The New Year 2008

OK so I am a bit late ...well that's ok

Had a terrific time back home in Canada at Christmas. Got to see Mom and Clarence and Jen and Doug and Kenzie and Mark and Tammy and Jaxon and Jada and found out that they are expecting another next year....got to breathe fresh air and spent New Years in Ottawa with some friends...got to see Meghan and Romain at their Quebec sugar shack along with several of their relatives...thanks very much....have some pictures of the holidays ...not very many

Got to see Jack and Renee and Peter and his family....got a big surprise as my car was painted when I returned....check the colour...and the cat tracks over the top and the trunk of the car....won't need to beep the horn to let anyone know that I am coming...New Holland yellow I am told...funny.....but thanks anyway..Jack and Peter....

Mom and Clarence continue to live in their home in Chaplin although things are a little more difficult for them...Jan and Tony are doing some redecorating...well, as Jan put it, Tony is redecorating and Jan is cleaning up...

Got some bad news as soon as I stepped off the plane back here......one of the three amigos, Fred Savoy, had suffered a major heart attack and was in very grave condition...things have improved over the past while but he will still need to go back to Canada to have another surgery...he will come back to the apartments for a couple weeks after getting out of hospital and then when strong enough, he will head back for the surgery...a sad day for the school and the remaining amigos as we were had really bonded and enjoyed each other's company....oh well, life does such things, doesn't it.

Returned with a load of PE equipment so that we could have a few more different activities at the school...still have another load to go that is currently staying in Balgonie...may pick that up when I head back in April

Speaking of which, I will start training for the Boston Marathon soon....probably start of Feb.... The owner says I will be on paid leave so that is good. I will be measured for a track suit next week that will carry the colours and logo of the school... a paid athlete????...a bonus came last week.....will leave here on Wed April 16th and run on the 21st....was going to return to Regina on the 22nd then to Beijing on the 23rd (lose a day so it is the 24th) and be back to teach Friday....but we got an unexpected holiday on April 28, 29 and 30 as well as the May 1 and 2.....So have rebooked my flight for May 2nd to return the 3rd and have 4th to rest. So I get an extra week in Canada to "recover".

Guess I am in the golf business as several people have asked for clubs and have said I can try to get them for you but with no promises.....have a friend who is now selling them for about $500 profit..and says he has sold about 100 sets (nice cool $50,000).....whatever

Have tried to get some more Olympic tickets with no success...there will be one more chance when they go on sale to the public ...that will probably be a madhouse...as people line up....in China you don't...for the final run of tickets....

Got my fill of Rider Championship stuff when I was home and have been wearing it proudly over here....two amigos have their hats and I think I now have two more fans...had my picture taken with a New England Patriot's cheerleader...so we may have the Grey Cup and Super Bowl represented in that picture..we were at a pub...the one who sponsors our hockey team and had pictures taken so that we can create a calendar edition of our team...Funny eh???? We'll see how that goes.....by the way, I damn near score another goal...geez...that would have doubled a seven year drought.....in two successive games...by the way the next game we got a good old fashioned butt kicking...14 - 4..I had one shot on goal but the goalie had to maker a good save on it

Reg and I are going to Vietnam on the Chinese New Year...Spring Festival....in February...Ho Chi Minh for a couple of days and then off to a beach ...Nha Trang...just to hang around...hotels were about $25 per night so it was not too expensive for the time there....Flights were about $800 round trip...hope to relax a little....were booked into a hotel at $100 per night and got out of that one when we found out about these other ones...bit of a jump...$16 to $100....now we can spend more money on wine, women and song...yeah right...Reg found out he wasn't going to get back in time to make that flight there....now there is a real hassle getting the change and these guys don't understand English and I really mean that ...it has take 2 phone calls and 3 emails and we still haven't got a flight the next day...honestly...it gets exasperating

Had a flat on my half ton and had to have it repaired...think it cost around $4.00 to repair...they also fixed a bent pedal for that....now I am back in business...no word yet on the paint job but do have some stickers and a Rider's flag to go with it...and Janet just sent me a Rider Grey cup license plate holder...Thanks you two....that is going to be one good looking 3 wheeler....had my front tire go flat on me...so will need to get it fixed too...

Term one is coming to a close ...next term will be a little more hectic and will involve more after school activity with me but I guess I can handle that...haven't decided if I will be coming back next year..lots of decisions to be made before then...not sure whether I want to stay another but would do it under the right circumstances....Reg is going to be the new principal and has said he is going to nail both of my feet to the floor with 12 inch nails so that I will stay..I laughed...I guess he wants me to stay....we shall see...stay tuned...need to make a decision by February...have made some contacts with a couple other schools and found out that a teacher doing the same job as me at another school get about $10,000 more...so have put out a little feeler...they do have a position for a PE teacher too...nothing like looking out for number one....

Another story....I have a telephone in my room that people can phone...by the way the phone number is 85 31 0246...not sure what you have to dial to get the long distance ... maybe 01....anyway I can't dial out because it requires a card..no problem I will use my cell for locals and skype....now skype is on the fritz...I need to renew my insurance in Vancouver...ok how do you use the phone....first you buy a card to put in your phone....then what..no English instructions....not even sure what the symbols mean on the phone....once got an English voice who told me I needed to put a zero on the phone number since it was long distance and when I did that another voice told me the number doesn't exist...and then i kept getting repeating messages in Chinese....
asked the Chinese secretaries to tell me how and they gave me a couple of suggestions...they did not work...and the problem is that when you are phoning Vancouver at night it is 200 in the morning and no one is up so that they can come and help you...so I literally took the phone to the secretaries to tell me what it said on the phone to phone out and also what the keys meant.....in the meantime I phoned Vancouver from the fax machine in the office and ti took me 20 minutes to make it ...8 os which I was on hold and 12 of which I had to dial and redial as I was getting different errors each time....but I was getting further along in the process....got it done...then was going to use the phone that night and forgot it at the school....next day tried it for 15 minutes and still didn't get it to work.....so tomorrow I am taking the phone , my phone card and my patience and going back to the secretaries office and have them demonstrate what I need to do....I don't think any Canadians know how to use their phones...simple as that...ah well, this is China you know.....

Well enough of that...I will load up a few pictures and send them on their way...

Take care everyone...I will be thinking of your fresh air as I try to train here in Beijing....