Outta Here!

   I will be gone for the next 2 weeks, after I wrap up our noon, local time, newscast today. It's vacation time, and I won't be back behind this keyboard until June 10th.
   What's planned? Not a whole lot, really. Unlike last year, we won't be going on any extended trips. In fact, Regina will probably be the furthest afield we'll trek this year. Well, maybe Lumsden, 32 km (20 miles) north of Regina.
   Other than that, and some yard work, no heavy plans. Just relax and re-charge, as best as possible, the batteries.
   Until June 10th:

TTFN

Cats!

   More specifically, this one, our newest addition Minerva:

   Who seems to have gotten the idea in her little kitty brain that shredding toilet paper is a good thing to do:

   Luckily, it was nearing the end, so it wasn't that big a deal. Until I looked around for the replacement we put as a courtesy for when the roll is empty on the bathroom counter. She'd had a go at that one too.
   I've seen plenty of videos on Facebook posted by people who have been in the same situation, but we did not expect her to start.
   Not that we haven't dealt with some bad cat behaviour in the past. One of our boy cats, who had to be put to sleep due to illness last year, was fond of stripping the caulk off the bathtub, which usually lead to my talking about our cat that liked caulk. Get your mind out of the gutter.
   But this is something new, and hopefully short-lived.
   Short term solutions: 1); Shut the bathroom door. A last-ditch effort, as the humidity in any bathroom can get quite high, leading to possible mold. 2); Put the T.P in a place she can't get to it, which is the most logical solution, and one we've adopted.

TTFN

Did You Watch?

   I admit when the show first came out (and for a few seasons after it did) I had no interest whatever in Game of Thrones. I also admit I tried reading the books, but only got a couple of chapters in before putting it down again. My wife changed part of that a few years ago, and I started watching the show on DVD. I'll also admit, I became a fan. Not quite as rabid as my wife, but I've watched all the series through. In fact, we binge-watched the previous 7 seasons ahead of the last one.
   Since we knew this was the final season, I decided to get HBO and PVR so we could record it, since we both have early bed-times on Sundays.
   Fans will know season 8 was pushed back an entire year to allow for filming and production. And frankly, I don't think it was worth it.
   Not that the acting or production was off. But the writing wasn't, in my humble opinion. quite as good as it has been up until now.
   I won't throw any spoilers out, but when the 2 main antagonists are killed before the final episode, it leave one wondering WTH? I will say the finale was okay, in that it tied up a lot of loose ends and did, as far as possible, wrap things up.
   To be fair, I haven't seen a series finale that hasn't been a bit of a disappointment in one way or another going as far back as the final episode of M*A*S*H.
   Will I be buying Season 8 on DVD when it comes out? Yes. Will I watch it again? Yes. Will I try and get through the books again? Doubtful.

TTFN

We Got Our View Back

   As regular viewers will know, our building has been undergoing a massive exterior upgrade since last fall, due to concerns about the cladding.
   Back on May 1st, the crane arrived to hoist the scaffolding in place, and just 9 days ago our view was blocked by what I believe was safety curtains due to the work around our newsroom.
   It must have been late yesterday the scaffolding had been lowered to the next floor to allow for work there. Meaning we got our view back. It also means we don't have to trek down the hall (not that it was a big deal) to check the weather conditions.
   In all of this, I need to make a confession. I did not notice the view was opened again until a co-worker mentioned it. I don't know if it was simply due to the fact that you get used to something, and it literally becomes just part of the background, or if I'm simply not as observant as I thought I was, or I'd better get my eyes checked..pronto!
   Anyway, it's good to have our view back.

TTFN

A Fun Day Monday

   GX94 morning man Danny Ismond was going a bit rampant around the station today, using Snapchat and the filter that shows your other self, male to female, and vice versa. Some of the results were hilarious.
   This is yours truly, although Snapchat could not get rid of the moustache

   Then, there was Danny himself, looking a bit like Rosanne Barr

   Sports guru Benny Walchuk

   Promotions manager Quinn Rioch

   And mid-day host Tonya Cherry

   All in all, not a bad way to waste a Monday morning!

TTFN

A Facial Hair Update

   At the end of last month (April 27) I posted about an accident I had while trimming my goatee, when the length guide fell off, and I took a strip out of it, necessitating my going almost completely bare-faced for the first time in years (see Oops!).
   While the goatee was, and for now remains, off, I kept the moustache. I also mused about getting some moustache wax to keep the stray hairs in place, and give it a little shape. However, in this day and age not many men have longer moustaches, and finding the wax locally was impossible.
   So, I turned to the on-line supplier I use for my shaving gear, and found several different types, and scents, of said product.
   This is what was delivered a few days later:

   It works well, although I'll spare you from having to see any pictures of the 'stash. To quote from the bottle, it's Ylang Ylang wax, plus other ingredients, and billed as "The Gentleman's Stiffener, keeping a stiff upper lip regardless". It can even handle the heat and steam from my morning cup of coffee, although I do need to re-apply a bit afterwards.
   It goes on quite well, and is pliable enough to work into the cookie-duster before giving it a final shape.
   I'm new to using a wax, and am still figuring out exactly how much I should apply. But, in a few weeks, I should get the results I'm after. Is this a little vain? Perhaps.

TTFN

The New Royal Baby Is Named

   The world got it's first look at Britain's new Royal Baby, born Monday morning to Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle.
   And they also announced his name: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

TTFN

Work Continues

   As I posted last week (my view for the next few weeks), we're getting some work done on the building housing our radio stations, with new exterior stone cladding being installed. In my last update, I mentioned scaffolding was going to sprout up soon to allow for the work to continue. It has, along with what I can only describe as some kind of safety screen, to protect our windows. Pardon the poor quality, with the reflection of the lights.

   The downside of this is, of course, we can't see outside to check the weather. Not that that's such a big deal. Nothing a quick walk down the hall (which will do me some good anyway) will solve.
   Judging by the speed they've been working at it, I'm hopeful our view will once again be unimpeded in the next week, maybe 2 at the most, before they move on to the floor below us.

TTFN

It's A Boy

   The newest addition to Britain's Royal Family was born at 5:26 A.M local time this morning, and it is a son for Prince Harry and his wife, the former Meghan Markle. The as yet unnamed baby will be 7th in line to the throne, and weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces.
   Harry confirmed the baby was overdue.
   It's the couple's first child.

TTFN

Overdue

   That's the cat tree we got for our fur babies well over 2 years ago, and as you might be able to see, it's in pretty rough shape. It was bound to be, with 3 cats using it. The sisal rope was pretty much gone from most of the legs, and one of the kitty nests was nearly worn through. It had to be replaced.

   Putting that new one together took a while (and some very bad language), but after struggling with the legs (I put one in the wrong place), and trying to get that darn cat-cave on (I was using the wrong screw), it's together.
   And what did 2 of our cats do?

   Yup! Continued to use the old, gnarly tree. But not for long. I've started dismantling the old one, taking the top perch's and their support posts off, so they'll have to use the new one.
   I just hope it lasts as long as the one it replaced.

TTFN

My View For The Next Few Weeks

   The crane will be gone in the next day or so, but scaffolding will appear in its place. A few years ago, we had the windows replaced in the building we share with Provincial Court and a few government offices. It was apparently due to water intrusion damaging the exterior cladding.
   The problem, however, was worse than thought.
   Because of it, crews have been working since last fall, replacing the entire exterior cladding on the building. They started in the front, and have progressed to the rear, which is where our newsroom is located.
   I won't mind the view being obstructed, but the problem could well be noise as crews do their work. We do a lot of recording from our desks, and for features, even over the phone, we have a microphone for quality at least on our end. Even though our interviewee won;t be able to hear it, if there is any noise, it'll intrude into the recording if we have our mic "on".
   Oh, well. It's only for a short time, and we'll at least get a new exterior.

TTFN