Massey Lecture!

Yesterday I bought two tickets to the 2010 Massey Lectures stop in Vancouver.  This year's speaker is Douglas Coupland. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm excited to experience the venerable Massey Lecture series.

I hope the evening is different from a normal Coupland reading on a book tour. The event is happening on Oct 12, at the Chan Centre @ UBC.

A nice comment card from work

When guests check-out of the property where I work, they're sent an email comment card.  They're asked a lot of things about their stay, and one category deals with the Overall Experience.

The following was sent to in yesterday, and forwarded to me by my managers today:

This facility is located in a great place and convenient to many attractions and outdoor recreational opportunities. All the staff and resort manager were extremely nice and helpful. Of particular note, Mr. Jon Van Drunan (sic), was very helpful to us in explaining the sites to see in the area, printing directions for us, and greeting us every morning and evening. He made it seem like we had known him for a long time, and is a wonderful example of why I purchased, and have continued to increase my credits with this time share, due to the quality people that are hired, like Jon.


This was nice to receive.


I may use this in my job search.  You can't argue with such superlative performance!  


Ok, Canadian outerwear company, call me back for another interview!

The Memory of Running

Kir gave me this book awhile ago, and I've just started reading it.  It deals with an overweight man who loses his parents in a car accident, and previously lost his sister to a mental hospital.

Today is my day off, and I enjoy reading books on days I don't have to work.  I also like running.  I was about to do both today, but I had to stop my run about thirty metres into it, or less.

I experienced extreme pain in my right knee, and could no longer run.  I've never had a pain like that before, and I am a bit concerned about it.

The only thing I've changed in my life is that I started biking to work.  It's a long way, so I try and go as fast as I can.  I try to push big gears, because I don't want to admit to myself that I'm in worse shape now than I was a year ago.

So now I've got extreme pain in the anterior portion of my knee.  I needed to find out what it was, so I googled it and came across some interesting information.

Cyclists often experience either hip pain or knee pain, and they're the two most common injuries that plague those on two wheels.  These injuries are most common during the early season when the rider's body isn't used to riding, especially if the rider tries to ride big gears too often and tries to push too hard before the body is ready.  The article also mentioned that inflexible lower extremities can add to the problem.

I am guilty on all counts.  I try to ride as fast as I used to, and I try to ride big gears because I assume they're more manly.  I also have inflexible lower extremities.

I'm happy that this preliminary research points to it not being a permanent injury.  I wouldn't want to only have memories of running as a result of a serious knee problem.  I'll have to find other ways of getting exercise for a bit, and with running and biking seemingly out, I'll have to try something new.

ANOTHER fire on Blackcomb?

Rumour has it that Blackcomb is on fire again.  Last year, apparently on this date, it famously caught fire for everyone to see.  It created a burn zone that made for some pretty surreal tree skiing.

Here's a webcam shot, taken this evening.  Is that fire, or something else, top right?

Today around 4pm we had a big lightning storm that included torrential rain and hail, so at first I was skeptical that a fire was brewing on Blackcomb.  Confirmation reports seem to be coming in though, so possibly it's true.

Gas prices rising drastically!

I'm working at the hotel tonight, and have been very busy.  Families are arriving for their summer vacations, single people are coming to check out our little town, and couples come to enjoy eachother's company.

Once such couple arrived from California, and recently came to me to get their keys.  I noted that the girl had a newish-looking wedding ring on, and they were both fairly young.

As usual, they had some questions about Canada, including gas prices.  They said they saw a sign that said gas cost $1.18/L.  I told them that the conversion was about 3.75 litres to a gallon. 

The girl then asked me, "So, it's one hundred and eighteen dollars a litre?"

Hmmm.  I'll throw her a bone here and blame this comment on newlywed euphoria, where presumably common sense is absent.

I think they'll need one of these while they're here.

Biking to work

I've begun riding my bike to work again, and I'm happy about that.

It's taken me awhile to get my 98 Schwinn Moab back in commutable condition, but I finally finished the job yesterday.  I needed a new drivetrain (front chainrings, chain, rear cassette/sprocket) and a new front derailleur, and it was a challenge to find the low-end parts I wanted in this town of high-end rides and wallets. 

My commuter was the third bike that I've shaped into rideable condition this summer; I got my downhill bike ready to go so I could lend it to a friend, and I got Celeste primed and ready as my own trail bike.  All the bikes needed attention, and it's a burden that's now lifted to have them all somewhat rideable again.

I rode into work this morning, from Emerald to Creekside.  According to google maps, it's about a 13K ride.  I'm feeling out of shape, but that's OK.  I hope to cultivate a set of iron lungs before the summer's over!  I left my house at 6:15am, and arrived at work at 6:45am.  I had hoped to have enough time for a shower, but that didn't happen so I settled for a shave.  I'll leave earlier tomorrow.

I feel like I still haven't woken up though.  I was hoping to feel invigorated and fresh when I got to work, but instead I feel tired and it takes me longer to do everything.  I look at all my keys and can't remember which one I need to open the front door; I stare at a blank sheet of paper fresh out of the copier, taking longer than normal to realize what I want is printed on the back.

It feels good though, and I'll make it habit to ride into work.  I'll use my car for sundry trips in the evenings.

I fixed my car!

Shiffy wasn't running well, and then not running at all. I wasn't able to get it started, and was worried that I had an expensive repair on my hands.  I did some research, and found out it was likely a battery issue.

Today, I went to the auto parts store in Whistler, bought a battery, and installed it myself. I'm quite pleased, as I saved myself some money by not taking it to a mechanic. It was really easy to do as well.

After I completed the installation, the car started easily, with the confident engine growl telling me I had been successful. It was really satisfying to be able to do it myself and achieve a good result.

The battery was more expensive than it would have been at Canadian Tire in Squamish, but I was happy to get it right here in Whistler, saving myself the time and gas of going down there to get it.

Shiffy's back up and running! Happy days!