As Ian Sees It

      I was in my mid 40's when we entered the millennial.  It was the difficult time that wasn't.   Mostly because of the promise of failing technology.  I didn't go back and do a lot of research here so I will go from memory.     Although computers were not yet in every pocket,  they pretty much owned us.  And when IBM and Texas Instruments and the gang manufactured the computer that regulated everything in our power grids and stored all our data on just about everything,  they installed the date with a 19__.         A couple of years before the Apple dropped in Times Square to bring in the year 2000,  those who should know suggested that when the AI that controlled everything would have no where to go when it reached the end of 1999,  it simply shut down.       I was employed with the national police force back then.  I had a friend who worked in Head Quarters at the tim...

 Nineteen Days!  Just 19 sleeps!  I do love Christmas.  I think my better half loves it at least as much.  In truth Christmas for her is a little more labour intensive than it is for me.   I do the exterior lighting, and I decorate the basement.  I bake two pans of brownies ( I use a mix and substitute water with Kahula or  Irish Cream.)    Carol Does the serious decoration on the main floor.  She does the rest of the shopping, the rest of the baking, the prep for our annual Christmas Party,  The tourtieres for both the party and Christmas Eve.  She does the turkey dinner Christmas day for a full house.  She does the special recipe egg nog.   And I don't think she would have it any other way.   I can remember Christmases a long long way back.   As a kid I loved toy soldiers.  Every  year I got a fort set.  A fort set was what I wanted every year.  I got the Alamo, Fort Apache, Fort Y...