Yesterday I learned that we in Alberta are going to ten digit phone numbers from 7. Not that dialing an extra 3 digits will kill anyone but along with that come extra costs. Like the nearly 100 dollars I have to outlay to up grade my security system so that it can call home when some cell packing dirt bag breaks into my house. And what's more my system is old almost 7 years old so that makes it over the hill. And I have to upgrade that at a cost of God knows what.
Seven years old does not make something obsolete. Except for electronics I guess. So I am on the hook or unprotected. And the girls don't count. In fact if you look the Beagle up on the Internet I am sure that somewhere it says protection: NONE. ('Cause I seen it!) If someone broke in Belle and Dixie would wonder over tails a wagging to see what treats the intruder brought. Anyone could clean out my place for the price of a couple of milk bones or a rawhide chewy if I was relying on the girls to protect the place.
So why do we need the upgrade? Simply put Cell phones. Every one has a cell phone or two. And a land line and a blackberry etc. The province has a population of 4 million tops why do we need 40 million phone numbers? Sure you need your home phone heaven knows the telemarketers need someone to call at suppertime. And there is your office phone, and your office cell (So you can get interrupted in that meeting, and so on and so on.
But what really pushed it over the top are kids. Kids as young as 10 or 12 with cell phones. Kids whose Idea of a good time is sitting on thier butts on the couch text messaging to their buddy in the easy chair next to them. Kids who think they ahve to be in constant contact with their friends. Even during school when thy should be paying attention. Kids from 10 to 25 who can't leave home without their electronic apron string. How did we survive the 60's or get out of the fifties alive without having a cell phone.
Do I hav a cell? Yes. I use call forwarding to link my home phone to my cell when I am out of town for more than a few hours. I don't carry it with me all the time. And it is about 7 years old too, it doesn't take pictures play games or surf the net. It makes phone calls. It could text message but it makes phone calls and does not need to text message. I can call someone and they don't need to be able to read alphabet soup I can talk to them. But I don't need to be in contact 24-7.
The idea that you have to be at the beck and call of all your buddies all the time is absurd. That you need a phone on your person all the time is ridiculous. No one is that important. If you believe that you are that important you are suffering from delusions of grandure. That belief in the old days would have labelled you a nut. If you live to have people call you on your cell and cannot make it through the day without one maybe you are a nut. But you have plenty of company. So much that we need 10 times as many phone numbers as we have people. And what ticks me off is your insane need is costing me money.
Just sitting here waiting for your call....
Randy
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
View Master
Do you remember view masters; little toys that you put picture reels in and saw everything in 3D? Well It turns out that my wife's grand father had a Stereoscopic Camera for taking those kind of pictures. And most of the family photos were taken and mounted on the reels. I think my brother in law has the camera and paraphernalia for mounting the pictures on the reels and all. But it is a really fussy process to create them. Anyway it looks to be a dying technology because you can't easily get the reels or cameras anymore except on EBay maybe. And hasn't Kodak even gone digital?
Anyway the camera had two lenses set about eye width apart and t00k two images at once with just a little different perspective. The images were taken on slide film and when mounted the different perspective gave the 3d effect. The biggest problem was that if a picture adds ten pounds the 3d being two pictures added twenty so women didn't like it!!!! Also it was a manual fiddly process to take the uncut slide film strips and cut the images into little tiny chips and mount them in the reels. If it had been more popular today's crack users could really get into a career tweaking view master reels but who knew?
In any case, another brother in law has decided to get all the pictures scanned from the reels and I am going to touch them up as put them on CD for everyone in the family. I have done this sort of thing before when I made up slide shows for the in-laws and my parent's 50th anniversaries. Al is doing this for a birthday present for his mom. I think its is a great idea and the fringe benefit is that we get a copy of all the old pictures.
There are a few things to remember when you do this kind of work however. First you are going to see somethings that well are pretty darn funny (ok scary too but mostly funny). The fashions and the hair styles are great for a laugh but don't. Especially not out loud. Some of those pictures may be your loved ones and having lived though it will not see the humour. Remeber they think those pictures are ... normal! They think that people really looked like that can you believe it, ha!
The second thing is that when you are discussing the subjects do not use adjectives. For example do not say "Hey who is that homely kid with the big honkin' schnoz?" because again some of those pictures may be your loved ones (in some cases your wives). They may not have thought of themselves as homely or their schnozes as "big honkin'". Those type of comments will get you a guaranteed reservation in the dog house. Trust me this is the voice of experience.
In spite of that I am looking forward to it. I like old pictures and in case my wife reads this I hope to see lots of pictures of her as a baby. She must have been as beautiful baby 'cause baby look at her now!
Sucking up for all I am worth...
Randy
Anyway the camera had two lenses set about eye width apart and t00k two images at once with just a little different perspective. The images were taken on slide film and when mounted the different perspective gave the 3d effect. The biggest problem was that if a picture adds ten pounds the 3d being two pictures added twenty so women didn't like it!!!! Also it was a manual fiddly process to take the uncut slide film strips and cut the images into little tiny chips and mount them in the reels. If it had been more popular today's crack users could really get into a career tweaking view master reels but who knew?
In any case, another brother in law has decided to get all the pictures scanned from the reels and I am going to touch them up as put them on CD for everyone in the family. I have done this sort of thing before when I made up slide shows for the in-laws and my parent's 50th anniversaries. Al is doing this for a birthday present for his mom. I think its is a great idea and the fringe benefit is that we get a copy of all the old pictures.
There are a few things to remember when you do this kind of work however. First you are going to see somethings that well are pretty darn funny (ok scary too but mostly funny). The fashions and the hair styles are great for a laugh but don't. Especially not out loud. Some of those pictures may be your loved ones and having lived though it will not see the humour. Remeber they think those pictures are ... normal! They think that people really looked like that can you believe it, ha!
The second thing is that when you are discussing the subjects do not use adjectives. For example do not say "Hey who is that homely kid with the big honkin' schnoz?" because again some of those pictures may be your loved ones (in some cases your wives). They may not have thought of themselves as homely or their schnozes as "big honkin'". Those type of comments will get you a guaranteed reservation in the dog house. Trust me this is the voice of experience.
In spite of that I am looking forward to it. I like old pictures and in case my wife reads this I hope to see lots of pictures of her as a baby. She must have been as beautiful baby 'cause baby look at her now!
Sucking up for all I am worth...
Randy
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Springtime
"Bald eagle's back in the Cottonwood tree,
Old brown hills are just about bare"
That is a lyric from Ian Tyson's song Springtime and it applies this year. At the risk of angering the weather Gods I think spring is here. Maybe the ground hogs were right. It was 10 degrees celcius here today. I was able to take the girls to dog disneyland (the off leash dog park) in just a hoodie. For those of my generation just a kangaroo jacket.
Snow is almost gone just a bit left in the shady spots. That is going fast. At least here in the city. We were up to the trailer last weekend to show it to Ellen's mom who was visiting, There seems to be quite abit of snow there yet. We had to walk in or risk getting stuck. And there was a few inches of snow around. But it was warm and that was going too.
It was a mistake to go up there. I was reminded of what I am missing and now the wait until the park opens for the season and we can stay up there is going to seem really long. You know the feeling. Remember when you were a kid and saw the first Christmas decorations of the season and how they made it seem Christmas was sooooo far off. Well that was the effect the quick wisit to the trailer last week had. I guess I will just have to wait. The warm weather is not making it easy.
Oh well nothing can be done about it. Like they say everyone talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it. And I can do nothing about it either. But with any luck it will warm up and we will be able to get the park open early. April is not that far away, 30 sleeps? Just like we used to do with Christmas eh?
On the edge of my seat waiting...
Randy
PS Happy Anniverasry Dixie she's been a member of our pack for a year today.
Old brown hills are just about bare"
That is a lyric from Ian Tyson's song Springtime and it applies this year. At the risk of angering the weather Gods I think spring is here. Maybe the ground hogs were right. It was 10 degrees celcius here today. I was able to take the girls to dog disneyland (the off leash dog park) in just a hoodie. For those of my generation just a kangaroo jacket.
Snow is almost gone just a bit left in the shady spots. That is going fast. At least here in the city. We were up to the trailer last weekend to show it to Ellen's mom who was visiting, There seems to be quite abit of snow there yet. We had to walk in or risk getting stuck. And there was a few inches of snow around. But it was warm and that was going too.
It was a mistake to go up there. I was reminded of what I am missing and now the wait until the park opens for the season and we can stay up there is going to seem really long. You know the feeling. Remember when you were a kid and saw the first Christmas decorations of the season and how they made it seem Christmas was sooooo far off. Well that was the effect the quick wisit to the trailer last week had. I guess I will just have to wait. The warm weather is not making it easy.
Oh well nothing can be done about it. Like they say everyone talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it. And I can do nothing about it either. But with any luck it will warm up and we will be able to get the park open early. April is not that far away, 30 sleeps? Just like we used to do with Christmas eh?
On the edge of my seat waiting...
Randy
PS Happy Anniverasry Dixie she's been a member of our pack for a year today.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Titanic
What do I have in common with the Titanic this morning? Well nothing really except that ice killed the Titanic and darn near killed me. No I was not hit by a berg in the north Atlantic. I slipped on it under the snow. A common theme I know but one that bears repeating. Be careful out there hidden dangers lurk everywhere under an innocent pile of white. Well here in Calgary at least.
It was the subject of an item on the local news just last night. And it is the reason I can barely type this morning. While walking the dogs I wiped out on the ice twice. There is no warning and no forgiveness. One step and you are on your backside on the ground. The girls even hit the ground. That was the only warning I would get. Dixie is sporting a sore hip and Belle took one on the nose. I have a somewhat less than useful shoulder and a pulled hip. But then again I fall harder than the girls. At any rate when you see us coming down the walk we look like walking wounded.
On the plus side the temperature over the next couple of days is going to be on the plus side. Maybe as much as 10 C on Friday. That should take care of the snow and anything hiding under it. I hope. Otherwise its going to be a dicey few days till people get their walks cleared.
I better sign off. This is silly but it is actually painful to type and mousing is nearly out of the question. I guess I landed just right for a guy in the computer business. I wonder if walking the dogs is covered by workers comp. Some one's got to pay and it wasn't even the dogs pulling me off balance either this time so I can't even punish them. Maybe I'll just be sore and surly with everyone. Curmudgeon becomes me.
Grumbling, moaning and complaining ...
Randy
It was the subject of an item on the local news just last night. And it is the reason I can barely type this morning. While walking the dogs I wiped out on the ice twice. There is no warning and no forgiveness. One step and you are on your backside on the ground. The girls even hit the ground. That was the only warning I would get. Dixie is sporting a sore hip and Belle took one on the nose. I have a somewhat less than useful shoulder and a pulled hip. But then again I fall harder than the girls. At any rate when you see us coming down the walk we look like walking wounded.
On the plus side the temperature over the next couple of days is going to be on the plus side. Maybe as much as 10 C on Friday. That should take care of the snow and anything hiding under it. I hope. Otherwise its going to be a dicey few days till people get their walks cleared.
I better sign off. This is silly but it is actually painful to type and mousing is nearly out of the question. I guess I landed just right for a guy in the computer business. I wonder if walking the dogs is covered by workers comp. Some one's got to pay and it wasn't even the dogs pulling me off balance either this time so I can't even punish them. Maybe I'll just be sore and surly with everyone. Curmudgeon becomes me.
Grumbling, moaning and complaining ...
Randy
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Sore Fingers
I tryed to learn guitar many years ago. All I accomplished was a) I can tune a Guitar and b) I got sore fingers. I don't think I ever did develop calluses on my fingers so since I was not too big on pain I let it lapse. Well lo these many years later I thought I would take it up again. What is different now now I have the intenet.
Let me explain. Now I can go to various sites on the intenet and get on line lessons from someone who actually knows what the hell they are doing with a guitar. They can show me what the cords are supposed to sound like and how to finger the chords. They can show me how to properly strum the guitar and hold it properly. And they give you files to play along with. You are not just sitting there plunking along on your own.
So what have I learned in the last two weeks. Well I still don't like pain. And learning is still a painful process. Nylon strings help somewhat they are not as tough as the steel strings. They actually give a bet when you press on them. And I am actually learning a few chords and how to strum. No Johnny Cash just yet, although I am dressed in black today, but I feel like I am making progress.
What do I want to get out of this. I want to be able to play a few songs so that I can accompny myself singing. Just to be able to tinker a bit if you like. I don't care if I never get good enough for someone else but I want to be good enough for myself that I can learn how to play by ear.
If I can accomplish that I will have made my goal. In the meantime I have sore fingers. But in the plus side they are recovering faster. The first day they were sore for three days. All I could manage was 20 minutes every few days. Today they are good enough that I can type this in a few hours. I understand that when I get calluses I will be set. Then all I have to master is, well playing. I can't wait.
As for now, like the old joke goes: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice!
My cyber instructor says 20 minutes a day is better than 3 hours on the weekend. And he's right. It will just take me time to get organized. And set aside half an hour a day to practice. If I want it enough I can do it. When it's 40 below and we don't walk the girls its easy. It will take some planning when it warms up.
Now any requests?
Randy
Let me explain. Now I can go to various sites on the intenet and get on line lessons from someone who actually knows what the hell they are doing with a guitar. They can show me what the cords are supposed to sound like and how to finger the chords. They can show me how to properly strum the guitar and hold it properly. And they give you files to play along with. You are not just sitting there plunking along on your own.
So what have I learned in the last two weeks. Well I still don't like pain. And learning is still a painful process. Nylon strings help somewhat they are not as tough as the steel strings. They actually give a bet when you press on them. And I am actually learning a few chords and how to strum. No Johnny Cash just yet, although I am dressed in black today, but I feel like I am making progress.
What do I want to get out of this. I want to be able to play a few songs so that I can accompny myself singing. Just to be able to tinker a bit if you like. I don't care if I never get good enough for someone else but I want to be good enough for myself that I can learn how to play by ear.
If I can accomplish that I will have made my goal. In the meantime I have sore fingers. But in the plus side they are recovering faster. The first day they were sore for three days. All I could manage was 20 minutes every few days. Today they are good enough that I can type this in a few hours. I understand that when I get calluses I will be set. Then all I have to master is, well playing. I can't wait.
As for now, like the old joke goes: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice!
My cyber instructor says 20 minutes a day is better than 3 hours on the weekend. And he's right. It will just take me time to get organized. And set aside half an hour a day to practice. If I want it enough I can do it. When it's 40 below and we don't walk the girls its easy. It will take some planning when it warms up.
Now any requests?
Randy
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