On quiet Saturday afternoons after a busy week your thoughts can wander away from work and schedules and reflect on some of the more important things like… making a personal blog post.
I can’t believe it’s almost Thanksgiving and I must admit this is one of my favourite times of year. When we were young, my brother, sister and I would rake the leaves that fell from the oak tree across the street from our Oma’s house. We’d make one huge pile then proceed to ride my brother’s bmx straight through it. We’d rake the leaves again, grab the bike, and the fun would continue for hours. Heading back into the house we’d see the steamy windows and know that we’d be greeted by the warm smell of roasting turkey as soon as we walked in the door. Our cheeks would turn bright red and after being out in the crisp autmun air for hours it felt like your nose would thaw right off your face.
If dinner wasn’t ready, we’d head downstairs, our bellies rumbling, and put on some records. Yes, records. Either that or we’d play this game with toy cars that was sort of like shuffle board meets bocce ball and it required us to roll up the rug in the living room so we could slide them across the smooth floor underneath. Eventually our game was discovered and we got in trouble for rolling up the carpet, apparently rolling is bad for carpets.
Our Thanksgiving dinner was probably a lot different than others. We didn’t have yams (or is that sweet potatoes) and Oma would always make her famous coleslaw. Then there was the cauliflower smothered in secret sauce. Rumour has it that its recipe is scripted in an ancient language and locked away from prying, hungry eyes. Actually, it’s just something Oma throws together off the top of her head, and every time it’s delicious.
I haven’t always made it home for Thanksgiving, in 2002 I was in Waltham, MA at an extended stay hotel. The room had a kitchenette with two elements that didn’t work and a saucepan caked in grease, most likely from a previous guest. I walked downstairs to the lobby, which ironically enough always smelled like oven cleaner, and checked out the frozen foods selection they graciously kept in a mini-store up front. I had to make the tough choice between a bean burrito and a pot pie.
I opted for the pot pie, and shuffled back upstairs in my slippers to call home. I missed everyone so much and all of these memories made my eyes well up and my tummy rumble. Oma came on the phone, and God bless her, she proceeded to described every bit of food she prepared that day, and how good it was going to taste. Suddenly my from-frozen dinner didn’t seem so satisfying.
That’s what’s pretty great about my family, even though you’re thousands of miles away, they speak to you with so much enthusiasm and love that you feel as though they’re only seconds away. That any minute they’re going to come busting through the door (in a loving way, not a freaky Kool-Aid man way…) and mom will cover you in hugs like nothing has changed.
At that time my niece was 2 and my nephew was only 6 months old. I think that was the toughest part. I could handle being alone in a hotel, which was one of many in the area, surrounded by interstate and strip malls. I could handle being away for the next year without a familiar face to look at for months on end. But the one thing that got me was birthdays and holidays. My mom and sister made sure to send me little gifts like a Valentine’s Day card and my niece sent along a home-crafted Easter card, but I wished I could be there. Nothing compares to that feeling of bouncing up the back steps of my Oma’s house, making smoke with your breath, and entering the house knowing that you’re going to be met with hugs, smiles and little voices announcing your arrival to the rest of the house.
This year, I feel luckier than ever to be able to head home on that 40 minute Skytrain ride for Thanksgiving next Sunday. I am even more pleased that John and I will get to experience this same feeling with his family, for their Thanksgiving. I’ll have a whole other experience, with an entirely different group of people, in a place that’s far away. However I have a feeling, and am pretty certain, that the sense of homecoming, good food and warm hearts will still be there. And for this, I can’t wait.
Thursday evening I attended Launch Party Vancouver. They had the entire restaurant, Section 3, booked up and anyone from PR professionals to tech geeks were able to mix, mingle and schmooze over appies.
I’ll leave the Launch Party explanation to Boris: “…what I can best summarize as being a social gathering for Vancouver’s tech community, from entrepreneurs to marketers to interested potential investors.”
I must admit, I felt a little out of place and huddled up to the most familiar and comfortable thing I knew – well in this case it was a person, Dave.
More familiar faces arrived, I ran into Jordan – whose company was hosting the event, saw Tod, James, Phillip, and met Megan Cole for the first time (I know, I can’t believe it either). Dave’s got a great post up about the tech community in Vancouver and I’ll be touching on that in a future post as well (saving it for the blogaversary edition).
The evening was well organized and I was able to be “professional Rebecca” yet still meet and greet new and familiar faces. It was different from a blog meetup, and as it was in Yaletown so it had that special vibe. I’m used to attending events in a fuchsia t-shirt, but all in all it was a enjoyable and productive evening. There will be more, just probably not monthly, as the turn out was rather impressive and the interest is definitely there.
The next event for the geek-minded in Vancouver will be DemoCampVancouver03 on October 4th @ Workspace – and you can bet I’ll be there, rockin’ the live blog.
Due ot the civic strike in Vancouver, Stanley Park is canceling their annual Ghost Train that usually operates during the fall. I would highly recommend one of my “Best of 604” picks as an alternative: The Bear Creek Park Train. Sure it’s located all the way out there in Surrey, but let’s just add that to the frighteningly good scare you’ll get riding their Halloween ghost train.
During the Day (suggested for the younger kiddies)
What: The Bear Creek Park Halloween Festival which includes “Pumpkin Express” train ride, mask making, crafts, games and everyone gets to take a pumpkin home
When: 10am to 5pm starting October 6 until October 31
After hours (suggested for those who want to be spooked)
What: The Bear Creek Park Ghost Train
When: 6:30pm to 10pm starting October 24 until October 31
The 2007 Halloween Night Train ride will be our best production ever! This is a SCARY ride designed to have you screaming, jumping, laughing and having a great time with friends!
Popular characters from previous years’ performances will be back. Chainsaw Charlie will be in fine form. Look for many new surprises and old favorites. You will have scary sounds and experiences even before you go on your train ride! Great fun! [Spooky Details]
Here’s a map, it’s super easy to get to and all admissions are under $8, kids 2 and younger are free.
I recently discovered the Stanley Park Ecology Society when I was uncovering the fiction that lies in the mainstream media’s portrayal of the restoration progress of the park. They seem to be doing good things, according to their website, leading research and really caring about the wellbeing of the plants and animals.
Thanks to them I just learned the following:
There are 6 species of bat that live in Stanley Park
A couple of ospreys have just moved in
Skunks sound like digitized cats in a brawl
… and coyotes mate for life
According to a media advisory issued September 26th, the Eco Society will be having their AGM in October and are inviting the public to attend.
On October 17th at 6:30pm, the Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES) will host a review of the year’s stunning events from weather to research to renewal. SPES’ Annual General Meeting will recognize the hard work and dedication of staff, volunteers and community partners, while also celebrating nature’s resilience and specifically, Stanley Park’s capacity to heal in the wake of the wind.
There will be a special guest speaker, Eric Meagher of the Vancouver Park Board. The reception is at 6:30pm, AGM at 7:00pm and the presentation is from 8:00pm to 9:15pm. This is all taking place at the West End Community Centre (I assume that’s as long as the strike finds resolution), admission is FREE and it’s open to the public.
This is definitely something I would be interested in attending. Despite the fact that going through the Parks Board guy’s slides for over an hour doesn’t quite tickle my fancy, I still feel as though I should inform myself further as I write about the park often enough.
Two quick updates to this post:
There have been two fires in Stanley Park recently and authorities suspect it could be arson, so keep an eye out for suspicious fire-related activities
They want to put dinosaurs in Stanley Park, turning it into a money-making sideshow for the “cash-strapped” Parks Board. At one point didn’t we have “dinosaurs in Gastown” at Storeyeum?
Vancouver Park Board commissioner Al De Genova says the would-be exhibit, featuring 25-30 giant animatronic dinosaurs, could bring in more than $4 million in gross revenues over a six-month period [24 Hours]
If anything I may possibly be able to accept this in the childrens’ area, for a limited time, where they produce all the hoopla at Christmas. Although there will definitely be an uproar if they dare try to convert our beloved natural wonder of a park into Dusty’s Dinotown.
11:25am – Welcome to the live blog! Dave and I just took the bus over from downtown to attend the event that I just blogged about at Future Shop on Broadway. Despite *almost* being haggled by security until we said the magic words “blogger” and “Barefoot” we signed our little waivers about our images appearing in various publications and here we are.
Tod Maffin just made introductions, spoke about the community chat folks at the back of the room (who are eating up all the bandwidth) and the webcast which is now live.
11:35am – Amber is up first, starting the LCD vs plasma TV debate with her talk about why LCD works best for her, it looks good, it can be compact. Leo will then get his 10 minutes to tell us why he’s on the pro-plasma side, talking about price points, esthetics and the all out ‘cool’ factor when adding it to a home theatre experience.
Amber’ responds very diplomatically, saying it depends on where you want to put your TV and what you’re using it for.She also touches on the issue of quality, as I’ve also heard that plasma’s don’t last that long. Leo says the new generation of plasma doesn’t “leak” as much as it used to. Tod talks about burn and refresh rates, and both Leo and Amber defend their choices, “LCD is making strides but plasma is doing a good job of keeping ahead of them.”
1080i 1080p 720? I’m not so much into the TV geek talk but I am learning and I’m not alone. Most people don’t know the difference between TVs when they walk through the aisle at the store. Topics move along to cables, gaming, more acronyms, high definition, inputs, components and what’s the BEST for you.
Amber makes an excellent point – most people don’t realize when they buy an HDTV that they will NOT automatically GET HD viewing. You *do* have to sign up and get the package for HD service from your cable provider. It seems obvious but it does get overlooked. Also, make sure you are watching HD content, which looks amazing btw, because regular shows will still look like regular shows.
Note: you can sign on to the live chat to check out this action in non-Miss604 recap style.
Amber’s final thoughts are that if you want an HD experience on a TV, wall mounted, with nice lighting, get an LCD. Leo says if you want the true, hip, home theatre effect in your home, go for plasma.
Amber touches on how great sports look in HD, particularly hockey. Leo: “They call that a sport?” *record scratch* – crowd response, “oooooooooh!”. He redeems himself by talking about how cool podcasts are.
Did I also mention that Buzz is here? He’s got a really fancy camera that Leo just pointed out. Now we’re just talking about various types of content and gadgets. FYI, You Tube videos via Apple TV on a plasma looks great, says Leo.
12:10pm – Dave O taking over here … though i am not *really* paying attention 😉
Now, something i can talk about, PDR, Personal Digital Recorders – i’ve used one since 2001 (a first gen ReplayTV) and am shocked that they aren’t de riguer in every household now.
Another good point, don’t BUY THE FANCY CABLEs – that means the IP-unfriendly Monster cables. Leo says if you go farther than 10m, then maybe … but not really necessary.
Leo also mentioned he watches YouTube vids on his huge fancy TV. Amber givin’ it up for homegrown content producers doing great work. Leo mentions podcasts and amateur producers are definitely part of the future. A lot of talk about how TV producers aren’t yet making enough HD content.
Leo gets my kudos by making fun of Toronto. Will i be a dork if i ask if someone will give me their old crappy TV when they buy a new fancy one?
Becks is back …
12:15pm – I may not walk out of this event with a newly purchased HDTV (LCD or plasma hmm) but I will probably want one of these lap-saver gizmos that Dave just put on my lap. It’s an angled piece of plastic that allows you to type on your lap while ventilating your computer when it gets hot hot hot.
To optimize your colour settings and display Tod says you can buy a DVD that will display a test pattern. You can then calibrate your TV based on the settings and prompts. Although he also mentioned HDnet, the only all HD channel. They will actually play a show in the middle of the night that is simply a test pattern so you don’t really need to buy that DVD he just recommended…. okay now he’s just getting silly.
We’re learning a lot about Tod today, he’d really like a small TV in the bathroom so Amber instantly suggests an LCD. Yes, that would be perfect for bath time wouldn’t it.
Now on to the question and answer portion of our program.. if you’re in the live chat you can ask a question (which Tod is moderating) and they’re also taking questions in-store.
So far we’ve found out that LCDs use less energy. Next, are plasma’s susceptible to radiant heat? ie. if you mount it over to fireplace we hear LCDs work best for weight although they are probably both sensitive to the heat. Leo touches on how putting over the fireplace makes the viewing angle far too sharp. Amber says she’s going to get a tilted display but for these TVs there are optimal viewing angles.
12:30pm – Wrapping it up, Tod asks, “what’s next?” 3D? Super space Jetson’s style gizmos? Amber says we’re just at the beginning of the HDTV emergence. Leo says 4K is the wave of the future.
That’s it for the live blog folks!
