Archive: December 2006

Spent 2 days moving files around so I won't lose anything.

That done, I went to play around today. I had noticed CTF loader messages when opening certain MS apps. Turns out that's for recognizing other languages. Uninstalling it did not help. Next step was to uninstall MS Office and Frontpage, do a complete CHKDSK and re-install MS Office and Frontpage.

After all that and several days of work, it seems the laptop is ok again. 

Sinterklaas, the Dutch name for Saint Nicolas, is known to bring gifts to all boys and girls who have behaved well the past year.

Although my kids were born in Canada, they are at least familiar with the candy treats for this festive season.

I always liked the December 5th gift giving instead of Christmas with my birthday on Dec 26th... I know, I'm selfish...

At least this year I am receiving a Sinterklaas gift. My new computer is to be delivered today.

This afternoon at 1:01pm, we were blessed with the arrival of our first grandson. He weighs 6 lbs 11.5 oz.

Duncan and Monica have not decided on a name yet, so for now he's my "buddy."

Click on any of the pictures...

The "boy with no name" is joined by two granddaughters. Alicia, also Duncan's daughter, will be 11 next week. And Jayden, Vincent's daughter, who is five.

This evening we had coffee with Brenda and Doug.

For some background, Brenda is the sister to the HR manager at work. Through Lorraine, we took Doug and Brenda's timeshare at Fairmont (BC) in March 2003. I wasn't really aware of the circumstances why they could not go, but we loved the break.

In April 2005 we got the opportunity to go again, and we took Vincent and his family. A wonderful week.

By that time I had finished my cancer treatment and was not shy asking questions. It turned out that Brenda was scheduled for a lung transplant. Both her sons were donors.

Can you imagine Doug's feelings? Your wife and two only sons going into the OR and wondering how many, if any, will come out alive?

I am looking forward to a long friendship with people I feel comfortable with.

I think the name is official now, Gabriel Charles Jan Danen, Gabe for short. The reason I say "I think" is that Duncan is still tentative about it. He even registered as Gabriell, which he will now have to correct.

I'm glad the "boy with no name" now has a name. It is so impersonal to call him "the boy" or "the baby", or even worse, "it."

The gang was home around noon yesterday and so far all are doing fine, except for Monica who has a pain in the neck. Hmmm... Who's HER pain in the neck?

Duncan took Monica to the Medicentre last night, and they sent the to the Royal Alex emergency. They took some spinal fluid but could not find anything.

At 2am they could go home. Poor little Gabe got dragged all over town too.

BTW, I looked up the name Gabriel. It is of Hebrew origin and means "Power of God" or "Strong man of God" or "God's able-bodied one" or "Hero of God" depending on the source.

Gabriel is one of the seven archangels in Hebrew tradition. He appears in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, where he serves as the announcer of the births of John to Zechariah and Jesus to Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the Koran to Muhammad.

A Christmas tree has been ordered out of a downtown Toronto courthouse lobby by its judge, citing Christmas trees as "inappropriate" in a multi-cultural society.

Justice Marion Cohen said in an explanatory letter to employees that the tree, which had stood in the lobby for years, made non-Christian visitors feel "they are not part of this institution".

The move upset many staff members and public figures, who criticized the move as taking political correctness too far.

All Headline News

What a knee-jerk reaction. Had the judge done some investigation, she would have known that Christmas trees are pagan symbols. And will she give Santa the boot? Not all cultures subscribe to Santa Claus...

My rant for the day! 

On this Christmas Eve, I wish everyone the blessings of the season. And I don't mean to offend anyone.

I have just done my second to last quarterly cancer blood test and am certain that it's ok. The last one is scheduled for March.

Just thinking about Christmas during my youth...

I remember the Christmas tree in our "special" room. Today it would be called the living room, but we did not live there. We lived in the kitchen/dining area because each room was heated separately. During the Christmas and New Years celebrations, the Living Room was heated. We did not have electric lights or the tree, so every candle was real (and a real fire hazard). The ornaments were made of glass and either hung from or clipped to a branch.

We always had a special Sunday School celebration. Perhaps not much by today's expectations, but it was special for us. I don't recall the SS program being part of the church service. Perhaps it was. I do recall sitting in the church pews (real dark olive green) and receiving the SS presents/awards. For your last year in SS, you received a Bible in addition to the other "stuff".

The other Sunday School "stuff" included chocolates and mandarin oranges, yet there was one coveted item that was included: a book. The thickness of the book depended on the number of classes attended.