”Everybody knows that the bird is the word.” It’s a phrase repeated almost ad nauseam by The Trashmen in their 1963 hit Surfin’ Bird. It […]
Allan’s Amblings
200 posts
My sleep habits are becoming more and more of a mystery to me. It’s not like I’m up every second night and can’t get to […]
I am probably going to be losing some sleep over the next little while. I’ve decided I’m going to read a collection of Shirley Jackson […]
The problem with writing about Blacktop Blockheads as often as I do is I sometimes forget the majority of drivers know what they’re doing. Case […]
I think it’s safe to say the ‘hottest’ topic in Prince George this week is the weather. So, with that in mind (and because I […]
“A sunshiny shower won’t last half an hour.” It’s an old saying I was reminded of as I pulled into the parking lot at the […]
It’s the Stanley Cup playoffs, and they’re down to the final four. For many fans and journalists, they feel these final few games are a […]
If you’re an NHL fan, I’m sure you recognize the names Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Gabriel Landeskog and Mark Scheifele. If you’re an NFL fan, how about […]
Last week, the province laid out a very clear roadmap for how we can get out of most of the COVID-19 restrictions. Now it’s just […]
As I’ve mentioned a few times recently, I’ve been doing more walking, mainly because the weather has been decent, and also because I’ve always enjoyed […]
I don’t think I have ever watched a full episode of The Voice, one of the many singing talent shows out there now. But, thanks […]
It’s funny how sometimes the smallest things can trigger memories. I got my COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, and while I was sitting out the suggested […]
So we’re into flood watch season in Prince George. It doesn’t happen every spring, but it happens often enough that most people in Prince George […]
For whatever reason, last week I didn’t get out walking as often as I wanted. So on Saturday, I decided to make up for it […]
I think it’s safe to say spring has arrived in Prince George, and I’ve got spring fever, so this week it’s going to be some […]
Taylor Swift’s song “Mine” has a line that I’ve loved since the first time I heard it. “You made a rebel of a careless man’s […]
Today’s column is not for the faint-hearted. It is a pair of stories about blood and (simulated) killing. You have been warned. First the personal […]
So as of today, we’re a quarter of the way through 2021. It’s been kind of funny, over the last year, how many people I […]
Saturday was the day my legs left me. Not literally, of course, but they left a note saying if I was going to go out […]
So you might figure since this column is running on St. Patrick’s Day, that I’ll be talking about all things Irish. Well, sorry to disappoint […]
My Mom has had a Family Circus cartoon on her fridge for years. One of the kids asks the mother: “What are the choices for […]
The worst thing about the snow Sunday morning was not the depth of it. There was a lot of it, but nothing we hadn’t seen […]
There are times when the term Blacktop Blockhead doesn’t describe deeply enough the sheer stupidity of some drivers. I had the misfortune of seeing three […]
It’s funny, sometimes, what can trigger a memory, especially when you have to do some real searching in the memory banks to recall what it’s […]
We finally got that pesky Super Bowl out of the way, so now we can concentrate on the best day of the year for sports […]
So this is February. (Takes a look around.) Looks a lot like January, doesn’t it? It’s going to be shorter, we know that, and that […]
It was sort of strange last week to be talking to a couple of people around town and hear them talk about how winter was […]
I went for a walk Saturday morning. Actually, let me amend that: I went OUT for a walk Saturday morning. For the last few weeks, […]
I had an experience at Pine Centre Mall on Saturday that had me going: “Hmmm.” Actually, it was outside the mall. I was heading into […]
I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t think I’ve been as happy to see a Monday morning as I was two days ago. […]
In previous years, when I was working for the Free Press and papers in other communities, the issues at the end of the year usually […]
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Not. Leaving aside the distinct lack of snow we’re used to seeing in Prince George at this […]
Just some random observations, many of them dealing with COVID and masks. I am used to seeing people in Prince George who have to light […]
I spent a fair bit of time in my apartment this weekend. My shifts at CFIS changed up a bit, so I don’t have much […]
As we head (we hope) toward the end of the latest provincial health order regarding what is allowable under COVID-19 restrictions, I thought I would […]
I’m glad to see some of the drivers and pedestrians in Prince George are in mid-winter form already. It didn’t take long for one of […]
The trouble with a kitten is that Eventually it becomes a cat. I am not going to say whether I agree with Ogden Nash on […]
There has been a lot of talk recently about getting more minorities into leading roles in Hollywood movies, and yes, there is still a ways […]
How can you tell the seasons are changing in Prince George? For one thing, last week I wore four different coats as well as some […]
It was my fault. Anyone who was unpleasantly surprised Friday morning to see a bunch of wet snow blanketing the city can blame me. On […]
I was thinking about writing this column last week, but it didn’t seem right a few days before Thanksgiving to talk about things that frustrate […]
Don’t know whether you had heard about this, but there’s an election coming up. No, not the one south of the border that the major […]
I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before, but how can it be the end of another month already? The funny thing is that early on […]
What happened to summer? I mean, I looked at the calendar a day or two ago and it said it was the first day of […]
My take on the COVID-19 mask dispute is fairly simple. If you want to wear a mask at all times, you have that right. If […]
Baby steps. That’s what we’re taking as we try to figure out how to resume activities in the COVID-19 world. Most of the restaurants in […]
When I went out Saturday morning to put up a remote at Andre’s for the Drive and the River radio stations, I did not realize […]
As frequent readers of my column know, I like to walk for exercise and to give myself time to think. On Sunday, I had already […]
Look up, look way up, . . . No, it wasn’t the Friendly Giant I was craning to see Saturday afternoon from the balcony of […]
Just for fun, I thought I would take a trip in a time machine this week and see what I was writing about in my […]
The way 2020 has gone so far, I figure if the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse came riding in, they’d take one look and leave […]
It’s another one of those sayings which has been attributed to a thousand different people. “Horse sense is what keeps horses from betting on people.” […]
I had a very unusual walk on Sunday morning. The route was nothing unusual, one of my usual paths around my neighbourhood. What made it […]
The word came down on Friday that Masich Place Stadium will be open for walking starting today (as you read this). That’s good news for […]
I want to start this week’s column with a new feature (if I can stretch that word’s meaning almost beyond recognition). I’m calling it COVID […]
So we’re halfway through 2020, and boy has it ever been a boring year so far, right? Oh, did I miss something? OK, I’m not […]
It seems some local people are starting to feel that wearing a mask makes them a superhero. It makes them invulnerable. That’s the only real […]
I half-expected to be passed by a portly Englishman wishing me a “Good ev-uh-ning.” Last Tuesday, I went through something which felt like something out […]
It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I enjoy the English language. It’s a good thing, too, since I’ve been […]
Last week, the NHL (you remember them? Guys chasing a frozen piece of rubber around on the ice?) released plans for the 2020 playoffs and […]