Almost at the Turn

03 Nov 24

07:00 hrs

     Good Morning Dear Readers, 

     It is referred to as a turning point in history. It's that definitive moment when something happens in one's life or in a company's progress or in a nation's growth. On your way to work you turned right instead of left and later learned you missed being involved in an vehicle accident or some manager didn't ensure that the delivery vehicles had regular  maintenance and as a result the goods cannot be delivered on time and if a portion of the electorate does not take the time to research their choice of candidates could push back their country more than 80 years.

     If you refuse to learn from history you are bound to repeat it!

     Recently, the Tangerine Tyrant held a rally in the Big Apple where the misogynistic leader along with the racists and the homophobes were out in full fascist force. History shows that in 1939 the American Nazi Party held a rally in the very same place and railed against the very same issues. In 1945 World War Ii ended when the Allies defeated the German National Socialists (Nazis) and in the following years showed the world the horrors they had committed to maintain their racial purity. In today's political arena, the Tangerine Tyrant has spoken of building internment camps, of rounding up illegal immigrants and of going after the enemy within all of which was done during the German Nazi regime. 

     I really don't know what of world history is taught in the Hugh-ess. I do know that the focus is primarily of their own internal history and how their country was involved on the global stage. But, now even that history is being skewed in some GOP  areas as The PowersThat Be want to remove anything and (it seems) everything that:

a) reflects badly on them or their party

b) promotes independent thinking

c) anything they don't understand

d) any challenge to their authority 

e) anything that is different from them.

     What is happening in the Hugh-ess is not happening in the Great White North. Or, is it? Recently, one of the candidates running for the leadership of the Left Coast made it abundantly clear that if elected he would repeal the provincial act requiring consultation with First Nations before any construction takes place because their needs don't need to be considered. Sounds pretty racist to me.

     If you think 'Merican Nazism is not much of a thing I beg to differ. If you want to hear some deep background research stuff I ask you to look for "Ultra" on your podcast. It's by Rachael Maddow from MSNBC. There are two seasons. Start with S1E1 and be prepared to be stunned.

     North of the 49th all we can do is hope that good will triumph over evil. And it will be evil if the Orange Shit-gibbon is re-elected especially since the Supreme Monkeys has given him unchecked carte blanche clearance to do whatever the hell he wants. In order to ensure a safe and fair election Hugh-ess vote some counting centres have been beefed up with perimeter steel fencing topped with barbed wire, rooftop snipers, bi-partisan scrutineers and multiple security check points. Over $10m has been spent just at one counting centre. And all in the name to safeguard their voting freedom. 

Looking Beyond the Obvious

31 Oct 24

06:30 hrs

     Happy Halloween Campers! 

     Is your house all dressed for the fun? This year we added a 6x6 foot illuminated spider web littered with dolls purchased from the Sally Ann wrapped in gauze. Do you get lots of kids yelling Trick or Treat? We get about a couple hundred with some in some really good costumes. What's your favourite Halloween movie? Last night we watched the original Amityville Horror and The Omen. Outstanding movies.

     I know that some of you have been keeping a watchful eye on the happenings South of the 49th Parallel. And don't try to deny it. Hugh-ess politics has a direct impact on the Great White North so I'm sure you're paying attention. Now, regardless of which news station you watch they all tend to cut to some "expert" who explains some point of view so even the brain dead public can comprehend it. And it doesn't have to be a political point. It could be a disaster story or a puff piece because the "news" needs a pro to validate the network's position. What I find interesting is what you can see behind the the commentator. Especially, if the interview is taking place from an office or a room in a home. What's sitting on the bookshelf? Or, hanging on the wall? I'm pretty sure that the pundit has personally staged the background with items that he/she wants the observer to see. Items that are important to them, may speak for them and will reflect on them. Favoured books, authored books, children's drawings, awards recieved and funny baubles. Just about anything can be in the background but rest assured, that prior to being aired, the staff of the news organization has probably looked through the lens to see if anything in the background will not be offensive to their viewers.

     Our Jr. Couch Monkey has now completed five weeks of his Basic Training at CFB Boredom. He has told us that several people requested a voluntary release within the first couple of weeks. I guess they didn't like the military life. But then again, what the hell did they expect. It's the military. Comedian Robin Williams,  in his role as the Air Force DJ Adrian Cronauer, asked what was the difference between the army and the boy scouts? The boy scouts doesn't have artillery.

     The Ram is going into the shop. I think I had mentioned this before. Maybe not. Anyways, the Ram is a stock vehicle. No bells. No whistles. Just after i bought it I realized that I needed some off-road lighting, map lights and fog lights. My Better Half said I should get them installed. Well, there is only one place in The Valley to get the job done and the price quote was prohibitive. So, I decided to do the job myself. With the help of my Friend from Over the Hump, three sets of lights and the switches were installed. They lasted about a year or so and abruptly quit. Try as I may I could not de-snag the issue. There was no choice but to take the Ram back. A pre-inspection survey of the wiring job I had done proved that a professional would have done a much tidier job. In my defence, the lights were functional which is what I was aiming for in the first place. So, the plan is to leave the lights in place and build a new wiring harness.

The winter weather is hitting The Rock. Rain most days and if it's not raining it's pouring. The hope is that the temperature will drop to less that 7°C here in The Valley so the snow pack will start to build. The bigger the snow pack on the Beauforts the less likely of a forest fire in the summer. 

Soon the spooky decorations will come down and the Christmas boxes will come out. My Lobster has written the annual letter and as soon as the boxes are opened the cards will be mailed. We'll be expecting a full house, of sorts. Both boys and their Significant Others will be here as will be our friend The Onion. Oh Happy Days!

The Wayward Inn Word of the Day

15 Oct 24

22:00 hrs

     This is a new feature of my blog. Odd words that occasionally come up in conversation at the Wayward Inn. 

     "Table scab" - the slightly convex, dried button-like object that resembles a week old gravy/ketchup/chewed food spittle droplet that refuses to be wiped away and must be flaked off.

     Origin ..... Your's Truly nearly lost an eye when my Better Half flicked something off the table and hit me. I asked "What the hell was that?" And she replied, "That was a table scab!"

     

Happy Turkey Day

14 Oct 24

09:00 hrs

     Good Morning Dear Readers, 

Have you celebrated Thanksgiving yet? What was your main course? Turkey? Chicken? Ham? A roast of some kind? Or, did you cheap out and order Chinese food? Did you dine alone or with family? Did you invite non-family friends to your table? And, more importantly, what did you give thanks for? We celebrated the holiday with our Sr. Loin Fruit and his Significant Other as well as our Jr. Couch Monkey's Significant Other. As Jr. is away at Basic Training we have invited his S.O. over several times for meals and card games. He enjoys the invites and is always welcome.

     Speaking of Jr's Training, we got a surprise phone call from himwhen we had gone to the Pacific Pearl to watch a CFL game. His phone had called and he was borrowing someone's phone. From what he told us all is well. His bed was tossed at least once for non-conformity. He sent us the rest of his snail-mail address and we shipped him a care package consisting of his rain jacket, a spare phone, a couple handfuls of loose Cherrios and a piece of his homemade two year old hard tack. We know the package arrived on Base but haven't heard from him this week so we don't know if he has the package is in his hot little hands. 

     My Better Half was talking to a good friend from her college days. She attended our wedding and we have all gotten together whenever we can. I've always liked her for her ability to see through the bullshit and call a spade a spade and a shovel a shovel. 

     I'm feeling the need to get the trail cameras and the audio recorders Out in the Weeds. My Big Hairy Friends should be looking to stock up on food for the winter and maybe, just maybe, I'll be able get some evidence. This will also be an attempt at developing my own Base Camp. Here's hoping.

Books and Training

18 Sept 24

08:00 hrs

     With our youngest Loin Fruit soon to be heading of on his new career path I was think of all the times I had headed out the door for a training course or some other kind of TD (temporary duty) trip, be it an exercise or an actual mission, and the one thing I always brought was a nice book to read if there was any down time. Now, the choice of the book was dependent on several factors.

     1) What is the duration of the TD? Will I need just one thick book or two thinner ones?

     2) Where is the exercise taking place? It would be very unwise to be caught with reading material that is politically or culturally sensitive that could either land me behind bars or cause an international incident.

     3) Can I afford to lose the book? As much as I am a bookworm I would very rarely take a brand new book - one I haven't read - on an away trip. Used books I can afford to lose.

     4) Books that I have read before are more preferable simply due to the fact that I can pick up the storyline even if I misplace the bookmark. 

     5) I also like to choose a book that may elicit a question from someone who sees the title. I was reading Alive while crossing the Andes to Santiago, Chile. The lead navigator saw me reading it and had the student nav plot the crash site on the map from information found in the text. I have owned a copy and have read that book since I was in Grade 7. I've also owned a copy of Jaws since then too. And, that is definitely a book that will open the eyes of a 12 or 13 year old boy! In fact my teacher, Dave B. questioned my parents as to whether I should be reading Jaws. As long as I was reading they had no issues.

      Quite often the books that I choose to take on a trip have been read so many times that I have had to replace the copy several times. Not because they are the only ones that I read but because they, in my opinion, are well written and relate a story that is important in some way to me. With that in mind here is my list of books that I enjoyed reading and continue to re-read as required. 

1) Shogun

2) Alive

3) Books from the Jack Ryan series by Tom Clancy but before he started to write them with a co-author. After the book "The Bear and the Dragon" I found glaring discrepancies in the basic storyline which Clancy didn't pick up on so I'm done with reading the collaborative books. For me, it's like finding a toenail in my pasta. 

4) A Bridge Too Far, by Cornelius Ryan, is the story of Operation Market Garden - the last Allied forces push to get troops over the Rhine to end WWII. The true jewel of this book is the research done by the author and presumably a staff as well, that corroborates all the various facets of both Allied and Axis movements and view points. This month marks the 80th anniversary of Operation Market Garden. 

6) On the Rock is another great book that I have taken with me on an away trip. It is the true account of the only Canadian to be named Public Enemy #1 by the FBI and who spent thirty plus years locked up in Alcatraz prison. Born Albin Karpowicz, Alvin Karpis was known as "Old Creepy" had repeatedly shaved off his fingerprints to the point that they no longer existed in an attempt to prevent the Feds from linking him to unsolved crimes.

     Our Jr Couch Monkey will be departing next weekend. His Basic Recruit Training will take place at CFB BOREDOM in Ontari-ari-ari-oh.  I think it's about 10 weeks or so in duration. We had all thought that his Trades Training would be in the same location but he has been informed that it will take place in New Bee. Exactly where is anyone's guess. But, he is packed and is waiting to go. Is he scared? Maybe a little. Will we miss him? We do already.

Final Observances

02 Sep 24

18:00 hrs

     My Better Half and I are now in Cowtown with a couple of hours to decompress before the final leg of our journey home to the Wayward Inn. And eventhough I doubt if they're ever going to read this, I would like to thank all of the people, from our travel agent to the trip coordinator to our coach driver and all the site guides, who made this trip happen, your work was much appreciated. 

     Our journey home started at 05:00L in Munchen. A shower, a quick coffee, a last chance check and then off to the Flugplatz where our departure was delayed partially due to a large thunderstorm and from the lack of an aircraft at our departure gate. 

     We boarded forty mikes late which meant we had forty mikes less time to get to an unknown departure gate at the massive Charles De Gaulle  airport (32 sq km and 67.1 million pax annually). It took an hour for us to declare, identify our gate, double check our gate and note a gate change, go through customs, have our passport and boarding pass inspected thrice more, wait for a shuttle bus and then get shuttled across the complex only to have our ID checked twice more before boarding the WS flight. It was packed. In fact it was overbooked and before we could depart the luggage belonging to the individuals not on board had to be located and removed. For obvious security reasons unaccompanied luggage is not allowed. That delayed our departure to Cowtown by at least twenty mikes. No big deal as we have plenty of time at this end.

     With all of this travelling something has come to mind and that is the small almost imperceptible differences a person might observe between different countries. I'm not talking about the obvious things like driving on the left or right side of the road. That's too easy. How about having no ventilation fans in a bathroom? Throughout our trip I saw not one in any hotel room, restaurant or home WC. My Better Half, who had been overseas numerous times before, warned me that there would be no air conditioning and for the most part there wasn't except for some hotels. Most notably, private residences in Germany didn't even have ceiling fans nor screens on windows which, if combined, would have provided cooling air circulation free of intrusive insects.  

     One would think that urinals, regardless of size or type would be set at roughly the same height from the ground up ax to accommodate men of average stature with one or two set lower to the ground for individuals, children and others, who are shorter in stature. Nope. I found heights of the rim to be six or more inches above or below a suspected average requiring a person of average stature to attempt to urinate on tip toes or use a stall. 

      During our travels in Europe we noted, that despite moving through heavy traffic at high speeds on narrow roadways, there was a distinct lack of honking horns and aggressive driving. Something totally unheard (sic) of in the majority of North American cities. Everyone seemed to give way to keep the flow of traffic moving. Despite the extreme speed it didn't seem as if anyone was racing to be ahead of everyone else, which I think is a driving rule for all members of the Lonestar Province whenever they encounter another vehicle ahead of their own.

     Are we thinking about another trip? We are but the destination depends on our health and the overall costs. Our work load is going to start to scale back so our option may change. 

     Stay tuned. 

Hops

01 Sep 24

08:30 hrs

     Breakfast was the standard German breakfast fare. Cold cuts, cheese, brotchen and coffee. 

     And meds. Lots meds. My back was a bit better this morning which is good because we are heading off to visit a relative who lives in the town where The Oma-nator grew up. It will be interesting. More Weisswurst and cake.

20:45 hrs

     We are finally back at my Lobster's Cuz'n's place. My back is feeling a bit better and most of the packing has been already done. We are just kicking back and unwinding from all of the people-ing. We're going to be up bright and early tomorrow for the long journey home.