General

I need a new logo (2026 edition)

What the title says. The text logo is…fine, but it’s not even actual text, it’s an image of text. And it’s a little plain. I feel like I need to go all 2005 retro for this.

Although it does disturb me a bit that 2005 is now retro.

Here is one I whipped up in Canva a few years ago that I did not use, because even I have my limits:

The HNIC theme I never thought I’d hear again

Thanks to YouTube’s sometimes erratic algorithm, I was offered a video of the 1968 Hockey Night in Canada theme. Back in Duncan and growing up in the 1970s, HNIC was a Saturday night staple in our home, with the living room TV always tuned to the game. I’ve heard the theme song probably hundred of times, but the last time I heard it may have been the last time I watched HNIC, which was probably the mid 80s.

Until tonight. And hearing it again, I not only felt that intoxicating pull of nostalgia you get from childhood music, but it also struck me what a damn good theme it is. The brass section just blasts the thing. No wonder so many think of it as Canada’s unofficial second anthem.

Efficiency in TV programming, Stargate SG-1 edition

I’ve never watched Stargate SG-1, but I knew the series was shot around Vancouver. Looking over the Wikipedia page, I found this entry for one of the characters, played by Corin Nemec:

From the country of Kelowna on the planet Langara. As someone who worked at Langara College for almost nine years, I find this quite amusing. It also reminds me of a first season episode of The X-Files where Mulder and Scully go the sleepy town of Steveston, Massachusetts, which looks suspiciously like Steveston, BC. I mean, it saved them having to change any of the signs when shooting on location. It’s just smart planning.

My brain is being difficult again (plus a shopping cart)

I am having trouble motivating myself to write about whatever on this blog. I’m not sure exactly what causes this occasional ennui. Ironically, “ennui” is kind of fun to say out loud.

The weird part is years ago I gave myself permission to post anything here, so it’s not like I’m waiting until I have something important to say. The dozens of cat pics are testament to that.

I’ve looked through some recent photos I’ve taken and here’s one I haven’t posted from my shopping cart oeuvre1this is a word I can never spell correctly without looking it up first:

I like the juxtaposition of all the various objects, plus the blurry vehicle whizzing by.

There, ennui defeated by shopping cart. I take my victories where I can.

Lousy Smarch weather

Snow, flowers and my right foot.

Yes, today, on March 10th, less than 10 days before spring begins and after a winter featuring no snow at all in New Westminster, it snowed.

To be fair, after a few hours, it sputtered out and turned to rain and there’s only a small chance of any further snow, which will also get washed away as morning temperatures rise.

But still.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate snow–as long as it stays on the mountains, where it belongs. Or, like, the North Pole. That’s fine, too. And wherever penguins (naturally) live.

But that’s it.

Here is a cat in the snow.

It’s about time for good news (pun warning in title)

Yesterday the provincial government announced it would be switching to permanent Daylight Saving Time–henceforth to be known as Pacific Time and that moving clocks forward an hour this coming weekend will be the last time British Columbians will do so.

I am both surprised and happy about this. Surprised because the government had taken the position of waiting for the western states to switch first, so the whole Pacific coast could be in sync. After years of waiting and nothing happening, I just assumed this was another promise that would never be fulfilled.

But then the BC government decided, six years after a survey indicated overwhelming support for the time change, to lead by example and hope others would follow. We join the Yukon, which made the switch two years ago.

Unsurprisingly, some people are unhappy and pretty much any discussion of the change will have these people popping up grousing about how we should have switched to permanent standard time, not daylight time, because that means more light in the morning rather than the evening. I get it. But please, just let people be happy and enjoy the moment (I stopped reading any discussions related to this).

For me, it’s great. Changing the clocks twice a year has always been awkward and weird, with little benefit to modern living, so I’m glad to see we’re getting rid of it. I prefer more light in the latter part of the day, even as I understand the arguments for having more in the morning. I’m counting this as a rare win for common sense in a year and time (ho ho) that seems largely devoid of it.

CBC News story: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-adopting-year-round-daylight-time-9.7111657