Life Coaching, Observations, Reflections, Things that make you go hmmmmm
Toggle It!
I was outside one of my coffee spots. Yes I know, so far not a surprise or funny.
A store a couple of doors down is being remodelled. Two Sprinkler guys are on that site. Now so you know, Sprinkler Guys are Plumbers Lite.
So you’re aware of the degree of mental acuity, plumbers only know 3 things. Breaks are at 10 & 2, payday is on Thursday and Shhhh…. runs downhill. So how much can sprinkler guys know is a valid question except it aint question.
One sprinkler guy is trying to get a short length of 1″ ID pipe out of the van. There is flooring in the van and the pipe is stored under the flooring in different sizes. The flooring has compartments that are long enough to hold full lengths of pipe.
He’s tries one length of threaded rod to fish the pipe out. No Luck. Think trying to pull cotton or a pill out of a bottle with one finger and it keeps getting away. A friction fit. Next, the guy goes the same route but with three lengths of threaded rod. He eventually gets the about 2′ piece of pipe out of the van.
Guy puts a couple things away and says to me as he’s heading to the store, “How we doing”. Now he could see I was amused with his little adventure.
I said to him, “I’d of done that differently”.
He says, “What, drive backwards real fast then hit the brakes!
And I said, “I would of put a toggle bolt on the end of the threaded rod”.
Guy thinks about it for a couple seconds and says, “That’s a good idea”.
My way might not have worked but it sure beats mucking up the threads on the rod(s).
This also illustrates a point I like to make, when you encounter someone, you never know what they have in their repertoire. That person you encounter might just be a smart ass. Or just maybe that person is a smart ass who knows stuff.
I had said nothing to the Sprinkler Guy. Wasn’t pointing and laughing either. When you ask someone a question, if you don’t like the answer given that is your problem and not the problem of the person responding. I cover that in “The Rules of Life”.
We also see the Sprinkler Guy’s character in this. When it didn’t go like he thought it was gonna go, he was gracious and thoughtful. Those are a couple qualities I really like.
I didn’t enlighten him that I am a Tin Smith, Commercial / Industrial Air System primarily. I don’t do it anymore and you know what, I haven’t gotten forgetful or stupid.
A toggle bolt, also known as a butterfly anchor, is a fastener for hanging things on hollow walls such as drywall. Toggle bolts have wings that open inside a hollow wall, bracing against it to hold the fastener securely.
G.R.Hambley
April 13, 2017
(Lazy Sunny Day)
Made time, had to slow this mad mad world down
Easing down, easing in, floating the light fantastic
A little tail spin, a sparkling diamond daze
Nodding on out, letting the sun and sounds win
Down that lazy old river and you just drift away
Eiders fluttering down, settling in the rushes
Relative of Rocky washing his disbelieving bandit eyes
In to the last bend and wanna weep like the willow
Not going to think of anyone or anything again soon
Gonna be gone baby gone to replay this play day
G.R. Hambley ©
April 12, 2017
Under heaven, over hell
Love travels Dirty water
At Abbey Road, Crossroads
Grave dancers union
Secrets and sins
Appetite for destruction
Bridge of sighs
No end in sight
Odyssey and oracle
Words of the prophets
Guillotines and angel wings
Blood on the tracks
Smoke from a distant fire
Harden my heart
The rising, New beginning
Learning to live
G.R. Hambley © (many)
February 25, 2017
A couple weeks back me and “Good Friend” were chattering and Good Friend suggested I do a poem from the titles of songs. Somewhat daunting but not as much so as the thought I’d had about making poetry from lines of different songs. Those two scenarios are akin to asking me which, “Jelly Belly” is my favourite in the delivery truck heading to stock the Candy Store.
A couple days ago I had Spotify open on my “Songs” list page. The thought and urge to create poetry from Album Titles got me.
You read the poetry which is all “Album Titles”. Below is the list of Artists as they appear in, “Enigma”.
| Under heaven, over hell Love travels Dirty water At Abbey Road, Crossroads Grave dancers union Secrets and sins Appetite for destruction Bridge of sighs No end in sight Odyssey and oracle Words of the prophets Guillotines and angel wings Blood on the tracks Smoke from a distant fire Harden my heart The rising, New beginning Learning to live |
Streetheart Kathy Mattea & The Standells Manfred Mann & Ry Cooder Soul Asylum Luba Guns N Roses Robin Trower Foreigner The Zombies Kobra and the Lotus Moore Bob Dylan Sanford Townsend Band Quarterflash Bruce Springsteen & Tracy Chapman Beth Hart |
Here it is Christmas again. Been a crap year according to most and I agree with the most.
Today we here in the northern hemisphere do have the 2nd best day of the year because after today the days start getting longer again! Won’t be long before we’ll be Patio Lanterning again! This is part of my coping skill set as an S.A.D., I know what it is, I know it will pass, ohmmmm.
You can see how happy and festive I am now that the days will be getting longer!
I’m tired of the anger and animosity that has carried over from 2015’s election on Canada’s political front. “We The People” are pretty damn tired of the anger and animosity in their piece of the world as well. We The People will be carrying theirs on for the foreseeable future. Personally I expect it to end somewhere just around the corner from never. History people, history.
The loses in Music kept coming and coming and coming. A statement I made 2 or 3 weeks back is this; as a child of the back end of the 60’s the losses this year have been more difficult for those of us from that era. I also said it isn’t a competition. This is the life experience we have that 20 somethings don’t and companies want those 20 somethings to have.
The most painful and devastating loss for me was Keith Emerson and this is what I wrote in response to the anger and animosity of Emerson’s suicide.
I have things to be thankful and happy for too.
A couple surprises in my favourite coffee spot were quite nice. Dave Thomas came in one day. Yes folks Doug McKenzie himself came in. For my American friends, if you don’t know Dave Thomas, he played “Russell the Pharmacist” on “Grace Under Fire” as well. I looked at him to make sure what I was looking at was correct. He saw me look and watched. I smiled and nodded (like your work), he smiled back and nodded (thank you). This is what you call your average Canadian Celebrity encounter.
The 2nd one was a grand experience. An artist I’ve liked for a long time came in to the coffee spot, Liona Boyd. She became part of the conversation. Ms Boyd told something to me off of me telling her where I had seen her perform one time. She made it fun and personal and I really hope Gordon Lightfoot liked the song that was done for him. I gotta see that video! I was so enamored, as beautiful and elegant as ever Liona Boyd is!
I related the Boyd story to, “Good Friend”. I told her I don’t care if some people consider it sexist, “Liona Boyd, She’s a doll”. Good Friend agreed that it’s a compliment and from what I said, a perfect description. Hell, I’ll admit this too as I write, I’m still enamoured!
I’m going to leave this here with happy thoughts and happy memories.
To all of you whether it’s Christmas or the Seasonal change or just plain weekend, I wish you all the best in the next year and the years after that.
G.R. Hambley – December 21, 2016
All rights reserved
One more from the Menagerie that enjoy the writers loft.
Yes another that appeared to fill a need. Attempts were made to discover from whence he came, no luck.
Each of the links opens a tune on Spotify the Bird likes. The last one is his theme song!
Bop, bop, bop goes that beaky bird
Endless renditions of “peel me a grape”
Rousing the rest to “be bop, bop, bop a lula”
New age techno pop a not, not, not
Indie rock never gets stuck in that craw
Everybody’s rockin’ the joint, a job well done
G.R. Hambley ©
February 06, 2016
Jousting playfully for positioning with your companions new
Electric eel the game of choice, precocious you are when instigating
Reaching the majesty of six foot forty-two, when uncurling that tail
Oh how you snort and that look in your eyes when we let it snap back
Much to our chagrin, finding you’re charged in when hopping on
Energetic, eclectic with more than just a touch or two of the eccentric
G.R. Hambley ©
January 27, 2016
(July 27, 2015)
Pan American Games 2015, a few observations.
I haven’t done the observational thing for a while. Feels like it is about time I did so again. Strange doing it on a Monday as I usually reserve my random rambling and musing for weekends.
The Games finished up their two week run here yesterday. From where I sit and live there was much ado about nothing as far as the logistics were concerned. Mind you the extent of my activity as far as the games were concerned was girl noticing. Firstly, someone has to do it and I’m good at it. I said noticing not ogling. Kindly remove your minds from the gutter among other places. Secondly I didn’t see more than a couple male athletes in total.
Let’s get something really creepy and flat out disgusting out of the way first. This is for you the keepers of Toronto The Good. One of my coffee spots is on Front St near St. Lawrence Market. On the day of both the opening and closing ceremonies that part of Front St. was a travel path for busses carrying games participants. On both days the parking cops went along the street mid afternoon posting signs for no parking. At the time of day the no parking was posted there were already vehicles parked. On both days I saw vehicles towed away.
This is the creepy and flat out disgusting part. Neither the day of or the day prior to the parking being taken away did I see postings notifying the public that the parking space would be unavailable. I did see a couple vehicles towed each day and wonder how justifiably irate the owners of those vehicles were. Oh yeah, there were parking cops on the route after the no parking signs and the meters were bagged to stop people from parking. This is just the stuff I saw so maybe there was a memo sent out to the world by osmosis. I didn’t get the memo either.
Our Canuck Girls Softball team. Yes our girls as I said to an artist buddy of mine. Not in the first person personal as I had to explain to him but hey lonely artists think differently. Those of you that are not creatives may freely substitute, “weirdly” for “differently”. In fact we’d appreciate it if you do substitute. Weird gets you left the hell alone, different not so much! We’d also appreciate it if the non-creatives sense of humour was somewhat expanded. Work on it.
I was running errands one afternoon and saw a couple of our girls in the same store I was. One of them had a bruise the size of a grapefruit on her leg closer to the hamstring than the calf. We hit the cash at the same time. I turned to out bruised warrior with a smile and said, “I just have to ask, Softball?”. The young lady said such was true. I told her enthusiastically, “how to take one for the team!”. She smiled and told me, “THANKS!”. Hockey, Lacrosse, Softball, Male, Female, we Canucks are all the same, we can take it and laugh it off.
Canada’s entire Team was in coffee spot a couple of times. It was girls being girls as well as exemplary ambassadors and young ladies.
The Softball Girls from the U.S. of A. Were also in the vicinity. A couple would visit alternative coffee spot in the mornings. Friendly and outgoing with the staff. Not quite so gregarious around the other people enjoying the coffee spot. The American girls would light up charmingly if you smiled first.
I did see a young woman sporting a USA Field hockey t-shirt this morning. She had a bit of a hitch in her giddy up. Here is hoping it isn’t too serious and that hitched giddy up came against our Canadian Girls in the Semi Final which America won. Field, ice, pavement, if it has hockey in the name of the game, y’all have been warned, repeatedly!
I did see a group of four from Mexico come in to the Front St. Coffee Spot the evening before the games officially began. Before I could tell them where to go, they were gone. They appeared to be looking for something to eat for dinner and I know a couple great spots in Kensington Market to get great Mexican. One where the Green Sauce is reported as better than SOCAL! In fact I was told of that establishment, the taco chips are simply a delivery mechanism for the Green Sauce!
All said and done, for those of us that live in the core of this great city, except for those two parking incidents I noted, getting around wasn’t bad at all!
Almost forgot, Women’s Softball Final, it was Canada 4 and the U.S.A. 2. That’ll teach you to mess with Canada in anything hockey related!
G.R. Hambley – all rights reserved
~.~.~.~.~
I like doing different things with the little guy.
G.R. Hambley – all rights reserved
transitionu 
Recent Comments