Rolf Devinci

 A year today I was in the initial throes of a medical crisis. At some point on December 26,2021 a chronic subdural hematoma became critical, and I began a descent into a dark place. I have no recollections of the events leading up to my neurosurgery on the morning of December 28th. To date I still have no memories of what happened during those lost hours. Perhaps that is a blessing? I am just thankful that on boxing day evening and the following Monday my impaired cognitive functioning did not lead to bad decisions that could have placed others at harm. It still haunts me what could have happened had I attempted to drive that day. At some point I think I just went to bed where my spouse found me after getting off work. Suspecting something was wrong she attempted to wake me only to realize I was in crisis. Subsequently rushed to the emergency room on the night of the 27th with neurosurgery in the wee hours of December 28 I was fortunate that I avoided a stroke and permanent disabi...

 Today wrapped up the first half of my ball hockey season as I will miss the final Sunday because I am working a rum tasting on December18th. I am quite happy how the first half of the season played out considering I was away from the game for almost a year recovering from my accident and surgery. I will admit I feared my participation may cease due to my injuries and age but my paramedical providers got me back close to my pre accident condition. There were some dark days early in my recovery but my physiotherapist, chiropractor and masseuse told me to be patient and that soft tissue damage sometimes took time to improve. I had fears that my right ankle/calf and knees would be problematic when dealing with the up and downs and side to sides of playing goal. I was concerned my damaged glutes would hamper my endurance and conditioning to play for an extended period of time. I was worried my right wrist and shoulder would become cranky as that is my blocker/stick hand. To address tho...

 To (mis) quote Mark Twain the rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated. I am indeed still among the living but have not visited, nor posted to this blog in quite some time. It has been a chaotic couple years with the whole covid pandemic, the unexpected death of my mother in 2021 and my subsequent accident of last year. The world tried to end me twice but I managed to survive both the auto/bike collision in October and neurosurgery in December.  No need to dwell upon covid as everyone is familiar with the uncertainty, anxiety and frustrations of the pandemic. Despite the signs of aging the death of my mother in August 2021 was a shock. I had spent my birthday (July 31) with her doing my usual Saturday yard work on the farm and she seemed so good that day. Needless to say the call the following morning that she suffered a massive stroke was surreal. As the executor dealing with her estate during covid was frustrating at best. The process took far too long to be resolved, es...

After several years of interest I finally decided to purchase a Scythian style of horse bow from Flagella Dei Archery based in Hungary.    Opted for a yew laminated bow #42@28 so it was a custom build but worth the wait. Feather light and simply beautiful. Build quality is great and pictures just do not give justice to the eye candy quality of the lamination, tip reinforcements and quality leather handle wrap. Shipping was fast from Europe and bow was professionally boxed with bubble wrap and a nice bow sack. Included was a certificate of authentication complete with the bowyer's signature and warranty information. Needless to say I was anxious to get it outside and loose some arrows. The rain held off on Saturday so it was a perfect opportunity to get out under the green. I just love this bow. Not only is it lightweight with precious little hand shock but is amazingly silent as well. I was using bamboo and wooden arrows but the bamboo arrows definitely suited the bow better o...

Finally decided to purchase a Viking era sword replica to complete my Anglo Saxon/Viking  reenactment kit. It was the last major purchase that needed to be made to round out the ensemble. Purchased from the Medieval Shoppe based in Australia after I saw they were offering an 18% discount in recognition of 18000 followers on social media. Factoring in the favorable exchange rate between the Aussie and Canadian dollars, the overall price of the sword at $208 plus the discount it was to good to pass up. Arrived very well packaged and quickly with the blade and sheath being well wrapped and oiled. Initial impressions were favorable for a functional replica of a Viking age sword from that period of history. It possesses a type four blade design and a variation of a type S hilt design so it is historical but not a pure example of a type four blade as it is a little shorter and narrower than earlier blades of the period. Blade is sharp and tapers somewh...

Quite by surprise during a hot summer bike commute home I discovered the NSLC had added a new Plantation rum selection to the shelves. Stopped enroute planning on picking up a couple cold beers but instead placed a bottle of the Xaymaca rum in the backpack instead. Marketed as a traditional 100% Jamaican pot still rum exhibiting the classic "funk" of the island with the associated Hogo flavors of banana and burnt pineapple I was looking forward to getting home and sampling the rum. I am a big fan of the Plantation rums and, after having a few glasses of the Xaymaca special dry, can say this did not disappoint despite the flavor profile not quite being in my ball park. Packaged in the familiar Plantation 5 year rum style of bottle the Xaymaca looks very familiar to it's cousin with the exception of some green highlights upon the label - no doubt paying homage to Jamaica's lush environment. The nose is intriguing with memories of th...