Russia Is Out

   Due to past doping infractions, Russia will not be able to send participants to the upcoming Winter Games in South Korea. The IOC made the announcement yesterday. Does that mean all Russian athletes have been banned? No. In a bid to protect “innocent athletes” the door has been left open for Russians to compete as an “Olympic Athlete of Russia”, as long as they satisfy strict conditions that show they have a doping-free background.
   All the ban really means is the athletes won't be able to compete under the Russian flag. Which for them is truly a pity
   There have been accusations fired off at Russia and the former Soviet Union for using performance enhancing drugs, but this is the 1st time the IOC has acted on them.
   Needless to say, reaction from quite a few sport organizations in the country is negative, with Alexei Kurashov, president of the Russian freestyle federation, saying: ”The Olympic movement has discredited itself and there will be fundamental consequences to this".  But just in the past month, the IOC  has banned 20 Russian athletes from the games.
    My 2 cents: It really is sad that the majority of Russian athletes will now not be able to compete due to the actions of a few, and with the approval of their respective organizations. But I also feel the IOC should treat all countries fairly, and look at doping in all nations.

TTFN

Not Feeling Naked Anymore

   As I blogged about last week, my wedding ring needed to be resized, since it was loose, and to the point where it was starting to slip off. I picked it up Saturday, and while it is still loose, there's no way it's going to fall off. Until I lose another 40 or so pounds of weight.
   I must admit, it feels so much better having it back on!

TTFN

I've Felt Naked

   I've been on a weight loss kick for quite a while now, and it recently took a toll. I have not been on a program, and I still don't exercise. I've simply made some food choice changes. I used to scarf back M and M Peanut candies, and wash them down with a sugary soda or 3 every evening. Given my sedentary life-style, it won't come as any surprise that I ballooned outward.
   In fact, a number of years ago, my weight was north of 250 pounds, and I had to go to the Big and Tall store for pants. My waist was 50 inches around.
   By just cutting out the evening snacks (and watching my food intake in general), my weight is now south of 215, albeit only just, and I've shed 8 inches off my waist. I still have a paunch, or middle-age spread if you prefer, and I know I'll never get rid of it totally. But still it's progress, and in the right direction.
   It's also presented a problem I did not take into account. My wedding ring. It's gotten so loose that it was in dire danger of slipping off my finger completely, and vanishing somewhere. So, I took it in to one of our local jewellery stores to get it re-sized. I'll be honest, both my wife and I had to have them cut off and re-sized years ago due to weight gain. So, it's somewhat ironic that years later I'm having to have it shrunk a bit.
   I have to say, the ring finger feels awful without that little gold band. It's just the 2nd time it's been off in the nearly 35 years we've been married, and I miss having it on. That will be taken care of tomorrow, Saturday, when I pick it up from the jeweler.

TTFN

Turkey Day

   Just a quick note to wish my American viewers a Happy Thanksgiving. Here's hoping you all can enjoy a great turkey dinner. And Happy "Black Friday" shopping as well, to kick off the holiday season.

TTFN

Charles Manson Dead

     In 1969, that was the face of evil. In t he summer of 1969 Charles Manson ordered his followers to brutally butcher 7 people, including Sharon Tate, who was married to director Roman Polanski. Tate was 8 1/2 months pregnant at the time she and 5 others were murdered. The so-called Manson Family 2 days later killed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in their L.A home.
   Manson himself did not participate in the Tate-LaBianca killings, but was found guilty of 1st degree murder in the case, along with several of his followers. There is evidence Manson actually did kill at least one person before the Tate murders, but he was never convicted.
   Manson and the others were sentenced to death, but that was later reduced to life in prison, after California officials scraped execution. He was serving 9 life sentences when he died Sunday in a hospital at age 83 of natural causes.

TTFN

Food, Glorious Food!

   Regular viewers will know from past posts that both my wife and I are pretty handy in the kitchen. All you'd need to do is take a look at my more than ample frame to know that. My wife is an incredible baker (her chocolate cake gets rave reviews), and I'm more or less the person producing a lot of our meals.
   Last year, I was asked by GX94's mid-day host Tonya Cherry to do an item from her Christmas Goodies Cook-Book, and I did a pork chop-suey stir-fry. Tonya's on maternity leave, so this year, her locum, Nick Kaczmar, is taking her place in selling them. Between Nick and Tonya, they convinced morning show host Danny Ismond to produce something. Danny dutifully did, bringing in chocolate cupcakes. Were they good? Yes.
   But during our chat this morning, that spun off onto a rather less than successful culinary adventure my wife took us on a number of years ago, called a 5-can casserole.
   I can't for the life of me remember exactly what was in it, but none of us could eat it. Sorry dear, it really was that bad.
   She got the recipe off the internet, which is where it should have stayed. The result ended up in the bin. Not that I haven't had food flops myself, but this one was memorable. For the wrong reason.

TTFN

A Time Change Oops!!

   This past weekend was "time change weekend" in most parts of the world, when clocks are set back an hour from Daylight to Standard time. Except in Saskatchewan, where we don't touch our clocks. And that's fine, since I always hated the twice yearly adjustment. But even though we're on the same time year round, the change can, and this morning did, play a little havoc.
   The weather service we subscribe to is in a different time-zone than we are, meaning they set their clocks back an hour. Which I was aware of. But I'm also used to seeing the forecast from them in my email in-box when I get in the door at 04:00. So, imagine my chagrin when the clock started getting close to 05:00, and nothing had come in (even though we don't actually need the forecast until 05:30, when both stations morning shows hit the air). So, a quick email to our service, gently reminding them of the change, which brought about (and very rightly so) a mild rebuke, and a reminder they have other clients as well, and they get it out as soon as possible.
   Lesson learned.

TTFN