A day to relax…

Posted on October 17, 2019 by kdarcy21

I was in Toronto yesterday for day two of my visit to the big city.  When I was walking down Yonge Street, I noticed that I could see more people in a block or two than there are in the area that I live in now.  I had two great experiences with cabs, the prices were excellent and far cheaper than Uber, I was actually surprised.  I went into the office as I was going for lunch with the new Director.  We went to a place near the office called C’Est What – a small pub in the lower level of a cool building.  We both got the exact same meal, some tomato soup with a little kick to it and jambalaya which was excellent.  We chatted mostly about work and support.  I avoided politics since I know he’s a Liberal compared to me being a Conservative so that would have ended in some sort of argument, at best.  Even though I am on vacation, I did a little work in the office, catching up on stuff that’s been on my plate for a while.

Last night was Meat Coma night at Copacabana in Toronto.  It was excellent, lots of different varieties of beef, chicken, shrimp, grilled pineapple which is simply amazing.  I went for dinner with three ex-coworkers, we had a great time, mostly talking about where they used to work and where I currently work.  We talked about other former co-workers, people who have left BDO, new people who have come in, all that fun stuff.  It was a good meal, good friends and a good time.

I drove my ex-boss home after dinner than set the GPS for St. Catharines and headed out.  What is with people who insist on driving in the passing lane regardless of who wants to pass them?  It’s very annoying.  Despite that, I made great time back and got in just before 10:30.  I went to sleep almost instantly, I needed it.

Today there are limited plans, which is good.  I think the weather is supposed to be sort of crappy, but, presuming it’s not raining too much, I will take my brother in-laws dogs for a walk, they’ll enjoy it.  I am heading to Duff’s tonight with three guys that I met in public school and I mean way back, between grades 1 and 4.  I have not seen any of them for 30 years, so it should be interesting for sure.  I am friends with two of them on Facebook, the 3rd, I have not heard from or about in a long, long time.

Nothing else planned for today, we will see what transpires.

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Craving a home-cooked meal…

Posted on October 16, 2019 by kdarcy21

I’m starting to greatly look forward to some home cooked food now. I’m getting tired of eating out.

Yesterday, I went to Craft Beer Market for lunch. I’m not a beer drinker, I’ve never liked try stuff. I had a Tex-Mex salad and it was excellent. I wanted something a bit lighter since I was going to Red Lobster for dinner. Dinner was great, ate way too much shrimp but it was good, as always.

I was unable to watch game three of the ALCS, except for the 8th and 9th so, at least I saw Houston win the game. It’s a good series and luckily, the Astros have found their bats. The winner will of course face Washington in the World Series after they demolished the Cardinals. It may be a better World Series than I thought.

Today, I’m heading somewhere for lunch, unsure where as yet, I will eat light though since I’m heading to Copacabana for dinner and what we’ve come to call Meat Coma. I’m heading out with three ex co-workers so it should be a good evening. I’ll be heading back to St. Catharines after dinner, it’ll be a bit more relaxing.

Happy Hump Day to all.

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Food, food and more food…

Posted on October 15, 2019 by kdarcy21

Thanksgiving Day in Canada was actually yesterday, although a lot of us actually have our Thanksgiving meal on the Sunday.  We were the same, last night, it was leftovers for dinner.

My day zoomed by.  I was up early, per normal but went back to bed around 5am and slept for another 3.5 hours.  We took the dogs for a walk and I stopped at Starbucks for my caffeine fix.  I had a nap on Sunday afternoon, there was no Bills game to watch since they had their bye week.  I was deep in sleep when the fire alarm went off, that’s a rude way to wake up.  LOL

We had leftovers for dinner and shortly after, my aunt, cousin and I headed for Toronto.  The traffic was pretty tight but it moved fairly well.  It was a late night though, didn’t go to bed until after midnight.

I went to Chick-fil-A for breakfast today and walked down to the office.  Had lunch with co-workers and now am waiting to leave to head to Red Lobster for Endless Shrimp for dinner.

If you think my trips revolve around food, you’d be correct, they do.  I will enjoy for you.

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Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on October 14, 2019 by kdarcy21

I woke up at 3am yesterday, same time as normal, except that I’m in Ontario, so Eastern Time as opposed to Mountain Time. Not a big deal, I guess my body has already switched over.

We went for breakfast to my old breakfast haunt, the Greasy Spoon as we call it, Golden Grill at the corner of Welland and Geneva in St. Catharines. Really good breakfast spot. We stopped in at Harvest Barn, I bought a cherry pie for Thanksgiving dessert. We took the dogs on a good walk out along the entrance to the Welland canal, the wind was brisk but it was turning into a nice day.

I had to meet with a friend over in Townawanda, he had a couple of shirts made for me, a Colorado shirt, in the Rockies purple and black and a Houston shirt in orange, both long sleeve shirts, and both with my baseball number, 21 on them. I also had a pullover shipped to him, it was far cheaper than having it shipped to Canada. I now have a mailing address in the US, in Eureka, Montana so I can get packages and what not and it’s only about an hour drive.

I picked up my aunt and cousin, they were joining us for dinner. Full turkey dinner and it was great. I made Brussels sprouts, with bacon and maple syrup, they were really good, we were all stuffed. Started to watch the ALCS last night, Yankees vs Houston, went to bed in about the 5th, just couldn’t stay awake, pretty lame.

Today I’ll head for Toronto for a few days, will be good to see coworkers, past and present and, of course, eat some food. Red Lobster for shrimp, Copacabana for all u can eat meat, a couple of lunches. I’m sure my week will fly by,

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers.

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A long day…

Posted on October 13, 2019 by kdarcy21

Friday was a half day at work.  We get out early on the Fridays before a long weekend when the holiday is a Monday, so the Thanksgiving holiday is the last one of the year.  I will take it, thanks.  The dogs were out on a pack hike so I zipped out to get some stuff done before my trip.

My first stop was my PO Box and low and behold, finally, I received a refund cheque from Rogers for my security deposit.  I canceled my Rogers Hub back at the end of June and it took them nearly 4.5 months to get me my refund.  It had escalated to “the Office of the President” and as impressive as that might sound, it’s not.  I received the worst customer service ever from that particular group.

So, anyway, cheque received, finally, thanks Rogers for the speedy service…  I went and voted, there was a steady line of people which is good.  John Barlow is the Conservative MP for the area and I would say, his job is safe.  I live in what is likely one of the most Conservative areas of Canada and that’s a good thing.  I just hope the rest of Canada smartens up and rids us of the Liberals.  The party should be decimated.  The alternatives aren’t any better in the NDP and Green and Max’s party is a good of malcontents.  Guess we will see in just over a week.

I got home, the dogs were back from their hike.  I had to pack my stuff for my trip – the dogs stuff was already in the car, ready to go.  We headed out a little later than I wanted to, when doesn’t that happen.  I dropped the dogs off at the Pet Resort and headed north Calgary.

I was supposed to go for dinner on Friday night.  I had four cancellations so I was starting to get a complex.  I ended up going to Cross Iron Mills mall just outside of Calgary.  Three years ago when I was there, I had a protective screen put on my phone and it did a great job, no scratches or anything so I had another one put on my new phone.  I browsed around the mall a bit, had dinner at Milestone’s and headed to where I am leaving my car for a couple of weeks.  I took a taxi to the airport and arrived hours before boarding.  I was able to kill off some time before getting to the airport but not enough.

I had a second dinner at Chili’s, good food.  I boarding around 11:50pm or so and we were in the air shortly after 12:15.  The last thing I remember on the plane was an announcement about drinks being served and then the next time I looked at my watch, it was 5:10am and we were getting close to Toronto.  I have never previously gone to sleep on a place, so it was a pleasant surprise.

We landed at 6am.  I picked up my luggage and headed to the Budget car rental place, I had a 7:30 reservation.  Apparently, when you book a car for 7:30, it’s not ready until 7:30 and if you want it earlier, you need to pay.  So, I headed back to the airport arrivals area and stood in line at the slowest Starbucks ever.  I have never seen a Starbucks with only 2 workers until now.  I bought my $7 latte and headed back to the rental place.

I had to wait a bit as it wasn’t yet 7:30.  Long story short (when do I ever tell a short story?) I didn’t get my car rental…  I had one credit card and I keep the credit limit low, only $300 as I don’t really trust myself.  There was no balance on the card at all so I had $300 in available credit.  According to the Budget web site, you can pay a security deposit via debit, so, when I booked, I wasn’t worried about it.  Nope, not the case.  So, I called Canadian Tire MasterCard.  I have not had the card long enough to get a credit limit increase, not even $100.  I suppose I could have asked to speak with a supervisor, but I dropped it.  So, no rental…  That sort of sucks.

I arrived in St. Catharines at noon, 6 hours after landing.  Complete insanity…

I was supposed to go to a friends house last night but I didn’t get a response from her all day.  My brother in law and I had dinner and snacks since I figured my plans were canceled.  I watched part of what turned out to be a very disappointing Astros – Yankees game 1 of the NLCS with the Yankees hammering the Astros.  Not a good start to be sure. I went to bed early, the Red Eye caught up to me I guess.  I woke at my normal “Alberta” time of 3am and here I am, writing a blog entry.

Today we have our Thanksgiving dinner.  My aunt and cousin are coming down from Toronto.  Should be a good time.  Tomorrow evening I head to Toronto for a few nights, lots planned, mostly food.  I am looking forward to my week of visiting with friends and family and eating.  My conference starts on the 21st and then I head back to Alberta on the 24th.  I am sure the time will fly.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

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Some great playoffs…

Posted on October 10, 2019 by kdarcy21

I was out yesterday afternoon, I had to pick up some pet-friendly salt for the sidewalk and driveway, looks like ice might be a small issue.  Anyway, as I pulled up, I thought that I would check to see if there was any score in the Cardinals-Braves game.  Well, indeed there was.  It was the top of the first inning and the Cardinals were up 10-0.  I couldn’t quite believe it.  I didn’t really care who won the game, but was hoping for a good game.  It ended 13-1, so just a bit of a blowout.

In the second game, Washington was playing game five in LA and were down for most of the game.  I went to bed before it was over, I was tired, fell asleep on the couch actually.  I discovered upon waking this morning that the Nationals came back from a 3-0 deficit and won with a grand-slam in the 10th inning.  I am no fan of the Dodgers so I was pretty dang happy about that.

So, the NLCS is set, Cardinals vs Nationals and I don’t have a preference really.  I suppose it would be nice for the Nationals to get to the dance.  It shouldn’t really matter, I think the AL will take the World Series.

Tonight is game five of the Astros-Rays series.  It’s back in Houston and I am hoping that Houston will take it and take it in a big way.  The home team hasn’t done a great job, in general, this post-season when you look at the other series.  Houston has done very well at home though, so I hope it continues tonight.  If so, that would set up an amazing series, the Yankees vs the Astros.  That will be the best series we will see, I am sure.

I hope to be able to catch some playoff action in Ontario.  I am staying at my brother in laws place and he doesn’t have cable any longer, but I am bringing my Chromecast with me, so I can stream games.  Time will be more of an issue, I think, I have a lot of plans.  I am sure I will squeeze some games in there though.

Enjoy the rest of the playoffs and Go Astros.  #TakeItBack

 

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My trip and who am I voting for?

Posted on October 9, 2019 by kdarcy21

I only have two more full days and a partial day to work before I am on vacation for a week.  I am heading to Ontario on the Red Eye Saturday morning.  Friday is a “get out of work early” day, we get 3.5 hours off because of the holiday on Monday.  It’s Thanksgiving in Canada, for any American readers.

So, Friday I will go and vote in the advance polls.  I don’t talk politics a lot on here, but, Canada really does need to shed the Liberal government that we currently have, it is the most corrupt and inept government that we, as a country, have ever experienced.  I realize that no government is perfect, but Trudeau and his band of idiots are something else.  The NDP are not a viable option, not at all.  I am not willing to become a Socialist.  The problem with Socialism, as has been stated many, many times before is that eventually, you will run out of other people’s money.  The Green Party, no thank you.  Yes, I am all for keeping our environment viable, but they are whack-jobs and would ruin our economy.  The PPC, that is Bernier taking his ball and going home because he didn’t win the Conservative leadership last year.  Frankly, Canada has seen enough Prime Ministers from Quebec, we don’t need any more.  I hope that the PPC don’t win a single seat, I am sure they won’t.  I also hope that they don’t take too many Conservative votes away and split the vote allowing the Liberals back in.

So, that leaves me with the Conservatives and I am happy with that choice.  I still find it hard to believe that Harper, one of the best Prime Ministers this country has ever seen, lost to Trudeau.  Anyway, we can correct that and ensure that sock-boy, potato-boy, whatever current nickname you want to slap on him this week does not get back in.

I have, previously, had respect for Liberal Prime Ministers.  I didn’t mind Jean Cretien, he didn’t embarrass Canada on the world-stage.  Sure, he was from Quebec, but he was a decent man and a pretty good PM.  Paul Martin was also pretty good and I believe considered to be one of the best Finance Ministers we’ve had.

So, there’s my political “rant” for the day.  Friday, I will be voting for the Conservative candidate here, John Barlow.  There is a 0% chance of him not being re-elected.  I live in one of the most Conservative ridings in the country, safe to say, it’s a safe seat.

After voting, I will head home, pack for my trip (I will be gone nearly 2 weeks) and then head to the Pet Resort with the dogs.  They like it there so it’s not overly traumatizing for them.  I will miss them though.

I will head to Calgary with no rush since my flight doesn’t leave until midnight.  I plan on hitting Cross Iron Mills mall and then have dinner with a friend and her family.  We are going to Boston Pizza, her, her husband (also my friend) and their 3 daughters.  Should be fun.  I am hoping that I will get some sleep on the plane, but I am not banking on it.  Oh well.

More on my trip later.  Enjoy the rest of the week.

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Bad Pitching, Bad Managing…

Posted on October 8, 2019 by kdarcy21

The Astros played in Florida yesterday against the Rays, the number 3 pitcher was on the mound and he’s a damn good pitcher.  Combined, the top three starters for the Astros are three of the top pitchers in the league.  Well, yesterday afternoon he wasn’t throwing the good stuff.  A quick recap for those who didn’t catch the game…  The Astros went up 1-0 early in the game on Altuve’s homerun – he’s an amazing ball player, all, what, 5’6″ of him.  The Astros gave up a solo homer and then a 3-run homer, yet there was no action in the bullpen, at all.  I was wondering what the Manager was waiting for, Grienke obviously didn’t have his stuff on the mound yet was kept in until he gave up another home-run to put the Astros down 5-1.  Great moves there AJ (Manager of the Astros)…

The game ended up being a 10-3 rout.  It is only one game in a 5 game series, but still.  They are back at it this afternoon (oh yes, back to back day games because, you know, the Astros aren’t the Yankees so can’t be given primetime) and Verlander is on the mound on short rest.  The playoffs are a different creature, that’s for sure.  Hopefully he’ll pitch well on reduced rest and the Astros can wrap up this series.  The Yankees await after sweeping the Twins – the Twins looks lost in all three games.  The ALCS will be a great series, likely far better than the World Series, I would guess.  I will miss some of it as I will be in Ontario.

Last night, I met with the two gents who’ve been coaching the Crowsnest Pass High School baseball team about joining them.  I think it will be a good fit and I am looking forward to getting back on the field.  We should get things moving come February or so with indoor workouts.  Will be fun.  The head coach has been coaching the team since the 70’s, that’s a long tenure.  I am sure I will learn a thing or two from him, and hopefully he will learn a thing or two from me.

The Pass is experiencing their second snow storm of the season today, I think we are supposed to get 10-15cm of the white stuff which is far better than some earlier predictions of up to 30cm.  It will be gone by the weekend as temperatures are supposed to rebound.  Winter is definitely on its way.

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Baseball – coaching perhaps?

Posted on October 7, 2019 by kdarcy21

So I may be getting back into coaching baseball here in Crowsnest Pass.  I was at a meeting a few weeks back for Air Cadets and the talk briefly turned to baseball and I asked if there was a baseball team at the local high school.  Well, indeed there is.  So, I called the school, not sure on who to speak with, so I started with the person who picked up the phone.  She gave me the the contact information for the head coach who’s been coaching the team for a number of years.  I called him, he was out of town but we spoke briefly and he said he’d call me when he was back in the Pass.

Yesterday, we spoke for about 30 minutes and today, he and the other guy who’ve been running the team are getting together to discuss it.  I have coached high school baseball before back in St. Catharines and have coached at every level and age group for 25 years.

This will be a small commitment, compared to say running a Babe Ruth club like I did in Calgary or running an All-Star team like back in St. Catharines.  The season for high school baseball is short.  It starts as soon as you can get outside so that is the end of April at the absolute earliest, more than likely not until the beginning of May and it runs only until the beginning of June.  If you’re lucky, you might get 6 weeks in, if you’re unlucky, it might only be 4.

Anyway, I figured at some point, I would do some coaching again and this should be perfect.  I am planning on umpiring again next summer back in Calgary.  I am planning on doing a double-header every other weekend or something around those lines.  I am looking forward to meeting tonight, it doesn’t interfere with any MLB play-offs, the Astros play at 11am today so that’s great.  Will be good getting back on the field.

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It’s baseball playoff time…

Posted on October 6, 2019 by kdarcy21

Friday was a day heavy in baseball.  Both the NLDS and the ALDS were going on so there were four games in total, back to back to back to back.  I was most interested in the Houston – Tampa series as Houston is my AL team.  They easily won in an excellent game.  Justin Verlander is almost unstoppable.  Unfortunately, the Yankees won as did the Dodgers.  In the Atlanta / St. Louis series, I didn’t really care who won and it looked like Atlanta had the game in hand and St. Louis came back.  Anything can happen in baseball, that’s for sure.

Saturday was a more relaxed day, only two baseball games on hand.  I had to move my trailer off of the street yesterday, well, actually I should have done it back before October 1, I thought that October 15 was the cut-off, but I was wrong.  No ticket anyway, good thing and now the trailer is safely stowed at my friends property for the winter.  I unloaded three wooden cabinets that I had friends in Calgary pickup for me, I brought them back on Tuesday when I came back from the office.  They will work great in my bedroom and the bookshelf will work in the living room.  The house is honestly full now so I can’t buy anything else.

Back to Saturday baseball.  It started at 3pm with the Yankees and Twins.  Minnesota is being outplayed in every aspect of the game right now and the Yankees hold a 2 game to none lead in the best of 5 series.  Looks like the Twins are all but done.  In the other AL series, the Astros took a strangle-hold against the Rays and also are up 2-0.  It looks like it will be a Yankees-Astros ALCS which I predicted a while ago.  Really, this should be the World Series since whatever team emerges from the ALCS, will likely win against whoever represents the NL.  I fear it will be the Dodgers, I am hoping for anyone else.  At least Washington evened that series out, so there’s hope.  I do not care for the Dodgers, unsure exactly why, but I don’t.  I guess there would be some satisfaction seeing them make another World Series only to lose a 3rd straight.  Sounds like my Buffalo Bills in the early 90’s with 4 straight Super Bowl loses…

Speaking of the Bills, I am going to a game on the 20th with my brother in law when I am in Ontario.  I can’t wait for the trip and there’s not much of a wait left, I fly out early Saturday morning.  Will be a great trip.  I am booked pretty solid to see friends that I have not seen in a while.  After my 10 day vacation, we have our work conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake and it will be good to see the team again and meet the new people.  I was at our National office this past July, so I did meet a number of new people already.  Good times for sure.

Today, the AL takes a break and the NL is back in action.  Both series are tied so, here’s to hoping LA goes down 2-1 and in the other series, well, I really don’t care – as long as the winner can take care of LA, presuming they make it past Washington.  If Washington emerges victorious, that will be awesome and then I really don’t care who goes to the World Series.  That team, whoever it may be, will hit a roadblock, be it the Astros or the Yankees.  The AL is taking the World Series this year, I can just about guarantee that.

Football today as well, of course.  Buffalo is on the road and next week they are off.  I will see my first live NFL game on the 20th as Miami comes into town and Miami stinks this year, so it should be a good time.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

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