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opinions and images by m. werneburg since 1998

journal of m. werneburg

poor man's MBA
2010.09.07
Have had some really good advice of late from someone who's been through the business creation and capital-raising process.
an old photo set
2010.09.07
Once upon a time, in 2003 when the world was a simpler place, I took a trip to Manitoulin island with my mother.
ghosts of Shinagawa
2010.09.07
On my way to Japanese class today, I made some long-exposure shots of the crowd passing in Shinagawa station.
ami's dance troupe
2010.09.05
Today we went to see Ami's dance troupe perform.
my arm is healed
2010.09.02
It's great when you've recovered from an unexpected set back, especially a health matter.
she really, really likes it
2010.08.31
Mari came home late in the evening last night and found here belated gift of a photo book waiting for her.
Mari's birthday
2010.08.30
This weekend we celebrated Mari's birthday.
a useful trick in learning Japanese verbs
2010.08.30
Today my Japanese tutor showed me a surprisingly effective matrix trick for learning Japanese.
found some missing photos
2010.08.25
I've found some photos that got lost in the scanning shuffle not once but twice.
learning to crawl (with a strobe)
2010.08.23
Having had some success with product photography, I've decided to extend my ability with a strobe to personal photos.
Mari performs "The Gift"
2010.08.22
Mari had her fourth performance, in a Jazz club in Akasaka.
Amazon S3 clients for the Mac
2010.08.22
I've gone through all of the apps I could find for Amazon s3 and they've all let me down.
Pentax weekend
2010.08.21
We went to the aquarium down in Yokohama again, our second visit in two months.
the family arrives
2010.08.19
Mari's family has come for a visit.
today my wife saved my life (part three)
2010.08.18
My arm is coming along nicely.
mirror in the bathroom
2010.08.18
On the weekend, a forum I participate in had a "submit your photos" day.
hot weather
2010.08.17
I believe that today is the hottest day of the year to date, for Tokyo.
today my wife saved my life (part two)
2010.08.14
I went back to the hospital this morning as requested.
today my wife saved my life
2010.08.13
Today I learned that I have a dangerous infection.
another fish lost
2010.08.11
The constant temperature fluctuations are too much for our little 58L tank.
in the death tank
2010.08.08
Time to come clean.
managing "open with" on the Mac
2010.08.08
It's crazy, but in the Mac's OSX there's no way of reliably managing file associations with the applications that open those files.
search engine optimization
2010.08.06
We launched our business website with fairly basic SEO readiness.
NikkoCiti X'mas photos
2010.08.04
In 2007, I attended my one and only Japanese 'bounenkai' (year end party).
turning your (webserver's) frowns into smiles
2010.07.31
Here's a trick I found suggested in a comment on a site explaining the configuration of some web server software.
our first hacker
2010.07.30
Our website was taken offline by a hacker for about three hours this morning.
a break from the heat
2010.07.30
Finally we've had a break from the heat.
f'n weather
2010.07.24
Canadians like to complain about the weather.
lapsed
2010.07.21
First came the realization that I could no longer drink like I once could.
sleeping in the living room
2010.07.21
Our bedroom has no air conditioner.
hot little fish
2010.07.20
The weather's been uncomfortably hot lately, and one unforeseen problem is that our aquarium is overheating.
five years in Tokyo
2010.07.18
Today marks the fifth anniversary of my original arrival in Tokyo.
man ray
2010.07.17
Today, Joon and I went to the Man Ray exhibit at the National Art Centre.
an interesting development
2010.07.16
In reaction to my putting my photo book up on this site, I've been asked to help out with a video shoot about the streets of Tokyo.
Edonism
2010.07.16
Last night I went to the premiere screening of the movie Edonism.
selling ethical diamonds in Japan
2010.07.15
As our intern Koki put it, "It seems that usual Japanese do not really know or care about diamond issues.
the photo book is shipping
2010.07.15
Yay, a copy of my photo book has shipped.
petition for change in the Kimberley Process
2010.07.14
I've come across a petition for change in the Kimberley Process.
ethical fashion
2010.07.13
As indicated in the small series of articles I've posted on the subject, I've found "ethical fashion" a tough nut to crack.
ethics in the diamond jewelry business (part three)
2010.07.13
I've finished the trio of articles on ethics in the diamond jewelry business.
get your Japanese idiom and slang....
2010.07.12
The website I use for translations isn't downright insane but it sure is given to certain quirks.
Sundays is for voting
2010.07.10
Like some European countries, Japan confines voting in its federal elections to Sundays.
advertising on them Internets there
2010.07.10
Internet advertising.
happy Tanabata
2010.07.07
Today is the Japanese star festival, tanabata.
photos from Hakkeijima Sea Paradise
2010.07.06
A couple of weeks ago, some free tickets from Jon and Manami-san got us into the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium down in/near Yokohama.
the next step -- investors!
2010.07.05
Been doing some interesting work this week.
the day starts with death
2010.07.05
Kenny and I stopped to feed the fish on the way to the day care this morning.
jewelry retail and the iPad (or Apple, what have you done)
2010.07.02
I came to some conclusions about the iPad via an odd source.
another bike collision
2010.07.01
Today I was in a bike accident, again.
turning Anglophone I really think so
2010.07.01
Today I read that Japan's Fast Retailing is switching their internal business language to English.
location based services
2010.06.27
While studying modern marketing developments, I've come across nothing as bizarre as "location based" shopping.
inflation, debt, and general madness
2010.06.26
This morning during a conversation with my mother I explained my upcoming quest for investors in our business.
a Brock Univerity professor is going to prison
2010.06.22
One of my University professors is now in prison on a child pornography conviction.
investor proposal nears readiness
2010.06.18
Today I completed a draft of an investor proposal.
an eyesore falls
2010.06.18
They're tearing down an eyesore in my neighbourhood.
burger king is inspirational
2010.06.17
Burger King is back in business in Japan.
an interview with the media
2010.06.16
We had our first interview with the media today regarding our little business.
cycling through gotanda
2010.06.15
While cycling to my barber's shop today, I heard the honking of a horn from a car behind me.
西 revisited
2010.06.15
The hilarity of learning kanji! Slowly, I've been trying to learn the Japanese writing system.
my Japanese vocabulary is uneven (千羽鶴)
2010.06.14
I find that my Japanese vocabulary is heavily focused around three things.
weird way of getting language exposure
2010.06.12
It turns out that studying Japanese has helped me learn to read Italian.
luxury sales in Japan
2010.06.11
According to this article by Reuters journalist Isabel Reynolds, luxury goods sales fell by ten percent in 2009.
a town in the news
2010.06.10
A small town in Canada is making the news due to the suspicious purchase of a lot of ammonia nitrate.
the iPad in Japan
2010.06.09
I'm not so sure that the iPad's going to be a hit here in Japan.
Japanese yardbird
2010.06.08
In English, the (outdated?) term "yard bird" means a prisoner.
yelling at crows (part three)
2010.06.07
The deed is done, the crows are gone.
our start-up is unfolding
2010.06.07
Last week was an interesting one for our little start-up.
new journal trick
2010.06.05
I've modernized the way that URL's work on my journal.
Nanaimo syndrome
2010.06.02
At the bank again today (been there three days this week), when I once again ran into The Nanaimo Syndrome.
banking error, Japan style
2010.05.31
Being illiterate sucks.
imageshack and emuu.net
2010.06.01
ImageShack looks like a bad idea.
an epic journey
2010.05.30
Right now, back in Canada, my mother is moving from Nanaimo BC to St.
yelling at crows (part two)
2010.05.29
The city is going to come to our building and remove the crow's nest.
yelling at crows
2010.05.28
Over the past few days I've had problems with a crow.
there's warm and there's warm
2010.05.27
Japanese makes a distinction between a "warm" reception and a "warm" room.
the achievements and failings of the kimberley process
2010.05.26
I've submitted a second piece for the 21st Century Network.
a near miss
2010.05.26
Meanwhile, back in Toronto, a friend witnessed a fatal airplane crash.
happy towel day
2010.05.25
Douglas Adams would be proud.
a hit!
2010.05.25
We've had our first write-up in a jewelry-related Japanese blog.
Amazon service for hosting images
2010.05.23
My photos take up something like three gigs of disk space.
digital black and white
2010.05.23
I've tried an experiment in black and white digital photography.
press release activity
2010.05.22
Response from our press release has been interesting.
my parents are awesome
2010.05.21
There's a blog out there called "My Parents Were Awesome".
things are moving at Caritas
2010.05.20
Today we released a new look for our website.
ethics in the diamond jewelry business
2010.05.17
I've recently started a jewelry business.
"no facebook"
2010.05.17
We went to a barbeque at the home of Romi and Brian, friends who live in the neighbourhood.
a fine cycle day in May
2010.05.15
Today we went on a day-long cycle outing.
A tale of two kanji
2010.05.14
足 is "ashi" it means foot.
photos from tottori
2010.05.13
I've updated my pics from Tottori with a few final entries.
update from kamakura
2010.05.12
I've updated the collection of photos from a recent trip to Kamakura.
photos, getcha photos
2010.05.12
I've added a bunch of pics to the website over the past couple of days, and thought I'd brag about them.
the new mashams
2010.05.10
Some seven-eight months ago, our friends the Mashams moved away to Barcelona.
the musician
2010.05.08
Mari's had her first guitar for only three days.
Revisiting Tokyo
2010.05.07
Today I took my brother out on the city to find a gift for his wife.
Dirty brush
2010.05.07
This morning I asked Mari where she keeps a certain tough bath scrub brush.
getting a Japanese haircut
2010.05.06
I took my brother for a haircut today.
aquarium escapee
2010.05.06
Here in Japan, aquarium keepers tend to keep shrimp along with fish.
boy's day
2010.05.05
Today we went to Yurakucho and Ginza.
shinjuku
2010.05.04
For today's portion of Ken's visit, we went to Shinjuku—one of the places I always like to take visitors to Tokyo.
asakusa and akihabara
2010.05.03
We took Ken up to Asakusa to see the shrine complex, today.
guitar shopping
2010.05.02
Having been out til 3:30 the night before, we laid low for much of the day, today.
the wedding reception
2010.05.01
Today we went to the Tokyo wedding reception of Jon and Manami-san.
kamakura by bicycle
2010.04.30
At some point over the interminable Winter, I picked up a rather excellent little guide book for bicycle tours in Kamakura.
spring at last
2010.04.29
The weather suddenly improved dramatically today.
new website trick
2010.04.28
I've been working with an enterprising young man on building the forthcoming Caritas blog for us.
hambabu night in Tokyo
2010.04.28
Mari has another work-related drinks night tonight.
fixes and failures
2010.04.25
We had such a fine day today.
fixed jacket
2010.04.24
The handle tore off the slide of my coat on Thursday.
a home-cooked meal
2010.04.24
Jon's brother Martin and his family have been "stranded" in Tokyo since the volcano's eruption in Iceland.
crowded train
2010.04.23
It finally happened.
an intern!
2010.04.23
No start-up is complete without an intern.
strandees gone
2010.04.23
Three of the four volcano-stranded people are now gone back to Europe.
日本語上手聞きます
2010.04.20
Something semi-miraculous has happened.
stranded in Tokyo
2010.04.20
I now know four groups of travelers hoping to get to Europe who are stranded in Tokyo.
whoops I did it again
2010.04.18
When some visitors from Mari's family came for a visit today, I realized that I hadn't published yet more pics from our year-end visit.
so this is Tottori
2010.04.16
Part one of my photos from our three days in Tottori is sorted out.
references
2010.04.16
The Canadian government is polling for advice on the adoption of e-passports such as the ones that the Japanese government issues.
photos of a Japanese wedding
2010.04.16
Our friends Manami and Jon were married last weekend in Tottori.
rare and beautiful birds (homesick)
2010.04.14
As I stood looking out the window and munching on my lunch of brown rice, I noticed three gorgeous birds.
Japanese idiom strikes again
2010.04.11
At the wedding, Manami-san's sixty-something parents invited us to come over to their house to play, sometime.
fumbling with camera equipment
2010.04.11
I fear that I've managed to bugger up quite a lot of the photos of Jon and Manami-san's wedding.
a wedding!
2010.04.11
I don't get invited to a lot of weddings.
sight-seeing in Tottori
2010.04.10
Tottori is Japan's least populous prefecture, running along the coast of the Sea of Japan a good many klicks from just about everywhere.
another flattering portrait
2010.04.09
This portrait, drawn by a seven-year-old, is actually not far from my self image! Toothy, loud and bearded.
sand dunes!
2010.04.09
Today we flew to Tottori in western Japan for Jon and Manami-san's wedding.
old film turns up
2010.04.08
I had the happy/shameful experience this week of finding three old rolls of film in one of my camera bags.
awful online shops for tall men's clothing
2010.04.07
Once again, I'm heading for online clothing retail.
things are changing
2010.04.07
I had an email exchange with someone in my family about the changes we're witnessing in Canada and Japan.
clash of the Canadian titans
2010.04.03
One of the things I find refreshing about Japan is that it makes Canadian bureaucracy look like a harmless triviality by comparison.
busy week
2010.04.02
In addition to the usual "build" activities I had this week, I had meetings on every day of the week.
public relations is tricky, tricky
2010.03.31
Lately I've been tackling the issue of public relations for our little business.
shame on me
2010.03.31
They say, "Fool me once, shame on you.
puzzling toy
2010.03.30
My brother and his wife sent me this awesome toy from Think Geek.
confrontation at the immigration office
2010.03.29
I was at the immigration office getting my spousal visa renewed when another foreigner at the counter had a meltdown.
a challenging lifestyle
2010.03.28
We went to hanami yesterday, and met with several families all with kids of the same age as Kenny.
Go Miyazaki!
2010.03.24
The high school volleyball team that my brother-in-law coaches has fought their way into the national semi-final.
highschool volleyball
2010.03.22
It's time for the national highschool volleyball finals in Japan.
welcome to Spring
2010.03.21
It's officially Spring, and for once it's noticeable.
scary map of Japan
2010.03.20
I came across a scary map of Japan today.
building a PDF library
2010.03.17
In building my business I do a lot of research.
haircut day
2010.03.14
Today my sexy young wife got herself a fetching hairdo.
an old speech
2010.03.13
I was doing some maintenance on my website today and came across the text of the first funeral speech I ever gave.
taxing expat Canadians
2010.03.12
There's a movement in certain conservative circles in Canada to introduce taxation on the global income of expatriate Canadians.
four years in Tokyo
2010.03.11
It's now been for years since I arrived in Japan.
algae
2010.03.09
Everything's been going swimmingly with the fish tank, recently.
toilet flushes and hockey games
2010.03.09
In keeping with my attempts at keeping abreast of events in "the old country", I came across an interesting item from The Big Game.
making a magazine
2010.03.08
Things have come a long way since I made the content management system that I use to run emuu.
turning 39
2010.03.04
Long ago I wrote down my thoughts on turning thirty.
earthquakes
2010.02.28
Mari and I were stuck at home today because Kenny has a fever.
adjusting to Japanese snack foods
2010.02.27
Japanese snacks are sometimes odd.
staying Canadian
2010.02.26
It's hard to stay Canadian when you've immersed yourself in a vastly alien culture like Japan's.
Nate's PechaKucha moment
2010.02.24
Nate Jensen, who did the layout work on our diamond buyer's guide, have a presentation at PechaKucha tonight.
the motorcycle trade
2010.02.23
A curious thing happened today.
ear problems in Japan
2010.02.23
For the first time in my life, I've recently begun having ear infections.
don't drink "curiosity cola"
2010.02.20
I tried a Fentiman's "Curiosity Cola" today.
free labour
2010.02.20
I met with another person who imparted some great advice last night.
advice from pros
2010.02.17
Our new website is getting a lot of great feedback.
mobile phone chargers
2010.02.15
In following with my current research into the mobile phone platform, I've come across some bad news.
looking for an engagement ring?
2010.02.14
If you're looking for an engagement ring in Japan, you can now do your shopping online.
cards for emergency translation
2010.02.13
When I went to Shanghai, I knew that I'd be buying food in places where people don't speak English or Japanese.
tsukiji is 70 years old
2010.02.11
My favourite fish market just turned 70 years old.
St. Valentine's Day
2010.02.10
In Japan, St.
selling on the mobile phone
2010.02.08
Tonight was my first "mobile monday", a get-together for schmoozing and presentations pertaining to that industry in Tokyo.
language and sex
2010.02.08
Tonight I was offered sex in two neighbourhoods.
browser software
2010.02.07
We're about to launch our new business, which aims to sell diamond engagement rings to the Japanese public solely via the Internet.
fixing an old, slow Windows PC
2010.02.06
On three occasions recently, I've recommended some software for people struggling with a Windows PC that's become slow with age.
webservers (nerd alert)
2010.02.04
I've been tinkering with the webserver software that enables websites to exist for a long time.
odd behaviour at Kinko's
2010.02.04
I walked into a FedexKinkos today to do some printing.
a message from Google
2010.02.03
Today Google announced that they would no longer support Internet Explorer 6 within Google Apps.
Tokyo weather report
2010.02.02
This January was one of the warmest of my life—only Sydney was warmer.
fashion in Tokyo
2010.01.28
I'm sure that those who know me don't associate me with fashion.
pecha kucha
2010.01.27
Tonight I attended my first Pecha Kucha.
Mexican food in Tokyo
2010.01.24
It's difficult to find good Mexican food in Tokyo.
no man's land
2010.01.23
Today we went to "No man's land", an art studio/gallery that's been built into the recently vacated former French embassy in Hiroo.
Shinagawa street fight
2010.01.22
Twice in Tokyo, I've seen fights happen on the street.
anti-spam routine
2010.01.22
One thing that plagues people who run websites: spam.
changing my name in Japan
2010.01.22
As I've recently mentioned, I feel the time has come to change the katakana spelling of my last name.
new site design
2010.01.21
For years, I made feedback to this website available to all comers.
struggling with a foreign name in Japan
2010.01.20
I've been struggling with a last name that just doesn't work in the Japanese language.
shipping from the US
2010.01.19
Living in Japan, I have difficulty ordering things from the US.
kanji study tools
2010.01.18
I'm juggling a lot of things at the moment.
aquarium update
2010.01.17
The three otocinclus fish that I bought in replacement of Buddy the Pleco have died.
reverse public relations
2010.01.16
One thing I started in 2009 was feeding this journal to various outlets like facebook, tumblr, and twitter.
another busy Friday
2010.01.15
Today I did a lot of running around.
our first order
2010.01.14
We ordered a ring from our principal supplier back in December.
the ballad of Buddy
2010.01.12
This is the ballad of Buddy the plecostomus, a fish I had to give up.
new year, more cycle glitches
2010.01.12
Recently I said to myself, "I haven't had a flat tire on my bike, recently.
Nihombashi
2010.01.10
We're setting up our "headquarters" in the Tokyo district of Nihombashi.
what to do with old phones
2010.01.09
We've got about three old phones hanging around the apartment.
fishes
2010.01.09
The aquarium's been stable for several weeks now.
my boy's book
2010.01.05
I've made a photo book detailing my son's first year.
a tale of two banks
2010.01.04
In light of my recent comparison of Japanese airlines, I thought I'd mention an experience with two banks.
belief in Japan
2010.01.03
Without knowing a thing about the religion, it would seem I've becom a practising Shintoist.
where have all the good things gone?
2010.01.03
When I left my first job in Japan, one of my coworkers gave me a fairwell gift of a small set of toy cars with a jump ramp.
home again, thanks to ANA
2010.01.02
We flew back to Tokyo today.
a frosty new year and some resolutions reviewed
2010.01.01
I woke up before the dawn, and realized that I had a chance to photograph the year's first sunrise.
gaijin comic relief
2010.01.01
We're visiting my wife's family in rural Japan.
well it's over
2009.12.31
Goodbye, 2009 and the nameless decade.
Yawn, was that another eruption?
2009.12.30
I was woken this morning at 07:30 by another volcanic boom that rattled the house.
another eruption!
2009.12.29
Again with these volcanic eruptions.
my first volcanic boom
2009.12.28
Today I heard my first real volcanic explosion.
Why, JAL, why.
2009.12.25
You can tell that the government is now running Japan Airlines.
a decade ends
2009.12.23
A decade ends in eight days.
X'mas for Mari
2009.12.22
It occurred to me today that while my wife loves chocolate, she wouldn't have time at X'mas to eat any.
things are tough in Japan
2009.12.21
It's always good to get a neighbour's take on things from time to time.
losing my accent?
2009.12.21
Could I be losing my Canadian accent after a combined total of five years abroad? Kenny and I were watching a video about elephants playing in the snow.
"great husband" part two
2009.12.20
So I'm a great husband again.
earthquakes make for lousy bedfellows
2009.12.18
Last night I was up fairly late working on various projects.
paypal, swing and a miss
2009.12.18
One of the things we're eventually going to do with our business is collect payments via credit card.
Apple book printing
2009.12.17
I use a Mac PC at home and it came with this iPhoto software.
sunrise over Shinagawa
2009.12.12
This was the sunrise as visible from our balcony this morning.
learning Japanese
2009.12.10
I'm going to resume my Japanese language studies.
a Kindle in Japan
2009.12.09
Today I got my mitts on a friend's "Kindle", the Amazon e-reader.
illness (again!)
2009.12.07
I've been sick for much of the past three days.
no longer "great husband"
2009.11.30
Well as I suspected, it's all over.
pics from a birthday
2009.11.29
We had a bit of a party for Jon's 40th birthday a few weeks ago.
"great husband" again
2009.11.29
When we were first married, Mari would occasionally tell me that I was a "great husband".
Arakawa clean-up
2009.11.28
Today we spent most of the day cleaning up a small stretch of the Arakawa, the large river that runs through the eastern side of Tokyo.
stare into the .. umbrella
2009.11.27
I've learned a thing or two about lighting in this latest round of product photography.
turning Japanese (slowly)
2009.11.27
I seem to be becoming accustomed to having a Japanese wife.
back in Tokyo
2009.11.25
Well all good things must come to an end.
a wedding!
2009.11.24
This evening we attended the wedding for which we'd come to Hong Kong in the first place.
markets
2009.11.24
Today we spent the morning in Kowloon.
pandas and old Minolta cameras
2009.11.23
Today we went to see the Panda at an aquarium.
Shek O
2009.11.22
Our first day in Hong Kong was a blustery cool one.
Another new city
2009.11.21
And suddenly we're in tropical China.
what a day
2009.11.20
Sometimes, Friday just adds nothing to what you can get done in a week.
photos of China
2009.11.18
I've finally assembled the photos from our trip to China and posted them to the website.
dropped my bike .. and son
2009.11.15
I'm still a bit weak from last week's illness, it seems.
riding in Shanghai
2009.11.13
A lot of people haven't asked what it's like to ride on the streets of Shanghai.
new fish
2009.11.12
While I was ill, three more of the shrimp died.
terribly ill
2009.11.11
I was terribly ill from Monday night through to Tuesday night, with a 40ºC fever and a generally awful feeling.
happy birthday to a friend
2009.11.08
My long-time friend and business partner Jon is turning 40.
Japanese electrics
2009.11.06
Everyone's familiar with Japanese electronics.
traffic by country
2009.11.06
For the past nine months or so I've been tracking the country of origin for traffic to my website.
aging
2009.11.06
As I slide toward my 40th birthday, I'm starting to notice age issues again (for the first time since I was in my teens).
more dead shrimp
2009.11.05
In the days following the first death, there have now been three more dead shrimp.
crazy day
2009.11.04
I got more done today than I'd hoped.
visitors
2009.11.03
We met with Blake and Violetta at 10:00 this morning under clear and surprisingly cold skies.
pics from the motorbike tour
2009.11.02
I took a lot of photos on the motorbike tour.
Blake's arriving
2009.11.02
Tomorrow morning I'll be meeting with an old colleague who's coming to town.
it's our anniversary
2009.11.01
Three years ago we got married on a beach in Thailand.
shrimp tank
2009.10.31
Hmmm.
goodbye, Mashams (for real)
2009.10.30
Our friends the Mashams came by tonight for their last visit.
home again, home again
2009.10.30
It feels damn strange being back in Tokyo.
the aquarium
2009.10.29
Our last day in this mad city.
crickets, fish, and birds
2009.10.28
This morning we failed to find a river tour that could complement the tour we'd already done of the streets.
canal town
2009.10.27
Today we got out early, heading for the canal town of SuZhou.
the zoo!
2009.10.26
Today we went to the zoo to watch a panda sleep.
I guess I married well?
2009.10.26
My wife astonished me this morning by telling me that she liked my camera vest.
entry 1526
2009.10.25
I've been writing this journal for more than ten years, now.
adopting in China
2009.10.25
So it seems that adopting a baby in China is still an option.
shanghai sideways
2009.10.25
We survived our motorcycle tour of Shanghai! Not only survived it, but really delighted in it.
we've arrived
2009.10.24
Now I've ridden in maglev trains on two continents.
cycling in Tokyo
2009.10.23
Tokyo is by the safest city I've ever cycled in.
on business and busy-ness
2009.10.23
It's hard to imagine that I've got myself simultaneously involved in two start-ups, but that's how things have turned out.
a business idea is dead
2009.10.22
Looks like one of my business ideas is stillborn.
preparing for China
2009.10.19
We're going to China! Time to prepare.
an old hobby renewed
2009.10.18
It's been several years since I last maintained an aquarium in the home.
along came a spider...
2009.10.17
We have a lots of mosquitoes around the house.
happy anniversary to us!
2009.10.17
We hit upon the idea of having a getaway "anniversary dinner" while Mari's parents were here.
meetings and a visa
2009.10.16
For some reason, I decided to sandwich in a trip to the Chinese consulate between important business meetings today.
family's here!
2009.10.15
Mari's folks are here for a visit.
round two of testing starts today!
2009.10.14
Our little engagement ring business enters a new phase today.
cyyyyycling in the raiiiinnn
2009.10.14
Just getting over a cold, when I get caught in the rain last night.
new desk
2009.10.10
Mari's got a new desk for the office/bedroom.
shoe incident resolved
2009.10.09
After a few phone calls, the shoe incident is resolved.
typhoon
2009.10.07
Last night a typhoon made landfall at Tokyo.
wasp takes down dragonfly
2009.10.05
Japan has some nasty insects.
Gelding Gangster
2009.10.03
"Gelding Gangster" appears to be the name of a band in Tokyo.
why I ride my bike in Tokyo
2009.10.03
This footage explains one of the major reasons I like to take a bike in Tokyo rather than ride the excellent train/subway system.
low tunnel
2009.10.02
There's a tunnel that passes beneath the wide set of sidings near Shinagawa train station.
the shoes arrived!
2009.10.02
The shoes and boots arrived today.
the beat goes on...
2009.10.01
When you're a small start-up dealing with gigantic international leaders in the industry, I find it helps to know what you're talking about.
like boots and ... books
2009.09.29
I've now got quite a range of items winging their way to me from overseas.
"money masters"
2009.09.28
Over the past several days, I've been slowly watching a rather dated but comprehensive video on the role of the Federal Reserve and its ilk.
our long day
2009.09.26
Mari and I went took Kenny to the daycare this morning for a parent-teacher meeting.
sold a photo!
2009.09.25
Today I put an 11"x14" print in the mail, bound for a former colleague in Australia.
mum's off
2009.09.23
Well, not a long trip this time.
shopping day
2009.09.22
We went to Ginza for a shopping expedition.
back to the museum
2009.09.21
Today we went to the Edo museum.
goodbye, Mashams!
2009.09.19
The Mashams, our good friends and neighbours, are leaving.
respect for the elderly day
2009.09.18
Today we through my visiting mother into the deep end.
driver's license
2009.09.17
I've got a Japanese driver's license.
gaijin at Narita
2009.09.15
My mum's arrived on a short visit.
frozen onion
2009.09.15
We ran out of green onion the other morning, and had to eat our natto donburi without that lovely condiment.
all-day migraine
2009.09.14
I'm something of a weather witch.
the affair is over
2009.09.13
My Summer affair has run its course.
ikemen and ikumen
2009.09.12
"Ikemen" a term in (modern) Japanese term for a handsome, attractive man.
yawn ... another earthquake
2009.09.08
Just had yet another earthquake, a very mild one.
if I were a rich man
2009.09.07
A former coworker asked how it was going, and I told him that I was having one of the best times of my life.
bitchin' camero
2009.09.05
Today I saw a left hand drive Camero on the street.
nohongo jouzu
2009.09.05
Today I set out to reset the password on my credit card so that I could make Internet purchases.
another earthquake
2009.09.04
Just a few minutes ago, we had another significant earthquake.
o frabjous day!
2009.09.01
I got my little Olympus rangefinder camera back on Sunday.
the countdown
2009.08.31
It occurred to me this weekend that I'm now only eighteen months out from turning forty.
Monday morning hoorays
2009.08.31
We spent the weekend on family stuff, this weekend, except for an outing by Mari to meet some other local mothers.
typhoon
2009.08.31
A typhoon is descending upon us once again.
Mari's second performance
2009.08.26
The people hosting the event at which Mari sang on Saturday forbid photography.
sleeploss
2009.08.25
Kenny had a fever all weekend, so naturally none of us has been sleeping properly.
Mari the performer
2009.08.23
Last night Mari gave her second-ever performance during a night that ended in the hospital.
my tax dollars at work
2009.08.21
Today as I was cycling back from Shibuya I passed through a large intersection in Gotanda.
neverending camera issues
2009.08.19
Much to my dismay my recently-repaired X-700, the camera I dropped, has started leaking light again.
cicadas
2009.08.16
Tokyo is not exactly a nature lover's paradise.
third quake in five days
2009.08.13
We were eating breakfast this morning when there was yet another earthquake.
the new business takes a step forward
2009.08.13
Today my partner and I nominated two acquaintances to do some testing with the website storefront for our business.
ganbatte, Burma
2009.08.12
Recently, there's been a lot of non-Japanese political activity in my neighbourhood.
the second quake
2009.08.11
So it seems that this morning's quake (the second in less than 60 hours) was stronger than I knew.
earthquake
2009.08.10
We had a strong earthquake last night at around 20:30.
Jesus Body
2009.08.07
There are many things that can mystify a foreigner living in Japan.
service and complexity
2009.08.04
Twice in the past two weeks, Mari and I have tried and failed to engage the services of different companies.
syndication (signal to noise)
2009.08.04
This little journal of mine is now in syndication.
today I got caught in the rain three times
2009.08.02
The whole family went out in the rain at around 10:00 this morning in an effort to do various errands before some guests would arrive in the afternoon.
camera woes (revisited)
2009.08.01
The repairs done to my Olympus rangefinder were clearly insufficient.
damn that store room!
2009.07.30
Tonight Mari asked me, "Did you take those [crackers] from the store-room?" me; "Um, yes.
banking 'round the world
2009.07.27
I've been using my mother's address as a "Canadian mail stop" for some reason.
replacing Google as search engine in Firefox
2009.07.26
I typically use search by typing in some keywords to the location bar (rather than first going to a search site, or using the dedicated search bar).
new cycle shop
2009.07.25
The Kitazawa family, seen in a number of the (photos on Kenny's site) recommended a new bike shop to us.
Google is weirder than I thought
2009.07.23
My buddy Lee and I have discovered something truly bizarre.
new favourite film
2009.07.22
I think I've found a new favourite colour print film! The image below comes straight from the scanner w/o any manipulation whatever.
understanding Japanese withholding tax
2009.07.21
Tax law is always difficult to understand.
home again, home again
2009.07.20
So we're home again.
Google ain't all that
2009.07.18
At the prompting of a personal correspondance, I'm adding an entry on my thoughts about Google.
a home rebuilt
2009.07.18
Today we flew to Miyazaki, and from there drove to Miyakonojo, the town of my wife's birth.
"I'm through with sleeping on the sidewalk"
2009.07.18
Tonight on the way home from the daycare, Mari and I found a fellow of about our age lying on the sidewalk, unmoving and eyes closed.
the new business
2009.07.15
My business partner and I came to a decision today.
.net frustration
2009.07.13
Once upon a time, when the 'net was young and no-one but techies fiddled about with domain registration, there was but one Internet registrar that everyone had to deal with.
what a day
2009.07.10
I've had a bit of a wobbly week, and today just capped it off wonderfully.
new for your iPhone
2009.07.08
Some friends have released a new application for the iPhone.
tour of Shinagawa
2009.07.07
Today I took a free tour of Shinagawa, the city within the Tokyo district in which we live.
my old professor
2009.07.06
One of my University professors was arrested on child pornography charges earlier this year.
semi-stolen chair
2009.07.04
We went to a gigantic sale at the TOC outlet building in Gotanda.
new glasses
2009.07.03
I picked up my new glasses today, the first new pair in five years or so.
on the spot
2009.07.02
At a celebration today for the demise of our Japanese course, I was asked to make a speech! No one told our class we'd be doing this, I suppose it was a matter of throwing us in the deep end.
Canada Day
2009.07.01
Today was Canada Day.
great dentist
2009.06.30
I had a great experience with a visit to the dentist today.
an old acquaintance
2009.06.28
Mari, Kenny and I met up with an old friend from a short contract stint I did in Australia back in "19100".
camera repairs
2009.06.25
I've got the good news from the camera repair shop in Illinois that accepted my old XD-11.
HIE no more?
2009.06.23
I took my last* roll of HIE black and white infrared-sensitive film into Horiuchi this morning for development.
chocolate covered what?
2009.06.16
Ah, Japan.
Three PC's and one ... um ... user
2009.06.15
I bought a Mac Mini.
mikoshi
2009.06.07
Today we went out to join the neighbourhood celebration that's centred around Shinagawa shrine (which is close to our home).
screwing up
2009.06.06
I decided to send one of my Minolta XD bodies off to the US for repairs after being told by one local repair shop they wanted more than $200, and being told by another that my particular camera would be impossible to repair in Japan.
thank you, government
2009.06.05
The Canadian tax authority sent me an advisory suggesting that they wanted me to call them.
new keyboard
2009.06.04
It's that time again -- I've bought another keyboard.
weird camera fixes
2009.06.03
Yup, another post about getting my cameras fixed.
portraits of my wife the singer
2009.06.01
I'm not an experienced portrait photographer, but a bit of forthought and a raft of lamps let me pull off some okay portraits of my singer wife for a promotional brochure.
digital black and white
2009.05.29
I ran out of points on my Bic Camera card last week, and told myself that I'd stop shooting film for a while when that happened.
camera repairs
2009.05.29
I got my 35DC back.
if the truck is a'rockin
2009.05.26
Today at the ward office building where I take Japanese lessons, we were taken for a three-part earthquake expo.
Today is towel day
2009.05.25
To all the other fans of Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books: today is Towel Day! As it turns out, Ken and Heidi sent us a Hitchhiker's-related towel.
at my feet
2009.05.24
I've got quite a large collection of photos.
some photos
2009.05.23
I've put some photos of our recent trip to the Izu peninsula in my photo gallery.
the busy life
2009.05.22
Sometimes I feel that I may be biting off a bit more than I'm supposed to.
Mari's video
2009.05.18
With a tip from my pal Nate, I've managed to put together a video of Mari's debut on YouTube.
if I never have a cent...
2009.05.18
Mari's parents arrived in town yesterday for Mari's singing debut.
Mari's debut
2009.05.16
Mari is practicing today for tomorrow's singing debut at a show with a dozen other singers (in turn).
dropped camera: the verdict
2009.05.15
A few days ago I mentioned that I'd dropped one of my cameras and that it now was suffering from light leaks.
Kamil's away
2009.05.14
Kamil's on his way back to Thunder Bay.
return to Izu
2009.05.11
Jon, Manami-san, Kamil and the family went to the Izu peninsula this weekend to get away from the city and to show Kamil a real Japanese ryokan.
Yagstravaganza
2009.05.09
Today we held a belated birthday party for Yaguchi-san.
crappy shrine
2009.05.06
We'd planned a picnic for today, but called it off because it was raining hard the day before and then continued to rain off and on throughout the morning.
Kamil!
2009.05.04
Kamil Zaniewski, my University-era friend who's now a professor in Northern Ontario, has arrived for a visit.
day gods-know-what
2009.04.28
Just when I was about to report that all was well with my long-running bout of pnuemonia, I woke up this morning with a renewed feeling of having a sore throat that extends down into my entire chest.
new design for website
2009.04.25
I've once again tweaked the design of this website last night.
camera drop fallout
2009.04.24
To my dismay, it seems that it's time to say goodbye to another camera -- that's two so far in '09 and three in the past 18 months! My X-700, pictured above, hasn't recovered from being dropped a couple of weeks ago, and I suppose that it never will.
Japanese lessons again
2009.04.21
I had an entire month off, since I last took Japanese lessons.
a new world
2009.04.18
As of this week, I'm no longer officially employed.
day 15: mycaplasma
2009.04.13
So it turns out that in all of the wide world, among countless species of bacteria, we humans have only found one lone species that doesn't have cell walls.
day 14: looking like a dead bug
2009.04.11
For two whole weeks now, I've been wrangling with a cold that just won't go.
losing my language
2009.04.09
At first, it seemed that learning the Japanese language was having no impact on my English skills.
one day...
2009.04.07
Once in a while you have one of those days that makes you wonder about how you've arranged your life.
day eight
2009.04.07
It's now day eight of nearly incessant high temperatures (up to 38o) for me, and now my son has had it off and on for at least four-five days (last night reaching a high of 40o).
this week's fever brought to you by....
2009.04.02
My son has simultaneously brought home his first and second illness.
remember, it's a foreign land
2009.03.31
Today I had a real reminder -- as if being illiterate and unable to speak wasn't enough -- that I'm in a foreign land.
juggling debut
2009.03.30
Today was my public juggling debut.
website maintenance
2009.03.29
This morning I woke at 03:00 and couldn't get back to sleep.
the juggling report
2009.03.27
Today I managed to nearly double my record in continuous juggling, hitting 112 successive catches before fumbling.
me and PKD
2009.03.22
I had a bizarre dream last night in which I was working in a start-up business setting in which I had a significant leadership role.
camera drop
2009.03.22
Today I took Kenny to the park at the end of the street because it was a beautiful morning.
final goodbye
2009.03.20
Those of us who stayed for the end of the intensive Japanese program went for a goodbye at a Yakiniku restaurant in Shibuya.
class is finished
2009.03.20
I've finished my intensive class and have passed my exams (in some cases only barely).
juggling
2009.03.16
I'm getting better at juggling.
how to succeed in Japanese pronunciation
2009.03.17
My "intensive" Japanese course is coming to its end.
Japanglish
2009.03.16
I've just had a disturbing report from Miyazaki.
kanji guide
2009.03.14
I've completed a compilation of words/usages for over 100 kanji.
finding things
2009.03.13
When it comes to finding things, I've always been .
japanese is trending upwards
2009.03.06
I've been asked by my Japanese language school to write a short blurb on their behalf.
the Spiny Urchin returns
2009.03.06
My sister-in-law, Vancouver artists Heidi Van Impe has revived the Spiny Urchin project.
turning Japanese
2009.03.06
It's been coming for some time, and now it's happened.
developing film
2009.03.05
I've hit upon a really good film developer in Tokyo.
juggling balls
2009.03.04
I've come up an idea for a birthday gift this year.
new feature
2009.03.02
Today I've added a new feature: a photo-of-the-day.
the gaijin are leaving Tokyo
2009.03.01
Near our previous apartment is an "international" grocery store, one that specializes in sky-high-prices for "foreign" foods.
babysitting
2009.02.28
It's always a pleasure to babysit when Mari's off on errands or doing something like her singing lessons.
the big speech
2009.02.26
I took the time to read the text of US President Obama's speech to Congress this evening and I'm a bit confused.
drunken minister
2009.02.22
Below is a video of a press conference held by a minister in the Japanese government.
word to Internet Explorer users
2009.02.21
I've modified my website to show a special message to viewers who use out-dated versions of Internet Explorer.
new server
2009.02.17
Once again, this website has moved.
the camera is dead; long live the camera
2009.02.13
Quite suddenly, my beloved primary camera began exhibiting problems late last year.
this website hacked
2009.02.10
Today I learned from a friend that my website has been altered by someone redirecting search engine traffic to a spam website.
crash course
2009.02.10
One of the reasons I moved to Japan a few years ago was my dismay at what humans have made of North America.
weekend recap
2009.02.09
The following is an account of my weekend in Japanese.
last week's trip
2009.02.08
I've got my film back and scanned for last week's trip.
film photography's next generation
2009.02.07
I've noticed something interesting going on with the user community of a couple of the photography forums that I frequent.
a tale of two arimasu
2009.02.05
The Japanese language is a many-barbed thing.
precious days, part II
2009.02.02
The streak is over.
precious days
2009.02.01
Happy February (this year is already sailing by at a terribly clip).
wind and rain
2009.01.31
We're in Fukuoka.
Mari's new classes
2009.01.26
Just as I've started Japanese classes, Mari's resumed some classes, too.
RSS feed
2009.01.25
Over the past few years, many people have asked me to put an RSS feed on this website.
Japanese class
2009.01.20
My first class went well.
the deep end
2009.01.19
Today I followed through on my threat to find a Japanese class.
new year's resolutions
2009.01.18
OK, it's taken me a couple of weeks (due to the job situation) but now I can post my new year's resolutions for '09.
Japanese lessons
2009.01.11
One of my coworkers came up with an excellent suggestion on Friday.
success
2009.01.10
I've got one abbreviated week left of my current job.
new camera gear
2009.01.09
This morning I had a dream that I bought a used camera lens sight unseen (I have actually done this, with poor results).
LEGO section
2009.01.08
I've added the first of my recent LEGO set creations to the site in the creations section.
Nichinan, Miyazaki
2009.01.01
Hello, 2009! Curious, when you've got a small baby to take care of you don't wake up with a hangover.
another migraine
2008.12.30
In bed half the day with a migraine again.
another birthday
2008.12.29
Three birthdays in a week! This time it was young Kiyotaka ("Ki-kun").
making mochi
2008.12.28
This morning's festivities began with an extended barbeque and mochi-making party.
party like it's 2008
2008.12.27
This morning we did the beach onsen.
Guided by voices
2008.12.26
Today we left the family home in Nichinan and struck out for Kagoshima.
Trust me, I'm a licensed semi-professional
2008.12.25
After my ordeal of the previous days, I was up and around at more or less a normal hour on this day.
Merry F'n X'mas
2008.12.24
X'mas eve, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except for the 8.
Norrundon'twalk
2008.12.23
On this day I came down with a bout of Norwalk virus or something similar.
The Birthday
2008.12.22
I'm writing these journal entries after the fact for reasons that will become obvious.
Welcome to Winter
2008.12.21
Well it's Winter again.
flying domestic
2008.12.20
It was a busy morning.
adoring fans
2008.12.19
Cycling home at this time of year the city streets are full of people celebrating.
toy
2008.12.18
As noted previous, I'm making a wooden "inch-worm" pull-toy for my little nephew Ta-kun.
bachelor life
2008.12.16
Mari and Kenny are in Miyazaki.
bad influence
2008.12.13
Joon and I met in Ginza to go to a Malaysian restaurant with Jon and Minami-san.
visit with the neighbours
2008.12.07
Today we visited with the neighbours.
hunting bin Laden
2008.12.05
"Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear.
JR shadows
2008.11.30
I set off early this morning to go to one of the big camera stores and get some storage binders for my negatives.
bad service
2008.12.01
I am blessed.
helmets for safety
2008.11.30
I know this cyclist who goes about Tokyo without a helmet.
troubles
2008.11.28
Ah, the economy.
website traffic
2008.11.16
Around the time that I last made a journal entry on the subject of traffic to this website, I found that the traffic had started to taper off.
shopping for terebi
2008.11.14
Mari wants to get a television.
medium format toy camera
2008.11.09
As previous noted, I've recently come into possession of an old (54 year old!) Ricohflex Model VII.
Jon's birthday
2008.11.08
It was Jon's 39th birthday party tonight.
street photography in the Philippines
2008.11.07
Before leaving for the airport this morning, I spent 90 minutes on a trek out to the river that wends its way through Manila's sprawling congested urban space.
A new US president
2008.11.06
I wasn't going to write on the subject of Barack Obama's election in this journal, but it occurred to me that my offspring might someday want to know where I was and what I felt.
Arnon in Manila
2008.11.05
Today I met my childhood friend in Manila while he was on a business trip.
let sleeping folk lie
2008.11.04
A couple of weeks ago we went to the sea side to take in the scenery.
it's 04:00 ... what's up your nose?
2008.10.30
I was woken at about 03:45 this morning by a mosquito.
shameful
2008.10.26
Last Monday my friend Jon was telling me about his recent successes as a cook.
tricked out bike
2008.10.24
After speaking with a coworker who's an avid cyclist, I decided to go to the fine folks at Azabu Cycle about getting my bike modified.
tuberculosis
2008.10.23
I recently learned that I'd possibly been exposed to tuberculosis.
the North Americans
2008.10.22
It's funny.
separated but still similar
2008.10.08
My brother discovered that he and I had bought the same watch.
black cat didn't cross my path
2008.10.02
As I joined one of the many major roads on my trip to work today I spotted a black cat that was trying to cross the road.
picnic
2008.10.19
Today we decided to give the new binoculars a trial.
...the tire trilogy concludes
2008.10.17
I decided to risk riding on the weakened tire one more time, only to get me to the office.
the cycle story continues...
2008.10.16
I went down to the parking area early* this morning and had a look at my twice-flattened front tire.
deer!
2008.10.02
It was rainy and quite windy today.
the west west coast
2008.09.30
We made it out to Tofino on the we(s)t coast of Vancouver island today.
tires
2008.10.15
Shortly before we left for Vancouver, I told myself, "I've sure been having a run of good luck with the flat tires! I haven't had one in six months or so.
the crow's nest
2008.10.12
We're back in Tokyo after two weeks in British Columbia.
seven sweet potatoes
2008.10.01
We lingered in Tofino until the early afternoon, taking in all the nature.
shopping day #1
2008.09.29
Heidi works at Mountain Equipment Co-op, and we had a tonne of things on our list to stock up.
British Columbia
2008.09.28
Our much-anticipated trip to Canada's west coast has gotten off to a good start.
pronounciation
2008.09.28
Sadly, I learned today that I have the worst Japanese-language pronounciation of any foreigner that my wife knows.
the golden age
2008.09.26
No need to fear if the global economy is falling apart.
93 kilos
2008.09.23
On July 21, I reported that I weighed in at 98kg.
ten years already
2008.09.22
It's just occurred to me that the ten-year anniversary of my presence on the Internet is just around the corner.
novel progress
2008.09.20
I've gone through the whole round with my editor on the novel.
new home page
2008.09.18
I've updated my home page for the first time in quite a while.
technogeek wife
2008.09.14
We were in a Yodabashi camera store today.
keyboard repair
2008.09.15
It looks like my new Model M keyboard is permanently damaged.
it's a small world
2008.09.10
Today I learned that one of my coworkers, here in Tokyo, lived in one of the buildings where I lived during my last year in Toronto.
gecko!
2008.09.09
I found a gecko in our bedroom tonight.
keyboard
2008.09.09
For the first time that I can recall, I spilled a big cup of water on myself while at my desk last night.
Game Gene Theory
2008.09.09
"There is no survival of the fittest.
laughing in Japanese
2008.09.02
Today Mari and I went to a local pre-school to 'audition', I suppose.
photo equipment
2008.08.29
The March before last, my brother surprised me with a gift.
boat trip
2008.08.25
We were invited to take a boat tour of the canals of Nichinan in southern Miyazaki.
aaaaaaah
2008.08.22
It is so good to get away from the city.
long-running novel
2008.08.17
I have an aunt who's a novelist, like me.
hot snow
2008.08.07
Curiously, the weather forecast this morning called for 32oC and light snow.
piano
2008.08.05
I got home tonight, soaked and exhausted from the simple commute home.
heat
2008.08.04
This morning the news report on the radio said that the temperature was about 30oC before 08:00.
greying
2008.07.30
While in a training session yesterday, I found a grey hair on my shoulder.
lazy, lazy dad
2008.07.29
It's been a fair time since I updated Ken's journal so I did some catch-up this evening.
fireworks
2008.07.27
We spent the evening in Chiba, visiting with the Satoi family.
Captain Hammer
2008.07.27
My Captain Hammer t-shirt arrived, today.
cycling in the heat
2008.07.25
It's been hot, recently.
Ilford no more?
2008.07.24
My favourite films, Ilford HP5 and FP4, are no longer for sale at Bic Camera.
enschizophreniation and other coined words
2008.07.23
Today I coined the word enschizophreniation in an email advisory 'round the office.
weight gain
2008.07.21
I stepped on the scales today and learned that I've now gained some 8 kilos since I've been in Japan and am parked at 98kg.
lens swamp!
2008.07.20
Mari found out about a camera fair in Ginza today.
plug
2008.07.18
Posting this very late, but it's okay, this won't take long.
a tale of two hares
2008.07.17
I posted a photo-microstory the other day, and had meant to link it to my journal.
10,000 views
2008.07.16
This iteration of my website is now a year old.
been a long time
2008.07.15
It's been too long since I updated young Ken's journal.
keywords everywhere
2008.07.15
Today I've added keyword indexing to my site.
bonus season
2008.07.09
It's bonus season in Japan.
digressions and puns
2008.07.02
As I see it, digressions are a minor crime against speech.
dream wife
2008.06.29
I had a strange dream.
work work work
2008.06.27
When I'm working, I get so wrapped up in what I'm doing that I'm generally oblivious to my surrounds and even my general health.
peace on Earth
2008.06.26
I work for the IT department of an investment bank, and often come home wound up and tense.
firefox browser
2008.06.21
On the way to a (rather good) drumming show tonight, I noticed that someone is running ads for the free/open-source Firefox web browser in the Tokyo JR train system.
jeff goldblum again
2008.06.19
Today I was assured by one of my colleagues that "everybody on the floor agrees" that I look like Jeff Goldblum.
rat!
2008.06.18
I saw my first Tokyo rat today.
laundry mistakes
2008.06.16
I got home from the gym on Sunday and stepped into the shower.
new site is live
2008.06.08
Another year, another new website design.
iPod
2008.06.08
My handy little Samsung MP3 player (a YP-MT6) is a simple affair, with controls that are easy to use and no complications of any kind.
lenses
2008.06.06
Tonight I was pissed off with the world after work, and had to go for a long walk.
semi
2008.06.05
There are these insects in Japan that the locals call semi.
camera show
2008.06.02
This morning, Mari pointed out that an invitation to a used camera fair had been sitting around in our apartment for quite some time.
email
2008.06.01
I've been blasting off a lot of email in the past year and change.
new keyboard
2008.05.31
I have a fondness for the old IBM keyboards.
good news
2008.05.30
Tonight I learned that someone I know took my advice after asking an important question last year.
Burma
2008.05.25
I've been attempting to follow the story of the catastrophic cyclone landfall in Burma.
sticky, stinky and scratchy
2008.05.23
Just the other day I posted to this journal that the pleasant season was passing.
goodbye, favourite season
2008.05.17
That precious time of the year is sliding away.
inflation
2008.05.16
I've been reading bits and pieces here and there about inflation creeping into various national economies.
medium format pics
2008.05.14
Here are the pics from that first roll of film.
the results!
2008.05.13
I got back my first roll of 6x6 film shot on the old Ricohflex.
kid's day
2008.05.05
Today is kid's day in Japan, when they fly long "fish" kites at just about every public place.
suica no more
2008.05.07
Since October of 2005, I've been using a Suica card for transit in Tokyo.
neutral density
2008.05.03
The neutral density filter has to be the most porly named in the wide world of photographic filters.
it's all my mum's fault
2008.05.01
Tonight on the way home I bought a cokin filter and the adapter widget for fitting it to my cameras.
flying for baby
2008.05.02
We flew with the baby for the first time.
end of a season
2008.04.30
I notice that it's already the end of my favourite part of Spring.
new toy
2008.04.29
One thing I realized during our early expeditions with the child: carrying a tripod doesn't mix with carrying child stuff.
floors and doors
2008.04.26
Sometimes I take photos of rather mundane things like whatever is under my feet, or whatever wall or doorway I happen to be passing.
tokyo at night
2008.04.25
I shot this with some cheap colour 100 film (Centuria) way out at 400 ISO.
another day, another photo
2008.04.24
Took this about ten days ago.
photo experiment: subway
2008.04.23
I've been working on a new project recently -- a complete reworking of this website.
Sleep
2008.04.21
Last week was a difficult one.
'you are what you buy'
2008.04.20
There, I finally caught some advertiser cutting to the brutal truth.
forty x forty
2008.04.14
Working for a gigantic bureaucracy is sometimes amusingly predictable (or vice versa).
smells & memory
2008.04.08
We've got this new 'all natural' shampoo.
hanami
2008.04.05
Today it was our scheduled hanami party.
entry 1233
2008.04.04
This morning we went on a boat cruise in Matsushima Bay.
baby's first trip
2008.04.03
Today the four of us went to Matsushima, a small town about three hours north of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of Japan's main island of Honshu.
sick
2008.04.02
I've been sick a lot recently.
camera gear
2008.04.01
I've been doing a lot of photography recently.
visitor
2008.03.31
My mother arrived today to meet her grandson.
site redesign
2008.03.30
It seems that every six to eighteen months, I redesign this website from scratch for one reason or another.
a profile, you ask?
2008.03.27
Someone in the global organization at work wanted me to produce a profile of myself for a newsletter.
when I was a baby...
2008.03.20
I recently posted to the journal of my son about taking him out to experience his first rain fall.
Arthur C. Clarke
2008.03.19
The finest science fiction writer in history is dead.
weather report
2008.03.13
The weather's certainly changed.
new tire
2008.03.12
I've finally tired of the flat tires to the point of doing something about it.
happy anniversary to me!
2008.03.09
I'd decided on a birthday gift to myself from my wife, and informed her that I wanted a box of film, specifically Ilford's excellent FP4.
one more for the road (or not)
2008.03.06
I hopped on my bike this morning, raring to get to the office early to catch up for the day I'd missed yesterday.
always something...
2008.03.04
My grandfather liked to say, "there's always something to keep you humble.
lens swamp
2008.03.02
When helping Jon shop for a new digital SLR camera, yesterday, I noticed an 85mm lens for the Minolta system in a store window.
2,500,000 hits
2008.02.28
Today my website logged it's 2.
dad for a month
2008.02.27
I've been a father for a whole month, as of today.
another(!) flat tire
2008.02.25
The thing with the flat tires is getting out of hand.
migraines
2008.02.24
I get migraines.
warden training
2008.02.23
Today we did a full day of training at the embassy.
Canadian consular affairs warden program
2008.02.22
So, I'm a member of the Canadian government's warden program in Tokyo.
weather report
2008.02.20
The weather in the city has been completely bizarre recently.
diet coke
2008.02.19
So it's starting to look like aspartame may be much worse for the human body even than sugar.
again with the flat tires
2008.02.18
I'm enjoying another run of flat tires with my bike, clearly.
gettin' old
2008.02.16
Looking at a recent photo of me, I can't help but notice that I'm looking creased and haggard.
back in the saddle
2008.02.12
I cycled to the office today, and both my bike and I were both a little rusty this morning.
one child
2008.02.08
I've just finished reading a really excellent X'mas gift from my mother, a book titled The World Without Us by Alan Weisman.
camera leather
2008.02.06
I got my third set of new leather from cameraleather.
parenting
2008.02.05
It's been a busy week.
I'm a dad
2008.01.27
I knew the day was coming, but it's still a staggering bit of news.
a prediction
2008.01.25
I've got a prediction.
D'oh!
2008.01.24
Oh, the things you see without a camera.
Tokyo is in tomorrow
2008.01.23
Today it snowed.
Japanese double speak
2008.01.20
It has recently come to my attention that there are considerably more double-words in Japanese than I'd previously known.
bizarre coding error
2008.01.19
This morning I've found a funny coding error in my script that creates this journal.
plastics
2008.01.17
My mother gave me a book for X'mas titled "The World Without Us".
novel, second cut
2008.01.14
I've sent a second cut of my novel to my agent.
smart kid
2008.01.12
Today I met a three-year-old named Reika who can read katakana and hiragana, the two basic syllabaries of the Japanese language.
black hole lens
2008.01.13
My friend, who's recently bought not one but two cameras, suggested today that a very small black hole should be use as a lens for photography.
buh-bye Pentax MX
2008.01.06
I did something today which I've only done twice before.
baby sling
2008.01.03
As part of our meager preparations for the arrival of Ken 4*, we've picked up a sling suitable for infants.
明けましておめでとうございます
2008.01.01
Happy New Year, everyone.
Merry X'mas
2007.12.25
My second "X'mas" in Japan.
pay day
2007.01.19
Today, by my careful calculation, my bicycle has paid for itself.
photo stats
2007.12.16
I've had quite a few hits to my site over the years.
baby stuff
2007.12.15
We're only a few weeks away from our baby's due date, now.
waist
2007.12.14
Think you're still in shape? Try getting into a seven-year-old pair of pants!.
Novel detour
2007.12.12
It's Mari's first day of maternity leave today.
"we love you"
2007.12.06
Today, not one but two people told me "we love you, Michael".
And now, a word from our sponsors...
2007.12.04
I've been working on a novel for several years.
The Yoda wedding
2007.12.02
Today we attended a wedding reception.
party night in Tokyo
2007.12.01
Today we attended an evening of entertainment w/ a variety of different styles.
east-end matsuri
2007.11.25
Today we attended a bit of a festival in the east end.
entry 1180
2007.11.28
A Japanese friend of mine bought a lens in total stealth mode.
my wife's getting bigger
2007.11.22
Heeeere comes aka-chan! This is my wife at 7.
some days....
2007.11.16
Recently, I was heading into the office for my 'normal' 09:00 (I fairly regularly start at 07:30 as well) and there was the usual crowd hanging around having a smoke.
bike accident
2007.11.15
It finally happened.
Shizuoka is warm
2007.11.11
Shizuoka is two prefectures over from the greater Tokyo area.
more good luck from a bird
2007.11.08
Today I had a run of "good luck".
kekkonkinenbi desu
2007.11.07
A year ago today, we did this.
record year
2007.11.01
That was quick.
another goddamn headache
2007.10.22
If you've got migraines, I feel bad for you, son.
EDSの社人の飲み会
2007.10.19
I went to a reunion of former EDS people who had been stationed with the one client where I was on site when I arrived in Japan.
cycling in October
2007.10.15
The weather this autumn has been pretty lousy.
the kid is all right
2007.09.29
We went to the clinic again.
Goodbye, Toronto
2007.09.21
And our last day is upon us, just like that.
shopping
2007.09.20
I can't remember a day of such intense shopping running around.
packing by day, music by night
2007.09.19
We spent the whole day sorting out the stuff in my storage unit.
back to the city
2007.09.18
We headed into town first thing, and did some laundry.
Cruise day
2007.09.17
We got a reasonably early start on the day, and went into town where we did a bit of shopping.
family day
2007.09.16
We left the Falls this morning for St.
a long day
2007.09.15
My mum arrived this morning, and after the usual confusion with trying to reach Jonathan, Mari and I sped off to my aunt Laurie's place.
Mmmm, coffee
2007.09.14
We found an amazing coffee place on Yonge street just south of Carlton.
Keg Redux
2007.09.13
Tonight we all met with Charlie and Andrea and the Chako.
Bloor West Village is cool tonight
2007.09.12
Flew into Toronto today, after leaving at some point that my watch says was three hours and my body says was 20ish.
new landlord
2007.09.09
In anticipation of the baby's arrival, we've been looking for a larger apartment.
Typhoon weather
2007.09.06
For the record, typhoon weather is fncking ridiculous.
My father-in-law's new camera
2007.09.03
My father-in-law's camera packed it in.
new lens
2007.09.02
Mari and I went for a check-up at the clinic again (they seem to be slated for every three or four weeks).
Thank you, Kate
2007.08.31
I had my session with my writing coach tonight.
another goddamn flat!?
2007.08.24
Tonight on the way home.
another flat
2007.08.23
Two weeks ago I was greeted had a flat tire while heading out to do some errands.
Another day, another d'ohnut
2007.08.22
This morning I got the report on my novel from the writing coach I hired.
$42 flash
2007.08.20
I'm feeling rather pleased with myself.
carving tools, rusty
2007.08.15
I learned a lesson about my new home town, today.
Tokyo at night
2007.08.12
With my handy Pentax *istDS, I took some long-exposure shots of the clouds passing over my neighbourhood in Tokyo.
RDL DVD's
2007.08.12
Today in a store in Gotanda I noticed these, which appear to be 8.
Tokyo is hot today
2007.08.11
今日 とても あつっかた です。 じてんsひゃ で じてんsひゃや にいって フォトァボ に いって ぎんざ に いって うち に かえぃました。 あつい から お水 ボテル ふたつ を のみました。じてんしやの人 と 話しました。彼 は いいました 36C です -- あたらし さいしょう たかい ひ です。 よる 真理 ちやん と はなぶ かいたい 行きました。 Today was ridiculously hot in the city.
What a day
2007.08.07
Today a cold I've been dodging for a couple of weeks finally caught up with me and I took the morning off to rest.
Tokyo big sights
2007.08.01
There's a place in Tokyo called "Tokyo Big Sight".
writing coach
2007.07.31
I've taken another step towards getting my novel completed.
my ring is back
2007.07.26
I picked up my ring, and it's like new!! I really don't understand how it happened, but not only are all of the gouges out but you can't even see any sign that the ring was ever worn.
the Japanese language is nuts
2007.07.25
They have a verb for this: "being given a thing to take care of (it)".
going up?
2007.07.24
At the office, the queues at the elevators are often a hundred people deep in the mornings.
singing in the market
2007.07.21
You want some funny stares in Japan? Sing along to the muzak version of Blondie's "Tide is High" in the supermarket.
a good day, all in all
2007.07.19
Things were interesting, today.
missing my wedding ring
2007.07.19
On the weekend I took my wedding ring to the shop where we bought it.
I'm back (again)
2007.07.18
Back online.
typhoon!
2007.07.14
Today we endured the full blast of a tropical typhoon.
cycling in the rain
2007.07.10
A pedestrian wandered in front of me on a bridge, today.
I'm gunna be a dad
2007.06.04
Yes, it's one of those images you don't forget.
cycling through tsukiji
2007.05.23
On my route to work is a singular piece of real estate.
Taiwan is big on small motorcycles
2007.05.03
We're in Taipei.
jobless in Tokyo
2007.01.31
Today I got a call from my boss.
結婚式をしました!
2006.11.07
Today Mari and I had our little wedding ceremony on the beach.
Mari and I got married, today
2006.11.01
I took my girlfiend into the ward office today, and came out with a wife.
things are getting serious
2006.05.07
Things are moving quickly with my girl Mari.
tripped up
2006.04.20
Once again, my naïve nature has caught up with me.
watashi wa gaijin desu
2006.04.12
Today I applied for my very first gaijin card.
a recipe
2006.04.10
I have taken to making myself natto donburi every morning for breakfast.
Hiroshima
2006.03.25
Today is my dad's birthday.
of drinks and knives
2006.03.12
I went to the office on Friday and learned that I'll be interviewing for my transfer to EDS Japan this coming Tuesday.
in praise of my girl
2006.03.10
Been thinking about everything that Mari's done for me during the exile crisis.
today I moved to Tokyo!
2006.03.08
I've taken the plunge, and among the newest residents in this city of 30+ million.
exiled from japan
2006.01.18
I am in visa exile, ejected from Japan and staying at my mum's place in Nanaimo.
going offline for a while
2005.10.11
My camera stayed in Toronto because I've been getting less and less predictable results from the old manual body - I suspect that the exposure meter is shot.
Tokyo, again
2005.10.10
I'm back in Tokyo.
illness
2005.10.06
I have left Toronto for Tokyo, again.
rainy cycling
2005.09.26
Today I got completely soaked cycling into work.
theatre
2005.09.26
Tracey and I went to a small theatre in the King west area tonight and saw a really good show.
iggy sells out
2005.09.22
Much to my dismay, I spotted Iggy Pop in a television commercial last night.
the accountant and the tsunami
2005.09.22
I took my corporate income stuff in to an accountant tonight.
bomb threat?
2005.09.21
Last night on my way home from work, I tried to spend the $50 gift certificate that Sears sent me to make up for the the air conditioning fiasco this summer (when they botched the installation).
socks
2005.09.20
Today I am wearing one sock that is navy blue, and one sock that is black.
my actress cousin
2005.09.17
Today for lunch I met with my actress cousin, Kate.
firefox browser
2005.09.10
It seems that use of the Firefox browser by visitors to this web site has slowly leveled off at around eight percent (8%) of total traffic, according to the statistics I keep.
business travel
2005.09.09
It turns out that my use of the laundry facilities at the hotel in Tokyo was not covered by the travel expense policy.
cycling mishap
2005.09.07
Today I had a lousy commute to work.
cycle commute wonder
2005.09.06
Today I resumed my usual route to work, cycling through Mount Pleasant Cemetery and down the Moore Park ravine and then along Bayview to Lake Shore Boulevard.
car rental hell
2005.09.02
I'd been hanging on to the scratched rental car so that Tracey and I could get out of town for the weekend.
car rental gone awry
2005.08.31
Today I took a day off of work in lieu for the 18 hours trek back from Tokyo.
cycling (not)
2005.09.03
When I returned to Toronto, I took my bike in for a tune up because I'd noticed that it was acting a little "off" before I'd left for Tokyo.
gas and cars
2005.09.01
Gasoline is selling for $1.
Toronto the green
2005.08.30
After my time in Tokyo, I really notice just how lush and green Toronto is.
Toronto's subways
2005.09.01
This may sound insane, but I think that Toronto's small subway system is actually more overloaded than Tokyo's.
comet Michael
2005.08.29
I'mmmmmm back.
after the storm
2005.08.26
Once again, the air is at its clearest following a typhoon.
typhoon two
2005.08.25
I really am getting the full Tokyo experience.
a million times bitten...
2005.08.22
Some anonymous poster to my journal pointed out that the thing about Christopher Walken running for the Presidency of the US is a hoax.
what fun, another earthquake
2005.08.15
Today's earthquake one was by far the worst one I've yet experience, even though it wasn't the strongest.
hangover
2005.08.14
The non-hungover bit of today came in the afternoon when I prepared some documents for work.
hot and then not so hot
2005.08.13
Today was a blistering hot day.
two weeks to go
2005.08.12
Today I picked up my first-ever set of prints on CD.
truck lunch
2005.08.11
For lunch the other day, I had a curry lunch that was better than average.
mmmmm sushi
2005.08.10
I was walking home (through Panic crossing, though I remained calm (or as calm as I get, at any rate)) and I thought "where shall I eat dinner"* and thought of the small sushi place near my hotel.
morning photography
2005.08.10
I decided last night that I would finally get my act together and make the stop on the way to work that I've been thinking about for the past two weeks.
Kamakura
2005.08.07
Today I had my first visit to a Japanese shrine outside of the city, and my first to a site with a giant Buddha statue.
shake, rattle and snooze
2005.08.08
Ptth, earthquakes.
ho hum...
2005.08.06
Here's where you don't want to be when an earthquake strikes (even a small one).
Tokyo is hot tonight
2005.08.05
Today must have been the hottest I've experienced in the city, yet.
slow week
2005.08.04
So, another long day at an end.
long day
2005.08.01
With Jonathan's departure on Friday, today was the first day during which Shan and I were solely responsible for the upkeep of the systems at the client site.
novel work
2005.08.01
I completed the second part of the fourth draft of my novel, today.
fireworks
2005.07.30
As I write this, I'm sitting on the "limited express" train bound for Yokohama.
shopping in Japan
2005.07.29
Today I was shopping for souvenirs in Shibuya for the gang back home, and wandered into a department store.
plans
2005.07.28
Today at lunch I got one of those surprises where it turns out that coworkers have discovered my website.
another work-a-day earthquake, ho hum
2005.07.28
It is impossible to be blase about earthquakes.
Fujisan
2005.07.27
I never really realized how hazy it is, here, until this morning.
Typhoon
2005.07.25
I've had an earthquake.
shinjuku / manners
2005.07.24
I went for a trip through the "Shinjuku" part of town today.
Earthquake!
2005.07.23
I was sitting on a park bench today, watching the Japanese frolic in the tall grass and listening to the rock bands compete.
food
2005.07.22
I've started my day with the supposedly 'acquired taste' of natto, which is made of fermented soy beans.
the... horror
2005.07.21
It was only a matter of time.
life in Tokyo
2005.07.20
I've noticed a thing or two about Tokyo.
gay marriage
2005.07.20
So it seems Canadian homosexuals can marry.
fool!
2005.07.19
Well, I've outdone myself.
day 3 - expectations and surprises
2005.07.18
I've had a few of the experiences I was expecting in Tokyo.
hot day for getting lost
2005.07.18
I haven't been here long, but I've already seen a number of "Tokyo sights", like the old-fashioned small wooden houses, a girl wearing an informal version of a kimono, and drunken young fellow in a suit wearing his tie around his forehead in the prescribed fashion.
so this is Tokyo
2005.07.17
So I'm here.
new web host
2005.07.14
I switched this website to a new web host, today.
what a day
2005.07.15
I spent pretty much the entire day on the road, running around doing errands.
another weekend, another bear
2005.07.09
Amazingly, we saw a bear on the cottage property this morning.
Tokyo
2005.07.13
Okay, it's for real, I'm going to Tokyo.
elderly driving
2005.07.12
At lunch time today, I saw something really horrible.
Tokyo (redux)
2005.07.11
.
home again (again)
2005.07.10
Drove the long trek back into the city under blistering heat.
skinny
2005.07.09
Ah, nothing like bobbing naked in your own private stretch of stream.
...or not Tokyo
2005.07.07
Now my employer says "maybe not so much" about Tokyo.
back at the cottage
2005.07.08
Today I scooted a bit early and booted it back up to Haliburton to the cottage.
Tokyo
2005.07.05
My employers seem to think they might need me to go to Tokyo for some weeks, starting real soon now.
home sweet Toronto
2005.07.05
I had my first yelling-at while commuting, today.
short story contest
2005.06.30
I entered a short story contest back in December.
home again, dag nabbit
2005.07.04
As always, I had to come home again.
photography and the horse fly nation
2005.07.03
I'd forgotten how much fun horse flies can be.
cottage life
2005.07.02
We've settled into the cottage, and life is good.
going away!
2005.07.01
Today we're heading off to the Haliburton "highlands".
cycling
2005.06.27
I keep track of the hours I work in my own spread sheet at the office.
what a day
2005.06.28
Today, I'm having "one of those days".
stories
2005.06.23
Tonight we got together with a bunch of friends and family for Tracey's 33rd.
the ravine
2005.06.20
Last week the ravine trail that is the most amazing part of my morning cycle commute was blocked off.
happy birthday Tracey
2005.06.22
Tracey it's your birthday, happy birthday Tracey.
tug-of-war
2005.06.19
Tracey and I went to her company 'family barbeque' at Toronto's harbour islands park.
heat sinking
2005.06.14
I have learned something interesting about modern PC CPU cooling.
nightmarish downpour
2005.06.13
I managed to get completely soaked in a titanic thunderstorm on my cycle commute this afternoon.
broken justice in north america
2005.06.13
So it seems that Karla Homolka, scourge of St.
fedora core 3 and me
2005.06.14
On Saturday I installed "FC3" on my PC, as noted in this journal.
dual-boot
2005.06.11
Once again I have a dual boot PC at home.
hot and bothersome
2005.06.08
I spent half the night sleeping on the balcony last night.
my office has showers and a bike room
2005.06.06
Did I mention that my office has a bike room where you can lock up your commuter vehicle? And showers to wash the "new normal" Southern Ontario summer air from you? It does.
what a day
2005.06.04
Ah, bitter irony.
overdoing it
2005.06.03
I went to the shop where I bought my bike (about 3.
celebratory gorging
2005.06.01
Today Andrea got the job offer she wanted, so the four of us went out to the Walker Hill Korean BBQ in Richmond Hill.
novel 4.25
2005.05.31
Last night I finished entering the first quarter of my novel's fourth draft.
considerate and informative virus
2005.05.30
Today a virus taught me what to do if I'm having a heart attack alone (the answer is to draw deep breaths and to cough).
rocket dryer
2005.05.28
Tonight we went out for Geoff C's birthday.
geoff and mariko
2005.05.29
After a day spent with a headache, today I managed to get mobile in time for our having Geoff and Mariko over for dinner.
commuting... quickly
2005.05.26
Lately, I've been reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and was doing so this morning.
registering my bike
2005.05.22
I've registered my bike with the police.
more exercising
2005.05.21
Now that I'm getting the hang of being on a bike again, I've decided that I can spend a buck or two and get some exercise equipment for the home.
pizza!
2005.05.20
Tonight I had pizza in a restaurant for the first time since January of 1998.
Tracey in the park
2005.05.23
Today, after the usual money-spending-spree, Tracey and I took a blanket and sat in the park to read.
return of the novel
2005.05.24
I managed to spend two solid hours on my novel, today.
more cyclin'
2005.05.19
Today I took the plunge and zoomed down the mud creek / Moore Park ravine on my commute to work.
birthday for Sailor Yoon
2005.05.18
For Charlie's birthday we had dinner at a really good 'pan-asian' place on Eglinton St.
cycling to work
2005.05.18
And today I cycled to work for the first time.
new bike
2005.05.16
I picked up my new bike this evening, after having it loaded down with mud flaps and panniers and lights.
lunch with the deaf
2005.05.13
Today I had an unusual experience.
the new shampoo
2005.05.15
About a month ago, Tracey got her hair coloured, and it's a lot more blonde now.
more shopping
2005.05.15
One thing after getting a job after months of part-time contracting - you have much to shop for.
shopping
2005.05.14
Today I picked up an MP3 player for Tracey.
new grill
2005.05.14
When Jon left for Tokyo last weekend, he left a small thank you note and a gift certificate for "Williams Sonoma", a store I'd only ever set foot in once or twice before.
Dr. Suzuki
2005.05.11
Tonight I attended a speech at the AGO by Dr.
shoes
2005.05.10
The shoes I bought on Sunday for the office are proving to be revolutionary.
'summer' cold
2005.05.07
I have a cold! After an entirely healthy Winter, I am now weighed down with a sore throat and head and a runny nose.
Jon is gone
2005.05.08
Jon left this morning at 5:30 to return to Tokyo.
absinthe
2005.04.30
We met at the Paddock tonight for drinks.
employed again
2005.05.06
So, it seems I have a job, once again.
dinner with the Macleods
2005.05.04
Tonight Jon and I went to Gord's place for dinner.
new watch
2005.05.03
Today I decided to splurge, a bit.
Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2005.04.29
Jon and I went to see the movie incarnation of HG2G today.
arm wrestlin'
2005.04.28
Much to my amazement, I got into an arm wrestling match this evening at a bar.
the old Firm
2005.04.26
I've come across this.
interview
2005.04.27
Another Wednesday, another interview.
house guest
2005.04.27
Jon arrived tonight.
job searching....
2005.04.25
As I was climbing out of the shower this morning, my cell phone rang.
VoIP no more
2005.04.20
After weeks of frustrating dead calls*, weird audio effects, interruptions to our network service, and voice quality that is considerably poorer than even Skype can manager, we've decided to pull the metaphoric plug on the Primus VoIP phone service we've been using at home, and are going back to .
parking patrol
2005.04.21
Today while donating some old clothing at one of those collection boxes, I happened upon a parking enforcement fellow catching shit from a trio of rich-bitches that he'd just ticketed.
politicians
2005.04.21
Tonight our Prime Minister did a Presidential thing, and addressed the populace through a direct, televised statement.
a fine day (to be hit on)
2005.04.18
Today, the weather was simply awesome.
a death
2005.04.16
Today I got word that one of my best friends from my high school days drowned in a diving mishap.
weather
2005.04.12
For once, the weather has been stunning for several days in a row.
never do this
2005.04.11
Today I learned how NOT to clean your television.
moving right along...
2005.04.11
Today I managed to secure an interview at a third bank that had expressed interest last week.
job snafu
2005.04.08
Well, I've once again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
sunburnt
2005.04.10
After the long crappy dark winter we've had, we've just had three days of sunshine.
church-goin'
2005.04.10
Today I attended my first Church thing (I think it was called Mass).
Sleeuw is coming
2005.04.05
My good friend Jonathan has announced that he's coming down for a visit later in the month.
big sand box
2005.04.03
Kids today have such cool stuff to play with.
two jobs, what to do
2005.04.07
As expected, I now have two job offers to contend with.
job offer
2005.04.06
Out of left field, I had an unexpected job offer, today.
snow
2005.04.02
Well, Spring was nice.
new battery
2005.04.01
A couple of weeks ago, after discovering my minidisc player in among the old camera gear I no longer use, I decided to order a new battery.
PC is back
2005.03.31
So, my PC is sorted out.
a job offer
2005.03.30
I may have a job offer in the works.
frantic PC repairs
2005.03.30
My work search is at a halt without a PC, so I made it a priority to get my PC back in shape.
Spring has sprung
2005.03.30
This afternoon, I went for a good walk.
accidental stalker
2005.03.23
Today I got into one of those unfortunate urban circumstances that happens (and gets made into short movies).
hole in the heart
2005.03.23
I went to get my heart checked for a hole between the two halves.
old job search
2005.03.11
I had an insight today into how communications styles have changed in the business world in the past decade.
brazilian dinner
2005.03.15
Tonight we went to a Brazilian restaurant called the Red Violin.
martha stewart is bad ass
2005.03.14
Martha Stewart is out of prison, and it turns out that her "net worth" has doubled compared to where it was before 'she went in'.
slavery
2005.03.09
Today I found a disgusting article on the Economist.
age and weight gain
2005.03.07
Thanks to the chaos of the move, I'm wearing jeans that are six years old today.
weather
2005.03.05
We've had a spell of awesome weather.
tasting room
2005.02.06
Today I noticed that the tasting room at the excellent Summerhill LCBO has been dismantled, and a coffee shop has been built in its place.
busy day
2005.03.04
As of 15:00, this is what I've done today: 1) called the CIBC and bitched about the charge on my transfer of funds between my credit card and my chequing account - they refunded the $2.
naked by the light of the...monitor
2005.03.03
I will start this story by saying that I have an optical computer mouse, which uses a light to determine the mouse's position and how it is being moved.
moved in
2005.03.01
We're in the new place.
moving
2005.02.27
We move on Tuesday.
autoshow
2005.02.22
Today I went to the auto show that's in progress.
lousy drivers
2005.02.22
Yesterday I helped a driver out of a snowbank.
travelling without camera
2005.02.21
I did it again.
goodbye, uncle Duke
2005.02.21
So Hunter S.
NHL (again)
2005.02.20
The NHL debacle has reached the point of farce.
movie going
2005.02.19
Tonight we went to see "Vera Drake" at the Regent cinema on Mt.
(bang)
2005.02.16
I am getting old.
the wealthy die, too
2005.02.16
Today I was passed by a limo-studded funeral procession on Eglinton St that had a substantial police escort.
grey lady down
2005.02.12
Today I helped Geoff put together a new network at home because he needed to add a laptop from work to his workspace at home.
blood
2005.02.11
Today, for the first time in a very long time (and I mean it's likely been 12+ years at a minimum) I gave blood.
winter in the city
2005.02.08
I think she feels the way I do.
music
2005.02.03
Here are some things I've been listening to, of late.
fourth draft, complete
2005.02.02
It took nearly two years, but my fourth draft (third edit, however you want to see it) of my novel is complete.
Saturday night in Windsor
2005.01.29
This evening, after a day spent visiting with Tracey's grandmother and aunt, we all went to see Hotel Rwanda.
visiting with 'gram'
2005.01.29
Let me tell you about the rental car we have.
eglinton and jane
2005.02.01
Part of my long daily commute is a stretch of Eglinton St to the east of Jane St that passes in and out of a meandering valley.
internic
2005.01.28
I started dealing with "the Internic" (now 'Network Solutions') about ten years ago when I had to take care of the internet domain of my employer.
TTC chance occurrences
2005.01.26
Tonight on the way home from work, I spotted my second cousin Anne on the Bay subway station platform.
a fine day
2005.01.21
Today I had a rather good day, aside from Tracey's big thing about getting the new job.
the NHL
2005.01.26
I see the NHL is back in the news.
on the clock
2005.01.25
I'm at Bell Mobility doing a spot of contracting, again.
a new beginning for TKM
2005.01.21
Finally I can tell the story: Tracey landed a new job, yesterday.
lifestyle television and the new sermon
2005.01.08
I've decided that lifestyle televion shows have taken the place in modern society once occupied by the weekly sermon in Church.
noisy fans
2005.01.20
No doubt about it - the new fans I've added to my PC are hell of loud.
my late grandmother and the length of days
2005.01.18
Today would have been the 87th birthday of my late "Oma".
a good day
2005.01.19
Today was a good one.
SEA program
2005.01.14
I've decided not to pursue the self-employment program with the HRSDC.
getting batty
2005.01.17
Just now, after eating, I announced "so hungry!" when I meant to say, "so stuffed!" I immediately corrected myself.
movie experience
2005.01.13
Today, we had an interesting movie experience.
headhunting
2005.01.11
I met with another headhunter, today.
awash in the dead
2005.01.07
Sometimes I regret not being right.
weather and pain
2005.01.06
Big snowstorm today.
my baby brother
2005.01.05
Ken is here! We've got him camped out on a double-thick air mattress that I picked up at Canadian Tire this afternoon (after considerable time on hold while phoning around, I discovered it at the third store I tried).
'home'
2004.12.22
I met with Anluan tonight at the Artful Dodger - a pub I haven't been to since I lived in the neighbourhood some nine years ago.
resolve
2005.01.01
My resolutions are made for the year.
Laurie's for Xmas
2004.12.25
Today Tracey and I went to Laurie's place for Xmas dinner.
story submitted
2004.12.24
I did it.
Chako and Charkow
2004.12.30
Tonight we had the Chako and Geoff Charkow over for dinner.
another year is over
2004.12.31
Ah, 2004, I barely new you.
sometimes, I hate being right
2004.12.28
When the news of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean first came out, and they were talking about a death toll of 3500, I said to Tracey, "These things are never this simple.
tempur mattress
2004.12.26
Tracey bought me a tempur mattress cover and pillow for Xmas.
assault and punishment
2004.12.23
So, once again it seems that you can get away with anything if you're a celebrity.
out of touch
2004.12.18
Today I got a taste for how much I've aged.
solstace
2004.12.21
Well, the solstace is finally here.
toronto is cold tonight
2004.12.20
It's -22oC tonight, and was damn cold all day.
PL/SQL
2004.12.17
I met with Sailor Yoon and the girlfriend for a drink or two, this evening, and was interrupted at one point by a bizarre phone call.
new apartment
2004.12.16
Looks like we have a new apartment, for March 1.
naggin suspicion confirmed
2004.12.10
Today I discovered something that I'd been half expecting for some time, now.
unchili
2004.12.09
I'm really not at my best at this time of year, I suspect.
puzzles
2004.12.08
The subway system has these puzzles that they put up to attract attention to their "What's On?" series of guides to the city.
I'm gonna drink beer!
2004.12.12
Today I was in the liquor store, having a look for some beer for the women at tonight's little get together (we men seem to be whisk(e)y drinkers.
goobye Bell Canada
2004.12.05
Three weeks ago, our home phone line was switched from Bell to Primus.
weather
2004.12.06
If Toronto in November is the most depressing place on Earth, Toronto in December can be one of the most aggravating.
program applied
2004.12.07
I've done it.
dundas square
2004.11.20
They really are going nuts with 'developing' Dundas Square in Toronto.
caffeine
2004.12.03
I think I've found the key to quitting caffeine.
the new plan
2004.12.01
I spent the afternoon at the old Metro town hall.
the old gang
2004.11.26
Tonight I met with the old gang from my time at Star Data.
goodbye caffeine
2004.11.30
Today.
xmas nears
2004.11.28
Ah, the Xmas season.
"across the road"
2004.11.27
Tonight, Tracey and I had a really fine evening out.
a friend in Ukraine
2004.11.25
I sent an email to a couple of friends from the Ukraine, and it turns out that one of them happens to be back in the 'old country' at the moment.
the situation in Ukraine
2004.11.24
I find it interesting that "the West" is so quick to jump into the action in the ongoing Ukrainian situation.
my dinner with Jonathan
2004.11.22
Tonight I met with my old friend Jonathan Culp and a number of his activist/media friends at a really good vegetarian "Pan-Asian" place called Bo De Duyen on Spadina Ave.
arrrrrgoooos
2004.11.21
Watched the Grey Cup at a bar on Yonge Street called Elsewhere's tonight.
gym goin'
2004.11.19
Tracey has begun a regimen of exercise lately.
chick flick
2004.11.20
Saw a hard-core chick-flick today.
shorn
2004.11.21
A shave, a haircut, and this is me.
so nothing's changed in Calgary
2004.11.17
too brown for Calgary schoolyardsTwo 20-year-olds in Calgary were convicted of beating and urinating on a first-nations fellow who they - and three under-age friends - found sleeping on the streets.
the "greatest Canadian" is cooked
2004.11.15
I had a look at the standings for the greatest Canadian 'competition' that the CBC is putting on.
succor for those in need
2004.11.12
Today a 'homeless' fellow on the street barked at me for some help.
my perfect cousin
2004.11.11
Today I meet with Kate, my cousin (not to be confused with my g/f Kate*).
the return of Blake
2004.11.09
Earlier this week I was contacted by a former colleague from my days in Australia.
job lead fizzles
2004.11.10
I didn't get the job I was up for.
remembrance day
2004.11.11
So I didn't get to the Remembrance Day ceremony downtown this morning.
ill
2004.11.10
I've got a cold.
remembering
2004.11.08
Today I found an article on canoe.
people on the street can be pretty lame
2004.10.29
Today as I was wandering about the city looking for a place for Charlie and Andrea, I passed a rather dishevelled individual on the sidewalk.
Revenge of the Sith
2004.11.07
So the first trailer for the sixth Star Wars movie is in the cinemas.
genius of love
2004.11.08
I don't know who this guy was, but he could sure play some fine blues on the harmonica, which he had hooked up to an amp.
Bush and the Americans
2004.11.04
I've had a complete change of heart since Bush won his re-election.
let it snow, let it snow.... oh God
2004.11.05
It's snowing, and heavily.
looking for a home that's not for me
2004.10.28
I had a look at some apartments for Charlie and Andrea, today.
the plot coagulates
2004.11.02
I think I'm going to have to call this my "year of the dog".
new business and calling cards
2004.11.02
Today I'm pretty pleased with myself.
Dog owner
2004.11.01
Tonight I ran into the owners of the Doberman pincer that I watched attack two women and their dogs last Tuesday.
how to destroy a rug
2004.10.27
Today I invented a new method of destroying a rug.
dog attack
2004.10.26
What a fncking day this was.
interviewing
2004.10.25
I went to an interview today with an outfit that needs to augment their consulting business.
apartments
2004.10.25
I've been asked to have a look around for apartments for Charlie and Andrea, who will be moving here.
odd dream
2004.10.26
I had a dream last night that a ne'er-do-well buddy and I stole a cement mixer or dumptruck or something.
Minolta, back from the brink
2004.10.23
Today, while waiting for a postponed haircut appointment, I walked into a camera store.
Bell Mobility is big leggy
2004.10.19
Today was my last day on the job at Bell Mobility.
the commuting unconscious
2004.10.12
I've been taking the bus a lot of late, getting out to the site of the job I'm at for the moment.
CFL, w'hoo!
2004.10.11
Today Tracey and I went to a CFL game with Scott and Carlos - a Mexican teenager who is staying with Scott and Sue out in Oakville.
em double-u net
2004.10.10
I've finally got a new domain up and running.
Back to the cottage
2004.09.25
Mum is here for Yvonne's 75th birthday party.
the Toronto job market
2004.09.20
The job market is heating up in Toronto, it seems.
IKEA, Swedish for 'slow death'
2004.09.18
Today, we went to IKEA for a wardrobe for the bedroom and a sofa for the living room.
of bulbs and blinds
2004.09.14
I didn't think that the first thing I'd be doing when I got back to civilization would be to buy some lilght bulbs and blinds, but that's exactly what I'm doing.
Home again, home again
2004.09.12
Diggity-dig.
Spiderhouse!
2004.09.08
Ken and Heidi have a home that's in the (surprisingly sunny) basement of a place in West Vancouver.
visiting with family
2004.09.03
I'm in Vancouver! The place is pretty much as I left it.
Whew!
2004.09.02
There are some things, even quite trivial things, that can bring about a sense of accomplishment.
oil slick, adrift
2004.07.15
Today I saw something amazing.
dog plays fetch with dog
2004.07.11
The view from my apartmemt includes the commons in "downtown" Halifax.
headhunter feed bag
2004.07.08
So I was dragged to this little function that a head-hunter put on last night.
big street grin
2004.07.07
I said "Good morning" to a dis-shevelled woman on a street corner this morning (not the same one I'd run into a few days before who pointed out my failings as a saviour).
Keane's flip-flop
2004.07.06
Keane seems to have changed their mind about the transfer to Toronto.
of back strain and mustaches
2004.07.05
Today we were scheduled to go down to Bridgewater to see uncle Horst and aunt Barbara.
Korean-style Greek
2004.07.04
This evening Tracey and I went over to Charlie's place where he and Andrea made a beautiful Greek dinner.
good food makes the world go 'round
2004.07.03
This morning Tracey and I went to the market.
Going home
2004.07.02
Tracey's here! And the fellow who hired me out of New Jersey says he's spoken with my VP (at the client) and that I'm going to be able to transfer to Keane's Toronto office.
no i can't save the world
2004.06.30
Today I was waiting at the corner for some traffic, when the woman standing next to me said something I didn't catch.
downward spiral for my old watch
2004.06.29
I took my watch in to the shop once again, annoyed.
wristwatch problems persist!
2004.06.28
I took my watch in again.
wristwatch stopped?
2004.06.27
Today my watch stopped working for the first time in its fifteen year run.
fixed watch not so .. fixed
2004.06.26
On my way to see the movie today, I noticed that the new face on my watch is loose.
george bush and his fart catchers
2004.06.26
I saw "Fahrenheit 9/11" with Charlie today.
plantar fascitis is worse than it sounds
2004.06.25
This morning started with one of my colleagues blowing a gasket.
wristwatch fixed!
2004.06.25
I got my watch back today.
entry 848
2004.06.22
The kid I've been dealing with at the watch repair place called to let me know that there were some watch faces in stock and that I could leave my watch with him.
old watch suddenly scratched up
2004.06.21
Somehow, I managed to scratch the hell out of the face on my watch.
too .. much .. soccer
2004.06.20
For reasons that I still can't explain, I decided to join some of my colleagues in playing a game of soccer this afternoon.
segway spotting
2004.06.20
Today, while on a walk in the city, I saw my first "Segway".
filing my negatives (sexy, right?)
2004.06.20
I spent the whole evening filing negatives into sleeve-sheets, last night.
organizing my slides
2004.06.19
Today I did something I should have done before I started misplacing/losing some of my thousands of negatives and slides.
outsourcing halifax
2004.06.18
Sailor Yoon tells me that the outsourcing of his employer's IT operation to CGI is looking like a good thing.
shoulda been a comic
2004.06.17
Today a coworker in New York who discovered this website asked me if I'd ever tried any improv work.
my girl's moving up
2004.06.15
Tracey has accepted a new role at her job.
uncool office
2004.06.14
It was 28ºC when I got to the office this morning.
me .. stand-up comedy?
2004.06.11
Today, for the first time, I was told that I should do stand-up on the account of my deadpan delivery.
supersize me
2004.06.10
Today I watched "Supersize Me".
another lost friend (at the office)
2004.06.09
Today I learned that Kevin Atwood has left Keane.
cheapskate employer
2004.06.07
Today the air temperature at the office hit 28ºC.
test-driver
2004.06.05
Today I test-drove three cars.
gonna have company
2004.06.01
Bought some tickets for my girl.
goin' green in nova scotia
2004.05.30
Today, for the first time in my life, I decided to stop simply grouching about politics and do something.
halifax is a rainy city
2004.05.29
Another fine day.
extra treacherous
2004.05.28
This week I've been trying to add some physical exercise to my routine.
(oYo) means boobies
2004.05.25
Hee hee.
nova scotian home-cooked fries
2004.05.29
Today I decided to try my hand at cooking up some sweet potato french fries.
turkish delight on a nova scotia night
2004.05.24
I had a really good day, today.
my new Minolta XD
2004.05.23
Tonight—after my budgeting deliberations—I decided to go for a walk.
my household budget problems
2004.05.23
Today I decided to sit down and work out the budget I'm currently living under, and came to some difficult realizations.
my way with women
2004.05.21
Tonight I was invited to Charlie's place to have dinner with those two and Andrea's friend Stacey.
I like my class at L'Alliance Français
2004.05.19
Tonight, another French class.
sharper knives mean better cutting
2004.05.15
Today I was given a late Christmas gift.
they call this incident management
2004.05.14
After a whole four hours of sleep, I was woken by the pager again at 6:30 this morning.
of calls and flames
2004.05.13
Got home at midnight tonight, after spending the evening out with my colleagues.
week in, week out
2004.05.12
Another Wednesday, another French lesson (at six).
too tired for hockey
2004.05.11
I'm on support this week, so I just made it home in time to see the Flames's second, artful, amazing beautiful goal last night.
four months in, finally met the boss
2004.05.11
I met my boss, today.
my cheapskate employer
2004.05.09
Tracey's gone.
clever sunburn
2004.05.08
One more sunny day before Tracey is due to leave.
you got a hangover?
2004.05.07
This was a slow day.
your father's moustache
2004.05.06
I got my monitor back! For $100, as promised, it's been restored to its original condition by the fellows at Apro.
outsourcing to IBM
2004.05.05
Charlie and the gang in the IT department at Maritime Life got word today of their future.
provincial, but gorgeous
2004.05.05
Today we took the rental car down to the Ovens, near Bridgewater where my uncle Horst and aunt Barbara live.
more fallout from my move
2004.05.03
After a fine weekend of many fun episodes, I awoke this morning to discover that my monitor had packed it in.
the vacation starts here
2004.04.30
My vacation begins today.
here comes your girl
2004.05.01
Tracey arrived today! For a full week and a day.
entry 807
2004.04.28
The beard trimmer finally arrived.
entry 806
2004.04.27
Tonight I saw The Corportation with Sailor Yoon and his woman.
linux fish
2004.04.26
Today I saw one of those fish things on the back of a car.
where do I begin...
2004.04.25
Where do I begin.
bit of a disaster, today
2004.04.21
This was a bad day on the domestic front.
nineteen kilometers
2004.04.18
Today while playing with some software that Charlie had for his GPS unit I learned that my little walk on Easter Friday was actually 19 kilometres long.
where is my .. minidisc
2004.04.12
Today's "Where's My.
walking to Sears
2004.04.10
Today I went for another walk to try to pick up some things.
hellboy
2004.04.09
Today was a beautiful sunny day, and the first warm day we've had, so I decided to go for a walk.
Toronto/Halifax
2004.04.06
I went to an all-hands meeting at work today, where we were given some momentous news that set off a flurry of questions.
Toronto/Halifax
2004.04.04
"Home" again.
my place may be a dump
2004.04.03
What would a visit with Tracey be without an awful migraine for company.
my place may be a dump
2004.04.02
I flew to T/O today, and met Tracey at the airport.
my place may be a dump
2004.03.28
Recently, my apartment's plumbing has been exhibiting some strange behaviour.
Spring is trying to spring
2004.03.27
Spring is trying to make an honest arrival in Nova Scotia.
the park is broken
2004.03.28
Today I went out to breakfast with Charlie, Andrea, and Kerry.
my egg was printed
2004.03.21
Today I noticed something strange on an egg as I prepared my breakfast.
ten hour surprise shift
2004.03.20
Today I went into work for what was supposed to be four hours.
on-call is killing me
2004.03.19
Tonight I went out for dinner with Charlie after a long and tiring week.
the lurking coworker
2004.03.12
Today I had a surprising experience.
may contain nuts
2004.03.09
Tonight on the way home from work, I saw one of those hanging yellow diamond signs in the rear window of a minivan.
a fine weekend
2004.03.08
I've just had one of the best weekends in memory.
thank God for acrylic
2004.03.06
Tracey got into town last night, and I have the day off.
muddy dogs and other things
2004.03.03
One of my favourite things in the whole wide world happened today.
February was crappy
2004.03.02
So.
downtime
2004.03.01
Good day, sorry for the long absence.
a day for results
2004.02.04
Today was a bit of a banner day.
skate and create!
2004.02.05
This morning I looked out on the commons and saw that someone had made some art.
uncomfortably hot
2004.02.03
The temperature on the little thermometer that I brought into the office two weeks ago hit 28C, this afternoon, and parked there for hours.
chhhhhh-glachpt-chhhhh
2004.01.26
I was enjoying a plate o' Korean foodcourt 'food' today when a fellow walked by who was clearing his throat.
cold photography
2004.01.25
Tonight I saw an ad on TV that had a woman burbling the line "There's something to be said for instant gratification" in a non-ironic fashion.
Firefly - TV's best sci-fi
2004.01.24
I spent most of the day, today, watching the full "Firefly" series.
my tattoos get done
2004.01.21
Someone got one of my tattoo designs done, and I'm itching to see the results.
let x = well, you know
2004.01.20
Amusingly, there were only two of us at Tai Chi tonight.
there's always a worse job
2004.01.19
The building where I work is glommed onto a structure that leads to a hotel lobby.
haircut on a Sunday? Not likely!
2004.01.18
I attempted to get my hair cut today.
Halifax can be damn cold
2004.01.17
Saturday.
shifty news
2004.01.16
Today at work I was told I'd be on 'shift' next week.
let x = y / 2
2004.01.15
Day two of the new Tai Chi program.
my shoulder is bloody, for once
2004.01.13
Tonight was the first hour-long session at the Tai Chi place.
east coast style Tai Chi
2004.01.12
Tonight on the way home from work I stopped in at the "Taoist Tai Chi" building, and asked "What's this all about?" I don't know if I was expecting a Taoist temple, but it turns out that it's a chain of places that teach Tai Chi.
Halifax is damn cold
2004.01.14
It was -21oC on my way home from work, and windy enough to make it feel like -42oC.
and another new job
2004.01.05
My first day on the new job.
the wan light of a Canadian winter
2004.01.11
This morning I continued unpacking.
no... wild.. turkey?!
2004.01.10
Today I learned something dreadful about Nova Scotia.
another new year, full o' promise
2004.01.01
This is two new year's days in a row that I've come through without a hangover.
hooked up!
2003.12.31
A day for odds and ends.
my 15th home
2003.12.30
I'm here.
lousy movers
2003.12.29
Today the movers came and took my stuff away.
just about packed
2003.12.28
Packing.
gramma gelinas
2003.12.27
Today I spent much of the day packing up my apartment.
for tomorrow we pack
2003.12.26
The weather was beautiful, today.
partying with a centenarian
2003.12.25
My mum and I went out to see the Mastersons in Oakville for Xmas, today.
Xmas loot!
2003.12.25
What a haul of Xmas stuff, this year.
george's trains
2003.12.24
I got the mirror frame back today and ran over to "George's Trains" to get some paint and small model-style brushes.
new mirror frame
2003.12.23
The mirror frame I bought yesterday is now in at a mirror shop just two blocks from my home (I'm going to miss the convenience of this place).
kuda imports
2003.12.22
Today my mum and I went shopping for a gift for Tracey.
renting out my unit
2003.12.22
Today's apartment showing was the first response to the ad I put in the Toronto Star.
cave techies
2003.12.21
Another day, another showing of the apartment.
I need a tenant to replace me
2003.12.20
Managed to show the apartment today.
lost credit card turned up
2003.12.19
Today I had to go back to the computer shop where I'd picked up my PC to retrieve my credit card.
return of the king
2003.12.18
Lord of the Rings' "The Return of the King" is the most outstanding finale to a trilogy that I have ever seen.
my new PC is here! my new PC is here!
2003.12.18
I picked up my new PC today.
the bastards!
2003.12.18
I got a response to my fax from Halifax.
hrdc blues
2003.12.18
This morning I went to the HRDC to see about the program they have for getting self-employed people going.
drinking with lightweights
2003.12.17
It's a good thing I got my apartment sorted out yesterday: I had a headache all morning today.
oh park property you scoundrels
2003.12.16
Today the weather gradually improved from heavy rain to clear skies.
Halifax weather hell
2003.12.15
This morning—when I had appointments to see some four apartments—all Hell broke loose with the weather.
perfect hunting weather
2003.12.14
I flew into town tonight on Jetsgo—or Jetslow, as I'm beginning to think of them—an hour and a half late as per usual on that airline.
a busy day in t.o.
2003.12.12
Whew, a busy day.
digital passport photography is here
2003.12.06
Today was an errands day.
saying goodbyes
2003.12.11
Today I continued with my preparations to leave town.
another goodbye
2003.12.10
Another day in December, another huddle with a friend before I take off for Halifax.
preparing to leave the city
2003.12.09
Today, feeling better, I decided to get a start on my to-do list, now that I know I'm off for Halifax.
shingles really sucks!
2003.12.08
I spent the entire day in bed today suffering from what was either the shingles or the antivirals I'm taking to fight them.
"that thing on your face is getting bigger"
2003.12.07
Over the course of the past two days, a nasty rash has lit up on the side of my face, just down from my ear.
who's that masked man
2003.12.05
Over the past few days, I've been feeding Tracey's cats.
I've got a job in a new city
2003.12.04
All of the confusion surrounding the extended hiring process with Keane has been resolved.
entry 729
2003.12.03
Also today, I had an interview with the good folks at Morgan Stanley.
entry 728
2003.12.03
Today I made myself a musical instrument.
entry 727
2003.11.28
I got my resume critiqued by the good people at the federal government's Department of Human Resources 'resource centre' staff today.
entry 726
2003.11.27
Today I went down to the goverment's human resources centre to see what they have about finding work.
entry 725
2003.11.26
The interview with the Morgan-Stanley people went swimmingly, today.
entry 724
2003.11.25
Today I did get the call I was expecting from Keane.
entry 723
2003.11.24
Today I was expecting a phone call from Keane.
entry 722
2003.11.23
This must have been the slowest day of the year.
entry 721
2003.11.22
Tonight was a lot of fun.
entry 720
2003.11.21
Tonight I joined Tracey in babysitting her nephew Graydon.
entry 719
2003.11.21
Another day, another contact with my would-be employers in Halifax.
entry 718
2003.11.20
Well, more bombings in Turkey.
entry 717
2003.11.20
Another day, another couple of interviews.
entry 716
2003.11.19
The g/f and I had our first squabble, this evening.
entry 715
2003.11.19
Today was the first of two interviews with the software/consulting firm that's hiring for positions in Halifax.
entry 714
2003.11.18
This afternoon I attended a job fair for an outfit that is hiring for nearly 40 positions in Halifax (of all places).
entry 713
2003.11.17
Tonight I learned that no man races to the dollar store faster than he who seeks a toilet plunger.
entry 712
2003.11.14
This evening I met with Juriy and Paul from Pontis to celebrate Juriy's finding a job at BMO.
entry 711
2003.11.14
Today was special.
entry 710
2003.11.13
Tonight I met with Tracey's family.
entry 709
2003.11.13
Today I noticed a deposit into my chequeing account.
entry 708
2003.11.12
You know the kind of day where you decide at 6:30 to have a bit of a nap, so you take off your shirt and discover that you've been wearing two undershirts all day? This was that kind of day.
entry 707
2003.11.11
One of my job leads turned out to be in Lagos, Nigeria, rather than Dubai, UAE.
entry 706
2003.11.11
Ugh.
entry 705
2003.11.10
Ken informs me that the continued cost of keeping etherlabs.
entry 704
2003.11.09
It seems that Sailor Yoon and Tracey's friend Andrea have hit it off.
entry 703
2003.11.09
After yet another migraine, I finally got going late in the day to head out.
entry 702
2003.11.08
Another day, another headache.
entry 701
2003.11.07
I inflicted the guys from the ol' IT gang from my days at Trimark on Tracey, tonight.
entry 700
2003.11.07
I had my first migraine in months, today.
entry 699
2003.11.05
I had a rather good interview today with a systems hardware retailer here in town that is trying to start up a professional services wing.
entry 698
2003.11.04
Tracey is heading off for Ottawa on a strangely uncoordinated jaunt for work.
entry 697
2003.11.04
It occurred to me today, as I waited in line at the federal government's Human Resources department's office, that this is my fourth November in a row that I've faced without a job.
entry 696
2003.11.03
Tonight I had a couple of strange experiences.
entry 695
2003.11.02
Home again, home again, diggity dig.
entry 694
2003.11.01
What a day.
entry 693
2003.10.31
We spent the day toodling about the Eastern Passage, today.
entry 692
2003.10.30
Another slow start to the day, naturally.
entry 691
2003.10.29
Unfortunately, today was Chako's last day.
entry 690
2003.10.28
We checked out the Bell museum in Baddeck this morning, because the weather was really rough.
entry 689
2003.10.27
Our hopes of finding colourful landscapes have been realized - we spent the day driving just ahead of a nasty front that kept us under a mix of sunny and dark skies.
entry 688
2003.10.26
Chako arrived, today.
entry 687
2003.10.25
Charlie's place is immense.
entry 686
2003.10.24
We arrived after 11 PM tonight due to delays with Jetsgo.
entry 685
2003.10.22
Had a rather good day, today.
entry 684
2003.10.21
This morning while eating breakfast, I noticed a column of smoke rising into the air half a block north of my apartment building.
entry 683
2003.10.20
On the show Morse today, there was an amusing witticism; "You know what they say about funerals - someone always catches their death!" There.
entry 682
2003.10.13
A number of new leads have turned up through some old work acquaintances.
entry 681
2003.10.12
I went to the family Thanksgiving dinner, today, out in Oakville.
entry 680
2003.10.12
I had my final acupuncture session today.
entry 679
2003.10.08
I went to the photo.
entry 678
2003.10.11
One of my Russian/Ukrainian coworkers brought a cold to the office during the week.
entry 677
2003.10.09
Oh, it must be Thursday.
entry 676
2003.10.08
There was some commotion around the building as I went home for lunch, today.
entry 675
2003.10.07
'Twas Geoff's birthday celebration, tonight.
entry 674
2003.10.01
Dead.
entry 673
2003.10.02
Okay.
entry 672
2003.09.27
Being something of a masochist, I went for another round of shiatsu.
entry 671
2003.09.26
It's a funny thing.
entry 670
2003.09.25
Autumn officially started on the weekend, and it's getting cold.
entry 669
2003.09.24
Tracey and I met with Geoff and Mariko to see the movie 'Lost in Translation'.
entry 668
2003.09.23
The job search progresses slowly.
entry 667
2003.09.22
The pain and stiffness from the shiatsu treatment is indescribable.
entry 666
2003.09.22
The tickets are booked.
entry 665
2003.09.21
The shiatsu massage I got yesterday has turned on me.
entry 664
2003.09.20
I went for my first Shiatsu experience today.
entry 663
2003.09.18
Tracey and I have this idea.
entry 662
2003.09.15
All is lost.
entry 661
2003.09.14
Today we went chair shopping.
entry 660
2003.09.13
It seems that Lee Salem, an apparatchik at Universal Press Syndicate, couldn't be brought to spell out the word 'masterbate' in a recent UPS fatwa against a recent Doonesbury strip, and went with 'm-word'.
entry 659
2003.09.13
What.
entry 658
2003.09.11
My back is hurting today.
entry 657
2003.09.09
O, calamity! My chair broke tonight, while I was sitting on it chatting on the phone with the lovely Tracey.
entry 656
2003.09.09
I made myself liver and onions last night.
entry 655
2003.09.08
I did something stupid tonight.
entry 654
2003.09.08
It's true.
entry 653
2003.09.07
Argh, Summer colds.
entry 652
2003.09.05
Amazingly, I got laid off, today.
entry 651
2003.09.04
I've been making sales calls to ISP's across the country to try to drum up some business.
entry 650
2003.09.02
What a weekend.
entry 649
2003.09.01
I suspect that my drug-dealing neighbours may have moved out.
entry 648
2003.08.31
Waking up next to a new person is always a remarkable thing.
entry 647
2003.08.30
I've noticed this summer that there seem to be a hell of a lot of sparrows around.
entry 646
2003.08.30
There had been no progress in the condition of the squirrel for a few days.
entry 645
2003.08.29
Had my first success with the new project of working - contacting ISP's and attempting to drum up new relationships.
entry 644
2003.08.28
Went on a date, tonight.
entry 643
2003.08.27
Today at lunch I took the building's internal stairs down to the parking lot to head home.
entry 642
2003.08.26
I passed The Squirrel again.
entry 641
2003.08.26
Today I ran into Andrea, one of the gang from the Davisville Physiotherapy outfit where I went routinely for three months back in the Winter.
entry 640
2003.08.25
So now I'm reading a 'sales' book.
entry 639
2003.08.24
I noticed a squirrel that had fallen to its demise from a hydro pole, today.
entry 638
2003.08.23
I saw two sparrows flying low, today.
entry 637
2003.08.22
Tonight after work - the final day of a long, long week that had me on a crash course on sales, of all things - I trudged downtown and picked up a roll of negatives I'd had processed.
entry 636
2003.08.22
This business of living next to a drug dealer is starting to piss me off.
entry 635
2003.08.21
Tonight I went to a dinner put together by some people I encountered on craigslist.
entry 634
2003.08.20
On my way to get groceries, today, I past a family that had just emerged from a restaurant.
entry 633
2003.08.19
I went to the gym this evening - I usually go in the morning, but with the power outage I hadn't been since Wednesday.
entry 632
2003.08.18
There's a rumour going 'round that SARS-stock may not have been the care-free event everyone made it out to be.
entry 631
2003.08.17
The power seems to be pretty much stable, today, thankfully.
entry 630
2003.08.16
This power outage thing's not all that bad.
entry 629
2003.08.15
What next? First there was the war, then SARS (pt 1).
entry 628
2003.08.13
Tonight I went to this month's photo.
entry 627
2003.08.11
Tonight I actually removed the oven mitt from the 'fridge.
entry 626
2003.08.11
I am now going to make an amazing prediction.
entry 625
2003.08.10
Today I noticed that there is an oven mitt in the 'fridge.
entry 624
2003.08.09
I spent the day with my dad, my step-mother Renate, and my uncle Wolf.
entry 623
2003.08.08
Last night I attended a send-off at Sneaky Dee's for Jonathan Culp (Satan Macnuggit himself).
entry 622
2003.08.06
The photo scavenger hunt is complete.
entry 621
2003.08.05
Today I had the bad luck of 'finding out the hard way' that the urinal at work had developed a leak.
entry 620
2003.08.04
Back to the city.
entry 619
2003.08.03
We made our way from Espanola back onto the island, and had a rather good breakfast in Little Current at a greasy spoon full of bikers.
entry 618
2003.08.02
Today my mum and I set out at last to do the Manitoulin trip we've been threatening for two years.
entry 617
2003.08.01
I've rounded the corner on my debt.
entry 616
2003.07.30
I did "Sars-stock".
entry 615
2003.07.27
I managed to get Chako's PC working.
entry 614
2003.07.28
Two days to the SARS concert (which the Sun referred to on its front page as SARS-stock).
entry 613
2003.07.29
At the gym today, I upped my efforts on the treadmill to: 5 min walking @ 5 MPH 3 min jogging @ 7 MPH 2 min walking @ 5 MPH 3 min jogging @ 7 MPH 2 min walking @ 5 MPH How far did I run? No, no, I mean.
entry 612
2003.07.21
Tonight I left work early to go meet my accountant.
entry 611
2003.07.20
Today, on the way back from the cottage, we stopped in Bala on the Trent/Severn canal system.
entry 610
2003.07.19
Back to the cottage.
entry 609
2003.07.20
Two whole days.
entry 608
2003.07.13
Today I went on a photo trek with Katherine from the photo.
entry 607
2003.07.17
Tonight I went to Chako's place to try to help with her computer (actually, it's Jonathan's PC, but he's in Japan).
entry 606
2003.07.18
Tonight my mum and I went to dinner to discuss our work woes over Thai food at a place on Bayview called "Satay by the road".
entry 605
2003.07.11
Having recently spent 2 1/2 years and more out of Toronto, it's interesting to note how windy this city is.
entry 604
2003.07.12
I went down to Henry's today to look at some used lenses.
entry 603
2003.07.09
I bought myself a ticket to the SARS benefit concert that's on the 30th.
entry 602
2003.07.09
I got a note from the building management today stating 'On a recent visit to the building, the Toronto Fire Inspector has advised us that anyone caught ossing cigarettes off their balcony causing a fire .
entry 601
2003.07.08
I've been going to the gym for about two weeks, now, and I have noticed that I'm having a hell of a time concentrating at work (or at home, but what else is new?).
entry 600
2003.07.06
Once back in the city, I returned the car and traipsed north along Yonge Street, watching the 'Toronto Festival' that was in progress.
entry 599
2003.07.06
At 9:00 or so, I got up and had highway 400 to face.
entry 598
2003.07.05
Today I was invited out to a barbeque by one of my new coworkers (the newest one).
entry 597
2003.07.04
Tonight I suffered through the worst 'ring of fire' in my life.
entry 596
2003.07.02
I almost always use the stairs to go up to my apartment, rather than the elevator.
entry 595
2003.07.01
Happy Canada Day! .
entry 594
2003.06.29
I went down to the Gay Pride parade.
entry 593
2003.06.24
I've decided to quit coffee, again.
entry 592
2003.06.26
Today is my little brother's 30th birthday.
entry 591
2003.06.27
Though I had to work throughout the day, I believe I managed to make the most of the weather today.
entry 590
2003.06.25
The nice woman who runs the restaurant between my gym and my place of employment told me today that I was a 'nice, soft-spoken gentleman'.
entry 589
2003.06.18
On my desk, when I started my new job recently, was an assortment of clutter from my predecessor.
entry 588
2003.06.19
Anluan put together a small meeting of the old i.
entry 587
2003.06.16
Charlie missed his flight! He checked it repeatedly, but was always reading the arrival time rather than the departure.
entry 586
2003.06.20
I bought a new film scanner with some of the proceeds of my 2002 income tax rebate (I'm still waiting on 2000 and 2001).
entry 585
2003.06.21
I went for a long walk, today, after stopping by the office to help move my desk + associated crud there-on to the other room, where the bosses are assembling a 'data centre'.
entry 584
2003.06.14
Charlie, the Chako, and I went to see Finding Nemo with one of the Chako's friends, another Japanese girl named Kyoko.
entry 583
2003.06.13
Mr.
entry 582
2003.06.11
My colleague Yuri from the office - who has been making regular appearances in this journal, recently - discovered today that the Ukraine has imposed a quarantine on all people arriving from SARS-afflicted regions.
entry 581
2003.06.12
Last night I attended a meeting that was arranged via the meetup.
entry 580
2003.06.10
I got some photos back from the party I attended on the weekend.
entry 579
2003.06.09
I've been doing some really fascinating stuff at work, of late.
entry 578
2003.06.08
Last night I went to a house party thrown by my second cousin, Ann.
entry 577
2003.06.09
Well, the Stanley Cup final was on tonight and I couldn't be bothered to watch.
entry 576
2003.06.03
I have this coworker named Juriy (that's Yuri to English speakers).
entry 575
2003.06.07
I bought a copy of OpenBSD at the University of Toronto's bookstore.
entry 574
2003.06.06
Ken is in town.
entry 573
2003.06.01
Today I went on a trek down to the lone wind turbine that was set up on Toronto's harbourfront.
entry 572
2003.06.02
Phew.
entry 571
2003.05.30
I believe the Poynter sisters are having something of a renaissance.
entry 570
2003.05.31
The etherlabs.
entry 569
2003.05.27
Nothing.
entry 568
2003.05.21
I had my first experience in any sort of sales capacity, today.
entry 567
2003.05.22
I wanna tell you a story about my new apartment building.
entry 566
2003.05.16
This may sound hard to believe, but I've bungled into some sales responsibilities at the office.
entry 565
2003.05.20
Well, I had some fun on the weekend.
entry 564
2003.05.08
So I saw this Audi S4 the other day.
entry 563
2003.05.11
Last night at around 8:00 that I decided I needed to get out of the apartment.
entry 562
2003.05.11
I bought my mum a DVD player to replace her CD player, which died while I was staying with her.
entry 561
2003.05.10
There is a style these days where young women wear track pants with a word printed across the ass.
entry 560
2003.05.09
Today, a teenager called me 'sir'.
entry 559
2003.05.04
Something Happened Inside an Innocuous Plastic Tub.
entry 558
2003.05.06
It stands to reason that as soon as I'm back at work I'd have my first real cold in over a year.
entry 557
2003.05.05
Thank God for the Home Hardware.
entry 556
2003.04.30
Tonight after work, I did my usual monthly trick of shuffling money around between my line of credit, two bank accounts, and a credit card, but had the pleasure of adding a paycheque to the mix.
entry 555
2003.04.29
Arrgh.
entry 554
2003.04.29
Today, at last, the day I've been waiting for.
entry 553
2003.04.22
Tonight I met Chako for dinner.
entry 552
2003.04.25
The weather seems to have finally stabilized.
entry 551
2003.04.14
It's just as I imagined, this working-at-a-place-a-block-from-home.
entry 550
2003.04.28
I must be out of shape.
entry 549
2003.04.27
I went back to do the second coat on the floor of my new place.
entry 548
2003.04.26
Today I decided to refinish the floor of my new apartment.
entry 547
2003.04.22
I contacted the driver who's moving my stuff down from Vancouver.
entry 546
2003.04.21
We decided to take the car out and explore the eastern edge of the 'Georgian Highlands' today.
entry 545
2003.04.20
Driving home from St.
entry 544
2003.04.20
I went with my mother to St.
entry 543
2003.04.12
On my way to the bank, today, I saw a sudden commotion at Yonge St + St.
entry 542
2003.04.11
My first day on the job.
entry 541
2003.04.10
I got the details of my employment offer straightened out.
entry 540
2003.04.08
I managed to get as much done today as I have been doing nothing for the last several months.
entry 539
2003.04.08
I got a call from the folks at Pontis, today.
entry 538
2003.03.29
Much to my surprise, I found myself in a second job interview at a place only a block from home.
entry 537
2003.03.30
I went down to the anti-war demonstration demonstration today.
entry 536
2003.03.15
I ran into Dale Fallon on the street, today, during a walk in the suddenly warm weather.
entry 535
2003.03.17
I've decided to apply for the job with the gov't in the northern reaches of the province.
entry 534
2003.03.14
I've come across an interesting job posting with the Ministry of Natural Resources.
entry 533
2003.03.16
Today, Charlie left for the new gig in Halifax.
entry 532
2003.03.03
Charlie has accepted the job offer from Maritime Life, and is moving to Halifax! A job lead that he first came across four-and-a-half months ago led to something.
entry 531
2003.03.08
We got caught in yet another storm on the way back into the city.
entry 530
2003.03.08
After I'd shaken off a hangover, I went with my mum and aunt down to Niagara.
entry 529
2003.03.12
Tonight I went to a meeting organized through photo.
entry 528
2003.03.05
I think I may have left the IT industry.
entry 527
2003.03.10
The cold just won't let up this Winter.
entry 526
2003.03.06
Had a bit of trouble with the database.
entry 525
2003.03.07
Happy 0x20 to me! It was a long day, starting with brunch with my 'Auntie' Laurie (the designation Auntie used to irritate her when I was small because it suggested some aged spinster to her; somehow it stuck).
entry 524
2003.02.23
It is cold and blustery today.
entry 523
2003.02.23
The city was dumped on last night by rain that turned to sleet and then thick snow.
entry 522
2003.02.12
Charlie found work: in Halifax! He'll be moving off shortly, it seems.
entry 521
2003.02.11
Charlie, Josee Baillargeon (a colleague from my Trimark days who Charlie met on the street last week) and I - photographs all - met for dinner and drinks at the Bow and Arrow to catch up and show off our photos.
entry 520
2003.02.15
Today I went down to the demonstration against Gulf War II that was being held in synch with other demonstrations in the rest of the world.
entry 519
2003.02.21
After yesterday's carelessness, today I had to go buy another toque.
entry 518
2003.02.20
The weather was beautiful today.
entry 517
2003.01.05
Networking.
entry 516
2003.01.31
I've been immersing myself in the strange customization tools for Civ 3.
entry 515
2003.02.05
The Sun has been making an on-again, off-again comeback after a surprisingly dull and gloomy Winter.
entry 514
2003.02.02
Another era, another dead space shuttle.
entry 513
2003.01.12
One of my job leads is dead, and it died in a way that I've had to get used to in this shiney new decade with no name.
entry 512
2003.01.17
The job search is picking up steam (an expression that in itself is pretty ridiculous, but one that I think I've used before in exactly the same circumstances in this very journal thing).
entry 511
2003.01.21
The Australian Tax Office sent me a response to my inquiry from early December as to the status of my application to retrieve my Superannuation funds.
entry 510
2003.01.20
Strangely, I received a cheque in the mail from the Australian Tax Office, today.
entry 509
2003.01.19
Today I learned that the observatory west of Canberra that I visited in 2000 has been completely destroyed by 'bush fires'.
entry 508
2003.01.18
I had a long phone conversation with my old University friend Kamil, today.
entry 507
2003.01.07
It's now getting hard to find anything other than new releases at the video rental places in VHS.
entry 506
2003.01.01
Well, my hangover's quite mild.
entry 505
2002.12.31
Another new year.
entry 504
2002.12.29
We said our farewells and left the Ottawa area bright and early and raced down the length of the MacDonald-Cartier highway to Oakville where the Masterson clan was having an extended get-together.
entry 503
2002.12.28
Today the Ottawa contingent, my mum, and I went to the Museum of Civilization in Hull to see the Bog People exhibit.
entry 502
2002.12.27
Today my mum and I rented a car and headed out to the Ottawa-area bedroom community of Osgoode for a visit with my dad's brother Ulli and his family.
entry 501
2002.12.26
Today I learned that the name Boxing Day comes from the old habit of gathering things for charity into a box and delivering it on this day after Xmas.
entry 500
2002.12.24
My mum made Herring Salad from my Oma's old recipe.
entry 499
2002.12.25
Ah, Xmas.
entry 498
2002.12.20
So tonight I happened to catch part of a panel doing a summary of the year's movies on TV.
entry 497
2002.12.18
Well, I woke up this morning with an article in my head waiting to get out.
entry 496
2002.12.11
In other news, I had a job interview today at a place a block away from the apartment.
entry 495
2002.12.11
Ah, Winter.
entry 494
2002.12.06
Met up with Gord and his gang at the Rivoli.
entry 493
2002.12.07
Today mum, Charlie and I went to the One of a Kind Show, again.
entry 492
2002.12.03
I met with John Pak and Charlie today for lunch.
entry 491
2002.12.03
Here's an embarrassing admition; I couldn't find the cell phone in the wreckage 'round the apartment today, so I used the land line to phone it and track it down by it's ringing.
entry 490
2002.11.30
I went with my mum to the One of a Kind show today.
entry 489
2002.11.24
Today Charlie and I wandered into a Apple shop just off of Bay Street.
entry 488
2002.11.12
The people at photo.
entry 487
2002.11.02
Hmmm.
entry 486
2002.11.21
18 months.
entry 485
2002.11.20
Tonight, Ken Charlie and I went up to Ching's place somewhere in the northern reaches of the city.
entry 484
2002.11.22
All is lost.
entry 483
2002.11.17
Ken arrived, last night.
entry 482
2002.11.08
Did something silly today.
entry 481
2002.11.09
Just in case I hadn't had enough bird sh*t this year, it happened again.
entry 480
2002.11.06
One bright point in the day was the Lord of the Rings exhibit at the Maclauchlin Plane'arium.
entry 479
2002.11.06
What a day.
entry 478
2002.10.30
Went to Centre Island today with Mr.
entry 477
2002.10.29
Had a job interview today.
entry 476
2002.10.29
Last night we had a 'net celebration of Heidi's birthday.
entry 475
2002.10.28
Charlie and I were downtown, so we decided to drop in at Hernando's for lunch.
entry 474
2002.10.23
Something funny happened at the photo lab, today.
entry 473
2002.10.23
I dragged Charlie out to see "High and Low" at the Kurosawa/Mifune film festival tonight.
entry 472
2002.10.23
Got my camera back! It was apparently ready yesterday, but they had the wrong number and it was only because I called that I learned it was ready.
entry 471
2002.10.24
Got out to the cemetary early this morning to take some pics in the first light.
entry 470
2002.10.20
We had our (belated) Thanksgiving dinner today.
entry 469
2002.10.21
This morning I was woken by the sound of song birds slamming into the window.
entry 468
2002.10.18
About ten years ago, I was dating a woman whose birthday was today.
entry 467
2002.10.18
Today was an unusual one; I attended an Anarchist film screening.
entry 466
2002.10.16
Bleah.
entry 465
2002.10.15
My brother's got himself a new tattoo.
entry 464
2002.10.15
Today as I was coming home from the camera repair shop, I noticed a blimp-style balloon of maybe 4 metres in length and 1.
entry 463
2002.10.15
After several hours of floating from one locale to another, I've found someone who'll fix my camera.
entry 462
2002.10.14
Calamity! The rewind arm on my camera broke today.
entry 461
2002.10.13
Just typical; today it's sunny and clear, whereas yesterday - when we were driving among all of the Autumn colours on the Oak Ridges Moraine - it was cloudy and raining.
entry 460
2002.10.12
After our adventures in the Kawarthas, we dropped by my ex's place so I could pick up a few things that had wound up in her possession after the dissolution of our engagement.
entry 459
2002.10.12
Today Charlie, my mum and I rented a car to head up to the Whetung gallery at the Curve Lake IR near Peterborough.
entry 458
2002.10.10
The job search is continuing to be more eventful down here than in Vancouver.
entry 457
2002.10.11
I woke up to a foggy city this morning, and decided to make a dash into the cemetary to get some pics of tombstones lurking in the mist.
entry 456
2002.10.06
Okay.
entry 455
2002.10.11
Keisha, beloved and ancient cat to Heidi and Ken, was 'put down' yesterday following a long struggle with cancer.
entry 454
2002.10.06
My mum made a cheese cake based on tofu and rice flour.
entry 453
2002.10.06
I caught up, briefly, with my old (very old) friend Jonathan Culp, today.
entry 452
2002.10.07
Caught up with Charlie and the Catherine formerly known as Cox this evening at The Unicorn on Eglinton.
entry 451
2002.10.07
I met with Charlie and Chako for 'brunch' today (at a Thai place).
entry 450
2002.10.02
Mr.
entry 449
2002.10.04
This morning, a small green bird hit the window as I was eating my breakfast.
entry 448
2002.10.04
Charlie and I went to the International Centre out by the airport to check out a photography and digital imaging show.
entry 447
2002.09.29
Rrrrr! Today I was told, "Don't be a hater.
entry 446
2002.09.27
Another lazy day.
entry 445
2002.09.25
I went to Sean's place today to view a cut of his movie, the Homecoming.
entry 444
2002.09.25
It seems that my pages on caffeine addiction, uneducated though they are, have caught the attention of the CBC.
entry 443
2002.09.24
A strange day, today.
entry 442
2002.09.22
I was at the reference library working on a short story today, when I noticed three turkey vultures circling low over some green space just to the north.
entry 441
2002.09.19
Today I met with Sean Karow from my Trimark days for a coffee.
entry 440
2002.09.18
Met with an agency today to tackle a lead with the outfit where one of my step-brothers works.
entry 439
2002.09.15
It was a cloudy, muggy weekend, so I decided to go to the reference library to work on one of my short stories.
entry 438
2002.09.13
Met with Tamara Atkin from my Medialinx days for coffee this aft.
entry 437
2002.09.10
Still sick, though improving.
entry 436
2002.09.09
A sore throat from the day before turned into a full-on cold today.
entry 435
2002.09.08
The Stiffs, Gord's "drinking team with a softball problem" attended the West Queen Street (Illegal) Softball League's final game and subsequent banquet, today.
entry 434
2002.09.07
Today I saw something really unexpected.
entry 433
2002.09.04
So, I went to the Ministry of Transportation today, to get my Ontario driver's license going.
entry 432
2002.09.02
The city is already starting to feel more familiar.
entry 431
2002.09.01
My mum and I headed up to Midland for a tour of the 30,000 islands that she'd done at some point this Summer with her friend Jane.
entry 430
2002.08.31
Back in T/O.
entry 429
2002.08.30
So, my stuff's all back in storage.
entry 428
2002.08.28
I met with my former Trimark colleague Scott Nelson last night at a pub in Yaletown.
entry 427
2002.08.27
Tonight, I learned something interesting.
entry 426
2002.08.26
I found my copy of The Math Gene! It was tucked away behind two binders from old corporate training courses.
entry 425
2002.08.24
Boxes.
entry 424
2002.08.22
Today was the day I changed my address with all of the various outfits and institutions that know it.
entry 423
2002.08.21
My dad and I met with Renate out in the boonies today (Pt.
entry 422
2002.08.20
My dad and I explored one of the valley roads that leads up from Pemberton in the morning, taking advantage of the Autumn-like weather that's already beginning to take hold in the interior to take some interesting pics.
entry 421
2002.08.19
My dad came 'round today for a two-day photo trip.
entry 420
2002.08.18
This was a good weekend.
entry 419
2002.08.17
Today we went down to the beach, rented some kayaks, and spent two hours bobbing amongst the wind-driven waves, the motor-driven pleasure craft, and the odd bit of stationary architecture like bridges and rocky promintories (I've always wanted to sneak 'rocky promintory' into my writing, some how).
entry 418
2002.08.16
Charlie arrived this afternoon, and ah hour later Ken's old University buddy John arrived on a business trip.
entry 417
2002.08.15
Once again, I was reminded today of how it's better to take photos and ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission.
entry 416
2002.08.14
I've arranged for the movers to come at the end of the month, and a 'mini-storage' cube for my stuff.
entry 415
2002.08.10
Ken and I went down to a bit of a car exhibition in Yaletown this morning.
entry 414
2002.08.09
I had a job interview, today.
entry 413
2002.08.04
It occurs to me that it's been just about exactly 20 years since I was diagnosed with asthma.
entry 412
2002.08.03
The east side of this town is always interesting.
entry 411
2002.08.01
I made a wonderous discovery, today.
entry 410
2002.07.26
The elevators in my building are working again.
armed police in the streets
2002.07.25
Today I encountered something I've never seen before in Canada; two cops hurrying around the corner toward me with weapons in hand.
entry 408
2002.07.23
We left Nanaimo for Victoria, and toured Butchart gardens, which the women wanted to see, but which I think disappointed.
entry 407
2002.07.22
Today we left bright and early for a two-day trip 'round Vancouver island.
entry 406
2002.07.21
Ken, Heidi, mum and I left Vancouver this morning for a day trip up to the Sechelt peninsula.
entry 405
2002.07.20
My mother arrived for a week's visit, this evening.
entry 404
2002.07.17
I've started sending off emails to folks in T/O advising them of my plans to return.
a fellow named Skot (no longer Scott)
2002.07.15
While dropping off a roll of film for development at Custom Colour, I was recognized by Skot Nelson, a former coworker from my days at Trimark in Toronto.
entry 402
2002.07.14
I had to kill a mouse this afternoon on a walk around the sea wall.
entry 401
2002.07.12
I called up Arnon and asked him about his due baby.
entry 400
2002.07.11
According to the web logs, etherlabs.
swimming in water
2002.07.10
I swam in the ocean, today.
reverse-mounting a lens
2002.07.09
Today I made a wondrous discovery; reverse-lens photography.
car full of mysterious girls
2002.07.08
On my walk around the seawall this evening, I spotted a seal a number of times; it seemed to be making about the same time I was.
leaving Vancouver
2002.07.07
It looks like I'm gonna have to leave here.
daylight mugging
2002.07.04
This neighbourhood never ceases to entertain.
entry 393
2002.07.03
I saw a fleeting reference to Henry Kissinger on a news clip about the international war crimes court that's being set up at the UN.
hit by a car while walking
2002.07.02
More fun news.
drunken dialing for a tow
2002.07.01
Here's a new one.
entry 390
2002.06.30
So, Brazil has won the cup.
entry 389
2002.06.28
I've learned something about crows, today.
entry 388
2002.06.27
I applied for a job in Japan, on the advice of my friend Jon who's been living there for a year and a half.
entry 387
2002.06.25
So I went 'round to a couple of stores yesterday to try to price a new release plate for my tripod.
entry 386
2002.06.23
Bleah what a crap day.
entry 385
2002.06.20
Signing the petition the other day required that I register to vote, something I haven't done in over a decade.
entry 384
2002.06.19
Got paid today, for the first time in quite some time.
entry 383
2002.06.18
I signed a political petition today.
entry 382
2002.06.13
I went for a long wander round the city today because it was so damn warm and sunny.
entry 381
2002.06.12
It seems that Rogers (cable modem) and Bell (ADSL) are imposing 'bit caps' on their high-speed internet services.
entry 380
2002.06.11
Part of the seawall path around Stanley Park is closed due to some work they're doing on part of the wall.
entry 379
2002.06.09
I talked briefly with my landlord today about potentially leaving this place in July.
entry 378
2002.06.08
My little photo database project is great for learning some of the recent additions from a developer's point of view.
entry 377
2002.06.07
I've been working on a replacement for my highly manual method of managing my photos on this site.
entry 376
2002.06.06
Lousy migraines, robbing me of sunny Spring weather! Ah well, there's always the endorphin high that can only come from a quick eight hours of cranial agony.
entry 375
2002.06.05
So I was watching Law and Order tonight (the episode where Dt.
entry 374
2002.06.04
You can tell the World Cup is on.
entry 373
2002.06.03
Had a great weekend.
entry 372
2002.06.02
Our country is run by a bunch of delinquent children.
entry 371
2002.05.30
Aaaaaah, back in Vancouver.
entry 370
2002.05.29
Time to leave.
entry 369
2002.05.28
Today I went to a retail computer outfit here in town called CompuSmart.
entry 368
2002.05.26
I headed out to see some more of the city today.
entry 367
2002.05.25
So I went for a wander through the city because the weather was decent and there's the possibility that I'll find contract work here in Calgary.
entry 366
2002.05.22
Tonight I saw the hare that lives in the neighbourhood tentatively nibbling on some green grass at the edge of the sidewalk across the road.
entry 365
2002.05.16
I went and saw the first showing of the new Star Wars movie last night.
entry 364
2002.05.12
It finally happened.
entry 363
2002.05.11
Well, I have the day to myself in Seattle, so I've spent it on the road.
entry 362
2002.05.10
Now *that* was an interviewing session.
entry 361
2002.05.09
So, I'm here for a round of interviews.
entry 360
2002.05.06
So, I went 'into town' to get my roll of b + w film from our trip to SW Alberta, battling the remaining 20 cm of snow in the 'carriageway' and the dimwit drivers (snow, wet conditions? Faster! Faster!).
entry 359
2002.05.05
We spent the day toodling about in the Great Sand Hills again, then got back for about 5 PM.
entry 358
2002.05.04
Today Charlie and I rented a car and headed to rural Saskatchewan to see the Great Sand Hills.
entry 357
2002.05.03
Last night it snowed after dumping freezing rain on us for two hours.
entry 356
2002.05.01
Today, I tried to have a roll of TMAX 100 B + W film developed at the London Drugs.
entry 355
2002.04.30
Today, I had my first face-to-face job interview in some time.
entry 354
2002.04.28
My brother, who has been watching my mail for me, says that a registered letter has turned up.
entry 353
2002.04.27
I had bison steak today at a place in Okotoks which, fifteen years ago, had been the Lazy L.
entry 352
2002.04.23
Today I took Dad and Renate to the air port.
entry 351
2002.04.22
Had another phone interview today.
entry 350
2002.04.20
Whew.
entry 349
2002.04.14
The papers say that the huge pall of smoke that appeared over the city yesterday was half of Nose Hill burning! I'm not sure that it was the area where Charlie and I had been in the morning, but wow.
entry 348
2002.04.13
I went out this morning at 5 AM with Charlie to Nose Hill to take some pics of the city during sunrise.
entry 347
2002.04.09
It took me almost a week, but I had my first redneck experience in Calgary.
entry 346
2002.04.08
I got a call from Charlie this morning asking if I could be downtown by 9.
entry 345
2002.04.07
Charlie and I went out for a bit of a hike in the kananaskis this afternoon.
entry 344
2002.04.05
Talk about seasons.
entry 343
2002.04.04
So, another season, another move.
entry 342
2002.04.01
It's arranged; I'm off to Calgary on Thursday.
entry 341
2002.03.28
I've put up some new photos of buildings and animals in the Vancouver photo study.
entry 340
2002.03.17
I've discovered through a bit of genealogical work I've been doing that my family is susceptible to having twins! My parents (and the world) ducked a bullet there! .
entry 339
2002.03.15
Today I had a bit of a shock.
entry 338
2002.03.14
A conversation last week with Trena at the Grove just around the corner has done wonders for me.
entry 337
2002.03.13
A former coworker found me online while conducting a job search.
entry 336
2002.03.11
Today, while on a walk, I saw my first hovercraft! It was huge, and seemed to be all engine.
entry 335
2002.03.10
Ken and I took Charlie off to the airport in the morning, and I returned to my struggles with my photo study of vancouver, which has been difficult to organize.
entry 334
2002.03.09
Still reeling (literally) from the night before, we went to the usual spot for a late brunch, and then went down-town.
entry 333
2002.03.08
With Ken and Heidi back off at work (poor buggers), Mr.
entry 332
2002.03.07
Charlie arrived this morning, and we went out for lunch with Heidi when she got off work.
entry 331
2002.03.06
I was woken at 4:15 or so this morning by a series of bright flashes and loud bangs.
entry 330
2002.03.05
I decided to resurrect my old watch from the drawer where it had been sitting since I moved here.
entry 329
2002.03.02
I met a fellow from Brock for dinner last night.
entry 328
2002.03.01
My God.
entry 327
2002.02.27
So.
entry 326
2002.02.26
Went out tonight with my camera and tripod, as I often do just before sunset.
entry 325
2002.02.25
Ugh.
entry 324
2002.02.20
Ten months of unemployment, as of today.
entry 323
2002.02.19
I was just having a look at my journal entries from a year ago, and I've discovered that it's been quite nearly a year since the little incident in the bar that damaged my shoulder.
entry 322
2002.02.17
Thank God all this nonsense with the figure skating is over with.
entry 321
2002.02.16
Wuh, it happened again.
entry 320
2002.02.15
What a week.
entry 319
2002.02.11
They taketh with one hand, and inexplicably giveth with the other.
entry 318
2002.02.08
The *&#(*!&# provincial ministry of health took 9 weeks to look at my form and decide that I hadn't provided enough information.
entry 317
2002.02.06
Did something supremely dumb today.
entry 316
2002.02.04
I'm getting pretty tired of this pipe upgrade in my building.
entry 315
2002.02.03
After an admittedly slow start to the day, Charlie, Heidi, and I went for a bit of a hike around the dam that holds most of Vancouver's drinking water.
entry 314
2002.02.02
I managed to fail to impress the waitress at my somewhat-regular lunch spot, today.
entry 313
2002.01.26
We've had quite a dump of snow; the last thing I was expecting from Winter in this city.
entry 312
2002.01.24
Whew, this job market is dead.
entry 311
2002.01.22
Today I've finally published the short story I wrote two weeks ago.
entry 310
2002.01.17
I decided, for the first time in almost a decade, to try out one or two of the chat apps that are out there.
entry 309
2002.01.16
While getting a roll of negatives developed (for $2.
entry 308
2002.01.15
The plumber working in my bathroom knocked the hot water pipe off the bottom of my sink, jetting water everywhere.
entry 307
2002.01.14
They've completely dismantled my shower, now.
entry 306
2002.01.13
It's the oddest thing.
entry 305
2002.01.12
They buried my mom's cousin Terry today.
entry 304
2002.01.10
The plumbers needed access to my apartment today.
entry 303
2002.01.09
Wrote a 15,000 word short story today.
entry 302
2002.01.07
They're working on the water pipes in my building.
entry 301
2002.01.06
It's 5:15 and there's still light in the sky.
entry 300
2002.01.05
When we went into the interior to watch the meteor shower in October, I'm pretty sure I left behind my binoculars, somewhere.
entry 299
2002.01.04
Finally managed to get some pics scanned and posted from recent evening photo sessions in the city.
entry 298
2002.01.03
These last 4 months and change have been interesting, but I've been dogged with the feeling that I may be missing an opportunity in simply looking for more work in the same line of business.
entry 297
2002.01.02
And to start off the new year, I've encountered three new job postings that I'm interested in.
entry 296
2002.01.01
Well, 2002 already.
entry 295
2001.12.31
Well, the year is coming to a close at last.
entry 294
2001.12.29
Saw Lord of the Rings last night.
entry 293
2001.12.28
Well, I had what my brother laughingly called a 'West End moment' last night.
entry 292
2001.12.27
Back to rainy, cold Vancouver.
entry 291
2001.12.25
Had Christmas dinner alone at the resort today.
entry 290
2001.12.24
It does *not* feel like Christmas.
entry 289
2001.12.23
Manzanillo is an interesting town.
entry 288
2001.12.20
My teenage cousins seem to be living in a different world than the one I inhabited at their age.
entry 287
2001.12.17
Off to Toronto tomorrow, then Mexico for a week! .
entry 286
2001.12.12
I saw the strangest ad on TV the other night.
entry 285
2001.12.11
This city had a grand total of two full sunny days in November.
entry 284
2001.12.07
The bank that has my line of credit has managed to indear itself to me, already.
entry 283
2001.12.06
I went out for a wander today because the day star put in a rare appearance.
entry 282
2001.11.30
I was speaking with a head-hunter this morning when an odd thought occurred to me for the first time, and that was this: even if my ex and I hadn't called off our engagement, the wedding would have been a disaster! It was scheduled for the morning of the 15th of September, just four days after the WTC bombing.
entry 281
2001.11.26
Today I blew the dust off my laptop and got some good work done on my novel down at the library.
entry 280
2001.11.23
Another week of 'looking for work' while the news talks about BC's gloomy future.
entry 279
2001.11.21
Saw a telling bit of news last night.
entry 278
2001.11.18
What an amazing night.
entry 277
2001.11.17
So, the system is all back in order (I think).
entry 276
2001.11.13
We had a disasterous HDD failure on Sunday.
entry 275
2001.11.06
Finally got 'round to pricing the coins that Oma left us in May.
entry 274
2001.11.04
I take back what I said about Enterprise.
entry 273
2001.11.03
I saw the strangest thing this morning.
entry 272
2001.11.02
I had a look at one of the new Minolta DiMage 7 cameras in the London Drugs today.
entry 271
2001.11.01
Finally saw last week's Enterprise (I know, I'm a horrible nerd).
entry 270
2001.10.29
We went up Grouse Mountain, just north of Vancouver, and saw some grizzly bear cubs that are in an enclosure up there.
entry 269
2001.10.28
Today was Heidi's birthday.
entry 268
2001.10.23
Got my business cards, today.
entry 267
2001.10.21
A bit of excitement around the neighbourhood this morning.
entry 266
2001.10.19
On my way to the photo lab for some negatives, I was re-routed today by some fireman who had roped off an area about two blocks from my house.
entry 265
2001.10.18
I went and had a $6 stir fry at the local greasy spoon for lunch today, at around 3:30.
entry 264
2001.10.16
As I was walking down the street today, I came across a bunch of sparrows squabbling in the small space below the over-hanging roof of a low-rise apartment building.
entry 263
2001.10.13
Today I took photos of strangers on the street.
entry 262
2001.10.11
I tried to apply for a job with the government today.
entry 261
2001.10.08
Gord's posted some pics of his new son, Cameron.
entry 260
2001.10.06
Charlie came down last night so the two of us could take a trip out to Tofino to take some pics.
entry 259
2001.10.02
I've just read a fascinating article on the analysis by the RIAA's lawyers on how the MusicCity.
entry 258
2001.10.01
Lousy banks! The CIBC is still holding the money from the cheque I cashed on the 30th of August.
entry 257
2001.09.30
Dad, Ken, Heidi, and I went to my step-sister Juliet's place in Pt.
entry 256
2001.09.29
Dad arrived (by bus!) last night, and we spent the day toodling about the rainy city.
entry 255
2001.09.28
Another Friday, another job interview! .
entry 254
2001.09.27
My good friend Gord and his partner had a baby boy this morning, in Toronto.
entry 253
2001.09.26
The US is tightening security at the Canadian border, and the Canadian gov't announced today that it will be doing the same.
entry 252
2001.09.25
Tonight's my first Spanish lesson.
entry 251
2001.09.21
Gee, we're going to war.
entry 250
2001.09.18
I've landed an interview.
entry 249
2001.09.17
Ah, Vancouver rain.
entry 248
2001.09.16
This evening, I realised that my legs and butt were sore, from having gone to the park with Ken and Heidi yesterday to throw a frisbee around.
entry 247
2001.09.15
Today was the day I was supposed to be getting married.
entry 246
2001.09.13
I resumed work on my novel, last night.
entry 245
2001.09.12
I was shocked to have a restless night, last night.
entry 244
2001.09.11
What a day.
entry 243
2001.09.09
Well, summer is over.
entry 242
2001.09.05
Great news! I got my lost bag back from the movers.
entry 241
2001.09.03
Downloaded a couple of movies, using musiccity.
entry 240
2001.09.02
I got my prints from last night's night-time photography experiment.
entry 239
2001.09.01
At around 1:00 PM I left for a walk.
entry 238
2001.08.31
Today I finally got some of my pics up on the walls.
entry 237
2001.08.30
I've decided that when it comes to alcohol, I'm like dogs with porcupines.
entry 236
2001.08.29
I've decided on yet another new look for my home page.
entry 235
2001.08.28
I traded in one of my lenses today for another.
entry 234
2001.08.27
Today, I made my first ever appointment with a lawyer.
entry 233
2001.08.20
Recently, I've found myself thinking of a girl I knew in high school.
entry 232
2001.08.17
Yesterday I went to the 'driver's services' thing downtown to try and get a BC driver's license.
entry 231
2001.08.16
Another day, another interview.
entry 230
2001.08.15
Another interview today.
entry 229
2001.08.13
If the sudden gaps in my journal are any indication, I'm starting to have a life again! This weekend, Ken, Heidi, Charlie and I went hiking/camping in the interior.
entry 228
2001.08.07
Had my first job interview today.
entry 227
2001.08.03
Began the process of registering a company in BC, today.
entry 226
2001.08.01
Got my apartment keys today.
entry 225
2001.07.25
Booked my tickets, I'm on my way.
entry 224
2001.07.23
Going back to St.
entry 223
2001.07.22
Bought myself a small set of cookware today, in preparation for moving into my new place.
entry 222
2001.07.21
Today, mum and I went over to Prospect cemetary on St.
entry 221
2001.07.20
I met Sara, today.
entry 220
2001.07.19
Looks like I successfully moved out of my storage room yesterday.
entry 219
2001.07.18
Vacated my storage unit today.
entry 218
2001.07.15
The Chinese food at 2 AM was definately a mistake.
entry 217
2001.07.14
Today, we went and saw a flick.
entry 216
2001.07.13
Moving Jon was an ordeal.
entry 215
2001.07.12
Jon got into town tonight.
entry 214
2001.07.11
I realised today that with the time since my last employment now hitting the three month mark, I've only worked nine months of the last 18.
entry 213
2001.07.10
I stopped in for a Starbucks coffee on the way back to the apt.
entry 212
2001.07.09
Met with a fellow from a moving outfit, today.
entry 211
2001.07.07
Got some email from Sara.
entry 210
2001.07.06
And now, the shopping for housewares.
entry 209
2001.07.03
Well, I got the first place.
entry 208
2001.06.30
Saw another good apartment.
entry 207
2001.06.29
Saw an apartment that I really want.
entry 206
2001.06.28
I saw three apartments today.
entry 205
2001.06.27
Bought my ticket, I'm gonna Vancouver to hunt for an apartment.
entry 204
2001.06.24
I've made up my mind.
entry 203
2001.06.23
In an effort to relate the problems she'd had last night with heartburn, my grandmother was describing the last time she'd felt the same symptoms; when she'd had 8 Pina Coladas in one day during a trip to Mexico.
entry 202
2001.06.21
I made a little matrix, today, in attempt to plan my next move.
entry 201
2001.06.19
Yvonne managed to depress me with the news that two of my cousins - two daughters of my mom's cousin Neil, both of whom are younger than me - were married last year.
entry 200
2001.06.18
Sick all day.
entry 199
2001.06.17
I managed to destroy my grandmother's teflon frying pan.
entry 198
2001.06.16
I tried to find the old road that my grandfather showed Ken and me, years ago, that led from a point across the road behind the cottage back to town.
entry 197
2001.06.15
Rented a car and headed up to the cottage.
entry 196
2001.06.14
Today I went over to Berkeley St, about a block or two west of Parliament.
entry 195
2001.06.11
What a day.
entry 194
2001.06.09
Today mom and I went down to Jordan Station, to get the furniture I'd wanted.
entry 193
2001.06.08
This new scanner works very, very well.
entry 192
2001.06.07
I've got a van arranged, and will be retrieving the furniture from Oma's house on Saturday.
entry 191
2001.06.06
I took the laptop to a Toshiba-recommended outfit downtown today.
entry 190
2001.06.05
Bought myself a negative/slide/print scanner.
entry 189
2001.06.03
We went for a walk, this afternoon.
entry 188
2001.06.02
At the end of the hour long memorial, my dad announced that the four brothers (himself, Horst, Wolf, and Ulli) would be returning to the house to 'sort out the legalities', and that everyone would be welcome to join for pizza and beer at six o'clock.
entry 187
2001.06.02
Today we had the memorial for Oma.
entry 186
2001.05.31
We've all got our tickets to go to Toronto for the funeral.
I'm losing my Oma
2001.05.30
My Oma died this morning.
I'm losing my Oma
2001.05.29
As I was walking to the downtown library this afternoon, I noticed a tiny barber shop called house of Envy on Richards St.
killin' time
2001.05.27
It's good to be back in Canada.
things in Canada
2001.05.26
Woke up with a three-star migraine today.
bad news in the family
2001.05.25
My dad called from Calgary, this morning.
settling into Canada again
2001.05.24
Here are some familiar things I've re-discovered since I've returned to Canada: -People wearing sneakers -Crowded shopping malls and restaurants the smell of temperate N.
my camera broke, so I fixed it
2001.05.22
I had a bit of a scare, today.
Wreck beach
2001.05.21
Ken took me to a beach, here in Vancouver, beyond the University, ostensibly to see the variety of eagles that he and Heidi had seen down there on previous occasions.
Ah, Vancouver
2001.05.16
I'd forgotten what Vancouver was like.
heading home, at last
2001.05.15
As promised on the bizarre airline tickets, it's still the 15th of May.
final day with my fiancee
2001.05.13
I spent my last full day with Sara, today.
leaving here
2001.05.11
Didn't do too much, today.
I guess I'm leaving
2001.05.10
I paid $30 for my first Zip disk today.
odd weather
2001.05.07
Unlike last year's Autumn, this one is shaping up to be a really dark and wet affair.
yup, it's broke
2001.05.06
Well, what a day.
kill 'em dingoes!
2001.05.04
Hooray, they're killing off the dingoes on Fraser Island.
my novel's second draft
2001.05.03
I was having a critical look over my novel today.
I love black and white infra-red film
2001.05.02
The infra-red shots came out great! What an awesome medium.
startled by a stranger's ruined face
2001.05.01
Well, that lunatic who paid to get on the international space station is up there.
developing IR film in Sydney
2001.04.30
After an interview with an agency (oh yeah, I'm looking for work!), I spent the better part of the day getting film developed.
it's over
2001.04.28
Around 3 AM, I awoke to discover that Sara hadn't returned.
trouble is brewing
2001.04.27
Jo and I have crashed at her friend's place, here in Melbourne.
rollerblading is kinda fun
2001.04.26
I tried rollerblading for the first time, today.
our wedding, postponed
2001.04.24
Sara has asked that we postpone the wedding.
goodbye bank!
2001.04.21
Ah, sweet unemployment! My contract ended yesterday.
silly life, this
2001.04.19
What a life I lead.
etherlabs.net is alive again
2001.04.18
Well, it's been a harrowing three months, but etherlabs.
"black friday"
2001.04.13
It's Friday, the 13th.
new etherlabs.net in the works
2001.04.12
Well, today I bought the new etherlabs.
playful penguins and a terrifying movie
2001.03.28
The Exorcist; what a delightful romp.
dinner in Manly
2001.03.27
We took the ferry across to Manly after work to meet Dad and Renate once more.
my job is difficult
2001.03.26
Ah, work sweet hell.
Susannah apartments remind me of home
2001.03.25
We met up with Dad and Renate.
waiting while hungover
2001.03.24
Hung around the apartment all day waiting for word from Dad.
good ol' saint Paddy
2001.03.17
It's St.
Another goodbye
2001.03.16
For the second time, a person who hired me at an Aussie company left.
Traffic in Sydney
2001.03.11
Saw Traffic last night.
blacked out airport
2001.03.09
Landed in Brisbane during a blackout.
Well, well - I'm 30
2001.03.08
I'm 30 years old, now.
gay/lesbian Mardi Gras is a lot of fun
2001.03.03
We went to the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade again this year.
drinking with Jo
2001.03.02
Tonight we were out celebrating Jo's 28th birthday.
what happened last night
2001.02.28
Last night was the worst of my life.
ferry mishap
2001.02.27
A ferry ran aground in the harbour today.
I got into a bar fight (yes, me
2001.02.23
I got us kicked out of a bar, last night, for getting into a stupid little fight with some assholes.
surfin' and drinkin'
2001.02.17
We just had a great day up at the home of Sara's coworker Jo's parents.
bank chaos
2001.02.16
Regardless of what happened two days ago, at work today I was told that I would once again be reporting to the fellow who hired me.
difficulties at the office
2001.02.14
Today at work I was told that the fellow who'd hired me would be leaving the project (under what sounded like strange circumstances).
woke up laughing
2001.02.09
I woke up laughing this morning.
horrible dream
2001.02.08
I had a particularly harrowing dream last night.
a year in Sydney
2001.02.07
We've been in Sydney a year today.
I said, 'screw the bank'!
2001.02.05
The bank I work for is driving me nuts.
All About My Mother
2001.02.02
Today, Sara and I went to see "All about my Mother" at the outdoor cinema by Lady Whatsit's Chair, along with Jo and Rob.
screw the bank I work for, screw the bank!
2001.01.24
Started my new job today.
back in the sun
2001.01.11
Damn this city.
56 goddamn hours
2001.01.10
We're back in Sydney.
time for a new leaf
2001.01.01
Well, the new year began, as so many have, with a touch of a hangover.
goodbye, millennium!
2000.12.26
Well, this has been a great year, and now it's about over.
the night before Xmas, and the day itself
2000.12.25
Did a lot of driving, today.
cold day for dumping CD's
2000.12.22
Minus 25 with the windchill, today.
broken jade figurine
2000.12.20
In an especially gifted moment, I managed to break one of the two little jade figurines from Woodside that I kept after Grandpa's death.
Canada, land of the damned
2000.12.19
Read a charming story about a 54-year-old woman in Ottawa.
apartment sales are a bad idea
2000.12.17
We had our content sale yesterday.
Toronto is cold tonight
2000.12.15
Jesus.
back in grundgy Toronto
2000.12.12
I'm finding myself spoiled by Sydney's excellent mobile phone service.
Toronto again
2000.12.07
Just arrived in Toronto.
is Bush an idiot?
2000.12.06
I've been paying mild attention to the whole US election debacle, but what really strikes me is this: I think Bush is an idiot.
bon chance, Sleepy
2000.12.04
We finally sent off Sleepy the moose (or reindeer) today.
draft #2
2000.12.03
The second draft of my novel is coming along.
incessant sun
2000.11.30
This week has been frighteningly sunny.
goodbye, Blake
2000.11.29
We're going for drinks to say goodbye to Blake.
employment matters
2000.11.28
Sara's employer has asked her to resume her contract in the new year.
a draft complete
2000.11.27
I have completed the first draft of my novel.
how to write a novel
2000.11.26
Bought an interesting book on novel writing.
strange marriage proposal
2000.11.25
I asked Sara to marry me today.
a new tattoo
2000.11.24
I've just had my third tattoo done.
voted!
2000.11.22
Another week, another entry.
novel progress
2000.11.15
Hmm, not many entries of late - days seem to slide by between entries! This weather is probably to blame.
voting from Australia
2000.11.10
This inverse seasonality is just bizarre.
hippo birdy two ewes
2000.11.08
Sara's birthday.
the Sydney groove
2000.11.07
It's surprisingly difficult to get back in the Sydney groove.
swimming with dolphins is doubly awesome
2000.11.04
Today we had a most amazing adventure.
real whale watching is awesome
2000.11.03
Charlie and I went down to Fremantle today, and went whale watching.
out in the back of beyond
2000.10.31
The tour of the outback was really something.
foggy Alice
2000.10.28
Today we arrived in Alice Springs, after another couple of days on the road heading from Melbourne to Adelaide.
this is Sleepy
2000.10.22
Sleepy, the moose (or Reindeer) .
Hepbourne and Monroe
2000.10.21
Today, Sara, Charlie, and I started a two-week trip around Australia.
Yoon is here!
2000.10.14
Charlie arrived today.
four tugs
2000.10.09
I'm sure of it now.
second verse, same...
2000.10.08
Like two inept Jacques Cousteaus, we've managed to fail to spot whales on our second go.
whales of New South Wales
2000.10.07
Today, we've been in Australia for 8 months! Time flies when you're having fun.
stunning fireworks
2000.10.01
Saw the fireworks come down the river from Homebush Bay to the Harbour Bridge.
amazing event
2000.09.30
We went to the athletics finals tonight.
another job.. done
2000.09.29
Another six months, another start-up, another job.
Sleepy is going home
2000.09.28
I've heard from the mother of the boy who launched Sleepy the wandering moose last year! We're going to take Sleepy with us on our road trip to Uluru, and send him back to Canada with Charlie.
hello, Sleepy
2000.09.27
Last night after the diving semifinal, we were sauntering out of the Olympics venue when we were approached by a young (Korean) couple, who asked if we were from Canada.
the PM is a dunce
2000.09.26
When Kathy Freeman - the Aborginal athlete who lit the torch in the opening ceremonies - won the women's 400m final yesterday, she ran a victory lap with the Australian and Aborginal flags.
renting a car
2000.09.24
We figured out where we're getting our car for the upcoming trip.
missed the women
2000.09.23
It turns out that the twelve helicopters over our office were a trial run for the marathon, when that many helicopters will be gathering to cover the event.
caffeine comfort
2000.09.22
I guess my coffee withdrawal experiment is essentially dead.
kookie Aussies
2000.09.21
My Aussie coworkers are amazed that the world does not share their official view that Spring starts on Sept.
helicopter noon
2000.09.20
There are twelve helicopters hovering around the harbour right now.
attending
2000.09.18
We went to the Olympics yesterday.
helicopter yawn
2000.09.16
Okay, the helicopters are getting old quick.
helicopter dawn
2000.09.15
For possibly the first time in my life, I was woken by the sound of a sky full of helicopters.
work
2000.09.14
olympics.
dress rehearsal
2000.09.13
This evening, Sara and I - and 90,000 Australians - went to the dress rehearsal of the Opening Ceremonies.
more Werneburgs
2000.09.12
Today I got email from a fellow Werneburg, in Germany.
what?
2000.09.09
This morning, I opened a letter from Energy Australia that arrived last night.
sweet coffee
2000.09.08
After six days of coffee freedom, I had a cup today and IT WAS SO F*CKING GOOD.
ticket madness
2000.09.05
Tried to pick up those Olympics tickets.
olympic tickets
2000.09.04
Sara's got a line on some tickets for the 4x100m & 4x400m relays.
pricey tix
2000.09.02
Bought our tickets to the Games.
flag wavin' nationalist
2000.09.01
Saturdays are great.
another startup goes live
2000.08.31
I've survived my third startup launch.
yapping and pissin'
2000.08.30
Now I've seen everything.
coffee, sweet coffee
2000.08.28
Well, today it all fell apart.
multidaisy
2000.08.27
Today we bought each other an anniversary gift.
hump day
2000.08.26
The coffee thing went much more easily yesterday.
Yoon to visit
2000.08.25
Charlie says he's coming to visit.
withdrawal
2000.08.24
This no-coffee thing is about all I can think about.
breakdown
2000.08.23
So far, the no coffee experiment has not been fun.
no coffee?!
2000.08.22
Well, methinks I've bitten off more than I can chew, this time.
eyes going green
2000.08.15
I've noticed that this country is changing me.
Aussie slang
2000.08.11
One of my co-workers told me she liked my sunglasses.
the gym works
2000.08.08
We've been going to the gym for about three or four weeks, now, and I'm amazed at the difference.
what watching
2000.07.30
Today we went whale watching.
sirens mean stop
2000.07.28
I noticed a wonderful difference between Toronto and Sydney, today.
flywheel
2000.07.27
I have decided that I have an enemy on this Earth.
this is winter?
2000.07.24
It hit 24 degrees C today.
homesick
2000.07.23
We caught a bit of the Molson Indy on TV.
home computing
2000.07.18
The PC arrived.
computing in paradise
2000.07.16
Sara's decided to buy a PC.
ill in paradise
2000.07.14
Uch.
joining a gym
2000.07.12
Sara and I went in for our interviews with the fellow who runs the gym and does the evaluations.
gym membership
2000.07.10
We joined a gym.
visitors and yachting
2000.07.09
John, Sabrina and Catherine are visiting from Toronto.
cat prowls harbour
2000.07.02
I just watched a military craft pull into the harbour.
hello, GST
2000.07.01
Today we had a little taste of home: we got to pay GST for our train tickets and the movie tickets cost $28! .
getting chilly
2000.06.30
Had to buy another heater today for the apartment.
torch, redux
2000.06.28
We went to the little torch celebration thing in town, and witnessed an awesome display of Aussie 80s-forever spirit.
the torch
2000.06.27
The Olympic torch run is in the neighbourhood.
snorklin, after sunrise
2000.06.24
We snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef today.
tuberculousis free
2000.06.14
I don't have tuberculousis! We got our visas, which included a chest X-ray test for tuberculousis.
hello, Brizzie
2000.06.12
Brisbane's not bad.
rough day
2000.06.08
What a sh*tty day.
ben harper is high
2000.06.07
We had a great day.
odd dream
2000.05.25
I had the damndest dream last night.
pacific pesos
2000.05.16
Been flown here by i7 for two days.
visa questions
2000.05.06
My current employer wants me to extend my contract.
missing lorikeets
2000.05.01
The rainbow lorikeets have stopped coming in the mornings.
lorikeet living
2000.04.13
Well, we've been in Sydney for two months and a week, today.
threesome? just kiddin...
2000.03.31
Sara and I went out with a couple of the guys from work.
no longer homeless
2000.03.27
Got the keys to the new apartment.
apartment searchin'
2000.03.10
We may have found an apartment.
employment
2000.03.01
Looks like I've got a job, too.
jobseekin' down under
2000.02.25
Sara's got a job.
livin' in Sydney
2000.02.10
We've been staying in a hotel, but have found a furnished apartment to stay in.
hello, Sydney!
2000.02.07
Arrived in Sydney.
goodbye, wintery Toronto
2000.01.24
Departing for Fiji and Oz! Goodbye, everyone! .
no pain, baby, no gain
2000.01.12
Survived another trip to the dentist.
eat your heart out
2000.01.11
I was listening to a NIN song (it's called (Too) Physical, I believe, and for the first time I noticed that he says something like 'Eat your heart out, Stevie' at the beginning.
TD ice sculptures
2000.01.10
On the way to work today, I noticed some strangely clear, wonderfully sculpted chunks of ice on top of one of the TD Centre's entrances to the 'PATH' system.
goodbye, '99
1999.12.31
Well, what a year.
holing up for y2k
1999.12.17
Counting down the days.
SETI@home interview
1999.12.13
Strangely enough, I was interviewed by the CBC for my involvement with the SETI@home project today.
sitting Zoë
1999.12.11
We babysat Zoë today.
ticketmaster nonsense
1999.11.12
In the spirit of Remeberance Day, we rented Saving Private Ryan.
Sara's turning 30
1999.11.11
Against all odds, Sara managed to get tickets to the Bumcheek Boys.
another 30th
1999.11.10
Jon's thirtieth.
shower
1999.11.08
Met with Sara, Catherine, John, Charlie, Ken, and Heidi for drinks at Zazu.
dinner at Janine's
1999.11.07
We had a nice dinner out at Janine's to mark Sara's thirtieth.
surprise!
1999.11.06
The party went well.
happy birthday, Heidi
1999.10.28
Heidi's birthday! I went to the art supply store and got a birth certificate for $72 to mark her 27th.
we're off!
1999.10.26
Our visas arrived.
car crash!
1999.10.25
Witnessed a car crash on Yonge Street.
Rosie the banker
1999.10.21
The letter of standing wasn't available when I arrived at the Bank.
tiresome bank business
1999.10.20
I called the bank fukkas.
of cars and visas
1999.10.18
Despite all the setbacks, we sorted out the car business, and Sara's now driving a brand new 2000 New Beetle.
billions and billions
1999.10.12
A new announcement in the news, today.
$golden opportunity
1999.10.11
I just got off the phone with a head-hunter.
Greek SETI@home
1999.10.09
I had some email from a 16 year old boy in a small village in Greece this morning.
scavanging
1999.10.02
We went to St.
working man and bubble gum
1999.09.28
Walking to work, I saw an older guy with green zippered nylon work jacket, greenish pants, work boots.

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