I normally don’t post a lot for days on this blog, and sometimes I post multiple times in a day .. that’s because this is my personal RANT and RAVE blog. If I don’t like something, or I really like something .. you are bound to see it here! But, a lot of the time I just don’t care or I don’t really like or dislike anything – and I really don’t feel the need to post anything in this blog.

And, when I finally get around to it .. it has been frustrating me to NO END to see my template has suddenly reverted to the default Kubrick template, or a broken version of the official template. I figure enough is enough .. and a new template is in order!

Welcome the THESIS Template for call HART crazy

I recently upgraded a few of my other sites with this new “Thesis” template and have decided to do the same to the call HART crazy blog. I hope you like it, but I can tell you right now it is not complete. I do plan to change the background and other things. Currently, it just looks a lot like my 1800HART and PetLvr sites, but it was the easiest thing to do for the meantime. If you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to make them here in the comments of this post!

I did manage to REVIVE my 2006 call HART crazy logo .. it always had a softsoft in my “HART” so, I just stretched it a little to fit the current template size.

Fan Me on FaceBook

I have created a new Fan Page in Facebook to cover this blog, and my business blog HBSMC.com and 1800HART.com/blog/ and any other site that has HART in its domain! I hope you become a fan, and interact with me on Facebook .. and feel you can get in touch with me either on Facebook, or Twitter.

call HART crazy

It’s my birthday next week (11th) and the Circus is in town July 9-13, 2008! I’ve never seen them “live” but thought it would be a much more memorable event than …

* getting a new office chair
* getting a few 12GIG memory sticks
* gift cards from local futureshop or best buy
* new digital camera that is at least 12 megapixels
* etc etc

.. althought those are all great gift ideas and, if you want to send me cash for my birthday .. let me know and I’ll pass along my paypal account

Cirque du Soleil through the years

About Saltimbanco Show

Source: Cirque du Soleil website

Saltimbanco -from the Italian “saltare in banco”, which literally means “to jump on a bench”-explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms: the people who live there, their idiosyncrasies and likenesses, families and groups, the hustle and bustle of the street and the towering heights of skyscrapers. Between whirlwind and lull, prowess and poetry, Saltimbanco takes spectators on an allegorical and acrobatic journey into the heart of the city.

Saltimbanco is a Cirque du Soleil signature show inspired by the urban fabric of the metropolis and its colorful inhabitants. Decidedly baroque in its visual vocabulary, the show’s eclectic cast of characters draws spectators into a fanciful, dreamlike world, an imaginary city where diversity is a cause for hope.

My camera is currently only 3 or 5 megapixels .. and hopefully I will try to borrow one that is 12 megapixels so I can take lots of pictures!

call HART crazy .. but

My how time flies…

HART’s RAVE

April 26, 2007 – Homespun Honolulu – A Honolulu Blog .. puts a call out to its readers by way of a contest form to create a new category name … for posts about things that have made me angry, upset, etc.

May 3, 2007 – HART is announced as the winner of the contest with the *ingenious* category name called .. “Honolulu Rant” .. and a bottle of wine is promised as HART’s Contest Winning Prize!

May 18, 2007 – Difficulties were arising .. I received a private message from Evelyn in MyBlogLog and apparently … The US postal service won’t take the wine to a foreign country and the courier services won’t either. They can only do it from wine store to wine store. She asked me if anything else from Hawaii would interest me … I casually “put it out there” that I just so happen to collect Fridge Magnets!

Summer of 2007 – We laughed, we cried .. we all had a great summer! And, time passed on and we continue our daily lives.

November 3, 2007 – HART was innocently TAGGED in a meme called “Life’s Indispensables and Melodies to Live By”. At the time, HART didn’t notice the little comment next to my name, when I was tagged .. (who needs to watch his mail) but just brushed it off as my Dashboard noticed the Link to me (and I didn’t need any email reminder)

November 7, 2007 – HART participates in the above mentioned meme! Actually, I started late at night on November 6th but by the time I posted it – it was dated after midnight, as November 7, 2007.

Friday, November 9, 2007 – A Package arrived at HART’s residence .. from Hawaii. We were painting our living room this entire weekend (from November 9th until November 12th .. and the package was just put aside for the moment and mixed with a whole bunch of other furniture.

That was a hectic weekend for us .. you see my wife’s father was in a terrible car crash on November 7th, 2007 .. and although we didn’t know it at the time, now suffers brain damage and loss of eyesight in one eye and requires 24/7 care. We have been on pins and needles ever since the accident .. especially those first two weeks in recovery. Not to mention that my wife planned our house renovation and we had to paint our main floor by the 12th or else!! Anyway … It happened, but it’s no excuse.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 – I finally opened the box and sent an email to Evelyn to acknowledge receipt and initial thanks, and I promised I would post a picture up on one of my blogs within a week or so .. when I had a chance!

Well – I have to apologize for taking so long .. it was a great gift! A bunch of Fridge Magnets and other Hawaii goodies (postage etc) but I must say – I enjoy these Fridge Magnets EVERYDAY. I was at an event in November 10, 2007 and had a picture taken with my wife .. and I surround that picture with the magnets that I received as my contest prize .. take a look:

Neat eh? Here’s how it looks like every day when I go to my fridge. Although, every other fridge magnet is from a location we have actually travelled to .. we hope to eventually make it out to Hawaii before we are old and grey and decided to leave it on the fridge to remind us I’m almost embarrassed it has been taking me so long to take a picture and write a blog post about this. Besides busy with my own business, I have been trying to close down my father-in-law’s business, taking pictures of inventory and customers. I’ve been taking pictures of my meals daily and even posting it over on Battling Obesity blog .. yet, kept forgetting to take a picture of my fridge door that I see many times every day!

ALOHA EVELYN!

Thank-You and your Homespun Honolulu blog (which is part of the Home Turf Media network) for your great gift and prize! It is greatly appreciated and enjoyed!

call HART crazy .. but

I’m Looking For Amazing Stories How You Saved One Animal’s Life

Having many blogs in my network, I feel completely justified in promoting this event on every domain and blog that I have at my disposal! Please help me pass the word around the internet, and if you can contribute .. please do!

On September 27, 2007 .. a wonderful thing will happen. Bloggers from all around the world will be “Blogging For A Cause”. I will be participating with my fellow bloggers, and am asking you to help me participate in this event. I will be blogging to .. Stop Animal Cruelty and Pet Abuse – over at PetLvr.com – [The Blog]

I’ve done three posts so far for this event

1) An Introduction Post

2) A Clarification Post

3) How we rescued Zeus the Cat

To paraphrase from the PetLvr Site …

You Too Can Participate on September 27, 2007

I will be posting letters from “PetLvr Readers” around the world that have rescued an animal and made a positive difference in the life of one animal. YOU are the hero! I would like you to email me your story. Every story I receive on and before this Thursday will be published and permanently maintained on the PetLvr website, under a new page called “PetLvr Rescue Stories”. I will also link your website if you have one, and post a picture of your pet if you provide it to me.

* Did you rescue an animal from the humane society?
* Did you take a stray dog in and give it a home?
* Did you know any animal being abused and reported its owners to the authorities?
* Did you save any animal from natural disasters, such as Katrina or the Peru Earthquake?
* Do you work for any non-profit agency and helped save the life of an animal?
* If you are a non-profit agency and would like to be linked to your website 9.27.2007

Then … PLEASE! Email me your stories to: hart (at) PetLvr (dot) com with the subject: 9.27.2007

* If you have a blog, you too can join in with thousand’s of other blogs around the world. You can stop the abuse about any topic (elder abuse, children abuse, spousal abuse, environmental abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, abuse in the workplace, etc) .. it’s up to you!
Just follow the link from clicking the above graphic, and if you are not already a member of BlogCatalog.com .. well, join in and add me (PetLvr) as your friend! and you will be able to see your image in the widget in the sidebar when you come back here on September 27, 2007!

* If you do NOT have a blog .. feel free to start a *FREE* blog at PetLvr.com/mypet/ made available by PetLvr.com and start blogging! I will link all participating posts from there back over onto the main PetLvr blog … so start blogging!

cc’ed around the HART-Empire Network!

call HART crazy .. but

It was Friday morning, on the last Friday of April 2007 .. that my old Sony SP-46S17 TV died. It was a 46″ rear projection TV that I bought in 1997. Rest in peace .. but we had absolutely no problems with it. During the interim, we started to watch TV on a spare TV in our back family room – that was the CRT tube type screen .. and it suddenly hit both my wife and myself .. that the picture on the 46″ TV has been dying for years! It was not vivid anymore. And, we now have MTS Digital TV .. so without hesitation we both agreed.

We would go looking for a new high definition TV for our house, and not spend any money trying to fix this TV .. even if it turned out to be a faulty switch that was preventing it from turning itself on and off.

My wife did the research .. and we had specific ideas of what we wanted to buy .. and our budget. At first, we were thinking about 37″ 1080p HD as it fit our price range. Then, we were considering EDTV but, they are phasing that out. We really do not have any plans to pay extra with our current TV supplier and obtain the high definition channels .. so we thought we could upgrade to about 42″ 720p (or whatever that lowest definition was) for the same price range.

Well .. after looking around, and seeing what the picture was, and actually comparing prices .. it seemed that we were pretty close to selecting a 40″ Sony 1080p HD for about $2,499 CDN, reduced to about $2,299. If we bought a stand, there would be a discount as well and with taxes, no warranty .. the bill would have been around $3,048 after the smoke cleared. This was at Advance. The salesperson was great there, and we still think this was a great deal. We would have financed it over 12 months, no admin fees. And, they would have removed our old TV for free, and donate it to the local community college for testing or practice.

We looked around and went to Visions Electronics afterwards. You can tell that it’s true – the store is just like the advertising, trying to focus on their target market of younger single males or something .. as a university student was the norm for all sections of the store. It turned out that there was the same TV there for $2,199 (less than the $2,299 price) .. but there was upfront admin fees to finance the machine and some other fee .. but all in all there price was actually higher at Visions. Plus, they would not remove the old TV set.

Then we went to the Brick – only because we were in the neighbourhood. We actually bought our Queen Size bed there and have had no complaints.

And there it was – our TV. It was a Sony KLV-40S200A model. I believe this is a 1080i HD TV .. (interlace instead of progressive scan). It was quite amazing to watch the screen – as a co-axle analog cable was all that was being put into this TV and the picture was about 5 times better than any picture we have seen at the two other places. And – although the retail price was $2,499 CSN as well .. there was an extended promotion by Sony discounting it by $800 CDN so, the final price was $1,699 CDN. After doing the research, looking at the other stores, watching flyers and even talking to many friends who have TV’s .. we were NOT going to get anything better than this.

So – we looked around for a TV Stand .. and even got the extended 4-year warranty .. and the total price ended up to be (with taxes) $2,610. The only thing is that they do not haul away the old TV. We have to find someone to come pick it up. I would hate to have to toss it into the street or the dumpster – but, I will if I can’t have someone take it away – N/C.

So .. These pictures do not do it justice, because I just took two separate pictures (seen afterwards) to show you what it might be when it’s all assembled. At this moment, it’s connected – and the stand is assembled, but the TV is not attached to the stand yet as I have some major rewiring to do with my stereo and DVD and etc etc etc and also etc stuff to do. I will take a picture once it’s all up and in it’s final position.

Here it is:

I just basically combined the following two pictures on Adobe photoshop

Product Description [top]

Offering stunning picture quality, BRAVIA LCD TVs are so thin, you can mount them on your wall, and so stylish, they enhance the look of any room even when turned off.

Using liquid crystals and electric fields to form images, LCD provides high–resolution video and longer screen life with no burn–in. It is one of the most reliable TV technologies available. BRAVIA delivers vivid colour, deep blacks, high contrast ratios and ultra–fast refresh rates.

The brightness of the picture ensures a beautiful image, even in well lit areas like the living room or bedroom. With screen sizes from 23” to 46”, BRAVIA LCD TV is perfect for any room in the home – from the kitchen to your home theatre room.

Product Specifications [top]

GENERAL
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Screen Size: 40″1
Resolution: 1366 x 768
Light Silver Frame
Viewing Angle: Right/Left: 178º
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Contrast Ratio: 1300:1
Panel Response Time: 8 ms (grey to grey)

VIDEO FEATURES
Screen or Display Technology: LCD display panel
Video Processing: BRAVIA Engine™
Advanced Video Processor: Motion and edge adaptive I/P converter
Advanced Video Processor: Contrast enhancer circuit
Advanced Video Processor: MPEG noise reduction
Advanced Video Processor: Green and blue enhancer
Advanced Video Processor: CineMotion™/Film Mode/Cinema Drive
Comb Filter: 3D Digital Comb Filter
Picture Modes: Vivid/Standard/Custom
Wide Mode: Wide Zoom/ Normal/ Full/ Zoom
Noise Reduction
Light Sensor: adjusts the screen brightness to match the ambient light in a room
Tuner: NTSC

AUDIO
Audio Power Output: 20W (10W + 10W)
Steady Sound® Automatic Volume Control (with BBE® Technology): Equalizes volume levels so there is consistent output between programs and commercials
MTS Stereo Decoder

AUDIO FEATURES
Sound Mode: Dynamic, Standard, Custom
A/V Synch: Off/1/2/3
Digital Amplifier
SRS® TruSurround® XT Audio Effect: creates a surround sound effect

INPUTS AND OUTPUTS
HDMI™ Connection(s): 1 (Rear) with L/R RCA audio connections
PC Video Input(s): 1 (Rear) with D–sub 15 and L/R stereo mini plug connection
Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr ) Input(s): 2 (Rear)
S–Video Input(s): 2 (1 Side/1 Rear) rear input has Auto S Video Input Detection
Composite Video Input(s): 3 (1 Side/2 Rear)
Analog Audio Input(s): 5 (4 Rear/1 Side)
Audio Out (Variable/Fixed): 1 (Rear)
Digital Audio Output(s): 1 (Rear)
RF Connection Input(s): 1 (Rear)
Headphone Output(s): 1 (Side)

CONVENIENCE FEATURES
On Screen Display: Menu
Picture Freeze: freeze an image while you continue to enjoy your favourite programming
Favourite Channel: allows you to create a list of your favorite channels
Channel Skip/Add: allows you to skip certain channels
Parental Control (V–Chip): allows parents to block unsuitable programming
Input Skip: skip unused inputs for ease of use
Power Save Mode: reduce power consumption by adjusting lamp brightness
Clock: set current time
Sleep Timer: set the time the TV should remain on before turning off automatically
Timer Events: set to turn the TV on, the duration of time the TV will remain on, and to tune to a specific channel at certain times

GENERAL FEATURES
Auto SAP
ID1 Detection
Video Label: label the audio/video equipment connected to the TV for ease of identification
Closed Caption (CC): select from several closed caption modes (for programs that are broadcast with closed caption)

POWER
Power Consumption (in Operation): 200W
Power Consumption (in Standby): Less than 0.1W
Power Requirements: AC 120–240V, 50/60Hz

WEIGHTS AND MEASUREMENTS
Dimensions (Approx) Width: 988mm (38 7/8″) including pedestal, 988mm (38 7/8″) without pedestal
Dimensions (Approx) Height: 716mm (28 3/16″) including pedestal, 664mm (26 5/32″) without pedestal
Dimensions (Approx) Depth: 334mm (13 5/32″) including pedestal, 103mm (4 1/16″) without pedestal
Weight (Approx.): 27kg (59.5lbs) including pedestal, 21kg (46lbs 3oz) without pedestal

REGULATION AND STANDARD COMPLIANCE
Energy Star® Compliant
VESA (200 x 400 hole pattern / M6 thread size / 16.5mm hole depth)

SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES
Tabletop Stand
RM–YD005 Remote Control
AA x 2 Batteries
Coaxial Cable (x1)
HD–15 to HD15 Cable (x1)
Support belt and screws
Operation Manual

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES
SU–WL51 Wall Mount Bracket
SU–PW2 Wall Mount Bracket

FOOTNOTES
1. Screen Size measured diagonally.

call HART crazy .. but

Major drug bust on truck driver near Headingley which is basically the outskirts of Winnipeg, and about 5 miles from my house. We live just off of Portage Avenue here in Winnipeg, and this truck driver might have been just like any other trucker travelling through our city from one end to the other. Portage Avenue is our Trans Canada Highway #1 that goes coast to coast. When I heard this news .. All I could think of was .. Hmmmm.

RCMP made a huge drug bust yesterday, after what started as a routine commercial vehicle inspection.
RCMP pulled over a Kenworth tractor trailer heading eastbound on Highway #1 at Headingley, and noted discrepancies in the 46-year-old Vancouver driver’s hours of service.

Officers took a further look, and found some drug paraphernalia. After they took the man into custody, they looked a bit more, and found what’s described as a “sophisticated concealment method” that was hiding about 40 kilograms of what’s believed to be cocaine, and around 200-thousand tablets of what’s believed to be Ecstasy in the roof liner of the truck.

The seizure is estimated at between at least 2 and 5 million dollars.

James Bradley Kenyon has been remanded in custody to next Tuesday, and faces various charges.

CJOB’s Brett Megarry reporting.

call HART crazy .. but

This is both a “RANT” and a “RAVE”

I believe I was one of the lucky ones growing up .. I always had a cottage to go to .. at least up to my 16th birthday anyway .. and also had friends and relatives with cottages since. My parents first had a cottage at Caddy Lake, which is located just before West Hawk Lake and Falcon Lake near Manitoba and Ontario Border. We had a trailer in the Green Bay Resort area. Our next cottage was over at Jessica Lake, also in the Whiteshell Provincial Park, near White Lake and Brereton Lake.

We loved the water, and had boats, canoes, a dock, water skis, diving board, and a cliff about 20 feet high that we used to jump off into the 5 ft water below! It was great. We were all great swimmers and skiiers. When I say “WE” .. I mean my two brothers and myself. We loved to water ski and drive boats. And, my father sacrificed a lot in those days. Our cottage was about 2-1/2 hours away from our home, and he would only come on the weekends, Friday night, and leave late Sunday night. My mom and the three sons would stay out there all summer, at least.

In our cottage ownership days .. we had 5 boats.

1) We had a green canoe. When I was about 11 years old, I went on a 7-day camping and canoe trip with my older brother who was 17 throughout the whiteshell. There are rivers joining most of the lakes in the Whiteshell, and it was no different with Jessica Lake. First we portaged across to a remote lake beside Jessica Lake, then we paddled our canoe all the way to Big Whiteshell Lake and portaged over to Horseshoe Lake. We had a healthy diet of clams and frogs legs! It is a memory that I still keep up today.

2) We had an aluminum 16′ boat with a West Bend 8 HP motor .. for fishing. I can’t tell you how many times that motor has been repaired, fell off that boat, hit a rock, taken apart and put back together .. I think the Rennie Service Repairmen could repair that motor blindfolded it was there for service for many times. But, we had this at Caddy Lake and used that to travel the tunnels and riverways .. and we still had both this boat and motor (and the canoe) when we finally did sell the Jessica Lake Cottage.

3) We started with a regularly sized boat, with a 55 HP outboard motor .. and it was okay for the most part, but as we started to get older .. it was slowing us down.

4) We had a small sailboat, and occassionally went sailing around the lake. We only put the sailboat in the water when company of friends, or business associates / work friends of my dad came out with their sailboat and made it an event.

5) We upgraded to a speedboat, and a 205 HP outboard motor .. it was great! It had the ski bar inside the boat so when we were skiing, you can go all the way as far as you can along side the boat. We had this boat when my folks sold the cottage, and parked it in our 5-acre rural yard. I was so anxious waiting one final year to take it out for a spin .. but, a month before my 16th birthday .. my older brother took it out to some lake and didn’t bring it back. It ended up being taken in for repair at Rennie, Manitoba and barely made it out alive! After summer, we got it back and it just parked in our fields – unrepaired motor – and grew grass around it. Some guy drove by one day and offered my dad some cash for it, and the boat and trailer .. and he took it. I have not water skiied since that day in 1977. Still went swimming, and camping though

But, while we had the boat and the cottage .. we loved to ski. We all could ski both with two skis, and then slalom with one ski. Myself, I was like my older brother who used to start off with two skis and then drop off one in the middle of the trip close to our base home dock, and then continue with the slaloming. And, I was good! I could create a great big spray and hardly ever fell. But, I was not as good as my older brother. It was funny in those olden days at Jessica Lake .. on the other side of the lake there was a slalom skiier about my older brother’s age and they would compete against each other .. showing off doing tricks .. see who can do the biggest spray .. stuff like that!

I don’t think ski-jets existed at that time, or at least was never a consideration for our father to get us one (our conversations would have probably ended with something like “you ungrateful bums – always wanting more”). We did like to change it up a bit though. We had this giant red surf board. It was made out of wood, and about 3 ft wide and 5 ft long. The tow rope attached to the boat attached to the surf board itself, and there was a handle also attached to the front of the surf board, in case we wanted to stand up. You had to be careful about this one, because if you weren’t careful and was trying to spray water, or weave in and out of the wake .. if you fell – it hurt and you got bruised if the board hit you. I might have gotten the odd bruise in my leg, as the life jacket or belt usually softened the blow

But, then in 1976 we moved out of the city into a rural part of town about 35 miles from the city. It wasn’t a farm or anything – we just commuted back and forth to work, school, etc. But it was a much bigger expense for my parents then, and they decided to keep the boat and sell the cottage. I don’t think they got much for it .. maybe about $30,000 ? or something like that. On my honeymoon in 2002 I drove by the old cottage and almost peed my pants – it was so beautiful .. with a dock, double boathouse, limestone and landscaping .. upper deck and gazebo around the house .. well, it must be worth at least $250,000 to $500,000 range now!

THAT WAS THEN, AND THIS IS NOW

My wife’s mother passed away sadly on May 26, 2006 and was part owner of a cottage on Lake Winnipeg. Now, for you NON-Manitobans reading this and wonder where Lake Winnipeg is .. look at a map. In North America, find those 5 great lakes. Look left and it’s the bigger lake in the center. Lake Winnipeg has many popular beaches and resorts around both sides, and my wife inherited a part ownership of a cottage on the EAST SIDE at Victoria Beach. On this side .. there are many resorts, but the most popular beaches would be Grand Beach and Victoria Beach. On the WEST SIDE of the lake, the most popular beaches might be Winnipeg Beach and Gimli. Of course, ask anybody who lives out there and has a cottage – they would say “RUBBISH!” because everywhere is popular out there.

If you want to get a really good perspective of where Victoria Beach is (a peninsula) .. I’ve got this great API embedded into a Google map on my other site .. HERE. Feel free to zoom in and out to see Lake Winnipeg and surrounding areas .. I live in Winnipeg city by the way.

If you want to see our cottage and pictures I’ve been taking over the summer .. they are over HERE on my business site.

Lake Winnipeg is (I think I read it somewhere) the 10th largest non-salted water/lake in the world. During normal years, the deepest part of the lake is on average 43 feet deep although there is rumors that there might be dredges in places up to 118 feet deep. It is quite shallow for its size, and is very sandy. In contrast, by Caddy Lake .. West Hawk Lake was hit with a meteor long ago and approximately 400 feet deep, with spots maybe 600 feet deep (unconfirmed guesses from memory). Lake Winnipeg is currently about 4 feet lower now that it was in June 2006. You can see that in the picture gallery!

WHAT SPARKED ME TO WRITE ABOUT BOATS AND TUBING AND COTTAGES?

As I mentioned above, we just had a boat on our lake. This year, at the new cottage .. you can’t but notice all the new aquatic entertainment there is. There are tons of ski-jets .. individual Wind Surfing boards, and for boats .. you see more of those giant tubes that float about 2 ft above water level that attach to boats these days than you see skiiers! Generally, the reason is probably because most people like to stay inside the little coves and inlets along the coast than risk crossing the lake .. and it’s shallow water and there are a lot of kids! Makes sense, eh?

Well, on the Lake Winnipeg WIKI link I posted earlier above .. to the left of Lake Winnipeg is Lake Manitoba. To the left of that is the city Brandon. Near Brandon is Minnedosa and there is a lake (called Minnedosa Lake) and during the last weekend .. someone died from a TUBING and BOATING accident. He was age 44 years old .. 1 year older than me. It got me thinking about boating, and tubing, and all my cottages during life. We did have one instance where my mother lost control of the boat .. but, someone else in the boat quickly got control back and it’s just a laughing memory nowadays. And, that was 30 years ago.

Today .. my parents are 70+ years old and will be celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary this October 2006. I wouldn’t let them drive a boat and tow me around in a rubber tube. Well, maybe I would! We don’t have a boat now .. and all I’ve been doing this first year back with cottage location .. is floating on my back. I wear glasses and just about two weekends ago, there was a neighboring guy on a Wind Surfer wizzing back and forth in front of me, and missed me once by about 25 feet. I saw him coming, stood up and he just fall sideways.

I don’t know the circumstances of what happened out on Lake Minnedosa last weekend .. but our hearts are out for them. It must have been terrible for everybody involved, and especially those family members in the boat at the time. It only takes a second, and the unimaginable can happen .. *snap* .. just like that!

So, be careful out there, eh?

Here was the news item:

Brandon man dies in boating accident

A 44-year-old Brandon man has been killed in a boating accident. RCMP say it happened around 4:30 on Saturday afternoon on Lake Minnedosa. The victim was taken to Minnedosa Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The name of the deceased is …. He was on a tube being pulled by the boat, which was carrying members of his family. He was accidentally struck by the boat, and died of his injuries.

RCMP say it doesn’t appear alcohol was involved, and are continuing to investigate.

CJOB’s Brett Megarry reporting.

SOURCE: CJOB

Yup. Sad.

call HART crazy .. but

Do you want to join (be listed in) my sidebar under “Crazy Blogroll”? Just list me on your blog and ask for a reciprocal link via email or in the comments to this entry! Voila~ That’s it!

Of course, you are welcome to link any of my other sites at HART-Empire Network and I will link you on any of the sites that you reciprocal link me.

Actually, I might just link you myself – so, I hope you don’t mind. I must like ya or something. Or, perhaps you tipped me to something really crazy and I posted it in here .. or your site is quite crazy and I posted it in here .. maybe I’ll just link you in a post directly! I’m like that .. call HART crazy!

call HART crazy’s “CRAZY BLOGROLL”

I have officially opened this up today to include my first link out to my friend Martin Neumann from down under at .. The Blog Columnist!

I’m also testing his trackback system on his blog under his WELCOME post (Did you get that? Come back here and let me know)

Hey Martin! Thanks for link in your sidebar!

And, a “Hey” to you people who found me from Martin’s site .. I should let you know that this blog is not about anything, but I hope after reading it you will be entertained somewhat.

This is just my attempt at “impulse blogging” … let me explain!

If I see something I like – I’ll blog about it. If I see something I don’t like – I’ll blog about it. If I’m quite content and don’t really care one way or the other .. there may not be any posts for a short period of time. So, if that happens – just surf my sidebar’s “crazy Blogroll” links and entertain yourselves … and, oh – leave the door unlocked, eh?

Everybody’s welcome to listen to our rants and raves in here. I say “OUR RANTS” because often at family gatherings I have siblings, relatives and friends who *cough* claims to be pissed off and want to rant or rave about something on the blogosphere. I tell them to put up or shut up .. so, sometimes they put up – in here!

That’s just a pre-warning in case you meet .. “O.KAYE” or “R.U.NIMROD” or “ROCKY” or “WARREN” (the only one with a normal name).

call HART crazy .. but

When I first watched that show .. I knew it would be a hit for many reasons … because I think the basic concept .. “Karma” .. is a great one .. What a great concept – if we do nice things, nice things will happen to you. If only that were true!

But – wait – My name is HART ..

The other day .. I was at a restaurant, and there was a person, on crutches who reached the door first, and began to hold the door for me. I thanked him, and walked through the door. Then, after I went through, I asked him if I can hold the door for him! He said it wasn’t necessary, but fumbled a bit, then said . “UH SURE, THANKS” .. So I held the door open and he walked through it.

Well, so did a family of about 20 and 6 more customers. Here I was holding the door for half the restaurant .. and, after they left, there even was a couple who were coming into the restaurant and jokingly asked … “ARE YOU THE NEW DOORMAN?” .. I laughed and said “YES I AM” .. and they went in .,.. and then I left.

The person I was with – mentioned to me … “THAT’s WHAT YOU GET FOR HOLDING THE DOOR OPEN FOR PEOPLE!”

Well .. today, I went to fill my gas tank (ouch $50.00) and left to meet my wife for shopping and dinner. I was at a corner where it is a 3-way stop sign, and about 15 cars in the line-up around rush hour. In my rear view mirror, I notice this person .. running after my car waving his hands frantically! I was inching forward, and every time I did he kept chasing my car it seemed. I turned down my stereo and rolled down my window and as soon as I turned my head – I saw the reason why he was chasing me.

It seems I forgot to close the gas cover after I filled up at the gas station, and it was sticking outwards all the way open. It seemed he was the passenger in the car behind me, noticed this, and jumped out to try to close it for me! I said “THANK-YOU VERY MUCH”!! And I waved the thanks to him and the driver (I suppose his wife) for thinking of me and helping out.

Karma?

My friend said .. “THAT’s WHAT YOU GET FOR HOLDING THE DOOR OPEN FOR PEOPLE!”

EXACTLY!

“

call HART crazy .. but

.. were you expecting some other outcome to happen?

www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/electionnight/index.html

Okay .. Let’s see.

124 CON
029 NDP
001 IND
—–
154
—–

103 LIB
051 BQ
—–
154
—–

Oh sure… In Jack Layton’s (NDP) Victory Speech …

(paraphrasing)
Canadians do not want another election … Canadians asked for a minority government and Canadian has asked NDP to balance that government … to challenge and scrutinize … but not oppose .. instead .. propose to parliament that they put working families first …

*yawn….