2009.10.19
The costume revealed
My Halloween costume made its debut at Rob Somers’ excellent party this past Saturday. All is now revealed.
2009.10.01
All Hallow’s Eve
I admit to enjoying Halloween. It gets my creative juices flowing when I start thinking about putting together an interesting costume, and even though getting together a good costume can be a lot of work, I always enjoy it.
I had ambitious plans this Halloween. It turns out that as I originally envisioned my costume, blowing my budget was unavoidable. Like most creative processes, though, the additional constraint forced me to get even more creative and explore other possibilities.
My new concept is in the same vein as my original idea, but is both more fun (in my mind) and I found a way to cut the cost down to something more acceptable. As a bonus, I also gain more confidence that the costume will work for more than a single use this Halloween season (so far: 3 planned uses).
I don’t really want to spill the beans, but this will be a lot of fun as a costume and I’ve never seen anything quite like it in the past.
I really hope that shipment from Toronto gets here soon so I can finish building the costume. It shipped a week ago so will hopefully be here tomorrow.
2009.09.04
Autumn projects
As most of you probably know, I have had a very busy summer. Lots of traveling, lots of time with friends and outdoors, and working 2 jobs has kept me off the blogosphere for the most part. Now things are settling down and I’m embarking on some autumn projects, new and old. I’m also trying out some new things and challenging myself.
First up is my Halloween costume. I have some lofty ideas and I’m not sure how (or if) it will all turn out. I may have to revise my budget somewhat. Without being too specific, it involves my largest Photoshop document ever (36″ by 80″ when printed) which is a challenge in and of itself. Once that’s done and printed, I have to build and buy the remainder of the costume. This will involve at least one trip to Home Depot, one to Cat’s Eye, and quite possibly some time with the sewing machine. So far it’s a fun project. I’m really excited to see how it comes together.
Next up are some writing projects. I posted a short story last month in the form of a letter, and I’ll probably get around to recording the audio version of it later this fall. I haven’t done much with my audio gear in a while, and I’m getting excitied to do more work now that I can do it on the laptop as well as my main computer. Recording will be easier since I can be more portable.
The other writing project I have on the go is an RPG scenario for Call of Cthulhu. I have a lot of notes already written, and I’m going to give some new writing software a try. The software is called Scrivener, and so far I like it. It works well with my existing writing workflow in MindManager and I like the ability to work with my research materials alongside my own text within the same application. I think I’m going to wind up purchasing it – the RPG scenario is a test to see how it goes. The free trial is very generous (30 days of actual use, not consecutive days) so I’ll be able to know for sure that i like the software before I buy it. Very unusual, and very cool.
Beyond these projects, who knows. I’ve got lots of ideas.
2007.08.08
Back to Kelowna
For the second year in a row, I spent the August long weekend in Kelowna, BC visiting friends. And for the second year in a row, the weather was good, the water was warm, and there was way too much food.
This year seemed a bit more laid back than last year, but I still had a great time, and Sunday was pretty high-activity for me. Probably the highlight for me was getting out on the lake in a kayak again, even though it was only for a short while. I also met some new people who live only four blocks away from me in Calgary (small world).
Now all I have to do is catch up on my sleep before this coming weekend…
2007.07.31
Is it still a housewarming party if I’ve been here for a year?
In mid-July of 2006, I took possession of my condo. Just over a year later, I finally managed to have a housewarming party. Though I’m not sure it can still be called a housewarming party since it’s a year later.
In any case, it was a fun evening. A total of about 20 people showed up during the course of things, and somehow I managed to end up with more liquor than I started with. Funny how that happens.
The evening started rather routinely. Collin was already here, and Jason dropped by around 5:30 so we could get a bite to eat. My choice of a black tank top proved to be very poor given the stifling heat. I nearly melted by the time we got to Thai Thai, and it’s only a few blocks away. The bubble tea helped to cool me down a bit, and after we got back to the condo, I set about doing last-minute preparations (mostly dealing with food). Dave called at about 7:30 to say he would be late, then showed up at the door at about 7:50, which was technically 10 minutes early (the party officially started at 8:00). I had just gotten out of the shower, and Jason and Collin were playing Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation while I finished up with the food prep. Dave started playing against Collin after that, and they finally put the games away only when about 12 or so people had shown up.
The majority of folks showed up fashionably late around 9:00 or 9:30 (as I expected), and by 10:00 the place was pretty full. For my part, I spent the evening showing people my place, trying to keep tabs on food (thanks Collin and Jason for doing this), and trying to socialize with everyone. I invited a number of different groups of friends, many of whom had never met each other before, and it was interesting to see how people mixed.
A few things about the party stand out in my mind still:
- We went through nearly 1kg of trail mix,. Some people (I’m looking at you, Michael) were picking out the Smarties and leaving the rest. Others ate only the cashews. So at the end of the night I was left with 200g of peanuts, raisins, and almonds.
- Almost nobody ate the veggie dip, but the veggies themselves went quickly.
- Coffee flavoured beer is disgusting (yes, Brian, it really is).
- A new cocktail was born. Kristi has dubbed it “Blue Steel”. I have to say it was quite tasty.
Thanks to everyone who came by and shared in the fun.
2007.07.05
The carnies have arrived
Once again, it’s that time of year. The time of year when everyone dresses up in wranglers, boots and hats to stagger around downtown from bar to bar, only to wait in line for hours for the privilege of paying $6 or more for a beer.
In addition to shutting down the city for a week or so, the Calgary Stampede also has a negative impact on my commute to work. Normally, I ride my bicycle clear through the middle of the Stampede grounds. My last ride through there was yesterday, where the carnies were finishing up with their preparations for the masses. Now, that route is closed to me for just over a week, forcing me to take 11th Ave / 12th Ave to Macdonald ave. This normally wouldn’t add a large amount of time to my commute, but given the extra traffic on those routes during stampede, it makes the ride both a lot slower and more frustrating.
I guess it’s only a week. And the Stampede is a good thing in many respects. It just makes traffic hell for everyone downtown. Including me.
2007.05.01
Otafest 2007 is fast approaching
As always, the May long weekend will see the University play host to hundreds of… people dressed like anime characters? Otafest 2007 takes place on May 19 and 20, in Macewan Hall and the Science Theatres at the University of Calgary.
Though the schedule hasn’t been posted yet, there are some special events listed that I would like to attend this year, depending on the timing. It’s likely that I’ll pick one of the two days based on the schedule, which means I’ll miss some things, but that’s the way it goes. I find it tough to devote two whole days to Otafest, but I also find it hard to skip entirely.
Hopefully this year there won’t be as many schedule conflicts as there were last year. In 2006, it seemed like every time something interesting was scheduled, there are about 3 other interesting things scheduled as well. It’s the nature of the beast with any convention / festival, I guess.
Have no fear, though; I’m not madly stitching the last few sequins onto my costume. Really, I’m not.
2007.01.20
Costa Rica
On Tuesday, January 16, I returned from a two-week trip to Costa Rica. Josh, who has been a friend of mine for many years, decided to get married in Costa Rica on January 4, and I decided that it was the perfect excuse for a vacation, so I booked myself in for two weeks.
I’ve posted a number of my photos (but far from all of them) online.
The flight left Calgary at a rather ungodly hour of the morning on January 1. Suffice to say I had very little sleep before leaving for the airport at 4:20am (and I do mean very little), and to make things worse, I was so excited about the trip that I found it impossible to sleep on the flight. Finally, after about 9 hours (including a stop in Vancouver), I arrived in Costa Rica, threw my bag on the bus, and travelled the 20 minutes or so to the Fiesta Premier resort, which I would be calling home for two weeks.
The other 16 people who attended the wedding had already arrived on December 30, and I ran into most of them at supper after I had unpacked a bit and showered. I confirmed that we were booked for the canopy tour the next morning, which meant being ready to leave before 8:00am. I slept surprisingly well and wasn’t tired the following morning. My lack of sleep took about 5 days to catch up with me, in fact.
The canopy tour was a lot of fun, though we didn’t really get to see as much stuff as I had hoped. After that, I went snorkelling for the first time of the trip – I would go about 12 more times in the next two weeks, and on every trip I saw something new. I managed to see all of the following on the various snorkelling trips:
- Lots of angel fish
- Spiny puffer fish
- Spotted puffer fish
- Sea stars
- Sea spiders
- Octopus
- Jellyfish
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
- Guitar rays
- Moray eels
- Nosefish (several types)
- Sea cucumbers
- Sea urchins
And many other ocean critters that I can’t put names to.
The following day, the whole wedding group had a sunset cruise booked which was quite nice. We also got some snorkelling in.
The morning of the wedding, most of the guys went out on an ATV tour which was a lot of fun. The brakes on my ATV weren’t working all that well, which I discovered at exactly the wrong moment – I almost ended up sliding into a ravine, but fortunately I managed to keep the ATV more or less on the trail. While on the trip, we saw lots of howler monkeys, some lizards, and a few interesting farms.
The wedding itself took place at sunset on the beach at the resort. It was absolutely gorgeous, though I can’t even begin to imagine how warm Tara must have been in her dress (though she looked even more stunning than usual, for sure).
After the wedding was over, most of the group only had a couple of days left, but since I still had more than a week left of my stay, I pretty much just spent the days relaxing and snorkelling.
The following Tuesday was easily the most memorable day of the entire trip. A few days earlier, I had met a couple were from just north of Manchester, England who had come to Costa Rica to do some birdwatching. I was looking for some hiking, but our interests lined up enough that we decided to hire a private guide for a day (along with two other friends of mine, Bob and Deb) and head to Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja for a day of hiking and birdwatching. It was nothing short of incredible. While I never really intended on doing any birdwatching in Costa Rica, I’m very glad I did. We spent seven hours hiking through the park, and saw lots of things besides just birds. I arrived back at the resort tired but very satisfied at the end of the day.
The other two day trips I took were a river float down the Rio Corobici and a shopping trip to the nearest major city, Liberia. The river float was very relaxing and there was a lot of wildlife to see. Liberia was a really interesting city, and wasn’t at all what I expected. I’m not quite sure how to describe it, but I enjoyed the chance to see a little bit of the city and do some solo exploring.
Though I’m home now and happy to be back, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, and I would love to return to Costa Rica someday.
2006.09.29
Update from the Homefront
I keep getting asked when I’m going to post more pictures of my condo. After all, I’ve been moved in for a few months now. So where the heck are all the pictures?
And now before you ask, “But where are the rest of them?” rest assured they’re coming. Sometime after the rest of the new furniture. So probably sometime in November. Sigh.
As for the housewarming, I keep waffling on that one. At this point I’m thinking I may do a combination birthday / housewarming party, a sort of Happy Birthday Warming if you will. This means I would have to stay in Calgary for my birthday, breaking with the norm, and I’m not sure just yet. I have time to figure it out, thankfully, since my birthday isn’t for a few months yet.
All shall be revealed in time. Once I figure it out myself, that is.
2006.08.09
Okanagan Getaway
Since moving into the condo, much of my weekend time has been consumed by small projects dealing with the condo, shopping for furniture, and similar activities. It was time for a break.
I spent the Heritage Day long weekend at a friend’s cottage on Okanagan Lake in B.C. The weather was hot (above 30°C every day) and sunny, the water was warm, and I had an absolute blast.
Things kicked off early Saturday morning – I picked up my friend Billy at 6:00am, and we got the heck out of the city as fast as possible (obeying local speed limits, of course). The CD player in my car is busted, and we were travelling through the mountains for most of the trip, so the radio options are very limited. We were left with conversation as a source of entertainment. Billy and I had a blast, though. We were about 10km from Field when I realized that we had already passed Lake Louise. I saw the exit and a lot of cars taking it, but didn’t realize it was the Lake Louise exit at the time. We were really enjoying the trip.
After the requisite bio breaks in Golden and Sicamous, we headed South to Vernon to stock up on provisions for the weekend. We had packed a cooler and a bunch of other food, but decided that our junk food ratio was a little low, so the Vernon Superstore filled the bill without being too far out of the way.
Then we backtracked to Hwy 97, and turned south on to Westside Road. Note to self – if you think you’ve gone too far down Westside road, you’re wrong. It’s a long ways south to the turn onto Fintry Delta Road. The scenery was beautiful, though, and we managed to arrive at the cottage just before 12:00 despite missing the turn the first time around.
The balance of Saturday was spent out on the boat, swimming in the lake, playing Bocce, cooking up some skewers for supper, and relaxing in the sun.
Sunday was a busy day of hiking, swimming, floating on the lake, and similar activities. Supper was a greek affair, and the group of us consumed several bottles of wine which pretty much wiped me out. Another early night for the group of us – We were in bed before midnight for the second day running.
Monday was another early morning – things got hot early. It was over 25°C before 10:00am. So we hit the lake early to cool off. I tried kayaking for the first time, and really enjoyed it once I got the hang of it. The lake was calm, so it was great for learning the ropes. After kayaking, there was more floating and swimming since things kept getting hotter.
Billy and I headed out around 3:00pm, though neither of us really wanted to leave. We both had to work Tuesday, so we had no choice. The 7 hour drive back seemed to take longer than the drive out, and traffic was a lot heavier. Still, once we got past the predictable crunches near Golden, things moved pretty quick. By the time I got home around 11:00, I was definitely tired, but I had a smile on my face.
It was a great weekend, and just what I needed as a break from things.
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