tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12509613498685117702024-02-18T22:00:29.758-08:00Skin Freezes At Minus FortyA little blog about life in the north.Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-22676286880280996652013-04-03T19:50:00.001-07:002013-04-03T19:50:42.468-07:00I’m Using Protection From Now On<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWExH0MEawgSR6AGRDTusQmqhQACuNHRF5N0FbZJk1_SF6k8n-xy1R5V8Ux66juD_dpscVcPAbp8cB81LUAoWPWxMR2DmGNHmknPLUDqCMJY09zPeT3F1-jVPp77EyouNtpRhcz5cu72k/s1600-h/2013-04-03%25252016.53.14%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="2013-04-03 16.53.14" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2013-04-03 16.53.14" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5b9U5VRW9-ktNytP6DJjN1YMUdew3vMCBrO4wQyXICk-9ppze_uzxG-qrv6AD-LTTOG-Loyw7_iQSLndlZBMfTIhXil81Jn5hbfduC6voFOWA-rle2hFCzaPu6Ux0v_8pp00w5rawXgw/?imgmax=800" width="581" height="444"></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxoxfClWn4IkBXh_RM3udNcTke14LEJ7IhfB5FKtR0gezdspLO9HL9mRVw7ps4dJh3x9jOUbSKfF3u0SY28mtpXpFW_WH_uENKziACuZ2GpjAFPliuqYjkf6RDhE3pA-jSaO3dJZJvTM/s1600-h/2013-04-03%25252016.52.31%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="2013-04-03 16.52.31" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="2013-04-03 16.52.31" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_4JhePhKwC7EH7t0gVK9TXhUa8EcHjyTrNPccw-G0iNajUSiz8bTJzB3dJnMNUx-mgh65k4b8UyMM566khE5Vse8dVg3QIFFliUzAP4XE6etm0UB0xbNIHUTPIj4hqNhwQvVuYUOVtc/?imgmax=800" width="366" height="486"></a></p> <p>After the great crash of my miniature case that I wrote about a while back (read it <a href="http://skinfreezesatminusforty.blogspot.ca/2013/03/humpty-dumpty-had-great-fall.html">here</a>) I ordered a carry case. Well, after just over a month, it came. It is fantastic. There are lots of pockets for templates, dice, rule books, <em>etc</em>. There is also lots of room for my current minis and room for expansion. I can always order some custom trays in the future.</p> <p>We are pleased.</p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-92155649002934225332013-04-03T19:40:00.001-07:002013-04-03T19:40:55.563-07:00Unplugged<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ECTvck5_kE4/UVzoNA_8hLI/AAAAAAAAA58/tUbYZufws2E/s1600-h/13_unplugged2%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="13_unplugged2" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="13_unplugged2" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-y0iqpJBk1w4/UVzoNtGGukI/AAAAAAAAA6E/RsTHg4ZyaRw/13_unplugged2_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="422" height="333"></a></p> <p>One week ago I went 24 hours unplugged. By unplugged, I mean no computer, no phone,no TV, no internet and no music. I did use electricity, so technically I was plugged in, but let’s not get hung up on semantics. My unplugged stint was in response to a challenge from my wife. Jen thought I wouldn’t be able to handle the silence. I told her that as long as she was still in the house, it was unlikely there would be any silence. I sure found out how quiet a cold shoulder could be, let me tell you!</p> <p>The experience was somewhat enlightening in the fact that it brought into sharp relief how accustomed we have become to having information at our fingertips. There were many times during the day that a topic came up in conversation or while I was reading and I almost automatically reached for my phone or keyboard to Google it.</p> <p>It was a very quiet day. I accomplished a lot in that day though. I don’t know if that can be attributed to the lack of “breaks” to text, check email, surf the net, <em>etc</em>., but I strongly suspect so.</p> <p>As for the experience rejuvenating my soul or taking me to a higher plane of existence, I think not. Granted, I was on holidays for a week and a half already at that time, so I was already pretty relaxed. I think I will try the experiment again during a weekend and see if it increases my relaxation quotient.</p> <p>In short, I would recommend people give it a try and see how it effects you and what you notice about your information age lifestyle. If you do take the challenge, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section. </p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-81602703140274999962013-03-21T18:12:00.001-07:002013-03-21T18:12:26.243-07:00The Spoils of War<p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1iDRtVu0NsY/UUuv8zMaxWI/AAAAAAAAA4U/nAz-_H6Y324/s1600-h/Now-its-No-Hard-to-Make-Use-of-Android-Devices-530%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="Now-its-No-Hard-to-Make-Use-of-Android-Devices-530" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Now-its-No-Hard-to-Make-Use-of-Android-Devices-530" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-U1EMVh_Smuk/UUuv9YyWI2I/AAAAAAAAA4c/5gc_udviwyk/Now-its-No-Hard-to-Make-Use-of-Android-Devices-530_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="297" height="307"></a></p> <p>So, the mobile OS war is all but over. Android is king and iOS is a solid second. This is fact and disregards the respective strengths and weaknesses of each OS. I offer proof below.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8MdOt6U9P_I/UUuv9hgkZ_I/AAAAAAAAA4k/wt3OKbqCHAk/s1600-h/Android_and_iOS_IDC%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="Android_and_iOS_IDC" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Android_and_iOS_IDC" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-kVLjEWSqKj8/UUuv-Um8geI/AAAAAAAAA4s/SbaPd-DIzv8/Android_and_iOS_IDC_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="557" height="269"></a></p> <p>My question as an Android user is “Where are the spoils of war?” Shouldn’t we be pillaging Apples villages and stealing their women? But that’s not the case. Almost every app is either introduced for each system concurrently or only for iOS. Where is my pillaging? </p> <p>The incident that instigated this post, was a visit to my extended health insurance company. They have a great online sight that offers me lots of information about my account and claims. Then I see they have an app that lets you submit your claims through the app and not have to mail in any receipts. Fantastic I think. Oh wait. It’s only for iOS. C’mon guys. When 70% of all smart phones sold in America run Android, why can’t I get an app at least at the same time as the dorks at Apple? Why are developers still only writing apps for the minority? If I have a business, it would be bad practice to cater to 20% of the population, when I could be catering to 70%. In this case, why are businesses telling the majority of their customers or clients that they are less important or worthy of extra services than others simply because of the OS on their phone. It is blatant OSism and I won’t stand for it any more.</p> <p>I would like to know how I picked the winning side for once (I have a very poor record in this respect) and I’m still losing? I want to pillage and set fire to their homes, but instead I’m getting beat over the head with some old lady’s broom.</p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-83020595752369358212013-03-17T14:40:00.001-07:002013-03-17T14:40:26.643-07:00Why Spring Break May Save My Sanity<p>We just started our annual two week Spring Break yesterday. It couldn’t have come at a better time. There were a few times in the last few days of school that I thought I was going to lay hands on a child and throw them out into a snow bank.</p> <p>You may ask yourself how it came to this. Well, let me tell yah. I have a very “challenging” class this year. Challenging is teacher speak for a stress leave waiting to happen. I have a child with brain damage and another that likely has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and is academically functioning below a Kindergarten level. Oh, you can barely understand the second little gaffer either. I have two hearing impaired students, one of which didn’t get hearing aids until he was five. That guy is understandably pretty far behind. As an example, we were reading a book the other day and I discovered he didn’t know what a clown was. We’re not talking about not knowing the word for clown. He just had never come across a clown before. Weird. You might think that was a handful, but it gets better. My last special fellow has extreme behaviour issues linked to ADHD. This guy is completely governed by his impulses and his need for attention. </p> <p>In the past weeks we were having issues with brain damaged student having massive fits that ended up with her being sent home and having to be forcibly removed from the classroom. That is when the attention seeker decided pooping his pants was a great idea. It netted him a shower, a change of clothes and lots of attention. This must have looked pretty good to him, because he proceeded to crap his drawers every day for over a week. The final straw was when I found a very suspicious smear on the floor under his chair. I have to tell you that cleaning pooh off of the floor is just not in my contract.</p> <p>The rest of my class is full of pretty stable kids, but they do feed off of the chaos created by some of the rest. Add to that the usual nuttiness of the last week of school before holidays and you may see why I was on the ragged, jagged edge. </p> <p>I am going to spend lots of time skiing, watching movies, reading, painting and playing video games. When my mother-in-law leaves tonight (did I not mention she was here?) there may a couple of days where my wife and I retreat to our corners of the house and sequester ourselves. Ahh, holidays.</p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-42597555922623008212013-03-11T19:12:00.001-07:002013-03-11T19:12:35.614-07:00Trouble Comes in Threes<p>It has been a fantastic week. I say that with every bit of sarcasm I can muster. They say that trouble comes in threes and I sure hope they’re right, because then this crap might stop happening.</p> <p>I already wrote about the smashing of my Warmachine army. That turned out to incident number one.</p> <p>Number two came when we started the car at the beginning of the week and the blower wouldn’t work. That means there isn’t anything to blow the heat from the engine into the cabin and even worse, nothing to blow it through the defroster. The particular morning this started was very cold and damp, so there was lots of frost on the outside AND the inside of the windshield. We had to drive around the neighbourhood for a while before we could get enough heat being pushed through to get some of the frost off. When I called around the get the car in to have it looked at, it was at least a week before anyone could look at it. Everything takes longer up here, but c’mon. When it’s –20 Celsius in the morning you really need some heat and to be able to see out of your windshield.</p> <p>Number three was a letter I got from the insurance company on Thursday. Now, for some unknown reason at some point in the past the stoner hippies in this province decided the government would do a great job of running car insurance. So they made the government the ONLY insurance company in the province. Now ICBC, the monolithic auto insurance provider in the province pretty much does what it wants and the rest of us pay. And oh, do we pay. On top of that, even though we live in a small town in a rural area, we have the highest premiums outside of downtown Vancouver. </p> <p>So, imagine my surprise when I get a letter saying that ICBC will no longer be offering me a deductible of $300 on my insurance when I renew in the spring, I will only be offered a deductible of $2500. What was my crime? Living in a part of the country where they spread gravel on the roads like it’s going out of style. Nearly everyone up here needs a new windshield every year because of the amount of stones thrown up by passing vehicles. Add to this the deer that decided to off itself on my front bumper last year. The letter says that your claims were no fault, but it wouldn’t be fair to raise rates for everyone. The translation being, “While your policy is no-fault, we are finding you at fault.” The topper was the last paragraph that told me that if I materially change my driving habits, I can have my case reviewed after one year. In other words, if I decide to move, they’ll take another look.</p> <p>I am so pissed I could spit nails. It feels like one of those weeks, when I could fall into a bucket of tits and come up sucking my thumb. </p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-8192483013626062642013-03-03T08:10:00.001-08:002013-03-03T08:10:50.055-08:00Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall<p>As I was preparing to go out gaming Friday night I had a bit of a mishap. But before I get to that, maybe I should give a bit of background information.</p> <p>I have lots of miniatures (by my standards at least). I play my games at a local school with a group of like minded nerds. This arrangement necessitates a transportation method for all of my little man dollies or at least the ones I will be using on a given night. There are several options, ranging from carrying cases full of protective foam costing hundreds of dollars, to an inexpensive, small Rubbermaid totes with an old t-shirt inside. Can you guess which one I have been using?</p> <p>On this given day, I had my rule books in one hand and I had just pulled the tote off the shelf. Now, the way I figure it, one of my larger minis was sitting a bit too high and cause the lid to not close fully. As a result, when I grabbed the tote with only one hand, thumb on top and fingers below, the lid slid off causing me to lose my grip. The result was a mighty crash and a surprising “Oh, no!” from me. I didn’t even swear. I think I was suffering from shock. ALL of the minis in the tote had smashed on the floor and fallen out of the tote.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibP2ai6uUlApZlzO8MKAJ1hZHcfC_kk_yBXd2aTnD4FSut-P7OFblCefEIFZllSimV-ab7fkI_h0-HNIaKJsMvYvrtyq8ERjUXl2xk_hG9KjAi1135UjAYZ6rETeNz6G0nqu2CdptpL1s/s1600-h/DSC_0143%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0143" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tirZWgnwgYxOB3rIz3ucDjEH6WhQ1S29ONTfRuy6bosPBZRhfUraHPIBtlO5TiyrKrSW5BRC29xt7qSFejsezxvD3-wJ08CKfRBN2q7d9OcPNpUhE89-HgeFGPuqCR-539pDrc-w0gk/?imgmax=800" width="577" height="391"></a></p> <p>My wife and mother-in-law were upstairs and afraid to come down stairs to see what happened. When my wife finally braved it, she found me standing in the doorway of the Man Cave and staring at the floor, which was littered with bits and pieces of metal and plastic that used to be finely painted miniatures.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqH9bKdimBwwZLl2MTAJEusIcBAil4ip1q4a9hsfaiW-Ck-EAmgUS-poacl7SDC1xrnVcjEhaOwFpZked27F5W8iJD7eecW1ZZhry2jXqc4YJ3DbDyp8m8mhijjk8EZVTNc_X5nNW-Po/s1600-h/DSC_0137%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0137" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx629QRuvZFQoDKYA262uKeIpV4L8DHGG_9FNGh7fu6ypp7e0psSb-nECYi0vRqHEqn73Od2n1hMcaQW4sanHA5yW74BeV3HMG-H2x7_1ubSdmn6jb84HCakOKvERE9rENclewIh6ekZU/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="163"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYPfikZwkesrxulayvOL2T5i_boMY5TjFO1pW_a-GwGQ5fsG5ST0cex2ZY-8872yBJELezxR2bhEOd_zOCYjhqbZpF02R7_CUtne-i6msTA0l6Qvww6VZ8d4Xvn8TcSmS1o8rSt1og7I/s1600-h/DSC_0140%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0140" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzyVQnxWeD2Mu-pGFNz8iTNbl8jsqkTN0Demf-LFoanSuI7wSJRCFYlHd-872MlCGGFSYq3WypiQGCRl1lmzYwVeY2u45t9O0kG6o0TfcfmKQ2ibwHbYsFn0cnsMeaA3eX3PjMEg_sxE/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="163"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoYQOIhHch4sevpGXpPA7G9w28LV28NhqkWgrfk_rEGVyKeYOrxd7FkTeEgX272gxHAbrHx5-20273_biTb8aMeJtBM98ktFve7T3DEzHetjNF57bm64zKfMRB2xwytQSMl0_Gg1qTRk/s1600-h/DSC_0142%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0142" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e_QV-SPh3Y8XRusKNoQUuG396sTpz55TnfG8GOumaa9Y7xZ3hOVsLksmC1Nbq1lMlJLq6zsTwFLG6F3Qsl3WWd3xp4IH8LqffPnRKBmFQVCH79dt0lce2gZDKY645h-s93LkoBLEaYI/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="163"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvK5ofMRGeer_7NAq_RKaCNw3_uWQkjOmk5i5yRTEV5562td1oJh84VziQy99h_5666g3yLlLc0WreQ9BxDXWucbJpHwHc-hoSUFiRX2eHDPHOTT2wovrbpqzfjOw7JBRRGeJynRp1B7k/s1600-h/DSC_0148%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0148" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0148" align="right" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRssP_To1TiarWX8DS-Q41H_3ZxJlGFZnTig9aerxD8VbuhyYw5KJnD4yxKkCiuqrPQvuVkxStqaQb5_-O1GH0libUxwIWa4A6rzIC3oDSiHcEvtXswQxUpix5NoHg2_LTFVw1v9NZsM/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="163"></a></p> <p>After taking a time out, I came back and proceeded to clean up the mess and assess the damage. I made three piles: minis that survived unscathed, those that just needed some glue to repair the damage and those that needed glue, paint and general TLC. Only three minis are in the first pile. The second pile contains about 1/3 of the minis with the remainder in the pile that will take more to repair. </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMktJfuB6vOHJgTvec53bz0ERlpsz4gJXaBqB3D_gPcQi4fJ0qz1lGRmFRy3hBnGUDcrvZFjnfnk838OL0HjCIOo_6TBNRCFIB6IWk70aWk-7w1IgAmyfGiqP6E_r7tjvBVImVoiH9VY/s1600-h/DSC_0147%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0147" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JeU_oRVHqCoguIAdJjjU2mXZa-arnizhigi6R6PZJsaSGL2ExPbV0Zd8WxYW1fET2u_glqu5QN5sK_2jwJko1gxk6clHqx9XSbyIG6SMbeuFQ53V7QMzHe9AOSGl3fFSlbgbqfkPqcA/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="163"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBl0JL2CgD75CIVHJDxUdpQHeURj9NrNFobn7egv93KtHKLWCTN4-OWq54_w8laPkDOqyFkW9Cm7X2ZU8442blHFD3mrqFaR6bhxTS0PgayyMiRfuiI0oMb70hvMhPW2qH4sBiqEClh4A/s1600-h/DSC_0149%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0149" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRB1qlvj-6esF4JW8i8azBIYK6XWHx5yMdw__g2vK4PgZQtYt4zaIG701JfV1LrRuYo2Ikq9ExcjPk9AcAQGGALEf9_tBSOhbFW_pmbLen_GdO7-Pguv_dxrpOr_1-tJFkvvx-O1Ymes/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="163"></a></p> <p>My miniatures took tens of hours (if not more) to complete and now I have to spend hours more trying to get them back into shape. The situation is disheartening.</p> <p>With the help of my wife I have learned an important lesson from this. Put simply, don’t be so damned cheap. I went onto the internet in the hours after “the incident” and looked at carrying cases. My wife asked me if the pile of rubble on the floor of the man cave was worth a couple of hundred dollars. I replied that it used to be. She gave me the look that said, “You already know the answer.” I sighed and dropped over $200 on the skookum case below. There will be no next time.</p> <p><a href="http://us.battlefoam.com/products/%28Warmachine%29-Privateer-Press-Warmachine-Bag-Standard-Load-Out.html"><img title="Warmachine_Left_Side_Front__93962__74639_zoom" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Warmachine_Left_Side_Front__93962__74639_zoom" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wZc9DMDoJwQ/UTN2BjZ4VAI/AAAAAAAAA38/LSKPMHbUwa4/Warmachine_Left_Side_Front__93962__74639_zoom%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="215"></a><a href="http://us.battlefoam.com/products/%28Warmachine%29-Privateer-Press-Warmachine-Bag-Standard-Load-Out.html"><img title="Warmachine_Foam__55956__45589_zoom" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Warmachine_Foam__55956__45589_zoom" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-tcBq0CtdHWY/UTN2CJWQjyI/AAAAAAAAA4E/L6aN4YY6JKg/Warmachine_Foam__55956__45589_zoom%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-5220666745836770412013-02-14T19:08:00.001-08:002013-02-14T19:08:40.209-08:00Pucktastic!<p>I also could have titled this post “Hockeylicious”. The past weekend was a holiday weekend here in BC. We celebrated the first ever Family Day on February 11. What better way to celebrate than to play in two hockey tournaments on the same weekend. Due to a bit of a scheduling conflict I was signed up to play in an old timers tournament in Fort St. John and the Crystal Cup pond hockey challenge on Charlie Lake (about 10 minutes outside of the John).</p> <p>I should quickly point out that I was turning 42 last weekend (told you it was busy), so my body does not recover from physical exertion as quickly as it once did. So the schedule of 1 game Friday night, 3 on Saturday and 2 more on Sunday was a bit daunting. Due to a scheduling SNAFU on the pond hockey end of things, I only ended up playing one game on Sunday. Neither team I played for won much of anything other than one game each. I had a lot of fun though.</p> <p>The Crystal Cup is completely organised and staffed by volunteers. The tournament does not aim to make a profit. I must say, that the organisers did a fantastic job of getting everything (but scheduling) running smoothly. There were even rinks for the kids to play and skate around on. I saw a lot of people from town stop by the lake to check out the happenings even though they didn’t play hockey. The Crystal Cup was truly a community event. </p> <p>The weather for the tournament was wonderful as well. Last year, the Saturday portion of the event had to be crammed together with the Sunday because the weather was so bad you couldn’t see the rinks on the lake. The Sunday was sunny and the wind was calm, but it was still below –30 Celsius. I had the ends of two fingers that were numb for tow months after my last game. I thought the feeling would never come back. This year the temperature on the Saturday was right around 0 and unfortunately on the Sunday it was about 7 degrees which made the ice a bit treacherous. All in all, the event was fantastic and I’m looking forward to next year.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZmJQb0_6Jwgz5ovgwd27gEqj4A7hYVOFQLJZ5KQND9iSWkTK5njsyD3mNws3yFyFz-aftF6rBUpWlunvxCutHKnol76-ZrFdXMpdHAg6jHubf94NOQMYWSwf-mEBRokvuc7xNIIxqUo/s1600-h/DSC_0044%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0044" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0044" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85JPGusZxqDx9L28ZRGYKYhGLIjcUsXRiyo2L1Kk6ydgOQ9rFG9iqfB1mrwV7RZP5qnOmP80UHwDHGtPGoXLD0Azr_JP-URxTxrFEFpWLT-HpPYon7L5dkH_2ZdX4FeRY5x9Hm_W27p0/?imgmax=800" width="246" height="165"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVfGw2oYoYeW15ZPohMUe1U9Hk1sngq916nq8CZ8dGHcVGwDCHlh5zhPNh_Gr9jFn3D1stNAP_3_lgP788tW6O3_OFDpCUtmWZSty6SwESjeAOBdqeArjPu3oOSbTgdFxXw3RGVWdoKo/s1600-h/DSC_0049%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0049" style="border-top: 0px; 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border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNPOvmgefHMyuAsUZk5RhBm7VbhF81L1upKCxrgg5MOV3U9JseB1uh_JtIj-hcTKX6HXHH2AxyPcS7g41w-8uJYkQJ_Qu_imqRk1GQ8UDSQOYBYTZ659-LVgsXy7DUtoFQJl1toGK1YI/?imgmax=800" width="246" height="165"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2zIhYqPQfnVSoMxj09WuYac9vScB3dwtgaOH4BK8cyRZF0zs4hb2iMvGb5lGq36AeQDP6ILASIZ2A56yH9iDz-o1d5bkKQ0hHwxHA2nOQPbN-VHbSh5kwbkTjjHkhI67IwabVqt7FwU/s1600-h/DSC_0121%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0121" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMN5A7KUEBNpN8cxLA2YKVsJlaBDi2IAH-GoV2YhoicjRjMqYlFrGUP4ge1X1i4oLeaIf88NKPNZAnYLJjt92sSIF66M-J70QiOBpA2FHENMVyWAFv0zuBetupcs6_YbxHQ13NlKxuTwE/?imgmax=800" width="246" height="165"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyDEKPswZm_9J3ohh25-Fg0U7Gpp6OPxVbGXmuih-Nr3MVN6qQrxictbMJw68QYX-es58_I4ZewG1FVPymjk1JjLDZ_Bn6Bp1IkpjIHzJia0w-BpP77Ron6coVVxmJIzOplopdeEzgCE/s1600-h/DSC_0130%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0130" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirk7wWIjxZvcD4q9Q905K6YebYKxdAl27M0rAw5GTa-Jw4WI_V_pwTwSngkb6Pql6B_SSpmcXUDMG1Yl5ixisDqJYmMS8QCQkeTPcZs58Qn8JO798A73XvRueOtrGmV_5uJL-ZmPCoOF4/?imgmax=800" width="246" height="165"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtt8kNA5yrW5mvdTO98DLg_UVc-Ru2MR2x-rATBoJz-D6pDgougGZ1zLND6TnDysqFMXhYszd03AJq7kEIRdmbjIyiTyAn4_tD7dVh9JaEF8NoNmXtK1JMvHUpBXP9VBgjM9j1ShB_v4/s1600-h/DSC_4452%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_4452" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_4452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNp4SAJxTv-9nwOPZ-u3N35r6ave-1nI49MVFB63787icgKpKgC8lNVwMj5vdJCu5yRuiShUvr9-ZpLRie6Io-y5M3MK2TB14wDsaeO1vQAE0sadYdGb2N5qNFEJvblH2V4tjKuPxgOd0/?imgmax=800" width="246" height="166"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jLgqNngK5I_1W9rQAkKt9lhlwz1lzJ2tJmLCcgN4uPx4AavAxnzQIR3Rs7am8SIqKa_tNRyre8Y2nBHmU2o_psgguuHXJ2rsgtRHhzQXNwVubsO3Zvp4BbY6ioV_O24WPufZrvRdz1g/s1600-h/DSC_4473%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_4473" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_4473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPect0nwMpBr4gXLTfRbfO8znLZb3gQSDLaOFF_LKkr0W7G1BL3xISymttDhI4f9LjgYanRbchEDFldEgi03AX6HF09Tjj1r1CC7jeX0-iIZVza79Qh5DKmHQnT233E62BSXsFv5FJCDQ/?imgmax=800" width="166" height="246"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmIVi1TqOFWqZiv7LvtaZFnuxIJ_7q7weVy6miFyHjp8hgLn8hAJAm-ecUFRPW9b64Lkhc7zSlBqvMYfNv6ksHHodlqLGND-IrXMOwmmGDmDIg7KANp19mJE8Svl01OM_svKtas2nNwg/s1600-h/DSC_4489%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_4489" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_4489" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTqMozjFzUjjrACB6R0oCdsmHytct908kDhB_LWvZekSCazUNS0Z7IhNm1ryx5w2_kDlI7spGrefZqj6kfJlwzuXYjcd-EDUfesyhe0F8dH0-_vHT6IivpKNg-mc7DBxt-mPdKAHQrdg/?imgmax=800" width="246" height="166"></a></p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-27957942014864342972013-02-03T09:26:00.001-08:002013-02-03T09:26:07.036-08:00Learning vs. Doing<p>As I wrote earlier, I have adopted LEARN as my word of the year. One thing that I have noticed in the early going of my learning year is the push and pull between learning and doing. As most people in this world I have a finite amount of free time. In that free time I would like to learn some new stuff this year. However, while I’m learning stuff, I’m not doing stuff. Let me illustrate. If I am learning about photography by reading some articles, I am not taking any pictures. </p> <p>I am finding that it is hard to get the time to not only learn the things I want to learn, but to put those things into practice and get to the point that I can use them. Adding to the time crunch is the fact that I have multiple hobbies that are all relatively time intensive. It has been quite a balancing act. I want to learn lots about my new hobby photography. I also want to learn some new techniques for my old hobby of painting minis (and gaming with them).</p> <p>I should add a disclaimer that part of the time crunch is of my own making. With the return of the NHL, I spend a decent amount of time watching the Blackhawks, during which I don’t learn a lot of new stuff, but it brings me a lot of pleasure (most of the time). However, Jen has rediscovered the TV, so video games have not taken up much time.</p> <p>I’ll try to keep you up to date on how the balancing act is going. However, now I must go and clean the house, as I am having a Super Bowl party in a few hours. I expect to learn a lot about beer and it’s effects on human behaviour and biology. </p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-47598890577200928142013-01-25T17:20:00.001-08:002013-01-25T17:20:33.691-08:00More Stuff<p>Over the last couple of weeks I’ve doubled my camera stuff. These two beauties arrived in the past two weeks. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pnk5TgAwOKM/UQMvXo8ItBI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/b3mUwrY8GcA/s1600-h/2013-01-21%25252019.00.09%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img title="2013-01-21 19.00.09" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="2013-01-21 19.00.09" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-he_VTX5zFFU/UQMvYPkAHdI/AAAAAAAAAzY/blIgoIAHmfE/2013-01-21%25252019.00.09_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="366" height="502"></a></p> <p>I ordered the lens when it was on sale for a great price over Christmas. I spent all of my allowance and Christmas money. So, now I’m poor, but happy. Having so much more zoom is very handy. I haven’t used the tripod yet, but I’m debating getting up tomorrow morning to see if I can snap a few sunrise shots (weather permitting). I’d also like to try some moonlight shots with the massive full moon this weekend and all of the snow to reflect the light. I have my wonderful wife to thank for that little gem. It was on back order, but it made it before the end of the month.</p> <p>Lets hope I can put them to good use.</p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-89642127255380044272013-01-09T08:24:00.000-08:002013-01-09T08:24:00.541-08:00Make a Light Box<p><font face="Leelawadee">My first lesson of the new year is how to make a light box. Actually, this is not my lesson to give. I exercised my Google Fu and came up with several articles that set out how to make a simple homemade light box. </font></p> <p><font face="Leelawadee">Some of you know that I am a closet nerd. I have little plastic men that I paint and subsequently play with (in a game, not in my closet). I put a lot of time and effort into painting the little blighters and then I go and take a crappy picture on my desk with a phone. I decided to do something about this lamentable situation. I looked into how some bloggers made their man dollies look so good in pictures. The answer was a light box. I looked online and found that you could bu <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:62f56f17-a951-478f-9af2-efce5b3077dc" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/minis" rel="tag">minis</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/photography" rel="tag">photography</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/miniatures" rel="tag">miniatures</a></div>y light boxes, but the price was pretty steep for the amount I was going to use it (I am not a prolific painter). So I went the home made route.</font></p> <p><font face="Leelawadee">This is what I came up with using only an old moving box, a utility knife and some white tissue paper. I do think I will be switching from tissue to fabric, due to the fragility of the box right now. The book was used to put my camera on.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2T-Zko49vBU/UOmlcIXol-I/AAAAAAAAAxk/qVOuz8B26FU/s1600-h/DSC_0791%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font face="Leelawadee"><img title="DSC_0791" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="DSC_0791" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8jTaEzeUb2s/UOmldE_T12I/AAAAAAAAAxs/U_Sl3czpAYk/DSC_0791_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="390" height="273"></font></a></p> <p><font face="Leelawadee">This is what the pictures of my minis usually turn out like.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5yd3SM0oaFE/UOmld058UCI/AAAAAAAAAx0/O4G2IOvsJMw/s1600-h/2013-01-06%25252009.11.18%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font face="Leelawadee"><img title="2013-01-06 09.11.18" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="2013-01-06 09.11.18" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-w6XgQH-e1fs/UOmlep6OEZI/AAAAAAAAAx8/DlQZnhjiSeI/2013-01-06%25252009.11.18_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244"></font></a></p> <p><font face="Leelawadee"></font></p> <p><font face="Leelawadee">Now with the light box, they look much better. I’m still fiddling with the settings, so the photos aren’t perfect, but they’ll get better. I guess I have to paint some more toys to photograph.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-J1eSYHNfRsU/UOmlffzfU0I/AAAAAAAAAyE/R1kW5EjnpB0/s1600-h/DSC_0787%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font face="Leelawadee"><img title="DSC_0787" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0787" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-gioWxKCCndI/UOmlf5CsWiI/AAAAAAAAAyM/MZV6bfL6eQo/DSC_0787_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="246" height="165"></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-0qfwj1HO9k8/UOmlgX4sJrI/AAAAAAAAAyU/ujf8ISnz0xM/s1600-h/DSC_0788%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font face="Leelawadee"><img title="DSC_0788" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0788" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-SeK66CCuKJU/UOmlhMwWjKI/AAAAAAAAAyc/T0FhVsZzIKs/DSC_0788_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="246" height="165"></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2NkgS3IUu4I/UOmlhhF83QI/AAAAAAAAAyk/fUJB5Yn3n00/s1600-h/DSC_0789%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font face="Leelawadee"><img title="DSC_0789" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0789" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2zwQQKAcklo/UOmliRi0ccI/AAAAAAAAAys/kZTtXy0H38c/DSC_0789_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="246" height="165"></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7E4KXsESYyE/UOmli12iaCI/AAAAAAAAAy0/IJiU24rHKqY/s1600-h/DSC_0790%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font face="Leelawadee"><img title="DSC_0790" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0790" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-M7b0gPvzxs8/UOmljdFCMgI/AAAAAAAAAy8/NjDlgSdoUGs/DSC_0790_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="246" height="165"></font></a></p> <p><font face="Leelawadee">If you want to make your own light box, I got my information from </font><a href="http://backtoherroots.com/2011/10/27/how-to-build-your-own-lightbox-for-cheap/" target="_blank"><font face="Leelawadee">here</font></a><font face="Leelawadee"> and </font><a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent" target="_blank"><font face="Leelawadee">here</font></a><font face="Leelawadee">. You can also just Google it and there are many articles to choose from.</font></p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-7066083332238805622013-01-06T07:50:00.001-08:002013-01-06T07:50:14.239-08:00Learn<p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:3a8d4927-c98b-43af-8359-2a7d6f399df3" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/learning" rel="tag">learning</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/New+Year" rel="tag">New Year</a></div><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NhSGW6qvCjI/UOmdMQhTYQI/AAAAAAAAAxI/OGecI_3c7U8/s1600-h/Learning-is-Fun%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="Learning-is-Fun" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Learning-is-Fun" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-c69DfUMGFnU/UOmdNAlqhkI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/frhSr1TXZ-4/Learning-is-Fun_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="300" height="211"></a>Last year my wife inspired me to choose a word for the year. It’s kind of like a a multifaceted New Year’s resolution. Last year I made up my own word and went with <em>positivity</em>. I think I did a pretty good job with my positivity last year. By no means am I a wellspring of optimism, but I have tried and succeeded to avoid overly negative thoughts about people, events and the future. I still need work and I have to keep the goal in my head to avoid relapses, but I’m on the right track.</p> <p>That leads me to my word for this year. I have chosen the word <em>learn for 2013</em>. I have many things to learn in life. If you think you have nothing left to learn then you have nothing left to live for (besides being a colossal fool). I want to learn lots of things in relation to my profession, technology, photography and the world. Some lessons will be large and some will be small. I hope to share some of the things I learn here. Maybe my dear readers will even learn a thing or two.</p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-5761386013811076672013-01-06T07:37:00.001-08:002013-01-06T07:37:52.622-08:00Remember Me?<p>It has been quite a while since I’ve visited this space. There are many reasons. I have a very challenging class this year and I generally come home exhausted and fall into some escapist activity for the remainder of the evening. I have a bit of an on-again-off-again Skyrim addiction I’ve been dealing with, and I was simply not inspired.</p> <p>Well, I’m back to take another kick at the can. I don’t know what’s changed. Maybe the new wireless keyboard my amazing wife got me for Christmas came with inspiration built in. Regardless, I hope to give the five or so people who read this blog some entertainment over the next several months.</p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-47381080007961037372012-10-08T16:05:00.001-07:002012-10-08T16:05:53.653-07:00What I’m Using<p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:be7aca1e-5fa9-490f-86e3-d73cbacae925" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/music" rel="tag">music</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/songza" rel="tag">songza</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/apps" rel="tag">apps</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/websites" rel="tag">websites</a></div><img src="http://static.allmyapps.com/data/apps/4/7/4772/8c3cb62d511bc073b324075fb199eb86_songza_default.png" width="526" height="312"></p> <p>I just thought I’d write a post on a web service and app that I’ve been using quite a bit lately. Songza is a music service that Jen introduced me to about a month ago. I started with the app on my phone, but have been using the web service at Songza.com more lately.</p> <p>Songza is a streaming service that doesn’t let you pick individual songs, instead it lets you pick from playlists that have been “handmade by an expert team of music critics, DJs, musicians, and musicologists.” There seem to be hundreds of playlists encompassing almost every genre and most sub-genres within those. Songza is an excellent way to discover new music that you may never have been exposed to otherwise. Playlists are mostly organized by genre or mood. For example, right now I am listening to Harvest Moon, which is described as the “perfect soundtrack of warm, acoustic songs handpicked for enjoying crisp autumn air, fall foliage, and hot apple cider.” It is as advertised.</p> <p>The most interesting feature of this service is the Music Concierge button. If you click on this button, you are asked if you want to find the perfect music for the time of day it is (e.g., Monday Afternoon) or you can choose your own day and time. When you press go, you are presented with several options to choose from.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-65tM0vi09eE/UHNcNBYJVHI/AAAAAAAAAvg/Y3NFhD_gEH8/s1600-h/image%25255B7%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-bfBB_k6sMl0/UHNcOOwbjiI/AAAAAAAAAvo/rvbekVJldrQ/image_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="534" height="320"></a></p> <p>When you pick what type of activity you want your music for you will get a further option of several genre/mood options to fit your choice.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nCLPWasVHMY/UHNcPukPSNI/AAAAAAAAAvw/TUtLq0xVqVY/s1600-h/image%25255B11%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xx0tyqtfPVI/UHNcRF470yI/AAAAAAAAAv4/2hJIFaej_2g/image_thumb%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="538" height="322"></a></p> <p>Choose again and you get a list of three playlists to choose from. If none of these appeal to you, you can go back a screen and try another option.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-BoIhQXhpFOI/UHNcSi-Ah6I/AAAAAAAAAwA/aqrGSkObHR8/s1600-h/image%25255B15%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dghqZG6DHPQ/UHNcThjJoNI/AAAAAAAAAwI/_hVxbKOTzgE/image_thumb%25255B7%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="536" height="321"></a></p> <p>Of course, you can just browse the lists of playlists that are most popular or all of them. I have been pretty pleased with the music I have been listening to via Songza. I find that I use this service more than I listen to my own music taking up GB of space on my hard drive.</p> <p>I do have questions as to how this service will be monetized. Will they eventually charge a monthly fee like Rdio, or will users be subjected to commercials? It will be interesting to see. Personally, I would probably pay a fee for this service. For those of you who know me, I’m pretty frugal, so this is a ringing endorsement.</p> <p>Finally, I also use the CBC Music Service, but I find that more useful if I already know exactly what I want to listen too. I feel much more adventurous on Songza.</p> <p>I hope you’ll go give it a try.</p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-2281807509217320982012-09-26T20:16:00.000-07:002012-09-26T20:16:00.175-07:00The Zealots Come Out<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-CtOWSjgqKkU/UGEiYXi3DpI/AAAAAAAAAvA/LJVk88_gnU0/s1600-h/apple%252520fanatics%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="apple fanatics" border="0" alt="apple fanatics" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-UamwLE0nsJw/UGEiY7c6h9I/AAAAAAAAAvI/CLs9nB_3EUI/apple%252520fanatics_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="471" height="370"></a></p> <p>The iPhone 5 was released to the public this past week. Have we become desensitized to the crowds of barely sane fanboys camping out and begging Apple to take their money. It doesn’t matter whether the product is off the charts or a small improvement over the last iteration.</p> <p>The iPhone 5 looks like, well all the other iPhones, just stretched a bit. I’ve been reading a lot about how Apple isn’t innovative anymore, only cautiously making small improvements over previous versions of a product. I read a very interesting article on the problem of being Number 1 in the Globe and Mail. You can check it out <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/apple-at-the-summit-the-trouble-with-being-no-1/article4546745/?page=all" target="_blank">here</a>. The long and short is that Apple had nothing to lose before, but now it has to think about stockholders and protecting its’ market share. Very interesting stuff.</p> <p>Contrary to popular belief, I don’t hate Apple. I do find the Apple phenomenon a very interesting psychological study in fanaticism and mob like behaviour though. I can’t remember a company making products that sell for so much money and having so many people be so eager to buy them sight unseen simply because of who makes it. The other part of the puzzle is people buying expensive goods because other people they know have one. “Why did you choose an iPhone?” “Because that’s what everyone is using.” Fascinating stuff.</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:ba9f5a09-2bd5-4842-9181-ca1628a1c76d" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/apple" rel="tag">apple</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/fanatics" rel="tag">fanatics</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/iPhone+5" rel="tag">iPhone 5</a></div> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-60878595945139093712012-09-24T20:02:00.001-07:002012-09-24T20:02:30.104-07:00The Weekend I Never Wanted To End<p>We have had some of the best Fall weather I can remember this hear. The past week or so, we’ve had consistent daytime highs in the mid to high 20’s. I can’t believe I’ve been able to wear shorts and a t-shirt everyday when usually I’m choosing which sweater and jacket combo to wear. This is the first year I’ve lived up here that we haven’t had snow by the middle of the month.</p> <p>The long and short is that I’ve been spending some time outside and I’ve taken quite a few pictures. Jen and I went for a walk on the Fish Creek Community Trail on Sunday and I took some photos. I can’t wait until we can add smells to pictures. If these photos had the smell of dried leaves that was in the air, you’d know exactly what I’m talking about.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-eMFa-0cJpug3r2w8JWtJo_WgDUZ46nmk_PztLHxenQNRjunE8-NAk2s0KM6Doq6VbB-MOGcxyiOrW4oop8w0Ikr5poRGzGUR_eGVYqp4oohxY3nMmuzN5O8-73KH93uik3onDf69QOI/s1600-h/DSC_0759%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0759" border="0" alt="DSC_0759" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix38-LgQftjyF_HdFDn2aimPD2thdpPVK8PUuk8s363o9lShOkM6kNDjPUi6yM4lWt5JkxXW9NaTmcGe5noWcCjVNGnw3a6ZB_iCuNzRl79SdxudSPQRCKOQag-gE1tZayb_me0zTPOVs/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="163"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2CXMe-s0Zv8N2Zkan01DW5uFr8qtnSecyiP5CODx1jauZGu132ZuJ_sOh9tdglQUprxD3j7mEdafebYNvXKZF65bOl5NS6mTvoKQq82NOplRYNslRoO6pUeYm7utU-RMwqqKEzayXCc/s1600-h/DSC_0762%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0762" border="0" alt="DSC_0762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrizygHG9l0Wb03V8N9XAgpevMzjGWt1ygPeejzi7Yba9g4Kkru6HC5RsB4EF7wtY7b1O1OzVbPH6qRHFxnPzva8V-xUTj2m_NSlY9ROxy-tP4PgGm-YfwWL-q5FEbICuyWj4KmB6f-E/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="163"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3tcqSUWvymVXEIhOaJzJwIr3NHOZovDCCTzyW9WR3S5DK7VMTcE3lOcUGHt4owaSwVX7Cvb2D4bFszonRryObN-KoUjCfMbfTC02WwmyVNKkNFTgY2LmJEA6WfRgs5Lmr9b2v7kg-Gk/s1600-h/DSC_0766%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0766" border="0" alt="DSC_0766" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXWQRt4d2U8xmZ6U7XgW60aCQvbh3QzFV_rtvUF5VJios5c0ffFUqO_NJIBiDUdfC_Ftal6Jn7w9I5QVAo2ykLDudT1H-Kalk8GjgJp1piFIbmBYoIH_hhBUMEqrNmWBA6jepMtlNUoY/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="163"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjLleypJfdH0nYoWgYTyKi4hE-5mZ1Lqdy776ewneKBASBOkAH-J9xgvUbTrs9Fy6QTBXKrO9UkaU0nwOpnTwEqlsPCcVQrTRzLlLvJPjB_DcZQn6Ke1fMyUjYhyQ1GMUMZjpk31U5gQ/s1600-h/DSC_0771%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0771" border="0" alt="DSC_0771" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrH7qndbZMxv_zif7p_BXK8TEECYx8VDumy6nK8nyem0vW-zpFOPsukBXBcWWE6KSDkRTVoY1DGhei7nozR0XOUsKRcTw0oCcH5_YLcEnjcme7BHVqc-gn-0oAzx6o7czKgMmBWNFNhU/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="163"></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZ5CHeNWCuPkGXbrE-FLlttxGYI-uC9_Bm0Vkb-dNPul40FrdSFbrsMOt4Pd288ZQeUHriQ2zGhtp2W_n2M8jSbi0qAHlcoSfh5UuiSW5yhnqnBUkhAOMiNO1wfH6KCB4aLEqIJrIEJs/s1600-h/DSC_0753%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0753" border="0" alt="DSC_0753" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenxtHxuwGWYlvhcFvIabPxXrTuI2qYLjp_8Wyu_XHKJh64qwM2fLLi8USW7VMMiLUxmSk84BADERrij2K72aqggK0rMYh9n-R3BJgjJ0FaB1_lW7XO0NQ9OOoueW9YjcRn5wDi0ow7XE/?imgmax=800" width="163" height="244"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GQArpdhIyxiTTTrVoItxxEV0t_JND36BcEIqVbWfq_b-i9cYEF93rFGhwmSyMf1IYXMRv4OOkgOjj0Ox6OyaS0HyGII3R7KO94mOT3bPN1WdjEqs7APPrLjsEU3Uh7vxs6Yn8GWZmmc/s1600-h/DSC_0755%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0755" border="0" alt="DSC_0755" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtvo9OIE883O15VdjAixH7knRRwif2QcOurSAftC766ZasEdEwtRJY1UPgfEqcHIk3vTF8QDku1rRg379FHZO3UuxDpiD5NVuPiBVwI8sH09t3hexxKS4CmnsLgw9IOCFWnzYODp3HLI/?imgmax=800" width="163" height="244"></a></p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-16014643618201910212012-09-09T13:53:00.001-07:002012-09-09T13:53:39.518-07:00The Hunger Game<p><font face="Verdana">I've been on the Weight Watchers (WW) program for just over a week.  I joined because Jen was on the program and I thought it would make it easier if we were both on the same page.  Its tough to not eat certain foods when the person beside you is chowing down.  Second, I put on a bit of weight over the summer and could use to lose the chub.  Besides, my Mother-in-law has had tremendous success on the program.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">I thought that WW would be a breeze.  I mean, their advertisements say how you can eat all of your favourite foods and have a wonderful life.  They lie.  Don't get me wrong.  If you love eating carrots and celery and your favourite drink is water, you can eat yourself retarded.  However, if you like...well, real food, then not so much.  The way the program works is that you get a certain number of points for food each day.  Everything but fruits, vegetables and water has a points cost.  Your goal is to end the day without going over your points limit.  You do get a pool of points to be used throughout the week on splurges or when you want to feel full some day.  You can also earn more points by exercising.</font></p> <p><img src="http://www.funnypicture.in/funnypicture/3425_ima_hungry.jpg" /></p> <p><font face="Verdana">What I have learned during my first week on WW:</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">1.  WW hates anything with a carb in it.  I spend a quarter of  my daily points on<em> oatmeal</em> (not the instant kind) and a glass of <em>skim milk</em> in the morning.  Forget having a piece of toast.  That's just crazy talk.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">2.  You must like chicken.  Any other kind of meat will send you over the deep end.  I used almost half of my daily points on a pork chop the other day. Come on! I have to exercise for two hours to eat a pork chop?  No more of those in my life.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">3.  It doesn't matter how many carrots, apples or celery sticks y<img style="display: inline; float: right" align="right" src="http://healthkwest.guestengine.com/petraschumann/files/2012/02/feed-me-754690.jpg" width="240" height="240" />ou eat, they don't keep you full.  If somebody tells you different, kick them in the shins and stuff some broccoli in their gaping pie hole.  I am generally hungry every hour.  I mean hungry.  Like I will start gnawing on the bark of a nearby tree kind of hunger.  </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">4.  I am a miserable S.O.B. when I'm hungry all of the time.  Sorry Jen.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">In short, I'm on the third world diet.  I'm stuck eating roots and berries and water with no bread to be found.  I don't want to eat the family goat because I'll starve the rest of the week.  I can't believe that I'm paying to give up the first world diet that my ancestors worked so hard to let me enjoy.</font></p> <p> </p> <h4><font face="Verdana">Flatutastic</font></h4> <p><font face="Verdana">An inte<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7WinURirIn8/UE0Bz10TS5I/AAAAAAAAAs4/tSBM0qKUr3g/s1600-h/1087278-fart_large%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="1087278-fart_large" border="0" alt="1087278-fart_large" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zWGeih8Pkzw/UE0B0S8LUzI/AAAAAAAAAtA/oTEry0129V4/1087278-fart_large_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="180" height="244" /></a>resting side effect of my WW experience is that I am eating ridiculous amounts of fruits and vegetables.  As you may or may not know, these are very high in fibre.  This has made me more gassy than the <em>Hindenburg</em>.  I sound like a bloody motor boat walking around the house.  I may actually feel sorry for my little darlings at school this year.  You know, I'm not above blaming the little ones for dropped bombs in the classroom if someone smells it.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">I'll try and give periodic reports on my standing in the Hunger Game.  So far, I'm losing badly and someone is likely to pick me off in my weakened condition.</font></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:b11ec90c-71a2-48e5-93b6-afccd4415504" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Weight+Watchers" rel="tag">Weight Watchers</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/hunger" rel="tag">hunger</a></div> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-39515438493676804862012-09-07T22:54:00.000-07:002012-09-07T22:58:09.716-07:00First Day Follies<p><font size="2" face="Gisha"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IyyiKlcOFW0/UErebdJWGXI/AAAAAAAAAsg/tn6V2Je8ijM/s1600-h/I__m_Frazzled_by_SpizzPopp78%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="I__m_Frazzled_by_SpizzPopp78" border="0" alt="I__m_Frazzled_by_SpizzPopp78" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zgIQpO_vmKw/UErebwKwRtI/AAAAAAAAAso/9NqDh6HRCao/I__m_Frazzled_by_SpizzPopp78_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="180" height="240" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Gisha">I found out yesterday that I was going to be teaching a straight Grade 1 class this year.  To say the least, this class is…challenging.  However, I went in with an optimistic attitude and gave them aa clean slate.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Gisha">The little darlings were golden up to recess. I thought that I had hit the jackpot and all the little cherubs had grown up over the summer.  I was very abruptly made aware of my mistake after recess. One little fellow who comes from an environment where structure is in short supply started flopping and rolling around on the carpet.  After repeated warnings he acted up further.  I put on my serious teacher face and asked him if he would like to remain with his friends in the classroom.  Children <em>always</em> answer yes because they don’t like to be singled out.  This little fella just smiled, SMILED and said “No”.  Damn!  What was I supposed to do?  I couldn’t be thwarted by a six year old on the  first day of class.  I quickly turned it around and told him “Too bad.  Sit still and be quiet!”</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Gisha">Then, just before lunch I heard a wailing from the far side of the classroom.  I walk over to see two students standing beside the pencil sharpener.  The little girl  is sobbing like her dog died and the little boy (the same one from the last paragraph) is looking pretty unconcerned.  I asked what happened and the little girl said “He hurt my hand with the pencil sharpener!”  Seriously?  In five years of teaching, I’ve never had anyone hurt by the pencil sharpener.  I looked at the boy and he explains that he said sorry like that should resolve the whole matter.  Upon further questioning it seems that the girl had stuck her finger into the pencil sharpener and the little boy decided he’d give it a few cranks to see what would happen.  I had to give them both what for.  One for the bone head move of sticking her finger in a pencil sharpener and the other for trying to sharpen her finger.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Gisha">The afternoon was much calmer.  I only had to make a couple of kids sit out of gym for being little turds.  </font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Gisha">I told Jen that she had better take a good look at my hair, because its going to be a lot greyer by the end of this year.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Gisha">Thank God its Friday!  <img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://thebsreport.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/tgif12.gif?w=500" width="335" height="350" /></font></p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-32603482533930778092012-09-03T11:21:00.001-07:002012-09-03T11:21:57.217-07:00Pretty Amazing<p> </p> <p>I just thought I’d pass this video on.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:f5cb04c1-cfcc-4c56-93d1-e606c38be5e9" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="43f87227-e25c-47a3-a942-66977d5e1707" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPdx33zAbnI&feature=youtube_gdata_player" target="_new"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-aCXz5v2lu0E/UET1RCpxJgI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/XN9juILnxtw/video2a5a97006c25%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('43f87227-e25c-47a3-a942-66977d5e1707'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"252\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/fPdx33zAbnI?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/fPdx33zAbnI?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"252\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div></p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-51934874566062250532012-09-03T07:49:00.001-07:002012-09-03T07:49:27.224-07:00The End is Nigh<p>I’m sitting on the couch this morning savouring the last day of summer vacation.  The past few years at this time, I’ve been trying to soak up the end of summer because the past couple of months had been…well, less than satisfying.  Last year I worked all summer.  The year before that we had moved into the house and I had a load of stuff to fix (and Jen had been fallen on by a horse).</p> <p>I sit here this year savouring summer because it has been SO DAMN GOOD!  We accomplished a lot on the house.  We have painted the kitchen and installed new light fixtures.  We had an amazing trip down to Vancouver Island where we saw lots of friends, saw lots of new places and had heaps of good times.  Finally, we did a mini-reno on the basement.  We painted, put in new carpet and bought new furniture.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUM_cZXiaGI-tnyPWHU-wbUiTw8ECRHa51oUb6hCwat7kd7nRF-rFDkcc9DGDA92a6kvMY8-muhK3duEZGphgIZPiduBNoc_cX86Qt9SZfQNHXjv_YuqqLDoqOMiThSV_QADwn0I1KsRU/s1600-h/2012-07-11%25252012.01.46-1%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="2012-07-11 12.01.46-1" border="0" alt="2012-07-11 12.01.46-1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKiv0bXX-b19g4-mLNYafFBHLr9QYJZvC7iNcG_pUNMAnaX9IfkRpOpeQgtLXInatCv1Xwg7KNJm5qE9S6_0HgF1YzHmUXmTUcXFnaDGRhJURhR25QFCEcQ856FL-3DBSOsXGnkBRw5s/?imgmax=800" width="467" height="114" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HtLKrE7NB5fMLNYWO0MW0JbG9OrA_31xcHZcsdUBSvPh1Wp1UKV_FcNiMUtRtqfeF4gjNAMOGPVsbRRXFEpQ99qSP8omRP8K4cxGWHsrAV-Fkko7dKQWskH_RHCOxn-c4CE-FzBKwPo/s1600-h/2012-09-03%25252007.45.53%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="2012-09-03 07.45.53" border="0" alt="2012-09-03 07.45.53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtlYVRtgtigj838W4V0UFkEM1awf6kw1SHfFwoomihlLqcyTrJwpxJsiVCyvY4iK0XLeWkVPRFedpXvNHWE2L0iEwU4wU4BaR_ycIxAOxY8J5ArOnfXhyphenhyphenI6wWciuBmbXB_J2hZXfcKBs/?imgmax=800" width="474" height="116" /></a></p> <p>So, I’m satisfied with my summer and ready to go back to work.  Let’s face it, two and a half months is a long time to go without a paycheck and I look forward to contributing to society again.</p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-60158381028852121222012-08-26T16:55:00.001-07:002012-08-26T16:55:34.346-07:00My New Best Friend<p>I received an email from Jen the other day directing me to a Microsoft product called Windows Live Writer.  She said she had read about it on a blog and it might help me out with my blogging.  The name sounded familiar, so I looked on my computer and sure enough I had already downloaded it as part of the Windows Live suite of programs.  I had just never looked into what it was.</p> <p>After using Live Writer I don’t think I can ever go back.  Live Writer displays your blog theme and lets you write your post into your blog, so you will know what it looks like prior to publishing.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-04FSpXgm1XE/UDq3b1nLQrI/AAAAAAAAArQ/fN9-JsjnJw0/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PLGkYhsEGbs/UDq3dIxtWrI/AAAAAAAAArY/OBEYqJlTQdA/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="422" height="269" /></a></p> <p>There are lots of options for adding pictures and video that allow you more flexibility and functionality than the regular Blogger interface (which is what I use).  Using Live Writer is kind of like using Word to write your blog posts.</p> <p>Live Writer also supports several blogging platforms.  This feature is going to help me out a lot with my classroom blog.  My classroom blog is in Wordpress, which while having lots of features is a pain in my behind to learn each time I want to do something new.  Now I can just post from Live Writer and save myself time and effort.</p> <p>If anyone knows of an equivalent for Mac, I’d love to hear about it, because I’m feeling sorry for Jen.  She’s stuck in Apple world and can’t use Windows Live Writer for obvious reasons. </p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-39777330706940424282012-08-25T19:26:00.001-07:002012-08-25T19:26:01.130-07:00On Safari<p>I received a text last night from my friend Bryce, asking me if I wanted to go hunting the next morning.  I don’t own a gun and really don’t find the idea of killing critters to fit my definition of “fun”.  So, it may seem strange that he offered at all.  Well, a while back I had mentioned that it might be fun to go hunting with him, so I could take some pictures while we walked.  I wasn’t really that worried about having to witness the death of an animal because Bryce does not spend too much money on bullets, if you catch my drift.</p> <p>When I talked to Bryce later that evening, I asked him what time we would be leaving.  He mentioned that the best time to go hunting was at dawn.   I quickly looked up what time the sun rose and was appalled to find it was at 5:52 am.  We would be heading to a spot about 45 minutes away.  That would mean there would be a 3 in the time we had to get up.I breathed a giant sigh of relief when Bryce told me that he thought that sunrise was too early.</p> <p>I didn’t have too many good things to say about my <em>friend</em> Bryce at 5:30 in the morning when the alarm went off.  After I had kickstarted my brain and had some breakfast I was in a more charitable mood.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpJhzkE9OTvFgIqwMQq5B5zmutLCH7IONppeq5Oxlj714AiRah19aKbiPkMhxh_WZVFilbdGSayAz0c0aYWbKeCpg0SNShFgw0Uh7MUuab6wU6S9y97YYmrfxyYG2nfFQ1dUjp8-GjJU/s1600-h/DSC_0187%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0187" border="0" alt="DSC_0187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQn9c0RmTAvrNUsSqkKCumKIDtFJxFAYms18zJGf6qejJkvcRhnE0S_0SZjOGVylF0D2REQo58VO_1weUqmFG4c20TTiZMIiPKEsn5AsJkHwO4j7OS8g3Fq70mzdR0sIv2j5ccT_oDDOo/?imgmax=800" width="392" height="471" /></a>To get to the hunting spot, we drove several kilometers down dirt roads used to service the multitude of oil and gas wells in the area.  When we arrived we walked along a “path” cut out of the forest to a little beaver pond.  There weren’t any moose, but we did see lots of their tracks.  It had rained the night before and was very misty in the morning, so by the time we got back to the truck I was soaked from toes to ass. If I decide to go out again, waterproof gear is a must.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFSvY70xhLNwtpky8hN-R4nwlILxvjdBJIcgZyHhkIg2B2NolV8WvCUYXBlUV7KCK32f6uduzlwzY8tQBaB7t-5xIW0qzYojzeaWH0QUQooVf1f4ghz4qm1vWc-5lIBd8C1BIzyDBEYw/s1600-h/DSC_0192%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0192" border="0" alt="DSC_0192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JB4kUwru-qFqUWfaeS3bQv1r9a3vv_W4YQ4a6iq50rJL2EFoueQkmbdRvVJeE1MyNc9OMWKBeHKlIMmM5HdlvTJQvYervXBPstwD-JFd0vfT9pXI_Z7IZYD0xGoOj1UEjjGOs2GSGTw/?imgmax=800" width="316" height="347" /></a></p> <p>This is where I got a pretty big shock.  We proceeded to drive all over the countryside via these service roads looking for moose hanging out in cleared out areas.  Bryce informed me that this is how people hunt up here.  If I doubted him, the proof was provided by a couple of good ol’ boys cruising by in their truck with a rifle sitting up behind their headrests.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Rm7Ql-PgqDo/UDmJIPDBkpI/AAAAAAAAAqY/PatIg8fdII0/s1600-h/DSC_0191%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0191" border="0" alt="DSC_0191" align="right" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-qTwZeBJpeEs/UDmJIv1r7SI/AAAAAAAAAqg/1w6GuZmwMOk/DSC_0191_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="159" height="194" /></a></p> <p>We didn’t see much that was alive beyond a couple of hawks that were very upset we were there and some various small birds.  The drive was nice.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaXbpAlJBEy5_BqnhS4rTAh0BscrpLAvim-oLi3bMTAbR-xuNscAMMXdyces5DxDi9-XK3RdPohSsgpkBSJGnvxFjttNZldLBp0ihgVCRv7UfE4j-EyIlKZ-nQlUgaou0dLszLmYfLA4/s1600-h/DSC_0193%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0193" border="0" alt="DSC_0193" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32YRy4HaEwxcKlRlOa9v5-tH3L6OzGkU_YRn_T9bAXK2VTWWsP-xA9h-Rv82EptjwwTltZ7C2wda7nqN5qQ0BpVMC-89Q380ZXmmWWsGUivUCqN8ho8ZBRGKFYUyWBzXGbUe_mZzb9cw/?imgmax=800" width="179" height="222" /></a></p> <p>Here’s what I learned about hunting.  It’s not as boring as fishing.  At least you get to move around (sometimes).  You get to talk way more than I thought you would.  You get to see some parts of the countryside you don’t normally see.  Your feet don’t really get too tired before you are cruising in the truck again (wet is a different story).  Finally, if you don’t appreciate nature you shouldn’t go out because you’ll be pissed when you don’t get to shoot anything (with a gun or a camera).</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dOOzGl6-n5k/UDmJNP_5kiI/AAAAAAAAAq4/9cIifKp7SXk/s1600-h/DSC_0206%25255B17%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0206" border="0" alt="DSC_0206" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TgWSXeXM7W8/UDmJN8oXCaI/AAAAAAAAArA/mMwpYQZy2hI/DSC_0206_thumb%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="447" height="524" /></a></p> Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-88232406382491287792012-07-29T21:07:00.001-07:002012-07-29T21:07:33.739-07:00Seymour NarrowsA few days ago, my Father-in-law Chuck told us about Ripple Rock. Ripple Rock was situated in the middle of Seymour Narrows just north of Campbell River. This rock created terrible currents and whirlpools that would wreck many a ship. The decision was made in the 1950's to get rid of it. The solution was to tunnel under the water and place explosives within the rock. Around 1400 lbs of explosives were packed into and under the rock. When they pulled the trigger, what resulted was the largest non-nuclear explosion to date. The rock was gone and shipping was safe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihB9nwXeyke_RG1NOt4x21gO0PFzCmbTCKdC7k_iVDNxo-Vhc2LHO2E-t1Ob5MpqqImsXf0Uj65EzNIDO23y6TZHV9uR0a3UqaVDU8JE1OQ2-Qg2sFaPSxVicJvOpPOJTPlNAg2QP5SP4/s1600/DSC_0759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihB9nwXeyke_RG1NOt4x21gO0PFzCmbTCKdC7k_iVDNxo-Vhc2LHO2E-t1Ob5MpqqImsXf0Uj65EzNIDO23y6TZHV9uR0a3UqaVDU8JE1OQ2-Qg2sFaPSxVicJvOpPOJTPlNAg2QP5SP4/s320/DSC_0759.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white;">Chuck thought it would be a good idea to go and hike the trail out to the narrows. I went to the tourism centre and got a map and asked where the trail was. The young lady told me the hike was about 3 hours long. The map said the trail was 4km each way. The math sounded good to me.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">What we were not told was that the trail was of moderate difficulty. There were some significant elevation changes and some scrambles as well. While this would not be terrible news for most people, my mother-in-law has two artificial knees and climbing can be a bit of an adventure for her. We realised the way things were going early on in our hike, but Diane decided to press on. She made it both ways with only light to moderate complaining.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The forest was incredible. You could almost image dinosaurs roaming amongst the ferns and giant moss covered trees. The endpoint was pretty worth it as well. We made it out onto the narrows at low tide and we could see the whirlpools and eddies around where the remaining rock lurked under the water. There is also a very strong current in the narrows. We witnessed a sail boat get caught in an eddie, get turned part way around and start going the wrong direction by the current before he got it under control.</span><br />
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One last point. I had decided to take Diane's tripod up with us so that we could take a family photo at the top to prove we made it. I quickly realized that the damn tripod was heavy. This was no travel friendly model that I was toting up the hills. As a result, I forced all of my fellow hikers to pose for photos at the end of the trail. There was no way I had lugged that God forsaken chunk of iron over 4km to not use it. I am now of the firm opinion that I will be saving up for a small carbon fibre tripod, no matter how long it takes me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tripod=win</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The long walk back.</td></tr>
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<br />Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-31886436040424746982012-07-28T16:28:00.001-07:002012-07-28T16:28:22.119-07:00Nature Is Icky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSp11pjZEveQvm4LbAoptGwbw1ExlMU-Phu2vGe_uRGoZE3xisY-G7nJiTAYVk850NSchKfI1rCkMo9gUBu-TeqvjzF8FtgbhfpCEV_dkqSTQXGtPk7kBVxsvVXb-AMGlihPiJXUlQPok/s1600/DSC_0658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSp11pjZEveQvm4LbAoptGwbw1ExlMU-Phu2vGe_uRGoZE3xisY-G7nJiTAYVk850NSchKfI1rCkMo9gUBu-TeqvjzF8FtgbhfpCEV_dkqSTQXGtPk7kBVxsvVXb-AMGlihPiJXUlQPok/s320/DSC_0658.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv64LTB07Wb6HuA-WiDx8wHdw_M3UWlwXVfReqweqZhGbqwOol78aOqExLW2CNVdU1dtCwm8kAZQbW9_d8kmcdEWqFuYkTzkOW_gSZ4tSb8DlRPO5xCioa47AxnXc7w8LW7mQ-Dh4M7hY/s1600/DSC_0671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv64LTB07Wb6HuA-WiDx8wHdw_M3UWlwXVfReqweqZhGbqwOol78aOqExLW2CNVdU1dtCwm8kAZQbW9_d8kmcdEWqFuYkTzkOW_gSZ4tSb8DlRPO5xCioa47AxnXc7w8LW7mQ-Dh4M7hY/s320/DSC_0671.JPG" width="320" /></a>We decided to go for a little nature walk through the Seal Bay forest. It was a fantastic easy hike through old mossy trees with the ground covered in ferns. You really had to keep your eyes on the trail however because you couldn't walk more than 10 feet without crossing paths with a giant slug. These slugs were HUGE. I'm used to slugs that look like little snails without a shell. The slugs on the coast look like giant slimy pieces of licorice. The slugs come in two flavours. There is the Black Slug which is black (shocker) and the Banana Slug, which is even bigger and yellow with black spots. These things littered the trails. Some were slowly making their way across and quite a few had started the trek, but got squished by bike tires or people's shoes. The latter were giant piles of slime and guts. There were many close calls of almost having to find a tree trunk to scrape the goo off the bottom of my shoe.<br />
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We decided to take the big loop around the forest. At first the trail was marked very clearly. However, we got to a point where the trail came out on a major road and just sort of ended. The map had us walking along the busy road for quite a ways before rejoining the loop. In all of our wisdom we decided to take a shortcut. We took another trail that was supposed to link up with our main loop a little further along. The trails were not so well marked along a our shortcut. Long story short, our one hour hike took more than twice that long and we were late for dinner (which we were supposed to make).<br />
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Here's some pictures I took along the way.<br />
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<br />Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-24144157881199396432012-07-22T11:24:00.004-07:002012-07-22T11:24:56.544-07:00The RoadAfter busting our humps for a week in the kitchen repainting, replacing light fixtures and all that entails in an older house, we hopped in the car to drive 1400km down to Vancouver Island. We had a deadline to make it for my Mother-in-law's 60th birthday party. Jen had planned it from FSJ and we booted down here so she could cook up a storm for the BBQ.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDKUePkmUiYJVgD5nUQ6kgJ1PKzwEsNZ_qR-Fv0myAlx3GCyA-Sx_tUEOqyo3Urp6enciG4oKyp1I0cVdsd-CS-XBhyphenhyphenuQT-chYuxMragP1veNZui-rRSFyYOpka1wzGS-W4I_jNx_u5Q/s1600/2012-07-19+14.46.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDKUePkmUiYJVgD5nUQ6kgJ1PKzwEsNZ_qR-Fv0myAlx3GCyA-Sx_tUEOqyo3Urp6enciG4oKyp1I0cVdsd-CS-XBhyphenhyphenuQT-chYuxMragP1veNZui-rRSFyYOpka1wzGS-W4I_jNx_u5Q/s320/2012-07-19+14.46.58.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Essential road trip snacks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slurpees make a hot drive easier to do.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the ferry at Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our ferry.</td></tr>
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The road trip was actually quite uneventful. We drove for 13 hours the first day and made it most of the way down to the coast. We caught the ferry over the next day and had a little more relaxing day. We were up late that night visiting with Jen's parents and then up early the next day to do last minute shopping for the party and Jen had to start cooking. We had a southern bbq with brisket, pulled pork, chicken wings, baked beans and potato salad. Jen's mom had a great time and so did all of the guests.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFC1o5erc9FCCZkvhcwA8v4-MfTzbtH84dEtZdFq1XDOz5Jzwofg4ZRCA-6hCgTGeTPc0WLUd1pmgAORfzat2l-iE2UJ6jchyphenhyphenn9_TQcCcpqSnpXxlV7kzLhlELqw6oOZmWktWoXu-b8iI/s1600/2012-07-21+18.35.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFC1o5erc9FCCZkvhcwA8v4-MfTzbtH84dEtZdFq1XDOz5Jzwofg4ZRCA-6hCgTGeTPc0WLUd1pmgAORfzat2l-iE2UJ6jchyphenhyphenn9_TQcCcpqSnpXxlV7kzLhlELqw6oOZmWktWoXu-b8iI/s320/2012-07-21+18.35.39.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The perfect combination</td></tr>
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Jen and I are extremely tired now and it's cloudy and cool outside. We are hoping to have a day of rest and do a whole lot of nothing.Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0Cumberland, BC, Canada49.6205556 -125.026111149.5999816 -125.0655931 49.641129600000006 -124.98662909999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250961349868511770.post-41196192720474877762012-07-08T11:38:00.000-07:002012-07-08T11:38:10.072-07:00Canada DayI took my camera out to the annual Canada Parade last weekend. This year's incarnation of the parade was a distinct improvement on previous parades I've seen in the John. Most parades up here involve a load of big rigs with little to no decoration rolling down the street. This year we had some actual floats. Maybe there is hope yet.<br />
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<br />Chris Nowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15438107685536936697noreply@blogger.com0