Saturday was not the best day to drive, but I looked on the Motor Association site and found a relatively safe route from Vegreville to the city. It was tense, winter driving conditions, but I think the media made it a bigger issue than it was. It took just over 5 hours, which was as long as it takes on the bike. But with the bike I have to stop for fuel.
Met up with my friends at a Bar, they went there for supper. I had the name of the bar, I tried to use Google maps to find it. Google apparently addressed the issues with Apple Maps. After typing the name of the restaurant into Google search, it took me to a site which said that was an New APP for Google Maps! I already had the APP. It took me to the APP store, where the phone told MAPS I already had the APP. Google then asked me where I wanted to go. I had to re-type the name of the restaurant. Then Google showed me where it was, when I asked for directions, it showed where I was. You could not go far enough out to see how to get from where I was to where I wanted to go. I went back to Apple Maps and found the way.
This isn't the only issue Google has with Apple. The new YouTube app looks good. When you search for something, it takes you to google to find it. It's when you get the results that AppleGoogle shine. Play one of the 'hits' and then go back, maybe cause its the wrong one. YouTube goes to it's main menu. You have to go back to Safari to find the Hits. It goes around is a circle. I have found it is best to delete the APP from phone/ipad and just use the browser version.
Went to Lake Louise yesterday. I was going there anyway, I decided to go yesterday as it was sunny, I have some pictures. I am sharing a Summer view, just so you can see what it looks like for part of the year. I walked out on the Lake, to about mid-point. Dummy that I am I didn't take camera bag, so I only had one lens. The telephoto. I had to take a pile of pictures, then I went back to the car and got the other lens, It was actually good that I did that, I managed to get some pictures without people in them. When I got back close to shore, I could see slush....that was kind of an eye opener. It was -21C when I was out there, I am sure the water was solid enough. Besides, I could see people walking down to the other end of the lake. I was ready to move fast if I heard a crack.
Last night my friends and I went to see Hitchcock. It was a good movie, I have never seen Psycho, nor do I want to. But it showed the issues he had making it. They messed up in one scene, Janet Leigh is talking to Hitchcock, her collar is popped when the camera is dead on her. But when they look over her shoulder at Hitchcock, it is down. They go back and fourth about 4 times. I checked every time. Funny, because they had just explained the cutting and editing that had to be done in the movie and discussing mistakes.
Well this is a family free xmas, probably will be the first of many. It is probably best we go our separate ways. I am not going to change to be the person that one sibling wants me to be, what ever that is. As for my son, I can only talk about how a telephone works both ways so many times. He is 21. I am sure at 21 that I was too busy living my life to be paying attention to the parents. It is nice when I happens. But to tell the truth my family has not been close, so I don't think my son feels he needs to be close. I am sure the ex doesn't care. She will just foist it over on me and say 'Who is the adult here?' ......ah he can, drink and vote. Besides, she sees him everyday. Appears to be now pressure by her for him to get a full time job. Every time I find a lead on one, it is either too far away. The hours aren't right or blah, blah blah. And of course, the sibling attributes this to me...and his lack of communication with them as well. The Rule in my Family is that if there is something wrong 'It is all my fault'.
This touches on another thing, I guess this is the serious blog which I knew I was writing at the end of the year. If you have been reading, you'd know that in May I had two significant things happen. First off, getting some extreme homophobic feedback from firefighters from other departments in the area. We were on joint training for Interior Firefighting, things were ok one weekend, and the next I got the full on treatment. If I joined a conversation, they'd all stop, one by one walking off. Then they'd congregate someplace else and re-start the conversation. One guy had a t-shirt on with 'EXIT ONLY' on his back, and an arrow. He made a point of having this facing me as often as he could. Now you could say, this is just firefighters being guys etc. But these weren't just ordinary firefighters, two were Chiefs and the others were Deputy Chiefs. These are the ranks that set examples. You work in pairs at a fire, the instructor kept mixing us up. So I wound up getting one of these guys as my backup. Stress level was really high, I went back to my department, no real support. Depression set in, pretty serious as I had no one to talk to. Anyway, I was pretty close but didn't go through with what I was planning.
The next weekend, I was riding home from the city on my motorcycle. It was dusk. I wound up hitting a deer at 85 miles an hour. No I wasn't going that fast, I sped up cause the car next to me looked like it was going to take my lane...and me. Then I saw the deer.
I didn't die, I didn't go down. I didn't stop. I actually thought I was dead. When I got back to town, I tried to contact anyone to slap me. It was eerie.
I started to see a therapist after this, which was a nightmare as I was actually refused by one. Finally after a few visits I started to come back to normal. Threats of pills were wiped out by promises to exercise. The sibling event happened in September, I haven't been back to see the Doctor yet. I am thinking I have to go in. But I want to have a plan. As it stands right now I have none. Well I do have one, it is to get through Xmas. (this part was added after I wrote the next part....this may be a key to the plan).
That all being said, I did read something to act on. An article on a comedy site '6 Harsh Truths That Will Make You a Better Person' It is a real eyeopener. One easy thing to remember 'throw enough hours of repetition at it (anything) and you can become sort of good at anything.'' because humans need things.
At the beginning of the article it asks you to list 5 things that you can do; not what you are. So I can sort of write, and I have worked my way up into being able to take half decent pictures. I can drive reasonably well and I am a good motorcycle rider. Practice is what makes me good at them. It is fun to try and tell a 21 year old son this. But 21 years olds on the Fire Department seem to get it. Check the article out on Cracked.com.
Today my friends and I are going to go to their friend's place for supper and snacks. My son's friend, Colin, got stopped at a Checkstop a couple of weeks ago and blew over the 0.05 and lost his car for 3 days. No demerits. No insurance increase. Just the inconvenience of having no car for 3 days. He doesn't drink anymore. From his re-telling, the officer said he was at 0.045 and that is within the thresh hold to take the keys. This is confusing, the Alberta Law is 0.05, but the government has given leeway to take the keys from 0.04 to 0.08 (that is the real Law). How soon before MADD starts going for 0.0? For now I can celebrate I have a Designated Driver.
Thanks for reading. Have a Merry Christmas treat the family nice.
On a sad noted, two volunteer firefighters were killed responding to a call today, Xmas Eve. When does the message get out there, when does the reality change?
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