Gas In Saskatoon, December 30, 2013.

The price of gas didn't actually change last week.  It remains at 111.9 cents a litre at most locations.  |But since this is the last Monday of 2013 I figured I might as well do one last one.  The first of these posts for 2013, written on January 4th, noted that the price of gas was 104.9 cents a litre at most locations. 

The Pile.

At the moment I have rather a large pile of books on my bedside table, all of which I'm in the process of reading.  Some I've just started, others, I've been going at for a while now.  They are:

-The End:  The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945, by Ian Kershaw.

-The Strat In The Attic:  Thrilling Stories of Guitar Archeology, by Deke Dekerson.

-Who I Am, by Pete Townshend.

-Rommel's Lieutenants:  The Men Who Served the Desert Fox, France, 1940, by Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr.

-This Wheel's on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of the Band, by Levon Helm with Stephen Davis.

-On Some Faraway Beach:  The Life and Times of Brian Eno, by David Sheppard

-Rolling Thunder Against the Rising Sun:  The Combat History of U.S. Army Tank Battalions in the Pacific in World War II, by Gene Eric Salecker.

You can cay they're all history books.  They're all books that are my personal property, not library books.  And there's at least another history book I should really go buy, assuming a copy is still in the cheapy section at McNally-Robinson in a few days.  Not that I'll tell you what that book is, you might go buy them all out if I do.

Standing In Line.

If you're reading this post while standing in line 12 hours or whatever before your local super whatever store opens, all I can do is shake my head.  Is a cheap whatever really worth the discomfort of standing around in cold weather with a bunch of strangers, when you could be at home with the family?  Of course it's possible you live someplace where the stores open on Christmas Day after 6 PM or something  and have already been in line for hours, which is probably even worse.

Those of you who live in places where Christmas is just another day can of course ignore this post.

Gas In Saskatoon, December 23, 2013.

'Twas 2 days before Christmas, and all through Saskatoon town, 111.9 cents a litre, was the most common gas price to be found. 

I bet a lot of people filled up today given how many I saw driving around this afternoon.

Et Tu, Hugh?

I just had an ad pop up on the blog for Playboy Energy Drink.  My first thought was that it's a bit late in the day to be jumping on that trend.  Then I thought about how no one should be all that surprised there is such a thing.  Hugh Hefner has always been good about keeping his name and the Playboy brand in the public consciousness.(Although these days I doubt he has much direct involvement with any of the big business decisions.)

As for energy drinks, I've never consumed one, and have no desire to.  Personally I think they're just a good way for beverage companies to make even more money than they do on soft drinks given the higher prices.  You're likely to get the same effect from drinking some coffee or a caffeinated soft drink, which are cheaper.  Of course it's still not as big of a ripoff as the bottled water market, where the product is often local tap water with some filtering.

Not Losing The High End.

It's a peril of aging.  If you're a singer, especially the typical untrained pop music singer, there's a good chance your range will decrease with age.  If you've gone to see some of the longer running acts you probably have seen singers who can't reach the high notes in their older material.  Some acts will play their songs in a lower key to help the singer, radically rearrange them, or even skip some material at all.

But there's one band that might not face this problem.  It being Christmas season, CBC Saskatchewan just played a version of "The First Noel" by the Crash Test Dummies.  Remember them?  If you do you likely remember Brad Roberts very distinctive low voice, which Wikipedia describes as bass baritone.  Can a singer who sings in that range actually lose his high range?  Presumably, but listeners are probably less likely to notice when they sing in that range.

Joining The Club.

Tomorrow will see a new weapon join thet Saskatoon Police Service arsenal: Tasers.  44 have been acquired, and will be fairly strictly  controlled.  Officers who have been through Taser training will have to sign them out before use, any time they get fired a review will be conducted, and the public notified.   Their usage, at least for now, is to be limited to situations where an officer might otherwise draw his handgun.  I get the impression this might be a more limited range of scenarios than some police forces use Tasers for, but I have no problem with that.  Tasers can be dangerous even when used properly, but are quite obviously less likely to cause permanent harm that the .40 caliber hollowpoints of the Glock pistols Saskatoon cops carry.  Anything that reduces the chances of firearms being needed is good in my book.

Cans-celled.

Uggh.  The left side on my Sony headphones has gone dead.  I assume the cord has just been stepped on or run over by my chair wheels one too many times.   I doubt I can take the earpiece apart to get at the wires, so it looks like a new pair is in my future.  They were just a cheap 50 buck or whatever pair, but they've served me well as I sat in front of my computer listening to hours of music every day.  I'm not even sure how old they are, as I have no idea what year I bought them. 

Long Time No See.

I hadn't had a Willy hit since November 20th.  But my latest kind of made up for that.  A six year sleeper is always nice to see.  I wonder where else this bill has been since 2007, besides Balgonie.

When I Rule The World 19.

If I am in a town or city, no one but me will be allowed to travel by private motor vehicle on a Saturday. You'll have to walk, use public transit, or ride a bicycle instead, because I really dislike not being able to find a parking spot.

Another Choice, But Not For Me.

If you're a poutine fan you now have another choice.  McDonalds is now offering poutine.  I tried some today, but I don't think I'll buy it again.  The bigger fries Burger King uses seem to work better for poutine, and I think the serving size of the BK version is bigger.  Not to mention BK's poutine can be ordered with bacon.  On the other hand the paper container McDonalds uses might be better for the environment than the plastic one Burger King uses.

Respite.

It seems we're finally going to get a break from the nasty temperatures...



...Sunday, when it's supposed to reach minus 8.  Until then, enjoy things like the high wind chills we currently have a warning from Environment Canada for.

Gas In Saskatoon, December 9. 2013.

And back down it went.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 115.9 cents a litre at most locations..  Hopefully it will go down a bit more before Christmas, but I wouldn't count on it.

Brutal.

There's no better word to describe tonight's UFC fight in Australia between Mark Hunt and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.  I can't remember seeing a more bloody slugfest in the UFC cards I've watched.  I found myself worrying about both fighters at times in the later stages.  Can they really take that kind of punishment without ongoing health problems?  As for the decision itself I wasn't all that surprised.  I really couldn't decide who won the fight, so a majority draw makes sense. 

I suspect we'll see a rematch eventually.  But it might be a good while given the damage both men must have taken tonight.

Fair Is Fair.

Since I posted a Stones cover last night I should be fair and post a Beatles cover, shouldn't I?  And here it is, Yellow Magic Orchestra's version of "Day Tripper." 

"Miss You."

Not much to say about this other than that I doubt the |Stones have done a version as good as this in years, and it probably wasn't as funky.

Bernard Fowler has done quite a bit of work with the Stones and on Stones member solo projects, while Doug Wimbush toured with Mick Jagger.

Smartass Or Serious?

I came across this hit, which isn't mine, over at Where's Willy?  I suspect the person who entered it was just being silly given the location, but you never know.

For Cash Or Trade.

One authentic set of frigid Canadian weather.  Will trade for warmer set of weather, preferably tropical.

Please note his is a limited time offer, so the linked information may not reflect current offerings.  Void were prohibited, please obey your country's customs and weather regulations.

Gas In Saskatoon, December 2, 2013.

After several attempts at raising the price, the price of gas finally went up over the last week.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 117.9 cents a litre at most locations.

When I Rule The World 18.

North Dakota and South Dakota will be renamed Top Dakota and Bottom Dakota.  There are probably lots of other places that could do with similar name changes, but that's a start.

Most Appropriate.

I got a 2012 series 20 dollar bill out of an ATM today.  The prefix on the bill serial number is BIZ.  I can't think of a more appropriate bill prefix on money.