Letter from Gunky, February 14, 2007

Feb 14, 2007

Dear Michelle:

What [a] lovely letter from you, I really enjoyed it! I am so glad to hear from you but especially to know you still remember so many things that I had long ago forgotten. "How little we realize how much we'll be remembered!"

I always delighted in observing all the beauties and wonders of nature, but I had no idea that when I pointed them out to my grandchildren that they, and you in particular would remember those years, yes, decades later. You mentioned the touch-me-nots, I have some growing in my perennial garden so now I will be reminded of you every time I notice them.

Thank you too for your Valentine's Day card with the photo of you and Sarah and Meaghan.

I really am amazed at how you remember so many things that I had long ago forgotten. I especially "got a kick" out of your little story of driving in my old Jeep and my response to the curvy road ahead sign.

I have experienced such a wonderful and good life it is hard for me to place a happiest moment, but I would suggest it was meeting Myrtle and her acceptance of me, and of course her giving and raising such 2/ a wonderful family, and also her example of a loving wife, who raised and looked after them in their early years which had to be quite difficult when we consider how unsettled our first years of marriage were.

Well here we go again, after lunch, which my generation called "Dinner", washed the dishes, had a nap, picked up today's mail, and our usual bi-weekly visit by the Health Nurse; check my Blood Pressure, and said "Perfect." In the meantime it has started to snow, fine light snow. The least snowfall this winter in my memory.

I had my first car ride and the only one I remember; in England; just up the street from where we lived, a school chum; Donald Noakes, his Father had a car, and gave me my first and only car ride I remember in England.

Here is the story of my meeting your Nanny. An older girl who I went to school with in the little country school at Lower Knoxford, NB had married, had two children, and whose husband worked as a Lumber Grader; need assistance, she had two small sons and Myrtle was working for her. Her husband Fred Weir was a lumber grader.

3/ and worked for Flemming and Gibson in Juniper Sawmill, they offered me $1.00 per day, 10 hours, to tally for Fred and, I also could live with them, and learn Lumber Grading. The mill was known as Flemming and Gibson Ltd., one of the company was Hugh John Flemming, who later became Premier of N.B.

I see Sarah just about every Sunday at church here in Andover, I really enjoy having her sit with me; last Sunday I assisted our Rector with the Service of Holy Communion, I thought they retired me, but am glad I can still assist if needed.

Had another welcome interruption; my good neighbor across the Street, Judy Wood, brought me some of her specialty "Cinnamon Roll," some Soup for supper, bread and cake, what a blessing to have such a neighbor! She does not know I have a Bread Machine, and yesterday I made a loaf of my Special, "Rustic Brown Bread."

So thanks for your nice letter memories, hope I have answered all questions, Sterling phones every Sunday morning, so I will be reporting your nice long letter. Hope you will be down some day for a visit.

All my love, "Old Gunky." (Over PS)

I still remember meeting you at St. Leonard's Airport, along with your pet White Rat.

Is it illegal to eat ice-cream on Bank Street on a Sunday?

I came across this "dumb law" via Google's new buzz:

It is illegal to eat ice-cream on Bank Street on a Sunday.

This dumb law appears frequent in "dumb law" lists on the internet.

http://www.lufa.ca/news/news_item.asp?NewsID=7235
http://www.skrause.org/humor/stupidlaws.shtml
http://socyberty.com/law/10-dumbest-laws-in-canada/
http://courtneyjane7.tripod.com/id3.html
http://www.everytingjamaican.com/jamaicatalk/general-discussions/10136-stupid-laws.html

Being the brat I am, I emailed the City of Ottawa.

There seems to be an urban legend that it is illegal to eat ice cream on Bank Street on Sundays. (See http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/469049/stupid_laws_in_canada.html?cat=17)

Can you let me know if this is true? If so, can you refer me to the City bylaw? Thank you!

The reply arrived less than a half hour later:

Hello Michelle

Thank you for your e-mail. Although interesting, I have never heard of such a law in the City of Ottawa. I am sure you can happily enjoy an ice cream on Bank Street without concern.

Elaine Elrick
By-law & Regulatory Services

There you have it, internet. You CAN legally eat ice cream while strolling down Bank Street on a Sunday.

another dream dead

Another one of my little dreams will now never come to life.

Star Trek: The Experience closing down

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- After a decade at the final frontier, Star Trek: The Experience is going where no Las Vegas Strip attraction wants to go.

With a decommissioning ceremony -- as befits any great vessel -- the exhibit and its replica of the starship Enterprise are closing Monday.

Thousands of trekkies are "beaming up" from across the United Federation of Planets, er, the United States and around the world one last time, according to exhibit spokesman Chad Boutte.

Some seek a final encounter with the Borg, the television show's race of organic robot aliens who tell everyone "resistance is futile." Others just want to share a farewell drink -- likely a stiff Warp Core Breach, with 10 ounces of rum -- with fellow fans at the attraction's restaurant.

Employees dressed as aliens discuss the minutiae of their worlds' mythologies with visitors who learn, in typically circular trekkie logic, that the exhibit is a "time station" for transporting researchers and equipment between the 21st and 24th centuries.

For $49.99, fans can enjoy two virtual rides and the Museum of the Future, with costumes, "phasers" and Mr. Spock's coffin. More than 3 million people have come through since the Experience opened in 1998.

In the end, the frontier the USS Enterprise couldn't breach was earthly: The attraction's owner, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., and the Las Vegas Hilton, its landlord, couldn't agree on a new lease. They worked as a typical landlord and retail tenant, with Cedar Fair keeping all revenue from the attraction, said hotel spokesman Ira David Sternberg.

Trekkies are incensed. They've scrawled reminiscences about the exhibit on the walls inside, and they're calling Cedar Fair and the hotel to complain. But their online rumor that the space the exhibit occupies will become a theater for pop star Michael Jackson is unfounded, Sternberg said. He said nothing's decided.

Karen and Eric Klein, from Easton, Pennsylvania, had planned to renew their wedding vows at the Experience on their 10th anniversary but came this week instead, four years early.

A Federation captain told them during the ceremony on the bridge of the Enterprise that the energy between them created their love.

"He had his own schtick, and it was very beautiful, and it actually made the moment even that much better," said Eric Klein, 39, still holding his wife's hand outside the gift shop. "It wasn't simply being on the bridge, it really felt very emotional."

Nik and I had always dreamed of a Las Vegas Star Trek Klingon wedding. *sob*

Posted on 16 Aug 2008 at 19:18 UTC

I can now update my blog via my cell phone and my iPod! How trendy is that?

Yay! Camping!

Somehow I got the brilliant idea to visit a friend in Edmonton.

"Ha ha," I think I wrote in an email last winter. "There's an X-Files movie coming out this summer. I should fly out west to see the movie with you."

The friend agreed. We tossed around dates and ideas, and suddenly it turned into a camping trip. In Jasper. ("You'll be eaten by a grizzly bear" my mother said, worried.)

Don't get me wrong - I'm excited! Well, actually, I'm excited to do anything beside sit at a desk, inside a building with a forty year old air conditioning system that moves the air from a room full of sick, explosive-diarrhea cats to my cubicle. I could be spending three weeks at the hospital having my limbs removed and I'd be excited about it. But no, really, I'm looking forward to this trip.

Tonight I thought I had better check out my tent. I bought it eight years ago on the occasion of a friends' wedding. Brilliant idea they had: let's have it outside! In a cow field! Late at night! In August! It's dry and hot in August! What could go wrong?

The day, of course, was wet and cold. The catered meal was late, and served cold. I decided to warm myself up by finishing off the mostly empty bottles of wine left on tables -- after all, no one would want good wine (read: home brewed by a friend's odd relative) to go to waste.

Halfway through the first campfire song I had to pee. After stumbling through the dark to a port-a-potty located at the opposite end of the cow field, I realized I needed to pass out. I restumbled my path, vaguely aiming for my tent. Oops, that wasn't my tent. Nor was the next one, nor the one after that. Ah, there we go. I passed out on top of my sleeping bag.

A worried Nik came looking for me about an hour later. "Shhhhit," he slurred. He had helped me finish off the wine. "I thought you were losssst." I pushed him aside, grabbed the nearby fence, and puked. And puked some more.

"Hey, look up!" Nik grabbed my arm, pointing to the heavens. A break in the clouds showed a sky heavily peppered with stars. "A sshhhhoooting star! A ssshoooting star!" I puked again.

Good times. I used the tent a couple of years later on another adventure (which, coincidentally, involved me drinking too much wine). Since then it's been neatly folded up, waiting to be used.

Tonight I had the great idea of setting it up in the dining room. My first mistake? Forgetting how much space this tent can take up, without it being big enough for comfort. The second? Not knowing that Enkidu really wants to go camping.



My third mistake was to drag the entire thing out onto the balcony to try setting it up there. Thirty seconds later the sky opened up, sprinkling me and the tent with rain. Sigh. Back inside we went, and I gave up on the notion of a trial set-up.

A warning to my friend: setting up the tent will be a grumpy affair. And please -- PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF SPAGHETTI! -- don't bring any wine!

Umi Cafe

I've been dying for a coffee shop to open close to home. Last year a Starbucks opened on Preston Street near Aberdeen. For work that location is great (nothing like an iced venti sugar-free vanilla soy latte to get me through a stressful work day!), but I rarely head down Preston during my recreational hours.

And hooray! It appears that I now have a new option: the Umi Cafe on Somerset and Percy.

While it's uphill from me, I think it's going to be a great addition to the neighbourhood. Nik and I went on Sunday to have a quick peek. Sadly, they don't have an Interac machine yet, so we counted our pennies and ordered small drinks. The Americano was superb! Nik had a democratic something or other - it was ok, but could have used an extra espresso shot.

The helpful staff have told me that they are meeting soon to finalize the menu (they are a coffee co-operative!), and hopefully when that's done they'll post their menu online. For those who want to know, they offer vegetarian and vegan options (such as soy milk and vegan cookies).

I took some pics:

And Nik's score?

90 As a 1930s husband, Nik is Very Superior Take the test!

Oh dear

-20 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

snow

Ugh, what a depressing winter it has been. I need to move South.

Snow.



And more snow.



Snow, etc.

Just in case...

Just in case you haven't noticed, I'm doing a "Photo a Day" challenge on another blog.