A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

So far, November has consisted mostly of rainy days.

Nine years ago, after arriving from the sunny Middle East, the winter was especially rough. I got a bit depressed because of all the cloudy, dark days of Vancouver. I could have been easily talked into blue light therapy. (No, that's NOT related to anything which goes on in a K-Mart store.)

Now, I welcome this part of the year. I feel relaxed rather than depressed. I love how windshield wipers tap out a rhythm when driving. I love the warm feeling when sitting near the gas fireplace. The hot tub is never better than when rain is pelting on the nearby glass.

Most importantly I have learned to respect the changes of nature. I've heard it said that drugs such as Prozac do indeed get rid of depression; it's just they also get rid of life's highs too. Similarly, I wouldn't be able to fully appreciate the blue sky of a spring day without celebrating the weather we're having right now.

Labels: relaxing, weather

That's what today is called in Canada. CBC News: Remembrance Day

In September, we passed the Vimy Ridge Memorial on our way from Paris to the Chalis ferry. The bus driver asked if there were Canadians aboard and pointed it out from the highway.

Labels: Paris

At around the time I was a teenager in New Hampshire, many towns were celebrating their bicentennials. It has dawned on me that I grew up surrounded by 200 years of history. That ain't much by world standards. Much of the planet's population lives in places that have seen many hundreds or even thousands of years of history. I've written about this here before.

Still, towns back East are still much older than where I'm living now. When I first came west, I think I was aware of the fact that not much was old. I mean nobody lives in houses that date from the early 1800's as they might well do back near my childhood home. This photograph was taken at the bicentennial celebrations of Stoddard, NH in 1974.


My mother, Nana, Aunt Betty, and cousin Janet.

Labels: New Hampshire

Last weekend was movie time. We used to frequent movie theatres quite often, but over the past couple of years, our trips had nearly stopped. We took in two shows which were quite different.

First, we went to the IMAX at Canada Place. Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D was playing. The glasses keep getting less bulky and less obtrusive. There were some fine computer graphics but a lot of the presentation was from 35-year old video tape. They ended up creating many 'floating mini-screens' to show this footage. After a bit, it was mildly annoying; just like the voice of Tom Hanks, the narrator.

Then, we walked uptown to the brand-new Paramount. Following Fire (1996) and Earth (1998) is the final of the trilogy: Water (2005). Deepa Mehta's direction was evident. It was a stunning film dealing with the Hindu treatment of widows and, in this case, a child bride widow. The film was shot in Sri Lanka rather than India because the Mehta's films are banned there.

Labels: India, movies

I've been teaching at BCIT since 1997. I guess that makes this the longest time that I've taught at a single institution. I stay because of the quality of the students who come into our program. I am always amazed by their hard work. I'm equally surprised by how much progress they are able to make in the short, intensive classes.


We always work in groups.

Labels: BCIT, students

Television can be very good. I have the original CSI playing on the Bell Express Vu PVR right now. I watch all three CSI programs. Those from Miami and New York have a different set of actors but the quality of the shows remain top notch. I've had a few phone calls during this show but just hit the pause button. Things are presently recording even though the episode I'm watching was broadcast a few days ago. I can't imagine living without the ability to timeshift and save programming. Television just wouldn't be worth it if we had to be home and view at the discretion of TV networks.

There was a courtroom scene on the Las Vegas CSI this week. When talking to colleagues at work, I found out that two had recently been sequestered for jury duty. They weren't interested as we are contract workers and it'd cost them dearly to be a juror. Damn, I wish I'd get a notice from the courts though. I'd love serving.

Labels: PVR, television

I've yet to meet anyone who's actually benefited much from Air Miles programs. I am not talking about a specific, frequent-flier program, I mean the loyalty programs that are offered by businesses such as Safeway and Future Shop. I assume most points go unused. I think it is just a lot of hype. People think they are getting something for nothing when in fact most get nothing.

We shop for groceries almost exclusively at the Great Canadian Superstore. There are several with convenient locations fairly close but we nearly always go to the recently-expanded one on the Lougheed Highway in Coquitlam. Even when camping across this country, we ended up buying food from Superstores and the affiliated Atlantic Superstores back east. Even Dominion markets in Newfoundland are connected. The prices are low and the range of products expansive.

The Great Canadian Superstore's President's Choice Financial credit cards make sense for us though. Every purchase within the stores earn PC Points but their Mastercard returns 1% in points on all purchases. If I drop next week's truck registration and insurance on plastic, then we're assured of about a month of free milk. By the end of the year we'll have received well over $300 in free groceries. Now that's a reward program that makes sense to me. After all, food is a necessity as well as a personal hobby!

Labels: credit card, food, money