Okay, so I'm new to the blogging thing - I enrolled on blogspot in 2009 but never started posting until this week. And although my blogs are part of the public domain - they are not obscene, racist, sexist or ? They are merely based on my personal experiences (current and past).
So why is my most recent blog "Purchasing my first condom" no longer visible? It was a true personal experience (in 1971) that I wanted to share with the rest of mankind (and womankind). After posting the blog, I created a shared link on both my Facebook and Twitter pages - and received several comments - all positive, or at least nobody indicated that they were offended.
The blog's link just takes the viewer to a blank page. I can't even access it myself.
So WTF?
Are there people out there actually censoring blogs? Seriously, I mean how does this happen.
If you have an answer to this - please leave a comment.
Thanks!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Long Underwear or Thong?
Due to the recent snow and cold weather, I had to cancel my daily 3 mile walk (on the Promenade in White Rock) yesterday. It's not that I couldn't go because of the weather - it was because I had not cleared the snow from my very long, "L-shaped" driveway from the first snowfall on Friday and it had turned into a mix of ice ruts and snow. And as I drove home from the Cancer Centre, I remembered that I had promised my neighbour Bob, that I would keep his driveway clear during his month-long trip to Vegas. I knew that he was coming home soon, and it would be my luck that he would arrive to a broken promise (good neighbours are hard to come by).
To make a long story (blog) short - it took me quite a long time to do both driveways, and yes, I did run out of gas for the snowblower, and no, I didn't have any gas in the container, and yes, I had to leave the snowblower in the middle of my neighbour's driveway (it's too heavy to push), while I drove to the gas station.
During the short drive to the gas station, I had totally convinced myself that Bob had returned, and was parked on the street wondering why his driveway hadn't been cleared and why I had left my snowblower in his driveway. Was it Dan's idea of a sick joke? And to make matters worse, there was a line-up to get gas. What if Bob tried to start the snowblower while I was out getting gas - he has a heart condition! Now I was blaming myself for causing him a heart attack and was fighting the urge to start blowing my car horn at the cars in the lineup.
Finally, I pulled up to the first open spot and opened the trunk, took the gas can out and went to start the fill process. Now where was my wallet? No wallet! Okay, don't panic, how much money do you have on you? Nada! Just then the sky opened, and another blast of snow and sleet began! Frantically, I searched the glove compartment and console of the car for some loose change, and yes, I found 3 toonies! I quickly ran to the cashier in the store, and prepaid my gas purchase (it's the law here in BC).
I got home, filled the snowblower and finished doing Bob's driveway and put the snowblower back in the garage.
But Daniel, you ask, what the heck did all of this have to do with Long Underwear or a Thong?
Well, I am just getting dressed for my daily walk and was thinking about the last time I wore long underwear. It was at a stock car race in New Hampshire during the 90's. My buddies and I had driven there from Halifax, and the weather had turned very cold. There was a race on both Friday and Saturday nights. I almost froze during the first night's race, so early the next day, we went to the mall and I purchased a pair of long underwear, to wear under my jeans. Getting dressed in the hotel room, I found that the long underwear was too small - by at least 2 sizes - obviously, packaged wrong! I struggled to get them on and finally, as my buddies were screaming at me to get going, I was able to put my jeans on and head out to the car. When I got to the car, I could hardly bend my legs to sit in the seat - so I sort of laid back in the seat, stiff legged, while we drove to the track. In the grandstands, I couldn't stay seated, because of the pain behind my knees. I quickly went to the Men's washroom, took my pants off, then took the long underwear off and carried them out of the stall - and put them in the garbage container - to the shocked faces of the other men.
I am happy to report that my new longjohns fit perfectly, and I am now going to finish with this blog and head out the door.
Have a nice day!
To make a long story (blog) short - it took me quite a long time to do both driveways, and yes, I did run out of gas for the snowblower, and no, I didn't have any gas in the container, and yes, I had to leave the snowblower in the middle of my neighbour's driveway (it's too heavy to push), while I drove to the gas station.
During the short drive to the gas station, I had totally convinced myself that Bob had returned, and was parked on the street wondering why his driveway hadn't been cleared and why I had left my snowblower in his driveway. Was it Dan's idea of a sick joke? And to make matters worse, there was a line-up to get gas. What if Bob tried to start the snowblower while I was out getting gas - he has a heart condition! Now I was blaming myself for causing him a heart attack and was fighting the urge to start blowing my car horn at the cars in the lineup.
Finally, I pulled up to the first open spot and opened the trunk, took the gas can out and went to start the fill process. Now where was my wallet? No wallet! Okay, don't panic, how much money do you have on you? Nada! Just then the sky opened, and another blast of snow and sleet began! Frantically, I searched the glove compartment and console of the car for some loose change, and yes, I found 3 toonies! I quickly ran to the cashier in the store, and prepaid my gas purchase (it's the law here in BC).
I got home, filled the snowblower and finished doing Bob's driveway and put the snowblower back in the garage.
But Daniel, you ask, what the heck did all of this have to do with Long Underwear or a Thong?
Well, I am just getting dressed for my daily walk and was thinking about the last time I wore long underwear. It was at a stock car race in New Hampshire during the 90's. My buddies and I had driven there from Halifax, and the weather had turned very cold. There was a race on both Friday and Saturday nights. I almost froze during the first night's race, so early the next day, we went to the mall and I purchased a pair of long underwear, to wear under my jeans. Getting dressed in the hotel room, I found that the long underwear was too small - by at least 2 sizes - obviously, packaged wrong! I struggled to get them on and finally, as my buddies were screaming at me to get going, I was able to put my jeans on and head out to the car. When I got to the car, I could hardly bend my legs to sit in the seat - so I sort of laid back in the seat, stiff legged, while we drove to the track. In the grandstands, I couldn't stay seated, because of the pain behind my knees. I quickly went to the Men's washroom, took my pants off, then took the long underwear off and carried them out of the stall - and put them in the garbage container - to the shocked faces of the other men.
I am happy to report that my new longjohns fit perfectly, and I am now going to finish with this blog and head out the door.
Have a nice day!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
PVR - and other acronyms
One of the benefits of retirement, is the freedom to converse without the use of acronyms.
During my career with a large, multi-national corporation, I found that most of the communication included the use of acronyms. We had forms for everything imaginable and each of the forms had an assigned acronym - some examples: BP (Business Plan), BSP (Bi-Weekly Stock Purchase) etc. Believe it or not, there was even a form called an AVO (Avoid Verbal Orders)! It was part of the company's culture to ensure that all programs, forms, policies etc had an acronym assigned to it.
I remember during one of the Quarterly Staff Meetings (QSM) at Head Office (HO), a discussion concerning our Dealers (DLR) and Warehouse Distributors (WD) complaining about our use of these acronyms - and the fact that none of our customers knew what any of the acronyms meant. It was decided that we would publish a list of our company's acroynms - complete with accompanying definitions. That was several years before my retirement and to my knowledge, they are still working on compiling the list.
Back to retirement. I now have time to ponder some of the mysteries of the world including the increasing use of acronyms in society. Why have companies changed their names and company logos to acronyms? For example, RBC (Royal Bank of Canada), HBC (Hudson Bay Company), KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) etc. Will any of the younger generation ever know what these and other acronyms mean? Do any of the older generation even know what A&W stands for - an acronym from the 50's? My guess is Albert & Wong but it's only a guess!
And what about older folks trying to understand the new acronyms such as LOL, LMAO, BFF, MILF and WTF?
And BTW, does anyone knows what my cable television PVR stands for - please?
TTTYL!
During my career with a large, multi-national corporation, I found that most of the communication included the use of acronyms. We had forms for everything imaginable and each of the forms had an assigned acronym - some examples: BP (Business Plan), BSP (Bi-Weekly Stock Purchase) etc. Believe it or not, there was even a form called an AVO (Avoid Verbal Orders)! It was part of the company's culture to ensure that all programs, forms, policies etc had an acronym assigned to it.
I remember during one of the Quarterly Staff Meetings (QSM) at Head Office (HO), a discussion concerning our Dealers (DLR) and Warehouse Distributors (WD) complaining about our use of these acronyms - and the fact that none of our customers knew what any of the acronyms meant. It was decided that we would publish a list of our company's acroynms - complete with accompanying definitions. That was several years before my retirement and to my knowledge, they are still working on compiling the list.
Back to retirement. I now have time to ponder some of the mysteries of the world including the increasing use of acronyms in society. Why have companies changed their names and company logos to acronyms? For example, RBC (Royal Bank of Canada), HBC (Hudson Bay Company), KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) etc. Will any of the younger generation ever know what these and other acronyms mean? Do any of the older generation even know what A&W stands for - an acronym from the 50's? My guess is Albert & Wong but it's only a guess!
And what about older folks trying to understand the new acronyms such as LOL, LMAO, BFF, MILF and WTF?
And BTW, does anyone knows what my cable television PVR stands for - please?
TTTYL!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Volunteering at Cancer Centre
In June 2009, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Throat Cancer and was told that I had a 40% chance of survival if I underwent both Radiation (37 days) and Chemo Treatments. The radiation treatment was brutal - I spent several weeks in hospital - and I am still suffering its effects to this day. But I am alive!
After one of my 4 month checkups with the Radiation Oncologist, I decided to volunteer at the Cancer Centre. It was time to give back. I chose Patient Support in the Chemo Treatment Room because I wanted to be a person that patients undergoing treatment could relate to - knowing that I too, was a cancer patient (you remain a patient for 5+ years after last treatment, depending on type of cancer).
I work every Monday morning from 8:00am - 12:00Noon and every other Wednesday morning the same hours. I also work every other Wednesday afternoon assisting on the Coffee Cart.
Patients receiving chemo treatments can be in the chemo room for several hours and despite the various meds for preventing nausea etc, there are no meds for the boredom of sitting in a chair while the chemo flows into your body. My duties include getting juice or water for the patients, pillows and heated blankets and/or anything else to make their stay more comfortable. I also sit and talk with many of the patients and their family members - particularly new patients. They come for their first visit with fear in their eyes and are usually stressed out. I think it comforts them when I reassure them that the treatment will not be as bad as they imagined - and often end up answering some of their questions and concerns by telling them about my treatment experiences.
I do not give medical advice or ever mention anything spiritual/religious. I cannot offer them any guarantees that they will get better - all that I can do is be there for them - to talk with and offer them my support and encouragement.
These people are not patients to me - they are family. The doctors, nurses and support staff at the Cancer Centre are also like family to me.
My biggest reward is getting a smile from a patient or a thank you nod from one of the nurses.
After one of my 4 month checkups with the Radiation Oncologist, I decided to volunteer at the Cancer Centre. It was time to give back. I chose Patient Support in the Chemo Treatment Room because I wanted to be a person that patients undergoing treatment could relate to - knowing that I too, was a cancer patient (you remain a patient for 5+ years after last treatment, depending on type of cancer).
I work every Monday morning from 8:00am - 12:00Noon and every other Wednesday morning the same hours. I also work every other Wednesday afternoon assisting on the Coffee Cart.
Patients receiving chemo treatments can be in the chemo room for several hours and despite the various meds for preventing nausea etc, there are no meds for the boredom of sitting in a chair while the chemo flows into your body. My duties include getting juice or water for the patients, pillows and heated blankets and/or anything else to make their stay more comfortable. I also sit and talk with many of the patients and their family members - particularly new patients. They come for their first visit with fear in their eyes and are usually stressed out. I think it comforts them when I reassure them that the treatment will not be as bad as they imagined - and often end up answering some of their questions and concerns by telling them about my treatment experiences.
I do not give medical advice or ever mention anything spiritual/religious. I cannot offer them any guarantees that they will get better - all that I can do is be there for them - to talk with and offer them my support and encouragement.
These people are not patients to me - they are family. The doctors, nurses and support staff at the Cancer Centre are also like family to me.
My biggest reward is getting a smile from a patient or a thank you nod from one of the nurses.
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