Gas In Saskatoon, January 26, 2018.

Back down we go.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 104.9 cents a litre at most locations.  So given the way things have been going of late that probably means a big price jump sometime next week.

Snow Returns.

No, the snow didn't go completely away.  But warm temperatures before Christmas saw lots of it melt, resulting in lots of bare patches.  But now it has returned, with quite a bit falling since last night.  It now looks more like a typical January out there instead of March.  The current forecast calls for snow or a chance of snow into Tuesday.   So if you live in Saskatoon I hope you didn't misplace your shovel or snow blower.

Buzzed.

As you may have heard there was a claim recently that Donald Trump drinks up to a 12 pack of Diet Coke a day.  That's a lot of caffeine.  How much?  Online sources, including Coca Cola itself, state Diet Coke contains 46 milligrams of caffeine per 355 millilitres/12 ounces.(Oddly standard Coke and Coke Zero only contain 34 milligrams a can.)  So 12 cans would contain 552 milligrams of caffeine.  Trump supposedly drinks little or no coffee, but that's still a lot of caffeine.

Health Canada suggests the average adult can consume 400 milligrams of caffeine without adverse effects, but suggests not exceeding that limit.  But even that presumably will give most of us a good buzz.  Trump drinks perhaps 150 milligrams more than that.  So there might be a good reason he tweets a lot in the early morning.  The caffeine keeps him awake. 

Uncola-ish.

This morning I skipped the familiar Coke Zero and Diet Pepsi to buy a Zevia sugar free cola.  I'd seen them before and finally decided to try one.  A can costs 99 cents plus tax and deposit at Sobeys.   

Even before you drink it you'll notice it's clear.  It doesn't contain colouring like a conventional cola.  When I drank it to me it didn't taste that much like a cola either.  Frankly it tasted closer to slightly flat Sprite.

Zevia uses stevia leaf, which has become increasingly common as a sweetener in North America over the last decade.  Perhaps this has something to do with the taste.  A while ago my dad bought a can of Coke Life, which is sweetened with a mixture of stevia and sugar.  He thought it tasted more like ginger ale than Coke.  On the other hand it may simply be the taste profile Zevia decided to go for.

I probably won't be buying any again anytime soon.

Gas In Saskatoon, January 19, 2018.

Today was not a good day to fill your tank in Saskatoon.  Prices jumped to 111.9 cents a litre at most locations.  Yesterday the typical price was 103.4 cents a litre.  Yep, an 8 and a half cent jump from one day to the next. 

"Free The Arm!"

That's what I joked I should shout at Saskatoon's Holy Family Cathedral.  The reason?  The severed arm of Catholic Saint Francis Xavier is on tour, and it made a stop today at Holy Family.  Touring a long dead man's arm like that seems foolish and kind of ghoulish to me.  And as always with supposed relics there's the obvious question of whether it actually is what it is claimed to be. 

I Now Have A Tumblr Account.

I didn't want a Tumblr account.  I'm not a fan of their user interface, and I have too many accounts at too many places as it is.  But you can't avoid it these days, and some pages aren't visible unless you have an account.  I even gave myself a user name that sounds like some angsty kid, instead of a sad middle aged person.  I won't reveal it right now, and perhaps never, to save you the bother of taking a look at a blank page.

But Facebook and Twitter?  You won't be getting your grubby little digital hands on me.

Gas In Saskatoon, January 12, 2018.

The confusing price changes continue.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 107.9 cents a litre at most locations.  Good luck trying to guess where it will go next.

Gas In Saskatoon, January 5, 2018.

Our first entry for 2018 unfortunately sees the price of gas go up.  It is now 112.9 cents a litre at most locations.  And we can apparently expect higher prices as the year goes on.

Nice First Hit.

I've received my first Where's Willy hit of the year, and it's a good one.  A bill I entered back in September of 2016 has turned up in Montreal.  I don't know when my last Quebec hit was, but it's been a while.  It's my sixth hit in Montreal.  Hopefully being in a big place like that will result in it getting a re-hit or ten.

Respite.

When I woke up yesterday the temperature was around minus 30.  This morning it was minus 12.  18 degrees warmer is much better.  The high temperature this week is projected to be minus 5 on Friday.  Hopefully daytime highs below minus 20 will stay away for the rest of the winter.  But don't count on it.

Welcome To 2018.

Well, we made it.  Into another year we go.  2017 wasn't the greatest year for me, but it could have been worse, and no doubt 2017 was worse for some of you reading this.  So here's hoping 2018 proves to be a better year for us all.

And if you're some evil creep I hope you get a flash of insight and stop being an evil creep in the year to come.