Rodney's Personal Blog: Blog

Monster Bonsai!

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:16:40 GMT

Mr. Miyagi can eat my dust! He might know a ton about Karate and philosophy my Bonsai tree is bigger than his :) OK it really isn't a true Bonsai but it looks pretty nice on the corner of the lot. From a patch of dead grass to this; I must say yard work is a nice change of pace from the normal activities of an IT Pro although I could do without the 40C humidex!

As you can see the other tonne of materials is still piled up next to the driveway. That is for landscaping project number two!

You can see the high res photos on Flickr. http://flickr.com/photos/rbuike/tags/planters/

Thunderbolts and Lightning!

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:06:25 GMT

Well with the 40C humidex we've had for the last 4-5 days it was bound to happen. A big storm rolled in last night and I managed to snag some video of the lightening. I managed to snag a few stills with SnagIt. I am constantly impressed with the quality of video and still photos this little Nikon S51c takes. For $220 at Futureshop I really think you can't go wrong with it.

Two Metric Tonnes

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:26:46 GMT

Two metric tonnes or two thousand kilograms, 2200 pounds however you put it that is a lot and that is what I have piled in my front yard. Summer is here (almost) and there is some landscaping we want to do so we now have a pile of top soil and a pallet of bricks that will be transformed into some retaining walls to border a few trees we have in the yard and create a flowerbed in the front corner of the yard. After 6 hours of digging through some of the hardest clay imaginable, I have the blister to prove it....

....I got the grass removed and an area levelled out and am ready to lay some brink. It is quite obvious that I have had more than a few easy years of work that has left my hands a little soft. Oh well, a little blister never killed anyone and it'll look nice when done :)

I CAN PAINT!

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:45:22 GMT

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!

Grow Your Limits

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:00:44 GMT

So 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

Know Your Limits

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:58:16 GMT

I 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...

- painting the interior
- replace the laminate with new hardwood
- replace some trim pieces
- build a deck
- fix some minor things

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 :)

Thanks 4 the Memories

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:08:12 GMT

It 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/

http://flickr.com/photos/rbuike/tags/brettfavre/

19-NO

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:41:13 GMT

With 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!

Go Pack Go!

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:06:04 GMT

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!

Silverlight Snow

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:50:41 GMT

I'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.

SNOW

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:36:51 GMT

Well 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!

Vegas Video

Sat, 08 Dec 2007 00:59:15 GMT

While in Vegas I did get a chance to take some video from the Bellagio water fountains as well as the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef.

Video: Bellagio Fountain Show

Video: Mandalay Bay Jellyfish

Video: Tiger Fish

Viva Las Vegas

Sat, 08 Dec 2007 00:56:18 GMT

Lisa 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 Man

Sat, 08 Dec 2007 00:49:02 GMT

Wow 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/

My Favourites Places - Ottawa

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 02:28:14 GMT

A 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...)

Byward Market - in the summer this place is hoping with tourists, street vendors and cool little shops and eateries. It is also home to a few of my favorite restaurants.
Nicolas Street Gaol - now a youth hostel they have tours of the place every evening. Be sure to check out the still fucntioning gallows!
Hog's Back Falls - in the Spring when the snow is melting these falls are very powerful and the surrounding park is a great place to relax.
Kettleman's Bagels - You have to have the Super House Special! Warm bagel, Montreal Smoked Meat, Swiss cheese and a special sweet mustard, MMMMMMMM!
Zak's Diner - In Byward Market they have fantastic burgers and the best milkshakes!
Oh So Good - the place to cap of an eveing with a great desert!

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!

Traveling to the Holy Land

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 21:38:10 GMT

I 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.

"Published" Photos

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 12:42:41 GMT

Every 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!

The Tacky Side of Niagara

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 03:11:55 GMT

As 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 Butterflies

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 03:05:20 GMT

Summer 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/

LZYADMN

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:46:11 GMT

The plates arrived and they look pretty sweet!

Perks

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:10:00 GMT

There are perks with every job and it is no different working at Microsoft. I only wish I was at home right now :)

End of Summer 2007

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 21:58:19 GMT

Summer 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 :)

Canadian International Air Show Media Days

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 19:41:20 GMT

Part 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/

Spencer Gorge

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 19:51:09 GMT

A few weeks ago Lisa and I visited Tew's Falls in the Spencer Gorge. We also saw part of Webster's Falls but decided to come back another day to see it all. We went back this weekend to see the rest of Spencer Gorge and the Falls from below.

And from behind.

Along the bottom of the gorge was this odd looking stump.

You can see how the water forms the rocks as well.

The rest of the pictures were added to the old set here --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbuike/sets/72157601681010587/

My New Car

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 23:44:23 GMT

I picked up my new car today; an "Ice White" 2008 Volvo S40 and I couldn't be happier :)

The rest of the pics are at http://flickr.com/photos/rbuike/sets/72157601421439808/

After 358 days.....

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:57:09 GMT

..... I am officially an Ontario resident. One of the first things I had to do when moving here was get my drivers license and car registration. In order to complete the move I needed to get an Ontario Health Card and today I got it. The move is complete. I am here to stay. I am an Ontarian (if that is what we are called).

Vicious Cats

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 01:48:05 GMT

Sure cats may look all soft and cuddly and cute but they can be vicious creatures too! Just look at how my two cats tortured this poor little fly :)

Video: Vicious Cats

Tew's Falls

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 00:07:55 GMT

Lisa often finds these odd little places to go and visit. This time it turned out to be quite a gem. About 30 minutes West of Mississauga is a town called Dundas and just North of there is Tew's and Webster Falls. Quite a nice little area!

Tew's falls are over 130 feet high and very much worth the 1KM hike to see them.

We also hiked over to Webster's Falls.

Not as high at a little over 60 feet, but you can hike down and swim under the falls. We saved that hike for another day! For now the rest of the pics are here --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbuike/sets/72157601681010587/

Windows Vista - OCC Edition

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:31:59 GMT

I had heard the Microsoft had gotten the boys at OCC (from American Chopper fame) to build custom bikes over the years. I got so see one, the Windows Vista bike, recently.

Very cool to see their work up close! The rest of the Vista Bike pics are here http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbuike/tags/occ/

Manitoba Mosquito

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:28:55 GMT

I blogged about the Pigs on Parade in Seattle and this one reminded me of a mosquito back in Manitoba :)

What I really learned at the HPC Workshop

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:12:02 GMT

Guitar Hero II absolutely rocks and I really suck at it!

Pigs on Parade

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 23:52:54 GMT

A few years ago when I was living in Winnipeg there was an event that went on during the summer called Bears on Broadway. It was a very neat idea and Lisa and I went to see them (can't seem to fond the photos I took).

Today as I was strolling through downtown Seattle I noticed something similar, Pigs on Parade 2007. Of course I pulled out the camera and snapped some pics. This one reminds me of the canoe I built...

You can see the rest under my Pigs Flickr tag and I'll be adding more as I find them!

Most Watched Video

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 19:44:07 GMT

A while ago I posted a video I took at the Canada Day fireworks in Burlington, ON. I took the video with the Nikon S50c digital camera that I recently acquired. I am impressed with the quality of the photos and the video that this little sub $400 point and shoot camera takes and you can see some of these pictures at my Flickr page and my Soapbox profile.

What is really cool is that the Canada Day Fireworks 2007 1 video is one of the most viewed videos on Soapbox. It is kinda cool to see a video you recorded online, nevermind being popular. Who would have thought that a 42 second test video would end up being one of the most viewed videos on Soapbox. 3500 views and counting!

Grand Prix of Toronto - Race Day

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 22:36:47 GMT

Today was race day for the Toronto Grand Prix and it was a wet one! This lead to a lot of crashes including one I caught in this video.

Video: Grand Prix - Turn 3 Crash

And of course I took some more pictures.

The rest of the pics are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbuike/sets/72157600688554354/ and more video at http://soapbox.msn.com/?user=3729167212812924600

Grand Prix Qualifying

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 20:12:05 GMT

Today was the first round of qualifying for the Grand Prix of Toronto, one of the stops in the CART series of racing. We walked around the grounds and saw some crazy guys on bikes and a few laps of the qualifying. After seeing the other spectator areas I think I picked good seats at turn 3!

There is a motorcycle in there somewhere!

You can see the rest on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbuike/sets/72157600688554354/ and I'll be taking more at the race on Sunday!

Canada Day Fireworks

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:01:49 GMT

Lisa and I went down to Burlington to see the fireworks on the waterfront. All along the coast of Lake Ontario there were fireworks but Burlington was the easiest to get in and out of traffic wise. I took some photos as well as some video.

Video: Canada Day 2007 Fireworks 1

Can you OD on fruit?

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:15:25 GMT

I sure hope not! With all the farmer's markets now open and in full swing I am getting my 10 servings of fruit and vegetables every day! The new Sunday ritual is to head down to one or more of the local markets for some fresh local fruits and veggies. Now I am used to a lot of local veggies growing up in Manitoba but we lack the climate for a lot of fruit. Now living in Southern Ontario I have access to fresh, local apples, nectarines, plums, cherries, strawberries (OK Manitoba has lots of these) and more.

We picked up a few new melons neither Lisa nor I have seen before. I don't even remember what they are called but they are delicious! I am starting to wonder what I will be able to grow when we have some property and am even looking for something with a bit of land!

Now all I need to find is a local butcher and I'll be set!

Lions in Ontario?

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 19:52:43 GMT

Lions, cheetahs, rhinos, giraffes and more, and in Ontario? Yep, who woulda thought they'd exist. Now they are not in the wild but they are roaming free inside the African Lion Safari just south of Cambridge Ontario and it was well worth the trip as you can get real close to some of them. Like this giraffe!

Or this zebra!

But there are some you want to stay a little further away from. Nice kitty :)

Rhinos also roam about and I bet that horn would do some damage to my Toyota Matrix!

You can see the rest of the pics in my Flickr set!

A Vacation?

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:01:57 GMT

Well Lisa and I got back from vacation the other day. Yes, a real vacation with a trip out of the country, no phone, email, Internet, TV, nothing! We took off to Trinidad and Tobago for a week to visit Lisa's family, get some sun, sand, surf and just relax. We got to see a lot including the Pitch Lake at La Brea

which is really a lake of ashphalt and bitumen. You have to be careful where you stand because some places you'll sink. I stood in this spot for less than 10 seconds and sunk an inch!

We also managed to visit Tobago for a few days and do some snorkeling

see some different vegetation

and check out some of the historical forts.

You can check the rest of my photos at http://flickr.com/photos/rbuike/sets/72157600343604277/

Smog Days

Thu, 24 May 2007 17:19:22 GMT

Living in the GTA now there is something I have to get used to, smog days. Today is the 5th smog day of 2007 and I missed the first four as I was on the road. Want to see a smog day?

This first pic I took on a cloudy, rainy day back in September when I first moved in. You can see Lake Ontario, buildings in the distance, etc....

And this pic was taken today on a "clear" day (as stated by Theweathernetwork.com) in the same direction, same camera, and I even zoomed in a bit to see if I could get any detail in the distance.

Not sure what to say. Growing up in the prairies a clear day meant blue skies, it seems the definition has changed....

My Poor Toe

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 01:56:29 GMT

So the other day I picked up the Wireless Steering Wheel for the xBox360. I love the driving games, tried the wheel at an internal event a while ago and it was on sale at Best Buy over Easter weekend so I grabbed it. It ROCKS! It is so much more fun, and so much easier to drive, with the wheel as opposed to the standard controller. The paddle shifters, the gas and barke pedal, everything make this add-on a must have if you like driving games. Just one word of caution! Don't drive with socks on!

This is my toe. It is broken.

I was in some pretty intense competition online with some drivers from around the world on xBox Live when my foot slipped, my toe got caught and I heard a loud crack. I actually thought I broke the pedal but seeing my toe bent in a way it was never meant to bend was kind of sick. (No photo sickos)

I bent it back and it seemed OK. Then it turned purple. It doesn't hurt anymore but just remember to wear shoes when driving

Going East

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 04:12:09 GMT

For the first time in my life I am going to see the Altantic Ocean. I just realized this today as I looked at a map of Bathurst NB in preparation of my trip out there. Now I have flown over it when I was 15 and my family travelled to Germany, but this is different. Very cool, maybe I'll dip my foot in the water and then when I am in Seattle a few days later dip it in the Pacific Ocean (ok not exactly the Pacific but close enough).

That brings up a whole other issue, travelling from the East coast to the West coast with a day in TO in the middle to really screw up my inner clock. Oh well, should be a load of fun on both ends and I am looking forward to the MVP summit.

Updated Photo Gallery

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 01:47:20 GMT

So Thelazyadmin.com is moving to a new server, running Windows 2003 in the near future and all the OSS software that is running on the old server is not too friendly on the new Windows platform. Because of this I moved my blog here a while ago, I am discarding my way out of date personal site for the time being, and I've finally moved my photos to Flickr. I love Flickr because it has a great upload tool, it's cheap, and it allows me to store full size, high-res copies of my photos for archival purposes.

You can see all the pics, along with some new ones at the new location.

http://flickr.com/photos/rbuike/sets/

The link on the list has also been updated

Aeroplan Elite here I come!

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 01:42:03 GMT

As I looked on my 2007 calendar I was wondering if and how I wuold get enough Aeroplan miles to get to Elite Status, allowing me all the perks that go with that. There was not much planned for me in the first half of '07 but that changed pretty fast! Let's see...

Two trips to Seattle
A trip to Bathurst, New Brunswick
Orlando in July
Trinidad (family wedding) in June
The spring TechNet tour should be good for a few cities

And that is just until July! Aeroplan Elite here I come!!!!

iFailure?

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 03:53:06 GMT

OK so the web has its panties in a bunch with the recent announcment of the not so secret Apple iPhone. I will give Apple this much, it is a cool looking device, too bad it ends there. Here is why I think it will fail....

GSM based - to do any real A/V streaming the bandwidth requires an EVDO connection
Touchscreen - as cool as the idea is, people like tactile controls
Expensive - $499 USD (4GB) or $599 (8GB) USD with a 2 year plan is pricey. There are too many other devices for under $200 (Treo 650/700W, Moto Q, Dash, BlackJack)
No Keyboard - a must for any text messaging or email
No 3rd Party Apps - one of the great things about WM5 is the ease of developing apps for it. Because it is OSX it should offer a good platform but Apple won't allow 3rd party apps
The screen - I know I mentioned the screen, but imagine how dirty it will be after holding it to your face for 10 minutes. You'll be cleaning the face grease off that after every call
Enterprise email support - no word on this but I can't imagine it working with a BES, or Exchange server without a 3rd party app. Yahoo mail is fine for consumers but there is no hope for the corp enviroment
Small HDD - 4 or 8 GB just doesn't cut it. You can get a 4GB SD card cheap enough and throw that into most currrent phones

All I can think of now. Nice try, but it sure isn't 5 years ahead of anything out there today and there isn't anything that it can do that any WM5 or newer BB can do already. You can even get touchscreen only devices for a while now. Comments like that make me want to drink the Kool-Aid at the Apple Headquarters :)

Werid start to the new year

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 21:55:43 GMT

What is more odd, rained out New Year's plans (unless you live in BC), +10C on New Year's Day (again unless you are in BC) or driving up a hill in your car with the engine shut off?

Well that is what Lisa and I have been through in the last few days. First our New Year's Eve plans got rained out and we ended up at home watching Dick Clark. New Year's day was sunny and warm so we headed to Burlington to check out the magnetic hill.

Interestingly enough, Canada has more than one magnetic hill, and we found one just down the QEW in Burlington. It is pretty cool to roll up a hill in your car with the engine off. If is a little tough to find as it is unmarked, on a public road almost in the middle of nowhere. You can find a map to it here. The hill is about 200M high and took us less than a minute to roll up. Once you get to the area, drive south (towards the lake) and stop about 100 feet before the deer crossing sign (yeah I know I should hae brought my camera), put on your hazard lights, shift into neutral and start rolling up the hill.

Also known as a gravity hill, you can find out more (including the truth behind them) here.

Tired of Green, go see Blue!

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 16:46:50 GMT

With the green Christmas we are experiencing (still no snow as of Dec 29th) Lisa and I felt we needed to see another color so we found tickets to see the Blue Man Group.

It was a very cool show, very interactive and for those in the front rows, very dirty. Luckily they are given ponchos because the paint, Jello and who knows what else flies when they are on stage. They are a very funny group of guys and very talented musicians. At one point they were playing a clips of common rocks songs on their PVC pipe arrays, one fellow yelled out "Play Freebird" and after a few seconds of looking down and thinking about it, they did.

They also played their version of White Rabbit from Jefferson Airplane with three different sets of lyrics, the original (for the old folks), updated version for the younger people (think Snoop Dogg singing this) and the one for those in between which weren't really lyrics to any song.

In all the fun they do have a positive message they try to deliver and give you a lot to think about. Throughout the night there are various bits of information, including URLs, none of which I remember. I wonder how we could get them to use http://blogs.technet.com/canitpro

Green Christmas?

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 02:08:48 GMT

I am back at home after a successful Vista/Office/Exchange launch tour with only one city left. After being in Edmonton, Winnipeg over the last few weeks I saw a familiar sight, snow. Coming back to Mississauga this past weekend the snow was missing. When the temprature hit 12C on Sunday I started thinking, is this going to be my first legit green Christmas (There was the trip to Hawaii when I was a kid).

Odd not to see any snow yet but they way people drive here, maybe that's a good thing!

Best. Breakfast. EVER!

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 00:21:35 GMT

So on the recommendation of a DPE team member, Lisa and I headed down to St. Lawrence Market to check things out. I was told to look for a restaurant on the 2nd level that served a great breakfast sandwhich. Peameal bacon is a Toronto tradition it seems and it was being sold everywhere. In a nutshell it is back bacon, rolled in pea meal (ground dry peas). Pretty tasty on its own, but I was told about this sandwhich. The line was long, but the service was fast and the sandwhich, well......

Awesome! Fresh baked kaiser bun with two slices of fried peameal bacon, a fried egg and cheese. I could feel my arteries clogging with each bite but damn was it good. Definatley adding this to my list of favourite sandwhiches right along side the Kettleman's Super House Special in Ottawa.

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Best. Breakfast. EVER!