No-Mater

Those of you familiar with the chldren's movie "Cars" will appreciate this.

My old truck that has been carying the load for the past year died in the most unceremonious fashion when Is sputtered to a stop a month ago. The day I bought it I was out to show it off a little to some of my friends. Their children marvelled at its rust spots and hard looking shape and how it looked, smelled and likely ran much like the truck from that movie "Cars". So from that moment it would become Mater.

I was carrying a few stumps to a little patch of bush in the slough behind my house when I got stuck. I worked and worked to try and get it out but in the end I think I pushed the old girl too hard. It quit and would not start up again. I towed it home with the neighbor's tractor hoping that some rest and a few diagnostics would get it roling again.

I started with some electronic modules and the ignition coil, still nothing. I replaced the distributor, rotoe, plugs, wires (all purchased from the wrecker down the road) and nothing. It was time to accept that nothing short of a miracle was going to bring Mater back.

It took a few weks to get over but I did find a truck to buy, it's an upgrade to be sure. Extended cab, comfort, air conditioning, tilt steering, floor mats. Oh this truck has it all. So it's 12 years old with 300,000 kilometers. Mater would attest to the fact that I love a challenge and an oppertunity to get dirty. Why, as a matter of fact I've already replaced break lines, almost every conceivable light and the smell of old tobacco smoke.

Yup this truck should laxst me a few years and witgh no nicknames (yet), it's sure to live a long happy cartoonish life. But as we know some cartoons don't end in a happy way, just ask Wil-E Coyote.

Lawn mower follies

Finally home after another work related abscence. Great to be back, except for the front yard mess.

The Dandelions were grown 4 or 5 inches above the grass and the grass was 6" tall! I guess the rain came and kept coming so there was little oppertunity to get mowed, not that I had planned for that anyway (remember wife has a broken foot).

So I proceeded to cut it to the highest setting on my MTD so as not to create too much clipping mess, thinking I would give it another going-over in a day or so.

I parked the machine and tooka pull of a well earned beverage. The stink of gasoline filled my shed and soon I noticed a puddle forming under my machine. The Muffler was leaking gas (more like it was pouring) all over the floor. I quickly grabbed a vice-grip and choked off the fuel line. Let's see hot muffler, gasoline. Add a spark and, well sir, you got yourself a blaze! Fortunately there was no spark but I'm sure the sheer heat of the muffler after running 2 hours was plenty.

I spent the whole weekend dismantling and re-assembling my poor little MTD. The fuel spewing has been addressed, however, the full throlltle running engine is a new problem. No big deal I guess, I like to go at full speed anyway.

Pain in the ass

As you have likely noticed that I changed things up a little, a fresh(er) look and some other things that are more fun. Hopefully to help me re-generate some interest here since my recent disapearance from my brain baby.

While watching some of that you-tube mess on the right there a good point was raised and I've been meaning to sound off.

I am sick of watching television and being bombarded with advertisements not during commercial breaks. The programs are plastered with them and it makes me mad. Sort of helpless feeling isn't it? You can't flip from channel to channel to avoid being "targeted". It's simply there, taking up half the screen at times.

Another such annoyance is the sports networks who find it necessary to subtitle everything, you're watching highlights of a game and a moniker blocks out the bottom half of the screen. I refer you to this picture.

What you can't see is the goalie and the puck in the net, what's the f-ing point, if I wanted to read about it I'd get a newspaper, don't get me started on the piles of shit I have to throw out before I can actually begin reading, between the ads, of course.

before long advertisements and subtitles will require a second HD television that must be on at all times during your program so that they can advertise full-bore for the duration of your show. I just hope Boston Pizza comes up with smell-o-vision first.

The little apartment from hell

I have stayed at some pretty shitty places, but this is by far the shittiest. Cambridge apartment... you just made the list.

I am in Hay River for 10 nights and the accomodations are hard to come by. I booked my stay at a converted apartment building. My bed is 3 feet from the fridge, sink and closet. The brand-new handheld showerhead is dangling from a hook on the wall, my oven lightly warms (not even enough to toast and the center supports for my bed are gone.

So apart from feeling like an Oscar Mayer when I wake in the middle of the night, and hearing the fridge compressor "clunk" on and off all night, the trip is going great, mostly because I LEAVE TOMORROW and only have to endure this one last night.

Should I be concerned that all of the fire extinguishers and devices haven't had their yearly inspection for 7-12 years? Oh well at least I know the fire won't be started from my oven.

I wanna be...

I did, it, I got with the time and played a video game like a 13 year old would until the wee hours of the morning. I have got to tell you, it's not a game for the shy and the more of an ass you think you are, the better your points.

For some reason I started at drummer, then "the band" decided I may be destined for greater things as Bassist... I ended up humming along to some familliar tunes instead, my true calling was as a singer anyway (I refer to my childhood trophies which are for 1. singing, and 2. curling). It's funny because I'm not sure when my beautiful Alto voice became a croaky raspy hiss, but in any case the game does a good job of masking the many many imperfections.

Not going to be taking this game home any time soon, especially with my family who is one part uncoordination and 4 parts churchmouse shy.

If an absentee blogger posts on the WWW, does anybody read?

The facebook phenomenon seems t be getting old.

It used to be when my wife and I posted pictures or updates it took minutes, maybe hours for there to be some comments surfacing, people were all over it. Lately I have noticed that this, much like myspace, or MSN messenger all seem to be fads that fade rather quickly.

I use facebook, not because I want to keep up on gossip or check in on friends, but to share pictures with my family. It is the easiest way for me to do that and since I basically ignore anyone who requests to be a "friend" that I haven't had a conversation with over the past 2 years it makes it a bit more personal than posting them here.

I wish there were simple free on-line photo albums that didn't require memberships or downloads that would allow only select people to share pictures. Blogger takes way to long to post, Facebook requires what seems like constnt downloads and updates and Kodak is, well, like subscribing to a K-Tel product newsletter.

If my daughters weren't so cute I might not bother sharing, but dang-it, they are by far the best looking kids I've ever seen... spoken like a true daddy!