Checkered Lounge Pants

Well, I don't know about you, but, I am hard pressed to find something as, if not more, entertaining than the US politics this month. I don't mean to marginalise the world events and all their moral denomination, but really what competes with this stuff, eh? The absence of concern when politicians agreed to funnel almost $800 billion into 10 US banks last fall (displaying the absurd US Treasury modicum that paying 10 banks would protect the exposure of the 3 insolvent banks..did you see Citi Bank this week?) adding to the alarming US debt already ballooning from the two wars. Quite frankly I think US working /middle class that are bearing the brunt of these taxpayer bailout stimuli would be better served for future generations from good old English common sense. London's previous mayor Ken Livingstone was quoted as saying, “We should shoot one banker a week until the others improve." Now the US government is endeavouring to inject another $800 billion into several form...

"Whatcha do on this GLORIOUS day Off?" popped up on my MSN from Gerry Desharnais. Well, I slept in, which is no big deal when retired. After having my morning coffee, I drove my beloved Val to work and headed out to meet my retired railway comrade, John, for coffee in Blenheim (the cherry capital of Ontario...you hear that Ma..CHERRYS). I drove down the winding Hwy #3 that snakes along the Erie shore from Leamington right to, well, I turned off at Blenheim, eh, but the scenic road goes a lot further. I promised to make the rendezvous no later than 14ooh (u-hum...railway time for railway compadres) and I was 2 minutes early. Anyhow, after a couple coffees we contemplated strolling through the county liquidation store when I mentioned it was a holiday and businesses were closed. "Holiday??" said John. Oh ya, I love being retired. LOL. So, did you read about the two European submarines getting into a fender bender in the Atlantic Ocean. Is this indicative of how stealt...

Just quickly touching base to bring you up to speed on that call that interrupted my last post. The insurance adjustor called to say that my car was not a write-off. “Give me the body shop of your choice and we will have the car sent today” she politely informed me. I was hoping not to have to go through the work of replacing the car, especially now that financing terms have taken a narrowing turn over the last year. No more 0% offers out there unless you are prepared to take something off the lot that wont sell any other way. “How long before I will see the car?” I asked, fishing for the quantum of damage. The ETA of completion is 18 days, I was told. Now, I am thinking to myself concerned, that’s “fairly” significant. Well, long story short, my friend, Joe, experienced in auto wrecking sort of stuff, accompanied me to the body shop and after an hour of “look/see” and grilling the mechanic and the shop proprietor and the receptionist and the owner’s two daughters (not that parlaying t...

I am just waiting for the insurance adjustor to call. They are appraising the car to see if it’s a write-off or repairable. You see, I rolled the car last week. BOO-UMS. Black ice, they say ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_ice ). I narrowly (so close I entertained some form of spiritual influence) missed the Jeep that had spun and hit the ditch moments earlier. She was oblivious to my car tracking the ruts of a vehicle that had narrowly missed the ditch seconds before us, until the avalanche of snow from my grounded car, sho wered her Jeep. It was her voice calling as I escaped out the window, saying, “Are you OK?" No serious injuries to report albeit, the attending police deemed it prudent to summons an ambulance to “look me over”. Once electronically examined (my-oh-my they have hi-tech equipment) and summarily treated to the readouts and tacky removals of the sticky electrodes, and biting swabs on an overlooked cut or two, I was given a clean bill of health (reserving my ri...