ALMOST FORGOT

I honestly had forgotten about this blog. Almost 9 months since my last post and then in the mail the other day comes a cheque from Google for Adsense revenue. It was a bit of a surprise to say the least. Not only had I not updated in months but for some reason people were still reading old posts and generating traffic and thus Adsense revenue. Sure it was only the minimum $100 but I looked at it as free money. Not that I saw a dime of it. My wife told me I got a cheque from Google after she had spent it.

So news? When did I last post? Back in January I managed to get a big promotion at work. Apparently I am a Director now, a member of the "Senior Leadership Team" whatever that is. I'll let you know when I figure it out. So far if someone was going to ask me what it all means I would chalk it up to "more stress, more work, and more accountability". Not that any of those are necessarily bad things. Isn't what everyone wants in their job is the ability to impose change? Build a better organization? I have the power to do that now, or at least advocate for it in a more effective bargaining position. In the end it is all still a power play, a little politics, some ego stroking, and some ass kissing. Most important is to have tangible and actionable ideas. Not that any of this should be a bulletin from the newsroom or anything. Common sense if you ask me.

NEIGHBOUR HEADLINES

I stumbled across an interesting article from an Australian newspaper today about large suburban homes being converted into backpackers hostels and the subsequent complaints from neighbours about endless parties, noise and filth. This issue has some striking similarities to the stories out of many large cities of what happens in the neighbourhoods immediately surrounding Universities and Colleges where often large homes are converted to student apartments. That being said even at the most notorious 'party schools' the students do settle down to study sometimes and I don't recall hearing about any stories where 32 people were living in a house with only two toilets.

Good news for sick pedophiles in Canada. It is still illegal to kill you in a rage of vigilante justice. Word of advice however is to not let your neighbour borrow your computer.

Finally, next time you are fuming about finding dog poop on your lawn courtesy of a neighbour's canine just be happy you don't live in rural Mississippi.

MOST EXPENSIVE $80 YET

A Colorado man loaned his neighbour $80. After waiting patiently for much longer then would be considered acceptable for repayment of the debt and believing he had been cheated Jack Herbst decided to take matters into his own hands... by driving a Front End Loader into the side of his neighbour's house and parking it in their living room. Police estimate damage at $250,000.

LAWN BOY

A man who lives in Florida was upset because he felt his neighbour was not maintaining his lawn to a high enough standard. When complaining went nowhere he started mowing and watering his neighbour's lawn himself. When he was asked to stop he refused so eventually the police were called. When they asked him to stop he refused and decided to pick a fight with the police. Two black eyes, a 10,000 volt jolt from a Taser and a resisting arrest & trespassing charge later we think that Joseph Florence will probably not be providing free lawn care anytime in the near future.

It snowed again here in SW Ontario on Friday but was warm this weekend and now most of the snow has melted again. I honestly can't wait for Spring. I have some big plans, including an expansion of the raised beds and a serious attempt to expand the garden significantly. I'd like to expand from my usual Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Bell Peppers into Corn, Squash, Potatoes and Beans. Now if my municipality would just pass a backyard Chicken bylaw.

JUSTICE IS SERVED

It will be a sad day in Canada when Street Hockey is made illegal. Therefore kudos should go David Sasson who took the fight over a $75 fine imposed against his kids for a street hockey game to court. While he was victorious the law remains on the books. Unfortunately this is just another example of the 'Nanny State' mentality that has taken over so many aspects of our lives. The playgrounds that I used as a child have been deemed unsafe and bulldozed to make way for ugly plastic lumps with rounded corners... and we wonder why our children now resemble those same structures... plastic, lumpy and round.

CHECK THIS OUT

The British Colombia Court of Appeal has ruled that a couple who lives in a condo complex in the city have no right to sue their neighbour because of his "staring". Apparently Leo Lavigne would often stop outside the residence of Peter and Meah Martin and stare at them. No word on if the Martin's are nudists but what we do know is they have floor to ceiling windows. The whole case raises an interesting question on the distinction between staring and 'peeping'. Mr. Lavinge was never accused (for example) of hiding in the bushes and staring into a bathroom window hoping to get a flash of skin or anything like that. By all accounts he simply stood on the sidewalk, often with his dog on a leash beside him, and stared unsmiling into their front window. He also never made any verbal threats or threatening gestures. My advice to the Martin's is to invest in some curtains.