Gas In Saskatoon, December 30, 2016.

The last Friday of 2016 sees us given an unwanted present.  Gas in Saskatoon has risen to 108.9 cents a litre at most locations. Compare this with January 2016, which saw gas as low as 69.4 cents a litre at most stations during the last week of the month.  So if your typical fill is 30 litres you're paying 12 bucks more today than you were then.  With predictions that the price of oil will continue to rise it's unlikely you'll be seeing prices in that range for a long time to come.

Big Snow.

If you were worried about Saskatoon not getting enough snow this winter your worries have probably been assuaged somewhat.  We got a pretty good dumping over the last 12 or so hours, and apparently we'll get some more New Year's Eve.   And the temperature won't be getting near zero for at least a week, so what's there won't be going anyplace.

I just did some shovelling, which will counter some of the calories I'm about to consume in the ham sandwich I'm about to eat.  It's a simple sandwich, with some slices of ham and a few pieces of cheddar on white, with mustard and pepper for seasoning.

Remembrance.

Given the number of celebrity deaths in recent days listening to this Rush tune seemed quite appropriate, although I didn't actually decide to listen to it for that reason.  But of course it's not just the famous who have just left us.  Hopefully you aren't facing a loss as you read this.

Man 1, Cougar 0.

Cougar fighting is not a recommended activity, but Will Gibb of Red Deer, Alberta seems to have some skill at it.  When his dog was attacked by a cougar in a Tim Hortons parking lot he attacked the cougar.  He eventually managed to chase it off and the dog, Sasha, was treated at a local vet clinic for cougar bites.  Sasha will make a full recovery.

There's no word whether the cougar was there to get a double double or not.

It's Not My Fault.

It seems that YouTube "stars" are having a bit of a problem this year.  Their viewership has apparently dropped heavily.  If you're one of those folks, and have by chance stumbled across my blog, I'd like you to know it's not my fault you're losing traffic.  The traffic here is so tiny it won't effect anyone's viewership.

Oh, by the way, if you're feeling nice you could mention this blog in one of your videos.  I definitely could do with the traffic.

Candy.

You might almost call that the theme of this Christmas for my family.  My parents and I both got quite a bit of candy from family and friends.  Some of mine I'll have to foist off on others, because it's not the kind I like.  Other stuff I'll end up keeping for my own personal use.

Gas In Saskatoon, December 23, 2016.

The gas companies saw fit to give us an early lump of coal in our Christmas stockings this week.  Gas in Saskatoon rose to 102.9 cents a litre.  As if it wasn't bad enough trying to drive this week, with all the desperate Christmas shoppers clogging the roads.

Mocking The Clickbait 5: I Actually Knew That One.

Food can make you older.

Indeed.  It's a long proven fact that people who don't eat food tend to end up dead fairly quickly.  So eating will make you get older, because it ensures you keep living.

I Predict Flop.

I've never had much luck with predictions.  But here's another one.  This morning I read that the first trailer for a big screen Baywatch movie is out.  Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be starring in the David Hasselhoff role.

I have a hard time imagining there's a huge market waiting for a big screen Baywatch film.  Although the show ran for years it was utterly disposable fluff with the depth of a puddle in a parking lot.   The original fandom has moved on.  The younger viewers who you want to get into the seats probably have never watched the series.  Of course you could have said the same thing for 21 Jump Street, a series that ran for a much shorter period, and is primarily remembered now for helping make Johnny Depp a star.  Yet its big screen adaptation did well enough to spawn a sequel.  As always it's a crapshoot where tens of millions of dollars are spent in the hopes this one is the one that's the next blockbuster. 

Gas In Saskatoon, December 9, 2016.

Not good news to report this week.  Today gas in Saskatoon jumped to 97.9 cents a litre at most locations.  I wouldn't be surprised if it goes up more next week.  Definitely not an early Christmas present.

Mocking The Clickbait 4: Where Did You Go, Puppy?

20 Most Loyal Dog Breeds.  #6 Surprised Us!

On the other hand they weren't surprised that the Armenian Short Haired Disloyalhound wasn't included on that list.

(Is there actually such a thing as a disloyal dog breed?)

Another Voice Goes Silent.

In a year that has seen many musicians pass yet another one is gone.  Greg Lake has died at age 69 after a long battle with cancer.  Lake came out of the Bournemouth, England music scene that produced numerous musicians.  In 1969 his friend Robert Fripp recruited Lake as vocalist for his new band, King Crimson, and asked Lake to be the band's bassist as well, although Lake had been a guitarist.  The group's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King was a critical success, but tensions in the band led Lake to decide to leave in 1970.  He soon teamed up with keyboardist Keith Emerson and drummer Carl Palmer to form Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.  With their complicated music and often bombastic image ELP, along with Yes, was the band that came to represent what most people though of '70s progressive rock, and against which the punk movement claimed to rebel. 

Although ELP originally broke up in 1979 Lake and Emerson would work together again in the mid '80s with the late drummer Cozy Powell as Emerson, Lake, and Powell, and reunite with Palmer as ELP in the '90s.  Lake also did solo albums, and a duo tour with Emerson in 2012.  His best known solo work was the 1975 single "I Believe in Father Christmas."

R.I.P.

I'm sorry.  Your existence ended all too soon.  You were wonderful.  Golden.  And now you're gone.

I really wish you'd been bigger, cake, because another few pieces of you would have been nice.

Maybe I Shouldn't.

Recently I stumbled across the Stingray Retro channel on my cable box.  All they do is play old videos from the '80s and '90s, with the occasional early 2000s vid thrown in for variety.  But I'm starting to wonder if I should be watching it.  I'll be sitting there, see a video from the '80s, and suddenly find myself filled with a mix of nostalgia and melancholy.  I remember a bunch of those videos, having watched them when I was a teenager, and it just reminds me the late '80s were 30 years ago already.  It's also sad seeing someone like Michael Hutchence, knowing he died too young.

One thing that's odd is the poor quality of some of the oldest videos.  They look like they were taken off someone's old VHS cassettes.  Did they come out of the vault at Muchmusic or something? 

Gas In Saskatoon, December 2, 2016.

The first report for December sees prices down a tiny bit.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 89.4 cents a litre at most locations.  However with the recent announcement OPEC may cut oil production prices may soon be on the rise here.