Black Frid-off

Last weekend was thanksgiving weekend in the states. The festivities started on the last Thursday of November (the actual holiday). But what I think is the main hip about t.g. is black Friday. This is when the stores in the spirit of giving (ya right) just drop prices on their goods.

So after stuffing yourselves with turkeys and watching hours of football, people exercise by going shopping.

Black Friday really started at 06:00 PM on Thursday. I seen on TV, lineup waiting for store to open for their sale. In the back of my mind, I always thought that it was just a show, the people in those lineup were actors.

So Thursday at 6 PM, I shut off Netflix for a few hours and went shopping.

First stop... Kohl! When I got to the parking lot at 5:50 PM, there was a lineup going around the building. I couldn't see the end of those actors. It looked like when I was still in the military and did parade. But it was not in ranks of 3, it was in ranks of 5, and no one was moving, the doors were lock and everyone was standing still.

At 6 the door opened and people just kept walking in the store. I was still sitting in my car expecting at any moment someone to shout “CUT” and then the actors to just walk off... didn't happen. Maybe the back door was open and people just kept getting in by the front door, go out by the backdoor and come around the building in a loop.

After 5 minutes of this parade, suddenly, the end of the line was reach. Knowing what I want to buy and at the price it was going for, I got out of my car and walk into the store's abyss.

First thing I noticed, no one were smiling, if stress could be touch, I would have been touch a lot!

I picked up a crockpot and a griddle plate. Got to the lineup for the cash register. When I got to the register... grrrr the sale was all about mail in rebate. I didn't care much for that so I didn't take the items, I left the store and didn't looked back.

Next stopped was Walmart. I'm never disappointed with Wally! Now my list of things to buy had a crockpot, a griddle plate and a printer. Easy enough, right? NOT! None of those items on sale were available to the first Wally and stocks were all over the stores, so you had to really search for your items. The store was packed of people going like me around and around praying that the next aisle would be the right one. I kid you not, there was people so stressed that they were yelling at other customers. Several times I saw people on the phone talking to other patron in the store asking where they were.

I came back home with my list of things to buy intact.

Saturday morning, very early, I went to another Wally. I found the griddle. I drove further to one more Wally, no luck there. Drove to one more Wally (yes it will be the fourth in less than 18 hours) and it hit me, I was spending more in gas to buy something cheap than what I would have save.

Next year, I'll stay home with all-I-can-watch on Netflix.

ConNetflixting

One week ago life, as I knew it, change forever! In a moment of weakness or boredom, I subscribed to Netflix.

Since then all things I took for granted became obsolete. I am in a perpetual connetflixting...

Should I brushes my teeth?

Is it time to go to bed?

Can I have sex?

Do I need to go to the toilet? Eat? Shaved? Shower? Changed clothing? Walk?

To all those questions, I have one and only one answer... I'm just watching ONE more show, ONE more movie and I'll get to it.

But there is ALWAYS something else that I HAVE to watch. I hate to admitted it but the only control I have is the remote one! Is there a Netflix anonymous group around? I don't know, I am watching a show and have NO time to find out.

                                                                 My point of view!

Painmore in Hudson

The last time I played pickelball was back home in Canada at the beginning of September. Those were games that were not too challenging as all the good players were not available and I was playing inside the club house where the roof is too low to do a lot of play.

Monday, I went to play in New Port Ritchey. It's a gym and there was 3 courts setup but because there was not that many people, we used only two.

I got there around 08:30 and didn't get off the court for over 2 and a half hours. The competitions were heartless, in no time sweat was pouring out of my two-months-let-down body. I think I did pretty good considering.

When I got back home, I could feel all my muscle giving me signal that they didn't appreciate as much “playing” as I did.

But it's a good pain, I knew with time it will be OK. I met a couple on the court and they were telling me that they have an outside court in their community and would I be interest to go play with them.

I was so trill, I made friends, not always easy with my personality hahaha

We exchange numbers and set up our first game for the following day at 16:00.

I forgot that I'm a Northern person and that heat is not something I specially appreciate. At 4 PM, it was 30 C. (86 F.) to me it's the perfect weather to stay inside in a cool air conditioning environment.

But against my better judgment and with still pain from the previous day games, I decided to go.

We stopped playing when the sun set and we couldn't see the ball anymore.

I'm still in pain but I'm happy. The kid in me doesn't mind a little pain to go out and play!

The Enemy Within

Since Friday night, I have been thinking about Paris and terrorists.

What I wanted to write was: “132 innocents died in the hands of spineless evils! We should nuke them and their camels out of this world.”

But I'm a pacifist, I served in the army not to fight but to keep peace. Responding violence with violence has never been a solution in my point of view.

I don't even understand what is everyone beef about this conflict... is it my God is stronger than your God? Is it let's cleaned off the infidel from the face of this earth? Could it be you disrespect my beloved camel! What ever...

Sometime I think the answer is like what we do with kids that doesn't behave... we send them each in their own corner. But that would mean that if you are from the middle East, you stay there. If you wear a crossed, you would live in the Occident.

That would works if everyone had the same values.

However, more and more terrorist acts are done from persons that are neighbors and has the same passport. They are rejects from our society and can't define themselves has an average Jo.

I don't believe they are lure by the appeal of becoming famous and getting 72 virgins in heaven if they died as a “martyr”.

Right now we have a name to the terrorists: ISIS but I don't think that without help from within they could terrorized anyone as much.

Waging war to them it's like going to the beach with a shovel and destroying all the sand castle... it's a futile exercise that would never work as there will be more kids coming with more buckets to built more castle.

I think the only thing that can make a difference is to affirm our values... no compromise! Our heritage is Christianity. I don't mean everyone should get on their knees and pray but we should not allows anyone to come to our country and shut us off...

We really need people like John Lennon to sing: “Let give peace a chance.”

I wish I knew what to really do. We have this known enemy, but what really trouble me too is the one that are within: all those kids that went into rampage at their school, the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, the brothers at the marathon of Boston, the street gang, the criminal motorcycle clubs...

But for now, Georgia is not on my mind anymore, Paris is!

Cold Front

This morning, I walked 2.5 miles, slowly increasing the distance. I could push further but why go nuts, it's warm, the birds are singing and I just relax the whole time.

I kid you not, in the news, they kept talking about the cold front that is about to hit us this weekend. I didn't bring my winter sandals, I just don't know what to do... please if you could find a space in your thought to send me some warm wishes, I would appreciate them during this “cold” days.

This is from the weather networks in Fahrenheit and Celsius (I know miserable, right?):

 

Six Weeks Break

My dear friends,

I'm writing to you to acknowledge publicly that in the past 6 weeks, I have indulge in delicious food which were not always from the healthy lifestyle road and I have “forgot” to exercise regularly.

Most of the time, my lovely fitbit is sitting on the table waiting for me to take it for a walk, which I ignored.

The result is that my scale is showing an increase of 7 pounds. This is horrible! I worked hard to go down and now I'm just climbing up numbers instead of climbing stairs or a mountain.

But changes are in the work... Today, I will be putting my vivofit to its rightful place around my wrist and walk 2 miles. I know it's far from what I was doing previously but I want to re-start slowly.

There will also be salad tossing my way. Who knows maybe even a couple serving of fruit!

What about you, have you been good lately or just went off off a wagon for a while?

Sincerely,

Richard

Back to blog business

There has been a lot happening since my last post...

I went to my daughter birthday in Halifax. In doing so, I lied to all of the two or three readers of my blog and let you assumed I was going South to Florida.

After spending a week in Halifax it was time to get back North but the weather was so nice it didn't felt like North.

Last Saturday, at 02:10 AM, I started the real journey to Florida (this time it's the whole true and nothing but). The first day, I drove about 16 hours.

On Sunday I parked the car in my driveway in Hudson Florida.

The house was in great shape (as it was left). I had to turned on the air unit as it was hot... so hot!

Monday I wanted to drained my hot water heater tank. There is a valve at the bottom of the unit just for that, but I broke it :(. I was not planning of doing plumbing job but had no choice, to empty the tank, I have to cut off water to the whole house... and water is the kind of necessity to do without! After 2 trips to the hardware store, I fixed the problem and at night, I could take a nice warm shower with running water, ouf!

Tuesday I got a new router for the Internet, the last one didn't want to go wifi, so no Internet is worse than no water right?

Today it's going to be a relaxation day, I really need that, my brain can't focus on anything that required 5 seconds of concentration... I'm even surprise that I could write this post!

My hardship right now is to decide between going to the beach or going to the pool... life can be so tough sometime!