Neil living in Van-groovy.

Got an email from Neil, my fave son. He is now living in Vancouver. I guess the fresh air of Jasper was too good eh. Oh well -- always good to try new things. Sources tell me he even shaved his beard, trimmed the sideburns and got a haircut. I guess it all goes with the new job at the Steamworks. It's all good eh. Hmmm... I must be getting old. I just realized it has been 35 years since I hung out in Gastown.

I still like wine -- despite the tax grabbin' bastards.

So here is a photo of my new wine opener. It was a gift from Claudette. I have to admit this is the best and easiest corkscrew I have ever used. It's so easy that even a man can do it right. It’s even easier than a Swiss Army Knife. I like wine, but the Ontario government has instituted an annoying bottle return program. The LCBO now charges 20-cents extra for each wine bottle to entice you to return the empty. But here’s the dumb part. You have to bring the empty bottles to the beer store, not the liquor store. Not everyone drinks beer ( did I really say that in Timmins?). It’s not very environmental when you consider the extra driving required to go to the beer store to return a 20-cent wine bottle. I know I won’t do that. McGuinty’s lying liberals say the program will divert 80-million bottles from landfill sites. Oh please, …. put a cork in it willya!

Another camera

I added a new “old camera” to my collection this past week. I found a very nice Nikkormat FTn on Ebay so I put in a bid and got it a great price. The Nikkormat was my very first ‘professional’ camera. I bought one in 1974, but sold it a few years later. After going full digital for the past few years, I guess I will enjoy using a fully manual film camera. The Nikkormat allows for all manual functions and lets the photographer take the picture. It also works perfectly in any weather, with or without batteries.

Snowmobile adventure

We had a full house last night when Scott arrived with buddies Richie and Al to get a headstart on some good snowmobiling. The guys were up early this morning to make sure their machines would start okay. It was minus 30 last night. It was all good. They’re heading north to the Abitibi Canyon for some extreme riding. Happy trails guys!

Free stuff

Sometimes good things are indeed Free. I found that out with a note from PC World Magazine about a free download that catches spy programs trying to get onto your computer. It’s called Zone Alarm and it actually works. It stops those annoying pop ups and other worm programs that try to sneak in when you’re on the internet. It even stops Microsoft from trying to get in with updates! I have installed Zone Alarm on all three of my computers. Try out the free download for yourself. If I find any glitches, I will post a note here.

It's Flag Day.

Happy Flag Day. This is one of those nice holidays where you don't have to buy cards or gifts or get caught up in the big marketing thing. Just smile and enjoy the fact the Canadian flag still means freedom and the good life. I checked the official Government of Canada webpage at 9 AM today and there was no mention of flag day ... oh well.

Real Hockey

There were at least a couple of good hockey games on the weekend. Jennifer and Scott went to the Toronto Maple Leafs game at the Air Canada Centre. Tickets were more than $125 apiece! I guess the game was worth it. There was great action, a good fight, they saw Sid Crosby and the game had an overtime goal. Of course, the Leafs lost. I also had the chance to watch hockey this weekend. I took this photo of a bunch of kids at the Eighth Avenue playground rink in Timmins. It was about minus 30 and they were having a great time. As I stood there watching, I realized this is real Canadian hockey. Oh by the way, this is the same playground rink where Bashing Bill Barilko used to play when he was a kid. Leaf fans will know that name. Bill Barilko was around when the Leafs played great hockey.

Porcupine Lake

Had some fun on the weekend. We drove over to South Porcupine where is was sunny and freezing cold. It was a great day for a drive so we drove out on the lake for a nice spin. We even surprised a couple of snowmobilers who pulled up alongside while we were driving. The ice was thick and the snow crust was easily hard enough to support the truck.

Tipping

I was visiting a restaurant in the US recently when the waitress noticed me. “Oh the Canadian guys are back…” she snickered. I should mention this was a biker bar and rib joint that had excellent food, great music, good beer and waitresses with attitude. She said “ hey what’s the difference between a canoe and a Canadian?” I shrugged. She said “Canoes tip” Recently I had a good discussion with a friend after the kid at the gas station filled up the car while the weather was close to minus 40. “Did you give the guy a tip?” I asked. The answer was No. So I figure we Canadians need some advice on tipping. I feel mildly qualified, especially since I have worked as a waiter-bartender. So have my kids. I try not to tell people how much to tip, but I feel there are several categories of hard working people who provide service, often good service, and deserve a little extra recognition. They are: Tim Horton’s staff, gas station jockeys, table waiters, bartenders, hair stylists, hotel porters, taxi drivers, hotel shuttle drivers, casino blackjack dealers, hotel chambermaids and even the kid at the supermarket who pushes the cart and puts the groceries in your car.

Watching TV

It's not something I normally do... but I watched TV yesterday. The Superbowl Game was on and I had a connection for some free nachos... so I caved and watched TV. Living in Canada, we don't get to see the best part of Superbowl; the commercials. Today I found the website that features all the best commercials... check it out and enjoy. http://sports.aol.com/nfl/superbowlads . My favorite is the guy with the comb-over.

Welcome to February

Have you ever noticed how many people say Feb-YOU-ary? This is my rant today. How difficult is it to say Feb-ROO-ary? It’s really annoying when broadcasters, people who should know how to speak, can’t manage to pronounce such a simple little word. Lazy or what! If they can’t manage to say February correctly, how can you possibly put any stock in what they have to say. Maybe they should spend some time in the lye-berry reading up on how to speak eh.