Je Me Souviendrai

It means “I will remember.” Tomorrow is November 11. Remembrance Day. We have a phrase that is associated with this day: “Lest We Forget.” But lately it’s starting to feel like it may be too late for that. A great many of us seem to have already forgotten. Our day of remembrance has lost its meaning.

The Beater Diaries

My father was a car guy. I am a car guy. My father believed that cars should be looked after, cared for and well-maintained. He believed that such cars were always worth more at trade-in time. And he always got big bucks for his trade-ins. I am my father’s son. Except that I tend to keep my cars longer than he did. I get attached. He never did.

The Gift

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the 28^th of June, about a month before our 17^th anniversary. I was sitting in my office when the phone rang. Call display said it was my wife. When I answered, she was beside herself with excitement. The Winnipeg Humane Society had a program where they loaned abandoned animals to various pet shops in the hope that they would be adopted. My wife had been walking past our local pet store and had seen a cat in the window. It was love at first sight. “You don’t have to buy me anything for our anniversary, but I really, really want this cat! She’s beautiful! We’ve just got to, got to, got to adopt her! …..” (heavy sigh).

My Baby Girl

My baby girl graduated from university a few weeks ago. In a few more weeks she will be getting married. My baby girl isn’t a baby anymore. But she is to me. To me, she will always, always, always be my baby girl.

My daughter is a musician – a very good musician. I could give you a list of the instruments she plays, but it might be faster to list the ones she doesn’t play. She plays a lot of instruments. I went through our house a few years ago and took an inventory of all the instruments “we” own. The word “we” is in quotes because…... well, you’ll see.

Do you believe in luck?

“You got lucky!”

“There is no such thing as luck!”

Ever heard either of those? Ever used one? Or the other? Or both? We all have. But is there such a thing as luck?

Multiculturalism 101

My daughter just finished university. She’s a music teacher. She starts working full time in the Fall but for May and June she’s picking up experience (and some extra cash) by working as a substitute teacher in the Winnipeg 1 school division.

Winnipeg 1 is the largest school division in the city and probably the most challenging. It includes Winnipeg’s inner city and, if you believe the headlines, the inner city is not a great place to live or work. Gang violence, murder, drugs…. according to the papers and TV newscasts, the inner city is one big adventure in taking your life in your hands.

Could it be that the news reports tend to focus on the negative and sensationalize the bad things that happen? Is that possible? They wouldn’t do that, would they? Based on what I saw yesterday, perhaps we shouldn’t be attaching as much credence to the headlines as we often do.

Welcome to Winterpeg

Winnipeg. That’s where I live. We have winter here. BOY, do we have winter here! People from other places call us “Winterpeg.” It’s not a name that most Winnipeggers are fond of, but if the shoe fits……. The long-running joke has always been that in Winnipeg we have 4 distinct seasons: Almost Winter; Winter; Still Winter; and Road Construction. That was supposed to be a joke. Apparently, Mother Nature doesn’t get it.

Winnipeggers have long been proud of their ability to survive the winters here. I don’t want to brag about how hearty we are but I know people who have used a frostbite scar as a form of identification. To put it simply, if you can survive here, you can survive anywhere. But even Winnipeggers have had enough. ENOUGH ALREADY!

Crazy Greg’s Going Out Of Business Sale

Hi! I’m Greg and I’m CRAAAAAAZY! I’m the Premier of Manitoba and I’m bonkers! Don’t believe me? Just look at my record!

Remember the 2011 election? The opposition claimed that I was planning on raising the PST. I told everyone who would listen that those claims were “total nonsense.” You can quote me on that, because I really said it! And you believed me and I won the election! Ah-hahahahaha!

Idiots!

Compulsive Thinking

It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then – to loosen up. Inevitably, though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker.

I began to think alone – "to relax," I told myself. But I knew it wasn't true.

Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time. That was when things began to sour at home. One evening I had turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her mother's.

A Victim of My Own Success

I am a dog lover who married into a family of cat lovers. Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t hate cats. I’m basically an animal lover. If it’s got four legs and fur, I’m probably going to try to pet it (that has, on occasion, included a number of woodland creatures that most people are usually better off leaving alone including one bear that I was photographing one morning who got as interested in me as I was in her. Talk about encroaching on someone's personal space! But that's another story for another time). So, as I said, I don’t hate cats. I just prefer dogs.

The Newbie Gets A Blog

My first blog post. This should be entertaining… not!

My name is Al Mechler and I am an I.T. geek who retired after 36 years. I spent a good portion of my career designing and building databases and supporting database technologies. I loved drowning myself in technology. For the last 11 years of my career, I was in management. Tune in here periodically and you’ll hear a lot about my opinions of managers and management in general. That will be entertaining.

I dabble in photography – mostly nature and wildlife. Some of my favourite times are just getting away with my cameras. There is nothing more relaxing for me than spending a day on the lake or in the bush photographing nature. I love shooting digital because it’s instant gratification. You don’t have to wait to get your film developed to see what you shot and you never have the wrong ISO film in the camera.

Lastly, I am a natural cynic. I see the world through a cynic’s eyes and no-one will ever accuse me of wearing rose coloured glasses. My Grade 10 English teacher once told me that I was the most cynical person she had ever met. I’m thinking of having that engraved on my headstone. I love to laugh and there is a great big, incredibly silly world out there that provides me with plenty of things to laugh at.

In this blog I will be sharing my thoughts and observations as the world unfolds. I’ll also be sharing cool, funny and interesting things that I find on the net.

And I’m always open to feedback. Enjoy.