Another Month Over

   Hard as it is to believe, this is the last day of November, and it seems at times like the month flew by. Saturday, we start December, which can be a brutal month, and also officially start winter, with snow, bitter cold and strong wind.
   But it's not all gloom and doom. There are a few things to like about the cold weather. Things like frost. We've had pretty thick fog in the area today, and with the colder temperatures, and little wind, it has turned some trees a little festive, albeit somewhat early, as you can see from this shot out of our office window

   And with Christmas now less than 3 weeks away, I guess I'd better start gift shopping.

TTFN

Turkey Day

   Happy Thanksgiving to all my American viewers. I hope your turkey is moist, the dressing just perfect, the gravy lump-free and dessert delicious! And I wish you a good Black Friday tomorrow.
   Also, a sombre note this year. It was on this day, November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade in downtown Dallas. I remember it well, because the news broke over the noon hour in Calgary, where I grew up, and cut in to my favourite lunch-time show, Colonel Loonar.

TTFN

Goodbye, Old Friend

   After 2 years, I had to say "goodbye" to a trusted ally. Almost always by my side, I was never let down, until this past Wednesday. Then, death came calling

   My LG G-4 Android cell phone expired. It simply froze, and wouldn't come back to life. Thinking it might help, I pulled the battery and re-installed it, and hit the power on button. All I got was the start-up icon. Nothing else. So, I trooped to my local shop hoping beyond hope one of their technical guru's could re-activate it. But try as he might, nothing.
   He couldn't get it started and, more depressingly, could not retrieve any of my data. I'm still working on re-establishing my contact list, re-connecting with things like email, Facebook and Instagram, and re-installing apps I lost. I was not please that I now have to re-start all the games I had on my old phone. Although having plated them in the past, I now have a better idea of how to proceed on many of them.
   But the worst thing about it crapping out was losing several pictures I had on it. They're not replaceable.
   I did, however, get a shiny new LG G-6 out of the deal

   And the best part, it didn't cost me even one dollar, aside from the usual start-up fees.

TTFN

Back

   It was a nice 5 days off, but it was back to business this morning after an extended Remembrance Day long weekend. I had (as mentioned in the blog below) 2 days off from last year, and figured this was the best time to take them. Although looking back, I probably should've taken the Tuesday-Wednesday off, rather than Friday and Tuesday. It matters not, in the long run.
   I managed to accomplish a grand total of nothing the first 4 days, much to my wife's chagrin. There are some items on the "Honey-Do" list that should've been taken care of quite a while back. But I'm a procrastinator, and would rather put off to tomorrow what could successfully be done today.
   I did take a trip to Regina Tuesday to get fitted for a hearing-aid. I've lost a good 85 to 90% of the hearing in my left ear, the result of wearing a headphone over that one for the almost 40 years I've been in radio. The right one could also probably use a hearing-aid, but I can't afford more than one ear a year.
   All in all, a pleasant few days off, but now it's back at her.

TTFN

Away

   I will be burning off some extra time I'm owed from last year. I'll be taking an extra long break over the Remembrance Day weekend, from tomorrow through next Tuesday, returning Wednesday morning. Not much planned for this time off, other than a trip to Regina and a visit to a hearing centre to look at the possibility of a hearing aid.
   Please remember to pause for a minute or 2 11:00 a.m 11/11. It's the centenary of the end of World War I. If you can, take in a Remembrance Day service in your area.

TTFN

It's Halloween Again

   And it's also been 2 weeks since I posted anything to this platform, so apologies are in order. Once again, I took advantage of the opportunity to don a costume this year, as I have every year since I arrived at GX94. For 2018, I revived my Australian persona from 2014, complete with didgeridoo

   I also brought in some Anzac biscuits (actually, more of a soft, chewy cookie than a biscuit), which were very popular with their troops in World War 1.

   And thanks to my brother-in-law, I have some (real) shark jaws

   Used as part of a little skit I did with/for our morning show host Danny Ismond. All in all, not a bad way to start Halloween, and end October!

TTFN

Happy "Weednesday"

   Just after 12:00 A.M, local times, recreational marijuana use became legal in Canada, fulfilling an election promise made by Prime Minister Trudeau in 2015. But while it's legal, not everyone had instant access to "brick and mortar" stores to buy their bud. In fact, there are no stores open yet in Toronto or Vancouver, 2 of Canada's biggest cities.
   And since Newfoundland-Labrador is the eastern most part of the country, people there became the first to legally purchase up to 30 grams of wacky tobacco. A 46 year old man will go down in history as the first even person to buy legally, but he apparently won't be rolling up a doobie with it. Instead, Ian Power says he'll get a plaque made to signify his achievement, adding he won't smoke it, but keep it forever.
   For people who can't, or won't smoke it, you're going to have to wait a year before edibles hit the stores. Unless you buy the leaf and make your own. As well, most provinces (but not all) say people can grow up to 4 plants per household for their own private use.
   Of course, it'll be taxed, with the provinces and federal government's sharing the pot, so to speak. And that could turn into quite a revenue stream, if Colorado, one of the U.S States where it's legal is any indication. I recall seeing something suggesting they made $1 billion from the sale there.
   As for myself, I'll admit I'm a little curious, and probably will go to the local store when all the hoopla dies down in a few weeks. Will I buy? No. Truthfully.

TTFN