Happy Candyween!

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Cutting of the Squashes 2006

It just wasn't the same without the Kirkwood folks! I hope someone hosted there, although it would appear that we had all the books and tools (oops).

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Could Have Had His Eyes Closed

Puck and I almost got run over on our way back home this afternoon. This surprised me because it seems that most Vancouver drivers are fairly pedestrian-savvy. That said, count the nuisance points this driver had racked up:

Driving a Black SUV
with a Novice sticker on it
in reverse
down an alley
at high speed
while on the phone
and smoking.

I was more amused at the perfect storm of careless driving than I was angry at almost being turned into street pizza (although in Vancouver it would be street crèpe or maybe street make).

The real comedy began when I (not a cell-yakking, reverse-speeding, suburban-assault-vehicle-driving, chain-smoking novice) was pulling my car into the alley after going to pick up our Friday night pizza and the SAME guy almost hit me AGAIN as he did

15 mph
out of the alley
in reverse
while on his phone.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and not rack up a point for also handling a lit cigarette.

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adding a bathroom

We're switching to a new server this weekend, so expect glitches.

Dan assures me:

"I don't think we can break toomad during this process; we've basically paid for another much larger storage unit and now we just have to move stuff from one to the other."

...but I've had it down for many hours after just changing a font colour. Wish us luck.

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Down the drain with Archimedes

Talking to McKay about his day at school today while we ate dinner.

R: What did you do at group time?
M: We checked to see what stuff would sink and what stuff would float...
Big stuff will float, but the little ones always sink.
R: Really? So by floating, you mean, goes to the bottom of the water?
M: No (with much disdain) floating means ONTOP of the water.
R: Oh.
R: Well, what floated?
M: The really really big blocks, and the little tiny marbles sank.
R: Oh.

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Behind the Silicon Curtain

It would seem that our border is a semi-permeable one.

I read this week about Americans coming across the border to get flu shots. The Vancouver airport has clinics set up to do this, and cruise ship operators are offering it as an optional excursion on their activities calendar. This is fine, I agree with this, "Send us your sick..." etc...

However, can I get one (ok 4) measly downloads off the web? NO.
Read some good reviews of Jericho. Checking out their website to see if anything was going to be rebroadcasted showed me that I could watch the episodes right from their site. Cooool. I love technology. Made a cup of coffee, leaned back in my chair, and hit play. Three commercials later, I'm informed "this product is not available in Canada". Hmm. Uhhm, ok. It really is, though, it's been on TV, you see.

A little bit of net sleuthing leads me to a list where people of ALL nationalities (well, Australia and Sweden anyhow) are downloading this and watching it from itunes. Hop on over there, it can be mine for a mere $1.98. Ok, I'll pay that. Sign up for i-tunes. (Yeah, I know, join the millennium etc..). It won't accept my American credit card. Says it's not valid in Canada. Odd, since we've been using it every day sparingly since we got here. Shrugged that off, and used another card (Canadian). That goes fine, I'm registered, once again, hit download. "That item is not available in Canada, would you like to switch to the US store?". Uh, ok...that's fine. Search again, hit download, "I'm sorry, that credit card can not be used in the US."

Oh yeah? I don't even like TV anyhow, where's my friggen book?

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1461 Days

Music: Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole
Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Pr7KV7f2Y

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Please excuse our mess

I'm seeing how I like the new paint colours.

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MacGuyver

About a year ago we stopped GeoCaching.

Not because of any loss of interest (although we'd hit a bit of a hurdle and hadn't had any recent successes), but because our waterproof Garmin Etrex Vista suffered some trauma. Wet trauma. Wet soapy trauma. Followed by a spin cycle (front loader) and yep, even through the dryer. Hiking in the south is quite strenuous.

Needless to say...it didn't turn on. With my fab new ebay skills I thought about buying a new one. Crap, too expensive. Hmm, ok, how about the forums at groundspeak? While I'm here, I might as well see what people say about GPS'rs not turning on. Well, Well, lookey here...."Vista LED repair". With colour pictures.

20 minutes later and we have Satellite. 8 of them, and the caches I put in to find when I was in Vancouver in the spring of 2004 showing up just a few blocks from our house. The repair all went very smoothely, didn't have any electronic cleaning fluid, so I used Samson's "drool diaper" soaked in gin.

The Highland Park Rangers/HighlandPark Rangers are back in the saddle, er..hiking boots?

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Gobble Gobble Gobble

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E-bay whore.

We've finally lost our e-bay virginity. I know, I know...it's humbling to admit it, but there you go. This all started about a month ago. Our first only born's birthday is coming up and we were discussing what to get him. More than anything in the world, he wants action figures and the dragon/drawbridge component to finish up his Lego set.

No problem we thought. As usual, lots of problemos.

As most of you know, there's no way in heck that I'll allow McKay to have action figures with weapons. Unfortunately, most of them out there have multiple death causing accessories instead of clutch purses. I finally found this FABULOUS line of action figures, that won all kinds of awards and promises that your child, too, will always be a conscientious objector. "Great", thought I. That's done. What else does he want? Legos...right. Dennis and Jackie gave him this really cool set of "Castle Lego" last Christmas that he plays with almost daily. He's asked many times for the dragon that goes with it.

T-2 weeks, Ok, lets get stuff ordered, that way if we have to, we can have it sent to Chicago and C&H can bring it with them. First Bendos online store: out of stock. Second online store: 2 football players left. Third bendos online store: jungle animals left. What the....???? Ok, what's going on here? I write the manufacturer for some information, a day later I get back the letter below.














Ran it's normal toy life???" My god woman, we've been playing with Fisher Price Little People since before there was fire. Anyhow...I decided to look on E-bay. I wasn't quite ready to get beyond the heavy petting stage so proceeded to "buy now" a bunch of used Bendos. Feel a bit bad buying him used toys for his birthday, but I tried!

Next step Lego. This set is not available in NORTH AMERICA???? Wha??? What are the chances of this? What next? I won't be able to find his 100% organic betel nut cake??? I wasn't looking for the Ark here folks. I just wanted lego. Back to e-bay. The only "buy nows" were too expensive. Two sets available for bidding. Severe anxiety sets in, am I ready? Is it time? Is this the right person? Do I have protection? After a quick trip to Pay_Pal I decide I'm ready. With crossed fingers, and breath held, I place my first bid. $6.00.

2 days later, and I'm walking the streets and calling out to Johns. That first auction was mine, I outbid the bastard by $0.11 with 55 seconds left. Amateur.

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TGTBTU II

The Good The Bad and The Ugly II

The Good

Didn't know about these until K&K loaned (gave) us a few poo bags. Yes, that's right, poo bags. You know it's true love friendship when a friend will bring you poo bags when asked and the GOOD ones too. After spending $100 at MEC (Am trans: REI) last night, noticed they're using these too!

I spent a little bit too much time looking at these java applets. The pink sphere with the dots on it was quite mesmerizing.

We knew there was a lot of filming going on in Vancouver, but not how much. Almost weekly we'll see the parked caravan of white trailers/RVs along the side of nearby streets. Even had a whole film crew outside M's school one day (they were filming in the gym). If you wanted to know what was going on in our 'hood. Check out the BC Film Commission. So far I've been able to keep Dan off the Battlestar Galactica set.






The Bad

People can be paid (poorly) to talk about specific products in their blogs. Not that I don't think people should make money on their blogs (that's what adsense is for) but why sell your soul for the amount that this would pay? I just don't get this.

The Ugly

The concept of a scrapbooking cruise frightened me more than I can describe. You know this sort of thing can't end well. Someone is going to die horribly, with gore. The blood smeared decorative edged scissors will be found the next day under lifeboat 23.

And this weeks stangest site goes to the good old Catholic Church. At first glance, nothing too strange about this. Then you pause, and think, and think more. WHO is this for? Who wants this? Who needs this? Does this count as church credit? Is El Pape checking up on the quality of the sermons? Do the parishioners have to sign a "your prayer may be monitored EULA"?

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