The Fire Doesn’t Care If You Sort First

Maybe I just don’t love the environment enough. This morning I had the duty / responsibility / joy(?) of compiling the recyclables into the recycle bin. Normally my sister does this task while I just carry the load to the roadside for pickup. Boy, I never knew it was so much work to sort everything! ...

Encrypting File System Toasts My Oats

A bunch of years back I’d discovered that with Windows XP I could set ‘Encrypt’ and ‘Compress’ attributes for files. I thought this was cool since by compressing old video footage I could shrink down the space it needed. And I used the  ‘Encrypt’ attribute on my writings folder. It really wasn’t necessary ’cause who ...

Prevvies Waste Precious Pages

I was nearing the end of the book, Exile, from the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series. The plot was tense and I was eager to see how the last couple chapters, still waiting under my right thumb, would turn out. As I was finishing a chapter I thought to myself, “Self, this seems ...

RCS Problems

Our rodent control solution was free originally, but does demand ongoing maintenance costs. At one point we had to get it fixed. At a little over 5 kg it is easy enough to pickup (though you must mind the sharp edges!) And the packaging is quite stylish. While I’ll quickly attest to its impressive performance ...

Why Couldn’t They Be 60 MILE/hr Zones?

My CRX si likes to go fast. She enjoys being in 3rd gear at 4100 RPM. And, I must admit, I am often more than happy to oblige her. However, most of my trips are just short runs into Newcastle and back home. And the most direct route is utterly devoid of 80 km/h zones, ...

Dial-up

‘Nuff said.

Camping Coffee

This follows the same vein as “The Smoke, It Doth Get in Mine Eyes”. It is also inspired by real life camping experience. I’m thinking particularily of my Algonquin canoe trip with Jason and Pete (both non coffee drinkers). I’d taken lots of instant coffee along and lots of sugar but somehow the stuff ended ...

The Smoke, It Doth Get in Mine Eyes

OK, so this little rhyme came to mind while I was walking in the concrete jungle of downtown Newcastle, but it expresses the frustration I’ve experienced while struggling to kindle a fire in the real wilderness on several occasions. I thought I might as well post it here. The Smoke, It Doth Get in Mine ...

For All You Ladybugs

It isn’t that I hate ladybugs – they are actually among my favouite bugs. The red shells with white dots have always impressed me as stylish yet rugged. They are fairly helpful in consuming evil little bugs too. When it comes to their very real impact on my daily life, however, my fondness dwindles quickly. ...

The New CD Blues

OK, so you’re on your way home from the local Christian bookstore with your new CD. As you turn onto your road you steal a glance at that package of joy sitting in the passenger seat. “I’m gonna luv takin’ you for a spin,” you whisper under your breath. The moment you get indoors you ...