Saturday, December 27

News Update

Well, another week has passed and we have travelled away from the shore of Lake Superior as far as the shore of Lake of the Woods, on the edge of the prairie! We drove up to Kenora on Wednesday and have enjoyed the remainder of the week here with Eric, Erica and the boys. Travis, Erin and Kristian are here as well, so we are able to enjoy having the family together for Christmas. Tomorrow, we head our separate ways with Wendy and I heading west (Kristian is also travelling with us), Erin and Travis driving back to work obligations in TBay, and the remainder staying here in Kenora.

I have continued to do a bit of work over the holidays as some schools are still remaining to sign-off their October reports, and the reports are due this month! I also have received the good news that my data project has been approved, so I shall continue my work on that even over this holiday. Otherwise, I have been enjoying the season of sharing and eating! Both Wendy and Erica have assembled a daunting display of Christmas baking, and while we did it great justice, much remains to be eaten—although more was eaten than was good for us!

Today featured Eric & Erica's fifteenth (crystal) anniversary, so we enjoyed celebrating that with a number of their friends from Kenora.

And that's about it for this week!

Wednesday, December 24

Your Christmas Worksheet

At my recent office Christmas party, we were subjected to a worksheet of Christmas related items. I have taken the trouble to adapt it slightly, and share it with my family. Several answers they gave were particularly enjoyable, so I'm sure there are more good answers out there, just waiting to be uncovered or discovered or recovered! If you find some alternative answers, please make use of the Comment button to share them with the rest of us!

Spoiler alert: All suggested answers are at the end, so don't scroll down too fast if that would spoil your fun! If you wish to make use of this little quiz, you can just copy and paste it into a word processor document and print it for your own use. Please remember to give credit to the source of these, which as far as I know are anonymous! And if someone reading these recognizes them as his/her own creation, I apologize for sharing without your permission!

Your Christmas Worksheet
(featuring the most outrageous puns we could find—if you have others, we'll consider them!)
  1. At the school the young elves learn the _________________.
  2. The reason Santa has three gardens is so he can _________________.
  3. The favourite breakfast cereal of snowmen is _________________.
  4. When you cross a snowman with a vampire you get _________________.
  5. A _________________ is the only bird that can write.
  6. "__________________________________," sang the ghost to Santa Claus.
  7. The favourite Christmas carol of parents is _________________.
  8. The main difference between the Christmas alphabet and an ordinary alphabet is the Christmas alphabet has _________________.
  9. At Christmas time the Mexican sheep sing "_________________".
  10. If Santa goes down the chimney into a lit fireplace, you get _________________.
  11. Which candle burns longer, a green one or a red one? _________________
  12. Santa's little helper was feeling depressed because he had _________________.
  13. People who are afraid of Santa are said to be _________________.
  14. If you deep fry Santa you get _________________.
  15. A large cat on a beach has _________________.









So, enjoy them, and for your enjoyment here are some of the answers we found so far!




  1. At the school the young elves learn the elphabet.
  2. The reason Santa has three gardens is so he can ho, ho, ho!
  3. The favourite breakfast cereal of snowmen is Frosted Flakes.
  4. When you cross a snowman with a vampire you get frost bite. Although, we now have additional answers of cold-blooded, and a cold-blooded killer.
  5. A penguin is the only bird that can write.
  6. "I'll have a boo Christmas with out you," sang the ghost to Santa Claus.
  7. The favourite Christmas carol of parents is Silent Night.
  8. The main difference between the Christmas alphabet and an ordinary alphabet is the Christmas alphabet has No L.
  9. At Christmas time the Mexican sheep sing Felix Navibaaaa.
  10. If Santa goes down the chimney into a lit fireplace, you get Crisp Kringle. A hilarious and popular suggestion tonight was chestnuts roasting by an open fire.
  11. Which candle burns longer, a green one or a red one? Neither, both burn shorter.
  12. Santa's little helper was feeling depressed because he had low elf-esteem.
  13. People who are afraid of Santa are said to be Claustrophobic.
  14. If you deep fry Santa you get Crisp Kringle.
  15. A large cat on a beach has sandy claws.

Saturday, December 20

News Update

Another week has flown by here on the shore of Lake Superior. The blizzard held off until Sunday evening, but then gave us a big dump of snow. Wendy and I were shovelling and snow-blowing for a couple of hours Monday morning. The remainder of the week featured calm, cold weather with one day even dropping to -30—quite cold for here. It's back to a more comfortable -10 to -15 for the end of the week. And yesterday, we got our car back. It has a newer engine (only 84,000 clicks) and the price was $3389.38—just the neighbourhood he was talking about! Now, I have to check out whether this engine has the enhancements to overcome the previous problems—Google here I come.

I've been working with my partner, Wes, in revamping the boardroom at work into a virtual office. We installed the Smartboard, installed the data projector from the ceiling and adjusted the furnishings for the teleconference and the polycom. Wes also gave me a lesson on using the Smartboard, and installed the Smartboard software on my computer, so I shall try to build my next presentation with that facility. On Friday, we had the office Christmas party; that was a nice event as well. I have had a lot of calls for OnSIS assistance as the schools head toward the Christmas break.

Wendy has continued to battle her cold, and we think it's gradually getting better. I came down with the edge of a cold, myself, but have taken some extra rest and seem to have it beaten back. Wendy has kept busy with Christmas baking—shortbread cookies, butter tarts, lemon puffs, toffee, pumpkin loaf; I'm challenged to keep up with the eating of the same! Fortunately, she finally stuck the butter tarts in the freezer—I like them better that way!

Travis has completed his exams, but has kept busy working with one of his contractors on a store renovation that includes an office for Trav! He has been doing quite a bit of graphics work for this guy, and the prospects are now that it may develop into a business relationship as Trav finishes university next May. It's not an easy time to operate a business—let alone start one!

Erin continues with her work and care of Kristian. It's been a great blessing to be able to access the number of professional workers to diagnose his hearing issues, get him fitted for hearing aids, and provide training and support for his language development.

We've been enjoying hearing from many of you with end of the year newsletters as well as the regular updates. In one of those was a photo in celebration of our 38th Anniversary—thanks Tom & Mariette.
Eric and the boys come down on Friday evening to spend the weekend. It's nice to have them around. Erica has remained at home in Kenora to catch up on things there. She's also been working on roping me in to a duet with her on Mary Did You Know? for a Christmas Eve presentation. And that's about it for this week!

Saturday, December 13

News Update

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior in the grip of winter. We got two good dumps of snow this week, so I've been able to exercise the snow shovels and the snow blower. Colder temperatures hit us in the middle of the week, but it's almost up to zero today–probably in line with the blizzard expected over night.

As mentioned last week, the car has been taken in for repairs. The mechanic called early in the week to confirm that the motor was needing to be replaced. He allowed that the cost would be in the three thousand dollar neighbourhood—not a place I was even thinking about visiting!

I have worked on a couple of small issues with my schools this week, and started development of the data project I hope will be approved later this month. Otherwise, it's been the snow clearing and the development of a small rink in the backyard for Kristian. It's now ready, and he got out for a short skate today—his first try, and I can't say that he enjoyed it a great deal!

Wendy has continued with Christmas preparations. Short bread cookies and Christmas cake are available in abundance, and the gander is getting fat! She finally managed to get a Wii, so that's one off the list. She also bought an artificial tree, so decorations have begun with that.

Of course the big story of the week has been Kristian's new hearing aids. He has taken to them very well, and we've delighted in his experimentation with lots of new words that he is hearing much better now. The ear inserts will need to be replaced every three to six months. Kristian chose the colours–a head-shaker for sure!

Erin's work continues; she has had to work around various appointments for Kristian's fittings and speech therapy.

Travis has now finished his exams for this semester, and is doing a bit of extra work on the advertising and promotion front with one of his employers. He has decided to end the pizza delivery for now. And, with his extra funds, he's contemplating a pay down of his demand loan.

And that's about it for this week.

Saturday, December 6

News Update

Another week has passed on the snowy shore of Lake Superior, on the edge of winter! Christmas preparations are fully engaged; the old crow is still fat; EI (Employment Insurance) beckons.

The week has been quite busy. I have worked through a four-day conference involving three presentations. All have gone well, and I'm satisfied to look forward. Working with two colleagues, I have begun development of a data project. This is still awaiting approval, but indications are positive, and we have determined to go ahead with at least a model of it whether approval is granted or not! Then, if approval is not forthcoming, I shall present the model at the February conference, and apply for funding again. Fortune sometimes favours the persistent! I have completed my application for EI; my ship should arrive soon!

Wendy continues to be engaged with her various home businesses, and her constant home busyness. An extra feature of the season is baking—just in case this old crow begins to fade away (fat chance!). She also has been scouring the stores in search of this season's illusive gift–the Wii. No luck so far, but she does have a couple of rain cheques. With the temperature ranging from -5 to -15, I don't expect any rain!

The big news this week was about Kristian. He has finally submitted to what the doctors feel is a somewhat legitimate testing process and they have a diagnosis. They have confirmed what we have long been telling them—the boy doesn't hear much! (And we don't even know how much he listens!) The testing showed next to no transmission of sound signals through the cochlea. Now, I know he does hear some things, so I hasten to reassure that his disability is not as bad as 'they' say, but it is certainly a problem. And now that 'they' agree, he will be fitted with hearing aids next week, and we're looking forward to the difference. Naturally, most of us (not including Kristian) are more than a little unsettled by the situation.

Other distressing news of the week concerned our car—actually, it concerned us; our car couldn't care less! Some funny (we're talking fun as in dysfunctional) sounds began emanating from the motor! It was probably instructive that when I typed 2.7 into Google, a number of suggested searches arose! Sure enough, Chrysler has some known issues with the 2.7 engine. These engines are known for timing belt problems; well, we knew about that one. My brother in Medicine Hat had advised on that one, "Replace the timing belt about 150k; it's going to fail." Well, we hadn't, and we're now pushing 200k. But my recollection of timing belt failures was that no sound emanated from the engine! So, on to issue number two–"There is a tendency for sludge to build up, and starve the engine of oil." This is due to a design flaw, according to my mechanic who was well (and perhaps too happily) aware of it. Chrysler continues to fight the class action lawsuits, "That's not a bug, that's a feature." Any way you slice it, it is not good. The car is now with the mechanic; we await word concerning our loss!

Travis is in the throes of semester end tests; that should be completed next week. Otherwise things go well with him.

And that's about it for this week.

Friday, December 5

Sauce for the Goose

Many foibles in our elected leaders are forgiven; others are mocked, ridiculed, parodied and soon forgotten, but hypocrisy is often viewed as the unforgivable sin. And thus we come to the current state of affairs in Canada. Our fearless leader has apparently failed to read the newspapers, nor attend to radio and television and is thus unaware that the economy is struggling. Echoing the fickle words of US candidate McCain, our prime minister and his feckless Finance Minister have assured us that, “The fundamentals of the economy are strong.” (Again, if they were students of the media, they would surely have chosen other words!) And therefore, while the economy drops 71,000 jobs in November (the worst showing in twenty-six years), the TSE drops below 8000 (my pension was starting to look possible a few months ago when the TSE was above 14,000), and the dollar drops to 77 cents US (yes, it was at par in July,) our government has decided that nothing need be done. And, since they're afraid that the opposition parties may actually have a plan (to do something!), they have determined that parliament should go on a two-month holiday!

All this may be written off as bad strategy, lack of planning or foggy thinking, but then the politics begins to get played! The opposition parties have not only sensed that the fundamentals of the economy are not strong, but that this misstep by the governing party represents an opportunity. Now politicians are, if nothing else, opportunists, so they've tried to jump on this opportunity. They have held their back room discussions and determined that the iron is hot enough to strike! Collectively, they have written to the Governor-General offering to take over since the current government is not wanting to do anything. Ah, and the response by the Prime Minister is harsh in its ridicule and stern in its judgement. “This is a threat to the country;” blasts Mr. Harper, “the evil separatists are at the gates!” Therefore he has considered the situation and determined to avoid parliament and the confidence vote that could end his appointment as PM. Perhaps, he thinks, by the end of January the economy may have improved, or at the very least, we may be able to come up with some sort of a plan! In the meantime, he has decided to hide from accountability to parliament and take to the political battles in an attempt to defang the beasts across the aisle.

How things have changed in just a few years! Back in 2004, it was Mr. Harper who was leader of the opposition in a minority parliament. At that time, it was he who was arguing that that parliament must meet. "If the government wants to govern, it has to come to Parliament and it has to show that it can get the support of the majority of members," opined the Stephen Harper of 2004, when the shoe was on the other foot! [http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/harper.html] Back in 2004, it was Mr. Harper who organized a coalition among the opposition parties and wrote to then governor-general Clarkson offering to take over and run her country for her! And it was Mr. Harper who co-signed with the NDP and the Separatists (say it ain't so, Steve!) [http://bondpapers.blogspot.com/2008/11/taking-power-without-election.html]

The press has briefly flapped over Mr. Harper's forbear, Mr. Day, and his dalliance with the Bloc back in 2000, but that never amounted to anything as Mr. Day had the good fortune not to put his name to paper. It will be interesting to watch as the scribblers get off their duffs and dig up the juicy details on this little bit of hypocrisy!