If you're reading this, it means you're too close to your screen...
July 14th - Cutting Cable
Once the cable is gone, it will be just the internet for a while, and all the shows I can find there( YouTube? )as well as what I have in my DVD collection. Interestingly, I heard today that NetFlix is partnering with Xbox Live! to offer 10,000 of their 100,000 titles initially to download and watch - coincidence perhaps? I know I will be converting most of my DVD collection to smaller PDA-sized files so I can watch shows in bits here and there, wherever I wish to. Speaking of which, I have been writing a majority of the last few months of blogs on my PDA, where and when I can, just to get a different perspective on things. Cafe's, park benches, on the grass at a park or on slow days at work - each has their own merits, though some make it harder to balance a folding keyboard( with fidgety keys ). Getting the mirror positioned is a pain though.
The short trip to and from work is always a lovely, almost tranquil time for me. I cannot( as yet )convey in words the beauty of the lanes I cycle through to and fro each day. The simple lines of low stone walls, draped by lush green vines and o'er-towered by tall trees by the dozens, in all their many shapes and varieties. The clean scent of honeysuckle bushes, of gardens bursting with colour and smell in every yard I pass. The deep serene lawns of the heritage homes, guarded by silent old trees and gardens that seem wild in their careful tending. Everywhere the eye rests easy on beauty natural, on pleasant views unmarred by stark plain lawns, too-few too-new trees or cookie-cutter homes different only in their owner's choice of siding colour. Here, there is a riot of difference, a glorious jumble of harmonious uniqueness that makes stopping to smell the roses an all-day activity... as it should be.
July 15th - Amazing Grace arrives!
Great news this morning – my good friend Katie & her husband Darcy had their first child at 3am this morning, Annabelle Grace. Fantastic news, and they’re all doing well. My best to you! *GRIN*
Being restless at night is not a good thing - I was up late for some reason, tossing and turning. Most likely some issue or another I've not been able to resolve, some stress that my subconscious hasn't dealt with. Like anyone else, I have more than enough to keep my Id busy for years - hopefully whatever it is, I'll be able to get some sleep tonight.
After work today I went to my friend Carol's place for a small BBQ, my neighbour Laurel being there too. I grilled up some 'Tofurkey Polish Sausages' which I have had before - the spices really make it tasty with a little char from the 'barby. The sun was out, it wasn't stinking hot like too many Niagara summers I can recall, and I enjoyed the quiet peace of the backyard.
Until the squirrels arrived. Well, one actually. Apparently this particular squirrel has been using Carol’s many potted plants to pot peanuts in, pretty often. The discussion turned to non-lethal and / or humorous ways to deal with the problem, from which squirt guns, zip lines and thigh-holsters-ala-Lara-Croft all came to mind. Amazing what a tree rat on the lawn can cause the conversation to shift to.
I suggested a website name, such as www.squirtthesquirrel.com to go along with The Nut-Buster Brigade… incidentally, did I mention that all the members were women? )and the evening took a delightful turn into the bizarre and punny from there. Still got it, though others don’t often get it… or wish they hadn’t.
July 16th - Happy B-day to Moi
My friends Mike, Pierre and Brian gave me a GREAT gift today. More on that in a moment.
I'm 35 today, 1/3 of the way along and 2/3's from the end of the beginning. Some folk may have a midlife crisis at this age; the old show Thirtysomething comes to mind. Myself, I wonder that 40 is now closer than is comfortable, and that I could have been doing the same job since I was 20, which would make for 20 years at the same job... Yeesh.
Who am I? What do I want?
The short trip to and from work is always a lovely, almost tranquil time for me. I cannot( as yet )convey in words the beauty of the lanes I cycle through to and fro each day. The simple lines of low stone walls, draped by lush green vines and o'er-towered by tall trees by the dozens, in all their many shapes and varieties. The clean scent of honeysuckle bushes, of gardens bursting with colour and smell in every yard I pass. The deep serene lawns of the heritage homes, guarded by silent old trees and gardens that seem wild in their careful tending. Everywhere the eye rests easy on beauty natural, on pleasant views unmarred by stark plain lawns, too-few too-new trees or cookie-cutter homes different only in their owner's choice of siding colour. Here, there is a riot of difference, a glorious jumble of harmonious uniqueness that makes stopping to smell the roses an all-day activity... as it should be.
July 15th - Amazing Grace arrives!
Great news this morning – my good friend Katie & her husband Darcy had their first child at 3am this morning, Annabelle Grace. Fantastic news, and they’re all doing well. My best to you! *GRIN*
Being restless at night is not a good thing - I was up late for some reason, tossing and turning. Most likely some issue or another I've not been able to resolve, some stress that my subconscious hasn't dealt with. Like anyone else, I have more than enough to keep my Id busy for years - hopefully whatever it is, I'll be able to get some sleep tonight.
After work today I went to my friend Carol's place for a small BBQ, my neighbour Laurel being there too. I grilled up some 'Tofurkey Polish Sausages' which I have had before - the spices really make it tasty with a little char from the 'barby. The sun was out, it wasn't stinking hot like too many Niagara summers I can recall, and I enjoyed the quiet peace of the backyard.
Until the squirrels arrived. Well, one actually. Apparently this particular squirrel has been using Carol’s many potted plants to pot peanuts in, pretty often. The discussion turned to non-lethal and / or humorous ways to deal with the problem, from which squirt guns, zip lines and thigh-holsters-ala-Lara-Croft all came to mind. Amazing what a tree rat on the lawn can cause the conversation to shift to.
I suggested a website name, such as www.squirtthesquirrel.com to go along with The Nut-Buster Brigade… incidentally, did I mention that all the members were women? )and the evening took a delightful turn into the bizarre and punny from there. Still got it, though others don’t often get it… or wish they hadn’t.
July 16th - Happy B-day to Moi
My friends Mike, Pierre and Brian gave me a GREAT gift today. More on that in a moment.
I'm 35 today, 1/3 of the way along and 2/3's from the end of the beginning. Some folk may have a midlife crisis at this age; the old show Thirtysomething comes to mind. Myself, I wonder that 40 is now closer than is comfortable, and that I could have been doing the same job since I was 20, which would make for 20 years at the same job... Yeesh.
Who am I? What do I want?
Well, I've learned that I am comfortable looking in the mirror each morning. I've tried to separate the person from the 'career' and I find that who I am these days is someone I'm mostly proud to be - thanks to some good parenting, good friends and good luck. Though I may not be famous, or rich, or admirably good at one thing, I am what I am - that's good enough to let me sleep at night and get me out of bed in the morning. I don't feel the need to rush through life feeling as though I am late for an appointment, to acquire riches for their own sake, or to prove myself to my peers or friends. I've been down in the gutter, so to speak, been places where some will thankfully never have to go, and come through many trials to still be here to tell you about it today - all of which shaped me, tempered if you will, into a more flexible mettle.
I mentioned last week the concept of balance in life; as important is not to be brittle, to 'not sweat the small stuff'. If you hold yourself too rigid, define yourself by standards too tight and unrealistic, then you can be shattered by blows that would only injure or even just roll off other folk who know how to better deal with life's little foibles.
It depends on how you define success. I know for me, that definition is more personal and less professional. I'd rather be who I am, where I am, than be writing this in an expensive home office of a home I may own in another 25 years, with my hair grey from stress and my nights filled with personal regrets for what I had to give up to get there. No, I can look in the mirror a long, long time with a steady gaze, despite a lack of the 'essentials' that some folk expect from life: a wife, kids, a long-term career... All of which would mean nothing if I could not meet the eyes of the man in the mirror.
So… what was the gift that my Three Amigos gave me? A website. An amazing website, they have obviously worked hard on for some time… all in aid of me furthering my career in the Tech Journalism field. With this website, which I will be working on in the coming months( details to follow soon )my articles will be collected in on place, easily readable by a (hopefully) adoring public… or just the guy down the street who needs his computer fixed. What comes, will.
Dinner with my parents was a quiet affair, no singing or cakes or carryings-on. We went to the Ross Bay Pub. Where I course I had a Guinness with my meal… semi-traditional. After that, I finished watching Spiderman… love that film. Heck, the character’s always resonated with me, for that matter. Thanks Stan.
July 17th - Condo Signs
From wisdom to street signs - amazing how a little thing can throw you off. Here, there are no single posts with signs. Rather, there are TWO posts at every street-meet: one, a stop sign, on which is the secondary street name. On the opposite side of the street, the MAIN street name is on a separate sign. This system makes sense, in that drivers always know where to look for a street name, and it uses the same number of poles( two )as every stop sign doubles as a street pole.
Another day off – two in a row! Part of it was spent entertaining my parents: seems that their building is undergoing extensive renovations. Well, the owners of various units are fixing a LOT of things that they shouldn’t have to. To date, 66 owners have had to change their floors due to shoddy workmanship, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg – ironic, given that the place looks like a cruise ship. I’m glad( and so are my parents )that they didn’t buy a unit there; the old adage “Look before you leap” has proven most apt, as I am sure many of the $500,000-plus unit owners are finding out now. It always amazes me that people will pay such huge sums of money for homes or condos, with no real guarantee that what they’re buying is TOP quality… but it can LOOK like it is. I’ve searched, and there is just NO guarantee out there in Canada that what you buy IS top quality. Sure, there are New Homeowner’s Warranties in various Canadian provinces, but sometimes serious problems take a few years to show up. Even when building a home back in the mid-80’s in Port Dalhousie, we ended up being present EVERY DAY to keep an eye on the project, and usually we found at LEAST one thing wrong EVERY visit we made. Gah!
Which again makes my glad that I’m not trying to climb the ‘Property Ladder’ as is so often mentioned in the HGTV show Location, Location, Location… with my luck, the thing will be missing most of its rungs and the wood rotting. No thanks.
So… what was the gift that my Three Amigos gave me? A website. An amazing website, they have obviously worked hard on for some time… all in aid of me furthering my career in the Tech Journalism field. With this website, which I will be working on in the coming months( details to follow soon )my articles will be collected in on place, easily readable by a (hopefully) adoring public… or just the guy down the street who needs his computer fixed. What comes, will.
Dinner with my parents was a quiet affair, no singing or cakes or carryings-on. We went to the Ross Bay Pub. Where I course I had a Guinness with my meal… semi-traditional. After that, I finished watching Spiderman… love that film. Heck, the character’s always resonated with me, for that matter. Thanks Stan.
July 17th - Condo Signs
From wisdom to street signs - amazing how a little thing can throw you off. Here, there are no single posts with signs. Rather, there are TWO posts at every street-meet: one, a stop sign, on which is the secondary street name. On the opposite side of the street, the MAIN street name is on a separate sign. This system makes sense, in that drivers always know where to look for a street name, and it uses the same number of poles( two )as every stop sign doubles as a street pole.
Another day off – two in a row! Part of it was spent entertaining my parents: seems that their building is undergoing extensive renovations. Well, the owners of various units are fixing a LOT of things that they shouldn’t have to. To date, 66 owners have had to change their floors due to shoddy workmanship, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg – ironic, given that the place looks like a cruise ship. I’m glad( and so are my parents )that they didn’t buy a unit there; the old adage “Look before you leap” has proven most apt, as I am sure many of the $500,000-plus unit owners are finding out now. It always amazes me that people will pay such huge sums of money for homes or condos, with no real guarantee that what they’re buying is TOP quality… but it can LOOK like it is. I’ve searched, and there is just NO guarantee out there in Canada that what you buy IS top quality. Sure, there are New Homeowner’s Warranties in various Canadian provinces, but sometimes serious problems take a few years to show up. Even when building a home back in the mid-80’s in Port Dalhousie, we ended up being present EVERY DAY to keep an eye on the project, and usually we found at LEAST one thing wrong EVERY visit we made. Gah!
Which again makes my glad that I’m not trying to climb the ‘Property Ladder’ as is so often mentioned in the HGTV show Location, Location, Location… with my luck, the thing will be missing most of its rungs and the wood rotting. No thanks.
July 18th - Walking, Writing, Gaming
I went on a walking tour today, of the Beacon Hill / Fairfield area around where I live. I was most impressed with Beacon Hill Park, as it is a vast greenspace the majority of which has been left in its natural state. Paths wend through the tall grasses, and many rocks poke through the ground cover among the groves of trees. The park is MUCH bigger than you think, even if you’ve been past it or through it via car – the speed of a vehicle gives lie to the SIZE of the space you’re passing. It’s worth getting out and walking around, as there’s many amazing views in the park: trees, small lakes, flowerbeds galore. All of this is in full green mode, bursting with growth.
The tour took a lot longer than I’d planned; I returned home after four hours, though that included a long lunch stop at the Beagle Pub( finally! )just around the corner in Cook St. Village. The place is a LOT bigger on the inside than at first glance, but I was on the patio so that didn’t matter much. The view was great; it’s the perfect people-watching spot on a summer’s day.
I did some work on a few articles and short stories in the evening, followed by some detour-time on NWN. The latest( and final )patch has come out for the game – amazing, considering Neverwinter Nights was released way, way back in 2002. It’s unheard of for a developer to support a game 6 years after its release, but here we are today in 2008. Thanks, Bioware…. even though you’ve sold out to EA, there’s still a soft spot in my heart for you. Especially since NWN runs so well on my 'ancient' 2004-era PC.
July 19th - Robotech Returns
No rain for a few weeks now, and none for another week. The sun has been lovely, and I'd rather have blue skies than gray any day, especially as the temperatures here are in no way sweltering given the abundant sunshine.
I’ve discovered that Space will be running the entire original Robotech TV series again starting today, with four episodes every Saturday – nice! I’ll be making good use of my cheap DVD recorder to get the entire three series on disc – more TV that I can watch at a later date. Of course, that means I’ll have to keep the cable for a while longer… *sigh* Decisions, decisions.
Interestingly, I was going through my notes from TorCon2003, and I ran across a quote that made me smile( though I don’t know who said it – missed that scribble I guess ). It says “Punsters and smartasses can quickly link diverse subjects or topics with humorous results” – exactly how I’ve always felt about puns. Despite a common misconception that “Puns are the lowest form of humour” it’s NOT easy to pun – you have to be quick of wit, familiar with a vast range of topics, and be able to pick through all that knowledge to snap a pun together in a few seconds to make a timely and humorous line. *sigh* Unappreciated in my own time… at least there's a Practical Guide to Puns available now I can browse through for solace. Apparently the Brits appreciate punsters, moreso than any other country...
July 20 - The Week Winds Down
A Sunday off - lovely! I spent part of the day outside to enjoy just relaxing, but that was in the morning. Turning on my Xbox360, I discovered that ALL the guys were online today! We flicked a few msgs around, and ended up gaming until 5pm on COD4. It was great; we haven’t done that for months and months, though towards the end I started to lose my edge… of course.
Somehow I developed a headache( well, hours of twitchy-eyed gameplay may have done it )so I took a break from the TV to rest my brain for a few hours with some housework – gah. After dinner I finished off a pair of articles for Cyberwalker.com, then updated the blog. All of this with the sun peering in around the sides of the blinds in my living room – not helping the headache. I think I’ll get a curtain set up this week, as every evening it’s the same story with me sitting on the couch, trying to dodge glaring ribbons of sunbeam while using the computer or the TV.
Still, it’s sunshine – glorious sun, not drab rain or grey winter skies. I’ll wear sunglasses. *grin*
The tour took a lot longer than I’d planned; I returned home after four hours, though that included a long lunch stop at the Beagle Pub( finally! )just around the corner in Cook St. Village. The place is a LOT bigger on the inside than at first glance, but I was on the patio so that didn’t matter much. The view was great; it’s the perfect people-watching spot on a summer’s day.
I did some work on a few articles and short stories in the evening, followed by some detour-time on NWN. The latest( and final )patch has come out for the game – amazing, considering Neverwinter Nights was released way, way back in 2002. It’s unheard of for a developer to support a game 6 years after its release, but here we are today in 2008. Thanks, Bioware…. even though you’ve sold out to EA, there’s still a soft spot in my heart for you. Especially since NWN runs so well on my 'ancient' 2004-era PC.
July 19th - Robotech Returns
No rain for a few weeks now, and none for another week. The sun has been lovely, and I'd rather have blue skies than gray any day, especially as the temperatures here are in no way sweltering given the abundant sunshine.
I’ve discovered that Space will be running the entire original Robotech TV series again starting today, with four episodes every Saturday – nice! I’ll be making good use of my cheap DVD recorder to get the entire three series on disc – more TV that I can watch at a later date. Of course, that means I’ll have to keep the cable for a while longer… *sigh* Decisions, decisions.
Interestingly, I was going through my notes from TorCon2003, and I ran across a quote that made me smile( though I don’t know who said it – missed that scribble I guess ). It says “Punsters and smartasses can quickly link diverse subjects or topics with humorous results” – exactly how I’ve always felt about puns. Despite a common misconception that “Puns are the lowest form of humour” it’s NOT easy to pun – you have to be quick of wit, familiar with a vast range of topics, and be able to pick through all that knowledge to snap a pun together in a few seconds to make a timely and humorous line. *sigh* Unappreciated in my own time… at least there's a Practical Guide to Puns available now I can browse through for solace. Apparently the Brits appreciate punsters, moreso than any other country...
July 20 - The Week Winds Down
A Sunday off - lovely! I spent part of the day outside to enjoy just relaxing, but that was in the morning. Turning on my Xbox360, I discovered that ALL the guys were online today! We flicked a few msgs around, and ended up gaming until 5pm on COD4. It was great; we haven’t done that for months and months, though towards the end I started to lose my edge… of course.
Somehow I developed a headache( well, hours of twitchy-eyed gameplay may have done it )so I took a break from the TV to rest my brain for a few hours with some housework – gah. After dinner I finished off a pair of articles for Cyberwalker.com, then updated the blog. All of this with the sun peering in around the sides of the blinds in my living room – not helping the headache. I think I’ll get a curtain set up this week, as every evening it’s the same story with me sitting on the couch, trying to dodge glaring ribbons of sunbeam while using the computer or the TV.
Still, it’s sunshine – glorious sun, not drab rain or grey winter skies. I’ll wear sunglasses. *grin*
Until next week, thanks for tuning in! I hope you enjoy all the links I plug into this blog - they're there to enhance your reading experience, to broaden the context of the things I mention here every week. So click on a few...!
