SuperBeetles.Com

July 1, 2009: 10:20pm and I'm still working on the web sites. Today turned out to be such a beautiful day that I just couldn't bring myself indoors to do this. The weather forecast for today was rain but thankfully they got it wrong again and it was sunny all day long. It felt kind of weird to be home in the middle of the week. In the morning it felt like a Saturday but later in the day it felt like Sunday. I think that was because it's off to work we go tomorrow. More importantly, today is Canada Day and all of us Canadians have the day off work to celebrate our country's history.

On 20 June 1868, then Governor General The Viscount Monck issued a royal proclamation asking for Canadians to "celebrate the anniversary of the confederation. However, the holiday was not established statutorily until 1879, when it was designated as Dominion Day, in reference to the designation of the country as a Dominion in the British North America Act. The holiday was initially not dominant in the national calendar; up to the early 20th century, Canadians thought themselves to be primarily British, being thus less interested in celebrating distinctly Canadian forms of patriotism. No official celebrations were therefore held until 1917 – the golden anniversary of Confederation – and then none again for a further decade.

This trend declined in the post-World War II era; beginning in 1958, the Canadian government began to orchestrate Dominion Day celebrations, usually consisting of Trooping the Colour ceremonies on Parliament Hill in the afternoon and evening, followed by a mass band concert and fireworks display. Canada's centennial in 1967 is often seen as an important milestone in the history of Canadian patriotism, and in Canada's maturing as a distinct, independent country, after which Dominion Day became more popular with average Canadians. Into the late 1960s, nationally televised, multi-cultural concerts held in Ottawa were added, and the fête became known as Festival Canada; after 1980 the Canadian government began to promote the celebrating of Dominion Day beyond the national capital, giving grants and aid to cities across the country to help fund local activities. Happy Canada Day!

PS: If you were following my month long raw veggie diet I made it down to 173 from 182lbs. Not bad eh?

July 06, 2009: On June 20th Jeremy Clarkson wrote an article for the Toronto Start that stated, "Classic Cars are all rubbish, so why bother?" Now before you start getting your knickers in a knot, Jeremy Clarkson (Star of the UKs Top Gear) is a brilliant writer. He's very witty with a sarcastic sense of humour that I find very funny. But if you read his article you might see what I as a classic car owner found offensive about it. I wrote a letter to The Star and on the weekend it was published. Here's how it went...

I love reading Jeremy Clarkson. His offbeat sense of humour and quick British wit are right up my alley. He says whatever he wants and lets the chips fall where they may. You either love him or hate him.

Painting people with one brush and going against popular opinion will surely elevate his status to that of a top-notch journalist. But when he lumped classic car owners into the category of creepy Internet perverts and said that the police would love to get a hold of their hard drives, I have to draw the line. Being funny is one thing but that comment was uncalled for.

I own a classic because I love cars, end of story. If I had even the interest on Clarkson's bank account, I would probably own a stable of cars. And that is because I appreciate their history and the part that every one has played in the evolution of the automobile.

When it comes to automobiles, passion is the word that comes to mind. Clarkson has passion, it shows in his writing. But why does he write about a subject that he seems to hate so much? Why not get another job?

I'm sure that American Idol would make a spot for him right beside Simon Cowell. Then if we could somehow harness their combined sarcastic energy, we might be able to create an alternative fuel source to ensure the future of the might auto.

July 13, 2009: Back to work after another hectic weekend. Friday night I shampooed all of the carpeting in our house. I got home, stripped down to my shorts and went at it. Two hours later I was on the way back to Home Depot to return the carpet cleaner and Caroline same home to a nice surprise. I can't tell you how badly these carpets needed cleaning. The water that came out looked like chocolate milk when I emptied it, it really was gross.

Saturday we went out and bought all new hardware for the doors in the house. We were so tired of the brass doorknobs so I replaced them with these really cool nickel levers. I think that when we're on vacation next week I'm going to start some home renovations. All I want to do in the week is paint the entire house, install granite counters, install a backsplash change the baseboards up, add more attic insulation, replace the toilets and re-do the bathrooms. It might turn out to be a busy week .

Saturday Caroline and I went to Greek Town here in Toronto to a great restaurant that is part of Summerlicious. Summerlicious lets you enjoy a three course meal at some to Toronto's top restaurants for between $25-$45. What a deal! Sunday we were off to the KW Bug Clubs Bug Out and after that we stopped to visit some friends in Kitchener. Home by 8:30 and back to work today. I did manage to record my Super Beetles television debut at the MMVAs (using my camera so don't laugh at the quality) and you can see it right here on YouTube.