Michael's Domain |
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Tuesday, December 21, 2004
I'm frantically rushing to get my office organized before I leave tonight. The library closes at 7 pm but will likely stay a bit later. Trying to back up my computer but it's taking too long -something isn't right. Just tried putting in a different zip disk. We'll be in Edmonton in almost 24 hours - hard to believe. I printed out our Edmonton Itinerary and hopefully we can accomplish a few things. Big issue is securing a photographer and luckily Mom and Dad have a couple of people. Our Yuletide party at my place last Saturday was a lot of fun! Darcy and I cleaned up the place and made it festive. Even had the fireplace Christmas log VHS tape playing. Darcy discovered, just a few hours before the party was to start, that our email invitation had incorrect driving directions and no phone number. My phone number was on the email and not the invitation. Darcy created the invitation but I did a crappy job of proofreading it! Darcy was able to call guests enroute to the party so a major crisis was averted! This damn backup is not working! Need to try a CD-ROM I guess. See you in Edmonton.... Wednesday, December 15, 2004
I've been trying not to succumb to a cold despite other people at work being sick. I've felt run down and tired but I think much of it is from the crap that occurs at work. I didn't feel like going to yoga class last night but did and felt much better afterwards! But I can tell that I don't have much strength and have held back from lifting weights. Although I have managed to do my hundred plus chin ups and dips at the park.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
I'm ready to head home after another hectic day at work. Our group met today and submitted a list of twenty journals to cancel. As Bush would say, "It's hard - it's hard work!" He repeated that line over and over again during the first Presidential debate in October. Anyway, I'm not sure what the amount saved is yet but it would be around $3,000. Only $50,000 to go with 10 weeks remaining! I finished reading a strange book called Undying Love. It was about a German doctor, with several degrees, who emigrated to Key West and fell in love with a young Cuban woman. She soon succumbed to tuberculosis and he was grief stricken and a few years later dug up her coffin, preserved her body and lived with her for eight years. Weird. The book was poorly written and consisted mainly of excerpts from the doctor's memoirs and newspaper stories. Darcy noticed the book at the Key West Lighthouse Museum and she subsequently ordered it throught interlibrary loan. Still no word from the apartment in Plantation as to vacancy in February. It would be nice to know before we leave for Edmonton. Otherwise I would need to stay with Darcy for a month and put all my stuff in storage. Better go home now... Thursday, December 02, 2004
Well, December 1 was a significant day as I notified my landlord that I would not be renewing my lease. I had been renewing my seven month lease for a couple of years because I was not sure how long my past roommates were going to stay. Darcy's and my decision to live together, combined with my lease renewal notice. My fourth roommate, Ceejay, was understanding about it. So I will move out the end of January. A two bedroom, one bath apartment became available across the street from Darcy's place. The timing was uncanny so we met the owner and looked at it. Floorplan was the same as Darcy's with the exception of an additional room. It was cleaner and better maintained. There are several complexes that house between four and eight units in the neighborhood. Many are run by different people and one can tell how better kept some are.
Thursday, November 18, 2004
I should be at home now since I need to wake up at 4:15 am tomorrow morning. It's time for my monthly leadership institute excursion to Tampa. Southwest stupidly cancelled its 7 am flight so my options are either take the 6 am flight and arrive two hours early or depart Ft. Lauderdale at 8 am and get there an hour late! Can't believe that Christmas is in 5 weeks - don't feel much in the spirit because it's not cold here. Although it has cooled off enough where I've turned off the a/c at home and opened the windows at night. It makes it a refreshingly cool 23 celcius inside. Too bad that Eskimost lost in the Western semi-final to Saskatchewan. The team fired their coach soon afterwards. I finally finished reading Newsweek's lengthy issue on the post mortem of the Presidential campaign. It disgusted me with how both sides tried to literally destroy the other candidate's credibility - especially the GOP. Very juvenile tactics - how the human race has devolved, in this instance. Haven't been working out as much lately with work being exhausting. Just finished a short project for Nora and yesterday I did a short powerpoint presentation on Ask A Librarian and later moderated a session on academic and public chatters (library patrons using chat). Day began stressfully with the building's hotspot being more like a coldspot so no Internet connection. I managed to stumble and bumble my way through my crude presentation of chat software screen captures. I'll miss Darcy's bellydancing gig Friday night :( She's only had one in the last couple of months. She has a bellydancing workshop on Saturday but I will meet up with her that evening for the performance party. Next week is shortened for America's over extended Thanksgiving. We are going to a friend's house for dinner. Dec. 18 will be our Christmas Party at my place! Last bit of news is that my stepmother, Heather, had an appendicitis attack and had emergency surgery. She had been quite ill for a few days and thought it was the flu. She at home resting now and will begin the long process of recovering. The same thing happened to me in 1989 and to my Dad in 1997. Appendicitis can be a scary thing if not treated quickly! Well, time to go home now... | | | Thursday, November 11, 2004
Just finished my second day of work after returning from Key West. Our trip there was very nice and the weather was beautiful. A slight breeze and the temperature hovered around 27 celcius. It was our fourth trip down (our other trips were: Memorial Day Weekend 2001, Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend 2002, and Thanksgiving 2002. We stayed at our usual place, the Key West Youth Hostel. The price is right ($25.00 a night per person) and accomodations are spartan. But the location is excellent (close to Old Key West) and it has cheap rates for renting bikes ($7.00 a day). We hung out at Darcy's favorite coffee place, Croissants de France, We relaxed at Key West's best beach at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. It's right beside where the cruise ships dock and there were several ships coming and going that weekend. We noticed how quickly they move out! At one point there were three ships docked. We also remembered to visit the Monroe County Public Library. The Key West branch is small but seemed lively with the staff we talked with and patron traffic. Darcy and I also visited the Shipwreck Museum at Mallory Square. It was interesting and it focused on the sinking of the a ship in 1856 and how wreckers tried to find its cargo. At one point Key West was the wealthiest city, per capita, in the U.S. Wreckers would gaze out at sea looking for ships in trouble and exclaim, "wreck ashore!" when a ship was in trouble. The keys were notorious for it treacherous currents and shallow waters. Another day we visited the city's lighthouse museum. It was an integral part of the city's history and was finally decommissioned in 1969 and was almost torn down for being an eye sore. Luckily saner heads prevailed and the lighthouse and Keepers Quarters were restored and re-opened to the public in 1990. It was interesting climbing to the top of the lighthouse and seeing water almost surround the entire island. Sadly the Banana Cafe was no long open for dinner, only breakfast and lunch. We arguably had our best tasting dinner there in 2002. Darcy drove roundtrip and the car performed well. The trip got off to a rocky start when I noticed the right rear tire very low as we were packing up. I saw a screw in the tire so we had to take the car to the mechanic by my place where I had just got mine repaired. The trip back was very windy and it took just over 3.5 hours to get back to my place. So Darcy and I are both refreshed from the trip and look forward to visiting Edmonton for Christmas in six weeks! Today is Remembrance Day in Canada so I brought out the poem In Flanders Field and taped it to my office door. Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Well the dust has settled and Bush was elected in his own right. I'm not too surprised but am shocked by his relatively big win in Florida. I guess not all the newly registered voters were Democrats! Nader was not a factor in the election but it's frustrating to think what the hell this country will look like in four years from now. Bush has destroyed world opinion of the U.S. and galvanized its population like no president has since Lyndon Johnson. Perhaps Darcy and I should move to the safer confines of Canada! I was tired last night and went to bed at 11:30 pm but woke up very hot and a bit hungry. So I had a snack and listened to the news a bit before falling asleep at 3:00 am. Woke up just before 7 as I needed to pick up my car from the neighborhood mechanic. So I walked to Washington Park and did 126 chinups and 111 dips. Very humid day and was completely drenched in sweat once I got to the mechanic's garage. I had timed it well and was done my exercises at 8:30 and the car was done by 9:30. Bad news was that Max needed a lot of work done (new struts, strut mounts and shocks). Cost for parts came to over $600 and labor was just over $300. If I didn't have such a stubborn admiration for older Volvos I would have traded the beast in for a newer car a long time ago. The mechanic said the car is in great shape. Fine - so why do I continually pump tons of money into it? Because our professional lives and possible relocation are up in the air I don't want to get a new car. In fact I don't know what I would buy anyway! Enough complaining for now - only a few days before Darcy and I leave for Key West... Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Well, it's a big day today politically with Election Day! The nation, and a few other countries, will hold its breath as the votes are counted (maybe). I voted early last Wednesday in the hope of avoiding long lines and problems with the electronic voting machines. I ended up having to wait over two hours in line! It felt like voting in a Third World Country but it was worth the wait. Florida has registered many new voters and interest is high in this election. We're not just voting for a President and their subsequent four-year term but also the future of the Supreme Court. The next President could potentially appoint three or more Supreme Court Justices as some are near retirement or in poor health. I proudly voted for Ralph Nader and disagree with the popular comment that I was voting against Kerry. If there were only two choices then I would have voted Kerry but this is a democracy and there needs to be a multi-party system. If people really want change then don't vote for either the GOP or Dems! It could be a long night of post election commentary. This story sums up the 2004 election and it mentions Broward County where I live. Darcy stayed over at my place this past weekend and I cooked dinner twice. Unfortunately my place is very dusty and her allergies flare up when she visits. I vacuumed my apartment with her vacuum and dusted before she arrived but to no avail it seems. Darcy and I are looking forward to our KeyWest trip on the weekend. Bad news is that my car needed new struts and shocks and will cost a hefty $934.00. Darcy is right that I've sunk too much money into my car and should sell it. But I don't want to buy something (have no clue what) and then turn around and move in a year. Despite getting my Volvo High Mileage Club 200,000 mile medallion in the mail, the car is a financial burden. I want to save my money for travelling, wedding, and honeymoon rather than a damn vehicle! Work is busy as I continue to help cut our serials and standing orders budget. I'm learning new things every day. Need to play a game of Midway before Darcy comes to pick me up... Wednesday, October 20, 2004
On Monday night Darcy did some mendhi on my left hand. It's geometric in design that is indicative of North African culture. East Indians tend to use more fluid and organic shapes. I showed my hand to an East Indian co-worker and she was pleasantly surprised to see the artwork! She has few East Indian men have henna so a Caucasian man must have shocked her. There's a book called Arabesque that Darcy wants to add to her collection. I'm reading a romatic novel called If Only It Were True by Marc Levy. Not sure what drew me to read it but I was intrigued by the cover, read the back cover and quickly read some pages. After a cooler Saturday it has warmed back up to the high 80s and high humidity. Really disgusting weather and wish some of the snow from home could make its way here. Only eight weeks to go before we leave for Edmonton. I suppose I should go home - but will have a game of Midway first... Tuesday, October 19, 2004
 Bailey and my Dad. This was taken about a year ago. Bailey was put to sleep this morning due to old age. He was fourteen but had a long life and will be missed...  Thursday, October 07, 2004
I Forgot to mention that my friend Dante and I saw the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow a couple of weeks ago. The story was a bit thin but the effects were quite good. Apparently it was the first movie to have no sets - all actors were filmed behind a blue screen and the CGI added later. The lighting seemed a bit strange as the people's faces seemed blurred at times and washed out. I needed to book a motel in Key West for our November 6-9 trip so I called the Best Western and wanted to book at their Hibiscus motel where I took my brother and sister-in-law in July. I was surprised to hear that they were almost full and rates were maxed out at $150.00 a day in the off-season! Something big must be happening that weekend as November is a pretty dead time of year. So I faxed an overnight application to the Key West Hostel. In the past I could just call up the place and reserve a bed. I couldn't submit the online application form because the credit card information box could accept characters! I called but no one was there so I will try again. I want to get a verbal confirmation from them before we drive down there. No negotiation news on the hockey front. No news is bad news. The WHA has suspended their first season since 1978-79 due to monetary problems with getting franchise support. I guess I'm not too surprised but am disappointed. Been really tired the last few days and haven't exercised. I've gotten up early the last two days - the first day (Wed.) I stupidly thought was my dentist appt. It was today (Thurs.) so I go up early again. Naturally I took my antiobiotics yesterday morning before the appt. so I had to buy more last night for today's appt. I need to take four capsules one hour before the appt. because of my mitral valve prolapse condition. Bacteria from getting teeth cleaned can quickly lead to a heart infection and sometimes death. The NSU pharmacy had charged me $9.00, which I thought was cheap, until the Walgreen's drugstore charged me $5.00! So I'll be going to the latter now. My library had its third annual faculty reception tonight in the library's atrium. The idea is nice but few librarians, including me, really mingle with faculty and vice versa. I recognized few faces but got a lot to eat (Swedish meatballs, chicken, fruit, and chocolate covered strawberries)! So I can save my leftover mussels and pasta tomorrow for lunch. I've been playing the old 1942 Midway arcade game online . Reminds me of playing 1943 in the U of A's arcade in spring 1989. I would play it after my Pyschology class I took that spring. I prefer those old one dimensional shoot 'em up games. Well, I better head off to my drumming class.... Thursday, September 30, 2004
Last weekend was interesting as Hurricane Jeanne blew through Florida. Ironically it hit land only a few miles from Ivan three weeks earlier. The weather quickly deteriorated throughout Saturday from when I did my chinups in the morning to that night. I watched the county press conferences about the impending storm at noon and that's when it reality set in. I packed some things and drove to Darcy's. The politicians and media reiterated the annoying phrase of *that's the price we pay for living in a tropical paradise*. Whatever...It's not a paradise but we are paying a high price for living here! We ended up watching the local WSVN channel 7 news that night and tracked the path of the storm. A few reporters got blown around and one was in the eye of the hurricane! Southeast Florida was spared, again, due to the 120 mile an hour winds rotating to the north of the eye once the storm hit land. So the state has had four hurricanes in six weeks. No state has had that many since Texas in 1886. The weather people said there were about 30 named storms in the ocean over the past couple of years but none hit land. So we are making up for lost time I guess. I think people get complacent living in this *tropical paradise*. The news interviewed one person whose trailer home got damaged and he joked he'd rather go through a hurricane than experience snow! Give me a blizzard any day over a hurricane. FPL (Florida Light and Power) has used up its emergency fund and there is talk that our power rates will increase as a result. Fourth, and likely last, season of Enterprise debuts next week. I will tape the episodes and then hopefully bode farewell to the rather lacklustre show. Last bit of news, actually big news, is that Darcy's rings are finally ready. She will pick them up tomorrow! Thursday, September 23, 2004
It seems I start every posting talking about work and this ocassion is no exception. I wish it didn't seem to rule my life so much! I've spent about five hours the last two days with colleagues butchering our standing orders list. We've cut many titles that are either out of scope or tremendously expensive. The frustrating thing is cutting $30,000 in a few weeks (don't ask why the insane deadline because we can't get a straight answer) and not doing it with all reference librarians to reach departmental consensus. The titles our small group is looking at are reference standing orders. Anyway it's been a learning experience and is a turning point for how my library's administration has handled collection development. Things will get better now that we have numbers to work with. I'm trying to be diplomatic about this in light of looking at the readings for my leadership course. Our main text is Leadership Challenge. Not bad and the theories are interesting. I fly out tomorrow for Tampa for the monthly meeting - joy! At least I will be leaving an hour later compared to last month but it still makes up for a long day. I have a a slew of books that I'm making little progress in reading. I've started reading Paris 1919 and it's a great book. Plus I've always loved that topic. I've only read a few pages from the New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnie. Then there's How to be a Canadian, Salt: A World History, Mosquito: The Story of Man's Deadliest Foe, and Leaving Earth: Space Stations, Rival Superpowers, and the Quest for Interplanetary Travel. The last book I got free at the ALA Summer Conference in Orlando. We walked by a sciene publisher's booth and he was beginning to pack up his stuff and needed to get of things. So he said each of us could pick one book! I've been so busy that I've had to save this posting as a draft. Since I first began writing, Hurricane Jeanne has finally begun its move west towards Florida and may hit us this weekend. It's a category two with 105 mph winds. Since I'll be out tomorrow and the library is closed Saturday for Yom Kipur I decided to back up my computer. Other news is that Darcy's ring is STILL not ready. The guy said the engraver is behind with four orders including a couple that is getting married very soon. That is unfortunate but we've been waiting siz weeks! It had better be ready September 30 like he said. NHL lockout continues with no end in sight. Luckily I'm not living in Canada as the pain would be felt much more, especially on Saturday nights! That's it for now - I need to wrap things up and head out to my drumming class... Tuesday, September 07, 2004
I should be sleeping at this hour but I figured this is a good time to post an entry. I will be swamped with work once I return to work and won't have time left for blogging. Hurricane Frances missed Broward County by about 60 miles so we were lucky (again). There was no major flooding where I live, power was knocked out for three quarters of a day and top wind was only 60 mph. I felt better knowing that my roommate was there and looked after the place. However, Hurricane Ivan is approaching Barbados and is already a category 4 storm! Officials don't know if its current path will hit Florida or not. This has been a very active hurricane season.
Friday, September 03, 2004
I'm sitting in Darcy's aunt's and uncle's comfy apartment in downtown Ottawa. I just got caught up on my Yahoo emails as I hadn't checked them in days due to all my travelling. I left for Spokane on August 24 and had a hellish flight that was ten hours late arriving in Spokane. To make a long story short the delays were due to human errors and weather. I left Fort Lauderdale at 9:00 pm EST and arrived in Spokane the following day at 1:00 pm EST. I had drafted a letter to America West on the plane outlining the problems with the flights and vowing not to fly their airline again.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
It's the end of another work day and I'm waiting for my frozen lasagna to heat up. Tonight is my dumbek drum class and at the moment I don't feel like going. But I'm sure once I get there I will feel better. I've been stressing out over my article that was approved for publication in the RUSA Quarterly journal. I started the small survey with a colleague, who has since left, over two years ago. My department had an administrative assistant who did some of the tallying of data but I needed to double check her work. Then I didn't do much with it for about a year as day-to-day work piled up. Although I presented some of the findings at a 2003 FLA Conference session with Darcy. I began work on the paper last fall and submitted it to another publication in December. I was not impressed with how they handled my manuscript as they forgot to tell me that no one reviewed it becuase they were searching for an editor. So that ate up four months. But now the paper has been revised and is almost ready to be submitted for likely another round of revisions.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
I throughly enjoyed my visit with my brother and sister-in-law. It was the first time we had to really enjoy ourselves without one of us working. We've either had short, hurried visits back home in Edmonton over Christmas and my trip up in March. I was busy editing my article and they both worked during my Denver visit last November. We drove to Key West, Miami Beach, Naples, and spent time in Broward County. They even did a yoga session with Darcy and I on Monday night! It's sad that we live so far apart and I may not see them again until next spring or summer. That's assuming that Darcy and I don't get the UAE jobs. Darcy had her phone interview at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST). Despite the good pay (47K) she does not have good vibes about it. The library seems a bit drab and the programs offered are similar to BCC and seems to be a trade school. We're not demeaning the place but the low quality of the library and type of reference questions asked may not justify moving there. Plus there apparently aren't many library job oppourtunties for me in MooseJaw. It is about an hour drive one way to Regina. My only option may be to buy a laptop and take online courses somewhere. So despite the job being in Canada and closer to home our hearts aren't set on moving there. Darcy's Dad sent some interesting links about the UAE country http://www.uae.org.ae/general/contents.htm and http://www.uaeinteract.com/news/default.asp?ID=43#top. The UAE library is at http://www.library.uaeu.ac.ae. Darcy and I had an hour long informal phone interview with the search committee head of the UAE Library. The conversation went quite well I thought. Of course we may have an idyllic view of living in the UAE but I have a feeling that if we are hired that we would enjoy living there for a year or two. Benefits are generous and include free housing, free healthcare, tax free income (salary would be about the same as here) and free round trip tickets back home once a year. Drawback is that they won't begin conducting phone interviews until September. The SIAST people would likley make an offer long before then. The other thing is that if we are both offered jobs at the UAE that would likely change our wedding plans. So unfortunately we haven't spent much time on our wedding as we would like. It's a special time as a couple is only engaged for a finite time. We've spent little time ring shopping although Darcy has found some neat ring sites online like http://www.weddingbells.ca/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=18&t=007075 and http://celticrings.com/index.shtml. Plus my lease expires at the end of August and I don't know if I can get a roommate to potentially live there for only a few months. Month to month rent will go up to $950 a month. So it's frustrating with so many things being up in the air. Anyway I should go have dinner and then rush off to my drumming class.... Thursday, July 01, 2004
Another day at the office is over and I'm listening to Darcy's Breathe song as I wind down. Yesterday (June 30) was a significant day in my life. Ten years ago my family moved out of our St. Alberta house. It was the end of our family *unit* as Dad moved in with Heather, my brother and my mother moved in together while I moved into the Theta Chi fraternity house. It took two days for us to move all our belongings and I vividly remember Dad and I moving his stuff in the pouring rain at about 2 am. We stopped at A & W for a late night dinner as we were starving from the long day. So I've been in a reflective mood. The early '90s were tough for the family but in hindsight we made it through all right. Getting hired at Gonzaga University two days before my 26th birthday jump started my library career and living independently far from home. I've certainly become more aware of issues and open minded compared to ten years ago. I remember wishing for a job that paid $20,000 a year in 1994. Ironically I got my pink slip (merit pay increase form) today and my salary is now $40,606! I got a $1,600 raise that was up from $1,000 last year. Not bad. I've risen up the corporate ladder a bit but after the pathetic ALA placement center in Orlando I'm not sure I can advance much further than this salary wise. The ALA Conference was fun and not as many people attended it seemed compared to Chicago in 2000. But that was also the peak of the dotcom era. Darcy has only a few leads with the most interesting being openings at a university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). I ran into a librarian who worked there and she enjoyed the work after 11 years. There are multiple openings that are difficult to fill due to post 9/11 paranoia. I would consider moving there for a year or two. Apparently great benefits and I'm sure it would open Darcy's eyes to what is out there beyond the confining borders of North America. She would be amazed to what the Arabic culture is like. Not much wedding news to report due to the conference last week. Somewhat hard for us to balance looking for work and planning a long distance wedding. It seems everything is hitting us at once. I have another WHA book on ILL called Same Game, Different Name: The History of the World Hockey Association. Makes me think back to going to WHA games with my Dad in the mid 70s. Last bit of news is that I'm not sure what to do about restoring the Chevelle. I was corresponding with Joey's Place about the type of work they do. They told me about a 1970 Chevelle restoration project. They seem to do excellent work that is equal to what the late Skip Cain discusses in his Chevelle Restoration Series. Unfortunately Joey's Place charges around $50,000 for detailed work!! I could afford to pay 10% of that so I don't know what the hell to do. I really want to use the Chevelle for the wedding. The car runs but would need a tune up and a paint job. I'll have to see what I can do. I guess that's all for now. I need to have dinner at my desk and then rush off to my dumbek class. I've been to busy to practice much. Hard to juggle reading my books, excerising, and drumming! But the long weekend is coming up and the Craig and Malini are here for a week. I need another break already... Thursday, June 10, 2004
Just finished having my dinner (left overs from when I cooked dinner on Sunday). I can eat the same left overs for about five days straight before I start getting sick of them. Anyway I need to continue my ranting of the NHL. Yes, the better team (talent wise) won the cup fair and square but it will not help the league in attracting let alone retaining its fan base. I heard that the Tampa Tribune mistakenly printed a story saying that the Lightning had lost game 7. In addition only 10,000 fans showed up for the Stanley Cup parade while 20,000 fans showed up to see Flames fans return from Florida. Also listening to a story on the radio about Mario Lemieux (co-owner of the lowly Pittsburgh Penguins) dropping a bomb that the team needs a new rink or the franchise will move. The old Mellon Centre is 43 years old plus the team had the worst record in the league and a mediocre squad of talented players. I am intrigued about the resurrection of the old WHA (World Hockey Association) led by its commissioner Bobby Hull. Remember him? It's a fascinating story and would like to see games played in Miami (assuming they get a franchise and the league starts this fall. I also ordered a book (Complete Historical and Statistical Reference to the World Hockey Association, 1972-1979) about the history of the WHA. I'm tempted to buy a copy! Last bit of news is that my roommate Jaclyn moved out (flew home to Nova Scotia) Monday morning. She had stayed almost two years to the day and was my longest serving roomie. So I went through three people in almost four years. It was an interesting experience and helped me fiancially! It's tough living with someone and each person putting up with each other's annoying traits. I'm sure I have annoying characteristics too. So things are a bit up in the air at the moment. I talked with a friend of mine last weekend and he expressed an interest in being a roommate. He's a descent guy and I've known him for a couple of years. So maybe I'll have a new roommate at the end of July! That's all for now - later... Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Well, I'm obviously disappointed with Tampa Bay winning the Stanley Cup. I haven't felt as much contempt for professional hockey in America since 1996 when Team USA defeated Canada in the Canada (oops I mean World) Cup. Just one of several examples of how the the U.S. has Americanized professional hockey. Yes, I am biased of course with being born and raised in Canada but I have my reasons. First is that I just heard stats that viewership of the cup final series was the second hightest in Canada in ten years. This was since a Canadian team (Vancouver) was last in the final. On the other hand tv ratings in the U.S. were their usual dismal numbers. In fact I wouldn't be a surprise if total Canadian viewership was higher than American viewership despite the U.S. having a population ten times the size of Canada. Gee, what a surprise! Could it be because the quality of the game has tanked and is boring to watch? I'm not a Flames fan but I was rooting for the team and for Canada - we need to take back the game (not necessarily the NHL). So the eleven year drought continues (last time a Canadian team has wone the cup). The NHL has become tainted with Commissioner Gary Betman (sp?) and his ilk. I would almost prefer to see a new professional Canadian hockey league (like the WHA but only Canadian teams) rise from the ashes of the NHL. There were rumors that NHL executives did not want Calgary to win as it would hurt the league's chances to market the game. Of course it would damage the league in tenuous areas like South Florida where most people can't even provide the names of either the Lightning or Panthers. Do you really think that the Lightning winning the cup will create a strong fan base there five years from now? I doubt it! It's not a hockey area and the American sunbelt likely never will be and that's just because of the demographics. I'm listening to 630 CHED and Bryan Murray quit his job as GM of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to become coach of Ottawa. Murray said he wanted to be in a place where hockey meant something to the community even though it likely meant a pay cut. Hockey is primarily Canadian and is and rooted in its culture Granted it's also very popular in the U.S. northeast and some border states on the 49th parallel. I believe that the NHL somehow believes the league's financial viability is in the U.S. It's not - it lies mostly in Canada! My prediction is that there will be a long, drawn out lockout beginnning in fall 2004 and it can only end with having a salary cap, a rational business model to run a franchise and a reduction of teams. Anyway, there are things I like about living in the U.S. but when it comes to sports and especially hockey I support Canada. Most of it is nationalism but in terms of the NHL it is how American pop culture has watered down the sport. Enough rambling for now...Bring on the CFL and let's see if the Eskimos can repeat as Grey Cup champions! Tuesday, June 01, 2004
I've got some big news to liven up the monotony of my blogs. Darcy and I are engaged! I proposed to her at around 11 am on Sunday, May 30. We had just finished doing some Iyengar yoga outside. I suggested we walk over to a bench that overlooked Florida Bay. I wasn't too nervous and I haven't felt the entire impact yet. Same thing for Darcy too I suppose. But we're both excited about our future together. The little resort of Flamingo, Florida will be dear to our hearts. I think we share many similarities in what we want for our wedding. Not sure when and where it will take place. There are many variables tied to where we will settle down based upon Darcy's job hunt. But it will work out over time. I don't want our wedding plans to suffer recurring problems that many weddings face. We stayed three nights there and was our longest trip in the state. I folded the Max's rear seats and the car was still full with our belongings and groceries. The drove well but has developed two new problems. One is the sunroof or sunroof visor. It rattles horrendously loud at about 55 mph and am not sure what is causing it. Retracting the sunroof just slightly fixes the problem. But that won't help if it's raining outside! The other thing was that one of the a/c vents began emitting what looked like steam or fog. The vapor didn't smell but we turned the a/c it off and on and it didn;t occur again. I'm getting tired of these stupid little problems! Anyway Flamingo was more crowded than I thought but it was still negligible compared to Broward County or the rat race of Orlando. Many resort patrons were fisherman. Our cottage was wonderful and quite spacious. We enjoyed the enclosed motel pool and patio. The screen mesh cut down on the sun's rays and kept out the pesky bugs. We learned that the Flamingo motel part (including the pool) close June 1. The resort's restaurant also closes for the summer. The cotages remain open but we can't imagine visiting there and having no pool! We canoed into the backcountry as they call it. But one would have to canoe for hours to canoe up into the 'glades. The bay's waters looked too choppy for us to attempt paddling. The mosquitoes and flies were horrendous and poor Darcy got bit several time on her back and legs. We had to cover ourselves in insect repellant and 48 spf sunscreen. The deer flies were the worst as they bite quicker than mosquitos. The large inch and a half horse flies buzzed around us like B-29 bombers! We saw plenty of alligators at the Royal Palm yesterday. They submerge and rise like submarines. We also stopped on the way and coming back at a neat store outside the park called Robert is Here. We bought Key Lime honey and had their delecious strawberry and key lime milkshake. We also talked to a spry, elderly man who was showing off a 1913 Detroiter auto and a 1955 Ford F-100. He had many one liners and joke business cards about being South Florida's snowblower mechanic and CEO of Do Nothing, Inc. The motto was if you want professional service to get nothing done then he is the person to call! I'll take Craig and Malini there in July enroute to Key West. Enterprise's third season came to a close last week and ended with a time travel cliff hanger. It seems that the writers, producers are trying to see how many times they can spin off stories using time travel and changing earth's history. I guess that's enough excitement for now. I need to drop off the film to get developed. Until next time... Thursday, May 27, 2004
I just had dinner in my office and am ready for our Everglades trip. Darcy and I need to get away from the rat race of Broward County! Hopefully not too many people will be in the remote resort of Flamingo. My car hasn't stalled since the mechanic extended the ignition switch and fuel pump relay wires inside. Once the car stalls and one of the wire's lights goes off then that theoretically will solve the problem of which part to replace. I think it's the ignition switch as the fuel pump relay was replace a couple of years ago. It was another hectic week at work as there were more fires to put out. That's my boss's phrase for crisis management. My grandmother moved into her assisted living place after a hectic time getting out of the old house. I can't put into words how much of an impact the house had on me and my family. Fifty five years of memories... Time marches on as I graduated from high school 18 years ago. My best friend Keith from Calgary called my last night. He's doing alright he and his wife may have to move next year pending on where she gets her practicum. So Darcy and I aren't the only couple unsure of where we'll be. But it would be really nice to live closer to home. Well, I better rush off to my drumming class and try and learn new dumbek rhythms... Tuesday, May 04, 2004
It's the end of my first day at work for the week (Tuesday). I worked last Sat. so I had Monday (yesterday) off. I was wiped out yesterday so after I did my laundry (three loads) I collapsed on the couch, which I seldom do, and watched Fantastic Voyage. A very enjoyable escapist movie to watch and the thirty-eight year old special fx have held up well. Afterwards Robin Crusoe on Mars came on and I watched the first half hour before I had to go. Despite the lame title and assumptions that it would be a lame '50s movie it was not bad. First of all it was made in 1964 and co-starred Batman's Adam West before he achieved stardom. Too bad I had to leave for my yoga class since I was intrigued about how the stranded astronaut would survive. I stopped at Target to buy a new miniature tape recorder for my dumbek drum class. Grandpa's old one worked well for a few months and then stopped recording. So I bought a nice smaller one for $40.00. Hopefully I'll get good use out of it. Work is busy as I'm on a couple of committees (ALA Planning Committee and Reference Collection Review Committee). Also working on the Ks for the Reference Collection Assessment project. I submitted my article to Reference and User Services Quarterly and withdrew it from Public Services Quarterly. I quickly got an email and print acknowledgement from RUSA. So I hope that the review process goes quickly. Darcy and I will be staying at the Flamingo Lodge cottages for the Memorial Day long weekend. We both haven't had a vacation together since Christmas! I worked out last Saturday and got light headed due to the extreme heat and humidity. I found it hard to focus but relaxed a bit before continuing. Well, I need to go home soon and watch the Toronto/Philadelphia game... Thursday, April 22, 2004
As usual I'm staying a bit late after work. I'm trying to finish off the T call numbers for the reference assessment project. It's actually fun but very detailed as many books must be evaluated to remain in reference, made circ, withdraw and/or see if a newer edition exists and order it. I'm overseeing the project and others have given me the results from their areas. We had our dept. meeting yesterday (first one in months) and as usual I'm doing more work. I don't mind it and like the challenge but don't understand why others don't volunteer more. I tried adding the comments java script code to my blog and I can preview it but I don't see it live. Very strange. Darcy is on a well derserved break. She and two co-workers are driving to Tampa for a FLA leadership conference. Good news is that three Canadian teams advanced to the NHL conference semi finals. Will a Canadian team make it to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1993? I feel worn out by lack of sleep. I wish I could find more time to read and as a result end up going to bed late. Last bit of news is that I finally got my heart holter results and the cardiologist said that nothing out of the ordinary was there. The heart palpitations were just my heart skipping beats. I saw the readings printout and saw the variation in beats but it was steady. The doctor said not to be concerned because I did not faint, feel faint, or get sick despite the uncomfortable feelings. I got the feeling that despite all the technology and knowledge the West has, there is still much that doctors can't do. I still feel that the climate here affects my health and heart beat. I was starting my Middle East trip four years ago. I'd love to be going on a trip somewhere for a month or two.... Saturday, April 03, 2004
Yikes! Almost a month since my last entry. I suppose one reason is that I flew home to Edmonton (March 14 to 22). A really nice visit despite the fact that my Grandmother Shires had died the previous month. The flights were horribly long but uneventful. It was nice to visit with my brother back home as we hadn't done it in almost four years. Arguably one of the highlights of my trip was learning about the quirky Canadian made television show called Trailer Park Boys. A very funny, silly plot with great characters. My dad and I were eating McDonalds and watching tv just a few hours after I had arrived. He turned the channel to Showcase. Seems to be the Canadian equivalent of America's HBO. Anyway I saw these characters yelling profanity while living in a trailer park and thought to myself what kind of reality show is this? Turns out the show has been on for three years and has developed a cult following. So I quickly bought the first two seasons on DVD with the third season coming out soon and the fourth season debuting in a week. Don't know how the episodes got on DVD so quickly. Perhaps because fewer than ten shows are made each year. I also bought online a baseball cap and shirt since the company doesn't ship to the U.S. I'm tempted to have a Trailer Park Boys party here to shock (maybe) my American friends. So I've been back at work for a few weeks and life is back to its hectic pace. I just worked six straight days and work three next week due to Easter. I need to begin working again after my layoff although I did some major cardio workouts in Edmonton. I will not enroll in another spinning class!! The FLA Conference in Daytona Beach was okay and the trip up with Darcy worked out well. But god was I discombobulated after leaving work that Friday. I'm ready to head over to Darcy's and practice drumming a bit. Her bellydance party is tomorrow. She is very good and doesn't realize it! Weather has been refreshingly cool and breezy lately. I spent last Sunday with Dante (my friend and colleague from Toronto) car shopping and he bought a 1998 Chevy Prizm. A great little car that is essentially a rebadged Corolla. So I've now helped two people buy their first ever car here - ironic. Speaking of cars - I switched my car insurance from Geico ($635/six months) to AIG ($457/six months). I'm paying much less for the same coverage. Granted AIG could be like Geico in offering cheap rates and then jacking them up after six months. Last bit of news is that Craig and Malini will visit me in mid July! Will be nice to have visitors here. In fact this will my first time having relatives visit. It's understandable since Broward County is on the extreme edge of the continent. Better go now.... Friday, March 05, 2004
Well, it's almost the end of my week. I work tomorrow (Saturday), have Sunday off to enjoy Darcy's bellydancing, and then back to work Monday. I leave a week tomorrow for home and a much needed rest. Very hectic at work as I'm coordinating the reference collection assessment project. I'm close to finishing going through the Gs but it is a small section. That still leaves the Qs and Ts. I barely have time to have fun on the web because I have yoga Monday nights, drum class on Thursdays and Star Trek and workouts on Wednesday. So that leaves one night (Friday) to do stuff. Feeling rushed much of the time as a result. Haven't had a decent workout in a couple of weeks. Debatable whether I'll have one this weekend or not. Big news is that I finally got my echocardiogram from July 14, 2003. I had my first done on July 31, 2002 but the staff forgot to do some tests. This was due to my Dad's heart problems and needing a pacemaker along with family history of heart problems. So my first test said that I had probable mitral regurgitation that surprised me. I guess I figured that me being fairly fit would rule out heart problems. Anyway I picked up the second report and the results are more sobering. It says: - mild mitral valve prolapse with mild mitral regurgitation - normal left ventricular systolic function - moderate tricuspid insufficiency - mild pulmonary insufficiency - little change from 2002 report. I had a check up last Tuesday before I got my second report so I have many questions to ask the cardiologist. I will see him on March 25. Do I have heart disease? Do I need to make changes to my life style. What can I do as I age? It seems that my occassional discomfort from walking quickly outside is heart palpations. I can feel my heart racing and there is an unusual sensation like lactic acid from working out. But it only seems to happen when I'm walking. Wonder if recent stress and/or climate has caused this. The steroid ear cream helped immensely but as soon as I stopped using it my ear began getting itchy and red. Eczema is the culprit. Poor Darcy suffers from horrible allergies and sneezing fits. This environment is toxic! Month of March will pass quickly with me visiting Edmonton and going to the FLA Conference. I need a vacation yet had one only two months ago. I'll be at Darcy's tonight and should head over there soon... Tuesday, February 24, 2004
The end of another busy day at work. This was likely my last time impersonating President Abraham Lincoln. I never thought that working in a university library (although ours is a joint-use facility) would require me to be involved in public library type programs. It's been kind of fun talking to the kids about Lincoln and the Civil War. But talking to over 240 kids over a period of ten days has gotten tiring. There was an article in the local paper about the Lincoln Exhibit. Not a very detaild piece and the nameless staff member in the article is me! Darcy checked out a book about Lincoln. Excellent reading so far. Other news is that Darcy recorded a song that two of her other musician friends mixed in a home studio. It sounds great and like a Delerium song. They want to record an album as one guy has connections to the music industry. Maybe I can play some dumbek drum rhythms although I'm not very good. Work is still busy as collection development is taking precedent. Our book budget may be drastically reduced effective July 1. I haven't written in my diary in over a month. I guess blogging is quicker to do. Darcy and I are enjoying the yoga classes. Hopefully it will have some long term physical and mental benefits. I continue to practice a bit on my drum and feel a bit more confident about remembering the different rhythm names. I need to practice playing different ones together back to back and more quickly. I registered for the FLA and ALA Conferences. Can't believe that Feb. is coming to an end! March will fly by as I'll be in Edmonton and, upon returning home, driving with Darcy to Daytona Beach for the FLA Conference. Unfortunately Darcy works over the Easter break so this will be our mini Easter vacation. That's all for now... Thursday, February 19, 2004
I'm listening to the Oilers/Avalanche game from last night and we just scored to make it 3-0! Maybe this will brighten up my day. I'm suffering from a cold and thus am grumpy that I can't work out. I was able to sleep in this morning as I work a late shift today and again tomorrow. I'm starting to work extra hours and bank them for my trip home in March. Grandma Shires's death on Feb. 9 was a blow to everyone but not unexpected. She had no quality of life for over ten years and her death was hopefully a release from her mental prison. The death of two grandparents within the past eight months has made me obviously reflect on life and death. It's strange how if someone lives to a ripe old age how few people remember them and the fate of their worldly possessions. Much of Grandpa's stuff was given away and thrown out while Grandma had virtually nothing. But she has stipulated in her will about her four grandsons receiving an inheritance. I would like to spend the money on restoring Aunt Grace's Chevelle. Since I'm agnostic I don't have strong feelings on where people go when they die. Is there heaven, hell, reincarnation or simply nothingness? All we can do is apply our earthly comprehensions of religion to the after life. Anyway I will be back in Edmonton from March 14 to the 22. Craig and Malini will be there so we can have a family reunion - the first in almost four years! Unfortunately Darcy doesn't have time off to fly up. Weather has been comfortably cool the last few days with night temps around 10 celcius. Work is busy as usual. I need to take the car in to replace the a brake light, rotate tires and wheel alignment. I've not had it in the garage since June. My ears are much better since the doctor gave me a steroid cream. I've reached the time limit for taking it and must now see how my ears react. I must go back to the doctor for a followup and finally get my echocardiogram results from last summer. Final news is that the university is changing HMOs again so I must look at the paperwork. What a fiasco! No wonder healthcare in the U.S. is crap. Rates go up for the same bare minimal coverage - just like car insurance. But living in South Florida is a factor too. Better get back to work now... Friday, February 06, 2004
TGIF and Payday! Although I'm not as elated as I should. I'm dreading having to shave my moustache off tonight in light of portraying Lincoln a few times for the Library's Lincoln Exhibit. I'm going to look like a goof ball with that silly half beard. I suppose I have a passing resemblance to him but not up close. My boss sewed a Lincoln type costume for me to wear. I saw the doctor about my ear (for the upteenth time). It seems I have eczema and not much can be done. I never had this problem and the horrid climate here is the likely culprit. Darcy's horrible allergies is also due to the weird air down here. She is off to Tampa for a half day conference there tomorrow. My friend Dante will be staying at my place for a week while his ex girlfriend moves out of his place. My dumbek drum class is fun and is becoming a bit more complex with meshing several sections. Darcy's monthly student belly dance party is this Sunday. As usual I seem to have little energy and am finding it difficult to work out but I seems to do it. We had much rain last night - strange for this time of year. Big news is the new movie called Miracle about the USA 1980 gold medal winning team. I don't recall watching it despite being old enough to remember it. So I don't have any interest in seeing this movie. I guess I don't like movies that appear to showcase American bragging rights. I suppose I need to email my next chess move to Darcy's Dad and then head home and watch the movie Slapshot . Friday, January 30, 2004
TGIF!! I'm listening to 630 CHED right now and the weather has warmed up to minus 25 from minus 45. It's been cool here lately (around 10 celcius at night). My apartment hasn't been much above 70 farenheit for a week! I finished the Messier book - quite good. Hopefully Darcy and I will be able to see Mark play here on March 13! I many other books to read such as Souvenir of Canada. I didn't know that it's written by the same Douglas Coupland who wrote Generation X. Darcy got me interested in doing yoga so we both attend a beginners class on Monday nights. It's fun and hopefully it will help me with lifting weights. On Thursday nights I go to a dumbek drum class. It's taught by Joe Zeytoonian who is a fantastic Middle Eastern musician. His wife, Miriam Eli, teaches Darcy's belly dancing class. Both of them have formed a group called Harmonic Motion. I've taken two drum classes and have learned much. It's difficult but fun. I don't have a music background so I find the terminology difficult and am also not coordinated and being able to memorize beats. Work remains busy and the library is hosting the ALA's traveling Abraham Lincoln exhibit. My role in this is portraying the big guy himself! I don't mind doing it and have no major speaking roles. But I have to grow his silly looking beard - I don't want to be seen in public! I will probably be needed three times (Civil War battle reenactment) on Feb. 7, Lincoln's birthday on the 12th, and President's Day on the 16th. Oh well, part of being a librarian I guess. The 2004 Democrat Presidential Candidate race in interesting. I'm not a Democrat but am throwing my support behind General Wesley Clark. I agree with Michael Moore's points that he is the best candidate that can beat Bush. Unfortunately it doesn't look like he will win the nomination. He's doing well despite being a late starter but John Kerry is gaining momentum. I have nothing personally against him but he voted for war in Iraq and for the Patriot Act! I guess that's all for now. I'll head over to Darcy's for the weekend and wind down after another busy week... Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Happy New Year 2004! Hope that this year will be healthy and prosperous for Darcy and I. I'm on hold waiting to talk to John Short on his sportstalk show. I've listened to him for years. Ijust got off the phone and had a quick five minute conversation with him. So I will now listen to him rather than Bryan Hall. Anyway Darcy and I had a wonderful time in cold, snowy, Christmasy Edmonton. It's been a downer returning to Broward County. I've had to deal with my landlord and apartment problems and readjust to the hot weather (27 celcius). It was minus 40 celcius on the morning of Jan. 3 (the day we left) and was plus 25 upon arriving in Miami! What a change, eh? The cold really didn't bother me. In fact it was invigorating and I took one walk while in Edmonton. What was bad was the dry air and my skin quickly drying out. Despite the cold I seemed to have more energy than in the sweat pit of South Florida. Since many of my friends now live in Calgary so I was able to spend more time with my parents relaxing. I didn't have time to see Ellie (my Chevelle). But it seems to be in good hands and dream of the day that I will fix it up and drive it. Santa was good to me as I got some nice books, and CDs. As usual I pigged out at home but probably didn't eat as much as in the past. I had an upset stomach a couple of times including the day we left (Dec. 23). Dad and I saw a hockey game and sat in row 1! It was a good game despite the tie. Darcy got us tickets to see the Rangers play Florida on March 13 - thanks! I'm struggling to get back into the work mode. Luckily I finished some projects before Christmas but I need to get back on track. I taught a SCIS doctoral student refresher class today and was fun. I'm disappointed that their new school has no computer lab. So I must continue to passively lecture to them for an hour about navigating the electronic library. The other option is to break up the large group (upwards of 100) into four and have other librarians teach in the library. The dilemma is to convince faculty to give library instruction and have the class tied in to their curriculum. Students would complete an online test based upon the class for credit. This makes sense but faculty think otherwise. Professors naively believe that students already know how to use a library or that library instruction isn't important! I recently finished a book called The Tao of Bruce Lee . Just before Christmas I bought an Everlast punching bag that has a stand. It wasn't on sale ($150) but is worth the money. This model is cheaper but looks similar. I was able to work out on Dec. 31 and went on Dad's treadmill and did a bunch of crunches and pushups. But I need to get back into lifting - will do it this weekend! We managed to see Craig and Malini at the Denver Airport during our long olayover. Hopefully I convinced them to visit this year. Well, that's all for now - I need to go home and kick the bag a bit! Later... |
