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“Barcode Producer 6 creates barcode graphics for retail packages, books, stickers, and more. Design, customize, then send finished EPS graphics right to Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop.The award-winning standard in Mac barcode software has never been better.”

via Barcode Producer – Barcode Software for Mac – Barcode Generator.

From Waterloo Regional Police Services
Link: http://www.wrps.on.ca/news/incident-reports-51

Incident # 11-020504
Type : Suspicious Vehicle
SNOWDROP CRT, KITCHENER

Waterloo Regional Police are investigating two separate reports of a suspicious vehicle.

The first occurred Thursday January 27, 2011 at approximately 8am on Activa Avenue where an unknown male in a green car asked two young boys if they wanted to see interior of his car. The boys declined and continued on their way, later reporting the incident to their parents who contacted police.

The second incident occurred Friday January 28 2011 at approximately 1pm at the plaza located at 700 Strasburg Road where a young female was asked if she wanted a ride by a similar male. She did not respond and continued on to her destination later reporting the incident to her parents who contacted police.

The vehicle is described as an older model small four door sedan, green in color with lightly tinted windows and some rust. Suspect is described as a white male, late 30′s, tall, clean shaven, short brown hair, long face, wearing red and white jacket.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 519 650 8500 ext. 4499.

Grace – November 28 2010, originally uploaded by seyDoggy.

So today is the first official day of the kids Christmas Holidays. Looking forward to some relaxing family time. I go pick up my son from the airport tomorrow. We have a Christmas dinner afterwards. We have family coming on Monday. Shopping on Tuesday. Play date on Wednesday and Thursday. Party on Friday, Christmas on Saturday. Drop son off on Sunday…

Did I say relaxing?

Lisa Dawn Kruszynski R.N. Obituary: View Lisa Kruszynskis Obituary by Toronto Star.

Lisa Dawn Kruszynski R.N.

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It’s true, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. An old dear friend of mine passed away this week. It was sudden, unexpected. And it hurts. A lot.

In high school there was a small group of 5 that were inseparable — two girls and three boys. We took classes together, we studied together, we partied together… when one got kicked out of the house for teenage trouble making, the rest of us would take turns giving shelter. It was a teenage support group to help us all get through in one piece.

She was the strong one. The stable one. The one we all strived to be like.

In high school the teachers referred to her and I as soul mates, Frick and Frack, Tweedledee and Tweedledum… That made us laugh. We weren’t romantically involved. We used to fight like cats and dogs… brother and sister. But the teachers were right in a way, we were inseparable. All 5 of us were inseparable. Until after high school.

We all headed for college. The boys drifted one way and the girls drifted the other with always a, “Let’s get together for coffee soon,” or as the years rolled on, “Let’s make a play date for the kids.”

Fifteen or more years passed like that with little more then the odd chance encounter with the girls. The girls were tight still. The boys are still tight. The support group had done it’s job. We all grew up, too busy, family life, jobs… This shouldn’t happen between friends.

She was the strong one. The stable one. The one we all strived to be like.

And she’s gone. I hate this.

So many coffee dates come to naught and now they’ll never be.
So many “someday we’ll get together”, that someday we’ll never see.
We think we have forever so we never cherish here.
And now that you’re so far away I hate that you’re not near.

AM, AM, BC and WB is missing LP. Rest in peace. :,(

My Mom Is the Best

My Mom is RILE special! My Mom gevs me nice clos. My mom would huge me and kiss me if I got hrt. I love my mom. she is the best. I love, love, love, love, love her. If I cant sleep on a school night my mom would let me woch a little bet of tv but not all the time. she is the best mom in the yunevrs!!!!!!!!

A group of v4c attendees pictured with Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s. Image courtesy of Bright Lights Photography.

Reaching out and making changes

Yesterday I had the great fortune to attend the Venture 4 Change conference in North Dumfries, a summit designed to bridge the gap between the corporate and philanthropic sectors and to open the dialogue on integrating both into the community with greater efficacy.

I won’t get into just how awesome the conference was and how incredible the speakers were — other blogs will surely cover that today — but I will speak to the honor that was hearing the likes of Tony Pigott, Sam Purdy and Jerry Greenfield speak to us about how for-profit businesses can make a difference in both the community and to world charities as a whole.

But what I really took away from the conference was the fact that the conference itself was the embodiment of everything it sought to discuss. The room was full of community members from all walks of life — some of them seeking social change from businesses, some looking for ways to make social responsibility a viable solution for their business, but everyone looking for those solutions together.

The big ideas

The themes in the conference boiled down to a few key components; embrace the community, learn what’s important to that community, find the needs of that community, offer a solution where you can and be generous. It wasn’t rocket science. We, as a community, do that everyday with our neighbors, our family, our colleagues… but applying these ideas to business has not always been an easily accepted idea.

So why did this effect me? I got to talk to a lot of people yesterday — some just to say they love my tweets and others to find out what my company is all about. But then there were some genuine conversations, people connecting with people.

One such encounter was with Jacqui Murphy. Business was never discussed. We just talked about community events, meetups and other such gatherings (embracing the community), which led to a discussion about our kids (what matters to the community), how kids can be trying at times (community needs) and ways to cope with them (offering solutions).

This is what community is all about and why it only makes sense that business should be run the same way. Businesses are made up of people. People make communities. Communities allow business to exist by their market activity. Businesses need to pay it back to their people and their communities.

Breaking it down

These are the idea I have followed in my own business operations since day one. I have worked very hard from the beginning to build a strong, helpful community around the products I make and sell. I have always been as generous as can be — be it my own time, money or opportunity — to that community which I owe my own existence to. I have embraced those local communities who seek to support other local businesses and I have reached out to communities who would seek to do me harm and embraced them with open arms. I give as much as I can to charity, as often as I can.

This is an exciting time we are in now. While surely there have been companies with philanthropic intentions since the dawn of commerce and trade, it’s not always been the height of fashion to do so. It’s my hope that the recent efforts of companies to openly go green, practice fair-trade and be more socially, ethically and economically responsible will be the norm in years to come.

Business + People + Community = Venture 4 Change indeed.

March is always a big month in the seyDoggy camp, we almost always release a new theme and always, without fail, have the years biggest sales in celebration of my birthday. This year will be no different, in fact we’ll be taking it one step farther and taking the celebration to club!

On Saturday March 13th I invite you to join us at The Flying Dog on Marsland Drive in Waterloo for wild night of dancing and crazy antics. Come out and help me celebrate my 36th birthday in style!

Who:
Anyone

When:
Saturday March 13, 2010 9:00pm – 2:00am

Where:
The Flying Dog
341 Marsland Drive,
Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z2
[map]

Add to calendar:

Time passes and few will notice.
Until it’s passing becomes a comfort,
A reminder, this life is not eternal,
Our trials and triumphs not forever.

Tears fall and few will miss them.
Until their falling from cheeks of others,
Heralds a time hardly remembered,
When emotions ran deep and daily,
And tears flowed with ease.

Friends will visit and few will cherish those moments.
Until mobility gives way to agony,
Faculty gives way to confusion,
Ease gives way to strain,
Chairs at kitchen tables give way to pews before caskets.

Emotions run raw and few will relish them.
Until loss becomes commonplace,
Demise becomes expected.
Until the end is anticipated,
Hoped for, welcomed.

Time passes and few should notice.
Until passing be our comfort.

In loving memory of Marie Rellinger.

This was written after attending the funeral of my wife’s Great Aunt Marie. At the age of 88, she willingly embraced her diagnosis of cancer and fought it with passion and grace. But just as Marie accepted the battle such a diagnosis brought with it, so too did she accept it’s eventual and inevitable outcome at 89.

Neither path was right or wrong to her — to suffer in therapy was almost an honor, a badge for her 89 year of service to this world and her lord — to slip away at the end surrounded by family was Marie’s sweet reward. She was ready — even if we weren’t.

At the funeral I watched a whole generation of her friends share her views — proud men and proper ladies, born a decade or two into a new century past. They were not saddened by the loss, but comforted that Marie had been ‘received’. They were happy to be celebrating her life together, as friends, while there were still friends to share it with.

There were tears at Marie’s funeral, but not from her peers. The tears came from those of us too caught up in the moment to be able to reflect on what one can accomplish in 89 years. Too caught up in what it means to lose a loved one and unable to see what it means to rest after a long and fulfilling life.

I will cherish the tears while the thought of death still terrifies me. I will relish the heartache while loss still hurts. But I will bring away with me a new understanding of what it means to celebrate life and the passing of time.

Pictured in the Rellinger family portrait, clockwise from top left: Gary Rellinger, Todd Rellinger, Audrey Merrifield, Tanya Merrifield, Mary Rellinger, Marie Rellinger, Grace Merrifield.

Tags: death, life, picture