Window upates are always a PITA

Don't know what's up of late but Windows updates is really pissing me off.

Currently I'm either refreshing or reinstalling Windows 8.1  along with Windows 10 on multiple machines.  In April 2014 there was a massive update for Windows 8.1, and I've been installing with that version. There's over 150 updates to add over that version and of late for some reason, while update it seems to jam randomly on one update. Not the same one on every system, just random.

You notice 1 or 2 hours later that the message is the same. You stop the updates, let the system reboot, and restart and it gets stuck again at the same place. Sometimes I have to stop, reboot and restart updates multiple times before it finally gets all it's updates.

I wonder how many days people have let their PC run for fear of killing it?

Of course I can hear someone saying "Fuck the updates, ignore them". Uhm. no.   If I don't update my systems, on the day I have a critical test to do for my boss in 2 minutes, I will reboot this system and it will decide it's installing 200 updates and won't be ready until next day!

Some bird photos

Here are some photos of the Eagles and the Raven taken above Grand Lac Touladis

2 Bald eagles

3 bald eagles

Raven

Nice moon shot

Despite not having a tripod and still not being very good with manual mode, I'm very happy with these shots I took of the moon setting on Grand Lac Touladis.

G-Nome makes a Cameo

The G-nome has been with us to Parc National du Lac Temiscouata. He got to hang out at the beach. No matter what he tells you do not believe him. He lies! 

Last day of camping

We fell asleep early on the Saturday night. Before it was even dark. Heck we didn't even hear the 2 year old fussing 2 campsites over. We woke up between 3-4am because it had gone down to 14 outside and with the fog and dampness it felt like 10. It was freezing. We warmed up, went to the lake, to see the fog over it. Was spectacular. My companion was also worried teh fog wouldn't clear and we'd be stuck there. I wasn't worried. I knew the fog would clear once the sun came up.

We fell back asleep and woke up startled at 10:30. We were supposed to clear the site by 11am.  It wasn't cleared by 11am, however by 1:30 PM, we had managed to take down the campsite, put everything in the canoe, luck out because the wind was with us and the lake was mostly calm. Canoe across the widest part of Grand Lac Touladis, then take all the stuff out of teh canoe, bring it to the truck, tetris the truck and then put the canoe on the truck.   In a mere 3 hours we did all of that. I was impressed. My friend and I make a good team. Considering it was only the 2nd time we've been camping together and we aren't used to working together we do good.

We left the park it was around 2ish, after making a pit stop at Petit Lac Touladis.  We got home in Pierrefonds by around 9:15, and by 11 we'd taken a bath and emptied the truck.

Vacation nears end

Friday was the only day we got rain. We got a storm around 3pm, that lasted 2-3 hours and we couldn't help but wonder if we'd get neighbours that night.  The Thursday night we got 3 locals who crossed with Kayaks and canoe, from the same place we did. They were surprisingly anglophones that live around Lac Temiscouata, that like to come for a night on Grand Lac Touladis.

By 7pm the sky was mostly clear and it had stopped raining but no one came our way that night. It was nice, a friday night on Grand Lac Touladis and we were all alone. 

It felt incredibly nice. One of the things I hate about living in the city, is that people are too close by. I can feel people's moods, and when there are too many people who are angry or sad or depressed, I feel it all and it burdens me. Around lac temiscouata that night, there was just my companion and I. It was so peaceful for my soul.

We did get new neighbors Saturday afternoon. I heard them coming, I kept telling my partner I was hearing a crying 2 year old. As it turns out it was a young couple with a child between 18-24 months. Walked and talked but whined and cryed a lot too. These were the most antisocial people we saw on the canoe-camping sites. Usually people will say hello and smile, this guy looked at us suspiciously. Probably felt uncomfortable around my friends beautiful long blond hair. Some people are just afraid of guys with long hair.

The birds of Parc National du lac Temiscouata.

We saw quite a few birds, but then I found the list of birds that can be spotted in Parc National du lac Temiscouata, over 155. I think we spotted about 12, that I can recall.

Of course we saw seagulls, and swallows. We saw blue jays and robins.     I heard the chickadees and the nuthatches. The loons sang most nights and we saw them fishing most days.

We saw several eagles over the span of the 7 days we were in the park. In fact I even have photos with 3 eagles flying. Raven flew by a few times, and often to tell me I had a friend messaging me.

The bird I was most surprised to see was a kingfisher. Saw it several times. THe first time I was so stunned, I just stood looking at it with my mouth opened. Never dawned on me to take a photo!!!

We also saw some herons, but I get the feeling it wasn't the great blue heron but more the a different type of Heron. The great blue herons I've seen look a bit different.

We also heard all sorts of ducks and Canada geese.

Cascades Sutherland

Below are photos from our walk to the Cascades Sutherland on Wednesday. Thursday we had decided we were going into town. So we set off to cross the lake around 11am. I really wasn't feeling it that day. We went to the Metro in Cabano, ran our errands and then decided to come back to eat a nice dinner. Well, the wind had other ideas. Crossing the Grand lac Touladis proved to be difficult that day. We had to row and row and row. My companion ended up with a blister, I was grunting along with each paddle for a while. The waves were pretty big, there was even some white squalls and the wind was against us. This was by far the most difficult crossing we did across Grand Lac Touladis. Boy were we glad when we got back to our campsite.

We were sitting right under the Cascades

The bridge to see the Cascades

Newbie Mistake!

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My Roots Barron Canyon 4 tent on the platform. Fit perfectly.

Sunset on Grand Lac Touladis

At some point on Tuesday it dawned on me that I had not seen the crate with all the cookware, utensils, dishes etc. In fact it was the one thing we did not put in the canoe Monday night before our dusk crossing on Grand Lac Touladis. There was no way we were canoeing on Tuesday, so we ate and drank pre-prepared stuff, we had brought plenty. I couldn't believe what a newbie mistake that was. But it happens when you are two and trying to go really fast. Besides I always forget at least one thing!!!!

Wednesday we crossed the lake around 10 am and found that thankfully the crate I was missing was in the Truck. I showed my partner the main campground in the Park as well as went looking for where the shower facilities were just so we'd know, as well we went to hike on the Cascade Sutherland trail. Last time I did it, I ended up seeing all sorts of funky dragonflies, but not so much this time. We saw some but nowhere near how many I'd seen on the same trail 2 years ago.

Friends son dies in their backyard pool

One of my BBS friends that I've known for years, just lost his son.  He was at work, while his wife and other children were at home. At some point they could no longer find the 4 year old and eventually called the police. Sadly the child was found at the bottom of the pool.

This is the 2nd friend I know who lost a child in 2015.

Dawn on Grand Lac Touladis

Dawn

Sun just about to come out

First successful camping trip of 2015

Left for Lac Temiscouata around 1pm, though we should have left earlier. I wanted to wake up at 6,  but my sweetie was sleeping so well we got up around 8am. Took me a while to get everything packed in the truck.

Driving down to Riviere du Loup and even Temiscouata-sur-le-Lac went well. We did a pit stop for gas in Drummondville, because it's always cheaper in Drummondville. We also stopped at La Pocatiere to stretch out our legs at the lookout on the st Lawrence. It's always really pretty.

This time we found the grocery store in Cabano, it's at the far end at the end of the main street, hidden in a tiny mall.  Their metro is well stocked and we bought groceries before heading to Parc National du Lac Temiscouata.

We got there around 6:30pm and we registered at the main gate.  I figured we'd take a canoe camping site on Grand Lac Touladis, and we could cross from the little beach across the lake. She tells me that entire section is closed because they are building a campsite on Grand Lac Touladis.  She tells me I can canoe from the Islands parking lot. I tell her there isn't quite enough daylight for it. In the end she agrees and tells me I can park in the lot of the Jardin des memoires.  This has a 200km portage to bring the canoe to the lake, and we ended up crossing the lake at the widest possible part, which I evaluated to be 2 1/2 km.

We packed our canoe as quickly as possible as daylight was fading, and I knew past 8pm we would not be able to see nothing on the lake. Thankfully having had been there before I knew there was on little cottage on Grand Lac Touladis maybe 500m away from the campsites. 

When we got onto Grand Lac Touladis, I asked my partner if he could see a cottage across teh lake. He said yes. Told him to keep his eyes on it, because that;s where we needed to go. Night was falling fast and by the time we paddled across the lake, we could barely see the shore. I had my headlamp and after some paddling along the shore we found the canoe camping sites.  It was just a bit past 8:30.

We chose the same site I'd chosen with my daughter 2 years ago, because it is the one that is most private and that night there was no one there. It was so peaceful.

Finally for the first time this year I was camping, in the middle of nowhere and I could feel no one else but my companion and this was good. We stayed up the entire night just enjoying the quiet......

Del Frisco's

 I tried out the Italian restaurant Del Frisco's situated on the north-east side of Sources and the 40, next to one of my favourite restaurants, Marathons!

I had noticed that there was two items in their menu I could safely have. Their Fresh steamed Mussels [My favourite, Moules-frites] or the eggplant parmigiana. I had the eggplant parmigiana. It was absolutely delicious. They even served it to me with gluten free penne, for a mere $3 more!  I was ecstatic. I mean it's rare enough to be able to get gluten free food, but to have such a good dish. I stuffed myself so much. My companion had the lasagna and he seemed to find it delicious. The food was not only good but it was easy to digest.

I will definitely be going back to Del Frisco's for dinner one night. Was well worth the trip.

It made someone's day

I sent my Lebanese ex-hubby a link about Empaths because so much about this article screamed volumes about him, but it also screams volumes about me.

Sunny and Raining!

This morning it was sunny in my yard but when I looked next door it was pissing rain. This is the weird effect I got trying to capture the rain. You can tell my 12ft sportspal canoe is wet.

Cliteracy

It's unfortunate that most women, don't know what a clit really looks like. We are all taught in biology that it's the little knob that sticks out. That it's the female penis because it does get erect when stimulated.

But that was all I knew for many years. I didn't know that the clit is much like an iceberg and all you see is the tip. As well. from what I've read, the G-spot, is not actually a particular spot at all but also part of the clit.

Most of us can recognize a penis and testicles from a shadow drawing. Most people, including women, don't know what a clit really looks like. That included me until a few months ago. Now am clitorate.

It's sad, even men who know how to please a woman using her clit wouldn't recognize it's depiction at all.

Today everyone who reads my blog will know what a clit looks like and since half the population has one, this is not a bad thing!

One of them was caught!

One of the creeps who taxed my friends nephew around Riverside Park in Lasalle  has been caught.. This idiot and one of his moronic friends would point gun at teens to get their wallets and cellphones.

It's sad I think about this stuff.

You know what is sad? If you were raped or molested as a child and you have children, you spend a great deal of time worrying that it might happen to them. 

I believe I've asked both of my daughters if anything happened to them as children that somehow they weren't able to tell me about, and I got the strangest looks. No my kids were not molested or raped. And it's strange that I felt compelled to ask.

But talking to a close friend who was molested as a child, she asked her daughter the same thing once she reached adulthood. That while I'm sure like me she took every precaution to make sure it never happened to her children, she still didn't trust the world enough to think that she had succeeded.

I know very depressing thoughts, but I had to say it.

Android device manager saved my ass yesterday

Well actually it helped me find my Android cell phone which I had lost yesterday.

The tool will locate the device fairly accurately.

I thought I'd left my phone at IGA, but it had made it back to the car. Ironically it was found hiding in the folds of an umbrella.

How about that

I saw this image earlier today and had to share. It's only.men who lose control ... women don't.[Or very very rarely. I've never witnessed it!]  I've never felt the need to touch or grope a woman I found attractive... ever.

Yet I when I was 11-12-13 years old I remember HATING going to school because I could not walk in hallways without random boys just groping. If it wasn't my tiny boobs. .. it was crotch grabs. 

I don't ever recall having a woman feel me up randomly without asking. This rape culture that puts all the blame on the victim has got to stop.  When a woman looks like she's being manhandled or victimized we should all fucking speak up. It's 2015 people and most of us do not live under ISIL rule!

Proud Mother of a Master Seaman!

There's my eldest baby now a Master Seaman in the Canadian Navy.

Silver Sebrings scare the fuck out of me.

Dunno what it is, but since the accident in September of 2009 in the Yamaska area, but I am weary of Silver sebrings. Yesterday driving down to Lasalle, I took the first avenue exit in Lachine and then continue along the service road to go take Dollard street in Lasalle. There was an old man driving a silver Sebring who could not find a lane. He was driving in the middle of both. Going in the left or right lane did not make this jack ass budge, nor did honking.

I really have a hate on for Silver Sebrings.

Recreated skater dress

I spent most of today turning a favourite skater dress from H&M into a pattern. I think I succeeded. I modified it a little to adapt to my body.  It fits like a glove. 

Dress I made today loosely based on the H&M dress

Skater dress from H&M that I really loved