Thursday, December 29, 2005
Hello all.
As you can tell from the evident lack of posts, its been a hectic few weeks leading up to xmas. It seems this is the only chance I've had to come up for air.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Further evidence that the boy has the "architect" gene.
I was pretty astonished by this one.
Em's painting style tends towards the abstract. He likes to paint shapes or lines in odd but meaingful relationships. His teacher feels that his painting style is an indication of his youthfulness and perhaps lack of maturity. Other kids his age are painting very recognizable things. As a little test, I asked Em to draw a variety of things which he did without any problem. His preference leans towards the non-representational, prefering to consider things like "fog in the forest" and "the solar system". I'm resolutly behind his approach and assume he's brilliant.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
A shot of Maddy when she's not running away.
As you can see, the hair is in a state of transition.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Maddy has taken to wearing Em's winter boots around the house. She obviously thinks this is very funny; sometimes she can't even put them on for all the giggling. This kind of shot is about all you can get of her once they're on.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
The boy was pretty excited about this ginger bread house. He had to leave whatever he was doing every 15 minutes or so "to go look at the house".
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Looks like we got outbid for the house down the street. The agent told us that the bidding was in the "3" range, while we were humming and hahing over the high "2" range. So be it...they'll be another one. It was fun while it lasted.
Sketch of something I'm working on...
I've been using "Google Analytics" to check up on my web site, and it turns out that the most popular search term sending people to this site is "Replace belt Asko Dryer". I hope these swedish dryer owners are enjoying my little story. Word of advice...do it yourself, its not hard and the service people are likely to be boobs if you do call them.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
I was sitting at the dining room table early this morning, working on a sketch for a client before my other gig (because thats my life these days); and Em comes over to me and says "Hey Dad, I drawed a house the other day" he said with his overly loud morning voice, "I am an architect too". I was torn between pride and dread. I mentioned to him that we've already met the architect quota for the house (2), any others may severely unbalance the home ego suppression system. He just looked at me speechless and scrunched his nose.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
So...we put in an offer on this place.
Yeah...it pretty much looks like a crack house. But we bought it for the property. We didn't even bother to have a look inside. It's been a frenzied week of discussions with the bank, frantic drawing to make sure we can develop the land, calls to the city to understand severance issues....crazy busy. Didn't help that our house was a biohazard zone over the weekend.
So now its all waiting. They aren't opening the offers till Friday.
Monday, November 07, 2005
In an effort to diminish Lainer's "sissy" conversation with Em, I'd like to recount the incar conversation yesterday as we passed an Ottawa U construction site; "Look at the cranes, Em!". "Mom" he says "that's not really a crane, its an auger...it has a long drill for making very deep holes in the ground". Attaboy!
Friday, November 04, 2005
Belated holloween shot of maddy...obviously this is post trick or treat.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Progress to date. The panels are all made, I have since removed them to do the finishing on them...this image is touched up to show how they would look with the dark finish. 
Monday, October 31, 2005
A frog in the pumpkin patch.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Time it takes to get to my gig in Kanata by bike 1 hr. 10 minutes (averaged).
Time it takes to drive to same said gig 1 hr.
I'd rather ride my bike.
Friday, October 21, 2005
ahem...that should be "fjord".
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
The tale of the Asko Dryer.
There was once a very fine dryer by the name of Asko. He came from the land far away known as Sweden, reknown for their meatballs and disposable furniture.
ASKO worked fine for many months until it met with "the" bathmat...ironically of same Swedish origin. For some reason "the" bathmat and Asko decided to have a deathmatch while we were away. I think it was a draw..."the" mat was firmly wedged into an unused light socket bracket located above the door. ASKO, not willing to concede defeat, kept turning its drum until the belt finally gave way in a fit of rubber and tangling around the drive shaft. Once the Sweds were seperated, ASKO seemed to be a little worse for wear...bathmat on the other hand was warm and ready for duty on the floor upstairs. ASKO needed a new belt...not any old North American belt mind you, but a fine Swedish belt, certainly made somewhere in the fyords (how often do you get to use fyords in a blog?!) of its native land. Said belt was duly ordered and arrived several days later, hermetically sealed and smelling of Cod. You can appreciate that a drum, like those found in dryers, need to be suspended on two points in order to turn freely. My task was to install the belt on the drum; meaning of those suspension points need to be dismantled in order for me to wrap said belt around said drum. My options were clear...start from the front or from the back. Given the wealth of exposed screws on the back, that was going to be my strategy. Several hours later, with the use of three different sizes of "Torwks" screwdrivers, I was able to replace the belt and reassemble Asko. Preliminary tests indicated that power was available but the fine digital control was not getting any of said power. Several days later, after ruminating on the probable cause...I trace the problem to a disconnect wire...after of course, several hours with the differing sizes of "Torks" screwdrivers. This time tests revealed power and digital display...but alas no heat. A call was made to better people than I, those with many years of care and support for dryers of ASKO's origin. Said caretaker showed up several days later and was clearly not familiar with ASKO's tribe. After some poking and prodding, I suggested removing the top to view the guts of ASKO...I promptly showed the caretaker the various screws and directed him accordingly and I went to watch TV. Once the caretaker had the lid removed, I had a peak inside and spied another loose wire..."Thats the problem" I announced. The caretaker, older and wiser than I, but obviously not one who has lived with a tempermental Swed; insisted on poking around some more. "I'll check the fuses"; he said with some kind of insight, removed #1 and broke #2. More dismantling siad fuse was liberated. Caretaker bypassed the fuse and reassembled ASKO while I watched TV. ASKO was plugged in, and there was heat!
To this day we will never know if it was the loose wire or the fuse, but the tale will be told to many generations both here and in the fyords (again with the fyords!) of Sweden.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
So my bank calls me today.
Its somebody from their special investigations branch...she goes on this long spiel about how they're working hard to safekeep their customer's information, yadda, yadda. Anyway, she finally gets to the meat of the call and informs me that a check I deposited back in early September was stolen in an armed robbery. Now...the amount of the check was significant and was certified to boot. Because of some urgent real estate transactions, that money was deposited by me and promptly withdrawn (via certified check). So...the upshot is that the money is gone and spent and I couldn't give a rats ass about their problems. So she's asking me to help them out by recalling all sorts of innane details that I forgot about 30 nanoseconds after they occured...I just don't care that much about the minutia of checks. She was getting very frustrated by my lack of assistance and accused me of witholding information...hmmm hello Ms. Billion dollars-in-profit corporation...I just don't care that much. Anyways...you know this isn't over.
On other things...Em had a great time at the butterfly exhibit this weekend.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
You can see our car from space.
This is from the uber deck google earth.
Maybe that's why the colour is called "solar yellow".
Monday, October 03, 2005
Emmett's new ride. Except his will have an all chrome frame.
Don't mention it to him...this is an Xmas present. I need some time to make the modifications...he wants "fire" on it and some "wings". And of course, training wheels.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
The "man-hut" of which Lainey speaks.
The picture was taken at 6am, in the rain, in the dark...because that's my life. It's not too far off of this.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
A cute shot of Maddy.
On this "Car-free" thursday...I took the car to work. Like Lainer said...we don't have anything to prove. Riding the bikes to work is the best thing we've done in ages, I don't know why we didn't do it before. Granted, my 60km round trip commute is not for the faint of heart, it certainly is a mind cleansing and caloring burning experience. My one observation is; Robertsone Road in Bell's Corners has to be the most dangerous, ill conceived strip of pavement in Ottawa. I despise every moment I have to go thru it. I always thought that downtown traffic was the most concerning, but at least you can maintain some momentum and ride offensively with the usually slower traffic. No such luck with the brain damaged drivers in BC. Every day I have to deal with morons on cell phones, applying makeup...and one day a guy steering with his knee so that he could eat his cereal from a bowl! And he was pissed at me for startling him.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
First day of school at the bustop.
Monday, September 19, 2005
I have no clue what goes on in this room, but it was worth a few giggles that night.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
First day of school for Em!
It was strange seeing him off at the school bus this morning. When he saw the bus pull up (with the flat front...exactly what he was hoping for), you wouldn't believe the grin on his face. He hopped on board and sat down like he'd been doing this for years. It boggles my mind the long road he has to travel now thru the education system. He's at the very beginning of what I'm sure will be a wonderful experience.
Of course we followed the bus to the school...less in fear that something would happen along the way, but more to try and share the excitement and milestone that is the event. He got off the bus with the rest of the kids (man he looks small compared to the rest of them) and was ushered off to the JK playground. Thats it...the boy is in school now.
This was my first visit to the school...a typical 70's elementary institution. But you can't beat the setting...Rockliffe Park is very pimpy. We passed Steven Harper walking his little girl to school on the way out.
Friday, September 09, 2005
seems the dude deleted the album...sorry
This photo essay answers a lot of questions for me. Totally worth the time.
"Why didn't they just leave"? Now I realize that the sense of normality following the storm and the lack of real information just made it seem that things weren't so bad.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
While checking out my brother's prospective condo, I came upon the realization that Ottawa is forming its own condo ghettos. This is by no means a scientific term...its something I came up with yesterday at the barbecue. I was trying to define the type of neighborhood that is made up of highrise residential condominiums. I've witnessed this at the western end of Laurier...a weird urban space comprised of tall, apartment like buildings. These spaces are often well kept, clean, well lit and largely devoid of any type of human presence. The premise being that these places often have underground parking and the occupants more often than not, move from their cars to their units without really interacting with the immediate surroundings. Rental apartment buildings will often have a little more life, due largely to the limited means of the inhabitants; this often forces them to the balcony's or the street in search of a little distraction. If you have cable and other amenities, why go outside? I use the term ghetto, because they seem to be impoverished; not economically, but spiritually. Riding my bike thru this part of town left me feeling like I was in a creepy Dichirico painting.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
We spent some coin on some family pictures in Tdot. On a lark I wanted a "professional" shot to use on my work website and for marketing stuff. What I didn't want was a typical headshot that you see on real estate signs. I like the way this turned out. I think I look older than I think I normally do...but so be it.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Some thoughts on my racing school day...a bit long.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
I'm not sure what made me remember this thought...I remember while we were on the cruise and having dinner. It was formal night, meaning most folks were wearing their "good" clothes. For some guests...that means a clean t-shirt. Nevertheless, I remember being struck by the sight of a young guy in his army uniform. He was posing with his folks and I suspect his girlfriend on the dramatic stairway in the dinning room. What startled me was his apparent youth...he couldn't have been a day over 20. Being in Canada isolates you from some of the realities of foreign wars...this was a harsh and stinging dose of reality. This guy pretty much has his whole life in front of him but for reasons within his control and others outside, he's walking a razor's edge. I suppose I'll always wonder how is life turns out, hopefully its undramatic and dull and he has the chance to be an insolent and annoying young adult.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
An imaginary view of my imaginary "man room".
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Since I've had kids, I've always admired their ability to have a profoundly deep nap. It doesn't matter to the location, the noise or whatever important things the parents have to accomplish...the kids will nod off and remain in a coma like state for as long as its neccesary to recharge their little nuclear reactors.
CBC radio is a bit like my daily crack...the radio in the car is permanently set to it..Lexus shouldn't have bothered with other stations on the radio. I listen to it all day at work and try to sneak in episodes during the weekend. That all being said...this strike/lookout is a mixed blessing. I'm certainly missing the ambiant tones of the Corporation in the background...but I've been more motivated to listen to other things. The BBC online isn't too bad, and I've discovered the joy of podcasting. I've downloaded more music in the last week than I have all year. So my horizons are being expanded...but I sure do miss CBC in the afternoons.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Below is an arty shot of the floor of the cabin we had on the cruise ship. I suspect I was a little drunk and really liked the way the sun was coming thru the window. I only now realized that the pattern on the floor are fish.
With respect to my Free Mark Emery post...the issue isn't about the legalization of marijuana...but more importantly the precedent that is being set by the U.S. requesting extradition of a Canadian citizen for eledged crimes perpetrated outside of the U.S. I didn't mention my position on "ghanja"...because it's irrelevant and I figured no one would believe me.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
You can't tell in the pictures...but I have the biggest grin on my face. I was saying under my breath...THIS IS THE COOLEST THING EVER!!!
Friday, August 12, 2005
So.... in a fit of creative hipsterness, I decide to design a t-shirt. Back when Winona Ryder got nailed for shoplifting, their soon appeared "Free Winona" t-shirts on hipster hangouts on the interwebs. I remember jelously thinking that I wish I had thought of that. Now that the BC Marijuana Party's leader, Marc Emery just got arrested for his various shinanigans, I thought I'd be way hip and make my own "Free Marc Emery" t-shirt. It would be just obscure enough and politically left wing to make me the darling of the hipster set. So I spend some time at Zazzle to order me a shirt and in a fit of uberhipsterness, order a kids version for Em; and then sit back to bask in the glory of my coolness.
So I get an email a few days later saying; "it has come to our attention that your order contains content that is in violation of the Zazzle.com User Agreement...Specifically, your order contains a product that references drugs. Therefore, we are unable to fulfill your order as it was placed.". I was somewhat hurt and initially offended by this corporate spanking...but soon realized that it probably hurtles me into even greater coolness. Being put down by the man (in the U.S. nonetheless)...the very same who is cracking down on the subject of the t-shirt. WHEN WILL THE OPPRESSION STOP?!
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
In order to balance out the kid pictures, heres one of Em after "Superhero" day at day camp on the cruise boat. If he looks like he had a lot of fun...he certainly did. He still talks about it. We're sitting at Rockin' Johnny's Deep fried food emporium (thats probably not the real name). In this place the waiters would stop on occasion to line dance to some wacky american classic song. The strange thing is...none of them were even remotely waspy...mostly hailing from India and the far east. Nothing weirder than seeing these guys who have no cultural connection to the cultivated experience being put on display. It was sad and hypereal at the same time.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Gratuitous kid picture (At least I don't post pictures of my cat)
In honour of the refreshening of this page...hit refresh if your not down with the new CSS stylesheet.
Friday, August 05, 2005
A pix from Nancy of Ben and Maddy sittin down for Chinese in NYC.
So this week (and the next little while), my current gig is in Kanata. I know I joke a lot about Kanata...but having been out here for a week...I have to admit that its a lot worse than I thought. I can't help be feel a certain malaise in the air. It seems that everyone has some kind of latent angst that permeates everything. And lord...oh lord; the minivans! I can't believe the minivans...its like some kind of bad joke...at one point at Tim Horton's, every car in line was a minivan...and this was a line of 20 or so. Everyone in the vans were oblivious to this apparent "massing of the vans"...making me feel like some kind of tourist to the epidemic of burbs. Maybe I just need therapy.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
in case you're wondering about the resized photo's...its part of the incremental upgrade for this page...should be launching soon...as soon as the cross browser issues are worked out.
I ran into a good quote over the weekend; with respect to raising kids "The days are long, but the years are short". Looking at Em, who turns 4 this month, it blows me away how fast he's grown.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Another imaginary drawing of my imaginary house.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Sneak peak of the addition project I've been working on. This is the almost complete interior of this project.
For those of you of the CSS persuation...have a look at my XHTML/CSS compliant version of this page. I'm slowly weaning myself from the old school "tables for layout" to this more nimble and new school design.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
The imaginary elevation of my imaginary new house (which happens to be a semi-detached).
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Nothing worse than having to get dressed up in the middle of your holiday. Even worse, our table was adjacent to the Captain's table. You do the math...three kids, tired, exhausted parents...lets just say we were disruptive.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
This is me looking somberly at the New York skyline, at the end of the cruise. That's the Verrazano Narrows bridge that we just went under.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Boys and turtles...like toast and jam.
This is Em on his outing to the turtle farm on Grand Cayman.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Just saw Lainey and the kids to T. on the train.
I have the week to myself. Despite working, I have all sorts of things I'd like to do with the free time...so much so, I think I'll be paralyzed and not get anything done.
On other things; On the way back from work last week, I usually ride by the skateboard park. The kids there are usually up to no good, mostly drinking and smoking. This day, there appeared to be some kind a punch up happening. On closer inspection, it was a nasty shoving match between several girls. In the 10 seconds it took me to ride by, it seems that girl A took something from girl B. Girl B's posse was essentially running the girl out of the park. As I turned around and looked back...there was some kicking and punching involved. At that moment I was a little stunned by the viciousness of the altercation and momentarily was struck with what must be a quintessential adult thought..."I should step in and break this up". A quick review of the circumstances; the presence of some homeboys circling the crowd (might be hiding a shank), my urgency to get home, and my general urban disregard for strangers, determined to have me continue on my way and hope for the best for girl A. I'm not proud of this...and the fact that I'm writing about it now must be some kind of confessional.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
I'm not sure why this was on the boat. What's even more perplexing is the fact that someone tried to jack the front wheel. I realize its nice and all...but what would you do with a wood front wheel?
Monday, July 04, 2005
The boys chowing down on jerk.
The bottle on the table is the hot sauce...for some reason a cork or bottle stopper is unknown on the island, hence the paper bag on the neck. In the background is the guide (wearing the white shirt) and our driver (with the baseball hat) and the owner of the establishment (looking at the camera).
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Nanny at the kids waterpark at Labadee. Labadee is a beach "resort" fenced off from the island of Haiti. The boat pulls in and the masses flood onto a rather nice penisula. The waterpark was a huge hit with Em...he spent quite a few hours there, and only left after the threat of over exposure to the brutal sun.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Doesn't matter where you are...there is always going to be a traffic jam. This is offshore at Grand Caymen.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
So when we arrived in Ottawa, I expected the usual wave thru at customs. This time we were redirected to the "inspect" line. I'm not sure what triggered the suspicion...I suppose I looked a little too hip with my black tshirt and hemp running shoes. The fact that we came back from the caribbean, didn't help. On top of that, we didn't bring any rhum or cigars into the country...that's got to be weird. We walk over the the inspection table and the officer seems to be scrutinizing Lainey way more than me. In his best "can you speak english voice", he asks Lainey "How long have you been in this country ?"...she goes "I was born here!" in her best Ottawa valley twang. I think everything after that was just a formality...to make it look like that he actually wanted to rummage thru our dirty laundry. This was the first time that we actually didn't have anything to hide...so it was quite amusing explaning the finer points of ear thermometers and travel irons to the fellow. We suspected that customs was targeting us as some sort of illegal chinese immegration perps. Silly monkeys.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Still fishin'
This is coming via the internet cafe on board the lovely Voyager of the Seas.
Were docked in Freeport at the moment...but I decided to stay on board, I've just about had my fill of tourist traps set up for the cruise ships.
The highlight of the trip was in Jamaica...my only mission was to get some authentic jerk chicken. Lainey hired a driver to show us around and I requested that he take us to a "real" jerk restaurant...well he certainly delivered. After showing us the various flora and fauna, he stopped at a shack by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. He then directed us to a shack that was leaning on the shack. Set up in the back was a single plastic table and a couple cheap chairs. The "waiter", brought us a couple of beers, and set about getting our order. We were essentially sitting in the guy's back yard...he brought out some chicken...I was very leery...but it turned out to be delicious...one of the best local dishes I've ever had...beating out the street gyros in Athens (of which I still have dreams about).
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Gone fishin'...see you in a week.
Monday, June 13, 2005
In the space of three days I've had several meals that included fish. For those of you that know me well, seafood is on my list of things that I'd prefer not to eat. That being said, if trapped on a desert island, I could eat fish. I just prefer spending my available food cash on things other than fish. On Friday I went to the Merivale Fish Market and had fish and chips that were suprisingly good...enough that I would go back and order it again. On Sunday we were at a banquet that was pretty much just seafood...that again, was surpringly good. I know that this turn of events will make Lainy ecstatic...we've had a fish impoverished menu for a long time.
Friday, June 10, 2005
Occasionally I have to whip up storyboards to help pitch an idea. This usually goes a long way to move a project forward, considering the limited amount of time it takes to do them. I usually end up sketching something using a Sharpie on the back of corporate letterhead. So here's another example of "bad art for business". This one is titled "executive is irate with current trend"
Monday, June 06, 2005
Despite the weather forcast this morning, I decide to ride my bike to work, the weather seems clear and no real threat of rain. This is no small task, since it involves packing my work clothes, getting the bike ready, not to mention getting Em ready for the day a bit earlier. Just as I'm ready to leave...huge downpour. Bail on the ride, put the bike away, get my work clothes out, change and get ready to walk over to the Miata...of course the sun comes out. So now at 9:00 it looks like a bright sunny day.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Rolling Stones...eh. Yawn.
Come on folks...its 2005.
I'll be the first to admit they are one of the most important bands in Rock history, yadda, yadda, yadda. There are some mad new bands out there...some of which could be considered interesting plays on the said Stones. I realize that mainstream radio/media/corporate manipulators don't make it easy to hear any of this new music...but damn people, lets move along and help the evolution of music.
That being said...most of the stuff I've been downloading recently is pretty rooty...John Prine, Dylan, Woody Guthrie, etc.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
This is the view out my window. This morning, there was a small forest in the lot across the street. This machine with a super cool mulcher on the end proceeded to mow down everything in its path. 
Monday, May 23, 2005
In honor of the minivan that raped my beautiful car...and the various others that make my daily commute hell; I've renamed my bike.
edit: it would seem that the minivan crowd have their own rebuttal...
Thursday, May 19, 2005
I suppose it was bound to happen eventually.
Vital information:
Soccer mom
Minivan
Car was parked
The mom didn't even notice that she hit the car.
Monday, May 16, 2005
I was riding my bike to work this morning, and since I had past thru the worst of the urban part of my route, I was reminiscing (see previous post about my reverie predilection) about the time I had to change a flat tire on my bike in my office. Wouldn't you know it, I got a flat at that very instant. Very weird. No worries though...years of changing flats meant that this was an 8 minute delay. I think I really impressed the mechanics in the garage across the street with my efficiency.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
I spent the last three days at a sales conference...holed up with a bunch of software sales people, various big C's (CEO, CFO, CSO...), some long presentations with names like "Winning the C++ Enterprise Sale". During these long days I have the uncanny ability to enter a trance like state and allow my mind to wander. Things like the precise steps to dismantling the bottom bracket of a Raleigh mountain bike become much loved diversions. I often have much more useful reveries, but still prefer the more mundane. I was able to recall fragments of my favorite scenes in the movie "Lost in Translation"...something I remember vividly when I watched it, but soon lost when real life kicked back in at the end of the video. I couldn't quite recall the exact dialog, but thankfully their are others on the interwebs who do...the scene has Bill Murray explaining to the Charlotte character the impact of kids on your life...
Bob: Your life, as you know it ... is gone. Never to return. But they learn how to walk, and they learn how to talk ... and you want to be with them. And they turn out to be the most delightful people you will ever meet in your life.
With Em at the cusp of 4...I find this profoundly true.
Monday, May 09, 2005
Thanks to all who attended our little party for Maddie on Saturday. Despite her being ill...fun was had by all.
Em and I went out for a little father/son breakfast on Sunday. You see, Em is up at 6 am and frequently 5:30...so, filling in the time in the morning can be a bit of a chore. With Em's uncle sleeping on the couch, watching TV was out of the question, so given the beautiful weather, I decided on a breakfast roadtrip. My favourite haunt is the Elgin Street Dinner, which was blissfully empty at this hour (its open 24 hours). I suppose we hit a time between the nightowls and the Sunday breakfast crowd. It was a blast sitting there with Em across the table from me, engaging in a conversation (as much as a 3 year old can), enjoying our breakfast and sun streaming in. This is the kind of father/son experience I've always looked forward to since he was born and it was everything I had hoped it would be. I suppose in the big scheme of things it might be trivial, but it was a moment that I'm sure will last in my memory.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Maddy in her lovely green dress. 
Yesterday was the latest test of parenthood. Elaine had to go off to em's prospective kindergarden for a "parent's only" meeting. Izzy across the street had to go to same said meeting, althought her partner Mike was out of town. As Lainey was laying out this little story...I was reading between the lines..."you have to watch all four kids for an hour an half". Four kids was the worrying part...the hour and half was the only good thing about this thought. So I sucked it up and hoped for the best...it was pretty good, aside from Flea's extreme dislike of me anywhere in her presence. An hour and half of one kid bawling wasn't so bad...you can kind of tune it out after 15 minutes or so...ah, its wonderful how the brain adapts so nicely to parenthood.
Monday, May 02, 2005
Attempting to make the best of an otherwise lame weekend...and still nursing the residue of that nasty plague, I decided to gather up all my loose change and start rolling it. Mostly at the behest of Lainers and her concern that Maddy was going to eat all the coins. In an effort to avoid the hospital trips, xrays and finger pointing, I started on this effort expecting about $40 buck or so. Lainer finished it off last night at well over $200!!!! I'm a little surprised, but not too much considering its been 10 years sice the last time we did this. The funniest thing is that I did the first $20 bucks or so...and Elaine in some form of fit of a protestant work ethic, pretty much muscled me out.
Monday, April 25, 2005
The sign that should be on our front door. This was a weekend of pure hell. I came down with the flu on Friday, while Lainy was nursing it all week only to have it erupt Fridayish as well. Em was pretty squirly after being in the house all week with his version ot it, and we were too beaten down to be able to entertain him. Maddy had a chronic runny nose. I have seen God and he manifests himself in Tylenol 3's with a rum chaser.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Evidence that our son has picked up the "architect" gene. 
Monday, April 18, 2005
So what I took for fusiness on Em's part turns out to be a rageing fever. He bounced off 103 a few times yesterday. Aside from the difficulty in seeing your child sick, this is the first fever he's had in a while and the fact that he can communicate makes things a little easier.
Went up to the cottage for the first time this year...it was a spectacular weekend. The lake was still frozen over; and we needed to climb over an icy snowbank at the front door, but all seemed good.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Now for my cute Maddie story...
Last night I watched as Maddie crawled over to her new bunny puppet, picked it up, and crawled over to me. She pulled herself up on me (with the bunny) and started her insistant bleeting (a signal that she wants something). She pressed the bunny into my hands, obviously wanting me to animate it. Then she presented one of her chubby cheeks indicating that she wanted the bunny to kiss her. Upon which she provided me with a very contented smile.
This, I'm sure, is the first in a long list of requests I'll be getting from this monkey.
Friday, April 08, 2005
This is to appease lainer...I think she's getting tired of seeing pixs of my tattoo. I don't have anything to replace it at the moment...so I'll just talk.
Enigmatic photo of the day...
With the release of the allegations from the Gommery inquiry...is anybody surprised? We all suspected that the Liberals have been raping us since conferation. In some ways this is the result of a certain absolute power that we have instilled in our government. My issue is that I'd rather have the devil I know rather than some inexperienced and shallow leadership as offered by the other alternatives.
Riding my bike to work as been a rejuvenating and refreshing experience...since the weather turned, so has my spirit and health. With gas prices the way they are, biking is making a lot more sense, despite a run in with a taxi earlier this week and a minivan this morning.
It's all good.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Well...I've finally done it. After years of talking about it and wavering on what to get...I finally got a tattoo. I figure I'm about to turn 40 and I should do something to mark this milestone. 
I couldn't quite decide on what I wanted, so I let Steve, the artist pretty much do what he wanted...my only stipulation was that it be a basic black symbol and be on the back of my neck. That way...I never have to look at it and get tired of it.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Another of Maddie...
Monday, March 28, 2005
This is a shot of the finished bike with about a 100kms of Ottawa springtime road grit and salt on it. I'm very pleased with how it turned out. The drivetrain alignment is perfect and absolutly silent. The geometry of a mountain bike is a little weird...way more upright, but is a nice setup for commuting. All in...I spent about $300 for a pretty high performing bike.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Just a shot of Maddy
Monday, March 21, 2005
Fire in the ghetto.
I caught this on the way home. I was about a mile away, and was concerned that the black smoke was coming from my block...or even worse, from my house. As I got closer I realized that the fire was in Vanier...a few blocks away. Out of curiousity, I did a driveby and was surprised to see that their was still no firemen on the scene. They arrived seconds later. The fire was pretty much out of control by then...and they pretty much focused on the adjoining properties.
This is pretty much why I carry the old camera in the truck with me.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
The other view of the bike...
Also a cameo of my new blackspots...sweet union made, hemp sneakers.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
So this is what's left of the $70 bike I bought on the weekend. It was in rough shape, but the frame has promise and should make a nice fixed gear for the spring and fall. This is kinda fun; not a huge investment, but the ability to tinker and build a relatively cheap bike.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Pure ebay comedy.
I love this...I wish I did it myself.
Friday, March 11, 2005
Its passport time again.
Em was fairly easy despite his fussiness.
Maddy will automatically smile at any occasion, and especially when a camera is pointed at her. Smilling is a no-no for the folks at the passport office. So this is shot #16 that is still considered borderline.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
I made a copy of this photo, and have it posted by my computer. I find myself staring at it on occasion. It's not a particularly good picture, but it strikes me as thoroughly modern. I love the contrast, the shadow and the angularity of the colors on the wall. Maddy's far off gaze brings it all together in what could be a quintessential modernist canvas.
Can you believe that Emmett took this picture!
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
I've got nothing to say. Been very busy.
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This is my kind of elevator.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Beta testers needed.
This is a little thing I put together for my collegues. Its a simple interface that allows folks to walk thru a test that is similar to that being administered by the province. It only makes sense for designers who use the building code on a regular basis. At the moment it only has 3 questions...but adding the content is the easy part. Most of the effort was making the back end work.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
A reminder that there is on occasion....some peace in this house
Friday, February 18, 2005
Overshadowed by the stupidity that is going on at the GG's, Paul Martin delivered this speech yesterday that is being regarded as one of the greatest in a very long time...and these are American's speaking.
I'm moved and I'm very proud of the PM and his party.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
It seems that people think I'm much more clever than I am. Incompetent is one of those words I've always spelled wrong. Don't get me started on "Caribbean"...I can never spell it right despite how much I try to drill it into my head. Its just one of those things in my brain that has never been properly wired.
In other non-news...about that kid that got kicked out of the GG's for his obtuse question about her excellency's role. If I was the kid's father, I would be apologizing profusely for his bad manners and obvious lack of good sense. His question may have been valid but he should have some sense of the occasion and context before he spoke out loud. I'll never understand modern parents who need to rally to the defence of their kid and an apparent "injustice".
Monday, February 14, 2005
How come nobody told me I spelled "incompetent" wrong. All this time, I thought you guys were watching my back.
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Last weekend we got the son of our caregiver to babysit the kids while we went for a quick dinner. Aaron is 13 um, er 14. This one of the few tidbits of information I was able to glean from him...he was a mute and otherwise sullen kid. I was looking forward to chatting with him, since I'm always curious about what interests kids these days. Not much in this case. Our only common topic was that we were both wearing Dickies (see kids, I'm "with it"). I was a little uneasy with leaving him alone with our precious kids (yeah right...we were out the door in seconds)...I just have to attribute his demeanor to his personality...he's just not a talkative kid.
Here is the high resolution version of the image if you are so inclined to print it...and who wouldn't!
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
The wealth of photos is likely a result of the lovely weather, and the novelty of a very nice camera. Added to that, my computer is back from being repaired ($900 later...ouch) and my 3 day migrane is finally over, things are looking up. I went to a lecture at the architecture school last night...the first is years. It was very nice, but made me long for academia...or only served to highten my desire to start "really" designing and get this architecture thing going.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Sunday morning at Winterlude with the family. Not much fun if your toddler isn't interested in going down an ice slide.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Saturday afternoon at the park with Em 
Friday, February 04, 2005
Wednesday night's desert course. I'm a lucky guy. 
There is nothing more attractive than your spouse wielding your $50 self igniting propane torch to prepare Creme Brule.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Well...it was actually a nice day yesterday...no chance of frostbite within 30 seconds.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
This image appropriately portrays what I feel is are the dog days of winter. Although, I must admit that the sun still being out when I leave work is a great sign.
I only took my 4 tries to get this post to look right...how's that for funk.
BTW- I won this on ebay.
Friday, January 28, 2005
I'd wish I could say that this photo was posed, unfortunatly, this is how we generally find Maddy. I knew there would be trouble when she rolled on her side when she was less than an hour old. Since then she has had very little problem getting where she wants to go. Her prefered method is the "maddy roll". She lines up her body perpendicular to where she wants to go, then rolls like some kind of mad dervish to her destination (usually under the couch). Lately, she has taken to dragging herself along using her elbows and kicking her legs...with a willful determination that cannot bode well for us in the future.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Philip Johnson is dead.
To my non-architect friends, this is a man that has been omnipresent in the world of modern architecture. When I was studying, he was already established as an historic figure in the field...the fact that he kept practising and remained relevant (albeit highly controversial) was always interesting to me. At 98, he certainly lived a full life. The only reason I'm speaking about him here, is that he was such an iconic figure in the profession, that it is hard to think of it without him. I can't help but think that this is some form of momentus end of an era, and that everything will be different from now on...of course it won't, but I think it could be a useful trigger for those of us attempting to influence society with our work.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Waiting for number 3...
They say that bad things come in three, well first thing that happened was that my Powerbook crapped out...big time. I tried to restart one morning last week, and it just wouldn't behave. Looks like the logic board is dead...which is a pretty bad thing. The next thing is the truck...I thought it was the alternator, but it turns out that its one of the tensioner pulleys. This is a substantial piece of steel, that had pretty much sheared from its mounting. Easy enough to replace, except for the waiting for the part. So there you have it...I'm not sure what to expect next
Monday, January 17, 2005
Funny after the fact? There's this hip saying going around "Needs more cowbell". This is one of those obscure cultural references that "cool" people in the know will use to show how swish they are. The urban dictionary offers the following definition: 1. Something everything needs more of. 2. A remedy.
This reference comes from a Saturday Night Live skit from a few years ago, where they spoofed a recording session of the famous 70's band Blue Oyster Cult, and one of the characters was playing the cowbell (which was never part of the song), and Christopher Walken who plays the producer keeps emphasizing that the song "needs more cowbell". I remember seeing the skit when it was first aired, and it was likely one of the only ones I've seen in the last few years, since I can barely stay up that late. At the time I thought is was funny, but only because I think CW is one of the funniest guys around. But to see the phenomema that it has become is a bit weird. I looked around for a recording of the skit (which I found without any effort) and listened to it again...I'll admit it's funny, but not nearly as funny as its impact on pop culture would lead you to believe.
Now that I read this post...its kind of stupid, and all I seem to be doing is showing how cool I am by knowing about this reference...which is pretty lame because CBC has been using it all week.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Since Em decided to fall asleep at 7:30 tonight, I decided to fiddle with elaine's new pimpy camera. Here's the first shot ever taken with it...
Thursday, January 06, 2005
So now that the holiday season is over...I want to recount my ordeal in getting Lainey's gift. This year I had resolved to start early and get her a fantastic gift...I settled on a pimpy handbag, because she's nuts about them and will never have enough. I enlisted her sister to track one down in TO (because Ottawa sucks when it comes to pimpy)in mid November. Even with a generous budget, Nancy couldn't find anything that would satisfy the exacting tastes of her sister. Leaving me with one week before xmas and no real options. By chance, Lainey had noted in passing that she tried on a swish coat at Holt's and really liked it...but was concerned about the cost. Not one to miss an opportunity, I raced there after work the following day and desperatly tried to figure out which coat it was from the vague description. I came across a sales assistant, who I enlisted in the search...she asked me about Lainey and I relayed the information about the coat the best I could. She left me briefly and returned with her notebook...and proceeded to detail everything that my wife had tried on the previous day...I was shocked and amazed that she would take notes and remember all the details. She pointed out a coat that seemed to be fit the bill and I was one happy camper. I was pretty smug and couldn't wait to see Lainey's face when she saw the coat...well wouldn't you know...IT WASN"T THE RIGHT COAT!!! Here I was ready to expound on the wonders of Holt's sales staff...only to find that I was likely being strung along to make the sale. All that being said, Lainey took the coat back to the store and with an additional contribution on her part, bought a super pimpy shearling coat.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
The problem with staying in a very swish hotel (which we did while we were in To), is that getting back to your own house is usually a disappointment. Meaning; that the hotel room is usually spotless, very well appointed, has a luxurious bathroom, etc. Meanwhile our house is tired, beaten and bears a few scars. It only accentuates the things that I need to fix, change or remove. To the point where it would seem to be easier to just burn it all down and start over.
This being said, I suppose my goal for the year is to make some diligent progress on improving our loci...be it renovating this place or making tangible efforts to start on our dream house...so there you have it, my resolution.
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