I’ve already said it’s been a pretty mild fall so far in Iqaluit. Other bloggers have comments on how late the ice has been in arriving in their communities. The bay is just starting to freeze in Arctic Bay and the same is happening in Igloolik. There’s no sign of it happening any time soon in Iqaluit, although I imagine that will take place by the end of November.
As a result, myself and Cathy have probably been pushing our luck a little bit. For example, we weren’t wearing out winter coats. As an early Christmas gift to ourselves, we order some clothing from L.L. Bean (free shipping with code number, although they nail you on tax and duty. Still, it wasn’t a bad deal) and we both got a couple of nice coats good for wearing in the fall. And it’s been “warm” enough that with a fleece on underneath the coat, you could do just fine.
But the temperature snapped over the weekend. It was about -20 yesterday with wind chill and it’s only going to get colder. So we woke up yesterday morning, basically said to ourselves “who are we kidding?” and dug out the ugly Arctic winter coats.
Cathy still has some bitter resentment issues towards the ugly winter coat as it cost more than her wedding dress. Still, it prevents frostbite, so that’s a good thing.
That’s one of the nice things about Iqaluit, actually. I am, as others will readily pile on and note, fashion impaired. For years I just decided my best option was to grab a female friend and drag her along shopping with me. I got some interesting results, but it was certainly better than if I had gone alone. I have tended to view buying new clothes as a necessary evil.
I dislike fashion. I will never be dressed stylish or cool. If Cathy let me, I’d still be wearing trench coats, because I think I look cool in them. I’ve been told that I have an active imagination in that regard.
But in Iqaluit, no one cares about fashion. You’re too busy trying to keep warm for eight months of the year to worry about getting the latest trend. And I assure you, no one is out there trying to get the most stylish coat rated for temperatures as low as -80. “Will it keep me warm? Ok then, give it to me.”
I’m considered a bit of a freak at work because I wear dress pants four days of the week. Many just wear jeans. So it’s quite relaxing in Iqaluit. It’s a real plus for me. It’s going to be a shock if/when we move south and suddenly I have to worry about putting together an ensemble.
Oh, it’s also worth noting that we turned on the heat in the apartment yesterday for probably the rest of the winter. The fact we made it to November 8 before we had to do that is quite impressive to me. It might be a small place, but it’s certainly well insulated. And, I suspect, being right on top of offices with heat on all day helps as well.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
That's the end of him
So last night saw the unofficial end of George W. Bush's presidency. Yes, there is still two years left before it's all said and done. But it's over now. Little, if anything, is going to be done over the next two years of his presidency.
There are several reasons for this. First, presidents who only have two years left in their second term are typically lame ducks. As their time as president comes to an end, their party begins to abandon them. Policies the White House might want to push becomes secondary to the agendas of the the Senate and the House. And really, the race for 2008, if hadn't begun already is certainly now in full gear. Within the next 10 months you'll start to see people from both parties declaring their intention to run.
And with the House and apparently the Senate both in Democrat hands, Bush is going to find it much harder to get anything done. There's going to be a lot of deadlock and posturing in the lead up to '08. Talk of bi-partisan cooperation today was such unbelievable bullshit I'm surprised that anybody could say it with a straight face.
Finally with Rumsfeld quitting/forced out, it's all but admission from Bush that he's doomed for the next couple of years. He couldn't do a damn thing with him there, he was too hated by Democrats and Republicans at this point.
So are the Democrats winning going to make things all better? Not likely. It probably won't make that much of a difference in the United States, much less the rest of the world. I appreciate there's a lot of rejoycing going on around the world today, but I don't see that it makes a lot of difference. The U.S. is still going to be in Iraq for several more years. That's not going to change. Maybe it will be better run that the debacle it's been the last few years. But they aren't leaving any time soon.
Nor am I convinced the Democrats will run things any better. One particularly funny comentator said today trusting the Democrats to do a better job of running the war is like firing a babysitter you're unhappy with and hiring Michael Jackson.
Like I said...I don't know that the U.S. or the world is a much better place tonight. Delay or Lott was right today when the said the Democrats didn't win the election, the Republicans lost. I didn't hear many great ideas from them during this campaign. Then again, when your opponent is self-destructing like the Republicans were the past few weeks, why say anything.
I think everyone feels better. It's like you can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and please God, don't let it be a train.
I guess that's better than how people felt on Nov. 6
There are several reasons for this. First, presidents who only have two years left in their second term are typically lame ducks. As their time as president comes to an end, their party begins to abandon them. Policies the White House might want to push becomes secondary to the agendas of the the Senate and the House. And really, the race for 2008, if hadn't begun already is certainly now in full gear. Within the next 10 months you'll start to see people from both parties declaring their intention to run.
And with the House and apparently the Senate both in Democrat hands, Bush is going to find it much harder to get anything done. There's going to be a lot of deadlock and posturing in the lead up to '08. Talk of bi-partisan cooperation today was such unbelievable bullshit I'm surprised that anybody could say it with a straight face.
Finally with Rumsfeld quitting/forced out, it's all but admission from Bush that he's doomed for the next couple of years. He couldn't do a damn thing with him there, he was too hated by Democrats and Republicans at this point.
So are the Democrats winning going to make things all better? Not likely. It probably won't make that much of a difference in the United States, much less the rest of the world. I appreciate there's a lot of rejoycing going on around the world today, but I don't see that it makes a lot of difference. The U.S. is still going to be in Iraq for several more years. That's not going to change. Maybe it will be better run that the debacle it's been the last few years. But they aren't leaving any time soon.
Nor am I convinced the Democrats will run things any better. One particularly funny comentator said today trusting the Democrats to do a better job of running the war is like firing a babysitter you're unhappy with and hiring Michael Jackson.
Like I said...I don't know that the U.S. or the world is a much better place tonight. Delay or Lott was right today when the said the Democrats didn't win the election, the Republicans lost. I didn't hear many great ideas from them during this campaign. Then again, when your opponent is self-destructing like the Republicans were the past few weeks, why say anything.
I think everyone feels better. It's like you can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and please God, don't let it be a train.
I guess that's better than how people felt on Nov. 6
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
A few links
It's hard work trying to write thousands of words each day. Between the blog, the novel, work and my school work, I'm writing an awful lot. So I'm taking it a bit easy this evening with a few links. Yes, it's cheating, but then again, when was the last time I did a post with links. Besides, I'm also watching U.S. election results. For some reason I appear to have a $10 bet on a House race in western Nebraska.
So this is what caught my eye today.
1. Come to Iqaluit, the place to see the stars. And not just the ones in the sky.
2. I realize the 5th of November is a couple of days in the past, but this is amusing. A guy dressed up in a Guy Fawkes costume...in front of the White House. Do you think he might have drawn a bit of attention from the Secret Service.
3. Britney Spears is getting a divorce. Ordinarily I wouldn't care, but you got to love Defamer's take on it.
4. Well, judging by this story I guess I'll be getting more search engine hits for people looking for naked curlers...
So this is what caught my eye today.
1. Come to Iqaluit, the place to see the stars. And not just the ones in the sky.
2. I realize the 5th of November is a couple of days in the past, but this is amusing. A guy dressed up in a Guy Fawkes costume...in front of the White House. Do you think he might have drawn a bit of attention from the Secret Service.
3. Britney Spears is getting a divorce. Ordinarily I wouldn't care, but you got to love Defamer's take on it.
4. Well, judging by this story I guess I'll be getting more search engine hits for people looking for naked curlers...
Monday, November 06, 2006
The day before the big day
The U.S. mid-term election will finally be over on Tuesday and I think I'll be a little bit relieved. Although this is American politics, so really, you get about a one year break before the serious ramping up for the 2008 presidential election begins.
I have friends in the U.S. who are eagerly looking forward to the election. Mostly because they hate the Republicans. I'm not sure they like the Democrats all that much, but I know they really, really hate Republicans. And that works, I guess. I certainly dislike far more Republicans than like them at this point.
I've always been fond of what John Rogers has written about American politics. I like this one, which is a follow-up to one he wrote last year. I also miss sensible Republicans. The ones who wanted lower taxes, less government and were very prudent on how money was spent. I don't always agree with everything that philosophy entails, but I can understand it. I can even have some appreciation for it. They're not bad ideas in the right circumstances.
But most American Republicans are far too religious and intolerant for my liking. It's...disheartening, really.
The reason for all of this is that we've been getting to watch quite the few political commercials the last few months. I think the first one we saw was for Dick DeVos back in February. But with the election only days away, the intensity has been growing pretty fast.
Most of our American channels come from Michigan, so it's been their gubernatorial race, senatorial race and some other minor contests that we've been subjected to. I think this is probably the first time I've watched quite this much mid-term election material. Part of it is most of the candidates can only afford limited amounts of commercial time during prime time television so they spend most of their money in the wasteland that is daytime tv. When we're home for lunch, we flick on the tv and get the full bombardment.
It's also interesting trying to get a feel for an election where you know nothing except what the ads tell you. That means reading no newspapers or websites, and not watching any of the television news about the local races. Why would you? It certainly doesn't impact us way up here in Nunavut. So, it gives you a very skewed version of reality.
Devos, for example, is the Republican candidate for governor. He also clearly has a ton of money. There are plenty of different ads, that run frequently and are quite slick. Apparently Governor Jennifer Granholm is just the worst thing that's ever happen to Michigan if you believe the ads. He's also been running them for a long time.
Granholm's ads have not been as slick, her attacks have been clumsy in comparison to DeVos and she hasn't been running as many ads. But it was interesting when myself and Cathy were watching some of the ads and she said "He's said she sucks, and he's brilliant, but he hasn't said what he would actually do."
Apparently others have noticed that as well. When curiosity finally got the better of me and I checked, Granholm has about an 11 point on DeVos, depending on which poll you believe (if you can believe any of them). So much for money in that case.
Then there is the senate race. Debbie Stabanow clearly had more money and her ads are slicker. However, she is currently kicking the ass of her Republican challenger. So I guess money and ads are a mixed bag. This year, it's just not good to be a Republican.
Although the ads in Michigan have been vicious, which is to be expected, I haven't see any of the really crazy ads that have been running elsewhere. The Daily Show ran a selection last week. They're enough to make you question American democracy sometimes. By the way, both sides are guilty of the crazy ads, although once again the Republicans seem to be producing them in greater numbers.
Anyway, it'll be all over tomorrow. Here's hoping the crazy people lose, regardless of political party. Because really, America is a great country. I'm as guilty of America bashing as the next Canadian from time to time. But now that I think about it, I think I'm crazy people bashing. I like American. I like most Americans I meet. It's just that I don't like really crazy people.
And I really don't like it when the crazy people are in charge. Or are president of the place.
I have friends in the U.S. who are eagerly looking forward to the election. Mostly because they hate the Republicans. I'm not sure they like the Democrats all that much, but I know they really, really hate Republicans. And that works, I guess. I certainly dislike far more Republicans than like them at this point.
I've always been fond of what John Rogers has written about American politics. I like this one, which is a follow-up to one he wrote last year. I also miss sensible Republicans. The ones who wanted lower taxes, less government and were very prudent on how money was spent. I don't always agree with everything that philosophy entails, but I can understand it. I can even have some appreciation for it. They're not bad ideas in the right circumstances.
But most American Republicans are far too religious and intolerant for my liking. It's...disheartening, really.
The reason for all of this is that we've been getting to watch quite the few political commercials the last few months. I think the first one we saw was for Dick DeVos back in February. But with the election only days away, the intensity has been growing pretty fast.
Most of our American channels come from Michigan, so it's been their gubernatorial race, senatorial race and some other minor contests that we've been subjected to. I think this is probably the first time I've watched quite this much mid-term election material. Part of it is most of the candidates can only afford limited amounts of commercial time during prime time television so they spend most of their money in the wasteland that is daytime tv. When we're home for lunch, we flick on the tv and get the full bombardment.
It's also interesting trying to get a feel for an election where you know nothing except what the ads tell you. That means reading no newspapers or websites, and not watching any of the television news about the local races. Why would you? It certainly doesn't impact us way up here in Nunavut. So, it gives you a very skewed version of reality.
Devos, for example, is the Republican candidate for governor. He also clearly has a ton of money. There are plenty of different ads, that run frequently and are quite slick. Apparently Governor Jennifer Granholm is just the worst thing that's ever happen to Michigan if you believe the ads. He's also been running them for a long time.
Granholm's ads have not been as slick, her attacks have been clumsy in comparison to DeVos and she hasn't been running as many ads. But it was interesting when myself and Cathy were watching some of the ads and she said "He's said she sucks, and he's brilliant, but he hasn't said what he would actually do."
Apparently others have noticed that as well. When curiosity finally got the better of me and I checked, Granholm has about an 11 point on DeVos, depending on which poll you believe (if you can believe any of them). So much for money in that case.
Then there is the senate race. Debbie Stabanow clearly had more money and her ads are slicker. However, she is currently kicking the ass of her Republican challenger. So I guess money and ads are a mixed bag. This year, it's just not good to be a Republican.
Although the ads in Michigan have been vicious, which is to be expected, I haven't see any of the really crazy ads that have been running elsewhere. The Daily Show ran a selection last week. They're enough to make you question American democracy sometimes. By the way, both sides are guilty of the crazy ads, although once again the Republicans seem to be producing them in greater numbers.
Anyway, it'll be all over tomorrow. Here's hoping the crazy people lose, regardless of political party. Because really, America is a great country. I'm as guilty of America bashing as the next Canadian from time to time. But now that I think about it, I think I'm crazy people bashing. I like American. I like most Americans I meet. It's just that I don't like really crazy people.
And I really don't like it when the crazy people are in charge. Or are president of the place.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Ow...
I'm sitting in a comfy chair in the bedroom with my feet up as I write this, watching the sun set in a nice blaze of orange over snow covered arctic hills. It's quite a nice view, I must say. One of the times I'm glad we moved from the 6-story, so we could get views like this.
Of course, it would be nicer if there wasn't at least 15 telephone and power wires obscuring the view. One of the reasons why there's no photo. The lines do take away something from it. Oh, and the tide is out, so there isn't a nice ocean between me and the hills, but rather muddy flats. Plus, it's a little after 3 p.m. and the sun is going down. Best not to dwell on that.
sigh I really do know how to suck the enjoyment out of a nice scene without even trying. It's a gift.
Cathy's out right now walking Boo in the remaining daylight. We find it's easier to deal with him in the evenings if he's had a walk first to take some of the good out of him. I'm not out with them as I am arthritic cripple today. You wouldn't think curling could take that much of the good out of you, but if it's been awhile, the muscles you normally use can usually express their displeasure.
Curling also didn't end the way I had hoped. You know, you figure with a 6-2 lead and only two ends left to play you could win a game like that. Nope. Lost 8-6. Just a touch frustrating. But on the upside I think I finally learned to curl again this weekend. I also didn't win one of the two plane tickets that were up for grabs. But it was still a bit of fun, even though my muscles are disagreeing with me right now.
And now I should wrap this up and try and finish my word count for today. I'm happy with the way I'm doing. I'm doing a bit better than my word count each day, sort of a cushion should I miss a day or something. I have no idea if anyone is reading or not, but I'm relatively happy with the way it is going. I have it plotted out for the next couple of points. Still completely certain about the climax, but I have a couple of weeks to get that figured out.
More importantly, it actually feels like I can make it. Cocky thinking for a guy on Day 5, but it feels like I'm into a routine. I was tired last night, but I stayed up to make sure I got at least 2,000 words in before going to bed.
It doesn't mean I think it's going to get published or anything. It would be a miracle if that happened. But with a little luck I can give my friend Anne a very late Christmas gift...the book I promised her five years ago.
Of course, it would be nicer if there wasn't at least 15 telephone and power wires obscuring the view. One of the reasons why there's no photo. The lines do take away something from it. Oh, and the tide is out, so there isn't a nice ocean between me and the hills, but rather muddy flats. Plus, it's a little after 3 p.m. and the sun is going down. Best not to dwell on that.
sigh I really do know how to suck the enjoyment out of a nice scene without even trying. It's a gift.
Cathy's out right now walking Boo in the remaining daylight. We find it's easier to deal with him in the evenings if he's had a walk first to take some of the good out of him. I'm not out with them as I am arthritic cripple today. You wouldn't think curling could take that much of the good out of you, but if it's been awhile, the muscles you normally use can usually express their displeasure.
Curling also didn't end the way I had hoped. You know, you figure with a 6-2 lead and only two ends left to play you could win a game like that. Nope. Lost 8-6. Just a touch frustrating. But on the upside I think I finally learned to curl again this weekend. I also didn't win one of the two plane tickets that were up for grabs. But it was still a bit of fun, even though my muscles are disagreeing with me right now.
And now I should wrap this up and try and finish my word count for today. I'm happy with the way I'm doing. I'm doing a bit better than my word count each day, sort of a cushion should I miss a day or something. I have no idea if anyone is reading or not, but I'm relatively happy with the way it is going. I have it plotted out for the next couple of points. Still completely certain about the climax, but I have a couple of weeks to get that figured out.
More importantly, it actually feels like I can make it. Cocky thinking for a guy on Day 5, but it feels like I'm into a routine. I was tired last night, but I stayed up to make sure I got at least 2,000 words in before going to bed.
It doesn't mean I think it's going to get published or anything. It would be a miracle if that happened. But with a little luck I can give my friend Anne a very late Christmas gift...the book I promised her five years ago.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Slow start
I'm having a pretty decent day, but one where my brain clearly wasn't expecting to be up early and is thus is paying me back by not thinking straight so far.
I'm in a curling bonspiel this weekend. I didn't have a team so just signed up as an extra. And I landed on not a bad team. We lost last night, but against one of the better teams in the tournament. That dropped us to B pool, which meant we had to play at 9 a.m. this morning. I don't like being up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday to get ready to play a game. Still, I managed, didn't suck too bad in my shot making despite the ungodly hour. And we won. If we win again at 3 p.m. (which means I have to go shortly), then we're in the B final this evening.
The tournaments are a bit of fun and there are normally some half decent prizes. There are a pair of tickets to Ottawa from First Air up for grabs this evening, so that makes it a worthwhile day and a half of playing for me.
Anyway, after the game this morning, I ran up to the high school where the annual Christmas craft show was happening. Myself and Cathy weren't that impressed last year, disappointed that it was more garage sale/flea market than real crafts. Well, this year we either had our expectations lowered or it was just better. There was some nice stuff there and we picked up a couple of things.
However, I was later getting there which meant I had to line up. And this is where the not bright part of the day comes in. It's been a pretty mild fall so far in Iqaluit, but with windchill today it's about -20. So after the game, still sweating, I walked to the school without gloves or a hat. And then had to line-up for 15 minutes in the cold.
So yeah, I suspect I'll have the pneumonia by Monday morning. As I said, not bright.
But we did buy this, which I'm rather fond of...
So not a bad day so far. Now we just have to go and win two more games...
I'm in a curling bonspiel this weekend. I didn't have a team so just signed up as an extra. And I landed on not a bad team. We lost last night, but against one of the better teams in the tournament. That dropped us to B pool, which meant we had to play at 9 a.m. this morning. I don't like being up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday to get ready to play a game. Still, I managed, didn't suck too bad in my shot making despite the ungodly hour. And we won. If we win again at 3 p.m. (which means I have to go shortly), then we're in the B final this evening.
The tournaments are a bit of fun and there are normally some half decent prizes. There are a pair of tickets to Ottawa from First Air up for grabs this evening, so that makes it a worthwhile day and a half of playing for me.
Anyway, after the game this morning, I ran up to the high school where the annual Christmas craft show was happening. Myself and Cathy weren't that impressed last year, disappointed that it was more garage sale/flea market than real crafts. Well, this year we either had our expectations lowered or it was just better. There was some nice stuff there and we picked up a couple of things.
However, I was later getting there which meant I had to line up. And this is where the not bright part of the day comes in. It's been a pretty mild fall so far in Iqaluit, but with windchill today it's about -20. So after the game, still sweating, I walked to the school without gloves or a hat. And then had to line-up for 15 minutes in the cold.
So yeah, I suspect I'll have the pneumonia by Monday morning. As I said, not bright.
But we did buy this, which I'm rather fond of...
So not a bad day so far. Now we just have to go and win two more games...
Friday, November 03, 2006
Current news
I wasn’t there, of course, but my count there were seven newspapers hitting the streets of St. John’s yesterday. There were three dailies – The Globe and Mail, The National Post (I assume someone in town still reads it) and The Telegram. Then there were three weeklies – The Express, The Scope and The Muse. And finally, just for kicks, The Current came out for its one a month bow.
That’s a hell of a lot of papers. The coffee shops downtown must have looked like a tornado hit it.
I recall being with The Muse and trying to prevent a start-up paper from being distributed on campus. Ludicrous idea now, but back then it was serious business. The Muse was highly dependent on the advertising we got that was directed towards students. Now, you have several papers targeting the university market. It must be an ugly, ugly business being in the newspaper racket right now.
Don’t worry, this isn’t another complaint about The Express (although honest to God, the story about oddest place you’ve had sex made me want to whack my head off something. The story was so...boring. How can you make a subject like that dull?), but building up towards a story in The Current.
As Dana pointed out in the comments section in a previous post, there was a story about blogging in the paper. And a couple of local bloggers were mentioned and a picture of this blog was used to illustrate the story. I have no idea why; there are many other blogs that have better graphic design than mine.
When Dana mentioned it, I thought “Finally, someone is going to catch on and do a story about the local blogging community.” Because I think it’s kind of cool. Then again, I find online communities interesting. I think I was the first to do a story about Blue Kaffee. I also did a story about a Newfoundland sex group that operates on Yahoo. And I think the blogging community that has developed around the NL Blogroll is also interesting.
I’ve made new friends through blogging and the list. I was warmed when several of them came to my defence when I got slagged by a couple of people last month for some pretty weak reasons. And I would do the same if any of them had some trolls swing by. It’s nice. I like it. Plus it has the benefit of learning more about people, their politics and beliefs and I get to enjoy some pretty decent writing. Even Cathy, who didn’t quite understand what the big deal was about blogs has come around and now routinely checks out several each day.
And yet, The Current story really didn’t touch on any of that. Instead, it was a kind of half-assed look at blogging, pointing out a couple of international links and a few local ones. There was a fun little story there to be done, I think. Nothing earth-shattering, but certainly interesting enough. And they shanked it. It’s a pity.
This isn’t crapping on The Current as a whole. I think it’s a decent enough newspaper. And it’s certainly improved since it went back to a monthly format. You could clearly see the strain when it was trying to come out every two weeks. It’s just too bad they missed this story. There’s one thing worse than missing a story and that’s doing it, but not a good job of it.
Oh, and to any one whom is visiting the blog for the first time because of the picture in The Current – welcome. And yes, I’m this grouchy all the time. Others will vouch for this. But I make up for it by being clever and amusing.
That’s a hell of a lot of papers. The coffee shops downtown must have looked like a tornado hit it.
I recall being with The Muse and trying to prevent a start-up paper from being distributed on campus. Ludicrous idea now, but back then it was serious business. The Muse was highly dependent on the advertising we got that was directed towards students. Now, you have several papers targeting the university market. It must be an ugly, ugly business being in the newspaper racket right now.
Don’t worry, this isn’t another complaint about The Express (although honest to God, the story about oddest place you’ve had sex made me want to whack my head off something. The story was so...boring. How can you make a subject like that dull?), but building up towards a story in The Current.
As Dana pointed out in the comments section in a previous post, there was a story about blogging in the paper. And a couple of local bloggers were mentioned and a picture of this blog was used to illustrate the story. I have no idea why; there are many other blogs that have better graphic design than mine.
When Dana mentioned it, I thought “Finally, someone is going to catch on and do a story about the local blogging community.” Because I think it’s kind of cool. Then again, I find online communities interesting. I think I was the first to do a story about Blue Kaffee. I also did a story about a Newfoundland sex group that operates on Yahoo. And I think the blogging community that has developed around the NL Blogroll is also interesting.
I’ve made new friends through blogging and the list. I was warmed when several of them came to my defence when I got slagged by a couple of people last month for some pretty weak reasons. And I would do the same if any of them had some trolls swing by. It’s nice. I like it. Plus it has the benefit of learning more about people, their politics and beliefs and I get to enjoy some pretty decent writing. Even Cathy, who didn’t quite understand what the big deal was about blogs has come around and now routinely checks out several each day.
And yet, The Current story really didn’t touch on any of that. Instead, it was a kind of half-assed look at blogging, pointing out a couple of international links and a few local ones. There was a fun little story there to be done, I think. Nothing earth-shattering, but certainly interesting enough. And they shanked it. It’s a pity.
This isn’t crapping on The Current as a whole. I think it’s a decent enough newspaper. And it’s certainly improved since it went back to a monthly format. You could clearly see the strain when it was trying to come out every two weeks. It’s just too bad they missed this story. There’s one thing worse than missing a story and that’s doing it, but not a good job of it.
Oh, and to any one whom is visiting the blog for the first time because of the picture in The Current – welcome. And yes, I’m this grouchy all the time. Others will vouch for this. But I make up for it by being clever and amusing.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Curling and other punishments
I'm curling two nights a week right now. Tuesday nights is a men's league and Wednesday night is mixed. I'm using Tuesdays as exercise more than anything else. I'm only shooting lead or second stones, which means I'm doing plenty of running up and down the ice. Wednesday night is when I Skip the team, which means less running around, but tends to spike my blood pressure more.
I like being a Skip, but it does mean I have to behave when I make mistakes. Which is hard because I make mistakes so frequently.
Anyway, I've been doing well so far. The first three games I've been on the winning team. And the scores have been blowouts – 10-1, 11-1 and 14-1. Two of those games I was shooting lead stones. One I was skip. However, it's early in the season, there's a lot of new players and the string of blow-outs won't last forever.
It's also worth mentioning that it hasn't been my skills winning these games. I have, in fact, being playing terrible. What I need is about an hour on the ice just shooting rocks, but I haven't managed to get that so far. Anyway, I knew I was past due for a pounding, and I got it last night. The team I skipped was whipped 11-3.
It was also Cathy's first game curling. I literally had 10 minutes before the game to show her how to sit in the hack, how to push out of the hack and how to stay upright on the ice. Remarkably, she didn't hate it and wants to come back next week. And she also did pretty well. I wasn't asking for skilled shot making, just to get the rock in play. And I'd say about two-thirds of the time she managed to do just that. You can't ask for anything more than that in your first game.
I, on the other hand, stank up the joint. I've been curling on and off for seven years total. I haven't curled that badly since junior high. I made 1.5 shots out of 12, and one of those shots was to throw the rock through the house to blank the end. It was just awful.
On the upside, though, I managed to not freak out, which is an improvement. I love curling like some people love golf – it's fun if you're doing well, but it's a good exercise for your lungs when you're not. There is nothing like cursing and venting when things are going bad.
Anyway, I took a beating. I'll have to try and get some ice time to do better in the future.
I don't know why I thought to write this. I don't think I'll be doing a curling update every week. Perhaps it's the beating I'm taking in the previous thread about kids that reminded me of the beating I took last night. The mind works in odd ways...
I like being a Skip, but it does mean I have to behave when I make mistakes. Which is hard because I make mistakes so frequently.
Anyway, I've been doing well so far. The first three games I've been on the winning team. And the scores have been blowouts – 10-1, 11-1 and 14-1. Two of those games I was shooting lead stones. One I was skip. However, it's early in the season, there's a lot of new players and the string of blow-outs won't last forever.
It's also worth mentioning that it hasn't been my skills winning these games. I have, in fact, being playing terrible. What I need is about an hour on the ice just shooting rocks, but I haven't managed to get that so far. Anyway, I knew I was past due for a pounding, and I got it last night. The team I skipped was whipped 11-3.
It was also Cathy's first game curling. I literally had 10 minutes before the game to show her how to sit in the hack, how to push out of the hack and how to stay upright on the ice. Remarkably, she didn't hate it and wants to come back next week. And she also did pretty well. I wasn't asking for skilled shot making, just to get the rock in play. And I'd say about two-thirds of the time she managed to do just that. You can't ask for anything more than that in your first game.
I, on the other hand, stank up the joint. I've been curling on and off for seven years total. I haven't curled that badly since junior high. I made 1.5 shots out of 12, and one of those shots was to throw the rock through the house to blank the end. It was just awful.
On the upside, though, I managed to not freak out, which is an improvement. I love curling like some people love golf – it's fun if you're doing well, but it's a good exercise for your lungs when you're not. There is nothing like cursing and venting when things are going bad.
Anyway, I took a beating. I'll have to try and get some ice time to do better in the future.
I don't know why I thought to write this. I don't think I'll be doing a curling update every week. Perhaps it's the beating I'm taking in the previous thread about kids that reminded me of the beating I took last night. The mind works in odd ways...
Reminder
Just a quick reminder that if you swing over to Doomed Writing the The National Novel Writing Month challenge has begun. Well, I've begun at the very least. There's no sign of the others yet, but I'm sure they will show up soon-ish.
By the way, there's the possibility that if I actually get on a roll with the novel, that posting here might slow down for the month of November. Kind of hard to find the time to write 1,700 words a day for a novel and a blog post of two. I'm not abandoning the blog by any stretch. Just be prepared for the odd day where I miss things.
Anyway, the first 1700 words were like pounding my head on a wall. Can't wait to see how the rest of the month goes....
By the way, there's the possibility that if I actually get on a roll with the novel, that posting here might slow down for the month of November. Kind of hard to find the time to write 1,700 words a day for a novel and a blog post of two. I'm not abandoning the blog by any stretch. Just be prepared for the odd day where I miss things.
Anyway, the first 1700 words were like pounding my head on a wall. Can't wait to see how the rest of the month goes....
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Fake sincerity
You know, I really need to improve my fake interest in people's children more (specifically, my co-workers and strangers. My friends' children I have a great interest in because it's still bizarre to watch these people who used to do the most insane things reproduce. It's like an ongoing sociology experiment). My lack of interest is going to get me killed one of these days. Halloween is much like Christmas in that parents feel compelled to bring in pictures of their children, especially if they're less than two, in some kind of get up. Quite frequently the kid looks really unimpressed.
And yet, the parents will zip around waving the picture as if it is the most adorable thing ever committed to a memory card. Others will gather around, coo and make all these wonderfully adorable noises. And then, inevitably, they show the picture to me.
The thing is, I'm really bad at faking interest in something. It would likely make my life easier if I could do it, but I just can't do fake sincerity. Waving a picture at me while I'm trying to work of a kid that has only just grown out of the whole "Winston Churchill phase," trussed into an outfit that makes them a clown or a princess or something and he or she looks mightily unimpressed by this whole turn of events and then asking me "Isn't he the most adorable thing, ever?" is a recipe to get me into a lot of trouble.
Because as I've discovered, the whole "Ummmm, sure" is not the thing to say to recent parents. They take it poorly. It is somehow insinuating that their spawn is, in fact, not the most adorable child to grace the face of the planet, especially in his handmade costume that the mother spent three weeks making. And that you are a wretched specimen of humanity with a lump of coal for a soul to dare think otherwise and express it to them.
So yeah, that got the morning off to a good start today. Thankfully, most of the mothers also brought in chocolate to give away lest they eat it all themselves. So that worked out well for me. I just had to wait until they were away from their desks. Because evil people who do not adore their precious bundle are unworthy of a mini Kit Kat bar.
Look, I have a mixed reaction to the whole children thing. In some ways Boo is an excellent scientific experiment. If I can handle an irrational creature that won't do what I tell it to do, pesters me when I want to have some quiet time and makes an ungodly amount of racket when it gets riled up, then maybe, maybe I can handle having a kid one of these days.
But right now, that ain't happening. Nor am I getting any younger. So we're going to see about the whole having a kid thing. It will be several years before any serious discussion happens. Because I want to be ready for it. I want to have to patience for it.
But mostly, right now, I don't want to be the dad who trusses up his kid in a Batman outfit, blows out a 6 gig memory card and then takes all the photos to work makes his co-workers fawn over them...
...because if that happens, then the lot of you are going to come back and crucify me with this post. And then tell my kid what I was like in university.
And yet, the parents will zip around waving the picture as if it is the most adorable thing ever committed to a memory card. Others will gather around, coo and make all these wonderfully adorable noises. And then, inevitably, they show the picture to me.
The thing is, I'm really bad at faking interest in something. It would likely make my life easier if I could do it, but I just can't do fake sincerity. Waving a picture at me while I'm trying to work of a kid that has only just grown out of the whole "Winston Churchill phase," trussed into an outfit that makes them a clown or a princess or something and he or she looks mightily unimpressed by this whole turn of events and then asking me "Isn't he the most adorable thing, ever?" is a recipe to get me into a lot of trouble.
Because as I've discovered, the whole "Ummmm, sure" is not the thing to say to recent parents. They take it poorly. It is somehow insinuating that their spawn is, in fact, not the most adorable child to grace the face of the planet, especially in his handmade costume that the mother spent three weeks making. And that you are a wretched specimen of humanity with a lump of coal for a soul to dare think otherwise and express it to them.
So yeah, that got the morning off to a good start today. Thankfully, most of the mothers also brought in chocolate to give away lest they eat it all themselves. So that worked out well for me. I just had to wait until they were away from their desks. Because evil people who do not adore their precious bundle are unworthy of a mini Kit Kat bar.
Look, I have a mixed reaction to the whole children thing. In some ways Boo is an excellent scientific experiment. If I can handle an irrational creature that won't do what I tell it to do, pesters me when I want to have some quiet time and makes an ungodly amount of racket when it gets riled up, then maybe, maybe I can handle having a kid one of these days.
But right now, that ain't happening. Nor am I getting any younger. So we're going to see about the whole having a kid thing. It will be several years before any serious discussion happens. Because I want to be ready for it. I want to have to patience for it.
But mostly, right now, I don't want to be the dad who trusses up his kid in a Batman outfit, blows out a 6 gig memory card and then takes all the photos to work makes his co-workers fawn over them...
...because if that happens, then the lot of you are going to come back and crucify me with this post. And then tell my kid what I was like in university.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
End of the scariness
So Cathy survived Halloween with her sanity intact. Nothing like being a teacher of little people on the day of sugar and craziness. Of course, tomorrow might be worse as she has to deal with the kids who will be either wired or coming down off of massive sugar highs.
As for at home, we find its been a quiet Halloween so far (knock on wood). One of the things about living in a secure apartment building is that you don't get much in the way of trick or treaters. I think Cathy is feeling a little guilty about that and is resolving to donate $20 she would have spent on candy to the UNICEF fund.
Oh, a slight bit of paranoia on our part. Given what happened with the car, we thought that a few extra precautions would be in order. So rather than leave the car out front where it might be the target of a sugar-fueled rampaged, we parked in one of the nearby apartment complexes which is better lit and has security. That's fine for this evening, but won't work in the long term. But for tonight, it'll do.
You know, I used to love Halloween a lot more. I hope it's not one of those "I'm getting older" things and is instead just a result of being in a smaller community and not knowing enough people yet. My costume at work this year was kind of lame (dressed in black, threw on a cheap plastic cape and wore the Mickey Mouse hat from Disneyland). I used to have more elaborate costumes. I'd like to do it again, but I guess we shall have to see.
And now I should go off to bed and get some sleep. Need to be well rested to start my epic novel tomorrow.
As for at home, we find its been a quiet Halloween so far (knock on wood). One of the things about living in a secure apartment building is that you don't get much in the way of trick or treaters. I think Cathy is feeling a little guilty about that and is resolving to donate $20 she would have spent on candy to the UNICEF fund.
Oh, a slight bit of paranoia on our part. Given what happened with the car, we thought that a few extra precautions would be in order. So rather than leave the car out front where it might be the target of a sugar-fueled rampaged, we parked in one of the nearby apartment complexes which is better lit and has security. That's fine for this evening, but won't work in the long term. But for tonight, it'll do.
You know, I used to love Halloween a lot more. I hope it's not one of those "I'm getting older" things and is instead just a result of being in a smaller community and not knowing enough people yet. My costume at work this year was kind of lame (dressed in black, threw on a cheap plastic cape and wore the Mickey Mouse hat from Disneyland). I used to have more elaborate costumes. I'd like to do it again, but I guess we shall have to see.
And now I should go off to bed and get some sleep. Need to be well rested to start my epic novel tomorrow.
Going up
Not so much anything the folks down south would care about, but for those of you living in Nunavut just a head's up. The price of gas is going up 10 cents a litre as of November 1. So if you need to top up the gas tank, now would be a good time to do it.
For those of you down south, that means the price of gas in Iqaluit will now be around $1.17 a litre. The Nunavut government subsidizes gas prices here so they won't be outrageously expensive. It's not so much for motorists (because outside of Iqaluit, there aren't many cars), but mostly for hunters who have to go out on the land in their ATVs and snowmobiles.
I'm not sure what the price of gas is down south right now, but I imagine we're not too much more expensive than many places. I know there was a time last year when the prices was $1.07 that we were actually cheaper than many places down south. Remember, all of our gas for the entire year comes during the brief thaw during the summer months when freighters and tankers can operate in the north without too much fear of ice. I think the last tanker left Iqaluit the other day, so we're now locked in until about the end of June, 2007.
Something to warm my heart this morning.
Oh, and a quick Conversation with Cathy for you, as many of you are also having to deal with kids today...
Me: (As Cathy is heading out the door) Have a good day, babe...
Cathy: It's Halloween. I'm just trying to survive today.
For those of you down south, that means the price of gas in Iqaluit will now be around $1.17 a litre. The Nunavut government subsidizes gas prices here so they won't be outrageously expensive. It's not so much for motorists (because outside of Iqaluit, there aren't many cars), but mostly for hunters who have to go out on the land in their ATVs and snowmobiles.
I'm not sure what the price of gas is down south right now, but I imagine we're not too much more expensive than many places. I know there was a time last year when the prices was $1.07 that we were actually cheaper than many places down south. Remember, all of our gas for the entire year comes during the brief thaw during the summer months when freighters and tankers can operate in the north without too much fear of ice. I think the last tanker left Iqaluit the other day, so we're now locked in until about the end of June, 2007.
Something to warm my heart this morning.
Oh, and a quick Conversation with Cathy for you, as many of you are also having to deal with kids today...
Me: (As Cathy is heading out the door) Have a good day, babe...
Cathy: It's Halloween. I'm just trying to survive today.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Writing challenge
So I have received some gentle nagging about where the writing blog is for the grand National Novel Writing Month challenge. Well, it's now set up and will be going full tilt as of November 1. You can go to Doomed Writing. Right now there's not much on the site, but hopefully that will change in a big hurry as of November 1.
Right now the people who I have sent invitations to are OM, Dups, Melissa, Corey and Curtis. Including me that's six people. If you still want to get in, either respond to this post or e-mail me at daehan hotmail dot com. You have until the end of October 31 to join in the chaos.
As for those of you not participating, I encourage you to swing by and see how we're doing. Feel free to leave comments, but please be kind. We're making it up as we're going along. Literally.
It ought to be fun. Good luck to all of us....
Right now the people who I have sent invitations to are OM, Dups, Melissa, Corey and Curtis. Including me that's six people. If you still want to get in, either respond to this post or e-mail me at daehan
As for those of you not participating, I encourage you to swing by and see how we're doing. Feel free to leave comments, but please be kind. We're making it up as we're going along. Literally.
It ought to be fun. Good luck to all of us....
More shuttle
Ian mentioned on his blog that he's been experiencing a lull in writing recently and he can't really explain it. I confess, I've been feeling a little draggy myself the last week. I try to post every day and for awhile there I was even managing to do it twice a day.
I knew that was risky. There's a well you tap when you write and I fear I might have burned through quite a bit of the reserves in September and October. Let's home there's enough left in the tank to get me through November.
Oh yes, the site isn't set up yet. Why? See previous post about the kind of mood I've been in this past week. However, even though it's Monday, and I'm taking a chance in writing this, I feel in a better mood. So I'll try and set it up this evening and then contact the people who have expressed an interest in driving themselves slowly mad over the next month.
In the meantime, here's another space shuttle pic. It's not like I go looking for them, I just happen to stumble across them. This photo was taken one some kind of odd technology called "film." Go here if you want the details. I think it's an interesting "reverse-angle" of the photo I put up last week.
I knew that was risky. There's a well you tap when you write and I fear I might have burned through quite a bit of the reserves in September and October. Let's home there's enough left in the tank to get me through November.
Oh yes, the site isn't set up yet. Why? See previous post about the kind of mood I've been in this past week. However, even though it's Monday, and I'm taking a chance in writing this, I feel in a better mood. So I'll try and set it up this evening and then contact the people who have expressed an interest in driving themselves slowly mad over the next month.
In the meantime, here's another space shuttle pic. It's not like I go looking for them, I just happen to stumble across them. This photo was taken one some kind of odd technology called "film." Go here if you want the details. I think it's an interesting "reverse-angle" of the photo I put up last week.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Re-tired
It goes without saying that I have a very wonderful wife, but I think I got a reminder of that the past few days. To say I haven't been in a fit mood would be an understatement. There was the tires being slashed that set things off, of course. I've also spent most of this week trying to do something that most people down south would take for granted...buying new tires.
The tires were slashed early Monday morning. I started calling around Monday afternoon to get replacements. I finally got them this afternoon. In-between I had one company say they didn't carry that brand and hang up on me, and other company not bother to return my messages and the one that finally got my business...well, it took some work. Now, they actually came to the apartment building and put the tires on for me, which was good. Driving to a garage on rims was not something I was looking forward to (a flatbed truck to transport the car was not an option).
Still, it took several days, repeated trips to their store and finally calling the owner on his cell phone before it got straightened out. Having said all that, I still haven't actually paid for the tires. And, just for a kicker, I still don't know how much they cost. Not that it matters, they were the best of a dubious bunch I've dealt with this week. Plus insurance is covering it.
The other thing that set me off was a taxi ride today. I had to walk to the airport to pick up our food mail order. As I wasn't walking back with a bunch of boxes, I called a taxi. On the ride to the apartment the driver asked if I owned the green Hyundai Accent parked in front of the building. I thought he was going to comment on the slashed tires, but he surprised me.
"Man, I drove past there a week or so ago and there was about seven or eight kids just jumping up and down on that car. It was unreal."
I swear to God, I could feel my blood pressure spike. I'm half-surprised I didn't drop dead from a stroke on the spot. You know, all I want is for them to not fuck with the car. Is that so much to ask? Not fucking with something.
I think it's just the frustration. Knowing the police couldn't do anything because they're all likely under 10. If I caught them I likely couldn't reason with them and they might even feel the urge to retaliate. And just to add to that, if I went to their parents the odds are they wouldn't do anything and likely not understand why I'm getting so upset.
So yeah, not a happy person. Cathy, god love her, just stayed out of my way. I've been a slow burn for days now. I try very hard not to snap or get irritable, but I know some of it as leaked out. She knows it's best to just leave me alone for a few hours and it'll work out of my system.
Which is pretty much what she did for part of last night (vastly annoyed about the fact I couldn't get a hold of anyone to talk about the tires) and finding out about the car stomping today, well, she knew enough to give me my space and let me play Civilizations for several hours (where I destroyed the Spanish, Incans and Greeks and I'm about to declare war on the Japanese. I've feeling a touch warlike right now for some reason).
Anyway, I'm calmer now and in a more civil mood which means my wife now feels safe to talk to me again. She's even got me to laugh several time. We have tires on the car and I think on Monday Cathy is going to mention to her students that some kids have been messing with her car, that it isn't very nice and she hopes it's no one in the school is doing it. With luck maybe word will get around and the screwing around with it will stop.
Because I really don't want to die of a stroke in Iqaluit. Over a Hyundai. That would be tragic. Or just really stupid.
The tires were slashed early Monday morning. I started calling around Monday afternoon to get replacements. I finally got them this afternoon. In-between I had one company say they didn't carry that brand and hang up on me, and other company not bother to return my messages and the one that finally got my business...well, it took some work. Now, they actually came to the apartment building and put the tires on for me, which was good. Driving to a garage on rims was not something I was looking forward to (a flatbed truck to transport the car was not an option).
Still, it took several days, repeated trips to their store and finally calling the owner on his cell phone before it got straightened out. Having said all that, I still haven't actually paid for the tires. And, just for a kicker, I still don't know how much they cost. Not that it matters, they were the best of a dubious bunch I've dealt with this week. Plus insurance is covering it.
The other thing that set me off was a taxi ride today. I had to walk to the airport to pick up our food mail order. As I wasn't walking back with a bunch of boxes, I called a taxi. On the ride to the apartment the driver asked if I owned the green Hyundai Accent parked in front of the building. I thought he was going to comment on the slashed tires, but he surprised me.
"Man, I drove past there a week or so ago and there was about seven or eight kids just jumping up and down on that car. It was unreal."
I swear to God, I could feel my blood pressure spike. I'm half-surprised I didn't drop dead from a stroke on the spot. You know, all I want is for them to not fuck with the car. Is that so much to ask? Not fucking with something.
I think it's just the frustration. Knowing the police couldn't do anything because they're all likely under 10. If I caught them I likely couldn't reason with them and they might even feel the urge to retaliate. And just to add to that, if I went to their parents the odds are they wouldn't do anything and likely not understand why I'm getting so upset.
So yeah, not a happy person. Cathy, god love her, just stayed out of my way. I've been a slow burn for days now. I try very hard not to snap or get irritable, but I know some of it as leaked out. She knows it's best to just leave me alone for a few hours and it'll work out of my system.
Which is pretty much what she did for part of last night (vastly annoyed about the fact I couldn't get a hold of anyone to talk about the tires) and finding out about the car stomping today, well, she knew enough to give me my space and let me play Civilizations for several hours (where I destroyed the Spanish, Incans and Greeks and I'm about to declare war on the Japanese. I've feeling a touch warlike right now for some reason).
Anyway, I'm calmer now and in a more civil mood which means my wife now feels safe to talk to me again. She's even got me to laugh several time. We have tires on the car and I think on Monday Cathy is going to mention to her students that some kids have been messing with her car, that it isn't very nice and she hopes it's no one in the school is doing it. With luck maybe word will get around and the screwing around with it will stop.
Because I really don't want to die of a stroke in Iqaluit. Over a Hyundai. That would be tragic. Or just really stupid.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Going down
When Danny Williams finally landed the Atlantic Accord I quipped that he was a lock to win the next provincial election until they found kiddie porn on his computer or something. Which is a good line and all, but not entirely true. Granted, it would be very difficult at this point for Williams to lose the next election.
However, I'm pretty certain one of the provincial ferries sinking with all hands aboard might just do it. They're getting lucky so far. This incident could have been much worse. Lives could have been lost. And having your Transportation Minister on record as saying something like this...
"We're going to have to deal with the fact that we only have so many ferries in the fleet. We have a very old fleet...We just can't go out and pick up a ferry down alongside the wharf that's waiting to be leased. That's just not available."
Which is essentially saying "We know people could die because our ferries are decrepit, but we're certainly not going to take an extraordinary measures and spend money."
It's the political equivalent of crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. It's worked so far. It might keep working for quite some time. But if one of those ferries sink and people die, what with a report out there critical of the fleet, the Transportation Minister shrugging his shoulders and the Premier apparently uninterested, well, if it wasn't terminal for the current government then it certainly would be very damaging.
I appreciate that speculating on a disaster that would cost lives and its political impact is a touch cold. But somewhere in the halls of government that calculation has already been made, I'm sure. And yeah, the Liberals are just as guilty as the Conservatives for the state of the ferry fleet. They ignored it for the better part of the 14 years they were in power.
But people aren't going to remember the Liberals, although I'm sure the Conservatives would try awfully hard to spin in that way. They'll remember a report came out saying the fleet was in terrible shape and that the government went basically said there was nothing they could do for a couple more years.
So if a ferry goes down, it might just take a government with it.
However, I'm pretty certain one of the provincial ferries sinking with all hands aboard might just do it. They're getting lucky so far. This incident could have been much worse. Lives could have been lost. And having your Transportation Minister on record as saying something like this...
"We're going to have to deal with the fact that we only have so many ferries in the fleet. We have a very old fleet...We just can't go out and pick up a ferry down alongside the wharf that's waiting to be leased. That's just not available."
Which is essentially saying "We know people could die because our ferries are decrepit, but we're certainly not going to take an extraordinary measures and spend money."
It's the political equivalent of crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. It's worked so far. It might keep working for quite some time. But if one of those ferries sink and people die, what with a report out there critical of the fleet, the Transportation Minister shrugging his shoulders and the Premier apparently uninterested, well, if it wasn't terminal for the current government then it certainly would be very damaging.
I appreciate that speculating on a disaster that would cost lives and its political impact is a touch cold. But somewhere in the halls of government that calculation has already been made, I'm sure. And yeah, the Liberals are just as guilty as the Conservatives for the state of the ferry fleet. They ignored it for the better part of the 14 years they were in power.
But people aren't going to remember the Liberals, although I'm sure the Conservatives would try awfully hard to spin in that way. They'll remember a report came out saying the fleet was in terrible shape and that the government went basically said there was nothing they could do for a couple more years.
So if a ferry goes down, it might just take a government with it.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Travel and gadgets...
While it isn't etched in stone yet, it looks reasonably certain that we're going to travel to Costa Rica next July. We had concerns about how wet it was going to be at that time of the year. July is the "Green Season" in Costa Rica (which is their tourism board's nice way of phrasing "Rainy Season.") We didn't want to go and spend two weeks in the country and be soaking wet the entire time.
However, we think we've got parts of it sussed out. We'll spend a few days in the rain forest (where, you know, it tends to rain regardless of the time of year) and then head down to the Pacific coast where it's drier. It still rains, but from what we're reading when it does rain, it tends to be in the late afternoon, early evening, and for not that long.
So we're now in the early stages of figuring out what we would like to do, the exact places we're going to go, if we're going to go by ourselves or on a tour. I also need to get my vaccinations sorted as I should get my Twinrex for Hep A and B. So there is all sorts of things to get straightened out.
So what have I been doing the last few days? Checking out new cameras.
The theory being that if we're going to go to Costa Rica for a couple of weeks, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful and scenic countries in the world, then I want a really good camera. My current camera, a Sony DSC-F717 is only three years old and it's a perfectly fine camera. And hell, it's the photographer, not the camera. Ian took some great pictures of Auyuittuq National Park with a Sony that is probably not as good as mine.
Hell, look at what Ansel Adams produced using a camera that was little more than a box with some glass and mirror. However, I am not Ansel Adams. Not even remotely close. So I need every bit of help I can get. That means getting a very nice digital camera.
I was reminded of all of this by looking at some of the great pictures Dups has been putting up on his blog recently. Now Dups is quite the good photographer. However, he's also helped by the fact that he's using a Nikon D70. It's a heck of a nice camera. It's also a heck of an expensive camera, further confirming the suspicion that Visa and Mastercard are going to have to start pimping Dups to get their money back from him.
Anyway, I'm in the middle of doing research for a new camera. There are a bunch of good camera review sites - DP Reviews, Steve's Digicam, Image Resource and Digital Camera Resource - that I've been going through. The problem is they're all pretty much saying the same thing - they're all really good cameras I'm looking at with a few faults that might bug you. So it's a matter of sorting through it all.
Of course, I still need to actually hold the cameras in my hands. Reviews are fine and all, but there is nothing like holding the camera in your hands, seeing how it feels and actually playing with it a bit.
What am I looking at? These are the contenders...
Pentax K10 (which is coming out next month)
Canon Digital Rebel XTi
Olympus Evolt 500
Nikon D80
Pentax K100
Sony Alpha
So yeah, a few toys to go through. And not cheap. The base, without any lens, is going to be between $700-$1,000. Plus the costs of at least two lens, memory card, maybe a flash, plus a camera bag. It's going to be expensive, so I want to make sure. Plus, once you commit to a camera name brand, and start to buy their lens, you're kind of stuck with them for life. Well, you can switch, but it is a pain in the ass.
Not sure when I'm getting it. Probably in the new year, unless someone out there loves me enough to buy me one for Christmas or my birthday. You all love me, right? I provide amusement and entertainment. You want to buy me a ridiculously expensive gift, right?
However, we think we've got parts of it sussed out. We'll spend a few days in the rain forest (where, you know, it tends to rain regardless of the time of year) and then head down to the Pacific coast where it's drier. It still rains, but from what we're reading when it does rain, it tends to be in the late afternoon, early evening, and for not that long.
So we're now in the early stages of figuring out what we would like to do, the exact places we're going to go, if we're going to go by ourselves or on a tour. I also need to get my vaccinations sorted as I should get my Twinrex for Hep A and B. So there is all sorts of things to get straightened out.
So what have I been doing the last few days? Checking out new cameras.
The theory being that if we're going to go to Costa Rica for a couple of weeks, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful and scenic countries in the world, then I want a really good camera. My current camera, a Sony DSC-F717 is only three years old and it's a perfectly fine camera. And hell, it's the photographer, not the camera. Ian took some great pictures of Auyuittuq National Park with a Sony that is probably not as good as mine.
Hell, look at what Ansel Adams produced using a camera that was little more than a box with some glass and mirror. However, I am not Ansel Adams. Not even remotely close. So I need every bit of help I can get. That means getting a very nice digital camera.
I was reminded of all of this by looking at some of the great pictures Dups has been putting up on his blog recently. Now Dups is quite the good photographer. However, he's also helped by the fact that he's using a Nikon D70. It's a heck of a nice camera. It's also a heck of an expensive camera, further confirming the suspicion that Visa and Mastercard are going to have to start pimping Dups to get their money back from him.
Anyway, I'm in the middle of doing research for a new camera. There are a bunch of good camera review sites - DP Reviews, Steve's Digicam, Image Resource and Digital Camera Resource - that I've been going through. The problem is they're all pretty much saying the same thing - they're all really good cameras I'm looking at with a few faults that might bug you. So it's a matter of sorting through it all.
Of course, I still need to actually hold the cameras in my hands. Reviews are fine and all, but there is nothing like holding the camera in your hands, seeing how it feels and actually playing with it a bit.
What am I looking at? These are the contenders...
Pentax K10 (which is coming out next month)
Canon Digital Rebel XTi
Olympus Evolt 500
Nikon D80
Pentax K100
Sony Alpha
So yeah, a few toys to go through. And not cheap. The base, without any lens, is going to be between $700-$1,000. Plus the costs of at least two lens, memory card, maybe a flash, plus a camera bag. It's going to be expensive, so I want to make sure. Plus, once you commit to a camera name brand, and start to buy their lens, you're kind of stuck with them for life. Well, you can switch, but it is a pain in the ass.
Not sure when I'm getting it. Probably in the new year, unless someone out there loves me enough to buy me one for Christmas or my birthday. You all love me, right? I provide amusement and entertainment. You want to buy me a ridiculously expensive gift, right?
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Not much...
Yeah, I got nothing this evening. I got home at 5:40, grabbed a quick supper, walked to the curling club at 6:30, curled for two hours or so, then got home at around 9:15. Then there was spending a little bit of time with my wife and also cleaning up the dishes since it was my turn.
All of which is a bit dull (although we won 11-0 in curling, but that had more to do with the team all being rookies then any over-whelming skill on my part), but gets to the point that
A. I haven't had much down time this evening.
B. I haven't had much time to think of anything particularly witty to write.
I also got tagged by Vicky to answer the question "What are 5 Things Feminism Has Done For Me?" Which should be fascinating. I wonder exactly how much trouble I can get into answering that question?
Oh, and one last thing. Take a look at this post on Claire's blog. That is one heck of a nice knife he's getting made. I'm envious...
All of which is a bit dull (although we won 11-0 in curling, but that had more to do with the team all being rookies then any over-whelming skill on my part), but gets to the point that
A. I haven't had much down time this evening.
B. I haven't had much time to think of anything particularly witty to write.
I also got tagged by Vicky to answer the question "What are 5 Things Feminism Has Done For Me?" Which should be fascinating. I wonder exactly how much trouble I can get into answering that question?
Oh, and one last thing. Take a look at this post on Claire's blog. That is one heck of a nice knife he's getting made. I'm envious...
In orbit
I don't know if these pics are real or not. I originally saw them on Warren Ellis blog and a couple of people in Ellis comments section have expressed some doubt about them. But I haven't seen anyone outright discredit them.
I hope they're real. They're beautiful shots of the last space shuttle launch as seen from the International Space Station. Stuff like this, it's why I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid.
I still hope I get into space one day. If there is a great disapointment in my life it's how space travel has essentially gone nowhere during my 36 years on this planet. We were supposed to be on Mars now with a base on the moon. sigh...
Anyway, the pics...
I hope they're real. They're beautiful shots of the last space shuttle launch as seen from the International Space Station. Stuff like this, it's why I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid.
I still hope I get into space one day. If there is a great disapointment in my life it's how space travel has essentially gone nowhere during my 36 years on this planet. We were supposed to be on Mars now with a base on the moon. sigh...
Anyway, the pics...
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Updates
So let's see where we stand on various things...
1. Never believe it when kids relay information. Turns out it wasn't 37, but 12 cars that had their tires slashed. Still a sucky number, but not as bad as 37 (Although as a side effect, I now have Dante Hicks from "Clerks" screaming "37!" in my head. My head is a strange place, as you might imagine). A brief discussion with the police also revealed two of the three are young offenders. The third had the misfortune of recently turning 18. So we'll see what happens when it makes it to the courts.
2. Finally managed to order some tires today, which we should have by Friday at the latest. And in a nice touch, they will come to the apartment and put on the tires, rather than me having to drive the car to the garage on its rims. No idea how much it will cost, but insurance will apparently cover everything past $250 and it won't effect our rates. So the past couple of days have been a nuisance, but not as bad as it could have been.
3. Actually, one of the benefits of the past few days is that I've been walking back and forth to work, including at lunch time. I can do it at a brisk pace in about 15 minutes. So I'm getting some much needed exercise.
4. Speaking of exercise, I had my first curling game of the season this evening. I think I'll be curling twice a week - the men's league on Tuesday and the mixed league on Wednesday. I'm the skip in the mixed league, which is nice, but not a lot of exercise. So I shot lead stones this evening and nearly died. It's sort of pathetic how much I'm out of shape.
I almost felt bad for the other team this evening. We drew names out of a hat to see who would be on each team. The luck of the draw put four people who normally skip on our team. The guy who actually skipped just moved to Iqaluit from Manitoba where he played on a team that routinely competed in the Brier playdowns in the province. So yeah, we won 10-1 this evening. It was ugly. But a heck of a lot of fun when you're the 10 as opposed to the 1.
5. I don't normally talk about work too much, but there was an interesting little development yesterday. Work regularly blocks certain site. I'm pretty sure most porn sites are blocked (I've never been so idiotic as to check). So is Flickr and MySpace. Anything with streaming video and audio is blocked (it eats bandwidth, which is expensive up here). And yesterday, well, yesterday they blocked blogger.
I don't blog at work, because that would be dumb. But I have been known to check the odd blog during a down minute. Not anymore. Anything with blogspot.com has been blocked. Ah well. I guess I'll just have to work or something...
1. Never believe it when kids relay information. Turns out it wasn't 37, but 12 cars that had their tires slashed. Still a sucky number, but not as bad as 37 (Although as a side effect, I now have Dante Hicks from "Clerks" screaming "37!" in my head. My head is a strange place, as you might imagine). A brief discussion with the police also revealed two of the three are young offenders. The third had the misfortune of recently turning 18. So we'll see what happens when it makes it to the courts.
2. Finally managed to order some tires today, which we should have by Friday at the latest. And in a nice touch, they will come to the apartment and put on the tires, rather than me having to drive the car to the garage on its rims. No idea how much it will cost, but insurance will apparently cover everything past $250 and it won't effect our rates. So the past couple of days have been a nuisance, but not as bad as it could have been.
3. Actually, one of the benefits of the past few days is that I've been walking back and forth to work, including at lunch time. I can do it at a brisk pace in about 15 minutes. So I'm getting some much needed exercise.
4. Speaking of exercise, I had my first curling game of the season this evening. I think I'll be curling twice a week - the men's league on Tuesday and the mixed league on Wednesday. I'm the skip in the mixed league, which is nice, but not a lot of exercise. So I shot lead stones this evening and nearly died. It's sort of pathetic how much I'm out of shape.
I almost felt bad for the other team this evening. We drew names out of a hat to see who would be on each team. The luck of the draw put four people who normally skip on our team. The guy who actually skipped just moved to Iqaluit from Manitoba where he played on a team that routinely competed in the Brier playdowns in the province. So yeah, we won 10-1 this evening. It was ugly. But a heck of a lot of fun when you're the 10 as opposed to the 1.
5. I don't normally talk about work too much, but there was an interesting little development yesterday. Work regularly blocks certain site. I'm pretty sure most porn sites are blocked (I've never been so idiotic as to check). So is Flickr and MySpace. Anything with streaming video and audio is blocked (it eats bandwidth, which is expensive up here). And yesterday, well, yesterday they blocked blogger.
I don't blog at work, because that would be dumb. But I have been known to check the odd blog during a down minute. Not anymore. Anything with blogspot.com has been blocked. Ah well. I guess I'll just have to work or something...
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