Apparently it's not that much tamer here in Winnipeg, than it is back home. On Thursday, when I went outside for a smoke, there was a congregation across the street at the St. Regis Hotel. I didn't pay that much attention, since there usually is a congregation outside the St. Regis, until the paramedics showed up. Some security came out to secure the area, and shortly the ambulance showed up. They did some work on her (in the middle of the street), but didn't seem to be in much of a hurry. Once they were gone, the cops came and ribboned off the area for a few hours, and then it was business as usual. I found out later, that she was brought to the hospital in "critical condition", only to be pronounced dead later. She had simply been pushed down, and subsequently hit her head on the pavement hard enough to do her in. I guess that murder and violence seems to follow me around.
I hear that it was a pretty good Super Bowl, and I didn't even see a single play. Sometimes you have to realize that taking advantage of your opportunities to visit with family, is a little higher priority than football.
I was also going to complain about the Steinbach branch of the TD bank, but I guess that you'll have to...
Stay tuned.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Thumbs Up - Daniel Nestor
Daniel who? Which hockey team does he play for? Exactly! I guess this should also include a thumbs down to Canada for continually ignoring all of their international sports heroes that don't play hockey or curling. I mean, when Jacques Villeneuve was getting mobbed all over the world for winning the F1 championship, he could have easily walked down the street unnoticed in his home town.
Now, back to Daniel Nestor. While playing the often forgotten doubles in tennis, Daniel has career winnings over 9 million dollars! That's right, $9M and you've probably never heard of him. Let me give you some numbers:
71 men's doubles titles,
6 grand slam doubles titles,
2 grand slam mixed doubles titles, and
1 Olympic gold medal
He's the only player in history to have won all four grand slams, all Master Series events, year end championships, and an Olympic gold medal. He has the most doubles titles of all active players. Just to put it into perspective, between singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, Roger Federer has a total of 75 titles, while Daniel Nestor has 73. Yet, everyone knows who Roger Federer is. How can a Canadian, have only two fewer tennis titles than Roger Federer, and yet the average Canadian has never heard of him? Shame on us!
The end.
Now, back to Daniel Nestor. While playing the often forgotten doubles in tennis, Daniel has career winnings over 9 million dollars! That's right, $9M and you've probably never heard of him. Let me give you some numbers:
71 men's doubles titles,
6 grand slam doubles titles,
2 grand slam mixed doubles titles, and
1 Olympic gold medal
He's the only player in history to have won all four grand slams, all Master Series events, year end championships, and an Olympic gold medal. He has the most doubles titles of all active players. Just to put it into perspective, between singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, Roger Federer has a total of 75 titles, while Daniel Nestor has 73. Yet, everyone knows who Roger Federer is. How can a Canadian, have only two fewer tennis titles than Roger Federer, and yet the average Canadian has never heard of him? Shame on us!
The end.
Thumbs Down - Hertz
Hertz rent-a-car. These guys need to get their facts straight. When I phoned the central booking place to see if there was a downtown location, they told me that they did, and that since I was on the phone already I might as well book the car over the phone. They told me that their version of a day was a calendar day, that I could drop the car off after hours, and they gave me a confirmation number for an Impala. So, when I got to the airport, I took a $15 cab to the hotel. In the morning, I gave the cabbie the address to the location, and it turned out to be another $13 cab ride to the north end where the location was. There, they told me that they didn't carry any GM products and gave me a Ford Fusion, told me that they close their gate at 8:00 so if I wanted to drop the car off after hours I would have to do so at the airport, and that their version of a day was a 24 hour span. After dropping off the car at the airport, I of course needed to take another $15 cab ride back to the hotel. So, instead of taking the car from the airport on Sunday, using it all day Monday, and only taking the cab to the hotel once, I spent an extra $28 on cab rides, and a bunch of time running around town to get it done.
Just as an aside - I have a room in a 30 storey hotel, and my bedroom shares a wall with the elevator shaft, and that wall is not terribly well insulated. Do you have any idea how much elevator traffic there is in a 30 storey hotel? Doesn't exactly make for a peaceful sleep. After six nights of this, I'm exhausted!
I'm almost done being here by myself,
I love you Fran!
Just as an aside - I have a room in a 30 storey hotel, and my bedroom shares a wall with the elevator shaft, and that wall is not terribly well insulated. Do you have any idea how much elevator traffic there is in a 30 storey hotel? Doesn't exactly make for a peaceful sleep. After six nights of this, I'm exhausted!
I'm almost done being here by myself,
I love you Fran!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Winnipeg Schedule
Wow. I thought that I'd have a bunch of free time to fill up by blogging while I was in the big smoke... but I thought wrong. These have been some pretty gruelling schedules, with 14-15 hour days, miles to walk between venues, and periods of 5 hour stretches without so much as a smoke break. I've got about 10 minutes of free time before our working supper hour, before taking on a four hour fund-raiser for the Canadian Diabetes Association. It's all good stuff, but it'd be more relaxing at home working. And at least that way I'd have my Fran beside me.
Oh well, that's it. Back to the grind.
I love you Frannie!
Oh well, that's it. Back to the grind.
I love you Frannie!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Landed and Settled
It was a pretty long day, but I'm here in big Winnipeg, and settled. It took three flights, a few degree changes, and 14 hours, but I got it all done in one day. Today, I was able to rent a car and get a few things done. I didn't accomplish everything, but I got to most of them. I stopped in to see Dave, but apparently he's currently in Cuba! Who would have guessed? Shows how well we communicate. I fly 14 hours to get home, and he probably flew the same to get away from home. Happy 25th a few months early!
When I left yesterday morning, the windchill was -57. In Montreal a few hours later it was -9. Then when we were approaching Winnipeg, the captain came on to say that he hoped we all brought some warm clothes, because the temperature was -29. All I could think was how nice it will be that it's only -29. I mean, that's already 28 degrees warmer than where I just came from.
Anyway, it's already 2AM my time, so I should probably hit the sack. It's not that easy sleeping without my sweetie!
I love you Fran!
When I left yesterday morning, the windchill was -57. In Montreal a few hours later it was -9. Then when we were approaching Winnipeg, the captain came on to say that he hoped we all brought some warm clothes, because the temperature was -29. All I could think was how nice it will be that it's only -29. I mean, that's already 28 degrees warmer than where I just came from.
Anyway, it's already 2AM my time, so I should probably hit the sack. It's not that easy sleeping without my sweetie!
I love you Fran!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Winging to Winnipeg
It's been a fairly hectic last few days. Scheduling Rory for his last trip out of here, and getting ready for my own 10 day adventure to Winnipeg. It's surprising how much work it can be to try to schedule 8 months of personal business into the one free day that I'll possibly have, if the weather cooperates on Sunday, and I actually get all the way to Winnipeg in one day. I've got interviews, accountant meetings, shopping lists, a rental car to pick up so that I can try to get it all done, and back-up plans for if the weather screws the whole thing up. I never imagined that one free day could end up in so much prep work.
I was kind of interested to see yesterday's school yard pick, but they tried way to hard to turn it into an actual event. A half hour pre-game show, and an hour and a half to get the picks done. They dragged it out way too long. Just pick your guys and get it done! I'm certainly never sitting through that again (if they ever repeat it).
Well, either I'll be writing tomorrow because the weather kept me here, or you won't be hearing from me until I get to Winnipeg. It's always a crap shoot. Currently, the wind chill is -53, but it's supposed too calm down before the end of the day. Tomorrow is supposed to be clear for my departure, other than the -38 or so on the thermometer. One more thing before I forget (speaking of the weather) - yesterday I thought that our outdoor compact fluorescent bulb had burned out, so I planned on getting a new one and installing it today before I left. Later, after the wind slowed down and the temperature rose a little, the light came back on. It was simply too cold for the light bulb to work outside! I'd never heard of that before.
Stay tuned.
I was kind of interested to see yesterday's school yard pick, but they tried way to hard to turn it into an actual event. A half hour pre-game show, and an hour and a half to get the picks done. They dragged it out way too long. Just pick your guys and get it done! I'm certainly never sitting through that again (if they ever repeat it).
Well, either I'll be writing tomorrow because the weather kept me here, or you won't be hearing from me until I get to Winnipeg. It's always a crap shoot. Currently, the wind chill is -53, but it's supposed too calm down before the end of the day. Tomorrow is supposed to be clear for my departure, other than the -38 or so on the thermometer. One more thing before I forget (speaking of the weather) - yesterday I thought that our outdoor compact fluorescent bulb had burned out, so I planned on getting a new one and installing it today before I left. Later, after the wind slowed down and the temperature rose a little, the light came back on. It was simply too cold for the light bulb to work outside! I'd never heard of that before.
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Murder - North of 60
It's been a crazy couple of days! There was a murder on Monday night. "Apparently" (since he hasn't been tried before a jury of his peers), this particular gentleman decided that in the middle of the night, he should stab his girlfriend over and over again in the head. Then, of course, the only way to follow that up would be to hang himself in the shed. Problems arose when he was found in the process (covered in blood), broke free, and ran up into the mountains.
This was the news that we were greeted with when we got to work in the morning. At the time, the search party was still trying to track him down. A little later in the morning we were finally informed that he had circled back into town, where he was subdued and taken into custody.
What is wrong with these people!? That's two manslaughters, one murder, and one suicide in the last 8 weeks. If your keeping track: one out of every 300 people in town, have been killed (which doesn't count those who have died by natural causes) in the last two months.
There must be a more sensible place to live - something's got to give.
Stay tuned.
This was the news that we were greeted with when we got to work in the morning. At the time, the search party was still trying to track him down. A little later in the morning we were finally informed that he had circled back into town, where he was subdued and taken into custody.
What is wrong with these people!? That's two manslaughters, one murder, and one suicide in the last 8 weeks. If your keeping track: one out of every 300 people in town, have been killed (which doesn't count those who have died by natural causes) in the last two months.
There must be a more sensible place to live - something's got to give.
Stay tuned.
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