A little Random

Day 15 + 16 Video Updates - The Final Stretch (Tel Aviv and the Airport)

2010-06-30T14:41:00.004-04:00

15.01 - Vacation reading
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svd3qAQNpbc
16.01 - Behind the scenes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpyFooKvDXU
16.02 - The best (and worst) of the trip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xuyo4Bypsls
16.03 - The credits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OWGCjIzS3E

Day 14 Video Updates - Back in Jerusalem (Day 2)

2010-06-18T07:42:00.003-04:00

14.01 - The Austrian Hospice - best place ever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcPuNDbn-U0
14.02 - Austrian Hospice Tour (p2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyhtv4xDFAs
14.03 - On the Mount of Olives
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH4tFfB2s9c
14.04 - Gethsemane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98wb8jx9JnQ
14.05 - Aaron hates cab drivers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TabWhMQkB4g
14.06 - The garden tomb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lISl7cf2od0
14.07 - Hey! It's Dave!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54h0336QW2o

Day 13 Video Updates - Back in Jerusalem (Day 1)

2010-06-18T07:38:00.002-04:00

13.01 - A fantastic steak dinner at The Cardo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Oh6ONdeZtk
13.02 - Too many stairs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUh1orXDufo
13.03 - The "Citadel of David Night Spectacular"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGvUpZwi_3g

Day 12 Video Updates - The Wadi Rum

2010-06-18T07:27:00.002-04:00

12.01 - On Jordanian public transit en route to the Wadi Rum desert conservation area
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D36Xmbp2aUI
12.02 - Brian's NASCAR camel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNoAdmbv5mQ
12.03 - What do you find in a desert across the world? Canadians!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO6yZNe8UaA
12.04 - Stranded in the Wadi Rum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OAnDhCln8E
12.06 - Resolution in the Wadi Rum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OAnDhCln8E
12.07 - Sunset
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk9pWkVXdSc
12.08 - Desert disc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__bx83WB9is

Day 11 Video Updates - Sinai and Petra

2010-06-15T01:48:00.003-04:00

11.01 - Halfway up Mt Sinai at 3am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnQ-j7rrvC4
11.02 - Mt Sinai and the case of the missing sunrise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REuhg9ds7dc
11.03 - Leaving St. Catherines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWe1GGbKgLY
11.04 - Petra, Jordan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuudFQ4ZKUI

Day 10 Video Updates - Eilat (Israel), Egypt

2010-06-14T00:26:00.007-04:00

10.01 - Georgio, our roomie from Italy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfXIbAnX-5s
10.02 - Dolphin Reef
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p g_VS60A2ac
10.03 - Israeli border in Eilat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCXe61gqkMs
10.04 - Cab driver in Taba, Egypt runs himself over http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7m2Y9hBgTw
10.05 - Near Nuweiba, on the Red Sea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KddlHDscLao
10.06 - St. Catherine's Monastery at Mt. Sinai with Drs. Peter and Betsy Brown. Phenomenal explanation of the chapel at the monastery. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXWByLa70ec
10.07 - Sharing the day's events http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmLA7G_hONo

Day 9 Video Updates - Around the Dead Sea (Day 2)

2010-06-14T00:17:00.003-04:00

9.01 - Masada at sunrise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zNCbz2SiBY
9.02 - Coming down the mountain by cable car
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF4hgoXg53w
9.03 - At a Dead Sea resort in En Boqeq
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ4LPmVIk1U
9.04 - At the bus stop in Masada...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uavj2IWkgcE
9.05 - ... stranded at the bus stop in Masada
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho36eDwkM-s

Day 8 Video Updates - Around the Dead Sea (Day 1)

2010-06-14T00:12:00.004-04:00

8.01 - En route to Ein Gedi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4uOp823kEA
8.02 - Hiking in Wadi David, where David hid from Saul
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghoYYdsCyQ4
8.03 - Swimming in Dudim's cave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-CIQcCLrVo
8.04 - A night float in the Dead Sea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fb79XgCkrI

Day 7 Video Updates - Jerusalem (Day 2)

2010-06-11T14:33:00.006-04:00

Here are the vids from day 2 in Jerusalem, day 7 of the trip.

7.01 - Temple Mount
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9tlL7FK5t0
7.02 - City of David
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5JemRTHwok
7.03 - Hezekiah's tunnel p1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCExXQT80YM
7.04 - Hezekiah tunnel p2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5vn3VV-Bfs
7.05 - Yad Vashem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxlkiHorG9k
7.06 - Public dancing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0nK4Zy3OIU

Day 6 Video Updates - Jerusalem (Day 1)

2010-06-10T01:18:00.008-04:00

6.01 - Walking the ramparts of the old city
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
6.02 - One of Mary's supposed birth places
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NvBmqUKXz0
6.03 - The Via Dolorosa - stations of the cross
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry4tSz9zECE
6.04 - A conversation with a member of the Israeli border guard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5vgzrKcEpM
6.05 - Via Dolorosa P2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKaYXznQzuw
6.06 - Outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr91jNuhZ3I
6.07 - The Western (Wailing) Wall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KIW0KJglFs
6.08 - Western Wall tunnel p1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buqEzUyQi ao
6.09 - Western Wall tunnel p2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9lq3QvtICs

Day 5 Video Updates - TLV and Jerusalem

2010-06-09T16:08:00.005-04:00

Here's the next batch of videos. Poor internet connections have meant we're a little behind, so our apologies to our audience. Hope you enjoy.

5.01 - Sabbath on the beach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =27kqUf88NzU
5.02 - Arrival at Jaffa Gate Hostel (2:30 am)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =GaQBRSRWqQQ
5.03 - Jaffa Gate and the single bed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =CCTbJOPnBaY

Day 4 Video Updates - Northern Israel

2010-06-08T19:59:00.001-04:00

4.01 - The chocolate croissant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le_hVURmBgo
4.02 - Beit She'an
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVjSVqw54Fc
4.03 - Meggido aka Armageddon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPOBUPbNdbk
4.04 - Meggido P2 - the tunnel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-X2ShW_EWY
4.05 - Caesarea, Herod's port city
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gqrZEaCv98
4.06 - Goodbye, rental car
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf0iT6KGOEM
4.07 - Drum fest on dolphin beach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6plcPXI7oT0
4.08 - Beach update
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgGaQf6vmy0

Day 3 Video Updates - Galilee Area

2010-06-04T10:13:00.003-04:00

Hi all,

Here's the second batch of videos from the trip. Day #3 was based in Tiberias on The Sea of Galilee. Our itinerary saw us all over the place - way to the north, accidentally falling on the border of Lebanon, way to the east to the border of Syria in the disputed territories, and then around Galilee to Capernum, the Mt of the Beatitudes and the Jordan River. Having a rental car was the right decision.

3.01 - Starting off the day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EunQSLRR0
3.02 - Hitchhikers and the border of Lebanon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWw1Xsnli D0
3.03 - Banias falls, Israel's largest waterfall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c97dkgrdS 34
3.04 - Nimrod Fortress P1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWtHDU8nl 1o
3.05 - Nimrod Fortress P2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYR6te9rH 8E
3.06 - Israel on Guard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT2n6YqJo gU
3.07 - Capernum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-e1k2rVR Fk
3.08 - Mount of the Beatitudes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPhiOcwj8 d0
3.09 - Zippori, birthplace of Mary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMEpPDwNJ qw
3.10 - The Jordan River, where Christ was baptized
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW62r92b7 mc

Day 2 Video Updates - Akko, Carmel and More

2010-06-02T13:56:00.005-04:00

2.01 - Knights Templar tunnel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zp_B7_JfDE
2.02 - Leaving Akko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoNOsQApRsE
2.03 - Mt Carmel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlAhRG0jc94

Day 1 Video Updates - Welcome to Israel

2010-06-01T20:16:00.003-04:00

Hello friends,

Let me introduce Aaron and my video updates. Each day we'll be taking a series of short videos explaining where we are are and what we're doing. They will be coarse, unedited little numbers, and often taken in the car. Factual errors will be plentiful, as will be coarse language. Enjoy.

1.01 - Dinner with "Elmgot" (Almog)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZamLHFOj8_Q
1.02 - Late night arrivals and police escorts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frkyNrr2ZFg

So much stuff, such a tiny little bag

2010-05-31T09:26:00.003-04:00

It's 9:30 am and I've been busy tying up a few loose ends before getting dropped off at the airport. I don't mind sharing that it's been a very productive morning, helped for certain by a slightly unwelcome early start. No alarms and awake by 6am.

I can't remember the last time a trip disrupted my sleep like this one has. While excitement is definitely part of it, I feel like my lists and plans have done little to ease the itch that I'll be unprepared. And while the Middle East is largely seen to be less, err, tame than Canada, most of Israel is safe, modern, and a generally wonderful place to be. So, if my shoes aren't good enough or I'm hungry, I won't need to fashion a glue out of camel saliva or subsist on locust and honey.

The plan is to rent a car for the first few days of the trip. We'll be heading north once we arrive and I'll be taking Big Uncle Gare's advice to drive through the desert. It's apparently a wonderful way to see the country. I'll admit that I'm a tad nervous about how the transportation will all come together, but at the same time trust my able travel companion who will be taking care of these details for us.

And so it begins. The next update you see will be from the other side of the world. We covet your prayers for safety, reflection and fun.

Brian

Dusting things off in time to head into the desert

2010-05-25T09:34:00.005-04:00

Well, the Facebook flood hit and this lowly blog was swept away in the torrent. But, with next week's trip to Israel almost upon us, is there a better place for the telling of our stories and sharing of our masterful photos? I think not.

Our itinerary is getting close to cemented and accommodations are being booked. Here's how things are looking:

Date Night Location

31-May Monday Airplane

1-Jun Tuesday Akko

2-Jun Wednesday Tiberius

3-Jun Thursday Tiberius

4-Jun Friday TLV

5-Jun Saturday Jerusalem/TLV

6-Jun Sunday Jerusalem

7-Jun Monday Jerusalem

8-Jun Tuesday Ein Gedi

9-Jun Wednesday Eilat

10-Jun Thursday Mt. Sinai

11-Jun Friday Petra

12-Jun Saturday Wadi Rum

13-Jun Sunday Jerusalem

14-Jun Monday TLV

15-Jun Tuesday TLV

16-Jun Wednesday Airplane

This list is basically where we'll be spending our nights. The days will be filled with with all manner of fun - Caesarea, Mt. Caramel, Tiberius, Capernum, Nimrud Fortress, Golan Heights, the Jordan river, Beth Shean, Mt. Sinai and St. Catherine's Monastery, an evening with the Bedouins and more.

I can't wait.

U2 and the Dirty Beard

2009-09-18T08:17:00.003-04:00

On Wednesday Steven and I saw U2. It was fantastic. While the folks in front of us provided almost as much entertainment as the show at points, one cannot deny that Bono and the boys know how to get it done.

You'll notice I have a bit of a dirty beard in this pic. Well, after four days of camping followed by some inattentive days with the razor, I sculpted my scruff into a make-shift goatee. Epic. I've since shaved the beast (itchy neck, meetings in public) but enjoyed the experiment. We'll see if I do it again.

Back to U2. Sitting in the "nose bleeds of the nose bleeds" (as Steven called our seats) doesn't give you the upfront-concert experience - I think Bono was there ... - but it does allow for some semi-aerial shots which I present to you below. Note the screen that extended like an accordion and the giant spaceship (their description, not mine - I think it's more of an aquatic spider).

Tonight: The Weakerthans!

2009-09-15T16:45:00.000-04:00

After missing the Weakerthans a few months ago thanks to an ill-fated trip to Vancouver and having to toss the tickets, tonight I win. Not only will I get sweet, sweet John K. Sampson loving, but will be walking to the venue from my house and will be one of probably only 100 people in the show.

Even though they consistently sell out larger venues, the Weakerthans always come to Hamilton and always play an intimate venue. It's pretty sweet.

I know I haven't blogged much, mostly because there's been a whole pile to blog about and I've been living in utter chaos. I'll try and give you a bit of an update when I can. Oh, and tomorrow? U2!!!

THAT IS ALL.

James and Ree are married!

2009-08-24T10:41:00.002-04:00

Congrats to James and Ree on tying the knot this weekend. Wow, it was an amazing day. For the first time ever, I have a sister!

After a week of intensive time with the fam, wedding miscellanea and all of the usual fun that comes with an event of this scale, I'm happy to have a few days off to catch up around the house. On Thursday I'll be in Vancouver for a short visit and another wedding - this time my cousin, Jon.

There are so many things to update you on but they'll need to wait for now. Cheers.

Massasauga

2009-07-30T11:07:00.004-04:00

After a bit of delay, here's a taste of the past weekend's canoe trip in Massasauga Park.

Nick and I met up with Jack, Jordie, and Hibby around 8pm (after my GPS took us into Parry Sound and cost us an hour). We bombed the goods out of the car and dropped two of the three cars in lots outside of the park.

Our first evening's paddle was tiny - only a couple of km - so Jack decided to swim rather than paddle. Given that we had five people and two boats, no one was "princess" on day one.

Jack and Jordie took care of the food, packing everything by day into small, waterproof containers. One of the perks of having doctors for parents is there is no shortage of pill containers.

Friday breakie - french toast. Cards and canteens were trip staples.

On the right is the faithful MEC Tarn 3 - the same tent my brother Josh and I shared on our trip through Europe.

Nick scoping things out. We had hoped to use this tree for a rope swing before the weather soured.

Whether it was throwing rope into trees to string up our food to keep the bears away or to get the rope swing set up, this was not at all an unfamiliar sight.

Despite a forecast of non-stop rain we managed to get a decent amount of sun and even a couple lovely sunsets.

Hibby getting it done.

Sausage - camp style. We ate really well the entire trip. So tasty.

Pirate Jack

Camp stove chili. After a swim in the lake this tasted incredible.

Post-rain dancing Brian.

Setting up the extra tarps when we were hit by the only real rain of the trip. But oye vey did it come down when it finally arrived.

To celebrate the downpour we broke out the hymnals and sang #269 - As Raindrops Wake the Sleeping Desert.

I'm still waiting on a few more pics which include more paddling shots, our bear sighting (with three cubs), and typical male camping antics. Stay tuned.

Quickly...

2009-07-23T13:25:00.003-04:00

I'm leaving the office in 20 minutes to head off on a canoe trip (amidst the worst weather of the "summer") so I'll keep this short. Here we go with another edition of "quickly":

The conference in Cleveland was far better than expected. The calibre of people being far beyond what one would normally expect to find, the event proved far less a conference than an intimate conversation between a group where I was the lone person not considered an elite.
While in Cleveland, I hit up the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Highlight? Beatles memorabilia and seeing the giant heads from Pink Floyd.
Side observation: Detroit's airport is far nicer than Cleveland's and makes announcements in English, Spanish and Japanese. Now that the auto sector's tanked, we'll see if the Japanese announcements survive the cut.
Canoeing. I bought a head lamp and am otherwise ready (physically, maybe not emotionally) to survive the next few days. Hopefully my T-Rex esque cycler's arms can handle the madness.
Peas are in season. About damn time.
I've added two new stores to the list of places where I need a chaperon. Adding to Home Depot, The Dutch Store, and pretty much any bike shop are Costco and MEC. Mercy.
My monitor at work failed and I picked up a new one. The problem? It has a pink hue. I'm not sure it's bad enough to make it worth returning.

That's all for now. One of these days I'll get around to posting all of these pics I promised.

They're not Detroit...

2009-07-14T09:53:00.003-04:00

On Thursday I'll be heading off to the lovely home of the Drew Carey Show, Cleveland. While I hear the city has much to offer, including a river that's prone to catching on fire, the timing kind of sucks as I miss both an epic camping trip as well as my brother's Stag and Doe party (a bit of an Ontario creation for my west coast readers).

The reason for the trip is to attend a conference put on by the Liberty Fund on moral business. The readings in preparation have been fascinating. Although I have two business degrees I've never really spent the time walking through some of the foundational original sources. Through my readings I've now dabbled in Kant, Aristotle, Aquinas, Augustine, Carnegie, Adams, and a few others and have appreciated how it has already tweaked my thinking on business. Some of the more philosophical discussions around the role of currency and how it changed our views on acquisition make me wonder what the next advancement will be.

Even though Cleveland's not the most glorious city in the world, I'm finding myself looking more and more forward to attending. All expenses are covered, we're staying in a great hotel, and the list of attendees is far more skewed towards practitioners and less towards academics, meaning a much better fit for me. Plus, I'm sure there will be sweet housecoats for my lounging delights.

I'll take my camera along and will try to sneak off and snap a few pics. Stay tuned!

First fruits

2009-07-07T08:17:00.002-04:00

This morning, as I watered, the first produce from my yard snuck out from behind leafy hide-away to say "friend: it is time to eat". You have no idea how exciting this is. Starting with the sweetest snow peas I've ever had, I then moved on to my raspberry bushes and plucked a few ripe berries. Giant zucchini flowers have appeared and my tomatoes have begun to take shape. In a few short weeks dinner will be almost entirely yard-based.

If it doesn't rain this afternoon, I'll do a little garden montage for all interested. Mmm.

Good news for beach bodies everywhere

2009-07-03T17:38:00.003-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen:

As declared by the Globe and Mail, we have seen the dawn of the "belly renaissance".

With regards to our own visual appearance, men apparently focus more on function and overall health:

“With regards to the body, men often tend to be more focused on the function and the health of it,” she says. “So they think, ‘Yeah, I've got a beer belly, but you know what, I don't have diabetes or heart disease, and I'm a construction worker and I can lift stuff.'”

And even more compelling:

“If we all had to look like that lean muscular ideal, none of us would ever have partners. And that's clearly not the case,” Dr. Hildebrandt says to reassure me that women can't maintain those standards outside the lab. “There'd be like six guys who were dating half the planet. And they'd be too busy modelling and would be dehydrated all the time from all the diuretics.”
So it seems to me that men should continue to stand up – or rather, sit down – for their exceedingly wise valuation of attributes other than appearance. Exercise enough in order to not have a heart attack and then let your inner beauty, which is dying to emerge from beneath the pudge, draw in the ladies.

I write this, beer in hand, thinking of fixing the newly acquired flat (ugh) on my roadie while dinner smells dance up the stairs to let me know a meal is on its way. Life is good and is on course to improve.

The Beach BBQ - Summer Begins

2009-07-02T10:35:00.003-04:00

You know that summer has arrived (or at least, is very, very near) when the evening beach BBQ hits the calendar. These pictures are from the first of the season. I didn't swim because I arrived too late and the water was cold. However, I did grill up a storm.

Wingfest 2009

2009-06-15T09:57:00.012-04:00

Likely the trashiest event I've been to in a long time, this past weekend saw Rob, Jon, Steve, Paul, Joel, Kat and me on the Hamilton Waterfront to celebrate "Wingfest". Grouped in with Hamilton's indigenous mullet and beer belly population, we rocked out to bad 80s hair bands and dodged the locals posing with the girls from the Hooters booth. Stay classy, San Diego.

While the food was overpriced and the crowd under-dressed, we still had a good time. Unlike the original mental picture we had of quaint booths selling wings on the grassy hills of Bayfront Park, somehow the city managed to hold an event on the waterfront that completely eclipsed one of the great lakes. No, our glorious vista was of spray-painted signage declaring the home of 2009's best wings. Real nice.

In the end, the food was tasty (corn-on-the-cob and the mango chili wings topped things for me) and the company was good. The art tent on the edge of the Midway had some quality work and a few of the street performers were well worth watching. At the end of the day, I'd likely go again (next time sporting torn cut-offs, a monster truck rally t-shirt, and a week's worth of stale sweat).

Backyard Theology on Tap

2009-06-12T08:28:00.003-04:00

This Sunday at 7pm Rob, Graham, Emma and I are pleased to present the first installment of "Backyard Theology on Tap". From the promo:

Looking for a place where thoughtful discussions, tasty bbq, and faith intersect? On Sunday, June 14 “Backyard Theology on Tap” kicks off its summer season, starting at 7pm. Featuring succinct interactions on a variety of things that matter to you, 20 and 30-somethings are invited to gather for fellowship and interaction at Brian's house. Food will be provided. Please care for your own drinks and lawn chairs.
This week’s topic: Urban gardening with special guest Jack Van Dorp, M.Pl. For more information contact Brian at 905.730.7201.

Do feel free to pop over.

New issue of Comment

2009-06-11T15:48:00.003-04:00

Dan, Gideon, Alissa and the rest of the wonderful Comment team at Cardus have put out another stellar issue of the magazine, entitled Responding.

In addition to a recipe I submitted for a kickin' pepper cheese bread (p. 45), you'll find a great symposium on psychology and correspondence between the delightful David Naugle (who I'll get to meet in Dallas come September) and Calvin College philosopher James K.A. Smith.

Do subscribe if you haven't already. Students are only $10 a year.

Baaaaaa Mmmmmbaaaaaa Harskamp

2009-06-11T13:23:00.002-04:00

After starting my Masters more than three years ago, my degree was finally conferred as of yesterday. Along with a single PhD, 148 other MBAs, and more BComm students than I'd care to count, we hopped up on the stage, shook hands with the Chancellor, and dropped off the opposing edge.

As I was a masters grad and not an undergrad, I did not have to be kneeling while hooded. However, as I was not a PhD, the Chancellor remained seated when he shook my hand. Good times, nonetheless.

It was, of course, a highly prestigious ticketed event.

Even better than graduating is being able to walk to your grad from your house. I love living downtown. The last time I was in the Great Hall at Hamilton Place was to see Feist.

It looks like I'm balding, but it's just the light. Really. I'm three in from the right with the lovely full head of lighter-brown hair.

My tremendous parents flew in from Vancouver and spent Sunday through Wednesday with James and me. Here I am in my Harry Potteresque finery. You can't see my cap in this picture, which was another privilege of being a masters grad. I did have a cap. Undergrads had to go without one. But I didn't.

And here's the hardware. While I doubt I'll throw my letters on my business card, I think this will go on the wall when I move into my new office space in September. The frame even matches my degree from Redeemer, which is nice.

Thus ends, for now, the formal chapter of my education. While years of practical experience still float ahead and the thought of doing a coursework doctorate has crossed my mind, I have no concrete ambitions to this end. From here on in it will be one-off courses and maybe the odd certificate. To the future!

For those wondering on the title of this post, it is a proud tradition among my group of peers that a person, rather than adding their letters to the end of their name as a sort of academic entourage, treats them as a phonetically-pronounced prefix followed by their last name. I hope you enjoy this practice as much as we do.

Disco Dingos

2009-06-10T10:20:00.001-04:00

James, Ree and I among many others are members of the newest team in the Hamilton Ultimate Club Tuesday night league. It has been a very different experience from last year which, while not bad at all, was a team we were added to by friends. Last year's team made the playoffs, but just barely.

This time around, James and I decided to co-captain our own group and we've been thrilled with the results. First, the amazing folks at Compass Creative sponsored the team and produced our logo, which you see above. Fine work as always. Second, Personal Mortgage Group sponsored the team allowing us to scoop up some sweet jerseys, which we'll have in hand by next week. I'll post pictures once they come available.

Tuesday nights don't come quickly or often enough!

The Reno (Round 4)

2009-06-09T09:15:00.000-04:00

Donning rubber gloves that were way too small and the last pairs in stock, Graham and I broke out the wood conditioner (which I had to drive to three different stores to find) and then spread out the "Tropical Cashew" finish. Nice stuff.

Graham pushing it with the wood conditioner. When he lost the gloves, his arm hair left with them.

Pre-finish, post-stain.

While we had great weather for most of the week and had most of the furniture on the driveway, we did end up having to move everything into the front entrance. I'm surprised it fit.

Steve couldn't wait until Rob would get home and find the front door totally blocked. Funny stuff.

And here she is: the final product. I still have to give the floor another coat of sealer this weekend and the trim needs to be painted white (goodbye, cream!). I'll let you know how this turns out.

All told, there were some parts that were quite a bit more fun that others. Having no living space and the entire house mired in dust has not been fun. When we tackle the kitchen in August, I hope it's a little bit easier to live in.

The Reno (Round 3)

2009-06-09T07:05:00.003-04:00

Today's entry: sanding!

We rented two beefy sanders to get the job done. As Graham had sanded 6 or so floors prior to mine, he graciously volunteered to help and made the reservation. Half of the cost of the rental comes from the ridiculous amount of sandpaper you need to pick up.

After every sanding we'd give the whole mess a sweep. This is the first major sanding, using a 16 grit paper. Masks, ear plugs, and sheen of sawdust were ours to wear.

Here I am rocking the edge sander. We ended up having some trouble with the first one we rented after the first day of use and needed to pick up a second (and much nicer) unit. It had a light on the front.

It took multiple goes on rough grit to get the old wear and weird paint that we found only on the edges of the room off. Still, results came fairly quickly. Finish, however, took a lot longer.

We had to go over the room multiple times with each sander on increasingly higher grit.

You get a sense of the difference.

Plastic went up on the doors to keep us from breathing in the sawdusty goodness when in our rooms.

Meanwhile, the rest of the house lay in ruins.

But, we did get there!

Despite the rough shape of the house, flowers in the yard continued to bloom.

The Reno (Round 2)

2009-06-08T07:44:00.003-04:00

Last time on "The Reno" Brian and friends began ripping up carpet and padding to exposure the hidden floor underneath. What will today's chapter have in store for our heroes? Stay tuned . . .

The carpet was lifted, cut into strips and kept in the kitchen, freeing us up to get cracking on this ugly linoleum tile. One friend semi-seriously suggested keeping it in. I'm told it may have been stylish at the time.

Thankfully, the tiles were glued to sheets of plywood which lifted out with some work. What was wonderful about this whole process is that we were able to tear things out sheet by sheet, saving a lot of grief. The first couple of boards tore when we pried them up, but after a bit we managed to go a large square at a time.

With the carpet, padding, tile and subfloor out, we were left with the exposed (and in some places painted) pine. And a lot of rubble. This is another one of the Brians lifting the carpet. He was a huge help throughout the demolition.

The only real casualty of prying out the floor was this board breaking off. It came apart as we pried the final sheet of plywood out of the living room. We were not enthused.

We repeated the same steps in the dining room, only to find that there were a couple more layers to deal with. Here you see a plastic wood laminate.

As we pried the subfloor off, hundreds of nails were left in the floor. I spent the better part of a couple of hours prying them up one at a time.

Underneath the wood laminate we had a surprise - old newspapers from 1937 to 1942!

James catching up with the latest fashion advice.

A sample of what was happening in the world at the time.

With the newspapers removed (and saved), the flooring all out and the nails removed, we had things ready for the next chapter: sanding.

World Club - June 13

2009-06-07T07:19:00.000-04:00

For those of you in Vancouver who like listening to (or pretending that you listen to) solid indie music, be sure to check out the Music Waste festival.

If you can catch a single night's worth of shows, be sure and see my brother's band, World Club, play. They hit the state at the Biltmore Cabaret Saturday, June 13 and are sharing the bill with Japandriods and Hermetic. If you haven't heard of these guys, that's ok. One night of your time and you'll be the coolest kid on the farm.

The Reno (Round 1)

2009-06-04T09:23:00.004-04:00

When I bought an old house I started hearing mutterings of people who had ripped up their floors to find gleaming, antique hardwood underneath. While there was no oak under my carpet, a little inspection did find us a beautiful old pine floor in remarkably good shape.

The following is a tale of that renovation. I've taken plenty of pics and, as time allows, will share them a mouthful at a time in this space.

With two rooms to renovate and not a pile of furniture room, we were forced to dance my belongings from dining room to living room to allow us to work. What you see here is the dining room.

The living room, which is at the front of the house. Notice the (ugly) yellow walls.

Paint, with colour selected by my good friend Brett and brands and volume by Laura and Bun. I'm innocent as a newborn when it comes to this stuff.

First step: out comes the carpet. You'll notice that I splashed a little primer on the walls in behind, which shows as a pastel green. Not the final colour, friends. Fear not!

Under the carpet and padding was old-school linoleum tile. It's funny seeing what was stylish back in the day. The tile was set on plywood sheets which, once the first couple were pulled out, was surprisingly easy to remove.

Next: the floor underneath!

Oh, we're a pushin' it

2009-06-03T08:20:00.002-04:00

Friends, family and e-stalkers,

Much has been happening and as such, there is much to report. I'm short on time (and you'll see why) so I'll keep it brief for the moment.

Quickly:

Three days in Ottawa for work last week were productive and highly enjoyable. Highlights included meeting and chatting with Paul Brandt, seeing Ravi Zacharias speak twice, staying in an historic house in the downtown of O-Town, and a wide range of successful meetings with interesting people.
My zucchini are poking through the dirt and doing well. The countdown to tasty has begun.
I am, thanks to the help of countless friends, the reno king. Gone is my ugly carpet, emerging is freshly sanded pine. More on this soon (I've taken a lot of pictures!)
The Disco Dingos are fully sponsored and have new jerseys coming in soon. I'll post our logo in the next couple of days. I'm thrilled, as always, with the excellent work of Compass Creative on this project. Even better than pretty jerseys and a killer logo is the fact that we're playing really well as a team. Again, more on this later.
The folks are coming out in a couple of days and I graduate in a week. I'm excited.

So much more to say, but alas my time is through.

Congrats

2009-05-25T10:31:00.004-04:00

James graduated from Redeemer on Saturday, making him the third member of the family to claim an undergrad degree. So far the count sees a B.Comm., a B.Sc., and a B.A. Kind of neat. James' fiancée, Ree, completed her B.A. as well and will also be adding a B.Ed. to the listing. Woo.

More of that summer stuff

2009-05-19T15:52:00.005-04:00

Over the weekend I managed to score myself a sweet sunburn, played some disc, bbqed a lot and gave the ole garden a real push. Things are coming together.

While I had taken the time to make a short film of the yard for those far, far away (specifically to be viewed in this space), I regrettably can't publish it due to a couple of audible comments made during its filming. Editing may help the cause - I'll keep you posted.

Peas!

James doing a little planting. Yes, they were on sale.

My backyard workshop

That's right.

Shoot!

2009-05-11T13:55:00.000-04:00

Warnings

City of Hamilton
10:52 AM EDT Monday 11 May 2009
Frost warning for
City of Hamilton continued

Frost expected tonight.

This is a warning that at or near zero ground temperatures will cause frost in the parts of these regions. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements.

A cool Arctic air mass remains entrenched over southern Ontario. Frost developed overnight in a large part of southern Ontario and temperatures will drop below freezing again tonight.

Temperatures within the City of Toronto are expected to be milder, due in part to the urban heat island effect. However there is still a risk of frost.

Preparations should be made to protect tender plants.

Waffle-Mania

2009-05-11T07:44:00.005-04:00

On Sunday a whole whack of really excellent people descended on an apartment in Centre Hamilton for "Waffle-Mania 2009". The goal? To make as many waffles with as many combinations as time and ingredients would allow. At the end of the day we had made 94 waffles in seven different flavours, including (among others):

The Pina Colada (pineapple, coconut flour)
The Mike H (after my father's own recipe)
The Ham & Cheese on Rye (old cheddar, garlic, rosemary, rye flour, honey ham)
The "Fruits of the Spirit" EXPLOSION (bananas, apples, Mandarin segments, blueberries, and a little coconut flour)
The Presto Pesto (pesto, fresh tomatoes, Spanish onion, old cheddar)

Here are a few pics from the day. Needless to say, everyone went home happy, tired, and smelling of batter.

Mundanity

2009-05-08T08:22:00.002-04:00

Quickly, here are things that are upcoming and exciting or past and memorable:

Movies. Last Friday a few of us gents grabbed dirty chicken wings and then watched the new X-Men film. While some of the more discerning among us thought the film was B-grade, I appreciated the superpowers and massive explosions as always. Good times.
Movies. Star Trek, directed by J.J. Abrams. I'm excited. Rob's beyond excited. It's going to be magic.
Spring. My drive to work is perfumed the entire way by new blossoms. My Schubert Choke Cherry in the front yard is white with tiny flowers. I saw a hot pink tree this morning. Like really hot.
BBQ. Every meal, breakfast included, has been BBQed this week. (Slight hyperbole, perhaps). Last night we had the first nice steaks of the season and they were fantastic. I made my own steak spice including smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper. Very nice indeed.
Music. Vampire Weekend and their Oxford Comma. Man it has me where I'm at. Thanks, Josh.
Biking. Big trip planned for the end of the month. I best get used to sitting on my bike for more than half an hour.

That's all for now.

2009 Garden Fest

2009-05-04T20:26:00.002-04:00

I planted round one of my garden this past weekend and it was deeply, deeply satisfying. Although I was a little slow on a couple of veggies, meaning they'll need to be bought as plugs rather than planted as seeds, overall things are nicely on track.

On the perennial front, my raspberries are already going crazy and my strawberry patch continues to expand. Mint, oregano, thyme and chives have all come back and, as usual, my rosemary died a grisly death. This year I will be growing globe basil and rosemary in planters with the intent to take them indoors once fall hits.

I hope to do a little photo-documentary this year and give a bit of the "story of tasty" - from compost to compote. There's no excuse not to.

For the first time ever I am growing peas and, given the run-away success last year's "Brian's Bacon Carbonara", having fresh pods to pop a few steps away builds an anticipation store veggies can't match. As Rob and I have decided to not join in all of the fun a CSA box of veggies brings, I'm doing my best to have fresh greens as soon as possible with all manner of other fun as the season ripens. This year's expiriment: wildly spicy peppers.

After a little more gardening this weekend I'll be sure to submit the intro to my visual expose. Stay tuned.

The long road in

2009-04-28T23:25:00.003-04:00

I don't have a commute. Well, not one to speak of, really. For nearly a year I would hop into my '91 Escort and drive between 45 and 90 minutes each way to work, with the CBC and the occasional colleague for company. Things have changed.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I still drive to work. The difference here is that what was always more than an hour each way is now 15 minutes by foot. When things get busy I crave 30 extra minutes of relaxation, productivity and anything in between taking the car offers. Being at work at 8am is so much sweeter than 8:15, and although I could wake a touch earlier to make that happen by foot, the last few months of snow, sleet, and rain don't make the most compelling case for changing my habit. So I drive.

I love my drive in. I go by several parks, the faces of familiar commuters and, most importantly, at no point go on or near a highway. It takes me five minutes to reach the office. Three minutes to drive home from work. My commute home feels like an extended stretch at the end of a long day. As if, in a single reaching effort I take the day's events and put them neatly to a shelf to be unpacked the next day. When I come down from tipped toes and my hands return to my side, I am home.

Today I had a real commute. With meetings in Toronto and a pick-up in Scarborough, I was in my car more than I was outside of it. I went through 5 incidents of road repair (each more horrific than the last), 3 car accidents, and 2 separate moments of severe congestion. GPS time to arrival underestimated travel by an hour and a half. Even more. How could it know about lane closures? An old joke: parking on driveways and driving on parkways. I moved on neither.

Tomorrow, I will commute once again. Five minutes in; ten if I stop for tea. There's nothing quite this good.

There and back again, or, The Hamiltonian

2009-04-27T14:10:00.003-04:00

It is 27 degrees today and leaves are finally cracking through their sappy shells. When I breath deeply and pull in air perfumed with grass, charcoal bbq, and blossoms it's hard not to close my eyes and dream.

Late last night I returned from 8 days in BC. Although a few weeks ahead of us on the spring front, it wasn't as hard coming back to Ontario as I thought. Sure, it's not as green, but it's green enough. For now. And with thoughts of Pinery camping, family weddings and wandering around in shorts while throwing the disc front of mind, I come to you via blogger.

It was good being "home". A couple thoughts (quickly):

I feel my ownership of Vancouver slipping and it's a bizarre and confusing sensation to say the least. The only reason I actually noticed it happening was a period of time earlier this year where, for the first time since I was an undergrad, I considered making the very fine mountainous city home again. Although this is back on the pensive shelf, it remains unsettling.
I'm starting to get a better sense of the types of people I connect best with, both in terms of life experience, background and passion. I wonder if this means I'm starting to know myself a little.
The picture of family, as defined in my childhood, is nearly over. This isn't bad at all - quite the contrary. But a nostalgic part of me wants to keep the old intact; a living photograph to revisit when I can. I'm excited for new additions to our family and for how relationships grow, but it's hard not to dig heels just a touch as adulthood takes the place of a familiar dynamic.

There are many more thoughts - tied to purpose, vocation and identity that are bouncing around inside. Satisfaction. Things like that. I think these are life questions that you build on daily. Such is the slow, constant business of faithfulness.

Buckets of fun

2009-04-07T14:01:00.003-04:00

Nothings says "welcome back" like leaving sunny 21 degree weather to a nice winter storm warning. Despite buds near-bursting on my cherry tree in the front yard, a dusting of white has found its way to Hamilton once more. Blah.

Where was it 21 degrees, you might ask? Not Calgary, where I spent the better part of last week working on this event (covered by the Calgary Herald). Although not warm, Calgary did have productive meetings, the largest helping of prime rib I've ever experienced while dining with a fellow alumnus from my alma mater, and generally good times while hosted by the gracious Pennings'.

I spent Thursday eve through Sunday in Vancouver, and while I was initially greeted by Vancouver's trademark April handshake - a damp cold - things warmed up in a hurry. Meetings, time with friends, and hanging out with the fam made for a very busy trip. It's great that even after being away for nearly a decade, part of my heart still lives in Vancouver and I have a rich community to visit every time I'm in town.

Highlights from the trip included:

Dinner with Amy on the patio in White Rock (mmm, lobster ravioli), basking in the sun.
Time with the VO, learning about The Cleanse, and seeing just how long model Obama could hold on with his fist lodged in the butter (longer than you think).
An incredible Indian feast courtesy of the folks. Mmm, so good. Plus, hours of conversation with the parents and the bros, which never gets old.
Josh's bongos at Vancouver CRC Sunday morning and my palm frond stuck in the tree at the front of the church.
Gears of War 2, too much Japanese, and a Starbucks packed full of strollers with Geoff.
Mentoring, being mentored, and drinking plenty of beer while doing both. Tobasco sauce in Corona, eh? I'm game.
Hearing about the work good people are doing, both here and overseas, and leaving inspired.
Getting excited about potential business opportunities while brainstorming with friends.

I'm back in Van two weeks from now and expect an equally epic and enjoyable time. Thankfully the next visit will be a little longer than 3 days and should include more than a couple hours of sleep. . .

Best month for concerts ever

2009-03-27T10:52:00.002-04:00

Never in my life have I seen a month with so many Toronto-based concerts worth attending. The Weakerthans, Jonathan Coulton and more - it's incredible. But there's a downside.

For work and personal reasons I'm out west a great deal in April. My first trip means that my brother's taking a friend (and my ticket) to see John K. Sampson kick out tunes like Reconstruction Site without me. A second trip now means that my hopes of seeing tunes like Re: your brains and Shop Vac will be left unfulfilled.

I'm very disappointed, but I'll manage.

Miniatur Wunderland

2009-03-25T08:18:00.003-04:00

Almost four years ago to the day brother Josh and I had just begun our 5 week Europe trip with a visit to Hamburg. Although it proved to be one of the least enjoyable portions of the trip (we commented that we didn't really have any fun until Berlin), it certainly was memorable.

First, we stayed with a wealthy married couple Josh had met on a couch-surfing website. Young, modern, and well dressed, they were great hosts. One night we were even treated to a home-made traditional Hamburgian meal (bring out the smoked fish!). But there was one small problem. The wife didn't think her husband deserved her and treated him as such. The pinacle of this was the full-out yellfest she had with the poor lad, who we quite liked, after he left pasta from the night before in the microwave by accident. As if for our benefit we heard her screaming in English, "You're SO stupid" over and over. Nice.

When we asked what was worth seeing in the city, they told us of the Red Light district (not our style), the fish market, and of course, Miniatur Wunderland! Being on a very modest budget, paying 12 euros to see a small scale world didn't really seem like the thing two guys would do in a city. But, as our hosts had provided us accommodations for free, we felt a certain obligation to check it out. And it was as bad as we suspected.

So, why the flashback, you might ask? This morning Josh had emailed me an article from the BBC: Model railway's global uber-view, praising good ole wildly underwhelming Wunderland. Hilarious.

For those who weren't around when we did the trip in '05, here's an original blog entry from Hamburg. Enjoy!

http://oikonomia.blogspot.com/2005/03/germany-part-1-hamburg-josh-and-i.html

The interview

2009-03-24T09:31:00.002-04:00

This evening I'll be running a clinic for business undergrads at Redeemer on preparing for job interviews. Fun stuff. It's neat reviewing all of the material and remembering just how stressful these things can be.

Without going into a full-scale discussion on demographics and recession, I am incredibly grateful I graduated when I did. It's a tough time to be looking for work. Hopefully tonight helps give the attendees a bit of an edge.

This is the first time I'll be running this workshop. I hope it goes well.

Finally

2009-03-23T07:54:00.004-04:00

With cold, dark months behind us, it is now a time for regrowth.

March has always been an ugly month here, and while April - still in waiting - is better, one can't help but fill spirits lift in anticipation of the soft, red hue that will soon overlay the brown as buds fill trees and as tulips press through the earth.

I'm excited to leave this deathly cold and brownness behind. Bring on the green!

Manning

2009-03-17T10:41:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I attended a couple of conferences, the most notable being the Manning Centre's annual Networking Conference. It was a hoot. While the Friday's events were stronger than the next day's, Manning successfully brought together some of the shining stars, emerging thinkers, and behind the scenes thinkers in the conservative family. After a couple of weeks running around like crazy, it's been nice to have a quiet couple of days to catch up on mounds of laundry, errands and the relationships that get put on hold when life starts to blur.

Things outside of work are going well. With the delicious weather continuing, minds have begun to wander towards what the summer holds - frisbee, beach-side BBQs, and dinners spanning late into the evenings taken on the back patio. I can't wait until going home means changing into shorts and gardening. And when I think of camping, weddings, and watching fireflies dance through my tomato plants, I can almost smell green grass laced with mint after a fresh cut.

Vacation, Part 1

2009-03-11T10:08:00.002-04:00

I'm back in the office after taking my first chunk of holidays for the year. So many wonderful times were had.

Briefly:

Jonathan Horlings' epic one-man performance of House. Watch this blog for announcements of future shows featuring this talented actor.
One of the funniest Question Periods I've ever seen. For those who haven't heard the tale, do ask me and I'll act the whole scene out for you in dramatic fashion.
Dinner at the CN tower overlooking the city as night fell. My lovely date told me that there was a thunderstorm complete with lightening near the restaurant as we dined (I never did get a chance to see it, but I wish I had).
Dark beer, yam frites and good conversation at one of my favourite Toronto pubs, C'est What?
Lots of driving, time with friends and loved ones, and all kinds of adventures.

It's funny how the best vacations always leave you more exhausted than when you began, but with a smile on your face. It's always surprising how someone can spend a short time in your life and by extension, in your space, and quickly belong. And it's curious how that person can change your space so that when they leave, there's a silhouette of memory that is slow to fill.

Feb 11

2009-03-04T08:54:00.002-05:00

I've been delinquent, but not inactive. Really. After prompting from loved ones that this wonderful and creative space has gone a bit stale, here is a post for you. Forgive me if it's more news than muse.

Quickly:

This Saturday, March 7, Jonathan Horlings is performing a one man play, HOUSE, at my place. You are welcome to attend. Bring your own booze and we'll do our best to keep you fed. I'll post the invite later today. If you intend to come to my home and take things, such as my ceramic tea pot, you are not invited. Tough, but fair.
I've recently joined one of the volunteer boards at St. Jo's Hospital. This is very exciting - more to come on how that shapes up.
Natasha comes to town tomorrow and we'll be sharing the days following exploring Ontario and Quebec. Hopefully the weather holds!
At the prompting of WIRED Magazine, the male equivilant to Martha Stewart Living, I have bought and am reading The Watchmen. It's a cultural good, right? I don't intend to have it finished before seeing the film.
I have not been practicing guitar as often as I should be. Sorry, Matt. New songs: Sunshine of your love and Hey Jude. New songs skill level: low. Pick count: 2.
After a 20+ year hiatus, I went cross-country skiing this past weekend with Brother Jack. I fell and hurt my bottom. But it's ok, it got better. Amish sitings on the drive home: 7.
I've been making corn bread a lot lately and plan on making buns in the next couple of weeks. I don't bake, so this is uncharted country for me.
I signed up for Blip.fm. I like it. I posted one song and a girl in Germany told me I was cool. I don't think she knows I'm German, too.

There's more to be said, but I'll save it for a post in the next 4-7 days.

The Big Melt

2009-02-11T16:02:00.003-05:00

I've often commented to loved ones on the west coast that spring hits Ontario like a bad case of the hiccups. And while declaring a few days of +10 as the beginings of spring may be premature, especially given that we're not even half-way through February, it does cause one to raise an eyebrow. I expect that this time next week we'll be shovelling out of 3 fresh feet of snow. That's just how it works.

Quickly, why the warmer weather sucks:

No "Winter Wonderland Party" in the backyard, no bar made of snow, and no ice chairs. None!
No more pond hockey.
Having just picked up another comforter for my bed, I'm now just a touch too warm at night. Boo.
I actually break a sweat when I jog, rather than hording the heat to keep appendages affixed when it drops below -15.

And equally brief, why the warm weather is good:

It costs less to keep the house warm. This makes me smile.
I don't need to keep the cute little mit on my shift nob in the car, which keeps the frostbite from gnawing my palm when it's super cold out.
The utterly useless, terrible citizens who don't shovel their driveways in the winter (grrr) no longer plague my jogs. This warrants a dedicated post at some point.
I can run without gloves on (and without the fear of dying alone in the cold should the temp drop too far, too quickly).
I don't need ice skates to cross the pavement from my front door to my car.

There you have it. Expect a post in the next few days about a little get together taking place March 7. Fun times ahead.

Add it to the list

2009-02-05T09:20:00.002-05:00

As I have an empty slot on my "MUST do this during my lifetime" list, given that I saw Spamalot on Broadway, I am now adding this:

Attend TED. Ideally without paying for it with my own money.

All of the folks I want to be when I grow up will be there. They're blogging and Twittering about it, and I'm delightfully jealous.

Finger tips

2009-01-29T08:48:00.002-05:00

I've now had two guitar lessons with Matt McKenna of Garner fame and I'm loving it. At the same time, it's hard not to have at least a little pity for the gents who live with me. As much fun as rocking out to all four chords of the Cranberries' Zombie is for me, hearing wrong notes, excessively heavy strumming, and me trying to sing while changing hand positions surely takes its toll.

I joked earlier that an excitement builds among the Hovel residents for each new lesson. Not only does the house hope for me to learn a few new chords and better master the ones from the week before, but I'll stop playing the same stupid song they've been hearing all week.

Two things hold true this morning. First, although she is generous and wise and her loaner guitar is appreciated, I have learned it is folly to borrow a guitar from the most petite among your friends. Second, my finger tips hurt from my mad guitar skills.

If I have a couple of beers and access to a video camera, I may post a song for you. It'll be amazing.

Read receipts

2009-01-21T21:27:00.005-05:00

Every now and again I empty my deleted items in Outlook. I like to have a couple hundred build up before giving the folder its proper emptying. Too often and it feels neurotic. Too late and it feels delinquent. But once the right number is reached, it's like picking dried glue off of your fingers. That good. Seriously.

Whenever something this magical exists, someone has to ruin the party. In the middle of my much awaited deleted items emptying, a prompt hovers over the list of items, eager for my mouse's attention. "Peter has requested a read receipt. Would you like to send one?" Wha? Who's this? A read receipt?

The read receipts is the tool of choice for people who do not get enough email through normal means and have prose so limp that the only way they can solicit a response is to badger the people they just wrote. They desire not only the instant gratification of your recognition, but have the gal and self-importance to assume what they wrote is indeed worth reading. These are the people who ask for your last slice of pizza and return your car after borrowing it with the needle on empty.

What is my picture of hell? When someone in your organization or social network is a "reply-all loser" who insists not only on copying everyone on his two or three word responses to rhetorical questions that shouldn't be sent at all, but demands virtual accolades in the form of an e-receipt. Heavens. I shiver as I type this.

If you happen to be reading this and are an e-receipt junky, take this as a private reprimand; an intervention of sorts. Uncheck the request option. Quietly apologize to your loved ones. Contribute to society in a productive way and quit being such a turd.

The best things about being back

2009-01-19T20:01:00.003-05:00

On Friday afternoon my plane landed on time, I found my baggage fairly quickly, and I enjoyed an uneventful drive back to Hamilton. It's always so strange to have your heart captured by two places at once, and to long for things that one space offers when you occupy the other. I missed friends, my home, my work and many parts of my routine while I was away.

And now that I'm here, I miss different friends, a different home, family, and the hundred little things I love about BC and had forgotten since my last visit. I think that one of the best parts of travelling back to a familiar place is simply remembering.

One final thought before I go and do a little work. Rob and I were chatting over lunch about the dangers of too much work. Not only do many hours spent at the office keep you from friends physically, occupying daylight with projects and ideas tied to your organization limits how you can talk to them. My brother commented that people outside of work don't really care about the cabinet he's crafting for a client, why late shipments are a pain, or the internal politics at the shop. This type of conversation is too specific and isn't really relationship building. It's narrow and self-centred. And so the challenge he extended is to deepen the dialogue. To invest. To learn about other people and actually care about them. To read more widely. Hate to say it, but I've found that I'm more than a little relationship rusty. But not unwilling to scour.

Oh man

2009-01-12T17:44:00.003-05:00

With only a few days left in Vancouver, I thought it was time for an update.

Quickly:

Sledding at Mount Seymour is the fabric of legend. Add way too much snow and a bunch of cool people and it's that much more epic.
Westside Church makes me wish I lived in Vancouver. Attending an evening service on Granville Island was definitely a trip highlight.
A new suitcase! I am officially a business traveller thanks to a score through a good friend. Hello $350 baggage for less than 1/3 the price.
Embarrassing though it may be, bowling is better with bumpers. Believe that.
Winter ale! Winter ale + lobster ravioli. Winter ale + Raven's nachos. Winter ale + a dark room at home by myself. All good.
4:30am meetings - glad to have them, though they hurt all day long.
Congrats to James and Ree! We're so excited.

That's all for now.

Aha! There you are!

2009-01-05T16:43:00.005-05:00

As so many blogs have already kindly pointed out, the new year is upon us. Today marks the first of 9 days which will be spent working from the family office on Cardus donor development planning. It will be a good time.

Rather than giving you a post-Christmas feast's worth of beefy prose to chew through, you get a literary salad. Light, and mostly water:

Quickly:

I feel like I don't have the emotional capacity, energy or creativity to appreciate this year's snowfall here in Vancouver. It just won't stop. The piles shovelled up along my driveway are getting to be as tall as I am.
Even though you know in your head that Seattle is Starbucks HQ, have heard there are a lot of their stores in Seattle, and have been to other cities (such as Vancouver) which suffer the same affliction, this much holds true: there are a retarded number of Starbucks in Seattle. How is it even possible that other chains, like Seattle's Best, also have too many stores? It boggles the mind.
Outlet malls. Who knew? (He says as he gently pats his new sweater.)
My cousin is a cheerleader. To this I say two things: 1. It's more work that I ever gave it credit for and may even at some point describe it as a sport. 2. I'm deeply grateful for the culture built up in my high school. I think I would have been a clumsy fit in the American system.
Mars Hill Church in Seattle - just as cool as I though it would be. (Please note the complete lack of connection between good MHC in Seattle and heretical MHC in Michigan).
I'm still listening to Christmas music.

Christmas Venture Capital Proposal

2008-12-25T11:30:00.002-05:00

Guy Kawasaki, who you have met through the pages of this blog before, has a very clever little post on how one would pitch Santa's North Pole operation to venture capitalists.

Original post here.

Problem. Parents need a method to influence their non-compliant kids throughout the year. This is a universal problem beginning at approximately age three and continuing up to the teenage years.
Solution. Outsourced bribery via jolly old man who gives candy and toys to nice kids and lumps of coal to naughty ones.
Business Model. Revenue sharing with toy companies and candy companies, licensing image to retailers, and royalties from multiple movies, songs, and publications.
Underlying Magic. Ability to deliver toys to all the kids around the world in one night, make reindeer fly with near zero-carbon footprint, enter homes through chimneys, know what every kid wants, and know whether every kid has been naughty or nice. Zero support issues due to omniscience. Completely lead-free materials. Over fifty patents filed.
Marketing and Sales. Current SEO methods yield 15,700,000 hits in Google. Partnerships with toy manufacturers, candy companies, and retailers to increase Santa’s brand awareness for mutual benefits. Deep inroads into western literature. Creation of long-lasting brand awareness by working with grandparents. You can track market penetration in real time too.
Competition. Jesus or none, depending on your world view.
Team. Proven CEO with hundreds of years of experience. In addition, there are Mrs. Claus, non-unionized elves, and flying reindeer including one with a red nose. All work for free with no stock options. North Pole production facilities are also free.
Projections. Total addressable market of two billion children. Conservatively, 1% market share means twenty million children.

An open letter to Brian Jones

2008-12-24T00:41:00.004-05:00

Dear Brian Jones,

We've never met. But I feel that if we do, there will be some uncomfortable questions to ask.

It all started a year ago when MySpace sent me an email that said my new page was ready to go. But I hadn't registered for anything - I though it was spam. But a second note sooned followed, and I started to wonder.

It was only a few short weeks later when your coworkers emailed me and asked if I wanted to go to Vegas. The conference would be insightful and hotel prices were good. But you see, Brian Jones, they were emailing you. Why was I reading these notes? Because you think MY gmail account is yours. (It's not.)

Given infinite user name combinations, I don't see why it has to be like this. Is your address so close to mine that people always write it down wrong when you give it out? Are you some kind of a bully? Trying to take things that other people had and force them into your own hand? What's the deal?

But I've been worried about you lately. Friendly notes from your coworkers have dried up (maybe, in part, because I told them to stop emailing) and I keep getting notifications about money transfers to a gambling website. Should we talk? I feel a little concerned. Because we've shared a lot - social media, vacation planning, and casual outings. And things seemed to be going well. I'd hate to see you, ney, us lose everything due to an addiction. Life was good.

I do want to help. You know how to reach me.

The owner of the email address you keep using,

Brian

Into the hills

2008-12-21T23:14:00.001-05:00

On Saturday 7 of us took to the hills in behind Squamish, BC. With snowshoes, new winter boots, and very stylish mits I re-introduced myself to the elements - West Coast style. The day before I spent 5 hours behind glass watching as the snow delayed one flight after the next. I could run no more - and so I met the snow in its secret hideout. The mountains.

After 10km of tasty snow paths and epic views, we (along with some nice blisters I met along the way - thanks, new boots) enjoyed a scenic drive back to the house. The snow, seeking its revenge, followed us back. The driveway's seen three shovelings and counting.

Ah, l'hiver. C'est beau.

At least I'm consistent

2008-12-19T09:45:00.003-05:00

With this being no exception, I will have flown out three years in a row amidst heavy snow conditions. Where James had sunny blue skies and a nice early-afternoon flight, my exit will be far less elegant. Thousands of cars, tonnes of salt, and crowds of angry people filling the airport at one of Canada's least patient cities. Yay.

I'm hoping to work the system a little, thanks to my friend Geoff and his wisdom, and find myself into business class. Free booze, hot towels and a nice big seat. We'll see if I can swing it.

Strategic Personal Philanthropy

2008-12-16T13:47:00.003-05:00

A colleague and I were chatting over lunch about personal giving habits and how, when your total gifts don't quite hit the millions, we feel obsolved of having to give strategically. People ask, we think quickly of their cause (and consider the person's character) and then respond by either giving or not.

Early in the new year I plan on writing a personal giving statement. It won't be too long and it will be (hopefully) very practical. It will identify what charitable areas I feel most strongly about and why. It will outline how much I should be giving. It will outline where I should be donating another valuable resource - time. And It will provide a stepping forward point for January 2010 when I see how the year went. I think it'll be a helpful exercise.

On a related topic, here are The Seven Faces of Philanthropy (Prince and File, 1994). Where do you fit in?

Communitarian | Gives to charities that affect their direct community; Appreciates personal recognition for effort.
Devoutee | Gives primarily to religious organizations; Engages with organizations that share moral outlook.
Investor | Gives to impact-oriented entities and conducts research before giving.
Socialite | Gives to charities based on peer network; Craves social opportunity but less interested in day-to-day operations.
Repayer | Gives to charities they have directly benefited from; Appreciates opportunity to honour them.
Altruist | Gives according to compelling social causes; Responds to urgency but not interested in active role.
Dynast | Gives to well-run charities that provide information and interaction with donors; Seeks to be influential in areas outside parents' interest.

Comment Gift Subscriptions

2008-12-08T11:00:00.006-05:00

Cardus just announced a shiny new product available in our online store (something we should have done years ago): Comment gift subscriptions! Know someone who should be reading Comment and isn't? Order a gift subscription for a loved one today! Or for five loved ones!

All gift subscriptions ordered before December 18 will come with a fancy card in a nice envelope with the recipient's name on it sharing news of their good fortune. It's perfect for under the tree - I know as I'll be designing the card myself. Donate a extra couple hundred bucks and I'll throw in a signed 9x12 glossy of me in my biking tights.

Want to get things done? Click here or on the icon below.

God With Us

2008-12-04T09:13:00.004-05:00

Now in the season of Advent, allow me to recommend what we're reading together as a house:

Packed full of stunning art and seasonal reflection, I highly recommend grabbing a copy.
Click here to make it happen.

10 Tricks Customers Hate :or: the Bell Canada Customer Service Handbook

2008-12-02T08:46:00.002-05:00

Bell Canada is a company whose customer service and product offerings are so bad they've become urban legend. Anyone who has had a phone line, internet connection, or cell service with them will be able to read through this quick list and recount specific stories for each point. A little closer to home, I've personally spent hours of my time navigating phone trees to get service or complain about the lack there of.

Taken from here through here.

Shrink your products’ packaging while raising prices
Hide behind a phone tree
Fight with customers
Stick it to your customers
Sell a shoddy product
Tell your customers they are wrong
Provide inconsistent information to customers
Stand around idle while your customers wait
Let your website throw confusing errors at customers
Treat current customers as second class citizens to “new” customers

Navigating the mess

2008-12-01T09:08:00.000-05:00

Cardus Senior Fellow and Director of Research Ray Pennings offers a couple of thoughtful posts summarizing the current political mess in Ottawa. I found them to be a helpful perspective on what the heck is going on.

Check them out:

Sorting through the toos and fros

and

Unprinciple, Power, and Personality

Bwah!

2008-11-28T09:59:00.002-05:00

Dangerous.

On influence

2008-11-28T09:51:00.004-05:00

Last night's Managerial Negotiations class focused on the role of influence in negotiations. Robert Cialdini, the biggest of the big boys in this particular field, gave a neat and distilled 6 points on the key principles. It's crazy how much of this stuff fits with the donor development world.

In brief:

Principles of Influence

1. Reciprocation

a. Be the first to give:

i. Service

ii. Information

iii. Concessions

2. Scarcity

a. Emphasize:

i. Genuine scarcity

ii. Unique features

iii. Exclusive information

3. Authority

a. Establish position through:

i. Professionalism

ii. Industry knowledge

iii. Your credentials

iv. Admitting weaknesses first

4. Consistency

a. Start

i. Small and build

ii. With existing commitments

iii. From public positions

iv. Towards voluntary choices

5. Liking

a. Uncover:

i. Similarities

ii. Areas for genuine compliments

iii. Opportunities for cooperation

6. Consensus

a. Unleash people power by showing:

i. Responses of many others

ii. Others past successes

iii. Testimonials of similar others

New hobbies

2008-11-25T20:44:00.003-05:00

As part of learning what the heck a Director of Development does, I've been doing quite a bit of reading. While I have no intention of making this blog a donor-management site, it'd be unkind of me to not share such a glorious resource. Hello, two hours of every day:

Donor Power Blog!

Oh man, is it ever packed full of good stuff. When I come across something extra compelling, I'll throw it up for ya.

Quickly:

I've booked my ticket for my Christmas trip back to Vancouver. I'll be working from the Gloryland for a couple weeks, extending my stay. Count on seeing me on the street between Dec 19 and Jan 17. Dinner invites can be sent to my work e-address.
I signed up for Twitter today. I have one person following me. Add me - bharska.
Winter surfing? Seriously?
Redeemer Alumni board. Crazy. One meeting under my belt.

More fun to follow.

Man, she is one cool lady

2008-11-08T15:18:00.002-05:00

A few folks have heard of my run-in with a bit of a vocational celebrity of mine - Nancy Duarte - which took place a little while ago just off King St. in Toronto. Bringing together a group of people excited about her new book (see my earlier post, here), Nancy took the time to share a latte and a piece of her world.

Quickly:

Through my work I've had a chance to spend time with a lot of top-level folks in business and political circles and few of these people can reflect the gentle humility I found in Nancy.
I was very surprised (and impressed) how well versed Nancy was in all areas of her own discipline. She seemed to know every book, every keynote, every pundit, and every event tied to her industry. Given that she's been pioneering the art of presentations for nearly two decades, it was challenging to see the effort she put into keeping up to speed with everyone else' work.
It turns out we share a very similar worldview and hearing her speak of her core convictions gave fresh energy to how I understand my work and the shape of influence. She may be moving from celeb to hero in my books.
I'm on her blog! Check out the pictures on the Slide:ology website here.

I'm hoping to be running a seminar on presentation development next semester at Redeemer and plan on using Duarte, Reynolds and Roam's books extensively. I'll post more details when available for those interested.

Nearing the end

2008-11-04T07:27:00.001-05:00

This morning I made my last tuition payment to McMaster. It's hard to believe I have 4 more classes and will then be done my masters.

Sweet, sweet Gatineau

2008-11-03T18:36:00.004-05:00

The last three days Jack, Andrew, Steve, Jody and I spent booting through Ottawa and the Gatineaus. Here's a quick, mildly annotated photo diary of the trip. Not in any particular order due to time constraints.

Hitting the Dep' after a hard day riding. Note the bottles of fine Quebecois malted treats.

Gatineau, QC overlooking Parliament Hill

Cleaning the shit off my bike after riding through salt, snow and all kinds of dirt.

Snow riding. Given our 23-25mm tires, this was pretty crazy.

Middle-aged women can't get enough of Steve and me. Must be that cycler's musk.

Fueling the Pegasus before 'launch' - 6am Friday morning. Fuel priced at 88.9/L.

My Bianchi in the foreground with Jody in the background.

Subway Friday afternoon, moments before the ride began.

I've kept the slightly more risque pics off the blog to protect the other riders. Come visit me at my place and bring a bottle of wine and we'll give you the full photo tour.

Next trip: Florida?

Gearing up

2008-10-27T08:32:00.003-04:00

On October 18 Steve, Jack and I rode 100km in support of the Ride for Refugees and had a heck of a good time. Lots of fun and hard work. The last 5km made me say some things I wouldn't repeat in church.

This coming weekend the three of us, joined by three more people, will be going on a weekend-long cycling adventure. It's going to be crazy and I can't wait. I'll make sure lots of pictures are taken and I'll do my best to avoid getting a flat. I get a lot of flats. Although not 100% confirmed, I think we'll be riding through the Gatineaus in Quebec. Given my hill-climbing track record, I'll be hurting pretty bad come next week.

More to come!

Welcome to Cardus

2008-10-24T08:08:00.004-04:00

Last week I was involved in three seperate events taking place in Ottawa. The event with the most substantial impact on my daily life was the re:launch of my organization, the Work Research Foundation.

After months of brainstorming, careful planning and piles of hard work, we are now CARDUS. From our new website (www.cardus.ca):

WHY CARDUS?
The Cardus was an ancient north-south road that connected the people of Roman cities to their major public spaces. On the Cardus Maximus governments, markets, temples and more lived and worked to build a common life for the good of the city.
Today’s North American cities are connected by high speed highways, and asphalt roadways, bringing their occupants in encased metal bodies from point A to point B. Global culture generates a huge amount of data, but it is segmented, disconnected and isolated. Our think tanks have concentrated on politics, but forgotten the importance of culture. Professors and policy advocates are world leaders in minute areas—but who paints the bigger picture? Our institutions, like our people, function in a new kind of social and intellectual isolation. Policy is made without a place for religion, religion is practiced with little thought to the common good, and work is done without connecting the "why" to the "how".

Thanks to everyone - be it vendors or staff - who contributed to this exciting new stage. On a more personal note, I have accepted a promotion with Cardus and now serve as the Director of Development. See my profile online here: http://cardus.ca/organization/team/brian/

Perspective

2008-10-13T19:06:00.002-04:00

At today's thanksgiving service, we paused to reflect on all that we are grateful for. Things we do not deserve. Things that were given out of love. Things that came at a cost.

I easily forget how rich life is and how amazing the gifts I have been given are: Gifts of a strong family. Gifts of heritage and tradition. Gifts of faith. Gifts of community. And the gap between how I live and how I should live serves both as a reminder of where I should be and at the same time of how far there is to go.

On from here.

The push-it week

2008-09-09T07:03:00.003-04:00

In an hour or so I'll be driving up to Ottawa for a couple days. I've found it really surprising how much busier I became as soon as September hit. Once more it's evenings at the office and multiple work trips to different cities. My next 8 days sees me in Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and then back to Hamilton. I'm actually quite looking forward to it.

Today's trip to Ottawa will take place using my car. We'll see how comfortable she sits for 5 hours up, and then (with a third person in the car) 5 hours down. We already have volunteers for the back seat (I hit my head on the glass).

On a slightly different note, I recently read that fuel efficiency decline due to high speed has less to do with your engine working less efficiently the faster you go and more to do with the volume of wind you run into. Crazy.

2 Years, 51 days

2008-09-05T12:37:00.003-04:00

News!

Over two years ago something tragic happened. My '91 Ford Escort died. After much contemplation, I decided not to replace her, and for nearly 26 months became car-less. I lived close to the grocery store, work, and church. I wanted to save money. I couldn't justify buying a replacement.

All this changed yesterday. After over a month of research and shopping, I have wheels once more, and it's great. I haven't had it long enough enough to experience the full-out bank account drain, though I sense it lurking around the corners. Hopefully it doesn't sting too badly. In any case, goodbye walking, hello footprint.

Gardens and Yards

2008-09-03T08:02:00.003-04:00

On my walk into work I pass a lot of homes and a wide range of gardens and yards. Here are 10 things people do with / put on their properties which make me mildly upset (and sometimes amused):

Bad fountains. You know the type - water trickling onto a small piece of stone and then into a half-buried laundry wash tub in the front yard. Honestly, people. What was the thought?
Any kind of garden figurine. The worst offenders are the mother deer and fawn, staring peacefully into each other's eyes, and anything that looks like it was pilfered from a Precious Moments shop moments before it was jammed into the earth up to its pastell-coloured pants.
Silhouettes of people and animals. Think cheezy plywood shapes painted black and leaned up against the fence. Ugh.
The 'a little too natural' garden. This is when people plant perennials and leave them. For years. The effect - 90% weeds with a trace of some sort of leafy ground cover sneaking through - gives the street a nice 'sell your drugs here, please' sort of feeling. You can smell the property value rising.
The 'hanging baskets seemed like a good idea at the time' garden. Take a trip to the garden centre, take back a hundred bucks worth of cheap planters, and then add a summer's worth of neglect. As nice as white plastic tubs sprouting with plants of the undead can be, I could do without.
The 'colour blind with lots of time' garden. Everything's well tended. And nothing matches. This garden makes me think of bad wool sweaters.
The 'secret garden'. Here we see a relatively well tended front yard, a fence with ivy snaking around the panels and arches, and then (glimpsed through gaps in the flora) long grass, old paint cans and a car on blocks. Nice one.
The 'almost sodded' front yard. Spend a couple hundred bucks on nice grass. Water most of it. Let large patches die. Do nothing about this. There you go.
The 'trees have a different role in our family' garden. Here, the homeowner is disinclined to trim the large conifers and leafy wonders filling their lot as it would be a form of opression. These trees should be allowed to express themselves as they wish - and if growing out of control in all directions is what they want to do, we support them.
Decorative fences, furniture, and other crap you find at bad yard sales. I'm talking about the white or green plastic benches, dim, pale-light casting solar-powered lanterns (which never look as good as they do on the box), and the one square metre yard bordered by the elaborate cast iron fence. What the hell?

For those with yards containing any of these elements, I still love you. I just won't be coming to you for landscaping advice.

A full tank

2008-09-02T07:44:00.003-04:00

I've heard many a friend comment on how August felt less like a month and more like a somewhat-blurry whooshing noise. I know what they mean.

Being the sort of person who likes everything - leisure, work, etc - to be found neatly in Outlook, today was a bit of a sad day as I cleaned up my calendar.

"Delete recurring item: Ultimate Frisbee?" Yes.

"Delete recurring item: Craft Dinner?" Yes.

Delete casual nights in the back yard? Delete swimming at the beach? Delete hanging out with your brother, walking around the city with Starbucks in hand? Yes, yes, and yes. Delete trips to NYC to visit Alexa, bike trips with Jeff, and reading outside in the sunshine. Yes.

"Add recurring item: Night class?" Yes.

And so enters the fall. As sad as this post makes the transition sound, there is much to be excited about. After a long weekend spent on the beach with good friends, strong drink and lots of food, I'm ready for what will be a hectic, challenging and wildly enjoyable couple of months.

I'm excited.

NYC in pics

2008-08-26T15:08:00.000-04:00

After a bit of a delay, here are a few of the 300+ pics taken when I was in NYC with the brothers. Enjoy!

17 hours

2008-08-11T08:55:00.002-04:00

After eight and a half hours of driving, two and a half days of intense touring, followed by another eight and half hours on the road, I am back from NYC once more.

Pictures to follow soon.

How things are done

2008-08-06T12:16:00.003-04:00

A friend invited me to be part of a foursome at a tourney played at Uxbridge's Wooden Sticks yesterday. Despite finishing with a team score of +4 (Texas Scramble), it was a thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable time.

Some of the highlights included playing a pristine course (where at times you felt very guilty about taking a divot out of the immaculate fairway), being well fed and watered (complimentary food and drink at nearly every hole), golfing with incredible people, and leaving the course following a nice meal and feeling good, even if the final score wasn't that great. One particular food highlight for me was steak and lobster on a bun, provided by a steakhouse in Burlington. A nice bottle of pineapple soda from The Pop Shop was on hand to wash it down.

It'd be well worth commenting on the details of this tourney as a 'how to' for successful event planning, though I'll spare the particulars at this point. All told, I had fun and learned a lot.

Special Summer

2008-08-04T08:34:00.002-04:00

This last weekend was the first that actually felt a little like summer. It seems as though the busier one becomes, the easier it is to miss the nuance of space and season. Last night Alexa and I watched the stars come out, peaking behind scattered clouds while lying out on my front yard. I should do that more often.

I should also mention that Sunday was spent at a secluded version of Port Dover and that I finally had a chance to swim in a lake. Now to deal with this sunburn . . .

It's coming!

2008-08-01T14:50:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I unwrapped delight in the mail - my copy of Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen. In the same post I mentioned, heart pumping with anticipation, Nancy Duarte's upcoming book. Well, it's finished! And it's name?

Although not among the privileged elite who have seen, read and caressed it in its final bound form, I did receive an email encouraging me to look through a few sample pages. One of the spreads, focusing on emphasis, saw a return within seconds as my brother borrowed insights for presenting his summer research results.

Do check them out for yourself. Here.

Sadly, my budget and schedule won't let me go to the book launch on September 25th in California. Mostly budget. I looks like I'll just have to settle for the webinar.

Huzzah

2008-07-29T10:06:00.002-04:00

There's something absolutely miserable about being in school during the summertime. Trying to read dry articles when it's sunny outside burns. Going to class when the air is warm and the roads are calling to be cycled upon is like leaving a loved one when heading off to war. Well, maybe at a 5% concentration. Same direction.

Tough as it is, I've persevered. Thirteen weeks have pasted and now I have a single course to go. How exciting!

Sweet like honey to my soul

2008-07-28T13:03:00.002-04:00

Every now and again I get a chance to simplify things a little. I cast aside the computer. I leave the house with all its comforts and distractions. I get my hands dirty. Well, in this case covered in honey.

I forgot all of the stats on how many bees it takes to make a pound of honey, but let's just say that if all of them decided to sting you at once, you'd be in really rough shape. However, extracting said honey without the bees around to give you stink is so satisfying it put the rest of my leisure in deep contrast. One hive, 3 boxes, and two or so hours of work yielded 95 pounds of honey. 95! The whole simple science of beekeeping and the tasty rewards are still making me spin.

One of the more memorable moments of the evening came when our host made a comment about parenting. "If we've raised our kids in such a way that they get this excited about honey, I think we're doing something right." There's something to that.

Start Cooking

2008-07-09T07:51:00.000-04:00

One of my online heroes, Guy Kawasaki, shows us how to make some tasty teriyaki sauce on the very neat foodie website, Start Cooking. For those of us more visual than, err ... literate, this is a neat way to learn how to cook.

Go away, or I shall taunt you a second time

2008-07-08T08:00:00.004-04:00

I spent last weekend in NYC with my lovely lady, Alexa. As usual, we had a pretty full weekend planned ahead, starting with what Alexa told me was a get-together with a bunch of her friends. We generally spend a bit of time hanging out with her community as they're good folk and a lot of fun, so when she suggested a higher-end lounge on the outskirts of Times Square, I was on track.

We get off the subway, walk through the square, take a turn and then I stop. Directly in front of us is the Shubert Theatre, current home of the Broadway production of Monty Python's Spamalot. I look at Alexa. She smiles. "I have some bad news. Turns out none of my friends are coming out with us tonight. Feel like going to see this?" And so the magic began. The experience was all I hoped, and in true MP fashion certain elements of popular culture were pushed perhaps a touch too far.

The weekend also featured a trip to Coney Island, a run-down amusement park/boardwalk that smells of old sweat and has you constantly wondering if the shifty looking folk all around are trying to decide if you're worth mugging. We did ride the Cyclone roller coaster. Unfortunately, my large "City Frittata" from breakfast was woken from blissful slumber and made a few unhappy comments. We decided that although a second ride would be much cheaper, there was no sense sharing my meal with the rest of the passengers.

In a few weeks the Harskamp men will be decending on NYC, accompanied by two of our lovely ladies. It should be a riot. I can't wait.

2010

2008-07-07T08:58:00.001-04:00

Alexa and I have decided to try and become volunteers in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Given that family in the area makes the accommodations piece a little earlier, why wouldn't you want to be a part of the city's history in such a cool way?

Fingers crossed that we get the events we listed as our first choice!

Please help

2008-07-04T09:05:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone,

Angel Tree Camping, a program run by Prison Fellowship, needs drivers to help out here in Hamilton. Each year they send children whose parents are in prison to camp to help them relax and just be kids. Below is a list of locations and children who need rides.

Drivers would need to do a Vulnerable Sector Police Check (this is valid for two years - Prison Fellowship would facilitate and pay for it). Two adults are needed in each vehicle. The driver will need to send copies of up-to-date insurance and of their driver's license, and a copy of their drivers abstract. PF would help with all of this as best they can.

If you're able to help, please email Tara Bishop at tara@prisonfellowship.ca or call at 416.848.4793.

Thanks!

July 20 - July 27
Canterbury Hills Camp (Ancaster)
7p.m. drop at camp on July 20, 7 p.m. pick up at camp on July 27
7 yr old girl & 12 yr old brother live in Hamilton

Canterbury Hills Camp (Ancaster)
7p.m. drop at camp on July 20, 7 p.m. pick up at camp on July 27
8 yr old boy lives in Hamilton

Aug 9 - 13
Canterbury Hills Camp (Ancaster)
7p.m. drop at camp on Aug 9, 7 p.m. pick up at camp on Aug 13
12 yr old girl lives in Hamilton

July 27 - Aug 7
Circle Square Camp Brantford
4 p.m. drop at camp on July 27, 10:30 a.m. pick up at camp on Aug. 7
14 yr old boy lives in Hamilton

Aug 17 - 23
Circle Square Camp Brantford
4 p.m. drop at camp on Aug 17, 10:30 a.m. pick up at camp on Aug. 7
9 yr old girl lives in Hamilton

Fourth of July

2008-07-04T08:05:00.003-04:00

I'm off to NYC to spend time with my lovely lady. Apparently we may get a few fireworks as the country's way of saying 'thanks for popping bye'. I think this is the first 4th of July I've ever spend in the US. Should be fun.

H/T to the VO.

On the menu

2008-07-03T14:50:00.002-04:00

I'm having green beans from my own garden for dinner tonight. I'll try and post some pics of the magic that too much rain and plenty of sun have created. I like beans.

Receipt Fail

2008-07-02T07:58:00.004-04:00

A couple months ago we had some tech problems at work following the install of MS Exchange. At the suggestion of one of the consultants we were working with, we decided to take advantage of Microsoft's flat fee problem fix. After a lot of hard work from a couple of different technicians, they resolved the problem and we went on our way. It was a good service.

We paid the fee by credit card and never received a receipt. So I emailed the technician who helped me. He sent an email off to two people. A week went by and nothing came. I emailed him back. Another two people. Another week. Getting a little annoyed, I emailed him again. This time he emailed another two people, both of who actually responded this time, only to say it wasn't their area and they couldn't help. Another email was sent out, and yet another limp response.

Finally, we found someone who seemed to be able to help. She needed our
order number and a few other details to track the receipt. We gave them, and my
hopes rose. And then this:

We are unable to find any order in our system related to the details given
below.

Sekhar, can you look into
this.

Thanks
Parminder

Sekhar never wrote. Follow-ups lead no where. I ended up scrawling the invoice on the back of a napkin and glued on a Microsoft logo cut out from an old piece of software packaging. Who knew it would be this hard? Sigh.

Read at work

2008-06-30T09:35:00.003-04:00

This has to be one of the cleverest tools I've ever seen in the quest towards doing less at work.

"Read at Work", a project by the NZ Book Council, allows you to page through full books while making it seem as though you're hard at work on that PowerPoint presentation or getting things done on your desktop.

I wonder how long until the site is shut down on account of the blatant use of MS's logo and visual elements.

Check it out for yourself.

H/T to Bobert and the G&M.

Here we go

2008-06-25T06:47:00.007-04:00

The biker tights conversation came up again last night. It seems that men of my heritage and tradition fear nothing quite so much as someone who seems to be otherwise right in the head wearing padded stretchy shorts. The one thing I didn't know is that most people aren't aware that a cyclist's bum needs a lot of extra padding, which the tights provide. Function and beauty, people. Spread the word.

Neat

2008-06-24T06:26:00.002-04:00

Fancy stuff.

Falling into the trap

2008-06-20T07:25:00.005-04:00

I was waiting for a dinner meeting in Toronto and had some time to pass. I had originally planned on bringing a book, but sadly forgot. And then I found this.

Gideon had told me about BzzAgent a few years ago, so when I saw that Dave Balter had written a book and was giving out free copies, I was interested. So I read it. And it was good. And am now a word-of-mouth agent myself.

A couple quick thoughts.

First, Grunig's relationship indicators get turned on their head a touch when people barely connected to you are the ones connecting to others on your behalf. Strategic PR theory seems to be a bit more complicated (or obsolete) when the relationship dynamic is so transient.

Second, Balter's style is great. Not only was the content interesting, but I found myself breaking out the 'lol' in public space. Sometimes we take our work too seriously and forget that it's supposed to be fun and interesting. Dave brings everything together into a tasty word-of-mouth smoothie. It was delicious.

I should read more business books and magazines. I'll get on that.