Verbal Fluidity

The year was 1989.  My uncle decided he wanted to race at Scotia Speedworld. At the time, there were only 2 real classes, Street Stock and Duke cars.  Eventually he ended up racing both, but the street stock was the first. I helped him with everything i could. Eventually that 1979 Pontiac Lemans became a racing machine. Race night was always a big deal. the stands were full, but we sat right down in front, to the left of the starter's stand, about half way up towards turn 4.  Jerry Lawrence provided the color commentary. My uncle was mildly successful, and took home a few trophies and checkered flags.  It was this place in time, these memories, that made me love racing.  But like anything in life, over time it got forgotten, and the burden of work and life balance got in the way.  It would be 24 years before I returned to that race track... This time with my own kids in tow. I should back up a bit and say, that my wife and I had given thought to taki...

Hello my masses of adoring fans! OK, would you believe a small group of grudging admirers ? Ok. Fine, 2 followers that barely read and like the pictures.     I’ve decided to bring you something a bit different.     I’m going to try to do this every week (TRY being the operative word) and give you a list of sorts, of things that irked me over the past week.   Some of it may be controversial, but most will be me being a crusty curmudgeon.   (I am getting old you know) So without further ado… and without hairdo… (it sounded funny in my head), let’s get this started.   So I recently visited one of the big box stores, we will call it Mal-Wart (I can’t afford a law suit), and I was appalled by the level of customer service I DIDN’T receive.   The cashier barely spoke above a whisper, and was very monotone.   It seems as if her dog may have died in her arms earlier that day.   She seemed so uninterested, and seems so ...

Good day True Believers! So I want to bring a topic to the world that I usually reserve for ranting in the car to the windshield. (Yes, I talk to myself in the car, and yes I'm ok with it). It's the topic of the Homeless. More accurately, the homeless in Halifax, and the observations I've made. This is in no way a rant/attack/hate on the homeless in general. That being said, please enter the hazy spectacle that is my brain......... So our fine city of Halifax. As of 2011 the population of Halifax was 390,096 and the urban area had a population of 297,943. In the city of Halifax, the 2 most popular places for homeless to hang out and ask for money is Spring Garden Rd and the Windsor Street Exchange. Let's look at SGR first shall we? A veritable Hub of activity, SGR seems to never sleep. At any given moment the street is full of people, and also has its share of panhandlers. So with that, let's conduct a little math equation. Let's say for argumen...

So do many of you have issues with your Dodge vehicles?  I bet it doesn't top my friend's issue. Recently he took his Dodge Calibre into a local Dodge dealer for a routine Safety Inspection and oil change.  The car is 7 years old, and has less than 70,000 KM.  Within a few hours they contacted him, and advised that his front and rear cross members were rusted out completely.  This is an amazing thing, since they are metal, and should not rust out in 7 years.  The car is a 2007.  There are cars 20+ years old on the road that do not have rusted crossmembers .  This is an obvious defect.  Well it seems the Crossmember is not the only defect.  The level of customer service for Dodge/Chrysler is also defective. Here is a pic of the crossmember So the crossmember is defective.  The Dodge dealer quoted a price to fix it, and also cited that any collateral damage as part of replacing the crosssmember would be his to pay, not...

Hello my true believing readers, and welcome to another episode of ....  That is so Dumb!  Ok, I take part of that back, the desire is true, and the heart was there, but I don't think it was entirely thought through.  Let me explain.  Coun . Linda Mosher said it’s time for the municipality to adopt an anti-bullying bylaw so police can issue tickets.  Issue tickets for bullying?  While I think her heart is in the right place, I don't see how this would ever be a productive measure.  Bullying is a broad scope anyway, and this proposed fine will open it up even more.  How do you prove it? Unless the Officer directly sees it, the "bullying" is open to interpretation.  Who's to say that two kids would lie together to get a fine for some kid they just don't like?   Maybe they could lump it in with other bylaws that rarely get enforced, like helmets for skateboarders and cyclists.  Because we know how well these a...

I have decided that we live in a world where people look for shit to complain about, and pass it off as offensive. Enter the newest Mic Mac Mall campaign. It was a campaign geared towards back to school, and the primary demographic was young girls.  Well no surprise there.  Of course when it comes to back to school the young girls do the most shopping.  To not gear your campaign towards them would be ludicrous.  Want to know what else is ludicrous? People calling the ads Sexist and Demeaning.  Here is a shot of the ad: So let me remind you of a few things.  First, young girls like to shop.  The majority anyway.  SO the first panel, my favorite class? SHOP! It's a pun and a play on words.  Clever actually.  But let's be realistic.  Have you ever overheard a conversation between two girls about what they learned in school? Maybe, but I bet you've heard a lot of clothes and shopping discussions.   that is what they like...

Today my blog is not controversial in the normal sense, but I will not be a very nice fellow. I think however, many of you will agree with me today. Attention all you drivers out there. YES… This means you. There are some of you out there who seem to have forgotten some of the fundamental principles of operating a motor vehicle. Allow me to re-educate you. Lesson 1 : The Mirrors .  Look to your left, then to your right. Then straight ahead and up jusssst a little. See those? Those things are called mirrors. You have these in your home, they are not new to you. They reflect whatever image is within your view. They are strategically placed on your vehicle so you can easily see around you without having to do too much effort. So why does it seems a colossal effort for you to use them? All you need is to shift your eyes!!! You’d be amazed how much you’ll see, and how less often you might be unwittingly attached to an oncoming vehicle in a collision sort of way. Trust me. ...