Cancelled.

 Because of COVID 19 we didn't give out candy this year. This was a personal decision, as the Saskatchewan Health Authority didn't make an official call for people not to trick and treat.  But I get the impression most people decided not to take the kids out.  We didn't get a single person at the door, and the times I looked out the window I saw maybe one group of kids going down the street.  We did have the lights off, but I would have expected someone to come along with younger children before it got dark.

Gas In Saskatoon, October 30, 2020.

 Another drop to report.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 97.9 cents a litre at most stations.  I doubt we'll see a price increase until the Christmas season comes closer, and that might still be a long shot.

Gas In Saskatoon, October 24, 2020.

 We finally had a price change this week, and it's a minor treat.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 100.9 cents a litre at most locations.  Hopefully we don't have a trick in store with a price increase next week.

A Song For Mister Pence.

I know you'd prefer a flyswatter....

Breakaway Day Greetings.

 Another year has gone by, and once again it's September 13th.  It's been 21 years since September 13, 1999.

I was recently watching bits and pieces of 2001: A Space Odyssey.   Once again the thought came to mind that if someone had done a TV series spinoff of 2001 it would have looked a lot like the first season of Space:  1999.  The visual influence of the former on the latter is pretty obvious.  I'm guessing some of the plots would have easily been transferable between the two.  

And for those who didn't know September 13th is Barbara Bain's birthday.  She turns 89 today.  I wonder if this was coincidence, or if the choice of a date for Breakaway was because she co-starred in the series.

Gas In Saskatoon, September 11, 2020.

 A price drop to report this week.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 102.9 cents a litre at most locations.  I wouldn't be surprised if we see another small drop next week.

Gas In Saskatoon, August 28, 2020.

 The last Friday of August sees gas prices up.  Gas in Saskatoon is now 106.9 cents a litre at most stations.  It will be interesting to see how long this price lasts, as the summer travel season comes to an end.

Zero Day.

 Good news on the COVID 19 front.  Today Saskatchewan reported no new cases.  Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.  To date we have had 1601 cases, 1490 of which have recovered.  We've had 23 deaths.  

Gas In Saskatoon, August 21, 2020.

 Seems to me that it's time to bring this back.  Gas in Saskatoon is currently 101.9 cents a litre at most stations.  The price has sat at that point for a good while now, so it may be a bit before there's another one of these posts.  Or maybe not given that the Labour Day long weekend is coming up.

Willy's Not In Quarantine.

I've received another hit on a Where's Willy bill I'd definitely been hoping for.  On April 12, 2018, I received my first hit on a bill outside North America.  After turning up in Watson, Saskatchewan in December of 2017 it reappeared in Pago Pago, the capital city of American Samoa.  Now it's turned up in Strathmore, Alberta.  So to date it's travelled some 13,797 kilometers.  Hopefully it will turn up again.

He Can Take The Hit.

Major League Baseball may soon be playing again, but two big names won't be.  David Price has announced he will not be pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers this year due to concerns over COVID 19.  He's the second high profile player to make such an announcement, as Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals has also said he won't play in this year's abbreviated season.

Price will be losing 11.9 million dollars for not playing.  But he can take the hit.  He made 31 million dollars last year.  Zimmerman made a mere 2 million last year.  Of course an obvious question is how might the layoff effect Price's pitching next year.  He's 34.

Forgotten Concepts.

I was just looking through a bunch of old fragments of fiction pieces I've written.  Unfortunately I haven't got a clue what some of them were supposed to be about.  What was there just didn't have enough context to know where I was going with them.  A lot of stuff builds up over the years.

Mocking The Clickbait 20: Twice As Patriotic As You.

Canadian Canadian Casino Forced To Fire Manager.  Here's Why.

A Canadian Canadian manager.  As opposed to just a Canadian manager.

Definitely The Wrong Target.

I just saw a video ad for "KPop training."  I am definitely not the right target for that.  Any company producing KPop would laugh their heads off at the idea of me as a KPop singer.  I'm several decades too old for the job.

Reversion.

This afternoon has been kind of a throwback here.  It was 15 degrees this morning, but by mid afternoon it was only 3.  It's been raining for a good while, and now that rain has been joined by snow.  So you'd be forgive thinking it was November if you were spending time outside/  On top of that tonight's expected low is minus -2.  I'm quite glad I had no reason to spend time outside this afternoon.

45 Degrees.

April began with mid winter temperatures around -20 C.  April ends with summer type weather, with the temperature currently 25 C.  There's even the chance of an evening thunderstorm.   A 45 degree difference in 30 days.

Mocking The Clickbait 19: You Are Correct.

You'd Be Surprised How Many Canadians Rushed To Try These Casino Jackpots.

Definitely.  Canadian casinos are currently closed because of COVID 19.  It's kind of hard to gamble when the doors are locked, and the staff are staying at home.

Nature's April Fools.

It's fair to say pretty much everyone in Saskatoon considers April 1 to be spring.  But you wouldn't know it by the weather today.  When I got up this morning it was around -20 C.  It snowed yesterday, and a bit more today.  So it looks like November here.  It's not supposed to get above freezing until Monday.  This is one April Fools trick I don't appreciate.

"Try Not To Go Too Often."

This may soon be the order for sailors on the US aircraft carriers USS Gerald R. Ford and USS George H. W. Bush.  Reports are that the toilet systems on them need expensive maintenance to prevent clogging.  It's the kind of thing that leaves you scratching your head.  The Ford class are the US Navy's newest carrier design, so you'd expect problems.  But toilets?  You'd think shipboard toilet design would be a pretty well understood field.  The Ford cost 12.8 billion dollars to build

A Bit Unexpected.

I actually got a Willy hit today.  I was expecting that it might be a good while before my next one, since a lot of people will be spending less money due to staying at home more and trying to spend less.  There has also been talk that some people are avoiding bills because of the possibility of catching something off them, and that some businesses are asking people to use credit and debit cards if possible for the same reason.  I'm not sure how much difference that might make, since at many businesses you'll still need to touch the equipment in some way while using your card.