The Squamidian Report – Feb. 28 / 04
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Also in this issue:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
This weeks issue is coming out a couple of hours early due to the fact that Warren and I, aka ‘The Brubacher Boyz’, have been conscripted along with half a dozen other local groups to play at the Squamish Arts Festival which is on all day today. We will be on the main stage which is in a tent in the middle of the street at noon, then in a couple of different little restaurants throughout the afternoon. Again, I think there is a free meal in it for us, or at least we won’t have to pay to get in. They are blocking off the down town core for this thing. Any of you who have been to Squamish will realize that the ‘core’ is that section from about the DQ down to the gas station. And hardly anyone will even notice.
Last Sunday was one of those days that point out so well why we live here on the west coast and not back east somewhere. (Yes, I am rubbing it in. Who could blame me?) While so many of you were dealing with whatever winter could throw at you, we had to put up with warm sunshine highlighting fabulous scenery. People were out in short sleeves, working in their flowerbeds, or strolling along the streets. Or sunbathing, we could certainly have done that on the deck.
Warren and I went for a hike up near Brohm Lake. There is a set of trails leading into the hills from there. The trailhead we started from is actually a couple of clicks south of Brohm, just off the highway. The trails lead over to the brim of the Checkamus Canyon and leads through forest where new growth is now well established and the signs of old growth logging are all around. There are old stumps with the springboard notches showing still clinging to the rocks.
Wherever the trail winds out of the bush and onto the rocky ledges that mark the canyon wall there are amazing views of the river below (straight down below) and the Tantalus Range towering above us to the west.
Spent most of the week building rock retaining walls with the excavator I run. These rock walls are the big thing out here. Everyone wants them. They are also a good way to use up rock as there is a lot of rock around. Every excavation site and blasting site creates more rock. Some of the rocks we work with are huge. In fact, when lifting the larger chunks you have to keep the load in very close to avoid tipping the machine. It is normal to feel one track start to lift off the ground when swinging one that is at the machine’s lift limit or when you are sitting on a bit of a slope. Get kind of tired of the stuff after a while.
I sure wouldn’t want to own or maintain equipment around here. Each day is an endless bout of pounding and banging; the local conditions are brutal on the machines. They are hard on the operators and well. You get home after a day of bouncing and shaking, feeling like you’ve been swinging a sledgehammer for 8 or 10 hours. On the up side, it’s like having your own private carnival ride.
Most of my computer components have arrived. Actually, everything arrived but I had ordered the DVD/CDRW and floppy with black fronts to match the case but the people in the local computer store are so west coast laid back that they didn’t think it would matter or perhaps I wouldn’t notice that they had brought in white units. No problem, I can wait for replacements as I have lots to do getting the rest of the stuff put together. I ran into one small snag with the CPU but it was easily solved. A quick trip to Intel’s web site gave me the info I needed. I still need to decide on a monitor and keyboard so there is a ways to go yet.
Like I said earlier, I won’t put a whole lot of stuff in this letter about building my new system. I’ll post an article on my web sites when the thing is up and running giving all the gory details for the ones among us who are actually interested to read.
****
Greg is experimenting with different fonts etc. This will work if everyone has the same font sets on their systems. Otherwise, you will each see your own computer’s interpretation of what it sees.
****
THE ONTARION REPORT
February 25, 2004
Hello fellow Squamidians! I know it’s
a tad early but I just thought that I’d dash off a few lines while I was in the
mood. I hope you like the new style of font that I’m trying this week. I’ve
been playing with the settings and figured I’d decrease the size of the print
and see if it helps Doug handle the formatting of the column. Let me know if
this is better or worse than the previous style.
Doug, I was talking with Carole about the print size and we think it’s
only been the past couple of months that the paragraphs have been varied in
font sizes. If I get a minute I’ll check the previous Ontarions and see how far
back the problem goes. I’m writing this week’s Ontarion in a #12 font “Bookman
Old Style” bold italic. It’ll probably screw up the whole look of the thing but
if the other Squamidians feel it’s worse or harder to read, I’ll revert back to
the plain font. Also I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know if it’s better or
worse, ok? Thanks!
We’ve been enjoying the slightly warmer weather so far this week and
it’s supposed to stay sunny and above 0 c for the next 4 days. Let’s hope it’s
an indication that Spring is about to explode. I came across an interesting
article on the MSN news sight the other day. It was about an artist in England
that created a work that she had placed on display outside the British Museum
of Art.
It’s a fully functional outdoor toilet encased in a glass structure the
size of a “Porta Potty”. It’s made up of a sink/toilet unit of stainless steel
like the ones that they use in modern prisons. The glass structure is made up
of One Way Mirror and of course has the reflective side facing out to the
street. The Artist got the idea of using the “prison” style toilet when she
discovered that the location she wanted to set the piece on was the sight of an
old London prison. That prison was demolished about 100 years ago but dated
back to the 16th century. That prison was also the sight of a new
design that allowed the guards in the centrally located tower to see every
prisoner at all times without leaving the tower. Thus the idea of having a
reverse “see through” Loo! The ideas all connected to a prison theme. First the
location, then the prison style toilet/sink and also the visibility of the
public from within the toilet closet. The writer said that the public Loo was
slowly being accepted by the citizens of London. Although people were still
reluctant to believe that they could see passersby but the passersby couldn’t
see them on the pooper! I guess it would be a little disconcerting taking a
private moment in such a public feeling place! As long as you could lock the
door securely, I’d give ‘er a try! In fact it might be kind of fun to be able
to wave your “Winkie” at someone you didn’t like as they passed by! LOL!
Hahahahahaaaa…..! This artistic display has attracted approximately 25,000
users in the 8 months it’s been on the walkway beside the Thames. Now that
seems like a lot of crap to me, dontcha agree! LOL! Oh well, what the heck will
someone think of next?
Actually, I can answer that question
myself right now! Someone has invented “Outdoor Urinals” and the city of London
England is using them at this very moment. They are constructed of fiberglass
and are a free standing 4 sided structure with no enclosure. The look of it
reminds me of a “merry go round” that we used to play on in the parks when we
were kids only with a 7’ tall pillar in the middle. You just walk up to it and
stand on one of the 4 sets of foot pads and unzip. You then pee into one of the
4 holes that are placed at zipper height. Of course there is no way you can
wash your hands , it’s just for peeing and that’s it. Some of the people use
this facility during the day but it’s intended for use by patrons leaving pubs
at closing time in the evenings. The designer and the city of London have
intended these Outdoor Urinals as a means of deterring men from relieving
themselves in doorways and alleyways when the pubs are closed. The sanitation
department picks the entire structure up with a boom truck at sunrise and takes
it away to empty and sanitize it. They then return the urinals to their post in
late afternoon so they are there for use by pub goers come evening. I can’t
believe that the female citizens of London wouldn’t object to having this
public display of such a private act encouraged by their city councilors. Who
the hell wants to watch someone else perform like that in private, let alone in
public! NOT ME! This is one device that I would not make use of. I’ve been able
to hold my own until I find the right facility for the past 50 years. Hopefully
I’ll continue to the same restraint for many years to come! LOL! No public
peeing for this lad! Hahahahaaa…!
Now…………Mountainside Peeing in BC might just be another sport
altogether! I’ll have to check that one out if we ever decide to visit the
author of The Squamidian in his new habitat! Maybe Digger can enlighten us on
BC woodsmen habits! What do you say Doug? Any thoughts?
Well, enough “New” washroom habits for this week my friends! Let’s hope
that if any of us ever visits London there’ll be enough private “Loo’s” handy
that we’ll not have to resort to using these modern devices. Might be a good
idea though to wear a full length overcoat when walking the streets of London
as well as maybe have a “Balaclava” in your pocket should the need arise to
test the outdoor units!
You know, I had a whole other topic planned for this week but somehow it
got moved to the back burner by “Outdoor Urinals”. Don’t that beat all?! Guess I’ll just have to save that one for
next week.
Until then, have a safe week and thanks for tuning in!
Bye for now
GREG.
Pee S: Something to Think
About>
A fool always finds a
greater fool to admire him!
****
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the
doug
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