Category — Daily Musings

Most people who know me knew I wasn’t a big proponent of the Vancouver Olympics. The city of Vancouver has a laundry list of problems that the money spent on the games could have gone towards. Despite my opinion the games were going to go on, and I had the choice to make the most of them, or sit them out sulking. I decided since I would likely be paying for these games (along with the rest of Canada) for many years I would do my best to enjoy all they had to offer; and to be quiet honest, it was hard not to.

My Olympic experienced started off with the torch running through my neighborhood down 4th avenue. Chip Wilson of Lululemon fame was the torch bearer, and got to run it past his flagship store. I was blown away by how many people were on the streets. hundreds packed 4th avenue in both directions as far as the eye could see. The city was excited.

One of the things I was looking forward to during the Olympics was all the free concerts that were going on around town. I was able to catch a good number of great bands. The Arkells and Broken Social Scene at Ontario House, The Stanfields and Julie Doiron at Atlantic Canada House, Wilco at Livecity Yaletown, and Wintersleep at the Ozone in Richmond. The sheer musical talent that was in the city over the 2 weeks was outstanding, I just wish I was able to catch more of it.

I was also able to attend one event during the Olympics; a hockey game featuring Russia vs Latvia. It was a bit of a blowout by Russia what was expected. I got to go with Jason for free courtesy of our good friend Brian in Lethbridge.

In addition to the concerts and the events I tried to get out to many of the houses and pavilions after work. It was often tough to get into specific places as the lineups were just horrible. This is to be expected when over a million new people show up in your city.

Ultimately though the Olympics came down to experiencing the excitement of the games and the city with friends. The experience wouldn’t have been the same if it weren’t for my buddies.

It was also great to have visitors from out of town in the city. Joe and Kasie made the trip up from California, Sophie was in from London, Bryan from Lethbridge, and of course Mr Newfie Joe made it to town as well.

In the final few days of the Olympics I got more and more into watching the events, especially the hockey and the curling. Out of shear luck we were able to find a place to watch the semifinals game against Slovakia as we just happened to be watching the womens curling finals outside a fully booked bar that happened to have one table just come available.

Since finding a bar to watch the gold medal hockey game was near impossible, I invited friends over to my place for an impromptu brunch to watch the final game. It was an amazing finale to the Olympics, and a nail-biter of a game to watch. Eventually Canada pulled out the victory in overtime thus calming all of our nerves.

After the game we took to the street and marched down Granville Street to join the city wide party to cap off an amazing 2 weeks.

Despite my opposition to the games I did do my best to make the most of them. Now that the party is over, it will be interesting to see what happens with this city. Will it go the way of Barcelona and turn this city into an exciting, “fun” city? Or will we be the next Athens riddled in dept. Only time will tell. One thing is for certain, that 6 billion dollar price tag certainly won’t be going away anytime soon.

Over the holidays while at my parents place I started a project. I wanted to mount a camera in their yard, have it take pictures, and upload them to the Internet. Basically I wanted to start a webcam.

Before heading back to my parents place, I did some last minute shopping on craigslist and was able to get an old Canon A75 camera. In it’s day it was a decent camera, but now at only 3mp not many people would want it. So I was able to get it for a cheap $20.

Next up I was able to get a mini Compaq computer that would control the camera. My friend Oliver helped me out with getting it, and I thank him profusely for it. With these two items, a network cable, and a bit of programing I was able to setup Fauquier Cam.

So how does it work? I will get into the technical details in another post, but here is the brief overview. The camera is mounted outside on one of our sheds. It is connected via USB to the Compaq computer which sits inside the shed, as well to an ac adapter cord. The computer sits inside the shed running Ubuntu Linux, and controls the camera via the usb cable, and the wonderful Linux application GPhoto 2. So I have a script setup that runs every 2 minutes from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. The script tells the camera to take a picture, then downloads the picture to the Compaq computer. After the image is downloaded to the Compaq it proceeds to upload the image to my webserver.

Once I have the image on my webserver, I resize it to multiple sizes, insert it into a database, then upload each size to Amazon S3 for storage and hosting. OK I can see your eyes glazing over, so I will leave the rest of this for the technical overview.

So what am I getting at? Well basically that if you browse to www.fauquiercam.com you will be able to see an up to date photo from my parents backyard. Greenhouse? check. Garden? check. New cabin my brother is building? check. Scenic pasture and mountains in the background? check. Yup you get it all. I have even included an archives section so you can go back and view photos from past days. Like January 2nd, when my parents made a snowman and a sign for the camera.

This is all just a start. Up next is compiling time lapse videos of every day and adding them to the site. Then as content gets built up (like lets say a years worth) I will do some time lapses of the seasons changing. Lets hope the Canon A75 stays reliable!

Well I hope you all enjoy this little glimpse into my parents backyard and a view of the weather in the small Kootenay town of Fauquier.

You could consider this post either really late, or very timely depending if you are Canadian or American. Well I am Canadian so I suppose it is just terribly late.

Over the Thanksgiving holidays this year I did what I love to do when visiting my parents, bake! I knew I wanted to bake an apple pie with my Mom’s deep dish pie pan, but also wanted to do something else. After seeing her massive stack of ripe lemons I knew a lemon meringue pie would be in my future!

I hadn’t made a lemon meringue pie in years. I would guess the last time I had was in home economics class in high school. So it was a bit of an adventure. Over the weekend I ended up making two pies. My first attempt turned out decent, however I was a little disappointed with the meringue and the crust. My issue with the meringue was that I added it to the pie before the filling was completely cool, which caused a separation later on. As for the crust, I used the recipes measurements but made the crust by hand. The problem was the recipes measurements were meant for a food processor. On my second try I fixed up those issues and I think I nailed it pretty perfectly. I used the following recipe to make the pie:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/lemon-meringue-pie-recipe/index.html

Here is how it turned out:

After making a couple lemon meringue pies I was still not done, as what would be Thanksgiving without the classic apple pie. When I was in Wisconsin I had tried the paper bag apple pie, and found it to be extremely delicious, albeit a little too sweet for my liking. I really thought the pie as a whole was pretty great though. So I found a recipe online that seemed pretty close to what I had in Wisconsin and went from there.

I used the following recipe for the pie:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/apple-pie-baked-in-a-bag-recipe/index.html

I didn’t bake it in a paper bag however, and used brown sugar instead of white. Other than that stuck to the recipe, and carefully watched the pie as it baked as to not over bake it. One thing I hate is an over baked pie crust, as it just gets way too dry. It is a fine line though, because you need to bake your pie long enough so that the juices mix with the sugars and binding agents so that you get a nice thick sauce.

I was a little worried with the apple pie that I might have over did it with the nutmeg, but I think it turned out right. There was just enough to get that feeling of ‘home’. So another successful pie!

I really loved cooking with my mom’s deep dish pie pan, so when I got home I ended up buying myself one. I contemplated getting one of the Emile Henry super expensive ones, but settled for a knock off at a 1/4 of the price. Maybe someday down the road I will get myself an Emile Henry.

Well to all my American friends out there, have a very happy Thanksgiving!

No long story for Italy like for Croatia. However a little back story to fill you in. Jason and myself left Croatia on my birthday bright and early in the morning. We took a bus into Trieste, where we then caught a train to Venice. We spent my birthday in Venice feeling a little tired from our weekend in Croatia. The next day Jason departed for England to see Pearl Jam, while traveled on to Verona for a few days. We finally met up in Florence for a night there, before heading off to Siena for the Palio di Siena (which will get it’s own blog entry). Here are a few photos from that time in Italy. Due note I was working during this time of my trip, which somewhat limited my exploration ability!

Venice:

Verona:

Archway into Verona:

View from lunch:

Jason in Florence holding David:

During my stay in Montreal this past July I wanted to make a point of visiting some new poutine places in my ever ongoing search for the Best Poutine in Montreal, something I started the year prior. This years search almost didn’t happen due to me getting sick. I wouldn’t let my little gastrointestinal problems stop me, as the day before I flew off to Germany (and the first day I started feeling good) I went out on an excursion to find the best poutine in Montreal.

Now I must first preface this and say I had a warm-up poutine my first weekend in Quebec on route to a chalet in small town Quebec, and a second warm-up poutine at a fancy restaurant in Montreal. All the other poutines were ingested on the Sunday, with my tasting crew of Jason, Tatiana and Vanessa.

Alright enough jibber jabber, onto the results!

Casse-Croute Chez Mon’Oncle Emile

Located on the side of the road in the small town of Saint-Gabriel, this little take away restaurant provided me with my first poutine of the year. I had high expectations as my Brother and his Wife both told me the best poutine in Quebec was to be found in places little take aways like this.

On first inspection the poutine looked really good; very clean fresh cut fries, lots of cheese curds, and a good serving of gravy. But did it pass the test? Lets see what people thought:

End result? The poutine was average. Yes my Nephew and his friend scarfed theirs down in probably 30 seconds or less, but that is likely more attributed to their hunger than the taste of the poutine. So why so average despite the initial good impressions? It was just kind of bland. The gravy wasn’t overly tasty, the cheese curds were not that stringy, and the fries, were nothing special. Don’t get me wrong, the poutine was still good, just nothing amazing.

Au Pied de Cochon

Jason, Tatiana and myself went out for some fine dining in Montreal at the Au Pied de Cochon. It is a happening French restaurant in a cool part of town. We enjoyed a really wonderful meal here, and the fact they had poutine on their menu, made things that much better.

So the poutine they served is a Foie Gras Poutine. At $23 a plate, we decided it was best to share. This was ultimately a good idea as the poutine was quiet large. So what was in the poutine? Basically it was a standard poutine, with a large chunk of Foie Gras placed on top. The gravy used was in the poutine was not typical however. It was more a creamy gravy that was extremely rich in flavor, a bit of a change from your typical beef/vegi stock gravy. I do have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the gravy of this poutine. The cheese curds were of high quality, and overall this was one delicious poutine. My only grips about the poutine was that the taste of the Foie Gras became a little overwhelming, but that could simply be because I don’t normally eat Foie Gras.

Overall this poutine stands near the top of my list!

Rapido

This diner I had wanted to try out the year prior however didn’t get around to it. It is often listed as one of the top places to get poutine in Montreal. One of the big draws for Rapido is that it is open 24/7, so it often turns into the big drunken hangout after for people coming out of the bars looking for a poutine to fill their stomachs with.

Jason, Tatiana and myself tried the standard poutine at Rapidos, and it was another case of looking good, but tasting nothing special. The gravy had a bit of a peculiar taste too it, somewhat of a poultry flavor, and had the consistency of one too (think chicken or turkey gravy). The cheese was extremely melty/stringy, however Tatiana was very concerned that it was not even cheese curds, but rather mozzarella. The taste of the cheese strongly pointed towards this.

So overall this poutine was average. I would likely get a poutine at Frite Alore before hitting up Rapido, but in a pinch their poutine will do.

Fameux Restaurant

Famuex is located right across the street from Rapido, and apparently there is a lot of debate who has the better poutine. In a video podcast from CBC Radio 3, Murray Lightburn, lead singer of the Dears claimed Fameux had the best poutine in Montreal. He swore by their poutine gratinée. Basically gratinée means they put the poutine in the oven, so the cheese is very melted. We had high hopes, thinking the poutine gratinée would be a poutine lasagna of sorts.

We were joined by Vanessa at Famuex, and our high hopes for the gratinée ended in disappointment. We found the poutine gratinée to be a bit dry, had an odd tasting gravy (similar tasting to Rapido oddly enough), and not really making us feel like we were eating a poutine.

Perhaps if they had used more gravy in the poutine it would have tasted better, but from what we got, I can’t say I can recommend this poutine. So Murray Lightburn, while you can write one hell of a song, you sure could use a lesson in good poutines.

Maamm Bolduc

Yes what would a poutine tasting tour of Montreal be without a stop at last years favorite Maamm Bolduc. This was our final stop on the tour as Jason had to get back to work (as poutine chef at Montreal Poutine!). So we marched our way in the pouring rain to Maamm Bolduc. We arrived to find it extremely busy. It took us a little while to get a table, and likewise to actually get served. Finally the waitress realized she totally forgot about us and got to our order.

We order the same meat in wine sauce poutine as I had last time, as well as 1 small regular poutine for Vanessa as she is a vegetarian. Need I tell you what the overall consensus was from everyone?

Best poutine they had ever had, and best in Montreal. I fully agree. The beef wine sauce is of course the favorite. It’s gravy is rich, but not over the top. The meat is tender, and adds to the overall flavor of the poutine. The fries are perfectly cook, clean (a sign that they change their oil), and fresh cut. The cheese curds were of good high quality, and very stringy. What more could you ask for?

Conclusion

Maamm Bolduc is my top choice once again. A few places I really had high hopes for this year, turned out to be average or disappointments. Au Pied de Cochon did provide for a solid challenger for best poutine, however at $23 a plate, and the clashing taste from the Foie Gras, I had to stick with Maamm Bolduc. That is the beauty of the beef wine sauce poutine from Maamm Bolduc. The beef and wine gravy don’t clash with the flavor you expect from a poutine, but rather enhance it. Maybe someday I will find a better poutine, but for now, my Montreal favorite still remains Maamm Bolduc.

So I figured after my last post I needed something a little more positive! So I thought I would outline my travel plans for Europe. Especially since just a few days ago I was considering calling the whole trip off.

So I am now leaving for Europe tomorrow night. I will be arriving into Frankfurt airport in the morning where I will take a train to Berlin to begin my 3 weeks in Europe. The following is an outline of where I will be:

July 28 – 31: Berlin, Germany
July 31 – August 2: Oldenburg, Germany for my cousins wedding
August 2 – 4: Berlin, Germany
August 4 – 6: Dubrovnik, Croatia
August 6 – 8: Driving north up the coast of Croatia in a rental car. Ending in Rijeka where I will visit my friend Sid.
August 8-9: Visiting with Sid in and around her hometown of Kastav.
August 9-14: Venice, Verona, and Florence Italy.
August 15-16: Sienna Italy for Horse race: Palio di Siena
August 17: Depart back to Vancouver

That about sums up my trip. Lots of places I have never been. A few familiar favorites, and not too overloaded. I am really looking forward to getting my appetite back and being able to indulge in many of the fine cuisines of Europe.

Sitting in the back of a car, somewhere between Ottawa and Montreal I feel a chill go through my body and I begin to shiver. The humidity outside is raging, and everyone else in the car is desperate to cool down, yet I reach for my hoody and curl up against the window as my teeth begin to chatter. My brother looks over at me in shock, and asks if everything is alright. I can only muster a whimper of a yes back.

Things however weren’t so alright. We arrive in Montreal. I quickly make my way upstairs to my Brother’s apartment. I try to goto the bathroom. Nothing. My brother brings me a warmer blanket, which I curl up in on my bed and slowly drift off to sleep in.

Panic

I wake from my sleep. I am a covered in sweat. My head is on fire and I am feeling this horrible surge from my body. Few seconds to process, what is it? What is it? Right I know this urge, I have felt it before. I need to through up. Sweat beads are forming on my forehead, I am starting to lose my ability to think. Something inside of me needs to come out. Based on previous experiences I know I have about 20-30 seconds max before I will be keeled over and letting loose. Not enough time to get to the bathroom. Not even close. I quickly scan my bedroom for a vessel. Looking. Anything. My backpack. I quickly dump the contents. Open up the pockets, grab out my passport, money, travel itinerary… The wave is on me, I need to expel what is inside me. I stick my head in my backpack and begin to throw up.

When I am finished the bag is nearly brimming. I have enough strength and wits to tiptoe past a sleeping nephew to the bathroom and dump the bag into the toilet, and throw it into the bathtub. As I do a second waves comes over me. Head in the toilet I let loose again.

As I finish up my second round, my stomach is feeling no less better than when I started. However now I begin to feel a new sensation. My abdomen feels like it is being stabbed by a million knives, and I realize my purge of my system has only just started. I manage to sit myself down on the toilet. Within seconds I am rocked with the most dreadful diarrhea I have had in years. My system is in complete discharge mode.

I finish up in the bathroom. I am weak, and tired. My last 2 days of food now shooting somewhere through the Montreal sewer systems. Channeling my strength I find enough energy and wits in me to rinse out my backpack and hang it on my brothers balcony before I stumble my way back to my bed where I crash.

The rest of the night is a mad feverish dream of little sleep, and many tiptoes to the bathroom, as the diarrhea takes hold of me.

Morning Arrives

I wake. My body is purged and empty of any substance. I wander into the kitchen to be greeted by my brother and wife. When queried how my night was I fill them in on the details. They are shocked that they never woke up once. We start to question what could have caused my sudden sickness. The first thing that pops into all our minds is the food. Ottawa was an extravagant time for my stomach. Two nights in a row I dined on home made Indian cuisine. The second day also featured a Ugandan beef stew and hamburgers. Lots of places to point fingers.

Having a very similar reaction the last time I had food poisoning, I resolved myself into thinking the worst was now over, and it was time to recover.

Tuesday Morning, Still No Change

I wake Tuesday morning. The night was again troubled with another raging fever and constant trips to the bathroom. No longer riddled with nausea, I still find myself with a horrible case of diarrhea. With only 4 days left until my trip to Europe I resolve myself that I need to see a doctor.

I arrive at a walk in clinic a few minutes past noon on Mont Royal. I pay my $50 “I-am-not-Quebecois” fee and begin to wait. I scan the waiting room. Despite the clinic having just opened at noon there are probably a good 7 or 8 people ahead of me. I look around for a tap or a fountain, as I am beginning to get thirsty. There is a water cooler. I get out a cup, turn on the tap. Nothing. The cooler is empty or not working. Damn. I sit back down. My body at this moment is in a state of stasis. An hour roles by, my time has still not come. My mouth has become a desert, and I am in desperate need of water. Dehydration is setting in I can feel it. My head begins to sweat, and that oh too familiar feeling of cold chills begin to set back in. I look nervously around the clinic. Still 3-4 people in front of me. I begin to shake. I try to control it, and keep it to a minimum. A little girl beside me looks at me for a second, then goes back to playing with her mother. I need to see the doctor.

I wait, and wait, and wait. Finally around quarter to one my name is called. I stumble into the doctors office. “Fermer la porte s’il vous plaît” the doctor says to me. I close the door. This was as much French as I was going to be able to handle in my state. I quickly return, “Pardon-moi je ne parle pas les Français”. He looks at me sideways with a bit of a smirk forming on his lips. He replies, “À Montréal, il faut parler français”. Yes I realize in Montreal I should speak French. Thanks. I don’t. I reply again that I do not speak French, and ask nicely if he can speak English? He replies again that in Montreal one must speak French.

At this point I was about to stand up and walk out. I came to a doctor to get help when I am sick, not to be ridiculed for not speaking French. I give it one last try. I tell the doctor in English I am from Vancouver, I am sick, and I need help.

Finally he breaks. He begins the diagnosis. My dehydration is getting worse. At first he doesn’t seem to concerned. Thinking it is likely to be food poisoning as I suspected. Then he does an examination. Checks my temperature. 39.4 degrees Celsius. That is bad. Now the doctor is worried. I can see it in his face. We sit back down at his desk. He looks over his notes. He tells me most food poisoning should have passed, and I shouldn’t have a fever. He thinks I am severely dehydrated, yet he can’t tell me what I might have. Either a bacterial infection or a virus. He thinks I should goto the emergency room at the hospital. He asks what I think? I say this is fine. He writes out a referral and sends me on my way.

The Waiting

I make my way to the emergency section of the hospital. There is a large waiting room that is brimming with people. So much so people are standing in the hallways. This doesn’t look promising. I talk to a receptionist who tells me to sit in a purple chair and wait for a nurse. In the meantime Youki (who at this point has escorted me around from the clinic to the hospital) finds me a bottle of water. It is cold. I start drinking the water, and find the more I drink, the calmer I begin to get. My chills start to get better, and the head begins to cool.

Twenty minutes later, a nurse comes. She takes me into a small room, does some preliminary tests and checks me in. She takes my temperature again. 36.9. She sees the cold bottle of water in my hand and notes that it is likely the cause of my lower reading. I am brought back to the waiting room and am told to wait until I am called. Youki checks with the receptionist and asks how long a wait time it likely will be. 3-4 hours. The receptionists advices us to simply go home and come back in 3 hours or so. So we do.

Back again at around 5pm. The waiting room is filled with the same people I saw 3 hours ago. Their faces are blank and bleak. Having to wait in that room is enough to drive a person mad. We make our way to the nurses booth to let them know I am back, and to check where in line I am. There is a good 11 people in front of me. 1 doctor on duty. 20-30 minutes per person. 3-4 hour wait. This is getting typical. We leave again, this time with the nurses phone number so we can check on my status.

Around 9:30pm we call back and find out there is only 1 person in front of me. Good news. This time Richard is my escort and we make our way down to the hospital. I speak to the nurse to let her know I am there. She says I will be up next. I wait, and wait, and wait. There is a really drunk Hispanic guy now in the waiting room with blood on his forehead silently mumbling to himself. The 10 or 12 people in waiting room quietly watch as the security guard tries to tell him to sit in a purple chair instead of a red chair. He mumbles something incoherent, before resting his head against the wall and falling asleep. On the far side of the room is a heavy set man with a walker. He has a massive growth on the top of his head, which doesn’t seem to phase him. I silently munches on a sandwich from a vending machine. He eats the sandwich as if it is the best food he has ever eaten. A few minutes after finishing his sandwich, he gets up and buys himself a second one.

A little after 11pm I get the call. Stefan Klopp to Salle 7. Another room to wait in. The doctor shows up sometime after 11:30pm. She is a young doctor who had clearly had a long tough day. The bags under her eyes, and the obvious head cold she was battling hide what was clearly a very beautiful French lady.

So asked why I was at the emergency. Then proceeded to diagnose my problems. Like the previous doctor she was unsure if what I had was bacteria or viral. So she wanted me to take some tests. First a blood test, then an xray of my abdomen. First up was taking blood. It is amazing how quickly blood leaves your body when a needle is connected to your vein. I fill two vials of blood, and am then told by the nurse to go to the xray department. I arrive. Put my form in the holder. Knock on the door. Wait. I get called into a dressing room, where the radiologist tells me in French what to do. I tell him I don’t speak French. He says to me, “This is Montreal, we speak French here. I suggest you learn.”. He then goes over what I need to do.

I have my abdomen xrayed. “Don’t breath… … Breath.”. “Don’t breath… … Breath”. OK Mr Klopp you are done.

I make my way back to the nurses reception. She tells me that I need to wait for my blood test results to come back before the doctor will be able to discuss further. Back to the waiting room I go. It is a little past midnight now. My brother looks tired. There is only so long a person can wait in a emergency waiting room and be able to keep their spirits up. He was trooping it out for me.

It is now past 1am and I haven’t been called back. I go back in and find the doctor. She tells me she hasn’t gotten back the results yet, and is wondering why. I think I am her last patient. She calls the lab. Looks like they forgot to send my results back to them. They post them up on my file. The doctor looks over my blood work and xrays then takes me back to the examining room.

My blood work looks find. Xrays look normal for someone with diarrhea. To know what I have they need to take a stool sample. However stool samples take 5 days minimum to process. She leaves the room. Comes back. Then leaves again. She says if I can get a stool sample to her now, or in the morning she might be able to have it processed before I leave. Great. I go to the bathroom, and fill the vials for the doctor. That is one problem I don’t have.

She says she can’t guarantee the results will be back, however wants me to book an appointment with a followup doctor for Friday. She gives me a number to call, and tells me to insist on an appointment. She then disappears with no further advice. We go home, and are in bed sometime after 2am.

Friday Checkup

Wednesday morning I call the number I am suppose to call. Apparently they are suppose to open at 8:30am. I get an pre-recorded message in French. I hand the phone to Youki. The office is closed today. Great.

Thursday up early again. Call at 8:30am. New message. “Our offices are open from 8:30am to 12pm, please call back again” it said in French. Humm. I proceed to call back every 5 minutes or so. Same message. Sometime after 10am the message changes. I pass the phone to my nephew. He says it has something to do with cards or something. I call again. Same message. This time I hang on the phone a minute… I am put on hold. Bingo. I talk to the receptionist, she books me in for Friday morning at 8:45am. I am set.

I get to the hospital I wonder how long I will have to wait despite my appointment. To my surprise I am immediately placed in an examination room. The doctor shows up 5 minutes later. “Why are you here?”, he asks. He say I was told to book the appointment because I am suppose to fly on Saturday to Europe. I inquire on my stool samples. He laughs. Those take at least a week he says. Damn. What do I do?

He looks over my file, then looks puzzled at me and asks, “Why haven’t you medicated yourself yet?”

How could I? Medication requires prescriptions, prescriptions come from doctors. The doctors have simply passed me around.

“You leave for Europe in a day and you haven’t medicated yourself”, he says again as he shakes his head. He looks over my file again. Viruses usually last 1-2 days tops. Since you no longer have a fever, and this is your 6th day of diarrhea, this looks bacterial he concludes. He writes me a prescription for an anti-biotic called Cipro, and sends me on my way.

Resolution

I get home with my new drugs. I pop my first pill. Within 30 minutes of taking it I am already feeling better. The pain in my abdomen is now gone, I have a new sense of appetite, and a smallest sense of hope enters into me. Despite my new found medication I decide to change my flight to Monday. I have to rebook my train trip from Frankfurt to Berlin, and update my booking at the hostel. The costs involved will be worth having a few extra days to recover before having to fly.

So this is where I stand now. It is Sunday morning. I just took my second to last pill. I am feeling a great deal better. The last week has been an adventure and a severe test of patience. Now I am just looking forward to regain my strength, so that I can fully enjoy my time in Europe.

Friend and co-worker Tom wrote a hilarious piece comparing operating systems to women. He came up with the notion yesterday at our company barbeque. Pretty funny read:

Windows 7 Codename: Lipstick Mascaraed Whore

So myself along with friends Jordan and Oliver have started something that is starting to pickup some traction. We have been organizing sessions of Capture the Flag in the city which we dubbed Urban Capture the Flag. We had an initial “beta” match which worked out really well, then our official launch last week. Both were a lot of fun, and everyone involved seemed to really love it. Anyway this is just my quick little “introducing” email to what we have been up to. Just put a blog today for it, so go check it out at http://www.urbanctf.org/. if you are interested in playing be sure to let us know. We are always looking for more players.

“They have built a business around selling plastic discs, and nobody wants plastic discs any more.”
- Trent Reznor

So last weekend I decided I had enough with my cd collection sitting around collecting dust. So I decided to remove my cds and inserts from their jewel cases, and store the cds in a binder, and all the inserts and digipaks in a box. All the cds that I didn’t have as digital media on my computer yet, I ripped to mp3.

After separating all the cds from their jewel cases I then put back together all the empty jewel cases and made a tower.

Finally all the inserts and digipaks in an old shoebox.

Definitely much better, and no longer do I have to deal with the pain of dusting every cd I own.

Paul Krugman on the recent AIG debacle:

This was bad analysis, bad policy, and terrible politics. This administration, elected on the promise of change, has already managed, in an astonishingly short time, to create the impression that it’s owned by the wheeler-dealers. And that leaves it with no ability to counter crude populism.

Read the full post on his blog: http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/aig/

Roughly one year ago I took the plunge and bought myself a DSLR. I had always enjoyed taking photos, but never really taken it too seriously. After being pushed by my friend Lee, and positively reinforced by Laura, I ordered my Canon Rebel Xti. When I first started I had no idea what aperture was, when the best times of day were to shoot, and generally how to operate an SLR camera. So I got a bunch of books on the subject, and started to experiment.

My first couple weeks with the camera I shot all the time. Like non stop. I would go out on my lunch breaks, before and after work and shoot. It was a learning experience to say the least, but I was loving it. The more I read, and the more I shot, the better I got a feel for how the camera worked. At that time I also started to get into Flickr a lot more. I found Flickr to be extremely helpful as I was able to find photos that I liked, and try to examine how they were created, and what made them great.

So I continued to shoot and experiment. Learning as I went. Initially I didn’t quite fully comprehend a lot of what the books talked about, but as time went on it really began to sink it. Like how important the light plays in photography, or what makes a good composition. While photography is not a science, there is science and psychology behind a lot of the principals, and it is important to understand them, to be able to take a good shot.

I think when things started to sink in, and I really started to get it was when I visited Laura in London. It was a wonderful trip, one in which I was able to take a few photos (probably not as many as I should have) that I could start to apply the techniques I was learning. My first ever photo “Explored” on Flickr was of Laura’s shoes. At the time I didn’t even know what explore was.

As the summer progressed I experimented more, and continued to grow. I started to play with filters, shoot macro shots, and play around more with HDR images.

Come fall I think I started to put all the things I had learned together. A trip to visit my friends Joe and Kasie in Ventura, California really topped things off. During my week there I was able to get out and shoot daily, and feel extremely positively about the images I shot during my week.

Now I am by no means close to being a good photographer, but I think I now have the basics down. There is still a lot to learn and improve on, and so much more to explore. This is by far the most exciting hobby I have found, and am forever grateful to both Lee and Laura for pushing me in the right direction.

So last but not least a few tips for anyone else starting off in photography.

Know Your Light – Learn when the light is harsh and when it is soft. See the effects each has on shadows, and contrast. Go and shoot during the golden hours (before and after sunrise and sunset) and then go shoot the same things during midday and see how each type of light affects your image. Understanding lighting is probably the most important thing you need to learn.

Focus on your Composition – If learning the affects of light is the most important thing, then learning about composition is probably the second most important thing. Learn the rule of thirds. Then break it. Then go back to it. While it is not a hard set rule it does hold weight. Play around with placing objects in different locations in a shot, and see which ones you like best.

Simplicity is King – It is really easy to want to put lots of ‘things’ into a photo. Generally these types of shots just look cluttered. Try and simplify things, and see the result. Focus on what you want to say in your photo.

Explore – Go out and explore. Take lots of shots. Like seriously, take loads of shots. With digital now you can! You don’t have to share them all (most people say to only share your best shots anyway), but the more you shoot, the more you will learn. Find shots you really like on Flickr (or any other photo site) and try to decompose how they made the shot. Read blogs, books etc, and most of all have fun.

Looking forward there is still so much for me to learn. Some key areas I really want to focus on in 2009 are:

Taking more photos of people: Most of what I have shot so far is typically landscapes. I really would like to get a lot better at taking photos of people (either staged or candid).

Learn to Off Camera Light: I have just gotten into off camera lighting, and would really like to explore it more. In 2009 I plan to fully scour the strobist blog and learn the ropes of off camera lighting.

Utilize my Filters Better: I am still learning the ropes of the effects filters play on an image. I want to become more confident using them, and be able to choose the right filter for the right occasion.

Feel More Confident Behind the Lens: While I have come a long way since I started, I still have a ways to go. I think with continuing to learn, and continuing to shoot though this should fall in place.

2008 was another really good year for me. I was able to do a lot of traveling, see some good shows, spend time with family and friends, and find a new passion in photography.

At the start of the year I decided I wanted to get into photography. So as a Christmas gift to myself I purchased an entry level DSLR, and made a commitment that I would learn how to use it. Over the past year I have thoroughly enjoyed learning and shooting as much as I can. I will be posting a 1 year of photography post later so I will leave this at that.

As far as shows go this year I didn’t go to as many as the previous couple years, but the shows I did see were pretty special. Some of the bands and festivals I attended this year:

Justice, Eddie Vedder (x4), Black Mountain, Metric, 3 inches of Blood, Bison, Shawn Smith, Wintersleep, Bonnaroo, Wolf Parade, Pemberton Music Festival, Stanley Park Singing Festival, Finntroll, Mission of Burma, Sigur Ros, Gogol Bordello, Neil Young, and the Cave Singers.

My only regret was that I skipped the Mars Volta concert. I had tickets, but arrived back from England a few hours before the show, and didn’t have the energy to make it out to the PNE.

Speaking of travel, in 2008 I really began to take advantage of my ability to work anywhere with my Job. My first major trip of the year was a 5 day stay in California with Joe and Kasie for the Vedder tour. I found I was quite able to work productively with a noisy distracting environment. At one point I was even worked in the back of Joe’s Prius!

The Vedder tour also was the catalyst for my next trip. For the 2 Vancouver shows I had invited a Flickr friend, and fellow Pearl Jam fan from London to come spend a week in Vancouver with me and come to the shows. She accepted, and during her 1 week stay we really hit it off. A month after she left I flew out to London to visit her for two and a half weeks.

I had a fantastic time in London, and was even able to spend a weekend in Paris visiting my cousin. Surprising Jason on my arrival was also a nice bonus. However he really didn’t seem to shocked to see me there.

In June I flew to Nashville and embarked on a mini adventure with Jason and Lester through the south. We drove south from Nashville to New Orleans, then up through Mississippi to Memphis, and finally back to Nashville. We ate food at a Bar with a Kitchen, saw some fantastic live jazz, saw the home of the King, and had our vehicle fully searched by the police. All in all a great adventure. When we arrived in Nashville we met up with Kasie and Joe, and made our way to the Bonnaroo music festival.

Bonnaroo was a real blast (and did I mention extremely hot?), even if on the first day I didn’t quiet feel into it. However after seeing a couple of really great sets I got right into it. There were some really great acts at Bonnaroo, and it was a real pleasure sharing the experience with some of my best friends!

After Bonnaroo I flew east to Montreal where I spent a week visiting with my brother and nephew. I was able to celebrate my nephews birthday, take part in the Saint Jean Baptiste celebrations, as well as do a search for the best poutine in Montreal. On my way home from Montreal I made a brief stay at my parents place to deliver my nephew to them for his summer stay.

July began with another visit from Laura. We had a pretty chilled out time together touring around some of the summer hot spots in and around Vancouver. Despite nursing a horrible toothache, Laura was a really good sport all week. The day after Laura left, my parents came for a short visit. They stayed a few days before bringing my nephew to the airport and send him on his way back to Montreal. The day after they left I headed out to Pemberton with Lester and Bernie to take part in the inaugural Pemberton Music Festival. Despite a few hiccups the festival was a glowing success.

August was a relaxed month. I spent a bunch of time in Fauquier, and got to attend the wedding of high school sweethearts Dustin and Sarah. At the end of the month I went with Lester and Bernie to the first ever Stanley Park Singing Exhibition put on by the New Pornographers.

September I invited Kyle to Vancouver to attend his first “real” concert with a band he really liked. It was great having Kyle around, and to take part in his first ever concert. We also managed to organize a session of hockey for him, and were able to get Jen and Steve out.

October I caught a bunch of really good shows (Gogol Bordello, Sigur Ros, and Neil Young). Near the end of the month I had my wisdom teeth removed. While in November after the depression of the Canadian election, and the exciting of the US election, I took a trip to Ventura, California to visit Kasie and Joe. It was a really relaxed visit. We played lots of settles, surfed, protested, ate some really excellent food, and I took some of my favorite photos of the year. Like all visits this one was too short.

At the end of November I organized a surprise stag for my best friend Joern. Bernie, Lorne and myself kidnapped him after work and flew him to Calgary to attend a Flames game, play paintball, and visit with some of his close friends. I would like to say I was the star of the weekend for doing something really cool, unfortunately this weekend will go down in everyone’s memory as the weekend Stefan jumped (or was it fell) down 5 rows at the Saddledome.

Finally December marked the end of the year. It was a true December, with snow, sledding, family and fun. It was also one of the best Christmases I can remember.

So tonight I will cap off another great year, and look forward to the new year ahead, and a month (or more) in Hawaii.

Happy New Years everyone!

At least if you are a Pearl Jam fan!

Checkout the latest Radio 3 podcast:

http://www.cbc.ca/radio3/podcasts/radio3/CBCR3_2008-10-24.mp3

If you don’t feel like listening to the whole thing skip ahead to about 12 minutes in!

My parents told me to checkout a group of Canadian Geese who were hanging around the golf course. It appears a white goose made some friends with some Canadian Geese and is now living with them. It was really cute seeing them together. I wonder if the white goose knew he was different?

Here are a couple photos of them:

I also made one that works pretty well as a desktop background: