Happy Canada Day

   Tomorrow will mark the 149th anniversary of Canada getting dominion over it's own affairs from England. It used to be called "Dominion Day" in recognition of that event, but it was changed years ago to "Canada Day".
   But whatever you call it, there will be plenty of parties across this land celebrating, with music and (of course) firework displays.
   And since it is recognized as a statutory holiday, I will not be in the office this Friday, July 1. I actually get the long weekend, and will be back at it July 4th, which is Independence Day in the U.S.

TTFN

More Musical Moments

   I've had this finger piano for quite a few years now. I bought if from an African import store when we lived in Regina. Sadly, they closed several years ago, but not before we made several purchases there.
   Basically, it's just some steel flattened at one end, with a different pitch for each. The bottle caps were added (I'm guessing here) to add a reverb to the sound. I brought it in to work today after talking with some of my co-workers about music and instruments.
   Can I play it? Lets just say I can make noises on it, but nothing identifiable as a tune.
   And during the search for it yesterday, it occurred to me that I actually have quite a few musical instruments crammed into my man-room.
   In addition to the finger piano, there's my kiddie bagpipes, 3 guitars, my didgeridoo and a set of African bongo drums. The guitars are about the only instrument I can actually play, albeit poorly.
   The question begs to be asked: If I can barely play an instrument, why buy it at all? In the case of the guitars, I blogged a while back that I could actually play some 3 decades ago, and can still do so to a limited degree now. The didgeridoo I bought 'cause I liked it. And I learned how to play it, to a minimal skill, in 6 weeks ahead of Halloween a few years back. The bagpipes I got for Robbie Burns Day, and truthfully, I don't think I'll ever get more than squeaking noises from them. The finger (or more properly thumb) piano I got, again, 'cause I liked it. Same with the African drums. No other reasons than these.

TTFN

Random Ramblings

   Who knew? Iceland has knocked England out of the European Championships with a 2-1 win in the Round of 16, and a berth in the quarterfinals. Wayne Rooney scored from the penalty spot in the opening minutes, but the Icelanders came roaring back with 2 in the first half, sealing the win.
   Normally, I'm an England fan. At least until they get knocked out of the competition (which happens all too often), when I switch allegiances. Normally, I'd start rooting for Italy, but I've got to go with the underdogs this time 'round. Iceland takes on host France in the quarterfinals.

   A few months back, I blogged about my guitar build, which turned out quite nicely. Yesterday, I added to my meager collection, buying a factory built Epiphone SG Special:

   Which compliments my L.P build. I managed to come up with the money for it by selling my compound bow. Not that I really wanted to, but I've developed bursitis in both shoulders, and drawing back the bow (even with a 65% let-off) simply got too painful.
   My playing is still quite painful, especially for other members of my family, but I am getting better. In fact, I'm almost near the point I was 30+ years ago when I quit playing (if not better). Not that that's saying much, but since I'll never EVER perform anywhere, WTH.
   That's about enough rambling for now.

TTFN

The Olympics Are Near

   And Brazil is the host country for the games in August, which might not turn out so well for them, although I hope it does.
   There have been problems almost from the get-go. Not the least of which is the lagoon for the rowing and paddling events. Some have said it's little more than an open sewer, and there have been concerns about athletes health.
   Then, there's the cost. Almost 40 billion Reals (roughly $11 billion U.S) has been spent so far in a country who's economy is struggling. There's political turmoil, with President Dilma Rousseff facing an impeachment trial. There's controversy over the IOC banning several Russian athletes for doping. There are security worries, especially after an attack on a hospital by 20 armed men who tried to free a drug baron. One person was killed, and 2 injured.
   But far and away, the biggest concern is the Zika virus, linked to birth defects. Brazil is "ground zero", and has lead to several athletes saying they will not attend over concerns about it. The latest is golfer Rory McIlroy. Fears about the mosquito-borne virus also prompted the U.S Olympic committee to say athletes should consider giving these games a "miss". Worries about zika could also keep spectators away.
   Can all these be overcome? Probably not. Will they have an impact on the games? Without doubt. With participants not going for various reasons, the "drawing power" might not be there, which will impact the bottom line.
   I have nothing against the Olympics at all. In fact, I wish attending athletes all the best as they do their best. But with things like continuing cost over-runs plaguing different host cities, it might be time for organizers to look at permanent venues. One for the summer games, one for the winter. I've suggested in the past that this would make sense, since countries wanting to participate would be required to pay a yearly fee for maintenance and upgrades of the facilities.
   Is that likely to happen? No. But when you had several cities opting out of hosting upcoming winter games, the idea makes some sense.
   The question would be who would become the permanent hosts? And who would step up to the plate to let their country do so?
   This turned into a rant. Sorry.

TTFN

Summer's Here

   That was taken from one of the windows in our office just after 04:00 local time. And what a glorious morning to mark the start of summer! Today is the solstice, and summer will officially begin at 4:34 p.m my time.
   I, for one, am ready for summer. Not that this past winter was horribly horrible. In fact, it was (compared to years past) quite mild. Thanks to El Nino. However, El Nino is transiting into La Nina, which could mean a brutal winter this year. Be that as it may, it's still a long way off, and we're now into the "warm months" of the year.
   I hope to be able to get out fishing this year, it'd be the first time in quite a while. I'll also likely be spending time helping my wife garden. Usually by simply staying out of her way.
   And speaking of gardens, one of the highlights of the year for my wife is coming up in July, with the annual "Secret Garden Tour" in Regina. I, once again, will chauffeur her and one of her friends to as many of the venues as we can on a Saturday.
   One slight downside is the fact I've used up almost all my vacation time for the year. I still have 1 week off, and plan on taking that at the end of August before we head into the busy fall schedule.
   Best thing of all for us over the next couple of months is the fact we've got central air for those really hot days.
   Happy Summer!

TTFN

Not A Pleasant Surprise

   That's not a movie prop or plastic model. That's a 20 cm (8-inch) Emperor scorpion, and a woman had a very unpleasant surprise when she found it in her bed. No, she doesn't live in any desert, or in a "hot climate" zone. She lives in Ontario, a province not known to be a habitat for scorpions.
   So, how did this monster, complete with stinger, get into her apartment? Apparently, it escaped from a neigbour's home and somehow got into her bedroom. She called police, and they arrived with a shovel to scoop up the arachnid and take it to a safe haven. No, they did not destroy it.
   A quick search shows this particular species, while large, is not relatively poisonous. What I managed to glean suggests the sting is somewhat akin to a bee or wasp sting. I still wouldn't like to get zapped by one though.
   And I'm willing to bet the woman in question, who was not hurt, will be checking her bed very carefully for a long time to come.

TTFN

"Mr. Hockey" Has Died

(photo courtesy AP)

   Normally, I don't post 2 items in the course of a week, let alone a day. But I felt I had to. Gordie Howe, aka Mr Hockey, aka Mr Elbow, has passed away. Born in Saskatchewan, he played hockey in 5 decades, most notably with the Detroit Red Wings, where he won 4 Stanley Cup rings.
   I remember very well Howe in his heyday. Dad watched hockey every Saturday night back when the NHL had just 6 teams. While the Wings weren't my favourite team back then, Howe was one of my favourite players.
   In addition, he was also named an all-star 21 times, and set scoring and points records which stood for decades.
   I know what Wayne Gretzky did in the years after Howe retired, re-writing a lot of the records Number 9 set. And with no disrespect to #99, "Gordie" will remain for me the best hockey player of all time.
   RIP Mr. Howe.

TTFN

Another Project Done

   And this one, I did not do myself. The carpet we had in our home was never in the best shape to begin with. Our place was turn-the-key walk in new when we bought it less than 3 years ago. But the builders used the cheapest, nastiest carpet they could get their hands on. t started looking shabby after just a few months, and having 3 cats certainly didn't help. They've got plenty of places to sharpen their claws, so of course they used the carpet.

   So, it had to go. My wife and I thought about what to replace it with long and hard, and decided to go with an industrial grade floor covering. It's sort of a mix between laminate (which we could not afford) and linoleum.

   It's got a 25 year wear-through warranty, and certainly looks a lot better (we think) than the cheap, nasty carpet. But the best part was watching the cats try and cope with it. We have an "open" floor plan, with the kitchen, dining and living room areas flowing together. One of our kitties likes to gallop full tilt around the place, and used to use the carpet for traction when cornering. He skidded out of control at least 3 times trying to negotiate it, but eventually he got the hang of it.
   The best part about this, other than the expense, was the fact I didn't have to do anything.
   Next up: Having the basement finished. That's going to take a few years (or a lottery win) to get done.

TTFN

Back At It

   After a couple of weeks of "rest", I am back. And it feels pretty darn good too. My 'vacation', such as it was, wasn't exactly "restful", although it was 2 weeks away from the office.
   I won't bore you with all the details, but here's why vacation 2016 wasn't exactly what I'd planned. On the Victoria Day weekend, my wife and I went to Regina for her annual plant-shopping expedition, which was a success. I'd made a promise to her that I'd dig up part of the front yard for another flower bed. I'm amazed at 2 things. One, that I actually got it done (it took 2 days to do so), and Two, just about everything hurt afterwards. I've had a bad back for decades, and stooping over to dig up grass and dirt didn't help it. But it's done, and looks really good.
   Week 2 was taken up entirely by 'babysitting' the house while we get new flooring put in. The place is only 3 years old, but the carpet the builders put in was cheap and nasty, and had started to wear badly even before we brought our 3 cats into the mix.
   Installing it should have taken (we were told) 3 days. As of this post, it will be day 6 of the project, and we're hoping it'll get finished. So, my goal of doing as little as possible did not get met, along with getting out and doing some fishing.
   Another fly in the ointment was the fact that, for about the 3rd year in a row, my wife and I could not coordinate our schedules to get time off together. We hope to change that next year.
   All is not lost, though. I've got another week off coming up at the end of August, and I fully intend to achieve the goal of doing as little as possible. But for now, it's back at it.

TTFN