http://www.rock1053.ca

As our community continues to recover from the flood waters late last week,  you’ve more than likely seen a lot of pictures of the damage that was done.

Anna (thanks again Anna!) sent me these pictures that were taken around Seven Persons and as she reiterated to me, roughly 8 ranchers saved 400 head of cattle with no loss of life to the herd.

And in case you haven’t heard, our Rock 105.3 Flood Relief BBQ raised $7500 over the course of 4 hours as 650 people stopped in to give.  The only reason this was a success was because of you, thank you.

Double standard or a chance to ogle?  We spent the majority of the morning discussing if our province would consider making it legal for women to go topless as it is in Ontario.

 From minimum age requirements to maximum age requirements to banning men from going topless, I think we heard every angle possible however it was a gal who phoned in that made a great point.  Long story short, she suggested that if she could mentally prepare for the idea of topless women; ie – going to the beach, it would be easier to accept than say watching half naked neighbor cruising the main drag in the Gas City.

I think it’s a matter of conditioning.  Much like the mandatory seatbelt law, it took some time before everyone hopped on board and now it’s not even a disputable question.  Of course burning the bra and buckling up aren’t similar at all but as a society, we’ve come a long ways in terms of liberal thinking.  Case in point, you don’t have to look any further than some of the commercials we see on TV to know that we’ve become much more comfortable with the skin we wear. (no pun intended)

It probably doesn’t hurt that Alderman John Hamill looks like a version of Mr. Monopoly itself but the Gas City got a spot on the latest edition of Canadian Monopoly and it’s not even that cheap property either.

 Boasting our town’s name with a picture of the Saamis Tee-pee, it’s good to know the world’s largest tent is being advertised all over the world in the form of a board-game.

Due out early next week, I think I’ll break down and purchase the latest edition and a version of the Oilmen Game if I can find one.

Hard to believe that on one side of Medicine Hat, families were enjoying themselves with Redcliff Days and on the other side of the Gas City, people were detouring 200 kms around this hunk of the Trans-Canada that was washed out near Maple Creek, in the land of the mighty SK. 

(thanks to my co-host Cassie for sharing this link with me)

I was at a wedding a few weeks back and after several trips to the Toonie bar, I found myself in the kitchen of the Desert Blume Country Club, where I came across these dudes.  Originally, I had wanted to thank them for the fancy feast and next thing you know, we’re sharing stories amongst the pots and pans.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s people like this that make the world go around.  Mark, thanks for a great night.

Just in case you weren’t at the ZZ Top show last night, here’s a couple of pics of the epitome of cool, thanks to the Lawdy Mama (for the pics) and to Rock 105.3 (for the show)

As you may be aware, I’m not a fan of the Roughriders and I’m not talking about the ole’ Ottawa club either.

 And after a picture like this (which Cassie sent me by the way),  can you blame me?

CFL Pre-Season starts on Sunday!  Go Bombers!

While you won’t find today’s bonus word here, what you will find is several minutes of time that you’ll never get back, especially after reading the following.

I recently celebrated another year of getting older and if was I a tree, you’d have to pull a Paul Bunyon and count the rings to determine my age but fortunately, I am not an oak and have devised an extremely un-accurate means of counting how many moons old I am.  It has little to do with the amount of grey hairs I own nor does my age reflect the amount of kidney and back hair I possess but rather the life lessons I’ve learned over the last few decades and then some, of which I’d like to share.

Live in the Now.

Hindsight is 20/20 and dwelling on the past never did any good for anyone, except for Mr. Tate, my history teacher.  Learning from your mistakes is fine and securing your future is also commendable but stewing on that gaff when you threw out the wrong name during a passionate moment will only increase your Rolaids intake.  Apologize profusely, max out your plastic in a means to make amends and move on because hauling around that suitcase of mental luggage will only detract the amount of time you’ll spend on Planet Earth.

Give’em a Reason to Smile.

Maybe it’s a small town ism or possibly how I’m amused over the little things but I get a kick out of waving to strangers when I’m cruising the Gas City Streets, or any street anywhere for that matter. Instead of looking away when that gnarled up, leathery trucker gives you a sneer for tailgating him; it’s been my experience that a smile and wave almost always generate a similar response.  Life is too short to offer up a smorgasbord of middle fingers; save that digit for archery lessons.  We’ll have all sorts of time to be miserable and crotchety at the bingo hall so flash those pearly whites when you can and to quote Stanley Gordon West, ‘Smile and the world smiles with you’.

Go with the Flow.

If you’ve ever canoed down the South Saskatchewan, you may have noticed it’s easier to float that boat with the current instead of paddling against it and that attitude also has served me well in the river of life.  Sacrificing pride to save face can be tough on the ego but it’s still not nearly as tough as getting into a heated discussion with the Lawdy Mama.  I completely agree that you need to pick and choose your battles and by choosing to not pick a war of words has more than likely saved me from many a evening spent on the couch.

Luck Has Nothing To Do With It.

Now I don’t own the fanciest Pinto on the block and I’ve been on the receiving end of a collection agency phone call more than once and I may have not seen my toes in a number of years but life can always be worse and I think that’s something worth remembering.  Life is a mindset and ultimately it’s up to you to choose to see it through a half empty glass or one that’s half full.

I’m getting Dr. Jake’s Place just the way I want it and now it turns out we’re moving to another house at the end of next month.  It’s taken me over two years of collecting cheap rugs and even cheaper velvet paintings plus a unicycle and some classic patio lights and now it will all come crashing down.

Even worse, my cardboard fort was destroyed when the in-laws came to town last month and those boxes had been earmarked for a possible situation like my current one.

But I digress and will rebuild a cardboard fort, stronger and better than ever before; likewise to Dr. Jake’s because if you build it they will come, whether you want them to or not.

If you’ve got an iPhone, you can now listen to Rock 105.3.  It’s crazy if you think about that I grew up during a time when one phone was shared among 3 separate families; that’s right, the true party line.

 Now that was over 3 decades ago and since my current cell phone, one of life’s evil necessities fell into the crapper last weekend, I’ve been undergoing bouts of peer pressure to buckle and buy a replacement. 

 While that will happen one day, today is not the day despite getting this picture from Navigator, one of the guys I ride with.