Through The Mist Darkly

!@(/spring2005/spring2005_4.jpg:R240 http://www.eyeno.net/images/spring2005/spring2005_4.jpg) A short walk around our subdivision to see how spring is progressing. Like dinosaur bones on a wind swept Albertan hillside, the garbage of last year is emerging from the ice and snow. Water bottles, pop cans and dog shit seem to be the legacy of 2004 as far as debris is concerned. Spring really can be an ugly time of the year. If it wasn’t for the promise of things to come it would be depressing watching the cast offs of our consumer society rising from their deep, cold slumber.

!@—
!@(/spring2005/spring2005_1.jpg:L240 http://www.eyeno.net/images/spring2005/spring2005_1.jpg) All through Brampton you’ll find what the city likes to call “Greenbelt”. Really it’s just a place for the water to flow when it rains and the storm sewers overflow but once in a while you do find some beauty. The creek here is muddy from the runoff from the roads, full of sand and salt but the bushes that line it are trying their best to get started for another year. Lovely red branches amid the snow and dirty water. A hint of green in the grass - yes life is renewing.

!@—
!@(/spring2005/spring2005_6.jpg:R240 http://www.eyeno.net/images/spring2005/spring2005_6.jpg) More green, this time as lichen on a tree that leads a hard life. In the middle of a flood plain, shopping bags caught in its branches and root deep in mud and polluted water. Still, it’s a hint of color that is good to see after so much white.

!@—
!@(/spring2005/spring2005_7.jpg:L240 http://www.eyeno.net/images/spring2005/spring2005_7.jpg) Aah, young love. Some ducks stick around all winter now so I don’t know if this couple has returned from the South or never left. Doesn’t matter, he’s noisy and she’s playing hard to get. Hopefully soon they’ll have a new family and the cycle of life will continue.

!@—

Click any image to enlarge in a new window

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So a group called Emporis Data Committee has compiled a list of the 100 cities whose skylines have the most visual impact. Toronto comes in at number 10 while Vancouver ranks number 25.

Having lived in both cities, I think Vancouver has a much better skyline but that’s only when you turn your back on the city and look at the mountains.

BTW, Hong Kong is ranked number 1.

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MSNBC reports that a baggage handler for Midwest Airlines somehow managed to get himself locked in the hold on a trip from Milwaukee to Philadelphia. Luckily, the hold was heated and pressurized.

A spokeswoman says the airline will review its procedure. Ya think?

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Easter is one holiday that moves around more than most. Wonder why? HowStuffWorks has the answer.

You’re welcome.

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Douglas Adams

>“The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.”

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Spent part of the day yesterday assembling our new gas grill. A Weber “Silver C” that is probably about 3 times larger than we’ll ever need. Don’t care, it hardly cost me anything. All winter, I’ve been saving all the toonies and loonies and managed to hit our 6-49 pool twice at work so I ended up with about $900 without any pain.

Hopefully tonight I’ll grill a couple of steaks just to try it out. Of course I’ll probably freeze my nuts off. Temperatures during the day are consistently above freezing but they drop quickly once the sun goes down. Don’t care, still got to give the new toy a workout.

Jan is frantically looking for the first Robin of the season. I guess it’s not really spring until she sees the bird for confirmation.

John Z and I went to a driving range this morning to whack balls and see how many muscles will complain later. The Jeep is washed and looking fine.

Screw the Robin, spring IS here. At least until the next snowfall.

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{ gallery [life] }

This is another plugin for Wordpress that allows Picasa (from Google) galleries to be shown in posts. Click on any picture to see it larger.

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William Ralph Inge

“A nation is a society united by delusions about its ancestry and by common hatred of its neighbors.”

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Today is officially the first day of spring. Judging by this picture taken yesterday at Maxine’s house, someone forgot to tell Mother Nature. That’s a lot of snow that has to melt.

Click image to enlarge

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I was sitting here in EyeNo Central Command pondering important
issues like the meaning of life and wondering whether if they find
a cure for baldness, will it be retroactive? It struck me that it’s
difficult to find the proper balance between work and relaxation when
you’ve got a blog. Keeping a blog up to date involves a lot of the
same discipline that my job entails.

This came to mind because I spent part of my day on the laptop meeeting
a deadline to get some information overseas and, when I took a break, I
immediately moved to my other computer to check for interesting items
that I’d like to put on my site. What was I doing in both cases?
Looking up information,entering into a word processor and passing it
down the line where I hope someone will find it of interest. One task
pays my bills, the other feeds my obession to keep the blog up to date.
By simple definition, both would count as “work”.

I only went outside twice today, both times I bought something (I am Consumer
see me spend). I did chores, I cooked lunch and supper and I watched some
golf. At no time was I any further than 20 steps from these computers.
Even now, I’m trying to watch a terrible Sci Fi movie while typing this.
How many millions of keystrokes have I logged in the last 1/4 century.
Scary thought.

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The Last Juror

My rating: 4 out of 5

Just finished John Grisham’s “The Last Juror”. I’ve probably read all his books and am quite a fan of his writing style. Usually, his hero is a lawyer or someone involved directly in the legal system, but with this book he makes a interesting change.

Set in a small Mississippi town during the 70’s The Last Juror is more a study of those turbulent times than it is a novel of the criminal justice system. Willie Traynor, a young out-of-towner, has just bought the local newspaper when the most sensational trial in the area’s history takes place. His growth as a journalist coincides with the town’s painful growth in the era of desegregation and invasion of big city commerce.

Grisham paints a compelling portrait of a time that is long gone and fills it with characters and detail that evoke fond and painful memories. Everything pivots around Miss Callie and her extended family. Traynor is the scribe who records the journey filled with joy and sorrow.

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Climbing out of Atlanta on Delta Airlines heading for a snowstorm in Toronto

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Separated at birth?

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Flight attendants get a bad rap. They and their brethern who man the ticket counters are the public faces of the world’s airlines. They work long hours on their feet, put up with all types of flyers and are responsible for following the rules that the suits come up with to save money.

Every so often, you come across something to remind you that they really are looking out for us when we’re locked in an aluminum tube hurtling through the skies at a zillion miles an hour. Ran across this example of ingenuity at work. I’ll remember this the next time I’m crammed into a 747 with full toilets.

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Nick Diamos

>“Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity.”

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Jetsgo, Canada’s third biggest airline quietly folded its tent last night stranding thousands of passengers just as they were preparing for Spring Break travel. Not too suprising when you realize that Robert LeBlanc, Jetsgo’s front man was also involved with Canada 3000 that pulled the same trick a few years ago.

I had the misfortune to fly with this crapline a few times and finally told my assistant not to book any more trips with them no matter how cheap the flight. The aircraft were dirty, noisy and prone to flight delays. The flight attendants had that look that says “I’m only working here until I can find a job with a real airline, or McDonald’s goes to 24 hour drivethrough service”. Friends of mine in the aviation business told me months ago that Jetsgo was under investigation for poor safety and maintenance records.
Jetsgo’s gone now and, though I’m sad for all those families who have had their vacations spoiled, I’m glad they went before they literally crashed.

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Every day at work I received at least 100 messages, most of which I could probably do without. CCs and CYAs (Cover Your Ass). I tend to react to each one as it arrives but quite often don’t do anything with them which accounts for my inbox being embarrasingly large.

So it was a pleasant surprise to come across this interesting take on managing the monster. Some of the suggestions:

1. Use a subject line to summarize, not describe.

2. When you copy lots of people (a heinous practice that should be used sparingly), mark out why each person should care.

3. When scheduling a call or conference, include the topic in the invitation. It helps people prioritize and manage their calendar more effectively.

Good common sense advice. Everyone in my department is getting a copy of this!

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The Da Vinci Code

My rating: 5 out of 5

Structured blogging for a book review.

It allows you to search Amazon and pull an image plus the ASIN number.

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STRUCTURED PLUGIN

Still more testing. This is a new plugin from the WordPress community to add structure to blog posting.

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