Back to the Grind....NOT!

I must say it was nice to be flying back to Nova Scotia knowing that I didn't have to get up for work in the a.m.  It was a pretty smooth and uneventful flight back and we easily made all our connections.  Thanks to advanced on-line check-in, we even improved our seats, so were nice and close to the front! You know how I love that!  If there was room in the cockpit, I'd be trying to sit up there!  It's not a control thing...I have no desire to fly the plane...I just want to be the first off.   I don't know what mutant gene has created this need, but it's not limited to getting off airplanes...it also extends to things like Buffets and Movie Theatre Lines.  But where it REALLY rears it's ugly head... is at Pot Luck Dinners.  I don't know why...but I just HAVE to be the first in line.  Is it I'm afraid my favourite dish will be gone before I get to it??  No, that's not it.  Is it that I'm afraid the food will be cold?  No, I don't think that's my concern either.  I think it's that I usually get stuck behind people that can't decide what they like, or how much they should take.  "Look Stanley, there are raisins in that broccoli salad...I don't think I like raisins...should I take some??"  "Oh no Frannie, but look at this potato salad...doesn't it look just like what Aunt Mary used to make?"  "Stanley, don't fill up on that potato salad....there's that nice pasta salad down there that you like too".  OMG!  I can't handle it!  I haven't actually injured anyone trying to get up to the food table first, or trying to get by them when they're in front of me...but then, I'm usually circling like a hungry shark in anticipation of the call  "ready" and then, stand back and don't get in the way!     

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  In honour of the Royal Wedding, and this summer's Royal Visit to PEI, there is a contest being sponsored by CBC and Cows Ice Cream.  Cows is designing a new t-shirt to commemorate the new Royal Couple.  A friend of mine, Paul Montgomery, has an entry in the competition.  His idea for a design is "William and Kate - The Royal Honeymooooooooon".  I've attached the link to the contest to encourage you all to get on and vote...preferably for my friend Paul...and if this helps him win the contest, I'm sure he'll give me shared custody of his prize....one of the winning t-shirts!!  (That CBC...they go all out don't they???) 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/royalwedding/story/2011/04/12/pei-royal-couple-cows-shirt-584.html

Contest closes tomorrow, Friday, at 4pm.  Good luck Paul!

And for those of you getting up at 3 am to watch the festivities....don't be calling my house!  I'll be sleeping in!   You know, its probably a good thing that my wedding invitation got lost in the mail....it could have been ugly at the Pot Luck Wedding Reception...what with me running over the Queen to get to the Meatballs and all!!

No strings attached! Not really!

I think that 1/3 of the population in Las Vegas work as sales persons.  The other 2/3's are either unemployed or work in the casinos and resorts.  I don't know how many times we were approached by someone on the strip offering us "free shows" or "free shows and free dinners".  We're getting pretty savvy by now and know that there is nothing "free" about these offers.  They always entail a 2-3 hour time share presentation, followed by a high pressure sales pitch.  Friends of ours just love these offers.  (you know who you are...Janet and Scott/Dean and Bernice!).  For us, definitely not fun, and, in our opinion, not worth the 'prize' at the end of the day.  The dinners are always buffets (a ticket for us to hugely overeat), and the shows are what we consider to be second rate.  You never get offered tickets to headliners like Celine Dion, or Jerry Seinfeld, or Elton John.  You might get Carrot Top, or Donny and Marie.  And more likely than not, you'll get Mac King, or Matt Goss, to which you'll reply "who the heck are they"....my point EXACTLY!  Every now and then, someone gets pretty creative and we almost get 'caught'.  Like the guy handing out Ben and Jerry's 2 for 1 coupons.  Who'd have thought there'd be strings attached to that??  But our quick thinking got us out of any sales pitch.  "We're leaving in the morning", we said.  And last night at Luxor someone approached Kier as we were heading to the washroom.  "I've just got a question for you" he said and offered us a free night in the resort.  The string to that offer was that we had to pay a "refundable deposit"...how is that free??  Oh well, we got out of that too.  And I'm not sure what Kier used last night in the casino when he was approached with a sales pitch by one of the "ladies of the evening"....he never really said how he discouraged her....hmmmmm.....

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Perception is not always reality... I know, I know, something you'd think I would have figured out long ago...and I did really...but it was driven home when we went to see our very first show in Vegas.  Yeah, yeah, I know....we don't go to shows...but we can't say that anymore.  We saw Penn and Teller who are advertised as the "bad boys of magic".  Kier gave the tickets to me for a retirement gift.  They were the VIP seats....not sure what that entitled us to besides the free colour programs...but they were excellent seats. These guys show you how many of the tricks are performed.  It breaks the myth behind the "tricks".  An enjoyable show for sure, although it wasn't entirely what we'd expected, but good none the less.  And they got us on a couple of occasions which left us walking away saying "How did they do THAT!!". 

Penn Jillette and me

Here I am with one of the stars of the show.  This is the guy that actually talks.  Teller never says a word.  I just have one question...what's with the painted fingernail???  His....not mine...

Bye from Vegas....we'll be back home tomorrow...still with money in our pockets.  Our luck has changed a wee bit, but we're still doing okay.  We won't need to panhandle at the airport in the morning to cover our breakfast!!

Things that make you go hmmmm....the sequel

This Las Vegas is quite a place.  As I overheard it so aptly put yesterday, it is the only place that spends its time trying to convince you that you are someplace else.  When you're in Caesar's Palace, you're supposed to think you're in Rome.  When in the Venetian, Venice; when in Paris...yeah, you get the picture!  And there are people here of all shapes and sizes...from the twig to the mighty oak, so to speak!  Last evening we were walking on what is undoubtedly the busiest block on the Las Vegas strip...for those of you familiar, between Flamingo and Harrahs...now its Saturday night of a long weekend, you do the math...wall to wall people...and what do we come across...a "parade" of what could only be described as able bodied "visitors from south of the US border" (or perhaps they were a group of "original occupants of the land", I'm not entirely sure), but they were traveling on seven of those scooter chairs.  As if it wasn't slow enough traveling on the side walk as it was without that!! 

Now when you are here in Vegas you often times get to see peoples vices under a microscope.  When you converge at the intersection of Drinking, Gambling, and Lost Wages, it's inevitable that you're going to see the worst in people.  So, in the wee hours of Saturday morning we are awoken to what could only be described as a rather loud altercation in the hall, or perhaps the room next door....hard to tell.  But its loud enough to wake us up.  The next day we are coming back to our room to find housekeeping replacing the mattress in the room next door.  Coincidence...I think NOT! 

And Vegas is truly a place of dichotomy...and this isn't just limited to the broad expanse between the rich, high rollers that walk the strip looking to get richer,  compared to the poor, homeless that walk the same strip looking for a handout.  This also extends to the average joe.  For example yesterday I overhear a conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Joe Average.  Now, bear in mind they are in "sin city"...and what are they discussing??  How they have to call and get the time for church on Sunday morning to attend Easter Mass.  I don't know....just made me go hmmmm...

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Now I've never been an overly superstitious person.  I'm pretty much a believer in the Grand Plan, and "everything happens for a reason".  When we parked our car in the Halifax Park 'n Fly, we had to drive around quite aways to find a spot.  Finally, in section "N", we found what looked like a good spot.  While walking over to the bus stop to await pickup by the shuttle, I saw a spot very close to the bus shelter...in section "L".  I pointed it out to Kier, who immediately asked (more to appease me than anything else, I'm sure) "Do you want me to move the car?".  I replied, "Yes, I think you should.  It is moving from 'No luck' to 'Luck'".  Now, I know most of you are just shaking your heads and saying "She didn't really make him move the car over something that stupid".  Yeah, you are saying it, I can ALMOST hear you!  But in response to that, I can only say one thing...as of today, half way through our trip when we are usually contemplating the nearest bank machine, both Kier and myself have all the money we brought with us nicely tucked away in the safe in our room, and we are enjoying our gambling compliments of the casino's $$$.  Coincidence....I think NOT!!!

Happy Easter to all, and hope the Bunny found you!!

Luck was "the Ladies" last night

Well, here we sit in the only place where I could find free wi-fi...McDonald's...yuch you say??  Well, Kier is quietly chowing down on his favour "big breakfast" and I'm having the healthy "oatmeal" option....okay, I'll admit, I started with one hash brown...just love those things!

As soon as we arrived and got checked in to Harrah's, which was a rather long and slow process, we were off to hit the machines.  I had a bit of luck last night...well, I won $100...but hey, better than losing....I'll do that today!  But it was "the ladies", ie Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte that were hot for me last night...and no, they aren't "local" girls....they are the "Sex and the City" characters, and I just LOVE their slot machine.  I'll be back to visit them again today, I'm sure!

We got no upgrade at Harrah's, which I had hoped for...oh well, the room is quite nice and seems relatively recently renovated.  Had an early night last night because of the time change...we went to bed at 4 a.m. Atlantic time, which was only midnight here.  The machines were just heating up!!  Oh well, they'll be hot again over the next few days.  It is EXTREMELY busy here....people everywhere....even here at McDonalds!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  I actually learned this yesterday....the value of the 24 hour in advance, on-line check in.  There were many, many people flying standby from Chicago to Las Vegas.  There was a big brew-ha-ha at the gate over who was getting on the flight and who wasn't.  I was some glad we'd done advance check in and held confirmed boarding passes in hand.  It was getting ugly....thought they'd have to bring Oprah in to negotiate a settlement!

Happy Good Friday all....we're off to hit the slots!

Vegas Here We Come!

Anyone who I know that's already retired will tell you that they don't know where they ever found the time to work...well, I'm not there yet...but I can see how it might come to that.  Today was filled with preparations for our trip to Vegas.  We leave tomorrow...and fortunately the Canadian $$ is doing very well these days against the US.  Unfortunately, there is a bad storm coming our way which will either interfere with our drive into Halifax, or worse, disrupt our flights.  When will this cold, miserable weather be done? 

Besides laundry, packing and making sure the house is "show ready" for any viewings that come up while we're away, I also made sure to do our on-line check in with Air Canada.   This is always handy to do for 2 reasons...first, you don't have to arrive at the airport quite as early if you're already checked in.  You just have to be there in enough time to drop your bags.  Although I must admit, it seems that the lines to drop your bags are every bit as long as the lines used to be for counter check in.  Secondly, any vacant "premium" seats...those that A/C normally charges a fee for because of extra leg room, etc., are released for free selection when you check-in...and being they are given out on a "first come, first served" basis, the earlier you check in, the more choice you have.  I always do on-line check in to attempt to improve my "position" on the plane.  Kier and I prefer to sit as close to the front as we can.  I think that old belief that it is "safer" at the rear of the plane, or even over the wings is all a crock...I figure when the plane goes down, we all go down together, but when you're sitting close to the front you get the best selection from the on-board cafe, the drink cart, and you're among the first to get off the plane when it lands.  For those of you, like myself, that have absolutely NO PATIENCE, and I know you're out there...it's the best place to be.  It makes me crazy when I'm seated way in the back and trying to get off the plane and there are people standing in the aisle fixing their outfits, putting on their jackets, rooting through the overhead bins for bags and purses...move it, MOVE it, MOVE IT!  And when they gather on the bridge after disembarking....aaaagh...wait for your friends/spouses/colleagues in the boarding lounge....not in the narrow bridge area....you're impeding the flow of traffic!  Although it may not sound like it, I really do enjoy the whole "airport experience"... if I could just get rid of all the other traveling public....or, perhaps they'd let me sit up front with the captain???

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:   If I had any doubts about retiring, they were certainly quashed when I stopped into Truro Detachment yesterday.  I met with one of my colleagues and determined within the first five minutes of our conversation that absolutely nothing has changed since I left.  In the words of Shrek "Change is good, donkey", but there's been none of it in the unit where I last worked... so today, I'm very happy to be retired!  Vegas...here I come!

Katrina and 'Kieran' meet 'The Croppers'

Just back from Halifax where we had a great visit with cousins Ferne and Frank.  Thanks again for a great few days!  We traveled in for an Audience with the Croppers at the Halifax Casino.  For those of you 'non-Corrie Street fans' (are there really any people left in that category?), they are better known as Roy (David Neilson) and Hayley (Julie Hesmondhalgh).   Jim and Sue, you might not recognize Julie as she wears a dark wig for the show. 

We had great seats in the VIP section, second row.  Due to my diligent, 'dog on a bone' fanaticism, I had been watching closely for the event to be announced and ordered tickets back in February.  It was sold out so quickly that they had to put a second show on, and sold that one out too.  Between the 2 shows, there were 1000 cheering Corrie fans, but only 100/show that were fortunate enough to be designated "VIP".  Now, I know what you're thinking..."who'd want to be in a room with 500 screaming women....twice?", but surprisingly enough, there weren't only women in the crowd.  There were a large number of men there too, and they were easily distinguished by their looks of utter nonchalance and indifference.  That only lasted until the house lights dimmed and the Croppers stepped out on stage, at which point even the men got into the spirit of the event.  Many even participated in the question and answer period at the end of the evening.   A grand time was had by all. 


Roy, Katrina, Kier, Hayley

 All the VIP's received an autographed picture from the Croppers as well as an individual photo op.  Kier was a little miffed when he spelled his name twice for 'Hayley', only to have her add an 'an' on the end...Kieran is a more common spelling of the name in the UK, and also the name of one of the Corrie Street characters.  So if anyone knows how to remove indelible ink from a photo, please let us know...we've got a couple of letters to remove...

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  First is definitely better than second or third; 1 is better than 2 or 3; and Section 1 is better than Section 2 or Section 3.  The fab seats we had last evening were Section 3, Row B, Seats 11 and 12.  Great we thought... second row, stage left, end of the row, and no one seated in front of us!  Doesn't get any better than that, clear view of the stage, how could it not be good?  We found out at the end of the evening that as good as the seats were, they were NOT as good as seats in Section 1 and Section 2.  Why, you ask?  Well, when it came time for the 'meet and greet' where you had a few minutes of 'face time' with the celebs and a photo op, they started the process with those seated in Section 1, followed by Section 2 and then, finally 3.  Needless to say, we were a good hour after the end of the show waiting for our turn with 'Roy and Hayley'.  To their credit, you would never know that they had hugged, kissed, shook hands, and signed autographs for approximately 180 people before we'd gotten to see them.  So really Kieran...cut them some slack!

The King of Kijiji

It's finally happened.  Kier's found a hobby and its called Kijiji !!  Most of you know my opinion on the whole "kijiji thing".... in brief, about a year ago we placed some ads for crystal chandeliers.  I had one bite...a price was negotiated. (that part is key!)  Being that she was from Dartmouth, and I worked in Halifax at the time, I thought I was being particularly gracious by offering to deliver them to her...all included in the negotiated price.  She said they were for her new women's gym that she was opening, so imagine my confusion when I delivered them to a home in a very old and very residential part of Dartmouth.  Oh well, I thought, she'll be taking them to her "gym" and having them installed...no doubt she's just home for a break after all the work of preparing for opening.  I approach the door and she invites me in...the first thing that hits me...and I do mean "hits"...is the overpowering smell of cigarette smoke.  Okay...maybe it's not beyond belief that a gym owner would be a smoker...certainly not a good advert for your new gym...but maybe she only smokes at home...you know the type...a closet smoker, so to speak.  She invites me in...bends my ear for 15 minutes about...well, to put it politely...crap that I've no interest in.  I just want her to help me get the chandelier out of the car, give me the $$ and I'm outta here!  But I listen...and listen...and then she asks the question that peaks my interest..."do you want to see the gym where I'm going to be hanging the lights?"...and before I can say anything... bob's your uncle... she says "its right back here" and leads me to the back of the house where a piece has been built on.  It's about 20' x 15' with a few hand weights and a couple of exercise balls....she tells me how she does private fitness training...and I'm thinking..."where's the stripper pole?"...thankfully the filters were working that day, so I didn't actually verbalize it!  Anyway, she goes on, and on, and on...and I finally get the point across that I'm in a hurry...she takes me back out to the kitchen to pay me....and you know what's coming, don't you...she doesn't have the entire negotiated price...she's short $50...will I take less???  By now I'm pissed...with a capital "P".  Beside the fact that we'd already negotiated the price, I've now wasted about a 1/2 hour of my time.  Surprisingly enough, I maintained my composure and politely said "no, I can't...good luck" and I left.   I immediately removed the ads from Kijiji and visibly cringe whenever anyone even mentions that word to me. 

Kier on the other hand, is having great success selling the same lights that I didn't.  He sold one chandelier the second day, and is getting rid of another few this weekend.  He loves it that people just show up at your house and bring you $$.  He's constantly looking around for other items that he can sell...if I sit down too long, he'll have me photographed and advertised...I'm not quite sure what category he'd put me under....and this is where, dear readers, if you can't say something nice, you don't say anything at all !!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:   I have had it up to here with "William & Kate" and their wedding.  It's still 13 days away, and I couldn't care LESS about what Kate will wear in her hair; what she'll arrive at the church in; the bios on her bridesmaids, etc. etc. etc.  And don't get me wrong...I'm not anti-royal, like my buddy Steve (you now who you are), it's just that ENOUGH is ENOUGH...and I had enough about a month ago.  There's not a news broadcast these days that doesn't include the latest tidbit on who's attending, and who's not, what the royal monogram will look like...blah, blah, blah.  ENOUGH ALREADY!!! 

Oh, is that the doorbell??...oh, oh, it's Canada Post!!...I think they're bringing my "special delivery" wedding invitation!!!...or is it just the special order I placed for all those William & Kate stamps!!!  ;)

Slow but steady sells the house ........... I hope

It's been about 6 weeks now that our house has been on the market, and typically, there was a flurry of activity in the first couple of weeks, followed by an open house, and then... nothing.  But it is Antigonish...and it is only April.  Kier and I have discussed it alot, and have decided that we'd rather have no showings, then many showings with no offers.  Less rejection factor this way.  The Quispamsis housing market seems to be somewhat "hotter".  I base that on the fact that alot of the houses we've checked out on the mls listings seem to be moving.  They're there one week, and gone the next.  We've also discovered that our old house in Quispamsis is on the market again...and no, we won't be looking to buy it again...who could afford it at the price they've got it listed at??  Imagine my surprise when I found it on the Property Guys website.  I checked out the photos because I was curious to see how they had decorated the place, compared to what we had done with it.  I opened the first photo of the main staircase and hmmm...they seem to have a similar unit to what we had in the living room....what odds?  I opened the next picture, and wow, their furniture looks alot like....wait a minute....those are our pictures!... taken by our real estate agent when we listed back in 2009.   As if that wasn't bad enough...when I first found the house on the web site, it was listed at $369,000....and a few weeks later I checked back again, and lo and behold, it was now listed at $379,000...a new concept in house pricing....if your place doesn't sell, add $10,000 onto the price!  And all along we've thought it was best to reduce the list price when it didn't sell...who knew.  I was tempted to send an e-mail to the home owners offering them full price for their house if it came with the exact furniture in the photos...how would that have gone??  We're at least due a percentage if our house photos draw in the looker that ultimately buys....don't ya think?

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  With only 30 shows left, it seems highly unlikely that I'll win the "Oprah ticket lottery" again.  I've tried fairly religiously since this final season started to get tickets, with no success.  It seems we were only lucky the last time because it was a special show in Radio City Music Hall which seats more than 5000.  Her regular set at Harpo Studios doesn't seat nearly that many.  And far be it for me to be skeptical...but I am really suspicious as to just how "random" her supposed "random ticket draw" really is.  Oh well, I'll give it a go for the next couple of months and see if Oprah comes through for me, but I'm also hedging my bets...I've requested tickets to "The View" for October.   Hey, I'm all about the "giveaways" ya know...yesterday, everyone in the audience at the View got...hang on to your hats... a $100 gift certificate for Stanley Steemer!!  I'm sure if you looked back over 25 years of Oprah's favourite things, that was on her list at least once!!??  ;)

Things that make you go hmmm.....

That grating noise you just heard was the sound of me moving my soapbox so I could climb up on it...yes, it's rant time, and I'm going to have a good 'ole rant about...wait for it...Air Canada.  They make me CRAZY!  Since we've been planning this huge retirement trip in September, I've been researching flights ad nauseam.  You just never know where or when the best deal is going to surface.  Anticipating that we will be moved to NB by the fall, I spent some time examining some US departure points, which ultimately led me to look at flying with Air Canada out of Boston.  The routing was Boston - Toronto - Vancouver - Sydney.  Not too bad when you overlook the whole idea that we'll be driving across the US border in order to catch a flight back into Canada.  But hey, if the price is right, we can live with all the confusion of clearing multiple Customs points enroute to our final destination!!  And indeed the price was right.  The fare is approximately $1200 C +/- per person, which is significantly cheaper than flying with Air Canada from Saint John, Halifax, or anywhere else in the Maritimes.  Just for the heck of it, I decided to look at the same routing as above with Air Canada, only eliminating the first leg, from Boston to Toronto...so just Toronto - Vancouver - Sydney.  One would THINK that flying a shorter distance would equate to a lesser fare....and one would be... WRONG!  To say I was shocked to find the shorter flight, ie Toronto to Sydney, was actually more expensive (by about $1000/person) was an understatement.  I LOST IT!!  I ranted, I raved.  This called for a letter to Air Canada, I said!  And not the first one I've ever written, I might add.  But it would turn out to be the first one I got an answer to.  Yesterday I received a reply.  And what plausible explanation did they provide, you ask?  Well, it went something like this...blah, blah, blah..."We regret that we are unable to explain exactly why the American fares are less expensive, yet assure you that your comments have been documented for review by the appropriate management team"...blah, blah, blah.  But as a "gesture of goodwill" they gave me a discount code for 15% off my next flight.  We haven't booked our flights as yet, and this is far from over....I'm expecting a call from the CEO of Air Canada any day now...but I won't hold my breath...

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Lists are great.  I love lists.  When I worked, I was at my most efficient when I kept a "to do list" on my desk.  It helped me multi-task and accomplish great things in the run of a day.  Even in retirement, I continue to be a list person, but my list is mainly limited now to groceries.   It's a cost saving undertaking for me, in that when I keep a list of what I need, I don't have to make return trips to the grocery store because I forgot something.  Cost saving measure, right?  Well, you would think... but...it seems that as good as I am at MAKING a list, I am equally poor at STICKING TO the list.  I go in to the store with a list of 3 items, and leave with a bag of 10 items.  Multiply this by 2-3 trips to the grocery store per week, and I'm gonna be broke.  Perhaps it's time that my lists go by way of my career...into retirement...

Bon Voyage Jim and Sue

Our PEI friends, Jim and Sue, are leaving in the next couple of days for a 2 week holiday in the DR.  So, for their benefit, I've included a couple of phrases that will always help you when ordering drinks at the bar of your all inclusive...

1)  "Hola" - pronounced "O-la", this is hello, and you'll get sick of hearing it...everywhere you go on the resort, or off, someone will say this to you.  It's always good to respond in kind as that way you'll seem like you've been there for a while, even though your pale, white skin will give you away as just having stepped off the plane.  I said it so much on my last trip down that I continued to say it back in Antigonish.  I got a few strange looks at the Superstore when I'd approach the cashier with a hearty "hola" as she scanned my bread and eggs.

2)  "Cervesa por favor"  - pronounced "ser-vay-sa pour fa-vor", which means beer please.  I'm sure you're mother taught you to aways be polite...so the please goes a long way, not as far as a good old US George Washington ($1) would go though, to ensure repeat service by the bartender.

3)  "Gracias" - pronounced "gra-see-us", which means thank-you.  If you're not going to slip the bartender a sawbuck, you'd best at least say thanks, or he'll be sure he's always busy when you want your behemoth sized insulated mug from Tim Horton's refilled with "cervesa" or pina colada or Mama Juana...

4)  "mama juana" - pronounced "mama jew-wanna", which means Juana's mother, I guess...but it's not what it means so much as what it is...it's a local drink which is made with sticks and shit in the bottle.  It looks like some strange concoction put together from whatever was swept off the floor of some one's Punta Cana hut and sold to the tourists at exorbitant prices, which the locals laugh all the way to the bank with.  But it's not...well, I can't say for sure that it's not swept up off the floor of some one's hut, and I can't really say for sure that the locals don't laugh all the way to the bank with the money that the tourists pay to drink the stuff, but what I CAN say is that it is surprisingly good.  And it's more than just a drink...there's a whole song and dance that goes along with it.  So it's not just a drink....it's an experience!!  Be sure to try some!

So Jim and Sue, and any others of you that are off to warmer climates in the next week or so...have fun, stay safe and remember what the Aussie's say..."Slip, slop, slap" ("slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, and slap on a hat").

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  I'm starting to question this whole fitness thing and our society's obsession with it.  Kier heard a news report today with regard to the Chief of Cape Breton Regional Police who died on Friday/Saturday and how he was an avid runner.  More and more, when I'm hearing how people that I know, either directly or indirectly, are dropping dead, it is more often than not followed in the next breath by "and he/she was in the best shape of their lives", or "he/she ran 5 miles a day, everyday"... coincidence???  I think NOT!  Perhaps it's time to revisit this fitness regiment I've embarked on...according to that old yellow pages advertisement you should only "let your fingers do the walking"....hmmmm.....

R.I.P. Don

It was a sad day today to learn that our friend Don Starnes from Ottawa has passed away at 40 leaving a wife and 2 small children age 8 and 5.  His wife, Chantal, was my cadet way back in 1998 in Summerside.  Don and Chantal transferred to London shortly after we did, and then followed us to Ottawa again.  They lived 2 blocks away from us in Riverside South.  I heard in October that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of AML (Leukemia), but in November he had a bone marrow transplant from his brother.  After getting a Christmas card from them, I thought all was going well, until I heard that on March 8th Don was told that the transplant didn't work and he had weeks to live.  I had a nice, but difficult, conversation with Don a couple of weeks ago and we had a chance to say our goodbyes.  He passed away on April 7th.

We also got some more bad news today that an acquaintance/colleague of Kier's, the Chief of Cape Breton Regional Police, was found dead this a.m. in his vehicle.  The shocking part to us was that we had seen him at the retirement function we were at yesterday and he seemed fine.  He was 49.

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Sometimes my philosophy of "everything happens for a reason" is a tough pill to swallow.

Retirement - Day 10

Today we traveled in to Halifax to attend a function at the HQ Mess.  It was a retirement "do" for our old CrOps Officer.  He and Kier have worked together, off and on, for years.  It was also a function for the Veterans' Association, so we got to mix and mingle with a lot of very interesting folks who have been retired from the Force for many, many years.  There was one man there who was in training in 1947.  For those of you that are familiar with our regimental numbers, he was a "one-five number" (15), where I was a "three-nine number" (39) and Kier a "two-nine number" (29).  We also had the pleasure of meeting the parents of an old friend of ours from London and Ottawa.  We call him Johnny Mac...and sometimes I refer to him as Uncle John.  John's father is also a retired member from years gone by, and his mother was very familiar with Saint John, as she had two of her four children born there.  We also got to see where our friend John got some of his personality!!  We also enjoyed a short stop at the Casino as a sort of warm up to our Las Vegas trip in 13 days.  Neither of us had any luck, but we're both fine with that...we didn't want to "use up" all our luck before getting to Vegas.

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  I think I've got this weight loss thing all figured out!!  I'm now certain that weight loss is directly related to the amount of sleep one gets.  What?  You don't believe me?  Well, it just so happens that I've started to drop a few pounds and it coincidentally enough seems to have started when I finally was able to sleep in past 7 a.m.  I've been getting up around 9:30 and going for a run, followed by a short workout and then, low and behold, it's time for lunch.  Not every day, mind you, but 4 mornings a week.  But on those days, by the time my exercises are completed, I've missed breakfast entirely.  The way I see it, any meal slept through is a meal NOT consumed...  Okay, okay, the exercise might have a little bit to do with it...but I really think the extra sleep is instrumental!  I'm off to bed now...I've got breakfast to miss!!

Retirement - Day 8

It's been one full week since I started down this road called the "next phase of my life".  Finally, I've been able to break the "up and at 'em at 7 a.m." habit and had a long lie in bed until 9.  We were very close to paying the remainder of our September cruise this week.  For every penny that the Canadian dollar gains on the US dollar (above par) means a $50 saving on the o/s balance of our cruise.  Needless to say, I'm watching the exchange rate daily looking to capitalize.  I've been to the bank this week picking up some spare US $$ for our upcoming Las Vegas trip...yup, you read that right...we are heading back to Vegas for Easter.  It has become a tradition for us over the past few years to spend Easter in Vegas...cause if the Easter Bunny finds you there, he generally brings reaaaallllly good treats!  This trip it's Harrahs that are giving us free accommodations for 4 of our 6 nights.  We could have gotten 5 free nights from the Imperial Palace, but after our last trip staying at the Imperial, we found the rooms very tired and in need of some freshening.  We opted to move next door to Harrahs this time, but we'll have to pay $80 total for the 6 night stay, and of course, we'll be hoping for an upgrade!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  It's amazing how you can fill a day, feel very busy, yet accomplish relatively nothing...I'm told that's pretty common for people in their retirement.   I've also heard that it takes a full 6 months to truly adjust to the pace of retirement.  Well, today I learned that what I always suspected is true...I am a quick study!  I've got it mastered after only 1 week!  There's nothing that I identify on my "to do" list that I don't first ask myself "maybe this can wait until tomorrow ..."  and surprisingly enough...much of it can!!

Retirement - Day 6

It's not quite been a week since I started my retirement and it's starting to remind me a bit of Bill Murray's "Ground Hog Day".  Every day seems to be the same...day after day after day.  I can see why people forget the date and even the day of the week.  I'm able to tell if it's a weekday or a weekend based on the tv schedule...yeah, yeah, I know, pathetic right...but admit it, you all know when your favourite shows are on.  So if you're a Survivor fan, you always know when it's Wednesday.  If it's Grey's Anatomy that floats your boat, then you don't ever forget a Thursday.  Well, I happen to be addicted to a show that's on 5 days a week.  Well, 6 if you count the Sunday recap.  For those of you that haven't figured it out, both Kier and I are hooked on Coronation Street.  If I had my way, I'd be signing up for the annual Corrie Street Tour which is organized by a travel agency out of Ontario. Every September they facilitate a tour for a group of Canadian Corrie fans to Manchester, England.  They see not only the actual Granada Studios where Corrie Street is filmed, but also some of the surrounding areas which include the real "Weatherfield" which is actually a small English town near Manchester that the fictional town is based on.  It's out of the question for this September due to the Australian trip.  Maybe September 2012...that will give me 18 months to convince Kier that he REALLY wants to take the tour!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  It's important to have a purpose in life.  I'm realizing just how important it is, too, now that I've retired and feel as though I haven't got one!  I will always remember Steve Martin's character in that movie from years gone by called "The Jerk".  He wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but after trying several different menial jobs and finally meeting the woman of his dreams, a circus performer, he loudly proclaimed "I've finally found my purpose in life"...  Well, if you happen to remember the movie you'll  know that his purpose in life and my purpose in life will be nothing alike, but the point here is that everyone does have one, and it's just a matter of finding it...guess I'll keep looking...hey, did I hear the circus was coming to town???

Retirement - Day 5

Not a lot goes on in Antigonish on a Sunday, (I know what you're thinking...not much goes on in Antigonish any day...and you're right, but Sunday is particularly slow.), so our day is spent close to home catching up on some reading and tv.  I picked up a book recently called "50 things to do when you're 50" and I glanced  through the first couple of chapters.  Seeing that I'm not 50 as yet, I thought I'd get a head start on preparing for how my life will change when I reach that "1/2 decade" milestone.  One chapter mentions that when you hit fifty, your metabolism slows down to the point that you can survive on one meal a day and 2 snacks.  This could work!  What a way to lose 30 lbs...seems easy enough.  Only eat when you're hungry, the book says.  Can we do it?  Can we finally find a way to lose that extra weight we've managed to squirrel away.  Maybe we could do one meal a day, one meal replacement drink and a snack.  Let's get real.  It might start out that way, but we'd quickly evolve the "diet" into one meal, followed by 2 snacks, one meal replacement drink, and then 2 more snacks.  Not likely to lead to any major weight loss...and the countdown is on...we've got 5 months before our big trip.  Suggestions anyone?  We're open to anything...well, anything except removal of heavy organs or limbs!  I know, we could always try self discipline...hasn't worked for us before, but hey, you never know...

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  It is definitely possible to have too much of a good thing (THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO CHOCOLATE!!)...particularly if you're one who defines a "good thing" as anything to do with exercise.  Personally, I don't consider that a "good thing" at all, but having said that, I spent part of my day running, followed by weight training and then, this evening, 2 back to back games of curling.  With all this exercise, you'd think I'd soon be a toothpick!  But all it ever seems to lead to for me is stiff and sore muscles.  And for those of you who will say that running is enjoyable...I just want to point out that whenever I drive past a runner on the street, I can never be certain if that look on their face is a smile...or a grimace...check it out sometime...but for now, I'm heading off to soak in a nice hot bath...and maybe have some chocolate...  ;)

Retirement - Day 3

OMG!  What a day!  My first day back in the fitness mode!  We were up early...again...and out for a run by 9a.m.  I went on my own as Kier definitely goes at a different speed than I do...that competitive nature rearing its ugly head.  Well, I'm heading down the road near the house, minding my own business, going at a snail's pace, when I see an envelope on the ground, and it looks rather thick.  Of course, being a trained observer I stop to pick it up.  Well, imagine my surprise when I find that the envelope is stuffed full of bills...at first glance there had to be more than $500 in the envelope, and it wasn't sealed, with no markings on the outside.  As I'm standing there gobsmacked (as they say on Corrie Street) trying to decide whether to turn on my heel and run back up the hill to call the police from home and report this find, or to continue on my run and report it when I get home...I mean, what difference is about 20 minutes going to make??  Just then I hear a rather old and shaky voice screaming at me "Thief, thief, you're stealing my money" and look up to see a little old lady making her way down her driveway rather feebly...shaking a cane at me.  I look around in some confusion as I wonder who and what she's talking about.  "I've called the police", she yells, "and they're on their way...don't you move, you thief".  As I try to calm her down, I hear the sirens wailing in the distance.  Now this is going to look embarrassing, I think to myself...my third day of retirement and involved in a police occurrence.  I approach the woman to try to explain that I found the envelope of cash lying on the side of the road, but apparently I look threatening in my running pants, jacket and my "survivor" buff around my head.  She starts backing up the drive towards her house yelling for me to stay away from her, "you thief".  Well, when the police car arrives I approach the car to identify myself, not knowing what this elderly woman has told them on the phone.   Doesn't it turn out to be someone I don't know who seems to consider me threatening as well and immediately goes into a defensive mode, grabbing me, throwing me against the police vehicle and cuffing me while grabbing the envelope of money out of my hands.  As I try to explain what has happened, I get thrown into the back of the police vehicle where I'm left while the officer deals with the elderly lady....

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  It's not nice to fool your friends...APRIL FOOLS!!!

Hope you all had a great day and weren't the victims of too many pranks!