This is old news by now

but Target is abandoning Canada. All 133 stores will be closed.  This has got nothing to do with oil. Target will lose $5.4 Billion dollars. Target's demise was not understanding the Canadian retail market and moving in to fast. They boasted low prices and a great selection but their sloppy management, and near empty shelves isn't just a Canadian thing. Canadian parent American stores are just the same there. Target's 17,600 Canadian employees will be getting a 16 week severance package. Liquidation of Target stock will be happening soon. I've been through a Target store a few times but I never shopped in one. Also, Sony is closing 19 Canadian stores but not as many jobs will be affected.

Today I'm going to go visit the caretaker and ask what our options are. I'm going to ask if we can do this at the end of the month because our hours are fixed for next week (which mine are) and we can figure out what our options are. Or and if we can have the empty suite across the hall or something else just to stay for ourselves and our cats. We're off all day Saturday and we can make some headway there. 

Also, I'm going to be re booking my Doctor's appointment today for next week, once we're done with this. Crisis. Then after that it's off for another 4 hours. I booked for a full availability for next week from Sunday to Saturday. Anyway, that's about all for now.

Yesterday we got this notice

under the door about bed bug inspection. Another crisis ahead. Pest control came in here in 2013, did what they had to do and gave us a clean bill of health. There is a lot of work to be done but we have the weekend to do it. 

I didn't get another lotto 6/49 free thicket. Not that I was expecting one. I knew I was pushing my luck. However because each draw is $5M that gets added on and carried over if nobody wins. I'm buying a ticket for Saturdays draw for $35M. If nobody wins Saturday that $35M gets increased to $40M and so on. If we ever won, we'd take our personal stuff, our pets to a motel, and this place can go you know what.

Yesterday the legendary Roxy theatre here in Edmonton, made National news because it burned down. I've never been in the Roxy theatre before. Lately it's used for live theatre. It was quite a landmark there since 1937. It even predates the Garneau theatre built in 1940 as one of Edmonton's oldest theatres. 

Most recently I managed to get my iPod Touch to work with Facebook. Now I'm trying to get it to work with Flikr. I need a connecting Google account to do this. Anyway, I'll be relieved when we're here in February and we can put this current crisis behind us. That's all for now.

Most kids usually attend

1 school for elementary and 1 for high school. If families don’t move that is. My 1st school was 60 Mountain view. It's still there today over 50 years ago. Then I went to Porter street, then Miller park, Austin Heights, Winslow, Sir Fredrick Banting, Centennial. As an adult I did some upgrading at Alberta Vocational College (AVC/Norquest.) and I took an English 30 course but I can't recall the name of the school. It was when dad passed away. 

I'm currently in a Facebook community called "I grew up in Coquitlam." I'm finding lots of closure as well from other adult children that went to the same schools I did. Some were different years then me, off by a year or more. Over the years I've been trying to get my school transcripts (history) but life got in the way. Now more then ever, I'm really curios because I don't have things like class photographs or yearbooks or how well I did in various subjects at school and I'd love to know these things. On this Facebook page other posters talk about various teachers and some of them might have even been my teachers. This is one of the reasons why I love Facebook.

On my way into work I got my free lottery ticket. We got some training for a new project. The boss had some left over untouched 2L diet bottles of pop left over from our staff Christmas party and offered me the last Pepsi Max, which was nice of him. I had a productive night on the job. Anne was out when I came in and only returned right when my wrestling started. What a show. Anyway, that's all for now.

I can attach a memory to every

location I've lived in during my first 10 years. We lived in South Surrey and I recall standing at the top of the stairs one night afraid of snakes. We stayed in a motel room in between houses in Surrey but the memory is to embarrassing to share. We lived in a small house in New Westminster about the area of Royal and 10th. I remember a swing on a tire. Then we moved to Howie Ave in Coquitlam that's when Dad bought me my first bike. I recall riding it to show my friend. After Howie Ave. we moved to Regan Ave between Como Lake Road and Smith, Hailey and Townley. We lived in the home that is still standing since we left it in 1971.

At least its warming up out there siting at -13. We're supposed to go up to +3 Wednesday and enjoying a warming trend after that. With any luck we might be able to be above -10 for the balance of January. For now its Sunny  with a bit of cloud here and there.

Still down memory lane here but fast forward 2015, Vancouver is hard at work installing the Evergreen line. Its a 1.4 Billion dollar Northern LRT expansion from Lougheed Mall to Port Moody and Port Coquitlam, when it gets completed in January 2016. Photos are here.

I'm leaving out of here at 3pm. I'll cash in that free 6/49 ticket at Clareview station on my way in. I'm in 4-9 so I get 5 hours including half an hour break but only paid for 4.5 hours. All week its 5-9 and Saturday (I hope) 10-6pm. Apparently. Anyway, that's all for now.

Our favorite home delivery pizza

is Horseshoe. It's a little place just behind the KFC up here just West of the Manning Shopping Centre on 137th ave. Anne suggested we order instead of her cooking supper. For sit down pizza we like Royal over there on the South Side just near the Keg or Capital Pizza where we were before 2 weeks ago. I've still got half of it left in the fridge for later.

Nothing much going on today. I'm home, reading, some computer stuff that sort of thing. Just before dinner I put up a .38 second song on JimTube. It's an instrumental composed in stand alone Maschine. I'm working on another guitar, bass and drums song before my laptop over heated. 

I checked on the free Lotto 6/49 free ticket and nobody won the $20M so it carries over for Wednesday and now it's $25M. I got another free ticket! So that's 2 free tickets from the original ticket. I can't pick my own numbers from a free ticket. It's always a quick pick. 

At 5pm there's Florida Panthers/Oiler game at Rexall at 5pm. I'll probably get up around noon, let Anne sleep. She's going to go to the truck and order a few things, start our late brunch. The hockey game will take to about 7:30-8pm. I'm in the office Monday from 4-9pm and same throughout the week except Saturday, I'm scheduling myself in for the full day. Anyway, that's about all for now. 

On my way to Clareview station

I cashed in my 6/49 ticket for a free ticket and caught my train and a bit of a wait at Rexall under heated lamps on the train platform. I had another 5 minute wait at the 118th  street inside. My #8 bus came by and I got to lodge as one of the guys had just pulled in and he ad keys.

My Friday night didn't turn out the way wanted but at least I know why now. They were waiting for my certificate to arrive and present everything all at once. According to Neil that 's not done until October. It's an honest mistake. I'm getting my apron and jewel next meeting in February. They only learned this last night from a senior member, so it was news to them.

My work schedule came in just before I left and it's not looking great. I've got hours but they're only picket hours. Luckily for us I've got another check at the end of the month to work with and that's the one that's going to pay our rent.

I got a ride home after festive board and I met Anne outside coming in from Superstore. I didn't eat at the festive board but I had a beer instead and she made me a nice late lunch. Anyway, that's all for now. 

I had a great evening

although my wife came home with bad news. Apparently they are cutting back her hours and to 2 shifts next week. They are hiring at the same time. We don't know what's going on. For all we know her shifts might be restored next week or maybe next month.

I'm off tonight for lodge. Traditionally (as far as I know) every immediate past master (ipm) usually at the time of installation receives a jewel and a ipm apron. I've seen this happen since 2002. The apron looks similar to a MM apron but with a ipm symbol and the jewel looks like a military medal hung from the suit jacket. Both signify I am an installed master. I did the work by running the lodge for one full year. I didn't get either at the time of our installation before Christmas but apparently they were ordered for me according to the last lodge master as he pretty well said as much in June but I didn't get them last meeting. I'm also thinking maybe I its because they only present the apron/medal (aj) There's also a certificate that gets presented at the end of ones ipm year and a case. Mike said in June "they're in the back." He wasn't at the last meeting. So all kinds of things are going on through my mind now. Are they doing this to put pressure on me to ask for a demitt? So I'm hoping tonight lodge presents the aj to me in traditional format. If not then I'll have some decisions to make. Do I continue on pay my lodge dues as if nothing has happened and then ask for a demitt around November and a letter of good standing and join another lodge? It's not like I don't have any options. I don't want to ask for my aj. I shouldn't have to ask for them. No ipm should ever have to ask for their aj. This is why I think somethings up. I have a few allies in the lodge by by and large, I'm not well liked because I'm not a union guy or a professional or in the trades and my disability stains the lodge in a way. Or so this is my perception. There are guys that do like me there, Neil, Nathan, John, Dan and and the new guys, and I pick up on that. If I don't get my aj, I'll quietly leave this lodge and join another. I kind of like the Saturday lodge anyway. It's not a York right lodge. But I don't want to give anything away either.

I'm really looking at ELektron's Octatrack. It's a multi sample, glitch effects machine, that can do some amazing things. its a little on the pricy side but a piece of gear I've got my eye on. Anyway that's all for now.