Ugh. That is All. Ugh.

In Canada, our income tax deadline is this Thursday, April 30th. I sat down to do my return on the weekend and discovered I'm missing a receipt and a T5 slip! NOOOOOOOOO! Now I'm under the gun to obtain them both asap and get my taxes in on time. So no more time to blog for the rest of April, I'm afraid. Crunch time is here!

Keep a Happy Thought!

On my "Ask Me Anything" post, Jim of Ocean Breezes inquired: "Do you see any hope for the survival of woman/mankind?"

Now, you'd expect a cheery upbeat cuss like me to say yes, wouldn't you? But no, no, I do not actually see survival as a likely long-term outcome for the human race. In my opinion and from my decades of observation, humanity appears to be hell-bent on an irreversible downward spiral of self-destruction fuelled by greed and stupidity. I fully expect that, in due course, our fate will be annihilation via nuclear catastrophe or environmental disaster.

When I was young, this thought used to get me all bent out of shape. As I enter the autumn years of my life, however, I've become much more reconciled to the idea, probably because my own personal end is not quite so far off as it once was. It just doesn't seem as upsetting to me anymore that oblivion will be both our individual and collective fates.

Still, having said this, I also believe that while we are here, we should all strive to make this world a better place than we found it, even if our best efforts cannot in the long run prevent our ultimate downfall. Because isn't this precisely the crazy paradox of human nature and existence? We are simultaneously constructive and destructive, helpful and hurtful, angels and demons.

I look forward to hearing all your many views on this topic!

Swept Away *sob*

[Photo credit: Trevor Hagan, CP]

Alas, Winnipeg's famed whiteouts could not freeze the Anaheim Ducks to the ice. The Ducks swept the series in four games and the Jets are now eliminated. But the games were always fast-paced, hard-hitting, exciting hockey. Well fought, Jets!

I am now switching my playoffs allegiance to the Calgary Flames, who are just on the verge of pounding the Vancouver Canucks into oblivion. So boys, bring that same aggression to the Ducks matchup in the second round!

GO FLAMES GO!

Happy Earth Day!

Yes, it's time for humans everywhere to be HYPOCRITES again!

Don't we realize that EARTH is the only home we have?

Are we just plain CRAZY or what?

Our priorities are TOTALLY upside down.

It is Earth's TRAGEDY to be populated by such destructive creatures as humans.

But WTF, who cares? So long as everything is CONVENIENT!

WE'RE the top of the food chain, goddammit! WE'RE not just another part of life on this planet!

It's all EARTH'S fault, not ours. That bitch!

Listen to those who REALLY know what's going on!

Just you wait and see who's RIGHT!

In our ARROGANCE, we fail to see the truth.

The best thing for Earth would be if WE weren't here.

SOME people are counting on being able to just fly away in spaceships to colonize another planet if we destroy the Earth. But NOT EVERYONE shares that enthusiasm . . . .

Be afraid, little planet. Be VERY afraid.

Yes, I'm Posting Twice in One Day!

So you know it's gotta be important. What do you get when you combine hockey with foodie culture? THIS VIDEO!



Okay, okay, I know the Jets have lost the first two games to the Ducks in Anaheim. But game 3 is TONIGHT in Winnipeg! Every Jets fan there will wear white and make the MTS Centre look like a total whiteout, exactly like a big mean prairie blizzard. And (just to mix metaphors) this "Fifty Shades of White" will leave the Ducks hurtin' bad and begging for mercy, but there'll be no safe word for them.

GO JETS GO!!!!

Ever Have One of Those Days When . . .

You feel fat for no particular reason?

Nothing goes your way?

I mean, like absolutely nothing?

And everyone around you acts like you have cooties?

Here's how to get through it.

My First Paying Job

On my "Ask Me Anything" post, Diane of Always Crave Cute inquired: "What was your first paying job?"

I got my first job in high school when I was fifteen. The local dentist hired me to be his part-time dental assistant after school every day and on Saturday mornings. He trained me to do everything his full-time dental assistant did. When her workday ended at 5:00 p.m., my 2-hour shift began. I changed out of my school clothes in the medical centre's public washroom and got into my blue polyester healthcare uniform. So cute, LOL!

I assisted the dentist while he did fillings, extractions, root canals, dentures, crowns, etc. I poured and cut plaster impressions of teeth. I learned how to sterilize instruments in the autoclave and develop x-rays. I answered the phone and booked appointments. I did it all, man! However, since I had no professional accreditation I was not allowed to work directly on patients while unsupervised (i.e. clean teeth).

Now that I was earning wages, my $20 per month allowance from my parents stopped. I paid for all my own clothes, books, records and entertainment. I gave a certain amount of my wages to my Mom every month as a contribution to household expenses. The rest I saved to help fund my dream of going to university. In the three years I worked for the dentist, I managed to save $1,500. Doesn't sound like much now, but it was a tidy little sum in the mid-70s.

I learned two very important things from that job. First, I learned the ropes of how to work for a living. On my first day, the dentist said: "I don't ever want to see you just standing around doing nothing. There's always something to do, so find it and do it. Don't wait for me to tell you." If I did something incorrectly, he made me stay late to do it over until I learned how to do it right. It was a demanding job, but he trained me well.

Secondly, I learned enough about dentistry so that I can always tell when a dentist is recommending unnecessary work just to charge more fees. I've had a couple of dentists over the past 40 years who've tried to pull that stunt on me. I just immediately leave them and take my business elsewhere. But largely I've been fortunate to have had some really good and trustworthy dentists, both in Winnipeg and here in Edmonton.