The Squamidian Report Š Jan. 2
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Issue #***397
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Attention Everyone!!
Something we are coming up on fast is the 400th addition of the Squamidian. Yup, thatÕs right, the four-hundredth. ThatÕs a lot of small talk and typing and Emailing. This issue is #397 so we are just 3 Squamidians away. The big 400 will be on January 23. I know most of us are pretty busy right now but lets see if we can put together a big fat addition that has as much input as possible from as many of us as possible. I donÕt know how much interest there is out there anymore and a good showing would certainly go a long way in helping Greg and I keep this thing going a bit further into the future. So come on guys, everyone has something interesting to talk about, so talk, or in this case type.
*
Well now, I trust everyone is doing OK and didnÕt eat too much over Christmas and New Years. Can be quite hard to control the old caloric intake during certain festive dinners. Good rule of thumb is to eat until you are not hungry, not eat until you are full. That was hard to do in the old days when we lived back home because Vivyan used to make about 7 different kinds of fruit pie for desert and there was no way you could not try each and every kind. The solution was to have a very small piece from each pie. No matter how small the slices were sliced it still made for a lot of wonderful pie and it was just so good that no one could resist.
*
Now here is something new and somewhat unexpected. This issue of the Squamidian is the first one to be totally compiled, assembled, edited and mailed out using Mac computers instead of MS based PCÕs. Greg and I have both found ourselves jumping platforms yet we have come to this from different directions and for different reasons.
A couple of months ago my old ŌbackupÕ system gave up the ghost. My ŌmainÕ system, the one I build shortly after moving to here is showing signs of becoming old and less than totally dependable. IÕm thinking part of that can be blamed on good old Microsoft. As they are trying to force users to move on to Windows 7 they seem to be sabotaging XP, and XP was and still is their best OS. It seems that every time they issue a new patch or update they cripple or delete some existing app or program on my system. IÕm fed up. So when I mentioned to Ryan that I needed to replace my ŌmainÕ system and relegate it to the status of ŌbackupÕ he started to push for a jump to a Mac. IÕd often thought I might try Linux or some such thing but he uses Mac and so thatÕs where we went.
So in mid November I ordered a Mac Mini. Those are the ones that are the size of a paperback book. Not real powerful, they have about the same capability as a good laptop but thatÕs lots more than my old one-time state-of-the-art system has. All I would need with it would be a keyboard and mouse, my LCD monitor would work just fine. The Mini arrived and IÕve been trying to learn the Mac way of doing things ever since. The tiny little Mac keyboard is taking some effort to get used to. It doesnÕt seem much bigger than those cell phone keyboards that all the kids ŌtwitterÕ on. IÕm making more than my share of typos but spell check finds them before I embarrass myself too much. Unlike what all the commercials and hype say about the MacÕs, they are NOT easy to learn and use, at least not if you have been using PCÕs for the last 15 years of so. Switching is hard and at times frustrating. The system is different and the software is different and you do everything differently. But itÕs coming and at some point IÕll be as comfortable using the Mac as I have been using the PC.
If this issue of the Squamidian looks or feels different, let me know. IÕd be interested in finding out what the difference if any is. All I know is it sure looks and feels different at this end.
*
This has been quite a year, with good things and bad things and frustrating things.
The worst of the bad things was that we lost Janice and we all miss her very much.
It wasnÕt so much a bad thing that Sue lost her job but how she lost it. Being retired is actually good for her. She can finally live where her house is instead of out of a suitcase. She is slowly becoming less stressed and more relaxed. At some point the corporate brain-dead executives in the center of the universe Toronto will clew in but it is already too late. They will have to start all over from scratch or give up on doing branch audits completely. You might want to keep an eye on where you keep your hard earned money.
An example of the good things would be the reunion last summer. The music and the renewal is what bind family and friends together. Another example of the good things would be the motorcycle trips we did. Both long and short. We rode across the country with Ryan and met up with Paul and Sherry, and we rode to Whistler and Horseshoe Bay with Gary and Owen Sound Sue. Or the jam sessions that Warren and I have together, made even better when Nova Scotia Sus was out here and joined in with us. Or watching 5 planets in the early morning sky during late summer. Or going for a nice brisk walk, and on and on.
LorneÕs eye surgery was a good thing. He can see stuff now.
We had frustrating times when trying to get our house fixed
up a bit. Our intension was to get the outside as maintenance free as possible.
We made arrangements way back in the summer to have the exterior treated with a
vinyl coating that would protect the stucco.
The stuff comes with a 50-yr guarantee, is applies like paint and can be any
colour you want. It is intended for the damp west coast climate. It took a
month for the CHIC crew to turn up and when they did, they took one look at our
house and left. They didnÕt even bother to tell their boss that they hadnÕt
done the job which should have taken about a week. They just decided that the
house was too high for them to do even though they do high-rises and condos in
the city all the time. Their boss couldnÕt understand why we kept calling to
see what was going on, he thought the job was done.
It took another month before a different crew was sent out. They did a great job that we were very happy with but by now it was late fall.
At this point we made arrangements to have our eves troughs replaced. Half of them had come down during last winterÕs heavy snows and the rest were taken down so the painters could do a proper job. Just like with the exterior painting, we had to have a company from the city do the work. No one in Squamish will give an acceptable price for anything. They all want to work in Whistler where they can gouge to their greedy heartÕs content. It took over a month for the eves troughs crew to turn up; they took one look at the house and left. They had some excuse for not doing the job. When a crew finally did come to do the job a couple of weeks later, it was already late afternoon and pouring rain. They made it quite clear to us that they didnÕt really want to be here. Instead of working until dark and then leaving with the intent on finishing the next day, they worked way past dark until they were ŌdoneÕ and simply left.
The next morning I took one look at their work and just about blew my top. The workmanship was beyond atrocious. There are no words to describe how bad of a job they had done. Not only had they bungled the installation, but they had knocked some holes in our newly treated stucco siding. I phoned the company and they requested pictures, which we emailed to them within minutes. Their rep called us back and said heÕd be up to have a look. When he came later that week he agreed that it was not acceptable and that they would send up a crew to fix it right away. Now it took several weeks of phoning to see when the repairs would actually be done. They kept telling us that someone would be here in a given day but they would never turn up. Always had a job to do on the way and never quite made it here.
The crew that finally did turn up did a very good job of fixing the eves and replacing all the bent and crushed downspouts. They were not equipped to repair the stucco and vinyl coating but assured us that someone would come and do it shortly. As of now we are still waiting for the holes in the stucco to be repaired but we will continue to hound then until the repairs are completed properly. If it drags on too long weÕll have a chat with the BBB, IÕll do the repairs myself and send them a nice inflated bill. Like IÕve said before, people out here are not Ōlaid backÕ, they are incompetent.
Anyway, Happy New Year everyone.
doug
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THE
ONTARION REPORT
Hello
everyone!
Happy
New Year to all of my fellow SquamidianÕs!
2009
has been a good year and IÕm happy to say having heard no complaints that the
Squamidian members are all well and looking forward to 2010. I only hope that
Doug and I can keep on pumping out the columns each week so we can all stay in
touch. This year is starting off with something new for Doug and I both weÕve
each switched from our old PC computers to Apple computers. It seems that we
have both been under pressure for years to switch to MacÕs by our sons. Both
Ryan and Adam have been Mac guys all along and have been instrumental in our
making the move to what they tell us is a far superior system. Well, my switch
came as a result of a gift from Adam to Carole and I for Christmas. He
presented us with a beautiful 27Ó iMac Apple computer for our home office. We
were totally shocked at this amazing computer. Adam has always been very
generous to us and he truly outdid himself this year. This iMac is the top of
the line from Apple and is HUGE by comparison to our old PC. We used to have
the conventional computer ŅtowerÓ sitting on the floor between our feet when
seated at the desk and we were always kicking it.
This
new iMac does not have a tower, its works are all contained in the monitor that
sits on the desktop. The monitor is 26 inches wide by 18 inches high by 2
inches thick. The CDÕs and DVDÕs and other devices get inserted into the
computer through slots in the right side edge of the monitor and any
accessories needed can be plugged into ports in the backside. IÕve always been
thankful that I have Adam handy whenever anything went wrong with the PC since
it seemed there was always a glitch or two that would crop up when I was computing.
Adam has been like I say, using an Apple for as long as heÕs had a computer and
has never had a problem with it. The Apple is just trouble free. They never
seem to be affected by virusÕs that go around and therefore thereÕs no need to
buy expensive virus protection programs. ThatÕs only one bonus that comes with
Apple. Adam set up the new computer on Boxing Day and within a couple of hours
Carole and I were using it for the first time. We both were amazed at how
easily we were able to pick up the methods of moving around the different
programs. Remembering back to learning to use the PC we remarked at how easy to
understand and apply the directions for operating the new iMac is in
comparison. Apple just seems to explain their operation so well and in language
thatÕs clear and direct.
Adam
installed all of the content from our PC onto the new Mac and we were able to
step right into using it without a hitch. He spent a couple of hours in
particular transferring and organizing our Photo file. When I opened that file
and began to look at the many ( couple thousand) photos weÕd taken over the
past few years I was astounded at the clarity and colour quality of each
picture! It was like looking at different photographs altogether! This system
is noted for its quality of production of photographic, art and music work. It
certainly lives up to its reputation in that regard. The size of the monitor
screen is another shocker. I liken it to sitting in front of a Drive In movie
screen with its 27Ó corner to corner measurement of the viewing portion of the
monitor. ItÕs HUGE! Makes it much easier for an old guy like me to view what
heÕs writing! LOL! It even has this lovely Zoom in feature that allows me to
enlarge anything IÕm viewing for a closer look. When reading anything such as
the paper on line, I can see the lettering much better. I donÕt even need my
glasses if I choose not to wear them. Of course the letters have to be half an
inch high! LOL! But, I can do it and thatÕs the point!
Well,
IÕm sure writing my column from now on will be a greater pleasure with our new
iMac and hopefully IÕll be even more inspired to write about interesting stuff
for your reading pleasure!
I
thank each and every one of you for supporting both Doug and myself for what
was another fun year of pretending to be writers with something worth writing
about! We have both said to each other how there are times when we draw a blank
on Squamidian day and IÕm sure Doug will agree with me when I say how much I
appreciate your patience when (more often than not) I bore the hell out of
our Squamidiaville readers with
one of those desperate ŅblankÓ days! LOL!
So
once again, THANK YOU ALL for your loyalty and for allowing me to be a part of
your family every Saturday! ItÕs truly been a pleasure and one heck of a lot of
fun!
Thanks
for tuning in and I look forward to talking to you all again THIS YEAR in The
Ontarion Report!
Bye
for now and GOOD LUCK in the New Year!
GREG.
PS:
Something To Think About>
It
would be cool if each Squamidian member would pledge to write just ONE
submission to the weekend column sometime during the coming year!
Even Karin with her busy schedule manages to write a few
times during the year and we thank her for her efforts! That goes for Carol and
Vivyan too! Always a pleasure to hear from you!
****
Have a good one..
the doug
The Fine Print!
The articles in these issues are the sole property of
the persons writing them and should be respected as such.