A new toaster!

Well I finally did it. If you remember a posting from last August, you’d know I was thinking of getting a new toaster. Well I caved a couple of weeks ago, gave up a bunch of Airmiles and ordered my new appliance. It arrived today. I threw in an onion bagel and it was just fine, thanks.
I haven’t been in here for a few days because I have been extra busy making sure all goes well in the new job. The news stuff is easy, but I am struggling with the old Macintosh computer system… it’s click and wait, click and wait. I guess I have to have patience.
In other news today, I have a new blog. We’ve started up a newsroom blog to keep people in the loop on breaking stories. We are a twice-weekly paper. We don’t publish daily. But we are in the newsroom seven days a week, so we may as well keep our readers informed. That’s all for now. I think I will go make some toast and tea.

The press room

I kinda knew what was happening when I felt the floor shake a bit. It’s a feeling that brought back memories of those early winter mornings at the North Bay Nugget when the presses began to roll with all the latest news. I dropped in to see the fellas in the Times press room today and they were happy to show me around. I could smell the ink even before I got through the door. This is the massive 14-unit Goss Press, the largest in Timmins. I got a kick out of seeing the pages roll faster and faster while the pressmen adjusted the pressure and ink levels as it began spitting out hundreds of papers each minute. The pressroom is a cool place.

I got a brand new bag.

I don’t know if we can stop worrying about climate-change after today, but I surprised myself and did one tiny little thing that may make a difference. I bought a grocery bag. It’s one of those re-usable tote bags so I won’t have to keep using the disposal grocery bags. It cost 99-cents at A&P. Now I will just have to remember to bring it to the grocery store every time I pick something up.

New Job

I haven't been here lately owing to the fact I have a new job. I am the new Editor of the Timmins Times newspaper in Timmins. I never expected to get back into media work, but the opportunity was just too good to pass. So I am back in the newsroom doing what I have enjoyed for so many years. I know I will miss all the nice people in tourism, but I am sure I will enjoy meeting more nice people in the news game. I will keep ya posted.

Nature beats art every time.

I saw this bit of frost on a window today. It looked like somebody etched it into glass. But in reality this is a close-up shot of frost about the size of a matchbook. Click the pic to see it up close. Amazing detail. On another urgent subject, tomorrow is National Tartan Day. It's the day where men of Scots heritage should wear a kilt. It's also one of the seven days where one is encouraged to enjoy a glass of Scotch. It's called Friday!

It's all my fault!

Yup, I cleaned the truck on the weekend and put away the snowbrush. That obviously upset the snow gods and that’s why we had a storm this morning. It’s all my fault. This is not great for tourism. Oh well, I have one week left of being Tourism Marketing Guy. Then I begin my new job as Newspaper Editor Guy. I sure hope the sun is shining.

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Today was Ty's big day... he is 7 now and he's a cool dude alright. No foolin'. He's one of my favorite grandsons! I had a birthday this weekend too. So thanks to the birthday wishes I got from Ty & Nader, from Jenn and Neil, from Deb and Ron and thanks to Claudette for a great weekend and a fabulous chocolate cake!

Changes on the way...

Mark Twain wrote " a journalist is a reporter out of a job". He also wrote "I am not an editor of a newspaper and shall always try to do right and be good so that God will not make me one." Hmm... Well things are gonna change. Stay posted.

Growing Stuff

I started growing stuff last week. No!, not THAT kind of stuff... I am growing herbs. And it's not THOSE kind of herbs either. I am gonna try my hand at growing basil, sage and chives. It's not because I am being cheap... although there is that advantage. I just figured it would be fun to see if fresh herbs make a difference in my cooking. I set up a few growing pots in the kitchen with a UV light and already tiny little sprouts are coming up. I will keep ya posted.

Spring has sprung!!!

Today is the first day of Spring. Yup. It’s today. Not March 21st. Spring is no longer determined by the calendar, according to NASA. It’s determined by the position of Earth in relation to the sun and occurs on the vernal equinox, which is the day when the length of daylight is equal to the length of night. The first day of spring in Timmins is rather mild. What a change from last night when we had a storm with high winds, white-outs and it resulted in schools being closed and the highways shut down. And tomorrow, the forecast is rain! There’s a saying in Timmins … if you don’t like the weather, just wait ten minutes, it’ll change!

Things you DON'T want to see while ice fishing...

Hey what can I say? He caught a fish and had to bend over to pull it out of the hole in the ice!

The latest buzz...

I was deleting some of my old photo files when I found this shot of a honeybee on a thistle. It’s a good reminder that the warm weather is not too far away. In other news I got a note from my favorite sister-in-law Loni ... she says she is on leave from Afghanistan and will be home for a few weeks. I sure hope Ron gets caught up with all of his housework! : )

Funny Church Sign

Good Doctor? Bad Doctor?

Check out this website to find out what people say about the doctors and dentists in your town. It's called: - RateMDs.com - It’s interesting to read. I think people love to complain about their doctors. To do a search, just enter the name of your town and you will get the list of local physicians. We all have friends that seem to know more than the doctor does… but the next time you get sick, will you go see that friend, or go to a doctor?

Looking for gold...

It’s no surprise to see a diamond-drilling rig at work in a mining town. This one is set up behind our office, about ten metres away from the hiking trail. This diamond-drill is searching for gold. It’s called a diamond drill because it uses a diamond studded drill bit that drills a hollow tube about two inches wide and a mile deep, into the rock. The driller then hauls the drill tubes up, twenty feet at a time, containing core samples that tell where the gold is hidden.
The drill cores are stored flat in these wooden boxes which will be shipped off the lab where they'll be studied to see how much gold there is down the hole.

Take Mother in Law for a ride eh

Okay I am not making this up… some guys call this the “mother in law” sled. I was out on the trails Sunday and saw this cool set-up. It’s all enclosed and it’s a good way to bring youngsters along for a day of sledding.

Grrreat neighbors

It's happened twice now. I've been out and about lately. And when I get home after a snowstorm, my driveway is clean and clear. So thank you to the good neighbor or neighbors who have been so helpful.

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.