My humble thanks

I was checking my sitemeter statistics today, and noticed that I had been visited by someone who was referred by a site I had never heard of. I visited the site and was surprised to see that there was a link to my blog! I say "surprised" because most visitors to my site come via google search, or perhaps from a comment I've left in someone else's blog.

I'd like to thank Lindsey, both for the link, and for a timely answer to my email. I'll keep an eye on her site to see whether it's one I'll be reading on a regular basis. Until then, I encourage you to visit yourself.

A new appreciation

I'm a Beatles fan. No, not the type that can recite the lyrics to every song they've ever done, or even recite the names of every album they've ever done. I just love their music. I love the fact that the lyrics are comprehensible (OK, there may be one or two exceptions, but you get the idea). And, for the most part, I can see meaning in almost every one of their songs.

But of all the songs they'd ever written, I'm probably guilty of giving short shrift to George Harrison. Sure, I enjoyed his contribution as a lyricist. "While my guitar gently weeps" is one of my favourite Beatle songs. However, with the likes of Lennon and McCartney, George just didn't get much respect. When he started recording on his own, I didn't listen much to his records, since I didn't relate well to the Eastern culture that made up the core of his music.

Now, he's released a new album. One of the songs (I have no idea what the title is) has a couple of lines that I have found mesmerizing...

If you don't know where you're going/Any road'll take you there

I see myself so clearly in those two lines. For years, I've wandered around emotionally, spiritually, and professionally. After all these years, I can't honestly say I've really gotten anywhere. And then I heard the lyrics to that song... Though I'm not sure yet how my life will change, I believe a change is imminent. When I figure out what it is, you'll be the last to know!

I survived Passover 2003

It ain't over til it's over. And now, it's over. Tonight, I dined on the finest Chicken McNuggets I've had in a long time (well, OK, since last Tuesday). Tomorrow, I go shopping for bread. My life is so exciting!

S.A.R.S. is closing in

I've just watched a TV news report that says that Cruise Lines in Seattle are turning away any resident of Toronto, to be sure that SARS doesn't make it on board. I can understand the paranoia. Yesterday, I overheard a conversation in my office. The cleaning lady was talking to her husband - remarking on how lucky it was that she had been too busy to attend the funeral of one of the people in her parish. It turned out that a doctor who attended the funeral was infected with SARS. Now, everyone who attended the church on the day of the funeral has been quarantined.

I'm a bit concerned, I must confess. The cleaning lady may (or may not) be in the same social circle as some of the people under quarantine. If they violate the quarantine order and socialize with the cleaning lady, how am I supposed to know? She's quite chummy, and always makes a point of greeting me as she enters the office. Yesterday, after she hung up the phone, I jokingly told her to stay away from me if there was any way she could be infected. I wonder how rude it would be for me to start showing up at the office with a surgical mask!

Passover - Day 6

I don't deserve to be treated so well. My sister, of bubelech fame, has raised her daughter to be a gracious hostess. Tonight's meal was fit for a king, and I did all I could to pack as much of it away as humanly possible. It's not like I made a pig of myself. I only had seconds on two courses... the salad and the stuffing. It wasn't until later, when I started counting up the courses - chicken soup with matzoh balls, salad, brocolli, chicken, stuffing, and potatos - that I realized just why my pants felt like they were splitting at the seams. I'd like to take credit for passing up on dessert, but truth is, there was no way I was going to be able to fit another mouthful of anything into me!

Nearly three hours after the meal, I'm finally feeling comfortable enough to entertain the notion of lying down to go to bed.

Thank you, Naomi, for a terrific meal!

And Ezra, whom I haven't seen since shortly after his birth in December, is really growing like a weed. I got to play with him for a good half hour before he was hustled off to bed. What a sweetie pie!

There's just two more days left to fend for myself. Judging by the amount of food in the fridge, I shouldn't have any problem!

Passover - Day 5

Passover is more than half over, and I still haven't felt food-deprived. Tomorrow, I have an invitation to dine at my neice's home. That leaves just Wednesday and Thursday to worry about. By Friday night, Passover will be over.

It was back to work today after the long weekend. I enjoyed being back, having become somewhat bored over the past few days. I was working on a new assignment today, and by tomorrow, I'll be finished and ready to move to something new. I've been enjoying the variety of chores on this job. It keeps me interested.

Today, I spoke with an air conditioner contractor who is bidding on doing the A/C at my home in Windsor. In a couple of weeks, the job should be complete, and I'll start giving some thought to putting pressure on my boss to get transfered back to Windsor. My wife is really excited about that prospect. So am I.

Passover in Toronto

I miss Windsor. I miss being with my wife and son, and seeing my grandchildren on a regular basis. If it wasn't for the fact that I get very sleepy driving through boring terrain (how many of you know how FLAT and straight the road is from Toronto to Windsor), I would travel to Windsor every weekend (it's only a 3.5 hour drive, one way). But every time I drive there (and back), I take my life into my hands. Last weekend, the drive back took six hours (including the nap I had to take along the way).

Anyway, this post is about Passover in Toronto. For those that don't know, Toronto is the hub of Jewish life in Canada. Next to New York, it is the most densely populated Jewish region outside of Israel. From the perspective of Passover, it means that grocery stores are well-stocked with Passover food. The quantity and variety are like nothing I have ever experienced. I am not an overly observant Jew. When being strictly Jewish becomes inconvenient (for example, if I have to go to Detroit or Toronto to buy kosher food), I cut corners. And when Easter and Passover exactly coincide (like they do this year), it's extremely inconvenient, seeing that my wife and her family celebrate Easter.

Well, in Toronto, there's no need to cut corners or be concerned with how my immediate family will cope with my inability to participate in the Easter meal. So, this year's Passover observance has been helped by an abundance of readily available food that I actually don't mind eating. And having observant family in the immediate vicinity doesn't hurt either. Last year in Windsor, my "treat of the season" was being invited to lunch at my sister's home. This year, I was invited to the home of my other sister, here in Toronto. She and I share a love of food (which would be obvious to anyone who took a look at our waistlines), and she prepared an absolutely marvelous "first Seder". So bountiful was the meal that "my portion" of the leftovers have already fueled the second and third nights, and I've still got enough for tonight. And on Tuesday night, I've been invited to Naomi's house (my neice) for dinner.

Next year, I hope to be back in Windsor for Passover, but this year, I'm glad I'm here.

Happy Holidays!

To all my family, friends, and occasional readers...

I wish you all the very best. May you celebrate the holiday season in peace and safety.




Jack

I think my computer is healthy again

I brought the computer back to Windsor with me, just in case I had to resort to purchasing a new computer or new drive or something silly. Instead, I got some good advice from one of the geeks working in a local computer store. They gave me a bootable Win98 diskette. Basically, they told me that if I could get the computer booted up in DOS, I would be able to go to the directory where the Windows Setup files are, and re-install Windows.

I tried that, and with some exceptions, it seems to have worked. The setup program seemed smart enough to realize that some of the programs were already installed (and were at a more up-to-date version than what was on the original installation files), and these were left alone. The only "lost" settings seem to be some registry settings and password files.

I have noticed a bug with Windows Update... since this program lost the registry settings that tell it what version of programs I am working with, it "thinks" I need some updates that I already have. That wouldn't be so bad; but when I try to apply the update (so it can refresh the list of program updates installed), it tells me that it has skipped the update (ostensibly because I don't need it), but it keeps telling me that I need to reboot my computer to continue with the updating procedure. After the third reboot, I figured that it didn't really know what was going on.

Except for that annoyance, and the fact that my firewall is again asking whether programs may be permitted to use the internet, I seem to have not lost anything.

And that's WITHOUT having to resort to restoring my programs from backup. I wonder if I should just leave well-enough alone?

How do you spell IDIOT

The spread of S.A.R.S. is growing daily. Here in Toronto, there is a larger number of cases than anywhere on earth excluding Hong Kong. On a per-capita basis, Toronto has had more cases, and more deaths than any other city, bar none. With over 200 confirmed cases, and 11 deaths, Toronto currently has a very dubious distinction. People in public places have taken to wearing surgical masks. I've seen masked citizens in grocery stores and movie theatres. I'm sure this trend is only starting. My own parents, calling from Phoenix, have suggested it might be prudent for me to begin wearing a mask myself.

But what really rankles me is the laissez-faire attitude of health care workers. They have done an excellent job of identifying the people at risk for S.A.R.S., and in all cases have imposed strict quarantine orders on them - but the quarantines are not supervised; they are voluntary. One quarantined person, restricted to his home for ten days, decided he missed being at work. Today, he went to the office. Now, I'm sure his boss was pretty amazed at his dedication, but sometimes, it's just better to follow doctor's orders. His disregard for quarantine regulations meant that the entire office staff (200 employees of Hewlett Packard) had become exposed to S.A.R.S. The health department has now ordered the entire office to shut down. All employees have been sent home and ordered not to leave their homes for ten days.

Instead of a mere 80 hours of lost productivity, HP will now be forced to swallow 16,000 man-hours of lost time. I guess there's one person who won't be receiving the Man of the Year Award any time soon!

Hmm. Yesterday didn't go exactly as planned. I did spend a great deal of my day working on the new assignment, but that was only after I spent the first three hours of the morning working on ... wait for it ... a dog and pony show. I guess there comes a time when a potential marketing opportunity makes management salivate, and I was pressed into service trying to create a demo that would impress some potential new client.

Now, had I been given more than a single hour's notice, I think I could have probably installed my software modules onto the laptop computer, and loaded it with some data required by the application. But one hour just wasn't enough, and I made that clear as soon as I was asked to help. I'm glad I did... since it would have led to great frustration when, at the end of the allotted time, we would have been no further ahead. Instead, I was instructed to set up a different piece of software. One that, under ideal conditions, could possibly be configured in a tight timeframe.

The laptop computer is set up with an operating system, database, and version of application software that is different from the ones typically used day-to-day in our development lab. There is no direct means of transfering information from one environment to another. However, after getting suggestions from a colleague, I was able to establish a roundabout means of exporting information from one environment in a format that could be imported into the other environment. The boss had to temporarily delay his departure from our office, but in the end, he left with a working laptop.

As for the work I thought I would be working on yesterday... I made good progress on that too, because I decided to stay and work some overtime last night. Consequently, I should still be in a position to finish that assignment today.

Come Friday, I'll be heading home for the weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing the family. It's been too long.

I can't wait to get to work today. When I first got in the door yesterday, there was general panic... a program I had written had been shipped to a client and had died immediately, even though that program had worked perfectly in our laboratory. Unfortunately, real life is never as simple as the controlled environment we face in the development lab. After a half hour of evaluation, we discovered the cause of the problem, and minutes later, the problem was history.

The client was happy, my boss was happy, I was happy. Then, the client started actually using the software and discovered that it didn't do what he wanted! Oh, it worked exactly as it had been designed (perfectly conforming to the design specification). Thing is, the specification was wrong. And the client was unhappy.

I spent most of the rest of the day on the phone, or in meetings. We wanted to ensure that we understood exactly what the client wanted before we tried to fix the problem. Since I was going to be implementing the solution, I was invited to join in the discussions. By 3:30 pm, I was pretty sure I understood what was required. By 4:00 pm, I had filed a plan of action, and by 5:00 pm, a completely revised solution was finished, tested, and ready for distribution.

Not every problem I encounter is fixed as quickly, but in this case, I had anticipated some level of problems from the beginning. Not having been involved in the original discussions with the client, I used a defensive programming strategy - one that minimizes "hard coding", and relies instead on "rules" that are built independently of the code. So, when the "rules" changed, I merely had to tweak them a little... no muss, no fuss. It's a method I've employed through most of my 30 years as a programmer, and it works most of the time.

There is a down side to this strategy. It doesn't lend itself well to "dog and pony show" presentations. Until the very end, this strategy does not yield visible results. There have been times when my boss will wander over to my desk and ask how things are going. After responding that things are going well, he'll ask to see a program in operation. It's hard to explain that the program will not function - that there's absolutely nothing to see. He has to take on faith that, behind the scenes, individual components are being built and tested, and that, when all the components are complete, the finished product can be assembled and configured in a matter of minutes. I think today's response to the crises is the first real proof he's had of the validity of my approach.

I've got to give him credit, though. He's quick to see the benefits and potential of this strategy. No longer a skeptic, he discussed this methodology with me, and asked how it could be used to design a new module that was requested yesterday by the client. It turns out that much of the work I've been doing for the past couple of weeks can be directly applied to this new request, and I believe I should be able to deliver a working solution by Wednesday. So like I said, I'm really looking forward to work today.

My sleep was rudely awakened by the CENTCOM briefing. As has been my habit since the war began, I go to sleep with the TV still on (to be truthful, I always go to sleep with the TV on, but I usually wake up during the night and turn it off. I haven't been turning it off since the war began). This morning, I seemed to be overly tired. All the electronic clocks around me showed 7:46 AM so I was a bit puzzled. Until I saw my watch. I really *hate* losing that hour when Daylight Saving Time kicks in.

I visited my SiteMeter stats lately, and noticed that a long-missing friend had dropped in on my blog. Following the link back, I saw that she's back online. Welcome back, Lee. Now, I can uncomment my link :)

I received a blog-worthy video from my sister today. I'll post it to my comic relief section as soon as I have FTP access to my website.

R.I.P.

My computer died. It's been four days, and yesterday, I finally got my old laptop out of storage just so I could read my mound of backlogged email. To be totally truthful, the computer didn't die. It was accidentally killed... by my stupidity. There are times when I am so exhausted, I should just leave the keyboard and go to bed. But no, instead, I try to fight through the fatigue. After all, I'm so close to the end of the work I've been doing for nearly a year, I can taste it.

The other night, I tried to install a new piece of software (work related). It didn't work the way I had hoped, so I tried to uninstall it. When it uninstalled, it seems to have taken part of a related piece of software with it. So now, not only did the new software not work, but it messed up something else. "No problem", I thought. I have "System Restore" on my system. I confidently went into the System Restore menu, only to find that there were no restore points on that date. So, I backed up into the previous month. On the last day of the month, there was a good restore point, and off I went.

To my horror, in the middle of the process, I noticed that the restore date was October 31st (not March 31st). Yikes!!! So, I do the stupidest thing I can think of... I pull the plug out of my PC. After the reboot, my computer came back to life, but it was really messed up. Nothing seemed to be working right. In fact, the only thing that seemed to work was Windows itself.

I'm very proud of the fact that I do twice-daily automated backups. I checked, and verified that I had a complete system backup that was only hours old. Thank GOD!!! I figured the best thing to do was to restore the registry, since everything on the computer seemed to still be there. I figured the only thing I needed was to put the registry back.

Really bad idea!!!

Despite warnings from my computer and backup program, I forged ahead and restored from my backup. Then I rebooted. I got a blue screen with a "Sytem Protection Fault." message. This was not good. Each reboot was met by the same message. I was finally able to get the system to reboot in SAFE mode, and now I knew that I would have to endure the wait to do a COMPLETE restore on my system. Only one problem... under SAFE mode, my CD-ROM drivers aren't loaded, and my backup was made to CD-ROM discs.

So now, I have to wait until my next trip home to pick up my System Restore CD. Once I apply that, and reinstall my backup software, I'll finally be able to restore from my backup. Until then, I'll have to put my programming on the back burner, and deal with only limited access to my blog and email accounts.

Say, what?

I may not have heard this properly, but on CNN, I think they just reported that Iraq has lodged a complaint that the coalition forces fired upon two buses of human shields that had been attempting to make their way to Baghdad.

Does anyone else see anything wrong with that?

What were you thinking?

Rather than put a boot through my TV screen, I'll just vent here.

Almost on a daily basis, the CENTCOM briefings carry a story of embedded reporters that have been sent back to Kuwait because the information they put on the air was too sensitive (i.e. revealing) about the current location or operational status of a military unit.

Well, just about a minute ago, I was monitoring CNN when a reporter from the Boston Globe made a point of calling the CNN desk asking that he be put on the air. And what did he say? That his unit was sitting on the east bank of the Euphrates river, 50 miles from Baghdad. Anyone who has studied math knows that if you take a set of compasses, draw a circle centred on a known point, and find the intersection of the circle on another known point (like a RIVER, for example) can pinpoint with complete accuracy the position on a map.

Expect this reporter to be on tomorrow's list of stupid (I mean banned) reporters.

And another thing

There are a few blogs I like to read daily. One of them is And another thing.... Reading it recently, I came across a post that referenced a war-related post on one of the many War Blogs on the internet. This mp3 file is quite long. Those on a slow dialup will probably want to avoid downloading it. However, the thrust of the audio clip is an Iraqi ex-patriate, calling in to a talk show to challenge a "peace activist". It's really worth a listen if you can spare the long download. On a slow dialup, expect a 5-10 minute wait...

Someone has no sense of humour

I have a small Comic Relief section on this site. It contains items or links sent to me in emails. Each evokes a smile, or in some cases, a belly laugh. They are listed in the order I came across them. First on the list is a clip called Yes & No, a really innovative flash presentation created by Bruno Bozzetto. A Google search yields much information about this talented individual.

Anyway, the point of this post is that my original link to this masterpiece no longer functions. Instead, visitors are challenged with a password. Does this mean that bandwidth to this site has been so high as to warrant a change in policy, or has the host of this content simply lost his sense of humour? I really don't know.

Luckily, this little clip must be popular, because another search pointed out many alternate hosts, and just in case, I've now downloaded the clip for myself. Unless there is a copyright issue that will eventually cause all hosts of this content to stop carrying it, I hope to always be able to provide access. The world needs a good laugh. Specially now, during these trying times.

Chatting it up

I visited a chat room tonight, for the first time since moving to Toronto. Don't really know why I went in (actually, I do - I turned on Trillian to see if a friend was online - Kiwi, let me know you're OK - and forgot that Trillian automatically logs me into this chatroom I discovered in August), but anyway, I went into a room I hadn't visited since September. It was good being there. The mood is laid back. Friendly, with nobody putting on airs, trying to run games, etc. And no "sex-talk" allowed. Very comfortable. Anyway, it was good. I'll try to visit again before another six months goes by!

A chance discovery

There's a war going on. And some of the amateur pundits make good reading. A chance encounter with a comment left on this post on the Command Post warblog has convinced me that Robert Crawford's blog will be my kind of place. Look for a new link at left.

I'm getting old!

Early this morning, I arrived home from work. I had been awake for 43 of the past 48 hours, and I actually fell asleep for three hours before getting up to face the day. I must be getting old.

You can't have it both ways

Iraqi media finally have an incident of civilian bombing to display to the world. After 16,000+ sorties, a smart-bomb has finally missed a target and hit a civilian neighbourhood. Yet, the Iraqi government continues to go to great lengths to set oil trenches ablaze, ostensibly to obscure the view of bombers trying to pick out targets.

So, who's really to blame?

Chicken! (or is it Turkey?)

Not much is being said about the screwing we got from Turkey. Truth be told, we should have cut our (political) losses and run weeks ago, so that the 60,000+ soldiers sitting in warships away from the action would have had the time to get off those ships and into the battle.

Just imagine what things would be like right now if a northern front had been established... powerful forces converging on Baghdad from the north, south, and west. Remove the northern front, and it does two things - first, it allows Iraq to concentrate it's defensive forces over a smaller front; and second, it provides an escape route for Saddam Hussein and his Republican Guard. I fear the political ramifications if the leadership of Iraq melts away in the night (or during a sandstorm).

There is no doubt that the U.S. will capture Baghdad - sooner or later. I just hope they don't pay too high a price for the victory.

Human Shields

Sometimes, being the "good" guys carries responsibilities (or at least the perception of increased responsibility). I am hoping that the military strategists and soldiers on the ground remember the following:

Allowing the military effort to be slowed down by "human shields" ultimately results in much higher civilian casualties. Why? Because for every successful use of a human shield, there will be countless additional attempts to use the same strategy.

I would suspect that the military commanders are aware of this, and will instruct their soldiers on the ground to attempt to minimize civilian casualties, without allowing their presense to derail the assault. In many cases (though not all), the civilian population is sympathetic towards the Iraqi government. These "human shields" may very well be willing participants.

For air assaults, human shields are less of a concern. Pilots who drop bombs are already conditioned to block out the fact that humans may ultimately lose their lives during a mission. Close air support and infantry personnel have a harder time dealing with human shields, since they have to see their targets "face-to-face". In such cases, film should be shot of the Iraqi soldiers holding the human shields (to prove to the world that these civilians were not specifically targeted by the coalition forces). Once this evidence is gathered, the attack should proceed as normal, with no regard to the civilians. Easier said than done, I know. But if this strategy is followed, the Iraqis will soon understand that human shields offer no defence, and actually prove to the world (via the film) that the Iraqi military employs illegal and inhumane practices when fighting.

Command Post

Michele has spearheaded a collective of Iraq-war related blogs. Please support her efforts by visiting the Command Post site (please feel free to capture the gif - on this site or hers - to create your own link).

Ingrates!

I've been watching CNN. It's good to see dancing in the streets, as long-oppressed residents of Iraq finally get the opportunity to express themselves as the coalition troops roll through their towns. Hours later, I'm watching another CNN report, where an independent western reporter is attempting to interview some of the residents after the troops have left the town. Now, it's a completely different story! The residents are calling them "Satan". Even the journalists are called by this name.

Residents are questioning the reporters as to when the Israeli's will be entering the country; and when will the Americans be leaving. So many years of living in an oppressive regime, where all you hear from cradle to grave is anti-American, anti-semetic rhetoric... it seems no matter what the Americans attempt to do for these people, they will never understand what is being done for them.

I am now beginning to fear that sleeper cells of brainwashed civilians will allow coalition forces to penetrate Iraq with no resistance, only to be met with stiff guerilla warfare on the way out.

And now, we have word that in the 101st Airborne headquarters in Kuwait, two "terrorists" lobbed grenades into the tents of the garrison commanders, and shot at people as they evacuated the tents. To be fair, I would label these perpetrators as "special forces" (which, to me, is the definition of clandestine fighters in a formal conflict). However, it does point out that westerners are overly trusting of those they choose as allies.

Update
So, the Airborne security is OK after all. I hope they use the fucker that lobbed the grenade as a human shield on the next reconnaissance run. I know they won't - but a guy can dream can't he?

Must see TV

Is it just me, or is everyone changing their viewing habits. Two weeks ago, I would have killed anyone standing between me and my favourite programs. Now, I voluntarily give it all up to watch CNN. On the one hand, I guess that still makes me a TV junkie. On the other, I guess I can live without my favourite programs.

This war in Iraq is teaching me things about myself I simply did not know.

I'm pretty hawkish, so it should be no surprise that I not only support the U.S. government's stand regarding Iraq, but wonder why the heck they've waited this long. My not-so-secret wish is that Saddam gives Israel some provocation to take part in the spanking to come. In 1991, the mission was to get Iraq out of Kuwait, so Saddam did not feel himself to be in much personal risk. I believe he feels differently now. The one thing I'll say about Saddam is that he's not stupid (ruthless, yes, but not stupid). Rhetoric aside, he's not anxious to become a martyr, and I believe he will seek a means of leaving the country alive rather than chance trying to survive a massive bombing campaign.

I also believe the U.S. has some electronic warfare devices that are being reserved for this campaign, and that despite all the foreplay, they will still be able to mount a first-strike with a significant element of surprise.

No predictions about the swiftness of the campaign, but the casualty count in U.S. / British / Canadian forces will be minimal.

I had a great weekend. My wife arrived on Friday evening, and we had a lovely dinner together at one of our favourite restaurants. There were a couple of minor snafu's by the kitchen staff. Nothing that we would have complained about, but on this day, the manager of the restaurant was doing the rounds, and he caught every shortcoming. As a result, we were treated to a free appetizer and one free entree. This made the meal that much more enjoyable. To be fair, however, the service was excellent, and we left a tip commensurate with the full value of the meal, not the amount we were charged.

Saturday, the plan was to meet my sister for lunch and seeing the movie Chicago with her. Prior to lunch, my wife and I went shopping. She had a couple of things she needed to buy, and we were hoping to find what she wanted. We did better than that. Not only did we find it, but we found it in the first place we looked. And the price was quite reasonable. That put my wife into an excellent frame of mind. We met up with my sister right on time, and had a pleasant meal together. My wife really gets along well with my sister, which makes our visits quite enjoyable. We had hoped to convince her to join us for "Chicago", but she declined. Since my wife and I had already seen this movie, we decided to watch the new Bruce Willis movie (Tears of the Sun). Had we known this was going to be like "The Killing Fields", we would have passed. It was a movie that really tugged at the heartstrings, but it was so gory, we could have done without it. Don't get me wrong... the movie was enjoyable, just not the type of fare we had bargained for on this romantic weekend.

After the movie, we headed down the road for the one-hour drive to Hamilton. Our daughter is living there while she attends college. She had just moved to a new apartment at the beginning of March, and we wanted to see the place. I wish I could describe how proud we are of her. She's done a remarkable job with the apartment, getting a good leg up on the furnishing and decorating of the place. She had to work that evening, and we arrived around dinner time, so we all went to dinner together. Since we had been forced to wait for a table at the restaurant, it was quite late when we got out. So, we decided to give her a ride to work. And, we decided to go inside and meet some of her coworkers.

And so started an adventure. The manager of the restaurant, it turns out, is also from Windsor. He's about the same age as our daughter, but already married. Anyway, he grew up in the west end of the city, within a half block of where my wife was raised! So my wife asked what his last name was. And it turned out she knew his mother! Better than that, his mother and my wife had grown up as childhood friends, having played "Barbies" together as 9-year olds! With this knowledge, it was as if the manager was a member of the family. He spent considerable time visiting our table, and talking about his mother, father, stepfather, aunts, uncles, and family friends. Surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly at this point), my wife knew many of the people he mentioned. I sat there in amusement as they rehashed the early days of his mom's life. I don't think he wanted the conversation to end, but he finally bid us a fond farewell; and promised he'd tell his mother about the chance encounter. What do you think the odds are of something like this happening? Well, let's see... Windsor has over 200,000 people. Hamilton has over 660,000. And these cities are over 200 miles apart. Talk about coincidences!

After a quiet drive back to Toronto, and a good night's sleep, we woke up refreshed on Sunday morning and decided to do a bit of driving around the neighborhood before it was time for me to drive her to the train station. I'm glad she decided to spend the morning with me, instead of going to church as is her normal Sunday morning ritual. It's not that I begrudge her the time to pray, it's just that I was selfishly enjoying the weekend, and just didn't want it to end.

Despite spending our time together on Sunday, time still flew by too quickly, and at 2:00PM, it was time to say goodbye. Parting is always the most difficult time of our visits, and I'll be so happy when I'm back in Windsor for good. Until then, I miss her already!

My mood can shift from happy to pissed off in an instant.

Like now, for instance. A minute ago, I was really happy. Now I'm pissed. Because blogger fucked up my post, throwing a half-hour of typing into the toilet.

For now, I'm going to stop until I get back into a better frame of mind.

Hey everyone, did you miss me??

Things have become more hectic lately, and I'm finding it harder to stay awake during the late evenings - that's when I usually do my blogging.

The boss has asked me whether I would be willing to put in extra hours for extra pay. It seems there are projects he wants done, and there simply aren't enough hours available during the day to tackle everything. So, he's resorted to bribing a few of his programmers to put in some extra time. The only unfortunate thing about this is that it's drastically cutting into the time I've been spending on my "secret project".

I'm about a month or two away from being able to talk about it here, assuming I get some time to work on it! When it's finished, I'm hoping I will be able to finally ease up on my after-hours programming activities.

On another note, the boss has been conscious that I haven't been making much effort to move my family up to Toronto. I had really tried, but found that housing in the area is 2-4 times as expensive as where I came from, and I'm only making 1/3 the salary as before. You do the math... So, my boss asked me straight out - am I actually planning to move my family to Toronto. My response, carefully delivered, was essentially "No, because I can't afford to on what I'm making". I quickly added that I wasn't looking for a raise - not until the timeframe we had agreed to during job negotiations. I simply stated that, now that I was more familiar with the city, it was physically impossible to move the family.

And here's where the conversation got interesting. The boss told me that he's had time to reevaluate his initial stand on telecommuting. It seems he's had an opportunity to judge my work ethic, and my worth to his organization, and has decided that allowing me to telecommute is probably the only way he's going to be able to retain me long term. So now, he's accelerating my "learning process" (he wants me to learn all I can about the core functionality of the company's software) with the ultimate goal of sending me home to my wife!

Truth is, this change of heart has as much to do with the newly introduced high-speed internet access and cramped office space as anything else. Heck, I'm currently working through a Terminal Server, with no need for any local files on my PC. If I can do that from the office, I guess he figures there's no reason I can't do it from elsewhere. And the office, while not physically "cramped", does have limited room for expansion. If I were to work from home, it would leave a computer and desk available for a new employee.

So, having said all that, I'm pretty happy with the prospect of being back "home", where I will be in the company of my wife (yeah, I'm mushy, but I really do love this incredible woman!) - and will be able to hop out of bed in the morning ready to hit the keyboard, without the 2-hour preparation/commute to face.

Speaking of that incredible woman, she's coming up to visit me this weekend! Hooray!!! And while she's here, we'll take the opportunity to visit our daughter in her new apartment. I can't wait...

Today, I reluctantly removed three links on my read list. Real life pursuits have meant that these bloggers have no more time to share with the rest of us.

Anyway, if you still visit my blog, I just wanted to say "I'll miss you".

I apologize to those very few souls that visit me on a regular basis. I've been so busy at work that I just haven't had time for the other things in my life. Not only haven't I been posting, but I haven't even had the time to read the other blogs I normally visit daily.

I wish I could say I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but for now at least, blogging needs to take a back seat. I'll do what I can...

What a wonderful weekend! The entire weekend was filled with romance. Seeing my wife for the first time in weeks was great, and it left me more homesick than ever. I want this whole long-distance-thing to be resolved ASAP. Living apart is just no fun at all.

I got back to Toronto late Sunday night, and was too keyed up to go to sleep. As such, I was pretty much zombied out by Monday afternoon. I had actually considered asking for the afternoon off, but suddenly my second wind clicked in, and I managed to survive until day's end. Last night, the exhaustion got the better of me, and I ended up in bed earlier than I've gone in years (excluding times of illness).

The downside of going to bed early is waking early. I've been up since 5:00AM (normally, I get up at 8:00), reading email, visiting blogs, and thinking about going to work early. As you can see, that last possibility is no longer in play. In about 5 minutes, the alarm will go off, and I'll start my day refreshed and ready to go!

It's Valentine's Day - do you know where your sweetie is?

I do. And right now, I'm on my way to see her. So, there'll be no work tomorrow, and by this time tomorrow evening, we'll be having a romantic dinner together.

Gotta run!

That's Jesse, not Jessie

I don't know how often this happens in the "real world", but in my circle, it's happened twice (that I know of). I have a niece and nephew (brother and sister) whose names are biblical. When my niece married, the groom's name was the same as her brother's. Needless to say, when people talk to me about "Aaron & Naomi", I never know whether they're referring to brother/sister or husband/wife.

Now, it's happened again. My eldest daughter is Jessie. My other daughter (new mother, Christie) is engaged to be married to the baby's father (Jesse). I've not spoken much about Jesse, and I don't have a lot of time to do it now. Suffice to say that I have a lot of respect and admiration for this young fellow. Not only was he the only friend to Christie after she was abandoned by the father of her first child... turns out he had been in love with her from afar, and being the gentleman he was, did not want to "break up" the romance between Christie and her ex in order to express his interest.

Like I said, a classy guy. And he stepped right up and took an interest not only in Christie, but in Courtney. Courtney calls him "daddy" and their mutual love is plain to see.

What brought me to this extraordinarily out-of-character musing? The fact that Emily bears Jesse's last name! I look forward to the wedding and the official change of surname for Courtney.

Update

My sister (Aaron and Naomi's mother) read my blog and sent an email in response. Here's a portion of that email: "By the way, Aaron's brother has been dating a girl he likes very much-named Erin, and his sister is dating a guy she'll probably marry whose name is David. So some day Naomi could have a biological father David, a step-brother David and a brother-in-law David, a husband Aaron, a brother Aaron and a sister-in-law Erin.

Let's meet Emily

Yes, it's Emily (god knows why I spelled it the way I did yesterday). She's about 21 hours old in this picture, and apparently is doing quite well.





Courtney thanked her mother for giving her a baby sister as a birthday present, then promptly asked where her birthday cake was. Mother and daughter should be home from the hospital by the time I visit home for Valentine's Day. My wife sent me a picture of the proud mommy. I can't believe she looks this good less than 24 hours after giving birth, but I won't post the picture here.

Happy Birthday Courtney

Today is my granddaughter's birthday. She's 4 years old. It's a lovely age, when kids are able to say what's on their mind (for better or worse), and, when they can understand and, for the most part, accept the will/advice of their parents.

What do you get for a beautiful grandchild who's at that perfect age? Toys come to mind.

That must have been on the mind of Courtney's mother too. She got a very special toy for Courtney's birthday. A baby sister.

That's right. February 4th is now the birthday of BOTH my grandchildren. When I get pictures of Emilie (and learn what the correct spelling of her name is), I'll be posting them.

An amazing discovery

A team of archaeologists was excavating in Israel when they came upon a cave. Written across the wall of the cave were the following symbols:



It was considered a unique find and the writings were said to be at least three thousand years old! The piece of stone was removed, brought to the museum, and archaeologists from around the world came to study the ancient symbols. They held a huge meeting after months of conferences to discuss the meaning of the markings.


Expert Analysis

The President of the society pointed at the first drawing and said: "This looks like a woman. We can judge that it was family oriented and held women in high esteem.




You can also tell they were intelligent, as the next symbol resembles a donkey, so, they were smart enough to have animals help them till the soil.




The next drawing looks like a shovel of some sort, which means they even had tools to help them.




Even further proof of their high intelligence is the fish which means that if a famine had hit the earth, whereby the food didn't grow, they would take to the sea for food.




The last symbol appears to be the Star of David which means they were evidently Hebrews."




Conclusions



The audience applauded enthusiastically, but a little old man stood up in the back of the room and said, "Idiots, Hebrew is read from right to left. It says: Holy Mackerel, Dig The Ass On That Woman!"

My week has been somewhat hectic. The leg is still somewhat sore, but I'm walking on it now. Actually, I started walking without crutches on Monday, but by Thursday, I realized that my confidence had been misplaced - and I was aggrevating the injury by putting so much pressure on my bad foot. Beginning Thursday, I started to take more care, and that seems to be paying off.

Friday, my wife joined me for the weekend. We celebrated my sister's birthday with her, and we got the chance to see a movie together. As usual, the weekend has flown by too quickly. She'll be heading back home in a few hours.

Now that I'm starting to feel normal again, I'll be posting more regularly.

New entry in Comic Relief

My sister's been at it again. Here's the latest entry in the Comic Relief column.

I haven't been posting much lately. Monday morning (last Monday), I awoke with incredible pains in my leg. I could only manage a couple of hours at the office before I had to leave. After a full day's rest, I made it to work on Tuesday. But, whatever the problem was, Tuesday's strain made it worse. By Wednesday, I was in the hospital. And I've spent the last five days trying to recuperate from a badly sprained ankle. This past weekend, I had hoped the time off my feet would help the situation. It did, but only marginally. Luckily, by this morning, I was feeling able to put some weight on the foot for the first time in a week.

Now, it's evening, and the foot is tired and strained again. I can hardly put weight on it, and I hope it's feeling better by morning.

There's some good in being confined to a bed for the better part of the week. I've lost 11 pounds!

Medieval Times

I had lots of fun New Year's Eve. The pictures from Medieval Times were interesting, as I tried to take lots of indoor pictures without a flash. Of all the pictures I took that night, this one strikes me as one of the most interesting.



I have other shots that are in better focus, but I really like this one!

Did I mention I'm a GrandUncle

The reviews are in. My grandnephew is a sweetie-pie, and I really don't care if I look like a doting granduncle.



Of all the pictures I got, this is truly the best!

I got mail!

No, not spam... real mail... with lots of pictures attached! I certainly wasn't expecting that my wife, immediately upon her return home, would take the time to download all the pictures from the camera, photoshop them, and email them back to me so quickly! Boy, was I surprised!

I guess my biggest surprise was when I noticed that the first of TEN emails was sent not just to me, but other family members. There were 17 photo attachments in that email (over 3MB in size), and all the other recipients of the email have dial-up accounts. I was a bit less concerned when I realized that was the ONLY ONE that was sent to dial-up users. The remaining emails contained a total of 52 additional photographs.

Needless to say, I won't be able to post many of these pictures, because my ISP's storage limit has been reached. Maybe I can get my wife to photoshop a collage of the best shots and send that to me as a single picture... or I could download some sort of freeware editor and do it myself. If I did that, I'd try to find room for that one good picture.

Dragons everywhere

Happy New Year! I can't begin to tell you what a blast my wife and I had last night at Medieval Times. Their show has evolved significantly since our last visit well over a decade ago. And I was overjoyed when I learned that cameras ARE allowed! My only regret was that I didn't purchase the larger capacity memory card that I had considered getting for Christmas. Had I done that, I wouldn't have had to sit there trying to decide which of the 70+ pictures needed to be deleted from the camera so I could continue to take more pictures.

We got some really good shots, and quite a few blurry ones (you try using a digital camera indoors, in a dark stadium, without a flash - flashes don't do much good beyond 15 feet or so). Still, the pictures captured the spirit of the evening. All guests entering the castle were dressed in a cape with coat of arms, and photographed while posing with one of the Pages. I tried to put on a "menacing" look (as in "don't mess with me"), but my wife says it looked more like I was depressed and wished I was somewhere else.

The food was excellent (they even accommodated some of my "special dietary requirements") and the atmosphere was lively. This being a special New Year's Eve presentation, there was a live band (regrettably not a collection of 11th century minstrels - rather a 6-person rock band). We chose to leave soon after the clock struck 12, so as to avoid much of the traffic of party revellers, but it was such an exciting evening...

As a memento of the evening, my wife decided to purchase a ceramic dragon from the gift shop. There were several other things we would have liked to purchase, but settled for PHOTOGRAPHS of those items instead.

I hope all of you had a similarly entertaining New Year's Eve, and that your new year will bring happiness

The end is nigh

I have seen the future, and it sucks! The euphoria of Christmas has already passed, and now the reality of life is creeping back. My wife is up from home to visit Toronto and get a look at the housing here. She also had an interview at work. The interview went well. She was offered the job. Starting date is two weeks hence. Three months, six months, that could be do-able - considering that notices would be required; a house would need to be sold, packing and moving would need to be arranged. But two weeks?

Did I mention that "affordable" housing in the Toronto area requires far more than our combined family income? It's all so depressing.

This pessimism might be partly caused by an incident at work. We arrived together, yesterday morning, after a week's holiday. When I got to my desk, and saw that my computer was gone, I realized the place had been burglarized for the second time in a month! The first time, I had been lucky - my computer, and all my hard work, had been spared. I think that the installation of security measures gave all of us - the boss and myself included - a false sense of security. While I had initiated a practice of "centralized" storage for my work, I had only been backing up current work - the "critical" files (after all, unless the process is automated, backing up EVERYTHING on your computer on a daily basis is just too tedious and space consuming).

Long story short... I lost a host of stuff that had taken me weeks to accumulate, but was no longer on my current radar. Since it hadn't been deployed yet, my "local" copy was the only one in existence. And now, all that stuff is gone. Considering I had just finished a very demanding assignment in record time, the sting of losing even a portion of that labour took the joy out of the fact that 95% of my work had been saved.

I felt so sorry for my boss yesterday. When I told him the bad news about my loss, I detected a "I wish you had backed up EVERYTHING" look on his face. He reserved most of his scorn for the poor representative from the security firm - the one that installed all the high-tech security gear after the first break-in.

I think things will change early in the year. We'll probably get steel bars on the windows - or better anchors for the computers. During this break-in, anything that was anchored with high-strength steel chains was left in place. My computer was gone, one of two that had been installed without the chain.

I'll try to put all this out of my mind as my wife and I spend New Year's Eve and following day together. Though it may feel like the end of the world, I guess it's really just the end to a very troubling year. Here's hoping next year will be better.

The presents have been opened and set aside. In a few minutes, the Christmas brunch will begin.

I have to say that today's Christmas has been the most joyous to date. Having all the children together, laughing at gag gifts, smiling with the anticipation of opening presents... having our granddaughter help with the delivery and unwrapping of gifts... and having the wrong people open the wrong gifts (that's what happens when two people at the party have the same name!)... all contributed to a wonderful experience.

There were many moments worth mentioning, and to do so would mean I'd forget some. I have to mention one... my daughter's engagement to her soul-mate. They'll make a wonderful couple, and I wish them well.

Merry Christmas

It's Christmas morning, and we're waiting for the rest of the family to arrive so we can open presents. It's a Christmas tradition that our children, as well as some of my wife's family come to our home for Christmas morning breakfast and gift-opening. This year, with us being in a smaller house, the Christmas brunch will be a challenge. Hopefully, we'll be able to find enough room to set up the dining table in the living room.

Before leaving Toronto, I had decided to buy one last gift (a PC video game) that could be shared by my wife and son. I purchased it, but then thought that my wife might not approve (our standards for violence in games is more strict than many parents). So, I gave her a call. Thank goodness I did. Turns out that not only did she approve, but she had the same idea, and had herself bought the very same game at the last minute!

With so many PC games on the market, and our general disdain for the genre, what are the odds that my wife and I would have bought the same one?

Even money!

Shades of "The Contender"

I enjoyed the movie "The Contender", but thought the meat of the movie could have been summed up in a 1 hour TV drama. Not that the movie seemed overly long - just that the punchline was drawn out over more time than was required. But this post isn't about the movie. It's about one line from the dialogue "Not guilty, but responsible".

It seems Exxon Mobil is "not guilty, but responsible" for screwing Alabama taxpayers out of royalty money for wells drilled on state property. In overturning a conviction, the state Supreme Court ruled that the trial judge shouldn't have allowed jurors to see "internal documents" of Exxon corporation that essentially pointed to their guilt.

There may be a second trial, and hopefully, the government will find a way to find the company guilty WITHOUT the damning internal evidence.

Honey, I'm done!

How ironic that the only person in my family that doesn't read my blog is my wife. She got turned off blogs during the not-too-distant blog wars, and hasn't been back. Not that she doesn't find out what's on the blog - she simply learns it second-hand from her daughters or from in-laws.

Well, I just want to announce that I've completed my Christmas shopping. That's right, there won't be any late-night trips to the 7-11 for last minute gifts. And I won't have to go back to Wal-Mart on Tuesday either. I found another retailer that was better stocked.

As always, I discussed most of my gift ideas with my wife ahead of time (if there's anything worse than not being surprised by what's under the tree, it's being disappointed by what's under the tree). Still, I managed to find a couple of unexpected gems that will be a true surprise (hopefully a pleasant one).

And, to keep the secret for as long as possible, I've even decided to do my wrapping before I travel home. So, the gifts will be ready for the tree the minute I reach the house.

No more hints here. After all, I wouldn't want my wife to find out!

The community welcomes Ezra

In a ceremony fit for a king, young Ezra was welcomed into the community. The hundred or so onlookers was the most people I had ever seen gathered for a bris. My father (Ezra's great-grandfather) had a beaming smile on his face that was indescribable. My only regret was that I was unable to capture the moment on digital film, being that the ceremony was held on the Sabbath in a strictly orthodox synagogue.

Ezra's father took time in a beautiful speech to explain in detail the reasons for bestowing this name on his first-born son. All in all, I'm glad I decided to spend the weekend in Toronto so that I could attend the ceremony.

Lately, there's been a lot of talk in the news and in blogs about the multi-billion dollar judgement (reduced to only $28M - the nerve of some judges) against Philip Morris. Discussions have been pro and con, with some people comparing the ludicrous nature of the suit to a similar suit brought by someone who claimed McDonald's food caused his obesity.

Well, all that is peanuts compared to the suit I've been considering. I've got a beef with Wal-Mart. To be fair, Wal-Mart is a cool store. The old people who greet you seem to be a lot more fulfilled than many seniors I see elsewhere, and they have some really cool stuff at reasonable prices. But lately, their ads, specifically their Christmas ads, have caused me irreparable damage and emotional distress.

These ads play on the emotions of procrastinating Christmas shoppers like me, offering the promise that last-minute trips to the store will result in the successful acquisition of whatever I'm looking for. Though I realize it's a bit early to start my Christmas shopping, I was nevertheless intrigued with the thought of fully-stocked shelves, pleasant seniors, and eager sales people waiting to serve me.

So this morning, I ventured into a Wal-Mart nearby where I work. I was running early for a change, and had some time to kill. The store was pretty empty, and I had no trouble finding the correct department. And there were several clerks available, practically throwing themselves at my feet. I knew exactly what I wanted, and asked for it by name.

"Sorry, we're sold out" came the immediate and knowing response. So confident was the tone of voice, I had no doubt that a shelf-by-shelf search would prove fruitless. I was fuming as I left the store. I thought of the millions in damages I would be able to rightly claim.

And then, it hit me! What was I thinking! I'm shopping too early!

I'll check again on Tuesday.

I hate when that happens

I fell asleep on the couch last night in front of the TV. At 2:30AM, I woke up, groggy, to a very noisy infomercial. Normally, this would not be too annoying. I'd just turn off the TV and sleep some more. But today, I felt badly, because, after all, I'm living in someone's basement and (though I don't have to try particularly hard) have not been doing anything that could be considered annoying.

Anyway, after turning off the TV and heading off to bed, I couldn't fall back asleep. As I lay there, tossing and turning, I realized that I had not yet read my email this evening. With a new grand-nephew on the scene, and my parents having arrived in the city tonight, I thought there might be a message waiting for me. My cell phone (the only phone I've had since arriving in Toronto) was low on juice. For all I knew, it could have run down it's charge while I lay sleeping, making contact by phone an impossibility. So, I got out of bed to read my email.

That was over two hours ago... and I haven't read my email yet! Instead, I've read blogs - lots of blogs, not just the ones on my daily reading list. For whatever reason, the people whose blogs I read had interesting links, or comments from interesting people, and I found myself wandering around heretofore unvisited reaches of cyberspace.

About 10 minutes ago, I finally realized that I was starting to feel sleepy, and headed off to bed - only to realize that I still hadn't read my email!

So, I got up again, and wrote this blog entry. And now, it's time to read my email and go to bed.

I promise.

We've all had dreams so vivid, so real, that we almost can't tell they were dreams. Sometimes, my "dreams" are so vivid, they become part of my reality - part of my recollections. And it's only when someone tells me that my recollections are inaccurate do I realize they must have been dreams. But I don't let go of them easily, preferring to believe that my recollections are correct, and the "other person" has merely forgotten.

One such recollection was of an afternoon TV program that featured beautiful young women that were competing to be the "best". I only have two specific recollections of this program...

1) This was a low-budget program, and the judges had been sitting at a standard bingo-hall style table. The camera, facing the judges, had a view not only of their upper torsos, but also of their legs under the table. One of the female contestants was so overtly sexual that a couple of the males judging the contest got boners on-camera. During a hastily called commercial break, the producers of the show added a table cloth to the table.

2) As a 15-year old, I was fascinated with this program. It was very suggestive, probably crossing the border of what could be shown on daytime TV. During the final moments of one particularly exciting competition, I remember a news bulletin cutting in - announcing hostilities and the beginning of a war in Israel.

On and off for the past 20 years or so, I would remember this program and try to figure out what it was called, but no-one seemed to know what I was talking about when I tried to describe it. I couldn't remember anything about the show except for what I said above - so it's not like I was being helpful in spurring anyones' recollections.

Last night, on IMDB.COM, I was looking up the acting credits for Karen Valentine - a regular on Room 222. You guessed it... unbeknownst to me, she had been associated with this "mystery program", and it appeared in her credits. As soon as I saw the name, and saw that this show was on the air during the "Six Day War" in June, 1967, I realized that my recollection was true.

P.S. Looking at the credits for this program, I noticed that a couple of the male game hosts were replaced in June 1967. Could this have been fallout from the incident above?

First Baby Picture

He's bundled, he's sleeping, and he's cute. Here's the first picture of the little tyke, being held by my sister (a new grandma).

The picture is 120K, so it might take a while to load on dial up modems

I found this link at Brian's site. You'll have to visit Brian to find where he got it.

It's a boy!

I became a great uncle at 8:52PM last night. Next Saturday, I'll be at the bris, and will see my parents (who are coming home from Phoenix for the occasion). Though they won't be here for long, I'll still get the opportunity to show them my new apartment.

If you haven't already seen this one making the rounds, check out a new entry in Comic Relief.

And now, she's gone! My wife is on her way to Union Station, and her train is due to leave at 4:00PM. The next time I see her, I'll be in Windsor for Christmas.

Such a glorious weekend. Our trip to the museum was really enjoyable, although we were told immediately upon entry that we could not use the camera. That's OK. I intend to post some of the pictures provided in our tour guide. I only hope Laurie emails a few good ones (the scanner is back in Windsor). In addition to that adventure, it's possible I spotted a couple of shoplifters on our subway trip back to the suburbs after our museum trip. There was a young woman who removed a brand new coat (all store tags still on) from a garment bag, then put her own old coat into the bag. Then, while she sat fidgeting in her seat, I noticed a wig in her purse. It was a completely different colour and style than that of the waist-length blonde hair she was sporting. She was traveling on the subway with a companion - perhaps her mother.

I used my camera to take a picture of them, and I showed it to them. Then, I asked for an email address to which I could forward the file once it was downloaded into our home computer. As a bonus, they got off the same subway stop as us, and they proceeded to the same parking lot. And their car was parked less than 20 feet from mine! So now, I have a picture, email address, and licence plate number. If they are shoplifters, their ass is grass!

Last night, Laurie attended my company Christmas party, where my coworkers got their first chance to see her. The meal was fabulous (and I found out later that it wasn't "luck" that no disallowed food made it onto my plate - the company-owner's wife had been aware of my special dietary requirements and had personally supervised the delivery of meal plates), and the companionship felt warm and natural. This is truly a great goup of people I work with.

Although the boss didn't have the opportunity to talk with Laurie directly, he'll get that opportunity later this month when Laurie is here again.

Earlier today, Laurie got an opportunity to visit the church she would be attending after moving to Toronto. And afterward, we stopped for a short time to investigate a new housing development that would be within our budget. Then, my sister joined us for lunch before I took Laurie to the subway station. We had a great time, and now I'm already looking forward to my visit to Windsor.

But now, I'm tired, and have an overwhelming urge to take a nap...

Good morning! All is well with the world. My wife is here in Toronto!

Today, we visit the exclusive Lord of the Rings museum exhibit. She's such a fan, I hope they allow us to use our digital camera. If so, you'll see pictures.

Tonight, we go to the company Christmas party, where it's expected my wife will be interviewed for an available position. I'm so excited!

More later.

It's been quite a while since I've added a new blog to my read list. Today's entry was found while reading comments on Eric's site. If you haven't already, take a look at Eagle Eye View.

This is an unsolicited plug for YACCS commenter and its very helpful author, Hossein. I mentioned in an earlier post that Mike had discovered a failure in my comment system. I had speculated that it might be due to a buffer overrun, and just to be sure, I reported the problem to YACCS.

A few minutes ago, as I was scrolling through old posts, I noticed a comment on that post (and like I said, I knew that comments absolutely would not work there). It turns out the comment was from Hossein - asking me to verify that all was working properly.

Now, that's the kind of person (and service) I don't mind contributing to!

Man, was I zonked!

Stayed awake barely long enough to eat dinner. Headed for the bedroom, turned on the TV and didn't even get to change channels!

Now, nearly 8 hours later, I'm awake at almost 4AM!

I should get back to bed before I screw up my sleep pattern.

This could almost get me to try gambling.

My sister and her husband in Windsor sent me a beautiful card for Channukah. I guess with the proliferation of broadband, the email cards you can send these days from sites like Hallmark include real video - not just animated gifs and computer-generated images. It was a really nice treat. Thank you Miriam.

Miriam also forwards a lot of email. I once got on her case about indiscriminately forwarding the stuff, but now, even though she forwards lots of mail - it always is interesting and often thought provoking. Just the other day, she sent me a couple of articles that addressed the issue of terrorism against Israel and Jews.

One dealt with Muslims and their attitude towards Jews. The message was that although the great majority of Muslim individuals are not terrorists, the fact that Muslim states (and their citizenry) condone acts of violence places them in the same historical context as countries like WW-II Germany (whose citizens, by and large, were not terrorists either). The message - what you accept from your leaders is what you would do if you were the leader.

The second email addressed Palestinian claims of being "thrown off their land" and being denied the right to self-determination (statehood). The author of that piece (a non-Jewish author, just like the previous piece) challenged Palestinians to offer proof that they were ever a nation in their own right - by asking for the most basic proofs of "national" existence - a common currency, national anthem, etc. The piece basically labeled these people as throwoffs from neighboring Arab states who refused to accept them as citizens.

I generally try not to be too emotional about politics. But these times are trying. Where else in the Middle East would a freely held party nominating election take place (an election that offered more than one "real" candidate). And where else would the winning candidate be the less-hawkish of the two rivals. With Ariel Sharon defeating Benjamin Netanyahu for the leadership of his party, Israelis on the right-wing are still saying that attempts at peace should be made. And today, a suicide bombing in Kenya (yes, KENYA) destroyed a hotel owned by an Israeli. Elsewhere in Kenya, terrorists tried (and thankfully failed) to shoot down an airliner bound for Israel.

Jesus - can you imagine what the world would say if Jews around the world started behaving in a similar fashion?

Talk about fucking hypocrites.

I hope all my U.S. friends had a good Thanksgiving.

Happy Channukah to all Jews, whoever and wherever you are.

Now it's off to work, where I can finally calm down.

My new loveseat reminds me of home. When my wife was last in Toronto, we shopped together and bought it because it matched the pattern of the furniture back in Windsor. The idea was that when our two households are remerged, the furniture won't look out of place. Fair enough... but in this small apartment (I didn't think it was small until the loveseat arrived) the loveseat proportionately looks like a massive couch - completely dominating the room it's in.

Another thing that reminds me of home was a short video postcard I received from my wife when she got her computer fixed the other night. The microphone is working now, and she recorded a short video. That video reminded me of one we recorded together earlier this year. It's so funny it makes me laugh - and cry. I wanted to post a link, but my personal web space is too full so I couldn't upload it. If anyone knows of a FREE site for hosting my video (AVI format), I'll post it. But I warn you - if you watch it, you'll fall in love with the woman I married.

Can you believe it? Stefanie has her license! What happened to that little baby girl who was born to my baby sister in Israel just yesterday? On Wednesday, I picked her up after dance class and she was much more gracious than usual. Having lived with her and her mother for that month, I got to see their day-to-day interaction. It was a picture of a mom who would do anything for her daughter, to the point of sometimes taking shit I couldn't put up with. Israelis have a reputation for being more forthright in their opinions and actions than the average North American, and watching those two go at it when neither wants to back down is entertaining (to say the least). Still, I think of my sister as my "baby" sister - and think of her daughter (the youngest of my nieces) as practically a new-born. And now she's driving. God, I'm getting old.

God works in mysterious ways. Today is the day I was supposed to receive the last of my new furniture. Yesterday morning, my sister had sent me an email urgently requesting my assistance Wednesday evening - she needed to be elsewhere and had not been able to arrange for her daughter to get a ride home from night school. I told her I would try to arrange for my landlord to be present for the furniture delivery, so I could help her out. Unfortunately, my landlord had other plans and would not be available to help.

I had a bit of a dilemma. I didn't want to say "no" to my sister (who had graciously opened her home to me when I first moved to Toronto); but I also didn't want to miss the delivery and have to fork over extra for a second delivery attempt. I went to work this morning not knowing what I was going to do.

The day was beautiful. I was feeling good, and my progress at work was phenomenol. Everything I tried was working perfectly. Then, around 12:00PM, I started to get a bit of a headache. It wasn't the normal "needs food" headache. The pain was dull but persistent, and I was beginning to get a sore neck as well. I've had my flu shot, so I didn't suspect that, but as time went on, the pain was getting worse, and I also felt feverish. By 1:30PM, I was feeling so ill, I couldn't continue, and asked to go home.

I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. At 5:15PM, I was awoken from a deep sleep by a phone call from my sister. She wanted to know whether I would be picking up her daughter. Before I could answer, I needed to know when Sears was coming for their delivery. My "delivery window" was 6:30-9:00, but I was hoping Sears could give me a narrower timeframe. When I hung up, I saw that I had missed one call. It had been from Sears, a half-hour earlier. Calling them back, I asked whether they could give me a better idea of exactly when the delivery man would be coming. No sooner had I spoken the words, than my doorbell rang....

So now, I have my furniture. The delivery men came more than an hour ahead of the delivery window. In fact, had I been healthy and at work, I would have missed their call (it wouldn't have been my fault, but I still would have had to reschedule the delivery). Instead, I have my furniture, and I have plenty of time to make it to the school to pick up my niece.

James Bond! When I was a teen, I loved him. OK, I loved him throughout the past 40 years, but mostly, I enjoyed Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton, and now Pierce Brosnan. I never could get into Roger Moore's interpretation. He went from being a dangerous Simon Templar to a comical Bond, and I really never appreciated the transition. This installment of 007 goes back to basics, with Bond being more sinister and less comical than recent versions. And having Halle Berry portray his "equal" is really a nice touch. Sure, there have been recent attempts to make the Bond girl more brainy and less dependent, but only with this version do they really create an intellectual and physical equal.

This past week, I discovered a long-lost friend. My sister had spotted an article in the University Alumni Magazine that made mention of someone she thought I knew. She was right, and a quick internet search yielded an active email address. For the past week, we've been exchanging emails, catching up on nearly 30 years of our lives. We've both experienced significant ups and downs during that period, but the seeds of our friendship seem to still be intact, and it's been pleasant corresponding. She's living in Wisconsin now, and is a University professor. I've told my wife about my contact, lest she find out elsewhere and put the wrong interpretation on matters. I'm actually hoping that at some point she will meet my friend (should my friend come back to Canada to visit relatives). There are probably some funny stories they could share behind my back.

In other news, we're returning the McAfee Virus Scanning software to McAfee and going with Norton (which, I hope, will work out better). I've finalized plans for New Year's Eve. My wife and I will be going to Medieval Times for just the second time ever. We so enjoyed ourselves the first time around, I'm looking forward to this return visit.

And in Grey Cup news (the Canadian Superbowl), Montreal won the cup for the first time in 25 years. This was the 90th year the cup has been contested.

Mike sent me an email to say my "comments" section is not working. Actually, it is working - just not for the previous post. You see, I was the beta tester for YACCS new "post within a comment" feature. It really works well. But apparently, that last post of mine - huge as it was - seems to have overrun some buffer. So, if you'd like to comment on the previous post, please do it here.

I like Windows XP. Over the weekend, my wife and I decided to replace her computer - it had been a lemon since almost day 1. We are still on a very tight budget, so we decided on an e-machine. There was some reluctance, having previously purchased TWO e-machines - which both had to be exchanged within the first two weeks of life due to hardware failures - but the price was right. If first impressions are worth anything, this machine is going to be great. The hard drive runs silently, unlike our experience with prior machines, and the e-machine-enhanced version of Windows XP includes a system backup (i.e. file backup) utility and self-healing diagnostics built in.

In fact, the only less-than-satisfactory experiences we had setting up the machine occurred when we tried to install McAfee Virus Scan 7.0. Prior to purchasing the software, we verified that it was XP compatible (according to the box, it is). But when we tried to install it, Windows XP informed us that the application was not XP compliant, and warned us not to attempt the installation. Hey, we live dangerously. We ignored the warning and proceeded. So now, the program is installed, but I'd swear it's sucked up OVER 50% of the CPU's processing power. The computer used to snap to attention any time we clicked on any icon. Now, it sort of non-challantly thinks about whether to comply with our requests, and finally decides to coax a meek response out of the CPU.

I only wish there had been some way to capture the output from the Java-chat session with McAfee's tech support representative. I haven't decided yet whether she was actually human, or a bot programmed to respond to key phrases.

Here's a paraphrased version of my session with tech support. The tech rep's name was Kathy...

Kathy: Thank you for calling McAfee Security Systems online chat helpline. My name is Kathy. How may I help you today.

Me: I'm having trouble installing McAfee VirusScan 7.0 on a Windows XP system. The operating system is issuing a message indicating the virus software is not XP compliant and warns me not to install it. Since the box says it's compliant, I ignored the warning and installed it anyway. Now, my computer is running at less than half the normal speed. Can you tell me why XP issued the warning, even though your software says right on the box that it's XP compliant?

(long delay)

Kathy: Sir, you say you're having trouble installing VS 7.0 on an XP system. What message are you receiving?

Me: The operating system is issuing a message indicating the virus software is not XP compliant and warns me not to install it.

Kathy: I see. Was there a previous version of VS installed?

Me: The computer is new. There was an icon on the start menu offering a trial version of VS 6.0, but we didn't click it. So no, there was nothing installed.

Kathy: I see. You're saying you did not uninstall VS 6.0 before installing VS 7.0.

Me: NO. I DID NOT INSTALL V6.0.

(long delay)

Kathy: Based on the information provided, I am now ready to answer your questions.

(another long delay)

Kathy: I will send you instructions on how to manually uninstall VS 6.0 so you can proceed with V 7.0.

Me: I told you I never installed V6.0.

(A new window opens up on my screen with very detailed instructions to remove VS 6.0)

Kathy: Follow these instructions and let me know what's happening.

Instruction 1: Open Settings, select Add/Remove Programs, and select McAfee Virus Scan 6.0

Me: Kathy, I'm trying to follow instruction 1, but there is NO VS 6.0 SHOWING UP IN THE LIST - I TOLD YOU IT HAD NOT BEEN INSTALLED

Kathy: I understand sir, but you have to remove all the remnants of V6.0 before V7.0 can be installed.

Me: (I'm ready to throw in the towel). OK, Kathy, I'll try following these instructions (5 pages printed) and get back to you if there are any problems.

Kathy: If you have any trouble following the instructions, please contact us again. I will issue a call tracking number for this call. Please use it if you have to contact us again for this same problem.

Me: OK, what's the number?

(long delay)

Kathy: Taking into account the current call and service issue, would you say that you have been completely satisfied by the response you have received from me on this matter?

Me: To be honest, I think it's too early to say. Why don't you give me the tracking number, and I'll get back to you after I try these instructions..

Kathy: In 2-7 days, you may receive an email from McAfee asking about my performance on this call. (I can't remember the rest of the message, I was laughing so hard).

Kathy: The tracking number for this call is XXXXXXXX ....

Kathy: Do you have any further questions at this time?

Me: Not at this time (hopefully in my head and not verbally... How did you get this job?)

Me: (sarcastically) Have a great day.

Kathy: (no response)

Me: (terminates chat)


Yup, I guess I'll have that anti-virus program up and running in no time!

Where has the week gone!

It seems it was only yesterday I posted my last entry. I was surprised to see it had been an entire week!

Work has been hectic. There's lots to be accomplished in a very short time, and the level of anxiety is growing. I had previously asked for last Friday off, so I could go back to Windsor for a previously scheduled doctor's appointment and get an early start on the weekend. Seeing my wife after nearly two weeks apart was wonderful, and it was so difficult leaving her to go back to Toronto. I ended up staying in Windsor until 10:00 PM Sunday night before making the nearly 4-hour drive back to Toronto.

When I got back, having driven through some snow squalls, I was white knuckled and anything but sleepy. By 5:00AM, I was still awake and realized I would be in no shape to get up for work, so I tried to send an email to the boss explaining the situation. My cable connection was down (maybe due to the storm?), so I couldn't do that. After sleeping in, I contacted my boss at 10:45AM to say I'd be late. DUH! So, it's off to work soon, with nothing to look forward to except four days of overtime to make up for lost hours. And I don't get to see my wife again until the December 7th weekend.

It's almost a cliche. Ever seen one of those movies where the bad guy's right-hand man screws up and he's executed on the spot. Then the new guy gets called in to take his place? Well, that happened today. And I'm the new guy. Around 4:00PM, I got called into the boss' office and was told that one of the employees had been dismissed. He was the only one working on a particular project, which is due in six weeks, and now the project has been given to me. I'll learn more about it tomorrow, but for now, I'm supposed to be on this thing full time until it's completed.

And the deadline (Dec 31st) is set in stone, because this is a payroll application that needs to be delivered before the beginning of the new year. In a perfect universe, the application would already be in final trials (after all, there's got to be time to ship and install the application at the end-users' sites) but this isn't a perfect universe. At this point, I really don't know how far along the project is, but I do know that I'll either be a hero or unemployed come January 1st.

I waited 'til later into the evening, then tried talking with my wife last night using Intel's Video Phone software. We had done this before while I was staying at my sister's place, but with my sister's "Lite" internet hi-speed service (about twice the speed of dialup), the picture was choppy, and I would get constant hints that things might go better if I reduced bandwidth requirements (a euphamism for turning off video).

Now, with real hi-speed service (though still crippled), I thought I'd try again. It went much better, though there were still occasional hints. As the speed improves I should be able to manage a real conversation. There is a slight problem while using Video Phone. I have to drop my "shields" by turning off ZoneAlarm. Unfortunately, that means that while I'm on the phone, my computer is buffeted by "successful" attempts to locate my machine. I find that each time I use the software, there are days, if not weeks of increased attempts to hack my machine - because the bots determine that my IP address is a live one.

I've been toying with the idea of experimenting with ZoneAlarm - by adding my wife's IP address to my "local zone". I think that would allow me to use the Video Phone software while still keeping ZoneAlarm running. I'm just not sure whether there is any chance that my Windsor IP address could be multiplexed by Cogeco - and be shared by some unscrupulous user who would then be able to penetrate my firewall. I'll need to give that some thought, and perhaps decide that a configurable firewall is more to my liking.

On another digital front, my digital cable TV package was installed at the same time as the Internet, and it too had some initial problems (the cable company's installer recorded the serial number on the set-top box incorrectly, and when I went to authorize it online, they thought I had a stolen box). Luckily, the number was off by only one digit, so they realized it wasn't my fault, and after a couple of days with technical difficulties, I was able to receive acceptable service by 11:30PM last Sunday - literally minutes before the Sopranos encore broadcast I had wanted to watch.

I have the weekend to myself, probably for the first time since coming to Toronto. I've spent a weekend alone before, but I was still busy getting things settled, so I had lots to keep busy with. This weekend, I don't have much to do, and I'll probably be bored out of my tree. Next week, I'll be back in Windsor for the weekend. Maybe I should just concentrate on those positive thoughts.

There have been all sorts of things I've been wanting to photograph and post, but the digital camera is back in Windsor with my wife (who technically owns it, since I bought it as a gift for her). And it's not like she's not using it - she's the designated photographer for all work functions, and she never misses an opportunity to take pictures of our grand-daughter. With another grandchild on the way, there's really no way I can justify taking the camera with me to Toronto.

It's not like I don't have anything to say. I just wish this "high-speed internet" service worked! I had it installed last Saturday, and only today am I getting it going well enough (i.e. continuously, and with more than just a dead snail's pace) to make any headway.

Rogers had been completely down in this area for more than 24 hours. And that was a relief, since it was less frustrating than the surfing speed I had been enduring for the previous four days. This is cable modem service. In Windsor, that translates to 1500-2200 kbps. So far, the best I've experienced (i.e. right this minute) is just over 300kbps. Yesterday, my speed test registered 17kbps - that's right, about 1/4 the speed of a telephone modem. I knew no-one would believe me, so I took screen shots of the results and brought them to work. That got a lot of laughs, but it's really not funny! Needless to say, I've not been too crazy about the idea of paying premium rates for this "service". And Rogers seems to agree! They've told me they'll credit the entire period between November 2nd and whatever date I call to say service is acceptable! I think that's very big of them. Let's see if they actually come through with that promise.

Work this week went extremely well. I'm getting used to Toronto, and my wife has begun shopping (over the internet) for houses. She'll be coming to Toronto soon for my company Christmas party. If she gets an offer of employment from my boss during that visit, we may decide to accelerate the timetable for her move.

I finally got the box spring for my bed tonight. When the bed first arrived last Friday, the box spring wouldn't fit down the basement stairs. I had to return the original one for a split box spring. So tonight will be my first night in a real bed since moving to my new place. I never thought I'd get excited about sleeping in a bed, but I really am. And in two weeks, I'll take delivery of the loveseat and kitchen chairs. For now, I'll continue to eat my meals on the computer table and watch TV from a very uncomfortable hard-backed chair.

Alright, I guess it's time to sign off. Have a great weekend!

It's Monday, and I've completed my first weekend in my new home. I've rented a basement apartment and moved in on Friday. And to make things even better, my wife took the train up to be with me for the weekend. We shopped mostly for apartment furnishings this past weekend, so I didn't get an opportunity to shop for food or do laundry. Today, I had hoped to do laundry and shopping, but only managed the latter. I'm running pretty short on basics, and even though I shopped tonight, I forgot some things I really need (like dishtowels). Tomorrow, I'll try to complete my "first shop".