Remembering a friend

As we get older, an unfortunate truth is that people around us start dying; like it or not, death is a fact of life. For myself, at 51 (currently), the passing of people that I know has accelerated.

Peter Borodchuk was a friend of mine in high school in the 1970's. We had some things in common, primarily being shy and quiet; we had another friend, Steve, who was the same. We spent many lunch hours playing a "thumbs hockey game" using a coin and a table-top, similar to table-top football- Steve's specialty was the fleshy part of the finger; Peter used his finger nails (always a bit too long). He was a very warm and friendly person, but being quiet and reserved, didn't make friends easily. I don't really recall any friends other than Steve and myself, nor do I believe that he went to the grade 13 graduation dance.

Peter and I ended up at the same college in 1980, me in an engineering tech programme, and he in a bio-chem programme. We went drinking on several occasions with another friend of mine from college, Bob; Peter couldn't hold the booze as well as some, but we certainly had some fun times. One day when we were shooting the breeze, he told me that he'd like to live in a cabin in the woods; I suggested that that might be a pretty boring existence. He then said to me something that I found odd, but really defined him-- he said that he didn't mind being bored, in fact he kind of liked it.

At some point after the first year of college, we decided that at some point that we would find and share a place together close to the college-- he was living at his parent's home, and I at mine. For me, it was a definite plan, for him, it was more pie-in-the-sky. I came over to his place and told him that I had a place ready to go, at which point he became very nervous. I told him that if he wasn't ready, it was no big deal; I'd be able to find someone else. I think that we was nervous about bringing the subject up to his parents, and at the same time he may have thought that he was letting me down, and that I might be pissed at him. I wasn't.

I think that may have been the last time I talked to him at any length, as we slowly drifted apart in succeeding years at college. About 15 years later, I did a search for him on Google, and didn't find anything. Six months later, I was at a restaurant waiting for my take-out order, flipping through the paper, and see a headline "Local man missing, presumed drowned" (http://bit.ly/mXCZWq), and there's his name. I just stared at it for a while, with my hand over my mouth.

Turns out he had jumped into the spring flows in the Ottawa River to save his dog, which had fallen in. He got washed away in the current, with his poor wife watching helplessly. I went to the service, where there was a large photo of him from his wedding day. He looked happier in that photo than I had ever seen him. Funerals had been a problem for me since my father died, so I had to leave after 30 minutes or so. Anyway, it seems like he ended up with a very happy life. It also seems so unfair that something like that had to happen to such a nice person.

Not forgotten, Peter...

Spitzer get sued

Sad state of affairs. If someone poops in the bathtub, and you say that they pooped in the bathtub (http://www.slate.com/id/2264632/). Then they just might sue you (http://www.advancedtrading.com/regulations/231500451?cid=nl_at_daily), even if it’s very clear that you in fact did poop in the bathtub...

Few will deny that Spitzer has done some great work over many years in shedding the lights on impropriety in US high finance. Pretty depressing to see some uber-rich clown take exception to it, and seek suit against him for doing it. The guy gets off on a technicality, and goes right for the jugular. (Why didn’t OJ go after those libelous bastards at the Los Angeles County prosecutor's office?)

I guess we should just jolly well let privileged people take advantage of their positions. If we have something to say, we should just shut up about it. Or else.

Some cool cars

Earlier this month I was at the weekly Kanata Cruise Night car show at the Hazeldean mall lot just outside Don Cherry's. Took my car there as well. So here's a few photos that I took using my Google Samsung Nexus S phone camera (sorry for the quality).
First, an awesome GTO:

Here is something that looks like a Lotus 7- style kit car (Bill O. suggested that; he was right) owned by a guy in Ottawa, built by a guy on the Quebec side:

A fabulous 69 Buick Riviera (I think):

I'm not really a Ford guy, but how about this T-Bird! 

What a sexy car:

A cool 72 Challenger:

A 71 Challenger:

And an old Chevvy:

Always a fun day at the Kanata Cruise Night. Photos don't really do justice to some of these cars; these people put a lot of time and money into these cars, and it shows. And most of them are just beautiful- even the Chryslers! (Just kidding Mopar guys.)
More photos soon!
Kman

First blog entry

This is my first entry of my personal blog. I have at least one more (will have)- that is my professional blog. I think it will be called ka3.ca.blog. Not sure yet, though. In this blog (The Keith Zone), I'll be blogging about my personal life: my family, my friends and topics that interest me, including sport, astronomy, technology, literature, religion, history and politics. I have a lot to say about these things, I and I feel very strongly about some of them, but I promise not to be insulting to the views of others. I'll be getting started soon!