The Yellow Couch

It's Like This

2009-12-24T01:34:00.003+01:00

I've always wondered at what point women realize that we (men) actually have no real idea what they are thinking. I think it happens at different ages for different women... maybe, for some, it takes a certain relationship to really grasp that.

I have a hunch that, for many, it never really gets there.

And I think that's why I'm so proud of my little chick. With all the wisdom that four years of life bring with them, she already knows how to communicate to me what she is really needing.

I know, because it happened last night.

We were having story time before getting her ready for bed. She cuddled in beside me, as she usually does, while we read, and at one point, I reached over and picked her up to give her a really good cuddle - one of those ones that just don't work right, sideways. And she got an idea.

"Daddy" she said, her eyes just lighting up. "Let's do this: you tickle, and I'll wiggle".

So we did. And she laughed, and I laughed, and it was wonderful. I'm so glad I knew.

Duchamp's Fountain

2009-12-09T07:40:00.003+01:00

One of my colleagues has a charm bracelet that she wears sometimes... I think I noticed it especially because it is the kind of thing that doesn't seem to have any male equivalent. I think that, usually, there is a kind of parallel that men and women have:

Woman: has a child; loves her child
Man: has a car; wouldn't use the word "love", but it's his car

Okay, I can't think of any more, but there probably are some. Let's not get stuck on the details.

It makes for a certain order in the universe. But I couldn't think of the male parallel to a charm bracelet. I think that if we had one, it might be more like a tee shirt with hieroglyphs. Women's charm bracelets (not that I've had a ton of exposure to them) seem to me to usually be filled with things like pictures of their children, tea pots, little dogs, and so on.

Not really my thing.

If I got a tee shirt, I'm not sure what all it would have, but I do know one thing: a urinal.

This is one of the most comforting things in the world for me, for a couple of reasons. First of all, it means that I don't have to worry about sitting down to pee. And to those of you who don't really have this option, that might not seem like a big thing, but let me just tell you - it is. I'm not exactly sure why. I just know that it's so. But the other reason is even bigger.

Have you ever been to a place where they have felt the need to be clever with designating which washroom (that's "bathroom" for you Americans and "toilet" for the Europeans) is which? It's like naming your children as if you're a rock star (Moon Unit? Dweezil? Come on, Frank!); just because you can doesn't mean you should.

I know they're trying to make it just a little more interesting, but honestly, when I'm looking for a place to pee, interesting is not really what I'm in the market for. I want quick, and I want certain. I don't want pictures, don't want other languages, don't want anything clever at all. I want to know which door to go in through, and which door is just going to be a problem. I don't want "Beagles" and "Spaniels" or "Cops" and "Robbers" or "Cagney" and "Lacey"... I want "Men" and "Women".

But no matter what it says on the door, there is no feeling of security quite like opening up that door and seeing those urinals. It's not that they are particularly pretty - they just tell me that I'm safe. That no one is going to see me, scream, and shriek "you shouldn't be in here!". Or, if they do, it will have to be for a whole different set of reasons.

Yeah, I'm not sure exactly what else would be on the shirt, but I have a pretty good hunch that is not going to find its way onto a charm bracelet any time soon.

It's a good start. And yeah... it's good to be a man.

My Favorite Quebecer

2009-11-16T03:23:00.002+01:00

I have recently (since moving back to Canada) discovered an affinity for mixed martial arts. Not doing it, so much (and you... you know who you are... can stop laughing, now...), but watching it. I used to not be a fan... pure kickboxing or K1 just seemed to move so much quicker, have so much more action.

Well, it turns out that there is a bit of a learning curve in appreciating some aspects of the sport, and for me, that was the wrestling/grappling side. Now that I understand the submissions, I can appreciate what's going on in that part of the match, and it's made a huge difference.

I like: great creme brulee, the Flemish primitives, and UFC. And yes, they can all go together just fine.

It's caused another major shift in my world view... I have a new favorite Quebecer.

It used to be Ivan, a colleague in Switzerland. It was so, so fun working on projects with him: he allowed me to fully indulge my Albertan-ness by refusing to call himself a Canadian (he was Quebecois), and freely throwing separatist idealogy and language laws into casual conversation to get something going. Of course, we were both living in Geneva, so our national/cultural ties could easily have fallen under question, but we both had a ton of fun playing around with it.

But Ivan has slipped to second place, and Georges St Pierre (GSP) has taken over the top spot. The man is articulate, professional, has great fashion sense, and man... can he fight! Fast, powerful, aggressive... so much fun to watch. I don't know if he's anywhere near as fun to talk to as Ivan, but for now, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

How Hard Can It Be

2009-11-13T02:59:00.002+01:00

I saw a commercial that said one out of four women has trouble understanding a traditional birth control test. I think the point was to sell a new variation.

Do you think that, maybe, if you can't match up what goes with the "+" and what goes with the "-", perhaps you're not the absolute best candidate for raising a child?

Just something to think about.

Britt

2009-05-22T23:04:00.004+01:00

I had the shortest shoot I've ever done last night with Brittany: there was this great wind and, I hoped, a storm brewing, so we decided to go out, find a hill, and see if we could get hit by inspiration and not lightning. I'm pretty happy with how it went, on both fronts. I didn't get the storm clouds I was hoping for, but the wind was so, so fun... except for Britt, who was FREEZING. She was a trooper, though, and hung in long enough to get the shots we were both hoping for.

Here are a few of my favorites!

You can see the rest here.

These Are A Few Of Our Favorite Things

2009-05-18T03:42:00.002+01:00

I was getting the little chick ready to spend some time with her grandma. I put on some cologne before we went downstairs, and I guess some must have gotten onto her, because when grandma picked her up, she gave Allison a big hug and said, "oh, you smell good!".

This seemed to be good news to the little chick. "I smell good?" she asked. She stopped for a minute to think, trying to figure out where the smell may have been coming from. Then she realized - it must have been lunch.

"Like hot dogs?" she offered. And then, figuring that if a little is good, more would be better: "Smell my breath" she said, leaning over to share the love a little bit. Grandma said that she didn't think it was exactly like hot dogs, but took a sniff of the breath anyways, just in case.

I thought it was pretty cute. I also found it slightly worrying: if my Jean-Paul Gaultier works for a 4 year-old little girl, is it possible that I am not making the best grooming choices that I could be?

Something to ponder.

Stela

2009-05-14T21:47:00.004+01:00

So, operation "build portfolio" coming along well - better, unfortunately, than operation "find day job without oil & gas experience". Oh well. These ones are from a shoot last night with Stela, and feel a little different than most of my other work. I kind of like them.

You can see the rest here. Enjoy!

Doctors Without Cameras

2009-05-11T22:52:00.002+01:00

So I had an interesting experience on Saturday... I went to shoot a fashion show put on to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders and also to showcase some local designers. It was fun... but I need a little work on my lighting technique for runway stuff. We didn't get to see the floor with the lights off and spots on until the show, and I made some flash choices that were, in retrospect, not the best I could have made. Oh well! It was good to help them out, and to have the chance to shoot something new. Here are some of the shots that did turn out...

You can see the rest here.

Brandon

2009-05-07T18:29:00.002+01:00

This is especially for Kat(i)e, who noticed last time when I put Brandon's name on Jordan's pictures. These ones actually are of Brandon, so you can expect the title to be more or less static...

There are a couple more here. Enjoy!

Victoria

2009-05-05T15:26:00.002+01:00

I had a shoot with Victoria last night, and I think we got some good stuff. It's so nice to finally have a bit of warm weather to work in! And we even had a visit from the deer who live in the park...

You can see the rest here.

Advertising

2009-05-04T06:37:00.000+01:00

There are a few that have really stood out to me, lately... one I haven't been able to find in a form that I can share with you here, so I'm going to hold off on telling you about it for now, but a couple of quick ones...

The colon cancer people actually have this as their catchphrase: We're behind your behind. I heard it on the radio and thought it was a joke, but it's the real deal. I think that's brilliant.

And another that was brilliant in a somewhat less intentional way was for a furniture store: "save up to 30% or more!".

Now this has been a pet peeve of mine for a while... seeing a sign in a store saying "Sale - up to 50% off". I might be the only one, but I'm a lot less interested in knowing that, if I go in, I am guaranteed never to be able to save more than 50%... I'd like to know I'm going to get it for at least whatever percent off. If I had my way, all the save "up to" signs would be replaced by save "at least" signs.

But being told that I will save absolutely no more than 30% or I will save more than 30%... well, how can you not trust those guys? I would suggest double-checking when they're ringing things through, though... just in case.

Happy shopping.

Stephanie

2009-04-30T07:24:00.005+01:00

I had a shoot with Stephanie this evening, and it was the first time I've ever really approached photography with an artistic direction other than taking nice pictures. I mean, I usually hope for something more than "nice", but you know what I mean - I've never tried to make the pictures anything other than what was there.

Stephanie was open to suggestions, though, and so we talked about it and I suggested something in the vein of Dior in a Ralph Lauren setting... a lot of contrast between the clothes, the vibe of the shots, and the setting. She was game, and was willing to go looking for clothes (and did a fantastic job finding the dresses to fit what I described to her), and I found the location and.... this is what we came up with.

The shot above, for me, captures what I wanted more than any of the others.

Yeah, I know fashion is supposed to be about the clothes. But, if you're familiar with my pictures, it's no surprise to you that I had to get at least a couple of her face...

I'm pretty happy with how it went. I hope you enjoy them - if you want, you can see the rest of the set here.

There Are So Many

2009-04-26T02:26:00.004+01:00

There are a lot of things that I don't get. And not just math things, either: why people who drive so slowly don't just take the bus, instead. Why stores and restaurants with two doors seem to like to keep one of them locked (they are trying to reduce their business by 50%?). Why people making signs don't bother to check their spelling.

But here's the one that's been getting me, lately: when I buy bagels (one of the things I'm enjoying about being back in Canada), and they say "sliced" on the bag, they only kind of are. I don't know if you've had these, so I'll try to describe it.

Imagine that you're holding an unsliced bagel in your hand, with your thumb on one side and forefinger on the other. Someone challenges you to slice it without moving your hands... and so you cut on one side until the knife comes up against your thumb and finger, then go from the other side, until the same thing happens. You're left with a bagel that's sliced about 80% of the way through (40% on each side) and you hand the knife back, with a look on your face like you tried to do one of those little wooden puzzles where you have to do something that looks impossible until you know how.

Only, it seems, no one knows how.

Now I would guess that, with the extensive popularity that bagels have enjoyed over the last however-many decades, there is some pretty significant technology that's been developed for them. There is for everything, right? And like in most industries, I suspect that the big companies have access to the best of that technology... I mean, those bagel guys must have the equivalent of nuclear-powered nano computers for bagels, whatever that might be.

But they can't figure out how to slice them all the way through.

I can understand not slicing the bagels - for people who really like their bagels whole. I've never met any of those people, but I'm not saying they're not out there, and I support them completely. I can also understand slicing the bagels, for people (like me) who like to have their bagels in two pieces. What I don't understand is partially slicing the bagels except for a strip down the middle that stays attached so that, to get them apart, you still need to slice them yourself.

There might be something to this that I'm just not getting... maybe they've had focus groups, and the feedback has come in that some people want to put things in the sides, kind of like Subway used to do, without having them touch in the middle. Or that they're going hiking or something with their bagels, and taking all the sandwich fixings with them; they don't want the bagel to separate during the hike, but like to have a little help to know where to slice when they find the appropriate blade on the old Swiss army knife.

Or maybe they need to have a baked-goods summit of some kind. I think that the hamburger bun people have done rather well... they leave a little bit so the buns aren't flying all over the bag, but they do it at the side so the buns don't just rip into pieces when you try to separate them. Can any of you UN-type people set up something like that?

In any case, this is making me hungry.

I'm going to go have a hamburger.

Shhhh.....

2009-04-24T01:32:00.001+01:00

I might go see that Star Trek movie. Please don't tell.

Medicine Hat

2009-04-13T01:06:00.003+01:00

Yes, that's actually the name of a place. A real place. And the best part?

The people who live there are called "Hatters". Isn't that fantastic?

Anyways, I went out there yesterday to spend the day with a friend, and had a great time. I associate The Hat with, well, pick-ups, chewing tobacco, and cowboy boots. And we did encounter a bit of that - minus the chew, thankfully - but we also managed to locate a couple of really interesting restaurants, and to find the COOLEST tree to take some pictures of.

The tree was kind of by accident. You see, Medicine Hat is the home of the world's tallest teepee. With, coincidentally, the world's worst paintings on it. In any case, it really is worth a visit, and so we decided, since neither of us had spent much time there before, to visit it. Captivating as it is, the thrill only lasts so long, so we decided to wander down into the ravine/gully/valley thing behind it and take a look.

Definitely worth the look. Hope you like the pictures... there are a couple more here.

Jordan

2009-04-07T06:44:00.005+01:00

I went out today to make some pictures with Jordan, and it was great just to be out in the sunshine and NOT WEARING A COAT! Finally! And, as usual, it was wonderful to be shooting. Here's what we came up with...

Considering it was both his and my first attempt at anything fashion-ish, I'm pretty happy with the result.

There are a couple more shots here. And by "a couple", I mean two. Don't say I didn't warn you...

Fast, Furious, and Setting

2009-04-05T06:11:00.002+01:00

So, the third Fast & The Furious movie is now out. Can someone tell me how this happened? I remember seeing the first one on the plane, at a time - as far as I can recall - when Air Canada was still just showing everyone the same movie at the same time. I'm pretty sure that's right, because I'm pretty sure that there is no way I would have watched it on purpose.

I remember being struck by a number of things: how pointless it was, how bad the acting was, how long it actually took me to realize that it wasn't a spoof. But it must have made money, because they made a sequal. And now a third one. I suppose that it wouldn't be that tough to develop the subsequent screenplays - they probably spent more time choosing the rims for the main cars. But really... a third one? really?

So, as my own personal antidote to Vin Diesel driving fast (probably to get away from the awful dialogue with that other guy whose name I don't remember and who may be the only actor in the world, besides the beloved Keanu Reeves, who can make Vin look so good), here are some sunset shots I got tonight on my way home from a little road trip to Edmonton.

Oh, and it was just a sunset, so I didn't bother to post a bazillion pictures... the others look pretty similar to these. But if you want to see these ones bigger, you can do that here...

Calgary

2009-04-02T21:19:00.003+01:00

Well, I finally decided to grab my camera and do a little walking, and see what I could find. This is what I found.

You can see some more here. Enjoy!

Furry

2009-04-01T07:03:00.002+01:00

When the little chick and I were on our way home from a weekend in the mountains, we saw some things off to the side of the road. Well, I did... she was engrossed in a Franklin book in the back (for those of you keeping track, no, she's not reading yet, but she wants to be), and decided to stop for a look. I pulled off to the side, grabbed my camera, and tossed her up on my shoulders. We went out and had a look, and they turned out to be big-horned sheep, as far as I can tell. In any case, I think I ended up being more impressed than she was. Oh well. At least she has Franklin, and I managed to get a few shots off.

Here are my favorites:

There aren't that many, but you can see the rest here.

I Admit It

2009-03-31T18:58:00.002+01:00

I have tried to pretend it's not true, or not really completely true, but I'm tired of lying to myself. It's time to come clean.

I like TV.

And I like reality shows.

I don't know what it is... maybe the lack of drama (and no, that's not a complaint) in my own relationships. Maybe I choose too many civil people to be friends with. But there is something about looking in on the really bizarre lives of some of these people who choose to put themselves into the public eye that I just can't get away from. I like Survivor and the Amazing Race... watching relationships develop and change or sometimes fall apart. I like American Idol (though mostly only the first few episodes of each season, where there is guaranteed to be at least one person shaking a finger around, saying "you don't know me! you can't judge me! you think I can't sing, but I can sing, and if you can't see that, then you can just..." and it goes on from there.

But I have a new favorite. It's called Blush - The Search for America's Next Top Makeup Artist.

Now some of you at this point (not naming names, British Nathan) probably think I'm making this up. But I'm not. I like what they do - some of them do some really great work - and I like watching the photography side of it. But what I really love is how completely removed it is from anything I've ever experienced before.

There was one straight man on it, but he's gone, and so now it is so incredibly camp, over the top, and terribly, terribly dramatic that I just can't stop watching. I have a feeling that more than a few minutes with any of the remaining hopefuls would be too much for me, but on TV, where I can mute them if it's too much, or go hunting for a hockey game, it's just about perfect.

Very, very fun.

Photo Shoot

2009-03-23T04:20:00.003+01:00

The little chick and I were hanging out in the car for a bit today, and to kill the time, we decided to take some pictures.

It snowed here... again. Which kind of sucks, because I'm ready for some more warm weather. But it's kind of good because I got some good winter-ish pictures that I hadn't had a chance to make before. I'll get them up soon...

But for now, here are some of my favorites from today. Enjoy!

Grumpy face

The one that always follows grumpy face

She wasn't bored. She just likes to look out the window sometimes.

While I was trying to explain why she probably couldn't hold my 8-pound camera...

My little girl, the way I usually see her.

You can see the others here.

The Boat

2009-03-17T20:30:00.001+01:00

I saw a guy on TV wearing a sport jacket. Most of my clothes are still on the boat.

I miss them.

I'm Over Here

2009-03-17T03:31:00.003+01:00

The little chick and I have been playing a lot of hide and seek lately. It's been an interesting experience for me... I don't remember playing a lot of hide and seek, but I'm pretty sure I don't remember ever playing it like this.

She is pretty good at the counting, but not great at closing her eyes... not a surprise for a three year-old. She has a habit of hiding in the exact place that she just found me. But I think that part of it is that she doesn't care much about the surprise aspect of it, because pretty frequently when it's my turn to hide she likes to tell me where I should be hiding.

Of course, I don't worry too much about that. And she always finds me, eventually.

She does get bored sometimes, and can kind of forget that I'm hiding somewhere as she finds a book or a toy that takes a little higher priority. That's pretty par for the course, too, with a little chick.

The best part, though, is the goal of the game for her. For most people, it's to find whoever is hiding, or to stay hiding. For her, it's all about the hugs at the end.

So she's not very discreet when she's hidden, but I play the game: I walk around the house, asking where she is, looking into drawers or under cushions, while she "hides". She'll start in the closet, and poke her head out to see if I've spotted her. When I walk by, she'll jump back in, then put her head out again and yell "Daddy, I'm over here!!!". Then she'll be back in the closet for a minute, then out again completely, as I routinely fail completely to find her, even with her hint. Finally, she'll be unable to hold it in any longer, and will jump out, hop around, and call me until I manage to find my way back to her to give her a giant hug.

So the hiding part is a bit sketchy. The seeking is not much better.

But the hugs are pretty great.

The Best Stuff

2009-03-12T17:38:00.004+01:00

Caro, please don't tell.

I was in the grocery store yesterday and there was a Dido song playing, and I was thinking to myself, "this is certainly not one of the best songs ever written". A couple days before that, Boys of Summer had been playing as I was being electrocuted in the physiotherapist's office, and I had the exact opposite thought.

So, I think it's time to talk about some of the best stuff. Feel free to pitch in.

Best Songs (at the moment....)
Boys of Summer (Don Henley)
I Hope You Dance (Lee Ann Womack with a great backing band)
most of the Pornografitti album (Extreme)
With or Without You, Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for, Where the Streets Have No Name (U2)
Anything that doesn't have Sean Paul in it

Best Band Names
Chixdigit
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch (thanks to Erin for the reminder)
Monday Night Band

Best Delivery of the Word "Tea?" (as an invitation)
British Nathan

Best Foods
Steak
Nat's trifle
Anything deep-fried

Best Sound
The little chick's laugh

Best Articles of Clothing
Depends heavily on the situation, but, in general, a great pair of jeans
Big Red Coat

Best Tire
Front driver's side

Best Picture
The next one...

More to come. Hope you're all well!

Ouch

2009-02-25T16:33:00.002+01:00

So, I don't get it. Why is it so hard to find a flipper guy that doesn't have slots cut in it? I don't know about you, but I don't recall the last time I wanted to turn something over but found myself saying, "wow, I wish there was some way for bits of this to fall through while I'm doing this". And the cleaning... partially cooked egg + holes in a plastic flipper <> good combination.

In other news, I discovered yesterday that that stuff that makes chilis hot does not go well with eyes. I had broken up some dried chilly peppers with my dinner last night, and at the end of the meal, forgot that I had done it. I rubbed my eye and realized pretty quick that that stuff sticks around for a while.

Whoops.

The little chick was quite concerned, and asked "are your eyes feeling better now?" more or less every two minutes or so until they were. She's pretty sweet.

I suppose I knew it could be like that, and if I would have had Science Nathan around, he probably would have reminded me. In any case, I've learned my lesson now. Next time, I'm getting someone else to rub my eyes for me.

Really, Really Good-Looking

2009-02-16T04:35:00.002+01:00

The keyboard guy at church this morning was wearing a piano-key necktie. I don't know if it really was invented by the guy from Frankie Goes To Hollywood, but it was pretty great, I thought. My only regret was that he was playing a traditional keyboard, rather than a keytar.

And if these references (or the title) confuse you, ask someone who's seen Zoolander.

The other interesting thing this morning was that the pastor was talking about how rare it is to find a friend who really cares for you, who is faithful and honest and open and caring and interested in your real well-being, how you are doing spiritually. He was talking about people who are really there for you when things go wrong, people who care enough to stick with you, who really, really love you. People you can depend on, people you can trust, people you can live your life with, no matter what comes.

At first I was a bit confused, because I don't think those people are rare at all... I have a lot of those kinds of friends. And then I realized... I am just very blessed. So for those of you who fit that description in my life: thank you.

The Problem With Calgary

2009-02-13T04:26:00.002+01:00

I'm getting used to the weather... other than the first couple of weeks, it actually hasn't been too cold. I am feeling pretty okay about the accent - still seems a little odd sometimes, but it will be alright. I am even dealing reasonably well with the addition of 5% sales tax to everything. So far, at least.

What I'm not liking are the drivers.

It's not so much that people are reckless... it's just that they are often really, really, really slow. When a light turns green, it's like the guy at the front goes, "well, I'll be! that thing just changed colour completely! Mabel, what do you make of that?". And then he takes off his hat, and he scratches his head, and then mumbles something else to Mabel about time to get a move on. He digs around in his pocket for his keys, starts up his engine, wonders why it won't go anywhere, remembers that his car (among other things) is in neutral, puts it into gear and moves off very, very slowly.

Imagine someone driving with a full fish tank in the back seat, not wanting it to spill. That's the kind of slowly that I'm talking about.

And then the lady behind him notices that he's moved, and that now there's a giant space in front of her. She finishes applying her makeup, looks for her keys, checks the fish, and moves out, keeping a safe distance of several hundred feet between her and the guy in front of her. After all, you can't be too safe when driving 15 km/hr.

And so on, and so on.

As a result, three people get through the average green light. Everyone else waits, and complains about how bad the traffic is. When, if they would just put their foot down when the light turns green, I would wager that the traffic situation in the city would be immeasurably better.

I am not a very fast driver, and I am not driving a very fast car... a 4-cylinder Honda, to be exact. But it's not uncommon for me to look back in my mirror after coming away from a light and have a full block between me and the next guy just a couple blocks down the road. That's a whole block full of people who are still sitting at that light instead of on their way home.

The funny bit, though, is that 5-10 minutes later, those same guys who were in the back seat digging for dropped crackers when the light changed are roaring along past me at 20 km/hr over the speed limit. Except the ones who are on their phones, who are going 20 under. And, at the risk of being labeled (unjustly, I believe) as a sexist pig, there are always a couple women driving 20 under the limit in the fast lane. They must be using hands-free, because I can't ever see them talking, but they are going awfully slow in the wrong lane.

I did go out for chicken wings and a hockey game on TV last night, though, and that was about enough to make up for a whole lot of slow drivers. So maybe this will work out, after all.

He's Not Heavy, He's My Cousin

2009-02-06T19:48:00.003+01:00

Well, my cousin got married and he let me take a few pictures... my first try with my new camera, and while there were a couple of surprises, I'm pretty happy with how things turned out. Here are a few of my favorites.

You can see the rest here. And it's time to start writing again... more to come...

I Spent It All

2008-12-14T00:41:00.002+01:00

So, I'm in Calgary now. It's really cold, and there's a bunch of snow on the ground, but yesterday I had Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers, and today I got to drive my own car. I have said good-bye to some amazing friends in the last week, but tomorrow I fly down to get Erin. I'm a lot further from anyplace that serves good fondue, but so far I've understood almost all the people who have tried to talk to me since I arrived.

Yeah, kind of strange.

As I was leaving Geneva, something happened that made me think of Derek - perhaps the only man I know who has more appreciation for a well-crafted analogy than I do. This is what it was.

I had 8.20 CHF left... all the rest I had deposited in my bank, or traded for USD, or gotten rid of some other way (like a roasted chestnut binge - I figured it may be a while before I get those again). I figured I'd get a sandwich and a drink or something at the airport. Well, I get past security, went to the sandwich guy, and looked, and most of his sandwiches were more than I had, just on their own. But he did have croissants, for 1-60 each.

I did the math... 3 croissants at 1.60 would be 4.80, which would leave me 3.50 for a coffee to go with them. So that's what I ordered. He gave me the croissants, gave me the coffee, and then told me the total: 8.50.

Oh.

I counted again to make sure and then just said, "uh, let's make that two croissants". He looked confused so I explained that I was 30 cents short. He just looked at me, kind of shrugged, and said "that's okay - no problem. " He took my partial payment, gave me the food, and I thanked him for being so kind and left.

And I realized that's a bit how I feel about leaving Geneva now... like I spent every last cent. I didn't run out while I was there - I had everything I needed, both to have, and to give, but I didn't have any left in reserve by the time I got on that plane. As hard as it is to say good-bye to the wonderful friends I have there, I've reached the end, and I'm ready for what's next.

It's going to be a pretty interesting few months.

Uncoordinated

2008-11-25T19:41:00.003+01:00

The movers came today.

I have pasta in the cupboard that I was going to have for dinner, but my pots are on the boat.

No problem.

I have some ravioli that I can heat in the microwave. Or could, if I had my can opener.

I pulled a towel aside to keep it before they packed my bathroom stuff, but they saw it and packed it anyways. Thankfully, I had one in the laundry that managed to evade them.

I like my blanket - it's nice and fuzzy and warm, and I don't need a sheet with it. But it won't fit in my suitcase, so I had to either send it on the boat or leave it behind. It's on the boat. Hopefully, aforementioned towel will be dry by evening, because it's going to be doing double duty.

I kind of feel like having one of the special Belgian beers I had been saving for a special occasion.

Guess what's keeping the can opener company.

And it's only been 6 hours.

Oh well.

Christmas Came Early

2008-11-22T11:20:00.002+01:00

I've been going through my apartment trying to get ready to move... figuring out what to sell, what to keep, what to give away. It's been interesting seeing how much stuff I have or have inherited and really, really don't need. A LOT of clothes, mostly.

But I did find something that was quite nice - some jeans that I had bought five years ago or so... they were my favorite ones at the time, from Roots, and it was tough to find them, so I bought 3 pairs, figuring that when mine wore out, I'd have replacements. Well, mine wore out, but I forgot about these ones, and so it was pretty exciting for me to discover them there. I still dig the cut and the color of the wash is good.... merry Christmas!

In other news, it's snowing outside. That's not really supposed to happen here, and does make me think that if it's going to snow anyways, I may as well be in a place that has chicken wings.

Oh, and so far, no movement on the yellow couch. It looks like it will be making the trip with me!

I'm For Sale

2008-11-16T00:08:00.004+01:00

The yellow couch is for sale.

Not the idea, nor the blog, nor the domain name (I've checked), but the actual couch is, unfortunately, on the chopping block. First 500 CHF takes it. It is a wonderful couch, but when I started to look at the cost of actually moving it... well, it's going to be a bit pricey.

So if you're interested, let me know.

It's been a long time since I've written... I've been pretty busy trying to get all of my moving stuff figured out. Turns out that it takes a lot of energy, and I am SO looking forward to getting it done. In any case, the little chick and I are well; I hope you are, too.

Glenmore Audi Wants to Rip You Off

2008-11-10T23:54:00.004+01:00

So, I've been looking at cars online in preparation for my move back, and I found this one:

Description : PREMIUM Package, Sport Package, Xenon Headlights. FOR MORE INFO CALL: LOCAL 536-3765 OR TOLL FREE 1(866)769-6851

Year: 2003
Make: AUDI
Model: A4
Stock Number: U0647AA Mileage: 45,600
Warranty : Available Body : Sedan
Type : Sedan

It was selling for $13,900, and had pictures of the car, complete with manual transmission. So I called the dealership and spoke to Scott, who assured me that it was a great car, but, unfortunately he had heard there was a little issue with the price it had been advertised at: in fact, it was $6,000 more.

Whoopsie.

He asked if I was still interested, so I said I was, and asked for some more information. It turns out, though, that the car in question was not only $6K more than advertised - it also had double the mileage and an automatic transmission. As far as I can determine, the body color was the same, but that seems to be about it.

I could maybe accept this as a little error, except it's the second car I've been interested in at Glenmore Audi in Calgary this week, and, coincidentally, the second one they've had a little misunderstanding with. The other one had a small "error" in the price it was advertised at, as well.

An A6 with difference of about $10K.

I don't usually name names on TYC: it's meant to be a venue for love and peace and happiness, but I did a search on "glenmore audi scam" and it didn't return anything. But people should know, and these guys should not be able to lie without being called on it.

So if you've found this by doing a search on "glenmore audi scam" or "cheats" or "rip-off" or "lying lies and the lying lyers who tell them", then I'd suggest you do what I'm doing, and keep shopping somewhere else.

And if anybody knows where the A4 with 45,000 km on it actually is (the pictures had to come from somewhere, right?), I'm interested.

The Race

2008-11-04T19:41:00.003+01:00

I've heard a lot of people talking about how excited they are about the possibility of having the first African-American president (a term that's been oddly transplanted and politically-correctified, I think - I hear people here using the term "African-American" to describe people who have never even been to the US). And I have to admit... as a guy who has a lot of human-rights activist friends, but still falls a little right of center, even I find Obama pretty compelling.

The funny thing to me is that I have yet to hear one Caucasian refer to Obama as "our" candidate in quite the same way (with the possible exception of Josh). But his mother is white, right? I kind of think that if people of African ethnicity can embrace him as representing them, then a few more people of European descent should be willing to do the same. Why is it that someone who is half-African can be African enough to satisfy people who share that, but half-Caucasian isn't enough for the white folks?

In any case, I'm not voting. But I will be watching.

Bad, Bad, Bad

2008-11-03T21:49:00.004+01:00

Nathan and I saw a Samsung commercial where they were talking about helping a little blind girl to get some kind of surgery to recover her sight. He mentioned that he hates it when companies who are really dodgy put out adds to try to spin their image.

Well, I didn't know that Samsung was bad, and he was a little fuzzy on the details. So, we decided to go where the truth can always be found: the internet. I did a search on "is samsung evil?" and was prompted to find the answer on youtube. Here's what I found.

Now I can only guess that it must rhyme in Japanese. But here are the lyrics in English.

Enjoy.

We didn't know you were shameless
That isn't fair - how could you?
Why you didn't apologize for your wrongdoing
No concept, no conscience

People go there by them selves
Don't know how they worked hard
And you say you know nothing
Oh my - we are very vexed

Chorus:
Tell me (lots of times)
Tell me you are sorry, you are really guilty
Tell me (lots of times)
Say you'll take the blame
Tell me (lots of times)
We cannot accept it any longer, tell me the truth right now
Tell me (lots of times)
Repent what you have done

Oil flows over the Tae Ahn coast
My heart is getting crazy
Watching fishing people like watching parents
It gets me tears

The tidal flat and the sea
You don't know how it is polluted
Disappeared fishers, dead shells
Oh my - get all the gone back alive

Chorus

YOu are the number one in desctruction, Samsung
You are the global polluting company Samsung, Samsung
Everybody is watching you
You know what you did, global pollution
Number one in destruction
Oh my - repent what you have done

Chorus

Oh, and for the record - I was too captivated by this to do any further research to validate it. But if it's on youtube...

In Chips I Trust

2008-10-28T23:36:00.002+01:00

I have been pretty busy lately... about a month until I'll be homeless, and I have a lot to do to try to make the transition a smooth one. It's amazing how much energy it takes just to get out of Switzerland.

But that's not what I want to write about today; my hard drive crashed. My external one, that had my iTunes files on it (thankfully, so did my iPod), and a whole bunch of my pictures.

Before you say anything, yes, I learned my lesson, and I now have an online backup/archive plan, and more or less the entire contents of my computer is being uploaded as we speak. Or, I guess, as I write and you read, unless you read this in March 2009 or something.

Anyways, I'm hoping that it can be recovered, that it's just the power for the disk, and that perhaps if I buy another one the same and swap out the disks, I'll get my data back. The problem is, when it comes to technology, I am a complete and hopeless optimist. This shouldn't be a huge surprise - that's more or less what I'm like about other things (like people), too. And I love being an optimist, being trusting. The problem is, it doesn't always pan out.

I bought this external drive from a friend, and when it went down, I asked him where he got it, so I could see if they could help me with it. He was pretty concerned... "did I give you the receipt?". I wasn't sure, but I had a pretty good hunch (knowing him) that he did and that I (knowing me) threw it away.

Why would I throw it away? Because I somehow believe that nothing will ever go wrong with any piece of electronic equipment I buy.

Of course, I say this as I type on a PC that's been through more than one hard drive, took about 3 weeks to accept a firewire card, writing on a monitor that often shows little streaks beside text as though it had been smeared across the screen. Never with pictures - only with text. Beside me sits a mixer which used to have 2 firewire ports (hence the need for the card) but now only has one that works. Behind it is a keyboard which is currently willing to produce about 15 of it's purported 800 or so sounds. And the iPod that saved all my music is one that had died twice within 9 months of buying it - and the last time, they couldn't even fix it.

Yet I throw out every receipt for everything electronic that I ever buy. Strange, eh?

I'm not sure why it works that way. Part of it, now, may be to keep me from ever having to deal with aggressive, suddenly-no-one-in-the-store-speaks-English "customer service" people, a real treat in Geneva. Part of it may be some misguided idea that the object of my trust can be made reliable simply by me placing enough trust in it. THAT's a tough one to learn, I'll tell you.

But I think that mostly, it's just this: I'm surrounded by the stuff. I make my living with it, pursue most of my recreational activities with it, and even use it to keep the little chick acquainted with her grandparents. If it doesn't work, where does that leave me?

Frankly, I'd rather think about the move...

Faces

2008-10-19T19:55:00.003+01:00

More pictures... some of my favorite faces from Rome.

I like these ones. Yes, that's partly because I took them, but I like to think that even had I not been the one to pull the trigger, I'd still dig them. I got some new filters for editing, and tried them out on some of these shots... and I'm pretty happy with the results. Let me know what you think.

You can see more here - enjoy.

Body Language

2008-10-13T19:11:00.002+01:00

More from Rome... these people just stood out to me for how they moved, how they were standing... something about their physical presence. I hope you enjoy them.

You can see the rest here.

I Like Him

2008-10-09T13:44:00.003+01:00

I saw a one-legged bike courier riding in front of my place. He caught my eye as he was going by and gave me a nod and a look that said very distinctly, "yeah, you better believe it".

Now THERE is a guy who's up for a challenge. Very nice.

Brommie

2008-10-08T08:14:00.004+01:00

I remember the first time I heard a brommie (Birmingham) accent - it was on the radio (BBC 18 or some such creatively-named station, in true British form), and I was sure it was a joke. I couldn't believe that anyone would actually talk quite like that, and I found it absolutely fascinating. The program ended far too quickly, and I was disappointed to get back to a regular old BBC voice.

Well, the novelty has worn off.

There is a TV channel here called EuroNews. Clearly, they talk quite a bit about Europe, which is fine with me - somebody probably should. But the guy who does a lot of the voice-overs for them has, I believe, a brommie accent. And so there is one word for which he has a rather distinct pronunciation.

Unfortunately, it's "Europe".

When he says it, it comes out as "YOUR-op". This wouldn't be a big deal if it was "chesnuts" or "didactic" or some other word which didn't come up quite as frequently, but since YOUR-op can fall several times within the same sentence, I do find myself wondering exactly how he got the job. Knows the owner, maybe?

In other news, I've been sick, but there are more pictures on the way...

Flowers And Stuff

2008-10-05T22:21:00.004+01:00

I called it scenery, just because I wasn't sure what other label would work. Turns out, though, that it's primarily architecture... sorry if you were hoping for anything else. In any case, here are some of the pictures:

The Colosseum and somebody's arch.

The Trevi Fountain. If you plan to use a tripod there, try not to let the police see it. Whoops.

The Forum.

You can see the other ones here. It's probably worth saying, though, that the pictures aren't all up yet - more are loading as I speak...

Devil Is In

2008-10-03T07:20:00.002+01:00

Here are some things I noticed while I was in Rome. No particular theme running through them beyond that, but I hope you enjoy them.

You can see the rest here.

Fast Food

2008-10-02T19:16:00.004+01:00

I was trying to remember who had the slogan, "Have it your way!". At first I thought Burger King, but I think theirs is something about being made fresh. Dairy Queen, maybe? I know that, if I'm writing this, I'm connected to the internet and could look it up, but that somehow feels like cheating, so I won't.

Anyways, I've been organizing my pictures, and here's how the categories break down so far:

Details - textures, colors, shapes that I happened to notice
People - uh, that one's mostly people
Scenery - a lot of buildings, but some other scenery-ish stuff, too
Art - mostly sculpture

I have quite a few in some of the categories, though (scenery and people), and started to try to work through my people ones to pick out the keepers. Here are the categories I've got as I've been narrowing them down:

Body language - I noticed them because of how they were sitting, standing, or moving
Children - wee ones
My favorite faces - we all have one
Style - people I noticed because of something about their personal style... good, bad, or otherwise
Italians - people who just really, really looked Italian to me, and kind of captured the feeling of the city
Lost - people looking at maps. It's better than it sounds.
Phone - Italians looooooove to talk on the phone, and here's proof
Pictures - yeah, I know: they're all pictures. But these are pictures of people in pictures, but no pictures of people in pictures of pictures, which would clearly be just too much.
Setting - it wasn't so much who was there, it's was just where they were
Tourists - see them coming from a mile off

Anyways, I was trying to decide which ones to edit and post next, and I thought I'd try something a little different. If you have a preference, just tell me in a comment and when I get enough votes/a vote (depending on how things go), I'll edit and post those ones.

Your way... kind of like Burger King. Or maybe Dairy Queen, except without ice cream. And not quite like Subway, because I won't make you stand there and tell me how to edit them before I post them. It's like the very best of the fast-food world, and how can we go wrong with that?

So, polls close when I get enough votes to form a consensus, get a vote from Erin, or get tired of waiting, whichever comes first. And since I don't really like visiting facebook, any facebook comments will be warmly appreciated but disregarded in the whole voting thing. I'm sure you understand.

Rome Pictures - Couples

2008-10-02T12:24:00.002+01:00

Well, I'm back, and the parents and I both survived our Roman adventure. I'll write more in the coming days, but just wanted to get a first set of pictures up for you. It's such a beautiful, romantic city, and so one of the things that I noticed a lot of were couples interacting. I have quite a few pictures that I'll be getting up over the next few weeks, but this will at least get you started...

If you squint just right, their faces almost go together to form one single (though slightly cubist) face. I like that.

No, it's not fair, but that's just the way it goes.

You can see the rest here. Enjoy!

She's Very, Very Quiet

2008-09-24T09:34:00.003+01:00

You haven't been reading any comments from my mom lately, because she's here with me. She and my dad are over for a visit, which is also the reason I haven't been writing much - I've been pretty busy with them and with the little chick.

We're going to go to Rome for a few days, and I'm pretty excited. I think it's going to be a pretty nice break from work. And they make the best coffee in the world. And I'm going to take a bazillion pictures. I'll even show you the good ones.

Other than that, I don't have a lot to report. I hope you're doing well, though.

Chopsticks

2008-09-16T22:04:00.004+01:00

I was at home on Saturday after the little chick left, and I got a call from a friend. He works for a relief agency, called the global hope network, and they concentrate on caring for the most destitute people in the places where CNN isn't focusing, where other relief agencies aren't going. They're worth looking at, and supporting - you can see some more about them and their programs here.

Anyways, they were having a fund-raising concert - a classical pianist - and my friend wanted to take some pictures to use for publicity after. He was wondering about what kinds of settings to use on his camera, how to be able to do it without a flash... and since I hate explaining stuff like that, I offered to come and shoot some for him. He took me up on my offer, and these are the pictures that came out.

Turns out that Pascal Solomon, the pianist can really, really play. I'm not much of a classical guy, but even I dug this. And it was fun to be able to get some pictures of him at work.

You can see the rest here.

Secret Agent

2008-09-15T19:52:00.003+01:00

The Little Chick and I went to the park today. It was windy, so she wore her trench coat. And, she got new sunglasses, so she wore those, too. I didn't let her carry the gun, though.

You can see the rest here.

LOL

2008-09-14T15:51:00.003+01:00

I've watched a few movies lately that, while clearly not for everyone, I actually found pretty funny.

The Promotion - is about a recently married grocery store assistant manager who is looking to make it to the big time: to be promoted to manager. Just when it looks like he's got the job, a French-Canadian rival shows up, and crazy hijinks ensue.

The Love Guru - I'm not usually much of a Mike Myers guy, but this one also featured a Quebecois in the antagonist role, made me laugh a few times and, mostly, made me remember how much I really, really, really miss real hockey. Plus it has a fantastic Bollywood-ish ending. Slightly less toilet-humor than his other outings, which is a nice change.

You Don't Mess With The Zohan - not quite what I had anticipated in terms of plot (okay, "plot"...) but actually did make me laugh several times. Predictably offensive (Adam Sandler), it started with me wondering how Palestinians felt about it. It left me pretty sure that no one who takes themselves seriously would feel that good about it, Palestinian or otherwise. Still, some funny moments.

I think it might be time for something blowing up, right after I get through the second disk of my camera one. By the way, one point I would like to clarify there: when I said they had women to explain how to attach the strap and so on, I didn't mean like Italian game show women. Best guess is that she came with the guy with the safarri hat, but didn't have the good fortune to have brought her own. Maybe in disk two - I'll keep you posted.

Read My Lips

2008-09-10T21:42:00.002+01:00

You can't spell it "Favre" and pronounce it "Farve". It's just wrong.

Picture This

2008-09-10T17:04:00.001+01:00

So I've been watching an instructional camera video... trying to pick up a few pointers. It is fantastic, and even if you don't ever plan to use the camera they're talking about, I would highly suggest that you watch it... preferably, with me. Why do I love it so much?

It's all shot inside, but one of the presenters is wearing a safari hat. Here's what I think: if you're bald, either embrace it, join the hair club for men, or stick with your initial gut feeling that you shouldn't be doing video for public distribution. Some of those are better options than others, but you'll notice that "wear a safari hat" does not make the list, even as a footnote.

It's a great tool if you know someone who wants to shoot an instructional video without a script on the basis of "it's okay, we really know the topic". If you are interested in saying things like "here's the daylight savings time setting - we'll go ahead and switch that on because, hey - you never know" and "you change the ratio... no, wait, the ratio stays the same, you just change the balance...", then on-the-fly is a great way to go ahead.

There are even women in it! Men explain how to use the camera; women, how to attach the strap or play back the images. And no, I'm not kidding.

I think the best part, besides the safari hat, is where one of the guys is showing a picture of the stars at night... a picture that, even though I was trying to give it the benefit of the doubt, is notably unremarkable. What, exactly, is it that he so loves about this picture? It shows not only the stars, but clearly captures his amateur radio tower.

Yeah.

So next time you've got a Friday night free and are looking for a little edu-tainment, I'm your man.

Bring your own hat.

Like, Totally, Dude

2008-09-09T19:18:00.003+01:00

I have a friend who is very, very English. He has what the English refer to as a posh accent... which does not mean, as you would expect, that he sounds like Victoria Beckem, but instead that he sounds (more or less) like he has money. Every once in a while, he decides to speak "American", which basically involves speaking in his normal, posh accent, and then adding "...dude" at the end of each sentence. It's pretty funny.

I kind of felt like the little chick should have been doing that a couple nights ago. When I was putting her to bed, she looked up at me with a big smile and said "You're awesome, Daddy, and wonderful for taking such good care of me!"

Needless to say, she absolutely melted my already-pretty-soft heart. It's an incredible thing for a three year-old to think about expressing, in my opinion. It wasn't until later that I realized I have no idea where she picked up "awesome". It certainly wasn't from me. In any case, it made me one pretty happy dad, dude.

Dancing Cell Phones

2008-09-06T14:50:00.002+01:00

For some reason, cell phone operators LOVE advertising on CNN international. Irascom Telecom was a big one for a long time - handy for everyone looking to be traveling in Iraq and not sure about who their provider will be there when they arrive.

The one thing that they all seem to include is a series of shots of people dancing... always in native garb, and frequently through rolling green fields in the sunset. I just finished watching one for Pakistan... it had a guy riding in a private jet, the usual dancing, a lot of fantastic buildings. It left me with a question: when I'm traveling to a country on another continent, do I really care that much about traditional folk dances, or could I be more concerned with, say, if they have coverage at the airport and how much a text message is going to cost?

But then, I barely ever travel. What do I know.

Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone

2008-09-05T22:34:00.003+01:00

I love that tune. Thankfully, it didn't hold true today.

I had a very special morning today - I did some engagement pictures for Dan and Catherine a while ago... I was looking for some practice, and they were looking for something to commemorate their engagement. It worked out pretty nicely for both of us. Well, today I got to do the pictures at their wedding.

In the sunshine.

Yesterday, it was pouring. Last night, it was pouring. Today, the forecast is that it would, in fact, continue to pour. But what looked like scattered sunshine this morning turned into barely a cloud in the sky by lunch time, so we had some pretty nice conditions for our pictures. I'm glad... not just because it made it a whole lot easier for me, but I'm really happy with the way the day went for Dan and Cat, and I'm glad I could share it with them.

Here are a few of the shots I took. I have some more of my favorites here, if you'd like to see them.

Airport Security

2008-09-02T20:28:00.002+01:00

As time goes on, I find myself less and less concerned with who may be carrying a bottle of water onto a plane, and much more regularly affected by people who seem to have missed health class on the day that they talked about why showers and deodorant are a good idea every day.

I'm okay with them making people take off their shoes as they go through the security check. But maybe instead of sending the shoes through the x-ray machine, they could just take that opportunity to give them a good smell; if they fail the smell-check, it doesn't matter what the machine says... they don't get on the plane. They can either take a shower or check themselves into the hold.

THAT I would wait in line for.

Ed & Zoe

2008-08-31T08:35:00.003+01:00

My friends Ed & Zoe got married a couple of weeks ago. Here are some pictures from their wedding:

You can see more here.

My Little Chick

2008-08-29T12:18:00.002+01:00

Well, Caro, I don't have any graffiti pictures handy, and I missed Wednesday, in any case. Hopefully this will do.

My little chick has been away for a few weeks, and I have missed her like crazy. I've been looking at some pictures and thought maybe I'd share some with you - in these ones she's reading a big book that she can lay down on the floor and climb right on top of.

You probably don't miss her quite like I do, but I hope you like these, anyway.

Oh, and there are a few more here.

Rotten Apple

2008-08-22T09:24:00.002+01:00

So, the last mp3 player I had was a Creative MuVo Micro, with a whopping 1 GB of memory (a lot for when I got it). I think I had it for about 6 years, and over that time, I had to update the firmware a couple of times (about 2 minutes with a USB cable). No, I couldn't watch movies on it, but it worked, and worked, and worked.

Contrast that with my iPod Classic: I just took it in to the shop today. It crashed and I couldn't do anything on my PC to make it better: couldn't restore it through iTunes, couldn't reformat the disk... nothing. Last time this happened, the guy plugged it in to one of the Macs in the Apple shop and it reformatted okay. This time, no go.

So, I've had it for 8 months, it's gone down twice, and this time it's beyond repair. Back to Apple, and theory is that they will send me a new one. That's okay until we get to January '09, when my warranty runs out.

So, I love the memory. The battery life is quite good. I've enjoyed watching Survivor in the plan on my way to Munich and home again each week. It's cool to be able to have a few of my favorite pictures with me wherever I go, too. And now that I've figured out things like using Apple lossless to encode the music and doing some gain reduction on my mp3's to keep them from distorting when I use the iPod eq to bump the bass up, the sound is pretty good as well.

But if the thing only works for 6 months at a time, it's a pretty high price to pay for what I got. Here's hoping I just got a lemon the first time and the next one is a little better...

My Olympic Question

2008-08-20T20:14:00.004+01:00

They train for decades. They wear skin-tight clothes to reduce wind resistance. They spend years getting the lightest shoes possible. Some of them even shave their heads to be just that much quicker.

And then they wear 3 pounds of gold around their necks, diamond earrings, and giant watches. Because the only thing more important than winning is... what? Impressing women who really dig men who wear a lot of gold?

I've got a little secret for you, boys - if that's what she's into, she's probably not actually going to be that tough to get. I bet you could even save the chain for after the race and still do okay.

Fireworks

2008-08-18T13:09:00.003+01:00

We went to see some fireworks, and I had my camera along, so I took a couple of pictures. I like these ones because they don't really look like fireworks to me... I kind of imagine them being stars and planets and solar systems.

I guess that Astronomy 101 in university is really paying off now.

You can see the rest here.

And In Lane Six

2008-08-15T13:55:00.001+01:00

Can you imagine having worked your whole life to get to the Olympics, and you end up being in the qualification heat against Michael Phelps?

Would that ever suck.

The Olympics

2008-08-09T12:17:00.003+01:00

Ah, it's great. The French are showing Judo; the Germans, women's air rifle.

One thing that will not be difficult to leave is the European concept of what constitutes a sport that should be shown on TV.

[EDIT] The French seem to have discovered the error of their ways. They've switched over to dressage - horses with fancy hair, trotting in a circle. Now if that's not a sport that's truly in the Olympic spirit, I don't know what would be.

IHEARTU

2008-08-08T09:15:00.004+01:00

I didn't really steal it.

I just borrowed it and haven't given it back yet. I guess that's a bit too common for me - I have been known to borrow books or CDs or DVDs or whatever for, well, years. I know it's not good, and trust me... it's not really what I'm aiming for. I guess the bright side is that it's not that different when I lend things - I forget pretty quickly who has them, and I'm very free to give out what I have. This has been a blessing and a curse at times - on one hand, the source of more emails than I would like to a whole bunch of friends asking if anyone had seen the book I felt like reading. On the other hand, though, getting a CD back from a friend after a couple of years of thinking it was lost is, in a somewhat perverse way, a pretty nice experience.

Anyways, an anonymous reader of TYC lent me a DVD while visiting Geneva a while ago. I was (am) supposed to send it on to another friend, but hadn't quite gotten there yet when we had a bit of a quick change-up at YAGS (a group from my church that meets weekly, and that I help to lead): I was supposed to lead a discussion on kind of short notice.

And something kind of strange happened: I found myself without anything to talk about.

If you know me, you'll know that this is kind of out of the ordinary, and it threw me for a bit of a loop. Usually, when someone asks "Hey, can you teach?" I respond with a rather prompt "How much time can I have?". But this last week, I didn't have many ideas, but I remembered this video, and thought maybe ît would be a good one for us to watch and discuss together.

Turns out it was.

It is about the life and writings of Henri Nouwen. I didn't know tons about the guy before - a friend had given me one of his books (Return of the Prodigal Son) that was good... good in the general sense of being insightful and well-written, but also good for me. I knew he had written a bunch of others, but wasn't that familiar with them. He had quite a life, and wrote from a place of pain and longing much of the time. The video (called Journey to the Heart) was good, well worth a watch, if you can get a hold of it (and aren't waiting in line after me for anonymous' copy). I'm going to read more of his books now.

But I tell you all that to tell you this: there was one idea in there that just reached out and grabbed me by the heart. It's this: God loves us - he has loved us since before we loved him, before we were born, before the world was created, before time began. And he has given us just a little bit of time on this planet - 20 years, 40 years, 70 years - to be able to say, "I love you, too".

Well, I think that the reason for creation is a little more complex than that. And I guess Henri probably did, too. But that doesn't take anything away from the truth of how beautiful it is to hear a real "I love you".

The little chick has been able to understand some of what love is, and to choose to demonstrate it for a while now (she is, as she will tell you, a big girl now, at three). But there is still something mind-blowing about those little arms being thrown around my legs, that little head burried in, and a muffled "I love you, Daddy" escaping in the midst of it. As she learns more, it becomes more and more meaningful: she wants to share with me. She wants to include me in what she's doing. She wants to know how I feel, and wants to see that she makes me happy in her love for me.

So I wonder: how much of my so-far-at-least-35 years on this planet am I spending telling (or showing) God that I love him?

I have also known "I love you's" that aren't quite like those I get from the little chick. When no expression of love is forthcoming it can be painful, but there is far more damage when an "I love you" offered is not truly heartfelt - or, worse, when it's a lie - than when it's just absent. Those are words that should never be spoken out of duty or obligation - where there is that kind of obligation, there is no real love.

And so I wonder about something else: how many times have I said or sung those words to him without really meaning them?

Three little words, but a lot to think about.

Good Bye

2008-08-06T16:55:00.001+01:00

It's been kind of a tricky year.

I like Geneva... I like it a lot. Sure there are things that bother me: the language, mostly. The fact that I live, more or less, in a parking lot, frequently populated by people who take the "outdoor voice" concept to a bit of an extreme. Oh, and prices; but then, with store hours being what they are, that's not much of an issue.

But at the end of the year, I'm moving back to Calgary, and so it's added a distinct sense of season to my life that wouldn't otherwise be there.

It hit me, again, as I was wandering through Montreux a few weeks ago, from the train station to the concert hall to see Alicia Keys: this could be the last time I do this. The last time ever.

My last spring, last YAGS retreat, last birthday, last concert season... and the list goes on. Now, I know, it's not like I've been diagnosed with a terminal illness, but still - it's tough.

I've always had trouble saying goodbye. I have tended to kind of shut myself off, to protect my heart, and to withdraw well in advance of the actual event. And I'm trying like crazy to change that now, to live here, and now, and to be open and available and vulnerable, but it's getting tougher.

My heart and my mind are starting to turn to Calgary. There are some wonderful, wonderful things that await me there... some I know, some I anticipate, and I'm sure there are many others of which I have no idea, yet. But I don't want it to keep me from still being able to experience my last fall, last winter, last vin chaud, last roast chestnuts, last fondue on Swiss soil. First or last, I don't want anything to get in the way of what I am living today - the people I love, the things I put my heart into, the things that I will see and do and know that will never be the same.

Summer

2008-07-31T20:56:00.003+01:00

Well, it's summer and it's beautiful out. And it's been a long time since I've written.

Sorry.

I know this doesn't excuse it, but I wanted to post some new pictures. I hope you like them - you can see the others here. Oh and a word of warning... there aren't many others. But there are some good ones in the pipeline. Next up is a set of the little chick at her adorable-est.

As In, Dirty Little

2008-07-23T21:26:00.002+01:00

I think it's time for a new insult.

Those who know me (which, I guess, is a pretty substantial portion of people who read this) know that I'm not much of a science fiction guy. I liked Lord of the Rings (and before someone with a "Live Long & Prosper" tee shirt tells me that's not science fiction, I know... I just have a tendency to group all things where people dress in costumes to see the movie into one super-category), but that's about as far as it goes.

Still, I've had an idea for a long time, and to celebrate the release of the new X-Files movie, I think it's time to bring it up again.

Scullymulder, as in, "why, you dirty little scullymulder!"

The problem, I guess, is that I've never actually invented an insult before. Honestly, I try not to make insults a very regular part of my speech. But this one, I think, could be different. I plan to try it out at work tomorrow to see how it goes over in French - I've been practicing the accent tonight, and I think it's almost ready.

So, feel free to propagate. And if you're Katie, I expect a link back to the source...

;-)

When I Was Little

2008-07-20T18:54:00.001+01:00

We used to kill bugs using a can of WD40 and a lighter... instant flamethrower. Though the wisdom of doing that may be questionable, it sure was fun. There's a bug flying around my apartment now and I find myself wishing that I didn't have this pesky "maturity" thing in the way as I try to decide how to deal with him.

I'm definitely not one who usually longs to go backwards, but I miss those days.

Change Me

2008-07-16T06:58:00.004+01:00

Why do people give change as bills first, then coins? If you get the coins in your hand you can hold on to them securely while you take the bills in your fingers. If the coins are on top, you're forced to try to hold the whole thing flat until you can get the other hand free to rescue the coins and airlift them away to safety. This is like the New Orleans disaster plan enacted out in the world of commerce, a billion times a day... we must be able to do something!

You Smell Nice

2008-07-14T17:54:00.003+01:00

On the way home from feeding the ducks with the little chick today, I saw a guy driving by on a scooter. That's not unusual - there are a lot of scooters in Geneva. What was a bit odd is that, while he was driving, he was smelling one of those little paper strips that you put perfume on to test it.

I can't help but think that if your cologne smells good while you're driving along a city street at full speed, it may end up being just a touch strong for anyone who ends up in the elevator with you at the other end.

We Should Have Phoned First

2008-07-11T08:13:00.004+01:00

There is a mountain (hill) near Geneva called the Salève. It's actually on the French side, but we like to think it's ours. You can go up it in a cable car, and everyone has told me for years how wonderful the views are over the city and the lake, especially at sunset, but I've never been.

I decided, though, that now was the time. First of all, this is my last summer living here. And second, I have kind of a special visitor, and I wanted to share it with her. So we got a picnic ready, headed off across town, walked through the border into France, found the entrance, and....

Closed.

Yeah, turns out that the sun sets at 9:30, and the cable car stops running at 7. Who came up with that schedule*?!? For the record, though, it was still a pretty nice sunset, even from the bottom.

C'est la vie.

* Not actually a rhetorical question - I think perhaps it was this guy.

Blog-Off

2008-07-10T14:07:00.003+01:00

I'm hesitant to post this.

I've been, it seems, invited (challenged? entangled?) to a blog-off.

What's a blog-off, you ask? That's a reasonable question. In fact, it's the first one I had, as well. The original format was going to be a topic decided by a third party, with the challenger and I each having 20 minutes to write and publish a post on it, to then be judged by another person. That concept seems to have passed, however, and now I'm not entirely sure if it's based on quality, quantity, readership, or some other factor that I've failed to identify.

But every time I talk to Katie, she reminds me about it. So, whatever it is, it seems to be on.

Katie's blog is babygotbrit. And I've put a link here, but I'm not sure I can encourage you to read it, in case this is being decided by number of hits. I'm also not sure what the prize is for winning.

It's been a while since I've had a good bit of public self-analysis, though, so I may as well continue on in that direction. There are, I think, only two things that really, really make me competitive.

First is going to a concert. I kind of like to be at the front. And when I go, I get pretty... uh, focused. I have a routine I go through that's pretty established, and has gotten me a good spot at a lot of shows. I'm not ruthless, not aggressive, but I have a goal and I go for it.

The only other thing that I've really been able to identify is doing something with someone who really, really wants to win. I remember playing foosball with my friend Fred. I love the guy... he's quiet, friendly, warm... and LOVES to win, HATES to lose. Anyway, I had been playing for a while with a bunch of people and just relaxing, enjoying it, laughing. Fred joined up on the other side of the table, and he got his game face on pretty quickly. Well, I'll tell you... I couldn't care who won or lost, but every time I scored on him (which was, happily for me, pretty frequently) I could see him getting more and more desperate to win. I'm not usually cruel, but there's something about that situation... someone wanting with their whole heart to beat me in something completely trivial... that just seems like an invitation to play with them that's just a little too good to pass up.

So, if you have any suggestion of how I may be able to take the lead in the blog-off, I'm all ears. Wish me luck!

Is That.......? Uh... Never Mind

2008-07-04T09:11:00.002+01:00

It's because I love the earth.

I have a habit of shaking my hands rather enthusiastically after I wash to try to get the water off... I use fewer paper towels that way. The problem is that, in summer when I'm wearing light dress pants ("trousers" for those in the UK), those water drops that go flying everywhere make spots on my pants. And those spots really show up.

Really, really show up.

And, as a result, every time I walk out of the bathroom, it looks very much like I've urinated on myself. But I've been doing better on containing that the last couple of weeks, and I'm pretty proud of that.

I think that perhaps now I'm ready to consider that career in politics that I had been putting off.

Third World Country

2008-07-03T22:57:00.004+01:00

Okay, I haven't really traveled in one, at least, not extensively. But I'm pretty sure that, if I did, I would find taxi service like Geneva's. I have taken taxis in a lot of cities, on several continents, and I have never encountered service as regularly poor (and often illegal) as I get in Geneva.

I just got home... and I left the office seven hours ago. Yes, it was in another country, but a close one (Germany). Due to a number of factors (none of which, it appears, were the airline's fault), my 7 PM flight was delayed, delayed, delayed, and eventually canceled... and we were all put on a 9:45-ish flight instead. So by the time I got back to Geneva and took a look at the train schedules, I had a pretty strong hunch that my client would probably feel like a taxi fare home was a reasonable trade for almost adding a second work day.

Today, I didn't have much cash with me (I've been carrying Euros), but, in general, I try to find a cab that takes Visa, even if I pay with cash.

"Why," you ask? Why, if I'm going to pay in cash, would I bother asking if they take Visa?

Well, it's because of times like tonight. I started at the front of the line of taxis, asking if they accepted Visa cards. Some looked at me like I was crazy. One man was at least apologetic... he didn't have a machine. But I had to ask more than a dozen cabs, all in a row, before I found one guy willing to actually pull out his Visa machine and drive me home. And this isn't in some back corner of the city - this is at the airport. This is the first impression people are getting of our city and our country.

And that impression, I can only guess, is not a good one. Switzerland, world capital of banking and finance.*

* Cash only

Maybe they're ducking taxes. Maybe they'd rather not pay the surcharge. Maybe they just hate people and have, somehow, chosen a job where they're in contact with them more or less constantly by some crazy mixed-up string of coincidences.

I don't know.

But I know this - I'd rather walk all the way down a line of taxis talking to every single one of them... in fact, I would rather have gone back inside and waited for that next train - then let them get away with it. Would I have walked home? That's a closer call, definitely leaning to the "no" side, but still - I am a pretty firm believer in voting with my wallet.

Come on, taxi guys. Maybe a little bit of time trying out the 20th century will help you get ready in case you ever decide to join us in the the 21st...

Another Wow

2008-07-01T15:20:00.002+01:00

Vegan triathletes.

Now, I bet THEY have great parties. Wheat juice and wetsuit talk, anyone?

Anyone?

And for those of you who think advertising is of no use, I found this via a google ad on my email. Definitely worth a click...

One Of The Best Things

2008-07-01T09:22:00.003+01:00

... about working from home would be that I can make drummer-face as much as I want, and even do some serious chair-dancing without being disruptive.

I'll need to look into that.

The Problem Is

2008-06-29T21:26:00.004+01:00

... as far as I can tell, that "tres" is one of the worst words in French. It's phlegmy... sounds kind of like someone coughing up something nasty. And the unfortunate part is that it's also one of the most common.

And, as I watch the Euro Cup final, I realize that they are incapable of only saying it once. Nothing is "tres" whatever; it's always "tres, tres" whatever. Double the phlegm: gotta love that. And, while in English we have a whole range of words used to denote emphasis (very, extremely, notably, markedly, really, unbelievably, undoubtedly...), the French either only have one, or they don't let sportscasters use the other ones on-air. In fact, I've heard "tres" five times while writing the previous sentence.

The other problem is that Spain is winning. When the passed through the semi-finals, they drove around town (or, at least, my block) honking for 4 hours. Tonight... no one sleeps.

[EDIT] - Well, it's over. There were 11 second between when the game ended and when I heard the first horn. That's got to take some serious planning.

My Lucky Day

2008-06-28T21:53:00.002+01:00

I am pretty hesitant to give up time with the little chick. I figure it's pretty important, because she's pretty important. I guess I could do more - probably have people come to look after her after she's in bed, but if she wakes up, I want to be the one here to give her a cuddle to get back to sleep.

So when I heard Gotthard was doing a free show in Geneva tonight (there were two nights of concerts planned as part of the Euro Cup celebration), I was disappointed that it lined up with when TLC would be with me. They're kind of like the Swiss equivalent of Aerosmith, or Bon Jovi (before he cut his hair), but not nearly as terrible as that sounds the first time you read it.

In fact, they're quite good.

I've wanted to see them for ages, but either they've been playing too far away at times I didn't want to travel, or the tickets were too much, or... well, something always came up. And for them to be doing a free show in Geneva was almost too good to pass up, but I was traveling last week, and was ready for a little daddy-daughter time.

So last night I had a bbq (or, I guess, it would be more correct to say I went to a bbq - I contributed nothing other than a bottle of wine and some witty repartee) with a few friends, and we planned to head down for the concerts after. To add insult to injury, there were a whole bunch of people walking around with Gotthard tee shirts on. Given my unique grasp of the space-time continuum, it registered that the concert was not on the night that I was free to go, but my brain didn't bother with any of the usual before/after kinds of questions that your brain might. I almost stopped one of them to ask how the show was.

Well, turns out that they didn't know yet, not because it was still a day away, but because it was happening later that night.

It also turns out that it was a lot of fun. They have some good tunes... most I hadn't heard, but a few were familiar, and other than a few drunks and a tall guy beside me who couldn't seem to keep track of his elbows, a thoroughly pleasurable experience.

And I don't know if it was just for this, or if it's for the whole Euro Cup time, but the show ended about 1, and there were still trams running! Bravo, Genève!

The only kind of sour part is that I've once again had it confirmed that concert security people are, mostly idiots. There were people trying to start a mosh pit. Did they do anything? No. There were drunks tearing through a crowd full of women and kids. Did they do anything? No (or, not until it got to the point of an altercation).

But every time somebody pointed a pocket camera at the stage? The security people were jumping up and down... waving their arms, crawling over the barriers to get to the offenders. I don't think they could have been drunk, which is a shame, since that's the only conceivable excuse they had, other than just being stupid.

Oh well. Rock on!

Rolex

2008-06-26T21:50:00.002+01:00

The Rolex golf ads feature shots of all the players who endorse them, golfing... and not wearing watches.

Now THAT's subtle.

Yes, That's Me

2008-06-25T06:19:00.002+01:00

Every once in a while I take a look at some of the search terms that were used when people did searches that led them to TYC. Sometimes they seem rather intentional ("the yellow couch") and sometimes a little less so ("yellow couch church" is one I see often from the UK).

In any case, there was an interesting one this week:

"champagne delamont"

I wonder if they found what they were looking for?

Ca Marche Pas

2008-06-24T07:18:00.001+01:00

I was going to start by saying that France isn't like a third-world country.

But I've never really traveled in a third-world country. So maybe I should just say it isn't much like Switzerland, Canada, Germany, the US, or the UK, in terms of it's technological prowess.

It all started when I had arrived in the Lyon train station - I was going to meet Korey and Jenny there, and since I arrived a little before they did (train vs. traffic), I wanted to sync up my mails. I had seen signs for the wifi (or, as I learned that the English call it, whif-ee) availability in the station. So I booted up, searched, and, sure enough, there was the login page. It gave me the option to log on with an existing account... as long as it's with a French provider. My Swisscom credit works in other countries, but, I guess, not in France.

That kind of became a sort of theme.

Anyways, they had another link to buy time if you didn't already have an account with one of four French phone services. So I clicked on the link, and this is what I got back:

Le serveur n'a rien trouvé à l'adresse spécifiée.
Veuillez nous excuser pour la gène occasionnée.

A rough translation is "did you make that up? we don't have that web page - better luck next time". Well, I thought, it's probably just because I had tried to access it from the English start page; the English versions generally receive a little less in terms of testing than the French pages. So I navigated through in French, and got the same error.

Okay, no whif-ee.

I eventually did meet up with Korey and Jenny - we found the campground and decided to grab some groceries. We hit the nearby Champion (a French grocery chain), and when we got to pay, I pulled out my Visa card. The card reader was one of the ones that seems to use the chip instead of the strip, and mine has never worked that way. Still, most cashiers feel much better if they've tried the chip first, no matter what assurances I give them.

So, she tried the chip.

Oddly enough, it didn't work. Choking back the instinct to try to remember the translation for "I told you so", I suggested that perhaps the strip may yield a better result. She shook her head, and hit the card reader with her hand... and tried the chip again. And this continued for several minutes - the cashier swearing under her breath, hitting the machine, yanking my card out and shoving it back in.

Well, I guess the good news was that, by the time she got around to trying the strip, it didn't work, either. I ended up trying four other cashiers over the course of our visit, and my card, it seems, doesn't work anywhere in their store.

When I was looking at train schedules to get back to Lyon, to get back to Geneva (more on that in a forthcoming post), I managed to find my way through the French national train site to identify the ticket I wanted to buy, the date, the class, the seat, my address, name, phone number. credit card info, favorite flavor of ice cream (chocolate), turn-ons (long walks on the beach), first pet (a fish... pretty sure he had a name, but I don't remember it)... and hit "process"...

To get a message telling me that, due to a technical problem, my transaction had been canceled. No indication of what the problem may be, what role I may have played in it, or how it could be resolved. I tried several more times, always with the same error, and just gave up. I could buy a ticket at the station before I left... on a much earlier train in case there wasn't room on the one I wanted.

Oh well. They do make lovely wine.

Hey There

2008-06-22T16:06:00.002+01:00

Well, I'm in France with friends,and have been internetless; which is why it's been a while since an update.

The French also use a crazy keyboard. It's taken me 18 minutes to type this much correctly, so this will be short. But when I get home, I'll fill you in.

Interesting points so far:

Another slight timing/date confusion
Some magnificent cigars
My first... uh, exposure... to topless beaches
Sleeping in a tent again - it's been a while
Being in the French Riviera and feeling vaguely like it's actually Holland

More to come, when I get to a keyboard where you don't need to use "shift" to get to the period. I don' know who thought this one was a good idea...

Hockey Vs Soccer

2008-06-18T20:48:00.004+01:00

Reasons that hockey is better than "football":

Better snacks - you can get Wendy's in the Saddledome. No such luck at a football match. Who wants another sausage?
Football is sooooo..... slooooooowwwwww..... in comparison. It's not as bad as baseball, but it's really, really slow. Anyone remember the Simpsons episode? They were (as usual) right.
Diving. Or, you could say, Italians.
Long, greasy hair. What is it with that hair? Maybe hockey players have it, but at least we don't have to look at it all game long. Can one of you P&G people please get these boys a bottle of Pert Plus or something?
"Highlights". Since the Euro Cup started, I've been watching "highlights" of... well, shots on goal. Sure, most of them are kind of slow, and go straight to the goal-keeper. But they warrant a spot on the highlight film, and that's a pretty big red flag. Once again, confer with baseball: "he hit it and.... somebody caught it. Let's see that again in super slo-mo, Rob".
Fighting, or a complete lack thereof. See also: Diving.

Yet... I can't stop watching.

Rats.

Wow

2008-06-18T18:36:00.005+01:00

Well, this is easily the worst thing I've seen in a long, long time.

Some background: "Nouvelle Star" is like a reality pop star training camp, in French. They have churned out some true trash over the last few years, but I think this one should be worth a nomination for some kind of award or something. Just wait until you hear the choral backup vocals on the chorus....

And yes, they are playing this on music video channels here. When you hear people talking about the fantastic, hot European music scene, I suggest you direct them to this; then tell them you'll never question anything they ever say again if they can keep it in their iPod's top 10 for a month.

10,000

2008-06-18T10:17:00.002+01:00

Well, it appears that last night we hit 5 digits for TYC visitors. Thanks for reading - I wish that as a kind of thank-you I could make some popcorn and you could sit in the tent and watch a movie with the little chick and I. Of course, she has fairly particular taste, so this would only feel rewarding if you like Veggie Tales or if you are really, really hungry for popcorn. Still, might be nice.

Oh, THAT Thursday

2008-06-17T19:45:00.002+01:00

A chat I had with Korey this evening:

6:45 PM Korey: YOu there?

6:46 PM We are picking you up in Lyon on Thursday morning, correct? Jenny was a little unsure when she heard your message!

6 minutes

6:52 PM me: Yeah - I think we had said 10, which is just when I get in... let me check the ticket again to confirm...

Arrival is scheduled for 10

6:53 PM I was just wondering about electricity... do you know if there are plug-ins at the camp site?

Korey: I don't remember their being plug-ins. One sec and I'll check their web site

6:54 PM me: [tapping foot]

;-)

Korey: Ha!

It says that there is electricity on every plot.

To that sounds positive.

...

7:03 PM Korey: Do we have your mobile?

+41 2131 XXXX?

7:04 PM me: Yeah, in one fo the emails... that number is my office in Lausanne, that I called from today

Mobile is +41 79 506-XXXX

Korey: Right, got it. Just in case, you know?

Okay get packing!

7:05 PM me: Yeah, probably a good idea. Also, what's your car like? Besides having the steering wheel on the wonky side?

Korey: Blue Honda Civic. 2000. Very bland. Beige interior. Small brown moose hanging from the rear-view that goes by the name of Guillaume

7:06 PM 5-door

Sedan, though, not the hatch back.

me: Okay, when I'm outside of the station, I'll just ask for Guillaume

Korey: Like yours was.

Yeah, that'll work awesome.

me: Sorted.

See you tomorrow

Korey: No!

Thursday!

7:07 PM me: Wait... I missed that part... I thought it was tomorrow.

That could be an issue... okay - I'm going to see if the ticket office is open...!

Korey: Tomorrow is Wednesday!

7:08 PM me: Crap, I do this all the time

Korey: We leave here tomorrow morning, take the ferry to Calais, overnight in Dijon and then to Lyon on Thursday!

me: The ticket is correct - for the 19th

I just put it in outlook wrong

Korey: LOL

Apparently, the oxygenated water is going to take a little while to kick in.

Rats.

Look Out

2008-06-16T22:17:00.001+01:00

We have oxygenated water available in our Lausanne office, now. If possible, it will make me even smarter.

I predict that, within a week, I will be able to remember which direction I was going when I went into the store.

Honking in Three Langauges

2008-06-15T22:00:00.001+01:00

Finally, the Swiss have a reason to honk. They beat Portugal tonight, and even though they're still eliminated from the tournament, it's a good way to finish it off.

Way to go, boys - play hard to the end.

The Dublin Pictures - Part II

2008-06-13T21:51:00.002+01:00

More from the city that Bono's from. Unfortunately, he's not in any of these, but still...

You can see the rest here. Some fun colors here, I think.

A Bit Off

2008-06-12T20:43:00.001+01:00

So, the potato gets a year.

Child labor gets a day.

I think we may have missed something.

The Dublin Pictures - Part I

2008-06-12T19:22:00.004+01:00

Okay, I haven't been able to edit them all, yet. But I've done some, and you can see them here.

These are some of my favorites so far.

I'd Like To Thank My Agent, God, and the Guy Who Planted Me

2008-06-12T09:57:00.005+01:00

It is the year of the potato. And we have little creams in our coffee room to prove it.

Now, I like potatoes. I would doubt, actually, that you can find many people who like potatoes more than I do, and my family will back me up on this one. But the year of the potato? Seems a bit much, really. And it leaves me with a few questions:

1. Who decides this? It seems to be the UN, but beyond that, who knows? I mean, is it a committee? One guy in a little room somewhere? Was there a vote, and I just missed it? How do we know that the process has been fair - has there been any international oversight? At least a conference? If there's one organization who should understand a request to have the process monitored, it's the UN.

Oh, and if it's one guy in a little room somewhere, is he the one in Nashville who writes all the country music? Because that seems like he would have enough on his plate already without being responsible for things like this.

2. What's the competition based on? Potatoes are filling, and they are tasty and nourishing when prepared in a variety of ways, and if you spread one out over a plate it provides plenty of surface to hold cheese and bacon bits and whatever else you may want to toss on, but I'm not sure any of those warrant an award like this. Is it just running with other tubers? In that case, I can see it - frankly, between potatoes, carrots, and turnips I don't think you're going to get much argument.

But what if it's all foods? How do you put potatoes up against crême brulée? Or even steak? Have you noticed that it's never "potatoes and steak"? Yeah, well... there's a reason. And it could even go beyond that... can you imagine the panel sitting down, and the chairman saying, "okay, it looks like this year it's going to be a tough call: it's between potatoes, the Toyota Prius, global warming, and puppies." How do you vote on that?

3. A whole year?!? Even if the process is fair and the title is well-deserved, a year still seems like a little much. It's not as if potatoes are that new... we don't have a whole lot of educating to do here - I think that the market is already pretty well-developed. I would think Potato Month would be generous enough (though that would bring up the whole sticky issue of which one to choose) and maybe Potato Week would even do the trick. I would celebrate Potato Week, but the thought of dedicating a whole year to it leaves me just a little overwhelmed.

I don't know. But it is making me hungry.

For steak.

Football Makes Me Sad

2008-06-11T22:24:00.003+01:00

Portugal won.

They are very, very noisy.

Switzerland lost.

The one team I was hoping would be able to make some noise.

Go, Sweden. Rah, rah, rah.

Givenchy To The Rescue

2008-06-10T22:33:00.002+01:00

Well, it's not the first time I've had to dig through the bathroom cabinet to find some perfume to take something off the yellow couch. Last time it was "Indecent".

This time it's Oblique.

So, two things:

1. If you have the choice, Indecent is spicy, sexy, and smells great on a couch. Oblique could have used a little more time in the old R&D.
2. I think next time I'll use my Gaultier "Le Male". At least I know I like it.

Compliment of the Week

2008-06-10T10:29:00.004+01:00

Actual compliment: "You wear pants well"

Likely translation: "thanks, despite your infrequent but ominous threats, for not streaking".

Rubbish

2008-06-09T21:01:00.003+01:00

Well, it's been an interesting week for flying.

I was in Munich for a couple of days last week before heading to Dublin for holidays. There are three flights from Munich to Geneva each evening... at 5 PM, 7 PM, and 9 PM. I booked myself on the 9 to be sure I could put in a full day at the office, first. But it looks like things haven't changed much since I worked there regularly a few years ago. At that point, I would usually book the 7 PM, but the 5 would be delayed enough that I could get on it by changing my ticket at the airport. The 7 would then be very late, and the 9... well, they were lucky if they actually made it.

So it occurred to me as I looked at my 7 AM flight to go to Dublin that, perhaps, booking myself on the 9 PM back to Geneva the night before was not a great move. And it was late... very late. The Geneva airport closes at midnight, and I've had a flight actually drop us off in Lyon, France, and then we had to take buses back because we were too late. Well, we got in at about 12:15, but they kept it open for us.

Going to Dublin (via London) was a worry because my flights were with two different companies, so if Geneva/London was delayed, the London/Dublin people really, really wouldn't care. Or compensate me. Or make sure I get there later. So I was pretty happy when that went okay. And getting from Dublin back to London was smooth and easy, too.

The problem came when Science Nathan and I were sitting down for a burger before our London/Geneva flight. We had checked in, but decided to eat before security. As Nathan was waiting for his food, I sat down and was a bit surprised at the sound coming from the arcade across the concourse... it sounded suspiciously like a fire bell. Curious that they would allow that in a public place like this, I thought - it could be a problem if people heard it and actually thought it was an alarm.

Well, turns out it was an alarm. Before long, we could hear the classic British announcement... in a calm, polite tone: "Please be aware that a fire alarm has been sounded in this area, and you are advised to evacuate immediately".

But there didn't seem to be any fire... and it was upstairs (and we were downstairs - just by the escalators so we could hear it), and there was, after a while, a security guy there who didn't look very concerned. So we waited, and watched.

And waited, and waited, and waited.

The check-in/security areas were evacuated and closed off for some time. And we ended up getting home late... once again, after the airport actually closed. But we did make it, and I'm pretty sure there was no fire. The highlight, though, was the guy sitting just behind us while we waited, talking to a couple of young American tourists.

"Well, it's simply rubbish," he said, "there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to identify the location of the alarm, to determine the nature of the threat, and then to make an appropriate response and announcement in 15 minutes flat". And he carried on in a similar, knowing kind of vein for a good ten minutes or so.

He was, of course, a meteorologist.

I hesitate to even put this in, because it was so, so good, and I am failing so miserably at capturing it. But he was just so... English. It was wonderful. I mean, he was utterly ridiculous, but in a really transporting kind of way. It made the whole delay worthwhile.

But now it's good to be at home... for the first time in a few weeks, I will have a while week here, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Oh, and in other news - I just looked out my window because it sounded like there was a fight on the street. But it's actually my neighbours, who, I gather, are watching soccer. The Euro cup is on again.

Hooray.

Go, Finland.

Hi - My Name Is Darryl and I'm From the Plane

2008-06-06T19:44:00.004+01:00

So, I like it here. And by here, I mean Ireland; Dublin, actually.

We just arrived yesterday and, as the myth goes, the Guinness really does taste better here... not as bitter, and yes, I am sure it is not just my imagination. I was expecting that to be a real hoax, but it's true.

But besides that, the people are so, so friendly. Everyone I've talked to (and, when you get lost as much as I do, you get the chance to talk to a lot of people) has been incredibly helpful and cheery. No one has given me wrong directions just for the fun of it. And a lot of them even smile when we're talking. Plus, they have the coolest accent. And really, really good beer.

And not just the Irish are friendly - as I was shooting today, I had a couple of Italian men (one with a very, very small dog) come up to me to ask about my gear. They knew by site the lens I was using (nerds!) and we chatted for a while about pictures, about gear, and about why everything costs twice as much here as it does in the US. And, on that note, one of them offered to buy the lens from me for as much as I had paid for it (well, it and a few other little accesories). It was pretty funny - I thought he was joking, but he kept offering. I didn't go for it, and thankfully they didn't sic the little dog on me. That could have been a problem.

We did have another little dog who caused a bit of trouble later in the day, though. As we were looking around at a church, Katie and Robyn decided (naturally) that they would like to roll down a grassy hill. Which, given the options you may have when faced with the question of what to do with a grassy hill, in general, is not a bad choice. Anyways, they did, much to the consternation of a small and rather aggressive dog across the lawn. He came tearing over, threatening to nip at the heels of the poor girls, until I stepped on him and killed him.

Actually, I didn't - his owners came over and collected him. But it would have made for a better story. Oh well.

Before that, I was in Munich, again. I worked there for quite a while, a few years ago. And you know what? I never thought I would say it, but it was good to be back. I like the Germans... their food, the way they look, their architecture, the language. Yeah... it's been a good week.

Hmmmm.... we have dinner plans and I need to go. But I'll try to update you a little more on the trip tomorrow. Happy weekend, all!

Parallel Universe

2008-06-02T19:39:00.002+01:00

At dinner tonight, it occurred to me that something was wrong. And it was this: I was using broccoli to try and encourage the little chick to eat her pizza.

Yes, as in "I want you to eat this bit of pizza, and then I will give you more broccoli."

I think it was probably the ranch dressing. I guess if I would have just put that on the pizza I wouldn't have had any trouble at all....

Are You Engaged?

2008-06-01T14:22:00.004+01:00

I'm not sure what it is, but the last two times I've been out shooting, I've had people come up to me and want to talk. Now, I'm not opposed to that - not exactly used to it in Geneva (though there were a lot of people who wanted to know more about what I was doing in Stockholm), but it's kind of fun.

I'm starting to think that it could be a good way to make new friends, should I ever find myself in short supply. There have been a couple of guys who have come up, despite my headphones being in and game face on, and talked for a while and then offered to get me a drink at a cafe if I was up for it. In both cases I wasn't - I had some specific shooting I wanted to do with limited time - but it was pretty friendly, I thought.

Now before someone makes a reference to my fellow concert-goers for the Kylie show, let me just say that I'm pretty sure these guys were not Kylie fans. They were in different cities, but both said more or less the same thing - that they really liked meeting new people from different places, and made a habit of just going out to see who they could find, having a drink with them, and just making new friends.

It occurred to me that it's not that different from what I do with my pictures, in some ways. And there are probably some people (like me) who wouldn't feel strange about taking pictures of total strangers, but would be a bit freaked out by just going and starting conversations with random interesting-looking people in the street. There are others who would probably feel the opposite.

Curious.

Anyways, I guess I'm happy to be counted among those who look interesting enough for people to stop and talk to in a language that's not their own. I always feel like I should give them candy or something after, but I'm not sure that's a healthy instinct.

Anyways, what I was shooting for in Geneva (and where I got the title for this post... for those following along at home, I am not, in fact, that kind of engaged) is a local community outreach program called engaGE (since, "GE" is the abbreviation for the canton of Geneva). It encourages people to get involved in helping the homeless, the lonely, and others who need a hand in their city. You can keep an eye on their site, and eventually you may see a few of my shots popping up.

Kylie

2008-05-31T10:01:00.004+01:00

So, I went to see her last night. It was a good show, but I must admit - for a concert, I felt a little out of my element.

It wasn't the music - that was pretty good. The staging was great, the costumes and choreography were incredible. I even had my usual spot (front, middle, on the rail).

I think it was that, as I looked around, it was just a different crowd than I see at most shows. I was sharing the spot at the front with a lot of other men, which I hadn't quite anticipated. And the vast majority of them had good tans, sleeveless shirts, carefully manicured facial hair and very expensive glasses. I felt just a tiny bit out of place.

In fact, I kept having these visions of it turning into one of those things like in a magic show where they need a volunteer, or at a comedy show, where the comedian starts to work the audience. I just imagined the music stopping, and the spotlight swinging directly to me, with a caption going onto the big screens: "Here's the straight one".

They would start to pepper me with questions to try to prove my guilt:

"Quick - spell Issey Miyake!"

"How does the Sex In The City movie end?"

"Where's the best place to go dancing in Geneva? WHERE?"

And I would just crumble under the pressure. I wasn't even sure what would happen then... would they kick me out? Make me wear a tank top? Or worse - get me to dance?

Yeah, I didn't know which direction it would go, but I was pretty sure it wouldn't be pretty. Thankfully, I was able to make it through without attracting too much attention.

Plus, I got a pretty cool tee shirt. And that, after all, is what concerts are all about.

Shiny

2008-05-30T08:19:00.003+01:00

I was thinking this morning... a couple of years ago, I got a birthday gift from a friend... it was a cool little shoe-shine kit in a nice leather case. As she gave it to me, she said, "I wasn't sure what to give you... but I was talking to another friend and we were commenting on how your shoes are always in such good shape, so I got you this."

Well, I thought (and still think) that it was a very kind and thoughtful gift.

But it occurred to me this morning... if my shoes are always in good shape, wouldn't it be a pretty safe bet that I already had the stuff to shine them?

Curious.

Anyways, it's not my birthday now, so please don't read this as some kind of hint for you to send gifts (as if you need a reason), but I was putting away some shoes this morning that, to my shame, do need to be shined.

Good thing I've got the kit!

Jet Lag

2008-05-28T08:36:00.003+01:00

So, jet lag is a bit of a killer.

There were a lot of 4 AM mornings for me last week, which is part of the reason that there were not a lot of blog entries. Jet lag is tricky when you're an adult who understands it and even should be well-traveled enough to have some tricks to deal with it. It seems, though, that it can be even more complex when you're three, and you Daddy is telling you it's time to sleep but your body is pretty sure that's not quite right.

Anyways, the week went really well - some great time with family, wonderful visits with friends, a few junior bacon cheeseburgers and Jon & Erin's wedding was great.

Needless to say, the little chick was more or less the star of the show. Well, except for Erin, but that's probably how it should be.

She was the flower girl, and she had an amazing little princess dress that my mom found for her, complete with veil, and some beautiful little white shoes with light but colorful embroidery on them. Her hair was after-the-bath curly, and she was in a pretty great mood. Our multiple practices of walking down the aisle the night before paid off, and when her turn came, she looked a bit nervous but walked down slowly, just like she was supposed to, helped to keep track of her cousin, who was the ring-bearer, and made her way to the front.

Then she saw me, and in the quiet of anticipation for the bride, this little voice rang out "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" as she threw herself up onto the stage and into my arms. It was amazing.

I took some pictures.... these are my favorites, but you can see the rest here.