The World According to Aargh

And Then There Was Change

Anthony — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:00:19 +0000

I seem to expereince a lot of change in my life whether I want to or not. Recently in the last four weeks my work life has changed quite dramatically with me being asked to take on a more varied role. I have had to learn some new parts of the business very quickly and change my focus even quicker. It has made for an interseting few weeks and a very busy time. I am traveling quite a bit which means I am spending more time on the road than I am at home.

I have been through this in the past with each time I have to figure out how I am going to make it work and to some extent put my life on hold while I go through the changes. Hopefully this time I will be able to balance my personal and business life so the business side does not over take my personal life. So far it is business 1 personal 0 but it is a work in progress.

Snow Days

Anthony — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:12:15 +0000

As strange as it sounds yes we have snow in Chilliwack and while it is not unheard of, we do not normally see that much and what we do get does not usually stay. Since Saturday we have had somewhere around 25-30 cm of snow and today it snowed again with more expected tonight and Wednesday.Probably not a big deal for most of Canada but for us on the Lower Mainland we are not used to snow and are not really equipped for snow which stays longer than a few days.

My Touareg with a bit of of the white stuff

Crack of Dawn

Anthony — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:55:31 +0000

On my recent flight into Edmonton I was watching the breaking of the dawn and took some photos

A Good Reminder

Anthony — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:17:16 +0000

Even though I get a little disillusioned about the commercialization of Christmas a gentle reminder that there is more to Christmas makes me feel a whole lot better. When I read the famous editorial “Is There a Santa Claus?” it reminds me what is important.

From The New York Sun September 21, 1897…

Is There a Santa Claus?

We take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor: I am 8 years old.
“Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
“Papa says ‘If you see it in The Sun it’s so.’
“Please tell me the truth: is there a Santa Claus?
“Virginia O’Hanlon.
“115 West Ninety-fifth street.”

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now,Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Is It Really Christmas?

Anthony — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:21:17 +0000

Over the past few days I have been in a lot of stores doing some shopping, well mostly looking at things and something struck me which is very disturbing. Of the 8-10 places I visited yesterday only one person in one place wished me a Happy Holiday. In every other instance I received the standard “Have a Nice Day/Evening” greeting that you get 11 months of the year. So my question is did I miss a memo, was there a meeting I missed? What happened to saying Merry Christmas or Happy New Year or All the Best of Season or Seasons Greetings, I could go on for a while but what gives?

I understand businesses are in business to sell product but somewhere along the way the commercialization seems to have taken over and we no longer recognize Christmas and New Years as a celebration and I am not even referring to the religious celebration I am more thinking about family and friends gathering to celebrate and enjoy some time together. I am hoping maybe this is just some anomaly and I will wake up and everyone I walk past and everyone I see in a store will acknowledge the season and at least slowdown for a few seconds and say Merry Christmas or one of the others.

Salt and Sugar

Anthony — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:34:55 +0000

Recently and I mean in the last 3 months I have made some changes in my life. I have decided I am not getting any younger (no surprise there!) and I need to be healthier. To help with my health I have started eating better and reading the labels of the food I buy. It has been very tough as I am trying to cut down on both sodium and sugar and when I pickup a package or can and see the high level of sodium and sugar I get really disheartened. It is not easy to eat better foods and it is not cheap. I do not have a lot of time to cook meals but what I am finding is I am forced to cook more meals from scratch otherwise I am eating lots of sodium and sugar. Most prepackaged meals are full of sodium and the amount of sugar in “no Sugar Added” foods is just shocking.

I wish there were simple alternates but I am still searching. I wish I had more time to cook better meals and this has helped me make a decision which has been on my mind for quite some time. I am going to sell my house and move closer to Vancouver. I have been weighing this decision for quite sometime and there are some great positive aspects to moving in closer to the city. I am comfortable in my house and surroundings. I will definitely miss my neighbors and love the quietness of my neighborhood but it is time for a change. This will allow more time for me and I will spend less time commuting. I will need to fix some things up in my house before I put it up for sale but the decision is made and I need to move forward.

Soup’s On

Anthony — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:26:17 +0000

I dug into my recipe book and decided to make Chicken Noodle Soup in my slow cooker this past weekend. A pretty simple recipe with five ingredients which turned out very well. Last night I had a nice dinner of soup and fresh bread. I am really loving my slow cooker next I think I will try a pot roast in the cooker. I am on the look out for some more good recipes to make use of my slow cooker.

Made You Smile

Anthony — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:25:33 +0000

Even though it is supposed to be the festive season I am still feeling the blaaas. Still not sure why I am not fully feeling myself but tonight on TV I watched something which never fails to put a smile on my face. A Charlie Brown Christmas, which cuts through the commercialization of Christmas. A story which makes me feel good about life and makes me appreciate the simpler things in life.

November Blaaaa

Anthony — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:54:48 +0000

For whatever reason I am feeling really down lately not sure why. I have lots to be thankful for but I cannot seem to get out of this rut I am in for very long. As I said I have no real reason to be down, my job is going well, I have no major issues in my life and I have recently met a young lady who may have stolen a piece of my heart.

It maybe the weather, or maybe I am just tired, whatever it is I cannot seem to shake this feeling I have had for the last few weeks. I should be on top of the world but I am not. It has gotten to the point that people around me have noticed and have been concerned. Normally this time of year I tend to get a little withdrawn and maybe a bit depressed as my birthday comes up and Christmas, but I should be happy with the new lady in my life. I am quite the enigma as I have no reason to be in a rut. Maybe I just need a swift kick in the butt to set me straight.

Dog Days

Anthony — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:08:49 +0000

It has been two years since I lost my Baby Monster Tara and I really do miss her dearly. It has been difficult to be alone and recently I met a new friend who introduced me to her dog Bonita, a Boston Terrier. This got my juices flowing on maybe looking for a new doggie friend. As I was searching I came across a web site with some dog sayings which are just so true.

A man’s best friend is his dog

A house is not a home without a dog

Dogs are really people with short legs in fur coats

Dogs are people too

Chasing your tail gets you nowhere … ‘cept back to where you started

If you want the best seat in the house … move the dog

My dog’s not spoiled … I’m just well trained

“In a perfect world, every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog.”

“Maybe you’ve been looking for love in all the wrong places. A dog will treat you better than anyone you’ll meet at happy hour. Trust me. I’ve been to happy hour.”

I miss you Baby Monster!