Sign of the Times

This five year old has her whole life planned it seems. I wonder where she got these ideas.....


Either way, the Gregory Brothers of 'Bed Intruder Song' fame got ahold of it and turned the video into a little song.

Good times!

So that's what it would look like.....

Of course you have wondered what would happen if you blew up hundreds of thousands of firecrackers at once. Well these guys went and found out.

Apparently this is a dedication to some family member who died.

Representing my Roots

I recently received an awesome little package in the mail from a close relative on Irene's side of the family in Holland.
I can now represent the Netherlands whenever I'm driving. I've always wanted these Euro-stickers even though they are not being used in Europe anymore. Of course trends always take several years to change on this side of the pond.


Thanks Ina!

A New Niece

This is a little late but I now have a new niece named Julia!

And here is her sister Elyssa looking all rock-star.

She has to walk around at night with sunglasses on and an umbrella even if it's barely raining (I wonder if she got the umbrella thing from Irene).

For anybody with kids.....

This animated short is for anybody with kids but it's maybe not quite for the kids themselves. It is about Gary who doesn't want to go through the door....

Get Out
by Esma-Movie

Very well done!

Our Kitchen Renovation

For the past week our kitchen has been under construction.

If you want the play by play commentary (with pictures!) you can go to Irene's blog:

The beginning.

The destruction continues.

And finally construction begins.

On Saturday my Dad and I continued the construction of the openings and running ductwork and electrical wiring.

This week the plumbing and electrical has to be done along with the final floor prep.

Off to Tremblant we will go...

Tomorrow morning we are taking off to Mont Tremblant for a couple days of crazy snowboarding with some friends. We bought tickets before the season even started.

We are staying right in the resort town at the base of the mountain.
In a suite like this to be shared between us and 2 other couples.
And we are hoping for some crazy powder like this.
But I doubt it since it is totally spring skiing and we haven't had any snow in a month. Either way it'll be awesome because Andrew is bringing the party hats.

Family Stuff aka Awwwww

Every once in a while I feel I must bow to the pressures of the competitive family oriented blogosphere and do some touchy-feely nice post about family stuff instead of my regular cold-hearted useless drivel.

Now is one of those times:

So we went on a little road trip to Fergus (pronounced with a scottish accent) to see our niece and nephew (and their parents).  The trip was quick and uneventful, the kids were cute and we had a splendid time.

Here is Nethaneil chillen.  He does that a lot.

Here is Hadassah and me watching The Simpsons and a skiing competition in Austria.

And here is Irene and Hadassah taking pictures of themselves.

So that pretty much sums up our weekend.

Well that wasn't so bad was it?  I may have lost all 3 of my readers who actually enjoy the uselessness of this blog but perhaps I have gained 3 readers who usually would not let themselves get caught dead reading such a trivial waste of gigahertz.

2nd Annual Enjoyment Awards

It is the new year and I figure that I should continue my annual tradition which was started last year. This are my most enjoyed random stuff of the 2008 year.
Once again, I am not confining my list to music and it is not necessarily only from this year. My list is all about the stuff I got the most enjoyment out of in 2008.
Anyways, here it is:

My most enjoyed artist of 2008 was:
Justin Rutledge because he seems like a real cool guy who happens to make fantastic indie folk/country tunes. I even got to meet him.

Some runners up were Sufjan Stevens (he will probably always be close to winning in this section), Stars and Fleet Foxes.

My most enjoyed album of 2008 was:
It is a tie between Swift Feet for Troubling Times by Ohbijou and Asking for Flowers by Kathleen Edwards.

Some runners up:
Man Descending by Justin Rutledge
Cease to Begin by Band of Horses
Oh, My Darling by Basia Bulat
Where the Bungalows Roam by Jim Bryson
Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes (I am still really into that one)

It's just so hard to pick.

My most enjoyed song of 2008 was:
Nothing really is catching my attention here. Apparently my enjoyment was spread over so many songs this year. If I had to pick (and I don't have to because this is my blog and nobody is forcing me) it would be between Royal Wood's Julia or Gonzalez, Working Together.

Runners up:
The Other Side by Ohbijou
Scared at Night by Kathleen Edwards
In the Night by Basia Bulat
Clear the Crowds by Jim Bryson

My most enjoyed live performance of 2008 was probably Radiohead in Montreal because we were so incredibly close to the stage and the after party, jumping out of windows from bar to bar until 5:00 in the morning with a great bunch of people was so fun.

The runners up would have to be Kate Maki at the Black Sheep (with Nathan Lawr and Jim Bryson) or even Royal Wood also at the Black Sheep. Basia Bulat also put on a great show on Canada Day at Jazzfest but it wasn't quite intimate enough as the last time I saw her open for Great Lake Swimmers.

My most enjoyed Local Band (Greater Ottawa Area) of 2008 was:
Kathleen Edwards and her bandmate Jim Bryson.

Runner Up:
Ohbijou and their album compilation with Ottawa band The Acorn.
If I moved out of the Ottawa area I wish I could pick Library Voices (who won a Bucky Award for their band name) but I haven't listened to them enough to really pick them.
Also, I wish Forest City Lovers were from Ottawa so I could pick them too.

My most enjoyed music venue of 2008 was:
Black Sheep Inn, Wakefield QC hands down. I have a feeling it will win every year. It is just too perfect if you get there early enough to snag a seat in front of the stage.

I also nominated it for CBC's Searchlight contest (as did many other people) for best small club for seeing music. I hope it wins and I really think it has a good chance.

My most enjoyed beer of 2008 was:
This is so hard to pick. Probably that smoked beer that I had at Pub Italia in Ottawa’s little Italy or that McAuslan Cream Ale that you can only get on tap in a few places (including the Black Sheep).

Runners up would be the Danish strong beer Faxe or the white beer Hoegarden or the many cervezas we had in Spain (many because of location though, not the distinctness beer). Spain did have the best sangria though as I am sure it always will.

My most enjoyed TV show of 2008 was:
Fringe. I know maybe it's a bit cliche but I still really love the sci-fi craziness. It also has a healthy dose of conspiracy. It is made by the same guys as Lost but unlike that show it is actually understandable.

Pushing Daisies is also a great show but there just wasn’t enough new episodes.

My most enjoyed movie of 2008 was:
I just can't think of anything....I don't watch enough movies I guess. Nothing really stands out. Maybe I could pick the Wallace & Grommet shorts that we re-watched during the Christmas holidays.

My most enjoyed technology of 2008 was:
Linux Ubuntu because it has changed my computer expectations forever. I will never use Windows Vista.

My most enjoyed purchase of 2008:
Without a doubt it was the Vespa.

My most enjoyed city of 2008 was:
San Sebastien, Spain.

Madrid and it's sourrounding towns are close runners up though.

My most enjoyed sport of 2008:
Definitely snowboarding since I went once a week in the winter. This year we aren’t going quite as often it seems but I don’t have any other sports.

And last but not least my most enjoyed person of 2008 was:
Irene - she wins again!?! amazing!!!!

Yes it is very cold today.
This was our thermometer when I woke up this morning.
It's almost too cold for snowboarding.

Living In Ottawa

I am sure everyone has heard about the Ottawa transit strike by now. It has been going on for more than a month now. It has the entire city in complete chaos and everybody (even the non bus-riders) has an opinion on it.

Personally Irene and I (and most of my suburban friends) are not totally messed up. We are in the enviable position of owning a car and Irene is able to get a ride to work with her dad. However I would prefer to take the bus to work, especially on the really snowy days.

The problem is there are many people in this city who totally depend on the buses to get around for everything. A lot of those people are probably in the lower income bracket and they certainly don't have the luxury of buying a car or getting to work late.

Basically what I am saying is that there is not a lot of sympathy for the bus drivers. Personally I think they are a bunch of greedy bumcaps. First of all there is so much economic uncertainty right now and these guys are saying that they want more, more, more. They already have very good job security, high pay, etc. and all this with a high school education. (It reminds me of GM and Ford). Secondly, the main issue they are arguing for is control of the scheduling. But in every other transit system in North America the scheduling is run by the management. The city of Ottawa wants to be able to take control of scheduling in order to save money by hiring less drivers and buying less buses. It would also be safer since currently some of the younger drivers have to work insane shifts because the senior guys take all the good ones. It doesn't make sense to have the inexperienced guys doing the harder shifts - accidents are bound to happen.

From the city's side I have never seen the city council and mayor agree on anything since Larry O'Brien was elected. But on this issue the council is tight. It makes sense to all of them that OC Transpo needs some changes.

Recently the city proposed a new contract (much the same as the first one) that included some serious raises (7% I think!) and a good signing bonus. Who gets a 7% raise?!? That is ridiculous. But it is all a ploy to pay off the drivers so that they accept the scheduling being handled by the city. The union voted to turn down the offer. About 75% voted 'no' according to the union. And now it's back to striking, and insane traffic and people's lives being messed with.

I think a few things should come out of this:
1. Public transit should be designated an essential service - so they can't strike.
2. The city should control scheduling - it just makes sense.
3. The city should set a deadline and if they aren't back to work by that time, fire 'em all.
4. The provincial/federal government should step in and get some legislation through that forces them back to work.

The somewhat humourous aspect of this is that the city is saving millions of dollars while the transit system is down while the union is losing huge. That is because OC Transpo, like every other transit system in the world (except Tokyo I think), is a money losing system and it is not like a regular business. But it is essential.

So get back to work you stupid bumcaps.

Edit: Apparently the term asshats (as hilarious as it sounds) is not appropriate. I have reverted to the more subtle term: 'bumcaps'. Please notify me if that is inappropriate too.

World Juniors in Ottawa

I know this post is a little late and everyone knows that Canada won Gold in a game against Sweden. But what about bronze? No one pays attention to that game. The bronze medal game took place just before the gold medal game and we were there! Yup on Monday Irene got the tickets from her boss who had tickets for all the games. She wanted to go see Canada play Sweden but wasn't planning on showing up early enough to see Russia and Slovakia play for bronze.

So we went and it was an awesome game. I was wondering who everybody would cheer for. We picked Slovakia since they were underdogs and apparently Ottawa likes underdogs because by the end of the game everybody was cheering for Slovakia.

We had pretty awesome seats on the 100 level just in front of the boxes.
The game play was pretty fast and there were plenty of good chances on both ends. Both goalies made some fantastic saves.
We ate some crummy food. Note to self - always double check that you got what you ordered before walking all the way back to your seat.The place was already filled with Team Canada fans getting pumped for the next game. These guys were so excited they put their underwear on over their pants. Good thing they chose the Team Canada underwear.
Russia ended up winning the game 5-2 but Slovakia got more cheers from the Ottawa crowd who are used to cheering for underdogs - at least this season.
The best players of the game got Swiss watches.
The winning team standing for the Russian national anthem.

Merry Christmas (its a conspiracy)

Now that Christmas is over I would like to wish my blog readers a Merry Christmas. So, Merry Christmas everyone!
I would also like to point out that Christmas has been hijacked by commercialism and post a video put together by a group called Advent Conspiracy.

As you can see by the video they are advocating more worship, spending less while giving more and loving everyone. One of the best points they make is the fact that Americans spend 450 billion at Christmas time and at the same time it would only take 10 billion to solve the world water crisis.
It is a powerful video so give it some thought. I know our church is certainly thinking about what we could do next year.

It's Christmas Card Time!

In keeping with the season, Irene and I sent out Christmas cards to many of our friends and family. You should be getting yours soon. If you don't get one than we don't have your address. I am not going to post the actual one we sent out because I don't want to ruin the surprise.

But I will post some of the runners-up.All we need is some hot cocoa and fake reindeer antlers.

We did a lot of work on the house this year.

Anybody who knows about Irene's chainsaw wielding past will understand why she is the one doing the cutting.

We like Christmas lights.

I don't know why I am skiing, snowboarding is where it's at.

And sledding, sledding is also where it's at. Sorry gingerbread men but those tobaggans are hard to control.

I hope you enjoyed that and maybe in the new year I will post our actual Christmas card.

Living in Ottawa

So Ottawa has been a happening place lately. We have had all the government shenanigans and parliament being paroqued. This has led to endless debates among normally non-political people. Even people who don't live in Ottawa seem to know what is going on. However on the downside, it has led to many in the media mispronouncing paroqued as pierogies. This has, in turn led to some confusion when reporting on the latest in the economic crisis. There has been no word on how the pierogies feel about the latest reports. The media really has to tap that angle for better ratings.

At the same time the city is in turmoil because everyone's best friends, the good bus drivers of this city, have decided to strike. These idiots are striking despite being offered a 7% raise and better benefits etc. Apparently the main point of contention is the scheduling. The bus drivers want to be able to pick their own schedules based on seniority. The city has countered by saying that they could save millions by hiring less drivers and buying less buses if they could be in charge of scheduling. Of course, the stupid unions are going to ignore this and go for the jugular by bleeding the taxpayers even more. I mean, in these economic times can't you be satisfied that you even have a job let alone a 7% raise. Sheesh, get back to work already! Traffic is brutal, parking is impossible and everybody hates OC Transpo right now. Personally I have come out of this relatively unscathed since I don't work downtown anymore and nobody in Kanata takes the bus so driving isn't even that bad. Shocking, I know, I have resorted to driving. But don't worry, it makes me sick too.

The transit strike seems to be timed perfectly with some horrible weather (for driving or walking). They are currently predicting some sort of snomageddon this weekend. I have my doubts because the media really just seems to be pumping up the weather story for the ratings boost after missing out on the pierogies angle.

But either way, it seems like the perfect time to leave our wonderful city and seek out the nearest beacon of civilization, Montreal. We are heading out to see some family downtown and maybe do some Christmas shopping on Catherine Street. We are staying in a sweet hotel for really cheap and it is quite close to an Apple Store. Should be fun if we can get there.

Tis the Season for Concerts

We sure have seen our share of classical/seasonal music in the past month. We went to see a candle lit performance of the Messiah. I think this may become a tradition for us.Irene performed with her choir at a church designed by my firm. They also sang parts of the Messiah along with some seasonal tunes.Our church had the annual children's choir performance. It was as cute as ever despite missing several kids who were on vacation.

It's Family Time

A couple months ago when we celebrated my parent's 25th wedding anniversary we also went and had family photo's taken. This had not happened in many years so it was a pretty interesting experience.

Our photographer (who's blog Irene routinely reads) was pretty good. She was so good she ended up blowing out her already injured knee while showing us how to sit. She recovered to produce some pretty good shots.

Here are some examples:

Camping @ Silent Lake

On the labour day long weekend we went for the annual camping trip with my family. It was a good time. Once again we went to a park we had never been to before and once again we were not disappointed.
The trip involved:

A birthday celebration for me.

Singing and Guitar around a campfire.

Large Bugs.

A Canoe/Sailboat that was not ours but actually worked surprisingly well.

Hiking in the Woods.

Relaxing.

More Relaxing.

Kayaking in a crappy rental kayak.

Dock Jumping.

Breakfast.

Spectacular Views.

Mushrooms.Star Gazing.

Sparklers.

Loons calling out to each other.

Canoeing in the morning.

A Sunrise.