Monday, September 19, 2005

Barlett's and Bukowski


I was wondering where Bartlett's and those Bukowski books were in the house and finally found them in the basement bookshelves. Funny how so many books are like good friends and you end up missing them.

Barlett's is a book you either like and use or see no relevance in it. Even with the advent of the internet this is a great way to look up quotations. Just browsing one simple page can create a lot of brain cell activity. Here is what José Marti said about poetry "A grain of poetry suffices to season a century."

Which brings me to Charles Bukowski. (there are some great sites about the man). His poetry is habanero sauce for a few centuries. He brings that stark reality to everyday living. His feet were pretty well cemented in the real world and he made a lot of fun of those who had their heads in the clouds. We need that kind of realilty these days. Theory has its place but being pragmatic shouldn't be a crime.

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Mt. Lehman Fall Fair



Was at the Mt. Lehman Fall Fair today. There certainly wasn't the number of people there that had been in the past. Even the number of displays seemed to be less. This was the 20th year it has been on and the remarkable thing about this fair is that it is a completely community driven event. There are not many country fairs left and this is certainly an oasis away from the commercially driven fairs.

There is going to be another Northern Voice in February 2006. This is really a neat conference for anyone interested in blogging. From beginner to advanced there is a real "people" feeling about it. You get to meet some of the people you have gotten to know through reading their blogs. You could call it Sociology and Blogging 101.

Fall is definitely in the air with the colour beginning to expand in the trees. When you start seeing that you know summer is just about gone and those short sleeve shirts aren't going to be worn without a jacket. The real bad part of this time of year is golfing. With all the leaves dropping, hitting a ball just off the fairway usually means a lost ball. As if golf isn't hard enough.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Bleak



Anything that could go sideways at work has gone sideways at work this week. It is just plain bleak. But I am very thankful for the people I work with as they have stuck together to get us through this "snowstorm". Have you every wondered why things happen in bunches? Is there a masterplan out there that we just aren't aware of?

The Burns bog fire is under control finally. We had some white ash on our patio (Burnaby Mountain) that had drifted from that fire. On Sunday night our house smelt like we had been huddled around a campfire for a few days. All the windows had to be shut. There is something that needs to be bottled, campfire smell for the livingroom.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Work


Tough day at work. Some internal stuff happened that needed fixing so most people stayed until 9 last night. Everyone was a wee bit tired today, not their usual fresh selves. And of course the new printer was jamming with the smaller paper. Every printer or photocopier seems to have a character all its own. You seem to be able to coax the best out of the older ones with the newer ones just not taking any direction. And it doesn’t matter what type of printer -- paper always gets jammed in the most remote and inaccessible areas of the print mechanism. Went to lunch too late today. You know you should have gotten there earlier when all the staff are sitting around eating and you are just finishing up. The only people left are you, the staff and those customers that don’t need to get back to a job right away. Work is such a joy. It really is a culture unto itself.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

A first...

Today I finally broke 90 on the golf course. Shot a 48 - 40 at Surrey GC. One of the fellows I was golfing with commented that my drive didn't have the tempo that the previous drive had. With that I began to think. These little rituals that you use sometimes are really important as they seemingly get you into a tempo. So those few rituals that I had started but used only occassionaly became important for the next holes. The shots started coming together, the drives (though not always perfect) were long with only one slice. The second shots were straight and the putting, well it was never better.

So was there a lesson to learn today? When golfing keep those silly rituals you have, don't deviate from them, and it does seem to help. By the way the course is going through some changes with the widening of the Fraser Highway. It was in good shape and the greens were good, not being tremendously fast. At the beginning of the game the smoke from the Burns Bog was irritating but by the turn the wind has come up a little and it was clearer.

Kelowna this last weeked was raining and raining. Just like the coast. In fact from Friday night to Sunday afternoon I saw little if any sunshine in Kelowna. Was I in Kelowna or Prince Rupert?

Friday, September 02, 2005

How can this be?

Hurricane Katrina is going to bring a massive amount of introspective. Just what type of society do we live in? Have we bought so far into the power of individuals that we have forgotten about our neighbours and the people we live with? Some of the news clippings on TV just devastate the soul. And what is the prime topic for discussion -- the increase in gasoline prices! Yes, this is the "me" society. We are all vicitims of ourselves.

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Misc.



When you view what has taken place in New Orleans these last few days you begin to realize the horror of the situation. It is hard to image that a whole city, or most of it, is underwater. The most affected are the poor and those that did not have the means to leave when notified. Nature can sometimes only be viewed from a distance.

At this time of the year I am always reminded of the Doors song about summer being almost gone. Suddenly you realize that school is starting and the regular grind of everyday life is just around the corner. Of course we enjoy the habitual routines don't we? Life would get very boring without some diversity. Yet at the same time every summer is different, no too being exactly alike. This Saturday one of my old schoolmates holds a BBQ and most of the old gang gets together. That BBQ really shows how much each of us has aged as not everyone shows up each year. Somewhat depressing.

And why this picture of wood? Someone has been making a bed in the garage for the past 6 months and these are the parts that soon will be assembled. The garage is filled with the beautiful scent of cut and sanded wood. That and the smell of fresh baked bread...some of lifes simple pleasures.

I had an e-mail from a distant family member in New Zealand. She had been searching the internet and came across my blog. That was a nice surprise. Sure makes the world a little smaller.