20 Thursday Dec 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
I wish you all the warmest of Holidays this year.
Something I’ve learned throughout my trials this year…make each moment count. You can never recapture it once it’s gone.
I appreciate each and every one of you, and will be bringing more laughter, thoughts and tears in the coming new year.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Da Taz!
04 Tuesday Dec 2012
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The thoughts expressed in this blog featured last season are timeless, and I hope you all get something out of my words. Bless you all.
Christmas comes but once a year, and for this fact, I am truly grateful. It’s wonderful that so many good vibrations seem to find their way to you, I truly wish the goodness could be gifted upon us all throughout the year. I mean, how much smiling can one cynic take in such a concentrated dose! Perhaps that little slice of the not-so-nice helps me to keep the good stuff in perspective.
I had the privilege of being able to share Christmas with my whole family this year. It truly was a blessing from God.
How different things are now, looking through my middle-aged eyes. Let’s rewind a couple of generations to when I was a boy.
When I was young I remember anticipating the “big event”. We rug rats were on our best behaviour, hoping it would eradicate all the mischief and mayhem we created for ourselves the other 51 weeks…
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04 Tuesday Dec 2012
Posted in Personal
I’ve been told on occasion that I’ve been blessed with different talents. As a young man, I sought out a career in dance, and to my surprise, for a while, actually achieved that goal.
When it became clear to me that it was not my calling, I later reverted to the art of music. In particular, singing, wherever they would welcome me. I was going great guns until one night, committed to a set of performances, I fell ill. I was too much of a pro to let that get in the way, but in the aftermath of that train wreck I realized, sadly, that I didn’t love what I was doing enough to continue its pursuit.
Which led me to my current habit…writing.
This one came WAAAYYY out of left field.
You see, as a kid, I had a great imagination. And, I was good at “storytelling”. Not in the Steven King “Stand By Me” tradition, but rather, through a constant barrage of “fables and fiction”, to anyone and everyone I interacted with. This was generally rewarded with my hind end being lifted sky-high with the aid of a rapidly applied swat to the arse.
It took YEARS to break that cycle of dishonesty. But, from all that, it also started to become very clear to me that I had developed the gift of description. With it, unbeknownst to me, I learned how to craft a great many tales.
When I was in Grade 4, I had a teacher, Mrs. Sokolowski. I shared that class with my step-sister, Sherry, as I had been held back a grade. She had once handed all of us a writing assignment. I remember that Sherry had written a wonderful story about a kid that developed powers of some sort, and that the teacher had singled her out for praise in one breath, while chastising everyone else for turning in such bad assignments. I never forgot how bad I felt, and from that point, I completely stopped even trying to write anything creatively from that moment forward.
Flash forward to my mid-thirties. I was working at Bell Canada on the phones, trying to resolve customer’s issues. At this point, my “creative” untruths became a very handy tool in my day-to-day work. As I would speak to customers about their issues, I found it worked very well if I could explore ways to have them “identify” with me, and as a result, be more willing to work with me on exploring ways to resolve their difficulties.
One day, one of my co-workers came up to me, smiling, and told me that I needed to write. He then added that he really thought I had the makings of a great storyteller.
Anyone could have knocked me over with a mild wind after hearing that. So, I started to write. At first, my efforts were lame, and quite honestly, unworthy of anyone’s time. But as I continued, I started to realise that I was able to craft my words in much the same way a painter uses brush strokes.
At some point, I started a blog space. It was through this venue that I started to connect with other writers. One such writer is a gentleman by the name of Jeff. He was the first to truly urge me to pursue my style and form of writing. Over the years, I’ve come to truly appreciate anything and everything he chooses to share with me. From the books he sends by mail for me to read, to the ribald and off-centre cartoons he clips and mails off, just because, he’s constantly been a great source of inspiration, and at times, strength.
Another highly cherished relationship I’m fortunate enough to enjoy is with my Wisconsin buddy, Claudene. For years now, she’s read pretty much everything I’ve put to pen, and has always been the first to de-construct where I’ve needed it, and add a kind word or two where it’s deserved. She’s been my editor, my partner in crime, my source of anarchy, and one of my most cherished friends. Without her encouragement, I’d probably have packed it in ages ago.
The person I’ve come to respect from afar over the years is another blogger here on WordPress, Scoundrel. We’ve had an odd sort of mutual fan club happening for some years now. It’s not often these days to see him in print, but when he does get the gumption, its epic, and filled with quirky observations that truly stimulate the synapses. I’ve come to cherish this relationship, and am constantly in awe of his talent.
A newer colleague and friend that’s become a mainstay in my daily reading is my Canuck in Texas pal, Jessica. Another WordPress blogster, she’s surprisingly shown great interest in what I have to say, and more importantly, in how I say it. I don’t know if she realizes just how much I appreciate what’s she’s brought to the party, but with a little luck, she’ll read this, and pat herself on the back. Coolest chick ever!
Recently, I’ve had the good fortune to have another successful writer take interest in my work. I suppose it has a lot to do with my wonderful and excruciatingly handsome partner’s whispering into her ear that she’s decided to help “guide” me towards taking the next step…making a few bucks at doing what I love. Kerry has amazed me with her approach to encouraging me to write in a whole new way. From the daft to the truly political, she’s egging me on to write opinion pieces, and then taking the time to add in criticisms where needed, all to help me fine tune my abilities (or lack thereof.)
Another mention here in my love letter to my “contributors” has to go out to Wil. This man has patiently sat by while I’ve gone through my metamorphosis, still encouraging me to finish this book the two of us are working on. Because of his amazing talent with a sketch pad, you may well be hearing about a new kid’s book hitting the best seller’s list someday.
Wil…you do AMAZING work buddy! I can never ever thank you enough!
Stranger things have happened.
And to round off this listing, I could not forget probably the most dedicated reader of them all. Noah. From my early days on MySpace, to my current haven, you’ve been the most loyal, and often, the most brutally honest of my supporters. I’ve come to depend on you in the role as my literary “barometre”. You’ve kicked me in the arse when I got stuck, encouraged my words when they clicked, and more importantly, never lost sight of who we are as friends. You’re one in a million, and I cannot conceive my life today without you being a part of it.
But, in the grand scheme of things, I have one more thank you within me…to you, my readers. With every single kindness you’ve shown, from every “like” you’ve posted, you’ve encouraged me to grow and develop in ways I could never have conceived possible a decade ago. If it wasn’t for your interest in what I have to say, I’d honestly have given up and given in some time ago.
Everything you write me, I cherish. Never forget that.
I hope that in this New Year that we are approaching, I can continue to give you all my best, and better still, be worthy of your time, as you read the crazed nonsense that comes out of my twisted mind.
To everyone that lays eyes upon this, I wish you the very best holiday season on record. Eat too much, drink too much, and savour those precious moments that unexpectedly come your way when you least expect it.
Bless.
Da Taz!
04 Tuesday Dec 2012
Posted in Commentary
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Tags
Beer, Beer And Wine Sold In Corner Stores Across Canada, Booze, Canada, Liquor, Raising Prices, Sales, Spirits, The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Tim Kudak, Wine
It’s a time of confusion in the land of the liquor-slicked snow trails.
All around us, there are specials on beer and liquor as we cruise the aisles at the local liquor store. Christmas is coming, and so is company. And the sad truth is that most of us end up wincing once we get to the cash to pay for our selections.
Take it all in, folks. It might be a very different scenario next year, both for your wallet, and where you go to buy your brewski’s!
We have a group, The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, that has decided the time has come to lobby for raising prices on alcoholic beverages.
Their reasoning is; with 26 percent of the Canadian population abusing alcohol, in raising prices at the local liquor and beer outlets, not to mention your friendly neighbourhood pubs, that these poor, addicted souls will suddenly see the light, and put down the shot glass.
Um…yah! And Santa is going to arrange with the credit card companies to give you a free Christmas this year too!
In the mix of all of this, our own Conservative Government has announced that it will seek to allow corner stores to sell spirits and beer in the near future. This declaration from one Tim Hudak has been a very long time in the making.
Quebec has had this privilege in place for eons now, and it’s proven to be a successful attempt for everyone involved. Surely, a little competition in Ontario being targeted towards the ruling LCBO outlets would be a good thing? It’d lower prices, and make available a choice that was never available in Ontario before.
Courtesy, Creative Commons
But then…The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse will surely be up in arms over this. The governing body making this kind of announcement will surely drive up alcoholism across the country, making their already difficult task in educating the public as the dangers of alcoholism all that much more of a burden. And surely, there will be toddlers swiping “Blue Nun” wine into their pram when eyes are elsewhere, street people pouring into your local 7/11 for a fix or 12, what have you.
Now, I don’t mean to besmirch the good works of The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. Alcoholism is a serious disease, and knowing that 5 percent of our population is abusing alcohol should never be taken lightly. But, in saying that, we’ve been down this road before.
For those that are unaware, once upon a time, another government decided that too many Canadians were smoking. So, to curb this epidemic, they jacked up the price of a pack of cigarettes to over the ten-dollar mark. But in doing so, they failed to realize at that time that for all their good intentions, they had effectively forced law-abiding Canadians to become black market criminals.
People that worked and paid taxes, citizens that had never even used a curse word even once in their life were suddenly buying much cheaper cigarettes on the sly. The problem became so wide-spread that the government found themselves forced to drastically lower the price of cigarettes per carton/pack to kill off the supply lines. In later years, they prosecuted the tobacco companies, and the coffin nail dealers, and in turn re-inflated the price of cigarettes.
But. And there is a but. Raising the prices didn’t stop the smokers. What did, to a small extent, was curtailing the available places a smoker could secure their fix. A great many people became fed up with standing practically in the middle of the road to get in that puff or two, and eventually quit. This author is among them.
Then again, there are those that became more defiant, and would gleefully take out a second mortgage just to raise their middle finger to the powers that be, all the while cheerfully puffing away.
What The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse has also failed to take into account is that very dark period in American history known as “Prohibition”. People literally went blind drinking bad batches of bathtub gin, whilst some shady crime syndicates boated “Canadian Club” straight into Michigan for the parched masses.
Now, we all know it would never be that bad here in the Great White North. They’re not proposing we ban the sale and use of alcohol. However, they are trying to force their “love” down the throats of good Canadians. All this in hopes that people turn to a glass of Coca Cola instead of downing a few Molson and Labatts in their living rooms on Saturday night.
There is also the fact that the price of beer and liquor, not to mention wine, have all skyrocketed over the last few years. Alongside everything else being way more expensive in Canada than it is for our U.S counterparts, those of us that do not abuse alcohol find ourselves potentially forced to pay even more. They do this in hopes that they can bring down the numbers of those that do. The logic is just not there, no matter what way you look at it. Raising prices for a person suffering from alcohol addiction is only going to force them to turn to less “legal” means of securing the elixir they seek.
Which brings me back to Hudak’s proposal. In the past, there were governments that had entertained the idea of opening up limited sales of beer and wine in your local corner stores, but the backlash from various pressure groups have always caused them to bury the proposals. But if Hudak is as brave with his actions as he is with words, this proposal will end up becoming reality, thus making the sale of “refreshments” nice and easy for all involved. Well, in theory, that is.
If the Quebec model stands as the benchmark, the corner stores will only be stocking the cheapest brands of wine, and pricing them as if they were higher end. And beer would cost a pretty penny more than their own liquor control board, the SAQ.
So, without any lobbying whatsoever, The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse would have what they wanted in part. Now, that’s not to say that corner stores wouldn’t be doing good business. Au contraire. A person that’s too tanked to drive, or that ran out early on a case of suds, would pay the extra gladly for the convenience. And there are those that could care less if wine tasted like Kool Aid that would also enjoy being able to pick up a bottle for dinner on a Saturday night, thus avoiding the long lines at the LCBO here in Ontario.
All in all, it sounds pretty good on paper. The challenge would be to see if Tim Hudak has the stomach and the backbone to stand up to the pressure groups and naysayers, and then fight to see his vision become law.
I’d like to add one final thought to these current events. It does not take an addictive personality to make the choice to take a drink. But the second they make this choice, it becomes a challenge, sometimes an overwhelming challenge, to those that suffer from the ills of alcoholism. Making it harder to feed that addiction will not miraculously turn them into tea teetotalers. There are 12 steps involved in that, and no matter how high you try to force up the price of their poison, they are the ones to make that choice for themselves. No amount of good intentions will alter that choice in the slightest. You only need look at a drug or gambling addict to see the truth in my words.
God Bless, and Happy Holidays my friends.
Sources:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/11/27/alcohol-pricing.html
