Pills and More Pills!

Last night, I woke up with one heck of a sore throat! Now it wasn't the ordinary type of sore throat where it is just sore to swallow; it was one where you had this sharp pain in a localized area as well. I could even press the area of my neck and it would hurt. It was bad enough to make me jump out of bed upon the realization that it was there. It was as if someone simply turned on the pain switch in my throat and said “there, is that bad enough for you!?!”

I thought that I was going to die… at that time of night when I want to be fast asleep, any type of pain will make me want to die! Now, thank goodness for pain pills and throat lozenges. With a couple of Extra Strength Advil (one too many, I might add) and a Cēpacol, I headed off back to bed.

Thank God for chemists who invent drugs… Well, at least the legitimate drugs!

Drugs… Speaking about drugs… I have just started taking a multi-vitamin and 3 Omega-3 capsules per day. Now, when you add this to about 5 other pills I swallow a day, it becomes quite a mouthful every morning. When I was young, all I took was a pseudaphedrine for my allergies. Now with all of my ailments, I sometimes feel like a walking pharmaceutical anomaly.

I suppose that, on the other hand, I shouldn’t be complaining about all the meds I take… at least I have a somewhat healthy life and that none of the drugs I take have any side effects… except when I choke to death when I take all of my meds in one gulp due to running late in the morning. So, in retrospect, I suppose I should be thankful to God for the health he has bestowed upon me.

It also occurs to me that I have been blessed with a job which supplies decent benefits that cover all of my prescribed medications. It is also fortunate for me to live in Canada where health care is not a luxury for few but instead a given for everybody.

So... regardless of my sore throat and lack of sleep last night, I truly am blessed!

My Father

On Friday, we placed my father in a nursing home. It had been a long time coming and my mother, a frail woman, was quickly becoming unable to care for his needs at home. Approximately three years ago, after a car accident, my father was eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a cruel disease which robs the mind of many of the brain’s functions. Since then, his short term memory has been reduced to no short term memory at all and many of the day to day functions that my Dad had been unable to carry out, my mother has had to pick up the slack.

So, since Wednesday, we had to prepare my father for the inevitable and on Friday the difficult task was done. Since then, my mother has been an emotional wreck and my father has been trying many creative techniques to have us return and bring him home. Needless to say, it has been an exhausting and trying weekend which, no doubt should spill into the entire next week and beyond.

So, if I seem distracted and out of sorts with my blogging, this is why. I have missed blogging over this past month and maybe getting back to it will be a form of therapy for me… Who knows!

For those who are unfamiliar with Alzheimer’s, check out the following web sites for more information.

http://www.alzheimer.ca/
http://www.alz.org/

Reality Has Bitten

I created this blog on October 17th, 2006. I had often wanted to start blogging but never really quite got around to it. Despite not knowing what I was going to talk about, my goal was to post something every day so that by this October, I would have 365 posts to my name. Well, we all know about good intentions but we are also aware that reality bites from time to time. All told, I racked up a grand total of 144 posts which runs me about at 39.5% success rating… or is that actually a 60.5% failure? If this was a test of one of my students, they would be taking this course all over again!

So… How did my year go? I started out with a one-a-day post but by the time the spring arrived I was down to one-a-week. This past fall, I again started up with good intentions but reality got in the way and, as you can see, I have been absent since October 2nd. I have actually considered quitting but I just can’t seem to pull this blog off the Net!

… and so I shall continue… Not because I have to but because something inside me compels me to. Also, when I don’t write, I don’t visit and I must admit that, after a year of bloggers such as LGS, Abbagirl, Becky and Cheryl just to name a few, I start to miss their daily posts. By the way, I just noticed that Time After Time is gone … Anyone know why?

Anyways, A lot has happened to me these past couple of months and, as the summer days quickly become fall days, I will fill you all in on what has been happening.

One Degree of Separation

The other day, a friend of mine recounted an experience of his that occurred when a person asked him if he knew someone simply because they discovered that he was from the same city. I suppose this individual assumed that because he was from Toronto, Ontario, he should know every 4 million plus inhabitants.

Back in the eighties, I attended a university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. Now, being form Canada, I too experienced many times where people assumed that since I was Canadian, I should know someone who grew up thousands of miles away in another part of Canada. "Oh, did you go to school with "Wendy Smith?... She was from Canada also!" If I had a nickel for every time I was asked a similar question.... Well, you get the idea.

Well... Just when I thought I had heard everything...

Back in my third year of university, while traveling through the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, we were asked a similar question by a lady from Texas who happened to notice that our car was sporting Ontario, Canada license plates. Walking up to us, she asked us if we knew a Canadian friend of her's by the name of Arna Seiman. Now me being the cocky young man that I was, I was ready to ask her if she knew an American from California by the name of Joe Smith as I knew that it would make my point loud and clear. As I was just about to ask her whether she knew "Joe" or not, it suddenly occurred to me that I might indeed know this Arna girl who she had mentioned.

Well... believe it or not, I had actually met this Arna Seiman about ten years prior to that while my buddy and I were way up north at a cottage for a week. While relaxing at the lake we met up with two cute sisters and had quite a memorable week with them... Well, not that kind of memorable! Now after that week, we never saw them again but the uniqueness of her name never left my mind. After confirming further details with this Texan, it was determined that it was indeed the same Arna.

Now, what's the chance of that happening?? One person from Texas, in an American population of over 300 million meets a person in the middle of the Smokey Mountains and asks him if he knows the only Canadian she knows of out of a population of over 33 million and she hits the jackpot?

Needless to say I was floored! I bet you that the chances of me winning a multimillion dollar lottery would have better odds!

One degree of separation... Well, I suppose that anything is possible!

Spending Time With Your Children

"Children and parents spend a lifetime trying to see eye to eye and when they finally do, there is very little time left appreciate it."

The other evening, while watching television, I came across the above statement. Before I forgot what it was, I picked up a pencil and piece paper and wrote it down. I suppose that, as a parent, I know how it feels to lock horns with my children and unless we learn to compromise, we remain locked for way too long to the point that days, months or even years go by.

My daughter and I were in that position for most of her high school career and I regret it to this day. Fortunately, as she became mature and older and I became just plain older, we found a way to see eye to eye... well, for the most part.

This is a good thing since now we can concentrate on the positive things in life instead of the little things that can grow to an unbearable weight.

I want to be able to spend the rest of my life enjoying my children without constantly disagreeing with them. If there is anything that I have learned from my daughter it is that she has a heck of a lot to offer this world and I, being a part of this world and most certainly a part of her life, can benefit from her, not only as my daughter, but also as a person I can now see eye to eye with.

I suppose that the moral to this story is... "Don't waste time disagreeing with them when instead you could spend time loving them."

Something for all of us to consider!

My Son's New Computer

Yesterday, my son built himself a computer...

For as long as I can remember, we have had two or three computers in the house. Except for the first non-Pentium, 486DX 4-100 computer which we bought in 1995, I had built all of our computers. Over the years, with pieces from here and pieces from there, we have had computers good enough for everyday use but not good enough for my son's "real gaming."

Well, with all the hours he worked at his part time job at the local Tim Horton's coffee place, he was able to save up for all the parts he needed to build his powerhouse system. I tried to talk him into simply buying a new computer but he insisted on building his own... sort of a family tradition, I suppose... not to mention the pressure he received from his gaming buddies. I believe that, in the long run, he made the right decision.

So...After three long months of saving all his pennies, we ordered all the parts he needed and yesterday was the day!

Late in the evening, we cleared off the kitchen table and spread out all the parts. After about a hundred "Dad be careful" warnings from my son and after my near anxiety attack of not wanting to blow up the thing, the computer was finally completed.


I must admit that I have never seen him so proud of his accomplishments!



I am proud of him. I am proud of his skills, determination and desire to accomplish new things as he moves from "youthhood" to manhood. I have no doubt that he will accomplish all kinds of goals on his new system... Hopefully that will also include accomplishing his schoolwork! Actually I have no doubt he will.



After all was done, he placed his hand on my shoulder and said "Thanks Dad, I really appreciate your help." To me, that made it all worthwhile!

Port Dover's Brave

James McDonald, Nelson Walker, Covel Rankin, James Patterson, John Wilson, John Mummery, Darryl Clement, John Walsh... Sounds like an honour roll. Now if you ask the residents of Port Dover, Ontario, Canada, they would most certainly agree as each of these men, risked and gave their lives for the livelihood of their town.

Over the years, hundreds of men and women of Port Dover and surrounding areas lost their lives as professional fisherman as they went out in the wee hours of the morning to catch Lake Erie perch. Fishing was their livlihood and they were good at it as their nets brought in a catch that that would rival catches from many other ports around. To this day, while walking down the pier, you would be hard pressed to not come across a number of folk related to these brave souls of years gone by.

At the entrance of the pier, you can find a memorial to these fishermen from years gone by who lost their lives at sea while on the job. Each and every one of the names of the fisherman that never returned to port have been engraved in stone around this memorial. While taking the time to read off the many names, you would quickly recognize many of the surnames and, upon further investigation, realize that many of today's boat crews are related to those who perished.

Now, though I may enjoy going fishing on a creek or small lake somewhere, you certainly wouldn't find me making fishing a career! The movie The Perfect Storm comes to mind when I think of topic of the dangers of professional fishing and that alone would convince me find a safer profession.

So, if you ever get the chance to walk the pier at Port Dover, Ontario, Canada, stop and take the time to read off a few of the names of the brave men and women who lost their lives while working the waters of Lake Erie. As you walk away, I have no doubt that you would hold a greater respect for those who head out to sea in order to provide for their families and their town. I know I did!

So.... Here I Was Minding My Own Business!

So… Here I was minding my own business when all of a sudden… Wham!!! Wrong place at the wrong time… My life’s story! And yet, though this was most certainly an accident, it was not a car accident… It was an accident of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

So… As I previously mentioned, I was minding my own business when all of a sudden, while running down one of my favorite trails, I came across something I wished I hadn’t seen…. Now, usually when I run, I zone out. There are two types of runners… Associative and dissociative runners. The associative ones are ones who concentrate on there stride, breathing, surroundings etc. The dissociative ones, such as myself, zone out and think of anything else but what they are doing. In times like these, I can run an entire 10 miles without evening realizing or taking note of where I am, whether I am tired, thirsty or even dying!

So… As I previously mentioned, I was minding my own business when all of a sudden, while running down one of my favorite trails, I came across something I wish I hadn’t seen… Two of my friends! One of my pet peeves is that, no matter where I go, I always run across people who I know. What can’t there be just one time I can go somewhere without being seen? I go to the mall… I see a friend of my parents. I go to a basketball game… I see a former co-worker of mine. I go to the theatre in another city… I see someone from my neighborhood. I can’t win! Sometimes I just want to be invisible.

So… As I previously mentioned, I was minding my own business when all of a sudden, while running down one of my favorite trails, I came across something I wish I hadn’t seen… Two of my friends and they were kissing! Actually a little bit more friendlier than that! To say the least, they were quite embarrassed! Now, the way I look at it, if you are going to carry on like that, just make sure that you are in a place where you will not be seen. Now, I know that some might have no problem showing affection in front of others regardless of the consequences, but just make sure you are prepared for the unexpected such as me going out for a run!

So… As I previously mentioned, I was minding my own business when all of a sudden, while running down one of my favorite trails, I came across something I wish I hadn’t seen… Two of my friends and they were kissing! Actually a little bit more friendlier than that! Now, when they saw me, they froze at my sight with their eyes wide open and jaws dropped to their chest as they watched me, trying to wash the look of utter surprise from my face, slow down to a crawl. All I could say to them was “Hey! How’s it going?” Instead of continuing on my run, I just had to ask them as to the welfare of each of their spouses! I sometimes just can't leave well enough alone! I know... I should have just kept running!

I have not seen them since that day and I seriously doubt that I will be seeing them on that trail ever again! Needless to say, that I have now become even more of a dissociative runner!

These Kids Are My Life

If you are a parent then you know what I am speaking about...



I was just sitting here when I wandered across a photograph of my children on the Internet while checking out their facebooks. As I sat here looking at them, I was in awe as to how fortunate I was to have them in my life. Now I know that, over the past years, I have gotten them pretty mad at me from time to time but I do know that, in between those "time to times," they sincerely love me.

They are my life. They make my life worth living. Take them away from me and it would feel like I would have nothing to live for. Yah, I know... I am being overly emotional right? Yah well... as a parent, I think we all have the right to be emotional from time to time. Don't you agree?

One thing I have often prayed for is that, no matter what happens to their mother or me, they will always be close. Over the years, I can be proud to say that, though they have had their differences, they have always been involved in each other's lives. I know my son would never admit it, he is proud of his sister and I know that she is very proud of him.


My daughter is in her second year of college and, in a couple of years, she could very well be far away from her brother but I do know, from what I have seen, distance will never be an issue between them.


So there! ... I feel blessed!

Wendy's Baconator

So, what's with the "Baconator!?!?"

From what I can tell, fast food outlets throughout the world are beginning to see common sense through the promotion of healthier food to their menus. Kentucky Fried Chicken has introduced zero trans fats while McDonalds has concentated on making their fries and chicken products as healthy as possible. Wendy's has introduced a new line of sandwiches named "Frescata Sandwiches" while Burger King has introduced their "Lean & Green menu. Over the past decade, this has been brought about by pressure groups in an attempt to cut back on heart disease through promoting a healthier lifestyle.

Wendy's has been my favorite burger joint for quite some time now simply because I have believed that they have offerred the best choice for healthier foods. I have often ordered the Mandarin Chicken Salad (25.0g fat) since with all those greens, fruits and lean chicken in it, who could go wrong? This past year, they came out with the new Frscata Sandwiches boasting a moderate 34 grams of fat which is not too bad considering other sandwiches on the market. So, as a result, thay have had my vote in the healthy fast food market... until now.

Recently, Wendy's introduced a new sandwich called the "Baconator." Between the buns, Wendy's has inserted six (yes, six!) strips of bacon, two 1/4lb beef slabs, 2 slices of processed and a dallop of mayonaise totalling to a total of 51 grams of fat, 830 friggen calories, 170mg of cholesterol, 1920mg of sodium and weighing in at 6/10 of a frackin pound!

Now, what's with that?!?!? If this is not a heart attack waiting to happen, I don't know what is!

And so I must rethink my decision to call Wendy's the healthiest fast food restaurant... Which also brings up another point... Isn't fast food and healthy an oxymoron? Anyways, I shall continue to eat at Wendy's by sticking to their healthier menu choices. I shall stay away from sandwiches such as the Baconator and stick to the leaner choices offerred. If there ever was a pressure group needed to fight the high fat sandwiches, it is now!

By the way, just as I finished this post, I realized that there was an even unhealthier sandwich on Wendy's list... Weighing in at 410 grams, 980 calories, 59 grams of fat and 2070mg of sodium... the 3/4lb Triple with Cheese!

Anyways... gotta fly! The pizza guy is at the door with my large double cheese, bacon, ham and pepperoni Pizza!

How Much Did I Accomplish?

Today was the first day back since I left on holidays back in July. Today’s weather was perfect for a long bike ride or a quiet day of fishing but alas, my employer, the school board requested demanded my attendance. It was the first day in over five weeks that I wore a long pair of pants and a dress shirt since beach wear or biking wear was most certainly not the coolest thing to wear in front of the class!

So, after a large coffee, I made my way into class and prepared for the first day of school. Needing my attendance book, I unlocked the file cabinet and pulled open the drawer. The first thing I saw was a note I had written to myself on the last day of school. It read: “How much did you accomplish this summer? Are you satisfied?” “Wow!” I thought to myself as I stood there for a long moment pondering exactly what I really did accomplish this summer.

As I look back on this summer, I must admit that I didn’t exactly accomplish everything that I set out to do and yet, there were a number of tasks that I set out to finish that I did complete. I suppose that I could sit here and try to justify why I didn’t do everything but I am not going to because there is more to summer and more to holidays than working your butt off.

And so… How much did I accomplish? I accomplished about half of what I wanted to do. What did I do with the other half of the summer? I enjoyed it and I am satisfied that I chose to do just that!

And so I am back to the real world of work! Yuck!! Actually, it’s really not so bad! As I look to this fall, I have a number of tasks that I need to do along with the ones I did not do over the summer and yet I know that, though I will slug away at attempting to complete each and every thing, I will also find some time to relax and enjoy life. I hope you can do the same!

Good to be back!

Say Cheese!

Not too long ago I attended the graduation ceremony of the school where I teach. It brought back memories of when I was once a young high school graduate. It also reminded me of when my daughter graduated as well.

Now as I observed these excited high school students as they received their diploma, I couldn't help but watch them as they posed for their parents and loved ones to snap that soon to be memorable photograph. Well, actually, they didn't really just pose... they posed and posed and posed and posed and... well you get the idea. These poor students waitied forever for their family to snap the shot simply because their family could not snap the shot due to weak batteries in their cameras. Now I am not speaking about one family but practically every individual that wanted to take that memorable picture had to wait for the batteries to recharge... Now why the heck couldn't they come prepared with fully charged batteries... It's not as if they were caught off guard... they have had the entire lifetime of their children to get ready. Now I can understand if they didn't know until an hour before that their kid was graduating but this was not the case and even if it was, couldn't they have stopped off at the corner store to pick up a couple of Duracell AAA's?

Poor kids... smiling there frozen in time while waiting for that blasted flash to tempoarily blind them! I just gotta feel sorry for them.

So, folks.... you got a kid graduating in the next few years? Be prepared and get yourself some real batteries that actually work or else to are going to have a pretty ticked off kid wondering what your problem is not to mention the entire crowd wondering exactly what I was wondering all evening .... "Why aren't they prepared!"

Lost

I have spent a portion of my summer days watching TV. Yes... believe it or not folks, I took time off blogging to watch TV! Well ... not exactly but I did watch more than I planned though I did, however, spend a lot of time renovating the ol' house (which I shall speak about at a later date) and mountain biking.

Three years ago, a TV series called Lost hit hit airways. I was eagerly looking forward to becoming a fan of the series but that became short-lived when I missed part two of the series premiere. Now three years later, I decided to find out what all the rave is by playing catch up on the first three seasons so that I could watch season four this fall.

Now, for those who know nothing about this particular series, Lost is a popular serial drama television series that follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a tropical island after a passenger jet flying between Australia and the United States crashes somewhere in the South Pacific. Each episode typically features a primary storyline on the island as well as a secondary storyline from another point in a character's life.

Well, by the end of the first episode, I was hooked and now, after 71 forty-two minute episodes (50 whopping hours worth!) of Lost, I can't wait until this season arrives. I know... get a life Dave! For those who enjoy topics concerning how our lives are more intertwined with those around us more than we realize, I would suggest this series as a possible form of TV entertainment... just be prepared to play catch up ... fifty hours worth!!

Inner Light

Last Year, I mentioned the television series "Star Trek." in six of my posts. Now, I don't believe that I dedicated an entire post to any particular storyline since I know that many have no interest in that particular subject but today I would like to break with tradition. I trust that, if you are not a Star Trek fan, you will read this post anyways since there is a point to me posting this and not just a report of what I watched the other night on Television.

Last evening as I watched television, I came across an episode of Star Trek the Next generation which just so happened to be one of my favorite episodes of all the Star Trek series. The title of the episode was "Inner Light."

In this episode, Picard staggers and is rendered unconscious when the Enterprise encountered a small, unassuming probe of ancient design which seemingly poses no threat. When Picard awakens, he finds himself no longer on the Enterprise but in a small, cozy home with a strange woman. He is astounded to discover that the woman, Eline, is his wife and that he is known as Kamin, an iron weaver on the planet of Kataan. As far as Eline knows, he has always been Kamin.

Picard cannot accept that his life aboard the Enterprise has all been some kind of wild dream. But there is no escape from his situation. With the patient help of Eline and his good friend Batai, Picard comes to accept his life as Kamin. He is given the opportunity to experience things that he never would have on the Starship Enterprise... an opportunity to raise children, the experience of marriage to an adoring woman, the enjoyment of becoming a grandfather. His relationship with Eline bears fruit and he becomes the father to two children, a boy and a girl. Kamin's old existence as Picard is not forgotten but it fades into the background.

Towards the end of the episode, they reveal to Picard the purpose of him being brought to their planet. They told him that he was brought to their planet so he could learn about their culture and tell others about them as their planet ws dying. It seems that they had sent the probe out into space to make contact with someone, connect with their mind and provide a life experience in the form of a dream.

Once this was accomplished and the dream was over, Picard awoke on the Enterprise where he reall was all the time with a lifetime of experiences of the civilization on Kataan. His experience on Kataan which appeared to last a lifetime, had really only lasted twenty minutes.

What an experience! To be able to live an entire life and yet, at its conclusion, to be given a second chance to live yet another life. So often throughout our lives, we make choices that we later on regret. How often we wish that we could live some part of our life over again? Wishful thinking! Unfortunately, in real life, we never get that chance.

During Picard's life on Kataan, he learned to play a pennywhistle flute. After he awoke, he still was able to play this instrument after they found the flute inside the probe. The song that he played at the conclusion of this episode has become one of my favorite pieces of music. Below is the tune with a selection of a few of the scenes throughout the episode. Enjoy!




Since I will never be given the opportunity to experience in my life what Jean Luc Picard experienced on the planet Kataan, I will have to make sure that I live my life here on earth to the fullest and be thankful that protect the only life I have been given so that, if I am given the opportunity to reminisce before I die, I will reminisce with as few regrets as possible knowing that I lived my life to the fullest.

Johnny Cash... Certainly One of my Favorite

Here I am sitting at my computer in the catacombs of my basement tapping out the words to my next post while listening to the depressing words of Johnny Cash. Now don’t get me wrong, I like Johnny Cash… Actually I love the guy and have been listening to him ever since I was a child in my father's den amongst many of his albums but there is just something depressing about much of his his music. Currently, as I am sitting here, he is singing the words to his song “I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry.” Now there’s a song that would cheer you spirits!

Hear the lonesome whippoorwill
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I’m so lonesome I could cry

I’ve never seen a night so long
When time goes crawling by
The moon just went behind a cloud
To hide its face and cry

Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves begin to die
That means he’s lost the will to live
I’m so lonesome I could cry

The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I’m so lonesome I could cry

You have to wonder why I would enjoy his music so much. What is it that I relate to? I never went to Fulsome Prison or San Quentin for that matter. I have never walked the line nor have I ever gambled nor done cocaine. I have never wanted to kill my father for calling me Sue nor have I been on death row waiting for a pardon. As a matter of fact, I have never ever thrown a shot of whiskey down my gullet and yet I feel as if I can relate to his music. Maybe it is the lonesome part I relate to and yet I have all the friends I need. Maybe it was just his down-to-earth music that touched the lives of the working class and hard luck cases.

… And yet I love his music on each of the above topics and listen to the words of each and every song each and every time I play them.

As I sit here, he is now singing Amazing Grace, a song I have heard “a million” times before and I still enjoy it.

Now that I have been sitting here in this cold and damp room, I am starting to feel warmer while listening to his burning ring of fire, a song that Preparation H recently wanted to incorporate into one of their commercials but was turned down by him family.

So, in conclusion, if you ever want to experience a unique form of music, try Johnny Cash’s and if you ever wonder about where some of my inspiration will be coming from this year, you can thank Johnny for that!

For those who are interested, here is one of my favorite songs by Johnny Cash along with a couple of "extras" at the end of it.



Cheers!

I'm Back... Well Almost!

On June 16th, I posted a summer farewell to my many friends here on Blogspot. I wasn't 100% sure that I would return but here I am... I'm just curious to know how many of you thought that I wouldn't return. Hmmmm.... I wouldn't blame you though since you probably have seen quite a number of fellow bloggers go by the wayside over the years.

As I perused over my favorite blogs, I was pleased to see that most of you have remained faithful which is great to see. I was also grateful to see that many of you have kept my blogsite on your list of favorites. For this, I am honored.

I see that a few of you have changed the look of your blogs as well. I have spent countless hours trying to change the look of my blog but have had some difficulty in doing so as I just can't seem to get it right... even when I use templates from outside of Blogspot.com. I have decided therefore to stick with what I already have and keep that darn lighthouse blog for another year... maybe.

So... It is great to be back. It will take me a while to get back into the swing of things so please be patient. Once the school year begins, I should be well on my way.

Talk to you soon!

Have a Great Summer Y'all!

This is to let you all know that I have decided to take a break from posting until the fall. I look forward to getting back to all my blogging friends once the summer is over. Have a great summer y'all!

Happy Mothers Day Mum!

Mothers Day... What a great opportunity to celebrate the ladies who nurtured us throughout our formative years! My mother is a special lady to me. Now I emphasize "to me" since I have no doubt that all of the mothers here in "blogland" are special to their children as well and I would hate to be accused of insinuating that my mother is the only special mother around because she certainly is not. I want to congratulate each of you mothers here in “blogland” who have spent a major part of your lives raising children with the utmost love and dedication.

M now my mother’s name is Pamela. Her friends called her Pam, my father sometimes called her Pammy while my sister and I called her Mum. If I were to describe her, it would go like this. She is a meek lady with a heart of gold. A very religious lady, who believes that when she dies, she will go to heaven because she takes the Bible literally where it says that "For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) She is the most sincere individual whom I have ever known and the least hypocritical. There were times when I thought that she may have been overly "religious" and yet it never bothered me since she was a lady who always walked the walk and talked the talk. Maybe the “overly religiousness” that I thought I saw was nothing but the realization of my lack of living the Christian life that I should have lived.

She was a dedicated mother who strove to teach me true Christian values. Though I never quite got that part of my life right, I have never wavered in the beliefs that she taught me throughout my childhood. My mother spent as much time teaching me through her actions as she did her words. Maybe one day I can get my actions on track and then maybe, just maybe, I could practice what I preach just like her.

My mother has had a rough life. She spent many an hour asking God for strength to get here through her trails and tribulations. She sacrificed much of her life looking out for us kids, making sure were clean, well dressed, well fed, educated and prepared for our future. I am sure that there were things in her personal life that she would have liked to have accomplished other than wiping my snotty nose and yet she shelved much of that out of love for my sister and me.

My mother is now into the later stages of life and, like most people in their twilight years, is frail and in need of care... Now that's where I come in. My mother now needs me and I am there... not because it is my duty but because it is now my turn to repay the time that she invested in my life for without her investment in me, I would not be the man that I now am.

So Mum, I hope I can one day measure up to the person that you are! Thanks for your love, thanks for your dedication and just plain "thanks" for each and every minute that you invested into my life! I love you Mum!

Happy Mothers Day!

Okay… What’s With This?!?

Over the years, hiking and rollerblading have been staple ways of exercising one’s heart in an effort to keep the blood pressure down and the heart strong. Nothing is better than getting out there for some good clean fresh air and wholesome exercise… Don’t you agree?

I was in Toronto picking up my daughter from college this morning and, as I was driving past the boardwalk along the shores of Lake Ontario, I couldn’t help but notice a number of rollerbladers rolling up and down the boardwalk. Each one of them looked fit… Each one of them looked happy. Later on that day, as I cruised past some walking trails, I also noticed some hikers… young children and teenagers all the way up to senior citizens. Again, each of them, except for one man, again looked fit and happy.

Now what does that tell you? Well, what it tells me is that, in order to stay in shape; you must “work at it.” Now, this is not a post about keeping fit nor is it a post on staying happy… It’s a post on staying safe!

The rollerbladers were not on the streets rollerblading. They were safely on a boardwalk designed for such activity. The hikers were also on a hiking trail far from people who drive like my wife… and “no” she does not read my blog!

Shortly after arriving home from picking up my daughter, I picked up a flyer from our local Canadian Tire hardware store and perused through its pages. Page by page I made my way through it until I came across page ten. I looked at it for a while and then made my way to the proceeding pages. Something in the back of my head kept bugging me about page ten and so I returned to it… After taking another good look at the photograph and the product that they were selling, I couldn’t help but think that there was something definitely wrong with what I was looking at… An active hiker wearing rollerblades on a hiking trail. Now, if I am not mistaken, there is something definitely wrong with this form of exercise… it’s just downright unsafe!

Imagine flying down a trail of mixed surfaces with holes, debris, loose gravel, rocks cliffs, water and who knows what else when all of a sudden danger lurks … this lady in the photo would not survive! Oh, I know… she has a helmet! Well, at least she might remain conscious after her head bounces of the boulder… that way she would be very well aware of her body careening off the side of the embankment! I also suppose that she is also playing it safe with those knee, wrist and elbow protectors… they should really help as she rolls face first into a solid maple tree! You get my drift?

Upon closer inspection of these un-cool looking rollerblades, you would also notice that there appears to be no braking system on them! Now, call me a worry wart but I would think that, not having a braking system on this product would not be advantageous to one’s physical health!

The advertisement states that “these multi terrain skates with large wheels make dirt, gravel and grass easy to handle." I cannot ever imagine rollerblades on anything else than a hard debris-free surface ever being easy to handle or a safe or wholesome form of exercise… not unless you are desperate enough to find yourself in the local hospital physiotherapy centre after ripping out the tendons of your ankles as you failed to negotiate a curve in the trail.

Now, I don’t know about you but I think that I will pass up the opportunity to fork out $130 for these babies and the hundreds of dollars for the medical bills later.

What will they think of next?

I Have Not Totally Disappeared

Over these past seven months, I have spent much time in not only writing my posts but also reading and commenting on others as well. Due to things that are going on in my life at this time, I have had to scale back on exercising my creative juices. Though I really enjoy doing this, I have also had to scale back on commenting on each of the posts that many of you take time to submit. This does NOT mean that I have ceased to carry out my regular post reading at each of your blogs. I read your blogs because I find them interesting, enlightening and, in many cases, darn hilarious! All I ask is that you please don't think I have simply closed up shop and disappeared because I have not. I may be invisible for the time being but I am still around.