Another Virgin Broadband!

My sister has no neighbors willing to share their WIFI, even with my Hawking dish. I can see about thirty connections, all password protected. What an untrusting neighborhood.

We went down to the mall and there was a Canadian Virgin kiosk selling Virgin Broadband! Not as good a deal as in the USA, I paid $80 for the hardware and 1 GB of data for 1 month is $50. 1 GB is not much but I do not need the card very often. I had a bit of a problem installing the software as it was conflicting with my USA Virgin program but once I uninstalled the USA software, away it went.

Sitting in YVR

I missed the ferry by three minutes so had to wait two hours for the next one. I dropped the car off at the Holiday Inn Express and caught the shuttle to the airport. Now I am waiting for the check in to open at 8:15 PM. My flight leaves at 11:15. It is going to be a very long night!

At least YVR has fast FREE WIFI!

Catching The "Red Eye"

Tomorrow afternoon I drive/ferry over to Vancouver, leave the car in a parking lot and catch the "Red Eye" flight to Toronto, Ontario! I will be visiting my sister Gloria in Kitchener for nine days. She is "older" than me, in fact she was married sometime around my birth! She moved back east but we have been "close" even considering the huge difference in geography. I have been watching for a seat sale for some time and finally found a return flight for $150 (plus a ton of taxes to bring the total to over $400)! I leave Vancouver at 11:45 Sunday night and arrive in Toronto at 6:30 AM Monday. I will take the shuttle to her house and have a nap before the game starts at 8:00 Monday night. I think this will be my sister's first hockey game!

I do not know what the Internet situation will be there. My sister does not have Internet, as she does not even have a computer! Can you imagine not having a computer??!! I will take my Hawking dish so I am sure I will be able to find a signal to "borrow" in her residential neighborhood. If not, there is a coffee shop within walking distance that is sure to have WIFI.

It still might be a day or two before I can make a post. I am looking forward to my visit!

EDIT: For those wondering, no, I am not flying Air Canada which has been served Strike Notice by it's workers. I am flying on Sunwing, a charter airlines with very little leg room!

Tracy Morgan Is Not Funny!

Everyone has now heard about "comedian" Tracy Morgan's rabid, homophobic rant during a stand-up comedy act in Nashville earlier this month. He went into a tirade lasting several minutes during which a few members of the audience walked out but even more clapped and cheered.

Mr. Morgan:

It is not funny to say you would kill your children if they told you they were gay!
It is not funny to use the "n" word, even if you are black and even less funny to use the term referring to your own children!
It is not funny to tell bullied kids to "man up and quit being pansies"!
It is not funny to say that "Being gay is a "choice"!

Tracy Morgan is not funny. He is an ignorant, knuckle dragging homophobe and should be out looking for a new job, preferably something out of the public eye!

No Tracy, I do not accept your half-hearted "I'm sorry I got caught" apology. Way too little and way too late.

The organization, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays doesn't sound particularly impressed with Morgan's apology either. From the PFLAG blog:

“At a time when bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth is at an all-time high - when kids are being assaulted, are dying - to joke about committing violence against a child is outrageous and reprehensible. As a celebrity, Mr. Morgan needs to understand that his words have power; inciting violence against gay and lesbian kids in the name of comedy – stating that he would stab his own son to death if he was gay – is absolutely unconscionable. A simple apology is not enough – Mr. Morgan must take meaningful action to prove the sincerity of that apology,” said Jody Huckaby, Executive Director of PFLAG National.

GGGGGOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!

Despite the best efforts of the referees and the Bruins, WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The referees really tried to influence the outcome of this game by calling everything against the Canucks and very little against the Bruins as well as throwing Vancouver's best faceoff man out of the circle in their own end with only minutes to go. I really hate this kind of officiating! If they want to be tough, fine, but at least call both sides the same!

Anyway, it does not matter! Luongo got his shutout and Vancouver only has to win one more while Boston has to win two. Advantage, Canucks!

EDIT: A comment by my friend Les, who is a soccer referee, has led me to add a little to this post. I generally agree with Les and seldom get too angry about questionable calls. They happen and no, I would not like to take the place of an on ice official. As I see it, the officiating has tended to be a little harder on the Canucks than on their opponents.

The suspension of Aaron Rome is one example. Yes the hit was a little late and the other player was hurt. No hockey fan wants to see any player injured. However, the hit was only a second or two late and if Nathan Horton had have been watching where he was going and not looking away admiring his pass, he would have seen the hit coming and could have defended himself against it. It was not a blind side hit and Rome does not have the reputation of being a dirty player. That is the first rule kids are taught in hockey, keep your head up and know what is going on around you. Rome was given a penalty and a game misconduct and that should have been it. The four game suspension was designed to remove him from the series. I do not believe there was any intent to injure. This was not the only late, hard hit in the game but it was the only penalized one.

My wife does not think there should be any hitting allowed, period. Other players should only be allowed to try to knock the puck off the stick of the player in possession of it but they should not be allowed to touch the player. I am not sure what this new game would be called, but it would not be hockey.

Summer Neighbors Are Back

Our neighbors are back for the summer! They have to rebuild every year due to the winds and rain over the winter but that task never deters them. They can get a little noisy at times but we never mind. I have not actually spotted the nest but it is in one of two trees on our wooded slope behind the house. Here are Mom and Dad Eagle surveying their domain!

Winter Expenses Compared

Item	2009 – 2010 Mexico	2010 – 2011 USA
Fuel (Honda)	468	469
Fuel (Motorhome)	3911	3956
Propane	74	99
Dining	3777	3714
Entertainment	113	1077
Groceries, Liquor (see note)	3589	3560
Admissions and Tours	102	155
Camping Fees (see note)	3691	3080
Highway Tolls	1030	5
Taxis, Bus	180	68
Other Travel (Bahamas Cruise)	0	807
Hotels	592	422
TOTAL	$17,527	$17,412
Cost Per Day	$97.37 / day	$106.82 / day

 

Well, that is quite remarkable! The winter in the USA cost exactly the same as the previous winter in Mexico! Some important notes are:

1) These figures are in Canadian dollars which were worth about 10% more this year. If I were using USA dollars, this year would have cost me about $1,741 more for the Winter or about $10.68 more per day.

2) We drove quite a bit further in the Mexico year. I did not keep records but probably at least 20% more.

3) The “Groceries and Liquor” classification covers everything we bought in grocery stores. This would include groceries, liquor, cleaning items, magazines, toilet paper, etc.

4) We boondocked MUCH more in the USA this year and stayed for a whole month at our friends in Florida for free. If we had stayed in RV parks every night the figure for this year would have been much higher, probably $1000 - $1500 higher.

5) We were away 17 days longer in the Mexico year than in the USA year.  180 days in Mexico and 163 days in the USA.

6) We dined out WAY more in Mexico. In Mexico we probably averaged one meal per day out, usually lunch or dinner and often both. In the USA the meal out was usually breakfast and the average was less than once per day (maybe 5 - 6 times a week). Restaurants are much cheaper in Mexico.

7) We entertained much more in Mexico as well and this is reflected in the “Groceries and Liquor” costs. Groceries are much cheaper in Mexico and the fact that we spent almost the same each year means we bought a much higher volume of these items in Mexico.

I Even Wore My Lucky Shirt!

I wore my new Luongo shirt and the Canucks still lost! The series is tied and heading back to Vancouver. I need a Tylenol! At least game seven will be in Vancouver. I am still optimistic...

On the home front, we have not had a deer in the yard since the electric fence went up. Norma made a fence out of non-electrified chicken wire that she pulled across the driveway so there is no way in for them. Problem is, there is no way in for the newspaper woman, the letter carrier or the meter reader. It keeps her running to let them in. I am staying right out of it. If I see someone heading up the driveway I call Norma. I was the one who actually liked the deer!

The British (Columbians) are Coming! The British (Columbians) are Coming!

This is the call heard tonight in Boston as Game Three starts. Listen for Sarah Palin and Paul Revere "ringin' their bells and warnin' the ... British"???!!! Oh yes, "ridin' his horse and firein' all those warnin' shots" (from his muzzle loading rifle) - quite the feat on a galloping horse!

Back to the Game!

Well, this was embarrassing.... Oh well...... I never was one to say we would win in four straight games! We do not want to win in Boston anyway, it will be way more fun in Vancouver.

I must take part of the blame for this humiliating loss.  I was watching by myself and did not feel it necessary to wear my new Luongo shirt. I will not commit this error again. I will wear the shirt!

Norma vs. The Deer - Round 12

Or, The 20,000 Volt Solution.

Norma finally reached her breaking point the other day when the deer ate about $50 worth of freshly planted flowers in her garden while she was downtown for a haircut. She has tried everything including bottled blood, expensive sprays and me peeing in various corners of the gardens (that caused quite the flurry amongst the ladies in the condo next door)! Nothing worked! The deer were dining at will and the food just kept coming. Norma's Free All Night Deer Diner is open for business, everyone welcome.

Brooks and Linda were up on the weekend and she got them to install an electric fence! The parts cost a little under $200 and they ran three strands all around three sides of the property. She wanted him to continue across the driveway but we talked her out of electrocuting the early morning newspaper delivery woman so that is left open for now. I don't think many deer come in from the highway side anyway but she is trying to think of a way to block it off at night. I think Brooks and Linda might be back to install a sliding chain link gate sometime soon.

The morning after the electric fence was installed Linda was awakened by the sound of a deer screaming outside her back bedroom window so the fence seems to be working! We have gone three days now with no flowers being munched so the smell of victory is in the air. Or is it burning deer flesh? That would put a smile on Norma's face!