What's Wrong

Recent incidents in Hespeler involving teenagers has gotten me thinking about my days as a teen and what trouble we got into, and i can tell you we were different than the group today.
I became a teen during the early '70s and while we drank what we could get and smoked some of the "whacky tabaccy" we were not as destructive or insolent as the teens today. Yes we walked the streets sometimes and may have thrown a few eggs at some peoples houses{sorry Mr. Hodges} we had no graffiti urges, no urges to break the windows in the library, no desire to set fires in front of stores in fact you could call my generation "pussies" if you like, but at least we could use our time and energy to better effect than the brainless bunch that roam outside today. On any giving night there would be a road hockey game on Cooper Street or on Hungerford road that would go until 9 or ten and except for the bush's in front of the Panabaker house no damage would be done. And on the weekends a party may break out on what is now Holiday Inn Drive, but back then was an old wooded area totally inaccessible by car, so we could see someone coming and we could high tail it out of there. Back then we also had regular police patrols and you never knew when Flashlight Freddie or Cpl. Eagle would pop out of nowhere and nab you. As a matter of fact i think we were all afraid of what our Fathers would say more than the police.
We didn't have video games full of violence and gore, and a 300 channel universe that offers everything on demand. We were not allowed to just sit a t home and leach off the old man we had to work with some of our spare time. Hell at 15 i was working for my Dad down at Artex Woolens after school and on weekends. Sometimes i wonder how i did all the little mischievous things i did back then, because i certainly did not have the free time that kids today have. And that brings me to my main point, the reason for some of the problems, society has evolved and not for the better. The young offenders act has certainly led to kids not being scared of the police or punishment, the fact that you can not really discipline children is a big problem today, even though my father never used the belt, just the fear of it was enough. The lack of a police station in Hespeler is certainly a factor as there is no presence on a steady basis. I can't remember the last time i saw a road hockey game or a pickup baseball game being played behind Our lady of Fatima grade school. And of course marijuana has Been replaced by "crack" a drug that makes you aggressive as opposed to pot which would send us giggling into an area where no one could see us and we could sit and stare at an ant moving across a floor for hours. And asking someone to listen to a James Taylor or Harry Chapin CD today brings a laugh, hell Black Sabbath is tame compared to some of the Rap and Death Metal that these kids call music today. Read a book? Don't make me laugh. Is there hope? Well let's pray there is. Suddenly i have an urge to grab a bottle of Lemon Gin, call up some of the guy's and go play some road hockey...naaa it's late and i have to get up for work in the morning. Have a good Day everyone!

3 Stages of Man

The three stages of man
--he believes in Santa Clause
--He doesn't believe in Santa Clause
--He is Santa Clause

Responsible Holiday Drinking=i am trying to schedule it so i get it all done before lunch
If you don't make mistakes, you aren't really trying
I'd tell you a joke about a pencil, but it doesn't have any point
I was named after my father, I'm called Dad
A conservative government is an organized hypocrisy---Benjamen Disraeli
A hotdog at the ball park beats a steak at the ritz---Bogie
Why does Hawaii have an Interstate highway?
Authentic reproduction=oxymoron or what?
Why is the man who invests my money called a BROKER
The grass is always greener;;;when you remember to water your lawn
How come quicksand works so slowly?
Coffee=break fluid
Atheism is a non-prophet organization
Elephants can't jump, every other mammal can
I like long walks...especially when they are by people that annoy me
A clear conscience is usually a sign of a bad memory
Therapy is expensive..popping bubble wrap is cheap..you decide

And don't bother me..i am living happily ever after.

Merry Christmas

10 things that men understand about woman

10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

Okay maybe i had better re think this one!

12 Rejected Christmas toys

12 toys that were rejected for this Christmas season

MY LITTLE PONY GLUE FACTORY

JOHN CANDYLAND

PEPPIN TOMMYS NIGHT VISION GOGGLES

EASYBAKE METH LAB

TONKA TOYS FOR WHITE TRASH

PLAYDOUGH BLING FACTORY

ROADKILL RACCOON

O.J. SIMPSON ACTION FIGURE, WITH LIFE LIKE SLAHING MOTION

SHIITE PET

XXX FILES ACTION FIGURES

BULIMIC BARBIE

ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLE POWER RANGERS.

Sittings 8

Just some more useless ramblings.

The most common name in the world is now Muhammad...Betty Boop is still the sexiest Cartoon female ever...Buzz Aldrins mothers maiden name was MOON...I think i drink too much coffee, Juan Valdez just named a donkey after me...The inflatable Dart Board, was there ever a more stupid invention?...An intellectual is just someone who has found something more interesting than sex...Kraft Dinner or Oatmeal,,what's more comforting to you?...now that the pope has pissed off all the Muslims I am worried he will go after us Catholics next...an elephant is just a mouse built to government specifications..."Solutions are not the answer" [Richard Nixon]...I find it a bit unnerving that Doctors call what they do "Practise"...so they cancelled OJ Simpsons book, damn there go my stocking stuffers..A Polygon=A dead parrot...for the American Thanksgiving Donald Rumsfeild is having a big helping of Crow, with sour grapes and humble pie...and after 3 days men grow weary of a wench, a guest and the rain...why is it only pigs and humans can get sunburns...the hardest part about being a bartender is figuring out who is drunk and who is just plain stupid...i decided not to buy life insurance on myself, my wife has enough incentive as it is...

Thats it, until we meet again, remember...happiness is having a large loving and caring family--in another city!

Elections

Today is the municipal election day here in Canada and while not as many people get out to vote as in a Provincial or Federal election there is still a little interest and intrigue in any election. And this got me to thinking about how my interest in politics began. The man's name was Max Saltsman and while i can not remember the exact year i do know that it was in the mid 60's and it happened at an event in Forbes Park in the centre of Hespeler. It was a fair of some type and Mr. Saltsman was campaigning as well. And while he shook hands with our parents and talked up our neighbours he also found time to talk to us kids and crack a joke, ask us about our interests and likes and just make us feel that we were important to his cause, even though we could not vote he realised that wee could influence our parents and perhaps make one or two change their minds. And of course that spiffy hat with his name on it that he gave us did not hurt either.
About 6 years later i was in high school and another election was upcoming and once again max Saltsman was running, so i talked with him about helping his cause and again he made me feel that my opinion mattered and ever since then i have been interested in the political world, even though i do not belong to one political party[i consider myself a Centrist] and Mr. Saltsman is long gone from this world it is because of him that many of us in our 40's and 50's are political junkies. At least that is what i believe, so make sure you vote and remember whether your candidate wins or loses is not important, the fact you had a say is what matters. Now if i could only find that old Saltsman hat, i would look pretty spiffy as i cast my ballot.

Dribblings

Just some random thoughts from my brain:

PMS should really stand for: Psychotic mood shift

Chicago has the largest Polish population in the world except for Warsaw

While i am fully aware that money can not buy me happiness, I wouldn't mind being known as "the melancholy guy who drives the red Lamborghini"

I would rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy

Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets, and do suicide bombers wear seat belts?

I said nice dress, she heard nice boobs

Often when i am reading a good book i stop and thank the teacher who got me reading. That is i did, until she got an unlisted phone number.

consumption of alcohol is the leading cause of unexplained rug burns.

and finally remember: your lives are not in the lap of the Gods, instead they are in the hands of your Cooks.

Old Man Winter is coming!

Well people, winter is on it's way so i thought i would put a couple pictures to remind you what it will look like!

Haunted Bus Tour Photos

I forgot to add some pictures of the bus tour that are available so here are three.

Hespeler Haunted Bus Tour

Once again another fine evening was had here in our little slab of earth we call Hespeler. The Hespeler haunted Bus Tour was held and our Host Mr. Paul Langan put on a marvelous show. We were able to see many sites that remain lost to the general public and the story's were presented in a very articulate and entertaining way. The Fiddler coming out of the bushes and the dis-embodied voice of the little girl were a fantastic addition to this years tour. Of course the police pulling over the bus was a little different, even though not planned but still made for a little light heartiness on the evening. And going to Glen Christie brought back many memories for me as i had not been there in over 25 years so that was a nice touch for me. And for my wife, who is not from around these parts, all this is new and interesting and as always she enjoyed it. So let's hope next year it can happen again. Thanks Paul from all of us, it was well worth the money.

Did you ever wonder

Just some outloud musings.

Did you ever wonder?

If corn oil comes from corn, where does baby oil come from

How did a fool and his money come together in the first place

When it is tourist season, can we shoot them

What is another word for Thesauras

Why is abbreviation such a long word

Why do we buy a pair of pants and a Television set, when we only get one

What was the best thing before sliced bread

If you shopot a mime, do you use a silencer.

and just for the weird ones out there>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

That law is not for me!

After watching a obviously non-handicapped woman park in the zone reserved for the handicapped, I thought of what was her excuse. So here they are.

10. My Grandfather is handicapped.

9. I don't read good

8.I suffer from Terminal Laziness

7.I have attention deficit disorder! Huh!

6.My inner child was bugging me for ice cream

5.My shoes are too expensive to walk in

4.Wheelchair symbol? I thought it was a rocking chair.

3.My religion forbids common acts of courtesy

2.I ignore other laws, why not this one?

1.I am disabled..by a painfully swollen EGO

The Dodge, My Dad and Me

What was your first car? Mine was a 1969 Dodge Coronet 500 and I was reminded of it the other day when one was sitting in our restaurant parking lot.
Up to my 18th birthday i had been driving my Dad's 1967 Pontiac Strato Chief and to have my own car was a blessing. I paid $1,000 for it and believe you me that was a lot of money back then but well worth it. The car itself is another story, for this story is about the day I brought the car home.
I remember the day as being sunny and warm and as I parked my new wheels in the driveway I was beaming and as proud as a new Parent would be. I wiped the car down, cleaned the windows and polished the tires. I stood back and admired what I had and that is when my Dad came into the picture. He came out of the house, walked around the car, grunted a few indistinguishable words and commented that the car had too much power and for me to be careful. Agreeing with him was no problem and we discussed the car from top to bottom and offered to drive him around the block, but re said that he did not need to do that and I then went into the house to phone a friend and let him know that the car was here and to come on over and take a look and then something happened that I could only laugh at. Going down the driveway was my car with my dad behind the wheel, that's right my father was taking my car for a joyride! What was I to do, I could only laugh and wait for him to come back with it.
45 minuets later he pulls up, parks the car, comments on it's handling and performance and then disappears into the house, but before he closes the screen door he makes sure to comment" You're low on gas", The son of a gun had burned 3/4 of a tank of gas. I guess it is true what they say
PAYBACK IS A BITCH He got me and I knew it.

So what could I say, I just shook my head and chalked another up to the old man.
There are many other tales from my Coronet and I will tell those later, so have good day and enjoy.

A Day on the Bus

Today my wife had an appointment in Kitchener and since we currently have no car we took Grand River Transit to KW. And what an interesting day it was. From catching the bus in Hespeler to returning 3 hours later there were more than a few storys there. The crackhead waiting to get his next hit at Tim Hortons was calm enough but you could see he was hurting, so I bought him a coffee and he seemed quite happy. On the bus to Cambridge Centre we encountered a threesome that were singing Christian songs, a couple that seemed to forget they were not at home in their bedroom and a driver that clearly did not want to be at work. The bus ride up to Kitchener included a young man that did not know that both earplugs go in your ear on your walkman and we got to hear the latest Death Metal album, that alone was worth the $2.25. Into Kitchener and we became the multi-national bus, for i am sure there were at least 8 different nationalities on the bus, thereby proving society can get along, as long as we are all in a sweaty bus together. The ride home was interesting as well including the two hookers,the gay couple, the two overweight people trying to sit in the small seats. But my favorite was the girl who got on, sat down,put her extra large coffee between her legs and immediately drooped the coffee on the floor , then proceeded to swear at anyone who was around her jumped up, pulled the cord and got off at the next stop and proceeded to throw what was left of her coffee at the bus. Great entertainment and all for under $10.00. I do have one question for Grand River Transit though... what do you call that smell on the bus?

Sittings 7

Just a few summer thoughts...Is the hockey season over yet?...Why do people set their alarm clock ahead of the real time, just who are they trying to fool?...I may be in the minority, but I like the Leafs and Raptors off season moves so far, and I think the Jay's have a shot at the East title....How is this for a little light summer reading, I am going to re-read Catcher in the Rye and try to get another few chapters in of War and Peace....speaking of books, I have read and recommend a book by a Cambridge author called Depth of Perception by Christopher J. Baker. He is a local Fireman and Author.....Had to fix my toilet this week, now I am re-thinkng this outhouse idea, seems simpler...Beautiful Country,a film from Vietnam I watched the other night, better than most AMERICAN FILMS...I have a way to deal with those 3 idiots that urinated on the National War museum, lets line them up and piss on them...Harry Chapin, the lost troubadour, a short story I aqm working on...If North Korea wants to become the nest Cuban missile crisis can Bush be the next Kennedy? Let's pray...I don't like it I just like saying Babaganosh...The Toronto BlueJay television commercials are actually pretty fun to watch...Dwight Yoakum + Marty Stuart vs Toby Keith + Keith Urban, I will take Yoakum and Stuart any day...Denny Crane, the best Television Character today[Boston Legal]...my grandson discovered fishing this weekend, somewhere his great-Grandfather is smiling...I will say it again , do not complain about the heat now and complain about the cold in February...the Great hespeler Reunion is over and i survived, a great event for a small community, the organizers deserve all the praise we can give them...I am still worried about Afghanistan becoming our Irag....visit the message board i run http://captainhespeler.proboards52.com/index.cgi and yap about anything you want...It is time for our government to ban the use of hand held cell phones in cars...well until next time, what are you doing to help this world?

Ben's Debut

Last Tuesday was a day that i will always remember. It was the day that my grandson Ben played his first organized Baseball game,and at 5 years old he was most likely looking forward to it as much as i was. For this event held something special for myself as well. Ben would become the 5th generation to carry my family name on a ball diamond in Hespeler. My grandfather in the 20's and 30's, my Father in the late 30's and 40's my brother in the 60's myself in the 70's my nephew in the 80's and now Ben was going to make his debut on the Field of Dreams. Sure it was only t-ball but it was baseball, the sport of summer, my favourite sport. To watch the kids play was as fun as i hoped it would be, to see them scramble after a ball and try to throw it to first, running the bases and getting that first swing and first hit was a hoot. Ben did the best he could and looked good doing it, not once did his uniform look dishelveld. He looked the part and i hope he felt the part and he made me proud...If Ben never plays the game again it would not matter, for history will remember that day, and some day hopefully a sixth generation will appear on the Diamond, but not too soon.
However there is one thing i must point out, if my Father was still alive, i don't know who would win a race between he and Ben, as unfortunately he inherited the running skills of my family[poor kid]. Play ball, Ben!

Sittings 6

Just a few thoughts on the 1st long weekend of the summer.
8Degrees Celsius, not the best way to start the summer...Barry Bonds may hit more homeruns than the Babe, but he will never be the Babe...my pick for the Stanley Cup finals, Edmonton vs Buffalo, and Buffalo will win in six...the death of a female captain in Afghanistan does not change anything, we are there and not leaving, let's face it...The Federal Liberal leadership race comes down to 4 people ,in my opinion,Ken Dryden,Michael ignatieff,Bob Rae and Gerad Kennedy...most television commercials suck but i have to admit that the Mastercard"i want to drive the Zamboni" spots are actually brilliant....the Da Vinci Code is out and the early returns say the movie is not that good, but already has made 60 million dollars or so..Iran may be tops on Bush's agenda, but what worries me more is the fact that Russia and China support them.
http://captainhespeler.proboards52.com/index.cgi check it out...the 2005/2006 television season is winding down and not much on that was worth watching..at least Law and Order was renewed...and no! i don't care who wins American Idol...seems Al Gore thinks he can take another run at the Presidency of the United States, Al, give it up...i spent Friday night in the emergency room at my local hospital, more interesting people you could not meet...i know i am getting older, my grandson plays his first organised baseball game this week..
that is all for today hang in there summer has to get better..

Between Woodstock and Reagan[intro]

Welcome to between Woodstock and Reagan. This is a blog series about the 1970's, an era in which i came of age. I was born in August of '57 in a small town called Hespeler,which made me 12 when Woodstock happened. So the '70s were my teenage years, a time of discovery personnaly and a time to discover the world. In this series i will try to tell the events that occured and my reccollections of them. The music, the politics and the world events that made the era ours. Trudeau,Nixon,Stanfield,Carter,Saturday Night Live,All in the Family,Iran,Lemon Gin,Pink Floyd,Kiss,Queen,Max Webster,Wasaga Beach,the birth of the Blue Jays,the gas shortage,high school,my first car,discovering marijuana,stubby beer bottles,George Carlin,Richard Pryor,the Matador Tavern,the Coronet Hotel and all the other events that made the '70s. There will be no chronological order to this series, as i feel a story or event needs to be told, i will tell it. It will be rambling and some of it will be personal, so i hope you will not mind. This will be my view of the era so it may be biased, but it will be real.
Between Woodstock and Reagan is dedicated to two friends that are no longer with us. Paul who did not make it thru the '70s having drowned in 1979 and Mel who while making it thru the era could not survive the Millinium, passing away in September of 2001. Both were near to me and while i miss them both life goes on, and with that i dedicate my stories and my memories to them.
Enjoy.

Changes are coming

Sorry for those few die hards that have e-mailed me and wondered about this blog and if i was still writting or not. Due to some unexplained internal problems with my computer my abilities to write have not been there. However starting now problems are fixed i hope and i will be more active. I will also be changing some things. I will still do sittings and my stories but i have decided to catagorise some topics. "The Roadhouse report" will be about the Resturant business and "From Woodstock to Reagen" will be about growing up in the seventies. "Gravel Roads and other tales from the Vinyl Jungle" will be a look at the world of music. Hope you will enjoy, and please let me know. Yak at you later.

Sittings 5

Winter is in it's final hours, Spring arrives tommorow...St Patricks day is over, thank our stars for that ...Is Bob Rae really going to run for the leadership of the Federal Liberal party? And why? Maybe this means the NDP is finnaly dead...I can not help but think that Afghanistan will become Canada's Iraq....There is nothing to lift your spirits like having your Grandkids around..The Maple leafs and the Raptors,long winter for us sports fans,bring on the BlueJays...Having finnally watched "Crash"i would have to agree it was the best movie of last year...but i still think Joaquin Phoenix should have won the Actors Award...Whatever happened to Richard Moll...http://captainhespeler.proboards52.com/index.cgi the answer is there...why are Sunday resturant customers the worst? I know the employees do not want to be there...and howcome there was a proffesional development day the friday before Spring Break?...get back to school...if i hear one more athelete saying God helped him beat his opponet i am going to scream.Did God not like the other team...Electronic equipment easy to install,yea right...so far this week i have won 2 plasma tv's,a 500.00 gift card and a raft of other goodies,or so my e-mails tell me...well, that is all for today,rant later friends..

Good luck Canada

Today[January 23] is election day here in Canada, and as Canadians we have a choice to make. Do we keep the same group of jokers in office, or do we take a gamble on a right wing pro American party that is the Conservatives. Does not leave us much choice but in the end we must do something. I personally will be voting for the Green Party, but i feel we will be going Conservative and i do not feel it will be a majority. Another minority government is what we will be looking at, but this time i believe the NDP will have a big say in running the Government. Jack Layton to me, is the best man running for Prime Minister, however, like Ed Broadbent before him, is doomed by his party's left-wing agendas and former Ontario Preimer Bob Rae's debacle. It is time in this country to let the people vote for the Prime Minister seperatly from the vote for our MP"s. Elect Jack Layton as Prime Minister with a cabinet of Liberals and Conservatives and then we will have a proper Government in place. That is my wish but, as all wishes go, this one will never be realised.

So today please vote and let your heart guide you to the polls....Good luck Canada i think we will be needing it