Personal Blog

A Special kickoff to the long weekend on CKOC and more

I'd like to thank those who joined me on the CKOC Chatroom Wednesday from 11am - 12noon. One question asked was  'Is that really Wolfman Jack on the Guess Who hit 'Clap for The Wolfman' or was it Burton Cummings doing a 'Wolfman' impersonation?' The answer I gave was, - Yes, it was definitely Wolfman Jack. Burton has since performed the part of the Wolfman on the song on stage. We lost Wolfman over 10 years ago, but he's back for an encore every Saturday night 6 - 11pm on 1150 CKOC. I met him twice and I introduced him on stage for a show just about a year before his untimely death of a sudden heart attack. Please join me every Wednesday 11am - 12noon in the CKOC chatroom.

The Name Game

What's in a name?   Someone famous asked that once and I never really thought much of it until I saw a list of the most popular baby names for 2007.   Many of the usual suspects were there, Emily, Emma, Jacob, Joshua, Isabella and of course Michael.   Michael has always hung tough on the most popular baby names list.  For decades it was always the most popular and this year it was number two.  Kind of a self fulfilling thing really, it was always so popular that just the number of Michael Junior's every year gives it a head start over the rest.  It's funny when it comes to naming a child because names have impressions for all of us.  Pick a name and throw it around and you quickly find out that some people might have fond feelings of someone they once knew by that name and they love it.  Likewise, you may run into a friend who was once beaten up by a guy by that name and he hates it.  Certain names just carrying an impression with all of us. Then there are the dreaded nicknames.  Before you can name a child you really have to consider all the possibilities.  From the initials of their full name to the short forms that will no doubt come about.  Trust me, as much as parents want it, you can be heading for quite a battle if you think you can force everyone to use your child's full name.  Elizabeth is a beautiful name but it's big and quickly becomes everything from Liz to Liza to Beth to Eli to Liddabit to just E.  There are a lot of variables to take into account.  Keep in mind, the longer the name the more variables there are.  The thing I find most interesting when it comes to names is the way that names come in and go out of vogue.  Go into any classroom now and you'll find groups of kids with the same name so their peers are forced to call them something else to separate them.  There's Sarah N. and Sarah J. and over there is Sarah L.   Sometimes they use last name initials or maybe they'll go with red-headed Jacob and dark haired Jacob and blue eyed Jacob.  Before any parents decide to name their kids with one of the "hot" names they should consider what other kids may be forced to call them.  Sure you can live with Madison P. and Madison J.  But you might not like the name game too much if suddenly there's a dumb Ethan and a smart Ethan in the class and the other kids have decided yours isn't the smart one.  Kids can be cruel, new parents should always remember that.  Asking themselves what's better for my kid?  There aren't a lot of Henry's or Robert's these days but maybe Henry or Robert is better then having to explain to your child why they have to be Fat Michael and can't be called Skinny Michael like the other Michael in class. Until We Type Again, Take It Ease !

Special Days for Special People

Today I want to acknowledge a couple of groups that do a great job and are very devoted. This week between May 12th & 18th, is Nurses Week in Ontario. Nurses are the yeomen (and women) of the health care field that are on the front line with patients more than any other sector. Their hours are tougher than most of us have to deal with, their pay could be better and they experience very high stress levels. Given all of that, it's surprising that they are able to perform at their jobs as amazingly as they do, but there again is that "devotion" factor kicking in. I know we all consider them to be a very important part of any hospital or medical facility staff and that when it's all said and done, appreciate very much what they do, go through and put up with. Thank you nurses everywhere. We love you and couldn't do without you. Keep up the fantastic work! 

Dove update

RE" my previous blogs about the doves lodging in our backyard. The mother dove is still there, the eggs have not hatched, I heard it takes approx.3 weeks, plus they will nede time to grow once they do, we are looking at a few months rent 'mama and papa dove', lol!

It is amazing to watch her, she hasn't left the nest in 2 weeks now ,and the other day when we were outside she called for the papa dove; he came over to the nest, crawled inside and she stood up and moved around a bit. It was lamost like she called him over to watch over the eggs while she moved around.

Then and Now

A friend and listener to Oldies 1150 CKOC, Rob Muir,  recently emailed me something I found quite interesting. It's a then and now comparison between 1970 and 2008. I hope you find it as amusing as I did:

Can you tell which words or phrases are from 1970, and which are from 2008?

Mailman - Letter Carrier

Damn, my pencil broke - Damn, the computer is down

Second wife - Blended family

Here's your ashtray - It's out on the back porch

Young punk - Young offender

Go out and get some fresh air and sun - If you have to go out, take

Consuming Gas

I am like many other Canadians I'm sure.  I take the stories of Global Warming seriously and even if they aren't true I think that anything we can do to improve our air and water quality is a good thing.  So I've committed to trying to find ways to reduce my carbon footprint.  Now when it comes to using gas I don't drive a lot and the price of gas, while annoying, hasn't really impacted me that much.  I drive a big vehicle that uses a lot of it but since I don't drive very far it still hasn't been an issue.  However on the weekend we were planning a bit of a hike for Mothers Day and it would add up to about three hours of driving.  Now I will admit that I am normally a 120 kilometers an hour guy on the highways.  I like the fast lane and I'm not afraid to use it.  For all intents and purposes the flow of traffic on most of our highways seems to be somewhere between 110 and 120 anyway, despite the 100 kilometer an hour maximum speed limit.  Now I've heard all the stories about how reducing your speed on the highways can reduce your gas consumption and I always figured they were talking about saving me a couple of bucks on a long car ride.  I like to go fast and I like to get where I'm going quickly so I guess I was always willing to throw in the couple of extra bucks so I could stay out there in the fast lane.  However with the price of gas the way it is we decided that on this past weekend's journey we would stick to the speed limit.  Take our time and just toddle along to our destination.  It was hard to stick to the speed limit.  Luckily I have cruise control so I got it up to 101 kilometers an hour and locked it in.  I stayed in the slow lane most of the time and eventually got used to the sound of cars whizzing by me. One after another after another they passed me like I was standing still.  Small cars, big cars, trucks, buses.  Evidently I was the only one going 101 kilometers an hour on the weekend.  However I stuck to my guns and in the end it maybe added to an extra 10 or 15 minutes on the road over the three hour trip.  Really not that much when you consider the big picture and especially when you consider how much gas I had left in the tank.  I have made this trip countless times and over the three hour drive I consistently use three quarters of a tank of gas.  I had filled up just before we left on our drive this past weekend and when we got home the needle was still above half a tank.  Some quick calculations.  Okay, they weren't quick, but that has more to do with my math issues than anything else.  In the end, I saved about $30 dollars in gas.  I have a big tank and I could not believe the savings were that great.  Just 20 kilometers an hour faster than the speed limit was using that much extra gas.  I couldn't believe the savings!!!!  As well, I must say, riding along in the slow lane is actually much less stressful.  You're not speeding up and slowing down and getting behind some idiot who shouldn't be in the fast lane and then aggressively trying to get by him at the first chance.  I was calm and relaxed and that was before I even found out how much I was saving.  Yes, we've all heard that driving slower saves gas.  We all understand that but how many of us put it into practice.  I would challenge you to make one trip in the slow lane and try it for yourself.  I am a new convert.  Speed is for the big spenders, I'm going to save my money and by not burning that extra quarter tank of gas, I'm helping the environment.  So the next time you see me on the highway give me a wave, I'm the guy in the slow lane, saving the Earth and some cash all at the same time. Until We Type Again, Take It Ease !

Do You Have A "Game Plan"?

I want to talk a little bit today about the situation with gas prices and how you perceive it's going to affect your lifestyle. We're up around a buck 25 a litre generally and the experts are saying it may fluctuate a little but overall, it looks like higher fuel cost may be here to stay. Have YOU cut down on your driving, or how fast you actually drive, in an effort to cut costs? Have you done anything at all? Our family was sitting around when we were all together this past Sunday (Mother's Day) having a discussion about this very thing. My kids, (who are all grown and drive their own vehicles) expressed thoughts they'd had recently when the pain of filling up really hit them, about what they might be doing in the future. My son is thinking of a diesel engine for his next car. My daughters with families say they will explore the hybrid option and my youngest daughter, who's still single, basically just complained about the situation. I 'have' noticed however, that she seems to be planning her excursions with a little more efficiency lately....trying to kill two or three birds with one stone/trip and combine the necessary destinations she must travel to. Interestingly, none of them mentioned public transit as an option. It's very true that people prefer the convenience and independence of their own personal means of transportation, but you have to wonder when the limits will be reached, where the price of gas will be too prohibitive for the mobility habits that we adhere to now to be maintained. We may inadvertently be forced to go green to save green. I'm sure many already have. 

Sweet sounds in the house...

Preparing supper yesterday, I had the sweetest background entertainment.

As I chopped and stirred, cooked and cleaned up, I heard the voice of my 2 year old, playing with her toys, acting out going to the " store and to work ", singing with them and, well, just being a 'kid'.

Never has our household had such sweeter sounds, then, since she has arrived. From her very 1st crys, to her coos, to her " mamamama " and " dadadada " and we will never forget the 1st sounds of her laughter, how blessed are we, she has filled our home and our lives with so many things and there is so much more to come.

Mother's Day was great and Victoria Day weekend's next

I hope you had a good weekend and a great Mother's Day. We took my Mom to a nice Brunch Sunday morning down on Queen Street in the Toronto Beaches area, our old stomping grounds. It was great and my mom had a good time, and that's what really matters. A week from today (Monday) will be Victoria Day. The first long weekend of the summer season (even though summer's a month away) will be here before you know it, and its early this year. May 24 weekend is actually the Saturday AFTER the long weekend this year. The long weekend is May 16th to 19th. Stay tuned for a special presentation of music starting this Friday. This is the weekend of fireworks, gardening and for many, opening their cottages for the season. CKOC's Tropical Tune Of The Day today is a 1967 summer hit that takes me back to those better weather days. Remember a group called Every Mother's Son? They had only 1 hit, but it was a fun one. Here's original footage of them performing 'Come On Down To My Boat'.

Biker Mamas and Cabinet Ministers

As I've told you, politics of great interest to me.  With that in mind, this news about Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier is quite intriguing.  If you aren't aware of the situation I'll give you the Coles Notes: Mr. Bernier is under harsh criticism because he previously dated a woman who has been romantically linked to at least two known biker gang members.  The woman in question, Julie Coulliard was engaged to marry a member of the Hell's Angels ten years ago.  More recently, Mlle. Coulliard accompanied Mr. Bernier to a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.