As some of you know, I've been teaching a Driver Improvement course at work about once a month for the last 5 years. Make that, I TAUGHT a Driver Improvement course at work. On Tuesday, I taught my last course as we are going to an online DI course starting in June.
It's cool, as it will now take people about 45 minutes to do what I used to take 3 hours to teach. So goes the march of technology, I guess. I will miss having those days away from the program to meet new people and impart my 'wisdom', but since I almost always had to teach on my day off, I probably won't miss it TOO much.
So it goes... so it goes...
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Beware The Phlogiston!
This is really cool. WETA, the folk behind the Lord Of The Rings movie effects, etc., have made a line of steampunk ray guns. If I had a spare $700 US to drop on one of these bad boys, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Luckily, I don't, so I won't.
Mmm... Baby Cow
We had a delightful dinner down in Milton on Saturday to celebrate my grandpa's 80th birthday and Kate's birthday too. It was at a little Italian restaurant... I was happy that I was finally able to have some veal. Mmm... Veal.
Garrett was almost well behaved enough to survive the night and Kara slept all evening. Oh well.
It's a shame about the washrooms and how they were 'locked'...
Garrett was almost well behaved enough to survive the night and Kara slept all evening. Oh well.
It's a shame about the washrooms and how they were 'locked'...
Friday, May 25, 2007
WoW Dance Moves
This is the coolest and funniest thing I've seen all day. Someone synched up the dance routines in World Of Warcraft with the real-life dance moves that inspired them.
Very snazzy.
Very snazzy.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
More pictures!
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| From Kara Wager |
Monday, May 21, 2007
Well, That's Unlike Me
Today I went against my better judgement and had a rather full day. It was completely spontaneous but it was a pretty productive and packed day for all of us.
It started this morning around 6:30-6:45 or so. I was awake and decided to hop in the shower. After I got out, everyone was still asleep, so I was looking forward to having an hour or so of family-free gaming before Garrett woke up and the day got crazy.
Of course, as I was heading down the stairs, Garrett popped his head out of his room and said hi.
So began my nutty day. On a whim, I decided to get Garrett dressed, pack a quick breakfast and go fishing! We drove around a bit looking for somewhere to fish and ended up back at Fairy Lake again. Garrett tried casting and reeling again and after a few tangles, he got bored and wandered around the beach, making friends with the people walking their dogs nearby.
After we finished fishing (9:30ish), we headed back home, caught our breath and then the whole family trundled off to the garden center to get some grass seed and topsoil.
I then spent the whole afternoon digging up weeds, spreading top soil and seeding the lawn while Garrett entertained the neighbours with his antics.
Suffice it to say, I'm pooped. I think I finally sat down and got a chance to catch my breath around 4ish or so.
At least I have the season finale of 24 and a lovely glass of raspberry & chocolate dessert wine to sip whilst watching it :)
It started this morning around 6:30-6:45 or so. I was awake and decided to hop in the shower. After I got out, everyone was still asleep, so I was looking forward to having an hour or so of family-free gaming before Garrett woke up and the day got crazy.
Of course, as I was heading down the stairs, Garrett popped his head out of his room and said hi.
So began my nutty day. On a whim, I decided to get Garrett dressed, pack a quick breakfast and go fishing! We drove around a bit looking for somewhere to fish and ended up back at Fairy Lake again. Garrett tried casting and reeling again and after a few tangles, he got bored and wandered around the beach, making friends with the people walking their dogs nearby.
After we finished fishing (9:30ish), we headed back home, caught our breath and then the whole family trundled off to the garden center to get some grass seed and topsoil.
I then spent the whole afternoon digging up weeds, spreading top soil and seeding the lawn while Garrett entertained the neighbours with his antics.
Suffice it to say, I'm pooped. I think I finally sat down and got a chance to catch my breath around 4ish or so.
At least I have the season finale of 24 and a lovely glass of raspberry & chocolate dessert wine to sip whilst watching it :)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Shrek
Garrett and I gave Julie a break yesterday and saw Shrek The Third.
I quite enjoyed it. I think that while it doesn't have the sheer barrage of pop-culture references that the first two did, it probably had a better story overall. And the music was great. Best use of Immigrant Song since the viking kitties.
I guess the reviews haven't been terribly kind to it, but I don't know if they were watching the same movie as I was or if I'm just easier to please. Whichever it is, I got a kick out of it and Garrett actually sat still for almost the entire thing. He did get a little fidgety 3/4's of the way through but settled down once he moved over one seat.
I quite enjoyed it. I think that while it doesn't have the sheer barrage of pop-culture references that the first two did, it probably had a better story overall. And the music was great. Best use of Immigrant Song since the viking kitties.
I guess the reviews haven't been terribly kind to it, but I don't know if they were watching the same movie as I was or if I'm just easier to please. Whichever it is, I got a kick out of it and Garrett actually sat still for almost the entire thing. He did get a little fidgety 3/4's of the way through but settled down once he moved over one seat.
Teach A Kid To Fish
On Friday, Garrett and I trundled down to Canadian Tire to get him a fishing rod. He has been asking for one for a few weeks and I needed something to do with him on Friday, so what better reason did I need?
We picked up a Spiderman fishing kit (of course)and after a quick trip to the tackle store to renew my license and get some worms, we hit Fairy Lake for some fishing.
Suffice it to say, Garrett really wants to fish... he just doesn't want me to teach him. He has a little fish-shaped dummy weight on the end of his line to help him practice casting and he's slowly learning how to cast and reel in his line. It's just that every time I try to help him, he freaks out and refuses to let me help. Ah, the stubborn almost 3-year-old independence is shining through.
Garrett thought it was really cool how the worms got put on the hook but was ticked that he couldn't have a hook on his line yet. That said, on my second worm, I ended up landing a 2-3 pound rock bass. Garrett helped me reel it in and thought it was the coolest thing ever. He even got to touch the fish, something he now insists on telling everybody. "It's slimy!" he says, adding "It's THIS big," as he stretches his arms out wide. Ah, he's a natural fisherman.
It wasn't a bad first day fishing. I figure that if he can keep practicing with his rod and the dummy weight, he'll actually be able to cast before too long. I ALMOST got him the Rocket Rod, which is a pretty cool rod that launches the bobber out instead of having to be cast, but I was afraid he'd end up launching the bobber at someone's head.
Plus this way he has to learn to cast properly.
We picked up a Spiderman fishing kit (of course)and after a quick trip to the tackle store to renew my license and get some worms, we hit Fairy Lake for some fishing.
Suffice it to say, Garrett really wants to fish... he just doesn't want me to teach him. He has a little fish-shaped dummy weight on the end of his line to help him practice casting and he's slowly learning how to cast and reel in his line. It's just that every time I try to help him, he freaks out and refuses to let me help. Ah, the stubborn almost 3-year-old independence is shining through.
Garrett thought it was really cool how the worms got put on the hook but was ticked that he couldn't have a hook on his line yet. That said, on my second worm, I ended up landing a 2-3 pound rock bass. Garrett helped me reel it in and thought it was the coolest thing ever. He even got to touch the fish, something he now insists on telling everybody. "It's slimy!" he says, adding "It's THIS big," as he stretches his arms out wide. Ah, he's a natural fisherman.
It wasn't a bad first day fishing. I figure that if he can keep practicing with his rod and the dummy weight, he'll actually be able to cast before too long. I ALMOST got him the Rocket Rod, which is a pretty cool rod that launches the bobber out instead of having to be cast, but I was afraid he'd end up launching the bobber at someone's head.
Plus this way he has to learn to cast properly.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Four Bathroom Candies!
So a couple days ago I was at work when I got this call.
"Garrett just came out of the bathroom and said he ate some of the bathroom candy."
"Bathroom candy?"
"The only thing it could have been is the Tums. Everything else is locked up in the medicine cabinet."
"How many did he take?"
"He said 4."
I looked at the bottle of Tums we had at work and figured that it would be a good idea to call Telehealth just to be safe.
Julie called and was transferred to Poison Control. Thankfully they said that it would only give him a tummy ache at worst, so crisis averted.
That said, we've now gone and put those funky doorknob spinny things on a few of the doors in the house now that he's gotten good at infiltrating restricted areas.
Kids. I tell ya.
"Garrett just came out of the bathroom and said he ate some of the bathroom candy."
"Bathroom candy?"
"The only thing it could have been is the Tums. Everything else is locked up in the medicine cabinet."
"How many did he take?"
"He said 4."
I looked at the bottle of Tums we had at work and figured that it would be a good idea to call Telehealth just to be safe.
Julie called and was transferred to Poison Control. Thankfully they said that it would only give him a tummy ache at worst, so crisis averted.
That said, we've now gone and put those funky doorknob spinny things on a few of the doors in the house now that he's gotten good at infiltrating restricted areas.
Kids. I tell ya.
Time For Obedience School
So Julie broke down yesterday and bought a leash... For Garrett.
It's actually really cute. It's a little dragon/frog thing that he wears on his waist and it connects to a fanny pack that Julie can wear. It has basically become a requirement though, as Garrett just buggers off whenever he goes out with Julie when she's pushing the stroller.
It only plays out about 5 feet, so he can't get too far. He's paranoid that he'll get wrapped around a tree though... he kept saying that would happen if he went to the park.
It's actually really cute. It's a little dragon/frog thing that he wears on his waist and it connects to a fanny pack that Julie can wear. It has basically become a requirement though, as Garrett just buggers off whenever he goes out with Julie when she's pushing the stroller.
It only plays out about 5 feet, so he can't get too far. He's paranoid that he'll get wrapped around a tree though... he kept saying that would happen if he went to the park.
Extreme Mormons
I'm not sure if anyone else has seen this yet, but check it out. It's pretty funny.
"You're either a Latter Day Saint or a Latter Day Ain't."
Hee hee.
"You're either a Latter Day Saint or a Latter Day Ain't."
Hee hee.
Sl-Eep?
So last night I get home from work around 11pm, Julie & Kara went to bed around 11:45pm and I settled in for an hour or two of Gears Versus action.
Woo! Lots of fun, much chainsawing to random strangers and I got the lowest score on every map.
So I drag myself off to bed around 2am which is plenty of time for me to sleep seeing as the kids don't usually wake up until around 7 or 8...
HA!
I think that by the time I had my light off and was asleep, it was pushing 3am. Stupid coffee at work... So I'm asleep for about an hour, hour and a half and then Julie wakes me up to cuddle Kara for a bit since she was getting rather cranky come 4:30am.
I've seemed to have had the magic touch with Kara lately. Not last night/this morning. She just wouldn't settle down. Out of respect for Julie and her lack of sleep, I took Kara downstairs and figured I'd watch Daily Show & Colbert from last night while she calmed down.
She finally fell asleep around 6am. By this point in time, I've watched both shows from last night and am wide awake myself. I took care of some stuff online that I had to do and then it was almost 7am when I finally dragged my carcass up to bed to see if I could at least get a couple hours of sleep. Julie was taking the kids to the drop in center this morning so I figured I'd get to sleep till around noon.
Double HA!
Who do I see climbing a ladder past my window at 7am as I'm tucking into bed? The roofer guys. I kid you not, today, of all days, the roofers are here, banging and hammering away all morning. I tried, oh how I tried, to sleep through it, but to no avail.
So here I am in a sort of zen-like daze, sort of staring off into space and playing the 360 while roofers bang and hammer away at the roof.
At least I called in sick to work. There's no way I'd be any use to them today. I've just gotten over this stupid cold that I was fighting all last week and about all I'd be good for today would be holding down a couch and/or staring at the ceiling. I just hope the roofers finish at a decent time today so I can try to grab an hour or two of shut-eye before Lost.
Woo! Lots of fun, much chainsawing to random strangers and I got the lowest score on every map.
So I drag myself off to bed around 2am which is plenty of time for me to sleep seeing as the kids don't usually wake up until around 7 or 8...
HA!
I think that by the time I had my light off and was asleep, it was pushing 3am. Stupid coffee at work... So I'm asleep for about an hour, hour and a half and then Julie wakes me up to cuddle Kara for a bit since she was getting rather cranky come 4:30am.
I've seemed to have had the magic touch with Kara lately. Not last night/this morning. She just wouldn't settle down. Out of respect for Julie and her lack of sleep, I took Kara downstairs and figured I'd watch Daily Show & Colbert from last night while she calmed down.
She finally fell asleep around 6am. By this point in time, I've watched both shows from last night and am wide awake myself. I took care of some stuff online that I had to do and then it was almost 7am when I finally dragged my carcass up to bed to see if I could at least get a couple hours of sleep. Julie was taking the kids to the drop in center this morning so I figured I'd get to sleep till around noon.
Double HA!
Who do I see climbing a ladder past my window at 7am as I'm tucking into bed? The roofer guys. I kid you not, today, of all days, the roofers are here, banging and hammering away all morning. I tried, oh how I tried, to sleep through it, but to no avail.
So here I am in a sort of zen-like daze, sort of staring off into space and playing the 360 while roofers bang and hammer away at the roof.
At least I called in sick to work. There's no way I'd be any use to them today. I've just gotten over this stupid cold that I was fighting all last week and about all I'd be good for today would be holding down a couch and/or staring at the ceiling. I just hope the roofers finish at a decent time today so I can try to grab an hour or two of shut-eye before Lost.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Are You My Mommy?
That was odd. The phone just rang a few minutes ago, which, given that it is 7:30 or so on a Sunday, is a bit out of the ordinary.
I picked up the phone and said, "Hello".
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
"Um. Is this the right number?" asks a somewhat confused voice.
"It depends. What number were you trying to dial?"
"I'm trying to call my mom and wish her a happy Mother's day."
"Well, I think you might have the wrong number then."
And with that he hung up.
Of course, that could have been Garrett calling from the future or maybe Julie has a secret adult son that she hasn't informed me about... Hmm...
On that note, Happy Mother's Day, Mom (by which I mean, my mom, Julie's Mom and Julie herself).
I picked up the phone and said, "Hello".
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
"Um. Is this the right number?" asks a somewhat confused voice.
"It depends. What number were you trying to dial?"
"I'm trying to call my mom and wish her a happy Mother's day."
"Well, I think you might have the wrong number then."
And with that he hung up.
Of course, that could have been Garrett calling from the future or maybe Julie has a secret adult son that she hasn't informed me about... Hmm...
On that note, Happy Mother's Day, Mom (by which I mean, my mom, Julie's Mom and Julie herself).
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Learn To Read
This is a neat site with all sorts of flash-based literacy tools for kids.
Does it beat a book, no, but it's free and better than a boot to the head.
Does it beat a book, no, but it's free and better than a boot to the head.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Hi Ho, Hi Ho
It's back to work I go, tomorrow...
I'm kind of looking forward to getting back into a work routine and also getting some time away from the human tornado known as Garrett. I might actually feel rested after work, something I haven't felt for the last 2+ weeks :P
Plus it'll probably take me all day tomorrow just to catch up on what I've missed in the last 3+ weeks. Whee!
I'm kind of looking forward to getting back into a work routine and also getting some time away from the human tornado known as Garrett. I might actually feel rested after work, something I haven't felt for the last 2+ weeks :P
Plus it'll probably take me all day tomorrow just to catch up on what I've missed in the last 3+ weeks. Whee!
Facebook, Shmacebook
I have a bit of a quandary with Facebook and Myspace. I keep having people send me invites to their Facebook friend list, etc. These are people I genuinely would like to stay in touch with.
Just not via Facebook or Myspace. I haven't set up an account on either service and don't intend to ever. I know it's a good way to touch base with people you went to school with ages ago but frankly, and maybe I'm just an old coot, if I haven't bothered to touch base with you since high school, I probably don't want to.
I do have one friend, Mr. Pete, who seems to only be reachable via MySpace, which sucks. I do want to keep in touch with him, but I refuse to break my no-MySpace rule, even for good ol' Pete.
Sigh.
Stupid crappy networking websites with design circa 1998 and their global appeal.
Just not via Facebook or Myspace. I haven't set up an account on either service and don't intend to ever. I know it's a good way to touch base with people you went to school with ages ago but frankly, and maybe I'm just an old coot, if I haven't bothered to touch base with you since high school, I probably don't want to.
I do have one friend, Mr. Pete, who seems to only be reachable via MySpace, which sucks. I do want to keep in touch with him, but I refuse to break my no-MySpace rule, even for good ol' Pete.
Sigh.
Stupid crappy networking websites with design circa 1998 and their global appeal.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Too Much Sun For My Son
Ok. I like a sunny day as much as the next guy, but I can't handle all this bright light! If nothing else, Garrett & I are getting a lot of vitamin D since we're spending almost the whole day outside. No wonder I just want to sit down at around 8pm or so and play the 360 for a few hours since I've been running around like a crazy guy all day chasing the clown.
We took a break from the sunshine today and spent a couple hours at the local pool, which was a lot of fun. Garrett isn't quite swimming yet, but he's able to motor around the pool which comes up to his neck, so he'll be swimming soon.
Kara's doing fine. She was out gardening and got a round of golf in... oh, wait, I mean, she slept, ate and pooped all day, which is basically her modus operandi at this stage in the game. She's been great, at least during the night. She sleeps most of the night and only really wakes up if she's got a dirty diaper or is hungry. Hooray! She went to the doctor on Friday and is a chubby little baby, just like she should be.
And Julie is getting some sleep. Probably not as much as she would like, but more than she was getting the 2-3 weeks prior to Kara being born!
Time to tuck Garrett into bed and then see what wonders await me in the land of the Xbox later this evening.
We took a break from the sunshine today and spent a couple hours at the local pool, which was a lot of fun. Garrett isn't quite swimming yet, but he's able to motor around the pool which comes up to his neck, so he'll be swimming soon.
Kara's doing fine. She was out gardening and got a round of golf in... oh, wait, I mean, she slept, ate and pooped all day, which is basically her modus operandi at this stage in the game. She's been great, at least during the night. She sleeps most of the night and only really wakes up if she's got a dirty diaper or is hungry. Hooray! She went to the doctor on Friday and is a chubby little baby, just like she should be.
And Julie is getting some sleep. Probably not as much as she would like, but more than she was getting the 2-3 weeks prior to Kara being born!
Time to tuck Garrett into bed and then see what wonders await me in the land of the Xbox later this evening.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Bruce Vader
Hee hee. Garrett is watching Star Wars for the first time since he was really capable of concious thought. Darth Vader just walked into the blockade runner and my son goes, "It's Batman!"
He refuses to change his mind. Darth Vader IS Batman.
Sigh.
Of course, Julie is just sitting there, smirking at us as we argue over Darth Vader's real name.
At least I was able to teach him what a Jawa is. That elicited a headshake from the peanut gallery.
He refuses to change his mind. Darth Vader IS Batman.
Sigh.
Of course, Julie is just sitting there, smirking at us as we argue over Darth Vader's real name.
At least I was able to teach him what a Jawa is. That elicited a headshake from the peanut gallery.
Friday, May 04, 2007
New Pictures
Remember to check the web album for new pictures of Kara. I haven't loaded up any in the last day or two, but I'll probably have a few more up soon.
We took Garrett & Kara out for a portrait sitting on Thursday morning. Suffice it to say, it's a good thing that we had a patient photographer and that there weren't any families waiting in line for us. Garrett was a little excited about being able to sit and play with trucks and such while we waited for the picture to be taken.
That said, we have some very nice pics of the two of them. I almost wish the one of Garrett giving Kara a kiss had turned out better, as it was really cute, but oh well.
We took Garrett & Kara out for a portrait sitting on Thursday morning. Suffice it to say, it's a good thing that we had a patient photographer and that there weren't any families waiting in line for us. Garrett was a little excited about being able to sit and play with trucks and such while we waited for the picture to be taken.
That said, we have some very nice pics of the two of them. I almost wish the one of Garrett giving Kara a kiss had turned out better, as it was really cute, but oh well.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Quilt-Napped
Julie and her mom were in the local paper today.
It was a freeze-frame still from the local bank. I think they were robbing the place.
Har har.
Seriously though, they were in the paper looking at quilts at a local church garage sale.
At least, I think it was Julie and her mom. The caption says Julia, not Julie. And Louise is from Sarnia, not Corunna... at least according to the paper.
Oh well.
It was a freeze-frame still from the local bank. I think they were robbing the place.
Har har.
Seriously though, they were in the paper looking at quilts at a local church garage sale.
At least, I think it was Julie and her mom. The caption says Julia, not Julie. And Louise is from Sarnia, not Corunna... at least according to the paper.
Oh well.
My 360 Can Blog Too!
Yes, give it a couple days, but soon you can get snide comments from my 360.
What? I have a 360? Yeah. I picked one up today. There is a crazy deal going on at EB where if you trade in 10 games, you get a 360 Premium for less than half the price. Even if I waited a year, I wouldn't be able to get a 360 for that kind of price.
So I'm now officially next-gen, and just in time for my next-gen!
What? I have a 360? Yeah. I picked one up today. There is a crazy deal going on at EB where if you trade in 10 games, you get a 360 Premium for less than half the price. Even if I waited a year, I wouldn't be able to get a 360 for that kind of price.
So I'm now officially next-gen, and just in time for my next-gen!
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