The Phoenix: The WFD Retirees & Friends Blog

Follow On Twitter

2012-01-24T19:28:00.001-05:00

Hey... follow me on Twitter.... click on link top left

Thanks

Street View

2012-01-24T12:51:00.005-05:00

interesting what you can find in Street View on Google Earth : ) Can you say, "BIG BROTHER"?

Mongo & Family

2012-01-17T17:30:00.004-05:00

This is a fascinating video of Mongo and the family. You'll notice Mongo is mostly sitting during the encounter.

Best Train Set in the World

2011-12-14T14:46:00.002-05:00

I think every kid would love to get this train set on Christmas morning : )

Hello from Panama

2011-12-01T19:00:00.002-05:00

hey.... 31 here and wishing you were here....(ya, right) ...lol

Q's Hero

2011-11-17T16:24:00.004-05:00

I received an anonymous email the other day informing me that the Lakeshore Fire Department had hired a new deputy chief! When I discovered who it was I was amazed. It was none other than JOHN QUENNELL!!! When I dialed his number to congratulate John I was surprised that the message on the voice mail was the voice of none other than Bob Tapak. I was startled when I heard this message: “Hello, you have reached the office of John Quennell’s spokesperson and mentor, Captain, District Chief, Assistant Chief, Real Chief and over all Grand Poobah Robert Tapak. All phone messages for Deputy Chief Quennell are now being filtered through this office for advisement. Have a great day!”

I visited Bob at his residence to investigate this strange occurrence and was surprised when Mongo answered the door. I politely asked the furry one what he was doing at Bob’s residence. He smiled at me with that strange Chewbacca smile of his and stated, “Well, Bob is now my life coach and mentor. When I heard what he did for Deputy Chief Quennell I was next in line for his services. What is so special about Bob’s services?”, I asked. A glassy-eyed look appeared over Mongo’s deep brown eyes as he spoke in an almost hero worshipping lilting voice, “Bob is simply amazing; he has had so much experience with other retired firefighters obtaining various positions after their retirement that he has become the Guru of positioning himself at the right place at exactly the right time. He is another Bill Gates as far as I’m concerned. He has just recently taught me to position myself to get ready for the day that I retire that I can become a deputy chief or even a real chief if I wanted it bad enough!”, he swooned. I could tell that Bob had read and seen the now famous book and DVD,” The Secret”. When I left Bob’s residence I saw Mongo at the computer Googling photos of Bob throughout his career. Bob had finally reached the status of hero worship with the famous chimpanzee.

On a closing note, The Windsor Star has made a valiant effort to archive all the sepia toned photographs of Chief Tapak during his 92 year career with numerous fire departments across the province. I recently saw one of him taken with none other than Thomas Edison at Menlo Park.

More on Engine 3

2011-11-17T11:46:00.002-05:00

I received the following from Bob Cooper after I posted the photo of old engine 3 on the blog. What follows is a new photo from Bob and his experience as a young child. This is not meant to be humorous; but, rather a warm hearted story about a young kid that had a dream. Enjoy.

OK LODGE, LET ME SEND YOU A REAL PICTURE OF ENG-3 ALONG WITH A LITTLE PERSONAL HISTORY. WHEN I WAS A LITTLE TYKE,WE LIVED ON THE 8OO BLOCK OF MOY AVE. ONE COLD NIGHT I HEARD THE SCREAMING SOUNDS OF A SIREN APPROACHING OUR STREET AND UP PULLED THIS BEAUTIFUL BIG RED MONSTER OF A FIRE ENGINE THAT STOPPED RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE AND STRETCHED LINES TO A WORKING FIRE IN THE HOUSE DIRECTLY IN ACROSS THE STREET FROM US. I REMEMBER RUNNING OUT IN THE STREET IN MY PJ'S AND BARE FEET TO GET CLOSE TO THE ACTION. I WAS HOOKED. I KNEW WHAT I WANTED TO DO FOR A LIVING. SHIVERING IN THE COLD, I WATCHED THE WHOLE PROCESS UNTIL IT WAS KNOCKED DOWN. ONE YOUNG FIREFIGHTER SEEING ME SHAKING BAREFOOT IN THE ROAD, SAT ME ON THE TAILGATE OF THE OLD, THEN NEW ENG 3 WHERE I WAS WARMED BY THE EXHAUST BLASTING FROM UNDERNEATH. THAT YOUNG FIREFIGHTER TURNED OUT TO BE, AS I LATER FOUND OUT, TO BE HERM. LEMIRE. AFTER THAT EYE OPENING NIGHT EVERY TIME I HEARD # 2 LEAVING ON A RUN I WOULD JUMP ON MY BIKE AND RACE OVER TO WALKER AND RICHMOND JUST TO WATCH THAT BIG RED BEAST BACK INTO THE STATION .AS I STOOD NEXT TO THE FENDER,THE TOP MY HEAD CAME TO THE TOP OF THE HUGE FRONT TIRE. .YEARS PASSED AND AFTER MUCH PRAYING AND SUCKING UP,I WAS HIRED ON AND I GOT TO HANG ON TO THE BACK OF THAT BIG FAST RED BEAST. AS TIME WENT ON, I WENT FROM HANGING ON FOR DEAR LIFE TO GETTING BEHIND THE WHEEL. HOWEVER,I WAS NEVER SURE WHETHER I WAS DRIVING THE ENG.OR WAS IT DRIVING ME. IT WAS AS FAST AS HELL AND AFTER MANY YEARS OF GRINDING A POUND OF METAL OFF THE GEARS,I WAS PROMOTED TO THE RIGHT SEAT AS SIREN PUSHER AND WAS MADE RESPONSIBLE FOR LOOKING AFTER CLOWNS LIKE YOU. SO HERE'S A REAL GOOD PHOTO OF THIS AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL MACHINE THAT CHANGED MY LIFE....LOVE YA.. COOP..

Old Engine 3

2011-11-15T15:29:00.002-05:00

Bill McLeese sent me this photo of old engine 3. I can't believe we used to ride the back of this antique!! BTW....today is November 15! On this very day back in 1971 Bernie Glabb, Bob Waranchak, John Verbeem, Doug Hussey, Randy Meyer and myself started on the department. I think most of us were older than Engine 3 at the time :)

2011-11-12T11:27:00.003-05:00

I received this the other day from Cindy Hillis. Most of you remember Jack. Her comments are below and a couple of photos of Jack in WW 11.

Hi Jack. Here is a little more information on my dad, Jack Hillis Dad turned 90 years old on Oct. 20. He is now the oldest living retired fire fighter in Windsor. He gets a kick out of telling people that. He was retired 30 years on Oct. 20 He had 4 children, 4 grandchildren and just became a great grandfather for the second time 5 days ago. Cindy Hillis

Painting the Flag

2011-09-15T13:22:00.003-04:00

Enough folks sent me this to post on the Blog...I took a look and know why they sent it...sit back and enjoy. Quite a tribute.

2011-08-31T16:20:00.002-04:00

Ok... let's see the Team do this one...from France. Only takes 15 seconds but is well worth the view.... : )

Cleaning Out The Cobra Pit

2011-06-16T12:35:00.002-04:00

Alrighty then.... if you still want to work on your day off...this ones for you! I wonder what the benefits are?

SFFD Funeral Procession

2011-06-15T01:37:00.004-04:00

Got this from Gary and Judy's Facebook page.. very moving... Sit back and watch..
.
Note: If you get an advertisement at the bottom of the screen..just click on the "X" on the top right to remove.

Three Tin Cans To Steal A Car

2011-05-23T19:29:00.003-04:00

I received this one from Bob Cooper...you remember him, right? Old guy? Anyway, great video of a car theft. Remember, always take the car keys with you when you get out of the car!!!

Mary Menna-Simonitto Fund Raiser

2011-05-18T11:57:00.003-04:00

Mary Menna-Simonitto

“Hopes To Walk Again” Fund Raiser Benefit

Sunday, June 12, 2011

11:30 AM – 4:00 PM

The Verdi Club

689 Texas Road, Amherstburg

Menu

Salad, Pasta, Chicken, Italian Pastries, Coffee

Cash Bar

Adults $50.00

Children: $20.00

Under 5: Free

Entertainment

Information:

Danny Simonitto

519-944-3505

For tickets contact:

Joe Menna

579-969-7825

San Francisco Fire Dept and Ladders

2011-05-05T15:19:00.002-04:00

Just got this from Bill McLeese.

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-18T16:26:00.001-04:00

Here is a preview of the upcoming Royal Wedding... Even the Queen showed up.

The Skin Gun

2011-04-08T20:45:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Wayne Pestru who sent me this video.... amazing new technology! Spray paint new skin on burn victims.

Disclose.tv - The Skin Gun Video

The King's Speech: American Version

2011-03-16T20:29:00.003-04:00

This is America's version of "The King's Speech". Should be a blockbuster when it arrives on the big screen....

Flash Mob Dance in Eaton Centre

2011-02-17T17:03:00.003-05:00

This has an interesting story behind the event.

Kim MacGregor launched this grassroots movement to unite and inspire 1,000,000 women around the world to recognize the amazing women in their lives-in memory of her inspirational friend Erika Heller, who lost her four-year battle with colon cancer on May 28, 2009, at 31 years old, just two weeks shy of her one-year wedding anniversary to her Prince Charming, Ryan Cornell.
The group of 200 dancers only had a one six hour rehearsal one day before the shoot. The song is "I believe" by Yolanda Adams. Enjoy!

Student's First Grade Drawing

2011-02-17T14:55:00.010-05:00

This is a student's First Grade Drawing

A first grade girl handed in the drawing for her homework assignment.

The teacher graded it and the child brought it home.

She returned to school the next day with the following note:

Dear Ms. Davis,

I want to be perfectly clear on my child's homework illustration.
It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint surrounded by male customers with money.
I work at LOWES and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm.
This drawing is of me selling a shovel.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Harrington

Red Light Runners

2011-02-13T14:22:00.006-05:00

As firefighters we usually arrive "after the fact' so to speak. Take a look at the seven minute video below to see a compilation of "red light runners" Please note: Graphic material.

Ventriliquist Without a Dummy

2011-02-12T22:10:00.004-05:00

Don't you just love ventriloquists? The dummy in the video kind of reminds me of Bob Cooper : )

Have fun!

Accident on 401

2011-02-12T14:01:00.003-05:00

This occurred January, 2011 on the 401 near Milton . Very scary!

More Young Guys

2011-02-06T17:45:00.004-05:00

Okay then.... How about a dose of reality??? When you read the list of names below you may be surprised that they are now all qualified Captains! Hurry.... find your Geritol before your arteries start to shut down, Old Timers : )

Kevin Broadbent

Darren Dixon

Gary Dunne

Don Johnson

Mike Kennette

Scott Killen

Mark Mailloux

Jim Marusic

Pete Rivers

Brian White

Tom Zoumboulis

Old Guys Revealed

2011-02-06T17:35:00.005-05:00

Well, here they are! Thanks to Ted Seagull for the photo. Apparently the boys were involved in Radiation Training somewhere between 1963-1965.
Once again, click on photo to enlarge.

Name the Old Guys

2011-02-03T17:44:00.008-05:00

Another Contest!!!!

You could win an all expense paid holiday to downtown Detroit!

ENTER NOW......

Name The OLD Guys .... Who's Who?

(click on photo to enlarge)

Wow..snow in Toronto

2011-02-02T15:04:00.000-05:00

I think this is more than appropriate. After last night and today's snow storm the city of Toronto is somewhat perplexed. Most Torontonians are never quite prepared for emergencies. Have fun :)

2011-01-07T12:38:00.006-05:00

My friend allan Goldenberg from Fergus sent me these gems.... funny

Ø I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.
Ø Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
Ø I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.
Ø Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
Ø The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.
Ø Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
Ø If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
Ø We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public.
Ø War does not determine who is right -- only who is left.
Ø Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Ø The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
Ø Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening,' and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.
Ø To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
Ø A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. My desk is a work station.
Ø How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
Ø Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.
Ø Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.
Ø I thought I wanted a career; turns out I just wanted paychecks.
Ø A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it.
Ø Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says "If an emergency, notify:" I put "DOCTOR."
Ø I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
Ø I saw a woman wearing a sweat shirt with "Guess" on it... So I said "Implants?"
Ø Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Ø Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut and still think they are sexy.
Ø Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?
Ø Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.
Ø A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
Ø You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
Ø The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!
Ø Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won't expect it back.
Ø A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.
Ø Hospitality: making your guests feel like they're at home, even if you wish they were.
Ø Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
Ø I discovered I scream the same way whether I'm about to be devoured by a great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot.
Ø Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.
Ø There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.
Ø I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure..
Ø I always take life with a grain of salt... plus a slice of lemon... and a shot of tequila.
Ø When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.
Ø You're never too old to learn something stupid.
Ø To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
Ø Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
Ø A bus is a vehicle that runs twice as fast when you are after it as when you are in it.
Ø If you are supposed to learn from your mistakes, why do some people have more than one child?
Ø Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

My First Time at the Wheel

2010-12-30T15:00:00.000-05:00

The year was about 1973 and I was working at #7 station in Riverside. Dick Cruickshank, the ladder driver, wanted to qualify as a driver on the engine in the station so Mickey Gleason, our captain, told Alex Lyder, the engine driver, to sit in the Captain’s seat and take Dick “around the block”. Needless to say it was much easier to get qualified as a driver back in those days. I remember it being close to Christmas and a lovely blanket of snow lay on the ground. Everything resembled a Currier and Ives painting. We had another vehicle in the station that was a small service ladder and it basically carried ladders but it wasn’t an aerial truck by any means. The thing that makes this all interesting is that I didn’t drive it; as a matter of fact I didn’t drive anything in the department at the time; Dick was driving the ladder but he was out driving something else at the moment.

Two of the remaining crew had jumped on the back of rig and out they went not expecting what was going to occur within the next hour. This was going to turn out to be a lot longer than a ride “around the block”. They had no sooner left the building when the alarm came in and dispatch declared, “2500 (I’m not sure of the number) Forest Glade Drive. We have received several calls.” Mick made a brilliant declaration at that time and stated, “I don’t think those guys are coming back to the station”. This was about 5 minutes after the alarm came in! He looked at me and asked, “Can you drive this thing?” (meaning the ladder) I shrugged my shoulders and answered, “I suppose so”. Hey, I was never one without an answer even though sometimes they might have not been well thought out at times. He opened the driver’s door and said, “GO”…. So I did; without him. I was about three blocks away when I realized the importance of his words about the crew not coming back to the station. I made an executive decision to return and pick up Mick. Mind you I had never driven an emergency vehicle ever. This was my maiden voyage and how exciting. I was approaching an intersection when I discovered that the horn also doubled as a siren. That was pretty neat until the spring holding all the pieces together in the center of the steering wheel let loose and came at my head like a Howitzer shell. Making the turn through the intersection was difficult as I was close to blacking out due what I thought was a concussion at the time. How I continued to drive and hold all these parts is still a mystery to me.

When I pulled up on the tarmac I could see that Mick was not taking it well at all. He was just standing there in the middle of the apparatus floor staring at the floor. It must have been a very strange feeling knowing you were the only one in the station while everyone else was at a working fire. I think he was suffering from loneliness

I’ve always believed that a good offensive is better than a medium defensive when it came to problem solving. When Mick came out of the station glaring at me and opened the door I threw all the siren parts at him. “See what you can do with these, Mick”, I yelled. It worked like a charm as Mick was mesmerized as to where all these parts came from! I know it’s hard to believe but it gets stranger from here on.

A considerable amount of time had now passed and we still had to go a few miles to get to our destination. Mick and I looked at each other and thought the same question: what was the address in Forest Glade? Now, to make matters worse, there are two entrances to Forest Glade; one off of Tecumseh Road and the other from Lauzon Road. We chose the wrong entrance. It was just bad luck that we picked the wrong way because if we had entered from Tecumseh road it would have taken us a few seconds as the house was closer to the corner. As we drove to the house Mick thought he had a great idea. He boldly said, “Why don’t we slow down and sneak in?” to which I quickly replied, “Well, seeing as were driving a 30 foot fire engine red vehicle in broad daylight it might be hard to “sneak’ up on anyone in the area even if it was at night”.

I actually didn’t realize how long it had taken us until I noticed that one of our crew, Russ Desjardins, from the back of the engine was changing the tank on his breathing apparatus. It sure didn’t feel like 20 minutes had gone by. I think what surprised the crew the most was that I never got a call from the Front Office. I’m lucky that way.

A Digital Christmas

2010-12-18T15:38:00.003-05:00

This is really good... A Digital Christmas...sit back and enjoy

If a commercial shows up on the bottom of the video ..just click on the X on the top right of the ad.

2010-12-15T16:59:00.002-05:00

You think going into burning buildings is risky....take a look at these guys... !

Let the cartoon end then sit back and squirm : )

Jack Turns 65!

2010-12-11T21:39:00.002-05:00

While he is away from his computer, walking Missy, I thought I would create a little post to notify everyone he is officially a senior citizen December 12th . I had a great 'little boy' picture of him to upload but you know how fragile those old black and white photos are so I didn't want to take a chance :-) Please join me in wishing him a Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Honey.... Love Jeannie...

2010-12-01T19:43:00.003-05:00

Here's George at #6 station. He was invited for dinner. Lot's of free dinners going around....maybe I'll drive back to Windsor and hang around Headquarters; someone might invite me in : )

On another note; I remember most of these guys when they were younger... time is a horrible thing isn't it? Then again, not everyone can retain their youthful good looks such as myself! It's a curse at times I know.

2010-12-01T19:38:00.005-05:00

Hey, they finally got rid of Bill Hopkins! Here are the pictures to prove it....Hoppy's last dinner. On a serious note...I think Bill will enjoy retirement more than working. I don't think we have a witness that he ever worked....Happy retirement, Bill.... you left a legacy to be proud of..Nice Job! BTW, Sam Hyslop in the front row.

The Singing Firefighter Revealed

2010-11-19T10:02:00.005-05:00

Ok... after all this time it can now be said that the Singing Firefighter is none other than Wayne Pestru! On another note our wonderful almost retired Fire Marshall Pat Burke has corrected me in that the only official Singing Firefighter was Jack Lambie who heard the folks singing on the decks of the Titanic when it sank. He was standing on the shores of Newfoundland. Having said that we will have to rename Wayne to something like, "The Singing Northern Guy" or some other title.

The main reason that these series of posts took place is because Wayne has created a great CD based on old 60's tunes. As I think back I believe Wayne was in his early 30's when the songs were new : ). Wayne isn't looking for a profit on these CD's but rather wants to donate the money to two of his favourite charities: the Salvation Army and Hospice. I guess the question is: Will you buy the CD to support Wayne and these charities at only $25.00 (shipping and handling included) each? If you want to purchase the CD you can email me or leave a comment here and I will place the order for you.

Let's support Wayne and buy a CD.... there are some great tunes that will bring back many great memories.

Final Guess Until The Reveal!

2010-11-18T21:00:00.000-05:00

Last chance to guess who "The Singing Firefighter" is....! Click on video below to listen! The 'Reveal' coming soon (I hope).... !

Soon To Be Revealed - Postponed

2010-11-13T00:27:00.006-05:00

I was about to publish the Singing Firefighter earlier today... but when I heard of Jim's passing... I decided to postpone. Let's all think of past memories.. : ) Jimmy will be missed.

Soon To Be Revealed

2010-11-01T15:32:00.002-04:00

Final thoughts? The 'Reveal' tomorrow...(hopefully) : )

Who is he?????

2010-10-29T11:24:00.001-04:00

Somebody says he's Boogie Zimmerman... what do you think?????
The 'reveal' coming soon!!!!

Do You Know This Man?

2010-10-28T21:18:00.004-04:00

Who is the Singing Firefighter?? Find Out Soon!!!!!

911 Memorial song

2010-10-12T09:02:00.001-04:00

Don't know if you've heard of this song yet or not....pretty good. "Everyday Heroes"

Great Video

2010-10-09T13:03:00.006-04:00

Great video.... must have taken ages to edit. Thanks to Ray L from Michigan for this one! Four decades of musical movie dancing to one song...incredible! Click on bottom right to enlarge.

Rambo the Puppy

2010-09-22T16:46:00.004-04:00

We have a dog that looks pretty close to this one. If you want to have a lot of fun with your pet you should invest in a Shihtzu! Our dog actually did this with the mirror that we had. Have fun watching the video.

Sandor the Great

2010-09-13T23:52:00.004-04:00

Does anyone remember Sandor White? You know; the kid with the buzzcut that had a great sense of humour. The first time I met him was when I was transferred to #6. We had a lot of ‘new’ kids on the block back then. If my memory serves me right there was Kris Matton (who doesn’t write any more), Paul Bobbie, who was known for his famous phrase, “Jacko understands”, and of course, Sandor. We had some pretty well established older guys too; Bob Carroll, Mike Anderson, Dave Stroud, Doug Emery. I believe Gary Spratt was there also. But my memory fails me as to the other members of the crew.

Sandor was only on the job for about 2 or 3 years when he moved on to his home town of Barrie where he secured a position on that city’s fire department. I can only imagine the goings on there.

One of my fondest memories involved Sandor riding the back of the rescue which I was driving and I believe ‘Belle River’ Bob was the officer on the truck. We were dispatched to, which turned out to be a false alarm, in Forest Glade. As we were parked by the curb Sandor jumped off the back of the rig and came along side of the truck and stood by my window. I looked down and there he was in all his splendor. He looked pretty official in his bunker gear, gloves and even had his mask on ready to assault the fire single handed if necessary. He looked up at me and said, “Hey, Jacko, I smell smoke; we might have something here! Oh really”, I said. “How can you smell anything, you have your mask on!” The last time I saw Sandor during that time was walking towards the back of the truck.

I saw him back at the station where he was wearing a sheepish grin and he stated, “I’ll never make that mistake again!”

What a neat kid…. I still miss him to this day.

2010-08-31T11:29:00.001-04:00

From Brent Marchant

Three fellows had passed on and were waiting to enter into the gloryland. While they were waiting, they were told that in order to enter, one of the prerequisites was that they could count to 10. No problem said the first fellow..1234…1234…1..2 .3 4…. I forget what comes after 4. I was a soldier in my earthly life and I was used to marching 1 2 3 4….1 2 3 4……

The second fellow couldn’t wait….1 2 3 4 5 6….let me see???? 1 2 3 4 5 6….I was a police officer in my past life and they gave me these 6 bullets which I counted every day for 30 yrs but I can’t remember what comes after 6!

The third fellow says “let me try” 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10…yep that’s it! Once more… 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10… I was a fireman you know, a very noble profession, and I served for 30 yrs as well! “So…. By any chance, do you happen to know what comes after ten” they asked? “Sure” he answered Jack, Queen, King, Ace !!!

Past Tales

2010-07-24T14:46:00.005-04:00

Brent Marchant sent me a couple of anecdotes about time on the job. I haven't edited any of Brent's stories; these are his words... still funny after all these years

It was a Saturday morning about 7:45 am just before shift change at HQ… so there’s lots of guys hanging around looking for a cover. The WPD are also present because Half Reaumes’ van had been broken into overnight and his vending machine business money had been stolen, and they were doing a report and investigation. The Moon Beams truck is parked right beside Half’s van.

So Sonny (MB) gets in his truck , starts it up and moves it our about 15 ft and shuts it off. He then proceeds to the front of it and lifts the hood staring inside …….. So “wisecrackin Caverzan shouts out, Hey Sonny, what’s the matter … did they steal your engine? To which there is a hearty burst of laughter from everyone. Sonny replied with a very straight faced and stern look… No stupid, I wanted to be sure they didn’t take my battery! The place went bezerk!

Here’s another true one for you. I’m driving the eng out of #4, Randy Meyer is Captain, George Copland and Steve Appleyard are on the back. The call comes in ,,,…medical emergency to a lower apartment on Sandwich. ….seems The daughter was talking with her mother …suddenly disconnected…….no response…….daughter suspects her mother has suffered a heart attack!!

Lights and sirens, pedal to the metal! we roll. Arriving on scene the daughter is already there, and totally hysterical. Randy orders take the door down!......there’s no answer from within. Smash! Crash! The old wooden door is in smithereens They all rushed inside and find the mother sitting upright on the sofa with her hands across her chest and starring straight ahead. . MOM ….ARE YOU ALRIGHT??.... reply ….I’m mad at you,! I’m not talking to you! BUT MOM, THE FIR EMEN JUST SMASHED YOUR DOOR DOWN! …….reply….. It’s my door…. I don’t have to answer it if I don’t want to!! Cpt Meyer says …..oooookay! well we’ll be on our way now ,,come on boys…. Windsor dispatch ..... eng 4 returning

It was a great job, wasn’t it?

Firefighter Tribute

2010-07-23T09:56:00.002-04:00

Paula Hillis sent me this clip. Apparently it was created by a Lakeshore firefighter... anyway, pretty good stuff....

Train VS Tornado

2010-06-03T16:00:00.002-04:00

Just got this from Bill McLeesh.... great video ... you can really start to get interested when the rain starts and then 'buckle up' .. :)

2010-04-25T23:50:00.003-04:00

Every once in a great while you receive a video that is priceless... sit back and enjoy as two dogs steal the show....

Seatbelts.... A Different View

2010-04-17T13:55:00.003-04:00

Enough said...Buckle UP!!

Side Mirrors

2010-04-13T23:59:00.004-04:00

After all these years we have someone who knows how to adjust the side mirrors on your car. I tried this and wished I had known about this hint years ago. No need to thank me but a few donations would be nice. : ) This might even work for the big red rigs!

Cancun

2010-04-08T11:47:00.003-04:00

In Talum...mixing it up with the local natives. For awhile I thought we might be the main course!

2010-03-15T11:48:00.003-04:00

Just got this from Mario in Fort Myers. The women look great but what the heck happened to the guys? Time is a terrible thing, isn't it? : ) Just kidding... they look pretty good too. Well, kinda.

2010-03-02T02:43:00.002-05:00

Taking a break..

Dog Sedding in Banff

Name The Old Guys

2010-02-27T13:16:00.003-05:00

Let's see how good your memory is.

Name the guys in the photo. Was there electricity when this was taken or were people still using candle light?

Ace Buchanan and the Switching of the Keys

2010-02-26T16:41:00.004-05:00

Way back in the early 80’s I was watching Ace Buchanan pitch golf balls in the back yard at #7 station. Anyone who spent any considerable time at “The Home” could tell you that most of us had way too much time on our hands at one of the slowest stations in the city. I recall many of the guys doing strange things to waste away the days before and after the training sessions (which were VERY intense, by the way). I once heard a story from one of the guys about Greg Seney, who is now the Deputy of Vaughn, and how he spent some of his leisure time. It seems that Greg had a fly cemetery on the window sill next to the chair that he used to sit in. I suppose you need some sort of training if you’re going to end up as a Deputy Chief somewhere. This may have been part of the plan. Sort of like a prerequisite of some kind. Fly cemetery planning 101.

In any event I digress. When I saw Ace pitching the golf balls I noticed that his trunk lid was open and the keys were still in the trunk lid. If you can forecast what happened next I can start to see the smile coming across your face : ). Everyone was well aware just how gullible Ace could be at times. One story comes to mind is the tale of Ace driving a ladder truck and following the leaking engine’s booster tank water trail to a fire. Too bad it turned out to be a street cleaner doing its job.

I always carried my car keys with me and came up with a brilliant idea! Why not switch the keys in his trunk for mine!!! Simple enough, right? I secretly switched my keys for his and inserted one of the keys into the trunk lid while I put his in my pocket. I then asked if the keys in the trunk were his. With a look of disdain Ace just stared at me and decided that was a pretty stupid question; after all, it was HIS car. The plan so far was working just fine. I looked at him and said, “Well, I just wondered why you would leave your keys in the lock if you suddenly had a run and might forget them.” To which Ace intelligently replied, “That’s pretty dumb, Lodge... I’ll just grab the keys when I go back in the building and get on the engine.” “I suppose”, I answered. The trap was now set.

Looking at Ace I promptly said, “Well, what would happen if someone came and did THIS???” In one quick action I threw my keys into the trunk of his car and quickly slammed the trunk lid down!!! It seemed that there was a defining moment when time stopped as I saw the look on Ace’s face. It was NOT a good look. What I heard next was not Ace’s voice; but, rather something that I had never heard before. I was a bit surprised that his head didn’t do a spin on his shoulders like that girl in the movie The Exorcist.

At that moment I thought better of my plan and decided to end the fun right there. When I started to laugh Ace realized what had happened. His next statement was priceless, “Phew, I didn’t think you were that stupid!” To which I replied, “Well, it wasn’t ME who left the keys available, was it?”

I left quickly when his voice started to change again.

Old Timer Hockey

2010-02-22T17:14:00.004-05:00

I thought you might like to watch the video of Old Timer Hockey in Florida...if you look real close you can see Gary Spratt at the age of about 102 : )

Make sure you email him with your comments at gspratt@sympatico.ca

Poo-chi

2010-02-08T18:19:00.003-05:00

I've been on the planet now for some time and have never seen anything quite like this clip.... enjoy : )

Air Canada

2010-02-04T13:59:00.002-05:00

Still want to travel out of the country... This is what's going to happen soon : )

Jamaica 09

2010-01-06T13:15:00.002-05:00

Jamaica in November... Can you say NICE....?

For more samples of what we do...go here: http://digitaldesigns2dvd.blogspot.com/

Carl Wilson???

2010-01-06T10:32:00.006-05:00

I asked Carl Wilson recently about an episode that occurred while he was on vacation in Mexico. " I know nothing!" he replied. When questioned further he answered, "Well, I guess they heard of my near perfect record for driving emergency vehicles while I was at the department and also my skills at training the guys how to drive the Sutphens when they were introduced. Actually I think the guy behind the wheel in this incident was Stump Boisvert; he's always getting involved in mishaps like this. Besides, he travels a lot more than I do"
When last seen Carl was looking for cheaper international car insurance.

Christmas With A Capital "C"

2009-12-07T13:59:00.003-05:00

It's Merry CHRISTMAS!!! NOT watered down to "Happy Holidays". Get with the program!

The Story of the Matthew Brady Bear

2009-11-10T00:07:00.006-05:00

Way back in the summer of ’81 I was working out of the “old” #2. The strange thing is that this event didn’t come in as a standard alarm; but, as a phone call. I was summoned in one command from the loudspeaker; “Squad … You’re going out!” When I hit the back of Squad 2 Greg Reitzel was already dressed and had that devious smile that we had all come to know. “What’s up?” I asked. He replied, “You don’t want to know; we’re going to rescue a Grizzly bear in a tree”. I knew at that very moment that my career had taken on a whole new perspective.

When we arrived on scene at Mathew Brady Boulevard in Riverside we were faced with a very large crowd of onlookers. The boys in blue told us that the action was taking place in the back yard. I can’t remember everyone on scene but definitely Bud Carpenter was the DC along with Pat Cushing, Bernie Decaire, I and Ratz.

This will be a synopsis of the event and what transpired that historic evening. First of all the humane society showed up with a very large rifle and enough narcotic filled darts to stun and down an elephant if necessary. All I can say at this point is that we were very lucky that Mongo wasn’t there and mistaken identity could very well have been a problem! After firing a cascade of darts into the animal’s posterior the beast hung onto the limb of the tree in a drunken stupor. I counted at one time that he had at least five darts dangling from his most southern region and he hadn’t succumbed yet. He resembled a neighborhood drunk hanging onto a lamppost for dear life!

At one point the boys in blue had a meeting amongst them and informed us that if the bear dropped from the tree that we would be more than safe as they would "take care of the problem" with their weapons arsenal. The testosterone was thick. I was sure that every one of them, which numbered approximately 20, had their own shotguns! There were probably more weapons visible that night than on the morning of the D-Day invasion. I must remind you that at this time the back yards were starting to fill up fairly quickly and the neighbors had most of their family members peering over the fences and bushes to take in the fun. I even saw a few 3 or 4 year olds sitting on their fathers’ shoulders. I’ve often thought if some entrepreneur was in the background selling tickets for the occasion. I pondered at the time, “Hummmmm…. If the bear drops and the boys in blue are staffed with their own shotguns the families sure hadn’t been discussed in the meeting they had!”

It was ultimately decided upon that we should grab the rescue net from the squad and prepare for the inevitable drop. As the police barricaded the driveway we positioned ourselves at the ready…. Pat Cushing, who was next to me, noticed something very important; he said to me, “Hey, Lodge, take a look at where we’re located!” When I checked it out we had our backs up against a chain link fence, with the tree next to Pat. Pat wisely stated, “IF the bear drops and is still conscious the first faces he’s going to see is yours and mine and with one swipe we’re looking at plastic surgery. I’m not sure if I like those odds; do you?” Although I wasn’t as good looking as Dennis Axford I quickly agreed and mentioned it to the DC. Needless to say, Bud just shook his head forlornly and told us to get into a new position. It didn’t take us long to find one. When we were ready someone mentioned to the police that they shouldn’t be guarding the driveway so diligently. I think it was the DC who mentioned to them, “Excuse me, Boys but if the bear escapes and we have to make a mad dash for it I believe you might just get run over.” To which the reply was, “Oh ya…. You’re right”.

We stood there for what seemed like ages…and then decided to take a break in the back yard. As luck would have it the grizzly decided to drop during our break. He landed squarely on the net with no one manning it. The only problem is that he was only taking a nap and mistakenly let go of the branch of the tree. The drugs had not taken full effect as of yet. He landed on his back and jumped to his feet, shook his head and did a size up of the area. It was at this crucial time that the boys in blue bolted down the driveway in the direction opposite the bear. In a flashback I remember seeing Bernie Decaire with a pike pole rigged with a snare trying to trap the bear. As Bernie deftly tightened the snare around its neck, the bear literally danced Bernie around the backyard like a ballet dancer on a caffeine high.

I’ve never seen so many people scramble so quickly. Fathers with kids on their shoulders realized that this wasn’t a trip to Barnum and Bailey and made haste to find safe shelter. The bear continued to have his way with Decaire. At one point I could swear, when the bear and I locked eyes, that he thought this was great fun and was grinning as he swung Bernie 4 feet off the ground past the backyard gym set. When he tired of Decaire he made a dash for the driveway, and continuing his size-up, didn’t see any police officers. “So far, so good”, he must have thought.

At one point in the front of the house he jumped about 10 feet up and onto a tree next to the sidewalk and, lacking good judgment because of the drug influence, promptly fell to the ground. I was amazed as when he landed he instantaneously rebounded without a beat and landed on a sturdy branch about twenty feet up and decided to hold up there for awhile. A few of us grabbed the net and positioned ourselves under the tree by the sidewalk and waited. During this time one of the darts fell out and landed on the net. We all must have thought the same thing at the same time, “What if that dart had landed and stuck in me?????” How does one fill out an accident report and explain why you’ve been off work for 3 days laid up in a ghastly narcotic state and not being able to carry on a simple conversation with your dog?

It was at this time that the bear decided to give up the ghost…his head fell back…he swayed to and for… his tongue relaxed and rested beside his cheek…. And then he let go! Most of us held our breath as we felt the weight hit the net. We didn’t breathe for about 30 seconds and it was then that we realized that the Grizzly wasn’t moving. It was very strange to peer into each others eyes, darting back and forth, as we slowly dropped the net just below eye level. The bear was out cold and snoring!

What happened next was rather uncanny. What began as small chatter among the crowd slowly became a cheer and then a roaring applause as we all realized what had happened. We had defeated the beast! The “hunters and gatherers” had succeeded!

In the aftermath it was strange that not one spent shotgun shell was found in the vicinity of the battle. Oh, before I forget… the Grizzly turned out to be a bear cub…but it sure looked huge during the event.

I Didn't Attend Because .................

2009-11-08T20:27:00.006-05:00

Look up to the top left corner! See the words, "Why I didn't attend, etc"? Good...now VOTE! We're NOT done!... see below this message where it says "comments" in red text? Great...now click on the word and make one and let us know why you didn't attend the banquet if the poll didn't let you explain more fully.

The Red Sparrows

2009-10-28T11:20:00.002-04:00

Must have been a slow day at the hall .... : )

It hurts to watch : )

2009-10-27T11:38:00.005-04:00

Can you skip? Take a look at these kids!

The Spider Retirees

2009-08-17T10:23:00.003-04:00

Congrats to Brian 'Spider' Webb on his retirement... another old 'fart' joins the list : )
CONGRATS

Mountain Run

2009-07-28T10:38:00.000-04:00

Can you say 'busy'?????? Anyway... watch this video and be prepared to be spell bound. Any of you snowboarders want to take this guy on? : )

baby Skaters

2009-07-28T10:35:00.002-04:00

A really neat video..... no need to thank me : )

We're Back

2009-07-23T01:47:00.008-04:00

Great Vacation.. England, Scotland and Wales! The photos are from the Edinburgh Fire Museum...Notice the Windsor Fire Shoulder patch!!!! Any idea who sent it?

Riverdance

2009-06-11T21:41:00.005-04:00

Remember Tom Flatley, the guy from River Dance and Lord of the Dance? Take a look at the video and tell me this guy is just as good. Well worth the laugh too : )

We Have A Winner

2009-05-16T14:04:00.022-04:00

Congratulations to ‘Anonymous’ who successfully entered and won the “Name the Old Guys” contest. Your overnight stay at the “Lollipop Motel” (pictured left and right) includes a continental breakfast (please ignore “expires by” dates as they are not accurate anyway.) The “Lollipop’s” famous vibrating bed(pictured below left) accepts both Canadian and American quarters. Although the exchange money percentage is minimal we would ask that you leave 10 cents on the dresser to cover the exchange rate. (Please pay no attention to the individual lying on the bed; the coroner will arrive shortly) Note: the bed has been replaced by a newer version since the photo was taken. We no longer equip our rooms with refurbished electrical items.

The lobby (pictured right) is a thriving center point of activity as it doubles as the Greyhound bus terminal. Feel free to talk to the passengers and you may even be approached to purchase a variety of watches at discounted prices.

Your overnight stay will include a one hour bus tour (Pictured left) of the local haunts in the area. Once inside an establishment please make certain you take a seat with your back to the wall for your personal safety.

Our security (pictured below right) is second to none and your safety is our utmost concern. We offer a standard that is beyond cutting edge technology.

Please note that in order to fully qualify for the “all expense paid trip” you must comply to the following rules:

The winner must supply to the editor within a month before taking possession of the prize:

All credit card numbers (We take all valid credit cards)
Driver’s license number
All debit card numbers and bank branches
Health card number
Social Insurance number

· Any other card numbers e.g. Airmiles, Optimum, Staples, etc

Congratulations and have fun!

Name The Old Guys Contest Update

2009-05-14T20:19:00.001-04:00

OK... It appears the contest is way too easy! Therefore I'm changing the rules! Before you say anything...I CAN CHANGE THE RULES!!! I'm the editor and have absolute rule over all of this : ) Having said that the new rule is that all the names must also be accompanied by a nickname. They all had one. Good luck.

Old Guys Quiz

2009-05-14T18:05:00.001-04:00

Ok.. who are these guys? The first person with the correct answer will win an all expense paid vacation to Puce!!! (Well, not really a vacation per se...but an overnight stay in the local motel. Save your quarters for the luxurious vibrating mattress). Imagine the thrills watching traffic soar by on old Tecumseh Road. To "Name The Old Guys" start off from right to left. First hint: Ken Kelsh (KK)

*For those with failing eyesite please click on photo for a really big picture!

Thanks to Willoughby for the photo!

Rudy & Judy's Drive in Liquor Lounge

2009-04-14T11:28:00.005-04:00

What began as a simple thought has developed into a grand idea according to Rudy Heinnekin (spelling may vary). “Who knew?”, states Rudy. “As I was having fun with a salt lick the other day I was daydreaming about a drive through LCBO store and here we are opening our first one!”, laughed Rudy.

“I can only imagine how this whole thing will turn out”, sighs Rudy, “Judy will have to work the cash register…. Lord knows I can’t since my darned hooves get in the way…Every time I go to use it I find myself hitting about 5 or 6 keys at once. I really envy you folks with fingers and thumbs! Heck, I even have to ask junior to open a bottle of beer for me”

When last seen Rudy was returning to his salt lick searching his mind for another entrepreneurial venture. Maybe installing escalators in Deer Stands… but thought better of it.. !

Highway Of Heroes

2009-04-07T21:45:00.005-04:00

Maybe you've seen this one before but it sure tugs at the heartstrings... for the other heroes overseas... This was originally a PowerPoint presentation but I converted it so we could show it on the Blog.... Watch and be proud.

ps....don't forget your kleenex

Ahhh... Another Ken Racine Story

2009-04-06T13:54:00.007-04:00

Apparently there are a few more Ken Racine stories floating around out there. Tommy White sent this one along...All I'm doing is cutting and pasting. You can't make this stuff up. LOL

Hi Jack

You opened the door for Rat stories........... It was a quiet summer day and we were preparing for lunch at #2 when an alarm came in for a house fire on Ottawa St across from Lansbury Park. We responded with smoke showing and lines being laid. Police soon showed to explain this was a known dope dealers place. Lots of police and the regular utilities. As things were settling down our very own inspector cluso, I mean Racine arrived. Everyone was still inside, exept for the lowly nice squad driver, watching The Rat look both ways before he parked his car in a no parking zone ( across from the church ). He then proceeded inside. Well wouldn't you know it someone flagged down a metermaid and explained the difficulty of finding room to park emergency vehicles when people who just don't care park in no parking zones.

The crews returned and we were free to return but when everyone found out there was a ticket on the Rats own car....we waited. He came out and blew his stack and called that metermaid some dandy names. Then he saw the squad parked there laughing. He is an inspector he had it figured immediately. He came running and pounded on the hood and threatened to kill me. I don't know how he figured it out so fast...he still hits me at the retirement banquet to let me know he never forgets........

A Story About Ken Racine and The Raccoon Tail

2009-04-04T14:31:00.004-04:00

It started out innocent enough. We all knew that Ken “Rats” Racine was always the last one in bed during the shift. In the dorm of the old # 2 fire station on Walker Road there shone a red light over the pole hole for the sake of safety. The “joke” on “Rats” was hatched I believe by none other than Bob Tapak and I thought it was a great idea as he described it to the rest of the crew. The plan went as follows:

“Hey, Guys”, said Bob “We all know that Ken is the last one in bed; I thought of a great joke to pull on him”. The faces around the table smiled as they began to listen to Bob’s nefarious plan. He continued, “I brought in a raccoon’s tail with me this morning”, he smiled and turned to look behind him making certain that Ken was not anywhere within listening range. Come to think of it Bob did that quite a bit over the years. He continued, “we all know how much Ken hates rats (hence the nickname). How about we tie the raccoon tail with a long string and thread it under the beds. Lodge, you’re in the first bed; when Ken goes to take off his shoes yank the thread and the tail will run over his hands and he’ll think it’s a rat.. haha!", he laughed loudly. The rest of the crew laughed along in excitement as we all pictured Rats being surprised by the raccoon tail.

I must pause here to mention the physical layout of the dorm itself. When you entered the room there was several lockers alongside the walls with two rows of beds along the walls as well. The total number of beds was app 6 or 7 on each wall. “Rat's’” bed was the last one farthest from the door and was the last bed on the left hand side of the room next to the window. My bed was the first one nearest the pole hole. When you entered the dorm to go to bed, the only light on was the dim red one over the pole hole. At first it was terribly dark but as you got used to the room you began to see much better as your eyes got adjusted to the light. In reality you could see everything in the room very clearly. The part of the joke on Rats was that everyone could see what was happening except Rats because he was the last one in bed. Now, on with my tale.

The plan, as described above, was for me to hold the string and when Ken was just about to take off his shoes I would yank on the string and the tail would then run across his hands and we would all be expecting Ken to let out with a shriek and all of us would then fall into gales of laughter.

We started to head for the bedroom about an hour before Rats would retire for the night and we talked and laughed while we anticipated Rats to turn in. I held onto the string anticipating the moment that I would scare the daylights out of Ken. My only fear was that the old guy would have a heart attack. He HATED rats! At last the moment arrived.

Ken entered the dorm very slowly and headed towards his bed at the end of the room. All of us could see very clearly and you could hear the stifled laughter and see the shaking of the beds as the crew tried to suppress their collective laughter. I waited anxiously with the string in my sweaty hands; my laughter kept at bay as I waited for the perfect moment to release the “tail” between Ken’s feet.

The time came as Ken started to untie his shoelaces and with a swift pull the raccoon tail slithered across Rat’s hands, and then came a primal scream like I had never heard before. I had never heard a man scream like that. Actually it was almost embarrassing. A roar of laughter erupted! ………… I was surprised that the only roar of laughter was coming from me! It was then when I realized that I was the one, along with Rats, who had been set up. What happened next is not very clear in my mind. I must have blocked it out of my memory. Traumatic events can sometimes cause that in people. All I can remember is Rats looking down the row of beds and with a low animalistic growling voice he called out my name; LODGE!!!! He rose from the bed like an evil malevolent figure and started loping towards my bed. I was sure I could hear cloven hooves thumping on the floor. My blood ran cold! What I experienced next is only faintly experienced by those individuals who reside in our prison system. I was beaten up by a wild man. The bed covers offered no protection whatsoever as I tried to hide under them.The sounds of heavy snorting coming from Ken was drowned out by the rest of the crews hysterical laughter.

Even to this day I fear the dark and the dim glow of red lights. I never used to check under the bed until that night. I certainly feel rather foolish doing at the age of 63.

A Real Domino Trick!

2009-03-25T11:29:00.004-04:00

Hey, I've seen trick pool shots, dancing dogs, domino tricks and on and on the list goes! But this one is pretty good when it comes to "domino" tricks... take a look. I think these guys must be firefighters on their day off : )

Google Connects

2009-03-24T12:54:00.004-04:00

Google does it again. I think this only works in the USA. Just watch the video and all will be revealed! Sounds like a great service.

New District Chiefs

2009-03-12T19:45:00.002-04:00

Thanks to these guys I now feel like a qualified senior citizen! Hold your breath as you discover who are the newest qualified District Chiefs for the department.

They are:

Capt. John Day
Capt. Tim Dennis
FF. Dave Gillis

All kidding aside; congrats guys, you'll do the department proud. Be safe

The Man Song

2009-03-10T21:22:00.003-04:00

I think everyone's heard the "Man Song" but this one is even funnier with the puppet.... by the way... don't you see the resemblance between the puppet and Art Caza or is just me? : )

Back.. Well Sort Of

2009-03-10T21:14:00.005-04:00

Been a long time since I've been active on the Phoenix and I have an excuse. Hey, I always did have an excuse now and again. : ) Jeannie and I have been really busy with the Canadian Red Cross Disaster Management Training Department (And I had the notion that I thought I had retired). Although it's busy it's very rewarding at the same time. Extremely so!
Soooo....I'll jump back in here now and again when I have a brain storm but I find as the days go by I forget most of them. You know what that's like if you get email from Bob McGonigal! There seems to be a thought there but you just can't seem to capture it no matter how hard you try. : )

... and you folks in the stations.... be Safe!!!

Time To Catch Up

2009-01-10T13:41:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. As you are probably aware the Blog has been kind of slow lately. That's because I just got a new computer and been very busy with all the new technology. This one has Vista on it which as everyone has most likely heard is supposed to be the Edsel of MS operating systems! It doesn't have major probs with it but the ones it does are really annoying. It reminds me of the one guy in the firehall that never really fit in and everyone tried to stay clear of. : ) For example; I'de love to install XP on it but XP doesn't have the drivers for my hard drive and ...... well....you understand. It's kind of like getting something fixed on the engine when you had to reason with Danny Bennett : ) I hope he's doing well I havent heard from him for ages. Anyway... that's why the Blog has been silent. Stay tuned and it should have some more info pretty soon. Be well.

Time For An Opinion

2008-12-02T14:41:00.003-05:00

I'm most likely one of thousand typical Canadians that are quite apathetic when it comes to our political "system" if you can call it that. The dictionary definition of system is this: "the living body considered as made up of interdependent components forming a unified whole " I find it kind of strange that the government then really isn't a system after all especially with what is currently happening in the capital. One thing we do that I am proud of is that we get a chance to vote. With the current "system" whatever happened to my vote???? Mind you I'm not a complainer but I found an email address that you can use just to give your opinion on what is taking place in the "system". In the event that you would like to "sound off" send an email to info@gg.ca