Updated Side Bar
As you may have noticed, I've updated the sidebar with some new links. These include some other sites I run as well as a few now-defunct sites I used to maintain. As well, I've thrown in some external links for good measure.
A quick update on my life over the past few weeks:
M and I have been spending a lot of time looking into purchasing some property up North somewhere. My preference is for the HW6 area on the way to Owen Sound, but most of our results so far have been in the Muskoka region. I'm looking for a large wooded lot (at least 3 acres) where I can go camping, do some hiking, and (hopefully) build a log cabin. This is a significant project that has the potential to present a challenge for years to come.
Last weekend, M and I went camping with her entire family, their significant others, and her sister's dog. Car camping was a bit subdued when compared to the camping I've gotten used to since starting to hike the Bruce with M last year. We camped near Grand Bend from Saturday afternoon to Monday morning. On Sunday, we roasted on the beach and then walked around town for a bit. This weekend coincided with M and my second anniversary, and we shared an inside joke that her family was very nice to have all come together to help us celebrate.
I spent the previous week in Decatur, Illinois on a business trip. This was my second trip to the US in a month, and I'm hoping I don't have to go back soon. I may soon be assigned to a large controls project based in Cuba which would, on top of offering a great opportunity for growth and travel, prevent me from going on business trips to the US (I think). That is, of course, unless Castro passes away and leaves the country ripe for a revolution.
I ran another Urban Quest race on July 29th. This time, our team did not place at all. A new race format and a major miscommunication by the race directors at the beginning of the race caused us to return to the start looking for the next clue only to find the race volunteers already gone. While this was certainly disappointing, I still enjoyed the day. It was amazingly hot for running though, and the lack of water stations during the race forced us to buy a total of 12 Gatorade bottles (in addition to the four we started with) while on the run. I consider this lack of water to be the biggest (and most dangerous) failing the TCSSC had that day.
During the weekend of July 22nd, M and I joined numerous Lawrence family members, Erick, Selena, and David Zach as we rode our bikes from Grand Bend to London and back to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. M did really well using a bike she borrowed from a friend, while Erick and Selena had great success with a tandem bike they rented for the weekend. Dave and I, however, both experienced knee problems and lagged towards the end. I'm hoping a neoprene knee brace will help me avoid these problems in the future.
A number of us also recently attended Dave Gulas's wedding in Ottawa. As the wedding was on Friday afternoon, M and I opted to leave Thursday at noon and spend a long weekend in Ottawa. Highlights include some enormous hedge mazes, walking around downtown Ottawa and Byward Market, visiting the National Gallery of Canada, seeing the light show on Parliament Hill at night, and of course, the wedding itself.
Over the Canada Day long weekend, M, Chris, Vijay, Erick, Selena, Arick, Dave Gulas and myself took a [long, long] trip to Algonquin for three days of interior camping and portaging. After some initial stress due to my lack of canoeing skills, the weekend was a blast! My admiration for early Canadian explorers and fur trappers has gone up immensely, as those men carried weeks worth of equipment on their backs and didn't enjoy the benefits of modern ultralight technology.
Upcoming plans:
This weekend is the Taste of the Danforth event in Toronto. The following weekend, M and I (and possibly Jordan as well) might be ready to head North to look at some properties for sale. Within the next three weeks, I'll also have to help M move out as she's leaving her Waterloo room behind for good.
Now we are faced with a tough dilemma: We both want to travel for a significant (perhaps 2 or 3 years) period of time, and waiting will only make the decision to uproot ourselves harder. However, traveling costs a lot money (despite working odd jobs while traveling) which we of course have a limited supply of. Additionally, I'm at a point with my current employer that makes me want to stay here at least one more year. Alternatively, I could put a down payment on a house. However, to avoid the nightmare of a 25 year mortgage, I would prefer to wait until M is employed and can help with payments. Decisions, decisions.
A quick update on my life over the past few weeks:
M and I have been spending a lot of time looking into purchasing some property up North somewhere. My preference is for the HW6 area on the way to Owen Sound, but most of our results so far have been in the Muskoka region. I'm looking for a large wooded lot (at least 3 acres) where I can go camping, do some hiking, and (hopefully) build a log cabin. This is a significant project that has the potential to present a challenge for years to come.
Last weekend, M and I went camping with her entire family, their significant others, and her sister's dog. Car camping was a bit subdued when compared to the camping I've gotten used to since starting to hike the Bruce with M last year. We camped near Grand Bend from Saturday afternoon to Monday morning. On Sunday, we roasted on the beach and then walked around town for a bit. This weekend coincided with M and my second anniversary, and we shared an inside joke that her family was very nice to have all come together to help us celebrate.
I spent the previous week in Decatur, Illinois on a business trip. This was my second trip to the US in a month, and I'm hoping I don't have to go back soon. I may soon be assigned to a large controls project based in Cuba which would, on top of offering a great opportunity for growth and travel, prevent me from going on business trips to the US (I think). That is, of course, unless Castro passes away and leaves the country ripe for a revolution.
I ran another Urban Quest race on July 29th. This time, our team did not place at all. A new race format and a major miscommunication by the race directors at the beginning of the race caused us to return to the start looking for the next clue only to find the race volunteers already gone. While this was certainly disappointing, I still enjoyed the day. It was amazingly hot for running though, and the lack of water stations during the race forced us to buy a total of 12 Gatorade bottles (in addition to the four we started with) while on the run. I consider this lack of water to be the biggest (and most dangerous) failing the TCSSC had that day.
During the weekend of July 22nd, M and I joined numerous Lawrence family members, Erick, Selena, and David Zach as we rode our bikes from Grand Bend to London and back to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. M did really well using a bike she borrowed from a friend, while Erick and Selena had great success with a tandem bike they rented for the weekend. Dave and I, however, both experienced knee problems and lagged towards the end. I'm hoping a neoprene knee brace will help me avoid these problems in the future.
A number of us also recently attended Dave Gulas's wedding in Ottawa. As the wedding was on Friday afternoon, M and I opted to leave Thursday at noon and spend a long weekend in Ottawa. Highlights include some enormous hedge mazes, walking around downtown Ottawa and Byward Market, visiting the National Gallery of Canada, seeing the light show on Parliament Hill at night, and of course, the wedding itself.
Over the Canada Day long weekend, M, Chris, Vijay, Erick, Selena, Arick, Dave Gulas and myself took a [long, long] trip to Algonquin for three days of interior camping and portaging. After some initial stress due to my lack of canoeing skills, the weekend was a blast! My admiration for early Canadian explorers and fur trappers has gone up immensely, as those men carried weeks worth of equipment on their backs and didn't enjoy the benefits of modern ultralight technology.
Upcoming plans:
This weekend is the Taste of the Danforth event in Toronto. The following weekend, M and I (and possibly Jordan as well) might be ready to head North to look at some properties for sale. Within the next three weeks, I'll also have to help M move out as she's leaving her Waterloo room behind for good.
Now we are faced with a tough dilemma: We both want to travel for a significant (perhaps 2 or 3 years) period of time, and waiting will only make the decision to uproot ourselves harder. However, traveling costs a lot money (despite working odd jobs while traveling) which we of course have a limited supply of. Additionally, I'm at a point with my current employer that makes me want to stay here at least one more year. Alternatively, I could put a down payment on a house. However, to avoid the nightmare of a 25 year mortgage, I would prefer to wait until M is employed and can help with payments. Decisions, decisions.
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