I don’t often do book reviews but on this occasion I will make an exception. I recently picked up a rather lengthy volume (over 700 pages) and I think it is worthy of note.
It doesn’t have much of a plot and very few people can finish it cover to cover unless they thumb through very quickly. However, it has a cast of thousands and most city homes have at least one copy kicking around. I’m referring to the 2010-2011 edition of the Thunder Bay phonebook.
I have to admit I didn’t read the whole thing either but I gave it a dandy good thumbing and as I flipped through the pages I got that old familiar feeling.
When I was a kid growing up in Westfort the new phonebooks showed up at our door once a year. In those uneventful times this was a big deal and I fought with my siblings to get the first glimpse of our own last name, address and phone number, which at the time was 20877.
Of course the listing was exactly the same every year but just the same, every new directory brought some new thrills into our young lives.
One of the first thrills I got from this year’s edition was an upbeat message from TBayTel CEO Don Campbell. He claims bragging rights for the extra $15 million his department handed over to the city this year. Local taxpayers love that kind of performance
But wouldn’t it be nice if TBayTel shared the wealth with their loyal customers? How about a pen and a notepad to go with the phonebook or even a t-shirt or a tote bag…something.
How hard would it be to put some swag in the bag? A small gesture like that could pay huge returns in good will and customer satisfaction. Who couldn’t use a good tote bag?
The smiling faces of city councillors in the community pages is an accurate reflection of our happy, down home lifestyle around here. One can not help but notice that Coun. Angus’s beard has been upstaged by the considerable facial matte of City Clerk John Hannam.
Coun. Virdiramo’s moustache remains unchallenged. Everybody looks happy.
But that’s not all. The picture reveals some interesting demographic factoids as well. First of all, the gender balance seems a little lopsided. Too many suits, not enough skirts. What’s the deal with that?
One other observable phenomenon is the obvious greying of council. Baby boomers are well represented but what about the under 40 crowd? We often lament the loss of our young people. Maybe the best thing we could do is to inject a little more youth and vitality into City Hall.
I licked my thumb and was enjoying my search for familiar faces and places in the community pages when I came across a very strange photo on page 73.
It is a little blurry but it appears to be a group of shadowy characters performing some unknown ritual around a bubbling cauldron of some sort.
Strange goings on indeed. It is good to see our community embracing the occult fringe in our public parks. It seems that this year’s phonebook contains a little mystery as well and perhaps even a touch of the bizarre. Or...it could just be some people around a campfire.
Our phonebook also contains some interesting and useful tidbits of information. For example, I learned that land lines are still the most reliable and accepted form of telephone communication. Not only that, they are unaffected by power outages. It’s kind of reassuring to know that.
I remember a time when most families had one phone only. It was a plain black plastic model with a rotary dial and it was either hanging on the wall somewhere in the kitchen or it was sitting on a table on top of the phonebook. It didn’t ring much and it was never for me.
I think I still have one of those indestructible black monstrosities around here somewhere.
Maybe I’ll hook it up again for old time’s sake. It’s very retro and probably worth a fortune on E-Bay.
What do I think about this year’s phonebook? I’d say it’s a good book, full of information and facts about our community - and at a very reasonable price.
It’s great for thumbing through but all in all it’s a terrible read. You can get yours at a location near you.
I give it two thumbs up.
It doesn’t have much of a plot and very few people can finish it cover to cover unless they thumb through very quickly. However, it has a cast of thousands and most city homes have at least one copy kicking around. I’m referring to the 2010-2011 edition of the Thunder Bay phonebook.
I have to admit I didn’t read the whole thing either but I gave it a dandy good thumbing and as I flipped through the pages I got that old familiar feeling.
When I was a kid growing up in Westfort the new phonebooks showed up at our door once a year. In those uneventful times this was a big deal and I fought with my siblings to get the first glimpse of our own last name, address and phone number, which at the time was 20877.
Of course the listing was exactly the same every year but just the same, every new directory brought some new thrills into our young lives.
One of the first thrills I got from this year’s edition was an upbeat message from TBayTel CEO Don Campbell. He claims bragging rights for the extra $15 million his department handed over to the city this year. Local taxpayers love that kind of performance
But wouldn’t it be nice if TBayTel shared the wealth with their loyal customers? How about a pen and a notepad to go with the phonebook or even a t-shirt or a tote bag…something.
How hard would it be to put some swag in the bag? A small gesture like that could pay huge returns in good will and customer satisfaction. Who couldn’t use a good tote bag?
The smiling faces of city councillors in the community pages is an accurate reflection of our happy, down home lifestyle around here. One can not help but notice that Coun. Angus’s beard has been upstaged by the considerable facial matte of City Clerk John Hannam.
Coun. Virdiramo’s moustache remains unchallenged. Everybody looks happy.
But that’s not all. The picture reveals some interesting demographic factoids as well. First of all, the gender balance seems a little lopsided. Too many suits, not enough skirts. What’s the deal with that?
One other observable phenomenon is the obvious greying of council. Baby boomers are well represented but what about the under 40 crowd? We often lament the loss of our young people. Maybe the best thing we could do is to inject a little more youth and vitality into City Hall.
I licked my thumb and was enjoying my search for familiar faces and places in the community pages when I came across a very strange photo on page 73.
It is a little blurry but it appears to be a group of shadowy characters performing some unknown ritual around a bubbling cauldron of some sort.
Strange goings on indeed. It is good to see our community embracing the occult fringe in our public parks. It seems that this year’s phonebook contains a little mystery as well and perhaps even a touch of the bizarre. Or...it could just be some people around a campfire.
Our phonebook also contains some interesting and useful tidbits of information. For example, I learned that land lines are still the most reliable and accepted form of telephone communication. Not only that, they are unaffected by power outages. It’s kind of reassuring to know that.
I remember a time when most families had one phone only. It was a plain black plastic model with a rotary dial and it was either hanging on the wall somewhere in the kitchen or it was sitting on a table on top of the phonebook. It didn’t ring much and it was never for me.
I think I still have one of those indestructible black monstrosities around here somewhere.
Maybe I’ll hook it up again for old time’s sake. It’s very retro and probably worth a fortune on E-Bay.
What do I think about this year’s phonebook? I’d say it’s a good book, full of information and facts about our community - and at a very reasonable price.
It’s great for thumbing through but all in all it’s a terrible read. You can get yours at a location near you.
I give it two thumbs up.
