The Squamidian Report – Dec. 10 / 05
Also in this issue:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Every had one of those days that just wasn’t worth getting up for? I did a week ago but I needed a while to think about it before writing about it as it had left me kind of shaken. The day (Friday the 2nd) actually started out very good. After spending a month installing the hydro and phone duct banks and related stuff along the new roads up the mountain, we finally completed that phase of the project. So when the last of that work was finished I walked the machine down to the lower section of the site where I would finish out the day doing some small cleanup tasks here and there. My truck was still parked up at the top so I caught a ride back up to get it. Once in the truck I went to do up my seat belt but I was sitting on my coat, which was snagged over the clip. I reached back behind me with my right hand and gave the coat a quick jerk. Big mistake. Instead of the coat moving, my shoulder moved. It had dislocated and then popped back in. I had to sit there for a while and let the pain ease off a bit before driving down.
I was going to ask for the rest of the day off but the things I had been assigned to do were easy and light duty so I figured I could limp my way through the rest of the day. I loaded out some rocks and boulders that needed to be moved, spread some gravel that needed to be spread and then went on to loading out some brush piles. We were using an off road rock truck for the hauling. These are the big, articulating 6 wheel drive things with the dump box that does not have a tail gate. Now I should also explain that the machine I use is the only one we have that does not have a rock guard cage. Rock guards are the barred cages that fit over the machine cab to protect from everything from roll over to impact form moving objects. I use that particular machine because the nature of the work I do requires as much unobstructed visibility as possible. I do precision work while laborers are working and milling around and under the machine and bucket. I need to be able to see everything all the time.
Normally a machine with a cage would be used for brush work but there was non available and I was there with the 135 so I loaded out brush. In the second pile I got to was a huge stump which I had to roll around a bit in order to find a good hold. It was all the machine could do to lift it into the back of the truck where I released it and then turned my head to look back to where I would be swinging the boom. What followed was a God awful crash as the front of my cab disappeared, along with the control panel where the gauges and dials are. I was covered with disintegrated glass. I had no idea what had happened when the truck driver came running back to see if I was OK. To the best of my knowledge I was but I sure re-wrenched my shoulder as I climbed out.
I then radioed the foreman and he was there within seconds. He double checked that I was OK and then asked what happened. We explained as best we could but I really don’t know. The stump obviously rolled back out of the truck but I don’t know how or why. I did find later that my hands were covered with small nicks and cuts from the glass but aside from that the stump had somehow not touched me. But as soon as I realized the gravity of what had happed I was pretty shaken. The front of the machine looked like those pictures of busses that have been in head on collisions.
Needless to say, I went home after that. Found I could not use my right arm so Emily did some massage work on it for me. I took Monday and Tuesday off to let the arm heal a bit and get some movement back into it.
So last weeks Squamidian was put together using my left hand. I had to switch the mouse over to the left side of the keyboard. Its quite incredible how quickly you can adjust to using your left hand on the computer mouse. Also quite incredible how many things you find you used your right hand for that the left just can’t seem to do very well.
But things are getting back to normal. I work for one of the few companies I’ve found here that is mature and understanding so everything is fine there. The machine has been taken away for repairs and they know I am not careless or purposely hard on equipment.
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On a totally unrelated note, remember all those cool dirt biking pictures that I’ve got posted on my web site? Well, that great little Minolta camera that took most of those shots has gone on to where ever dead cameras go. The mechanical part that moves the zoom thing and works the shutter as broken. Estimated repairs are almost what a new one would cost so I went out and bought a new camera to replace the broken one. This one is a Nikon Coolpix 5600 with 5.1mp and 3x optical zoom plus digital zoom. It’s the optical zoom that is important. It has on-board memory as well as a SD card slot for my 256mb card from the old camera. It uses the same rechargeable AA batteries that the old one used. Problem with these new cameras is that they have so many features that normal people like me will never figure out how to use more than just the basic default settings. It can capture as much video as memory will hold, it can capture audio as well. The manual says it can do things that are so far beyond me I don’t even know what it’s talking about. Just as long as it takes good biking shots when weather and injured arms permit I’ll be happy.
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Now this is kind of fun, there is a web cam up on Whistler Mt that I’ve mentioned before. They have made some upgrades to it. It had been pointing at the Roundhouse and still does but now there are control buttons at the bottom of the picture that let you pan left or right, all the way around. It’s a great way to see the mountains, the skiers and the local weather. Best viewed with high speed Internet access but can be done on dial-up if you have patience. http://www.whistler.com/webcam/
doug
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Well,
here we go again! The race for the top governing spot in Ottawa is underway
once more. Let’s hope we get a government that can run on it’s own without the
ass kissing of other minority parties to make up enough votes to pass a bill. I
personally hope it’s not another Liberal minority or majority in power. I had a
knock on the door yesterday and opened it to be greeted by a campaign supporter
for the local Liberal member Karen Redman. I must say that Karen has been a
hard working and from what I can tell honest MP for our area. She just happens
to belong to the wrong party in my eyes. Her rep asked me if I knew who I’d be
voting for this time round and if I’d mind sharing that info with her. I told
her I didn’t mind at all and told her straight out I’d be voting PC. She
immediately asked if my decision was based on the current Liberal AdScam
situation. She seemed to be ready to concede and walk away as I drew my next
breath. I told her that that situation was the straw that broke the camels
back. I told her that I am fed up with the Liberal lies that we’ve caught them
in and that I find it hard to believe that our current Prime Minister and
former federal Finance Minister had no knowledge of the disappearance of
hundreds of millions of our tax dollars while he was responsible for those
funds. She said she had no reason to disagree with my thinking on that matter
other than the fact that Mr Martin said he didn’t know anything about the theft
of the money. I said “I don’t believe Mr Martin when he says that and as far as
I’m concerned, that was just another Liberal lie!” I told her that I think it’s
time for a change at the top and she can feel free to pass my responses on to
her boss Karen Redman. I’m just one small fry in the pan but if enough
Canadians open their eyes and respond with their brains instead of what they
sit on, maybe we’ll get a reasonably responsible government to run our country
this time. That’s enough political stuff for this week but before I change the
subject, let me say that this is just my opinion and I am not suggesting that
anyone reading this column has to agree with me. I only hope you all vote with
your eyes open this time. It’s wrong to vote for any one party just because
that’s the party you’ve always voted for. Take a long hard look at each party’s
track record and what they have to offer this time around. Watch the news
reports and listen to the campaign speeches of each candidate and please make
an informed decision and vote accordingly. It’s time to vote in a party that
will have our best interests at heart, not simply thoughts of staying in power
for the purpose of lining their own pockets and those of the friends they have
in Big Business.
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John
Lennon was shot 25 years ago today at the entrance to the Dakota Apartment
building in New York City. The killer was Mark David Chapman who remains in
prison in New York to this day. He figured he’d take over John Lennon’s fame by
killing him. I guess he was right in some respects, he’s famous alright but the
notoriety he receives is filled with hatred where John’s fame was and still is
filled with Love. John was a man who became so famous that he eventually grew
to despise his own fame. He was a person who thought the world had the ability
to someday be free from war and hatred. He dedicated that last ten years of his
life to promoting peace and love throughout the world. If John were alive today
he’d be 65 years of age and no doubt appalled with the wars that are raging at
this very moment. Tributes to this gentle man were held in most major cities of
the world today. The one that hit home for me was held in Central Park in NYC.
In 1995 Carole and I went to New York City with the North American Senior Drum
and Bugle Corps Alumni Association. We had three beautiful sunlit days touring
NYC. One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to the Dakota Apartments
where John Lennon resided at the time of his death. We saw the location of his
assassination which is marked by a large bronze plaque commemorating his life
and death. The Dakota is located on Central Park west which is the street that
borders the West Side of, you guessed it, Central Park. Directly across the
street from the Dakota is an entrance to the park. At that entrance we spoke to
a souvenir vendor that told us he was working with his father at that very
location selling souvenirs in 1980. He said that the death of Lennon was a
personal thing to him because he had become friends with John through John’s
visits to the park. He spent many an hour talking with John and showed us
pictures of himself as a young teenager with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. It was
moving to see these pictures and to think we were talking to an actual friend
of such a famous humanitarian. Inside that entrance of the park is a section of
Central Park called “Strawberry Fields”. It’s an area filled with plants and
flowers surrounding a large diameter mosaic design built into the pathways that
intersect at that point. In the mosaic are the dates of both the birth and
death of John Lennon and the words “Strawberry Fields Forever, God Bless You
John, We’ll Miss You”. The area has benches for public use and many people
spend hours reading and just daydreaming in “Strawberry Fields”. It was a
wonderful experience just being there and seeing this tribute for ourselves. If
I can find the pictures we took, I’ll send any pertinent shots to Doug for your
viewing next week.
I’m sure
we all have memories that are stirred by the mention of John Lennon and The
Beatles. They are certainly a huge part of music and cultural history
throughout the world. The world was a better place with John Lennon in it for
sure.
Time to
pack it in for this week.
Thanks
for tuning in again and I look forward to talking to you next time in The
Ontarion Report.
Bye for now…. GREG.
PS: Something To Think About>
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The Family and the Squamidian sites:
http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b/ and http://www.thedougsite.ca
Have a good one..
the
doug
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