Saturday, June 25, 2011

AWOL

Hello. I am Alan Davidson and I am a lazy writer.

Forgive me, reader. It's been nine days since my last confession blog post.

I honestly don't know where the time went. West, I believe. It's not that there's nothing going in around me to rant whine talk about. I'm finding that after the work day, when the supper dishes are cleared away, I only have enough energy to drag my lazy butt to the family room couch to watch repeat episodes of Criminal Minds or CSI.

Perhaps my lack of  motivation is weather related? I promised myself that I wouldn't whine about the weather any more. However...I was just watching the Weather Network and they are forecasting a high of only 12C today (54F). That makes us the coldest spot in Canada today (and probably all of North America). Even up in Yellowknife they're forecasting a balmy 24C (78F). The normal highs for this time of year should be 19C. I used to joke about us not having a summer, only a spring and then a fall. Har! Joke's on me. I guess that I'll have to wear my fur-lined fez for a while longer.

The cool temps had us dining indoors at our annual Father's Day Lobster cook-up last Sunday. The combined gathering of the Finch-Stansbury-Davidson families is hosted by my sister-in-law and her husband. I won't bore you with more photos of this year's event, but you can link to my last year post about the spectacle here and the year before here. The day was pretty much like those...except with parkas and mittens.


Young man escapes from Gulag
  The boy notices the cool temperature more because of his bald head. Did I not mention that? During his exams last week he went out with a couple of friends and had all of his hair cut off. Just him. His friends were there for moral support. Or to mock him. I think that he committed this hair-i-cide for a couple of reasons. First, he is off to cadet camp in a couple of weeks. That's a 6 week course at the army cadet camp (Camp Argonaut) at CFB Gagetown, near Oromocto, New Brunswick. Sean is with the army cadets because he is taking (this was not his first choice) a course to be a marksmanship instructor. He won't be with his sea cadet friends in Nova Scotia this summer, but he's looking at it as one grand adventure. I guess that he figures the bald head will help him fit in better with the army cadets. Good luck with that.


He perked up when he wore the fez of honour

The second reason with the hair cutting is that a girl at school bet him $10 that he wouldn't get his hair cut off. Some folks cut off their hair for noble, fundraising reasons like my friend Laurita Miller. Others cut off their hair to impress girls and for monetary gain. I'm thinking that he's in that second category. The next day at school there was no money for Sean. Seems to me that there is a life lesson somewhere in there. Actually, to the girl's credit, she came to school the following day with a  zip-loc baggy with $10 of loose change for the boy. We're slowly getting used to the look. I'll throw up a couple of photos of Sean sporting his bald pate. I notice that he's got a bit of a pointy thing happening at the top of his head. He hasn't got the round-head perfection of Charlie Brown.

New topic...the lease is up soon on our van and we are looking for a new vehicle. We've been leaning towards something SUV-ish. Probably a Ford Escape or a Jeep Patriot. Something large enough to tote around the boy and a greyhound, yet affordable. Anyone have any opinions on these or similar types of vehicles?

Bonus photos below...I have no idea where the bald-thing comes from...


Fez-boy and the Auld Yin, December 2003

V's creative use for that empty piece of real estate


15 comments:

Rosaria Williams said...

I know cool, and I'd rather suffer it than the blasting sun in the desert states south of me. Yes, no real summer here on the Oregon coast either. But eh, I love green and blue for a reason.

Harry said...

I'm all for some free A/C from Ma Nature but year round Winter, I don't think so. Hope you get some sunny warm weather before it's time to start stacking wood. That Charlie Brown face on the back of the bald head would make for one ballsy tattoo. Wonder if that girl with the bag of change has any more to wager.

Laurita said...

I think Sean looks great with a bald head. Better make sure he slathers it with sunscreen - if we ever get sun, that is.

And wow, that's what your face looks like. Cool! :)

David Barber said...

Seems you and Laurita are having the same summer as us in your old stomping ground. It's officially summer here and we had the heating back on last night.

Love the baldness going on around here, too. If I was brave enough I'd go for it as well. Low maintenance!

Kat said...

Ha! Ha! I told you, Alan, I almost feel guilty for soaking up these rays and sporting a nifty tan--almost! :D

Ah...New Mexico...how I love thee...

LOL.

Sean looks adorable! I busted up laughing at the fez shot. Poor kid.

Just wait till you hit the nursing home, Bub. Payback's coming--I'm sure. He'll paint your walker purple and hide your false teeth. Watch and see.

:p

Cathy Olliffe-Webster said...

I don't know what's worse, your bald headed kid or my blue headed kid. And Alan, you're scaring me with the picture of you. Why do men and boys with perfectly awesome heads of hair (of which you are definitely one, am I right ladies?) feel the need to shear it off? Naturally bald men would give their left nut for your kind of hair. I'm glad you're getting used to Sean. Me, i still look at Angus like he's some kind of weird blue bug. Monday night is his gr. 8 graduation and he's going to wear a new suit with a blue tie that matches his head. I'M SO, um, PROUD.

Regarding the Jeep: great choice! Only get a LIberty, not a Patriot. It's quite a bit bigger and better built and not much more money. A Patriot, for example, won't pull much of a trailer but our Liberty pulls our house trailer without a hitch. well, it HAS a hitch of course... you know what I mean. We're Chrysler people, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but the Jeep Liberty is the BEST vehicle we've ever head. Hey, it got us to Newfoundland, didn't it?

Have you rubbed Sean's head? Do you feel lucky? Well, do you punk? (Dirty Harry was on TV last night.)

Kat said...

OMG! Cathy--back when I was a brazen broad (you know, like, last week) I used to rub bald men's heads (ones I knew!) and make a wish. You know, like a they were a crystal ball or something? A wishing jar? LOL.

Hehehehe.

Oh, Alan. I had a 2008 Ford Escape and LOVED it. Awesome suvs. I could haul large scale paintings and my two little monkeys simultaneously. Decent gas mileage, too.

But Jeep Libertys are prettier. :D

Jhon Baker said...

Charlie brown was a Cesarean - you can tell from the roundness of his head.
I once shaved my head because I was too attached to it - vanity. I kept at it to save on combs and hair products. Eventually laziness got the better of me and I grew it out and get it buzzed every few months - out in the garage with a mirror.

Alan W. Davidson said...

Rosaria- Yeah, I remember those moderate temps (and rainy days) of the left coast while growing up on Vancouver Island. I can't stand the hot weather either (but a hint of it would be nice).

Harry- Laurita and I are still working on that weather exchange with you FLA folks. Sure, that tat would be balsy but stop giving the boy ideas!


Laurita- Yeah, I try to let my face come out to play once a year. Perhaps when we get some warm weather...that photo was taken at my parents place. My mother didn't even recognize me!

David- I could accept here being like Scotland if we had a few distilleries about (or is it aboot?)

Kat- I'm sure that you're right about the senior citizen payback (sounds like a good short story idea, girl). And stop rubbing it in about that toasty NM weather!

Cathy- I'm sure that Gus will be stunning (and co-ordinated) at his grad. Thanks for the Jeep tips (even though you're biased). Next time you're out for a visit we'll have a Clint Eastwood movie marathon).

Kat the Second- You're a naughty girl. Stay away from my kid (and my dad). And no more talk of crystal balls...

Thanks for the Ford endorsement.

Jhon- Nice round head theory. Sorry, but the boy disproves that. He was a C-section and look at the pointy noggin on him. Vanity is a valid reason for the head shave. I have the same problem with laziness (that's why I always have a beard).

Laura Eno said...

I had a Ford Explorer and loved it. The only reason I got rid of it was because it was ridiculous to have 4 wheel drive in Florida.
About the fez picture...never take a fez picture with a lampshade in the background. :)

Gigi said...

It's hard to fathom that you are still dealing with colder weather; here it's been hot and humid w/a forecast of it getting even hotter and more humid.

John Wiswell said...

Ha! Adore the Charlie Brown art. Many's a time I've considered shaving my fat Irish head.

SueH said...

Summer's put in a brief appearance, today!

After a very warm and dry Spring, we've recently had grey skies, cooler temps and a 'let-off' from having to water the garden due to never-ending rain.

But today the sun came out - OK, that's enough! Too hot now, we have the fans running. Even the local livestock has been taking refuge in our house; I've been bumblebee-wrangling all afternoon! (not sure if it's a team or just the same one coming back again and again - big feller, anyway, took a pint-glass to trap it!!)

So Alan, you can have some of this heatwave if you want, phew - although they say the temps will drop from 30C to 19C by Tuesday!

Michael Solender said...

fezzes rule!

Alan W. Davidson said...

Laura- yeah, a 4x4 in Florida seems a bit overkill. Thanks for the Explorer ensorsement. Har! I hadn't noticed about the lampshade (I'll blame that on 'V').

Gigi- We can't fathom the weather either. What worries me is that things start to 'cool off' around here starting mid-August...

John- I'm sure 'V' will be pleased by that (the compliment, not your shaved head). Live dangerously, shave it off. It grows back in a few weeks (so in the mean time, you can stay indoors...better leave it until winter). Post pics, though, if you do!

Sue- Was it really 30 there? The cold must be related to something weird (weather-wise) on both sides of the Atlantic.

Michael- Very true, sir. Though I think that it doesn't suit everybody. That's why I keep a few back-up hats on hand.