Brett Ness's blog

yuck!!!!

why do you think it is that just because we have a foot or so of snow on the ground people decide to use the great outdoors as a garbage can. i can't believe the amount of garbage i am seeing just laying around everywhere. if i told you what i saw in my son's school yard this week it would make you gag. people need to understand that a low tech thing like a garbage can works in both warm and cold weather. it's not rocket science. just a reminder that we move the clocks ahead one hour this weekend and there is no harm in changing the batteries in the smoke and carbon detectors while you are at it. a man and his daughter were killed in a fire in ontario this week because the smoke detectors did not work. seems a simple and inexpensive way to save lives. on the horizon we are looking forward to st patrick's day on wednesday and the first official day of spring saturday the 20th.

pass the tanning butter

okay, that line from the b52"s classic rock lobster may not apply just yet but wow, an entire week of sunshine and plus temp so far in early march and more on the way!!!
as we zero in on the first day of spring next saturday (20th) dont forget this saturday night (13th) before you go to be we "spring forward" one hour. we may lose an hour of shut eye but we gain and extra hour of daylight and with all the sun we have been getting it will be worth it. good time to change the batteries in the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms too.
talk later.

we jinxed ourselves

you knew it was going to happen right? as we got closer to the end of february all the talk was about the lack of snow this winter. less than half of our usual amount to be exact. then along comes our last weekend of the month and WHAM!!! we expect 20-30 cm of snow between thursday afternoon and sunday.
eveything always evens out when it comes to the weather. maybe there is some way to send this weather out to whistler where they could use it for the olympic ski hillls.
take it slow and safe and remember that spring is just three weeks away.
talk soon.
brett

Brightening up Feb-blah-ruary

So, how are you making it through Feb-blah-ruary?  I guess they made it the shortest month of the year for a reason.  The groundhog did not help things much either by forecasting another six weeks of winter. Some of the gang here at EZ Rock have had a rough go so far this month.  Mark Munroe is currently recovering from having his wisdom teeth out.   OUCH!!!

For me, the pain was in a different area. Specifically, in my backside where my wallet is.  The power steering system on my car went bye bye this week and it cost me more than I care to admit to fix it...OUCH OUCH OUCH!!!  At least there are still plenty of fun things going on to enjoy.  

blue monday

hello
well, the experts tell us that if ever there was a time that you were going to feel a bit depressed it would be this time of year generally and more specifically, today. blue Monday. we all suffer from it a bit. lack of sunlight, getting dark early, the cold and snow, feeling trapped inside all the time and of course those pesky bills from Christmas start to show up at the door. it all adds up to a bit of the blues for many.
what do do??? experts say get as much light in your life as you can. even if it is man made. get up and exercise and keep the blood moving which is good for both mind and body.also, stay in touch. call or visit friends and family but not by email or text. get some direct human contact. oh, and start saving for next Christmas now so you wont get nailed with all those bills this time next year. if it makes you feel better circle Saturday march 20th on your calendar. that is the first day of spring.

oh, so now it snows.

it's funny what a difference two weeks can make.
two weeks ago this weather and all this snow would have been beautiful, festive and magical.
now it seems that most people agree that it is just a pain. that is unless you are too young to drive or own a ski lodge. perspective is everything.
speaking of which, with the new year here have you decided how you will say it?
are you a two thousand and ten person or...are you a twenty ten person?
either way, happy new year to you and yours.
we will talk again soon.
brett

Happy New Year!!!

Christmas has come and gone and now it is time to welcome in a new year and a new decade. has it really been ten years since the millennium when our toasters were going to attack us and the world was going to implode??? wow, where did that ten years of my life go???
anyways, have a safe and happy new years and all the best to you and your family in 2010.
talk soon.
brett

christmas musings

hello.
well, the countdown to Christmas is on. plenty of hustle and bustle over the next few days.
for parents of young kids here's something you may want to keep in mind. if you are planning on going from mall to mall to mall you might want to leave the kiddies with a sitter. either that or prepare yourself to answer endless questions on how Santa Clause can travel from mall to mall to mall soooooo fast and still have time to talk to all the kids. trust me, this is from personal experience. my five year old Alex was very mystified as to how this could happen and very persistent with his question. 

what would christmas be without...

the christmas count down is on. the kids are set for christmas vacation and a visit from santa, houses are decorated, yummy stuff is being baked, cards are being sent, gifts are being bought, parties are happening and everyone just seems to smile a little easier. also, the employees at the LCBO and the beer stores are bracing for the rush and long lines!!!
with all this going on one of my favourite traditions for this time of year are the special movies and cartoons. i love the old black and white smultz films i used to watch with my parents like it's a wonderful life, miracle on 34th street, white christmas and the bishops wife. of course, every christmas eve it is tradition at the ness house that my sister karen and i started to watch the 1951 version of a christmas carol starring alastair sim. my parents used to host a family party every christmas eve and we used to sneak away to watch it on an old black and white tv in the basement. ahhh memories.

a record in november

it is official. as we welcome in december we can look back on november and a record breaking month.
record breaking that is for what didnt happen and no, it's not about the leafs.
for the first time since weather records have been kept we had a snow less november. i guess that's the make good we get from mother nature after she threw us a blah summer.
funny. we had so much snow last year i won't even mind if we have a green christmas this year. usually i am a white christmas kind of guy but i'm just not ready for the white stuff yet.maybe by december 24th i will be. i managed to get the christmas light up this year and was able to keep my language in check and still be in a good mood when i was done. that is certainly a positive.