Crude Observations

Well folks, here it is. That time of year where we all hopefully are starting to wind down. Kids are coming out of school, people are getting excited for their upcoming vacations, even if the US isn’t as popular for Canadians as it once was, and all of Calgary is preparing for Stampede in their own unique way. Whether that is dusting off the cowboy costumes for another year of fun or high-tailing it out of town doesn’t really matter – I’m all about tradition.   Another tradition this time of year is the ritual […]

So here we are, another Friday the 13th, a day renowned for bringing the best of luck to everyone around, because as we all know nothing bad ever happens on a Friday the 13th, just ask all those people who spent some time with their good friend Jason.   I know for a fact that there is nothing to be afraid of on Friday the 13th, much like I know that our building doesn’t platy into the whole superstition thing and doesn’t avoid calling the 13th floor the 13th floor. Alright, that’s a lie, I […]

It’s a million degrees outside and I want to get home on this last Friday of May so I am going to keep it short today. Pithy. To the point and waste no one’s time.   Originally, I was going to do a re-write of the Speech from the Throne so I could heap scorn on the newbie Mark Carney government before they take off on summer vacation, but then I decided that instead of finding the speech mock-worthy, I actually enjoyed all the pomp and ceremony and just general regal weirdness of it all […]

Sometimes a blog is so obvious it becomes too easy to write. The words just kind of flow out the brain and through the fingertips and voila, it’s a blog. Like with tariffs – those are so easy to write since, as has been well-established, I really, really hate tariffs. Or Alberta separation. I could write thousands of wors about that little bit if Wexit if I cared to dignifiy it with my time.   National politics? Hate it, love to write about it. Provincial and municipal politics? Equally targeted with my scorn.   The […]

I am reupping this annual missive to the Canadian May Long weekend for several reasons.   One – I am tired and need to be a reposter for a bit but I know you all like this annual reminder about Canada’s greatest holiday after the Annual Poutine & Maple Syrup Festival.   Two – It’s rainy and cold, my wife is out of town and I’m in the office so if I have to suffer, you have to suffer.   May Long. The best weekend of the year for us Canadians. Any number of reasons. […]

If you are a follower of this blog, you are probably aware that last April (2024) my mom passed away and I wrote the below blog to pay tribute to her. I am choosing to repost this year because it is, absent anything else, a tribute to a mom who made a difference. In this case my mom. One example of mom’s doing their thing every day, subtle and overt, intentional or otherwise. This includes all the other moms who play a role in my life, including most obviously my wife who is remarkable in […]

Before I start in on this week’s abbreviated blog, you should know that I wasn’t actually going to do one this week as I found myself struck down by some teenager imported plague for mist of the week. How bad was it? Well, I actually worked from home for two days (until I got kicked out) and slept in a separate room (an actual room, not just falling asleep watching endless hours of hockey).   Not to mention that I was pretty choked that having to do that stupid election blog last week prevented me […]

Alright fans, hangers on and wannabes. This is the week you have all been waiting for. The missive with the prediction. The rant on current issues and a review of our political future. A wash and rinse of the tea leaves, revealing the inner secrets of the Canadian body politic. A bona fide prognostication of epic proportions on this, the MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION EVER! Well at least the most important election of the modern era. Hmm, well maybe not. How about the most important election of the 21st century? No? Since the Free Trade Election? […]

This leaders’ debate is excruciating, so I wrote a blog and borrowed some old stuff. To spruce it up I decided to ask Elon and Grok to translate it into Pirate. Enjoy.   Cap’n’s Log, April 18, 2024     Hoist the colors, me hearties! ‘Tis time to swab the deck and chart the stormy seas o’ current events plaguin’ Canada and the world beyond. Take a gander at the tariffs, the stock runs, the plunder gained, the treasures lost, and the cursed losses aplenty.     This trade war’s shown us Canucks we’ve got […]

Well thank god that quarter is over, right? That chaos to Macrh 31 was about all I could ta. Thank god that nothing bad ever happens in April. Like tariffs. Or Pandemonium.   Ah, who am I kidding. It’s all going hell in a hand basket and all we can do is watch and hope that someone somewhere gets some sense.   And why was I talking about March anyway? I clearly knew that it was past April 2, because I dod a blog last week where I went off on tariffs. Yet again. Seems […]

Hi everyone, did you miss me? It’s OK to day no, even though I know that would be a lie. I missed you guys, especially as I was off doing some stealthy reconnaissance on behalf of my mostly Canadian readers.   Where was I you might ask? Well I was doing some undercover research on behalf of all of us in what we can currently refer to as the demilitarized zone, otherwise known as Phoenix Arizona. USA. Yes dear readers, I did what so many Canadians seem afraid to do. I went into the belly […]

I seem to be in a bit of funk these days (tariffs will do that to you), but fortunately I find myself saved by one of my moistest favourite annual rites of Crude Observational status. The ubiquitous sports metaphor and life story. The one time of year when I actually will have multiple televisions on in the office (yes, we have multiple televisions, the question is, why don’t you?). I am referring of course to the annual NCAA Final Four Basketball tournament. Otherwise known as March Madness (even though it ends in April) and the […]

Happy Ides of March everyone! Or is it Saint Patrick’s Day? Or, to be honest, Pie Day. Or is it some weird mashup of all of them. It’s a weird convolution of all these days into one glorious green-festooned ritual stabbing in the back of and drinking of Caesars and other cocktails made famous by betrayal and the shepherding of snakes off an inhospitable island.   To honour the days in question and to be effective with my time, I am going to go out on a limb with a not very well thought out […]

Wow, here we are, a mere 7 days into March and I have completely run out of things to say.   Actually, allow me to restate that. I have plenty to say. And say it I will. Just not in this venue. Because they can’t be said in polite company.   We are now officially 4 days into Trade War 2.0 TM and I am exhausted. The battles on the front have been intense and filled with many angry words and nationalistic beating of chests. An old Molson ad has been updated for the digital […]

Hi all.   It’s February 28th. I’m in hiding. Because I write blogs that are critical of tariffs and I’m worried that I might get outed and picked up by the 51st State Troopers. Look. I’m not kidding. It can happen. They have operatives and spies everywhere. I think even some of my readers may be of concern to my freedom.   I’m specifically thinking that if you’re middle-aged, wear Lulu dress pants and Uggs and have recently bought a mid-life crisis station wagon with a super-charged rocket engine, you are prime material to be […]

Okay. I’m just going to say this once. It’s just a hockey game. Right? It is not a metaphor for our relationship with the United States or their relationship with us. The fights during the first game were a bit ridiculous but let’s be realistic, the Tkachuk’s are all a bit ridiculous, so it is no surprise to see them in the thick of it.   I am writing this blog on Thursday at 5 PM MST, exactly one hour before the puck drops in Boston and we can hopefully put all this sports as […]

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone who celebrates. And to those who don’t, thank you for taking a few minutes out of your loveless and desperate lives to read this blog. I may soon start posting this on X regularly so I can get some money back on my Tesla shares that seem to be in a bit of a freefall – correlation with USAID? One will never know.   At any rate, I know you all have nothing better to do than read this so I may as well entertain you.   Not with tariffs […]

Dear readers, I feel I owe you an apology. Lost amidst all this tariff nonsense of the past few weeks has been some missing out on tradition. You see I have a series of blogs I do as we transition from January to February, the main one of course being my Groundhog Day one, which, given Trump Redux or Trump 2.0 seems like it is rather timely. And waiting to see if a mangy rodent sees its shadow or not as a weather predictor is one of my favourite annual traditions. But I missed it […]

Well here we are ladies and gentlemen. T-Day minus one. What does that mean? It means exactly what it means. It is January 31, 2025, one day before our new overlords to the South will be implementing their dreaded tariffs on the backs of unsuspecting Canadians and the media and political frenzy is AMPED UP!!! Time to fight back as only Canadians know how!   Maybe. Maybe tomorrow. Sheesh. Try to settle down people. Maybe we need a saviour? London, where are you when we need you?   Instead…   On the one hand we […]

Wow – what a century the last week has been, eh? I tell ya, it warms my heart to put all that work into my annual Fearless Forecast only to have it blown to pieces in the blink of an eye. I did not see the Lions losing to that Washington team, especially not in such spectacular fashion. Nor did I think that Vivek would be punted out of the White House inner circle before the inauguration, but here we are. As for the rest of my missives and takes and predictions? Only time will […]

And now I have to start all over again while the whole world is crashing down around us.   That is right folks, it is time for the annual rite of passage wherein I give my top insightful insights into the world, nay, the universe.   It is time for The Fearless Forecast TM. That one blog of the year that everyone and their cousin Vinny turns to base investment and asset allocation decisions on. I have heard that no less an investment icon than Jim Cramer regularly references the Fearless Forecast and broadcasts its […]

Well Thank God that year is over, right? It was a rough one, both fore prognosticators like myself and all the little people who hang on my every word.   Never mind that my 2024 words were oh so wrong. I can’t even begin to fathom what I will predict for 2025, which is my next week blog, since it feels like an tire year has already gone by in the first 10 days. By the time I get to my 2025 Fearless Flop, everything new will be old again and vice versa.   Has […]

Well here it is, Christmas Eve, the shopping is finally stopping and the family is sitting around being uber-lazy and getting ready for the big day.   I know I promised last Friday was the last blog for the year but I can’t help myself.   The tradition is a poem on Christmas Eve and gosh darn if I’m not going to honour that and regale you.   In 2023 at this time everyone was feeling upbeat and constructive on Canadian energy, but the rest of the world was sweating it out through runaway inflation, […]

Hear ye, hear ye. I bring to you, upon this, the 5th day before Christmas, a purloined list of characters both naughty and nice, as well as some ideas for gifts for our favourite characters and influencers from the year just past. And to be fair, there is no shortage, at all, of worthy and unworthy recipients of the Big Guy’s largesse or ironic gifts intended to be lessons for one and all.   Upon review of this list, we will be able to decide whether the named individual is to be bequeathed a gift […]

This week is all about my top 10 Christmas movies, but as always I have to take a few minutes to do an aside about the government because no year end series of blogs would be complete without me taking warranted potshots at the most tired and bereft of ideas government in Canadian history – the Trudeau federal government..   For those of you who are living under a rock (or just don’t care) the Canadian Liberal minority government continues to underperform even the complete lack of expectations that Canadians hold. No mean feat for […]

Short and sweet this week as it is time to start slowing down but I don’t want to use all my Christmas magic too early since there is a lot of ground to cover between now and the big day. And, as we all know there are a lot of days in the whole Christmas pantheon. There are days off, the days between Christmas and New Year’s, it took the wise men a couple of weeks almost to get to the manger after the big birth, there are – variously – 12 or 24 days […]

Before I get into my annual recycling of holiday blog ideas, I first wanted to say a few words about Donald Trump and his ridiculous 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, including oil and gas imports, unless we clean up our act on illegal immigration into the United States and the importation of illegal drugs, specifically fentanyl.   Unlike most Canadians, at least those the Liberal party, my initial reaction wasn’t feigned panic, surprise and oh so serious proclamations that it was time to put aside our partisan differences and gather together as a country, […]

Another week gone and another week closer to the Holidays and the Holiday blogs, including the epic fan favourite – the top Christmas Movies of all time according to me. But in the interim, we have to cover some ground and discuss some topics of mutual interest along the way.   And these topics are going to be true Crude Observations because there is a lot of stuff going on that I feel needs the proper treatment. There won’t be a lot because a) I don’t want to bore you, and; b) I have a […]

Not a lot of time this week as I am in final preparation for the Boss coming to town. No, not my wife. She is already here. Nope, it’s the Bruce Springsteen concert, not sure if it’s a farewell tour, but it’s a concert we have been waiting for since, well, the last time he was here which was a very long time ago. I should know, I have the T-shirt and I’m going to wear it. Frays, moth-holes and t-shirt hoarder embarrassment all rolled into one tightly fitting (now) pink package. It’s great to […]

America – You are Great! Again. I guess.   So much déjà vu all over again. I feel like it’s maybe 2016!   And what a night! Unlike 2016 where I watched the results trickle in with Wolf Blitzer getting excited about a 10 vote swing in Fiddle-Faddle County North Carolina and CNN with their magic wall, this year I followed the election results on Twitter which was interesting since as I follow both right, centre and left wing people I was able to feel their full range of emotions and disbelief as the evening […]

It’s Blog time, time for a super scary Halloween edition filled with spooks, ghosts and surprises. Terrors both large and small, the usual litany of candy and trick or treating fun and, for those who want such things, a bold election prediction.   But first, Halloween. Way more fun than crazy election predictions, although I am sure I can weave some random bouts of politics into this. We had more kids than usual. Costumes were on the fantasy side. No one wore a garbage bag. No Trumps, Trudeaus, Kamala’s 0r Biden’s. It was a nice […]

We are here! The last blog before the last blog before the most momentous election that we will experience in our lifetimes, until the next one of course. I am referring of course to the upcoming Saskatchewan provincial election. Wait, what? There’s another one? In the US? How did I not know this? It’s a week from Tuesday? OMG, I am so unprepared. Sorry folks, I will do some reading up next week so that I am properly prepared handicap that election and let you know who the candidates are and give you a rational […]

Ugh. Middle of October. It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times. Nothing is happening. We are between Thanksgiving and Halloween. Markets are fast asleep. The US election is coming in a matter of weeks and that is all that anyone is talking about. Wars and conflicts continue to rage and the ebbs and flows make the news briefly and then fade as quickly as that comet that came around earlier this week or the Northern Lights that seem to be happening everywhere.   And true to form, blogging is stuck in a […]

Another week of perfect Calgary fall weather in the books and here we are, Thanksgiving Weekend. That special time of year where we as Canadians take stock of the hand that has been dealt us and enumerate all the ways we feel thankful for being able to live in what could be the greatest country on earth, if we weren’t so addicted to mediocrity.   But I digress. That is in fact just my own oft-voiced opinion and many people disagree with me, which is fair, since polite disagreement is the foundation for discussion, understanding […]

We are three quarters of the way into the year and I need to make a confession. I have absolutely no idea how the rest of the year is going to unfold. It is all too unpredictable. It’s messy. It’s ugly. And its AFFECTING MY MOOD! Like really affecting it. What are we doing here people?   Are we in a recession in Canada or not? Are lowere interest rates happening because inflation is moderating or are lower rates happening because the wheels are coming off? Are we in a bullish moment for oil or […]

So here I sit on the second to last trading day of September 2024. Markets for stocks are way, way up. The energy world is in some version of a delayed tail spin. Two days away from having to do an epic “mea culpa” as the third quarter devastation to my forecast is laid bare. I would note that we are also 37 days away from the most consequential election for Canada that has ever been held. And no, as we established last week, that election is not here because no one aside from 40 […]

Another week gone by as we count off the days until the most consequential election Canadian history. I am speaking obviously of the upcoming US election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump since as we know, elections don’t happen here in Canada anymore, they just get talked about.   So were left with the grim task of trying to pick out a winner in the quadrennial American slugfest that this year couldn’t be a more stark study in contrasts between visions for the country and the electoral team trying to espouse those visions. I will […]

It’s an interesting little bit of insight that when you write a blog for as llong as I have, you suddenly find that you may have actually written about every topic and that it is quite common to find yourself repeating topics. Even when you think you have something original.   Case in point, this latest rout in the price of oil brings to mind the other 16 oil price routs I have written about since starting this blog. And the negative gas pricing? Been there done that. Recession coming? Wrote about that. Government obtuseness? […]

Hi y’all. Yes I know I missed last week and my traditional Labour Day missive and I apologize. I was off doing some personal stuff (which was awesome) and just didn’t want to interrupt it to struggle through a blog. And I have to admit, it has been a struggle to get back into the blog after this summer. It has been a weird few months with lots of personal stuff and vacation and busy times at work – everyone knows the drill – life, right?   That said, the blog is a routine part […]

Last year and the year before, I took my family on an epic vacation and when I returned, I did a short mail-it-in blog that reflected some thoughts I had on where we had been and how moving around the world outside of our little bubble that is Calgary can offer some pretty cool perspective on the truisms that define our lives.   As I said then and will cut and paste now, perspective is everything and sometimes it is worthwhile to take yourself out of your comfort zone and look at things from the […]

Okay, I know I said I would not be writing a blog until I was back from vacation but I lied. I have one more short blog left in me that I need to get off my chest. And it involves some predictions on what may or may not happen while I am away and maybe some prognostications about the state of the world. We live in times that are far too interesting. In many ways, I wish it was a little more boring. Remember Stephen Harper? Barack Obama? BORING!!!! I miss those days.   […]

I know I said I was going to reduce the blog to once every two weeks during the summer and rest assured, I plan on doing that, but for now I am still going strong. Expect that next week you won’t hear from me, and maybe not the week after. Or the week after that. Why you ask? Well, yours truly is taking his family on a much-needed extended vacation. And I won’t be allowed to write. More than likely.  Here’s hoping it can at least be relaxing.   I say that because the last […]

Oh. My. God.   Yes. Oh. My. God. This of course is the timeless declaration of the inestimable Jonathan Higgins when presented, yet again, with some crazy transgression by none other than my favourite character in my favourite television series – Magnum PI, in, umm, Magnum PI. Not the new reboot, no, the classic 1980s version – that ran just a few short years after Joe Biden was first elected to government.   I am reminded of Higgy’s outburst because we are half-way through the year and it is report card time for my Fearless […]

Today is one of those glorious historical anomalies for the Crude Observations blog that some people might call a coincidence but that I consider to be a Gregorian twist of fate. As wen enter the summer months, I have many traditions for the blog including the birthday blog, the review of my terrible forecast blog, the Canada Day blog and the Stampede blog. Then it’s the vacation blog. If I feel like it.   It is rare for the blog to fall on the actual day for one of these traditions yet this year, it […]

Well folks, here it is. That time of year where we all hopefully are starting to wind down. Kids are coming out of school, people are getting excited for their upcoming vacations, assuming that they have an up to date passport and all of Calgary is preparing for Stampede in their own unique way. Whether that is dusting off the cowboy costumes for another year of fun or high-tailing it out of town doesn’t really matter – I’m all about tradition.   Another tradition this time of year is the ritual bloodletting for people foolish […]

June 14th already? What happened? It feels like just yesterday it was June 13th. And the day before was January 1st. As most of you know by now, the mid-June blog is mostly a random walk as I am in full battery recharging mode getting ready for the rapid fire series of blogs that is going to be the traditional Canada Day celebration of canuckleness, my mid-year forecast rehash, the Stampede celebration and then, sweet merciful crap, I leave on vacation for multiple weeks when the only thing that will cause me to publish will […]

I know this is supposed to be a week off, but I am compelled to post something. A year ago this week, my personal and business Twitter universe was rocked by the passing of someone who was, for me, an online friend but for others in this online universe I inhabit a true friend and beloved family member. So, to honour and remember this individual, I am re-running the blog I wrote at the time about him, the weirdness of the online world and the changing nature of friendship.   SBA (@SadBillAckman) was an anonymous […]

Apologies to everyone who was expecting a blog last week, but things have been busy in both my personal and business world and when last Friday rolled around I realized that what I really needed was a break, so I took advantage of a short and slow week to avoid any kind of writing whatsoever except the tow Confidential Information Memorandums I had to complete. Such was my commitment to NOT doing a blog that I instructed my partner to come into my office and confiscate my laptop if he heard even a hint of […]

I am reupping this annual missive to the Canadian May Long weekend for several reasons. One – I am tired and need to be a reposter for a bit but I know you all like this annual reminder. Two – I am nowhere near the office. If you must know, I am in the thriving metropolis of Beaver Utah, a place my business partner was at no less than a week ago. Word to the wise – do what I did – the EAST side of the highway is way better. Third, I am a […]

There’s a joke in our house that revolves around that statement. It comes from my mom. It happened about 12 years ago. I called her on either her birthday or Mother’s Day – pretty sure it was Mother’s Day. Of all things. The nerve, right? I can’t remember who it was who answered – my dad or her. All I know is when she got on the line and heard my voice that’s what she said. A comment that will live in infamy. What did I want? Well, to say happy mother’s day for one. […]

Is it finally May? It’s hard to tell, given that Calgary got slammed by a typical May Day storm and my deck and yard and car was covered by close to 15 cm of the wettest, heaviest snow I have shoveled in what feels like 100 years. ‘Cause you know I was shoveling 100 years ago. Shoveling something.   At any rate, the sun is coming out finally so it looks like something resembling spring is on the way, notwithstanding the temptation I have to go skiing next week, just because.   You know what […]

Well after last week’s liberating vent on the new federal government proposed tax hike on capital gains, I thought for sure I wouldn’t have anything to wriote about. And you would be right. But fortunately, I am creature of habit, and that habit means I sit down every week and if words start to flow, I will have a blog. And if they don’t start to flow? Well then it’s typically a shorter blog.   Fortunately for me (and you), after close to 9 years of hammering the same keyboard to come up with original […]

I was actually going to take a wee break from my blog this week after last week’s epic meltdown about my thoroughly inadequate first quarter report card on my Fearless Forecast and I was doing a good job about not stewing and tormenting myself about the world at large, the people in it who purport to control our lives or the monolithic governing institutions who wreck everything just because.   And then wouldn’t you know it? As they are wont to do, along came the Trudeau(p) LPC minority government with a big swinging debt-ridden, subsidy […]

Has it been an entire quarter so far? It feels so much longer, doesn’t it? But no, it’s been just one quarter, which means we are 25% of the way through the year and it is time for me at Stormont central to stand up and face the music, pay the piper and have my day of reckoning. Why is that the uninitiated might ask? Well let me enlighten you.   You see every year I write this thing called the “Fearless Forecast” which is the compilation of my wisdom and prognostications for the year. […]

Ah, NCAA March Madness. How I have missed you. It is hard to believe it has been a full year since I have been able to sit down and listen to the sweet and somewhat jarring sound of squeaky shoes on a gym floor as my favourite sporting event unfolds in front of me on office TVs, secretive channel switching at home and late-night PVR’d buzzer beaters. I know we are already mid Sweet 16 and all the brackets are busted, even mine, but this tournament has been pretty exciting with many Cinderella stories.   […]

Happy Ides of March everyone! Or is it Saint Patrick’s Day? Or is it some weird mashup of both. It’s a weird convolution of all these days into one glorious green-festooned ritual stabbing in the back of and drinking of Caesars and other cocktails made famous by betrayal and the shepherding of snakes off an inhospitable island.   To honour the days in question and to be effective with my time, I am going to go out on a limb with a not very well thought out listicle of the 10 individuals of renown who […]

It’s March 8th and I’ve got nothing to say. Next week is my annual Ides of March issue, wherein I will let you know which public (and not so public) figures may or may not find themselves stabbed in the back so I need to keep a lot of my arrows in the proverbial quiver, as they say.   On the other hand, I have committed to the long/short bi-weekly missive so content must of course be produced. First off, let me say that last week’s blog about Alberta’s new (and lamentable) renewables policies and […]

Welcome dear readers to what is my favourite day of the year – February 30th, the day after Leap Day which as we all know is the greatest holiday of them all, what with the appearance of Leap Day William and the efforts to avoid the coming of March since as we all know “Real life is for March!”.   And in the spirit of that day, I’m going to something I only do every four years, publish a stream of consciousness rant, mainly because I can. But before I do that, I just want […]

So last week, I didn’t write a blog. I am hoping that someone at least noticed that because I do put a lot of effort into the blog and I like to get the pat on the back and the “atta boys” I occasionally receive. There was of course a particular reason I didn’t compose a blog and I will get into it in a bit, because it is typical for how we live our lives.   But let me first say that February blogs are the hardest. It’s the shoulder season for blogging – […]

It’s the most wonderful time, of the year! It is, isn’t it?   That’s right, Super Bowl Sunday! The day of days. The culmination of all the hard work I have done since September. Forcing myself seemingly day after day to watch football games, read football news, talk about football, PVR football and bet on football. And let me tell you, I am a master of all of these. Except the betting part. That really didn’t go as planned. Fortunately, all I lost was a couple of Bitcoins and some NVIDIA stock, so I’m all […]