The Winter Persists

      So, after a massive thaw, the snow is trying to make a comeback. Not that it's trying very hard or anything. Anyway, I fear I do not have much else to say. Stay safe and remember that March is fast approaching.

BYE.

My pen persists

      Something about ballpoint pens. My blue one likes to trick me; first it seems like it's on its last dregs of ink, only to charge forth as strong as anything. That sounds like a neat name for a blog, doesn't it? 'The Pen Persists'. You, my few and fantastic followers, are welcome to use it. Besides, this is the only blog I use. Yeah, I was on LiveJournal once a long time ago, but that's lost to the mists of time. As far as I understand it, LiveJournal is deader than disco. Blogger might be fading like the dodo, but this has been my base of operations for some time, and I have no intention of going anywhere new.

     I've had the year of 2017 on the mind lately. One of my second cousins was born in 2017, while another one was born in 2016. A third one was born only a few weeks ago. My cousins are going wild with the babbies these days. We had a wretched cold snap - on par with Texas only Canada's used to such dealings - and the cold killed my car's battery. Cue my bitter frustration with a very overworked CAA. Anyway, I had a new battery installed and now I'm paranoid. Something at last for my rampant anxiety to sink its yellowed teeth into! It's been almost a week since that happened, and my car's working fine.

    2017 was a momentous year. A wedding, a journey to Nova Scotia, a second cousin born in China, and a very sad event for my great-aunt and great-uncle. Anyway, the cold snap has passed and tomorrow calls for a high of 0. Very good news all around. The fact that it's Saturday is also very good news. Assuming my car doesn't die again on me this weekend, I'm going to see my fam and eat some excellent potato casserole. Another of my Grandma's recipes, and it is amazingly good. Anyway, I thought about posting some Sims stuff but I changed my mind. This is just all the nonsense of my life. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you are all staying safe and warm.

BYE.

Blisteringly cold

      Winter finally caught up with us. I expect indoor recess all the rest of the week. We had an inservice today, so the kids got to stay home and stuff. On the literary front, I finished up a poignant book called 'The woman on the Orient Express'. I only call it poignant because it woke so much nostalgia within. Agatha Christie was married and divorced in her early days, and she made an escape to the Middle East to get away from the rumour mill. I wonder now what her ex thought when she became something of a superstar writer. Did it stick in his craw - an ache that not even death could heal? Yes, I am spiteful. What of it?

       Anyway, the book was so drenched in Mesopotamian affairs that I flashed back many times to the Christie classic 'Murder in Mesopotamia'. The author of 'The woman on the Orient Express' confirmed my suspicions that one of the characters in the book who crosses paths with Christie was the inspiration of one of the characters in 'Murder in Mesopotamia'. This character was a real person, believe it or not. As a result of all my flashing back, I found myself enjoying the foray very much. If I recall correctly, 'Murder in...' was the first Christie book I have ever read. Both books are very good, by the way.

       Continuing on the nostalgia train, I discovered another reason why I love the band Squeeze as much as I do. When I was in high school, like most people of my time, I watched 'Hackers'. My first encounter with Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller, and Matthew Lillard, as well as my first encounter with Fisher Stevens as a bad guy. When you're used to Ben Jabituya in 'Short Circuit', it's a little bit of a shock to see him as this douchey hacking mastermind. Anyway, at the end of that movie, while Miller and Jolie are in the rooftop pool, there's a great song that plays. I've been in the dark as to which band released that song for YEARS. 😥

      Thank you IMDB! It took me a bit of searching but I finally found the song in question.

      Is it any wonder that I love Squeeze so much? All this time and I don't even have one of their albums. I think that's going to change soon. Shoutout to KeeFHQVideos for posting this video. Am I getting people in trouble by giving them a shoutout? Not like there are any people actually wasting their time on my blog. Now, I hope people stay warm in Canada, as the cold weather ain't going away anytime soon. Maybe by this weekend.

BYE.