:43:00.002-04:00

Check out the other soulpunchproductions videos on YouTube.

Just Not Right

2011-09-05T10:03:00.000-04:00

We went for a ride out toward Lake Erie on Saturday.

As we went through Selkirk I noticed this sign on one of the store fronts:

TOWN & COUNTRY FOODS
       LCBO
       BEER STORE
       FIREWORKS

Is it just me or does this seem like a bad combination ??

I always thought Selkirk was famous for its annual "Gas Fest" (you just can't make stuff like this up) but I'm thinking they may also have some exciting, if unplanned, fireworks displays as well.

The Help

2011-09-02T22:45:00.000-04:00

We went to see The Help this afternoon - really good movie.

To be honest I was expecting a major chick flick but was surprised.

When you look back at the late 50's & early 60's you wonder how people could have treated blacks like that.

I wonder what thing we think of as normal, people 50 years from now will consider barbaric.

Blues

2011-08-27T22:30:00.000-04:00

Here's a my new favourite blues guitar guy.

Church

2011-08-27T12:02:00.000-04:00

I've been struggling with "why we do church the way we do".

It has bothered me for a long time but probably got stirred up again with a book called "Jim and Casper Go To Church" in which the atheist (Casper) asks the pastor (Jim) why all the different churches they visit have basically the same format - worship/offering & announcements/sermon. Jim really doesn't have a good answer.

It seems lately I have been struck with what a creative imaginative God we serve (3,000 different types of trees in one square mile of the Amazon forest, 228 muscles in the neck of a caterpillar, views of the universe with more galaxies, stars & planets than I can comprehend) and yet we have one basic style of service.

Why do we do what we do??
Why do we have to have worship every week??
Why does worship have to consist of a certain number of songs - starting off with a faster paced song with the songs slowing in pace as we progress through worship??
Why can't we have an entire service of worship sometimes ??
Why does every church need live music - even if their musicians & singer completely suck ??
Why can't we use recorded music by excellent musicians ??
Why do we need a sermon every week ?? Especially if we never think about it once we leave the building.
Why does each pastor need to come up with a sermon each week ?? Why can't we use recorded sermons by gifted speakers ??
Why don't we do things the way Paul instructed the Corinthians - where it seems like everyone was supposed to contribute to the service ??
Some of these things would make it difficult to run kid's programs & such but are kid's programs what we are really there for ??

I know people have certain expectations of church services & would be upset if they weren't met but maybe we should upset these people.
Church was never meant to be christian entertainment.
Maybe we make it too easy for people, maybe we should challenge people to bring something to the service instead of being spectators.

I sit sometimes & wonder "am I the only one who feels like this??"
Why do I want to ask some people "why do you even come ??"

Trouble is I just have questions & don't know the answers but I do think more people should be examining scripture, asking questions & stirring things up.

BBQ

2011-08-19T10:33:00.000-04:00

I came home yesterday to find my BBQ laying face down on the walkway beside the house.
Apparently one of the legs had just rusted out & gave way causing the thing to topple over.
Its about 10 years old & cast iron so it was all I could do to get it back up on its three remaining legs.
Its sitting there now with a brick as its 4th leg & I'm wondering when one (or more) of the other 3 legs will go.
Problem is we really don't use it much any more - maybe 3 or 4 times - since we bought this http://www.nuwaveovencanada.com/ a couple of years ago.

Any one know what to do with an old heavy three legged BBQ??

Pluckers

2011-08-18T15:23:00.000-04:00

Our new favourite restaurant is Pluckers Wing & Crab Shack on Plains Road in Aldershot. (no website that I could find).
Great wings - huge with a variety of sauces.
The salads are wonderful & different than what you find elsewhere with dressings made fresh & on-site.
The crab & spinach dip was amazing.
We haven't tried anything else but everything we've seen delivered to other tables looks good.
Not the cheapest of places but well worth the price.

Festival

2011-08-16T18:39:00.000-04:00

Community is hosting a festival in Memorial Park in Waterdown on Sunday Sept, 11.

There will be a 9/11 memorial, a short service then all kinds of festival stuff - bouncing rides, food, candy floss (yes, we have our own candy floss machine how cool is that?), road hockey & who knows what else.

Anyway after church Sunday we had a meeting to brainstorm some ideas - after a short presentation Jason had us break into smaller groups to discuss various aspects of the festival.

We had a table for food, another for promotion, another for games and another for set up & tear down.

I thought I would wander over the the promotion table (the largest group BTW) - it seemed the best to me.
No real work to do on the day of the festival & if by chance you do actually come up with a great idea you can say it came from the HS :)
That way everyone will know how spiritual you are & if the idea turns out to be bad it really wasn't yours anyway (win-win)

But on my way to the promotion table I saw Barry sitting all by himself at the set up table - so I sat with him & it seems like we will be very busy that entire weekend.

Oh well - the promotional group probably wouldn't have liked my idea anyway - even if it was HS inspired :)

Locke Street

2011-08-13T10:43:00.000-04:00

Marion & I spent a nice couple of hours yesterday afternoon wandering up & down Locke Street.

We had originally intended to have lunch at IL Fiasco's but it is closed until Aug 16th (on vacation I guess) so we wound up at the West Town Bar & Grill instead.

Enjoyed a great lunch - the red pepper soup was quite good. The soup came with Marion's lunch but I got to eat it because "soup during the summer just doesn't seem right". So I gladly shared my onion rings for a bowl of homemade soup :)

Great little shops & antique stores - we both commented that we had driven further to little tourist towns that offered less than Locke Street does.

Dennis Miller

2011-08-06T20:22:00.000-04:00

I caught Dennis Miller on Leno the other night - forgot how much I enjoy his humour.

He said he was invited to the opening of the Air & Space Museum in Washington DC but noted that he thought it was misnamed - because it was filled with all sorts of stuff.

Getting Ready

2011-07-26T20:25:00.000-04:00

We have spent the last week or so getting our house ready to sell.

According to my wife the house must be in prefect shape before it can hit the market.

So we have:

painted the shutters to match the new garage door (white)
put a new vent on the front of the house (actually the neighbour did this - its really really high & I don't do high)
painted the front railing
sanded, stained & varnished the upstairs hallway & the stairs
painted the security bars on the basement windows

Tomorrow I have to put another coat of varnish on the stairs & then start painting the exposed cement below the bricks around the house.

It hit me earlier today that if Marion changes her mind about selling the house I will have finished almost all the things that have been on my "to do" list for quite awhile now.

Hmmmm

Condo Hunting

2011-07-18T22:00:00.000-04:00

Exhausting day today.

We saw 10 condo units - some very nice some not so much :)

Units downtown were disappointing - most were older, a little shabby, with very high condo fees.
The exception was on Queen St - a nice apartment with a beautiful view of downtown from the 17th floor.

Would it be ironic if after being involved in a downtown church while living in the burbs we moved downtown after switching to a church in the burbs ??

We really liked a couple of buildings on the mountain on Limeridge near Garth - newer units with reasonable condo fees.

Now I guess the next step is to list our house - once we do that we are committed & we want to be really sure before taking that step :)

Condos

2011-07-11T08:57:00.000-04:00

We have been looking at condos recently - seriously thinking about downsizing.

We both like the house we have now but it is a two story with a basement that houses the TV room & laundry room which means constantly going up & down stairs & we aren't getting any younger.

There are some nice condos in Burlington with reasonable condo fees & taxes (Burlington taxes are much lower then Hamilton's). Plus we would only be 15 minutes from the church. Getting to Waterdown from Stoney Creek is a major pain :(

We were sitting in the dining room last night looking around & wondering what we would have to get rid of to move to a 1100 sq. ft. condo. The answer was "lots"!!

Right now for example we have three computers for two of us !!
Pretty sure my computer would have to go but how willing will Marion be to share one of hers with me ?? I'll probably have to negotiate computer time during slow times at the farms & cafes :)

Then because the unit we saw yesterday (and really liked) was decorated with funky modern furniture you wonder if your stuff would look good there.

As I write this I'm in the basement wondering if I could really live where the entire apartment is not a whole lot bigger than where I'm sitting now.

Think I could - a TV, e-reader, lap top & a comfy chair are all I really need & they don't take up much space :)

Birds

2011-07-09T11:02:00.000-04:00

We have had a second batch of robins hatched in our porch this year.

I have no idea if it was the same mother bird or if another family took over the nest after the first birds left - all robins look pretty much the same to me :)

This morning I was having coffee & reading the paper on the porch when the three baby birds took their maiden flight!!

What a commotion !! The mother & all the kids left the nest at the same time - wings flapping madly & all four of them chirping like crazy.

One on them almost landed on Zoe's head & in the strain of a quick course correction left a rather large dropping right between her front paws (could have been worse, I guess)

The three babies spent about 20 minutes flying short trips from our roof to the tree out front to the neighbour's roof & then back to our roof all the time loudly chirping away to the mother bird who seemed to be flying "shotgun" over the whole operation.

Now I guess I can clean all the bird droppings off the front porch - it seems that when the mother bird brought food to the nest she often felt the need to relieve herself :)

Weeds

2011-07-05T10:38:00.000-04:00

I was noticing last night that I have to weed my front flower bed soon.

I am wondering why in the dim past someone decided that the things that will grow anywhere under almost any circumstances without our help were bad but the ones that have to be coddled & aided at every stage of their development were good ??

Sorry, in thinking about the serious gardeners I know, I may have answered my own question :)

Anyway it occurred to me this morning how much weeds in the flower garden are like sin in our life.

No matter how many wood chips you cover the ground in - weeds will always pop through. Just like our lives - no matter how we try to cover things up sin will always work its way through.

The other thing I have noticed is that there are some weeds that grow by themselves & are easy to notice & pull up but the really bad weeds like to grow right next to the flowers so that in order to completely pull them out you may have to pull up the flower as well. Sin in our life may be like that was well - entangled in something we love so that we put off doing anything about it because doing so may damage what we love.

Police Cruiser

2011-06-27T21:41:00.000-04:00

We decided to go to St. Jacobs this afternoon to get some more WOW sauce.
WOW sauce is creamy horseradish with wasabe sauce mixed in - great stuff.

Anyway just as we were getting off the 403 a police car pulled in behind me.
Going down toward Copetown he stayed right behind me & I drove along at exactly the limit. He followed me almost all the way to Cambridge - I finally put the cruise control on to stay at the speed limit :)

Since getting pulled over for speeding on the way to church last month (he let me off) I have been very careful.

When he finally did pass me imagine my frustration while I realized that it was not a real police car but an "X-Copper" car painted black & white just like a cruiser.

Tomatoes & Strawberries

2011-06-23T19:22:00.000-04:00

We bought a hanging tomato plant & a hanging strawberry plant earlier this year not really knowing what to expect.

So far we have picked (and eaten) lots of little tomatoes with lots more on the way even if the plant itself looks like death warmed over.

The strawberry plant has lots of flowers but only a few berries so far but the plant looks really really healthy.

We had to get hanging plants because our dog just loves to play with any kind of planter located on the ground.

I got some ferns from the old guy a couple of houses down & replanted them 4 times before giving up & moving them to the front yard :)

New Job

2011-06-21T10:22:00.000-04:00

I was supposed to start a new job this morning.

A temporary job delivering utility bills while the post office is going through their labour disruptions.

I know I would be a scab but the money seemed OK & all the walking would be good for me.

Anyway I showed up for at the Horizon building on John St. this morning at 8:15 (15 minutes earlier than requested), signed in with security & waited around with 2 other guys.

After awhile one of the other guys talked to one of the security guards (really big mean looking guys by the way - does Horizon have that kind of security issues ??). He was informed that the appropriate person had been informed of our presence & "he would wander down whenever he wanders down".

At 9:10 I left.

Maybe I have the wrong attitude for this type of employment but I figure when an employer starts out with no respect for their employees, things are only going to go downhill from there.

Long Night

2011-06-12T17:46:00.002-04:00

Saturday evening we went to Port Colborne to watch our granddaughter Emily's dance recital.

What an ordeal !!

We expected the usual parade of wanna be dancers doing their routines - from the really cute little ones to the older ones who should have given up dancing last year :)

What we got was a 3 1/2 hour (with 2 intermissions) marathon.

It seems the head instructor (who everyone has to address as Madame - should have been a clue) has written a story (think Alice in Wonderland meets Thriller) that she decided to present as an interpretive dance extravaganza with no talking or narrator.

Problem was that since the story has yet to be published no one (at least in the audience) had a clue what was happening, who the characters were or what they were doing.

Two items of good news:

Emmy was in 3 scenes & danced very well
Our son paid for the tickets

Robins

2011-06-02T19:08:00.000-04:00

We have been watching a robin's nest in a corner of our front porch all spring.
First the mess the birds made making the nest then watching her sit in the nest most of the day.
Then she had 3 mouths to feed - she spent 2 weeks furiously flying back & forth with worms for the kids.
About 10 days ago one of the babies fell out of the nest so I picked it up & put him back in the nest - she kept feeding him so I guess robins don't care if one of the kids smells of human :)
On Tuesday one of the birds left the nest - we watched as he hopped across a couple of lawns while his mom would land next to him, kind of poke him, seemingly trying to get him to fly. She must have succeeded as he wasn't around after awhile - either that or he became cat food.
Today I noticed the nest was empty - I wonder if robins suffer from empty nest syndrome ??

Gardening

2011-05-30T20:30:00.000-04:00

Finished the front garden today.
Replanted the hens & chicks so they are around the edge of the garden.
Cut some hostas in half & replanted.
Planted a couple of dozen begonias.
Covered all exposed dirt with cedar chips to cut down the weeds (I hope).

Our 97 year old neighbour offered me some ferns - I went over to dig them out of his garden but Stan insisted on digging them out himself. Kind of felt bad standing there watching the old guy but he would not let me near them :)
At least he let me re-plant them all by myself.

You have to love hens & chicks !!
Three years ago Stan's daughter gave me 4 or 5 little bunches of them they just grow.
Now I have enough to go all the way around the outside of the garden :)
Stan's wife (she's only in her 70's - Stan was kind of a cradle robber I guess) tells me that I planted them way to close together & next year I will have tons more.

Anyone ever used cedar chips ??
What do I do with them in the fall ??
Rake them up ??
Mix them in with the dirt ??
Nothing ??

Wow

2011-05-21T09:55:00.000-04:00

It is finally warm & dry !!
I can go outside & have a coffee in the sun.
Think I will wash the cars then go do something (not sure what yet) fun in the sun :)

We cleaned the house & cut the grass yesterday so after I wash the cars this morning if the rapture does come later today we will be set to go - don't want to be in heaven thinking about what a mess we left our earthly possessions in :)

Its May

2011-05-02T13:48:00.001-04:00

After breakfast this morning I poured my 2nd coffee & headed for the family room.
In truth its really my room as it houses my big screen tv, my computer, my couch, my chair and my books.

Marion has her chair & her wii but comes down only to use the wii (about 30 minutes a day) and watch the Young & the Restless from 4:30 to 5:30.
The rest of the time the room belongs to me & the dog :)

However, today, as I walked downstairs I realized that I really wanted to go outside :)

Its time for the weather to warm up so I can read & have my coffee on the front porch or the patio.

Funny how the turning of a calendar page can trigger a response.
Its May !!
I want to be outside !!

Reorganization

2011-04-25T18:58:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I reorganized my books - consolidating most of the christian books from various locations throughout the house into one central bookcase.
I found books from my early christian days - Kenyon, Tozar, Watchman Nee...

I think I have found my summer reading materials :)

Very Tired

2011-04-22T19:56:00.000-04:00

We had new carpet installed in all three bedrooms on Thursday.
That meant clearing as much stuff out of the rooms as possible so we didn't have to move too much on Thursday.
Thursday was spent moving furniture from room to room as they laid the new carpet - then when the guys were finished, putting everything back where it belongs.
The new carpet looks great & we have 3 completely re-organized rooms even if we both are feeling the affects of all that moving things around today.
We moved Zoe's pen from Marion's office to the laundry room in the basement - Zoe is not a happy camper. First morning after being banned to the basement she wouldn't even look at Marion when Marion let her outside in the morning.

Word Pictures

2011-04-17T18:16:00.000-04:00

I've been reading through the new testament in the Message recently.

I love some of the word pictures it paints:
Romans 16:20
"...before you know it the God of Peace will come down on Satan with both feet, stomping him into the dirt"

Resume

2011-04-04T14:03:00.000-04:00

Just returned from a resume workshop - wow does my resume SUCK!!

The one I am using I wrote for work to show my experience & progression through the company to justify the position I already had to the HR folk - who were kind of wondering how I wound up there :)

Its been many many years since I wrote a resume to actually send out to prospective employers.

There are functional & chronological versions with all kinds of variations on each theme - not just a list of jobs any longer :)

This morning I found out I should "tailor-make" my resume to match the specific job I am applying for, making sure to include whichever "buzz words" the ad included because apparently HR folk now scan all the resumes received and put them through a program that searches out certain words and phrases and relegates any that don't contain enough of them to the waste basket.

I have an appointment with my "career development specialist" on Thursday to write a new improved version of my resume.

I miss the 60's when we went to 3 or 4 places then picked the job we liked the best :)

What Else Can We Find To Be Offended By??

2011-03-25T14:05:00.001-04:00

This is a copy of a recent post from "Stuff Christians Like"
I thought it was hilarious :)

Kissing Metaphors in Worship Music

If you’re not familiar with John Mark McMillan’s song “How He Loves”, first off tell me what it’s like to live in a cave. Do you pee in one corner of the cave or do you go outside to do your business and risk being mauled by a jaguar with your pants down?
Either way, “How He Loves” is a popular song in churches right now, and one of the more memorable lines in the song goes something like this:

So heaven meets earth like a sloppy, wet kiss

Now, you’re gonna be shocked to hear this (I hope you’re sitting down in the urine-free corner of your cave), but some artists and congregations aren’t comfortable throwing in imagery more commonly associated with a 7th grade make-out party into their worship songs.

As a result, another version of the song has been recorded that describes the heaven-earth collision as a slightly different lip lock:

So heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss

I bring all this up because a few months ago I was speaking at a youth retreat and i overheard the following conversation between one of the youth leaders and the guest worship band:

Youth Leader: You guys did a great job tonight, but I wanted to let you know if you do “How He Loves” again, our kids are cool with the “sloppy wet kiss version”.

Worship Leader: Oh, are they? Okay, cool. I forgot to ask you about that, so we just did “unforeseen kiss”.

YL: No, our kids like the “sloppy wet kiss” way better.

WL: Yeah, so do we!!! Good to know for next time.

The moment I heard that conversation, I knew it HAD to be a Stuff Christians Like post. So many points to be made here.

1. Worship Bands need to start putting the Sloppy Wet Kiss Clause (SWK) into their riders.
SECTION 4C, NON-NEGOTIABLE ISSUES
“We’ve got four non-negotiables: 1) We need in-ear monitors (no wedges), 2) we need three pounds of unsalted cashews in a wicker basket, 3) we need a high-ceiling closet to drape our scarf collection, and 4) we will ONLY do the ‘sloppy wet kiss’ version of How He Loves.”

2. Why an “unforeseen kiss”? Doesn’t it feel like the person who rewrote that line just made a list of 3-syllable phrases/words to pair up with “kiss” and in the end “unforeseen” was the best they could do?

I’m guessing the list looked something like this:

#1 – So heaven meets earth like a hollywood kiss (sounds great but Christians are never gonna go for it)

#2 – So heaven meets earth like a butterfly kiss (perfect, but Bob Carlisle refuses to sell us the rights)

#3 – So heaven meets earth like a pantomime kiss (only if we want to creep out the entire congregation)

#4 – So heaven meets earth like a tongue-on-tongue kiss (somehow we’ve found something grosser than “sloppy, wet”)

#5 – So heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss (it makes no sense, but it’s the best we’ve got. Let’s do it.)

3. Never thought I’d see the day when a youth leader would say “our kids like the sloppy, wet kiss way better” with a big smile on his face.

I mean, having been one years ago I always knew junior high kids preferred sloppy, wet kisses…I just didn’t think Youth Pastors would ever find a context in which they’d be cool with it, too.

4. Why limit it to kissing? If we’re going to rewrite the song and use romantic language, let’s really open up the palette. Some suggestions…

So heaven meets earth like…

…some tender light petting

…a gentle ear nibble

…some married foreplay

…a playful butt grab

…the Song of Solomon

Let’s stop there before I get myself in trouble.

5. I’m calling it now: a Worship Leader will get fired in the next 12 months for refusing to sing the “unforeseen” version. I can already see the story…
Disagreements between worship leaders and pastors are nothing new, but twitter was abuzz today when a rogue song leader was fired for singing his favorite version of the song, How He Loves, against his Senior Pastor’s wishes. Mitch Veeneck, a worship pastor at Firepond Church in Central Iowa, sang the “Sloppy, Wet kiss” version of the song at both the 9am AND 11am services yesterday after being warned he would be removed from his position for continuing to do so.

While initial public support was strongly behind Veeneck, a new development in the story has swung the pendulum the other way. In an article posted on the church’s blog late last night, slow motion stills show the crooner flicking his tongue in and out of his mouth like a snake while singing the controversial line. More details as they emerge…

So what’s your take on the “sloppy, wet kiss” line in How He Loves? Do you like the original, prefer the toned down version, or don’t really care either way?

And by all means, if you have your own (non-vulgar) suggestions on how to rewrite that “heaven meets earth” line, pucker up and fire away.

Snow Again !!

2011-03-23T11:55:00.000-04:00

I'm a big fan of a comic strip called "non-sequitur"

Right now one of main characters "Danae" is railing against the injustice of having to deal with snow when the calendar clearly says its spring.

After spending an hour shoveling this morning I totally agree with her :)

Yahoo

2011-03-14T23:23:00.000-04:00

Last December I received a letter informing me I was to be included in the 2011 jury pool - no big deal, I thought.

Then about 2 weeks ago I received a summons instructing me to report to the Hamilton courthouse in late April for jury selection for a trail that could last until October.

What kind of trial lasts for six months ??

Anyway last week I sent a letter to the court asking to be excused from jury duty as I am currently unemployed and being a juror for 6 months could seriously hinder my opportunities for employment.

Today I got a call from the court informing me the judge had decided to excuse me!!

What a relief.

VIP's

2011-03-10T18:57:00.000-05:00

Marion & I felt like real VIP's this afternoon.
We went to see the latest Adam Sandler flic "Just Go With It" in Ancaster & were the only ones in the whole theater !!
That's right - we had our own private screening of the movie.
Very cool.

We enjoyed the movie. I know it got bad reviews but it is an Adam Sandler movie after all & delivered pretty much what you'd expect.
If you want sparkling wit & dialogue go rent an old Spencer Tracy & Kathryn Hepburn movie :)

Monday at Alpha

2011-03-08T10:43:00.000-05:00

Last night at Alpha was great.

One of the guys at my table is a great guy, willing & ready to help at anytime & a regular attender of the church for years but could best described as "married to a christian".
He is doing the Alpha course with his teenage son at his wife's urging, I'm sure.
He openly admits he doesn't read the bible & has never prayer out loud.
Last night during a discussion when I used "saved" & "born again" in the same sentence he asked what exactly those terms meant to me personally which opened up a very good discussion at the table.
Our next session is on the Holy Spirit & he has promised us (& his son will hold him to it) to read John & the first section of Acts to give him some background - a huge break through, I think.

The second teenage boy at my table was really interested in my study bible. He had not seen that type of bible before with all the maps and notes. No one had ever shown him how to use a concordance to do a bible study on a concept or word. He was excited st the possibilities. I have an extra NIV study bible around I think I will bring it to him next week.

A View

2011-03-04T10:40:00.000-05:00

I was going out to Waterdown earlier this week & since the highway was busy cut off the QEW at Plains Road and went down to King Street.
Usually I cross the 403 on King then turn left onto the service road but that night (since I had time & am curious) I decided to see where King Street would take me.
Eventually it took me to Mill Street in Waterdown but before that it took me past Bayview Park.
What a beautiful panoramic view of the city (use the 2nd entrance to the park) - from the Burlington Bridge to the West End.
I have never heard a word from anyone about this place before - why are we keeping it a secret??

Weekend Retreat

2011-02-27T22:36:00.000-05:00

We had a church retreat Friday & Saturday in Niagara Falls (not really exciting when you used to live there for about 15 years) at the Americana Resort & Conference Centre (again not really exciting unless the sight & sounds of hundreds of rug-rats at a water park turn your crank).

But we did wind up having a great time!!

The speaker, Bill Markham from Central in St. Catherines, was great & his message really seemed to resonate with those in attendance.

It seemed as though many of what we would think of as "core people" (active, been at Community since the beginning types) could not attend, meaning a lot of those in attendance were "fringe people" (coming often enough to call Community home but not really connected or active).

That was the best part of the weekend to really meet & connect with these folks in a relaxed fun environment.

500 Pounds ??

2011-02-16T10:35:00.000-05:00

At our Alpha course meeting on Monday the speaker on the video was talking about a friend of his with a "500 pound a week cocaine habit".

Around our table we all kind of looked quickly at each other & you could see people thinking "500 lbs a week ??"

Is that even possible to physically do ??
And if it is who could afford that kind of coke habit??

After a few moments the speaker announced, for his Canadian viewers, that it was 500 pounds in monetary worth not in weight units.

Funny how a statement that caused no stir at all in the speaker's British audience caused such a stir with a bunch of Canadians :)

Eating Like a Hobbit

2011-02-08T11:49:00.000-05:00

I think I am actually losing weight since I've been off work - strange considering I haven't done anything to make it happen.

But in thinking about my eating habits when I was working I realized I ate like a hobbit there - 1st breakfast, 2nd breakfast, eleventh, lunch, 2nd lunch...

6:30 breakfast at home
8:00 coffee & a goodie (or 2) at work
10:00 coffee break with more goodies
12:30 lunch (at least once or twice a week in restaurants)
2:30 coffee break where we were honour bound to finish any treats left over

I know losing weight is good for me but I really do miss all those treats we indulged in
daily at work.

I wonder what they are having today??

Super Bowl Party

2011-02-07T10:39:00.000-05:00

I went to the Super Bowl party at church last night. First time I have gone to a big party for the game.

Wings, chili & lots of munchies set out for our eating enjoyment.
Scaffolding set up so people could climb up & watch the game from a little higher altitude if they desired (the kids took this option - adults wisely staying at ground level).
The game. with satelite feed from the US, set up on the big screen.

When I think back on the evening two things stand out for me:

The kids, about 2/3 of the crowd, were really into the game for about half an hour then they quickly lost interest & started their own football game in the back of the auditorium which lasted the rest of the evening.
The adults (whose ranks grew thinner as the night progressed) wound up sitting in one group with lots of chatter about the game, as long as the game was on, BUT since we had the american satelite feed, as soon as a commercial came on things got very quiet so we wouldn't miss any of it (there are no instant replays of commercials)

I got to know a couple of the guys a little better & all in all I enjoyed the experience - except the wrong team won the game :)

Snow Day

2011-02-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

Not like I missed work or anything but I feel like I had a snow day anyway:)

Two hours this morning with one of the neighbour's sons doing our driveway & two neighbourhood driveways.

Another 90 minutes this afternoon with 4 neighbours cleaning up our driveways & the road in front of our houses.

The rest of the time watching Lord of the Rings - nice day all things considered:)

I was supposed to go work tomorrow for a pot luck lunch but will not be able to make it. Marion's ankle is still really sore & she is pretty much trapped in her upstairs office with her leg elevated and iced. The Tylenol 3's really help thought :)

For those of you who don't know - Marion took a tumble at church on Sunday (going over the edge of a little ramp heading into the front foyer) resulting in a badly sprained ankle. We feel lucky though two nurses who treated her at church really thought it could be broken.

So I have been on call since Sunday fetching drinks, food & ice when required. We have remote door bell thing so that when Marion wants something she can ring the door bell upstairs then I can check messenger on my computer to see what she requires.

I think I've lost 10 lbs running up & downstairs this week :)

Decision

2011-01-29T15:03:00.000-05:00

Its been a quiet week & we haven't really done much meaning that I haven't shaved since last Sunday.
We have an Alpha leaders training meeting tonight & church tomorrow so soon I have to decide if I should shave or continue growing a beard.
I haven't had a beard for a long time - since the late 70's I think.
I had a moustache for years but got rid of that once the grey hairs started to take over - they not only grow faster then the dark ones but refuse to behave continuing to grow in any direction they wanted to.
Pretty sure Marion will vote to shave it off but I may keep it for awhile even if its just to see how grey it comes in :)

Shopping

2011-01-17T20:11:00.000-05:00

This morning I had to run over to Lococo's & Fortino's to pick up some veggies & spices for the turkey soup brewing on the stove.
I, mistakenly, thought that it would be a quick trip at 11AM on a Monday morning.
Turns out that both stores were full of "old people"!!
I realize that some of you are thinking "well you would fit right in then" :)
But I didn't !!
You see "old people" consider shopping to be an outing. Something to be enjoyed & made to last as long as possible.
"Old people" push their carts very slowly up & down each aisle often leaving their cart in the middle of the aisle so as to effectively block anyone else from getting through.
Once finished shopping "old people" seem to regard the cashier as a new BBF - someone to converse with for as long as possible regardless of how many people are in line behind them.
A ploy "old people" use to remain with their BBF cashier is the old " I can't figure out the change" routine. Either they keep offering the cashier the wrong amount or they resort to the " I think I've got a nickel in here somewhere" bit.
After finally cashing out "old people" turn leaving the store into some kind of game,
I'm sure later at the home they are all graded on how slowly they made the trip from the cashier to the door & how many other people were lined up behind them.
Next time I'll run to the store between 5 & 6 when it is full of working folk who just want to get in & out as quickly as possible.

Christian Etiquitte

2011-01-13T15:09:00.000-05:00

Is it proper to give the driver of the car behind you a "one finger salute" while listening to a christian CD??

To give you some context:
This morning I was sitting at a red light, when the light changed I had to wait for a group of teenagers to cross the road before turning left. Suddenly I heard a beep-beep from the van behind me!!
I did nothing - merely sat waiting for the kids to clear the intersection.
At the second beep-beep, however, I did raise my hand in the classic one finger salute:)

Does Christian etiquette require me to change the music to a secular CD or radio station before offering the salute ??

I know the more spiritual among you will say that instead to the salute I should have prayed for the individual in the van but in my defence I tried that for awhile when I drove the QEW between Hamilton & Mississauga on a daily basis - it was probably the closest I will come to Paul's command that we are to pray unceasingly :)

Stars

2011-01-12T10:38:00.000-05:00

My favourite David Crowder band song

Snow Day

2011-01-08T13:07:00.000-05:00

I find myself wishing it was a weekday instead of Saturday.

It would be great to be at home e-mailing my former work mates with constant weather updates.

So far this morning I have shovelled the driveway twice & right now it looks about the same as my neighbour's & I haven't seen them outside at all yet today.

At least my snow blower works (haven't used it yet just checked it out) so if this keeps up I can earn some brownie points with the neighbours :)

Biggest mistake today was deciding to walk over to Shopper's (about 6 blocks) to pick up a prescription. I felt like I was walking in a snow globe. I couldn't tell exactly where the sidewalks were & after stepping off a couple of curbs decided to walk on the road - figured no matter how bad the visibility was a driver should be able to see someone my size in a bright yellow coat :)

Marion is upstairs making some soups (carrot, cauliflower & potato last I heard)
sounds like the perfect food for a day like this.

Netflix

2011-01-06T23:50:00.000-05:00

We signed up for netflix today - all kinds of movies & TV shows & they start when I want them to and pause when & if I want (or need) them to.

I can watch them on my computer or on the TV through the Wii.

And if I had an iphone or ipad or ipod I could watch them there too.

All for less than $10 a month.

First Day

2011-01-04T19:53:00.001-05:00

Today was the first real day of my most recent retirement.

Today was the day everyone (well almost everyone) came back to work.

We had Emily ( youngest granddaughter) with us so she kept me busy - we went out for lunch then shopping for her birthday present - a docking station for her ipod.

I think I may want one of those ipods or iphones - have to save my pennys &see.
I'll have to check & see if there are age restrictions on those. I can hear the kid at Future Shop now: "I'm sorry sir, you are just too old to have one of these". :)

The rest of this week will keep me busy taking down all the Christmas stuff, storing all those totes in the garage attic and generally returning the house to normal.

Next week I'm thinking about tracking down some volunteer opportunities - talk to Jason about something at the church, a food bank or a soup kitchen, something(s) to keep me busy.

We'll see what turns up :)

2010 Christmas

2010-12-26T10:25:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas day yesterday.

Our daughter filled her home with friends & family (and a lot of smoke).
We all enjoyed great food and tons of laughter.

I will always remember Marion trying her first sushi ever with my son-in-law & a Korean exchange student urging her to try it with a "penny sized" piece of wasabi on top of it. Good thing for Marion the Chinese lady who brought the sushi came to her rescue and told her how to mix a small amount of wasabi with soy sauce.

Later in the evening though when it was just family left I was thinking that this was indeed a Christmas in 2010.
At one point I looked around the room & saw:

my daughter & son-in-law on their i phones
my son on his blackberry
my granddaughters on their i pads
my daughter-in-law & my granddaughter's boyfriend on e-readers
one grandson on an mp3 player
2 more grandsons playing video games on the Sony

And grandma & I feeling very technology challenged :)

Old Dog - New Trick

2010-12-20T18:43:00.001-05:00

I borrowed an e-book from the Hamilton Public Library yesterday - all by myself !!!

I actually borrowed 2 books but I'm not sure where the 1st one went :)

Thankfully after 2 weeks it will just disappear from where ever it went & no one will be the wiser.

Get Ups

2010-12-18T10:45:00.003-05:00

I feel like a kid with a Christmas count down but in my case its a "get up" count down.

"Get ups" are the number of times I have left to "get up" & go to work.

We started it shortly after it was announced 3 0f us would not be returning to work in the new year:
Pat & I were being put out to pasture (or maybe returned to pasture) and Andrew's work term is over & he is going back to Waterloo.

My "get up" number was in the 20's.

As of Friday the count down was:
Bob 5
Andrew 3
Pat 0 (he left on Thursday)

On Pat's last day we all went out for a last lunch together - we had great time & I was reminded what a fun bunch this has been to be around.

The gang presented me with a bottle of Irish Mist, gift certificates to Time Hortons, Moxie's (a restaurant) and the LCBO.
They also gave me framed drawing of the lab pig with all their signatures around the outside (I'll post a picture of it next week).

Its funny how many of the people I have worked with almost every day for the last 8 years or so felt compelled to include their last names :)

The lab pig lives on the white board near the coffee machine.
He changes almost every day:

He was crying after the announcement Pat & I were leaving
He was happy when Dave was hired full time
He was dressed in winter garb the 1st time it snowed
He has been Elvis, Einstein & most surprisingly a closet gay pig (for the pride parade)

Right now he is dressed in a Zorro outfit with an evil looking moustache - we're not sure why.

Questions

2010-12-11T15:57:00.002-05:00

This morning Marion was searching in a china cabinet drawer for something & found a little more than $100 sitting buried under some of the stuff that just collects in drawers.

Marion believes the money is a sign from God to prove to us that He is looking after us & we don't have to worry about finances once my job is finished.

I kind of agree with her BUT keep thinking about my aunt.

After my aunt died we found money everywhere - sewing baskets, jacket pockets, old purses, jewerly boxes, the car trunk, everywhere!!

So I'm wondering if, as I get older, I am merely carrying on my family's tradition of putting money away somewhere then completely forgetting about it.

Either way some of the money went toward a nice breakfast at Apple Annie's in Burlington this morning :)

Passion

2010-12-04T19:33:00.002-05:00

For a few years now some of my favourite worship music has been from the live worship recorded at the various Passion events.
Thanks P2 for introducing me to these :)
And through them I discovered I liked the David Crowder Band in particular.

Anyway I noticed there is a Passion conference in Atlanta next Jan. & got to thinking that maybe I could co-ordinate a holiday in the States with one of these conferences some time in 2011 since it seems I may have some time on my hands next year :)

Well, imagine my surprise to find out these conferences are for 18-25 year olds!!

What are geezers to do for passion:

Gaither concerts ?? (sorry Lynda)
Maybe Petra will do a re-union tour ??

Now I'm wondering:

how would one go about organizing a geezer-fest??
would people 55+ come to a conference with loud wild worship & speakers wanting to fire them up??
do churches want their old folk fired up for God??
where does one find a geezer worship band ??
where does one find speakers for these things?? (any interest P2?)

Anyway I'm going to sleep on this & see if I can figure out if this is just me or is God whispering in my ear.

42 Years

2010-11-29T19:38:00.002-05:00

Today is our 42nd anniversary !!

I find myself thinking about what I "wasn't" 42 years ago:

I wasn't a believer
I wasn't a husband
I wasn't a father
I wasn't a grandfather

I am very glad that at this point in my life I am all those things.

I am even looking forward to being a great-grandfather although if any of the grandchildren read this - there is no hurry on this one !!

Starting to Get Upset

2010-11-24T19:19:00.003-05:00

OK - its Nov 24th & now I'm getting upset!

I received an Amazon gift certificate for my birthday from my lovely wife (who was shocked to discover I could not buy e-books for my Sony e-reader from Amazon - but that's another story).

The very next day, Monday Nov 8th I ordered the Jason Bourne Trilogy dvds, the Lord of the Rings dvd set & 2 Francis Chan books (Crazy Love & The Forgotten God).

Well, now its Nov 24th & they haven't even left the loading dock yet!!

After venting here I'm off to the Amazon site to find a place to complain :)

Marion & I have been asked to help lead a home group based on Crazy Love in January & it would be nice to have at least read the book before we start.

Interesting Evening

2010-11-21T11:04:00.001-05:00

We were invited to dinner last night with 5 other couples from the church.

Four couples are part of the "doers" of the church - if something is going on, especially outside the church, they are part of it.

The other couple are relatively new to the church.

We had a great time - good food (it was sort of an organized pot luck), some wine and lots of interesting conversation.

It was the kind of thing Marion would have avoided at all cost - 12 people in one room all talking at once - but with her hearing aid she had no problem following conversations across the room.

Surprise !!!

2010-11-13T10:11:00.002-05:00

I was called into my supervisor's office yesterday & informed that, as of the end of the year, my services as a contractor would no longer be required.

A bit of a surprise after almost 5 years of continuous employment & since the day before the same supervisor & I had spent over an hour talking about his new area of responsiblity & my involvement in it.

But he has been in Brazil for the last month & went from our meeting into a meeting with his boss (and her boss) where he was informed he had to let his two double dippers (retirees back to work on contract) go.
He is not a happy camper :)

There may some future work but it will be directly project related or for a set period of time - not open ended full time like the last 5 years.

We'll see.

I can remember when I got this job - I knew it was directly from God & that no man would ever be able to take it from me. I always felt I would walk away at a time of my choosing.

Until now I have been right - I have worked through lay offs of full time staff & a take over by a company from Brazil.

But I do realize I was wrong on one point - I would walk away from this job at a time of God's choosing - not mine.

Despite losing a large percentage of our income & the fact that we have always been more grasshopper than ant when it comes to finances - I feel a peace that it is God directing this - not a nameless, faceless person in Brazil.

I have a feeling 2011 is going to be an interesting year :)

Movies

2010-11-11T21:59:00.002-05:00

Tonight we went to the movies - something we had to give up because the loud sound became more than Mar could stand.

Glad to report - no problem at all !!

Morning Glory is good - predictable but good.
At least they didn't use Harrison Ford as a love interest for the 20 something female star.

Hearing Again

2010-11-10T19:10:00.002-05:00

A good day today !!

Marion picked up her new hearing aid this morning.

Very interesting - we didn't realize that they custom tuned the hearing aid to your specific range of hearing loss.

She gave it good test drive today - Bedrock for breakfast, then an afternoon at the casino & finally dinner at Turtle Jack's (she won at the casino).

All the background noises at all three places, which would have made her agitated before, didn't bother her a bit. And she could her amazing well.

I'm going to have to stop muttering under my breath while I walk away from her after losing an arguement :)

Be interesting to see what church will be like for her.

I'm Back

2010-11-09T18:59:00.001-05:00

Wow - first new post in over a year

Feel like I'm finally getting some zip back after what's been a long depressing year - not that I could list a lot of things it just feels like I've been in a battle & under a cloud for a long time.

A year after switching churches I think I'm beginning to understand why we are here & what our place is in the church.

That's enough for now - I'm off to Amazon to spend the rest of my birthday gift certificate :)

Beatles

2009-09-18T13:10:00.002-04:00

I purchased the new "re-mastered" Sargent Pepper's CD while in the States last weekend.
The sound is truly amazing - a worthwhile purchase for any Beatles fans out there.

Listening to the CD on the way to work the other day I remembered the first time I heard the album. I was 19 or 20 years old and was at my buddy's apartment in Port Colborne. He had just picked the record up & because he knew I was a Beatles fan invited me over to listen to it with him.

If anyone is trying to think of a gift for me for my birthday or Christmas - any of the other re-mastered Beatles CD's would be a great but the Fringe Year One DVD would even be better :)

Scooters

2009-09-06T22:17:00.002-04:00

Saturday morning found mrv & I having breakfast on Ottawa Street - at an Italian restaurant that surprisingly (to me anyway) serves an excellent breakfast.

We left the restaurant at the same time as three older people, one of whom was using a walker.

As an aside - I find it funny that I would think of these three as "older" when, in fact, they probably were around my age. Just another example of me not accepting how old I am, I guess.

We took some pictures at work last week - part of a display to show off our renovations - and when they came out I was more than a little shocked to realize the old grey haired analyst working in the background in a couple of them was me.

Anyway back to the old people: mrv & I crossed the street to our car while the three of them walked slowly up Ottawa Street. As I approached the car I could hear an "beep beep" sound from the sidewalk. I turned and could see a lady in a scooter zipping up behind them. I could easily see the lady on the scooter was upset that these three had the audacity to slow down her journey.

Beep, beep again as the scooter lady forced these three to the side so she could be on her way at breakneck speed (for a scooter anyway).

Why are so many scooter people like this ??

Just something else to keep in mind when I get my scooter, I'll be the most polite scooter person on the planet. No guarantees about mrv though - she'll be "pedal to the metal" all the way :)

FM 91.7

2009-08-14T13:06:00.005-04:00

Lately I have been listening to 91.7 FM from St. Catharines - great classic rock but with a lot of songs you don't usually hear on other classic rock stations.

Anyway one of their main sponsors is Jubilee Faith Centre - a church out in the boonies between Dunnville & Cayuga. Many moons ago mrv & I attended - leaving to help plant a church in Welland "Jubilee Worship Centre".

Excellent, thought provoking commercials always ending with their slogan: "Jubilee Faith Centre - definitely not church as you remember" & promoting their website:

havefunatchurch.com

It's good to see (hear?) churches producing excellent commercials on non-christian media outlets to reach those folk who do not listen to traditional christian tv & radio.

Saturday Morning

2009-07-11T11:42:00.003-04:00

Nice Saturday morning - sitting on the front porch with the dog by my side drinking coffee, watching the storm roll in & working on a sudoku.

The Spec sudokus (what is the plural - sudoki ??) get progressively harder each day of the week. I usually can finish off Monday to Thursday pretty quickly, Friday's take awhile but the two on Saturday are very hard & usually remain unfinished.
Except today when I finished the first one !! Yeah for me.
If it keeps raining I'll try the second one this afternoon.

After conquering the sudoku I was sitting thinking about the problems in my life and the lives of those I care about while watching the storm get closer and closer with all the accompanying thunder and lightening.
When the storm finally hit with all its fury (driving the dog into the house to watch her crazy master safely from the other side of the storm door) it hit me that I serve a God who could quiet the storm with a single word !!
And this same God loves me & cares about me!!

It also struck me that I would be better off if I spent less time worrying about things & more time seeking Him.

The Room

2009-06-21T07:13:00.003-04:00

In "Storey" the author tells of a man who tried, unsuccessfully, to assassinate his brother, the king.

Now the brother was so grossly overweight that he couldn't pass through a normal sized doorway so as punishment the king had him placed in a tower room with a view of the sea, with three rich perfectly prepared meals served each day and an unguarded normal sized doorway leading to freedom. (Presumably the room was built around the prisoner or the doorway made smaller after his arrival.)

All the man had to do was lose enough weight to fit through the door and he would be free.

He died in the room.

How often are we like that - we cry out to God to remove us from a situation when all along all we really need to do is walk away from something or stop doing something and we would be free.

Story

2009-06-20T17:36:00.004-04:00

My daughter lent me "Story" a novel by Steven James.

One of those books I just couldn't put down & read it in less than a day.

The following is a quote he uses from Soren Kierkegaard then his comments on it.

"The difference between an admirer and a follower still remains, no matter where you are.
The admirer never makes any true sacrifices. He always plays it safe. Though in words, phrases, songs, he is inexhaustible about how highly he prizes Christ, he renounces nothing, gives up nothing, will not reconstruct his life, will not be what he admires, and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admires."
Soren Kierkegaard

As I read and re-read these blunt words, I had to ask myself, "Am I really a follower of Jesus, or am I just an admirer?"
I don't think there are too many followers of Jesus around anymore. There are plenty of churchgoing admirers, but most of us would rather not leave our nets behind and follow him. Instead we prefer dragging the nets onshore with us so we can have the best of both worlds. But of course that never works - you can't follow Jesus while you're dragging your old life along behind you. If you try to you'll wind up losing out on both.

New Doors

2009-06-12T08:20:00.002-04:00

We had a new front door & a new patio door installed yesterday.

The old front door had a side window but no window in the door - the new one has a large beveled glass window & a side window so it brightens up the foyer considerably.

Mrv is happy :)

Old Jeans

2009-06-10T10:33:00.002-04:00

There's nothing like a comfortable pair of old jeans.

I was thinking that this morning as I got ready of work & pulled on a pair of jeans that had been around forever.

Around 8:30 as I sat down at my cube with a coffee I heard a ripping sound and realized that the back end of my jeans had developed about a 4 inch tear in them.

Not even on a seam - just tired old material giving up.

Good thing the shirt I had on was long enough to cover the rip because I had to run downstairs (carefully so as not to expose myself or rip the jeans any more) to borrow the keys to Joe's car - we car pool & today, of course, was Joe's day to drive.

At the closest mall, Zellers was thankfully open (it seems most stores in Mississauga open at 10)
and had jeans on sale.

Song Title

2009-05-25T12:10:00.001-04:00

I have a new favourite country song title:
God is great
Beer is good
People are crazy

Saratoga Springs

2009-05-23T08:52:00.002-04:00

This morning finds MRV & I in Saratoga Springs New York at the Gideon Putman Resort & Spa no less. The hotel has that "old money" feel to it - lots of friendly but respectful staff.

It's modernized but not completely - they use the old elevator with the half circle thing on the wall above the door to show where the elevator is as their staff elevator & have installed a new modern one for guests.

Our room is smallish but with all the the modern touches we have grown to require - Internet access, cable TV, etc.. but the bathroom has been left like it was in the 50's (with a hair drier though) - mrv is not impressed with the bathroom :)

We are here to meet one on mrv's on-line canasta friends & her husband - something I was kind of leery about after the last time we met one of her on-line buddies (but that's a story for another time).
We met up with Lynn & Paul last night & they turned out to be a delightful couple much to my relief. They met us with all sorts of Saratoga Springs souvenirs (Tee shirts, hats etc..).

We are off now to meet for breakfast & then I think Paul & I are going for tour of the chemical plant he manages while the girls are off for a tour of the casino.

Monday

2009-05-19T08:55:00.002-04:00

I spent the bulk of Monday mowing, trimming, raking & weeding.
I know some of you actually enjoy this type of thing but to me it is a chore.

As I was working away I noticed Dave, my neighbour from across the road, washing his car. Now Dave is one of those guys you avoid if you have anything to do - he will talk to anyone, any time, about anything.

After a few minutes of washing Dave started talking to a teenager who lives a couple of houses down the street. Soon the teen had wandered off but now Dave was talking to his mom. As I finished up in the front of the house I noticed Dave talking to the father.

Dave's car was still pretty much unwashed - in fact Dave's wife had come out, hopped in the car & drove away but Dave didn't really seem to notice.

About an hour later I heard a loud bang from down the street, probably fire crackers, but my first thought was " I wonder if the neighbours finally found a way to get rid of Dave & get some work done".

Missing in Action

2009-05-05T11:58:00.002-04:00

Maybe soon I'll be able to post a few more of these than I have been lately.

I was hit with a double whammy & lost my computer at work & the one at home.

As a contractor my status is reviewed quarterly and my access to the company's network applications as to be renewed at that time. On April 1st my status came up for review & we instituted a new procedure for IT work. The result was that the 30 second job to renew my access had to work its way through our new system - I was without access until April 23rd !!
Very frustrating.

On the home front - the mother board on MRV's computer died a sudden death so she took over my computer at home. The board was under warranty but the CPU had to be sent to the company for replacement. The good news is - I am picking it up today after work !!

So I will finally be back in cyberspace.

Now all I have to do is think of something to write :)

QEW Watching

2009-03-28T20:19:00.003-04:00

This afternoon Mar & I sat along the QEW & waited for the hearse carrying Cpl. Tyler Crooks home to Port Colborne pass by.

This was the first time we had done this - probably because of the Port Colborne connection - but not the last.

I was impressed by how many people took the time to stand on the overpasses and line the service road to pay their respects.

We were in a parking lot at the end of Dewitt Road, waiting with:

a family of 4 with 2 young kids
a Mom with her dog and 2 teens
a couple in their late 60's

As we waited the kids played with the dog, Mar & I chatted a bit with the teens' mom while the seniors & the teenagers stayed in their cars.

As the hearse approached everyone grew quiet & just watched it roll by.

I was very impressed that the teens left their SUV and stood beside their Mom as the hearse drove by.

Afterward we all quietly went back to our cars and left but for that short period of time we drew together as Canadians and paid our respects to a fallen soldier.

Today I was proud to be a Canadian.

Green Grass

2009-03-27T09:58:00.004-04:00

I work in Mississauga (just off Winston Churchill & the QEW) & drive every second day - the other days my carpool buddy Joe drives.

We both use the QEW to get to work but on my driving days we always come home on Lake shore Drive - we get home at the same time, its so much less stressful & you get to admire how the other half lives.
Some of those houses are amazing!!

I noticed last week that one of those amazing houses has the greenest grass imaginable. It just sticks out out from all the neighbouring lawns mocking them for their brown lifeless colour.

Earlier this week we slowed & took a good look at the lawn & realized its a carpet !!

Seems like cheating somehow.

I think if you are going to go AstroTurf you should have to cover it up this time of year until all the real grass lawns have a chance to get at least a little green.

I am though, wondering how much it would cost to carpet my little patch of front lawn.

The Sound Guy Neck Crane

2009-03-12T13:06:00.003-04:00

This is copied from Stuff Christians Like.
But I laughed when I read it - having experienced it from both directions - and just had to share it.

The Sound Guy Neck Crane

Microphones hate God.

I can’t prove this scientifically, but I’m pretty sure it’s true.

I think it’s because God doesn’t need them. When He speaks in the Bible, His voice is loud and carries naturally, or He uses angels and donkeys and burning bushes to amplify His message. So I imagine that microphones feel slighted and decided long ago to wage a very public hate campaign against the Alpha and Omega.

How else can you explain the shenanigans that occur on Sunday morning with the sound system? From microphones that work perfectly during sound check and then refuse to work during the service to that loud ear-bursting feedback that blossoms during the most inappropriate times, like prayer, sound systems are always punking church.

And when they do, it’s so easy to pull out a “sound guy neck crane".

The sound guy neck crane is the first thing we all do when the sound goes bananas in the middle of church.

It’s a simple move, but I’ll walk you through the steps:

Step 1: Sound messes up.

Step 2: You quickly try to remember where the sound guy is stationed in the sanctuary.

Step 3: You crane your neck to his position and stare at him with eyes that say, “Do you not
hear this? That microphone is on fire! Why do you want church to suck? Do you hate
Jesus? That’s it, isn’t it? You hate Jesus. You sweaty Philistine.”

Step 4: Sound is restored. You turn back around and silently thank yourself for contributing to
the rectification of the problem by pointing it out with your sound guy neck crane.

I’m just as guilty of this as anyone else. The only problem is that at the megachurch I attend, a staff of 29 people runs the sound on a Sunday morning, so my head has to bounce around like I’m watching a tennis match if I want to bust out a sound guy neck crane.
“I see you in the balcony.
You down at the sound booth.
You up on the corner of the stage, I’m seeing you too, and I’m not happy.”
Bounce, bounce, bounce, crane, crane, crane.

That’s part of the reason I’m going to retire my sound guy neck crane. It’s just too much work at my church.

It’s also kind of a jerk thing to do. And by “kind of” I mean “really,” and by “jerk” I mean “words I can’t type without crazy *&# symbols.”

From now on, when the sound messes up, I’m going to just side hug the person next to me and whisper politely, “Microphones hate God.” It will be awkward the first 2, 3, or 400 times, but people usually like side hugs, and it will put the blame where it belongs: on God-hatin’ sound equipment.

Interesting Passage

2009-02-27T02:11:00.002-05:00

The following passage is one of those that just grabbed me when I read it.
I marked it & go back & ponder it every now & then.
Tonight was one of those times.

"My fear was now of another kind. I felt sure that the creature was what we call "good", but I wasn't sure whether I liked "goodness" so much as I had supposed. This is a terrible experience. As long as what you are afraid of is something evil, you may still hope that the good may come to your rescue. But suppose you struggle through to the good and find that it also is dreadful? How if food itself turns out to be very thing you can't eat, and home the very place you can't live, and your comforter the person who makes you uncomfortable? Then, indeed, there is no rescue possible: the last card has been played.

Nights Again

2009-02-23T19:49:00.002-05:00

yuck !!
back on 12 hour nights again - at least there is only 4 this time :)

my own fault I guess - I let it be known I don't mind nights (no bosses around ) & I can sleep well during the day. Everyone else complains like crazy if they are asked to work nights - so I think its a case of supervision taking the path of least resistance.

usually they keep us pretty busy but this time the problem may be boredom - only about half the samples they normally take - I'd rather be busy.

this supposed to be the last campaign for awhile. We'll see - I think this is my 4th "last campaign".

on a positive note - our lab aced its initial ISO 17025 audit last week. The audit report stated we were one of the best prepared labs he had ever seen for an initial audit.
Means a lot to me because I was hired 3 years ago with a mandate of getting us ready for accreditation. Even though I thought we were ready you never really know until someone else looks at your system.

Sunday Morning

2009-01-19T18:43:00.002-05:00

Sunday morning found me & Zoe outside by 7:15 cleaning the snow from my driveway so we could get to church by 10:00.

By 8:00 I (and my trusty snow blower) had our drive and the neighbour's (the two driveways are kind of one big one) completed.

Zoe spent the time checking out all the scents in the neighbourhood and leaving a few of her own.

The neighbour's cat spent the time watching Zoe from the safety of their family room window.

It was very cool having the only clean drive on the street for once - none of the neighbours get up & go to church Sunday mornings, I guess.

I started thinking about not going to church, staying outside & doing another 3 or 4 driveways of people we know on the street (most of whom don't have snow blowers).
But then I thought "I can't. I have responsibilities at church. People are depending on me being there. I don't have the time."

Ever since though it has been bugging me "did I make the right choice?"

Jack in Back

2009-01-12T18:22:00.001-05:00

Finally new episodes of 24.
Seems like a quieter gentler Jack though - in the first two hours he only shot two people & he had to share those kills with an FBI agent.
I'm sure he'll make up for it tonight.

A quiet afternoon

2008-12-23T14:06:00.003-05:00

Its very strange this afternoon at work - I'm the only one left on the second floor. There were some others around this morning but they seem to have disappeared.

There are some maintenance people scurrying about on the ground floor but only me up here.

After lunch I went for a walk downstairs and made sure there were other cars in the parking lot. I was worried "they" had told everyone to go home at noon but had forgotten about their lone worker on the second floor.

Usually there are at least 20 worker bees in the various labs on this floor and untold supervisory types either in their offices doing whatever it is they do or wandering the halls seeking other supervisory types to converse with in hushed tones.

I think I'll go now and find a maintenance guy to talk to for awhile before heading home myself.

Merry Christmas & a happy New Year to you all.