Crossing over the Similkameen River with the setting sun in our rear view mirror John reached over and threaded his fingers through mine – right then and there SuperHappyBollwittTime (the code name for this weekend) had officially begun.
As the Crowsnest Highway has become a familiar path we both keep an eye out for some of our favourite landmarks like the “CAUTION: SHEEP” sign with the South Park-esque graphic that makes us chuckle.
Last night we arrived in the darkness and after some quick unpacking, snuggled up on the couch with our toes being toasted by the fireplace. There was no agenda for today aside from breakfast to appease my rumbling tummy, so we decided to hop in the car and simply drive.
We ended up in a part of Washington State that neither of us had explored before and before you knew it we were ascending Mount Bonaparte in the Okanogan National Forest. Side note: If you’re going to venture into this park no routes are marked and no maps are posted at trailheads. There are no PDFs available on their site either so you’ll need to purchase a map for $9.68… or have GPS.
Tomorrow will include some hiking and many more pictures from our adventures are to follow (like from the trip back from Danville, WA and Grand Forks, BC today) but as internet access is limited (which we don’t mind at all) the content will be pretty sparse this weekend. If you don’t hear from me until Monday don’t worry, it just means that SuperHappyBollwittTime has been a successful mission.
Over the last few years John and I have given some tips, pointers, coded pages, created themes and shared our wealth of knowledge about WordPress.
Want to know how to move from Blogger to WordPress? Want to know the difference between WordPress.com and an actual WordPress-powered site? What’s the deal with plugins and which will make my life as easy as pie?
These are just some of the things we’ve encountered and have done our best to educate folks about this PHP-based blogging platform and content management system.
This year at Northern Voice there was a mini version of a WordCamp, which ended up being a giant scrum of folks asking questions, and those answering them. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that but as was quite evident from the turn out that there are a lot of people out there who are looking for information about WordPress.
On April 30th I’ll be stepping up to the plate as a sponsor and speaker at Vancouver’s first ever WordPress Camp.
On Wed. April the 30th from 5:30 to 8:30pm we are getting together at the Network Hub to share and exchange tips and how-tos on WordPress and blogging in general. We will also learn how to reach a larger audience by using a WordPress blog in conjunction with other web services and Social Networking websites. [Tazzu Blog][Facebook Event]
My session will be about composing blog posts, more specifically adding Flickr photos: From Creative Commons licensing usage to quick tags that help align images on the fly.
Bruce Byfield: The Joys of Amateur Blogging. John Chow: How to make money using a WordPress Blog. Monica Hamburg: Blogging and Social Media. Jeff Kee: WordPress for total website development. Greg Andrews: Good Typography in WordPress. Kulpreet Singh: Using WordPress to create a custom library, catalog, or other mashup-type site. Duane Storey: WordPress and mobile blogging – i.e. how to read and write from an iPhone
There are only two games left in round one of the NHL playoffs, both coming down to the wire for the Caps vs Flyers, and the Sharks vs Flames. Tonight the Habs took the Bruins in another Game 7, which is probably for the best since my nephews now all own sweaters and my niece wouldn’t have grown into my Boston jersey for another few years.
Whenever the home team gets left behind for the post season those who aren’t too soured on the entire sport chose another team to follow.
With hockey sometimes it’s the “other Canadian teams” in the playoffs or perhaps the team that beat us out because hey – it stings a bit less to know you were defeated by the best. Other times you’ll start to root for your favourite player, you’ll chose a team by geographical location, or finally your friend has a favourite team and since you’ll be watching the playoffs together you just go along with their choice.
I’ve poked around the blogosphere to see who’s looking good to some bruised Canucks fans right about now:
I’m pretty sure DaveO is backing the Caps and aside from Alex the Great, it may have something to do with Cookie being over there.
Jennifer usually loves the Canucks but is a Habs fan at heart: “It’s true, I bleed bleu, blanc and rouge… …I even owned a hair scrunchie and a sweet pair of shoes with logos on them. I had earrings and necklaces to go with my hoodies, t-shirts, shorts, pants and socks.”
Terry speculates which ex-Canuck will take the Cup, “Two (maybe three) ex-Canucks have the best shot at touching the cup this spring. They include one time rental Bryan Somlinski with the Habs and lovable pest Jarkko Ruutu with the Penguins. Add to this a reasonable chance for D-Man Adrian Aucoin and the Flames IF Iggy and crew can get by the Sharks.”
And Yankee Canucks isn’t too sure, “With no real stake left in hockey and my preferred team rapidly becoming a laughing stock, I feel now is a good time to run out of the country for a few days. I could come back and a Muppet could be the GM of the Canucks who knows?” but does play favourites in the end, however he’ll come back to find out only one of his picks is still alive… (at least until tomorrow).
So how about everyone else? You can select up to two answers in the Miss604 Poll below:
[poll=6]
I’ve been keeping my eye on the Eastern Conference as I am one of those bitter people who can’t stand to look at any other team in the West right now. I must admit, it’s been some pretty fantastic hockey with end to end action and the league’s most exciting players.
Tuesday will decide which other two teams carry on to round two with the Washington vs Philly at 7pm ET and San Jose vs Calgary at 10pm ET.
Anyone who has passed by the intersection of Georgia and Hornby may have noticed a sign marking the route as “Wasserman’s Beat”. This refers to former Vancouver Sun reporter, Jack Wasserman.
Starting May 12, 1954, [the Vancouver Sun] gave him a man-about-town column, and he hit his stride. His column on the second front page of the afternoon paper, often detailing the city’s underbelly, became a hugely popular feature. His biggest scoop was the death in 1959 of Errol Flynn in a West End apartment. [VancouverHistory]
The self-described “Saloon Columnist” hung out at places like The Cave Cabaret, the Mandarin, and Isy’s Supper Club, which are now just faint dots in our city’s rear-view mirror. These nightlife hot spots (from the 1930s and into the 80s) hosted such acts as Mel Torme, Milton Berle, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, a young Yvonne De Carlo got her start at the Palomar (on Alberni and Burrard) thanks to Dal Richards. [source: SunSpots].
“Vancouver erupted as the vaudeville capital of Canada, rivaling and finally outstripping Montreal in the East and San Francisco in the south as one of the few places where the brightest stars of the nightclub era could be glimpsed from behind a post, through a smoke-filled room, over the heads of $20 tippers at ringside. Only in Las Vegas and Miami Beach, in season, were more superstars available in nightclubs.” [Jack Wasserman]
In the heyday of night life in this town, Jack Cullen, Jack Wasserman, and Hugh Pickett would be running around having a late supper with Lena Horne or Duke Ellington and it was big news. Wasserman would have something in the Sun the next day, and Cullen could have an exclusive interview on ‘NW. Whenever he’d play an old interview of his, I swear you could smell the rum and cigarettes off of his breath. [TheCommentary]
Wasserman wrote about the city’s “underbelly”, but also covered political issues like 1952’s Provincial Election and what he coined “an unholy mess” made by the Social Credit party [see: CBC news archive footage].
He worked for the Ubyssey at UBC, the Vancouver Sun, CKNW and CJOR radio, CBC TV, and was a pillar of Vancouver journalism. At the Hotel Vancouver in 1977, he passed away mere yards away from what the city would commemorate as “Wasserman’s Beat”.
