The little I actually know about petroleum products can be measured using a thimble. Apparently, the stuff is really old. What I have heard is that “old fuel” isn’t good for our modern motors, and that my tank of winter Diesel (purchased about two years back) was ready to be burnt. And now it has been.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in economy | Comments Off on When you pay to work or play | 257 words
Finding ways to grift: a primer from the political class. Back when I was young, to nickel and dime meant checking payphone returns, or looking around near parking meters for dropped wealth. Never found more than enough for an occasional popsicle, so I gave up and moved on to more lucrative things. Turns out that even minimum wage jobs provide enough cash for double-fisting pops. I was thinking small change.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in economy, politics | Comments Off on Used to hunt for stray nickels | 263 words
The gap between headquarters and the local branch came back to bite us, today. We’ve been wanting to install a trailer hitch on the new car for about a year, already; finally made the move to get the job done about a month ago. I’ll not name the firm, but if you ever want to haul a trailer, they’re the goto people. Or maybe not.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in economy | Comments Off on Doorstep drops? Probably not | 265 words
I think that the job description for federal politicians can be reduced to one phrase: Lurch from one mud hole to another. Today, the feds decided to promise billions of dollars to pay for a large hydroelectric project. One that is well underway… and that wouldn’t even have been built if the feds had handled an earlier involvement properly. Yes, I know we need the “juice”. But, at what cost? The produced power is parallel to another mega-project, and in both cases we’re feeding the hungry market to the south. So, why the taxpayer dollars? I really don’t know.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in economy | Comments Off on Pre-electoral promises | 264 words
Residence space (on campus) just became a little tougher to score. Certain schools are restricting the number of spaces available, due to the pandemic. That’s a big deal.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in economy, travel | Comments Off on The bridge to everywhere else | 261 words
alMath for the economically challenged; if you make the numbers large enough, nobody will care. Right now, the First Nations are looking to the federal government for reparational funds. I mean, a lifetime has a value. Not to get into lives. So, one number being bandied about is four billion. As usual, there are some that wonder about how our national budget will ever handle an amount like that.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in economy, politics | Comments Off on Extra-territorial police work | 256 words
Once upon a time, I had some really decent music teachers. They took the time to introduce me to the English concert band repertoire. There, I had a prolonged chance to enjoy the musical genius of Holst and Vaughn-Williams, among others. Oh, how I miss my weekly dose of band practice (along with the rare chance to perform). This afternoon, I came across some playlists, on YT. The years melted away, and I’m back to counting rests, behind my timpani.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in economy | Comments Off on Bad air, back in the house | 272 words
Slow news day: we have a replacement governor-general. There doesn’t seem to be an actual training course for the job, which is why we have had a line of retired politicians, journalists, astronauts, etc. The flavour for today day is “comes from the far north”. Since the person is there to approve, not make policy, it probably won’t affect me.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in economy | Comments Off on In the market for a castle or two? | 261 words
An unexpected surprise from the developers over at Firefox; today, we received an updated interface. Not only that, but there are more colour schemes, including a “dark” one that actually makes me happy.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in economy | Comments Off on Reviewing the numbers on a new house (not for me) | 255 words
And everyone threw their traps into the ocean and went home for lunch. Perhaps not exactly how it happened, but we have another year of lobster fishing underway. I was up at coffee time; early enough to see boats on the go, because the rule makers had adjusted their watches, and gave the starting signal at 9:00 this morning. A full three hours later than other years. And because I wasn’t at the wharf, I don’t know if this still qualifies as a “starting pistol” sort of sport, but from the photos and videos, people were calm and professional as they left the harbour entrance in a long, single boat queue.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in economy | Comments Off on Throw all that gear overboard (and go home for breakfast) | 268 words
