Sandilands Escape

Yep - I decided to test fate and cruise out to the Sandilands to see if the trails were ready to be ridden. Last time I was here I was skiing! Oh here's a vid I did of xc skiiing. Getting back to biking in the Sandilands - I wasn't completely disappointed - yes there were some sections of snow but for the most part i could muscle my way through them. It just felt great being back in mtn biking paradise!

The snow was primarily on the north faces of the hills but everywhere else was actually quite do-able riding conditions - wet but definitely rideable.

I put on about 7kms according to my odometer - I still need to test it with other riders. So I decided once I got home that I'd put on a few more kms on my road bike while the weather held out. I did a short ride to Mitchell and back - bbq'ed some steak and had a wonderful supper with the family. The video below was shot with a hand-held point & shoot digital, lo-fi editing (eyespot online), but I think the results capture a moment well!

Pandora Internet Radio

So I was chatting with a drummer friend who mentioned he was really digging the Pandora Internet Radio site...and so I check it out. It turns out, that the site originally has its roots in the Music Genome Project. Based on musical interests, the radio station designs a playlist that fits you. Over time, the ultimate mix is created and you get exposed to tons of new musicians! How cool is that? Also related is the music-map which I blogged about ages ago.

Teambuilding with YIP

This past Friday - I had the opportunity to facilitate some team-building with the Youth Internship Program that our government sponsors for young adults who are looking for furthering skills in searching for jobs. Here are a few pics:

This mouse-trap tower initiative is becoming a favorite - the object is to build a tower as high as possible using loaded traps! I have a video of them going off after they reached the 24th level. I'll try and post it sometime. Note: do you see the guy hiding behind the easel in the corner?

The Pyramid Initiative - the goal is to move the pyramid to another location and rebuild it using a special apparatus consisting of a rubber band and six attached strings.

We used the museum grounds and I like how ominous my spider looks with the dutch windmill in the background.

I tried some new activities and of course included some classics like the Spider's Web & Blind Maze. All in all a good day of being indoors for the morning & outside for the afternoon.

The object is to get through the Spider's Web as a team but utilizing each hole only once and avoiding touching the lines which of course unleashes the wrath of giant poisonous spider! One interesting dynamic was that snow was melting from the roof resulting in some annoying drops of water on the participants.

The blind maze is designed to allow different people to become leaders as there are many dead ends or circuits that leads to confusion. The object is to find a missing item that somehow helps them - usually I use keys or a flashlight. This was the first time I did this in the snow - interesting effect!

First official MIT ride of the year!

Well - I'm pretty much smoked right now energy-wise after our 44km ride to Kleefeld and back with 7 riders from MIT. It was good to be out though - perfect weather temperature wise other than the stiff south wind.

That's me on the far right.

My last 10kms I was definitely dogging it energy wise - I engulfed my energy bar and got some spark back but I'll have to remember to take it earlier next time. I'm loving my new bike - I'll have to adjust the seat somewhat and actually get in shape but overall it spins really nice! Weird being one the youngest guys riding though - totally opposite of mtn biking where I'm an old-timer. I had really good intentions of training over the winter but that wasn't to be, meaning my first few rides are going to be killers. Here's some pics...

I'm missing in this one to let Dale in, the ringleader Jac, and a shot of us leaving Kleefeld

Hang in there!

I've been going non-stop it seems since mid-February and my batteries are becoming more and more depleted. I'm hoping that after this weekend life will become less busy and more focused on family & friends. My job is definitely seasonal but for whatever reason it is peaking a little more intensely than I remember. Thankfully there are no significant issues other than workload, no personality clashes or leadership power issues, just plain old prep' and marking will be busy this next week but I think it is much more manageable. I'm just looking forward to not having to work next weekend. Rest is in my sights, riding my bikes is just around the corner, new life in May - I can hardly wait!

Pictures & Personality

Here's an interesting exercise entitled the Imagini Visual Profile that describes a person's personality in response to mood, food, love, habits, etc. by the participant choosing their favorite images. These images interestingly correspond to our personalities & interests. I would have to admit that however you choose pictures, a personality is spun in a positive way. My honest favorite images result in me being described as:

Mood: - adventurous, pioneering attitude, unconventional when it comes to art, good sense of humour, music is the soundtrack to my world, I like to escape reality from time to time. - all true!

Fun: - you love physical activity, spirit of adventure, adrenalin rushes, take risks & push limits, holidays are about exploring, etc. - also all true!

Habits: - you never have enough rest - either too busy or too exhausted, snooze is your best friend or worst enemy, you have a relaxed approach to life & the environment, caffeine, etc. - mostly true!

Love: - a real romantic and bit of a dreamer, freedom is about energy and activity, exploring your boundaries and pushing limits, etc. - mostly true.

All in all the profile is pretty accurate for where I am at right now - have a try & let me know your results as I'm always curious!

Explore the World through Blogs?

So yeah - I attached a tracker of sorts to this blog & musings as well just to see where in the world people are actually from who pop by for a visit. Most who do obviously don't stay long or bother leaving comments but I'm just curious if the ClustrMap is accurate. I have hits from all over the world - not tons mind you but 193 visits since Mar. 2 - which I think is pretty good for my lil' blog. Places like the Manitoba area are understandable, I have friends in Ontario, Alberta, & BC but it is neat see places like the UK, the eastern coast of the US (hmmm who do I know in NY or NC?), Philippines, Malaysia, France, Netherlands, Caribbean, etc.
Hey word to you lurkers - where are you from and feel free to post anonymously if you don't wish to de-lurk - I'm just being curious & exploring the world through my little online journal explore play?

Okay I'll start - Steinbach, Manitoba! Just name your general location on this lovely planet of ours?

Ready to Ride...

Spring is in the air and my legs are ready to spin through the Sandilands hills. Yep the Anthem1 arrived and I put it all-together - very sweet ride & amazing looks! I'm hoping I'll prefer it over my Trance which I hope to sell - even if I will miss the extra 1" of travel I am looking forward to a lighter bike this season. The hills are calling and I'm hoping the rest of this snow just disappears. Road-wise the Alliance A-1 is just trippy and superlight - when I pick it up it feels like I could throw it like a paper airplane...the asphalt calls too - time for speed!

Birthdays Come & Go

So here I am 34. Yesterday another 24 hours went by marked by the remembrance of a birthdate March 9, 1973. I was born in the 70s how swanky & trippy is that - when music loud, proud, & birthed forms like disco, rock anthems, some really bad country, reggae, and of course punk (because rock n roll hadn't gotten too mainstream).

Then came the 80s - when neon lights determined the clothing (not sure where mesh, pleather, or acid wash came from) we wore, when hair got not only long but big & spiky thanks to hairspray (which we all know is what really is responsible for Global Warming & the hole in the ozone), thankfully we experienced U2 amidst the rebirth of pop crap music, some glimmers of hope in hard rock (VH), and of course Tom Petty! The 90s were marked for me personally by U2's Achtung Baby & Nirvana/Pearl Jam and other forms of alternative rock which eventually became mainstream, so in the 00s we've had to go back to New Wave, Punk, etc.

Music styles come and go - as do birthdays apparently. Thank God for Johnny Cash - who once said, "All music is God's music." The question I have is - what is music? I know Dylan, Cash, U2, Petty, & other greats belong in that category but there is a lot of undeserving dribble out there that claim they are worthy of titles like musicians.

So to mark my birthday - we (Wendy & yours truly) went out for some Italian food & came home to watch Stranger Than Fiction. Wow! From my perspective - best movie I've seen this year...amazing script, amazing acting (yep Will Ferrell can act in this one!), and amazing soundtrack (Spoon, etc)! I even uttered out loud my utter profundity at one scene - getting a poke in the ribs from my lovely wife (with child). So yeah - here's a shout out - see this movie if you have any love of quirky scripts that bite you back! Ironically, 34 sure doesn't feel a whole lot different from 33, just another number to quantify stuff. The bigger questions are what is this year going to bring, what adventures will I face, what will I learn & experience?

Vintage 1989

Weird to think anything is vintage that was made in 1989 but as I googled Game Boy - sure enough it came up as a vintage on Ebay and instead of selling for $99 it is listed at 99 cents. I'm sure it will sell for more but wow! Interestingly, I still have my Game Boy from 1989 and I definitely used it well.
It's pea-green monochrome screen has a few scratches but it has held up well over the test of time. SuperMarioLand & Tetris were probably the most used games on it...

My first year of college I admit to bringing it along to a few of my more dull classes where profs would drone on about theology & philosophy. Tetris helped me stay awake and provided some entertainment while I took in all that valuable information. Plus it had that lovely classical music that obviously deepened my understanding of musical scales & timing. Those creative Russians!
Oh the ironies of life as I know all too well that I've had students playing Solitaire in class on their handy dandy laptops. I like to think generally speaking my lectures keep most more focused & alert. But who knows? I realize that I do use big words too and bring up theology & philosophy in class as well...ultimately - I do know that my relationships with students in the end will count more than anyone lecture but it was cool to get a note & a few comments from students this week who appreciated how the classes had connected with them - maybe the mojo is real!

Remember the Ginsu Knife?

In Japan, the hand can be used like a knife...but it can't cut a tomato!

Ginsu became one of the most popular and widely-marketed products in history, even attracting a celebrity clientele.

How much would you pay for a knife like this? Don't answer, because...

Despite the Japanese-sounding name, Ginsu Knives were actually manufactured in Fremont, Ohio by the Quikut Division of cutlery manufacturer Scott Fetzer.

Nothing better than the cheese of slick advertising eh?

But WAIT, there's more...

Rumor has it our snow is going to start melting and I for one can hardly wait. How's that for a random musing about a retro commercial from the 80's???

Aimee my little ninja mixing up a little trouble in the kitchen!

Spring Just Around The Corner

We still have lots of snow but the melt will begin if the weather forecasted for this weekend holds. The clocks spring ahead on Sunday meaning more daylight for exploring play after work. Right now - I can hardly wait to get back into biking shape and it will take some effort as I wasn't able to maintain the exercise regime I had hoped for.

As I reflected in musings - time is slipping, I'm catching my breath after a busy last 4 weeks but I still have 6 weeks till grad and lots to do! I do have somewhat of a seasonal job and it changes drastically come May. I'm looking forward to the change even though I will miss teaching weekly. I have a few moments of teaching & team-building opportunities but I'm somewhat hesitant in filling the time up with extra work projects with the baby on the way.

I also want to make sure my evenings and weekends are more open than they've been these last 6 months. It is definitely time to prioritize & reevaluate how I'm utilizing time. Exploring play has always been a part of my lifestyle but it hasn't felt in the right place as of yet. My girls are growing up fast and I want to make sure I pass on my love for the outdoors, for exercise & sport, on to them as well! With Wendy being pregnant, it has also limited the amount of time we normally spend together doing outdoorsy stuff as well unfortunately and I'm looking forward to this summer so that together we can explore play again as well!

Catching My Breath

Time is on my heels as this college year winds down - six weeks till graduation of my fifth year of teaching students. Nine weeks till our third child's due date. So here I am catching my breath in a moment between marking, prepping, teaching, spending time with family or friends, entertaining guests, working out, skiing, etc. Phew - breathe in, breathe out! The Rocky theme song may become my anthem yet!