New Year's Football

Hmm - why not take in a NFL game on Jan. 1, 2006? Great way to start the year methinks! Especially, when the two teams playing happen to be my favorite! Check out the dopesheet for the game. Green Bay Packers have been my team since way back in the early 90's (they won the Superbowl in 1997) and Favre continues to impress me despite a discouraging season this year. The way he handles adversity, injuries on the team, tragedies in his family and keeps the focus on doing his job just amazes me. The Seattle Seahawks are relatively new (1976) to the NFL compared to the Packers (1919 est. 1967 first Superbowl winner) but this season have finally pulled it together at look like Superbowl contenders with an amazing 13-2 record and have won their last 11 games. Whatever the outcome - I will be enjoying exploring play down in Green Bay, Wisconsin where it all began!

G

Surviving Christmas

Well it seems I have mostly survived the whirlwind of gatherings this past weekend. Don't get me wrong I love getting together with family and friends but sometimes doing it all in a matter of 4 days just is a little intense! Add to that the stress of getting my marking done for end of last semester and just the busyness of this time of year. I'm longing for a bit of a sabbath and I suppose I'm going to get that next weekend in Wisconsin.

Here's some recent quotes I came across:

"An adventure is, by its nature, a thing that comes to us. It is a thing that chooses us, not a thing that we choose." - G. K. Chesterton

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." - Lao Tzu (I think this was my highschool grad theme)

"Pilgrims are poets who create by taking journeys." - Richard R. Niebuhr

"We read to know that we are not alone." - C. S. Lewis

"We write to know that we are not alone. Our journey informs our writing and our writing brings clarity to our journey." - J. S. Campbell

Why the quotes? I personally find that quotes help me stay focused on my own personal mission and goals. To have a thought and succinctly say it with clarity - deserves to be quoted! We are all on a journey of discovery, of exploring play if you will. Some of us unfortunately have stopped at a rest-stop and forgotten to keep traveling. Others of us are busy trying to decide where to go and can't quite decide. Blogging is a great way to realize that we are not alone and to bring clarity to the journey we are on.

Season's greetings and may Shalom be realized in your life this closing of 2005.

Weather

Weather is such a huge factor in how we explore play. In fact, ultimately it can determine whether or not the risks in an adventure-type sport results in life or death. The biggest risk I'm facing today is wrist cramps from marking papers and exams but I have been in situations outdoors that were definitely impacted by unfavorable weather. I've led countless trips in the backcountry over the past ten years and I'm always amazed how whether it is raining or sunny affects people's attitudes. I once backpacked the Mantario Trail in three and a half days and it rained 75% of the time! The periods of sunshine we had we traveled much more efficiently and actually communicated with one another encouragement! We've had some amazing weather for this time of year here in Manitoba. And so my expectation is that we will enjoy the outdoors more at the variety of family gatherings I'll be attending with my wife and daughters.

Here's the forecast:

5 Day Forecast

Tomorrow Partly Cloudy High: 0°C Low: -2°C POP: 0%

Friday Cloudy High: -4°C Low: -4°C POP: 0%

Saturday Partly Cloudy High: -4°C Low: -6°C POP: 0%

Sunday Cloudy High: -3°C Low: -8°C POP: 0%

Frosty morning!

This morning we awakened to mild temperatures and some incredibly thick frost! I unfortunately couldn't stick around very long to take pictures as I was running late already...but I snapped a few that worked out allright. My favorite is a shot of frost on the metal links of our backyard swing. Unfortunately once the sun came out, a slight breeze blew away the frost and so it definitely was very temporary art!

Formal Dining Room Dead?

Jaime Lee has an interesting blogpost on the "formal family dining room table" worth checking out. She asks whether or not the formal dining room table is becoming extinct. It seems we all grew up with a separate table to eat when having family get-together(s) or hosting dinner parties. However it seems that those of us in our twenties and thirties don't even bother eating at tables never mind setting a formal one. Do we even eat together as families?

As a newly married couple - Wendy and I would often eat our supper in front of the TV watching whatever was on. But we intentionally moved our meals back to the table once we had kids. We both felt it was an important connecting point for us as a family and one that we were not willing to lose. We don't have a separate formal dining room table but we do have a family table and a bar-style eating area off our kitchen counter. We just wouldn't have the space for a separate dining area. Feel free to post your thoughts on JL's Procrastination Attempts - I'm sure she'd appreciate some dialogue and it is an interesting topic!

Recent Music Appetizers...

Hmmm - Sigur Ros' Takk has become the soundtrack to a few of my lectures as of late - love that Scandaniavian Emo Atmospheric approach! I recently took a liking to Ben Lee's - Awake Is The New Sleep after hearing a track on Grey's Anatomy or something. Also liking the Canadian band Stars album - Set Yourself on Fire! And admittedly I've been listening to a few Xmas albums: Bruce Cockburn's Christmas, Sufjan Stevens Xmas - available for free d/l, A Very Special Christmas Vol.3-5, City On A Hill - It's Christmas Time; all good as mood music with friends!

Christmas Trees

Ever felt guilty buying a real tree or artificial one for that matter? Here's an article that suggests renting live trees and replanting them in the spring! Not sure if it would work here in Canada but it's an idea nonetheless.

Environmentalists say growing real trees to chop down for a few weeks of pleasure is a waste of valuable resources, and discarding them often clogs local landfills. Artificial trees often contain lead and other harmful chemicals that eventually end up in landfills, too.

Admittedly, I really enjoy the scent and visual effect of a Christmas tree but it always seemed like a waste to have a tree for three weeks and then throw it out. My idea for next year is to plant an evergreen of some type in our backyard and as a family we'll decorate it with food for birds or something. Any further thoughts on making Christmas more environmentally friendly?

Homestar Runner

Homestar Runner is one of the few humor-filled websites that needs no warning other than to watch out for some unbelievably sarcastic wit! It is filled with unique characters that resemble bowling pins and have the most bizarre personalities & voices to match. I was exposed to the site in its early stages about 3 or 4 years ago and the site continues to grow more and more. Not in depth mind you - some of the humor is just plain silliness but if you need a good chuckle or simply want to procrastinate writing a paper or in my case marking a paper - have a visit!


Strong Bad, Marzipan & Homestar Runner

Cheesehead!

Some of you know this already (and probably feel sorry for me this season) but I am a huge Packers fan! I am pretty excited because in about three weeks I'll be going to my first NFL game and it happens to be at Lambeau Field in Wisconsin! That's right the field with so much history that for many it is the mecca of football! Oh yeah and it just so happens Green Bay will be playing the Seattle Seahawks my next favorite team (who are playing simply unbelievable this year!!!). I'll be rooting for Favre & the Pack but I have to admit I'll be in awe of both sides of the field. And I get to go with my wife Wendy thanks to my highschool buddy Grant's invitation to go with him and his girlfriend. So yeah Jan 1st, 2006 - I'll be a cheesehead through and through!

I should note that the Packers beat the Lions in overtime today and maybe that's why I'm more excited. It is much harder to cheer for a losing team than a winning one. I'm hoping I'll be graced with a win for Green Bay on Jan. 1st but realizing the Pack won't be going anywhere this year I'm hoping to see Seattle in the Superbowl this year - we'll see!

Exploring Winter

I do not recall experiencing a Christmas without any snow around but there may be a vacation from my childhood where we were wisked away somewhere warm. Although I may not enjoy extreme cold, I actually don't mind snow on the ground as it allows me to explore a whole new environment for play.

Every child loves to see those first flakes of the year hit the ground because it means snowmen, snow forts, and of course snow balls! There is a moment of wonder when you see that light fluffy stuff float like little parachutes from the skies above. I love to ski - I just find it hard to get motivated to drive the 20 minutes to the nearest cross-country ski area. I grew up skiing along the river, along with snowmobiling and occasionally mixing the two together. We brought the downhill skiis & helmets for that - skiing behind a snowmobile and launching over little jumps or the banks of the river!

I've done a few winter backcountry trips as well - sleeping in snow caves or quinzhees, climbing Mt. Jacques Cartier in Quebec, ice-climbing in the Adirondacks, the list continues. I don't get to do winter activities often but when I do it truly is enjoyable. I miss downhill skiing in the mountains - I remember a number of trips to Big Sky or Big Mountain Montana! They blew away our local ski hills like Holiday Mtn or Frostfire! Nothing beats swooshing and zig-zagging through powder!

Back-country Telemark Skiing in Quebec

There is something about playing in such an extreme environment that is thrilling. It isn't normal to climb a frozen waterfall with crampons & ice tools is it? Especially if you are somewhat afraid of heights like myself. But I love it - there is nothing quite like the thunk of the ice axe as you heave it into ice!

Wen & I racing up to the top!

Ice-climbing in NY's Dacks

Random Quotes

"My secret is that I need God - that I am sick and can no longer make it alone. I need God to help me give, because I no longer seem to be capable of giving; to help me be kind, as I no longer seem capable of kindness, to help me to love, as I seem beyond being able to love." - Douglas Coupland, Life After God

"It's supposed to be a secular society, but I look around: everbody's religious. They're superstitous, they pray when they think they've got cancer. It's not that far below the surface. We've gone two hundred years since the Enlightenment, but science is starting to bow again." - Bono, Bono In Conversation

"Shalom is a state of right relationships - peace & well-being, the offshoots of right relationships & harmonious interactions between humans & creation." - Leonard Sweet, Out of the Question...Into The Mystery

"A pilgrimage is a physical travel to a spiritual destination." - Daniel Taylor, In Search of Sacred Places

"All music comes from God." - Johnny Cash

"Adults are obsolete children." - Dr. Suess

"Most people are bothered by those passages in Scripture which they cannot understand; but as for me, I always noticed that the passages in Scripture which trouble me most are those which I do understand." - Mark Twain

Exploring Teaching

I know it is no secret but I love to teach! I pretty much go all "Crocodile Hunter - Steve Irwin" when I get the opportunity to inspire others in some way. For me teaching is play! It isn't always exciting (it's not like I'm wrestling crocodiles) but there is something that happens when a student and teacher connect that gets me wired! Learning something about oneself is generally when it happens - something profound that will change you forevermore! That "Aha" moment - and no I'm not talking about the 80's band.

I just got back from teaching a 2 hour session with Sunday school teachers at a local church perhaps that is why I am posting this. It doesn't really matter where you teach - at home, at work, at school, at church, at a kids club, outdoors - what matters is that you have something exciting to share!

People are attracted to passion and all secretly love being inspired to action! I asked my class of twenty students who their favorite teacher was? I saw my class get quite excited and started to share their many mentors. What was it about that person that made them great? The response: they had passion, they showed love, they inspired me to action, they treated me as a person/an equal, they had a sense of humor, etc. It doesn't matter in what teaching situation - the answers are always the same to that question. Parker Palmer says, "We teach who we are!"

Here's a question for yeah all - what gets you excited? What are you inspired by? Are their any teachers in your life that still affect you today in a positive way?

Trance

I have decided to sell my new frame and so I ordered a new bike through a connection of mine. So yeah, sometime in March I hope to see my new bike - 2006 Giant Trance...here's a pic:

It may not be as pretty as my NRS but apparently the Maestro Suspension is somewhat more advanced and more efficient even while pedaling in low gears.

Music Map

Someone created a tourist map of music and I have to admit it is somewhat interesting. The way it works you type in the name of the band (ex. Smashing Pumpkins) or musician (for example Johnny Cash) you are interested in and the page morphs into a map of other artists that people likewise enjoy. Make sense? Check it out and it will become clear! The site is hosted by Gnod - a self-proclaimed site that calls itself "The global network of dreams." In reality, Gnod is an experiment in the field of artificial intelligence. It is a self-adapting system, living on a server and 'talking' to everyone that comes along. Gnods intention is to learn about the outer world and to learn 'understanding' its visitors. Whether the intention is actually fulfilled remains to be seen but have a visit.

Surviving The Winter

We're experiencing one of those classic Manitoba cold snaps and so yeah - I'm keeping warm next to my computer these days. I came across this amazing light show that is worth checking out...let me know your thoughts. The light show is apparently set to the music of Transiberian Orchestra - The Wizards of Winter?