It was the annual XFH Christmas lunch today. The day we get together with the old crowd from the Foothills Hospital IT department to commiserate and remember the old times. There were fellows there that I have not seen for over ten years. No great changes just everyone getting older. Where they once talked of children there is mention of Grand children. A lot more grey except where there is a bit more forehead but basically the same.
The group consists of mostly the tech support group or what remains of it and the rest of us who have moved on. It only took a few minutes to get up to speed with what has gone on over the past year and then it was like old times, joking kibitzing and carrying on. Some old friends were not able to attend but most sent their regards. It was fun to catch up and we parted with promises to plan next year's get together a little further in advance so that more people can attend. I hope that happens.
I personally intent to reserve a holiday day so that I can attend. The lunch runs a bit long so unless you plan to play hookie for half a day its better to take the time as a holiday. And in my case it I would like to partake of a few cold ones I can't do that on a work day. But the chance to get together with the old gang is worth reserving a day.
On the work front I am using up the remainder of my holidays from this year. Use 'em or lose 'em is the policy at work so when I found myself with a few days left at the end of the year I found myself with time off. Ellen doesn't get 4 weeks so I may be in this predicament every year. I plan to make the most of the time by doing nothing in particular except walking the girls and putting my feet up. Hopefully the weather will co-operate. Santa Claus is coming to town but I hope when he comes by our house he keeps it down, I may be having a nap.
Relaxing, taking it easy....
Randy
Friday, December 21, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
No Kitty For the Cao's
Well we found all kinds of cats, young ones old, skinny ones, fat ones, black cats white cats multi colored and striped cats. As I said before oodles of cats and crates of kittens. But it doesn't matter Paula in addition to being scared of mice is just as scared of cats. So no cat for the Cao family.
Quang told me that she is terrified of the neighbour's cat. The cat occasionally comes into their yard and when it does she hides in the house. I may have to have an intervention, take them or Paula at least down to the Humane society, get a couple of the kittens to turn on the charm. You can't be scared of a little powder puff curled up in your hand looking cute. Heck that's why little animals are cute, so you don't kill then when they get into trouble and so you adopt them at the shelter.
The Animal Christmas party was wall to wall people. You were lucky to even see an animal. The few dogs they had were all on hold or adopted, and it looked like a lot of the cats were on their way out too. What was a good deal was the sales room especially the everything for a buck table, they had dog bags for 1 dollar for 105 bags. I bought 5 dollars worth. It will take the girls more than a few days to fill all those. So it was a good deal all round.
Belle had to get new shoes this week. She walked through the bottoms of her's. So I went to Pet planet where I got Dixie's. Just in time too, they only had one pair of small ones left. So now Belle is the proud owner of a brand new set of HOT PINK boots. They are so bright I think they melt the snow just sitting there. Belle doesn't mind them though she is color blind. Although that pink is so bright she might even be able to see it. So far Dixie has not gotten jealous but I think she's been looking over at them.
And our Chinook finally arrived and is supposed to stay through the weekend. We are planning to see if we can take Ellen's Aunt Norma out to a buffet on Sunday morning and we will be putting up the tree on Saturday. It will be (in the words of the Christmas song) "beginning to look a lot like Christmas"! And if the Chinook kicks in t0 high gear it will look a lot like a Calgary Christmas, brown and dusty.
Just sitting here counting sleeps til Christmas...
Randy
Quang told me that she is terrified of the neighbour's cat. The cat occasionally comes into their yard and when it does she hides in the house. I may have to have an intervention, take them or Paula at least down to the Humane society, get a couple of the kittens to turn on the charm. You can't be scared of a little powder puff curled up in your hand looking cute. Heck that's why little animals are cute, so you don't kill then when they get into trouble and so you adopt them at the shelter.
The Animal Christmas party was wall to wall people. You were lucky to even see an animal. The few dogs they had were all on hold or adopted, and it looked like a lot of the cats were on their way out too. What was a good deal was the sales room especially the everything for a buck table, they had dog bags for 1 dollar for 105 bags. I bought 5 dollars worth. It will take the girls more than a few days to fill all those. So it was a good deal all round.
Belle had to get new shoes this week. She walked through the bottoms of her's. So I went to Pet planet where I got Dixie's. Just in time too, they only had one pair of small ones left. So now Belle is the proud owner of a brand new set of HOT PINK boots. They are so bright I think they melt the snow just sitting there. Belle doesn't mind them though she is color blind. Although that pink is so bright she might even be able to see it. So far Dixie has not gotten jealous but I think she's been looking over at them.
And our Chinook finally arrived and is supposed to stay through the weekend. We are planning to see if we can take Ellen's Aunt Norma out to a buffet on Sunday morning and we will be putting up the tree on Saturday. It will be (in the words of the Christmas song) "beginning to look a lot like Christmas"! And if the Chinook kicks in t0 high gear it will look a lot like a Calgary Christmas, brown and dusty.
Just sitting here counting sleeps til Christmas...
Randy
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Christmas Shopping
Finally done Christmas Shopping. The out of town stuff was done and mailed two weeks ago and we had everything for everyone else locally done last week. Just had to go out and get something for Ellen and she for me. So yesterday we went out early and finished it off. The malls are crazy. Wall to wall people. And every indication is that it will be getting worse. But we are done just regular grocery shopping and God forbid we have to go out and get something from another store.
So today we have a Christmas event at the Humane society. It is the animals Christmas party, as opposed to the office animals Christmas party. From noon to three we get to go visit the animals that are in the slammer for the holidays. It should be fun. But we will have to leave the girls home. I can imagine the worlds biggest dog fight if everyone showed up with their dogs.
I have an ulterior motive for going to the society, I need to check out the cats for a colleague. Quang has mice in his house and his wife is scared of mice. He has tried to get them with traps but he says that is expensive. And the little blighters keep coming back, so I suggested that he get a cat. And they have lots, lots and lots. You see the city just passed a law that says cats have to be licensed in Calgary and oops all the bad cat owners who don't want to licence or care for old kitty any more have been turning them in left and right. As a result the humane society has oodles of cats and crates of kittens.
Now I would be the last person to suggest that someone get a pet for Christmas, the chances are when little Johnnie or Janie get tired of playing with the new pet somewhere around noon on boxing day, or the first time Kitty drops one behind the Christmas tree, or better yet climbs it back it will go. But in this case I think it would be a good idea. A cat about a year or two old that is a good mouser would be a good addition to the house. Ted is almost 4 and would do good with a pet and Miss Hillary would do well to grow up with a pet. And a cat is independent enough to get away from them when she needs space. Now i expect that if they got a good mouser it will likely be one to show off its trophies in the kitchen at supper time but hey that's what cats do.
So part of the mission for the Humane Society is to scope out a good cat for the Caos. And then my Christmas shopping will be done. And oh yeah, I don't think Paula will care if the kitty clashes with the drapes she is more practical than that.
Looking for a good mouser...
Randy
So today we have a Christmas event at the Humane society. It is the animals Christmas party, as opposed to the office animals Christmas party. From noon to three we get to go visit the animals that are in the slammer for the holidays. It should be fun. But we will have to leave the girls home. I can imagine the worlds biggest dog fight if everyone showed up with their dogs.
I have an ulterior motive for going to the society, I need to check out the cats for a colleague. Quang has mice in his house and his wife is scared of mice. He has tried to get them with traps but he says that is expensive. And the little blighters keep coming back, so I suggested that he get a cat. And they have lots, lots and lots. You see the city just passed a law that says cats have to be licensed in Calgary and oops all the bad cat owners who don't want to licence or care for old kitty any more have been turning them in left and right. As a result the humane society has oodles of cats and crates of kittens.
Now I would be the last person to suggest that someone get a pet for Christmas, the chances are when little Johnnie or Janie get tired of playing with the new pet somewhere around noon on boxing day, or the first time Kitty drops one behind the Christmas tree, or better yet climbs it back it will go. But in this case I think it would be a good idea. A cat about a year or two old that is a good mouser would be a good addition to the house. Ted is almost 4 and would do good with a pet and Miss Hillary would do well to grow up with a pet. And a cat is independent enough to get away from them when she needs space. Now i expect that if they got a good mouser it will likely be one to show off its trophies in the kitchen at supper time but hey that's what cats do.
So part of the mission for the Humane Society is to scope out a good cat for the Caos. And then my Christmas shopping will be done. And oh yeah, I don't think Paula will care if the kitty clashes with the drapes she is more practical than that.
Looking for a good mouser...
Randy
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Poor Dixie
Dixie is my summer dog. She likes the heat while her adopted sister likes the cold. She is perfectly happy inside Belle needs to be out and about even if its just in the back yard. Belle is the winter dog. According to Belle snow is something to romp in, always, and rivers are for wading no matter the time of year. Dixie on the other hand likes her terra a little more firma. And water is for drinking otherwise why are there those nice dishes in the house.
And it is winter now. We had our first real taste of it this week. About a half inch of snow minus zero temperatures and wind. Not pleasant by any means. But the girls still need their walks. So out we went. Half way around Dixie is hopping on three feet and setting a blistering pace at that. Belle is nose down up to the eyeballs sniffing for what's under the snow. I expected Dixie not to like the cold so we got her back home as quick as we could. Nothing like a nipping from old Jack Frost to get Dixie on the move. Belle resisted as well as she could but due to the wind chill I sided with Dixie.
The next time out I put their coats on. Now how a coat like that for a dog can possibly do anything more than annoy them is beyond me, but they work. It helped that the wind had died down but the girls were nice and warm and back to their usual pace. So the second winter walk was fine. Dixie doesn't mind the cold if she is bundled up apparently.
The next day the city went around and salted the streets so they were slushy and wet. It was not too cold so we went without coats. And for the first while everything was good. But one street in particular was wet and sloppy and when Dixie crossed it she started to howl and didn't know which foot to lift first. You would have thought I was beating her. So I cleaned off her feet as best as I could and that stopped the crying at least. On the way home I carried her across that street. What ever chemical the city uses sure did not agree with her. For the next walk I dug out Belle's boots for Dixie.
She didn't like them in the house. She was high stepping around the living room like a cat in a wading pool. But outside she figured out what the boots were for almost immediately and she was just fine. She set the path for Belle through the deepest snow. So I was out today buying dog boots. I thought that since the chemical aggravated Dixie as much as it did it can't be good for Belle either so they both need their own boots. $40 later they are both ready to go. And at $40 a set they are as expensive as my shoes. I only paid $20 for my runners at Wally-mart but then again I only got two shoes, Dixie got 4. I don't know how families with kid's manage a budget. Anyway tonight Dixie gets to break in her own pair(s) of "Muttluks". Maybe Summer Dog will survve this winter after all. I will keep you posted.
Bundling everyone up against the cold ...
Randy
And it is winter now. We had our first real taste of it this week. About a half inch of snow minus zero temperatures and wind. Not pleasant by any means. But the girls still need their walks. So out we went. Half way around Dixie is hopping on three feet and setting a blistering pace at that. Belle is nose down up to the eyeballs sniffing for what's under the snow. I expected Dixie not to like the cold so we got her back home as quick as we could. Nothing like a nipping from old Jack Frost to get Dixie on the move. Belle resisted as well as she could but due to the wind chill I sided with Dixie.
The next time out I put their coats on. Now how a coat like that for a dog can possibly do anything more than annoy them is beyond me, but they work. It helped that the wind had died down but the girls were nice and warm and back to their usual pace. So the second winter walk was fine. Dixie doesn't mind the cold if she is bundled up apparently.
The next day the city went around and salted the streets so they were slushy and wet. It was not too cold so we went without coats. And for the first while everything was good. But one street in particular was wet and sloppy and when Dixie crossed it she started to howl and didn't know which foot to lift first. You would have thought I was beating her. So I cleaned off her feet as best as I could and that stopped the crying at least. On the way home I carried her across that street. What ever chemical the city uses sure did not agree with her. For the next walk I dug out Belle's boots for Dixie.
She didn't like them in the house. She was high stepping around the living room like a cat in a wading pool. But outside she figured out what the boots were for almost immediately and she was just fine. She set the path for Belle through the deepest snow. So I was out today buying dog boots. I thought that since the chemical aggravated Dixie as much as it did it can't be good for Belle either so they both need their own boots. $40 later they are both ready to go. And at $40 a set they are as expensive as my shoes. I only paid $20 for my runners at Wally-mart but then again I only got two shoes, Dixie got 4. I don't know how families with kid's manage a budget. Anyway tonight Dixie gets to break in her own pair(s) of "Muttluks". Maybe Summer Dog will survve this winter after all. I will keep you posted.
Bundling everyone up against the cold ...
Randy
Thursday, November 22, 2007
STUPID People
Yesterday I saw another article about texting while driving. That one solicited feedback and for the most part the feedback was either: "People who text while driving are STUPID" (the correct answer) or "I am not STUPID I am some kind of super human who can do both and don't you be telling me I can't " (the wrong answer). One "stuper-man" said all it took was "distributed attention". That is as i understand it the ability to split your attention between two activities. Nice to know there is a term for driving with half a brain.
Driving especially in a major urban center in winter in Canada is a full time job. It takes all your attention because the knuckle head in the other car might very well be texting, reloading his iPod, having breakfast, surfing the net, or reading the paper behind the wheel. "Distributing" their attention. Sorry but doing anything else while navigating traffic is STUPID. But if you are 25 and immortal you can do it. Guess again. If you are not paying attention to your driving you will be paying your insurance man. Sooner or later those habits will catch up with you.
We have all seen the doofus with the cell phone and the coffee careening down the road in and out of lanes expecting everyone to watch out for them. I say hit 'em. Hit 'em hard enough to jam that cell phone in their ear and dump that double double all over their designer suit and all over the leather interior of that leased gas guzzler with all the toys and whistles. I heard of a bumper sticker once that read "Maybe you would drive better if I crammed that cell phone up your ass!" I agree with the sentiment (and want one for my car).
It should be a law that if the police see you texting, chatting on the cell, reading a book, bobbing up and down tweaking the stereo, or any one of a hundred stupid things while driving, they should be able to stop you and take you off the road right then and there. Being stupid is not criminal. Getting behind the wheel and being stupid is. What did you do before text messaging and cell phones. People survived being out of touch for more than 10 minutes. The world will not end if someone cannot get you while you are in traffic. We did without that for years and some of us still do. They don't call them "crack berries" for nothing. You are addicted if you can't go for the duration of you commute with out your wireless device. And feeding your habit putting everyone else at risk is STUPID.
One last point, the car makers are enablers for these junkies too. They are installing technology in the vehicles that facilitate people being STUPID. GM is prviding an option to allow you to download music to your iPod while driving. And an option on my van (that I don't have, want or need) is a hands free phone that you can plug your cell into. It will turn your cell into a hands free phone with, (get this) call waiting! There is about 30 pages on how to use that phone in the user manual and only 3 pages on how to use the transmission. Think they might have their priorities all screwed up? Me too.
Sitting here watching the world go to hell in a hand basket...
Randy
Driving especially in a major urban center in winter in Canada is a full time job. It takes all your attention because the knuckle head in the other car might very well be texting, reloading his iPod, having breakfast, surfing the net, or reading the paper behind the wheel. "Distributing" their attention. Sorry but doing anything else while navigating traffic is STUPID. But if you are 25 and immortal you can do it. Guess again. If you are not paying attention to your driving you will be paying your insurance man. Sooner or later those habits will catch up with you.
We have all seen the doofus with the cell phone and the coffee careening down the road in and out of lanes expecting everyone to watch out for them. I say hit 'em. Hit 'em hard enough to jam that cell phone in their ear and dump that double double all over their designer suit and all over the leather interior of that leased gas guzzler with all the toys and whistles. I heard of a bumper sticker once that read "Maybe you would drive better if I crammed that cell phone up your ass!" I agree with the sentiment (and want one for my car).
It should be a law that if the police see you texting, chatting on the cell, reading a book, bobbing up and down tweaking the stereo, or any one of a hundred stupid things while driving, they should be able to stop you and take you off the road right then and there. Being stupid is not criminal. Getting behind the wheel and being stupid is. What did you do before text messaging and cell phones. People survived being out of touch for more than 10 minutes. The world will not end if someone cannot get you while you are in traffic. We did without that for years and some of us still do. They don't call them "crack berries" for nothing. You are addicted if you can't go for the duration of you commute with out your wireless device. And feeding your habit putting everyone else at risk is STUPID.
One last point, the car makers are enablers for these junkies too. They are installing technology in the vehicles that facilitate people being STUPID. GM is prviding an option to allow you to download music to your iPod while driving. And an option on my van (that I don't have, want or need) is a hands free phone that you can plug your cell into. It will turn your cell into a hands free phone with, (get this) call waiting! There is about 30 pages on how to use that phone in the user manual and only 3 pages on how to use the transmission. Think they might have their priorities all screwed up? Me too.
Sitting here watching the world go to hell in a hand basket...
Randy
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