This is the scene at a local Dairy Queen around 4:30 p.m. today. Compare that with the one taken on Monday when we had one of the worst storms in months.

Only in Canada.

Of course this picture was taken with MY AWESOME NEW DIGITAL CAMERA !

So, you folks getting tired of hearing that yet ?

Posted by OldGuy at 7:01 PM | Comments (2)

Maybe Now I Can Eat in Peace

So the endoscopy seemed to go okay. The doctor didn't mention that he found anything untoward although I do have to go back and see him in 2 months. He did stick a balloon down there and blow it up in order to expand the swallowing tube. Afterwards he made a cute little dog out of the balloon and gave it to me as a souvenir. It was all covered in slobber but it's the thought that counts eh ?

Anyway, only time will tell if that helped but at least I was able to eat without any problems last night.

Posted by OldGuy at 2:22 PM | Comments (2)

April 14, 2007

Pretty Good Birthday

Well, overall it was a pretty good birthday. I got a card from the folks at work, which was nice.

In the evening the family, that is myself, Mrs. OldGuy, the princess, grandma, and a couple of other relatives went out to a very nice steakhouse for dinner. I ordered a huge steak and French fries, ate half, and brought the rest home for lunch today.

After dinner we came home for cake and coffee and presents. I love presents. Speaking of which, the pictures were taken with MY AWESOME NEW DIGITAL CAMERA !!! Yes, my wife bought me one, which is so cool. I love it ! That's the princess and myself and my hand, sporting the silver bracelet the princess gave me. The lumps are courtesy of the arthritis. Somewhat ugly but nothing I can do about that I'm afraid.

The lad called just as we walked in the door and it was great to talk to him. Unfortunately he's off work right now (yeah, he just started a new job) because he cut himself rather badly doing dishes.

There was one down side to the day. I've recently developed a problem swallowing (I'm having tests done for it) and after we got home I started to cough quite badly. I finally got sick then got the shakes quite bad. Although I'm obviously okay the cough seems to be lingering today. Oh well, as I said, I'm having the problem investigated at the end of the month so hopefully it's nothing serious.

Anyway, that's it for now, so have a great weekend folks.

Posted by OldGuy at 9:46 PM | Comments (3)

April 13, 2007

Posted by OldGuy at 1:45 AM | Comments (8)

April 10, 2007

Not to Shabby a Weekend

So as I said last Thursday we went to Toronto for the weekend, took Grandma with us. Mrs. OldGuy (who turned 44 last Friday), the princess and I left home Friday morning and made the short drive to Brockville where we picked grandma up. Then it was off to Toronto. My wife drove all the way as I'm a bit sore these days and certainly don't mind relinquishing the wheel. We got to Toronto around 5:30 p.m., took our stuff up to the appartment and settled in. Then it was off to dinner at The Pickle Barrel, one of our favourite restaurants. After that we went back to the appartment and called it a day shortly thereafter.

Saturday we went to Ikea for breakfast then to the Yorkdale Mall for a few hours, then to The Mandarin Restaurant for dinner. Unfortunately the princess had come down with a bit of a bug by then and couldn't eat. Not only that but she was sick to her stomach all evening and through the night.

Easter Sunday, although the Easter Bunny managed to find us and left plenty of treats the princess hunted for about 15 minutes then decided she needed to lay down. She had no interest whatsoever in chocolate and in fact barely ate anything all day, even at Grandma's later that evening (we left Toronto around 2 p.m. and headed back). On the other hand she was just chipper enough that she and I joked and laughed most of the way back as I sat in the back seat of the car with her and grandma rode up front with my wife.

Yesterday we left grandma's in the late afternoon and were back in Ottawa an hour later. The princess had a bit of homework to do, which sucked but that's life. I put on my pyjamas early, puttered on the computer for a bit, finished a book then went to bed.

All in all, not too shabby a weekend. Now I have to get the next installment of our never-ending murder mystery done. It should be out by tomorrow night.

On another note, I've decided to open up comments again (no need for me to approve them). Since my host upgraded to MT 3.34 the spam filter seems to be working really well. That and the fact that I close comments to entries more than 3 months old has drastically reduced the amount of spam so I think it's safe to do, at least for now.

One more thing, this Friday, April 13th, I turn the big five oh. My friend Suzi says it's just a number. So is 666.

Posted by OldGuy at 9:52 AM | Comments (4)

April 1, 2007

Sunday Morning Musings

As some of you may have noticed it's been a while since I've been here on a Sunday. If you've been paying attention you've also noticed I simply haven't been blogging as much since the lad left. I'll let you figure it out.

Anyway, I'm here today and feeling okay. Not great, but okay.

It's finally beginning to look like spring and that's a good thing. You folks know about my love-hate relationship with winter (love the sights, hate the cold) so when the weather warms up it's just love-love. (love the sights, love the warmth). It's nice not to have to fiddle with boots, hats, gloves and scarves in the morning too, just grab a coat and you're out the door. In another month or so even the coat won't be necessary and not too long after that I'll be able to go out completely naked ! Well, except that I might get arrested. Not for indecent exposure but for inflicting great psychological harm upon little children. At least that's what the princess tells me. Lately it's "dad put a shirt on, dad don't wear shorts, dad just cover up !" And then there's the hair thing I told you guys about before. I'm losing it on my head but growing it elsewhere. And the stinky thing. Growing old is seriously beginning to tick me off ! Speaking of which I turn the big 50 this month and I'm not looking forward to that. See, 50 has this connotation to it, like "Oh, you're 50, what kind of shape is your retirement fund in ?" Or "Oh, you're 50, take my seat, you need it more than I do." And the worst one of all "Your blood pressure's good, your heart sounds fine, but now that you're 50 let's check your prostate."

I dreamed about the lad last night and woke up crying. Then when I woke up and went to wipe away the tears I realized my whole left arm was in pain. Fortunately I noticed this before I had moved it all the way to my face or I probably would have screamed bloody murder (speaking of which, the next installment of our mystery should be up by tomorrow night but please don't hold me to that, if you must hold me to anything let it be your soft warm bosom; it's coming, and probably another couple installments after that before we reach the exciting conclusion). So it was off to the kitchen to pop some Tylenol, whistling merrily as I went.. Only there was no Snow White. Or dwarfs. But there was drugs, which made for a somewhat happy ending. I swear I live on Tylenol. And coffee. Hey, there's an idea, if they can make decaffeinated coffee, why not make ReTylenolated coffee. You know, take out the caffeine, replace it with Tylenol. I don't know about you but I'd buy it.

I've been Photoshopping again, yes indeed I have. Someone saw the last thing I did and mentioned that it looked very retro and/or James Bondish so I decided to run with that. The idea here was to put three girls on a British looking stage and line up the girl in the middle up so that her peace sign and hip-shot pose were dead centre. Her head still shows up well as they're all against a white background. The twins were of course copied and pasted from the last image and are meant to counterbalance her. Then I added shadows and backlit the "stage" with the light fading towards the bottom. I like it myself and it looks very cool on my desktop.

Anyway, that's it for now. Have a great week folks.

Posted by OldGuy at 9:13 AM | Comments (5)

March 23, 2007

TGIF

Not a whole lot of news except that it's been a pretty fair week. As already mentioned the princess had a birthday on sunday and the lad called so that was all good. The weather is really starting to warm up so that's good too. Of course, this being eastern Canada winter may not be completely over but at leat one can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Other than that, not much news except to say that part two of "A Murder in Minneapolis" should be up by Sunday.

Posted by OldGuy at 1:17 PM | Comments (5)

March 20, 2007

Just a Few Updates

The lad called his sister on her birthday. She was very happy and excited to hear from him. After she spoke to him we all said a few words. He seems happy and is doing well. He says he misses us, and of course we told him we miss him too. He might come for a visit soon, so that would be great.

The weather was brutally cold this morning but it's supposed to warm up considerably over the next few days. I'm certainly looking forward to that, it should help the old joints.

The princess was on March break last week and thoroughly enjoyed herself. She lazed around the house, did a few things with her mother, went to a cooking class one day, and out for birthday lunch last Friday at her favourite Japanese restaurant. They cook the food right at your table, and although we've been many times she'd never actually seen them do the flame thing (that's where they make a really big fire right in front of you) so the cook did it for her. She was suitably impressed as the flames shot right up into the exhaust vent way up near the ceiling. On Sunday we went out for diner and took her best friend with us, then came home for coffee and cheesecake with friends.

A colleague at work mentioned I should try Enbrel for the arthritis. I think I'll ask my rheumatologist about it. Seems it works miracles, at least it did for her.

Anyway, that's it for now.

I gotta get back into writing mode soon, I feel a story or two brewing.

Posted by OldGuy at 2:33 PM | Comments (2)

February 14, 2007

Happy Valentine's Day

I usually like to play around with Photoshop and come up with something original for these occasions but I haven't had time lately. I couldn't let the day go by unrecognized here at the tree house however so I managed to come up with a little something I'd saved way back when.

Have a lovely day.

Oh, and I should mention that the princess wants to write a story for the blog. Seems she's thrilled with the idea that she can write something for the whole world to see (not that I'm deluding myself that the whole world actually visits my blog).

Posted by OldGuy at 9:54 AM | Comments (3)

February 13, 2007

An Explanation

I feel I have to explain this whole crying thing because some of you may think it's getting a wee bit out of hand.

I wasn't always like this. I used to be a rock. Well, maybe not a rock but a pebble anyway. You know, like in the old show Kung Fu, remember how the master used to tell Kane when he could snatch the pebble from his hand his training would be done ? So I was like that pebble. Except I wasn't in a Shaolin monastery. And there weren't any monks. So basicallly I was a little pebble laying on the ground. But I was hard.

Then a couple of years ago something happened. I started to feel mushy. I was losing my hardness. Hormones I never knew existed (we'll call them female hormones for the sake of argument) started to invade my being. I found myself becoming sensitive. I started listening to soft rock and admiring flower gardens. Folding laundry stopped being a PITA and became an opportunity to listen to Neil Diamond sing Mr Bojangles and tear up at the lyrics.

Soon I found myself writing about my feelings and actually enjoying it. Then (gasp !) I began writing stories and poems.

And I began to cry more often. Whether I found something sad or beautiful I cried. And sometimes (could it be female hormones after all ?), I cried for no reason.

I had lost my hardness. Of course I cried as my hardness had been my companion for many years and it's always very sad when a man loses his hardness.

And so, no longer hard, I had to find my way. With lots of support from my family, (well, sort of, mostly the kids are just embarrassed and ask me to hide in my room when they have friends over and my wife asks if I'll ever be hard again) I learned to cope.

It's been a tough journey but I'm getting through it. And sometimes I still get a little hard, and I rejoice and do a happy dance.

Posted by OldGuy at 10:48 AM | Comments (1)

January 18, 2007

Interesting Add I Saw On the Internet

"Ever had a vaginal yeast infection? Complete our survey for a chance to win an iPod and other great prizes."

Gotta love the internet eh?

Posted by OldGuy at 3:31 PM | Comments (5)

Out of the Mouth of Babes

It's been a while since I blogged about something the princess said but I just had to get this one in.

Last night she was goofing around with her mother and I while doing her homework (yeah, I know, but she got the work done eventually). Anyway, she asked if she could date boys some day and they'd hug and kiss and call each other snookiepuss. We almost died laughing.

Posted by OldGuy at 10:35 AM | Comments (4)

January 2, 2007

It was a Good Start to the New Year

So New Year's eve we had a feast of Chinese food and a little vino. The lad then went out with some friends while my wife and I and the princess spent a quiet evening at home. We rang in the new year at midnight with a glass of champagne and a little non-alcoholic beverage for the princess. I had promised the princess we'd run over to her friend's house at midnight and wish her a happy New Year, which we did. They both got a big kick out of that, I think it's something they'll remember for a long time. My wife was a bit tired so she and the princess went to bed shortly thereafter. The lad was home by 12:30, having had a good time with his friends. I watched a bit of television then went to bed.

New Year's day we hung around the house for a bit then around 4 p.m. we went out for dinner with my brother in law and his lady. It was a wonderful dinner, although the lad's stomach was a bit off.

I also spoke to my brother last night. We haven't seen each other for a long time but we stay in touch and it was good to talk to him. He sounder older but I probably do too. Take care of yourself big brother.

To finish off the day I discovered that I won Suzi's monthly pay-per-post draw, so that was very cool. Thanks Suzi and Happy New Year to you and your family once again.

So it was a a good start to the new year.

Posted by OldGuy at 10:42 AM | Comments (3)

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 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 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

November 28, 2006

Tuesday Morning Tidbits

I know, all you Canadians would rather have Timbits but you'll have to settle for Tidbits. But hey, at least they're fat free.

So I didn't get the Christmas lights up last weekend as planned. What , I never said I was planning to put them up ? Then forget I mentioned it.

So I'm planning to put Christmas lights up this week, next weekend at the latest. I better do it soon anyway coz it's supposed to get cold in a couple of days.

The princess and I went to the library last night. We hadn't been for a couple of months so she really wanted to go. We had to renew our library cards when we got there but mine had a big fine on it so we only renewed hers. Then she borrowed some books, and I borrowed one too, and put it on her card. But first I asked if it was okay with her.

My wife went to Peterborough last weekend to visit the lad. Seems he was getting a bit lonely as he doesn't drink alcohol and surprise, university kids drink a lot. Anyway, his mom brought up a little portable television and his Playstation so he's not so bored on those nights when everybody's out partying except him.

On a final note, if you're waiting for a story, there's one coming soon. I'm also trying to write a poem right now. The idea for it came to me the other night, and I can see it in my mind but writing it is proving togher than usual. I'll get it though.

Posted by OldGuy at 11:21 AM | Comments (3)

November 15, 2006

CSI Miami

I'm addicted to CSI Miami. Yeah, I know, it's been around for a while but I hadn't watched it yet, then one night a few weeks ago I watched it because everything else that was one was boring as heck (read reality shows and a bald guy who used to be funny asking people the eternal question, the one we will all be asked some day as we stand at the gates of heaven playing for all-or-nothing, up or down, air contioned condo with a jacuzzi and a pretty blonde maid or eternity scrubbing the toilet bowl with a toothbrush, "Deal or No Deal."

Anyway, back to CSI Miami. I like David Caruso's character. He's a bit unbelievable but who on television isn't. Plus he's cool. And who wouldn't want to be named Horatio. I know I'd like it, although I'd probably have to change my last name too coz it's French and French people would have trouble with it. In fact if a French person tried to say Horatio he'd sound like he was horking up a booger, which would take the cool out of it. I like Alex and Caleigh too, both smart, good looking women. But it's Horatio who steals the show, what with his sunglasses and his way of turning his head to show you his manly profile when he talks, as though he's already thinking about something else while the mental midget he's conversing with is still trying to comprehend the meaning of Horatio's last incredibly insightful statement.

Anyway, I promised long ago that I wouldn't blah blah blah about television so I'll stop now (besides, a story is suggesting itself).

On a different note, I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately, but I've also stated on a couple of occasions that I don't feel like blogging when things aren't going well and things have indeed been a little rough on the old homestead lately. Just don't count me out yet.

And on yet another different note, but sorta the same I'm becoming addicted (that's the same) to my friend Suzi's (she's not on television so that's different) blog. If you haven't visited her yet, get your butt over there, but only if you like humour sprinkled with a dose of sarcasm and a generous pinch of wit. She doesn't do I'm so depressed I wanna kill myself.

Posted by OldGuy at 9:12 AM | Comments (6)

November 10, 2006

Morning

No, things haven't changed (at least not that I know of) but it's a new day isn't it ?

You know that expression "bathed in a golden light ?", well that's what the world looked like this morning.

When I left the house this morning the sun was just coming up and the tops of the trees were indeed bathed in a golden light, as if God was shining a giant gold spotlight on them. It was something to see on the evergreens but looked especially magical on the trees that have lost their leaves as these were completely envelopped in a soft golden glow. That same glow also touched several rooftops, making the houses look like something out of a fairy tale.

And I felt good yet sad at the same time, as if nothing was ever going to be the same again but things would still turn out okay.

I think I need to write a story.

Posted by OldGuy at 8:39 AM | Comments (3)

November 1, 2006

Happy Birthday Blog

Someone asked me today how long I've been blogging and I noticed that my first entry is dated November 1st, 2004.

Previous to this I had been keeping an online journal at another site but you couldn't really call it a blog.

So, Happy Birthday OldGuy's Tree House.

Posted by OldGuy at 12:57 PM | Comments (1)

October 30, 2006

Monday Morning Morsels

Geez, I missed another Sunday, certainly can't make a habit of that.

So, the lad got a tatoo. We found out about about it by accident (his sister saw it) the first time he came home and I even suggested he make an "official" announcement but it seems he wasn't quite ready to do that. When he was home again last week he still didn't say anything until the day he was leaving then I asked him to show it to me and suggested he show it to his mother as well, so he did. It's a rose with blood dripping from it surrounded by fancy black curlicues. Doesn't look to bad although I wouldn't get one myself, I'm not into tatoos.

On another note, the lad started a new type of long-lasting insulin that lasts for 24 hours so that should make it a bit easier for him as he'll no longer have to get up early every morning to do his insulin, now he just does it at night. Of course, he still has to do short-acting insulin with every meal too (it's complicated I know). Anyway, as long as it makes his life easier then it's worth it.

As for the princess, she had a project due for school this week so she and her mother worked on it all day yesterday. She had to make a map of her neighbourhood with street signs, parking lots etc. all indicated. The other kids all got a section as well and they'll put the whole thing together to make a map of the community. I'm anxious to see it.

Anyway, not much else going on so I'll sign off for now.

Oh yeah, I wrote the Halloween story, it's the post below this one.

Posted by OldGuy at 11:15 AM | Comments (2)

October 25, 2006

Just a Little Update

I didn't get a chance to come by on Sunday like usual so I thought I'd just do a little update.

The lad has been home since last Friday. He brought some homework with him so has been doing some of that. On Sunday he had to do an open book exam via the internet for school so did that also.

Last night he and I watched a movie called "Two for the Money" with Matthew McConaughey and Al Pacino. Pretty good movie and we both really enjoyed it. I won't spoil it for you by telling you what it's about, you'll just have to rent it yourself.

Not much else going on right now, work is work and all is quiet on the home front.

I was going to write that Halloween story today but I'm just too lazy. I will defnitely get it done tomorrow though so check back then.

Posted by OldGuy at 1:40 PM | Comments (1)

October 15, 2006

Sunday Morning Musings

I think I'm going to have to change the title of this weekly post coz I hardly ever get a chance to get at it on Sunday mornings anymore. Still, I try to think up stuff in the morning so that's gotta count for something right ?

Anyway, it's been a working weekend. I've been doing prep work prior to painting again. Yeah, painting, I can hardly wait. NOT !! Oh well, it's gotta get done so I might as well get it over with. This time it's the upstairs hallways and the baseboards throughout most of the house. Doesn't sound like a big job I know but by the time I've done all the patching, sanded the walls, and washed everything down it's a major job. And you know me, I always underestimate the work involved and the time it's going to take me so what starts out looking like a weekend job ends up taking two weekends, maybe three. The thing is, it happens every time, I just can't seem to estimate these things right. Even if I think I'm overestimating, like maybe I think okay, it looks like a small job, maybe a day or two, so I'll double that, it still takes longer than I thought it would. I don't get it, I guess I just suck at this stuff.

On another note, I wanted to say a few words about celebrating the human spirit. Maybe it's because I'm getting old and mushy but lately I really notice when this stuff shows up in a movie. I was channel surfing the other day and happened across the movie Jerry Maguire, which I'd already seen. But I flipped to it just at the scene where the football player scores a game winning touchdown and gets tackled at the same time. He's out cold in the end zone, and just when everybody is worried that he's badly hurt he opens his eyes and says "just let me enjoy this" and he lays there for a few seconds enjoying the feeling of having scored a game winning touchdown, then he gets up and dances around the field. And I started to laugh and then I started to cry because this was a celebration of the human spirit. For a few brief moments this guy was basking in glory and he was celebrating that feeling the best way he knew how.

Here's another one. I was watching "Radio Flyer" last night, and the scene near the end where Bobby takes off into the air in his jerry-rigged wagon is incredible. Surely he's going to crash you think as he's barreling down the hill, but at the last moment he takes off and starts to fly. It doesn't matter that it's impossible, because it's pure magic, magic and a feeling that nothing is impossible if you believe hard enough. And you celebrate with the boy because his magic wagon worked and his step-father will never hurt him again because he's flying away. And once again I laughed and cried.

To celebrate the human spirit; what a glorious feeling.

I haven't forgotten I owe you folks a poem and a story too. They're coming, they really are, I just keep changing my mind what I want to write about.

Cheers and until next time folks.

Posted by OldGuy at 8:22 PM | Comments (2)

October 11, 2006

The Long Weekend is Over

But hey, it's already Wednesday so that isn't so bad.

What a gorgeous weekend it was too. The weather was in the high teens/low twenties (I don't remember what that is in centigrade anymore, it's been too damn long since we switched over but it was warm), definitely Indian Summer, so the last of the warm weather probably.

The lad was home for the weekend, and it was great to see him. He and I watched a movie on Saturday night, and the rest of the weekend he caught up on his game-playing as he doesn't have his Playstation at school. The princess spent some time outdoors and some time playing with the new Gamecube game she got for Thanksgiving. As stated previously, we intended to eat lots this weekend, and that we did. We barbecued steaks on Saturday, went to Grandma's for turkey dinner on Sunday, and on monday we ordered in Chinese food. Yesterday was kinda quiet as my wife wasn't feeling well, so we'll have to celebrate our anniversary another day.

With the weather being so great this weekend and the fall colours on full display I got an idea for a poem, so I'll have it up later this week.

Other than that, the only news of note today is that my friend TNC made a lovely pic to commemerate our 20th wedding anniversary, so I just had to show it to you. Thanks TN :)

Posted by OldGuy at 1:57 PM | Comments (5)

October 6, 2006

Loooonng Weekend

Yep, it's Friday, and a long weekend again.

As this is Canadian Thanksgiving we have Monday off. My wife and I are also celebrating 20 years of marriage on Tuesday (not too many couples last that long these days) so I took that day off too. So that translates into a four day weekend. Gotta love that !

The lad is coming home tonight and we're all very excited to see him. His sister has been talking about it for a couple of weeks. She'll be in bed by the time he gets in but she's asked us to wake her up coz she wants to see him and give him a big hug.

We'll probably have a BBQ tomorrow then it's off the Grandma's for Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday.

Hey, I just realized I've been blogging for almost two years now and I still love it. That's by far the longest I've ever stuck a "hobby" out so I guess I'll keep at it.

Anyway, I know it's a short entry but it's Friday afternoon and the weekend is just a whisper away so I'm outta here. I'll report back on Sunday if we get back from Grandma's on time.

And yeah, I haven't forgotten about the Halloween story, in fact it's all figured out, just gotta wait till closer to the big day to post it.

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canadians.

Posted by OldGuy at 2:13 PM | Comments (6)

October 1, 2006

Sunday Morning Musings

Well, another week gone by.

Work is work, nothing much to report there.

On the home front, we had a very busy weekend. My wife and I spent most of the day yesterday cleaning up. The princess had a bunch of friends over so there were five kids at the dinner table last night. My wife picked up several pizzas and we all munched to our hearts content. Later, my wife spent the evening playing with a couple of the girls while I went to the neighbour's for a drink. Then one of the other girls stayed for a sleepover. This morning we had a big breakfast with a couple of the girls over again, then we played some games with them. After that I took four of them to see the butterfly show at Carleton University, then it was back here for cake and more games. Right now the whole crew is playing in the garage for a few minutes before everybody has to go home.

Back to the butterfly show for a bit. The kids were lukewarm on it. Me, I loved it ! They had butterflies from all over the world flying around the greenhouse. Big ones, little ones, every colour of the rainbow and then some. Black, red, emerald green, orange, yellow, etc. What a fantastic display of mother nature's beauty. And they had pieces of watermelon and oranges you could hold in the air so the butterflies would land on them. The kids didn't manage to attract any but several people did so you could stand and watch them. Actually, one very big moth did feed off a piece of watermelon that several people passed around so they could hold it. The princess thought it was pretty cool. When I got it the moth flew off and landed on one girl's nose. Now, this was one huge friggin moth so needless to say she was a little freaked out but she handled it well, didn't scream, just waited for it to fly away, which it did after a few seconds.

All in all, it was a very busy weekend.

Anyway, it's getting late, and I'm hungry so I think I'll go warm up some left over pizza.

One other thing. I hadn't done much Photoshopping for a while but this weekend I played around a bit again. Nothing fancy, just some text on a black background, which I put on my desktop. What do you think ?

Cheers, and until next time folks.

Posted by OldGuy at 7:03 PM | Comments (4)

September 24, 2006

Sunday Morning Musings

So fall has officially arrived. Yep, on Sept 22nd. we bid goodbye to summer and welcomed fall. You can really tell it's here too. The trees have been changing colours for a while, in fact a lot of them have lost leaves. The weather's gotten considerably cooler and yes, thoughts are turning to Halloween. My wife got a couple of small pumpkins and a pair of fally (is that a word, am I allowed to say that ?) looking dolls for the front patio this week, and they are indeed a reminder that the seasons have changed. I always feel something when the seasons change (and no, I'm not referring to my arthritis), sort of a feeling of loss, yet wondering what the new season will bring. Call it wistfullness, I guess that's the best word for it.

How come women can get away with saying stuff men can't ? Last night a friend's son walked by and my wife commented "Have you been exercising, you look really hot." Then some blah, blah, blah and "You must have all the girls chasing after you." Now if I said something like that to a friend's daughter, oh maybe "hey, that's some hot body you got there, have you been working out ?" I'd probably get arrested. And that's after my wife finished beating me to a pulp.

The lad called last night. He seemed in a pretty good mood. We were happy to hear it because he sounded a little bummed out a few days ago. But hey, I'm sure he's going through some stuff too, it can't be easy being away from home and having to make it on your own. He'll be home at Thanksgiving so we're really anxious to see him.

I'm rereading a favourite novel of mine, and I read a couple of lines I hadn't noticed before, and they really cracked me up. You may not find them funny but to me they hit the funny bone. I gotta set the scene for you too though. So it's two priests in the cafeteria of the seminary they teach at and one of them has just arrived :

"How's the loafer."

"Who's a loafer ? I'm working."

"One lecture a week ?"

"It's the quality that counts. What's for dinner ?"

"Can't you smell it ?"

"Oh damn, is it dog day ?" Knackwurst and sauerkraut.

"It's the quantity that counts."

Oh well, it was funny when I read it.

Oh hey, before I forget, I gotta tell you about the poem below. I wrote it earlier this week and on a complete whim I submitted it to the Preston Street Business Improvement Association and they want to publish it in their next newsletter. I'm pretty excited because I've never had anything published anywhere before. Woo hoo for me !!

Anyway, the princess's friends just left and now she wants me to play Super Mario with he