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April 29 I CAN PAINT!
So a while back I wrote about a paint job gone bad. After seeing the troubles the pros had painting the "red room" and hearing them say how hard it is to paint red I thought I'd give painting another try. I must say I did learn a thing or two watching the pros paint as well. Like paint the trim first, then once dry tape the trim, do your cuts then roll on a coat. Now the pros don't actually use tape but I did :) I also replaced all the baseboards so I painted those and nailed them in place afterwards. Much easier to roll the paint to the floor and cover it with baseboard later! So the spare bedroom is now painted, pictures hung and the bed will go in on Friday once our new bed arrives for the master bedroom. With a master bedroom that is 18' wide but 15' deep we had room for a king size bed :D
With that in place the only thing left (hopefully) is the hardwood floors, a dining room table and some yard work. Floors will get done when we can decide on a type of hardwood (I like Walnut, Lisa likes stained Birch). The dining room table is coming next week sometime and Nutri-Lawn is coming to get the lawn healthy again. It never seems to end but I am enjoying every bit of it! April 12 Grow Your LimitsSo maybe I can paint. It turns out the deep reds are the hardest colors to paint. Even the pros have troubles getting it just right spending almost three days to get the room right. There is still one small bedroom left that I will try myself at a later time.
I have learned that I could fill in for the Maytag man having installed a new built in dishwasher. It took a few hours but it worked the first time. I did cheat, aka read the install manual, but hey that is what it is there for right? I've also managed to replace the thermostat with a digital one. Being the geek I am of course it is a 7 day programmable LCD touch screen thermostat. It will save up to 30% in heating and cooling costs but it looks really cool too
 One the paint has cured the next project is new baseboards in the bedroom and office and eventually the living room after I try my hand at hardwood floors!
If you follow me here you are probably wondering where the photos are. They are coming as soon as I unpack the camera  March 31 Know Your LimitsI am the kind of person who likes to think he can do it all. I learn fast, learn by watching and have always been pretty good with this approach. So we bought a house recently and we wanted to make it our own so to speak with a few minor renovations like...
Not a huge list and most things I know I can do because I have done them in the past. Painting is not one of them but I've seen it done many times and figured it can't be that hard. I am the kind of person who likes to think he can do it all. I am also the kind of person who knows when to fold them, knows when to walk away. I am not a painter. Yes I could get it done. Yes it would take some time but it would be satisfying knowing I did it myself. I am a reasonable person. We have hired a painter to get a few rooms painted in the new place. At least it will get done right, and get done in a reasonable time frame :) March 05 Thanks 4 the MemoriesIt was a sad day today. Brett Favre, #4, starting QB for the Green Bay Packers for the last 253 straight games retired. All I can say is I am glad I made it to Green Bay this past season to see him play. http://www.packers.com/history/brett_favre_tribute/
    February 04 19-NOWith my Packers out of the playoffs I normally couldn't cheer for the team that knocked them out. If the New York Giants would have been playing any other team besides the Patriots I wouldn't have been. But the cocky, brash Patriots, lead by the convicted cheater just turned me off the AFL team. What a game! What an ending! What a bittersweet victory! And what an awesome t-shirt! January 04 Go Pack Go!13-3! Who woulda thought? Now I am a huge Packers fan and think that when Brett Favre is at QB you always have a chance. But 13-3? I didn't think that was going to happen but the entire team played incredibly well all season and are deserving to have won their division (for the 18th time I might add) and host a playoff game. Playoffs, Lambeau Field, the frozen tundra, Brett Favre, I just had to go. FedEx just delivered my ticket for what is going to be an incredible weekend!
Not only is there a great game, but I also snagged tickets for the playoff pep rally the night before as well as the tailgate party at Brett Favre's Steakhouse before the game. This is the view (click on the photo to enlarge) from the seat of the last game I was at and I am in almost the exact same spot on the opposite corner in Lambeau Leap territory! Go Pack Go! December 16 Silverlight SnowI've been using Silverlight for publishing my video lately as it is a much better option for a few reasons than Soapbox. I recorded this short video of the snow storm that hit the GTA on December 16th. If you don't have the Silverlight plug in installed just click on the box below and it will install automatically and then return to view the video. You can double click on the video to view full screen.
SNOWWell it has been a long time since I saw a snow storm like this. Having been here for almost a year and a half I've gotten used to the weather pretty quickly. I mean -5C feels cold now and 1cm of snow seems like a lot. Nothing like a real winter storm to remind me of home :)
Usually when I can't see across the street it is fog, but this brings back memories. I think I will be working from home tomorrow! December 07 Vegas VideoWhile in Vegas I did get a chance to take some video from the Bellagio water fountains as well as the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef. Viva Las VegasLisa and I headed to Las Vegas recently and spent a long four days touring the city and surrounding sites. We were so busy we didn't even get a chance to bet a single penny. Maybe that was a good thing because we got time to see some amazing sites. Like the Hoover Dam...
...the Grand Canyon...
...and oh yeah, Las Vegas!
More pictures from our trip here --> http://flickr.com/photos/rbuike/collections/72157603347468159/ Travelling ManWow it has been a busy few weeks travel-wise. Four weeks on the road with the My TechNet Security Tour, a trip to Green Bay to see the Packers demolish the Minnesota Vikings, a short trip to Ottawa for some meetings and then off to Vegas for a week vacation. All that travel did get me over the Aeroplan Elite hurdle and now I can travel with a little extra convenience. Of course I did take pictures on my travels to Green Bay...
Brett Favre arriving the morning of the game ready to throw for 350+ yards and 3 TDs.
One of many hand offs to running back Ryan Grant.
Of course no trip would be complete without a stop at the Packers Hall of Fame...
...but the highlight was walking down the tunnel onto the field...
and touching the same plaque that the many players have touched running down that tunnel every Sunday. You can see the rest of the pics from Green Bay here --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbuike/collections/72157603722838472/ October 17 My Favourites Places - OttawaA lot of what I blog about is now focused around the stuff Lisa and I do in Toronto and the surrounding areas. But I travel a lot across Canada and I have things that I love to do in every city I visit. I thought I put those down here so a) I don't forget about them and b) so you can check them out when you are in the area!
First stop Ottawa! There is a ton of stuff to do in Ottawa but a few must sees are... (I am leaving out the obvious ones like Parliment Hill etc...)
Check out my pictures of Ottawa at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbuike/sets/72157594538144089/ and make sure you see the city once in your life. It is a great place to spend some time! October 16 Traveling to the Holy LandI know where I am going to be on November 11th, 2007. Section 103, Row 7, Seat 4, also know as Lambeau Leap territory. I'll be with 65,000+ of my closest friends watching Brett Favre lead the Green Bay Packers against division rivals the Minnesota Vikings. Lambeau Field, November, division matchup, should be a great game!
Sure I paid more than the $59 sticker price but it is going to be worth EVERY penny. October 10 "Published" PhotosEvery once in a while I get an email through Flickr asking for permissions to use a photo I have taken. Not being a professional, in fact far from it, I always jump at the chance to share one of my "masterpieces". It is pretty cool to see your photos in brochures like the 2007 Valleys and Vistas Guide (bottom right and left photos) and now this, the official site of the City of Niagara Falls. They liked this photo and posted it in their gallery.
http://www.niagarafalls.ca/about_niagara_falls/photo_gallery/index.asp#119 They have some other amazing photos up and it is definitely worth a look! October 03 The Tacky Side of NiagaraAs I mentioned in another post, Lisa and I headed back to Niagara and discovered the tacky side....
We also found a cool restaurant that featured a volcano, elephants and a thunderstorm that caused excitement every 22 minutes.
Butterflies, Butterflies and More ButterfliesSummer is over and although the weather is still nice, I am about to head out on the road for a month so Lisa and I decided to head down to the Niagara region to check out some things we saw the last time we were there. We stopped by the Butterfly Conservatory and checked out the over 30 different types they have flying around.
Of course I took many more pictures than I could post in this entry and you can see them all here http://flickr.com/photos/rbuike/sets/72157602220270759/ September 24 PerksThere are perks with every job and it is no different working at Microsoft. I only wish I was at home right now :) September 23 End of Summer 2007Summer is over but that means that Fall is arriving. One of the things I love about Autumn is apple season. Not having the ability to go apple picking before, Lisa and I headed out to pick ourselves some apples!
We picked 20 pounds worth of apples and 10 different varieties including Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Macintosh, Lobo, Jona Gold, Jona Red, Empire and Mutzu and Tomlin Sweet. The weather was beautiful, 24C, the sun was hot and the apples were plentiful but you can tell it was the last day of summer.
Plowed fields, red, orange and yellow leaves. At least there is no snow :) August 31 Canadian International Air Show Media DaysPart of my job is to look at how the real world uses Microsoft technologies to accomplish things such as, well, the Canadian International Air Show. Through www.on10.net I was able to secure some media passes to attend the pre-air show media days. There is a video coming shortly, but I have photos!!! Day one was held at Pearson International Airport. Of course our very own Canadian Snowbirds were there.....
Landing for the first time ever on non-US soil (aircraft carriers are considered "soil") was the USAF F-22 Raptors.
And the monsterous C-17 transport, which I managed to get behind the controls of :)
Day two was held at the Toronto City Center Airport and highlighted the civilian stunt pilots. Patty Wagstaff was highlighted on Microsoft Flight Sim a few years ago and is a legend in flying circles.
Rick Volker is also a well-respected and accomplished aerobatic pilot. I got to go up in a chase plane to film him in action.
There are plenty more pictures from both days located here --> http://flickr.com/photos/rbuike/sets/72157601772065706/ |
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