Flickr Update

I have spent many days and countless hours painstakingly selecting photographs (scrutinizing images and asking myself things like; which one of these 219 nearly identical shots of Parliament Hill best evokes in the viewer what it is I want interpreted?), creating titles, descriptions, and tags for each picture (sometimes resorting to series' with names like 'Boats' 'More Boats' 'Boats Again'), and all the while marvelling at how many different places I was lucky enough to visit in such a short period of time.


Please enjoy these recently created sets on my Flickr page:

Moncton & Halifax (Nov/08)
West Edmonton Mall (Oct/08)
Victoria & Ottawa (Oct/08)
Seattle (Sept/08)
Montreal (Sept/08)
San Francisco & Berkeley (Sept/08)
Montreal (April/08)
Seattle (April/08)
Ottawa (March/08)
Edmonton (Feb/08)
Edmonton (Jan/08)
Seattle (Sept/07)
San Francisco (Aug/07)
Seattle (May/06)
Tofino, Ahousaht, & Hesquiaht (March/06)
Victoria (Feb/06)
&
Photo Walking Tours

...plus...

See new additions to Life In Macro (now conveniently organized by date uploaded, with the most recent displayed first!)

...but wait, there's more!

A new collection that I have been compiling at an excruciatingly slow rate for several years:

The Broken Umbrella Series

Flickr Update

I have uploaded four new sets to my Flickr page:

• Ottawa, Toronto & Saratoga Springs


• Halifax Does Vancouver


• PNE 2008


• Gorge 2008

Notes From Edmonton

Yep, I'm in Edmonton again. Monday and Tuesday I was in a strange little meeting room at the back of a Best Western parking lot in North Vancouver. Today and tomorrow I'm in several large meeting rooms at the Delta Edmonton South Hotel and Conference Centre. Basically, I'm in the midst of a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder marathon. And that's all I've got to say about that.

I walked up the street to grab a drink and pastry before the conference began this morning. I didn't put up my 'Do Not Disturb' door knob hanger and when I returned to the hotel I decided to grab something else from my room. When I entered the room there was nobody in it nor had it been cleaned or touched in any way. But there was a single green rubber glove inside the door. Curious.

On Monday I mentioned to Wookiee that I wondered what was going on with Castro - hadn't heard much of anything from that camp since his bro took over. This morning the Globe & Mail that was slid under my door had this front page:Ask and you shall receive!

When I got back to my room this afternoon, the cleaning staff had rearranged all my washroom things and laid them out on a towel. Also curious. More intriguing is the evidence, in depressed circles, that my in room glasses had been washed (read: rinsed) in the sink and left to dry on that towel. Ew. Those glasses might be dirtier now than when I left them. What if the last guest left them here just rinsed and now I'm using them? Gad!

The last time I was in town I stayed at the Fairmont. *gazing wistfully towards the Macdonald* No reused anything in that place!

Flying home on Friday - woo!

Letters from Edmonton

I spent the last few days in Alberta's capital for a Multigenerational Workplaces Forum. There was interactive polling with real time manipulation of data, guest speakers weighing in on Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation Xs and Generation Ys in the workforce, recruitment and retention strategies, "Conversation Cafés" to get the brain juices flowing, and a whole lot of moderators.

Here's what I took home from the Forum:

-The Public Service will not be motivated to adjust the status quo by hiring true Gen X and Ys when they can hire people of Gen X/Y age who have Traditionalist and Baby Boomer values and attitudes.

-Edmonton is too cold, flat, and empty.

-And many quotes...


"Before the average was 2.5 children per family. Now it's 1.2 children. A full child and a coupe of legs running around."

"Powerful right? You hear a song, 'Ah yes, I remember that summer...' Or, as many Boomers remind us, 'We don't remember that summer.'"

"People are not like rocks."

"These generations don't respect people in their positions unless it is earned. Just because you exist, it doesn't make you competent."

"It's the 'Bums In The Seats Principle' - if I can't see you, you're not working."

"And this is what we call being professional? All dress in the same suits, don't show too much emotion, don't use too many adjectives..."

"Boomers are about 'Sex, Drugs & Rock'n'Roll', and Xs are about the fear of sex, drugs and rock and roll."

"You can get this free encryption service. Now, this is basic encryption: the CIA can break it, the RCMP can ask the CIA to break it..."

Waiting For The 2008 Summer Tour

I was in Los Angeles for a couple of days to take in the last two shows of the Dave Matthews Band 2007 Summer Tour at the legendary Hollywood Bowl. The shows were phenomenal. More than that. During the N2 set closer, I told Lance that the night was my blue heaven.


We were treated to an incredibly rare song (#34) that Dave dedicated to his wife on her 34th birthday made even more rare by the addition of lyrics (not done since 1993!). We had Danny Barnes join in both nights on the banjo (love the banjo!). There was John Mayer guesting on #41. And yet another rarity, Exodus, made even more rare by the guest vocals of Stephen and Ziggy Marley (and some of their band mates). For the first time ever, the band also invited the entire crew onstage during the encore break. The energy and atmosphere was, to be corny, magical. The music was innovative for both nights, I met great people, and curled up with old friends on the DMB circuit.


Then there was L.A. You know, I really hate L.A. I can't believe how bad the roaming paparazzi has gotten down there. It's noticeably worse than when I was last down. Guys with cameras and video cameras everywhere. Just waiting. Skulking. It's a soulless place, no doubt. It somehow has a complete lack of character - how do they do that?

Wookiee - thought of you on Tuesday. The club next door to my hostel (so trendy it had no name visible and was constantly stalked by paparazzi), hosted the Jericho Season 1 DVD release party.

Anyway, picture upload to follow...eventually.

Did I remember to post about the Guster show in Seattle the other weekend? I gotta get on this shit.

Flickr Update

I've got a few new sets up on my Flickr site.

Wookiee's Wedding Weekend



1208 Greatest Hits Tour



Gorge 2007

DMB Community

The Gorge was incredible. Again. As always.

We camped at the amphitheatre with a friend from Halifax and two more from Ohio. At the venue I met up with my DMB people who came from Minnesota, California, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, etc.

And then in the venue on N1 I ran into a DMB friend I met in Amsterdam on the Spring Tour.

Beautiful venue, music, and people...it just doesn't get better than that. It's cheese and corn, but sometimes during the shows, when I do a panoramic scan to take in the Columbia River gorge, the tens of thousands pulsing positive energy, the band and stage display, and the blanket of stars above us as the moon rises over the campsite beyond...I get a little teary at the joyous beauty. It's like being wrapped in happiness and friends. Which makes it so hard to leave, and so easy to rush back to year after year.

See you in 2008 for my 8th Gorge in a row!


Pictures from Gorge 2007 will be up on Flickr as soon as I can, but Priority One is repairing my busted up motorcycle, and booking travel to DMB at Shoreline and Hollywood Bowl - this summer tour doesn't end until October!

Crash

So I managed to get into a motorcycle accident on Friday morning. It's taken up some of my time so I haven't posted in a long while. The next snag is that I leave tomorrow for the Gorge for three DMB shows which equals radio silence until next week. Have a great Labour Day long weekend!

-new pictures have been uploaded to my Life In Macro set on Flickr - my fav:

-still haven't got my last trip pics uploaded so I'm throwing one up here - let's go Iconic; this one is of my English friend, what he refers to as 'his' bridge, with San Francisco in the background

Sun Burned Again

Trust me, I'm not complaining about that!

I'm back from my weekend in San Francisco. It was a wonderfully relaxing, intellectually stimulating, huckleberry of a time. My friend was travelling with his 15 year old son, Lineker, and the three of us prowled around the glorious areas of town that have nothing to do with cable cars or Fisherman's Wharf.

Mike and I shared discussions, debates, conversations, philosophical and ideological ruminations, and enjoyed each others' company - perhaps the last time for three years.

I miss him already, but there's no time to dwell...Gorge is next week!

San Francisco pictures to follow...eventually...

Rewards

The upside of massive credit card debt = loads of Airmiles reward miles.

And I am using some of those miles to give myself the reward of visiting my friend from England while he is in San Francisco this weekend.

I'm off to the airport - see you next week!

Pingu? Bingo? Pingo!

I am fortunate enough to have been on a journey from Vancouver to Tuktoyaktuk and back on wheels. Driving through the Northwest Territories we saw many pingos. Since then, from time to time, I refer to pingos. But nobody down here knows what a pingo is.

Today, one notable pingo made the news. In fact, it's referred to as an "icy northern wonder", is the tallest in Canada and second tallest in the world, "is one of eight pingos protected by Parks Canada at its Pingo Canadian Landmark site", and is in danger of being lost due to a bush fire.

If you want to know some cursory information about the pingos of the N.W.T., the article brushes the surface. Or, as Wookiee prefers, check out the Wikipedia page on pingos. Impress foreigners with your grasp of Inuktitut (language of the Inuit) and all things icy cold!

Five Countries In 152 Photos

Come see my city and show pics from the Dave Matthews + Tim Reynolds European Tour on my Flickr site titled Europe'07!

Tour Schedule (to sync with the pictures):

03.05.07 - London
03.06.07 - Paris & show
03.07.07 - Paris
03.08.07 - Frankfurt & show in Offenbach
03.09.07 - Brussels & show
03.10.07 - Amsterdam & show
03.11.07 - Amsterdam airport and flight to Vancouver




~

What Country Am I In Now?

Back at work and not very pleased about it. In the last two weeks I've been to Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Bahamas, England, France, Germany, Belgium, and Holland. By the time I made it to Frankfurt the time zones and different languages had my brain all in a tizzy. I kept using French when I was supposed to be using German, and sometimes I'd forget which country I was in or had just been in - it was fantastic! The Dave & Tim European Tour was the best tour I've ever done with Dave Matthews; not only did I get to chill in some amazing cities and meet lots of people from all over the planet, but I also got to meet Dave twice and Tim once, and I also got to stand at the front of the stage in front of Dave for both the Brussels and Amsterdam shows! I've never been that close to the music and doubt I ever will again - bliss is what it was.

Besides the shows, arriving in a new city & country every day was a wonderful challenge. I managed to see tons of locales at each city and do a little food tour for traditional local eats in each place too: crepes and take out sandwiches in Paris, crazy sausage in Frankfurt, fries and waffles in Brussels, and Bitteballs (don't know how to spell it) and this other kind of crazy hot dog/sausage with filling in Amsterdam.

I'll be posting more about the trip in little bits, but now, I must get back to work. I need to focus because my flight was delayed three hours in London last night (and I had already been at the Amsterdam airport for many hours before getting to London) and when I finally made it back to Vancouver I realized the clocks went ahead one hour. So I'm still very much in a haze of different time zones and languages - oh, and I need a new hard drive before I can even upload my pictures because that is how full my GBs are! Pictures and stories soon!


~

Flickr Update

I have added new images to Life In Macro and started a new photoset for my first cruise.

As always, I'm here to answer any queries - enjoy!

Delayed Developments

I'm back in Fort Lauderdale. Sitting at the airport waiting for our delayed flight to Toronto so that we can miss our connection and take a late flight home to Vancouver. Yay. Now I just have to find the time to pack for my flight to London tomorrow afternoon. I guess I'm lucky to have these problems! I haven't uploaded any of my pictures yet but when I do I'll post an update and link. I'll warn you now, the laptop is not coming to Europe with me, so there will be another blank week with no posts. I could have posted on the cruise ship...if I hadn't been motion sick nearly every minute of every day. Now that's a good time! I'm one of the few people who lost weight on the 24 hour a day eating cruise. Sitting here by Gate H4, I still feel like waves are rocking me to nausea. Maybe boat vacations are not the best idea for me.

Well, guess that's it for now, I'm going to go back to peeling the skin off my sun burn - more airport fun!

Spage World Tour

My world tour began yesterday morning with a 4 a.m. wake-up call. Being in the throes of the flu made it rather difficult to get motivated, but I wasn't going to let anything stop me from going on this trip.

I'm at a hotel in Fort Lauderdale right now, waiting for a bus to transport a big group of guests to the giant Princess ship waiting at the dock. Yep, I'm going on a cruise. My grandma, aunt, and uncle are taking me on a one week Caribbean cruise. We're hitting Jamaica, the Caymans, the Yucatan, and some island in the Bahamas.

What makes this a world tour? Well, the day after we get back to Vancouver, I'll be back at the airport. I'll be flying to London and then taking a train to Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels, and Amsterdam for four Dave Matthews solo shows. That's four concerts in four countries in five days - oh my!

I have no idea how much I'll be able to blog as I go because I have to use the Princess computers for this leg and I'm not even sure if my laptop will make it to Europe, but I'm going to do my best!

-Picture is over the top of my lap top right now, my uncle across the table, and the hotel dining room beyond-

~

Official Photographer

I've become one of those people who take pictures of everything. I don't reserve my camera just for special events, I also constantly snap shots of the every day. When a gathering does occur I relentlessly take photos of the festivities and as a result end up with lots of great moments caught for posterity - which means that I have been named the Official Photographer of the DMB tours I attend. Not by the band of course, but by my friends who also travel to lots of shows.

It's an honour to be responsible for capturing these memories, not to mention a whole lot of fun. And now someone who I think is amazing, has also taken note of my pictures. Recently I got some exciting information from a friend in Nevada; Mike Doughty posted some of my pictures on his blog!

Check out the three posts on September 20th, those are all my pictures from the show in San Francisco and Mike generously credits me for each of them. How cool is that?



~

Vegas to Santa Barbara to L.A.

We've made it to L.A.! I've got a few minutes before we run out to the show, so I'm taking the first chance I've had all weekend to post a little something. Vegas was amazing of course, love that city! I doubled up my investment on both the roulette table and the slots, the show was incredible, and we partied hard Vegas style. Road tripped to the beach the next morning and our motel was a block from the Pacific. Those two days in Santa Barbara went fast, lots of partying, lots of Halloween madness, and two more great shows. We ended up being a group of about 18 people in SB, and this morning 9 of us continued on to L.A. I rode with three others in a Mustang convertible under the California sun - love it. I have second row seat tonight, so it should be a fantastic way to end out this year of Dave Matthews madness. Lots of pictures to come, for now, just a taste.

Leaving For Las Vegas

As usual, down to the wire, I'm not packed, I'm freaking out, going to miss my flight, have to get a post in before I go.

I'm off to Las Vegas tonight where tomorrow night at the MGM Grand Arena, there will be a Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds show to attend. The next morning, we're piling into a rental van and driving across the desert to the California coast where for two nights in a row at the 4,562 capacity Santa Barbara Bowl, there will be two Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds shows to enjoy.

Oh, it's going to be LEGENDARY!



~~~~~

DMB @ Red Rocks

A collection of pictures from my first trip to the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado, September 9-12, 2005.