Welcome to Sunday...

First off, no new news on RLH 3... I'm still hoping, but the lottery Gods did not smile upon me and the family, so no bus for me this week.

I do remind folks that I am DESPERATELY trying to think of ways to expedite the purchase/transport of the bus... As stated in the FAQ, of course any help is appreciated, but If you have any ideas (save the one I've already had about selling the adspace while in transport... click here for those details...) I would be VERY grateful for help!

Remember: Bank loans, trying to get a museum or the like to purchase it, borrowing money from friends/family is NOT an option.

Any ideas, please e-mail me at matthew@doubledeckerbuses.org

...anyway...

My wife and I walked through Bloor West Village (our fave neighbourhood in Toronto) and saw a WONDERFUL house for rent... yup, a whole house... It's a wee bungalow on Colbeck near Windemere. It needs love, but it's PERFECT for us.

We scoped around (it's currently empty) and peeked through the windows... and went down the driveway... and bumped into the neighbours who were AWFULLY kind and let us know a bit about the place... it's perfect and the price-point (if they were right) is only $300.00 per month more than our two-bedroom closet...

Ah, to use bikes again! To be able to garden! To have parking for RLH 3 (YES! There was PARKING!) and to be able to let the puppy have his own back yard... well, to share with the gardeners (myself and Sue) and his ten-year old girl!

Sadly, with things the way they are, it's a pipe dream... I still owe two months rent here AND I'd have to save well over $2k for first and last at this house... then the hook-ups... then moving...

So, about $5,000.00 short to make it happen.

Oh well... I hope it finds a good tenant.

...anyway...

I was surfing "random blogs" this morning using "BlogMad" and saw something, that although egocentric, looked like fun... and on "rough draft", is more difficult than one would think to be able to do...

Six Weird Things About Me...

The woman's blog that had this listed that she was thirty-one years old and had been married four times... and widowed twice!

Call me weird, and no disrespect to the blogger, but if I was dating her, I'd be... well... concerned.

Anyway, here's my weak attempt...

Now, one should remember that these are ON TOP of me being a paranormal investigator, having an unusual obsession with double-decker buses (RLH 3 in particular), and being a War of 1812 re-enactor... although the latter I cannot claim wholeheartedly thanks to having to sell my Baker Rifle to pay rent and therefore only having uniform(s... four different ones in total) and some kit... and not having a car which is really a requirement for that hobby... oh, and I love pro-wrestling...

SO, that said...

#1: I live with my wife, my stepling, and TWELVE pets. Three cats, one dog, one guinea pig, one dwarf rabbit, three hamsters, one mouse, and two budgies.
Cat's are Mary, Elizabeth, and Annie. Dog is Max. Guinea Pig is Carlito. Mouse is Gallileio (although "Mouseshkin" is his common name). Hamsters are Phil, Nick (for Copernicus), and Merlin. Budgies are Pauly and Tweety... although they are usually called "Sam and Stella"... don't ask. Rabbit is Baby (but is normally called "Bunchkin".)

#2: Unlike many, I hate being on TV or having my picture in the paper. Thanks to my paranormal exploits, I've been involved with several TV and newspaper things (mostly news and documentaries on ghosts) and I've even been in the paper with the "bus thing" once, and I REALLY, REALLY dislike it. I love radio... In fact, my dream job WOULD be to be on radio... but the whole "I want to be famous and be on TV and in the paper." does NOT apply to me in the slightest! "Media", for me, is a means to an end... it gets my groups public attention and spurs reports to us, but beyond that, I've never yearned to be "a star"... and I have never assumed that I would ever come close to being compensated for my efforts vis-a-vis the paranormal.

#3: I have sat on the coronation throne in Wesminster Cathedral... by accident. As a young boy, the throne was in a weird space while work was being done (I think?) and was simply cordoned off with a red belt. Well, I was tired... and footsore... and very young... and all I saw was a chair with a rock underneath it behind ropes... so I hopped under and plunked my butt down. Quickly, I was "whisked off" by two men in rather bland copes (I assume they were clerics or lay persons) who were more embarrassed than I was I can assure you. Sadly, during my moment of regal glory, no crown was slipped onto my head.

#4: Although I will happily traipse through a reportedly haunted location at odd hours and really am not afraid, I hate being upside down... I hate thrill rides. Wooden coasters ROCK, but spin me around or make me go upside down and I am NOT enjoying myself. What delights others scares me... and what scares others delights me.

#5: Despite being "bombastic" and considered a "good ol' boy" by many, I'm actually a bit of a teetotaller. The last drink I has was a solo beer before Christmas... and the last time I would consider myself to have become "tipsy" was a wedding last year. The last time I was "blasted", I was in my twenties. (I'm thirty-eight right now.) I'm not fond of drinking... especially in excess. I don't "poop" on friends and whatnot that like drinking, it's just not for me.

#6: My real hero as a kid (and as an adult) was my Grandpere (Grandfather). He was a very important chef in his day at Toronto's most famous hotel, The Royal York (now The Fairmont Royal York) and cooked for many famed people including her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

My family PROUDLY traces back it's lineage to early Canada (U.E.L.) and Toronto, especially, is Didier and St. Claire-Hughs territory.

At one point, I could say that...

My Grandpere (dad's side) served during the war on HMCS Haida which was dry-docked at Ontario Place (on Toronto's lake shore) for many years... it's now in Hamilton, but that was a recent move.

My uncle Frank (mom's side) was the architect who designed the "walkways" over the lake at Ontario Place.

My Great Grandfather was an illiterate sign-painter who was also Toronto's only public "Lamp Lighter" in his day... he would light the gas lamps at dusk in the streets and put them out in the daytime. He also painted the words "GOODERHAM AND WORTS" on the side of the old distillery (still visible) by copying from a scrap of paper.

Top that off when I was young with my dad working at the TD Centre (one of the tallest tower complexes in Toronto), my uncle Gord being a Toronto Fire Fighter, and the Fairmont Royal York connection... and boy was Toronto home... and still is.

...geez, and what do these guys get for their progeny? The poor ghost guy with a bus fixation. Seems hardly fair.

So, there we go...

Okay, not great and highly egotistical... and little to do with the bus... but what the heck! Now you know a little more about me.

So, other than this, not much else to report... but who knows what the 'morrow brings! Perhaps I'll get RLH 3... perhaps I'll get a job on radio... perhaps $5k will drop into our lap and I'll be moving into the cute house on Colback... or, perhaps, I'll still struggle with low pay, unanswered dreams, and it'll be SSDD (same stuff, different day) again.

Smart money's on the latter!