Trenton, ON

I'm sure we are all familiar with QR codes by now. They are pretty useful, and until something better comes along (which will happen fairly soon), they will be on just about every product and be used by every industry including Real Estate. This video shows the most novel use for a QR code that I have seen so far. I think its pretty neat.

Doesn't it make you want to rush out and get a tattoo? Maybe not.

Well it's about time someone made a decent Tintin movie.

Most North Americans (other than people from Quebec) probably won't be terribly excited about a Tintin movie, but kids of all ages who grew up outside of North America will be chomping at the bit to go and see this. Steven Speilberg and Peter Jackson have teamed up to bring Tintin to the big screen. With those two fellows at the helm, you know it's going to be good, blistering barnacles. I have waited a long time to see the boy wonder get his shot at movie stardom.

I have always loved the relatively simple, yet very exciting and colourful stories, and now I'm excited at the prospect of a whole new audience getting introduced to tintin and his wonderful cast of friends and foes. The only problem is that I will have to wait until December 23rd to watch this. I guarantee you that I'll be one of the first in line when the movie opens.

We just wrapped up our sidewalk sale yesterday. Every July the main street in Trenton gets barricaded and all the merchants can set up on the streets and sidewalks. Out-of-town vendors can rent a space and set up too.

This event will run from Thursday to Saturday night, and it's pretty festive. We will have musicians performing, so there's always something new to listen to. The weather was good this year, so I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few sun-burned Trentonians running around next week.

It's a much anticipated event, and I look forward to it every year. I like to walk up and down the street munching on an Italian sausage, drinking a freshly squeezed lemonade, and chatting to people who I don't run into very often. Almost everybody comes out to this event. I think most of the business owners downtown like this event too, as I'm sure they do a brisk business for those three days. Hardly anyone ever grumbles about the inconvenience of having to detour around the main street.

One of the benefits of living in a town like Trenton is the sense of community, and traditions like the sidewalk sale really brings it out. Now that it's over, the street is back to normal and everybody can go about their business again. Oh well, back to work.

It's sad that I don't even have a photograph, nor can I find one of Mike.

Last Friday the police in Trenton pulled a young man's body out of the river. On Sunday, once they could rule out foul play, the man's name was announced, and many people were shocked.

I first met Mike about 15 years ago when I owned a local gas station and he kept applying for a job. At least once a month for about three years he would come in, ask to speak to me, and hand me an application. I never did hire him, but it never phased him, nor did it ever make him bitter towards me. In fact, we became friends.

I learned that his nickname was "Bike Mike" because he was always picking up scrap bicycles and working on them until they gleamed and were in perfect working order. You could always find him riding around town on one of his new creations. Almost everybody in Trenton knew him by sight, and many also knew him by name. He was developmentally challenged, but it never affected his outlook on life, he was usually smiling. He kept busy cutting grass, shovelling snow, helping friends with projects and finding the occasional job.

It was uncanny how often he would be riding by my house when I was doing yard work. He'd always offer to help.

I am sure that many people in town will have similar stories about Mike, he did get around. I'm sure a lot of people were touched by his gentle and persistent nature. He was only 30 when he passed away, and he will be greatly missed in Trenton.

R.I.P. Bike Mike.

Well the votes were counted and the results were announced on TSN's Sportscentre broadcast last night. As you can guess by the title of this post, Wallaceburg got the better of Trenton in yesterday's voting.

Over one million votes were recieved, and I'm not sure what the actual breakdown was, but that's an impressive number. I know a lot of people in Trenton who stayed up all night voting, and I suppose a lot of folks did the same in Wallaceburg.

Kraft is donating $25,000 to communities across Canada to upgrade their sports facilities. They are calling this the Kraft Celebration Tour 2011. The communities are paired off, and after a day of online voting, the one that gets the most votes will win this money. Many people put a large effort into rallying others to get motivated to vote, and this event created a lot of community spirit.

It would have been nice if Trenton had won, the local high school desperately needs a new track, however, the town of Wallaceburg will be putting this funding to good use too. Wallaceburg is well known for their lacrosse teams, and their facility could use a new floor. Minor sports are a very important part of a small town's identity, so this $25,000 will be put to very good use.

I am sure that Trenton will find a way to make upgrades to the high school track. This event has raised a lot of awareness and community spirit in town, so even though we didn't win the $25,000, we have gained quite a bit by the publicity.

Best of luck to the remaining communities who are competing. I have read all the entries, and they are all worthwhile causes. Upgrading our sports facilities is an investment in our youth, and really, that's a very sound investment.