D`Artagnan would like me to post his wishes for the New Year.  Don`t tell him the New Year officially started 5 days ago- he`s not very good at keeping time nowadays.


1. No more of this loud wind stuff- especially at night when I would like to sleep.  It`s scaring Westley and he`s annoying when he is scared.

2. More goodies for everyone- with diet ads on TV every five seconds, I am reminded on how everyone needs to actually enjoy living.  Have a cookie- it`s ok! You can eat some broccoli stump later to balance it out.  Really.

3. Learn how to count properly.  Math skills are important.  Something tells me the government people think that lowering this GST stuff will encourage Daddy to buy me more cookies.  He just saves a nickel! That isn`t enough to buy me more cookies! It can even pay for one cookie!  Now lowering this Income Tax stuff would definitely help Daddy buy me more cookies.  And the good cookies too.  And maybe some for Westley.

4.  Spend time with the family.  While it takes me a bit longer to physically find them, family is everything.  Not only are they handy to have around, they are also good company.  Even the noisy birds.  Really.


Happy New Year everyone!
Love DÀrtagnan

Hello from MN,

I totally agree with #4 on the list. Family (& friends) are important to stay in contact with, people grow apart when their lives take them to where they end up. It takes some work, but it's worth it.

I'm assuming GST is a tax of some sort. So they actually lowered a tax in Canada? I can hardly believe it, same would go for Minnesota, Land of 10,000 taxes. That's a take on the Land of 10,000 Lakes slogan, which is on our license plates here.

Hey, I just saw something about a 6.2 earthquake in BC about 400 miles WNW of Vancouver, you guys did'nt feel anything there by chance? Any aftershocks? Those can be worse, I have family in Califoria, so I have hear all about that. I just hope nothing serious happens involving quake activity, my sister & her soon to be hubby are going to Whistler next month for a ski vacation. I hope this activity is it, not just for my sister, but for everyone in BC.

Dan Braverman, in MN

P.S. I made a mistake in my last post, I asked about the streaker, & but mistakenly said it was at a Sounders game, I should know that it was the Whitecaps, silly me.

We just assumed you meant Whitecaps as the Caps are the only team worth mentioning =) (The Sounders are our enemies- but when you think about it, its nice that soccer teams in North America have "enemies" at all).

GST= Goods and Services Tax- essentially it is a sales tax on things that are deemed "non-essential", though that is often contested. Things for babies and children for example are exempt, but DArtagnans medicine isnt. Tsk Tsk. GST is also the National tax, each province also has its own sales tax or PST. In BC, the GST and PST are essentially the same amount, with the PST going to the bureaucrats in Victoria and the GST getting wasted by the people back east in Ottawa.

The earthquakes were no where near us- BC is big, so we didnt feel them at all. Neither would have the people in Whistler, which is closer to us than Prince Rupert. Whistler is about 3 hours away, while Prince Rupert is a good days drive. The quakes were also over the water, so no one really felt them on land either.

Hope its not too cold there in Minnesota! Weve had 7 days when snow fell so far this winter... a new record high! Though if you saw the actual amount we got, youd probably be insulted. Were mocked by Toronto constantly even though when an inch falls there, they call in the army. Figures. void(0);
void(0);

sorry about the typos in the response. too lazy to turn off the Canadian English setting on the keyboard, so there is no apostrophes. =)

Greetings from Minnesota,

It has been a while since I was last here & have seen any updates. I know we are all busy with our lives, & I was reminded of you good Canadians as the May 22 concert I'm going to nears. The greatest Canadain band ever, Rush, is playing the X-Cel Center, & I'm finally seeing them, I can't wait.

Nothing too nuts here south of the 49th, our Lhasa Apso Sadie is as goofy as she ever was. She is coping with her diabetis, but she does need to lose a cuple of pounds. She has a new doggie freind next door, named Buster. I'm not sure what kind of dog he is, but he is a great little dog.

My youngest sister's fiance has just got a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, named Charlie, 5 months old & he weighs 55 lbs. He's gonna be a big boy, & he should get close to the size of Sara, the 9 year old Newfoundland that he already had. She loves to have her belly rubbed. Sheis as nice as she is big, & Charlie seems to be the same. Lots of hair around the house too, but he loves big dogs. He had just put Zeus,his 13 year old Rottie down last fall, he was a nice dog & Sara's best friend, her & Charlie seem to getting on well. My sister & her soon to be hubby also enjoyed their ski trip to Whistler, he said it was a nice a place as he's been to. Nothing but praise.

I hope all is well with everyone in BC, Dartman, Wes, & your family. I'm hoping "no news is good news" as far as everyone your way is concerned.

Cheers, dan braverman