Where Has The Time Gone?

   Hard as it is to believe, another year is in the books. And what a year 2014 was! I won't bother listing the top news stories of the year on this platform, there were simply too many locally, nationally and internationally.
   For me, 2014 was a year of settling in to my new surroundings, job and home. Once again, I'll not list details, just suffice it to say 2014 was better for me personally and professionally than 2013 was.
   So, what will 2015 bring? If I had an accurate crystal ball (and was a gambler) I might have a prognostication or 2. I don't have a crystal ball, and I'm not a gambler, so I can't begin to tell what the year ahead holds.
   What I can do is say whatever challenges and opportunities the New Year brings, I'm ready for them!
   Have a safe and Happy New Year everyone!

TTFN

It's Brutal Outside

   And, of course, it had to happen on my first day back from Christmas Holidays. As of 6:00 this morning, it was -31 C, with the windchill -41 C. In fact, there was an extreme cold warning issued for most of the southern prairies, including our region.
   This is not unexpected by any means. It's late December, and bitterly cold weather is pretty normal for this time of year. In fact, we've actually had it fairly easy so far this winter, and even had highs on the plus side earlier in the month.
   We've even managed to escape the "polar vortexes" we seemed to have an endless amount of last year. Which is not a bad thing.
   But it was still a shock to the system yesterday going out to the car, having to scrape both inside and outside, and them having the power steering fluid in it turn to a gel, basically meaning it's back to "arm-strong" steering. It's do-able, but not fun at all.
   These are the kind of days I like to call plane days. You know, plane to Hawaii, plane to Florida, plane to the Dominican. You get the picture!
   Stay warm.

TTFN

Gone For The Holidays

   I will be away all next week, and not returning to the office until the 29th. Because of that, there will be no blog entries for the next 10 days. So I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all the best of the festive and holiday season!
   From my house to yours, Merry Christmas.

TTFN

So Much Good Food

   Yesterday was the annual staff "pot luck" lunch. Everyone was asked with bringing in something, and a lot of us did, myself included. We ended up with 3 long tables full of very good food, everything from perogies to turkey to salads and desserts. It was scrumptious, and I didn't feel the need to have dinner later yesterday.
   My dish was jambalaya, a favourite in my family for more than 20 years. GX94 mid-day host Tonya Cherry is always sharing recipe's on her blog, and since I had a few requests for my jambalaya, I thought "what the hell". So, here it is. I hope you try it some time. And feel free to tinker and adjust the ingredient size to meet your needs. That's how I came up with this:

Craig's jambalaya recipe. Feel free to tweak it to your own tastes. I know I did from the original. I cook this in a huge stock pot that has a thick base (restaurant grade)

3-4 green peppers (depending on size)...
2 medium onions
2 bunches of celery stalks
Dice all the above small, and put half aside.
2 to 3 ham steaks, diced small
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut small.
5/8 ounce margarine or butter
2 large 28 ounce cans (and one small 14 ounce one) tomato sauce

1 box chicken stock plus a can of condensed stock
1 900 gram box converted rice (do not use minute rice)

Spices:
3-4 whole bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Louisiana hot sauce
1 to 1 1/2 tsp Worchester sauce

Melt butter/margarine and add half the veggies, the ham steak, spices, hot sauce and Worchester sauce. Cook on high heat until the onions turn at least translucent to brown (about 20 minutes) stirring constantly. Add the remaining half of the veggies. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato sauce and simmer for at least 5 minutes, stirring constantly. You want to get all the browned spice mix incorporated. Add chicken and cook over medium to high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in rice, mixing well, and simmer for 12 minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until rice is tender, but firm. Enjoy!

Again, this is the recipe I use. Add or subtract items and spices to suit your taste. You can always add more, but you can't take it out once it's in the mix. This freezes quite well, especially if you have a vacuum bag system, and can be microwaved to re-heat.

Try adding things like shrimp or Andouille sausage for a slightly different taste.

TTFN

A Tragic 2 Days

   In Australia, a 16 hour stand-off at a cafe in Sydney ended with police storming in after hearing gunshots. When it was all over, 2 hostages had been killed, along with the alleged hostage taker, a radical, self-proclaimed Muslim cleric.
   Allegedly, the suspect faced dozens of assault and sexual assault related charges against at least 6 women.
   And in Pakistan, at least 141 are dead, mostly children and teens, after the Taliban attacked a military run school in Peshawar.
   Apparently, the group in question is trying to overthrow the government. There's been no word (at this writing) on what happened to the 7 attackers, who wore explosive vests, although it's extremely likely they died when government forces stormed in and regained control.
   Sad tidings.

TTFN

41 Years Later, It's Still Selling

   Good music will be around forever. Need proof? 41 years after it was released, Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" is back on the Billboard top 200 album list. It's at #13 (thanks to cheap pricing on Google Play).
   Since it was originally released in 1973, the album has spent a total of 889 weeks on the charts. That's 17 YEARS in total. Not bad!
   Dark Side is and has been one of my favorite all-time albums. I've bought 3 copies since it originally came out. 2 on vinyl (I played the first copy until there wasn't much left but scratches) and on CD. And, yes, I still listen to it, fake heartbeat and all. It is a timeless classic, much as the Beatles Sgt Peppers or the Eagles Hotel California
   And I still like the closing line: "There is no dark side of the moon. As a matter of fact, it's all dark".

TTFN

Are You Ready?

   As hard as it is to believe, Christmas is just 10 days away. That means the last "mad dash" to the stores is going full steam ahead as people try and find that perfect something for their perfect someone.
   This year, like so many in years past, we got a great head-start on our shopping, picking up something for one of our (now fully grown) kids way back in September. The rest was a doddle. We got the rest of the shopping done for both our "kids" by early November.
   The only problem I face is what to get my wife? I've asked her on several occasions "what do you want for Christmas", only to get the response "nothing". Which is NOT an option. She's not into "bling", so getting her something shiny is out of the question. I know she's in to "Downton Abbey", and has watched endlessly the shows available on Netflix. But since there's only 3 seasons available, I might get her the dvd of season 4. Other than that, I'm flummoxed.
   As for me, I'm easy to buy for. I want and need nothing this year, even though my kids have been asking what I want. I've given them some suggestions, but if they can't find anything, no big loss for me.
   The main thing is they'll both be coming up for Christmas Day (weather and roads permitting), and that's a big enough gift for my wife and myself.

TTFN

My Wife Is Really Creative

   At least I think so. It all stemmed from a chat GX94 morning man Danny Ismond and I had after he put a picture of the control room on facebook, showing the Christmas lights strung around the place.

   He asked if anyone decorated their workspace. After asking if papers strewn across a desk was decoration (the answer was "no"), we started talking about Christmas trees. I said this year we weren't having one, due to a lack of space in our house.
   But I did say my wife, who is very creative and can come up with some (what I think) are good ideas almost at the drop of a hat, came up with the idea of stringing lights over some birch sticks and other twigs. I think it looks quite good, actually.

   And at least it's not a "Charlie Brown" tree.
   Hopefully by next year, we'll have the basement developed, and will have room for an actual tree.

TTFN

Please, Let This Be A "One Shot" Event

   Yes, that guy does indeed have Christmas tree ornaments stuck in his beard in the latest "fad" for the festive holiday season, and quite frankly, I don't know what to make of it.
   "Beard Baubles" are the brain child of 2 Brits, who needed to come up with a Holiday card for their Ad Agency. You clip the plastic danglers on with bobby-pins. A set of 12 costs something like 15 bucks or so. And these things have been hot, selling out and now on back order.
   Profits from them are going to an Australian charity, fighting melanoma, so it is for a good cause. I will state here and now that I'm glad I only have a goatee, rather than the full beard, so I will NOT be buying into the trend.
   Truth be told, I think I prefer the "ugly Christmas sweater" fad of a few years ago more, but only slightly

TTFN

A New Record

   As mentioned in an earlier post, warm Pacific air has gripped our region, and did, in fact, bring new record high temperature readings with it.
   There were 14 new records set in Saskatchewan, including Yorkton. It got up to 4.7 yesterday, just squeaking past the old mark of 4.6 set back in 1987. And the well above normal readings are to continue today, possibly setting more new records.
   Yorkton's forecast high is 5. The old record for December 11th was 4.8, set in 2005. And we're not done yet, either. It's supposed to get up to 4 tomorrow, and 2 Saturday. Then, reality sets in with cloud, flurries and cooler temps Sunday and Monday at -3 and -6 respectively. But even that's still above normal for this time of year.
   I for one welcomed the warmth (although not the mess on highways with pavement frost and icy sections where melted snow froze). I just wish it would stay around a while longer. To March would be nice, then have it get warmer. Yeah. Like that's going to happen.

TTFN

A Little Good News

   It's something we all need from time to time. A feel good story. And this ones from Whitehorse, Yukon where an enterprising 5 year old is making and selling wooden block through a local store.
   Huxley Briggs uses his dads woodshop to craft the blocks (with some help from Dad using the planer), then hand packages and labels them. He approached a local toy store with the idea of selling a set of 10 for 5 bucks. The store owner did not go for that price, feeling it was undervalued, and instead paid 10 dollars a set. She's charging 20, but is also donating the profit to the local Big Brothers/Big Sisters organisation.
   There's now a waiting list for the blocks, and Huxley says he's asked his Grand-dad to come help out, agreeing to take Gramps out for ice-cream and a movie.
   And it gets better. Huxley isn't turning the cash into more toys. Instead, the canny Kindergarten age kid has started saving some of the profit as well.
   Here's hoping he does well in his endeavour!

TTFN

It's Going To Be Warm

   Just how warm is anyone's guess, but we could hit 5 or 6 Celsius over the next 3 days. The "why" is easy to explain. The jet stream has pushed the normally cold, arctic air that envelopes us well to the north, allowing warm Pacific air to flood in.
   That means we could well see highs 15 degrees above normal for this time of year. It could also mean new record highs for this time of year as well, sometimes smashing nearly 3 decade old marks.
   But it's not all roses. The warm inrush of air will mean possible problems on highways in our region, with pavement frost the big worry. Then, there's the possibility all the melting snow could freeze again at night, causing icy, slippery sections. As for potential flooding: It's not likely. we'd need a stretch of warm weather for a week to raise that possibility.
   I've been through 58 winters now, and as I get older, I find them harder to cope with. Not just the cold and wind, but having to shovel snow off my sidewalk is starting to get more difficult. So, for me at least, this warm spell is more than welcome. I just wish it'd stick around until March, then get warmer still.

TTFN

Why Can't My Cats Be More Funny?

   That well known feline face is, of course, "Grumpy Cat". The cat has a form of dwarfism, which gives it it's unique appearance. It's also made it's owner very, very wealthy. To the tune of 100 million dollars. It started when a picture of the cat was taken by the owner's brother, and posted on a social media site. From there, it took off, and meme's of Grumpy Cat are now everywhere.
   Then, there's this guy:

   He's named "Maru", and lives in Japan. His you-tube videos have been viewed more than 200 million times, and he's got hundreds of thousands of followers. Not bad for a Scottish Fold kitty!
   We've got 3 cats

   But they haven't yet made us any money, and likely never will. As you can see, all they seem to do is sleep, eat and hawk up fur-balls, although the silver-grey one does enjoy a quick gallop around the house. Usually at 1:30 a.m. But sadly, no fame (or fortune) will likely come from these kitties. And you know what? I'm actually o-kay with that. Although, making a little extra cash from their shenanigans would be nice!

TTFN

Godzilla Is Back Home

   Toho pictures in Japan is going to re-launch the king-sized monster with his original producers. Godzilla stomped into Tokyo more than 60 years ago in 1954, and has made 28 appearances since. Toho cut all ties with Godzilla in 2004. So why the decision to bring him back? Simple. The latest version (Godzilla 2014) has made 500 million dollars.
   Will I be watching the Japanese re-launch? Is sushi made with seaweed? I loved the vast majority of those old movies, the ones made in Japan at least. In fact, the night before my wedding, I was up watching the original black and white Godzilla. With a guy in a rubber suit, and that rubber foot smashing down on "Tokyo".
   I'll admit, I've never been a fan of the American re-boots, but if Toho is going to bring him back (hopefully closer to the original), then yeah! I'll watch it!.
   And a note for trivia fans: Godzilla's "roar" was someone drawing a rosined up leather glove over the de-tuned strings of a stand-up bass fiddle.

TTFN

People Are Getting Lazier

   So it would seem after a co-worker had this posted on one of the facebook pages we're on. It was relating to a selfie she had with her dog. She wanted to find out if other people took selfies with their pets.
   She got this as one of the responses: "Good pic wit da dog....glad it's Not wit 20 - 50 Cats..Lol". Now, I'm not an English professor, and don't pretend I am. But really? Why not simply use proper English and say "Good picture with the dog....glad it's not with 20 - 50 cats.. Lol"
   It's just as easy to do, and doesn't make you look like someone who needs a remedial course in our language.
   In this case, I don't think it was a simple spelling error (I've seen "wit" used instead of "with" many times on facebook). This is intentional, and, I guess, supposedly a time-saver. It's not. It didn't even take me an extra 2 seconds to write the same sentence with the correct spelling.
    I hate to say it, but computers and social media do seem to be dumbing down people.

TTFN

A Sad Day In Canadian History

   It was December 6, 1989, and Canada was shocked by what happened in Montreal that Wednesday. A heavily armed 25 year old Marc Lepine walked into Ecole polytechnique and started shooting. His targets were mostly women. Lepine claimed he was fighting feminism, and calling women a bunch of feminists.
   When the shooting ended, 28 people had been hit, and 14 women killed. Lepine killed himself. The massacre sent shock waves around this country and the world, not only for its savagery, but the fact women were the targets.
   In the aftermath, the fight on violence against women has grown, and now the week commemorating the tragedy also includes other victims of violence, including bullying. It also forced our nation to grow up, and spurred the call for tighter gun control. Lepine legally obtained the Ruger mini-14 .223 calibre rifle he used in the attack.
   Lets never forget those killed in this senseless attack:
Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault,Annie Turcotte and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz.
   Lets also hope their tragic deaths continue to spur action on the issue of violence against women.

TTFN

Still Getting Spam

   It's been about 5 months since I blogged about new rules governing spam e-mails, where corporations and/or entities doing so could face things like fines. The whole idea was to keep in-boxes from being flooded with garbage like this:

Costco

       WHOLESALE

Our online store Costco.com received an order and the personal data of the recipient coincide with yours.

You may get your order in the nearest Local Store.

Attention! Your order can be reserved within 4 days.

   And this:

You are still able to qualify! Affordable coverage has not expired yet. Act now to get a quote at no commitment.

- Quick and Fast Quotes

- Health Care Plans For All Situations

- The Nation's Top Healthcare Providers

- Protect yourself and your family..

Get coverage here right now: 

   Which I've been getting quite a bit of just this week alone. I have not (nor ever would) signed up to be on their mailing list of these and other spammers, and yet the legislation enacted this summer is supposed to keep these at bay. I have, in fact, made good use of the "unsubscribe" tab on an awful lot of other email, but the examples I gave don't have it. And I'm not about to hit "reply" on any of them, over concerns about inadvertently downloading a nasty bug or something.
   I simply mark them as "junk", which doesn't really help, since they come from different senders. I guess I'll have to talk to my techie to see what, if anything, he can do to keep this stuff out of my in-box.

TTFN

A Huge Blaze

   And it happened last night in my new hometown of Yorkton. Crews were called out about 9:00 last night to what's known locally as the Robert Place Apartments, where flames and smoke were billowing out of the building. The building in question is the old hospital here in the city, which was converted to apartments years ago.
   I've heard a lot of people managed to evacuate with just the clothes on their backs, and lost everything else to the flames. Coming just weeks before Christmas, it's the last thing anyone needs.
   Already, the community has stepped forward to help those displaced. The Red Cross is offering food and shelter through their emergency measures line. And a local organization, Yorkton Manor Helping Hand is accepting donations. As well several Samaritans were handing out coffee and hot food to displaced residents
   Major fires, and fires of any kind, in this city are rare.
   Thanks to GX94 morning man Danny Ismond for the photo he snapped on the way into work this morning.

TTFN

The High Cost Of Giving

   As hard as it is to believe, Christmas 2014 is now just over 3 weeks away. People will be flocking to their malls and stores looking for that "ideal" gift for their someone special.
   And for those who have the means, why not get all 364 items mentioned in "The 12 Days Of Christmas", which has become somewhat of a benchmark for holiday spending. Or overspending as the case may be.
   Were you to actually go out and purchase them all, you'd be paying $116,273.00 U.S. And here's where you'll spend more. The cost of a partridge is up 5 dollars to 20 bucks this year, a pear tree is 188 dollars, up from 184. 3 French hens will now cost 181 bucks. They were 165 in 2013. 6 gees a-laying will go for 360 dollars, up 150, and 10 Lords a-leaping will cost you (per performance) 5,348 dollars, up from 5,243.
   Everything else stayed at 2013 values. 2 turtle doves cost $125, 4 calling birds (canaries) were $600, 5 gold rings $750, 7 swans a-swimming $7,000, 8 maids milking $58, 9 ladies dancing (per performance) $7,553, 11 pipers piping (per performance) $2,635 and 12 drummers drumming (per performance) $2,855.

TTFN.