I just wanted to take a moment to wish all of my readers, friends and of course family a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season.
In years past I've sent out a Christmas letter via email to folks but I just didn't have the time or drive to put one together this year so this will have to suffice.
It's a very busy time this year not only with Christmas day approaching but I've also been putting the finishing touches on the planning of my parents 50th Anniversary party / open house on the 29th. For those planning to attend I look forward to seeing you there.
I hope everyone has a safe, healthy and happy Christmas and New Year's. All the best in 2013!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
My 2012 Christmas Wish List
A quick check of the calendar has revealed to me that Christmas is upon all of us once again. Another year has crept passed us and 2013 is waiting to begin. That is of course if you don't believe the world is going to end as the Mayans predicted would happen this week.
Sadly this year has been very busy and my blog postings have dropped considerably because of this. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook then you can hear my mini rants and thoughts all year long but finding time to sit and write on my blog has suffered and it's my hope that I'll change that in the new year.
As I try to do every year I have compiled another Christmas Wish List. If past years are any indication, Santa obviously doesn’t have enough room in his sack for most things.
Traditionally the Bundy Wish List has included items of a more unrealistic or even humourous nature. These gifts range from a slight possibility of receiving to no chance in hell of seeing under my tree. It’s more of a “Not in Your Wildest Dreams Christmas List”. Of course there are a few which could legitimately find their way into my possession and in fact some on past lists have...just not the really really expensive items.
So, let’s have some fun shall we?
So there you have it. Not an overly long list but certainly a costly one.
Of course as I say every year, as long as I have my health and my family is all healthy and happy I'll be very satisfied. But it's nice to dream from time time and there's no better time than at Christmas.
I hope all of your Christmas wishes come true.
Sadly this year has been very busy and my blog postings have dropped considerably because of this. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook then you can hear my mini rants and thoughts all year long but finding time to sit and write on my blog has suffered and it's my hope that I'll change that in the new year.
As I try to do every year I have compiled another Christmas Wish List. If past years are any indication, Santa obviously doesn’t have enough room in his sack for most things.
Traditionally the Bundy Wish List has included items of a more unrealistic or even humourous nature. These gifts range from a slight possibility of receiving to no chance in hell of seeing under my tree. It’s more of a “Not in Your Wildest Dreams Christmas List”. Of course there are a few which could legitimately find their way into my possession and in fact some on past lists have...just not the really really expensive items.
So, let’s have some fun shall we?
Apple Airport Express Base Station
Cost: $100 (already purchased)
Apple iPad 4 with Retina Display
Cost: $600 (32GB)
Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display
Cost: $2800
Nikon D4 FX & lenses
Cost: $6000 (camera only)
Nikon AF-S 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens
Cost: $900
Manfrotto Tripod
Cost: $700
Manfrottp Hydrostat Ball Head
Cost: $260
Sharp AQUOS 80" 1080p 120Hz TV
Cost: $4500
Bose Lifestyle V35 Home Entertainment System
Cost: $3500
Rendezvous with Ashley Hinshaw & Rebecca Blumhagen
Cost: A Guy Can Dream Right?
2013 Bugatti Veyron
Cost: $2.5 Million
2013 Bentley Continental
Cost: $200-thousand
Lakefront Home in Canada
Cost: $2.5 million est.
Waterfront Home in Florida
Cost: $4 million est.
Of course as I say every year, as long as I have my health and my family is all healthy and happy I'll be very satisfied. But it's nice to dream from time time and there's no better time than at Christmas.
I hope all of your Christmas wishes come true.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial
This past weekend was Remembrance Day in Canada and I hope everyone took a few moments to think about those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country.
I also think it's important to think of those who may be still alive but have served in the Armed Forces because just being in harms way in the wars and conflicts can cause both physical and emotional scars as well.
This past weekend in Trenton, Ontario, home of Canadian Forces Base Trenton, a new memorial was unveiled.
For those who don't know, the Trenton Air Base is the place where all service members killed in action overseas are repatriated (returned to their home country).
In all there have been 158 fallen service members returned to Trenton since 2001 before taking the journey down the Highway of Heroes.
The new memorial honours those who were killed during the Afghanistan conflict. The Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial consists of the silhouette of a soldier standing in front of a two large granite maple leaves. One of these leaves has the names of all of the fallen service men and women inscribed on it. It's really quite moving to see.
The unveiling ceremony on the day before Remembrance Day included a parade, a fly past, a wreath-laying ceremony and speeches by Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney and other dignitaries.
It was a very emotional service with many of the families in attendance.
In the photo I took that you can see here, the family of Cpl. Bryce Keller, who was 27 years old when he killed in a firefight with insurgents in the Pashmul District of Kandahar, Afghanistan, August 3, 2006, left his picture pinned to the memorial.
I also think it's important to think of those who may be still alive but have served in the Armed Forces because just being in harms way in the wars and conflicts can cause both physical and emotional scars as well.
This past weekend in Trenton, Ontario, home of Canadian Forces Base Trenton, a new memorial was unveiled.
For those who don't know, the Trenton Air Base is the place where all service members killed in action overseas are repatriated (returned to their home country).
In all there have been 158 fallen service members returned to Trenton since 2001 before taking the journey down the Highway of Heroes.
The new memorial honours those who were killed during the Afghanistan conflict. The Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial consists of the silhouette of a soldier standing in front of a two large granite maple leaves. One of these leaves has the names of all of the fallen service men and women inscribed on it. It's really quite moving to see.
The unveiling ceremony on the day before Remembrance Day included a parade, a fly past, a wreath-laying ceremony and speeches by Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney and other dignitaries.
It was a very emotional service with many of the families in attendance.
In the photo I took that you can see here, the family of Cpl. Bryce Keller, who was 27 years old when he killed in a firefight with insurgents in the Pashmul District of Kandahar, Afghanistan, August 3, 2006, left his picture pinned to the memorial.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Frankenstorm Approaches
There was a time when I might have considered myself an optimist but with my life experiences so far I'm sad to report that I'm more of a pessimist these days.
When I read the weather reports and watch the news today, all I'm hearing about is this "Prefect Storm" that is bearing down on the eastern side of North America. In particular the Northeast U.S., Southern Ontario and the East coast of Canada.
Now maybe I'll be wrong but if history has taught me anything, it's that when bad storms are predicted for my neck of the woods, they usually fizzle out and die before they get here. Or they'll take a sharp turn to the north or south and do very little.
I can't remember the last big winter storm that was predicted for here that actually happened. Oh the media and weather folks love to hype it up and scare the crap out of people to make them think the worst will happen but most times it never does.
So you're probably saying, "well it's better to be safe than sorry." I agree with that. There's no harm in being prepared for the worst case scenario. However, the experts and emergency response people shouldn't be surprised when people don't heed the warnings.
Have you ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf. Eventually after hearing over and over and over again that these storms are coming and they never do, people will just tune out the warnings. Sure they shouldn't do that because even a broken clock is right twice a day but you can see why they might not get too stressed out over it.
This current storm is supposed to get bad when Hurricane Sandy (not exactly a scary name for a storm) is expected to veer west and make landfall between Virginia and New Jersey where it will move inland and then to the north directly towards my location.
By the time it reaches here it will likely be downgraded to a tropical depression but it will collide with another front that is already bringing rain to us. The combination is supposed to create an even bigger storm with heavy rain, flooding and strong winds.
Having said all of that my response is, so what. I've heard this before and I'm predicting it will be soggy and damp and maybe a bit breezy but beyond that, it's probably not much to get worked up over.
That's not to say that the areas where the storm makes landfall in the U.S. and the early stages of it tracking inland won't see some nasty weather. I just don't think all of the hype for this area is warranted and once again I feel the meteorologists in Canada will come away with another layer of egg on their faces.
That's the great thing about being a weatherman, you never have to be right and your job is safe. You can always find an excuse to explain what changed to make your forecast look foolish.
If I'm wrong and we do get hit with the "Perfect Storm", I'll be the first to admit I was wrong and they finally got one right. I just hope I'm not eating my words while I'm talking to the angel of death.
Did you notice how I made my new photo relevant to my blog? I'm a sneaky son of a gun. Time to go buy a new generator, sandbags, canned goods and bottled water just in case. I wonder if I can send my bill to The Weather Network if I spend all this money for no reason?
When I read the weather reports and watch the news today, all I'm hearing about is this "Prefect Storm" that is bearing down on the eastern side of North America. In particular the Northeast U.S., Southern Ontario and the East coast of Canada.
Now maybe I'll be wrong but if history has taught me anything, it's that when bad storms are predicted for my neck of the woods, they usually fizzle out and die before they get here. Or they'll take a sharp turn to the north or south and do very little.
I can't remember the last big winter storm that was predicted for here that actually happened. Oh the media and weather folks love to hype it up and scare the crap out of people to make them think the worst will happen but most times it never does.
So you're probably saying, "well it's better to be safe than sorry." I agree with that. There's no harm in being prepared for the worst case scenario. However, the experts and emergency response people shouldn't be surprised when people don't heed the warnings.
Have you ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf. Eventually after hearing over and over and over again that these storms are coming and they never do, people will just tune out the warnings. Sure they shouldn't do that because even a broken clock is right twice a day but you can see why they might not get too stressed out over it.
This current storm is supposed to get bad when Hurricane Sandy (not exactly a scary name for a storm) is expected to veer west and make landfall between Virginia and New Jersey where it will move inland and then to the north directly towards my location.
By the time it reaches here it will likely be downgraded to a tropical depression but it will collide with another front that is already bringing rain to us. The combination is supposed to create an even bigger storm with heavy rain, flooding and strong winds.
Having said all of that my response is, so what. I've heard this before and I'm predicting it will be soggy and damp and maybe a bit breezy but beyond that, it's probably not much to get worked up over.
That's not to say that the areas where the storm makes landfall in the U.S. and the early stages of it tracking inland won't see some nasty weather. I just don't think all of the hype for this area is warranted and once again I feel the meteorologists in Canada will come away with another layer of egg on their faces.
That's the great thing about being a weatherman, you never have to be right and your job is safe. You can always find an excuse to explain what changed to make your forecast look foolish.
If I'm wrong and we do get hit with the "Perfect Storm", I'll be the first to admit I was wrong and they finally got one right. I just hope I'm not eating my words while I'm talking to the angel of death.
Did you notice how I made my new photo relevant to my blog? I'm a sneaky son of a gun. Time to go buy a new generator, sandbags, canned goods and bottled water just in case. I wonder if I can send my bill to The Weather Network if I spend all this money for no reason?
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Happy Turkey Day Canada
One of my favourite holidays is upon us here in the Great White North once again. It's Thanksgiving!
Yes, in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving at harvest time which is at the start of October and always on a Monday. We don't wait until late November like our neighbours to the south.
I always try to think of things to be thankful for and most years these things don't change much. I give thanks for my health, family, good friends...the usual stuff.
This year I'd like to give thanks for my golf game except I've been playing bloody awful since about mid-August. So I'm thankful that it's getting colder and soon the golf season will be over.
Also this year I'm thankful that I've been able to lose some weight. At last count I was down about 78 pounds. However, with all the turkey, potatoes, gravy and leftovers I'm likely to consume over the next few days, I probably won't be thankful that I have to starve myself and get a lot more walking in to make up for my indulgences.
Oh well, it's a small price to pay. I mean, it's not like I eat turkey all the time. I can count the number of times I get this favourite fowl. Lets see, there's Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. That's pretty much it unless it's a special occasion but they don't happen very often.
So I hope all of you who find yourselves celebrating Thanksgiving today, tomorrow or at some other time during the year take a moment to think about all of the good things in your life and give thanks.
I've learned over the years that there can and will be difficult challenges we will be forced to deal with but in the end it's good to be thankful for all we are blessed with every day.
Yes, in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving at harvest time which is at the start of October and always on a Monday. We don't wait until late November like our neighbours to the south.
I always try to think of things to be thankful for and most years these things don't change much. I give thanks for my health, family, good friends...the usual stuff.
This year I'd like to give thanks for my golf game except I've been playing bloody awful since about mid-August. So I'm thankful that it's getting colder and soon the golf season will be over.
Also this year I'm thankful that I've been able to lose some weight. At last count I was down about 78 pounds. However, with all the turkey, potatoes, gravy and leftovers I'm likely to consume over the next few days, I probably won't be thankful that I have to starve myself and get a lot more walking in to make up for my indulgences.
Oh well, it's a small price to pay. I mean, it's not like I eat turkey all the time. I can count the number of times I get this favourite fowl. Lets see, there's Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. That's pretty much it unless it's a special occasion but they don't happen very often.
So I hope all of you who find yourselves celebrating Thanksgiving today, tomorrow or at some other time during the year take a moment to think about all of the good things in your life and give thanks.
I've learned over the years that there can and will be difficult challenges we will be forced to deal with but in the end it's good to be thankful for all we are blessed with every day.
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