My Name is Inigo Montoya, you Killed my Father, Prepare to Die

Sorry I couldn't help myself, but it seems like the 6 fingered man is up to some trouble again...

What a weekend

Hey all, we had one busy busy weekend, I'm glad we did everything we did, but I think Erin and I are pooped right out :)

I'm just reposting here the full scan of the ultra sound, same as the one on Friday, just less flash related glare.

We did just about everything you can imagine, seeing friends, family, office party, shopping, cleaning, playing games, knitting, just the works. Friday's Fighting Bears, AKA The Golden Compass, was pretty kicking. A little more adult then PG should allow, but I'm mature enough to see two bears kick the ever living daylights out of each other.

More later

G

Morgan

*note the babies name is not Morgan, we just prefer calling Morgan morgan instead of... it.

Please note I will replace this image with a scan once I get one, but I don't have a scanner handy.

Also we are a little disappointed, or perhaps just let down by expectations, this was supposed to be the integrated prenatal test, where they do all the prescreening and risk checking, and maybe let you know gender, and all sorts of good stuff to give you that reassuring pat on the back that everything is fine. But we aren't at 12 weeks, we are at about 9... so all that careful note taking and we were still wrong, crazy old nature. So there is nothing wrong, or bad, but it just means when we told everyone and they said we are telling to early, well it was EXTRA early.

So we will keep everyone posted, but there won't be significant news until after the new year.

This does mean of course that Morgan will be working a birthday in around the end of June beginning of July, so Colin, Mom, and Alex, you may need to share your cake a forth way :P

Hey maybe we can hit Canada Day, that would be cool :P

Alright folks thats all for now, by the by, I am posting this, so pretty much the gloves are off, everyone who we needed to have caution in telling now knows, so consider (if it you weren't already) that Erin being pregnant is public knowledge.

This is Why I Bought Tickets

Just for reference I stole this from the good folks over at Nodwick.com

Bread Lands Butter Side Up, Physicists Mystified!

As I sit on the train attempting to best Co-optimus Prime's outstanding high score on BrickBreaker for the BlackBerry I am overcome by a strange smell. It is a sweet smell, with acrid notes as well, and it is terribly familiar. Pausing my brick smashing with what would be the first of many disastrous ball losses, I breathed the oder deep into my olfactory thingamajig. I am certain I know not only that smell, but not just its general class, but it specific source.

The smell was from a particularly sweet, and acrid, cup of coffee. A coffee that ruined a particular good streak of coffee from the King Liberty Star Shmucks (Star Bucks that is.). That cup was so vividly remembered to me by the very fact I found too unpalatable to finish (a rare feat considering I first flirted with coffee by heaping an ungodly pile of freeze dried instant swill into a cup of boiled (not boiling water) in the basement of Eden United Church where I volunteered in grade, grade, grade? Grade school. :) )

Okay, so I can smell bad coffee, who cares? Well it is true coffee is a common enough smell, and it is not rare for that smell to cling to garment, especially when spilled in epic proportions. What the fates, or coffee forces, or what not, failed to properly account for was the colour of my shirt.

You see, much like bread physics, their is an esoteric area of study focused on coffee spillage. It is a "Scientific Fact"(tm) that large irregular form coffee spills always occur on white, or slightly off white garments. This "Scientific Fact"(tm) has been 'proved' through repeated experiments, if you don't believe me let me refer you to journal published scientist Erin Westman.

So you see, Coffee Spill implies that I was wearing a white (or off white) shirt (or pant today) and yet contrary to all these "Science Fact"(tm)s I am wearing A Black Shirt! (And jeans!) Logical fallacies aside, I think someone should check the thermostat in hell, and the winged status of pigs, just to be on the safe side, before anything more catastrophic occurs.


Okay, so that was corny, but I haven't had a lot of time to write of late, someone (and you don't know who you are) has a Christmas present coming that is consuming my time. So more writing soon, I just want to get my project wrapped up, before you know... Christmas...

Am I Ahead of the Sock Curve?

So I caught the headline of this story on the train, and I had to find it online. Apparently bold socks are good, so I guess I'm in good standing.

Beware!

Beware!
Originally uploaded by aliceswndrland

Something funny, and random from Flickr

Comment Spam

Hey all I got about 25 pieces of spam in my blog comments yesterday, so I have turned comment security on with those funny captcha things. Sorry for the inconvenience, hopefully it won't affect anyones regular by annual commenting :P

Critcal Questions needing to be answered: AreYou Ready to Rock?!

Please observe:

• Classic 80's monocrome tight shirt
• Classic 80's narrow tie, not in the authentic leather
• Retro Shoes
• Awesome Spiked Hair (not shown do to deficit X chromosome)
  
• Devil Horns Thrown (in profile)
• Clear skills on the guitar virtually eminating sick electric riffs right out of this still image

Conclusion:

Awesome!

Its not a blog without pictures of your cat...

I'm an Astronaut / I'm Famous on the Interwebosphere(TM)

Okay, this is a little elaborate, so bare with me...

First of go to: http://www.racetomars.ca/mars/game_marscommander.jsp this is the site for the Race to Mars: Mars Commander Game.

Push the Play Button...

Once the game launches push play again...

Okay scan your crew selection carefully, I highly recommend you pick the dashing British astronaut Tolliver, he bares a striking similarity to yours truely, perhaps because he is :)



I have no rights to that image, but I've copied it here for ease of clicking

Poorly titled Digg Post... But do you recall bumper stumpers?

Here is a great set of license plates, my fav might be the self describing LICNPL8, or the Mazda 3.14...

read more | digg story

Happy Leopard Day

Well folks the day has come, Leopard has been set free. Long have the engineers of Cupertino toiled in the Mac caves of 1 Infinity Drive to produce OS X Leopard aka 10.5.

I'm sure it won't be without its own foibles and follies, but initial reports are strong, and today is not a day to dwell on the problems, but celebrate something that sucks significantly less then Vista :)

With that in mind, I pirate and link for you The Joy Of Tech's tale of How the Gates Stole Leopard

Gadgets and Toys

Just saw this randomly (I feel like I'm pimping product today but meh) and I love the retro look. I think my wandering internet eye is a symptom of reviewing resumes this morning. It is an important job, but hard to stay focused on. For reference that is a bluetooth headset, although I imagine it couldn't hang comfortably from your ear.

Now I feel like an Arse

Friday was super important!

On Friday, Elizabeth Emigh (Erin's Cousin) gave birth to Meredith Anne Marie Emigh, congrats Bitz!



Her is happy mother and daughter.

Various things

Well well well, what a whirlwind couple of days last week, life has been extra busy of late, and I haven't posted a thing at all. On the upside most of the people who read this were involved in many of the things so no one is out of date.

To start with, I guess a week and a half ago I got a second piercing, this time in my ear. It is certainly a non-standard piercing, and after the fact I found out that many regard it as one of the more painful piercings. So to say I'm suffering my own foolishness is fair, but I think it looks pretty good. I don't have a picture yet (because my camera is having smashed screen issues...) But here is the Wikipedia link on it, it is formally known as a rook piercing.

Next up on my busy schedule was the David Usher concert on Thursday night. The opener was good, I'm not as hyped for her as I was for NLX, but Pascale Picard was still really good. Her drummer was sweaty as sin in his awesome tweed jacket, and her guitarist nearly rocked himself off his chair while one handed playing from the frets while doing some freaky shit on a mini mixer board. We also couldn't help but tease the base guitarist. I know the old adage of the base player doesn't get the girls, but this one could have tried a little harder. He actually reminded me of me when I was heavier, and if I had slightly longer shaggy hair. It was the golf shirt that was his end, if he had just opened a button or two, and rocked the neck of his guitar in beat with the music he was playing he would have had a chance...

The middle band was that girl who didn't win on Rockstar, and with good reason, she came off as 100% poser. I don't think she was really a fit for the crowd, but when someone has to come out and announce your imminent arrival and demand that the audience throw up the devil horns for you, you really are struggling. Besides the 'horns' (which is how real people refer to them) are only thrown for merit, not on demand. But it was okay, because she seemed to have her hand locked in some sort of death grip horns position on the microphone, when she wasn't touching herself sexually (seriously...) I also think her parents were in the front row...

Finally David Usher came at the end. They had a broken opera singer (The macbook kept crashing and it had the samples) but they still did a fair rendition of Black Black Heart, and otherwise he was his usual awesome self. They had a good mix his stuff and some Moist, as well as some new stuff that isn't out yet, and a great cover of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy. I realize I've said more about the non-headliners, but David Usher is a really great performer live, and he put on a great show, I guess you had to be there. :) On a side note he has returned like the prodigal son to Toronto from New York, so that's good to hear that we've repatriated a Canuck.

Friday, For some reason I can't recall anything of note on Friday, and I don't think that nothing happened, but I can't, something minor did happen, but it fits into a Sunday story, so I will save that for further in this post.

Saturday was fabulous, so it started with the Enbridge CN Tower Stair Climb. As usual for this endeavor I got up before the crack of stupid. The reason being two fold, the first is that all the registration and waiting area's get crowded, and I like to get in and out quickly. The other is that the tower itself gets grosser and grosser as the day progresses. So I just don't like being there too late, as the various slimes and smells are disgusting. So around 5:00 AM I rolled out of the house, and by 6:49, I was driven, parked, registered, waivered and at the foot of the tower.

Now in the past I've done this climb typically in about 50 minutes. The best time I've ever had was about 46, and the worst about 52. So I knew I was in better shape now then I've ever been, so I knew I could do better then 46. I was hoping for about 30-39 minute, I thought that was fair. I couldn't have been more wrong.

My new best (and probably last for a while) time for conquering the CN Tower is... 20 minutes and 41 seconds!!! (Yes that deserves 3 '!')

If anyone feels inspired, The United Way will still take donations for a couple more weeks, and you can post-sponsor my climb here.

I also made two personal firsts on this trek, it was my first time up the tower without stopping for a rest, and my first time I could actually fit in the free t-shirt at the end. I kept telling myself I'd take a break at some future milestone, but then I'd get there and say, wait a second, I feel fantastic.

I returned home pretty jazzed before Erin was out of bed (around 8ish) and I'm afraid overwhelmed her with my energy level. She caught up later in the day, but I did try to get her going from 0-60 in 30 seconds, and she was (and rightly so) still half asleep.

Once Erin got her day in hand, including a nice lunch and breakfast, and a trip to the gym. We gallivanted about shopping, we actually left the house to look for two specific things, and ended up not getting either of them, one of them was new glasses frames for me, and we didn't even get to the store :)

Erin did get some nice clothes though :) and we went shopping for leather jackets, and found them to be rather favourably priced, but Erin wasn't perfectly satisfied with the fit, and the jacket I wanted to try won't be in stock in my size until later this week. After that we had a great night at my grandparents, we even drove my parents, it was a funny trading of places. That night I pretty much wrapped up design on the website for the Voice Lab, I still need some content, but the keys are there.

After a long Saturday, Sunday was more relaxed. We slept in, ate late, and relaxed. Around 11:00 we headed out for a few more errands, the big one being Half Life 2: Orange Box. This was really the extended story of Friday, it isn't so much a good story but a story of me being stupid. On Friday I went to EB on the way home to pick this up, and they were sold out, so I went to a Walmart, and with game nearly in my grasp I balked. The "Orange Box" was hardly an entire box made of orange, but a marketing nightmare of graphics barfed on to a case. So I didn't buy it, talk about books and their covers, but I didn't. So Saturday, after rewatching the trailers, specifically for Portal I smacked myself upside the head, and went out in search of it. The Orange Box being the other thing that we didn't get while shopping Saturday, and it wasn't without trying, I turned Mississauga upside down trying to get it, and failed.

So Sunday, I returned to the same Walmart in Oakville that I had my brain failure on Friday, and I got it. In that moment of weakness I also bought the prequel to River Tam Beats up Everyone also known as Serenity in HD. God I love that show!

We also got new shoes for Erin (I tried and failed, but I know what I want now.)

We also went to Chudleigh's (the orchard not our MPP's) to pick apples, it is probably the last time we go this year, the trees are pretty much done, and the apples that remain weren't the nicest, but it was nice to walk the orchard in such beautiful weather.

We returned home where I gorged myself on Portal (WHICH WAS FREAKING AMAZING) and also mowed the lawn for the first time in three months. (not that I'm a lazy gardener but it didn't grow at all in August or September.

I also made/made up a kick ass new soup. I call it lamb soup, I had some lamb bones from the organic quarter lamb I bought last year for making lamb stock from, and I also had some stewing meat. So I said, lets do something with this...

Starting with this recipe for stock, I cooked that for a good number of hours until it was lambalicious. Then I strained it, added back the meat bits (that was fiddly as I had to pick them off the bones.) Then I added a cup of white wine, and some carrots and parsnips cut into rounds. Cooked it for about another 20 minutes, and presto! It was probably a little fatty for a diet, but it tasted great! We had it with our tomato-basil trout, spinach, and some yam. Other then the soup all light, and including the soup all delicious.

We ended the weekend with a little King Kong on the HD-DVD. All and all a great couple of days, and I'm pooped!

I will try and write more, and in smaller bits as I go.

ps Yes Mom, I will be your friend on facebook :)

pps no I didn't really proof read this...

Scooby was a Skeptic?

So I don't talk about skepticism much at all, because it sound pretty divisive, a lot of people think that skepticism is being an Atheist, or a Libertarian, and they make those thoughts with ichor and distaste. Skepticism and faith can exist together, although some may disagree, there is no reason why you cannot remain in belief of something your rationally reject, it makes your leap of faith all the more a leap, but isn't hypocritical or disingenuous.

I don't really want to wade any deeper then that into the atheism issue, because I find it a terribly sticky wicket, and just clouds what is important. Skepticism is about questioning, and about science, and not accepting things without first investigating them. The podcast that sparked this post was about where should skepticism go, and the answer was back to basics, back to fighting the first of ignorance. People still believe in big foot, and buy into woo woo science. So give the podcast a listen, or read the article..

Yoink!

What a life: Couples Shoot

Stealing an image from Gabe's blog but I said yoink!

2007 Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way.

Hey all, just sending out this handy dandy sponsorship email for the CN Tower Stair Climb. This year I think will be my last (at least for a while), I just want to do it one last time now that I am in the best shape of my life (and hopefully still getting better.)

I would appreciate if everyone could help me raise some money for this, but I'm not going for big sums of money, just enough to make it worth while. Just imagine being warm and snug in your bed at 6 AM while I am slugging my way up the cold moist stairs of the CN Tower, thats gotta be worth at least 5$ for good cause?

Thanks All

ps this is next Saturday :)

I'm participating in 2007 Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way.

You can help support me by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link below:

https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/StartUp.aspx?SID=1667066

By supporting me, you'll also be helping United Way of Greater Toronto support 200 health and social service agencies that touch the lives of people in neighbourhoods across our community.

For more information on how YOU can participate in the 2007 Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way, please visit us http://www.unitedwaytoronto.com/climbforunitedway .

Thanks for your support!

Since I don't know how to post an image in a comment response...

My "ball of flames" was subconsciously generated from an earlier reading of this CBC article, which was linked to by this image (owned by CBC used without permission.)

The Honest Monopoly Board [Pic]

Parker Brothers recently released an all new "honest" Monopoly board. This new version cuts through all the bullsh*t of the regular board and allows players to experience the game the way it was meant to be played.Well this is a lame post for a first post in a while, but it is what you get. I don't think I've actually ever cheated on the community chest cards, but the rest is accurate.

read more | digg story

Something with more meat, barely

Just reviewing post election coverage, and I came across this gem in The Star:

For many voters, the Harris government represented a necessary evil – a political enema to purge the province of excess.

MMP went down in a ball of flame, I hope that isn't the end of the debate, unfortunately no one even knew what they were voting for. A co-worker confessed to me this morning that they didn't know what it was about and voted the status quo, this guy is a very intelligent hard working guy with a business and engineering background. He was just too busy, and missed the one pamphlet that came in the mail. It did raise the astute point that many Ontarians don't understand the principles of economics and finance, and you expect them to understand an entire new voting system with out a concerted effort of education? The debate from the no side was rather poisonous, I can admit MMP was imperfect, but it was hardly the bastion of a Taliban Canada. We shall see what direction they take it from here, maybe baby steps to an improved system are in order?

Alternatively I recommend a new method, I call it, First Past the Mixed Member Proportional Post.

The way you do it is you run an FFP election to elect the one hundred and some odd seats there are, then you assign list candidates from each party list until you have a popular vote representation. Then you stick them all on the front door step of Queen's Park together. Then you let them race into the legislature the first members to claim one of the 107 seats, gets to keep it. All and all, I think there will be a great mandate to help Athletics Ontario, and Sports Medicine and a decline in childhood obesity.

Another alternative is First to Mix Up a Member with the Post, in which you arrive at the same grouping of 107 + balance members, give them all quarterstaff's, and let them club each other until only 107 remain.

Okay I'm done with my less then pithy commentary. It's been a busy work week and I need to get back to it.

Is it bed time yet?

This really falls under the category of it is funny, because it's true :)

Furget Yur P's and Q's and Remember Yur A's M'Hearties

Great Neptune's Man Nipples!


Well by now ye all know it be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. So ye should know your pirate A's to be sure!

Cap'n Slappy and Crumbeard will fill you in on the finer points of them, but here they be, so you can see dem coming.


Ahoy,
Avast,
Aye,
AYE AYE,
and most importantly

AAAARRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Hurricane Hazel Brings The Smack Down

Hazel gave Miller a little Mayoral what for and thanks to The Star its now a good public drubbing. She's probably right, but thats what umpteenmillion years of running a damn fine city will get you, experiance.

People are assholes, especially to themselves

Incoming rant,

So Smoking, smoking is a pretty bad habit that will kill you. I don't fault anyone of a generation older then mine for starting, the information on smoking related illness wasn't really there, and there was a lot more advertisement. For those who are of that generation, I know several who have successfully quit, my grand-parents, Trevor's dad, Erin's Mom. It was a brutal process for all of them, and for those who can't seem to quit, I accept that it is tough for you. For people of my generation who smoke, your just a bunch of fucktards, who probably couldn't read the surgeon general's warning on a gun to not apply it to your forehead.

So I get to the train station yesterday, and what do I see, I see to yuppies, hard core, Starshmuck drinking, foppish, dinks limp handedly taking a drag on their ciggies.

All right what ever, we're on a train plateform, their in an enclosed area, it is clearly marked no smoking, but you know what, not my business.

Then I look beside them. Right f'ing beside them are two octogenarians taking a drag on something entirely uncigarette like... An oxygen tank...

So open flame and oxygen interactions aside, wtf... Can you pick two of the best candidates for why second hand smoke is a bad thing. So I saunter over, and politly interject... "Hey I don't know if you are aware of it, but this plateform is a no smoking zone. Oh and did you happen to see your smoking next to this folks breathing through oxygen masks?" I was polite by acrid near the end.

To their credit they seem contrite, be it the "getting caught" or maybe they did feel remorse they apologized, interestingly I don't recall if they actually put out their smokes of not. As I departed I gave some half hearted, remark about how it was for their own good so they don't get fined. Then just as I was almost gone, they got indignant,

"but they [the oxygen gang] were smoking first."

By the Noodles of the FSM!

You'd think that watching to guys huffing back a combo of oxygen and nicotine laced tar smoke would put you off your own for at least a few minutes, but no it inspired this prats to join in.

I threw up my hands and walked away in disgust sputtering incoherent indignation of my own.

People are stupid, stupid, stupid!

2007 Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way

Here comes the boiler plate:

I'm participating in 2007 Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way.

You can help support me by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link below:

https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/StartUp.aspx?SID=1596603

By supporting me, you'll also be helping United Way of Greater Toronto support 200 health and social service agencies that touch the lives of people in neighbourhoods across our community.

For more information on how YOU can participate in the 2007 Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way, please visit us http://www.unitedwaytoronto.com/climbforunitedway.

Thanks for your support!

Same deal as always giant tower, early morning, exhausted Geoff, support would be appreciated. Seriously though (and I know this will make the United Wayians cranky) this will likely be my last stair climb, or maybe second last, this one is about showing myself how much I've improved my health this year. So I'd appreciate some support, but no need to give more then $5, I just need to cover the $50 minimum. I'm going to refocus my annual charity feet of strength on the Heart and Stroke Foundation, because it is more meaningful to me then the United Way.

Thanks
G

Meowlingual: Japanese Cat Translation Device

Meowlingual, much like the dog version Bowlingual, allows a cat owner to finally learn what their cat is trying to say to them.I don't really have more to say about this... its just.... well weird tech from Asia...

read more | digg story

bb post

Well here I am writting my first entry from a blackberry, and it's a little hard. Thumbing keys is at best slower, and at worst error prone. Oh well practice makes perfect.

Ps I have a blackberry now, phone numbers will be coming soon to an email near you. Erin has my old cell and number.

G

Steve Jobs Offers Early Lisa Adopters Store Credit

[blockquote]Early adopters of the iPhone weren't the only ones receiving in-store credit from Steve Jobs. In an overlooked announcement, Jobs said that early adopters of the Apple Lisa would be receiving a $7000 in-store credit.[/blockquote]I lol'd

read more | digg story

Requiem of a Reader (No Know One Has Died, I'm Just Being Macabre)

(This was written last week on Tuesday and languished unposted, reference dates as such.)

This morning on CBC's Sounds Like Canada was an interview with Ed Greenwood, author, world builder, librarian. Ed is a Canadian with about a billion books under his belt, and a fantasy world of such depth that is makes JK Rowling's books seem surface deep (and they are far from that.) Over four decades Ed Greenwood has published through TSR (and then Wizards of the Coast, and now Hasbro) his Forgotten Realms novels and gaming products. The Forgotten Realms is still my D&D world of choice and has weathered and republished itself through many generations of the game.

For me Ed Greenwood's novels were a staple of my reading through senior public and high school. In fact in both grade 12 and OAC Ed became a piece of my English projects, first as a study of a Canadian author, and then as a study of modern fantasy writing in the framework of the evolution of the genre, where I contrasted his writings with that of Lewis Carol, JRR Tolkien and Robert E Howard. (Probably a more prestigious group than he really belonged in, but that's ok, I was a fan boy.)

To this day I hold one of his novels (Elminster in Myth Drannor) as prize because he personally autographed it when I went to interview him in his unnamed Library in Toronto.

(Actually funny story, in retrospect I used social engineering to hack private employment data to find the guy. I called up a random library in the area, asked if he was an employee, they said no and I said "Oh, well I know he works for the system, I was sure it was your library would you mind checking your records to let me know which branch he is at." Friendly as ever the librarian sent me on to the right branch, and presto-changeo one fanboi had found his author/idol.)

I even made mention this weekend of that autograph because we were contrasting getting in line at a convention for 10 seconds with and author to actually receiving an autograph under novel situations. For me Ed Greenwood and Robert Sawyer both have special autographs in my collection, and my Friend Brad got a great one from the Creegan brother's (one of which is a current Barenaked Lady, and the other was the original keyboardist and long time friend of the band.)

Sadly Ed's works while thrilling in my youth no longer captivate my attention as they once did. His world I still love and visit with my swords and sorcerers, but those are my stories not his. I'm glad he still does his work, and that his world grows. I hope a new generation finds his writing and thrills as Elminster plays the role of Dues Ex Machina for witless heroes. More so I'm glad to hear him on a national radio show reminding day time listeners that pencil and paper board gaming isn't the work of the devil, and he nearly echoed my own parent's emotion. Paraphrasing, when your children and there friends are all in the basement on a Friday night being social and playing games you know they are safe, as opposed to out on the street getting into trouble.


As I wrote this, comically, Robert Sawyer also came on the radio, its like CBC's Toronto Author day. Any Robert's big shit in China these days, and his latest work Rollback was really well done. My complaint as always is he brings up a whole whack load of interesting ideas that are peripheral to his plot, and never has time to do any of it justice (short of the 3 - 4 core ideas in the story.) One idea that really caught me, and was probably touched on for less then a paragraph is how the internet is changing fact based learning as much as the calculator has changed mathematics. He briefly alluded to the idea that 'facts' in education become less essential as we have instant access to them via the internet (which we now have at our sides at all times.) Once we do away with the burden of memorization we make room for more intellectual discussion. In his book he approached it in the classic style:

Phase One: Collect underpants.
Phase Two: ?
Phase Three: Profit

So he leaves out the part about how education reconciles the internet and classroom conflict and gets straight to "profit" as grade school students engage in philosophical debate over abortion. I think the idea of engaging youth in real discussion in a meaningful way is awesome, and it isn't even an outcome I could have imagined, even though the ? process is clearly underway.

I actually read roll back in less then a day, which is really rare for me. I just couldn't put it down.

Anyways I've rambled an awful lot and delayed posting this, I'm not even sure who will read it (as it what audience should read it.)

I've committed to writing more in the coming months real writing, my goal is to bring out a short work of fiction that isn't trite. Doesn't have to be good, just not terrible, that is my foundation and my goal.

I just had an idea, filing it for later :)

Train is pulling it

G

Mattamy House Factory

Hey all, just a quick one. Mattamy built a "house factory" in Milton to finish off the rest of Hawthorn Village. Its a really huge building Erin and I bike by frequently, and I've always wanted to see more. So CTV did a story with some video, so I thought I would share.

Cheers

Web Comic

Doing a little house keeping around here, might even do an overhaul soon to make it look purty. First up the easy stuff, dumped Get Fuzzy and Pet Pro from the linkage. PetPro I think is dead, or near enough, and Get Fuzzy stopped being funny, both of them leave me so apathetic as to not bother linking either.

Next up I reordered some junk since periodic seems more frequent than weekly, I swapped sections, Fox Trot got moved down to Weekly, and XKCD got added. XKCD bills its self as: A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language. All true, and all funny, its light on art, but even in its stickily way its better then what I can do. So I enjoy its clean sharp lines. :)

Also my Penny Arcade swag arrived, including John Gabriel's famous theorem, and 'the code.' I also highly recommend you listen to Wil Wheaton's keynote from PAX07. One year, when I'm old and curmudgeonly like Wil (at somewhere between 35-40) I hope to have the same kind of relationship with my kids as he has with his. I suppose I had better get to having those kids sooner or later.

Speaking of swag, I'm giddy with the power of fitting now that I have lost all this weight, suddenly the world of internet wit pasted on to t's is at my power. So I will proceed with prudence, but I may furnish myself with yet more witty Internet t's. Perhaps my old time favorite "ale's and whore's."

Erin and I have been enjoying Bioshock and Guitar Hero 2, Erin is a spectator more to Bioshock, but is quickly becoming a guitar virtuoso. To setup some context for those who haven't a) played Bioshock, or its demo, b) don't troll in internet circles about video games, Bioshock is a game set in a McCarthy era earth, in an underwater utopia, gone wrong. The founder of this city an Andrew Ryan believes in unfettered science and a meritocracy, at least that is what it appears, unfortunately the definition of merit slips as science gives individuals the power to rewrite their own DNA to give them powers (usually shooting forth from the left arm.)

Such powers may include lightening, telekinesis, frost, or fire.

All that being said, this mornings Ctrl-Alt-Del is pleasantly amusing, if not potty humour.



Well thats all this train has time for, I have a post in the pipe I may wrap on lunch, or perhaps on the ride home.

Cheers

ps yes more stuff is coming from Italy, I did spend more then 4 days there.

Sales Copy worthy of Strong Bad

I was cruising Future Shop's site when I saw Lair, a Dragon combat game for the PS3. Anyways the sales copy caught my eyes, and for those who are fans of Strong Bad, and Trogdar, enjoy:

Saddle up your wyverns for some serious Dragon on Dragon combat. It's up to you to burninate your enemies. Loop, circle, drop, dash, chomp and inspire the fear worthy of your consummate V's. Prove you're more than a wing-a-ling dragon in Lair!

Yet Another Victory in the Format War

Michael Bay "drinks the Kool Aid," now supports HD DVD
Amazing what a little cash can do...

read more | digg story

While I am generally opposed to hypocrisy, and a fan of integrity, as and HD-DVD'r and firmly in the anti-Sony camp (please disregard my new cell phone) I will take what I can get. So Hooray Micheal Bay, Hooray HD, and perhaps Hooray Kool-AID

Yar Har! Another Win of the Format War

Paramount to blu-ray: Bu Bye!

Okay, I only have a vested interest in this because I bought an HD-DVD contrary to many of my key DVD sources, and now I need HD to win.

So a mighty victory for my format!

Huzzah!

What do they think about?

From the good folks over at The Joy of Tech

Shipp Family Picnic

Hey all, just posting the first of the images from the Shipp picnic around the internet. I was having some export problems this morning that I know how to resolve, so all you get is the descendants of Nancy Emigh, also known as my more direct in laws, aka the outlaws :)

And yes, that is a pig being held in the front middle.

Erin Batters Waterlogged Texas...

Erin's in a surly mood it seems...


(okay I'm just posting for sensational headlines now.)

John Gabriel, Master of the Interwebs

This is a t-shirt that I must have, I am oft quoting his original less wearable theorem, and shall now ware it proudly.

Dragon Backpack

. . .Well then, I think I want one, curse these one of a kind crafts from crazy guys with mad skills.

read more | digg story

July 3rd (Written July 5th, on a train, somewhere)

We woke to an ocean swim, the water was cool, but not cold and the sand soft between our toes. The same could not be said about the wall of rocks piled by the high tide. All of it was dark black from its volcanic origins. We floated about until we were good and pruny before heading up for showers and breakfast.



Breakfast was a combo of highs and lows. It was, for Erin, the first breakfast in a while with something other then "a bun," yogurt to be exact. On the down side, the coffee was terrible, that may have been an operator malfunction, but the button's were not labeled in Italian, never mind English.

We left our luggage with the desk and walked into the city, we shopped the quaint stores in search of beach towels but failed (little did we know we wouldn't find anyone selling beach towels until our last day in Italy.) Around noon we hired a boat to take us around the Island of Stromboli to see "the scar of flame."




Our ride was really nice, we didn't see any liquid lava, but we got a hot gas geyser and a rock slide, and a lot of smoke.


Our Captain/Guide spoke no English, but he had the universal gestures for eruption, explosion and lava flow down pat. Erin was regaled with my standard lecture of Hawaiian lava types and why the names are backwards.


The boat took us all the way around the Island and out to the lighthouse Island of Strombolicio, where we swam from the boat. The water was crystal clear, and it seemed like it was only feet deep, but it was really tens of feet or more.


The swim was great until one of the snorkellers who we met out there said "Jellyfish" which put me off, and out of the water.



We made shore in the heat of the day and sought out lunch. All the restaurants were closed for a siesta, but we found a nice bar, with a great view. Italian bars are more like small cafeterias; you can get pre-made food, like sandwiches and pizza, which can be reheated, as well as drinks and deserts.


A Biera, and a hotdog roll, and a gelato later and we made for the beach where we idled the day away.

At 5 we boarded our ferry for Naples, sad to leave that smoking gem of the Aeolian Islands.

The boat to Naples was hard on Erin, rough water, higher speeds, and no fresh air and no clean windows made her queasy. Even I was affected, but mostly I was just hot and sticky. It was a grueling 4 hours, but it was still a great day.

We scurried away from the port by taxi and found our hotel. It was in a sketchy alley; from the outside we were worried, but wonderful on the inside. Our first order of business was showers, and then dinner. Knowing we would be late, we purchased rolls, prosciutto and pecorino from Stromboli and made our own sandwiches.

We ate, and then like every other night, we slept the sleep of the dead.

It Rhymes with Blue...

So my sweetie got me a phenomenal present for my birthday, and I shall share the clue with you I pondered for much of the morning.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Your present today,
is a _____________.

And the answer is...


LC-37D62U

For those out of the know:

That's the Sharp Aquos 37' 1080p LCD HD TV, weeeeeeeeee :)

Stardust mini review

Erin and I just got back from Stardust, and I'm a little tired, so I may write more later, but I wanted to give a mini review.

So here goes


OMG! WTBEAR, Awesome Sauce!

Not the most articulate, but seriously, go see this movie. In fact take your life savings put it in an envelope and mail it to Neil Gaiman so he can make more awesomeness.

Night all

Geoffrey

I seem to not be the only one

Another gmail 9gb report.

*EDIT*

Mystery solved (by a digg commenter)

So apparently google is sharing my purchased space. So I have 3 gigs for gmail and 1 gig for photo's and 6 gigs shared that both services can access. Confusing, but I understand now.

Google bumped gmail space?

Not sure if this is because I paid for extra Picasa space and google merged my space, or because google is striking back at .Mac.

Extremly limited research says the fcrmer not the later.

To bad.

Apple puts on a good show

Well I'm glad I got my prediction in on time, I was 2/3. I guess Leopard was a forgone conclusion, they have announced October, so they are going to ship October, no further comment required.

iMacs? Check, two nice refreshes, nice styling, nice price, nothing more to say here, they are iMacs, my MacPro is a better machine, but they are a great computer for lay users.

iLife and iWork? I feel I was a rare predictor, and I was more right then I could have imagined. Announced? check, release date? Today! Not bad, not bad at all.

They look spiffy, so I'm sure I will stack up on them once they are actually physically available so Eri can buy them with her education discount.

Back to work

g

Hype and Fuss

Well there is an Apple Press Conference starting shortly, and for the last week there has been a lot of fuss on the interwebs about what Steve will announce. Since this isn't a fully blown mega-nouncement, and they have already put down rumors of a new ipod or iphone and everyone is flapping about this thats or the other thing. I want to go on record with my prediction:

1) A final release date for Leopard with either new demoed features, or no demo, gawd don't need to see the same demo again.
2) A speculative time frame for iWork and iLife Rev's with possible demo
3) iMac update.

The last one I say, just cuz thats what everyone else is saying and I don't want to be left out of the party if they are right :P

A heretical idea

Well the traditional family birthday cake is of course Strawberry Shortcake. So traditional that it has transcended the great ocean's of Saskatchewan, and Manitoba (the wheat ocean that is, or is it canola these days?) To be served at other recent birthdays.

Now, historically, August is a cottage month, and cottages have neither consistent temperature stoves necessary for baking angel food, nor do they have kitchen temperatures conducive to making stable whip cream. As such, I have had the pleasure of the most odd birthday cakes over my life. This even extended to my in laws who once prepared a Sulfur cake by launching two rockets atop a mousse cake. A cake to thick to allow the rockets to reach escape, instead they lay mired in raspberry, and vented their exhaust gases.

In light of the rather unusual circumstances of my birthday falling on my birthday, I propose a heretical cake transformation, as Strawberries are now firmly out of season, but raspberries and blue berries remain ripe and plump. Let us garnish the Angel food and whip cream with these berries instead.

I know, its madness, plain and simple, but I'm crazy like that.

G

July 2 (written July 5th, 2007 while on the train in Stazione Central in Napoli)

This was a strange day, we spent it mostly waiting and sweating. We started by checking out and then stowing our luggage at the hotel. We then walked basically all the way to the port to get a "no fee" Traveler's Cheque Exchange location, Banque de Costa. We entered through the man trap, past the armed guard, and the signs warning of kerchief clad gun toting bandits. Taking a number (117) we took a seat, and read the sign. "Now serving 90," we were in for a wait, ten minutes later "now serving 91" a long wait. . .

About two hours later I was at the counter, and I stayed there for about 20 minutes carefully stringing together from my Italian phrase book "Thank you, and sorry about the problem with the phone." While in the meantime my teller yelled at American Express over the phone. Once every thing was sorted out she handed me my cash and smiled appreciatively as Italian syllables crashed over my lips like a storm tossed ship against the rocky shoals.

We made a swift departure nearly three hours after we arrived, and headed back to the hotel, grabbed our luggage, and a bus back to the port. We grabbed a quick bite, and then boarded our hydrofoil.


Much to our dismay, the windows of the hydrofoil were encrusted with salt, but some of them were open so we got a little view, and a nice breeze.

We transferred at the Island of Salina, with a long enough pause to enjoy a gelato, all be it a very melty one, before on to Stromboli.



We arrived near dusk on the smoking island, the sun reaching the horizon beyond the volcano, it cast its long shadow over the town. We took a taxi from the port and were glad of it. The taxi was more of a pickup truck the size of a Smart Car with a bench in the flat bed. The rocky volcanic flow the town was build on was hilly, and the roads winding and narrow. More then once our taxi bounced off retaining walls of the building's foundations.


Our hotel, which had the distinction of being the only one I booked through, and booked through the use of pigeon English, turned out to be a lovely place. The Villagio Stromboli was a stucco clad Escher painting, of stairs and bridges built into the ancient lava flows (as opposed to over them.)


It had a fine view of the volcano and was perched over a black sand beach, accessible from stairs descending on pillows of magma.

We ended the day with , I daresay too much wine (I need to learn how to say one glass, as I keep getting one bottle) shellfish with eyes, and a canoli.



That night, when our heads hit the pillow, we were already asleep...

July 1?!?

Yes, yes I know it is missing. I'm trying to back fill the ones I didn't journal, while transcribing the ones that I did. I am also taking my sweet time about it. I will probably do a lot of typing catch up at the cottage. July 1 was a good one, I got pick pocketed, or groped by a stranger... Wait and see!

Spider-Cat

Does whatever a spider can!I have no additional comment, none is needed.

read more | digg story

More news about my company

I mentioned an article about my boss a few months ago here: Coast of Araska: Top 40 under 40.

Well he is in the news again here.

Always good to be getting press, I didn't realize that he went to McMaster, yeah Mac!

Black Tube Redux

For those faithful viewers who recall the dark days of yore or the joyful days that followed. We are sadly back to where we started, the TV is once more broken.

I imagine the problem, at least superficially, is the same. I imagine once more the fuse has gone. The true problem, as I'm sure you have concluded, is something more insidious and fatal, something deeper within the machine that is surging on some regular basis and blowing the fuse.

Short of a small fuse pile placed in proximity to the TV I will once more investigate an on site repair. I also am somewhat fearful of just keeping the fuses flowing, as I imagine a time in which the fuse does not prevent the surge from traveling beyond the confines of the TV and wounding other peripheral, and healthy equipment.

In the mean time, I know there to be a plethora of TV's in various states of repair to call upon. I just don't look forward to the eventually task of raising the corpse of the TV from the basement, its freaking heavy (which may have inadvertently lead to its premature demise.)

June 30 (Written from the Circumvesuvia on Route to Naples (From Pompii)

From Gatwick to Palermo the flight was short and comfortable.


On landing we were herded onto a bus and taken to the terminal. After 3 minutes in the baggage area we were summarily marched back to the bus, as we had not gone through Italian immigration.

Once loaded, the bus carried us thirty feet or... to the proper entrance. Immigration was manned by to tired looking men, whose lazy eyes skimmed our passports and waved us through

Luggage collected I made my way to the train to downtown.

The last leg of my journey, the train from the airport to downtown, was the hardest. I had no expectation for how long it should take, but it took longer then I expected, and felt longer still.

A short (yet expensive) taxi ride later, and a walk up some stairs and I was at Hotel Sicila (pronounced Si-ch-illa.) I knocked on the great wooden doors (a faux pas I was soon to be informed of) my rapping not only summoned the desk clerk, but also the cutest girl in Italy.

I had arrived.

June 29

The Flight to Gatwick was relatively uneventful, I read, and I slept. Strangely, for me, I slept lightly, waking with each passing in the isles, or dimming of the light. Landing in Gatwick I was greeted by traditional English weather... rain (in hindsight apparently I was graced the storms that mid to late July wrought on England.) The walk from the arrival gate to the terminal convinces me, we have landed in France and I must walk through the Chunnel.

After many hours of loitering, and getting a coffee that cost 1.70 pounds, I made my way to my connecting flight. As we queued at the gate, we were sent directly across the airport, as our gate had become blocked with an Air Portugal Flight. After a cross airport run, I boarded and was on the way.

As the last grasp of gravity was broken by the plane, I felt a great relief. All of my work and stress stayed below on the tarmac. I hope my stress can charter a flight home without me; I don't much care to share another plane with it.

Penned (with pencil) by my hand, July 3rd 2007, at the Ritrovo Ingrid, Stromboli, with Biera in the other)



Ps Erin wants gelato, so I wrote that fast.

ZOMG!!! Jays winning, where's the band wagon?

Sorry, 11 runs in one inning is a notable thing, even for us not sports viewers. So point me at that bandwagon, I'm jumping :)

I don't know why I read this article, and now I'm offended.

Still, the fact is, there is no way for Vick to win here. Even if he wins in court, the damage will be severe. A bar fight, a substance abuse problem, all of that can be dealt with. But in the public's mind, dogfighting is somewhere between wife-beating and the ultimate sin, point-shaving.

I came upon this by accident, read it by freak coincidence, and had to pause before I fully grasped what the author was saying. Perhaps the author Mark Kriegel's idea of the public's mind is actually his readership, and perhaps he assumes that the readers of a sports column indeed think fixing a game is more sinful then spousal abuse. I take objection to that opinion. To add to that that he firmly puts animal abuse as more less sinful then point-shaving, but less the spousal abuse.

Am I missing something here? I love my cats, I really do, but I actually happen to love my wife more. In the more general case, yes I value human life over animal life. I find both forms of abuse reprehensible, but the people abuse more so then animal. In both cases on some grand scale of sins, I put physical hurt of a living creature as far worse than any gambling, or game fixing. Cheating, sure its wrong, but its just not in the same freaking league! Perhaps I am just not a good bell weather for the "public's mind" but something inside me says that Mark Kriegel owes women, and dogs a big apology, and that his wife (if there is a woman who suffers him) should probably give him a swift kick in the nuts (I do recognize the hypocrisy of that statement.)

Why so harsh? Well its not like he has actually done these deeds (I hope,) but its the casual degradation and dehumanizing of these crimes that worries me, these shouldn't be bandied about in public discourse as quaint inconveniences. We should firmly plant our feet and say "this is wrong," otherwise we are just implicitly endorsing it, and that should not be acceptable in our society.

Because these things our WRONG!

*edit, puts here can't write a title, what the hell is an artcile?*

Pizza!

This was a great shot from Erin's adventures in Erice. She was actually seated at the table right outside from the kitchen, and had this great view of a the flaming pizza maw.

Avast there be nerds of the port bow (Strange Signs 3)

So this was in Palermo, and I wish the store would have been open as I'm always amused by nerds in there natural habitat, but still an image I couldn't pass up for the geeks back home. It was dark, and we were scared of pick pocketer, and muggers, so I didn't stay long enough to fix the glare.

G

More weird signs...

So this sign indicates where to flee in an emergency, and clearly that direction is up. What is a little strange about this, is that the sign wasn't in the basement, it was near the top of the main turret of Castle Sant'Angelo, and the only thing that sign would lead you to is the room... clearly an effective place to flee a fire from, because fire doesn't burn up...

The actually vacation images are getting sorted and put together right now, just having a few upload issues. IPhoto is not the best software I've seen.

Geoff

The Start of Italy Pictures

Hey all, I got my pictures finally imported into iPhoto last night. Apparently, iPhoto doesn't like video's, so much so, that iPhoto instead of ignoring them, just randomly crashes, sill software. Anyways, I start our picture tour with this silly one.

Erin and I took some images of some of the more amusing signs on our trip, in this case, it is a strict warning about getting fresh with the subway in Napoli is strictly forbidden, or at least strongly warned against.

From Italy 2007

"Real Men Love The Fifth Element"

Okay, nothing much to say here, except I agree with the review, its a great movie. The review is just a fun read, and made me like it more.

Cheers
G

Greatest Living American Ignored (Expcept Probably by Penn Jilllet who no longer has a radio show that jerk)

Aside from internet scuttlebutt that Penn may be returning to the radio waves, this post is dedicated to my mutual outrage with the author of the linked author. Norman Borlaug kicks some serious ass, in a feeding the impoverished third world kind of way. They say he has saved the lives of over a billion people, some of those numbers are very real lives save from starvation, and others are a little more tenuous, but probably accurate, lives saved from warfare. For in the path of his warhorse of high yield grain, he also sows peace and prosperity. Apparently we all really just want something to eat (much as implied by that Mars commercial with the execution of the king and all those peasants. (Sorry installing software and waxing moronic.)

So the point is Norman Borlaug received the Congressional Gold Medal, America's highest civilian award, and no one gave a shit. (If the Gregg Easterbrook is accurate, a dog getting hit by a bike was more important.) Wake the hell up people, even if you fail to recognize the man, recognize his achievements, he just doesn't have time to be his own media spokesperson, he is too busy SAVING BILLIONS OF LIVES!

Thanks you, that is all.

Save the Princess Save the World

So on a spur of the moment decision, I saw this great shirt on Aaron Williams (Nodwick's) site. Its a nerdgasm of Heroes and classic Mario all smashed into one. For those who aren't familiar with Heroes, it's a great new show about the emergence of people with super powers into our current society, think less spandex, and less archetypes then the comics, but really great character development.

Anyways the moniker of the first season was very much "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World." The eclipsed moon on the O is also pretty emblematic of the show. Erin and I became pretty big fans, I even blogged about it here. So when I saw this amalgamation of Mario and Heroes, I nearly peed myself laughing, and new I had to have it.

I wore it yesterday for the first day, and it almost let me down, when the day was saved by a chuckle from the Blockbuster clerk who knew exactly what it said, and we share a nerdy moment.

The 8-4 for those aficionado's of Mario who missed this pinnacle of the shirt (like I did at first,) is of coarse the final stage of Mario 1, where you do in fact save the princess, I am uncertain if that in fact saves the world.

July 5th, in Rome

Hey All, just a quick note here as I've left the official journal back in the apartment. We have arrived in Rome on the 5th, and after some chaos at the train station, and a bunch of cabs who wouldn't give us a lift, we managed to get to our apartment. The place is nice, little dank, but nice. We are looking for clothes detergent as I accidentally packed, and then proceeded to haul, fabric softener...

Anyways my lack of brain's aside, we are going to wander a little bit of Rome today, and maybe see the Castle that was in Angel's and Demon's, a great work of fiction.

We missed out on using the internet in Naples because the alley we had to go down was filled with gun toting murder's mugging the knife wielding maniac's so we avoided the alley and carried on.

If we have a chance I will come by here with my canned journal posts tommorow, and maybe some digital pictures as well.

Ciao

Geoff

Gatwick Airport

Curses, I accidently erased everything, and there is not going back. Well I'm outta time, so here I am in Gatwick, woo hoo :)

More posts latter on the trip, hopefully with less being deleated by the computer.

Cheers

Italy are GOOOOOO!

Okay, that title is for Elite Beat Agent Fans, so excuse the grammar that is the Asian Video Game Translation Department's fault. All subsequent errors are mine, as usual.

Well this is short, as I'm behind the ball on last minutes. I am leaving shortly for Italy, its a long flight, with a comforting face on the other end of it. I am just about done with this working thing for the next two weeks, and those sections of my brain are shutting down.

I hope to bring you all comentary as we move, but I make no promises, until next time, Arrivederci!

I just don't get it

So I'm not a big oogler, never have been, and I'm not just saying that because my wife might read this, but because she has been forced in the past to insist I check out a girl on the street. Now It may be because I'm often lost in my head, or not particularly observant, I like to say I only have eye's for one gal, (and that I say, just in case she reads this :).

So the linked article from The Star is a meandering look at oogling, and I can't say it comes down any where in particular on the issue. Lets face it, some people dress seeking attention (guys and girls) while others shun any public attention. You would be surprised the looks of horror one can receive just by say "Good Morning" to a passing walker. So it's a difficult subject to navigate.

I for one am not xenophobic enough to reject observation, nor exhibitionist enough to demand the praise of my street peers. I think what is key is the decorum of the observer. A polite look, is probably fine, a hooting cat call not. If your caught, admit your defeat and look away, none of these squinty eyed full body appraisal leers. Finally non of those stereotypical hoots and hollers, those are just crude.

Different rules apply in a night club, but I think everyone appreciates that difference, not that I have a wealth of experiance to build that opinion on.

So lets recap, leering bad, private observation of the human form, acceptable.

Hopefully I haven't come accross as a kill joy, or a sexually repressed troglodyte, but I think we all just need to have some basic request for one another, and that is, as they say, that.

Wild Tigers In My Yard

I'm a freaking genious

So I totally missed this one last week, so I'm glad Trevor passed it on, because its great:

Hidden Post

Hey all, Its around 2:00 am, on June 23rd, and this is a post that you won't be reading for a couple months, if ever. Erin is currently in Italy, and there is a chance by the time I am done typing she may be at a computer, so I am going to type at least for a little while.

It is a bit of a shame that I've hidden (or am about to hide) this post into the archive for later retrieval, I think it will be good, but I don't really want to post it yet, in fact its non-posting is part of the post content.

So right now(as I'm writing this) I've just come back from a last minute night out. I was supposed to be at a David Usher concert, but it was cold out, and I wasn't into Illscarlet, and I ended up working a little late (on a Friday) and a pile of little reasons not to go out, but then I ended up out anyways for dinner and a movie with friends.

Trevor and Ellie are always good company, kind of a shame Erin couldn't be there, as we went out for Thai Fusion, and a silly movie, and the talk was interesting, but I think Erin being asleep on another continent was a fair excuse.

Quick sidebar, I taught Loki a fun game, I call it spring in the bath tube, as you can imagine, I took one of his springs, and started playing with him in the bathtub, now he is doing it all by himself, because as he pounces, it bounces, but it all stays in the tub. I hope this doesn't keep me up all night *gulp.*

Anyways, back to my story, I needed a pause to figure out how I wanted to tell it, maybe with what should be obvious, the reason I am not posting this at the time or writing is because it contains a secret, (cat patting pause, and we are back) now that secret (since this is being posted after the secret isn't a secret anymore) is that Erin an I have decided we would like to have a baby. Not like some day, not like in five years, but now (well okay now + 9 or so months.)

Now we aren't keeping this a secret out of malice, but we don't want everyone getting all excited until its actually happening, don't worry we aren't that good at keeping secrets, but we are doing pretty darn good so far.

So the story goes back a little bit further, all the way back to April, some of you may have noticed at the end of April Erin and I started to take a serious look at our lifestyle and health. The reason was that was when we decided to start planning for a baby, and having a child is a life time commitment, and part of that commitment is being around for that life time, and as our doctors were want to point out, we were doing a fair shot at shortening those lifespans. So when Erin disclosed to her Dr that she wanted to get ready to have a baby, such that medicines, and health could be discussed in that context, we started changing ourselves to get as healthy as we could before we started. So that is where this all began, back in April, we talked, and we planned, and we talked, and we thought, and we agreed, and suddenly it seemed right.

Now between then and now we have had to bite our tongues a little as Erin's Mom started buying all sorts of materials for baby quilts and receiving blankets, with complete ignorance of our scheming, and I don't mean to be mean, but Janet one might have construed such purchases to be laying the pressure on just a little thick, but we were already ahead of you. I just hope you have enough time left to finish all those projects :)

So from April to now, secret safely tucked away, and you have to give Erin and I credit, we have been tight lipped, especially Erin, who does like to say everything ;) She at least had an out, she has been consulting with her doctor, so she could tell someone. I on the other hand have no confessional, so I am writing this post, and not publishing it for that very reason, so I can tell someone, without actually telling anyone.

Getting back to this very evening, the reason why this secret was bugging me in particular, well its been a funny week, first off I apparently uncovered a secret out of hearsay that Colin and Chris were considering working on #2, and then of course we just found out that Elizabeth Emigh (Erin's cousin) is due in October, so the dinner conversation skewed, perhaps because of my own preoccupation, to the subject of babies, and we talked about Colin, and Chris, and Elizabeth, and we even talked about Ellie and how supportive her company is of women actually being women, and contrasted that to the bank, where Women were expected to give up their femininity to get ahead, but that is a rant for another day.

So we talked naturally about the subject and I kept my cards close to my chest, but the final straw was the movie we saw... Knocked Up. It was a funny movie, and focuses on a young career women who made a mistake, and it changed her life, but being a movie, it all worked out. It was, actually, really funny, but it made me glad to have a great lady first, and then a baby, not going the other direction.

So I'm stuffed full of thoughts about the future tonight, and the immediacy of things makes me want to blurt it all out, but I will be content to wait until things take there natural course, and I hope that by Erin's Birthday that we will have some great news to share with the family. Until then, my lips, and this post are sealed.


And again, sorry for any deception, but while it seems like Emigh's have no issue with pregnancy, we wanted to save all the excitement for when there was something tangible to be excited about. Until then, this post shall languish unread.

Night all.

*edit* it is Nov 19th, and I'm releasing this post to the public

Cycling topography

I really need a altimeter, or something to show the topography of my route before I head out. Last night I decided to go for a nice long ride, and willingly rode into the wind, because I seriously prefer it in the face on the way out, so it's at the back on your way home. Yet, I think I may have made an egregious error in my route. I went North, then North some more, and then finally a little bit North.

I ended up at 4th Line and 10th Side Road, what I failed to realize, is this is also up, and then up, and then up some more. By the time I was at the height of my ride I was pooped. Now as one must obay gravity (it being the law and all) I had the fortune to find both gravity and wind to be very supportive of my ride home. All and all a great ride, and my legs are tired :) I also stopped and said Hi to Erin's Auth Kath, while I was out that far.

All and all I really like it North of the highway, its so much nicer than South of my house, to many drivers out to kill cyclists that way. Anyways wheeling off the pounds as much as I can to make room for Italy. Erin has informed Italy is as delicious as they say, but not to lick the cobblestone (okay she didn't say anything about the cobblestone.)

I'm rambling, so ciao!

Geoff

20 Years of Public Embarrassment

Carolyn Parrish sh butted heads with Hazel this week, and I think she came off looking as bad as ever. Parish is clearly gunning for the top job in Mississauga, and it would be a shame and an embarrassment if she got it. Parrish is a self serving shit disturber, her career as a MP was rather unremarkable, until she started making some reprehensible remarks. Regardless of the sentiment, parliamentarians should be held to some reasonable level of civil discourse when referring to our international trading partners.

She has clearly shown she will do and say whatever she likes to raise her flag higher, and now she is at it again. As a life long Mississaugian in exile to Milton, I'm still very much passionate about my old town, it sickens me to watch the municipal council be dragged down to the childishness of the national assembly, and I worry more that the elections could disintegrate down to the same hate fueled politics.

When Hazel steps down, and I honestly believe that resignation will come quite literally from her cold dead hands, I can only hope that the city finds itself in the stewardship of someone who understands how and why it was so successful. That reason is because Hazel isn't the defacto mayor out of voter resignation, but because she is the hardest working Octogenarian on the planet, and perhaps harder working then most anyone.

The city of Mississauga, is a run like a business, a rather successful one at that. Its mayor spearheads trade missions, regional boards and councils, fiscal virtues, and civic duty. Parrish spearheads Carolyn Parrish, and that self serving naked ambition is poisonous. So her 20 years of national politics, isn't a resume to be proud of, and my hope is her taint doesn't leave tarnish on Mississauga.

Yes yes, of course!

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

Autism and Vacines

Here is a great article about mass hystaria, and pseudo science. I think the author really covered the issue well, including the "in spite of the evidence people will delude themselves" part.

I wonder, as the author didn't touch on it, if a socialized health care system might not be a balm to this sort of issue. If people didn't have to face the staggering financial cost of *insert disease here* alone, then they might be better able to address the staggering life change. No the Skeptic tends to cater to the Libertarians, so I doubt they would want draw that conclusion, but here in Canada I at least feel (this may be a belief based in ignorance) that such blame histrionics are less prevalent.

I do have sympathy for those who discover that little Billy isn't going to grow up to be the star quarterback. It must be tough having your expectations, and dreams for a child changed by a diagnosis, especially of a condition that isn't necessarily evident at birth. That sympathy, and for those who may one day become a parent fear, can only go so far, I can't forgive those who would willingly withhold or deny vaccination.

Not only does that pose a risk to other children, is tantamount to child abuse if your child were to die because you refused.

Musings of a mad man

So I'm on a mission, so to speak, to get a whole pile of stuff I need done, and a whole pile of stuff I want done, and then thinking up new manner of things that just to do.

So last night I began enacting this plan with a really nice bike ride, during that ride I got a weird bug bite, and had a race with some 'punk teens', I'm pretty sure I won the race, but in any accounting it wasn't really fair as they hadn't already biked twenty or so kilometers that I had.

After my ride I got my craig's list post up to advertise my old warhammer mini's that are for sale, here is the photo's from the weekend:


I did a bunch of other random stuff, that is too boring to note, and headed to bed.

I had this genius idea of biking in the morning to free up my evening, I even packed a lunch, and got breakfast sort of ready. Then around 3 am, when I fielded a 411 from Palermo (Erin forgot a phone number she needed :) I had a sober second thought, and decided that 5 AM was too far off.

So I reset to a normal 6 AM, slept in, but thanks to pre-made lunch, and semi-ready breakfast I still made my train. As I get down to a busy day, I can happily report our traveler has arrived in Palermo, and after some confusion moved on to Erice successfully. She is not to her disappointment staying in the castle.

So thats the report for the day.

Cheers

GMT Update

Bumped into Erin online this morning, she was making herself comforatable in Gatwick, she said the flight over was good. Really not much to report beyond that. She said they had funny keyboards, thats something to say right? Okay, really no more news then that, so morning all.

Signing off

Girl on the go

Here she is ready to depart, this was taken at good old YYZ

Trip Journal

Morning all, today is the official kick off of Erin and Geoff's whirlwind tour of Italy, and its supporting trip blog. I of course am not leaving today, but Erin is.

We have just resolved the last critical issue, is the green journal going to be the travel journal, or the orange one (the other is going to be the course notes. We have elected green, because it is green, really as good a reason as any I suppose. So as Erin is gathering her things into her carry on, and the cats are strangely less bothersome, unlike yesterday where Loki 'helped' roll Erin's poster.

So today, I will drop Erin off at the airport between three and four, and she will be winging her way to Europe. So what travel excitement does Erin have in store for her you might ask? Well Erin will be flying to Jolly Olde England today, arriving tomorrow morning. Upon arrival she will be greeted by the wondrous Gatwick Airport, oooo ahhhh, where she will play such games as, find the electrical socket, and browse the magazine rack. This will not be a highlight of the trip, but a necessary evil.

After an exciting day in Gatwick, Erin will disembark for Palermo, where a short shuttle ride away she will find her first Italian dinner, and a comfortable bed.
I will be hearing from her around that time, which should be tomorrow afternoon our time. So I will let you all know, my own trip doesn't begin for two weeks, my journal here will be of the usual tripe that I publish, but once I leave, internet terminals willing, I will publish all manner of bizarre travel memoirs.

Cheers

A note would be internet hooligans, just because I'm going doesn't mean my house is open for looting, I will have a full time house sitter so :P and that is pronouced PTTTBBBBBBBBBDDDDDD according to Garfield.

The Tubes are full!

Curses, I mocked the third tube failure would be the intertubes, and curses they have failed. I now speak to you from the an auxillary internet connection. Shall I say my neighbor was a might be confused when I showed up with a measuring cup and asked for a cup of internet.

I have no blessed clue what is wrong, only that the modem can't get and stay connected. I suspect the modem is cooked, but I don't know for sure. So three broken tubes, hopefully three is satisfied and nothing else breaks.


Cheers

More tubes

So it turns out my TV is suffering from a burnt out fuse. Which ironically is a tube shaped fuse.

I need to find the correctly rated replacement, 6.3 amp, 125 volts, and yes I tried The Source by Circuit City, or as I will ALWAYS refer to it as, Radio Shack!

Anyways, working

Ciao

TUBES!

Be wary all, I'm having ill luck with tubes, and may bring down the whole intertube system by just posting.

So two days ago the boobtube broke, yesterday I lost a bike intertube, so be warned, then end of the tubes is NIGH!

Seriously though, I'm having a bad luck week.

Black Tube

Well the TV decided not to turn on last night, no whine, no pop, no smoke, just no picture (or sound.) I figure its 50/50 power supply or circuit board. Hopefully the former, as it is probably the most replaceable, the later is probably most expensive. Its not like the tube is particularly well like, its just present and damn heavy to lift. I'll just have to wait until Erin's Dad buys a new tv :) and hope Erin's mom doesn't read this and then kill me :P (which she probably will (read this that is) and probably not kill me, probably, I hope, maybe :)

Geoffrey Peart Dot Com?

Hey all, nothing to see here really, just www.geoffreypeart.com

Ciao

Did anything get anounced at WWDC ?

Well I've been chewing on the WWDC keynote from yesterday (for those non-apple aficionado's that is the Apple World Wide Developer Conference) and I've been trying to figure out what was said that was important or new.

The thanks to Intel, was an acknowledgment of success, the Leopard features, well those were the dame as last year, iPhone, Apple TV, yup all old news. Which was really all a dénouement. Even the announcement that developers can create websites for the iPhone was self evident, and kind of depression.

Now don't get me wrong none of these things were a disappointment, but they weren't new, and thats what we expect from Steve Jobs these days, something new and awesome. I think I would have settled for an announcement of iLife and iWork, but no, none of that either.

So I'm wondering what was announced, anything? Then it came to me, and it was ever so simple and ever so subtle. That announcement is that Mac's star is rising. Mac is becoming more and more prominent in the Zeitgeist, and that has brought to light a very clear market with a very clear deficiency. Games, until now there has only been one company building games (for simultaneous release) for the Mac, and that's Blizzard. So the big announcement is not that ID, and EA are coming out with games for the Mac, but that ID and EA recognize the Mac as a growing market share among there target audience (which is not office PC users.)

So by a not so subtle endorsement, that for EA can only be built on a reasonable business case, Mac is on the rise, and that was Steve Jobs big announcement. It was not made with bravado or chest thumping, it was made by simple economics.

With that brings honest competition with consoles, and windows, and that is great for consumers.

Map: Science’s Family Tree

[blockquote]The bigger a node is, the more papers it contains. Heavily cited papers appear in more than one node. Black lines connect any nodes that contain the same papers; the darker a link is, the more papers the connected nodes have in common. These links create the structure of the map and tend to pull similar scientific disciplines closer to one another.[/blockquote]Saw this on the intrawebosphere this morning, and thought it was kind of cool, while Erin busily works to make her own mark on the scientific discipline, I will have to remain with the likes of Penn Jillette, and Michael Godeau, who are self described science cheerleaders.So Hooray Science (and hooray beer :)Main PageDirect link to the graph.



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For the rest of you...

Hey all, for those who don't know, I've pierced my eyebrow, I've been trying to show people in person, as its more amusing for me, but I suppose the surprise is pretty much gone, so I thought I would just get to posting it and be done.



So Ta Da, if your wondering why I did it, well there are couple reasons, none of them good enough for my mother :) but that's okay. The big one, I think, is that with all the weightless and healthiness that Erin and I have been enjoying of late, I was feeling quite good about myself, and decided to do something for myself I liked (don't worry folks I didn't do it without at least getting Erin's consent. But if you ask Erin I believe the story goes "SO Geoff asked if I thought an eyebrow piercing would be look good, and I said, it might, so he pulled out a staple gun and did it on the spot." Or at least the story might sound like that by the time you hear it, it gets better and more shocking each time.

In reality I went to a Tattoo and piercing parlor in Oakville called Way Cool Tattoos. I picked them for two reasons, they had the least scary website / store front, making it more approachable instead of the normal biker haunt, and then once I went in, the staff were really knowledgeable about health and saftey, and really went over all the details, because lets face it a piercing isn't worth getting aids, or Hep over... It's just not that "cool."

Anyways, I got it done, its healing really well, and I think it looks good, and Erin has given it a nod. I've got mixed reactions, but mostly positive, but like I said, I did it for me, which is maybe more vain then I usually am, but its probably the only time I will be vain this decade, so don't worry. :)

G

Becel Heart&Stroke Ride for Heart

Morning all, Erin and I got up at the crack of stupid and boogied out here to get down town. Upon arrival I drove in circles looking for parking, but managed to work it out. We queued in our starting gate for a while and just chilled, realizing how great a bathroom would have been right there. This was a strong motivating factor for the first 1/4 of the race. The course itself joins with the Gardiner at the West end of the Ex, goes up and over the city, to the DVP, and then up the Don Valley. In spite of the smog the view was nice, and the weather great. We made good time and even rode along side Brad and Jodi for a while. The first rest stop was well timed, and then it was back on the road. We did the whole thing in between 1-2 hours, which is what we wanted, but we don't really have a good idea of when we started, so I can't be more actuate then that.

The great news is we raised over $400 dollars for the Heart and Stoke Foundation, and that is something everyone can feel good about.

Cheers
G

Loki and the Fuzz

The great content aggragation

So nothing is actually new anymore, we just reap and sow each others content on the internet all day long, so this comes from Wil Wheaton's Blog and is just funny
http://www.rfjason.com/?p=33

Becel Heart and Stroke Ride For Heart

Erin and I are riding this weekend in the Becel Heart and Stroke Ride For Heart, its a 25 km ride on the Don Valley Parkinglot but with no cars. It should be fun, and after last weekends rain out, it should be easy. If everything goes well, I imagine next year we will go for the 50 or perhaps the 75?

Anyways if people are feeling like donating, a little would be nice, you can do so at this link its really last minute, but it is a good cause.

Thanks all

Geoff and Erin, Team Miltonians

cycling map of madness

Just try and make sense of that route, I dare you...

Don't Panic

It seems without those two wise words, well truly 1 word, and a two word contraction, we would be lost with the passing of Douglas Adams on May 11th, 2001. He was a literary wisenheimer, and to crib a little, he was able to turn a phrase such that it hung in the air, much like brick shouldn't.


So with a proper morning period of two weeks well in place one fateful May 25, 2001 was a time to celebrate Douglas Adams with Towel day. Towel's being so very useful as one hitchhikes across the Galaxy, in fact the guide itself says:

A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have. Partly it has great practical
value - you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindboggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you - daft as a bush, but very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitch hiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost". What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

So Douglas, where ever your disembodied voice might be, let me this with a now cliche of your own devising.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.