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December 31, 2006
Posted by OldGuy at 2:49 PM | Comments (2)
December 29, 2006
It's a Good Day
Today is a good day, it really is.
Firstly it's Friday, so the weekend is just a whisper away. Secondly the office is closing at noon. Thirdly, I'm on vacation next week. Fourthly it's goodie day (every Friday someone has to bring in treats, so there's food this morning). And fifthly, I took the car to work this morning and while I was driving the radio played my all time favourite song in the whole world, "Sweet Caroline" by Neil diamond, so I cranked it up and sang along.
So it's a good day.
Posted by OldGuy at 8:55 AM | Comments (6)
December 28, 2006
Photoshopped a Frame for the Princess's Picture
As I haven't done anything with Photoshop for some time I decided it was time to play with it again. I did a frame for the princess's picture (see below). I hope you like it.
Posted by OldGuy at 10:16 PM
December 27, 2006
Still to Come, New Year's
So it was a pretty good Christmas. I got the book I asked for (Cell, by Stephen King) as well as the licorice and molasses kisses. This was my entire wish list so I'm quite happy. I also got a few other things, amongst them a pair of gloves from my wife and a pair of slippers from the princess. This has become a tradition, she gets me a new pair of slippers every Christmas. I can hardly wait to get home tonight and open the bag of licorice kisses and have a few. Not that I need the extra food of course, I ate plenty during the holidays. We had a lovely breakfast at home Christmas morning, brioche with fruit and bacon, juice, and coffee. Later in the day we drove to grandma's and went out for dinner, which was quite pleasant as the food was good and nobody had dishes to do.
Both the lad and the princess got stuff they wanted so they were quite happy as well. The lad's biggest gift was a Nintendo Wii and the princess's was a pink Nintendo DS, which Santa Claus brought her. Of course they got other stuff too but those were the biggies. The lad also got a portable television with DVD player and the princess was almost as happy as he was about it because now we can get back the portable we had taken out of the kitchen. Of course everyone got some lovely gifts from grandma and others too.
On another note, my wife has had a nasty cold/bronchial/nasal infection for several weeks so she's very glad that things have slowed down so she can get some rest.
Anyway, that's all for now, although I'm sure I'll think of something I forgot to say in a couple of minutes.
Oh right, the picture. That's the princess's latest school picture. I've had it for a few days but my wife didn't want me posting it until the relatives got their copies for Christmas.
One other thing. My blog looked broken for a few days because I forgot to check Internet Explorer when I posted the last image (it looked fine in Firefox, which is what I use).
See, I told you I'd forget something. As for comments, I've decided to hold them for moderation again because the spam is really getting bad. Sorry about that.
Posted by OldGuy at 1:25 PM | Comments (3)
December 24, 2006
Posted by OldGuy at 10:23 AM
December 19, 2006
A Tree House Christmas 2006
OldGuy was admiring his Christmas tree
And listening to his favourite Christmas cd
He'd been sipping brandy all evening long
And now he broke out into cheerful song
He sang and he danced with boyish glee
Singing "Merry Christmas to you and to me"
He danced round and round across the floor
And almost went flying right out the door
He picked up the snifter and poured another drink
Then thought to himself "I'm a little tipsy I think"
So he stumbled and weaved to his old comfy chair
Then lowered himself into it with the greatest of care
He sat and he waited for jolly old St Nick
But soon was mesmerized by the mantle clock's tic
His chin dropped to his chest and he started to doze
But a chill shook his body from his head to his toes
A few hours later Santa came in from the snow
Carrying a package tied with a bright silver bow
He found his friend sleeping looking tired and old
And he covered him up so he'd no longer be cold
Then Santa walked to the tree near the door
To leave the present OldGuy had wished for
A book bound in leather with pages of vellum within
For OldGuy to write his thoughts and ideas therein
If you'd like to read 2005's Tree House Christmas poem it's in the archives. Just check December 2005
Posted by OldGuy at 12:39 PM | Comments (6)
December 15, 2006
Christmas Parties
So we had our office Christmas dinner the might before last. Once again an excellent restaurant (a steakhouse, my favourite) was chosen for this venue and we even had a little extra fun thrown in this year. A wine tasting company was hired to host the event and we were given lessons in wine tasting, along with samples of the various wines chosen for the evening. I preferred the samples to the lessons, they were easier to swallow. A wonderful soup and a delicious chocolate cake only served to make the evening even more agreeable. As did the gift exchange ; I got a $10 gift card for a bookstore so I was quite happy with that.
Yesterday we had our staff association lunch so more good foood. It was the traditional turkey and stuffing, meat pie, or "tourtiere" as we French folks call it, coffee and gingerbread cookies. Pretty good foood, and the price, free, was good too.
So a little more than a week until Christmas and there still isn't any snow on the ground. We had a bit last week but it all melted and now they're predicting a green Christmas. I haven't seen one of those in years.
Anyway, that's all for now. Have a great weekend folks.
Oh, that's me sitting on our director's knee at the party (he was playing Santa), As you can see we were having a great time and the wine was going down quite well.
Posted by OldGuy at 2:51 PM | Comments (4)
December 11, 2006
Monday Evening Meanderings
No, I didn't get the Christmas lights up ! I was going to put them up yesterday because it was fairly warm out but it turns out one string of lights was half dead and the other completely dead, so after fooling with them for an hour or two I threw them all away. My wife's going to buy new ones this week so I guess it'll have to wait another couple of days. But hey, at least I tried. Other than that we managed to get the lights on the tree and various decorations throughout the house. We usually don't take this long to get it together but we've both been sick and low on energy lately, especially my wife.
So we did indeed go to Kingston on Friday. We shopped for a couple of hours as it was all we could manage, then went for a bite to eat at Kelsey's Restaurant, then it was off to Chuck E Cheese's for a bit so the princess could play. We had a couple of those cheesey photos done again (get it, cheesey photos). That's me and the princess. Gotta get a digital camera ! We then headed back to Grandma's and we were all in bed by 10 p.m.
Saturday we attended a 60th birthday party for a relative in the afternoon then drove home. The princess and I started to watch The Grinch in the evening but we both fell asleep so that was that. And of course yesterday was the stuggle with the lights and decorations.
Anyway, hopefully this week will be a little better although we're still not feeling tip top, in fact I think my cold is coming back with a vengeance just when I thought I had it beat. Oh well, at least I've got the office dinner on Wednesday evening to look forward to.
One other thing. You folks know how much I love to read, and of course you also know that Stephen King is my favourite author. Well, I thought I'd mention that Dean Koontz is definitely giving King a run for his money in my book (oops, I did it again). I've read several of Koontz's books over the years, but especially in the last year or two. Koontz has the ability to write great stories which combine the supernatural with a belief in the human spirit. If you've never read any of his stuff I suggest you give him a try, you'll come away pleasantly surprised at his skills as a storyteller and as a master at showing us what is good about the human race.
Posted by OldGuy at 9:52 PM | Comments (5)
December 7, 2006
Just Stuff
I just read the following headline on a web site: "RCMP Dismantles Cocaine Ring." That's good because the RCMP shouldn't sell cocaine. It gives Canada a bad image.
I want this for Christmas. It's not asking too much eh, just a book from my favourite author? Oh, I also want a bag of red licorice and a bag of molasses kisses because I love both. We're talking maybe $20 here, and I'll be a happy camper for weeks.
I took the day off tomorrow so this is like my Friday. We're off to Kingston for the day, do a little shopping. Well, my wife will shop. As will her grandmother. And maybe the princess. I'm just along for the ride. Oh, and to carry bags (so the princess tells me). I don't mind, we always go to lunch, maybe even dinner so it's worth the trip.
I feel bad for those of you who have to work tomorrow. Well, except for Suzi because she loves her job so much. Plus she goes to work in pyjamas with feet in them.
I think I want to do something more with the writing in 2007. Not that I'm like a great author or anything but I do enjoy writing stories and poems and I'm thinking I should try to put them "out there" a little more.
Anyway, that's it for now.
Posted by OldGuy at 6:55 PM
December 6, 2006
The poem below
I know it has nothing do do with Christmas and it's a bit silly but I woke up in the middle of the night with the first couple of lines in my head (this has happened before), so I wrote them down and went back to bed. This morning I finished it.
Posted by OldGuy at 10:06 AM
Adventuring
I'd like to go adventuring
A pirate I would be
I'd put a parrot on my shoulder
And sail the deep blue sea
I'd like to go adventuring
Be a knight strong and brave
I'd strap a sword to my waist
And slay a dragon in its cave
I'd like to go adventuring
Archeology would be fine
I'd dig up bones in Africa
And unearth a dinosaur spine
I'd like to go adventuring
Scuba diving would be fab
I'd swim beneath the ocean
And consider coral with a crab
I'd like to go adventuring
Fly an airplane way up high
I'd do figure eights and barrel rolls
And write messages in the sky
Posted by OldGuy at 9:04 AM | Comments (2)
December 5, 2006
Christmas - Remember What It's About
You jump in the car and drive to the mall
Coz Walmart just got the latest Bratz doll
You stand in line for two hours or more
Buy the doll then rush to the next store
You cook the turkey and bake the pies
Then rush to buy more baking supplies
You've still got to make a chocolate Yule log
Decorate cookies and whip up the egg nog
You put up the tree and the decorations
Send Christmas cards to all the relations
Put up the garlands and the lights too
So little time and so much to do
Lunches and brunches and parties galore
You're no sooner in than you're back out the door
No time to relax, no time to sit down
You're running around all over town
You sit in the church and listen to the story
Of shepherds and angels and heavenly glory
Your mind is still and your soul is restored
As you hear of the birth of Christ our Lord
Posted by OldGuy at 9:49 AM | Comments (1)
December 4, 2006
Monday Morning Morsels
Well, another weekend has come and gone and we're that much closer to Christmas. Can anyone say stop the bus ! I mean seriously, time is flying faster than a cockatoo on crack at a cat lover's convention.
So the lad was home for the weekend and it was great to see him. Funny how the house feels different when all the kids are there, more comfortable, more alive.
As usual we got a movie and watched it together on Saturday night. It was supposed to be a scary movie (yeah, I know, I know, but read on). The movie was called "The Night Watchers", and when we read the synopsis on the box it sounded scary so we rented it. What we didn't know was that this movie was made in Russia and translated into English. Can you say stupid plot ? Can you say cheap special effects ? Can you say sucks like a vaccum cleaner ? First of all, we never did quite figure out what was supposed to be going on, although it had to something do with vampires and shape-shifters. Russian vampires and Russian shape shifters. You never actually see them change, they just talk about it a lot. Because they're Russian and the KGB might be watching. So is the audience but they don't count. Also, money might have something to do with it , as in they didn't have any to spend on special effects. There was also something about a vortex, it was supposed to look like a hurricane but it looked more like a kitchen funnel and I swear I saw the word Tupperware on it. Oh, and a big yellow jet-powered truck that the heroes rode around in. Somehow the line "Quick Vladimir, to the big yellow truck" doesn't have the same ring as "Quick Robin, to the Batmobile." The funniest scene in the whole movie was when one of the characters is watching television and the camera turns to it and we see he's watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer. My son turned to me and said "they didn't have enough money for their own special effects so they ripped off Buffy." So we laughed and joked through the whole thing. We had to, otherwise the evening would have been a bust.
Here's an interesting bit of info. In Canada, if a door has a sign on it that says "Automatic Door", it means you have to push it, then it automatically opens. No different than a regular door actually, except for the sign. If you're planning to visit Canada you'll want to keep that in mind otherwise you'll find yourself standing in front of a lot of unopened doors looking like a dumb tourist.
Oh, and I still didn't get the Christmas lights up but I'm working on it.
One more thing, you guys and gals gotta take a look at these, they're hilarious.
Posted by OldGuy at 9:55 AM
December 1, 2006
The Gingerbread House
When Sarah was growing up, every year, a few days before Christmas, she and her mother Elizabeth would bake a gingerbread house.
Starting early in the day, they would mix the ingredients together to make the gingerbread walls and roof and bake them in the oven. While the pieces were baking they would make the icing to glue the pieces together, and sort the candies with which to decorate the house. When the pieces had finished baking they would take them out of the oven and listen to Christmas carols and play card games while the pieces cooled. Then they would assemble the house and put the candy decorations on.
If it was snowing outside they would play outdoors for a bit after the house was done, then come inside for a cup of hot chocolate. The kitchen always smelled wonderful when they came in and Sarah would always ask her mother if she could have a little piece of the gingerbread house. Her mother always said no, the house was to be the centrepiece for the dining room table on Christmas day and it would be cut up and served at Christmas dinner.
When Sarah got married she and Elizabeth got together at Sarah's home every year to make the gingerbread house until Sarah's own daughter Rebecca was old enough to help, then it was the three of them in the kitchen together for several years. Although Elizabeth was too old to play in the snow she loved watching out the window while Sarah and Rebecca played outside and she always had the hot chocolate ready when they came back in. And just as Sarah had done before her, Rebecca would ask for a little piece of gingerbread house only to be told no, it was the Christmas table centrepiece and would be served at Christmas dinner.
In the summer of her 75th year, Elizabeth was diagnosed with cancer and died a few weeks later. Sarah, who had loved her mother more than anyone except her own daughter, was devastated. For months she cried every night, and although she wanted to believe her mother was in heaven, she found it hard to believe in heaven, so profound was her grief. Although Sarah's family tried everything to help her, she continued to spiral deeper into depression as the weeks wore on.
The week before Christmas Sarah's daughter asked her if they could make the gingerbread house. Sarah, knowing that Rebecca needed her mother back whole, wanted to make the gingerbread house with her, but her pain was still too great and she told Rebecca that this year she simply wasn't up to it, but perhaps they could go out on Christmas eve and buy one.
And so on Christmas eve Sarah and Rebecca went out to buy a gingerbread house. Unfortunately all the stores in town were sold out of them and they returned home empty handed. When they walked in the kitchen it was filled with the aroma of warm gingerbread, and they discovered a beautiful gingerbread house on the counter and two cups of hot chocolate on the kitchen table.
Sarah knew at once that Elizabeth had been there and that she was watching over them. She felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her heart and she felt warmed and comforted by her mother's love for the first time in months. She realized that her mother had always been and always would be there for her.
And the following day when they served the gingerbread house at Christmas dinner they made sure to cut a piece for Elizabeth.
Posted by OldGuy at 11:24 PM | Comments (3)
First Day of Winter
So this is definitely the first day of winter. It's cold, it's already snowed, and now we're getting rain which is expected to turn to freezing rain. Quite a change from yesterday when it was 14 celsius (that's 60 in American). Yesterday was so warm in the morning it was hard to believe it was the end of November but today is a far different story. Still, we've been lucky that the really cold weather held off so long.
The lad came home for the weekend last night. Seems he needed a little break from school so he decided to come home for the weekend. His bus was late arriving so his mother picked him up after midnight and it was almost 1 a.m. by the time he got home. He didn't go to bed all night, seems he isn't sleeping well lately, so he stayed up and played video games. I'm sure he'll be exhausted tonight, I know I am and I at least got a few hours sleep.
Tomorrow is my employer's annual children's Christmas party and the princess is anxious to go. They always put together a nice party and the kids really enjoy it. Speaking of Christmas I got an idea for a Christmas story this morning so I think I'll go with that one for now. It should be up by Sunday, hopefully you'll enjoy it.
Anyway, it's Friday afternoon, the phones have quieted down, and I'm tired, so I think I'll have a nap.
If anyone from work is reading this I'm kidding about the nap.
Posted by OldGuy at 2:40 PM | Comments (4)