Update

Various things have kept me busy over the past week.  I have finally taken care of most of the backlog of emails since my new notebook is working fine and I have been able to access my email accounts.  I also changed a lot of passwords on various accounts but one of those changes involved Blogger and I had forgotten to record the change that applied to it.  That issue has been corrected and now things are more or less back to normal.

In other news, the last day of spring saw mostly clear skies and sun but that changed again yesterday when the clouds rolled back in.  Temperatures are warmer than they have been but I think its going to be one of those years with less than the usual weather.  Such is life!

Have an awesome weekend, guys!
- V

been offline

My old laptop died toward the end of April, so Ive been offline until recently while getting things organized using a new notebook.  That has meant going through over a thousand emails in one account alone.  There are some in others but not anywhere as many.

The new machine has a dual language keyboard (English-French), so I am getting used to that.

Have a great Sunday and Fathers Day!

- Volker

24 hours

I've been offline for just over a week.  There was a power surge in the building where I live, and certainly in my apartment, so this resulted in the apartment lights flickering, the TV set going wonky, a pop in the laptop and the smoke dector sounding briefly.  This all resulted in the battery pack popping (that sound) and the fan being effected plus there may be other componants that have been effected.  Anyways, I do have a replacement laptop on order (same brand and model, just newer).  I am picking up a parcel from the local post office outlet near home whichm hopefully contains both the laptop and the router ordered.  If not, I'll be online once everything is back to normal.  There is a lot of work to be done retrieving files from the old hard drive, so this should keep me busy for some time after I get the new laptop computer.  

Have a look at the video above, and if you haven't seen it (the movie), check it out.   Have an awesome weekend, guys!

~ Volker

health news

The last couple of weekends I have been spending my time at home getting as much rest as I can while I sort out some health issues.  Lately my arthritic knee (right) has been acting up and has as the Easter weekend was starting.  It still is.  Usually when it does and there is a storm system moving through, it stops after that system has moved on through.  Not this time.  So, while I get this under control (its rheumatoid arthritis and not age related, that's another one), I have plenty to do at home to keep me occupied.

So there's that and the high blood pressure issue going on but the bp is under control though it has risen slightly with the upper number between 160 and 170.  I plan to return to the naturopath though the MD doesn't like them and has little faith in them.  Its my health and I'll do what I can to bring that under control, with or without the MD's approval.

I hope things are better with you.  Meantime, I am back to work in the morning for a 5 day week.  The last two weeks were 4 day work weeks.  Take care of yourselves, guys!

~ Volker

thoughts

This morning as I woke up I was thinking of Brad and his situation.  I thought of helping him by discussing his past, his childhood in particular.  His parents divorces and he was tossed from one home to the other, from his father's place to his mother's, sometimes on his own.  Now if I understand things correctly, he's living with his girlfriend/fiancee, even though his sexual orientation hasn't been sorted out on his part.  He says he's not straight, perhaps at least bisexual, but he's the one that need to sort out that issue, I can't do that for him.

But getting back to the root issue, his childhood and the divorce if his parents, anyone I've known that has come from a similar situation (divorce or separation), has had issues for the rest of his/her life.  I know of a friend from a similar situation and family members in the same as well, so its from experience I mention this.

Today I read a news article in a local paper dealing with youth sex and sexual exploitation but the article I found in the Newsleader, and the same one in a Burnaby paper, avoids the root causes which are mentioned in the report that the news article is based upon.  The report itself is an overview of several reports that go into greater detail.  The root causes are an unstable home life, non-supportive parents, abuse in the home, and the list goes on.  Why does the media avoid the obvious.  Is it a bias or lack of focus?  Your guess is good as mine.

So my thoughts have followed a theme today and revert back to my friend Brad.  The thoughts I had this morning were of my reading fairy tales to his children (Grimm's Fairy Tales come to mind, of which there are several that I thought of reading, such as the Fisherman and his Wife, Frau Holle and others which come to mind).  All of these are not stories alone but also contain morals and ethics, things to live by in life.  There's a way of breaking the cycle and that begins in our childhood so that the next generation doesn't repeat the same mistakes as the generation that preceded it.  So a reading of the story before bedtime gave me the scene in my mind of not only Brad's child listening to the reading but also Brad himself.  My book is in German, so I would have to translate as I went along.  Its good that I've read these stories many times over the years.  The book itself was a gift from my mother who brought it over from a visit to Germany in 1962, so its been around for a while and seen better days.  The book itself is in good condition though the sleeve is gone years ago.

I plan to purchase a property in Nova Scotia in an area where Brad lives.  This is all in advance of my retirement.  I turn 65 in only six years from now.  My presence there will allow me to mentor and to be of assistance when necessary, such as watching his children.  Its the least I can do for him.  I feel obligated as if this was decided before I was born.  Everything in life happens for a reason and this situation is not alone in that.  Many factors are at play here even before I buy a property out there on the east coast.  One factor is my health and the slower pace in the Atlantic provinces should help to lessen the health issues if not resolve them completely.  We shall see... I hope you've all had an awesome weekend!

~ Volker

the train

While on my way home this evening on the SkyTrain, a young lady and a male friend got on at one of the stations (Broadway).  Rather than take a seat, because there were a few since it wasn't fully packed, they opted to stand in the doorway nearest me.  I was seated at the end of a row of seats with a glass partition between me and the door.  The young lady was in the doorway leaning against the partition and the young guy was standing closer to the centre aisle leaning against a pole next to me on my left.

At one point the guy, slim and wearing blue denim jeans, adjusted his footing looking down to where my feet were.  Later, at one point, his calf touched my left thigh, not just once but at least twice.  By this point either of them could have sat down together most anywhere.  They both got off at New Westminster station and I continued on to my stop at Sapperton (grocery shopping).

Why do people do what they do?  That's why we have sociologists, psychologists and psychiatrists studying people and their interactions, not to mention find out why they do what they do and the motivations behind their actions.  This evening it felt like someone playing footsie under a table and it wasn't with the person they were with or perhaps close to socially.  I was just waiting for the train to make a sudden stop and have him fly in my lap or on the floor.  The train has been known to make these sudden stops on occasion.  Judging by what I saw when they left, he could fly in my lap any day and I would have tried to save him from embarrassment, he was certainly good-looking enough for anyone!  Anyway, you can think about the ways this might have turned out otherwise.  More later...

~ Volker

boyfriends

I've had boyfriends over the years.  Some guys I was really interested in and some so so.  I did have a few girlfriends too starting with one that was Italian but after we moved (family) to the west end of the city where I lived at the time, we grew apart.  When we re-connected, the fire was gone, it had fizzled.  A few others later were more interested in others.  One was even interested in married men.  All this put me off.

As for guys, I'm really into them, especially if they are hot, have a pleasant personality and so on.  There was one in the 1970s that I was interested in but he seemed to be more interested in someone else.  Then there were a couple of other guys while I was going to university in the early 1980s.  One was married, so he was excluded but another wasn't but he didn't give me any direct signals (or even vague ones), so we parted.

I had one while I was living and working in Toronto.  In the end, it was his drug habit and the fact he couldn't control his intake of alcohol either plus he was prone to being violent when drunk that I ditched him and moved back to London (Ontario) where I had lived for years.  I wasn't about to settle for abuse!

Then the most recent one is a work in progress.  There is some time, not a lot, but some.  I hope he can get his act together because I really do love him like none of the others before him.  But its better to have loved than  not at all.  That's what we have all heard over the years.  So, there's still hope all things will work out for the best in the end.  I'm an eternal optimist, well, its better than being a pessimist.

So, how's your love life, guys?

~ Volker

another weekend

Another weekend is upon us and spring is even closer.  As I left the apartment complex a couple of days ago, I noticed that the crocuses are starting to shoot out of the ground.  That is a good sign that spring is not that far off.  For those of you that are living in the northern hemisphere, how does it look for you?  Is spring any nearer for you??

Meantime, my cold has come back, or perhaps its another strain, after all there are up to 200 different viruses that can cause the common cold.  I bought a bottle of Barbados rum (Mount Gay is my favourite)  on my way home this evening and have made another hot toddy (or grog as I call it) to help ward off the virus and sweat it out in bed overnight.  I hope that everyone is feeling well, certainly better than I am, as we start another weekend.  Have an awesome weekend, guys! - V

south asian

On my way home on the SkyTrain this evening a young guy got on at Granville station and sat down on the seat to my immediate left between me and a support post.  He was slim in build wearing medium blue denim jeans, a jacket with dark hair.  It appeared me to be south asian, perhaps tamil (darker skin).  His right leg was nestled up against my left and his right arm snuggled behind my left.  I got good vibes from him.  Perhaps he's sat down beside me before!  The seat to his left was empty but a young woman was sitting down to the left of that.  When the seats opposite us emptied, he just sat where he was, making no attempt to move.  He ended up getting up  and off the train at Edmonds station.  All in the life of travelling on the SkyTrain.  Have a good night, guys! - V

Cupid's Love Bytes

Well, I started up a new blog (adult), which should make some or all of you very happy.  It's called Cupid's Love Bytes and is restricted to adults only, so if you are not adult or are offended by the sight of nude guys, then don't have a look.  Otherwise, enjoy the journey, and may Cupid fling an arrow your way.  Its not my fault if you get caught in the line of fire.  You have been warned.  The bytes come in because the images are digital and the arrow may cause a bit of a bite!  This keeps this blog general and non-restricted.  For those that are able, enjoy the journey! - Volker

Erica II

Here's a larger view of my heather plant on the dining room table.  The Erica x darleyensis "Kramer's Red" certainly ads some colour to the room.  The same plant out on the balcony is also blooming some but not as prolific.  I hope you're all having a great Sunday.  I'm off to get some laundry done, so have a good week! - V

fresh face

This evening on my way home from work I encountered a young, fresh-faced guy likely in his early 20s.  I had taken the SkyTrain home from Vancouver where I work and caught a bus to take me on that final leg home.  That is where I encountered the guy with a smile on his face and eyes twinkling, so full of life.  Its the positive mood that struck me, the kind of reaction that perks you up and makes you feel good.  I'm sure his friends appreciate him a lot.  So why do we not see more of such people rather than those that are just going through the motions and coasting through life on automatic?  The latter where were referred to as "automatrons" by Edgar Cayce decades ago.

Anyway, I am certainly thankful for the encounter and do hope for more of them, though not necessarily the same person.  That wouldn't be realistic would it?

Its been a long day and now I'm off to bed perhaps to shake this cold (virus) I caught at work.  Its been making its rounds on the floor I work on and elsewhere in the building.  Have a good night and  an awesome weekend! - V

c'est moi

For those of you that know me, this might be familiar but for those that don't, this is what I currently look like.  This photo was taken in early 2010 during the time of the winter olympics in Vancouver, hence the Canadian flags..  I work as a concierge but outside of work I am into photography and hiking on mountain trails...and believe it or not, I am closing on 60 though you might not know it just looking at me.  So, do what you can to take care of yourself, so that your body will serve you well into old age.  If not, it could mean years of agony if not an earlier death.  Our genetics does play a role but how we take care of ourselves can hasten aging or lessen it.  I also posted this photo so that my friend Brad can have the opportunity of seeing it.  He seen some of my photos but I don't think this was one of them.

Take care of yourselves, guys! - V

hot dude, and some thoughts

Ever noticed how over populated the world is and despite all this there are people that are lonely even though surrounded by a sea of humanity.  We are a society so disconnected from what matters that we don't even know our neighbours, nor care about them for that matter.  Its a sad state of affairs that we are in in this modern world.

Jamie is certainly hot (above pic) but take the time to meet and greet your next door neighbour.  You never know when knowing them might save your life, or theirs.

I still remember the day back in the 1960s when it was common to know your neighbours, who did what and how many children they had, etc.  You could leave your door unlocked and not worry that someone would come in and take something.  You helped your neighbour and they helped you.  It was a win/win situation for everybody.

So, what has it all come to in the west, not to mention the east?  We've become a society too rapped up in our own affairs with little regard to what is happening around us until things get out of hand.  We need to turn this around, don't you think?  It's just my view but you make up your own mind on the matter.  - V

balls and taking risks

There are times when we have to take some risks in life, calculated risks, but risks just the same.  Just sitting where we are and waiting for things to happen may not be enough, if you know what I mean.  So if you're interested in someone that you'd like to spend your life with, ask...don't wait for that person (him/her) to ask you.  If that person makes you very happy, then go for it.  There are times when we must go after what is in our desires, whether its a person or something else of importance.  The ball is in your court! - V

looking

Have you ever wondered about things,  whether everything is where its supposed to be?  Are all things working as they should and when you want them to?  Is the sun rising in the east and setting in the west?  Some things to ponder as the hours of the day pass on and the clock keeps ticking away! - V

boyfriends

So what is a boyfriend?  Who would you describe as such?  Who would you wrap your arms around without question savoring every moment of the experience?  Do you have such a person to share your world and life with?  Are you happy with your lot in life or can there be improvements?  Some things to think about! - V

thoughts of land and my retirement

Over the weekend I've been mulling over the possibility of saving up funds to purchase some land back east and building a country cottage on it.  I am looking at Nova Scotia as the place of prime interest.  Land has become insanely expensive here in the west since I came out here and since I had to spend all of the money I came out here with to live while I was recovering from my illness, the plans have to necessarily change.  For the moment, I make more money out here than I would back east, so I'll remain here for the time being salting the funds away and then make a purchase when the time is right.

My retirement is but seven years away, so once this all becomes reality, I plan to spend my time back east continuing my photography, painting (oils and watercolours), writing and exploring nature which I have always loved.  There's a lot to see out east, so living there and exploring, even while retired, is one way to see the country.  I've seen what Cape Breton looks like from programs on television.  That's a definite destination once I'm out there.

I plan to make a few drawings and sketches, so I will post some of my ideas to share with others.  The cottage will be very simple and practical with a galley kitchen, living room, dining area, a small bathroom and at least one bedroom.  The living room is planned to have a cozy fireplace and comfortable seating.  Meantime, while your thoughts are on that and the possibilities, have a good night, guys! - V

Swiss folk music II

Now I've found the correct video clip.  A co-worker was so enthused by the sausages grilling that she had to get some.  It made her hungry.  Well, I remember a cleaner years ago talking about sledding down the mountain side in Austria during the close of WWII and after that seeing the guy sledding down the mountain allowed me to understand what he was talking about.  This was back in the 1980s, so years ago.  Enjoy the musical journey! - V

Swiss folk music

I've been a great fan of Swiss folk music since the early 1970s.  This isn't the video clip I was looking for but its the right group playing.  The music is as wonderful as the landscape.  If you have the chance, take a trip, even a side excursion to Switzerland.  It would be well worth it in any season! - V