FUNGINEER

It's been a while

2010-03-08T15:32:00.003-05:00

Folks. If you are still checking here from time to time wondering what I'm up to, I apologize for the absence.

My blogging duties have been neglected. I have, however, found a new voice. I am guest posting at www.awesomeinternetsite.com every Friday. Check it out. It is awesome.

Ride For Africycle 3.0 Teaser

2009-03-10T09:53:00.001-04:00

Ride For Africycle 3.0

2009-01-28T13:14:00.002-05:00

We met with the guys from Africycle this past weekend, to debrief on last years ride, and to put the planning for this years ride into motion. We also received the final tally for last year's ride:

$12,600

Thanks so much for helping out with it. If you're interested in joining this years ride, we'll have 'Rider information packages' available soon.

If you're interested in sponsoring me for this year's ride, click here.

Our plan for this year is to ride around Lake Ontario again, but in the opposite direction this time. We'll be staring in Peterborough, and heading through the GTA on the first couple of days, instead of finishing with that like last year. We're also adding a rest day in the middle, to relax at a State Park on the south shore of the lake. Our last day will be killer, climbing home from Brighton to Peterborough in nice mid-July temperatures.

I can't wait.

Good Riddance

2009-01-17T15:32:00.000-05:00

Gaza

2009-01-08T15:24:00.002-05:00

This is my oversimplified response to Palestine/Israel. I don't know the detailed history of struggle and conflict in this part of the world. People killing people. People mistreating people. Escalating attacks. Ceasefires. Broken promises. Missiles, bombs, walls, fences, border crossings, rocks thrown, words exchanged, love and hatred.

I try to follow Christ, and belong to the Christian religion. Yet I have a hard time practising some of the things that Christ preached. Things like loving my enemies, regardless of who they are. They may be enemies of thought, of ideology, of political persuasion, or they may cheer for the Leafs.

I try to follow Christ, and live a life of grace, reflecting the grace that he has shown me. Yet, I'm often quick to condemn, to blame, to point out fault. However, I'm not in a place to throw stones of judgement, as I myself am not without my faults.

I find myself with more questions than answers most days.

Canada 5 : Germany 1

2008-12-31T11:09:00.003-05:00

My brother got us some very decent seats for Monday night's game. I took this with my point and shoot camera. My SLR was confiscated by security (I got it back at the end of the night). Apparently cameras with removable lenses are not permitted. Neither are video recording devices. I recorded some video with my other camera out of protest. I suspect a large percentage of those in attendance had video recorders (aka modern cell phones) in their pockets...
Anyway, we won the game, by a substantial margin. Hopefully the trend continues.

2008-12-18T10:54:00.004-05:00

I don't remember where I got this picture. I was cleaning up my computer and found it.

I'm not fully decided when it comes to government support for the auto industry. There are certainly tonnes of jobs connected to the industry in Ontario. If the 'Detroit 3' get support from the USA government, we are basically forced to up here as well. If we don't, we fear that they'll shut down the Canadian plants. Still, does the industry deserve a penny of government support? I say no. It is their fault that they are in the position that they are. The executives who run the companies have taken them in certain directions, which at the time may have looked good. As it turns out, they made some serious errors of judgement. As a result, they shouldn't be getting bonuses, or multi-million dollar salaries. They should be changing their tune, or shown the door. Then there is the unions. Sure, they're not responsible for the design of the product that is being sold, but they have some responsibility as well, having constantly sought more and more compensation and benefits. I'm all for fair wages, but there is no way that a line worker should be making more per hour than a skilled tradesman, a professional engineer, a nurse, a Youth Pastor, or whoever. They should make enough to support their family, which is certainly more than minimum wage, but $30 per hour, with awesome pensions?? Come on.

In our capitalist economy, should these companies not be left to fend for themselves, and find their own way? Trim some fat, eliminate a few lines of cars/trucks/SUV's, and focus on fewer and better product lines. The government, for the most part, cannot determine the size of the auto market. What I mean is that people will continue buying cars based on their economic position and their needs/wants. Whether GM survives or not doesn't change that. (Although there are some brand loyalists who will never buy anything other than a GM product). So, if GM or Ford close their doors, it just means that Chrysler, or Honda, or Toyota, or VW, or .... will gain a few new customers. Supply and demand. Am I stating the obvious, or oversimplifying?

2008-12-18T09:34:00.002-05:00

Boston.com has a really great page up right now, "The year 2008 in photographs." You must click on that link.

Update: Part 2 is now available. Look for Part 3 shortly.

More Politics

2008-12-04T13:06:00.000-05:00

So, Parliament is shut down until Jan 26th. I'm not 100% convinced this was the best course of action, but I don't think Harper had any other choice but to request it of the Governor General.

Is it even possible for some sort of compromise in this whole affair? There is so much emotion, so much division, so much partisanship, so much stubbornness. What will it take to break the ice? I think one of the leaders, preferably the PM, needs to show a bit of humility and instigate some sort of discussion with the others to set a direction that will be good for Canada.

Is 7 weeks long enough to select a new Liberal leader? If so, I suspect Dion and his national webcam broadcasts are done. Things don't look good for Layton either. Even Harper looks like he's on his way out. Will there be a full changing of the guard? Will that even change anything?

Lots of questions.

Canadian Politics

2008-12-02T09:04:00.001-05:00

I love Quebec. It's a beautiful province that I've visited many
times. My favourite hockey team's home is in this province. I'm
quite glad that they have not separated from the rest of Canada, and
hope that we remain united indefinitely.

I do, however, have a problem with the Canadian political system,
particularly how it relates to the Bloc Quebecois. Over the past
weekend, and announced yesterday afternoon, the NDP and the Liberals
will be forming a coalition, with the support of the Bloc, to attempt
to wrestle power away from the Conservatives. I will reserve comment
on that, for now. My primary comment is more of a question.

If this coalition somehow unseats the government, and takes over
power, the Bloc will hold the balance of power. The Liberals and the
NDP say they are doing this for the good of the country. How is
handing the balance of power to a separatist party for the good of
Canada? All that Gilles Duceppe talks about is 'the good of Quebec'.
He's more of a provincial premier than the leader of a federal party.
It makes no sense to me.

2008-11-28T12:48:00.001-05:00

2008-11-25T10:55:00.001-05:00

This is awesome.

Fake - but awesome.

2008-11-24T10:52:00.003-05:00

These guys are not the Jonas Brothers. These guys actually have talent.

The best part is the bass player, wearing a Pokemon shirt, while playing some serious metal.

Bigg Ass Fans

2008-11-21T14:12:00.004-05:00

Sometimes I don't feel like I've quite grown up yet. For example, yesterday at work we had a lunch and learn, where a guy representing Ductsox, fabric ductwork, came in to give us a lesson on his product. (We had take-out swiss chalet delivered). At one point in his presentation he was talking about stratification, and the requirement for the system to be able to 'throw' air from the duct at a high level down to the floor below. Then he said this, and I paraphrase, "sometimes you just need a big-ass fan in order to get the air down from the ceiling.

I looked over at Brent, for a quick second, to see his reaction. I knew that 'Big-Ass Fans' is actually the name of a compnay that makes big-ass ceiling fans, but I was pretty sure he didn't know that so I wanted to gauge his reaction. Consequently, I intently focused on the screen and the speaker for the next few minutes, to avoid bursting out in laughter.

"huh, huh - He said Big-Ass, Huh huh". Yah, I'm a 30 year old professional.

2008-11-11T16:14:00.002-05:00

2008-11-10T14:45:00.003-05:00

As I've commented on previously, when I'm sitting at my computer, I tend to notice things going on in the parking lot outside my office, or at the water store next door. Fun things like a partially finished billboard that reads "You can't make water", on it's way to "You can't make spring water by filtering tap water at home."
On the ground floor, below my office, is the office of a family counsellor. There was just a couple in to see him, that I recognized as having been here several times before. They always arrived in separate vehicles. Today, however, they arrived in one vehicle. I'd like to think that that's a good sign, that there is progress.
To top it off, the guy actually went and opened the passenger door for his wife before going around to his side of the vehicle.

Post Election Analysis

2008-11-06T08:30:00.003-05:00

I've read a few brief post-election analysis pieces on various blogs and newspapers.

From this post, a look at where Republican support actually increased in this election, compared with where Democrat support increased. They are two telling graphics.

Similarily, from the Calgary Grit, an entry on the persistent divide of the nation. It's still split right down the middle, almost 50/50. But, when you look at somewhere like Alabama:

"This election confirms the persistence of considerable racial divisions.

Look at exit poll numbers from Alabama (it was similar across the south).

White voters 88-10 for McCain
Black voters 98-2 for Obama"

Either way, only 70+ days left of Bush. Let the countdown begin.

Obama Wins

2008-11-04T23:58:00.001-05:00

For those of you who have chosen to use this blog as your source of
news, Barack Obama has been declared the president-elect of the USA.

This restores a bit of my faith in the USA.

Indecision 2008

2008-11-03T15:21:00.005-05:00

From thecoolhunter.net, a rather interesting ad. Photoshop was definitely in play. Barack turns into a white nerd, and no comment on McCain.

Tomorrow is Nov.4.2008, the day of the vote. At this point it's Obama's election. If he doesn't win, something extremely odd will have happened. I wonder if that would finally get people off their couches for a Nov.5th protest. That's Guy Fawkes day after all, which we celebrated early by watching V for Vendetta last night, before the RPBC indident. Good flick.

For those interested in watching the results come in tomorrow night, I'll be having some people over. Give me a shout if you want to come and I'll fill you in on the details.

The $100 Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

2008-11-03T13:40:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine is convinced that The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
company has a special recipe that they reserve for their special batch
of Halloween Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. He is convinced that RPBC's
taste better at this festive time of year, as a result. Further, he
thinks it's part of their genius marketing to put out a superior
product once per year, to get people hooked and coming back for more.
But, like the junkies we all are, we don't get the same high that we
did that cold October night, and so we keep coming back, searching for
a new score.

He's so confident that he has put a $100 wager on it.

Is this not the most asinine thing you've heard involving Halloween?
There should be a snopes page on it.

Politics

2008-10-31T09:47:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I was talking with a coworker while driving to a job
site. He's a Christian. I'm a Christian. We started talking about
politics, specifically the upcoming American election. I've been
following it quite closely - whereas, he has not. That's fine, as
neither of us will be voting in it, due to us being Canadians.

With regards to Gov Palin, he said this: "I heard she's a strong Christian."
I responded with: "Yah, but that doesn't necessarily make her a good
politician."

Is that a fair statement? I certainly think so.

Donate Blood

2008-10-29T18:03:00.001-04:00

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081029.wblood1029/BNStory/National/home

Hey, go donate some blood. I know people who's lives have been saved because someone else decided to give blood.

It's really easy to do. I've donated around 25 or 27 times, and believe me the worst part is when they prick your finger right at the start to test for iron or whatever.

The best part is the free food afterwards. Sometimes they have ice cream.

Canada Day Capture the Flag 2009 - Part of the Best Summer of 2009 Series

2008-10-28T13:49:00.001-04:00

I got this in my email late last night:

Boys,

In efforts to create the best summer ever (2009 that is), it has been bestowed upon me to organize the best capture the flag game ever. This will be a Canada Day City-wide Capture the Flag game with the river as the dividing line. Please see the attached picture to see the boundaries. It will basically be the Red team (determined by red T-shirts) against the Green team (wearing green shirts). July 1st is on a Wednesday in 2009, so weddings, weekend camping trips, and work in general can be avoided. What I want to hear back from you is whether or not you are interested, and what colour t-shirt you would like to wear. Dave Breukelaar and I will be the team leaders and as you enlist, you will be added to a team. Our hopes is that this is the most intense, larger than life, super competitive, game of capture-the-flag that you have ever experienced. Please reply to this email and express your interest. Also, please invite your friends and have them email me. As teams grow, meetings can be hosted to develop different strategies. To learn more about the Best Summer of 2009 Series, please visit the VanDerHerberg home and see among other things, a visit to the distillery district, a canoe trip from Lakefield to Peterborough, and others.

Done.

Michael

2008-10-27T15:12:00.003-04:00

Get your tin-foils hats out, it's election time in the states next week. There's already reports of electronic voting machines not working properly.

I really appreciate our simple, east to use ballots, here in Canada. Mark an 'x' in a circle, and you're done. Simple as that. Easy to count. No hanging chads, which could accidentally result in the election of a moron from Texas becoming President. It's hard to make a mistake with paper and pencil. There are generally no conspiracy theories attached.

YOU'RE INVITED! COFFEE HOUSE FOR PARTNERS IN THE HORN

2008-10-23T16:11:00.001-04:00

I was asked by a friend of mine to help out with selling some tickets to this fundraiser:

You're invited to a fun evening with 100% of the ticket and silent auction proceeds going directly to Ethiopia. In particular, the funds will establish a group home for poor rural young women with academic promise to access post-secondary education opportunities. Many of them have come through Partner In The Horn of Africa's other programs for HIV orphans and school supports for elementary and high school students. The project needs $10,000 for the first year. For more information about Partners, visit their website www.partnersinthehorn.org

Coffee originated in Ethiopia and in that spirit we'll be hosting a Coffee House, with fair-trade Ethiopian coffee donated and served by Black Honey, along with cafe sweets from several local coffee houses. The large silent auction will include items not available anywhere else (e.g. a bird watching outing with Drew Monkman, a sailing afternoon on the Bay of Quinte, an evening of billiards with a competitive pool player, a professional fireworks display), along with lots of quality items donated by local merchants (e.g. Dinner for Two at Parkhill on Hunter, a Sony MP3 player from Future Shop, gift certificates from Moondance and Body Bliss). You'll be able to get a great start on your Christmas shopping list, with all of the proceeds going to those in overwhelming need.

For entertainment, Sarah Loucks, a local singer/songwriter who plays acoustic guitar, will be performing, along with a team of African drummers, and the Ethiopian coffee ceremony will be demonstrated. Also, John Baigent, who founded Partners after retiring from a successful legal career, will be on hand to share about Partners' exceptional approach.

Doors open at 7:30pm. The event takes place at the Gordon Best Theatre on Hunter Street West. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. They are available from myself, or at Black Honey Cafe by Tuesday.

If you aren't able to attend, please consider making a donation to Partners to support this project -- donations can be done by credit card and are eligible for a tax receipt.

Please invite your family and friends to join you and pass the invitation onto others who may be interested.

Thanks for your support!

High Voltage Fail

2008-10-21T16:19:00.000-04:00

I saw this in a building recently that I was reviewing. Yah, it's a garden hose, hung over a door with a sign 'Danger High Voltage'.

Snow

2008-10-21T10:52:00.001-04:00

It's snowing. Big fat fluffy snowflakes.

what's it called when you get a song stuck in your head???

2008-10-21T10:12:00.002-04:00

I've had 'Oh Canada!' stuck in my head this morning while working. Now you will too.

I'm not complaining. Just stating the facts. I like our anthem a lot, especially when compared to the other offerings out there on the world stage.

One of the coolest anthem experiences lately was while watching the home opener of the Leafs, before they got thumped by the Habs. (Go Habs Go!). Instead of having someone sing into a mic, the organist just played the first couple of bars, and the whole arena sang the anthem themselves. It was inspiring. I nearly got up off my couch to sing along.

Minor Changes

2008-10-15T09:09:00.002-04:00

I hosted a small election party last night. My final predictions were off by 35 seats overall. Not bad, but not good. It didn't help that I wrote my Block and NDP predictions in the wrong spots. They're basically the same party anyway, right?

I'm glad we have another minority government. I'm also glad that Dion took a beating and probably won't last too much longer as the leader of the liberals. I'm glad that Harper seems to be a bit more willing to put the partisan politics to the side and work for Canada. I hope this is true. I'm dismayed that the Bloc still has an overwhelming presence in Quebec, and therefore a large presence in the House. I'm also confused at Elizabeth May's decision to run against Peter MacKay in Central Nova. Could she have found a more difficult opponent?

It is my hope that this minority government actually works. It disgusts and disappoints me to see the bickering and party politics that goes on in the House. It seems rare that the parties are actually working for Canada. They tend to have their parties interests first and foremost, and are unwilling to support an idea from another party regardless of how good it may be for the country.

We face some uncertain times as a nation. The world economy is rattled. Yet, we are still one of the wealthiest nations on the planet. How will we use this wealth? Will we look after the poor in our midst? Will we look after the poor in the world? Or will we continue to allow the rich to get richer, at the expense of the poor.

One last thing. Did you vote? If so, great. If not, why not? Yesterday's election had the lowest voter turnout ever, from what I've read in the papers this morning. Your vote matters.

On Drugs

2008-10-14T10:54:00.003-04:00

Drugs, I tell you. Drugs. The source of the recent stock troubles has finally been revealed.

Fall Camping

2008-10-08T09:50:00.003-04:00

I went camping with my parents, my sister, and her boyfriend, this past weekend. We went to Silent Lake Provincial Park, just north of Apsley. While it was quite cold most of the weekend, we certainly enjoyed ourselves, hiking around parts of the lake, canoeing to other parts of the lake, sitting around a warm camp fire, eating good food.

As is expected, I brought my camera along. I shot a hundred or so pictures. These are some of my favorites:

A leaf, lying in a small stream on the beach.

A 3 minute walk from our campsite, just before Sunset.

Burleigh Falls

Another Leaf in Water

World's Fastest Cyclist Hits 82.3 MPH

2008-09-26T12:41:00.002-04:00

That's 132.4 km/hr. On a human powered bicycle. On a flat road. No hill. It's not your normal bicycle of course, but still - that's fast.

The fastest that I've recorded myself on my bike is 73.5 km/hr, downhill. That was last Saturday. I can only imagine going another 60 km/hr faster. Crazy.

Palin for VP and like such as

2008-09-25T15:59:00.005-04:00

Watch this clip from an interview that was conducted yesterday by Katie Couric of CBS with Sarah Palin.

Wow! Uh, something about health care, taxation... let me look at my notes for some more talking points... what was the question???

What a trainwreck. It reminded me of a clip from this clip of a another former beauty queen...

Only one of them is running for VP. They seem equally qualified though.

I've been waiting for the right opportunity to write this post since the second I heard that she had been selected as McCain's running mate. I didn't think I'd get such a perfect opportunity so soon. Just imagine if they let her talk to the media more. I don't think the interwebosphere would be able to handle the explosion of viral video's that would result every time sat down with a reporter.

UPDATE: Jack Cafferty speaks his mind on the above interview. It's refreshing to see a journalist actually say it like it is.

...worth repeating

2008-09-23T21:45:00.002-04:00

We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself."

-- The 2008 Republican Party Platform, adopted earlier this month

While not understanding everything going on with the $700 billion bailout down in the US, I do have some opinions. First, in a country that puts capitalism higher than probably any other country in the world, this corporate welfare seems a bit off. When there are companies involved in this bailout that over the course of the last few years have given billions of dollars to executives in benefits, I have no sympathy for them. I would just as soon see them suffer the fate of their capitalist ways and fold. Go bankrupt.

Unfortunately, the impact of that is huge. It's so huge that it looks like they will get their handout, and carry on making their millions. Wall Street will continue to get rich at the expense of Main Street.

I would love to see the executives be required to hand back their bonuses and outrageous salaries before they get any tax payer funded bailouts. I would prefer to see their assets confiscated, and have them tried for fraud or some other corporate crime. But that won't ever happen.

Mad Monday

2008-09-15T09:38:00.003-04:00

Today is going to be a mad day in the stock markets, particularly in the states.

The hurricane of financial instability has been brewing for some time and it seems to be coming ashore.

2008-09-04T15:37:00.004-04:00

I stated this week to Blondel that my life has many contrasts to it. The example I used was the following:
"I'm hopped up on Caffeine, listening to Dragon Force, writing a boring report for the MOE."
Speed arcade metal and caffeine. The Ministry of the Environment. These should not be mixed. Although, they do balance each other out well.
Another example is happening presently. I'm about to write about the environmental practice of a corporation, resulting in dead vegetation, while listening to the new Metallica album "Death Magnetic", which I have obtained through less than proper means a solid 9 days before it's official release. I think that goes further than contrast. It is hypocritical. I justify it by saying I'm previewing it. If I like it, I'll buy it when it's released. If not, I'll delete it and get on with my life.

Anyway, I just took these two pictures behind my office building:Not too long ago, as in a few days ago, the grass next to the tracks was a luscious green, like the stuff 3 feet from the tracks. Now it's brown and dead. There is no photoshopping going on here. It's real. Same goes for the weeds and grown across the road. It wasn't cut down. I looks like it was chemically burned down. Does CP do this everywhere? If so, what do they spray? Just curious.
Cuz, I'd like to get some of it, and write some messages in a field somewhere, which will be visible from space...

Update - I emailed CP, and asked them about it. This was their quick and thorough response:

Mr. [Fungineer]:

By way of this e-mail I am going to ask my colleague out of Montreal to respond to some of the specifics in your inquiry. She is more familiar with the treatment that was carried out in the Peterborough area and the herbicide(s) that were used.

To quickly answer some of your general questions / comments:

Yes, appropriate environmental precautions are taken during the herbicide application process. All of our weed spray trucks are equipped with shrouded booms to minimize the potential for drift and spraying in windy conditions is not permitted (see attached photos). As is clearly evident in your photos the weed treatment has been confined to a narrow band on and immediately adjacent to our tracks. Our contract applicators are all provincially certified and must adhere to provincial regulations governing industrial herbicide applications. All herbicides that we use are extensively tested before being federally approved for use by the PMRA division of Health Canada and have a low acute toxicity to mammals and aquatic organisms.

At CP we control vegetation / weeds growing in the track ballast (rock section underlying the track) for a variety of safety reasons. Most notably, excessive weed growth in the ballast section can impeded drainage which can lead to track instability issues such as mud pumping. We also have a variety of hi-tech instrumentation to inspect track geometry and other conditions that rely on a clear line of sight. Visual track inspections, by trained inspectors, are also required by Transport Canada at least once per week. Excessive weed growth can obscure track defects creating challenging conditions for the aforementioned automated and visual safety inspections. In areas where railcar inspection or switching is required, areas immediately adjacent to tracks also need to be kept weed free in order to reduce the potential for slipping and tripping hazards, particularly for nighttime operations.

D... S....
Manager, Vegetation Program
Safety & Environmental Services
Canadian Pacific
Office: (250) 612-0324

Wordle

2008-08-28T14:45:00.001-04:00

This is the Fungineer, in Wordle.

It Might Get Loud

2008-08-28T13:14:00.003-04:00

"The electric guitar has dominated popular music for the last half century. Anyone who has ever plugged into an amp understands its power. So does the average stadium crowd. But if you have too much exposure to amateurs, you might forget the incredible range of expression that the creation pioneered by Les Paul can achieve in the hands of masters.

Director Davis Guggenheim, well-known for his Academy Award-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, deepens our appreciation for going electric by bringing together three virtuosos from different generations: Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, The Edge of U2 and Jack White of The White Stripes. It Might Get Loud weaves together their stories to reveal how each of them developed a unique sound."

This excites me. I want to watch it.

2008-08-28T11:57:00.002-04:00

Apparently I need to update my blog more often. I was told today that my blog sucks. For that, I apologize. The offender has been dealt with.

Biketour 3.0 is in discussion mode. A figure 8, involving Lakes Erie and Ontario was put on the table for discussion. Erie is likely not going to make the cut. We will likely be repeating Lake Ontario, in reverse. It can be done in just over a week. The two lakes would require a couple of weeks, minimum.

My bike is in rough shape, still, from biketour. I've cleaned it, taken apart the bottom bracket, re-lubed it, put on a new chain, and it still sounds like I just road three weeks of cyclecross through the Sahara. I've got an old Peugot bike in my basement that I'm in the process of stripping down and converting into a single speed city bike. Fixed gear is trendy, and I might still go there, but I'm trying to not spend money on this project, so a new hub is out of the question, at this point.

Ahh bikes. It seems this blog has taken on a new theme of late. Deal with it.

2008-07-30T08:55:00.002-04:00

New video on Vimeo...

This is Day 5 of our ride, leaving Golden Hill St. Park, heading towards Niagara Falls. This was shot at a 1 second time lapse, so it's a bit smoother. For example, when the riders ahead of me moon the camera it lasts for a couple of frames, not just one.

We were in good spirits during this part of the ride. The film ends when we stopped for ice cream. The previous day was our longest day, at 169km, and this was to be a shorter day. We still ran into some challenges though, like rain, getting separated in the rain (the lead two turned, the lagging 5 went straight), trying to figure out where to cross the border, trying to find a bicycle shop that was still in business. Ultimately, we succeeded. It was such a lift being on home soil again. I think it had something to do with the sun shining on us as well. The day ended with a fast descent down the Niagara Escarpment, and a quick left hand turn past a grumpy pickup truck driving anti-cyclist, into camp. It wasn't the best place we stayed all trip, but we made the most of it. Instead of showering (they cost $1 per 5 minutes) we 'swam' in the giant football field sized wading pool. We built a campfire with some wood that we 'found' on our campsite. Stories. Lots of em.

Back Home

2008-07-27T15:57:00.003-04:00

After 9 days, and a little over 1000km’s, we rode our bicycles into Peterborough late yesterday afternoon, around 5:30 PM. Our final day consisted once again of lots of rain, shelter from the thunder storms, blueberry pie, coffee, and two additional riders, a Rotarian, and Tedd Webb, founder of Africycle.

To complete our trip around Lake Ontario, we stopped for lunch in Port Hope at the park that we set out from a little over a week ago. I must admit, the reality of what we had just accomplished didn’t really hit me there. I was more focussed on getting food, and fueling up for the climb back to Peterborough that we still had to accomplish. After lunch we set out on the long climb home, enduring yet another thunderstorm along the way. The sun eventually came out, as it always does, and provided a warm welcome back home.

All told, the only luggage that we never had to unpack from the van was the first aid kit. We had a few close calls along the way, a bunch of flats (17?), some minor bike repairs, but nothing more than a scrape or bruise. Thanks for your prayers for safety.

It was an awesome trip that I’m sure we all would do again in a heartbeat. It felt weird to wake up this morning in my own bed and not suit up in spandex and go riding down unfamiliar roads. I look forward to the next adventure.

Biketour

2008-07-24T22:35:00.003-04:00

I'm sitting in Hamilton, at the Freeway Cafe, clean, showered, well fed and satisfied. We've completed 7 of 9 days of the tour so far, and the longest most difficult days are behind us. It's been a great ride so far, with each day being defined by something new. Michael has written a good summary on www.rideforafricycle.com, so check that out.
I got my first flat tire on Day 5, the big day. We were riding on hwy 104 (I think), which is a highway along the south shore of the Lake, west of Rochester. Picture the 401 with no traffic (one car whizzing by every few minutes). It was surreal. Anyway, I ran over something which caused a slow leak in my front tire. We quickly replaced the tube and were on our way, a few kilometers left in our 169km day.
There's a new video uploaded to our Africycle Vimeo page, so check that out. The original file is 165MB, so we had to degrade the video quality to upload it. It still gives a pretty good idea of a typical ride. It's of the first part of our Day 4 ride, from Selkirk Shores to Sodus Point. I eventually had to put the camera away due to rain. It has rained a lot on tour, which is fine. It's been dry setting up camp each night and taking down each morning, which has been great. I'd rather have the rain while riding, not at camp. This morning though the rain was a bit too much. See the summary on the ride for africycle site...

More to follow. Two days left. Tomorrow, from Hamilton to Whitby, and then the last day from Whitby to Port Hope continuing on to Peterborough.

I'll see you at the Silver Bean Cafe at 7PM on Saturday night.

2008-07-17T16:03:00.002-04:00

So, we leave tomorrow morning at 9 AM, from Port Hope. We have a press conference set up for 8AM, with the mayor of Port Hope and the mayor of Peterborough in attendance. I'm just anxious to get on my bike and go.
I've never done a trip like this before. I'm not sure what to expect.
It looks like we'll probably get rained on a couple of times in the first few days, but that's ok.
I doubt I'll be posting anything here until I get back. However, we may be updating www.rideforafricycle.com along the way.
This is going to be a blast.

2008-07-17T08:31:00.005-04:00

A few months ago I decided I wanted to somehow mount a camera to my bicycle, and record some of our trip, either in video, or stills. After doing some digging on the internet, I found a really affordable, cheap design, which makes use of an old bicycle tube, a pipe clamp, a screw, and some washers. It's quite simple. I built it last night, and did a quick 5 minute trip around the block to test it out. Here's how it looked:

This was shot at one image every second, at 640x480 resolution. Blogger doesn't quite allow it to be viewed like that. I think for a longer ride (5 hours, not 5 minutes), I'll set it for a shot every two seconds. I'm quite please with the final product. There were some pretty serious bumps on the side roads that I took around the block. The smooth parts, like along Charlotte street should be typical of most roads on our trip.

Update: Try this, for a High Res version.

4 more sleeps

2008-07-14T19:12:00.003-04:00

I just finished the last of my training rides. It's amazing how much training actually works. We climbed a decent sized hill (from Cavan to Ida, for those familiar with the area), and it actually didn't really faze me too much. I was breathing a bit heavy at the top, but had lots left in the tank. I remember climbing that hill a couple of months ago. The first half wasn't too bad, but towards the summit of the climb, every pedal stroke was near agony. My muscles ached. My lungs burned. My heart felt like it was about to explode.
I've done somewhere between 1200 and 1300 km in training, and I'm just itching to get going on the real trip. It's been so much fun preparing. I didn't think I'd enjoy riding as much as I do. It's one of the dominating thoughts in my day these days - riding and biketour.
I'm nearly my personal sponsorship goal ($2500), which is also awesome. To those who have sponsored me and the ride, thanks so much for your generosity! For those who still want to, you can do that in one of three ways: 1 - online at www.rideforafricycle.com (and follow the links. put my name in the memo as well, if you don't mind), 2 - a cheque made out to Africycle, or 3 - cold hard cash.
As always, Africyle is a registered Canadian charity, and tax receipts will be issued accordingly.

1100

2008-07-02T15:27:00.004-04:00

1100KM.

I surpassed the 1100 km mark yesterday on a Canada Day ride - a 54km loop through Cavan, Millbrook, and Wallace Point Road. The entire ride from Millbrook to Peterborough, all I could think about was the awesome Poutine that I would enjoy at the Hippy Chippy Chip Truck upon my return to Peterborough. Sadly, they had just run out of cheese curds, so I had to settle for one large order of Poutine, hold the cheese.

I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that it has taken me around 8 weeks to ride a distance that I'll soon be covering in 9 days. Mixed. That's how I feel.

Dave, Michael and I had breakfast this morning with the Northumberland Rotary Club, preaching the good news of Africycle. They received us warmly and enthusiastically. One of their members may be joining us along part of the first leg of our ride, and raising money as well. There was talk by the local members there of hosting a bike collection drive, which would be fantastic.

I finally have a fundraising form of my own, so if you want to sponsor us on this trip, you can contact me and I'll write you in. As always, you can donate through the website.

Flooding

2008-06-18T11:16:00.001-04:00

Check out these pictures of the flooding in Iowa. Crazy. I'm glad I live on a hill.

750 KM

2008-06-06T13:29:00.003-04:00

I've been keeping an unofficial log of my training for Ride for Africycle 2.0. I'm up to nearly 750km already, which is pretty cool. It's been very enjoyable so far; well, for the most part. Biking from Port Hope back to Peterborough, in a near constant ascent, with a steady headwind was not 100% enjoyable. It was rewarding to finish though.

Sponsors are welcome for the ride. You can sponsor by the kilometer, or an amount for the full 9 day, 1000km trip. Let me know if you can help.

Away From Here

2008-06-06T13:23:00.003-04:00

David Blondel, one of my fellow Ride For Africylce 2.0 riders, and original Ride For Africycle 1.0 rider, will be taking a short break from our training schedule, to do some work. He'll be on set for the filming of a movie called Away From Here, and blogging about it all. Check it out, now and often.

2008-06-05T13:33:00.001-04:00

My favorite song from 'in rainbows' just got better.

OSAP

2008-06-03T09:52:00.003-04:00

Dear OSAP,

We're done. I have to end it. I can't have you around anymore. It's not you, it's me.

I know, I know... We had good times together. You were there for me when I needed you most. But, if I'm honest with myself, and with you, I've moved on. I just don't feel anything for you anymore. I'm actually a bit relieved to be saying this, but I'm quite confident that as we part ways I'll never have to see you again.

Thanks for the memories. I don't owe you anything.

D.

[As of June 1/2008, my student loan has been paid off. One more step towards being debt free. Now all I have to do is tackle my mortgage and a few more months of car payments!]

2008-06-02T11:24:00.002-04:00

Things that I dig, lately, in no specific order:

Cycling, soccer, Lucero, BBQ, Jesus, beer, Stanley Cup Playoff Hockey, Against Me!, Frisbee Fridays, Pints at the Pub, Taking pictures, Summer, Lost, my Home Brewery, and occasionally reading a good book (and The Good Book).

Lake Ontario

2008-05-26T10:36:00.005-04:00

I had my first view of Lake Ontario from my bike this past weekend. Three of us went for a bit of a longer ride on Saturday, from Peterborough to Port Hope and back. About 10km from the lake, we crested a ridge near Perrytown on Highway 10, where there is quite a view. We stopped at little parish/cemetery to a take in the view. It's quite the ride between Millbrook and Port Hope. There's big hills, which also means there is big views. The return trip felt like one continual climb, which coupled with a sustained headwind made for a rough go. We pretty much all checked out by the time we finished the last big climb and did our best to coast home. For my first 100km day, I'm pretty happy with the way it went. The only soreness today is the sunburn.
[Update: The 100km day, or 1000km trip around the lake is nothing compared to these.]

What's that Smell??

2008-05-13T13:35:00.002-04:00

I do not envy roofers. Especially the ones who install the flat roofs with tar. The roof of the building next to our office is being replaced. The smell is horrid. I can only imagine what it's like to actually work up there, all day long, breathing in the chemicals. There's actually guys with buckets and mops, like in the Shawshank Redemption, spreading the tar on the roof.

2008-05-12T16:06:00.002-04:00

Jordon blogs about "The Church in the Age of Scarcity". This is must read material.

Please read and discuss with me next time you see me.

Good People

2008-04-23T09:25:00.002-04:00

I lost my cellphone on Saturday night, without realizing it. I think it fell out of my pocket as I was getting out of the car, in front of my house.
My parents got a call from a guy named Paul on Sunday morning, to let them know that he had found the cell phone. (they're listed in my contacts as 'Mom and Dad')
Well, he gave them his address, and they stopped by on Sunday morning to pick it up. However, his apartment had been evacuated and there were fire trucks up and down the street. The row of townhouses next to his house had burned down, and he was nowhere to be found. I tracked him down at the hotel that they had been relocated to, and finally contacted him yesterday, and he returned my phone. I expressed my thanks, and told him that I'm glad an honest person found it. Decent people still exist. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Rocky Ridge

2008-04-17T12:54:00.002-04:00

The wall next to my desk at work is basically a large window, which looks out over our parking lot, and our neighbors parking lot. Our neighbors are Rocky Ridge Drinking Water Limited. All day long people come and go, filling up their 18L and 11L bottles with spring water, distilled water, reverse osmosis water. From time to time something amusing happens in the parking lot. Several times a day someone attempts to carry more than is manageable, and they tend to drop one or several empty bottles on the pavement. It's a very distinct sound. I've only ever seen one person drop a full bottle. They just stood there watching the water flow to the drain in the middle of the parking lot, with a look of disappointment on their face.

In the winter, on an icy day, I watched an old man fall, in what seemed like slow motion. I felt so helpless, sitting here in my office. I could yell and warn him of the icy patch. I could help him across it. I couldn't tell him to sit in his car while I get the water for him. A fellow customer helped him to his feet, brought him in the store and sat him down on a chair while the staff looked after him. He walked out to his car on his own later, and seemed ok. My grandfather recently broke his leg falling in a parking lot, and that was the first thing I thought of when I saw him fall. It was horrible to watch.

This morning, in the midst of my stress at work, I looked out to see a guy, about my age, carrying his jug of water back to his car. He had his daughter with him. She must have been about 3 or 4 years old. She was happy, carefree, dressed in pink, with a princess dress. It looked like she was holding a toy wand, with sparklers on it. She was twirling around, dancing, and it looked like she was singing a song. It brought a smile to my face. I felt my stress dissipate as I reflected on life and specifically the life of that child. She's content with her toy wand, imagining she's a princess, spending time with her dad. It allowed me to take a step back from my work, and realize that though the deadlines loom, and the work needs to be done, and I've got responsibilities, life is to be enjoyed, and lived.

Thanks Rocky Ridge.

2008-04-12T16:38:00.004-04:00

This summer's 'Ride for Africycle 2.0' just became a bit more of a reality for me. I picked up this bike, a Cannondale CAAD8, today from Wildrock. They're being very good to the members of Ride for Africycle 2.0 , hooking us up with tune-ups and other good stuff. Support your local Outfitter.

I plan on going for my first ride tomorrow. I'll be switching to clipless pedals, and getting some other gear soon as well. Apparently I need to get some spandex. Awesome.

MLK

2008-04-04T10:39:00.002-04:00

From the album 'The Unforgettable Fire"

Sleep
Sleep tonight
And may your dreams
Be realized
If the thunder cloud
Passes rain
So let it rain
Rain down on me
Mmm...mmm...mmm...
So let it be
Mmm...mmm...mmm...
So let it be
Sleep
Sleep tonight
And may your dreams
Be realized
If the thundercloud
Passes rain
So let it rain
Let it rain
Rain on me

2008-04-02T16:59:00.002-04:00

It's April already. Time flies.

So do penguins. That was my favorite April Fools joke on the interweb yesterday. Flying Penguins. It was well done.

Happy Birthday Karen

2008-03-17T14:18:00.001-04:00

My sister, Karen, turns 23 today. That's what she'll tell you if she asks. I won't tell you otherwise.

It's not 23 though.

This is a picture of me and her, at her graduation a couple of years ago. She wants to own and operate a bed and breakfast someday. I think she'd be good at it. I think she should be a gardener too. She's a part time artist, probably the best one in the room at the time the picture was taken. Definitely in the top 3 on the street when we were walking to the car after lunch.

(that bit there was an inside joke that I hope you got, Karen)

We've had our disputes over time. I've picked on her more than I should, and more than she could bare, at times. But, that's what big brothers are for. But, I still love her a tonne, and celebrate another year of having a younger sister.

The Crew

2008-03-17T14:15:00.000-04:00

This is the crew.

Ride for Africycle 2.0

2008-03-11T14:43:00.004-04:00

Last year, David Blondel and Jordan Vander Klok road from Peterborough to Bloomfield to raise funds for Africycle.

This year, with two new riding mates, the route has been extended. Starting in Port Hope, and ending in Port Hope, we will ride around Lake Ontario. There will be 3 ferry trips, several campsite visits, several floors at friends houses slept on, several sights seen, several muscles ached, several goals achieved, several bonds of friendship tested and strengthened, and several dollars raised.

More details will be available soon. Check out the site.

Update: For more on Africycle, click here.

Clinton

2008-03-06T12:45:00.002-05:00

What follows is purely my opinion, as is basically everything else on this blog, which is fine, since it's mine.

I really don't want the Republicans to win the next election in the states. The last 7 years with Bush have been terrible. He has wasted lives and dollars fighting an unjust war. He has rewarded the richest of his subjects with tax cuts, financed by those who make less, and the generations that follow. The American federal debt is closing in on 10 trillion dollars. Incredible.

I'm not an American, so should this really matter to me? Not directly, but indirectly it does. The policies and economy that he has presided over seem to be steering the USA into a massive recession. Some are even using the 'd' word, in their warnings. Depression. This affects me as a neighbor, and it affects the world overall. The blame doesn't lie 100% on Mr. Bush, but I can assure you that if everything was peaches and roses, he'd be the first to take credit. So, if it's not all corn on the cob and apple pie, will he take credit as well?

I say all this as a prelude to this comment. I want the democrats to win the next election. I would prefer if the Democrat to win would be Barack Obama. Things were looking very good for him until this past Tuesday. He's still in the lead, and by basically the same margin over Hillary, however, it just prolongs the decision. The republicans already have their candidate, John McCain. This means they can start 'rallying the troops', raising funds, forming strategy. It gives them a bit of a headstart - which they need.

I had really hoped that things would go in Barack's favor this week, that he would win handily in Ohio and Texas, and that Hillary would be forced to withdraw from the race. I read today that she needs to win 60% of the remaining delegates in order to win. I doubt that is possible. But, who knows, stranger things have happened.

It's kinda like the Leafs. Everyone knows they're not going to make the playoffs, but they hang around just long enough to do no one any good. They're out of the good draft picks, and out of the playoffs... Again. Mind you, I'm not a Leafs fan, so it's comical to watch.

sick

2008-03-04T15:14:00.002-05:00

I'm not feeling well. It hit me yesterday morning at about 3:30 AM. Tight throat, headache, coughing, sneezing, the aches in every joint. I went to work yesterday morning, and went home at noon for lunch. I didn't make it back. I put on a really slow movie (Letters from Iwo Jima) and fell asleep. Today is a bit better, but my nose is dripping like a broken faucet. It's raw from the kleenex. I should invest in the special variety that moisturizes as you wipe. I think the guy in the cubicle beside me is getting a little annoyed at my near constant nose blowing. It's payback. He's a loud talker. When he's on the phone, I can barely concentrate on my work.

I realized an hour ago that I haven't had a coffee in two days, and that might be the source of my headaches. So, I walked across the road to Tim's, for some fresh air, and a coffee. I feel a bit better. The caffeine headache seems to have dissipated. I love coffee. Even the stuff they serve at Tim Horton's.

2008-02-29T08:36:00.002-05:00

My mom's dad, if he was still alive, would have turned 100 today. Feb 29, 2008. It's hard to believe. He died in 1996, and his funeral was on Feb 29th as well. He lived 88 long years on this earth. He wrote his memoirs out, which one of my uncles translated from Dutch. He closes with this:

"All I can say is that I am richly blessed in my old age with children and grand children who do not mind to drop in on their old grandfather and so remember the 5th commandment: "Honor your father and your mother. so that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God will give you".

I am now coming to the end of my story, I have titled this story with the words of Proverbs 30 verse 8: "Give me neither poverty, nor riches, but give me only my daily bread", I have found this to be sufficient in life and want to pass on these words of wisdom to my children and grand children. Fear God for that is the beginning of wisdom, seek first His Kingdom and its righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you, because your Father in heaven knows what you need. I hope, that even though I am far from a professional writer, this writing will give each one of you some idea of what two people, like pake Jelle and beppe Wieke have experienced during their 80 odd years on this earth. As my final word I want to wish each one of you God's richest blessings through your faith in Him all through your life.

November 27, 1990"

Good news for Peterborough

2008-02-27T14:17:00.004-05:00

I wrote our local MP a letter a couple of months ago. I think it was the first time I had ever done so. I wrote it after reading an article in the local paper which discussed the possible extension of the 407 ETR to the 115. Buried in the article was a small mention of passenger rail service to Peterborough. This service was canceled 20 years ago. I wrote to our MP, Del Mastro, to let him know that I would prefer to have our passenger rail link restored, rather than money invested in extending the 407. The reasons are these:

Passenger rail systems in North America need to be improved, having been neglected for too long. Travel by car has been too easy and too affordable until now to make rail a viable option. Those days are limited.
Peak Oil. We will soon (or have already) reach peak global oil production. Everything related to oil will cost more in the coming years. That doesn't leave out much in today's world. Travel by rail is a much more efficient method compared to cars, per passenger mile.
Peterborough's economic future. If the above is true, and Peterborough hopes to be a viable city to live in for the future, we need to be connected great Montreal-Toronto corridor by more than roads. Our factories and plants need to be able to send and receive without relying on Transport Trucks. A large portion of our population commutes to the GTA (including Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa). As the cost of fuel rises, they will question if the benefit of living in this great city is worth the daily commuting cost. Travel by train will reduce this burden.

According to the new federal Budget, we will be getting this improved rail service. I'd like to think that my letter didn't go unnoticed.
What are your thoughts?

2008-02-27T10:40:00.004-05:00

These are my grandparents, my dad's parents. I took this picture at Christmas time. I caught them looking at a different camera, so it was a bit more natural - they weren't posing for me.

I love them a lot. They're funny, sincere, genuine and loving. I remember staying at their apartment a few years ago, the night before catching an early flight out of Pearson to Vancouver. I remember when they were going to bed I could hear them talking in their room. Grandma was trying to find her book; "John, where's my book?", "I don't know where your book went," was his response, which sounds pretty normal. It doesn't look like much in print. But, if you could hear his voice, there was just a subtle bit of raised intonation in his voice. A bit mischievous, as if he was saying "I might know where your book is, but I might not. I might have hidden it, I might not." That made my day, hearing my grandparents joking around, after some 60 years of marriage, as if they were kids, hiding each others favorite toys.

My grandfather's health hasn't been the greatest lately. He's had problems with his vision, a couple of hip replacements, he broke his femur last year, but he's resilient. He's positive. They both have strong faith in God, and He's been there for them through their whole lives, through WWII in Holland, through emigrating to Canada with a young family, through poverty and wealth. They have been blessed with 7 children of their own, 25 or so grandchildren, and some great grandchildren.

We recently learned of another setback in grandpa's health. We are praying for God to once again heal him, through medicine, through doctors, and through miracles. Please join us in this prayer, that the lung cancer they have found will be removed and he will have a quick, full recovery.

2008-02-21T20:34:00.004-05:00

I set up my camera and tripod last night and took some pictures of the Lunar Eclipse. I would have liked it if they turned out a bit better, but still, I'm happy with them. Here they are in chronological progression.

My favorites are towards the end of this series:

I was using a 500mm lens, with a doubler. It was really tricky to focus, as the angle I had it at to see the moon made it difficult to see through the viewfinder. The cold didn't help with my fine motor skills either. Plus, I had the wrong ISO setting and wrong exposure length for a few shots. They still look pretty good in a collage format, but trust me, in full screen mode, the aren't that impressive.

I think eclipses are really really cool. I think the next one is 2010. Maybe by then I'll have a new lens, better tripod, and better pictures.

Happy Birthday Youtube

2008-02-15T09:47:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe Youtube is 3 years old already. Happy Birthday little guy.

2008-02-14T08:40:00.005-05:00

Two images from todays Globe and Mail 'in pictures' segment. The contrast got my attention.

Photo: Jerry Lampen/Reuters
A woman begs for money on the streets of Lahore, Pakistan.

Photo: Frank Franklin/The Associated Press
Beagle Uno, winner of Best in Show at the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, eats steak in New York.

Edwards Drops out of the Race

2008-01-30T13:52:00.000-05:00

Well, my favorite presidential candidate has dropped out of the running. I wonder if there's any room left in the Obama camp...

He never really had a chance, regardless of his platform. The media didn't pay attention to him, because he wasn't a former first lady, and he wasn't poised to make racial history. Unfortunately, media is a huge part of the election - both in swaying votes and in broadcasting a platform.

2008-01-29T13:31:00.000-05:00

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day about generational differences. One of the things that was mentioned was that it seems to take longer for some people to go over something that our generation can do in a short amount of time. I think it’s because we were raised on sound bites, and MTV, and grabbing headlines from the internet, and ticker bars on TSN. We can process large amounts of information at a higher rate than those from previous generations.

I'm basing most of this as an observation on the people in my office, which is a very small and specific sample population. It could just be that I work with people who are long winded.

2008-01-28T11:23:00.000-05:00

I saw a billboard yesterday that made me laugh out loud (LOL), literally (LOLL), while driving.

It was for an aggressive ad campaign for Shreddies. The cereal. They now come in a new shape! Diamond.
Brilliant.

Lake Placid

2008-01-08T17:04:00.001-05:00

Note: I was doing some housekeeping on my blog and found a post that I had saved but never published. It's from a few months back, so it's not too current. Anyway, here it is.

I went to Lake Placid for a few days between Christmas and New Years. I needed a change of pace, a change of scenery, and some adventure. My good friend Carlo joined me in the journey.

Lake Placid is a winter paradise. If you like winter and winter-ish activities, it's the place to be. There's snowshoeing trails, cross country skiing trails, downhill skiing, snowboarding, skating, and a whole host of Olympic type activities. We nearly went bobsledding, but decided to spend the money on food and beer instead. It was a good choice.

One of the lessons learned in this trip was how to walk out of a restaurant after looking at the menu, if it's not the place you want to be. We endured a horrid breakfast the first morning and made a point of only eating at places that we were sure would give us what we wanted. We were, after all, on vacation, and to be treated like royalty. I'm not really a pretentious snob, but when I'm paying almost $10 for breakfast, I'd at least like bacon that isn't paper thin and breaks into a million tiny pieces when you bit down on it. I also don't want it served to me on a plastic plate, with plastic cutlery.
This place, the Adirondack Steak and Seafood Restaurant, was a far cry from plastic utensils. We had awesome local beers, prime rib, and other awesome food. What an improvement.

2008

2008-01-07T14:12:00.000-05:00

I guess it's time to write something. It's a new year, and I need to prove Bono wrong. The new year is supposed to usher in change. When you flip the calendar over from December to January, you're given a clean slate, a fresh start. I'm also glad that Jesus chose to be born on December 25th, thus giving us a good excuse for a week off in the middle of winter. At some time during that week, sometimes intentionally, sometimes out of habit, I contemplate the year that is winding down, and the year that is approaching. I think about the good, the bad, and where I want to improve, where I want to reduce, where I want to change.
This year, I resolve to read more. Books, magazines, novels, the Bible.
I got 'The gum thief" by Douglas Coupland for Christmas, and had it read before boxing day could be crossed off the calendar. When I sit down with a good book, it's hard to put it down.
I think I have addictive traits. I watched season 3 of lost in a matter of days. I couldn't stop. I needed to know what happened next. And when it was done, I just wanted season 4 to start.

I'm learning how to bake. I've always considered myself a decent cook - entre's and such, but as soon as you need to accurately measure out teaspoons and tablespoons of ingredients and mix/stir/beat, I get lost in the details. Every couple of months I host my small group bible study at my house, which basically means I have to clean up a bit, make a pot of coffee, boil some water for tea, and provide a dessert/snack. Well, for a while I was getting mocked by the others in the group for my continual purchasing of baked goods. So, I decided to start making my own. So, last time I started simple and made some apple crisp. It's hard to go wrong with apple crisp. It's far easier to go right. Apples, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, a bit of nutmeg, some oatmeal, and a bit more brown sugar. So good. Top it off with some vanilla ice cream and everyone's happy. Well, last night I decided to step it up a notch and make brownies - from scratch. Damn, they were good. I even made the frosting from scratch. My proudest moment was when I had to make an espresso as one of the ingredients for the frosting. How awesome is that.

Other resolutions. Spend less time blogging at work....

On that note. My break is over. My leftover brownie is gone, except for a few crumbs in my beard.

Here's to 2008. May it be as good, or even better, than 2007.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-03T11:54:00.001-05:00

This is the most beautiful Christmas tree I've ever seen!

A government rant

2007-11-30T10:35:00.000-05:00

I'm probably out of line here, and am probably speaking about things from a professional perspective that I should not comment on, but I'm frustrated and need to vent.

I am sick and tired of wasted time and money because of government bureaucracy.

I see this day after day in my job when I work on government contracts. I see this day after day when reading the newspaper, or listening to the news.

This morning, I woke to the news on the radio highlighting two local stories. One is the 'Wall of honour', which is to be built downtown across from city hall to honour war veterans. The other was highlighting the 'Gainey Foundation', a fund raiser in honour of Bob Gainey's wife and daughter, who have both passed away. Both involve paying respect to people who have passed on, and honouring their memory. Both are great ideas. One is a public venture, one is private. Which do you think is going smoothly?

I'm not sure how long this wall of honour thing has been going on, but it now looks like it won't even happen. The bureaucracy of the city government has slowed it down to a grinding halt, frustrating those involved, polarizing the community, to the point where the primary people behind the project are throwing their arms up in disgust and walking away.

The Gainey foundation is a huge success. Everyone who has been asked is helping out. Things are happening; it's moving forward.

What a contrast.

I appreciate that we need our government. We need order and structure in our society. We don't need waste though.

I recently sat in a meeting for a government project where there were 12-15 different people in attendance, in addition to myself, the builder, the other engineers and the architect. The project was finished, already designed. People were showing up saying "Am I in the right meeting", and "what's this one all about?" They were 12-15 professional government meeting attenders wasting my time and my tax payer dollars. I was disgusted.

I recently designed a small AC system for a government building. The total cost of the project, for our design and the contractors fees and equipment costs was triple (THREE TIMES) the cost of what the same project would be if done for a local private business. The thing that gets me is that we weren't taking advantage of the government, and inflating our fees. We knew it would take three times as long, and involve three times the headache, and three times the meetings, and three times the travel, etc.

As I write this, I've got two stacks of forms to fill out for the MOE for a couple of other projects. I am not looking forward to it. If I had my way, I'd streamline the process and make it more efficient. However, I don't, so I will jump through the hoops - knowing that if I fill in one box on one form improperly, my client may be at risk of having to shut down their plant. It seems there is no common sense used by our public servants. I suspect that it's not because they don't have any. It's because their hands are tied.

Well, there's my rant. Is there anything that can be done? Anyone got any suggestions?

100 Greatest Guitar Solos of all Time

2007-11-22T09:24:00.001-05:00

Today I'm working my way through the list of '100 Greatest Guitar Solos of all Time', as voted on by Guitar World's readers. I downloaded them last night.

I had started at the top and made it as far as number 7 when Brent suggested I do the countdown.
Today will rock. I'm working on the plumbing layout for a condominium and listening to the 100 greatest guitar solos of all time. Can it get any better?

I say no.

2007-11-13T13:25:00.000-05:00

This is an awesome story.

2007-11-07T09:26:00.000-05:00

About a month ago on a Saturday morning, after breakfast with the boys, a few of us went for a hike. We went to a secret spot that Carlo found, near the Ganaraska Forrest area. About halfway up the hill we were climbing was an apple orchard. Some of them were tasty, but most of them were better suited for throwing at each other:

At the top of the hill, the terrain levelled off into a a field, with a lone tree. It was odd, and beautiful.

Bocce Ball

2007-11-06T10:10:00.000-05:00

I love playing bocce ball, and it's variations (like rock golf in Jackson's park). This weekend, I was up at Graphite Bible Camp with the guys from church for our annual Men's weekend up there. On sunny Saturday afternoon, we set out, balls in hand, to prove who was the most skilled in the art of bocce.
The field was very unforgiving. There were rough patches of grass to slow down the roll. There were uneven terrain, mounds and holes, to redirect a well tossed ball. It was proving that luck was also a part of the game. But it was also proved that those with great skill seem to generate great luck.
Case in point. In addition to having a large field to play in, there were some strategically placed playground equipment, complete with wooden posts, sand traps, swingsets, fences and old tires to deal with.
This picture shows one of the more challenging 'holes'.
I think it was Brent's turn to toss the palino, and he tossed it at the tire ladder. It bounced off the top tire, and landed in the second one from the top. We cheered at his accomplishment, and with glee looked forward to the possible outcome. My first toss bounced off the structure and careened off to the left. If you look closely you can see a yellow ball a good 20 or 30 feet from the target. My second toss resulted in this, a shot that shall never be repeated:If you look closely (click the picture to enlarge), you can see the palino inside the top tire. It's a small white ball. Inside the tire below it, on the left, you can see a thin sliver of yellow. Somehow, my ball had come to rest halfway up the tire, and not rolled down to the base. It was incredible.

I'm currently considering my options. The pro Bocce circuit is enticing, but I'm not sure if I'm up for physical demands of the training requirements. For now, I'll sit at my desk and daydream about the perfect spin, the correct lob, the exact angle of approach, and the thrill of victory.

2007-11-02T10:17:00.000-04:00

My good friends, Michael and Andrea Vanderherberg, are on an adventure in Africa. Michael has been surprisingly frequent in updating their blog with stories and pictures. You should check it out.
Do it.
Now.

2007-11-01T15:58:00.001-04:00

I recently got a new camera. I bought it from my dad, since he had just upgraded. Well, I finally entered the digital SLR world. I've probably taken 5 or 6 hundred pictures since thanksgiving weekend. It's fun. I borrowed a 500mm mirror lens from my dad and was testing it out the other night. I took this picture of the moon from my back deck. I used a tripod. I believe the exposure was 1/45s, or 1/60s.

2007-11-01T13:13:00.001-04:00

I don't like posting pictures of myself on the internet, but I'll make an exception. If anyone wants to steal this identity, it's all yours.

Spoken Word

2007-09-26T08:28:00.000-04:00

I went to an event last night at St. Veronus, which was part of Peterborough Arts week. It was a 'write-off' of sorts. Each person in attendance was given a small piece of paper and asked to write out a sentence. These were placed in a bucket, and then one was selected. There were 5 or 6 writers competing, who had 20 minutes to compose a short story, poem, or some other form of writing, based on the sentence.

My sentence got chosen. Which bothered me, because it was an unoriginal sentence. I had an original thought, but it got stolen by one of the other people in our group. Then, I panicked when the woman came around with her '20 seconds!!' warning. I wrote the first thing that popped into my head, 'There are not enough life boats for everyone on board.'

Titanic had a profound impact on my subconscious.

The stories were all great. The talented writers were capable of using it well. Still, I found myself thinking of several better sentences which I would have been proud to have selected, instead of the one I wrote.

"No one could have predicted what happened next."

See, a sentence like that is open ended. It doesn't lead a writer into nautical journeys. The story likely won't start with a line like "The fog was thick."

"She was right, the shoe does fit."

"No, I'm serious, my mom's apple pie is better than this."

I read through the other entries at the end of the night. Some of them were great, and some, on par with mine. My favorite though was:

"Holy Shit! Here it comes!"

2007-09-25T11:05:00.001-04:00

Ok. Someone help me out here. Do you see the clear plastic square, with rounded edges, on it's own stand, in front of Mr. Bush? Nearly every political event that I've seen images of has two of these, on either side of the speaker, approximately 10' away, at 45 degree angles. I can't figure out what they're for. I have several hypothesis, but I'd like some feedback. Anyone?

Update: My first hypothesis is true.

Bush predicts Clinton will win Democratic Nomination

2007-09-24T12:48:00.000-04:00

Bush is predicting that Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic Nomination.

Thus, I can only conclude, given Bush's track record, that Obama is going to win the Democratic Nomination.

The United States of Communist America

2007-09-19T10:49:00.000-04:00

It's incredible the fear that the Bush administration has towards people reading and thinking. Consequently, they're purging prisons of books that don't fall within their specific pre-approved list.

The second incident to raise some flags. A college kid gets arrested and tasered for demonstrating his right to free speech, while asking John Kerry a question.

Brutal. Watching that video made me sick. I'm worried for our neighbors to the south; worried about the path that the 'leadership' is taking them down.

Election

2007-09-10T15:54:00.000-04:00

There's an election coming up in Ontario, October 10th. Get informed:

In addition to the election, there's a Referendum on Mixed Member Proportional (MMP).

2007-09-05T16:15:00.000-04:00

Oh, to be a one year old.
Happy Birthday, little buddy.

Families

2007-08-30T15:07:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking a bit this week about marriage, divorce and family break-ups. It's not a very delightful topic, and it wasn't by choice that my mind has gone here. On Sunday I was told of a young couple with three kids who have recently separated. On Tuesday I had a chat with a guy who finalized his divorce last month. It's been on my mind. It's an unfortunate reality in our society. Each instance is different, and I'm in no place to judge, having never been married. Still, I'd like to think I have some understanding of commitment, sacrifice, compromise, giving, receiving... And it saddens me to see families break up, with kids getting caught in the middle, because of one persons selfishness, or another persons failure to honor a commitment, or ....

One of the things that it has cause me to think about is my own experience. I've never been married, but my parents have. Only once though, to each other. There are 11 marriages represented by my parents and their siblings (my dad has 6 sisters, my mom 1 sister and 3 brothers). All of them honored the commitments they made to each other, and before God. My family is a statistical anomaly in a society where nearly half of marriages end in divorce.

In my grandfather's memoirs, he says this about my dad, his son-in-law:
“After I learned to know John, I had to admit though, that there are few men who would spend so much of their leisure time with their wife and children as John did.”
What a compliment! I wonder if this has something to do with a successful marriage?

I've been incredibly blessed to have parents like this, specifically a dad like mine.

Jon Stewart - America to the Rescue

2007-08-24T15:37:00.000-04:00

I caught the tail end of this segment on TV a couple nights ago. It's a brilliant summary of the past few decades of "American to the Rescue" in the middle east. Who they propped up, who they were enemies with, who they supplied weapons to. Sure, some details are left out, but in this brief overview it's quite a shocking history lesson. I wonder if the lesson has been learned.

Lunch Time Reading

2007-08-21T12:46:00.000-04:00

An interesting op-ed piece written by a group of soldiers returning after 15 months in Iraq.

World Superpowers

2007-08-20T14:31:00.001-04:00

China has taken a bold step towards firmly establishing themselves as the greatest world super power. "China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission." Name another country with such power.

2007-07-19T13:38:00.000-04:00

Have you ever run through a swamp, just for fun? I have. And it was fun.

This past Saturday after breakfast, myself and five other guys drove west of Peterborough to the Cavan Swamp, got into teams of two, and raced from Mount Pleasant Rd. to Hayes Line, through the swamp. The first 20 feet consisted of a 3 foot deep, 15 foot wide stream, followed by a hundred meters or so of bush/bog. About 20 feet past the stream in the bush, I nearly jumped on a deer. I think I woke it up. It took off rather quickly. It new the terrain and where it was going.
I didn't.
I had a route planned out for me and my partner, but it turned out to be the same route as another team, who had about a 10 second lead on us. So, we decided to try and go around them, so as to not follow them the whole way. The problem with that is that we veered off course a bit. It's surprisingly easy to get turned around in a swamp/forest on a cloudy day, with no sun as a reference point. Just ask one team - who found themselves emerging from the swamp onto the road, assuming victory, only to discover it was the same road they started on. We didn't do quite that bad. However, we did get quite far off course. Embarrassingly so. At one point I remember saying to my partner, "this has stopped being a race, it's all about survival now." There was some truth to that statement.
According to the guys waiting for us on the road, when we emerged from the bush, I looked like a moose with a giant swarm of horse flies chasing me. I was oblivious to them.

2007-07-13T14:24:00.000-04:00

It's been a nice relaxing day in the office today. I'm working on a project for the local Quaker factory. I'd like to get paid in Chewy Bars.

It seems that nearly every day this week there has been a storm of sorts roll by Peterborough. We've never suffered a direct hit. In fact, Peterborough has barely got wet as a result, which is too bad, because we really need rain. The storms tend to miss us to the north, although one squeaked by to the south as well. I love storms. I like lighting, and thunder. I like watching a storm approach. I like the smell in the air as it nears. I like the temperature drop and cool, clear air left in it's wake on a hot and humid day. I like when there's a storm all around, yet the sun still somehow peaks through and shines on a nearby steel roof, or a church steeple, or the leaves of a tree, and they appear so much more brilliant and defined against the dark sky compared to a normal sunny day.

2007-07-05T11:01:00.000-04:00

Keith Olbermann seems to be the only sane person on the airwaves in the states these days. This is a must read for anyone interested, no, concerned, about American politics.

2007-06-29T09:25:00.000-04:00

I've started a new summer pastime. It's called reading.

For the past two weeks I've taken an evening and gone down to the Silver Bean Cafe, book in hand, and read. It's a great time. Both times, I've sat with a friend of mine who is, ironically, writing a book. He spends his time writing, I spend my time reading. It works.

The book that I'm reading right now is 'Slaughterhouse-five', by Kurt Vonnegut. I am thoroughly enjoying the book. He was in WWII, one of the few who survived the Dresden firebombing which is referenced in this book. He lived a long life after that, having children, adopting children and writing. According to Wikipedia, Vonnegut died at the age of 84 on April 11, 2007, in Manhattan, New York after a fall at his Manhattan home several weeks prior resulted in irreversible brain injuries. So it goes.

Hydro One/OPG

2007-06-27T15:57:00.000-04:00

Apparently, if you want to work for a company that pays its employees extremely well, go work for OPG/Hydro One. See if you know anyone on this list. Actually, don't waste your time. It's 147 pages long. That's 147 pages of people making over 100k. I'm really happy that we're paying their salaries. Shit.