The Devil Made Do It

I thought I should post something appropriate for Halloween.  Fortunately, my daughter sent me a link that was nearly perfect for tonight.

You decide ...

Here's the link: http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=22984504&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00adef&fullscreen=1&autoplay=1&loop=0

Retail Therapy

Why do we buy stuff? Especially stuff we don't really need. Most people will say they go shopping because it makes them feel good, if only temporarily. Yet that feeling is so fleeting. My daughter-in-law says it comes with a big dose of cognitive dissonance or buyer's remorse. She says you'll only feel great if you buy stuff for her!

This topic reminds me of the famous New Yorker caveman cartoon by Sam Gross, captioned "I'm a hunter-gatherer-hoarder". You can see the cartoon on-line at http://www.condenaststore.com/-sp/I-m-a-hunter-gatherer-hoarder-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Prints_i8472841_.htm.

Of course, if you're retired and on a low fixed income (poor me ... break out the violins), you'll have to get your good feelings some other way. Something for me to think about.

I know! I'll make a slow-cooked pork roast for supper!

Cleanliness is ...

... better than dirtiness. Today, we're starting an experiment in house cleaning. We've hired a cleaning service to do, initially, a "top to bottom" cleaning of this old house. Neither of us likes to clean the house. It seems that about the only time we do is when company's coming.

After this initial cleaning by two, hard working women, we'll have one person back, once a month to maintain things. I expect we'll still have to do some cleaning ourselves when we're having guests for dinner or whatever, unless we plan to have them over right after the house has been cleaned.

The funny thing about this event was that, this morning, I tidied up the house for a couple of hours so that the cleaning women wouldn't be too shocked when they came in the door.

Now, me and the mutts are in the heated garage for the next five hours so that we're out of the way. You need not feel sorry for us.  We have drinks and snacks and I have my laptop and radio to entertain myself. I actually spend about five hours a day out here in my garage office anyways.

Happiness is ...

Windipeg Clouditoba

Let's face it ... our current weather sucks. Tonight, it's going down to -9°C. Tomorrow, up to -1°C. And cloudy and flurries. Makes me want to be somewhere else. Somewhere sunny and warm. Of course, then I'd be worrying about a hurricane or something equally nasty.

Oh, well ... "there's one good thing about snow, it makes your lawn look as nice as your neighbor's" (Clyde Moore).

Big Boom

Margaret and I attended the latest Celebrations Dinner Theatre show called "The Big Boom Theory".  It's turned out to be an immediate hit in Winnipeg, thanks in part to the very popular TV show, "The Big Bang Theory".

The show has already been sold out on many nights.  And some people are coming back to see it a second or third time.

The cast is quite good, with the mix of songs, comedy, and dance well balanced.  The dinner and even the coffee was better than average.  I look forward to seeing it again soon.

Highlight of the Week

Last night, we attended the Encore Gala at the Manitoba Club. It was a cocktails/dinner to raise money for Rainbow Stage. We were the guests of WOW! Hospitality Concepts, the company that owns Celebrations Dinner Theatre. Although I don't particularly like formal attire affairs, this one was well worth the effort.

We sat with friends and enjoyed conversations around the table. The dinner and service was excellent. The entertainment was superb. "Those Guys", an a cappella group, sang several original arrangements, with lively vocal percussion and entrancing harmonies. They received a standing ovation as they ended.

The venue, the Manitoba Club, was also great. This fine old building is a recently restored heritage clubhouse. It has been used by Winnipeg's elite business people as a social networking site since 1874.

It was definitively the highlight of our week.

Another Good Weekend

It was another good weekend here. We got out to Beaudry with the dogs on Saturday and Sunday. They love going for walks out there. It was a little busier than usual, with dozens of other dogs being walked by their owners. But, the park is big and there was room for everyone.

I managed to take some photos. Nothing special. I was just learning some of the features of my new little Nikon. In particular, HDR imagery where the camera takes three images of the same scene at different exposures and provides one image with a high dynamic range. It's a good approach to photos with both dark and light areas so that both areas are exposed closer to what the human eye sees.

One fun shot I took was of a trail that crosses the Assiniboine River.

The trail is obviously used only in winter, after the river freezes over. Although I expect it won't be too long before that happens, we are still having some fine fall weather here in Winterpeg. I hope it continues for as long as possible.

Routine Maintenance

Every home needs routine maintenance. All it takes is planning and money. Recently, we got the furnace checked out for the winter. I didn't like it when the technician said everything is fine but it seems to be getting old. I liked it less when he said that our water heater needs to be replaced right away. When he showed me the gunk he drained from the bottom of the tank, I readily agreed. It made me vow always to use cold water for my cooking.

That's what's happening now as I write this post. The water tank is being replaced. There's lots of banging and cursing going on in the basement by the surly crew of two technicians. I don't think they like installing water tanks. I guess they don't like their jobs very much. I imagine they wish they were real plumbers, working for themselves, so they could charge more than the company they work for does.

Maintenance never ends. There's a long list of other jobs this old house needs done. But, some will have to wait until next spring. That's one of the good things about a Winnipeg winter: it shuts done exterior work, unless it's an emergency.

A Place to Park

One of the first conditions my wife set for me when we got together was that she got to park her car in the heated garage over the winter months. Foolishly, I readily agreed. Now, for the past two days, I've been tidying and organizing all my stuff to make room for her car.

It hasn't been an easy job because, among other things, the garage has served as my photo studio, plant growth chamber, and summer storage area. But, finally, a few minutes ago, everything is cleared away, ready for her to drive inside.

I can't wait for spring to return.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is near. Only five more sleeps to go. For us, the preparations began last weekend with the purchase of a frozen turkey and some of the other components of the coming feast. This year, we're looking forward to the Holmes family coming to our home for the traditional meal.

Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect on all of the good things in our life. Family, of course, comes to mind first. For me, it means being thankful for my children and their children. It also means I'm thankful for my loving wife. I cannot express how important each of them is to me. If you are a parent or a grand-parent or a spouse, you know exactly what I mean.

It goes without saying that I'm also thankful for a roof over my head and a full larder. Too many Canadians do not have these basic luxuries. I also have numerous hobbies that keep me busy most days, including gardening, reading, nature photography and cooking.

I'm also grateful that I'm still reasonably healthy, considering my age. I'm fit enough to do most of things I need to do. What I can't do, I can get help from others to do. Sometimes, a friend or family member will help me; other times, I can hire someone to help me.

So, yes, I'm thankful for everything in my life. I hope you are, too, especially as Thanksgiving approaches.

Happiness is ...

Aldous Huxley, in his essay "Distractions I", said "Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities". Not having read this essay, yet, I can agree that happiness is mostly the by-product of our other activities.

Activities like continually learning new and interesting things, enjoying hobbies, sharing good times with friends and family, and reading and writing.

I believe happiness is also accepting changes in our lives. Some of these changes may be hard to accept.  Others may be welcomed. Life is always presenting us with new challenges and opportunities. How we react to them determines, to some extent, how happy we will be.

So, although our activities may give us most of our happiness, our experiences and what we learn from them also factor into the equation. It's certainly something to think about.

Turning the Pages

I can't imagine a life without books. I remember someone saying it's time to get more books when you've only got nine or ten unread ones left. I used to head to my favourite book store to restock when my 'pile' was getting low. Now, being both more frugal and more voracious in my reading, I head to the library. There are always more mysteries and suspense stories there. I particularly like Canadian and foreign authors (i.e., non-American). And, if I've hit upon an author I really like, there's always inter-library loan to fall back on when I exhaust those at my local branch.

I enjoy reading paper books. I've tried reading books on-line and using electronic readers but they leave me cold. There's nothing quite like having a book in your hand. It always amazes me how few people read. I've met some people who think they're doing well to read one book a year. Me? I usually read at least a couple every week. I'm not bragging. It's just the way I am.

I watch relatively little TV. However, recently, I have watched more than normal for me. We purchased DVDs for the first four seasons of NCIS and, over the last month or so, have gone through the first three seasons. That's an episode every night! Obviously, it's an addictive series. But, I must say that that series hasn't impacted my reading very much.

Happiness is ...

The Great Pumpkin

The best-known quote regarding Linus and the Great Pumpkin is: "There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin".

Maybe the Great Pumpkin was never discussed because Linus was humiliated every Halloween when the Great Pumpkin failed to appear.

Maybe, this year, he will finally appear? Or, maybe, we'll just have to pretend that the ordinary pumpkins that we see everywhere at this time of year includes a Great Pumpkin in disguise.

Maybe this one is the Great Pumpkin?

Bobbing for Apples

What ever happened to this old fall party past time? I can remember, as a wee child, my mom filling a wash tub with water and emptying a basket of apples into it, fresh from the tree. Without using our hands, my brothers and I knelt in front of the tub and caught apples with our teeth. It was much more fun than just grabbing an apple and eating it.