Through The Mist Darkly

Not many updates here lately but I’ve got a good reason.  Been spending the last couple of weeks building the new website for Wings & Wheels.

I’m not taking all the credit for this but it’s safe to say I’ve been doing most of the frustrating little things that go into building it.

The whole site is built on the Joomla CMS application.  Like WordPress, which this site runs on, it’s open source backed up by thousands of users, designers and extension writers.  Learning a new web app is like learning a new language and I *STILL* can’t speak German even after dozens of trips.

I’m pretty proud of the new website and sure hope all the hard work will bring the visitors in.  Drop over and take a look.

I really thought with all the budget restrictions and the general state of business that I wouldn’t be flying anymore for the rest of this year.  Guess I was wrong.

Tomorrow morning I hop on one of these 18 seater Beechcraft 1900Ds operated by Air Georgian for Air Canada to fly down to Hartford Connecticut.  Once there, it’s a 1 hour drive to Waterbury and check-in at the Courtyard Marriott.

Monday and Tuesday are full days of meetings in the town of Naugatuck before heading back Tuesday night.  This is my 5th or 6th trip down to our US office there.  Promises to be 3 long days starting with a business dinner tomorrow night.

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Tuesday morning at 2am sounds like a fine time to be outside looking up.

The annual Leonid meteor shower starts tomorrow night and peaks a few hours later.  This graph available here shows that that 2:28am EST is my best time.  Sounds great but I really doubt that I’ll be awake for the show.

A couple of videos for your Sunday pleasure.

First, a 25th anniversary commercial for Virgin Atlantic.  Cheeky and fun which pretty well sums up Richard Branson’s first venture into the world of aviation.

Next up, this one is definitely an original.  “Ricardo Autobahn” links clips from TV and movies to create a catchy little tune.

That’s it for now.

(image from Vintage Wings Canada)

Today we reflect in silence the sacrifices of those who gave their lives in service to our country.  We may attend a formal gathering or we may just stand or sit in private, quiet contemplation when the clock strikes 11.  How we observe the event is not important, the fact that we do is.

I came across this image on the Vintage Wings of Canada website along with this poem by Andy Michaelson

Dieppe
He is a pile of clean clothes untouched by an iron
talking to himself,
wrinkled face, white hair,
tucked into a corner of the bar

He never stays past three in the afternoon
sips a single beer
takes no space at all
waits to join the rest
knows there were five
knows he is the last

Each August 19th
he arrives in a shiny blue blazer
a white shirt, starched
a tie with regimental markings
sits straight, front and centre
at a table with four empty chairs
he lays out the memories
snaps an order for five beer

He drinks each, by name
one by one
chases away any intruder
with a hard command

Remembering the run up to the beach
hearing the Sergeant
over landing craft engines
over shell fire
“Don’t be afraid, boys
sing something to chase the fear”
remembering five voices,
“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you”
seeing the ramp drop,
knowing instantly they were four,
tasting bitter surrender
marching, 300 kilometers,
surviving three years in the camp,
being freed as three,
in time just two,
now him alone
singing

Remember the faces of those brave young men but also remember and honour the veterans who are still with us today.  Thank them for their service.

I feel crappy. Before you rush to put on your masks or rubber gloves, it’s not H1N1 (or Swine Flu or, my personal favourite, Bacon Lung).

For almost a month I’ve been waking up finding it hard to breathe.  My sinuses have been plugged and my throat as dry as a desert.  I finally decided to quit the normal male stoicism routine and get to the Doctor.  An allergic reaction to something – cause unknown.  No problem, we’ve got a drug for that.  Quick trip to the pharmacy and we’re good to go.

Not so fast!  Nasonex was the prescribed wonder drug.  Couple of shots up the nose twice a day and everything should be good to go.  Except for those pesky little side effects.  Headache?  You betcha!  Sore throat?  Check.  Loss of appetite?  In spades!  Oh and did we mention that it lower your immunity level?  Good time for that to happen.

I’ve got to keep taking this stuff for at least another week.  Hopefully I can survive the cure.

5 days in to growing the Mo and it still looks terrible.  Help a brother out and make a donation to support greater awareness for men’s health issues, especially prostate cancer.  Head on over to my donation page.  Please?

Well, it’s Movember 1st and the contest is on!

Growing the moustache to raise money and awareness for Prostate Cancer.  Next week or so it’s going to look real ugly.

Please donate at my page.

For the second year in a row, Jan is in Vancouver working on her birthday.  It really sucks to be separated on special occasions and it has happened more often than I like. 

Big shout out to the staff at the Hilton Hotel in Richmond BC for helping me surprise her yesterday with some flowers and a nice bottle of wine.  A simple phone call was all it took and Ashley at the hotel was a great pleasure to deal with.