Anne went out to Shaw cable our ISP Thursday to get my modem replacement, About time. I’ve been using the same modem for the last 10 years.
The other day the Federal Government announced it’s not going to offer any bailout money for troubled Canadian television networks losing advertising revenue in this economy. CanWest Global and CTV are the ones hurting the most but the Feds can certainly pay the CBC $1B/year so the CBC could lay off 800 people across the country. Global is more important to me then the CBC. I only watch CBC when there’s an Oiler game on or during the NHL playoffs and Eskimo games. I use Global for local news and they have ECW on Friday nights. Plus I think CanWest owns Space (our sci-fi channel affiliate) But the Feds can certainly bailout the auto industry. It’s not that CanWest and CTV etc don’t have options. They are currently trying to negotiate with the Feds to have a fee tacked onto the cable bill. I don’t mind paying a $1-3/month for these 2 stations. The other source of revenue for them would be have more “As seen on TV” adds. Off hours they have more paid advertisements. Personally I think Harper really dropped the ball on this issue. The last thing I want to see is CanWest filing for bankruptcy. What really did it for me for the CBC was when they wouldn’t spend the extra money to retain exclusive rights for the Hockey night in Canada theme song. Yet the CBC can lay off 800 staff to keep $1B/year. I smell a boondoggle alright. If it came to a trade off to keep CanWest Global/CTV or the CBC, I’d say get rid of the CBC.
Well, I finally won on the 6/49 yesterday. Not the $14M but $2 on the extra. Wuwho! Hehehe. Nobody won the big draw so the jackpot gets adjusted to $22M for Saturday night‘s draw. Some of the guys at worked yesterday asked me if I’d still keep my job if I won the big one. I said I’d call in and resign and then prepare a statement and leave it on the answering machine overnight. If I won the $22M Anne and I are sharing it down the middle. Half goes on her bank card and the other I keep on my card. But one thing I would not absolutely do, is tell you guys about it if I won. Nothing personal. I’d still be myself. I’d do my hobbies, continue with my writing. I’d play more ASL and go to Lodge more often of course. For anyone that plays the 6/49 we all dream about it right?
I decided earlier that I’m cutting back on my coffee consumption. Not by much but just down to 2 cups/day. I used to take a table spoon full of coffee and waste most of it. This is my at home coffee supply and the container reads 260 cups. That should be enough at 2 cups/day for 4 months using a teaspoon instead of a table spoon at 2 cups/day:
In market news today they were talking how retail sales since October here in Canada went up by about $4B but they are down here in Alberta only because our sales were stronger before the recession. It’s that old saying the heavier you weigh the harder you land when you fall type thing. Oil is climbing back up to $49 and one of the main players in the oil/gas industry here in Alberta is laying off 14% of it’s work force worldwide due to a sluggish economy, another company that’s responding to our economic downturn way too soon in my opinion. I still say Oil is going to climb up to $60 by the end of this May. Oil will then peak at around $70 in July and slide down gradually to about $40 in October and float between $40-$50 from October-March of ‘09-10.Last night on Coast (Wednesday night) George had Dr. Michio Kaku as a guest. I love this guy. He talked about Setti and how redundant this organization is. Mainly because we’re a type “0” Civilization still using oil and coal to contact a type “1” or “2” civilization. We’re trying to find a society that is using radio. A type “0” society finding another type “0” society in the middle of a haystack. Even if we were trying to find a type “2” society would we even register what we’re doing on their “radar”? I don’t think so. Also who needs space ships anymore? With Cern’s LHC coming back online soon, and Lisa we might be able to utilize dark matter to create a Star Gate. We simply walk through a portal and we’re on the planet ,just like in the TV show. It’s entirely possible this will happen even in my lifetime. I firmly believe Dark Matter (dm), which according to Michio Kaku makes up about 80% of matter in the known universe. DM and the LHC will be able to get us to other planets a lot faster then a ship traveling at the speed light ever will.
Anyways after dinner out with the family Anne and I are going to see RJS. Hopefully I can get a better photo with of me and RJS together. Before she left she received her income tax refund and that means I get to buy the hard copy of “Wake.” I’d like to see Audrey’s snag more Canadian author tours, like Spider Robinson coming here to Pure Speculation in October, or Tanya Huff, Julie C Czerneda, Ken Schroeder, just to name a few. Pure Speculation is a small local convention hosted by On Spec. I happen to know a few big names in SFF world that got their start with On Spec. I’d like to see some of them “pay forward” as it were and come out to a local event here. I’d pay a little extra to meet with some of these authors……..later that night at home: Anne brought back the new modem. It’s not much faster (that I can tell) then the older one. Anne decides to get Chinese food about 5:30pm. When 6pm rolled around and no deliver some worry crept in. I had a shave and Anne left the money for the delivery as she went out to feed the birds across the street. So much for my shower. By 6:30pm and phone calls to cancel the Chinese food Anne got worried I hadn’t taken my insulin so she fixed me some soup and I wolfed that down spilling it on my shirt I was going to wear to the reading. I had to change that and the sell phone got left behind.
I finally got out of the house and right on my rear end was the #11 coming up fast to the lights. I got to the train and a bit of a wait and realized I had left the cell phone behind. I called my wife from a pay phone at Corona station and then went right upstairs to Audrey’s and bought Robert J Sawyer’s book “Wake.” I took a seat and waited as the place began to fill up. One fellow I didn’t get his name made reference to me mentioning how I thought Wake was the 2nd in the series when it’s really the first. He’s read my blog or reads it, thank you.
Rob is so enjoyable to listen to. I think he ought to do voice for his own audio books. The reading was followed by a short Q&A. Some people from On Spec were there. Some local writers etc. A head count was made of about 50 people in attendance. After the reading and Q&A a line up was forming from the basement to the main floor to have a one on one with Rob. I wanted to wait until the place thinned out a bit so I could get a photo of Rob and me together. The last photo of us when he was here for his novel “Rollback,” which didn’t turn out very well what with me and my bad teeth and all showing. I smiled but didn’t show any teeth. I looked a bit scruffy looking. I wanted to go to the reading fresh and relaxed but since Anne’s blow up had the opposite affect on me.
One things for sure I’m not very photogenic. I’d like to be in a photo like the one Russell took of me this evening at Audrey’s with Mr. Sawyer with other SFF authors. But Robert J. Sawyer is my favorite Canadian SF author. He’s a class act all the way. I missed Peter Watts 2 years ago at Pure Spec. I also wanted to chat with the On Spec editor to confirm Spider Robinson for the next Pure Spec but she was busy with others. Russell is now doing the special order taking while Trevor is away. So while waiting for the crowd to clear out I ordered 2 Dragonlance trilogies and the Ben Bova “Sam Gun” Omnibus in MMP. I also ordered a few C. J. Cherryh Omnibus’s while the crowd thinned out to a trickle. I was his last signing and I asked him if he’d be in a photo with me. So there it is above. One question I asked if Rob at the singing table after the photo had ever thought of collaborating with another Canadian Pro SF author like Tanya Huff etc. But he didn’t like the idea at all.I was the last to leave the store and I went to Tim’s as it was snowing pretty heavily out there and in Tim’s were 2 of the guys I work with, Nathan and Pat. Apparently there was a foul up with the cheques as they weren’t printed properly. They had to be returned back to Calgary. All this while the boss is away in Vegas. I rode the train home with them spilling a little coffee on my book but no major damage.
Anne wasn‘t home when I got there but she showed up and while we were both settling in she said she thought I walked out on her and after giving me half an head start she followed me down to Audrey’s and saw me in the seats. She wanted to get my attention but thought better of it and headed back home to get my insulin.
I had some of the Chinese food she had left over. It wasn’t that good. I met Robs driver from Calgary Krista (I hope that's how her name is spelled.) and she mentioned my name. I was curious if we had met somewhere and she said only to see my Blogspot Blog. Another Blog connection. Interesting. I mentioned about the SCA in Calgary and she gave me this card saying that she had some connection with them. All in all I had a great day yesterday so I’m going to post this.
Anyway gang, that’s all for now
e. Jim
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