I worked the housewares/sporting goods/garden centre table. This time the toaster ovens, lamps and flipper thingies were joined by a half dozen plastic hanging planters, a couple of golf clubs and a leaf blower. A little boy with a dirty face and a fist full of change wanted the leaf blower. This concerned me a little so I asked him where his dad was. he said, "I live with my mom." The heart strings tugged, I let go a clock radio for a dime.

As the rush calmed down my groupies started to gather. A lady with an indeterminate English accent - a notorious cheepskate she's one of the few who loves to barter. Cute 30ish uptown women don't. Thinking the sale some kind of dollar store with unreliable stock they hold firm. I have no patience for those unwilling to play the game and have no regrets in forfeiting sales to them. My Hail Mary is a "It's for the orphans." They laugh and sometimes even succumb to this tactic ca-ching.

There was a moment of real sadness though. A woman with worn features and dried out hair was hanging around the Englishwoman and I - listening and sometimes contributing to the banter. I learned she was shopping around for a dustbuster to clean her apartment, (it was that small). Not to trump it up but I got the feeling the rummage sale was the highlight of her week. It wasn't to last long. Our doorman asked her if she paid for the lamp I sold her - essentially accusing her of stealing. She became very offended - more so than the situation demanded but nonetheless an honest reaction. Her tenative smile was gone. She was back down to where she was when I met her. I nearly cried and worse I was too chicken to land into the doorman. I'm just a too sensitive soul who met another too sensitive soul for a moment - and then the moment was gone. Tuesday June 3, 2003
- Images from the Mall on a Saturday afternoon in early June:
Girls buying prom underwear at la Senza.
Guys perusing tuxedo catalogues on uncomfortable benches.
Black women with impossible looking hairdos. Wednesday June 4, 2003
Is there something perverse in liking the Globe Book Section more than the books themselves? Thursday June 5, 2003
I'm booking planes, trains and automobiles on the Internet today. Wish me luck. Friday June 6, 2003
- I had a craving yesterday - a craving for beets. They stained my hands as I readied them for the pressure cooker. Nostalgia swept over me as I realized my grandmother used to do exactly the same thing in the same kitchen. Beets have to be the most untrendy vegetable. Monday June 9, 2003
Sitting down for my morning constitutional, wondering whether today would be the day I chuck it all in for the shack on a Tahitian beach I turned my head over to the shower stall. There I saw my shampoo bottle, irridescent white plastic with a bright green graphic and "Paris" clearly written under the brand name. "Paris" - not Mississauga but "Paris!" Thinking I was going to have the contents of that bottle next to my skin in a few minutes was enough of a motivation to get my ass off of that toilet and to start another day. Tuesday June 10, 2003
- I've got paint chips pasted up on my walls. They're Martha Stewart because they're the biggest, (size matters). This is a bit of a fantasy since I have no idea when I will actually get around to buying the paint and rolling it on. I'm entitled to a little fantasy. Wednesday June 11, 2003
- I would never describe myself as a gardener but I dabble. The best part of Spring is finding out what died and what is coming along better than ever. It's never the same. Thursday June 12, 2003
I golf. Yesterday a friend and I went out to a local course after work. The first few holes didn't go well mostly because of putting. For some reason I was driving the ball half decent. On #7, I hit my best drive ever. I was on in three and two putt for a par 5. I was so happy. I still haven't added up my score but it doesn't matter. Friday June 13, 2003
Have you ever, you know, not buckled your seat belt? I felt free, open to the world, naked. In the throws of an illicit affair was I. Try it. Monday June 16, 2003
- I live on a street with a cemetery at the end of it. On Sunday it was pretty busy. It was Fathers Day. It was nice to see people remembering their fathers but sad to think so many are living without them. Tuesday June 17, 2003
I hesitate to write this thought today because it could be perceived as negative. I had to walk a little further today on my way into work because a shortcut was barricated due to vandalism. We never know how our actions will affect others - good and bad. I guess it doesn't hurt to be reminded of the bad so that I can renew my committment to the good. Wednesday June 18, 2003
They've reopened the bridge near where I live. It's not a glamorous one - it spans a freeway - but it means a lot to my community. I can walk/drive to the Y without going on a half dozen unnecessary streets. I can get to the bagel shop during my Saturday morning stroll, (except they closed the place while the bridge was torn down). My life is a little back to normal. Thursday June 19, 2003
If you ever want to be a tourist in your own town, take the bus. You'll be confused about connections and see things from a different perspective. This morning I was off to pick up my car at the shop so I hopped on a #8. There was a layover at Fairview Park Mall so I went in for a coffee. Friday June 20, 2003
- Enjoy life. It's officially summer this weekend, (in the northern hemisphere). Monday June 23, 2003
- Have you ever tried to avoid knowing what time it is? I woke up wide awake really early on Sunday. The Kleenex box was blocking the clock radio and I started to make a game of it. I placed old greeting cards over the VCR and microwave but ... I just couldn't do it I caught the analogue on the stove and that was that. Tuesday June 24, 2003
- I was snug in my transit bus seat this morning minding my own business when I saw a friend drive by in his car. It was not his normal commute and wondered what was going on - was he to the dentist, hospital, mistress? My mind wanders at the best of times. Wednesday June 25, 2003
- Two things today.
One, It was 32 degrees celcius yesterday. There are no ice cream parlours in downtown Kitchener. I wouldn't worry too much about beautifying all the vacant lots - I'd get some freezers installed!
Two, I had been trying to get a hold of the man who cuts my grass for the last three days. He was on vacation ... Vacation! I'm obviously not living right. Thursday June 26, 2003
- "They" changed the design of my local beer store. Oh how spiffy it looks on the outside - all black stucco. And nice graphics and colours on the inside. Too bad the service sucks. The layout is pretty but doesn't make much sense. They seemed to have laid off staff - Twice, the cashier has had run to the back to hunt for my import 6 pack. The design analysts and marketing types who drew up the specifications couldn't have been beer drinkers. Friday June 27, 2003
I'm going on vacation tomorrow so I'll probably be thoughtless for a couple of weeks. If you need a daily fix - well I'm sorry but life is hard sometimes. Wednesday July 2, 2003
- I'm still in a funk about turning 40. the older I get, the more I feel I have to buy into a philosophy - something that will confirm my life up to now and will guide my decisions from here onward. Such bunk.

Oh - by the way - still on vacation. Friday, July 4, 2003
Locked my keys in the van today - with the motor on. I wonder if the "no idle law" will be enforced today. Several people came to offer suggestions and help and in the end a coat hanger and a crack in the window made success possible. I was contemplating the extra stress we put into our lives by one small mistake when the waiter at Koh-I-Noor spilled the tika sauce and with it all his woes of working in the restaurant industry.
- special excerpt submitted by J. Kruegel Saturday July 5, 2003
Tika sauce as a metaphor for life - I like it. - I know there's a little trouble with the auto bold font on this site, (the four digit year and the dashes are delimiters). Chicago is great - we're in the Apple store on Michigan Ave. My friend, (who is a size 00), had fun on the Magnificent Mile while Martin and I went for a swim in the longest hotel pool in the world, (length matters). Museaming, we saw Sue, the most complete T-rex in the world, (the whole package matters). Tonight, we re-aquaint ourselves with a hotel bar chanteuse who tugs at our heart strings while emptying our pockets, ($8.00 scotch shots). Wednesday July 9, 2003
I'm back...
Yesterday I was woken up by my host and told to prepare to take cover. There was a tornado watch and the house had no basement so we hopped in the Audi and went shopping over at the 24 hour grocery store.
Is there nothing shopping won't cure? Thursday July 10, 2003
Part of a vacation for me is taking things slow. Not necessarily better - just slow. Sometimes that means thinking just of the task at hand, (paint every knot, careful around the edges). Sometimes I unleash a wandering mind, (strawberries and nuts and whipped cream for the pancakes). Thursday July 10, 2003
After a vacation you wonder what stays with you - a wierd cab ride, modern plumbing in a hostel room, a particularily juicy evesdropping session. In the lobby bar of the Chicago Intercontinental I was seduced by flavoured martinis.

Hesitant at first to order such a frilly drink, my guard came down when the hockey player in our party plunked down $9.00 U.S. for some chocolate infused vodka. I decided on "The Cosmopolitan" - a marriage of something French with the classic clear Russian intoxicant.

I wasn't home more than 24 hours before heading out to the LCBO to stock up on coloured booze and to the mall for some impossibly impractical stemware. What started in a lobby bar continued in the living room of my suburban Kitchener bungalow - introducing otherwise sober relatives to the wanton indulgences of Vodka and Cointreau. Tuesday July 15, 2003
Whatever happened to Suntan Lotion? - not Sunscreen or Sun Block -- those are way too negative terms. I like the sun - it's just that too much of it will turn me red. I don't want to and I'll never get bronze -- I just want some sun and Suntan Lotion is just the ticket. Wednesday July 16, 2003
I was scanning through the radio frequencies the other day and settled on a country station. The second song I heard included as the first line, "Maybe I drink too much..." A female artist was doing the singing. I was a little surprised - I mean a phrase like that coming from a weathered old cowboy would almost be expected but I guess I expect my country women to be naive victims instead of musing about their problems.

My mistake. THursday July 17, 2003
Scenes from a Bus Ride:

- I hear dueling walkmans
- a man sat down beside me and wrote poetry in a notebook, (I peeked).
- above it all on a "Poetry on the Way" poster: Irving Layton's words on desire and pain. Friday July 18, 2003
More Scenes from the Bus.

I walked a bit to a new bus stop after work yesterday. I joined a dark handsome man with a bushy mustache to wait for the bus. He was from "Persia" and immediately asked me if I had been to university -- such are the awkward starts at conversation of the recent immigrant. He graduated 30 years ago as a Chemical Engineer in Iran. He came 2 months ago to Canada in hopes of finding work. What makes a man start over so late in life. No divorce or judicial problems were evident although I didn't probe much. The whole experience humbled me - humbled me in a different way than #7 at the RiverEdge golf course. Monday July 21, 2003
Today is pet peeve day.
I was sitting in the front passenger seat of a car equiped with intermittant wipers. It was raining steady. The driver had on the intermittant feature - NOT the low steady setting. What the .... was going on? I kept my mouth shut because I felt he had enough distractions. Tuesday July 22, 2003
I'm a man of the moment, (apparently). I shop when I'm hungry and iron when I'm wrinkled. Wednesday July 23, 2003
I'm not particularly fond of gardening. Last night I was breaking up some twigs and debris for the composter. Picking through the damp and neglected pile in waning twilight irritated me. Then I noticed the planes. I love planes. It was a clear evening and the jets on final for Pearson shimmered in reflected sunlight. One 747 seemed to gently float over the house.
So that is how a chore became bearable by serendipity. Thursday July 24, 2003
I wanted to write about something weighty today but that was sidelined when I opened up my door to a gorgeous fluffy morning. I walked up to my neighbour's fence hoping to be able to play a bit with Molly before work but she wasn't around. The office held little attraction -- I wanted to stay and garden while I waited for Molly to come out.
That sounds strange if you read yesterday's thought. I'm just another complex human. Friday July 25, 2003
A confusing week, really.
Rain..Sun..gardening..not gardening..eating well..not eating well..new hairdo plans..whipped cream..martinis..chocolate milk.
What was that about "keeping your head while all about you are losing theirs?" I think I joined the masses this week. Monday July 28, 2003
It's not everyday I break something worth $300.00 US. I'm not even all that despondent over it. You see, I let slip out of my hands a glass mixing bowl from the 1920's. It was my grandmother's. I'm kinda sad it's gone but I don't regret using it. Every time I whipped up soft peaks in that thing I thought of my grandma doing the same thing and I think that's better than having it languish on a shelf somewhere. Tuesday July 29, 2003
I am going to a wedding this weekend. The closer it gets the more I think of this woman and this man. From all reports, she's really getting into the planning -- something I didn't think would occur to her as worth her while -- in fact I'm kinda surprised she's tying the knot at all -- she's a fairly modern woman with 60's sympathies that I thought was immune to free salad bowls and Hudson Bay blankets.
I'll enjoy going - I like parties. Parties often happen at cusps in people's lives --- so slip on those rings folks, and lets dance! Wednesday July 30, 2003
The media are falling over themselves to genuflex in front of the Rolling Stone's Stage at Downsview. So here's my take:
Prudent, calm, Canadians concerned about traffic snarlups are biking, taxiing, busing and walking to the concert. Walking -- that quaint old fashioned notion of putting one foot in front of the other to get somewhere. Beside the jetplane, 18 wheeler machinery of a superstar event it stands out -- thousands waltzing down Allen Road. It's beautiful.
I'm going golfing. Monday August 11, 2003
I'm back! (thanks for being patient while I was on vacation). Perhaps I will regale you with holiday stories some day but for now let me tell you about my aloe vera plant.

It sits on the window sill in my kitchen yet it's leaves are bending inward toward the glare of the flourescents. I fear I have the rare city slicker aloe plant. Tuesday Aug 12, 2003
When I was a kid I chose books with the best titles -- like "100 Pounds of Popcorn, "Thunder Road" or "Guiness Book of World Records". Now I read mostly based on who the author is. My current fave is Douglas Coupland. He has a pretty hefty "suspension of disbelief" quotient but if you get by that it's gravy. His name never appears larger than the title on the dust jackets so that probably helps too. Wednesday Aug 13, 2003
It's "Reading Week" here at The David Page.
Awhile ago, Ian Brown, TVO's man-about-town, said something I thought was profound. He said he takes longer to read books as he gets older because he brings more of his life's experiences to the table.
I couldn't agree more. Thursday August 14, 2003
I'm not beyond name dropping -- it's just the names I can drop aren't all that famous. Yet.
Every time I pick up the morning Globe & Mail I look for the Carol Toller byline. She's an editor there and the sister of a friend of mine. (Hey - maybe she knows Leah McLaren!!) Monday Aug 18 2003
Where were you when the power went off?
I was at a company pool party/BBQ. We found out the power was off when the jacuzzi jets wouldn't go on. I hoped it wouldn't be out long because my new hairdo requires a blow dryer. Tuesday Aug 19, 2003
I've been trying to follow the Dr. David Kelly suicide aftermath in the papers. I'm intrigued because it seems there's more of a tension between government and media in Britain than there is in North America. While not fond of tension in my own life, it's more of a vicarious pleasure with me. Wed Aug 20, 2003
Guest thought: Back to school ads are on the air. I haven't gone to school for 13 years and yet somehow I still find the need to go out and buy new clothes and shoes for September. I stopped when I found myself browsing through the pencils and notepads. Thursday Aug 21, 2003
Everyday God gives us two opposite perspectives on our world. In the morning the sun lights it from the east. At day's end the shadows go the other way. Everyday. Fri Aug 22, 2003
My favourite Tonka truck growing up was the steam roller/paver. I don't think I ever owned one. Some buddy always brought it to the big sandbox out behind the Parish's. I loved how smooth it made the sand -- like it was actually doing useful work. Sunday Aug 24, 2003

Does anyone ever write out these capital letters in cursive handwriting? Do you even know what the third one is? Why do teachers try to teach us this? Tues Aug 26, 2003
Why do airlines advertise prices for one way flights when the only way you can get that price is to buy a return ticket? Wed Aug 27, 2003
Pedestrians are becoming endangered - not for the usual reason. Today I was pulling out of a driveway and a pedestrian stopped for me --- for me! A big honkin car driver. He had the right of way!

Shared walking/biking paths are another example of the lowering of ambulators on the getting-around-town totem pole. It is accepted custom that the bikers coming from behind just yell, "passing on left", to anybody in their way. What garbage! Paths in the woods are for pedestrians first, others, (if at all), second. Thursday Aug 28, 2003
The thing I love about being a pedestrian is the shortcuts. Vacant lots, hopping fences - it's all slightly illicit. Friday Aug 29, 2003

Sex or Sleaze?

It's Cloudy Today

Of course maybe I'm just not sticking to it - I should persevere and memorize the salinity levels of the Aral Sea. Then perhaps for a few fleeting moments I can seem remotely worldly at the next cocktail bash I'm invited to.

post script
You know I'll never forget when I was caught ignorant of some basic fact about cholesterol at a swank north-of-Bloor kitchen party oh so many years ago. It stung. Tues Sept 9 2003
Last night on my walk after dinner, I strolled past the local tatoo parlour. Hardly a scandalous sight, I still think it odd that the back alleys have been abandoned for the suburban strip malls. They had a nice computer system - flashing examples of their work in a slide show on a big 17 inch flat LCD screen. I was jealous. Wed Sept 10 2003
When I was a kid I wanted very much a ping pong paddle bag. I thought about it, saved money for it and bought it -- this useless thing that seemed so exotic to me at the time. I remember my father just glazing his eyes over and raising his eyebrows like he couldn't believe his son had done such a thing.
I still lust after consumer goods. I can even afford some of them. They all don't make it into my shopping basket though -- maybe because I remember that look my father gave me so many years ago. Thurs Sept 11 2003
Things to do with inferior beer:
Lager and Lime
Boil sausages in it
beer bread
beer batter for fish Fri Sept 12 2003

I don't like how ubiquitous the term ubiquitous has become. Sunday Sept 14 2003Anatomy of a 24 hour illness:

I was sick on Saturday - headache and eventually, an upset stomach. So when did it start? -- what was it? The benign case of the sniffles on Friday evidently was something more. I certainly didn't think so at the time. I went golfing. The runny nose seemed to dry up as I treated my body to gingerale while my buddies were ordering lagers. Then apres golf -- suspect #1 -- the smoked pork chops at the Blue Moon. I was finally confident enough in my health to quaff down a beer. The second one didn't go down nearly as well as the first.
I was really tired and hit the bed as soon as I got home. I woke at 4:00 am -- moonlight streamed across my chest from the bathroom window. Re-sleep wouldn't come so I read a magazine article about a plastic surgeon to the stars. Another try at the horizontal only gave results after the sun started to rise. Nothing but a little headache to worry about so I got up and indulged my Saturday chores, (laundry & dishes) and Saturday pleasures, (the Globe & Mail and a nice breakfast). I called more buddies to arrange another golf game. Then - the downward spiral of nausea hit. I didn't leave the house.

I'm now enjoying that after sickness high. You know the one -- where your salvaged health is dusted off and given new respect. Well - except for the paranoia -- was it the pork chops, the bacon, peach drink, eggs, seafood? When will I be able to trust again? Tues Sept 16 2003
The more things change, the more they stay the same:

I often think of my grandmother while cleaning the house. More often than not I'm in a rush and glide my mop close to the corners -- only rarely in them. Grandma called it a "lick and a promise." It showed that although her profession was housewife, she knew that visiting neighbours and organizing a family scrapbook were more important than a pristine house. Wed Sept 17 2003
Do we ever grow up?

When I walk over the Franklin Street bridge, I sometimes see an older gentleman staring out at the road construction. He's checking out the graders, pavers and cement mixers. He's having fun. Thurs Sept 18 2003
I bought a new pair of fancy stereo speakers last night. I got home, tore open the packages like Christmas and cranked 'er. Oh what a beautiful sound. I must have listened to half of a CD. Then I discovered that the stereo/mono button had been on mono. Fri Sept 19 2003

There's a provincial election on in my neck of the woods. Talk of taxes and what those taxes can buy. There's also a couple more ephemeral issues. But it's the taxes I was thinking about before I went to bed last night. The classic question every voter of every persuasion has to ask is: when do tax cuts stop helping the economy and start hurting people? Sat Sept 20 2003

The poets love sunlight. I do too.
If I catch it beaming over my kitchen taps, the water spray dances, luminesses, breathes. Oh how mortals try with their flourescent this and neon that. But I love sunlight and how it makes the ordinary cosmic. Tues Sept 23 2003

Sometimes thinking isn't always a great idea. Sometimes we should fly by the seat of our pants. When are those times? I don't know. I think that sounds like the serenity prayer, (young David version). Wed Sept 24 2003

It's Fall.
When I go for a walk now after work, it's not always nice out. It's getting colder. But, you know, 10 minutes into it my body warms up and I start to feel better.
I heard someone say a walk is as good as taking a valium. Thurs Sept 25 2003

It's not every day that the cops come banging at your door.
Apparently my over sensitive neighbour thought she heard some boys between the houses. The officers thought I might be harbouring the fugitives. Fri Sept 26 2003

Weren't those absolutely wild pictures of the earthquake in Japan!! Sat Sept 27 2003

When I was a kid I thought nightclubs were exotic and only found in the biggest of cities. I guess I was influenced by all those movies where the love interests sipped cocktails in places with tables that had little lamps on them with little lamp shades.
I mean - that just isn't the case - it never was the case. I mean most happening joints are converted warehouses or beside a 7-11 in a strip plaza.

Another letdown of becoming an adult. Mon Sept 29 2003 9:08 pm

It's childhood nostalgia week here at The David Page.
When I was a kid, they put me in the hospital for a 10 day stay. Ultimately it turned out not to be the terrible thing they thought it was so it was basically a 10 day respite from reality, (as if a 6th grader needed such a thing).
So I watched a lot of daytime TV. This was the golden age of the game show genre: Jokers' Wild, Match Game, $10,000 Pyramid, Concentration and Beat the Clock. As filler, I sometimes caught The Newlywed Game. I remember one question: "When did you realize the honeymoon was over?" Now -- my prepubescent mind took this to mean literally the vacation. I thought the question dumb. As the answers started to roll in, it occurred to me something much more sinister was happening. -- and who says TV isn't educational? Wed Oct 1 2003

I think I have more stress on "Casual" day than on a usual work day. My jeans don't fit me anymore so I rummage around for some not so pristine khaki's. My running shoes have a spot of red paint on them but I wear them anyway.
I have trouble with the whole casual thing anyway. It's not casual for the bosses on any day so when the masses dress down, it's like a jail uniform. What I would support is the 1970's "let it be" attitude: everyone in jeans and a T-shirt. Thurs Oct 2 2003

Do you ever go into a public place when it's not so public?
This morning I went to the Y early - not many people were around. My footsteps clipped in the hallways, the fans whirred, and the exercise bike creaked when I started pedaling. Fri Oct 3 2003

The older I get, the more the poets mean to me.
As a kid, I was in a public speaking contest once and had to choose a poem to recite. I picked "Underwear" the author of which escapes me now. The passage that stays with me to this day went something like this:
"Men's keep theirs up and women's keep theirs down."
At 14 years of age, I thought this the epitome of a brave new literature. At 40 years of age, I still like it. Sat Oct 4 2003

I believe in God -- no big deal, I know.But I'm also coming to the realization that I believe in a thrifty God.
I was walking around Zellers yesterday near closing time in search of a big pail or something to hold several small trinkets. Then - right in front of me I spied a rack full of $6.99 tubs with lids. Bang on, baby -- the All Knowing, All Seeing came through again. Tues Oct 7 2003

Inuit have 30 words for snow - or so they tell me...
This morning I scraped at the frost on my car windows. It came off in shredded ribbons like ripped toilet paper. Wed Oct 8 2003

Over the top please...
I like it that way. --- that's toilet paper of course. Thurs Oct 9 2003

I'm not alone...
More often than not, despite how lux my kitchen design, I find myself using the stove top as counter space. And that little triangle of stainless steel between the double sinks? --- simply the most useful 9 square inches on the planet. Fri Oct 10 2003

10% inspiration, 90% persperation...
I had a breakthrough in the design of a webpage script today. So now I just have to do it. Sun Oct 12 2003 10:30 pm

Beauty and the Beast...
The sumac is quite ugly for most of the year -- short and bushy with small leaves. In the fall though, it blazes redder than any oak, maple or birch. It will not be denied. Wed Oct 15 2003 10:30 pm

Last night at curling, (men's night competitive), I noticed that everyone was wearing dark pants - black mostly. I had on pale khakis. They might as well have had a flower pattern on them -- that's how different I felt. Thurs Oct 16 2003

I've started to shop for pleasure. I need a toaster and found a mid-line one at Home Hardware. But the other day I was out at Home Outfitters helping a friend peruse the coffee makers and saw these beautiful, expensive colourful Kitchen Aide Toasters. Then my toaster blew. I now lust after them -- particularily the green one. I will have it. Fri Oct 17 2003

DANGER - Stop and Think!
That was a notice pasted on the side of a wood chipper I saw today. Good advice. Never mind that the small print told you what to "think" about. Sun Oct 19 2003

Yes - I bought it
There's a shiny streamlined sexy red single slot toaster resting on my kitchen counter tonight. I wanted to buy it all weekend but one thing led to another and I was heading down hwy 86 on Sunday afternoon with a dilema in my head. I could go over to my friend's house to help him and his girlfriend put up more pictures in their new house or I could swing over to Home Outfitters to purchase the object of my desire, take it home and turn it on. Commeradrie vs mad consumerism. a congenial beer up against lust. There's no winners in this. Mon Oct 20 2003 -- 9:00 pm

Baby Boomers do everything at the same time. It's our lot.
This summer I discovered cocktails. I now have a row of colourful liquors on my kitchen counter and a couple of martini glasses in the freezer, (just in case). All my friends do too -- or at least appreciate that I do. I don't know what this means -- I'm certainly no more sophisticated than I was at 12. I have no more or less worries than I did when I was 32. I guess I just am curious as to why cocktails exist - the nuances of preparation, the rituals of consumption, and why beer isn't just good enough. Wed Oct 22 2003

Is it just me or ...
One day my fingernails --- well -- I don't even think about them. The next, they're intolerably long and need to be cut. But I only discover this miles away from the closest nail clippers. Thurs Oct 23 2003

I don't have much to complain about. I still do, of course.

I guess that's my way of saying, "Happy belated Thanksgiving." Thurs Oct 23 2003 -- 7:00 pm

Happy Birthday, John!
Click here Sun Oct 26 2003 -- 6:00 am

The last time I cried was 13 years ago. I think I need to lighten up a little. Sun Oct 26 2003 -- 6:45 pm

I went over to Tim Hortons early this morning - alone. No big deal - I do this all the time. So apparently do other men -- 4 tables were occupied by guys whos only companions were a steaming cup of coffee and a wandering thought. Perhaps they had just dropped the kids off at the arena and came in to Tim's to wait. Or maybe they were divorced dads who just dropped the kids off at their ex's and were now afraid to go back to an empty house? I was just wasting time myself before church. Tues Oct 28 2003 -- 6:45 pm

I sometimes find myself humming the closing theme to the Carol Burnett Show - a show so popular in the late 70's in the 4 channel universe that everyone watched - even teenagers trying to be cool. Now, in 2003 everytime grown men give me grief, I think of them crosslegged on an orange shag run laughing their heads off at that zany Lyle Wagoner ---- and it doesn't seem so bad. Wed Oct 29 2003 --

I used the "Snooze" button this morning. It occurred to me it should really be a "Resume" button -- hitting it would immediately put one back to the dreamland they had come from for another 10 minutes. Thurs Oct 30 2003 --

Potluck overload
I'm making a casserole for Friday and scalloped potatoes for my grandmother's 102nd birthday on Saturday. Both involve slow cookers. Both are "David Classics". I will now get back to work. Fri Oct 31,2003 (guest)--

Halloween Day!
Today is the day for Ghosts, goblins, ghouls, witches and monsters! Scary isn't it? Kids certainly think so.

Personally I find the speed at which time passes the scariest! As a kid, summers seemed to go on forever, winter was never long enough, life was good. As an adult you turn around once and another month has passed. Wasn't Canada Day just last week?

Halloween seems to be a warning that another year is drawing to a close. Panic sets in at the realization that yet again I am behind in my year plan. Next year is a comforting promise.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Mon Nov 3,2003 --

For the past week I've been plagued by nightmares. It's the classic Freudian recurring dream of not being prepared for an exam. In my case it's an essay that's due tomorrow that I haven't done any work on it -- although as the week went on, I felt I was more and more prepared to write this shadowy essay.

In other news, the speaker at a meeting I went to on Sunday said I shouldn't complain so much. So if I start to do that --- help me. Tues Nov 4,2003 --

I went curling last night. I spared on a team that I'd never seen before. It was an older crowd than I'm used to. There was this one weathered old chap, (must have been a farmer), that had such an intriguing gaze - thoughtful, at peace, steady -- like he was still wheeling that tractor over so many rows of corn. Wed Nov 5,2003 --

Curling Story #2
I lasted until Wednesday without complaining too much. We got whomped at the Elmira Curling Club last night. Nothing seemed to go right. I fell trying to sweep one of our rocks out of harms way. I have a bruise the shape of a rock handle on my right butt cheek. It's sore. Thurs Nov 6,2003 --

I want to hunger for technology not curse it. Fri Nov 7,2003 --

I bought my first turtleneck in a long time. I'm wearing it today without washing it.
Please vote "AGREE" in the poll if you also wear clothing without washing it first. Mon Nov 10,2003 --

I'm not a football fan. I think it queer though that canadian radio stations give as much airtime to the CFL coverage as the other big leagues like the NBA or NHL --- I mean -- the average salary is under $70,000 in the CFL ---- Proportionally it would be like Jim Tatti giving a play by play on my latest programming change. Tues Nov 11,2003 --

It's Remembrance Day in Canada today.
I have two thoughts
I visited a family friend once in hopes of interviewing him about his service in World War II. Early on he said this. "It was 5 wasted years of my life." I lost enthusiasm for the interview after that.

A few years ago I was at a Remembrance Day service in downtown Kitchener. At one point, a rifle shot boomed out ceremonialy. A young boy near where I was standing started to cry it was so loud. The sound itself was violent. Wed Nov 12,2003 --

I have nothing against property rights, (well almost nothing).... yet I find it so distasteful when I hear about someone owning an entire island. Thurs Nov 13, 2003 --

Commuter story #14
As I was following a truck with several hundred thousand dollars worth of logs on it I saw a lumber truck hauling a like amount of twobyfours.
Sometimes life just works out. Fri Nov 14, 2003 --

I'll buy a luxury car when they invent a mechanical arm to swoop up and snap the windshield wipers to loosen the slush. Mon Nov 17, 2003 --

There's something satisfying about doing two things at once. As I type these words, I can hear the woosh woosh of the dishwasher in the background. Tues Nov 18, 2003 --

I have a little grease on my hands this morning.
Changing a bulb for my headlights used to take two attemps and about a half hour total. Now it's a five minute job. Experience is a beautiful thing. Wed Nov 19, 2003 --

A Poem for a Wednesday

CD's lying broken in the gutter,
Like so much dog poo,From a non-poop 'n scooping family. Thurs Nov 20, 2003 --

I haven't planted my tulips yet. I haven't done my recycling for a month.

It's sunny today. Fri Nov 21, 2003 --

I'm in a curling bonspiel
If we win tonight, we get a nice meal tomorrow. Mon Nov 24, 2003 --

The essential dilema of being human is that we need to interact to survive and thrive
yet
we are responsible for our own redemption. Tues Nov 25, 2003 --

I love the sun. I'll admit it. Perhaps my obsession is reaching fetish levels though. I think it's going to be a recurring theme here at The David Page.

This morning as I checked my email at home, a sunbeam streaked across the computer screen making it almost impossible to see it.
So, I thought, no matter how much technology is thrown at us -- it can all be supplanted by a simple sunbeam. Wed Nov 26, 2003 --

Christmas is coming.
This season - for a 40 year old bachelor - means very little to me in the traditional sense. That's why I try to help at least one stranger in a small way. Sometimes it's pre-meditated and packaged. But sometimes it's spontaneous - just when an opportunity presents itself. Thurs Nov 27, 2003 --

I can't commit.
Making toast and picking your nose may be ok to do at the same time. But last night I was trying to learn a new piece on the piano and setting up a template for a web page on my Mac. At I neared the end of a few bars the "Al cappa" took on a new meaning -- instead of going back to the beginning, I slid over to my computer to do some more debugging.
Is this normal? Fri Nov 28, 2003 --

I'm taking off Friday afternoons before Christmas -- not so much for pleasure -- but to wait for repairmen, shop, program websites, catch up on sleep and cook supper. I call it "Housewife Time." Mon Dec 1, 2003 --

I'll warn you -- I'm in a bad mood. I get in these every now and then.
I've really been at odds with technology lately. This morning I got up late, but that didn't stop me from ironing my shirt and making a hot breakfast -- it just make me stressed about being late for work. Then as I eased out of my driveway I discovered the roads were very slippery.

But you know it was a gorgeous morning - sunny, a light dusting of snow, not too cold. I was stressed on this gorgeous day! I guess some day I'll feel fantastic on a grey slushy day, (I hope it's soon). Tues Dec 2, 2003 --

Another gorgeous morning!
I think I'm going to ask my boss why I'm here.
(I guess I'm still in a bad mood). Wed Dec 3, 2003 --

I hate overly sentimental syrupy pop songs like the next guy (including the entire Dan Hill opus), but...
I was in my car when Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg came on the other day --- waves of tingly shudders came over me. I guess I'm not immune. Thurs Dec 4, 2003 --

I've had the sniffles.
Leave me alone or give me a hug.
(I guess it's bad mood - day 3). Fri Dec 5, 2003 --

Well - it happened. It's a grey day out there and I feel fine - happy - ok - filled with hope - gay. Sat Dec 6, 2003 --

Sometimes when I'm feeling overwhelmed, I'll get or discover one more thing to do. Sometimes it's that last thing that puts it in perspective for me. Mon Dec 8, 2003 --

My furnace oil tank is in code violation. I'll keep you posted. Tues Dec 9, 2003 --

This time of year I'm usually writing my xmas newsletter. Aside from the first couple of years, it's always been a struggle. The articles are about me - and while I'm a constant source of inspiration, I know my readers expect the unusual - something that makes them stand up and yell, "That David -- he's got it right again!"
That's a tall order but -- well -- maybe this year I'll just fill the pages with pretty pictures. Wed Dec 10, 2003 --

Shopping Spree!!
I figure 2 gifts for me, 1 for someone else? I got a bird feeder that has a spring loaded perch so squirrels can't indulge. I also got a programmable thermostat.
In other news, I won a baking stone and utensils -- yahoo! Thurs Dec 11, 2003 --

We're all familiar with the M*A*S*H phenomenon. There seems to be two separate camps -- 1/ the lovers of the novel and movie and 2/ those that like the TV version.
Yesterday I read in Fortune Magazine a bit espousing the virtues of the latter. Then, before I drifted off to sleep Toro Magazine seemed to have concluded that the movie and novel were the only "real" versions.
WHOH -- could I have been the only person on earth who caught the two articles on the same day? Fri Dec 12, 2003 --

My car has a slight hole in it's exhaust. This is mildly exciting because my little Protege now sounds like it has a little power. Sun Dec 14, 2003 --

I was in a rush this morning -- well ok -- I slept in.
I almost forgot that I had a potluck dish to make for church today so I hauled out a box of KD and started the water boiling. I nipped out to get some AA batteries, (for my new programmable thermostat), and by the time I got back the water was bubbling happily.
After I was done I looked at the best before date and it was a year ago!! -- no wonder it tasted funny. I ditched it. Luckily someone had make a whole Tub 'O Scalloped Potatoes so no one went hungry. Tues Dec 16, 2003 --

Whenever I'm "out of sorts" or think I'll have trouble sleeping, I try to think of one thing I did during the day that was unselfish. It can be as simple as doing the recycling or saying hello to a frazzled stranger in the mall.
If I can't think of anything, I probably deserve not to sleep well. Wed Dec 17, 2003 --

I got some Christmas mail yesterday. One of my aunts who usually has the sparkliest cards sent a plain one this year --- something must be up. Thurs Dec 18, 2003 --

The epitome of self assuredness is to be asked to endorse something and you decline because you don't like it. Fri Dec 19, 2003 --

I bagged off Christmas shopping last night to visit a friend. I'm glad I did. Mon Dec 22, 2003 --

I bought a book yesterday - a collection of essays really. On Energy Policy. It's really about philosophies - about human needs and desires and how humans satisfy them. OOhhh it sounds so sexy. Tues Dec 23, 2003 --

Foggy mind, foggy morning. I tried to buy a Norse Mythology book for a Xmas present but all I could find were reference books -- not the stories themselves. Thurs Dec 25, 2003 --

Be careful what you wish for -- you may get it. Monday Dec 29, 2003 --

alone.
showering.
simmering the oatmeal.
pulling on my underwear.

my mornings could be spent anywhere. Tues Dec 30, 2003 --

Hurry up and Wait.

Even though the bus takes three times as long to get me to work than my car, I think I'm coming out ahead. Because of the "be-out-the-door-by-8:00" mantra I'm much more efficient at my morning preparations.
Whether "efficiency" is what I'm after is something entirely different. Wed Dec 31, 2003 --

Twenty bus shelters were vandalized last night in Kitchener. I met a transit supervisor sweeping up glass at the bus stop this morning. He thought young lads with pellet guns were to blame.

I'm a little torn -- on one hand there's less advertising in the city. However there'll be less shelter from winter storms too. Mon Jan 5, 2004 --

The damn bus drove by me this morning. Welcome to 2004 - I'm already late. Mon Jan 5, 2004 10:40 pm --

I came home to belated Christmas mail. It was from one of those friends with - you know - the impossibly beautiful life - kids, travel, jobs that are exotic if not interesting. Just when you can't believe they can fit another glamourous thing into the schedule they're leading a film appreciation unit for the Sunday School.
The only saving grace is that they can't write worth a damn. I plow through the 4 or 5 pages of their newsletter in which they say absolutely nothing hoping against hope for a sentence of introspection - a word of self reflection - nada.
My beer is getting cold. Wed Jan 7, 2004 --

I don't want to learn any lessons - I want to live life. Thurs Jan 8, 2004 --

People who walk to where I work use the front door. Those who drive their cars enter through the back door.
Appropriate I think. Thurs Jan 8, 2004 8:30 pm --

Tonight's thought courtesy of Leonard Cohen:

There's a crack in everything - it's how the light gets in. Mon Jan 12, 2004 --

Get with the program people!
Sweep the snow off the roof of your car! Tues Jan 13, 2004 --

Snow Shoveling is good for the soul
But Sugared treats let you Rock and Roll! Wed Jan 14, 2004 --

I have it in for car drivers, (of which I am one).
At the end of the day I walk out of the building happy to fill my lungs with fresh air. I'm ready for the cold so it doesn't faze me. The choice is either to continue walking, getting warmer and warmer as my muscles expand and contract
or
I can get in my car and have my ass assaulted by a cold car seat & continue to freeze my butt until the heater kicks in half way to where I'm going.
Thurs Jan 15, 2004 --

I just found out even when I'm grumpy, I can still crack a smile.
Have a good day. Thurs Jan 15, 2004 --

I just found out even when I'm grumpy, I can still crack a smile.
Have a good day. Fri Jan 16, 2004 --

Overheard at Starbucks on a cold winter evening:
...don't tell anyone but we ran out of decaf so I just put regular in all the grinders. Sat Jan 17, 2004 --

I went into Starbucks this morning to fill up my personal thermos with coffee. I only wanted a "tall" - regardless of how high it came up. The baronista said they usually charged a "grande" for that service. Perhaps we could check it out by filling a "tall" sized paper cup and pouring it into my thermos.
She must have thought all this portion management a little silly at this point so she just filled it - warming it first with hot water -- a very nice touch.
So just how much service should I expect with a "tall" order? I could pay the "grande" price but I mean - I AM saving them money by not using a cup, (I also eschew cream and sugar but that's another issue). It would be difficult for them to post a price for thermos refilling because not all thermoses hold the same amount.
Why do we care? Because somewhere, someone is getting paid to figure out just how many millilitres should be in a "tall" and a "grande" for maximum profit. I miss the flexibility of the little coffee shop. Mon Jan 19, 2004 --

Don't Worry, Be Happy.

(of course that's easier to do in the tropics) Tues Jan 20, 2004 --

Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy.
(appologies to John Denver). Wed Jan 21, 2004 --

This morning the pigeons were huddled around the top of The Beer Store's chimney - hoping to keep warm - no doubt.

I think that's the first line of my next novel Thurs Jan 22, 2004 --

The wheels on the bus go round, round, round...
It always amazes me that people don't move to the back of the bus - they have to be told to do it.
I don't know why. Fri Jan 23, 2004 --

Love is ...
Clearing the snow from your girlfriend's car.

(I have never done this). Sat Jan 24, 2004 --

How do you know...
when to push yourself and when to quit? Mon Jan 26, 2004 --

When you have to scratch an itch ...
You shouldn't, of course, -- so I scratch around it or do little pats - generally anything to satisfy the urge while not actually sucumbing. This fails, of course. Tues Jan 27, 2004 --

When you have to scratch an itch ...
I went back to my old soap to see if it helps. Wed Jan 28, 2004 --

I'm on drugs.
I bought an antihistime because I was scratching so. Thurs Jan 29, 2004 --

It's winter and I just want to go home and have some hot chocolate. Fri Jan 30, 2004 --

I have 4 coffee thermoses but I really liked the one I saw at Starbucks the other day -- it was just the right size for a "tall" which is what I usually order. I don't need it. It is a better product than what I currently own though -- and isn't that what humanity/capitalism/democracy/socialism is about -- getting better and better? So how do I not buy the therm-o-mug? What philosophy makes me content with the existence of this product? Mon Feb 2, 2004 --

New words and their definitions:
Cardlag.
When you get home from work --- The time it takes to realize that you've still got your office security card attached. Tues Feb 3, 2004 --

I was curling during the Superbowl. I think I did some laundry before I headed off to the rink. Wed Feb 4, 2004 --

Tomorrow is the first day for the 'Doit' Personal Wellness Program. Sign up on the Doit Page. Thurs Feb 5, 2004 --

I got some errands done yesterday so I felt good. It must have freed up some neurons in my brain because I woke up this morning with the sudden realization that I had double booked something for later on in the month.

So -- my feeling good lasted about 10 hours, (most of it unconscious sleeping)! Fri Feb 6, 2004 --

I saw a great logo the other day
It was for Glenn Slater Plumbing and Heating. It used the ubiquitous oval motif but it had a flame and water drop symbol incorporated into it. It looked great! Mon Feb 9, 2004 --

Instead of watching TV last night, I loaded the dishwasher and ironed about 7 shirts. I know it sounds perverted but I kind of liked it. Tues Feb 10, 2004 --

Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
I'm on too many databases.
How 'bout you? Wed Feb 11, 2004 --

I want to marry the girl at chekcout #1 at Price Chopper.
She's so sweet and she always has an original comment for me -- not some formulated response. Thurs Feb 12, 2004 --

New Words
Dockerweed
Definition: The threads that dangle from the cuffs of worn khaki pants.
in a sentence
You gotta trim those dockerweeds. Fri Feb 13, 2004 --

I usually curse my answering machine -- forgotten commitments, bill collectors.
But last night the blinking light on my phone seemed softer somehow. A friend I hadn't seen in a while left a message - how delightful! Sat Feb 14, 2004 --

Canadians
can leave their trunks open while getting a 24 at the beer store without worrying about it. Sun Feb 15, 2004 11:00 pm --

Drug Bust!
on my street last Thursday and I missed it!!!
Oh well - I do take solice in living a clean steady life ..... damn - I missed it. Tues Feb 17, 2004 --

Hubcaps
are the car industry's neckties. Wed Feb 18, 2004 --

I need
a haircut.
or a decision to let it grow. Thurs Feb 19, 2004 --

Yesterday
I was talking with a buddy and we were complaining about all the SUV's on the road. Today it just occurred to me that I expect to get a ride in a Land Rover this weekend and I'm looking forward to it.
Life is complicated. errrr my life is complicated. Fri Feb 20, 2004 --

People who are poor
are increasingly being defined not by their lack of money but by their lack of resources -- no cars, jacuzzis or plane tickets. Is that so bad? Mon Feb 23, 2004 --

Sunny Winter Days
are really nice. Tues Feb 24, 2004 --

Efficiency
shouldn't get in the way of life.
(this is 'life' month here at The David Page) Tues Feb 24, 2004 --

I think
the thing about word processing technology is that a grocery list can be (and is) as permanent and as precise a document as a graduation diploma -- yet it's just a grocery list. We have lost one of the usual clues to process the documents we come accross everyday. We have to think a bit about everything we see before tossing it aside or keeping it for future generations. Thurs Feb 26, 2004 --

You know you're a
packrat when you have different categories for trash.

(9 months till my birthday)

I was looking in my files
for a piece of paper and couldn't find it. It really pissed me off for some reason -- I guess because I found other papers that I hadn't acted on. Sat Feb 28, 2004 --

When I'm bored
I slouch on my aubergine leather sofa and stare out the window at the ugly house across the street. It's kind of liberating. Instead of seeing the glory of God's creation, I ponder over an architectural mistake. Luckily I seldom descend into depression. Before long I get up to fix myself a peanut butter sandwich and all is well again. Sat Feb 28, 2004 --

I got lost
in the newspaper this morning -- making me 20 minutes late for work. I think I'm trying to avoid something. Wed Mar 3, 2004 --

No
thought today except
I missed recycle day again.
the newspapers are piling up Thurs Mar 4, 2004 --

Simile of the month
Anytime you're feeling apart from the crowd...
it's like being on the opposite side of an advance green. Fri Mar 5, 2004 --

Do you ever pick up
a 2 day old newspaper - you know -- in the lunch room or in the sauna -- and start to peruse it and discover something you wouldn't have read the first time but now you're desperate and -- it's not so bad? Mon Mar 8, 2004 --

I hateSara Mclachlan.
She was playing on the radio as I fell asleep last night and she was there again on the car radio as I pulled out of my driveway this morning. It's not going to be a good day. Tues Mar 9, 2004 --

Refocus.
Enjoy the sunshine.
Do your taxes another day. Wed Mar 10, 2004 --

There are more
car accidents five minutes to the hour and 5 minutes to the half hour than any other time.
It's because people are rushing trying to make appointments. Thurs Mar 11, 2004 --

Eat, Pump, Code
That's my typical evening. I get home, throw the ice pack from my lunch into the freezer, cut up an onion, prepare supper, eat supper, go to the Y, and then turn on a cathode ray tube -- either the TV, (if it's a CSI or L&O night), or start to program my website.
It's a living. Fri Mar 12, 2004 --

Those topsoil mounds
in just being built subdivisions are like temporary geographical features. In fact, they're often more interesting than the houses being built around them. Sat Mar 13, 2004 --

Throwing out clutter
means you're dealing with it - or giving up dealing with it.
Packrats have a lot of clutter. They know it. They refuse to give up on what all the little things represent. They're crazy. They're your neighbours. Sat Mar 13, 2004 --

Throwing out clutter
means you're dealing with it - or giving up dealing with it.
Packrats have a lot of clutter. They know it. They refuse to give up on what all the little things represent. They're crazy. That's not necessarily bad. Tues March 16, 2004 --

The 2 O'clock tuck
is necessary to keep the shirttails in the pants.
Yesterday I wore a 'good' shirt and noticed that by mid-afternoon the look was coming undone. Wed March 17, 2004 --

It's a beautiful day
The birds are singing, the sun is out, The recycling is done...

and I won $75 last night and $4 this morning -- touch me I'm lucky!! Thurs March 18, 2004 --

Winter should be over.
My gloves have two holes in them where I apply pressure to scrap the ice off my car. Fri March 19, 2004 --

Nobody smiles
when they're grocery shopping. Even while nudging a pint of Hagen Daaz beside the Cocoa Puffs. This has got to change. Sat March 20, 2004 --

I was sick
yesterday so I bagged off work in the afternoon. I rushed home trying to beat what would surely be the ultimate end for my nausea. I ripped off my jacket, planted a pail by my bedside and dove for the blankets. Three hours later I emerged a new man, heating up some leftover rice and cheese sauce before heading out for a club sandwich at Wimpy's and some magazine perusing at Chapters. When I got home, I turned on the tube to catch a CSI, a couple talk shows and then a Cher late late movie. Although near nodding off again, I summoned enough energy to refill the humidifier. I thought I had enough time to change the sheets.
Mopping up the floor wasn't fun at 3:30 a.m. Mon March 22, 2004 --

I went on a spreeee
yesterday. The mall took about 4 days pay as I swooped in on the docker display at Sears, grabbed up a shirt on sale and wandered over to The Bay to pick up a new brown belt. I even made it to The House of Knives to select a new cleaver -- so watch out!

Tues March 23, 2004 --

It's official
I have cabin fever. I gotta get out. (but maybe I'll do my taxes before I leave the country) Wed March 24, 2004 --

Coffee
on an empty stomach -- Ahhhh. Fri March 26, 2004 --

Breakfast
is the most important meal of the day just like the lead is the most important position in curling,

(laughter is not allowed). Mon March 29, 2004 --

Passport photos
are occasions to ponder. I usually like mine - not for how I look but because of the anticipation they hold. Tues March 30, 2004 --

I saw what looked like a rust stain
on the trunk lid of a new BMW today. When I got closer I saw that it was just a weirdly tinted brake light cluster. Wed March 31, 2004 --

I started to put up a small cabinet last week.
First I ran out of anchors – searched high and low. Then I bought some anchors at the grocery store – GROCERY store – imagine the selection. Anyway, I got home and immediately found more anchors. I made a couple of holes in the wall before I realized I had not measured right. At that point I questioned the entire idea I had for supporting the cabinet. I stopped, tools left where they lay and prepared a martini. I think I'll paint the wall before continuing. Thurs April 1, 2004 --

My poor FM radio reception
gave Christine Augulara a gravely voice this morning. For a minute I thought Anne Murray was attempting another comeback. Fri April 2, 2004 --

Punching the presets, I give my car radio 3 chances
to please me -- then I push in the tape. Sun April 4, 2004 --

Yesterday while on a walk to enjoy the early
April sun, I spied a discarded condom wrapper lying on my lawn. Exposed with the melting snow, I hadn't expected to see this harbinger of spring so close to home. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised - what with the home grow operation a couple doors down, sedate Arlington Blvd is becoming more and more cosmopolitan.

Maybe we won't wait for the next mass power outage to crank up the radios on our verandas -- and before long our pleasure seeking will undeniably lead to picking up lottery tickets on the way to our lawyers' offices to divorce our second wives.

I don't make this stuff up. Tues April 6, 2004 --

On Saturday I was ferried around
by vintage cars - recent vintages -- a 1984 mini van and a 1978 Monte Carlo. Mostly intact, these machines took me back to high school and university days.
Then Brian came to pick me up for curling in a 2001 Corolla. It felt like I was stepping into the future. Wed April 7, 2004 --

Much is written about
sportmanship and the love of the game. Usually some sexy sport like football or hockey is implied.
Yesterday was the last game of the season for my curling team. It was a good game -- very close -- we all had some good shots. I very much enjoyed myself. Thurs April 8, 2004 --

I have two movie screens in a closet at home.
It's time for a garage sale.

I came very close to ranting on about religious intolerance today -- well really it wasn't about intolerance --- it was about the limitations of the human mind. -- maybe tomorrow. Mon April 12, 2004 --

Even a pebble
casts a shadow when the sun dips low enough. Tues April 13, 2004 --

I had supper in a bar last night.
I had two pints of beer. My buddy just had one. Wed April 14, 2004 --

The Titanic sank
on this day 92 years ago. I guess I'm a bit of a Titanic-a-holic -- have been ever since I did a speech on it in grade 5. Thurs April 15, 2004 --

As I walk to the Y after work,
I pass a few weird stores.
There's the Electrolux vacume emporium where they never seem to change the window display. The Harley Davidson boutique never seems too busy. The WoodFire bagel joint is a favourite of mine. I haven't been tempted by the tatoo parlour yet. I lust after the Audi's at Crosby Volkswagen though. Fri April 16, 2004 --

I've heard of booze loosening the inhibitions but this is ridiculous
I came home last night to a power outage. So I fired up the BBQ to hold off starvation with a meal of Lake Erie Whitefish and potatos a la Ingard. A glass of wine didn't seem out of place.
Little did I realize the flurry of activity it would induce -- taking out the trash, floor washing, toilet bowl disinfecting and I walked over to the Y!
I'll be more careful next time Mon April 19, 2004 --

Sometimes at night before I fall asleep
I stare at the glass light shade on the ceiling. I must have done this hundreds of times. There's a strange etching on it and some nights I conclude it has a pattern; other times I think it's just random. Last night I followed the marks around and around and determined for sure that it has a repeating pattern.
Why last night? Why did I concentrate long enough and care enough about it? Sometimes at work we'll be exposed to something amiss hundreds of times but it takes something extra for something to happen. Tues April 20, 2004 --

A chance meeting this morning
gave me a big leg up on the day.
I was feeling a little down when I got up today. A flitty/substance magazine came with the GLobe and I decided to stop in at a trendy coffee shop to read a bit of it before work. Almost immediately I bumped into someone I had been meaning to meet for some time to talk about things of mutual concern.
I'm not a phone person so I kept putting off phoning him for a meeting. Sometimes things work out exactly when you need them to. Wed April 21, 2004 --

Today is trash day on Arlington Blvd.
There's a stray bag with a hole in it at the foot of the property.
I'm going to New York City on Friday. Thurs April 22, 2004 --

I rad a short story once
about an old lady who takes a trip. She prepared for it, anticipated it, packed for it, thought about it constantly.
She was poor and could only afford train fare to a suburb from her inner city home. She took the bus back.
I am that woman. Thurs April 22, 2004 --

I read a short story once
about an old lady who takes a trip. She prepared for it, anticipated it, packed for it, thought about it constantly.
She was poor and could only afford train fare to a suburb from her inner city home. She took the bus back.
As I prepare to go to New York City, I am that woman. Wed April 28, 2004 --

There are two butterfly conservatories in SW Ontario
and roughly 5 million people. That's a 2.5 million to 1 ratio. I think I read somewhere that the accepted norm for this kind of thing is 10 million to 1. Clearly we're either blessed or obsessed.

... and having just returned from a 4 day trip to NYC, I'm preparing a travelogue to be posted here soon. Here's an excerpt:
Unbrellas are not considered wimpy in Manhattan. Everyone uses one when necessary -- it's a street culture. Thurs April 29, 2004 --

Another New York Minute...
Times Square is a tourist mecca for several reasons -- close to the theatres, home to a huge subway station with many connections, bright lights and the Naked Cowboy. I had accommodations near there so I'd use the subway to whiz downtown and back underground totally oblivious to what was going on above me. It was only on my last day there that I ventured to "the city south of the numbered streets." I was totally amazed.

The next day on the train home I was reading a magazine and they profiled a hat I had seen in a Soho shop window the day before -- man! Fri April 30, 2004 --

Our Prime Minister meets
with the President of the United States today.
With true Canadian modesty our media is already saying that the occasion won't make much of a splash in the papers down there. I don't think that matters. I'd prefer we spent less time pooh poohing ourselves and more time plainly presenting our side to whatever issues the two leaders are likely to talk about.
Boring but it's the way the world changes sometimes. Sun May 2, 2004 --

First day on my new eMac
I had to set the keyboard preference to USA because the french character set of Canada was screwing up my tilde character.
The mouse doesn't work well and I'm trying to get a new one out of Apple.
I haven't set up my printer yet -- maybe Monday. Tues May 4, 2004 --

Last Friday, grey clouds hung low
to the ground. After work I got a phone message to pick up my new eMac. I drove to a dreary industrial area of the city, most of the workers long gone. There were a couple of cars parked around the Apple Store. I got out, exchanged some numbers with a man and lugged my loot home. Wed May 5, 2004 --

Why does the 2003 Sears Catalog
have an actual photo of a woman for "How to Measure Correctly" on page 1185 while on page 1187, there's just an illustration of a man for the "Sizing for Men's Wear?" Wed May 5, 2004 10:20 pm--

I never thought I'd say it.
Apple sucks. Specifically their customer service. I bought one of their new models, (out only a few days before my purchase).
The mouse doesn't work. I have been on the phone three times with "Apple Care" and once with the place that sold it to me. They can't order a new one for me because the mouse's part number isn't in their database. I'm not happy. Thurs May 6, 2004 8:17 pm--

Help me.
Use the poll today to comment on this statement:
I should start looking for some real estate. Monday May 10, 2004 --

The newspapers are full of news about how things aren't going well in Iraq.
I really don't know what to make of it. It all makes me wish I had written down a detailed analysis of how I felt about it during the build up of 2002 and early 2003 when the papers were filled with possible targets for the "War on Terrorism."
One thing I do remember when I first heard the term "War on Terror?" -- I thought -- "What?" -- you can have a war with countries but not with extreme ideologies held by a minority. Back then I thought the media was with me --- and then it seemed to turn. Monday May 10, 2004 10:00 pm--

There's no statute of limitations on bullying
I was walking to the Y last night when a kid on a bike whizzed by me and yelled "Hey!" in my ear. Wed May 12, 2004 --

Isn't it ironic?
The people of New York City walk more than the people of Kitchener. Thurs May 13, 2004 --

It's fixed!
I went to get a new burner for my 4 year old BBQ last night. But I wasn't sure this was going to ease my BBQ pain so I chatted about my problem with the guy behind the parts counter at T&A Appliances. He suggested a little trick to restore the gas flow to full pressure. I tried it and it worked!!
I'm thinking of sending him some flowers. Fri May 14, 2004 --

Donald Trump seems to have it all.
The money, the beautiful women, the restaurant reservations. But you know, If he's so happy why the elaborate comb over and the high maintenance fiance? I feel just as good with a chocolate dipped Dairy Queen cone in front of me. Mon May 17, 2004 --

An itch is a metaphor for life.
Eventually the skin becomes sore with your attempts at satisfying the urge, yet the siren still calls so you scratch even more -- you try just outside of where you really want to --- but ultimately you give in.
That's the only cure for temptation.

last phrase not my own - think Oscar Wilde said it. Tues May 18, 2004 --

It had to happen.
I swung my beige Mazda into a parking spot at The Price Chopper beside a blue Mazda -- just by chance. On the way to the entrance, I passed a gentleman wearing a blue shirt heading toward the blue mazda. I was wearing a tan shirt. Wed May 19, 2004 --

The romantic notion of walking along a beach at sunset is sacrosanct.
That's why I was revulsed when I saw an ad involving an actor driving his SUV onto a beach to impress his girlfriend with a picnic out the back of the tailgate.
I turned the TV off and went to the gym. Thurs May 20, 2004 --

You want to know the power of the car?
I've seen people drink bad beer, (Coor's Light), specifically because they want to drive home from a bar or party --- they want the lower alcohol content --- taste means nothing. I say walk to your next party and enjoy what you're doing. Fri May 21, 2004 --

So Air Canada has gotten concessions from their unions.
Yippee. Except I'm left wondering why Milton and the other big guys at the company are paid so much while cutting their employees wages. I know Milton didn't get the airline in trouble -- he's trying to get it out of it but --- well - it makes me wonder about the nature of executives' work -- can they even get out of bed in the morning for less than a $million? Is their stress so great that they warrant it? Milton IS an employee of Air Canada. I think he should work as part of his team of employees and try to enjoy his job -- but he doesn't really have a job --- he just leads and makes contact with others who can help him shuffle money around. His work isn't defined anywhere and that makes it tough. I guess he's paid the same as his peers are paid where ever they are in the world - so really I have a beef with executive salaries everywhere. Tues May 25, 2004 --

Everyday
I throw out the two rubber bands that hold my morning Globe together. It seems a waste. I wouldn't be so concerned if it was string - but it just seems a rubber band could go on to greater glory if I only knew how to make it happen. Wed May 26, 2004 --

Every morning
it seems leaving the bed is like leaving the womb. Thurs May 27, 2004 --

Every week
I do two maybe three loads of laundry. A pittance I know but that doesn't stop me from lusting after a Bosch 220 volt front loader with sleek lines and a stainless steel drum. Fri May 28, 2004 --

I went to Bluegrass Night
at my grandma's retirement home last night. It was toe tappin enough - cheap beer, snacks. There were some new guys there -- their sex being rare in such places, they stood out. One weather-beaten man sucking his Blue out of a straw was doing his best to enjoy himself. I did too. Mon May 31, 2004 --

My neighbours had a little get together
on Saturday. Quite surprisingly, it wasn't all just idle chit chat. The most memorable thing was laughing to our "Arlington Blvd" in-jokes -- the stuff only we could possibly understand. I felt quite comforable with the gang even though I had just met some of them. Tues June 1, 2004 --

It's no mystery
why art auction prices are so high -- the rich buy them. Money buys us things we don't have. In this case it's a creative counter-culture energy. Wed June 2, 2004 --

I feel good.
...like I knew I would.
I did a major recycling/garbage last night. I got rid of two mangled lawn mowers, some yard waste, 50 year old fence boards, and some Kraft Dinner cardboard boxes. Thurs June 3, 2004 --

The thing about golf
is that it's not real --- it's a vacation from life -- an island in the storm -- the oasis of our existance.
I'll stop now. Fri June 4, 2004 --

Why do they put
fake wood trim on things that couldn't possibly have real wood grain? Mon June 7, 2004 --

Everyone is excited in Tampa Bay.
Hockey fan or not -- who can resist a big championship game when your team is playing?

Even I went to a few Kincardine Kings Jr. C games when they were in contention. Tues June 8, 2004 --

Water the garden
It needs it. Wed June 9, 2004 --

Water your soul.
It will never tell you it needs it. Thurs June 10, 2004 --

In the Canadian Federal election this June
there's been some talk about how the anti-hatred laws in Canada could trample on the right to express religious freedom.

Well - excuse me but I thought that wouldn't be a problem. Fri June 11, 2004 --

You know - I kinda miss
scratching.
-- the instant gratification -- the clockwork like dependability -- the graphic representation of what you've done. Mon June 14, 2004 --

Sometimes a news drought will end with an onslaught.
Last week, former President Reagan died, there was a big fire in Elmira, the flyover highway interchange opened in Kitchener, the new Conservative Party of Canada took the lead in the polls, I bought a new DVD player, I figured out how to stream audio files on the net and my 102 year old grandma seems to have rallied after a fall and an infection.
How was your week? Tues June 15, 2004 --

I tried the quick fix last night
for a programming bug in a website I manage. It didn't work. I had to go on to other things, (like baking a cake), but I'll come back to it. Wed June 16, 2004 --

For lunch today...
peanut butter and Jam on white bread with twizzlers and V8.
Healthy but somehow not.
Exciting but somehow now. Thurs June 17, 2004 --

I used the collectors
this morning to avoid a traffic jam in the express lanes on my local expressway. It felt so good to pass all those cars -- and when it was time to merge with them, -- well -- you can always find someone oblivious to it all. Fri June 18, 2004 --

One of the appeals of a hotel room
is the fact that it's empty. No papers, no mess, no plants that have died from lack of water. You step into an unreal world that for all it's purported luxury is really just life stripped bare - shelter, water, room service.

I can't wait for my next trip.

Perspective is a big thing.
Yesterday I cut my sweet peppers a different way and - Bam! things looked different. Mon June 21, 2004 --

One of the best things about taking the bus
is the three and a half minute walk to the bus stop in the morning. The rush-rush of getting up, washed and fed is over and if you timed it right you can saunter over to the corner, taking note of the new foliage in the neighbourhood or mulling over the day to come.
I like it. Mon June 21, 2004 --

I love the treadmill.
While fiddling with the ramp incline, speed and program settings don't you ever want to speed up time itself? Wed June 23, 2004 --

The other great thing about taking the bus
is that you get to see non-beautiful people. After a night of sitcoms and reality shows, that's a needed respite! Thurs June 24, 2004 --

You can't laugh or even crack a smile
while whistling -- it's a sober activity -- even as it makes routine activities tolerable. Fri June 25, 2004 --

I'm going golfing this afternoon.
I'm getting away for a bit. Sat June 26, 2004 --

When a shoelace breaks
do you just replace the one or - anticipating future calamity, ditch them both in the trash? Mon June 28, 2004 --

There are zero Google hits for
"approved cobol standards 1980"
"easy C programming" Tues June 29, 2004 --

People in power do what they want.
I'm interested in getting closer to truth. Wed June 30, 2004 --

Cats are scared by loud noises
I'm starting to learn this is no big deal. Friday July 02, 2004 --

Sometimes justice is sweet, swift and deserved.
This morning I was being tailgated by a suped up Neon - right on my bunper he was. He passed me as soon as he could. As I entered the expressway onramp, I saw that a cop had pulled him over. I guess he had to put out his cigarette. Monday July 05, 2004 --

It's good to take a leisurly morning sometimes.
Not to read the paper - but just to drink some coffee, check out what's new in the neighbourhood, pet some animals and walk around in bare feet for a bit. Monday July 05, 2004 8:56 pm --

Have you ever forgone an opportunity to eat fast food with a friend
because you had something really good to eat at home - alone? Tues July 06, 2004 --

You know what the difference between MIcrosoft and Apple is?
When ever you are reading a product information document put out by Bill Gates, it always comes across as some kind of a sales pitch.
Apple just assumes you're one of "them" and starts to explain how everything is so friggin integrated. Thurs July 08, 2004 --

I drank some tea this morning from a teacup made in Russia.
It seems so exotic. Fri July 09, 2004 --

There was no pleasing the cat this morning.
It wanted constant attention, and purred not in a nice way. I followed it and thought it wanted food - but that wasn't it. Sun July 11, 2004 --

You want to know how hard it is for me to get rid of clutter.....
I have sentimental things in my refrigerator. Mon July 12, 2004 11:30 pm --

My evening...
Tonight was the Ordination of 5 candidates at Church of the Good Shepherd. Nothing seemed to go right.
I had sorted out the volume of the mics after the Sunday service so thought everything would go smoothly. That was before Ron, (the minister), told me he wanted a mic at the lectern where there had never been one before - the new ministers were going to speak from there. Well - I rigged something up with duct tape but in the humidity it drooped faster than a cokehead's erection. No matter - the five did admirably anyway.

Then -- boom -- the power went off. After Ron made a witty remark to set everyone at ease, the laying of hands went on. And on - it was getting to be 9 o'clock. Man - get me out of this building!

Showering isn't always pleasureable...
The pounding water stirs my brain cells into action and I think of what I must accomplish that day -- I don't have a notepad with me so I more often than not forget it all. Thurs July 15, 2004 --

I hate going to the gym...
but I love coming out of it.

The men at the Y are using the women's changeroom while renovations are going on. What is it with the play pens? Thurs July 15, 2004 4:00 pm --

Never buy chocolate at the hardware store.
I succumbed and made an impulse purchase at Rona yesterday. It was too sugary and well - I'm throwing it out. Fri July 16, 2004 --

A bum came to my door this morning.
He was a young man, average build with a trim haircut. He wanted something to eat. I brushed him off. Maybe I shouldn't have. I didn't know anything of his circumstances. I didn't ask. Sat July 17, 2004 --

I like the colour red.
My hair is kinda red
My sympathies are with the left
I was born in Canada
Red is complex, (can't be too pink, nor too purple). Sun July 18, 2004 --

The tree in my front yard reminds me of my grandfather.
It's ill formed, blemished by lightning. But it's straight, thin and tall - just like him. He lived for 20 odd years in this house. Perhaps he never left. Sun July 18, 2004 -- 12:45 pm

I rented the DVD Airport.
It had something to say about divorce and relationship mores in the early 1970's. The Burt Lancaster character is "married to two - his work and his wife". Work, of course wins out and the selfish spouse never understands the stress he's under. So he strays into the arms of the head of Trans Global Airlines Customer Relations.

Dean Martin's wife understands the rules of the game -- he strays but always comes home to her. Except this time. Dean falls for the newly pregnant Jaqueline Bisset as the hero stewardess.

Ironically the only one who gives a damn about his family is the bomber who tries to commit suicide and leave some insurance money for his poverty stricken wife.

Every morning
I open the curtain a little bit even if it's going to be a very hot day. I almost feel that by letting the sun into my bedroom, I'm letting the world into my life. Fri July 23, 2004 --

I hate driving in rush hour.
I don't even remember Toronto traffic being as nuts as what the Conestoga Expressway is. Mon July 26, 2004 --

It all depends on your perspective.
While golfing, sometimes you're close enough to see and hear the plop of a golf ball landing. It's not nearly as dramatic as witnessing a soaring Titleist blast off from the tee. Tues July 27, 2004 --

The Canadian Government recently bought some helicopters.
This is probably a good thing. Since these pieces of machinery had civilian as well as military duties, (S&R), I think the political wrangling surrounding the delay is sick. Wed July 28, 2004 --

I've been reading a book on the Titanic before I nod off at night.
It just takes me to another time and before I know it, I'm tired and want to sleep. Thurs July 29, 2004 --

I think I'm going to be one of those people who talk less and less as they age.
I was walking with a buddy to the car after working out at the Y last night and he was making little jokes about anything he saw. He normally doesn't do that. I don't see the point of making obvious comments sometimes. Fri July 30, 2004 --

The woefully inadequate amp
in my Mazda's stock sound system strained as I cranked Kiss' "I was Made for Loving You" this morning. Tues Aug 3, 2004 --

I took the cure.
On Sunday, I went with a couple of friends to Port Stanley. The gentle breeze off the lake lapped at my skin as I lay on the beach thinking nice thoughts, (mostly). Wed Aug 4, 2004 --

Yesterday evening
I had four things to do. I did two of them. Not bad, eh? Thurs Aug 5, 2004 --

I'm usually tardy in paying the guy who looks after my lawn.
But yesterday evening I went for a walk and stopped in at his house. I paid him. He told me he was leaving on a litttle vacation the next day to Moosonee.
Do you think there was any spiritual connection going on there? Fri Aug 6, 2004 --

I still look for the cat in the morning.
I'll get over it. Mon Aug 9, 2004 --

A couple of people have said I'd like movies featuring William H. Macy. I like them - but what they really mean to say is that I am William H. Macy.
I'll get over it. Wed Aug 11, 2004 --

I took my niece to Toronto yesterday.
Among other things, I thought I might impress her with my world travelling experience.
It wasn't to be.
When we got dropped off at the train station at 9:00 am for a 9:15 am departure, I saw the train was already in the station and I said, "Let's make a run for it -- it's already here!"
So we sat on the train for 15 minutes, me with egg on my face and my niece unaware her uncle could make it onto a train without a scene. Thurs Aug 12, 2004 --

There's 4 lawn chairs on my veranda.
They aren't epoxy coated aluminum, redwood, or even plastic -- they're the old fashioned bent aluminum with webbing. They look dorky. I don't care - none of my neighbours sit out on their porches so no one sees them until they whiz by in their cars. Fri Aug 13, 2004 --

After a visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario.
I've learned a new saying. "Don't piss on the moon."
You'd say this to someone who is trying to do the impossible.

(It's Dutch) Mon Aug 16, 2004 --

My rose bush is finally recovering from the winter.
In response, I gave it some fertilizer yesterday. Tues Aug 17, 2004 --

It's difficult to navigate in my city.
When I'm out for a walk I'll often get signaled over to an open car window to give directions to on-ramps and sporting venues. Mostly I find, people just want to get out of town.
One day I tried my best to guide a biker gang through some construction. As they vroomed away I saw they missed the very first turn. I tried.
I must look the helpful sort -- and I usually walk alone which ups the approachability factor. Thurs Aug 19, 2004 --

Maple Leaf Foods slogan is...
Pork for the World.
that's nice Fri Aug 20, 2004 --

While chatting with the ladies who take lunch with my grandmother...
the conversation naturally turned to what their husbands had done for a living. One was a perfume chemist. She said he'd come home reeking. Sounds neat, eh? Sat Aug 21, 2004 --

Kindness was shown to me today...
My car battery needed a boost at the filling station this morning. A nice lady in a Lexus lifted her hood for me.
I'm grateful. Mon Aug 23, 2004 --

I have a bush in my front yard that is very densely packed with shoots and leaves.
It shudders when the wind blows - it doesn't rustle - the leaves don't flick and wave - they act as one and shudder. Tues Aug 24, 2004 --

Walkers and Drivers...
People walking tend to use the grand front entrances to buildings. Those driving almost always use the back door, the one by the loading dock or the elevator in the garage. Wed Aug 25, 2004 --

What I did on the weekend...
- talked to policemen twice.
- argued with a church member about Tim Hortons Cofffee
- Caught in a traffic jam
- got my car battery boosted twice, (thanks - you know who you were).
- golfed and argued
- said hello to 10 strangers, (performed "neutral pass" to 20 others)
- watched a DVD.
- ate well. Thurs Aug 26, 2004 --

Shooting my own foot...
is that the expression?
With driving a car, the whole idea is to get somewhere - despite how lux the leather or how clear the Jazz station's reception - nobody really wants to be in a car.
Walkers, in contrast, readily acknowledge that they aren't getting anywhere fast. They accept it and settle in for the experience. Sat Aug 28, 2004 --

I want to learn...
how to use a washcloth and a sink to clean just my underarms and face. For those times I'm rushed and I know I'll have a proper shower around lunch but I want to look and smell presentable to people I meet in the morning.
Right now - I try - but the cloth drips with water and it's hard to rinse the soap off.
I feel it's one of those early 20th century skills that is becoming lost. Mon Aug 30, 2004 --

I went for a car ride yesterday...
I know, I know.
and I -- err -- I - I enjoyed it. Tues Aug 31, 2004 --

A favourite aunt of mine liked a drink called Pimms...
Everytime I see the bottle behind a bar I think of her. Wed Sept 1, 2004 --

one sign of adulthood ...
is not taking the time to "rat - a - tat- tat" on the top off the peanut butter jar with a spoon before you tear it open.
I guess I made it to adulthood. Thurs Sept 2, 2004 --

I was so hungry this morning ...
I gobbled up my cold cereal in no time. I don't ever remember such an enthusiastic response to oatmeal.
Sometimes junk is what you need, I guess. Fri Sept 3, 2004 --

Another way you can tell you're becoming an adult...
Embarking on a vacation -- leaving behind more than you're looking forward to. Mon Sept 6, 2004 --

It's stressful...
to count a pack of playing cards.

Only 52 you say! But what made you count them in the first place? - a spill? a forgotten pack? --- and what if there isn't 52? --- a party spoiled? The timid may have to be brave. The tempestuous perhaps calmed. Tues Sept 7, 2004 --

on the weekend...
I talked with a retired, successful farmer. Among other things he said, "You know - everytime you start something new you've got a lot of stuff to learn - you make some mistakes - it's not easy."

I think I like this guy. Thurs Sept 9, 2004 --

Off to Oakville...
-- tickets to the grounds for the Canadian Open. - never been before. Sun Sept 12, 2004 --

part of being off work and not going anywhere...
-- is the utter calmness of doing things when you actually have time to do them. Mon Sept 13, 2004 --

I don't understand...
-- how it's possible to have garbage lying beside a garbage can. Tues Sept 14, 2004 --

I noticed in a decor magazine this morning...
-- that there's a jewellery store that has locations at the Aladin Hotel in Las Vegas and on Spring St. in Soho NYC. Does anyone else find this strange? Wed Sept 15, 2004 --

I'm sick of this instant world...
-- Extreme makeovers, lotteries, massive car giveaways, plastic surgery.
Whatever happened to working with your neighbours and family to create a better world for everyone - not just a few? Whatever happened to saving $1000.00 a month for retirement?
Watch out - Bible verse coming -- Whatever happened to "the meek shall inherit the earth?" Thurs Sept 16, 2004 --

Database cross referencing technology is weird sometimes...
On the CNN site the other day was a blurb about how the Dutch are planning on banning unwanted toe licking. On the sidebar were some links to cheap airfares to Holland and places to stay.

I presume it's for the benefit of expat toe lickers wanting one last kick at the can and for those wanting a little clandesine toe attention.

I can just see the jumbo jets heading into Schiptol for a special pedantric "Summer of Love." Fri Sept 17, 2004 --

I'm going to retire...
I've discovered a way to keep brown sugar soft. That's gotta be worth a couple $million. I've not a plastic jar that emits some kind of magic vapour that penetrates the sugar and prevents it from becoming hard. Mon Sept 20, 2004 --

I've been reading one of those American News magazines with long detailed articles...
One was on U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. Most of the paragraphs were about how political an animal he was.

I think this is why cynicism builds about politicians and the political process. Tues Sept 21, 2004 --

I went 50 minutes...
on an exercise bike yesterday -- the most time I've ever spent on one of those things. Fri Sept 24, 2004 --

Part of growing older...
is that you begin to recognize trends coming back for a second or third go-round.
hardwood floors - glass building blocks - skinny ties - sax tracks on pop songs.

You can choose to participate or not -- make fun of them or not. Mon Sept 27, 2004 --

I love sunny days...
in September.
Just their sunniness is great of course but we know there aren't going to be many more of them come winter -- so they're extra special. Tues Sept 28, 2004 --

Why do people park illegally...
at the Y?
You're going in for exercise - so walk a little!! Wed Sept 29, 2004 --

Why do people park illegally...
at Kentucky Fried Chicken ?
Some guy in a big black pick-up straddled three spots last night as I slid in to get my supper!! Thurs Sept 30, 2004 --

Do you ever pause after you write the word "because?"...
You should have your wits about you -- you're about to back up an opinion --- it better be good! Fri Oct 1, 2004 --

It's my grandma's 103rd birthday today...
She's pretty calm about the whole thing - now that she's on the other side of 100, it's just another birthday. Mon Oct 4, 2004 --

I had no idea new technology was so expensive...
I just bought a black ink refil cartridge for my Epson inkjet printer. It set me back $40.00 Tues Oct 5, 2004 --

Crisp evening air.
Clear autumn sky.
A rush of wind,
A tra la la, (from Celine Dion on the car radio). Wed Oct 6, 2004 --

I am not a well read person.
That's why I found it tough slogging through a review of Reflections on the Revolution in France: Edmund Burke in the April issue of The Atlantic. Between musings on the motivations for writing the American Declaration of Independence and the fragrance of Marie Antoinette came theories on dictatorship and the guillotine. I was truly in over my head.
Then at the end of the article came a blurb that blew me away. The Louisiana Purchase was made when France was drained of resources from a slave revolt in Haiti. The sale was just a desparate attempt to become flush again. And so ended the French influence in America.

That butterfly in Australia is sure one busy creature! Thurs Oct 7, 2004 --

When I was a kid...
my brother and I would make race cars out of lego. They always had "retro rockets" on them. I didn't really know what they were - but they were all over the news during the 60's. Fri Oct 8, 2004 --

I've been pretty lucky this week...
Friends have dropped in to see me, I bumped into people I knew at a restaurant. I even had a good meeting at work -- and I didn't even have to prepare for it! Mon Oct 11, 2004 --

I'm not as worldly as I sometimes let on...
For instance, I can't remember if Canadians were part of Gulf War I --- or wait -- I think we had some troops based in Qatar? "Troops" seems like such a quaint word - conjuring up images of parade squares. But I digress.

What is becoming as clear as a morning after Oktoberfest headache is inescapable is that the Gulf War II is about preserving the North American way of life as we know it -- as we've developed it -- as we live it. Our life isn't a bad thing. In fact through fierce independence and hard work we've developed a beautiful life. We think positively. What we sometimes forget is that as soon as we have to defend that life we've lost it.

Happy Thanksgiving. Wed Oct 13, 2004 --

I think the essential thing
about being a son is trying to reconcile the propensity to be just like your father and to be nothing like him. Thurs Oct 14, 2004 --

Part of the reason I like spaghetti
is that I never really had it growing up. My father didn't care for it so we didn't eat it. I own spaghetti in 2004- speak. Fri Oct 15, 2004 --

Ok - I admit it...
I iron on a need-to-look-great basis. Mornings typically - wrapped in a bathrobe, OJ dribbling down my chin.
But of course once I've got that iron fired up -- it seems such a waste to just do one that I end up doing two or three shirts and become hopelessly late for whatever I thought pressed apparel was necessary for in the first place. Sat Oct 16, 2004 --

When...
did it become ok not to put ceilings in public buildings? Tues Oct 19, 2004 --

I've got three combination locks.
One for my "kit" locker at the Y, one for my day locker at the Y and one to keep my broom, shoes and gloves safe at the Elmira Curling Club. It's a bother - really - having to stop what I'm doing and fiddle with the dials. I do it though. Wed Oct 20, 2004 --

I hate the "fake" look of potted mum plants.
Businesses often use these plants as a simple way to spruce up the appearance of their buildings in the fall. I say --- "Look - mums are perenials that should be cultivated where they are - not taken where they're needed." Besides, they are often super-fertilized to give a canopy of blooms -- steroid-like. Thurs Oct 21, 2004 --

Sometimes you just have to go slow...
For years I applied shaving cream to both sides of my face at once using both hands. This morning I tried just one side at a time. It worked! I think I had better coverage and I was calmer -- by not occupying my brain with sensory overload. Fri Oct 22, 2004 --

When was the last time ...
you were truly surprised by a headline in a newspaper? It's old news by the time you do a bleary eyed perusal on your way to the kitchen for some OJ and toast.
Thank God they have the odd reporter who can interpret, not just reproduce what he sees coming in off the wire. Sun Oct 24, 2004 --

Peace ...
is the state of highest tension without physical altercation.

Someone told me that this weekend and I like it. Tues Oct 26, 2004 --

I have a photo of my dad on my dresser.
It's not a studio portrait or significant in any usual way. It's a snapshot that got separated from it's context - the year - the situation -- I don't know. Sometimes that's the way of it --- the orphan gets prominence. Wed Oct 27, 2004 --

I heard there is going to be a lunar eclipse tonight.
Is this true? Thurs Oct 28, 2004 --

I like to watch...
who is taking up more than their share of parking spaces. Today it was a Taurus - not even a new one. Fri Oct 29, 2004 --

I've been hanging out with retired people lately...
They seem to like going away for months at a time. I can't afford that so I try out new grocery stores instead. Sun Oct 31, 2004 --

Me and Bush are alike in -- well at least one way...
When I find things in a different place in my kitchen (due to people helping me put away the dishes), I'm angry. I've put a lot of thought into the arrangement of gadgets and utensils that help me cook well and I hate responding to someone else's ideas on what should go where.
I read on the weekend that Bush thinks France and Germany's anti-Americanism is just a moral weakness -- not something to explore or deal with. He's forgetting that It's this attitude that stops him from having a sizable alliance in Iraq. Kerry apparently doesn't get this either. Europe is a pretty substantial society -- not one I would just write off as having no ideas.
So just as I have to be open to new ideas in the kitchen if I'm ever going to progress beyond stews and pancakes, Americans are going to have to open up to some European, Asian and African thoughts if they want their own ideas to go out into the world successfully. Tues Nov 2, 2004 --

I've never really thought of ironing as woman's work...
It's hard to categorize it like that when you've loaned your spray starch to a fighter pilot trying to perfect the crease on the back of his shirt.
I hesitate to extend this enlightenment to other tasks in life? Wed Nov 3, 2004 --

Due to a programming glitch, the thought of the day is not available
please check back tomorrow. Thurs Nov 5, 2004 --

I bought a pair of winter gloves yesterday...
Today it's a beautiful sunny morning ---- I think it's God's way of telling me not to give up hope! Sat Nov 6, 2004 --

November...
Buying winter gloves on Thursday; Reading about a scandal on Friday; Playing golf on Saturday. This is Canada, Baby - this is Canada. Tues Nov 9, 2004 --

I wrote two letters on Sunday...
I used to like writing when I was young and felt I was experiencing life for the first time. The words came easily. Now - not so much. Wed Nov 10, 2004 --

Every since Monday night...
I've been out trying for a Northern Lights sighting. I've had a taste and I just want more. Thurs Nov 11, 2004 --

It's Remembrance Day in Canada...
I remember one cenotaph service I went to. I was amazed at how loud the rifle salute was. The noise itself was offensive. I can't imagine what a whole war would be like. Fri Nov 12, 2004 --

I went skating yesterday...
I'm not that proficient. I was practising clockwise turns and fell - banged my elbow about 6 inches down from my flu shot. I'll get over it. Sun Nov 14, 2004 --

To continue the "Take a trip and never leave the farm" line of thinking...
I moved out of my bedroom today. Not my house -- just my bedroom. I'm clearing it out, ready for the electrician to move an outlet. Ready for me to smash through a wall to make way for some built- in wardrobes. Tues Nov 16, 2004 --

Lunch at the Old Folks Home...
***I'm the best looking man in the room.
***The women are mostly sporting "helmet hair" yet Helen with her long white locks hints at a stylish past
***Gail is not afraid to load up on butter -- she needs the calories. Wed Nov 17, 2004 --

What's going on?
The "alarm" indicator doesn't light up on my clock radio beside my bed. It's like the landing gear light on a 747 that doesn't come on. Will I be roused in the morning? ----- Will the passengers make it to their Wednesday morning meeting in Brussels? Thurs Nov 18, 2004 --

Who says life is getting more complicated?
When was the last time you fiddled with the tint and color buttons on the TV? Fri Nov 19, 2004 --

Bill Gates apparently gets over a million emails a day...
Show him the love, baby -- show him the love. Sun Nov 21, 2004 --

When I've done something around the house I'll stare at it for hours.
This weekend, I put two new shelves up and built a bridge between two banks of cabinets to store "The Joy" and other assorted pleasure thru cooking filled manuscripts. Tues Nov 23, 2004 --

Commenting on the Ralph Klein Conservative victory in Alberta...
Why do rich places elect Conservative governments? You'd think they could afford a Social Democratic one? Thurs Nov 25, 2004 --

What would make you stoop?
I don't think anyone would bend over for a penny. How about a dime? -- an american dime? Or would it have to be paper -- like $5 ? Fri Nov 26, 2004 --

Ok - look I can't lie...
I've been out every night this week - curling, playing pool - whatever. But I've also felt compelled to take a walk on three of those days after work. I think my body has a limit to destructive impulses and forces me to balance them with those walks. Sat Nov 27, 2004 --

I once measured out the rooms and plotted a floor plan to my childhood home.
I found a hollow space just off my bedroom. It was a "Wow" moment and I've been fascinated by floor plans ever since. Tues Nov 30, 2004 --

The difference between bachelors and family men...
I check my bread for mould before eating it. Wed Dec 1, 2004 --

Yesterday I decked the bush out front of my house with a festive string of lights ...
When I tested them out downstairs they flooded the furnace room with a brilliant glow. Eerie that. Thurs Dec 2, 2004 --

I made mashed potatoes for myself last night...
It seemed like Christmas. Fri Dec 3, 2004 --

I'll be doing laundry tomorrow...
(just so you know). Sat Dec 4, 2004 --

I've got something for inventors to work on...
A cutlery drawer divider that doesn't get cut up by knives! Mon Dec 6, 2004 --

I followed a pale blue 1979 Ford Thunderbird yesterday.
It reminded me of Mr. Hartley -- a teacher in high school who had a dark green one. He always had nicotine stains on his fingers and seemed a bit rough around the edges. Tues Dec 7, 2004 --

It never ceases to amaze me...
how people can stand on the bus when a seat is available. I mean wars have been fought over the freedom to choose any seat you want on a bus. Wed Dec 8, 2004 --

Have you ever watched a curler at the moment of release?
The concentration is intense. Wed Dec 8, 2004 --

Have you ever watched a hockey player get dressed for a game?
The concentration is intense. Fri Dec 10, 2004 --

Have you ever watched a troubled person take a drag on a cigarette?
It's long and slow and it looks like their cheeks are going to implode. Sun Dec 12, 2004 --

I've picked up a new habit somewhere along the line.
For about a month now, when I go to wash my hands I've been noticing some scratches on my right index finger. I can't figure out how they get there. Tues Dec 14, 2004 --

I was stopped in my car waiting for a train to cross Weber Street last night.
I was last in line and no one joined in behind me. I hate that. Wed Dec 15, 2004 --

As soon as I step into the shower...
I remember some little thing that could make my day run smoother --- if only I could remember it after I towel off! Thurs Dec 16, 2004 --

I'm stumpted...
When I swallow I stand a chance of loosening more ear wax, (a good thing) but it also triggers a beat of my throbing headache, (bad). Fri Dec 17, 2004 --

Only David...
could have something controversial in his Xmas newsletter.
It'll take all weekend for me to send it out. Sat Dec 18, 2004 --

Pity the Beautiful People...
No one tells them when they're wrong. Mon Dec 20, 2004 --

I got up in public yesterday...
I thanked my church for supporting some charitable drive I was in charge of. All well and good. But as I talked I saw people were actually listening to me. I think it went to my head -- I went on for a bit about how I couldn't believe charity is still needed in Kitchener in 2004.
I'll try to refrain from abusing my forums in the future. Thurs Dec 22, 2004 --

I was "in sympatico" with someone yesterday...
Things just clicked --- we thought the same thoughts, were there for each other when we needed it, (car rides and food). The universe is still mysterious but in a nice way sometimes. Saturday Dec 25, 2004 --

There's nothing like a snow day...
We got the afternoon off work on Thursday because of a snow storm. I got my Xmas shopping done, wrapped my gifts and had a leisurely supper. Lovely. Wed Dec 29, 2004 --

Nostalgia Day...
I remember the first time I ever heard radio music on a school bus - it was a bright spring morning in 1980 and obviously the regular bus was broken down and we got this sparkling new one with a radio. Marc Jordan was singing about California on CKLW. Thurs Dec 30, 2004 --

Complaint Day...
I bought a souvenir coffee mug at the Museum of Modern Art (Queens) back in April. I've been using it on and off since then. I've noticed now that the glaze has cracked. I guess artists are more concerned about how it looks than how it functions --- or maybe it's all part of a grand plan to see how I feel about the whole situation. Fri Dec 31, 2004 --

I don't understand it...
Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven is a rock standard. I have never thought of it as a great song. I have never even listened to it all the way through. I have tried and I can't. Some things in pop culture just elude me I guess. Fri Dec 31, 2004 --

Yin, Yang...
I was looking at some of my Christmas cards today and thinking what a good job the graphic artists did.
Then I had an overly contemplative thought.
These artists spend their careers getting better and better. Their product is omnipresent in our modern world. Their product makes us feel and even think. When they retire, some of these graphic artists must wonder -- "Do we rely too much on modern graphics to shape our world? - Maybe my life's work was just a way to put food on the table, (and maybe enjoy some human pleasures) -- and nothing much more."

I guess we all think that when we retire. Monday, Jan 3, 2005 --

I finally got my Xmas lights working.
I twisted the little bulbs the right way, I guess.
Big bargains were to be had at Zehrs today. I picked up a 9 foot garland with "built in lights" for $2.49. I draped it over the CD rack and it looks pretty good. Fri, Jan 7, 2005 --

I indulged in a bit of risky behaviour yesterday...
I went to the grocery store on an empty stomach. It was mitigated a bit because I was without a car -- but still -- the good tasting yogourt made it into my basket with enough frozen convenience foods to choke a horse. Mon, Jan 10, 2005 --

Have you ever grocery shopped with a friend?
It's quite an eye opener. Tues, Jan 11, 2005 --

Horoscope for Capricorn, (and Capricorn sympathisers)
Be careful today pining for new opportunities -- you may get them sooner than you think! Thurs, Jan 13, 2005 --

Bus riders are masochists really.
We're stuck with a rigid schedule. Bus drivers whiz by us if it doesn't suit them. We drain blood from our arms holding onto the overhead bars. We pay for it. Mon, Jan 17, 2005 --

Have you ever looked at a man's face as he releases a curling rock?
The level of concentration is rivaled only by that needed to figure out a new remote control. Tues, Jan 18, 2005 --

Why is there going to be a party with George W. Bush's inaugeration this Thursday?
It's just a continuation of an existing presidency. Wed January 19, 2005 --

I was comforted the other day by a big burly man.
The taxi was supposed to arrive in 10 minutes. It took 45. I was not taking it in stride. But the driver was a laid back sort who was a pleasure to talk to. He soothed the situation. Thursday January 20, 2005 --

You know what's been bothering me lately?
It's people who live their life by lists. If it's on the list, it must be done. If it's done, your life must be valid. If your life is valid that's important.
That's great --- but I also like being around people who have a bit more of a "let's see what the day brings" vibe.
I guess what's bothering me is that I've noticed myself becoming one of the "list" people lately. Friday January 21, 2005 --

I had a seniors' moment this morning.
I took my mother to her doctor's appointment. I've never seen so many eye patches in all my life. Tues January 25, 2005 --

I'm sick today.
I'll watch TV, sleep, try to eat something. The funny thing is -- a day before I started to cough, I was sitting on the couch thinking it's been awhile since my last cold. Wed January 26, 2005 --

The difference between renters and homeowners.. .
is that homeowners get a strange sense of satisfaction from taking out the garbage on trash day. Thurs January 27, 2005 --

There is nothing like getting over a cold!
(nothing I've experienced anyway) Thurs night January 27, 2005 --

There's nothing like that first cup of coffee after a few days drought.
Like the prodigal son returning home. Fri January 28, 2005 --

I had an amazing dream last night.
The action isn't what sticks with me -- it's the expressions. One of my friends has a trademark look of concentration and it was there -- in my dream.

The mind is an amazing place. Sun January 30, 2005 --

I did a rare crossword puzzle tonight.
I was sucked in by the boxes on page 64 of the latest Saturday Night magazine. Tues February 1, 2005 --

How do I get through a Canadian February?
I use butter and cream to give me pleasure. Thurs February 3, 2005 --

I passed a school bus letting off its load of grade one's this morning.
They all had enormous back packs on. Can't a kid go to school without taking half the house with him? I guess I just want to throw off the shackles myself sometimes. Fri February 4, 2005 --

Nostalgia day...
When I was little, my mom used to take me shopping. I wasn't much interested in it. The three way mirrors used to facsinate me though. I'd stare at myself, stare at the store, bring things to stare at --- and for some reason, rub my nose and then look at it. Mon February 7, 2005 --

My mind wanders...
sometimes during the sermon. Yesterday I stared at one of the stained glass windows. It was in a traditional style -- even dated. But there were classical elements to it too. And the sunlight was beaming through it in spite of its questionable style. I guess that's what faith is sometimes -- carrying on in not always ideal circumstances. Tues February 8, 2005 --

I kept busy yesterday...
It made me think less about myself and lately, I've needed that. Wed February 9, 2005 --

No breakfast today.
I guess I'm taking lent a little too literally? Thurs February 10, 2005 --

I'm getting cabin fever,(again).
It's not so much that I don't get out --- I'm just getting in a rut about how I think about things -- political things, social things. I need to talk to a one eyed hippy rocket scientist that knits cowichan sweaters in his spare time --- that might get me thinking different thoughts. Friday February 11, 2005 --

I wouldn't say I get bored easily...
It's just that my mind needs to be working on something. When I'm in my car, stopped at a red light, I've taken to counting the number of spokes on the alloy rims of cars around me. Sunday February 13, 2005 --

There's something in my freezer...
I don't know what it is. It's in a zip- lock bag - yellow about the consistency of cake icing. It isn't. Monday February 14, 2005 --

Advertising is a wacky world...
On one side of the bus this morning there was a poster publicizing the "One Ton Challenge" beconing all transit riders to cut down on energy usage. Duhhh - preaching to the choir.
On the other side of the bus was an ad from General Motors promoting their latest gas guzzler.
Yin Yang. Tuesday February 15, 2005 --

I've been doing more walking lately...
My feet slosh around a bit in my boots, (I bought them for style). I'll be ok. Wednesday February 16, 2005 --

I was late for work today ...
At least according to my own lackluster standards. You see the trouble was that I had to do the recycling and shovel the snow. I think a worthy invention would be an alarm clock that senses when there has been an overnight snowstorm and wakes you up a half hour earlier.

I've added a ***new*** feature to the Thought of the Day ---- Random Thoughts!!! (I bet you can't just have one) Thursday February 17, 2005 --

I haven't really been following the NHL hockey lockout...
but as a Canadian, I get it by osmosis. As far as I can tell, the tide is turning against the players, who the public perceive as greedy. Gradually, it's becoming apparent to Joe and Jill Fan that they are the ones who pay the astronomical salaries.

There is also some housekeeping that has to happen if marginal franchises can continue to play. The NHLPA would be wise to consider this as well -- and it doesn't seem they are. Friday February 18, 2005 --

Do you ever liase with service companies over the phone?
It's a hassle isn't it? Good communication may be on everybody's resume but it's the