The Squamidian Report – Dec. 3 / 05
Also in this issue:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
I’m going to do something a little different, something I wouldn’t normally do here. A movie review. We don’t got out to the movies all that often and when we do it is just light entertainment. The movie is forgotten by the time we get to the car. The outing is what was important. This movie was different. You could feel it right down to your bones. Everyone in the theater could.
The Johnny Cash story, ‘Walk The Line’. Wow. It’s a drama, depicting all the hard times and sorrows and misery of Cash’s life from when he was about 10 on the cotton farm till after he and June Carter married. It showed how the cruel treatment from his father shaped Cash into what he was. It took you through the hard angry drug and alcohol times and the wild life of a star. It wove Cash and Carter together as their careers developed. It showed how dependant on her he was long before either of them knew it.
The theater was packed, which in Squamish is quite something. The theater was quiet as everyone paid attention to the screen. You knew the film equally moved everyone when no one moved to leave at the end. Every single person sat through the credits to read the names and listen to the last of the sound track as it faded away. And when it was over there was no mad dash to the exit. The viewers would have all sat through a repeat showing if they could have.
Joaquin Phoenix who I have never heard of played Cash. He did an amazing job of depicting Cash. He had all the mannerisms and movements down pat. Reese Witherspoon played Carter. This roll was very unlike the fluffy roles she has played and she pulled it off very well. You don’t need to know of or like either, in their roles of Cash and Carter they made the film work and it was powerful.
Or maybe it was just that we were stuck right at the front of the theater making the whole thing seem overwhelming.
*
Just like much of the rest of the country, the west coast has had its first taste of winter. We receive half a foot of snow in the higher elevations, include here in the Highlands. Down at sea level they got several centimeters. That meant the highways were a mess. Vancouver and area go into panic mode at just the thought of snow. The dusting they got pretty well shut the streets down. Just ask Sue, she tried to get to the airport on Tuesday morning.
Parts of Vancouver Island got dumped on. What happens is we get cold out-flow winds from high in the interior mountains that funnels out the fjords and meets the moist ocean air. That produces snow. The few plows that Vancouver has were ready, the few plows that the other lower mainland cities have were ready. If Victoria on the Island had any plows they would have been ready but Victoria does not have any plows so they weren’t ready of course. But the lower mainland cities only got a dusting so the plows really didn’t have much to do except watch as idiot drivers spin themselves silly and crashed into everything on just the a few flakes.
Where I’m working up the side of the mountain at Britannia it snowed pretty good and it lasted most of the day while down in the lower village and on that part of the highway there was very little. However, several high sections of the highway got a fair amount and the traffic reacted accordingly with a fair amount of kayos. One of the realities of west coast snow is that it comes down heavy and wet and turns to ice making it more tricky to drive in than that nice dry snow that colder climates get. But there is still no excuse for the kayos that results from a dusting. It’s just silliness, and stupidity, and un-attention, and people in way too much of a hurry. There, that’s my preaching for this week.
*
I got up in the middle of the night on a clear starry night this week to check out the stars. They were great. The Milky Way spread across the sky, the winter constellations were predominant. Mars was bright. But best of all, the Andromeda Galaxy was clearly visible. Because it was high overhead the viewing angle through the atmosphere was not a problem. As a naked eye object it could be seem easily even using forward vision rather than peripheral vision. When trying to look at faint objects like the Andromeda, peripheral vision is often best because it is more sensitive to dim light than forward vision. And through my binoculars it was spectacular. The disk could be seen stretching for several degrees and the brighter center glowed.
The Andromeda lies on a tilted angle from our prospective, a bit like holding a dinner plate out at arms length while trying unsuccessfully not to spill its contents. It is the furthest away naked eye object visible to us and is just over 200 millions light years away. That means what you are seeing when you look at it actually happened over 200 million years ago. Cool. It is a sister Galaxy to our own and is roughly similar in size and structure. Sure makes you wonder what it would be like to go there.
d
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Hi
everyone!
OK, who’s
ready for Christmas and who isn’t? I know the guys do their shopping during the
last week before the big day. I for one try not to leave it until Christmas
Eve. Women just think we do that! Hollywood has been the perpetrator of that
myth and I’d like to debunk it right now! Men give a lot more thought and
consideration to what they are buying or giving their loved ones than we get
credit for. I’d be surprised if there was one male member of the Squamidian
Group that actually leaves his shopping till Christmas Eve. If there is … let’s
hear from him. I’d be interested to hear how he does it successfully. Anyway,
the ladies of our close knit family needn’t worry, Santa won’t forget a single
one of you, I promise!
*
Every
year I get asked what I want for Christmas and I truly have a difficult time
thinking of anything that I don’t already have. I’ve probably said this in
previous Ontarions but when a guy has his health, his family and a modicum of
financial security he pretty much has what he wants in life. There are the
usual things that a woman can give a guy to make him smile (get your minds out
of the gutter ladies). The things I’m talking about are guy things such as
tools, sporting goods and hobby items. What guy doesn’t like to open a package
on Christmas day to find a new cordless gadget inside? Let’s face it ladies,
guys are easy to buy for!
It’s the
ladies that are the challenging ones to buy for. As usual, I’ve asked Carole to
make a list of the things that she thinks she might like and leave it sitting
conspicuously on the kitchen counter. At least then I have a guideline and from
that list I seem to be able to think of a few related items that she doesn’t
have included. I’m sure I’ll do just fine once I get out to the malls and start
shopping. There hasn’t been an unsuccessful Christmas in the Payne household in
the past 33 years and I doubt we’ll start this year. Like I said, as long as everybody
is healthy and happy together, Christmas is good! This year will be no
exception I’m sure.
*
We’ve had
a week of slightly milder weather here in KW and it was a welcome sight. I
tried to leave the 8” of snow on the driveway long enough for the weather to
melt it but finally relented and went out the day of the big temperature
increase and blew it to the edge of the road. I had quite a pile of it on the
boulevard by 10am and by 3pm there was hardly a snowflake to be seen. They said
tonight on the news that we are in for a heck of a snowstorm over the next
couple of days so we’ll be back at the shoveling or blowing by the end of the
weekend. The driveway has been conspicuously devoid of vehicles for the past
two weeks. Adam moved his Mini into the garage along with our motorcycles and
the MGB two weeks ago for the duration of the winter. The only vehicle left was
the Jeep. It sure was nice to be the only one to park there for a change. I was
looking forward to an easy time clearing the snow this winter with only one
vehicle to worry about. However, on Monday morning, Adam asked me if I’d be
willing to drive him to Rexdale to look at a pickup truck he had his eye on. I
of course said I’d be glad to take him to see it. We set out at around 11am
with me thinking he’d probably not like the vehicle when he saw it in person.
He had seen it in a picture in the Truck Trader and when you see these vehicles
in person they usually don’t meet the standards one expects. I figured he’d see
it and drive it and say “it really isn’t quite what I thought it would be” and
we’d have lunch and head for home. Well, we arrived at the dealer and as we
entered the lot, there it was, gleaming like a big black pearl in the smidgen
of sunshine that was breaking through the cloud cover. The picture in the Truck
Trader certainly didn’t do the vehicle justice. This was one beautiful truck if
I do say so myself. I’ve always been a truck lover and this was a fine example.
It’s a 1997 vehicle but could pass as a new one. There isn’t a mark on the body
and the interior is amazingly clean. It’s an F150 Ford Lariat. It has an “Extra
Cab” body and a “Step Side” style box on the back. It’s black and gold on the
exterior and has a light tan leather interior. With a fuel efficient V8 and all
the bells and whistles this truck was one attractive package! Adam talked a
deal with the salesman and two hours later we were on the way home to Kitchener
with a new addition to the family. Now I have a second vehicle to shovel or
blow around this winter after all. I really don’t mind, I have the use of a
truck any time I need one and Adam doesn’t have to beg for the use of the Jeep
between the times we need it. It’s always fun to have a new vehicle in the
family. Just one more guy thing to add to the toys.
Well, I
guess that’s about it for this week!
Thanks
for tuning in and I look forward to talking to you all again next time in
The
Ontarion Report!
Bye for now….
GREG.
PS:
Something To Think About>
Is there
really and truly a Santa Clause?
I say
YES!
If any of
you think differently, I’d love to hear your opinion and of course I’d be happy
to give you my point of view.
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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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