820 Cham - Personal Blog

What A Day

Fri, 16 May 2008 12:59:55 +0000

Crazy, challenging day for me - and my family - yesterday.

The story is here: http://jb-justnoodlin.blogspot.com/

What it may mean for me is that I'll miss my chat this coming Tuesday.

If so, I'll re-schedule it for another day for this week only. Had a great conversation with a sports editor from the National Post last Tuesday, so I'm looking forward to the next one. Hopefully, if you have some time, you can join in this coming week's chat. I'll let you know if the time changes from the usual Tuesday at 11am, because I'll have to take Liam to the fracture clinic that morning.

Have a SAFE and happy long weekend!

Fri, 16 May 2008 11:33:52 +0000

As usual, it looks like we may have a rainy long weekend. Who knows, maybe things will change and here's hoping for some sunny breaks.

Drive carefully and have fun. Enjoy your families, friends and firework displays, good food and cheer. Let's kick off our summer celebrations in good health and spirits!

Single's Scene for Twain

Fri, 16 May 2008 10:54:41 +0000

Shania and Mutt are NO more - No comment on the split BUT, could be Twain JUST woke up one day and said... "oh my god.. I married Jacob Marley of the Holiday Classic, A Christmas Carol"

So.. one of the hottest hottest acts in the history of the world is NOW dating...

Thinking of courting the Timmons girl?

Well, that's the first thing you should keep in mind - You can take the GIRL out of Timmons BUT not the Timmoms out of the GIRL...

So, your first date... Donuts and smokes.

Buying Shania a gift?? Get her perfume - want the relationship to move forward? Buy her Shania Starlight by Stetson

Receiving Corps

Thu, 15 May 2008 15:26:14 +0000

Yesterday was National Receptionist Day. Many see this as just another "Hallmark" occasion as the card maker grasps at straws to find any reason to get you to buy another card from them. However it does represent a chance to argue in favor of a strong receptionist. While it's a job that often is just filled by the nearest person who can answer a phone and jot down a message, companies should think twice before treating it so flippantly. There are many very good receptionists and many folks might not think too much about what kind of qualities that person needs to have but, that's part of the problem. Some folks would be quick to judge and think that anyone can do that job. So you answer the phone and take messages, what's so hard about that. They actually have a point, there's nothing difficult about it, but the true skill is how you handle that job. The receptionist is the company's first chance to make an impression on a potential client. That first impression can carry great weight and a bad receptionist or miserable one can have you in a hole before you even talk to a potential client for the first time. A nice voice, a sunny disposition, a calm and understanding tone can all add a great dimension to a company. That client may never even come back if their call is dropped or their message misplaced or messed up in some other fashion. It all sounds so small and petty but if you look after the small stuff, the big stuff does take care of itself. A well paid and well rested receptionist, happy in their job and treated with the respect they deserve can pay off in huge dividends. I recently called a doctor's office and was greeted by the friendliest and kindest voice. I set up my appointment with that person and got off the phone and already felt more comfortable going to that doctor. I had not even met the doctor and I'm pretty sure the receptionist wouldn't be working on me but, that first impression made me feel better and more at ease. That is huge. We've all run into the receptionist from hell, the one who sounds like your phone call to their company has somehow disturbed her afternoon slumber. Right away you're put off and it's hard for the company to overcome that. It's a thankless job and likely a job that leaves some feeling unfulfilled but, that's because no one is reminding them and remarking to them that they are the companies voice when people call. A corporation can spend tons of money on logo's and advertising and reaching out and then they go minimum wage on the nearest kid who can work a headset and have literally thrown all of that effort away. The amount of money spent having a professional "voice" reading their commercials and then they cheap out and when those commercials work, the potential client calls the company and gets bummed by a receptionist that could care less that they called. The receptionist is the unsung hero of the office. They're our representative when the public calls and we'd all do well to remember that. Forget National Receptionist Day, because a day is not enough. These folks should be treated with the respect their deserve. They're our voice on the front line, so let's keep them smiling. Until We Type Again, Take It Ease !

The Name Game

Wed, 14 May 2008 15:04:53 +0000

What's in a name? Someone famous asked that once and I never really thought much of it until I saw a list of the most popular baby names for 2007. Many of the usual suspects were there, Emily, Emma, Jacob, Joshua, Isabella and of course Michael. Michael has always hung tough on the most popular baby names list. For decades it was always the most popular and this year it was number two. Kind of a self fulfilling thing really, it was always so popular that just the number of Michael Junior's every year gives it a head start over the rest. It's funny when it comes to naming a child because names have impressions for all of us. Pick a name and throw it around and you quickly find out that some people might have fond feelings of someone they once knew by that name and they love it. Likewise, you may run into a friend who was once beaten up by a guy by that name and he hates it. Certain names just carrying an impression with all of us. Then there are the dreaded nicknames. Before you can name a child you really have to consider all the possibilities. From the initials of their full name to the short forms that will no doubt come about. Trust me, as much as parents want it, you can be heading for quite a battle if you think you can force everyone to use your child's full name. Elizabeth is a beautiful name but it's big and quickly becomes everything from Liz to Liza to Beth to Eli to Liddabit to just E. There are a lot of variables to take into account. Keep in mind, the longer the name the more variables there are. The thing I find most interesting when it comes to names is the way that names come in and go out of vogue. Go into any classroom now and you'll find groups of kids with the same name so their peers are forced to call them something else to separate them. There's Sarah N. and Sarah J. and over there is Sarah L. Sometimes they use last name initials or maybe they'll go with red-headed Jacob and dark haired Jacob and blue eyed Jacob. Before any parents decide to name their kids with one of the "hot" names they should consider what other kids may be forced to call them. Sure you can live with Madison P. and Madison J. But you might not like the name game too much if suddenly there's a dumb Ethan and a smart Ethan in the class and the other kids have decided yours isn't the smart one. Kids can be cruel, new parents should always remember that. Asking themselves what's better for my kid? There aren't a lot of Henry's or Robert's these days but maybe Henry or Robert is better then having to explain to your child why they have to be Fat Michael and can't be called Skinny Michael like the other Michael in class. Until We Type Again, Take It Ease !

Dove update

Wed, 14 May 2008 11:45:16 +0000

RE" my previous blogs about the doves lodging in our backyard. The mother dove is still there, the eggs have not hatched, I heard it takes approx.3 weeks, plus they will nede time to grow once they do, we are looking at a few months rent 'mama and papa dove', lol!

It is amazing to watch her, she hasn't left the nest in 2 weeks now ,and the other day when we were outside she called for the papa dove; he came over to the nest, crawled inside and she stood up and moved around a bit. It was lamost like she called him over to watch over the eggs while she moved around.

The dirt road

Wed, 14 May 2008 11:23:23 +0000

blog blog blog

the Flyers are finding out how the Habs felt...

Down 3 to OH MY GOD!!! To the seemling unstoppable Pitsburg Piguins.. Those Pesky Peguins not only gave Adam West's Batman a good going over...

BUT, Malkin and Crosby and the HARD Hitting, Fast Skating Peguins of the Pit variety are ringing Philly's Liberty bell.

Somewhere Burt Ward shouting Holy HURTN" Batman.. The Peguins fancy footwork frightening those forlorn flyer fans

Consuming Gas

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:30:31 +0000

I am like many other Canadians I'm sure. I take the stories of Global Warming seriously and even if they aren't true I think that anything we can do to improve our air and water quality is a good thing. So I've committed to trying to find ways to reduce my carbon footprint. Now when it comes to using gas I don't drive a lot and the price of gas, while annoying, hasn't really impacted me that much. I drive a big vehicle that uses a lot of it but since I don't drive very far it still hasn't been an issue. However on the weekend we were planning a bit of a hike for Mothers Day and it would add up to about three hours of driving. Now I will admit that I am normally a 120 kilometers an hour guy on the highways. I like the fast lane and I'm not afraid to use it. For all intents and purposes the flow of traffic on most of our highways seems to be somewhere between 110 and 120 anyway, despite the 100 kilometer an hour maximum speed limit. Now I've heard all the stories about how reducing your speed on the highways can reduce your gas consumption and I always figured they were talking about saving me a couple of bucks on a long car ride. I like to go fast and I like to get where I'm going quickly so I guess I was always willing to throw in the couple of extra bucks so I could stay out there in the fast lane. However with the price of gas the way it is we decided that on this past weekend's journey we would stick to the speed limit. Take our time and just toddle along to our destination. It was hard to stick to the speed limit. Luckily I have cruise control so I got it up to 101 kilometers an hour and locked it in. I stayed in the slow lane most of the time and eventually got used to the sound of cars whizzing by me. One after another after another they passed me like I was standing still. Small cars, big cars, trucks, buses. Evidently I was the only one going 101 kilometers an hour on the weekend. However I stuck to my guns and in the end it maybe added to an extra 10 or 15 minutes on the road over the three hour trip. Really not that much when you consider the big picture and especially when you consider how much gas I had left in the tank. I have made this trip countless times and over the three hour drive I consistently use three quarters of a tank of gas. I had filled up just before we left on our drive this past weekend and when we got home the needle was still above half a tank. Some quick calculations. Okay, they weren't quick, but that has more to do with my math issues than anything else. In the end, I saved about $30 dollars in gas. I have a big tank and I could not believe the savings were that great. Just 20 kilometers an hour faster than the speed limit was using that much extra gas. I couldn't believe the savings!!!! As well, I must say, riding along in the slow lane is actually much less stressful. You're not speeding up and slowing down and getting behind some idiot who shouldn't be in the fast lane and then aggressively trying to get by him at the first chance. I was calm and relaxed and that was before I even found out how much I was saving. Yes, we've all heard that driving slower saves gas. We all understand that but how many of us put it into practice. I would challenge you to make one trip in the slow lane and try it for yourself. I am a new convert. Speed is for the big spenders, I'm going to save my money and by not burning that extra quarter tank of gas, I'm helping the environment. So the next time you see me on the highway give me a wave, I'm the guy in the slow lane, saving the Earth and some cash all at the same time. Until We Type Again, Take It Ease !

Sweet sounds in the house...

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:48:29 +0000

Preparing supper yesterday, I had the sweetest background entertainment.

As I chopped and stirred, cooked and cleaned up, I heard the voice of my 2 year old, playing with her toys, acting out going to the " store and to work ", singing with them and, well, just being a 'kid'.

Never has our household had such sweeter sounds, then, since she has arrived. From her very 1st crys, to her coos, to her " mamamama " and " dadadada " and we will never forget the 1st sounds of her laughter, how blessed are we, she has filled our home and our lives with so many things and there is so much more to come.

TIPS on fillin Tank

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:33:42 +0000

BLOG BLOG BLOG>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

YOU NEED to get all you can from your PUMP.... So...

Tips on Gas Pumping

FROM Kinder Morgan Pipeline ...San Jose, CA

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

Biker Mamas and Cabinet Ministers

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:40:59 +0000

As I've told you, politics of great interest to me. With that in mind, this news about Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier is quite intriguing. If you aren't aware of the situation I'll give you the Coles Notes: Mr. Bernier is under harsh criticism because he previously dated a woman who has been romantically linked to at least two known biker gang members. The woman in question, Julie Coulliard was engaged to marry a member of the Hell's Angels ten years ago. More recently, Mlle. Coulliard accompanied Mr. Bernier to a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

Noise Disposal

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:36:37 +0000

Over the weekend I was confronted with a terrible noise. No it wasn't Dad upset that it was Mother's Day so that meant, he couldn't go golfing. My dishwasher started to make the most heinous sound. Now I'm not talking about the sound that a kid makes when they're asked to be the dishwasher, that's really more of a horrific groan. I'm talking about a grinding, whining sound of the dishwasher machines' death throw. Suddenly I'm standing there wondering, should I have used Jet Dry more often? What is Jet Dry anyway? Is there some part of the machine I should have been greasing or cleaning off or replacing? The problem is, I really don't know much about dishwashers other than, you put dishes in, run it and they come our relatively clean. Have I been causing problems by being in too big of a rush when loading it and leaving hunks of food on the plates? Does that gum up the works inside maybe? There are so many questions and all I know is that right now, the dishwasher sounds like it's very sick. The other problem with the dishwasher is, it's not an easy thing to get at when it's built into the counter. It's not like a fridge or stove that you can pull out and stare at the back of it for awhile so it at least seems to your family like you might have a clue as to what's wrong. The dishwasher makes a horrible noise and my wife looks at me and I, well, I just shrug my shoulders and wonder if there's any chance it will just go away on it's own. I remember last year there was a recall on some dishwashers and I thought at the time, man, that would be tough to get that thing in to get it repaired. Well now I face that same dilemma. Which brings up a problem faced by most of us on a regular basis these days. Do I drop a hundred or more to have some guy come in and show me his butt crack for an hour only to tell me, "oh ya, she's toast, you're gonna have to get a new one buddy, here's my bill !" Or do I just bite the bullet and go and buy a new one. Which you know will be followed by a conversation with someone at some point where I'll share my noisy dishwasher story and they'll say, "oh ya, mine did that too, so I kicked it and it worked for another 15 years without a problem!" Either way I'm going to get hosed and you know it. The problem is how cheaply they make products these days in order to give us lower and lower prices. I had my first VCR for nine years. The last one I bought, didn't make it through the first show I taped, it lasted nine minutes !?!?!?!? The realization is this, we live in a disposable society. And I blame the people at Bic for starting it all with their throw away lighters. Now I'm off to go dishwasher shopping. Although it does strike me as funny how, actually doing the dishes by hand, didn't even pop into my head as a possible solution to the problem. Until We Type Again, Take It Ease !

Sand box

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:10:20 +0000

My husband Anthony built our little girl Lucy a sand box. It's huge. We could put a blanket in it and lay down and pretend we are on the beach, it's so big.

Lucy is thrilled and Anthony feels very proud! The challenge now, is to get her to come inside from time to time, good luck to us!!!

Dirty business

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:09:19 +0000

Hello BLOG fan(s) - Thought I would share an annanova.com story from the UK with you. Do you share a computor - like me - here in the studio.... well get this.....

Keyboards 'dirtier than toilet seat' get this Study from the people who conduct studies IN the UK

Some computer keyboards carry more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat

tests at a London office found equipment carrying bugs that could cause food poisoning.

Out of 33 keyboards swabbed, four were regarded as a potential health hazard and one harboured five times more germs than one of the office's toilet seats. (which were also swabbed..obviously)

For Moms Everywhere

Sun, 11 May 2008 00:50:03 +0000

I was 13 when my Mom died of a heart attack, at home. It was a horrible and frightening time for a 13-year-old boy. My Mom and I were very close. My Mom doted on me. I was very lucky to have such a wondeful Mom, and very unlucky to lose her as early in my life as I did. She was only 48.

Conversely, I was 48 when I first became a father. Two and a half years later, I see my wife becoming a such wonderful Mom to our twin boy and girl, and can't imagine my life without any of them, and can't begin to fathom the twins ever being without their Mom.

My Mom was born in Scotland, but her family emigrated to Canada when she was five years old, and she grew up in Quebec. Her early years were spent in Levis and Lauzon, Near Quebec City, on the St. Lawrence River, because my maternal Grandfather built ships at Davy Shipyards for a living. Then, when he retired, the family moved to Montreal. My Mom's growing up there, and her love of that city, is why I'll always be a Montreal Canadiens. Sorry, Leaf fans. My Mom trumps any other reason I'd ever have to root for a hockey team.

I've always had a soft spot for all my friend's Moms, and have even chastised a couple of my closer friends when they've been ...less than ideal - toward their Moms. Knowing what it's like to not have a Mom for so long gave me a greater appreciation for how important having a Mother is, and I tried to instill that in any of my friends who would listen.