Cold and colder

B-r-r-r. It snows and blows here. I saw the Windspeed on the JerichoWind web site jump from 30 to 50 knots in under 30 minutes today.

My weight blows up to 197 and our best friends are in Maui watching a spectacular sunset as I write. Bastards.

Just finished M.Palin's Python Diaries which were a good light read and gave great insight into the early days of the troupe.

Desperately wishing that I had a photoblogging tool for PPC or my crap Sony T616. So many good shots are sitting on my camera and crap-phone.

(sigh)

The new I-phone may be the way to go http://www.apple.com/iphone if it synchs with Outlook and Exchange. Problem is that pure touch-screen phones are a challenge when you are in a hurry. My 2 weeks on business travel with the I-mate jam taught me that. But I expect Apple to have absolutely nailed the interface.

Dreaming of Kauai and Maui.

Those fuckers.

Hoto
(via email from my PocketPC)

Cold and colder

Wow

OK. Long Break. Turned 40 at 192. Phone is d-e-a-d and now in hands of mobile phone voodoo priest who is attempting resurrection via some evil and dark magic.

Had Christmas at Bragg Creek plus cool visit with Sis, Bro-in-Law and nephew at home. Survived but back up to 196. Mainly booze and chocolates and a fierce lack-of will to blame.

Shell bought me a trip to the Aerie resort (complete with a helicopter ride over) for my birthday, which then got snowed out. Killer storms in BC delayed us until 12/30. Came over today via ferry with D&D and are spa-ing tomorrow prior to a huge New Years eve dinner & dance.

Http://www.aerie.bc.ca

Wow.

Tonight: Drank lots of martinis, prosecco, champagne, La Frenz Montage and amazing Barbaresco Ovello wine (the latter courtesy of our friends James & Janet) and ate the best bread and cheeses that Granville Island's choucouterie (Oyama Sausage Co) could offer.

Now lying in our palatial Hummingbird suite #34 in the Aerie Residences with my iPaq camped on the Spa's wireless network staring out across Juan De Fuca strait at the distant lights of Port Angeles and drinking in the midnight mountain air.

It's all good. So incredibly good.

Hoto
(via email from my PocketPC)

Wow

FW: Workaround

OK: Retro time. Back to the two-body approach. For you non-wireless folks oot thar, that means using my PDA for my mobile computing device, and my old GPRS phone pretty much as a dumb modem for the PDA. Connect the two via bluetooth and it's pretty straightforward after that. My PPC has WiFi but that's still not ubiquitous.

However I can't post pics using email like this, so an alternative solution is required. Am now in search of a Blogger client for PPC2003. Should be easy to find.

Thanks for all your congratulatory notes on reaching 190. Still can't discern my abs but 1 out of 2 ain't bad.

Despite a debauched night to celebrate Don's birthday on Saturday night (SaltLik on Alberni; great steak; cartoonish wait staff; average martinis) followed by a staggering breakfast by Shell on Sunday, AND a self indulgent junk food pigout on Sunday (bag of Smartfood and a chocolate bar) l'm holding at 191.5.

Seven days to go.

Hoto
(via email from my PocketPC Via my Sony T616)

FW: Workaround

Moist

managed to break an oarlock rowing today. This means that with only one oar for balance, the boat becomes quite unstable. Thus I ended up dunked in the chilly waters of Coal Harbour. Coach Boat was along in
no time so I could pull myself out, but my phone was in my pocket, and is now Very Dead.

So no wireless posts with pics for sometime to come.

Hoto
(via email from my PockePC)

Moist

Cheating

Fucking PIcoblogger. I've had enough. OK, I'm breaking with tradition and posting manually.

Cheating

190. Made it

Last night I was 191 and this morning made it to 190. PicoBlogger.com bailed on me last night so I will post a proof pic once I can get it running.

I week early. 21 lbs since July 31.

(From my mobile)

190. Made it

New idea for losing weight

Drink the water in Vancouver. Instant emetic/diuretic.

http://www.gvrd.bc.camedia/2006/2006-11-16-Media-ReleaseResidentsAdvised
WaterQuality.pdf

New idea for losing weight

Not much lost during all the renovations but still headed in the right direction. Haven't been this light in a long time.

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4th and last Day of Renos

Mad rush to try and get the 2nd layer of subfloor down. 3/8" plywood over the particle board sub-sub-floor. Easier since it's not tongue in groove, and the sheets were larger. Mum and I had to do some careful planning and scheming to use the largest bits of wood as possible. Still ended up making hundreds of cuts to get it to fit without wasting any wood. It's amazing how proud you can be of cutting a single 4'x8' piece of wood that wraps around a toilet, around a door frame and up an angled wall. Sad testament to one's self worth. Had to get up close and personal with the commode to squeak it into place. Seems like I spend a lot of my winters on my knees in this bathroom. This time, however, less retching involved.

Managed to shave off 1/2" from the bathroom and sauna door to ensure they'd clear both the floor and the carpet/tiling to come. Got finished in enough time to discover that there wasn't enough carpet or underlay to cover the area. M&D's friend Pierre will get them the flooring they need. He came by for a look-see tonight. Home tomorrow.

Hmph.

4th and last Day of Renos

End of Day 3: A Pile of Sawdust and cuttings to remove

Oy. Before and After.

End of Day 3: A Pile of Sawdust and cuttings to remove

3rd Day of Renos

Today was all about the subfloor. The first layer was 2'x2' particle board pre-glued with a plastic-rubber-compound moulded tile that creates airflow for warmth and a smooth surface. That's what went in today. Tongue-in-groove format meant cutting incredibly complex angles to fit around angled walls, toilets, door frames and casing. Hard on my small brain, but fun to figure it out. Got it done but not without an extra trip to Calgary to pick up more tiles and lots of sawing, sawing, sawing.

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3rd Day of Renos

2nd Day of Renos

Ceiling Tile completed today. Did all the fiddly bits that we weren't able to finish with Colin and Johnny. Yesterday was 96 (almost all whole pieces) while today was 35 little bits of pressed-wood tile. Multiple angles and crooked beams now look smooth and clean. Mum plastered, painted and stained the walls. Managed to work around each other and each other's schedules. Managed not to get too much paint or stain on me either.

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2nd Day of Renos

1st Day of Renos

Floor area cleaned out by Mum, Dad, Colin and Hoto. Johnny and Colin help with putting ceiling tiles up. Used Colin's compressor nail gun and stapled the lath to the ceiling across a cats cradle of joists, frame members, plumbing and crooked walls. Here, John's hard at work inspecting colin's efforts. Worth every penny we paid him. OK, he did carry all the wood and materials downstairs.

Couldn't have done it without them both.


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1st Day of Renos

Alberta Gets All The Good Sunrises

Sunrise on the Marquis de Sade trail south of Calgary. (Well, it's something like that anyway.)

On the way to return Colin's saw. Blessed thing rattled all the way to High River in the back of the rental car. Drove me very slightly mad. But worth it.

Nice visit with Simpsons at their enormous house.

Good tea, too.

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Alberta Gets All The Good Sunrises

Oy! Made it back down. We'll see how 4 days of hard labour in Bragg Creek affect the waist line. Renos to Mum and Dad's place over a long weekend. Stay tuned for results.

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sunrise over Garden Bay, Sunshine Coast, BC

Fantastic storm the previous night followed by a moon set and this sunrise in the morning.

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sunrise over Garden Bay, Sunshine Coast, BC

He-e-e-res Johnny!

It's that time, I guess. thanks to the candy lying around the office, I am back up to 197.

Less than 30 days left, so no more fucking around.

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He-e-e-res Johnny!

A wintry and treacherous drive

On the Coquihalla coming home from Brian's birthday party. praise for shell's driving and the all wheel drive Escape. made it home in 4.5 hours, in time for rowing at noon.

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A wintry and treacherous drive

Sheldon, Paul and Ruth looking for charts.

This is in Paul's rehearsal space in his back yard in Tsawwassen.

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194

The scale actually said 193 when I first stepped on, but when I went to get my phone to snap a pic, I somehow gained a pound.

Bloody air.

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194

Plateau

Managed to lose ground this week. Back up to 196 thanks to pizza, martinis and cookies. Last weekend I ran 8k, cycled 30 and rowed about 6. This weekend I cycled only 16 and only rowed about
3k since my instructor was particularly gabby this time around. And it rained so hard that it stung my legs where it hit them. Choppy too.

This week I should be able to make new ground as long as I don't blow it out on drinks at the Government Mule concert on Wednesday. http://www.mule.net

Hoto
(via e-mail from my PocketPC)

Plateau

A quick tour

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A quick tour

The entrance to Coal Harbour

floating just off the Bayshore with Stanley Park to my right.

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The entrance to Coal Harbour

2 at the very most

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2 at the very most

Sculling

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Sculling

Lardblog

The main reason I started posting my weight is that my family seems absolutely obsessed with the topic. It is the very first thing that my sister and mother mention when they see me... Whether I am looking lighter or heavier... Better or worse. My sensibilities used to be vaguely
Insulted by this, even though it was only family, until I realized that it is in fact an entirely British pastime, like grumbling about the weather or the government. As I found on numerous trips to the UK, Brits seem to almost invariably feel they are overweight and so find comfort and solace in the endless comparison between their own waistine and that of others.

I am, needless to say, no longer insulted.
Perhaps until my waist line begins to grow again.

Lardblog

Vancouver Traffic Cameras

Last night I created a mobile optimized web page for traffic, ferry line-up, highway, bridge and border web cameras around the lower mainland.

Useful for out-of-towners to get a glimpse of BC life as it passes by?

Perhaps.

Put this link into your phone or desktop browser.

http://www3.telus.net/hoto/tp/

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Vancouver Traffic Cameras

195

Back to 195 this morning. No problem to get to 190 in 55 days.
Binge and purge, binge and purge...

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195

Crunches

Bicycle crunches are backbreakers. I need a way to do them without causing lower bachache. Perhaps while lying comfortably on my side. In bed. With a good book.

Anyway: 120 tonight. Sounds like pathetically few given that 40 is less than 60 days away.

Still haven't booked a party for Trev and I either. (He turns 40 two days before me.)

Hmmm...

Hoto

Crunches

in the sunshine at the Vancouver Rowing Club

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