Archives for: April 2006, 04

04/04/06

Permalink 12:00:01 am, by Email , 639 words   English (CA)
Categories: General Shtuff

ABOUT THIS BLOG...

This blog was started in April of 2006... its original itent was really twofold. One was to be a "sounding board" for it's author... and the other... well...

At the time we started this, your humble author was unemployed and going through the usual crisis situations that arise from being jobless.

We (my wife, stepdaughter, and I,) used to "amuse" ourselves (read: Take our minds off our troubles) by more-or-less fantasizing as a family about what we'd do when things "turned around". Along this route, we discussed going to England on a vacation... and in that, alighted on "double-decker buses".

We kind of adopted one bus... Regent Low Height 3... as Our Bus... and we used to talk about what we'd do with "our bus" if we got it... from fixing it up to the trips we'd take on it.

Along the way, we became students of the history of this bus which HONESTLY seemd it was truly for us... trouble was, we couldn't afford the bus and weren't in a position to work towards the bus... so we had a couple of options...

Since the bus' position was sketchy (there's a chance she might be sold for scrap or "carved up" in other ways,) we could forget about her and pretend she didn't exist...

...or we could TRY... ask for help... put our dream of owning and saving "One Old Green Bus" into the universe and see what happens...

Heck, we even arranged "storage" should we get lucky and a few other things... like looking into costs, parts, insurance, and even "day trip" costs... heck, we even have details on making the bus FAR more efficient (on fuel) than could ever be dreamed of way back when she was built!

As of February, 2008, we found out that there was a perspective buyer for our bus and although our fiscal position and employment situation has dramatically improved, it would be about two years from now before we could make an honest attempt at purchase and shipping RLH 3 within our own means...

This knowledge meant some difficult decisions had to be made... The first was that we wouldn't "beg" for help anymore (we removed the "Donate to our Dream" buttons) and give the little money we received to a few different charities both online and off... and the second was simply hope that either we find a corporate sponsor (for an "ad" idea we have, click here to about read that,) or even a patron who see's the value in a silly family's dream...

But, if the bus is about to be purchased by someone who's planning on restoring it and they "get there first", we wish them well and are glad that at least Our One Old Green Bus is in a safe place being looked after.

For now, though, we are still hoping WE might be the ones to get our One Old Green Bus and see a family dream come true...

Regardless, this blog WILL continue... and we will still "go for" a bus of our own... but this blog will ALWAYS be dedicated to our own One Old Green Bus... she was a dream that LITERALLY held our family together during a very dark time...

...and who knows? Perhaps that patron or corporate sponsor is out there... and the dream might become a reality.

Fingers here are always crossed...

---------------------------------------

UPDATE - June 2008: We thank everyone for the kind support and their well wishes... and even those that were proactive and tried to find us the help we needed... but we have "tossed in the towel" and are no longer trying to save the bus. We do hope "our bus" finds a good and stable home, but right now, we are not trying to save the bus for ourselves... Again, we thank everyone for their help and support.

D O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V. M
Et In Arcadia Ego

My Disclosure Policy For Sponsored Posts

The Current Time in Toronto is...


One Old Green Bus

Allow me to start with we do not own nor are we selling a bus. Just had to get that out...

This blog was started in April of 2006... during a very bad time for me and my family when money was very tight and life was very hard.

We maintained by fantasizing... talking about what we would do when times were better... and as Sue and myself are Anglophiles, England factored greatly into our "plans".

During these bad times, while looking at news items and whatnot as London was removing their venerable old Routemasters, I came across one photo of an old green bus... and somehow, my whole family adopted it. It became very much "our bus". (Details about "our bus" are available by clicking here.)

Like most of you, I'd heard about the fellow who'd made a million dollars selling tiny ads online... and the fellow who did trades and turned a paper clip into a house... so I thought, since we couldn't make our bus actually into "our bus" (well beyond our means,) I'd try and appeal... to make the focused item of our hopes into a tangible thing in our lives...

More specifically, in a burst of adult/juvenile optimism, I had hoped to show the youngest member of the family, who at the time was still very young and impressionable, that dreams really could become reality if you hope and, more importantly, try.

Well, I'm pretty sure you figured it out... we failed... and the youngest has reached an age where she is more cynical than much else about the world which isn't a dreadful thing... but there's a "good news" portion to this... money is better, life has improved, and some people really liked my rambling here... so, I decided to keep things going... Yes, I will "give up" on asking for help on a bus... and have to give up on even trying to get the bus and be far more realistic... but I don't mind (I actually enjoy,) venting, trying my hand at humour, and generally keeping on online presence outside my usual things.

Thanks to those who were/are "Busly Dream" enthusiasts... I suppose that our buses now will be single-deck with the letters "TTC" emblazoned on them... but this blog will live!

About Me

Our Cafe Press Shop! Buy a shirt, mug, hat, ANYTHING and help support the dream! C'mon, all the REALLY cool kids are doing it! MARCH 2007 - NEW DESIGNS AND NEW STUFF AVAILABLE!!!

Looking for RV info? Check out phred Tinseth's Poop Sheets on Phrannie.Org

Old Green Bus Main Page

The Toronto Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society

ParaResearchers

Paranormal Studies and Investigations Canada

Virtually Strange Network

The Paranormal Blog

Nuttin' But Pimp

Life in the Urban Zoo

Pastyme with Good Companye

My Clan - The Carlyles

PSICAN Message Board

The LAW (Live Audio Wrestling)

Figure Four Online

Outpost Gallifrey

Find-a-Death

BBC News

VERY COOL! Big Green Bus Site

Solar Toronto - University of Toronto Team

Friends

Abandoned Stuff

Bill Blunt

Brain Freeze

Buck Naked Politics

Café at the End of the Universe

Christie St. Martin @ LA Times

The Creative Nerd

DeMediaCratic Nation

Exhausticated

A Gentleman's Domain

The Gnostic World of Candy Minx

High Strangeness Altoona

The Hot Dog Truck

Hydra

I Can Has Cheezburger

Imaginary Magnitude

Incoherent-ish

Jump in the Ocean

Warren Kinsella

Life At The Edge

Life at Star's Rest

Lucid-Sphere

Mad Gringo

Marketing Whore

Moonlight Becomes Me

Motherhood Metamorphosis

Motivated Motion

Musings of Khlari

Northview Diary

One More Word

Pointless Drivel

RealTalk - Biggus Sissus (My Big Sister)

The Spicy Cauldron

Tethered Cow

Texas RV Travel: USAer Blog

Travels of Stacey

UltraMantis Black

Utenzi Blog

Wandering Coyote

Live from Waterloo

Waterfalls' Paranormal Life

Weird Cake: Treats from a Bipolar Mind

Window in the Web

Writing in Faith

Yarn Harlot

Yellowdog Granny

Canadian Cynic

A Cowboy's Wife

d bImBo WiF D tWiSt

The DeSmog Blog

Fear And Loathing - The Gonzo Papers

For Your Success

Found In The Blogosphere

Home & Business Interest

Lance Storm

The Lives and Times of Anthony McCunee

Melting Dolls

Raymi the Minx

Rick Mercer

New York Traveller

Planet Gallifrey

Pointless Directives

Reflections of Time

Jim Ross

Stacie's Blog

If you're looking to make a little coin from your blog, I whole heartedly recommend Blogsvertise! They've been EXCELLENT and have paid nicely without issue!

Grokodile Blog Directory - Add Your Blog

Blog Soldiers

iPing-it!

Automotive Blogs -  Blog Catalog Blog Directory

Text Link Ads

Apparently, I'm a...

B-List Blogger

...is that a good thing?

Matthew Didier's Facebook profile





Because I believe in this...












Communicating with Skype...

My status

E-Mail Me At...


April 2006
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
  Current > >>
            1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30            

Search

Misc

XML Feeds

What is RSS?

powered by
b2evolution

Poll

My black leather jacket has finally bit the dust. What should I replace it with?

View Results


Yeah, Baby!


My blog is worth So Much Money The Mind Boggles!.
How much is your blog worth?

D OUOSVAVV M
Didier Sigillum Militum Xpisti





Click here for the...



...blogroll!



Click here for the...



...blogroll!



Click here for the...



...blogroll!



Click here for the...



...blogroll!



Click here for the...



...blogroll!









Please support the dream by visiting and shopping with our friends below...




Tiger Direct (Canada)
Dell Canada Inc



Who's Online?

  • Guest Users: 30

powered by
b2evolution


Above is NOT a sponsored ad... this is here because Mad Gringo
and the folks who look after it are just VERY cool!


Above is NOT a sponsored ad... this is here because a person
involved in the shop is a very kind person who checks
in on the dream! Please visit the site for great fashions!





Et in Arcadia Ego