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Hi,a warm welcome to all from Me |
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HELLO AND WELCOME TO MY BLOGG! My misc. meanderings, mindless pap ad whatever else I plan on writing about. I'll be back to add some exciting mind expanding content very soon. ~Cliffee |
| It is no big thing, really, but I am starting to notice an annoying thing about our modern usages of the English language. No, I don't mean swearing; I'm not condoning it, but we all need to vent from time to time. don't we? No, I am referring to the over-the-top, officious gobbledy goop that is taking over the airways. News casters do it, so do many so-called experts, politicians and scholarly types. It is no longer acceptable to use "plainspeak". A school, for example is an educational institution, or a colleagiate establishment. Teachers are referred to as Members of the Scholastic proffession Good Students have become Exemplary achievers, adept at Scholastic endeavours. Lawyers have suddenly become Purveyors of the legal establishment or Solicitorial representatives. Doctors are now Medical practishioners I admire proper word usage, even if I don't always speak and write it (LOL!!) Oh, sure, they are in the dictionary, but do we really need those million dollar words thrown in our face so much? Who are they trying to impress anyway? Just once I'd like to hear phrases like; " School teachers admire good students, who go on to become Lawyers and Doctors." we are more likely to hear something like this: "Members of the institutional Scholastic society have an extreme afffinity towards those exemplary scholastic achievers, so adept in their studies that they endeavour to procure meaningful status with legal,solicitorial and/or Medicinal implementational establishments." Yikes!!! |
| It is a basic fact of life that you either have to protect your PC from Virus and Spyware infestation, or abstain from internet usage these days. Even then, with the most up to date of virus data bases, It is practically impossible to prevent such piracy and intrusion. I just wish I knew why these "infestations" have to occur in the first place. I, like so many others I know, am extremely vexed by it all. I can understand protests against the system and frustration incurred as a result thereof, but whilst freedom of expression & speech are constructive and vital to meaningful coexistence, out & out sabotage is something else entirely. Why should one man's fears, frailties, foibles, or lack of common decency have to affect so many? Is it a case of chronic boredom? Do these miscreants have so little to occupy their time that they must destroy anything and everything remotely decent? Are these assaults on our cyber world an act of terrorism? Spite? Revolt? Experimentation? Such hatred of humankind is sad and frankly puzzling to me. It is so annoying, I feel like screaming and tearing my hair out like some raving lunatic. It is a crying shame! I don't know about you, but I have almost given up on checking my emails, and I rarely surf the web beyond my safety zone -my own little "cyber community" as it were. It is a great pity, as there is a great deal to be gained by reaching out to kindred souls and to the tremendous amount of great material on offer out there. I realize I have just become a potential target of sorts, by posting this, but I doubt if very many visit this blog anyway, and I just felt the need to express my frustration. I'm absolutely certain that I'm merely echoing a popular sentiment at any rate. I just wish there was a way to stop all this Piracy on the Cyber seas. I welcome any and all responses. |
| The Elderly Woman smiled at me in recognition or perhaps sympathy, as I walked up the driveway towards her. The rain streamed from the peak of my cap and nerves tingled as several droplets traced a path down my spine from the nape of my neck to the small of my back. I shivered, looked to the heavens distainfully and handed her a newspaper. She nodded her thanks and chuckled as two little gray/brown rodents scampered away to the shelter of one of the nearby trees. "Fiesty little critters aren't they?" She offered, in fondness and admiration. I followed their rapid ascent and nodded my silent agreement . Mrs Williams glanced at my paper cart. "D'Ya have many more deliveries to make ? I've got coffee on, if you want one." Generous to a fault and always ready for a chat, Mrs Williams is one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet . Her big beautiful front yard is an absolute joy to behold for any nature lover . Like a mini eco-center unto itself, Festooned with towering cedarspruce and pine trees , it provides safe harbour for many of the area's chipmunk , Squirrlel and bird species. She calls them all her "Little Charges" At the base of several trees, Mrs W has installed flow feeders and seed trays. She keeps these well stocked with an ample supply of fresh water and a palatable array of seeds, nuts, berries and other fruit as well as whatever else is in season. Who needs house pets, she reasons, when there is such an abundance of nature at your doorstep. It had all started, for me, on a very hot and humid day Last summer. Mrs Williams had spotted me as I came struggling up the road with my paper cart in tow, and by the time I got to her front walkway, she was waiting for me, with a delightfully frosty pitcher of lemonade and two glasses. I don't usually accept drinks from strangers, but I was so hot and thirsty, and when I looked at her crinkled smile and kindly blue eyes, I couldn't refuse. The Lemonade was delicious, and we ended up chatting for quite a while. As we sipped, I told her about moving here from North Vancouver , and she told me a little bit about her family. Her children, one daughter and two sons, and all five Grandkids live back east, in the Toronto area. They visit during summer vacations and special occassions, but she doesn't see them as often as she would like . Despite that, she says she would never leave the mild and moderate west coast and that she would miss her furry and feathery friends far too much. We have had a great many chats since then, and it amazes me constantly, how blissfully out of touch she is with modern life. Her TV is hardly ever on, and the only news she reads is the local rag that I bring by for her each Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. That being said though, Mr.s W is a very wise and intelligent soul. I listen to CKNW talk shows on my walkman as I stroll around my route and we often have fun mulling over the topics of the day. I looked up at the darkening grey skies again and shivered. Coffee and a chat sounded very inviting, but It was already getting dark, and as I still had half of my deliveries to make, I declined with thanks and more than a little regret. "Take care Mr's W." I said. I waved then, and continued up the road with a smile on my face, a warm feeling in my heart, and renewed bounce in my stride. Mrs Williams is truly one in a million. |
| They stare out at the world from their favourite West-facing window ledge. Two felines of indeterminate breeding as alike, in every detail, as two peas in a pod. Black as night, their immaculate coats and I'm enchanted by two pairs of emerald orbs that demand of me, my facinated gaze. They are alike in all but one thing. One cat peers out through the window from inside the house. It stands stock still, and for the longest time, I am convinced it is a porcelain statue. The other is perched on a thin ledge outside of the window, its tail bobbing in time with the click of my footfalls. As I approach, down the stoney front walkway, the indoor cat, springs suddenly to life, and ducks for safety behind the curtain ruffle. Its braver twin hurries over to greet me; Purring amourously as I stoop to stroke its velvet-smooth pelt. This same phenominum occurs each time I visit this house. Sometimes they turn to face each other and attempt to rub noses through the glass. But always One is inside and the other out. It is remoniscent of some eerie on going stage show. I wonder if the players ever change roles? |
| As I drift in the nowhere-land between wakefulness and sleep. The days events allign themselves as if for inspection. Trivial little things that appeared to go unnoticed during the waking hours now jump readily to mind. As I crossed the road at lunch time, a voice called out to me from a passing car. The words were as clear as a bell, but what were they? Think, think, think..... Something like; "Smile, it's not all bad!" or "Child's knuckle pad!" A diner wiped the reminents of chicken noodle soup on his shirt sleeve, then catching my eye, pretended he was just checking his watch. That might have worked, too if his watch hadn't been on his other wrist. And on the walk home, I noticed a woman sitting on the library steps sobbing softly into a soiled hankerchief. In a different decade I might have approached her and offered a simpathetic ear, but sadly, times have changed, and so I walked on by. My eyes are like lead weights, my body limp and lax Marshmallow clouds float on sapphire streams through my sleepy mind the events of the day shift and meld into something new and outlandish, a summer night dream is about to begin. |
| "Knowledge is power" Sir Francis , an English lawyer, statesman, essayist, historian, intellectual reformer, philosopher, and champion of modern science, coined this phrase, back in the early 17th century,in fact. He was a man for whom virtually nothing was unachievable. He believed that in all cases, simply being in possession of the saliant facts, would inable a person to achieve greatness. He was an energetic man. Bacon clearly assumed that for all people, motivation was a given I was listening to Charles Adler's radio program today. He pointed out that knowledge was only part of the equation, the other half is motivation. That set my puny little brain spinning. How many people in this big old world of ours, are sitting on top of real gems of ideas, but lack the drive, initiative, incentive, (call it what you will, to realize their dreams? Adler's topic of discussion centered around health issues. According to medical statistics, despite our obsession with gyms and spas, palates and fitness machines etc... us Baby boomers are far less healthy than our forefathers. Today, we have so much info, to hand, in terms of medical technology, and health risk prevention. We have so many resources and so much knowledge, that we ought to be super humans by now. The truth is, despite all this insight, we as a society, are fast becoming a fat, sedentary lot. Life's stressful, dizzying pace, is leaving us dependent upon highly addictive processed (Fast) foods. Conveniences in all areas of life are packing pounds on us, turning us one by one into cigarette addicts, Alcoholics, overeaters, and otherwise adversely affecting our health. How can this be, if Knowledge is truly Power? We know what we're doing to ourselves, we have the medical reports and resources,that, as Francis Bacon tells us, should impower us, right? All that's missing is the motivation to make possitive changes happen. I therefore suggest that this famous 17th century quotation "Knowledge is Power", should get an upgrade. In keeping with our 21st century lifestyle. "Knowledge may well be power, but only impowering when motivation is present in equal or greater measure." |
| Hey all! I have been sooo busy in the last months; what with starting a new job, and all of the craziness of the holiday season. I am sorry and rightfully ashamed, to admit that I experienced a temporary dose of Artisans Amnesia and as a result, completely forgot about this site and all else internet related. The bakery where I now work has just gone from hellishly hectic to morgue-like in the last day or two, and my work shifts have been drastically cut. I'm told this is a yearly aberration, so instead of sobbin' mournin' those lost work hours, $$$$$$$$ I have decided to just go with the flow, and worry about paying bills, and all that dreary stuff, when the time comes. I have my share of reservations about this coming year; especially this hokey federal election they're foisting on to us (in Canada). I wish they were offering us some real clear choices here, instead of all the warn out retoric and meally mouthed mumbo jumbo. None of those campaign promises, tax cuts and other enticements will ever amount to a hill of smelly old beans anyway, so why do they bother? Oh but don't forget to vote for whichever screwed up party you hate the least eh? What happened to The Vancouver Canucks anyway? I thought they were going for the cup this year! Looks like another wasted season to me. Okay guys fire the coach, get a new goalie, and the last one out turn the lights out. Hey there's always next year....right?!!!!! Speaking of lights, I think its time to lighten things up a bit, don't you? So now===== directly from the "Better late than never file" in Uncle Fredrick's sock draw I present to you my....... "Foolproof New years Resolutions!!!!!" 1. I will strive to spend much more time on the computer updating my poor neglected blogg and Web pages. 2. I will make a valiant effort to do as little as possible, for as long as humanly possible. 3. I will eat at least one properly balanced meal at least once each week. (in fact I am balancing a plate of cheese nachos as we speak.) 4. I will ignore all incoming phone calls not directly concerned with or in the interest of resolutions 1 through 3. 5. I will stay awake a least long enough to finish this ............ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Oh well, Happy belated New Year gang lets hope 2006 is a winner!!! |
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