The Last 20 Years!

1987
1. How old were you? 17
2. Where did you go to school? Cole Harbour District High School
3.) Where did you work? Kempton Appraisals Limited
4.) Where did you live? With my parents and sister in Seaforth
5.) Where did you hang out? Home, Richard Saurette's house, rugby field, Burger King
6.) Did you wear glasses? No
7.) Who was your best friend? Richard Saurette
8.) How many tattoos did you have? None
9.) How many piercings did you have? None
10.) What car did you drive? 1981 Chev Malibu
11.) Had you been to a real party yet? Yes
12.) Had your heart broken? No
13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: Single

1992
1.) How old were you? 22
2.) Where did you go to school? Saint Mary's University, graduated with B.Comm.
3.) Where did you work? Kempton Appraisals Limited
4.) Where did you live? Halifax, Sigma Chi Fraternity house on South Street
5.) Where did you hang out? Sigma Chi house
7.) Who were your best friends? Alistair Croll
8.) Who was your crush? My girlfriend at the time
9.) How many tattoos did you have? None
10.) How many piercings did you have? None
11.) What car did you drive? 1991 Plymouth Laser
12.) Had you had your heart broken? Broken heart from not seeing my son every day after the divorce
13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter? Divorced and I'll admit to being bitter

1997
1.) How old were you? 27
2.) Where did you go to school? Associate of Insurance Institute program
3.) Where did you work? Kempton Appraisals (I sense a trend)
4.) Where did you live? A condo in Dartmouth, the first place I bought
5.) Where did you hang out? My house, Sigma Chi house
7.) Who was your best friend? Alistair Croll
8.) Who was your crush? Married again at that point
9.) How many tattoos did you have? None
10.) How many piercings did you have? None
11) What car did you drive? Still the Laser
12.) Had your heart been broken this year? No
13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter? Married

2002
1.) How old were you? 32
2.) Where did you go to school? Was working on my AACI appraisal designation
3.) Where did you work? OK, OK I've only worked at one place, all right?!?
4.) Where did you live? Jeep Crescent in Eastern Passage
5.) Where did you hang out? My house, Cheryl's house on Caldwell Road
7.) Who was your best friend? Cheryl Atwell
8.) Who was your crush? Cheryl Atwell
9.) How many tattoos did you have? One
10.) How many piercings did you have? None
11) What car did you drive? 98 VW Golf
12.) Had your heart been broken this year? Hmmmm
13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter? Taken

2007
1.) How old are you? 37
3.) Where do you live? Violette Court in Cow Bay, we built it last year
4.) Do you wear glasses? Only for distance, when I think of wearing them
5.) Who is your best friend? My wife Cheryl
6.) Do you talk to your old friends? I try to make the time to call them
7.) How many piercings do you have? Still none, no plans to do so
8.) How many tattoos? Still one, no plans to add any more
9.) What kind of car do you drive? 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
10.) Has your heart been broken this year? Nope, no plans for that either
11.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: Married to my best friend, we have 5 kids, life is good!

Ron Burgundy Anchorman 300

This video is just awesome.

VoodooAppraiser.com

I work with a guy named Paul. One of my nicknames for him is The Angel of Death. He holds the dubious distinction of having more than one of his clients dying within a month to 6 months of his appraisal of their property. His power doesn't stop at real estate. Back in the 90's, his old band closed down rural NS bars. In fact, their ability to kill a bar was so great that once when they travelled to Kentville to play at The Wooden Nickel, and when they got there, they found that it was closed. Closed as in chains across the front door. They had rented a PA and spent money on gas, etc. so they decided to head to The Anvil in Wolfville and try to convince the owner to let them play there so they could recoup some of their costs. Somehow they convinced him to let them play there, and I think he must have built up good karma by doing the band that favour because The Anvil is still open.

Want to bump someone off? Get Paul to appraise their house.

He is the Voodoo Appraiser.

I need to set up a website VoodooAppraiser.com!

Government departments

Here is an example of government efficiency. I think it is next door to the Federal Department of Redundancy Department.

Cool actors

I read one of my friends Jason Macdonald's Facebook notes and I commented on it. Then I figured I may as well post it on here. The question he asked is: Who is cooler than Steve Buscemi? The inference here is "out of the people who were matched to Jason's image". This included Richard Clayderman, (who I suspect paid to have his image put on there - this is the most publicity he has ever received in North America, although apparently he is huge in countries whose people love elevator music. He's sort of a Kenny G for pianists.), Elijah Wood (who I think approaches cool, but he is too pretty), Clark Gable, Steve Buscemi, and wait for it....Kirsten Dunst! Hahaha! Anyway, such is the question that was posed.

Remember that cool is defined as "calm self-control".

In my opinion, Clark Gable is much cooler than Steve Buscemi. Watch some of Gable's movies - he is Mr. Cool. Steve plays characters that are so uncool it gives him a level of coolness (cool in the sense that he is an excellent actor), but for the real deal it's Gable, or Bogart, or Cary Grant, or Steve McQueen. I'll even throw in James Dean, although he was only in a few movies.

James Bond is cool, personified. So are the actors who played him, except for Roger Moore. Grrr! How could they let him play Bond! A farce, if you ask me.

Cool actors from our time? Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Pierce Brosnan, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Liam Neeson and of course Jack Nicholson (although he has been around for 40 years). They have that self-confidence that is evident, no matter the role or the medium (film or TV). My favourite "new" actor for coolness is Christian Bale. Check him out in Batman Begins (by the way, Batman is the coolest superhero.)

Without winter, we would not appreciate spring

Without the ugly, there is no beautiful.

Thank you God, for creating a planetary weather system to give us early spring days that feel glorious and make me happy to be alive and feeling the sunshine! If our weather was always the same year-round, would we relish the warmth of the sun as the snow melts from our lawns and our hearts?

While I love the autumn and the summer (the winter is just OK with me), this early part of the spring in Nova Scotia is my favourite time of year. We are blessed with a gift of a warm sunny day, or even a cool sunny day. Yes, I will take the mud on my shoes and the uncertainty of how to dress when we go out, for the surprise that we can strip down to shirtsleeves in the park and breathe fresh air without our nostrils freezing shut and eyes watering from the sub-zero wind.

After being cooped up for months, we can finally stretch our limbs and remember what it is like to enjoy nature without the silent sheath of snow deadening our feelings, our footfalls, our fingertips.

OK, I'm going to stop now. I can't top that last bit of poetic alliteration.

P.S. Apparently, Anne Bradstreet felt the same as I do about spring:

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”

A Fitness (Fatness?) Haiku

In shape, out of shape,

What does that mean? I'm in shape --

Isn't round a shape?


- I have got to get back to the gym. This working overtime is getting to me.