I've been looking into all the different aspects of getting set up back in Scotland. I'm going to start renting a property in Glasgow and I'll be choosing my ISP and Energy companies as well.
It was while looking through all the Energy companies for the UK that I thought about wind power. I strongly believe that we need to use renewable energy more and more now. The climate really in changing. The weather's going crazy and we can do something about it. For the last while I've been doing small things like using energy-saving lightbulbs or only boiling as much water as I actually need in the kettle. Now, I'm going to take things a step further and choose an Energy provider who uses green forms of energy. In particular, I really favour wind energy. I feel that it's the best form of renewable energy we have on offer.
There's a really great website about wind energy in the UK. It's Embrace The Revolution. (www.embracewind.com) There are some amazing photos as well as interesting facts vs. myths about wind energy. I'm really excited about this and I hope more and more people choose to support renewable energy.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Back from Kelowna
I just got back to Toronto after spending a week in Kelowna, BC. It was pretty good, I have to say. I definitely prefer the dry heat and the overall way of life seems a lot more chilled.
I did a lot of walking and generally being outdoors. Consequently, I developed a fairly impressive "sandal tan". Believe it or not, I'm the first person in Flickr to use the "sandal tan" tag. Fancy that. Also, you can see here that my big toe on the right is healing nicely after that encounter with Dixon Road a wee while back there.
About the most adventurous thing I did on the trip was parasailing. It was a cool experience and it was all the better since Mum & Dad paid! It wasn't as scary as the parachute jump I did back in Utah in 1996 but still, it was an amazing view.
While I was with Mum & Dad for the first couple of days, we drove about a bit and saw some of the towns nearby. I really liked seeing mountains and hills again. It's sometimes only when you see something after a while of being away from it that you realize how much you missed it. At least, that's how it was with the hills and me.
Another thing that struck me was how short all the buildings were in the downtown area of Kelowna. I'm used to Toronto now where the buildings are so huge that you get this sense of the magnitude of the city. I'd rather have big hills and small buildings any day, though. I prefer the outdoors to the city. I just seem to end up living in cities all the time, though.
I did a lot of walking and generally being outdoors. Consequently, I developed a fairly impressive "sandal tan". Believe it or not, I'm the first person in Flickr to use the "sandal tan" tag. Fancy that. Also, you can see here that my big toe on the right is healing nicely after that encounter with Dixon Road a wee while back there.
About the most adventurous thing I did on the trip was parasailing. It was a cool experience and it was all the better since Mum & Dad paid! It wasn't as scary as the parachute jump I did back in Utah in 1996 but still, it was an amazing view.
While I was with Mum & Dad for the first couple of days, we drove about a bit and saw some of the towns nearby. I really liked seeing mountains and hills again. It's sometimes only when you see something after a while of being away from it that you realize how much you missed it. At least, that's how it was with the hills and me.
Another thing that struck me was how short all the buildings were in the downtown area of Kelowna. I'm used to Toronto now where the buildings are so huge that you get this sense of the magnitude of the city. I'd rather have big hills and small buildings any day, though. I prefer the outdoors to the city. I just seem to end up living in cities all the time, though.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Bike + Open Sandals + Road = Pain
I had an interesting encounter with the road today on my way to work. First of all, it was an encounter with a funeral procession where the cars had a police escort, stopping traffic at the traffic lights. Not familiar with this, I proceeded to cross the road when the lights were in my favour. It was when I was about half-way across the road that I noticed the cars were still going. I panicked and slammed on the brakes. The car that was about to hit me then stopped and let me through. It was only at this point that I saw the wee "funeral" sign attached to the hood/bonnet of the car. It seems that in Canada funeral processions (or corteges as we would say) can carry on through red lights if they have a police escort. Good to know if you're a cyclist.
So, I survived that near miss with only a minor telling off from the cop. He said something over the speaker like "Watch or you'll get taken out!" Fine, well anyway, I carried on and then came to the real problem. I was on the bridge over Highway 27, looking for a break in traffic so I could nip off the sidewalk (pavement) onto the road. I usually fly down the hill and then turn onto Attwell with a bit of "gravitational assistance" or "momentum" - both work. Due to the delay caused by the funeral procession (which had since merged onto Highway 27 North) there were a lot of cars on the brige. More, in fact than usual.
I saw a gap in the traffic and decided that I would go for it. I was aware, though, that I would need to get up to speed quite quickly because there was another car coming. I bumped off the curb and started peddaling for Scotland. Sadly, my right foot slipped off the back of the pedal, my posterior slipped off the seat so I was sitting on the frame and my foot ended up dragging along the road hairy side down.
I quickly got off the road and assessed myself. First off, I noticed that the seat had twisted round to one side by as much as 60 degress, resulting in the rear mudguard protruding from the other side at an equally outrageous angle. More importantly, though, I had lost part of the toe nail on the big toe of my right foot. There was also a small scrape on the knuckle of the 2nd toe. My sandal, too, had suffered with a bit of a shaving off the edge.
Suffice to say I'm fine. However, I am a bit "gun shy" and might not be quite as eager on the road again. It a hard one to call because you're not meant to be on the sidewalk but drivers don't exactly embrace you on the road. Come to think of it, I don't think I'd want to be embraced by someone in a car while I'm on a bike. The best I can do is to hog the whole lane so that cars don't try to squeeze past me while the other lane's occupied.
So, I survived that near miss with only a minor telling off from the cop. He said something over the speaker like "Watch or you'll get taken out!" Fine, well anyway, I carried on and then came to the real problem. I was on the bridge over Highway 27, looking for a break in traffic so I could nip off the sidewalk (pavement) onto the road. I usually fly down the hill and then turn onto Attwell with a bit of "gravitational assistance" or "momentum" - both work. Due to the delay caused by the funeral procession (which had since merged onto Highway 27 North) there were a lot of cars on the brige. More, in fact than usual.
I saw a gap in the traffic and decided that I would go for it. I was aware, though, that I would need to get up to speed quite quickly because there was another car coming. I bumped off the curb and started peddaling for Scotland. Sadly, my right foot slipped off the back of the pedal, my posterior slipped off the seat so I was sitting on the frame and my foot ended up dragging along the road hairy side down.
I quickly got off the road and assessed myself. First off, I noticed that the seat had twisted round to one side by as much as 60 degress, resulting in the rear mudguard protruding from the other side at an equally outrageous angle. More importantly, though, I had lost part of the toe nail on the big toe of my right foot. There was also a small scrape on the knuckle of the 2nd toe. My sandal, too, had suffered with a bit of a shaving off the edge.
Suffice to say I'm fine. However, I am a bit "gun shy" and might not be quite as eager on the road again. It a hard one to call because you're not meant to be on the sidewalk but drivers don't exactly embrace you on the road. Come to think of it, I don't think I'd want to be embraced by someone in a car while I'm on a bike. The best I can do is to hog the whole lane so that cars don't try to squeeze past me while the other lane's occupied.
Getting ready to leave Canada
So, I've been pretty busy this week getting everything organized for the big move home. I gave myself a month to get everything organised before returning to Glasgow and I think I'm pretty much on top of things.
So far I've sold a few possessions and copied all my personal files off the office computer. It's funny how packing up your files can be just as complex as packing a suitcase these days. I bought a Lexar JumpDrive Secure with a capacity of 1 GB for the occasion and it's proved to be very useful. I like the versatility of being able to re-use rather than the one-off nature of CDs. Also, I can correct it if I accidentally copied files I don't actually need.
I also got a 32 Capacity CD Wallet from Case Logic. Not quite as exciting, this is still a crucial purchase. Now I have the sad task of throwing out all the jewel cases for my CDs and DVDs so I can pack all the discs in the new wallet. (In case you think that's not very many CDs, I already filled a 36 capacity one a few days ago.
Once I get back home, I'm going to start my own software company. I will do freelance stuff, starting off with contracts from TACF who I just finished working for just now. My company is called Tabletop Software although there's nothing worth seeing on the website yet. The important thing is that I've got the domain name.
So far I've sold a few possessions and copied all my personal files off the office computer. It's funny how packing up your files can be just as complex as packing a suitcase these days. I bought a Lexar JumpDrive Secure with a capacity of 1 GB for the occasion and it's proved to be very useful. I like the versatility of being able to re-use rather than the one-off nature of CDs. Also, I can correct it if I accidentally copied files I don't actually need.
I also got a 32 Capacity CD Wallet from Case Logic. Not quite as exciting, this is still a crucial purchase. Now I have the sad task of throwing out all the jewel cases for my CDs and DVDs so I can pack all the discs in the new wallet. (In case you think that's not very many CDs, I already filled a 36 capacity one a few days ago.
Once I get back home, I'm going to start my own software company. I will do freelance stuff, starting off with contracts from TACF who I just finished working for just now. My company is called Tabletop Software although there's nothing worth seeing on the website yet. The important thing is that I've got the domain name.
Friday, July 22, 2005
No more work permits for me!
Last night I got an interesting letter from Canadian Immigration. (Bless them, Jesus!) They decided that I'm not going to get another work permit and, consequently, I need to leave Canada...again.
This isn't the first time I've been through this so I'm almost getting used to the idea. In a way it's shocking how suddenly things like this come along but really God's in control of it all anyway so I should just enjoy the ride.
I think it's going to be good to get a chance to step back from the intense time I've been spending doing IT at TACF. You know, it's really been stressful and depressing lately. I found myself so overwhelmed with the prospect of work that I've not wanted to get out of bed in the morning or face the next day's IT-related problems.
I know God's got something new for me so that's cool. I need to look inside and see what I actually WANT to do that can benefit this world and make come alive. The world's too full of bored people. I need to do what I was MADE for, just as soon as I figure that out. I don't really want to be in an office any more, though. I crave the outdoors. Maybe I'll do some hillwalking when I get back home. I'll check out some of the Munros.
This isn't the first time I've been through this so I'm almost getting used to the idea. In a way it's shocking how suddenly things like this come along but really God's in control of it all anyway so I should just enjoy the ride.
I think it's going to be good to get a chance to step back from the intense time I've been spending doing IT at TACF. You know, it's really been stressful and depressing lately. I found myself so overwhelmed with the prospect of work that I've not wanted to get out of bed in the morning or face the next day's IT-related problems.
I know God's got something new for me so that's cool. I need to look inside and see what I actually WANT to do that can benefit this world and make come alive. The world's too full of bored people. I need to do what I was MADE for, just as soon as I figure that out. I don't really want to be in an office any more, though. I crave the outdoors. Maybe I'll do some hillwalking when I get back home. I'll check out some of the Munros.
I have my kilt!
Today is a monumentous day (in more ways than one as you'll see once I've done my 2nd post).
I finally collected my kilt from Hector Russell Scottish Imports in Toronto! You've no idea just how long I've had this nagging thought in the back of my head "Man, I wish I had my own kilt." Well, today is that day where the dream is realised. It was a lot of money (around $750 CAD) but I'm so glad I finally have one of my own.
I finally collected my kilt from Hector Russell Scottish Imports in Toronto! You've no idea just how long I've had this nagging thought in the back of my head "Man, I wish I had my own kilt." Well, today is that day where the dream is realised. It was a lot of money (around $750 CAD) but I'm so glad I finally have one of my own.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Humidity is not my friend
I'm finding the recent humidity in Toronto to be really horrible. We don't have air conditioning in our place so when I go home it's just bleugh.
I don't know how I did this but last night I went to bed at around 11:30 at night but this morning I missed my alarm completely. I woke up a few times and went back to sleep, since the alarm hadn't gone off yet. Well, finally, I looked at the time and it was 11:45 am! Oops!
I quickly got dressed and cycled in to work - just in time for lunch.
I don't know how I did this but last night I went to bed at around 11:30 at night but this morning I missed my alarm completely. I woke up a few times and went back to sleep, since the alarm hadn't gone off yet. Well, finally, I looked at the time and it was 11:45 am! Oops!
I quickly got dressed and cycled in to work - just in time for lunch.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Feed the Poor / Peace on Earth
I've been thinking about current events. In particular, the Live 8 concerts, the G-8 Summit and the bombings in London today.
I don't want to just write about the violence because, basically, I don't want to play into the hands of the terrorists who want to upset everyone's agenda and distract us from what is an important moment in world history. We are at a crucial moment in history where 8 very influential nations are discussing important things like poverty and the environment. These are such important topics that they really need our attention.
It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day life that we forget things that really matter. We can be so side-tracked by getting the latest "stuff" that we miss the point. How much of what we do with our time really counts for something? How much of it has a point?
I sometimes find it hard to see the worth what I do from 9 to 5. I know I'm serving a church and ultimately God and the underlying IT infrastructure needs to be solid for everything (like the live video streaming) to work properly. It just feels as if that's not tangible enough for me. I want to go somewhere really desolate and build a house for orphans or something like that. That's a good day's work right there - people living in a house instead of on the street because I went to work.
The whole bombing/warring thing seems to be a self-perpetuating entity as well. The whole reason there are wars in Afghanistand and Iraq right now is because of the bombing of the world trade centre and the pentagon. Maybe cynics would question that and I'm not saying I'm entirely in favour of what's happening. The point is, though, that terrorist bombings were the reason. Now, what kind of logic is it that motivates someone to plant some more bombs to make the wars end? Isn't that just fuelling the anger, hatred and thirst for revenge? People in the US and UK are now conveniently reminded of why their troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan in the first place - to stop this kind of thing from happening. There needs to be a better path to peace than this.
I don't agree with bombing Iraq or Afghanistan to pieces, incidentally. I really don't think that's the way to go about it. I think western nations need to earn their respect by genuinely caring about them and helping them (especially Afghanistan) to get re-established and stable. I'm not just talking about governments but things like water, food, houses, schools, parks, clearing of landmines. I know there are organizations like the UN who are doing great work there but I think we need things that are clearly done by the governments of western countries as a gift, a token of goodwill.
I pray that the compassion of Jesus and the wisdom of God will be an influence in the G8 Summit. I pray that our leaders will be motivated by not only concern for their own people but by a compassion for all the people in our world. May there be a radical decision to clear the debts of the poor countries who can't pay - without conditions or strings attached. It's time we evened the playing field a bit.
I don't want to just write about the violence because, basically, I don't want to play into the hands of the terrorists who want to upset everyone's agenda and distract us from what is an important moment in world history. We are at a crucial moment in history where 8 very influential nations are discussing important things like poverty and the environment. These are such important topics that they really need our attention.
It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day life that we forget things that really matter. We can be so side-tracked by getting the latest "stuff" that we miss the point. How much of what we do with our time really counts for something? How much of it has a point?
I sometimes find it hard to see the worth what I do from 9 to 5. I know I'm serving a church and ultimately God and the underlying IT infrastructure needs to be solid for everything (like the live video streaming) to work properly. It just feels as if that's not tangible enough for me. I want to go somewhere really desolate and build a house for orphans or something like that. That's a good day's work right there - people living in a house instead of on the street because I went to work.
The whole bombing/warring thing seems to be a self-perpetuating entity as well. The whole reason there are wars in Afghanistand and Iraq right now is because of the bombing of the world trade centre and the pentagon. Maybe cynics would question that and I'm not saying I'm entirely in favour of what's happening. The point is, though, that terrorist bombings were the reason. Now, what kind of logic is it that motivates someone to plant some more bombs to make the wars end? Isn't that just fuelling the anger, hatred and thirst for revenge? People in the US and UK are now conveniently reminded of why their troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan in the first place - to stop this kind of thing from happening. There needs to be a better path to peace than this.
I don't agree with bombing Iraq or Afghanistan to pieces, incidentally. I really don't think that's the way to go about it. I think western nations need to earn their respect by genuinely caring about them and helping them (especially Afghanistan) to get re-established and stable. I'm not just talking about governments but things like water, food, houses, schools, parks, clearing of landmines. I know there are organizations like the UN who are doing great work there but I think we need things that are clearly done by the governments of western countries as a gift, a token of goodwill.
I pray that the compassion of Jesus and the wisdom of God will be an influence in the G8 Summit. I pray that our leaders will be motivated by not only concern for their own people but by a compassion for all the people in our world. May there be a radical decision to clear the debts of the poor countries who can't pay - without conditions or strings attached. It's time we evened the playing field a bit.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Montréal with Jon & Sheba
A week ago, I went on a fantastic trip to Montréal with Jon & Sheba. It was all part of Jon's plan to romance Sheba for a couple of days building up to his proposition and her acceptance. Yes, they are in fact now engaged!
Maybe I should back up a bit and explain what happened. On the Saturday, Jon took Sheba out for a sail on lake Ontario as a romantic date. Then the next morning, Sheba thought she would be having breakfast with her mum but she was surprised to find Jon, a chauffeur (that's me) and a car waiting for her instead. We took her home and got her to pack some things before grabbing some brunch and then heading for the highway. Sheba still didn't know where we were going at this point. We eventually told her when we got onto Highway 401 East and she couldn't figure out where we would be going.
We drove about 650 km each way in our rented Chevrole Impala which was pretty good and thankfully had good air conditioning because it was REALLY humid.
When we arrived in Montréal, we got settled in to the bed & breakfast before Jon & Sheba headed out for dinner and some jazz. I had a wander around the city and took some pictures. I happened to stumble upon a movie set where Scottish actor Robert Carlyle was being filmed for a show called Human Traffic which I believe will be available on cable in October. You can see my photos here.
Maybe I should back up a bit and explain what happened. On the Saturday, Jon took Sheba out for a sail on lake Ontario as a romantic date. Then the next morning, Sheba thought she would be having breakfast with her mum but she was surprised to find Jon, a chauffeur (that's me) and a car waiting for her instead. We took her home and got her to pack some things before grabbing some brunch and then heading for the highway. Sheba still didn't know where we were going at this point. We eventually told her when we got onto Highway 401 East and she couldn't figure out where we would be going.
We drove about 650 km each way in our rented Chevrole Impala which was pretty good and thankfully had good air conditioning because it was REALLY humid.
When we arrived in Montréal, we got settled in to the bed & breakfast before Jon & Sheba headed out for dinner and some jazz. I had a wander around the city and took some pictures. I happened to stumble upon a movie set where Scottish actor Robert Carlyle was being filmed for a show called Human Traffic which I believe will be available on cable in October. You can see my photos here.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Kilt Ordered!
On Saturday, I decided to cycle to Hector Russell to order my kilt. I knew it was quite a distance but I thought it'd be a good bit of exercise. Well, one hour later I arrived there and chose the tartan for my kilt. I went for the ancient Farquharson. As if that wasn't complicated enough, I also had to choose from three different mills who all use slightly different colouring. I don't remember right now the name of the mill I chose but I'll look it up.
The kilt should be ready in 6 - 8 weeks although it depends if the mill has the material in stock. It should be ready in time for all the weddings I'm going to in September. OK, both the weddings I'm going to in September...a week apart.
The kilt should be ready in 6 - 8 weeks although it depends if the mill has the material in stock. It should be ready in time for all the weddings I'm going to in September. OK, both the weddings I'm going to in September...a week apart.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Will Elder - my friend
Today I received the sad news that Will Elder, a friend and ex-colleague died of cancer this morning. The news hit me as a bit of a blow because we had been praying and believing for God to heal him. The whole thing seemed so tragic as well as he had so much of his life ahead of him. He was 22.
I first met Will in 2002 when I started working at TACF as a volunteer in what was then the Media department. Will was such a friendly and cheerful guy. He was always enthusiastic, hard working and helpful. He had time for people and would help out whenever help was needed, even if it wasn't really his responsibility.
When he stopped working at TACF a while ago, I didn't really keep in touch with him. We just went our separate ways, really. He first contracted testicular cancer almost a year ago and he had a fairly bumpy ride with various treatments and some misleading good signs and even a phase when he thought he was cancer-free.
I went with a few friends to visit him about a month ago and we chatted for a bit. He told me of all the pain he was in, how he had gone hoarse one day from yelling so much because of the pain. Through it all, though, he never lost his sense of God's presence. He said he could feel God's love and he could sense angels in the room as well.
It's just tough when I KNOW that people get healed and cancer really isn't a big deal to God, he's healed people before. God is also a God of LOVE and he desires good things for his children. Right now these don't seem to add up with what's happened but I beleive there are other factors outside my understanding. I still trust God, I still belive he has a good, pleasing and perfect plan for my life and all the rest. I just wish I knew more about healing.
I've been wondering recently, as Will's death seemed more and more imminent - why should he die and me live? Really, when all is said and done, he was a nicer guy than me. I've probably run to sin instead of God more in my life yet here I am in perfect health. I suppose we may tend to associate sickness with God's judgment but it's not always that way.
Will isn't in any pain any more. That I believe. He's with God, his creator, his loving Father. How amazing a promise that is. Really, where is the sting in death? All we have is this temporary separation until we are re-united in heaven. Until then, though, I'll miss him.
I first met Will in 2002 when I started working at TACF as a volunteer in what was then the Media department. Will was such a friendly and cheerful guy. He was always enthusiastic, hard working and helpful. He had time for people and would help out whenever help was needed, even if it wasn't really his responsibility.
When he stopped working at TACF a while ago, I didn't really keep in touch with him. We just went our separate ways, really. He first contracted testicular cancer almost a year ago and he had a fairly bumpy ride with various treatments and some misleading good signs and even a phase when he thought he was cancer-free.
I went with a few friends to visit him about a month ago and we chatted for a bit. He told me of all the pain he was in, how he had gone hoarse one day from yelling so much because of the pain. Through it all, though, he never lost his sense of God's presence. He said he could feel God's love and he could sense angels in the room as well.
It's just tough when I KNOW that people get healed and cancer really isn't a big deal to God, he's healed people before. God is also a God of LOVE and he desires good things for his children. Right now these don't seem to add up with what's happened but I beleive there are other factors outside my understanding. I still trust God, I still belive he has a good, pleasing and perfect plan for my life and all the rest. I just wish I knew more about healing.
I've been wondering recently, as Will's death seemed more and more imminent - why should he die and me live? Really, when all is said and done, he was a nicer guy than me. I've probably run to sin instead of God more in my life yet here I am in perfect health. I suppose we may tend to associate sickness with God's judgment but it's not always that way.
Will isn't in any pain any more. That I believe. He's with God, his creator, his loving Father. How amazing a promise that is. Really, where is the sting in death? All we have is this temporary separation until we are re-united in heaven. Until then, though, I'll miss him.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
I think I'll buy a kilt.
Since the wedding at the weekend, I've been considering how much money I've spent on kilt hire. The rental costs $150 each time and I know I've rented a kilt at least 3 times while in Canada, possible even 4. That's from $450 - $600 dollars right there and I have nothing to show for it other than a few cool photos.
I can get a full 8 yard, hand-sewn kilt from Hector Russell in Toronto. (Interestingly, the first Hector Russell was in my home town of Greenock.) If I get the kilt by itself, it'll cost $645 which I think I can afford. Then I can wear it whenever I want, which would be quite fun.
I'm going to go with the Farquharson tartan which is my family tartan, although it's not my name. To add confusion, there are actually four version of the tartan I can choose from. Here's a peek at each of them.
Ancient
Modern
Muted
Weathered
I'm going to go and have a look soon to see which one looks best in real life as they can look misleading on a computer screen.
I can get a full 8 yard, hand-sewn kilt from Hector Russell in Toronto. (Interestingly, the first Hector Russell was in my home town of Greenock.) If I get the kilt by itself, it'll cost $645 which I think I can afford. Then I can wear it whenever I want, which would be quite fun.
I'm going to go with the Farquharson tartan which is my family tartan, although it's not my name. To add confusion, there are actually four version of the tartan I can choose from. Here's a peek at each of them.
Ancient
Modern
Muted
Weathered
I'm going to go and have a look soon to see which one looks best in real life as they can look misleading on a computer screen.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
HSBC No More!
I have finally closed my account with HSBC. I find PC Financial to be a far superior bank. I've been using them for a couple of months now but I still hadn't closed the HSBC account because I couldn't figure out a way of getting my money out without needing to pay a fee, since I had a lot to transfer and I didn't want to walk out with a bag full of cash.
I spent the money instead and today I was handed a $2 coin from the manager as she closed my account. It was actually quite amusing. It illustrated how little interest I had in the bank by that time - the fact that I had spent all but $2 before closing the account.
She was actually pretty grumpy about closing the account, as if my business going elsewhere will put her out of a job. She asked me to fill out a form at one point and when I handed it back she said, "Thanks, that's great....Well...it's not great."
I just smiled to myself, thinking her poor attempts at guilt and manipuation wouldn't work on me! Ha! Your Jedi skills will only work on the weak minded!
I spent the money instead and today I was handed a $2 coin from the manager as she closed my account. It was actually quite amusing. It illustrated how little interest I had in the bank by that time - the fact that I had spent all but $2 before closing the account.
She was actually pretty grumpy about closing the account, as if my business going elsewhere will put her out of a job. She asked me to fill out a form at one point and when I handed it back she said, "Thanks, that's great....Well...it's not great."
I just smiled to myself, thinking her poor attempts at guilt and manipuation wouldn't work on me! Ha! Your Jedi skills will only work on the weak minded!
Photos from Chris & Lorri's Wedding
I now have the photos back from the wedding on Saturday. Follow this link to have a look. Luckily for Chris, I took out the one from the night before when we made him wear a thong.
Monday, May 16, 2005
A pretty cool wedding
I was priveleged to be part of Chris & Lorri's wedding on Saturday. We had quite a drive to get there, though. Chris is from New Hamburg and the wedding was in Saint Mary's. (the town, not a Catholic church) Check out a map of the area on Google to see where these places are. The reception was somewhere else entirely. I don't know exactly where it was - it was a barn somewhere. Mind you, it was a really nice barn.
One of the highlights of the day was at the end of the ceremony when the minister told us the reception was to be at 5:30pm. Chris and Lorri looked at him kinda funny and said "it's 6:30" to which he replied, "no, trust me, it's 5:30" Well, the newlyweds left in the car and then Lorri's dad came up to the front and said "The reason it's 5:30 is because they don't know this but we're having a helicopter pick them up and fly them there. Oh, and free helicopter rides for everyone!"
It was a pretty cool deal and far more original than the old "free drinks all round" concept. There were two helicopters, one of which could take three passengers and the other could take four. They kept going for quite a while until everyone had a shot. I had to be carefuly standing in line with my kilt on because each time a helicopter took off, there was quite a gust. I think I managed to defend my dignity ok, though.
All in all, it was a great day, though, starting with a last-minute band practice in the morning and ending with helping to clear up some of the stuff in the barn and getting back to Toronto at around 2am.
I love the community of a wedding. It's not just two people getting together, it's everyone being a witness and participant in the joy and celebration of their new life together. Here's to Chris and Lorri's new future together!
(I will hopefully have some photos soon!)
One of the highlights of the day was at the end of the ceremony when the minister told us the reception was to be at 5:30pm. Chris and Lorri looked at him kinda funny and said "it's 6:30" to which he replied, "no, trust me, it's 5:30" Well, the newlyweds left in the car and then Lorri's dad came up to the front and said "The reason it's 5:30 is because they don't know this but we're having a helicopter pick them up and fly them there. Oh, and free helicopter rides for everyone!"
It was a pretty cool deal and far more original than the old "free drinks all round" concept. There were two helicopters, one of which could take three passengers and the other could take four. They kept going for quite a while until everyone had a shot. I had to be carefuly standing in line with my kilt on because each time a helicopter took off, there was quite a gust. I think I managed to defend my dignity ok, though.
All in all, it was a great day, though, starting with a last-minute band practice in the morning and ending with helping to clear up some of the stuff in the barn and getting back to Toronto at around 2am.
I love the community of a wedding. It's not just two people getting together, it's everyone being a witness and participant in the joy and celebration of their new life together. Here's to Chris and Lorri's new future together!
(I will hopefully have some photos soon!)
Monday, May 02, 2005
BICYCLE!
(In my best Queen voice:) I want to ride my BICYCLE, I want to ride my bike!
Yes, it's true. I finally bought a bi-cycle - a two-wheeler, with no stabilisers! I'm a big boy now, yes I am.
Inspired by the plethora of bicycles is use in Denmark, I decided to get one of my own to get around (round round get around, I get around!) my neighbourhood. I can also ride to work/church as well and get a bit stronger in the legs in the process. That way I'll be stronger for climbing as well and a spot of cardio exercise is always a good idea as well.
For those of you interested in bike details, I got the Yukon by Giant. I hope to have lots of fun and get fitter at the same time.
Yes, it's true. I finally bought a bi-cycle - a two-wheeler, with no stabilisers! I'm a big boy now, yes I am.
Inspired by the plethora of bicycles is use in Denmark, I decided to get one of my own to get around (round round get around, I get around!) my neighbourhood. I can also ride to work/church as well and get a bit stronger in the legs in the process. That way I'll be stronger for climbing as well and a spot of cardio exercise is always a good idea as well.
For those of you interested in bike details, I got the Yukon by Giant. I hope to have lots of fun and get fitter at the same time.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Back in Copenhagen
It's Saturday night and I'm now back in Copenhagen. I've not been able to get to a computer since last weekend. OK, I'll rephrase that. I've just not been near a computer. I probably could have been if I really wanted to be but I didn't so there you go.
A lot has happened since I last wrote but I don't really feel like writing a huge report of my week here. Denmark has been an interesting experience for me, though, and it's been interesting to experience yet another culture.
It's strange the things that strike you as different when you travel from one country to another. In Denmark there are so many bikes. They're everywhere. Not only that, but it seems all streets have bike lanes and traffic lights for bikes as well. People tend to be very well-behaved with waiting for the proper signal to cross the roads and the system of payment on public transport relies a lot on honesty but again people play by the rules. It was nice to see somewhere that there were so few cars on the road and well-run buses full of people as well as all the bikes. I thought that all the biking would make people fitter here but smoking is also much more popular in Denmark so I don't know if they cancel each other out or not.
Anyway, I'm going to stop for now. Tomorrow morning I'm flying to London then on to Toronto. Hopefully I'll be "bright eyed and bushy-tailed" for work on Monday morning.
Hej Hej
A lot has happened since I last wrote but I don't really feel like writing a huge report of my week here. Denmark has been an interesting experience for me, though, and it's been interesting to experience yet another culture.
It's strange the things that strike you as different when you travel from one country to another. In Denmark there are so many bikes. They're everywhere. Not only that, but it seems all streets have bike lanes and traffic lights for bikes as well. People tend to be very well-behaved with waiting for the proper signal to cross the roads and the system of payment on public transport relies a lot on honesty but again people play by the rules. It was nice to see somewhere that there were so few cars on the road and well-run buses full of people as well as all the bikes. I thought that all the biking would make people fitter here but smoking is also much more popular in Denmark so I don't know if they cancel each other out or not.
Anyway, I'm going to stop for now. Tomorrow morning I'm flying to London then on to Toronto. Hopefully I'll be "bright eyed and bushy-tailed" for work on Monday morning.
Hej Hej
Det er hyggeligt!
That is pronounced: "Day err hoogalit"
Do allow me to explain from my Scandinavian phrasebook which includes Danish, Faroese, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish.
"Hygge is a concept close to Danish hearts. It describes many things, like being cosy and comfortable in a warm bed, or sitting in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa, or a surprise visitor with whom you stay up all night chatting."
It's too bad we don't have cool words like that in English as well. Some things don't translate precisely, I feel.
Do allow me to explain from my Scandinavian phrasebook which includes Danish, Faroese, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish.
"Hygge is a concept close to Danish hearts. It describes many things, like being cosy and comfortable in a warm bed, or sitting in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa, or a surprise visitor with whom you stay up all night chatting."
It's too bad we don't have cool words like that in English as well. Some things don't translate precisely, I feel.
Monday, April 18, 2005
Fun in Copenhagen.
I've been settling in to Danish time which is 6 hours ahead of Toronto. I'm still not quite adjusted and I find myself tired in the afternoon and wide awake at bedtime. Today I got up at 8:30, though, and just had a nap before dinner.
I've been to the PIH church in Copenhagen although I couldn't tell you where it is. We took two buses and a subway to get there. I enjoyed the worship although I didn't bother getting anyone to translate for me so I spent the whole message trying to guess what they were saying.
Today I went to the Planetarium with Camilla. It's a big cinema which I think is the same as the iMax technology we have back in Scotland. We watched a documentary about natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes and tornados. It made me smile when I saw the tornados and I remembered the time when I told one to go away and it did!
We still need to visit Hans Christian Andersen's grave which I believe is just across the road from where we are just now. Tomorrow morning we're getting up early to get the train to Århus. Hopefully I'll have another chance to do an update soon.
I've been to the PIH church in Copenhagen although I couldn't tell you where it is. We took two buses and a subway to get there. I enjoyed the worship although I didn't bother getting anyone to translate for me so I spent the whole message trying to guess what they were saying.
Today I went to the Planetarium with Camilla. It's a big cinema which I think is the same as the iMax technology we have back in Scotland. We watched a documentary about natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes and tornados. It made me smile when I saw the tornados and I remembered the time when I told one to go away and it did!
We still need to visit Hans Christian Andersen's grave which I believe is just across the road from where we are just now. Tomorrow morning we're getting up early to get the train to Århus. Hopefully I'll have another chance to do an update soon.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Rock On!
I recently bought some Metolius Rock Rings from the Mountain Equipment Co-Op but it's taken me a while to get all the equipment to actually attach it to my wall.
Last night I finally got it all finished. This is by far the biggest Home Improvements (or DIY) adventure I've ever had. Prior to this, the biggest thing I ever did was to attach an Ikea mirror to my bathroom wall.
This latest project was a bit tricky. I had to mount a 2 by 6 (or "bit o' wid" for you Scots out there) on the wall using three 5 inch bolts that I (ok my friend Thomas) drilled all the way through the concrete wall. I also attached six "bolt hangers" to the wood so that I could clip the rock rings into a variety of positions for wider or narrower holds. Now all I need is some upper body strength to actually hold on!
Last night I finally got it all finished. This is by far the biggest Home Improvements (or DIY) adventure I've ever had. Prior to this, the biggest thing I ever did was to attach an Ikea mirror to my bathroom wall.
This latest project was a bit tricky. I had to mount a 2 by 6 (or "bit o' wid" for you Scots out there) on the wall using three 5 inch bolts that I (ok my friend Thomas) drilled all the way through the concrete wall. I also attached six "bolt hangers" to the wood so that I could clip the rock rings into a variety of positions for wider or narrower holds. Now all I need is some upper body strength to actually hold on!
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