Transformers, Trolleys and Tides

The word of the week is. 

May 30 - The Russians Have Been Looking For Me 

Talk about strange co-incidences: many years ago I lent my voice to a freeware production of a Babylon 5 game called I've Found Her that was developed and released by a group of Russian fans, all of whom worked at the same gaming company. It was a fantastic game( and still is! )but when my part was done we lost touch. Well, it seems that as of last year that self-same group has been actively seeking old group members, one of which is yours truly - I stumbled across the posting on their forums, with my name highlighted in red as 'location unknown.' I fired off an email and got a joyous reply back from the lead developer, who was thrilled to find me again after so many years; score one for the 'net. So I'm not sure where this may go in the future, but I'm flattered that people I've worked with but never met want to perhaps work with me again in the future - who knows what things we may come up with? 

May 31 - My Transformer Arrives! 

Yes, today was the day: my ASUS TF101 Transformer tablet and keyboard dock arrived in the mail! I was worried that they may not get here in time to avoid a possible postal strike, but thankfully the mail gods deemed to let me have my package unmolested. I had a bit of a trial getting it, as I rode my bike today( as part of Bike To Work Week )which meant strapping the rather pricey package to the rear carryall. I also was more out of shape than I thought; even riding down the mountain took a lot more out of me than I'd thought it would. Still, I unboxed the TF101 at work to inspect it; it was in perfect shape and even smaller than I'd thought - perfect for portability! The latching mechanism that links dock and tablet works perfectly, showing excellent design on ASUS' part. It's a lovely little machine and it looks great, being quite a lot smaller than my old Compaq - take a look: 

A few things I really like about the Transformer( apart from the name )are: it fits into a cargo pocket of my shorts, the battery lasts almost 16 hours with the dock, and that I can do everything I could on the old laptop, only faster and more conveniently. I've written a review of the TF101 on ePinions.com which goes into detail about all that this little powerhouse has to offer, if you're curious. I even had the chance later this week to go into F.Shop to compare the TF101 to the Motorola Xoom side-by-side; I found the Xoom to be heavier and less compelling in design, not to mention pricier even just for the wifi version. 

June 1 - No Vacation, yet 

Welcome to Summer! I consider the June to be my own 'unofficial' start of the season this year, as the weather to date has been far too wet and cool to really count. Things on Vancouver Island tend to be very moderate with a slow build; we rarely have extremes of weather or temperatures here - as I've mentioned before, I've heard thunder only twice in the over 3 years I've been living in Victoria. We have sea-borne breezes that carry over from the south, usually blowing over the Olympic Mountains in the USA that chills the air fairly significantly even during the hotter days of summer. Smog is unknown here, meaning I can ride my bike whenever and wherever I want without having to worry about my lungs, as I did in Niagara when some days Toronto was just the CN Tower poking out of a haze of brown murk and the air tasted of diesel. Given that most homes in BC don't have air conditioning and rely on the cooling effect of breezes through open windows, the lack of air pollution is a vital component of life here where the green hills speak of nature not too far removed from your front doorstep. 

June 2 - I rode the Trolley! 

Finally, for the first time I took the Langford Trolley down the mountain and most of the way to work, something I had first hoped to do over a year ago. Just posted outside in the main courtyard is a brand-new Trolley schedule stating that it will be running every 2 hours daily, from 10:30am to 5:30pm May 23 to September 5th. I can't overstate how GREAT this is to have, as until now the only alternatives to using a car( apart from a taxi )to get to work was to walk down the mountain or bike, neither of which is great in poor weather. Now I can catch the Trolley an hour before work to take to the main bus terminal in Langford and transfer to a bus that runs very close to my workplace, getting me there in plenty of time for minimal cost - the Trolley is by donation and the bus is a mere $2.50, so I won't be breaking the bank using a taxi some days to make things work. It's also extremely convenient that my workplace is located next to the main Westshore transfer terminal, so if needed myself or my dad can head into Victoria by bus while juggling car needs for the day. When I do switch jobs, this will perhaps will be a moot point, but for now it doesn't mean I'm spending hours a day commuting or waiting to commute - as I have some days getting to work early or needing to head home by taxi long before my car becomes available. It's all about opportunity and organization, which so far to date have worked almost hand-in hand for our needs. Here's it going right by my place:

June 3 - Chilly Light Atop The World 

Sunsets are something I can't ever seem to get enough of, especially as I'm almost never up for sunrises. I'd never given much thought to the longer days and nights that you get when you're further north, but that means you also get shorter days and nights the other half of the year, right? Well, a photographer spent years of his life compiling gorgeous images of sunrises and sunsets far, far to the north, with the crowning glory being a section of video where the sun sets AND rises all in one shot - without darkness falling in between! Have a look and be amazed by the colours, none of which were enhanced in any way: 

June 4 - Old Laptop Pirates 

My first day of a weekend off, WITH the weather co-operating: it was a stunningly lovely day outside, with blue skies and temperatures climbing into the mid-twenties by noon. I alternated between bouts of lazing on the balcony to decompress and re-doing my old Compaq laptop to give to a friend, as I no longer need it with my purchase of the ASUS Transformer. The Compaq is circa 2005 and even though it's in great condition, it's worth only $100 or so online at LaptopsBuyer.ca - not worth the cost to ship, as it weighs around 2.5kg plus accessories. By late afternoon that task was completed, so I delivered it to my friend and then hung at the Bean( now called The Bear's Den )to watch the Canucks win their semi-final game - really unusual for me to be watching hockey, but I'm trying to be social more of late. That trend continued afterwards, when I went out to see the Pirates Of The Caribbean film Stranger Tides with another friend. I actually enjoyed the film more than I thought, in the main because Johhny Depp's character of Captain Jack Sparrow is just so engaging to watch as he gets into and out of trouble almost non-stop; a true rogue. 

June 5 - It's All About Relaxing... 

Today I would classify as a Lazy Day, but not in the sense that I did nothing - just nothing that I'd consider work. Late breakfast, then I took a tour on my bike up the side of Bear Mountain. Just riding up the gravel path towards the higher points, where I took in some spectacular views. It's extremely quiet up there, except when some jackass on a motorcycle blasts off hard enough to be heard many kilometers away - have I mentioned I despise loud bikes? Anyway, it was great exercise and it found me several more places I'll be heading to to 'get away from things' to be able to write and just relax. It's so fantastic, like living next to a provincial park - which is on the other side of the road; sweet! I'll leave you with a few pics from today to enjoy: 

Looking North towards Mt. Finlayson

South towards the Olympic Mountains

A rather tense week followed by a weekend off with perfect weather: FTW!