Namyopia

Everyone who wears glasses has at some point had to function, perform, and somehow get by without being able to see properly. You fell and broke your glasses rollerblading, you're 10 km from home, and well, you can sort of mostly see well enough to wheel home carefully. If you stay away from the grass. And you'll keep your hands out, just in case. After tearing a contact lens today while changing for yoga class, I decided to give the class a try with glasses. I hate wearing glasses for sports because they move around, virtually eliminate peripheral vision, get in the way, and only provide relative depth perception - all things that take away from a enjoyable sporting experience. In certain positions, they also just plain fall off. Now, in most sports, like running, skiing, or cycling, that usually won't happen since your head remains upright. In yoga, however, three moves in and you're upside down, glasses on the mat or at least dangling annoyingly while gravity fights to pull them away from you. So, first downward dog and they were history. This left me with another challenge: seeing the instructor. Luckily, I'd been going to the class before so I could follow what she was doing from her verbal instructions. However, instead of looking like photo 1 below, she looked more like photo 2:

On top of that, the room was dark. One thing I noticed, though, is that I depend on visually focusing on a point to maintain my equilibrium in balance poses. Not being able to focus made these a little tricky. Luckily, I didn't take topple and take anyone out during these poses. All went well, actually - certainly much better than R's yoga Nazi substitute instructor who apparently said "Those of you have bad energy should leave the class right now." No chakra for you! Step aside. (photos from Lululemon.)

Banff Mountain Film Fest (in Mtl)

This is the first time I'd been to a set of films presented as part of the touring version of this film festival. From the 320 entries, 7 were chosen and shown in Montreal which ranged from a 54-minute film of a couples' 8000 km bike trek from Mongolia to India (Asiemut) to shorter films on mountain climbing and technologies helping the disabled reclaim their active lives. Most were quite interesting if only for making one realize how narrow-minded we can become in our daily routines. If you're looking for an escape from the frigid conditions this weekend, you might want to check this out.

The impersonals

I used to wonder why it either took a while to receive a response when I wrote to someone on a personals site or they didn't respond at all. I actually found it kind of rude until I spoke with F about it. She said she received about 200 emails per week! Ah. I just got off the phone with someone who, although she'd given me two numbers at which to reach her, couldn't remember who I was. Even after giving her my name and a brief description of my ad, she guessed wrong when she tried to remember my pic. She did say, though, that it could almost be a full time job answering all the mail she received. To be honest, her ad isn't one of the most catchy I've seen, either, so I can imagine that some women are completely inundated with mail. So, to you guys out there, take note: there is a lot of competition. Don't take it personally.

Apple - it's the interface

It's been a long time since I've owned a Mac - eleven years now. I often miss it. Not for the machine but the user interface (UI), the user experience. One thing that always struck me about the UI, was that they do things right. They were first to let users copy and paste between programs and be able to scale and orient your printed output from any application. It's what and is you want to do and it's consistent across their applications. Enter the iPhone.

I just finished watching the keynote address that Steve Jobs gave at MacWorld to see what all the fuss was about over the new iPhone and can say that they've done it right again. Why? Because they built something around how users atually want to use the device. For example: shrink an image by squeezing it between two fingers on the screen and expand it by stretching two fingers apart; scroll a screen with a flick of the finger; run a real web browser on it; scroll through your music by finger-flipping through album covers like you'd go through your CDs.

Hats off to them for working so hard to keep it simple. That's no easy feat.

Never thought of it that way before

During the sermon at Ukrainian Xmas mass the other day, the priest said something very interesting. He stated that contrary to the story of the Bible, Jesus was not born alone. Millions of Christians were present at the birth of Christ. "How is that possible?" he asked us. Here's where it gets interesting. He went on to say that In the spriritual realm, there is no time. Therefore, all people spiritually exist in all of time as we know it, and spiritually we were all present at His birth. I'll let you think about that.

One of the most beautiful things I've ever heard

Today was Christmas for Ukrainian and other Christians who follow the Eastern Rite: Russians, Greeks, etc. It was the last of the holiday gettogethers for our family and it's one we all look forward to for the great traditional food and lack of commercial distraction this time around.

After mass today, my sisters and I went to parents' home nearby for leftovers from our great meal last night. I was the last to leave and I went to hug my mom goodbye, she said one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard: "When I'm gone, I don't want you to miss me, but I'm going to miss all of you." For a few seconds I couldn't speak and then had to fight back a tear at those simple, spiritual, human words. When the time comes, we'll miss you, too, Mom. For now, though, let's just enjoy that we're all together.

Belated best wishes for 2007

I feel very fortunate and blessed to have the luxury of being concerned about what to write for a New Year's blog post. As I take stock of my life situation, my family, my friends, and the creature comforts I enjoy, I feel that 2006 was a year in which gave me time to both get grounded again and to wonder about things beyond me. Thanks, Fel, for getting the new year off to a great start with mellowed meandering around TO and with your funloving FT crew (Woot!). Thanks to my family, MB, KTO, F, PD, LC, Bonnie and others for being your dependable selves.

For 2007, I wish that you surround yourself with great people and find a way to let your light shine.

From holiday to vacation

At about 1:30 PM today, vacation mode kicked in again. I took some vacation time around the holidays that we were allotted from work in order to have a continuous break from before Xmas until after New Year's. For the past few days, I've been in Holiday Mode with the usual Christmas activities and spending time with friends and family. This was great as I love this time of year. Today, though, with a friend D's brunch and time with old friends, the last of the holiday events took place and vacation mode switched on again. I walked 30 min. from my place to HMV downtown and spent a decadent two and a half hours browsing various sections of the store, from movies to jazz to indie to acid jazz. It's been a while since I've taken time to just relax and wander in a record store, so this was a great indulgence. To top it off, I had 40$ in gift cards to spend. I decided to choose things that I wouldn't normally buy and picked three movies - When Harry Met Sally, Ronin, and Walking Life - and a Parov Stelar CD. I'd first happened across Parov on a groove/lounge music site called Soul Seduction and didn't think I'd ever find an import of his here. Between the find, the flicks, and the combo of gift cards and holiday discounts bringing the total for this loot to a paltry $6.69, it was a good vacation mode afternoon indeed. Popcorn and a movie to follow. Purrrrfect.

Let it sn*w!

First off, I hope you had a Merry Christmas and I offer you my thoughts and prayers if it's been a difficult one.

Our own family is getting together this evening, so I spent Xmas day skiing with the IronGoddess. It was the first time on skis for the 2006-2007 season and it felt great. It was a little odd in one sense, though, as the only snow on the mountain was man made. Every other part of the ski hill was grassy. There were even little creeks running across some of the runs which would normally be snow-covered at this time. I told a friend that the only thing missing to complete with the Spring-like conditions was a little bunny hopping across the trail. Thankfully, there is currently a blanket of white lightly covering the city making it feel more seasonal. I'll take a white Boxing Day if we couldn't have a white Christmas.

A good measure

Today was my last day of work for 2006. Woot! (I think you'd agree Fel, that deserves the t) Things have been hopping at work lately, so despite it only being five days until Christmas, in all the distraction and work immersion it somehow felt a little early to be bidding people farewell with Christmas wishes. RK was one of the last people I spoke to today and he told me about his method for rating how a year went. It's quite simple: how well did I eat and drink? He went on to explain that he likes good food and eating well is a sign that he could afford to splurge on occasion on nice meals, either in a restaurant or at home. I thought about the drink part and offered this: people normally don't drink alone, so drinking enjoyably means you had memorable occasions in which you shared drinks with good friends. That's definitely true for this year. From toasts at RK's and another friend's weddings, to visits to friends and from friends, and even to F and I being comfortable having a beer together, it was a good year in this sense.

A toast to a solid theory, great friends, and wishes for more of the same for next year.

Afterglow

A number of paths of thought converged recently on the idea of what we leave behind when we're gone and in particular, how the symbol of light represents these paths. The symbol is a strong one which is often used to represent abstract notions of guidance, hope, and warmth. When someone is described as a beacon, or the Light of the World, we know what is meant.

Some thoughts on the subject came to mind at last week's funeral for a friend's father and the memories and impressions he left with people. The common theme to stories about him where about the how he'd made a difference to the lives of the people around him as a father, friend, teacher, coach, and person. Another link to the image came courtesy of a Muse CD which Fel passed along to me. Matthew Bellamy from the band says this about life: "You've got to make the most of what you've got here and spread as much influence as you can. I believe that you only live through the influence that you spread, whether that means having a kid or making music". Whether this giving someone hope, shedding light on new ideas, or being flint for a spark of creativity, it is easily thought of in light imagery. The last impression was something F had one pointed out to me about photography. A long exposure shot taken at night of people passing by would show no people, only lights: the only trace left is literally the light they leave behind.

photos by:
Sparky /
David Lindes /
cool_beans00

The loss of a father

The father of a high school friend passed away unexpectedly recently. Today was his funeral. As I followed the service seated next to good friends, a number of memories, thoughts, emotions, and questions came to mind. From what I knew of him and what I know of my friend, I could clearly see where my friend got his knack for making people feel at ease and his generous, sociable manner. Like his dad, though, he's tough in character and was stoic and strong at the wake and service today except for one moment. He delivered a wonderful ending line in his eulogy which went something like this: "In the end, the doctors said it was his heart that failed. From what I know and what we've seen and heard here today, they were clearly wrong." His voice cracked at the end of this line and with it, the hearts of everyone at the service. Even one of the priests on the altar wiped away a tear.

Despite my faith in this life leading to another in Heaven, there is still sadness and sympathy for the regret for things which my friend and his father won't be able to share now. My thoughts and prayers are with you, friend, as the weight of these thoughts sink in over the coming days. Don't be afraid to let us carry them with you.

Pimp my handle

Just for fun, I tried Googling my handle (chub-pronounced choob) to see if the blog would come up. It doesn't (unless it's further along than I tried checking), but some other interesting stuff does:

• a fish
• a US-brewed Scottish Ale (scroll down)
• a band
• a certain community (Which is funny b/c I'm not either. You'll see.)
• last but not least: hype accessories for your MP3 player

Taking a cue from science fiction

Imagine a story set in the future. Picture a groups of scientists in different locations working to find a way to curb the warming of the planet caused by decades of our own ignorance and resistance to change. Envision ideas as wild as fleets of tiny mirrors suspended in orbit above the planet to deflect harmful rays or a veil of sulfurous dust being used to shield the earth from the sun.

Imagine this happening: geoengineering

From Borat to Bwah-aat: a great week

The past week was as event-filled as summer during festivals season in Montreal. It started last weekend with a convergence of work friends from Waterloo, Toronto, and Montreal (my home base) in Kingston. Ten of us took in a matinee showing of the ridiculous Borat, then headed over to the Kingston Brewing Co. for wings, brews, and rounds of trivia questions and Dragon's Breath Pale Ale. We had a great time and once again lamented the fact that we live 600 km apart. I do feel blessed, though, to live in this time: even 50 years ago, it would not have been easy for all of us to get together as we did.

The fun continued this week with Fel's visit to Montreal. She, MN, and I got to hang out and share meals together, see movies (we recommend Kinky Boots as a feelgood movie), get through a hectic work week, and Fel my brother-in-law and I went to the Joe Sullivan Big Band (scroll down) CD launch (clip) on Thurs. night at the laid back Divan Orange on St. Laurent. The band was fantastic and filled the bar with a wall of swingin' sound - BWAAH-AAAT!!

The week ended with a good, group-cooked BBQ meal on Fri. night with MN's beau as barman. Can you end the week on a better note than with good friends, good food, and good martinis? Not this one.

Santé, merci d'être venue, et au prochain Felstival! - Bises, DC.

The other age old question: what's your perception?

A quick Google search puts the nature-nurture argument at 50-50, but sometimes it's difficult to see the line. Consider Person A who goes to a gym, drops a little weight, gets in shape, and in time feels better about themselves. Why do they? Well, there is a physical response to exercise and the release of endorphins which leaves a positive feeling. There is also a change in self-perception and self-esteem, but distinction is more blurred here: does the person feel better because they are physically more fit (yes) or because they are likely perceived to be more attractive to other people (also yes). This change has both internal and external influences and it's difficult to determine the overriding factor: the absence of one would still lead to an improved feeling of well being. What about more subtle factors, like one's voice, height, coordination or state of health? People can be quick to judge someone else by these factors and others which do or don't appeal to them. We know that. But how do these things shape someone, shape you? Would you act differently if you had straight hair and were four inchers taller? If you were 4'10"? Just as one guitar is unlike another and can make you want to play a country lick if it twangs or a jazzy chord if it sounds mellow, I would guess a body would shape a personality, both in how someone responds to their instrument and how others react to it. Whatever kind of instrument you've been given, part of life is figuring how to make it rock.

An age old question: what's your reception?

One interesting aspect of trying online dating is see how different sites go about the process. Some have long, detailed surveys to fill out, some are quick to set up but difficult to filter people well (which means that time saved filling out a profile is later spent browing ads that are too generic), etc. One that I've tried has an interesting feature which lets you see who's browsed your ad. This is great in some ways as it let's you target emails or notes to people who may already have some interest in you. For me, it's confirmed something I've already known: I'm apparently the wrong age.

About 40% of the women who browse my profile are older than I am by up to four years. I'm not superhot or ultrahip by any standards, but simply find that I get along better with people younger than I am. I think it's natural, therefore, that I'm attracted to people with whom I seem to click better. I had thought this would somehow come across in the profiles I've posted, but perhaps not. This notion leads to another interesting question, however: how do our physical selves shape our personalities?

Songs to wear pants to

Somewhere an English teacher just cringed at the subject line ending in a preposition, but there's good reason: it's the title of an unusual site someone pointed out to me: www.songstowearpantsto.com. The author takes requests for songs on any subject and then writes and posts the ditty. Someone's cousin likes the words muffin and puffin, among others, and asked that it be done in Beatles style. OK.

Wanted: dating agent

It's been a while since I've posted, mostly due to time being spent doing other things. On the whole, they're enjoyable things like indoor soccer, volleyball, guitar, and spending evenings with friends, but one of the activities has been a veritable sinkhole of time: online dating. Anyone who's tried it can likely sympathize. It takes some time and effort to find a decent pic, put together a decent profile and write something about one's self which is intelligent, articulate, orignal, and funny. Then there's creating searches, trawling ads, and hoping something interesting comes up in the net. As I said awhile ago, it really is a game or performance and I think the time has come to move to the next level: finding an agent.

Wouldn't that be great? Give someone a headshot, a blurb, and the kind of person you're looking for and let them set up an audition/date for you. That way, you'd be free to do the things you'd rather be doing while someone else is spending time finding your compatible partner in crime. They'd work for a low flat fee plus a commission for any match that lasts four months.

Interested? ; )

The short weeks can be the toughest

Here in Canada we celebrated Thanksgiving on Monday making for a four-day work week. Call me crazy, but I always find that four-day weeks feel like they're eight days long (What? It can't be! We had Wednesday two days ago!) At work, especially, there seems to be an expectation to cram a normal week's worth of activity into four days. In addition to the compressed week, I'm covering for my boss while away he's on much deserved vacation time. Oh yeah, I also drove through a 480$ Montreal pothole the other day which broke the front sway bar links.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow which is going to start with a tasty chocolate-orange bread from the nearby Premiere Moisson and good coffee and end with a massage. In between the two, there's going to be a barbecued, marinated steak with a glass of red wine (thanks RK).

Here's to Friday.