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I had hoped I would have faired better than that but anyway, there's my result.

Here's a joke for ya:

"Hello, is this the FBI?"

"Yes. What do you want?"

"I'm calling to report about my neighbor Billy Bob Smith! He is hiding marijuana inside his firewood."

"Thank you very much for the call, sir."

The next day, the FBI agents descend on Billy Bob's house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept. Using axes, they bust open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana. They swore at Billy Bob and left.

The phone rings at Billy Bob's house.

"Hey, Billy Bob! Did the FBI come?"

"Yeah!"

"Did they chop your firewood?"

"Yep."

"Merry Christmas Buddy."

And with that, I'm outta here!

g.

Okay...

I know, I don't write with any regularity and then I post like a fiend!

I had to bring two quotes to you from the awesome person who is GeWilli:

I'm putting on weight, eating lots and lots, which hopefully down the road can be energy re-routed to muscle growth or long ride fuel. At least that's how I'm looking at me getting fat.

It plays off the fact that once i get talking its often hard to shut me up...

Hee hee! I'm takin' the same approach to my Christmas/winter "fuel storage". LOL!

I think Jim will back this up when I say that the second quote also fits me to a "T" so you're not alone Geoff... okay, I'm shuttin' up now!

g.

I made it!

It looks like the migration went okay.

Phew.

I was over readin' GeWilli's blog and wandered over to Kerry Litka's diary and read her latest entry and had a good chuckle. It took me back to my highschool days and the wise-cracks that I hung out with... I could just imagine that conversation happenin' in the hall hangin' out at the lockers... hee hee!

"Dude, don't exacerbate me while I'm masticating."

I'm also happy to announce that Jim won his bet and will be enjoyin' a very expensive bottle of wine that I'm hopin' will be opened while I'm around! ;)

The more I think 'bout CC2007 and the latest route on the low maintenance ports, the more excited I am about doin' it. As I said to Jim, the nervous feelings I get as I imagine tryin' to find the portages is quite exciting. I'm lookin' forward to the challenge. We talked about some of the things we'll do different for CC2007 and basically the list can be summarized as:

• pack less food
• pack less clothing
• buy the new gravity feed filter
• buy the "bent paddles"
• make sure we have down time to enjoy our time in the park
• slow down enough to enjoy the first day trek to Robinson Lake
• snap more enroute pictures
  

In my usual stream of consciousness approach to writing... Christmas was great! The boys were really excited with the gifts we got them and we really surprised them by hiding the air hockey table in the back room and not showing them 'til they opened all their gifts under the tree. They absolutely loved it and they were thrilled to get the hockey net for outside too. It took forever for me to put the net together. It turned out that the gut feelin' I had about the instructions being wrong were spot on! They had me puttin' the net on upside down. The frustrating part was that I insisted that I stick to the instructions and got nowhere except pissed off. In the end, I gave it another go late last night and flipped the net around to the way I thought it should be and it went together easily. See, sometimes it doesn't pay to read the instructions first!

I'll have to download the pictures and movies from the camera and post some up here.

Well, back to work for another day... have a good one!

g.

Why do I feel...

that awful feelin' in the pit of my stomach with this on my screen:














I'm hopin' that the big blogger 'puter that I imagine is up there at eBlogger Central can perform this task without me havin' to start my blog all over again... I'll push publish and see what happens... good luck and I'll see you on the other side!

g.

From the comfort of my home...

Jim and I discussed the possibility of altering our route for CC2007 to include a swing back on close to 6km of low maintenance portages. He had proposed it a while back and my initial reaction was 'No friggin' way". After a glass of wine and a few of Christmas Port, we have decided to give it a go with the option to change our mind at any time. :) I suggested that perhaps on day 2 when we're staying on Robinson Lake, we could make a little trip out to do the first of the low maintenance portages out of Robinson to see what it's like. We would have the luxury of leaving our packs at camp and just having our waistpacks and the canoe. Jim pointed out we could also try fishing in the next lake over (Junco Lake) as we both want to make sure we get some fishin' in and ideally have a meal of fish.
This year we had a little taste of what a low maintenance trail would be like 'cause there were some tornados and severe winds in the weeks before out trip which resulted in downed trees blocking many portages. I had the canoe on when we came across this blockage which resulted in me having to climb over one tree and leave the trail to go around the next. It wasn't as easy as walking the open trail but it wasn't impossible. Right now we've got all the courage you can have sittin' in the kitchen surfin' the internet lookin' at pictures but I'm pretty sure we're gonna do the low maintenance route Jim outlined on this map he posted to his blog.

We got talkin' about how we really like the historical site we've come across in the park like the logging alligator on the site of the Barnett Farm Depot on the southern shores of Burntroot Lake. Jim said he found that most people he showed the pictures to weren't grasping the significance of what they were lookin' at. A common response has been "soooo, it was used for logging?" A less common response (but also the one we identify with) is "Wow! That thing pulled itself over land? Can you imagine what that was like? It would have been cutting edge technology but it would have been hard work." There's also the raspberry patch at the Barnett farm that had grown wild and taken over the clearing where you can imagine there was some sort of work yard or area where the loggers loaded up their horses or piled all the supplies they would then haul down the slope to the water where their boat would be docked. Cool.

Jim also told me that he showed his Dad a picture that I took of the steam fittings in the alligator that showed the name of the company that manufactured them and he knew of the company from his days in mining as an explosives engineer. He said the company still existed in the 1960's... cool eh?





I just showed P* the pictures and talked to him about what an alligator was and he was totally into it. He wants to go up to Burntroot with Jim and I and perhaps he'll get his opportunity in the next 4 years. I want him to be stronger at swimming and build his stamina so he can handle the portages.

Well, I'm gonna head off and hold G* for a bit and enjoy the Christmas holiday.

Happy Christmas everyone!

g.

Here's a mini-review...

of the yoke pads that Chosen Valley Canoe Accessories sent to Jim. Take a look at the video that Jim put in his blog.

It's looks very promising for the portaging. I know that there's nothing that would make it easy but without the yoke burying itself into my spine at the base of my neck, it will be easier. I also think that with the sling design, the yoke won't be pressing into the muscles in my shoulder so again, it'll make it easier. The biggest problem with the portaging was the pressure points; the weight of the packs and canoe were not an issue for me. I really get excited about CC2007 because of two things: 1) the challenge of the portage and being able to correct some of the mistakes we made this year and 2) the idea of staying on Robinson Lake on the island we found on the trek out this year. The picture on the left is what we'll be lookin' at as we sit in our thermarest camp chairs relaxin' after catchin' some fish for dinner and sippin' our tetrapak of wine. Aaaah, that place is our little piece of heaven on earth. People who have never been up there will never fully understand how awesome it is up there. I can't wait!

Jim and T are coming over Friday night (I hope) and we're gonna have some Christmas cheer, play some games and have some great laughs. I only hope that Marie has the energy to stay up for a bit. I bought some Christmas Port for Jim and I to try as well as some red wine from the McLaren Vale in Australia. The first wine is from d’Arenberg and called "d’Arry’s Original Grenache Shiraz" and of course is a blend of Grenache and Shiraz. I'm really looking forward to trying that one. The second is called Holy Trinity from Grant Burge Wines. It's a blend of 9% Grenache, 36% Shiraz and 25% Mourvedre. I've never heard of the Mourvedre grape. These are two wines I've never tried but they come highly recommended from someone I trust with a fairly experienced palette.

The port is from Dow's and it's a Reserve Port released for Christmas. I was tempted to pick up another bottle of a port that I bought last year from Warre's (the 10 Year old Otima tawny port) but I decided to be a little more adventurous like I was with the wine. I guess I was in a mood when I was shopping eh?

The last two items I bought were beer. The first was for sentimental reasons... it's a beer that I had with my Uncle Kevin in his local pub just outside Wigan when we visited England 5 years ago called Old Speckled Hen. It's a live beer over there so I have hopes that the new can might be a close representation although I don't expect the same experience. The second beer I bought is a fantastic beer from near where I grew up. Hockley Valley Brewing Company makes a very nice beer called Hockley Gold. I really think they've struck a good balance between having some flavour and not being too strong to scare aware the Coors Light crowd. Hey, Marie and I both liked it so it's got to be a good balance since we prolly represent both ends of the spectrum.

I wouldn't mind hearing any other recommendations on wines, ports or beers that you've enjoyed.

Gotta run.

g.

Here's a website I got lost in...

Tail of the Dragon is about a section of a US highway that has 318 curves in 11 miles. The couple that writes on the site also documented their various trips in and around SC, GA and FLA. I found it quite interesting to read and it had me wishin' for a motorcycle again. I had hoped to get my M1 a couple of years back but I ran into resistance from Marie. Ya see, before we got married she worked with people who had acquired brain injuries. That means they were either a victim of tragic circumstances or they were doin' something pretty stupid like riding a motorcycle at high speeds doin' tricks or somethin' like that. Hence her resistance to me gettin' a motorcycle.

Anyway, have a read if you get a few moments and let me know if you found it interesting too.

g.

Today is the first day...

that I'm struggling to stay awake since the baby was born. Marie had a headache all day yesterday and through the night so stayed up late last night to help with the baby and then stayed back this morning to help with the baby and gettin' the other kids ready for school. It was nice to spend time with the boys this morning but it means I was late gettin' into work. I don't feel up to stayin' here late but I think I may do some work tonight from home to make up for it.

I went out to Dollarama to get stocking stuffers for the kids and I hafta say that it amazed me how many little things you can get there. I mean, no realy high quality toys but candy, art supplies and that kinda thing are there and I walked out with a lot of schtuff for $20. I can't wait for the kids to open their stuff on Christmas morning.

My parents are coming down for the day on Christmas Eve. It'll be a lunch kinda thing. I'm not sure what we're having but I got thinkin' that I should really buy a turkey tonight if there's any hope of having clod turkey sandwiches this year. mmmm... turkey.

This is my last little hoorah before I get back on the healthy eatin' wagon again. I fell off and put a some pounds back on over the past few months. It all boils down to the amount going in versus the amount being burned... I'm runnin' a significant surplus, that's for sure. I've learned that I still don't handle stress in a good way in so far as I turn to food too easily, too often. The other problem is fatigue... I reach for food (and always that bad stuff) when I've got low energy. Yesterday and today are good examples of that.


Well, enough of this... I gotta get some work done since I've been in a meeting all morning.

Have a good day!

g.

Is there a BBQ road trip in our future?

Jim and were discussing BBQ based on one of his recent posts. The place we went to last year after the infamous Toronto Outdoor (non)Adventure Show is now gone so I went in search of another BBQ place to go. I came across a reference to Camp 31. I sampled their offerings back in 2003 when I organized the annual TDIFest get together in Burlington for the TDIClub.com community. Little did I know when I organized the 'Fest, that Burlington has a Ribfest on labour day weekend which coincided with the traditional date for TDIFest. Anyway, they had great BBQ and they are only a 2 hour drive from our house. (I can't help but think that there's a business opportunity somewhere in there if two guys are thinkin' about drivin' 2 hours one way to get some good BBQ.)

We decided that we may arrange for babysitters and take the girls on the outing with us. We're shooting for Feb/07 and if we make it a Wednesday night it's all you can eat pork ribs!

mmmmm... BBQ.

g.

Things are going well...

and it's back to work today so I need to get my mind in gear and produce some results. It's been a bit of a write off this month so far with the anticipation of Gracie's birth. Now she's here, I'm thinkin' to myself, "wadda ya mean it's Christmas this weekend! When did that happen?"

Damn.

I gotta get out and get the last minute stocking stuffers. I also need to make a visit to Canadian Tire to return a string of lights that had a broken LED casing (and I didn't need it). I also need to get them to check the car battery. I had to boost the car this morning for the third time. When the car sits for 3 or more days, the battery goes flat. As long as I'm driving it everyday, the charging system keeps it topped up. It's still got a little warranty left on it so I should get a couple o' bucks off the next one. I was thinking of getting one of those Optima batteries this time and I don't believe CT sells them. Oh well, we'll see. I also got a great little Christmas tree gadget... it's an ornament that is attached to a control module that you plug the lights into. It's touch sensetive and allows you to dim the lights or turn them off by touching the ornament. Easier than climbing behind the tree and knockin' stuff off.

Anyway, a few quick mentions and then I gotta get caught up on work:

• congrats to Geoff for reaching his goal of racing in the cyclocross nationals
• Jim (aka Mr. Moneybags), thanks for getting the (free) calendar for me :)
• Jim, I agree, let's get the water filter and let's do a pro/con list for the stove thing and I'm not so sure I want to be the first to be able to do a write up on 6km of low maintenance trails ;)

Have a great day everyone!

g.

She's here!

Well, after a long wait, Marie gave birth to our baby daughter on Wednesday around noon!

I can't find the words that convey how I feel... I keep saying "I've got a baby daughter!" 'cause I can't believe it. The boys are happy and D* is warming up the our new little bundle. He'll take a little longer 'cause he's no longer the "baby".

Marie and Baby G are doing well and will be home tomorrow. Despite all the issues with Marie, everything is fine and she doesn't have any worries related to her condition and the birth. We'll know more about her "brain thang" in February but until then... we're gonna enjoy our new baby and get used to the idea that our family now numbers six.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers and support. All the anxiety I experienced throughout the pregnancy was all worth it now I have a beautiful daughter.

I guess I'd better go update my profile from this:

Ordinary guy with 3 awesome boys (4th kid the way), a beautiful, loving wife and a small circle of friends.

to this:

Ordinary guy with 4 awesome kids, a beautiful, loving wife and a small circle of friends.

Have a great day everyone!

g.

Tomorrow is the BIG day!

Well... in less than 24 hours we may be holding our new baby!

They are saying that they want the labour to be as short as possible. Funny, I don't remember hearing Marie contradict that approach! LOL!

My parents and two of my aunts came over yesterday to help us get a few last minute things done. My Dad and I moved the other boys' rooms around. M* and D* are sharing a room now and P* has his own room. P* is sleeping on the bottom bed of the bunck beds I made and I have stored the upper bunk since M* didn't want to be on the top bunk and D* is too small for the upper one. D* is also struggling with the idea that he won't be the "baby" anymore so I figured that letting him keep his little bed would be one less thing for him to adjust to.

I'm sittin' here at work and I can't concentrate on anything work related. (I mean more so than usual, Jim!)
---------
I got busy at work (finally able to focus on something) and didn't publish this so... I'll click publish and try to get some sleep before the big day.

See ya!

g.

Okay, so I may have been in my own world...

but I was really excited to find out that Yusuf Islam (a.k.a Cat Stevens) has recorded a new album! I have fond childhood memories of listening to Cat Stevens in our basement while my parents had friends over for drinks.

I really liked this one... kind of a jazzy/funky feel to it.

Check out the rest of them... he does Peace Train... awesome.

FOUR MORE DAYS!

that is all.

it's hittin' me now...

five days until the baby's born!

Wow.

This year has absolutely flown by... the time since Marie's seizure in May is just a blur in my memory. In retrospect, I think I was on autopilot a lot, tryin' to cope with the flood of information and decisions that had to be made. There were scary moments but we've also managed to have some amazing, happy moments. At one point, I thought I would look back on this year and think of it as "the year from hell" but I find myself thinkin' of it as a year filled with great moments. Ah, what the hell, I feel like a year-end recap even though it's not over yet...

• we had a great trip to Florida with my in-laws
• Marie got pregnant
  
• Marie had her seizure
• Marie and I celebrated (kinda) our 10th anniversary
  
• Jim and I went to Algonquin and did the trip I always intended to do
• My boys have grown up so much... P* is 9 years old and makin' me proud every day, M* is gaining confidence and coming out of his shell, and D*... wow, he is really becoming a deep character with an amazing sense of humour
• I re-modeled our family room
• My mom had her back surgery to fix some major issues she had
• My sister sold her house
• My parent built their "apartment" in the farmhouse and are very happy with it
  
• I'm finishing off our basement
• The baby is about to be born
• Christmas is almost here... one of my favorite times of the year 'cause you get to see family and generally people are in great moods
  

Through our experience this year, we discovered how generous people are and how many friends we have out there. From my brotha Jim living behind me, to our neighbours a few doors down to my good friend Geoff out there in R.I. enjoyin' his "new" life... everyone had something positive to say, helped out with things like taking the kids for a few hours, cookin' meals to help me out when everything had just happened... there is a lot of good out there and it's not as hard to find as some people think.

I also know of three people who have accomplished some great physical accomplishments: Jim ran his first half marathon, Geoff has re-discovered his biking and my sister's childhood friend complete an ironman! Those are AMAZING accomplishments and are very inspiring!


Well, I need to get ready for a meeting here at work so, for now I leave with those great memories in my mind.

Have a great day everyone!

g.