Arse over teakettle!

Today was a nice and relaxing, although overcast, winter day. I slept in. That’s because I got home at about 2:45 a.m. I guess I didn’t realize how much fun I was having last night after the CTV Telethon wrapped up. As I was leaving the party, I stepped outside to see a couple of fellows standing by the back step. One fellow cautioned me to walk carefully. The freezing rain had made things slippery and his buddy had just fallen. Luckily he had a few drinks in him and may have been a bit “relaxed”.
The fellow said his chum had fallen “arse over teakettle” and was still hurting. That got me wondering about where that phrase came from. I knew exactly what it meant. And I was understandably sympathetic for the poor fellow. Seriously, no one wants to fall arse over teakettle. It happened to me last winter when I slipped on some ice. When my head slammed down on the ice, it snapped my jaw upwards; I broke a tooth and paid $600 for dental work!  (See January 30^th 2012 on this blog).

But arse over teakettle is just one of those sayings most people understand. I remember hearing it from my Dad, when I was a kid. There is another saying I remember hearing from my Mom.  She would say: “You kids are running around like (Get this!) A fart in a mitt”. Okay, I have no idea. WHO would fart in a mitt and what the heck does it mean?

Different Worlds.

The United Nations has given Palestine the status of a Non Member Observer State. Hmm.  This is like Romans claiming they’re still entitled to parts of Scotland. No wonder thinking people have lost respect for the UN. It’s almost laughable. The sad part is, the violence will continue in the Mid East. Some people there still think it’s okay to kill Israelis because of ancient history. I was reading the Jerusalem Post newspaper today… reading the comments of Israeli citizens who are worried about more rockets being fired on them from Gaza. Amazing how different our worlds are. I think the most I worry about is icy road conditions. I don’t know if I’d want to sit in the line-up at Tim Hortons if high explosive rockets were being fired at me.

Great Reading ...

I just finished one of the best novels I have enjoyed in a long, long time. Armageddon by Leon Uris. I remember seeing it on the coffee table when I was a kid. Dad was also a reader who liked to devour book after book. The reason I remember this particular novel is because I had no idea what the title meant.  By the way, it has nothing to do with the movie of the same name that was made several years ago, about an asteroid.

 This novel is amazing … one of the best novels of the 20^th Century. This is the same author who wrote Exodus, Topaz and QB-VII.  Uris is a brilliant writer of historical fiction. I should have known … his other books were fabulous. I have to warn you, Uris does incredible research. The book might seem slow at first, but he sets you up with all the details and research you will need to know.  Wow, what a story.

So now I am in some sort of withdrawal. This book consumed me for the past two weeks. Every page was like a treat, but I knew, with pending dread,  that as I turned each page I was inching closer and closer to the end of the book.

The story is a modern tragedy set in post war Europe, mixed in with several love stories, adventure that will get you cheering, along with anger and sorrow at our human weaknesses. The characters drove me crazy. Some were incredible, others I hated. And I was devastated when some of the characters died … it was like a personal loss.

So I dare you … grab the Kleenex, a fresh bottle of whiskey, and TRY to read Armageddon.  I say try because it will overtake you.

Armageddon, Leon Uris.

672 pages.

Doubleday and Company, Inc.

New York, NY - 1964

It's really not so cold anymore ...

Today was an odd day. It was cold, sure, but I am used to that. It was cold enough this morning, minus ten, that I decided it was time to wear my winter parka. I pulled it out of the closet and took off the plastic. I had it dry-cleaned weeks ago. As I pulled the parka on, I realized how warm it was … it seemed too warm. But when I got outside, it was just right. But then, as I was driving through town and running errands, it became too warm again. But my other coats seems a bit too cool for this weather. Or I have to wear a bulky sweater.  So I compromised by walking around with this big bulky parka, but I didn’t zip it closed.  I kept my toque on though.

The weather is definitely changing. I remember November from years ago, back in the 1970s as being much colder. Back then I would chum along with the fellows from Austin Airways on their flights up north to Hudson Bay and beyond. On a few of those flights, we were in the venerable DC3, those twin-engine workhorses that kept the Canadian North open. And once we got into the Eastern Arctic, we would always land on the ice. There were several airstrips close to coastal villages … the thing is, there was always ice from early November through to early April.  Now I am told that in some places Hudson Bay doesn’t freeze over until January.

I have some of my own photos and slides of those flights, but they’re packed away in boxes. This photo is from Archives Canada. I am not sure, but I would bet the DC3 in the background is an Austin plane.

 By the way, for some reason I still prefer propeller planes. I just find them more comforting… and I was always able to sleep comfortably with that incessant droning noise of a prop engine. The whine of a jet engine doesn’t seem the same. Airplanes now are far more reliable than the old birds like the DC3, but I still enjoyed them.  I will have to dig out photos from my last DC3 flight from several years ago.

Here’s a little reminder from this blog from back in 2009.

http://scoopgillis.blogspot.ca/2009/02/celebrating-flight.html

I talk too much ...

Talk a lot or what? I had to get a prescription renewed today. I went to the grocery store to drop it off – because the supermarket has a pharmacy. It usually takes about ten minutes. But today, the pharmacy assistant said it would be about 30 minutes. He pointed to a stack of prescriptions and said there was a backlog today. Oh well, I could always go sit in the truck and read for a bit. Or I could turn on my phone to see if there were any voice mails. In the meantime, I grabbed a grocery basket and decided to pick up a few things. Suddenly I was bumping into people I had not seen in awhile. So I had to chat. Move on, grab some laundry detergent. Oh, there’s the guy who owns the store. More chat. Business is great he said. He moved to Timmins just a few years ago and can’t believe how strong the economy is. Nice to hear. Then we talked about the new gold mine. Things sure are looking up.  Then we talked about the tourist outfitters doing great business because the drilling crews are staying in all the tourist lodges. Then a former mayor walked over to the aisle we were in. More chat. That new gold mine is really going to change the look of the downtown eh. Break away. Pick up some lettuce, but I don’t like the tomatoes. Oh there’s whats-her-name … a lady I used to date. So howzit going? It’s all good. Yeah, the weather sucks right now... but hey, it's November. Spring is on the way! Time to check out. Neighbour lady is there at the cash counter. I left my debit card there once. Now every time she sees me, she says loudly “don’t forget your debit card eh!” I just smile and nod.There's sister-in-law standing outside the store with some groceries. Need a ride home? Nope, hubby's on the way. Okay, keep smiling! Put my groceries in the truck and look at my watch. Sixty minutes! I spent a whole hour in the grocery store … time to pick up the prescription. Yeah, I talk a lot... but that's one of the nice things about living in Timmins. You can talk to people.

Do you remember?

I remember.

St. Phillips School. Toronto.

Mr. Marshall’s class. Grade 4.  Just before lunchtime.

November 22^nd, 1963.

Suddenly the P.A. came on the classroom.

The principal, Mother Mary Agnes said all students had to go to to chapel to say prayers.

President Kennedy had just been shot...

Lighter phone book; fewer names eh ...

Just got in the front door when I noticed something. The new phone directories were sent out in Timmins today. Did you notice the change? Yup, the books are lighter. So I pulled out last year’s directory. Here are the stats. White pages for last year 217 pages; for this year only 192 pages. Yellow Pages last year at 145; Yellow pages this year at 107.

I think I know why. I am meeting more and more people, myself included, who have cancelled their landlines and are now using cellular phones.  It’s not scientific. But I will snoop around this week and get the right answers.  By the way, Steve Zuzic is still the last name in the white pages.

Live and let live (what a rant!) ...

I really try not to worry about international politics. I have enough on my plate right here at home. But I am indeed getting worried about all the crap going on in Israel. It bothers me even more to hear people commenting on it, and getting it wrong.  People like to change history when they talk. But history doesn’t change, just the perceptions change.

And so we have Israel all set to take on another aggressor that plays to the world stage. I am talking about Hamas. They’re a group of racist killers who are intent of forcing Israel into a war so they can try to win world sympathy. Prime Minister Harper won’t talk to Hamas, neither will President Obama. Thank Christ for that! Hamas is a Palestinian word that translates as Terrorist Assholes.

    So here’s the thing about Israel. It won the right to form a country back in 1948. Since that time, every damned country around it, (All non-Jewish by the way) have been trying to destroy Israel. Israel realizes that this isn’t some little skirmish. Every time Israel goes to war, it is fighting for its life. And so the Israeli armed forces don’t fool around. When they go to war, they go to win. And since 1948 Israel has kicked the living shit out of every Arab nation that has attacked it. And so the camel kickers go running back to their tents crying about losing their rights and losing their land. 

     All those dummies have to do is learn to live and let live. That’s all … live and let live.  But no. They want to fight the battles of the Bible all over again.  In the past month Hamas has been firing rockets into Israel. By the way, Hamas has a tactic of firing its rockets from civilian areas, knowing that Israel will not likely respond to the rocket launchers. And so last week Israel had enough. It sent up a drone aircraft that found the leader of Hamas driving his car. The drone fired a missile that sent the Hamas asshole to hell. One shot, one kill. And now people get all upset saying Israel is so bad. It they want to find out how bad, just keep pissing off Israel.

Funerals ...

One of the things I like about Timmins is that people pull over to the side of the road when a funeral motorcade passes.  I noticed that today coming down Pine Street. I saw the hearse and the long line of other cars, so I just pulled aside for a few minutes. I was pleased to see other motorists doing the same thing. It’s just a simple way to respect the grieving family I suppose. The other thing I noticed was that I knew the family. A couple I know lost their 25 year old son this week in less-than-normal circumstances. Police were called and drugs might have been involved. The issue is still with the police. I feel terrible about it. Parents should not have to endure that kind of pain. The other thing I feel bad about is that I did not go to the funeral home to pay my respects to the family. Because the issue is in the news, I didn’t want anyone thinking I might be there snooping around. I know most people would have known better, but with all the family has to deal with I didn’t think they needed any extra anxiety for any reason. Another nice thing about Timmins is that the town is small enough that you see the people you know quite often. When the time is right, I will be sure to say something kind to the parents.

       This Saturday is a bit slow for me. But that's good. I had a full house last night over for dinner. I spent all day Friday preparing a nice pasta supper. There was 12 of us altogether. That was the easy part. The real work was preparing all the appetizers, the salads and anti-pasto befrore anyone showed up. I wanted to do a nice dinner. I think it worked. We all munched and drank litres of red wine until 9:00 p.m. Then we had dinner! Talk about big appetites. We had two sittings for the spaghetti!  But the company was nice. Also, I didn't have to worry about calling a cab to get home. By 1:00 a.m. everyone was gone and I did one load of dishes, pots and pans before going to bed. I had two more loads this morning. Had to recycle seven wine bottles. Give the neighbours something to gossip about eh.

Still jumping ...

I was pleased this week past to see a nice photograph on Facebook of young brother Ronald. Young, … hah, who are we kidding… he’s catching up. He just had a birthday. Anyhow, there was a nice photo of Ron, with his wonderful wife Lani and their son Matthew. And they were all in uniform. It was nice to see. I sent Ron a note on his birthday and he let me know that he was not at home in Comox, but over in Wainwright Alberta on some sort of a training mission. He even mentioned that he had recently been para-jumping! I remember spending an afternoon with Ron some years back as he was preparing for a jump. I even went up in the plane with him. When I asked why he would jump from a perfectly good airplane, Ron answered back: “There’s no such thing as a perfectly good airplane!”

Only a month late eh...

I know I am getting older when my daughter gives me heck ... I must learn to be a bit more regular with my blog posting. Thank goodness Jenn has a sense of humour. She mentioned that she checked my news website on Friday to reassure herself that I am still alive! Oh yeah, okay, I get it. (Memo to Self) Phone more than once a month and update the blog.
Today was a good day, not just because of the chat with Jenn, but also because it is November 11th and there was a nice big crowd out in Timmins at the local cenotaph. There was snow on the ground, slush on the streets and it was chilly, but I was pleased to see so many people out to observe the ceremonies.
By the way, Jenn is doing well in her studies. She has a 4.0 GPA and says she finds the courses easier than she expected.  So that's a good thing. Scott has moved out of the shop and into the front office at his company. That's a good thing too... but I mentioned to Jenn the hardest thing about moving up the ladder at work is that he will be leaving some comfort zones behind. But he is a pretty bright guy so I am confident he will adapt.
I have been too busy at work now that we are expected to keep our news websites up to date more often. This is like rolling back the clock to my early days in news when I had to send in regular news reports to CKSO Radio in Sudbury. Every few hours, we had to file a new report. So I am back in one of my comfort zones.
There's lot of news stories in Timmins, despite it being a small town, and I find the more I get done on the website, the more the demand grows.
There was a time, back in the 70s, we would write a news story and then update it the next day. Now people want fresh updates three or four times a day on the internet.  It can be a bit demanding when there is only one person in the "newsroom" ... me.
Timmins is still struggling with the question of the new open pit gold mine. Goldcorp, the mining company, has been planning the new mine for the past six years, but true to form, people have waited until the last minute to voice their concerns.
It's what a lot of people are talking about. I am confident the new mine will be approved, but people will still grumble.  It is understandable, because the pit will be huge, as you can see in the photo, all of Gillies Lake would easily fit into one corner of the pit.

 On the other hand, gold still glitters in this town. Timmins never had to endure the Great Depression of the 1930s.  While the rest of the country had hard times, Timmins had lots of work and economic stability.  So it's hard to get too upset about gold mining.  Things will be different for a few years and then when the pit is mined out, there will be a new park with a new lake in the middle of town.
If I still have this blog ten years from now, it will be fun too look back and compare eh.

Bad jokes and cool gadgets ...

Gadgets are something you have to appreciate, especially when you don’t have the ones you want. Here in Timmins, a lot of folks have those winter remote car starters for those really cold days. I had one on my Tracker, but I don’t have one on the Nitro. A fellow asked me once, Do you have an automatic car starter.  I said, I used to have one, but she got a new boyfriend! Ha ha. It’s the same with dishwashers. Guy asked me, Do you have an automatic dishwasher. I said I did at one time, but she moved out of town! Ha ha. Which brings me around to the fact that Jennifer has a new potato peeler. She was preparing Thanksgiving dinner last week when I offered to peel the spuds. She said No thanks and pulled out a fancy looking Starfrit device that was amazing. Jenn peeled a whole pot of potatoes in just a few minutes. I love stuff like that. I think I know what Santa will bring me this Christmas.

Changes

Wow, things are sure changing around Timmins. Well first things first. It’s the second week of October now and we’ve had our first official snowfall. Of course everyone gets excited, but what’s the deal? It’s October. It’s Timmins. It is supposed to snow. Kids here get extra large Halloween costumes so they can wear their snowsuits underneath them.

Last week was Thanksgiving. So I drove to Sudbury to spend the weekend with Jennifer and her men. It was nice. Of course I was secretly hoping she would be going to Westree because Don and Denise were planning a real Jigs Dinner, but the boys had to stay for hockey practice.

It was all good. Jennifer still made some amazing meals. Her patience for following a recipe is outstanding. And I had a feed of some lovely cabbage rolls … that somehow rolled in from Westree.

Spending time with the boys was great. I hadn’t seen them since the summer, so it was nice to get caught up on all they did in the past few months. And they’re getting big too! The other nice change is that the boys are adjusting well to the fact that Mom,  -- Jennifer—is not around each morning to see them off to school. That’s because Jenn is back in school now herself.

More change. Poor Scott had to sell his truck. He sold off his lovely black Silverado to help a friend who needed a good truck at a good price. So Scott needed something new. Turns out he made a sacrifice and bought himself an old Dodge… I should put the photos in here, but right now those photos are at work… I will post them soon. Yup, Scott owns a very nice Dodge special edition Longhorn truck, complete with a crew cab, and all the toys including real wood in the dash and custom stitched leather upholstery in a western theme. He drove into the driveway Saturday night after a day long trip down south to Peterborough to pick it up. Everyone just said WOW! So that was cool.

True to form, every time I leave Timmins for a few days, stories happen.

I got home Monday to find that legendary Timmins prospector John Larche died. Mr. Larche, who helped find the Hemlo goldfields, was much loved in Timmins. Not just because he gave huge amounts of money to the hospital, his church and other charities … but because he was the kind of fellow who still wore workboots and work clothes everyday.  John lived in a spectacular mansion on the edge of town, but he still cut the grass on the massive front lawn.  There is not enough room here, but if you Google his name, you will be impressed.

Trying to get back to normal after a weekend off was crazy. There was a double house fire Tuesday night that got me about of bed at 2:00 a.m. and I haven’t caught up my sleep from that one yet. And then there is the pit.

Timmins is in the midst of change in the sense that there is a gold mining company that wants to create a huge open pit mine in the middle of town… and that means the pit will be roughly 1.5 kilometres long by more than half a kilometre wide, located about 200 metres from the downtown area. So there’s a big of a fuss going on about it. Enjoy the aerial photo.

On Monday, city council will be asked to give formal approval to the plan which has been about six years in the making. Oh yeah, good luck with that.

We will keep you posted.

Nothing to get excited about ...

The thrill is gone. There was a time that getting a new computer was something special. I really used to get excited about all the things new computers were capable of. Not anymore. About two weeks ago I got two brand new computers. The company bought me a new laptop, a very nice Dell, that I can use on remote assignments. But the main reason was that the laptop had a new processor fast enough to handle our new websites and news service.

So I decided it was time to get new home computer as well. Yes, it’s faster and has all the bells and whistles. It's a shiny new HP desktop model. So now that’s all set up here at home. The funny thing is, I don’t see the computers as anything to get excited about other than the fact that they’re important tools for me to get my work done.

Getting better and better ...

Had a nice chat with Jennifer this week. She is back in school mode.  How cool is that? When you think about all she endured three years ago, it’s nice to see how well she is doing. After Jenn was sick for so long, she eventually got better. Then she began doing volunteer work at the cancer centre in Sudbury. Now Jennifer is going back to school to study for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. I am so proud of Jenn for that.

So now, every morning, she has to help get the boys off the school while she gets ready for classes herself. And then there’s homework. Yuck. But I am confident Jenn can handle it.  And her guys are pretty cool fellows and I am sure they’ll be helping out too.

By the way, all three of her men are getting back into hockey mode.  Maybe some of those NHL guys can take a hint eh?

Rick Hillier ... interesting fellow!

Every now and then in the news game, I meet some interesting people that I admire. This fellow on the left is one of them. Retired General Rick Hillier was a guest speaker in Timmins this week. Some people speak for ten minutes and the audience begins to yawn and fidget.  Not for this fellow. I wasn't surprised a bit when he got a standing ovation after speaking for an hour and ten minutes!

Bizarre testimony and cheesecake fruit pizza

As mentioned in my previous posting, I had to drop by court Friday morning to snap a photo of an accused killer being brought in for a bail hearing. I didn’t notice right away, but I guess high heels are the cool thing to wear to bail court. I don’t know if the shackle chains match up very nicely with those shoes though.

Regardless, the testimony was unusual. There is a ban on publication, meaning I can’t even discuss the case here on a blog. The testimony was intense, emotional and bizarre. Can’t tell you any more than that right now.

I spoke to Neil Saturday and it was a treat to talk to him. He is well and still living the good life in Vancouver. But he has quit working at Steamworks! That was the popular pub in the Gastown district. Not to worry, he is working at another popular pub down the street  … a place called The Black Frog and he says its just fine. Different names eh? I think they should open a pub and call it The Shackled Shoe!

So, Neil is happy and enjoying the job.  He said each year the pub holds a party for the staff  … but instead of having the party on the premises, they close the pub for a few days and everyone goes on a trip out of town. He said he is looking forward to a little sea cruise from Vancouver to Los Angeles. That’s cool.

Well, Sunday morning in Timmins is nice right now, sunny and mild… and cool too. Had a nice evening last night. A news colleague, Lydia,  had a nice dinner party. The food was great … a very nice multi-course dinner. I never had a cheesecake fruit pizza before. Wow, what a treat. Of course, I find most desserts are great when they’re washed down with whisky. And I did not have to do the taxi thing either. Luckily Lydia’s house is about two blocks away and I had a refreshing walk home. Slept great too.

News keeping me too busy ...

 I have to apologize again for not being here as often as I should, but it has been a hell of a week for news. Crazy, crazy, crazy. I was saddened to have to cover the death of an eight-year-old boy in a car crash. Worse yet was the fact that his casket with his remains was shipped north to a Reserve on the James Bay Coast for burial by his family. It was emotional for those at the airport as the casket was being shipped out.

 Then the woman accused of being responsible for driving the vehicle causing the death appeared in court for bail hearing. But she was met by protesters outside the court shouting some very nasty things. It was not pleasant to be there.



Timmins has also won a bid to become the new balloon launching facility for the Canadian Space Agency, and the space agency from France. It's a big deal with millions of dollars being spent at no cost to the people of Timmins. Anyway, they had a big media event Monday and were prepared to launch a small balloon (97 Metres long) but the wind took and things got out of control. I hated to see it happen but another part of me delighted in getting photos of the balloon getting tangled in the light posts. Oh well, no biggie.

Tomorrow I am back in court again. There is the case of a young woman who is accused of murdering her boyfriend. I have to get photos of her as the police bring her in to the court house. Wonderful, just wonderful.

Just like Christmas at the train station ...

Timmins does some really cool things every now and then. Tonight I just got home from the Welcome To Timmins event. It’s an annual thing where all the different service clubs, social agencies, corporate employers and even radio stations set up at the curling rink and meet people. The whole idea is for new residents in the city to go and find out what’s going on and who to talk to for everything from education to employment to shopping and snow-shoeing. I like it. Of course, after living in Timmins for a few years, I am confident I know where things are and who to see for information. But I like to go for other reasons. It’s like being at the train station at Christmas in the old days. You meet everyone you haven’t seen in ages. Of course, I see lots of people all year, but I rarely get more than a minute or two to say Hi, when I’m working. So tonight,  I spent nearly three hours gabbing and gossiping with old friends and I had a great time! Can’t wait till next year.

Pretty sharp eh...

Can't believe I am writing about this, but when a product is good, I tell people. Back at the end of the June when Tyler, Nathan and I arrived in Toronto at Union Station we were met by a couple of students handing out free Gilette razors. It was a small travel size pack. What a good idea for meeting people at the train station. So as we walked by I took one and I used it the next day. So I don't have a Fred Flintstone beard, but my whiskers are scruffy enough. I couldn't believe how clean the shave was. Over the years I have been buying different types of razors, looking for the best one. Can you believe how expensive they're getting? Anyway, I used this Gilette Fusion thing and it was great. First week of July, second week of July. Hmmm... does this thing ever get dull? You can sense a dull razor by the fact that it nicks the skin with a tiny cut when it can no longer cut through the whiskers. So I used this razor all during July and it was fine. I figured I should go out and buy a package of blade. Gilette marketing people seem to know their stuff. Well I got to the store and the four-pack of blades was $18!!! Eighteen dollars! I figured I had to find out if the blades in the store were as good as the free one. If the blades lasted the whole month, it would be worth it. Sure enough, I put a new blade in place in August... and I didn't change it until yesterday, second week of September! The way this is going, that four-pack should last me until the new year! I am sold. From now on it's Fusion.