okay I actually do have more to blog about that the weather. Leslie is still here and we have been having a really great time going out to eat, buying CDs (yes we still do that, Tom Waits Orphans 3 disc set 56 songs is fantastic) drinking good beer, cooking and generally planning for the move in the spring as well as just enjoying being together. last night we read a really creepy story called "Sometimes Children Wander Away" in the collection Nocturnes by John Connelly an Irish writer of macabre tales. Life is good. I am still loving my new job. I can't really imagine needing much more.

Whats new? Well it's kind of cold finally. That's it I'm reduced to blogging about the weather.

Blogged Down

Recently Blogger integrated with my Google account providing a new interface for posting as well as other back end changes. What ever the reason for those changes I have not been able to post recently. I don't know if it is because I host my own blog or not but the connection has been undependable. In fact my blog has been unpublishable for a few days.

In other news the weather is crazy. The grass is green , birds sing, bulbs are coming up in some areas. It's January in what was once the second coldest capital on the planet. It's worrying since this has been the trend for the past few years.In fact it's not just a local warming. the Arctic environment is quickly changing.

Weird Warm Weather

Christmas Eve (I'd Have a Blue Christmas Without You)

Ottawa 4:24 pm. Soon I will be going to the airport to meet Leslie and we will have Christmas Eve together.

"I knew him when he couldn't hammer a nail"

As a gift to the employees the Director's Board gave all the employees at the organization the day off today. I decided it was time to decorate the tree since Leslie will be arriving Christmas eve. While I was doing this I had the Discovery channel on. There is a program called Canada's Worst Handyman and should be one of the contestants? Keith Cole from York University days. In my second year Keith had the room next to mine in Vanier. I seem to remember Keith played a lot of Madonna back then.

I should ad that not only was Keith a contestant but he "won" the contest. he was declared Canada's Worst Handyman.

Snowfall Update

Leslie's flight has been rescheduled so that she will arrive Christmas eve which is the best Christmas gift I could ask for. We will make our way down to Owen Sound on Tuesday for our second Christmas!

Due to the significant winter storm, Denver International Airport will be closed through the evening of Thursday, December 21. As a result, United is canceling all flights into and out of Denver until that time. Please continue to follow the suggestions below regarding rebooking on another flight. We continue to work to accommodate our customers and get them to their destinations safely and as soon as possible.

Walk out to Winter

But It's Not You Who Gets Me Down

Oblivious

The Fella Who Couldn't Wait For Christmas

Leslie was scheduled to arrive in Ottawa tomorrow evening but her flight has been cancelled due to severe weather. There was a blizzard today. Not in Ottawa, but in Colorado. The weather in Ottawa is like spring going on to summer. I am all excited that she is coming period. I start my holiday tomorrow afternoon and I was so looking forward to having Leslie here tomorrow night. I feel that childhood anticipation for Christmas. It's great. I can't wait. I really can't.

Dusk

It's spring in December. For the past week the days have been balmy and the air moist with the phantom expectation of bursting bulbs and buds that aren't going to come. The diagonal line that cuts across the sky is the trail of a jet. With the light of the setting sun it looks like the feeler of some celestial creature stretching the length of the sky.

Ancient Computer

This is a device found about 100 years ago by sponge divers on an ancient shipwreck in the Mediterranian. It's acknowledged as an ancient wonder for it's complex gears that function as an accurate astronomical calculator. More at the Washington Post >>

Taken at the Miniwanca camp outside of Shelby, Michigan, May 2003 by Red Monkey

Old Friends and New Days

I haven't mentioned on the blog how much I love my new work place. My previous position was a trial for me in all the senses of that word. Sometimes it seems that life puts all the pieces of the puzzle out there and all you have to do is make the effort to recognize them. This has been the first time in years that I can say that I am truly happy. I didn't realize that until last week when I was walking down the street and had this strange feeling that seemed to take me back to a place I haven't been for years. it was kind of like seeing an old friend except in this case the old friend was me.

Argo

My sister Jeanne got a new puppy a few weeks ago. He is an 8 week old Golden Retriever named Argo (after the ship in the Golden Fleece).

I'm A God Damned Angel

Skidoo Trash Can song Harry Nilsson
No No

"This is a clip from Otto Preminger's "SKIDOO" this has more of the prison acid sequence, with Jackie Gleason, Burgess Meredith, Peter Lawford, Cesar Romero, Harry Nilsson, Richard Kiel, Austin Pendelton and others tripping on acid. Then there is a song by Harry Nilsson performed by dancing trashcans."

Dumber & Dumber

The older he get's the stupider he looks

Once a Dick

Trying to get attention ever so desperately >>

Revved Up Like a Deuce, Another Runner in the Night

Last night I bought my first mp3 player and went to see a James Bond movie. This makes me a very pathetic panda I suppose. However I love my mpio. It's no iPod but I could get one for everyone in my family for the price of one mpio. It's a flash memory (1gb) unit which gives me more music in a day than I can listen too. My first portable music unit was a Sanyo walkman type machine (1979) It was about the size of the Penguin Tale of two Cities paperback. I could play 5 or 6 songs then had to flip the tape. In otherwords I am amazed by this jukebox tube.

Now about the Bond film. I never was a fan. I grew up with Roger Moore as Bond. Moonraker. Bond was always this Playboy dink. What was nice about this take on Cassino Royale was that Bond was both more brutal and more sensitive. Also more incredible and more a person. they cranked this up to 11 and sat down to talk about 'feelings'.

Daniel Craig is an excellent Bond. This film which follows Ian Fleming's book a bit more honourably, explains how Bond become the man he is.






You may want to note that he has freaky ears.