Kevin's Ramblings…

Over the last 10 days or so, I’ve really been helping out the Alberta economy.

I’m unsure exactly how much money I’ve spent, I don’t think I really want to know. Essentially, I’ve spent my income tax return.

Let’s see, I’ve bought a new pair of glasses at Costco. Also got a bathroom scale, a hoodie, 2 pairs of shoes (Skechers) and a pair of winter boots (also Skechers). I bought a new rain head shower head with an extension sprayer as well.

I got curtain rods and panels for the front window of my house. At the Levi Outlet store, I got a winter jacket and a belt. I had a screen protector put on my cell phone. I also spent two nights in Calgary, but got a great deal on the hotel room. I’ve eaten out a lot as well.

For the home gym, I bought an elliptical and a Bowflex gym. I also picked up a Android TV box, but if that works out, I can cancel satellite. I also bought a vacuum, the dogs continue to shed.

I’m guessing maybe $1500 or so, close to it anyway. I could have saved it, but what fun is that?

My trip to Calgary was good, except for not being able to sleep, that’s likely related to “hotel bed”.

The trip down here in Monday was uneventful. I stopped at Costco in Okotoks on the way. Got gas as it was 8 cents a liter cheaper than normal and got out of Costco after only spending $60, not bad at all.

I stopped for a wash at Petro Canada, it ended up being free which is a great price. Checked into the hotel at 2 and was upgraded to a King Suite. Quite the nice room.

Dinner was Red Lobster for Endless Shrimp with a friend.

Tuesday was a busy day. Started with breakfast at Denny’s then coffee with a friend. I headed to Cross Iron Mills mall and helped out the Alberta economy.

Dinner last night was at Silver Inn restaurant, some of the best Chinese food I’ve ever had.

All in all, it was an enjoyable 2 days and a great break from my normal routine. The dogs have been at Crowsnest Pet Care and by the looks of the pictures, they are having a great time. They’ll be dropped off at home this afternoon.

I head home this morning at some point. Seeing as I’m awake in the middle of the night, it’ll likely be earlier than later. I am heading to Lethbridge to pick up new glasses at Costco z it’s an hour out of the way (in total) so not too bad.

The rest of my week off should be low-key. I have some stuff to do around the house. I’ll be nice and relaxed to go back to work Monday.

My two weeks off is going pretty well. I mean, I didn’t make it to Saskatchewan, but the week at home has been relaxing yet productive.

I found a Bowflex gym in Okotoks and made the trip up there on Thursday afternoon. I was watching Opening Day for MLB, the Jays were playing the Yankees so I switched to listening to the game on SiriusXM. I’m unsure who the commentators were, but they did a great job. I’ve had SiriusXM for a few years now but that was the first time I listened to a game. At 2, I switched to the Dodgers vs Rockies game. The Jays hung on for the win, as did the Rockies.

I made it to Okotoks in just under 2 hours, was a good drive up Highway 22, it was a bit windy though. Got a good deal on the gym and the seller helped me load it up. I stopped at Canadian Tire, bought some ratchet straps a d bungee cords and properly secured the gym, although I don’t think it was going anywhere. Had to stop at Cobb’s bakery as well. It’s Easter time and their hot cross buns are amazing. If you have a Cobb’s near your I’d highly recommended them.

The Costco gas station was packed. April 1 marked an increase in the carbon tax thanks to the idiot running Canada (into the ground), thanks Trudeau, we all love paying a tax that isn’t going to help the environment, I digress however. Apparently, my truck only used 22 litres of gas for the trip to Okotoks, not bad at all. I’m getting better mileage with it than I was with the Escape.

I’m heading to Calgary Monday for a couple of days. Having dinner with a buddy on Monday night and hopefully going for lunch with another friend, pending how busy she is at work. The dogs will go back into boarding, they’ll have a great time and when the come home Wednesday afternoon, they’ll be exhausted. On the way home, I’m hoping that my new glasses will be ready at Lethbridge Costco so I’ll make a detour there to get them. Lots of driving for sure.

No real plans after that for the rest of my holidays, other than possibly going skeet shooting next weekend. All in all, a pretty good 2 weeks off. Back to work on the 12th and no scheduled time off until July. I’m sure it’ll zoom by.

Well, enjoy the long weekend. Stay safe.

My trip home from Lethbridge was pretty uneventful. I woke up stupidly early, I have been for the last 10 days or so, I hope it’s not a pattern but I am afraid that it is. I left the hotel at about 4:15am. I didn’t want to wait until sunrise, those pesky herds of deer running across the highway when you have cruise control locked in at 110kph are, shall we say, a nuisance (to say the least). The trip back was quick, no other vehicles on the road, the full moon was shining bright in a mostly clear sky. The roads were excellent, until I got to about Pincher Creek, then they were packed snow and some ice. There were a couple of points where blowing snow made visibility not too good, but nothing like the shit-show that it was on Monday. There was also some ice fog, but all in all a good trip back.

I got a fair amount done yesterday. The dogs were in day care for the day, coming home late afternoon. I was able to do grocery shopping, check the mail and went out for breakfast. If you ever happen to be in the Crowsnest Pass area, more specifically the small town of Coleman, Alberta, I would highly recommend a restaurant called Limber Pine. It’s a smokehouse with a Mexican twist. I had a loaded omelette for breakfast and it was amazing. All of their food is, so you really can’t go wrong.

The dogs were dropped off around 3:30pm and soon after they got inside, they quickly fell asleep. Two days of playing with the other dogs all day (and likely all night) really tired them out. It was a quiet evening.

I still have not unloaded the truck, that is this morning’s task. I have a bed full (well, not quite full) of planters that were supposed to make it to Saskatchewan. They will find a home in my shed until their owners visits and can pick them up, or, I will deliver them when I head to Saskatchewan in August – my trip is rescheduled. I figured that the snow should be melted by then so the drive might be more pleasant.

I got a call yesterday that my bike has been tuned up and is ready for Spring. New chain, new brake and gear cables and it’s good to go. I will pick that up this morning and do some shopping in town, nothing overly exciting.

I guess my plans have changed for my vacation, but I am still enjoying the down time. I am heading to Calgary on Monday and now I think I will stay for 2 nights instead of just one. The dogs will be going back into boarding, so, when I get them on Wednesday afternoon, I am sure they will be wiped again.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Yesterday started out like any other day, I woke up a bit earlier than I wanted to, but that’s OK. I think I was excited about getting away.

I left just before 8am, stopped for gas at the Husky just down the street. We got a total of 6″ of snow or so overnight, so all in all, not too bad. There was absolutely no wind, I talked to the gas jockey for a few minutes, it was quite nice out actually.

The roads in the Pass were snow covered, the plows had been out so it wasn’t too bad. Could drive at almost normal speeds. The trip through to Lethbridge and beyond was pretty smooth.

I got to Medicine Hat and the winds really picked up. I think they were gusting at about 100kph. I stopped for gas, again at Husky (it was $1.12 per liter so not too bad at all) and headed East on the Trans Canada. After I turned onto Highway 41 North, things went downhill quickly.

There were points that I could not see much further than the front of my truck. I had my hazard lights on, so did anyone else unlucky enough to be on the roads. At one point, the road curved and I didn’t know until I hit the opposite shoulder, thankfully no one was coming the other direction as I would not have been able to see them.

I had been in contact with my friend in Saskatchewan and I told her I was turning around and heading back. There was no way I was going to drive through another 5+ hours of blowing snow like that, it was insane.

I cancelled my route on my GPS and told it to head home. It found a side road which I turned on and then turned around, could not see anything. When I got back to the highway, I could not see more than 20 feet or so either direction, so I turned south on the highway and gunned it, hoping there was nothing coming. The winds continued all along Highway 41 until I got back to Medicine Hat. Points West of there weren’t too bad.

I made it back to Lethbridge by about 3 in the afternoon and decided to spend the night there. I got my Costco run done and went to Swiss Chalet for a bite to eat, I used to go all the time (back in Ontario) but it’s rare now that I am in Alberta and rarer still since I live in the middle of nowhere.

I am home now. I had thought about trying the drive again today but the winds don’t seem to have settled down yet so it likely would have been another shit-show.

So, my planned relaxation in Saskatchewan has been postponed for now, I think I will try again in July, or August. I am pretty sure the snow will be melted by then and if it is windy, maybe it will just blow dirt around.

Guess I will relax at home. Stay safe.

I have today and 2 more days to work until I am off for 2 weeks. It will be a much needed break from work and the regular routine. I think everyone is likely feeling the same with all that has been going on for the past year.

I will be heading to Saskatchewan for a few days, going to see some friends. It will be the first long drive I have taken in my new truck as well so that will be cool. I will see if I actually can get 1100km to a tank of gas.

The dogs will be going into boarding for a few days, when I get them back on Friday, I know they will be exhausted. That will lead into a quiet weekend with them, I am sure. Then, on Monday, they go back into boarding overnight while I head to Calgary for a day.

Nothing else planned for the rest of the week off, just relax at home, sleep in (maybe) and do some stuff around the house. I am hoping that the weather will start to turn Spring like, would be nice.

So, today and the next two days I am just looking forward to the end of Friday. I start out the vacation time going out for dinner with a co-worker that I haven’t seen for a year and a half, will be a good evening.

Stay safe. 🙂

This past weekend was a pretty productive weekend for me.

On Friday afternoon, I took a drive to Fort MacLeod, about 100km to the East and bought a used NordicTrack elliptical. I have been looking for a good quality elliptical that wouldn’t break the bank for some time now. So, I went and picked this one up for $300 after some mild negotiations. Great deal as these are well over $2k new. We had to take it apart to get it up the stairs but not a big deal there – easy to put back together.

While in Fort MacLeod, I also picked up a gift for a friend that I am visiting next week. Just something small but she will like it I am sure. I am heading to the exciting province of Saskatchewan for 5 days. It will be a good long run in the new truck and a good break of a routine that I badly need, I am sure we ALL badly need it.

On Saturday, I had help to unload my elliptical and load my BBQ. Had to bring it in to get it serviced as the flame on it was more like a pilot light. Hopefully that will get fixed soon and back to BBQing I will go.

The dogs and I went for a couple of hikes. The weather has taken a turn, back to winter-like conditions, so that sort of sucks. No upper teens, but I am sure they will be back and I will complain about how hot it is.

So, just this week to work then 2 weeks off. I am really looking forward to the down time. Enjoy your week.

I have been looking on Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace for a few months now for an elliptical. I wanted to get a better quality one, and of course, I didn’t want to pay big bucks. I do live in the middle of nowhere though, so local options have been pretty limited. I have seen a number of them in the Calgary area, but, that’s 2-2.5 hours away depending on where in Calgary and up to a few weeks ago, I didn’t have a truck to go fetch it. I could have asked a friend to bring it down and paid for their gas and what not, but nothing really looked good enough to do that.

Well, yesterday, I found 2 ellipticals and they were both relatively close. I message the first guy, in Sparwood, nut, unfortunately, it was already sold. So I messaged the second guy, in Fort McLeod and it hasn’t sold – it’s only 100km there so not too bad. I am going to take a look at it tonight and hopefully it will pass the examination.

I had a good thing going for a bit at the local gym. Back in September/October 2019 I had a membership and was getting into a good routine, then I went to Ontario for a couple of week and when I got back, I didn’t make it back to the gym. Then in March of 2021, the covid shit hit the fan so that sidelined going to a gym, in fact, I don’t think they are properly reopened yet.

So, I am hoping this one will work. It’s a good price and will help me get into a shape, other than round. Here’s to my health 🙂

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. I am not wearing any green today, I don’t have much to wear that’s green actually. I know I won’t be doing anything today in honour of the day. I have in the past, long past, you know, back when I used to drink regularly. I have a picture of me at my buddy’s house and my hair is green. It works when you’re blonde I suppose. Not sure if I have any Irish friends, but, even if I don’t, I want to wish you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Today is also hump day, it’s Wednesday. The weekend is just about half way here, not that I am counting of course. I am on vacation for two weeks at the end of the month. I am looking forward to having some time off, it will be nice. I will be getting away to visit a former neighbour for a few days, should be fun.

We are still having some great weather, temps in the low double digits so we have been going on some nice mild hikes.

Enjoy your day.

I have not made a post on my blog in some time, November 9, 2020 as it turns out and very few posts in 2020 all together. I guess I lost the bug to write down my thoughts.

I am going to see if I have regained the bug – we will see. My blog has never been intended to be entertaining to the “masses” but more of a way for me to look back at what I have been doing with myself.

So, as we are all well aware, 2020 was a shit-show. I suppose I am lucky enough to live in the middle of nowhere so it didn’t really overly affect me all that much.

The grocery store put arrows on the flow to attempt to direct traffic, no one really follows them. Distancing rules, people sort of follow them. Seeing as I really don’t like people (in general), I don’t care if I am 6′ away from them anyway. The restaurants closed for dine-in, twice, from what I remember. I tend to prefer takeout anyway.

Things are slowly getting back to normal now. We are still being asked to wear a mask in public places. I don’t like wearing a mask and I don’t live my life in fear of anything. If I am going to catch covid, so be it, I catch it. If I don’t want to wear a mask, I am not being “selfish” and for those who say I am, you’re a fucking idiot – how’s that?

Anyway, I digress…

I had been driving a 2015 Ford Escape, my first Ford and I really liked that car. I just traded it in and got my first truck, I am truly Albertan now, driving what seem to be what the majority of other drive. I got a 2021 Ram 1500 pickup – I love it. The dogs are getting used to getting into it and all being in the back seat area.

I am really liking it. I have my first road trip coming up in a couple of weeks as I am heading to Saskatchewan for a few days.

Well, that’s it for now. Spring is in the air – it was in the upper teens here this past weekend which was awesome. This odd winter will be behind us very soon.