stresses suddenly about--don't think I want to post much about it here.
On the nice side, we got my son a new bike or his birthday yesterday, and I ended up going on a bike ride with him after we got back from supper out. Today I discovered that there are some muscles that don't like being ignored for a long time and suddenly called back into action.
I think I need to bike more.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
From the Edmonton Sun
Article here.
'a management team would be waiting in Brandon to meet the passengers when they arrived "to take care of any needs they may have"...even trauma counselling, if necessary.'
Gee, ya think?
'a management team would be waiting in Brandon to meet the passengers when they arrived "to take care of any needs they may have"...even trauma counselling, if necessary.'
Gee, ya think?
Saturday, July 26, 2008
summer ain't all it's cracked up to be
Actually, I love the break, but some extra family responsibilities and an abundance of chores have made it not exactly the most relaxing summer ever.
Getting lots accomplished, though, and having some decent family/relaxing time in between.
We went to Mamma Mia last night--didn't get a chance to see the live show in NY when I was there, but I will confess I enjoyed the movie--probably my wife and I shouldn't have dragged our kids to it, although our daughter liked it. Son--not so much.
I think it's probably something more enjoyed by our generation--the 40 - 55 set, perhaps. Meryl Streep pulled off her role better than I would've expected--I know she's a great actress, but it's different from what she usually does.
Meanwhile, blog is being neglected--ten days since the last post--but maybe not so long 'til the next one.
Getting lots accomplished, though, and having some decent family/relaxing time in between.
We went to Mamma Mia last night--didn't get a chance to see the live show in NY when I was there, but I will confess I enjoyed the movie--probably my wife and I shouldn't have dragged our kids to it, although our daughter liked it. Son--not so much.
I think it's probably something more enjoyed by our generation--the 40 - 55 set, perhaps. Meryl Streep pulled off her role better than I would've expected--I know she's a great actress, but it's different from what she usually does.
Meanwhile, blog is being neglected--ten days since the last post--but maybe not so long 'til the next one.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Why you should visit - a picture post (locals can just skip this)
I haven't got much to offer--there's stress on the parent health front; I spent 7 hours in the emergency ward on Monday, but I won't go into that here. Instead, I offer a whole bunch of pics for any who want to bother scrolling through. They're all from this area--mostly Victoria, plus elsewhere on Vancouver Island and maybe the ferry to Powell River. I haven't even got the Butchart Gardens anywhere here, and that's what a lot of people come to see.
Downtown
View from inside the museum
Museum- a decent range of exhibits plus the Imax theatre as well
The museum's display of well-known British Columbians.
Part of the war bride exhibit
Some of the totem poles near the museum
Last Monday we ate lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory--out on the corner on the patio where we could people (tourist) watch. We saw at least one bus every minute or so. The red one is from Pennsylvania, while the one behind it is from California.
There are a bunch of tour companies that will gladly show you the city by bus or even horse-drawn carriage.
Restaurants in converted mansions.
Whale-watching tours
Fancy Hotels
and, of course, the scenery:
(this pic is from the Malahat--the rather steep drive we take when going north--it's not my photo; I found it on the net)
(this is a shot from the university campus in the fall)
Next, you could drive an hour or two up island and have a variety of choices available:
Caving near Horne Lake
or canoeing on Horne Lake itself
Qualicum Beach--the water's warm and very nice for swimming in the summer, unlike the ocean further south here in Vic.
Yellow Point near Nanaimo
ferry to Powell River
Englishman River near Parksville
Campground/resort near Parksville where we stayed last weekend
Rathtrevor Beach - Also good for swimming--tide goes way out and comes in over the hot sand and the water is really warm.
There's a ton more I've left out--festivals, events--so much. Plus of course, there's Vancouver and all the other attractions not far.
And as a bonus, if you come up I'll buy you a local draft at one of our ubiquitous neighborhood pubs. :)
Downtown
View from inside the museum
Museum- a decent range of exhibits plus the Imax theatre as well
The museum's display of well-known British Columbians.
Part of the war bride exhibit
Some of the totem poles near the museum
Last Monday we ate lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory--out on the corner on the patio where we could people (tourist) watch. We saw at least one bus every minute or so. The red one is from Pennsylvania, while the one behind it is from California.
There are a bunch of tour companies that will gladly show you the city by bus or even horse-drawn carriage.
Restaurants in converted mansions.
Whale-watching tours
Fancy Hotels
and, of course, the scenery:
(this pic is from the Malahat--the rather steep drive we take when going north--it's not my photo; I found it on the net)
(this is a shot from the university campus in the fall)
Next, you could drive an hour or two up island and have a variety of choices available:
Caving near Horne Lake
or canoeing on Horne Lake itself
Qualicum Beach--the water's warm and very nice for swimming in the summer, unlike the ocean further south here in Vic.
Yellow Point near Nanaimo
ferry to Powell River
Englishman River near Parksville
Campground/resort near Parksville where we stayed last weekend
Rathtrevor Beach - Also good for swimming--tide goes way out and comes in over the hot sand and the water is really warm.
There's a ton more I've left out--festivals, events--so much. Plus of course, there's Vancouver and all the other attractions not far.
And as a bonus, if you come up I'll buy you a local draft at one of our ubiquitous neighborhood pubs. :)
Friday, July 11, 2008
why i'm not posting
I've been doing my school's website for over a decade. It's been sadly neglected lately, so finally I spent some time revamping the whole thing.
It used to be black with white lettering, with a flash menu on top--buttons that change color and such.
It got old. I've still got a ton to update on it, but I've uploaded the work thus far.
It used to be black with white lettering, with a flash menu on top--buttons that change color and such.
It got old. I've still got a ton to update on it, but I've uploaded the work thus far.
More later, either here or the other place.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Evolving cool
The things you covet change as you become older. I recall when a set of shiny chrome mags for my Nova was what my 19 year self was excited about.
You know you're old when you get jazzed about a new, really big composter:
What can I say? We're garden geeks. Finally we're getting some warmer weather the past couple of weeks. So far it's just been the radishes (all picked) and onions we've been eating, but I expect by this time next week we'll have fresh peas on the menu:
Anybody wanna come pull some weeds?
You know you're old when you get jazzed about a new, really big composter:
What can I say? We're garden geeks. Finally we're getting some warmer weather the past couple of weeks. So far it's just been the radishes (all picked) and onions we've been eating, but I expect by this time next week we'll have fresh peas on the menu:
Anybody wanna come pull some weeds?
Exactly 17 years ago...
... I think we'd finished the wedding ceremony and were heading off to do the photos in the gardens at the university. Then it was off to the reception.
If I weren't being more circumspect I'd post a photo or two here in honour of the occasion. Maybe I'll put something elsewhere.
We'll be abandoning the kids and going off for dinner at a nice retaurant downtown this evening.
In other news: We've succumbed to the lure of Tivo. Well, it's not called that here, but it's something similar. Apparently, the combo of new TV and digital recorder/cable box is what my birthday present money from parents and inlaws went to and it's also my present from family. I think my daughter's the one who is actually most pumped about it, though--now we have Family Channel, which is essentially the same as Disney Channel down south. Sooo much Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers...
I have to admit, although we've always been limited t.v. watchers--our kids' friends would think us luddites when they'd come here to discover we have only one television in the house (our kids' buddies around the corner have 5 t.v.s in a home with 4 people) and that we don't have playstation, WII or X-Box. We also have had fewer t.v. channel options on our old fashioned non-hd t.v. for them to watch here.
Now we have an HD t.v. It's not huge, but I admit, the picture is amazing. I think sports and outdoor shows are the most spectacular. I even found myself zoning out and watching 4th of july fireworks on one of the HD channels.
Nice thing is, we've revamped our cable/internet package and even though we get a bunch more stations and the ones we actually want, we're paying a little less than we were before.
Still, we don't watch a lot of TV. This time of year, in particular, we're out and about, working in the garden, enjoying the things this area has to offer, going up island to beaches, hanging out with the neighbors--things you'll remember longer than what was on the tube last week. Our neighbourhood is great; typical was a couple nights ago when we're out cutting/raking our hedges at about 9 p.m., then stopping to visit with the neighbors with the twin babies and then off to another neighbors to inspect a new deck and give advice on our old pool we passed along to them that they're setting up. Then soon there are remote control cars zipping around the cul-de-sac and not long after a couple of remote control helicopters buzzing around. Across the back fence is our old swing set we gave to other neighbors, which we got from neighbors whose kids had outgrown them before.
We're moving into the next phase of life when the kids are more involved in their out of the home lives than they are as much with us. It sneaks up on you. Just this past week eldest has had several days with friends at the beach, another evening out with a friend downtown for dinner and fireworks, and today at an "organic fair" because a friend is performing there.
We even had the rare but probably soon to be more frequent experience of my wife and I packing it in for the night while the kids were still up--it's weird that their bedtimes might be later than ours sometimes.
This is a rambly kind of post. Summary: Life is good, and summer life is really good.
If I weren't being more circumspect I'd post a photo or two here in honour of the occasion. Maybe I'll put something elsewhere.
We'll be abandoning the kids and going off for dinner at a nice retaurant downtown this evening.
In other news: We've succumbed to the lure of Tivo. Well, it's not called that here, but it's something similar. Apparently, the combo of new TV and digital recorder/cable box is what my birthday present money from parents and inlaws went to and it's also my present from family. I think my daughter's the one who is actually most pumped about it, though--now we have Family Channel, which is essentially the same as Disney Channel down south. Sooo much Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers...
I have to admit, although we've always been limited t.v. watchers--our kids' friends would think us luddites when they'd come here to discover we have only one television in the house (our kids' buddies around the corner have 5 t.v.s in a home with 4 people) and that we don't have playstation, WII or X-Box. We also have had fewer t.v. channel options on our old fashioned non-hd t.v. for them to watch here.
Now we have an HD t.v. It's not huge, but I admit, the picture is amazing. I think sports and outdoor shows are the most spectacular. I even found myself zoning out and watching 4th of july fireworks on one of the HD channels.
Nice thing is, we've revamped our cable/internet package and even though we get a bunch more stations and the ones we actually want, we're paying a little less than we were before.
Still, we don't watch a lot of TV. This time of year, in particular, we're out and about, working in the garden, enjoying the things this area has to offer, going up island to beaches, hanging out with the neighbors--things you'll remember longer than what was on the tube last week. Our neighbourhood is great; typical was a couple nights ago when we're out cutting/raking our hedges at about 9 p.m., then stopping to visit with the neighbors with the twin babies and then off to another neighbors to inspect a new deck and give advice on our old pool we passed along to them that they're setting up. Then soon there are remote control cars zipping around the cul-de-sac and not long after a couple of remote control helicopters buzzing around. Across the back fence is our old swing set we gave to other neighbors, which we got from neighbors whose kids had outgrown them before.
We're moving into the next phase of life when the kids are more involved in their out of the home lives than they are as much with us. It sneaks up on you. Just this past week eldest has had several days with friends at the beach, another evening out with a friend downtown for dinner and fireworks, and today at an "organic fair" because a friend is performing there.
We even had the rare but probably soon to be more frequent experience of my wife and I packing it in for the night while the kids were still up--it's weird that their bedtimes might be later than ours sometimes.
This is a rambly kind of post. Summary: Life is good, and summer life is really good.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Jesse Helms won't be missed on this side of the border
It's funny how mention of Cuba leads to histrionics from the U.S. right wing much like the suggestion that someone's right to keep 50 assault rifles in their basement might be in any way limited by any law.
Yet China can repress and torture and do all the business with the U.S. it wants. Nixon, further right than many republicans, gets credit for opening that door.
Jesse Helms characterized Canada's trade with Cuba as similar to Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler. Really? Wasn't Canada in the war against Hitler for two years before the U.S.? Wasn't it U.S. right-wingers who are the idealogical forebears of Helms who strongly opposed going to war against Hitler prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor?
Helms went so far as to suggest Canadians were holidaying there to patronize Cuban prostitution.
The Helms-Burton bill punished corporate executives of companies that did business in Cuba; there are apparently today still some Canadian business people who are not allowed into the U.S. due to this legislation.
Another area of contention is the continual application of punitive countervailing lumber import duties. Time after time these duties would go before international trade courts and each time they would be ruled against. Helms and his cohorts would then craft new legislation to reimpose the same duties.
And I haven't even mentioned his tarnished record in the area of civil rights over the years.
Some will lionize him, suggesting it fitting that he died on July 4th, apropos for a great political leader, but don't expect me to take a photograph by any memorials erected to this redneck.
(sorry--I hope my friends to the south don't take offense at this--it's probably better form to look back on a life just ended and celebrate all the public service, but I just can't share that sentiment)
Yet China can repress and torture and do all the business with the U.S. it wants. Nixon, further right than many republicans, gets credit for opening that door.
Jesse Helms characterized Canada's trade with Cuba as similar to Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler. Really? Wasn't Canada in the war against Hitler for two years before the U.S.? Wasn't it U.S. right-wingers who are the idealogical forebears of Helms who strongly opposed going to war against Hitler prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor?
Helms went so far as to suggest Canadians were holidaying there to patronize Cuban prostitution.
The Helms-Burton bill punished corporate executives of companies that did business in Cuba; there are apparently today still some Canadian business people who are not allowed into the U.S. due to this legislation.
Another area of contention is the continual application of punitive countervailing lumber import duties. Time after time these duties would go before international trade courts and each time they would be ruled against. Helms and his cohorts would then craft new legislation to reimpose the same duties.
And I haven't even mentioned his tarnished record in the area of civil rights over the years.
Some will lionize him, suggesting it fitting that he died on July 4th, apropos for a great political leader, but don't expect me to take a photograph by any memorials erected to this redneck.
(sorry--I hope my friends to the south don't take offense at this--it's probably better form to look back on a life just ended and celebrate all the public service, but I just can't share that sentiment)
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Let the posting begin
I know I haven't been posting here much. Now it's actually summer and life's shedding the burden of busyness a little, I think that will change. Not that there's any promise of quality, though.
For those of you who read the India travel blog I had linked from here, (or the pretty much abandoned blog linked on the left) I offer another side of Milly:
http://www.themetropolitan.ca/story_tobanralston_thesecretgarden.php?menu=Content
Smart, funny and she cleans up pretty good, it appears. (She's the blonde one.) It's from a photoshoot thing she did after getting back home not too long ago.
More posting to come.
For those of you who read the India travel blog I had linked from here, (or the pretty much abandoned blog linked on the left) I offer another side of Milly:
http://www.themetropolitan.ca/story_tobanralston_thesecretgarden.php?menu=Content
Smart, funny and she cleans up pretty good, it appears. (She's the blonde one.) It's from a photoshoot thing she did after getting back home not too long ago.
More posting to come.
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