Archive for the ‘Random Topic Posts’ Category

My First Car

Saturday, December 18th, 2010

I remember a time when I was two, about to turn three. I was sitting in my red car. The old type with the back and forth power peddles. When I pumped my plump little legs I could achieve a blistering pace. Almost, almost I could keep up with my dad walking down the street. Oh, blistering pace? If I kept it up my heels would blister. I was always striving to achieve a new land speed record. Never quite making it.

Then one day I equipped my car with a kinetic initiator drive. Wow! Such speed! Of course this kinetic initiator drive, K.I.D. for short, was my best friend and neighbour Ernest Greenwald. He would get behind my little red car and when I said go he would unleash massive power. The peddles by my feet would rattle so fast I would have to keep my feet off of them. I traveled for three hot rods. (For those of you not brought up in with the imperial measurement system that’s about fifteen meters in length.) An impressive distance for a drag race.

driving my first little car aided by a friend

Vrooommm!

Of course to be fair we would swap positions so both of us could share the thrill and excitement of high speed racing. Yup, white knuckled driving as we accelerated to almost three miles per hour. Again, that would be five kilometers per hour for the imperially challenged. Simple pleasures for simple times. It also was good practice for my first real car that needed a really big K.I.D. to push start the car.

Now I am older and drive a much better car. Yet sometimes I long for my first love. It just seemed to be so much grander.

Space travel goes Green

Thursday, October 28th, 2010
Tree cut to show an image of a rocket ship

The Royal Botanical Gardens goes green with their new Space Shuttle.

This shot was taken today at the RBG Arboretum in Hamilton Ontario. I did not read the plaque on the other side… I went with what it first appeared to me to be. In the last few years they have allowed artists to come in and “create” works of art with the materials on hand.

Back of the Bus?

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

Recently Obama made a statement and this image popped into my head. The image?

back of the bus statement

Are you a republican? You can come for the ride but you gotta sit in the back of the bus.

What he said at a recent campaign rally was this:

“We don’t mind the republicans joining us. They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in the back.”

Didn’t think I would hear such a statement from a sitting President, specially since it is a loaded statement for anyone of colour. Yep, Montgomery Alabama 1955.

Earthquake? Earthquake!

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

So I was just finishing sending an email to Netfirms complaining about my stats not being registered/counted correctly. Hit send. Then the desk and computer started shaking. The leaves of the plants in the office were moving but the window was closed. The cat came running into the room with a very strange look on her face. Five, perhaps ten seconds of confusion. Was it an earthquake? Big truck coming down the road? My house foundation giving away?

I went outside to confer with the neighbours. Not a soul in site. Perhaps it is a truck or the house? Then one neighbour appeared. Nothing she says. Waiting a few more seconds and lo! People started to appear at their doors like turtles popping their heads out for a look. Yep, everyone’s house did the shimmy shimmy shake. Well, except for my next door neighbour. Haven’t felt a tremor in over ten years. A bit exciting. Oh! I forgot to stand in the doorway. Too busy looking at everything moving on its own.

So it will be in the news. Probably centered somewhere south-south-west of my home. That would be the Pennsylvania/Ohio border area. Guess I’ll find that out the news tonight.

You read it here first! Well, if you read nothing else, or watch TV or listen to the radio or have a neighbour. Still, perhaps someone read it here first. I know I did. πŸ˜‰

WordPress 3.0

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

A major update for wordpress. Looks a bit different. I just hope that some of the bug fixes are the ones that annoy me. I like the new standard screen, a man walking in the country. Ah, I only wish I could do that. Page loads wide though. Ah, what the heck, need some changes and if my life refuses to change then at least my blog can.

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So as you can guess I went back to my old format for wordpress. I guess in the end I like the familiar more than the novelty. Plus a few items in the side column were missing. So I guess my blog stays the same… I am the one who needs to change.
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$2,000,000 Lake?

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

I hate the waste that the government believes is necessary for a good time. A little pride in showing off big ticket items. The conservative(?) government spends two million to create an artificial lake that will be gone after the summit. What a terrific waste. No wonder the other parties are up in arms over this flagrant waste of our hard earned money.

Oh, one minute, it is a promotional exhibit showing the tens of thousands of people attending the summit what a little bit of Canada looks like. May help tourism? Perhaps… but $2,000,000 for a lake? Well, the $2,000,000 is for the entire display.They are showcasing other parts of Canada as well with that money. Still, the cost for the lake (to reflect our cottage country) cost $200,000 of that $2,000,000. That’s not bad but it is still $200,000. Well, that was for the entire cost of the cottage country display. The lake? It was only $57,000 of that cost. Hmmm… overall that doesn’t seem to be such a huge expense when you are advertising a country as large and as diverse as ours.

So the other parties are crying over the $2,000,000 lake that cost actually only $57,000. They are in an uproar because of the one fifth of one percent of the cost for the entire cost of the summit. And the lake is only one thirtieth of that $2,000,000. Wow, did they fool me into thinking this was a huge waste of money for this lake. If the biggest problem the other parties have with the cost of the summit is that small, tiny, little insignificant part that went to promote Canadian tourism… then they should be quiet.

I thought it was supposed to reflect a flagrant waste of money with no purpose behind it. Turns out to be a fair advertisement of what Canada has to offer vacationers. This is a non-issue. Just what the other parties seem to excel at.

The Life Recovery Bible

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

In our Recovery Group we use “The Life Recovery Bible” for our study purposes. I just finished reading through the biblical text. It uses a copy of the “New Living Translation.” It is from Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Of course if you were to go out and buy a copy today it will use a different translation, though I don’t know the version at this time.

It is a special book designed for twelve step programs. Besides a bible it also has copious amounts of comments at the bottom of the page. Actually there are more comments than biblical text. At the back of the book is a large topical index. What else?

Recovery profiles on the main characters of the bible.
Twelve step devotionals.
Recovery Principle Devotionals.
Serenity Prayer Devotionals.
Recovery Reflections.

Suffice it to say there is so much material it would take a long time to work your way through this book taking the time to do it properly. I may be able to start attending the group out of “Crossfire Assembly” on King St W in Hamilton Ontario.

Now as for the particular translation. I believe it would be a good bible for those who have a grade ten education or better. As with all translations it comes in its own flavour. If it were say, ice cream, something green that tastes minty and has a few crushed nuts sprinkled throughout. Overall it meets its purpose for being an easy read though it does take certain liberties in translation. Of course some would call it a transliteration.

As for a general purpose bible? No, there are more bibles, even “New Living Translations”, that would be better for the average reader. If however you are working in a recovery group… trying to overcome compulsive/obsessive/addictive behaviour… this book is a real gem.

Foray into the Wild

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Gee, I got the car today. Time to swap those winter tires. It went pretty quick. Time on my hands? Hmmm… maybe a bit of a drive?

That is how I got to Gage park yesterday afternoon. Now I can’t walk very far. OK, I’ll simply walk out 75 yards and back 75 yards. See and handle a few trees. Take in the scene and smell whatever nature was offering. Not much wildlife though. One bird sitting in a juniper tree. One squirrel by a fence line. Another running across my path.

There was a trick I could do with my tongue and teeth. If I suck air through my teeth it causes a strange high pitched sound. Sometimes I fancy it sounds a bit like the sound of a squirrel calling to another. So I gave it a try, one long sound followed by four short ones. It doesn’t always work… it usually gets a squirrel to stop, look around and run away. And lo! The squirrel stopped running across my path and sat there 30 feet away. I called again and the squirrel approached a little closer. This was working much better than usual.

I kept making the sounds and the squirrel came as close as six feet from me. It sat there on its haunches, little hands curled on its chest, probably wondering what an awfully big squirrel I was. Of course if there was anyone around me they would have thought I was squirrely as well. Perhaps it was the peanut butter breathe that drew the furry critter closer.

I was so intent on this creature I failed to notice… other squirrels heard the sounds I was making. I looked around and I was surrounded by squirrels. Over a dozen were within twelve feet of me. I made the sounds again and others came running down trees, from under bushes and farther away. I stood with all these little beasties around me. I enjoyed their company. Yet I couldn’t stand there much longer. I slowly began my short journey into the park. They began to disperse and disappear from view.

I finished my journey of 75 yards out and 75 yards back. The company of squirrels made this short time a special moment. And that concludes my “Foray into the Wild.”

A Hate Link… Really?

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

A friend of mine recently sent this link to me:

One Brit’s opinion about Radical Islam

I’ve heard of the flack this friend of mine got from some people because she sent this link to a few people. Intrigued I clicked on the link so I could have first hand info on what this guy said. Six minutes of some Brit (Aussie?) giving his opinion on the problems with Islam. And what did I think? … very mild dialogue. People got upset over what this guy said? With what is happening in the world today as a result of a renewed flame of Islamic conservatism this guy’s monologue was tame. Warnings (fact based warnings) need to be shouted from the roof-tops.

I’ve read an English version of the Koran. It has its errors and prejudices (my opinion). The real problem with Islam is not the Koran but with the “hadith” (I hope I spelled that correctly). These are all the sayings attributed to Mohammed. This is where true hatred and prejudice can be found. It alone twists the Koran into an unrecognizable mass. The venom we think is in the Koran is there in the hadith. I have read only small portions of the hadith, enough to know, that they speak a different language. The protections in the Koran (for Jews and Christians) are stripped away in the hadith.

This is nothing new. The extra writings of later writers bring disrepute to the original message. Don’t get me wrong… the Koran has errors in it and should be placed under the blanket of “a different gospel” to be considered “anathema” by bible believing Christians. Yet what the conservative Islamist (radical) believes is not the pure Koran but that hybrid created by others to suit their own ends at the time.

They are a danger and need to be exposed. That is what the fellow in England has done. A rather mild expose at that. Guess those who are complaining are too thin skinned or too PC to see the threat. Of course many Jews in 1930’s Europe couldn’t or wouldn’t believe the warnings that some people made during their time.

In the end I do not believe that it will end well. The radical(?) Islamists will cause more pain and death. Some of the people of those countries will respond (over-respond) and isolate, jail, deport, beat and kill in response. Another Godless right wing will arise and a “kristallnacht” aimed at Muslims and/or Jews will occur. Perhaps into this mix the long awaited Antichrist will step in and bring that false peace we know is coming.

You can’t get any more PC than that!

ps: I believe that all Jews, Christians, Muslims and all others need to be protected from the excesses of radicals from any viewpoint, religious or secular. The free exercise of religion is a hallmark of the west. A person needs to be free to choose who they follow based on knowledge and revelation. Those who would deny this freedom are the true enemy of all faiths and peoples.

Anatomy?

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

So I was flipping through the newspaper looking for something to inspire me. To what end? To find something to sketch. Since I haven’t been physically able to go out for any length of time you find what you can where you can.

So… I was going through my box of art supplies… yep I got a whole box… I came across a book that would help the artist understand the underpinnings of the human form. Much too dark I thought the drawings to be. Yet I have tried a few of them out.

I have been using a pad of newsprint quality paper. Yeah, I know, pretty cheap. And it is so hard to get a sketch to “show” itself. Graphite pencils, no matter how soft, just don’t leave much of an impression. To correct the problem I took out a couple of charcoal pencils. Always afraid to use them because, well, there so black. They look unforgiving. I was surprised at how well it worked on newsprint.

So I tried a few sketches. Late night drawings in the wee hours of the morning. I decided that I would add a sub-index to my drawing page to cover anatomy. This time however I think I will wait until I have a sufficient number before creating the folder.

So what does it look like? Here is an example:

Spooky lookin ain't it?

hmmm… Halloween may be interesting at my place this year.

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