Dying Man’s Daily Journal – How important the blog is to me

I have been giving real thought to ending the blog. I have come to realize I don’t think I can. It seems I just keep getting drawn back to it. It is almost like it has become a part of my life and an important part at that. I am very touched at all the supportive comments left for me as I was considering ending it. I have been blessed to make so many wonderful friends here on the blog. You have all become like a part of my extended family. The realization of how much I would miss you, of how important you all are to me have come to me while doing this pondering. Not that I really wasn’t aware of it before, it is the how much I value our friendships that has become clearer to me.

An old friend from back in my Norway House days reminded me of something that has been on going for years. There have been days when the blog has given me reason to drag my lazy butt out of bed in the morning. with out that incentive what will I do? I hadn’t thought of that and I really don’t know? Maybe the answer to that question is in how I am being drawn back continually here to the blog. Everyone needs a purpose for being, I don’t know maybe something as simple as this is mine for now.

For the first number of years here, I was really into the statistics, somewhere along the line though The numbers became far less important than the people. That would be all of you that may happen to read this. I just looked and realized this is post #938, I am both shocked and amazed at that number. I remember thinking 40 or 50 posts and I would be doing good. the hits the blog has received. Huh, I forgot to check when I was checking the number of posts but it is somewhere over 300,000. I see that number and have to just shake my head and wonder. Don’t these people realize who I am. I am no one special just me, a guy sitting in his basement In Winnipeg. I just don’t get it.

So yes, I am going to keep the blog going for a while. First I thought it would be nice to see half a million hits but realize that is just not feasible or realistic. So maybe try for a 1,000 posts. Geesh just saying that 1,000 posts. I am going to try to use them to lay out my deepest thoughts and feelings. Now remember I have that male gene in my system and sometimes our thoughts aren’t all that deep.

I have come to realize that the actual title of the blog is something I have allowed to cause me a little stress. It is the word daily. I was pretty good at keeping it up daily back at the beginning but have really fallen off, more and more as time has progressed. New posts going up will just omit the word.

If I wasn’t here I would really miss you all

 

Dying Man’s Daily Journal – Please check your Spam

I am on a rant today. Something arrived on the blog that has me upset, angry and discussed all at the same time.

I do not know how our spam filters work here  on the blog. I am just grateful they are in place as it seems there is just so much garbage floating around out there, just floating around looking for sites to land in. I know there is not a lot we can do about most of it other than just ignore it. Or,not even think about it as the filter somehow just puts it in the spam file, we never see it and with some time it just dissappears.I don’t know how it works, some sort of a soft wear program that filters out comments based on some sort of parameters.

I received a comment that somehow made it past the spam and was put in the section from where I am asked to moderate. (decide if I want to allow the comment to make it to the blog or I can then mark it as spam. Returning from vacation, I did in fact have a comment awaiting my moderation. It was sickening and disgusting but if such comments are out there floating around I am glad it came to me.

This comment contained a list of sex sites. Now that in itself is not uncommon, it is amazing what is out there. Now because this comment required me to moderate it, I was forced to actually look at it. A sex site yes but one apparently showing pictures of preteens. On seeing this I can’t tell you how disgusted and jumping up and down mad I was. If I knew who the perpetator of this site was I would be introducing him/her to my baseball bat.

Why am I glad this comment came to me and was then brought to my attention? So I could report it to the police and cybertips. Just thinking of the content of such sites turns my stomach. I didn’t actually click on any of the listed sites the police can so that. If anyone has a site like that give me a call I would really like to meet with you. I have a good friend Mr. Bat that I would like to introduce you to.

I have left the message sitting there for a week now to allow the police or who ever to what they need to. It infuriates me every time I come on the blog and see that note message pending as I know what it is. Today it is gone.

I ask everyone check your spam and call the police if you have any referring to such crap sites.

I had more “normal” things to discuss today, my trip  to RANA. I will do that later, just thinking about that comment has me to wired up

 

Dying Man’s Daily Journal – More on Vacation

I have had a few down days but am on the rebound. We came home to this heat wave and well heat and I do not do well together. Thank goodness for air conditioning. Since I got out of the hospital it is not that I have been feeling bad or having pain or anything like that. Just worn out, I must have left all of my energy back on the West Coast.

From Mission BC where Vi had the wonderful meeting with her brother and sister. We travelled on to Victoria which is on Vancouver Island. I think we only took the scenic route once (got lost) once on the way to the ferry. That was me getting caught in the wrong lane and was unable to take the appropriate exit off the main highway. Traffic was heavy so what are you going to dfo? Travel to the next exit and try to double back. There was a time when missing that exit would have had me in a flap but not any more. I know I am still going to get to where I am going. I will just see a little more of the local country side while getting there.

After the ferry a short drive took us to Victoria, B.C.. We spent a very nice 4 days with Vi’s 2 son’s David and Rob with their respective families. There must be something special in the water out there or something. The kids are all growing like weeds. Again we were treated like Royalty and had a wonderful time.

The entire trip was full of wonderful times but what can next, admit was the topper for me. We travelled to Vancouver. There I saw my 2 beautiful little princesses Sage and Emery. Are they real princesses? YES. They are princesses in the realm of my heart, always have been and will be FOREVER!!!!!  I am a down on the floor play with the kids type grandpa. We did many things but the highlight for me was getting into a play wrestling match with Emery and having big sister Sage (5) join in. Now the odds were 2 against 1 so I may have lost the wrestling match but my heart was the biggest winner of all. Being a grandpa is such a  very wonderful thing. I have many more stories to tell of that visit and I want to get them written before I may forget it all. That is my greatest fear. With this memory of mine I seem to tend to lose blocks of time. Every day I sit down and go over as much of that time as I can, to try and refresh my mind. Keep that memory alive. I do not want to ever loose it.

From there back to Airdrie Alberta. Here again we received 5 star treatment from cousins Sherry and John. Just a couple of days there to allow Vi time to get into Calgary and visit with a cousin and an aunt she hadn’t seen in something like 30+ years. By that time I knew already I had over done it. I stayed at Sherry’s home while Vi did her visiting. Then came the long drive home..

From a medical point was this trip the wisest thing to do. Well maybe not and physically it is like I am still “paying the price” for it. Was it worth is? ABSOLUTELY YES.
Will I do it again. Well the Good Lord willing,I will be on the road again.

 

 

Dying Man’s Daily Journal – blog/hospital

Yesterday was an unusual day with the blog. Now my last post I started while at my cousin Sherry’s home in Alberta. I saved what I had written while there and then finished and published the post when I got back home here in Winnipeg. Now apparently I must not have signed off while on her computer or something as now when she signs into the blog, the blog seems to think it is still me out there and here comments are posted as if coming from me. We spent some time on the phone while together on the blog. She was sending little test messages after little thing we did It still wasn’t straightened out the last I spoke to her. So welcome on board Sherry feel free to put up some actual posts if you wish. I am sure many would lover to hear from you.

I had planned on writing more today about the wonders of our vacation, but am just not feeling so spry. Went to the hospital yesterday just to check out the pretty nurses and I am sure it is because they liked my so much they decided to keep me there over night. Yesterday morning twice I had some chest pain but my littler bottle of nitro spray quickly dealt with that. come early evening though it came back. This time the spray only lessened it and it soon returned stronger than it had been before.After my 4th use of the spray, Vi grabbed me by the ear and off we went. Thankfully it was not a heart attack. Doctor feels it is a combination of events and happenings all coming together at the same (wrong) time. Over doing it on the vacation, being a little negligent about taking my water pills and this heat wave. I am to just take it easy for 3 or 4 days, take much larger than my normal amount of “pee” pills and I will be fine. So no need to worry. My head is all wonkie with a sort of drugged up hang over type feeling from everything they gave me.

I will try posting more later or start responding to the wonderful comments left for me.

Dying Man’s Daily Journal – Wonderful Vacation

We are back at home safe and sound. Both of us are quite worn out from all the excitement and the long hours on the highway. A few quiet days and will be back up to speed. I started this post back on Monday while in Albert and will just carry on from there.

This vacation ranks right up there with the most wonderful times of my life. Every word you can think of along the lines of spectacular, amazing don’t really even begin to describe it. Tomorrow morning (Tuesday) we begin the long drive home. I think it is about 13 or 14 hours but we will be breaking it up over 2 days. Every day different events have made that day spectacular in itself and in that way I am sorry to see the trip coming to an end. All this excitement and fun is catching up with me and it is time to go home. But, “I WILL BE BACK”!!!

Our first real stop was in Red Deer Alberta. I think it was 4 days we spent with cousin Joe and his wife Ev. They were such gracious hosts and treated us like Royalty. During that time cousin Shirley organized a family get together. There had to be 35-40 different relatives with their respective families or girlfriend/boyfriends stop by. There were actually even a couple of cousins that I hadn’t seen in something like 45 years. First thing I noticed after all that time,  was wow, have they ever aged. lol. I am sure they all thought the same of me. Now that was wonderful in itself but there was one more surprise thrown in there for me/ My dear Aunt Isabel, cousin Carol and Garry had made the long drive all the way from Swan River Manitoba to be there. What a surprise and how amazing was that. Yes, this is the same dear Aunt Isabel that periodically comes to Winnipeg and constantly kicks my butt at crib. I thought Hey maybe a change of venue would give me some sort of edge in playing against her. NOPE, I was humbled again as do I think were most that took her on. With Joe and Ev we attended the first rodeo I have been to in years. The chuckwagon races are as exciting as ever. This was followed by a performance by Dwight Yoakum. An enjoyable evening.

From there we travelled on to Mission B.C.. It was there that Vi was able to make contact with and meet a half brother and sister whom for most of her life she hadn’t even known existed. It all went so very well and Vi is very happy and excited at the same time. I will write more about it all, I have so much to say about the trip it could fill pages and pages. I will try to get it all up over the next few days. This is just the first part of the trip really great happenings coming.

Before leaving I was giving serious thought to ending the blog. That way I could do it in the way I would like to see it end, The other option is to keep going with it and it will still end but in a way I am not so keen on happening. I am so appreciative of all the supportive comments left for me while away. Getting away as we did gave me a chance to re-energize my spiritual batteries.Hey I have to keep posting at least until I get the rest of the vacation story up. I will be going on for at least the nest while. I will be spending more time putting together the final post. That one will be going up, when is the only question on that. I am hoping it won’t be for a while.