julieandian.com

This ain't the blog you're looking for

2010-04-08T08:19:00.000-06:00

Due to Google's elimination of FTP posting, I have migrated the julieandian.com blog to Word Press and off of blogspot, so this site is just a placeholder for the old blog. I'll likely delete it once I've confirmed everything is working and organized over at the "real" site.

The address for our blog will continue to be julieandian.com

Thank you for reading this.

Ian

This blog has moved

2010-04-01T20:25:00.001-06:00

This blog is now located at http://flipbook1010.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://flipbook1010.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

RSS feeds

2010-02-12T09:38:00.001-07:00

Hmm. I'm still having problems getting the RSS feed to work properly.

Also, Google has said they're going to discontinue FTP uploads of blog posts. Looks like I'm going to have to spend some time revamping this whole domain.

Always a distraction to keep me from my goals, I guess.

Cheers.

Updates are a-comin'

2010-02-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

As the thousands of you who read this blog have no doubt noticed, I've updated the look and feel of julieandian.com. What does that mean, you ask?

Well, I did make a New Year's resolution to do more writing more often, and I think a general precursor to doing any writing is doing writing warmups, which is a perfect fit for blog entries.

Thus the goal is to write a blog entry, then write 500-1000 words on my other works.

Barack mania

2009-01-14T14:45:00.002-07:00

Given how terrible US political scene has been over the last 8 years, I've got to admit, I'm really hyped about the Obama presidency and what it might mean for not just the US, but all of us, around the world. As a tribute, I took the new official portrait and made (IMHO) a sweet wallpaper for y'all. (Original photo by Pete Souza - not sure of the copyright for this photo):

(In 1440x900 - for my MacBook):

(And in 1920x1200):

(Same again, but reversed for you "leftists" out there ;-) ):

Right click and "Save Link As..." to download the full size files. Then use your usual methods of changing your desktop wallpaper to keep Obama on your desktop, telling you "We cannot walk alone."

Sad...

2008-12-04T14:52:00.002-07:00

Glass houses

2008-11-04T08:20:00.002-07:00

I don't know if this post should go here or on the 3 O'clock blog, but here goes.

I just bought glasses.

On the internet.

For $38.

Yeah, I'm doubtful about it too, but clearlycontacts.ca is having a $38 special (though it works out to about $50 after shipping - overnight Fedex - and handling) in November, where they're offering their glasses at a heavy discount. Since my kids have managed to break arms on both of my current glasses over the last year, having another spare pair is a good idea. I had my prescription handy (something I recommend to everyone), found a pair I thought would look good on me, punched in the numbers and -- BAM -- glasses on the way.

I'll let you know how this goes. And post some pictures too.

Cheers.

2008-09-05T11:36:00.001-06:00

A very good piece from David Suzuki came through my inbox today, and I wanted to share it with you all:

Lessons my father taught me are worth sharing

Now in the seventh decade of my life, I look back at the world of my childhood, with its shared phone lines, ice boxes, radio soap operas, and no television, and it seems like an ancient, lost civilization. And yet the ideas and values I learned as a child seem every bit as important for today’s youth, for whom rappers, billionaires, and movie stars are role models.

When I was a boy, my father was a bigger-than-life figure, a wonderful storyteller who enchanted people with his outgoing personality. He was my hero. He took me camping and fishing and instilled in me a love of nature and the outdoors. When he came home from work, he always asked me what I had learned in school, and as I recounted my lessons, he seemed genuinely interested, often amplifying my information or correcting me. I loved those sessions, and I now realize that he was reinforcing my education by making me recount what I had learned.

Dad was my biggest booster, but he was also my harshest critic. When I began in television, he followed everything I did. More than once when he couldn’t follow my narrative, he would call and bawl me out: "If I can’t understand what you are saying, how do you expect someone who doesn’t know you at all to follow your ideas?" To this day, I think of my father as my audience whenever I prepare a script or write a book.

My mother was the rock-solid foundation of the family. She was the first up in the morning and the last to bed at night, but unlike Dad, she did it quietly. I only understood how important she was as she developed Alzheimer’s disease and I watched Dad struggle to fill her shoes. I begged him to allow me to hire help for him, but he declined. "She gave her all for me," he said, "and it’s my turn to pay her back."

Both of my parents are now dead, and in my own dotage, I think about the important lessons I want to pass on to my children and grandchildren – and I realize they are the same lessons I got from Dad. I can’t help thinking they are not quaint ideas from the past but very modern ones that we need desperately today.

"Respect your elders," he told me.

"But Dad," I protested, "Mr. Saita is a fool."

"David," Dad remonstrated, "he has lived a long life and has had experiences and thought about a lot of things you haven’t. I know he seems opinionated and stupid, but if you listen, even he can teach you something."

"To do well in Canada as a Japanese-Canadian," he said, "you have to work 10 times harder, you must be able to get up and speak extemporaneously, and you must be able to dance."

Fortunately, hard work was never an obstacle for me and I entered oratorical contests for which Dad drilled me in the art of public speaking. I never understood the dancing part and was not successful in that area.

"Whatever you do, do it with gusto. Don’t do it in a sloppy, half-hearted way but enthusiastically, whether it’s scrubbing the floors, picking cherries, or playing basketball. That’s how you get the most out of life."

"We all need money for the necessities in life, but you don’t run after it as if money makes you a bigger or better man. If someone flashes his fancy new clothes or big car, pity him, because he has gone down the wrong road."

"Live within your means." This important lesson is embodied in the familiar expression "Save some for a rainy day."

"You must stand up for what you believe in, but be prepared for people to be angry and to disagree. If you want to be liked by everyone, then you will stand for nothing."

"You are what you do, not what you say." Kids have a different way of saying this in their taunt, "All talk and no action."

My mother also taught me useful homilies like "Always clean up your own mess," "Be kind to animals," and "Share; don’t be greedy."

Today’s youth are bombarded with news about the antics of Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse, and Jay-Z, and look to them for inspiration, but that’s all the more reason to listen to the words of our elders.

Test

2008-08-13T08:44:00.000-06:00

Quick test post. Nothing to see here.

When the hell did I get old?

2008-08-05T12:48:00.003-06:00

I could live with the few grey hairs on my temple. The grey hairs in my beard were concerning, but I could live with those too. But now, I've got grey intruding on my chest hair. What the hell is with that? I'm barely in my 30's!

I think it's also telling that I still have chest hair, unlike most 20-something metrosexuals these days, who wax everything between their belly-button and eyebrows.

Found writing

2008-07-30T20:19:00.002-06:00

I found this piece while cleaning up my old stock of crap writing that I've had sprayed over multiple disks. The date on it says I wrote it in 2005, but I think it's from even earlier. Still relevant though, whatever the calendar says.

I can be anything I want to be. Except President of the United States.
Apparently, you have to be born there. What a crock. How elitist-you want to
be a good leader and rule the "free" world? You'll need a log cabin to apply,
I'm afraid. Oh, and did I mention the white male clause in the contract as
well? So sorry, perhaps you could try somewhere in South America instead?

It's especially unfortunate because what that country really needs is an
outsider's viewpoint. Someone impartial, with an unemotional connection to the
issues facing the US. I tell you I'd have things fixed in a jiffy-none of this
I-need-two-terms-in-office-to-make-history crap. In, out, wham, bam, Boom! All
handguns confiscated. All drugs federally regulated, with proceeds going to
social programs and health care-it'd be the biggest cash cow any government
could ever hope for. Not bad for the first week in office. And I'm just
getting started.

I could do it too. Know why? Because I'd be an outsider. Fresh. Cool.
Uncorrupted by 200 years of white-washed US history. It'd be grand, don't you
think? And the best part would be that if it didn't work out, if radicals (or
Republicans) attacked the White House, I'd just jump on board that big old green
helicopter and get my non-US butt back over the border to Canada. ASAP. Maybe
that's why you have to be born there-they want to make sure you don't have a
backdoor to retreat through.

Makes sense, now that I think about it.

Vacation

2008-07-22T13:19:00.003-06:00

I've been feeling kind of run-down lately. Partly due to illness, partly due to the fix-up-the-house-at-all-costs mentality that comes with a new home. But whatever it is, I'm flat. I wondered today if it's because I haven't had a vacation in a very long time.

When I was a kid, vacations were the long breaks between the joyous end of June and the terrible woe of Labour Day in September. I remember weeks at our cottage in Manitoba, a trip across the northern US, and many other time sinks that seemed to narrow as I grew older. The last trip I really recall with my parents was a 3 day whirlwind drive through Montana, Idaho and the top corner of Washington. I spent most of it reading prep materials for my Grade 12 courses.

My last long vacation was in my 5th year of university (1997) when I was doing my English degree. I only had essays due at the end of the fall term, and no finals, as all my courses were year long. I remember leaving Queen's on the 3rd or 4th of December, and realizing that I had no responsibilities, exams, classes -- nothing for 5 whole weeks. During that long lazy winter break, I even remember thinking to myself that this was likely the longest break I'd get until retirement. Sobering.

The last three years, my long vacations have been: 2006 moving cross country and setting up house in Alberta (2 weeks), 2007 Bailey's birth (combined with parental leave 4 weeks), 2008 moving cross country (2 weeks). Hardly stress free relaxation time.

For me, the dream 'vacation' means packing bags, going to the airport and flying somewhere to lay on a beach sleeping and drinking pina coladas for 6 days. The last vacation where I flew somewhere was Florida in fall 2005, and that week was spent fighting a cold and putting up with Ronan (who also had a cold). Not good times.

What's your idea of a vacation, dear reader? Post your thoughts in the comments.

Happy Canada Day

2008-07-03T13:28:00.002-06:00

Just to show you how behind I am on everything, I'm now 2 days overdue in wishing you all a happy Canada Day!

Bailey nickname

2008-06-18T13:54:00.003-06:00

How the heck did I forget "Bailey-boo". We call her that all the time. Seriously.

Is this thing on?

2008-06-18T13:42:00.004-06:00

Fffttt. Ffffttt. Test 1 2 3. Sssssibilence. Ssssibilence.

We have just switched hosting providers to site5.com which means we have a lot more bandwidth and a lot more space to keep files and stuff, so we'll be able to give you a much better julieandian.com experience in the near future. Stay tuned!

McDonalds

2008-05-27T14:18:00.002-06:00

Why the heck do they not give you ketchup (or catsup for you weirdos out there) at the McD's drive through window anymore? Their french fries are barely palatable, even when they are piping hot. When they're soggy and cold (like 90%) of the time, the only way to choke 'em down is covered in tomato-based lubricants.

What a sad state of affairs -- and people think what's happening in the third world is a problem.

File under "things I'm likely to forget as I get older"

2008-05-01T13:55:00.003-06:00

Our kids' current nicknames (given by grandparents, parents and the children themselves):
Ronan (age 4)

Ronan D'Gonan
Ronan Dotcha-four
Ribbet's buddy

Bailey (age 1)

Bails
Bailey Mac-A-lay-ley
Bailey Dotcha-kay-ley
Haybales
Sugarbooger

More as I remember them.

I wanna rock...

2008-04-08T23:41:00.003-06:00

Ronan and I occasionally play "Guitar Hero III" together on our Wii. This has become much easier since we bought a second guitar controller. We don't last too long in cooperative mode, as his arms don't really reach the strum bar and the note buttons at the same time. But he loves "rockin' out" with his dad.

Last night, Ronan stayed over at his Grandad and Grandma's house, but had a bad night, and had been up since 3:30 am. Which meant that by 7:30 tonight, he was pretty brittle. He was in good spirits and behaved well through dinner, so when he asked to play Guitar Hero with me, I gladly agreed. We told him "one song" only though before bedtime. He and I played "Slow Ride" twice, failing miserably to get farther than twenty bars into it before we were booed off the stage.

After that, Julie took over Ronan's guitar for one song with me (she's getting pretty good) and then we said it was time for him to go to bed. And thus provoked the funniest tantrum in his long history of tantrums.

"I don't WANNA go ta bed. I wanna ROCK! I WAH-HA-NAH ROCK!"
"I wanna ROCK! I don't WANNA go ta bed! I WAH-NA RO-HO-HO-CK!"

It's hard to carry a kicking, screaming rock star down the hallway to his bedroom when your sides are shaking with laughter, and he sobs and wails at the top of his voice:

"I wanna ROCK! I WAH-NA RO-HO-HO-CK!"

Oilers get bounced

2008-04-02T09:29:00.003-06:00

Crap. The Edmonton Oilers got booted out of the playoff picture with their loss last night to Calgary. Big downer, as it means the Oil have been out of the Stanley Cup picture both seasons that we've lived here. After 12+ years in southern Ontario, you think I'd be used to the local team not having a shot in the playoffs, but I'm still a big enough Oilers fan that this one will sting for a while.

I did wonder though how much of an impact the extra overtime loss point system played in the Oilers downfall this year -- even though they were great in the shootout, they let a lot of teams get away with that one point for making it to the overtime session. I fired up Excel and did some quick calculations for the standings, based on the old (2 pts for a W, 0 for a L) system, and a English Premier league style system (3 pts for a W, 1 for an overtime loss, and 0 for a loss). Here's the results for the Western Conference:

Classic system (2 points for a Win)
(Games, Wins, Losses, Points)


1 Detroit      79 52 27 104
2 San Jose     80 49 31 98
3* Minnesota   80 43 37 86
4 Anaheim      80 45 35 90
5 Dallas       79 43 36 86
6 Colorado     81 43 38 86
7 Calgary      80 41 39 82
8 Nashville    80 40 40 80
 Edmonton      81 40 41 80
 Vancouver     80 39 41 78
 Chicago       79 38 41 76
 Phoenix       79 37 42 74
 Columbus      79 34 45 68
 St. Louis     79 31 48 62
 Los Angeles   80 31 49 62

* Minnesota gets 3rd place due to conference winners getting top 3 seeds.

So no help for the Oilers there, but they'd still be alive mathematically.

EPL type system (3 points for a Win, 1 point for an overtime loss)
(Games, Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses, Points)


1 Detroit       79 52 20 7  163
2 San Jose      80 49 21 10 157
3* Minnesota    80 43 28 9  138
4 Anaheim       80 45 27 8  143
5 Dallas        79 43 29 7  136
6 Colorado      81 43 31 7  136
7 Calgary       80 41 29 10 133
8 Nashville     80 40 31 9  129
  Vancouver     80 39 31 10 127
  Edmonton      81 40 35 6  126
  Chicago       79 38 33 8  122
  Phoenix       79 37 36 6  117
  Columbus      79 34 33 12 114
  St. Louis     79 31 35 13 106
  Los Angeles   80 31 42 7  100

* Minnesota gets 3rd place due to conference winners getting top 3 seeds.

No changes in the placings here. So no help for the Oilers with this system either, but again, they'd still be alive mathematically.

Guess we just have to wait until next year...

Wagons HO!

2008-04-01T14:24:00.003-06:00

View Larger Map

Ts have been crossed, I's have been dotted...

2008-03-25T17:38:00.002-06:00

All the signings took place today in an Edmonton lawyers office.

The only thing left is for a big wack of cash to change hands on the 31st, and then Julie and I are once again Brooklin home-owners.

Reap the whirlwind.

2008-03-13T15:33:00.000-06:00

2008-03-13T15:31:00.000-06:00

Bailey is 1!

2008-03-13T15:25:00.002-06:00

Yeah, this post is way late, but Bailey had her first birthday last week. Hard to believe it was a year ago that I was holding Julie's hand and listening to her moan and scream during labor.

Ah, good times.

And did I mention that Bailey's started walking? She's coming right along -- she'll be in the Olympics for the marathon in no time at all.

Shoveling complete

2008-02-21T14:55:00.003-07:00

It's 8 C here today. The half-foot thick ice rink I call a driveway has finally softened enough that I was able to completely remove all the thick ice chunks. All that's been left behind is a couple of slightly watery pools which will, I'm sure, be gone by the time it dips below zero tonight.

You know you're a father when... (2)

2008-02-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

The phrase "explosive diarrhea" no longer makes you laugh

You know you're a father when... (1)

2008-02-06T10:57:00.001-07:00

The first place you think to look when missing a tool is in your son's playroom

1-15 or 18-1? Which is more heart-rending?

2008-02-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

A dark day in Phoenix, my friends. The New England Patriots have lost the game.

If you recall earlier this year, I gave up on the Miami Dolphins after years of front-office stupidity and on-field ineptitude. After washing my hands of the 'Fins, I looked over the list of NFL teams to pick a new team to root for. It came down to the Green Bay Packers and the Patriots. I was intrigued by the addition of Randy Moss and Wes Welker (one of my favourite Dolphin players), and my father-in-law is a fan, so I decided to go with the Pats. Good choice. 16 straight wins in the regular season and another 2 wins to get to the Superbowl. So much build up and expectation all came crashing down this evening with a 17-14 loss to the offensively challenged Giants. I was so close to going from rooting for a bottom feeder to sipping sweet championship champagne. So close!

Will the Pats challenge for a Superbowl next year? Likely. Will I ever get to see one of my teams go through a season undefeated? Probably not.

Newest member of the team

2008-01-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

Say "Hello" to Ben Jon Jacob Hakes, our new nephew born on January 9th
(photo courtesy of proud parents, Jacqui and Andrew Hakes):

Best Simpsons in a while

2007-12-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

The episode last Sunday contained a great montage sequence:

(I don't know how long this will last on Youtube, so view it while you can).

UPDATE (01/18): Youtube has removed this video, so no sense in keeping a busted link around.

Imagine Peace

2007-12-07T13:55:00.001-07:00

War is Over

Holiday road

2007-12-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we made a car trip down to Calgary and Kananaskis for some R&R. We arrived on Saturday afternoon, visited with Andrew, Jacqui and Sara, and then Andrew and I took in the Calgary Flames game (they lost in OT, 4-3).

The next day was fairly easy going; we invited the "Southern" Hakes over to the hotel for some hot-tub and swimming in the hotel spa. The only bad part of the day was when Ronan jumped up on the bed and broke my eyeglasses right down the middle. My only bit of luck was that I found a pair of my contacts in my overnight bag, so I didn't have to spend the rest of the trip constantly wrapping my glasses in electrical tape.

On our way out to Kananaskis on Monday, we stopped by the house of my old university pal, Laura, to catch up and have our kids intermingle for an hour or so. When we got to Kananaskis, we found that it was actually raining, instead of snowing like everywhere else! I still haven't really figured this out, as it was -20 in Calgary the next day. The resort was very nice and pretty empty; an indoor-outdoor hot tub led to much hilarity for Ronan, as he jumped out and played with the melting snow on the hot tub deck, even starting a snowball fight with some other (adult) guests!

Our room had a loft, with two queen size beds and we were quite comfortable, though a fireplace in the room would have been perfect. Can't have it all, I guess!

We started the return trek on Sunday worried about super icy roads from the rain, but we managed to make it safely to Calgary, and had a nice dinner with my old friend Gary and his much better half, Amber. After that it was time for the long drive home. The first hour went well, but after a stop in Red Deer, Bailey decided she'd had enough of everything, and much screaming ensued for the next 60 minutes, until I performed the dangerously positioned "front passenger seat to rear seat" massage and managed to get her to drift off. The final hour went by much faster after that and we arrived back in a very snowy Edmonton, much exhausted by our four day rest.

Now I really need a vacation!

Hockey night in Edmonton

2007-11-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my Dad, I'm going to be at tonight's Edmonton vs. Vancouver game. We have really good seats (apparently), so keep an eye out for me during the live telecast (Sportsnet West). I'll be wearing my dark blue Oilers jersey, and my red Canada hat.

Post a comment if you see me!

When dreams fly

2007-11-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been feeling the slippage of time more than ever. I don't know if it's seeing my kids growing up (so FAST!) makes me realize that I'm also getting older or what, but it's been hitting me a lot lately that I haven't really done a lot of "life" things.

I've never gone on a tropical vacation, or really any kind of "get on a plane and spend a week lying around" kind of vacation. I've never visited the Taj Mahal, or the Pyramids, or Maachu Picchu, or Tahiti. My dreams to cruise the Caribbean in a sailboat are still just wisps of nothing. I didn't spend a year backpacking through Europe -- as a matter of fact, the longest time off I've had in the last 10 years (not including paternity leaves) has been a 4 week break during Christmas of my final year of university in 1998.

It's more than vacation dreams. I've yet to finish any of my novels that I've started, let alone have one published. I have a lot of material goods and I'm grateful I don't have to sleep on a grate at night. However, at the age of 32, I still don't know what I want to do with my life -- a question I've been asked about since I was probably 12 or so.

Not a very uplifting post today, but I'm in a bit of a philosophical mood lately, and philosophy and happiness rarely go hand in hand.

Technical issues

2007-11-05T17:22:00.000-07:00

Don't understand why there's two pics of Bailey here instead of just one.

At least you get double your cuteness quotient for the day!

Update: Fixed!

That's my girl!

2007-11-02T16:46:00.000-06:00

That's muh boy

2007-11-02T00:33:00.001-06:00

Trick or Treat

2007-10-30T16:56:00.000-06:00

Yes, tomorrow is All Hallow's eve, and the kids will be around and about, trying to get at my candy pile. All I can say is that they're going to have to earn it by enduring a few scares on the way to the doorbell.

I recall a few years back when I heard one kid out in the street say, "I'm not going there -- it's way too scary." Sigh -- it brings a tear to the eye.

That said though, there's still lots of stuff to get done before tomorrow night:

Finish Ronan's helicopter costume

Pop over to Value Village to see if there's anything I can use for Julie's costume

Carve the pumpkin appropriately

Hang the outdoor decorations

Plug in the eerie Halloween lights (which also happen to double as my Christmas lights -- hey, I'm a multi-tasker, what can I say?)

Watch at least one scary movie

Put out the Halloween treats

And I still have to finish some major release work for my day-time job. Better stop blogging and get busy!

Quick update

2007-10-28T14:59:00.000-06:00

Just a brief note that I will once again be regularly updating this blog (and my technology blog) on a much more regular basis starting this Monday (the 29th). Before, I had a regular reminder to myself to post, but I let it expire, and never got around to renewing that notification. Yeah, I know, pretty sad, but in the jet-setting, 24/7 lifestyle I lead, I can't always keep track of everything.

I am going to aim for more shorter entries, rather than longer entries that tend to deflect my interest from writing these blog entries.

See you tomorrow!

So long and thanks for all the fish!

2007-06-07T14:45:00.000-06:00

When I was about 12 or 13 years old, I decided that the Miami Dolphins were "my" team in the NFL. I don't know why I was really motivated to pick an NFL team; I'd never seen a game in person (I still haven't), I didn't live in Miami (and even now, I've only visited the horrible Miami airport on a stop over), and very likely Dan Marino was the only player I could name on the entire team. I'd never heard of the '72 Dolphins and their incredible undefeated season.

I lived through some good moments (none of which spring to mind right now). But looking back now, it seems there were many more terrible moments: the Monday Night Meltdown in 2000 (Miami blowing a 30-7 4th quarter lead to lose 40-37 in OT, a game voted the #1 MNF game of all time); the Dolphins losing every playoff game I ever watched, including Dan Marino's last game; and the string of 4 straight years without even making the playoffs. That was up to the start of last year's season.

Things were looking up in the summer of 2006. We had Daunte Culpepper coming in as a trusty veteran QB after years of shaky Marino-wannabees, Ronnie Brown looking to make a sophomore breakthrough as the primary RB now that Ricky Williams was off for a year due to drug-related suspension, and the defense, though aging, was still a key factor and feared by every opposing team. Miami had finished the previous season strongly, winning 6 of the last 6 games to finish at 9-7. Head coach Nick Saban had things ticking over well, implementing his game plan and letting the team know that he had the vision and they had the talent to make it. Many publications were even picking Miami as a Superbowl XLI favourite.

Then the wheels started to fall apart. Brown and Culpepper went down with injuries. Close games were lost. Others were just blow outs. When the dust settled, the Dolphins finished 6-10 and last in the AFC East. Sabin said he was committed to the plan and 2006 was just a blip; then he lied his ass off, took the golden ticket and blew off the Dolphins to go back to college ball.

His replacement (Cam Cameron) seemed to have a good pedigree, being one of the San Diego Chargers more capable assistants. Then they passed up a potential franchise QB (Brady Quinn, originally predicted to go #1 or #2) in this summer's draft, but took another quarterback in the second round anyway. Then just this week, they finalized a deal to get Trent Green from Kansas City. Nothing against Green, but he's already 37 with a history of concussions (including one last year that cost him 8 games), and now the Dolphins are going to likely deal or release Culpepper. So they passed up a great future quarterback and are likely tossing aside their veteran franchise quarterback acquired one season ago, for an even older veteran?

That's it. I am done. I just can't take this team anymore. After 20 odd years of following this team, I'm washing my hands of their misery. The Dolphins ship is going nowhere but down, and I've finally decided to inflate my life vest and head back to the surface.

Insomnia sucks

2007-05-29T16:18:00.000-06:00

I'm bleary eyed and irritable. Guess why: yet another night of less than 6 hours of sleep. Just 5 hours this time to be exact. My last 2 weeks of sleep (attempts) have been unbelievably bad. 3:30 a.m. 4:00 a.m. 4:20 a.m. Even a 5:15 a.m. And the sun rises early here in Edmonton, so I've actually been going to sleep with birds chirping in the trees outside the window. It's brutal, especially because there's no real compelling reason for it. Bailey is a great sleeper. Ronan's even sleeping through nearly 90% of the time.

I get so frustrated, but all that does is make it worse. There's nothing good about lying awake at 3 am, thinking about how you need to get to sleep NOW. I'm somewhat lucky because I have a pretty flexible starting time for work, but even still, I try to be up and around by 9:30 at the latest. But it means that by 2 or 3 in the afternoon, my mind is mush because I'm still so bloody tired.

Tonight I'm trying some prescription meds to put me out so I can get back to some normal sleep habits. I'll try to post an update later this week about how things are going.

I like Tintin

2007-05-15T15:25:00.000-06:00

Really, I do. As a kid, I loved the adventures and the neat cartooning. Explorers on the Moon made me want to become an astronaut. As an adult, I still love the adventures and the neat cartooning.

Word hit me today that Stephen Spielberg and Peter Jackson, no less, are aiming to bring Tintin to the big screen. And as a TRILOGY no less!

I'm absolutely over the moon about this. (Ha! Get it -- over the moon! The moon .. explorers on the .. oh, never mind)

Quickie

2007-04-24T14:55:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post to let you know that I haven't forgotten about this site.

But don't forget to check out my technology blog too:

3 O'clock Blog

And for those of you on Facebook, I've signed up now, so feel free to Poke me and add me as a friend.

New site design

2007-04-21T09:40:00.000-06:00

So guess what? Yeah, you know it by now. I've redesigned julieandian.com to be more of a blog, rather than a static website.

Why? Well, partly because I'm lazy -- rather than doing the whole site design thing myself, I just took one of blogger.com's blog designs and re-adapted the site to it. And the blog format means that you're much more likely to see new updates and info than when the site was just a static set of pages. Part of my job is blogging, so it's easier for me to make small news-y updates than to revamp every page when we have a single update

See -- it's win-win for everyone.

Bailey asleep

2007-04-21T09:39:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I know you've seen sleeping babies before.

And guess what -- you're going to see many, many more.

(Oh, come on. Look at how cute she is...)

2007-01-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

Check out my new technology-oriented blog:

3 O'clock blog

2006-12-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

Long time running - yeah, it's been a long time since my last blog. I'm trying to get back into the routine, so here's the usual format

Currently reading: The King's Own by Captain Frederick Marryat - a mostly unexceptional naval novel, with the one important point: he was there. He joined the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars and writes with a voice that clearly demonstrates his background and knowledge of life aboard a man o'war.

Last movie watched: Good night and good luck -- well, sort of. The stupid Bell 9200 PVR cut off the last half an hour of it. It wasn't the most engrossing movie up to that point anyway. Maybe if you experienced (or even grew up during) the McCarthy witch hunts, you'd find it more interesting, but even with it's relevance to the current American "with-us-or-against-us" philosophies, it didn't grab me.

Current peeve: The Brick -- we've been waiting for over 2 months for a chair we bought from them. They keep pushing the date back (six times now), but without any notification to us. I went in on Tuesday and the told me the delivery was delayed to Dec 12 (from Dec 1). And then last night we were told it was now going to be the first week of January. And just this week, the price on the chair has gone down by $150, but we have to go in and claim the difference. Here's a tip -- stay away from the Brick unless you want a headache.

Most stressful moment: The whole Brick thing on Tuesday left me so mad that, along with a very difficult sun, I wound up going through a red light on the way home. Thankfully there was no one coming the other way, and no pedestrians, but I was absolutely horrified that it happened. I need a vacation!

Best moment(s): Since we've moved here to Edmonton, it's been wonderful being able to just hang out with my folks. We had dinner on Monday, and it was really fantastic to just have a "normal" meal with my folks, not a big "holiday" meal. I really missed that.

Least favourite technology: The Bell 9200 PVR -- very difficult to program properly, with little notification of program conflicts. Technologically, it's much better than the Rogers PVR, but from a user interface perspective, the Rogers PVR was much more usable.

See you next time!

2005-09-05T11:18:00.000-06:00

Apparently people do read this blog -- I had two people mention over the last week that I haven't had a posting in a while.

Currently reading: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. Yeah, I know. But I was on vacation last week and I finished the Admiral Hornblower omnibus with two days left in the trip. So I borrowed this prequel to The DaVinci Code from my dad to cover the gap. It's okay so far, but I'm glad that I didn't give up any hard-earned cash to buy it.
Last movie watched: National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage. An okay film, but why, oh why, does Nicolas Cage keep getting cast in films that don't require any acting skill? He used to be good at acting. Now he has the same facial expressions and tone in every single movie. Nicolas, call Johnny Depp for some acting lessons, wouldya?
Current peeve: My new absentee neighbour who hasn't mowed his lawn in two months since moving in.
Most stressful moment: The first five minutes of takeoff to/from Calgary. Once I'm up, and the acceleration is over, and most of the bumps and drops are done, I can usually enjoy the flight (particularly if I have a beer before takeoff). But man, that first bit is just awful. Big props to Westjet for an exceptional flying experience (ha -- "props", get it?). I checked in using their website a few hours before the flight, dropped off my bags at the terminal in 2 minutes, and I really enjoyed their in-flight satellite TV. Much better than being forced to watch some crappy Keanu Reeves movie or nothing else. If I could fly Westjet everywhere instead of Air Canada (bad service, bad food, bad people, bad everything), I most assuredly would.
Best moment(s): Every second I spent with my niece Sara. Hands down winner. Other highlights: breakfast with my brother (Andrew) and best friend from high school (Gary); trips to the mountains in Banff and Kananaskis; reading on my parents back deck where there was such intense solitude and peace of mind; floating at the Banff hot springs; my Mom's roast beef dinner; getting a row of 3 seats all to myself on the flight home.
Favourite technology: My new 80 GB external drive. Stay tuned to this blog for additional details on what I plan to do with it.

If you do read these blog posts, please feel free to comment on them. I do appreciate any feedback.

2005-05-29T20:23:00.000-06:00

Currently reading: I finally finished Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, and am now moving on to the eagerly anticipated Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde. This is the fourth novel in the incredibly witty Thursday Next series. Get your hands on any of the books in this series and just savour them. Great stuff.
Last movie watched: The Abyss (Director's Cut) -- if you haven't seen the director's cut of this, I highly recommend it. The additional 5 minutes at the end drastically changes the impact and emotion involvement of the entire movie. I really don't understand why that scene was cut out, as it is such an important point.
Current peeve: Feeling peeved all the time. Why can't I be more mellow?
Most stressful moment: Losing an ebay auction for a book that I had the only bid on all week, just because I slept through the bid closing time (it was in the UK).
Best moment: Discovering Bryer's Smart Scoop (low-fat) Cookies and Cream ice cream. Damn that stuff is awesome.
Favourite technology: Moleskine (mol-a-skeen-ah) notebooks -- these books are just great. If you can find a place that sells them, I highly recommend that you pick one up (and get one for me too).

2005-05-22T16:12:00.000-06:00

Currently reading: Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Last movie watched: Wall Street. Damn Michael Douglas was just evil.
Current peeve: My inability to win the lottery.
Most stressful moment: Ronan starting daycare on Monday.
Best moment: Visiting Kingston on Saturday. Actually longed for the days of academia again... briefly.
Favourite technology: Whatever technologies were used in Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. I was very impressed with the special effects. And the rest of it wasn't too bad either.

2005-05-08T09:10:00.000-06:00

Yeah, that's right -- two weeks of regular posting --what's up with that, eh?

Happy Mother's DAY!!!

Currently reading: Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (...still...damn this book is long)
Last movie watched: Didn't watch any this week strangely, I watched a bunch of TV, but no movies.
Current peeve: Bureaucratic idiocy that plagues this world.
Most stressful moment: Wednesday at work, where I almost lost it and nearly bashed my monitor with my keyboard.
Best moment: Tie -- Friday morning when I became an uncle again (hello Ciaran!); and this morning when Julie opened her Mother's Day presents.
Favourite technology: Slimserver -- allows you to browse and listen to your personal music collection from anywhere via the web. No more crappy internet radio for me!

2005-05-01T14:12:00.000-06:00

So, in a continuing effort to post more frequently to this blog, I'm introducing a weekly feature: "This week in my life".

Currently reading: Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Last movie watched: The Man in The Iron Mask (hey it was on Fox at 1:00 am, and I was looking for anything that wasn't an infomercial).
Current peeve: Capital letters (i.e. "SHOUTING") in software end user license agreements. Nothing worse than EULAs than lawyers shouting at you in EULAs.
Most stressful moment: Writing my Red Hat Certification exam.
Favourite technology: PVR (personal video recorder) from Rogers Cable.

2005-04-03T19:52:00.000-06:00

Big thanks out to all my family and friends who made my 30th birthday such a special one. I was feeling pretty down about the whole thing, but they all (Julie especially) made me realize that it wasn't so bad.

I went for a long drive on Friday afternoon (this was before I found that gas prices had gone up 6 cents/litre between breakfast and dinner), and thought about what being 30 means to me and what I'd like to accomplish over the next 10 years.

Here are some of the things I came up with:

Be a good father to Ronan; try to put him ahead of me and my needs and make sure he becomes a smart, well rounded kid
Finish my childrens' novel that's been hobbling along for nearly 8 years; start writing at least 3 nights a week
Post to this blog 3 times a week
Exercise 3 times a week; be under 210 pounds by 40

That's about all I came up with for now.

2005-04-03T14:57:00.000-06:00

The beard didn't make it to my birthday. It made me look much younger when I shaved it though, so a bit of a bonus there.

2005-03-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

So I'm growing a beard. It's itchy, but starting to actually look like a beard. I'll try to post a picture soon.

2005-02-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome my niece Sara Grace Hakes (daughter of Andrew and Jacqui, born Feb. 15, 2005)

2005-01-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

Ronan out at the beach

2004-11-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

Blah blah blah. Bush. Kerry. Make a choice. Choose. Between which? They're the same.

2004-10-27T21:12:00.000-06:00

Why is Sony's "Wega" pronounced "Vega"? What the hell? Why not just spell it "Vega" and be done with it?

2004-10-27T15:31:00.000-06:00

Somedays, getting out of bed is just the wrong thing to do.

2004-10-26T16:01:00.000-06:00

Thought for today -- why can't sports channels get more than 6 advertisers? I swear I've watched the same like 4 commercials about 7000 times each during the World Series. C'mon, advertisers -- that's an 18-54 male demographic you could be reaching.

2004-06-10T18:28:00.000-06:00

Not quite 5 months, but close.

Sooo much has happened since that January post.

We've welcomed Ronan into our lives. He's one of the best things to have ever happened to me, but I do get to sleep through the night, wheras Julie gets to be woken up 3-5 times a night.

More people have come to visit us in Ontario over the past 5 months than in the previous 5 years. My folks, Julie's mom, Julie's dad and step mom, and my Aunt and Uncle are coming in from England next monday as well as my brother coming in August. I'm looking forward to seeing my aunt and uncle -- I've only seen them 3 times in my life and only twice since I've been 6.

I have to admit that I logged in to my blog tonight hoping against hope that I might find an offer to join Gmail, Google's new online email service. (Google own blogger, which runs this blog, so I'd heard that some Blogger.com people are getting offers). But if you do have a gmail account, and you have an invitation, don't forget your old pal Ian, eh?

Any how, more later.

I promise.

2004-01-26T15:34:00.000-07:00

Forgot to post this on Sunday:

We are registered for baby stuff at the Toys "R" Us Canadian baby registry:

1. Go to http://www.toysrus.ca/eng/baby_registry/search.asp
2. Search on "Singleton"
3. Click on resulting link
4. Head to Toys R Us
5. When purchasing, tell them it's from our registry
6. Buy things so the baby will love you.

It's that easy.

2004-01-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

You know what? Real makes horrible, horrible, annoying software products.

I happened to be looking at my Add Remove/Programs listing today and discovered that my system must have been pre-installed with Real Jukebox (god knows I wouldn't do it -- I've been annoyed by RealPlayer too many times to install anything else from Real without cringing). But I know a guy at work who uses Real Jukebox religiously, so I thought I'd give it a go.

Started up the program from my Start Menu, and the Jukebox launched it's ugly self, but then told me it needed configuration. I had a choice, Express setup (with only 1 measly teensy step more to finish installing) or Custom setup (9 loooonng, boring, you-don't-need-to-do-this steps). Knowing how Real likes to f&*k up your computer settings as much as it chooses, I picked the custom setup. Then it told me that there was a "NEW NEW Jukebox! Would I like to download this exciting NEW version! It's NEW NEW NEW!" I clicked "No". Another dialog box opened, telling me that there was a "NEW NEW Jukebox! Would I like to download this exciting NEW version! It's NEW NEW NEW! Oh dear GOD, ITS NEW!!!". Again, I clicked "No".

The rest of the installation went as follows:

RJBX: Do you want to use RealJukebox to be the default player for your audio files?
Ian: Which audio files?
RJBX: Um, you know, your audio files. I can't tell you which ones because then you'd say No.
Ian: Clicked "No".
RJBX: Are you sure?
Ian: Yes (dammit).
RJBX: Do I have a portable device for this system?
Ian: (Well, I have an iPod, so) "Yes"
RJBX: Which one is it? (showing 1 choice, no iPod)
Ian: None of these (this(?))
RJBX: Would you like to contact Real Networks for more devices?
Ian: Yes
RJBX: Please hold
RJBX: Which one is it? (still no iPod, but a plug-in for Roxio EZ CD Creator)
Ian: The Roxio one (wait, there's two different Roxio plugins listed)
RJBX: Do you want me to add security to your files so you can only play them on this computer?
Ian: Um, no thanks.
RJBX: Do you want me to play CDs when you insert them?
Ian: Load up a 10 MB program just to play a CD? Not on your life.
RJBX: Do you want me to do all kinds of whizz-bang stuff on the web when you put a CD in?
Ian: No, I just told you not to do anything when I put a CD in
RJBX: You sure?
Ian: Yes.
RJBX: Do you want me to tell Real Jukebox engineers about your usage habits by default?
Ian: No (clearing checkbox from hard-to-understand interface)
RJBX: Do you want me to test your CD burning capabilities?
Ian: No, (picking the "I have already burned CDs using this computer and don't want to check burning capabilities" option)
RJBX: Please insert CD to test CD burning capabilities
Ian: "Cancel" (where's the "Listen up, idiot!" button)
RJBX: Great! You're almost done. Give me your email address and postal code so I can send you stuff!
Ian: Fake information inputted
RJBX: Great! Don't forget to register later.
Ian: Grrr...

Program starts.... Popup dialog says "There's a NEW NEW Jukebox available! Would I like to download this exciting NEW version! It's NEW NEW NEW!" Frick's sake. Fine -- what's the NEW version? Click weblink.

"Real Jukebox is now REALONE!!!..."

I'm outta here. Close crappy website. Close crappy jukebox and resolve never to try another Real Product unless large caliber weapons are brought in close proximity to my head and threats are made. Notice that there is now a Real "SmartCenter" icon in my tray. Gosh, I remember granting the program the right to do that. Wait. NO I DIDN'T. Went to Add/Remove products. Uninstalled RealJukebox/RealPAININTHEASS. At least that was easy.

Make your life better. Stay the hell away from Real and all it's products. You'll live longer.

2004-01-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

See? Two days in a row. Not bad, except that I don't have much new to talk about.

Complaint of the day: Car manufacturers that aim $50000 cars at the "youth" market. Hey, idiots -- only rich kids have that kind of money to spend, and you know what? Their parents pay for their cars.

2004-01-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

Ok -- I promise I'm going to keep this blog more up to date. I've updated the site (www.julieandian.com), so I figure that I may as well keep the content fresh to keep people coming back.

Julie's starting to get really antsy about the birth. I know I'd be worried if I was going to dump a bowling ball out of my nether regions too. The baby's room is primed, and I'm going to start the mural this week.

Why are there so many no-talent idiots on American Idol? Do they not have tape decks with a record button? Get a clue, morons! You can't sing. But the early episodes are the only ones worth watching because of the complete hacks that show up to make complete fools of themselves, so I guess network executives do have some method to their madness.

See you tomorrow (I promise)

2003-10-14T10:05:00.000-06:00

Haven't posted in a while.

Julie is getting noticably bigger with the baby -- more than halfway there! The fetus's name (not the baby's name) is Boo. Why Boo? No real idea -- just popped into my head one day while I was talking to the belly, and it stuck. Wonder if it will be the kid's pet name from us.

Glad to hear from my pal Rory in australia -- sorry I haven't responded yet Rory! I am an email black hole (as my coworkers can sometimes attest).

Thanksgiving here in Brooklin was very quiet (probably the last one for 18 or so years). We just hung out, went for a drive in the countryside, watched some tube, and slept. Very nice. I'm thankful for the ability to do that!

2003-07-22T11:16:00.000-06:00

So tired this week -- I was just exhausted on Sunday, but then couldn't sleep until 3 am. I had a nap for 3 hours on Monday, and slept for 6 hours last night, with a sleeping pill. Woke up when the delivery guys came to drop off all our spare room furniture. Yay! But not a nice way to wake up though.

2003-07-18T15:28:00.000-06:00

Friday --
No plans this weekend, but home improvements. I'm starting to think I should just sign my paycheque directly over to Home Depot.

Julie told her co-workers that she's preggers. Now comes my turn.

2003-07-15T12:04:00.000-06:00

Man, it's been a month since my last blog.

What's happened since then?

Oh, yeah, I'm going to be a father. Wow, life changing experiences. Seriously. Julie's like 8 weeks pregnant now. I can't grasp it all.

Got a new laptop at work -- all Linux all the time baby. I'll post up my Linux switch document to julieandian.com when I feel like I've fully finished it (still some network issues to sort out).

My hand is mostly healed (see last blog) -- big lump of scar tissue though, and my nerve still isn't quite back to normal, but they tell me it will be.

Bianca loves me (my kitty). She's asleep on the floor beside me while I write this.

More about fatherhood later. I will try to maintain this blog better.

2003-06-19T13:36:00.000-06:00

So I'm a maroon. I was separating two frozen hamburgers on Saturday and the knife went straight through into my palm. I managed to avoid severing any tendons, but I partially lacerated the nerve to my right pinkie finger. I even have a picture of the aftermath if you're interested.

But it's making typing more than a little annoying, so that's all I'm going to write for now. Cheers.

2003-06-09T10:09:00.000-06:00

The bachelor life -- living only for myself. No restrictions or considerations for others who may share my personal space.

Sweet.

Of course, all I did was housework and watch movies.

Hmm..

I'm lonely.

2003-06-06T18:38:00.000-06:00

This is a post about love.

I love Julie.

But she's leaving me. For another woman, no less.

Ok, well her sister.

Now that's a Springer episode.

2003-06-06T15:52:00.000-06:00

Booger.

2003-06-06T15:44:00.000-06:00

This is the start of a wonderful friendship. Let's see if this works, eh?