(lygenztia *187) What were they thinking?

People can do really unusual things sometimes. Have you ever seen something and thought to yourself, “what the heck were they thinking?”. This usually applies when you see something weird in front of someone’s house. Sometimes, it’s just something odd in a totally random place.


Case in point, I am driving by my brother-in-laws house last week and saw the “car” that is in the photo above this blog. I stopped a few days later and asked my brother-in-law….”soooo, what’s up with the wrecked car in front of your neighbor’s house?”

His reply was that the neighbor got into some sort of disagreement with his father, so he took an axe and a saw to his own car, to prove a point. Then, he parked what was left of the “car” in front of the house on a busy road for everyone to see. Um, okay. I have been perturbed at my dad before, but it never really occurred to me to tear my car apart with an axe. Just not something that crosses the average persons mind, I guess.


What was he thinking?

To be honest, I’d feel better if I DIDN’T know what he was thinking.

(lygenztia *186) Ticket holder refund in the form of a cosmetics gift certificate?

So, tickets for Bill Clinton’s oratory at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) didn’t sell well. They started at $50 bucks a pop and are now being offered for $5 bucks at the door. (that’s $5 bucks Canadian, eh Bill)


To me, it’s no surprise that Canadians didn’t want to go and listen to Bill Clinton’s oratory. (well, at least pay to listen to his oratory, as opposed to discuss his past history as it relates to his…..”oratory”)

Our country’s politics just aren’t like the Americans politics. That’s neither good, nor bad. It just “is what it is.” When it comes to public oratory, I’m not certain that most Canadians do not have the same experiences as Bill, to relate to. We are definitely more reserved, especially about public oratory.

I would be ticked off if I paid $50 dollars for a ticket, when I could get one for $5 at the door. (plus, I’d be an idiot for paying $50 dollars in the first place) Maybe, its money well spent. Bill may be able to inspire his audience, through his oratory to go forward and think about perhaps one day, performing their own oratory. Maybe, with some confidence, even a public oratory.

Would I like to meet Bill Clinton? Sure…
Would I like to have a chat with Bill Clinton? Love to…he’s a fascinating man.

But, I certainly am not paying $50 dollars (or even $5) to go and listen to him “talk at me” for about an hour. To me, that is much too high a price to pay for public oratory, even delivered by Bill Clinton.

If I were to meet Bill, we could talk dresses, or cigars. Maybe proper placement of office furniture? The benefits of working late could be another topic. Which laundry detergents work better than others? Where does someone brush their teeth in the oval office? You know, the usual stuff people banter around.

Yes, I am sure that we could come up with some casual fireside chat. But even I know that paying $50 bucks to hear his speech isn’t going to make me warm up to him. Despite his world renowned skills, when it comes to his oratory ability.

(lygenztia *185) Another "name" blog....BORING

Oh well, here goes. It’s not really a beef, more a point of pontification. I think about weird things sometimes. What I want to know is, what is going to happen to all of these “hyphenated names” in the next 2-3 generations? To me, you either take your husband/wife’s surname, or just keep your pre-married surname.

The whole “hyphenated name” thing is bizarre. To me, it makes no sense whatsoever.

Follow along with my rock solid scientific example of hyphenated lineage.

John Smith falls madly in love with and marries Jane Jones. They decide to hyphenate their name. They become John Smith-Jones and his wife, Jane Jones-Smith. Ok, whatever…..but keep going.

Bob Garden falls madly in love with and marries Jean Keys. They decide to hyphenate their name. Bob Garden becomes Bob Garden-Keys and his wife, Jean Keys-Garden.

John Smith-Jones and Jane Jones-Smith have a daughter. We’ll call her Melissa Jones-Smith. Bob Garden-Keys and Jean Keys-Garden have a son. We’ll call him Dallas Garden-Keys. (you know where i'm going with this, don't you?)

Melissa Jones-Smith meets and falls madly in love with and marries Dallas Garden-Keys. They decide to hyphenate their names. So, you get………….
Melissa Jones-Smith/Garden-Keys and Dallas Garden-Keys/Jones-Smith?

Just wait until the next generation after Melissa and Dallas sets out to marry.

Yes, this cute little “hyphen” experiment is going to work out just fine.

(lygenztia *184) It's all in the name.

Have you ever “googled” your own name? If you have some time to kill and are in front of your computer, try it. It’s a hoot.

I did recently and found out that some very impressive people share my name. Kinda made me jealous, actually. Dentist? Artist? Scientist with peer reviewed papers? Professional athlete? Wow!

I am in some pretty impressive company.

I just hope that anybody that is “googling” or “looking” for me isn’t disappointed when they find out that I have not reached such lofty heights. (Like the other “me’s” of the world have.)

Like I said, I am in some pretty impressive company. Must be in the name.

(lygenztia *183) No, that was the remnants of a tropical storm.

I don’t get why every time a funnel cloud is spotted, Environment Canada immediately denies it. Why? Is there some secret that we’re not supposed to know?

People will get actual video of funnel clouds. Environment Canada’s response? “Oh no you didn’t.”

What the hell? It’s on video. The only thing I know about storms and meteorology is what Dave Devall and CFTO news taught me growing up. But even I know what serious funnel clouds look like.

Storms will pass through an area, wreak havoc and eyewitnesses will report seeing funnel clouds. But Environment Canada’s take on things? Well, they will “investigate” and get back to us. Just a way out thought here, but maybe you should watch the video that 9 different people (in different parts of town) took of the “alleged” funnel clouds.

Then what do they do? They send someone to check it out and that “someone” says..”yup, it may have been a funnel cloud. But none of you saw it.”

Something is rotten in the State of Denmark. Fortunately, the alleged funnel clouds are moving the smell away from the city.

(lygenztia *182) PROTECT YOUR PIN

OK.

Insert card.
Enter PIN.
Choose withdrawal amount.
Take card and money.

That’s it. That’s all there is to "them newfangled” bank machines. I stood behind a guy last night for what seemed like an eternity at an ABM in a grocery store. No “banking” can be conducted at this machine. Can’t do deposits, bill payments, account balances, transfers, anything of the sort. Just straight up withdrawals.

He looked just like anyone else. Pulled in ahead of me in his car. Got out with his wife/girlfriend. Anyway, back to the bank machine…..

The guy puts his card in and just stares at the display. (already, the alarm bells are going off in my mind) He gave no thought whatsoever to “hiding his PIN”. You can just see his thought pattern….He hesitates….not sure, concerned, palms getting sweaty. “Oh the stress of it all…It wants to know how much money I want. What am I to do? So many choices…”

OK, here’s a thought. Enter into the keypad how much money you want. If that money is in your account, it will dispense it to you and you can go forward and purchase goods and services.

Or, hide the cash under your pillow. Either way, you showed that dang bank machine who's the boss.

(lygenztia *181) That's a big 10-4, good buddy!

Saw a pick up truck today with the driver’s name painted on the door. On the other side, his “lucky lady’s” name was painted on the passenger door.

People still do this?

I know back in the 70’s when we had “Smokey and the Bandit” and “B.J. and the Bear”, this was “cool”. For those of you that don’t recall, “B.J. and the Bear” was a “TV show” (and I use that term loosely) about a trucker who drove around with a monkey that saved his life in Vietnam, while he got into a fight in every truck stop. (perfectly plausible premise)

Anyway, anyway…as I was saying, who paints their name on their truck door and then their girlfriend/wife’s name on the passenger door? Do they do this in case they think they might be getting in the wrong vehicle? Do they do this because they want the world to know that they’re called “Bubba” and their “lucky lady’s name” is Laur-leen?

Do they do this because Burt Reynolds did it? Well, at least I think the “Bandit” did it.

Even better….the single guys that paint their own name on their truck door, then paint “lucky lady” on the passenger door. My guess is, the guys that painted an actual girls name on the passenger door, just made the name up.

(Glen A. Larson-lyrics to B.J. and the Bear)

Hey there where ya goin',

Not exactly knowin'

Who says you have to call just one place home.

He's goin' everywhere,

B.J. McKay and his best friend Bear.

He just keeps on movin',

Ladies keep improvin'

Every day is better than the last.

New dreams and better scenes,

And best of all I don't pay property tax.

Rollin' down to Dallas,

Who's providin' my palace,

Off to New Orleans or who knows where.

Places new and ladies, too,

I'm B.J. McKay and this is my best friend Bear.

(lygenztia *180) Better safe than sorry.....

You can always tell someone that has too much time on their hands by the equipment they wear when doing a household chore. With all that time on your hands, preparation for the task is just another way to while away the day.

I saw a person power washing their deck the other day, fully decked out. They looked like a radiation containment team member, going into a nuclear accident. It was actually hilarious. Giant rubber boots, full face mask, apron, safety goggles, gauntlet rubber gloves and what looked like some kind of industrial shower cap.

OK, granted, they were power washing their deck. Tell me again what the nature of the “hazard” is, that would require such extensive equipment? Its water…now granted it comes out a little fast, but its water.

One of my neighbors mows his lawn and looks like a west coast logger. Wears safety boots (OK, I’ll give you that), big goggles, (That too). But also…. heavy leather welders gloves and industrial chaps. I dunno, maybe his mower threw a rock once, hit him and now he’s freaked out.

Oddly enough, the same type of guy that dress up with all the gear……is always the first ones to take their shirt off in the nice weather, to give us a good look at that hairy, jiggly belly, complete with their “man breasts” pointing at the ground..

Now THAT scene, needs protective equipment. At least, for my eyes.

(lygenztia *179) oooh, the attack of the "killer bees" in Toronto.

NEWSFLASH!!!!!

Wasp infestation in Toronto. It’s a crisis of epic proportions, just watch the “Toronto-centric news”...they'll tell you. (kinda like calling in the Army for some snow...)

Ya, ya, you have some wasp nests or hives whatever they call them. But, I have news for you. So does the rest of Canada and I am guessing maybe, just maybe the good old U.S.A. But they don’t go freaking out, putting “safety bulletins” in the media…… warning (terrifying) people about the “dangers” and hazards.

“Call a professional exterminator”
“Use extreme caution”

Because them “Toronto wasps” are way wickeder than the ones in the rest of the world, where people deal with them without panic.

You might be surprised what a garden hose, the right time of day and a little common sense would accomplish. But then, there would be no panic, or story to accompany this “crisis” would there?

Sheesh, it’s no wonder the rest of Canada makes fun of you.

(lygenztia *178) Get it into ya. Mmmmm...heat.

Worst June and July ever. No heat at all.

First week of August was OK, but not great. Now, the heat is here and I love it! I am all about the heat. For all you complainers, “tuff tittie”. It’s summer. Make the most of it.

"Smog alerts", "humidity indexes", "special weather advisories", wicked thunderstorms, "heat alerts" (only in Toronto though, because they have "special heat"). All these things come with summer.

Shut up. Quit your whining and crying. Enough with the hyperbole. Get outside and enjoy the beautiful Canadian summer weather. If the heat poses a hazard to you then fine, go to an air-conditioned mall, or library. Go see a movie.

But for the “too hot” whiner crowd, toughen up buttercup and get some sun into ya.

Like my Dad used to say…..”you want something to cry about, I’ll give you something to cry about.” Well here it is……….

The impending Canadian snow is only a mere (approximately) 90 days away.

Now, that is something to cry about.

(lygenztia *177) Buses are cool...ayyyyyyyy!

I think public transportation is excellent. Nothing wrong with it at all. More people (including myself) should make better use of it.

What I get a kick out of, is the “too cool transit rider” that you see waiting for the next bus. If you know the type of which I speak, you’ve spotted him. (it’s never a girl) They stand around the bus stop and try way too hard to look cool. Usually, they have a “I am way too cool” for this look on their face. The look that is trying to tell all the passersby that “at home, I have a Corvette.” Ya, sure you do.

I thought it was just me, but today I was driving by a bus stop with my son and spotted a “too cool transit rider”. I said to my son…”hey bud, look at that guy and tell me what you see?” His answer?

“Some guy trying to look cool waiting for the bus.” We both laughed and laughed. Now, we weren’t laughing because someone was taking the bus. Like I said, that’s awesome. Not a thing wrong with public transit.

We were laughing at “Joe Cool” (well, at least he was….. in his opinion of himself) who was just “too cool” for that darn bus. Funny thing….he sure seemed to be going nowhere without it. These types are always the same. Early 20’s, unemployed, lost or never had their license and the only “car” they ever had was their parents vehicle, that they wrecked while drinking and driving. The bus isn’t to take him to work (the predominant use for the vast majority of transit riders). Oh no, It’s to take him to the next party.

My guess is, he’ll catch that bus, count his nickels and dimes and get on. But, he’s going nowhere anyway.

(lygenztia *176) The lazy, hazy hammock days of summer.

Currently, albeit very belatedly, we are into the “dog days of summer”. The number one symbol of summer is definitely the hammock. I love my hammock. I think everyone should have a hammock. Ahhhhhh, a nice cool drink, sunshine..radio playing.

Yep, that’s heaven defined.

My dogs like the hammock too, and Lord knows dogs are always right. And dogs know all about the dog days of summer. (they invented it)

There should be one day per summer that is designated as “Hammock Day”. On that day, no work is to be performed. Just laying on the good old hammock. If it rains, Federal law should state that hammock day is moved to the following nice Saturday.

If you have a hammock, you get what I’m saying. Hammock people are special. Some might say lazy, but I say “nay”, we are special. If you don’t have a hammock, you just have to try it.

I may take my hammock to the next gathering I attend and start a religious group based on the hammock. Maybe call it……

The “special lazy anti-vertical continually keeping everyone reclining society”

“SLACKERS” Ya….I like that.

(lygenztia *175) Where are you RIGHT NOW?

Nobody is in the moment anymore. Seriously, look around you. Everywhere you look, someone is on the phone/mobile device…talking (or texting) to someone that is not actually there. “Live updates” as the “action” unfolds. What the heck have we all become? Roving reporters, or paparazzi?

And why do they call someone else that’s not there? To tell them how great it is where they are, but they really aren’t there fully themselves, because they are talking/texting to someone that isn’t ether. (OK, re-read that..’cause it’s sorta profound)

How great can it be, if you have to call someone that’s not there to convince him or her that it’s awesome to be where you are?

Live for the moment. Carpe Diem. Be where you are fully and digest every little bit of it. You never know what you’ll miss. Maybe your least favorite Uncle’s pants will fall down while he is making a speech at a family function. Who would want to miss that?

Now, the flip side is….

Maybe you don’t want to be where you are. Maybe you are wishing that you were at the place that your friend is texting you from. But then, that place has to suck too, or they wouldn’t have taken their attention away to call or text you. Right??

It’s just friggin weird, that’s all.

(lygenztia *174) 92-93 World Series "re-union"?

OK…….but it’s 2009? So that could be construed as 16 or 17 years since the Blue Jays won the World Series back to back. (which was absolutely awesome and kept me glued to the TV and radio) So, what exactly is significant about the 16th anniversary, or 17th? (or almost 2 decades ago?) I think the marketing people are digging pretty deep here.

A cynical person might see this as a ploy to sell seats.

I think that the “re-unions” and commemorations that some of the major sports Teams (all sports) are doing nowadays actually diminish and cheapen the past accomplishments. Think about it….20th anniversary, 25th anniversary yup, that is significant. I’ll float you that one.

But there is this recent trend towards trumpeting out relatively obscure date correlations to major events and vice versa. For example:
“Fans, for this evenings special commemoration ceremonies, we present to you…...none other than the hot dog vendor for the 1981 Champions, who is now celebrating his 47th birthday. Let’s give it up for him fans!”

Huh? Who…..and he did what, when? Some of these things are downright embarrassing and you even see the fans looking around saying to eachother…”who the hell is that?”
(Someone responds that they think it may have been the goalies 2nd grade teacher)

The commemorations should be rare, deserving and dignified. Not an awkward, forced “celebration”.

(lygenztia *173) I'm the captain of this ship.....

Kinda fell into a new thing this summer. Always enjoyed kayaking when at friend’s cottages, etc. but it never really occurred to me to buy one. Always been a power boat kinda guy. Living close to Lake Ontario and some fairly deep creeks, small bodies of water and marshes, I figured I’d take it up.

I wish I would have started 25 years ago. Excellent work out, peaceful outing and a great way to de-stress and lower the blood pressure. I got adventurous one day and took my camera, hoping that I wouldn’t “dump”, or flip into the water. Took a few photos of some of the scenery for the blog.

A few times now, I have taken my fishing pole as I can get into spots that the boats and creekside anglers can’t. That’s kinda neat.

Where I go, on any given day you can see fish jumping, Blue Herons, Trumpet Swans, Canada Geese and numerous ducks. The geese will come in to land, or take off and literally fly within a few feet of your head. It really is exhilarating.

I recently injured my leg and am having some grief with my calf. Still needing my fix, I hobble around, load up the little boat and just wait for someone to come by the launch. I always find someone to ask help me carry the kayak to the water. Every time, people are quick to help….which is kinda cool too.

Here’s hoping for an Indian Summer to prolong my adventures.

(lygenztia *172) Just shaddup....

Once upon a time I was an active forum contributor on a hockey forum and to a lesser extent, a lacrosse forum. I stopped posting opinion and limit myself to putting up information relating to updates/broadcast information for a sports organization that I belong to.

Why did I stop posting “opinion”?

First…I got into it pretty good with a guy in a hockey forum. Actually got to the point that it was getting pretty ugly. Through our “correspondence” and sheer coincidence we determined that I had bought the house he grew up in. Things simmered down eventually and I ended up meeting him and invited him back to the “old house” for a look around at the old neighborhood and a beer. Turns out, he lost one of his parents while he lived here.

Second…and quite funny, was a debate that I was having on a hockey forum. It was going back and forth and was fun, nothing serious but a good debate. Then, my son comes up to me one day laughing and tells me that the “guy” that I have been arguing with was his buddy. (Whose brother played in the OHL)

What’s funny? The “guy” I was debating with was 11 years old.

What’s the moral of the story? Heck, I don’t know.

What I do know is….there are some people that take these sports forum/message boards way too seriously. They need to actually get away from their insular little computer world and actually go outside out and enjoy some games….or at the very least, their own back yard.