Pace is really into skateboarding now so it was interesting to come across this picture from when he was five which is probably the first time he ever tried out a skateboard.
This was taken in the backyard of one of Shea’s friends whose husband is also really into skateboarding and other extreme sports.
I had an important meeting at work yesterday so took Sasha to daycare even though she wasn’t feeling great (probably caught what I had last week) which is usually a big no-no.
Luckily, my parents happened to be up in the city running errands so they were able to retrieve her before she had to be there for too long.
When I talked to them at lunch, dad asked where I got my hair cut since his regular barber isn’t available right now. I told him I usually go to the hair salon that’s right beside my work since it’s convenient and it helps me stay connected with what’s going on in our strip mall and the wider neighbourhood.
When I got home at the end of the day, dad had gotten his hair cut and said that the woman who cut his hair said she was very impressed with me and the work I’d done since coming to the library. She said she had a number of clients who go to my branch and they all are very complimentary too.
So that was a nice, unexpected compliment and a vote of confidence from a community member who sees the work that, not just myself, but my entire staff are doing to create a friendly, welcoming space for a wide range of people.
…usually after a weekend of camping.
Here’s some “catch-up” posts…
Saturday Snap – Skateboard Mods
Pace modified his penny board with duct tape and glow sticks (and after we got home, more permanently with some spray paint I got him to decorate the ramp his grandpa built him!)
Secular Sunday
More than half of Canadians in a recent Ipsos poll said that they felt religion does more harm than good (I’m an atheist and I’m surprised how high that number is!) 😉
Music Monday – “She’s a tailgate party queen/The roughest rider you ever seen/Moose Jaw and Indian Head/It ain’t as flat as everyone says”
I feel like I probably posted this Tim Hus song before but it’s too good not to post again…
“Saskatchewan Son of a Gun” – Tim Hus
I meant to post this when I first saw it as I thought it was a pretty powerful speech, so unique and different from the usual generic “blah blah” you hear from so many politicians.
In it, Ryan Meili talks about the reasons why the general public doesn’t trust politicians. He points out how politicians aren’t seen as honest, how they seek power for the sake of power, how they allow themselves to be influenced by their donors at the expense of the greater good.
He cites examples from his background in medicine where companies will influence medical practitioners with everything from stationery to free meals to direct payments for prescribing certain medications.
And then he goes on to say that, as a doctor, he made a conscious decision to *not* engage in any of those practices himself.
With the next election shaping up to be one where trust/corruption/betrayal are likely going to be some core themes, how amazing is it that the Saskatchewan NDP has someone who is so clearly on the right side of the issue of trust as a potential leader against a Premier who took tens of thousands in salary top-up from his party’s corporate donors, has allegedly helped party donors make money on shady land deals and who even tried to recruit oil companies to Saskatchewan that he held shares in.
In fact, the camera is on the person speaking during this entire clip. But apparently Premier Brad Wall got up and left the house while Meili was speaking.
Meili is a doctor by trade and it’s clear in this clip because, as he says, his words clearly manage to hit a nerve! 🙂
Really enjoying Blake Berglund on my “Saskatchewan-artists-only” playlist at our seasonal site at Echo Valley Provincial Park.
(I’m a bit late to the game but in looking more into Berglund for this post, I see that he’s just completed a personal challenge to sell 1000 copies of his albums in the month of May, mostly through cold call door-to-door sales. As someone who did that same thing selling cable TV packages door-to-door in small towns across eastern Saskatchewan to pay my way through University for a few summers, I wish him all the best and though a bit late, will try to pick up his album online or in person when I get a chance.)
“Where Have All My Horses Gone” – Blake Berglund
Man, the NHL really kicks ass with their annual Stanley Cup ads.
Here are a few I could find…
2017 – Spelling
2015 – Name
2013 – Handshake
2012 – Boys
2010 – No Words
2008 – Cup Raise
Quite often, to pick out a Throwback Thursday picture, I’ll look through my photo library to the same month but a few years back (I have photos going back to 2006 when we got our first digital camera and a few that had been digitized when we got film developed before that. So I can look back well over a decade.)
Today, I ended up going back to June 2010 which happened to be when Shea, Pace and I did a big three week driving trip to Calgary, Kelowna and Vancouver with many stops in between.
What struck me as I looked at this photo is that I’m pretty sure I have (and still wear!) every single piece of clothing in this photo from eight years ago – the hat was brand new, purchased at VPL’s Gift Shop and the t-shirt and shorts were probably fairly new too. Not only that but I still have the same sandals *and* even the same watch!
Of course I can’t see what gotch I’m wearing (and I hope I’m still not wearing the same underwear nearly a decade later!) but otherwise, the t-shirt and shorts are not only still in my wardrobe but both items I know for a fact that I’ve worn within the past week! 🙂
The Player’s Tribute site has some brilliant writing by famous athletes.
Today’s post is by my favourite hockey player of all-time.
Dear 14-year-old Mike,
I write to you today as a 60-year-old man, and I have some news from the future that you probably aren’t going to believe.
There are 30 teams in the NHL in the year 2017, and next season, there’s going to be one in Las Vegas.
Guys don’t smoke cigarettes and drink black coffee at intermission anymore. They drink smoothies and “stretch.”
The going rate for a 50-goal scorer is about $9 million a year.
And fighting is considered a dying art.
