January's Over

   I don't know if it's just me, but although January's got just 31 days, it seems the month drags on forever. I don't know if it's the fact that it's the dead of winter, or the fact I'm getting (much) older. Whatever it is, time sure seems to move slowly in January.
   We did get the almost traditional "January thaw", which saw temperatures on the plus side of zero for a few days, breaking a long stretch where we struggled to get above -20C. And there's always the promise of spring, which is coming.
   In fact, on a recent trip to Regina, I saw what some would say were indications of an early spring. There were geese in a field January 28th. But that's not unusual, since not all the geese migrate. In fact, when we lived in Thunder Bay, Ontario, it was normal to see geese around the grain terminals there. If they can get food, and even a little open water, they're set.
   The other possible portent of an early demise to winter was seeing 2 quads in the back of a pick-up. My wife and I have a little joke that, in Saskatchewan at least, you can tell the seasons are about to change by what people have in the bed of their pick-up. When summer charges to winter, motorcycles and quads are replaced by snowmobiles. With the transition to warmer weather, the snowmobiles are replaced by the quads and bikes.
   Unfortunately, both signs are for naught. After the January thaw usually comes the February freeze, with the mercury plummeting downward again. And so it will be when we turn the page on the calendars tonight. Temperatures will fall to -20 tonight, and stay in the minus teens right through the weekend.
   And Groundhog Day is this Thursday, when furry prognosticators across North America are unceremoniously hauled from their dens to see if they have a shadow or not. According to lore, if the rodent sees his shadow, it's 6 more weeks of winter. Which just about fits with the calendar as well, since spring officially doesn't arrive until March 20.

TTFN

Happy Robbie Burns Day

   It is the 258th birthday of Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns. He's widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and penned such notable works as "Auld Lang Syne", "Scots Wha Hae" and "To A Louse".
   It's also a night of Robbie Burns suppers, where haggis

   Is brought in by a piper, and ritually "slain" while "Address To A Haggis" is read. Haggis is a dish I've never had, nor do I want to. In years past, I was known to enjoy a "wee dram" of Scottish Wine. And while I'm not Scots, I have also been known in years past to don the kilt:

   I did not this year, but I'll likely wear it again next year (I go on a 2 year rotation).
   For those of you who are of Scottish descent: Happy Robbie Burns Day! For the rest of us:

TTFN

This Is What I Call A Beer

   A brewery in London, England is taking the idea of craft beer to the max. The Meantime Brewing Company in Greenwich is designing a product to suit a particular person's palate, by getting a sample of the person's DNA, and using that to craft a beer.
   Through a long, complex process, they can identify particular bitter and sweet flavours, and then produce a beer which has that characteristic so you would ultimately like that brew. Then it's back to the brewery and tried and tested variations of barley, hops, yeast and water.
   Launching next month, the beer won't be cheap. 12 hectolitres (roughly 2000 pints) will cost you 25 thousand pounds. That's $31 thousand American, or $40 thou Canadian. Meantime says it can also be delivered in kegs to your favourite pub - where you'll have even more friends than you realized.
   Many years ago, in a city far, far away, I used to make my own beer. Like many home-brewers, I started with simple kits you put in a fermenter, added some sugar, water and yeast and let it go. A week or so later, I'd rack it into a secondary carboy, let it settle for another week before bottling. I'd get 60 bottles (5 dozen) from each kit. And it wasn't bad beer, either.
   Eventually, I graduated to doing a partial mash with grains, adding my own hops, and going to kegs, rather than bottles. I had to give it up when we moved back to Saskatchewan in 1997, because I didn't have the room or facilities to brew in the place we rented.
   Would I go back to making my own? Probably not. Would I pay 40 thousand Canadian for a beer personally tailored to my tastes? Never. I'd just pick up a crate from my local liquor store. If I hadn't quit drinking more than 11 years ago.

TTFN

The Curtain Is Coming Down

   After 146 years, the tents will be struck for the final time on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in May of this year. The main reasons: Declining revenue due to falling attendance, and a growing public outcry over having animals, like elephants, perform.
   I'm not a member of PeTA, nor will I ever be. But I think it is time to bring to a close having animals perform for our edification. My hope now is that the animals with the circus are retired to a nice, quiet spot where they can live out their lives.
   Looking back, I can only think of 2 times I've ever been to the circus. Once was more than 45 years ago when I was a youngster, and my parents took me. The other was more than 20 years ago when, as a parent, I took our kids to the circus. If memory serves, they didn't like it, and we left early.
   Still, it is rather sad when a 146 year old tradition comes to an end, even though there are still a few other circuses out there.And I'm sure they'll have a 3-ring celebration to close the curtain on "The Greatest Show On Earth".

TTFN

Go To Hell

   That's pretty much what GX94 Morning Show host Danny Ismond invited me to do yesterday, after brutally cold weather gripped the area (see post below). Things haven't improved much since, with the windchill -45 C this morning, and a daytime high of -25. So, I might just take Danny up on that.
   When he first suggested I go to hell, I naturally had a quizzical expression on my face like "did you REALLY say that to me?" Perspective time: The "Hell" Danny was talking about was in the Cayman Islands

   Which I admit would be a welcome change from the deep freeze we've been in. That turned into a conversation about the places named "Hell". There is the unincorporated township in Michigan, and one in Norway, population 1440

   The remarkable fact about the Norwegian community isn't the fact that it freezes over yearly, but one of the buildings has a very interesting sign

   Gods Expedition very roughly translates into "goods handler". But still it's an interesting juxtaposition.
   Hell, Norway is near Trondheim, which is close to the Arctic Circle. I also quipped that Trondheim was warmer that we were. Our forecast high today is, as mentioned, -25 C. Trondheim's high is +2. So, if Danny wants to send me to Hell, I'll gladly accept!

TTFN

  

It's A Bit Brisk This Morning

   Actually, it's downright frigid. It's been below -30 C all morning, with a windchill at -46. That's cold. In fact, so cold a weather warning has gone out due to the Arctic blast combined with even a moderate breeze. It's dangerous as well, because exposed skin will freeze in just minutes when exposed to that type of cold.
   Not that we're not used to it, though. Just a few years back the windchill hit -50 C (58 below F), and I've lived in places where the overnight low, without the wind, was -45 (49 below F). Do we "get used to it". No. It's a struggle to get going in the morning, since you must make sure you're bundled up as warmly as you can get. It's tough on vehicles, even if they've been plugged in, since batteries don't charge properly, and power steering fluid has a tendency to turn into a gel, rendering it useless. Unless you have a garage or underground parking.
   I've been known to quip in the past that this is "plane" weather. Plane to Maui, plane to Cozumel, plane to Fiji. But, since I can't afford a mid-winter get-away, I'll just have to tough it out. Me, and several hundred thousand others that is.
   Keep warm!

TTFN

He Did Not Care For It

   Yesterday, I blogged about the fact GX94 morning show host Danny Ismond had never tried sushi (see entry below), and I'd bring him some today. I did as promised, getting a California and Teriyaki chicken roll, with all the fixin's.
   To his credit, Danny did eat a piece of both, live on air and on our stations Facebook Live page. He managed to get them both down, and did not have to spit either one out (even though the wasabi on the Cali roll was a bit much for him, even after I told him it was a little hot). I also don't know if he liked the pickled ginger, meant as a palate cleanser, but something I eat on top of my sushi.
   I'll venture to say this: I don't think he'll be trying sushi again for a long, long time.
   But continuing with that "what have you never eaten before" theme, GX94 mid-day host Tonya Cherry says she'll try Prairie Oysters (google it yourself if you need to), and Danny will as well. I, on the other hand, will definitely not be partaking of them when, and if, we do get some. Even I have my limits.

TTFN

The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown Down

   During our morning chat today on GX94, morning show host Danny Ismond and I talked about a very expensive fish. Lunar New Year festivities are coming up shortly in Asian parts of the world, and one tradition in Japan is the auction of Blue Fin Tuna for sushi.
   This year's record price for a 212 kilogram, or 467 pound, tuna was 612 thousand dollars. The owner of a sushi restaurant chain made the purchase, taking the prize fish for the 6th year in a row. And even 612 thousand dollars isn't a record price, either. The same restaurant owner forked over 1 million dollars for a Blue Fin in 2013.
   During the course of our daily chat today, I asked Danny if he'd ever had sushi. I must admit I was taken slightly aback when he said "no", and didn't think he could. It was only after the mic went off I told him I'd bring some in for him to try Friday. And I promised no "icky" stuff. He agreed, so I'll bring in a tray of (store bought) California roll or something, including wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce and we'll try it live tomorrow about 8:40 Saskatchewan time.
   Me, I love sushi. In fact, I have it at least once a week, if not more. In fact, I used to make my own, but had to stop since myself and one of our sons liked it, while my wife and other son don't.
   I'll post Danny's reaction tomorrow.

TTFN

Charles Manson Is Hospitalized

   The 82 year old former cult leader and convicted killer was taken from his California jail cell to a hospital last night for an undetermined illness. Corrections officials in that state say the man who orchestrated the brutal slayings of actress Sharon Tate, who was 8 months pregnant at the time, and 6 others in 1969 is alive. And that's all they're saying, citing privacy laws that prohibit them from discussing an inmate's medical situation.
   Manson, for those who don't know, was the leader of a hippie kill-cult dubbed the "Family" who butchered their victims at his behest. The sheer brutality of the slayings shocked the U.S, since the victims were, at first, thought to have been chosen at random.
   Manson had apparently been rejected by a record producer who at one time lived in the house Sharon Tate was slain in, and may have been out for revenge. But during his trial, a more sinister motive was brought forward. Manson had apparently wanted to start a race-war between African Americans and whites, called Helter Skelter, and believed the murders would start it.
   When he and several followers were finally convicted, they were handed the death penalty. But that was later commuted to life in prison when California abolished the death penalty in the '70's.
   That means Manson has been in prison, in a secure cell, for over 45 years. He was placed in a secure cell after rumours started that Tate's husband, film director Roman Polanski, had taken out a 1 million dollar contract on him.
   Officials have not said what Manson had been hospitalized for.
   I'll update this when needed.

TTFN