Random Thoughts

I had some great intentions to post all kinds of things including (I am embarrassed to say) the final stop on my Bourne World Tour. That post is coming but some reason I have not had much time in the last 5-6 weeks to accomplish much on the blogging front. A simple question is why, what the heck have I been doing to keep me from blogging about my exploits?

There has been some things going on including being very busy at work which translates into long days and a very tired Aargh. I figured I would post an update and see where things go from here.

The saga of my wrist has continued and last Monday I went for a Bone Scan in Surrey Memorial Hospital. They inject Radioactive tracer into the opposite arm and quickly take some pictures then you wait 3 hours and more pictures are taken. This all went well and as I was leaving the hospital I felt kinda funny and as I stepped around some folks standing on the sidewalk I fell and cut my knee open. Oh yes I also put my right hand down again so yes I hurt it again. Luckily this time it only hurt for a couple hours and did not swell. I had to wait till this Friday to get the results and visit my doctor. The results, well apparently the Radiologists cannot agree if the bone has a break but the consensus is as I am pretty much pain free and have full mobility any pain is from ligament damage.

This takes me to something I have been noticing for the last 9 or 10 months and is related to my wrist issues. As I was born with Spina Bifida I have a few challenges with my left leg and left foot which causes me to experience some weakness and lack of control of my left foot. When I was much younger I tended to fall a lot as I would either twist my left ankle or misstep and fall. This caused a lot of skinned and bloodied knees and ripped pants. Over the years I learned to adjust and would concentrate and pay attention when I walked and in the last 10 to 15 years I noticed that I was no longer falling. I would still twist my ankle but would not lose my balance and fall. That is until last summer and over the last several months I have not only twisted my ankle several times I have fallen multiple times with the worst being in March when I broke my wrist. As I am seeing a pattern I am quite concerned and will now be visiting an orthopedic specialist to see what is up with my ankle. More fun and games but I guess as this is causing me to fall it would be the best way to help my wrist stay healthy.

Wish me luck!

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Here are some snaps from the BC Highland Games.

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Upon arriving at our third destination we were met at the airport and driven in a very nice and extremely comfortable Mercedes. As we drove from the airport we were treated to an impromtu tour of Madrid getting a lesson on the local history. Our hotel Hotel De Las Letras a boutique hotel in the centre of the city. The building dates from 1917 and each room has poems and writings on the walls. Very unique and out of all of the hotels we stayed in on the trip the most enjoyable. After getting settled we headed out and walked along the Gran Via (the main street) till we found a place for dinner and a beer. After a bite to eat we walked the area looking at souvenrs and people watching. After an evening of wandering and seeing the sights we headed for Chocolateria San Gines where melted chocolate is served in a cup and you dip churros into the melted. While it was extremely rich it was quite delicious. A definite place to stop when visiting Madrid.

The next day we wandered around the local area and took in the sights of the Royal Palace, Alumenda Cathedral and Plaza Mayor. While this walk should have been pleasant it turned out to be somewhat uncomfortable due to the almost constant heavy rain and my legs being very sore. On the way back to the hotel we ran into a politcal rally which while I wanted to hang around and see what was happening my travel companion recommended we keep moving and with the large police presence I finally agreed. After a rest and a change of clothes we headed out for more wandering and ended up at a Tapas bar for dinner. What started as a quiet evening at the Tapas bar turned interesting when a large group of women showed up with something in common, they all were wearing a picture of the same man. One of the women was in curlers and wearing an apron. So we surmised it was probably a bachelorette party which our waitress confirmed. During the dinner there was lots of singing and probably jokes(my Spanish is not so good so only a guess on my part) running around the table. The dinner was quite tasty with one of dishes containing shark.

Sunday we took the high speed train to Toledo which is a World Heritage City with the old city up on the hill overlooking the modern city. Toledo is famous for the old city and also is home to Toledo Steel used in making world famous swords. As we wandered through the old cobblestoned streets were bit surprised by all the stores and of course they had swords of all shapes and sizes with a large number of the swords tourist knockoffs. Something which was really out of character for the old city was a McDonalds which really did not belong. After wandering for most of the day we found a small restaurant where we enjoyed a nice meal. I had a home made beef stew and a jub of local Sangria.

From our time in Madrid a couple of things stand out for me, first the amount of restaurants that serve Ham and even some places that only serve Ham. Second and probably what really stands out for me was how rude people seemed to be and how pushy people were and I mean physically pushy. This was not just men, it was men and women young and old. I have spoken to several people who have indicated they have had similar experiences while others who have visited Barcelona and other areas of Spain did not find this to be the case. So I am left with a negative impression and I am not sure if it was something I did or just the luck of the draw. I would like to give Spain another try and hopefully leave with a different impression.

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The Kasbah is the fort which once held the Sultan’s place and now consists of homes, shops, the Grand Socco which is Spanish for Souk or market. As we walked through the ancient streets our guide regaled us with tales of famous people who lived in the Kasbah as well as the history of the different peoples that lived inside the walls. There are many influences including Carthage, Romans, Byzantine Empire, Arabs, Spain, Portugal and Britain to name a few. With this many influences the city has many types of architecture which makes it quite unique. As we walked through the narrow streets we passed many locals and saw some facets of their lives. During our time in the Kasbah we visited a Herbalist where we received a lesson on some of the common products the Herbalist creates and what he uses to make the different products. From a natural form of A535 to sleep aids and weight loss with roots, all from natural ingredients. Next we went to a Moroccan Carpet store, which is a Government Co-op of families. What this means is the prices are controlled and all the proceeds from the carpet sales go to the families which made the carpet. So after sometime being shown a large variety of carpets and throws I found a bed spread made out silk and cashmere and decided to take the plunge. After our excursion to the carpet store we continued to walk through the Kasbah ending up in the Grand Socco (Market) where we saw a lot of locals and lots of activity. As we continued our trek Sayed continued to tell stories and give us insights into people and places that make up this historical part of Tangier. After numerous hours of walking we decided it was time to head back to our hotel for a rest before dinner. Upon checking my watch we discovered our tour was almost 7 and half hours long well worth the price. A very enjoyable time with a very engaging host.

After a short rest we headed for dinner again in our hotel in an authentic Moroccan restaurant called Layali

setup to look like a traditional Moroccan tent. We enjoyed a pleasant dinner with music and of course a belly dancer. The next day we decided to take a taxi to the center of the town and walk around the downtown of Tangier. As we walked through the streets we made it to the beach and walked out to the water, as it was a rainy day it was not completely pleasant but I can imagine it would be a nice place when the sun is shining. As we continued to walk we headed in the direction of our hotel with no real plan except to walk and expereince more local culture. One piece of “local” culture we had not intended to visit was the local McDonalds but as fate would have it we decided on a whim to give it try and see what local flavour was available. I decided to try a McArabia which consisted of grilled kofta (beef with spices) and lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and garlic mayonnaise all wrapped in an Arabic style pita bread. While my traveling companion had a Chicken Mythic, a chicken sandwich, he indicated it was ok but nothing to write home about. The rest of the afternoon we continued to walk to our hotel passing the local sheep herd and a group of camels lounging in the field beside the main road. The rest of our day and evening we spent around the hotel and after dinner we visited the Casino and ended the evening enjoying drinks in the lounge.

The next day our final day in exotic Morocco we hung around the hotel until our pickup for the drive to airport. Something interesting that occurred when I entered Morocco the Passport control agent had problems entering my data into the computer and he kept asking me if I was born in Winnipeg to which I answered a polite no as my passport states I was born in Calgary. After what seemed like 20 or 30 minutes (it was about 15 very uncomfortable minutes) he called over his supervisor who asked me the same questions and after another 5 minutes of both of them looking at the computer screen the supervisor waved me through. But the story does not end there, as we went through passport control to leave Tangier the agent started to ask me more questions and then started writing line after line of numbers and letters. Again after what seemed like hours he called over his boss and this gentleman scared me. To describe what this gentleman looked like, think of all those movies set in either Central America or Mexico and picture the guy playing the secret policeman with the mustache and smoking a cigarette. That is what this guy looked like right down to the mustache and smoking a cigarette. After more interrogation I was allowed to proceed and immediately after sitting down my traveling companion said in a very very load voice “Boy were they interested in you” to which I said “Shut up they are still watching me.” Over the next 20 minutes the mysterious gentleman kept looking at me making me very uncomfortable. The call for our flight to Madrid could not have come any sooner. I was able to breathe easier once we were out over the Mediterranean.

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After leaving London we headed south to Morocco and Tangier. But first we had a stopover in Casablanca, a place which has held a mystique for me ever since I first saw the movie many years ago. Now I was told not to expect the ambiance of the movie in this modern city so it is just enough to say I visited Casablanca. After a tow hour layover in a very modern looking airport we headed for our next destination, Tangier.

We arrived in Tangier just before midnight on Tuesday and were met by our driver Moustafa who drove a somewhat rusty and rickety Mercedes van. As we drove through the streets of Tangier towards our hotel we tried to ask questions of our driver only to discover he spoke Moroccan and French. So it was in French and using hand signals to communicate. As we looked around the first thing that struck me was with the architecture, plants and the people, Tangier was the exotic place I was expecting. After a long day traveling we headed to bed and a good nights sleep.

We were woken by the phone ringing about 11am and it was Moustafa’s boss asking if we wanted to take a tour that day. As our plans for Tangier were fluid after some quick negotiations we set up a pickup time of about 1:30. This would give us sometime to wake up and get lunch before our tour started. As we were not moble we decided to check out our hotel, The Movenpick for lunch. It turns out there is a buffet offered for lunch and dinner so we decided to give it a try. The lunch was quite tasty and included a few exotic dishes including Rabbit Fricassee and some very tasty desserts.

After we enjoyed a nice lunch we waited outside for our tour when we were approached by a gentleman who was saying our room number, it turns out he was to be our guide. His name is Sayed and he turned out to be quite a character. As we waited for our driver, Mousatfa (our driver from the airport) Sayed gave us a brief overview of what the tour would include. Once Moustafa arrived we were off on the great adventure. First a drive through the city with a running commentary from Sayed about the history of the city and the different inhabitants of the area throughout history. Next we took a drive up to hills overlooking the city including a drive past one of the palaces of the King Mohammed VI After a drive through the hills we headed for the coast of the Atlantic Ocean which included a stop overlooking the ocean. Back on the road we headed to Cape Spartel, where a lighthouse is located. From here we headed to the Caves of Hercules where it is beleived Hercules lived while in Africa. There is an area of the cave which looks out to the ocean and it is a reverse map of Africa. Quite a sight. After our visit to the Cave we headed back to Tangier and the Kasbah for our walking tour.

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Ok so it has been a little while since my last post about the trip, life got in the way. Where did I leave off, oh yes I remember we toured The HMS Belfast which was fascinating with a long history which started in 1939 and continued until 1963. We wandered all around the ship and were able to see the different aspects of ship life. Next we went across to the Tower of London and spent several hours exploring the different buildings including a visit to the Crown Jewels. We stopped for Fish and Chips at a stand outside the Tower where we met a young lady from Italy who was visiting London to watch her father run in the London Marathon. After some pleasant conversation and a decent lunch we decided to jump on the tube and head for Big Ben.

Upon arriving at Parliament we discovered due to the marathon a good portion of the streets downtown were closed to vehicles. When else can you walk down the middle of Westminster Bridge and take pictures of the Parliament Buildings. We decided to walk and see the sights. We headed across the river and headed down Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square. along the way we stopped at Downing Street and Horse Guards Parade where the Trooping of the Color is held each year. Next we walked down The Mall and through Admiralty Arch and into Trafalgar Square.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Saw this over at Hilly’s and figured why the hell not.

Here are the rules

The concept:
1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page of results, pick one image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

The questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food? right now?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?

11. What is one word that describes you?

12. What is your flickr name?

1. st anthony, 2. My first strawberries of this season…, 3. Gwynne Vaughan House and Park, 4. Island Maroon, 5. scarlett johanssen, 6. Wasted away in Margaritaville, 7. Deserted Side of Cozemel, 8. Cheesecake with strawberry gelèe, 9. Portofino a favorite of wealthy yachters, 10. | you & you |, 11. Mr Reliable too.., 12. Vanessa

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Since I was unable to post effectively while I was on the trip I have decided to post about the highlights from each place and include a few pictures to tease while I get the rest of the pictures ready for the web.
We arrived in London about 2 hours late as our flight was about 2 hours late, maybe a pattern but we shall see later. On arrival at our hotel, The London Bridge Hotel we immediately set out in search of a pub for food and a pint. Very soon we determined that most pubs do not serve food on Saturday nights so onto plan B which was find someplace to eat. Soon enough we came upon the aptly named restaurant Fish. Where we had a Fish and Chips meal which included Mushy Peas, an acquired taste I am guessing.
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Upon our arrival in London we had discovered that Sunday which would be our first full day in London, the London Marathon was taking place. As we did not want to compete with the crowds we decided that we would visit the attractions within walking distance from our hotel, the HMS Belfast and the Tower of London. Sunday started out a little grey with the chance of showers expected sometime during the day. We had a full English breakfast in the hotel and then headed out to visit the HMS Belfast a World War 2 cruiser which is a floating museum on the River Thames. As the Belfast was not open we took a walk to the Tower Bridge and discovered the bridge was the 20km mark for the marathon. We joined the crowds and cheered on the runners.

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As I get back to life after the trip I have been trying to put together the pictures and the story of the trip. I will over the next several days post about the places we visited and post the pictures into my gallery. But I could not resist relating this story which occurred in Vancouver Airport on April 11th as we waited for our British Airways flight to London which was delayed by 2 hours. As we waited in the departure lounge I had found a spot to plug in my laptop and after a little while of my puttering on my computer a British gentleman approached and asked if there was room to plug in his computer. As there was a spot I moved out of the way and he plugged in his computer and then he moved a few feet away to a seat close by. Over the next 30 -40 minutes I continued to wander aimlessly around the departure lounge and putter on my computer. During my puttering I looked over at the British Gentleman and thought there was something familiar about this man. I looked at the British Gentleman for the next 15 - 20 minutes until he walked over to check on his computer. Once he approached I quietly said to him, “You look familiar” to which he answered ” I am an actor on Battlestar Galactica.” I was speaking with none other than Jamie Bamber who plays Lee “Apollo” Adama on Battlestar Galactica. After quietly speaking for a few moments I asked if Jamie minded if I could get a picture with him. He answered “Of course it would be a pleasure.”

I must say I was extremely impressed with how polite and accommodating Jamie was during the few moments we spoke. A true gentleman.

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Paris in the spring time can you ask for anything more? Well do not answer that….Paris is incredible, the post cards just do not do it justice. When you stand on the the top level of the Eiffel Tower you find the view just magnificient. There is so much to see that three days just is not enough time. Louvre is the next stop, time for some more culture.
Hard to believe 1 more day in Europe then the Grand Adventure is over.

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Holy Toledo, after a rainy day wandering around the Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace we took the High Speed train to Toledo about 71 kilometers south of Madrid. Toledo is a World Heritage City with the old city dominating the landscape with the impressive Alcazar (fort) and Cathedral as the main attractions. While we were impressed with the old city, the commercialization present took away from the ambiance. In other words we did not appreciate the McDonalds in the old city.

Dinner last night was Tapas and Spanish beer while we enjoyed Paella and a very thick and tasty beef stew for dinner tonight. Next comes Paris the City of Lights, and did I mention pastries MMMM fresh bread in the morning, chocolate crossiants mmmm!

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Ran into a computer problem, my laptop has decided to take a holiday of its own and stop working. So I am a little behind.

London was great and while we walked our feet off we did get to see lots of great sites and met some interesting people at the same time. We went to see the Changing of the Guard on Monday only to be told it was only every second day so off we went to visit the Churchill War Rooms and the London Eye with a side trip to Westminister Abbey.

Tuesday we jetted off to Morocco and landed first in Casablanca and then flew onto Tanger. Tanger has the exotic feel you would think it has with the right mix of new and old. On Wednesday we spent the day with our driver Moustafa and our guide Sayed who regaled us with tales of old while we visited Cape Spartel, the Caves of Hercules, the Medina and the Kasbah (More tales complete with pictures coming soon). On Wednesday night we ate in a traditional Moroccan restaurant with Moroccan music and of course a belly dancer.

Friday begins our Spanish adventure with a trip to Toledo.

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We Made It! The flight was delayed 2 hours but we made to London and had a full day on Sunday. With visits to the Tower of London, with some very interesting instruments of torture and a very informative visit to the HMS Belfast a WW2 Cruiser which saw action in the Korea Campaign as well. After a tradional Fish and Chip lunch it was off to Big Ben and the London Eye. We walked from Westminister to Picadilly Circus and took in all the incredible sites. Having a great time, today is the Changing of the Gurad at Buckingham Palace and Westminister Abbey and a visit to Harrods. More to come!

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I just got back from Kelowna where I took Tara to my good friends who will be looking after her while I am away on my great adventure. I find I walk around the house and talk to her only to discover she is not here. Makes me appreciate having her around even more.

Friday is creeping up on us fast. I have been finalizing the packing and looking at the travel sites as I prepare for the trip. It is hard to believe that on Saturday we will be in London visting the Tower of London and enjoying a good pub meal and some beer. I guess as the week goes on it will hard to contain the excitement, I can only hope I get good news on Thursday when I get my next x-ray for my wrist. Say a little prayer for me and send me some good vibes and hopefully I will be able to get rid of this cast.

The plan for London is to spend Sunday seeing the Changing of the Guard, Guards Museum, War Cabinet Rooms, Westminster Abbey and Piccadilly Circus. As we want to be flexible we may change around the schedule if we find other things to visit. Maybe a bus tour if the weather is alright and it meets our fancy. Monday we are going to St Paul’s Cathedral, Harrod’s, and a trip in the London Eye. Around our hotel, The London Bridge Hotel is several things we will visit such as the HMS Belfast, Southwark Cathedral and The Tower of London. Oh well 5 more sleeps!

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First I have to admit even though I am not liking having a cast I am at least adjusting. Having said that I will be celebrating when I can get this damn thing off my arm.

It is getting close to D day (D stands for Departure), next Friday we wing our way to London. It is hard to restrain my enthusiasm while I make final preparations and start packing for the adventure. Along with the final prep for the trip I am also awaiting delivery of my 2008 VW Touareg. Hard not to be excited about all the good things happening in my life.

I am not going to commit to this but my plan is to try and blog at the end of each day and let everyone know what we did during the day. I will also put up a picture or two.

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Something occurred to me today and for the life of me I do not know why this did not come to me sooner. Since I will be visiting London, Paris, Madrid and Tangier in April and I always enjoy meeting new people, anyone who wants to meet up drop me a line.

On a totally different note I have rediscovered a favorite from my younger years. The other day at Safeway I spotted Pillsbury Wiener Wraps and decided to give them a try again. They did not disappoint, with some hot mustard they make a great snack. Mmmm Mmmm Good.

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As the time ticks down to April 11th at 8:35pm I have to try and concentrate on work and life while keeping my excitement in check. Heck who am I kidding the closer we get the harder it will be for me to focus on anything but the trip. The more I think about this the more I have come to the realization that this will be the trip of a lifetime. Now as we get down to crunch time I am looking at packing and finalizing the details for the trip.

Everything is falling into place with the exception of my wrist problems which I will make the best of no matter what the outcome. I have started using Twitter and I think I will be using it for updates so check it out and stay tuned.

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Well I got the news I was not looking forward to on Thursday. Over the past three weeks I have been wearing a half cast/splint on my right arm and hoping like heck that I would be ok for my upcoming trip. The bone the doctor is concerned about is the scaphoid bone at the base of the thumb. Sometimes it is very difficult to see the fracture and so as in my case several x-rays were required. After three x-rays my doctor has decided that I need a cast to help the healing process and will possibly have a cast for the next 6 to 8 weeks.

I am hoping to get a fiberglass cast which should not impede my enjoyment of the trip. Can you say Damn!

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That was the last time we celebrated my Mom’s Birthday. As she was ill we did not really celebrate but we were together as a family. Each year on this day I take sometime to myself away from people and just remember the happy memories. This year my Mom would have been 72. She left us too early.

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I must say I was not too sure what to expect when I attended Northern Voice. Would I be surrounded by people geekier than me, or maybe some snobbish high brow folks? I was pleased to see a nice mix of of young and young at heart and from the people I met from all walks of life.

The day started out with the keynote address from Matt Mullenweg and then we went right into the days events. My first foray was in Bringing Social into Blogging by Marc Canter. Very interesting and thought provoking, I am always interested in what can be done with software and what is yet to come. Marc is an excellent presenter and provided a no nonsense look at the the addition of social features to all types of software.

Next on the agenda was Blogging is Dead, Long Live the Blogger presented by Chris Lott and a group of panelists seeded throughout the audience. The discussion went in several directions spurred by comments from both the audience and the panelists. One of the discussions I quite enjoyed was whether we create a different persona on our blogs which some of us use to escape from our lives. I personally do not have a different persona on my Blog, my blog is me, but I can understand why someone might want to have a different character on their web site. Some will be for privacy issues, some to escape their real lives and some possibly to explore different things which in our real lives we would not want to try but still want to experience in some way.

In the afternoon I attended The Other Side of Two Dimensions with Alex Waterhouse-Hayward and Kris Krug. Alex is a fine art photographer who was provided photographs for magazines and newspapers as well as for CBC and many other outlets. The discussion was quite stimulating and the interaction between Alex and Kris was interesting. The final presentation I attended concerned the research project of Jacqueline Schoemaker Holmes about online dating in Vancouver. She took 40 participants (Vancouver Professionites as she called them) professionals and through interviews and shadowing she came up with some info on what it is like to date online, why we use online dating and some of the pitfalls. While I found her presentation to be some what enlightening (it confirmed some of my experiences) I did not completely agree with how she got to her conclusions. She had shadowed 4 of the participants and when asked how she picked the 4 she indicated they basically picked themselves by standing out from the group. They were the most outspoken, had the most charisma and had a high level of confidence. Where I have a problem here is I do not believe this would give an accurate cross section of the 40 participants which in turn would not give a good cross section of online daters. Just my 2 cents.

I think the most interesting session I attended was a postmortem of the Moose Camp. Moose Camp was held on the Friday and is the “unconference” which is self-organizing and also includes an Internet BootCamp for beginners. As I did not attend, it made the postmortem interesting and as well Boris Mann who lead the discussion picked on me to get my take on the discussion from a non participant. Next year I think I need to plan to attend both days as I know I missed out on a lot from Moose Camp/Internet BootCamp.

I had a great time and look forward to next year!

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Just finished listening to Matt Mullenweg’s speech which was very engaging and also thought provoking. Makes me really appreciate the Open Source concept which I for one sometimes take for granted. When you listen to Matt you feel his passion for Open Source and the impact it will have on the future and the impact of social interaction.

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I will be attending Northern Voice coming up this Saturday. So what is Northern Voice, well it is a two day conference to celebrate personal blogging and social media. So in other words I guess there will be a few Geeks gathering! On the Friday their is Moose Camp which is a participant driven event where all attendees are part of the presentation. On Saturday, which is the part I am attending are a series of talks on different subjects including a keynote address by Matt Mullenweg founder of Wordpress. There is a good assortment of sessions so at this point I am still looking at which ones I will attend. I am looking forward to this event and meeting some of my fellow bloggers.

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I have been on the hunt for a lighter smaller notebook for traveling. One of the things I discovered in my research was to get a new notebook would be costly as lightweight systems with smaller screens seem to be more expensive. As luck would have it I came across a system at a very reasonable price, which has turned out to meet my needs and surpass my expectations. My new notebook is an Acer Travelmate C110 which is a Tablet PC. At first I was not sure I was going to like it but after some experimentation I have found it is quite easy to use the stylus to write and the text recognition is pretty decent.

Yes the screen turns around and lays flat so it can be used as a writing pad. Even though the system is older, it is a PM 1.5 with 1 Gig of ram, an 80 Gb harddrive and wireless it starts quickly and runs all the applications with no noticeable lag. I have taken my Travelmate on a couple of small trips over the past month and it has served my needs perfectly. I am extremely happy with my new addition to Anthony’s Toy Box.

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I cannot believe in 90 days I will be winging my way to London and parts beyond. Lately it would seem all I can blog about is my trip and the subject of conversation I have with most people is when is my trip and when do I get my new truck. Not that I mind talking about both but I kinda wonder if people get a little tired of talking about my upcoming trip. Oh well I cannot help it if everyone wants to know my every thought concerning my trip and what I am going to do. It is funny that a question I get during almost every conversation is where is it I am going on the trip and then they smile. I am not totally sure why but hey I do not mind reminding folks about my trip.

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As the time gets nearer more pieces are falling onto place and the more excited I get when I think about what is coming up. I have found a camera bag which I think will work. I have been researching like a madman and I continue to find interesting things to do and see on the trip. At first I thought it would be kinda tough to find a lot to do in Madrid and Tangier but the more I dig the more that pops up. From Madrid a Day trip to Toledo or Segovia looks to be in the books. In Tangier Cape Spartel and the Caves of Hercules are on the agenda. Still digging and looking for some must-see places to visit. Google is my friend.

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So 97 days from today at 8:35pm my great adventure begins as we board a flight to London. It seems so long ago that I received that phone call in August telling me about my great win. I find it hard to believe how fast the time has passed and how soon we will be going on the trip. I have been in planning mode for the last 2 months but now it is coming down to the final stages and making sure we have all the things we need to make the trip proceed smoothly. While I have different types of luggage and was not really in the market for anymore bags I found a really neat roller bag when I was at the Oakley store in Seattle. It has a detachable Laptop bag and has a ton of room. So that is one less thing to think about while I continue planning.

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Just back from Seattle and a few days of relaxation and shopping. We stayed in the Hotel Monaco and I must say it was not what I was expecting. From the elegant lobby and the the hardwood on the elevator floors you do not expect the rooms to be so exotic. We stayed in the Mediterranean Suite with pink and white striped wall paper along with the Leopard and Zebra pattern robes this place is not what you expect. Centrally located in downtown Seattle within walking distance to Pike Place Market and the Seattle Convention Center. The service was incredible and along with the friendly staff makes this an ideal place for a little getaway. Oh and there is a Starbucks right next door can you ask for anything better.

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Got this from Jodi over at Faster Pussycat Type! Type!
You have to answer these questions with one word, and one word only.

* Your last meal: soup
* Something on your desk/work area: chocolate
* Your New Year’s Eve plans: hockey
* The smallest gift you received this year: port
* The largest gift you received this year: camera
* Something you wish you hadn’t eaten so much of during the holidays: cookies
* On your feet: socks
* Your hair: hair?
* How many other countries you’ve traveled to: ten
* One country you dream of visiting: Israel
* A hobby you’d like to take up/revisit this year: Traveling
* A hobby of yours that died (aww, buh-bye) this past year:biking
* A publication you subscribe to (print): none
* The most embarrassing subscription in your feed reader (if you have one): hotbloggirls.com
* One of your favorite stores to window shop dreamily in: apple
* One of your favorite online stores to window shop dreamily on: amazon.com
* A color you love to wear: burgundy
* Your bed pillow: Sealy
* The color of your kitchen counter: counter?
* What you plan to do when you get up from the computer: dinner

There you go! Let me know if you fill this in so I can read it too!

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Here are some snaps from the plane taken with my Canon Rebel

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I cannot believe that I have been working for over 3 months, I heard about my big win almost 4 months ago. The time has just flown by and I have no idea where it went. Oh well enough of my whining know on to the good stuff….I got my itinerary for my trip (Just in case you were not aware I won the Ultimate Search for Bourne with Google Grand Prize Sweepstakes)

So the trip breaks down as follows we start in London and after 4 days and three nights it is off to Tangier through Casablanca, yes I said Casablanca! After 3 nights in Tangier we head for Madrid and some Tapas and wine. Finally we end up in Paris where we will indulge in more wine. When in France do as the French do and drink wine.

Since we are spending three nights in each place we have been planing places to go and things to see as we want to make the most of the time we will have on the trip. Now that I have my trip details it makes it seem more real only 109 more sleeps until we leave.

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After what seems like a very long search, well it has been about 2 months I have finally got my new camera. One of the challenges was trying to decide whether I wanted a Point and Shoot or move up to a Digital SLR. I went back and forth trying to decide and finally a friend suggested that the only way to make a definitive decision was to hold and manipulate the types of cameras I was interested in purchasing. At first I visited my favourite haunts Future Shop and Best Buy only to find the cameras all had security gizmos attached making it impossible for me to get the real feel for the cameras. Finally I came across a place in Surrey which is about 10 minutes from my office and decide to give them a try.

This place, Photo Expert is a specialized photo shop which allowed me to not only manhandle the cameras but also gave me insights into the positives and negatives for each of the cameras I was investigating. In the end I was flipping back and forth between the Nikon D40 and Canon Rebel Xt and decided on the Rebel XTI with the 17-85mm lens. So far I am quite happy and while learning the ins and outs of my new is taking some time I am pleased with the results. I have included some pictures below Read the rest of this entry »

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I have just returned from a business trip to Calgary and decided this time I wanted to take Tara, my dog with me. As much as I can I fly Westjet as they are superb. Since Tara has never flown before I was a little nervous as the day approached. I had purchased a soft kennel to ensure I could take Tara on board the plane with me. Leading up to the day of our flight I tried to get her used to being inside the kennel so it would not be so traumatic for her. The reason I wanted to take her with me is I planned to visit family in Edmonton so I wanted to bring her along and I really do hate leaving her at home when I travel.

So Thursday morning we got everything ready and headed to the airport, we were flying out of Abbotsford so the trip to the airport was quite quick. Once at the airport I put Tara into the kennel or at least I tried to put her in. She put all four paws on the outside and would not let me put her inside the kennel. Every time I tried a different way to put her in the kennel she seemed to find a a way to squirm and push the kennel away. After about 10 minutes I was finally able to get her inside and we were off to the terminal. Inside I went to check in and the first thing that happened was the Westjet clerk leaned down and said ‘Hello’ to Tara. I should mention at this time that when I booked the flight I was asked for my dog’s name which caught me off guard. So when I said the clerk said hello to Tara he addressed her by name. So we went through security and I had to carry her through the metal detector so I figured it would be more of the same trying to get her back into the kennel but surprisingly she went right in. After waiting for a little bit there was the pre-boarding call and I decided I would board now so I could get Tara and myself settled on the plane. Again as I boarded the plane the flight attendants addressed Tara and myself by name and welcomed us aboard. As soon as I got to my seat a flight attendant came over and gave me a briefing on what to do in case of an emergency and just some pointers in case Tara got a little restless. The flight itself was quite uneventful and we made it Calgary.

Read the rest of this entry »

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I was recently invited to join this site with some interesting games where you can earn some money but you have to play real opponents and defeat them. If you win you climb the ladder and can earn some good money, of course you take a chance each time you play that you will lose and fall to the bottom of the ladder. I have a few invites if you are interested give it a try.

Moola (Click for an Invite)

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Ok so maybe I borrowed the title from somewhere, give me a break it is Sunday morning and I am not up to usual creativeness. As the Canadian dollar has continued to stay above par with the US greenback I find myself looking at more stuff from the US and my shopping habits have changed to the point where unless it is something essential I tend to wait for my once a week trip to the grocery store in Lyndon, Washington. With the difference in prices on lots of different goods it is a no-brainer to buy south of the border. Plus their are products which are not available in Canada so that makes for a nice bonus.

Not only are some products cheaper, the difference in the dollar makes it simple. Books and electronics that I have looked at are cheaper. I have been searching for a new camera so have started to look at the US retailers for a camera and am shocked at the price differences. A Canon Rebel XTi is over $120 less while the Nikon D40 is $100 cheaper and that is without trying to find a lower price. Books are another story altogether, with the

delays from printing the cover price on books in Canada will not change for months so at least for the next 3 to 4 months their will be a huge difference in book prices. While I understand the delay in changing book prices, it will impact Canadian retailers unless they adjust quickly consumers will look south for their book purchases.

I want to buy locally and support the Canadian retailers but I will not throw money away. If the huge gap in prices continues I will change my spending habits and make more purchases online and south of the border.

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I went to Victoria this week for business and it was the first really nice day in a while, sunshine and warm, quite unusual for October. The ferry ride over and back was very pleasant….

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Today is Blog Action Day to promote awareness of the environment. When I checked my mail today I received an invitation to participate in an online survey. The gist of the survey was whether I felt Canada was an emerging energy superpower and if so what impact does that have both on the Canadian and global economies and what impact it would have on the environment. As I answered the questions I began to think about the impact of Canada exploring the Arctic for natural resources and the impact on th