Miracle of miracles I got my hair cut, didn’t pay a lot, and can actually live with the results! Well, more than that, I actually like it. Amazing. Dorena was highly competent. She was efficient. She asked my opinion on things as we went along. The whole time was less painful than it usually is. She doesn’t know it yet, but I may now have to follow her to the ends of the earth...

I’ve paid a lot for haircuts that I’ve absolutely hated. So I’ve decided to just hit a fast cut kinda joint for a trim and hope for the best. Given that I’ll probably hate it no matter what – why should I pay more? What a hope...

You ever see those commercials for a listening device that helps people pick up sound from several feet away? Ostensibly it’s for people who are hard of hearing or people who don’t want to disturb their loved one in bed while they watch T.V. late at night. Uh huh. While pretending to be a wonderful help for the hearing challenged and the generous of spirit, what they’re really selling is eavesdropping. And we all know it. At least they have enough honesty to include a few scenes of people actually eavesdropping on private conversations. What they aren’t quite honest about is the apparent great results from this intrusion. Ah, sure folks, they’re saying just wonderful things aboutcha. Not. And what if they aren’t talking about you? What if you don’t even exist on their radar? Then how ya gonna feel? In the end, it may provide a few titillating moments for some individuals who – rather than live their own life – demonstrate they have no respect for the privacy of others by surreptitiously listening in. What they eventually will find is an old proverb that will bite them back. Sometimes ignorance is a far better state to live in...

I mentioned earlier that observing the Olympics is like getting a chance to watch reality t.v. uncensored. True, networks know how to edit and they can slant things different ways, but, there are moments when some raw human emotion illuminates the screen. A few days ago Ron Maclean had to leave his anchor position for CBC’s coverage of the Olympics to return home to Canada because his mom had passed away. No matter what our relationship with our parents may be like, there is no denying the emotional turning point of this moment in our lives. There are many things Mr. Maclean could have said. He didn’t seem to censor himself. He spoke what sounded to be his real thoughts. The next part of that statement reads “... so there’s no harm in not having been there for the final moments. But I’ve got to get home, needless to say, to help out with some of the work at home.” Perhaps he was trying to explain why he wasn’t there. She had broken her hip at the start of the games and had been hospitalized with her condition worsening due to pancreatic cancer. Like for many of us, it is not always within our power to do things the way we might have wished to and it leaves us feeling guilty. Whatever the reason – it was a very real and revealing moment...

Recently we rented ‘The Day of the Triffids” – a science fiction oldie that featured the premise of what would happen if suddenly nearly everyone on earth was blinded. Coming in September Alliance films is releasing a movie called ‘Blindness‘ that explores a similar premise but with a modern twist. Featuring a wonderful cast that includes Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo, it presents us with the...

Our town is celebrating a big anniversary and has been hosting a number of festival related activities in the downtown area. Because it’s a great tourist town weekends are normally crowded and busy. It really doesn’t grab me to fight the masses for a look at a few arts and crafts, jugglers and mimes, or ice-cream and hot dogs. But the events are ramping up and come tomorrow some big headliners are gonna show up – like Colin James, Sarah McLachlan, Burton Cummings, and Feist. We live close enough to the downtown area that we can often hear the music and see the fireworks without leaving the cool comfort of home. However, it may be worth the trek this time and I’m just gonna have get the energy to boldly go.....:)...