Is it just me or Are we all brain dead?

28 Oct 16
12:25 hrs

     I cannot believe the air play being given to Leonard Cohen's new album. Hell, any Leonard Cohen album for that matter.

     YOU WANT IT DARKER  (?)

     What the hell is that? And have you ever heard him? It's not singing. It's just  some morose poetry being read to a musical back drop. I think that it's very fitting if you worked in a morgue or a funeral home or with those soon to be in a morgue or a funeral home. The drudgery that is his voice has the ability to lull anyone within 100 feet of a speaker into a coma.

     Sure, he's Canadian but so is The Beiber. Why are we putting either of these people on a pedestal?

     Besides all of the bad boy bullshit that he pulled- egging his neighbours house,  reckless driving and the rest of his shit - the absolute worst was when some moron in the federal government decided to present Beiber with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal. As if he deserved the honor. And then the SCHMUCK shows up wearing fucking coveralls and with his hat on backwards like a real dipshit. I'm sure some protocol officer must have damn near vapour locked when he saw this little piss ant. I would have fucking refused him. Ole Stevie Harper should have fucking refused him. If some Service Member showed up with a mis-buttoned tunic he would have been shot with a ball of his own shit but this prick, who is a Canadian face on the global stage, gets away with coveralls? In his defence, according to The National Post, Biebs says that he was in rehearsal at the Scotiabank Place when the call came for him to go to the presentation and he didn't have a suit to change into.

     BULLSHIT ALERT! !

     His manager/fart catchers have every minute of every day for months on end mapped out so someone had to know it was coming up. On top of that the protocol weenies would have sent paperwork months in advance describing where/when/security requirements and what is considered to be acceptable clothing.

    Huge failures on both sides of the fence line.

     Speaking of fences. The heavy winds have been shredding them here in The Valley. I see lots of bracing in the neighborhood. Shitty time of year to be trying to put up new panels.

     My Junior Couch Monkey and I are going to see a Pink Floyd cover band at the local venue. We're going to dine at the Mad Chef prior to and have seats towards the rear of the hall. More the better to take in the whole stage. Really looking forward to it. 
 

Back in the GROOVE!

25 Oct 16
17:45 hrs.

     Even with the weather being as shitty as it is you gotta like it when you see plans coming together or, as in my line of work, cases closed off. Now having a raft of open cases does not necessarily mean that you're not doing your job. It means that they are SUI - Still Under Investigation. It means you do not have the evidence to close them. Now, at some point you will have to realize that the evidence will never be forthcoming, for whatever reason, and the file will have to be closed.

     So, close the damn thing and move on.

     All Hallows Eve will soon be upon us. Ghosts and Goblins and Witches. I dated one once, a witch that is. But that's another story. I saw a couple of gags you can play on some Trick or Treaters. You know the disposable ketchup and mustard packets...drop them in a kids goodie bag. Or how about chocolate covered brussel sprouts. Mmmm goood! Our Loin Fruits are too old for going through the neighborhood  but they could attend functions with their own cohort. I doubt if the Senior Couch Monkey is doing anything but Junior is heading over to Miss Mud Hooks on Friday night. She wants him to stay overnight but my Lobster says not a chance in hell!

26 Oct 16
06:50 hrs

     It's not who you know but who your wife knows!

     Currently, I am on DAYS OFF which means I try to be busy doing all the chores my Better Half assigns me. But, I still have my own mandate to fill as well. One of the places I have to attend is the JPSU to get clarification on paperwork for the DVA. Now, when I am on shift I have to shave every day to maintain a good public appearance. So, when I go on days off I normally don't shave just to give my face a rest. The question this morning was "If I an going to the JPSU, should I shave or go as a scruff?

     You will shave!

     Which goes to show you that you may not care what you look like but your Lobster doesn't want your unkempt face reflecting on her. 

16:25 hrs.

     The rains are still falling and there are at least three ARKS being constructed in the Valley. Speaking of floods. There are two earthen dams upstream from River City. The provincial seismologists say that if there is ever a great shake in our region, something nearing an 8.0 on the Richter scale those two dams will not hold. When asked how much water one could expect downtown in River City the answer was 6 to 10 metres. In other words folks, there would not be a downtown because it will be floating over to Quadra Island. The best course of action, in his words, was to get as far from the river as possible and as fast as possible. A wall of water that high would effectively take out the highway to Gold River and possibly wipe out the bridges in River City that lead to the North Island. How much time would you have? From the interview, you will have about thirty minutes from the time of the shaking until someone shouts "Surf's Up!" It's not a lot of time and I don't know if anyone has done any computer modelling as to where all that water would end up. I suppose a lot depends on which way the tide is running at the time. Anyone who has been to the pier in River City knows how fast the tide flows past Quadra Island. If the tide is heading north an extra gazillion tonnes of water would be squeezed even taller in the narrowing channel. If the tide is heading south the water would certainly affect Willow Point before flattening out into the strait. Disaster modelling aside, the devastation will be immense.

     Take heed.

     Use the time of safety to ensure that you have a disaster survival kit in your home and in your vehicle. Make sure your place of employment has one too. If your home is located in a place that maybe wiped out you might want to have a kit stored somewhere safer.

     How big should a kit be?

     A basic kit is supposed to keep you and your family sheltered and fed for three days. That's three days before EMT may arrive. I would look at lasting a week at least. You can have whatever you want in your kit but you must cover the following needs: Shelter, clean water and food. Personally speaking I would hone your fire making skills and your ability to source food from things other than a can. An emergency such as a huge quake on the Left Coast will be a real test for vegans. I know that I'll be helping to solve feral rabbit problem and I'm sorry but my family's needs come first.

27 Oct 16
06:15 hrs.

     Recently, I was chewed out on social media, as if I really care, about my lack of compassion for someone who OD'd on fentanyl laced cocaine. Comments like "oh poor man" and "it's a shame that fentanyl is around" shocked the hell out of me. The real tragedy is that a grown man wasn't smart enough to get the help not to  take cocaine! No excuse and no sympathy. I'll say it again. If you are taking illicit drugs and you die from taking illicit drugs that is your end game because illicit drugs will kill you. And the fact that our EMT personnel are carrying a life saving injection to save these people is bullshit. Why are we saving these drains on society? Empathy, sympathy?  I advocate that records be kept and if a person is brought back from the brink once and he/she doesn't learn from the experience to clean up their life - FUCK THEM! The resources and funding can be used better  elsewhere.

Another Whirlwind Trip

17 Oct 16
08:25 hrs.

     Yes, I am back at the Wayward Inn.  It's been a while Dear Readers since I have given you any updates. I had to take a fast paced trip to see the Sages. On the way I dropped off our Senior Couch Monkey at VIU. I must say that he is doing extremely well with his higher schooling. Mind you he only has one course divided into four subject areas, of which he does one per day per week leaving Fridays off to play catch up if need be. Dorm life is akin to living in a military barracks except he has a shower shared betweent himself and someone on the other side of the wall. From what we have been told the OTHER GUY has no concept if how to clean a bathroom which can be quite disgusting. But hey, it's not my bathroom and my Loin Fruit will have to deal with it.

     On the trip the Ram performed beautifully eating up the kilometers as if they were road muffins. And that big 5.7 l Hemi was very happy to be out on the road. Since going up hill takes more energy than going down I used just under one tank of fuel to get to the place and only 3/4 of a tank to get back to the Wayward Inn. That's 610 km if you're driving the Coq. I'd say that's pretty damn good.

     The annual Rocky Horror Picture Show review is taking place at the Little Red Church in Comox. An ex-service guy with a great mobile DJ company is putting it on. This is the third year for the show. My Lobster wants me to dress up as Riff Raff but my physique would lend more to Meatloaf.

18 Oct 16
05:50 hrs.

     With my Lobster in the Capital City for a work thing the Junior Couch Monkey and I dined on scampi tortellini. So good, I had a second helping and the leftovers fed the Loin Fruit at school.

     Always stay on top of your medical care otherwise mysterious illnesses can creep up on you. Now, even though I ate dirt as a kid (not that it was force fed but I was outside playing in it) I still have to have a medical done. Today is blood work day which means fasting.
     No cereal. 
     No eggs.
     No coffee.
     NOT HAPPY!

19 Oct 16
05:15 hrs

     Are ya gonna watch it?
    I'm gonna record it so I don't miss a single nuance. It should be good in light of recent developments. Of course, I am talking about the Presidential debates. Round three is on tonight and I'm sure the Donald will be true to form by straying far from giving a direct answer to any questions asked of him. It's all smoke and mirrors. Redirection and obfuscation.  How the hell can anyone jump on his band wagon is beyond me.  Oh yeah! His followers are all poor white uneducated redneck inbred trash.

     But, he has to be stopped. So you know of anyone South of the 49th, please please please educate them on the fact that this moron is gonna start a nuclear shooting war with Vladimir and Canada sits in the between them. Not good.

     The Junior Loin Fruit and I are going to try out the new Noodle Joint on Fifth and Fitzgerald.  Same with location as the Great Western BBQ,  which closed after 18 months. Restaurants are the toughest business there is. The reviews for this place have been mixed as the clientele pretty serious about their Pho. Some say it's the best ever and some have walked out leaving 90% of the food on the plate. I hate to be a guinea pig so maybe we'll hit the Saigon Noodle House instead.

Time

03 Oct 16
20:35 hrs.

     Take the time to be kind.

     Take the time to listen to your kids.

     Take the time to talk to your parents.

     Take the time to hug your spouse.

     I am losing someone close to me. Both mentally and physically. I know that this is inevitable because no one will live forever.  But given the option of a long drawn out declining health condition or something sudden I would prefer the latter. Why? Well, if you haven't kept in touch for years and you suddenly find out that your favourite Aunt Doris is no longer around then you're just a Schmuck. Also, a prolonged terminal illness benefits no one especially if you live South of the 49th Parallel where the For Profit Medical Industry begins to cackle and rub their hands at the thought wringing every last dime out of your carcass.

       Recently, I tried to approach how deal with this issue with a friend of mine and I was unsuccessful. In fact, I lost it. Shortness of breath. Weeping. Shaking. I know that I am going to have to grow a pair because it is only going to get worse before it gets better. I will have to find a source for some inner strength (other than a bottle of single malt) or I will be of no use to anyone. Stay tuned.