Zoom Zoom

These are some shots using the new camera. It's an Olympus with an 18x optical zoom. I'm liking the camera overall but I keep forgetting to flip up the flash when I'm indoors! Our old camera did that automatically.

I'm quite impressed with the zoom on this camera. Thought I would share the results of using it on 3 settings.

Wii Mario Kart

I had the opportunity to play this game yesterday. There was a bit of a Wii party here at my brothers but because I am so sick I was mainly a spectator. That was...until they pulled out the new Mario Kart! I just had to try it out. This game ROCKS! If you are a fan of this series than undoubtedly you will enjoy this game but I think you may be somewhat disappointed as it's alot like the older versions. Having said that...this game is still alot of fun. The wheel that comes with the game is doable but I didn't use it. I just grabbed the Wiimote, turned it sideways and steered my way into a frenzy. We had four of us racing but there were a total of 12 characters in the race which makes it frantic and interesting dodging all the debris people keep dropping in hopes of slowing you down. I did manage to win two races out of eight. Not too bad for a girl on her death bed. *s* Once again, Nintendo doesn't disappoint us with this game. I give it two thumbs up and I will definitely be adding it to our collection. You should too!

New Poll Question!

Be sure to cast your vote on the right hand side. Come on...you know ya wanna! :-P

We made it...yesterday!

The second day of driving was as good as the first although the entire day was mist filled or sprinkling rain. It was never really a full on down pour which was nice. Driving through the valley things pretty much were the same as I remembered but it's still amazing to see the shacks that people actually live in. There were some real inventive homes that looked like something out of a war torn country. *shrug* I was also surprised how many people burn wood to heat their homes as there were alot of smoke stacks billowing away.

We saw quite a bit of wildlife on this trip. Just as we headed out from Prince George we weren't all that far down the road when we turned a corner and there was a deer just standing in the middle there. Again, Red was driving and had to put on the brakes. It wasn't near as close as the day before but we've definitely seen enough deer for awhile. During the two day drive we saw deer, elk, mountain sheep and a bear! Lots of wildlife to keep us entertained.

Last night we had a small party happening here and we ended up playing a fair bit of Wii. Red and I packed our Wii and entire game collection to bring here. Everyone laughed of course but the kids were happy to try out some different games. I'm sure it won't be the last night of Wii. My niece and her boyfriend bought Mario Kart yesterday at launch time but didn't bring it. They will bring it over at another time. Can't wait to try it out. *s*

I sit here on my laptop at the kitchen table having my morning java. Looking out the window, it is drizzling rain and the clouds are so low I cannot see the mountains. They are calling for the same type of weather all week. I'm hoping for some sunshine at some point.

We've got no real plans or agenda. Just going to wing our visit here. All I know is that we are going to the village to a restaurant on the wharf that serves fresh seafood at some point. Red is in heaven with anticipation. I'm hoping the view isn't blocked by the clouds as I am not a huge fish fan but I'll probably have some halibut.

So that's it. Day three of my holidays is just what the doctored ordered. Coffee, Internet and no real plans. I'm almost entirely distracted from the fact I have no job to return to. Well...almost. *s*

Poll Results!

The results are in and it turned out pretty even on this vote. I can see why this is such a hot issue today. People really are on two sides of the fence on this one. Be sure to check out the next poll question although I don't have one posted quite yet.

The question was "Do you believe in Cloning"

Yes, I donate to this cause on a regular basis.	0 (0%)
Yes, for organ use only.	1 (16%)
Sure, Dolly was cute.	2 (33%)
No, have you watched "The Other Son".	0 (0%)
No, we're all unique and special.	3 (50%)

Prince George, British Columbia

Well, we had a very good drive out here today. The sun was shining and there wasn't much traffic at all! Can't get much better than that. We did have one close call mind you. I had just pulled out my laptop and was pleasantly clicking away when Redder had to SLAM on the breaks. Let me say...my seat belt did the job! A deer had jumped out in front of us. Red's heart was going pretty good but we continued on our way. *whew* That would not have been fun at all.

I jumped into the drivers seat in Edson and when we pulled out we noticed another Suzuki SX4. A young trendy couple that we gave a thumbs up to. They smiled back and laughed. They ended up following us till Jasper when they turned off. So we had a little SX4 train. heh heh

I love the GPS even more. Not only did it get us to our destination which is a motel called Bon Voyage but during the trip it was nice to see how many kilometers we had left to go. I also liked how it zoomed out once we left Edmonton so we could see the terrain more. Quite interesting as it shows you the way of the road and bodies of water. I'm actually glad we had the GPS as this city has grown quite a bit since the last time I was around these parts. It's got to be about 15 years since I've made my way back home to Kitimat.

We left Edmonton at eight this morning and pulled up to the motel at about ten to five our time. Just in time to check in and get the Montreal hockey game on! We stopped at McBride for a light lunch. Red had a bowl of clam chowder and I had a delightful BLT. *s*

Looking forward to seeing my family tomorrow...and of course snooping around my old stomping grounds. I imagine it's changed a bit...but knowing Kitimat...probably not much.

Surprise!

Fedex showed up at our place today with a package. What's this? I'm not expecting anything. When I saw that it was from Activision/RedOctane I said "oh it's our Guitar Hero disc" but it was an awfully big package for just the disc I returned so they could replace it with one that was in Stereo instead of mono. Wasn't I surprised when they sent me a new faceplate!!! What a wicked suprise this was. It's not just a sticker either...it's a full plastic faceplate. I had to remove the other one to get this one on. It was a snap. That's a pretty sweet deal for their big blunder in the beginning. I'm certainly a happy customer though! Now if only the game would show up. We do a have second Guitar Hero game so it's all good. Haven't missed a beat. We've missed a few strums though!!! :-P

If you haven't already done so you can register for the stereo disc here. Just know that you are going to be without the game for quite some time. Get your "fix" before sending it away!

The Fat Lady Has Sung

I finished my last shift today at Dell Edmonton. It was a very sad day for me indeed. Tomorrow I just go in to sign some paperwork and hand in my notebook and badge. I have worked with Dell since February 2005. It was a great run and I had the pleasure of working with some of the most talented people I have ever met in my life. Unfortunately for business reasons the company decided to pull out of Edmonton and just yesterday announced that Dell Ottawa would also be closing. I'm afraid this is a sign of the times. It's just getting too expensive for companies to operate here.

Sadly, I will miss all the water cooler talks...even though I never stood by the water cooler. I will deeply miss my co-workers and seeing their faces every day and I wish them all the best in their journey from here. It has been an extremely interesting few months and hope I never have to experience getting laid off again but in this day and age one just never knows...but I can still hope. *s*

Goodbye Dell. It's been one helluva ride!

Seahawks Release Alexander

Anybody that knows me at all, knows that I am a huge NFL football fan and that the Seattle Seahawk's are my team! Today it was announced that they let go former NFL mvp running back Shaun Alexander. Am I sad? Yes, a little but I know how the sports world works and Shaun has not put out these past few years so it's kind of expected. Having went through this with our local hockey team The Edmonton Oilers. I remember all to well how it went down the day Wayne Gretzky was traded. It was a pure and simple business deal but my heart still broke. After that day I knew anyone in any sport could be traded for a buck...or two.

Thanks for making my Sunday afternoons very entertaining Shaun. You will always be a Seahawk in my books. Check out the writeup on the Seahawk's Website.

"Car"Toons

A bunch of us are here at work looking out the window at everyone stuck in the snow drifts outside. A bus was stuck in the front for a bit while in the back a Purolator truck and a bunch of vehicles were having big issues. So, not EVERYONE was watching from the window. Some braved the snow and cold wind to go out and help these poor souls. Problem was the helpers got stuck too!

Winter is highly over-rated

Now don't get me wrong I do love the snow. I am a true and proud Canadian in so many ways. Today however is April 21st and I didn't want to wake to a blizzard happening! How foolish I was when I ventured out this morning on a 4 block walk to do some testing for a Government job. Where was my toque? Where were my boots and mitts? Where the HECK did all this snow, wind and ice come from??? Well, I did manage to survive my little trek but the tips of my ears were none to happy. After my testing I went home and grabbed my car to go to work. Another adventure on the icy Edmonton roads. Why is it there is always ONE driver that just goes like a bat out of hell? Weaving in and out of traffic like it were the middle of summer on dry pavement? I don't get it. So ya, here's to Old Man Winter. Please go away. I am so done with you till next year.

Mac Vs PC

The commercials on TV for these are really quite genius but this is a cute spoof anyway. I especially like the pink outfit. *s*

An Interesting Read

This is from a friend's blog. If you've got a few minutes I highly recommend it. Read his post here.

A Hard Day's Work

You certainly don't have to be at work to "work" do you? We were up early today and rearranging everything so we could have room to paint the window wall. Living in such a small space has it's challenges when you are doing any kind of reno work. Even with the couches and table out of here it is still a tight squeeze. So after we put coat number one on we got cleaned up and were out the door to help friends move. The move went fairly well despite the weather. It was a slushy winter mess and a bit cool but we all managed. The hundred trips up and down three flights of stairs definitely took their tole on me. After the move we visited a bit and played a few songs on Rock Band. I'm pretty amazed that Tan was able to find everything she needed to hook it up! We ate before leaving and than painted a second coat to our wall. Now we have prepped our final wall for painting tomorrow. It's a different colour so that's why we didn't do it all the same day. Now it's time to call it a night. My back is screaming at me so I better rest it well. *s*

Auction at Work

We had an auction here at work the last couple of days and the only thing I really wanted was a Media Center Remote/IR Kit so when I get around to putting my computer in my TV stand I can start movies and music from the couch. It was a silent auction so as the minutes ticked down I still saw my name on one of the available ones. I think there were 9 in total. However, I had my name on one that didn't come with an IR Kit so it would be senseless to get that one so I scratched my name off after it was all over. *sigh* Oh well, I thought. I tried. Today everyone was picking up their loot and Tai-Chun came over to me and asked if I wanted to buy one of his remotes. He bid on two and got them both. YES...I'll take it I said!!! Today Tai-Chun is my hero but really, who am I kidding??? He's my hero and go to guy here at work everyday. :-P Thanks a MILLION Tai-Chun! You're the best.