cktimes.ca Archives for Notes from a Garage


Notes from a Garage

With John Gardiner

Does the air feel thicker to you?

Tuesday, December 3, 2002

So, I'm sitting around with some guys having coffee at the Oak's Inn in Wallaceburg, and I decide to ask about something that's been on my mind. Now, I must tell you that at the Oak's Inn breakfast table pretty well everything is fair game when it comes to discussion topics. We'll take on pretty well anything. Anyway, I should explain that I'm not a very technical fellow and am regularly confused and dazzled by modern technology. For example, while I'm willing to admit that my computer does work, no one has ever been able to explain to me how it works – at least not in terms I can understand. Combinations of 1's and 0's. Yea, right! Might as well be Greek. So, I ask the guys......Do you think the air is ever going to get filled up? They all sit and look at me quizzically. I say, well, I mean, right now we're sitting in cyberspace and it's getting more and more stuff in it all the time – witness the growth of the internet. Then, there are your television and radio waves, the microwaves, the radar and sonor, and the list just goes on and on. Could we sort of run out of space in the air? Has anyone ever looked into this? I mean, what if you got out of bed one morning and it was tough to walk to the bathroom – like the air was thick or something? Could that happen? Inquiring minds want to know. Oh well, at least the rest of the boys at the Oak's didn't make me move to another table. They likely just think I'm a little stranger than they did before. Which is okay. And remember, you read the above theory for the first time here and if it happens, who'll be laughing then.

It's been another good week for the editor of cktimes. I've been out and about in Chatham-Kent and have met some more wonderful people. Was at the kick-off to the Christmas season in Ridgetown on Friday evening and met Chamber of Commerce President Ray Ford. It was a cold and blustery evening in Watson Grove, but you really should see what the people of Ridgetown are creating in this wonderful area – a full-blown Christmas lights display is taking shape and will continue to take shape in years to come. Ridgetown Independent Publisher Jim Brown was also there and told me the town used to kick off the season in a downtown park where the town work crew had erected a huge tree and decorated it. Jim said that ended with amalgamation and now the community is trying to build a new community event. Good luck to you in Ridgetown. Great to meet Joe Lesard and Bob Fox of Blenheim Rotary in Blenheim on Saturday morning. Blenheim Rotary, led by Joe's efforts, are trying to build a true Chatham-Kent event – perhaps the community's first. Joe wants to build a Rotary Ball that could be held in Kinsmen Auditorium and involve people from all areas of Chatham-Kent – he remembers the now-defunct Chatham Policeman's Ball as being such an event. It will start in the Moose Hall in Blenheim this New Year's Eve and is a first-rate idea. Good luck and let me know if there's more I can do to help. So, lots of good stuff happening around Chatham-Kent. Get out and enjoy.

This is the time of year when I always get pretty sentimental and emotional about someone I consider to be a good friend of mine, John Lennon. That's right, folks! As weird as it seems, I consider that I've gotten to know Lennon through repeated listening to his music over the years. Although I wouldn't consider myself much of a Beatles' fan – I like some of their stuff, but not overly much – I have become a real John Lennon fan. I love the guy's songs and feel he was a true prophet for peace. His ballad, Imagine, is my favourite song of all time and when I watched Neil Young perform it at the September 11 benefit, I felt the lyrics totally captured the direction we should be taking. Absolutely great stuff! Anyway, we lost John Lennon on Dec. 8, 1980 and it was a tragic loss for us all. I don't remember exactly where I was when I heard the news, it wasn't that type of life-altering event. I just think he was one of the good guys and I'm sad he's gone. He made us think – and that's good.

Have heard many favourable comments about cktimes' columnist Jeff Wesley's C-K Politics 101 over the last few weeks. A lot of people have told me that they're glad Jeff is really digging into the budget. People feel they are learning much by reading along with the former Chatham-Kent Councillor and Wallaceburg Mayor. With 15 years of municipal government experience, who better to walk us through the budget and most other issues. Don't forget to read Jeff and the rest of our fine group of writers in cktimes. It's fun reading their stuff when it arrives each week.

You sort of don't ever run out of space on the web, but I have to stop somewhere. Thanks for reading along and don't forget to let me know how you are enjoying cktimes. I'm doing my best but watch for plenty of growth in the future. I'll keep working hard to give you a community newspaper in the net.

Don't forget about Blenheim's Christmas Celebration of Lights and Christmas Parade this weekend – the parade on Friday evening. Get out and enjoy some of the great Christmas stuff that's happening.

And take care....and remember...."Hew to the line; let the chips fall where they may."




John Gardiner is a 25-year-veteran of the community newspaper business, but he is also a prolific writer of moralistic short fiction he refers to as "emotional thoughtscapes" or "adult fables". Samples of his fiction can be found at:

He has also produced a noteworthy piece of humanist philosophy which can be found at: http://www.xs4all.nl/~aboiten/ad502.htm He welcomes comments on his work.