All My Blogs

Eric - left side of face droopy because of freezing. The beginning of December was not an awesome time for me.  I had tooth trouble and had to go for some scans.  The pain subsided after a couple of days, but the prognosis was clear.  One of my molars was in desperate need of care.   Two days ago the scourge reappeared and left me taking Tylenol like it was candy and eating soft foods suitable for an infant.  I was fortunate enough to get an appointment with the dental specialist (an endodontist) today, the last day before everything shuts down for Christmas.  The culprit, an upper molar on the left side, had a crack in it and needed to have a root canal and the old mercury amalgam filling replaced with a cap.  Although I was not looking forward to the procedure, it would mean that the pain and my recent Tylenol addiction would subside.   If I thought tooth pain was bad, I have to say that the needles they stuck into me were an entire or...

Eric at Hope Slide a few years ago. Computers.  Love them, hate them, but you gotta use them.  So, do yourself a favour and back your stuff up. As a photographer, I have hundreds of thousands of pictures.  Most of them have no or little value, but there are a few hundred that are important to me.  And every year the list grows longer. Then there are the files that are not graphic in nature.  These include the photo books I have written and much of the correspondence I have had with others.  Where paper is bulky and difficult to keep organized, computer files are tiny, easily organized and sorted, and best of all, easily copied.  So it makes sense to keep important stuff stored digitally, and in a place where it is not likely to be lost, stolen, or damaged.  This brings me to digital backups.  There are numerous ways to back stuff up, now more than ever, and you should consider taking some time to do it.  You can do it for free or with li...

  Do your job right, and there won't be problems. Shortcuts.  They make things faster, less painful, and often mean you either get paid more or you work less.  But there is a tradeoff. I recently ordered a computer from Lenovo.  My laptop is still good but its days are numbered and I needed something with a few specific features.  Black Friday presented an opportunity for me to pick up a decent one at a discount.  I ordered it online, filled out the necessary forms, and paid the fee.  Delivery was free. The laptop was delivered a few days ago, or so the email told me.  It wasn't at my door, wasn't in the mail, and certainly wasn't picked up by a family member.  Something was wrong. UPS's policy is to get a signature if the contents being delivered are over $200.  I clicked on the tracking information and found the "proof" that it had arrived.  There was my laptop, lying outside a front door, a door that was not mine.  It had be...

It was Leanne's 16th birthday, and she wanted an unusual present.  The thing she wanted wasn't the sort of thing most 16-year-olds would ask for.  It wasn't music or cool clothes.  Not the latest electronics or jewelry to flash around to show how much she was loved.  It wasn't even money to use for whatever caught her fancy.  No, she wanted a goat. She asked if we could put our gifts to her into a goat to be donated to a family in Africa.  She has always been satisfied with whatever she had; Leanne was never one to need the newest, best, or brightest thing.  She cared more about others, and if her birthday gift would make a difference in the world she lived in, that was fine with her. And so, family friends (The VanRamshorsts!) borrowed a goat from some farm folk and brought it over to our house.  Leanne had no idea what was happening; we blindfolded her and brought her downstairs when they arrived with the fur-bearing long-eared creature.  A...

Bylaw wants me to alter my landscaping - at my expense. A dear friend of mine, now departed, fought with a city over how he kept his property.  He fought them, tooth and nail, went to court, and regardless of his efforts and numerous petitions, lost.  Instead of capitulating, he continued to ignore their instructions.  They eventually came in and took over.  The battle continued after that and, after they pulled his business licence, he took his life. The thing I learned from this is that you can't fight city hall.  You can discuss with them your concerns and points of view.  You can contact the various departments and personnel involved in the issue, but there is no sense being stubborn.  Ultimately, they have the law on their side, the power, and the inclination to proceed with their intent.  Right or wrong, agree or disagree, that's the way it is. A person, unknown to me, complained that the rocks on a person's lawn were in the way of her openi...

  Kathryn and kids on a hike while camping. What is it about camping that evokes such strong memories?  It isn't about the quality of the food as a steady camping diet could be the ticket to malnutrition.  It's not about the accommodations that mirror a homeless encampment.  And it certainly lacks the mosquito and bug-free environment found inside a home surrounded by four walls and a dry roof.  No, there has to be something about camping that is so much better than all these detractors that is absolutely amazing. The answer is relatively simple.  It's time with family.  Time away from electronics and distractions that discourage simple human connections between family members.  Time together doing unifying activities.  Games, hikes, exploring, and staring mindlessly at an ember-driven campfire.  Even the annoying aspects of it mentioned above celebrate a sense of togetherness and a primal need to work together. We have been more fortuna...