SMOOTH SAILING

Both my hosting and e-mail packages were renewed for another year this week. The event which passed quietly made me think about the times when I had free hosting and e-mail. My “server” was actually located in a decent data centre, in Harbour Centre, just a block away from where I work now. The unfortunate thing was that the server was actually someone’s hobby computer. As some of you long time readers know, it was prone to crashes. This site along with my e-mail were unavailable anywhere from hours to days at a time. Since I didn’t pay anyone for such services, there was no tech support of any kind. I had to rely a friend to physically go to the server in some windowless room and reboot the computer by hand.

It’s been nearly three years since I started paying for hosting and e-mail. I wish I had done so earlier. I can’t think of a single time since then that this site or my e-mail has been unavailable. I wholeheartedly recommend the fine folks at GoDaddy.com for all your domain, hosting, and e-mail needs. I pay less than $40 a year to keep this dog and pony show running and it’s worth every penny.

MCDONALD'S UPDATE

In a previous post, I detailed my attempts to not eating from McDonald’s until I got back from a wedding in Hawaii. That original post was written on April 30th. It’s been nearly two months since I’ve ordered anything from McDonald’s. There have been two occasions where I stole some fries from a designer but I’ve been good other than that.

Of course, the ban was only for McDonald’s. In the nearly two months, I’ve had fried chicken at least twice, ordered from A&W, and had several slices of pizza. Interestingly though, at the times where I would have usually eaten from McDonald’s, I’ve ordered sushi instead. I will always love sushi and sashimi but I admit the craving for a Big Mac and french fries sometimes becomes strong. Wow, just writing about that made me think about the special sauce and double patties. Oh man, think about baseball and dead puppies… wait, that’s for something else.

REAL ESTATE UPDATE

As some of you already know, I’m gingerly looking into purchasing some real estate to perhaps live in. The once “crazy hot” real estate market in the Lower Mainland has cooled off somewhat to a level I can only describe as only “hot” now.

Over the weekend, I saw a brand new one-bedroom condo in New West that was the first place that was reasonably priced. For $232K, it’s well within my price range but it’s a tad small at 562 sq. feet. Also, the view from all the windows in the place face the loading docks of Royal Columbian hospital. There’s also a weirdly angled wall in the living room which you’re forced to place your flat panel TV on since that’s where the cable hookup is. The bedroom is tiny as well which forces you to put your bed in a single position. The saving grace is perhaps the kitchen which is roomy, with nice cabinets, counter tops, and black appliances.

Just because its the first reasonably priced place doesn’t mean I’ll be putting in an offer anytime soon. The search continues.

LONDON TO CAPE TOWN

While most of us think of relaxing and tame things to do during the summer, I have two friends who are embarking on an exciting and remarkable journey through two continents, all done on motorbikes. Tyson and Tom, whom I both met while living at SJC, are part of a four-man team traveling from London to Cape Town. They are doing the entire trip without any external support and their number will dwindle down to three when one of the riders departs them in Turkey due to other commitments.

As you can imagine, this will be quite the adventure. A trip across Europe on motorbikes in itself would be a worthy experience but add on the journey through Africa and you’ve got yourself a story to tell the grandkids. I would expect things to go rather smoothly until they leave Egypt. Beyond there, the situation becomes much more dynamic as several of the countries they plan to cross have varying levels of political, social, and economic stabilities. They plan on monitoring events on a day by day basis and are prepared to modify routes as necessary. Nevertheless, the pictures they will take in Africa will no doubt be stunning, not to mention the stories they’ll have to tell.

Though Tyson just learned how to ride in 2005, this is the second major trip he undertaken. He and “The Kid” were part of a team that rode through South America last summer. They both have taken their inspiration to ride from actor Ewan McGregor, who has done some pretty impressive motorcycle trips for a Jedi Master.

The team left London on the third of this month and are already deep into eastern Europe. Before leaving, Tom developed a web site to document their travels. I encourage you to visit and perhaps to even donate to the charities they’ve taken up the cause for. Also, have a look at Tyson’s blog and Tom’s blog for more personable updates on the adventure.

Gents, if you happen to be reading this in a Bulgarian Internet cafe somewhere, I wish you all the luck for a safe, exciting, and amazing journey!

METAL GEAR SOLID 4

I almost bought Metal Gear Solid 4 today. That’s an interesting statement considering I don’t own a PS3 and MGS4 is a PS3 exclusive. Also consider I own a Xbox 360 and the thought of buying GTA IV never even crossed my mind.

If I did buy a copy I’d have to play it at work. I’ve got a PS3 dev kit at my desk and it plays retail games! That sounds logical but the 360 dev kits don’t play store bought games.

For breakfast this morning, I had scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast.

THANK YOU TREVOR LINDEN

It’s expected that tomorrow morning at 11am, Vancouver Canuck legend Trevor Linden will announce his retirement from professional hockey. The press conference at GM Place will mark the end of an incredible two decade long career.

It’s hard to describe what Linden’s tenure with the Canucks has meant to city of Vancouver, from both a hockey and community service point of view. Let’s start with the hockey stuff. Linden was draft second overall exactly twenty years ago tomorrow. He was the Canucks first-round pick in 1988. Vancouver had a horrible history of first-round picks, with most of their chosen players winding up to be disappointments. Linden broke that string of bad luck, posting great numbers in his first season. He wound up second in voting for the rookie of the year award at just eighteen years old.

His impact and growth as a player led the team back to a sense of respectability around the league. At 21, he became the youngest Canuck captain in history and back then was the youngest NHL captain ever (Sidney Crosby has since taken that title). As his successes as a player grew over the years, it was ultimately the 1994 season that will forever define Linden’s hockey history in Vancouver. GM/coach Pat Quinn had assembled a story book team that made an improbable run to the Stanley Cup finals. Though there were many, many Canuck heroes in the spring of 1994, it was Linden’s performance in game seven of the finals that I will always remember. He scored the only two goals that the Canucks got in that game. You could almost see him try to win the game based on sheer will. Alas, the Canucks fell a single goal short. When time ran out, there was a camera shot of Linden on one knee on the ice, next the boards. His gloves were off and his hands were to his face. He looked tired. He had given it everything he had.

I think from then on, Linden’s place in Canucks’ history was pretty much assured. It’s now weird to think Linden actually spent three years away from Vancouver. Which I must say, if I ever meet Mike Keenan in person, I’ll certainly let him know I’m a Trevor Linden fan (and that’s putting it politely). Once back as a Canuck and in his twilight years, Linden’s role changed. He was relied on less for scoring and more for leadership. It was an honour to attend his last game.

Though his hockey credentials are indeed impressive, it’s Linden’s community service that has endeared him to an entire city. Though Linden participates in many charitable functions, his dedication to children’s charities for two decades resonates deeply with the city. He is a frequent visitor to BC’s Children’s hospital and Canuck Place, a hospice for children. Though we’ve all seen athletes pose with sick kids, Linden’s dedication to cause goes beyond the photo op. I cannot think of another athlete that has the class and dignity to actually attend the funerals of some of the kids that didn’t make it. That Linden had that much impact on the families involved speaks volumes about his character. Among the many accolades he has received for his service to the community, Linden was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 2003.

It’s expected that Linden’s number 16 jersey will be retired next season and raised to the rafters of GM Place. When that happens, I’ll steal a line from Jim Hughson and say we’ll honour “a great hockey player but an even better person.”

THE BEARD… OR A LACK THEREOF

I didn’t shave my face on the weekend. I guess I didn’t shave my nether regions either but that’s for another post. Anyways, when I woke up this morning I was kinda late so I decided to gain some time back but forgoing the shaving.

My ploy worked as I was not late for work. The interesting thing is when I got back home this evening, I realized I had the beginnings of a really poor looking beard. This was of course not a surprise to me. For about two decades, I’ve known I’ll never be able to grow a nice beard. My facial hair grows in a series of patches. The longer it gets, the more crappy it looks. It’s a good thing that I’m not an NHL player because my playoff beard would be dreadful.

Ok, I gotta end it here, I need to watch the end of Cloverfield.