BT Edmonton Blogs

Wowza!

“A picture is worth a thousand words”.    Indeed a wonderful quote, and such a perfect one for this picture.    Speaking of “picture ” and “perfect” — welcome to Sherwood Park.    Don and his lovely wife are the creators and caretakers of this backyard bliss.    Don sends this, too:  

The budding twigs spread out their fan  ~~  To catch the breezy air

And I must think, do all I can  ~~  That there was pleasure there  …  William Wordsworth 1798

DID YOU KNOW?    The tulips store food in their bulbs and feed while dormant.    That’s why they are able to survive the winter.

THERE JUST MIGHT BE A FRESH AIR PHOTO WAITING TO HAPPEN OUTSIDE “YOUR” BACKDOOR.    OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY – SNAP AND SEND TODAY!

Squirrel Stare down!

Love it, Andy!    Not many people can say they’ve had a stare-down with a squirrel.    Here’s the story in Andy’s own words:   “I went to let the dog out and there was Mr. Squirrel on the patio grabbing a chunk of bread.    I went downstairs, got my camera, came up the stairs camera to eye, peeked around the corner and there he was “frozen” to the railing.    I snapped the shot and he took off like a bat out of ‘heck’”.    Priceless!   

DID YOU KNOW?    Squirrels hide their extra nuts in the soil, under logs, and under leaves in “caches”.    Then they hunt for them when they get hungry.    Squirrels’ teeth grow very fast and they have to continuously sharpen and shorten them, so they chew on hard things like twigs to sharpen, clean and trim their long teeth.

DON’T SQUIRREL AWAY YOUR TIME – SPEND IT WISELY BEHIND THE CAMERA.    UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY – SEE IT ON BT TOMORROW!

Jespersen wedding - Playa Potrero, Costa Rica

The average wedding in Canada costs around $30,000. Many will shatter that mark as brides and grooms pull out all the stops to see their dream come true. Anybody who’s planned a wedding knows it doesn’t take long to see a budget busted, leaving newlyweds with an interest-bearing reminder of their special day.

Kerry Parsons planned 139 weddings last summer alone. She owns Bride on a Budget, an agency specializing in cost-effective weddings that don’t look cheap. As you’ll see in the video below, it’s entirely possible to send out beautiful invitations for $1 and design centerpieces for less than $10.

rpj.

A few years ago, a few guys drove into a McDonald’s and placed their order.    Click on the link below and watch!    And below the link is the transcript starring “Scott, ” “Razin” and “AJ.”    The reason I bring this up now, is because a teenager in Utah tried to imitate the “original rap” – and the McDonald’s was less than amused.    The teen in the new case:  Spenser Dewaulder was charged with disorderly conduct.   His charges were dropped and he’s now free to sing or speak any order he wants!        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sw2OvIgoO8

i need a double cheese burger and hold the lettuce
dont be fruntin son, no seeds on the bun
we be up in this drive through order for two,
i got a cravin for a number nine like my shoe
we need some chicken up in here, in this shizzle
fro rizzle my nizzle extra salt on the frizzle
Dr.pepper my brother, another for your mother
double double super size, and sont forget the fries!
CRISPY.

If you are a cat person you will love Jupiter the cat. He is very conversational – very clever – and has been warned about keeping away from the fish tank.

Look reallllly hard

WOW, thank you Doug.    Can you tell what you’re looking at?    It is a “Jucose Sallow Moth” but get a load of its nickname:   “The Joker Moth.”    By day, Doug is an Agroforestry Specialist.    By night he chases moths–and “that” deserves a title too, as in a:  Lepidopterist.    He tells me that moths are often forgotten but always beautiful.    He adds:   ”They are one of the earliest moths we have and feed on spruce trees and appear in mid April.    They are a prize species to encounter for any Lepidopterist or naturalist and I was lucky enough to have a chance to photograph them at my parents farm many moons ago”.

DID YOU KNOW?    The Joker Moth resembles the colorful green lichen on the trunks of spruce trees.    This species is a common spring moth and John Acorn “The Nature Nut” holds a Feralia festival every year to honor them.

LIKE A MOTH TO A FLAME, I WILL BE DRAWN TO YOUR PICTURE  (AS SOON AS YOU SEND IT IN)!    THAT INVOLVES GOING TO THE MAIN PAGE OF OUR WEBSITE AND CLICKING ON:  ”CONNECT WITH BT”.     OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY!

A day in the life

The goal:  to gain insight, and to experience first-hand what it is like to be in a wheelchair.    The Canadian Paraplegic Association put out the challenge for me to become a Chair-Leader.    I accepted without hesitation.    Folks there wanted folk like me to understand what barriers they face, and how much able-bodied people take for granted.    For more on my experience – read below.    But first:  Meet Zachary Weeks!

I can tell you about how difficult it was trying to maneuver in our BT studio:  through doors, up ramps, knocking into desks, even pushing open the bathroom door.    I also noticed the looks from people on the street.    Not only do they literally “look down at you”, but then you can see their eyes scanning for the possible reason for being in that chair.    It hardly seems worth it for me to mention my scraped knuckles, and how much of a weakling I am with upper body strength.    But one thing I must say - it was an honour and privilege to bring awareness for the Canadian Paraplegic Association.    And in the words of one of our viewers Jennifer:  “it’s great to do this, but you have to remember Michele can get out at the end of the day, she can get out”.    Here’s to breaking down ALL BARRIERS for all people!

There’s something special about driving a brand new car. The smell of the interior, the uncompromised performance, the knowledge you’re likely years away from any significant repairs…at least in theory.

We welcomed Phil Edmonston to BT on Friday morning. For forty years, he’s published the Lemon-Aid car guides. You could say nobody knows lemons quite like Phil.

My wife Kari and I just picked up a new vehicle ourselves. When Phil asked me what I drove (just ten seconds before our segment kicked off), I expected a ringing endorsement. As you’ll see below, that’s not exactly what I got.

rpj.

I rigged up a system so that my record player plays out of my TV. This 80 pound wonder from the 80’s features the advanced technology of Space Command. Turns out that the sound that comes out of this thing is massive! Thank you kijiji ads for free things. I haven’t had a working record player for some time because my amp busted. Now I use my mixing board, routed through my VHS player so I can use a coaxial cable to plug into my ancient TV. At least the TV is good for something, it’s like opposite high-def that remixes whatever your watching by switching the picture to monochromatic purple. And sometimes it just turns off.

Not having a record player didn’t stop me from buying records, so I had a stack of un-appreciated wax. Not to mention my old faves! Now if i’m at home I have an album on, it is great. I keep going back to The Drones album Havilah. The Melbourne band have a pretty unique sound. Its a moody rural sounding rock. Rural as in, if you went any further from civilization you would be very acquainted with the wildlife. Apparently an earlier album was recorded in a barn. One track always seems to make me stop and listen, I found a video of The Drones performing the song in a radio studio performance. Here is Oh My by The Drones. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wCWRsj-o0c

They have a free Mp3 for their song The Minotaur available on their website. http://thedrones.com.au/ mmmmmm free music. Here is a strange video for The Minotaur. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsahEX4vA9k&feature=fvw

Hope you enjoy the tunes. It sounds pretty good to me on this Thursday afternoon.

Chair-Leaders

Friday’s Breakfast Television will be a challenge – a challenge issued by the Canadian Paraplegic Association, and one that I am proud to accept.    Joining me will be Mayor Stephen Mandel, Alderman Amarjeet Sohi, and businessman Jim Hole.    We are CHAIR-LEADERS for the day.    We, and other community leaders will attempt to do our jobs while in a wheelchair.   

Zachary Weeks with the CPA says his hope is to help Alberta become barrier free and to make all communities more accessible to persons who use mobility aids.    You can show your support or get  more information from the Canadian Paraplegic Association:    www.cpa-ab.org  OR   780-718-3188.