Daily Doings

How long would it take...

2011-08-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

to see this blog posted late? Only 1 month. But at least there is a post this week.

I had a fun weekend. Early last week I messaged Lara to see if she'd be up for some geocaching. She agreed, and we met in North York for a fun day of exploring the northern parts of Toronto.

The greatest thing about caching is discovering interesting sites that you'd probably never notice otherwise. We found a tank in a cemetery...

Saw a beautiful rainbow in a fountain...

and had a great lunch...

We also explored a beautiful wooded ravine, and scratched our heads in a cul-de-sac where the coordinates pointed us to the very center of the street. Nothing there but a couple of manhole covers.

Sunday was a lazy day, but we did celebrate Breanna's birthday. Can't believe my niece is already 10 years old!

The good ol' RADP gang got together in chat Sunday night to hash out the planning for this December's meet. I think we've got a good start on it. Now I just can't wait to get back down there!

A quiet weekend

2011-07-31T22:08:00.000-07:00

No major doings this weekend.

No movies.

No visiting friends.

Nada.

But I did go geocaching both Saturday and Sunday. I didn't travel too far, just over towards Brechin on Saturday, and Barrie on Sunday. It was great just getting out on a couple of sunny summer days.

I really hope the city of Orillia purchases the land that the former Huronia Regional Center sits on. There is a beautiful beach there, and great looking lawns. The city could use some more waterfront park land like this.

I also took a drive over to Lock 41 on the Trent Severn, where there used to be a cache. Apparently was archived, but I still had a nice time watching boats go through the lock. I didn't realized that some of the locks on the canal were still manually controlled. You'd lose a few pounds if you spent your summer opening and closing locks all day.

Sunday I cached in the Barrie area and I used my iPhone to solve a wherigo for the first time. Glad to see the app works well, and I had fun doing it.

One of my favourite things about caching is discovering treasures in my own backyard. I think the spots I went to this weekend confirmed that.

And the summer rolls on...

2011-07-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

and so do I.

So six weeks ago I started a running program called "Couch to 5K". It's slowly increasing my endurance so that I can run for 25 minutes straight without collapsing in a heap. It wasn't so bad until it started getting super hot the last week or so. But I've mostly been running on trails that run out of a park near by, and in the trees it feels much cooler than out in the sun.

The drawback of running in the woods is that the trails are not even. You have to watch out for roots and rocks, and the trail runs the gamut from boardwalk to mud. But for the coolness of the forest, i risk it.

On Friday I was about 5 minutes into a 25 minute run. I don't know if I tripped on a root, or stepped into a hole or what, but I went down. Hard. But I am nothing if not committed to my new fitness regime. I picked myself up, saw how scraped up I was, dusted myself off and kept running. And I ran just over 3K in those 25 minutes.

The scraped shin looked bad, but it wasn't until much later that I noticed how swollen my other ankle was. I don't think I sprained or broke anything but it was tender for a little while. Things seem good now.

Tomorrow is when Week 7 Day 1 happens. I'll probably take it kind of easy, but I'm not giving up the program yet. I've made it this far, I'm not giving up now. Besides, this is my first sports related injury in YEARS. I'm kind of proud of it.

To change topics totally, I saw Captain America today. What a FANTASTIC movie. I'm pretty sure it's my favourite super-hero movie of the summer. Chris Evans was great in the role, and the supporting cast was wonderful. There's even an Alan Menkin musical number in the middle of it! Marvel really knows how to make these movies something special. And the 12 year old kid who used to pick up Avengers comics at Robbie's Variety monthly is now the 40 year old guy who can't wait to see the Avengers movie next summer.

It's good to have friends with different interests.

2011-07-17T20:53:00.001-07:00

As someone who has a lot of different interests, it's great to have several circles of friends with whom I can share my passions. This weekend has been a great example of that. The last couple of summer weekends I haven't had much going on, but this weekend there has been one of those rare convergences where so many things were going on, I couldn't get to all of them.

It started Saturday morning. I took a drive to the south shore of Lake Simcoe to see the Queenston Players do some Shakespeare on the grounds of the sadly departed Red Barn Theatre. Aside from the overpowering sunshine, you couldn't have asked for a better day for a little Romeo and Juliet, Shrew, Hamlet, MacBeth and Dream. My friends Patsi and John along with the rest of the troupe, very admirably handled the text, and the cuts that were made made the stories easy to follow.

From there I headed north to the fields of Oro-Medonte, where Ed had invited the Blue Beetle Comics gang to his place for a barbecue. And what a feast it was! Ed takes his barbecue very seriously so the ribs and pulled pork had been smoked for hours. The sauce he made beat anything that comes in a bottle. His wife Ang made some of the most delicious cole slaws I've ever had. It was great catching up with everyone in that geek circle since my new job prevents me from meeting up with them on the traditional Wednesday nights after new comic day. Great food, great friends and great general geekiness!

The weekend closed with a drive down to Mississauga. My friend Tric had asked for a geocaching lesson so I headed south to hit the city. I met up with Phil and Amanda, who were going to join us, for a brief look around the Disney Store at Square One first. (Did you know they sell Vinylmation at the Disney Store now?) About 2:00 we got to Tric's and went out into the wilds of Mississauga. We ended up finding 5 caches on the day and had a great time trying to stay cool.

So my lesson in all this is to indulge your passions. Meet people who share those passions. And live life to the fullest!

It's good to have friends with different interests.

2011-07-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

Another Quiet Week

2011-07-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

Not a lot going on these days. The days are long and hot, and the evenings are spent at work trying to convince people to buy computers. I look forward to my weekends, but so far this summer not a lot has been going on.

I did go to Barrie and see a fantastic show on Saturday night. William Shakespeare's The Tempest, presented by Theatre By The Bay was wonderful Now I wasn't very familiar with this play, only really knowing some character names and that there was magic in it. The story was very easy to follow, and the performances were stellar across the board. The way the actor who portrayed Caliban carried himself on stage made me writhe in pain, knowing I could never hold my back in that position so long. The set was simple but evocative, and the music written for this production was wonderful. I truly hope this show gets the audience it deserves.

It was great spending some time after the show catching up with friends, and talking theatre. I love being a part of such a vibrant community.

I kept up with my running program this week, finishing Week 4. I'm going to start Week 5 a day early for 2 reasons. My niece started running at school this year and wants to join me. She's here Mondays and Fridays. The second reason is that I have a busy weekend planned for the upcoming weekend, and I don't think I can squeeze in a run next Saturday. So we're switching to a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule. I hope the increase in running time for Week 5 doesn't kill me.

Again another week where I didn't watch much tv. I set my PVR to record Torchwood last night, but it didn't take for some reason. I tried to watch it on Space's website and there's no sound! I'm sure it will be fixed soon, and I'll catch it then. I did discover that there was a software update on the PVR and you can set it to record only first run shows now. That'll be great when the fall season rolls around. The only other show I watched was the finale of Top Chef Canada. I didn't care for the guy who won, although he seems like a great cook. When contestants on shows like this bend the rules and whine when things don't go their way, I want them to lose. It didn't happen this time. Guess that proves reality tv isn't rigged.

So, that's it in a nutshell.
See ya in 7!

Minutia:
Theatre: The Tempest, Theatre By The Bay
TV: Top Chef Canada
Podcasts: Orlando Attractions Magazine, The Onion, Totally Rad Show

Make it weekly, Less Pressure

2011-07-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

So the title of the blog is Daily Doings, but if I try to keep to a weekly schedule, things are more likely to stay up to date. Not a ton of updates this week.

My birthday was Wednesday. Thanks Ann, for taking me out to lunch. On the whole it was a pretty low key affair. I did work that day so no big parties. There was one night when I could not get to sleep no matter how hard I tried so I was up all night watching episodes of Top Chef Canada I wanted to catch up on.

I hardly watch tv any more. I listen to a lot of podcasts about a lot of different topics. I find surfing the net, chatting with friends on facebook and reading blogs about topics I'm interested in much more fulfilling. One day I'll clean out my PVR and get caught up with shows, but right now, I just don't care.

I finished Week 3 of the Couch to 5K running program this week. That means I'm up to 9 minutes of running in a 30 minute exercise routine. I enjoy running through Scout Valley, but I really have to watch my footing there because the terrain is so rough. I'm a week past where I stopped when I tried this program last summer. This year I've got a little more motivation to keep it up. One of the local theater groups is doing the Full Monty next spring...

I finally got out and did some geocaching today. Started with the unfound cache closest to home and continued my way down the Oro-Medonte Rail Trail. Did about 5K of walking which helps with the exercise regime. It was hot, so I treated myself to a strawberry shake at the end of it. Gotta love the Burger Pit!

Not much coming up this week. Back to the phones tomorrow. We've been given the okay to work extra hours this month, not sure how much I'm going to do. One thing I can say is that I am saving a lot of money by working evenings. Not going out a couple of nights a week is keeping the cash in my pockets.

The minutia:
Podcasts: Laughing Place, PodCacher, The Onion
Comics: some Flashpoint tie ins
TV: Top Chef Canada

A time for reflection

2011-06-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

Why do people blog? Why do they think what they write is something that others will want to read about? I've tried blogging several times over the years and after a week or so it goes the way of the dodo. I don't know if it's because I feel my life isn't interesting enough for people to be excited about or if it's just because I'm lazy.

Actually, I do know. I'm lazy.

I know a lot of people ignore the posts I make on facebook using services like Miso, Gowalla and Instagram, but I really love using them. It's an easy way to document the day to day things I do, the shows I watch and the places I go. Every now and then I'll go back over my posts and remember the things I've done. I like that. A blog like this takes a lot more effort.

So I turn 40 this week. It's a point in my life where I'm supposed to be successful and have everything everyone wants in life. So I'm not there yet. I'm working at an entry level job that I'm pretty happy to have at this point. Things are starting to turn around so I am optimistic about the future. I'm a bit disappointed that the travel plans I had made for this birthday had to fall through, but I'm sure it means bigger and better things later.

The past year and a half since I have written a blog post have been interesting. Being unemployed was not great, but there were many experiences that made up for it. Getting to be better friends with the gang at Blue Beetle comics was surely a highlight. The shows I did at South Simcoe Theatre was another. The chance to play a lead in a musical was great, and the experience of The Drowsy Chaperone was more than I expected. Ending the theatre season with the play readings of Four Play was a great challenge for me and I'm excited to try that again next season.

One thing I never would have done if it hadn't been for unemployment was indulge a secret dream and play Santa Claus at a mall. It really is an honour to bring smiles to children at the holidays. Getting the chance to bring smiles to the faces of my friends at Walt Disney World this past December was the icing on the cake.

Speaking of those people, I feel so lucky that through this medium of the internet I have been able to make such great friends. I never dreamed back in the summer of 1999 that a simple question on a message board would lead to decades long friendships.

So, what is the point of this blog post? I don't know! I just wanted to get down how I'm feeling right now. I feel blessed to have such great friends who support me, a family that loves me and a life that I'm enjoying. I guess I can't ask for much more than that.

The minutia:

Podcasts: many including Pop Culture Happy Hour, This Week in Travel and Coaster Radio

Restaurant: Pie with on of my oldest friends Rob Wrigley (let's not go years before seeing each other again)

Comics: The Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Classic (which I read at Chapters without buying it)

Maybe not so daily...

2010-01-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

So I called this blog "Daily Doings". I guess I was being a little bit over eager. It's only been 10 days since I updated last...so what's been going on?

Not too much.

I've done a little more caching, over in the Craighurst area. I've read some great comics. I've watched some good TV. I decided to get back into the theatre world, and volunteered my services as stage manager to the KCP production of Rumors.

Tuesday I drove over to Collingwood and spent the evening with my friend Mary. We planned to see the early showing of Sherlock Holmes, but by the time we got to the cinema, the show was sold out. So we went to the Spotted Gecko for Thai food. It was really good.

The movie was more fun than I expected. Robert Downey is fantastic as Holmes. I guess my only exposure to the character to the character was scenes from old movies, and Downey was nothing like that. His Holmes is brilliant, arrogant, messy and tough. Jude Law's Watson is a moan of action, the kind of guy you want beside you in a fight. The film totally sets itself up for a sequel, and I will be in line buying a ticket when that happens.

So, that's it in a nutshell. Nothing exciting, just life going on as usual.

Movie: Sherlock Holmes

TV: Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, Republic of Doyle, Modern Family

Book: Oishinbo

Not much goin' on

2010-01-11T10:38:00.001-08:00

But I did get out of the house yesterday. I decided that since the temp was a balmy -4 C it would be a good day to get out and do some geocaching. Now seeing as it is winter, I don't fancy a several mile trek through the wilderness, so I filtered my caching database to only find caches of difficulty and terrain ratings of 2 or less. I also add waymarking into my winter caching, which is kind of like virtual caching but broken down into hundreds of categories. Many of the categories are, in my opinion, stupid like McDonalds or KFCs. Each category you make a find in gives you an icon on your personal chart. What I like to do is, in the categories I don't like, make one find and then ignore the entire category. That way I get the icon, and then eventually my searches will only come up with waymarks that I want to find like historical markers, roadside attractions or museums.

First Waymark Location: St. Thomas Church, Shanty Bay

Categories: This Old Church, Ontario Historic Plaques & Stained Glass

The one geocache I did find was a short hike to Little Lake from a North Barrie suburb. Thanks to a recent snowmobiler, the trail was hard packed almost to the cache location. The find was quick and I was back to the car quickly.

Spent the evening in front of the boob tube. I hadn't watched the Simpsons in years, but seeing as this was the 20th Anniversary 450th episode, I thought I'd watch. The episode was average, eliciting a few chuckles, but I really enjoyed the documentary special that was on right after. It was interesting seeing how the show is received around the world.

Highlight of the night was the return of Chuck. I love that show and the start of the third season didn't disappoint. The direction has changed a little, but the humour, the action and the characters will keep me coming back.

Geocache: Bush Golf GC1Z17F

TV: The Simpsons, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3D on Ice, Chuck

2010-01-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

Another couple of days go by, and I've got no place to go.

I miss having a busy life. The last few years I was always involved in shows so I was always out in the evenings. I have taken a self imposed break from theater and now I'm finding I really miss it. Watching tv or surfing the net is fun for a while, but I need to get out of the house every now and then or I'll go crazy. Hopefully the temps will warm up.

Game: Rock Band 2, 1 vs 100

TV: Top Chef Masters, Republic of Doyle

Behind already

2010-01-07T21:10:00.001-08:00

I had promised myself that I would update this blog nightly, even if there was nothing much to talk about. Of course after only 4 entries, I break that promise. In my defense, not much has happened in the last few days. Tuesday and Wednesday I didn't even leave the house. "Too cold" I said to myself. I spent my time surfing the net, reading comics and purging my PVR of shows I'm never going to watch.

So I had to get out today. Thanks Pete for letting me hang out at the store all day today. Ended the day at East Side Marios with the guys for the usual Thursday night get together. All is right with the world.

Book: Secret Warriors: Nick Fury Agent of Nothing

TV: Modern Family (FUNNY!)

Movie: The Santa Clause 3 (It was on my PVR and it was one of the few things I watched before the purge)

Dinner With the Burnses

2010-01-04T21:18:00.000-08:00

It's always great to spend time with good friends. Ever since I last saw Polly and Bob, she was insistent that I needed to come to her home for dinner. After a couple of missed opportunities, tonight was the night. Once I arrived, the ulterior motive came to fruition. Polly really wanted to know about Facebook, and how to get in touch with all the friends I've introduced her to through the annual December Disney World trips.

So, the student becomes the teacher and I walked her through how to upload photos, and how to use IRC to chat with the gang of us that meet regularly on Wednesday and Sunday nights. We got photos off an XD card thanks to a slot on her printer/scanner, and every photo led to great stories.

The meal was nothing special, but the company, the conversation and the memories were wonderful.

Gift Fight!

2010-01-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

Alison and Graham show off their gift fight winnings

Today was the last of the big holiday get-togethers. What started as our book club's Christmas party has long outlasted the book club itself. We tried to figure out how long we have been having the annual gift fight, and came to the conclusion that it had been at least 10 years.

It was good to see everyone who was there. 2009 was such a busy year that there were many people I hadn't seen since last year's gift fight. Moe and Pam's new place on Lake St. John is beautiful, can't wait to see what it looks like when the lake isn't frozen.

The highlight was the gift fight itself. Many gifts were highly sought after. This created great drama and it may go down as one of the best in the long history of the gift fight. In the end I took home a Glee CD and some flash drives. My gift, a copy of Jeff Lemire's Essex County Trilogy was desired by several people and it is always heartening to see it passed from person to person knowing that they all wanted to take it home. Of course the Stimulator made its annual appearance. It is looking quite bronzed these days. I think this year it went home with Graham.

I hope that in 2010 I get to see these friends more often. They are all great people and we have good times when we are together. Hopefully we can do this kind of thing again before 2011.

TV: an episode from series 3 of QI which I had recorded quite a while back

Family Fun

2010-01-02T19:17:00.001-08:00

Lisa's Birthday Dinner

The holidays are winding down, and with New Year's Day being my sister's birthday one of the last family events of the season is a big family dinner to celebrate. This year my father cooked a prime rib roast on the barbecue spit while my mom prepared all the side dishes and dessert. It was delicious.

It was on the whole a pretty lazy day. I didn't leave the house, but I did watch Doctor Who: the End of Time Part 2. I watched it twice actually. Once this morning, and then again tonight since Space was airing it. It is always better to watch these things legally, kids. The episode was a nice goodbye to David Tennant. The good-byes were a little long, but I guess we can indulge Russel T. his final farewells. I have to admit I did shed a few tears, but I'm left excited for what Matt Smith and Steven Moffat can do. I wonder if the entire Russel T. canon is off limits or if we'll see Martha and Mickey, Sarah Jane and Luke and Captain Jack again?

One last holiday get-together tomorrow, and then we move on to the business of getting the year started for real. So far, so good.

TV: Doctor Who: The End of Time Part 2

Book: Oishinbo: Ramen & Gyoza

Game: Rock Band 2 (Break the Ice was Rockin'!)

New Year, New Blog

2010-01-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

Thought I would start a blog to keep track of interesting things I've done this year. Hopefully, I'll update it nightly, although I'm starting late already. Surprising.

January 1 was a great way to start the year.

Woke up very late in Pickering after a great night of scavenger hunting. Thanks to the Cooks for another great event.

The drive to Barrie wasn't terrible, but people really need to learn how to drive in the snow. If they would just slow down they wouldn't be in the ditch and they wouldn't have to close roads.

Spent the evening at Jay and Christine's New Year's drop in. It was another great event, and I ended up coming home with butter tarts.

Sandy and Miriam at Jay and Christine's Party

So here's to 2010, let's hope it shapes up into a good one.

Movie: none

TV: none

Book: none

Travel: Pickering to Orillia via Barrie

Geocaching: none