Life in the Slow Lane

DR Trip Part 2

2009-02-25T09:00:00.003-06:00

Here are a few more photos from my trip.

This is Clement, one of our students from Hong Kong. He was chasing a student from the orphanage around the compound at dusk, just having a little fun, when he ran full speed into a support wire. It knocked him off his feet and scraped him from his chest to his chin so we took him for a tetanus shot and he was back at it the next morning. He's a trooper.

I really enjoyed watching some guys from the neighborhood play stickball. Dominicans are phenomenal baseball players- 10% of MLB players come from this small, island country. These guys were hitting water bottle caps (the tiny, blue kind) with sticks no more than an inch in diameter. Not easy to do. When I played baseball with the young boys at the orphanage they hit nothing but bombs. Crazy.

I like this photo- just some typical graffitti on a school playground.

We took all the students to the Haitian border to experience a busy market. Hundreds of Haitians were crossing the river with loads of food and goods in baskets on their heads, while others, like this woman, crossed the bridge on foot.

A beautiful hike up a small mountain overlooking the ocean.

My Dominican Trip

2009-02-21T07:09:00.004-06:00

I just returned from a 1-week school trip to the DR where we volunteered at a local orphanage and taught English in some public schools. It was an incredible experience and a beautiful country- made me want to come home, pick up my family and take the next flight back. It was very hard to be away from Jodi and the boys for a whole week but I was able to build relationships with many of my students in new and exciting ways. Some of the highlights of the trip were hanging out with Bob, Terry and the boys over the weekend, swimming in the ocean, visiting the Haitian border market and just being immersed in Dominican culture and life. Of course, playing with the kids at the orphanage was great too. They are incredible kids- so open to newcomers and so genuinely happy. Here are some photos of the trip. More stories to come.

Guitar Hero

2009-01-25T20:47:00.001-06:00

One of the perks of living in a boarding school is having access to the boarder's toys, including the XBOX 360. Over Christmas break Liam and I played some of my old favorites on Rock Band. Of course he doesn't know that I always unplug his drum kit or guitar first. Anyway, he's convinced that he is now a musician. When I heard him singing a Nirvana song to himself the other day after hearing the boarders' play it once, I realized that I need to be be very careful with our song selection. Or better yet, buy him his own (fake) guitar so he can rock out at home. Which he did. Hardcore. He's got a few moves: the front leg kick, the splits, the tongue wag, and the evil glare. I tried to show him the windmill but it's still a work in progress.

Getting ready for Christmas

2008-11-29T10:56:00.003-06:00

This is what happens when you let Liam decorate the Christmas tree by himself.

The Hiatus is Over

2008-11-11T13:41:00.010-06:00

Ok, so I guess it's been awhile since my last post. Sorry. The last few months have been busy with the boys and work, but that's no excuse for my poor blogging performance. Perhaps some nice pictures with will make it all better.

We had some pics taken of Seth- this is a favourite of ours.

I guess this is cute too.

For Halloween Liam was a Samurai. At times he took his costume a little too seriously, as seen below when he attacked the Chemistry teacher at dinner.

Seth was Po, from Kung Fu Panda. One of the boarders from Hong Kong bought this for him.
How often do you see a midget Samurai playing video games?

Our good friends Warren and Susanne also got into the Halloween spirit. Warren subs here at SJR and, needless to say, didn't get much respect from the students on this day.

More pics of Seth

2008-09-28T10:00:00.002-05:00

Seth is finally here!

2008-08-27T17:26:00.004-05:00

The stats:

Seth Zachary Kope

Born August 26, 2008

1:10 p.m.

8 lbs. 20 inches

Baby & Mom are both doing very well and are at home.

Enjoy the pics; I'm too tired to write anything else right now.

More pics to come...

Random Olympic Thoughts

2008-08-15T14:46:00.000-05:00

I wanted to do a sports column, but since everyone is sick of hearing about Brett Favre (and rightly so), I'll go a different direction and post some notes on the first few days of the Olympics.

There were some odd team uniforms on display at the opening ceremonies, but none worse than this Danish atrocity. As one ESPN writer put it "JEAN SHORTS?! This isn't Gainesville, Fla.; this is the Olympics!".

Another terrible look was the Americans in their white berets. Naturally some of the 'ballers had to wear theirs angled to the side, making a bad idea much worse.

I'm starting to get into the swimming thing. I like the close finishes, and trying to predict which broad-shouldered lady may actually be a man is always fun. The U.S. comeback over France was unbelievable, but the "Michael Phelps is the greatest athlete of all time" argument is getting a little old. Keep in mind a couple of things. First, he's a swimmer. Second, very few athletes get to compete in that many events. Third, swimming is a fringe sport at the international level- just not that big of a deal. I heard a radio announcer sum it up best by saying "if we lived in Waterworld, then he would be the greatest athlete... if there was no land. Throw LeBron James in a pool for a couple of years and he'd break records too".

Another highlight of mine was the boxing match between the top-ranked Russian and the Ukrainian challenger. A lot of bad blood between those two, as could be seen by the Ukrainian building a lead then mocking the Russian to come and get him. Just another Olympic example of how the Games bring the whole world together in love and unity.

Back to Michael Phelps for a second. He used the term "Frenchie" in an interview with NBC after his team's win in the relay. Granted, the French swimmer had talked some smack before the race, but still, show some class (like the Spanish basketball team, who pulled back their eyelids for this picture in China, apparently without thinking through the obvious backlash it would bring).

Should women's gymnastics be considered a "sport" if people are upset because the other team used 13-year-old children to beat them?

I don't understand water polo- The ref is constantly blowing his whistle, but not much seems to change. I don't get the rules- apparently you can choke and dunk your opponent, and hold him underwater, but not all the time. It reminds me of a game a group of bored kids would make up in their backyard pool until someone almost drowns.

Same with fencing- sword fighting with no element of danger is just boring. I don't like it when they scream after each point or the fact that it looks like they're poking each other with floppy noodles. I want it to hurt!

Trampolining- come on, this cannot be an Olympic sport. Bouncing on a trampoline is not even a game. I admit the athletes are very fit and can do amazing tricks, but seriously, what's next, BMX? Oh wait... they have that too.

On a political note, nothing screams goodwill like invading a country and starting a war during the Games (nice one Russia), or bulldozing citizens' homes without paying reparations (way to go China!). I can't wait to see how Vancouver handles the "homeless problem" in 2010- my best guess is that they will either arrest the homeless (a la Atlanta in '96 when 9000 homeless were arrested without cause) or criminalize panhandling during the Games (a la Sydney in 2000). Who knows, maybe they'll choose the bulldozer method.

Enjoy the rest of the Games!

Happy B-Day Jodi!

2008-08-14T13:59:00.001-05:00

Coming Soon...

2008-08-08T08:50:00.004-05:00

Here are some recently taken photos of us, as we wait for the action to begin.

Cubicle Life- Part 1

2008-07-28T12:55:00.017-05:00

I've spent the past three months of my life in a cubicle, and have found it to be one of the strangest and most fascinating of places. If you've never worked in a cubicle environment before, congratulations. If you do have experience in a large office setting, then you may have noticed some of the following characteristics of office life...

The Elevator. An elevator is quite possibly the most bizarre place in the entire office. I want to know who created elevator etiquette and why we continue to pass it down to our children- Everyone face the doors. Absolutely no talking is permitted, unless it is a generic greeting or terrible one-liner. If you and a friend are in the middle of a conversation, put it on hold until you exit. Make minimal eye contact. Glance at your cell phone at least once for no apparent reason. And most importantly, check which floor you're on by staring at the numbers overhead every single time the elevator beeps, even if you know full well it's not your floor.
The "Monday Joke". It seems I can't go an entire week without hearing one form of this classic: "How's it going?" "Great.... for a Monday". It's not even really a joke, but it's always followed by awkward laughter from both parties. Other versions include "Great.... for a Monday" when it is actually Wednesday, and "Great.... for a Monday" when it is actually Thursday.
The "private" phone calls. I have overheard some truly remarkable things this summer. From working out student loans for hours on end to yelling at a home contractor for botching a job to planning weekend keggers. One of my favourite things to do is wait until the end of a personal call then throw out a comment like "Nice work. You sure told that guy." This is almost always followed by a "oh, you heard that..." as if it was ever in doubt.
The Loud-talker. Every office has at least one. No sense of discretion. Inflated ego. Enjoys belittling other's ideas. Only one volume level. If you've seen Will Ferrell do the "voice immodulation guy" on SNL then you know what I'm talking about (if you haven't, then get a life). Our office loud-talker is so brash and annoying that as soon as he leaves the room, random phones all over the office start ringing as people call each other to make fun of him. I'm not kidding. This actually happens.
The "crisis". Office crises come in all shapes and forms, and provide excellent entertainment value on a long, Thursday afternoon. Our most recent crisis was a leak in the ceiling tiles, which produced levels of near mass hysteria. Again, I'm not making this up. When one worker saw the leak, she immediately notified everyone else, and roughly a dozen co-workers gathered around to get in on the "action". Others stood and peered over their cubicle walls and talked delightedly with neighbours about the possibilities and potential "threats". I heard one concerned woman hypothesize that the leak was caused by the heavy rain, before a colleague reminded her that since we're not on the top floor that was unlikely. This went on for a good 15 minutes until the maintenance man showed up (without a ladder of course) to handle the crisis. One small bucket did the trick, and the relieved masses were finally able to get back to surfing the web.
Needless procedures. Another highlight for me is the fire alarm, not because each false-alarm evacuation kills roughly an hour, but because I get to listen to the security officers talk through the intercom. Normally this wouldn't be funny, but in our office they are required to make an update every 120 seconds. So basically the guy gets on and says "Attention. The alarm is being investigated. You will be notified when further action is required." Then he repeats this over and over again. By this point those who are actually working (there are a few) want to scream back "We get it!!! Please stop announcing that there will be a further announcement!!!". I love it.
Fire alarms also allow one to encounter the random office panicker- the person willing to push her way through the crowd on the stairs to get out of the building first. During our last evacuation I had the privilege of being "passed" (or pushed to the side, depending on who you ask) by the panicker, and she looked like she was fully willing to sacrifice my life if it meant a 10 second lead out the door. She had this crazed look on her face. I kind of felt sorry for her, but I also kind of hoped she tripped and fell too.

Well, that's all for today- got to get back to work! Wink. Wink.

Random Pictures

2008-07-25T21:24:00.004-05:00

Since I have nothing interesting to write about, I'll post some pics...

Liam.... cute.

Best playground, ever. We found this place in Grand Forks a couple weeks ago, and Liam went crazy. It's called Sherwood Park Forest and it was great. The only drawback of a massive maze of medieval tunnels with solid, wooden walls is trying to find the children inside.

Liam and I trying to figure out the new board game rules.... turns out "Candyland" is pretty straightforward.

I wasn't the only one scared of "Billy the creepy Beaver" on Canada Day.

I love this picture- took it Canada Day at the Mint, where they had a historical village set up. I couldn't get over how weird it was to have a guy explain the details of a British soldier's life while holding a plate of tuna sandwiches and Tim Horton donuts.

What I'm Reading

2008-07-13T09:14:00.004-05:00

I don't mean to sound pushy, but if you haven't read anything by Kurt Vonnegut then you need to. Right now. Stop what you're doing and go to the library.

1. I just finished reading a collection of some short stories called Armageddon in Retrospect. Vonnegut is an amazing writer. He has this unusual way of telling a story that just sucks you right in- it's hard to describe. Give him a shot. Slaughterhouse Five is his classic work that made him famous. I still can't get images out of my mind from that book, and I read it years ago.

2. Along a similar vein, probably the most important war novel I ever read was Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun. Another must-read.

3. Lately I have been reading some very interesting articles from Briarpatch magazine. The nice thing is that it's a Canadian publication, and it's hard to find good, progressive magazines that tackle social issues from a distinctly Canadian perspective. Their slogan is "Fighting the War on Error" which gives you an idea of what they're about. Back issues are available at the Millenium library.

4. Beyond Hypocrisy by Edward S. Herman is a critique of the mass media system. It's a little bit old but still relevent. In some ways, a book like his can be more interesting a few years after its publication, because the specific political situations have changed but you can see how the spin put on them by politicians and the mass media remains the same. This book also has a very satirical addition at the back called the "DoubleSpeak Dictionary". Here are some sample entries from it that I liked:

Aggression: Invasion of another country by someone other than ourselves without our approval; also, resisting U.S. attack.
Antisemitism: Formerly, bias and prejudice against Jews; now, open criticism of Israeli policy.
Counterterrorism: Approved terrorism. Synonym: retaliation.
Expert: a technician paid to tell his employer what his employer wants to hear.
Money: Something that does the job for the National Defense, but which is "not the answer" to educational and social problems.

Camping

2008-07-09T10:51:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we went camping at Cypress Hills with Jodi's family. Good times. Here are some pics of the festivities- the only thing missing was, well... half of the family. Hope you're all having a great time in the DR! We miss you.

The beach provided much needed relief from the heat. Liam insisted on wearing that life jacket, despite being told that you can't actually drown if you don't go into the water. He did splash in the moat though, so I guess it's better safe than sorry.

The kids, without prompting, set up their own little headquarters in the shade. I guess Tessa missed the memo about the shade part.

The swings were a hit. I became the "underduck" giver, a position you never want to have at the playground. I think the other adults pretended like they didn't know how to do it so they could watch from the sidelines.

Liam test-driving one of my "work vehicles". He was surprisingly adept at using the gas pedal/ steering wheel combo- not always an easy thing for little drivers.

Photos of Preggers & "Liam the White"

2008-06-25T14:53:00.004-05:00

Here is Jodi sporting the new "baby look" at this year's grad, along with some pics I took while out in Killarney for the annual Fair. As you can tell, Liam got his cast taken off. His first order of business after the weekend- to fall down the hill behind our place and cut his leg on a rusty drainpipe (just a 3-inch-long scratch; no stitches or anything)

Football- Euro style

2008-06-10T14:14:00.008-05:00

Netherlands 3 Italy 0

I'm busting out my Dutch jersey today, in celebration of a beautiful victory in the Euro 2008 yesterday over the annoying Italians (the team, not the country in general). What a fantastic game! Three goals by three different players, despite being without Robben, is a huge boost for the Oranje, especially considering their placement in the "Group of Death". The Italians looked flat and there defending was suspect; with Cannavaro injured they just aren't that good along the back line. Maybe this year is finally the one for the perennially-underachieving Dutch.

Somewhere Zinedine Zidane is smiling. Remember this guy- Materazzi- the bonehead who, in the last World Cup, spewed his racist, sexist taunts at Zidane, drawing the now infamous "headbutt heard round the world". I love this picture.

This is Wesley Sneijder, my new man-crush (sorry George Clooney, but your time has passed). His brilliant volley sealed the deal.

Yep, you guessed it

2008-06-09T21:17:00.003-05:00

Cast # 3 has arrived!!! This time Liam went with "Chick Hicks" Green. He finally allowed the boarders to sign their names and draw pics on this one. In other news this week, we bought Liam his first bike and he is pretty excited about it, as you can tell by the picture. He also said goodbye to a friend from school- Christian, who is on his way back to Germany.

An update

2008-06-06T14:31:00.003-05:00

I saw my friend yesterday, the one who spent a week living with the homeless. When I first caught sight of his face he looked years older than I remember. He told me he was completely exhausted, both physically and mentally. His exact words were “I just spent a lifetime of adrenaline in seven days”. On the first night he was so scared and cold that he thought about walking home, but he stayed anyway, finally shivering to sleep on a bench at the Legislative grounds.

He spoke to all the volunteers, but only for a couple of minutes as his words struggled to come out- many of his experiences were still too raw to talk about, I think. He told us that he learned compassion from the homeless, not for them, as he was welcomed him into their community after only two days living among them. He told the story of one man who, after being beaten and robbed of his welfare cheque the previous day, had offered to give him a buck and a half. Doesn’t sound like much, but this man only had three dollars to his name. Three dollars, yet he was willing to give half of it to a total stranger who, like himself, was in need. That totally floored him (and me).

He said that the generosity he received from the homeless was overwhelming- they freely shared their food, shelter (one man offered him a corner of his cardboard box to sleep on) and emotions. On the other hand, the treatment he received from “ordinary” people was shameful. He was spat on, kicked at and cursed out, just for asking for spare change so he could get some lunch. Turns out this all happened within the two block radius of where I work, and I’m sad to say I’m not surprised. When we spoke later he tried to explain to me just how humiliating it is to have to beg for money, especially when people dehumanize you with their stares, or worse yet, pretend you don’t exist.

Many well-intentioned individuals had told him he was crazy for doing this, that he would be in danger, get robbed or taken advantage of. But after only one week, he told me he was ready to stay another month (when he told his wife this, she almost died). This experience gave him an even stronger desire to dedicate his life to the needs of the homeless in Winnipeg. The man is amazing.

He didn’t stay his final night on the street, not because he was scared or missed home, but because his guilt at taking a bed in the shelter while others slept outside became too much for him to bear.

The last thing he said to me was: “in six nights on the street I learned more than in five years of University”. I look forward to hearing more from him, when he’s ready.

Weekend Fun

2008-05-31T22:56:00.009-05:00

On Thursday we had the Eaglefest carnival at the school. Liam especially enjoyed the petting zoo: a small caged area where too many kids hyped up on cotton candy were allowed to terrorize small bunnies, ducks and baby goats. As we watched the frightened animals run for their lives from the annoying little children, Jodi made an interesting comment about just how disconnected we city folk are from "farm life". One particular chicken was drawing attention from both parents and kids for its "strange, aggressive and violent" behaviour. We watched as numerous parents told the animal owner that that chicken should be stopped from "hurting" the other animals. As Jodi calmly pointed out, the "chicken" (rooster) was simply in heat and looking to mate. I guess most of these families have probably never been to a farm so we can't really blame them for being naive. I must admit, it took me a few seconds to make the connection too. Oh well, it was a good time had by all! (Well, except for the hens, I guess).

Thursdays

2008-05-28T10:06:00.000-05:00

Every second Thursday I have the privilege of volunteering with a remarkable group of people. We get together in the morning for coffee, a devotional and a short time of prayer, then unpack, sort and distribute food to around 100 local families. We also eat a meal together and spend time talking and sharing stories. Through these Thursdays I have gotten to know some intriguing individuals, the sort of people that I would not normally encounter in my life. Last summer, as I was thinking about getting involved in a local, community organization here in Winnipeg, I realized that I just don’t know many people that are different than me- my “circle” tends to be quite homogenous and exclusive, composed almost entirely of other young, middle-class, white parents living comfortable lifestyles. This realization bothered me (but not as much as my personal lack of involvement in local, social issues in general), so I decided to do something about it, even if it was something small.

There are not many people my age that volunteer at this particular church-run food bank, which appealed to me. Most of the volunteers are elderly, some are in-between jobs, others struggle with mental illness or economic disadvantage. Many of our volunteers are also clients in need of assistance themselves; after doing the hard work in the morning they are able to take food back to their own families at the end of the day.

When I first started helping out I found most conversations awkward and the humour somewhat… dated. But over this past year these people have really grown on me. I’ve discovered that I do, in fact, have things in common with them, despite our difference in age or background or living situation. Now I enjoy the old, predictable jokes that get thrown around the lunch table by the guys. I look forward to singing the birthday song each Thursday (I am still amazed at just how much this simple ritual means to the volunteers).

One volunteer in particular has been on my mind lately. We often talk on Thursdays about the urban studies course he is completing and his vision for working with the homeless in our city. He is probably about my dad’s age but, as part of his education, he has decided to spend this week living on the street, in the North End. He told me that if was going to be effective in his work with the poor, it only made sense that he should spend time with the poor, visiting the places they hang out in and the soup kitchens they frequent, sleeping alongside them. He will be taking only a small Bible, a pencil and some paper with him- for an entire week! Any food he eats will come as a result of others' generosity or his own resourcefulness.

When I think about the courage and commitment this man-my friend- is showing I feel somewhat ashamed. He won’t learn exactly what it is like to be poor- it is impossible to simulate what lack of hope feels like when a retreat back to a safe home remains an option- but he will, I’m convinced, come back changed. In some ways I am jealous of him. But my list of excuses for not attempting a similar experiment is long and my inspiration lacking. Despite this, his upcoming journey (which starts today) is an encouragement to me to get more involved locally and to continue to struggle to see the true message of Jesus- that the kingdom of God is inextricably tied to practical service for the poor and marginalized. Maybe Jesus actually meant it when he said that his kingdom of peace, justice and love is to be lived out "on Earth, as it is in heaven". At least my friend thinks so.

One last thought: when Gandhi was asked if he was a Christian, he always replied “Don’t ask me. Ask the poor. They will tell you who the real Christians are.”
Yikes. Now that is a scary thought.

Liam Takes a Spill Part 2

2008-05-23T17:04:00.007-05:00

Well, apparently my medical diagnostic skills just aren't that good. In the X-Ray room last week I told the technicians I was sure he was faking it. After all, as soon as we got to the hospital he was running around and playing like normal. This week, I proclaimed that his soft cast would come off and his arm would be "all better". Yesterday Jodi took him in for his follow up X-Ray and.....

Ta da!!! The fracture won't heal by itself because he is using his wrist too much, so it looks like a couple more weeks.... at least. Since Liam doesn't seem to care at all it's no big deal. He actually enjoys "wearing" it and brags about "falling off the slide" to everyone he meets.

I wasn't there at the clinic this time but Jodi said that there were a couple memorable moments. In the waiting room, an elderly woman told Liam that he was handsome to which he quickly replied "No, I'm not handsome. I'm Liam!" When the doctor cut his cast off he told Liam not to move. When the doctor stepped out for a couple of minutes Liam took him quite literally, refusing to move an inch, even to get a toy. Then, since Jodi is Prego and can't be in the X-Ray room she calmly explained to Liam that he needs to be by himself and sit still and that she would wait right outside the door. Moments later she could hear him shouting "Cheese" "Cheese" as the X-Rays were being taken. The techs were impressed.

When offered a wide ranging choice of colours for his cast, Liam initially made the worst possible choice: white . Who chooses white? I guess it was probably because his first soft cast was white. After some gentle prodding, he chose a different colour- "Lightning McQueen Red"- of course.

Liam Takes a Spill

2008-05-18T20:43:00.005-05:00

On Thursday Liam fell off a slide at the playground and landed awkwardly. It was one of those new, experiential playgrounds where kids are are supposedly stimulated both physically and intellectually. The slide had no sides; It's just a tube that you straddle and ride down (apparently if you use your intellect you don't fall off- I guess Jodi never mentioned this to Liam before he took his turn). After watching him hold his wrist for the rest of the day we decided to take him to the Children's hospital for an X-ray. Turned out he had a slight buckle fracture in his wrist so they put a soft cast on him and sent us home. The look on his face in the first picture might suggest otherwise, but he has no complaints about the cast because they gave him robot stickers to put on it (I told him to look sad for the camera for added drama).

WILCO

2008-05-08T18:56:00.015-05:00

Last Friday I went to see Wilco, one of my all-time favourite bands, at the Burton Cumming Theatre here in the Peg. I happen to be one those strange people who doesn't mind going out alone- to a movie, show, concert, whatever. For two weeks leading up to the concert I had to put up with Jodi's mockery for buying a single ticket and going by myself. But as I kept telling her, I wasn't going to meet new people or talk, I just wanted to sit back and listen to one of the truly great American bands.

So I get to the theatre, check out the over-priced kids tees, then head up to the balcony where my front row seat awaits (floor tickets require short people like me to stand the entire show and peer around shoulders just to see the stage). Naturally, the guy sitting next to my spot happens to be one of the most enormous men I have ever seen, and I notice he's not happy to see me either. Apparently he wasn't counting on any "singles" showing up. I don't say this to be rude- those seats are terribly small and the poor guy was completely wedged into his- but it still kind of sucks. Gathering myself, I take a deep breath and gingerly squeeze into two-thirds of my seat. Needless to say, there is no chance I'm getting a piece of our shared armrest. Almost immediately I begin to feel a sharp elbow prying at my ribcage. In disbelief I give him the "glance" just to make sure he knows I'm alive and capable of feeling pain. But, as Goulet would say, "he doesn't even blink". I lean further to the left to ease the tension but immediatley recognize my mistake- he's closed the gap with his elbow and now I'm losing ground fast. I can't take it any longer. I have to find another seat. I retreat to the back to lean against the wall while the opening act plays yet another song that sounds just like the last one. I finally decide to make my move and head towards another unoccupied front row seat. Luckily, the row soon fills up, nobody taps be on the shoulder to move, and I'm home free.

The next three hours are sheer brilliance. Jeff Tweedy (lead singer) comes out dressed like a homeless cowboy and I am again reminded of why I love these guys: all substance, no style. All my favourites get played and the encore is about eight songs long. Their lead guitar player, who looks to be about sixty years old, is near death by the end, but continues to hammer out unbelievable solos. I sit back and enjoy every minute of it.

Here are a couple pictures I took from the show. If you've never heard of Wilco before, I recommend watching the documentary "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart". That's how I got hooked.

What I'm Reading

2008-04-30T10:06:00.012-05:00

I know my entries have been very few and far between lately. Hopefully I can get rolling once again. I am reading a very interesting book right now, called Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics and Promise of Sport. If you like watching/following sports and are interested in the politics behind it all then you might like this one. It's short, very readable and covers a range of topics from the Olympics to the New Orleans debacle to the connection between hip-hop, the NBA & racism. The author focuses on the corporatization of sport as seen by the continuing development of new, multi-million dollar stadiums built entirely on the public dime but owned by billionaires who then collect all the profits. He also discusses how sport is exploited by those in power to convey whatever message they please (using footballer Pat Tillman's corpse to sell the war in Iraq; interrogating Barry Bonds about steroids to deflect attention away from foreign policy and critical, domestic issues; using hip-hop to sell the NBA then condemning black players for looking too much like rappers, etc.).
All in all, definitely worth the read.

Good Morning Everyone!

2008-04-13T09:07:00.003-05:00

Sometimes Liam looks like Wolverine in the morning. Just thought you should know.

Our big, belated news!

2008-03-25T16:01:00.004-05:00

This blog entry is long overdue, but better late than never. Jodi and I are expecting again, and excited to be well past the first trimester. Sorry to those of you that I haven't told in person yet. Our due date is August 19- right in time for the start of the new school year! Liam is excited as well, although we're not sure what exactly he understands. When we point out where the baby is currently living he either demands to see it immediately or looks at us like we're losing our minds. I'll post some "tummy shots" soon. And if anyone wants to suggest any baby names I'm all ears.
Ryan

Liam turns 3

2008-02-20T14:58:00.006-06:00

Tuesday was Liam's birthday, so we had a small, family party at our place. Here are some pics.

You'll never guess what the theme was. Liam got a lightning mcqueen shirt, umbrella, racetrack & cake. We also went to the gym for some toddler dodgeball which was great fun. I discovered that you can get in a lot of headshots (with no tears) when playing with Chris and Frank's kids. And you can still throw at about 80% velocity without causing any permanent damage. My favourite dodgeball moment was when I nailed Sammy in the groin and then heard his dad yelp "He's Down! Get him!!!" while we pummeled him as he writhed on the floor. The beautiful thing is that he just hopped right back up and kept going.

This is Liam's current collection of Mcqueens. That is not counting his other Cars characters. And I kid you not, we bought him only 3 of those.

Grandma and Grandpa Kope sent him a painting kit for his b-day. He loves it and really gets focused when he has the gear on.

Florida Adventures- Part 2

2008-02-13T16:03:00.026-06:00

OK, I just need to get this one last thing off my chest and then we can get to the pictures and fun stuff. I'm not a fan of mega-million dollar churches. I just can't find any possible explanation for spending that kind of money on a church building. Some of the churches in south Florida looked like presidential palaces. I don't think we're far off from a time when new churches are built right within the walls of gated, suburban communities (maybe they are already, I don't know- it's hard to get in). Anyway, on to other things.

On our first night Jodi wasn't feeling well so I went to a Div. 2 college basketball game which produced 2 awkward sequences. The first involved a sketchy cheerleading squad that featured one lone guy, whose only job was to clap sheepishly to the music while the girls did their thing and to hold up a "Defense" sign that the entire crowd simply ignored. I really felt for this guy. Obviously he must enjoy it, but he must take a verbal beating from his classmates.

The second awkward moment took place during halftime. They held one of those contests where some guy gets blindfolded then stumbles around like an idiot trying to pick up stuff as the crowd yells out instructions. So whoever was in charge picks a guy from the crowd who was obviously somewhat mentally challenged. On his way down to the court this poor guy trips on the stairs, bashing his shins on the bleachers. Naturally the college kids in the crowd can't restrain themselves. I knew this was going to get worse before it got better. Next, they put 90 seconds on the clock. Now, 90 seconds is a relatively short amount of time. In this type of situation it is an eternity! At the buzzer the first thing the guy does is drop to his knees and start crawling at a snail-like pace toward the exit. Not good. The crowd is silent at first, then as the awkwardness builds they begin to yell random instructions- all of which are impossible to decipher. I'm now staring at the clock trying to speed up time telepathically in order to put this guy out of his misery. But no, the crawling continues (see picture). Finally, the staff decide to "help him out" by kicking objects directly in his path so that he can't possibly come away emptyhanded, unintentionally adding to the shame of it all. I have never heard a sweeter sound than that final buzzer.

Free cocktails! Every night between 5:30-7:30 our hotel gave out free drinks to all their guests. Here I am enjoying yet another virgin daiquiri. How exciting would this have been if I were an alcoholic? Possibly the exact same since I am a cheapskate.

While Jodi was busy working I decided to drive to the Everglades and see what I could find. They said an airboat tour would give me the best chance to see gators so I gave it a go. Definitely worth it. I saw lots of gators-some as long as 12 feet- and a whole bunch of birds. One crane was eating a snake it had just caught which was kind of cool. "Wild Lyle" was out tour guide and was a little weird- one lady asked him if he could get closer to this bird and he replied by telling us multiple stories of how important it is to leave nature alone and not to mess with the cycles of the everglade ecosystem. But yet I could swear only 2 minutes before that he had snuck up on a gator in the water and then revved his engine really high to scare it into swimming for us. Seemed a little ironic but whatever.

On our last day there I went to the beach and the dog races. The beach didn't disappoint but the dog racing was borderline depressing. There were some people there who looked like they desperately needed to win while others used the valet parking (of course) and looked like they could stand to lose a few grand. As for me, I was there to watch dogs run in a circle. I wanted to place a few bets but soon realized I had no idea what I was doing. People were staring into these booklets like they were cramming for final exams. Naturally, the dog I planned on taking won the 2nd heat, paying out $9.55 (since I didn't know what that meant I wasn't too disappointed).

Florida Adventures- Part 1

2008-02-12T16:10:00.014-06:00

Our trip to Florida this past week was a real eye-opener. For Jodi the trip revolved around work- she was there to attend a residential life conference. I was tagging along, seeing a few sites, keeping her company. For me the trip felt more like a sociological study than a vacation. In some ways life in Florida and the Peg are similar, but I was struck by some very interesting disparities between the two "cultures". It really got me thinking. Here are a few of my personal observations from our 4 days in sunny south Florida:

Apparently airlines aren't in the business of feeding their clientele any more. That sucks.

When I saw our rental car I was fired up. "Wow! A Mitsubishi Galant!". I suddenly felt like Will Ferrell demanding respect from his family by screaming at them "I drive a Dodge Stratus!". It turns out that the Galant is like the Ford Focus of Ft. Lauderdale. It gets the job done, but it's not about to turn any heads. Everyone in south Florida drives new cars- mostly Beamers & Mercedes. I think I saw one Honda Civic in 4 days. That was my first indication that there is way too much money being thrown around down there.

If you don't change before going to the beach, be prepared to swim in your clothes. There were no change stations at public beaches, so I checked out the scene and found a deserted beach front property under renovation. Jodi, for some stupid reason, wouldn't change in there so we had to sneak into the 4-star Hilton lobby and use their bathroom. Classy.

Speaking of the Hilton, they employ a towel Nazi. That's him on the right. I don't know if he followed us to the beach from the bathroom, but he showed up shortly after I stretched out one of Hilton's complimentary beach loungers (hey, it was shaded and nobody else was using it). He wasn't about to lend a towel to a foreigner. It made me wonder, is it really worth his wage to guard a pile of beach towels? It's not as if I would have taken more than one.

The ocean is God's most amazing creation. I love swimming in the ocean and feeling the waves toss me around. It always fills me with wonder and fear. Probably my worst decision of the trip was to swim out to the buoy that indicates the maximum distance from shore for beach-goers. It was an exhilarating swim out, and I took a moment to just float in the waves and enjoy the beauty around me. Then I re-discovered the true power of the ocean as I began to swim back to shore. For some bizarre reason I assumed the waves would sort of carry me back to the beach (since they seemed to be heading that direction anyway). But instead I found myself being pulled equally in both directions. To make a long story short, I finally reached the shoreline, exhausted, about 400 feet away from where I had started. Thankfully the lifeguard didn't mistake my feeble attempt at the breaststroke as a sign of distress.

I don't know about you, but valet parking at a shopping mall is just flat out wrong. But in the resort city of Boca Raton where we stayed it is the norm. What do people have against parking their own car anyway? Isn't finding that perfect spot one of the great (and only) joys of going to the mall?

Maybe the most bizarre thing I saw during our trip was a couple of Army soldiers in full uniform asking for money at a busy intersection in a very wealthy suburb. This came only minutes after I had driven through the downtown and seen a homeless man begging. Although nobody payed much attention to him, the Army "beggars" appeared to be doing pretty well for themselves. It reminded me of a great poster I saw online a while ago:

"It'll Be A Great Day When Our Day Care Centers Have All The Money They Need And The Navy Has To Hold A Bake Sale To Buy Battleships."

Too bad they are getting all the money and having the bake sale too. Haven't the U.S. taxpayers shelled out enough money for the military complex? I couldn't help but think, what if all that money that was being used to kill was instead given to those who desperately need it to live?

Speaking of excessive amounts of money being wasted, check out a few of the "houses" I spotted during my daily city cruise. After I snapped the photo of the last one I was immediately confronted by a security guard who told me to put the camera away and leave. Most of these places had enormous, private yachts parked out back. Jodi and I often found ourselves wondering aloud "do people actually live like this?". Sometimes it felt like we were on the set of a Hollywood blockbuster.

In contrast, if you drive a few miles away from the beach resorts towards downtown you discover a far different urban scene, and a very different demographic. It's not that there weren't any black people in the suburbs and resort areas, it's just that 95% of them were wearing maid uniforms or trimming hedges.

I'll post some more pics tomorrow of my boat ride through the gator-infested everglades and my day at the dog races. And yes, I will try to be less cynical.

Ryan

Liam the Artist

2008-02-01T12:31:00.000-06:00

Liam was given his own private lesson yesterday from the art teacher here at school. He made print impressions by using all kinds of objects, scraps, lego and even his own cars from home. Here he is adding tire treads.

A little lego...

Adding his own "signature" to the piece

After finishing with the styrofoam, he chose some paints. Turqoise was his colour of choice.

Now press to paper and he's done.

Liam displays his first masterpiece to a "fellow student"

Here it is in green. The Christmas colour theme was purely coincidental. Once again I was amazed at his ability to sit still for an hour and his attention to detail. When asked what his favourite part of the activity was he said "the painting". When pressed for more details he replied "Just because, o.k.!". That is his answer to everything these days. Special thanks to Miss Donald for the great time!

Dodgeball.... toddler style

2008-01-12T19:56:00.000-06:00

Almost every evening Liam and I have a game of "dodgeball" here at the school. It's one of his favourite games to play. We don't play in the traditional format; basically I gather all the balls and then throw all of them at him as fast as I can. He usually screams and runs. Normally I take it easy on him, but tonight I got in a couple good shots- one of which Jodi happened to catch on tape. Enjoy!

We're back... Happy New Year!

2008-01-08T19:17:00.001-06:00

So I guess its been awhile since I last posted. We had a great time with family and friends this Christmas. Here are some of the highlights:

Santa Claus still remains somewhat of a mystery to Liam. We don't talk about him much at home, since we're not too keen on emphasizing his "role" during the holidays. Every year at the school there is a big Christmas (whoops, "holiday") party where each and every child gets a gift from santa. I can totally understand why young kids get freaked out by the whole santa spectacle. A greasy middle-aged man in a red fur-suit shouting "ho ho ho" while welcoming children onto his lap just doesn't seem right. This particular santa happened to be a well-respected and entertaining teacher, but I can't vouch for them all.

Here we are at the Boarding Christmas banquet. We ate roast duck, shrimp, beef and a whole bunch of other amazing dishes that I would never normally order (if I was paying the bill).

He doesn't always give this goofy smile- just when overly excited and/or terribly overtired. In this case, the midnight flight did the trick. He sang "Jingle Bells" the entire way to Calgary- I'm sure those sitted nearby were in a festive mood by the time we touched down.

The gift of the year turned out to be the harmonicas, compliments of grandpa and grandma.

Liam had a great time with his cousins on both sides of the family. He even put a little move on young Hazel, which I barely caught in time. I must say, the humiliating wedding collection is coming together quite nicely.

See you soon.

Ryan

This past week

2007-12-12T20:54:00.000-06:00

This has definitely been an interesting week here at our place. Here are some of the things I discovered over the past 7 days:

1. I have weak ankles. Last week I was playing in a basketball game, landed on a foot, and sprained my ankle. Of course, it was on game point so I was a mere 15 seconds away from walking home. The doctor said I have a ________ fracture (forget the term) where my tendon pulled a chunk of my bone off with it. Yippee!!!

2. Potty training is a bizarre event. Liam took his first poop on the potty this week. It was massive in size, which struck me as somewhat odd. I was assuming that since he was so "gun shy" it would be minuscule- like a rabbit dropping. Instead it had that... umm... snakish quality. Anyway, the next day when we asked him if he was ready again he simply said "No. I'm takin' a break". Hopefully his break ends soon...

3. Paying full price for a 2-year-old to fly is like getting kicked in the groin. We are flying out to Calgary next week after dropping almost a grand on our tickets (and that was with a very nice seat sale).

4. Frank Caliendo is a very good impersonator. His John Madden, Bill Walton and Charles Barkley are all unbelievable. Check out this video (unless you've never heard of the aforementioned 3).

Merry Christmas everybody!

Something to think about this Christmas...

2007-11-24T08:57:00.000-06:00

Every year when Christmas rolls around I am reminded of this poster from buynothingchristmas.org

I'm still too big of a chicken to actually forgo gifts altogether, and my positive memories of Christmases past make me want to create the same for Liam, but during this time of year I can feel just how far I've bought into our culture. It seems impossible to separate consumption and Christmas. Probably not the type of birthday party Jesus had in mind.

My Life as a Sub

2007-11-21T09:39:00.000-06:00

Some days as a substitute teacher are terrifying. Most are terribly boring. Others are mildly entertaining. Today was the latter. I felt a little bit like Frank Abagnale, the 17-year-old kid from Catch Me if You Can who travelled the world on forged cheques and fake ID's. You see, my assignment today was to cover a number of Middle School French classes. I don't speak or understand a lick of French. This year I have taught a number of times in subject areas that are way out of my league, from French to Art to Power Mechanics. Usually I am quite up-front with my students, readily admitting my lack of expertise (and or interest) in their particular subject. Today I decided to fake it. Yep, why not try a little experiment. For fun, you know, turn the monotony into something a little more interesting.

Fortunately, all of my French class instructions were written in English. Whew. Dodged a bullet there. Unfortunately, 2 of the 3 classes were writing tests, so I knew there would be a ton of questions heading my way. For the first class one of the teachers had requested that I give a brief explanation of a phrase (written in French of course, the meaning of which still escapes me) to his grade 7's before the test to jog their memory. I knew if I even attempted to pronounce the phrase my cover would be blown, so I wrote it on the board (almost forgetting that little accent mark) and pointed to it nonchalantly. Then I coolly provided a very brief explanation which I had memorized minutes earlier from the teacher's notes. No problem- they bought it. And the silence during the exam was a beautiful thing- they had actually bought my threat that I would simply pick up their test if there was any talking! Suckers.

Then came the moment of truth. The questions began. They all asked the questions in French, which shouldn't have surprised me but nevertheless still caught me off guard for some reason. It's not like this was a French immersion school or anything. Anyway, my typical response was to furrow my brow, pretend to think for a moment or two, glance again at the jumble of letters on their page, then reply "You know, I'm not really supposed to help you with that one. You'll have to figure it out. Check the instructions again- they're pretty clear".

For the most part my act was a staggering success. One young and obviously bright girl (she finished all three parts of her test before most had completed the first) told me she thought question #8 had a typo in it. I concurred. I thought it was the safe thing to do, and she looked confident enough. She seemed satisfied by my agreement and moved right along, although, come to think of it, none of the others seemed to notice or point it out to me. Oh well.

My favourite moment was when a young seventh grade girl asked me if she could give a practice recital of her upcoming oral presentation to me after her test was completed. It was a comic she had written. In French, of course. Naturally I obliged, not wanting to be rude. I smiled often, threw in a few chuckles here and there when she seemed to be most pleased with herself, then complimented her on her artistic work and creativity. Apparently I passed this test, although I'll never really know. Hopefully it wasn't one of those "dark" comics.

Of course, right when my arrogance was at it's peak, I was brought back down to Earth. A young boy approached me at the teacher's desk and asked me a quick question in French. I knew I had to react quickly. I hesitated. Brain freeze. "It's been a little while since I conversed in French, can you give it to me in English please?" The look on his face was all I needed to realize my utter failure. "I said, can I please go to the washroom." Of course!!! What was I thinking? He's a grade 7 boy. That all they ever ask. Idiot!

So maybe I could never pose as an airline pilot, medical doctor, or FBI agent a la Frank Abagnale, but at least today wasn't as boring as the last time I had to teach French.

Ryan

Christmas Comes Early

2007-11-19T20:27:00.000-06:00

Despite the fact that it's still November, our family has already begun the Christmas season. Actually, we've been in Christmas mode for a few weeks now- trying to get gifts bought and out of the way, checking for cheap flights out West, jotting down ideas for Liam, renewing our love-hate relationship with Boney M. etc. Tonight we put up the tree. Liam suggested decorating it with toys. After much thought, we went with a more traditional lights and balls theme.

We bought a fake tree this time around- a 7ft. Blue Spruce that actually looks pretty good. It was kind of weird to unfold a Christmas tree out of a box. Obviously Liam enjoyed himself, as you can see from these pictures. When we finished putting on the decorations, we held, at Liam's request, a brief family dance party. Believe me, this is something that you never want to see. Just picture six pasty-white legs shuffling awkwardly in a circle to no tune in particular.

Tying Up Loose Ends

2007-11-17T20:09:00.000-06:00

Ok, since I am currently uninspired to write about an actual topic, I thought I would clear up something from a past post and add a few additional thoughts.

First, I realize that I may have given some of you the wrong impression in my MacGyver column. Rest assured, I would never actually use the phrase "Boo-yah!" in any normal life situation. I used it in that instance only to annoy Jodi and to get a cheap laugh from my good buddy Graham. I will, on occasion, shout out a Boo-yah! at home during a sports game- again, only to irritate Jodi.

Second, I left out a couple obvious pet peeves from my list, and they should really have been mentioned.

1: when people wear sunglasses indoors. There are only a couple of exceptions (blindness, same-day cataract surgery) but in all other situations you should never, ever wear them inside. Please. Stop it.

2: People that dress up their pets.

3: When pro athletes give what is now commonly called the "Tim Duncan face", you know the one where he puts his hands palms-up, his eyes swell to gargantuan proportions, and he feigns total innocence EVERY SINGLE TIME A FOUL IS CALLED ON HIM. I wish refs had the power to slap baby-faced whiners like Duncan.

Speaking of annoying athletes, here's my favourite picture of the past week.

I dislike Peyton Manning. Remember the time his coach called for the punt team to go on, then Manning overruled the coach's decision and hiked the ball anyway. Yeah, me too. What a loser.

Pet Peeves

2007-11-04T14:06:00.000-06:00

During our church service this past Sunday I encountered one of my all-time pet peeves, and it got me thinking about the other, totally insignificant things in life that somehow drive me crazy. Here are a few that came to mind, in no particular order:

- Ok, first the church one: I call it the "glare back at the sound guy every 2o seconds when a mic is not working properly". People do this so often it makes me insane. Don't you think the sound guy is aware that the mic is not working!!! Do you think that by looking back in his direction he will come to his senses and realize, "Oh shoot, I guess I should do something". I've done that job before so maybe I'm extra sensitive here, but c'mon people, he is aware that a problem exists- please leave him alone.

- Waving the wave-through: You get to a 4 way stop at the same time as another driver, so you do the courteous thing and wave them through. Most of the time things work out as planned. Then there are those rare occasions when the other driver decides that for whatever reason it makes sense for them to wave you through after you've already done the wave-through. What possesses people to do this? If someone waves you through, just go. Don't think about it, and please do not wave back- we're killing time here folks. It's a simple procedure.

- Donald Trump: Everything about him makes me want to kick him in the groin.

- That Taco Bell commercial where all those people are walking around with stringy cheese hanging out of their mouths. Am I supposed to want to buy and eat this thing now? After watching this?

- When coaches decide to Punt on fourth and 1 when losing and inside the other team's 40 yard line. There are some exceptions, but not many. Stop kicking so much! Please, this is not rocket science- just QB sneak it! (Unless you are Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis and you like to lose. Instead of trying to kick a game-winning field goal from the 24 yard line with 40 seconds left, he goes for it on 4th and 8. How dumb is that. What happens? They lose in OT.)

- How being environmentally friendly is now the cool thing to do. Everybody is now apparently in the business of being "green". Take for instance that Shell Oil commercial where they brag on and on about how much they love the Earth. Give me a break. But how can you blame them? There is a lot of money in pretending to be green- just look at Al Gore, everyones new eco-hero, who gets paid $100,000 for each and every 75 minute environmental speech (plus $600/day incidental expenses). I don't even know how it's possible to spend $600 in one day, let alone spend it on "incidental" stuff.

- Some Politicians. Did you hear about Bill Clinton's new book? It's called: Giving: How each of us can change the world (and no, I'm not kidding). It's an interesting choice for a book title because for 2008 Clinton has requested 1.16 million U.S. tax dollars to cover personal expenses related to his work. That's over a million bucks- For just one fiscal year! Clinton's people made no apologies for the request, stating that "given his tireless work on.... fighting AIDS, responding to Hurricane Katrina, fighting climate change and childhood obesity, etc. the American taxpayer gets more than their money's worth". Really. More than their money's worth? In case you think Clinton has somehow fallen on hard times, keep in mind he has made over $40 million in the last 6 years. Don't you think maybe it's time to spend some of your own money to fly over to Africa for a photo-op?

- Hollywood couples: Just when you thought it couldn't get any creepier than TomCat, 36-year-old Lance Armstrong (the cyclist who has won the Tour 7 times without ever touching drugs- wink wink) is now dating one of the Olson twins! Is that even legal?

- Dora the Explorer and her little d-bag cousin Diego. If you've seen the show you know exactly what I'm talking about.

- People who drive with a dog sitting in the passenger seat. I don't know why, but this bothers me, especially when the dog is jumping from seat to seat or sticking its head out the sunroof.

- When my socks get all twisted up. I want them straight in line with my feet. Period.

- Crime shows like CSI where the investigators always search buildings using their tiny flashlights. I know it takes away from the "drama" but wouldn't it make more sense to turn on the lights?

Well, that's all I can think of today. Maybe I'll add more later.

Ryan

An Ode to MacGyver

2007-11-03T22:48:00.000-05:00

Jodi and I had simple plans this evening: put Liam to bed, then watch a couple episodes of The Office while enjoying home-made Oh Henry blizzards. But then a very strange and ironic thing happened: Jodi's office survival skills were put to the test as she somehow managed to lock herself into this tiny photocopying room here at the school. She had locked the door behind her so as not to forget later, and somehow it jammed and wouldn't release from the inside.

What transpired next would have made MacGyver proud. Armed with only an electric pencil sharpener, scissors, numerous boxes of copy paper and her will to live, Jodi managed to escape her prison. Here is what she did:

Checked and re-checked the door knob (logical)

Kicked the door to make noise in case the security guy happened to be doing rounds (he wasn't but a nice thought)

Tried to unscrew the window frame with a pair of scissors (getting a little desperate)

Turned off the lights because it was getting hot in there and if it was going to be an all-nighter at least she would be comfortable (makes sense I guess)
After 30 minutes, attempted to break plexi-glass window with her shoulder, a la Jack Bauer (needless to say that's not going to get it done)

Stacked paper to access tiny, rectangular air vent (now we're talking).

Used electric pencil sharpener to smash plastic vent cover (my baby's got skills!)

Managed to squeeze herself through the vent and over the wall (Boo-Yah!)

After scaling down, she went to inform security. I was given the dual task of cleaning up the broken pieces and stopping my mockery, to which I partially complied (at least it's clean). I must admit, after seeing the size of the hole she crawled through, I was very impressed. When I asked her how she did it all she said was "I think I might have slivers in my groin". Take that MacGyver- think of what she could have done with duct tape!

Ryan

Trick or Treat

2007-11-01T18:35:00.000-05:00

Some good friends of ours sent Liam a custom-made Michigan basketball uniform a while back, and we thought this Halloween would be a great time to unleash it. Those of you who know me understand that I am somewhat obsessed with the Wolverines, having grown up watching the "Fab Five" tear it up in the early 90's. These guys started a new wave of basketball fashion- the ultra-baggy shorts which we are now totally accustomed to seeing everywhere. A teacher friend here at school let us borrow some tiny Air Jordan kicks to complete the look- because you know there is no way I'm spending $70 on a pair of kids shoes. We also had a white headband but he wanted nothing to do with it. Can't really blame him for that.

Anyway, despite being sick most of the week he wanted to wear his new gear to our annual pumpkin carving night here in boarding, which was a lot of fun. It's a good thing to, because on Halloween night he refused to leave the apartment, even with our promise that he would get enormous amounts of candy. Here are some pics:

"STARTING AT GUARD, FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, NUMBER 4..... LIAM KOPE!!!!!

I don't know if there will be a roster spot for a five-foot-nothing white kid from the Peg, but you can always hope.

Showing off the new shoes and baggy shorts. Now all he has to do is start listening to crappy rap music and strut around with a limp.

O Canada?

2007-10-29T14:23:00.000-05:00

Every morning at exactly 8:45 AM our family begins our day with the singing of the national anthem. Well, not exactly. The school's PA system speaker is conveniently located directly outside our front entrance, so the blasting anthem is hard to ignore (although I try). Most days I'm off to teach by then but when I'm home the anthem always makes me feel a little strange. Lately I've been thinking about this whole notion of what it means to be a Canadian. As a teacher the question of patriotism comes up all the time. Honestly, I don't consider myself a very patriotic person, at least not in the typical sense. For example, last year I remember overhearing a teacher tell her students to stop talking during the anthem because "we live in the greatest country on Earth", which made me feel somewhat uncomfortable. To claim the title of Greatest Country seems a bit irrational and arrogant (assuming you haven't lived in every other country). I hear teachers make these types of declarations all the time, and although I appreciate their intentions I still question the notion of promoting feelings of superiority.

Historically, schools have always set out to indoctrinate their pupils into accepting an "easy patriotism" where national goals, laws, and actions are to be supported for the good of the country. The message is usually quite simple: do your job as a citizen- vote and buy stuff. If you want to get really political, join one of the major national parties and put up some signage. But don't get overly involved in any activities that stray too far outside the realm of normal politics (like say, a protest) or you will be labelled a troublemaker.

"Citizenship education" is even written directly into the Manitoba school curriculum. I don't think teaching citizenship is inherently wrong or bad. In fact, I, like every other educator, do it all the time. But shouldn't citizenship education promote critical evaluation of national aspirations, not blind acceptance? Maybe it's time for educators to rethink what it means to be patriotic? Maybe we should focus more on teaching our students about the dangers of nationalism, of wrapping ourselves in the flag. It's not difficult to provide examples of nationalism gone wrong- just pick any modern war.

We Canadians like to take pride in being the best at certain things- hockey produces unparalleled national fervour, as does the "we're-not-American" mentality. But should one's national identity trump one's identity as a human? Why do we attach so much value to something that is nothing more than an artificial creation? Our nations' borders are just randomly drawn lines on a map placed there by a bunch of dead, greedy men.

I like living in Canada. For me it has been a safe and opportunistic place to grow up. Am I proud to be a Canadian? Sometimes, but not always. Anthems and flags and tattoos plastered on babies' faces on Canada Day will always leave me with mixed emotions. On one hand it feels so good to share something in common with 33 million people. But on the other hand it makes me wonder why a limit on membership has to be set in the first place.

"The love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border."

For only 2 Bucks....

2007-10-16T21:29:00.000-05:00

you can be entertained for an entire morning. Here's the situation: 9 in the morning, no work, need to return a borrowed book to a friend. My typical response: get in the van, strap Liam in, drive there and back as quickly, efficiently, and safely as possible. But then a brilliant idea hit me: Why don't I load Liam in the bike carrier, use my own leg power to get to Pembina, then hitch a ride on a city bus downtown where we could meander a couple blocks to my friend's house then head home? Instead of following the same old routine, couldn't we turn this mundane task into an adventure that takes up the entire morning?

So that's exactly what we did. And it was one of the most fulfilling times I've spent with my son in a while. It gave me plenty of time to ponder some interesting questions, like:

How is it possible for any one human being to be so enthralled by merely riding a bus? Liam was so excited by every passing car, every tree, every stranger waiting in line. At one point, he began mimicking the gestures of a 16-year-old he was watching, including a hilarious first-ever attempt at crossing his arms over his chest. But the cool part was that, when we got off the bus and Liam waved goodbye to it (the bus) I noticed the same young guy from the back of the bus smile and wave back at him.

Why do bus riders only talk to each other when little kids are involved? I had conversations with people I would have never talked to before, especially really old, fragile ladies- they love Liam.
Why did the use of a bicycle and a public bus seem like such a radical decision for me? Why did this ordinary event feel like an epiphany?

This last question really made me think. A couple of months ago I was reading Geez magazine and came across a full page ad that simply read: "The airplane is not normal". I like that. There are so many things I do each day that I think are normal but that would be considered absurd by the majority of humans on this planet. Like running the water while I shave or driving 5 minutes down the road to buy a slurpee when it only takes 20 to walk (both of which I also did today). My normal is not normal; it's just normal for me. Maybe it shouldn't be.

Anyway, I highly recommend riding public transit with young kids (most of the time). This experience has made me question my idolization of efficiency and my dependency on the automobile. And it only cost me 2 bucks. Probably the best money I ever spent. Here are some photos I snapped of the "event"

Chillin' at the bus stop (literally and figuratively)

The excitement continues...

I guess since he loves buses this much a career in transit might just make sense

Worst. Movie. Ever.

2007-10-15T15:00:00.000-05:00

Jodi and I watched the movie Next last night and since it was terrible my mind immediately started trying to numb the pain by coming up with a list of the worst movies I've ever seen. It also made me want to devote an entire blog to unintentional comedy (an idea I shamelessly stole from my favourite sports writer, Bill Simmons). Simmons created his own unintentional comedy scale to rate things that are supposed to be serious but end up being hilarious. For example, intentional comedy can be found by watching the sitcoms The Office and Scrubs or by seeing Will Ferrell do basically anything.

Unintentional comedy is the phrase "Academy Award Winner Nicolas Cage", the "Vote or Die" campaign from a couple years ago, or when G. W. Bush tries to pronounce a larger-than-three-syllable word. The sports equivalent of unintentional comedy took place last week when The Lunatic (formerly known as Stephen Jackson) was named captain of the NBA's Golden State Warriors- now that is priceless! If you remember the "Malice at the Palace" incident, Jackson was suspended 30 games for punching a fan in the face. Oh, he also shot a gun outside a "gentlemen's" club in 2006 after being hit by a car following a fight. Naming him team captain is a 10/10 on the comedy scale.

First we should establish a few ground rules for nominating the worst movies:

unintentional comedy should play a major role (so rule out Glitter starring Mariah Carey, that movie with Britney Spears in it, and others that you don't have to actually watch to know they are terrible)
it should feature an acting performance that made you feel either extremely awkward, partially nauseous or willing to put your fist through the screen
it should have some hype generated prior to release or produce medium to high-level expectations

So, without further ado, here are the nominees:

The aforementioned Next: Reasons: Nicolas Cage. Nicolas Cage. Nicolas Cage. Oh yeah, throw in a truly forgettable performance by Jessica Biel (definitely paid to look good and nothing else). The lack of chemistry between those two was top-notch, and I'm pretty sure the director wrote the plot as they were filming scenes.

Balls of Fury: OK, I know you're thinking that this one should be categorized with Glitter but from the preview I thought it had dark-horse potential along the lines of Hot Fuzz. It was a train wreck from start to finish. Even Christopher Walken couldn't save this one- and that's saying something.

Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace. How can you possibly screw up one of the most memorable and exciting Trilogies of all time. Three words: Jar Jar Binks. When I first saw that movie I wanted to punch George Lucas in the face.

Kazaam. This movie stars Shaquille O'Neal as a rapping genie. Enough said.

Popeye (1980s version starring, gulp... Robin Williams). Awkward? Check. Nauseating? Definitely. Infuriating? Most certainly. Robin Williams is a weirdo, let's be honest. I defy anyone to claim otherwise after watching him do any live interview. This movie brings the pain from beginning to end.

Now, it's your turn. Any suggestions on others to include in this list? (Graham, I know you're reading this and feeling guilty for dragging me along to some truly terrible movies. Jog my memory, for old times sake.)

Ryan

Sports Fix

2007-10-10T16:43:00.000-05:00

Some of my highlights from the world of sport:

Marion Jones, former U.S. sprinter, pleaded guilty this week to illegal doping and returned her 5 Olympic medals, which begs the question: how much longer do we have to wait before Lance Armstrong gives back his yellow jerseys. Here is the reality of modern competitive cycling: You don't win the Tour de France without doping, you definitely don't win 7 times without doping, and you most certainly do not beat cancer and then win 7 times.... well, you get the idea. Why does the entire sports universe believe Barry Bonds is guilty and not Lance? The evidence against Lance is far more damning. People simply dislike Bonds because of his personality (understandably) and have chosen to idolize Lance because he is likable, marketable, and the face of cancer research. I wish it wasn't so- but alot of impressionable kids will be very disappointed.
Soccer can no longer be called "the beautiful game". I love to watch it, but the diving and injury-faking has gotten completely out of hand. Watch this clip of Brazilian soccer star Dida after he gets tapped by a fan.

How disgusting is that. The fan was banned for life from attending all professional soccer matches- I wish the same could be said for the keeper.
This next soccer compilation of fake dives is absolutely brilliant. The "headbutts" at the end are classic.

It's always fun to watch the Yankees lose, but it's super-fun to watch them lose while battling an insane plague of insects. The game was delayed numerous times to "Off" the bugs, but in the end the Yankees just couldn't handle the distraction.

Remember the good old days when the NBA's Shawn Kemp held the dead-beat dad award for having the most illegitimate kids. Sorry Shawn, but your "six by six" (children by different mothers) has been surpassed by footballer Travis Henry, who currently has 9 kids with 9 different gold-diggers. And he is only 29 years old. Wow. Oh yeah, did I mention he is totally broke.

Finally, this is not how you should celebrate winning anything. All MLB closers are a little weird, but Papelbon is a freaking nutjob.

Don't run with scissors (or let me cut your hair with them)

2007-10-05T20:36:00.000-05:00

Liam was in desperate need of a haircut- he was dangerously close to developing some serious mulletude. All it needed was a trim up front and the soccer-rocker look would have been complete. The naming of the mullet hairstyle in the late 90s (thanks to the Beastie Boys) was quickly followed by some other hilarious spin-offs. No doubt you've heard of the aforementioned "Soccer Rocker", the "Kentucky Waterfall", the "Camaro Cut", the "Schlong" (short-long) and the "Business in the front-party in the back". But by far my favourite is simply called, "The Canadian Passport". Love it.

Anyway, like I was saying, Liam needed a haircut, and I couldn't bring myself to complete the mullet for him. That's a decision that he will have to make on his own some day. Some of you might remember what happened the last time I cut Liam's hair.... Zoom in for a closer look. This was taken about a week after. I'll let the picture do the talking.

Needless to say I wasn't psychologically prepared to pick up the scissors again. So, it was time for his first ever clippers cut. He wasn't overly keen when I asked him "are you ready for another haircut?" but we planted him in front of the TV and promised hoards of chocolates when we were done (bribery and parenting go hand in hand). I think the result was a brilliant success (no blood spray, no deafening screams of terror, no permanent psychological damage). Here are some photos of the action:

Bye bye "Party in the back"- we'll miss you

His relief at being finished was fairly obvious

I couldn't help thinking that he now looks like he's on his way to becoming a young, British soccer hooligan.

Enjoy the long weekend everybody!

Ryan

The Disease of Celebrity

2007-10-03T09:46:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wanted to be famous? Of course you have. Growing up I wanted to be like Mike (Jordan that is, for you youngsters out there), and how could you blame me? He was practically a demi-god; the best basketball player to ever step foot on the court, the face of Nike, the posterboy for Hanes underwear (OK, well that last one never interested me much). I think all of us go through stages of celebrity worship, from wanting to be a firefighter to coveting the status of a sports star, beautiful actress or successful musician (I still daydream about being the latter sometimes, especially while playing Guitar Hero on XBox or reminiscing about seeing Radiohead live in Vancouver back in '01. Oh, if onlyI could be Thom Yorke for one day).

However, most of my days are not spent imagining what it would be like to have my own personal chef, getting paid to play a game, or filling my glove box with uncashed cheques (as some top-earning golfers do because, hey, how can you possibly spend all that money inbetween tourneys?). I am quite happy not being a celebrity. In fact, I thank God I am not rich or famous because I know myself too well- if I were either I would probably be on the path to self-desruction like so many celebrities today (insert Britney joke here).

I read an interesting article on my old hero MJ the other day. It basically summed up his life, not in terms of Hall-of-Fame awards or contract totals, but in reference to his impact on important social issues. It discussed what good he had done with his celebrity status. Guess what? Turns out the answer was zero- as in none, zilch, nada. You see, like so many current superstars, Jordan never lent his name to any cause that might be even remotely controversial (read important). While controversy can increase one's celebrity, for athletes it has a tendency to turn off potential corporate sponsors. Basically, Jordan spent his life accumulating wealth and prestige, saying whatever his sponsors scripted for him and avoiding any discussions on things that mattered. No doubt he had his share of obligatory, self-named charities (tax writeoffs are a beautiful thing), but in the end he lived for himself. I don't want to be like that Mike. I have a hard enough time trying to put others first as it is. I can't imagine how difficult it would be if I was told every single day how much better I was than everyone else in the world.

The point is: celebrity is a disease. It infects its host. If you don't believe me then watch one of those up-and-coming child stars do an interview on Leno or Letterman. They are no longer children. They have lost their God-given ability to be spontaneous, to live in the moment. They exist in a Hollywood unreality, where definitions of success could not be farther removed from what Jesus spoke of when he said "Blessed are the poor, the meek, the merciful". Jesus was not rich and famous; he was homeless and infamous.

I'm almost thirty now, and even though I no longer want to be a celebrity, I still I find myself craving the recognition of others over the truth that the only person worth emulating is Jesus. I would still rather be accepted by society than rejected by it. I wish that wasn't the case. But I'm trying.

Ryan

Fall Fun

2007-09-28T14:36:00.001-05:00

Since we both had this past Friday off work we decided to take Liam to the Fort Whyte Centre to check out the local bird scene. It was our first time and well worth it- he liked the chubby prairie dogs and floating marsh bridges the best. If you're looking for a zoo alternative it's definitely an option. Here are some photos:

Some fun videos

2007-09-28T13:22:00.001-05:00

First off, check out this video from a college football game earlier this season. When the other team is doing this IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME you know you're in trouble.

This next is bizarre. Milton Bradley is a crazy person- let's just say he has some anger issues. The final result: a season-ending torn ACL from arguing with an umpire.

And finally, it's an oldie but a goodie. 60 seconds of pure fun.

Looking for a good book this weekend?

2007-09-15T10:35:00.000-05:00

Not working full time this summer allowed me to pursue a few other things, including catching up on some reading. Here's a preview of my Top 5 in case I can convince someone to try one out. I am more than willing to lend any or all. Here goes...

The Irresistible Revolution: Not the best written book, but who cares when the message is so important and powerful. It's an honest look at one young guy's pursuit for what it means to follow Jesus, filled with personal stories of how he found God in the most unlikely of places (including an Indian leper colony and the ghettos of Philadelphia). His heart for the poor comes across so clearly. Warning: If you are a follower of Jesus then this book will make you uncomfortable; if you aren't, then it will probably make perfect sense!

Passionate Declarations: Howard Zinn is by far my favourite historian, but don't worry, his books are anything but dry and boring. He is brilliant yet readable. If you have an interest in learning more about civil disobedience, the conflict between law and justice, class struggle in the U.S., or educated anti-war doctrine then this book is for you. I can't say enough about Zinn. His People's History of the U.S. is also fantastic.

To Kill a Mockingbird: My sister-in-law Carrie summed this book up well for me: "If I had to read one book over and over again, it would be this one". Enough said.

Of Mice and Men: I know, I know. Everybody read these last two in school. But you might want to give them another go. I still don't know how Steinbeck could tell such a compelling story in such a short book. If you can read this book without shedding a tear seek professional help immediately.

A Raisin in the Sun: Unbelievable. This is actually a play that was written by a 29-year-old black woman in the late 60s that deals with racism and class struggle. Her descriptions of her characters and how they should be portrayed on stage is absolutely perfect. You can finish it in a couple of hours and it is well worth it.

Honourable mentions: Geez magazine (Winnipeg-based alternative Christian mag: very thought-provoking); The Glass Castle (a crazy-but-true story of a girl growing up in a dysfunctional family: very funny and well-written, but not for younger audiences)

Disappointments: A Farewell to Arms (this book is heralded as a brilliant classic but it did nothing for me. I was bored and couldn't stand the 6 line run-on sentences. Am I missing something here?)

Ryan

Ryan's Rants: You need to watch this video!

2007-09-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

If you are a Canadian citizen concerned with the direction our country is heading, check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St1-WTc1kow (warning: some graphic language- but watch it anyway because it's important) from the protest of the Montebello Summit in Quebec, where the leaders of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are discussing more ways they can consolidate wealth and power into the hands of a few. The video shows 3 police officers dressed as protesters (one with rock in hand) trying to incite violence so that the riot police have an excuse to move in, spray tear gas and arrest peaceful protesters (with the real goal being to discredit the entire protest movement). After the video was made public on the web and given to a few major media stations, the police issued an official statement saying that using undercover officers to "gather information" during protests is routine. Hmmm.... If all they were after was info, then why are they wearing masks, carrying rocks and trying to convince protesters to start fighting with police?

We Canadians like to point fingers at the ever-increasing police-state mentality that is evident south of our border, but this instance in Montebello is a solemn reminder that we need to be on guard too. The police exist to serve and protect, but whom and what are being protected? I am not anti-police; I'm sure the majority of officers are well-intentioned. But I do not think that those who govern police action in our country always have the same interests and values in mind as "the people". In a truly democratic society, protest would be encouraged as one of the most valid forms of the democratic process; instead those who take to the streets because they care about social issues are generally villified by politicians and their media. I agree with Howard Zinn- "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism". In a totalitarian state these Montebello protesters might be gunned down; in Canada they are discredited at every turn, often being labelled criminals and non-patriots.

If you want more info on this issue check out the Council of Canadians webpage at http://www.canadians.org/. If you want to watch the typical "info-tainment" version, watch CTV. They showed the video and had a brief "analysis" of it, but if you listened carefully you could audibly hear the news anchor snicker sarcastically when the reporter suggested that the police might have done something wrong. Gotta love our mainstream media!

Ryan

Liam Talk

2007-09-07T14:09:00.000-05:00

Sirens in background.

Liam: "I want to work in ambulance."

Me: "What do you want to do in the ambulance?"

Liam: "Drive ambulance."

Me: "Do you want to help the people too?"

Liam: "Nope. Not help people. Just drive and wear white hat."

Random Thoughts

2007-09-03T10:31:00.000-05:00

Here are a few from this past week:

WILCO- one of my favourite bands recently cancelled their Winnipeg concert because one of the backup guitarists reportedly had chicken pox. Really? Chicken pox? Couldn't come up with a better story than chicken pox? Coincidentally, their only 2 cancellations were Winnipeg and Duluth, Minnesota. Hmmm... if I were in a brilliant and succesful rock band and worn out from endless road trips and wanted some rest, which shows would I cancel? Let me think... Winnipeg? Check. Duluth? Check. Besides, there are 5 other guys in the band with more than enough talent to compensate for the loss; the show could have gone on. Oh well- I still love their music, and there is always next summer (that is, unless one of them comes down with bubonic plague- I hear it's still going around).

Some friends of ours at SJR gave us tickets to see The Sound of Music at Rainbow stage. Now, I will admit that I am totally uncultured when it comes to musicals; I didn't even know the story line of this one (apparently it's a classic). I caught myself giggling when I heard "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens"- you Will Ferrell fans know what I'm talking about...Goulet! Anyway, the people beside me didn't find that song especially funny, and they probably thought me an idiot. Near the end of the performance, the crowd started clapping in time to a song, at which point I leaned over to Jodi and remarked "Hey, musicals are just like sports events but for nerds" to which she replied "Yeah, well I'm a nerd". Touche.

While channel surfing the other day I came across the Miss Universe Fitness Competition. Those things always make me very uncomfortable. A fake-baked mother of three was prancing around in a Robin-hood-style getup to some crappy music. I'm not sure what made me the most quesy: the perma-grin, the unnatural orange skin, the cheesy 80s choreography, or the bulging muscles (is it ever a good thing when a woman develops a "chest"?) But far worse than these competitions are the little girl beauty pageants they have in the U.S. - now those are messed up.

What do you do when the greatest college football upset in history involves your beloved team on the wrong end of the upset? If you are a Michigan Wolverines fan like I am, you stare at a blank TV in disbelief and wonder what you have left to look forward to for the next 5 months. If you missed it, mighty Michigan (ranked #5) lost its opener to Appalachian State 34-32. It pains me to even write this down, but App. St. is a Division 2 school!!! A D2 school had never beaten a ranked D1 school. Ever. Oh, and did I mention that Michigan is the winningest football program in the country and was playing at home in front of 110,000 loyal fans. OUCH! That is like the Manitoba Moose bussing it down to Anaheim and laying a whupping on the Stanley Cup champs in their own arena. I guess there's always the rivalry game against Ohio State to look forward to (oh wait, Michigan has lost 4 straight to OSU). I'm very depressed right now. Kind of like these guys.

Manitoba Moments

2007-09-02T22:10:00.001-05:00

Cue the cheesy CTV music and here we go... We just stepped in the door from visiting Jodi's family at the St. Malo campground in southern Manitoba, and I had to throw down a few thoughts before bedtime. First, it is quite clear that small-town Manitoba camping is very different than what I am accustomed to, having grown up camping in the beautiful Rocky mountains of Alberta. I won't bore you with the aesthetic comparison between the two provinces- that seems fairly obvious. It's the campers themselves that are so divergent. While the majority of campers in the Rockies are driven by at least a partial desire to "be one with nature" or "explore the great outdoors", it would seem that St. Malo campers are interested in, how should I say, experiencing the more basic, hedonistic pleasures of life: drinking, establishing "relations" with others, and doing other things that are generally not accepted at the local park. Here are a few of my observations from the afternoon:

I have rarely seen more underage drinking in one four hour span in my life. Kids here don't even bother hiding their booze. It's like Spring Break in Cancun but without any fashion sense.
Apparently there are no limits on the number of tents or tenants that can be in one campsite. We passed one site that had about 9 cars and 6 tents littering the area.
Noise pollution. Where I come from, there is not alot of loud music being played in campgrounds because people like to listen to the birds and hear the crackle of the fire. Here, every other rusty camaro and minivan had its back hatch open so passerbyers could hear the bass rattle their cheap speakers. The campers beside us chose an interesting musical mix that consisted entirely of gangsta rap and country. That is not a good sign. Not good at all. I'm pretty sure Tupac would not be pleased to know his music would one day be sandwiched between Garth Brooks and Rascall Flatts.
Drunken Boxing- not the legitimate martial art (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zui_Quan) but real, live drunkards trying to box- please see the pics for more! They started out beside us but quickly moved near an open area where there was more room for spectators. Not only did they have gloves, but they had the forethought to bring a cow bell so some guy could randomly announce the end of each round. That my friends, takes some gumption.
And all this before 8pm! I cannot imagine what goes on in that place at night (although I'm looking forward to hearing from my in-laws who are spending the night).

Enjoy the photos!

Ryan

What did I tell you. Drunken boxing. There was a larger crowd to my left but I was pretty self-conscious taking pics in such a bizarre atmosphere. I love the guy in the green shirt with his arm around some girl and a beer in his hand. Nothing says romance like watching two idiots slug it out. After an hour or so the campground staff did shut the event down. It's good to see that our local communities still have such high moral standards.

In Alberta, this guy would be rocking a North Face fleece and chillin' by the fire. In Manitoba, he rocked out to Meatloaf and enjoyed the boxing.

To our immediate left- our rap/country friends. At one point this blonde and a couple of her friends got up on the table and started dancing, to which one family member responded by saying "I think the shirts might start coming off soon". We prepared to cover the childrens' eyes.

This is Delecia, a Bolivian exchange student staying with Jodi's sister's family on weekends. Considering it was a pleasant 18 degrees, it looks like it's going to be a long winter.

Our brother-in-law Frank and his youngest, Tessa. I had to include a positive pic because we did have a great time.

Friday Night in Tinkertown

2007-08-25T20:45:00.000-05:00

Liam absolutely loved driving the cars in Tinkertown. His favourite was this little red one he called "Lightning McQueen" (in honour of his favourite character from the Cars movie). He rode it sixteen straight times.

Ryan's Rants: Dogfighting & Double Standards- Thoughts on the Michael Vick case

2007-08-21T22:46:00.001-05:00

WARNING: This post contains sports-related material.

OK, so I have been following the Michael Vick case lately and some things strike me as odd. For those of who who haven't heard, Vick is a star NFL quarterback who just pled guilty to dogfighting charges (he organized and played a major role in a dogfighting gambling ring, possibly taking part in the execution of animals as well). He faces serious jail time and may never be able to play professional football again. This last point- that Vick should never be allowed to return to football- has been almost universally applauded by sports writers, fans and pundits, and is what I want to comment on. Although I abhor the idea of animal abuse and am leery of gambling, the fact that everyone in the sports world is ready to throw Vick under the train seems extremely ironic.

First of all, football is based on violence. As fans we demand violence; we want to see a wide receiver cross the middle and get rocked by a 250lb linebacker. I am a huge football fan, and often feel mixed emotions of guilt and pleasure when watching. And don't you hockey fans get all self-righteous on me; fighting in hockey is as ridiculous as it gets. We expect these elite athletes to compete and revel in organized violence day in and day out, so it shouldn't be surprising when it spills over into real life.

Second, the NFL is filled with former criminals. Teams are almost always willing to take back a felon if that player can help them win games. A recent study showed that 21% of NFL'ers have criminal records, from drugs to DUI's to assault. The Cincinatti Bengals have had 23 player arrests since 2000- that's only on one team! The story is the same at the collegiate level. Coincidentally, the U of Miami "graduates" more NFL'ers than any other school, while also boasting the highest number of football arrests.

So here is my question: when did dogfighting surpass drunken driving and assault as the unpardonable NFL sins? Coaches and GM's don't even bat an eye over something as "insignificant" as a criminal record when recruiting athletes. Apparently if you are talented but beat your girlfriend and roam the streets with a deadly weapon, the NFL will be waiting with a multi-million dollar contract when you are paroled (that is, unless a lovable pet was involved).

Now, I am not defending Vick's actions at all, but it seems that his greatest crime was that he deeply offended American pet-owners. Our dominant North American culture has attached a strong taboo to violence against certain domesticated animals (dogs and cats are a definitive no-no; torturing animals we eat like cows and chickens in processing plants is just fine). Violence against pets is often met with greater protest and rage than violence against, say, women or Iraqi children.

Personally, I believe in second chances. What was it that Jesus said about throwing the first stone? I think that once Vick serves his time, he should be given the opportunity to return to football. This notion would be lambasted by most sports "experts", but they, like the league and players that have already disowned Vick, know that in our cultural climate it does not pay to defend him. Sports fans may stop reading your columns or supporting your team (which cuts into your salary). Vick has already been blackballed by almost everyone in the NFL because it is a league that is based on greed and self-preservation. The general public seems ready to follow suit. I can't say that if Vick did return I would buy his jersey, but I would definitely watch him play.

Ryan

SURPRISE !!!

2007-08-19T22:20:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JODI!

Well, the stress is finally over. After much planning, nervous waiting and blatant lying I was able to pull off a surprise party for Jodi. She turned 30 this week and has, for the past month or so, been repeatedly reminding me about the importance of this occasion. Her real birthday on Monday was less than impressive- she was volunteering at church in the morning, had to go to the doctor in the afternoon, got stuck in the parkade with a broken ticket machine, then returned home to a sick child and a grumpy husband. We ordered in Chinese food and went to bed early. She had to wait 5 whole days for the real party, but I think it was worth it. Saturday couldn't come fast enough for me. For those of you who know Jodi well, you will understand the daunting nature of my task- she is somewhat of a mindreader, has a semi-photographic memory and NEVER misses a detail. I lied for two weeks straight, and I lied with conviction, but in the back of my mind I still assumed she would catch me at some point. Finally, after faking an "emergency" phone call with her in the room (by setting off the ringer and having a much-rehearsed conversation with the dial tone) I was able to evacuate Jodi and smuggle her family and our small group friends into the apartment. The party was great. Since Jodi's favourite meal is soup we had a soup buffet- 5 delicious varieties from veggie chowder to Buffalo chicken to wild rice & bacon. Much thanks to all who came, especially Jodi's mom and sister for helping me out so much with everything. 14 grown-ups & 7 kids in one room= good times!

Enjoy the pics!
Ryan

The aftermath in Liam's room

Mmmmmm...... soup

Adventures in Vacuuming

2007-08-16T20:44:00.000-05:00

This might sound somewhat surprising to you experienced homeowners out there, but Jodi and I have never owned our own vacuum cleaner. That is, until today. Our "campus lifestyle" has afforded us the opportunity to delay purchasing many household necessities like BBQ's, sports equipment, swingsets, and yes- even vacuums. We simply opened the nearest storage/gym room and helped ourselves. But we thought that since we have both been on this planet for roughly 30 years now, it was time to finally take the plunge. Choosing which vacuum to buy is not as easy as it sounds (at least not for a cheapskate like myself). I like to weigh my options, get all the facts and, above all, not buy something in the first store only to find it later at a discount some place else. The truly sad part is I am fully aware that driving around to different stores and wasting time comparison-shopping doesn't result in real savings. But it's a psychological thing for me- totally irrational but still completely satisfying. Yet as I perused the aisles of shiny Dirt Devils, Bissells, and Hoovers a realization struck me. I don't have a clue what I'm looking for. All the boxes claim a "wider cleaning path", "easier-to-clean-filter", and "more suction power" than the competition. After much soul-searching, I settled on a Hoover (not the silly overpriced Hoover models for suckers), but an affordable, candy-apple red model. Of course, when I got it home, all Jodi cared about was the fact that it had an auto-retractable cord. I guess we both got what we wanted in the end.
Now for the scary part.... our new apartment had been "cleaned" and the carpets "shampooed" before we moved in. Tonight I vacuumed only the living room, entrance and study... I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Now, either I bought the greatest vacuum cleaner in the history of the world (which, at under $150 is highly unlikely) or our carpets may have needed a little more extensive cleaning. I hope you all enjoy my foot in the pic- I needed to give the furball's height some sort of reference point (I'm a size 8.5 if that helps). And you will have to trust me on this- that bad boy is dense. I did not fluff it up at all to try and impress. Another possibility is that this is the norm; this is exactly what everyone else sees when they empty their canister on a weekly basis. I look forward to hearing from you veteran vacuumers out there. Tomorrow I will finish the job by tackling our bedroom. Apparently it is the same room where the former occupant's wee little dog laid his head to rest every night... wish me luck.

Ryan

Our new home

2007-08-14T15:44:00.000-05:00

Maybe I should clarify. This is not our house. It is an historic mansion (called Thomson House)built in 1916 that now serves as the girls' residence here at SJR, and it has alot of character. Our move was a farely simple process- we carted all of our belongings about 150 feet through an underground tunnel right up to our door. Here are some inside shots of our place, which is in the basement.

This is our living room facing the river

Liam's bedroom

We are so excited that Liam now has his own space, even if it is 17 feet long and only 6.5 feet wide (in our last apartment his bed was in the extended living room closet).

There's a story to this pic- one of the more creative, free-spirited girls here at SJR (who will remain unnamed to protect her identity) decided that the school's flower beds were too boring, so she planted some of her own before summer break, including some of the biggest sunflowers I have ever seen. Jodi and I chuckle every time we step out our door and see these- hopefully they aren't dug up before she comes back in the fall. It's nice to see that there are still some non-conformists left in our schools.

Ryan

Our annual Alberta vacation

2007-08-14T13:43:00.000-05:00

Every summer we head out West to visit my family in southern Alberta. Some of the trip highlights included the Calgary Zoo (sorry fellow Winnipeggers- our zoo doesn't even come close), camping in the Rockies, catching the Folk Fest and meeting our beautiful niece, Kate, for the very first time. Despite numerous warnings, we embarked upon the 14 hour trip road trip with a 2-year-old in tow. Liam was a fantastic traveller and we only had to resort to our surrogate parent (read portable DVD player) on the ride back home. In Liam's defense, I can hardly manage long road trips as a grown adult, and I don't have tight crotch straps pinning me down. Our only vehicular setback came compliments of a careless roofer across the street from my parent's house. After we "tidied up" his mess (and purchased 2 new front tires) we were ready to explore Alberta. Here are some of the photos of our trip:
Ryan

There's more than one use for a tent trailer pole

Calgary Folk Festival- Final Fantasy stole the show

The Kope family

Strapped in for the long haul

Liam's new favourite ice cream flavour-Pink! (thanks Arwen)

This pic of Ailish summarized camping... swollen kid's faces and massive mosquitoes

By his skin tone you'd think Liam doesn't get out much

Meet the Family

2007-08-11T18:59:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are. Now it's time to get posting. We have a few thoughts and stories to share from this summer so we hope you enjoy your visit!