Stuff about me!

See my complete profile

 
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...

posted by Michael at 8:30 PM

 

Bailey and me December 2003. 
posted by Michael at 8:05 PM

 

More henna - isn't it neat?! 
posted by Michael at 8:03 PM

 

Henna that Darcy recently painted for me.

posted by Michael at 7:59 PM

 
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.

posted by Michael at 7:05 PM

 
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...



posted by Michael at 8:56 PM

 
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...



posted by Michael at 6:16 PM