May 4, 2000
My entry from one year ago talks of the same things I was going to mention in todays entry. I was planning on talking about the smog returning and my silly car. What I said last year holds true about the pollution, so no sense rehashing it here. The damn car is conspiring against me. There's a growing crack in the windshield, so that needs replacing. Only thing is the insurance deductible went from $50 to $250 over the last few years, so it almost makes sense to not claim it if it's going to be that expensive. Second thing (important for the summer time) is that the air conditioner compressor is on its last legs, puming no cold air at all when engaged. That is going to cost a lot of money to repair. I suppose I could let the window crack all the way and fall out, thus providing instant cooling when the car is at speed - bugs in teeth at no extra charge.
Anyone who grew up in Canada in the last 40 years is feeling down this week. The Friendly Giant passed away on Tuesday. I'm amazed at the number of tributes I am hearing on the morning radio programmes - everyone was touched in some fashion as a child by this gentle 15 minute television show, myself included. We'll close the drawbridge behind you, Friendly.
I
was looking at the haunted
library website last week, getting creeped out some of the webcam images.
Sure, they may be fake, but there are a few that just send chills up the spine.
Take a look at the webcam image to the right, for example. Yoinks!
I believe in ghosts myself, especially since I've had a couple of encounters. Both happened when I lived in St. Catharines; one in my bedroom and one at my friends parents house. The first house we lived in was a backsplit; my bedroom was at the front of the house on the lower level, so my window opened up at ground level. This was a convenient entryway for our cat Boots. One night, I was awakened by a cat jumping on my bed and sitting between my legs. I reached down and starting petting it. I was about to look at it when I caught a movement in my bedroom window. There outside was Boots, asking to be let in, while I was on my bed petting what I thought was him. When I looked down the bed, I saw nothing, though I could feel the weight of the ghost cat on the bed and the fur under my palm.
My friends parents house (now demolished) was haunted by a poltergeist. The family was well aware of it, and accepted it as part of the houses charm. A few of us were sitting in the living room one night, listening to Chris describe the poltergeist and its many activities. We were taking it all with a grain of salt when the screen door suddenly flew open then slammed shut with a huge *bang!* Chris said something like "There, do you believe mer now?" as we all sprinted over to the screen door. The latch was locked. It was locked prior to this incident as well. The spook must have known we were doubting its existence, so it thought to prove it by unlocking the door, getting our attention, then locking it again.
A side bar to this story. A large group of us were having a party in the back yard of this house one night. A couple went into the empty house to use the downstairs bedroom for some passionate necking. While they were otherwise enganged, they heard loud heavy footsteps start upstairs, go along the corridor and down the main stairway, wander around the main floor and go back up again. When they returned to the main group, they asked which of us was making all the ruckus. When we told them that none of us had gone in the house during that time period, they realized they had an other worldly visitor paying them a visit.
Boo!