TwoBlog

Olivia gave me a good laugh on Saturday. We were listening to ‘Seaside Rendezvous’ by Queen. The unique thing about this song is that it features a lot of unusual instruments and sounds like kazoos and dampened trumpets. That 30’s sort of sound. During the instrumental ‘jam’ part of the song she said: “I like this part of the song. It reminds me of Mario game”. Nice.

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Our 4 year old Canon Digital camcorder went kaput. It uses the Mini digital tapes….the load mechanism on the camcorder failed and we can no longer load tapes for viewing or recording. Which leads to the problem that I have a bunch of used tapes that I need to somehow get the data off of and onto PC and DVD for archiving. But that’s another story.

I went and purchased a Sony XR200 HD AVCHD camera yesterday. In a rush since we needed it for Olivia’s school concert last night. Very slick piece of hardware. Do not purchase a camcorder unless it is HD!

After fiddling around with it, I’m still confused about a couple of things: 1) What does the ‘easy’ button actually do and if I use it, will it wipe out all my customized settings? 2) What is the technical difference between the HDSD (which is default) mode, HDHQ and HDFH? I’m assuming HDFH is highest quality as it takes up more storage. But when I view it on my TV it all looks the same to me. I wish I could find more about this stuff, including the benefits/disads of most of the features. Another example is the ability to change the sound capture from standard to this mode that reacts to the zoom in/out and the panning away and to subjects. Also, the face/smile recognition. The manual is horrendous in explaining anything and I haven’t yet found anything on the web that describes these features in more detail and provide guidelines for setting them in various situations.

Anyway, the concert was a very special experience for all of us. A benchmark in our lives: the first time one of the kids has performed onstage and in public. Olivia was part of her class in singing ‘Let There Be Peace On Earth’. I’m so glad we captured the moment in HD. When watching it on the TV last night, it really felt like being there again.

One thing I’ll always remember: the weater was atrocious. We live only 5 minutes away on a good day. 15 minutes last night. With the horrendous weather conditions, I was shocked to discover the parking lot was packed full and spilling onto the road 20 minutes before the concert began. It appears that parents are fanatical when it comes to their children. Go figure.

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In the first season and only season that I won the H2H football league, I won the championship. Even though I managed to sneak into the playoffs. The plus side was that I had a healthy team and *probably* had really good matchups for my players. I can’t remember. Ignorance is bliss.

The next two years I continued to strengthen my team depth enough to stave off injuries and again sneak into the playoffs (all 3 past years I’ve managed 7-6 records). But those two years were 1st week eliminations. Due to poor decisions made on my part along with good matchups for my competition.

This year it’s a different story, but I am expecting a heartbreak. I finished 2nd in an extremely strong division this year: 10-3 to the leader, 9-4 for me, 8-5 for 3rd and 6-7 4th. So not much difference between me and my 1st round competitor. I narrowly missed 1st place and a much easier 1st round matchup due to the leader squeaking out a narrow narrow win this week. I

The sad news is that because of this, I’m up against an owner who has 3 players pitted against THE weakest defence. And they are 3 of the more significant players on his team….in fact, they are basically the reason why he is where he is. A team that lives and dies with the matchups. A team therefore that I simply cannot respect as the strategy is very limiting. But, alas, it just so happens that this week bodes well for him if it unfolds as it’s supposed to. A team, also, that ‘doubly’ annoys me because he has snatched up two castaways that I had drafted in previous years but dropped for various reasons.

The good news is that although finishing a strong second as pertaining to record, I have the fortune of owning a very productive team that runs very, very deep. I have a very young roster that is not even entering its prime. And some strong dynasty keepers waiting in the wings. So my future is bright and I can withstand significant injury issues. Which is probably why I finished with the highest power rating: a combination of record (2nd overall), points for (1st overall) and competition breakdown (1st overall)….competition breakdown means toughness of schedule, which I had the pleasure of owning.

I outscore everybody on average which means, that given the likelihood my opponent will likely score better than his average, that number may not even reach my average. Add that to the fact that my projected roster has decent matchups means I should score well.

So, some mixed feelings: on paper this will not be a walkover for me. Which adds a level of anxiety. But, if the alternative were that I were a serious heavy favourite (as opposed to the slight favourite I am currently) - I may be overconfident and set up for the big fall.

Barring any of my players hitting the injury report and missing next week ( my QB and #1 RB are both banged up, my #2 receiver is already listed as doubtful), I expect a tight match. And I usually don’t end up on the winning side of tight matches. If I do lose one of my key players, that may be enough to tip the scales. I do have depth as I mentioned, but that depth introduces a bit of a wildcard in predicting my score.

The playoff format of H2H inheritly produces sudden heartbreak. That’s what makes it exciting. Even though I had a spectacular season that was dominant, it all comes down to who’s hot. The parity in the league is such that I can and have lost to almost every team at some point over the last couple of seasons. So on any given Sunday….

But I’m due for some playoff fortune. Two previous close and tough losses. Can’t have 3 in a row. At any rate, the regular season was much fun. I have 2 1st round draft picks next season due to a wiley trade I made, and I like the looks of my team for many years to come. So losing won’t be the end-all be-all.

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It’s been exactly 4 years since the completion of the arcade cabinet. Wow, it is only a few months younger than Olivia! My new phaze I’m going through is Joust. Man, Williams made the best games: Robotron, Joust, Defender, Ladybug. Sure they reused some sounds and graphics but the playout of these games are awesome and unique.

Anyway, I wanted to play centipede the other day and realized that my trackball is kaput. So, it’s finally time for a tuneup. Some of the buttons need tightening as well. I’m impressed how well the machine has held up. Barring replacement of the CPU and probably the monitor, the joystick console itself looks like it’ll withstand many many years…..or until Christien spills a beer that fries it’s motherboard. But that won’t be until he’s 19, right?

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It’s been a long, long time since I’ve done this and my memory is fuzzy but….

- won our league ending golf tournament by shooting 1 over. Raked in some nice prizes including GPS, golf jacket and cash
- won the fantasy baseball league in a tight race.
- watched Olivia progress through her first few months of school. Wow
- watched Christien star walking waaaayyyy too early (11 months). That boy is a lean machine. And strong!
- moved my Mom out of my childhood home. Were some sad moments walking through it and around the property. Also sad at times throwing away memories - the new condo doesn’t have enough room for everything. Once settled into new place by the river, not sad anymore. Don’t have any desire to drive by the old place at all.
- went to a lot of Jays games with the kids. Once with Luc as well. Gotta love that Spaghetti Factory!
- basement finished and loving it! Got the dart board up last weekend. We spend most of our play time down there. Especially just before bed to get the yaya’s out.
- replaced old CR-V with new RAV-4. I miss the old girl. But not that much.
- swimming lessons, swimming lessons, swimming lessons. These kids will be fishies
- The annual cottage trip in Sept. Finally a warm weekend there. Also discovered the baseball pool website is accessible via mobile browser.
- Halloween: Christien in the same BumbleBee costume as OG was: they might as well be twins when you compare pictures. Had a blast watching Olivia go door-to-door with her friend Sydney.
- going through the first true round of both kids being sick and on antibiotics. Oh man, that was rough. 2 words: Chocolate sauce.
- trip to North Bay. Been a while
- Kaastra’s wedding
- did not play baseball for the first time. Helped my golf game reach new and improved heights. It’s all about putting in the time, really, it is.
- enjoyed summer mainly at home watching the kids grow. Got a climber in the backyard courtesy of Willie and Pam.
- garden wasn’t as bountiful this year thanks to cold and awkward weather. Tomatoes were a bust as were my scotch bonnet peppers. Some highlights were abundant leeks, onions and for some reason the green peppers. Zucchini was outrageous. I don’t think we should grow so many next year. Gotta rotate crops next year too.
- new bicycle for Olivia. she’s on trainers now. Also loves her little scooter. So does Christien. Funny to watch as he stands solidly on the scooter while I push him around. Gets very angry when it’s time to stop. He has a temper that one.

Sonia, anything else to mention?

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I just finished sending a message to my friend Chris regarding a Shawarma that is second to none. I realized that I must let everybody in on KW’s best kept garlic secret.

There is a little hole in the wall near Highland and Belmont aptly named “Shawarma”. It is really just a hole in the wall. Visited by devoted customers that are mainly comprised (it seems) of construction workers and desperate computer jockeys. Oh how often those two circles meet.

The menu is robustly composed of Shawarma and Falafel. I’ve never seen anybody order Falafel so I figure they offer it just to beef up that menu.

Why is this shawarma better than any other? The answer will vary depending on who you ask but here are some primary reasons:

1) The spiced chicken is incredibly tender, juicy and tasty. A big reason is that the owner uses 2 gi-normous spits that each hold (to quote Alex) A dinosaur thigh sized amount of sliced chicken. My guess is that they close on Mondays to load up this ridiculous amount of chicken and fire up the flames. Then, they go through the week serving off these spits until they run out, which according to my sources, is usually late on drunk Saturday or mid hangover Sunday. If you haven’t guessed, the shawarma is the ideal drunk/hangover food. At least, that’s what Ian says.

2) The garlic sauce. Probably the primary reason why most people order a shawarma. Well, this place is superior to all others when it comes to the garlic sauce. I’ve been told by some that one should only order a shawarma from here that contains double to triple garlic sauce.

3) The hot sauce and the pickles. The unique combination of these two ingredients takes this shawarma to new heights. I order my shawarma with ‘regular’ amount of garlic sauce and then double hot sauce and pickle.

So take 1,2 and 3 in whatever proportion and the whole combination provides the perfect texture and consistency that delivers a product that is greater than the sum of the parts.

Anyway, I’m hungry now. See you there!

NOTE: the owner has indicated he is working hard to open a new store near the university. Oh to get in on that investment!

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will be titled ‘The Basement 2 - hello Roach’s favourite room’.

Not only am I surrounded by cement and small windows (this fares well when there are unusual events going on in the neighbourhood), but the basement is now finished and has been since June.

But now, those loose electronic wires that were laid through the studding are coming into play. On the wall now sits a 46″ Panasonic Viera G15 Plasma. Attached is the HD PVR and a Sony Blu-Ray (no, not a PS3). I got a great deal on the package where the Blu-Ray was essentially thrown in. So was the installation. Plus a calibration service to make full use of the THX software in the TV.

The installation service paid off. They guys came out mainly to mount the TV onto the wall. But they are tech savvy and showed me how to get the most out of the Blu-Ray and upscaling capabilities to maximize the 1080p of the TV.

The picture is unbelievable. I repeat, unbelievable. Even the old DVDs look outstanding.

Right now, the PVR and Blu-Ray are sitting under the TV. But with the pre-wiring I had done, they will soon be under the stairs in a cubby. There’s a 100ft HDMI that tunnels through the ceiling connecting them to the TV. Yes, that was fairly pricey. There’s also speaker wire to cover the front sides and centre, subwoofer and two wires dangling from the ceiling near the back of the room. There’s even flexibility to go 7.1 if I so desire (which I’m thinking is going to happen).

To enable this, I have an outstanding RF/IR Universal remote that is industrial strength. Can’t remember the model offhand….(I’ll post it later in this thread). It comes with an RF receiver that has about 12 IR outs that you can tape to your devices. Very, very slick. The slickest of all is that it can be programmed for well over 20 devices. And it’s simple and intuitive interface. The clincher is that there are macros and ‘push-through’ capabilities that tightly integrate all your devices. E.g., turn them all off with the same power button. Or, if the remote is currently controlling the cable box, still have the volume button control the TV. Saves having to flip the function on the remote from cable to TV and then back to cable. Can program other buttons to have same thing. So, ‘Guide’ for example, brings up the Roger’s guide regardless of whether I’m on ‘TV’ mode or ‘DVD’ mode or whatever. Unbelievable flexibility. It kicks the Harmony’s butt. Plus the RF is going to come in handy since I also rewired the outside for more speakers. Can control my music from the deck! (See the Media Centre blurb below to get my drift).

The final piece(s) I need to complete the haven:
- Receiver with multiple HDMI switching (with only 1 HDMI to the stairs, I can’t put more than one device there until I get this)
- speakers
- HP Media Server (a glorified RAID storage device up to 4TB)
- a homemade Media Center under the stairs. Oh yeah, forgot to mention I hardwired ethernet to every TV location in the house (and under the stairs) plus am WiFi’d. The goal is to centralize my movies, photos, music onto the Server for sharing and backup. The media center will serve up this stuff to the TV and speakers.

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Olivia and Sonia are heading to Steph’s for the weekend. It’s just going to be Christien and I slumming at home sitting on the couch watching TV!

There’s no way I would have been comfortable taking care of Olivia by myself when she was 13 months old. I’ve come a long way, baby!

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Last night Sean, Sonia and I took a break from our normal lives and headed to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre at the CNE to catch Echo doing their Ocean Rain album accompanied by symphony. For $77 a pop we didn’t know what to expect. My guess was that they would do the album and that’s it.

Was I ever wrong. As the lights dimmed and the gang came out sans orchestra and started hammering out ‘Going Up’, I knew something was up. After the song, Ian said (more or less because I can never really understand what he’s saying) that with all the interviews and ‘ciggies’ he had that day he needed to stretch his voice, that the band had decided to do 2 sets that night: One with a sampling of songs from all their albums, followed by the Ocean Rain album.

Unbelievable! Thus, the event turned into something we couldn’t have imagined. And Ian and the band were on form. Better than I’ve ever seen them, and I’ve seen them many, many times. I think the theatre acoustics helped, but that didn’t account for how ‘on’ they were. Ian had great voice control. Plus the ‘new’ bassist was quite the addition.

Sitting through the first set had some oddness to it. As they were more or less doing their normal gig, I’m used to being in a crowd of people standing/dancing around with drink in hand. And quite a bit more rowdy. Sitting there and politely applauding to the set was unusual. Especially when it was time for ‘Cutter’.

The first set even touched upon a couple of songs from their new album ‘The Fountain’. I don’t know the titles offhand since I’ve just this morning popped it into my car. But they did the 1st two tracks off the album. I think they’re “Forgotten Fields” and “I Think I Need it Too”. They also did, to my delight, Villeur’s Terrace with a merge into Roadhouse Blues. Other songs from the list: Stormy Weather, Nothing Lasts Forever (I wanna play football for the coach…with Ian’s trademark wanderings and meshings into Lou Reeds ‘Walk on the Wild Side’), Show of Strength, Rescue.

The crowd was an eclectic bunch of old-timers and odds and ends. We would be considered young in that crowd. So the energy wasn’t really projecting from the crowd and Ian had to muster it up on his own. One unusual attendee: a 6mth baby that had industrial strength ear muffs on his/her head. Very cute, and very dedicated mother.

It’s tough to dance in the rows and there was some but not much dancing in the aisles. I wonder how that made the band feel? One lady tried multiple times to hand Ian a dozen roses. Not sure if he ever got them.

Between sets was a 20 minute break to stretch and prep. And then it was all business as the band came out to do the feature. And this set will go down in my books as the most memorable Echo concert, scratch that, the most memorable concert moment of my life. I was blown away. So much that I just sat there in my seat, barely moving and soaked it all in. The orchestra fills out the Ocean Rain album so much that you wonder how they pulled any of these songs off in previous concerts without the accompanyment. I know Wills DAT fillins help there, but it doesn’t compare to the rich full and majestic volume that the combination of the band and the orcestra produced.

As the band moved through the songs, right about the end of Killing Moon, you could feel the anticipation building for Ocean Rain itself. And when they performed it, well, words can’t describe it. It was clearly the best rendition I have ever heard. Even Will’s iMAC malfunction wasn’t enough to spoil the moment.

Great times, well worth the coin, and when are they coming back again?

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Sometimes on weekends I do find the time (or we make the time) to do some serious cooking. The same weekend I made the lasagna, I also made an excellent pork tenderloin dish. The reason is that we picked a basketful of pears the previous week from Sam’s tree and needed to start using them up. I have a pork dish I’ve often made using apples and cranberries. Usually during the festive season. But we wondered if the mellow sweetness of the pears would be a good, if not better, substitution for the apple/cran combo. Well, wonder no further for it is true. Here’s the general recipe:

1 good size pork tenderloin (or 2 smaller ones): about 4-5 lbs
chicken broth (1L)
white wine to taste (not too sweet)
stove top stuffing
pears
brown sugar
fresh rosemary
salt, pepper, poultry seasoning

Preparation: slice and fold open the tenderloin so that it is one ‘flat’ piece. You want it to be fairly even and flat…so take a meat tenderizer too it to make it so. At the same time, prepare the stove top stuffing. I would normally say you should make your own stuffing, and you can go ahead and do so, but I’ve done this many times before and it’s not worth the effort in my mind for the minimal (if any) added value.
Once the stuffing is ready, spoon it down the middle of the flattened out loin. You’re going to roll the meat around it so that the stuffing ends up in the middle. So don’t overspoon or it’ll get messy. Once you’ve done this and rolled up the loin, string it up with butcher string and store in the fridge

Prepare the broth. While it is being prepared, peel and cut about 10 or so pears. Place them in a bowl and coat with brown sugar. You want enough so that the roast plus the pears basically fill up the roasting pan. Not enough to completely cover the roast. Just enough to fill in the gaps around the roast.

Set the oven to 350
Take a roasting pan and set the pork into the center. Add the broth. Add the wine. I use about 1/3 to 1/2 a bottle. There should be a enough liquid to cover about 1/2 the roast. Add the pears around the roast.

Sprinkle poultry, salt and pepper to coat the top of the roast. add 4-5 sprigs of rosemary around the roast. I say around and not on top so that the rosemary will stay moist and work its way into the sauce. If you set on top of the roast it may/will dry up and not provide enough value to the subsequent sauce.

Cover and place in oven for 1-1 1/2hrs until pork is cooked and tender. Take the lid off with about 1/2 to go to brown the top. Once done, set roast on cutting board. Cut off string and slice the roast into 1 inch pieces.

Take a hand blender and blend the pear mixture that remains in the pan until smooth. If the sauce is too liquidy, add starch and boil. Pour into a gravy train and serve with the pork.

I like to make this dish with roasted new potatoes and fresh beans from the garden (or flash frozen from the garden).

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