Don Tai (Canada) Blog

Let me state the obvious that it is easier to blog than to roof. Roofing is hard work and dangerous. My south exposure roof was looking tattered, with shingles curling and losing a lot of small particulate. As I have not found a steady full-time job and could not afford the +$6,000 CAD fee for a professional roofer, and fearing a roof leak, I decided to DIY a large section of my roof. The roof job is progressing very well, though I have not gotten used to the hard physical labour.

My entries have been missing these past weeks because life has interrupted my normal routine, shifting me in unplanned directions. I suppose this is how life unfolds. I needed to remove my attic insulation, upgrade a ceiling pot light and vapour barrier, fix the attic vapour barrier, vent my bathroom fans to the outside, redo soffit venting, and then get everything back to normal. I get lemons and then make lemonade.

Reshingling of part of my roof went well. I did not fall off. Dirty yes, but it had to be done.

Somethings in your house just keep working silently in the background. You eventually take them for granted, out of mind and out of sight. Such was my Chubb Monitor Qx security system, 452-4713, until the alarm started going off in the middle of the night, here in Toronto, Canada. It aurally called for attention. The trouble LED light remained lit, but with no station indicated. It turned out the battery was near dead. Once replaced it returned to its normal state of silence.

One of the many benefits of having kids is that you get to reexamine many aspects of life you easily take for granted. Because of the low level of driving skill and sometimes reckless attitude of local drivers, teaching my Little Weeds to safely cross the street terrified me. In our sleepy suburban neighbourhood in Scarborough, Ontario, it is not too bad, but when it comes to major intersections the concequences for a miscalculation are dire. No matter how well you teach your kids, they also rely on drivers to keep them safe. Here in Scarborough we have terrible drivers. Teaching my kids how to safely cross traffic intersections has been long in the making, Here is what I tell them.

There is nothing that gets Canadians together like Canada Day celebrations. I attended and participated in Canada Day celebrations at Thompson Park, Scarborough, Ontario. There was something for everyone. As to be expected the racial mix was all over the map, or globe. Still, the expression “Happy Canada Day” pulled everyone together. It really was an amazing feeling.

Canada Day is held every year on July 01. There are outdoor events at most large parks as well as fireworks at various locations in Toronto. Some years I feel lazy and do not attend, but really this is my family’s loss.

This will be the third year my Little Weed will be attending the Boys 2 Men Institute Summer Sports Camp, here in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Overall the camp has been very well run and my Little Weed has had loads of fun. While the last 2 years the camp was held at Stephen Leacock Collegiate, this year the camp was moved to L’Amoreaux Collegiate Institute, which is still close to our house. The worst part of this camp has always been the first day, when the kids need to be registered. Happily, today’s registration for the 2011 camp was relatively painless. Three cheers for the organizer, Hugh Keane.

The randomness of life has once again asserted itself in Agincourt Mall, in front of NoFrills, Kennedy/Sheppard at 09:15 June 03 2011, an older Italian lady fell, cut her finger and could not get up. Her elderly husband could not help her and he was very distraught. A crowd gathered and we assessed her condition, which seemed not life threatening. Eventually an ambulance came and took her away. What was surprising to me was my reaction: Because she fell down in the middle of the road in front of our busy NoFrills, on the grounds of Agincourt Mall, that we were in danger of getting run down by dangerous and inattentive Scarborough drivers.

Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad (Euripedes)

There must be more to this story, but ironically I find this cartoon very funny! Workers earning the same as university grads. Mao would be happy. We see this happen here as well. Friends here in Toronto, Canada have been telling me that trades and construction workers are doing well, but university grads are starving for jobs. One hopes that education will return as being valued by employers. When I cannot say.