super_ap :: wogging at its blorst

They're GRRREAT!!

2009-12-08T09:44:00.000-05:00

I can't wait for the episode of Law and Order that is "based loosely" on the actual events of what's going on with Tiger Woods.

It will be a two parter, no doubt.

Time Wasters: TextMate and Rowowor

2009-07-15T09:45:00.002-04:00

The game: TextMate.

The premise: You are given the first few letters of a random word, and your task is to complete the word as fast as possible. Sometimes there could be more than one correct answer, but it doesn't matter. Just finish as quick as possible and get it done before the time runs out.

---

The other game: Rowowor.

The other premise: This word puzzle game is a little harder to describe. You start out with two letters, and are given 5 more randomly letters one at a time. You must insert the letters to make words. The more words you have made, the more points you score. Gameplay continues until you finish a round with no completed words

Happy Puzzling!

Time Waster: Cat Cat Watermelon

2009-06-23T15:03:00.002-04:00

Cat Cat Watermelon is a cute little stacking game in which you are presented a random order of cats and watermelons that need to be stacked on top of eachother. Simple as that.

Summer

2009-06-22T07:52:00.003-04:00

Wow. June 22nd. Second day of Summer already.

I planted some weird veggies back in May. Starting from the left: some kinda chive or leek, then rocket, and finally spinach beets. Ferda's mom Ergul brought us the seeds one year from England and we decided to try and cultivate them. Seems to be working out ok, haven't tried any of them yet though.

Weekend Review

2009-06-15T08:20:00.003-04:00

Ferda and I both had Friday off, which was really nice. We slept in, watched some tv and the movie Eagle Eye which I really liked. Also did some groceries and chores before I had to leave home around 6pm.

I participated the Cancer Society's Relay for Life which started at 7pm Friday night and went throughout the night until 7am Saturday morning. It was a very successful event. According to the website, more than $600,000 was raised in the three Ottawa events (Nepean, Stittsville, Orleans). Our team of six decided we should run the full 12 hours, and we did. Of the near 300 teams there, we placed 3rd in overall laps completed which was quite impressive. Somewhere around 325 laps. My share would likely be about 20 kms ran.

After the event was over, I went home and showered and grabbed my ultimate gear and headed to the CHEO BBQ ultimate tournament. Luckily our team had a bye for the first game so I could grab about an hours worth of sleep before playing. Our team did ok considering we were playing in the comp division. However, by the third game my knees were giving out and I had to call it quits. I just could no longer keep up with my mark and aggressive cuts just hurt too much. It was a really nice sunny day though and I'm glad I went. Ferda was there too volunteering throughout the day so she got to watch a number of our games. When I got home around 3 or 4pm I crashed pretty hard for the remainder of the night.

Sunday had me downtown for union business (for which I'm still the treasurer) for 9-3; we got a lot of stuff accomplished so it was a good day. We also had a nice lunch at Baton Rouge. The rest of Sunday evening had me at home, chilling out with Ferds.

My knees are feeling much better now, which is good because I will have an ulti game again tonight (providing the weather holds out). Not too excited to be back at work this morning, but I suppose I don't really have a choice. Peace out internet.

This is great

2009-06-11T14:25:00.001-04:00

New Pizza Place

2009-06-11T09:57:00.004-04:00

So we tried a new pizza place last night, Romeo's Pizza. I guess that Ferda had been there a long time ago when she first moved to Canada. We stopped on the way home from our ulty game and placed our order: Kebab Pizza.

In retrospect, it was a gamble. Donair meat on a pizza? What were we thinking? While we waited for our pizza to be prepared, we walked to the other end of the strip mall to the XS Cargo store and browsed around. We found a medium sized rice cooker and bought it for $9.99 - hopefully try it out tonight and see if it is any good. Ten minutes later it was time to return and pick up our pizza.

Ferda opened the lid and took a quick glance... and it was... a thing of beauty. We raced home and thoroughly enjoyed our pizza pie.

Now I know I throw this around a lot, so perhaps it has lost some meaning, but:
Best. Pizza. Ever.

Hello Sunshine

2009-06-09T07:56:00.005-04:00

Wow, is it ever raining today. Got kinda wet on my walk in. Oh well, I still enjoy the fresh air, regardless of the amount of precipitation falling.

Played ultimate last night. Tied the other team 15-15. We should have won: at one point we had a 7 point lead on the other team. Embarrassing to give that up.

I'm sure all the Apple Fanboys are going nuts today after yesterday's varied announcements at WWDC '09. I have to admit though, a $99 iPhone is pretty fricking exciting.

And finally, for all the people who watched Up already: wasn't Partly Cloudy the BEST pixar short ever?

Movie Review: Up

2009-06-08T08:24:00.002-04:00

Sunday morning/afternoon we headed over to the Colliseum on Carling to watch the latest Disney/Pixar film, Up.

If you like Pixar movies (Toy Story, Wall-E, Cars...) then you will absolutely love this film as well. And did I mention it's in 3D? The 3D part was cool, especially if you have never seen a film in 3D before, but not necessary to enjoy the movie.

I hadn't been out to the theatre for a long time, but I really had a good time watching this movie. Anyways - back the movie. This is a must see. Whether you wait for the DVD rental or see it now in theatres, you must watch this movie.

Friday Time Waster

2009-06-05T14:23:00.004-04:00

The game: GemCraft: Chapter Zero

The premise: Tower defence game with a twist. Once you have your towers where you want them, you can place different gems to kill the various creeps. You can combine your gems to upgrade and have more powerful towers. Traps are also used.

The review: Really liked this game. Once you get into it, and understand the mechanics, it will easily hold your attention for a long time, which is good because the full game is HUGE. Mind-blowing-huge. Even when you've beaten the final level, there's still more gameplay if you wish. Even though this is a prequel to the already popular series of Gemcraft, this is still a great flash game worthy of a look, especially if you like the tower defence genre.

Best Sandwiches in Ottawa

2009-06-04T08:45:00.003-04:00

Much like James I am also quite fond of sandwiches and although I love our home-made creations there are some sandwiches which are tough to replicate at home. It is very difficult to place these sandwich shops in order but here are my top 3 favourite place in Ottawa for delicious sammys

3 - Sherwood Market and Deli - talk about hole in the wall. This place is just off of Carling on 111 Sherwood Dr. It looks like an unsuspecting deppanneur but if you walk in and wander towards the back you will see the display of salads and samosas and a long list of divine sandwich creations. My favourite would have to be the bbq chicken with avocado and bacon. They give you a choice of breads but if you don't specify they will prepare your sammy with some delicious spongy yellow egg-bread. They stuff the bread with a generous helping of shredded rotisserie chicken breast, lettuce, avocado and bacon and deli sauce which is a mixture of mayo, mustard and black pepper... mmm divine... at $3.99 it is not too bad on the wallet either.
I bought us each one of these sandwiches last night and it earned me plenty of wife points. I wish I took a picture because I can't seem to find a picture of this place nor their sandwiches to add to this posting. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for this place as it is a true gem.

2 - Johny Farina Lunch - this Elgin Street restaurant started an express take-out lunch extension a couple of summers ago and while I was on French training downtown I frequented JF for their take-out sandwiches. I haven't been here in a while so bear with me as I do this off memory. I usually go for one of their cold cut sandwiches. JF also has a nice selection of breads to choose from but I always go for the crusty multi-grain. I love that they stock spicy eggplant so I always ask for some of that on my sammy. They will stick the sandwich in the panini press for a bit so the cheese is nice and melty. Mmm so good. Probably because of its location it is a bit pricier but not by that much. Sorry I can't recall exact $$ but well worth it

1 - Dirienzo's - I believe there are 2 Ottawa locations for this mecca of sandwiches but the one I am most familiar with is the one on 111 Beech Street. The first time I visited this place I could not make sense of it because, much like the Sherwood deli, this is another hole in the wall place which is a grocery store/deli. Between 11:30-1:30 there is always a line-up at this place. During the summer the lineups wind all around and extend to outside of the little store. It is well worth the cue as the bread is nice and fresh.
There is a little process here. You get to pick your bread of choice, I personally like the crusty white bread, pass it over to the sandwich artist and give him your order. My sandwich of choice is the #5 with spicy eggplant. I believe the #5 is turkey, havarti with spicy salami and some lettuce, tomato and mayo. It is so delicious!
Again, this is a very wallet friendly sandwich at $4.00 and the home of the best sandwiches in Ottawa!

All sandwich shops are also James endorsed although I don't think he can pick a favourite. He just loves them all equally.

What are some other contenders across the city? I would love to try a new place and please don't say Subway...

bag wars

2009-05-15T21:29:00.001-04:00

too much time on my hands + windows movie maker = this crappy movie

Eddy and the Rabbit

2009-03-24T19:55:00.001-04:00

Opened the door, and there was a rabbit! Eddy was shitting bricks pretty much right after this happened.

Bike Hero

2009-03-13T09:04:00.001-04:00

My new favourite Guitar Hero video BY FAR.

Time Waster

2009-03-03T08:41:00.004-05:00

Here's an interesting game. Globetrotter XL gives you a map of the planet and then randomly gives you a city that you must find on the map. You have about 10 seconds to find it, and your score it based on the time of your answer as well as the proximity of your click to the actual place. Really interesting, will get your brain ticking, and worth a try.

Play Globetrotter XL

Eddy and his Grass

2009-03-03T08:06:00.001-05:00

Ferda made Eddy some cat grass: here is the result.

Rolcats

2009-02-20T15:22:00.001-05:00

Ferda sent me this link, credit goes to her.

Rolcats. English Translations of Eastern Bloc Lolcats.

Friday Time Waster: Electric Box

2009-02-20T13:36:00.003-05:00

No - this isn't about television. This is a cute little physics/puzzle game where you must route electricity to a final device. How you get it there is up to you: there are various modes like water turbines, fans, lights and solar panels, even steam somehow.

There's 15 levels and they are really well designed to get your noodle working.

Play Electric Box.

Movie Reviews: Mid Feb

2009-02-18T07:59:00.004-05:00

We've watched a few movies over the past week. Most have been on the media center, with the exception of one when we went to the theatre.

W. - This movie really surprised me. I am not usually one to be interested in politics, let alone the biography of an american politician. However, there is really something to be said about Geroge W. Bush. He's quite the individual - and this movie sheds some more light into his character and his traits. It's hard to tell how much of this movie is actually true to reality, knowing Hollywood, but it's still worth a watch.

Swing Vote - I wasn't expecting much from this movie. The plot was rather obvious from the commercials and trailers. But it really took me by surprise. The cast was very big and the acting was great. Interesting combo I suppose with W. - since they both followed the american political format very closely.

Push - Saw this one in the theatre with Alex and Holly on Monday night. Interesting concepts, followed the Hero's tv show format, mixed with a little Matrix and perhaps some of Wanted. I think more however could have been done with this movie. The end left you wanting more. Perhaps they did this on purpose to leave it open for a sequel, but I really think everything could have / should have been wrapped up in one movie. I did like it, but I'm glad we had free movie passes (gift certificates FTW!).

Blindness - Do not watch. I did not like this movie. Some people might. But for me, it left a really bad taste in my mouth (or my eyes???). Sure, I like the zombie-infection-apocalypse-type movie just as much as the next guy, but this one creeped me out a little too much.

I'm better than you

2009-02-14T12:20:00.004-05:00

Check this out.

This is my current stats for Guitar Hero. It's pretty cool. It shows my career status, the current songs I've played, and my online status against other players.

eddy plays with his spring 2

2009-02-12T19:49:00.002-05:00

eddy plays with his spring

2009-02-12T18:09:00.002-05:00

Thursday Time Waster: Super Stacker 2

2009-02-12T07:44:00.001-05:00

Here's a fun little flash game. Super Stacker 2 gives you a whole bunch of different sized and shaped blocks that you must stack up and prevent from falling down. The shapes all have funny little faces that change (and make noises!) depending on how you treat them.

It's a fun challenge, and gets pretty tough for the hard levels at the end. Check it out!

Friday Time Waster

2009-02-06T06:25:00.001-05:00

Here's a funny pic of me and my dad on his roof, shoveling snow. We cleared it of snow the other weekend. That is all.

Bacon Porn

2009-02-03T08:06:00.000-05:00

Wow. If you are still reading this post, you must be clearly as turned on by pork products as I am. This post is the result of a conversation I had the other night after an ultimate game at a bar. Beer was consumed, and clearly we were all in the mood for greasy foods. What I'd like to accomplish with this post is a list of exciting bacon recipes that you and your loved ones can enjoy over the upcoming months (before you keel over - just kidding - dieing isn't nice).

Bacon Chocolate - Bacon for dessert? Yes please!

Bacon Ice Cream - OH YEAH!

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies - OHMIGOD they look SO delicious. This recipe looks pretty safe and simple that you could hopefully make without getting too many weird looks from your SO.

Bacon Explosion - Hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen. This unique log of pork has nearly 2 pounds of bacon and 2 pounds of sausage. All rolled up together in a symphony of flavor, this has got to be the one that brings home the bacon. My favorite part is the bacon weave that holds it all together.

And here's the good stuff: hot, greasy pictures to get your through your day...

Review: Son of Rambow

2009-02-03T07:54:00.002-05:00

Last night we settled in to enjoy Son of Rambow. A feel good movie about two, young English boys who make a movie inspired by First Blood. The two main characters are super cute and funny little kids. And the one French exchange student who joins them is frickin hilarious. Didier I think was his name.

Really funny, good movie overall. The young actors who are previous unknown, definitely make this movie memorable.

Movie Reviews

2009-02-02T08:48:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend we saw a few different movies: Igor, The Wackness, and Into the Wild.

Igor was really good. Typical new-age 'Shrek-type' cartoon with lots of famous voice actors. The story was really cute and funny, and the characters in the movie were very original and fun. The main plot is about an Igor who no longer wants to work for his master and wants to do all the evil inventing himself. A good watch if you have the time.

Now we really didn't know what to expect from the Wackness. Not even sure how we ended up with this one. The story follows a recent high school grad and his exploits over the course of that summer, which happened to be 1994. The music was pretty good, and the story was pretty wild. Some of the characters he meets and interacts with are pretty crazy. Won't give too much away, but you might like to check this one out.

Finally, Into the Wild. A really, really amazing story of a young man and his adventure to Alaska. Based on a true story, this is must see movie. The soundtrack, largely Eddie Vedder, is very good. The story will warm your heart, make you think outside the box, and perhaps even garnish a tear or two. Really a superb movie that both Ferda and liked immensely. Check this out for sure.

Coming soon to a Wii near you

2009-02-02T08:46:00.000-05:00

The Conduit

This first person shooter game will be a great buy for the Wii when it's released later this year. I've been hearing bits and pieces about this game for a while now: comparable to Halo3, looks as good as a PS3 or 360 game, stunning grahpics and sounds. And after reading a quick blurb at Kotaku, I'm even more ready to pick it up.

What has me most excited is the multiplayer aspect. Honestly, I'm not very good at FPS', but I do enjoy them. I can remember playing Goldeneye on the N64 for hours against friends. And what I'm hearing about Conduit's multiplayer is that it will be very fast, competitive, and fun. Perhaps the local multiplayer won't be that great, but online will be where it's at.

Friday Time Waster

2009-01-30T08:30:00.002-05:00

Two Rooms

This is a pretty neat puzzle game where you must coordinate movements of two different squares in two different rooms, in order to complete the level. It starts out pretty simple, but the later levels will have you scratching your head for sure. Currently I'm stuck on 24/30. Try out Two Rooms here.

Don't You Miss Summer?

2009-01-30T06:03:00.000-05:00

Ohmigawd, ya me too.

Ferda's Orchid

2009-01-29T08:37:00.000-05:00

Here's two different pics of Ferda's pink orchid. The top one is taken on Dec. 18th. The bottom one I just took a second ago, today, January 28th. It's been in full bloom mode for about 6 weeks! That's insane. And there's a lot of flowers on it; 13 by my count. Seriously, this orchid is nuts. We've had it for about 3 years, and I think this is only the second time it has bloomed. But I can't believe the flowers have been around for this long.

But don't worry, now that Eddy is getting more agile, I'm sure he will eat some of them soon. (and then vomit them back up onto the carpet - good times)

Reviews: Zack and Miri; Rocker

2009-01-28T07:44:00.002-05:00

Last night we took it easy and watched a couple of movies: Zack and Miri Make a Porno and The Rocker.

Zack and Miri was really good. The male lead was played by Seth Rogen. I am really starting to like this fellow Canadian. He was very good Pineapple Express, which we saw a bit ago. And I think I've liked him in just about every other movie he's been in. 'Porno' was just what you would expect from a Kevin Smith film: funny and off-the-wall totally different. It was pretty rude at certain points, and I won't get into that here. But we still really liked it. And it was cool to recognize all of the 'Kevin Smith regulars' in the movie from his Clerks series.

The Rocker starred Dwight (Rainn Wilson) from the tv series The Office, which we are both huge fans of. Sadly, I have to say I wasn't a huge fan of this movie. Unlike 'Porno', which obviously I knew where it was going (the title doesn't leave much to the imagination), The Rocker could have taken one of many different directions. Sadly, in my opinion, it took the path already used by Jack Black in School of Rock. Without giving too much away: Rainn Wilson joins a band with young teens (tweens?) and they proceed to rock out and such. Funny - but I had already seen this movie.

Peace out - and stayed tuned for more reviews shortly.

Tuesday Time Waster: Scriball

2009-01-27T14:16:00.002-05:00

Started playing this game last week, took a while to complete all the levels. Very innovative playstyle, fun, and challenging. Slightly annoying if you have a less-than-stellar mouse.

Check out Scriball.

Settlers of Catan - Traders and Barbarians

2009-01-21T15:42:00.002-05:00

Just picked this up - anyone want to play?

He loves that mouse

2009-01-21T06:38:00.002-05:00

Also - he hates that mouse.

eddy on the stairs

2009-01-17T14:55:00.002-05:00

Yep, he's a spaz. But at least he's famous now.

and I shall call him mini-me

2009-01-17T14:24:00.004-05:00

Itty Bitty Kitty Committee: Newest Member

2009-01-17T08:14:00.003-05:00

We joined the club. He's eight weeks, the sweetest little guy you've ever met, and really really loves Ferda.

Come Sail Away

2009-01-15T08:45:00.001-05:00

For Ferda. We were in the car this morning and we heard this song on the radio. Well not this version, the original (Styx).

Have a cold one, on Ottawa

2009-01-14T08:35:00.003-05:00

Wow. Certainly a cold morning today. I think the worst I heard on the radio this morning was -39 (wind chill included). That's pretty frickin nasty.

But don't worry my fellow Ottawans, those losers in Winnipeg have it worse: -45. That will teach them for stealing our longest outdoor skating rink record.

Beat Fail?

2009-01-12T18:36:00.004-05:00

Another fail pic from Turkey. Or perhaps, this falls under the category of Engrish. Regardless, this clearly is an advertisement for an athletics facility on the planet Mars, where one can 'come to beat'.

Single Lettuce

2009-01-11T13:20:00.001-05:00

LOL

Cookie Fail??

2009-01-08T23:37:00.003-05:00

Yup, this pic is from Turkey as well. Already submitted to failblog.

Vikings trapped in Ice? Oh my!

2009-01-07T08:49:00.002-05:00

This little physics-based puzzle game is way too cute. Ice Breaker has you use your mouse to slice the ice to free the frozen vikings and help return them to their ship.

Turkey: More Photos

2009-01-06T05:49:00.011-05:00

more of Ulus market

smoking an apple (elma) flavour hookah at a cafe

more of Beypazari

local market near in-laws place

Turkey: Photos

2009-01-05T18:22:00.009-05:00

Ulus market

Ataturk Mausoleum

Beypazari

Kocatepe Mosque (largest in Ankara)

Turkey: Part 2

2009-01-05T14:33:00.002-05:00

So about a week has passed since I wrote part 1 about my experiences in Turkey. Here's the rest of them for the final week we spent there.

One of neat things we did was visit a small, touristy-type-town call Beypazari, about 100 kms away from Ankara. A very very old and small town situated atop a large mountain. It was snowing there while we visited, so walking the steep hills was dangerous and slippy. Beypazari is famous for it's particular kind of jewellery called Telkari which involves intricate filigree pieces made of silver and various stones and gems. Ferda bought a few pieces. The town was really neat because of the old Ottoman style architecture of the homes and buildings. I will post some more pictures later when I get home from work.

Another touristy-type-adventure we had was a visit to the Anitkabir, the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He was the founder of the Republic of Turkey (1923) and was given the name Ataturk (father of all Turks) by his fellow countrymen. This mausoleum not only celebrated his life and showcased some of this belongings, it also recognized his careers and accomplishments as a military leader and his many political reforms as president. It was a moving experience for both of us, especially Ferda (she had never been before).

Of course, if you know Ferda at all, you will already have guessed that we did TONS of shopping. Our bags were backed to the limit on the return flights. Ibrahim (Ferda's dad) and I were pretty sick of walking through malls by the end of the two weeks. We were much more content to sit at home, watch some football, and drink some beer. Efes to be exact. I also drank some raki - holy crap that stuff is strong.

An additional touristy-adventure was a visit to part of the city (Ankara) called Ulus. It had a number of small, narrow streets lined with vendors on both sides selling everything you could imagine. After we toured all of these street we went in the market area. It was extremely crowded with shouting vendors and customers. I have a few pictures of this market that I'll add later. Another place in Ankara we visited was the Ankara Castle - and more specifically the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations or Anadolu Medeniyetleri Muzesi. It housed some incredible pieces from that region's past. In particular, what I found most interesting was the Hittite period of 1750-1200 B.C., a lot of their work was done in bronze and was really beautiful. This was one of my favourites - and is in fact also displayed as a giant statue in the middle of the city.

We also went out for dinner a few times to different restaurants. The food was awesome. So tasty. I had iskender kepab a few different times - it is very tasty. Also, I tried this one dessert called kunefe - SO AMAZING. SERIOUSLY. Hot pastry, warm sticky sugar-water, and melted cheese. You can't go wrong.

We visited a couple times with different family members and it was nice to meet all of them. Also it was great to spend some time with Ferda's immediate family, I know that Ferda really appreciated that. Anyways, we're home now: back in Ottawa, back to the daily grind, back to reality.

Turkey: Part 1

2008-12-28T02:20:00.001-05:00

No - this blog post is not about xmas dinner. This is about our 08/09 holiday trip to Turkey to visit Ferda's family.

We left work on Friday the 19th around noon and hit the 417 towards Montreal where our first flight awaited for us. Made a quick stop in Hawkesbury to leave our car with my dad, as he was driving us the rest of the way. The rest of the drive was fine, didn't take any longer than normal to reach Trudeau airport. We said our goodbyes to my dad and grabbed our luggage and headed inside the terminal. Madness. That's the one word I would to describe the scene. Apparently when we booked our flight back in August little did we know we would be traveling on the busiest day of the year.

'Snowmageddon' as they called it was set to hit Montreal that night and we were hoping our 7:45pm flight would depart just in time to avoid the mess. Of course, hope only gets you so far, as our first plane from Montreal to Heathrow was delayed by about 2 hours if I recall correctly. At this point, obviously, we were panicked. Once at Heathrow, we were to have 3 odd hours to catch a connecting flight to Istanbul, and then one more to Ankara, capital city of Turkey, our final destination. There was a mixup with our luggage, however thankfully it all arrived (how though I really don't know!) at the same place we did. I will say this though about British Airways customer service department: they need some work. Really all they do is treat you like a little baby who needs their diaper changed; they pat your bottom and tell you it will all be ok. Never once did they actually solve a problem for us.

So of course, as you expected by now, we missed our connecting flight in Heathrow. After waiting two hours in line to be booked onto the next flight to Istanbul, that was scheduled to depart some five hours later, we made our way into the the craziness that is known as Heathrow Terminal 5. We got some lunch in our bellies, made a couple rather expensive phone called to THY (Turkish Nat'l Airlines) to reschedule our next connecting flight and also to Ferda's parents to let them know about our delay. When it was finally time to board, things were not looking good. There was a delay on the tarmac once we were all boarded for some reason or another which got us panicked again. Imagine: we had just bought NEW tickets to Ankara, how horrible would it be if we could not make that flight as well!

The plane touched down in Istanbul with about 1 hour to spare before our next flight departed. We sprinted through the entire Istanbul airport: bought my Visa (60 USD), passed through customs, collected our baggage, ran from international arrivals to domestic departures, checked into our flight and handed off our bags, and finally made our way to our gate. All of this surprisingly only took 40 minutes! We arrived in Ankara at about 1am Sunday morning local time. 30 +/- hours later (plus 7 hours timezone) as compared to our Friday departure from Montreal. We now literally stank of airplane food, BO, and other unimaginable odours - but we had made it, luggage intact.

As I write this blogpost today, Sunday morning one week later, it's hard to imagine that I have been living in a different country and continent for the past 7 days. In reality things are pretty similar to back home. Ferda and Pinar have been dragging me to shopping malls, I've visited Bilikent University where Ferda attended for one year before moving to Ottawa, the downtown section is overcrowded with cars, pedestrians, and street-meat vendors, the tv has turkish versions of familiar shows like Wheel of Fortune and Deal or no Deal, and they even have Burger King and McDonalds! However, there are many differences: 5 times a day you hear the local imam sing out calling for prayer, at night my attempt at sleep is assaulted by gangs of street dogs barking and howling to maintain their territory from rival gangs of dogs, and at the Burger King your whopper comes bacon-less (I guess - haven't been yet).

One amazing thing is the weather. As Turkey is located half in Europe and half in Asia, I wasn't really expecting snow. Of course, mother nature has proven me wrong as it has snowed twice since we've been here. That doesn't slow down the taksi's and local residents on the road - they all drive very aggressively. Its not uncommon to hear a constant stream of honks, almost like some bizarre automotive melody. The rules of the road are quite fast and different, and I don't think I could manage. The food has been what I expected. I've been spoiled a few times before with turkish cuisine and this trip has been no exception. Baklava, döner, iskender, tavuk, mercemek corba... the list goes on and on of all these wonderful tasty foods all so fresh and full of flavour.

One interesting experience I had was on Friday, a couple days ago. Ibrahim, my father in law, took me to a hamam, or turkish bath house. Very different from anything I could have expected (if you really want to know what happened there, I'll tell you in person!).

That's all I will write for now, it's getting later in the day and there are things to see and do! (also my butt is sore from sitting here at the computer!) BYE!

Jizz In My Pants

2008-12-11T10:41:00.001-05:00

This was on SNL last weekend. SO FUNNY. Very glad we have been recording it. What with Tina Fey playing Palin, Jon Hamm hosting, and now the Jizz in your Pants song, this has been a GREAT SNL season.

Weekend Review?

2008-12-08T10:11:00.002-05:00

Friday night's traffic was horrible. It snowed a little bit thru-out the city and I guess the tempature was just right to create black ice. Took Ferda about two hours sitting in traffic to go maybe 5 blocks. I ended up walking to meet her. We had our office holiday party Friday night at the Hard Rock Cafe - it was a good time. Won a nice bottle of wine.

Saturday morning we played pickup frisbee at the Ben Franklin Dome. It was awesome. The quality of players were top-notch, comp folks, and we were no exception. We both fit in really well with the high calibre players. Ferda had a great couple games full of solid handling, a point or two, and a crazy insane handblock. It was so intense. I scored about 3-4 points, handled a bit, and even got a layout grab off some swill that Ferda threw my way ;-) We had a lot of fun. For the rest of Saturday we just lounged around nursing our beat up bodies and legs. Later in the evening Alex came over and he and I played the 007 game on the Wii and even some guitar hero. I think he left around 3am after Ferda came home from Holly's girls xmas party.

Sunday we slept in, shovelled some snow, and ordered greek food. Was a great weekend.

Lost Season 5 Official Promo

2008-12-02T13:06:00.001-05:00

More great TV to watch come January!

Dearest Ferda

2008-11-28T11:16:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday!

From your husband.

Thursday got you down?

2008-11-20T10:46:00.003-05:00

Flight of the Conchords Season 2 Promo

2008-11-19T08:17:00.001-05:00

Heads up! Make sure your DVRs are ready!

Ulty's back on

2008-11-07T08:36:00.002-05:00

So last night we had our first game of winter ultimate. We are playing at the Ben Franklin Dome. It's a pretty nice facility: decent turf, large and tall roof, and good lighting. We are playing with a completely random team, know a few of other players from other teams we have playing on. Will take some time to gel together as a team.

Zilch!

2008-11-06T12:44:00.002-05:00

This game is pretty cool, Zilch!

It's a yahtzee clone, but more emphasis on gambling rather than luck. It also had a neat achievement system.

Upcoming New Movie: Fanboys

2008-11-04T08:26:00.001-05:00

This movie looks awesome I think.

Halloween

2008-11-03T09:15:00.002-05:00

This is pretty funny. The Abnormal Drug Trafficker in particular, apart from the whole Spiderman thing obviously.

No Bunnies Were Harmed in the Making of this Post

2008-10-30T08:21:00.005-04:00

So the bunnie was still there when I got home from work. I decided I had had enough of this free-loader; stealing my heat by sitting right next to the window! Here's some more pics Ferda took before I gave him the boot!

For the curious types out there, my bunnie-handling techniques included the following steps:

1) Open door slightly
2) Scoop away excess snow
3) Grab bunnie from mid-section to avoid bunnie-kicks!
4) Toss him in the snow!

He ran away towards our neighbour's yard, very mad at me. I bet we won't be seeing him again.

New Pet

2008-10-29T07:54:00.002-04:00

This little bunny wedged himself between our sliding glass door and screen door in the middle of the night to take shelter from the wind and snow.

Yes I said snow! About 5 inches!

Don't worry: if he's still there when I get home from work tonight, I'll start charging rent.

Tuesday Time Waster

2008-10-28T09:18:00.001-04:00

Here's a cute little Halloween themed puzzler: Numbskull. The objective here is to maneuver the blocks so that the skeleton's head connects to his body. The first few levels are pretty easy, but it gets harder as you go along.

Guitar Hero:World Tour

2008-10-27T13:11:00.002-04:00

Sunday morning: Got up at 6:15, quickly dressed and got in the car. Drove over to our local Wal-Mart to get in line for their 7am opening.

The reason: Sunday, Oct. 26th was the release day for the new installment of GuitarHero: GH:WT.

I was second in line overall, and first to get it for the Nintendo Wii. Got home about 7:30 and took it all outta the box. Played for a couple hours, trying to remain as quiet as possible since Ferda was still in bed.

Really like the look and feel of the new guitar - the strum bar is very tight and responsive. The touchpad slider is super fun to play with as well. The drums are real fun to play - seems to be Ferda's favourite so far. Didn't try out the singing just yet, perhaps will have to add some liquid courage first (ie: beer). Can't wait to get home from work to play some more. Plently of songs we didn't even try yet!

Drool

2008-10-23T13:14:00.001-04:00

http://kotaku.com/5067592/logitechs-unveils-250-guitar-hero-controller

No way. If I win the lottery, this is #2 on my list.

The Final Countdown

2008-10-17T09:14:00.001-04:00

This is pretty hilarious.

Dear Diary

2008-10-10T09:24:00.003-04:00

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary...

8:00 AM - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 AM - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 AM - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 AM - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 PM - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 PM - Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat's Diary...

Day 983 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage...

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now...

Wooot!

2008-10-10T09:16:00.001-04:00

Woo hoo, it's Friday. And it's the Thanksgiving long weekend! Sweet!

Enjoy!

Of course it's shank or be shanked

2008-10-08T09:01:00.002-04:00

Over that past week we've been watching Prison Break s01. We have really enjoyed it so far. I think we have about 2-3 eps left. Really looking forward to finishing it. I've also made preparations to get s02 - even though we've heard it's not as good.

Other than that, enojying regular fall tv programs like Heroes, Hills, Office, etc.

Friday Time Waster

2008-10-03T08:31:00.001-04:00

Here's a simple, cute flash game. Funky Ball. Objective is to steer the pink ball on to the pink block.

Blargh

2008-10-01T09:32:00.002-04:00

I hate work.

Amazing

2008-09-25T10:53:00.002-04:00

I work in a computer oriented office, with many grown adults who can program software, hardware, network switches, everything...

But it's amazing that so many of them can't operate the fax machine. Is 'dialing 9 to get out' really that hard to comprehend?

Lacking

2008-09-24T10:32:00.002-04:00

Here we are, Wednesday morning. And all week I haven't had a good thing to blog about. Not much has been going on. Just the usual. I guess I just haven't had an clever ideas or thoughts that sprouted into good blog posts.

Here's a mid-week Time Waster for you: Loops of Zen.

Friday Time Waster

2008-09-19T12:02:00.000-04:00

In the Dog House. No, that's not my current location (mind you I do go there quite often, but that's another blog post altogether). This is a cute little puzzle flash game where you must arrage the tiles of the house, in order to create a path for the dog to get to the kitchen. You move the dog by dragging his bone to the room you would like him to go to. If you like slider-type-puzzles and cute puppies, this game is for you.

Nothin' says Lovin'

2008-09-18T08:45:00.000-04:00

Last night I made cupcakes. I needed to make approx 24 cupcakes for an event we were having at work. I bought the Betty Crocker cake mix and frosting, so I know I cheated.

Besides helping Ferda with the occaisional cake or banana bread or whatever, I haven't baked in a long time. It was fun.

Welcome back riders! How was your ride?

2008-09-16T13:12:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we drove down to Cedar Point. In Sandusky. Ohio. 10 hours by car.

Alex, Holly, Ferda and I all took the day off work and left town early Friday morning. We stopped a few times on the way but managed to make it there around 10pm. We met up with Alex's family from Windsor and the twelve of us had a great time: beers, soft pretzels, coasters - what's not to like!?

The weather cooperated pretty well considering hurricane Ike was headed our way. All things considered it was a great weekend. Thank you Ryan Hill for organizing, and thank you Alex and Holly for taking us to America's Roller Coast!

Two new Hollyisms emerged from the weekend that I must share:

1) She was meaning to say someone was a 'third-wheel', however she used the term 'third-leg' - which we explained to her is a slang term for penis.

2) At a restaurant in the States, after I ordered a coffee to drink with my dinner, Holly asked the server if they had any flavoured coffees. The server replied: "Well we have iced coffees." Holly then asked: "Are those cold?"

Summer's over dude

2008-09-11T08:36:00.002-04:00

No kidding. As no different from other summer's passed, Ferda and I played a hell of a lot of ultimate frisbee. I played on 3 different teams: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. While Ferda did something different this year - she made the Ottawa competitive women's team Scarlett. So with that team she was practicing twice and week (Tues and Thurs) with games and tournaments on the weekends. As well, she was also playing Wednesday nights and occasionally she would be able to make it out on Friday nights to play with her husband, ME!

For Friday's, we played with our regular friends on the Gullwings team. We did have some new players this year, but they fit in nicely and we did well over the course of the summer. For my Tuesday and Wednesday teams, I was with brand new teams for me. They included me quickly into the rosters, and within no time at all, I was yelling and screaming like I always do.

Both of our games have improved because of all the playing we have been doing. Ferda has emerged as an incredible handler and can toss the disc further than most men. As well, her read on the play, both offense and defense, is perfect. For me, I've been working on both my right and left hand flicks. My right is pretty solid now and the left is getting better. I hope soon to be completely ambidextrous on the field. That would be pretty frickin' sweet.

So, ya, obviously Ferda was away for most of the summer travelling with Scarlett. For many consecutive weekends she was away in Montreal, Toronto, even Calgary to attend Nationals in August. But despite being apart so much over the summer, things are still great.

Blog Resurection and the LHC

2008-09-10T11:02:00.005-04:00

After about 8 straight months of inactivity, I plan to do my best to resurrect this blog. I'll continue the same random topics that were discussed here before, so don't get your hopes up that this blog will become any better than it was. :P

Leading up to today, many have feared that September 10th, 2008 would be the end of the world as we know it. The reason is simple, the good physicists at CERN have started tests with the Large Hardron Collider.

As far as my undertstanding goes, the reason people fear these tests is that small, mini black holes will be created as result of smashing the particles together. And since no one has observed a mini black hole here on earth before, we have to rely on Stephen Hawking's theory of Black Hole Radiation.

So the question is, do you trust Stephen Hawking?

Recycled grocery store bags

2008-09-09T07:55:00.003-04:00

Today I have a funny little story to share about Ferda. Each morning before work, we coordinate making lunches; one of us does it for the both of us, or we each make them together, whichever.

What we do next is similar to many other people I'm sure, is grab a used plastic grocery store bag to carry the lunches in. We have a drawer that is filled with these recycled grocery store bags: Loeb, Loblaws, Canadian Tire, Wal-Mart, Giant Tiger, Winners... they are all there.

Well the funny part about this story is that Ferda will NOT accept her lunch in a Wal-Mart bag. Any other company is fine, but she will refuse to take her lunch in a Wal-Mart bag. What's even more strange about this, is that she loves to shop at Wal-Mart, is happy with their prices, but eating her lunch out of a Wal-Mart bag - that's too much.

Hole in the Wall

2008-09-08T09:31:00.002-04:00

So I saw a really funny new show on TV last night, Hole in the Wall. Pretty simple idea, but very funny result.

Contestants must position themselves to that when the wall comes rushing towards them, they are in the exact correct position to fit in the hole in the wall. Pretty darn funny in my opinion.

Garfield Gets Funnier

2008-02-27T08:35:00.002-05:00

Wow. This is pretty good.

http://garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com/

(added to sidebar)

Jimmy Kimmel's F*cking Ben Affleck

2008-02-26T08:23:00.001-05:00

And it goes on...

Sarah Silverman is F**king Matt Damon

2008-02-01T09:36:00.001-05:00

This is completely full of win.

Hmmm...

2008-01-29T11:03:00.001-05:00

You know you've been playing far too much Guitar Hero III on your Wii, when...

You hear a new song and you imagine what the note chart would look like.
(and as you listen to said new song, you finger the imaginary note chart)
You randomly starting singing the lyrics to 'Slow Ride' at the wrong times.
You tell your friends to hit you with their best shot.
When your S-O catches you activating star-power in your sleep.
When you bring GH3 to French Class because you told your french teacher about Mauvais Garcon
You think of people who could possibly destroy The Metal.

Cloverfeild? [no spoilers]

2008-01-19T21:36:00.000-05:00

What the heck was that?

Anyone else see that movie over the weekend? Pretty crazy. Pretty different. The one thing I didn't like was the shaky camera. Ferda didn't like that either too much.

But we did go for a nice dinner before the movie at the asian restaurant near the theaters. Its called Pho Thi Fusion I think. Pretty tasty, big portions. Lots of different dishes.

Happy weekend!!!

The Light Switch: On or Off?

2008-01-09T09:10:00.000-05:00

Here's another guest entry from my grandfather in BC; where he talks about his obsession with light switches. I must confess that I do the same thing. We have a bank of four switches next to our kitchen, and I do like to have them all ligned up. I wonder if Ferda has ever noticed?

To my wife the only purpose of a light switch is to be turned on. Every time she passes one she seems to hear it crying to be used, and she responds. She is never known to turn one off - except when going to bed. It is as if she understands their deep need, that only when switched on can they feel fulfilled and justifying their existence. So she obliges them

My own light switch fetish is quite different. It is a matter of order. In several places in the house are two or three light switches in the same panel. Several rooms have two entrances, at opposite ends perhaps, where, as also at the tops and bottoms of stairs, again there are two or three light switches in a row. I am never comfortable unless all those in each switch bank are in the same position – up or down.

At the foot of the half flight of stairs into my ‘office’ is a bank of three switches. One is for a light over the stairs which is rarely needed. The others are for various ceiling lights which are often necessary. When later I leave through the other door, up the half flight of stairs to the bedroom landing, again there are three switches, two for those room ceiling lights, the third for a light at the top of those stairs.

On entry it distresses me to find the switches awry as they usually are. The stairwell light switch can be moved either way to fit the others whilst often both ceiling lights are needed but one switch is up and the other down. That disorderliness leads to lack of concentration. And when I turn off the ceiling lights as I leave up the other stairway I am lucky if both light switches are then pointing the same way. What then about the third one to light the way up the stairs? To keep it in order with the others I will, rather than turn it on and spoil the symmetry, creep up the stairs in the darkness until fumbling at the top and eventually by feel finding the first of the landing double switches and probably upsetting their symmetry.

There are similar problems at the top and bottom of the main stairs, at the two bedroom doors, at the doors at each end of the drawing room, at each end of the garage and, particularly, on the ground floor where a single switch, two double, and one in a bank of three switches control from four positions the hall and adjacent laundry room lights.

Suppose that in the dark I am first home. Beside my car is the far garage switch to light my way to the opposite corner, to the half flight of stairs up to the door into the house. At the top is a double switch - one to turn off the garage lights, the other for the laundry room lights which I shall now need. If that means the switches are up and down I can turn off the garage light to get it pointing the same way then fumble in the dark to open the door and hasten through to where there is another bank of two, one for the laundry room lights, the other for the hall lights which I need to see to turn off the burglar alarm. If that results in disharmony of those two switches I can, hurrying lest the alarm run out of time and start up, instead turn left in the dark and in the short passageway fumble to find the single switch to the hall lights so as to see the alarm control box to deactivate it.

My wife will appreciate the driveway entrance and other outside lights so at the front door I turn on those two switches. But the third switch, that controls the hall ceiling lights, is now pointing the wrong way. I align it with the others by putting the hall lights out and then go back to one of the other banks of switches and turn the lights on there - but that may put another double switch at odds.

With my wife home I can turn off the outside lights. Now that bank of three switches in the hall out of order again and I should start all over once more.

I cannot help myself even though it is not worth the trouble nor the wear and tear on bulbs of switching on and off. And creeping around in the dark to avoid spoiling a switch symmetry may well one day lead to a fall and broken leg.

Yet since writing this a postscript is needed. On Christmas Day I happened to notice that one bank of three switches had them all pointing the same way. Greatly daring I looked at another, then crept round the house checking them all. Somehow, for some ethereal reason, miraculously all over the house every bank of switches was pointing in the same direction. Such perfect symmetry cannot have been accident or coincidence, some greater power must have arranged it as a very special present.

Surely that can never happen again. Does it perhaps signify a Happy Ending? Yes; for I take it as a signal now to abandon my fetish in exchange for my wife’s. If the electricity bill is acceptable then at least life will be less complicated and certainly safer.

Happy 2008?

2008-01-08T14:46:00.000-05:00

So I guess it's been a while, whatever. Over the holidays we flew to Vancouver to visit family. My Mom's out there, along with her parents, and my Aunt Mary. So we really spent a lot of time just hanging out with them all. Got to some shopping in different stores that Ferda wanted to check out. It was a pretty good trip. And it looks like we'll be going out again sometime around June for Jordan's wedding.

We ended up buying a laptop shortly after Boxing Day for a great price. Not really something that we needed, but we bought it anyway. I suppose this will avoid fights for computer usage. And it will come in handy for car trips up to Montreal or the cottage, for watching recorded tv or dvd's.

Our New Year's Eve consisted of a party at a pub/bar downtown Vancouver with a whole bunch of my old friends (and their new fiancés!). We all had a great time, lots of pics were taken, but they are far too silly to ever be posted to the internets.

To Ferda

2007-11-29T10:06:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday!

From Ferda

2007-11-27T08:01:00.000-05:00

Ferda showed me this last night. I think she's pretty proud:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9611565863

Enjoy.

Groan

2007-11-26T10:51:00.000-05:00

A buddy of mine here at work - lets call him Scott - well, nice guy and all, he and his wife are expecting, congrats to them. Usually on Monday mornings a bunch of us guys will go for a walk over to Tim Horton's and grab a coffee, but this morning he told me he couldn't make it. Something to do with an appointment for the pregnancy.

He told me they are having a midwife crisis...

For the adventurous types...

2007-11-21T10:40:00.000-05:00

... I present to you:

The Turducken.

It is a turkey, stuffed with a duck, which in turn, is stuffed with a chicken (of course the chicken has stuffing in it).

Things that piss me off

2007-11-21T08:43:00.000-05:00

So - ya, obviously waking up to the first significant snowfall puts everyone in a bad mood. Unless of course you're Santa Clause or something. Traffic sucked this morning of course - and it took an eternity to get in to work today.

That's right - I still work at HBH - and there' s a few other things that piss me off in regards to working here. So let's get into them:

I park in the parking garage right next to my building. Its your typical drive for a bit, go up a level, drive for a bit, go up a level parking garage. All the while, following the cars in front of you. Now here's what pisses me off: why do people need to pull into their spots backwards? If they were to just pull in frontwards, they could do so quickly, and I would be on my way to the 9th floor (ya, that's also a piss-off). But since they ALL feel the need to back into their spots, I have to wait for each one of these dummys. I don't understand at all how backing in during the morning will save so much time when they go to leave at night.

Now this one involves actually being in the office. I work in an office space with a mix of cubicles and traditional offices. Fair, fine, I have no problem with that. But here's what bugs the shit outta me. Obviously its a very busy space, shared by many people. And because of the large amount of people - noise is an issue. So I don't understand why practically everyone has their phone ringer volume set at the highest possible. It doesn't make sense. If your phone rings, and you're at your desk, you are going to hear it - even if the volume is at its lowest. However, if you're not at your desk, like in a meeting, in a the washroom, whatever, no matter how loud it is, you are NOT going to hear it. But the rest of us do have to listen to it ring off the hook at the loudest possible setting. Which drives me bonkers. I think it's a respect thing, and as a sign of respect for others around me, I try to make as little noise as possible.

That's it for today - I'll try and write more blog posts, perhaps about other things that piss me off, in the near future.

I am not ready for winter

2007-10-29T10:03:00.000-04:00

Driving in to work this morning it finally dawned on me that winter is nearly here. I'm not looking forward to cold mornings, snow, and frozen car windows that need to be scraped.

I have a blog?

2007-10-18T10:41:00.000-04:00

Found a good picture of what it's like driving with Ferda:

Eat Your Heart Out Holly

2007-09-22T11:52:00.000-04:00

Here's an updated picture of Ferda's orchid. Literally just taken 15 mins ago. It has a total of 14 flowers.

Also, this is post #501.

Good News

2007-09-19T09:10:00.000-04:00

Strike's over.

Review to come? Don't think so.

TimeWaster

2007-08-30T09:22:00.000-04:00

A pirate walks into a bar. He's got a steering wheel sticking out of his trousers.

The bartender says "Hey buddy, you know you got a steering wheel sticking out of your pants?"

The pirate says "Yarr, and it's drivin' me nuts!"

Update on James

2007-08-29T11:09:00.000-04:00

Since Ferda hasn't done an 'Update on Ferda' yet, even though I specifically requested one here, I suppose I'll do one on myself.

I think I mentioned, or you can likely tell from the giant glass trophy a few posts down, ultimate is over for the summer. Therefore my easy method of getting lots of cardio done during the week is gone. So my friend James has convinced me that we should be doing cardio at the gym, as well as our normal weight-lifting routine. However though, lately I haven't been able to do much upper body work because I hurt my right shoulder again at ultimate. I did this last summer as well and it took about 3-4 months to fully heal. I'm really trying to not strain it further this time and let it heal - because I would like to get back the weight-lifting routine asap.

So anyway, the cardio is going okay. We are going after work around 4:45-5:30 and so far have gone each day this week. I plan to go again today after work; James, however, can't make it. Have been doing stuff like elliptical, stair master, tread mill type stuff. Not all that fun, but the time goes by quickly when you have a friend there to chat with. Thanks James!

Oh - and did I mention I might be going on strike at work? Ya. Not to excited about that. Supporting 2 people on 1 salary is hard enough - supporting 2 people on no salary just doesn't work.

Squirrels in my garden

2007-08-28T08:34:00.000-04:00

Here's a new guest entry from my grandfather in B.C.:

Several times in earlier years I have commented in detail on the habits of squirrels which make these vermin such an attractive and often delightful interest.

Once I described working under my tall Douglas firs and being bombarded by falling fir cones which the squirrels were knocking off so as then to descend and bury them as winter food stocks. My own presence below was regarded as unwarranted interference with their job and caused much noisy chattering and complaining.

This year there is a new phenomenon. The squirrels are not as is normal waiting for the fir cones to ripen, go brown and open up so that the seeds therein can be extracted and eaten. Instead they are knocking them down while still green, tight and sticky and so unripe as to be of no possible use now or later.

As before the squirrels seem actually to bother to bury only about one in every fifty they knock down – and then undoubtedly promptly forget where they did this – and ignore the rest. Without the piles I provide they would go hungry in winter. Meanwhile I have been busy on several days this last week sweeping about a thousand a time off the lawn so that grass can be cut. There will be more to come.

What makes them go to all this trouble with fir cones that are useless to them? Why don’t they wait a few weeks for them to ripen? Has the bad summer delayed ripening while the squirrels work to a set calendar? Or have they just forgotten the rules or are they a new generation which has been improperly trained by its parents? Or is it just a natural instinct gone wrong? Someone is bound to blame it on global warming.

And while a ripe fir cone falling one one’s head from a great height is just a nuisance a much heavier solid green one can hurt – as well as leave a sticky resinous residue on hair or shirt.

I'm So Ronery.

2007-08-27T09:38:00.000-04:00

This being Ferda's last week of freedom before her FT french training starts on Sept. 4th - her parents convinced her she should fly out to London and visit with them for a week. I dropped her off at the airport yesterday. Such a strange feeling being alone in our house. I think it's the first time I've been there by myself.

I guess it's fair, since she got to experience the same thing when I went to DR with Warren. I suspect she's pretty exhausted from her flight - was a red eye - so makes senses I haven't heard from her.

So I bet you, the readers, are all curious about what I'll do while she's gone. So I won't disappoint, here's the list.

1 - Play as much video games as humanly possible while still getting the minimal requirements of sleep to get up for work the next day. Period. This takes priority above all the rest. ;)
2 - Prove to Ferda that I can survive without her feeding me. She has some crazy idea that I'll only eat cereal and plain bread while she's gone. So far I guess I'm not doing too well, since I had toast for breakfast today.
3 - Again, prove to Ferda that I can keep the house clean and tidy while she's gone. This will be easy.

I guess that's all. Have a good week everyone!

Gullwings

2007-08-22T11:05:00.000-04:00

Our Friday night ultimate team, Gullwings, won again! We had the playoffs on Sunday and we managed to win both the semi and the final. We all worked really hard, especially near the end when our muscles were sore beyond belief.

Big congrats to Warren, our captain, for leading us to victory! And thanks to Kevin for the great pics!

Time Waster - Aug. 21, 2007

2007-08-21T10:31:00.001-04:00